The leaders of the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) will convene at the end of this month for the first time following the 2015 general election.
The decision came after the UNA representatives’ meeting in Yangon on December 19.
“We saw a full complement of attendances, even though the meeting was aimed at the secretaries. Almost all UNA members attended the meeting. We agreed to hold the UNA leaders’ meeting in Yangon at the end of this month,” said Aye Tha Aung of the Arakan National Party (ANP), who is one of the leaders of the UNA.
The UNA was formed by the political parties that won the 1990 general election. The organisation’s first conference was held in December 2002. The conference of the UNA and its allied organisations has been held three times.
“The leaders’ meeting of the UNA will take a review of attitudes and stances within the UNA, prepare to reorganise the UNA to further strength it and assess the role of the ethnic armed organisations in the peace process. Three representatives each, including the leaders of UNA member groups, are allowed to attend the UNA leaders’ meeting. We will try together with the ethnic political parties to seek a path to peace and establish federal Union,” Aye Tha Aung said. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
December 22, 2015
Refugees pressured to leave camps
Refugees have reported being pressured by a certain charity group to leave their camps and return to their homes.
Refugees belonging to the Palaung, Lisu and Lishaw ethnic groups have been unable to return to their homes but have been under pressure by the charity group to leave Monghsu, where they are currently lodging.
“It seems like since they are Shan people from Nantkhone. They want to drive other groups out. They say in the Shan language: ‘Why are you not leaving yet? What else do you want?’ The places that the Shan people returned to are not danger zones. Regions such as Nant Par Mone, home to some of those ethnic minority refugees, are completely occupied by Bama (Myanma) soldiers. This means they are being pressured to go back to a place with both the military and the Shan armed groups, where a battle can start anytime. Both sides are still very tense,” said refugee Kyaw Kyaw Oo. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Refugees belonging to the Palaung, Lisu and Lishaw ethnic groups have been unable to return to their homes but have been under pressure by the charity group to leave Monghsu, where they are currently lodging.
“It seems like since they are Shan people from Nantkhone. They want to drive other groups out. They say in the Shan language: ‘Why are you not leaving yet? What else do you want?’ The places that the Shan people returned to are not danger zones. Regions such as Nant Par Mone, home to some of those ethnic minority refugees, are completely occupied by Bama (Myanma) soldiers. This means they are being pressured to go back to a place with both the military and the Shan armed groups, where a battle can start anytime. Both sides are still very tense,” said refugee Kyaw Kyaw Oo. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
How to alleviate poverty amid rising urbanisation
Poverty reduction is one of the most important tasks a government must undertake. About 70 per cent of Myanmar’s population is said to live in rural areas, though it is difficult to know exactly, as a massive number of people in rural areas is constantly migrating to cities to find job opportunities. The problem of finding accommodations for all these people is far from solved.
More than 50 countries include housing provisions in their constitutions. These countries arrange accommodations for their citizens. But Myanmar lacks this practice and does not earmark a budget for public housing.
In the 18th century, only 2 per cent of the world lived in urban areas; most people survived on agriculture. At the beginning of the 21st century, about half of the world’s total population was urban. Urbanisation in Myanmar rises every year. Several push and pull factors account for this trend. One push factor is the rising rural population. Furthermore, farmers migrate to cities due to land confiscation, lower crop prices, higher production costs and a lack of modernised farm equipment. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
More than 50 countries include housing provisions in their constitutions. These countries arrange accommodations for their citizens. But Myanmar lacks this practice and does not earmark a budget for public housing.
In the 18th century, only 2 per cent of the world lived in urban areas; most people survived on agriculture. At the beginning of the 21st century, about half of the world’s total population was urban. Urbanisation in Myanmar rises every year. Several push and pull factors account for this trend. One push factor is the rising rural population. Furthermore, farmers migrate to cities due to land confiscation, lower crop prices, higher production costs and a lack of modernised farm equipment. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Myanmar tightens security after boat people flee camp
YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar authorities have tightened security at a town in western Rakhine state after the boat people remaining at a camp in Maungtaw Township fled last week, according to officials Monday.
An official from Rakhine’s immigration department who wished to remain unnamed as he was not authorized to speak to media told Anadolu Agency that 28 people, who authorities say are from neighboring Bangladesh, escaped the temporary camp.
“All 28 boat people including women and children fled the camp last week. We informed Bangladesh authorities about it,” he said by phone.
He added that authorities do not know whether the escapees were still in Myanmar or had crossed the border.
“They frequently asked us to send them back to their country as they don’t want to be here anymore, but the Bangladesh authority is working slowly,” he said.
Myanmar has already repatriated 777 people to the neighboring country after Bangladeshi officials verified their citizenship.
They were among 1,046 people rescued at sea and from an island in southern Myanmar in May amid a crisis that saw thousands of Bangladeshi and Muslim Rohingya – an ethnicity Myanmar does not officially recognize — abandoned by people smugglers. (Courtesy of Fulton News)
An official from Rakhine’s immigration department who wished to remain unnamed as he was not authorized to speak to media told Anadolu Agency that 28 people, who authorities say are from neighboring Bangladesh, escaped the temporary camp.
“All 28 boat people including women and children fled the camp last week. We informed Bangladesh authorities about it,” he said by phone.
He added that authorities do not know whether the escapees were still in Myanmar or had crossed the border.
“They frequently asked us to send them back to their country as they don’t want to be here anymore, but the Bangladesh authority is working slowly,” he said.
