Myanmar morning news for January 30, 2020

Myanmar receives over 4 mln foreign tourists in 2019
Myanmar received over 4.36 million foreign visitors in 2019, said the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

Muse’s trade volume reaches to US$1.67 B within three and a half months
The volume of 18 border trade centers is over US$3.1 billion within three and a half months in this fiscal year and trade volume of Muse border trade center alone is reached over half of total trade volume in that period, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar to use LPG extensively
Myanmar intends to extensively use LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) as fuel kitchen fuel as well as industrial and other businesses, said Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy Dr Tun Naing.
— Eleven Myanmar

Yangon’s New City development project initiates ‘Swiss challenge’
The Yangon government has launched a “Swiss challenge” tender for Yangon New City’s first-stage infrastructure projects, following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Myanmar.
— Myanmar Times

Group seeks comments on policy paper on ‘quotas’ for employment of disabled
A policy options paper with suggestions on Myanmar introducing a quota system for employing persons with disabilities is now open for comment.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar garment workers protest poor working conditions
Garment workers at three foreign-run firms in Yangon marched to City Hall to decry poor working conditions.
— Myanmar Times

Coronavirus fears haunt Vietnam and Myanmar border towns
Truong Phan cannot tear himself away from news of the coronavirus outbreak for long. “I keep checking the situation every hour,” said the owner of a small trading company in Vietnam’s northern city of Mong Cai, on the border with China.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Real justice for Myanmar’s Rohingya will require more than an ICJ ruling
Rohingya Muslims, described by the UN as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, have finally seen a beacon of light in the fight for justice driven forward by Gambia.
— Alaraby

GIC said to buy 20% stake in Yoma Bank, adding to Myanmar deals
Singapore’s sovereign wealth firm GIC has bought a substantial stake in Myanmar’s Yoma Bank as the country seeks to attract more foreign capital from across the region.
— The Straits Times

Myanmar to extract 295,000 tons of timber this FY
The ministry will extract 295,000 tons of teak and hardwood nationwide in 2019-2020 fiscal year, with Sagaing Region topping list with the extraction of over 60,000 tons, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.
— Eleven Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi Faces Rare Protest at Speech in Myanmar’s Capital
Myanmar university students staged a rare protest during a speech by the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi at an education sector event in the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday, criticizing the civilian-led government’s decision to extend the academic year by one month.
— Radio Free Asia

Authorities foil illegal attempt to send 9 Myanmar workers to Japan
Authorities have found out that two Japanese companies tried to illegally send nine Myanmar citizens to Japan to work via the Yangon International Airport.
— Eleven Myanmar

Good prospects in Myanmar for long-term investors: Oxford Business Group report
Myanmar’s growth and forecasts make an exciting prospect for companies seeking long-term opportunities, Oxford Business Group’s The Report: Myanmar 2020, says.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s Pride Festival focusing on important legal changes
This time of the year in Yangon is a very happy time – or, as we used to say, “a gay old time!”. But people are not just having a very a gay time in the golden city, they are also have a very inclusive lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTQI) time too.
— Myanmar Times

Xiklab Expands to Myanmar and Singapore
Philippines-based digital marketing agency Xiklab Digital has expanded in Southeast Asia, with the launch of operations in Myanmar and Singapore.
— Mr Web

Fruit market at Muse trade zone dull due to China’s coronavirus
Trucks carrying watermelon and muskmelon are coming to the fruit market at Muse 105th Mile Border Trade Zone in Shan State (North), but the market is dull due to communication cutoffs caused by spread of coronavirus in China.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar armed group releases two Mytel staff
The Arakan Army released two staff of a military-linked telecommunication company seized in northern Rakhine State in December last year, a company spokesperson said Wednesday.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar Govt Will Extend School Year Despite Opposition From Teachers
The Ministry of Education says it will continue with its plan to extend the school year by one month at basic education schools despite strong opposition from teachers and teachers-in-training.
— Irrawaddy

Mia Ruby: Unique Designs, Locally Made, Supporting Myanmar Women
As I enter a beautiful jewellery store at 79 Pansodan Road, I’m greeted by a lovely little girl bouncing around the store, trying to get her hands on the sparkly merchandise.
— Myanmore

ICOE staffer embroiled in conflict of interest controversy
A staff member at the Independent Commission of Enquiry served simultaneously on the legal team that defended Myanmar against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice, Frontier has learned, in a development that raises concerns over conflict of interest.
— Frontier Myanmar

