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Myanmar Defence Forum

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Bangladesh wants ‘bold’ trust-building efforts from new Myanmar president

The president and prime minister have congratulated the new Myanmar President, Htin Kyaw, and hoped to work together with him.

Myanmar's Parliament elected a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as president on Tuesday, the first head of state who does not hail from a military background since the 1960s.

In his message, President Md Abdul Hamid hoped that his election would pave the way for “greater peace, stability and development” in Myanmar.

The foreign ministry said the president is hoping that joint efforts of Bangladesh and Myanmar would help make this region “a better place and fulfil the aspirations of the two peoples”.

Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina expressed hope that under Kyaw’s leadership, Myanmar would undertake “bold initiatives to infuse greater trust and understanding between the people of Bangladesh and Myanmar in order to unlock the true potentials of the two countries”.

She also conveyed to the newly elected head of state that Bangladesh would “come forward to further strengthen the partnership with Myanmar based on trust and friendship”.

Tensions in Myanmar's Rakhine province that force thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to flee into Bangladesh is the main irritant in Dhaka-Naypyidaw relations.

Myanmar does not acknowledge Rohingyas as its citizens.

Despite the strained relations, Bangladesh stood by Myanmar and sent aid during the floods last year.

See more at - Bangladesh wants ‘bold’ trust-building efforts from new Myanmar president -
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@Aung Zaya and others. :cheers:
 
Aung La Nsang Hopes to Bring Global Attention to Myanmar Ahead of Homecoming Fight
March 16, 2016
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JamesGoyder
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Most people couldn’t place Myanmar on a map. The Southeast Asian nation has a population of more than 50 million people making it the 26th most populated country in the world, but until recently it has been relatively isolated.

That’s because Myanmar was ruled by a military junta for 50 years, earning the country something akin to pariah status in the international community. It was during this period that Burmese mixed martial artist Aung La Nsang left his homeland to live in the United Status, but the political situation has improved dramatically since then.

ONE: Union of Warriors is set for the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon this Friday. During the days of the military regime, it would have been unthinkable for such a prestigious international sporting event to take place in Myanmar, but the country has gone from strength to strength since a democratic election in 2015.

La Nsang recently returned to Yangon for the first time in nearly 12 years for a ONE Championship press tour. As he prepares to face Egyptian Mohamel Ali, the middleweight says he is excited to be a part of Myanmar’s success story.

“I was born in Myitkyina in the northern state, but I grew up in Yangon two blocks away from where I’m going to be fighting. Myanmar is moving towards the right direction, it’s come a long way. We wouldn’t have this opportunity 20 years ago, 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago to do this.”

Ask the average person to name someone from Myanmar and they are probably going to struggle. But La Nsang believes this is simply because his homeland has been closed off to the international community for so long.

“It’s a large country. Most people don’t know where Burma is because it’s been sanctioned by the U.S. and European countries (but) there are a lot of great people who live there. It’s going to start showing as the country opens up, a lot of younger people will get more opportunities now.”

While La Nsang is looking at the bigger picture, there is the small matter of a fight this Friday for him to focus on. As a veteran of 17 fights, Ali will be looking to spoil the homecoming of the returning hero.

La Nsang’s record is slightly superior to Ali’s and he’s faced some fairly well known fighters like Uriah Hall and Costas Philippou. The Burmese middleweight is understandably confident, but won’t be overlooking the threat posed by his forthcoming opponent.

“I’m ahead of him in all aspects. I’ve fought against better competition. As far as striking, I feel that I’m better and same with grappling. I have to watch out for his overhand and big hooks. In the clinch, you have to be worried about his short uppercuts.”

There is no question who the fans at the Thuwanna Stadium will be behind and La Nsang is guaranteed to get a raucous reception from the Yangon crowd. He’s going to have plenty of friends and family in attendance and believes this support will inspire him to put in a memorable performance.

“My uncle has already requested 100 tickets. People are going to fly down and drive down to watch me. Walking in there for the first time is going to be an amazing feeling. I can imagine the loud cheering. It’s going to be the best feeling. I’m going to use that to my advantage.”

There is an old adage about sport and politics not mixing, but every now and again a conflux of the two can produce some special moments. La Nsang hopes that his grand homecoming this Friday night will be one of those occasions.

“It means a lot to me to be back in Burma and fighting in from of my people. It’s my opportunity to show the world what I’ve accomplished so far. It’s going to be beautiful.”

Go Go... Aung La... !!!!
 
Nissan says to start assembling cars in Myanmar this year

ChangRan Kim and

changrankimjunkofujita@dealstreetasia.com

Naomi Tajitsu

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February 17, 2016:
Japan’s Nissan Motor Co said on Wednesday it would start assembling cars in Myanmar this year for the first time, becoming the latest automaker to begin production in the Southeast Asian country as it opens up to foreign investment.

Japan’s second-biggest automaker said it would initially use an existing facility of partner Tan Chong Motor Group to assemble the Sunny compact sedan in Myanmar’s small but growing auto market.

It will then transfer production to a new plant, in the Bago region, which will employ about 300 people and have an annual output capacity of 10,000 cars at full production.

Nissan anticipates that it will sell more than 1,000 units annually in two or three years.

Nissan is the second Japanese automaker to set up production facilities in Myanmar after Suzuki Motor Corp began producing its Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle there last year.

“Demand in Myanmar is expected to grow rapidly following economic and political reforms in the country,” Nissan said in a statement.

Nissan has been selling imported vehicles in Myanmar since 2013 and estimates current vehicle sales there to be around 104,000 units annually, roughly 3 percent of which are new. By 2020, it expects the market to grow to more than 150,000 units sold each year, of which around 10 percent will be new vehicles.

