News
Big plans brewing for Myanmar beer
Myanmar’s largest beer maker, military-owned Myanmar Brewery Ltd., aims to increase its annual production by 50 percent in the years ahead, the company announced on 26 August. Following a recent partnership with Japan’s Kirin Holdings, the company’s chairman Nay Win said the new joint venture will try ...
Rohingya IDPs detained in Yangon: Police
Police in Yangon Division’s Hmawbi Township have detained 10 Rohingya Muslims and the driver of the vehicle in which they were found riding, according to local law enforcement. A police officer in Hmawbi Township told The Irrawaddy that local authorities were holding the internal migrants, but he ...
Sumprabum IDPs miss out on state government aid
The Kachin State government has ruled out providing aid to most people displaced by fighting in Sumprabum township because they have fled to areas close to Kachin Independence Army-held territory. The state government and Tatmadaw have in recent weeks blocked local aid groups from sending aid to ...
Myanmar tobacco products to display warning pictures
Packaging for cigarettes made in Myanmar will soon bear photos and text cautioning against the deleterious health effects of consuming tobacco products, Health Minister U Than Aung has said. “We have drawn up a notification to include health warnings in pictures and text covering 75 percent ...
Ministry reveals CSR history for country’s largest oil and gas firms
The corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions made by international oil companies operating in Myanmar have been made public for the first time, with France’s Total E&P Myanmar at the top of the list. The Ministry of Energy (MoE) has released figures dating back to 1998, on ...
Suu Kyi: Myanmar's rebels shouldn’t sign peace deal in haste
Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has warned armed ethnic minority groups not to rush into signing a nationwide ceasefire, a top party colleague said 26 August, a position that pits her against President Thein Sein, who has made reaching a deal before November ...
Central Bank fires warning shot on USD pricing
As the kyat continues its eight-month slide against foreign currencies, the Central Bank of Myanmar will soon set down punishments against businesses charging in US dollars, according to official sources. In May, the Central Bank halved US dollar withdrawal limits and warned local businesses to cease ...
Turmoil at the top prompts business uncertainty
In Myanmar’s business environment, where many prominent firms have close ties to officialdom, political developments at the top can have major ramifications for the economy. It remains to be seen how significantly the political turmoil that recently engulfed Myanmar’s ruling party will play out in Myanmar’s business sector. When Union ...
Displaced families face fresh hardships
A ‘model village’ built by the government offers little improvement in living standards for several hundred families displaced by conflict in Kachin State. Ngwe Pyaw, which means “wealthy village” in Myanmar language, was founded in May 2014 as a pilot resettlement site. But it is wealthy ...
Fishing curbs pledged for Mandalay Lake
The Mandalay regional government will cease issuances of new commercial fishing licenses for Taungthaman Lake in a bid to conserve the body of water. Aung Maung, development affairs minister for Mandalay Division, announced the plan during the 13th regular session of the Mandalay divisional parliament on ...
