Myanmar Times
China eyes high speed railway as part of One Belt, One Road strategy
A super fast railway will connect Myanmar’s cities, cutting the journey time from Muse, Shan State, to Yangon to one hour. That was the claim made by China’s consul general in a recent meeting in Mandalay. Wang Zongying was discussing China’s One Belt One Road project, ...
Mandalay fisheries fail to meet demand
Mandalay’s fisheries are unable to keep pace with demand, with industry figures saying more than 48.9 tonnes of fish is imported daily from Yangon. Director of the Department of Fisheries U Hla Win told The Myanmar Times on November 28 that over 30,000 viss has to ...
Japanese MFI starts social loans expansion
Japanese microfinance lender MJI Enterprise has started offering three new types of loan and is expanding into two new areas, its chief executive told The Myanmar Times. Yuko Kato said the firm is now offering education, health-care and solar power loans, in addition to its ...
Myanma railways to ramp up carriage production next year
A new Myanma Railways passenger carriage factory built with Chinese help is expected to be up and running by the end of the next financial year, according to the factory’s general manager. The new Myit Nge factory is being built on a 27-acre plot some ...
Adolescents with HIV struggle with drug regimens, stigma
Young people with HIV are facing unique challenges, according to a recent report from Doctors Without Borders Myanmar released ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1. Adolescents with HIV aged 10 to 19 are three times more likely to experience failure with first-line anti-retroviral treatment ...
Tea touted as solution to budgetary woes
As the government has found itself without enough cash to complete development projects scheduled in the current fiscal year, one cabinet member has aired an unusual proposal for financing the shortfall: tea money. Speaking in parliament on December 1, the minister for agriculture, livestock and ...
Minimum wage law still not cutting it for garment workers: report
A New report on the state of the garment industry from Progressive Voice found that last year’s minimum wage law is causing negative workplace impacts for a majority of labourers and, for many, is still not resulting in a living wage. The report, released on ...
Internet, phone lines down in Muse after bomb blast hits cable
Local internet and phone connections were disrupted in the town of Muse yesterday after an explosion rocked the Swonlon Bridge in Muse township. U Zaw Min, Muse district administrator, said internet connections were severed entirely, while phone calls were not transmitting audio. An acquaintance was able ...
Parliamentary commission advises overhaul of national land use policy
The National Land Use Policy is in line for redress, after being highlighted by a parliamentary commission charged with targeting legislation for reform. In its current form, the policy only covers farmland – something the Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues ...
Donors asked to come forward to help foot cost of post-quake repairs
Donors willing to fund the repair of more than 200 pagodas in Bagan damaged by last August’s earthquake are still being identified, officials say. U Aung Kaw, director of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library in Bagan, called on donors who have funded ...
