1. law, govt and politics
2. politics
3. elections

R
EPA
PE
ASEAN + : CHINA’S PEACEFUL MILITARY STRATEGY ✪7
First INDEPENDENT English daily
www.elevenmyanmar.com
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2015
INSIDE
Scarcity of dollar
NATIONAL
Complaints are rife as traders scramble for the greenback amid speculation of hoarding
Rights groups slam ‘antiMuslim’ law
✪2
BUSINESS
Bangkok Bank to open
branch on June 2
✪5
ASEAN+
EMG
Buddha images in Laos
threatened by looters
✪8
LIFESTYLE
Returning to the black market?
Zaw Wai
Aung Myat Ko
MYANMAR ELEVEN
TRADERS have complained
on the hardship in exchanging
the kyat into US dollar, prompting the Central Bank of
Myanmar’s scrutiny into the
‘irregularity’.
Some traders said that US
dollar is only available in the
black market as domestic banks
and official currency exchange
counters with licences from the
central bank have stopped selling
the currency.
Ko Thiha, a trader at Yuzana
Plaza and Mingalar market, said:
“It’s been a month since I bought
dollar at the government’s official
exchange counters. Today, I went
to those counters but they did
not sell the currency. They said
they had nothing to sell. There
are many exchange counters
near Yuzana Plaza and Mingalar
market but I could not buy dollar
from them or any banks.”
He speculated that big banks
are manipulating the market on
purpose. Ensuring the scarcity of
the US dollar will only drive up
demand for the greenback and
the exchange rate.
Than Lwin, a senior adviser to
the Kanbawza Bank, said: “We
have to buy dollar from others
for reselling. But how can we do
that when we cannot buy the currency anywhere?”
An importer said: “When I
went to the private exchange
counters to buy dollar, they had
stopped. Then I went to a bank
but it was unsuccessful. I had to
buy dollar on the street at a higher price.”
On May 25, private banks’
exchange counters bought dollar
for Ks1,089 and sold it for
Ks1,091, when the official
exchange rate was set at 1,082
per dollar.
On the street, the buying/selling rates were higher, at 1,125
and 1,127.
An official from the CBM’s foreign exchange management
department said: “Fluctuation in
the exchange rate is common.
But now the fact that the
exchange counters don’t sell dollar is irregular. It’s against the
market mechanism. They will
have to buy and sell dollar at the
appropriate prices. But now, they
keep dollar in their hands without selling them.”
The official noted that the
greenback is apparently being
hoarded on anticipation that its
value would rise further against
the local currency.
“We will scrutinise it,” said the
official.
The dollar was mostly stronger against other Asia-Pacific currencies yesterday. It has been
underpinned by expectations the
Federal Reserve will raise interest
rates in the coming months - a
view supported by comments
from its chief Janet Yellen who
said Friday she expects a hike “at
some point this year”. Traders
are awaiting the release of key
US data this week including
revised economic growth for the
first quarter and durable goods
orders.
Myanmar’s central bank
adopted the managed float system in April 2012 and announced
the official exchange rates on the
daily basis. It granted exchange
licences to private banks in
September 2011 and granted
authorised dealer licences to
non-banking institutions in
December 2012 to run counters.
The CBM said there is no limit
to how many exchange licences
that can be issued.
Licences have been issued to
two state-owned and 21 private
banks. There are 563 exchange
counters.
Michelle Yeoh to grace
‘Memory’ filmfest
✪10
NATIONAL
Rights groups slam
birth law as anti-Muslim
2
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
A new law that forces some
women in Myanmar to have children at least three years apart
was on Monday criticised by
rights groups who say it will be
used to target the country’s
minority Muslim population.
The state-run Myanma Alinn
newspaper reported on Saturday
that President Thein Sein
approved the law on May 19.
Under the legislation, local
authorities can survey their
regions to determine if “resources are unbalanced because of a
high number of migrants in the
area, a high population growth
rate and a high birth rate”, it
said.
They can then ask the central
government to impose laws making it compulsory for women to
wait “at least 36 months” after
giving birth before having another child, Myanma Alinn said.
The consequences for breaking the birth-spacing rules are
unclear.
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
said the new law clearly targets
Muslim Rohingya who live in
western Rakhine state in
Myanmar, where they are not recognised as citizens and instead
referred to as “Bengalis” or illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
“This will seriously worsen
ethnic and religious tensions. We
fully expect that the Muslim
Rohingya in Rakhine state will be
target number one of this legislation,” said HRW deputy Asia
director Phil Robertson.
Robertson said the new law
defied “the calls for reconciliation and respect for rights in
Rakhine” that neighbouring
countries have argued “is needed
to prevent further boats full of
desperate people setting out to
sea”.
Myanmar has seen surging
Buddhist nationalism in recent
years and spates of violence targeting Muslim minorities have
raised doubts over its much
vaunted reforms after decades of
harsh military rule.
The legislation is backed by
the Buddhist ultra-nationalist
group the Committee for the
Protection of Nationality and
Religion, known as Ma Ba Tha.
The group has stoked anti-
EPA
AGENCIES
Yangon
A Bangali or Rohingya woman holds her child in her room at the Thet Kel Pyin Muslim refugee
camp in Sittwe.
Muslim sentiment by saying
Muslim communities have high
birth rates and will eventually
overrunthe predominately
Buddhist country.
“This law targets one religion,
one population, in one area,”
said Khin Lay, founder of the
Yangon-based Triangle Women
Support Group, which gives
women professional and political
training and lobbied against the
law.
The government denies discriminating against Muslims. It
says new the birth law is aimed
at improving maternal health and
child welfare.
It was unclear how the new
law against giving birth in the
three-year period would be
enforced.
The United States has said the
legislation, which falls under
“Race and Religion Protection
Laws”, has the potential to exacerbate racial and religious divisions in the country.
Washington and the United
Nations have called on Myanmar
to address discrimination and
violence against ethnic Rohingya
Muslims. They say the government’s policy toward the
Rohingya minority is a root cause
of mass migration that has led to
the humanitarian crisis unfolding
on Southeast Asia’s seas.
Other groups have also
expressed concerns that the law
could further exacerbate tensions
in Rakhine State where violence
between Buddhists and Rohingya
Muslims broke out in 2012. Most
of Myanmar’s 1.1 million
Rohingya are stateless and live in
apartheid-like conditions.
“In the case of Rakhine specifically, it will only create misunderstanding between the two
communities,” said Nwe Zin Win,
head of Yangon-based women’s
rights group Pyi Gyi Khin.
Noble Peace Prize winning
opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi is yet to comment on the current migrant crisis, a silence
observers attribute to fears over
alienating voters in the Buddhistmajority nation ahead of elections slated for November.
A lawmaker from Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy
(NLD) party recently told AFP
that “no NLD MP voted in favour
of this law” earlier in May.
