COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Individual Documents
Description:
"The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the key to China's fast development and its increasingly important role in the world economy, a renowned Myanmar expert has said.
Under CPC's leadership, China has become the world's second largest economy and successfully transformed from a planned economy to a socialist market one, Monywa Aung Shin, member of the Central Committee of Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy and editor-in-chief of D-wave Journal, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
"As far as I see, China plays a growing role in the world economy and becomes a fastest growing country, thanks to the leadership of the party," said Aung Shin.
Highlighting the concerted efforts of the party's leadership and the Chinese people in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Aung Shin said he is in favor of the CPC's political practice, namely the "people-centered governance."
During the pandemic, the Chinese government has presented a prompt response and strenuous efforts by sending health personnel to the frontlines and building make-shift hospitals, said Aung Shin.
"As the people trusted and strictly followed the guidance of the government, the epidemic was contained in a short time, which portrayed the unity of the people," he said.
With the notion of "a community with a shared future," China shared its firsthand experience and provided medical assistance to neighboring countries during the pandemic, which makes the idea more meaningful, Aung Shin said.
Aung Shin also expressed his belief that China will achieve its goal of poverty elimination.
"Since poverty, somehow, relates to education, health, social development and employment opportunities, China has been making endeavors to fight for poverty eradication not only in China but also in its neighboring countries including Myanmar," the expert said..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-28
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
China-Burma relations, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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Description:
"Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis.
Myanmar is imposing a 15-day extension of its virus measures and directives until July 15 to prevent the spread of the pandemic from inbound travelers and within the country.
The restrictions include a temporary suspension of international flights, a ban on issuing all visas and visa-exemption services, as well as a three-week quarantine for Myanmar nationals returning home by relief flights and across borders, according to a statement Saturday by the Central Committee on Covid-19 Control. On Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the temporary ban on foreigners’ entry will be extended to July 31.
A nightly 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. curfew remains in place, along with the ban of gatherings of more than five people, according to the Central Committee on Covid-19 Control, which is led by de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Exceptions are made for funerals and work-related matters.
United Nations officials, diplomats and foreign nationals who need to enter Myanmar on relief flights or other transport arrangements for urgent meetings and for compelling purposes must obtain exceptions from a Myanmar mission. The committee also asked all visitors to follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health and Sports.
As of June 28, Myanmar confirmed 296 cases of coronavirus including 216 recoveries and six casualties, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports..."
Source/publisher:
"Bloomberg News" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-28
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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Description:
"The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have approved a $200 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to increase agricultural productivity and diversification and enhance market access for Myanmar farmers, with a strong focus on inclusion for smallholder farmers, women and other vulnerable groups.
Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar—including the temporary shutdown of wet markets and animal feed factories, movement restrictions, the disruption of logistics and transport systems, and tightened restrictions on cross-border flows—has created disruptions in the agriculture and food system. Supply chain disruptions have resulted in market losses and increased feed costs to poultry farmers, small enterprises, and meat producers.
According to the Myanmar Economic Monitor, released by the World Bank on June 25, economic growth is estimated to drop from 6.8 percent in FY18/19 to just 0.5 percent in FY2019/20, with significant downside risks. Agriculture is the source of livelihood for nearly 70 percent of the population and accounts for nearly 30 percent of national GDP and merchandise exports. It is the main sector of employment for the poor with 85 percent of the rural population living in a household with one or more members engaged in agriculture..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-28
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-28
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Individual Documents
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Description:
"Syndicate Market Research has recently added the latest report, titled “Myanmar Automobile Market by Product Type (Alkaline Batteries, Acid Battery, Neutral Batteries, Organic Battery Electrolyte Solution), by Application (Passenger Vehicle, Commercial Vehicle) – Overall In-depth Analysis, Global Market Share, Top Trends, Professional & Technical Industry Insights 2020 – 2026“, which examines the overview of the various factors enabling growth and trends in the global industry. The global Myanmar Automobile market report portrays an in-depth analysis of the global Myanmar Automobile Market that assesses the market size and market estimation for the predicted period. The leading performers of the Myanmar Automobile Market are profiled in the report along with the systematic details referring to their revenue, segmentation, earlier improvements, product segmentation, and a complete outline of their businesses. This report covers the impact of the corona-virus on leading companies in the Myanmar Automobile sector and also gives a comprehensive study of Covid-19 impact analysis of the market
This report includes market status and forecast of global and major regions, with the introduction of vendors, regions, product types and end industries; and this report counts product types and end industries in global and major regions..."
Source/publisher:
"Cole of Duty"
Date of publication:
2020-06-27
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-27
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Individual Documents
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"Myanmar has attracted over 4.4 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investments as of third quarter of this fiscal year (FY) 2019-2020 and is expected to reach its target, state-run media reported on Saturday.
Myanmar set its target of foreign direct investments (FDI) to 5.8 billion U.S. dollars in present FY 2019-2020 which lasts from October, 2019 to September 2020.
"We only need 1.4 billion U.S. dollars to meet our target. We need to make sure to follow our guidelines such as less economic impact by the COVID-19 pandemic, encouragement through COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan, giving priority to creating job opportunities and paying attention by the government over the recovery of the economic impact by the pandemic," Director-General U Thant Sin Lwin of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) was quoted as saying.
During the COVID-19 period, some existing investment businesses have increased capital amount of investment while new investments are flowing into the country, he said.
During the first nine months of this FY, power sector attracted most foreign investments, accounting for 25 percent of total inward investments..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-27
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Political, social and economic dimensions of investment in Burma, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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Description:
"The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a $200 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to increase agricultural productivity and diversification and enhance market access for Myanmar farmers, with a strong focus on inclusion for smallholder farmers, women and other vulnerable groups.
Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar—including the temporary shutdown of wet markets and animal feed factories, movement restrictions, the disruption of logistics and transport systems, and tightened restrictions on cross-border flows—has created disruptions in the agriculture and food system. Supply chain disruptions have resulted in market losses and increased feed costs to poultry farmers, small enterprises, and meat producers.
According to the Myanmar Economic Monitor, released by the World Bank yesterday, economic growth is estimated to drop from 6.8 percent in FY18/19 to just 0.5 percent in FY2019/20, with significant downside risks. Agriculture is the source of livelihood for nearly 70 percent of the population and accounts for nearly 30 percent of national GDP and merchandise exports. It is the main sector of employment for the poor with 85 percent of the rural population living in a household with one or more members engaged in agriculture.
The National Food and Agriculture System Project will support parts of the government’s COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP), which aims to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19 and facilitate the country’s economic recovery..."
Source/publisher:
World Bank via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-26
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-27
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Individual Documents
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" Myanmar authorities have brought back 5,171 Myanmar nationals home from abroad by relief flights as of Thursday, according to a release from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Due to the suspension of international commercial flights during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has been making efforts to bring back its citizens stranded in foreign countries, in cooperation with the authorities concerned.
On Thursday morning, 143 Myanmar citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain arrived at the Yangon International Airport.
It was learnt that a total of 139 Myanmar nationals including 28 seamen from the Philippines and 15 nationals including seamen from Bangladesh will arrive late on Thursday.
According to the release, all returnees will be put under quarantine at designated facilities or hotels in Yangon region for 21 days on their arrivals.
Myanmar has reported 293 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with six deaths as of Thursday, said the latest figures by the Health and Sports Ministry..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-25
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
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Description:
"Informal settlements in Yangon house an estimated 400,000 people, approimately 8 per cent of the city’s total population. Due to the nature of informal settlements with high density, lack of access to water, sanitation, hygiene practices and inadequate housing, the risk of mass COVID-19 transmission within Yangon’s informal settlements is high. The vast majority of these settlements do not have access to municipal infrastructure such as piped water or sanitation and have poor drainage systems. UN-Habitat’s rapid assessment survey conducted last May found that 81 per cent of the households in informal settlements have at least one member who lost their job and 94 per cent experienced a fall in income due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Furthermore, UN-Habitat’s study from 2016 had warned that a combination of factors in informal settlements has resulted in “a serious public health emergency in informal settlements in Yangon, although it is one which is largely not recognized by government agencies or international aid agencies.” Therefore, it is imperative that governments and international agencies recognize and support the informal settlements with immediate responses to COVID-19..."
Source/publisher:
UN-HABITAT (Kenya) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-25
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
HABITAT - Burma/Myanmar, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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1.17 MB
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Description:
"The global COVID-19 pandemic is dealing a severe blow to Myanmar's economy. Economic growth in a baseline scenario is projected to drop from 6.8 percent in FY18/19 to just 0.5 percent in FY2019/20, according to the World Bank's Myanmar Economic Monitor, released today.
If the pandemic is protracted, the economy could contract by as much as 2.5 percent in FY2019/20, with the expected recovery in 2020/21 subject to further downside risks.
The slowing economic growth threatens to partially reverse Myanmar's recent progress in poverty reduction while reducing the incomes of households that are already poor. Under the baseline scenario, in which the domestic spread of the coronavirus is brought under control, the global economy swiftly recovers, and Myanmar's GDP growth rate is projected to bounce back to 7.2 percent in FY2020/21, poverty rates would increase in the short term and will not return to pre-crisis levels until FY2021/22. Under the downside scenario, poverty rates would remain above their pre-crisis level until at least FY2022/23.
The report also looks at the Myanmar government's response to the crisis through the COVID-19 fund and Economic Relief Plan (CERP), which includes measures to offer relief and initiate a resilient recovery - including tax relief, credit for businesses, food and cash to households, as well as policies to facilitate trade and investment.
"At the moment the medium-term outlook for Myanmar's economy is positive, but there are significant downside risks due to the unpredictable evolution of the pandemic. Robust policy actions are urgently needed. It will be important for the government to boost the effectiveness of the CERP by ensuring flexibility in spending targets, extending support to smaller enterprises and ensuring all poor households can benefit from the plan," said Mariam Sherman, World Bank Country Director for Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR..."
Source/publisher:
World Bank via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-25
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Sub-title:
The reopening of private schools would be decided by the township committees in charge of COVID-19 prevention, the head of an education group said.
Description:
"U Twal, chair of the Myanmar Private Teachers Federation, said the regulation was agreed at a meeting with the parliament Education Enhancement Committee. U Aung Phyo Thu, founder of Yar Pyae private school in Pyinmana township in Nay Pyi Taw, “We are ready to abide by the social distancing rule. If our school is not allowed to reopen, it may result in fewer students passing the matriculation examinations, especially those from low-income families.”
Private schools in Pantanaw township in Ayeyarwady Region have been permitted to reopen by the township COVID-19 committee, but private schools in Pyinmana are still awaiting their township committee’s decision.
U Nay Win Khaing, chair of the Myanmar Teachers Federation in Pyinmana, said if Nay Pyi Taw rejected the schools’ request to reopen, it could lead to the growth of unofficial schools and financial problems for teachers. The government has set the reopening of schools for July 21, starting with high schools, and followed by primary and middle schools two weeks later..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-25
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-26
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"WFP is providing food and nutrition assistance to 55,000 returning migrants inside or in transit to quarantine sites in Bago, Kachin, Kayin, Magway, Mon, Shan, Tanintharyi and Yangon, as requested by the authorities.
• WFP is providing a two-month targeted protection ration by doubling the monthly ration size of fortified blended food for pregnant and lactating women in stunting and wasting prevention programmes.
• WFP continues to operate weekly aid flights connecting Kuala Lumpur to Yangon, allowing humanitarian cargo and personnel to enter Myanmar.
Situation Update
• According to the Ministry of Health and Sports, there are 293 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Myanmar as of 26 June, including six deaths. To curb the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Myanmar has extended several restrictions, including the suspension of international commercial flights until 30 June.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic activities in Myanmar and is expected to have a long-term impact on various sectors. According to a poll conducted by the Asia Foundation, nearly one third of companies in Myanmar have temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the vast majority of those operating have reported lower sales..."
Source/publisher:
World Food Programme (WFP) (Rome) via reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-26
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
WFP (World Food Programme), COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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Format :
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171.93 KB
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" The Myanmar government has provided 31.8 billion kyats (22 million U.S. dollars) loans to the most vulnerable business affected by the COVID-19, an official from the Ministry of Planning, Finance and Industry told a press briefing on Wednesday.
"Under the country's COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan, the loans had been given out as of June 18 to 832 vulnerable businesses in the garment manufacturing sector, hotels and tourism as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at 1 percent interest rate with one-year period," said Maung Maung Win, deputy minister of Planning, Finance and Industry.
Meanwhile, the government will also provide 50,000 kyats (35.7 U.S. dollars) loans per acre as COVID-19 Special Relief loans to the local farmers at 5 percent annual interest rate starting this month to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the agricultural sector, he said.
It was learnt that a total of 600 billion kyats (428 million U.S. dollars) special relief loans will be given out for 12 million acres until September along with annual monsoon agricultural loans to the farmers.
Myanmar has reported 293 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with six deaths as of Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Sub-title:
Workers in Myanmar say management targeted union supporters under pretense layoffs were related to coronavirus
Description:
"Hundreds of workers at two factories in Myanmar that produce clothing for Zara and Primark were fired days after forming a union in a move workers say targeted union supporters under the pretense that layoffs were related to the coronavirus. Zara is the main brand of Inditex, the largest clothing retailer in the world. At the Huabo Times factory, days after filing a registration for their union, workers noted management terminated over 100 workers, primarily union members and supporters, and transferred 200 non-union workers from a different factory to replace them four days after the dismissals.
At the Rui-Ning factory, 298 union members were fired from the factory in early May 2020. The union registered at Rui-Ning in February 2020.
“I see the firing as clearly union-busting under the pretext of the pandemic. The factory fired most of the union members, including myself,” said Kyaw Thu Zaw, a worker at the Rui-Ning factory for about 10 months and president of the union. “They gave the excuse of difficulty in transporting products to Europe, but in reality there was no difficulty as the factory transported a bulk of products to destination countries on 12 May.” He noted regular shifts consisted of 10-hour work days, six days a week, with workers expected to regularly work overtime in order to make enough money to survive. Workers at the factory make around $3 per day..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication:
2020-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-25
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Individual Documents
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"The spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has presented new challenges for existing humanitarian response operations in Burma and in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District due to COVID-related access restrictions and the vulnerability of IDPs in Burma, as well as refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar. As armed clashes intensify in Burma’s Chin and Rakhine states, COVID-19-related restrictions have further reduced humanitarian access to IDP sites, and humanitarian staff in Burma have expressed concern regarding insufficient COVID-19 preparedness and response capacity in conflict-affected states.
As of June 23, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided more than $245 million in FY 2020 funding to continue the response to humanitarian needs of crisis-affected populations in Burma and Bangladesh, including COVID-19-specific funding, and USG partners have adapted existing programming to incorporate COVID-19 mitigation measures to ensure the continued provision of critical assistance..."
Source/publisher:
USAID ( Washington, D.C.,)
Date of publication:
2020-06-23
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Bangladesh-Burma relations
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274.59 KB
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"Hundreds of thousands of people trapped near fierce fighting in Myanmar's far west may know nothing of Covid-19 thanks to a yearlong internet shutdown, according to rights groups.
Last June, the Myanmar government, led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, cut internet access to nine townships in the area due to concerns that it was being used to inflame clashes between the Myanmar military and insurgents.
