Summary of Weekly Journals (consolidated)

8/8/2005~12/8/2005)

The Voice, The Flower News, 7 Day News Journal, Khit Myanmar Journal, Kumudra Journal

• Myint Myat Satanar Clinic, a free clinic for the aged, is offering free healthcare services to old people aged over 65. The clinic is the second clinic sponsored by women and childcare association.

• A security official has warned the factory owners in Hlaing Thayar Industrial Zone to heighten security measures at their factories, saying that terrorists could use factory workers and target the factories in the zone. Labour disputes are ordered to be reported immediately. (The Flower News, 7 Day News)

• There are reports of excessive phone bills are charged to the phone owners. There are reports that some telephone numbers and lines are multiplied and the original owner has to bear the excessive bills. Security codes were issued to the phone owners recently, but the stealing of phone lines continued and the bills are still high, said the sources.  (The Flower News)

• Donations are invited for education expenses for the orphans at the orphanage operated by Buddhist monks in Rangoon's South Okkalapa Township Parami Road. (The Flower News)

•  An Indian timber company is buying hardwoods from western Burma Chin State and about 320 tons of logs have been exported through the border, said the border sources. The company has planned to import 1600 tons of timbers from Burma through the border. (The Flower News)

• Foreign exchange earnings of seamen and overseas workers will be allowed to used as export earnings after paying 10% tax and will be allowed to transfer, said the government officials. There are about 60,000 seamen and 16,000 overseas workers registered with the government. (The Flower News)

•  The foreign exchange earnings from the hotels and tour operators will be recognised as export earnings and will be allowed to use for imports after paying 10% tax, said the government officials. The travel industry in Burma welcomes the move. (The Flower News)

• Article about the endangered Star Tortoise population increasing in Min Sone Taung wildlife sanctuary in central Burma. Star Tortoises are being protected and kept in the sanctuary and the numbers have increased to 104, from only 10 tortoises 4 years ago. (7Day News)

• JICA has given as gifts US$ 40,000 worth of survey equipment to the central Burma reforestation project. (7 Day News).

• Large quantity of counterfeit drugs from India seized in Mandalay. (7Day News)

• Burma is eyeing Hukaung Valley and Ponkanrazi Peak in northern Burma Kachin State as potential eco tourism destinations. (7Day News)

• Poor and needy eye patients could turn to tropical eye diseases prevention department for free eye operations, aided by WHO and Ceristofel Bliden Mission-CBM) and other NGOs. (7 Day News)

•  Burma is building a trading zone in Muse on China-Burma border and another border trading zone will be built in Myawaddy on Burma-Thailand border. (Khit Myanmar)

• Thai Airways has raised its flight fares from Rangoon to Bangkok, from US$ 197 round trip to US$ 207. The rise is due to fuel price hike, said the airline source.

• JICA and some NGOs have supported the tidal power-generating project, implemented by Myanmar Engineering Society, in Ngaputaw Township in the delta and nearby areas.

• Northern Shan State Tar Moe Nye area will introduce orchids as an opium substitution crop. (Khit Myanmar)

• Smoking among women are recorded 4% in the urban areas and 20% in the rural areas, said the health officer at the tobacco free project. (Khit Myanmar)

• The Hoteliers Association is re-formed with Zay Gabar Khin Shwe as chairman. ( Khit Myanmar)

• Police arrested a bookie with kyats 42 million bets, in a special police operation against the popular two digits gambling. The highest amount of money ever arrested for gambling in Burma. (The Kumudra)

• Car prices up, due to more buyers coming to the car markets in Rangoon.

• Pulses and beans prices fall, due to the difficult border trade situation in China border and lower buying prices by Chinese buyers.

(1/8/2005~5/8/2005)

The Voice, The Flower News, 7 Day News Journal, Khit Myanmar Journal, Kumudra Journal

• 8 new blocks of natural gas fields were assigned concession to foreign firms and production operations will begin soon, said an official from the energy planning department. 13 new blocks have been designated recently. The official added that since 1988, 67 production sharing contracts were signed with 59 foreign firms on 71 blocks in onshore and offshore gas fields.