“This law shouldn’t have been
enacted... We women are the
ones who will suffer,” said May
Win Myint, who is also a member
of the NLD’s core executive committee.
Early monsoon batters most of country
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Yangon
Monsoon rains have lashed
Yangon, Ayeyarwady,
Tanintharyi and Bago regions
and Rakhine, Kayin and Mon
states with efforts to ease the
problem in the former capital
having limited effect.
“It has rained for five consec-
utive days. An early monsoon is
good for the farmers. We had to
pump water to plant rice last
year,” said Min Thu from
Myaungmya, Ayeyarwady
Region.
“Last year it didn’t rain like
this. Last year we faced difficulties, as the lakes were dry. Now
the heat has gone,” said Aung
Thu from Magway region.
A resident of Tamwe
Township in Yangon said that
floods occur in the district
whenever it rains.
“Water reached mid-thigh in
some streets near the Tamwe
mosque. The currents were
strong. We had to take great
care when walking. It shouldn’t
happen so fast after it starts to
rain. Congestion is very heavy,”
said the resident. Kyaw Moe Oo,
deputy director general of
department of meteorology and
hydrology, said the rain had not
hit central Myanmar so the traditional monsoon season had
not completely begun.
The department announced
that the real monsoon season
would begin in the first week of
June.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday May 27, 2015
3
National
4
NEWS
DIGEST
Don’t steal our hope:
PNLO chairman
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Ruling party foresees no landslide
victory, but winning still likely
The country will suffer if
workers and farmers feel their
plight is hopeless, according to
Khun Myint Tun, chairman of the
Pa-Oh National Liberation
Organisation (PNLO).
He said that ethnic armed
groups had tried peaceful
processes of democracy, equal
rights and autonomy but had
chosen armed conflict because
they had been suppressed by force.
“We warned the president and
parliamentary speakers on Union
Day. We tried to achieve democracy
without taking up arms. But when
we don’t get what we want in a
peaceful way, we take up arms.
That’s the point. We don’t want
farmers, workers and people
affected by environmental issues to
lose hope. If the people lose hope in
politics, our country will suffer,”
said Khun Myint Tun.
Political parties urged the
government to deal with
agricultural disputes across the
country when they met President
Thein Sein on May 18 in Yangon.
Myanmar has many farmland
disputes although the Parliament
has formed an investigation
commission to deal with them.
Farmers are often penalised in such
disputes and the government is yet
to deal with the issue of workers
demanding a pay increases.
The United Wa State Army
(UWSA) will sue several journalists
who they claim reported
inaccurately about the objectives of
Panghsang Summit held from May
1 to May 6 at Panghsang, Wa SelfAdministered Zone, said Aung
Myint, the central office secretary
of the UWSP/UWSA on May 24.
Aung Myint said: “We are an
organisation whose objective is
peace. The local news agencies
reported lies about our objectives.
They said the Panghsang Summit
was a forum to discuss the opium
trade and narcotic drugs. All ethnic
armed groups’ leaders attended the
summit and only discussed politics.
We discussed peace and the
nationwide ceasefire plan. It is like
they are provoking us. If they aim to
speak the truth, they must show
proof.”
Aung Myint continued that the
UWSA is has been combating
opium production in Wa territory
for ten years.
Some people protested at the
summit on May 1 by holding posters
saying: “Destroy the plot by Senior
General Min Aung Hlaing against
the unity of all brothers from ethnic
armed groups.” Xiao Minliang,
deputy secretary general of the
UWSP, said during a press
conference that the protest was
against the objectives of the
Panghsang Summit.
“The poster was made by
Chinese people. It is a plot made to
destroy our objectives. We arrested
them,” said Xiao Minliang. He
continued that the summit aimed
to foster unity and friendship.
“We requested the media to
report the truth about the
objectives of the summit. We will
not accept reports that will sow
disunity among ethnic groups.”
EPA
UWSA to sue
journalists
USDP-led government still faces complaints. About 50 farmers in Bago Region staged a demonstration on Monday calling for an
investigation into the misuse of loans given under a government-funded poverty alleviation scheme.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, REUTERS
THE ruling Union Solidarity
and Development Party (USDP)
would not win a landslide victory
like in the 2010 election in light
of fierce rivalry, said a party
member.
Upper House MP Hla Swe told
the media that the fate of political parties was not important in
the 2015 general elections. It is
more important (for voters) to
choose those who really could
serve the public interests, he
added.
“Unlike in the 2010 election, I
don’t think our party will win a
landslide victory. But fierce rivalry is exciting. It is not good that
one single party always wins,”
said Hla Swe.
Yet, he did not rule out the
chance that the party would win
enough votes to support its presidential candidate.
He said that the party’s central committee would convene a
meeting on May 29 or May 30, to
choose its presidential candidate.
“We will have a preliminary
meeting on May 28 but the main
meeting will be on May 29 and
30. The time has come to make a
choice. It is not good if it is left
late.”
The USDP is the largest and
financially strongest party in the
country.
It provided Ks2.5 million to
each candidate in the previous
election and this could increase
to Ks10 million this time, he
added.
Based on hearsay, he said,
older parliamentarians would be
asked to retire while younger
ones would be urged to run for
another term.
The USDP will choose younger members to stand and give
priority to those who are acceptable to local people and capable
of serving regional interests.
Hla Swe said he had decided
not to run for re-election on
grounds of age.
He said in Myanmar presidential contenders were about 70
years old while other state leaders were about 50.
The ruling party is led by former members of a military junta,
evolved from an organisation
that democracy icon Aung San
Suu Kyi once compared to a Nazi
militia, and took office through
electoral fraud.
In the election likely to be
held in November, Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy
(NLD) is expected to thump the
USDP at the polls.
Scores of smaller parties will
also compete in what could be
the former Burma’s first free and
fair general election in 25 years
and a milestone in the Southeast
Asian nation’s unfinished journey
from dictatorship to democracy.
“I have a strong belief the
USDP will win the election,” senior party adviser Aung Thaung
told Reuters in a rare interview at
the USDP’s monumental headquarters in the capital, Nay Pyi
Taw.
Analysts said that the USDP
has the incumbent’s advantage,
with hundreds of legislators and
cosy ties with Myanmar’s government and bureaucracy. It is also
wealthy and well-organised, with
a nationwide network of offices
and paid staff.
This formidable structure
was set up with state funds
under the military that ruled
Myanmar for nearly half a century. The party began life in 1993
as the Union Solidarity and
Development Association
(USDA), a mass movement notorious for its anti-democratic
activities. Senior General Than
Shwe, then Myanmar’s dictator,
was its patron.
In 1997, Suu Kyi called the
USDA “a gang of thugs” and said
its efforts to crush the NLD and
other democrats “resemble those
of the Nazi Brown shirts”. Six
years later, a USDA-linked mob
attacked her motorcade in northern Myanmar, killing at least four
supporters.