One township its service restored in May, but eight others, with a total population of about 800,000 people, remain in an information blackout.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say the extended shutdown is putting lives at risk, not only because it's preventing people from reporting possible human rights abuses -- but because it has cut off them off from public health campaigns about the coronavirus pandemic.
"With armed conflict between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army in Rakhine State amid a pandemic, it's critical for civilians to get the information needed to stay safe," Linda Lakhdhir, Asia legal adviser at Human Rights Watch said in a statement..."
Source/publisher:
"CNN" (USA)
Date of publication:
2020-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Discrimination against the Rakhine
Language:
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Sub-title:
Revenue from Myanmar's fruit exports have reached US$370 million in the current fiscal year, which is on par with revenues generated over the same period in the previous fiscal year despite COVID-19, according to the Myanmar Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Producer and Exporter Association.
Description:
"This was due to higher demand from China for good quality Myanmar bananas produced from local tissue culture, which offset a decline in exports of other fruits like watermelons and cucumbers.
In fact, if it wasn't for COVID-19, Myanmar could have enjoyed a net increase in fruit export revenues this year if proper storage facilities had been available at the Myanmar-China border to store fruits while traders waited to clear longer procedures and other delays due to the pandemic. "Our fruit export income would have increased by a lot more if we had a better system to manage wastage at the border. Currently, about 80 percent of locally produced fruit has gone to waste as a result of disruptions from COVID-19," said Daw Sandar Myo, secretary of the association.
Fruits are mainly exported to China at the border. Before COVID-19, watermelons and cucumbers were the main fruit exports and revenue had been on the rise each year due to increasing demand.
This year, the decline in exports of watermelons and cucumbers was offset by a surge in demand for bananas at the start of the year, said U Khin Maung Lwin, assistant secretary of the Ministry of Commerce..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-23
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, International Trade, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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Description:
"Since March 2020, the Karen National Union (KNU) has been organizing a widespread campaign to
protect communities in their areas against Covid-19. They have organised virus prevention trainings
for health personnel in each district, and distributed protective materials and thermometers. These
personnel have conducted health awareness campaigns, and, together with local communities, set up
screening checkpoints on key access roads for anyone entering their areas.
This rapid mobilizing was made possible by the KNU health department’s long experience in developing
responsive, culturally appropriate programming in rural areas, as necessitated by decades of civil war
and structural flaws in the Burmese government health system – whose rigid centralized approach has
proven woefully inefficient and unaccountable in addressing basic health needs of ethnic populations.
By April, the KNU Covid-19 Response Team had set up 49 screening posts in seven districts, including
along the Thai-Burma border.
But in the last week of April, the Burma Army began shutting down these Karen screening posts. Four
posts were ordered shut in Doothahtoo (Thaton) district (KNU Brigade 1), and on May 6, the Burma Army
set fire to two checkpoints in southern Mutraw (Hpa-pun) district (KNU Brigade 5), causing armed clashes
with the KNU and displacing over 480 villagers from Wa Tho Khoh village, where the Burma Army had shot
and injured two elderly civilians in January this year. . On June 2, another screening post was destroyed by
the Burma Army in Kler Lwe Htoo (Nyaunglebin) district (KNU Brigade 3)..."
Source/publisher:
Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) via Burma Campaign UK
Date of publication:
2020-06-00
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Public Health, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
779.07 KB 1.12 MB
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Description:
"Yangon, Myanmar, 18 June 2020 – UN-Habitat supported a team of community volunteers in five informal settlements in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon who have contacted over 13,2000 households to provide accurate information about COVID-19 and dispel false rumours.
Information leaflets were shared with communities in Hlaingthayar, Shwepyitha, Dala, South Dagon, and Dagon Seikkan with information about COVID-19 preventive actions including how to keep your family safe, working or shopping in a markets selling fresh meat and fish and how to make a mask at home.
The 61 community volunteers were trained remotely by UN-Habitat and provided with a Personal Protective Equipment kit consisting of masks, full face visors, gloves, and hand sanitizers.
A rapid assessment of informal settlements conducted by UN-Habitat revealed that a third of families could not afford to buy masks to protect themselves and the volunteers also distributed 102,000 masks to the households.
UN-Habitat is working with existing community development committees in the informal settlements. In Hlainthayar, UN-Habitat partnered with Bedar Social Development Group and the Urban Poor Network.
Nyein Chan, a community organizer said the project helped them reach the community in the time of an emergency.
“We had several meetings on how to manage the project and reach out effectively to the community. I feel that we did not just distribute things, we were able to organize ourselves together to accomplish this,” he said..."
Source/publisher:
UN-HABITAT (Kenya) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-23
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
HABITAT - Burma/Myanmar, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
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Description:
"A total of 286 cases with six fatalities and 187 recoveries have been confirmed in Myanmar. Sixteen cases have been confirmed in Rakhine State, including six with recent travel history in Bangladesh. Contacts are being traced and identified contacts are in quarantine.
• Two cases confirmed among healthcare workers in Momauk Township of Kachin State and in Muse Township of northern Shan State - two of three local transmissions in June so far. No cases have been confirmed in camps or sites for internally displaced people (IDPs).
• Close to 100,000 migrants returned between 22 March to 10 June, according to IOM, with some 62,650 of this returning from Thailand.
Small scale returns continue to be recorded on a daily basis.
• Government and humanitarian partners continue to undertake COVID-19 preparedness and response, while maintaining life-saving humanitarian operations across camps and displacement sites.
• The next iteration of 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan COVID Addendum is underway, with updated planning scenarios and figures, is expected to be finalized by end of June.
• Myanmar Humanitarian Fund has allocated US$3.8 million to 10 new projects, while 21 ongoing projects have been reprogrammed for a total of $0.35 million for COVID-19 preparedness and response..."
Source/publisher:
OCHA (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-22
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
435.5 KB
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Description:
"Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis.
Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said the most severe economic impact from the novel coronavirus outbreak is expected in the final four months of this year.
“We’d like to reassure the people that we’re well prepared to address the impacts,” Suu Kyi said in a panel discussion via video conference on Tuesday. “We believe we’ll be able to overcome them through inclusive cooperation.”
The Southeast Asian nation is due to receive $1.25 billion in emergency loans from international organizations, Thaung Tun, investment and foreign economic relations minister, said in the same panel..."
Source/publisher:
"Bloomberg News" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-16
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Description:
""When the lockdown occurred, we saw very, very quickly that refugees ... lost their jobs," the UNHCR's Gillian Triggs told an online discussion hosted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation on challenges facing refugees in the COVID-19 era.
Half of refugees in Lebanon and Colombia have lost their income source, and almost two thirds of recently settled refugees in the United States may have lost their jobs, panelists said.
The pandemic has also increased xenophobia and discrimination and led to a big rise in evictions, added Triggs, the UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
She said refugees must be included in national health systems, not just for their own safety but for everyone's. "If one person is sick with COVID, we all are," she added.
Gideon Maltz, executive director of the Tent Partnership for Refugees comprising more than 100 major companies, said some businesses were already taking action to help refugees.
In the Netherlands, electronics giant Philips is supporting an initiative hiring refugees to produce masks from filter material used in its vacuum cleaner bags.
It is producing 150,000 masks a week, Philips said.
"Businesses have a vital role to play," said Maltz. "There's a huge opportunity for all of them to step up."
Prior to COVID, he said companies like IKEA and Starbucks had already made their hiring process more inclusive.
Five countries account for two-thirds of the world's refugees: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. Most refugees seek asylum in a neighbouring country.
Maltz urged governments to use taxes and other incentives to encourage businesses to employ refugees.
Maltz suggested the European Union could give Turkey preferential access for its agricultural products if it helped Syrian refugees to work in the sector..."
Source/publisher:
World Economic Forum (Switzerland)
Date of publication:
2020-06-19
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title:
Desperate for cash and low on work, rural households are turning to high-interest loans from informal moneylenders as microfinance companies are forced to cut back on credit.
Description:
"On May 11, a storm swept through a village in Magway Region and battered the house of Ko Win Kyaw Soe. The need for repairs was urgent, he said, but without the money to cover costs or the time to jump through the hoops of a microfinance loan application, he reluctantly turned to an illegal moneylender.
The decision has beckoned another storm – one of high interest rates and spiralling debt, and the possibility of threats and violence. But the economic turmoil brought by COVID-19 restrictions has left desperate borrowers like Win Kyaw Soe with little choice.
For Win Kyaw Soe, the monthly interest of 20 percent on the K100,000 sum to fix his home in Tat Kone village in Magway Township would have been steep at the best of times. But measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus had recently forced the temporary closure of the beer station where he was a waiter in Magway town, and for the time being he has no income.
“I’m not sure I can pay back the capital, much less the interest,” Win Kyaw Oo told Frontier. “But I will do my best to pay the interest, at least.” Support independent journalism in Myanmar. Sign up to be a Frontier member.
If he is unable to clear the loan within 30 days, he will have the choice of paying K20,000 to cover the interest or having it added to his loan. If he makes no repayments for 10 months, he will owe the principal plus K200,000 in interest.
The moneylenders who provide quick cash to people like Win Kyaw Oo in desperate situations are often portrayed as predatory, seeking to trap their clients in an ever-spiralling burden of debt.
But Win Kyaw Oo’s lender, who spoke to Frontier on the condition of anonymity, said this was exactly what she didn’t want. Yes, her interest rates are high, but this reflects the risk that she will not be paid back. And without such loans, people in need would have few other ways to access cash quickly, she added..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-18
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
" More than 8,000 people were prosecuted in nearly three months across the country for breaching COVID-19 rules, according to the President’s Office.
Myanmar reported the first COVID-19 cases on March 23 and has since reported 286 cases with six deaths and more than half of the patients recovering.
Several COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on public events and large gatherings, suspension of travel visas and international flights were extended until June 30 after the continuation of imported cases as nationals returned from overseas and a few infections inside the country were reported.
President’s Office spokesman U Zaw Htay told the media on Friday that 8,470 people have faced action since late March under the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases Law and 176 people under the Natural Disaster Management Law.
Businesses which failed to follow the government’s coronavirus prevention instructions have also been prosecuted.
Violations have included assaulting and abusing health care workers, refusing to stay in or fleeing from quarantine centers, organizing religious gatherings and weddings or other defiance of the ban on gatherings and failing to follow nighttime curfews.
Last month, Yangon’s chief minister U Phyo Min Thein, his wife and members of his cabinet were reported with the Yangon police for allegedly breaking the Natural Disaster Management Law for attending a Buddhist event. The chief minister denied the accusations and the police did not accept the report.
The National League for Democracy told the media that it had warned the chief minister against breaching restrictions on gatherings.
The communicable diseases law carries a maximum punishment of six months in prison while those prosecuted under the disaster law can face up to three years in prison.
Topics: Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, coronavirus, COVID-19, Natural Disaster Management Law, Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases Law, quarantine..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication:
2020-06-19
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
One more Myanmar citizen returning from Bangladesh has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the health ministry at 8am on June 18. Meanwhile, six more patients are on the road to recovery.
Description:
"Myanmar has so far reported 263 COVID-19 cases including six deaths and 185 recoveries.
The latest patient is a 17-year-old Rakhine Muslim girl, Case-263, from Buthidaung township in Rakhine State. The girl was undergoing community-based facility quarantine at a centre in Buthidaung township where she tested positive. “[Case-263] is one of the family members of a 63-year-old Rakhine Muslim, Case-262, who entered to Maungdaw township from Bangladesh. According to our contact tracing of Case-262, we discovered a total of 34 close contacts. Case-263 was among those who tested positive,” Dr U Soe Win Paing, assistant director and spokeperson of the Rakhine State Public Health Department told The Myanmar Times.
“The remaining tested negative. The girl has now been admitted to Buthidaung General Hospital for treatment,” he added.
The Rakhine State Public Health Department also confirmed that 32 close contacts of Case-234, 47 close contacts of Case-244, nine close contacts of Case-247 and Case-248, and eight close contacts of Case-250 tested negative, according to National Health Laboratory (NHL) from Yangon. Up until June 18 morning 8am, Rakhine State has reported nine confirmed cases.
They are four returnees from Maungdaw, three from Buthidaung, one from Taunggok and one from Thandwe Township. Among them, a 35-year-old is on the road to recovery, the health ministry said on June 15. The recovered patient in Rakhine State is a returnee from Malaysia.
From January 31 to June 17, 1083 samples from Rakhine State have been sent over to NHL in Yangon for testing, according to the State Public Health Department..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-18
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar government planned to provide special relief loan to farmers to relieve the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agricultural sector, according to Ministry of Planning, Finance and Industry on Thursday.
Local farmers will be provided 50,000 kyats (35.7 U.S. dollars) loans per acre at 5 percent annual interest rate starting this month.
This loan program will be effective for this year as part of the government's relief measures for agribusiness affected by COVID-19, a ministry's official told Xinhua.
Both paddy and crop farmers are eligible to apply for the special relief loan until September.
Meanwhile, the government has been providing annual monsoon agricultural loans to farmers since May 15 this year..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-18
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"Civil society organizations and residents in Sagaing Region’s Tamu Township on the Indian border have objected to plans to use a sports hall as a quarantine center for returnees from India.
More than 100 migrants, who have been stranded in the Indian state of Manipur by COVID-19, are due to return soon through the Tamu-Moreh border.
The Tamu Township authorities planned to place returnees in the sports hall for 21 days.
But 28 organizations and community elders on June 15 submitted a letter to the National Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment on COVID-19 opposing the plan, according to representative Ko Aung Thu Chan.
He told The Irrawaddy that were asking for the committee to find an alternative site if the township must receive the returnees.
It also asked for the committee to send returnees to be quarantined in their home townships, bypassing Tamu.
“The township’s sports hall is unsuitable for quarantine as it is in the town center, surrounded by many restaurants and temporary markets, which could risk spreading coronavirus,” said Ko Aung Thu Chan.
The letter expressed concern that returnees were coming from Manipur, a COVID-19 hotspot in India..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication:
2020-06-16
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), India-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation and Myanma Insurance began talks on June 15 aimed at providing insurance coverage for the hundreds of thousands of Myanmar people working in Thailand.
Description:
"The talks were being conducted in preparation for the workers’ return to the kingdom, which usually has over 2 million documented and undocumented Myanmar workers, said U Peter Nyunt Maung, vice chair of the federation.
“If workers test positive for COVID-19 abroad and decide to be treated there, who would pay?” he said. “Free medical treatment is available only in Myanmar, so we are negotiating for insurance coverage there.” Myanma Insurance already offers COVID-19 insurance on the local market. Compensation for such coverage in Thailand would be paid in local currency.
The federation negotiated to pay based on the current exchange rate of the Myanmar and Thai currencies.
“A lot of workers want to go abroad, but the government would not allow them yet,” he said. “Other countries are prepared to accept workers, so official permission may not take too long.”
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-17
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Migrant worker' registration in Thailand - articles/commentary, Thailand-Burma relations, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
consider the specific vulnerabilities women face in Myanmar in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Description:
"Women are playing an indispensable role in the global response against the coronavirus pandemic. Acting as healthcare workers, scientists, researchers, social mobilizers, political leaders and caregivers, women are at the forefront of this fight. However, while everyone is affected by COVID-19, this pandemic amplifies pre-existing gender inequalities and makes women particularly vulnerable, a reality that policy-makers have yet to take into account.
