‘Genocide’ evidence in case of Myanmar’s Rohingya growing
The U.S. Holocaust Museum says it has found “compelling evidence of genocide” in Myanmar against the Muslim Rohingya minority, calling on the U.S. government and international governments to hold the Burmese military accountable.
— Voice of America
EU set to slap tariffs on rice from Cambodia, Myanmar
The European Commission will on Tuesday propose imposing tariffs on rice coming from Cambodia and Myanmar to curb a surge in imports that it believes is damaging to European producers.
— Successful Farming
Chinese company behind controversial copper mine eyes additional 100k acres
Local concerns over the environmental impacts and potential for land confiscation in the Latpadaung copper mining area are rising again with the submission of an application by a Chinese mining company to carry out a land inspection of a potential copper mining site in the Yinmarbin area of Monywa Township, Sagaing Region.
— The Irrawaddy
Top security officials discuss Russia-Myanmar security cooperation
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has held a meeting with Myanmar’s National Security Adviser and Minister of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Thaung Tun, the Council said in a statement.
— Tass
Tanintharyi officials return more Rohingya boat people to Myanmar’s Rakhine State
Myanmar authorities will send more than three dozen Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine state found at sea off Tanintharyi region on Nov. 29 back to the state capital Sittwe, a regional police official said Sunday.
— Radio Free Asia
MAB Bank partners with UnionPay International to launch first MPU UnionPay co-branded platinum debit card in Myanmar
UnionPay, a global payment network, is pleased to collaborate with MAB Bank to launch the first MPU UnionPay Platinum Debit card in Myanmar.
— AEC News Today / PR Newswire
Charge against three senior journalists will go on as president instructed: Yangon Chief Minister
Phyo Min Thein, Yangon Chief Minister, held a meeting with MRTV, MRTV-4, MITV and Sky Net, which are partially related to the government except MRTV on November 8, saying that the charge against three senior journalists from Weekly Eleven Journal would be handled in accord with the guidance of the president.
— Eleven Media
Shan organization in Myanmar calls for dialogue to stop inter-ethnic conflict
An ethnic Shan political organization has called for dialogue to bring about a cease-fire between opposing Shan groups in beleaguered eastern Myanmar, in an attempt to stop warring groups and advance Myanmar’s faltering peace process.
— Radio Free Asia
Thais transfer Myanmar activist to regular prison
Thai immigration authorities have transferred to a regular prison a Myanmar migrant rights activist 40 days after he was detained at the immigration detention centre, his group has said.
— Myanmar Times
Govt having difficult time closing refugee camps: minister
The government is having difficulty shutting down the country’s refugee camps, especially in Rakhine and Kachin states, because of citizenship and freedom of movement issues, a senior official said.
— The Myanmar Times
Four donors commit more than $215 Million to improving health in Myanmar’s hardest-to-reach places
The United Kingdom, Sweden, United States and Switzerland have committed more than $215 million to improving the health of Myanmar’s most vulnerable people through the UNOPS-managed Access to Health Fund.
— Relief Web
Aung San Suu Kyi calls for peace in speech which avoids Rohingya crisis
Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is facing international criticism over her country’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, called Saturday (Dec 1) for “a culture of peace” to end conflict between communities.
— Channel News Asia
‘The West doesn’t understand Myanmar’
Hans-Bernd Zöllner, one of the leading researchers on Myanmar, warns that a lack of knowledge stands in the way of real progress in the Rohingya crisis. And he explains how to make sense of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s conflicting role.
— Zenith
Anti-graft investigator says father of suspect in comedian’s murder bribed officials
An investigator for the Anti-Corruption Commission told a court on Friday that the father of a suspect in the murder of comedian Ko Aung Yell Htwe bribed the former attorney general of Yangon Region through his wife to get the case dropped.
— The Irrawaddy
SOEs face continued criticisms for lack of oversight
International organisations, experts and civil society organisations call on the National League for Democracy-led government to address the lack of transparency in how state-owned enterprises (SOEs) use and deposit huge amounts of money in the so-called “Other Accounts” of the Myanma Economic Bank (MEB).
— The Myanmar Times
Police arrest vice chair of ABSDF, two others
Acting on a complaint from the Tatmadaw’s (military’s) Northern Command, police have arrested three people for unlawful association, including the vice chair of northern chapter of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), in Mohnyin township, Kachin State.
— The Myanmar Times
China’s top planning agency doubles down on Belt and Road collaboration
Ning Jizhe, vice chair of China’s top planning agency National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), visited Myanmar from November 24 to 27. The visit is built on the consensus reached by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and China’s leader Xi Jinping at the end of 2017, with regards to the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC).
