More Junta paranoia from Burma

The upcoming referendum in Myanmar (Burma) has the military junta acting on the cautious side, as it warns all tour operators in the country that they will be held responsible for the tourists in their groups and have been told to essentially keep a close eye on them. In a letter issued by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, tour operators were told that ‘visa on arrival’ tourists should not be involved in any political activity. How the junta treats political activists is well documented, even monks are beaten and shot, so tourists beware.

The letter, which was signed by lieutenant Colonel Yan Naing said, “Respective tour companies would be held accountable if tourists, whom they recommend, should create unwanted administrative and security problems.”  Word from the Thai capital of Bangkok is that applicants must now face an interview before a visa will be issued. This is presumably for the duration of the month of May only, but Burmese visa laws have been known to change in direct correlation to when events scare the government int thinking that their brutal hold on a destitute people could be broken.