HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION

500
Ks.

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

DAILY EDITION

ISSUE 70 | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015

NEWS 3

NLD cuts representatives

from constitution debate
The NLD has cut back by more than
half the number of its MPs who will
debate proposed changes to the
constitution, after 26 registered to
take part in three days of discussion
scheduled to begin today.

NEWS 3

Minimum wage will be set

this month, says minister
Minister for Labour U Aye Myint insists
minimum wage is needed to resolve
conflicts at factories, but garment
manufacturers say the proposed rate of
K4000 a day is too high.
FEATURE 6

Boredom and distrust on

the Thai-Myanmar border
Journalists invited to cover a summit
of armed ethnic groups in Kayin
State earlier this month instead
found themselves trapped in the
jungle with little to do.
BUSINESS 9

PAGE

PHOTO: AUNG MYIN YE ZAW

Yangon residents check their names on electoral rolls yesterday at a ward office. Voter
lists went on display in 21 Yangon townships, as well as a number of other states and
regions around the country. About 33 million people will be eligible to vote in this
years election, which will be the first to use computerised voter records.

Rice export bump means

less for local market
Senior Myanmar Rice Federation
officials say growing exports of the
staple grain mean there is less rice
available for local consumption,
putting local prices at risk of rising.

President faces campaign ban

A parliamentary committee yesterday put forward amendment bills that would force President U Thein Sein and
members of his government to stand for election as independents rather than USDP members. NEWS 5

2 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 23, 2015

S Korea
to train
permanent
secretaries

IN BRIEF
MERS screening begins
in Mandalay

Screening of arriving passengers for

symptoms of the deadly Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has begun at the airports of Mandalay Region,
an official from Department of Health
for Mandalay Region said on June 20.
MERS has spread to Thailand. So
weve now started conducting health
control measures to prevent it spreading to Myanmar. Health officials are
screening arrivals at Tada-Oo and
Bagan airports as well as at other
entry points, said the official.
Symptoms include fever, coughing
and shortness of breath. Travellers
who experience such symptoms within
29 days after arriving from countries
where the deadly virus has broken out
should seek medical advice, warns the
Department of Health.
People who visit countries where
cases of MERS virus occur should
wash their hands often and wear a
mask in crowed places, said the
health official.
In South Korea, where the disease
was first reported on May 20, 24 of the
166 people known to be infected have
died. The South Korean government
announced on June 19 that they had
the disease under control. Thailand
has confirmed that has been detected
in the country.
Mg Zaw, translation by Zar Zar Soe

Voter lists go on display in three

Mandalay districts

Electoral rolls for the remaining three

districts of Mandalay Region were
released yesterday and will remain on
display until July 5, said U Kyaw Kyaw
Soe, deputy director of the Mandalay
election commission office.
He invited voters to examine the lists
and notify the commission of any errors or omissions. Lists for Mandalay,
Pyin Oo Lwin, Kyaukse and Myingyan
districts were open for review between
June 8 and 21. The remaining three
districts are Meiktila, Nyaung Oo and
Yamethin. The amended voters list will
be posted for a week once the date of
polling day is announced, he said.
The commission said it would operate more than 5400 polling stations
across Mandalay Region during the
election. Mg Zaw, translation by
Thiri Min Htun

SANDAR LWIN
sdlsandar@gmail.com

Firefighters help an unidentified worker following the collapse of scaffolding and concrete at the Pullman Hotel
construction site in Mandalay on June 20. Photo: EPA/Pyae Sone Aung

Worker rescued
after 34-hour ordeal
SI THU
LWIN
sithulwin.mmtimes@gmail.com

A WORKER who was trapped

under collapsed scaffolding and
concrete at a construction site in
Mandalay was finally freed following a desperate 34-hour rescue effort by the Red Cross Society and
Fire Services Department.
The
construction
worker,
19-year-old Ko San Myint Aung
from Satu Kyauk Sit Pone village in
Minbu township, Magwe Region,
is now receiving medical treatment in Mandalay General Hospitals intensive-care unit.
The collapse of the steel scaffolding and concrete occurred at
the under-construction Pullman
Hotel in Mandalay on June 20,
leaving two workers dead and 18
injured.

A number of victims were

trapped beneath the scaffolding,
prompting a rescue operation involving the Fire Services Department, the Red Cross Society, doctors from the Ministry of Health
and volunteers from civil society
groups.
A social relations official at the
Mandalay General Hospital told
The Myanmar Times that Ko San
Myint Aung arrived at the hospital
at 11:30pm on June 21.
Upon arrival, he was placed in
the ward for patients with broken
bones, where he was treated immediately by orthopaedists and
surgeons. This morning he was
sent to the intensive-care unit, the
official said.
The patient has lost both legs
from the collapsed concrete, and
one of his arms is in serious condition. Doctors are working to save it.
The Pullman Hotel project is
part of the US$100 million Mingala
Mandalay Project on New City plot
1, which is owned by Mandalay City

Development Committee. New Star

Light, CAD and Nyan Family Construction have been contracted to
build the project.
The collapsed portion of the
scaffolding had been built by Nyan
Family Construction. U Nyan Lynn
from the company expressed sorrow on June 21 for the workers involved in the accident and added,
Our company will take responsibility for the injured and the victims. We will give compensation.
Police Captain Khin Zaw from
Chan Mya Tharsi township said
an official from Nyan Family Construction has been charged under
sections 337 and 338 of the penal
code causing hurt by act endangering personal safety of others
and causing grievous hurt by act
endangering personal safety of
others respectively as well as section 304 for culpable homicide not
amounting to murder. The charges
carry a potential prison term totaling 17 years.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

SOUTH Korea will train Myanmars

newly appointed permanent secretaries to help the countrys bureaucratic
reform, an official of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) has announced.
At the Myanmar governments request, the training program will be
funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and will be
conducted by KDI, a leading government think tank in South Korea.
Training will start in September,
said Sang-Woo Nam of the KDI School
of Public Policy and Management, who
led a KDI delegation to Myanmar last
week. This training will assist the
permanent secretaries to fulfil their
very important role, he said yesterday.
KOICA is also helping the Myanmar government to establish the Myanmar Development Institute with
a US$20 million contribution over a
four-year period.
KDI program officer Kim Tae
Young said the program might involve
a visit to South Korea to see how the
countrys bureaucracy works.
We are still working out the details, including the possibility of a visit
and training. There will also be lectures, capacity-building activities and
some site visits in Korea. Capacitybuilding is particularly important for
permanent secretaries because they
will be playing a leading role after the
election as well, said Mr Kim.
President U Thein Seins government appointed nearly 40 new permanent secretaries in March and April as
part of the governments bureaucratic
reform.
According to the plan, the permanent secretaries will lead negotiations
with policy makers, design and monitor projects, and take responsibility
for administration, internal audit, information policy and international
relations.

www.mmtimes.com

NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

Minimum wage to be set

this month: labour minister
Garment factory owners remain opposed to the wage, citing worries over gaining market share

NYAN LYNN
AUNG
29.nyanlynnaung@gmail.com

MINISTER for Labour U Aye Myint

promised yesterday to determine a
proposed minimum wage for garment factory workers by the end of
this month, despite strong opposition from employers.
Factory owners would be given
two months to lodge their complaints against the proposed
amount, the minister said yesterday. The long-running process of
reaching an agreement for one of
Myanmars most vital export sectors
has been punctuated by strikes and
protests that have dented investors
confidence.
The minister was speaking at a
minimum wage workshop bringing
together the labour ministry, employers and trade union representatives organised by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of
Commerce (UMFCCI).
A meeting in Nay Pyi Taw of a
national committee responsible
for setting minimum wages said
on June 17 that manufacturing sector factory owners were willing to
agree on a minimum wage, likely
to be K4000 (US$3.60) a day. But
garment factory owners in the cutting, manufacturing and packaging
(CMP) export sector were strongly
opposed, arguing they could not
gain market share at such rates.
A member of the national committee on setting minimum wages said it
appeared possible that the CMP sector might obtain a different minimum
wage from other industries.
Views expressed at the workshop
reflected the battle lines that have
hardened during months of controversial debate, and efforts by the
government to reach a compromise.
U Myint Soe, chair of the Myanmar Garment Entrepreneurs Association, said garment factories using the CMP system would have to

U Soe Myint, head of the Myanmar Garment Entrepreneurs Association, speaks at a meeting about setting a minimum
wage in Yangon yesterday. Photo: Naing Wynn Htoon

change their method of production

to meet the costs of the proposed
minimum wage.
We need to know how the government will support us, what will
be the strategy for us to develop the
garment sector, he said. It depends
on the business community and the
government.
U Win Aung, UMFCCI chair, said
fixing minimum wages should be
carried out rationally, and that factory owners would have to think
about changing their business practices if they could not pay fixed
wages.
U Naw Aung, a labour representative and national committee member,

said other industries expected CMP

factories to agree to K4000 as the average minimum wage.
U Zaw Oo, economic adviser to
the presidents Office, said the minimum wage could be set between
those earned in Cambodia and
Bangladesh, two of Myanmars main
competitors in attracting foreign investors away from China.
He suggested from K3200 to
K4000 a day was a fair amount to
start with and that all would have to
overcome difficulties together.
Ko Kyaw Lwin Oo, a garment
worker from E-Land Myanmar who
attended the workshop, said more
than K4000 was needed as a living

wage because of rising commodity

prices.
U Maung Maung, chair of the
Federation of Trade Unions-Myanmar, said the minimum wage should
be based on eight hours of work a
day, without including overtime,
and needed to be sufficient to support a family.
Minimum wages should be
measured by the dignity of workers
in the rest of world. I dont want to
create such conditions that international investors come here [Myanmar] because labour is cheaper,
commented Daw Sandar Min, a
member of parliament from the National League for Democracy.

News 3

UEC rolls out

next phase
of voter list
program
LUN MIN MANG
lunmin.lm@gmail.com
THE Union Election Commission yesterday launched the latest phase of
displaying voter lists for public verification in 21 Yangon townships and several states and regions across the country
in preparation for the November general elections.
Lists published in three stages so far
have drawn a storm of controversy over
the high rate of errors and omissions.
But election officials stress that there
is time for corrections to be made before all the electoral rolls are published
when the election date is set in August.
About 33 million people are eligible
to vote in the election, which will be the
first time that Myanmar has used computerised electoral rolls. Previous elections were dependant on hand-written
lists, and much of the data provided by
the home affairs and immigration ministries has proven to be incorrect.
Would-be voters have two weeks to
check their names and data are entered
correctly on the lists that were posted
yesterday. Heavy rains dampened enthusiasm in Yangon, the countrys most
populated region.
Nonetheless U Khin Maung Oo,
chair of a ward sub-commission in
Mingalar Taung Nyunt, said public interest in his ward was quite good.
Up to now, we have recorded about
250 residents who came and checked
their names and data, he told The
Myanmar Times yesterday afternoon.
Among those there were 30 residents
whose names had been omitted.
Ko Tin Win, who lives on 108th Street
in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township,
told The Myanmar Times that his name
was not on the list and he had submitted Form 3 to correct it. Most of my
familys names and data are correct, but
my name was omitted, he said.
Some ward sub-commissions played
music tracks recorded by civil society
public advocacy groups to catch public
attention.
Lists were moved in and out of offices depending on the rain. When it
is raining, we have to take the lists back
inside. Once it stops raining, we get
them out so that people can look, said
Daw Nwe Nwe Hla, head of the Thiri
Khaymar ward sub-commission.

NLD scales back participation in constitution debate

HTOO THANT
thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com
THOMAS KEAN
tdkean@gmail.com
THE National League for Democracy
will trim the number of its MPs who
will take part in three days of debate
on proposed constitutional amendments that will begin in parliament
today.
The debate will focus on proposed changes to section 436 and
59(f ), which relate to the process of
amending the constitution and the
presidential eligibility requirements
respectively, and require both approval in parliament and at a national referendum to be passed into law.
A vote is expected to be held at the
conclusion of the debate on June 25.
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker
Thura U Shwe Mann announced on
June 18 that 75 MPs had registered
to take part in the debate, but due
to time constraints only 12 of 33 MPs
from his Union Solidarity and Development Party were granted approval
to discuss the bill.
Another 26 MPs from the National League for Democracy and
16 from other parties registered to

discuss the bill and were granted

permission.
However, the NLD has since
trimmed its cohort to about 12 or
13, U Win Myint, the partys Pyithu
Hluttaw representative for Pathein,
said yesterday.
The proposed amendments would
remove the militarys veto over constitutional change by reducing the
level of support to pass amendments
from 75 percent of MPs to 70pc. The
changes to section 59(f ) would relax
the presidential eligibility requirements, but Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
would remain barred because her
sons are British citizens.
The military has not indicated how
it will vote on the proposed changes,
and MPs were yesterday mostly unwilling to predict the outcome.
U Thein Tun Oo, a Pyithu Hluttaw
representative for Amarapura township from the USDP, said civilian
MPs were working hard to build support for the bill among military MPs.
While the constitution states
that amendments require the support of more than 75pc of MPs,
he noted that at least nine military
representatives would have to back
the changes to ensure their passage,

as eight constituencies are currently

vacant.
U Khine Maung Yi, the Pyithu
Hluttaw representative for Ahlone
from the National Democratic Force,
said he believe the amendments
would pass. It may be difficult, but
I think we will have success, he said
yesterday.
This weeks expected vote caps a
more than two-year journey for the
amendment process, which began
in March 2013 with a proposal from
senior USDP officials.
For much of that time the process has appeared to move slowly,
and mostly behind closed doors in

The demand for

reform of the
constitution will
remain on the agenda
for some time yet.
Andrew McLeod
Oxford University

parliament. But in recent weeks the

pace has picked up, in part due to
the looming election in November
and the failure of the six-way talks
between national political leaders to
lead to an agreement on constitutional change.
The only six-way meeting was
held on April 10, bringing together
President U Thein Sein, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing, Thura U Shwe Mann, Amyotha Hluttaw Speaker U Khin Aung
Myint, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U
Aye Maung, a representative for ethnic minorities.
Andrew McLeod, a research fellow in law at Oxford University who
provided support to the parliamentary committees that developed the
amendments, said yesterday that the
bills had been ready for some time
but parliamentary leaders had wanted to wait for the outcome of the sixparty talks.
With a second round of talks yet
to be scheduled, I think Thura Shwe
Mann wanted to offer a sign that he
was still pushing for amendment of
the constitution and this was the
last opportunity before the elections to introduce the bills to the

hluttaw, he said.
Even if all of the amendments put
forward so far are approved, further
calls to amend the constitution area
likely.
I doubt these amendments will
satisfy the calls for constitutional
renewal. The demand for reform of
the constitution will remain on the
agenda for some time yet.
Nicholas Farrelly, director of the
Australian National Universitys Myanmar Research Centre, said there
was a huge amount at stake, particularly for Thura U Shwe Mann,
who has spearheaded the amendment process.
Thura U Shwe Mann is seeking
to build a multi-party coalition of
confidence that supports the reputation of the legislature and bolsters
his own credentials as somebody capable of handling the trickiest political dilemmas, Mr Farrelly said.
[But] constitutional amendment is sensitive and hyper-political.
There is a huge amount at stake and
the government is cautious about
making the wrong move or unnecessarily destabilising their carefully
created political architecture.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe

4 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 23, 2015

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U Punnavara, a central committee member of Ma Ba Tha, speaks at the organisations national conference in Yangon on June 21. Photo: Zarni Phyo

Sangha committee a no-show

at Ma Ba Tha conference
AUNG
KYAW
MIN
aungkyawmin.mcm@gmail.com

A CONSERVATIVE monks organisation concluded its national conference

on June 21 by urging the government
to stop all construction projects near
Shwedagon Pagoda, build strong
fencing along Myanmars border with
Bangladesh and not allow Bengali
boat people into our land. However,
senior officials from the governmentbacked State Sangha Maha Nayaka
Committee, also known as Ma Ha Na,
did not attend the meet.
In a statement issued at the end
of the conference, the Organisation
for the Protection of National Race
and Religion, better known by its
Myanmar-language acronym Ma Ba
Tha, also called on the Union Election Commission to ensure a free and
fair election and MPs to focus on national security when amending the
constitution.
The three-day conference on the

outskirts of Yangon attracted more

than 6000 people, including 3300
monks, but senior members of the Ma
Ha Na were notable absentees. Ma Ba
Tha leaders were quick to insist that
the snub did not reflect a breakdown
in relations between the two groups.
But there was also no sign of Sitagu Sayadaw, a vice chair of Ma Ba
Tha who has seemingly distanced
himself from the organisation this
year. Organisers had said prior to the
meeting that they expected Sitagu
Sayadaw to attend and his role in Ma
Ba Tha to be clarified.
Magwe Sayadaw U Pamaukkha
told The Myanmar Times yesterday
that Sitagu Sayadaw had not informed organisers why he could not
attend. I dont know why Sitagu Sayadaw did not attend the conference.
Does he have something else to do? I
heard he had to go to a school opening. Regardless, he is still a member
of Ma Ba Tha, and we have not altered his position.
The groups 12-point opinion
statement released at the end of the
meeting touched on many of Myanmars major political issues, but said
the organisation would refrain from

advising the public which party or

candidate to vote for in this years
election.
Instead, it said voters should vote
based on the race, religion and belief of candidates.
It also called for the enactment as
soon as possible of four controversial
laws that it proposed in 2013, including one on interfaith marriage and
another on religious conversion.
This statement shows that Ma Ba
Tha is not on the side of any one part.
We just prioritise justice, said Sitagu
Ashin Daeweinda Bhivamsa.
He said that any political

I dont know why

Sitagu Saydaw did
not attend. Does he
have something else
to do?
U Pamaukkha
Magwe Sayadaw

comments attributed to Ma Ba Tha

members were just their individual
opinion, and did not represent those
of the organisation.
The group called for the strengthening of the border with Bangladesh,
raids to root out non-immigrant foreigners and for Muslims to condemn
Islamic extremist movements.
It also took a swipe at the bias
of the United Nations and the United
States toward the scoundrel Bengalis
so-called Rohingya, and condemned
groups trying to revise the 1982 Citizenship Act.
The groups chair, U Bhadanta
Tilawkar Bivamsa, also known as Insein Ywama Sayadaw, said the measures were necessary to protect the
future Buddhism in Myanmar.
Our once-Buddhist neighbours
were lost in the past because they
were negligent. So we need to instill
nationalist spirit in future generations, he said.
To this end, a separate statement
was released on the need to foster
a network of Buddhist dhamma
schools. The group also called for a
ban on Muslim women wearing headscarves in schools.

Kachin accuse Tatmadaw of shelling church

YE MON
yeemontun2013@gmail.com
KACHIN States Baptist leaders have
accused the Tatmadaw of destroying
a church with artillery fire during
clashes with fighters of the Kachin Independence Army in Hpakant township last week.
Reverend Samson Hkalam, secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention,
said yesterday that Christ Church in
Kamaing village was destroyed on

June 19. He said more than 70 people

fled the village and were being cared
for by Baptist aid workers in Nam
Yang. The Red Cross has also arrived
with aid in the Hpakant area, he said.
A colonel in the Tatmadaws Public
Relations and Psychological Warfare
section said the military had no comment on the report. The Tatmadaw
would not have opened fire on a
church, he added.
Myanmar Online, a Chinese-language website, reported yesterday

that the church burnt down after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades
fired by government forces. It said
the Baptist pastor was taken away
and beaten.
NGOs and other groups helping civilians displaced by the fighting were
having difficulties accessing Hpakant
township because of the clashes, according to Daw Khun Jar, coordinator
of the Kachin Peace Network.
U La Saing, chair of the National
League for Democracy in Hpakant,

called on the Tatmadaw to cease its

offensive against the KIA, saying the
fighting jeopardised efforts to reach a
nationwide ceasefire agreement. He
said the situation was quiet yesterday.
Fighting in the highly lucrative
jade mining area of Hpakant was
reported to have displaced more
than 2000 people in January. About
100,000 people remain in IDP camps
in Kachin State following the breakdown of a ceasefire between the government and the KIA in 2011.

News 5

www.mmtimes.com

President faces axe from USDP campaign

HTOO
THANT
thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com

A BILL now before parliament could

prevent President U Thein Sein and
other senior government officials, as
well as senior judges, from campaigning in the coming elections as members of the ruling Union Solidarity
and Development Party. The amendments to seven laws now under consideration would bring legislation in
line with the constitution, says the
secretary of the Pyithu Hluttaw Bill
Committee.
U Thein Tun Oo, a Pyithu Hluttaw representative from the USDP,
said that if parliament accepts the
amendments, which were submitted
yesterday, the government officials

will not be able to campaign as representatives of their political party, but

they can campaign as independent
candidates.
The amendments would also affect the vice presidents and members
of the constitutional tribunal, as well
as ministers and their deputies.
U Tin Maung Oo, a USDP MP who
sits on the Public Affairs Management Committee, which prepared the
amendments, said the changes would
bring the laws into line with the
constitution.
U Thein Tun Oo said that a change
in the wording of section 7 of the law
governing campaigning would delete
the words political party.
The [existing] clause is against
the constitution. We substituted the
wording electoral campaign activity,
omitting the words political party,
he said.
In an interview earlier this month,
Union Election Commission chair U

Press Council
to offer training
on conflict safety
MRATT KYAW THU
mrattkthu@gmail.com
JOURNALISTS are to receive training
in reporting in conflict situations under
a new program set up by the Myanmar
Press Council (Interim). Editors and reporters yesterday welcomed the move
but urged the council to do more to
protect journalists from prosecution by
the government in the courts.
The Myanmar Press Council (Interim) said the training courses would be
assisted by International Media Support, an NGO which works to support
local media in countries affected by
armed conflict, human insecurity and
political transition.
Safer conditions and a safe working environment for journalists are
crucial to enabling journalists to carry
out professional, independent and diverse journalism. Journalists who are
informed about how to prepare for
and behave in a threatening situation
will be better equipped to secure their
own safety, said U Khin Maung Lay,
vice chair of the council.
Lars Bestle, head of the Asia department of International Media Support,
said in a statement, While the Myanmar media sector has taken tremendous strides over the last four years
towards more professionalism and independence, the issue of the safety of
journalists has been neglected.
U San Yu Kyaw, head of the Mandalay Journalism School, welcomed the
proposed training. Reporters can better solve the problems and negotiate
with threats if they have trained for
safety journalism, he said.
But he added that the government, while allowing free reporting
following the lifting of censorship,
was now pursuing more journalists
in the courts.
Journalists are in jail, and journal-

ists outside are protesting against that.

