Myanmar Defence Forum

[Aung Zaya]

Pun Hlaing Siloam Hospital

looking good.

thz bro..
how many hospitals is running by Lippon Group in Indo.. ?

 

[pr1v4t33r]

thz bro..
how many hospitals is running by Lippon Group in Indo.. ?

from their official website: Hospitals | Siloam Hospitals

 

[alaungphaya]

Good news but I hope the government reform the healthcare sector. Too many poor people are struggling to get good treatment and not just because of lack of money. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.

 

[Aung Zaya]

Tourist Arrivals: Myanmar Up & Vietnam Down

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has criticized the tourist industry for failing to make use of its potential and advantages for growth as Vietnam posted yet another decline in foreign tourist arrivals in the first half of this year.
Only 3.8 million international tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in the first six months, an 11.3 percent drop from the first half of last year, according to the General Statistics Office.
In June, Vietnam’s tourist arrivals suffered the 13th consecutive month-on-month slump, with more than 529,400 visitors, down 1.9 percent compared to the same month last year.
The numbers of tourists entering Vietnam in the first half by air, road and sea all declined 9.1 percent, 19.7 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively.
Industry insiders are hoping that the situation will improve starting July 1, when Vietnam begins scrapping visas for visitors from five more European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England.
The free-visa policy is expected to lure back European tourists to Vietnam, whose packages have become costlier as the euro is weaker against the U.S. dollar.
Vietnam takes pride in its political stability and natural landscapes as potential and advantages to attract visitors, but the tourist industry has only posted “unaccepted results,” Prime Minister Dung complained as he chaired a tele-meeting with local administrations on Monday.
The premier said more efforts should be put on developing tourism, and asked relevant agencies to look to Myanmar.
“[Myanmar] will welcome five million international tourists this year and Vietnam expects to receive only seven million, so what do you comrades think?” he said from Hanoi.
“The result is unacceptable given our stable politics, beautiful nature and many other things.”
The Ministry of Planning and Investment joined the discussion by proposing that more measures be taken to have better results, besides the free-visa travel policy.
The visa exemption granted to the five Europe countries only allows a 15-day stay for each entry within one year from the effective day, according to a directive signed by the premier.
Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh suggested visitors from other countries should also be allowed to enjoy the visa waivers and that policy should be applicable to longer stays.
“We should scrap visas for most other countries, except those that are hit by wars or have unstable politics, to encourage tourists to come to Vietnam,” he said.
International visitors, especially investors, should also be allowed to stay in Vietnam for three months, rather than just 15 days, the minister added.
“Foreign investors pour billions of U.S. dollars into Vietnam and are frequent international flyers, and they thus always complain about the short allowed stay,” Minister Vinh said.
“There must be specific measures to solve this problem.”
Vietnam currently applies a one-sided free-visa policy to eight countries, including Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Belarus.
The nation also has a visa-free policy for nine other Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines.

Source: Tuoitre news

BE tablets

J.V with intel and Microsoft

front | BE Tablet 10

 

[Aung Zaya]

Myanmar allows 9 more firms to make investment this month

Myanmar allows 9 more firms to make investment this month

YANGON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Investment Commission has allowed a total of nine more domestic and foreign firms to make investment in the country so far this month, an official report said Sunday.

In the form of locally owned, wholly-foreign owned or joint venture, the approved businesses including satellite pay TV operator building in Yangon, a hotel in Ngpali beach, western Rakhine state, facilities for clothing manufacturing, wood processing, value-added agricultural products processing and exportation, tri-motorcycle assembling and fire brick production in Yangon and Bago regions.

The approved businesses also cover telecom services such as a joint venture with foreign enterprises, and road upgrading work and toll collection by local investment, the report said.

Last month, the commission granted 28 investment businesses including timber processing, manufacturing of garments, paint, plastic products, sports equipment and building materials and packaging, as well as bus assembly and maintenance services, among others.

According to the commission, annual contracted foreign investment nearly doubled from 4.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2013-14 to 8.01 billion U.S. dollars in 2014-15, expecting to receive 6 billion U.S. dollars in the current fiscal year of 2015-16.

Official statistics show that foreign contracted investment in Myanmar hit 56.536 billion U.S. dollars as of May 2015 since late 1988 when the country opened to such investment.

air of rough rubies sells for over 800,000 euros at Nay Pyi Taw sale

During the 52nd Gems Emporium in Nay Pyi Taw, a pair of rough rubies sold for 801,000 euros (US$884,000), although the floor price for the lot was 600,000 euros. This was the highest bid of the auction, according to the Gems Emporium Committee.

A local gems trader bought the ruby lot, which included two stones and weighed 79.00 carats, on June 27. The lot, which came from Mogok in Shan State, was auctioned by the Padamyar Nagar, (Ruby Dragon) group of companies, which operates through a joint venture with the Ministry of Mines.

“This was the largest bid at the emporium,” said U Win Hlaing, deputy assistant director of Myanmar Gems Enterprise, on July 1. The second-most expensive lot was a rough ruby from the Mongshu region, also in Shan State. The floor price was set at 360,000 euros and the ruby was sold for €370,000 euros.

A rubellite tourmaline which was set at a floor price of 5 million euros – the highest floor price at the emporium – was not sold. The gems emporium is held annually in Nay Pyi Taw and includes the sale of precious stones as well as jade. This year, 1.34 million euros were raised in 85 lots sold through an open tender system, and 4.15 million euros were raised in 41 lots sold through competitive bidding.

