YANGON, June 13 (dpa): International tourists will soon be returning to Myanmar's landmarks like the famous Shwedagon Pagoda - at least that's what the country's military junta hopes, even as its brutal crackdown and killings continue.
Even as Myanmar's military carries out a brutal crackdown on protesters resisting the country's military coup, the ruling junta is seeking to draw tourists back to the country and promote a stable image internationally.
The military Junta has resumed issuing tourist visas for visitors from 100 countries in an effort to help its moribund tourism industry, with an e-visa system for tourists resuming in May, after the system was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
However European government travel advice remains anything but appealing to potential tourists, with Britain's Foreign Office noting that curfews and martial law are in place, while "there have been shootings and targeted explosions" in urban areas.
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military coup on February 1, and the military is struggling to contain peaceful street protests and civil disobedience movements.
Meanwhile an armed resistance from anti-junta militias across the country is seeking to unseat the military government by force, further adding to the risks for tourists.
At least 1,906 people have been killed and more than 14,000 people arrested since the coup began, according to rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which documents the killings and human rights violations.
"We can't take responsibility under this situation," an owner of a local tour company, who asked to remain anonymous, told dpa. "They are pushing the tourism actors to promote it, but who dares to visit for their holidays?"
Even as killings and abductions by the army remain commonplace, the junta says it has begun allowing tourist visas to visitors from and business visas for 55 countries under its .
In 2019, before the pandemic hit the Myanmar's tourist numbers, some 4.3 million tourists come to the country known for its pagodas and picturesque landscapes.
"Some foreigners have to come for their business purpose but it is impossible to promote the tourism industry by attracting them in this crisis," an executive from a top business group told dpa.
"The junta want to show Myanmar is becoming stable which is not true."
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in March that the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar was worsening amid systematic brutality by the military.
"The economy is on the brink of collapse," Bachelet said, warning that food shortages would increase sharply in the coming months. "Over 14.4 million individuals are now assessed as being in humanitarian need."
European countries such as the UK and Germany are strongly warning against all but essential travel to Myanmar for various reasons.
"There is a risk that you could be arbitrarily detained or arrested. The criminal justice process followed in such cases falls below international standards," Britain's Foreign Office says. - dpa
