BUSINESS – Industry Ministry slammed for incurring $200m loss
Burma’s Ministry of Industry came under fire from MPs in parliament on Thursday for accumulating a loss of 190 billion kyat (US$200 million) over the last year. A Ministry spokesperson[…]
Feature Features (OLD) Labour Issues
Garment industry gears up for rise in minimum wage
The minimum wage will rise from 3600 kyats ($2.70) to 4,800 kyats per day, but for some workers, fears have been raised it may come at the cost of other existing benefits.
Thai govt, poultry industry agree to new labour guidelines
The move comes less than two months after a group of Burmese poultry farm workers in Thailand accused their former employer of forcing them to work under slave-like conditions.
Mining ministry shrugs off safety concerns
The Burmese government has vowed greater oversight of mining practices following a slew of on-site disasters in the country’s north.
Lead Story Natural Disasters News Travel & Tourism
Tourism industry escapes flood unscathed
Flooding and landslides have devastated 12 of 14 Burmese states and divisions, but tourism operators have reported that the industry has been largely unaffected.
BUSINESS – Burma’s rubber industry stuck behind competitors
Burma’s rubber industry will see more inspections, certification and technical assistance to bring it up to par with other countries, according to Win Myint of the Ministry of Commerce. Currently[…]
Livestock ministry bets on soft-shell crab
Burma plans to develop its soft-shell crab industry in expectation of increased domestic and foreign demand, state-run media reported recently. Statistics from the Myanmar Fisheries Federation show soft-shell crab farming was[…]
Lead Story Natural resources News Video
Ministry may cut deal for woodworkers
Sculptors who work with wood may soon have easier access to raw material. The government’s Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) is planning to start a tender bidding system to conveniently sell wood to sculptors, as there is currently no direct channel for business with artists.
Ministry set to rewrite colonial-era business law
The Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development is planning to redraft the 99-year-old law in an attempt to make the legislation more compatible with the country’s evolving business climate
Ministry delays interim press council’s debut
Information Minister Kyaw Hsan has been forced to postpone the formation of Burma’s new interim press council after being deluged with criticism from media organisations and journalists
14 arrested on fake pharmaceutical drug charges
Those detained allegedly operated a widespread network of counterfeit Chinese drugs, which they packaged and labeled in jars as BPI products.
Business Health Lead Story News
Govt seizes $2.25 million worth of fake drugs
Over 2.8 billion kyat (US$2.25 million) worth of fake pharmaceutical products were seized from drug stores across Burma last month alone, according to government officials.
President-elect proposes cuts to number of ministries
In his first move as president-elect, Htin Kyaw has called for cutting the number of ministries from 36 to 21.
Analysis Development Lead Story Politics
Betrayed by statistics: GDP ‘growth’ leaves Burmese no richer
GDP statistics are being tweaked to present a rosy picture of Burma, which remains the third most corrupted country among all Asia Pacific nations.
Business Business Weekly Lead Story News Uncategorized
Burma Business Weekly
Business in Burma this week: Industry slammed for incurring $200 million loss; government plans for six dry ports in Rangoon, Mandalay; national budget will be more transparent, says Finance Ministry
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Business Weekly
BUSINESS IN BURMA THIS WEEK: Sponsors for the SEA Games; international oil firms post finals bids for Burma’s offshore reserves; Japan in position to take over Dawei project; Singaporean bank looks to cater for increased bilateral trade; and Pepsi enters the cola wars.
Rule of law and reality in Burma
After the Union Parliament effectively forced the country’s Constitutional Tribunal justices to resign, the new government must decide if rule of law will be protected and promoted in Burma
Lawsuit looms as media exposes graft
Burma’s mining ministry threatens to sue the Voice Weekly news journal after it publishes an exposé on corruption scandal
Espen Barth Eide: ‘Norway is optimistic’
When Norway’s deputy foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, returned from a visit to Burma this month, he told the Financial Times that he “almost left the country thinking they’re moving a[…]
Store manager escapes punishment over missing money
Mar 2, 2009 (DVB), A manager of a Win Thuzar store in Mandalay's Myingyan township has escaped punishment over the misuse of 70 million kyat due to being a close-relative[…]
Rohingya toddler among 12 killed as first monsoon rains hit Bangladesh
Pre-monsoonal rains have cost the lives of at least 12 people in Bangaldesh since Monday, including one Rohingya toddler.
Naypyidaw negotiating rice export deal with Yunnan
Burma is negotiating a rice export deal with the Yunnan provincial government.
Defence attorney says evidence from Reuters reporters’ phones may be ‘tainted’
Evidence Burmese police say they obtained from the mobile phones of two Reuters reporters accused of possessing secret documents might be “tainted,” a defence lawyer said on Tuesday, because at least one phone was used after it was confiscated.
Finance Lead Story News Politics
Deloitte partner nominated as new finance minister
Burma’s president on Monday nominated 80-year-old Soe Win, a well-known financial professional, as the next finance minister after the previous one resigned, amid reports he was being investigated over graft accusations.
International Relations Lead Story News
China calls for ceasefire in fighting on Burma side of shared border
China’s defence ministry has called on armed groups in northern Burma to show restraint and declare an immediate ceasefire after conflicts in the region killed three Chinese citizens.
ASEAN looks to tackle organised crime
ASEAN member states met at the United Nations to set up a framework for border control cooperation as latest statistics showed that illicit trade and organised crime amounts to $100 billion in the region.
Govt rejects Academy Award winner’s bribery jibes
He who pays the ministry, gets to call the tune.
Mrauk U: tensions, protests and its bid for UNESCO protection
Should tourists still visit Mrauk U? After the deadly protests last month, DVB takes a look at how the community is reacting and how tourism is being affected.
International Relations Lead Story News Rohingya
India in talks with Burma, Bangladesh to deport 40,000 Rohingya
India is in talks with Bangladesh and Burma about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose.
Lead Story Natural resources News
Screening of film on jade trade’s ills blocked in Rangoon
An international corruption watchdog was barred Wednesday from officially launching a short film that asserts both the military and armed ethnic militias remain complicit in perpetuating abuses and misgovernance in[…]
