· Burma-India-Thailand agreed on Dec 23rd, to share the costs for the 3 countries highway, which will pass through India-Burma and Thailand. India agreed to provide loans to Burma to build and upgrade the 78 km long roads in upper Burma and Thailand agreed to provide loans to build 136 km long roads in Karen State.
· Japan is to resume grass root grants to Burma soon. Total grants will be US$122,758 and the grants will go for the building of some schools and some irrigation projects in upper Burma.
· Magwe Industrial zone in central Burma will manufacture three-wheel motorcycles and three-wheel vehicles for cargo transports use.
· A Burmese company named Myanmar.NET, will distribute free of charge 5000 promotional CDs at the Berlin Travel Fair, which will be held from March 11th-15th.
· Fishery companies have established a marine research firm with kyats 15 million initial costs, said a fishing businessman.
· A new 4 storied fresh water fish wholesale market will be established as a public company on the Rangoon’s Hlaing riverbank in Insein Township in northwest Rangoon. The new fish market will replace the old existing one in Kyee Myindine t/s in western Rangoon.
· Burma and Vietnam will raise bilateral trade volume to US$ 30 million per year, starting from 2004. Current trade volume between the two countries is US$ 26 million in 2003.
· 5 big garment buyers from Japan were visiting Rangoon in December to place big quantities of garment orders, said a confirmed source from the garment industry. Burmese garment factories are regaining some big orders in December and big Korean factories such as Daewoo and Seagal are also recruiting more garment workers, said the source. Orders from Europe are also starting to flow back into Burma garment factories, said the source.
· MAI has resumed its flights to Hong Kong, starting form the second week of December and will start regular flights to New Delhi in the third week of February, said the spokesman from MAI.
· A 6 ½ feet crocodile was caught tangled in the fishing net by a fisherman in the Kyaik Latt township in the Delta division. There were many crocodiles in that area in the old days, but due to the degrading environment, crocodiles become very rare in the whole delta of Burma, said a resident of delta.
· Internet café are still not permitted to open in the other towns, besides from Rangoon and Mandalay. Entrepreneurs who want to establish an Internet café have to purchase shares worth kyats 100 lakhs from the government sponsored service provider MICDTC Company.
· Private sectors co-operation will be discussed at the ASEAN-EU meeting in October, said the Thai officials.
· Strong actions will be taken on the electronic game centres, which lured clients with high stakes for gambling, said the officials.
· GSM telephones can be used in the Pyin Oo Lwin town in northern Burma ever since the DSA graduation in December.
· Burma’s fishing fleets need to upgrade their fishing equipment, to be able to make up for the decline in catches, said a fishery source. Modern electronics equipment are needed to compete with the Thai trawlers which are illegally fishing in the Burmese waters, said the source. Illegal fishing methods, such as bottom trawling with small mesh nets that kill all the small fishes and shrimps should also be stopped, said the fishing source. The crippling Myeik International fish auction market should also be upgraded to be able to compete with the international fish markets in Thailand. Currently, the fish prices fetched at the Myeik market is only about 70% of the Thai market prices, said the source. Most of the fishing boats are illegally selling their catches at the Thai markets, explained the source.
· The authorities are forcing shop owners at the consumers’ goods centre of Rangoon Yuzana Plaza, to keep open their shops even when there are no buyers at the market. Due to a sharp decline in business, shop owners are keeping their shops closed and there are many vacant shops at the plaza. The authorities ordered shop owners not to close their shops more than 5 consecutive days. Shop owners said there are days that not a single sale is made in the market.
· LPG factory will be built as a first phase of the development projects at the Yetagon gas field in the coastal region of Burma said the authorities. The second phase factories will include Poly Ethylene, PVC and Poly Propylene manufacturing factories, said the government source.
· High blood pressure medicines imported from China are substandard, said the retired Rector of Rangoon Institute of Medicine. The retired Rector told the congregation at the 14th General Assembly of the Physicians of Burma in January. He also warned physicians that Chinese medicines imported by border trade are substandard and doctors should avoid treating their patients with cheap medicines from China.
· The Burma’s biggest media group, Bates Advertising Company has retreated from Burma in December 2003.
· Cheap Chinese motor cycles are selling very well in Burma. Chinese motor cycles costs only 3.5 lakhs to 4 lakhs, compared to 20 lakhs for a Japanese made motor bike.
· Burma to build a Go-Kart Racing course near Thuwunna gymnasium in eastern Rangoon. May Kha group of companies, owned by the PM’s son Ye Naing Win will construct the course and expected to finish by the end of 2004.
· Hot air balloon rides will be available soon in Kachin State in northern Burma. The foreign owned Balloon Over Bagan Company is planning to expand their services in Kachin State and will offer hot air balloon rides over the snowy mountain peaks in Kachin State.
· Registration for companies’ cars required the company’s balance sheets and the lists of the company’s assets, before they apply for tax clearance, said the authorities.
· The Japan Tent Network will open its branch office in Rangoon. The Japan Tent is a non-professional organisation, organised with ex-students who had studied in Japan schools and universities. The organisation meet annually on Japan’s Ishigawa Island.
· Burmese gems and agriculture products will gain free access to the 11th International Guwahati Trade Fair 2004, which will be held in India’s Asam State in March. Burmese exhibitors will be allowed to exhibit their products free of charge at the trade fair, said the organiser.
· The prices of the electronic goods will keep on declining in 2004, said the industry’s sources. Due to increasing supply at the factories in China and due to the increasing value of Burmese currency at the border trade, the prices for the electronic goods will keep on declining.
· The border gate at eastern Burma’s Tacheikleik and Thailand Maesai border town is planned to open 24 hours in the near future, said the Chiang Mai governor.