But the government has not released
them and I have to say that we are under pressure, U San Yu Kyaw told The
Myanmar Times.
London-based human rights group
Amnesty International said last week
that efforts to restrict freedom of expression had intensified over the past
year, with at least 10 members of the
media currently in prison, all of them
jailed in the last 12 months.
The Myanmar Press Council (Interim) was set up by President U Thein
Sein and has been criticised by some
members of the media for not being
adequately free or independent.
U Wai Phyo, editor in chief of Daily
Eleven, noted that the government
had just launched a criminal contempt-of-court prosecution against 17
senior members of the editorial team
of the newspaper, arguing that their
coverage of an earlier defamation suit
was in breach of the law.
Its strange that the Press Council
is giving such security training, he
said, calling on the organisation to
stand up to the governments attacks
on the media.
Ma Shwe Hmone, senior reporter
for Thamaga Weekly Journal, who was
charged in court for taking part in an
unauthorised rally calling for freedom
of expression, said the proposed training alone could do nothing. There
needs to be a good organisation to protect journalists effectively, she said.
Levels of violence against journalists in Myanmar have been rising
in the last year, both due to targeted
attacks on journalists, but also due to
the fact that more journalists are in
the field, covering the countrys sensitive religious and ethnic conflicts and
street riots as first-hand witnesses,
the Council and International Media
Support said in a joint statement.

A Karen National Union soldier patrols Law Khee Lar, Kayin State. Photo: Wa Lone

Tin Aye agreed that the constitution

and the Union Government Law were
at odds over whether senior government members could campaign as
party members, and he had asked the
Constitutional Tribunal to decide on

I think the USDP

wants to show that
political parties are
important. Senior
officials cannot
campaign for their
parties.
U Khine Maung Yee
National Democratic Force

the matter.
The constitution states that the
president, vice presidents and Union
government ministers can be members of a political party but must not
take part in its party activities during their term of office.
Due to this clause, President U
Thein was required to relinquish his
position as chair of the USDP in 2012
to parliament Speaker Thura U Shwe
Mann.
The move in parliament to end
the confusion comes after President
U Thein Sein submitted the names
of Union government ministers and
their deputies to the USDP to run as
candidates in this years election.
Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation U Myint Hlaing confirmed to
The Myanmar Times last week that
the names were submitted to the
party.
However, USDP officials initially
refused to reveal how many cabinet

members will contest the election on

the grounds the information is still
confidential.
U Khine Maung Yee, an MP from
the National Democratic Force, said
the submission of the amendments
showed the importance of political
parties in the electoral campaign
process.
I think the USDP wants to show
that political parties are important.
Senior officials cannot campaign for
their parties, he said yesterday.
Amendments have been submitted
in respect of the Union Attorney General Law, the Union Auditor General
Law, the Union Civil Services Board,
Nay Pyi Taw Council, the Union Judiciary Law and the Constitutional
Tribunal Law.
Members of parliament wishing to
take part in the debate on the amendments should register by tomorrow, announced Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

6 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 23, 2015

FEATURE

LAW KHEE LAR, KAYIN STATE

Reporters trudge through the mud to the site of the Ethnic Armed Organisations Summit in Law Khee Lar earlier this month. Photo: Wa Lone

Boredom and distrust on the border:

A week with warring ethnic leaders
Journalists invited to attend a summit of armed ethnic groups in Kayin State instead found themselves trapped in the jungle with little to do
JUST getting to Law Khee Lar was
hard enough. But once there, for the
journalists, including me, covering a
crucial summit of leaders of armed
ethnic group it was boredom and distrust rather than breakthrough that
characterised a week on the MyanmarThai border.
The Karen National Union (KNU)
had cordially invited the media to cover the summit in the first week of June.
Despite rumblings of discord among
ethnic groups and with the government hopes still prevailed that Law
Khee Lar might make history as the
place where the ethnic leaders would
endorse a nationwide ceasefire accord and then head to a triumphant
signing ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw.
In the southeast of Myanmar, close
to the border of Thailand, Law Khee
Lar had known more than 60 years of
conflict. Now it would be making an
appeal for peace, we hoped, as did envoys from the UN and China who also
journeyed there.
Setting out from Yangon, we did
not even know the itinerary. We were
told to make our way to Hpa-an, capital of Kayin State. There the KNU liaison office checked lists and took our
mugshots. Not knowing the travel
plan themselves, they suggested we
head to the border town of Myawaddy.
We found a driver with an illegally licenced car who had paid Karen armed groups for a permit to
Myawaddy. The road is part of the
East-West Economic Corridor, an ambitious project linking Da Nang in
Vietnam 1450 kilometres (900 miles)
away with the Indian Ocean in Myanmar. It is a lucrative source of income
for gun-toting guards of various Karen
armed ethnic groups as well as for the
Tatmadaw who stop every car and motorbike to collect money. Our anxious
driver urged us not to take pictures or
stare at them.
Being rainy season, it would have
been too difficult to get to our destination from the Myanmar side.
Thanks to cooperation between the
KNU and the Myanmar and Thai authorities, the media group crossed the

bridge over the Thaunggin River and

into the Thai town of Mae Sot without showing passports. From there
we used Thai transportation for the
four-hour drive on to Law Khee Lar,
a sparsely populated collection of
villages.
The Nippon Foundation has helped
the KNU build small brick homes as a
resettlement project for over 50 households out of the thousands who live as
refugees in Thailand. No one is living
there, however.
Eventually a small ferry boat took
us to the summit venue back across
the shallow and sparkling Thaung-

For 15 minutes
the media could
take pictures and
attend the delegates
opening remarks
and then it was back
to the military camp.

gin, bounded by forests and with the

lingering smell of scorched earth from
cleared land. A few fishermen and
gold-panners eked out a living there.
Once signed up and registered,
the media was promptly warned that
hanging around the conference centre waiting for delegates would not be
allowed. The obvious distrust had its
reasons. At a peace conference in Law
Khee Lar a year ago, KNU intelligence
staff had caught a reporter taking
documents of an ethnic leader without permission. And last month two
reporters had passed themselves off as
ethnic delegates to get into a summit
hosted by the United Wa State Army in
Pangkham on the border with China.
This time, to our shock, a senior
KNU official accused half of the media representatives present of being

WA LONE
walone14@gmail.com

government spies.
So instead of being able to spend
time as we did last year chatting at
night and getting to know the various
ethnic leaders, reporters were segregated and kept in a military training
school more than 2km away, with security guards on every corner all day
and night. Bored-looking, taciturn
soldiers with vintage weaponry hung
around some literally, in hammocks.
They wore Thai camouflage gear.
A few wooden huts became our
homes. Electricity was supplied by
generators for a total of six hours a
day. Occasional internet was available
from a Thai provider, and there was
one television with Sky Net satellite
service. Each morning and evening an

open truck would pick up the 25 reporters and wind its way up the hill to
the conference centre. Bulldozers had
recently cleared the trail.
For 15 minutes the media could
take pictures and attend the delegates opening remarks and then it
was back to the military camp for the
rest of the day. In the evenings we
were allowed back briefly but by then
all the ethnic leaders had left for the
night, with just a few press people remaining.
KNU media officials said we should
only talk to people responsible for
the ceasefire process, and leaving the
conference area or our military camp
was forbidden. That made fraternising with the locals rather difficult,
although we only saw a few, carrying loads on their backs, heading to
the border. We were also warned that
landmines were a danger.
After five days, we were waiting for
permission to enter the summit when
a KNU three-star officer wearing a pistol ordered us to line up in front of the

Journalists cross the Thaunggin River on their way to Law Khee Lar. Photo: Wa Lone

gate for our pictures to be taken for

the information department. Those
refusing would not be allowed to enter, he said.
KNU secretary Pado Kwel Htoo
Win apologised for this treatment after we complained. He explained the
lingering distrust from last years episode.
Fed up with little information and
access, some reporters decided to head
back to Yangon before the talks were
over. Crossing back over the river into
Thailand brought a welcome feeling of
escape.
The conference dragged on beyond
schedule. On its eighth day, the leaders decided to reject the draft ceasefire
accord their negotiators had signed on
March 31. Instead, they proposed 15
amendments and set up a new negotiating team.
Two weeks have passed since then
and there is little sign that the government will even agree to meet the new
team. Our return to Law Khee Lar, if
ever, might be some time off.

www.mmtimes.com

Views

News 7

Curtailing civil society in the kingdom

CHAK SOPHEAP
newsroom@mmtimes.com

EVERAL laws currently

under consideration are
threatening to bring about
the end of free civil society in Cambodia. Several
others have recently been passed,
radically reforming the judiciary and
rules governing electoral campaigning in a manner that centralises
power in the executive branch and
erodes the checks and balances that
a healthy democracy requires.
The recently passed Law on
Election of Members of the National Assembly also prohibits civil
society organisations from making
statements or conducting any other
activities deemed to be supportive
of political parties during election
periods, which some fear could be
used to stop civil society from asking
questions, criticising candidates
or seeking to better inform voters.
Others are looming some shelved,
some threatening to pass focusing
on cybercrime, trade unions, land
use and other issues related to the
free exercise of our human rights.
The draft law on associations and
NGOs (LANGO) is the governments
most recent attempt to push through
legislation that has the potential to
undermine human rights without
genuine and broad public consultations. The last draft of the LANGO
was seen in 2011, and was criticised
for giving the government overly
broad powers to shut down civil society organisations in a way that many
feared was open to abuse.
The law lay dormant until May
when Prime Minister Hun Sen
declared that it would be passed
that month. As the government has
refused to release the new draft,
speculation on its content and
potential impact has grown steadily
among civil society organisations,
donors and the diplomatic community. However, now the Council of

All in all, the law will

seriously undermine
the rights to freedom
of association and
expression ... and
undermine civil
societys legitimate
role in holding
public authorities to
account.
Ministers has reportedly approved
a new text, and a leaked version has
been widely distributed, a version
that confirms many observers fears
that the law would be worse than the
one proposed in 2011.
The law in its current form makes
no distinction between communitybased organisations and other kinds
of associations, and includes mandatory registration requirements for all
NGOs and associations working in
the country, prohibiting any activity
by unregistered groups. These provisions would enable the authorities to
restrict the legitimate activities of a
wide range of organisations, including local community and grassroots
groups and social movements.
Equally concerning is the
vagueness of some of the language

contained in the text.

The government can refuse to register organisations that jeopardise
peace, stability and public order or
harm the national security, national
unity, culture, and traditions of the
Cambodian national society, ambiguous terms that are clearly open
to broad interpretation and potential
political manipulation.
Furthermore, the law states that
foreign associations and foreign
and domestic NGOs must remain
neutral toward all political parties,
and introduces harsh sanctions for
failing to comply with the law.
All in all, the law will seriously
undermine the rights to freedom of
association and expression, impair
citizens constitutional right to participate actively in the political life
of the nation, and undermine civil
societys legitimate role in holding
public authorities to account.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister
Hun Sen and opposition minority
leader Sam Rainsy have publicly
embraced what they call a political culture of dialogue. But so far,
sadly, that dialogue has only taken
place between the two of them and
their high-level staff, and has not
been extended to include the public
or civil society.
At the same time, a number of
local and international organisations have come together to kick off
a campaign urging the government
to Stop and Consult on the LANGO
and other critical laws likely to have
a negative impact on human rights.
As part of these efforts, I joined a
delegation of Cambodian civil society
members in Washington to call on
the US and other governments to
urge the government of Cambodia to
be more transparent, inclusive and
consultative. As I walked the halls
of Congress in Washington from one
meeting to another, I gained energy
from the respect and empathy I
found. But each of those steps also
highlighted for me what could soon
be a fantasy: walking the halls of
parliament in my own country to
advocate for change.
Members of civil society in Cambodia must have explicit permission
to even set foot in our National
Assembly. Although members of the
government have said they support
the idea of consultations, we have yet
to see the proof of it. Instead, as our
Stop and Consult campaign gained
momentum, an official warned that
those who criticise the government,
even with something as simple as a
tweet, would be punished.
Cambodias democracy was hard
won. After a civil war and a devastating genocide, my country now has
a constitution that guarantees our
rights. But we need more than words
on paper. A lack of transparency and
inclusive dialogue around lawmaking
is threatening to close the space for
those who work every day to provide
services to their fellow citizens and
make our country better.
This is why we are calling on the
government to draft a law to ensure
that the legislative process takes into
consideration the views of multiple
stakeholders including civil society,
and most importantly, the public.
Were calling on the international
community to stand with us.
Now back in Cambodia, I still
hold out hope that, when tomorrow
comes, citizens like me will still be
able to speak and serve our fellow
citizens freely. Our future depends
on it.
Chak Sopheap is executive director of
the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

An activist from the ASEAN Grassroots Peoples Assembly demonstrates for human rights, land rights and democracy in
front of the Cambodian parliament in Phnom Penh on November 16, 2012. Photo: EPA/Stephen Morrison

8 THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 22, 2015

Business
INTERVIEW

Total addresses rights

and security concerns

MIC approves 123

companies in the
current fiscal year
HTIN LINN AUNG
htynlynnaung@gmail.com

AUNG
SHIN
koshumgtha@gmail.com

CONCERNS over security and human rights have caught up a number

of companies in Myanmar, and are
particular headaches for the extractive industry.
Voluntary Principles on Security
and Human Rights (VPSHR) is comprised of governments, companies
and non-government organisations
working to promote principles for
extractive companies on security
and human rights standards. French
petroleum giant Total is one of the
corporate participants in VPSHR. It
organised Myanmars first seminar on
the principles in Yangon on June 18.
The Myanmar Times Aung Shin
met with the Total officials after the
event to discuss the program.
What message do you want to send
with the seminar?
We organised the seminar as part of
a global VPSHR policy. It is about
security and human rights, both of
which are very important. We held
the discussions in order to avoid human rights violations. It is important
to engage in dialogue with the security
forces of Myanmar, police and army,
NGOs, oil and gas companies, as well
as private security.
Total has been in Myanmar for
more than 20 years. We are engaging
with people in the Kanpauk area [in
Tanintharyi Region, the area where
Totals gas pipeline comes ashore].
When you are engaged with people,
when you engage with the community,
you can improve the life of the people
in a peaceful manner.
How do you use VPSHR in your operations? I mean, addressing both
security and human rights at the
same time, when you are smoothing out your operations?
[When signing a contract with private
security companies], the question of
implementation on the ground, making sure every guard working for the
company has proper training, knowing how to react in the case of violence, intrusion is quite important
because this company is working for
us. We are responsible for what they
are doing.
We have to make sure these people are behaving the way they have
to behave to respect human rights
principles.
What is the progress of Totals
contribution to this policy?
Total is committed to respect the voluntary principles of Security and Human Rights. We joined the process in
2006, and we have done a lot of implementation, improving every year.
We continue to try to enforce implementation of these principles, especially in countries that need support
from the military, police and private
security companies.
So it is very important for us that
we asset the impact of our operations, especially in the local community. A part of this is to reduce the

Total E&P Myanmar general manager Xavier Preel (left) and Hubert de Bremond
dArs, Totals VPSHR coordinator, discusses Totals efforts on security and
human rights. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

level of tension in order to apply security rules for safety purposes in our
operations without having to resort
to violence.
How important is cooperating
with the government in this VPSHR policy?
The government has a monopoly on
force in every country in the world.
Mostly the counterpart is the police
force. We need to deal with them. We
have regular meetings in Kanpauk. But
actually, we have nothing to report,
even cases of accident we have never
had. There is no more fighting in the
area, even if it happened in the past.
There have been many cases of
human rights violation in the
country. According to NGOs, this
continues today. What would you
say about this?
The seminar we organised this
morning is a contribution by Total
to the community and to Myanmar
people to discuss how to improve
these things. We are not the government of Myanmar. What we are doing is to disseminate information.
I am very satisfied with what happened this morning. We were discussing in very positive ways that
human rights have to be respected.
There is no report of human rights
abuse in the area in which we are operating. We have to be clear on that.
People should not be confused about
that. And we are not the only oil and
gas company in Myanmar.
There were some protests by oil
company workers and local people in the Kanpauk area last year.
What would you say on this issue?
Yes there are some labour issues in
the area. I dont want to comment on
other companies.
But part of our concern is a labour issue; that is why I said the

VPSHR seminar is very useful. To

my knowledge, there were no human rights abuse cases in those
demonstrations, maybe because of
our principles. But we dont pretend
that because what we are doing, like
corporate social responsibility activities, VPSHR principles or whatever, people would stop having complaints on labour issues, with may
happen because of community life
employees, of course, have labour
contracts ... Thats why we are promoting VPSHR policies to respect
human rights, to respect each party.
What kind of tensions are there?
Tensions can be related to land use
for example. The pipeline for Total
has been in place for more than 20
years. So compensation mechanisms
have been put in place, but from
time to time, people such as newcomers forget that compensation
has been paid Sometimes we are
facing activities of farmers.
They want to cross our pipeline,
but that becomes a [Health, Safety,
Environment] issue. Its a consequence of all gas pipelines.
Following this seminar, what is
the next step to promote VPSHR
policy?
It is still too early to say what will
be the next step. People who participate in this seminar are willing to
do it again. Ideas of training for particular private security companies is
something else We are thinking to
contribute to training private security companies, but it is not decided
yet. Let me say there is a possibility.
We share our experiences but
there is no point that we should be
the trainer. Providing good testimony is part of the training.
This interview has been edited for
length and clarity

FIFTEEN local and foreign companies were granted approval by

the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) in June, taking
the total number of companies
approved this fiscal year to 123,
according to U Aung Naing Oo,
secretary of the MIC.
Creating local job opportunities is our main focus this financial year, so MIC has approved
more contract manufacturers
than companies in other sectors,
said U Aung Naing Oo, adding
that investments into other sectors have also been approved.
The number of contract manufacturers granted approval is 35
so far this fiscal year, accounting
for 43 percent of total permissions granted, according to a
statement by the Directorate of
Investment and Company Administration last week.
U Aung Min, chair of the
contracted manufacturers association said, The capital needed
to invest in contract manufacturing is lower than for manufacturers. Moreover, they dont
have the headache of distributing their products in the market.
Most of the foreign investments
in this sector are from Korea and
China.
The statement said that a majority of MIC approvals were to
companies in the manufacturing sector, including agricultural
production, livestock production, wood finishing production,
and the production of foodstuff,
with 45 approvals granted this
fiscal year, which began on 1
April.
During the first three months
of this financial year 39 local
enterprises, 41 joint ventures
between a local and a foreign
company, 32 foreign investments

and 11 joint ventures between

foreign companies and the government were permitted to do
business.
Oil and gas extraction is permitted through joint-ventures
between the government and international companies, and all of
these joint ventures are formed
through a profit sharing agreement. Oil and gas has been the
most profitable of Myanmars export sectors since 2013, according to an official from the Ministry of Commerce.
Of the investments proposed
by local companies, 11 were in
the hotel sector, said U Aung Naing Oo. Investment into the hotel sector is increasing because it
has become an important sector
for tourists coming to Myanmar,
he said.

PERCENT

43

Share of manufacturing businesses

approved, out of all approvals so far
this year

From 1988 to May 2015, 657

foreign companies have pledged
US$46.2 billion in investments
to Myanmar.
During that period, 26 percent of approved projects were
from China, the largest source
of approved foreign investment
into Myanmar.
Thailand and Singapore were
second and third at 18pc each,
and Hong Kong in fourth at 12pc.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

Life Square to be IT
retail hub at HAGL
TIN YADANAR TUN
yadanar.mcm@gmail.com
THE large HAGL Myanmar Centre near Inya Lake will be home
to an electronics shopping mall,
modelled after famous IT retailing hubs such as Tokyos Akihabara district and Thai retailer
Power Buy.
U Aung Shein, chief executive
of Ever Seiko and Living Square
companies, said retail space
will be called Life Square and is
aimed at attracting tech tenants.
We, Living Square company,
has decided to start an IT and
electronics accessory shopping
centre at HAGL, for the first time
in Yangon, he said.
The HAGL Myanmar Centre is
a large-scale multi-use complex
on Kabar Aye Pagoda Road near
the Sedona Hotel.

U Aung Shein said the Life

Square IT shopping mall will
hold 33 electronic stores, including local and international
brands, with a total of 30,000
square feet market for IT and
electronics among 50,000 square
feet of retail.
Daw Aye Aye Thwe, managing
director of Living Square, said
customers will be able to find
the latest products, brands, demos and service at the mall, with
shops selling computers, appliances, televisions, mobile phones
and a range of other goods. There
will also public spaces, including
cafes, as part of the experience.
Potential tenants said they
were keen on the project. U Yan
Naing, an official with electronics retailer Infinity Investment,
said it is a good idea to bring
electronics shops together.