In Myanmar, women face various obstacles as internally displaced peoples, garment workers, unpaid labourers, and victims of overarching conflict. Not only has COVID-19 affected these populations’ capacities to support themselves, the impact in these sectors serve to elucidate existing gender inequalities women face in Myanmar. This article was written as part of an International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-funded project–a collaboration between the University of Toronto and the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security–on gender and decentralization in Myanmar. Drawing on some of the data collected in Myanmar from 2018 to 2019, this text will reflect on women’s vulnerabilities and resilience in the face of a global pandemic.
COVID-19 in Myanmar
Myanmar’s healthcare system has improved drastically since transitioning to semi-civilian rule in 2011, but remains underfunded and understaffed. The COVID-19 crisis is thus taking place amidst an already overstretched healthcare system that faces important challenges, such as gaps in access between rural and urban communities; the lowest number of intensive care beds per capita among lower and lower-middle-income countries of the region (except Bangladesh)[1]; and fewer than 200 ventilators.
So far, the government of Myanmar’s response has been haphazard, at best. The country, most likely, has a higher number of COVID-19 cases than it purports. However, the actual number is difficult to assess given limited testing capacity and heavily regulated media. The government spokesperson Zaw Htay first responded to the pandemic by stating that “lifestyle and diet measures” protected Myanmar citizens from the coronavirus infection, reporting its first case only at the end of March. Although the government has distanced itself from these initial remarks, its response continues to be inadequate..."
Source/publisher:
"Teacircleoxford" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-15
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Articles, reports and sites relating to women of Burma, Women's rights, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is taking a rising toll. It will hinder any effort to contain COVID-19 or resolve the Rohingya crisis. Rather than trying to defeat the Arakan Army, Naypyitaw should negotiate with ethnic Rakhine, endeavouring to convince them of electoral democracy’s benefits.
Description:
"The armed conflict being waged between government forces and the ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army in western Myanmar is currently the most serious by far of the country’s multiple, decades-old internal wars, with some of the most sustained and intense fighting seen in many years. After the conflict escalated significantly in early 2019, the government ordered a tough military response and on 23 March designated the Arakan Army as a terrorist organisation. These measures have exacerbated the grievances underlying the conflict and made a negotiated end to the fighting more difficult to attain. At the same time, neither side will be able to achieve their military objectives. The government needs a political strategy, now missing, to negotiate with Rakhine leaders, address their community’s grievances, and demonstrate that electoral democracy and political negotiation offer a realistic and effective path to realising their aspirations. The trajectory of the armed conflict is alarming, complicating problems in a state already traumatised by the separate crisis that resulted in the violent expulsion of more than 700,000 minority Rohingya to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2016-2017. Over the last eighteen months, clashes have increased in regularity and intensity, their geographical scope has expanded and the civilian toll has grown. Despite the significant loss of life on both sides, nothing suggests that Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, is wearing down the Arakan Army or degrading its ability to operate. But nor is there reason to believe that the Arakan Army can achieve its aim of greater political autonomy on the battlefield. Civilians are paying a heavy price, caught in the crossfire or targeted as Arakan Army partisans or for harbouring fighters in their villages. Schools and medical facilities have been hit with alarming regularity, with each side usually blaming the other. It is difficult to see how general elections, which were provisionally slated for November, could be held in many parts of Rakhine State, the conflict’s locus..."
Source/publisher:
"International Crisis Group (ICG)" (Belgium)
Date of publication:
2020-06-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Beijing also terms Huawei executive’s detention ‘serious political incident’ after release of Canadian spy agency report
Description:
"China said Monday it has resumed work on bilateral projects with Myanmar as the two nations move past the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“China and Myanmar have launched a fast lane to facilitate essential travel and resume work and production,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijian Zhao, addressing a news conference in Beijing.
China had closed its borders with Myanmar in April amid the coronavirus pandemic. The closure was scheduled to last for two months until June 24.
“Personnel at critical posts at oil and gas, electricity and infrastructure projects have already traveled both ways and resumed work,” Lijian said.
The coronavirus was first detected in China’s Wuhan city last December, from where it spread to at least 188 countries and regions and has affected more than 7.96 million people worldwide.
Over 3.8 million people have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.
The pandemic has so far claimed more than 434,000 lives. The US, Brazil, Russia and India are currently the worst-hit countries.
Meanwhile, slamming the case against Chinese telecom giant Huawei’s chief financial officer as a “serious political incident,” Zhao urged Canada “to release Meng Wanzhou at once.”
Referring to a two-page report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Lijian said: “It fully reveals the political intention of the US to deliberately oppress Chinese high-tech companies like Huawei, and Canada is acting as an accomplice.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of publication:
2020-06-16
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"The Covid-19 pandemic has brought forward the role of the governments in not only addressing the health crisis but also on how to address issues of vulnerability and disruptions that the population has faced due to the restrictive measures related to public events, transport, trade, businesses and stay at home orders during the past three months to contain the spread of the virus.
In several parts of the world, the pandemic curve is still ascending and countries and their people are facing hardships of unimaginable proportions. Social protection has been identified as a significant short to medium term intervention. Call for universal basic income and social protection for all have come to the fore of conversations among economists, policymakers and activists across the globe.
Several advanced, as well as emerging economies, have identified the need for supporting the poor and vulnerable as well as the businesses as a policy response in order to stave off the adverse downturn of the economy. Both on the supply as well as the demand-side stimulus has been proposed. And this has opened up the limitations of market based economic development approach which could not cope with the impact of the pandemic which has not spared any sector. The increased role of the government in the economy can be seen from the way countries have responded swiftly by providing social protection to the poor and vulnerable during the pandemic. A global real-time review on social protection response of countries, compiled by World Bank and UNICEF staff, has identified that currently 195 countries/territories have planned or introduced social protection measures in response to COVID-19. Cash transfers, universal one-off cash disbursement, child care support and social pensions have been the measures taken by countries as social assistance programs to meet the needs of the vulnerable. Apart from these, in-kind food/vouchers for food, and school feeding programs and public works programs (food for work, cash for work) have also been initiated in order to stabilize the families. These support measures, ranging from 1 month to 12 months (with an average of 3 months) across the globe are estimated to reach to about 1.7 billion people (costing 0.4% of global GDP). While the amount of assistance may vary depending on the stage of development of the country, it is important to underscore that massive government intervention to stabilize incomes of the people is an important element of COVID-19 response across most countries. New stimulus measures in an advanced economy like the USA included cash transfers involving an average one-off payment of US$1200 to adult member and US$500 for a child to low earning families, emergency food stamps assistance, subsidized utility payments, paid sick leave and emergency withdrawals of old-age pension contributions, etc. In the USA new cash transfers are expected to reach 24 per cent of the population..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-16
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry Monday announced further extension of temporary entry restrictions for visitors from all countries until June 30.
The extension will be applied to the ministry's previous announcements of precautionary measures which will expire on Monday night.
The extension is done to continue effective response measures to protect the population of the country from the risks of importation and spread of COVID-19, the ministry's announcement said.
The restrictions, of which effective period is extended, include entry restrictions of all incoming travellers, suspension period of all types of visas including social visit visas and visa exemption services.
According to the announcement, foreign nationals including diplomats and the United Nations officials, who want to visit Myanmar for urgent official missions or compelling reasons, are asked to contact the Myanmar mission for possible exception for visa restrictions.
Meanwhile, the effective period of suspension of operating all international commercial passenger flights at Yangon International Airport was also extended until the end of June, said a recent notice issued by Yangon Aerodrome Company Limited (YACL), operator of the airport..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-15
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title:
Another Rakhine man who returned to Myanmar from Bangladesh has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Health and Sports Ministry at 8am on June 15.
Description:
"So far, Myanmar has reported a total of 262 COVID-19 cases including six deaths and 167 recoveries.
The latest case is a 63-year-old Rakhine Muslim man, Case-262, from Buthidaung township in Rakhine State. The man was undergoing the mandatory community-based facility quarantine at a centre in Buthidaung township, where he tested positive.
“[Case-262] entered to Maungdaw township from Bangladesh. Health workers accompanied him by ambulance to Buthidaung Hospital. Authorities are still currently tracing his contact history,” U Tun Aung Thein, a State legislator from Buthidaung constituency No 2 told The Myanmar Times.
The health ministry reported that the man did not have any contact with a positive patient. He has been admitted to Buthidaung General Hospital for treatment. “The patient currently lives in Buthidaung township. We have sent his five family members, who tested negative, to Hla Phoe Khaung Transit Camp. Moreover, 19 people who had close contacts with Case-262 are also being quarantined at the centre in Buthidaung. We’re currently tracing his contact history,” Dr U Soe Win Paing, spoke person of the Rakhine State Health Department said. So far, Rakhine State has reported eight confirmed cases of COVID-19. Four are from Maungdaw, two from Buthidaung, one from Taunggok and one from Thandwe township.
From May 16 to June 15 at 8pm, a total of 77 Myanmar citizens who returned from overseas have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports. These comprise 45 returnees from India, 13 from Malaysia, eight from the United Arab Emirates, six from Bangladesh, two from Thailand, two from Italy, and one from China..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-15
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"As Myanmar’s efforts to contain the coronavirus continue, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi warned on Saturday that anyone who has illegally entered the country and anyone aiding them will face legal action.
“Those who come into the country illegally, those who receive them knowingly, and those who cover up will be dealt with strictly and severely according to the law,” she wrote, reiterating the government’s stance.
Prior to her warning, the National-Level Central Committee for Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19 said Wednesday that some Myanmar nationals have reentered the country illegally, despite government efforts to process returnees at official reception centers in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The committee warned that “if anyone enters Myanmar through any unauthorized entry point from a foreign country and if such person has been accepted with the knowledge that such person has entered the country illegally, it is hereby notified that legal action would be taken in accordance with prevailing laws.”
Health care staff and authorities have been conducting temperature checks and health screenings of returnees at international airports, ports and border entry points. Since mid-May, all returnees have been placed into 21-day quarantine and tested for the coronavirus before being released.
As of Sunday, 27,502 migrants have returned to Myanmar through land borders from Thailand since May 23 and thousands more have returned from China. Since April 30, 3,762 Myanmar nationals have returned on repatriation flights.
“All of us need to prevent and severely restrict illegal border crossing,” the State Counselor wrote on her Facebook. She added, regarding those who entered illegally and did not go into quarantine, that “if they carry [COVID-19] disease, it could spread to others.”
She said that conducting contact tracing for illegal returnees and placing those who were potentially exposed into quarantine is “a huge burden” for the country but a necessary measure for the people’s safety..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication:
2020-06-15
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Returns from Thailand and China continued in the past two weeks, with 13,539 and 3,354, respectively, from 1 to 10 June. A total of 99,058 migrants returned through border checkpoints from 22 March to 10 June, including 62,647 returns from Thailand (22 March—10 June), 36,280 returns from China (16 April—10 June), and 131 returns from Lao PDR (8 May).
An additional 4,105 Myanmar nationals returned via Government-assisted relief flights from various countries in the region and beyond, including 95 from Germany on 4 June, over 130 from Republic of Korea, Canada, and the United States on 6 June, over 80 seamen working for a Norwegian cruise liner on 7 June, and 170 from Belgium,
Canada, Spain, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, France and the US on 8 June.
The Thai cabinet approved visa extensions until 31 July for about 1 million migrant workers from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to ease potential labour shortages as the country’s economy reopens. 6,108 migrants have returned to Bago Region from Thailand, the highest number of returnees across all states and regions.
Between 5 and 12 June, five cases of COVID-19 involving returns with recent travel history from Bangladesh, were identified in Rakhine State. Four of the cases have been quarantined in Maungdaw Township, and one asymptomatic case in Buthidaung Township..."
Source/publisher:
International Organization for Migration (IOM) ( Switzerland) via "Reliefweb" (New York) (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-14
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
IOM Burma/Myanmar, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
679.31 KB
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Sub-title:
Earlier, a 71-year old man died at isolation centre of Rohingya camp on June 1
Description:
"Two more Rohingya men died from coronavirus on Monday, taking total death in the Rohingya camp to three.
One of them was 58 years old and a resident of camp-10 while another was 70 years and a resident of camp-7 in Ukhiya, said Dr Abu Toha MRH Bhuiyan, health coordinator of the Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.
Besides, five more Rohingyas were diagnosed with coronavirus on Monday, he said adding that total number coronavirus cases rose to 35 till Monday.
Meanwhile, two Rohingya men made recovery from coronavirus. Earlier, a 71-year old man died at isolation centre of Rohingya camp on June 1.
Earlier on May 16, two more Rohingyas were diagnosed with coronavirus at Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar, forcing the local administration to put some 5,000 Rohingyas at the camp under complete lockdown.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas, most of them entered Bangladesh since August 25, 2017..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of publication:
2020-06-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The fisheries industry says it deserves more help from the government to deal with a downturn caused by the pandemic, but some government officials insist that it’s business as usual in the sector.
Description:
"Myanmar had its sights set on a record-breaking year for fishery exports until the coronavirus pandemic swept away orders, closed factories and jeopardised millions of jobs. Now industry sources say the sector needs government support to remain strong and survive well into the future.
However, private sector stakeholders and the government offer vastly differing assessments of the impact of COVID-19 on the fisheries industry, one of the nation’s most important export earners.
The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation believes the sector has continued to thrive despite COVID-19, and has figures to justify its rosy assessment. They show exports are strong and rising, averaging just over $81 million a month in the fiscal year beginning last October, up from $60.16 million a month in 2018-19. Exports in the eight months to the end of May totalled US$651 million, compared to $722 million for the entire previous fiscal year and $700 million in 2017-18.
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But industry figures poured water over any suggestion Myanmar could meet a $1 billion target set last year. They say exports began to slump from February, as buyers cancelled orders and Myanmar factories, including processing plants, were forced to temporarily close due to COVID-19 prevention measures..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-12
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Especially since the internet was cut off in Rohingya refugee camps, bicycles and rickshaws play a vital role in sending messages
Description:
"Social distancing is a crucial aspect of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. But that poses challenges to the flow of key information during a time when being well-informed is also critical to public health.
Especially since the internet was cut off in Rohingya refugee camps, bicycles and rickshaws play a vital role in sending messages far and wide.
In Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to explore new ways to bring key messages to Rohingya and host community members throughout the district.
Initiatives like passing on messages via rickshaws and IOM’s Interactive Voice Response system are making huge contributions in ensuring that the public is kept informed.
However, gaps remain where phone and road access are limited.
To amplify key messaging and ensure that no one is left without access to lifesaving information, IOM’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) unit in Cox’s Bazar began delivering information throughout the Rohingya settlements by bicycle.
In line with the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations “green recovery” recommendations to encourage a culture of cycling, IOM is supporting Rohingya participants to use bicycles procured and painted locally to ride throughout pre-identified sections of the camp. Thye cyclists use megaphones to deliver pre-recorded messages to each area.
