January 27, 2016

Murderers, rapists among freed Myanmar prisoners: minister

Among 11,574 prisoners freed during the President Thein Sein’s government included 2,374 murderers and 1726 rapists, says deputy minister Kyaw Kyaw Tun for Ministry of Home Affairs.

Responding to a question raised by MP Phone Myint Aung during a parliamentary discussion yesterday, he said that other prisoners included 97 who were jailed for defamation, 5,064 robbers, 334 who were convicted of vandalising, and 1,979 who were convicted of physical assaults.

He added that the number of prisoners on death row is 181 during the current government and 33 of them were freed under amnesties in 2012 and 71 freed in 2014. He added that there has been no execution since 1988.  (Courtesy of The Nation)

Indian ambassador talks trade, connectivity, and the ‘dignity’ of the Myanmar election

26 January, is the 67th Republic Day of India. H.E. Mr. Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Ambassador of India to Myanmar, talked to Mizzima Editor-in-Chief Soe Myint about a range of issues including Indian-Myanmar relations, the Act East Policy, the potential for improved trade and investment between the two countries and his positive view of the Myanmar elections.

Mizzima: I would like to start with a question about PM Narendra Modi’s Act East Policy. What does this mean for India’s neighbours, particularly Myanmar?

The foundations for Look East and Act East are the same, in the sense of the priority and importance that we give to our relations with East Asia, including Southeast Asia, in terms of culture and economy, and other related areas. But the primary difference between the two, is one of action and implementation. It is about implementation of projects which we have already committed to in an efficient manner. And secondly, in terms of energy. Prime Minister Modi has displayed an extraordinary energy in conducting his Act East Policy. During the last one and a half years, we have seen visits, high level visits, state-level visits, between China and Japan, and the Prime Minister has visited Mongolia, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, two East Asia-ASEAN summits including one in Myanmar and one recently in Kuala Lumpur. And, at another level, interactions within ASEAN mechanisms as a dialogue partner have been going on. (Courtesy of Mizzima)

Risks loom for Myanmar’s Kyaukphyu Economic Zone

The end of 2015 saw a series of major announcements and decisions regarding Myanmar’s latest special economic zone (SEZ) in Kyaukphyu township of Rakhine State. In late December, Myanmar’s government approved the demarcation of land for the SEZ and awarded tenders to develop the SEZ to a CITIC Group-led consortium.

The Kyaukphyu SEZ is a key part of Myanmar’s drive to attract foreign direct investment. It is one of three such zones set up since the military-backed USDP took over power from the Tatmadaw military junta via elections in 2011. Kyaukphyu’s SEZ includes three projects: a deep-sea port, an industrial park, and a housing project. (Courtesy of Mizzima)