1. law, govt and politics
2. law enforcement
3. police

R
EPA
PE
BUSINESS: KS 3 TN BUDGET DEFICIT IN SIGHT ✪5
First INDEPENDENT English daily
www.elevenmyanmar.com
THURSDAY, Januray 29, 2015
INSIDE
Education minister bows
to students’ demand
NATIONAL
Education Minister backs down, agreeing to amend the controversial education law amid heightened protest
Kachin Red Cross
Association to provide aid
to IDPs
✪2
BUSINESS
CHD Bank offers home
loans at 13 per cent
interest
✪5
EPA
ASEAN+
Without education, some Myanmar workers earn a living by carrying baskets loaded with gravel.
MYANMAR ELEVEN
UNION Education Minister Dr
Khin San Yi said measures would
be taken to amend some provisions of the National Education
Law following protests against
the law by students across
Myanmar.
Parliament also recently
announced that the education
ministry is due to submit a bill to
amend the education law for parliamentary discussion.
A coordination meeting on the
law’s amendment took place on
Tuesday with comments by the
deputy speaker of Union parliament, Lower House deputy
speaker Nanda Kyaw Swa,
Education Minister Khin San Yi,
Deputy Education Minister Dr
Zaw Min Aung and chairmen and
members of parliamentary committees.
The amended version will be
discussed in the Union parliament.
Since the law came into effect,
students across the country have
publicly protested the centralisation of the education system,
called for the elimination of the
National Education Commission
and the Higher Education
Coordination Committee and
demanded freedom to form student unions. They also demand
the insertion of all-inclusive education into the law and the development of ethnic minority cultures and literatures.
The Union parliament passed
the education law last September
with 46 per cent of the provisions
made by parliament and 54 by
the education ministry.
A major protest was hosted in
November. Another one started
on January 20 by dozens of students who were displeased with
the government’s inaction. They
started marching from Mandalay
to Yangon to demand changes to
the education law. As they have
passed the first 100km of the
575-km journey, they have
received overwhelming supports
from villagers.
On Tuesday, when the procession of some 300 people – comprised of students, monks and
other activists – was marching
through the Nanmyint valley,
they were briefly blocked by
Myanmar police.
“We are trying to stop them to
avoid further tension and instability,” government spokesman
Ye Htut told AFP, adding the
strength of the security response
would be down to local authorities.
Fearing another bloody clash,
more than 60 NGOs in Myanmar
urged the government to avoid
using force against the students.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the chairperson of the National League for
Democracy (NLD), said all parties must prepare to compromise on the controversial national education bill.
“One mustn’t take a stance
carelessly. Democracy requires
compromise and negotiation.
The students have raised many
different grievances. I don’t know
how the government and the students reached an agreement. I
did not participate in the drafting
of the bill. I am not on the
national education committee.
But I am interested in this issue,”
Suu Kyi said.
“Compromise is reached
through negotiation in any country. One side can’t solve the
problem alone. All parties need
to prepare to compromise.
Compromise means agreement
made between two people or
groups in which each side gives
up some of the things they want
so that both sides are happy at
the end. It is a basic culture of
democracy,” Suu Kyi said.
“If we want democracy, a solution must be sought through
negotiation. If not, democracy
will not take root in our society. If
both sides have genuine desires
to solve the problem through
negotiation, a solution will be
found. If both sides want to discuss only things they want, a
solution will be impossible,” Suu
Kyi said.
“This matter concerns us all.
The people discussing the matter
must understand the situation
well and must be skilful.
Amendments should be made.
They should not stick to a dogmatic approach in the compromise. By-laws have not been
specified until now. Some said
by-laws are not required. This bill
absolutely needs by-laws,” Suu
Kyi said.
✪ More on Page 4
Indonesia’s search for
AirAsia crash victims
could end in days
✪8
LIFESTYLE
MMPO under fire
✪10
2
NATIONAL
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
Kachin Red Cross Association
to provide aid to IDPs
THE Kachin State Red Cross
Association has pledged to provide humanitarian assistance to
villagers and internally displaced
persons (IDPs) who are trapped
in the Hpakant conflict area, said
Ganic, the First-Officer of the
Kachin State Red Cross
Association.
“We will focus on sending aid
to the people in Kan Hsee village.
We have learned that there are
1,459 people there. We will
administer aid on a family basis.
We don’t know the exact number
of households. The aid includes
household utensils and used
items for women. The Relief and
Resettlement Group and the
Kachin State Government provided dry-noodles and 50 bags of
rice. If in needed, the aid will be
sent there. We will also be collecting the lists of victims. Road
conditions may be difficult. The
state government urged the army
to open the sections of the road
that are blocked,” said Ganic.
On January 15, clashes
between the Myanmar Army and
Kachin armed groups took place
in the surroundings of Kan Hsee
village in Hpakant region, Kachin
State. About 2,000 locals from
three villages sought shelter at
the pagoda compound and local
monasteries. When the skirmish-
A Kachin State Red Cross
Association aid convoy of
lorries to war-torn area of
Hpakant Region.
es ended about 10 days later, the
army restricted the movement of
villagers. Locals were only
allowed to go outside their shelters individually, according to the
locals.
“The Kan Hsee road has not
opened yet. The government
troops sent aid to those who are
trapped in conflict areas. They
troops also allowed the [villagers] to move about individually
or in groups of two people after
security checks. We have learned
that the issue about the IDPs was
discussed at the Kachin State
government office on January 26.
At night, the security is tightened
up in downtown Hpakant. Most of
the businesses can’t do their
work,” said township elder La
Hsai from Hpakant.
After three policemen were
arrested by the Kachin
Independence Army (KIA), skirmishes broke out between KIA
and army.
Due to the clashes, sections of
the road to Hpakant Township
were closed for about one week,
leaving hundreds of villagers
trapped. The KIA informed local
companies to shut down the jade
industry. At present, some jade
companies have resumed their
work.
Army officers involved in massive illegal smuggling attempt
MYANMAR ELEVEN
A captain and a sergeant
from the Myanmar Army were
alleged of having involved in the
smuggling of over 10,000 bags
of ammonium nitrate, which can
be used to make explosives.
In the illegal convoy consisting of 17 lorries were also various
illegal electronic items worth
over Ks 2.5 billion, according to
the anti-smuggling mobile
enforcement team.
The smugglers used the
Military Import Form (MI Form)
to transport illegal items from
China to Myanmar. The MI Form
was found to have been misused
in Muse by the captain and the
sergeant from the Eastern
Command.
