thursday, may 7, 2015 (mte daily issue 37)
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Leading news, business, features, & analysis from Myanmar's only award-winning daily newspaper.TRANSCRIPT
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18PHOTO: AUNG HTAY HLAING
Major shift for health fundingCriticised for overspending on flashy new hospitals in recent years, the Ministry of Health has promised to allocate more of its budget to improving services, including recruiting staff and buying medical supplies. NEWS 4
A pied hornbill chick is fed a piece of crushed banana by a keeper at Yangon Zoo yesterday. The chick was the only survivor from a nest of three eggs and is the fifth to be born at the zoo, which currently has nine hornbills. The hornbill is the symbol of Chin State, and is noted for its loyalty and willingness to sacrifice itself for its spouse.
WWW.MMTIMES.COM DAILY EDITION ISSUE 37 | THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015
500Ks.
HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION
BUSINESS 9
Telenor reports user boostTelenor subscribers hit 6.4 million by the end of March, nearly double the figure at the end of the last quarter.
NEWS 5
Farmers rally against seizures in Loikaw Hundreds of farmers took to the streets of the Kayah State capital earlier this week to oppose land confiscations in the state and the prosecution of farmers who continue to work land that has been seized from them.
BUSINESS 8
Coal-fired plants still on government agenda Flouting objections of environmentalists and some community members, the government intends to move ahead with 11 planned coal power plants, citing the need to keep up with energy demands.
NEWS 2
Facebook clash over Botahtaung jetty trashMinister for Information U Ye Htuts public takedown of YCDC over a littered jetty in Botahtaung elicited a stinging retort from a recently elected official.
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2 News THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 7, 2015
Miners seek K8000-a-day minimum wage
EFFORTS to establish a minimum wage continued in Mandalay on May 2 and 3, when workers presented their demands to employers and gov-ernment officials.
At the high end of the scale, min-ers representatives staked a claim for K8000 a day, food and beverage industry employees wanted K5000, and textile workers K4000.
The consultation meetings brought together management and workers in the Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe regions, where employers are hold-ing the line in favour of K3000 a day wage.
U Aye Myint, minister for labour, employment and social security told participants that the majority of respondents to a survey wanted K3000, with others claiming K4000 or K5000.
Employers have been stressing the need to maintain competitive-ness with overseas rivals, and point-ed out the non-wage benefits some companies offer, including accom-modation and transport.
No minimum wage has been set by law since 1993, when the amount was fixed at K20.
Employers should weigh the cost of raising wages against the losses they could sustain as a result of in-dustrial action, Daw Win Maw Tun, deputy labour minister, said.
In Yangon, the workers seem to be protesting every day. Fixing a minimum wage as soon as possible would be good for both sides.
During the meeting, attendees were told that other countries in the region followed different practices, with Thai authorities fixing 300 baht as the minimum for all industries. In Malaysia and Indonesia, there are different minimums in the cities and the countryside, and in Cambodia, minimum wages have been estab-lished for the textile and garment industry. In India, there are 1650 dif-ferent minimum wages varying by the industry of employment.
A study earlier this year by risk analysts Verik Maplecroft found that Myanmars wages in the garment sector are among the lowest in the region and in the world.
KHIN SU [email protected]
Myanmar fishermen on Tual island in Indonesia wait to be repatriated after they were rescued from forced labour, mainly on Thai-owned trawlers. Photo: Supplied
Govt not clear on how 500 fishermen will get home
A MYANMAR delegation in search of formerly enslaved fishermen strand-ed on far-flung Indonesian islands has confirmed that just over 500 My-anmar men have been identified for repatriation.
The delegation was dispatched to remote waters in the southern-most edge of Indonesia after an As-sociated Press investigation revealed that thousands of foreign fishermen largely from Myanmar had been abandoned on the isolated islands. The men had been forced to crew Thai shipping vessels in slave-like conditions, but following crack-downs on unlicensed ships in Indo-
nesia, the labourers were dumped on the islands.
An initial rescue mission by In-donesian authorities and the Inter-national Organization for Migration freed more than 300 men and brought them Tual Island. The Myanmar team screened over 250 and identified them as Myanmar citizens, pending confir-mation from the embassy in Jakarta, according to Police Brigadier General Win Naing Tun of the police forces anti-human trafficking unit.
A further 196 Myanmar fishermen were recovered during additional res-cue missions to Benjina, while 22 My-anmar fishermen were found on Tual Island and 24 were rescued in Jakarta.
The Myanmar delegation has con-cluded the rescue mission with over 500 Myanmar fishermen set to be re-patriated, according to Pol Brig Gen Win Naing Tun.
IOM estimated that there are as many as 4000 fishermen stranded in
the area surrounding Benjina.There are undoubtedly many
more that we havent yet found, Steve Hamilton, IOMs deputy chief of mission for Indonesia, said in a statement from Tual after a rescue mission in April.
This is one company, in one port, on one island, in one province. But we will stay here for as long as it takes, and work with the Indonesian government who are definitely doing the right thing here trying to clean up a very dirty industry.
The Myanmar government has provided only vague details on its repatriation plans for the rescued men who have been identified as Myanmar.
The return trip from Ambon Is-land will be supported by the Myan-mar government, Pol Brig Gen Win Naing Tun said.
He declined however to answer further questions about the cost of
the repatriation or specify where the funds will come from.
The United States Mission to ASE-AN has pledged US$75,000 to help fishermen return home, while the US government separately contributed $225,000 to support medical costs and case workers, as well as food, water and shelter for the victims.
According to Pol Brig Gen Win Naing Tun, IOM has said it will help cover the cost of transporting fisher-men from remote islands to the near-est airport, on the island of Ambon.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the men will ideally be brought back in groups by May 15.
We cannot bring back home all the Myanmar fishermen at the same time and we have to confirm their citizenship first, said U Sein Oo, di-rector general for the ministrys con-sular and legal affairs department.
Also, we cannot fix a date for bringing them back yet, he added.
NYAN LYNN AUNGNYAN LYNN
As the Myanmar delegation concludes its rescue mission in Indonesia in response to an investigation exposing large numbers of abandoned fishermen, questions over repatriation funding remain unanswered.
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News 3www.mmtimes.com NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | [email protected]
Minister for Facebook, YCDC rep trade jabs over Botahtaung jetty
A RECENTLY elected member of Yangons municipal council has come out swinging against Minister for In-formation U Ye Htut over a Facebook post in which he complained about garbage at one of the citys most popu-lar riverside spots.
U Ye Htut, who is also the presi-dents spokesperson and has been dubbed the minister for Facebook due to his frequent postings, uploaded three photos to the social media site on
May 3 showing rubbish on the ground at Botahtaung jetty, along with the message, At Botahtaung jetty there is no beautiful landscape and no fresh air, only unpleasant smells, garbage and stray dogs that are disappoint-ing for those people going there to exercise.
The ministers criticism of the Yan-gon City Development Committee-managed site prompted U Khin Hla-ing, who was elected to the committee in December, to respond in kind.
On May 5, he posted on his own Facebook page that the jetty, in Seik-
kan township, had been mismanaged by state-run Myanma Port Authority until it was handed over to YCDC four months ago.
Myanma Port Authority always manipulated and give permission for renting space to various companies with various kinds of projects on land [in Seikkan township], he said.
We were only able to open a YCDC office in Seikkan township in May. If you want to know why, you should ask the mayor.
He continued, Why dont you criticize allowing buildings to be
constructed on public land at Botah-taung jetty. [The land] is rented by a military officer for K500,000 a month for 10 years from Myanma Port Au-thority and its disturbing the public.
U Ye Htut has not responded to U Khin Hlaings comments and did not
answer his phone yesterday.U Khin Hlaing also used his rant
to discuss the role of elected repre-sentatives on YCDC, saying they had
been given little authority to make decisions. Four representatives were selected at much-criticised elections in December, in which fewer than 10 percent of residents were eligible to vote. Five other members of YCDC, including Yangon Mayor U Hla Myint, are appointed rather than elected.
All major projects and tasks are taken by [the appointed members], U Khin Hlaing said. The Yangon mayor cannot [fight back against] the chief minister. Mr Mayor is also afraid of the tycoons with fangs.
Anyway, we, the four elected mem-bers of YCDC, are trying to clean up the mess.
In May, we took responsibility for management of Seikkan township by force. Let us know your desires, such as cleaning the garbage or solving the stray dog problem. But you have to take responsibility for the other issues, Mr presidential spokesman.
U Khin Hlaing declined to answer questions when contacted by The My-anmar Times yesterday.