      (The Voice 1/8/05)

• Japanese owned labour intensive factories in Thailand are considering moving to other countries in the region including Burma where labour costs are cheap, said the managing director of JETRO.

  (The Voice)

• Family registration forms are required when applying for 'D' forms (departure form) at the immigration department. Previously, only the passport and national registration card are required to apply for the 'D' form. (The Voice)

• The fishery department will conduct a research on Dugong, a marine mammal that is known to be endangered. Dugongs were reportedly very shy animals and sightings of the animal are rare. Last year, a Dugong was caught by local fishermen in western Burma's Rakkhine State. (The Voice)

• The tradition of fishing with the assistance of the Irrawaddy dolphins near Mandalay, will be shown to the tourists, said an official from fishery department. Fishermen and the dolphins have become partners and they recognised each other, said the fishery official. (The Voice)

• The livestock and fishery bank will issue loans to the goat farmers in central Burma.

  (The Voice)

• More migratory birds, such as ducks and geese are arriving to Inlay Lake this year, said an executive from Burma's bird watchers association. Inlay Lake is a protected wildlife sanctuary. There are also hundreds of migratory Siberian Geese arriving to the rivers in western Burma's Rakkhine State in November and December every year, said the locals. (The Voice)

• Burma to expand its pulses and beans growing acreage to 9 million acres this year. Burma is the leading exporter of pulses and beans among ASEAN countries. Cultivation of pulses and beans have been increasing since 2000, when growing acreage was 6.61 millions acres and increased to 8.08 acres in 2002-2003. (The Voice)

• Traders hotel in Rangoon is recruiting more employees to replace the 150 current employees, who are moving to Oman's Al Jissah Resort and Spa, also operated by Shangrila group. (The Voice, The Flower News, 7Day News)

• Burma is planning to import 10,000 parent stock chicken from France

• Burmese seamen without Seafarers Identity Document will not be allowed to leave the country and get employment on foreign ships, said the marine transport administration department.

• An airport will be constructed at the Ngwe Saung Beach. (The Flower News)  

• Broken rice being exported to Bangladesh in big quantity, and there are also markets for new crop broken rice in Malaysia and Belgium, said an official from MAPT. Broken rice are exported as animal feeds. (The Flower News)

• Pakistan to increase the exports of medicines to Burma and export incentives are requested by Pakistan exporters. Pakistan's Chemicals and Drugs Association made the proposal to the Pakistan Commerce Ministry. (The Flower News)              

• University of London recognised Singapore Institute of Commerce is inviting Burmese students to attend its courses in Singapore. The school's representative in Burma, Protempts Education Service, offers a free consulting service.

• Chinese buyers are buying Burmese tea leaves in big quantity, said the sources at the China-Burma border. The bad weather this year in China has greatly affected China's tea production and this year's world tea production will be decreased, said the tea industry sources. Local tea prices could be up this year due to purchases from China, predict the tea merchants. Burma's tea exports are of low quality and scanty quantity. (The Flower News)

• Due to the appreciation of the Chinese currency Yuan, the prices of pulses and beans being on exports to China are rising in Burma. Similarly, the prices of goods and commodities being imported from China are also rising. Border trades between the two countries have been slow due to the Yuan appreciation and the changes in border trade regulations in Burma. (The Flower News, The Kumudra)

• Bagan Cybertech to reduce its Internet service fees to 10% in July and 5% in August. (The 7 Day News)

• Burma's Forest Joint Venture Corporation receives two logging licences from Myanmar Timber Enterprise to extract 11,000 tons of hardwoods in coming open season. (7 Day News)

• Burma is expanding its cotton cultivation. (7Day News)

• Ingyin (sal tree) fossils from central Burma are selling very well in China. Ingyin tree fossils are no more abundant in central Burma's Nwa Htoo Gyi townships, said the locals. (7Day News)

• An educational signboard, urging local people to participate in bird and nature conservation, was raised in Nyaung Bin Village in central Burma's Myin Chan district. The signboard was sponsored by forestry department and Burma's birds and nature society. The Nyaung Bin Village was well known all over Burma for its fried birds.  There is the imminent danger of birds vanishing from the area and environmental degradation, thus the locals are urged to turn to other income sources. (7Day News)