The two officers were apprehended at the Naungcho checkpoint on January 24, and they
are being investigated by the
North-East Command, said officials from the mobile team.
The mobile team refused to
give the number of the brigade
to which the army officers belong
but said they have been taken to
their respective headquarters to
face justice in accordance with
the rules and regulations of the
army.
This is the third time illegal
chemicals have been seized
while being smuggled into
Myanmar, the mobile team said.
President Thein Sein organised a central committee for the
prevention and control of illegal
trading in 2012 and the mobile
teams are now inspecting goods
at airports, seaports, roads and
border trade areas. In total, they
seized illegal goods worth of over
Ks 5 billion between the 20112012 and 2013-2014 fiscal years.
This seizure had the largest
volume and highest value of any
illegal import attempt to date in
Myanmar. The mobile teams
have seized almost Ks 6 billion
worth of illegal goods in the
2014-2015 fiscal year.
Fighting along the border
weakens Myanmar’s inspection
capacity and allows the smuggling of illegal products in and
out of the country.
Earlier this month, over 100
Chinese nationals were arrested
for illegal logging.
This week, more Chinese citizens have been arrested and
4,529 logs were seized in
Waimaw, Kachin State, according
to officials from the state’s
Forestry Department.
“We made more arrests.
Another eight Chinese nationals
were arrested along with a seizure of 4,529 logs which were
due to be smuggled. We also
seized 11 logging vehicles,” said
an official from the department.
“The process to classify the
types of the logs and tonnage is
now under way. We are making
more searches,” he continued.
With support from government
troops, the authorities arrested 132
Chinese citizens and 19 Myanmar
nationals from January 2 to 6 in
Waimaw for illegal logging.
A new operation led to the eight
further arrests, the forest officials
said.
The Chinese nationals are
being held in Kachin and will face
legal action.
Interrogation found that they
entered Myanmar annually to
smuggle timber out of Kachin
State.
A military aerial surveillance
operation in early January led to
the arrests.
The official seizures included
one backhoe, two cranes, 436 logging trucks, four passenger vehicles, two double cabs and nine
motorbikes.
EMG
Tun Lin Aung
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Myitkyina
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
3
National
4
Same budget
for defence
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The Ministry of Defence plans to
spend 33 per cent of its 2015-2016
budget on defence operations, said
Defence Minister Lt General Wai
Lwin.
The ministry hopes to win a
budget of Ks 2.75 trillion in the fiscal
year, including a sum of Ks 137
billion reserved for the pay hike.
Of total, 58 per cent would cover
fixed expenditure, 9 per cent to
military infrastructure, 3 per cent
for education and healthcare
sectors and almost one per cent for
elite forces.
He noted that defence activities
involve the procurement of armored
vehicles, fighter jets, heavy guns
and ammunition.
The annual budget for defence
purposes have not been changed in
the past years. It remains one third
of total military expenses.
The minister also noted that for
the next fiscal year, it originally
asked for only Ks 2.612 trillion
(excluding the salary increase). This
is Ks 1 billion below the amount
granted in the previous fiscal year,
at Ks 2.613 trillion, he noted.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
Police under investigation
on mine protester’s death
Soe Moe Tun
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Monywa
A team led by Police Brig-Gen
Khin Maung Win from the
Myanmar Police Force
Headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw has
begun investigating the head of
the Sagaing Region Police Force
and other officials in light of the
death of Khin Win from Moegyo
Pyin Village, who was shot during
the conflict between police and
local protesters at the
Letpadaungtaung Copper Mine
on December 22, 2014.
“Two police colonels, including Police Brig-Gen Khin Maung
Win, are now conducting an
investigation at the Myoma
Police Station in Monywa
Township in Sagaing Region. The
investigation team arrived at the
station on January 25. The
inquiry began the next day. The
[team] won’t only investigate the
head of the Sagaing Region
Police Force. They will also inves-
tigate the officials who were on
duty during the conflict. I think
the investigation period will take
about one week,” said a police
officer from the Monywa District
Police Force.
“We haven’t heard anything
about the current investigations.
In recent days, we went to the
Salingyi Township Court to file a
lawsuit over Khin Win’s death.
However, the court dismissed our
lawsuit. We will appeal to the
higher courts and the parliament
in cooperation with the Lawyers’
Network if the township or district courts do not accept the
case,” said Khin Win’s nephew.
The Myanmar National
Human Rights Commission
released a statement on January
14 saying the clashes occurred
as the local people found themselves confronted by a line of
police. People on both sides were
injured due to the police squad’s
poor management of the situation. The police did not use water
cannons or tear gas to disperse
the crowd, which would have
been in line with conventional
riot control techniques.
The commission has urged
law enforcement bodies to take
action against the police officers
who did not follow protocol.
Khin Win’s death has sparked
a series of protests, including
several in front of the Chinese
Embassy in Yangon.
Last week, activists who led a
protest in front of the Chinese
embassy in Yangon on December
29 were refused bail.
Nay Myo Zin, Naw Ohn Hla,
Sein Htwe, Tin Htut Paing, Lay
Lay, Than Swe and Mya Nu were
arrested on December 30 and
charged under six sections of the
Penal Code of Myanmar.
Lawyers representing the
activists said that the court
should rethink the lawsuit as the
detention of activists without the
court’s arrest warrants amounts
to violating human rights.
The state prosecutors objected
to it as the accused would have
no rights to get bail under section
505 (b).
“The authority has filed a lawsuit against them with section
505 (b) as they don’t want to
grant bail. The police needs to
seek arrest warrants from the
court to arrest them in accordance with section 505 (b). But
now they are being charged under
different sections,” said lawyer
Robert San Aung.
“We will start a strike in the jail
if the authorities refuse to grant
bail. We will rebel against the current rule of law. We strongly
believe that the government is
trying to use the dishonest ways
to kill us in jail in place of peaceful methods,” said Nay Myo Zin.
The government usually takes
a tough line on Letpadaungtaung
protests staged at the Chinese
embassy.
On December 10, 2013, Naw
Ohn Hla, Tin Htut Paing, Aung
Soe and Sithu were prosecuted
for setting fire to the Chinese
flag.
AGENCIES
More than 60 NGOs in Myanmar
Tuesday urged the government to
avoid using force against students
marching from Mandalay to Yangon to
demand changes to the education
law.
The students were demanding
talks on amendments to the National
Education Law. These included the
establishment of independent student
and teacher unions, changes to exam
and entrance requirements at
universities, the introduction of ethnic
languages, and a modernisation of the
national syllabus.
