Myanmar morning news for October 17, 2019

Foreign investment volume in Thilawa SEZ reaches more than US$ 1.86 billion till 2019 September
Foreign investment volume from 19 countries in Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) reached more than US$ 1.86 billion till 2019 September with Japan topping more than 36 %, said the source from the Department of Investment and Company Administration (DICA).
— Eleven Myanmar

Lower tax rates, higher liquidity expected to boost property market
Real estate developers in Myanmar are expecting a boost in the number of property transactions in fiscal 2019-20, which they hope will help jumpstart the local property market.
— Myanmar Times

Mineral export volume reaches more than US$ 1. 4 billion till 2019 end
Mineral export volume reached more than US$ 1.4 billion at the end of 2018-2019 financial years, down US$ 700 million, compared with the same period of last year, according to the official statistics released by the Ministry of Commerce.
— Eleven Myanmar

Tech could help Myanmar smash sex taboos as rapes rise
Technology could help Myanmar fight a rise in rape cases, said an award-winning entrepreneur who is using augmented reality to bring sex education to the socially conservative country.
— Reuters

Myanmar Conflict Escalates Amid Upsurge of New Recruits
The conflict between Myanmar’s armed ethnic groups and government forces is escalating.
— VOA

Far out: Myanmar’s first surfing team to take off at SEAsia games
Competitive surfing was barely known in Myanmar a few years ago but one local beach town is riding a wave of enthusiasm to the Southeast Asia Games for the first time ever.
— Bangkok post

New direct flight linking Mangshi with Yangon to be launched
A new direct flight linking Mangshi, a border city in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, with Yangon, capital of Myanmar, will be launched at the end of October, Xinhua reported.
— Mizzima

Thai property developer wants to invest in Myanmar
Thai property developer Ananda Development Public Co Ltd wants to expand into Myanmar and is now looking for suitable partners in the country, its officials told Myanmar journalists in Bangkok on October 9.
— Myanmar Times

Mandalay villagers stand firm against road expansion, cement factory
Villagers near a coal-fired cement plant is being constructed in Mandalay, are standing firm in their opposition against the project as well as the expansion of the road along their village to accommodate large trucks that will carry finished goods once the factory is operational.
— Myanmar Times

Inflation rates reach high of 8.53%
The annual rate of inflation in Myanmar as of August, based on the Consumer Price Index, reached a high of 8.53 per cent, according to a report released by the Central Statistical Organization under the Ministry of Planning and Finance, state media reported.
— Mizzima

Rice floor price set at K500,000 for every 100 baskets
The basic reference price for paddy will be maintained at K 500,000 for 100 baskets of monsoon paddy grown in 2019 and summer paddy to be cultivated in 2020, according to an October 15 announcement released by the government’s Leading Committee for Farmers Rights Protection and Interests Promotion.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar Arrests 17 Chinese Nationals, Including Five Posing as Police With Fake Guns
Myanmar authorities on Tuesday arrested 17 Chinese nationals posing as policemen and carrying fake guns in the Kokang region of northern Shan state, a police official said, raising questions as to whether they were involved in illegal activities targeting Chinese tourists in the border area.
— Radio Free Asia

At least 2500 traders to join jade expo
Around 2500 traders have expressed their interested to join the upcoming jade expo in Mandalay to be held starting on October 23, organisers of the event say.
— Myanmar Times

400 wells to be established for irrigation in Yinmabin District
The Yinmabin District Irrigation Water Utilization Management Department (IWUMD) will dig 400 wells in the villages of Yinmabin and Salingyi townships in Yinmabin District, Sagaing Region, in the 2019-2020 fiscal year to provide water to local growers, according to U Maung Maung Than, the head of the department.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Maximum power production declines
The nationwide maximum power production declined by 37 megawatts, according to the statement by the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar Govt Backs Minimum Price for Rice Amid Weak Market
Myanmar’s government has pledged to buy farmers’ paddy rice if the market drops below a certain price; some areas are already reporting prices below the government floor.
— Irrawaddy

High drug consumption and demand relates to easy access
Easy access to psychotropic substances is associated with high drug consumption and demand, according to the figures from narcotic drug treatment centers.
— Eleven Myanmar

Highway accidents kill 2, injure 72 in Myanmar during traditional holidays
Two people were killed with 72 others injured in the highway accidents of Myanmar during the public holidays of the traditional Thadingyut Lighting Festival, according to a release from the Highway Police Force on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

Myanmar might finally be held accountable for genocide, but the court case must recognise sexual violence
It has been more than two years since “clearance operations” by Myanmar’s security forces, the Tatmadaw, forced more than 700,000 Rohingya across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh.
— The Conversation

