Myanmar Times
Heavy landmine contamination in eastern Myanmar: report
Myanmar continues to produce, stockpile and use landmines, with more new casualties reported every year, according to newly published data from the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor. Both state and non-state armed groups employ landmines, with the eastern edge of the country particularly affected. Kayin ...
Ethnic data from 2014 census to be released
The long-awaited and final section of the 2014 census will be revealed within four months, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, adding that preparations for the release of the ethnicity data are underway now. U Myint Kyaing, permanent secretary of the ministry, told The ...
Draft law could see men jailed for deceitful promises of marriage
Any man who cohabitates with or impregnates a woman after agreeing to marry her, but then fails to stand by the promise, could soon face prison terms if a draft law comes into effect. The Prevention of Violence against Women Law includes a clause that ...
Shortage of TB doctors leading to patient backlogs
Head doctors at hospitals around Myanmar are calling for more resources to be dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis, as a current shortfall in medical officers has left patients waiting on treatment. The calls were made at an annual national evaluation meeting in Yangon on December ...
Kachin residents forced to forage for food to survive
Skyrocketing transport costs and road blockages due to conflict have forced a number of villagers in northern Kachin State’s Hsawlaw township to begin foraging for food in order to survive, according to Kachin MPs. “If we buy a bag of rice from Chipwe or Myitkyina, ...
ASEAN FMs pledge support on Rakhine
An unprecedented meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers called to discuss the ongoing military campaign in Rakhine State ended on December 19 with Myanmar expressing its appreciation for the other member states’ understanding. This was the first such meeting Myanmar has initiated on the subject, having previously ...
Magwe land confiscation team mired in red tape
Bureaucratic inefficiencies, cumbersome decision-making mechanisms and poor organisation are hampering Magwe Region’s Committee on Confiscated Lands and Other Lands in their efforts to resolve land disputes, say members. The committee, which was formed by the regional government on July 15, is tasked with making determinations on ...
Myanmar to boost its Thai embassy staffing
Three additional labour attachés will be assigned to Myanmar’s embassy in Thailand next year, the labour minister announced on December 18. More labour officers are being assigned in order to handle the high volume of cases stemming from the large number of Myanmar migrants working there, ...
Facing the challenges of ensuring digital rights
Digital rights are human rights, participants in a nationwide forum were told this week. The Myanmar Digital Rights Forum discussed the issues raised by the increasing access, in recent years, of large numbers of Myanmar citizens to the internet, social media and mobile phones. The question ...
When selling is more lucrative than protecting: Myanma timber enterprise and the deforestation crisis
For years, Myanmar’s state-owned timber giant has been subject to accusations of corruption and shadowy closed-door dealings. Environmental advocacy groups have long blamed Myanmar Timber Enterprise for operating its industry monopoly without transparency. On November 15, their allegations appeared to gain newfound teeth, substantiated by ...