The initiative is conducted by Rohingya refugees, for Rohingya refugees, and has already reached approximately 67,000 beneficiaries across the camp. Scaled-up messaging will continue as Covid-19 numbers rise..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of publication:
2020-06-12
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Unilever are working together to enhance sanitation and hygiene for families in need in Myanmar, including those in displacement settings and host communities. The multinational company has donated some 608,000 bars of soap to prevent COVID-19.
“Handwashing remains the most basic yet effective way to prevent the disease spreading,” said Cecile Fradot, Representative ad interim for UNHCR in Myanmar. “Ensuring those most vulnerable can clean their hands, can save lives, and I thank Unilever for this generous donation.”
Displaced people are among the most marginalized and vulnerable members of our community. They are particularly at risk during this coronavirus outbreak as they often live in close quarters with intergenerational families and may face limited access to water and sanitation systems and health facilities. The hygiene items have been dispatched to Kachin, northern Shan, Rakhine, as well as Kayah and Kayin states, and will be distributed in camp settings for displaced families and other communities in need. They will also be distributed to support health departments and local authorities mitigate against the infection and spread of COVID-19..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-14
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"While life in Yangon city appears to have returned to normal with the usual traffic congestion and reopening of restaurants and gyms, measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have nonetheless been further extended.
International flight restrictions to and from Yangon International Airport have been further extended to June 30 from June 15, according to the Department of Civil Aviation. This aligns with the latest decision by the National Central Committee for Prevention, Control, and Treatment of COVID-19 to further extend temporary measures to control the spread of the coronovirus in Myanmar to June 30 from June 15. Both announcements were made on June 12.
Other measures to manage COVID-19 are still in place. These include: 1. Compulsory wearing of face masks in public; 2. A Yangon-wide curfew between 12am to 4am;
3. Lockdowns at Insein and Mayangone townships;
4. Gatherings of five persons or more, with exemptions.
The latest exemptions are:
1. Performance of duties at government departments, organisations, companies, factories and workshops;
2. Attending government, private and monastic schools;
3. Attending seminars, meetings and training at government departments, organisations, companies, factories and workshops conducted in accordance with health ministry guidelines;
4. Dining at food and beverge outlets permitted to operate dine-in services by regional governments in accordance with health ministry guidelines;
5. Working at businesses deemed essential under a May 3 notification issued by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population. Other exemptions to the gathering of five or more person ban include traveling to and from the workplace or hospital, trading at permitted markets and malls, transport of goods, court proceedings and funeral affairs.
Meanwhile, all government staff have been ordered to return to work as usual, while basic education schools will reopen from mid-July. High schools will recommence on July 21, with primary and middle schools starting two weeks later. Many businesses, including factories, hotels and restaurants, have also been permitted to reopen after passing government inspections..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-13
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
Font:
Zawgyi
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Description:
" Myanmar government announced late Friday further extension of effective period for preventive measures against COVID-19 until the end of June.
The national-level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment on COVID-19 issued the announcement of extension measures as part of efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
It was learnt that the extension will not have effect on the measures which were lifted, but measures such as restrictions of gathering five persons or above, mass gatherings and others continue to remain in effect.
Meanwhile, some restrictions have been lifted in the areas related to the operation of factories, workshops and workplaces.
Essential businesses related to public service sector are being allowed to operate in accordance with the guidelines, Yangon Region Social Affairs Minister Naing Ngan Lin told Xinhua.
All government staff have been ordered to return to work as usual earlier this month, after temporary restriction of half of the staff to stay at home in recent months.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to reopen basic education schools in mid-July, by classifying groups of schools -- some will be reopened in regular hours while others in shifts.
As of Saturday morning, Myanmar has reported 261 COVID-19 positive cases with six deaths, according to latest figures released by the Health and Sports Ministry..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-13
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"A health worker at the checkpoint in Lwe Je on the Chinese border in Kachin State tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and nearly 150 people who had contact with her have been traced, according to health officials.
On Thursday, 12 positive cases were reported and the 24-year-old midwife from Kachin State, who had no travel history or reported contact with coronavirus patients, was among them, the Ministry of Health and Sports said.
According to Kachin State’s COVID-19 control and emergency response committee, the midwife was part of the health team at Lwe Je border in May and early June to perform medical checkups for returnees from China.
“We think she was infected by someone returning from China as she has no history of travel or contact with a known patient. Currently, she is in good health and was taken to the general hospital in Bhamo Township,” said U Tint Naing, the deputy director of the committee.
Swabs from 20 health workers at the border were sent for lab tests on June 4 with the midwife testing positive on June 11.
Now 21 health, administration and immigration staff who worked with her at the border are being held in quarantine.
The midwife is from Wein Kham village in Momauk Township in Kachin State. She has also vaccinated children in the village and went to Momauk hospital for training.
Since she worked at Lwe Je checkpoint – through which over 10,000 migrant workers have returned from China since April – it is suspected the midwife was infected by a silent carrier.
The committee said approximately 150 people in contact with her were being traced and 71 swabs were being taken on Friday.
“Swabs were already taken from 71 people and more will come. We will send swabs to the Yangon lab. Home quarantine for the children and her family in Wein Kham and Momauk has already been ordered,” U Tint Naing added..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication:
2020-06-12
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), China-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Along with restaurants, bars and shops, it’s normal for gyms to close during Thingyan – Myanmar’s week-long new year’s celebrations.
Description:
"But this year, the government introduced stringent restrictions after the Thingyan holidays, effectively closing many businesses until the first week of June.
This included gyms, which have only just started to reopen – albeit with strict booking requirements, so as to avoid many patrons working out at the same time. Some have remained closed, however, leaving many owners and instructors without income or a place to stay in shape. But amidst the closures people started browsing platforms like YouTube for new home-based remedies. Some instructors took to the internet, seeking to recapture the minds and bodies of Myanmar’s energetic gym-goers, changing the way people dance, work-out and lift weights.
One such enterprising instructor was Ko Zayar Lynn, who can be seen in his trademark bright yellow stretch pants, punching out a Zumba rhythm to the beat of Burmese pop songs.
His videos were recorded during his popular classes at the Battle Ground Gym and Fitness Studio, but are now accessed by hundreds of students following his every move at home. “We can’t go to gym right now, as many have had to close. So, I created an online group for Zumba students so that they could work-out at home,” Ko Zayar Lynn said. His new company is called Stay Home Wellness.
“All the instructors were affected by the closures, and many weren’t even paid – so they had to quit their jobs. Before the pandemic I rented an apartment and turned it into a gym hall. The lease was for three years, but we only used it for eight months before being forced to close,” Ko Zayar Lynn said.
“It was depressing, but we still wanted to continue our classes, so we offered them to our students online,” said Ko Zayar Lynn..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-13
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Who could have supported ACTED Covid-19 home-visit interventions in refugee camps better than the residents themselves?
To prevent the virus from entering Ban Mai Nai Soi and Ban Mae Surin refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border, 36 Myanmar refugees joined ACTED to conduct information sessions on Covid-19 and Hygiene Kits distribution to all camp residents.
We asked four of them to share their experience with us.
From ACTED ex-trainees to ACTED camp-based workers
Aged 19 to 51 years old, they speak Burmese, Karen and/or Karenni (local languages from Myanmar). When they heard of the opportunity to join ACTED for a month, all of them were familiar with the organization.
In 2015, both Akamin and Be Bya Na, only 15 years old at the time, graduated from ACTED Motorcycle and Electric Wiring and Sewing trainings in Ban Mai Nai Soi camp, attending each day after school. Be Bya Na remembers enrolling to the latter training as she wanted to get additional skills after school to increase her chances to become a successful businesswoman one day.
To learn about office work, Kee Ler Htoo, a 50-year old mother of nine children, graduated from ACTED’s advanced computing course in 2015 and has been working ever since in the Camp Livelihoods Committee of her camp, as a Livelihood coordinator.
Interested in IT for years, Yar Ree Htoo, a 51-year-old gardening enthusiast, enrolled in the computer course in 2019. “I learned how to use Microsoft, Excel, Photoshop, among many other things and it was so helpful.”
This year, the four of them became camp-based workers, with the ultimate goal to support and inform their community about Covid-19. When asked about why it was important for everyone to be aware and understand how to be protected from it, Be Bya Na responded “to help and save other lives.”
Involving camp-residents through Hygiene Kits distribution and home visit sensitization
To conduct their activities, camp-based workers worked in pairs. Akamin and Be Bya Na, long-time friends, decided to conduct their home visits together, first participating in hygiene practice trainings and receiving Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), namely a cloth mask, gloves and hand sanitizers.
Each day, they visited approximately five households, always ensuring to wear a mask and to respect a 2-meter social distancing while interacting with their fellow camp-residents..."
Source/publisher:
ACTED via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-12
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Refugees and immigrants in Thailand - Thailand's international treaty obligations and relevant Thai legislation, Thailand-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar authorities have been making strenuous effort for the recovery of local employment which was affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, an official from Labour, Immigration and Population Ministry told Xinhua Friday.
"The ministry is doing its utmost to connect local employers and employees to boost the local employment opportunities," said U Myo Aung, permanent secretary of the ministry.
The number of newly employed workers significantly dropped in April and May during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Over 9,300 local employments were offered to workers in the country's regions and states in April while over 6,000 local employments were created in May, down from over 24,000 in March, the ministry's figures said.
The number of unemployed workers from factories, workshops and workplaces reached about 17,000 this year and the months of COVID-19 period registered the highest unemployment rate in the country, the permanent secretary said.
Aiming to promote the development of the country and help people increase their incomes, the ministry has been offering local and overseas employment opportunities.
Meanwhile, the ministry announced suspension of sending migrant workers abroad and the issuance of employment contracts and overseas employment identity cards in March, as part of COVID-19 containment measures..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-12
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Labour issues in Burma
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar is one of the last nations to acknowledge Covid-19 cases within its borders. But the exiled human rights activist, Khin Ohmar, is skeptical of the 248 Covid-19 cases reported in a country whose healthcare systems in 2000 was ranked by the WHO as one of the world’s worst–and with a deep-rooted custom of “saving face.”
Over 100 ethnic groups comprise the 54 million Southeast-Asian country of Myanmar (formerly Burma) that borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand.
The 74-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi–human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate turned politician– leads the National League for Democracy (NLD) and has placed the military to lead the country’s Coronavirus emergency response. Suu Kyi’s NLD and the military-backed party politicize pandemic prevention as part of their November re-election strategy by distributing supplies and cash donations with their campaign insignia.
The government hails its Myanmar Leaves No One Behind in its Fight Against Covid-19 campaign. Meanwhile, in western Rakhine and Chin States, ethnic Rakhine, Rohingya and Chin communities are subjected to Myanmar military’s air strikes, torture, extrajudicial killing, rape, and mass displacements–and attacks on the ad hoc groups distributing preventive supplies to ethnic communities..."
Source/publisher:
"Forbes" (USA)
Date of publication:
2020-06-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Ministry of Education will allow private schools to add classrooms so they can comply with the government’s guidelines on social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Description:
"The ministry has scheduled schools to start on July 21, beginning with high schools and followed by primary and middle schools two weeks later.
U Nay Oke, chair of the Myanmar Private Schools Federation, said private schools need more classrooms to ensure that students stay at least six feet away from each other. According to law, only rooms registered with the ministry are allowed to be used as classrooms, so private schools sought permission to add more classrooms.
“The minister approved our proposal to use other buildings on the same street or adjacent to the schools as classrooms,” U Nay Oke said. However, the ministry has not yet decided whether to allow private boarding schools to reopen in July, he said.
U Nay Oke said private schools have to comply with more rules to reopen than government schools, so he called on education officials to impose the same rules for both.
The rules for private schools require listing the travel history of students and their family members in the past month, the address of each student, and the people with whom they have had contact.
It also urged the ministry to allow schools to use online teaching as well as classroom teaching. Some private schools have been teaching their students online since May.
But State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has rejected online teaching, saying Myanmar is not ready for it because it lacks the necessary infrastructure.
“Some students in those countries oppose learning online,” she said in an online meeting with education officials and parents on May 19.
She said education is not just about passing examinations, but also about socialising and teamwork, which only classroom learning can provide..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"81 per cent of the households in informal settlements have at least one member who lost their job in the past 30 days. The percentage of job loss (either the respondent or a member of their household) for women respondents was 87.7 per cent; 13.2 percentage points higher than for men at 74.5 per cent.
94 per cent of households in informal settlements report a fall in income over the past 30 days. 90 per cent of households reported having no alternate sources of income.
Household Debt
69 per cent of households have taken a loan in the past 30 days.
Households in informal settlements were already highly indebted before the outbreak of COVID-19. Average household indebtedness was MMK 555,000. 61 per cent of households taking out a new loan in the past 30 days took out a loan of value greater than MMK 100,000.
88 per cent of households used the loan taken out in the past 30 days to buy food.
Food Security
60 per cent of households in informal settlements reported receiving food assistance from the government.
However, food insecurity remains high. All households (100 per cent) in the sample reported that they are worried their stock of food would run out before having money to buy food.
Security of Tenure
53 per cent of households in informal settlements do not feel secure from eviction.
More women respondents reported eviction-related insecurity (57 per cent) compared to men (49 per cent). Access to Healthcare
90 per cent of households live within 15 minutes of a health facility.
For 65 per cent of households, the nearest health facility is a public hospital.
Knowledge, Awareness and Practices (KAP) related to COVID-19
Households reported high awareness of three key actions for the prevention of COVID-19 - handwashing, use of masks and physical distancing.
However, 62 per cent of households in informal settlements do not have space for physical distancing; a third of all households do not have money to buy masks.
Majority of households rely on television and/or government notices and announcements for information on COVID-19..."
Source/publisher:
UN-HABITAT (Kenya) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-10
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), HABITAT - Burma/Myanmar, Sustainable/alternative development in and for Burma
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
9.59 MB
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Description:
"UNODC and the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) took an important step towards improving border security and mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 today, as UNODC handed over significant quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE) for use at border liaison offices (BLOs) across Myanmar. UNODC provided the MPF with 20,000 surgical masks, 200 pairs of goggles, 8,000 pairs of disposable gloves, 160 protective suits and 60 contactless temperature scanners, which will now be used by frontline border officers at 13 land border crossings. The equipment was supplied by China’s Ministry of Public Security, who donated the PPE to UNODC for distribution across the BLO network.
“To ensure Myanmar’s border checkpoints are secure, frontline officers need to know they can carry out their job without unnecessary risk of contracting COVID-19,” said UNODC Officer in Charge for Myanmar, Marie Pegie-Cauchois. “Which is why UNODC has prioritized getting PPE and personal safety guides to those working in BLOs. It’s an essential step in preventing organized crime from taking advantage of the situation more than they already have. Human trafficking, migrant smuggling, wildlife and timber trafficking, and, particularly urgent given the situation in Myanmar, illicit drug flows, are at risk of increasing if border checkpoints are not operating as effectively as possible. We believe today’s handover of PPE is a significant step forward in mitigating these risks as we move forward.”
he handover takes place at a crucial point, as discussions of reopening borders and increasing trade between Myanmar and its neighbours are ongoing. As borders reopen, increased trade flows are expected, particularly in the initial days following border openings, emphasizing the importance of preparing BLOs and frontline officers now. Alongside the equipment being handed over are personal safety guides developed by UNODC providing detailed information on officer safety, effectively using PPE, as well as how standard operating procedures can be effectively adapted to allow licit goods to cross borders with minimal friction in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (Austria)
Date of publication:
2020-06-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Drugs and Burma: general links, reports and articles
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
164.48 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"The United Nations agencies, funds and programmes are continuing to provide strong support to the Government of Myanmar’s efforts to prepare and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Testing remains one of the most effective ways of quick identification of cases, ensuring medical support for people who contracted the virus and immediate isolation to prevent its spread. Whilst providing supporting on preparedness and response across a broad range of areas, the United Nations in Myanmar has given specific emphasis to supporting the Government to increase its testing capacity.