 

[Aung Zaya]

Myanmar sets historic general election date

Myanmar will go to the polls on 8 November in its first open general election in 25 years, officials say.

The vote is seen as a crucial next stage in steps towards full democracy.

Reform in Myanmar (also called Burma) has been under way since 2010 when military rule was replaced by a military-backed civilian government.

The ruling USDP faces a head-to-head contest with Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. She won elections in 1990 that were scrapped.

Dozens of other parties are also expected to take part in the vote.

The election commission announcement, posted on its website, confirmed what a senior election official had told the BBC earlier on Wednesday.

The NLD won the last free general election in Myanmar in 1990 but the then-ruling military junta ignored the results.

The party boycotted a national election in 2010 because its leader was barred from standing.

Election laws said anyone serving a prison term could not stand and Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, had been convicted of breaching the terms of her house arrest in 2009. She was freed later in 2010.

Eighty-three parties are likely to contest the polls and a quarter of the 664 parliamentary seats will be reserved for the military.

A president will be chosen by parliament after the election but under the constitution Ms Suu Kyi is barred from taking the top job because her late husband was British and her two sons are British citizens.

Two weeks ago parliamentarians voted down a motion to amend this clause. They also voted to keep the army's veto over constitutional change, dealing a blow to hopes for fuller democracy.

The NLD has said it will formally announce if it intends to stand within three days of the election date officially being announced.

But Soe Win Than of the BBC Burmese Service reports all political parties must contest at least three constituencies to exist as a party.

He adds it is the first time in many decades a general election will be held with "the potential widest participation by the many opposition parties".

Ms Suu Kyi campaigned door to door on Saturday in Yangon and has hinted she will stand.

 

[Bennedict]

Myanmar is the first buyer of Pakistani JF-17 Thunder jets
2015/07/09 6:32 PM

ISLAMABAD: Myanmar has become the first country to purchase JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from Pakistan. Myanmar will buy 16 jets from Pakistan in the first phase whereas Pakistan is interested in selling about 24 jets to Myanmar.

According to the agreement, Pakistan will provide services for looking after the jets as well. Both the countries have started talks on this deal in March 2015. Sources also told that negotiations are also under way with other countries as well to sell JF-17 jets.

Pakistan participated in the Paris Air Show held between 15 – 21 June, 2015 in which JF-17 Thunder jets were showed to the audience from multiple countries. It was during that show when Pakistan Air Force disclosed for the first time that it has got the first order to sell JF-17 jets but it didn’t disclose the name of the buyer country and other details of the deal. Now it is disclosed that Myanmar is the first buyer of JF-17 jets.


Congrats Myanmar

 

[Aung Zaya]

Hitachi forms joint venture to make and export transformers

Japanese company Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems (HIES) will invest US$45 million to build a transformer factory, through a partnership with local company Soe Electric and Machinery (SEM), said the president of Hitachi, Masakazu Aoki.

He made the announcement at a press conference in Yangon on July 7, where a joint venture between the two companies was also signed. Together, they will make power and distribution transformers – SEM is the only company that makes transformers in Myanmar.

Hitachi and SEM have had a technical collaboration related to amorphous transformers since 2012. The new company, known as Hitachi SEM Company, will now apply to the MIC, and aims to start business operations by March 31, 2016.

“As businesses are developed, electricity demand in Myanmar will grow. At the moment, as the electricity transfer and distribution networks are extended, the demand for high-quality transformers is increasing,” said Mr Aoki.

HIES will take a 51 percent share in the new company and SEM will own 49pc, said U Kyaw Min Tun, director of SEM. He added that 100pc of production will be in Myanmar and that the joint venture business will hire around 400 workers. “Creating job opportunities is a priority in Myanmar and we plan to hire many local workers. I want to help improve the skills of young people,” he said.

Hitachi is a market leader in Japan, producing domestic electrical appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators as well as electrical materials related to generating and supplying electrical power.

“We will produce higher quality products with the technological assistance of Hitachi and we also plan to export our products,” U Kyaw Min Tun said, adding that in the past, SEM exported transformers for the electricity distribution industry to ASEAN countries, but high export taxes forced an end to overseas sales.

“We were exporting to Vietnam until 2013 but despite a high quality in our standards we had to stop for a while because of the taxation system. Now that we have help from Hitachi we will begin exporting again in a year,” he said.

Initially SEM Hitachi will export to countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before considering expanding to other markets, said Mr Aoki.

“Commercial taxes were levied on export products in 2013, but exemptions have since been introduced for the purpose of increasing exports,” said the director of the Internal Revenue Department, Daw Khin Yamone Aung. “For imported goods, under the 2015 Taxation Law, several types of products have been granted tax exemptions.”

The value of the Myanmar kyat has fallen by 9 percent compared to the US dollar since the start of the year according to the official Central Bank rate and more than 17pc according to the informal market rate.

This is partly due to a weak exports sector, local businesspeople told The Myanmar Times. Myanmar needs to come up with a national exports strategy in order to become a country that supports and encourages the sector, said consultant to the Ministry of Commerce U Maung Aung.

Myanmar’s international trade volumes have risen since 2011, but over the same period the country’s trade deficit has soared. In fiscal year 2012, a surplus of $100m was recorded. In FY2013, the deficit was $91 million, rising to $2.6 billion in FY2014, according to statistics published by the Central Statistical Organisation. In FY2015, the deficit jumped another 88pc to over $4.6 billion. In the first three months of FY2016, trade has totalled more than $6.2 billion and the deficit is already over $1bn.

