| National Affairs
No clean sweep: Ethnic parties expected to deny unanimous opposition victory Myanmar Times 29th Oct 2015
Though the National League for Democracy is expected to make large gains in the coming polls and the Union Solidarity and Development Party has the benefit of incumbency in many areas, the eight ethnic parties running in Shan State complicate the electoral landscape and may prevent either from claiming victory. “One prediction we can make with certainty about the results of the 2015 election is that the two major political parties will not be able to overcome the ethnic parties,” said Sai Aik Paung, chair of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, which is also known as Kyar Phyu, or White Tiger. The party won the second-highest number of seats in national parliament in the 2010 election, and members believe they would have swept even more were it not for widespread irregularities and voting fraud.
Mandalay jade traders say worst year ‘ever’ for sales Myanmar Times 28th Oct 2015
In interviews on October 25 at the Maha Aung Myay Gem Trading Centre, one trader after another bemoaned their current lot. Jade trader U Myo Myint said profits were down because most transactions now involved Myanmar-to-Myanmar dealings, there being very few Chinese traders around. “There is trading, but less profit. With Chinese buyers away, traders are losing hundreds of thousands of kyat,” he said. Jewellery trader Ko Wai Phyo said profits could be had if the jade was worked into smaller pieces, selling for tens of thousands of US dollars, rather than putting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jade crystals into larger pieces of jewellery. “I can’t sell one jade crystalware piece that I bought for K600,000 because the profit would amount to only about K30,000 or K40,000. But there is profit in pieces that only sell for K30,000,” he said. Mostly, traders are waiting for the return of the good times.
US-Based Observation Mission Finds Flaws Ahead of Poll The Irrawaddy 28th Oct 2015
The US-based Carter Center on Tuesday published its assessment of the campaign period leading up to Burma’s landmark Nov. 8 general election, concluding that issues remain over political space, disenfranchisement and observer access to advance votes. In its second statement on the election campaign period, covering events through Oct. 20, the Carter Center said that while pre-election activity had been largely peaceful and unrestricted, observers were informed of a number of incidents of intimidation and physical attacks against political party members. Party representatives and community members also expressed concern about the “potentially disruptive use of nationalist and religious rhetoric,” particularly by the Buddhist nationalist Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Tha.
PanAust seeks copper and gold opportunities Myanmar Times 27th Oct 2015
PanAust is owned by Guangdong Rising HK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese state-owned Guangdong Riing Assets Management. Subsidiary Wuntho Resources has been looking for projects over the past two years, including in Sagaing Region, said director Richard Taylor. The firm, which is a tie-up between PanAust and Myanmar Energy Resources Group International, has recently donated US$20,000 to the Myanmar Red Cross to provide short- and long-term relief to those affected by recent flooding in Sagaing Region, Mr Taylor said. Gaining the support of the Sagaing Region government is something which “Wuntho intends to duplicate as it looks for opportunities in other areas of Myanmar”, he said in an emailed statement.
Use of child labour mires Myanmar's future in poverty The Straits Times 27th Oct 2015
Twelve-year-old Myat Noe dashes between tables, taking orders and sweeping up cigarette butts for around US$1 (S$1.39) a day in Myanmar, which has one of the worst records for child labour in the world. There are millions like Myat Noe - child workers are widely accepted in the former junta-ruled nation - who prop up everything from tea rooms to factories. But pressure is building for a change of attitude and law. Weeks away from the Nov 8 election, a coalition of campaign groups are seizing the opportunity for debate, and urging lawmakers to provide universal, compulsory and free education within five years. Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy is expected to make major gains in the election, and has identified education as the cornerstone in reducing poverty but, so far, has not committed to this demand.
Months of Uncertainty after November 8 Elections, Analyst Predicts mizzima 27th Oct 2015
Myanmar could face months of negotiating between political parties and groups after the November 8 elections before a new government emerges, an analyst forecast. “I would be very surprised if the National League for Democracy won less than 50%, but …I predict months and months of horse trading ahead as they try to work out what alliances may work best,” The Economist’s Richard Cockett said. Cockett, the former Southeast Asia bureau chief for the respected business magazine, has just written a book: “Myanmar Blood, Dreams and Gold” which traces the country’s recent history to the present. He said he sees Myanmar both benefitting and possibly suffering from being wedged between India and China.
Two Ways Of Talking About The Myanmar Rule of Law The Establishment Post 27th Oct 2015
Since 2012 many things have changed in Myanmar, or Burma. The more noticeable changes have involved the government removing repressive measures imposed on a recalcitrant public: print media censorship; prohibitions on trade unions, political parties or human rights groups; roadblocks on the approaches to the lakeside house of democracy doyen Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon. Nowadays, that avenue is clogged with new vehicles imported from Japan and China. Nearby, condominiums spring up with the backing of investors from Hong Kong and Singapore. One sits on a road named after Sayar San, the leader of a peasant uprising against burdensome taxation and capitalist usury of the late colonial period. It advertises its garish luxury as the Royal Sayarsan without a hint of the irony, even as protestors gather almost daily on the city’s streets in response to contemporary forms of impoverishment. Under these circumstances, it is hardly surprising to find that many people have been voicing grievances in the lexicon of the rule of law.
USDP the party of reform, self-sacrifice: Speaker Myanmar Times 27th Oct 2015
“The USDP led the drawing of constitution, so it was the USDP that began reforms,” Amyotha Hluttaw Speaker U Khin Aung Myint and member of the party’s central consultancy team said at a public rally in Mandalay on October 23. “The stakeholders who wrote the constitution did it with the intention of ceding power according to the law, sacrificing their self-interest. “I’d like to say openly that they didn’t draw the constitution as part of a power grab,” he added. His comments reiterated the party’s campaign line – that it brought democracy to Myanmar and needs to be involved in the continued transition in order to maintain a semblance of stability. The largest opposition party, the National League for Democracy, is expected to make large gains in the coming polls, and party chair Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been reassuring voters that the dismissed opposition election victory of 1990 will not repeat itself. She has also pledged that she will lead the next government, regardless of the constitutional clause that bars her from holding the top office.
More cash sought for pension plan Myanmar Times 27th Oct 2015
The ministry originally requested K500 million (US$390,000) in 2015-16 to distribute to an estimated 35,000 people aged 90 years and above. However, a final count revealed that there are actually 25,000 people in the over-90 age bracket. Even with the lower estimate, each pensioner was slated to receive just K20,000 for the year – well below the K1500-a-day minimum that aged care experts have urged. U Aung Kyaw Moe, director of the Department of Social Welfare, said the government’s Financial Commission had approved a higher request from the ministry and this would be included in its 2015-16 supplementary budget bill. He declined to give the new figure. “We are trying to give the social pension in the 2015-16 financial year,” he said. “We have asked for more than K500 million and the government approved it.”
Ex-Ruling Party Chair Says USDP Unlikely to Won November Poll The Irrawaddy 26th Oct 2015
Speaking to reporters on the campaign trail in Pegu Division’s Phyu on Sunday, former ruling party chairman Shwe Mann has admitted the party will likely struggle in the upcoming general election. “It will be very difficult to win,” Shwe Mann told local media during campaigning in the constituency in which he will compete for a Lower House seat with the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in the Nov. 8 poll. With 25 percent of seats in Burma’s legislature reserved for military appointees, the USDP needs to win at least a 26 percent share of seats in order to wield influence in selecting the country’s next president. But according to the Union Parliament speaker, the party will struggle even to win that percentage. Shwe Mann, who was ousted as USDP chair in an abrupt Aug. 12 reshuffle, also told reporters that his relationship with the leader of Burma’s main opposition party, Aung San Suu Kyi—believed to be a factor in his ouster—remained “the same as usual.”