By yesterday evening, however, there was little rubbish and few stray dogs to be found at Botahtaung jetty.
KYAW PHONE [email protected]
The car park at Botahtaung jetty appeared freshly cleaned yesterday evening. Photo: Aung Myin Ye Zaw
Trash lines the car park at Botahtaung jetty in the image U Ye Htut posted to Facebook on May 3. Photo: U Ye Htut/Facebook
At Botahtaung jetty there is no beautiful landscape or fresh air, only unpleasant smells, garbage and stray dogs.
U Ye Htut Minister for information
Unlawful association charges expected this month: police
MORE than 60 people arrested in Rakhine State under the Unlawful Association Act could be charged this month, police said yesterday. The Tatmadaw has accused many of being members of the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group it clashed with in Kyauktaw town-ship late last month. Civilians have been detained for alleged links to the group.
Twenty people, including 17 al-leged soldiers, have been arrested in Kyauktaw, while another 43 sol-diers and civilians have been de-tained in Kyaukpyu, Minbya, Pauk-taw and Rathedaung townships.
Police Major Khin Maung of Kyauktaw township told The My-anmar Times that they would build a case against the accused under the Act and would formu-late charges within 15 days.
The Tatmadaw handed them over to us, he said. We will charge them under the Unlawful Associa-tion Act.
Those charged under section
17(1) of the act, for contacting an illegal organisation, face up to two years imprisonment.
Since the outbreak of fighting between the Tatmadaw and the AA, the Tatmadaw has carried out a wave of detentions, rounding up not only suspected AA soldiers, but also civilians it believes have links with them.
They arrested 12 AA soldiers and found photos in their phones, Pol Maj Khin Maung said, adding that the Tatmadaw then arrested people in the photos.
U Zaw Win, a member of the supporting committee for the con-flict-affected in Rakhine State, said yesterday the arrests were driving people to flee their homes. The villagers are scared of the military because of the arrests. Some of those arrested are not AA and have no links with the AA, but they were arrested anyway, he said.
U Maung Maung Ohn, the chief minister of Rakhine State, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that he had requested the military and the police to abide by the law when making arrests.
We are concerned that local residents will be arrested even though they have no involvement with the AA. We dont want to see people wrongfully arrested, the chief minister said.
Police are still holding a mem-ber of the executive committee of the Rakhine National Party, who was arrested in Kyauktaw town-ship on April 29.
RNP secretary U Tun Aung Kyaw said yesterday he did not be-lieve the EC member was linked to the AA.
YE [email protected] Kayin and Shan armed groups will hold talks with registered political parties
Armed groups, parties to hold peace meeting
TWO ARMED groups and political parties have organised a workshop on peace and national reconcilia-tion to be held in Yangon on May 9, amid signs that the nationwide ceasefire process may be faltering.
U Hla Maung Shwe, a senior ad-viser of the Myanmar Peace Center, said the workshop was organised by the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the political wing of the Shan State Army-South.
We are just helping them [to organise the event], U Hla Maung Shwe said, adding that Minister for the Presidents Office U Aung Min has been invited to attend.
U Aung Min led the govern-ment negotiating team in nearly 18 months of talks with representatives of 16 armed groups that resulted in the signing of a draft nationwide ceasefire accord on March 31. Presi-dent U Thein Sein said this week the government was ready to finalise the accord once it had been endorsed by leaders of the armed groups.
Both the KNU and the RCSS at-tended a six-day summit of 12 armed ethnic groups that concluded yester-day at the Wa stronghold of Pangkham on the border with China. Details of the final session of talks had not emerged by yesterday evening. Earlier,
three ethnic groups fighting Tatmad-aw forces in the Kokang border region had threatened to resign from the Na-tionwide Ceasefire Coordination Team that negotiated the draft ceasefire ac-cord with the government.
U Ngai Serk, chair of the Chin League for Democracy, said all reg-istered parties had been invited to the May 9 event. We will attend the workshop. We heard that all regis-tered parties are invited, he said.
However, there are concerns that such a meeting could violate the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, as both the KNU and RCSS are still technically classified as illegal groups. Those found to have contact with such organisations face a po-tential three-year jail term.
In Rakhine State, the Tatmadaw has detained 63 people in recent
weeks for alleged links to or involve-ment with the Arakan Army, an eth-nic armed group that is party to the nationwide ceasefire. (See related story left)
In February, the United Nation-alities Alliance, a coalition of po-litical parties close to the opposi-tion National League for Democracy, was warned by the Union Election Commission in February after invit-ing some members of armed ethnic groups to a workshop it had hosted.
The UEC warned that such meet-ings could be banned under the Un-lawful Associations Act.
But U Hla Maung Shwe said the workshop would not be affected by the act, which, he said, was aimed only at those who threatened the state. Our workshop has only good intentions, he said.
The Tatmadaw has also cited the Unlawful Associations Act in warn-ing domestic media not to publish or broadcast statements issued by the Myanmar National Democratic Alli-ance Army, the Kokang armed group that has been fighting government troops since February 9. Members of the KNU and RCSS, who were attending the conference in Pang-kham, did not respond yesterday to requests for comment.
A second meeting of 10 Chin polit-ical parties is also scheduled to take place in the second week of May. U Ngai Serk said no specific date had been fixed. The Chin parties met in March for the first time to discuss closer electoral cooperation aimed at winning seats in Chin State in the November general election.
LUN MIN MANG
63People in Rakhine State who have been detained under the Unlawful
Associations Act
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with Karen National Union leader Mutu Say Poe in Nay Pyi Taw last month. Photo: Office of NLD chair
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4 News THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 7, 2015
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Ministry of Health signals shift in spending priorities
IN what some might see as an attempt to present a more patient-friendly face, the Ministry of Health will be shifting its focus in the coming year toward hiring extra staff and dispensing more medicine. A still sizeable, but propor-tionally smaller, chunk of this years budget will go to improving buildings which critics say the ministry has over-prioritised in recent years.
At a May 4 press conference called to announce the changes, Dr Myint Han, temporary director general of the Department of Medical Care, said K65 billion had been earmarked to provide medicines in public hospitals for the 2015-16 financial year, which began on April 1. According to ministry figures released on May 1, the total expendi-ture of the department this year will amount to K503.753 billion, of which K296.8 billion will be for capital spending.
Last year the decision was taken to divide the Department of Health into two sections, the departments of pub-lic health and medical care. The split formally occurred on April 1.
Total health spending last year was K624.390 billion, rising this year to K691 billion, an increase of some K67 billion, or 10.6 percent.
The increased budget reflects the growth in the number of patients in public hospitals, said Dr Myint Han.
In Yangon General Hospital, the
number of patients has risen almost threefold, from 25,740 in 2008 to 62,478 in 2014, he said, adding that because of overcrowding some pa-tients had to be accommodated in classrooms.
He said Yangon General would be upgraded from a 1500-bed to a 2500-bed hospital, and that new equipment had been installed.
Throughout the country, the num-ber of hospitals has risen from 897 in 2010-11 to 1029, though the increasing number of patients still outstrips the facilities available.
But facilities and medical sup-
plies are not the only areas where the ministry sees room for improve-ment. Medical staff could also work on their bedside manner, Dr Myint Han admitted, adding that most complaints received by the depart-ment reflected patient dissatisfac-tion with the way doctors and nurses treated them. I accept that health workers have to do better to take into account patients expectations, and remember that they are ill, he said, adding that the increase in free medicines and medical procedures
had attracted more patients.The newly appointed permanent
secretary to the ministry, Dr Thet Kh-ine Win, agreed that service standards needed to improve.
Partly because the number of pa-tients exceeds staff capacity, we must admit we have weaknesses in social in-teractions [between doctors and nurs-es and patients]. We will give special training to hospital staff to improve this. But patients will have to be pa-tient too, he said.
U Sein Win, a spokesperson for the health ministers office, told The My-anmar Times that the ministry was going to use the budget increase to hire more than 100,000 extra staff this year and to raise salaries, as well as buy the extra medical supplies.
Dr Nwe Ni Ohn, a former direc-tor of the ministrys Health Planning Department who retired earlier this year, said that while the government had devoted funds to providing free medicines and updating old equip-ment early in its term, last year most government funding had been used to renovate hospitals and rural health centres. She acknowledged that this shift had attracted some criticism.
One of these critics is U Myat Nyar-na Soe, a trained medical doctor who represents Yangon Region in the Amy-otha Hluttaw, or upper house.