Source: Myanmar Times

Infrastructure drive targets Myanmar / Japan firms promoting quality, technology

Japanese firms are increasingly conducting infrastructure development business in Myanmar, which has become a hot spot for the infrastructure export drive being promoted by the government and private sector.


The development stems from Myanmar’s growing need to upgrade infrastructure like its electricity network to meet rapid economic growth since its transition to a democratic government in 2011.


Hitachi, Ltd. announced on Tuesday that one of its subsidiaries, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., will set up a joint firm with a Myanmar company to produce electric transformers — a vital component in developing electricity networks.


Japanese firms have advantages in developing electric power infrastructure. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. also formed a technological tie-up with a local electric transformer producer in June.


Major trading houses have been following suit. Mitsui & Co. announced plans last year to assist with gas-fired power generation in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, while Marubeni Corp. also said last year that it will support thermal electric power generation in the country’s south. In a similar vein, Mitsubishi Corp. has been running an international airport in Mandalay, the second-largest city, since April.


Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein on Saturday on the sidelines of the Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in Tokyo, in which they agreed Japan would offer infrastructure development assistance to the Southeast Asian country.


Myanmar’s gross domestic product grew 7.7 percent in 2014, the highest among the emerging Southeast Asian countries. More and more foreign companies have started businesses in the country that is expected to continue posting high economic growth, earning it the nickname “Asia’s last frontier.”


Economic sanctions imposed under military junta rule had resulted in underdeveloped infrastructure there, however, particularly in terms of railway and road networks as well as the power grid. The measures have strained foreign enterprises in the country, prompting the Myanmar government to call for overseas investment for the development of its infrastructure.


With deep ties that extend back to the junta era, China is a leading investor in Myanmar’s energy sector — in the field of hydropower generation and others. Japanese companies are aiming to secure more contracts by promoting their advantages in terms of technology, quality and maintenance.Speech


Source: The Japan News

Myanmar is the first buyer of Pakistani JF-17 Thunder jets
2015/07/09 6:32 PM

ISLAMABAD: Myanmar has become the first country to purchase JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from Pakistan. Myanmar will buy 16 jets from Pakistan in the first phase whereas Pakistan is interested in selling about 24 jets to Myanmar.

According to the agreement, Pakistan will provide services for looking after the jets as well. Both the countries have started talks on this deal in March 2015. Sources also told that negotiations are also under way with other countries as well to sell JF-17 jets.

Pakistan participated in the Paris Air Show held between 15 – 21 June, 2015 in which JF-17 Thunder jets were showed to the audience from multiple countries. It was during that show when Pakistan Air Force disclosed for the first time that it has got the first order to sell JF-17 jets but it didn’t disclose the name of the buyer country and other details of the deal. Now it is disclosed that Myanmar is the first buyer of JF-17 jets.


Congrats Myanmar

it's block II , not so bad... hope to get assembly line in Myanmar as well..

====================================================
Dawei SEZ finally gets green light in Tokyo

Thailand, Japan and Burma on Saturday effectively launched the US$50 billion Dawei special economic zone by signing an agreement in Tokyo that will have a deep impact on trade and investment in Southeast Asia.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe both said the signing of the tripartite pact will boost the economic partnership between Japan and ASEAN.

Gen Prayut and Mr Abe held talks on Saturday after senior government officials of the three countries signed the memorandum on tripartite cooperation to develop the Dawei project as Burmese President Thein Sein looked on.

The signing came on the sidelines of a summit in Tokyo between leaders of Japan and the Mekong nations — Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam — at which Japan pledged financial aid worth US$6.1 billion to the five Southeast Asian countries.

The largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, the Dawei project in Tavoy, southeastern Burma, will include a deep-sea port with the capacity to hold 250 million tonnes of cargo; an economic zone that will cover more than 200 square kilometres; factories; a coal mine and power plant for electricity; and golf courses and five-star hotels for visiting executives.

Dawei is projected to become the major gateway for the Mekong region’s trade with India, the Middle East and Africa, while linking Burma by road to Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam.

“I’m convinced the signing of a memorandum of intent on the Dawei Special Economic Zone will create an opportunity to strengthen the economic partnership between Japan and ASEAN and Japan and Thailand ahead of the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community,” Mr Abe said in a joint news conference with Gen Prayut after their meeting.

When completed, the 200-square-kilometre economic zone “will become a new distribution centre for the world”, Gen Prayut said.

Under the Dawei agreement, the three countries will hold equal shares in Dawei SEZ Development Co, which will operate the project. Dawei SEZ was established to manage the Dawei project and initially it was an equal partnership between Thailand and Burma, officially known as Myanmar.

The Thai and Japanese prime ministers also welcomed recent agreements between both countries to develop the Bangkok-Chiang Mai high-speed railway and the mass transit system in Thailand.

Gen Prayut said he “highly values” Japan’s initiative in promoting “quality infrastructure investment” in Asia, and promised to take measures to improve the investment climate in Thailand.

The number of Japanese companies investing in Thailand rose to 1,552 in June 2014 from 1,379 two years earlier, according to Japanese data.

The two leaders agreed to launch a regular dialogue between the two countries on cooperation in agriculture, Mr Abe said, without elaborating.

He also expressed hope Thailand will establish a stable political system after restoring democracy, and Gen Prayut said his country is undertaking serious efforts to achieve national reconciliation.

