BANGKOK - Southeast Asia needs legal channels of migration to help curb human smuggling, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, days after it urged efforts to avoid a repeat of this year's disaster when hundreds of refugees were lost at sea or died in jungle camps.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations established an economic community last month to free up capital and trade, but made limited provision for labour movement even though the region has millions of migrant workers.
"There needs to be more legal channels of migration, so that we don't end up unintentionally subsidizing the smugglers," IOM Director General William Lacy Swing told reporters.
"If the visa regime makes it impossible for people to get to the jobs that are there to be filled, then obviously they will go to smugglers and pay a lot of money."
Thousands of migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar have fled persecution and poverty in recent years, putting their lives in the hands of human smugglers to reach countries with better prospects in Southeast Asia and beyond. (Courtesy of AsiaOne Asia News)
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December 4, 2015
Myanmar elections and democratization in Southeast Asia
The landslide victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the Myanmar elections held on Nov. 8 marks a conquest for democracy. This is the NLD’s second triumph since the military junta conducted general elections for the first time in 1990. However, in 1990, the junta did not cede power.
Two landslide victories within 25 years demonstrate the strong desire of the Myanmar people to embrace democracy.
Indeed, in 2011, responding to strong winds of change and international pressure, the current Myanmar president, Gen. (ret) Thein Sein, declared Myanmar a country open to democracy.
The NLD, led by 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, is now preparing to take office when President Thein’s term ends in March 2016.
Myanmar’s political changes remind us of the experiences of its Southeast Asian neighbors. In 1986 the Philippines saw people’s power topple the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
Since the fall of Marcos, the Philippines has consistently organized peaceful, democratic elections. (Courtesy of The Jakarta Post)
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Two landslide victories within 25 years demonstrate the strong desire of the Myanmar people to embrace democracy.
Indeed, in 2011, responding to strong winds of change and international pressure, the current Myanmar president, Gen. (ret) Thein Sein, declared Myanmar a country open to democracy.
The NLD, led by 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, is now preparing to take office when President Thein’s term ends in March 2016.
Myanmar’s political changes remind us of the experiences of its Southeast Asian neighbors. In 1986 the Philippines saw people’s power topple the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
Since the fall of Marcos, the Philippines has consistently organized peaceful, democratic elections. (Courtesy of The Jakarta Post)
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Investing $200 million in Myanmar to boost telecommunication tower business
KUALA LUMPUR (NewsRise) -- Malaysia's largest mobile phone network company by revenue Axiata Group plans to invest up to $200 million in Myanmar over the next eight years to boost ownership of telecommunication towers for mobile networks in one of the world's least tapped frontier markets.
The planned investment is on top of the company's ongoing purchase of majority control in Digicel Myanmar Tower Company that Axiata announced in October. Axiata's wholly-owned tower infrastructure unit edotco will pay $125 million in cash for a 75% stake in Digicel Myanmar.
Axiata will fully-fund the acquisition from part of the $500 million Islamic bond sale programme. "Organic growth thereafter will be funded via free cash flows of [Digicel Myanmar] and commercial debt as appropriate," said edotco chief executive Suresh Sidhu. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asia Review)
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The planned investment is on top of the company's ongoing purchase of majority control in Digicel Myanmar Tower Company that Axiata announced in October. Axiata's wholly-owned tower infrastructure unit edotco will pay $125 million in cash for a 75% stake in Digicel Myanmar.
Axiata will fully-fund the acquisition from part of the $500 million Islamic bond sale programme. "Organic growth thereafter will be funded via free cash flows of [Digicel Myanmar] and commercial debt as appropriate," said edotco chief executive Suresh Sidhu. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asia Review)
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Myanmar's victorious opposition party keeps quiet on outcomes of military and presidential meetings
Myanmar's opposition is tight-lipped about the outcomes of separate talks between leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president and top general, citing the need for goodwill with its future government partners to ensure a smooth path to office.
Ms Suu Kyi on Wednesday met with the Myanmar military's commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of a military she must work with in power-sharing executive, despite her party securing an overwhelming public mandate in the November 8 general election.
Their hour-long discussion appeared to be cordial, described by a smiling Min Aung Hlaing as "very nice".
Senior National League for Democracy (NLD) member Win Htein said the victors would not rock the boat and had been ordered to keep strategy a secret.
Ms Suu Kyi's NLD won more than four-fifths of the vote, but a constitution written by the military before it ceded power in 2011 guarantees its nominees get 25 per cent of parliamentary seats, three key cabinet posts and a vice-presidential position. (Courtesy of ABC news)
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Ms Suu Kyi on Wednesday met with the Myanmar military's commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of a military she must work with in power-sharing executive, despite her party securing an overwhelming public mandate in the November 8 general election.
