GUWAHATI, March 27: Japan has eased travel restrictions to Assam and advised tourists from the country to visit the state except in four districts, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.
The four districts are Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar and Charaideo where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) are in force, the chief minister said at a press conference here.
The advisory was issued on March 25, before AFSPA was withdrawn from Dibrugarh by the Union home ministry, he said.
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The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without a prior warrant. It also gives a certain level of immunity to the security forces if an operation goes wrong.
The advisory issued by Japan to its citizens against travelling in Assam has thus been downgraded from Level Two to Level One, which is prevalent in the rest of the country, Sarma said.
The decision to downgrade the travel restrictions to level one was taken due to the improved security scenario in the state.
Japan is the second country after Australia to review travel restrictions issued to its citizens against travelling to Assam.
Australia had withdrawn the restrictions against visiting the state, barring the districts where AFSPA is in force, in February.
Sarma said that the issue of withdrawal of travel restrictions by New Zealand will be taken up next. (PTI)