Gen Prayut said Thailand will continue to work to strengthen ties with Japan in the security field.

Earlier, Gen Prayut told Japanese investors at a lunch that the Thai government had approved funds of 4.5 billion baht (US$140 million) to develop transport infrastructure to link Dawei to the Eastern Seaboard and Cambodia and Vietnam.

Source: Bangkok World

Grob Aircraft begins G120TP deliveries to Myanmar
By: Craig Hoyle
London
Source: Flightglobal.com
10:54 14 Jul 2015
Grob Aircraft has delivered half of the 20 new turboprop trainers ordered by the Myanmar air force, as it also moves towards handing over its 50th example of the G120TP.

The German manufacturer has so far supplied four customers with a combined 43 G120TPs, according to an update provided to Flightglobal. These also include Argentina and Indonesia, which have received their full orders of 10 and 18 aircraft respectively, and Mexico, which has accepted 13 from an eventual 25. Deliveries to the latter’s air force commenced in February 2015.

Aircraft produced for Mexico and Myanmar are being equipped with a full digital cockpit, while analogue systems feature in those delivered to the other current users.

In June, CAE USA also announced plans to buy six of the tandem-seat type to support its delivery of initial and recurrent fixed-wing pilot training services to the US Army and US Air Force. The aircraft will be operated from an airport near Fort Rucker in Alabama under the arrangement, with Grob also to provide associated ground-based training equipment.

Noting that the G120TP has a performance envelope which enables manoeuvres of up to 6g to be flown, Grob says: “the potential to conduct upset recovery training was a very important criteria for the selection”.

Grob Aircraft

Meanwhile, a contract award is anticipated later this year via the Elbit Systems/KBR joint venture Affinity, to provide 23 G120TPs to deliver the elementary flying training as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS). Once fielded as replacements for the nation’s current Grob G115 Tutors, these will be operated from the Royal Air Force’s Barkston Heath and Cranwell bases in Lincolnshire.

Confirmation of the MFTS deal will boost Grob Aircraft’s total orders for the G120TP to 92 units for six operators. The type will be on static display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire during 17-19 July.

 

[Aung Zaya]

finally they got MA-1 MK3..

Myanmar commissions helos, transport aircraft

Several aircraft and helicopters formally entered service with the Myanmar Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) in a commissioning ceremony at the Flying Training Base in Meikhtilla (Shante) Air Station on 24 June, according to the Myanmar Ministry of Defence.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, noted that the commissioning of Beechcraft 1900D light transport aircraft, Grob G 120TP basic trainer aircraft, Mil Mi-35P 'Hind E' attack helicopters; Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin 2s; and Bell 206 Jetranger III helicopters, has "not only strengthened the air prowess of the air force but also the national defence capability of the Tatmadaw [armed forces]."

According to Gen Hlaing, the Tatmadaw Lay has commissioned 36 new aircraft over the last four years: "29 units of four types of aircraft and 7 units of three types of helicopters." Local assembly is believed to take place at the Tatmadaw Lay's Aircraft Production and Maintenance Base in Meikhtilla.

While the numbers of aircraft were not detailed, it is known that at least half - if not all - of the 20 Grob G-120TP on order have been delivered. At the June ceremony, one Mi-35P, at least three AS365s and three Bell 206s along with a number of G-120TP trainers were on display or took part in flying demonstrations.

The AS365s will be used for search and rescue (SAR), medevac and "sea reconnaissance missions" while the Bell 206 will serve as basic trainers for pilots transitioning to Mi-2, Mi-17, and Mi-35 helicopters, Gen Hlaing said.

Other aircraft inducted on 25 February include six K-8W jet trainers along with a single ATR 42 transport and a pair of Beechcraft 1900Ds - which will also be used for SAR and surveillance missions and serve as trainers for pilots moving onto ATR 42, ATR 72, Y-8 and Airbus transports.

An Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin at a 24 June 2015 commissioning ceremony at Meikthilla Air Force Base, Myanmar. (Myanmar Armed Forces)

At least half of 20 Grob G-120TP basic trainers on order have been delivered to Myanmar. (Myanmar Armed Forces)

 

[Aung Zaya]

BGF at MM-Bd border

 

[alaungphaya]

I can't find any English language reports but the Hluttaw approved a bill to criminalise polygamy with a maximum sentence of 10 years. Is that islamophobic?

The party's over.

 

[Aung Zaya]

Indian ambassador talks ports, roads and solar power
By Clare Hammond | Wednesday, 22 July 2015
2
As the first meeting of the India-Myanmar Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) concludes in New Delhi, Gautam Mukhopadhaya, ambassador of India to Myanmar, provides an update on ambitious plans to improve connectivity between the two countries.

Indian ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya. Photo: Aung Khant / The Myanmar Times

“We see tremendous potential in Myanmar. It has always been rich in natural resources, but now there is a new economic opening and dynamism which will allow for a much more productive relationship,” he said last week at his colonial mansion in Yangon, known as India House.

“This will not only be a resource based relationship but one that contributes to capacity building, industry, agriculture – all the things that can impact on the livelihood of the people,” he said.

India’s main focus in Myanmar over the past few years has been two major connectivity projects. The first is a highway connecting Moreh in India to Mae Sot in Thailand, running through Myanmar. The first section of the road, from Tamu to Kalay-Kalewa in Sagaing Region, was completed last decade.