20 agreed points still needed for emergence of genuine federal Union
Twenty agreed points are needed for the emergence of genuine federal Union, said Sai Kyaw Nyunt, the joint-secretary of Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), who is also the secretariat member of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC).
— Eleven Myanmar

Thousands of blind people walk on street during Myanmar’s White Cane Day
A total of 1,450 blind and visually impaired people took part in a mass walking event in Myanmar’s Yangon to mark the 28th International White Cane Day, according to the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

Poultry breeders face loan, land difficulties in Mandalay
Poultry breeders in Mandalay are having difficulties in finding land to expand their business as well as in securing loans, a local industry association said.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s invisible prosecutors: their powers and the pressures they face
The “law officers” who prosecute criminal cases in Myanmar should be important players in determining which cases go to trial, but their role – and the informal pressures they face to either drop or proceed with charges – receive little public scrutiny.
— Frontier Myanmar

SWRR Union Minister receives former member of Rakhine Committee Mr Roelof Meyer
Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Dr Win Myat Aye, received a delegation led by Mr Roelof Meyer, former member of the Advisory Board for the Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State and former Defence Minister of South Africa, at his office in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar’s Arakan Army is Recruiting and Training to Fight Government
On the edge of a mountainside in Northern Myanmar’s Kachin state, several hundred young army recruits kick up the dust as they jog down a trail during early morning military drills.
— VOA

Myanmar Has Just Five Listed Stocks. Now it Wants Another Exchange
Myanmar plans to set up a second board next year that foreigners can trade on to bolster its moribund stock market.
— Bloomberg

Bago Chief Minister Accused of Encouraging Harassment of Myanmar Village Teachers
The NLD’s Bago chief minister, U Win Thein, has offended teachers by quipping that villagers should try to marry them to make them stay.
— Irrawaddy

DRI seizes over 10kg gold, Myanmar currency worth Rs 4.2 crore
In a series of operations, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officers seized more than 10 kgs of gold, amounting to about Rs 4.2 crore. The officers have arrested six people in the case.
— India Times

Monk Taken to Mandalay After Triggering Roadside Landmine in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
Three monks on motorcycles tripped a landmine in northern Shan State, with one needing specialist treatment in Mandalay.
— Irrawaddy

President of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal arrives in Nay Pyi Taw
At the invitation of U Win Myint, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Her Excellency Mrs Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, arrived in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Nepali president arrives for state visit to Myanmar
Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari arrived Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday to start a state visit to Myanmar, according to the Information Ministry.
— Xinhua

EOIs invited for construction of nine staff buildings in Chin State
Expressions of Interest (EOIs) have been invited for the construction of nine staff quarters in eight townships of Chin State in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, according to the Chin State Urban and Housing Development Department.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

State Counsellor addresses 2019 Conference on Implementing Development of Universities
The 2019 Conference on Implementing Development of Universities was held at the Myanmar International Convention Centre II in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Offshore Myanmar Platform FEED Goes to Doris, Hyundai
South Korea-based POSCO International has awarded DORIS Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for the Shwe Project Phase 3 development offshore Malaysia, DORIS reported Wednesday.
— Rigzone

Union Information Minister attends launching ceremony of ASEAN-Korea Train tour
The launching ceremony of the ASEAN-Korea Train tour was held at Seoul Station in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, at 8 am local time yesterday, with the participation of representatives from ASEAN member countries and dignitaries in various sectors of ROK.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary declared newest ASEAN Heritage Park
The Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagaing Region has been declared as the newest ASEAN Heritage Park.
— Myanmar Times

Absence of hunger will bring health, educational, economic development: Vice President
Myanmar’s Union Government commemorated World Food Day with an exhibition at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar Police Reject Lawsuits Against 3 Critics of Ex-Lower House Speaker
U Ye Htut, U Hla Swe and U Bo Bo Kyaw Nyein did not breach the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens in comments about U Shwe Mann, police say.
— Irrawaddy

Senior General receives Russian Federation Deputy Defence Minister
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing received a delegation led by Russian Federation Deputy Minister for Defence Colonel General Alexander V Fomin at the Bayintnaung Guest Hall in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Muslim villagers flee Tatmadaw’s artillery shells
The Tatmadaw fired artillery shells without any provocation from adversaries resulting in almost all residents of Sin Khon Taing Village in Rathedaung Township fleeing to safer locations, locals said.
— BNI Online

Deputy Minister U Aung Htoo meets with Japan Patent Office Commissioner
Deputy Minister for Commerce U Aung Htoo, who was in Japan and attending Myanmar IP Seminar from 14 to 17 October in Tokyo, met with Japan Patent Office Commissioner Mr Matsunaga at the commissioner’s office in Tokyo, Japan yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Feature photo Winrock International

This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo focus on International Day of Rural Women, October 15.

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).

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