Myanmar morning news for June 20

World Bank Puts Myanmar’s Power Investment Needs at $2B a Year
Electricity consumption expected to increase by 11% annually through 2030 amid strong economic growth, new report says.
— Irrawaddy

Suu Kyi attending ASEAN Summit amid regional storm over Rohingya
ASEAN members will be piling pressure on Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi over the regional Rohingya crisis. Myanmar ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi is heading to Bangkok to attend this weekend’s 34th Summit of the ASEAN.
— The Thaiger

Natural gas export volume reaches more than US$ 2.4 billion
Natural gas export volume reached more than US$ 2.4 billion in the eight months of this fiscal year, decreasing by more than US$ 97 million, compared with the same period of last year, said an official of the Ministry of Commerce.
— Eleven Myanmar

Only one YBS company pays off debts: Yangon Chief Minister
Only the loan taken by one bus company for the purchase of buses has been paid , said Yangon Region Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein to media after the session of region parliament on June 18.
— Eleven Myanmar

Application of YBS e-ticket prioritized
Yangon Region Transport Authority-YRTA is working to practice e-ticket system for YBS buses within a year. The announcement came at the YATA’s meeting with media (3/2019) at its head office in Tamway.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Budget deficit expected to hit K7 trillion in next fiscal year
Next year’s budget deficit is expected to be K7 trillion (US$4.5 billion) as the government plans to spend more in an effort to fulfil more of the public’s urgent needs, said President Win Myint.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar Special Economic Zones Central Working Body coordinates ongoing tasks in Nay Pyi Taw
The Coordination meeting of Myanmar Special Economic Zones Central Working Body (2/2019) was held yesterday at the meeting hall of the Ministry of Commerce in Nay Pyi Taw. Chairman of working body and Union Minister for Commerce, Dr. Than Myint, delivered an address.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Grab, Myanma Insurance partner to provide insurance coverage
Grab has partnered with state-owned Myanma Insurance to launch a group Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) scheme which covers its drivers and passengers in the case of an accident during a GrabTaxi, GrabThoneBane or GrabBike ride.
— Myanmar Times

KNU says it had no time for peace meeting
The Karen National Union (KNU) did not attend a meeting held by the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee because it was holding meetings of its own, according to the KNU.
— Myanmar Times

12 die of dengue fever in Myanmar in 6 months
A total of 12 people died of dengue fever across Myanmar in connection with 3,144 such cases in nearly six months of 2019, according to Yangon region’s Public Health Department Wednesday.
— Xinhua

CHAI proposes to fund $ 3.48 m for health projects
Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has proposed the Ministry of Health and Sports to provide funding for HIV, drug-resistant TB, malaria, Hepatitis-C and cervical cancer.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar ‘mafia figure’, accomplices arrested for extortion
An alleged Myanmar mafia figure and several accomplices accused of demanding protection fees from Myanmar workers have been arrested during a joint raid on a building in Bangkok’s Pratunam area.
— Bangkok Post

UN gives Myanmar aid cut warning over Rakhine IDP camp closures
The UN has warned it will pare back aid to thousands of Rohingya Muslims left destitute as Myanmar’s government closes camps in Rakhine state, over fears its continued support “risks entrenching segregation”.
— Mizzima

CPWD to reconstruct Women Police Training Centre in Myanmar
The CPWD, the prime construction agency of the Indian government, will reconstruct the Women Police Training Centre in Myanmar’s Yamethin at a cost of Rs 280 crore, an official aware of the matter has said.
— Business Standard

General meets with, donates K30 million to hard-line monks
Major General Thet Pone, commander of the Tatmadaw’s (military) Yangon command, attended the annual meeting of the ultranationalist Buddha Dhamma Parahita Foundation, and donated K30 million and other items.
— Myanmar Times

The hunger haunting the nation’s rice bowl
A depletion in the variety of local food sources, stubborn poverty rates and stretched health services are driving high rates of malnutrition in the Ayeyarwady delta.
— Frontier Myanmar

Negotiations underway for release of workers arrested by AA
Deputy Minister of Construction, Kyaw Lin, said that they were negotiating the release of eight construction workers from Suu Htoo San Company who were arrested by Arakan Army (AA).
— Mizzima

Myanmar Investments gets investor backing for rejecting takeover bid
Myanmar Investments International said a number of its substantial shareholders had backed its decision to reject a takeover proposal from Myanmar Strategic Holdings.
— Shares Magazines

Myanmar and two media institutes from Denmark and Sweden extend MoU
Myanmar and two international media support institutes from Denmark and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on media cooperation to extend the duration of existing agreement.
— Scandasia