“We found the education law is
very undemocratic and restricted
students’ rights. According to it, we
can’t form a student union, and we
have to stay away from politics,” said
Ye Yint Kyaw, a spokesman for the All
Burma Federation of Student Unions.
According to Ye Yint Kyaw, while
some of the student leaders would
discuss with the authorities over the
law amendments, the rest would
continue marching to Yangon.
The 60-day period for negotiation
declared by students has expired and
students have resumed their protest
against the law that was signed by
President Thein Sein late last year.
As some students started
marching from Mandalay to Yangon,
students from other parts of the
country have also carried out protests.
On Monday night, police
surrounded a monastery compound in
Myin Chan township where the
students were staying the night but no
violence was reported.
On Tuesday, Myanmar police briefly
blocked the path of a major student
protest march.
Student activism is a potent
political force in former junta-run
Myanmar, with young activists at the
forefront of several major uprisings,
including a mass 1988 demonstration
that ended in a bloody military assault
on demonstrators.
The group was intercepted in a
remote rural area in the Mandalay
region, around seven miles (11
kilometres) from the nearest village,
and local police told AFP they had
been asked to send personnel to
reinforce the roadblock.
They added that the group had
been allowed to pass in the early
evening, but did not give a reason.
Activists earlier said that the
situation was tense but calm.
“If we cannot continue we will sit
and continue our protest,” Paing Ye
Thu, a student in contact with the
protesters, told AFP.
Myanmar’s government had
initially appeared wary of acting
against the rallies for education
reform, which erupted briefly in
November and started again last week
when students began a planned
14-day march from the second city of
Mandalay to the commercial hub
Yangon.
But Ye Htut said authorities moved
in response to continuing protests
despite a statement from the
president last week calling for
parliament to rethink aspects of a
controversial new education bill - a
move protesters said fell short of their
demands.
State-backed media Tuesday
reported that some students were
wanted in connection with an incident
at nearby Myingyan Degree College,
where activists removed the national
flag and replaced it with that of the
student protest group.
The students say the new law
curbs academic freedom and want it
altered to include free and
compulsory education until children
reach their early teens, permission to
form student and teacher unions, and
teaching in ethnic minority languages.
EMG
Government urged not to
use force against students
Farmers and military men clash near defence facility.
Farmers clash with troops near Pyin Oo Lwin military school
Min Thant
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Farmers and military personnel clashed on January 27 near
the Pyin Oo Lwin Defence Service
Technological Academy (DSTA)
when soldiers tried to extend the
fence around the facility.
The farmers were previously
allowed to cultivate the land
around the military facility in
exchange for tax fees. The land
had been regarded as a standby
area for the DSTA since 1993.
The extension of the fence cut
into the land being cultivated by
the local farmers.
“Female farmers requested
that the military not extend the
fence. Then, we tried to stop the
building of the fence. They threw
stones at us and beat us with
sticks. Some were injured. One
farmer was seriously injured and
was sent to the hospital,” said
local farmer Chan Thar.
“This land was confiscated in
1993. We got permission to do
cultivation on the land in 1994.
Now they want to extend the
fence. Approximately 350
households are now facing difficulties making a living since we
lost land to cultivate,” a farmer
said.
KYAT EXCHANGE
BUSINESS
Buy
Sell
US $
1,023
1,033
Euro ¤
1,155
1,173
752
764
Singapore $
Source: KBZ Bank
5
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
CHD Bank offers home loans
at 13 per cent interest
MYANMAR ELEVEN
THE Construction and Housing
Development Bank is now offering
loans to home buyers and builders at 12 per cent interest plus a
one per cent service fee.
“We are financing both buyers
and builders. Savings accounts
must be opened at the bank to
apply for a 13 per cent interest
loan. Some purchasing docu-
mentation from both parties
(buyers and sellers) is required
to get a loan approved,” an official from the bank said.
The bank has not put a limit
on loan amounts for individual
borrowers, but it will consider
each borrower’s credit limit.
“Those who are building
homes can apply for equity loans
as well. Property must be used
as collateral. Loan terms will be
between one and three years. We
are not giving out loans to buyers
who are purchasing units that
are listed as having been developed by the government,” the
banker continued.
The banker said that they
know the financing period seems
short, but in the future, when
they work together with foreign
banks for financial assistance,
they promise to provide long-
Lower House
to form
committee
to monitor
ministry
purchases
term loans.
Roughly Ks 1.5 billion has
been lent to borrowers.
The CHD bank, directly supervised by the Ministry of
Construction, was licensed by
the Central Bank of Myanmar
last July in accordance with
financial rules and regulations.
The bank was launched with
an initial capital of Ks 100 billion
(US$103 million).
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Budget deficit to exceed Ks3tn in coming fiscal year
Myanmar will run a budget
deficit of over Ks 3.8 trillion in
the 2015-2016 fiscal year, which
will start from April 1.
In the Union Budget bill submitted to parliament on January
26, the government proposed the
expenditure of Ks 20.83 trillion,
while expecting to generate Ks 17
trillion in revenue in the year.
The 2015-2016 fiscal year is
the fifth budget year for the current government.
“Since taking office, the Union
government has prepared the
Union Budget and the Union
Budget Law in accordance with
the constitution on a yearly
basis,” said Finance Minister Win
Shein.
The government is dealing
with the clearance of local and
foreign debts owed since the time
of the previous government, as
well as new debts. To control the
local debt burden is crucial for an
increased budget deficit. There is
no a balanced budget or a budget
surplus, as the government has to
make strenuous efforts to become
a modern, developed nation,”
said Win Shein, the Union finance
minister.
The minister also stressed the
importance of maintaining the
EMG
MYANMAR ELEVEN
budget deficit at around 5 per
cent of gross domestic product
and the government debt at
around 50 per cent of GDP.
This will help the country
avert any possible financial crisis
that may hamper economic sta-
bility resulting from a huge budget deficit, the minister added.
Upper House Speaker Khin
Aung Myint has criticised some
government ministries for their
irregular budget spending. MPs
from the National league for
Democracy (NLD) party have
also pointed out that annual
budget increases and spending
and more overseas loans during
the tenure of the current government may cause a huge burden
to the Myanmar people.
Wickerwork industry not competitive in global market
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Despite its status as one of
the top producers of rattan and
bamboo, Myanmar’s furniture
production has yet to compete
with its international peers,
according to Myanmar Rattan
and Bamboo
Entrepreneurs Association.
The local wickerwork industry is not competitive, even
among regional rivals, even
though Myanmar is the thirdbiggest producer of unrefined
rattan and bamboo materials
in Asean countries.
Cheap foreign imports dominate the local furniture market.