In 2010, with the election
approaching, the USDA morphed
into the USDP. The party is no
longer state-funded, but
muchelse remains unchanged,
including its motto:
“Morale,Discipline, Solidarity,
Unity”.
Than Shwe, now in retirement,
is still a patron, and the party’s
leaders are mostly former generals and junta stalwarts. And
while many people fear or
despise Myanmar’s powerful military, a USDP manifesto calls it
“a great patriotic nation-loving
force”.
Senior adviser Aung Thaung,
himself an ex-colonel, embodies
his party’s shady past. In October
the US Treasury placed sanctions
on him for “actively attempting
to undermine recent economic
and political reforms” and “perpetuating violence, oppression,
and corruption”.
Aung Thaung denied these
accusations, but seemed to
regard the US censure as a
badge of honour. “I became
famous because of these sanctions,” he said, smiling.
In November, at least 75 parties will battle for 498 seats in
Myanmar’s upper and lower
houses. The remaining 166 seats
are reserved for unelected military delegates.
Aung Thaung’s confidence in
his party’s chances isn’t entirely
misplaced.
In a survey of Myanmar public
opinion last year by the
International Republican
Institute, the USDP scored lower
than the NLD on the issue of
supporting democratic reforms,
but higher on the economy and
national security.
Renaud Egreteau, a political
scientist who is researching
Myanmar’s parliamentary affairs,
said the USDP will win millions
of votes in rural areas because it
is often seen as best-placed to
meet local needs - for example,
building a new road or renovating
a monastery.
“In Myanmar, as in many
other Southeast Asian societies,
politics is local - and very personal,” said Egreteau.
The USDP has also drawn lessons from recent elections in
other countries, said Aung
Thaung. He compared his party’s
message to that of British Prime
Minister David Cameron, who
won re-election on May 7.
“We have the same belief in
making greater countries, in
national unity,” he said.
KYAT EXCHANGE
BUSINESS
US $
Buy
Sell
1089
1095
Euro ¤
1177
1197
Singpore $
805
817
Source: KBZ Bank
5
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
BBL geared for June 2 opening
BANGKOK Bank will become
the fifth foreign bank to operate
in Myanmar, once its branch
opens doors on June 2.
The Thai bank announced yesterday that the Central Bank of
Myanmar has granted it the permission to open a branch in
Yangon to provide financial services to foreign-invested companies and domestic banks.
Bangkok Bank is the only Thai
bank to receive a foreign bank
branch license from Myanmar’s
government.
“The new branch will play a
key role in promoting and developing the local financial system
to support the growth of highpotential businesses and industries, especially by connecting
with Bangkok Bank’s international network to provide a full range
of services to customers and
investors doing business in
Myanmar,” Chartsiri
Sophonpanich, the bank’s president, said in a statement.
The branch will provide a full
range of financial services covering deposits, business lending,
trade services, transferring funds
and foreign exchange services for
foreign-invested companies and
domestic banks in Myanmar in
both foreign currencies and
Myanmar Kyat. Bangkok Bank’s
Yangon branch will be headed by
Kanet Buranasin, now a senior
vice president of the bank. The
branch’s marketing manager will
be Tossatis Rodprasert, now an
assistant vice president of the
Thai bank.
A total of nine international
banks were awarded banking
licences on October 2014,
allowed to operate limited banking services in the country for the
first time in decades.
Before Bangkok Bank, four
banks have opened their branches. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
(BTMU), Oversea-Chinese
Banking Corp (OCBC) and
EPA
MYANMAR ELEVEN
A Myanmar labourer loads rice bag on his shoulder as he works at a jetty in Yangon. Foreign banks’ presence is expected to boost
investment.
Sumitomo opened their branches
in the last week of April. United
Overseas Bank Group (UOB)’s
branch was opened in May but
became the first to offer onshore
financing to Rangoon Excelsior
Co Ltd, a hospitality company.
The other four banks are
expected to open their branches
later. The Central Bank of
Myanmar requires all nine banks
to open branches within a year
after the licences were awarded.
All the foreign banks target to
offer services mainly to foreign
companies which are pouring
investment into the country.
In the 2014-15 fiscal year,
Myanmar targets foreign direct
investment of US$6 billion, with
confidence that the target will be
surpassed.
In the previous fiscal year, FDI
into Myanmar reached $8.01 billion though the target was only
$5 billion, according to the
Directorate of Investment and
Company Administration.
Gold rush slows ahead of elections
DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR
Bangkok
When Myanmar began its
political reforms in 2011, firms
around the world salivated at the
prospect of investing in the
resource-rich and largely undeveloped country.
But four years later there are
signs that the rush to invest is
being slowed by dragging market
reforms and the country’s turbulent politics. Before 2011,
Myanmar’s only big international
investor was China.
The investments made by
China were mainly concentrated
in the energy and infrastructure
sectors. When the country
opened up, the market was ripe
for liberalisation, for example in
key sectors including telecommunications and banking.
Data from the World Bank
showed that direct foreign invest-
ment was US$900 million in
2010, and that figure more than
doubled to $2.5 billion in 2011.
Companies appeared willing
to put aside the risks of dealing
with Myanmar’s uncertain political situation to secure the necessary contracts.
“The country has high potential for rapid growth and development given its rich natural
resources, abundant labour force
and strategic location,” a country
report by the Asian Development
Bank in 2012 noted.
Myanmar was so confident of
foreign investment that it has
engaged in several mega projects
and economic zones including
the Dawei deep seaport, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Win Win Tint, the managing
director of Myanmar’s largest
retailer City Mart Holdings, told
DPA that the situation had
improved massively since 2011,
noting that before the reforms
the government rarely touched
on business and economic policy. “Now, the government is listening to us,” she said.
The administration “has
engaged with foreign countries
so there is more interest from
foreign investors.
“But recently the rush of firms
competing to invest in Myanmar
has slowed to a steady stream. A
forecast by the International
Monetary Fund released in
February stated that “the growth
outlook of the Myanmar economy remains favourable over the
medium term, but downside
risks for the near term have
increased.”
“The bureaucratic apparatus
is like an old machine,” said Win
Win Tint. “It hasn’t moved for 15
years and need to be greased
continuously to move.”
Many consultants and ana-
lysts also lowered their economic
outlook for the country due to
the uncertainty surrounding elections scheduled for the end of
the year.
Most foreign investors are
“waiting for the results of the
November elections, after which
the nature of Myanmar’s next
government will become clearer,”
said Sean Turnell, a Myanmar
economics expert and professor
in economics at Macquarie
University. Turnell argues that in
order for continued economic
growth there needs to be “greater stability and predictability in
policy-making.”