He told The Myanmar Times last year that much of the additional fund-ing allocated to the ministry under the new government was being wasted because of the ministrys mismanage-ment. While the ministry has eight de-partments, including health planning, medical science, medical research, tra-ditional medicine, and the Food and
Drug Administration, 88.1pc of the 2014-15 budget went to the Depart-ment of Health, according to govern-ment figures.
This department spends a lot of money on new buildings and renovat-ing old ones, he said. But we need to invest in more than just buildings. For example, we need to improve provi-sion of medicine, health services and research. I cannot understand why the government focuses so much on buildings.
The successors to the Department of Health, the medical care and public health departments, will continue to receive an out-sized piece of the fund-ing pie this year: Medical care will get 66.9pc of the total, while public health will receive 25pc.
Dr Tin Aye, president of the Gener-al Practitioners Society, said the gov-ernment should spend more funding on prevention through the Depart-ment of Public Health in order to re-duce treatment costs down the track.
If the government invests a lot of money in medical treatment, it will never be able to improve the health-care system. Other countries focus more public funding on prevention, he said. But I think the government wants to spend most of its money on medical treatment, including new buildings, because they are tangible things for the public to see.
Dr Win Oo, a spokesperson for the new medical care department, said that while more would be spent on other areas, the department would still devote much of its budget to capital expenditure to improve public hospitals.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
Monsoon to bring relief to Yangon in late May
RELIEF from the heat should arrive in coming weeks, with meteorologists forecasting the monsoon will hit the country on time this year. It is likely to arrive in Yangon between May 21 and 26, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
Department director U Kyaw Lwin Oo said yesterday that the rains should arrive in southern Myanmar between May 15 and 20.
The forecast is for significant moisture in the air from May 10. This is one of the checklist items for the monsoon onset, he said. So the mon-soon wont be late this year.
According to the departments fore-cast for May, the monsoon will pro-ceed from southern Myanmar to the delta including Yangon between May 21 and 26, and central Myanmar between May 27 and May 31. Onset in northern Myanmar is expected in the first week of June.
However, the monsoons progression
through Myanmar could be accelerated by a storm in the Bay of Bengal.
Although no storms are forecast in the Bay of Bengal until May 10, we need to monitor the weather situa-tion after that. Sometimes storms can develop quickly in the pre-monsoon period.
The department has forecast three low-pressure areas during the early monsoon period, one of which is likely to develop into a depression.
Its forecast is for the monsoon sea-son to finish at the end of September.
There is a 40 percent chance of nor-mal rainfall in eastern and northern Myanmar during the monsoon period, a 35pc chance of above-average rain-fall and 25pc of below-average rain.
In other parts of the country, there is a 45pc chance of normal rainfall, 35pc for below-average and 20pc for above-average.
The department has warned that severe weather conditions, including strong winds, thundershowers and isolated heavy rain, could happen dur-ing the monsoon onset period.
AYE SAPAY [email protected]
Yangon residents escape from the heat in the shade of a bus stand in the downtown area yesterday. Photo: Thiri
HTOO THANT SHWE YEE SAW MYINT
Less will be spent on hospital buildings and more on hiring staff and stocking medicine cabinets, say officials
142%Increase in patients at Yangon General
Hospital between 2008 and 2014
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News 5www.mmtimes.com
Kayah farmers unite to fight convictions, land confiscations
ABOUT 350 farmers earlier this week took to the streets of the Kayah State capital Loikaw to protest against the sentencing of six people for continu-ing to farm land that had been con-fiscated from them by the Tatmadaw. The march highlighted the growing unity among the states dispossessed farmers, who have recently teamed up with activists to form a union.
The farmers gathered outside the courthouse around noon on May 4. After the six were found guilty of trespassing and each sentenced to 25 days in jail or a K500 fine, the march-ers demonstrated through the streets of the capital.
Led by activists from the Union of Karenni State Youth and the newly formed Kayah State Farmers Union, the marchers shouted our cause and wore straw hats with the words save our land. The farmers came from all eight districts of Kayah State and were watched closely by police.
While the protest, which ended peacefully in the afternoon, was held following the sentencing, it also sought to draw attention to other
land confiscations in Kayah State. Protesters said land had been con-fiscated from farmers for at least two cement factories, two hydropower dams and several mines.
We are here today because we want the rights of the farmers to be respected. And still now, people are afraid of soldiers, one demonstrator said.
The protest received formal per-mission from the government, which UKSY central committee member U Kyaw Htin Aung said was a first in Loikaw.
Last week, protesters marched
without formal permission from Hp-ruso to Loikaw to support other farm-ers convicted of trespassing. While no action was taken, they could face up to a year in prison under section 18 of the peaceful protest law if convicted of holding an illegal demonstration.
It took a lot of negotiation with the authorities to make this happen, Ko Dee Dee, a local activist said of the allowed May 4 march.
The formation of the farmers union in January has brought more coordination and planning to the anti-land confiscation movement in Kayah State.
About 100 farmers who took part in the May 4 protest signed up for the union, which elected its central com-mittee on February 15.
Separately, the farmers feel weak and lack access to information on their property rights.
Many farmers lost their land because they felt threatened and thought they didnt have any other choice, said union member U Than Tun.
Together, however, backed by lo-cal activists, they plan to hold the authorities accountable for confisca-tions including some that date back as far as 25 years.
CAROLE OUDOT MATTHIEU [email protected]
A farmer takes part in a protest in Loikaw, Kayah State, on May 4. Photo: Supplied
Many farmers lost their land because they felt threatened and thought they didnt have any other choice.
U Than Tun Kayah State Farmers Union
Buddhists dont descriminate, US envoy told
THE influential Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, which proposed four controversial bills to parliament, defended the poli-cies in a meeting with the US Ambas-sador-at-Large for International Reli-gious Freedom, David Saperstein.
Sayadaw Ashin Tilawkar Bhivamsa, a leading monk chairing the commit-tee, said the laws and the organisation are intended to protect nationality and Buddhism, and are not meant for oppressing other nationalities and religions.
Formed in early 2014, the commit-tee is better known by its Myanmar-language acronym Ma Ba Tha.
He said the international commu-nity had misunderstood Ma Ba Tha, as well as the 969 movement, because of what he called false information in the media.
Buddhists in Myanmar dont dis-criminate and oppress other religions as the international community is told. Demanding to enact the Inter-faith Marriage Law does not mean getting more advantages for Buddhist people. Christians, Muslims and Hin-dus also have their own religious laws. We can be tested any time to show that we are not extreme, the Ma Ba Tha chair said.
The meeting took place on May 3, shortly after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom released its annual report which for the 16th year in a row listed Myan-mar among countries of particular concern where severe violations of religious rights and freedoms are perpetuated or tolerated. Myanmar shared the classification this year with 17 other countries, including North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and Iran.
The report singled out Myanmars four race and religion laws which relate to interreligious marriage, reli-gious conversion, monogamy and pop-ulation control as well as outbreaks of sectarian violence and a refusal to
acknowledge the citizenship of some ethnic minorities.
Bigotry and chauvinism against religious and ethnic minorities grew more pervasive, in some cases pro-voked by religious figures within the Buddhist community, the report said.
Mr Saperstein and his delegation asked Ma Ba Tha about the bills from the international point of view, Ma Ba Tha said, apparently referring to argu-ments that aspects of the laws contra-vene international law.
A member of Ma Ba Tha, who asked not to be named, said the US delegation initially asked the commit-tee not to release any statement about the meeting. He said they mostly discussed Ma Ba Thas stance on na-tionalism. After coordinating with the US side and agreeing not to go into details, the committee did release a statement, he added.
The US embassy in Yangon denied asking Ma Ba Tha not to speak about the meeting, saying the two sides agreed to release separate statements.
The meeting was an open, produc-tive and useful exchange that we hope to continue. We noted our strong sup-port for interfaith dialogue, and the Sayadaw expressed his openness to engage with all religious groups in in-terfaith discussion, the embassy said in a statement.
On May 4 Mr Saperstein visited a mosque of the ethnic Chinese commu-nity in Mandalay. Two men, one Bud-dhist and one Muslim, died last July in inter-religious violence that gripped Mandalay. Other cities were also caught up in sectarian clashes.
Ashin Wirathu, a Mandalay-based monk and a leading activist in the 969 movement, wrote on his Facebook page that Mr Sapersteins delegation should have met those people who faced problems between different faiths. Ashin Wirathu is also a mem-ber of Ma Ba Tha.
Mr Saperstein visited Myanmar May 2-5 together with ambassador Andrew Bennett of Canadas Office of Religious Freedom.
Voice of America quoted the US en-voy as saying the US was pushing the Myanmar government to more asser-tively protect Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities.