“Since local furniture production is weak, the customers
A bamboo plantation in Kawhmu.
have no choice but to be content with low-cost foreign
imports. The entrepreneurs will
now focus on supplying furniture for domestic consumption
rather than for the foreign market,” said Kyaw Thu, the chairperson of the association.
Europe is Myanmar’s main
market for rattan and bamboo
exports.
The association runs bamboo plantations of up to 1,000
acres in Taikkyi and Thayawady
and holds training courses for
farming in Kachin State. Experts
from Indonesia and the
Philippines will be invited for
more extensive training sessions in Yangon, Mandalay,
Sagaing and Ayeyawady
regions.
The Lower House of parliament decided on January
27 to form a national supervisory committee to oversee
government ministries’
equipment purchases.
Lower House MP Tin Nwe
Oo of Dagon Myothit (North)
submitted a proposal to form
the supervisory committee
monitor the product sharing
contracts of the ministries of
energy, electric power, mining and information.
“The Ministry of Energy,
the Ministry of Electric
Power, the Ministry of Mines
and the Ministry of
Information signed product
sharing contracts for the
production and sales with
foreign organisations and
companies. Controversial
issues are always appearing.
To deal with these issues, I
submitted a proposal to form
the supervisory committee,”
Lower House MP Tin Nwe Oo
said.
“According to the product
sharing contracts, the government and the concerned
companies must share profits after subtracting the
expenditures and royalties
that are paid to the State.
The State can lose income
due to ambiguous expressions in the contracts.
Paying less royalties can
hurt the income and the
profits of the government.
The State won’t be likely to
acquire appropriate profits,”
Tin Nwe Oo said.
“Under the guidance of
the State, the product sharing contract must serve the
interests of the people. If a
controversial issue appears
in the ministries, the national supervisory committee
should handle it instead of
settling it among the ministries,” Tin Nwe Oo said.
In response to a reporter’s question as to whether
the supervisory committee
has the right to supervise
the ministries, Tin Nwe Oo
replied that the purchase of
machines must come with a
warranty.
“Quality must be guaranteed for machines bought by
ministries. The committee
must monitor these points,”
he said.
Business
6
BIZ
BUZZ
Ks 160 million
in illegal
imports
seized this
month
MYANMAR ELEVEN
During the three weeks from
January 1 to 21, mobile inspection
teams confiscated Ks 160 million
(US$160,000) worth of illegal
imports from border hubs to China
and at the Techilek checkpoint at
the Myanmar-Thailand border.
Frozen meats, milk powder,
coffee, water bottles, beverages,
chicken-food, Ovaltine, tomato
sauce, canned fish and betel
chewing ingredients were among
the seized merchandise.
Electronic devices, mattresses
and a CRV Motor loaded with
fossils were also confiscated. The
majority of the smuggled goods
have come from China.
The Mong Phyat forest
department has also cracked down
on illegal wood loggers and seized
hazel wood timber.
Most of the illegal trade is
conducted through passenger
buses, but some smugglers have
begun using trains. Chinese beers
and betel chewing ingredients
worth Ks 100 million were seized at
Yangon Central Railway Station this
month.
Between April and December
2014, over Ks 3 billion worth of
smuggled merchandise, including
jade pieces, gold chunks, forest
products, handsets, computers and
accessories, were seized along
various trade routes.
The value of illegal contraband
confiscated during the 2013-14
fiscal year amounted to Ks 6
billion, according to the Customs
Department.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
Economic growth driving development
of construction industry
VIENTIANE TIMES
THE growth of Special and
Specific Economic Zones (SEZs)
in Laos has paved the way for the
construction of modern urban
structures in Laos, according to a
Singaporean company.
The developments referred to
include the Laos-Myanmar
Friendship Bridge across the
Mekong, slated for completion in
2015, and multibillion-dollar
infrastructure projects such as
roads, high-speed railways and
hydroelectric dams.
Foreign investment coming
mainly from China, Thailand and
Vietnam has contributed significantly to the country’s remarkable economic growth in recent
years, according to a handout
from Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd distributed ahead of a construction
industry trade show titled
‘BuildTech Yangon’.
There are many large construction projects in Laos, especially in Vientiane, including
Special Economic Zones, apartments, condominiums and offices for rent, shopping centres, golf
courses, five star hotels, new
urban precincts, and modern car
parks.
There are between 700 to 800
investment projects in Vientiane,
which are mainly funded by private investment in Specific and
Special Economic Zones, general
businesses and government land
concessions, according to the
Vientiane Planning and
Investment Department.
Company Chairman Chua
Wee Phong noted on the handout
that the CLMV countries Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and
Vietnam - are expected to grow
at a robust pace over the medium term until 2018.
“We are seeing greater interest from building and construc-
tion industry players to bring the
latest technologies and innovative solutions and seek new business partnerships at BuildTech
Yangon this year,” he said.
BuildTech Yangon, a trade show
for the building and construction
development sector, will take
place in Myanmar from April 2 to
4.
The trade show is a chance for
Lao businesses to have a closer
look at the current market place,
as well as emphasise its position
in Myanmar and other countries
in the CMLV region, the handout
noted.
It will feature the latest construction machinery, and new
materials as well as electrical
and mechanical equipment from
more than 150 companies
around the Asia-Pacific region.
Companies who are industry
leaders in Asean have confirmed
their participation.
The trade show is projected to
host some 4,000 industry professionals including architects,
engineers, surveyors, contractors, developers and investors.
The event will have a series of
business seminars and networking sessions to foster knowledgesharing and drive the adoption of
building and construction technologies.
It aims to serve construction
development with a focus on
infrastructure, residential and
commercial buildings, transportation, manufacturing and trading.
It is an important platform for
the building and construction
industry to equip local professionals with the necessary
knowledge and training to excel
in the field, especially in areas
such as high-rise construction.
BuildTech Yangon aims to
drive the adoption of new technologies and building materials
that will elevate construction
industry standards and workforce skills, and hasten the further development of key infrastructure, new homes, factories
and satellite towns over the next
few years.
MYANMAR ELEVEN
Loikaw
The Ministry of Electric
Power plans to upgrade the No
2 Baluchaung hydropower plant
with Japanese aid, according to
Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA).
JICA agreed to provide
US$67 million for the aged
machinery of Baluchaung
hydropower plant, which was
built in 1954 by the Japanese
government as war reparations.
The Baluchaung hydropower
plant was extensively upgraded
with an ODA loan from Japan in
1980.