Since the first recorded confirmed case in Myanmar, the United Nations has come together to mount a collective response to boost support to the Government of Myanmar’s testing strategy and has handed over 73,000 test kits to the Ministry of Health and Sports and its relevant laboratory facilities.
The first batch of 3,000 test reagents provided by the World Health Organization and its partners arrived in country late March. The Access to Health Fund, funded by the United Kingdom, Sweden, United States and Switzerland and managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has handed over more than 55,000 test kits in two separate batches, complimented by 20,000 more test kits procured by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), also delivered in two batches during the last two months. The Access to Health Fund also delivered two automated sample extraction machines to the National Health Laboratory to improve the accuracy of testing.
United Nations support to respond to COVID-19 has also focused on providing protection for frontline healthcare workers and communities, support to strengthening existing capacities across various levels of government and at grassroots level to effectively prepare and respond, risk communication and community engagement, and ensuring continuity of ongoing development, and humanitarian programming.
Central to the UN’s collective response has been the launch of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) weekly aid flights between Yangon to Kuala Lumpur in light of the temporary suspension of commercial flights. Initially funded by the European Union and Switzerland, these WFP flights have facilitated the regular delivery to Myanmar of supplies, including test kits and other vital equipment, and the arrival of humanitarian and development personnel..."
Source/publisher:
OCHA (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Children
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
144.51 KB 195.26 KB
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Description:
"The Covid-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) that the government rolled out in the last week of April is a welcome initiative for a country that is suffering from both the assault of the novel coronavirus and the massive economic impact of the nationwide lockdown that the government has imposed to stop its spread. More than 50 measures were laid out in the 15-page document. But the plan is more of a wishful shopping-list, with only two items being assigned specific amounts: up to K500 billion (US$360 million) in loans for small- and medium-sized businesses in selected sectors; and K100 billion ($72 million) for trade financing. There are also a number of important measures for containing the novel coronavirus that are missing.
Logic of CERP is Unexplained
The narrative that explains the logic of the plan is absent. How the different measures are integrated is unclear. There is no prioritization of measures. Everything seems to be a priority so that, in effect, nothing is a priority. Without clear prioritization, allocating resources becomes a very haphazard process.
It has since become known that the total budget comes to 2.09 to 2.8 trillion kyat, or $1.5 to $2 billion. How this figure is arrived at is unknown but, comparing it to economic relief or stimulus packages in other countries, it is on the low side. It comes to less than 3 per cent of Myanmar’s GDP of $77 billion in 2019. In contrast, it has been reported that the economic relief fund of Thailand comes to almost 9 per cent of GDP and that of Singapore to 8 per cent. Perhaps what is coming in as emergency foreign aid from the World Bank and bilateral donors has not been factored in the CERP. But, even if one adds a generous figure of $1 billion in aid, that would make the CERP only slightly lower than 4 per cent of GDP..."
Source/publisher:
"TNI"
Date of publication:
2020-06-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"As Myanmar’s Kachin conflict reaches nine year milestone, these powerful photos show daily life for the 120,000 people living in internal displacement camps who are now facing COVID-19
It was nine years ago today that the Kachin conflict in northern Myanmar re-ignited. A 17-year ceasefire agreement between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army collapsed. As a result of the armed conflict, more than 120,000 civilians have been displaced.
The Kachin conflict is not well known and gets little media coverage. The armed conflict on Myanmar’s north began over six decades ago, and continues to this day, creating huge humanitarian needs. For the last nine years, displaced people have lived in over 170 displacement camps across Kachin State and northern Shan State in Myanmar.
On top of the everyday challenges and hardships of living in the crowded camps, the COVID-19 virus has now arrived in Myanmar. Restrictions in travel and movement have caused serious food shortages and decreased opportunities for people in camps to earn an income. Access to camps has been restricted meaning that it is also difficult to get essential humanitarian support in. Daily life has become even more difficult to endure. Ziun camp in the town of Myitkyina has been locked shut since 8th April 2020. This action has been taken in order to prevent the spread of the pandemic and people are not allowed to exit or enter the camp.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, all regular children’s activities, such as summer school, Sunday school, church meetings and awareness sessions have all been stopped in the camps..."
Source/publisher:
"Trócaire" via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Description:
"CSOs are essential for any country’s successful COVID-19 response. In Myanmar, civil society organisations are working quickly and efficiently on the frontlines, supporting the communities and Government in their immediate COVID-19 response. The CSOs receive both direct and indirect funding from various international organisations.
Of the 153 organisations engaged in LIFT’s COVID-19 response, 128 (or 84%) are local or national organisations - present, committed, quick and responsive to the emerging needs.
LIFT also estimates that more than 80% of the response activity is undertaken by local partners - it is they who go to villages, factories, quarantine centers, camps and border gates (while international staff and sometimes national staff from international organisations are not allowed) and it is they who provide the awareness training through loudspeakers and pamphlets, visit families in their homes, and support quarantine centers with essential materials.
By example, LIFT’s five strategic civil society partners (Karuna Mission Social Solidarity, Land Core Group, Metta, Network Activities Group, and Gender Equality Network) alone reached almost a million beneficiaries, of which half are women, within the first month of their emergency response. Their COVID work has also extended to influencing policy and practice, for example GEN's work with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement to announce nation-wide GBV data in collaboration with all CSOs and international organisations.
LIFT’s Decent Work and Labour Mobility programme delivered emergency support to 355,673 direct beneficiaries (of which 58% are women), across multiple states and regions of Myanmar, covering Yangon, Kayin, Mon, Shan, Tanintharyi, Bago, Chin, Mandalay, Magway, Bago and Ayeyarwaddy. A key factor behind the effectiveness of this response in these difficult times is the engagement of local civil society and labour organisations in the management and implementation before and during the crisis. With local organisations’ ability to mobilise quickly, their high level of personal commitment and their extensive local knowledge, these organisations have formed the backbone of LIFT’s support to migrants in border areas, communities of origin and communities of destination.
Our local CSO partners have also supported internal migrants through the provision of shelter and food and financial support to women in crisis, particularly the garment workers who have lost their jobs due to widespread factory closures in Yangon. LIFT-funded CSOs have also provided legal assistance to migrant workers to claim compensation for terminated employment and resolve labour disputes, both of which have increased dramatically during the pandemic, they supported community-level quarantine facilities and raising of awareness in Yangon’s Hlaing Thar Yar Township..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations Office for Project Services (Denmark) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-10
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
100.51 KB
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Description:
"Bangladesh and Myanmar are at odds over the origin of two coronavirus cases confirmed among the latter’s Rohingya community.
The dispute started when Myanmar’s Health Ministry confirmed that two Rohingya men -- a Muslim and a Hindu -- had tested positive for COVID-19 in the country.
Some media outlets in Myanmar, citing local lawmakers, reported that both men had recently returned from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh, home to more than 1 million Rohingya refugees.
However, on Tuesday, Dhaka rejected the reports as “totally false and baseless.”
Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bangladesh's commissioner for refugees, relief, and repatriation, said the claim was a continuation of Myanmar’s “fabricated speeches.”
“This is completely wrong and inaccurate information. No Rohingya has returned to Myanmar from Bangladesh in the past few years,” he told Anadolu Agency.
He said such a journey would be particularly hard right now due to the coronavirus restrictions imposed in Rohingya camps.
“It’s quite impossible for any Rohingya person to go from Bangladesh to Myanmar amid the virus restrictions,” said Talukder.
On June 4, Myanmar said a Rohingya man who tested positive for COVID-19 was admitted to a hospital in Maungdaw, a town near its western border with Bangladesh.
Soe Aung, district administrator for Maungdaw, said the 38-year-old patient was among five Rohingya people who returned to Rakhine state from Bangladesh on May 30, according to local online website Narinjara.
Then, late on Monday, the Health Ministry said a 25-year-old Rohingya Hindu man was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.
“Villagers said he arrived alone on June 3. Some people who have come into contact with him have also been shifted to a quarantine site for 21 days,” Aung told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.
Myanmar has a total of 244 cases, including six deaths and 159 recoveries, while Bangladesh’s overall count is at 71,675, with 975 deaths and over 15,300 recoveries.
According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a brutal crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, bringing the number of the persecuted people in Bangladesh to above 1.2 million.
Although a plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees has stalled, Myanmar in April claimed that more than 600 Rohingya had returned from Bangladesh of their own volition.
In a statement last week, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen accused Myanmar of not accepting a single Rohingya person in the last three years since the community’s August 2017 exodus..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of publication:
2020-06-10
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The government’s struggle to increase testing capacity amid shortages of equipment and staff is beginning to pay off and will leave Myanmar much better prepared for future pandemics.
Description:
"On April 22, three container trucks carrying parts of a Swiss-made Cobas 6800 Analyser arrived at the National Health Laboratory in Yangon to much fanfare. Donated by a local company, AA Pharmaceutical, the machine was trumpeted as a gamechanger in Myanmar’s response to COVID-19, because it would enable a significant scaling-up of testing.
Previously the NHL had been conducting just a few hundred tests a day, up to a maximum daily capacity of around 300. From early May, the Ministry of Health and Sports said, it would be able to conduct an additional 1,400 tests a day with the Cobas analyser.
Further steps were soon taken to boost testing capacity. The Department of Medical Research also began conducting COVID-19 tests on April 23, and the ministry revealed plans to establish new laboratories outside Yangon. Meanwhile, a few days after the donated machine arrived at the NHL, the military announced it had two more of the Cobas machines available, and offered to use them to test samples from civilians.
Yet, in spite of these initiatives, testing barely increased for almost a month. Only since mid-May has the number of tests regularly hit 500 a day. By June 9, only 38,123 tests had been performed overall in a country of 54 million. Support independent journalism in Myanmar. Sign up to be a Frontier member.
The slow scale-up of testing suggests there is no silver bullet. A range of factors need to be in place to test on a wide scale – not just the machines to perform the tests, but also testing kits, chemical reagents, human resources, supply chains and policies..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-10
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"The Chinese government has donated the fourth batch of medical supplies to Myanmar to assist in the fight against COVID-19, according to a release from the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar.
The medical supplies, including disposable masks, N95 masks, googles and personal protective equipment (PPEs), were handed over to the Myanmar side on Monday.
Noting that Monday marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Myanmar, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai said he hoped that the donation could support Myanmar's efforts in fighting against the disease, adding that China is willing to strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation and other pragmatic cooperation with Myanmar to benefit peoples of the two countries.
During the handover ceremony, Myanmar's Union Minister for Health and Sports Myint Htwe expressed gratitude for the Chinese government for donating medical supplies as well as sending medical expert teams earlier to help Myanmar in the prevention, treatment and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Tuesday morning, Myanmar has reported 244 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with six deaths, according to latest figures released by the Health and Sports Ministry..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), China-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"In the early weeks of 2020, the signs pointed to progress in Myanmar’s convoluted effort to finally end 70 years of ethnic strife in its border areas. On Jan. 8, representatives from the government and the 10 ethnic armies that are party to a 2015 cease-fire deal convened in the capital, Naypyidaw, where they reached an eight-point agreement on the next steps to continue implementing that cease-fire. They also vowed to meet for a fourth national peace conference by the end of April, to build on three earlier summits held between 2016 and 2018.
That fourth summit would have signaled the timely revitalization of Myanmar’s troubled peace process, which Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, has dubbed the “21st Century Panglong,” after the agreement that her father, independence hero Aung San, signed with representatives of several ethnic groups in 1947. Making progress in the peace talks after several recent setbacks would have provided a boost to Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, as they prepare for a general election later this year.
But plans for the peace conference now threaten to be derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. Myanmar confirmed its first cases of COVID-19 on March 23, prompting the government and ethnic armed groups to postpone all meetings and push the summit back to July.
Government spokesman Zaw Htay told reporters on May 30 that the government still plans to hold the summit next month, albeit with strict social distancing measures in place and a reduced number of delegates. Myanmar currently has some 230 official cases of COVID-19. July may represent the last chance to restart talks this year, with elections looming. The government has effectively ruled out holding the summit during the election campaign, set to run for 90 days between August and October..."
Source/publisher:
"World Politics Review (WPR)"
Date of publication:
2020-06-08
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Description:
"This policy bulletin has three main objectives: (i) to outline key risks and policy options to address COVID-19 impacts on the agriculture and food sector in Myanmar, (ii) to facilitate policy dialogue with MOALI around concrete policy objectives to address the COVID-19 emergency in the short and long-term, and (iii) to support coordination of Myanmar‟s Agriculture and Rural Development Sector Coordination Group and its key recommendations.
Myanmar‟s social and economic fabric, like most countries around the world, is being strained by COVID-19. Health systems are under enormous pressure, people are experiencing high levels of stress due to restricted mobility and fear of outbreaks, and economies and food system are under increasing pressure. On 10 March 2020, Myanmar‟s State Counsellor H.E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi noted that Myanmar‟s economy “was suffering from the fallout of the COVID 19 outbreak that has already spread worldwide.” In tandem, The World Bank has predicted a slowing of economic growth in Myanmar, down from 6.3% to 2 or 3% in the 2019-20 fiscal year. As reported in The Frontier on March 30th, “In Myanmar, the 'cure' for COVID could be deadlier than the disease”.
There are a number of potential impacts of COVID-19 on food security and livelihoods in Myanmar.
These include i) disruption of food product market chains due to decreased production and transport constraints affecting both producers and consumers; ii) volatility of prices that could create social tensions and conflict iii) decline in household income sources, livelihoods and purchasing power; iv) and fatalities, should COVID-19 spread seriously across urban and rural areas. It can be expected that households with direct incidences of COVID-19 will be the most severely affected through the loss of labour opportunities and income, incurred expenses, and decreased agricultural production. Those already economically disadvantaged, suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, or vulnerable to socio-economic shocks, natural hazards and conflict are more likely to suffer severely from COVID-19 as it will deepen their vulnerability in the short and long-term..."
Source/publisher:
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Rome) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
254.83 KB
more
Sub-title:
The closure of dozens of illegal trade gates along the border with Thailand to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is causing shortages of everything from beer and energy drinks to detergent and cosmetics, highlighting the vast scale of informal trade with Thailand.
Description:
"For decades, billions of dollars of goods have crossed the Thai-Myanmar border through dozens of illegal trade gates in Kayin State’s Myawaddy Township that are run by armed groups.
Each day, hundreds of trucks drive to the Thai side of the Thaung Yin (or Moei) River in Mae Sot, where their cargo is processed by Thai Customs, unloaded by hand onto small boats, ferried across the narrow stretch of water to Myawaddy and stored in warehouses for distribution throughout Myanmar. Most of this happens in broad daylight, and is legal on the Thai side and tacitly approved in Myanmar.
