More than 300 civilians, all of whom are said to be ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, have fled to the safety of monasteries following fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army. A week of clashes on the fringes of Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U townships subsided on January 5, but more offensives are feared following the military’s warning last week that it intends to “eliminate” the ethnic armed group.
Camps have been set up in Kyi Yar Pyin village and Zaydi Taung village in Mrauk-U and also in Ywar Ma Pyin village in Kyauktaw township.
U Kyaw Kyaw San, who is managing the Kyi Yar Pyin monastery camp, told The Myanmar Times that international NGOs and United Nations agencies had not provided any aid as yet, but that they had come to assess the situation of the IDPs. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Manipur Deputy CM to Attend Business Conclave in Myanmar
Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam will attend a Regional Investment and Business Conclave to be held at Monywa in Sagaing Region of Myanmar on January 18-19.
The conclave, which will also discuss about the banking sector, is being jointly organised by Consulate General of India, Mandalay, Myanmar in association with the government of Sagaing Region and North East chapter of Indian Chamber of Commerce, Guwahati, officials informed today.
The Reserve Bank of India discontinued the Indo-Myanmar barter trade from December 1, 2015 to switch over completely to normal trade. Under this system trading is done without exchanging of money. The RBI took the decision following improvement in banking presence in the border. (Courtesy of Eastern Mirror)
The conclave, which will also discuss about the banking sector, is being jointly organised by Consulate General of India, Mandalay, Myanmar in association with the government of Sagaing Region and North East chapter of Indian Chamber of Commerce, Guwahati, officials informed today.
The Reserve Bank of India discontinued the Indo-Myanmar barter trade from December 1, 2015 to switch over completely to normal trade. Under this system trading is done without exchanging of money. The RBI took the decision following improvement in banking presence in the border. (Courtesy of Eastern Mirror)
Myanmar Opposition Lawmaker Warned About Targeting Army-owned Businesses
The powerful speaker of Myanmar’s lower house of parliament on Friday chided a lawmaker from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party for targeting the long-ruling army’s involvement in key economic sectors during debate over a draft bill on national plans for the upcoming fiscal year.
Speaker Shwe Man interrupted NLD lawmaker Aung Moe Nyo as he discussed the military’s Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, Ltd. (UMEHL), an army-owned conglomerate that includes garment factories, copper mines in Mount Letpadaung in northern Myanmar’s Sagaing region, Myawaddy Bank, and the shipping firm Myanma Five Star Line, and suggested it only benefited military officers, not rank-and-file soldiers.
“In my constituency, soldiers are extremely poor because they don’t have enough clothing and food,” he said. “It shouldn’t be that way. If high-ranking officers are excessively rich while ordinary soldiers are deprived, ...”
But Shwe Mann, a member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), interrupted him and said: “Don’t use words that damage the dignity of the organization [army]. This should be the last warning.”
Aung Moe Nyo, however, continued his comments about the government army and its grip on the economy, strengthened over decades of unchallenged military rule. (Courtesy of RFA)
Speaker Shwe Man interrupted NLD lawmaker Aung Moe Nyo as he discussed the military’s Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, Ltd. (UMEHL), an army-owned conglomerate that includes garment factories, copper mines in Mount Letpadaung in northern Myanmar’s Sagaing region, Myawaddy Bank, and the shipping firm Myanma Five Star Line, and suggested it only benefited military officers, not rank-and-file soldiers.
“In my constituency, soldiers are extremely poor because they don’t have enough clothing and food,” he said. “It shouldn’t be that way. If high-ranking officers are excessively rich while ordinary soldiers are deprived, ...”
But Shwe Mann, a member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), interrupted him and said: “Don’t use words that damage the dignity of the organization [army]. This should be the last warning.”
Aung Moe Nyo, however, continued his comments about the government army and its grip on the economy, strengthened over decades of unchallenged military rule. (Courtesy of RFA)
Twin Accidents Create Traffic Logjam on Muse Road
Two accidents in as many days along the road outside Muse have left the highway blocked for more than three days, bottlenecking the main border trade point between China and Burma, according to sources near the border.