BUSINESS EDITOR: Jeremy Mullins | jeremymullins7@gmail.com

Philippines chooses
Vietnam in major rice
buying tender

Trade pacts shed

jobs to China, US
economists find

BUSINESS 11

BUSINESS 12

Exchange Rates (June 22 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar

Buying

Selling

K1252
K297
K824
K33
K1116

K1272
K309
K838
K35
K1119

Rice stocks lower as exporting picks up

KO KO AUNG

HTYN LYNN AUNG

RICE dealers are striving to strike the

right balance between exporting and
managing local prices, amid warnings from some businesspeople that
too much rice is being exported.
U Soe Tun, vice chair of the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) says
domestic price rises indicate that
local stocks may be insufficient.
The concerns were expressed at
a June 17 meeting of MRF members
and rice exporters at the offices of
the Union of Myanmar Federation
of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI).
If exporters ship out most of
what they produce, local consumers
will be hit as domestic prices rise.
For the time being, there is enough
rice on the local market, but there
is a need to exert control and not
export too much. Now local prices
are rising even though exports are
slackening off, said U Soe Tun.
Since late May, the price of
emahta, a local benchmark paddy
strain, has risen from K16,000 a
bag to K17,500. The export price has
remained stable at about US$300 a
tonne, but local prices are edging
up, say exporters. Exports are therefore slowing as export profits drift
downward.
The October-November monsoon paddy means there will be
plenty available for local consumption, said U Soe Tun, who said the
rise in domestic prices was attributable to falling stocks and the strong
dollar.
Before, we exported 3500
tonnes a day cross-border to China.

A man loads rice bags onto a lorry from Yangon jetty. Photo: Kaung Htet

Now that prices are higher we are

exporting only 2000 tonnes a day,
said MRF vice chair U Aung Than
Oo.
The Food and Agricultural Organization stated 2014-15 rice
production in Mynamar was 28.5
million tonnes, while it estimates
this year that production will be
29.2 million tonnes. The country average 29 million tonnes in production between 2010 and 2014, it said.
Official data states Myanmar is

to export about 2 million tonnes

this year, on the back of rising demand of China, Africa and Europe.
Last years exports totalled 1.8 million tonnes last year, itself an increase of 40 percent over the previous year, with shipments to China
dominating the trade, according to
official figures.
The FAO meanwhile estimated
exports at 760,000 tonnes for the
2014-15 July to June marketing year.
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam

MILLION TONNES

29

Myanmars average annual rice

production between 2010-2014,
according to the FAO

and India are major rice exporters in the region. Myanmar hoped
to attract investment from those
countries and from the EU to help
revamp its outdated planting and
milling technologies, but has thus
far achieved little success.
Potential investors hesitate to
move into Myanmar because of
continuing logistical problems such
as inadequate electricity supply
and poor transport infrastructure,
which can make exporting costly.

Europe rice standards still a challenge for millers

KO KO AUNG
pmkokoaung@gmail.com
HTIN LYNN AUNG
htynlynnaung@gmail.com
MYANMAR has duty-free access to
the European Union for nearly all
its exports. This has been a particular boon to garments, but has also
opened the door to the rice trade.
Only Cambodia and Myanmar
enjoy this duty free access among
regional rice exporters. Although
this market access gives local production a leg up, it is still tough to
gain European buyers, as the domestic industry has trouble meeting its high standards.
For the time being, Myanmar has
been exporting broken rice to the European Union, said Damien Plan, an
official with the European Commissions Agriculture and Rural Development directorate-general. Europe
is assisting Myanmar develop its rice
sector. In the future, ideally it will be
exporting more fragrant rice, such as
jasmine rice, to Europe.
We want quality rice from Myanmar, said Mr Plan.
Rice exports have been growing
significantly in recent years, and
along with beans and pulses are
a major national export. About 70

percent of rice exports go to China,

with most of the rest going to African markets and the Middle East.
In May, the EUs committee for
the common organisation of agricultural markets said 144,552
tonnes of rice were shipped from
Myanmar to the EU in September
to April period in 2014-15, compared 79,942 tonnes a year earlier.
More exports to Europe will require improvements to domestic infrastructure. A World Bank report
last year highlighted the need for
Myanmar to improve the quality

Quantity is tough
to increase, so
we should look at
improving quality
and exporting to
Europe to receive a
good price.
U Ye Min Aung
Myanmar Rice Federation

of its rice production by expanding

and upgrading domestic mills.
Exports have been rising rapidly
since 2011, particularly due to a rapid
increase in Chinese demand. Europe
Union also extended its everythingbut-arms duty-free access to Myanmar in 2013, backdating it to 2012.
Different statistics exist for rice
exports. Myanmars statistics show
exports will reach 2 million tonnes
this fiscal year, though other assessments are about half as high.
Still, the trend toward increase exports is evident.
Myanmar Rice Federation secretary general U Ye Min Aung said
rice still lacks quality compared
with some neighbouring countries.
We need to think about quantity and quality to promote exports.
But quantity is tough to increase, so
we should look at improving quality and exporting Europe to receive
a good price, he said.
Experts say that while the aspirations exist to improve the quality
of exports, there are serious practical challenges. Rice mills urgently
need upgrades, quality checks must
be improved and greater understanding of what constitutes international-quality rice is essential.
If there is market interest, we will

grow fragrant rice and export it to

Europe, said U Myo Aung Kyaw, vice
chair of the Myanmar Rice Federation.
Figures from the Ministry of

Commerce put rice exports at more

than 1.7 million tonnes for the 201415 fiscal year, worth a total of $645
million.

TRADE MARK CAUTION

Camus La Grande Marque of 29, rue Marquerite de Navarre,
16100 COGNAC, France, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the
following Trade Mark:

Reg.No.IV/3155/2003 Reg.No.IV/7299/2010
Reg.No.IV/ 10286 /2012 Reg.No.IV/6553/2015
in respect of Class 33: alcoholic beverages (except beers).
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said Trade Mark
or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law.
Khine Khine U, Advocate
LL.B, D.B.L, LL.M (UK)
For Camus La Grande Marque
#205/5, Thirimingalar Housing, Strand Rd, Yangon.
Dated. June 23, 2015

10 International Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 22, 2015

BANGKOK

Thailand to raise tax

on LPG for transport

IN PICTURES

Photo: EPA

Thai workers install a chandelier at a cinema in a shopping

district in Bangkok yesterday. The Bank of Thailand dimmed
the countrys economic growth in 2015 to 3 percent from
3.8pc due to the slow pace of economic recovery as a result
of a lagging exports performance, a failed improvement of
domestic consumption and investments, and the decreasing
number of foreign tourist arrivals.

TRADE MARK CAUTION

JOY CREATORS LLP., a company incorporated in India and
having office at No.4, Mysore Road, Kolkata 700 026, West
Bengal, India, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following
Trade Mark:-

JOY

Reg.No.IV/3396/2015
Used in respect of Class 3: Herbal, organic, ayurvedic and other
non medicated cosmetics, Soaps; perfumery, essential oils, hair
oils, hair lotions, massage oils; dentifrices, talcum powder, creams,
lotions, shampoos, sun protection preparations, face wash, hair
preparations for personal use, personal hygiene preparations,
body gels and toiletries, cosmetic, petroleum jelly of all kinds
including lip guard.
Reg.No.IV/3397/2015
Used in respect of Class 5: Pharmaceutical including Ayurvedic
preparations, sanitary preparations, disinfectants, medicated hair
oils, lotions, creams and pain relieving preparations.

KARIS

Reg.No.IV/3398/2015
Used in respect of Class 3: Herbal, organic and other non
medicated cosmetics, Soaps; perfumery, essential oils, hair oils,
hair lotions, massage oils; dentifrices, talcum powder, creams,
lotions, shampoos, sun protection preparations, face wash, hair
preparations for personal use, personal hygiene preparations,
body gels and toiletries, cosmetic, petroleum jelly of all kinds
including lip guard.
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said Trade
Marks or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt according
to law.
Khine Khine U, Advocate
LL.B, D.B.L, LL.M (UK)
For JOY CREATORS LLP
#205/5, Thirimingalar Housing, Strand Rd., Yangon.
Dated. June 23, 2015

THAILANDS Energy Ministrys

Energy Business Department has
confirmed it will raise the tax on
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for
the transport sector in the second
half of this year at a rate that will
be fairer to users of other fuels.
The departments director-general Witoon Kulcharoenwirat said the
tax on LPG was not likely to have
a major impact on business or the
economy as the new retail price
would still be substantially lower
than other fuels such as diesel or
petrol. It would not add much more
cost to the transport sector either,
he said.
Based on the heat rate and tax
on other petrols, the tax will be
raised by another 2.5 baht per litre
(US$0.07), up from 1.1 baht. This
will push the LPG retail price to 16
baht per litre from 14 baht.
Retail prices of diesel and petrol
range from 26 to 29 baht, so LPG
should remain popular in the transport sector, said Mr Witoon.
Some 900,000 vehicles were registered as being LPG-compatible at
the end of May, down slightly from
1.2 million units, mainly because of
declining oil prices.
LPG contains an average heat rate
of 25,000 British thermal units (BTU),
slightly below that of petrol and diesel
at 30,000 BTU, he said. We intend to
arrange fair consumption between gas

and oil on an equal basis. It is not because we want to drive this business
off the road, said Mr Witoon.
He said the tax would be phased
in gradually after it is implemented
by the Energy Policy and Planning
Office.
The ministry also plans to tax
compressed natural gas (CNG)
for the transport sector as well as
start collecting a levy on the gas,
said Mr Witoon. The retail price of
CNG is capped at around 2 baht per
kilogram below its production cost,
making the retail price 12.5 baht
per kilogram.
Last week the Thai Auto Gas
Business Association (Tagba) called
on the department to delay the LPG
tax as it is concerned the plan would
put vehicle modification companies
out of business. Tagba chair Surasak
Nittiwat said 50 to 60 billion baht
worth of business could evaporate
because of the higher tax.
He said the government should
switch to taxing LPG for petrochemical feedstock to earn more revenue,
rather than the transport sector.
LPG demand in the transport sector has dropped since the government initiated its plan to float LPG
prices in February. LPG imports
were halved to 93,000 tonnes in
May from their monthly average
last year.
Bangkok Post

NEW DELHI

Indian weather systems

lead to $23 billion loss
FEW expected Indias science minister
to cut the monsoon outlook as he unveiled a weather forecasting system on
June 2. The surprise contributed to a
1.5 trillion rupee (US$23 billion) twoday slump in the nations equities.
The rupee also slid as Harsh Vardhans prediction of weaker rainfall
stoked concern that reduced farm output may hurt the economy. The episode
is the latest example of growing water
risks for investors and companies in
India.
About half of the countrys 1.26 billion people face potential surface-water
supply disruptions, setting the stage for
clashes with thirsty industries just as
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks
to make his nation a manufacturing
power. And India isnt alone: From Africa to the Americas, surging demand
is exacerbating a global water deficit as
groundwater diminishes.
While India is just one of many
markets thats being impacted by water issues, it appears to be particularly
acute there, said Ben Caldecott, a program director at Oxford Universitys
Smith School of Enterprise and the
Environment. Water risk will be of increasing importance for investment
decisions, he said.
India relies on groundwater as
piped supplies cant meet demand but
the World Bank has flagged aquifer
overexploitation by farms, businesses
and cities. The University of California
at Irvine says the Indus basin aquifer of
northwestern India and Pakistan is the
second-most overstressed in the world.
The impact on companies is wide
and deep.
Coca-Cola last year scrapped a $24
million expansion in Uttar Pradesh
state, citing delays in water extraction
permits. Farmers there had protested
about dwindling supplies. Brewer
SABMillers local unit has studied the

aquifers it relies on and is trying to

manage usage with the local population. ITC, British American Tobaccos
Indian associate, plans to double its
agribusiness watershed management
program to cover 1 million acres of
farmland by 2018.
If we dont have a long-term perspective, our raw material availability
is at risk, said Ashesh Ambasta, a vice
president at Kolkata-based ITC.
In the energy sector, some Indian
coal-fired power plants are in areas of
extremely high water stress, which
can trigger blackouts and affect profitability, according to a report by the
Smith School of Enterprise and the
Environment. The plants need fuel and
water to generate electricity.
Dipping summer lake levels imperil
Maharashtra State Power Generations
power capacity each year, spokesperson Mahesh Aphale said. It produces
electricity for the western state of Maharashtra, home to the financial capital
Mumbai.
Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals, a unit of Indias biggest oil explorer, said it monitors usage daily for most

While India is just

one of many markets
thats impacted
by water issues,
it appears to be
particularly acute
there.
Ben Caldecott
Oxford University

of the year to avoid a repeat of a plant

shutdown in 2012 caused by a lack of
water.
Investors such as PGGM and Norges Bank Investment Management are
increasingly asking businesses about
water. Norges, manager of Norways
$900 billion sovereign wealth fund, divested from 35 companies in 2013 and
2014 over water risks.
For some businesses, scarcity in India is an opportunity in industries such
as wastewater recycling.
Veolia Environnement, Europes
biggest water company, is looking to
sell more treatment plants to Indian
energy and mining businesses. The
next largest, Suez Environnement Co,
is considering purchases of local operators to expand.
Mr Modi has unveiled some steps to
avert a crisis. The agenda includes reviving a 30-year-old plan to link Himalayan and peninsular rivers to channel
supplies to deficient basins. He also
wants to curb toxic discharges into the
Ganges River.
For now, patchy metering, theft and
below-cost supplies are stoking overexploitation in India. A lack of water
regulators remains an obstacle too.
Water is the biggest challenge to Mr
Modis drive to scale up manufacturing
in India, said Damandeep Singh, the
head of the India chapter of Londonbased researcher CDP.
Science Minister Vardhans forecast
was for June to September rainfall at
88 percent of a 50-year average. He
spoke a few hours after Indias central
bank said further interest-rate cuts
would hinge on the monsoon.
The market capitalisation of Indias
benchmark S&P BSE Sensex equity index fell 1.5 trillion rupees ($23 billion)
to 44.6 trillion rupees by the end of the
next trading day.
Bloomberg

International Business 11

www.mmtimes.com
PHNOM PENH

BANGKOK

Philippine
rice buy
skips
Cambodia
for Vietnam

Thai industrial estates face water shortage

CAMBODIA has lost a 100,000-tonne

Filipino rice bid to Vietnam, on account of higher costs as compared
to regional competitors, marking
the fourth time the Kingdom has
failed to win a rice tender issued by
the Philippines.
The Philippines National Food
Authority last week awarded the
tender to Vietnam Southern Food
Corp based on its offer of US$416.85
per tonne, a little higher than the
reference price of $408.15 per tonne
set during the tender, according to
the Philippine Star.
Thailands offer was marginally
higher than Vietnams, $417 per
tonne, but Cambodias final bid of
$455.50 per tonne was way above
the reserve price.
All three countries were asked
to revise their initial bids after they
were deemed to be too high by the
Philippines.
Sok Puthyvuth, president of the
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF),
said that despite being costlier
than neighbouring countries, $455
a tonne left exporters with little or
no profit and was the best price
they could offer given the current
circumstances.
The problem is our paddy rice
is already expensive when collected
for milling, and the cost of processing to export was higher than
that in neighboring countries, Mr
Puthyvuth said.
CRF committees, he said, are
working to bring down processing
and transportation costs and hoped
to be more competitive during the
next bid.
We are looking at short-term
solutions, like cutting down service costs in the value chain, such
as port fees, and in the long term
to increase efficiency in rice processing among the millers and rice
productivity among the farmers,
he said.
High production prices and the
poor quality of agro-inputs, such
as fertilisers and insecticides, affected Cambodias competitiveness,
said Srey Chanthy, an independent
economist.
He added that high energy costs
and use of outdated technology at
processing plants also impacted
rice prices.
There is need for a mechanism
that supports, facilitates and improves the whole value chain of
Cambodias rice sector, he said.
But as long as Cambodia could
make up for these low margins with
higher profits from other high value export destinations, Mr Chanthy
said, it was worth bidding for future Filipino tenders.
The 100,000 tonne bid comes
weeks after 150,000 tonnes was also
procured from Vietnam on June 6
for $416.8 per tonne, taking the
average cost of the entire 250,000
tonnes to $412.8, according to the
Philippine Star.
Ken Ratha, spokesperson for the
Ministry of Commerce, could not be
reached for comment.
Last year, Reuters reported that
Philippines was moving away from
previous targets in rice self-sufficiency, though still aims at self-sufficiency in the future.
Philippines was the worlds
eighth-largest rice importer in
2013, according to the United States
Department of Agriculture.
The Phnom Penh Post

WITH a severe dry spell looming,

industrial sectors have requested 20
million cubic metres of additional
raw water for thirsty industrial estates in eastern Thailand.
Lertviroj Kowattana, directorgeneral of the Royal Irrigation Department, said investors in the region
asked the department to supply more
raw water to Eastern Water Resources Development and Management
Plc, a SET-listed supplier of raw water
and tap water to Thailands industrial
zones.
They asked me during the prime
ministers recent visit to the Prasae
reservoir, said Mr Lertviroj.
The Meteorological Department
has warned of a late rainy season and
drought conditions in various parts of
the country.
The late rains have cut raw water
storage in major dams, whose average

storage stands at 30 to 35 percent of

total capacity.
That is still more than the 25pc of
capacity in 2013-14, when the country
faced a severe drought that forced a
reduction in water discharged from
major dams to spare it for key crops.
It remains unclear whether the

PERCENT

30-35
Average storage capacity of water
in major Thai dams, compared to
normal capacity

Royal Irrigation Department will release the 20 million cubic metres for
industrial zone use, but an increase in
storage capacity at Prasae is ongoing.
We have enlarged the spillway of
Prasae reservoir already, but I dont
know for sure whether we can allocate that huge amount of water for
the industrial sectors, as our priority
is the agriculture sector, Mr Lertviroj
said.
The enlargement will add 240 million cubic metres of water storage capacity, bringing it to 500 million.
But our priority is the 38,000 rai
[60.8 square kilometres] of farmland
down there, Mr Lertviroj said. At
this stage, we have additional water
but I cant tell you right away whether
we have that much water to be sufficient for all sectors as the rain arrives
late.
The department has cut the

amount of water discharged from

major dams to 35 million cubic metres from the normal rate of 60 million, putting pressure on the industrial sector.
Veerapong Chaiperm, governor
of the Industrial Estate Authority of
Thailand (IEAT), said the likeliest areas to be hit by the drought are the
Eastern Seaboard industrial zones
and central provinces such as Ayutthaya, Saraburi and Pathum Thani.
The IEAT is monitoring the water situation in the eastern industrial
region, aiming to avoid a production
disruption that would hurt the overall
economy.
We will do everything within our
means to prevent a shutdown like
the one in 2005, said Mr Veerapong,
adding that the government will seek
underground water to supply eastern
industrial zones. Bangkok Post

SINGAPORE

A Singaporean customer
noses out the best durian.
Photo: EPA

Stinky fruit tastes sweeter as

ringgit tumbles against SGD
SALES have doubled at Uncle Lims
durian farm as Singaporeans flood
over the border into Malaysia to buy
the spiky, stinky fruit, lured by the
cheapest exchange rates since the
countries separated 50 years ago.
The Malaysian ringgits weakness
means they can now buy at least two
top-grade durians there for the price
of one in Singapore. The Southeast
Asian native fruit known for its
sweet, custardy flesh and banned
from the city-states subways and hotels because of its pungent odor can
retail for more than S$40 (US$30)
apiece in Singapore.
I receive a call every 10 minutes
right now, on top of Facebook and
WhatsApp messages, said Wesley
Loo, who organises bus tours to his
father-in-laws orchard in the southern Malaysian state of Johor. One of
the reasons is the weaker ringgit.
Singapores dollar rose to a record
2.80 ringgit on June 18, up more than
5 percent this year, and currency forwards project it will strengthen to
2.84 in 12 months. More than three
decades ago, the currencies were
close to parity, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg that goes
back to 1981.
While Singapores currency has

been supported by central bank

expectations of a pickup in inflation, plunging crude oil prices have
dragged the ringgit to a nine-year
low against the US dollar.
The ringgit is Asias worst-performing currency in the past month,
tumbling more than 3pc against
the greenback. It sank last week to
within 0.7pc of the 3.80 level where
it was pegged from the Asian financial crisis in 1998 until 2005. Bank of
America Merrill Lynch and Macquarie Bank Ltd say it is just a matter of
time before that threshold is tested.
Malaysias foreign-exchange reserves remain near a four- year low
reached in March, limiting the central banks capacity to defend the
currency. Fitch Ratings warned in
March there is a risk of a sovereign
downgrade for the country.
The biggest winners as the ringgit
slides may well be those who reside
in Malaysia and commute to the city
state to earn Singapore dollars.
Nazzi Beck lives in Johor but
works in Singapore as the acting head
of Islamic global banking at Malayan
Banking, Malaysias biggest lender.
He is considering investing in more
properties in Kuala Lumpur or Penang, adding to the two apartments in

Johor he already owns.