“JICA is mostly helping in
the electricity generation sec-
tor, and they promised to lend a
hand to regenerate Baluchaung
No 2 hydropower plant. The
upgrade process is expected to
be complete in 2016,” said
Senda Kanako, a representative
from JICA.
Japan is providing technological aid to Myanmar’s electricity generation sector and is
also assisting with the design of
a national electricity master
plan.
Only 26 per cent of households in Myanmar have access
to electricity, which is the
smallest proportion among
Asean countries, according to
officials from JICA quoting data
released by the Ministry of
Electric Power.
EMG
Japan agrees to
rehabilitate
Baluchaung No 2
hydropower plant
No.2 Lawpita hydropower plant in Loikaw Township
ASEAN+
7
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
‘Red Shirt’ leader handed
2-year prison sentence
Agence France-Presse
BANGKOK
Malaysia in
on China’s
Silk Road plan
The Star
KUALA LUMPUR
The Nation
A Thai court Wednesday sentenced the leader of the opposition Red Shirt movement to two
years in prison for defaming a
former premier, a move analysts
said was the latest attack against
critics of the military regime.
The ruling comes days after
the retroactive impeachment and
announcement of corruption
charges against ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose
toppled government was backed
by the Red Shirts before May’s
army coup.
The court convicted Red
Shirts chairman Jatuporn
Prompan on two counts of defamation against former royalist
prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
during speeches he made in
October 2009.
“The verdict is two years in
prison without suspension,” a
court official told AFP.
Jatuporn’s lawyer Winyat
Chatmontree confirmed the sentencing, saying his client - who
was accused of defamation for
holding Abhisit responsible for a
crackdown against protesters in
2009 - would not be imprisoned
until the conclusion of his
appeal.“The court has approved
bail, after this we will submit an
appeal,” he told AFP.
Anti-coup voices - including
lawmakers from Yingluck’s former ruling Pheu Thai party, academics and students’ groups have been silenced after the
army outlawed political gatherings, briefly summoned dissenters and censored the media.
The once mighty Red Shirts
have gone to ground with
Jatuporn one of their few public
faces, back on the small screen
after the junta lifted a ban on
political TV channels despite his
Jatuporn Prompan arrives at the Bangkok court.
every word coming under close
scrutiny by authorities.
The firebrand leader has
swapped his once rabble-rousing
rhetoric for cautionary language,
urging followers against taking to
the streets after last Friday’s
decision against Yingluck.
Jatuporn, a former Pheu Thai
MP, has faced a slew of court
cases in recent years. In August
2013 he was cleared of slandering Abhisit in a separate probe.
Thailand analyst David
Streckfuss told AFP Wednesday’s
ruling was the latest attempt to
quash any opposition to the military regime. “It seems to be part
of a larger plan by the Bangkok
establishment to silence and
force aside their vocal critics,” he
said, adding it was rare for someone to face jail time over criminal
defamation, with suspended sen-
tences more common.
Thailand’s long-running political conflict broadly pits
Bangkok’s middle-class and royalist elites, backed by parts of
the military, against rural and
working-class voters loyal to
Yingluck’s older brother and former prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra.
Parties led by or aligned to
Thaksin, who lives in self-exile to
avoid jail for a corruption conviction, have won every election in
Thailand since 2001.
Streckfuss said the recent rulings against Yingluck and
Jatuporn pointed to a “step-bystep dismantling of the Red Shirt
and Pheu Thai leadership”.
“They are attempting to weaken the infrastructure of prodemocracy forces ahead of when
an election is eventually held,”
he said.
Junta chief and premier
Prayut Chan-O-Cha has said the
army takeover was necessary to
end months of political unrest
that left nearly 30 people dead.
He initially said fresh polls
would be held around October
this year, but the appointed government’s officials have since
said an election will be delayed
until at least early 2016.
Yingluck’s impeachment by a
junta-stacked parliament has
seen her face an automatic fiveyear ban from politics. She had
already been forced out of office
in a controversial court ruling
before the military’s coup.
The same day she was
impeached, prosecutors
announced corruption charges
that could see her face a decade
in jail.
Singapore forms Cyber Security
Agency after world hack attacks
Agence France-Presse
Singapore’s government will
set up a new agency to
strengthen cyber security,
Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong’s office said Tuesday,
amid more reports of high-profile hacking incidents worldwide.
The Cyber Security Agency
of Singapore, to be established
on April 1, “will provide dedicated and centralised oversight of
national cyber security functions,” Lee’s office said in a
statement.
The creation of the new
agency follows a string of
attacks on Singapore government portals, including the
websites of the office of the
prime minister and the president in 2013, as well as other
hacking incidents around the
world.
In neighbouring Malaysia,
the website of Malaysia Airlines
was commandeered Monday by
hackers who referenced Islamic
State jihadists and claimed to
be from the “Lizard Squad”, a
group known for previous denial-of-service attacks.
There have also been other
recent cyber attacks around the
world, including one on the US
Central Command’s Twitter
account this month and on
Hollywood studio Sony Pictures
last year.
The agency, which will work
closely with the private sector,
will be involved in “strategy and
policy development, cyber security operations, industry development and outreach,” according to the statement.
Minister for Communications
and Information Yaacob Ibrahim
will be put in charge of cyber
security, it said.
Last year Yaacob said the
city-state was upgrading its
Cyber-Watch Centre, allowing it
to track malicious activities and
respond swiftly when there are
security breaches.
He said the government was
working to increase the number
of homegrown cyber security
experts by partnering with local
universities that offer specialist
degrees.
Malaysia’s recommendations
for the 21st Century Maritime Silk
Road economic belt have been
incorporated in China’s outline of
the plan, said transport minister
Liow Tiong Lai.
Liow, who met his Chinese
counterpart Yang Chuantang for a
bilateral meeting in Beijing on
Monday, said that Malaysia’s
recommendations had been
incorporated into the outline.
“China will be sharing the final
version of the outline with Asian
ministers, in particular those from
Asean countries,” said Liow in a
statement made available here
yesterday.
Liow said that Malaysia’s
proposal was made during the
bilateral meeting on the sidelines
of the 20th Asean Transport
Ministers Meeting in Myanmar in
November.
The 21st Century Maritime Silk
Road would involve the
cooperation of all countries along
the route and more than 50
countries had expressed their
support for the initiative, he said.
China’s proposal to build a
21st Century Maritime Silk Road is
aimed at exploring the unique
values and concepts of the
ancient road and actively
developing economic partnerships
with countries situated along the
route.
It is a global initiative that
pursues win-win results through
cross-border cooperation.