Myanmar’s private sector has been thriving after the military ceded power to a semi-civilian government in 2011, triggering a broad liberalisation of its fledgling economy that has attracted foreign investors seeking growth in a country of more than 50 million.

Myanmar’s agriculture, mining and energy resources are largely untapped, while sectors such as banking, tourism, textiles and construction are booming. Foreign direct investment stood at $8 billion in fiscal 2014/15, more than five times the flows recorded just two years earlier.
 
@Species Yeah. It is better for our two nation to collaborate with each other instead of rising tension over border disputes and rohingya issues. Both country got starving citizens and many internal issues. The civilian and military casualty will be really high for both side if war broke out between the two countries which is not a good thing to happen. Peace be upon us.
 
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@Species Yeah. It is better for our two nation to collaborate with each other instead of rising tension over border disputes and rohingya issues. Both country got starving citizens and many internal issues. The civilian and military casualty will be really high for both side if war broke out between the two countries which is not a good thing to happen. Peace be upon us.

You are right bro. Both our nations have many things to sort out and this will only happen when we start to cooperate with each other. We should also be aware who will be befitting if tensions rise between Myanmar and Bangladesh, definitely not the people of these two countries. Now that Myanmar is heading towards full democracy, I hope relations between the two countries will get warmer and reach new heights.

:cheers:
 
@WebMaster @Horus bros... unavailable photos and graphic photos are floating here.. plz..!!

ADB sees 8.4% growth and falling inflation

Rising economic growth and three successive years of falling inflation were among the highlights from the Asian Development Bank’s 2016 predictions for Myanmar as part of its annual economic outlook for Asia.

The ADB estimates Myanmar’s growth rate fell to 7.2 percent in 2015 – hit by the impact of widespread flooding and slower economic growth in China.

Cyclone Komen and intense monsoon rains destroyed one-fifth of Myanmar’s cultivated land last year, displaced 1.6 million people and caused an estimated US$1.5 billion of damage.

Meanwhile, China, which accounts for 36pc of Myanmar’s official international trade, is trying to manage an economic slowdown.

But despite China’s economic issues Myanmar’s economy will manage 8.4pc growth this fiscal year, as the garments and tourism sectors perform well and agriculture rebounds, Peter Brimble, the ADB’s principle country specialist for Myanmar, said.

The ADB expects growth to slow only slightly to 8.3pc in 2017.

The outlook for inflation was also better than expected. The ADB had projected inflation for the 2015-16 fiscal year to clear 12pc, based on rising agricultural prices reflected in the consumer price index and a falling kyat.

But in January and February there was a “noticeable drop in monthly inflation figures”, Mr Brimble said. The ADB conferred with other international organisations and decided that the increase for the 2015-16 fiscal year was around 11pc.

“So we’re seeing something relatively positive,” he added. “The kyat is quite stable and the price of agricultural products in the consumer price index is going down.”

In fact the ADB now projects three successive years of falling inflation, which it expects to drop to 9.5pc this coming fiscal year and then to 8.5pc in 2017.

“For me it’s one of the hardest things to explain in Myanmar,” said Mr Brimble. “Why has it [inflation] been quite so high for quite so long?”

Although inflation is set to fall it remains relatively high, he said. When it comes to measures to help combat rising prices, Mr Brimble pointed to the Central Bank.

“We’ve all recognised for a long time that the Central Bank of Myanmar needs to become a stronger player in inflation management,” he said.

That would require the Central Bank to have some kind of institutional autonomy and the tools to finance deficits through bond issuance, soak up money in the economy and have a stronger supervisory role over the banking system to control credit growth, he said.

The current account deficit also remains a problem. It hit 8.9pc of GDP in 2015 as earnings from agricultural and natural gas exports dropped. The ADB expects the deficit to improve to 8.3pc of GDP this year and then 7.7pc in 2017.

Agricultural exports will bounce back, manufacturing exports will continue to grow, and although stronger economic growth will drive up imports, this will be partly countered by lower imported oil prices, the ADB said.

Foreign exchange reserves were another weakness. At the end of 2015 foreign reserves were enough to cover 2.5 months of imports. The ADB estimates reserves should cover four months of imports in order to be able to cushion the country against external shocks, Mr Brimble said.

Despite strong growth and lower inflation, the vulnerabilities still called for prudent fiscal policy and bolstering reserves, he said.
 
Viettel has won a $1.5 billion bid in Myanmar
Last update: 16:34 | 13/04/2016

Viettel has won a $1.5 billion bid in Myanmar to establish a 4G mobile network in the country.

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Telco giant to partner up in joint venture to provide internet and mobile networks.




The group will cooperate with two Myanmar companies - MEC and SPV - to set up a joint venture to provide both internet and mobile networks, according to Mr. Le Dang Dung, Viettel’s Deputy General Director.

By the end of May, Viettel and its two partners will finish procedures to establish the joint venture, in which Viettel will hold 49 per cent and contribute $1.5 billion in investment.

The government will then issue a mobile telecommunications license to the joint venture - the fourth in the country.

With a population of 53 million, Myanmar has significant potential because it still in the initial stages of development.

In 2014 Viettel planned to cooperate with Yatanarpon Teleport, a Myanmar company, but the plan was rejected by the country’s government. In 2013 it also submitted documents to seek a business license in mobile telecommunications, but again was unsuccessful.

In 2015 it recorded revenue of $1.5 billion from foreign markets and had retrieved 80 per cent of its capital in foreign investments.

VN Economic Timees
 
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