AUNG KYAW
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6 News THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 7, 2015
YCDC proposes four night marketsKYAW PHONE [email protected]
A man directs a customer to rubber footwear at his store in the Kyeemyindaing night market. Photo: Aung Myin Ye Zaw
June re-run for two seats in Mandalay
ELECTIONS will be held next month for the two remaining townships in Mandalay that failed to return successful candidates on May 3, the citys election commission an-nounced yesterday.
U Khin Maung Kyaw, chair of the MCDC Election Commission, said fresh polls would take place in the first week of June, at a date to be fixed by the Mandalay Region government.
The vacancies to be filled are in the townships of Chan Mya Tharsi and Aung Myay Thar San.
On May 3, voters elected three of the six members of the 13-seat city governing body. A fourth, U Shwe Win in Maha Aung Myay, was returned unopposed, leaving two vacancies.
The two townships were left un-represented because one, Aung Myay Thar San, failed to produce a single candidate, while in Chan Mya Tharsi the number of people who voted fell below the 50 percent threshold, ren-dering the election void.
The election never seemed to cap-ture public attention, not least be-cause all elected candidates will hold office only until November, when fresh elections will be held to coin-cide with the general election.
The low public interest could ex-plain the small turnout, but it could also be that voters were away on a trip, or were deterred by bad weath-er, said U Khin Maung Kyaw.
Objections to the results, which saw the election of U Ye Mon (Am-arapura), U Aung Htay (Chan Aye Thar San) and U Tin Maung Aye (Pyigyitagun), can be lodged within seven days of polling day, if the ob-jector submits a K100,000 deposit.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
MG ZAW [email protected]
Police identify two men found beside highway
POLICE have identified two bodies with puncture wounds that were dumped beside the Yangon-Bago Highway near Intagaw in Bago Re-gion on May 5.
The men were brothers in their 40s from Hlaing Tharyar town-ship who worked in Sanchaung township, police said yesterday evening.
The pair, who had suffered extensive stab wounds and had their hands tied behind their backs, were tossed out of a car on a section of the highway near San Pya village flanked by rubber plantations.
Police said the vehicle had passed through a toll gate on the outskirts of Bago just before the
men were dumped.The case has lit up social me-
dia over the past two days, with images of the deceased circulat-ing widely, but no suspects have emerged.
A farmer reported the bodies to police, after seeing the vehicle stop beside the road.
A [Toyota] Probox came and discarded the bodies. Although this road seems to be deserted it is not because people from Bago Re-gion travel through here, said Ko Nay Zaw Tun from Intagaw, who attended the scene.
Puncture wounds made by a saber knife were found on the faces and necks of the bodies, he said, adding that the men were dead when police arrived at the scene but the wounds were still fresh.
The bodies were sent to Bago Hospital. Station officers and polic-es are investigating, said an officer from the Intagaw police station.
Translation by Khant Lin Oo
TOE WAI AUNG
Brothers from Hlaing Tharyar had been stabbed while their hands were tied behind their backs
NEW night markets could be set up if plans now being considered by Yan-gon City Development Committee come to fruition. YCDC wants to re-vitalise night life in parts of the city, while providing a safe and convenient service for shoppers, its markets de-partment said yesterday.
The markets are proposed for the corner of Thanthumar and Laydaung-kan roads in Thingangyun township; Shukhinthar Road in Dawbon town-ship; Upper Kyeemyindaing Road in Kyeemyindaing township; and San-pya night market in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township. The latter two are already operating.
U San Shwe Tun, the head of YCDCs markets department, said yes-terday each market would cost about K80 million to ensure proper infra-structure and electricity supply.
We have to establish whether these are the right sites. Some vendors are not sure of their participation yet, he said.
YCDC is also considering how the proposed sites would affect traffic congestion, and whether the markets would create enough jobs to make them worthwhile.
Ko Than Htike, who lives in Thin-gangyun township, said that the night-market plan could improve congestion.
He said vendors now block the pavement, forcing pedestrians to walk in the road.
But he added that he was con-cerned the markets could attract
petty criminals, which he said was a problem at Thiri Mingalar market, the vegetable wholesale market that already opens at night.
YCDC should be discussing this
with the police, he said.Union of Myanmar Travel Associa-
tion secretary general U Naung Naung Han said the markets could make Yan-gon more attractive to tourists.
TRADE MARK CAUTIONLogitech International S.A., a Company incorporated in Switzerland, of Les Chatagnis, CH-1143 Apples, Switzerland, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-
LOGIReg. No. 3943/2015
in respect of Computer and electronic equipment, namely, computer hardware; computer hardware for use with mobile phone and computer tablet applications; computer peripherals, namely, keyboards, mice, trackballs and wireless electronic controllers all for use with consumer electronic equipment; decoding boxes; set top boxes; computer software for classifying, transmitting, receiving, processing, reading and watching, and controlling applications, texts, electronic data, images, audio and video files; computer software for reproducing, processing and streaming audio, video and multimedia content and for audio calling, video calling and remote collaborating; computer software for controlling the operation of audio and video apparatus and for viewing, searching and/or reading sound, video, television, films, photographs and other digital images and other multimedia content; computer game programs; computer software for multimedia sharing, media-share computer software for computers; digital electronic apparatus for recording, classifying, transmitting, receiving, processing, reading and viewing, and examining texts, data, images, audio and video files, namely, computer software and computer hardware; video game control devices, namely, remote controls, joysticks, video game steering wheels, headsets, keyboards and mice all for use with computer and video game console platforms; computer peripherals, namely, controllers and gamepads for mobile gaming; wireless mice, keyboards, and remote controls for use with televisions, computers, and set-top boxes; computer cursor control devices, namely, digitizer tablets, light pens, and trackballs; touch pads; electronic drawing and sketching boards; Whiteboards; computer keyboards controllers; video devices, namely, software and hardware for audio and video enhancement sold as an integral part of web cameras and video cameras; digital cameras and web cameras; wearable cameras, mobile cameras, security cameras; audio and sound system devices, namely, audio speakers, mobile speakers, wireless speakers, headsets, headphones, earbuds and microphones; audio conduit, amplification and monitoring units; acoustic separation units; audio mixers; telephony equipment, namely, headsets, headphones, earbuds and microphones for use with computers and telephones, telephones, mobile phones, videophones; video-conferencing equipment, namely, video-conferencing cameras, speakerphones, computer monitors, television, and other audio-visual components; digitial writing systems for computers and mobile phones primarily composed of digital light
pen and computer software; remote controls for controlling TVs, video players, video recorders, stereos, speakers, amplifiers, entertainment systems, home lighting systems, personal computers; protective cases for computer peripherals; protective cases for mobile phones, battery charging cases for mobile phones, car dashboard mounts for mobile phones; mobile phone accessories; keyboards for mobile phones; mobile keyboards and control devices for mobile platforms; protective cases for tablet computers; keyboards for tablet computers; computer peripherals for accessing and transmitting data and content among consumer electronics devices, televisions, and displays; computer peripherals for digital watches; computer software and conputer programs for use in connection with providing an interface between a computer and a peripheral device; computer software and computer programs for manipulating and controlling images from web cameras and digital cameras; computer software and computer programs for producing sound; computer software and computer programs for handwriting and character recognition; computer software and computer programs for use in connection with electronic transmission of video, audio and data across local area , wide area and global computer networks; remote control devices for home automation and control of sensors, locks, switches, lights, radios, televisions, stereos, audio-visual equipment, household appliances, window coverings, climate control, and other home electronics; downloadable software for programming a remote control for sensors, locks, switches, radios, television, stereos, audio-visual equipment, household appliances, window coverings, climate control, lighting and other home electronics; computer monitors; audio, video and radio transmitters; audio, video and radio receivers; stereo tuners and radio signal tuners; audio and video recorders; audio and video players, namely, CD, DVD and Mp3 players; radios; microphones; wireless presenters in the nature of witreless remote pointers; notebook computer stands; notebook computer docking stations; computer docking stations; number keypads, namely, number keypads on computer keyboards; battery packs; electric and electronic cables; wearable electronics to measure fitness, self-improvement and data-gathering; electronic temperature sensors; lighting control systems comprised of motion-sensitive security lights and computer hardware and software for use in activating and deactivating electrical lights; and instruction manuals sold as a unit with the aformentioned goods.
Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law.
Win Mu Tin, M.A.,H.G.P.,D.B.L.for Logitech International S.A.P.O. Box 60, YangonE-mail: [email protected]: 7 May 2015
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News 7www.mmtimes.com
ViewsSpice, intrigue as elections approach
THE elections this region will witness in the near future are sneaking up on us in such an understated way that many people are unsure about when and if they will be held.