“We expect to have the budget for the next section to Yargi sanctioned and to begin work in October,” said Mr Mukhopadhaya. This will cost around US$200 million. India will also upgrade the 70 bridges along the Tamu to Kalewa section of the road. Linked to this is the upgradation of the Rih-Tiddim road. These three projects together will cost over $350 million and will take two to three years to finish, he said.

The second project is the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project, which will connect Mizoram in India to Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, via the Kaladan River. The project was originally due for completion in 2014, but has been delayed.

It has three components – upgrading Sittwe Port, developing the river for inland navigation, and building up the road network. The cumulative budget for the Kaladan project will be over $450 million, said Mr Mukhopadhaya.

“The port upgrade is 95 percent ready and the jetty is around 70pc done and should be finished by the end of the year. The road component hasn’t yet begun, because there was a revision of the scope,” said Mr Mukhopadhaya.

“Initially we thought of taking the river component further upstream, but decided to extend and broaden the road segment and limit the waterway at the Rakhine-Chin border,” he said, adding that the road section will take at least three years to finish taking into account the limited working season in Myanmar.

“If Sittwe was better connected inland you could open up the entire beans and pulses belt in the arid zone. This is for the government to consider, but I believe they are alive to the possibility.”

Once the project is complete, he believes it will benefit Rakhine and Chin states. “I see it boosting both trade and industry in Rakhine State around Sittwe and along the way,” he said.

“We see it as a way of contributing to the amelioration of the conflict. Right now you have a hot-house atmosphere, but if the economy can be stimulated through trade, it would enlarge the space for productive employment, which can indirectly contribute to cohabitation between the communities.” Another focus over the next year will be border trade infrastructure, he said. “We are working on introducing a normal trade regime, so that a lot more goods can be traded, stimulating the economy and generating more revenues for both sides,” he said.

“At the moment just over 60 items can be traded. Technically we have already introduced open trade, but we don’t yet have the customs and related infrastructure. The timing depends on procedures and clearances, but let’s say it will be ready within a year,” he said.

India has a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for goods, services and investments, and a duty-free trade preference scheme for least developed countries (LDCs). “This gives 96pc of all tariff lines duty-free access to the Indian market,” said Mr Mukhopadhaya.

“We are also developing border markets,” he said, and over the next five years other trade points are likely to open, as road connectivity improves and “the habit of trade catches on”.India is Myanmar’s third largest export market, after Thailand and China, with $1.14 billion worth of exports in fiscal year 2014, according to data from the Central Statistical Organisation. In terms of imports, India was seventh in the same year, after China, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea.

“Our economic relationship suffered after the hiatus in our relations in the 1960s, but we were still Myanmar’s third-largest trade partner until 2013. Even though we may have slipped temporarily in the rankings, we expect that with the economic prospects of both our countries the scope for filling that gap is very large,” said Mr Mukhopadhaya.

India plans to work increasingly closely with Myanmar in the energy sector, he said. “Side by side with the growth of our own solar energy industry, we would like to promote solar energy here,” he said. In March, the Indian government committed to an installed renewable energy capacity of 175 gigawatts by 2022 – 100GW of which will come from solar power.

“We are talking to the Ministry of Electric Power [MoEP] and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development about rural electrification. We have also proposed a memorandum of understanding to the MoEP. We are looking at medium-scale projects which benefit the regions where they are located, rather than fundamentally extractive projects,” he said.

India is also looking at how to contribute to Myanmar in agriculture and information technology (IT), he said, including capacity building projects. “Myanmar is a largely agricultural economy and I think we can contribute in a large way to the next level of industrialisation. We encourage our investors to look at sectors that are organically linked to the economy rather than something alien – a spaceship from abroad.”

In addition, India is open to partnerships in the telecommunications industry, he said. “We don’t yet have any big contracts, but would encourage Myanmar to look towards us. With our domestic digitalisation program, we are developing a huge capacity for fibre-optic and broadband connectivity.”

There are two weak points that still need to be addressed, he said. “One is the financial channels, the banking sector in particular,” he said. When Myanmar awarded branch licences to nine international banks last year, India missed out, but India is hoping for a licence in the future, he said.

“From a development point of view our experience in financial inclusion and opening up the financial sector to the private sector and international banks could be useful for Myanmar. Our banks and insurance companies are prepared to assist Myanmar in this regard.”

The other is air connectivity – India is simply not as well connected to Myanmar as Myanmar is to its other neighbours, he said. “Tourism is a growing industry and we can consider how to link tourists who come to our northeast with those who come to Myanmar,” he said.

“All we need is an enterprising airline to connect Myanmar to Imphal or Guwahati. I don’t yet have success on this, but will continue to work on both sides until one takes off. If you start the connectivity, engage the tourism and travel trade, it can be magic. All it requires is a flight and a visa – this is something just waiting to happen,” he said.
===============================================================
Rice exports planned to the Philippines
By Htin Lynn Aung | Monday, 20 July 2015
3
Myanmar is in discussions to export rice to the Philippines, as it looks to diversify away from the Chinese market, according to U Ye Min Aung, secretary of the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).

The federation is working toward developing multiple export markets for domestic rice, he told media on July 15. “MPF believes that relying on exports to a single market will lead to difficulties in the long-term, so we need to diversify. The Philippines has shown a continuous interest in buying Myanmar rice, so we will try to export it during this year’s rice season,” he said.

