Yet this space is highly contingent on a number of volatile factors: the goodwill of the current President and his associates in Parliament, the ability of Aung San Suu Kyi to assure the military that her potential ascendancy is not a threat to their economic interests and the on-going civil conflicts not flaring into civil war. The restrictive apparatus of the former military state is still available for the government to use to curtail freedom of expression – the most draconian laws are...
During the period of strict economic sanctions and export bans that Western countries levied against Myanmar through the 1990s and 2000s, the military government had little choice but to turn to China. China, with its deep pockets and a strategic focus on the periphery, was more than happy to invest in the isolated state, increasing Myanmar’s dependence and furthering Beijing’s own military and economic interests by tapping into the poorer state’s promising energy reserves and vying for...
Myanmar agreed on Tuesday to grant the U.N. nuclear watchdog wider inspection powers in the previously army-ruled Asian state, a move expected to help ease any lingering concern about its nuclear ambitions.
Myanmar's foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, signed the so-called Additional Protocol in a brief ceremony with Director General Yukiya Amano of the International Atomic Energy Agency on the sidelines of the IAEA's annual member state meeting.
Once ratified by Myanmar, it will allow...
On 1 September 2013, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein stated that “People in rural areas will soon experience tangible results of development programmes.” He seems to have ensured that the last months of his tenure are specifically dedicated to the farming sector, under the lead of the newly formed Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development. In Myanmar, agriculture accounts for more than 30 per cent of the GDP, and employs more than two thirds of the labour force. Hence it is no...
China's policy of pursuing relations strictly at an inter-governmental level has spawned negative perceptions among various politically relevant grass roots communities in Myanmar. From controversial investments that have had negative social and environmental impacts, to single-minded efforts to protect its commercial interests, China is now part and parcel of many of Myanmar's deep-seated problems.
China's policy of pursuing relations strictly at an inter-governmental level has spawned...
Myanmar's parliamentary speaker Friday said the government will be instrumental in any amendment to the nation's military-drafted constitution, which currently bars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency.
Opposition members of parliament and democracy activists have raised fears military lawmakers, who have 25 percent of seats guaranteed under the current constitution, may prove an obstacle to amending the document regardless of whether the government presses for...
A draft law in Myanmar that is intended to help farmers by setting minimum prices for crops may actually threaten to cripple them as well as undermine efforts to unleash the economic potential of a country that once was the world’s top exporter of rice.
“A price-support policy imposes artificial incentives and market distortions that can lead to inefficient decision-making by farmers, traders and consumers, which in the long run can have detrimental effects on welfare and broader...
Agricultural loans will not be provided for farmers who own over 10 acres of land as they are wealthy people who can mortgage their lands, according to Myanmar's Deputy Agricultural Minister.
Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation, Khin Zaw made the comment in his reply to questions raised by MP Aung Thein Linn during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.
MP Aung Thein Linn said that since the government provides loans only for a maximum of 10 acres of farmland, farmers who own...
The move was decided at the Union Assembly after the report of Land Grab Investigation Commission had been presented to the Union Assembly to ease the suffering of farmers and people from the land confiscation.
Union Assembly Speaker Thura Shwe Mann urged Union government, Region and State governments to speed up their efforts to solve land confiscation in accord with the law [comprehensive, right and strong evidence in dealing with the issues] and submit the moves to the land confiscation...
Farmers in Myanmar on Tuesday drew up a list of 17 demands they plan to submit to legislators in a bid to amend the country’s land laws and provide greater protection against forced evictions, a representative said.
They want an end to the arrest of farmers protesting against land grabs or of activists defending their cause, and propose that the government offer them outright compensation instead of compassionate aid for giving up their land.
The demands, which the farmers want...
Myanmar will on Wednesday turn four border checkpoints with Thailand into gateways for international visitors, immigration officials said Tuesday.
Starting 8 a.m. Wednesday, any foreign national holding a valid passport with a valid entry visa issued by Myanmar will be allowed to enter and exit the country through the border checkpoints at Tachileik-Mae Sai, Myawady-Mae Sot, Kawthoung-Ranong and Htee Khee-Punaron, they said.
