Thursday, 28 February 2013 17:49 Nay Myo
A combined team of the Chandel district police and troops from the Assam rifles last week destroyed 49 acres of opium poppies estimated to be valued at around US $350,000 in India’s northeastern Manipur State, according to Indian media.
The poppy fields—which were situated at a site just 50 km from Tamu in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region—were owned by unknown persons, the reports said. The region was previously occupied by Manipuri rebels.
“In the past, poppy plants were grown along the Sajik Tampak Road,...
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Naw Kham to be executed on Friday
Thursday, 28 February 2013 17:40 Mizzima News
Myanmar drug lord Naw Kham and three of his accomplices convicted of murdering 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in 2011 will be put to death by lethal injection in Kunming on Friday, March 1, according to reports in the Chinese media.
The Kunming Intermediate People's Court announced that four men were to be put to death on Friday: Naw Kham from Myanmar, and his three accomplices identified as Hsang Kham from Thailand, Yi Lai, stateless, and Zha Xika, a Laotian.
China’s state-run media reported...
Myanmar’s budget process questioned
Thursday, 28 February 2013 17:27 Rosie Gogan-Keogh
"We need to adopt a new style of budgeting," said an eminent economist and member of the council of economic advisors to the president, while speaking at a roundtable discussion on Myanmar's budget process on Thursday.
Academics, economists and officials discuss the development of democratic local budgets at a roundtable event organized by...
FDI will benefit ASEAN, says Japanese economist
Thursday, 28 February 2013 14:47 The Bangkok Post
ASEAN as a whole will benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI) as Myanmar starts to see improved cash flow in key sectors, says the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro).
Toshihiro Kudo, senior research fellow at Jetro's Institute of Developing Economies, said Myanmar has long been a missing link in the region despite having a strategic...
Indian aid raises concerns in Chin State
Thursday, 28 February 2013 13:21 Rosie Gogan-Keogh
Concerns have been raised over financial aid provided by the Indian government for development as it will be channeled through the Ministry for Border Affairs.
Passengers help a jeep struggling through axle-deep mud near Tedim Township. Chin State is the poorest region in Myanmar. (Photo: Mizzima)
"It is good that India is willing to help...
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
121 Rohingyas found adrift off Aceh coast
Wednesday, 27 February 2013 16:09 Mizzima News
A boat carrying 121 people from Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority was found adrift off Indonesia's Aceh province on Wednesday, Thai media have reported, citing news agency DPA.
Part of a 121-strong group of Rohingya boatpeople, including six women and two children, arrive at a shelter in Punteuet in Aceh province on February 27, 2013, after being...
Myanmar tourism industry ‘cannot do it alone’
Wednesday, 27 February 2013 15:06 Rosie Gogan-Keogh
Htay Aung, the Minister for Hotels and Tourism, has said that Myanmar cannot grow its tourism industry alone and needs international investors. The announcement came at the opening ceremony of the Myanmar Hospitality and Tourism Conference 2013 at Yangon's Traders Hotel on February 27.
The opening ceremony of the Myanmar Hospitality and Tourism...
China, Singapore, Malaysia: largest importers of Myanmar rubber
Wednesday, 27 February 2013 14:32 Khin Myo Thwe
China, Singapore and Malaysia are the largest importers of Myanmar’s rubber, according to rubber exporters in Myanmar.
Rubber plantation in Mawlamyine, Mon State (Photo: Wikipedia)
“Other countries that are importing Myanmar’s rubber include Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam, India and Thailand,” said Khine Myint, the secretary of Myanmar Rubber Planters...
Myanmar-Malaysia trade expected to top $ 1 billion
Wednesday, 27 February 2013 14:03 Mizzima News
Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Myanmar is expected to reach around US $1 billion this year, according to a report on Tuesday by Malaysian news agency Bernama, which said the 10 percent increase is spurred by the substantial economic growth by both countries.
Deputy chief executive officer of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, Datuk Kamarudin Hassan, is reported saying that the economic liberalization of Myanmar’s markets has significantly spurred the export of Malaysian...