Myanmar has already repatriated 777 people to the neighboring country after Bangladeshi officials verified their citizenship.
They were among 1,046 people rescued at sea and from an island in southern Myanmar in May amid a crisis that saw thousands of Bangladeshi and Muslim Rohingya – an ethnicity Myanmar does not officially recognize — abandoned by people smugglers. (Courtesy of Fulton News)
Turkey- Myanmar: Suu Kyi to honor trishaw drivers for polls win
(MENAFN - The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Myanmar’s election victor Aung San Suu Kyi has invited trishaw – or cycle rickshaw -- drivers in Yangon to an event honoring them for their supportive role during campaigns for last month’s election.
A spokesperson for the National League for Democracy (NLD) the opposition party that won the Nov. 8 polls by a landslide told Anadolu Agency on Sunday that around 220 trishaw drivers are invited to attend the gathering at the Royal Rose restaurant next Saturday.
“They played a big role in election campaign and party’s victory” Win Htein said. “And they are the grassroots of the country who have been long neglected by authorities.”
Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi’s party won 880 parliamentary seats -- or 77.3 percent -- out of a total of 1139 contested seats at three levels of parliament at the polls the first free and fair election in decades.
The sweeping victory left the party in a position to choose the country's next president.
During the campaigns trishaw drivers across the country -- especially in big cities such as commercial capital Yangon and Pathein of the Ayeyawaddy region -- had participated in the NLD campaigns garnering more public attention. (Courtesy of menafn.com)
A spokesperson for the National League for Democracy (NLD) the opposition party that won the Nov. 8 polls by a landslide told Anadolu Agency on Sunday that around 220 trishaw drivers are invited to attend the gathering at the Royal Rose restaurant next Saturday.
“They played a big role in election campaign and party’s victory” Win Htein said. “And they are the grassroots of the country who have been long neglected by authorities.”
Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi’s party won 880 parliamentary seats -- or 77.3 percent -- out of a total of 1139 contested seats at three levels of parliament at the polls the first free and fair election in decades.
The sweeping victory left the party in a position to choose the country's next president.
During the campaigns trishaw drivers across the country -- especially in big cities such as commercial capital Yangon and Pathein of the Ayeyawaddy region -- had participated in the NLD campaigns garnering more public attention. (Courtesy of menafn.com)
EU to provide fund for food, nutrition security in Myanmar
The European Union will provide additional 70 million euro ($76.09 million) to help enhance food and nutrition security, improve the rule of law and establish peace in Myanmar, the regional grouping said on Monday.
Under the provision, EU will contribute to reducing poverty and improving food and nutrition security through a new aquaculture programme, Xinhua cited an EU release as saying.
EU will continue its support to the reform of the police in its transition into a modern police service.
The grouping will also increase its support for efforts to achieve a lasting peace in Mynamar.
Since the start of reforms in 2011, the EU has lifted sanctions, allocated substantial funding, initiated programmes and encouraged further reforms, said EU Ambassador to Myanmar Roland Kobia. (Courtesy of Business Standard News)
Under the provision, EU will contribute to reducing poverty and improving food and nutrition security through a new aquaculture programme, Xinhua cited an EU release as saying.
EU will continue its support to the reform of the police in its transition into a modern police service.
The grouping will also increase its support for efforts to achieve a lasting peace in Mynamar.
Since the start of reforms in 2011, the EU has lifted sanctions, allocated substantial funding, initiated programmes and encouraged further reforms, said EU Ambassador to Myanmar Roland Kobia. (Courtesy of Business Standard News)
Myanmar: Telenor, Yoma to launch mobile financial service Wave Money in 2016
December 21, 2015:
Myanmar based mobile operator Telenor, will be launching its mobile money transfer service Wave Money, as a subsidiary- in partnership with Yoma Bank.
Telenor, has a 51 per cent stake in the new venture while 49 per cent is held by Yoma bank,
Having gone thorough about five weeks of commercial testing in upper Myanmar, Wave Money will be released for the mass market, the un-banked and those with limited access to the bank. It is expected to be released officially as soon as the Central Bank issues regulations regarded the mobile financial services.
Brad Jones, chief executive officer of Wave Money told DEALSTREETASIA that the money transfer will be the first step and the service will include a suite of other services related to mobile financial transactions.
“We want to begin with the transfer of money and wanted to go with a very focused product and a very simple product. The initial service will be money transfer but we do see the potential future services including the airtime top-ups, bill payments, international remittance, salary disbursements,” said Jones. (Courtesy of Deal Street Asia)
Myanmar based mobile operator Telenor, will be launching its mobile money transfer service Wave Money, as a subsidiary- in partnership with Yoma Bank.
Telenor, has a 51 per cent stake in the new venture while 49 per cent is held by Yoma bank,
Having gone thorough about five weeks of commercial testing in upper Myanmar, Wave Money will be released for the mass market, the un-banked and those with limited access to the bank. It is expected to be released officially as soon as the Central Bank issues regulations regarded the mobile financial services.
Brad Jones, chief executive officer of Wave Money told DEALSTREETASIA that the money transfer will be the first step and the service will include a suite of other services related to mobile financial transactions.
“We want to begin with the transfer of money and wanted to go with a very focused product and a very simple product. The initial service will be money transfer but we do see the potential future services including the airtime top-ups, bill payments, international remittance, salary disbursements,” said Jones. (Courtesy of Deal Street Asia)
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