Voting irregularities in Myanmar election reach Australia SBS 26th Oct 2015
It is less than three weeks until parliamentary elections in Myanmar, seen as a key test of the country's moves towards democratic reforms. But, already, questions of polling legitimacy have arisen, with would-be voters overseas -- including in Australia -- saying they have been turned away from the ballot box. "That's a nice photo of Aung San Suu Kyi, our leader, doing the electioneering in her campaign." Scanning news reports at her Sydney home, Hnin Sandar Htay recalls applying months ago to cast an early ballot for Myanmar's parliamentary polls. Then the young doctor received bad news a short time ago. "Two to three days before the actual voting process, and then the early-voter list came out. I was not on that list. And I was shocked, because I already prepared to go to give a vote in Canberra." A quarter of a century ago, in the 1990 elections, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won an 80 per cent majority. But the military nullified the result, returning Myanmar to military rule. This time, the National League for Democracy is predicted to possibly do well enough to lead a coalition of smaller parties. Many of Ms Suu Kyi's supporters are within the millions-strong diaspora, including in Australia. Hnin Sandar Htay says the importance of the moment makes her disappointment worse. "Yeah, so disappointed, because this is the moment, the biggest moment and most important in so many decades for our country to have this opportunity to change our country. Our leader, Daw Suu, is in her retiring age, you know, 70 years old, so, if we can't grab this opportunity, we never know what can happen, you know?" Political observers agree it is a critical juncture for the once-pariah state.
All work and no play, children prop up Myanmar’s economy Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
There are millions like Myat Noe – child workers are widely accepted in the former junta-ruled nation – who prop up everything from tea rooms to factories. But pressure is building for a change of attitude and law. Weeks away from the landmark November 8 election a coalition of campaign groups are seizing the opportunity for debate and urging lawmakers to provide universal, compulsory and free education within the next five years. The National League for Democracy is expected to make major gains in the election and has identified education as the cornerstone in reducing poverty, but so far hasn’t committed to this demand. A quick glance along Yangon’s streets reveals there is some way to go.
Government to press charges to recover gold mining debts Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
The government plans to prosecute companies they say have failed to honour their obligation to hand over 24 ticals of gold a year as part of their licensing agreement (1 tical is 0.576 ounces). About half of the 400 companies currently licensed to mine gold are said to have failed to pay all or part of their obligation, in some cases going back to 2007. Following a series of meetings between the companies and the auditor-general, the first court summonses will be issued this month. U Phone Myint, deputy director (projects) of No 2 Mining Enterprise, part of the Ministry of Mines, told The Myanmar Times on October 19 that the prosecutions would be conducted in batches as the courts were ready to take the cases. “Notices will be issued this month, but not for all the companies at the same time. We will divide them into batches depending on the court timetable, but we will prosecute them all,” he said. One company has paid what it owes, and five others have promised to pay before the end of the fiscal year, he said.
NLD leader urges government not to fear election result Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
Both winners and losers will remain part of Myanmar’s political process, the National League for Democracy leader told several thousand people packed into a football field in Ahphyauk village in the delta, where she is running for a seat in parliament on November 8. Her comments at the weekend followed reminders from the Obama administration and a senior UN official that the international community was watching the elections closely. “I would like to urge the current government not to be frightened about the result of the election. If a political party wins, it cannot rule the country forever. Similarly a party that loses won’t be destroyed for life,” the NLD leader said on October 24. “If you understand the system of democracy, you won’t feel so anxious about winning or afraid of losing,” she added.
China pledges support for next Myanmar government regardless of winner Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
During an interview at a media forum in the Chinese capital last week, Sun Haiyan, director general of the international department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said China’s relations with Myanmar would remain unchanged. “We will support any government, whoever wins the election,” she said. The media forum was a sideline event of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties. The conference was called to help promote China’s ambitious Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative. Attention was also focused on the Chinese-founded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. A total of 57 countries, including Myanmar, have applied to become founder members. Myanmar will pay US$264.5 million over 10 years as its contribution. Despite widespread interest in the region and beyond, the bank has aroused scepticism in some quarters, with the United States, Japan and Canada refraining from participation.
‘Special police’ get ready for Burmese election DVB 26th Oct 2015
Clad in a Burmese policeman’s uniform of grey shirt, navy trousers and matching cap, 20-year-old Kyaw Ye Lin puts on a brave face as he sweats in the scorching morning heat. The only thing setting him apart from the rank and file of Burma’s police force is his red epaulettes, which marks him as a member of the ‘special police’ recruited to provide security at polling stations at the 8 November elections. This is his first day of training as one of 60 recruits in Thingangyun Township in Rangoon, an eclectic group composed of both young and old men with varying levels of policing experience. They are part of some 40,000 new police officers hired by the Myanmar Police Force across the country to guard the landmark polls, billed as the country’s first free and fair vote in 25 years. In the run-up to the elections, activists and human rights groups have expressed fears that special police officers would be recruited from plainclothes gangs often used to break up protests and gatherings on behalf of the authorities.
General Aung San’s hometown has become an election battleground Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
Contenders include not only the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and the NLD, led by General Aung San’s daughter, but also the National Unity Party, the Myanmar Farmer’s Development Party, the National Development Party, the Federal Union Party and an independent. Despite the widespread popular celebrations of last February’s centenary of General Aung San’s birth, local observers are wary of assuming an NLD victory. “We see the USDP campaigning in the villages, but not so much the NLD,” U Win Nyunt, of Tet Wun village in the constituency, said. “Villagers vote for people they can rely on – people who come to their village.” The NLD has failed to reach the area’s remote villages because of poor transportation, he said, adding, “The USDP shows more local commitment.” Others agreed that urban residents were more likely to support the NLD than country dwellers.
Temporary visa for foreign scribes covering Myanmar polls Business Standard 26th Oct 2015
Myanmar's information ministry is arranging one-month visa for foreign correspondents who wish to cover the upcoming general election set for November 8, a statement said on Monday. The foreign correspondents have been asked to collect media accreditation cards, issued by the Union Election Commission, after their arrival and contact the local Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry statement as saying. Foreign correspondents with media accreditation cards will be able to cover the election processes throughout the country, the statement said, adding that if they want to cover news in the compound of polling stations during the elections, they will be required to seek special permission from respective district and township election commission offices to be able to enter the compound.
Ethnic parties take on the giants in Kayah State Myanmar Times 23rd Oct 2015
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party swept all seven of Kayah’s townships against little opposition in 2010. This time though the field is much more fragmented and unpredictable, with even the USDP effectively running rival candidates because of internal party feuding. Two Union government ministers, U Aung Min and U Soe Thein, are running with the backing of President U Thein Sein as “independents” in what had been considered safe USDP seats. The refusal by Thura U Shwe Mann to allow them to run as USDP candidates in Kayah was one of the main reasons the military-backed party ejected him as chair in August. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi needs to win seats in non-Bamar townships on November 8 if her National League for Democracy is to be a decisive force in choosing the next president. On September 10 she campaigned in the state capital Loikaw, drawing large enthusiastic crowds from many ethnic groups.
Government introduces new online statistics portal Myanmar Times 23rd Oct 2015
The Myanmar Information System (MMSIS), built by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) under the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development with help from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), aggregates information spanning subjects such as trade, investment, demographics and national income. Stats come from the CSO and the Myanmar National Statistic System (NSS), as well as private sector sources, according to the database website. “The MMSIS is designed to provide statistical data and metadata to the public,” it says. “It is meant to respond to the growing demands of data users for various statistics that describe socio-economic conditions in Myanmar, at national and sub-national levels, across various periods.