· Fibreglass speedboat service for tourists in Mandalay has been stopped, due to safety reasons. Currently there are 4 ferry boats services for the tourists in Mandalay.
· Burma’s tiger prawn farms are facing difficulties in competing with the Hawaii origin white lobsters. The tiger prawn prices have declined significantly in the world market, due to competition from the Hawaii white lobsters, said the industry’s sources. The government prohibited breeding white lobsters in Burma, due to the fears of the environmental effects. Shrimps and prawn farms in Burma are facing big losses, said the sources.
· Burma’s prawn production has increased to 1.6 million tons in year 2002-2003 from 10,000 tons in 1987-88, reported the Fishery Federation’s annual report. The report said Burma’s fish & meat production has been increasing 12% annually. Burma is exporting marine products to 40 countries but value-added products export is still not achieved. Export procedures are complicated and time consuming, complained the exporters.
· Room owners at the Palei (pearl) Condominium at the Saya San Road in Rangoon’s prime area, want to resell their rooms at discount prices due to heavy electricity costs (over one hundred thousand kyats per month) and insufficient water supply (water rationing), said a real estate agency. The ground floor and first floor shops are also not doing well and the shop owners are resorting to renting out their shops or simply closing down.
· 90% of Burmese are proud to be a Burmese citizen revealed a report prepared by Tokyo University’s researchers. The researchers questioned 800 people each from Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka and Ubezkistan in last year June and September.
· Due to the sea water current changes in Rakkhine State in western Burma, the catches of Jelly Fish has declined significantly this year, said the fishing sources.
· Burma and Pakistan to promote bilateral trade, announced Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman.
· Burma needs over 10 million tons of fertiliser (approximate worth 1 billion US$) per year said an agriculture expert. Rice plantation alone needs 2 million tons of fertiliser, said the export. Neighbouring countries are using fertilisers, double the amount of Burma and their production is much higher than Burma, said the expert in a report.
· Housing flats rental rates have dropped about 10,000 kyats per month, lower than last year rates said a real estate agent.
· Burmese rice millers are most interested in compact and high efficiency rice mills at the Rice Mills Trade show, which was held in the first and second week of January.
· Burma still can not produce platinum jewellery, said a gold smith. Although platinum raw materials can be extracted in Burma, Burma does not have the technical know how to make platinum jewellery, said the gold smith.
· Burma obtained Geographic Information System (GIS) and Aerial Remote Sensing system, said the Myanmar Intergraph IT company. At the seminar on “Embracing of GIS and Remote Sensing Technologies” the company said, from Digital Globe satellite, photographs and images of objects on the world as small as 0.61 metres can be taken.
· Fish farming in Burma with new technologies, are doing better than the traditional fish farms, said a fish meal pellets manufacturer. Traditional fish farmers are facing losses due to low yield, wastage in meals, and high production costs especially the fish meal costs, said the fish farmers.
· Marine tourism business is developing in Burma, said a tour operator. More modern fibreglass boats are replacing old wooden boats and boat operators are competing for the market in Mandalay, Bagan, Mingun and Innwa in upper Burma. A boating company is also expanding its market to Rangoon and the nearby towns such as Twante.
· Burma-Thai fishery co-operation (Main article) highlight that Burmese fishing fleet can not compete with the Thai fleet due to the lack of modern equipment and technology. Illegals fishing by the Thai fishing boats are rampant in Burmese waters. Control on illegal practices and proper economic and management policies are required for mutual benefits, wrote the article.
· Burma and the establishment of Special Economic Zones (article) highlights the prospects to establish special economic zones, conservation of natural resources and infrastructure development projects in Burma. The article suggests that Mon, Karen and Thaninthayi Coastal States are best suited for such projects and the prospects for developing a special economic zone at Myawaddy as a pilot project.
· Conservation of natural resources and employment opportunities in Burma (article) highlights that the natural resources have been the main sources of earnings for the people at rural and coastal areas and the preserving of natural resources have become a major concern in those areas. Labour migration issue is also highlighted.
· Infrastructure developments and future economy of Burma (article) wrote about relationships between low level of living, the population growth, the unemployment problem and the inadequate infrastructure problems. The article said Burma should adopt a strategy to promote building of adequate and necessary infrastructures according to the needs of the country. (Hinted about the building of non-performing infrastructures.)
· The danger of HIV/AIDS in business organisations in Burma. Article about HIV/AIDS prevention and the role of different organisations.
· Wealth building policies (economic policies) for public and private sectors. The article wrote about economic policies of Burma and co-operation between the government and private sectors.
· 2003 ICT market news. (News article about Information and Communication Technology) modest developments in Burma in 2003.
· Communication sector developments and building of infrastructures in communication sector. (The article also wrote about the infrastructure requirements in communication sector.)
· Expanding usage of digital camera in Burma. Chinese make digital cameras are gaining popularity in Burma market.
· Ready made garments and the future of small tailor shops. (The article wrote about the declining numbers of custom tailor shops in Burma.)
· Brief personal profiles of Maung Su San, Prof. Daw Yi Yi Myint, Prof. Dr. Aung Tun Thet, (all of them are well known writers of economic articles in Burmese media.)
· The Power of Possibility Thinking by Dr. Aung Tun Thet (A paper presented at a seminar held at ICT Park in January.) Tough Times Never Last…, But Tough People Do!, said the author.
· “No Burmese” (The author complains about a hotel in Kyaikteeyo is not caring to the Burmese customers even the Burmese customers paid in FE. Some hotels in Inlay Lake are also refusing to accept local customers, wrote the article. )
· Other economic articles not related to local economy and businesses.