Myanmar morning news for April 8, 2019

Myanmar’s population has reached 54.1 million as of April 1
Myanmar’s population has reached 54.1 million as of April 1, growing by 1.32 percent from 2017, said a statement released by the country’s Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population late on Saturday.
— Famagusta-gazette

Rohingya rights group says air strike kills over 20
Dhaka, April 7 (IANS) A Rohingya rights group in Bangladesh on Sunday said more than 20 people were killed and 50 were injured during an air strike on April 3 by the Myanmar Army on members of the ethnic group in Rakhine state, contradicting the government version of the incident.
— Canindia

Myanmar Opens Market For Foreign Insurances
Five foreign companies have been granted provisional licenses to sell life insurance policies through subsidiaries following more than two years of delay in opening up the Myanmar insurance market.
— Investvine

ADB bullish on Myanmar’s growth despite slowdown last year
MYANMAR’S economy will continue to grow in the next two years, despite patchy progress on the government’s economic reforms and a slight decline in the pace of expansion last year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar: UN ‘disturbed’ over attacks against civilians in Rakhine
Recent fighting between Myanmar military and Arakan Army in western state has displaced over 20,000 civilians, UN says.
— Aljazeera

Marine product export volume increase by more than US$ 8 million within 12 months
Myanmar’s marine product export volume reached US$ 720.021 million from April 1 of 2018 to March 31 of 2019, up more than US$ 8 million compared to the same period of last year, the Department of Fisheries reported.
— Eleven Myanmar

German FDI in ASEAN Part III: Malaysia and Myanmar
German investment in the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been increasing steadily and has the potential to grow further in the coming years. In the first part of this five-part article, we analyzed German investment in Brunei and Cambodia, and in the second part, we covered Indonesia and Laos. We next look at Malaysia and Myanmar.
— Asean Briefing

Japanese companies, DKSH enter Myanmar wholesale market
Three Japanese companies and a Swiss trading house have become the first foreign entities authorised to do retail and/ or wholesale business in Myanmar.
–Myanmar Times

INS Sagardhwani Completes Goodwill Visit to Yangon to Strengthen India-Myanmar Ties
INS Sagardhwani, which is used to study the ocean environment, is operated by the Indian Navy to support the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory.
— News18

The hate speech threat to the 2020 election
Online hate speech and fake news in the run-up to the next general election will make 2020 a dangerous year for Myanmar.
— Frontier Myanmar

Local bean prices rise as India plans to import Myanmar’s mung bean
Local bean prices are increasing continuously in days following news that India has allowed Myanmar to export beans and pulses, according to Bayintnaung Wholesale Centre.
— Eleven Myanmar

Bangladesh deploys border guards to island near Myanmar
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) distributed images showing dozens of troops carrying assault rifles disembarking at Saint Martin’s island, a small island in the Bay of Bengal that has caused diplomatic tensions between the neighbours.
— MB

Conflict in Myanmar reaches Garden City immigrants
A conflict across the world in Myanmar has reached into a refugee center that for years has helped immigrants who arrive in Garden City to find jobs.
— sfchronicle

Mytel, Blue Ocean ink pact to establish digital ecosystem for SMEs
IN A BID to boost the optimisation of micro-, small- and medium-enterprises in Myanmar through digital products and solutions, Telecom International Myanmar Co (Mytel) recently signed an agreement with locally-owned Blue Ocean Business Services Co.
— Eleven Myanmar

Saifuddin on two-day official visit to Myanmar
Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah will undertake a two-day official visit to Myanmar beginning today, according to Wisma Putra.
– Malay Mail

Five foreign insurers granted Myanmar licences after two-year delay
Five foreign companies have been granted provisional licences to issue life insurance policies through subsidiaries following more than two years of delay in opening up the Myanmar market.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar opens insurance market to Prudential, Dai-ichi and others
YANGON — Myanmar’s government on Friday provisionally authorized five multinational insurance companies, including U.K.-based Prudential and Japan’s Dai-ichi Life Holdings, to establish wholly owned subsidiaries in one of Southeast Asia’s least-insured countries.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Poverty rates still high in Myanmar
About 30 percent of Myanmar’s population is still classified as poor, said State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during a stop on her trip to Mon State on Thursday.
— Myanmar Times

Sembcorp gas-fired power plant wins praise and flak at opening
The 225-megawatt Myingyan power plant has been described as a landmark project for Myanmar’s power sector and a model for future development, but not everyone’s convinced.
— Frontier Myanmar

Pea prices spike on speculation of more demand from India
India last week announced a 500,000-tonne import quota for Myanmar beans for the next fiscal year. The quota includes 150,000 tonnes each of green beans and mung beans and 200,000 tonnes of pigeon peas.
— Myanmar Times

Shinbyu novitiation ceremony held in Yangon, Myanmar
Young boys in traditional attires attend the Shinbyu novitiation ceremony at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, April 7, 2019. The Shinbyu novitiation ceremony is an essential and integral part in a life of a Myanmar Buddhist male under the age of 20.
— Xinhua

Well-received new consumer rights law brings clarity
The new Consumer Protection Law which came into force on March 12 replaces the 2014 version of the law.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar govt proposes to hold fourth meeting on repatriating verified displaced persons in Nay Pyi Taw on April 27
Myint Thu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received Bangladeshi Ambassador to Myanmar Mr. Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury at the office of the ministry in Nay Pyi Taw on April 5.
— Eleven Myanmar

Troops prevent fire spreading from Myanmar to Thai community #AsiaNewsNetwork
(The Nation/ANN)-Army troops successfully prevented a forest fire in Myanmar from reaching a Thai community on the border in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district on Friday night.
— Eleven Myanmar

KBZ Bank sees rising adoption for its mobile wallet app
KBZ Bank, Myanmar’s largest privately-owned bank, facilitated one million transactions with its mobile wallet application KBZPay, signalling progress towards a mobile-first Myanmar, the bank said in a statement yesterday.
— Myanmar Times

3rd Myanmar-Switzerland Foreign Office Consultations held in Nay Pyi Taw
The 3rd Myanmar-Switzerland Foreign Office Consultations was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw on 4 April 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
— Eleven Myanmar

Thai, Myanmar Central Bank Governors Approve Blockchain Fund Transfer Service
Blockchain startup Everex saw its Ethereum (ETH)-based payment system being approved by the governors of two central banks. The system is designed to make payments between Thailand and Myanmar.
— Cointrust

Myanmar ‘crazy drug’ tops agenda at border talks with Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Moves to curb the smuggling of a highly addictive drug known as “crazy medicine” will top the agenda at a five-day border conference between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
— Arab News

About 3,000 new leprosy cases detected every year
The number of new leprosy patients reaches between 2,500 and 3,000 every year even though Myanmar has achieved its goal of eliminating leprosy, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.
— Eleven Myanmar

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