Through conflict, natural disaster and political instability, these “boat gates” have nearly always remained open, providing a steady stream of imported goods to markets around the country.
Not only do the gates provide a financial lifeline to the armed groups that control them, they enable businesses to skirt trade regulations – and Customs duties – on everything from fabric and liquor to cars and used refrigerators, costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars a year in lost tax revenue. Government officials acknowledge the gates are illegal, but insist they are powerless to close them.
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But then came COVID-19. For the past two months the illegal gates have been closed, and cross-border trade has been limited to a single official crossing, the No 2 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge. Although some traders have tried to switch to legal channels, many of the goods, such as liquor, that cross through the illegal gates cannot be imported legally. Trade has fallen from about US$10 million a day in February to as little as $3 million a day in April, according to the Myawaddy Chamber of Commerce. Stocks of imported goods have run out, while exports to Thailand have also been hit hard..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2020-06-08
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Thailand-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"As conflict escalates in western Myanmar amid the rise of coronavirus cases in the country, there is growing concern of a deepening humanitarian crisis. As of May 26, Myanmar has recorded 206 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths. Clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), an armed group seeking greater autonomy for ethnic Rohingya people, have displaced hundred thousand people since conflicts started over a year ago.
Recent spike in conflicts since late March have left 32 deaths, 71 injuries and forced more people to flee their homes. Last month, former UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Yanghee Lee accused the Myanmar army of new atrocities and called for investigation into “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the country’s Rakhine and Chin states. Developments in the past month suggest that the situation in conflict-affected areas may further deteriorate and put vulnerable people at risk during the pandemic.
On May 10, the Myanmar military announced a unilateral “ceasefire” with the objective it claimed was to help contain and prevent the spread of the global pandemic. However, the ceasefire left out Rakhine state and Paletwa township of Chin state, where clashes between the AA and the Myanmar military have been intensifying in recent weeks. Earlier in March, the Myanmar government designated the AA as a terrorist group.
The Myanmar military’s decision to keep Rakhine and Chin states out of the ceasefire seems to be driven by its calculation that the pandemic provides an opportunity for it to focus on the AA, as the ceasefire allow it to keep the peace with other ethnic armed organizations in different parts of the country and even explore ways to work together in the fight against the pandemic.
A recent reshuffle of the Myanmar military’s top brass, a report suggests, was primarily aimed at concentrating on the Rakhine conflict. Citing “insiders”, the report claims that “moderate” officers have been replaced in key positions with direct implications on the Rakhine conflict. The visit of Myanmar commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to Shan state and his meetings with leaders of ethnic armed groups such as the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) are also believed to have links with the development in Rakhine state..."
Source/publisher:
"Observer Research Foundation (ORF)" (India)
Date of publication:
2020-05-30
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Auxiliary firefighters had a bad reputation under military rule, but these days, communities celebrate their heroics as they battle blazes and the pandemic.
Description:
"The public address system blared into life and triggered a burst of activity among the five volunteer firefighters. “Level 2 fire! At Myaungtagar, Hmawbi. Go now! Go now!” ordered the Fire Services Department.
The team on duty in the community hall in Wei Lu Win ward that doubles as the headquarters of the Sanchaung Township-North Auxiliary Fire Brigade rushed to put on their protective clothing and load equipment into two ambulance vans before speeding off with the sirens wailing at about 3pm to Hmawbi on Yangon’s northern outskirts.
It was a battery factory up in flames; a 15-deep pit shot up fire and spat out acid. About 100 firefighters, including members of two volunteer brigades, used foam and water to drive back the blaze. After eight hours, they deployed sand to soak up the heat of the smouldering wreck. Two full-time firefighters were treated for dehydration; everyone was exhausted, and the Sanchaung volunteers headed home.
In Yangon, when a major fire breaks out, a volunteer usually shows up to help put it out. Often risking their lives for no compensation, auxiliary firefighters are not only tackling blazes these days, but also a new and more concealed enemy: the coronavirus.
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Playing a frontline role transporting patients, disinfecting roads, and in rescue operations, they are praised as local heroes who rescue the vulnerable in their time of need. Their bravery might also be playing a part in overcoming memories of a time when the recruits were used as henchman by the military..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-06
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 240 so far, with four new cases on Saturday night, according to figures released by the Health and Sports Ministry.
Four people who were under quarantine after their recent arrival from India tested positive.
It was learnt that the newly confirmed cases were from Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.
A total of 35,432 samples have been tested as of Saturday, since the disease was first detected in Myanmar on March 23.
According to the ministry's release, a total of 156 patients have recovered with six deaths so far..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-06
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Lift Restrictions on Movement, Health Care, Internet, Aid
Description:
" The Myanmar government should take urgent steps to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission among the estimated 350,000 people displaced by conflict and violence across the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Overcrowding, a mobile internet shutdown, blocks on humanitarian aid, and movement restrictions have left displaced communities in Rakhine, Kachin, Shan, Chin, and Karen States especially vulnerable to a virus outbreak. While concerns have been raised about Myanmar’s capacity to manage the coronavirus given its poor healthcare infrastructure, the country’s displaced populations face even greater risks. Most are trapped in dangerously overcrowded camps with severely substandard health care and inadequate access to clean water, sanitation, and other essential services. Many displaced people have underlying medical conditions and chronic diseases, putting them at high risk of suffering serious effects from the virus.
State media announced the government was drafting a COVID-19 response plan for internally displaced persons (IDPs), but humanitarian workers told Human Rights Watch they had not been consulted on the draft or given guidance about responding to a potential spread. “Years of conflict, neglect, and abusive policies by Myanmar’s government and military have left hundreds of thousands of displaced people sitting in the path of a public health catastrophe,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “The authorities need to ensure these groups have access to information, humanitarian aid, and health services, including prompt testing and isolation for those who show symptoms.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of publication:
2020-03-30
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Nearly 2500 students have volunteered at schools all around Myanmar to assist teachers during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Description:
"A total of 2488 students from 25 education colleges and two universities of education across the country will send in their names to volunteer in the basic education schools, said Ko Ye Yint Aung, president of the students union of Thingangyun Education College.
“More than 2000 teachers are needed every year. More teachers are needed to fill in the vacant positions which are left by the retirees. Normally the teachers are busy with teaching, so we want to share some responsibilities like taking temperatures,” he said.
After the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Education has temporarily stopped offering of postings for education college and university graduates.
So, the students requested the education ministry to offer their postings first as it is only months away, said some students who are waiting for their postings to be offered and are teaching in the government schools for free.
The students volunteered to teach as their colleges and universities are closed, they will have to go back when these institutions reopen, said Ko Ye Yint Aung..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"A total of 663 hotels, about one-third of the hotels in Myanmar, reopened across regions and states so far after temporary suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an official from the Hotels and Tourism Ministry told Xinhua late Thursday.
"There are 2,053 hotels operating in the country and one-third of them have reopened after getting health and safety inspection passes by the authorities concerned as of May 29," said Deputy Director General U Aung Aye Han of the ministry.
As of May 29, Yangon region topped the list with 284 re-operating hotels, followed by Shan state with 94 hotels while hotels in Mandalay region, Chin and Kachin states have not been reopened.
Putting health in first place, the ministry has been exerting efforts for tourism development and for the convenience of the travellers in the country, the official said.
Meanwhile, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourist arrivals in Myanmar had dropped by 45 percent in the first four months of this year, compared to the corresponding period of last year, U Hlaing Oo, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry told Xinhua recently.
As part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Foreign Affairs Ministry also extended temporary entry restrictions for travellers from all countries until June 15..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-05
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Vaccinations for children have resumed after a temporary pause due to COVID-19, but some parents aren’t yet taking their children to be vaccinated, because they have a fear of crowding and a lack of hygiene at the hospitals.
We take a look at the precautions being taken to ensure the health and safety of parents and infants at Myanmar’s vaccination clinics.
Doh Athan is a weekly podcast which looks at human rights issues, produced by Frontier with media partners from around the country, through a partnership with Fondation Hirondelle. It is supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Myanmar and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-05
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Children
Language:
more
Description:
"COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Rohingya refugees infected with coronavirus are fleeing quarantine in their Bangladesh camps because they fear being transferred to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, community leaders said on Thursday (Jun 4).
At least two infected refugees have gone missing since testing positive for the virus after the first COVID-19 death was reported on Tuesday, they said.
About one million Rohingya - most of whom fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017 - are packed into camps along the Bangladesh border, and the coronavirus has become the latest cause of misery.
Aid agencies have long warned that the virus could cause chaos in the overcrowded camps, where social distancing is virtually impossible.
So far only 29 infections have been detected, although 16,000 Rohingya are in quarantine zones within the camps.
It was not immediately clear how many tests have been conducted in the camps, but a senior health official said two people who proved positive had "fled the isolation hospital". He added that only 20 refugees agreed to be tested in the past two days because they believe those infected will be sent to Bhashan Char island in the Bay of Bengal.
"It has created mass panic," Nurul Islam, a community leader, told AFP.
Bangladesh authorities have long wanted to establish a camp for 100,000 people on the isolated island, and have already sent 306 Rohingya there..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
38-year-old man is among 5 Rohingya who reportedly returned to Myanmar's Rakhine state from Bangladesh
Description:
"A Rohingya man in Myanmar tested positive for the novel coronavirus, authorities said on Thursday, the first confirmed case in the persecuted Muslim minority in the country's western Rakhine state.
The Rohingya man is being treated at a public hospital in Maungdaw, a town near Myanmar’s western border with neighboring Bangladesh, the Health and Sports Ministry announced.
The 38-year-old man was among five Rohingya people who returned to Rakhine from Bangladesh on May 30, according to Narinjara, an online news outlet based in the state capital Sittwe.
Citing Maungdaw district administrator Soe Aung, it said a five-member family of returnees from Bangladesh to Myanmar has been quarantined at a transition camp since May 31.
Maung Ohme, a lawmaker from Maungdaw, confirmed the return of a Rohingya family on May 30.
"Swab samples of five people who returned from Bangladesh were sent to Yangon for testing, and one tested positive," he told Anadolu Agency by phone on Thursday.
"He is now in hospital, but his four fellow family members, who tested negative, are still at Hla Phoe Kaung transition camp," he added..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"A total of 14 frontline health workers have been infected with COVID-19 so far since the disease was first detected in March in Myanmar, a health official told Xinhua on Thursday.
Of them, six health personnel are working under the Ministry of Health and Sports and the rest are health care professionals from private clinics.
"Health care personnel are at the frontlines in fight against COVID-19. The ministry has been providing physical and mental support to them," Than Naing Soe, director of Health Literacy Promotion Unit of the Public Health Department under the ministry, told Xinhua.
All of those infected health care workers are in good condition and some of them have recovered, he said.
Myanmar reported first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 23 and the total number of infections has reached 234 as of Thursday morning.
In over two-month period, 145 patients have recovered and six deaths were reported so far, according to the ministry..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Workers have been bearing the brunt of measures imposed to counter the pandemic and their plight has been compounded by poor governance and hostility towards organised labour.
Description:
"In a video conference call on May 8 that discussed COVID-19 precautions in factories and other workplaces, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spoke of the importance of educating workers about the threat posed by the virus. “If the workers are careless, they will suffer,” she said.
While education is important, it is far from enough to protect factory workers from the effects of the virus, however. The government and business community may try to put the blame and burden of prevention on factory workers, but their plight during the coronavirus pandemic is a predictable result of negligence and careless governance and corporate conduct.
Protecting factory workers from COVID-19 requires government intervention to ensure that working conditions are safe and workers have the protective equipment they need. It requires oversight to ensure that factory workers receive full salaries and living wages for doing their jobs. An effective financial and social security system is critical to ensure that workers who are dismissed are not forsaken and it requires responsible business conduct that is not opportunistic or exploitative. More than ever Myanmar’s factory workers need strong independent unions to ensure that they can protect themselves, their interests and one another during this crisis..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-03
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Labour issues in Burma
Language:
more
Sub-title:
A tangle of contrasting measures in different states and regions for quarantining visitors has left would-be travellers unsure whether or not to pack their bags.
Description:
"As local authorities across Myanmar gradually ease measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, the prospect of travelling freely around most of the country is inching closer.
But varied approaches from states and regions have created an incohesive picture for travellers, who face everything from zero requirements to a 21-day quarantine in a government facility and a mandatory health certificate, depending on the area.
Anyone entering Myanmar from abroad must still undergo facility quarantine.
The Union government has recommended local authorities to roll back quarantine restrictions for domestic travellers, but has ultimately devolved the decision, said Ministry of Health and Sports spokesperson Dr Than Naing Soe.
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“Most states and regions are reducing their measures for quarantine,” he said. Than Naing Soe added that the only townships that are still subject to community lockdowns are Yangon’s COVID-19 hotspots, Insein and Mayangone. Residents of these two townships can expect to be quarantined in states and regions that have otherwise lifted quarantine requirements.
With 183 of Myanmar’s 233 confirmed COVID-19 cases, Yangon Region has been recognised by other regions and states as the epicentre of the virus, while Yangon itself has no quarantine requirements for domestic travellers.
Quarantine is not required for people who enter Mandalay Region, even if the township has recorded cases, said regional Shan ethnic affairs minister Sai Pan Saing. However, people travelling from townships under a community lockdown – Insein and Mayangone – will be quarantined for 21 days in a government facility, he said.
“We will check carefully to see where they are coming from before they enter the region,” Pan Saing told Frontier..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"• WFP is providing food and nutrition assistance to 34,800 returning migrants placed under quarantine in Kayin, Mon,
Shan, Tanintharyi and Yangon, as requested by the authorities.
Food assistance to returning migrants in Kachin will commence this week.
• WFP continues to operate weekly aid flights connecting Kuala Lumpur to Yangon, allowing humanitarian cargo and personnel to enter Myanmar.
• The price of the four main food commodities in Myanmar declined after the Myanmar New Year and COVID-19 panicbuying subsided, according to the WFP Market Monitor. Situation Update
• According to the Ministry of Health and Sports, there are 233 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Myanmar as of 3 June, including six fatalities.
• To curb the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Myanmar has extended several restrictions, including the suspension of international commercial flights until 15 June. Meanwhile, the Government lifted the restrictions on the gathering of five or more people in five categories, including (i) staff working in government, organizations, companies, factories and workshops; (ii) schools; (iii) meetings and trainings; (iv) eating at restaurants that are allowed to reopen and (v) staff providing services and businesses essential to the public.
• The WFP Market Monitor for May showed a decline in the average prices of the four main food commodities in Myanmar compared to April. This reflected a normalizing of purchasing behaviour after the Myanmar New Year holidays, and an apparent end to COVID-related panicbuying. WFP will continue to monitor trends..."
Source/publisher:
WFP (World Food Programme)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
WFP (World Food Programme), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Description:
"This article has been adapted from a Burmese language version titled “Race-Class, COVID Politics and Future Change,” first published in the COVID-19 Special Series No. 2 by the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP-Myanmar) on May 1.]