With the ringgits depreciation,
the obligation will get a lot less, said
Mr Beck, who takes as long as two
hours to drive to Maybanks offices in
Singapores central business district
from Johor. I would first probably
take advantage of the weaker ringgit
to pay down my mortgage.
If forecasts prove correct, he will
get that opportunity. Nizam Idris,
head of currency and fixed-income
strategy at Macquarie in Singapore,
said the ringgit may slump further
toward 4 per US dollar.
The profile is for the ringgit to
perform worse than the Sing dollar,
said Claudio Piron, co-head of Asia
foreign-exchange and rates strategy
at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in
Singapore. Malaysia certainly has
a greater level of vulnerability and
they have less ammunition in their
FX reserves.
Singapores dollar has strengthened 4pc against the greenback
in the past three months. Traders
may be betting the island state will
maintain its monetary policy stance,
which calls for a gradual appreciation in its exchange rate against an
unspecified basket of its trading
partners. The Monetary Authority

of Singapore sought to slow that appreciation in January before leaving

policy unchanged in April.
The divergence between the two
currencies fortunes has sent Singaporeans in droves across the border
to stock up on groceries and visit
for cheaper seafood dinners. During
rush hour, the 0.7-mile (1.1-kilometre) causeway linking the countries
can take more than two hours to
cross.
Aton Shafii, a healthcare practitioner in Singapore, set off to Malaysia at 6:30am two weeks ago, armed
with a shopping list that included
a months supply of detergent and
milk. She bought 16 pieces of tempe,
a food item made from fermented
soybeans and eaten mainly with rice,
for just 4 ringgit ($1.08), less than a
quarter of the price in Singapore.
Ms Aton exchanged more of her
Singapore dollars for ringgit this week
before a planned return to Johor to
buy flour, sugar and other necessities
in preparation for the Muslim Eid-alFitr celebration in July that concludes
the Ramadan month of fasting.
With the weaker ringgit, you can
get a lot more, she said. Even if you
get stuck in traffic, its all worth it.
Bloomberg

12 International Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 22, 2015

ATHENS

Greece goes to war with own central bank

Greece has vastly different views for the future direction of its finances from its creditors. The country was in the midst of crisis negotiations
yesterday in a last-ditch attempt to avoid default, but it is also taking aim at domestic critics such as its own lender of
last resort
THE Greek government sees a lot of
enemies in its campaign to reach an
eleventh-hour deal on the countrys
finances including its own central
bank.
On the night of June 18 in Luxembourg, Finance Minister Yanis
Varoufakis launched a broadside
against the Bank of Greece, accusing it of encouraging liquidity fears
in an astonishing fashion. Earlier this week, the parliamentary
speaker refused to accept the central banks annual monetary policy
report, which urged a deal with
creditors, instead releasing a document arguing that odious debts
shouldnt be repaid.
The clash between the ruling Syriza party and the Bank of
Greece shows the extent to which
the Mediterranean countrys debt
crisis risks undermining the basic
functioning of its governing institutions. Its also left Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras fighting on yet
another front to fulfill pledges to
keep his country in the euro region
without further rounds of austerity.
This highlights the desperation
of whats happening, said Dario
Perkins, the chief European economist at Lombard Street Research in
London.
The governor of the Bank of
Greece, Yannis Stournaras, is a
member of the political establishment that ruled before left- wing
Syrizas landslide election win this
year. A former finance minister under ex-prime minister Antonis Samaras, Stournaras was appointed to
the job about a year ago. He had a
record of winning the confidence of
creditors; while in government, Mr
Stournaras presided over Greeces
return to the debt markets with a
3 billion euro (US$3.4 billion) bond
sale that was oversubscribed, its

first in four years.

The central bank report this
week warned of catastrophic consequences for Greeces economy, employment and banking system if no
deal is reached. It also said that a
Greek default would probably lead
to an eventual exit from the European Union entirely, not just the
currency bloc.
Such opinions have not always
endeared Mr Stournaras to the
Syriza rank and file. The parliamentary speaker who rejected Mr
Stournaras report, Zoi Konstantopoulou, set up a Debt Truth Committee to provide alternative views
on Greeces predicament. She refused to accept the memory stick
the banks report was delivered on,
citing a requirement that the document to be submitted in hard copy
to parliament.
In Luxembourg on June 18, Mr
Varoufakis said the lender was the
only central bank I know personally that, even before there were any
serious problems, issued a statement that there was a prospect of a
liquidity shortage. Instead, he said,
central banks have a duty to do
precisely the opposite douse any
concerns about liquidity, then provide liquidity when it is lacking.
Mr Tsiprass government on
June 18 said there was an effort under way to spur capital flight, undermine the financial system and
strengthen the creditors position.
No conspirator was identified.
Greece wont be blackmailed,
the government said in a nonpaper, which are documents typically designed to spur discussion
and arent a formal government
declaration.
The feud risks putting Greece in
a small club of governments that
have gone head-to-head with their

An anti-austerity protester holds a Greek flag in front of the parliament during a demo against austerity policies yesterday.
Photo: AFP

central bankers.
This year Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Turkeys president, implied the
central bank was under foreign
influence because it wasnt lowering interest rates at the speed he
would prefer to boost the economy.
In Argentina in 2010, the central
bank governor left after refusing
to back a government plan to use
reserves to pay off debt that was
coming due.
Other monetary policymakers
have had their independence tested

too. Icelands central bank Governor David Oddsson was eventually

removed by an act of parliament after refusing a government request
to resign.
Greece on June 19 tried to show its
patching up relations with Mr Stournaras. The government and the central bank issued a joint statement to
publicise a June 19 meeting between
him and Euclid Tsakalotos, the deputy
foreign minister, that occurred in a
good climate. Mr Stournaras, the
statement said, was confident that

the stability of the Greek financial

system is fully secured.
The Greek government is not
taking steps to remove Mr Stournaras from his position, Minister of
State for Government Coordination
Alekos Flabouraris said in an interview on June 19.
Its not the governments priority to pick a fight, Mr Flabouraris
said.
But his behaviour was uncalled
for and this is noted by the Greek
government. Bloomberg

WASHINGTON

US study reverses assumptions on China job losses

A GENERATION of economists
trained to believe that trade had little
to do with the long decline in highpaying US factory jobs is changing its
mind.
Their findings are likely to fuel the
opposition within President Barack
Obamas own Democratic Party to his
proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership and similar pacts lowering
barriers to international commerce.
Because manufacturing employment as a share of the workforce has
been dropping for more than 40 years
and the same trend has affected other
developed nations, including Japan,
with far less liberal trade policies than
the United States, many economists
had concluded that automation was
the primary culprit.
But studies examining the impact
of Chinas entry to the World Trade
Organization in late 2001 have made
the case that between 1 million and
more than 2 million of the 5 million
American factory jobs lost since 2000
are traceable to low-cost imports.
The aha moment, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology
economist David Autor, was when we
traced through the industries in which
China had surging exports to the local addresses of their US competitors
and saw the powerful correspondence
between where China had surged and
where US manufacturing employment
had collapsed.
Democrats last week blocked fasttrack trade-negotiating authority for
Mr Obama, though House Republicans

on June 18 passed alternative legislation to try to revive it.

Democrats and their allies in organised labour argue that trade deals
kill jobs supporting a strong bluecollar middle class without providing
offsetting benefits. Senator Sherrod
Brown of Ohio said such agreements
have cost millions of jobs. Senator
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
said trade accords have let subsidised
manufacturers around the globe sell
here in America while good American
jobs get shipped overseas.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton echoed some of
these concerns at a campaign stop in
Iowa on June 21 without directly opposing trade legislation, saying there
should be no deal unless terms are
improved.
Their Exhibit A has been the North
American Free Trade Agreement,
which they say caused the exodus of
hundreds of thousands of US factory
jobs to Mexico. But government statistics show that US manufacturing
employment actually rose during the
five years after NAFTA took effect in
1994, temporarily reversing the longterm decline. An April 16 study by the
nonpartisan Congressional Research
Service concluded that NAFTA did
not cause the huge job losses feared
by the critics.
China is another matter.
In an April paper, economists Justin Pierce of the Federal Reserve and
Peter Schott of Yale University found
that the biggest US manufacturing

employment declines and largest

surges in imports were in products
for which China permanently locked
in the greatest reductions in tariffs as
part of its entry to the WTO. Industries such as apparel, leather goods,
plastic plumbing fixtures and surgical and medical equipment sustained
substantial hits, they concluded.
Something big happens around
the time China entered the WTO, Mr
Schott said. In fact, in the industries
that were more affected, thats where
you see the job loss occurring.
Thats the smoking gun for the
link with the policy, he said.
Mr Autor and two co-authors wrote
a 2013 paper estimating that between
2000 and 2007 the US lost 982,000
manufacturing jobs because of Chinese import competition.
Mr Autor and his colleagues said
imports from China and other countries caused one-quarter of all US
manufacturing job losses during the
period. He said in an interview that
the estimate was conservative and
that trade might be responsible for
half the impact.
Despite his findings, Mr Autor supports the Pacific-rim trade deal. He cowrote an op-ed column in The Washington Post saying that the lost factory
jobs are not coming back and that the
deal would help the US in areas such
as intellectual property, where it enjoys a competitive advantage. The column said the agreement would also
put pressure on China to stop gaming
the global trade system.

Before the recent studies, most

economists had concluded that something besides trade must be at work
in the job losses. They settled on the
growing role of automation. They
argued that what is happening in
manufacturing in the US and other
developed nations is similar to what
occurred in agriculture, where industrial techniques allowed farmers to
produce much more with a fraction of
the workers.
Federal Reserve data back up the
critical role of automation in longrun trends: Output per factory worker
more than quadrupled from 1970 to

The aha moment

was when we ...
saw the powerful
correspondence
between where
China had surged
and where US
manufacturing
employment had
collapsed.
David Autor
Economist

2010, a phenomenon driven by everything from the replacement of people

with machines to making work processes more efficient.
As recently as 1980, one in five
American workers was employed in
manufacturing; the number today is
one in 12. Mainstream economists acknowledge that trade has taken a toll
on US factory jobs. But they are sceptical about the dimensions of the new
generations estimates of its size, as
well as its claim of an abrupt change
with Chinas WTO entry.
They do not think the new generation gives sufficient weight to the
benefits of trade in helping a country
make efficiency-improving economic
changes and being able to obtain lessexpensive products.
Trade explains about a fifth of the
manufacturing job loss since 2000,
said Robert Lawrence, a Harvard
economist and a veteran of the academic and Washington trade debate.
The rest, Mr Lawrence said, is
the result of slow growth in consumer
spending on manufactured goods and
productivity gains from automation,
citing the traditional explanation for
what is causing the decline in US factory employment.
Economists generally defend trade
as a way for countries to reallocate
their workforces to better and higher
uses, a long-term process. And they say
that consumers, particularly middleand lower-income households, benefit
immediately from the availability of
cheaper imported goods. Bloomberg

14 THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 23, 2015

World

15

WORLD EDITOR: Kayleigh Long

BANGKOK

EU renews sanctions
against Russia over
Ukraine concerns

Death toll from

Pakistan heatwave
nears 200

WORLD 17

WORLD 19

KUALA LUMPUR

BANGKOK

Bridge eases drug trafficking routes

WHILE the opening of the first Myanmar-Laos Friendship Bridge last
month may bring long-awaited economic benefits, it has also raised concerns over the risk of increased drug
trafficking along the route.
The bridge linking Tachilek in Myanmars Shan State to Luang Namtha district in Laos is also known as
part of Route R3B, which connects
Thailand, Myanmar and China. The
route links to the R3A Highway, which
runs through Thailand, Laos and Xi-shuangbanna in southern China.
The Friendship Bridge abets trafficking networks, particularly in the
northern areas of Shan State where
drugs are produced by several ethnic
minority groups, said Police Colonel
Myint Thein, deputy secretary-general
of the Myanmar Central Committee
for Drug Abuse Control.
Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China have devised more stringent measures to battle the illicit trade particularly precursors in drug production
under the Safe Mekong Joint Operation, a project carried out by the four
governments to crack down on narcotics production and distribution in
the upper Mekong region and Golden
Triangle.
Raids are being launched in areas
near the bridge as part of the second
phase of the project.
Presidents Thein Sein of Myanmar
Choummaly Sayasone of Laos officially opened the bridge on May 2.
Representatives from the four
countries met last week to review pro-

gress on the operation at the Myanmar-Laos Friendship Bridge. They included Pol Col Myint and Permphong
Chavalit, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board
(ONCB).
A local law enforcement officer,
who declined to be named, said caffeine a precursor to methamphetamine has been smuggled across the
bridge several times since its opening.
A total of 21 tonnes of caffeine pills
which would have produced 500-600
million speed pills was confiscated.
Mr Permphong said the R3B and
the R3A Highways are popular routes
for drug dealers.
The crackdown has focused on
suppressing drug precursors delivered
overland and via the Mekong River.
The raid will also include tracking
down several drug kingpins who are
now hiding in neighbouring countries, Mr Permphong said.
Myanmar authorities also set up
many checkpoints as they are on the
look-out for illegal drugs, he said. Mr
Permphong added that since Myanmar authorities use outdated technology, they can sometimes fail to detect
illegal substances. Thai authorities
will supply them with the necessary
equipment, he said.
Roughly 20 million baht is earmarked by Thai authorities for the
inter-border crackdown operation
conducted by the ONCB, which will
last until September, according to Mr
Permphong.
Justice ministers in Myanmar,

PHNOM PENH

MANILA

Thailand, Laos and China have also

decided to expand the target areas for
drug suppression activities in their
own countries this year.
For example, areas along the
northern border of Thailand will have
heightened surveillance while Chinese
authorities will tighten measures in
Yunnan. Laos will also expand its drug
suppression drive over Bo Kaew and
Luang Namtha districts.
Mr Permphong also voiced concern over the deteriorating situation
of drug trafficking in Thailand, with
a recent increase in the amount of
smuggling.
The border passes in Chiang Rai
and Chiang Mai are the main transit
points, as these two provinces are situated close to production and trafficking areas of Myanmar, he said.
Drugs also slip into Thailand
through the Myanmar-Thai border
in Kanchanaburis Sangkhla Buri district in the west. We will implement
stronger measure intercept the drugs,
said Mr Permphong.
The Myanmar government is also
targeting drug labs and trafficking
bases, though the remote and mountainous geography of the northern
states makes this a challenging task,
said Police Lieutenant Than Shew, supervisor of the Anti-Narcotics Units.
Several narcotics production bases
are located deep in the forests with no
road access.
Those areas are also heavily guarded by armed men, Pol Lt Than Shew
said. Bangkok Post

Complaint South China Sea

lodged on exercises ramp up
NGO law
MORE than a dozen international advocacy groups wrote to Cambodias
National Assembly President Heng
Samrin asking him to withdraw a controversial draft law on NGOs and associations.
The group said the draft appears
designed to restrict the legitimate activities of civil society in violation of the
right to freedom of association.
Drafted in a closed and flawed process, there has been no consultation
and no opportunity to comment on an
official draft of the law, despite repeated requests by civil society groups, the
letter reads.
Signatories to the letter included
Amnesty International, Global Witness,
Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, and Oxfam.
The groups highlight seven elements of the draft legislation expected to pass in coming weeks that they
argue would severely undermine the
crucial role that civil society plays.
Issues raised over provisions, which
require NGOs and associations to register within onerous restrictions, and
places arbitrary constraints on members should be scrapped, they argue.
Chheang Vun, National Assembly
spokesperson, declined to comment.
If the [law] is passed, the government will be violating the right to
freedom of association and the right
to participate actively in the political,
economic, social and cultural life of the
nation, the letter reads.
The Phnom Penh Post

THE Philippines yesterday began separate but simultaneous naval exercises

with the United States and Japan, amid
shared and growing concern at Chinese island-building in the disputed
South China Sea.
Manila has been holding the naval
drills with its longtime ally Washington
since 1995. But the exercise with Tokyo,
a World War II foe, is only its second
ever after one earlier this year.
This weeks Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training (CARAT) drill
with Washington will include a P-3 Orion aircraft, of the type used by the US
to monitor the South China Sea.
China claims almost the entire Sea
despite competing claims from the
Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan
and Vietnam, and has been taking
strong action including reclamation to
assert sovereignty.
CARAT remains a practical way to
address shared maritime security priorities, enhance our capabilities, and
improve inter-operability between our
forces, the US exercise commander,
Rear Admiral William Merz, said at the
opening ceremony in Puerto Princesa
city on the southwestern Philippine island of Palawan.
Rear Admiral Leopoldo Alano,
commander of the Philippine fleet,
described the drill as a great opportunity to gain valuable experience and
increase our inter-operability.
The drills will also feature for the
first time the littoral combat ship USS
Fort Worth, and involve the rescue and
salvage ship USNS Safeguard.
While it does not take sides in the
dispute, the US has in recent weeks

Hajjis on radar of Thai MERS response

intensified its criticism of Chinas reclamation work, which has created new
islands including airstrips on reefs and
shoals also claimed by its neighbours.
The US says the activities could
pose a threat to freedom of navigation.
China said last week its land reclamation in the disputed Spratly islands
would finish soon.
The Philippines has asked a UN tribunal to reject Chinas claims to most
of the sea, a move angrily rejected by
Beijing which says the world body has
no authority in the matter.
This weeks naval exercise will be
held both on Palawan, the closest land
mass to the disputed reefs and waters,
and in the Sulu Sea to the east.
The Filipino forces in the drills, including the US-acquired frigates BRP
Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Gregorio del
Pilar, also patrol the South China Sea.
The exercise will focus on combined
maritime operations, mobile dive and
salvage training, coastal riverine operations, and maritime patrol and reconnaissance along with seminars ashore,
the US Navy said.
Japan, which has its own maritime
dispute with China in the East China
Sea, has also expressed concern at Beijings reclamation further south.
Yesterday began three days of drills
with the Philippine navy involving a
Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft.
The drills, which will also include a
Philippine Navy aircraft, will focus on
joint search and rescue operations on
the high seas, the Philippine navy said.
They will take place in international
airspace and outside Philippine territorial waters, it said in a statement. AFP

A Malaysian Muslim man sits amid coffins in a pit during the re-burial of remains believed to be those of ethnic Rohingya found at human-trafficking camps in the
countrys north, at Kampung Tualang some 16 kilometres east of Alor Setar yesterday. Malaysian authorities held a mass funeral for the 21 whose bodies were found in
human-trafficking graves last month. Photo: AFP

Mass funeral held as trafficking

victims re-buried in Malaysia
MALAYSIAN authorities yesterday
held a mass funeral for 21 bodies
found in human-trafficking graves
last month, with fellow Muslims
praying for the unidentified victims who are believed to be Rohingya, to find a place in heaven.
The remains were what police
said were the first of 106 exhumed
so far from pits at trafficking
camps found in late May in jungles in northern Malaysia along
the Thai border, a discovery that
laid bare the brutal extent of the
regions migrant crisis.
About 100 local villagers offered
quiet Muslim prayers as 21 wooden
coffins containing 19 men and
two women were lowered into
deep graves cleared by earth-movers at an Islamic graveyard in the
northern state of Kedah.
The discovery of camps and
graves on both sides of the ThaiMalaysian border and a flood of
thousands of starving boat people
to Southeast Asian shores in May
has highlighted the plight of the
Rohingya.
A Muslim minority from Myanmar, they have for years sought to
escape what they say is worsening

persecution by the countrys Buddhist majority.

Fleeing abroad by the thousands each year, they typically put
their lives in the hands of often
brutal smugglers and traffickers
who arrange a perilous passage by
sea and land, usually destined for
Muslim-majority Malaysia.
These are innocent Muslims,
like brothers and sisters to us. We
are really sad that they had to undergo misery and pain. I am sure
they will take their rightful place
in the heavens above, said Mohamad Yusuf Ali, 57, a local carpenter of Rohingya origin.
Despite not knowing the
unidentified victims, scores of Malaysians and Rohingya turned out
for the ceremony in the sleepy village of Kampung Tualang despite
fasting for the month of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, the faithful
avoid consuming food or liquid
during daylight hours, offer more
prayers, and reflect on what it
means to be Muslim.
I hope Allah will punish the
criminals who were responsible
for their deaths. The Rohingya
people did not do anything wrong.

They were only looking for a better

life, Mr Mohamad Yusuf said.
A Malaysian police officer,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said the remains of 106 people
had been exhumed so far and that
authorities were still conducting
post-mortems on the majority of
them.
Police had earlier said 139 grave
sites were found at more than two

These are
innocent Muslims,
like brothers and
sisters to us. We
are really sad
that they had to
undergo misery
and pain.
Mohammed Yusuf Ali
Carpenter

dozen abandoned jungle camps in

the Malaysian state of Perlis. They
are yet to offer a final tally of dead,
or announce the suspected causes
of death.
A government minister said last
month that 12 Malaysian police officers were being investigated for
possible involvement in the camps,
but authorities have since released
no new information on their investigations.
Earlier in May, Thai police said
seven camps were found on their
side, and 33 bodies have been
discovered. Fifty-one people have
been arrested, including a senior
army general, and more are being
sought.
Rights groups which have
long accused Malaysian authorities of tolerating abusive and deadly human-trafficking and the US
government have called for a full
and transparent investigation.
Mohamad Noor Abu Bakar,
48, a Rohingya Muslim resident
of Malaysia, told AFP, The [traffickers] will never have a place in
heaven. All for money, they are
prepared to beat and kill a human
being, AFP

THE Public Health Ministry and airport authorities have stepped up preventative measures to stop the spread
of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS) when more than 10,000 Thai
Muslim pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia for the hajj in September.
The countrys first confirmed case
of MERS, a 75-year-old man from
Oman, raised concerns over the possible infection of people going to and
from Saudi Arabia.
According to the Department of
Religious Affairs, 10,400 people from
Thailand are likely to attend the Muslim pilgrimage, which will take place
in late September. Visitors will begin
leaving for Riyadh in August, and return as late as October.
Surachet Satitramai, the Public
Health Ministrys acting permanent
secretary, said Muslims will not be
stopped from attending the hajj.
However, when people return they
will be monitored for 14 days to a
month to make sure they are safe from
infection, Dr Surachet said.
If anyone develops a fever or flulike symptoms, they will be placed in
isolation and observed at a hospital.
The Public Health Ministry will ask
tour companies to submit the names
of those who are travelling to Saudi
Arabia and they will be required to
attend a class about communicable
diseases in the Middle East and prevention practices.
As usual, people who make the pilgrimage to Mecca will have to take flu
and yellow fever vaccines. Doctors approved by the Public Health Ministry
will accompany pilgrims to Medina
and Mecca, centres for the annual hajj.
For three years, we have implemented such measures with the hajj.
We will intensify it this year against
the Mers epidemic, said Dr Surachet.
Religious Affairs Department officers in the southern border provinces
insist that no Muslims have cancelled

their planned trip so far.

