News
Chain saw injuries in Myanmar tied to illegal logging
As darkness fell in the forests of central Myanmar on a rainy evening last July, May Thu and her husband Myint Swe*, were wrapping up their day’s work: illegal logging. May Thu, a petite 27-year-old with long black hair and shining black eyes, clambered on ...
Thai-Myanmar talks due
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak will be leading major Thai businesses to meet a team of Myanmar officials and businesses to seek further cooperation in developing industrial estates in Myanmar and border trade operations on Feb 3-4. Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana said the Thai business ...
Myanmar awards fourth telecoms license as mobile market heats up
Myanmar on January 12 awarded its fourth – and final – telecoms license to a joint venture between Vietnam’s telecom company Viettel and two local firms, heating up competition in a rapidly growing market by adding a second majority-Myanmar operator. Military-run Viettel will have a ...
Soros fund management to assist Myanmar in budget drawing process
The Soros Fund Management will render technical assistance to Myanmar for its budget drawing process and taxing, Myanmar News Agency reported on January 12. The assistance was discussed when Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi met with the Soros Fund Management delegation led by ...
Lifting US jade sanctions ‘a mistake’: Myanmar minister
The minister in charge of mining in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden state of Kachin says it was a mistake for the United States to lift sanctions on the country’s notorious jade industry. Kachin lies at the heart of the “jade tract”, a small area that has deposits ...
Malaysia calls for ASEAN to coordinate aid for Myanmar's Rohingya
Malaysia said on December 19 the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar was a regional concern and called for the Association of South East Asian Nations to coordinate humanitarian aid and investigate alleged atrocities committed against them. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman was speaking at a ...
Abe vies with China for influence over ASEAN gateways
The warm welcome afforded Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, here on November 2 underscores Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s eagerness to counter Chinese overtures to a country, like the Philippines, of great geopolitical importance in Southeast Asia. Abe greeted Suu Kyi at the ...
Myanmar's logging ban feeds shadow economy of illegal trade
Sitting in a shop on the riverfront in Mandalay just last week, Win Nyunt assessed whether it was safe to hide a ton of illegally logged teak in a nearby monastery at midnight. “If I put the logs in the monastery it is safer, but I ...
The changing face of ASEAN
With much of ASEAN stuck in the economic doldrums and its senior members beset with issues ranging from unprecedented levels of corruption to violent insurgencies and maritime disputes with China, the regional bloc has known better days. But from the most unlikely corners of northern ASEAN, a more ...
American business lobby to host exclusive dinner with Aung San Suu Kyi
When the US government relaxed sanctions on Myanmar’s state-run companies and banks but stopped short of lifting all sanctions in May this year, the US Chamber of Commerce was not pleased. The American business lobby called for the US to “normalize” relations fully and introduce preferable trade ...