• The Kandawgyi Nature Park in Rangoon, which was renovated and upgraded by Zay Gabar Company, has been taken over by YCDC for three months in the Monsoon. (7Day News)

• Religious leaders are being sent to Taiwan by UNICEF to attend a two-week HIV/AIDS prevention course. Daw Marry Khin (not mentioned from which religion) was sent in the end of July to Taiwan, an official from UNICEF said. Burma's sexually transmitted HIV/AIDS cases are up to 70% of the total cases in the country.

• The ministry of industry 1 has issued warnings to the consumers that there have been fake Myanmar Rums in the markets. Fake liquors cause health hazards, said the warning. (7Day News)

• 3 indigenous endangered species of birds, could be found only in Burma, were sighted in Minsone Taung wildlife sanctuary, said the secretary of Burma's Birds and Nature Society, who recently visited the sanctuary. White-throated Babbler, Hooded Treepie and Burmese Bushlark were sighted during the bird watching tour in mid-July.

• Hukaung Tiger Sanctuary is expecting more tourists in the coming year, said the official from the sanctuary. 30 foreign visitors visited the sanctuary this year and most of the visitors are from Britain and the U.S, said the official.

• Another financial fraud case reported in Bayint Naung wholesales market in Rangoon, in the last week of July. There have been increasing reports of cheating in the business circles in Burma and businessmen are more cautious on financial matters. (7Day News)

• Monsoon will retreat two weeks earlier from Burma, said the meteorological official. (7Day, Khit Myanmar)

• The ministry of information issued publisher licence to 18 publishers. (Reported last week.) (7Day News)

• Car owners can renew their car licences only after paying the car purchase tax imposed recently. The tax must be cleared at the time of the renewal of car licence, said an official from the road transport department. (Khit Myanmar)

• Medium sized garment factories in Rangoon's North Okkalapa Industrial Zone, are recruiting more workers due to the increased orders from abroad, said an industrialist from the zone.(Khit Myanmar)

• Rangoon's Technological University to re-open its 6-years bachelor degree engineering courses starting from December. (Khit Myanmar)

• Duck eggs prices are up, from kyats 40 to kyats 60, due to increased purchases from China, which is facing the bird flu outbreak. (Khit Myanmar)

• Rangoon airport is expanding to be able to accommodate Boeing 747. (Kumudra)

• Free drugs for HIV/AIDS drugs are available for the sufferers in Mandalay, with the sponsorship of Integrated Health Care programme from WHO and Total E&F Myanmar. ARV drugs will be distributed free of charge to the sufferers. (Kumudra)

• Kyats 20 bank notes are found among the new kyats 1000 bank notes in the money packs. The kyats 20 notes' and the new kyats 1000 notes are similar in size and colour. 

• Border trade merchants are on the wait and see, and some merchants are preparing to work according to the government's normal trade procedures. (Kumudra)

• Gold prices dropped to 265000 kyats per tical on 1^st July, dropped 10,000 kyats from kyats 273000 per tical the previous week.

• Car prices firm and up in Rangoon.

• Pulses and beans market brisk due to the Yuan's appreciation.

(25/7/2005~29/7/2005)

The Voice, The Flower News, 7 Day News Journal, Khit Myanmar Journal, Kumudra Journal

• Local private media have praised the recent government's move of relaxing import regulations. Burma's ministry of commerce has announced in mid July that the 80% essential items and 20% non-essential items imports restriction has been scrapped. The government also said that it would allow export earnings FE account transfers at the government's foreign exchange banks. (Previously, importers have to buy export earnings FE from exporters for the imports of goods, and there were a couple of large-scale financial swindling in the country's FE market. Since the announcement of trade and A/C transfer relaxation, foreign currencies exchange rates have appreciated sharply, compounded by the float of the Chinese Yuan. Consequently, commodity prices have risen in Burma and many businesses have come to a standstill. Businessmen are playing a wait and see game. )

