News
Miles to go
Though foreign investment is soaring and GDP is expected to grow by at least 8% this year and next, both are from a tiny base. Before the army seized power, Myanmar had been one of the world’s leading rice exporters and one of Asia’s wealthiest ...
Mining companies must repair environmental damage: official Print
More than 1000 jade mining companies will be forced by law to clean up their sites in Hpakant and Lone Khin mining areas in Kachin State once their permits have expired, the government says. U Win Htein, director general of the Department of Mines, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, told The ...
‘An optimistic place to start’: Myanmar enacts national logging ban
According to environmental watchdogs, overexploitation of Myanmar’s forests have been driven by corruption and mismanagement in the country’s timber industry sector. They say the new ban is a big step in the right direction. “This is a decision that demonstrates clear intent to tackle corruption within ...
As Irrawaddy river swells, Mandalay prepares for possible flood
As the Irrawaddy River swells due to recent heavy rains, rising water levels are concerning to both locals and authorities in Mandalay, who are preparing for a possible flood. The river is about two feet above the 230.74-foot alert level in Mandalay Division. Local authorities have ...
Investment policy expected soon in Myanmar
The government will release its domestic and foreign investment policy soon, Aung Naing Oo, director-general of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, told the Daily Eleven. “We plan to release the investment policy, but not in hurried manner. It will come after the economic policy ...
More aid earmarked for Myanmar
Australia has pledged an extra $12 million in humanitarian assistance to Myanmar to help address the legacy of civil war and natural disasters. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made the announcement after meeting with her counterpart and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.Keep reading ...
Sanctions help Asian banks gain foothold in Myanmar
AT the CB Bank branch in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone near Yangon, there’s a dedicated “Japan desk”, where an employee of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ sits to handle any Japanese corporate business that comes their way. The Japanese bank’s presence at Thilawa is no ...
MPs and human rights commission spar
Parliamentarians criticised the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission on 28 July, while discussing a report, about the commission’s work over the last year. The commission has been working to get human rights curriculums in primary schools and law schools across the country. Amyotha Hluttaw MP U ...
Insecticide credit system hurts farmers
Insecticide prices in Myanmar are much higher than they should be, because sellers are using a credit system, an official has said, with some farmers paying three or four times the market price to keep pests away from their crops. U Aung Kyaw Oo, director of ...
Hundreds of jade mining licenses expire this month
Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation has released a list of 310 jade mining companies in Kachin State who will be unable to renew their licenses when they expire at the end of this month. The government previously said it would not renew expired ...