REUTER: SLORC NEEDS NO JOURNALIST T

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Subject: REUTER: SLORC NEEDS NO JOURNALIST TO FILL THEIR HOTELS

 SLORC NEEDS NO JOURNALIST TO FILL THEIR HOTELS

   BANGKOK, June 6 (Reuter) - Burma's military government has tightened
visa requirements for foreign journalists, effective immediately, a Burmese
embassy official said on Thursday.
     The official told Reuters that Rangoon issued an order to all Burmese
embassies that all journalists' visas be approved by the Foreign Ministry.
Previously, embassies had granted approval unless there were special
circumstances.
     The visas must be used within seven days of issue, and journalists
must have an airline ticket with a fixed arrival and departure date in
order to one.
     Previously, the 14-day visa was valid for three months on issue. Under
the new rules, the visa is still valid for 14 days.
     "I don't know why they made these changes, we just heard about them
from Rangoon," the official said. He did not know how long it would take to
get approval from Rangoon.
     Over the past few weeks Burmese embassies, particularly in Bangkok,
have not been granting journalist visas.
     The move follows rising political tension in Burma after the ruling
military government's arrest of more than 250 pro-democracy activists last
month.
     The arrests by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
were made ahead of a congress of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD) party. The NLD secured an overwhelming victory in a 1990
election but was prevented by the SLORC from assuming power.
     Despite efforts to block journalists from entering the country, many
foreign reporters who already had visas went to Burma and covered the
congress.
     For several years the Burmese government has regularly refused visas
to journalists.
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