That uncertainty may have filtered down to government decision-making on major projects
like the Dawei deep sea port. The
project was once destined to
cover over 200 square kilometres and hold more tonnes of
cargo than the ports of Los
Angeles and New York combined.
Now the signing agreement
between Myanmar, Thailand and
private developer Italian-Thai
Development has been constantly postponed.
“We are dealing with an
unprecedented situation,” said
Nyantha Maw Lin, the Myanmar
director of corporate advisory
firm Vriens and Partners.
According to Nyantha, various
government agencies are putting
in place plans to ensure stability
over the transition of government
including installing permanent
secretaries to oversee policy.
“Myanmar has never had such
a transition before so there are
going to be hiccups,” he said.
Regardless of who wins the
election, business leaders and
analysts agree that Myanmar
needs to do more to reassure foreign investors over the next transition of power.
Business
6
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The Nation
Telenor’s services to be expanded
to cover more states next month
Two men walk past a shop selling Telenor SIM cards in Yangon.
MYANMAR ELEVEN
TELENOR Myanmar is testing
its coverage in eastern Shan
State, Kayah State and
Tanintharyi Region with a plan to
provide telecom services in the
states in June. It announced that
Rakhine and Chin states would
be last areas to gain Telenor service in Myanmar.
“We are trying our services
not only in Yangon but across the
whole country. There have been
many challenges, as it is a new
market. We understand that
Myanmar has much potential as
well as many risks,” said Telenor
Myanmar CEO Petter Furberg.
In the future, about 30 per
cent of Telenor users would be
from ethnic regions and states,
he said. He added that the firm
had appointed eight liaison officers and held 376 meetings in
ethnic areas to meet over 16,000
EU to scale up partnership
with Asean
THE NATION
The European Union has proposed
to take its relations with Asean to the
next level, in support to the region’s
integration.
Under “the EU and Asean: a
partnership with a strategic purpose”
joint communication, the EU vows to
provide a more coherent framework
for sectoral cooperation and by
ensuring a sharper political focus.
“The partnership between the EU
and Asean is crucial and we are
determined to build on it and
strengthen our political and economic
cooperation. From trade to security,
from climate change to the rule of law,
we have a deep cooperation and as
the EU we are supporting Asean
integration. Deepening and
broadening our relation with Asean is
key for the EU’s Asia strategy,” said
High Representative/Vice-President
Federica Mogherini. The High
Representative of the European Union
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
and the European Commission
adopted the joint communication on
May 19.
The EU will more than double its
financial support for Asean
integration, which comes on top of
the 2 billion euros for Asean member
states. The financial support of 170
million euros will finance the projects
during 2014-2020, compared to 70
euros during 2007-2013.
It also aims towards region-toregion free trade agreement (FTA)
building on bilateral agreements. For
greater connectivity, lessons and
expertise will be shared to support
Asean efforts, including on the single
market and through negotiating a civil
aviation agreement.
It will also strengthen
collaboration on climate change and
initiating a new, dedicated EU-Asean
policy dialogue on environment and
sustainable development.
An extensive ’package’ of new
initiatives will be implemented in the
area of non-traditional security
(maritime security, disaster
management and crisis response,
transnational crime, training courses
on preventive diplomacy, crisis
management, mediation, the rule of
law and election observation).
residents.
Telenor Myanmar said it
aimed to build more than 8,000
telecommunications towers
across the country in the next
two years with 3,000 to 4,000
completed by the end of 2015.
Expansion of the coverage
areas and capacity is a must, in
line with the growing demand for
voice and data services in the
country.
Telenor Myanmar said about
63 per cent of its customers is
now using 3G phones and 58 per
cent used internet through their
mobile phones.
Since starting operations in
September 2014, it had gained
6.4 million subscribers, it said,
with mobile penetration covering
42 per cent of the country and
more than 2,000 telecom towers
constructed. About 98 per cent
of the towers supported the 3G
network, it claimed.
As of December, the company’s network has covered eight
states and regions including
Ayeyawady, Bago, Sagaing and
Magway regions and Kayin, Mon
and Shan states. It started selling
its SIM cards in Mandalay, Nay
Pyi Taw and Yangon in
September and October respectively. As of December, 400 telecom towers were construction in
Yangon and over 200 in
Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw.
Record deficit to boost inflation
Phyo Wai
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Myanmar’s highest ever budget deficit has shown itself in the
government’s final fiscal year and
spending is likely to increase further, leading economists to forecast an even bigger deficit, fuelling inflation and damaging citizen’s lives.
The worries were expressed at
this year’s post-budget meeting,
jointly held by the National
Economics and Social Advisory
Council, Action Aid Council and
Union of Myanmar Federation of
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry.
Under the current administration, 2011-12 saw a trade deficit
of Ks215.9 billion, compared to
Ks2.75 trillion in 2014-15.
Additional budgets were requested, pushing the deficit above
Ks3.6 trillion.
President Thein Sein’s term
has seen a Ks12-trillion budget
deficit build, causing inflation
and price hikes.
Economist Zaw Phay Win said:
“In addition to running a budget
deficit, permission by the presi-
dent has been granted to add to
the budget annually around
October and November. At this
point, since there are no solutions on how to finance this
spending, it shows only deficit.
Looking at the 2014-15 fiscal year
and its deficit of Ks2.75 trillion, it
can be taken that the deficit is
actually at Ks3.8 trillion due to
the additional imbursement of
Ks1 trillion.
The same thing will probably
happen again during October
and November, increasing the
budget deficit again. Are these
matters not going to be discussed in Parliament?”
He said even though the government was allowing many
requests to increase ministerial
budgets, deficits had not been
reported regularly.
A representative of the
National League for Democracy,
Sandar Min, said the Ministry of
Construction, which deals with
importing items using foreign
currency, would probably ask for
a budgetary boost.
There have been many concerns that this year’s budget will
used to influence voters ahead of
the general election.
Political analyst Kyaw Lin Oo
said it was a common international practice that ruling parties
vying for control would use the
citizen’s budget to buy votes and
that the funding for operations
such as humanitarian work,
loans, paving of roads and providing electricity would be used
to win seats.
“When elections are near, governments often use budgets to
get votes and boost their popularity with the public. Thailand
does things like asking for an
increase in the loan limits for
farmers and peasants.
The Parliament is extremely
important at this time. How will
the Budget Review Joint
Committee control the situation?
It is important that foul play does
not happen.
They are asking for bigger
budgets because they are soon
to leave office,” said Kyaw Lin Oo.
“In 2016-17, the new ministers
will have to report on the 2015-16
budget. When it has been reported and inappropriate activities
are found, action needs to be
taken.”
ASEAN+
7
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
China issues first white
paper on military strategy
BEIJING yesterday issued its
first white paper on military
strategy, ushering in greater military transparency by giving
details of the direction of its military buildup to other nations.
The document of about 9,000
Chinese characters revealed a
list of new expressions that have
never before appeared in
Chinese white papers.
