Myanmar morning news for May 27 2019

Toyota to build its first assembly plant in Myanmar
Toyota Motor is building its first assembly plant in Myanmar, several sources including from the automaker told the Nikkei Asian Review on Sunday, making inroads into the Southeast Asian nation’s small but fast-growing new-vehicle market.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees concludes visit to Myanmar
During five-day trip, Filippo Grandi pledges support for the displaced and help to build the confidence Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh need to return safely and voluntarily.
— UNHCR

Myanmar to set up forced labor complaint mechanism
Myanmar is drafting a national-level mechanism to receive complaints about forced labor, according to a senior government official.
— Xinhua

Ministry to take interim census in coming November
In a bid to review the rapidly growing social and economic affairs before the 2024 nationwide census-taking and fulfill the statistical needs in the real-time, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population plans to take interim census in coming November, said the Union Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population Thein Swe.
— Eleven Myanmar

More action needed on Rohingya repatriation
ASEAN’s emergency response agency has identified possible contributions member states could make for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, but more work is needed to convince the refugees to return, Indonesia’s lead diplomat on ASEAN affairs said recently.
— The Jakarta Post

Banned food colours in Myanmar: Two-thirds of students consume prohibited products – study
Food safety practices in Myanmar have been called into question and a study found that more than two-thirds of students consumed foods containing prohibited colours.
— Food navigator-asia.com

Myanmar fish breeders need to adhere to GAqP for EU market
As Myanmar’s farmed fish is now allowed for exporting to the European Union, breeders are preparing to follow requirements to ensure Myanmar fishery products meet the regulations of importing countries, including the European Union (EU), according to the Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF).
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar’s displaced Shan face military harassment
Life is going from bad to worse for about 6,000 Shan villagers stuck in six camps for the displaced close to the Thai-Myanmar border.
— Asia Times

Opportunities available to digitise manufacturing, agriculture in Industry 4.0
Myanmar has the potential to leapfrog semi-automated production lines and jump straight into the era of Industry 4.0, or fourth industrial revolution, under which cyber-physical systems and marketplaces, smart robots and machines, big data, connectivity, energy efficiency and virtual industrialisation will take center stage.
— Myanmar times

Locally assembled vehicles sold well in Yangon auto market
Although the Yangon automotive market remains busy, particularly with Suzuki Ertiga cars assembled locally in Myanmar, new imported cars are not selling very well.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Investment opportunities available in Chin State power, transportation sectors: chief minister
Salai Lian Luai, Chin chief minister, sees big opportunities for growth and returns for investors willing to channel funds into the state. Besides hotels and tourism, Chin, he said, requires large investments in infrastructure such as roads and power grids to draw a higher volume of tourists and connect the state to rest of the country.
— Myanmar times

Two new bridges benefit residents in Sagaing Region, Chin State
Two bridges on a road linking upper Sagaing Region and Chin State were inaugurated yesterday by Sagaing Region Chief Minister Dr. Myint Naing. Nanp Pagun Bridge located between the Mile Posts No. 258/0 and 258/1 is on the Thakkekyin-Phaungpyin-Homelin-Kamti Road.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

ENI to start oil exploration process in Magwe this year
Italian oil and gas company Eni Myanmar B.V (ENI) will commence oil exploration in onshore block RSF-5 located in Magawe Region by the end of the year, the company announced on May 20.
— Myanmar times

Ell Pilot Project launched
The Social Security Board of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population launched the Employment Injury Insurance (EII) Pilot Project in collaboration with International Labour Organization at Awel Metta Hotel in Yangon.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar backs ‘strategic partner’ Huawei despite US ban
Amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and China that recently intensified with Washington’s ban on Huawei Technologies, Myanmar has publicly announced its stance on the issue at the event entitled, “Myanmar Indoor Coverage Digitalisation Summit 2019” on Friday.
— The Nation

Four mega urban projects under implementation in Yangon and Mandalay
The Department of Urban and Housing Development (DUHD) under Ministry of Construction is undertaking four mega urban projects in Yangon, the commercial capital and Mandalay, a commercial and cultural city of the Republic of Union of Myanmar.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Mechanism to be established to resolve forced labour complaints
To eliminate forced labour in Myanmar, a national-level mechanism for registering complaints would be established, said Union Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe, yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar sets a slower pace for the Belt and Road
The bigger story from the Belt and Road Forum appears to have been what Myanmar didn’t sign, rather than what it did.
— Frontier Myanmar

Plastics, netting removed from coral reefs in Kawthoung
As part of efforts to conserve coral reefs, plastic, fishing nets and garbage on reefs near NyaungOoPhee Island in Kawthoung District in the Myeik Archipelago were removed by volunteers yesterday, who were working for the third day.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar domestic workers to arrive in Singapore end of year after ban lift | Video
Myanmar’s Labour Ministry has officially lifted a five-year ban on sending domestic helpers to Singapore. The first batch of properly trained workers is expected to arrive by the end of 2019. Leong Wai Kit reports.
— Channel NewsAsia