About 300 Thais will be the first to
leave on a charter flight Aug 16, said
Wae-yuso Sama-ali, head of the departments public relations team. Others will follow until mid-September.
The hajj will begin about Sept 20.
Health checks are a routine part
of the pre-hajj preparations for Thai
pilgrims, but measures will be augmented in September for this years
pilgrims, because of the threat of
Mers, which originated in Saudi Arabia. Thailand is allotted 10,000 visas
for Muslims to travel to Mecca for the
hajj, a duty for all Muslims at least
once in their lives.
He said travellers are confident in
Saudi Arabias measures for screening
for infectious diseases.
According to the Foreign Ministry,
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its measures to prevent people catching Mers
and other communicable diseases.
Thailand has improved its screening measures at three border checkpoints with Malaysia and added
another thermal scanner at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin, who inspected Suvarnabhumi airport on June 21, said 37 airlines
operate flights between Bangkok, the
Middle East and South Korea. The
ministry has handed out guidelines to
airlines and airports on how best to
deal with suspicious cases on flights
and at airports.
Thermal scanners have been set up
at arrival gates for people from risk
countries and at immigration. The
Immigration Bureau also has set up
a special section in a different part of
the airport to process people from risk
countries.
Meanwhile, health officials are
searching for 82 people, deemed to be
at a low-risk of infection, who came
into contact with the man from Oman
infected with MERS.

Deputy permanent secretary for

public health, Wachira Pengchan, said
that 94 people who came into contact with the man are currently being
monitored.
On June 18, the man was moved
from Bumrungrad Hospital to an
infectious diseases facility in Nonthaburi.
Three relatives of the man, also
being kept in isolation rooms at the
institute, had tested negative for the
virus, said Dr Surachet.
The condition of the MERS patient is better overall, he said. The
chest X-rays show improvement and
he can eat soft food.
Authorities said it took nearly four
days to confirm the illness.
Songpol Chawalpipat, director of
Ratchaburi Hospital, dismissed a report on social media that some staff
at the hospital had contracted MERS,
saying the hospital had isolated a
woman after she returned from South
Korea but she was later discharged after a lab test showed no signs of virus.
Meanwhile, Department of Employment chief Sumet Mahosot said
the department wont stop Thai workers looking for work in South Korea,
where the virus has also been found.
Around 1000 Thai workers travel to
work in South Korea each month.
However, he did express concern for
about 54,000 illegal Thai workers in
South Korea who dont have access to
adequate healthcare.
South Korea reported one more
fatality from MERS on June 21, raising the death toll to 25. The Ministry
of Health and Welfare in South Korea
confirmed three new patients have
been infected.
The number of people in quarantine has dropped from 5197 to 4035,
while 43 people who had the virus
have now been discharged from hospital, up from 36.
Bangkok Post

JAKARTA

Rejected appeal brings French drug

convict closer to firing squad
A JAKARTA court on June 21 rejected
an appeal by a French drug convict on
death row, raising the prospect that
another foreigner could soon face the
firing squad in Indonesia.
Serge Atlaoui, 51, was due to be put
to death with seven other foreign drug
offenders two months ago but won a
temporary reprieve after Paris stepped
up pressure, with authorities agreeing
to let an appeal run its course.
The execution in April of two Australians, a Brazilian and four Nigerians
sparked global anger. But President
Joko Widodo insists convicted traffickers must be harshly punished, saying
Indonesia is facing a crisis due to rising
drug use.
On June 21 the State Administrative
Court in Jakarta dismissed Mr Atlaouis
latest appeal, in which his lawyers had
argued the president rejected the convicts plea for clemency without proper
consideration.
The court upheld an earlier decision
that it did not have the jurisdiction to
hear the challenge to the clemency
plea, which is typically a death row
convicts final chance.
We reject the challenge by the
challenger, presiding judge Ujang

Abdullah told the court. We uphold

the decision made by the head of the
administrative court on April 9.
The administrative court had already decided that it did not have the
jurisdiction to hear Mr Atlaouis appeal
because granting clemency is the prerogative of the president, but his lawyers challenged that decision.
It was not clear when the Frenchman might face the firing squad.
The legal team of the welder, who
was arrested in 2005 in a secret drugs
factory outside Jakarta, indicated previously they may explore other legal avenues if the latest appeal was rejected,
which could potentially slow down the
process.
The failure of his latest legal bid
came after Indonesias Supreme Court
in April rejected another appeal a
request by Mr Atlaouis legal team for
a judicial review of his death sentence.
Several months ago, Mr Widodo
rejected pleas for clemency from Mr
Atlaoui and other foreigners, many of
which had been pending for years.
He is among several foreigners who
have sought to appeal against their
death sentences since this rejection,
but none has so far succeeded.

Authorities accuse Mr Atlaoui of being a chemist at the drugs lab where

he was arrested. But the Frenchman
has maintained his innocence, claiming that he was installing machinery in
what he thought was an acrylics plant.
He was initially sentenced to life
in prison but the Supreme Court increased the sentence to death on
appeal.
France has mounted a diplomatic
campaign to save him, warning Jakarta
of unspecified consequences if he is put
to death and saying there was a serious dysfunction in Indonesias legal
system that led to Mr Atlaoui being
sentenced to death.
Indonesia pushed ahead with the
executions despite global condemnation led by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
The executions of Australian drug
smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran
Sukumaran in particular caused tensions, with Indonesias neighbour Australia temporarily recalling its ambassador from Jakarta.
Indonesia has some of the toughest anti-drugs laws in the world.
The country resumed executions in
2013 after a hiatus of several years.
AFP

World 17

www.mmtimes.com
BRUSSELS

EU renews sanctions
EUROPEAN Union foreign ministers
formally agreed yesterday to prolong
to January 2016 damaging economic
sanctions against Russia to ensure it
fully implements Ukraine peace accords, officials said.
EU has extended economic sanctions against Russia until 31 January
2016, with a view to complete implementation of [the] Minsk agreement,
an EU spokeswoman said in a tweeted message.
The 28-nation bloc initially imposed travel bans and asset freezes
against Russian and Ukrainian figures for their part in the crisis but
then reacted sharply after Malaysia
Airlines flight MH17 was shot down
in July 2014 over territory held by
pro-Moscow rebels.
Brussels hit Russias banking, oil
and defence sectors hard and, along
with the United States, has warned
more sanctions could follow unless
Moscow lives up to its Minsk commitments in February to withdraw
support for the rebels and use its influence with them to implement the
accord.
In March, EU leaders agreed in
principle to roll the sanctions over by
linking them directly to the ceasefire
brokered by France and Germany in
Minsk that runs to December this
year.
The ceasefire has largely held
since then but Kiev and the rebels
swap charges daily over breaches and
observers reported a sharp pick-up in
fighting earlier this month in a conflict which has claimed more than
6400 lives and destroyed much of

MOSCOW

Ukraine conflict
intractable: Russia
THE secretary of Russias security
council said yesterday it is impossible to stop Russians from going
to fight in Ukraine because they
are guided by emotions.

A pro-Russian separatist looks on as young boys learn to use a Kalashnikov

machine gun during a training session in Donetsk region on June 17, as the
conflict with Ukrainian forces continues. Photo: AFP

eastern Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of France,
Germany, Ukraine and Russia are due
to meet in Paris today to review the
situation.
Separately, the EU announced on
June 19 it had prolonged until June
2016 sanctions imposed to punish
Russias illegal annexation of Crimea.
The European Council, which
groups the blocs political leaders,
said they continued to condemn
the illegal annexation of Crimea
and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and remains committed to
fully implement its non-recognition
policy.
Russia annexed Crimea in March

TEHRAN

2014 following the ouster of pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych in

Kiev, saying the peninsula had voted
overwhelming in favour of returning
to its Russian homeland.
The Crimea sanctions include
bans on cruise ships using ports
there and restrictions on exports of telecommunications and
transport equipment, in addition to
visa bans and asset freezes against
figures said to have helped the Russian
annexation.
The Ukraine crisis has plunged EU
and US ties with Russia into the deep
freeze, with some of the exchanges
reminiscent of Cold War tensions.
AFP

Nikolai Patrushev, the hawkish

former chief of the federal security
service (FSB) who currently sits at
the helm of President Vladimir
Putins group of security advisors,
said the conflict is fuelled by US
attempts to wipe out Russia.
We dont call on people to go
and we dont reward them. But really, it is impossible to prevent it,
he said, once people hear about
the atrocities happening across
the border.
Emotions go into play. People head over there and fight, Mr
Patrushev said in a wide-ranging
interview to Kommersant newspaper published yesterday.
The 15-month-long conflict in
Ukraine has claimed the lives of
nearly 6500 people and driven
more than 1 million from their
homes.
Ukraine and the West say Russia sends regular troops into eastern Ukraine to boost separatist
forces in the Donetsk and Lugansk
regions, but Moscow flatly denies
such accusations.
Deployments of volunteers
from Russia are no secret and
various organisations have openly
held collection drives for military

gear in Moscow and elsewhere.

Mr Putin portrays the crisis in
Ukraine as the product of regime
change instigated and funded by
the United States, but Mr Patrushev said in the interview that Americas real goal is to destroy Russia.
They dont care what will happen in Ukraine, they just need to
exert pressure on Russia, so that is
what the United States is doing,
he said.
They would want very much
that Russia would not exist. As a
country, he said.
We have great resource
wealth. And Americans believe we
have them illegally or undeservedly, he said, adding that the US
completely overpowers the European Union regarding Russia
policy.
EU sanctions were only imposed due to US influence, he
said, adding even that Europe
secretly recognises the annexation by Moscow of the Crimean
peninsula in March 2014, which
unleashed the first round of
sanctions.
They understand that everything that happened in Crimea
was legal.
Europeans are rather weakwilled and Americans are strong.
The United States wants to dominate in the world, he said.
AFP

TEHRAN

Netanyahu to stand firm Iranian parliament curbs major

against intl pressure
barrier in nuclear deal
ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has rejected international
dictates as Frances top diplomat visited, with Paris advocating a UN resolution laying out parameters for peace
talks.
With negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinians stalled for more
than a year, French Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Mr Netanyahu on June 21.
The separate meetings in Ramallah
and Jerusalem were part of a regional
tour by Mr Fabius aimed at reviving
peace talks.
France has argued in favour of a
UN resolution that would guide negotiations leading to an independent
Palestinian state and which could include a timeframe for talks.
Ahead of Mr Fabius arrival in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu hit out at international diplomatic efforts to impose
proposals which he said neglected to
address vital Israeli security concerns,
saying his government would reject
international dictates.
In a joint news conference with Mr
Fabius after their meeting, Mr Netanyahu said, Peace will only come from
direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions.
It will not come from UN resolutions that are sought to be imposed
from the outside, he said.
Mr Netanyahu said a Palestinian
recognition of the Jewish state as well
as iron-clad security arrangements on
the ground in which Israel can defend
itself were requirements for peace.
Mr Fabius sought to respond to
such concerns, saying negotiations
would ultimately be left to the Israelis and Palestinians, but that it did not
prevent international support in the
process.
We must both guarantee Israels

security and at the same time give

Palestinians the right to have a state,
Mr Fabius told journalists earlier at a
joint news conference with Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki in
Ramallah.
Mr Malki welcomed Frances efforts, but said he doubted a deal was
possible with the current rightwing
Israeli government, which he labelled
extremist.
Mr Fabius sought to ease some Israeli concerns with the announcement
that Mr Abbas who is attempting to
form a new cabinet after the government collapsed this week amid a deepening rift with Hamas had vowed
any new Palestinian unity government
should not include the Islamist group.
[Mr Abbas] told me this government of national unity could only include women and men who recognise
Israel, renounce violence and who are
in agreement with the principles of
the [Mideast] Quartet, Mr Fabius said
at a press conference in Jerusalem after talks with Mr Abbas in Ramallah.
Noting that those conditions ruled
out Hamas, the de facto rulers of the
Gaza strip, Mr Fabius added, And that
suits us perfectly.
Peace talks between Israel and the
Palestinians have been comatose since
a major US push for a final deal ended
in failure in April 2014.
Israel says the process failed because the Palestinians refused to accept a US framework document outlining the way forward.
But the Palestinians blame the collapse on Israels settlement building
and the governments refusal to release veteran prisoners.
The relationship between the
two sides remains severely strained,
prompting the Palestinians to boost
efforts on the international stage to
seek their promised state. AFP

IRANS parliament curtailed its own

power to block a nuclear deal with
world powers on June 21, effectively
removing a longstanding threat that
a final accord could be torn up by
lawmakers.
A draft bill presented on mid-last
week, which laid down strict criteria
for Iran to accept any agreement, had
threatened to complicate upcoming
talks on the long-pursued deal, which
are due to conclude on June 30.
However, in a boost to President Hassan Rouhanis government,
key amendments to the proposed
legislation will now move the formal
oversight of a deal out of the hands of
lawmakers.
The original text said parliament
would have to ratify key criteria for
an agreement to be binding but the
amended bill instead gives the right of
supervision to the countrys Supreme
National Security Council (SNSC).
The council comprises ministers,
military commanders and handpicked appointees of Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, Irans supreme leader who
will have the final word on any agreement. The council is also chaired by
Mr Rouhani, who is pushing hard for
the deal.
Whatever decision the leader
takes in this regard, we should
obey in parliament, Speaker Ali
Larijani said after 199 MPs voted for
the amendments in the 290-member
chamber.
We should not tie the hands of the
leader, he added.
Only three lawmakers opposed the
changes and five abstained, with six
not voting and dozens more absent.
Although the sponsor of the original bill, Alaedin Boroujerdi, the chair
of parliaments national security and
foreign policy committee, said it was

designed to insulate Irans negotiators

from the Wests excessive demands,
Mr Larijani suggested otherwise.
We want to help the country and
not create new problems, he said, referring to the need to coordinate with
the SNSC.
According to the official IRNA
news agency Mr Larijani earlier told
Ahmad Tavakoli, a conservative MP
critical of the bill being delayed, We
are not discussing the sale of potatoes, but an important issue for the
country.

We want to help
the country and
not create new
problems.

Ali Larijani
Speaker

And IRNA later cited Mr Rouhani

as saying, in the current situation,
in order to advance the country and
resolve its problems, we need to help
each other more.
Iran and the P5+1 powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the
United States plus Germany agreed
the outlines of the nuclear deal on
April 2 after intensive talks went past
a March 31 deadline.
Major roadblocks that remain
include the Wests ability to enforce
tighter inspections of Irans nuclear
sites and other facilities.
Iranian officials insist there can be
no inspections of military sites and
the legislation published on June 21
forbids access beyond conventional

supervision of nuclear sites.

French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius, on a visit June 21 to the Palestinian territories and Israel, said any
nuclear deal with Iran must be able
to be verified.
We think that we must be
extremely firm and that, if an
agreement is to be reached, that agreement must be robust, he added.
Any deal will still have to be
rubber-stamped by Tehrans parliament but it would be highly unlikely
for lawmakers to oppose a text approved by the SNSC.
The bill stipulates the need to
lift all sanctions imposed on Iran as
punishment for its nuclear program,
under which leading states have suspected the Islamic republic of developing a bomb.
However, the altered draft law
is now more specific and says sanctions need only be lifted on the day
Iran starts implementing its obligations, as opposed to on the day of an
agreement.
Officials in Tehran have pushed
for the measures, mostly economic,
to end immediately but in a sign
of greater flexibility, Mr Rouhani
said on June 13 that weeks or even
months will pass between signing
and implementing the deal.
Iran has for years been faced with
UN, EU and US sanctions that have
ravaged its economy.
In a measure that mirrors that
taken in Tehran, President Barack
Obama has given US lawmakers 30
days to review a nuclear deal.
Iran denies its nuclear program
has military objectives, insisting it is for purely peaceful energy
development purposes capable of reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.
AFP

18 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 23, 2015

SANAA

Rebel shells and allied strikes rock Aden

REBEL shelling of residential areas in
Yemens Aden killed at least three civilians on June 21, as air strikes by the
Saudi-led coalition also hit the southern city, medics and witnesses said.
Rebels fired Katyusha rockets and
mortars at residential areas destroying four homes, residents and military sources said.
Medics at Adens Al-Naqib hospital told AFP that three civilians
were killed and four wounded in the
shelling.
Coalition air strikes hit rebel positions at entrances to the city as well as
at the strategic Al-Anad air base in the
nearby city of Lahj, military sources
said.
Late on June 20 clashes between
rebels and pro-government forces
killed 12 fighters from both sides near
the base, the sources said.
In the town of Daleh to the north,
15 rebels were killed in an overnight
ambush by pro-government fighters, local military sources said, adding that two of the attackers had also
died.
AFP could not confirm the tolls
from the clashes from independent
sources and the rebels rarely acknowledge their losses.

The latest violence came after the

UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail
Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced on
June 19 that talks in Geneva between
the warring sides ended without
agreement.
The rebels including Shiite Huthi
militiamen and troops loyal to expresident Ali Abdullah Saleh have
seized control of large parts of Yemen
after taking the capital Sanaa last
September.
The coalition launched the air
strikes in March in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who
fled a rebel advance on Aden to Saudi
Arabia.
Loyalist troops have been joined
by some Sunni tribes and southern
separatists in battling the rebels.
More than 2600 people have been
killed in Yemen since March, according to UN figures, and almost 80 percent of the population 20 million
people are in need of urgent humanitarian aid.
The situation is particularly serious in Aden, where residents have
complained of food and water shortages and health officials are warning
of the spread of disease.
AFP

Yemenis wait to fill jerrycans with water from a public tap on June 21 amid an acute shortage of water supply to houses
during the fasting month of Ramadan in the capital Sanaa. Photo: AFP

IN BRIEF

HONG KONG

Kiev
Ukraine escalates as East-West
relations hit post-Cold War low

Ukraine on June 21 reported the

deaths of two soldiers while proRussian rebels accused Kievs forces
of killing a civilian in clashes preceding crunch talks aimed at ending the
15-month war.
Kiev military spokesperson Andriy
Lysenko said two government troops
died and six were wounded in shelling across swathes of the eastern
separatist Donetsk province over the
past day.
Mr Lysenko told reporters that activity had especially picked up around

IN PICTURES
Photo: AFP

the industrial Sea of Azov port of

Mariupol that the rebels have been
trying to seize to establish an export
gateway for the steel and coal mines
they now control.
Insurgency commanders said
rockets launched from Kiev-held positions around the city of Donetsk had
killed a civilian and wounded two
others in the rebels main stronghold.
Separatist negotiator Denis
Pushilin called the reported attack a
grave violation of the Minsk agreement that Russia and Ukraine signed
during February negotiations spearheaded by the leaders of Germany
and France.

The four countries foreign ministers will meet in Paris today to try to
salvage the blueprint for ending one
of Europes bloodiest conflicts of the
past generation.
But the talks come with East-West
relations seeming to test ever new
post-Cold War lows.
EU foreign ministers have extended
expiring trade and financial restrictions
on Russia through the end of January.
Those steps stem from claims
brushed off by President Vladimir
Putin that Russia is trying to inflict
permanent damage on its ex-Soviet
neighbour in retribution for Kievs
sudden shift to the West.

A Somali soldier stands guard next to the site where Al

Shebab militants carried out a suicide attack against a military
intelligence base in Mogadishu on June 21. The militants
launched a major raid on the military intelligence base, setting
off a car bomb before storming inside, security officials said.
Somalias interior ministry said three attackers were all killed
in the raid, and that Somali security forces who fought them
suffered no casualties.

Meet the democracy

movements champion
AS ONE of Hong Kongs most outspoken democracy advocates, media
tycoon Jimmy Lai has been on the receiving end of everything from rotten
animal entrails to Molotov cocktails in
the past 12 months.
When the city erupted into mass
protests last year against a Beijingbacked plan for its next leader, fatherof-six Mr Lai, 66, became a frequent
fixture at the major rally site and a
regular target for pro-government supporters.
The contentious bill would have
allowed the public to vote for Hong
Kongs leader for the first time, but
kept to a Beijing ruling that all candidates must be vetted by a loyalist committee derided as fake democracy
by Mr Lai and opposition campaigners.
After months of political wrangling
the proposal was finally voted down on
June 18 by lawmakers in an unprecedented rebuke by the semi-autonomous city towards Beijing.
But with the defeat of the bill, Hong
Kongs leader will continue to be chosen by a pro-Beijing committee and
Lai is preparing for the next phase of
battle.
Its very encouraging for Hong
Kong (that the bill was rejected), he
told AFP.
Whats going to happen in the end?
We really dont know. But once we give
up, we are giving up fighting for our
democracy and freedom. We are kind
of giving up our dignity as humans, he
said.
Founder of the strident anti-government newspaper Apple Daily and the
main shareholder along with his wife
Teresa in its publisher Next Media,
Lai draws both admiration and bile.
His house and office were firebombed in January and putrid animal
organs thrown at him during the demonstrations.
You just get used to it. Ive never
had a bodyguard, said Mr Lai.
Beijing has shown no sign of compromise on future reform for Hong
Kong and there are fears of a backlash
in the wake of the defeat of the bill, but
Lai says China must change.
China being the number two
strongest country in the world and
having a dictator like (President) Xi
Jinping on top of it is making a lot of

other countries restless, said Mr Lai.

