· 66% of Internet users in Burma use the Internet to send e-mails abroad, said Bagan Cybertech Internet Service Provider. A survey on 100 customers reveals that 57% use the Internet for business, 6% use in the Cyber café, 45% use to browse the Web sites. Among the Web site browsers, most users enter entertainment web sites and some watch Information and News web sites. Among the news & information web sites users, 64% uses foreign web sites and 14% uses Burmese web sites. More middle aged and older people use Internet than the younger people, said the Bagan Service Provider. Custom checkpoints along the borders are also using Internet to check international market prices, and impose custom duties according to the international prices. Some users complained that it take about 2 weeks to get an Internet access and e-mail account at the Bagan Cybertech.
· Some condominiums under construction will have to reduce their height, due to unsafe structure designs and natural ground condition.
· Malaysia based budget airline Air Asia is on negotiation with the Burmese government Ministry of Transport to fly regular flights to Burma. An Air Asia official said Bangkok- Rangoon round trip ticket will cost around $60.
· Ministry of Industry 1 is planning to build more pulps and paper mills around Burma, said a ministry official. The ministry took Chinese assistance in building previous pulps and paper mills, but the ministry has yet to decide, which country’s assistance will be taken in building more pulps and paper mills.
· Cement imports will be allowed to all those who officially earn foreign exchange. Cement prices are currently high because only big companies like Asia World and Shwe Thanlwin are allowed to import cement in Burma. With current relaxation on cement imports, cement imports by border trade from Thailand will be increased, said the trading sources.
· Burma’s second largest tiger habitat found in Thaninthayi forest reserve in southeast Burma. About 200 tigers are found in Le Nyar forest reserve and the area will be designated as another tiger reserve, said an official from the National Council of Environmental Affairs.
· More and more people are moving out of downtown, to Rangoon’s satellite towns because the sale and rental prices are much cheaper there, said a real estate agent.
· Bangladesh will build a border crossing bridge on the Burma-Bangladesh border. Bangladesh government will invest in the bridge building, to increase border trade activities with Burma. Bilateral trade between the two countries is around US$ 20 million. Burma exports rice and fish to B’desh and imports pharmaceuticals and textile products from B’desh. Meanwhile, an old trading post in Ngakura-Nhila on the border will be reopened after 2 years and 8 months closure. Burmese fish exports have a strong client base in Bangladesh. Burmese fish’s qualities are not as high as Indian export fishes quality, but due to the lower prices, Burmese fishes have gained big market shares in Bangladesh markets.
· South Korea’s Daewoo will start drilling activities in July at the A1 gas field in western Burma. Estimated project costs is US$ 90 million.
· Economists in Burma are hoping to form an independent economists group. Currently, economists are under the government’s art and science intellectuals’ society. Recently, agriculture experts were allowed to form an independent agriculturists group and they could conduct free meetings and seminars on agriculture development issues. Economists are also hopeful that they will be allowed to form economists group and conduct meetings and seminars freely.
· India to increase education assistance to Burma. About 150 scholarships will be granted to Burmese government officers in 2004-2005, said the Indian embassy in Rangoon.
· Burmese police officers are taking drug control training from China’s Yunan Province police forces since 2002. Every year, about 30 police officers from Burma attend training courses in Yunan.
· The people in Mandalay and upper Burma cities are only interested in the motorcycles registrations. The government recently allows illegally imported motorcycles to register with the authorities and the people’s attention is focus only in the motorcycle registrations, said a socio-economic researcher, who recently conducted a survey on the social-economic situations in Mandalay and other big cities in upper Burma. The researcher said, the registration programme is a deliberate plan to convert people’s attention from the other issues in the country. (The N.C?)
· The exports of pepper, coffee, mango, plum and watermelon are increasing yearly, said the commerce minister in a recent meeting with UMFCCI (Burma’s Chamber of Commerce). In 2002, Burma exported US$ 3 million worth of plum and US$ 1 mil worth of watermelon, said the minister.
· The ownership of Wood Land Hotel in Ngwe Saung beach will be transferred to Suntach Company. Wood Land Company was responsible for drawing master plan for the development of Ngwe Saung beach.
· Burma designates 5 more eco-tourism destinations. The new destinations are Po Kyar elephant camp in Pegu Division in central Burma, Lanpi marine national park in southern coastal, Phonkan Razi wildlife park in northern Burma Kachin State, Tamanthi wildlife park in northwest Burma Sagain State and Hukaung valley wildlife parks in Kachin State. Currently, there are 15 eco-tourism destination in Burma.
· 2 Burmese youth won World Top Paper Prize in the examinations for Advance Diploma in Business Administration, held by UK based Association of Business Executives (ABE).
· Burma’s first online 3-Book web site not successful due to difficulties in online payment system said the company, which hosted the web site.
· Rice merchants who stored rice between January and March this year in anticipation for a price hike, make a decent 30% profit by the end of April, said the rice merchants.
· Thailand and China inland trade transit through Burma and Laos is booming, said news reports from Thailand. Thailand’s stores are full with Chinese goods and Thailand is exporting durian, rice, rubber and palm oil to China through inland trade passing eastern Burma’s Tarchileik border.
· There is a high potential for real estate prices to go up very high in Thai-Burma border town of Myawaddy. But until now, real estate market is still quiet in Myawaddy, said the residents.
· It is due to dishonest importers that the import license applications take time, said the Minister for Commerce at a UMFCCI meeting.
