‘We would like investors to look around the islands? -- Myeik Archipelago development urged: THE government is ready to promote the Myeik Archipelago as a major tourist destination and is inviting foreigners to invest in the area, the Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Brigadier-General Aye Myint Kyu, said last week.Improved relations with Thailand had paved the way for opening the area, including the border port of Kawthaung, to greater development, Brigadier-General Aye Myint Kyu told Myanmar Times on February 16... Indian trade group praises ‘phenomenal? response: A SENIOR member of India?s leading industry body has welcomed a pledge by the Prime Minister, General Khin Nyunt, to work for a further strengthening of relations with India. Mr Rajive Kaul, the past president of the Confederation of Indian Industry, said General Khin Nyunt made the pledge last Friday during a visit to the Made in India trade show at the Yangon Trade Centre... Japan lifts moratorium on new aid to Myanmar: Mr Masashi Ogawa, a counsellor at the embassy, said the decision late last year to resume aid had followed an assessment of political developments in Myanmar last year, which included the release of a road map for a transition to democracy... Myanmar and Ireland form diplomatic ties: MYANMAR and Ireland, the current president of the European Union, established diplomatic relations earlier this month.An agreement to establish diplomatic relations on a non-resident basis was signed in Kuala Lumpur on February 10, the Myanmar Foreign Affairs Ministry announced in a statement released the following day... Volunteer helps children, makes institution a home; Tourists descend on Salone Festival; Actor shoots and scores; Thai champion claims Myanmar Open 2004: THAILAND?S Thongchai Jaidee triumphed at the US$200, 000 Myanmar Open, picking up the winner?s cheque for $32,300 and claiming his second trophy in two months having won the Volvo Masters of Asia in Thailand in December... Japanese volunteer group donates equipment to Yangon hospitals: STUDENTS from a Japanese university handed over nearly 40 wheelchairs, as well as towels and stationery, to two Yangon hospitals during a donation ceremony held on February 10... Women?s awareness of condoms on the rise, UN survey finds: KNOWLEDGE of contraceptives has risen among Myanmar women in the past ten years as a result of AIDS awareness and reproductive health programs, United Nations and government officials said last week... MPT plans stamp issue to mark centenary of FIFA: MYANMA Post and Telecommunication will issue a commemorative stamp in May to mark to centenary of the Federation Inter-nationale de Football Association (FIFA), an official with the MPT said last week... Billboard ads for tobacco to go by April: ?Although only a few billboard advertisements for cigarettes and alcohol can still be seen in Yangon and Mandalay, they are still quite common in smaller cities,” said Dr Nyo Nyo Kyaing, the manager of the ministry?s tobacco-free initiative project... High-rises must be completed before 2006, says Prime Minister: THE Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt has urged Yangon?s developers to complete high-rise projects in the city before 2006.Gen Khin Nyunt was speaking at a meeting of the City Housing Project Supervisory Committee at the meeting hall of Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development on February 14... Myanmar, Thailand sign cooperation pact: Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) under the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, and Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) under the Ministry of Industry signed the Economic Cooperation Agreement... Bond market the key to raising capital: MYANMAR companies should be encouraged to investigate capital raising ventures and not just rely on bank loans as they have in the past, according to leading securities market experts.Some private companies should also investigate the advantages of raising capital by becoming public companies, they said.