In the preface it reaffirmed
China’s adherence to peaceful
development and its “active
defence” military strategy.
It interpreted the policy as
“We will not attack unless we are
attacked, but we will surely counterattack if attacked”.
“China will never seek hegemony or expansion,” it added.
On China’s security environment, it mentioned increasing
security challenges brought by
certain countries, citing the
growing US military presence in
Asia and Japan’s major adjustment in its security policies.
For the first time, the paper
noted that “some offshore neighbours take provocative actions
and reinforce their military presence on China’s reefs and islands
that they have illegally occupied”.
“It is thus a long-standing task
for China to safeguard its maritime rights and interests.”
Vietnam and the Philippines
have kept building on some of
China’s islands in the South
China Sea.Accordingly, the paper
said the navy of the People’s
Liberation Army will “gradually
shift its focus from ‘offshore
waters defence’ to a combination
of ‘offshore waters defence’ and
‘open seas protection’”.
It also mentioned an adjustment in preparations for military
struggle. Following the guideline
set in 2004 in order to win “informationised local wars”, the new
expression highlighted maritime
military struggle.
Regarding outer space, the
paper reaffirmed China’s opposi-
tion to the weaponisation of
outer space and its disapproval
of an arms race in outer space.
As for cyber space, it said
“China will expedite the development of a cyber force” and
enhance its capabilities in cyber
situation awareness and cyber
defence.
The paper also noted that as
Chinese national interests stretch
further abroad, it will “strengthen
international security cooperation in areas crucially related to
China’s overseas interests”.
It said the PLA will engage in
extensive regional and international security affairs, and promote the establishment of the
mechanisms of emergency notification, military risk precaution,
crisis management and conflict
EPA
CHINA DAILY
Cambodian Minister of the Interior Sar Kheng, left, and Swedish Interior Minister Anders
Ygeman sign a cooperation agreement on fighting against international child trafficking in
Stockholm.
control.
The paper highlighted future
cooperation with Russian armed
forces, saying the PLA will foster
a comprehensive, diverse and
sustainable framework to promote military relations.
On cooperation with the US,
China intends to build a “new
model of military relationships”
that conforms to the two nations’
new model of major-country relations. It will strengthen defence
dialogues, exchanges and cooperation with the US military, and
improve the mechanism for the
notification of major military
activities as well as the rule of
behaviour for safety of air and
maritime encounters.
Zhao Weibin, a researcher on
China-US military relations with
the PLA Academy of Military
Sciences, said though the paper
named the US, Japan and some
neighbours which pose security
challenges, it is not written to
counter them.
“In this chapter on the security environment, we just objectively assessed China’s situation.”
Wen Bing, a researcher on
defence policies with the academy, said China has become one
of the few countries that have
published white papers to clarify
military strategy. According to
him, the US, Russia and Britain
have issued similar reports.
“That is indeed a big step in
China’s military transparency.”
Wen suggested the readers of
the report examine every word of
it, as “there are so many new
expressions and ideas, through
which you can better understand
today’s PLA.”
Philippines to defy China
PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Philippine military and commercial
aircraft will keep flying over disputed
areas in the West Philippine Sea
despite China’s warnings to its planes,
President Aquino said on Monday.
Aquino told reporters there was no
declared air defence identification zone
by China over what it claimed were
parts of its territory in the South China
Sea. “We will still fly the routes that we
fly based on international law….We will
still exercise our rights over our
exclusive economic zone [in the West
Philippine Sea],” Aquino said.
“We know what’s happening, and we
have a calculated response to all these
incidents that are happening,” he said,
adding that “the bottom line is we will
defend our rights to the best of our
abilities.” The president also pointed to
the disparity in the military strength of
China and the Philippines, saying China
should not bully a smaller country
because it would hurt its image as it
tried to build goodwill with its trading
partners.
China has been reclaiming land
around atolls and reefs in the Spratly
archipelago to build artificial islands
and strengthen its claim to nearly all of
the 3.5-million-square-kilometre South
China Sea.
Recent satellite images indicate
that China has made rapid progress in
filling in land around at least seven
reefs and in building an airstrip suitable
for military use and that it may be
planning another.
China has also been challenging
Philippine and US aircraft flying over
the disputed area, indicating it is
moving toward declaring it an air
defence identification zone.
On April 25, a Chinese naval vessel
used powerful light on a Philippine
Navy surveillance plane near Zamora
Reef (Subi Reef) in the West Philippine
Sea and radioed it to leave “Chinese
territory”. The pilots ignored the
Chinese ship’s actions to avoid a
confrontation, according to Lt. Col.
Harold Cabunoc, spokesman for the
Armed Forces of the Philippines.
On May 20, the Chinese Navy
challenged a US Navy P-8 Poseidon
surveillance plane flying over
Philippine-claimed Kagitingan Reef
(Fiery Cross Reef) with a CNN news
team on board.
“This is the Chinese Navy . . . This is
the Chinese Navy . . . Please go away . .
. to avoid misunderstanding,” the
Chinese radioed the pilots.
There were eight such warnings
during the P-8’s flight over Kagitingan,
one of the sites of China’s land
reclamation in the Spratlys, CNN
reported. In each case, the American
pilots replied that they were flying
through “international airspace.”
The US Navy released a video of the
tense exchange to underscore the
United States’ determination to focus
global attention on China’s massive
land reclamation in the South China
Sea. The United States vowed to keep
up air and sea patrols in international
waters in the South China Sea despite
China’s warnings.
The Pentagon also said US
surveillance aircraft and naval ships
had yet to test China’s territorial claims
around the artificial islands it was
building in the Spratlys, but that could
be “the next step”.
US Assistant Secretary of State
Daniel Russel told reporters in
Washington that the United States
would go further to preserve the ability
of all countries to move in international
waters and airspace.
“Nobody in their right mind is going
to try to stop the US Navy from
operating - that would not be a good
bet,” Russel said. In his talk with
reporters on Monday, Aquino also cited
his consultations with the heads of
other government agencies on the
formulation of the Philippines’ strategy
in the West Philippine Sea dispute.
“All of these decisions, although I
am supposed to be the main architect
[of] foreign policy, we have tried to get
as many voices from the different
branches of government to have
different perspectives and come up
with the best solution to this problem,”
Aquino said.
The Philippines has taken the
dispute to the United Nations arbitral
tribunal, and is waiting for a ruling that
will clarify the entitlements of the
claimants to territory in the South
China Sea.
Besides China, the Philippines,
Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan
also claim parts of the South China
Sea, a strategic waterway crisscrossed
by sea-lanes through which $5 trillion
in global trade passes every year.
All claimants but Brunei have
military facilities on the Spratly islands
they control.