Currently, for foreign nationals entering via those checkpoints,...
Effectively regulating tax is vital to controlling rising land prices in Myanmar, finance deputy minister said at a press conference in Nay Pyi Taw on August 23.
“Actually, land prices increase because people buy and sell lands as if they are gambling. Myanmar has just started to develop and so people want to do some gambling. That gambling spirit cannot be easily stopped. We are trying to give a vent for the gambling spirit, and that is to establish the stock exchange. The stock exchange...
Displaced residents will be paid compensation for land taken for the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Project in line with norms practiced by the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), according to officials.
The move came after Deputy Minister Hset Aung of the National Planning and Economic Development held negotiations on July 30 with displaced villagers.
"We [local people] were in negotiation with the deputy minister as to the project. The deputy minister...
RANGOON — Since beginning its transition to quasi-civilian rule in 2011, Burma’s relations with the outside world have changed dramatically and, for the most part, positively. One notable exception, however, has been the country’s ties with China, which have seen a series of setbacks, mostly involving Chinese investment in mega-projects that many Burma citizens see as exploitative.
After the suspension of the Chinese-backed Myitsone hydropower dam project in Kachin State in September...
RANGOON — Residents who will be displaced by the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Rangoon Division are complaining that although the project is due to begin next month, procedures to compensate them for lost land remain unclear.
Plans to resolve land issues have lacked transparency, Mya Hlaing, a spokesman for farmers in the project area in Thanlyin Township, told The Irrawaddy.
“Negotiations are continuing, but no arrangements have been made to relocate local residents,” he...
BANGKOK — The Thailand government is pressing ahead with a rice price support scheme despite criticism over financial losses, concerns over rice quality and falling rice export sales. The scheme is possibly helping rival exporters, especially Vietnam and Burma.
The rice program was a keystone of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s electoral success in 2011 and was hugely popular among rice growers from rural areas that form the backbone of political support for her party.
Under...
The Myanmar government, led by President U Thein Sein, has vowed to fulfill two common desires of the people, namely stability and rule of law, and socio-economic development of the country.
Addressing a ceremony of the swearing-in of some newly- appointed deputy ministers in Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday, U Thein Sein called for ensuring political stability to enforce the rule of law and stability, while striving to end six-decade-long conflicts with ethnic armed groups.
He stressed the need to...
Myanmar government has formed a separate national reform leading committee, led by President U Thein Sein, to direct efforts on reform program for the remaining 30 months of the present five-year term of office, replacing project commission set up in the past, official media reported Saturday.
Summoning Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Chief Ministers of region and state governments, U Thein Sein urged to form delivery units or task forces and working groups to implement the policies...
Is there a pivotal link between the United States’ concerns over China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and inroads into the Indian Ocean and bids from the US to expand Yangon’s airport and improve the roads between Myanmar’s main commercial city and Mandalay?
The rapid rapport developing between Washington and Naypyitaw coincides with US efforts to reassert influence in the Asia-Pacific region as China’s belligerent territorial claims on most of the South China Sea create...
As of 19 July, Myanmar/Burma is set to benefit once again from a special, advantageous trade arrangement with the EU after the country's recent efforts to improve the political, social and labour environments there. The EU will bring the country back under the so-called 'Everything But Arms' preferential trade regime which will grant duty-free and quota-free access to the European market for all products except for arms and ammunitions.
The trade preferences for Myanmar/Burma will be...
As an increasing number of international firms vie for Myanmar’s offshore and onshore oil and gas reserves the government is facing mounting calls to fine-tune its regulatory framework for foreign investment in the sector and ensure that environmental safeguards are implemented.
U Thein Aung, a senior lawyer at Myanmar Trademark and Patent Law Firm, which provides legal advice to foreign firms, said the government is moving toward greater legal and regulatory clarity. “New laws related...
Neighbors often drop by unannounced. Guests are expected to compliment the host's house and/or kids. They are then invited to dinner and offered the best hospitality the host's family has to offer. ... More