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Thein Sein arrives in Oslo
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 16:34 AFP
Myanmar President Thein Sein arrived in Oslo on Tuesday, kicking off his first trip to Europe aimed at forging stronger ties between the former pariah state and the West.
Burmese President Thein Sein. Photo: president's office
The reformist leader landed at Oslo's international airport, Norwegian officials said, for a three-day stay in the Scandinavian country...
Suu Kyi flies back to Yangon to greet Tutu
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 17:59 Mizzima News
“She is beautiful and it is wonderful to be here!” exclaimed Archbishop Desmond Tutu after meeting his fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi at her house in Yangon on Tuesday.
Nobel
Peace Prize laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Aung San Suu Kyi met
each other at Suu Kyi's house in Yangon on February 26, 2013. Archbishop
Tutu gave a speech,...
KIO postpones talks with govt peace committee
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 12:57 Phanida
The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has said that it is not ready to attend the Myanmar government’s Union-level Peacemaking Committee's proposed meeting on February 28, according to Hla Maung Shwe, a peace broker.
Minister of the President's Office Aung Min (3rd L back, writing) is pictured on February 4 along with government officials holding...
Indian army officer arrested smuggling drugs to Myanmar
Tuesday, 26 February 2013 13:13 Mizzima News
Indian media have reported that a senior Indian army official has been arrested for attempting to smuggle illegal substances across the Myanmar border.
Lt-Col Ajay Chaudhary, who works as a press officer for India's Ministry of Defense, was intercepted by police at Pallel while leading a convoy of cars carrying a large amount of the banned drug pseudo-ephedrine...
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thailand stalls on Dawei highway
Tuesday, 25 February 2013 12:14 The Bangkok Post
The planned expansion of a motorway linking Thailand to the proposed Dawei deep-sea port project in Myanmar has been postponed.
[Thailand’s] Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTTPP) said expanding the motorway from four lanes to eight on the Thai side of the border is unnecessary for the time being.
The 110-kilometre road would...
US ‘dedicated’ to investing in Myanmar
Monday, 25 February 2013 17:04 Rosie Gogan-Keogh
The United States-Myanmar Trade and Investment Conference took place on February 25 at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), with the aim of encouraging bilateral trade between the two countries.
Jose Fernandez, US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic & Business Affairs, pictured speaking at the...
Myanmar allows license-free imports, exports
Monday, 25 February 2013 16:27 Khin Myo Thwe
The Ministry of Commerce has eased laws for local businesspeople by passing a bill that will allow all imports and exports to proceed without licenses as from April 1.
Containers of cargo wait to be loaded for export abroad at Yangon port. (PHOTO: Bo Bo / Mizzima)
“As a first step, 166 import products and 152 export products will be allowed without...
Yangon to get master plan with help of Japan
Monday, 25 February 2013 15:41 Mizzima News
The Myanmar government is currently drafting a master plan to develop the city of Yangon to an international standard with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported on February 25.
The electrical grid in Myanmar is plagued by weak infrastructure. (Photo: Mizzima)
"Yangon...
KNU calls for senior military officers at peace talks
Monday, 25 February 2013 14:15 Mizzima News
The Karen National Union (KNU) has requested that Naypyitaw send high-ranking military officers to future talks as part of the peace process between the two sides, according to a report by Karen News.
Gen. Mutu Say Poe, the newly elected chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU), speaks to government officials and KNU delegates at a formal dinner...
UNHCR calls for regional response to boatpeople
Monday, 25 February 2013 12:41 Mizzima News
The UN’s refugee agency has expressed its concern over the growing number of boatpeople dying in the Bay of Bengal, including members of the Rohingya community fleeing Myanmar or from Bangladesh's refugee camps and makeshift sites.
“Most are men, but there are also increasing reports of women and children on these often rickety boats making the journey southwards. We estimate that of the 13,000 people who left on smugglers' boats in 2012, close to 500 died at sea when their boats broke down or capsized,”...