— The Myanmar Times
Parliament approves loan from China for purchase of Chinese trains
Myanmar’s parliament has approved the government’s plan to borrow 80 million yuan ($11.6 million) from China to be used for the purchase of railway carriages from the lender.
— The Irrawaddy
2017-18 debt report submitted to Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
In 2017-18, a total of US$1917.399 million were borrowed from eight organisations by foreign loan agreements.
— The Myanmar Times
Parliament to debate $95-million S. Korean loan for gov’t data center
The government has sought Parliament’s approval for a nearly US$95-million (150.7 billion kyats) loan from South Korea to build a centralized e-governance data center.
— The Irrawaddy
National Prosperity Co demands permit to re-operate its stalled gold mine
National Prosperity Company Ltd held a press conference on December 2 demanding permission to re-operate its Moehti Moemi gold mine, whose contract was unilaterally ceased by the government.
— Eleven Media
Myanmar Shipyards repairs five vessels and builds one
Myanmar Shipyards is currently repairing five vesssels and building one for Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems, said General Manager Kyaw Kyaw from Myanma Shipyards Dong A joint-ventured company limited.
— Eleven Media
Jade is anything but green
Jade is the diamond of the East. A fast-growing, high-income class in China – who often cherish mystical values associated with jade – are causing a booming demand for jade. In the shadows of this jade-rush, hellish stories emerge from the depths of the jade mines in Myanmar.
— The Ecologist
New centre for hiring Myanmar workers
The (Thai) Government will set up a centre to facilitate the hiring of Myanmar workers in Samut Sakhon province.
— The Nation
Zero budget, zero benefit?
As the government moves to attract more visitors from Asian countries, concern is rising in the tourism industry about the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Myanmar on cheap package holidays known as “zero budget” or “zero dollar” tours.
— Frontier Myanmar
Yangon strives to rid city of illegal wildlife trade
The Yangon Region Forest Department is working with international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) to designate Yangon as the first city in Southeast Asia free of the illegal wildlife trade.
— The Irrawaddy
Yangon commuter train gets 54 billion kyat upgrade
The Yangon commuter train railroad has been upgraded since February with 54.514 billion kyat from Union budget with the Danyingon-Insein sector reportedly completed.
— BNI
Authorities consider restricted area to ban gravel mining in Rakhine mountain ranges
Authorities are taking supervisory measures to prevent illegal mining in Linmway mountain ranges in Rakhine State while considering the establishment of a restricted area where gravel production is not allowed, said Dr Ye Myint Swe, Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.
— Eleven Media
Revenue Group to enter Myanmar by first quarter next year
Cashless payment solutions provider Revenue Group Bhd plans to make its maiden foray into the overseas market within the first quarter of next year, via its partnership with a multinational company in Myanmar.
— The Sun Daily
Yangon Capital Partners to invest in up to 30 startups over three years
Yangon Capital Partners (YCP), a venture capital firm set up by Trust Venture Partners (TVP), a financial advisory firm, is targeting to invest in 20 to 30 startups in Myanmar over the next three years, a top TVP executive told this portal.
— Channel News Asia (paywall)
Six houses in Myanmar-Thai No-2 Friendship Bridge approach road forcibly removed
The authorities demolished aforementioned houses on December 2 morning. Concerning the case, Kyi Tun, whose house was destroyed, said, “The authorities decided to route it in a way so that they will not have to remove houses of the cronies but those of poor people like me.”
— Eleven Media
Patheingyi locals voice difficulties as they face arrest, trials over protest against cement plant
Local residents from Aungthabyay Village, Patheingyi Township, Mandalay Region, held a press conference at Mandalay Media Centre on December 2 voicing their difficulties as they face arrests or court trial in their protest against a 5,000-ton coal-fired cement plant project being implemented by Myint Investment Company near the village.
— Eleven Media
Investment potential in Irrawaddy region pushed by Chief Minister
Speaking at the Irrawaddy Region Investment Fair held on Friday and Saturday to attract local and foreign investors, Irrawaddy Region’s chief minister U Hla Moe Aung invited local and foreign investors to invest there, saying that there are a wide variety of investment opportunities in the region ranging from the deep sea port, oil refinery, oil and mineral mining, agriculture and livestock, property development and hotels and tourism.
— The Irrawaddy
Free cataract surgery to more areas in Myanmar’s Mandalay
Medical teams of Myanmar and China have began launching free eye surgery to 200 patients in Myanmar’s Mandalay region.
— Khmer Times
Twitter CEO, meditation coach get zen in hot-air balloon 3,000 feet over Bagan
Enlightenment’s never been easy to attain, so maybe Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey was just looking for a leg up — way up — when he took to a hot air balloon for a meditation session 3,000 feet above Myanmar on Saturday.
— Coconuts Yangon
Feature photo UNHCR/Roger Arnold
This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, December 5.
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 4 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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