Liow said that the Silk Road
initiative would strengthen
connectivity between China and
the Asean nations and support
economic growth and trade
activities within the region.
The project will focus on
building roads, railways, ports and
airports across Central and South
Asia.
An overland route will pass
through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
and Iran en route to Vienna in
Austria; and a maritime route will
be from Chinese ports to
Belgium’s Antwerp.
The initiative also serves as an
opportunity for Asean countries to
speed up the plan to establish the
Asean Economic Community.
Liow said he also took the
opportunity during the meeting to
reiterate that the search for MAS
Flight MH370 remained a top
priority for Malaysia.
To date, four specialised
vessels had been deployed for the
underwater search, he said.
ASEAN+
8
GLOBAL
BRIEFS
Military helicopter
crash kills 4 in
Vietnam
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
Indonesia’s search for AirAsia
crash victims could end in days
Four Vietnamese military
personnel were killed when an air
force helicopter crashed during an
exercise on Wednesday, the army
said, in the second such accident in
seven months.
The United States-made UH-1
helicopter went down in a suburb of
Ho Chi Minh City and all those on
board were killed, said LieutenantGeneral Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief
of the staff of the army.
“We are investigating the cause
of the crash,” Tuan told Reuters,
adding that no civilians were
affected.
- REUTERS
The problem of stateless people,
including the Bajau Laut or sea
gypsies, must be resolved jointly by
Malaysia, Indonesia and the
Philippines, Indonesian ambassador
Herman Prayitno said here.
He said the matter of stateless
people affected three governments
and involved human rights issues.
“We cannot just throw these
stateless people, such as the Bajau
Laut, from one place to another,
especially when they enter our
countries,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the
Asean foreign ministers retreat,
Herman voiced optimism that
maritime border issues between
Malaysia and Indonesia could be
resolved.
He said the Indonesian
government decided to strictly
enforce its maritime border
regulations because it wanted to
protect the country’s resources and
sovereignty.
- THE STAR
Hanoi opens drug
rehab centres
Two rehabilitation centres
offering the methadone treatment
method for drug addicts were
opened at the HIV/AIDS Prevention
and Control Centre and Hospital 09
in Ha Noi yesterday.
The new centres are part of the
city’s plan to launch 11 treatment
facilities to accommodate 8,500
people by February this year, said
Nguyen Khac Hien, director of the
municipal department of health.
Infrastructure facilities,
equipment procurement and staff
training are also part of the
programme’s priorities, Hien added.
In 2014, as many as 2,300 drug
addicts were treated with the
methadone method in six local
centres, helping them to reintegrate
with the community.
Currently, Hospital 09 cares for
nearly 400 HIV/AIDS patients who
are receiving antiretroviral (ARV)
therapy. Roughly 70 to 80 per cent
of the patients are former drug
addicts and are struggling to follow
the strict treatment schedule.
The new facilities will help
ensure the effectiveness of the
treatment, while easing the
financial burden on HIV patients
and their families.
- VIET NAM NEWS
EPA
Jakarta wants joint
approach with M’sia
on stateless folk
The Chief of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), Bambang Soelistyo (C) speaks to journalists,
accompanied by several relatives and his staff in Jakarta.
Agencies
JAKARTA
Indonesia’s search for dozens
of victims still unaccounted for
from last month’s crash of an
AirAsia passenger jet could end
within days if no more bodies are
found, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
The Airbus A320 vanished
from radar screens in bad weather over the Java Sea on Dec. 28,
less than half-way into a twohour flight from Surabaya,
Indonesia’s second-biggest city,
to Singapore. All 162 people on
board were killed.
Indonesia’s civilian National
Search and Rescue Agency said
it would scour the sea for bodies
for at least another week.
“Within one week we will eval-
uate (our search) depending on
the result,” agency chief
Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo
told reporters. “If we can find one
or two more bodies, that means
we have the opportunity to prolong the operation.”
The military withdrew from
the search on Tuesday, apologising to the victims’ families for
not being able to do more after a
month of work.
A multinational search and
recovery operation has found 70
bodies in the Java Sea and had
hoped to find more after finding
the fuselage of the plane. But
days of rough weather and poor
underwater visibility hampered
navy divers’ efforts.
“The fuselage is no longer
intact and it’s fragile like crackers after a month in the sea, so
it’s very difficult to lift it,” armed
forces chief General Moeldoko
said.
Many divers had to be hospitalised for serious decompression sickness after spending
days in the sea, the military said.
Divers have recovered both
the cockpit voice recorder and
flight data recorder from the sea
floor. Investigators say they have
yet to start their analysis of the
aircraft’s two “black box” flight
recorders and have been compiling other data for the inquiry.
Indonesian Transport Minister
Ignasius Jonan has said that,
based on radar data, the plane
had climbed faster than normal
in its final minutes, and then
stalled. Investigators have found
no evidence of foul play.
Officials said yesterday that
Indonesian investigators submitted a preliminary report on the
crash to the International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“It has been sent to ICAO but
won’t be made public,” said
Nurcahyo Utomo of the National
Transport Safety Committee.
ICAO requires a preliminary
report within 30 days after an air
accident, he said.
The report contains general
information, such as the number
of passengers and details on the
aircraft, but not an analysis of
data from the flight recorders, he
said. Flight QZ8501 was en route
from Surabaya, Indonesia, to
Singapore when it crashed into
the Java Sea on December 28,
killing all 162people on board. A
total of 70 bodies have been
found.
Road accidents in Vientiane increasing
Vientiane Times
The number of road accidents
in Vientiane has already gone up
as all the different villages in and
around the city celebrate their
traditional festivals.
Chief of the Vientiane Traffic
Police Department Lieutenant
Colonel Youttaphong
Souvannasing told Vientiane
Times yesterday that road accidents are happening more often
at the moment because many
areas in Vientiane are involved in
traditional celebrations.
From January 19-25 there
were 44 road accidents in the
capital. Of those involved, 28
people were slightly injured, 36
were seriously injured and 10
were critically hurt while seven
died at the scene.
Some 37 vehicles sustained
minor damage, 45 were moderately damaged and surprisingly
only three were written off,
according to the figures.
Most of the accidents took
place in Xaythany, Chanthabouly,
Hadxaifong and Sisattanak districts and most of the critical
injuries and fatalities occurred in
the evening to around midnight,
when the number of drunken
drivers is known to go up.
Lieutenant Colonel
Youttaphong Souvannasing said
the majority of accidents in
Vientiane involved drunk driving
or general violations of the traffic
rules. Most of the accidents happen because people drive at high
speed, sometimes when drunk,
and the drivers are unable to
control their vehicles.