ASEAN+
8
GLOBAL
BRIEFS
Malaysia bars entry to
Hong Kong protest
leader
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Buddha Cave in Laos remains
under threat from looters
VN launches antisexual harassment
code
A code of conduct to prevent
sexual harassment at work was issued
today by the Ministry of Labour,
Invalid and Social Affairs and the
International Labour Organisation
(ILO) in Vietnam.
The code aimed to help remove
the legal loopholes in preventing and
addressing the issue, Ha Manh Bon,
head of the ministry’s Legal
Department said. The code would give
practical guidance to the government,
employers’ organisations, trade
unions and workers on what sexual
harassment in the workplace means,
how it could be prevented, and what
steps should be taken if it occurred,
he said. ILO Vietnam Director Gyorgy
Sziraczki called the launch of the code
a step forward by Vietnam in the fight
against gender-based violence in the
workplace. A report by MoLISA and
ILO in 2012 said victims of sexual
harassment in Vietnam were female
workers aged between 18 and 30.
However, their culture and the fear of
losing jobs prevented many of them
from reporting the crimes.
Indonesia to send
Rohingya children to
schools
Indonesia will send more than 230
children from Myanmar’s persecuted
Rohingya minority to Islamic boarding
schools, local television reported on
Tuesday.
The children are part of more than
1,700 boat people who reached the
shores of Indonesia’s Aceh province
this month after weeks at sea.
“Several Islamic boarding schools on
Java island are willing to accept them
if they are ready to study,” Social
Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar
Parawansa said on Metro TV. “All of
these children are Muslim,” she said.
At their temporary shelters in Aceh,
the children have been taught
language and other lessons by
volunteers.
- DPA
The Nation
Malaysia’s immigration authorities
on Tuesday prevented a prominent
Hong Kong student leader from
entering the country, activists and
human rights advocates said.
Joshua Wong, 18, was detained by
Malaysian immigration officers shortly
after arriving at Penang International
Airport, according to Suaram, a local
human rights group. Suaram said
Wong was not allowed to enter
Malaysia based on a government
order. He was sent back to Hong Kong.
Immigration officials could not
immediately be reached for comment.
Wong was a key leader in protests in
Hong Kong last year, in which tens of
thousands of people took to the
streets to demand fully democratic
elections of the Chinese territory’s
chief executive. Wong was supposed
to speak at several forums in Malaysia
on June 3, the eve of the 26th
anniversary of the suppression of the
Tiananmen Square protests
“Our government must grow up,”
said Eric Paulsen, a human rights
lawyer. “Joshua Wong is a prodemocracy activist.”
- DPA
Some of Buddha images in the cave.
VIENTIANE TIMES
MORE than 6,000 Buddha
images at the Tham Ting
Buddha Cave in Luang Prabang
province will remain under threat
if stronger protective measures
are not put in place, officials
have warned.
The cave houses 6,574 images of different sizes, mostly
made from clay, wood and stone.
Even though all the images
have been registered, local
authorities have expressed concerns over security at the cave,
fearing that more images will
disappear.
The cave by the river is quite
safe but the upper cave is the
one officials worry about
because it is dark and security is
not tight enough, Head of the
Pak-ou district Information,
Culture and Tourism Office,
SengchanVilapanya, said.
Located on the riverbank at
the confluence of the Mekong
and Nam Ou rivers in Chomphet
district, Tham Ting still has no
electricity or any regulations that
prohibit tourists from carrying
their bags inside.
“Right now, we still allow
tourists to bring their bags into
the cave so we can’t guarantee
that some people won’t take
some small images away,” he
said. Sengchan, who is in charge
of Tham Ting Buddha Cave management, admitted that some of
the small images in the upper
cave could easily be stolen
because there is no security to
monitor tourists in that area.
He believes the Buddha imag-
es are still largely safe because
the authorities conduct regular
inspections every three months,
with the most recent one taking
place in March.
The authorities are aware,
however, that the images are at
risk after an Austrian man
recently returned two Buddha
images to Laos, saying he
believed they had been taken
from Tham Ting.
The returned images have not
yet been put back in the cave.
When they do arrive, the authorities will inspect them again to
see if they did indeed come from
that cave and if they were previously registered.
Sengchan said it was possible the two wooden statues had
been taken from the cave when it
was leased to the private sector
in the 1990s.
He claimed that before his
office took over from the private
sector in 2000, security was
inadequate and there was no
security guard on duty at night.
Now, 24 local families have
been given authority over the
caves and take turns looking
after the area both day and night.
Tham Ting has been maintained
and well-respected by local people since the time of King Fa
Ngum.
The authorities will soon
install electricity and set new
regulations prohibiting tourists
from carrying their bags inside.
The theft of Buddha images is
an ongoing issue in Laos, not
only at the Tham Ting cave but
also at temples throughout the
country.
China needs less commonly taught tongues
CHINA DAILY
To ensure sufficient skilled workers
for China’s Belt and Road Initiative,
universities have been adding foreign
language programmes to cultivate
interdisciplinary talent.
Beijing Foreign Studies University
has made establishing more
programmes for languages one of the
top objectives of its long-term plan.
University President Peng Long
said that BFSU will open three more
foreign language programmes by
2020, bringing its total to 70.
Xu Liping, a senior researcher in
Southeast Asian affairs at the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences, has
experienced the urgent need to nurture
talent with less commonly taught
language skills.
“Chinese leaders, integrating
domestic and overseas resources,
designed the Belt and Road Initiative to
cater to the trend of economic
globalisation, cultural diversity and the
information era. The initiative has a
higher requirement for talent,
especially interdisciplinary talent,” Xu
said.a
President Xi Jinping launched the
initiative, Silk Road Economic Belt and
21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in
2013 to link Asia and Europe through
development, trade and culture.
Wang Huiyao, president of the
Centre of China and Globalisation, a
Beijing-based think tank, said that one
of the challenges to implement the
initiative is the talent shortage.
“The initiative is China’s new
globalisation,” Wang said. “China has
benefited from globalisation. The
country’s GDP has increased six to
seven times since entering the World
Trade Organisation.”
Jia Wenjian, vice-president of
BFSU, said the university sees the
improvement of less commonly taught
language programmes as a pivot.
“With appropriate support from the
government and academia, we will
witness the blossoming of less
commonly taught languages,” Jia said.
BFSU is one of the first group of
universities to take action. Its School of
Asian and African Studies launched
programmes in the spring semester in
Mongolian, Tamil, Bengalese and
Filipino.
BFSU’s new programmes - 29 in
Mongolian, 30 in Tamil, 22 in
Bengalese, 24 in Filipino - are nondegree programmes.
These languages - predominately
used in Mongolia, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, India and the Philippines are all found along the regions of the
Belt and Road Initiative.
“Since the new programmes
started, BFSU now covers all languages
in Asean countries,” said Sun
Xiaomeng, dean of the School of Asian
and African Studies, adding that the
university is working toward offering
degree programmes in Mongolian and
Filipino.