· Chinese milk powder sale is steady in Burma, despite international news coverage on fake Chinese milk powder that harm the children’s health.
· Burma will send university teachers to China’s Yunan universities for post graduate courses, said a teacher from Rangoon’s economic institute.
· Rangoon commuters want more buses in the city and want the bus line to extend their operation time later into the night. There are about 6900 buses in Rangoon, but due to increasing passengers, the buses in Rangoon are always crowded. The bus lines close at 6 p.m and after that time, passengers are charged about triple or more than the normal fares.
· Meteorological Department is conducting survey on salinity content in the rivers and streams in Burma’s delta. There are reports that the agriculture lands in the delta have turned to saline land after the tidal floods.
· Rangoon-Mandalay highway bus lines are ordered by the authorities to charge the same at only kyats 4300 per passenger. In travel seasons, the bus tickets are sold at around kyats 6000 and in peak festival seasons, the tickets would go up as high as kyats 15000. Due to the new restriction on the bus fares, the bus lines are starting to collect extra baggage charges at kyats 200 per cu.ft, said a passenger. A bus line operator said that due to differences in the services provided by the bus lines, the bus fares should be different.
· The German owned 30 rooms Savoy Hotel in Rangoon receives mostly German tourists, said the staffs. The hotel is always full in peak season, said the staffs of the hotel. The hotel is the only hotel in town which sells German dark beer.
· Rangoon Institute of Economics will offer 3 months courses on Certificate in Agriculture and Rural Development, starting from June.
· Burmese government ministries are setting up or expanding their research and development departments this year, said a ministry official. The ministries are establishing the R&D departments to be able to compete in the market oriented economic system, said the official.
· Private hospitals in Burma are demanding big amount of cash advance or deposits, upon admission in their hospital, said the patients.
· The market selling prices of government’s revenue stamps are falling due to a decline in real estate buying and selling, lesser financial transactions and low business registering. The government issues revenue stamps worth kyats 5, 10 , 20, 50 and more, but market selling prices for the stamps used to be 10 times higher than the government prices.
· The streams and rivers in Kachin State’s Pharkant jade mining area, will be conserved, said a Rangoon based international environmental conservation group (NCEA). The jade mining activities grossly effected the environment in that area.
· Ginger prices this year went up to the highest in history to kyats 2500 per viss, due to the buying for increasing exports to Pakistan.
· Tilapia fish farming is gaining popularity among fish farmers in the delta area. Due to shorter breeding time and lesser meal inputs than the conventional Rohu and Carp fishes, fish farmers are turning to Tilapia fish farming.
· Natural fish population in the inland lakes and rivers has decline dramatically in Burma, said a fishery source. Possibly due to global warming, said the source.
· Myanmar Beer gets the biggest market shares in Burma with 3000 millions mugs sold in 7 years since the company started its operation. Fewer people drink beer after the financial crisis last year, thus the company has to step up their promotion by giving lottery prices with their sales, said the company’s chairman.
· Hotel Nikko near the Royal Lake in Rangoon requests its staffs for understanding and co-operation during low business, said the hotel’s G.M. The hotel suffered since the SARS outbreak and Iraq War, thus the staffs were requested to continue their support and understanding.
· There are increasing pickpocket cases on Rangoon’s buses, said the secretary of Rangoon’s bus control committee.
· Egg productions declined in Burma’s poultry farms this summer due to the rising heat this year, said the poultry farmers. The poultry farmers are losing money because the feed prices are increasing in Burma.
· Road accidents have declined to half in Burma, due to increased educational programmes for the drivers, said the traffic police department.
· Rangoon’s central fish wholesales market in western Rangoon’s Kyimyindine Township is too small for increasing fish trade & productions said a fish farmer. The market can handle fishes from only 4000 acres of fish farms and currently the areas of fish farms are increasing to 12,000 acres, said the fish farmers. Fish farmers are losing 10% on weigh while trading at the central fish market because the traders in the market always cheat the farmers with the traditional Chinese weigh when buying fishes from the farmers. The government is building a new central fish market in northern Rangoon, but the fish farmers said the new market is located on a small land and will not be able to handle all the businesses there.
· Burma should improve the quality of its pulses and beans and the production should also be increased, said an official from the Government’s Agriculture Department at a national level workshop in March. Burma earns 40% of its export earnings from pulses and beans exports. India is the main importing country of Burma’s pulses and beans.
· Natural wild orchids in western Burma’s Chin state and Rakkhine state are facing extinction due to illegal extractions and exports, said an official from Forest Department. Many rare and endangered orchid species are on the brink of extinction in Burma, said the official. Hundreds of truckloads of wild orchids are being exported to China for use in traditional Chinese medicines and as fragrance in Chinese tea.
· Article on human resources development in Burma. The article says Burma should expand the use of English language, IT and Internet to the whole Burma to gain developments in education. The article also urges for the expansion of private sector’s educational services.
· Article about HR development training programmes in Burma.
· Article about Burmese youth in Internet Café. Surfing, chatting and using e-mails.
· Article about airlines ticketing agents in Burma.
· Introducing e-healthcare system in Burma.
· Up-market traditional Burmese restaurants in Rangoon.
· Article about tourism promotion in Burma. (Mostly technicals)
· Multimedia software market in Burma. (There are good potentials for this market, wrote the article.)
· Interview with Dr. Yee Naing Win, C.E.O of Bagan Cybertech. (Son of Gen. Khin Nyunt)
Other articles not related to Burma’s economy.