Consider the one due to take place in Myanmar, possibly in early No-vember, or possibly not; and possibly with President U Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as candidates, or possibly not.
Even that revered analyst, Bertil Lintner, whose expert insights are on par with those of former BBC news editor Larry Jagan, recently said there was a 75 percent chance the Myanmar election would not go ahead.
And in one of his episodic Bang-kok Post columns last year, Jagan said categorically that the political uncertainty is about to end as Presi-dent Thein Sein has decided to seek a second term in office.
Well, even Homer nods, and I, for one, have made similar declarative statements, the memories of which now give me severe colonic contractions.
But when faced with towering fig-ures like Jagan and Lintner, it is best to genuflect and concede that the My-anmar polls are a chiaroscuro painted in porridge frankly, we dont know whats going to happen.
So let us move on to Vietnam, whose opaque politics are never-theless easier to assess and whose coming elections are, if nothing else, 100pc sure to happen in January next year.
At that time, the long-ruling Com-munist Party of Vietnam will meet for its 12th National Congress to chart future policy and elect a new slate of leaders.
This five-yearly poker game has the potential to redirect the course of the country, as it did 30 years ago when the then-newly elected party bosses instituted doi moi reforms and partially opened up the economy.
Unusually, the top four posts in Vi-etnam the partys general secretary, the prime minister, the president and the chair of the National Assembly will all be replaced this time round.
The key thing to watch out for is whether Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung succeeds in being elected the partys next general secretary and then inducts more like-minded,
Western-oriented reformists.If not, the outgoing party boss,
Nguyen Phu Trong, a traditional Communist in the Leonid Brezhnev mould, will likely manipulate the
voting so that the status quo prevails and Vietnam continues to wallow.
It is tempting to add Malaysia to this intriguing election program, though that is a long shot at the mo-ment, despite the incandescent politi-cal climate in Kuala Lumpur.
The heat is partially due to a campaign by former PM Mahathir Mohamad to unseat current PM Najib Razak, and partially, if not largely, due to Najibs inept performance and growing Malay chauvinism.
Already, the influential Islamic Party of Malaysia has said that with the countrys politics in disarray, Najib should form a national unity government with the opposition.
The PMs fellow party men will
never allow him to do that, but they might force him out if things get any worse. He may pre-empt them and call a snap election unlikely, but not impossible.
What is not merely possible, but certain, is that a year from now, on May 9, the Philippines will elect a new leader, but there is such a horse race of presidentiables that its wise to wait till the field settles, while turning to another impending poll in Singapore.
Already, the state-controlled political editors of the islands media have moved into election mode and revealed that the poll will likely be held later this year or early next.
The signs have been pretty obvi-ous: a recent cabinet reshuffle, the
milking of former PM Lee Kuan Yews memory, and the linking of Singa-pores 50th birthday bash in August to pro-government policies.
In his May Day speech, PM Lee Hsien Loong stressed issues that would be important in the coming general election, none more so than political succession, he claimed.
Its about who will lead Singa-pore into the future, said Lee. And it is our future at stake, and our chil-drens future, because if the govern-ment fails, what is going to happen to you, to all of us, to Singapore?
Last week, doctors gave Lee, 63, the all-clear after hed earlier had sur-gery for early-stage prostate cancer. They said he has a 98pc chance of not dying from the illness within the next 15 years.
As for exploiting his fathers death in March, many think the Lee Kuan Yew dividend may backfire as voters view the ruling Peoples Action Party as trying to gain political advantage in an unseemly way.
They may also think the same about the PAPs tactics in trying to disqualify a quartet of opposition MPs who have been accused by the govern-ment of mismanaging their constitu-ency accounts.
Rather than use political debate to discredit oppositionists, the PAP is routinely accused of co-opting the judiciary for this purpose and for stifling dissident voices in other spheres, notably social media.
Most recently, the authorities shut down The Real Singapore website for publishing articles that allegedly dam-aged national harmony and sought to incite anti-foreigner sentiment and, of course, anti-PAP sentiment.
Clearly, Lees party knows this will be a difficult election, especially since the gloss is off the Little Red Dot, whose high-end property market has collapsed and driven down stock prices for land developers.
As well, anti-foreigner sentiment still festers, and with the PAP offering little but verbal bromides, the po-tential for more riots like the one in Little India in 2013 remains high.
So, assessing all these impending elections is a gamble. The best we can say is that Myanmars is puzzling, Vietnams edgy, Malaysias volatile, the Philippiness a horse race, and Singapores, well, Singaporean.
ROGER [email protected]
Malaysias Prime Minister Najib Razak (left) and Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) shake hands in Singapore on May 5. Photo: AFP
Up to five countries in the region including Myanmar could go to the polls over the next year, with the likely results anything but clear
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8 THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 7, 2015
Business
THE Myanmar Engineering Society is urging developers to follow the National Building Code, after the Nepal earthquake raised concerns on the ability of local buildings to survive disasters.
The code is still in draft form, and was initially written in English in 2012. Although it must be passed by parliament to become law, ex-perts say they hope it can serve as a voluntary guide to developers until it is approved.
Myanmar Engineering Society (MES) spokesperson U Kyi Lwin, who is also involved with drafting
the code, said some contractors and developers have used the code, al-though awareness of it has not yet been spread widely.
Currently weve only completed an English draft If the code re-ceives commitment from decision makers, the whole country will be using it systematically and build-ings are going to be stronger, he said.
Nepal was struck by an earth-quake on April 25 that left an esti-mated 7500 people dead.
Experts say the earthquake has highlighted Myanmars need to ad-dress building standards, to help mitigate destruction in the event of a local earthquake. The lack of a nationwide document on con-struction standards results in un-even quality of buildings across the country.
Developers often use different
international codes or locally devel-oped practices as reference points, which vary significantly in produc-ing quality buildings.
When the National Building Code official appears, every con-tractor will have to build system-atically, constructing buildings that are more resilient to natural disas-ters, said U Kyi Lwin.
The MES is currently translating the document to Myanmar. After that is complete, they will submit it to the Ministry of Construction, which will edit the code before final confirmation by parliament.
We just drew up the code and will wait for a decision. Currently we are translating to Myanmar be-cause the draft is only in English but if it is confirmed, it needs to be understood by everybody, he said.
Experts have also said that the recent earthquake in Nepal has
highlighted the importance of hav-ing strong rules on construction in Myanmar.
U Kyaw Thu, program specialist at UN-Habitat, said there is an ur-gent need to get the code in place.
This code can really help for resilience of buildings and safer residences, rather than building randomly, he said.
The draft National Building Code has seven chapters, covering ar-eas including structure, health and safety and building services. The structures section, Chapter 3, deals in part with making sure buildings withstand natural disasters.
While all buildings face a cer-tain amount of risk, those built not to code and with unqualified engi-neers are the most at risk.
We see some contractors here who are not licensed: They build only with carpenters. Those buildings
dont have strong resistance, so when an earthquake happens, the build-ings become dangerous, U Kyaw Thu said.
UN-Habitat has surveyed areas in Sagaing and Bago regions and Taungoo city in Shan State, draft-ing a map showing at-risk town-ships. The survey was then report-ed to regional governments. Local government can then refer to the map for a locations exposure to earthquakes when extending town-ships or building industrial zones or power projects.
U Kyaw Thu said the next step is to survey Yangon and Pyay town-ship, aiming to complete reports on the two by 2016.
Knowing about earthquake faults and constructing strong buildings goes a long way to reduc-ing injury from natural disasters, he said.
THE Ministry of Electric Power plans to move forward with several coal-fired power plant projects de-spite the opposition of some civil society groups.
The ministry has signed memo-randums of understanding for at least 11 coal-fired projects in the country since 2010, though so far they are still at the early stage of feasibility studies, with no shovels yet in the ground.
Some local residents and civil society groups have opposed the plans over possible environmental and social impacts.
Early last year, a senior ministry official told The Myanmar Times that the recently agreed-on projects will not be implemented without agreement from the public.
However, the Ministry of Elec-tric Power also faces an urgent need to improve electricity generation, with demand growing by at least an estimated 13 percent a year. Hy-dro power is expensive and hard to implement, as is natural gas, while renewables such as solar and wind are still at the early stages of mak-ing a contribution. Therefore, coal presents a tempting option to in-crease base load generation.
