Maung Aung, an economist and senior adviser to the Commerce Ministry, welcomed the change, saying that the commission is apparently expanding its role to boost the trade sector. Yet, he said economists should also be appointed to the commission, instead of just political appointees and civil servants.
"It is important to have right people in the right place. I have no doubt that the new MIC is comprised of the right people. But I think adding some economists like Dr.Aung Tun Thet will make the commission perfect. Anyway, the MIC reestablishment will increase foreign investors's trust and confidence. I am sure MIC will work hard to promote FDI as well as local citizens's investment," he said.
Maung Aung believes that the new MIC will take Myanmar's trade policy into serious consideration, as trade and investment are correlated and the key drivers of the nation's growth. He said that efforts to produce value-added products are as important as attempts to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
June 11, 2016
Rohingya refugee and Ramadan: A story of hope of a 16-year-old boy
Muslims all over the globe are observing fasts in the holy month of Ramadan, so is Anamul Haq, a 16-year-old boy from Rohingya (Myanmar) living in a Jhuggi (hut) in Jammu as a refugee this Ramadan. But the reason for us talking about him goes beyond his age. Besides fasting, he works at a local chicken shop in Malik market Jammu, where he does cleaning from 8 am till 8 pm which fetches him Rs 3,000 a month, thus supplementing the income of his father, who works as a laborer, in sustaining the family of nine. (Courtesy of twocircles.net)
A new lease of life for kids of Rohingya refugees
For the 3,000-odd Rohingya refugees living in the city, there is some good news in the holy month of Ramadan. The Telangana Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) decided to open a school for the children of Myanmar refugees.
The international non-profit organisation, ‘Save the Children’ recently requested SSA to open a school for the children and the government responded to the request positively. The school would be started on Refugee Day on June 20.
SSA identified around 90 Rohingya children to begin the school and the school would have only Urdu and English as the medium of instruction. (Courtesy of thehansindia.com)
The international non-profit organisation, ‘Save the Children’ recently requested SSA to open a school for the children and the government responded to the request positively. The school would be started on Refugee Day on June 20.
SSA identified around 90 Rohingya children to begin the school and the school would have only Urdu and English as the medium of instruction. (Courtesy of thehansindia.com)
Rohingya census extended by four days due to bad weather
It says the tens of thousands of unregistered Rohingyas have responded positively to the Census and 85 percent of the Rohingya households have already been covered by the Census.
The final census findings will be published in December, officials said.
The Rohingya census will continue in six districts - Cox's Bazar, Patuakhali, Khagrhachharhi, Bandarban, Chittagong and Rangamati until Monday, said Alamgir Hossain, director of the Survey on 'Unregistered persons of Myanmar origin living in Bangladesh'.
He said 50,000 households have been identified in these six districts for the survey that started on 2 June. (Courtesy of bdnews24.com)
The final census findings will be published in December, officials said.
The Rohingya census will continue in six districts - Cox's Bazar, Patuakhali, Khagrhachharhi, Bandarban, Chittagong and Rangamati until Monday, said Alamgir Hossain, director of the Survey on 'Unregistered persons of Myanmar origin living in Bangladesh'.
He said 50,000 households have been identified in these six districts for the survey that started on 2 June. (Courtesy of bdnews24.com)
Muslims in Myanmar fearful during Ramadan
Myanmar's minority Muslims are concerned by a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment being stoked by hardline Buddhist monks during the holy month of Ramadan.
Tin Maung Than, general secretary of the Islamic Religious Council of Myanmar, said that Muslims in Yangon's outskirts have faced difficulty even to worship at their religious school due to the pressure from radical Buddhist monks. (Courtesy of ucanews.com)
Tin Maung Than, general secretary of the Islamic Religious Council of Myanmar, said that Muslims in Yangon's outskirts have faced difficulty even to worship at their religious school due to the pressure from radical Buddhist monks. (Courtesy of ucanews.com)
Azeem Ibrahim -- Sanctions, democracy and tolerance in Myanmar
The U.S. in late May eased but did not remove sanctions against Myanmar -- sending a signal that summed up the view among many Western governments of the situation in the once closed and repressive country. Myanmar has made progress toward democratizing in recent years, including electing its first civilian government since 1962 in November last year, when the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, stormed to power by winning absolute majorities in both chambers of Myanmar's parliament.
But on some other measures the country has been slipping backward. On humanitarian issues, the move toward democracy has been accompanied not by an opening of society and increased rights and protections for all the citizens of the country, but quite the contrary. As the majority of the population is finding its political voice after decades of repression, radical nationalists from the Buddhist majority are using that voice to abuse the country's minorities -- particularly the Muslim Rohingya, who account for an estimated 1 million to 1.3 million people of the total population of 53 million or more. (Courtesy of asia.nikkei.com)
But on some other measures the country has been slipping backward. On humanitarian issues, the move toward democracy has been accompanied not by an opening of society and increased rights and protections for all the citizens of the country, but quite the contrary. As the majority of the population is finding its political voice after decades of repression, radical nationalists from the Buddhist majority are using that voice to abuse the country's minorities -- particularly the Muslim Rohingya, who account for an estimated 1 million to 1.3 million people of the total population of 53 million or more. (Courtesy of asia.nikkei.com)
Myanmar resumes building fence along Bangladesh border
Myanmar has resumed construction of a fence along a border with Bangladesh, a porous boundary through which migrants --among them Rohingya Muslims from western Myanmar -- have been able to travel in and out of the country relatively unchecked.