Naming and shaming Myanmar's feminine taboo Myanmar Times 23rd Oct 2015
This has left me more than a little confused regarding the nature of reproduction and childbirth here. I presume there are a lot of busy storks. More worryingly, I presume there are a lot of very confused women in Myanmar who are pretty sure they have something that is considerably more complex and wonderful than, say, the featureless “front bottom” one might expect to find on a Barbie doll. The startling revelation of the apparent lack of a key reproductive part followed a most unexpected outcry provoked by a small article in this paper about snacks with unusual names. While not offensive when used to describe the snack, the name for one of the delicacies featured – which translates as “lid” or “cover” – is also a homophone for a crude term for a woman’s genitalia. This paper, in a bid to conform to family values, translated the joke using the word “vagina”, which is a polite and medically accepted term in the English language.
Right-hand drives to remain on the roads Myanmar Times 23rd Oct 2015
For many years, most imported vehicles came from Japan, which drives on the left-hand side of the road, while Myanmar drives on the right. The new Motor Vehicle Law, enacted on September 7, is aimed at making the roads safer. However, importers and dealers had raised concerns that it would extend to imports that have already entered the country. This is not so, however, said U Lin Cin Mang, director of the Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD). Not only will existing right-hands be allowed to remain in use indefinitely, the department will continue to accept registration of right-hand drives, so long as they are not imported after by-laws have been enacted in early December, he said. Until then, companies may still import right-hand drives. Furthermore, “RTAD will still register right-hand-drive imports, if customs duty tax has already been paid,” he said.
Illicit jade worth $31b a year: report Myanmar Times 23rd Oct 2015
The report, published today by NGO Global Witness, argues that the elites who have the most to lose from an open, fair and peaceful future for the country “also have access to a multi-billion dollar jade ‘slush fund’”. Global Witness said the value of illegal jade in 2014 equates to almost half of Myanmar’s GDP, which the World Bank says was $64.33 billion. The jade figure is also 46 times national spending on health last fiscal year. “Myanmar’s jade business may be the biggest natural resource heist in modern history,” said Juman Kubba of Global Witness. “Since 2011, a rebranded government has told the world it is turning the page on the ruthless military rule, cronyism and human rights abuses of the past. But jade – the country’s most valuable natural resource and a gemstone synonymous with glitz and glamour – reveals a very different reality.”
Rakhine Gov’t Signs Industrial Zone Deal Myanmar Business Today 23rd Oct 2015
Rakhine Plc and Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone Holding Company has struck an agreement with the Rakhine state government to invest in Pone Nar Island Industrial Zone. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rakhine state government and bought 750 acres of land on which to invest. U Mya Aung, chief minister of Rakhine state, said, “The company will start the development soon. We have signed the deal and now the company will operate after having an agreement with the Investment Commission.” When the industrial zone is fully implemented, it will create an estimated 100,000 jobs for the local people, he said, adding that the state government is providing skills training to local people to become employable at the industries.
Myanmar's 19% Currency Slide Makes Window Shoppers of Its People Bloomberg 22nd Oct 2015
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Shopkeeper Kyaw Swar Tun grimaces as he tallies the day’s sales in his small electrical appliance store stacked from floor to ceiling with imported goods in Myanmar’s biggest city of Yangon. “There’s been no shopping anywhere, only window shopping,” the 45-year-old exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air as he sat behind a wooden desk. “Business is no good for anybody because dollar prices are up.” The 19 percent slide in Myanmar’s kyat versus the dollar this year, Asia’s worst performance, increased the cost of refrigerators, microwaves and air conditioners Kyaw Swar Tun imports, forcing him to raise prices. With the country preparing to hold a general election on Nov. 8, analysts see no end to the currency’s retreat as an investment boom drives a surge in the Southeast Asian nation’s imports of raw materials and machinery. “This weakening trend hasn’t ended,” said Andrew Wood, the Singapore-based head of Asia country risk at BMI Research, part of Fitch Group. A current-account gap estimated at 7 percent of gross domestic product this year and next will weigh on the kyat, as will Myanmar’s budget deficit and quickening inflation, he said.
Yoma Bank and USC set to provide opportunities for future business leaders in Myanmar mizzima 22nd Oct 2015
The University of Southern California (USC), Marshall School of Business and Yoma Bank held a seminar for 78 people at the Shangri-La hotel to provide insight into how businesses can increase their competitiveness by collaborating with universities, according to a Yoma Bank/USC press release on 17 October. The International Business Education and Research MBA (IBEAR) is a top-ranked, one-year, full-time MBA program for mid-career professionals that is taught in Los Angeles. The Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program, taught in Shanghai and Los Angeles is a 20-month long, part-time MBA for mid-career professionals with over 10 years of work experience. USC Marshall is consistently ranked among the premier schools in the United States. The University has one of the most powerful alumni networks in Asia and America, the press release said.
All work and no play, Myanmar’s children prop up economy mizzima 22nd Oct 2015
Twelve-year-old Myat Noe dashes between tables taking orders and sweeping up cigarette butts, working for around a dollar a day in Myanmar, which has one of the worst records for child labour in the world. There are millions like Myat Noe -- child workers are widely accepted in the former junta-ruled nation -- who prop up everything from tea rooms to factories. But pressure is building for a change of attitude and law. Weeks away from the landmark November 8 election a coalition of campaign groups are seizing the opportunity for debate and urging lawmakers to provide universal, compulsory and free education within five years. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, is expected to make major gains in the election, and has identified education as the cornerstone in reducing poverty, but so far hasn't committed to this demand. A quick glance along Yangon's streets reveals there is some way to go. Streetside tea shops -- the busy jumbles of plastic tables and chairs usually patronised by chain-smoking men -- are mostly staffed by children, some as young as seven-years-old.
Amending the constitution? We’ll try our best mizzima 22nd Oct 2015
Mi Kon Chan comes from a distinguished family in Mon state in eastern Myanmar. Her father is the vice -chairman of the Mon National Party, Naing Thet Lwin. Yet she is running for a Lower House seat in the Nov. 8 elections as a representative of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Myanmar Now reporter Phyo Thiha Cho spoke to the former businesswoman, Mi Kon Chan used to run a company distributing cosmetic products from abroad, on the campaign trail in Mon State about why she eschewedher father’s party and her political aspirations.
Nay Pyi Taw independents back U Thein Sein for re-election Myanmar Times 21st Oct 2015
U Myint Shwe claimed that he and four other independent candidates were running at the request of President U Thein Sein, and would vote for him if he emerged as a contender for the presidency after the November 8 elections. The president and two vice presidents will be elected by the incoming parliament. The sudden dismissal of house Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann and his allies from their senior party posts was widely seen as evidence of a split within the USDP between reformers and the old guard, close to the military, who are led by President U Thein Sein. “There are five independent candidates representing President U Thein Sein. If you like him, vote for me. If elected, I will vote for a second term for U Thein Sein. He will look after us, and I will look after you,” he said. Three of the eight townships in the Nay Pyi Taw Council area, Pyinmana, Lewe and Tatkon, were less developed than the others because of the ineffective performance of their MPs, he said. “The Nay Pyi Taw townships are under the direct administration of the president, so that basic needs such as water, electricity, roads and schools are developed. If we get the chance to join the cabinet, we can ask the president to provide the funds,” he said.