China UnionPay card launches in Yangon
Monday, 25 February 2013 12:29 Mizzima News
A ceremony was held in Yangon on Saturday to officially launch China UnionPay (CUP) card services in Myanmar, news agency Xinhua reported.
CUP is the largest issued bank card in China and is widely accepted around the world. Its services in Myanmar are to be tied to all banks affiliated with Myanmar Payment Union (MPU), which has 17 members, among them:...
US business delegation visits Myanmar
Monday, 25 February 2013 11:05 Mizzima News
A major business delegation including 50 representatives of US companies is visiting Myanmar from February 24 to 28.
The US Chamber of Commerce announced on Friday that the delegation includes representatives from a wide range of industries, including agribusiness, automotive, electronics, energy, retailing and telecommunications.
Myanmar Vice President...
Saturday, February 23, 2013
US lifts sanctions on 4 Myanmar banks
Saturday, 23 February 2013 17:27 AFP
The United States authorized US entities to do business with four major Myanmar banks Friday, extending the easing of economic sanctions on the former pariah state.
Myanma Economic Bank Branch 3, Yangon. (Photo: Mizzima)
The Treasury Department said it had issued a general license to allow individuals, companies, and financial institutions to conduct most...
Mon State gas pipeline nears completion
Saturday, 23 February 2013 16:42 Hin Tha Ni
The construction of the Kanbauk to Myaing Kalay to Hlawgar gas pipeline is now more than 70 percent complete following delays due to the pipe being built too near the sea and land disputes.
30 inch pipeline piles waiting to be installed in Mon State (Photo: IMNA)
“[The project was delayed because] pipes passed across seashores and problems occurred...
Canada wants to help Myanmar in the ‘march toward democracy’
Saturday, 23 February 2013 16:22 Rosie Gogan-Keogh
The head of a Canadian delegation to Myanmar has welcomed the country's reforms to date but has called for further moves forward, stating that “Canada is here to help Burma [Myanmar] in the march toward democracy.”
Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to the Canadian minister of foreign affairs
“I see the reforms that have taken place...
Foreign investors queue up to milk Myanmar’s dairy market
Saturday, 23 February 2013 15:53 Khin Myo Thwe
Thailand, Korea, Netherlands and New Zealand have expressed interest in investing in Myanmar’s dairy sector, according to the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.
Photo: United States Department of Agriculture
“Many foreign representatives have come to Myanmar to discuss their plans to invest in the dairy sector. Thailand, Korea, Holland and...
Friday, February 22, 2013
Myanmar-US agree anti-drugs pact
Friday, 22 February 2013 17:13 Mizzima News
Myanmar and the United States have taken another step toward closer relations by agreeing to work together on counter-narcotics operations.
Myanmar authorities conduct opium poppy eradication efforts in southern Shan State in February 2012. (Photo: UNODC)
Speaking to reporters, US Ambassador Derek Mitchell said that the agreement “is another step...
Thein Sein to hit European trail
Friday, 22 February 2013 13:59 Mizzima NewsThein Sein has received official invitations to visit five European countries in the near future, according to an announcement in state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar on February 22.
Myanmar President Thein Sein met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in the Lao capital Vientiane in November 2012. (Photo: President's office)
The Myanmar...
Time to address SME policy
Friday, 22 February 2013 12:51 Khin Myo Thwe
Several entrepreneurs and politicians in Myanmar are calling for a definitive policy on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) ahead of the commencement of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.
Small and Medium Enterprise Development (Photo: Ministry of Industry No. 2, Myanmar)
Speaking at the Upper House of Parliament on February 20, MP Myint Kyi of...
Yadana gas cuts raise temperatures in Bangkok
Friday, 22 February 2013 16:04 | THE BANGKOK POST
The threat of possible blackouts in Bangkok and some southern areas remains even as Myanmar has agreed to help the government through its high-demand power woes in April.
Total, French operator of the Yadana block in Myanmar, has agreed to delay maintenance at the Yadana gas field by 36 hours from the morning of April 4 to midday on April 5, the...
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