China has long been the largest importer of Myanmar rice, accounting for around 75 percent of the market, despite an import ban by Beijing which was only lifted this April. However, trade with China has recently slowed, following the arrests of several Chinese buyers on the Myanmar border.

Much of the rice trade between the two countries is conducted through the border point of Muse in Shan State, which adjoins Ruili in Yunnan province, China. The buyers were arrested for tax evasion.

“Just six or seven Chinese buyers came and bought today. China is Myanmar’s main rice export market, so Myanmar is at risk if something happens there,” said U Aung Than Oo, vice chair of MRF, on July 15.

Rice exports from Myanmar to China have grown exponentially over the past decade, but the growth of the market may stall as China’s economy slows. GDP growth in China has fallen from 10.4pc in 2011 to 7.4pc in 2014. Annual GDP growth is likely to fall to less than 7pc by 2017, according to the World Bank.

The Philippines is one of the world’s largest rice importers, so Myanmar’s rice export prospects would be improved if trade links to the archipelago could be secured, said U Aung Than Oo. The Philippines was the world’s third-largest rice importer in 2014, behind China and Nigeria, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.

Negotiations are now under way between the MRF and the Philippines’ National Food Authority, as well as between the Myanmar and Philippine governments, said U Aung Than Oo. “The two governments are discussing a memorandum of understanding,” he said.

The Philippines imports more than 2 million tonnes of rice per year, and Myanmar would ideally export around 200,000 tonnes to the Southeast Asian economy, said U Ye Min Aung. However, the Philippines is better linked with Vietnam in terms of logistics, so Myanmar must work hard to secure a market share, he said.

Myanmar is also in negotiations to export rice to European Union countries, and is trying to increase exports to Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia. In fiscal year 2014, Myanmar exported 1.19 million tonnes of rice – exports to China accounted for around 80pc, according to data from the Central Statistical Organisation.

Myanmar has the potential to more than double its rice exports by diversifying and increasing rice production, opening its rice milling sector to direct foreign investments, and reducing export procedure costs, according to a World Bank report last June.

====================================================================
Myanmar to Boost Aromatic Rice Exports to Singapore, U.S. | Oryza

 

[Aung Zaya]

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Ngwe Saung Beach. The untapped silver beach in Myanmar is now catching the world’s attention.H&Co also has plans to build a new city in Ngwe Saung for the tourism and business sectors in 2017, which will demand an approximate US$1 billion in investment.

“Ngwe Saung Beach has a split personality. These days the northern end of the beach has the air of a weekend getaway destination for nouveau-riche Yangonites, and is home to an uninterrupted chain of walled, upscale resorts. At the southern end a palpable abandoned aura pervades, and this is where you’ll find foreign backpackers and budget bungalows. The factor linking these two disparate places is an attractive 13-mile string of sand and palms that, although it won’t rate as one of the region’s best beaches, has finer sand and clearer and deeper water than nearby Chaung Tha Beach.” ~ Lonely Planet


Ngwe Saung beach is situated along the western coastline of Myanmar, on Bay of Bengal, 48 km west of Pathein in the Ayeyarwaddy Region, a mere 6-hour drive from Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial hub. The beach opened to the public back in 2000 and was designed to attract individuals with larger holiday budgets. Ngwe Saung is gaining popularity in Myanmar as an ideal beach destination due to its relatively close proximity to Yangon and its many charming attributes.

With Ngwe Saung beach’s wide shore of pristine, silvery sand that stretches for about 15 km, and its access to modern amenities, both communities of locals and expatriates in Myanmar have grown to love regularly spending their weekends there.


Why go to Ngwe Saung

Visitors experience an environment surrounded by palm trees and coconut trees that line the beach. And they can even pop in at the nearby fisherman’s village, situated at the northern end of the beach, to take in the native life. The local village market hosts a number of places that serve a variety of fantastic seafood dishes, including crab, shrimp, lobster, and various types of fish, as well as shops selling locally-produced handicrafts and other local souvenirs.

“4.5 million tourists and US$2 billion in revenue are expected to enter the country in 2015.” ~ Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar

Since Ngwe Saung beach is relatively new, hotels, resorts, bungalows, and guesthouses are recently developed and sport modern facilities. Main daytime attraction in Ngwe Saung is the Elephant training camp.

There are establishments which offer an assortment of activities available to tourists such as renting a bicycle you can ride along the shore, hiring a speed boat, going horseback riding, and some are even doing Yoga on the beach.

And not far off the shore is the beautiful Love Island which is famous among beach lovers. The island can be reached on foot in the morning.


“With flight searches from Australia up by 56%, Myanmar will be welcoming hordes of travellers in 2015. The country’s luxury accommodation offer is set to boom with some of the travel industry’s biggest names rushing to move in.” ~ Skyscanner

With the rapid influx of tourists in Ngwe Saung beach, it is expected to attract more and more development projects — from luxury resorts to countless shophouses. Industry experts anticipate to see this beautiful beach transform into one of Myanmar’s top beach destinations, taking the position akin to Thailand’s Phuket in the coming 5 to 10 years.


How to get there

Domestic flight via Air Bagan which flys to Pathein then a 1.5 hour transfer by land takes one to Ngwe Saung Beach. Ngwe Saung is one of the latest beach areas to undergo major developments in Myanmar.