Former royal family aide courts voters in eastern Shan State Myanmar Times 21st Oct 2015
“So many parties came and said good things, but we forgot their names,” said Nang Phoung Noon, while nursing her two-month-old daughter. With loudspeakers the various parties came to the village and gathered the residents to listen to their programs. The different competing parties have confused Nang Phoung Noon, and many other Shan living in Kengtung township. Many are worried that the various Shan parties will split the vote for the Shan people, thereby diminishing their influence in state and Union parliaments should the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) or the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) prevail instead. The various Shan parties have long names which are often written in Myanmar language on campaign flyers. Voters, some illiterate, are bewildered and recognise the parties instead by their logos: tiger head for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), white tiger for the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), drums for the Eastern Shan State Development Democratic Party. But what makes the decision easier for Naung Phoung Noon is that one of the SNLD candidates is from her village of Tong Si. She believes most people there will vote for him.
Myanmar seeks flood rehabilitation loan Eleven 29 Oct 2015
Myanmar has sought a special loan to finance post-flood rehabilitation activities, according to a source at the Finance Ministry. The source said that the request was floated while the ministry’s delegates attended the 2015 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Peru in October. Finance Minister Win Shein and the Central Bank of Myanmar Governor Kyaw Kyaw Maung led the delegation. The source said that the delegates discussed with World Bank and IMF officials over the special loan. Requesting anonymity, the source did not mention the amount Myanmar was seeking. He said that the inspection team would be dispatched to assess the actual situation. Myanmar witnessed flood disasters during June and August due to storms and heavy rain. According to the government’s figures, more than 17,000 houses were inundated, along with 528 schools and nearly 5,000 buildings including monasteries. About 1.4 million acres of farmland were flooded and half of them were completely ruined. The total damage was estimated about Ks165 billion or approximately US$129 million. International aid poured into the country but the total of $25 million remains inadequate. The list of international donors was extensive, covering France, Germany, the US Agency for International Development and Asian Development Bank, among others.
Customs
Trade Volume Dips in First Half of 2015-16 Myanmar Business Today 29th Oct 2015
During the first six months of the current fiscal year, which started in April, trade volume dropped $865 million over the same period last year, a nearly six percent drop. Most of this fall occurred in September this year, which accounted for $642 million in decreased volume, as opposed to $223 million in the previous five months combined. “It is true that the trade volume is lower than last year. Both exports and imports have decreased. Imports have decreased due to a stronger dollar. The export of finished products has also decreased. This is compounded by the temporary ban on rice exports,” Dr Maung Aung, advisor to the Ministry of Commerce, told Myanmar Business Today. The decrease in finished products exports is partially due to employee reductions and reduced volume of some garment factories after the minimum wages law was enacted. Some garment factories failed to fulfill foreign orders. Moreover, some businesses are waiting the results of general election to import or export goods.
Myanmar most improved for ease of starting business Myanmar Times 29th Oct 2015
This makes it the most improved country in the world in this category. For overall ease of doing business, Myanmar has climbed 10 places since last year, and is now safely clear of the bottom 10 countries in the world, in 167th place. However, it remains the lowest-ranked ASEAN member and, with the exception of Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the lowest-ranked country in Asia. At the other end of the scale, more advanced Asian economies are well represented in the top 20 economies, according to the Bank’s annual Doing Business 2016: Measuring Quality and Efficiency survey.
EU–Myanmar trade grows despite restrictions Eleven 27th Oct 2015
The Ministry of Commerce has reported that within six months of the 2015-16 fiscal year, around US$325 million worth of trade occurred between Myanmar and the European Union (EU). Up until September, imports from the EU reached US$185 million while exports to the EU were US$143 million. “Now Russia has also given us rights in the GSP [generalised system of preferences]. Myanmar now has a lot of trade opportunities but even though nine countries have given us permission, such as Russia, Turkey, Norway and Australia, we have not yet the capacity to properly supply the demands of those markets. They want to buy mounds of rice and clothes but they are strict in quality control,” said Dr Maung Aung, adviser to the commerce ministry. A trader said: “In order for our country to achieve a portion of the market share, we have long ways to go. The key players with the most trade are our neighbouring countries and while the EU has given us opportunities through GSP, we still face restrictions in exporting our products.”
China-Myanmar trade booming Eleven 27th Oct 2015
According to Yang Xiuping, secretary general of the Asean-China centre, operations worth US$12.2 billion have been completed out of the projected US$18.5 billion. She said that China would strive towards boosting trade between the two countries and seek the cooperation of Myanmar to combat illegal trade. Win Win Myo, deputy director of commerce, said: “Even though some of her data does not exactly match our official records, it is definite that the Myanmar-China trade is growing year by year. We mainly export to China natural gas, jade, agricultural products, garments and minerals. The imports are machines, metal work, motor vehicles and their parts as well as mobile phones and spare parts for the imports. There are more than 7,700 trade channels between the two nations and there are some items that are tax-free for us to export to them. I would ask that the nations step up cooperation in combating illegal trade.” In 2014, China-Myanmar trade totalled US$25 billion so far in 2015, China had already invested US$3.9 billion in electric power, mining, oil and gas sector as well as transport.
Myanmar increases imports of palm oil to meet demand mizzima 27th Oct 2015
Myanmar imported 400,000 tons of palm oil annually to fill demand of edible oil as an alternative, according to a Xinhua report on October 25. The increase in palm oil imports is due to a lacklustre production of locally produced cooking oils. Domestic edible oil produced from peanuts is 500,000 tons a year, while edible oil consumption is 900,000 tons, according to the Edible Oil Dealers' Association. The association attributed the low edible oil production to a drop in the number of peanut oil mills in operation nationwide. Since 2011, the Myanmar authorities have granted private companies permission to import palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia in a bid to meet the demand.
Border Trade Plans Leave Thai Locals in Flux The Irrawaddy 26th Oct 2015
Walk through any farmland in Mae Sot district’s Tha Sai Luat at the end of the rainy season this year and you’re unlikely to step on ripening produce. You’re more likely to encounter muddy, empty land. “Most land owners are hesitant to plant crops at the moment so their farmland is lying empty for a while,” said farmer Sombat Ngamdee, 53. Farmland at this time of the year—the beginning of harvesting season—was once filled with produce waiting to be harvested. But since the government announced the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tak earlier this year, Mr Sombat said farmers such as himself have been afraid to invest in farming as they have no idea if they will have to leave their land. Mr Sombat backs the SEZ in Tak, first proposed in 2004, as he believes it will bring opportunities to local people. However, the decision by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government last year to set up SEZs across the country, and use Section 44 of the interim charter to implement the project on May 15 this year, came unexpectedly.
Trade, Production Statistics Available on New Government Data Site The Irrawaddy 23rd Oct 2015
The Burmese government this week launched a new website making available for the first time a raft of data sets containing some of the country’s vital statistics on international trade, domestic production and finance. The Myanmar Statistical Information Service (MMSIS) database has been developed by the Central Statistics Organization in collaboration with the South Korean aid agency, KOICA. It contains a range of data drawn from various government departments: from the total number of seats in Burma’s cinemas (16,999) to the number of working elephants being used in the timber trade (815 in Sagaing Division alone). At a launch event to mark International Statistics Day in Naypyidaw, Minister for National Planning and Economic Development Dr. Kan Zaw admitted that quantitative data was at present in “short supply” in Burma, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar “He added that collecting data about what Myanmar’s society may look like in 2020 will prove extremely useful in planning for the future,” the state-run newspaper reported. Local and international businesses will likely be most interested in the details provided about the economic conditions in the country.
