Myanmar morning news for April 7, 2020

One more coronavirus case reported in Myanmar
The National Center for Communicable Disease (NCCD) of Myanmar said on Monday that one more coronavirus patient has been diagnosed in the country, increasing the total number of coronavirus infected patients in Myanmar to 15 as of Monday.
— Menafn

Blocked websites, internet shutdown, and media arrests undermine free speech in Myanmar
Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communication has directed four major telecommunication service providers to block websites supposedly in the name of combatting disinformation amid the government’s campaign to contain the spread of COVID-19.
— Global Voices

Myanmar earns US$1.8 B from natural gas export in six months
Myanmar earned over US$1.8 billion from natural gas export from October 1 to March 27 in this fiscal year and it is more US$18 million in comparison with the same period in the last fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar’s State Counselor Vows ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Price Gougers of COVID-19 Protective Items
Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has issued a stern warning to anyone who would engage in price gouging on surgical masks amid a steady rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, saying she had a “zero tolerance” policy toward those who jack up prices of essential goods.
— Irrawaddy

What’s in the New Coronavirus Ceasefire Talk in Myanmar’s Ethnic Conflict?
While calls for a pause in violence are notable, it remains to be seen whether they will be heeded or can be sustained and translated into positive developments.
— The Diplomat

Hundreds on Myanmar Migrant Workers Stuck Near Border Outpost After Return From China
Up to 400 migrant workers returning to Myanmar from China amid the spread of the coronavirus are stranded near the border in Shan state, where authorities have blocked access to roads and are forcing them to remain during a mandatory 14-day quarantine period, two of the laborers said Sunday.
— Radio Free Asia

Four factories to start producing masks in Myanmar
Four factories in Yangon and Bago regions will begin producing face masks after the Thingyan holidays amid soaring local demand for masks due to the outbreak of coronavirus, officials say.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar mulls IMF, World Bank loans as virus slowdown bites
Myanmar said it’s considering whether to tap emergency financing from multilateral lenders including the International Monetary Fund to cushion the blow of the coronavirus outbreak.
— The Jakarta Post

Myanmar Govt to Provide Free Basic Food for Poor During COVID-19 Shutdown
The government’s COVID-19 response committee has promised to provide free food to those struggling with the coronavirus shut down during the 10-day Thingyan Water Festival holiday.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar population rises by 10 million in 25 years
The population on April 1 was 54.58 million, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population said in a statement in a government newspaper on Thursday.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar Government Bans Staff From New Year Travel to Stop COVID-19 Spread
Myanmar’s roughly 1 million civil servants have been banned from traveling to their home towns for the New Year water festival to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
— Irrawaddy

Covid-19 lockdown is old hat for Myanmar’s former political prisoners
Pro-democracy activist Bo Kyi was one of thousands jailed, spending eight years behind bars in the 1990s.
— BusinessLive

Myanmar Govt Cracks Down on Fake COVID-19 News
The Myanmar government is following through on its threats to punish anyone who spreads fake news about COVID-19 as authorities arrested a man on Saturday for a Facebook post.
— Irrawaddy

Companies, orgs, public continue donation to COVID-19 Committee
Company, organization and individual donors donated financial assistance and hospital supplies to the National Central Committee on COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Export of Monywa winter onions plummets by 70%
With the decreasing demand from foreign markets, exports of winter onions from Monywa Township has dropped by 70 per cent compared to the corresponding period of last year, said Ko Han Naing Oo, an owner of Aung Kaung Pyae Onion Depot in Monywa town.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

NGO voices concern about Myanmar, regional migrants affected by COVID-19 scare
A migrant support network has voiced concern over Myanmar and other regional migrants in Southeast Asia who are negatively affected by government efforts to rein in the spread of the coronavirus.
— BNI Online

Sixteen quarantined Myanmar hospital workers test negative for COVID-19
Sixteen hospital workers, quarantined for having close contact with the 63-year-old woman COVID-19 patient, tested negative for the deadly disease, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry said on April 6.
— Myanmar Times

Early-stage investor EME Myanmar in talks to grow corpus by $20m next year
Myanmar-based early-stage investment firm Emerging Markets Entrepreneurs (EME) is planning to raise a further $20 million by the fourth quarter of 2021 to support its portfolio and invest in new startups, according to a top executive of the firm.
— DealStreetAsia

Calls grow to release Myanmar prisoners to tackle Covid-19
Rights groups have called on Myanmar’s government to stem the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak by reducing the population of the country’s crowded and unsanitary prisons.
— UCA News

Provide aid to foreign-owned garment businesses also: ambassador
South Korean and Chinese stakeholders in Myanmar are urging the authorities to review the possibility of providing a stimulus package for foreign investors in the local garment industry at a time when the supply of raw materials has stalled and importers from the West have begun to cut orders from Myanmar’s factories.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar Pharma Firm Donates Device to Massively Increase COVID-19 Testing
Myanmar’s largest pharmaceutical distribution company donated a new COVID-19 testing machine to the country’s health ministry on Sunday that can run more than 1,400 tests per day, a major increase from the government’s current testing capacity of around 80 tests per day.
— Irrawaddy