The School of Asian and African
Studies, founded in 1961, provides 23
language programmes; 16 degree
programmes and seven non-degree
programmes.
The curricula is carefully designed
and has gone through thorough and
repeated reviews by scholars, Sun said,
adding that Mongolia is an important
trading partner with China, but
Chinese have less understanding of
Mongolia than the other way around.
The university will gradually
introduce another 11 less commonly
taught languages, including Georgian,
Armenian and Moldovan.
To nurture interdisciplinary talent,
the school encourages students to take
more than one language programme.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
9
ASEAN+
Highway upgrades to cost $3 bn
GLOBAL
BRIEFS
VN to develop rice
brand
Viet Nam News
Vietnam is aiming to develop a
Vietnamese rice brand that would
become the world’s leading rice by
2030, according to a project
approved by Prime Minister Nguyen
Tan Dung last week.
The project, to develop a
Vietnamese rice brand by 2020 with
vision to 2030, seeks to improve the
image recognition of Vietnamese
rice and its competitiveness, as well
as expanding market share in the
world market and developing a
national rice brand, in line with
Vietnam’s history, culture and
tradition.
The strategy to develop a
national brand for rice would focus
on two issues: identifying qualityconscious markets, such as the US,
EU and Japan to export high-quality
varieties, and retaining traditional
markets with medium-quality rice.
Specifically, by 2030, 50 per
cent of the nation’s rice is to be
exported under Vietnamese brands.
The national rice brand would be
protected in Vietnam and at least
50 other countries by 2020.
- VIET NAM NEWS
A stretch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, connecting Kon Tum City and Pleiku City in the Central Highlands.
VIET NAM NEWS
Hanoi
NEARLY US$3 billion would
be poured into a dozen road
investment projects across
Vietnam’s Central Highlands by
2020 to promote socio-economic
development in the region, the
Steering Committee for the
Central Highlands has
announced.
The five-year plan, under the
Ministry of Transport, aims to
upgrade and widen a total of
1,380km of the national highway
network stretching through the
region.
Funding is expected to come
from various sources, including
Government bonds and the State
budget, as well as from investors
under the BT (Build-Transfer) or
the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer)
models.
According to the plan,
National Highways 14, 19, 27, 25,
24, 26, 28, 29, 55, 28B, 40, 40B
and the Dau Giay-Lien Khuong
Expressway will be given priority
in that order, depending on their
traffic density.
The Ministry of Transport will
also map out and build new
routes connecting National
Highway 14C to the Ho Chi Minh
Highway, National Highway 1A
and the Truong Son Dong route,
a key traffic channel in the
Central Highlands, in order to
increase the effectiveness of the
regional road network.
This plan is the latest effort by
the Government to attract infrastructure investment in the
Central Highlands. Upgrade work
on a 553km stretch of the Ho Chi
Minh Highway crossing the
region is expected to be completed next month.
The ministry was also
attempting to push investment in
rail routes that link the region to
big ports located along the
coastline from the northern central region down to the south.
Upgrade work at Lien Khuong,
Buon Ma Thuot and Pleiku airports would be undertaken to
meet the influx of investors and
tourists visiting the region, said
the ministry.
The latest five-year plan is a
follow-up to major regional road
upgrades that took place from
2012 to 2015 with an estimated
cost of more than VND33 trillion
($1.5 billion) on six national
highways and 216km of road.
Officials said the Central
Highlands transport network had
promoted trade between provinces within the region and beyond,
while ensuring national security
and improving the lives of local
ethnic minority people.
Firms urged to make Asean focal point of growth plan
THE STAR
The private sector should take
the lead in pursuing an Asean
growth strategy to become true
Asean multinationals, said
Maybank Kim Eng Group chief
executive officer John Chong.
“The policy makers have put
the building blocks and framework in place. The call goes out
now to companies to make the
region a focal point of their
growth plan and pursue an
Asean-centric strategy,” Chong
said at Maybank’s inaugural
Invest Asean Vietnam conference. He added: “Asean’s time
has come. Doing business in this
region is no longer about biding
your time until suitable opportunities come along, but about
being a frontrunner and making
your mark on the young, impressionable, up-and-coming Asean
consumer.”
Data released by Maybank in
February at their Cap 10: Asean
CEO Summit in Kuala Lumpur
showed that Asean companies
were not yet taking Asean as
seriously as the rest of the world.
A survey was quoted whereby
80.9 per cent of non-Asean companies polled had a strategy oriented around the Asean region,
while the figure among Aseanbased companies was lesser at
55 per cent.
Speaking about Vietnam,
Chong said the country had the
potential to be the next “global
factory”, given its economic stability and structural reforms initiated by the Vietnamese government.
“We are very positive on the
Vietnamese economy, which we
are expecting to grow at over 6
per cent this year. And we think
the development of the Asean
Economic Community (AEC) as a
single marketplace will further
solidify Vietnam’s position as the
region’s manufacturing hub.”
He said the country is com-
petitive, connected to the global
supply chain and has a growing,
young educated workforce.
Vietnam’s foreign direct
investment (FDI) inflow is now
over 5 per cent of its gross
domestic product (GDP), the
highest in the region.
Chong said with FDI helping
stronger exports, particularly in
the higher value-added technology sector, what was a current
account deficit was now a surplus. He said Maybank Kim Eng’s
economics team expected this
surplus in current account to
continue, noting that in the last
five years, export from Vietnam’s
electronics sector had jumped
five times, overtaking textiles as
the largest export segment.
He added that Vietnam’s manufacturing sector had grown to
about US$170 billion in annual
turnover as at end-2014, and was
now exporting to over 80 major
countries.
“With per capita GDP crossing
the $2,000 level, there is greater
discussion of Vietnam transitioning from a factor-driven economy
to an efficiency-driven one. In
this new stage, companies and
production processes need to get
more efficient and product quality needs to improve to keep up
with rising wages. In this exciting
phase, there needs to be continued investment in education,
technology and infrastructure.
The financial and capital markets
need to develop and deepen in
order to facilitate this growth,” he
said.
Chong said Maybank Kim Eng
had been in Vietnam for the last
seven years, with eight branches
and a staff strength of over 250
and is the top foreign-owned
stockbroking house and investment bank there.
It is planning to raise its capital invested in its Vietnam business to $50 million in the next
two years, from $40 million at
present.
Indonesia fails to
comply with EPA
Indonesia currently fails to
comply with an economic
partnership agreement (EPA) with
Japan by not lowering part of tariffs
on cars imported from Japan to the
levels agreed upon, The Yomiuri
Shimbun has learned.
