The Flower News 2007

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 10 (March 6-12)

• Thailand factories are recruiting 1,000 Burmese for general works through four local labour recruiting agencies that will charge FEC100 per head only for service fee. (March 1 news)

• Elderly people care project conducted by the government and non-government organisations will be expanded to 24 townships in 2007-08 fiscal year. World Vision will carry out the projects in 20 townships while the Myanmar Women's Affair and Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare associations will handle in two townships each. (March 1 news)

• The Middle East countries became new markets for Burma's agricultural products export in this year. About 1.018million tonnes of agricultural products are exported by the end of 2006. (March 1 news)

• The Forestry Department said that collectively owned 95,000 acres of forests were planted since 1997. The Japan International Cooperation Agency also collaborated establishing such forests in 14 townships in central Burma since 2003. (February 28 news)

• The 88 Generation Students (Union of Myanmar) launched its second step of poster campaign on February 22 at the Dagon Industrial Zone as part of anti-sanction campaign. 3X9 inches posters are posted at the industrial zone and more will be put up at factories in other industrial zones. (February 28 news)

• The Myanma Five Star Line introduces IT technology in container handling and freight forwarding services in order to provide better customer services. (February 28 news)  

• Workers planning to work overseas can submit their complaints to the Department of Labour if they have any problem, the department said. It also said the amendment of 1999 Law Relating to Overseas Employment would be issued on March 1. The migrating workers will require depositing FEC100 at the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank if they are offered an overseas job. They are also to open bank accounts at MFTB or Myanma Economic Bank for money transaction. (February 26 news)

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 8 (February 20-26)

• The Yangon Peace and Development Council is leasing about 400 GSM mobile phones daily not only to the government employees but also to the individuals from private sector, it is learnt. (February 15 news)

• Thadamazawtikayoun monastic education school in Rangoon Division's Kunggyangon village accommodates more than 300 orphans and poor children and it is badly in need of stationery and expanding the school building. (February 15 news)

• Chinese health authorities stopped importing more than 123 tonnes of croaker (Nga-poat-thin) from Burma with normal trade system via Muse 105^th mile trade zone as they found 13 tonnes of such fish imported on January 21 were dyed yellow colour. (February 14 news)  

• A cruise ship, MV Silver Whisper, carrying 254 passengers will berth Thilawa Port on February 17. Passengers on board will spend four days in Rangoon, Mandalay, Bago and Bagan. (February 14 news)  

• The Internal Revenue Department has distributed tax-paid stamps to the restaurants. Tax-paid stamps are to be printed on the receipts issued to the consumers as evidence that customers have paid their commercial tax. (February 14 news) 

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 7 (February 13-19)

• More than 30 barrels of crude oil are produced daily at the Khin Aye crude oil block near Pountaung region. Government allows private sector especially the residents to work in the area after it failed to produce the crude oil commercially from that area. (February 9 news) 

• The Japanese government will contribute more than US$948,000 to support former poppy farmers and poor and vulnerable families in border areas through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security project. (February 8 news)

• Chinese oil company, Sinopec, awarded local constructors about US$4.5million contract for construction of roads and bridges in Pountaung area where it plans to oil-drill. (February 8 news)

• About 68 per cent of total export of agricultural products in 2006 went to India. More than US$478million has been generated from export of 1.018million tonnes of agricultural products by December last year. (February 7 news)

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 6 (February 6-12)

• The Bandoola transportation service will import 100 more Parimi taxies from Japan to be operated in Rangoon and Naypyidaw. Fifty vehicles will arrive here in April and half of them will be used in Naypyidaw. (February 2 news)

• The Myanmar Info-Tech will open public internet centres in Ayeyarwaddy and Sagaing divisions and Southern Shan State during this year to help accelerate rural area development. It also plans to establish a website that provide information relevant for the rural development. (February 2 news)

•  The Yangon City Development Committee will not raise taxes even though it is franchising city-cleaning works to the private sector. So the city-cleaning works in 12 townships are being handled by private sector. (February 2 news)

• YMCA will expand its micro-financing project in Ayeyarwaddy Division's Tsunami-hit Pyin-sa-lu town. Its project in Rangoon Division's Hlaingthaya and Pale townships is successful and the project will be expanded in Shwepyitha Township in March. (February 2 news)     

• The Myanma Economic Bank plans to provide money transfer with facsimile service in its 296 branches throughout the country. So far the service is available at its 126 branches only. (February 1 news)    

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 4 (January 23-29)

• The Internal Revenue Department will collect commercial tax from ferryboats with up to 20 horsepower engine capacity. Previously such ferryboats were to pay tax of fixed K5,136 only. The new tax collection will be begun since this fiscal year. (January 19 news)