• The ministry of information said press censorship policies will be relaxed. The Press Scrutiny and Registration Board has issued a seven points instruction to the local private media. Publisher registrations, almost impossible to obtain previously, have been relaxed. The seven points instructions are; 1/ To allow the private media to participate in reporting state's news in the journals and magazines 2/ To allow foreign media news and translations of articles, which are beneficial to national interests, not to allow articles that are harmful to national interests, 3/ To allow news reports and articles about government departments, making sure that the authors' intentions are positive and constructive 4/ News reports about natural disasters should be allowed generally, but the news should be correct and the reporting style should be checked from the point of view of national interests, 5/ In writing and reporting articles and stories of the poor, if the stories are harmful to the prestige of the nation, they should not be allowed to be published. If the story portray the nature of rich and poor, they should be allowed, 6/ In reporting news about foreign countries, especially neighbour countries, only news stories should be allowed and opinions and comments should not be allowed generally. In case opinions and comments are necessary, only comments and opinions those are not harmful to the country and its government should be allowed. 7/ In inserting translated articles from foreign publications about foreign countries, ASEAN and neighbouring countries, an undertaking statement mentioning the original article and its published source should be mentioned. Articles that might irritate ASEAN and neighbouring countries should not be inserted in the local media. (Although the ministry of information is talking about relaxation for the private media, the seven-point instructions do not seem to be less strict or relaxed. Also, many of the new publisher registrations granted last week, went to the ex-military officers. A total of 16 publisher licences were granted last week, out of over 500 applicants, said the media sources. )        

• China is assisting Burma's hydropower projects, such as Upper Paunglaung hydropower project and Yeeywa hydropower project. China's CITIC Technology & Sino-Hydro Corp have recently sold to Burma US$ 125 million worth of steel frames, turbines and transformers. Burma has planned to build 24 electric power projects around the country and most of them are hydropower projects. 6 hydropower projects have already been completed in the country. The government is claiming that the country could produce sufficient electric power in 2007. (Although the government is expanding the electric power projects, the acute power shortage and frequent power cuts in the country are not improving. Electric power supply in Rangoon has improved in recent weeks after the monsoon starts, but sources in the government electric power enterprise say power shortage problems will linger for another 4 to 5 years).   

• The government is turning border trades into normal trade. Border traders are required to pass the government banks for payments in US$. Efficient payment mechanism is important for smooth transactions, said the border trade sources. TT and LC systems are allowed in making payment transactions. The import taxes and duties are now imposed with kyats 450 per US$ exchange rate.

• Bus fares in Rangoon will be raised after the buses are turned into a CNG vehicle, to cover the high costs of modification, said the government officials. The bus owners were complaining about the high costs to modify the vehicles into a CNG vehicle and the government has been issuing loans to the bus owners. (Initially, the government officials said bus fares and transport charges will be lower due to the cheap price of CNG, but in actual, bus fares and transport charges have risen, causing commodity prices to rise.)

• This year's monsoon season in Burma is late, will be short and monsoon will depart early, forecasts the senior weatherman at the meteorological department. Total rainfalls this year in the country have been 48% lower than normal years, said the weatherman. (Burma may face draught in the summer this year!)

• Dengue fever cases on the rise in Rangoon.

• Myanmar Agriculture Development Bank is increasing its loans to the farmers. Per acre loan this year is raised to kyats 10,000, a 30% increase from last year kyats 7,000 per acre. (Increased MADB loans to the farmers and other government development loans, which are on the rise, might cause higher inflation this year.)

• There are about 600 potential natural gas fields in Burma's waters and 25 fields are in operation and another 13 fields will soon be assigned for test drillings, said an official from the ministry of energy. (Burma's potential as a major natural gas supplier, has been noticed by China and India.)

• There have been increased cases of mobile phone number duplication and selling the copied mobile phones in the market. Many new mobile phone buyers found out very late that their numbers were duplicated from one of the mobile phone. Mobile phone buyers were urged to beware of the duplicated phones. (The government has recently raised the official mobile phone prices from kyats 1 million to kyats 1.5 million. Black market phone prices are around kyats 2.5 million.)