FrontierMyanmar

Collapse in minerals exports robs junta of key revenue

The closure of Myanmar’s biggest mines due to the post-coup conflict has contributed to an 80 percent plummet in export earnings from the sector over the last two years. Monthly earnings from Myanmar’s mining exports have shrunk from more than US$150 million to only $30 million ...

FRONTIER

Running on fumes: Fuel importers denounce new forex policy

As Myanmar’s military leaders relaxed with family members in Pyin Oo Lwin and Nay Pyi Taw for this year’s water festival in April, a crisis was slowly building in the waters off Yangon. Oil tankers from Singapore were bobbing in the Gulf of Mottama, refusing to ...

FRONTIER

Myanmar’s rice farmers are facing higher production and transportation costs, lower yields, and low prices, leaving many worried they will no longer be able to earn enough to survive.

Myanmar’s rice farmers are facing a bitter harvest. With the price of agricultural inputs more than doubling since the start of the year and market conditions more unpredictable than ever, cash-strapped farmers faced a tough choice: take on more debt to buy their usual amount ...

FRONTIER

Justice in the balance as UN considers recognition question

With the United Nations expected to soon decide whether Myanmar is represented in the General Assembly by the military regime or the National Unity Government, another important question may hang in the balance: who will represent Myanmar at the International Court of Justice? The Gambia brought ...

ANDREW NACHEMSON

Global demand for rare earth elements fuels environmental destruction in Kachin State

Along a remote and mountainous stretch of border with China, something is disfiguring the pristine forests of Kachin State. Satellite images and photos seen by Frontier show that trees have been cleared and replaced by adjoining pools that contain a milky liquid. In some places, mountainsides near the pools ...

RONJA PILGAARD, JAUMAN NAW and EMILY FISHBEIN

Chaos in Myanmar poses threat of meth trafficking surge for Thailand

A village watchman trains his binoculars on a suspicious fishing boat – the first line of defence as Thailand braces for a fresh methamphetamine influx after a coup in neighbouring Myanmar. The kingdom’s narcotics bureau has already seized more than 80 million “yaba” pills just in ...

AFP

RCEP trade deal: Will Myanmar really benefit?

Existing free trade agreements and longstanding non-trade barriers could limit the RCEP’s impact on Myanmar, but the country may benefit from increased investment due to improved access to global value chains. The signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership on November 15 made headlines across the ...

MYAT MYAT MON and BERNARD MINN

‘I often thought about hurting myself’: factory workers suffer through shutdown

Ko Thant Zaw Win, 26, lies sprawled out on the floor, the dim overhead light illuminating the sweat glistening on his forehead. An unpleasant smell dominates the tiny space: too many people, too little ventilation.  The room is just nine feet on each side; there’s only ...

PYAE SONE AUNG | FRONTIER

Testing times: Myanmar struggles to keep pace as COVID-19 takes off

On September 30, Myanmar announced a record 946 COVID-19 cases in a single day. Less noticed was that it also performed a record number of lab tests – 6,262, to be exact. As cases have increased, particularly in Yangon, numbers like this have quickly become the ...

AUNG PHAY KYI SOE

Land reform: A vote-winner for the NLD

With the general election only weeks away – notwithstanding the potential impact of the second wave of COVID-19 – political parties are flooding social media with pledges and promises to woo voters. For the National League for Democracy, the November 8 election poses a new challenge: ...

CALLUM FURNESS

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