News
Flood assessments delayed
The deadline for the publication of detailed flood assessment data has been extended to 14 September due to difficulties accessing parts of the country. Keep reading ...
Refugee in Cambodia asks to return home
One of the first four refugees resettled in Cambodia under a deal with Australia has requested to return to his native Rakhine State – the latest controversy to smack the much-ridiculed refugee arrangement. “He has requested to give up his [refugee] status and return to his ...
Campaign period starts, but only for some parties
As with most deadlines and dates this election season, the start of the official candidate campaign period is rolling by only partially heeded. Political parties had to miss scheduled campaign kick-off events – and the unveiling of campaign songs and slogans – because the candidate ...
Myanmar border trade tops $2.4bn
Trade between Myanmar and its four neighbouring countries has reached US$2.48 billion (85 billion baht) in the financial year to date, a Myanmar Commerce Ministry official said. Keep reading ...
Muslim candidates fear no shot at the polls
With the finalised candidate list expected to be released on 7 September, barred Muslim election hopefuls fear not a single one of them will be left to contend the looming polls, leaving no one to represent what many estimate is Myanmar’s largest religious minority. The Union ...
Myanmar selects firms for bus import plan
Five companies have been chosen to import buses for the BRT lite system, according to U Maung Aung, chair of the BRT lite committee. Authorities hope the BRT lite plan will bring order out of the near-chaos of Yangon’s multiple privately owned buses in competition with ...
Detailed assessments to form relief strategy
How much damage did the July-August floods really do? That will be the focus of a Recovery Coordination Work Committee meeting on 7 September, which will examine new detailed impact reports for each state and region. U Soe Aung, first permanent secretary at the Ministry of ...
Myanmar: Recovery work begins to support flood-affected communities
One month after cyclone Komen and heavy seasonal rains caused floods and landslides in Myanmar, recovery work has started. The ICRC and Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) are distributing food and essential items to 60,000 people in Rakhine, where the ICRC already has a strong operational ...
Thousands out of work as minimum wage kicks off
More than 1000 factory workers have lost their job in the wake of the new minimum wage, according to the Ministry of Labour. Just one factory has so far closed however. U Maung Maung Hlaing, head of the Labour Laws Inspection Department in Hlaing Tharyar township, said ...
Funding shortfalls hinder new development bodies
Lack of funding is impeding a new – and potentially significant – mechanism for decentralising social services, a recent study has found. The Asia Foundation study, “Municipal Governance in Myanmar: An Overview of Development Affairs Organizations”, was released on 1 September. The findings focus on development ...