Their hour-long discussion appeared to be cordial, described by a smiling Min Aung Hlaing as "very nice".
Senior National League for Democracy (NLD) member Win Htein said the victors would not rock the boat and had been ordered to keep strategy a secret.
Ms Suu Kyi's NLD won more than four-fifths of the vote, but a constitution written by the military before it ceded power in 2011 guarantees its nominees get 25 per cent of parliamentary seats, three key cabinet posts and a vice-presidential position. (Courtesy of ABC news)
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Myanmar media lawyers commit to engaging on broadcast reform
The Myanmar Media Lawyers’ Network (MMLN) and the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) hosted a workshop on 29 November to discuss changes to the country’s broadcasting framework, and how they will impact freedom of expression in the country, according to a statement on 3 December.
The workshop, which was carried out with support from International Media Support (IMS), featured a robust discussion about the country’s new Broadcasting Law and how it measures up against international standards.
“The new Broadcasting Law is a very significant development in terms of democratising the media landscape in Myanmar,” said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. “It is very good to see that the MMLN is getting involved in this issue, given the centrality of broadcast regulation to a healthy media environment.”
One issue that participants focused on was the National Broadcasting Council, which is tasked with regulating broadcasting. The Broadcasting Law requires the Council to be established by the end of February, after consultations with the public and civil society. MMLN members made a commitment to be actively engaged in the consultation process, once it is announced. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
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The workshop, which was carried out with support from International Media Support (IMS), featured a robust discussion about the country’s new Broadcasting Law and how it measures up against international standards.
“The new Broadcasting Law is a very significant development in terms of democratising the media landscape in Myanmar,” said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. “It is very good to see that the MMLN is getting involved in this issue, given the centrality of broadcast regulation to a healthy media environment.”
One issue that participants focused on was the National Broadcasting Council, which is tasked with regulating broadcasting. The Broadcasting Law requires the Council to be established by the end of February, after consultations with the public and civil society. MMLN members made a commitment to be actively engaged in the consultation process, once it is announced. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
For more information - Visit here.
Rocket Internet launches online hotel booking site Jovago in Myanmar
Jovago.com is an online hotel booking service with operations in Africa and Asia.
Mainly targeting local travellers, Jovago has established a team that will help people book hotels featured on their website.
“Myanmar is a great country with breathtaking scenery and hospitable people. There is a strong demand by locals and foreigners to discover the entire country and Jovago wants to be a solution. The potential of Myanmar is huge not only for Jovago but for the tourism industry and all our hotel partners,” said Paul Midy, CEO of Jovago, in a statement.
Currently having about 250 hotels listed on the site, Jovago is expanding its partnership to reach about 1,500 hotels by the next year.
Being the fist online hotel booking site targeting Myanmar people featuring the local language, bookings can be made either through the website or the application currently available on android phones. (Courtesy of DealStreetAsia)
For more information - Visit here.
Mainly targeting local travellers, Jovago has established a team that will help people book hotels featured on their website.
“Myanmar is a great country with breathtaking scenery and hospitable people. There is a strong demand by locals and foreigners to discover the entire country and Jovago wants to be a solution. The potential of Myanmar is huge not only for Jovago but for the tourism industry and all our hotel partners,” said Paul Midy, CEO of Jovago, in a statement.
Currently having about 250 hotels listed on the site, Jovago is expanding its partnership to reach about 1,500 hotels by the next year.
Being the fist online hotel booking site targeting Myanmar people featuring the local language, bookings can be made either through the website or the application currently available on android phones. (Courtesy of DealStreetAsia)
For more information - Visit here.
Honduras, Myanmar, Haiti top risk list, says climate group
Le Bourget (France): Honduras, Myanmar and Haiti top a new list of nations hardest hit by two decades of storms, floods, landslides and droughts that killed more than half a million people, climate analysts reported today, warning of more frequent disasters if Earth's overheating cannot be tamed. Scientists point to the mounting threat from storms, floods, droughts and rising seas if mankind cannot brake emissions from heat-trapping greenhouse gases, especially from fossil fuels.
A red-flag to negotiators from 195 countries trying to broker a global climate-saving pact in Paris, the Bonn-based advocacy group Germanwatch released the 2016 Global Climate Risk Index showing those nations most affected by the direct consequences of extreme weather events. Honduras, Myanmar and Haiti were the most afflicted by such disasters between 1995 and 2014, said the latest edition of the annual index. (Courtesy of IBNLive)
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A red-flag to negotiators from 195 countries trying to broker a global climate-saving pact in Paris, the Bonn-based advocacy group Germanwatch released the 2016 Global Climate Risk Index showing those nations most affected by the direct consequences of extreme weather events. Honduras, Myanmar and Haiti were the most afflicted by such disasters between 1995 and 2014, said the latest edition of the annual index. (Courtesy of IBNLive)
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