Law

In Myanmar, new rules for hot-air balloon flights over the site of Bagan, whose pagodas were built in the 9th to 13th centuries, began on Oct. 15.

Requiring that balloons remain at least 300 feet above Bagan and prohibiting them from landing within the grounds of the pagodas, the rules are meant to protect the ancient structures from being damaged. (No incidents have been reported.) 

There are more than 3,000 pagodas in the Bagan Archaeological Zone, the tallest of which, Thatbyinnyu, is 200 feet tall.

While driving in Italy in 2005, I briefly crossed the border into the Lugano area of Switzerland. When leaving Switzerland, I was stopped at the border crossing by a Swiss policeman, who said I had been on the highway without a toll sticker. Luckily, I wasn’t fined, but I did have to pay for a sticker even though I was leaving the country.

A local newspaper mentioned a cruise ship that travels between Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cuba, making five landings in Cuba.

I went on the website, www.yourcubacruise.com, in April and booked a cruise with ease through Cuba Cruise (phone the Toronto, Ontario, office at 855/364-4999), selecting one of the few balcony suites for CAD1,414 per person, double occupancy, which worked out to $2,318 for both my wife and me. Shore excursions and booze are not included, but onboard meals and services are. Air miles covered our airfare to Jamaica.

In Abu Dhabi, an Australian woman was fined $2,700, spent 53 hours in custody and was deported from the United Arab Emirates on July 15 for posting a picture to Facebook of a car parked across two handicapped parking spaces near her apartment and adding criticism.

Though the woman’s post did not identify the driver of the car, a complaint of “writing bad words on social media” was filed under the UAE’s Cybercrime Law, resulting in her arrest and conviction. UAE’s Cybercrime Laws were enacted in 2012 to reduce online dissent against the government. 

The Aspara Authority in Cambodia has created a “Visitor Code of Conduct” for visitors to the Angkor Wat temple complex, following a series of incidents involving tourists.

The code, which is posted in multiple languages at the entrance to the complex, prohibits visitors from touching monuments, entering restricted areas, wearing revealing clothing, and smoking. Breaking the code will be punishable as a crime.