Narinjara news

TOURISTS TO ANCIENT MRAUK-U : NO ;
TO BAGAN IN BURMA : YES

Sittwe, 29^th January 02: A newly set up Nasaka immigration and security forces Camp No.25 at Ann pass has been screening visitors to Rakhine State of Myanmar. A large number of tourists have been turned down their requests for entry into Rakhine State through the check point established there, said a teacher who recently came from Yangon through the point to our correspondent.
On 13^th January 02, an American citizen, Mr S. Peter Haywood (47), passport No. 01520094, was stopped at the Nasaka camp No. 25. With him was a Buddhist monk, Ashin Candana, 34, of Patiradana Thanti Thukha Buddhist monastery of Thazi, Mandalay Division, and two other lay people hailing from Yangon. They were taking a trip to Mrauk-u in a Toyota Hilux No. 2A -9235 from Yangon, for a visit to the ancient capital of Rakhine State. But he with his group were turned down from the camp because, though he had visa to Myanmar he did not have 'permission of the authority' to visit Rakhine State. He came to Myanmar on January 3, and had a Myanmar visa till 31^st of the same month. He told the unnamed teacher who he met at Taungup where he stopped for the night, about the ban on visits to Rakhine State by foreign tourists as he said he was free to move anywhere in proper Burma including Mandalay, Bagan and Nyaung-oo, while Rakhine State was kept off limits to him which was not understandable..
The tourist reached Ann at about 7 in the evening while he was detained for three hours there and made to go back to Yangon after 10. Being dissatisfied with the curt behaviour of the guards posted at the camp and the 'authority' whoever it was in control of the 'permission to enter Rakhine State' though the Government of Myanmar issued tourist visa to him, the American visitor told the teacher about the incidence including his passport number. The teacher also told that, the foreign tourists are at a loss as to why they are denied entry to Rakhine State though they have visa of the Government of Myanmar. In the past couple of months a number of Japanese, Australian, Belgian, British and German tourists have been reported to have been denied entry to Rakhine State through Yangon Sittwe highway through Nasaka camp 25 point at Ann, the headquarters of Western Command. #