Vehicle traffic has all but ground to a halt and drivers have been forced to sleep on the road, with only a trickle of four-wheel traffic and some motorcycles able to pass through.
“I have been here [in Muse] three nights already, and still cannot go back to Yangon [Rangoon] as there are no buses traveling,” a frequent traveler to Muse told The Irrawaddy on Friday.
The road has been blocked since Tuesday, when the first of the two traffic accidents took place, according to the source, who said he had to sleep two nights on the road to get to Muse from Rangoon. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Vehicle traffic has all but ground to a halt and drivers have been forced to sleep on the road, with only a trickle of four-wheel traffic and some motorcycles able to pass through.
“I have been here [in Muse] three nights already, and still cannot go back to Yangon [Rangoon] as there are no buses traveling,” a frequent traveler to Muse told The Irrawaddy on Friday.
The road has been blocked since Tuesday, when the first of the two traffic accidents took place, according to the source, who said he had to sleep two nights on the road to get to Muse from Rangoon. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Friday, January 15, 2016
UN must get ‘priorities right’ in 2016, Ban tells Member States, calling for ‘more and better work’
Sharing his thoughts on the direction of the United Nations’ work in 2016, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said the global community begins the year needing to get its “priorities right,” while underlining that more and better work needs to be done.
“This is a moment heavy with responsibility,” Mr. Ban told delegates during an annual informal briefing to the General Assembly. “Year one of the new 15-year agenda, and year 10 of my 10-year mandate. One year may seem very short in UN time. But I believe we can make it dynamic and productive.”
The UN chief began by declaring that 2016 must be a year in which landmark decisions on sustainable development “gain solid footing on the ground.”
“If 2015 was a year of global sustainable development action, 2016 must be a year of national SDG traction,” he stated, after congratulating Member States for adopting the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 goals and 169 targets to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change over the next 15 years. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
“This is a moment heavy with responsibility,” Mr. Ban told delegates during an annual informal briefing to the General Assembly. “Year one of the new 15-year agenda, and year 10 of my 10-year mandate. One year may seem very short in UN time. But I believe we can make it dynamic and productive.”
The UN chief began by declaring that 2016 must be a year in which landmark decisions on sustainable development “gain solid footing on the ground.”
“If 2015 was a year of global sustainable development action, 2016 must be a year of national SDG traction,” he stated, after congratulating Member States for adopting the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 goals and 169 targets to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change over the next 15 years. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
40 Missing in new jade mining landslide
At least 40 migrant mine workers are believed missing following the collapse Tuesday night of a mountain of soil and other waste cast off from jade mining operations in Hpakant in Myanmar’s Kachin State, RFA reported on 13 January.
The landslide struck at about 10:30 p.m. not far from the site of another slide which killed over 100 in November, a local source told RFA’s Myanmar Service. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
The landslide struck at about 10:30 p.m. not far from the site of another slide which killed over 100 in November, a local source told RFA’s Myanmar Service. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
New EIA Requirements to Help Safeguard Myanmar's Environment
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedure – signed off by Cabinet in November – specifies the type and scope of environmental assessments required for all investment projects that could cause environmental and social harm.
"Myanmar’s EIA process will effectively help prevent the potentially adverse environmental and social impacts of development projects and contribute to the nation and people achieving sustainable development,” said Thet Thet Zin, Deputy Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry.
Also announced were environmental quality guidelines that aim to minimize levels of air, noise, and water pollution.
ADB, through the GMS Core Environment Program, has played a lead role in supporting the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry to develop both the procedure and guidelines. ADB will continue support to help Myanmar build its environmental safeguards system to international standard, according to ADB. (Courtesy of finchannel.com)
"Myanmar’s EIA process will effectively help prevent the potentially adverse environmental and social impacts of development projects and contribute to the nation and people achieving sustainable development,” said Thet Thet Zin, Deputy Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry.
Also announced were environmental quality guidelines that aim to minimize levels of air, noise, and water pollution.
ADB, through the GMS Core Environment Program, has played a lead role in supporting the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry to develop both the procedure and guidelines. ADB will continue support to help Myanmar build its environmental safeguards system to international standard, according to ADB. (Courtesy of finchannel.com)
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