Myanmar morning news for January 8, 2019

Myanmar army to launch ‘crackdown’ on Rakhine rebels: Government
Myanmar has called on its military to “launch operations” against ethnic Rakhine rebels behind a deadly attack on four police stations last week, a government spokesman said Monday (Jan 7), as a surge of violence forces thousands more from their homes.
— Channel NewsAsia

Myanmar to implement digital marketing to attract more visitors
Myanmar is planning to implement digital marketing to develop the country’s hotels and tourism sector, especially to increase promotional work to attract visitors from China’s Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SAR), Xinhua reported quoting local media.
— Mizzima

Myanmar needs to struggle in rice market if GSP rights are revoked: Rice Federation
Myanmar will have to struggle to compete with other countries in rice market if the rights of GSP/EBA (generalized scheme of preferences/ everything but arms) are revoked again, said Ye Min Aung, general secretary of Myanmar Rice Federation, during a talk on “Democracy, Poverty and GSP’ held at the office of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
— Eleven Myanmar

Ease investment restrictions to revive growth: Korean businesses
While Korean investors are looking to expand in Myanmar’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, the economy can only grow if the government puts an end to discrimination against foreign investments, a Korean business leader said.
— Myanmar Times

2 more fish processing plants in Myanmar permitted to export to EU
Two more fish processing plants in Myanmar have been permitted to export their products to the European Union (EU), bringing the total number of such plants allowed for export to EU to 23, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Monday.
— Xinhua

Local edible-oil producers seek help
Peanut and sesame oil manufacturers are facing the “palm oil and mixed oil brick wall challenge”, as palm oil is the dominant player in the edible- oil market, a regional industry leader said.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s population increases by over three million in four years
Myanmar’s total population peaked over 54 million in 2019, an increase in the country’s population by more than three million according to the 2014 nationwide census, as per data from the official website of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population on January 6.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar gems, jewelers body forms central market implementation committee
The Myanmar Gems and Jewelry Entrepreneurs Association has formed a gold and gems central market implementation committee with the aim of working with and lending support to the state-led Gems and Gold Market Implementation Committee, said U Kyaw Win, the chairman of the association.
— Global Newlight of Myanmar

Survey work for Sino-Myanmar railway begins
Survey work for the Sino-Myanmar railway and soil testing is now being conducted by China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd. The new railway track will connect Mandalay with Kunming.
— Mizzima

Myanmar reopens border gates, island resorts as storm veers away from southern region
Myanmar’s southern Tanintharyi region authorities have reopened border gates and island resorts after the weather bureau lifted its warning on tropical storm Pabuk Sunday, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Monday.
— Xinhua

Bridge project stirs property prices in Dala
Property prices in Dala Township are rising after construction of a bridge linking Dala to downtown Yangon was finally given the green light on December 24, 2018 after six years of deliberation.
— Myanmar Times

Downtown Yangon launches smoke-free awareness campaign
Kyauktada, a township located in the heart of Yangon Region, launched a smoke-free awareness campaign at the Maha Bandoola Park in the commercial city yesterday afternoon.
— Global Newlight of Myanmar

Turning Mangrove Trees into Sustainable Assets for Myanmar
In 2015, Worldview International Foundation began a mangrove restoration project, planting saplings of the trees on about 121 hectares of land in Myanmar’s Ayyerwady region.
— IPS News

Japan to support farmers, displaced people from Myanmar
Japan and the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) have agreed to support Bangladeshi farmers and the people displaced from Myanmar.
— Dhaka Tribune

Telenor Myanmar sets SMS traffic record at NYE
Telenor Myanmar said its SMS traffic rose 440 percent over New Year’s Eve to 1.85 million messages, setting a new record for the year. The company also reported higher data traffic on Facebook and Viber compared to a year ago on the holiday.
— Telecom paper

Myanmar plans to draw more tourists from Hong Kong, Macau
Myanmar is planning more promotional activities to attract visitors from Macau and Hong Kong, while implementing digital marketing to develop the country’s hotels and tourism sector, reported the Myanmar News Agency.
— VietnamPlus

Myanmar celebrates Kayin New Year after tough year in Kayin State
Karen people across Myanmar celebrated Kayin New Year’s Day yesterday after a year marked by violence, displacement and dwindling aid.
— Coconuts

1st nursing care trainees from Myanmar arrive in Japan
The first nursing care workers from Myanmar to participate in Japan’s foreign trainee program arrived at a Hokkaido airport on Monday amid expectations that the Southeast Asian country will provide much-needed workers.
— Japan Today

Proudly, Made in Myanmar
The people of Yangon and visitors were treated to three days of fun and good buys at the Made In Myanmar Fair at the Myaw Zin Kyun area on Kandawgyi Lake as the country celebrated its 71st Independence Day, last week.
— Myanmar Times

Feature photo Paul Arps

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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.