• Slower Internet connection speed in Rangoon has resulted in some cyber cafes to shut down their operation while smaller ones merged each other in order to survive. (January 19 news)

• Works are underway on drafting the regulations that will be required to practically implement the Special Economic Zone Law once it is enacted. (January 19 news)

• Inspections on incoming and outgoing trucks and highway express buses at the Aungmingalar highway buses terminal in Rangoon will be intensified beginning this month after a time-bomb is found in Bago Division. (January 18 news)

• Under the arrangement of two countries, 213 Burmese fishermen who drifted to India due to reasons including bad weather have returned here on January 15. Two Indian fishermen are also sent back to their native by air under the arrangement. (January 18 news)

• More than 4,000 tourist guides have registered by 2006. Even though the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism has issued licences to about 6,000 tourist guides licences of more than 2,000 tourist guides are cancelled. (January 18 news)

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 3 (January 16-22)

*       Onion price is still stronger even though there is regular supply of onion to Bayintnaung wholesale market. The price rise is as a result of increased demand and higher production cost. (January 12 news)
*       The high-quality CNG refilling machines will be imported from New Zealand and Italy to be installed at the 20 gas refill stations planned to open this year. (January 12 news)
*       About US$10.937million is generated during nine months in this fiscal year from crab export and the whole year earning is expected to be higher than last fiscal year's crab export earning of $11.12million. (January 12 news)
*       Dr Soe Lin from Wounthanu NLD confirmed that the major wards in Mandalay became the NLD-free zone as there were no NLD offices and members in those wards. (January 12 news)
*       Eight cruise ships carrying more than 3,300 tourists have visited here in 2006. Six cruise ships with 1,536 tourists visited last year. (January 12 news) 
*       Burmese and Bangladeshi travellers are allowed to have one-day travel passes for visiting two countries' border towns. Previously one-week travel passes were issued and such passes are likely to be reissued once election is completed in Bangladesh. (January 11 news)

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 2 (January 9-15)

• About 300 Burmese workers per day are migrating to other countries especially Malaysia, according to local labour recruiting agencies. (January 4 news)

• According to the Ministry of Forestry's statistic about 150 tigers only can be found alive in Burma. Bengal and Indochina tiger species inhabit in Burmese jungles. (January 4 news)

• The Myanmar Industrial Zones Act is being drafted to help develop the industrial zones and to help settle problems among employers and employees. (January 3 news)

• Under the grassroots grant assistance scheme, the Japanese government contributed US$61,605 in late December for bridge construction projects in Rakhine State's Chanpyin and U-Shi villages. (January 3 news)

• At the invitation of the Myanmar Fishery Federation, a British IT expert, Mr Viren Lall, held a seminar on December 28 at the federation's headquarters in Bayintnaung. (January 2 news)

• A water purification facility is being built in Myingyan prison to distribute purified water to the inmates. (December 31 news)

The Flower News Vol. 3, No. 1 (January 2-8)

• The Yangon electricity distribution group will allow 200,000 electricity metre boxes in this year for households that still have not access to electricity. More than 86,000 metre boxes have already been in use in Rangoon. (December 28 news)

• Trade of high-end 4-wheel luxury vehicles is active at a higher price while trade of low-end vehicles is sluggish. The prices of high-end vehicles increase between K20million and K30million per unit. (December 28 news)

• Basic commodity prices in 2007 are expected to be similar with that of in December third week. (December 28 news)

• According to the Ministry of Commerce figure, about US$300million income has been achieved from jade export in this fiscal year's first eight months. The amount is $140million more than jade export income gained in last fiscal year's corresponding period. (December 28 news)

• The United Nations Children's Fund begin spending US$1.9million - contribution from Japan - in media sector in an attempt to raise awareness on bird flu. (December 28 news)

• The National Races Village in Rangoon generated more than K80million in 2006. It attracted more than 590,000 including 7,249 tourists in the corresponding year. (December 28 news) 

The Flower News Vol. 2, No. 51 (December 26-January 1)

• The construction work on K1,300million Sittwe Port in Rakhine State is expected to  be completed early next year. (December 22 news)

• The Prisons Department allows inmates to meet or write to their family members twice a month. It also helps arrange accommodations and meals for inmates' family members visiting from distant places. (December 22 news)

• The Directorate of Investment and Company Registration will soon introduce online service for the company registrations. The registrations of company are to be done in Naypyidaw since September this year. About 14,000 local companies and more than 1,400 foreign companies have registered here. (December 22 news)

• A monastic education school is open in the premise of In-pin-shwe-Ku pagoda in Mandalay Division's Yamethin Township in order to provide formal education to children living very far from state schools. (December 22 news)        

• Korea International Cooperation Agency built a training hall for the Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs. It already helped the ministry to upgrade computer network and IT related facilities. (December 21 news)