Also, domestically, a lot of people
think Xi Jinping is becoming Mao Zedong, he said, referring to the founding father of communist China.
By giving Hong Kong democracy,
people would look at them as enlightened leaders. [It] is actually a very
cheap price for good PR.
A number of incidents in recent
months have sounded alarm bells over
threats to press freedoms, from censorship and strategic withdrawal of advertising to interference from officials and
physical assaults on journalists.
Its bad-- a lot of the media are
leaning to their [Beijings] side, said
Mr Lai, but he believes technology will
make control more difficult.
Nobody will have control of the
media in the future because user-generated content is going to become the
major content.
More oppression in Hong Kong
would make the city increasingly ungovernable, says Lai, who also bats
away concerns over the fragmentation
of the democracy movement as new
smaller groups emerge.
What we have to worry about is
whether some of those organisations
are set up by Beijing, pretending they
are part of us, but trying to destroy
unity, he said.
Relaxing back into an armchair at
Next Media headquarters, Lai casts
himself as a rebel optimist.
At 12 years old he was smuggled in
to Hong Kong by his family in a boat
from the southern Chinese city of
Guangzhou.
It was the bloody crackdown in Beijings Tiananmen Square in 1989 that
hardened his politics and he set up
Next Media the following year.
As long as Im alive, I dont think
Next Media will change. I dont want
my kids, my grandchildren, to say my
father, my grandfather was very rich
but he was an asshole, Mr Lai said.
The daily crises of his early life as
an entrepreneur have also made him
an optimist, he says.
But while Mr Lai may be phlegmatic, he does not want his children to follow his path they will not inherit his
media empire.
I dont want them to go through
what I went through, he says.. AFP

World 19

www.mmtimes.com
KABUL

Pakistan heatwave death toll nears 200

NEARLY 200 people have died in a
heatwave in southern Pakistan, officials said yesterday, as the government
called in the army to help tackle widespread heatstroke in the worst-hit city
Karachi.
The death toll in Karachi, the countrys largest city, where temperatures
hit 45 degrees Celsius at the weekend,
is at least 180 and a further 11 deaths
were reported in southern parts of central Punjab province.
The deaths come a month after
neighbouring India suffered the second
deadliest heatwave in its history, with
more than 2000 deaths.
Doctor Sabir Memon, a senior
health official with the government
in southern Sindh province, said the
death toll was 180 and warned it was
likely to rise in the evening.
An AFP tally based on information
from five hospitals around Karachi suggested the toll there could be as high
as 249.
National Disaster Management
(NDMA) spokesman Ahmed Kamal
said the government had asked the
army and paramilitary Rangers to help
relief efforts, which will include set-

ting up heatstroke treatment centres

around the city.
Coping with the scorching heat has
been made harder by the power cuts
that are a daily feature of life in Pakistan.
The Sindh provincial government
has imposed a state of emergency at all
hospitals, cancelling leave for doctors
and other medical staff and increasing
stocks of medical supplies.
Another 11 deaths were reported
yesterday in the southern part of Punjab province.
Eleven people have so far died because of heat-related diseases in South
Punjab during last 48 hours, a health
official in the city of Multan said.
Doctors say most of those who have
died succumbed to heatstroke.
The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, during which devout Muslims
abstain from all food and drink during
daylight hours, began on June 19, coinciding with what is usually the hottest
time of year in Pakistan.
Sher Shah, a veteran medical practitioner and former president of the
Pakistan Medical Association, said Karachis poor were most at risk. AFP

Dead bodies lie in the cold storage of the EDHI morgue in Karachi on June 21. Photo: AFP

KABUL

Lives lived in fear as militias and impunity continue to thrive

FOUR years after a militiaman doused
Mumtaz with a flesh-searing acid for
rejecting his marriage proposal, leaving her disfigured, scarred and traumatised, death threats have forced the
20-year-old Afghan into hiding.
Her ordeal encapsulates the major
issues roiling Afghanistan a silent
tsunami of violence against women,
anti-Taliban militias bringing further
turmoil to an already conflict-torn
country and a seemingly dysfunctional
state unable to offer Afghans even a

Mumtaz, a 20-year-old Afghan acid

attack victim, is pictured here in a safe
house in Kunduz on May 20.
Photo: AFP

modicum of security.
Swaddled in a cobalt blue scarf
partly covering her jagged facial scars,
Mumtaz vividly recalls the horrors of
that night when the jilted lover stormed
into her house with six other assailants,
holding up the corrosive liquid.
He grabbed me by my hair and
hurled the acid at my face with such
vengeance, as if to say now lets see
who will marry you, Mumtaz, who
goes by one name, told AFP in a safe
house in the volatile northern province
of Kunduz.
She remembers screaming and
writhing as the acid, some of which
splattered on her sisters and mother,
burned through her flesh.
Mumtaz has undergone multiple
surgeries and painful skin grafts since
the attack in 2011 and is now forced to
live in hiding due to threats purportedly from the assailants, some of whom
are still at large.
Her plight is worsened by an escalating conflict in Kunduz, where the
Taliban recently launched a large-scale
offensive, creeping ever closer to the
provincial capital and trapping civilians between insurgents and a miscel-

lany of pro-government forces and

militias. Statistics are scant but acid
attacks are common in Afghanistan, often used to deface and cripple women
even for minor transgressions such as
refusing to wear a headscarf or rebuffing unsolicited lovers.
When she was 14, Mumtaz, known
within her extended family for her doe
eyes and flawless skin, hid herself behind the folds of a burka to evade the
amorous advances of a militiaman
called Nasir.
The daughter of a wheat farmer
stopped going out unchaperoned and
avoided the main village thoroughfares.
But Nasir, who gained local infamy
for his links to an anti-Taliban militia,
stubbornly lingered outside her house
and waylaid her even as her family in
a heated exchange warned him to back
down.
Two years later, when Mumtaz got
engaged to another man, he burst into
her house to avenge the humiliation of
rejection by wrecking her beauty.
He escaped after the horrific attack
but a court sentenced three of his accomplices to a decade in prison, a rare
judgement in a nation that offers fe-

male victims little legal recourse.

Ironically, though, Mumtazs real
troubles began when they were put behind bars.
They threatened to behead me. We
will kill your whole family when we get
out of prison, they said. We will come
after you, Mumtaz said.
Armed intruders have attempted
to break into her house, said Women
for Afghan Women (WAW), a nongovernmental organisation which helped
Mumtaz with legal aid and seeking
treatment for acid burns in India.
We are very concerned about her
safety, Haseena Sarwari, the Kunduz
manager for WAW, told AFP.
The men in Mumtazs household
are forced to carry firearms and take
turns to sleep at night, she said.
Mumtazs father, Sultan, said the
attempted intrusions forced them to
move houses and going to his farm was
fraught with risks.
Relatives of the jailed assailants
have chased him down by motorcycle,
threatening him with consequences if
they did not get out of prison soon.
They will never leave us alone,
Sultan said with a lump in his throat.

We are barely living, confined to

our home, stripped of our livelihood,
he said. Its a helpless feeling.
AFP could not access the families
of the assailants, residing in an outlying village of Kunduz city that has seen
regular skirmishes.
In recent years Afghanistan has
seen a rise of militias, former mujahideen strongmen both feeding off and
fuelling the conflict, and accused of a
litany of abuses including rape and collecting protection tax from civilians.
When he came to power last year
President Ashraf Ghani vowed to disarm the militias, blamed for devastating Afghanistan during the countrys
civil war in the 1990s and setting the
stage for a Taliban takeover.
But as the Taliban insurgency
spreads north from its southern
stronghold, the government appears
to be remobilising them to augment
Afghan security forces.
Earlier this year Mumtaz married
the man she was engaged to, bringing
a faint glimmer of hope in her life.
But I live in constant fear that they
[the assailants] will find me one day.
AFP

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 22, 2015

the pulse 21

www.mmtimes.com

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i
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n

DePuTY Pulse eDiTor: ToM BArTon tom.a.barton@gmail.com

Cooked dogs are displayed at a vendors stall in Yulin. Photos: AFP/Johannes Eisele

A dog looks out from its cage at a stall as it is displayed by a vendor as he waits for
customers during a dog meat festival at a market in Yulin.

Vendors wait for customers to buy dogs in cages at a market in Yulin. Photo: China Out/AFP

Chinas annual dog-eating festival

prompts social media firestorm

Animal right activists scuffle with unidentified onlookers as they protest against a dog meat festival in front on the government building in Yulin. Photo: AFP/Johannes Eisele

An animal rights activist (left) takes a picture of vendors waiting for customers to
buy dogs in cages at a market in Yulin.

Lindsey Bever and nick kirkpatrick

ts a practice that makes animal-lovers ill Chinas socalled Yulin summer solstice Lychee and Dog Meat Festival
for which some 10,000 canines are said to be beaten, killed
and cooked for human consumption (cats too). traditional
lore says eating dog meat brings good luck and health. But
the event, which has ignited fury for years, is gaining momentum
on social media.
the annual event in Yulin in Chinas Guangxi region marks
the summers start, which was June 22 this year.
Indeed, eating dog meat is legal in China, but canines
are supposed to be raised on farms and certified for human
consumption before they are sold. Animal rights advocates say
dogs in Yulin are stolen from farms and family homes many
still wearing collars when they are killed. Aside from animal
cruelty issues, they say, such festivals fuel crime and food safety
concerns.
Mounting pressure from animal rights groups ignited uproar
last year, prompting nationwide protests.
Amid outcry, Yulins government banned public slaughter
and advertising using words dog meat, though it claimed that
although locals had held small get-togethers in the past, the citywide festival was a myth.
the so-called summer solstice lychee dog meat festival does
not exist, the government said in a statement, according to Time.
Neither Yulin government nor social organisations have ever
held such activities.
the state news agency Xinhua said last year the festival is
only a local folk custom, without official sanction. But locals
say now instead of slaughtering dogs in the streets they do it in
secret.
Now we have to do it as though we are thieves, a local

Ricky Gervais condemns the Yulin Dog Meat Festival online. Photo: Twitter

restaurant owner told a Chinese tV station, according to

Associated Press.
this year, social media has pushed the protests forward.
Animal rights advocates say dogs are caught with nets,
drugged or poisoned, and kept until they are killed for their meat.
the past month, there have been nearly a million tweets from
people using the hashtag #stopYulin2015. this week, British
comedian Ricky Gervais, who has partnered with Humane society
International, wrote: Please help our best friend. #stopYuLin2015.
He attached a photo of a dog with lipstick kisses on its face, saying,
the only marks you should leave on a dog.
As of June 18, Hong Kong-based animal rights group Animals
Asia said its recent letter urging the countrys dog meat
traders to boycott the festival had garnered about 70,000
signatures.
the Us-based animal rights organisation Duo Duo Animal
Welfare Project has launched an online petition, calling on
Yulin Governor Chen Wu to cancel the event, citing issues
ranging from animal cruelty to social stability to food safety. so
far, it has more than 700,000 signatures. the group also posted
a video on Youtube, which has been viewed nearly 500,000 times.
I went to a slaughter house in Yulin a few days ago, Duo Duo
founder Andrea Gung told BBC News earlier this month. the
dogs and cats were wearing collars and of different sizes and
breeds.
Peter Li, associate professor of East Asian politics at the
University of Houston-Downtown and a China policy adviser with
Humane society International, wrote in the South China Morning
Post that he visited Yulin just last month.
What I saw was a city in preparation for the annual
massacre, he wrote. A slaughterhouse at the citys Dong Kou
market had just received a new supply of dogs shipped from
sichuan. the unloaded dogs looked emaciated, dehydrated and

terrified. Inside two other slaughterhouses hidden in residential

areas not far from the market, dogs and cats, many wearing
collars, displayed behaviour associated with household pets.
the slaughter is more than an insult to the nations
expanding animal-loving community.
Among the most serious issues, advocates argue, is the
heightened risk of rabies.
Worldwide, China is ranked the second-highest for the
number of people who contract rabies and the Guangxi province
has the most cases in the country, CNN reported, citing Chinas
ministry for public health. Yulin is branded one of the countrys
top 10 cities for rabies cases among humans.
this is more than an animal welfare issue, Li told The New
York Times. this is a matter of public health as well. After longdistance transport, most of the dogs are sick, dying or already
dead. skin problems are common. these are serious food safety
problems and public health hazards.
Dog meat was once considered a delicacy in China. Yulins
festival started in 2009 or 2010, according to media reports, to
help dog meat traders boost business.
In China, people have come out on both sides of the debate.
On the Chinese social media site Weibo, some have spoken out
against consuming what Westerners consider household pets,
according to BBC News, while others said the countrys local
customs should be respected.
Yulins food and drug administration has vowed to crack down
on the festival this year, Beijing-based animal rights lawyer An
Xiang said, according to The New York Times. He filed a petition
earlier this year to force the government to make its dog meat
regulations public information.
I believe the Yulin authorities are in hot water now, Li told
the newspaper. I believe the legal team led by An Xiang knows
what to do next. Lets see. The Washington Post

22 the pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 23, 2015

Dont lock up
books, says
Yangons free
librarian
NyeiN ei ei HTwe
nyeineieihtwe23@gmail.com

HE books, thousands of
them, stretch from floor
to ceiling. If the librarian
thinks not enough people
are borrowing them, he
will get on his bike and deliver a
basketful to readers. There is no
charge. In fact, he has been known to
pay people to read.
He is known as the free librarian
of Hlaing township, and if he insists
on giving away books, there are
plenty of people who will make up the
deficiency by donating more.
His name is Zaw Zaw. The 26-yearold owns two libraries, both called
Mandalay one in Hlaing township,

Yangon, and the other in his home

village of Si Tar, Kyaukpadaung
township, Mandalay Region.
Last week, Zaw Zaw was awarded
the Citizen of Burma Award (CoBA)
intended for voluntary workers who
benefit society. Founded in 2010,
CoBA is an organisation of Myanmar
nationals living abroad dedicated to
recognising important contributions
to Myanmar society by individuals or
groups within Myanmar.
I am very happy about the prize
but it is also a spur that encourages
me to continue to pursue my dream
of building free libraries throughout
the country.
Hunger is one of his earliest
memories. My mother worked on
a farm. We lived on baked beans

Zaw Zaw poses in his free library in Hlaing township, Yangon. Photos: Zarni Phyo

because we had no rice, he said.

But he also loved reading since
he first learned to read and his
grandfather, U San Thein, encouraged
him with tales of famous writers.
By the time he was 14, hunger
drove him to leave home for Yangon
in the hope of making some money.
His family gave him K7500, three
books and some of the currency that
the government abolished in the
1970s, bearing the portrait of General
Aung San. The notes are displayed on

the walls of his Yangon library, in the

spaces between the books.
He started out by washing
dishes and waiting tables in a beer
restaurant. On his way home one
day, he dropped into a library to
satisfy his hunger for reading matter.
But the librarian asked for my NRC
card. When I couldnt produce it, or
provide a fixed address or the name
of a parent, they wouldnt let me
borrow books, he said.
From his earnings of K4500, Zaw
Zaw would buy two books a month.
Luckily, a new bookshop opened
in front of our restaurant and I
always went there in my free time.
I couldnt sleep without reading a
book.
He also learned from the
restaurant cook how to make
barbecued fish. He found he could sell
it for K1000 a portion, and amassed
K40,000.
He moved to Hlaing township,
where he rented a 5-foot-square room
paid for partly by performing chores
for the owner. At night, without a
blanket or a pillow, he slept on a pile
of books.
At that time, I had already bought
lots of books and I wanted other
people to read them, he said. He
took to filling his bicycle basket with
books and spent his mornings and
evenings delivering them to anyone
who wanted to read. I didnt want
my books to be locked up, as if they
were in jail. I hate libraries that dont
accept readers. There should be no
rules governing the borrowing of
books, he said.
The word soon spread among his
neighbours, who would both borrow
and donate books. One woman
donated more than 700 volumes and
400 dhamma CDs.
I even advertised on bus stops
that I would deliver books for free,
he said.
Word of his activities reached
Daw Myint Myint Khin Pe, the
wife of U Kyaw Thu, who runs
a free funeral service. U Kyaw
Thus family visited him with
an offer.
They asked me whether
I wanted a car or a bicycle.
I said I couldnt drive, so
they gave me a bike to
deliver books, he said.
From that moment, he
became known as the free
librarian of Hlaing township.
I want everyone to read.
Our education system cant be
much good. Otherwise, why do all
the rich people send their children
abroad to study? he said.
He finances his library
activities from the proceeds of the
fish restaurant where he works
with his cousins. Every morning,
he and his cousins deliver books
by bicycle they now have five
bikes. They also pick up plastic

bottles to recycle. That brings in

enough to buy two more books a day,
he said.
He even earns enough to send
money back to his family and to
support his other library in his native
village, which boasts more than 8000
volumes. He and his cousins all live in
the back room of the little library in
Hlaing township.
After U Kyaw Thu donated
books, many people came to hear of
me. Even U Ye Htut, the Minister of
Information, and other famous people
would donate, said Zaw Zaw.
The library is open to borrowers
day and night, whether Zaw Zaw and
his cousins are there or not. Once, it
was burgled.
Many things were stolen, mostly
books. I choose not to be angry, because
they wanted books and I want to share.
If I was angry about people taking my
books, I wouldnt be a librarian. I just
replaced the books, said Zaw Zaw.
Though he opposes regulations,
he does keep a register so that he
can keep track of the books for the
customers benefit. Now, readers from
Hlaing, Kamaryut, Insein, Hmawbi,
Sanchaung and other townships come
to his library and order books.
I havent bought so much as a
single shirt for myself. I spend all my
money on books so that everybody
can read freely and love books as
much as I do, he said.

the pulse 23

www.mmtimes.com

Letter to the
President awaits letter
from the censors
ChIT sU
suwai.chit@gmail.com

etter to the President, an

upcoming feature film by
pseudonymous Myanmar
director Wyne, has faced a
lengthy delay for approval
by the Myanmar Film Censorship
Board. According to Wyne, the
censorship boards review has lasted
three months a stark contrast to
the usual review time of between
two and four weeks.
The fictitious films plot involves
a man who has been framed and the
journalist investigating his case.
Wyne is a well-known director
in Myanmar. His films include box
office success I am a rose, Dear (Kya
Ma Ka Hnin Si Par Maung), and the
film that won him Best Director in
the 2013 Myanmar Motion Picture
Academy Awards, Satans Dancer
(Satan-ye-ka-che-the).
Wyne told the Myanmar times
that he applied for permission
to make Letter to the President
in March. At the end of April,
the censorship board send a
letter requesting Wyne change
some scenes. He acquiesced, and
resubmitted a revised application
for permission. Wyne is still yet to
hear back.
They approved the films title,

but they instructed me to change

some scenes, said Wyne.
One of the major requests by
the censorship board was for Wyne
to change a characters portrayal
as the son of a minister to the son
of a crony.
I cant change that. Thats
backbone of film, said Wyne. The
film will not focus on the negative
aspects of the government. We will
only film the issues that represent
the public.
I dont understand how they
are thinking, Wyne said.
Director Wyne planned to start
shooting the film in August but said
he cant until the permit is approved.
We have made the changes
[but] some of the scenes really
need to be filmed, said Wyne.
I cant do anything except stop
making the film until they give me
the permit. I have no power. If I
protest against the film censorship
board, I dont think I can get
anything.
U Thain Naing, a director of the
Myanmar Film Censorship Board,
was tight-lipped on the issue of
Wynes long-awaited permit.
I have nothing to say, said U
Thain Naing. I said them to wait
to get permit. I heard the producer
is discussing with authorities. I
cant say any more.

IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP/Miguel
Schincario
Brazilian pianist
Ricardo de Castro
Monteiro performs
in the air on a piano
hanging from wires
during the annual
Virada Cultural event
in Sao Paulo, Brazil,
on June 21.