Animal Feed Traders Seek Increase in Import Quota Myanmar Business Today 23rd Oct 2015
The price of animal feed is rising on the local market and greater imports of animal feed will be permitted in order to control the price, said Dr Thet Hmu, chairman of Myanmar Animal Feed Producers Association. “We will sell imported animal feed on the local market. Local production of animal feed is still strong but we are just trying to meet the market demand,” said Dr Thet Mu. “Recent nationwide floods have destroyed raw materials for animal feed such as paddy and corn. Roads have been destroyed and it is hard to transport the goods. Prices of raw materials are high and sometimes difficult to source.” Fish and shrimp feed are currently imported from India, Argentina and Brazil. Bran from India and instant food bar from Vietnam will be imported soon, Dr Thet Mu added. “Fish farms have been flooded and also due to fish feed shortages, owners culled their fish from farms before they were mature. Now there are more than enough fish on the market,” said U Win Kyaing, secretary of Myanmar Fisheries Federation.
Tourism companies still accepting USD Myanmar Times 22nd Oct 2015
The Central Bank statement, published on October 13, recalled foreign exchange licences held by all companies except banks and money changers – including airlines, hotels and tour operators. Licences must be handed back by the end of November. The rule prohibits companies from accepting US dollar cash payments. Foreign currency card and online payments are not forbidden, but many small tourism-related firms do not have the necessary technology for this. Owners of tourism-related companies told The Myanmar Times that business is continuing as normal, and they are still collecting US dollars in cash for plane tickets and hotel bookings. Some said they have not been notified of the change, and that they are confused by the Central Bank statement. Others were unaware that a notice had even been issued. Ma Khin Naing Maw, senior tour operator at Unique Asia Travel and Tours Company, said that if she is told to make the switch, she will do it.
Defense & Security
Kachin: Hardly a Ceasefire The Diplomat 25th Oct 2015
The United Nations recently “hailed” the signing of a ceasefire in Myanmar, describing it as “historic.” However, fewer than half of the armed ethnic groups involved in the process actually signed the agreement and fighting continues as the oldest civil wars in the world continues to rage along the country’s northern borders. The Kachin Independence Army, one of the largest armed ethnic groups, refused to sign the treaty, in part due to the escalation of the conflict in KIA-controlled zones over the past two months. Behind the front lines another cold winter is approaching and the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps have been overcrowded for years. Now children born into the camps are starting to ask questions about peace and if they’ll ever see it. Young people want to get married and settle down, farmers want to see their orchards again, nobody sees an IDP camp as a long-term home, but for 150,000 Kachins, that’s precisely what the camps have become. Today many in Kachin fear that the lack of a ceasefire could lead to increased fighting. As winter looms prospects for peace are bleak.
Energy
220 MW Solar Power Project Planned In Myanmar Clean Technica 27th Oct 2015
Developers working on one of the largest solar power projects in Southeast Asia have reported progress on the project. Engineering and construction firm Black and Veatch has recently announced that it has been appointed by Thailand’s Green Earth Power (GEP) to provide design and consultancy services for a 220MW PV power plant to be built in Myanmar. The solar PV plant will be built in Minbu, Magway region of Myanmar. The construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2016. The project would entail an investment of $275 million. Ric O’Connell, International Renewable Energy Director at Black & Veatch said, “Electricity is an urgent priority in Myanmar and has serious implications on economic and social progress. As solar facilities can be built rapidly, it is an excellent alternative to quickly add power to the grid and ensure meaningful impacts on quality of life.”
Myanmar’s oil and gas sector falls short of expectations mizzima 27th Oct 2015
A new report reveals that whilst the current environment is creating opportunities for innovation, almost half of oil and gas executives admit they have fallen short of their innovation goals, according to a press release issued on October 27. The number of respondents saying they have fallen short has almost doubled as the oil price has gone down, with only 26% saying they had fallen short in Spring 2014. These findings form part of the Technology Radar 2015 report being launched today by Lloyd's Register Energy, a leading integrity, compliance and specialist risk consulting services group. The report, Innovating in a New Environment, combines Lloyd’s Register Energy’s expert knowledge with third party insights, to provide data-driven findings on the role of innovation in the current and future upstream oil and gas industry. Through interviews with senior industry practitioners and a global survey of oil and gas professionals, it provides a compelling case for increased technological innovation.
Myanmar oil & gas sector poised to see business traction Deal Street Asia 27th Oct 2015
Oil and gas, the mainstay industrial sector in frontier market Myanmar, is expected to witness business and investment traction with over two dozen fresh blocks set to be awarded next year. Myanmar awarded about 20 oil and gas blocks in 2013 to international companies and nearly 26 more will be awarded in 2016, according to local media reports. However, the sector, which has nearly 160 local registered players, lags in firms providing services and logistics given the growth projections. Former director general in the ministry of energy U Soe Myint says, in the oil and gas related sector, most of the foreign companies eyeing the Myanmar market are related to trading. “There are many works to be done in services such as technical works, drilling, laboratory and transport services. Currently, most of the businesses are done on trading,” he said. Myanmar needs to make good use of not only exporting gas but also work on business relating to services in the sector, he said. With many of the investors eyeing the country, Myanmar needs to make reforms on the regulations and administration, said U Aye Lwin, secretary general of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. With general elections in Myanmar round the corner (November 8), many investors are in a wait-and-watch mode hoping the change in government will pave way for administrative and regulatory reforms.
Total buys 40% in oil block; $28m German aid for rural development; 60 tech firms get licence Deal Street Asia 27th Oct 2015
Myanmar has recorded some deals in the oil and gas sector, foreign grants for rural development and issue of licences for fresh businesses. While French oil major Total has taken a major interest in an offshore block, German agency has pledged $28 million aid for Shan state. Myanmar has also issued licences for 60 technology companies to set shop in the frontier market. Total E&P Myanmar takes 40% interest in A-6 block French oil company Total E&P Myanmar has purchased a 40 per cent interest from existing joint venture partners in the offshore block A-6 at the west coast of the Bay of Bengal. The block was previously a 50:50 joint venture between Australia’s Woodside Petroleum and Myanmar petroleum Resources Limited (MPRL). Following Total’s purchase, the block will now be owned 40 per cent each by Woodside and Total with MRPL holding the rest. The JV will be conducting more exploration activities beginning with a new well called Shwe Yee Htun. Germany pledges $28m for rural development in Shan state Germany will offer $28 million financial and technical assistance to rural development initiatives in Southern Shan townships in Myanmar, according to the release by German Embassy in Yangon. The projects that will be funded include electrification, railway workshop in Sagaing Region, aquaculture and alternative agriculture in Southern Shan townships affected by opium poppy cultivation. The aid also includes immediate relief for food affected areas in Rakhine State with an amount of 250,000 euro.
Puma Energy in $51m JV for aviation fuel distribution; Myanmar, Thailand energy working group Deal Street Asia 27th Oct 2015
Myanmar energy sector is attracting witnessing a lot of action. Puma Energy is working on a joint venture with the ministry of energy to sell and distribution aviation fuel to the Mingaladon airport. In another development, Thailand and Myanmar will discuss the development of upstream and downstream activities through the joint working group. Puma Energy, Ministry of Energy start JV work with $51 investment Puma Energy Group and the ministry of energy will be investing $51 million for the sale and distribution of aviation fuel for the Mingaladon airport. In the JV, Myanmar Petroleum Products Enterprise (MPPE) under the Ministry of Energy will hold 51% while the balance will be held by Puma Energy Group. Puma Energy Group will be investing $25 million and its investment will include purchasing vehicles for the use of aviation fuel to develop the distribution channel, according to the ministry of energy. MPPE will invest the balance amount in the JV and its investment will cover raw material and staff. U Myint Zaw, director of the MPPE, said the current sales and distribution requirement for aviation fuel at the Mingaladon airport is about 53,000 gallons per day.