MoI Deputy Minister meets with IPRD staff in Bawlake, Loikaw districts
Deputy Minister for Information U Aung Hla Tun inspected township offices of the Information and Public Relations Department in Bawlake, Pasawng, Meisei in Bawlake District and Dimawhso in Loikaw District yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar to carry 1st nationwide robotic competitors in Yangon
Myanmar will hold its first ever national robot competition in its commercial city Yangon on June 1 to promote robotics and education on science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students in the country, according to the organizer Sunday.
— Infosurhoy

Dr. Win Myat Aye attends ending sexual violence in crises conf. in Oslo
Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye attended the international conference on Ending Sexual Violence in Humanitarian Crises in Oslo, Norway, on 23 and 24 May 2019.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Water, food and community-building at Myanmar New Year’s festival
Midmorning rain did not damper spirits at the eighth annual Myanmar New Year’s Water Festival in Union City.
— sfchronicle

Mandalay General Hospital commemorates World Digestive Health Day 2019
The Gastroenterology Department of Mandalay General Hospital organized a commemoration event and health seminar for World Digestive Health Day 2019 at the Myanmar Medical Association’s Yadanarbon Hall, in Mandalay, yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Seminar on Knowledge Sharing for Better Dams held in Yangon
Myanmar National Commission on Large Dams (MNCLD) held the Seminar on Knowledge Sharing for Better Dams in Yangon yesterday. In his address, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Dr Aung Thu said,
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

KDDI, Sumitomo jointly enter Myanmar mobile game market
Major Japanese mobile carrier KDDI Corp. and trading house Sumitomo Corp. are launching a mobile game business in Myanmar in cooperation with a state-run telecommunications entity.
— Myanmar times

VP U Henry Van Thio observes artistes performing in Nay Pyi Taw
Vice President U Henry Van Thio observed artistes from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture conducting a public entertainment programme. They performed ethnic national group dances and dance varieties with the aim of providing entertainment to the public at the National Landmark Garden,
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Final warning to deposit export earnings in local accounts issued
The export-import registration certificates of 93 companies will be revoked and actions will follow if export earnings are not deposited back into local bank account within two weeks of the trade, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in a final warning against the companies last week.
— Myanmar times

MoI Deputy Minister inspects Loikaw Community Centre, meets staff
Ministry of Information (MoI) Deputy Minister U Aung Hla Tun inspects works conducted at public based Community Centre setup in Kayah State, Loikaw District Office and met with staff from Kayah State Office, Loikaw District, Kayah State television retransmission station and ethnic television.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Taste for Western diet reshapes trade in Myanmar
THE arrival of a large cargo of American wheat at Myanmar’s newly opened port signals its leap into the global grain trade as the country’s demand for Western food rises.
— Business Times

New inter-village tar road in Ayeyawady cuts travel time and costs to residents
An inter-village tar road was opened in Kyonbyaw Township, Ayeyawady Region, yesterday, as part of the rural roads, bridges, rural economic and transport development project. Undertaken by the Department of Rural Road Development (DRRD), with aid provided by the World Bank under the emergency.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Letter of gratitude issued to Myanmar’s pilot, crew for safe landing
The pilot and crew of the state-run Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) were bestowed by Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and selected for monthly gratitude honor to the people for May for safe emergency landing in an accident earlier this month.
— Xinhua

Union Minister U Ohn Win attends 14th TWG Mekong, 8th MSC Mekong in Cambodia
Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Ohn Win arrived back in Myanmar yesterday afternoon after attending the Fourteenth Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-Region (14th TWG Mekong) and the Eight Meeting of the.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar gem hunters risk lives for quick profit
Burrowing deep underground, thousands of informal miners risk their lives to find gleaming red gems as a law change spurs opportunity in Myanmar’s “land of rubies”.
— The Asean Post

Ceremony to lay foundation for modern cold storage and fish cracker factory in Pantanaw
A ceremony to lay foundation for a modern cold storage and fish cracker factory in the Food Industry Complex project at Ayeyawday Region, Pantanaw Township was held in the project compound yesterday morning. The Food Industry Complex project was implemented by Global Earth Agro & Aqua Industry.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Hpa-an hosts Nationwide School Enrolment Day ceremony
Academic Year 2019-2020 Kayin State nationwide school enrolment day event was held at Hpa-an No. 1 Basic Education High School in Kayin State yesterday morning. The event kicked off with students from No. 5 Basic Education High School singing a song title “Myanmar’s school.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Defending the jhum in the Naga hills
Laws made in Nay Pyi Taw are threatening the customary land tenure practices that have sustained the Naga for generations in their homeland on the Indian border.
— Frontier Myanmar

Traditional glass mosaic art faces extinction
With so few people wishing to learn to create glass mosaic art, glass mosaic artists are going to face extinction, said U Win Tint, the proprietor of Sein Shwe Group, a glass mosaic business. “Glass mosaic art businesses are rare these days because only modern materials are used to decorate.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Feature photo UNICEF Bangladesh

This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo acknowledges Cambodia Children’s day, June 1.

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.