Local media had reported this week that construction had been suspended due to a lack of funds to finish the fence in Western Rakhine State, which borders Bangladesh, but Aung San Suu Kyi's new government emphasized Friday that it would continue.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported the deputy director-general of the president’s office, Zaw Htay, as saying that the previous government's K5.5 billion ($45.9 million) budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year had been reevaluated. (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
KNO wants Pakistan to stop selling fighter jets to Myanmar
The Kachin National Organisation (KNO) has asked Pakistan to stop selling fighter jets to Myanmar, stating that these could be used against ethnic armed groups by the government.
“The government of Pakistan should take a proactive role in pressuring the Myanmar government to cease further military action that he alleged would inevitably result in widespread human rights abuses in the country” told KNO president U Duwa Bawmwang Laraw, to The Myanmar Times, yesterday.
He accused that the military is using fighter jets for the elimination of ethnic groups and civilians living in conflict areas. (Courtesy of siasat.com)
“The government of Pakistan should take a proactive role in pressuring the Myanmar government to cease further military action that he alleged would inevitably result in widespread human rights abuses in the country” told KNO president U Duwa Bawmwang Laraw, to The Myanmar Times, yesterday.
He accused that the military is using fighter jets for the elimination of ethnic groups and civilians living in conflict areas. (Courtesy of siasat.com)
EU to start ASEAN aviation talks
The EU is hoping to create new airline routes and new business opportunities for European firms through bilateral agreements with ASEAN and countries like Turkey and Qatar. The moves are part of an EU aviation strategy published in December last year.
Myanmar, meanwhile, is still in the process of adapting to a more liberalised ASEAN aviation sector, which has raised concerns about how the country’s fledgling airline industry will fare against more foreign competition.
An ASEAN-EU agreement would aim to provide more direct flights between the two blocs, and create business opportunities for airlines by reducing restrictions on access to the EU and ASEAN markets. Such an agreement would bring almost 8 billion euros (US$9 billion) in “economic benefits” during the first seven years, according to EU estimates. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Myanmar aims to export 1.4m tonnes of beans and pulses this year
Myanmar hopes to increase its exports of beans and pulses to 1.4 million tonnes this year, after two years of falling production, and is targeting new markets in the Middle East and United States.
Each year the country exports more than 1 million tonnes of beans and pulses, at a total value of around US$1 billion, said U Tun Lwin, chair of Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association.
The crops are becoming increasingly popular with farmers, as they fetch higher prices than paddy while production costs are lower. Most beans and pulses are harvested during January and March and are therefore not at risk of being destroyed by flooding during the rainy season. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Each year the country exports more than 1 million tonnes of beans and pulses, at a total value of around US$1 billion, said U Tun Lwin, chair of Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association.
The crops are becoming increasingly popular with farmers, as they fetch higher prices than paddy while production costs are lower. Most beans and pulses are harvested during January and March and are therefore not at risk of being destroyed by flooding during the rainy season. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
PM Lee opens Singapore-Myanmar vocational school in Yangon
Mr Ko Ko Lwin, 22, has a degree in marine engineering from Myanmar Maritime University. But that did not stop him from signing up for hands-on skills training at the Singapore-Myanmar Vocational Training Institute (SMVTI) last year.
"I wanted to improve my skills and get more practical training," he said, adding that at SMVTI, each student is assigned to one training machine while at his previous school, 40 students used one machine.
The school trains Myanmar youth to be skilled workers and was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, the final day of his three-day official visit. (Courtesy of straitstimes.com)
"I wanted to improve my skills and get more practical training," he said, adding that at SMVTI, each student is assigned to one training machine while at his previous school, 40 students used one machine.
The school trains Myanmar youth to be skilled workers and was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, the final day of his three-day official visit. (Courtesy of straitstimes.com)
Yangon chief promises electricity reform
According to the Yangon Region Kayin Ethnic Affairs Minister Naw Pan Thinzar Myo, China will not answer Myanmar's energy needs.
“Before the next year, how are we going to solve the issue of being able to provide only a third of the electricity required? This year there was an understanding because we just came to power but that will not last until next year. We will not build the entire infrastructure in one year. Gas is important for producing electricity. By 2027 or 2029, gas will run out and reserves have been falling since 2015. Gas is being sold to China and Thailand. The Chinese will only sell us back electricity generated from our gas,” said the minister.
Currently, businesses in industrial zones have reported that due to insufficient and irregular supplies, they have to resort to other means at considerable expense. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
“Before the next year, how are we going to solve the issue of being able to provide only a third of the electricity required? This year there was an understanding because we just came to power but that will not last until next year. We will not build the entire infrastructure in one year. Gas is important for producing electricity. By 2027 or 2029, gas will run out and reserves have been falling since 2015. Gas is being sold to China and Thailand. The Chinese will only sell us back electricity generated from our gas,” said the minister.
Currently, businesses in industrial zones have reported that due to insufficient and irregular supplies, they have to resort to other means at considerable expense. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)
Rohingya Reject New Citizenship Verification Cards
A citizenship verification exercise aimed at stateless Muslims in Arakan State, which resumed last month, has been temporarily suspended in Ponnagyun Township, where residents of a small Rohingya village have refused to cooperate.
The Rohingya Muslim residents of Tarle village have refused to accept National Verification Certificates (NVCs) being handed out because the bearer’s ethnicity and religion is not stated on the cards, according to San Hla, commanding officer of a police station in Thaetap village. The process has been suspended for a week in the township.
NVCs are being handed out automatically to those who will be scrutinized for eligibility for citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law at a later stage in the process. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
The Rohingya Muslim residents of Tarle village have refused to accept National Verification Certificates (NVCs) being handed out because the bearer’s ethnicity and religion is not stated on the cards, according to San Hla, commanding officer of a police station in Thaetap village. The process has been suspended for a week in the township.
NVCs are being handed out automatically to those who will be scrutinized for eligibility for citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law at a later stage in the process. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
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