Got an event?
List it in Whats On!
whatsonmt@gmail.com

TODAY
ART

Tuesday Snippets. A gathering in which

all sorts of people interested in the future
of the country enjoy conversation and
perhaps some beer until late at night.
Pansodan Gallery, Pansodan Street,
Kyauktada 7-10pm

FILM

Tuesday Movies at the Connect

Institute. Free popcorn, chips and

soft drinks, fun games and quizzes,

thought-provoking discussions,
and more. Connect Institute, 3A
Pansodan Business Tower (corner
of Anawrahta Road and Pansodan
Street) 2:30-4pm

TOMORROW
MUSIC

Bamboo Trio. Enjoy jazz music and a

great dinner in a friendly atmosphere.
The Rendez-Vous Restaurant, 340 Pyay
Road 7:30-9:30pm

NIGHTLIFE

Salsa at Salud. K5000 entry includes

free Mojito, beer or cocktail of
your choice. Salud Salsa Club, 7C
Wingabar Road (next to Clover Hotel),
Bahan 8pm
Daiquiri cocktails night. Try new
seasonal flavored daiquiris. Buy
one get one free. The Lab, 70A
Shwegonedaing, Bahan 5:30pm
Ladys Night. One free cocktail for
ladies. B20 Bar and Bistro, 96 20th
Street, Latha 8-11:45pm

24 the pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 22, 2015

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO MANDALAY

MANDALAY TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

YANGON TO HEHO
Arr

Y5 775

Daily

6:00

7:10

Y5 233

Daily

7:50

9:00

W9 515

6:00

7:25

W9 201

Daily

8:40

10:35

YH 917

Daily

6:10

8:30

YJ 891

1,2,3,5,6

8:40

10:35

YJ 891

1,2,3,5,6

6:20

8:25

7Y 132

2,4,6,7

8:50

10:45

7Y 131

2,4,6,7

6:30

8:35

K7 223

1,3,5

8:55

11:00

K7 222

1,3,5

6:30

8:40

YH 918

Daily

8:30

10:25

6T 805

2,4,6

6:30

7:40

6T 806

2,4,6

10:30

11:40

YJ 201

1,2,3

7:00

8:55

YJ 202

1,2,3

12:00

13:25

W9 201

Daily

7:00

8:25

YJ 761

1,2,4

13:10

17:00

W9201

7:00

8:25

YJ 212

15:00

16:25

8M 6603

9:00

10:10

YJ 212

15:00

16:55

YJ 601

11:00

12:25

YJ 602

15:40

17:35

YJ 211

5, 7

11:00

12:25

7Y 242

1,3,5

16:40

18:45

YJ 761

1,2,4

11:00

12:55

K7 225

2,4,6,7

16:50

19:00

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

14:00

YH 728

17:00

18:25

YH 737

3,5,7

11:00

13:10

W9 152/W97152

17:05

18:30

YH 727

11:30

13:40

Y5 776

Daily

17:10

18:20

W9 251

2,5

11:30

12:55

W9 211

17:10

19:15

7Y 241

1,3,5

14:30

16:25

YH 738

3,5,7

17:10

18:35

K7 224

2,4,6,7

14:30

16:35

8M 6604

17:20

18:30

Y5 234

Daily

15:20

16:30

8M 903

1,2,4,5,7

17:20

18:30

W9 211

15:30

16:55

YH 730

2,4,6

17:45

19:10

W9 252

2,5

18:15

19:40

YANGON TO NAY PYI TAW

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Flight
YH 917
YJ 891
7Y 131
YJ 891
K7 222
7Y 131
Y5 649
YJ 751
YJ 761
YJ 751
YJ 233
YH 737
YH 727
K7 224
7Y 241
W9 129

Days
Daily
1,2,3,5,6
2,4,6,7
4,7
1,3,5
Daily
Daily
3,5
1,2,4
7
6
3,5,7
1
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
1,3,6

Dep
6:10
6:20
6:30
6:30
6:30
7:15
10:30
10:30
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:30
14:30
14:30
15:30

HEHO TO YANGON
Arr
9:15
9:10
9:20
8:45
9:30
10:05
12:45
11:40
12:10
12:10
12:10
12:25
12:55
15:45
15:40
16:40

Flight
YJ 891
YH 918
YJ 891
W9 201
7Y 132
K7 223
YJ 762
7Y 242
K7 225
YH 728
YH 738
YJ 602
YJ 752
W9 129

Arr
8:15
9:05
8:40
13:20
17:00
10:40

Flight
Y5 326
6T 706
7Y 532
K7 320
Y5 326
SO 202

YANGON TO MYEIK
Flight
Y5 325
K7 319
6T 705
7Y 531
Y5 325
SO 201

Days
1,5
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
2,4,6
2
Daily

Dep
6:45
7:00
7:30
11:15
15:30
8:20

Days

Dep

Dep
9:00
9:15
9:25
9:25
9:35
9:45
15:50
15:55
16:00
16:15
16:25
16:25
16:45
16:55

Arr
10:10
10:25
10:35
10:35
10:45
11:00
17:00
18:45
19:00
18:25
18:35
17:35
17:55
19:10

Air Bagan (W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air KBZ (K7)

Tel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (airport), 373766
(hotline). Fax: 372983

Asian Wings (YJ)

Tel: 515261~264, 512140, 512473, 512640
Fax: 532333, 516654

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Tel: 656969
Fax: 656998, 651020

Days
1,5
2,4,6
2,4,6
1,3,5,7
2
Daily

Dep
8:35
8:55
15:35
11:30
17:15
13:20

Arr
10:05
10:05
17:40
13:35
18:45
15:40

Arr

Flight

Yangon Airways (YH)

Tel: 383100, 383107, 700264
Fax: 652 533

FMI Air Charter (ND)

Tel: 240363, 240373, 09421146545

APEX Airlines (SO)

SITTWE TO YANGON
Days

Dep

Arr

Arr

K7 422

2,4,6

8:00

9:55

K7 423

2,4,6

10:10

11:30

7Y 413

1,3,5,7

10:30

12:20

7Y 414

1,3,5,7

12:35

13:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

12:55

W9 309

1,3,6

13:10

14:55

6T 611

Daily

11:45

12:55

6T 612

Daily

13:15

14:20

YJ 201

1,2,3,4

7:00

7:55

SO 101

Daily

7:00

8:00

ND 910

1,2,3,4,5

7:15

8:15

YJ 202

1,2,3,4

8:10

13:25

ND 105

1,2,3,4,5

10:45

11:40

ND 9102

1,2,3,4,5

8:35

9:35

ND 107

11:25

12:20

ND 104

1,2,3,4,5

9:20

10:15

ND 109

1,2,3,4,5

14:55

15:40

ND 106

10:00

10:55

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

2,4,6

8:00

8:55

K7 422

2,4,6

9:10

11:30

YANGON TO THANDWE

Domestic Airlines

Mann Yadanarpon Airlines (7Y)

MYEIK TO YANGON

YANGON TO SITTWE
Flight

Days
4,7
Daily
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
1,2,4
1,3,5
2,4,6,7
1
3,5,7
6
3,5
1,3,6

THANDWE TO YANGON

Tel:95(1) 533300 ~ 311

Fax : 95 (1) 533312

Air Mandalay (6T)

Tel: (+95-1) 501520, 525488,
Fax: (+95-1) 532275

Airline Codes
SO = APEX Airlines

ND 9109

1,2,3,4,5

17:00

18:00

ND 108

1,2,3,4,5

13:30

14:25

K7 422

ND 111

18:25

19:20

YJ 212

16:00

16:55

7Y 413

1,3,5

10:30

11:20

7Y 413

1,3,5

11:35

13:55

SO 102

Daily

18:00

19:00

ND 110

17:00

17:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

13:50

7Y 413

12:05

14:20

K7 = Air KBZ

ND 9110

1,2,3,4,5

18:20

19:20

7Y 413

11:00

11:50

W9 309

1,3,6

14:05

14:55

W9 = Air Bagan

Y5 421

1,3,4,6

15:45

16:40

Y5 422

1,3,4,6

16:55

17:50

YANGON TO NYAUNG U

NYAUNG U TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YH 917

Daily

6:10

7:45

YH 918

Daily

7:45

10:25

K7 222

1,3,5

6:30

7:50

7Y 132

2,4,6,7

8:05

10:45

7Y 131

2,4,6,7

6:30

7:50

K7 223

1,3,5

8:05

11:00

K7 224

2,4,6,7

14:30

17:25

K7 225

2,4,6,7

17:40

19:00

7Y 241

1,3,5

14:30

17:10

W9 129

1,3,6

17:50

19:10

W9 129

1,3,6

15:30

17:35

7Y 242

1,3,5

17:25

18:45

W9 211

15:30

17:40

W9 129

15:30

17:35

YANGON TO MYITKYINA

YANGON TO DAWEI

DAWEI TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

6T 805

2,4,6

6:30

8:55

6T 806

2,4,6

9:10

11:40

YH 826

1,3.5.7

7:00

9:40

YJ 202

1,2,3,4

10:35

13:25

YJ 201

1,2,3,4

7:00

10:20

YH 827

1,3,5,7

11:30

13:55

YJ 233

11:00

15:10

YJ 234

15:25

W9 251

2,5

11:30

14:25

W9 252

2,5

16:45

Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

YH = Yangon Airways

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

K7 319

1,3,5,7

7:00

8:10

YH 634

2,4,6

12:15

13:25

YH 633

2,4,6

7:00

8:25

K7 320

1,3,5,7

12:25

13:35

6T = AirMandalay

SO 201

Daily

8:20

9:40

6T 708

3,5,7

14:15

15:15

FMI (ND) = FMI Air Charter

6T 707

3,5,7

10:30

11:30

SO 202

Daily

14:20

15:40

7Y 531

2,4,6

11:15

12:20

7Y 532

2,4,6

16:35

17:40

YANGON TO LASHIO
MYITKYINA TO YANGON

7Y = Mann Yadanarpon Airlines

LASHIO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YJ 751

3,5

10:30

12:45

YJ 752

3,5

15:40

17:55

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

13:00

YJ 752

16:10

17:55

YJ 751

11:00

13:15

YH 730

2,4,6

16:45

19:10

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YANGON TO PUTAO

PUTAO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

18:15

YH 826

1,3,5,7

7:00

10:35

YH 827

1,3,5,7

10:35

13:55

19:40

W9 251

2,5

11:30

15:25

W9 252

2,5

15:45

19:40

YJ = Asian Wings

Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday

the pulse 25

www.mmtimes.com

InternAtIonAl FlIGHt SCHeDUleS

Flights

YANGON TO BANGKOK
Days

Dep

Arr

PG 706
Daily
6:15
8M 335
Daily
7:40
TG 304
Daily
9:50
PG 702
Daily
10:30
TG 302
Daily
15:00
PG 708
Daily
15:15
8M 331
Daily
16:30
PG 704
Daily
18:20
Y5 237
Daily
19:00
TG 306
Daily
19:45
YANGON TO DON MUEANG

8:30
9:25
11:45
12:25
16:55
17:10
18:15
20:15
20:50
21:40

DD 4231
Daily
8:00
FD 252
Daily
8:30
FD 254
Daily
17:30
DD 4239
Daily
21:00
YANGON TO SINGAPORE

9:50
10:15
19:05
22:45

8M 231
Daily
8:25
Y5 2233
Daily
9:45
TR 2823
Daily
9:45
SQ 997
Daily
10:35
3K 582
Daily
11:15
MI 533
2,6
13:45
MI 519
Daily
17:30
3K 584
2,3,5
19:15
YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR

12:50
14:15
14:25
15:10
15:45
20:50
22:05
23:45

8M 501
AK 505
MH 741
MH 743
AK 503

11:50
12:50
16:30
20:05
23:45

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

1,2,3,5,6
7:50
Daily
8:30
Daily
12:15
Daily
15:45
Daily
19:30
YANGON TO BEIJING

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

Flights

BANGKOK TO YANGON
Days

Dep

Arr

TG 303
Daily
7:55
PG 701
Daily
8:50
Y5 238
Daily
21:30
8M 336
Daily
10:40
TG 301
Daily
13:05
PG 707
Daily
13:40
PG 703
Daily
16:45
TG 305
Daily
17:50
8M 332
Daily
19:15
PG 705
Daily
20:15
DON MUEANG TO YANGON

8:50
9:40
22:20
11:25
14:00
14:30
17:35
18:45
20:00
21:30

DD 4230
Daily
6:20
FD 251
Daily
7:15
FD 253
Daily
16:20
DD 4238
Daily
19:30
SINGAPORE TO YANGON

7:05
8:00
17:00
20:15

TR 2822
Daily
7:20
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
SQ 998
Daily
7:55
3K 581
Daily
8:55
MI 533
2,6
11:35
8M 232
Daily
13:50
MI 518
Daily
15:15
3K 583
2,3,5
17:05
KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON

8:45
8:50
9:20
10:25
12:55
15:15
16:40
18:35

AK 504
MH 740
8M 502
MH 742
AK 502

8:00
11:15
13:50
14:50
19:00

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Daily
6:55
Daily
10:05
1,2,3,5,6
12:50
Daily
13:40
Daily
17:50
BEIJING TO YANGON

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

CA 906
3,5,7
23:50 05:50+1
YANGON TO GUANGZHOU

CA 905
3,5,7
19:30
GUANGZHOU TO YANGON

22:50

8M 711
CZ 3056
CZ 3056

3,6
8:40
1,5
14:40
2,4,7
14:15
TAIPEI TO YANGON

10:25
16:30
15:50

1,2,3,5,6
7:00
KUNMING TO YANGON

9:55

Flights

Flights

CI 7916
Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

Flights

2,4,7
8:40
3,6
11:25
1,5
17:30
YANGON TO TAIPEI

13:15
16:15
22:15

CZ 3055
CZ 3055
8M 712

1,2,3,5,6
10:50
YANGON TO KUNMING

Arr

16:15

Flights

CI 7915

Arr

Flights

CA 416
MU 2012
MU 2032
Flights

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Daily
12:15
3
12:40
1,2,4,5,6,7 15:20
YANGON TO HANOI
Days

15:55
18:45
18:40

Dep

Arr

Days

MU 2011
CA 415
MU 2031
Flights

Dep

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Arr

Arr

Arr

3
8:25
Daily
10:45
1,2,4,5,6,7 13:55
HANOI TO YANGON
Days

11:50
11:15
14:30

Dep

Arr

VN 956
1,3,5,6,7
19:10
21:30
YANGON TO HO CHI MINH CITY

VN 957
1,3,5,6,7
16:50
18:10
HO CHI MINH CITY TO YANGON

VN 942

VN 943

Flights

Flights

QR 919
Flights

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Arr

2,4,7
14:25
YANGON TO DOHA

17:15

1,4,6
8:00
YANGON TO SEOUL

11:10

Arr

Arr

Flights

Flights

QR 918
Flights

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

KA 252
KA 250

Arr

Flights

Days

5
1,2,3,4,6,7

Arr

YANGON TO TOKYO

Flights

Days

NH 814

Daily

Dep

21:45

06:50+1

YANGON TO DHAKA

Flights

Days

BG 061
BG 061
Flights

Dep

1:30
1:10

1,6
4

Dep

15:35
13:45

YANGON TO INCHEON
Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Arr

Arr

Flights

Y5 251
7Y 305

8:05
12:50

2,4,6
1,5

YANGON TO GAYA

Flights

Days

8M 601
AI 236
Flights

Days

2
1,5

Dep

13:10
14:05

YANGON TO KOLKATA
Days

AI 228
Flights

Dep

3,5,6
7:00
2
13:10
YANGON TO DELHI

AI 236
AI 701
Flights

6:15
11:00

1,5

Dep

14:05

YANGON TO MUMBAI

AI 773

Days

1,5

Dep

14:05

MANDALAY TO BANGKOK

Flights

PG 710

Days

Daily

Dep

14:05

MANDALAY TO SINGAPORE

Flights

MI 533
Y5 2233

Days

2,6
1,2,4,5,6

Dep

15:55
7:50

MANDALAY TO DON MUEANG

Flights

FD 245

Days

Daily

Dep

12:45

MANDALAY TO KUNMING

Flights

MU 2030

Days

Daily

Dep

13:50

NAY PYI TAW TO BANGKOK

Flights

PG 722

Days

1,2,3,4,5

Dep

19:30

Arr

Arr

8:20
15:05
Arr

Dep

Days

Dep

Flights

9:25
13:45

GAYA TO YANGON
Days

Dep

2
9:20
3,5,6
9:20
DELHI TO YANGON
Days

2
1,5

Dep

9:20
7:00

KOLKATA TO YANGON
Days

AI 227

1,5

Dep

10:35

MUMBAI TO YANGON

AI 675

Days

1,5

Dep

6:10

BANGKOK TO MANDALAY

Flights

Days

Daily

Dep

12:00

SINGAPORE TO MANDALAY

Y5 2234
MI 533

Days

Daily
2,6

Dep

7:20
11:35

DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY

Flights

15:00

FD 244

Arr

Flights

Arr

12:30
10:40

Days

2,4,6
1,5

Flights

Flights

22:30

Dep

INCHEON TO YANGON

Flights

Arr

16:40

1,6
4

AI 235
8M 602

PG 709

Arr

Days

15:40
Arr

14:55
13:05

Days

Daily

Dep

10:50

KUNMING TO MANDALAY

MU 2029

Days

Daily

Dep

13:00

BANGKOK TO NAY PYI TAW

Flights

PG 721

Days

1,2,3,4,5

Dep

17:00

Air China (CA)

Tel: 666112, 655882

Air India

Tel: 253597~98, 254758, 253601. Fax 248175

Bangkok Airways (PG)

Tel: 255122, 255265. Fax: 255119

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG)

Tel: 371867~68. Fax: 371869

Condor (DE)

Tel: 370836~39 (ext: 303)

Dragonair (KA)

Tel: 255323 (ext: 107), 09-401539206

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

Tel: 387648, 241007 (ext: 120, 121, 122)

Fax: 241124

Myanmar Airways International (8M)

Tel: 255260. Fax: 255305

Nok Airline (DD)

Tel: 255050, 255021. Fax: 255051

Qatar Airways (QR)

Tel: 379845, 379843, 379831. Fax: 379730

Singapore Airlines (SQ) / Silk Air (MI)

Tel: 255287~9. Fax: 255290

Thai Airways (TG)

Tel: 255491~6. Fax: 255223

Tel: 371383, 370836~39 (ext: 303)
Tel: 255066, 255088, 255068. Fax: 255086

Airline Codes
3K = Jet Star
8M = Myanmar Airways International

BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines

CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines
CZ = China Southern

Arr

10:15
14:35

16:30
20:50
14:15

11:00

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

AK = Air Asia

Arr

Y5 252
7Y 306

Flights

Arr

Daily

Dep

DHAKA TO YANGON

Flights

Arr

Arr

TOKYO TO YANGON
Days

Arr

00:30+1
23:30

18:10
12:00

AI 235
AI 401

22:35

Dep

22:50
21:45

Arr

22:25
23:25

W9 608
4,7
17:20
PG 723
1,3,5,6
11:05
CHIANG MAI TO YANGON

16:30
19:50
15:05

4
1,2,3,5,6,7

Flights

BG 060
BG 060

16:10
15:05

Days

NH 813

17:00
15:10

W9 607
4,7
14:20
PG 724
1,3,5,6
13:10
YANGON TO CHIANG MAI
Flights

Flights

Tel: 09254049991~3

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

06:25+1

5:55
5:45

Flights

Air Asia (FD)

Arr

3,5,7
20:40
SEOUL TO YANGON

KA 251
KA 251

Tel: 255412, 413

Tiger Airline (TR)

13:25

KE 471
Daily
18:45
0Z 769
3,6
19:50
HONG KONG TO YANGON

All Nippon Airways (NH)

Arr

2,4,7
11:50
DOHA TO YANGON

0Z 770
4,7
0:35
9:10
KE 472
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
YANGON TO HONG KONG

International Airlines

Arr

Arr

12:0
12:30
Arr

12:20
13:20
Arr

13:20
Arr

13:20
Arr

13:20
Arr

16:30
15:00
Arr

12:15

DD = Nok Airline
FD = Air Asia
KA = Dragonair
KE = Korea Airlines
MH = Malaysia Airlines
MI = Silk Air
MU = China Eastern Airlines
NH = All Nippon Airways
PG = Bangkok Airways
QR = Qatar Airways
SQ = Singapore Airways
TG = Thai Airways
TR = Tiger Airline
VN = Vietnam Airline
AI = Air India
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

Subject to change
without notice

Arr

12:50
Arr

19:00

Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday

4
5
6
7

=
=
=
=

Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

26 Sport

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 23, 2015

EUROPEAN GAMES

Sambo hopes its

beat hits right
note at Games
N
OT much remains from
the ashes of the Soviet
Union but in Baku yesterday, sambo a version of the martial arts
sport that was spawned to toughen
up the nascent Red Armys fighting
force made its bow at the European Games.
Indeed the Azerbaijan head coach
Aqub Abdullayev told AFP he believes this could be Sambos moment
to thrust itself into contention for a
spot eventually in the Olympics.
In Baku the sport is entering a
new phase. It is a huge step for our
sport and indeed for others that
arent Olympic sports. This could
pave the way for getting onto the
Olympic program, said Abdullayev
in Azeri in an interview with AFP.
The main proponents of the sport
are largely confined to the dominant
power Russia and the countries that
used to be part of the Soviet Union.
It has, however, been exposed
to a literary audience by world-renowned Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, a sambo devotee, in his novel The
Winter Stands Alone.
Coelho speaks of the art of killing swiftly with ones bare hands
but the form of sambo that the spectators saw yesterday is the milder
of two types both a mix of various
martial arts including jujitsu, grecoroman wrestling and judo.
Combat sambo whose creator Vasili Oshchepkov fell victim
to Stalins purges in the 1930s, accused of spying for Japan and dying in prison apparently of a heart
attack allows almost anything,
with participants permitted to use
their heads and even grasp their
opponents round their throat.
Sport sambo with combatants
dressed in coloured judo-style tops
with shorts by contrast is rather
more elegant. In training some of
the moves resemble a romantic
dance with legs interlocked, such
as the one favoured by Abdullayev.
Combat sambo is brutal, Sport
sambo is not, said Abdullayev,
who has been part of the coaching

Sambo debuted yesterday at the European Games. Photo: Facebook/ Sambo

International Federation

team since 2003 and became head

coach in 2012.
In combat, you can use your
hands [to punch], your legs [to
kick] and even your head.
You are allowed to prevent
someone from breathing. In sport
sambo, you cannot use your arms,
legs or your head to hurt someone.
You cannot kill someone!
Abdullayev says the sport is
becoming increasingly popular in
Azerbaijan with around 5000 samboists, 10 percent of whom are female.
Lots of children are becoming interested, motivated by the
champions. It is taught in sports
schools, not classic schools, and is
very much in demand in military
academies, said Abdullayev, who
conducts the training session in a
discreet fashion, observing before
stepping in and passing advice to
the combatants, and never raising
his voice.
Abdullayev, who says the top
samboists in Azerbaijan earn a decent living and receive apartments
from the government as well as
gaining sponsors, claims sambo is
gaining in popularity because it
has facets to it that the traditional

number one combat sport, wrestling, lacks.