The Japanese government plans
to ask Indonesia to fulfil its
obligations under the EPA during
talks in Tokyo on Wednesday and
Thursday. Under the bilateral EPA,
which became effective in 2008,
Indonesia agreed to lower its tariff
on Japanese cars with engine
displacements of 1,500cc to
3,000cc to 20 per cent between
2013 and 2015 and to 5 per cent in
2016 and beyond.
However, the tariff was 28.1 per
cent in 2013, 25.3 per cent in 2014
and 22.5 per cent in 2015.
- THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN
Steel firm starts
construction in Laos
A ground-breaking ceremony to
construct a steel making factory,
belonging to SDS Group Co Ltd,
recently took place in Khammuan
province.
The company plans to invest
around US$30 million with 75 years
of concession period, aiming to
produce a variety of steel products
to supply the demands of domestic
consumption and export to other
countries.
The factory is located in the
Khammuan Specific Economic Zone
near the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship
Bridge that links Khammuan
province in Laos and Nakon
Phanom province in Thailand. A
total area of 1,035 hectares will be
used for the construction of the
factory which will be able to
produce about 500,000 tonnes of
steel per day. The construction is
slated for completion at the end of
this year.
According to the local authority,
the factory is one of the province’s
priorities to promote investment in
the specific economic zone.
- VIENTIANE TIMES
LIFESTYLE
Four paintings
sold at auction
in aid of Nepal
Pyae Sone Nay Win
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Four paintings were put up for
auction from May 18 to 23 to raise
funds in support of quake victims
in Nepal.
A paper art painting by artist
Htwe Aung Lwin and three
paintings by artist Chaw Su Htwe
were up for auction via Lynn Whut
Hmone’s Facebook account.
The opening bid for Htwe
Aung Lwin’s painting started at Ks
30,000 (US$30) and Ks 10,000
(US$10) each for Chaw Su Htwe’s
paintings.
“Ma Lynn Whut Hmone told us
that she’s seeking donations for
the Nepal earthquake victims and
we wanted to participate with our
own artistic skills.
I’m planning to auction off
another painting. I will donate all
the proceeds from the auction,”
said Htwe Aung Lwin.
“I have been collecting
donations by auctioning off items
on a [Facebook] page. Ko Htwe
Aung Lwin said he wanted to
participate so we organised this
art auction programme.
If other artists want to donate,
we will continue to hold such kind
of auctions.
The proceeds from the
auction will be added to the
donations to the Red Cross’s
relief efforts in earthquake-hit
areas in Nepal,” said Lynn Whut
Hmone. The auction winners were
announced on May 24.
10
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Michelle Yeoh to grace
‘Memory’ filmfest
At the festival, she will be
joined by French actress
Catherine Deneuve, Hong Kong
actress Cheng Pei-Pei,
Singaporean actress Marrie Lee,
French director Olivier Assayas
as well as local veteran actresses
Swe Zin Htike, Khin Thida Tun,
Nwe New San, and director ‘Thin
Thin Yu.
Gilles Duval and Séverine
Lin Lin Khaing
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Famous Malaysian actress
Michelle Yeoh, best known for
her roles in the 1997 James Bond
film “Tomorrow Never Dies” and
“The Lady”, is expected to attend
the third edition of the Memory
International Film Heritage
Festival at the end of this month.
Wemaere, co-directors of the
Memory Film Festival, said the
festival aims to open a window
into the past for a better understanding of the present world.
The film festival kicks off at
Naypyidaw Cinema on Friday at
4pm for a run through June 7. Up
to 50 classic films released
between 1906 and 1978 will be
screened at the film festival in
accordance with the festival’s
theme “Women”.
Screenings of silent films will
be accompanied with live music
by Ito and his band, Laurel Art
Academy, and German pianist
Pierre Ozer and Katharina
Brandl.
Discussions on women will
also be held. Admission is free.
All are welcome.
EMG
Yangon hosts Radio Asia Conference Korean boy band BTS set
Singer Zaw Paing is among the artists to participate in the ABU
Radio Song Festival 2015
Su Hmuu Naing
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Representatives and musicians from 26 countries converge
on Yangon today for the Radio
Asia Conference and ABU Radio
Song Festival 2015 that runs until
May 30. Since 2012, the AsiaPacific Broadcasting Union
(ABU) has been organising the
Radio Asia Conference and ABU
Radio Song Festival. Myanmar is
the third host country after South
Korea and Columbia.
“The Radio Asia Conference
and the ABU Radio Song Festival
2015 are aimed at emphasizing
different cultures and views of
each country in the Asia-Pacific
region. Another aim is to
exchange knowledge and experi-
ence about technologies and
broadcasting programmes in
relation to radio broadcasting,”
said Myint Aung, director of
Myanmar Radio and Television
(MRTV).
“This is the third time to host
these events and the first time
for Myanmar to host them.
Myanmar delegates attended the
events when they were held in
South Korea and Columbia.
Rising musicians who compose
and play their own music usually
perform at the [ABU Radio Song
Festival]. We have arranged for
some local popular singers to
perform at the festival to entertain and attract the audience,” he
added. A total of 96 people from
26 countries and 120 media representatives from Myanmar will
attend the Radio Asia
Conference.
The ABU Radio Song Festival
2015 will be held at the National
Theater on May 29. Musicians
from South Korea, Malaysia,
Brunei, Maldives, India,
Indonesia, Pakistan, and
Singapore will share the stage
with local singers including Zaw
Paing, Ni Ni Khin Zaw, Ah Moon,
Jewel & Eastern, Ko Linn, Myo
Min Oo, Min Thike Di, and May
Ingyin Thaw.
The festival is open free of
charge to the general public.
to thrill Yangon fans
Bangtan Boys, the acclaimed Korean boy band, looks set to
perform in Myanmar next month.
Htet Shine
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Popular South Korean idol group
Bangtan Boys (BTS) and R&B artist
Ailee will perform at a K-pop concert
in Yangon on June 16 to celebrate the
40th anniversary of diplomatic ties
between Myanmar and South Korea.
The ‘2015 K-pop Concert Live in
Yangon’ will see the group sharing the
stage with N-Sonic and A.KOR
“We originally planned to hold the
concert in January, but it had to be
postponed many times due to a
rumour that Big Bang planned a
concert in Myanmar in March. The
rumour have caused us many delays,”
said Oh Han Baek, chief executive of
Han Baek, the concert’s organiser.
Up to 10,000 tickets costing
between Ks 50,000 (US$50) to Ks
200,000 (US$200) are available from
Lotteria, BBQ Chicken, and YKKO
branches in Yangon, Mandalay, and
Nay Pyi Taw. “You can say this
concert mainly focuses on BTS. They
will perform eight songs. Compared to
the VIP tickets from the 2NE1 and
4Minute concerts, they are not very
expensive. A third of the proceeds
from the concert will be donated to
orphanages,” he added.
Han Baek organised Myanmar’s
first K-pop concert last year. This
concert will be their third.