A ministry announcement in 2014 said it would like to increase the amount of electricity generated by coal power plants. It signed its first memorandum of agreement for a coal plant to be located in Kengtung in eastern Shan State in March. The company will be al-lowed to move to the next step in the project with the agreement, and will now have the project site and area approved after the feasibility study is completed.
A Thai-based company called Lumpoondum is to implement the 660-megawatt coal-fired plant, though it has generated significant local opposition.
Since the agreement, others have
signed memorandum of agreement to build coal-fired power projects.
Thailand-based Toyo-Thai Cor-poration Public Company signed an agreement with the Department of Hydro Power Planning, under the Ministry of Electric Power, to build a coal-fired project in Mon State.
The firm aims to construct a 1280-megawatt coal-fired plant us-ing what it calls Ultra Supercriti-cal advanced Japanese technology, in Ann Din village of Ye township in Mon State.
The US$2.8 billion project would take four to six years to be built, with a 30-year concession under a build-operate-transfer sys-tem. Ultimately, the project is to be transferred to the ministry.
Some local residents have vocal-ly opposed the Ann Din coal-fired power project. Thousands of locals joined a May 5 rally against the project, demonstrating with signs reading No Coal and No Toyo-Thai.
Government officials say they will continue moving forward with coal plants.
We will sign memorandums of agreement for other projects, said U Aye San, director general of the Department of Hydro Power Plan-ning. But it will take time to get the feasibility studies finished. The companies need to do this to get to the next steps of project implemen-tation, such as investment proce-dures and financing.
U Aye San added that coal is only one option, with the idea be-ing to use of a mix of generation, in-cluding hydro, gas, coal, solar and wind, to provide reliable electricity output.
The government has a target of 100pc electrification rates by 2030, and has been coordinating closer with international organisations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, as well as na-tional institutions from Japan and China, to achieve its targets for electrification rates.
TOO much Thingyan revelry has done in Ko Phoe Zaws handset.
It was damaged by water while its owner danced during New Years. Initially it looked like it would survive the experience, but now it is totally destroyed.
I went to a repair shop for my phone, he said. But it was expen-sive to repair, so I decided to just buy a new one instead.
Ko Phoe Zaws experience is not unique among Thingyan revel-lers. The celebration comes late to handset vendors and repair shops, as the waters of New Years take their toll on mobiles.
Businesspeople say there is a bumper crop of damaged handset during the Thingyan festival, as many fail to properly protect their mobiles.
Sales of handsets shoot up they are being sold quickly, said Ko Zarni, owner of a handset shop in Thingangyun township.
Its not only water damage. Some people change their handset because companies give out a bo-nus for Thingyan. This is a popular month to make a purchase.
Repair shops also say they face a flood of business every year after Thingyan.
The owner of Htun mobile shop in Mingalar Zay said there is no time for vacation, as 20 to 50 own-
ers drop off handsets every day af-ter Thingyan finishes.
We are repairing a lot of hand-sets these days. Our shop sells handsets, accessories and makes repairs. If a handset cannot be repaired, customers buy them brand-new from my shop. Thats why business is good, he said.
Not only phones fall victim to Thingyan, but accessories as well. The owner of Tar Tar mobile shop said accessories like cases and ear-phones have been flying off the shelves.
Lower-end phones that are par-ticularly prevalent in rural areas are often not worth repairing and owners choose to simply replace them, he added.
Thingyan: Not every phone survives. Photo: Zarni Phyo
Splash for handset vendors after Thingyan destructionMYAT NOE [email protected]
Coal power continues over local objectionsAUNG [email protected]
Nepal quake highlights Building Code
ANALYSIS
MYAT NYEIN AYE
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9BUSINESS EDITOR: Jeremy Mullins | [email protected]
Exchange Rates (May 6 close)Currency Buying Selling
EuroMalaysia RingittSingapore DollarThai BahtUS Dollar
K1187K300K805
K33K1090
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K35K1096
THE Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) has called for more local discussion of the draft version of Myanmars new investment law.
The new law will be a consolida-tion of the existing Foreign Invest-ment Law and the Myanmar Citi-zens Investment Law. In theory, it will create a level playing field for local and foreign investors.
DICA launched a public consul-tation on the draft law on March 10 for 16 days. It later extended the deadline for comments until the end of April, following interna-tional criticism that the feedback period had been insufficient.
The new investment law will be a legal cornerstone of Burmas efforts to reengage with the glob-al economy and international investors, yet the governments public consultations have been deeply inadequate, said Jessica Evans, senior international fi-nancial institutions advocate at Human Rights Watch in a March statement.
However, according to Daw Tin Aye Han, director of DICAs Invest-ment Promotion Section, most pro-posals received by the directorate
to date have been from foreigners. Weve had many suggestions
from foreigners but not from the locals. We want feedback from the locals, she said.
The official deadline for public consultation has passed, she said, but DICA will continue to accept suggestions until the draft has been finalised and sent to the At-torney Generals Office. It will then be submitted to parliament later this year.
The draft law has already been updated based on suggestions re-ceived, said Daw Tin Aye Han. The updated version was made public on DICAs website on May 6.
We now want local feedback on the updated version. We havent set an exact date to finalise the draft, but we are trying to enact it as soon
as possible. We hope to be able to submit the draft to parliament in the coming session, she said.
The new law was drafted by the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) in collaboration with the financial arm of the World Bank, the International Finance Corpo-ration (IFC). The first draft was made available on DICAs website in English before it was published in Myanmar language.
Following this, the directorate held one meeting with a group of local stakeholders, before the initial deadline for feedback at the end of March.
However, DICA director general U Aung Naing Oo, who is also the secretary of the Myanmar Invest-ment Commission, said that the process has involved listening to many ideas from local business circles.
We drafted the law only after consulting with the local business community, and we took many suggestions from them, he said.
The law should provide easier entry to the Myanmar markets for all investors, both domestic and foreign, according to a Linklaters note earlier this year.
In addition, MIC will ensure the law complies with World Trade Or-ganisation guidelines and the ASE-AN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA).
The Foreign Investment Law was enacted in 2012 and the Citizens In-vestment Law passed in 2013.
Gems lab angles for global recognition
DICA calls for more local feedback on draft investment lawSANDAR LWIN
Weve had many suggestions from foreigners but not from the locals. We want feedback from the locals.
Daw Tin Aye Han DICA official
TELENOR Myanmar claimed 6.4 million subscribers at the end of March, nearly double its results three months earlier, its Norwegian parent company said yesterday.
The firm has seen a steady in-crease in users since launching in October 2014, with nearly 60 percent of its subscribers actively using data, its first quarter 2015 report said.
In the coming quarters, we plan to ramp up network investments to cater for the strong demand for digital services in this connectivi-ty-hungry nation, Telenor Group president and CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas said in a statement.
While we are encouraged by the promising start in Myanmar, it has to be noted that it is still early days.
The firms local revenues came in at US$102 million, while it generated $4 billion across its international op-erations. Telenor pointed to a num-ber of factors contributing growth, including positive currency effects and a significant contribution from
Myanmar, as assisting its interna-tional bottom line.
Telenors Myanmar operations contributed about 2.5pc of total earnings, while accounting for 10pc of capital expenditures. Telenor and its rivals Ooredoo and MPT are conducting large-scale network expansions at present.
Earlier in the week, Ooredoo announced it had 3.3 million My-anmar subscribers as of the end of March.
Telenor said market demand has topped its expectations, and it plans to boost network invest-ments this year.
Over the course of the latest quarter, Telenor turned on 718 sites, bringing total live sites to 1772. As of the end of March, more than half of Myanmars townships have Telenor service.
Capital expenditures for Tel-enor Myanmar at NOK 442 million (US$59 million) trailed combined European and Asian operations as well as Norway and Thailands dtac.
Telenor Myanmar also made a li-cence payment of $120 million this past quarter.
Telenor racks up 6.4 million subscribersCATHERINE [email protected]
A PRIVATELY owned gems labora-tory equipped with the latest technol-ogy opened its doors yesterday, but it will take time for the industry to receive international recognition, in-siders say.
Myanmar Gemological Labora-tory will be able to provide a range of reports at a cost of K15,000 to K150,000 to identify natural or syn-thetic stones, including treatment and geographic origin, according to its founder U Wai La Win.
If we can make hundreds or thou-sands of reports matching [the qual-ity of reports by] internationally rec-ognised labs, with local coordination, it will be quicker to get the reputation of local labs recognised in foreign countries, he said.
U Wai La Win added there are about 10 such labs in the country, but most use somewhat outdated tech-nology compared to his lab.
