Myanmar to start processing tourist visas from Saturday

Bangkok, May 12 (EFE).- The Myanmar military junta will begin processing tourist visas from Saturday, two years after imposing travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ministry of Immigration and Population said foreign travelers will have to show a Covid-19 vaccination certificate, a negative PCR test, and medical insurance that covers the disease.

The authorities began to process business visas from Apr.1 to help economic recovery in the country, plunged into a crisis since the military coup on Feb.1, 2021.

Travelers who have received full doses of Covid-19 vaccinations do not have to undergo mandatory quarantine.

The Myanmar authorities said 16 new coronavirus cases were added on Wednesday, bringing the number of infections to more than 613,000 since the pandemic began.

The virus has claimed 19,434 lives in Myanmar in the last two.

Some 44 percent of the eligible the population has received full doses of anti-covid vaccines.

However, medical experts linked to the democratic opposition have questioned the pandemic figures of the military-run government led by General Min Aung Hlaing.

In addition to the armed conflict in some areas, tourism suffers from an ethical dilemma due to the repression of the military regime against peaceful protesters, civilian politicians and rights activists.

The situation is reminiscent of the earlier military regimes between 1962 and 2011.

The country is mired in political, economic, and social crisis since the military coup, which led many health workers to go on indefinite strike.

Thousands have been arrested for allegedly sympathizing with the civil disobedience movement.

The military has kept the deposed leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, in jail, charging her for several crimes despite global calls for her release.

Security forces have killed at least 1,835 people in a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners showed. EFE grc/ssk