ASEAN: Don’t Whitewash Atrocities Against Rohingya
Southeast Asian leaders at their annual summit should drastically rethink their response to the plight of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya, Human Rights Watch said today. The 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scheduled to meet at the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand from June 20-23, 2019.
— Reliefweb

Commission will monitor investigation of prisoner death
The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) is monitoring the investigation by the Department of Prisons of the death in prison of a man who protested against a coal-fired cement factory project in Mandalay, said a commission member.
— Myanmar Times

Kayah ethnic textiles fail to attract foreign buyers, rely on local demand
although business is booming in the travel industry, Kayah ethnic textiles are enjoying a strong demand in the domestic market, but have failed to catch the attention of tourists according to Kayah ethnic weavers. “Most Kayah woven products are made of cotton, and a complete Kayah costume fetches around K100,000.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Amid Int’l Espionage Concerns, Mandalay to Embrace Huawei for ‘Safe City’ Project
Myanmar’s second biggest city in a strategic BRI location to have CCTV and AI technology from the Chinese company internationally accused of data theft and spying.
— Irrawaddy

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing meets local people in Ngathayauk, NyaungU Tsp
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla visited a drinking water supply facility donated by the Central Command and Mitta Yayzin Rural Area Water Supply Society and donors in Ngathayauk, NyaungU Township, Mandalay Region, yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

IFC becomes first international investor in a commercial bank in Myanmar
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has converted its loan provided in 2014 to 5% equity shareholding to Yoma Bank Limited, one of the largest banks in Myanmar. With this conversion, IFC becomes the first international investor in a commercial bank in Myanmar. This marks an important milestone in the country’s banking sector, boosting foreign direct investment in Myanmar, according to a press release.
— Mizzima

5th steering committee holds meeting on Programme on Rule of Law and Human Rights
The fifth steering committee meeting for the Myanmar-Denmark Programme on Rule of Law and Human Rights was held yesterday at the Office of the Union Attorney-General in Nay Pyi Taw.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Easy riders spread message of peace in Myanmar
Thet Swe Win bought his first motorbike this year. Yet rather than go on joyrides like many of his peers, the 32-year-old Myanmar rights activist decided to put his new scrambler to better use.
— UCA News

Rakhine peace & stability committee meets experts, locals in Sittway
The Committee for Supporting Peace and Stability in Rakhine State met with officials from the National League for Democracy, Rakhine State Legal Support Group and Municipal Development Committee, experts on Rakhine and local elders at the State Cabinet’s Guesthouse in Sittway yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

New Chinese Ambassador Vows to Seek ‘Practical Cooperation’ with Myanmar on BRI Projects
Relations are good but there’s room for improvement, envoy Chen Hai says.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar needs ‘wise’ investments
DESPITE the ongoing Rakhine crisis and intensification of conflicts that may impact on the performance of the tourism sector and investor sentiment, Myanmar’s economy is slowly picking up speed and regaining stability after a volatile 2018, and that could continue if the country invests wisely and inclusively, says a new report by the World Bank.
— The Nation

President, First Lady attend State Counsellor’s 74th birthday event
President U Win Myint and First Lady Daw Cho Cho attended the celebration of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 74th birthday, held in the Hluttaw Hall I-12 in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. Other important figures attending the event included former President U Htin Kyaw and wife Daw Su Su Lwin, Vice President U.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Urbanization, Commercial Farms Threaten Asia’s Forests, UN Warns
Forests are recognized as key to climate-change mitigation and adaptation, yet expanding populations and demand for resources are placing greater stress on them.
— Irrawaddy

President U Win Myint accepts credentials from Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana
H.E. Ms. Akua Sekyiwa Ahenkora, the newly-accredited Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, presented her Letters of Credence to U Win Myint, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, in the Credentials Hall of the Presidential Palace, Nay Pyi Taw at 3:45 p.m. yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

More Than 220 Flee Homes in Shan State
Villagers in rural parts of Kutkai Township, in northern Shan State, fled their homes when fighting broke out between TNLA troops and the Tatmadaw Sunday morning.
— Irrawaddy

UEC: We’re working to ensure 2020 elections go smoothly
The Union Election Commission is working to ensure that voting for the 2020 general election will be able to take place in constituencies across the country, says U Myint Naing, a member of the commission.
— Myanmar Times

H1N1 Kills 3 in Yangon
Of 20 suspected patients, seven have been confirmed to be infected with the deadly virus, including the three deceased.
— Irrawaddy

NGO holds blockchain roundtable
Over the past few years Myanmar has witnessed an enormous amount of change, in law, business, economics and investment. Given how far Myanmar has to catch up with surrounding nations, one sector in particular may have an advantage.
— Myanmar Times

Feature photo UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

This week’s Myanmar morning news photo feature acknowledges World Refugee Day, June 20.

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.