Source: Lonely Planet, Skyscanner, Travel in Myanmar

 

[Aung Zaya]

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Thilawa Attracts $20-m Instant Noodle Factory
Author: Moh Moh Kyi | 29 June, 2015 07:41 am
| Vol 3 Issue 24
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noodle thilawa factory Myanmar.jpg

Michael Caronna/Reuters
Japanese instant noodles producer Acecook will establish a factory in Thilawa special economic zone, the company announced.

The factory will begin construction this year and the operation is expected to start in 2017. Acecook will invest $20 million for the factory, the total amount needed to construct the factory.

Acecook opened a branch in Yangon following the incorporation of Acecook Myanmar. The company teamed up with Japanese trading house Marubeni and a local firm to set up the joint venture in which Acecook has majority stake.

Acecook Myanmar is currently distributing and selling instant noodle packets in Myanmar which are imported from Vietnam.

Hirano Akira, managing director of Acecook Myanmar, said, “Instant noodle packets which are being sold currently are imported from foreign countries, so the taste does not match Myanmar citizens’ tastes. The Thilawa factory will produce noodles adapted for the Myanmar palette.”

The factory will be able to produce about 300 million units a year, 75 percent of Acecook’s output in Japan.

Acecook Myanmar currently distributes Hana and Kossy branded instant noodles.

The Osaka-based company currently sells its products in 46 countries.

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Danish Firm Strikes Wind Energy Deal
Author: Aung Phyo | 23 June, 2015 11:18 am
| Vol 3 Issue 24
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vestas wind turbine.jpg

Vestas
Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems has signed a deal with local firm Zeya & Associates to develop wind projects in Myanmar, Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The agreement is expected to ensure Myanmar with a stable energy supply and welcomes Vestas on a new market, which will manifest the company as a strong global player in the wind industry, the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The country is facing a rapidly growing demand for energy in the future, and wind energy can contribute to creating a sustainable solution meanwhile being a good business case for investors,” said Giorgio Fortunato marketing director of Vestas in Asia, in the release.

Specific details about Vestas’ projects in Myanmar have not been disclosed at this point.

According to Danish newspaper Børsen, the partnership will initially focus on developing a wind energy project of 32 megawatts in Mon state, valued at $3 million.

To date, Vestas has about 68 gigawatts of cumulative installed capacity across 73 countries, according to the firm’s website.

Asian Firms to Target Mekong; 42pc Eye Myanmar Expansion over Ten Years: EIU
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The business landscape in Asia will change significantly over the next decade, as companies in the region focus more on new growth opportunities in countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, and less on China, says a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).


The report, integrAsian: How Asia’s economic ties are changing the business landscape, is based on a survey of 525 senior executives in seven markets in Asia and includes case studies from the energy, manufacturing and technology sectors.


It shows that in the next five years, Asian companies are primarily targeting China, India and Malaysia to open new offices or to build factories. In the next ten years, they will focus much more on Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.


Whereas 71 percent of respondents say they are planning to build a new factory or office in China in five years, only 23 percent will do so in ten years.


Firms targeting Myanmar for expansion will nearly double from 22 percent in five years to 42 percent in ten years. Similarly, companies planning to expand in Vietnam and Thailand over the next five and ten years will respectively increase from 30 percent to 38 percent and 31 percent to 36 percent.


Rising labour costs in China have been widely cited as a factor driving manufacturers to consider moving production to countries in the Mekong delta.


The study shows that the services sector is also keen on expanding in Southeast Asia. In both the financial services and professional services industries half of the survey respondents say they are planning to open new offices in Myanmar in the next decade.


Despite reduced new investment interest beyond the next five years, China’s importance as one of the drivers of the region’s economy will not diminish, the report says.


Companies in China are poised to take advantage of growing trade links with other parts of Asia, and 41 percent of Chinese firms say they have already adopted a single sales strategy for the entire region.


In addition, nearly one of every five respondents says they will use the renminbi to settle 20-50 percent of their payments and invoicing over the next five years, second only to the US dollar.


Kevin Plumberg, the editor of the report, said: “Liberalising intra-regional trade and investment is high on the agenda of some governments in Asia, but what is striking is how companies in the region are accelerating economic integration.


“Pursuit of opportunities in these markets mean that today’s Asian frontier markets, such as Myanmar and Vietnam, may be the high-growth emerging markets of tomorrow.”



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Toyo-Thai to Invest $2.8 Billion for Myanmar Power Plant

oyo-Thai Corporation Public Company Limited (TTCL) announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Department of Hydropower Planning under the Ministry of Electric Power to build and operate a 1,280 megawatt power plant.
The construction contract for the coal-fired plant at Ye township in Mon state is worth an estimated $2.3 billion, while the whole project is worth $2.8 billion, the Thailand-based construction firm said in a filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Under the 30-year concession, Toyo-Thai is expected to import about 4 million tonnes of coal a year to supply the power plant. Construction is expected to take about four to six years.

The power plant, which will supply electricity to the national grid, will be funded 75 percent from debt and the rest from equity, the company said.

 

[Aung Zaya]

JICA proposes underground railway
By Clare Hammond | Tuesday, 11 August 2015
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Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will invest US$250 million to upgrade Yangon’s circular railway and has also proposed building two underground railway lines, as well as a light rapid transit system to improve the flow of traffic around the city.

Yangon’s circular train is in for an upgrade as part of JICA’s ambitious plans for Yangon transit. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing / The Myanmar Times

Such large-scale infrastructure investment is necessary, as Yangon’s population is projected to double from 5.1 million to 10 million by 2040 – or 1.5 million more people than are currently living in Bangkok, said Shigehiko Sugita, deputy director of JICA’s Southeast Asia and Pacific Department, to The Myanmar Times.