On March 23, Myanmar reported its first positive cases of COVID-19. Within two months, there were over 200 cases. More than 60 have been linked to a Christian religious gathering. A majority of initial positive cases were Myanmar re-pats, former Burmese citizens visiting the country temporarily, western tourists, and their local medical and travel service providers (and their family members).
In March and April, many thousands of migrant workers returned from Thailand and China through border crossing points. Around the same time, factory workers organized several protests against the factories for laying off workers and not allowing leave-with-pay during the Thingyan holidays.
As the news stories and images about foreigners, Myanmar returnees, religious gatherings, migrant workers, and factory workers were circulated in the media and on Facebook, people began to see the COVID-19 pandemic through racial, xenophobic and discriminatory lenses. They viewed COVID-19 as a foreign disease, imported by foreigners and Myanmar returnees. A senior government official said the lifestyle and diet prevented the people of Myanmar from getting the disease. Such a response is not new to Myanmar; it is a recurring socio-political dynamic that further divides an already divided nation..."
Source/publisher:
"Teacircleoxford" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies, Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory
Language:
more
Description:
"29 confirmed cases of COVID19 in the Rohingya refugee camps, of a total 798 confirmed cases in the District – see IEDCR
6,514 older persons in the camps and host communities received COVID-19 awareness messages through community engagement activities
21,913 Bangladeshi households in Ukhiya and Teknaf received agricultural inputs (12,135 HH) and cash support (9,778 HH) to support livelihoods impacted by COVID-19
5,641 hand-washing stations installed in public places in the camps as well as at 80 entry points to the camps
20,000 Rohingya mothers trained on how to check the nutritional status of their children for referral to integrated nutrition facilities
33,091 Rohingya learners received COVID19 education guidelines in their households from 376 Burmese Language Instructors..."
Source/publisher:
ISCG via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-03
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
272.49 KB - reduce version
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Sub-title:
Aid workers warn of a humanitarian disaster if the outbreak is not checked in the world's largest cluster of camps.
Description:
"An elderly Rohingya refugee has become the first person to die from the novel coronavirus in the camps in southern Bangladesh, officials said.
The man, aged 71, died on May 31 while undergoing treatment at the camp's isolation centre, said Bimal Chakma, a senior official of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, on Tuesday.
More:
Coronavirus: In dense Bangladesh, social distancing a tough task
Coronavirus pandemic threatens Bangladesh garment industry
Bangladesh scientists create $3 kit. Can it help detect COVID-19?
"Today we got the confirmation that he tested positive for COVID-19," he said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are members of a mostly Muslim minority who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. More than a million of them live in camps in Cox's Bazar, a coastal district in southeast Bangladesh.
The death was in the Kutupalong shelter - the biggest refugee camp in the world - which alone is home to roughly 600,000 people..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-03
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has risen to 232, with four more confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.
Of the newly confirmed cases, two patients are from Shan state and one each from Yangon region and Chin state, the release said.
According to the release, all patients were not in close contact with previously confirmed patients, but three of them were under quarantine as they had travel history in the past 14 days.
According to the ministry, 143 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
Myanmar has reported six deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reminded diplomats on June 2 to take care of Myanmar migrant workers who have lost jobs in other countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Description:
"Only when a country shows respect for its citizens will other nations do the same, she said.
"We must care for every one of our citizens,” she told Myanmar officials posted in Thailand, China and South Korea during a video conference. “We have to value our citizens. If we don't, other countries will act the same."
Thousands of Myanmar workers have returned home from China and Thailand since last month after losing their jobs due to COVID-19.
Hundreds of migrants have also returned from Malaysia, South Korea, Middle East, among others. Last weekend, Myanmar diplomats in Thailand said that some 34,000 migrant workers have indicated they will return home soon.
"The duties of diplomats are very important. The embassy represents our country,” she said.
She said Myanmar diplomats should always be ready to help citizens in need.
“The Myanmar people should know there is an embassy at their service whenever they have problems, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible to let people know that,” she said.
An estimated 4 million Myanmar citizens work abroad. In 2019, over 305,000 people left the country to work in other countries..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-03
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
About Aung San Suu Kyi, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
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Description:
"From boiled catfish soup to spicy fried frog, an eight-year-old in pyjamas and a chef’s hat is delighting Myanmar with her culinary prowess in a nation still being told to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Moe Myint May Thu’s mother posted a video online at the end of April showing off her daughter’s skills as the youngster threw together some spicy fried prawns.
With her wide gap-toothed grin, the video has bounced across social media and brought stardom to the child along with an online moniker: “Little Chef”.
She now sells dishes to order – and is counting the dividends.
“I just love cooking,” she said, during a break from the kitchen in her family’s Yangon flat.
“It’s made us happy cooking together in the lockdown,” she said, adding she wants to translate her childhood passion into a career when she grows up. In her most popular video, which has nearly 200,000 views, the young star wears a unicorn-themed T-shirt as she gives instructions on how to make Myanmar breakfast favourite Mohingya, concocted with boiled catfish..."
Source/publisher:
"Agence France-Presse" via "South China Morning Post" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment on COVID-19 issued a statement on May 28 relating to health measures to be taken for foreigners coming into Myanmar.
Description:
"Foreigners will have to stay a total of 21-day quarantine, a one week home quarantine in their respective country before flying, another one week facilitity quarantine after arriving in Myanmar and finally one more week of home quarantine in Myanmar,
Following a discussion on May 27, the central committee has also decided that foreign nationals travelling to Myanmar for professional purposes will need to show a certificate stating they are free from COVID-19 and have completed a week-long home quarantine in their country before flying. They will also be required to complete another week of facility quarantine upon arrival in Myanmar. They will only be allowed to work after completing another week-long home quarantine and their nasal swab sample returns a PCR-negative.
Those who are flying in to work on projects, business, construction and departmental matters will need to furnish laboratory evidence from their home countries showing that they are free of the COVID-19 infection. They will also need to provide evidence stating that they have completed one week of home quarantine before boarding the plane...."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Almost a quarter of Myanmar’s COVID-19 cases are concentrated in a single suburb of Yangon, but walking the streets of Insein Township you wouldn’t necessarily know it. Preventative measures are being patchily enforced and some residents appear unconcerned about the virus.
Most of the 49 confirmed cases in Insein have been linked to religious events held by controversial Christian pastors Saw David Lah and Saw Kwe Wah. The events in late March and early April, which violated a ban on large gatherings, have been linked to at least 65 of Myanmar’s 224 cases.
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David Lah tested positive for COVID-19 after the gatherings and has since recovered. He is being held at Insein Prison and faces up to three years’ imprisonment under the Natural Disaster Management Law. Three others who were involved in organising the sermons, including Kwe Wah, have also been charged.
Insein and neighbouring Mayangone are the only two townships in Myanmar where lockdown measures remain in place due to the high number of coronavirus cases.
But on the streets of Insein, some are taking the threat more seriously than others..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Description:
"Today, 1.16 million doses of routine immunization vaccines funded by the Ministry of Health and Sports and procured through UNICEF arrived at the Yangon International airport, to support the resumption of immunization services across Myanmar. The UNICEF chartered cargo flight arranged with the cooperation of Scanned Global Logistics also brought the second batch of 10,000 COVID-19 test kits and other supplies as part of UNICEF’s ongoing support to the Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS) to scale up testing capacity and fight the pandemic.
Since March 2020, routine childhood immunization services have been disrupted on a global scale that may be unprecedented since the inception of the expanded programme on immunization (EPI) in the 1970s. Similarly, in Myanmar, routine immunization services were temporarily halted from 1st April by the Ministry of Health and Sports, to allow the health sector to focus on its COVID-19 prevention and response activities and to maintain physical distancing measures to contain the spread of the virus.
However, the resumption of immunisation services was carefully planned and prepared for, taking account of essential infection prevention measures, alongside standard operational guidelines for health workers, and instructions for care takers to follow. With minimum community transmission in the country, where the confirmed cases are from quarantine sites, routine immunization was resumed in Government hospitals across the country from 18th May and will re-commence in rural health centres and communities from 1st June 2020.
“The Ministry of Health and Sports will continue vaccination services not only for all the eligible children who missed the regular doses in April and May, but also for the children who missed any of the routine vaccinations for other reasons in the past. We would like to request care takers to cooperate with health workers, to follow the recommended infection prevention and control measures, social distancing and hand hygiene measures when attending the vaccination clinics so that all the children are vaccinated safely and can stay away from COVID-19,” said Dr. Myint Htwe, Minister of Health and Sports.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, immunization sessions need a customized approach where services are provided following relevant infection prevention and control and safety measures associated with COVID-19. To minimize the risks of infection for health staff and community members, immunization posts will administer vaccines to an average of 50 children per day to ensure the vaccination posts are systematically organized in line with the recommended measures for COVID-19 prevention.
“COVID-19 is an eye-opener for all of us; it proves that outbreaks can happen in many countries all at the same time. Similarly, vaccine preventable diseases, like measles can re-surge at any time if coverage goes down. Therefore, Myanmar is taking a commendable step in resuming childhood vaccinations now,” said Dr. Stephan Paul Jost, WHO Representative to Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"Myanmar Civil Society organizations and networks urge the Myanmar government and other relevant stakeholders to take urgent measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Programmes
Myanmar in Focus
28 May 2020
Myanmar is being affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic in many aspects – health wise, politically, economically and socially. The impact of the pandemic may be prolonged. In this regards, some Myanmar civil society organizations (CSOs) and networks convened online meetings on 29 April and 19 May 2020 to discuss ways to strategically respond to the pandemic. Based on these meetings, Myanmar CSOs plan to issue a manifesto on how to strategically coordinate and respond during the pandemic. While the manifesto is being prepared, which may take some time, there are some matters that require immediate actions.
Urgent recommendations and request:
1. Unconditionally stop armed conflict in all areas across Myanmar.
2. The Myanmar government should urgently support and provide humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and recent conflict affected population, especially in northern Rakhine and southern Chin States, and COVID-19 related response. Unconditionally remove all restrictions preventing CSOs from providing emergency assistance and humanitarian access must be granted.
3. Myanmar government, the military (Tatmadaw), and ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) should protect civilians in armed conflict affected areas and respect and fulfil international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
4. The government should buy goods with low shelf-lives from farmers and distribute them to people in need.
5. Agricultural loans repayment exemption from the government for farmers from armed conflict affected areas and suspend repayment of loans for farmers from other areas.
6. Unconditionally suspend land registration and land confiscation under the Vacant, Fallow, and Virgin (VFV) Land Management Law and the planning and implementation of business investments using Myanmar’s natural resources such as water, land and ecosystem during the COVID-19 pandemic when there are limitations on monitoring due to restrictions on people gatherings.
7. Temporarily suspend mineral mining, issuing licenses for mining, exploration, dam construction projects, hydropower projects and energy related projects that are detrimental to the environment and local communities since the public cannot gather to respond during the pandemic.
8. Immediately lift internet restrictions, which have been imposed supposedly due to armed conflict in Rakhine and Chin states and security reasons, limiting the public’s ability to access information, unblock ethnic websites and allow the media to freely access information and report. Media workers should not be charged under criminal laws or other repressive laws.
9. Provide unconditional food, money, and essential items support within a month to people are really poor and in dire need. Conduct a Rapid Needs Assessment to be able to provide such assistance. Government departments and CSOs should cooperate for the assessment..."
Source/publisher:
"TNI"
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Child protection case management continues for communities
In Myanmar, the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) and UNICEF’s implementing partners remain active responding to child protection cases in communities. Due to lockdown and semi-lockdown, inter-township and state movement restrictions and other public health measures, DSW case managers and NGO case workersface challenges in mobilizing necessary services for affected children and families, as well as keeping themselves safe from the virus.
Although logistical and operational difficulties have had some impact on the efficiency of case management response DSW case managers have followed up cases of child sexual abuse in family quarantine and in the townships under lockdown. With DSW case managers called on to coordinate support for children and women in quarantine centres in many States and Regions, DSW case managers’ capacity to respond to child protection cases was stretched.
Nevertheless, DSW case managers and NGO case workers have responded to 66 child protection cases in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine in April. A number that has increased when compared with the previous three months of the year.
Capacity building for the Government of Myanmar and civil society
After 13 online sessions over three weeks of May, UNICEF and Save the Children (SCI) have concluded the first round of training on two guidance notes for adapting case management and alternative care interventions in the context of COVID-19. A total of 243 frontline workers (188 females and 55 males) from government and non-government organizations across 10 regions and states received the training. The feedback from the trainings has been positive and frontline workers provided valuable insights on their areas of priority in responding to the pandemic. Current priority is given to raising community awareness of COVID-19 and ensuring those in need are referred to appropriate health care services. The findings also highlight gatekeeping and facilitating appropriate alternative care for children as the lowest priority. UNICEF will tailor further trainings and support accordingly to ensure the provision of high value technical assistance during the pandemic, as well as to ensure capacity building in areas where frontline workers have highlighted as being a lower priority. This initiative is supported by the Government of Canada..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"The UN in Myanmar has come together as one to support COVID-19 preparedness and response. The next in a series of articles highlights the contribution of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
UNFPA initiatives in response to COVID-19 is aimed at supporting government and non-government partners towards ensuring continuity of sexual and reproductive health services, ending gender-based violence and ensuring psychological wellbeing of women, girls and young people amid COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 strains public health systems including sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls and increases their vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV) and exploitation. UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is closely working with the Government, UN agencies, CSOs and humanitarian partners to keep health systems functioning and maintain the provision of sexual and reproductive health services and to ensure availability of and accessibility to critical GBV and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services during COVID-19.
Strengthening health systems; ensuring availability and accessibility of quality sexual and reproductive health services
UNFPA support to Ministry of Health and Sports and non-government partners is aimed at strengthening health systems and ensuring availability and accessibility of quality sexual and reproductive health services in any kind of emergency context, including COVID-19 pandemic. To protect frontline health workers from the risk of infection, UNFPA has procured personal protective equipment (PPE) for state and region health departments. UNFPA is also engaged in making available PPE to midwives and other health workers who are at the frontline in providing sexual and reproductive health services to women and girls, particularly in vulnerable communities..."
Source/publisher:
UNFPA via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar government has ordered all staff to return to work as usual starting next month, a government official told press briefing on Saturday.
"Due to COVID-19 outbreak, the government ordered half of the staff to stay at home in recent months," said Zaw Htay, spokesperson of the President's Office.
The offices must follow the health measures issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports, he said.
Meanwhile, basic education schools will be reopened in mid-July in the country.
"High schools will be prioritized and the middle and elementary schools will be reopened later," he said.
Myanmar has reported 224 confirmed COVID-19 cases with six deaths so far in the country..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"People wearing masks and face shields walk in downtown Yangon, Myanmar, June 1, 2020. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has risen to 228, with four more confirmed cases reported on Monday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
" From boiled catfish soup to spicy fried frog, an eight-year-old in pyjamas and a chef's hat is delighting Myanmar with her culinary prowess in a nation still being told to stay at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moe Myint May Thu's mother posted a video online at the end of April showing off her daughter's skills as the youngster threw together some spicy fried prawns. With her wide gap-toothed grin, the video has bounced across social media and brought stardom to the child along with an online moniker: "Little Chef".
She now sells dishes to order - and is counting the dividends.