Leading Myanmar geologist Daw Yin Yin New said she supports the private sector as the government it-self is decentralising.
By competing with the private sector, processes on the government side become more competitive and qualified. There should be no more monopolising by the government, I think, she said.
Government gems experts should also work closely with their private sector counterparts in efforts to re-ceive international recognition. Cur-rently, local stones often must be certified in foreign countries, but this business could be completed locally, she said.
The government needs to liber-alise and decentralise the sector by handing over mining processes to the
private sector and simply collecting tax from them, like Indonesia. This avoids conflict of interest, though does not fully control all the countrys resources from leaving, she said.
Gems dealers say they welcome efforts to bring international-quality gems appraisal to Yangon.
U Thaung Tun, owner of Yadana Theingi Gems and Jewellery, said when local gems are resold at inter-national exhibitions, they must often be re-appraised to meet their stand-ards.
Gary Nelson, a gems businessper-son, said that while some of the laboratories here may not be glob-ally recognised, they have a lot of ex-perience and understand Myanmar gemstones.
However, laboratories bring a level of objectivity to gem appraisals. They have necessary equipment and can tell the characteristics of stones and how they stack up against inter-national gems.
They can identify stones very eas-ily and very correctly, he said.
Part of the problem for local gems laboratories is the world was in the dark for so long about the industry in Myanmar, and it was also difficult for Myanmar people to take in interna-tional best practices.
Mr Nelson said the situation was different for U Wai La Win, as he studied and worked overseas for the Gemological Institute of Amer-ica, and is bringing that experience back to Myanmar. In the past, most Myanmar labs catered to the local community.
Ideally, locally valued gems with a proper certificate should be accepted internationally, which will help local traders have the confidence to go to places like New York or London and present the stone, he said.
Residents of Hpa-an, Kayin State, watch a Telenor-sponsored concert earlier this year. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing
SU PHYO [email protected]
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10 International Business THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 7, 2015
A worker hauls a cart on a construction site in Beijing on May 6. China on May 1 announced measures aimed at promoting innovation and job creation, state media said, as authorities seek to ensure that slowing economic growth doesnt harm employment. Photo: AFP
IN PICTURES
IRAN is to outline big oil and gas pro-jects at a major industry event begin-ning yesterday, ahead of a possible nuclear deal that could allow global energy giants to return.
The plans, which have been trailed in the Iranian media, will likely domi-nate Irans 20th Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Fair, a four-day event in Tehran.
Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, who has signalled Irans willingness to see international oil giants come back, is to give the keynote address.
The prospects for doing business are intricately linked to whether Iran and six world powers can conclude a nuclear deal by a June 30 deadline that could lift wide-ranging economic sanctions.
Iran has the worlds fourth-largest proven oil reserves and the second-big-gest gas deposits, both of which have long been seen as under-tapped and ripe for exploration and a production hike.
But major energy firms left or were stifled from doing business after the United States and the EU imposed sanctions on the industry in 2012, as punishment for Tehrans disputed nu-clear program.
Iranian officials have said that while the countrys focus is to boost domestic production there is potential for for-eign investment and cooperation, espe-cially given modern Western industry technology.
The oil ministry has prepared new contracts that could come into effect after a nuclear deal which have better terms for foreign companies than those offered before the sanctions era.
International oil majors have wel-comed the new format of Irans con-tracts, ministry spokesperson Mehdi Hosseini told the official IRNA news agency, citing European, Russian and Chinese firms.
They are awaiting the results of Irans nuclear talks and the removal of sanctions, he added.
But with crude prices hovering around a lowly US$60 a barrel as the market experiences a supply glut, the chances of an economic windfall for Iran or international companies is dif-ficult to gauge.
While oil and gas was long the cor-nerstone of Irans finances, the global fall in crude prices has led President Hassan Rouhanis government to seek a more varied economy.
And in the budget for this year Iran halved its reliance on oil income to 25 percent. Foreign companies are also weighing the cost of doing business in Iran against the potential returns.
According to the oil ministry, 29 for-eign countries including Britain, Chi-na, France, Germany, Russia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates will have delegates at the Tehran exhibition.
Some 1200 Iranian companies and 600 international businesses have reg-istered, but no representatives from the US or Saudi Arabia will attend, accord-ing to the oil ministry.
Under Iranian law, foreign compa-nies in the oil and gas sector must part-ner with local firms.
The development of oil and gas sites, including the massive South Pars gas field, shared with Qatar, and the West Karoun oilfield, offer significant potential for foreign tie-ups.
Mr Rouhani has also spoken favour-ably about foreign investment in Iran should there be a nuclear agreement.
Having agreed an outline frame-work for a deal on April 2, Iran and the P5+1 powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Ger-many aim to conclude a final accord by the end of June.
Under an interim deal, Iran has been allowed to maintain its crude oil exports at around 1.2 million barrels per day. AFP
Iran oil show opens as foreigners weigh return
TEHRAN
MANILA
PHILIPPINE Long Distance Tele-phone, the countrys largest telecom-munications firm, said it expects to spend nearly US$1 billion in a pain-ful fight to survive the consumer shift to digital from traditional phone services.
The listed company said net profit for the first three months of the year was flat at 9.4 billion pesos ($211 million), and the full-year net profit would likely fall below the 34.1 billion pesos it posted last year.
The company said the growth in its mobile internet business had not been strong enough to offset the decline in its traditional revenue sources voice calls and text mes-saging that account for 60 percent of the total.
Its either we pivot or we perish, PLDT chair Manuel Pangilinan told reporters.
He said PLDT may exceed the re-cord 39 billion peso ($876 million) expansion budget it set this year to build more 3G and LTE (Long-Term Evolution) infrastructure and entice more of its subscribers to go online.
In many respects, its like chang-ing tyres while the car is moving, he said.
The whole way into this is to im-plement the digital pivot ... It will be painful.
While data and broadband rev-enue grew 11pc to 11.2 billion pesos in the January to March period, it accounted for only about 27pc of the total.
Revenue from local voice calls and text messages dipped 2pc to 24.2 billion pesos.
Revenue from international and domestic long distance calls, which account for 13pc of the total, fell 19pc to 5.2 billion pesos.
There is an ongoing evolution of the telco subscriber into the digi-tal consumer and there is a need by PLDT to identify new ways of serv-ing the customer, said company president Napoleon Nazareno.
While Filipinos are among the worlds most active internet users, the country also has one of the slow-est average connection speeds.
AFP
Philippine telco in painful fight
[Foreign firms] are awaiting the results of Irans nuclear talks and the removal of sanctions.
Mehdi Hosseini Iran oil ministry FOLLOWING a bitter power
struggle in recent weeks, German auto giant Volkswagen is hoping to return to calmer waters and concentrate on its business of building cars, its chief executive Martin Winterkorn said.
The past couple of weeks have been eventful ones, to put it mild-ly, Mr Winterkorn told sharehold-ers at VWs annual meeting in the northern city of Hanover.
This is why it is good that we have now returned to calmer wa-ters. That we have clarity about our future direction. And, above all, that we can concentrate fully on our business, he said.
Last month, Mr Winterkorn locked horns with VWs superviso-ry board chief and patriarch Fer-dinand Piech in a bitter battle that spooked investors and appeared to place a question mark over the successful running of the group.
Seventy-eight-year-old Mr Piech, a member of the powerful Porsche dynasty that is a shareholder in Volkswagen, and one of the most important figures in German busi-ness, had sent shockwaves through
the industry by declaring that he was distancing himself from Mr Winterkorn.
But the steering committee of VWs supervisory board threw its weight behind Mr Winterkorn, 67, saying it intended to extend his contract.
While Mr Piech vehemently de-nied trying to oust his former pro-tege, he eventually threw in the towel, resigning on April 25.
Mr Winterkorn told sharehold-ers it was important for me to thank Piech not only on behalf of all 600,000 employees, but also personally.
Over the past five decades, Mr Piech had shaped the automo-tive industry like no other as an entrepreneur, as an engineer, as a courageous visionary. The group and its people have much to thank Piech for. This is something that will not change. And we and I have tremendous respect for this lifetime achievement, the CEO said.
Mr Piech was not present at the meeting.
Mr Winterkorn complained
that VW had seen any number of interpretations, speculations and unfortunately even exaggera-tions over the past few weeks. Its important that you, as our share-holders, know that Volkswagen is a fundamentally sound, well posi-tioned company.
Looking ahead to the current year, VW expected a moderate increase in customer deliveries, an increase of up to 4.0 percent in sales revenues and an operating return on sales of between 5.5pc and 6.5pc, Mr Winterkorn said.
