Massive arched bridge to link China to Myanmar
A gigantic steel arch has been put into place over the Nujiang River in southwestern China’s Yunnan province, and before the end of 2019 bullet trains will cross the world’s longest arched railway bridge at speeds of 200 kph.
— Asia Times
‘Please have mercy.’ The wives of Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar speak out
The last time Kyaw Soe Oo spoke with his wife before his arrest, he played a prank on her. The Reuters journalist was on a trip to Yangon, Myanmar’s former capital, but on Dec. 12, 2017, he told his wife he had returned early to their home in Sittwe, Rakhine State. “Come open the door,” he urged.
— Time
Pyu Lake residents seek to protect their natural treasure
U Kan Oo was roused from his sleep in the early morning of December by what at first sounded like a loud cries coming from his roof.
— The Myanmar Times
Gov’t says most locals support ex-dictator’s Son’s Inle Lake hotel project
The President’s Office claims that most residents of a township along Shan State’s famed Inle Lake are in favor of a hotel project by the son of former dictator Than Shwe.
— The Irrawaddy
‘Dirty List’ names 49 firms doing business with military
A total of 49 companies worldwide are named and shamed in Burma Campaign UK’s latest “Dirty List” of firms that do business with the Myanmar Military. The list released on Tuesday comprises companies whose operations have been linked to human rights violations or environmental destruction in Myanmar.
— The Irrawaddy
Thousands protest jailing of Myanmar anti-war activists
Thousands of protesters on Tuesday (Dec 11) took to the streets in northern Myanmar against the jailing of three anti-war activists in a rare public display of anger.
— The Straits Times
‘Pure protectionism’: Tour operators lament Dawei motorbike ban
A recent tourism ministry order to companies in Dawei not to rent motorbikes to foreign visitors threatens to derail the town’s status as an emerging tourism destination.
— Frontier Myanmar
Parliament committee says no to €70 million French loan
The Parliament (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) Joint Public Accounts Committee has recommended the suspension of the €70 million (US$79.95 million/K124.87 billion) loan the Yangon government wants to accept from France’s aid agency, Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
— The Myanmar Times
Renewed calls to stop dam construction in Shan
Shan communities and local members of parliaments have renewed their opposition to two dams being built in Namtu and Nam Teng rivers in Shan State and are calling for the immediate halt of their construction.
— The Myanmar Times
Myanmar: Could two Reuters journalists be freed soon?
On the basis of the substance of the case alone, their convictions should clearly be overturned.
— Reporters Without Borders
President Ram Nath Kovind hands over 50 houses in Myanmar’s Rakhine state amid China’s growing presence
India pushes development agenda in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine state where it is building mega connectivity projects as President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday handed over 50 houses in the Rohingya dominated province.
— The Economic Times
Myanmar: UN expert dismayed by jail terms for Kachin activists
A UN human rights expert has expressed her dismay at the imprisonment of three ethnic Kachin activists for allegedly criticizing the Myanmar military during peaceful demonstrations in April.
— UNHCR News
Activists in hot water over verdict protest
Three Kachin youth activists have been charged for alleged violations of the Peaceful Assembly Law for holding a protest questioning the verdict of a local court last Friday sentencing to six months imprisonment three protesters that led a peace demonstration earlier in the year.
— The Myanmar Times
Myanmar free speech activist wins Dutch human rights award
Myanmar free speech activist Maung Saung Kha has won the Human Rights Tulip award from the Netherlands, becoming the first person bestowed with the honor in the country.
— The Irrawaddy
Suffering in silence? Sexual violence against women in Southeast Myanmar
“Since he began repeatedly raping me, I am afraid and feel insecure. He is not letting me go home. I feel shame because my neighbours are gossiping about me.”
— Relief Web (report)
Inconsistencies emerge in fake kyat contraband case after arrest; Human Rights Commission says “rights are being violated”
Rights groups, workers’ unions, and family members are demanding the immediate release of a domestic worker arrested last week for possessing counterfeit kyat, after new details emerged suggesting glaring inconsistencies in the case against the 25-year-old.
— Coconuts Yangon
Myanmar, India sign MoU on bilateral cooperation
Myanmar and India signed on late Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on state-level cooperation in science and technology for 2018-2021, said a release of the President’s Office.