In wrestling, you cannot use
your legs. In sambo you can. That
is why it is becoming more popular. It is a combination of several
martial arts, said Abdullayev.
Sambo is in its own way part of
the fabric of Azeri culture.
Abdullayev
credits
Jeyhun
Mammadov for sparking interest
in the sport when he all but ruled
the world from 1987-97, being
crowned world champion seven
times and winning the European
title on six occasions.
He is the only Azerbaijani nonOlympic sportsman to be honoured
by the president [Ilham Aliyev]. He
is a world star,. Everyone knows
him, said Abdullayev.
For French samboist Sarah
Loko, the sport places demands on
one mentally as well as physically.
I am not very tactical. I am
all about passion, being fiery, she
said.
For me sambo is about adrenaline, gravity and strength. It is a
sport involving a lot of movements.
Rhere is also a lot of body contact,.
One has to be very strong physically as well as mentally. AFP

Blood, sweat and tears for

Armenians in enemys nest
TO paraphrase Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, Its not the winning but the taking
part that counts a sentiment symbolised by the Armenians competing at the
European Games hosted by their bitter
enemies Azerbaijan.
Their presence has been hailed as a
dipomatic coup pulled off by European
Olympic Committees (EOC) president
Pat Hickey, but for the Armenian athletes being in Baku is anything but easy.
The two Caucasus countries have
been locked in conflict since a bloody
war in the early 1990s following the
breakup of the Soviet Union.
The bitter hatred that exists between
them was reflected in the hostile reception that the Armenian delegation
comprising no athletes at the opening
ceremony and their greco-roman wrestlers received.
Even those who have since switched
to other nationalities, but retained
their surnames, were not spared in the
competition.
One of Armenias biggest hopes for
gold in the greco-roman wrestling, Roman Amoyan, failed to medal and ended his bronze medal play-off with his
head swathed in bandages.
Armenian blood was spilt on Azerbaijan soil, read one of the headlines in
the media.
Migran Arutyunyan, silver medallist
in the 66-0kilogram category, had to
contend with chants of Russia, Russia
from 7000 spectators in his final against
Artem Surkov.
It is clear the judges were influenced by the public, said Arutyunyan,
who was escorted from the arena by a
bodyguard assigned to the Armenian
team.
No matter, it is what I expected before I came here. It was very difficult for
me to focus with all the pressure that
was on me.
Indeed, aside from the bodyguards, a
member of the Games organising team
told AFP, the team bus was escorted
by two cars on their journeys to and

from the stadia and no Azeri volunteers

wished to be assigned to the team.
It has not made preparing for their
respective competitions easy, as team official Karen Giloyan told AFP.
Of course it is not easy to compete
under those conditions, he said.
We dont leave the village [apart
from training and competing] for purposes of security.
Several Armenian athletes refused
to come, with one wrestler saying he
had no wish to experience the tight security he had done at the 2007 world
championships.
However, those who have decided to
compete largely against their parents
wishes, according to the Games official
have been hailed as heroes by Hrachya
Rostomyan, the secretary general of the
National Olympic Committee of Armenia (NOCA).
If they were afraid they wouldnt
come. Its as simple as that, said Giloyan.
Giloyan, though, believes there are
positives to take from their presence in
Baku.
This is undoubtedly a step in the
right direction, said the official.
We really hope our presence here
will improve the relationship between
our two countries.
Armenia is taking a step forward toward peace.
The enmity between the Azeris and
the Armenians dates back to the early
part of the 20th century before being cut
short by both becoming part of the Soviet Union.
However, once the Soviet Union disappeared, violence reared its head again
and Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian
separatists seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh during the 1990s conflict that
left some 30,000 dead.
Despite years of negotiations, the
two countries have not signed a final
peace deal following a shaky 1994 truce,
and clashes have intensified over the
past year along the Karabakh frontline.
AFP

Armenias Roman Amoyan (bottom) wrestles with Rafig Huseynov of Azerbaijan.

Photo: AFP

Inaugral Games cast light on Azerbaijani rights record

AN international row over Azerbaijans rights record threatened to overshadow the opening of the inaugural
European Games, as Baku lashed out
at criticism and foreign journalists
said they were blocked from entering
the country.
Energy-rich
Azerbaijan
has
pumped vast resources into hosting the first edition of the European
Games sporting extravaganza billed as
Europes answer to the Olympics from
June 12-28, building state-of-the-art
facilities in a bid to burnish its image.
But international and local rights
activists have hoped that the glitzy
event will draw attention to the widespread abuses in the tightly controlled
ex-Soviet country.
The criticism has prompted an
angry reaction from President Ilham
Aliyevs government, which dismissed
the activists claims as a Western-orchestrated smear campaign.

A platform has emerged in the

West which regularly tries to convince
everybody that basic rights and democratic principles are not respected in
Azerbaijan, Ali Gasanov, a top adviser
to Aliyev, told reporters ahead of the
opening ceremony.
Rule of law is being respected in
Azerbaijan. All fundamental freedoms
and rights are guaranteed. There are
no political prisoners in Azerbaijan,
he said.
Government supporters protested
outside the offices of the European
Union, the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
and the British embassy in Baku,
denouncing an unprecedented
and dirty campaign of lies against
Azerbaijan.
Human Rights Watch said that the
games would open ... in an atmosphere of government repression unprecedented in the post-Soviet era.

The OSCE said Azerbaijan ordered

it to shut down its local office ahead of
the European Games, while Amnesty
International complained the country
barred it from visiting Baku.
London-based Amnesty had intended to hold a briefing to highlight a
crackdown on journalists, opposition
members and activists ahead of the
sporting event.
The media freedom advocacy
group, the Committee to Protect Journalists, issued a statement saying the
press has a unique opportunity to
scrutinise this censored and restricted
country during the games.
British group Platform said that
one of their activists, Emma Hughes,
who had been travelling to support
political prisoners, was detained on
arrival in Azerbaijan and told she was
on a red list of people who cannot
enter the country.
Several journalists representing

major European media outlets were

denied accreditation and visas.
British newspaper The Guardian
said the Azerbaijani government had
banned it, along with a number of
media outlets and human rights activists, from entering the country to
cover the inaugural European Games.
Radio France Internationals Caucasus correspondent Regis Gente told
AFP that the authorities refused to
explain their decision to deny his visa
and accreditation.
The European Court of Human
Rights meanwhile ruled against Baku
for blocking free elections in a case
brought by a candidate who had been
excluded in a 2010 poll.
The International Freedom of Expression (IFEX) group urged global
media and rights activists to flood
the official #Baku2015 hashtag during the European Games with tweets
condemning Azerbaijans freedom of

expression record and demanding

freedom for these unjustly imprisoned
defenders of free expression.
In a move to counter the effort,
Azerbaijans pro-government APA
news agency called on local journalists to launch a Twitter campaign under the same hashtag to deliver true
information.
Rights groups have long accused
Aliyevs government of using spurious charges to jail critics and say the
authorities have stepped up their campaign to stifle opposition after his election to a third term in 2013.
Aliyev, 53, came to power in 2003
following an election seen as flawed by
international observers.
He took over after the death of his
father Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB
officer and Communist-era leader
who had ruled newly independent
Azerbaijan with an iron fist since
1993. AFP

Sport 27

www.mmtimes.com
ASIA

WORLD sTUDENT GANEs

North Korea boycotts

World University
Games in South
North Korea has boycotted next
months World University Games in
South Korea in protest at the opening of a UN office in Seoul monitoring
Pyongyangs human rights record, organisers said yesterday.
North Korea had offered to send 75
athletes and 33 officials to the games,
also known as the Universiade, scheduled from July 3 to 14 in Gwangju.
But the North on June 20 emailed
the Gwangju Universiade organising
committee saying it was pulling out,
officials said.
North Koreas email cited political
reasons such as the opening of the UN
office in Seoul this week and [crossborder] military confrontation, a
committee official told AFP.
In March Pyongyang threatened
merciless punishment against South
Korea if it went through with the
opening of the UN office, planned for
today.
the United Nations first proposed
opening the field office in May last
year, followed a searing report by a
UN commission that concluded North
Korea was committing human rights
violations without parallel in the contemporary world.
the report formed the basis of a
resolution adopted by the UN General
Assembly urging the Security Council
to consider referring Pyongyang to the
International Criminal Court.
Despite Pyongyangs move, organisers of the Gwangju games held out
hope North Korea would still take part
in the event.

We dont regard the email as

North Koreas final decision because
the FISU has yet to receive the same
email from Pyongyang, the committee official said, referring to the International University Sports Federation,
which runs the Universiade.
We are trying to persuade North
Korea through the international body
... and still hope it will send athletes to
Gwangju, she added.
Cross-border Korean tensions
have remained high this year due
to a series of North Korean ballistic missile tests as well as nuclear
threats.
In addition, Pyongyang sees annual joint US-South Korean military
exercises, most recently carried out
in March and April, as a rehearsal for
invasion.
the Universiade, held every two
years, is an international multi-sport
event for university athletes and often
serves as a stage for future olympic
stars.
More than 13,000 athletes and officials from 145 countries are expected
to join this summers event.
North Korea boycotted the 1986
Asian Games and the 1988 Summer
olympics, both held in South Korea,
but has since attended several other
events in the South.
the North took part in the Asian
Games hosted by the South Korean
city of Incheon last year and took 11
gold medals, 11 silver and 14 bronze
in its best Asian Games performance
since 1990. AFP

FOOTBALL

Blatter backs ethics checks

in more democracy call
Under-fire FIFA leader Sepp Blatter on
June 19 backed greater checks on top
FIFA officials and called for greater
power for Africa and Asia within the
world football body.
Blatter, who has agreed to resign
amid a mounting corruption storm engulfing FIFA and has been accused of
blocking greater transparency, took a
veiled swipe at Europes football powers as he welcomed a move toward
greater checks.
the 79-year-old FIFA president
said he welcomed a proposal by
Wolfgang Niersbach, president of
the German Football Federation, for
an independent integrity inspection on the members of all top FIFA
committees.
In doing so, Niersbach has
broached a subject that has so far been
blocked by UEFA of all associations,
Blatter said in his column for FIFAs
The Weekly magazine.
Better late than never, he commented.
Confederations must acknowledge
their responsibility in matters of ethics. only the Asian confederation has
an ethics committee like the one introduced by FIFA. All other continental
bodies are lacking in this regard, said
Blatter.
Niersbachs call for greater ethics
must apply to everyone, he added.
only together can we continue to
drive the process of reform forward.
that is something I will stand for until
my final day in office.
European members of FIFA led the
campaign for Blatter to stand down,
which he promised to do four days
after being re-elected last month as
pressure from dual corruption investigations mounted.

US authorities are investigating

more than US$150 million of bribes
to top officials while Swiss authorities
are looking into the award of the 2018
and 2022 World Cups to russia and
Qatar respectively.
A FIFA executive meeting on July
20 will decide a date for the election
of a new leader. Blatter said the special congress would also decide extensive changes to the world bodys
structure.
the key is to strengthen democracy within the FIFA government, said
the FIFA leader.
he said the six regional confederations should be represented on
the 25-member executive committee
according to the number of country
members they have.
the FIFA president said it was
contradictory that the 54-country
Confederation of African Football
(CAF) and 46-member Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) have the biggest
number of country members but only
five and four seats respectively.
Eight of the FIFA executive are
from UEFA.
however, I am reluctant to take
places away from anyone; there should
not be a redistribution of seats on the
executive committee but a commensurate expansion of this body.
Africa and Asia are longstanding
supporters of Blatter and he has in the
past encouraged them to seek more
World Cup places as well.
Blatter also said that women must
be appropriately represented on the
FIFA executive.
World footballs governing body is
not a men-only club, he commented,
although he did not make specific proposals. AFP

IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP
Thailands Prayad Marksaeng
swept to victory on home soil
at the Queens Cup in Koh
Samui June 21, shooting a
six-under par 65 on a day that
proved a nightmare for Japans
Akinori Tani.
To be able to win at 49 years
old is just incredible for me.
I am very proud of myself,
said the Thai veteran. Prayad,
a now nine-times Asia Tour
winner. last took home the
Queens Cup trophy in 2013.

RACING

Money talks as
Qatar joins British
turfs big hitters

SUBtlE
difference
greeted visitors at royal
Ascot this year increased on-site branding for Qatari private
investment vehicle QIPCo as part of
its record 50 million (US$79.4m)
contribution to British horse racing.
last year QIPCo holding became
the first official partner at a venue
that has eschewed corporate sponsorship on account of the meetings
historic affiliation with the British
royal family.
So delighted were key personnel
with their first taste of official partner status that the company recently extended that position until 2024.
QIPCo (Qatar Investment & Projects Development holding Company) is linked to a branch of the
Qatari ruling family comprising six
Al thani brothers, who are cousins
of Sheikh tamim, the Emir of Qatar.
horse racing has a fantastic profile in Qatar, said harry herbert,
racing manager for the Emir of Qatars brother Sheikh Joaan, who recently backed lockinge Stakes day at
Newbury.
the sheikhs love horses. they
have a lot of Arabian horses in Qatar and their involvement with thoroughbred racing is a natural progression from that, he said.
QIPCo has also extended its
backing of the Champions Series,
which embraces most of Britains
top races.
And the Qatar racing and Equestrian Club has committed itself to a
decade-long sponsorship of the prestigious Glorious Goodwood fixture
in July.
Within British horseracing, these
sponsorship packages are every bit
as eye-opening as Qatars successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup
of football. they follow on from
Dubais munificent backing of the
sport, through bloodstock investment and sponsorship, for the last
35 years.
British racing has long benefited
from significant foreign patronage.
European aristocrats, Greek shipping tycoons and American oilmen

Queen Elizabeth unveils a statue of Frankel. Photo: Facebook/Ascot

Racecourse

have all been to the fore, though the

Middle Eastern influence far outweighs any previous benefactor.
When Sheikh Joaan came into
the business it was very much to
reflect Qatar and the interest of its
people in sport worldwide, herbert
said.
But there are different philosophies within Qatars patronage.
While Sheikh Joaan attributes his involvement to promoting Qatar globally, the Al thani brothers behind
QIPCo see it as a good investment.
Many of the brothers horses are
owned by subsidiaries of QIPCo.
the most prominent of them, Sheikh
Fahad, underlined the synergies earlier this month.
It is in our interests to promote
the quality of British racing as the
value of our horses is enhanced if
they are competing in the country
with the best racing in the world,
he said.
the Al thanis are naturally competitive on the racecourse.
herbert said they enjoyed a
healthy rivalry, which also extends
to other Middle Eastern potentates
from neighbouring states.
this was evident in the build-up
to royal Ascot, when Sheikh Joaan
of Qatar and Sheikh Mohammed,

the ruler of Dubai, made a string of

expensive private acquisitions.
But herbert maintained such
jousting was confined to the sport.
In May, Sheikh Joaan was at the
2000 Guineas [an important race
at Newmarket], where he spoke
to Sheikh Mohammed and other
prominent sheikhs from Bahrain,
he noted.
thats what makes racing such
a unique sport for Middle Eastern
people. their influence in British
racing is strong, and Qatar wants to
be involved at the very heart of it.
Qatars presence on the British
turf has mushroomed since Sheikh
Fahad bought his first thoroughbred
five years ago. But it will take them
many years to threaten the existing
hierarchy.
A perfect vignette of that unfolded at royal Ascot, when two horses
purpose-bought by Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Joaan duelled furiously from the start of the Norfolk
Stakes.
their exertions caught up with
them at the finish, where Waterloo
Bridge came through to beat them
both. Waterloo Bridge is owned by
the Irish-based Coolmore syndicate,
which has dominated British racing
for the last 15 years. AFP

Sport
28 THE MYANMAR TIMES JunE 23, 2015

SPORT EDITOR: Matt Roebuck | matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com

Controversy at the
European Games
SPORT 26

ROllER SPORT

Skaters hope to roll out

sports future

A participant skates over a ramp at the 3rd Yangon Open Inline and Skateboard Championship. Photo: Myanmar Skate Association

Kyaw Zin Hlaing

kyawzinhlaing.mcm@gmail.com

OLLeR sport could soon

become an Olympic sport
and the president of the
Myanmar Skate Federation
wants to be ready should it
feature at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Speaking on the sidelines of the
Yangon Open Inline and Skateboard
Championship, Lwin Latt told The
Myanmar Times that his organisation were lobbying for interest from
the national sport ministry.
There is a lack of dedicated facilities for skating but it can be devel-

oped and if it were it could become

a leading sport for the country, said
Lwin Latt.
We have made a request to the
Ministry of Sport, but we are yet to
hear back from them, he added.
The 26th SeA Games included
roller sport and our target is to be
able to represent Myanmar in future
international competitions, said
Lwin Latt.
The Indonesians dominated the
roller sport medal count at their
home Games in Palembang 2011,
with events focused on inline speed
disciplines.
held over the weekend of June

20-21 at Million Skate Park, htauk

Kyant, the Yangon Open awarded
over 40 prizes at junior (U13) level
and open age-groups in both speed
and artistic categories.
Around 300 skaters joined the
competition, drawn from across
Myanmar with participants from
Tanintharyi Region, Shan State and
Rakhine State among the number.
The aim of the competition was
to identify and give opportunities
to new skaters, as well as to demonstrate our sport to a wider audience, said Lwin Latt.
Competitions like these will allow us to identify the talent we can

take to world-class skating events in

the future.
No prize money was available but
brand-new skate equipment from
europe was on offer for the victors.
I think this prize is worth more
in support to the skaters than money, said Lwin Latt.
Roller sport was on the shortlist
for the Tokyo and 2016 Rio Games
when golf and rugby sevens filled
the vacant sporting berths.
But following the agenda of the
International Olympic Committees
Thomas Bach, the sport made a new
shortlist for the Tokyo event, as announced on June 22.

OlymPicS

Paris and Budapest to enter race for 2024 Games

PARIS and Budapest are set to enter
the race for the 2024 Olympics today
and with more cities watching it could
become a classic narrowly fought contest.
France is to use the annual Olympic
Day to proclaim its bid, while Budapests city council will vote to become
the fifth competitor.
The US city of Boston, Italys Rome
and Germanys hamburg are already
lobbying for International Olympic
Committee votes.
The campaign will be long however
and other cities could still enter.
The Azerbaijan capital, Baku, which
is hosting the first european Games,
could soon make a pitch, Olympic officials said. The Qatar capital Doha is
also considering a move.
Bids must be officially submitted
by September 15 this year and the
IOC will only make a decision at a
congress in Lima on September 15,
2017.

Paris and Boston are considered

frontrunners. The United States has
not staged a summer Olympics since
1996, while 2024 would be the centenary of the last time the Games were
in the French capital.
But Olympic officials say that new
bid rules intended to make it cheaper and less onerous to host 10,000
athletes for two weeks should help
outsiders.
Paris will roll out an Olympic declaration with more political and state
pomp on July 14 when a national parade is held along the Champs-elysees.
After the disappointment of failed
bids for the Olympics in 2008 and
2012, when Paris was beaten by Beijing and London respectively, French
officials are leaving nothing to hazard
this time.
The proposal includes holding one
sport under the eiffel Tower as well
as at the Stade de France used for the
1998 World Cup final.

Tony estanguet, Frances photogenic Olympic canoe champion, will

be one of the bid leaders.
On the financial side, French organisers say the cost will be about 6 billion
euros (US$6.8 billion) and they will get
a big chunk of that from the IOC.
But the IOC wants to see a high
level of public support from whichever
city wins the Games. The IOC will
only go where it is welcome, according to Alfons hoermann, president of
the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DFSB).
And worries about the cost have
weighed on the debate in all the candidate cities.
Paris Mayor Annie hidalgo has
promised a grand consultation with
the public in 2016 on the Games bid.
She has not yet said what form it will
take.
Boston organisers have promised
a referendum, and a public vote will
be held in hamburg in September.

Organisers in both cities face a strong

no campaign but say they are optimistic.
Boston was only chosen by the US
Olympic Committee in January but
has already had to change its bid chief
as polls indicated people in the northeastern city were cooling on the prospect of hosting the Games.
The Rome bid has been praised by
some international sports officials for
its professional campaign. But at home
it has been attacked by some politicians, partly over fears that the Mafia
could take over contracts.
Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos, who
had once said a bid was unviable, only
started backing the idea in May.
Bernard Lapasset, head of the
Paris campaign, has thought up slogans such as the Games finance the
Games to win over any French doubters. he says any public spending must
be prioritised so that it meets the
countrys real needs. AFP

OlymPicS

Tokyo 2020
chiefs
nominate
baseball for
Games return
The organisers of the 2020 Olympics on July 22 nominated eight new
sports for possible inclusion in the
Tokyo Games, including baseball.
The full list, which will go before
the International Olympic Committee for a decision, comprises baseball/softball, bowling, karate, roller
sports, sports climbing, squash,
surfing and martial arts.
Both softball and baseball which
are combined in the nomination list
are hugely popular in Japan, where
professional teams are avidly followed. The sports last featured at the
Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Japanese players who make it
into the Major Leagues in the US are
fixtures on nightly news broadcasts.
The eight sports have been picked
from a long list of 26 that Tokyo
2020 organisers released earlier this
month. They included tug of war,
polo and the World Underwater Federation which oversees sports such
as free diving, spearfishing and submerged hockey as well as billiards
and American football.
however, the nomination of
new sports has become something
of a sideshow in Tokyo, where a
row is raging over who is going to
pay for the centrepiece venue.
Tokyo officials have balked at
central government demands that
the city contribute around US$400
million toward the cost of the new
National Stadium.
Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe
has accused the national administration of behaving like the Imperial Army, and said hints that legislation could be passed allowing the
central government to order Tokyo
to pay would be unconstitutional.
Its written in the constitution
that you cannot establish a new
law without gaining a majority of
votes in a local referendum, Masuzoe told local television. Tokyos
citizens will be annoyed at hearing
such a statement.
Sports minister hakubun Shimomura has proposed scaling back
stadium plans, including scrapping
the retractable roof, in a bid to control escalating costs.
But his decision to lobby Tokyo
for almost 30 percent of the estimated total construction bill of $1.4
billion enraged Masuzoe.
Shimomura wants to wait until
after the Olympics to add a retractable roof and has called for 30,000
of the stadiums 80,000 seats to be
temporary, to reduce the financial
burden and to complete construction in time for the 2019 Rugby
World Cup in Japan.
The Olympic stadium has faced
two years of widespread criticism,
with prominent Japanese architects lambasting Iraqi-British architect Zaha hadids futuristic
designs, and the budget has been
slashed by 40 percent.
The old National Stadium, built
for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, was
recently demolished and construction on the new venue is scheduled
to begin in October. AFP