ASEAN must do more in Rakhine
Regional action is needed to stem the unprecedented violence in Rakhine State and should include a push by ASEAN leaders for a ceasefire between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army.
— Frontier Myanmar

Telenor celebrates Myanmar New Year with bonus promotions, MMK 1 bln rewards
Telenor Myanmar is celebrating the New Year (Thingyan) with the launch of an all-digital campaign called ‘Pyor Pee Yin Pyor’.
— Telecompaper

Malaysia intercepts boat with 202 Rakhine Muslims
The Malaysian coast guard said it intercepted a boat carrying 202 people believed to be ethnic Muslim refugees from Rakhine State early Sunday morning.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s KBZ Bank Donates Nearly $1M to Coronavirus Efforts
Kanbawza Bank has donated nearly US$1 million worth of medical supplies to Myanmar’s health ministry to support efforts to prevent and treat COVID-19.
— Irrawaddy

Nay Pyi Taw Council office receives donations of PPE, surgical masks
Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council Dr Myo Aung received donations of personal protective equipment and surgical masks at his office yesterday morning.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Isolation blues? Myanmar’s ex-political prisoners share survival tips
From meditation to memory games, former political prisoners in Myanmar are dishing out tips on surviving isolation in a pandemic as the country once severed from the world again closes its borders.
— Bangkok Post

People without regular income to be supplied with basic food starting from 10 April, 150 units of electricity bills to be exempted
Republic of the Union of Myanmar Press Release of the National-Level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) 14th Waxing Tagu 1381 ME 6 April 2020 1.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Latest COVID-19 Developments in Myanmar: April 6, 2020
The Irrawaddy is posting daily roundups of the key events relating to Myanmar’s efforts to combat the coronavirus. Click here to see what’s happened so far and stay tuned for more.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s States Issue Heavy Restrictions on Movement Ahead of Thingyan to Curb COVID-19
Bans on travel and Thingyan water festival activities are among the restrictions issued by state and regional governments to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar Pharma Firm Donates Device to Massively Increase COVID-19 Testing
AA Medical has donated a new COVID-19 testing machine that will increase Myanmar’s testing capacity from 80 to over 1,400 people per day.
— Irrawaddy

JFE Meranti forges ahead in Myanmar steel market
Sebastian Langendort, CEO of JFE Meranti steel company, sees opportunities for growth in Myanmar, even as the COVID-19 pandemic takes a toll on the economy.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s State Counselor Vows ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Price Gougers of COVID-19 Protective Items
Those who jack up prices of essential items needed in the fight against COVID-19 will face prosecution, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has warned.
— Irrawaddy

Union Minister meets with COVID-19 Clinical Management Team
Union Minister for Health and Sports Dr Myint Htwe held a discussion with the COVID-19 Clinical Management Team at the Medical Skill, Simulation and Research Centre at University of Medicine (1) in Yangon on 4 April afternoon.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Two local teams gear up to build DIY ventilator prototype
Some countries are in dire need of ventilators as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to rise around the world. A spate of infections are also expected in Myanmar over the next two or three weeks, according to experts.
— Myanmar Times

Fourth-year performance of Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement
Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is working with the power of the people: Union Minister Dr Win Myat Aye By Naing Lin Kyi.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar’s Mon State Consolidates Quarantine Centers for Returning Migrants
Migrants returning to Mon State must now stay at quarantine centers in towns across the state, as authorities move to shut down smaller, community-level facilities.
— Irrawaddy

Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, IPRD share COVID-19 awareness
Daw Khin Kyi Foundation and Information and Public Relations Department are teaming up to pass awareness on COVID-19 along with reading materials rental service from mobile libraries.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Mahar Mobile App donates 2000 movies for free
Union Minister for Information Dr Pe Myint held a meeting with officials from ABC Content Solution Co Ltd (Mahar Mobile Application) yesterday and discussed the company’s plan to provide over 2,000 movies for free for a month.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

State Counsellor discusses COVID-19 measures of Bago Region through video conferencing
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson of the National-Levl Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), held discussions with health workers and local authorities in Bago Region on their measures against the pandemic.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

YMCA volunteers disinfect NPE office
Volunteers from the Young Men Christian Association sprayed disinfectants in the offices of the News and Periodicals Enterprise on Theinphyu Road, Botahtaung Township, Yangon, yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar’s Mandalay Promises Food Supplies for the Poor
Mandalay Region says it is preparing to deliver food to those struggling to eat during the COVID-19 restrictions.
— Irrawaddy

Man Killed in Sword Attack After COVID-19 Argument in Myanmar’s Bago Region
A man has been killed and two relatives injured in a sword attack on an administrator’s home after a heated argument over a COVID-19 suspect in a guesthouse.
— Irrawaddy

Feature photo Ministry of Information
This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo focus on COVID-19 in Asean.

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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About Myanmar morning news.

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