In the past the police have
only been able to check for sobriety on the road at important festival celebrations because they
had insufficient equipment to do
more.
They will seek further budget
allocation from the Traffic Police
department of the Ministry of
Public Security to obtain more
and better equipment to be more
effective in the future.
However, the police are concentrating on re-educating
offenders who commit general
violations of the traffic rules and
are demanding that people not
drive when drunk and observe
the traffic regulations at all
times. According to one official
report, 873 people were killed in
road accidents nationwide in
2013 while unofficial reports indicate that more than 1000 people
lost their lives on the roads in
Laos in 2014.
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
9
ASEAN+
“Zombies” haunt Vietnam’s
trade bonanza bid
Nguyen Nam owns an engineering services firm in Ho Chi
Minh City that pays no taxes nor
any salaries. The flip side is it
earns no revenue either.
Nam calls it a “zombie”, a
familiar term in communist
Vietnam, where the government’s
priority of luring foreign multinationals and resuscitating its own
inefficient firms has left small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) in dire straits.
Small enterprises are a vital
link in Vietnam’s aspirations to
become a global manufacturing
dynamo as the country gears up
to sign a slew of international
trade deals, but many of these
firms are uncompetitive, poorly
managed and sunken by debt.
A record 67,800 companies
were shut last year - 60,737 in
2013 and 54,277 in 2012 - in an
astonishing run of closures.
“It’s really a waste,” said Nam,
34, who laid off staff as margins
shrank. “It hurt, because it’s
like...your own child and if you
find it dying, you’ll feel very sad
about that. That’s exactly what I
felt.”
SMEs make up nine-tenths of
local companies, but firms such
as Nam’s, survive only in name,
accounting for millions of dollars
in unpaid loans and taxes.
It’s a headache for the state,
which injected stimulus of $9 billion to rescue firms in 2009, with
limited success. Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung has said
Vietnam’s half-million companies
are too few and too weak to compete, even at home.
Vietnam is climbing out of a
half-decade slowdown but manufacturing and exports of the $184
billion economy are largely driven by multinationals and stateowned energy and textile firms.
Supportive industries are
Reuters
Reuters
HO CHI MINH CITY/HANOI
Dam Viet Sinh works with a made in China quilting embroidery machine.
woefully weak and few firms have
the capital or expertise to join a
supply chain for resident giants
such as Samsung Electronics Co
Ltd, LG Electronics Inc Microsoft
Corp and Intel Corp.
Such weaknesses could
expose Vietnam as it braces for
an influx of investment once a
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
is agreed that will slash tariffs
among 12 countries worth 40
percent of global GDP, including
Japan and the United States.
A European Union trade deal
and an integrated Southeast
Asian market coming soon are
also putting Vietnam on the
radar of investors drawn by tariff
perks, infrastructure improvements, cheap labour, tax breaks
and political stability.
However, the government has
a lot more to do to win over foreign firms, which have invested
an average $11.3 billion a year
since 2010.
“SMEs’ limited knowledge of
the market become even more
limited amid deeper integration,”
said former central bank governor Cao Si Kiem, now chairman
of Vietnam’s SME association.
That strain is showing in the
$138 billion retail market, where
weak spending has hurt local
shops, compounded by expansion of operators keen to exploit
the fast-swelling middle class,
among them Aeon Co Ltd,
Robinson Department Store and
Lotte Shopping Co Ltd.
What irks business owners is
that SOEs, notorious for graft
and wastefulness, account for
half of Vietnam’s credit and
many non-performing loans but
still get preferential treatment.
Nguyen Son has a publishing
firm in Ho Chi Minh City that has
published nothing since 2011.
He says he paid a bribe to get
a loan - with interest at more
than 20 per cent. “For ordinary
people like me, it’s very difficult,
but for big businessmen with
support from authorities, from
politicians, it’s easy,” he said.
There are scattered signs of
hope though.
Vietnam’s textile factories are
punching above their weight and
could eclipse China in TPP mar-
kets. Last year, it shipped $31 billion of garments and footwear,
including a tenth of the world’s
shoes.
And as firms close in their
droves, new ones are also setting
up - 74,842 last year and 76,955
in 2013.
Key to their survival, according to former government adviser
Le Dang Doanh, is a shift in the
state’s priorities to building a
domestic business bedrock.
“We’re excessively chasing
after foreign firms...we can’t
industrialise on the basis of foreign firms. We cannot say our
brand is Samsung,” Doanh said.
“Vietnamese firms will have to
reform and change direction very
strongly.”
S’pore, British banks to collaborate in promoting use of the yuan
The Straits Times
Banking players from
Singapore and Britain have
pledged closer cooperation in
efforts to boost the use of the
yuan in their financial markets.
They will work on raising
their clients’ awareness of yuan
market developments and
launching more yuan products,
among other steps.
The commitment comes following a dialogue involving representatives of 16 financial institutions from both countries held
at the Grand Hyatt yesterday
and hosted by the Association of
Banks in Singapore (ABS).
“These areas of collaboration
will support the continued
growth of the RMB business in
Singapore and London as well
as strengthen their status as
leading offshore RMB centres in
Asia and Europe,” said ABS
chairman Samuel Tsien, who is
also the chief executive of
OCBC.
The RMB or renminbi is
another name for the yuan.
Offshore yuan trade has been
identified by both Singapore and
Britain as a new area of growth
and demand is growing.
A survey commissioned by
ABS showed firms that now settle 32 per cent of their overseas
trade in yuan expect the figure
to rise to 42 per cent in two
years.
About 66 per cent also forecast they will be using three or
more offshore yuan products in
six months, up from 40 per cent
who do so now.
The survey of 52 companies
mostly based here was conducted last month and this month,
with about half of them active in
Britain. United Overseas Bank
head of group transaction banking So Lay Hua said in a statement: “At UOB, we have seen a
threefold increase in the number
of (yuan) accounts opened by
companies since Singapore
became a (yuan)-clearing centre
in 2013.”
Standard Chartered
Singapore head of transaction
banking Motasim Iqbal also
noted in a statement that yuan
volume from Britain to
Singapore rose from US$765
million in 2013 to US$25 billion
last year, presenting huge
opportunities for cooperation.
Singapore became the first
offshore yuan-clearing centre
outside Greater China in 2013.
Since then, China has been
rapidly ramping up its yuan
internationalisation efforts, signing deals to launch yuan-clear-
ing banks in Canada,
Switzerland, Malaysia and
Thailand in the past three
months.