"I just love cooking," she tells AFP, during a break from the kitchen in her family's Yangon flat. "It's made us happy cooking together in the lockdown," she says, adding she wants to translate her childhood passion into a career when she grows up. In her most popular video, which has nearly 200,000 views, the young star wears a unicorn-themed T-shirt as she gives instructions on how to make Myanmar breakfast favourite Mohingya, concocted with boiled catfish.
Moe Myint May Thu has mastered 15 dishes, including tomato fish paste curry, pork stew and spicy fried frog.
Each meal sells for a flat-rate of 10,000 kyat (US$7.20) and is delivered by the family at the end of each day, the whole operation under the guidance of the experienced hands of her social influencer mum, Honey Cho.
The business venture is clearly paying off..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
- - - -
YANGON -- Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry Monday announced extension of temporary entry restrictions for travellers from all countries until June 15, as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak.
The extension will be effective to the ministry's announcements of precautionary measures for the travellers which were set to be in force until May 31.
- - - -
THE HAGUE -- The Netherlands reopened restaurants, cafes, theaters, concert halls, museums and cinemas on Monday after two and a half months' COVID-19 lockdown.
According to the rules, a maximum of 30 people are allowed in restaurants, cafes, theaters, concert halls and cinemas, as long as the 1.5-meter social distancing rules can be kept. A maximum of two people who are not from the same household can sit together at one table.
- - - -
LUSAKA -- Zambia reported 32 new COVID-19 cases in the last five days, bringing the cumulative cases to 1,089, health authorities said on Monday.
The country conducted 3,961 tests in the last five days from which the 32 cases were picked from.
- - - -
KATHMANDU -- With the confirmation of 226 new cases on Monday, Nepal has seen the highest single day spike of COVID-19 cases, and the total tally has surged to 1,798.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), 213 males and 13 females tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry Monday announced extension of temporary entry restrictions for travellers from all countries until June 15, as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak.
The extension will be effective to the ministry's announcements of precautionary measures for the travellers which were set to be in force until May 31.
Complying with the restrictions, all incoming travelers including Myanmar nationals and all diplomats accredited to Myanmar and the United Nations officials working in Myanmar must follow the existing directives issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports on their arrival in Myanmar.
Also, the suspension period of all types of visas including social visit visas and visa exemption services has been extended to June 15, the ministry's announcement said. Myanmar has reported 228 confirmed COVID-19 cases with six deaths so far since the infectious disease was first detected in the country on March 23..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"• After relatively a low rate of cases, 17 new cases were confirmed on 30 May alone, bringing the total to 228 cases, six fatalities and 138 recoveries across the country. Two cases were confirmed in Rakhine State, while no cases have been confirmed in camps or sites for internally displaced people (IDP) or in communities affected by the conflict.
• Return of migrants from bordering areas continues. More than 80,000 migrants returned since March, according to initial estimates by IOM.
• New academic year to resume mid-July, with many government schools used as quarantine facilities to be vacated and prepared for classes.
• Myanmar Government states that repatriation of Rohingya is likely to be delayed after the first COVID-19 case in the refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar.
• COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts continue by government, ethnic health organizations and humanitarian partners across all conflict-affected areas and in quarantine facilities for returning migrants.
• A total of US$47.6 million has been contributed to the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), including $11.8 million to the HRP COVID-19 Addendum (18 per cent funding of revised total requirement of $262.3 million) – FTS
• Union Parliament agrees to seek US$700 million loan from the International Monetary Fund for COVID-19 response..."
Source/publisher:
OCHA (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-06-01
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
1.11 MB 281.31 KB
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Description:
"Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives and livelihoods. And the crisis is battering essential services that secure the education and protection of children, often with deadly costs. The most vulnerable children – such as those affected by poverty, exclusion or family violence – are facing even greater risks, cut off from existing support.
In Myanmar, the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 could affect public financing and result in a reduced level of services provided by the Government. Thus, with the COVID-19 outbreak still unfolding and as the Union Parliament examines the supplementary budget, the importance of allocating sufficient resources to address the short and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on children’s health, well-being, development and prospects cannot be stressed enough. Investment in social services (particularly in health, disaster management, social welfare and education programmes) that overwhelmingly depend on the allocations of the Union Budget, is the first line of action in response to the COVID-19 crisis..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
861.81 KB
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Sub-title:
High schools will be the first to go back followed by middle and primary schools if all goes well, says education official
Description:
"Public schools across Myanmar will begin the new academic year with strict social distancing starting in late July, nearly two months later than usual, an education ministry official said on Thursday.
Myanmar’s 40,000 public schools accommodate nearly 9m students and over 400,000 teachers, according to official figures.
The outbreak of Covid-19 did not disrupt classes because when the government banned large gatherings in mid-March, exams were already over.
Myanmar’s academic year ends in late February and schools are usually closed from March until a new term begins in the first week of June.
The government will open high schools first on July 21, and middle schools two weeks later. Primary schools are then set to open a week after that if everything goes smoothly, said Tin Maung Win, deputy director general of the Department of Basic Education.
His department was given the school reopening dates by Myanmar’s national anti-Covid-19 committee, led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
And social distancing guidelines for students and teachers will be announced soon, the official said. Some big schools will split students into two groups that will alternate their classes every other week..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-05-28
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Facing high infection risk, many have moved to temporary dwellings to keep loved ones safe
Description:
"Dr Wunna is terrified of infecting his frail mother with the novel coronavirus.
The 33-year-old assistant surgeon, who works at Yangon General Hospital’s emergency department, would like to move out until it’s safe to see her again.
But he comes home after every shift because she has coronary heart disease, and he doesn’t want her to be alone if she has a heart attack. That same disease, though, is the very thing that makes her so vulnerable if she catches the virus.
Knowing that his job puts him at a higher risk of getting the virus, and that he might spread it to his mother even if he doesn't have symptoms, is causing him constant stress.
“It’s suffocating,” he told Myanmar Now at the end of a busy shift. “How long is this going to last?”
When he gets home from work each day he takes his shoes off outside, disinfects them and leaves them there. Then he immediately washes all of his clothes. He keeps as much distance as possible from his mother in their shared apartment and they no longer eat at the same table.
Dr Wunna is among hundreds of frontline health workers in hospitals dealing with Covid-19 patients whose family lives have been upended since the crisis began.
Many have left their homes to stay in government-provided apartments, and haven’t seen their partners, children and parents for weeks for fear of giving them the virus.
So far, a doctor, an anaesthetist, and three nurses at public hospitals have tested positive for the virus in Myanmar. More than 100 other public healthcare workers who were in close contact with them are still under quarantine..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-04-29
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Country records 37 imported cases in less than two weeks
Description:
"Myanmar reported a surge in COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing its tally to 224.
Of the total, six have died and 130 made full recoveries, according to health ministry.
The ministry of health and sports announced late Friday that 17 people who were under a 21-day quarantine after returning from India, tested positive of COVID-19.
Despite no local transmission since May 18, the country has reported 37 imported cases in less than two weeks as thousands of Myanmars returned home under the government’s plan to rescue nationals stranded abroad.
The government said 2,596 nationals have been brought back..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of publication:
2020-05-30
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The health ministry reported 17 new COVID-19 cases on May 30 involving returning migrants from India. This comes after the government extended an international commercial flight ban to June 15 to slow down the spread of the disease.
Description:
"The ministry said 15 of the new COVID-19 patients were residents of Yangon and two others were residents of Mandalay. The new patients were undergoing the mandatory 21-day facility quarantine when they tested positive for the virus.
All the new COVID-19 cases reported in the country during the past two weeks were imported, involving citizens returning from abroad, health ministry data showed. On May 29, The Department of Civil Aviation notified all international airlines about the extension of a ban on commercial flights to Myanmar until June 15.
The ban on international commercial flights was first imposed on March 29 as part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Thousands of Myanmar migrants who lost their jobs abroad due to the coronavirus are now returning to the country.
The Foreign Affairs ministry earlier announced the government has prepared quarantine facilities across the country that can accommodate up to 100,000 people.
The government is relying on strict quarantining and swift contact tracing to control the virus, which was first detected in the country on March 23.
From January 31 to May 29 at 8 pm, Myanmar has been able to test 23,951 people for the disease, according to data from the health ministry.
So far, Myanmar has reported 224 confirmed cases, including six deaths and 130 recoveries..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-05-30
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Sub-title:
China was initially suspicious of Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy icon and her late British husband who was a Tibetologist maintaining contacts with Tibetans in exile
Description:
"In a series of twists and turns in Myanmar politics leading to the November elections, which may differ in view of COVID-19 pandemic, China seems to be playing to its own advantage. Political analysts are of the opinion that the first and incumbent State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) will win again but not in a landslide victory as it did in the 2015 elections, because of her party losing significant support in ethnic areas of the country.
What remains crucial for her electoral victory is how she and her party juggles between the autonomous army of the country and the powerful northern neighbour China. China was initially suspicious of Suu Kyi for having a pro-democratic approach and her late British husband who was a Tibetologist maintaining contacts with Tibetans in exile. Suu Kyi was under house arrest when the military was ruling Myanmar. The Military then had good relations with China as the latter supplied arms as well as provided diplomatic support at the United Nations.
However, a significant reversal can be seen in today's politics in Myanmar. Suu Kyi, the harbinger of democracy in Myanmar is seen becoming close with China, while the military which once maintained close ties with China is now wary of China's growing advances in the region.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has been stripped of awards, one after the other, many of which she earned during her long non-violent struggle for democracy against the abusive military rule. Once a darling of the west, now she has often been condemned by the international community concerning the human rights violations under her rule including the Rohingya ouster, jailed journalists and locked up critics.
In 2017, at the time when the world condemned the Suu Kyi government for siding with the army for the Rohingya ouster, she was given a red carpet treatment by China. Although Myanmar Army's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited China a week before Suu Kyi, things didn't seem to go well between the Myanmar Army and China, despite Chinese President Xi Jinping calling the China-Myanmar Military relations the best ever..."
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies, Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Description:
"YANGON: Some domestic airlines in the country will be resuming operations by the end of this month.
Reports in the Myanmar Times said Air Thanlwin, which was temporarily suspended in April to curb the spread of Covid-19, would resume operations tomorrow.
The airline will resume flights with routes based in Yangon and Mandalay flying to Sittwe, Tachileik, Myitkyina, Kengtung, Heho and Hkamti.
Myanmar National Airlines and Air KBZ had resumed domestic flights since early May.
Golden Myanmar Airlines, which suspended operations until May 15, resumed domestic flights the next day on May 16, to some destinations flown by majority of travellers.
Mann Yadanarpon Airlines restarted its domestic flights on May 22, but only between Yangon and Sittwe.
Currently, Myanmar has suspended international flights until the end of May, and domestic flights have been reduced depending on the availability of passengers.
The Civil Aviation Department extended a ban on international commercial air traffic until the end of this month on May 14 to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Some international airlines flying to Myanmar have announced plans to resume some flights in early June.
The ban, first introduced on March 30 and extended by decrees since then, was extended from May 15 to May 31, according to a memo to airlines from the Civil Aviation Department and signed by its director-general, U Aung Kyaw Tun..."
Source/publisher:
"New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
Date of publication:
2020-05-29
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"More than 20 rights NGOs have urged the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, which was revamped in January and has been criticized as toothless, to focus on reported rights violations committed during the COVID-19 pandemic by military troops in conflicts in Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan states.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the 22 rights groups contend that the MNHRC is failing to address widespread human rights violations committed amid the coronavirus pandemic, especially in conflict zones in Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan states, home to ethnic conflicts of varying intensity.
“We haven’t seen any acknowledgement of human rights violations during the pandemic as we had seen before,” said Aung Myo Min, director of human rights education group Equality Myanmar.
“The commission has been particularly silent on rights violations related to COVID-19 outbreaks,” he said. “It has also been inactive in providing guidelines for preventing rights violations or acknowledging violations that have occurred.”
Aung Myo Min said that a government-imposed internet service ban in nine townships in northern Rakhine and Chin states is a violation of human rights because residents cannot access to information about the coronavirus pandemic and how to protect themselves from it..."
Source/publisher:
"Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
Date of publication:
2020-08-28
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Various rights: reports of violations against several ethnic groups, Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Some political parties have begun preparing for the general elections as the government cautiously eases restrictions meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Description:
"Party officials said that while they cannot yet go all out in their campaigning because of the ban on mass gatherings, they are acting within the limits.
“The preparations have begun,” said U Aung Moe Kyaw, chair of the New Democratic Party. “But the situation is still very difficult.” Shan Nationalities Party joint secretary U Sai Kyaw Nyunt said that if COVID-19 continues to hamper preparations for the polls it may have to change tactics to reach out to voters. “We might have to organise online party offices,” he said.
He added that while they have not yet selected their official candidates, the selection criteria have been drafted and are ready to implement.
However, the country’s two biggest parties – the National League for Democracy and the Union Solidarity and Development Party – refused to discuss their preparations for the polls.
Some parties have opted to postpone their preparations until the Union Election Commission (UEC) announces the election date.
Daw Aye Nu Sein, spokesperson for the Arakan National Party, which controls the Rakhine State parliament, said it is difficult to start preparations because, even without the threat of COVID-19, there is the uncertainty caused by the fighting between the Arakan Army and Tatmadaw (military).
“There is the war, and there are issues with COVID 19, so we have not started yet,” she said.
A senior election official has said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the election would likely be held in November, the same as the elections in 2010 and 2015..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-05-29
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more
Description:
"As COVID-19 continues to evolve in Myanmar, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes are supporting the efforts of the Government of Myanmar and communities to prevent and respond to the pandemic.
Since the early days of the outbreak, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working closely with the Government to provide direct assistance. In recent weeks, more than 8,700 bottles of hand gel and 260 temperature screeners were handed over to the Union Parliaments, the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission, the Union Civil Service Board, the Union Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Supreme Court of the Union, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission and other counterparts. Similar assistance was also provided to local communities in collaboration with 12 CSOs in Kachin and Rakhine states. To assist community awareness building, about 100 loudspeakers are also being provided to the Department of Disaster Management. Further, UNDP will be assisting nine state and regional governments in strengthening health support through providing personal protection equipment (PPE) and other necessary medical supplies, with the first batch of PPEs due to be handed over in the next two weeks.
UNDP continues to enhance the capacities of mational institutions to operate effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its Support to Effective and Responsive Institutions Project (SERIP), UNDP organized a webinar for Union Hluttaw MPs, on the topic of the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) and the role of MPs with regard to this important national plan. UNDP’s project on Strengthening Accountability and Rule of Law (SARL) is providing video conferencing equipment to the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission and the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission. This support will allow enhanced coordination and timely provision of services to general public. It will have a positive impact on the operations and activities of the Government institutions and CSOs to allow staff to continue ongoing coordination work while observing physical distancing measures.
Earlier in April, UNDP collaborated with relevant Government entities at union and state levels to prepare and submit loan applications to the COVID-19 Fund set up by the Government of Myanmar. A fund of 100 billion Myanmar kyats was set up to provide immediate loans to enterprises in the socio-economic sector impacted by the COVID-19. UNDP facilitated over 180 applications to this fund..."
Source/publisher:
OCHA, UNDP, UNIC via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-05-29
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
more