220 MW Solar Power Project Planned In Myanmar Clean Technica 27th Oct 2015
Developers working on one of the largest solar power projects in Southeast Asia have reported progress on the project. Engineering and construction firm Black and Veatch has recently announced that it has been appointed by Thailand’s Green Earth Power (GEP) to provide design and consultancy services for a 220MW PV power plant to be built in Myanmar. The solar PV plant will be built in Minbu, Magway region of Myanmar. The construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2016. The project would entail an investment of $275 million. Ric O’Connell, International Renewable Energy Director at Black & Veatch said, “Electricity is an urgent priority in Myanmar and has serious implications on economic and social progress. As solar facilities can be built rapidly, it is an excellent alternative to quickly add power to the grid and ensure meaningful impacts on quality of life.” Black and Veatch has a strong track record in Thailand with experience working on the 55 MW Lopburi Solar Farm in Thailand. Black & Veatch’s scope will primarily be executed by specialized resources based in Bangkok. It has also recently opened a local office in Yangon, Myanmar, for better co-ordination in the country and to get closer to its clients. Myanmar suffers from huge electricity crises as over 70 percent of the people do not have access to electricity. In rural areas, where the majority of the poor live, only 16 percent of households have access to grid-based electricity. This project would help to provide a major boost to local communities and industry. This project would also boost the Myanmar government’s goal to increase electricity production from the present 2,500 MW to 30,000 MW by 2030.
Financial Services
Lower rates see real estate tax revenues plummet 61pc Myanmar Times 29th Oct 2015
Property tax revenues fell by nearly two-thirds in the first six months of the year compared with the year before, from K36 billion to K14 billion, said U Htin Aung Lin, assistant director of Yangon’s Internal Revenue Department (IRD). The tax year runs from April 1 to March 31. Lower revenues as of end-September is a likely indication of tax collection rates for the rest of the year, U Htin Aung Lin told The Myanmar Times. The main cause of the problem, he said, is lower tax rates. When the 2015 Union Tax Law was approved by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on April 1, analysts said they expected it to give new life to the market, particularly in the K100 million to K1.5 billion range, where sales taxes were drastically slashed.
Norway and MoF plan natural resource fund Myanmar Times 29th Oct 2015
Norwegian experts suggested the idea several months ago and have since been collecting data, deputy finance minister U Maung Maung Thein told The Myanmar Times. Meanwhile, the finance ministry has formed a committee, he said. A natural resource fund is a type of sovereign wealth fund – a special-purpose investment vehicle owned by a government, and financed by revenues from oil, gas or mineral sales. The money can be used in a number of ways including covering unexpected budget deficits, ring-fencing resource revenues or saving for future generations, according to non-profit Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). For economic development and to preserve the country’s natural wealth, “necessary information is being collected to draft a law to govern such a fund”, said U Maung Maung Thein.
CBM defends licence withdrawal Eleven 29th Oct 2015
The Foreign Exchange Acceptor and Holder Licences are being revoked since they are no longer needed to open a foreign currency account, accept overseas transfers and to change money, according to Win Thaw, deputy director general of the Foreign Exchange Management Department at the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM). He said online: “To answer criticism about revoking of licences, they were given out in accordance with a 1947 law are not needed under existing legislation. There is no plan to take action on anyone holding foreign currencies. Opening a foreign currency account, accepting the transfer of foreign currencies and transferring the account will not be limited. It does not concern money changers.” The CBM announced that it would revoke the licences on October 19 and they must be returned by November 30.
French Firm Atos Launches Banking Solution in Myanmar Myanmar Business Today 28th Oct 2015
French IT services company Atos SE has signed a partnership agreement with Myanmar Millennium Group (MMG) to foray into Myanmar’s financial sector. The agreement between Atos and MMG will facilitate the introduction and deployment of Atos Banking as a Service (BaaS) solution to accelerate future expansion of the banks and financial institutions and the services to support the anticipated growth in Myanmar, Atos said in a statement. Atos BaaS is a banking platform that manages and supports the full spectrum of banking operations, from current and savings accounts, deposits, to credits, loans and collections. It also supports services as sweeps, standing instructions, direct debits and credits and international payments. Atos said it will offer banks in Myanmar a solution to supplement their core platforms that includes consulting and design services, applications transformation, rationalisation and migration, testing and acceptance management, comprehensive security and access management services, smart mobility and contextual services and IT outsourcing, data management and applications management. Atos said these solutions are modular and standards-based, and therefore, can be customised to fit the bank’s specific growth needs as well as its existing infrastructure and application platforms without the need for upfront capital investment or the disruption of a costly re-engineering project.
Bank profits squeezed by growing competition Myanmar Times 27th Oct 2015
As rivalry in the banking sector heats up, several lenders are reporting falling profits. In an attempt to lure customers over the past year, banks have fiercely competed in several areas including remittance fees and deposit rates. Public companies including Global Treasure Bank (formerly under the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development) and Asia Green Development Bank say that margins are being squeezed. While remittance volumes for Global Treasure Bank rose by 27 percent in 2014-15, remittance income fell by half, said the bank’s director U Kyaw Lwin.
Return of Dollar Black Market Shows Limits of Reforms The Irrawaddy 26th Oct 2015
Banks in Burma bought hundreds of millions of dollars in the black market this year, banking sources said, in a resurgence of an unregulated trade that flourished under military rule and has raised fears among foreign investors of backsliding on reforms. Lenders say they were forced to turn to unlicensed brokers for scarce dollars to keep the wheels of trade turning, as the central bank’s efforts to prop up the kyat currency threatened to freeze up the nascent financial system. “We deliberately made our currency appreciate, while there was an actual depreciation happening,” said a senior central bank official. “The whole informal market re-emerged, no transactions were happening through the banks any more. That’s when we came to the brink of collapse.”
AGD Bank prepares IPO as profits drop Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
The bank’s net profit was K112.6 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year, far lower than K9.6 billion the previous year, officials said at the fifth annual meeting on October 24. Chair U Than Ye said that as competition in the industry had increased, banks had raised deposit rates and reduced remittance charges. “To be honest, we are not satisfied with our performance this year,” AGD said in its annual report. “Net earnings before tax are only marginal.” As a result, the bank could not allocate any dividends to shareholders. There are several reasons for the drop in profits. The first is increasing competition between banks to gain access to deposits, with lenders offering increasingly competitive interest rates, increasing the cost of funding. Rates have risen from 8 percent to 8.25pc or 8.5pc for savings accounts. The Central Bank of Myanmar has also tightened regulations on lending, and banks are not permitted to charge anything higher than the 13pc rate cap, or to levy extra fees or charges beyond this.
Forex Licences Revoked, but Gov’t Offers Grace Period Myanmar Business Today 25th Oct 2015
The kyat has lately been struggling with a crisis of legitimacy. As businesses began to move away en masse from the kyat for the more stable dollar, the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) in mid-October made good on earlier threats and revoked the foreign exchange acceptor and holder licences for a variety of businesses, which allowed them to do business in dollars inside Myanmar. However, the lasting implications of this move have so far remained unclear, as a later statement seemed to give a grace period not present in previous documents. U Win Thaw, deputy director general of Central Bank, said in an emailed statement last Thursday, “Because of the nature of the business for airlines, tourism businesses, and FDI hotels, they need to deal with pre-orders and bookings. So these businesses will need time to change their long-acting business habits. That’s why they still can operate their business as usual, with the exception the abolishment of licences. This abolishment warns and informs that they all have to use kyat alone for local business in the future.”
Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) gears up for real time settlement in Yangon Myanmar Times 22nd Oct 2015
The Japanese lender, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is working with the Central Bank on its soon-to-be launched Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, said Go Watanabe, CEO of Asian and Oceania Region. The system will allow the immediate settlement of large domestic interbank payments. Rather than physically moving money or using cheques, both the creditor and debtor’s accounts can be adjusted electronically when a transaction is made, making the process much more efficient. The system is due to be introduced by early 2016. BTMU has seconded staff to the project development team, said Mr Watanabe in an email.
Central Bank Bullish Over Efforts to Boost Local Currency The Irrawaddy 21st Oct 2015
Burma’s central bank has defended its decision to revoke foreign exchange licenses last week, reiterating its determination to control “dollarization” and strengthen the country’s struggling currency. Win Thaw, deputy director general of the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM), told media this week that the bank stuck by its decision, despite concern from local businesses. The CBM issued a directive to businesses dated Oct. 13 announcing the revocation of foreign exchange licenses that had permitted holders to accept transactions in US dollars. License holders include a broad sweep of businesses, including hotels, travel agencies, airlines, hospitals, restaurants and supermarkets. Sett Aung, CBM’s deputy governor, said the bank had begun accepting returned licenses as of Oct. 19. The policy shift is expected to impact hundreds of businesses, with some concerned over their capacity to promptly comply.
Central Bank will not return to old ways: senior official Myanmar Times 21st Oct 2015
For many years – until 2011, when six commercial banks opened money changers – no ordinary citizen of Myanmar was permitted to hold foreign currency. Since then, as the country has opened up, licences have been awarded not just to banks and money changers, but to companies in many sectors including hotels, airlines and supermarkets. However, after thousands of these licences were abruptly rescinded last week, rumours have been flying in tea shops, on social media and in local language news that non-bank money changers will also be forced to close and that people found holding US dollars will be prosecuted. U Win Thaw, deputy director general and head of the Foreign Exchange Management Department at the Central Bank, has sought to allay these fears. The Central Bank has no plan to return to the government’s old policies, he told The Myanmar Times, adding that the purpose of the notice was to increase confidence in the kyat and to widen its use in the domestic economy.
Food & Agriculture
Farmers warn of ‘sugar mountain’ amid falling Chinese demand Myanmar Times 29th Oct 2015
As the Chinese sugar growing season opens, Myanmar’s sugar and cane related products association has urged the Ministry of Commerce to revisit its export policy. Myanmar’s exporters may be about to come down from a sugar high fuelled by record high prices. China has been paying more than US$600 a tonne, the highest price since 2011, and 50 percent higher than the international price of $400, since April. The Ministry of Commerce has enforced a scheme whereby traders who buy sugar from overseas must guarantee they will re-export it. If they fail, they are required to return the sugar to wherever they bought it from. Sugar growers have been making so much profit that exporters who usually deal in rice and beans have taken up sugar trading, association chair U Soe Linn told an October 27 press conference. Trading volumes have also surged, with Myanmar exporting 200,000 tonnes of sugar so far this year, about double what it exported in 2013-2014, with roughly half of this imported from Thailand and re-exported.
Critics dismiss USDP agri reform claims Myanmar Times 28th Oct 2015
President U Thein Sein and Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation U Myint Hlaing both championed progress in the agriculture sector during an event in Nay Pyi Taw for World Food Day earlier this month. In a speech, U Myint Hlaing called for the next government to keep up the pace of reforms. “I seriously request the new government to keep trying to improve the agricultural sector, inheriting the current government’s priorities,” he said. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party has an “intense desire to develop the agricultural sector, to cultivate crops with good yields, to adopt modern scientific farming methods … and to transform traditional farmland plots into plots for mechanised farming”, he said. Last month U Myint Hlaing – who was linked to large land grabs during his stint as a regional military commander – faced questions from constituents claiming that land had been taken from farmers and placed in his wife’s name.
Ministry recovers K4 billion in debts Myanmar Times 28th Oct 2015
The largest single debt is owed by U Min Thein, of Thone Pwint Hsain Company, to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development. He took out the K11 billion loan when his father, U Maung Maung Thein – a Union Solidarity and Development Party MP standing for re-election on November 8 – was the minister in charge. The scandal was first revealed to parliament last July by the current deputy minister for livestock, fisheries and rural development. It was then covered in state media, with the 10 largest debtors publicly named – an unexpected step that suggested the present government was trying to distance itself from the corruption associated with the former military regime. At a press conference in Nay Pyi Taw on October 27, the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary U Tun Lwin announced that nine more entrepreneurs had repaid their debts to the ministry. None of these, however, were among those listed by name in the state-owned media last July. U Tun Lwin said a total of 28 borrowers were fully paid up as of October 23, having stumped up K3.94 billion between them.
US agricultural giant ramps up in Myanmar Myanmar Times 27th Oct 2015
US-based agricultural giant DuPont believes this is due to an absence of strong intellectual property legislation, poor infrastructure, the lack of a viable crop insurance scheme, and a failure to apply science and technology to the sector. The company, which opened an office in Myanmar last year, uses new technologies to modify seeds. The resulting products have been introduced to a number of countries in the region but are new to Myanmar. Sittideth Sriprateth, managing director of DuPont Myanmar, said his team is starting by going out into the fields and talking to farmers. “We’re explaining our new products,” he said in a recent media briefing at the Thailand Innovation Centre.
Live cattle top Myawaddy export list Myanmar Times 23rd Oct 2015
The Thai fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Thai customs officials announced on October 17 that Thai exports to Myanmar included mobile phones and accessories, beer, petrol, and textiles. The precise value, 36.027 billion baht to end-September, shows an increase of 9.8pc over last year’s figure of 32.805 billion baht, officials said. Myanmar exports to Thailand through the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border point were worth only 1.869 billion baht. Of this, the largest element is live cattle. The 49,443 cows were valued at 633.86 million baht. Residents of Mae Sot said they are taken to a cattle market on the outskirts of the town and sold on to farmers. Second and third on the list of Myanmar exports to Thailand in terms of value were antimony oxide (186.31 million baht) and peanuts (174.79 million baht). Myanmar exports to Thailand at the border point are down by 5.82pc compared to last year.
Myanmar fishermen protest Thai hires Myanmar Times 21st Oct 2015
Two Myanmar companies last year hired Thai captains on the grounds that they were familiar with the use of sonar to find fish. The issue has long been contentious. Faced with opposition by local fishermen, the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development abrogated Thai fishing rights in the Andaman Sea off Tanintharyi Region last year. Now the Regional Fisheries Federation is asking the government to ban the hiring of foreign crew. U Min Lwin, chair of the Myanmar Fisheries Federation in Kawthoung township, said, “The ministry asked us for our comments, but so far we’ve had no response from them”. Calls to the ministry from The Myanmar Times went unanswered. In the 2014-15 fishing season,Looking Forward and Htoo Htoo Toe fishing companies hired Thai helmsman for three tours on the two fishing boats owned by each company, he said. The fishing season is now over, and the helmsmen have been discharged.
Health & Life Sciences
Cholera outbreak in Kayin State mizzima 27th Oct 2015
As of October, twelve villagers had died and 61 villages suffered from a cholera outbreak in Kawkareik and Kyain Seikgyi Townships near the Thai-Myanmar border, according to Burma News International on October 26. Health workers from both countries are trying to stop the spread of the deadly disease, according to the report. Statistics from the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) show that most of the villages affected are in areas where government health services are inaccessible.