One of the issues which ap-peared to have caused the rift between Mr Piech and Mr Win-terkorn who had been seen as the formers close ally and heir apparent was the car makers difficulties in making substantial inroads into the US market and its over-dependence on the Chinese market.
Mr Winterkorn promised shareholders that the Volkswa-gen brand is going on the offen-sive again in the United States. Im committed to that.
AFP
HANOVER
Calm after VW feud
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn (left) and chair of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Ferdinand Piech pose in April 2012. Mr Piech has since resigned after an apparent leadership struggle with Mr Winterkorn. Photo : AFP
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Indonesias rare birds smuggled in plastic bottlesWORLD 15
Fears over slow fundraising for NepalWORLD 14
12 THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 7, 2015 13
World WORLD EDITOR: Fiona MacGregorWASHINGTON WASHINGTON
LONDON
IN PICTURES
Photo: AFP
Gerard Biard (right), editor-in-chief of the Paris-based satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, and critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret (left) speak during the annual PEN American Center Literary Gala on May 5 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The PEN Freedom of Expression award was given to Charlie Hebdo, despite some prominent authors boycotting the award.
THE United States ratcheted up pres-sure on the leaders of the Islamic State jihadist group on May 6, adding four names to those targeted by multi-mil-lion-dollar bounties.
The IS group has seized a wide stretch of eastern Syria and north-ern Iraq and declared it a caliphate, within which it has enslaved female captives, carried out sectarian massa-cres and murdered hostages.
Iraqi and Kurdish security forces are fighting back, supported by Irani-an advisers and a US-led air coalition, but IS is holding on in its heartland and allied groups have sprung up as far away as Libya and Nigeria.
The May 6 statement from the State Department adds four names to the list of high-value US targets sought by the Rewards for Justice Program.
The militant with the largest price US$7 million on his head is Abdel Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, who was designated a global terrorist for the
purpose of US Treasury sanctions in May last year.
The State Department alleged that he had been a deputy to the late leader of al-Qaedas Iraqi faction, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and had travelled to Syria to join the IS group in 2012 after he was freed from an Iraqi jail.
The US Treasury lists Mr Qaduli as an Iraqi, born in either 1957 or 1959 in the city of Mosul.
A Syrian militant, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, whose birth name is Taha Sobhi Falaha and who is approximate-ly 38 years old, is now subject to a $5 million reward for information lead-ing to his death or capture.
The statement describes him as an IS spokesperson who has repeatedly called for attacks on the United States.
Tarkhan Batirashvili, better known under his Arabic nom de guerre, Omar al-Shishani, is also under $5 million reward.
The 29-year-old Georgian is ac-cused of overseeing a prison outside the IS stronghold of Raqa where sev-eral foreign hostages were held.
There is a $3 million bounty on the head of Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-Awni al-Harzi, a 33-year-old Tuni-sian.
He is accused of acting as an IS fundraiser in the Gulf states and later as a field commander in Syria and as head of a unit of suicide bombers.
The Iraqi leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was already the subject of a $10 mil-lion reward under the program.
AFP
Multi-million-dollar bounty offered for IS chiefs
A handout provided May 5 by the US Department of States Rewards for Justice Program shows key leaders of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group with descriptions of their backgrounds in Bahasa Malaysia. Photo: AFP
THE United States authorised com-mercial ferry services to Cuba for the first time in more than a half-century yesterday another major step in improving relations be-tween the two countries.
In what was hailed by ferry op-erators as a historical event, the US Treasury lifted a decades-old ban and at least four Florida com-panies said they had been licensed to launch boat services to the island.
That adds to the charter air ser-vices that had been permitted until now, focused on enabling Cuban-Americans to visit their families.
The ferries will also be allowed to carry cargo to the communist is-land of 11 million, which sits just 150 kilometres (90 miles) off the southern tip of Florida.
Four companies confirmed they had received licences from the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control to provide ferry travel.
Todays action was a great step forward, Joseph Hinson, president of Miami-based United Americas Shipping Services, said yesterday.
Havana Ferry Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said on its Facebook page that it too had re-ceived a Treasury licence for ferry
services from four Florida ports.This is a historical event.
Thanks to President Barack Obama, to whom we are very grateful, for his leadership, the firm wrote.
Two others, United Caribbean Lines and Airline Brokers, a trav-el agency, said they also received licenses.
But Mr Hinson suggested the first trip would not take place for some time yet, because other per-missions were still needed from au-thorities in both countries.
Whether by plane or ferry, American travellers to Cuba still have to come under one of 12 cat-egories permitted in the landmark easing of US sanctions announced by the White House in December, including family visits, official gov-ernment business, humanitarian projects and sports gatherings.
But even under embargo restric-tions, the number of Americans travelling to Cuba has surged in recent years, with many going via third countries.
And in a coincidental announce-ment not tied to the new Treas-ury rules, US airline JetBlue an-nounced yesterday it would begin direct charter flights to Havana from the New York City area, home
to the second-largest population of Cuban-Americans after Florida.
The moves come amid a land-mark thaw in relations initiated by Mr Obama on December 17, when he broke a nearly six-decade Cold War-rooted estrangement between the two countries by lifting sanc-tions on travel and some trade, as the first step toward normalising relations.
In another event marking the thaw, Mr Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro spoke together for an hour at the 35-nation Summit of the Americas in Panama.
Mr Obama thanked Mr Cas-tro for his spirit of openness and courtesy, while Mr Castro, ad-dressing his fellow Latin American leaders, labelled the US president an honest man.
A week after that event, the White House took the first step to-ward removing Cubas longstand-ing designation as a state sponsor of terror, which had added to the tough commercial embargo on the island since the beginning of the 1960s.
Cuba was added to the US terror list in 1982, originally designated for its support for armed revolu-tion in Latin America AFP
US and Cuba launch new era with first passenger ferry service in 50 yrs
Commercial ferry services to Cuba authorized for the first time in more than 50 years
US ferry service to Cuba
C U B A
U N I T E DS T A T E S
WASHINGTON DC
Distance:150 km
CUBA
UNITED STATES
HAVANA
FLORIDA200 km
Miami
KABUL
AN Afghan court on yesteray sen-tenced four men to death for the public lynching in Kabul of a 27-year-old woman falsely accused of burning the Koran.
The court also sentenced eight people to 16 years in prison while 18 others were found not guilty.
A furious mob turned on the woman, named Farkhunda, on March 19, beating her in broad day-light and setting her body ablaze on the banks of the Kabul River.
The attack came after an amu-let seller, whom she had report-edly castigated, accused her of blasphemy.
Her killing triggered protests around Afghanistan and several world cities, drawing global atten-tion to the treatment of Afghan women.
Forty-nine people, including 19 police officers accused of failing to prevent the attack, were arrested.
The three-day trial at the
primary court in Kabul saw the sus-pects facing various charges includ-ing assault, murder and encourag-ing others to take part in the attack.
Judge Safiullah Mojaddidi, an-nouncing the verdict, said Zainul Abiddin, Mohammad Yaqub, Mo-hammad Sharif and Abdul Bashir would be hanged.
The verdicts on the policeofficers accused of negligence of duty will be announced on May 10.
AFP
Four sentenced to death for lynching
BRITAIN heads to the polls today for the countrys most unpredict-able election in living memory.
With no party expected to win a majority and several smaller blocs on the rise, it is feared the vote will spark weeks of brinksmanship as the two biggest parties struggle to cobble together workable coalitions.
The election could also mark a shift to a type of fragmented politics that is more familiar in other parts of Europe.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the leader of the centrist Lib-eral Democrats, has even warned of another election this year if an un-stable minority government takes power.
On the final day of campaigning yesterday, Conservative Prime Min-ister David Cameron and his chief rival, Labour leader Ed Miliband, embarked on frenetic tours of the country in a scramble for votes.
A Conservative victory could raise the risk of Britain exiting the European Union because it would mean a membership referendum, while some experts warn that a Labour win could spread unease among investors.
The Conservatives and Labour have sharply different views over whether to continue austerity cuts in the worlds fifth-biggest economy, which have slashed the deficit but also led to widespread social pain.
One thing analysts agree on is that expected massive gains by Scot-tish nationalists will transform the British political scene.
Yesterday Mr Cameron urged voters to give his party a clear
mandate to govern, saying the al-ternative was years of backroom deals if Labour sought to form a government with the support of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).
There is still time to determine the outcome of this election, he said.
Labours Mr Miliband has ruled out a formal deal with the SNP but it is thought he could be prepared to work with them on a vote-by-vote basis to ta