May 19, 2016

Explosion hits India-Myanmar border gate area

An explosion occurred yesterday afternoon between dispute areas No 1 and No 2 along the India-Myanmar border, worrying local residents.

“The explosion took place at the northern part of the Indian temple. I think it was a landmine. Weapons dropped into the Myanmar side. The explosion was very close to Nanpharlon Market in the India- Myanmar border area. Yesterday, there no vehicles passed through the motor roads in Morae, India, because the Indian authorities closed the roads. However, Nanpharlon Market is open, though there was no dealing. The explosions regularly occur in the India-Myanmar border areas; we are familiar with them,” said Aung Zaw Lin from Nanpharlon Market.

Likewise, a recent explosion took place near Shetwevan Bridge on the Kalay-Tamu road of in the India-Myanmar border area in the early morning of May 16. (Courtesy of elevenmyanmar.com)

May 18, 2016

Series of anti-‘Rohingya’ protests planned in Myanmar

Myanmar nationalists announced Wednesday that a series of protests were planned across major cities to demand that the government declare that there is no Rohingya ethnicity in the country.

The demonstrations are aimed at pressuring President Htin Kyaw and state counselor-cum-foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi to denounce the United States embassy for using the word to describe the stateless and persecuted Muslim minority.

Monks from hardline Buddhist group Ma Ba Tha -- the Committee for Protection of Race and Religion -- are among the nationalists set to gather Wednesday for a rally in coastal Ayeyarwady Division’s capital. (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan begins 3-day visit to Myanmar, will meet Aung San Suu Kyi

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan began an introductory visit to Myanmar on Tuesday (May 17), as part of a series of high-level exchanges to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations.

This is the first high-level bilateral meeting since Myanmar's new government came into power.

In November last year (2015), Myanmar held a landmark general election that swept the party led by long-time political detainee Aung San Suu Kyi into power. (Courtesy of straitstimes.com)

Nirmala Sitharaman to lead CEO delegation to Myanmar

Commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman will lead a CEO delegation to Myanmar from May 18-20. India is organising an India Myanmar Business Conclave in Yangon on 18-20 May 2016 as part of its Act East policy.

"The two days are expected to witness live and involved sessions on various sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and employment, IT, health, education, skill development , power, renewable energy, connectivity (air, sea, land),  tourism and hospitality, SEZs, industrial zones and finance," the commerce ministry said in an official release. (Courtesy of economictimes.indiatimes.com)

Europe to seek green light for ASEAN-EU airline agreement

The EC laid out an aviation strategy in December 2015, aimed at forming a series of agreements between the EU and other countries and regional groups. These include Turkey, China, the Gulf Cooperation Council states and ASEAN.

On June 7, the EC will ask the European Council – comprising leaders of the EU states and other EU bodies – to approve the strategy.

This will allow the EC to start negotiations with ASEAN and other potential partners, Jakub Adamowicz, spokesperson for Transport and Regional Policy at the European Commission, told The Myanmar Times. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)

Buddhist group fails in bid to expel Muslims from Myanmar city

A Buddhist group in Myanmar's religiously divided Rakhine state failed in their bid to pressure local authorities to expel Muslims from Sittwe city.

Soe Naing from the Rakhine National Network, a civil society organization from Sittwe, said that they sent a letter with around 400 signatures to the state's chief minister last week that demanded Muslims from the city's Aung Mingalar quarter be expelled.

"We are concerned that the number of Muslims in the quarter have grown and some have been living there illegally so we raised it to the state government," Soe Naing told ucanews.com. (Courtesy of ucanews.com)

Sittwe’s Muslim quarter allowed limited access to market

Around 30 residents of Sittwe’s only remaining Muslim quarter of Aung Mingalar were allowed to go to the market in the Dar Paing IDP camp yesterday morning, ending what they said had been a temporary lockdown that took place over the weekend.

The number of people allowed out of the police-guarded area was lower than usual, however it has allayed concerns about a potential food and medication shortage.

The temporary stop on transfers followed what residents of Aung Mingalar said was a minor protest staged by a Rakhine group in front of the ghetto’s police barricades close to the centre of the Buddhist-majority capital of Rakhine State. A government official denied that Aung Mingalar had been in lockdown or that any protest had taken place there. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)