Yemen halts visas for foreigners
- Source: Global Times
- [20:20 January 21 2010]
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By Hao Zhou and Qiu Yongzheng in Sana'a
The Yemeni government yesterday suspended visa issuance for foreigners at the international airport of Sana'a, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday, without giving any official reasons. The move is an apparent retaliation against the British government's halting direct of flights to the UK from Yemen due to a rising security threat.
The British government said Wednesday that direct flights to the UK from Yemen were suspended due to the rising threat from militants based in Yemen and affiliated with Al Qaeda.
Previously, foreign visitors to Yemen could easily apply for an entry visa at Sana’a airport. But from yesterday, any foreigners who want to enter Yemen must first apply for a visa from Yemeni embassies in their own countries.
The Arabian Channel said yesterday the measure is to prevent Al Qaeda militants from entering Yemen. It also said the remaining Al-Qaeda militants in the country have been surrounded by Yemeni troops. The Yemeni government said there were about 300 Al Qaeda militants on its soil, and the government troops have so far killed or captured more than 100.
“There were also many foreign journalists coming to Yemen after the failed attempt to bomb a US-bound jet by a terrorist who said he received training in Yemen,” Abdul Jabar, who speaks fluent English and accompanied a number of foreign journalists during their stay in Yemen, told the Global Times. “But they found nothing and they went home.”
“The January 28 international conference on Yemeni issues is looming, and the measure that controls the entry of foreigners will also prevent foreign reporters coming to Yemen,” Jabar said.
Yemen has stepped up efforts to combat Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula under pressure from the US, which has said that many of the Al Qaeda militants had fled Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal area and returned to Yemen, which is facing Shii'te rebellion in the north and separatism in the south.
