Myanmar morning news for February 6, 2019

5080 villages to receive electricity with World Bank support this year
A total of 5080 villages will receive electricity this year as part of the National Electrification Plan (NEP) which is currently under implementation with World Bank assistance, U Thura Aung Bo, project manager and deputy chief engineer of NEP, told The Myanmar Times.
— Myanmar Times

About 5.7 billion U.S. dollars of investment enter Mandalay region
About 5.7 billion U.S. dollars of investment from over 70 foreign enterprises have entered Myanmar’s Mandalay region so far since the regional investment committee was founded in 2017, Xinhua reported.
— Mizzima

CBM to publish market-based reference exchange rate
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) will publish a market-based reference exchange rate, or the aggregate of actual market rates for the day, from today onwards, according to a CBM press release.
— Myanmar Times

Jolie demands Myanmar ‘commitment’ to end anti-Rohingya violence
Angelina Jolie said Tuesday that Myanmar must “show genuine commitment” to end violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh.
— The Nation (very annoying popup)

Private Equity Fund to Boost Myanmar Companies with up to $100M
Singapore-based Ascent Capital Partners Pte. Ltd. launched its first Myanmar-focused private equity fund backed by sovereign wealth fund Temasek and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in January.
— The Irrawaddy

Angelina Jolie visits Rohingya camp in Bangladesh
Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Monday ahead of a new UN appeal for nearly US$1 billion to look after the refugee influx.
— Frontier Myanmar

Dozens of Thais arrested in Myanmar, police check for wanted criminals
Myanmar authorities conducted raids at entertainment venues, hotels, resorts and residential communities in the Lahu tribe-influenced area of Nayao, near the Thai-Myannar border opposite Chiang Rai’s Mae Fah Luang district on Sunday evening- and rounded up 81 Thai nationals who had illegally entered the country.
— The Nation (very annoying popup)

2 weeks in Myanmar that will change your life
Back in 2010, going to the city of Yangon was, in no uncertain terms, like going back in time, alternating between the 1950s (when the British left and when much of the country’s infrastructure was last upgraded) and much, much longer than that – we’re talking millennia.
— FMT

Police Arrest 24 Villagers Displaced by Armed Conflict in Myanmar’s Chin State
Police in Kyauktaw township in western Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state on early Monday arrested 24 civilians who had fled their homes to escape armed conflict in Paletwa township of neighboring Chin state, along with the couple who was hosting them, according to police and a local resident.
— Radio Free Asia

Cambodia, Myanmar direct flight on the table
Cambodia and Myanmar last week discussed the possibility of establishing a direct flight between the cities of Bagan and Siem Reap, both home to Unesco-listed cultural sites.
— Khmer Times

Myanmar passes new trademark and design law
Myanmar’s long-awaited trademark and industrial design bills have been signed into law by Win Myint, the country’s president.
— World Preview

Myanmar’s My Sports surpasses 1 million Facebook fans
Eleven Sports’ Myanmar service, My Sports, has passed 1 million fans on Facebook.
— broadbandtv news

Truck company sets sights on 200-unit target this year
Although Myanmar’s economic situation has been slow of late, truck company Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus is targeting sales of 200 heavy vehicles locally this year, said Daw Aye Win Tun, sales manager for commercial vehicles for FUSO.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar worker apprehended over fatal stabbing of compatriot in Pathum Thani
A 26-year-old Myanmar worker was arrested late Sunday night in Pathum Thani’s Khlong Luang district after allegedly stabbing to death a male compatriot in his late 20s, who he claimed had attacked him after getting drunk.
— The Nation (very annoying popup)

Myanmar Allows 35pc Foreign Ownership in Local Banks
Foreign funding will support growing demand for financing and help banks upgrade loan screening and data systems.
— Regulation Asia

Our wetlands are worth saving
The theme of World Wetlands Day 2019 on Saturday – Wetlands and Climate Change – was aimed at encouraging people to conserve wetlands to mitigate climate change, said U Thein Aung of the Myanmar Bird and Nature Society.
— Myanmar Times

Interim Arrangements in Conflict Zones Key to Peace in Myanmar
The “interim” period in the peace process is likely to be long-lasting — until there is a realignment in state-society relations and changed attitudes among Bamar elites who have long dominated Myanmar.
— The Irrawaddy

Civics education in primary schools is a lesson in discrimination
An open letter to President U Win Myint has focused attention on discriminatory material in the government’s civics education curriculum for primary schools.
— Frontier Myanmar

Facebook targets ‘dangerous’ armed groups in latest Myanmar bans
Facebook has banned four insurgent groups fighting against Myanmar’s military from its social network, the company said on Tuesday, saying it wanted to prevent offline harm by removing groups it branded “dangerous organisations”.
— Reuters

Myanmar illegal migrants, their guide caught near border
Sixteen illegal migrants and their paid guide were arrested near a natural border crossing to Myanmar in Bang Saphan district on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post

Myanmar’s Hero Was Killed Here. Now U.S. Brands are Setting up Stalls.
The Secretariat, a building in Myanmar’s former capital where the independence hero Aung San was assassinated in 1947, is a powerful touchstone for the country’s history and identity.
— New York Times

State Counsellor discusses peace, rule of law, development with people in Shan State (East)
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in her capacity as Chairperson of the Central Committee to Implement the Development of Border Areas and Ethnic Nationals, visited Tachilek Township in Shan State yesterday.
— Global Newlight of Myanmar

Chinese Lunar New Year celebration held in Chinatown of Yangon, Myanmar
A boy sits on his father’s shoulders as they walk under lanterns during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in the Chinatown of Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 4, 2019 . The Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 5 this year.
— Xinhua

Myanmar’s Karen Rebel Groups Reunite for Anniversary
A make-shift bamboo bridge creaks under the weight of a sweltering crowd of ethnic Karen villagers and refugees crossing the temporary platform on the Moei River, on the way to a stage area marking the 70th anniversary of Karen Revolution Day in Myanmar.
— VOA News

Agreement signed with private businesses to print 2019-2020 Academic Year school text books
A ceremony to sign agreement with private businesses to print 2019-2020 Academic Year school text books was held at the Ministry of Information meeting hall in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.
— Global Newlight of Myanmar

Rally from Rajghat to Myanmar to promote road safety
The government expects a 20% reduction in road accidents from the current five lakh a year, transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday while kicking off the annual Road Safety Week campaign across the country.
— Times of India

Feature photo Yangon International School

This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo acknowledges Chinese New Year, 2019.

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.