News
World Bank offers funds for Myanmar's national power plan
The World Bank approved an interest-free loan to Myanmar of US$400 million on 16 September to aid the country’s ambitious National Electrification Plan and its goal of ensuring nationwide access to electricity by 2030. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Bank said the loan would assist expansion ...
With official help, radical Buddhists target Muslim businesses
Myanmar’s Muslim minority make up about 5 percent of the country’s predominantly Buddhist population and Muslims living in the delta rely heavily on the slaughterhouse business and the beef trade. Now Muslim businesses have become the target of anti-Islamic sentiment propagated by radical Buddhists who have found ...
Myanmar keeps ‘cordial’ relations with North Korea
A foreign ministry delegation is visiting North Korea this week to further diplomatic relations, although a senior official noted that arms deals were excluded under UN sanctions. U Kyaw Zeya, deputy director general of the foreign ministry, told The Myanmar Times that a delegation led by ...
Striking bus drivers back behind the wheel – for now
Most striking bus drivers returned to work on 16 September following two days of wildcat strikes that saw hundreds walk off the job in response to an increase in traffic fines. The drivers were cajoled back onto their buses by owners, but many said they would launch ...
Pact assessing loans to flood-hit farmers
The repayment of more than US$10 million in loans issued by Myanmar’s largest microfinance institution is in doubt as a result of devastating floods in upper Myanmar last month. Pact Global Microfinance Fund’s general manager for upper Myanmar, U Maung Maung, said the organisation is reviewing ...
Shape up or ship out: Ministry warns agents to clean up act
After years of complaints, the Myanmar government says it is finally ready to act against dodgy employment agencies that cheat seafarers. The trigger for moves to clean up the sector has been the signing of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which parliament approved on 28 August. Keep ...
Myanmar expects a more vibrant post-election economy
Foreign investors are being wooed to invest more in Myanmar to take advantage of the country’s ASEAN membership and geographic location, which should enhance its attractiveness after the election in November. “By the end of this year, the ASEAN Economic Community will be launched. That means our market will ...
MAI named best airline in Mekong region
Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has been awarded Best Airline of the Year for 2015 by the Mekong Tourism Alliance, said Aye Maya Thar, the airline’s Head of Marketing and Public Relations. Keep reading ...
Child workers in Thai seafood industry face hazards, injuries - report
Children employed in Thailand’s seafood processing industry are more exposed to workplace hazards such as fire or gas, and twice as likely to be injured than minors working in other industries, experts said on 14 September. Under Thai law, the minimum age of employment is 15 ...
Tiny wasps protect rice in the Mekong
Trichogramma are tiny beneficial wasps that feed on the eggs of several pests, including stemborers and leaffolders. To help rice farmers in the Greater Mekong Region, a project was launched in 2011 to promote the establishment of Trichogramma mass production facilities and affordable and practical ...