Unless drastic action is taken to upgrade the city’s creaking infrastructure, in five years’ time residents are likely to look back with nostalgia on the traffic jams of today, according to JICA research, which forecasts that vehicle use in Yangon could rise 22-fold over the next 25 years.

“Bangkok didn’t develop proper urban transport which is why it is so congested,” said Mr Sugita. “The good news is that Yangon – like London or Tokyo or Moscow – already has a circle line. This shows potential.”

On July 4, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to modernise Yangon’s 46-kilometre (28-mile) circular railway and committed to a $250 million soft loan. The Japanese government, through JICA, will upgrade the infrastructure, including new trains and signalling, said Mr Sugita. Myanma Railways will be responsible for upgrading the track and tendering the existing 38 stations for redevelopment.

In the longer-term, however, Yangon faces a much bigger problem. Even if the circular railway is upgraded to an international standard with fast and frequent trains, it will not be able to support a population of more than 10 million, said Mr Sugita.

Beyond this, there are three main options – Light Rapid Transport (LRT) such as a tram or a monorail, Metro Rapid Transport (MRT) and Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), he said.

“In our Yangon comprehensive masterplan we have proposed all three, but we cannot do all of them at once. BRT is the easiest to start with as you can just use the existing route.”

In May, the government announced a modern bus system called “BRT Lite” based on a 2013 plan by JICA, which will be funded through a public-private partnership. New bus lanes will be laid out and new buses imported.

Myanma Railways believes the city needs another railway line, said Mr Sugita, adding that the authority had the idea of installing a monorail from the north to the south of the city, along the western bank of Inya Lake.

JICA is also supporting a new tram line from Kyeemindaing to Strand Hotel. “After this pilot project we will extend the line, and we are considering perhaps building a small circular tram line. LRT is easier and cheaper than MRT but it will also not be sufficient to support the entire population,” said Mr Sugita.

It costs roughly three times more to build an underground railway than to build a monorail, he said, but in the longer term an MRT would yield much better results. “They built an LRT in Manila and it’s very crowded. It’s worse than Japan. So in Yangon we are also pushing for an MRT – it’s much stronger,” he said.

“We would like to build two metro lines – one from the north to the south of Yangon and another from east to west, as well as a line to Dala and to Thilawa,” he added.

“JICA may consider funding an MRT – the master plan is now under discussion,” he said, adding that Korea and China are also interested and that both countries have already put forward proposals to the government.

In the meantime, work on the circle line upgrade will begin in 2016, following a year of planning, and the entire project is due for completion in 2020, said Mr Sugita.

The first stage of the upgrade will cover the track running through the most densely populated part of the city, from Danyingone in western Yangon to the central railway station downtown. JICA will also offer technical assistance for an extension of the circular railway which will run to the Thilawa special economic zone to the southeast of Yangon.

“Our target is for air conditioned trains to run every 10 minutes, at an average speed of 30 kilometres [19 miles] per hour,” he said – the same average speed as trains in Tokyo. Trains will be able to run up to a maximum of 80km per hour. Currently in Yangon, rickety trains without air conditioning or cushioned seats run every 10 to 40 minutes, at an average speed of 15km.

Initially JICA considered an elevated railway. “But we failed, as the centre of Yangon is on a hill and the soil is very weak. We would have had to dig 40 to 50 metres into the ground every 100m to support the track, which would have been too expensive,” said Mr Sugita.

For the circular railway upgrade, too, there are several challenges to overcome. For example, residents living along the side of the tracks have been asked to make way. “There are some houses and vegetable plantations very close to the track. The residents won’t have to move to a new location, but we have asked them to move back,” he said.

However, unlike in cities such as Manila and Phnom Penh, because the railway tracks are already in place relatively few people will need to move, he said. “Still, we have discussed the social considerations with Myanma Railways.”

Myanma Railways initially wanted the trains to be electrified but, while this is the long-term plan, the trains will initially run on diesel. “Electrification is the future goal, but if we did this now and there were still houses without power there would be some conflict, so Myanma Railways was kind enough to give up the idea,” said Mr Sugita.


Myanmar allows more enterprises to make investment this month

English.news.cn 2015-08-11 18:12:02

YANGON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has allowed five foreign and six local enterprises totaling 11 to make investment in the country so far this month, sources with the Myanmar Investment Commission said Tuesday.


The approved businesses involving fully-owned and some joint ventures cover manufacturing of garment, bags and plastic bags under the Cut-Make-Pack system, production of aluminum, glass, metal, steel, furniture, sawn timber, flooring materials as well as establishment of data center and related service businesses.

Last month, the commission had granted nine investment businesses, including building a satellite pay TV operator in Yangon, a hotel in Ngpali beach, western Rakhine state, facilities for clothing manufacturing, wood processing, value-added agricultural products processing and exportation, tri-motorcycle assembling and fire brick production, among others.

According to the commission, annual contracted foreign investment nearly doubled from 4.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2013-14 to 8.01 billion USD in 2014-15, expecting to receive 6 billion USD in the current fiscal year of 2015-16.

Official statistics show that foreign contracted investment in Myanmar hit 56.62 billion U.S. dollars as of June 2015 since late 1988 when the country opened to such investment.

China remains the top foreign investor with 14.78 billion USD since 1988, followed by Thailand with 10.285 billion USD and Singapore with 10.249 billion USD.