— Xinhua
Authorities extend curfew in Rakhine town as fighting erupts
Local authorities has extended night-to-dawn curfew in one of the towns in northern Rakhine following the fighting between government troops and an ethnic armed group that led to the death of two people.
— The Myanmar Times
IDPs face difficulties amid fighting between AA and government troops
Village administrator Thein Win, from Thin Bone Dan village, Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State, said IDPs who fled their home in the wake of fighting between government troops and Arakan Army (AA) need food and clothes.
— Mizzima
BRI calls for joint efforts by China, Myanmar
A panel chaired by Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to oversee Belt and Road initiative (BRI) projects points to the seriousness that Myanmar attaches to the plan.
— Global Times
Central bank denies huge dollar purchase made to benefit local banks
The Central Bank of Myanmar has denied claims that its purchase of more than US$30 million from local private banks last week, at a time when the currency was weak, was made specifically in order to benefit the lenders.
— The Irrawaddy
ICAO conducts safety audit in Myanmar
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has begun safety audit in Myanmar under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP), the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.
— Xinhua
Log exports to be permitted to lure timber plantations
The Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation has been planning to permit the export of logs harvested from private timber plantations, U Tin Tun, director of the Forest Department
— The Myanmar Times
Lower interest rates, collateral-free loans on the cards
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) will release fresh directives on the liberalisation of the country’s interest rates soon after a loan data centre is established by the newly licensed Myanmar Credit Bureau Ltd, CBM deputy governor U Soe Thein said yesterday.
— The Myanmar Times
Parami Energy to invest US$25m for LPG distribution
Parami Energy will accelerate the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) next year, CEO U Pyi Wa Tun said yesterday.
— The Myanmar Times
Myanmar seeks new export markets for local cattle
Myanmar will seek new foreign markets to which it can export cattle, said Daw Tin Nwe Yee, a deputy director from the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.
— The Myanmar Times
Central Bank to impose fines over undisclosed new branches
Central Bank Vice-Chairman Soe Thein said that they would impose 7 million kyats fine on private banks if they did not inform them of the opening of new branches.
— Mizzima
Zingo, Pro Niti Travel, Yangoods win big in Young Entrepreneurs Awards
A company which has developed oral care products for betel chewers and a local travel agency which bucked the bad publicity over the northern Rakhine crisis, topped the first Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2018 organised by the French Myanmar Chamber of Commerce (CCI France Myanmar).
— The Myanmar Times
Myanmar apparel: ILO project helps factories to improve efficiency and productivity
Garment manufacturing involves various operations carried out by different operators at different stations. If not executed efficiently, these operations may jeopardize productivity, cause economic loss, and ultimately damage workplace relations.
— ILO News
New destination in Myanmar targets long-stay visits
Southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region, a narrow strip down to the nation’s southern tip, recently unveiled plans to boost growth through responsible tourism.
— TTR Weekly
Now, Indians can get visa on arrival to Myanmar
In a bid to boost people-to-people relations with India, Myanmar will provide visa-on-arrival for Indian tourists, President Ram Nath Kovind said Tuesday as he began his five-day visit to the country.
— The Economic Times
Election Commission Rejects Name of Proposed Mon Political Party
The Union Election Commission (UEC) has rejected organizers’ application to register a new ethnic Mon political party on grounds that its name is unacceptable, according to a Mon leader.
— The Irrawaddy
Standing Up for Human Rights in Myanmar
Myanmar civil society organisations and human rights activists together with the United Nations and the European Union in Myanmar celebrates Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
— Mizzima
More affordable housing becoming available in Yangon
The Department of Urban Housing and Development (DUHD) under the Ministry of Construction will stop new housing projects but will allow the completion of projects currently underway, said Daw Mi Mi Tin, deputy director general of the Policy and Project Section of the department.
— The Myanmar Times
Host Myanmar grabs three more golds in wushu
Myanmar won three golds in wushu yesterday in the 2018 ASEAN University Games at Wunna Theikdi indoor stadium in Nay Pyi Taw. The host has now five gold medals as of December 10.
— The Myanmar Times
Feature photo Oriental Review.org.
This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo acknowledges Human Rights Day December 10.
Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).
Myanmar morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Myanmar news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.
Myanmar morning news for December 12 added by Mark Roy on
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A a professional photographer since the days of film, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Photomedia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism.
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