Union Minister Lt-Gen Sein Win receives UNSG’s Special Envoy
Union Minister for Defence Lieutenant General Sein Win received United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar Ms Christine Schraner Burgener in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday afternoon.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

European Firms, Local Dealers Slam Govt’s Tax-Free Car Import Scheme
European firms and car companies in Myanmar are urging the government to drop a plan to allow civil servants to import cars tax-free, saying the move is bad for business.
— Irrawaddy

Preparations for Myanmar general elections going well: UEC
The Union Election Commission has yet to fix a date for this year’s general elections but its preparations are proceeding smoothly, a senior official said.
— Myanmar Times

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing receives Royal Thai Air Force Chief
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing received Air Chief Marshal Manat Wongwat, Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Air Force, at the Zeya Thiri Beikman in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar Shows Why Fixing The Plastic Crisis Is So Darn Complicated
Golden earrings swing from San San Thwin’s ears as she serves customers in her grocery store in Mingalun village, 90 miles from Myanmar’s commercial capital Yangon. This is what she has done almost every day for 30 years, but there has been a striking change in recent times: Every item for sale, with the exception of the eggs at the entrance, now comes packaged in plastic.
— Huffpost

Ethnic Voters Face Disenfranchisement in Myanmar’s 2020 Election
The legitimacy of the 2020 election is threatened by the exclusion of millions of ethnic voters working overseas. Reforms are needed to ensure their participation.
— Irrawaddy

Union Information Minister receives Indian Ambassador
Union Minister for Information Dr Pe Myint received a delegation led by Indian Ambassador Mr Saurabh Kumar at his ministry in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

AA Releases Executive of Myanmar Military-Backed Mytel, Driver
The Arakan Army has freed the Rakhine State director of military-backed telecom operator Mytel and his driver after a month in captivity.
— Irrawaddy

Local, foreign media visit Maungtaw
Local and foreign media personnel arrived in Maungtaw via Angumaw by car after they had flown to Sittway from Yangon yesterday morning.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Kachin NGOs Ask for Mask Donations for IDPs Near China-Myanmar Border
Shops have sold out of face masks along the Chinese border as fears about the coronavirus grow. NGOs are asking people to send masks for the crowded IDP camps.
— Irrawaddy

Pyidaungsu Hluttaw continues discussing Polish loan, JPAC report
The second Pyidaungsu Hluttaw convened the 3rd day of its 15th regular session yesterday, and MPs continued discussion about the Euro 50 million loan from the Government of Poland and the first section of Joint Public Accounts Committee Report(16/2019).
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls in Ambassador of Bangladesh
U Soe Han, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, called in Mr Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Myanmar, at ‌3 pm on 28 January 2020 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar University Rector Forced to Retire Over Dodgy Contract
Mandalay University’s rector is being forced to retire for breaching government rules about transparent bidding over a new food court.
— Irrawaddy

Union Ethnic Affairs Minister receives Indian Ambassador
Union Minister for Ethnic Affairs Nai Thet Lwin received Indian Ambassador Mr Saurabh Kumar at his ministry in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

ICJ Gives The Gambia, Myanmar Just Six Months to Prepare Pleadings in Genocide Case
In a sign that it wants to expedite the Rohingya genocide case, the ICJ has given The Gambia and Myanmar an unexpectedly brief six months each to file their pleadings.
— Irrawaddy

Union Minister U Ohn Maung receives Australian Ambassador
Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Ohn Maung received Australian Ambassador Ms Andrea Faulkner at the guest hall of ministry in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Chastises Myanmar Student Protesters
The State Counselor reproached university students who raised signs in protest at government education policies during a speech she gave in Naypyitaw on Tuesday.
— Irrawaddy

Bangladesh allows education for Rohingya refugee children
Rohingya children living in Bangladesh refugee camps will be allowed to receive a formal education after a change of heart by Dhaka in a move welcomed by right activists.
— Frontier Myanmar

School textbook tender committee holds coordination meeting
U Aung Hla Tun, the Deputy Minister for Information and the Chairman of Committee for Accepting and Scrutinizing Tender for School Textbooks, presided over the committee’s coordination meeting yesterday afternoon.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Feature photo Birds in Myanmar

This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo focus on raptors of Asean, here the White-eyed Buzzard.

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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