Olympics 2016: Brazil's President Suspends Visa Requirements for Rio De Janeiro Games

By Nens Bolilan| Nov 26, 2015

Despite security threats in the country after the recent bomb attacks in Paris, Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, still agreed to suspend visa requirements of foreigners coming into the country for the Olympic game next year.

A Reuters report, published on SBS, said that the waiving of the visa will encourage tourism in the country and help revive its struggling economy due to a recession.

According to the law passed by Congress and signed by the President, visiting individuals from other countries who will arrive between June and Sept. 18 will not need a visa if they are staying for up to 90 days in the country.

It was also clarified that visas will not be required even if travellers do not have tickets for the Olympic events from Aug. 5 - 21 in Rio de Janeiro.

It was added in the Reuters report that this has worried Western governments especially on the safety of their athletes and tourists who will be watching the game.

"They believe many Brazilian authorities are complacent, taking too much comfort in Brazil's historical status as an enemy-free nation," added the same report.

Earlier this month, Paris was rocked with a series of bomb attacks that left more than a hundred dead in a single night.

CNN said suicide bombers armed with AK-47s "attacked sites throughout the French capital and at a soccer stadium."

Street shooting at the Le Petit Cambodge led to the death of 14 people, while the attack at the Bataclan concert hall recorded 112 dead.

"We lied down on the floor not to get hurt. It was a huge panic. The terrorists shot at us for 10 to 15 minutes. It was a bloodbath," said journalist Julien Pearce in the CNN report.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks and then threatened to attack the United States next.

The Washington Post said that in a video recently released by the Islamic State, the group showed the terror during the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, along with a clip of French President, François Hollande, condemning the violence in his country.

In the later part of the footage, The Washington Post said that a man in the video threatened countries which are against the Islamic State, making special mention of the U.S.

With the growing fear that similar attacks will happen in adjacent countries, Brazilian Cabinet Minister, Ricardo Berzoini, said in the Reuters report that the country will seek help from other nations in combating terrorism.

 

Latest News