Foreign exchange trading of
the yuan in London, meanwhile,
hit $25.3 billion a day in 2013,
up 50 per cent from 2012.
Even though Singapore will
no longer have the monopoly of
being the only Southeast Asian
nation to have such facilities,
with Malaysia and Thailand
coming on board, analysts noted
the outcome is not necessarily
negative.
Vina Cheung, the global head
of yuan internationalisation,
global payments and cash management at HSBC Asia Pacific,
said at a briefing yesterday that
competition could enlarge the
pie.
“The promotion of the currency will greatly increase the
local financial activities denominated in RMB, so it’s... a new
volume of business activity
which has never existed in the
past.”
Clifford Lee, head of fixed
income at DBS, said: “The most
important takeaway of the forum
is that the market may have
wrongly focused on potential
competition among clearing
centres, instead of concentrating
on working together to each be
a relevant part of the overall offshore RMB market.
“There are essentially two
RMB markets - offshore and
onshore - there cannot be multiple offshore RMB markets.”
The dialogue came about
after British Chancellor of the
Exchequer George Osborne visited Singapore in February last
year and both sides agreed to
enhance financial ties.
LIFESTYLE
10
MYANMAR ELEVEN, Thursday, Januray 29, 2015
MMPO under fire
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The 19-member executive
board of the Myanmar Motion
Picture Organisation voted to reelect Lu Min as chairman for a
second term yesterday.
“We have re-organised the
executive board today. All of the
positions were selected through
a voting system,” said Aye Kyu
Lay, one of the vice-chairmen of
the MMPO, adding: “Some positions have three candidates, but
selection was based on a vote.”
The executive members have
of late attracted criticism from all
sides because the same old
members have been re-elected to
the executive board for a second
time – so has their chairman.
After the MMPO became a
non-governmental organisation
in 2012, it pledged to hold an
election of new executives every
two years. The executive board
consists of 19 members, themselves professionals representing
the 10 layers of the film industry:
editor, actor, scriptwriter, producer, director, technician and cameraman.
Each layer sends five to 10
candidates to run in an election
to find new executive members.
Only two from each of the layers
are elected to the executive
board in a vote by members of
the MMPO. This year the producer layer sent one candidate. The
executives then elect chairman.
The election of the MMPO’s
executives was held for three
days from January 22 to 24. The
point is despite a low turnout of
MPO members on the voting day,
the vote went ahead, the results
were announced and the new
executive board was formed yesterday.
“The number of voters was
significantly low. One of the rea-
The new executive board of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation chiefly consists of the
same old members.
sons is lack of trust in the
Election Commission. [The members] are not active anymore,”
said film-maker Wyne, one of the
candidates in the election who
failed to be elected [as an executive member].
“I believe the Election
Commission should have held
the election only after gauging
the desire of the members. The
majority of the members did not
participate in the election. By
looking at this [MMPO] election,
I’m really worried about the
upcoming national election.
These people are experts in vote
rigging. If people are fighting for
power in a mere NGO like the
MMPO, I’m worried about how
they would cheat in the election
where the highest position in the
country will be elected,” he
added.
Although the MMPO this year
invited all of its members to submit their candidates, the number
of candidates was markedly low.
This resulted in many of the
incumbent executives, including
chairman Lu Min, being re-elected. Lu Min himself once claimed
that he was not interested in running for election for the top post
again, which he eventually did
“for the sake of the film
industry”.“I only decided to enter
the election after thinking about
it carefully. Even though this contradicts my earlier announcement in the media not to enter,
and though I have been criticised
for backtracking, I’m not doing
this for my personal benefit. I
believe the organisation still
needs me,” said Lu Min.
Myint Oo Myint, who voted in
the executive scriptwriter race,
said: “I’ve come to cast my vote
because I want to see new executives that will benefit the film
industry. I don’t know why the
same people have been re-elected.”
“They are doing this just to
have a position in an NGO.
People who don’t attend meetings and don’t do anything have
been re-elected. I’m sad that the
people who would actually lift
the standards of the film industry
have not been elected. There
have been mistakes made by the
previous executives. That’s why
we don’t have any hope for the
MMPO and the future of the film
industry,” he said.
Kyaw Lin Tun from Shwe Sin
Oo Video Production also
expressed his disappointment
with the election.
“I don’t know why they are
pining for these positions. The
eligible voter list is debatable. In
our [video] department alone,
only six people voted out of 60
eligible voters. That’s only 10 per
cent. We need to see whether
they will confirm this or not,” he
said.
The MMPO and the Election
Supervisory Commission that
oversaw the election have been
plagued with accusations of the
lack of transparency. Their critics
denounced the exclusion of technician awards at the [Myanmar]
Academy Awards last month.
When the MMPO underwent a
structural reform in 2012, Zin
Wine was elected as chairman
while Lu Min served as vicechairman of the organisation.
Caught in a storm of protest from
the film industry, Zin Wine
resigned his post, citing ill
health, and Lu Min took over as
chairman.
Some members of the
Election Commission requested
that the electoral decisions be
revised in case less than 50 percent of the MMPO’s members
cast their vote. Their proposal
was turned down and the election has been held ever since
under the existing rules and regulations.
“I didn’t go to the election. I
didn’t cast my vote. The voters
have already been persuaded.
We are waiting to see what they
will do with the results and act as
necessary,” said film-maker
Maung Myo Min (Yintwinphit).
Human Rights
filmfest to tour
Natmaukt
MYANMAR ELEVEN
The Human Rights Human Dignity Traveling Film Festival is to be mounted in Natmauk next
month to celebrate Bogyoke Aung San’s centenary.
The Human Rights Human Dignity
Travelling Film Festival will be held
from February 12 to 13 at Sutaungpyae
Payagyi monastery in Natmauk, the
birthplace of Bogyoke (General) Aung
San to mark the centennial of his birth.
“We will screen finished episodes
from the Bogyoke biopic at the film
festival [with the rest of the film still in
the works as a result of budget
constraints].
We will also screen award-winning
entries from the Human Rights Human
Dignity Film Festival as well as those on
the shortlist,” said Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi,
director of the film festival.
Plans have been made to screen a
teaser of the much-anticipated
Bogyoke Aung San’s biopic at the
tribute programmes and entertainment
activities to be held in various cities in
each state and region in the run-up to
Bogyoke’s centenary, which falls on
February 13. The teaser will also be
broadcasted on TV and uploaded on to
YouTube as well.
The traveling film festival will
feature international documentaries,
award-winning films and shortlisted
films from the 2nd edition of the
HRHDFF.
The film festival has been touring
across the country, stirring up interest
among provincial film buffs.