“It was intended for religious buildings, like the congregation halls, to be free of charge,” ministry director Aung San Win told the Myanmar Times. Illegal high-rise hotels have damaged the local environment and ruined views from the pagoda platform, according to the statement. The ministry plans to make the congregation halls free again, crack down on the toll collectors and take action against illegal hotels. “We already revoked the hotel licence of Yoe Yoe Lay in August,” said Myo Win Nyunt, director of the Hotels and Tourism Ministry. “It is best that the monks and pilgrims stay free of charge at the congregation halls when they come to Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda,” committee general secretary Sandi Mar Bhivamsa told the Myanmar Times.

Source: Bangkok Post September 14, 2016 12:45 UTC