De tilhørte en kategori af kritiske og “fjendtligt sindede” personer, som ikke måtte komme ind i det førhen så lukkede land, fordi obersterne i Rangoon ikke kunne lide dem – men nu lyder der andre toner.
Burma’s authorities have taken 2.082 people off a blacklist the former military government compiled to manage perceived security threats. They include foreign officials, aid workers and journalists.
On the list were former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, late Philippine President Corazon Aquino, as well as some BBC journalists, BBC online reports Thursday.
The move is the latest in a series of reformist steps by the military-backed government. The decision by the military-backed, civilian-led government reduces the list by about a third.
The blacklist may not have been quite as effective as intended – many of the spellings on the list are erratic, with some names appearing more than once in different guises.
The late US singer, activist and politician Sonny Bono was listed. So were the two sons of the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as her former physician.
There are also retired Western diplomats, who were seen as too hostile when based in the country, human rights officials and a long list of foreign journalists who were not welcome to revisit the country after sending reports that offended the generals who ruled Burma for almost 50 years.