Cholera Outbreak Kills 12 Karen Villagers Karen News 25th Oct 2015
As of October, twelve villagers had died and 61 villages suffered from cholera outbreak in Kawkareik and Kyain Seikgyi Townships near the Thai-Burma border – health workers from both countries are trying to stop the spread of the deadly disease.
ICT
Local hardware hackers smart up homes, farming Myanmar Times 26th Oct 2015
The high-tech music box, which could also play text out loud, was presented to judges along with a cleaning robot yesterday as part of a week-long program of hardware-hacking at downtown innovation lab Phandeeyar. Through the event, hackers had the chance to get trained or hone skills in subjects such as 3D printing, design thinking and Raspberry Pi – small, portable computers. Participants could choose to solve problems pitched by local organisations Pomelo, Proximity Designs and the Myanmar Mobile Education Project (MyME), or to pursue others. Pomelo, which sells fair trade Myanmar goods, asked hackers to combine traditional handicrafts and technology, according to Phandeeyar program manager Ko Yan Naung Oak. Meanwhile, Proximity hoped for expanded functionalities and improved user interface for a sensor prototype, and MyME sought a local server for educational content, he said.
Telenor to Add 4,000 Vehicles as Points of Sale Myanmar Business Today 22nd Oct 2015
Telenor Myanmar will add up to 4,000 branded public vehicles to its network of customer touch points nationwide, the Norwegian telco said. These vehicles comprise a mix of taxis, trucks and ‘tuk-tuks’, and will all be equipped to sell mobile prepaid e-load vouchers to customers in mainly Yangon, Mandalay and Bago. This adds to Telenor’s footprint of more than 50,000 points of sale nationwide. “We are focused on serving the mass market in Myanmar, and to do this well our services should be accessible to as many customers, in as many locations as possible. “Our fast-growing distribution network already comprises 114 distributors, serving more than 50,000 shops nationwide. This additional channel adds to this, in a way that complements the vibrant city life in Yangon, Mandalay and Bago,” said Petter Furberg, chief executive officer of Telenor.
Telenor Claims to be “the Largest 3G Network” in Myanmar Myanmar Business Today 25th Oct 2015
Norwegian operator Telenor Myanmar Limited (“Telenor”) said last week that it has reached the milestone of being the largest 3G network in Myanmar as it marked 3,300 sites nationwide. Chief Executive Officer of Telenor Myanmar Petter Furberg said, “We now have the biggest network in Myanmar, having built more than 3,300 towers in a little over one year. Our network in Mandalay, specifically, has grown to more than 600 towers today, from just 70 when we launched in September last year.” He said densely populated areas in Myanmar need more tower sites to provide consistent internet and voice service. “We continue to work closely with our tower companies and local authorities in meeting this growing demand, which we supplement through a mix of our own built sites to increase density in urban areas, and leveraging innovative network solutions from our equipment suppliers.”
ASUS Partners with Local Firm for PC Distributorship Myanmar Business Today 23rd Oct 2015
Taiwanese computer and electronics giant ASUS has partnered with KMD Computer Group to distribute its notebooks and desktops in Myanmar as it tries to expand into the nascent market with increasing customer demand for international PC brands. ASUS, which is one of the top five consumer notebook makers in the world, has been distributing its products through local firm Synnex prior to adding KMD as a distributor. Jeff Lo, country manager of ASUS Indochina & Thailand, said, “KMD is a respected and established IT distributor in the country and we’re pleased to have them on board as national distributor for our PC business.” He said the demand for ASUS products has significantly increased and this partnership is a well-timed one. “We are really optimistic about Myanmar’s booming IT market following the gradual improvement of internet coverage. It has become a new focus country [for us]. Along with KMD’s expertise, reach and support, we are confident of growing our business and having a wider reach and partner base here."
Infrastructure
US$5.8b required to power 7.2m homes: minister Eleven 29th Oct 2015
Khin Maung Soe, union minister for electric power, said US$5.8 billion was required to power 7.2 million households. The chair of the National Electrification Executive Committee told a workshop on national electrification: “Only 3 million households have access to electricity and 7 million do not. So electricity production is vital.” Rakhine State, Chin State, Kalay, Tamu and Gangaw townships in Sagaing Region; Bhamo, Momauk and Mansi townships in Kachin State, Shan State and Tanintharyi Region have electricity around the clock. The World Bank’s US$400 million loan will power 750,000 households, according to the minister. It was projected that the first five years of the project would need US$670 million to power 1.7 million households.
LS Cable Grabs $13-m Transmission Lines Contract from MoEP Myanmar Business Today 29th Oct 2015
South Korean wire and cable maker LS Cable & System (LS C&S) said its Vietnamese subsidiary, LS-VINA, has won a contract from the Ministry of Electric Power to supply transmission lines worth $13 million. This is the largest contract that LS C&S has so far received from Myanmar and accounts for half of the annual power cable purchase of the Ministry. This contract is expected to establish a bridgehead for LS C&S’s advance into the power market of Myanmar, the company said in a statement. LS C&S competed with Chinese, Indonesian and Myanmar cable makers in the bidding for this contract but came out as the sole contractor. Previously, the Ministry of Electric Power used to split its orders among 3 to 4 cable makers.
Germany Pledges $28 million for Rural Development, Aquaculture and Railways Myanmar Business Today 25th Oct 2015
The German government has pledged another €25 million ($28 million) in financial and technical assistance to Myanmar in several projects involving rural development, aquaculture and rail transport. The funds will be used for rural electrification projects (grid extensions), the Railway Workshop in Yawhtaung (Sagaing region), aquaculture projects and alternative agriculture in Southern Shan townships affected by opium poppy cultivation, the German Embassy in Myanmar said in a release. The promised aid also includes immediate relief for flood affected areas in Rahkine state in the amount of €250,000. The Rural Electrification Program consists of a €13.7 million loan to increase sustainable and affordable access to electricity. Aimed at households and enterprises in rural Shan state areas, it intends to decrease accidental burns and respiratory disease caused by conventional lighting.
Lighting Up Homes With Myanmar Electricity The Establishment Post 23rd Oct 2015
Kyaw San, a high school student in Buu Tar Suu village in Myanmar’s Yangon Division, finds that studying at night can be a real challenge. It gets especially difficult during the rainy season when the old solar-powered lamps he relies on cannot be charged, forcing him to study by dim candlelight. Win Win Nwe, a grade 5 student, faces a similar situation when she studies for exams. “If the battery is charged I have light, otherwise I must work by candlelight.” Her family cannot always afford to buy candles, adding a layer of difficulty to an activity many take for granted. Such stories are common all over Myanmar. In a country with tremendous natural riches, only 30 per cent of the population is connected to the electricity grid. Average annual per capita electricity consumption is 160 kilowatt-hours, one-twentieth the world average. In the countryside, the situation is even worse. As of 2014, only 16 per cent of rural households had a connection.
Construction Firms to be Graded Ahead of AEC Myanmar Business Today 22nd Oct 2015
Local construction companies will be checked and graded based on their quality in the coming year, according to an official from the Myanmar Engineering Society. U Aung Myint, vice chairman of Myanmar Engineering Society, said that the qualifications of engineers and the technology used by the companies will be scrutinised and graded. “In order for the local construction sector to be ready for inclusion in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), local engineers will have to be graded. Construction companies will be graded on a rational basis,” said U Aung Myint. “In the grading process, the Myanmar Engineering Council will check the companies’ machinery and will give them publicly-recorded grades to increase accountability.” Local construction companies will need to submit their application to Myanmar Engineering Council to be graded. Myanmar Engineering Council has already drawn rules and regulations for local construction companies and those laws will come into effect next year. In drawing the law, building codes and criteria have been included in accordance with the country’s requirements.
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