Heartbeat of the nation

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DAILY EDITION

Test ISSUE 1 | TuesDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

Journalist
says police
have stolen
Facebook
account
Wa Lone
walone14@gmail.com
A FREELANCE photojournalist arrested last week for posting a satirical
message on social media has regained
his freedom but not control of his
Facebook account. U Aung Nay Myo,
37, yesterday accused police of having
changed the password on his account
and posted messages purporting to be
from him.
He was arrested at his home in
Monywa early on February 27 for posting a satirical image on Facebook that
employed a poster for a 1970s movie,
Kunlon 40 Days, but added pictures of
Myanmars current and former leaders, including President U Thein Sein
and former senior general Than Shwe.
Police planned to charge him under
the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act.
However, he was released on March 2
after three days in custody.
Shortly before U Aung Nay Myos release a message was posted to his Facebook account apologising for the earlier
post. But he told The Myanmar Times
that he had not written it, and the message was deleted later in the day.
U Aung Nay Myo said he gave SB
officers his Facebook and Gmail passwords while he was being interrogated
and they had changed the password.
The police took my Facebook password and they havent given back [the
account] yet, he said, adding that he
had asked SB to give him back control
of the account.
U Aung Nay Myo said police had
seized all his electronic devices, including his computer, mobile phone,
memory sticks, hard disks and even
CCTV cameras.
The alleged misuse of U Aung Nay
Myos Facebook wall by police drew
strong criticism from journalists and
his Facebook friends.
U Myint Kyaw, the head of the
Myanmar Journalist Network (MJN),
said police had deliberately violated
the privacy of a citizen and damaged
his dignity.
Monywa police could not be
reached for comment yesterday.

Students chant and wave flags at police from inside a monastery in Letpadan township, Bago Region, on the morning of March 2. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

Police and students in

standoff at monastery
Students say they will give police two days to end blockade of monastery in Letpadan and
clear way for planned march on Yangon to protest against the National Education Law. news 3

2 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

President warns China over Kokang

Guy Dinmore

UN calls for
immunisation
to continue

Lun Min Mang

PRESIDENT U Thein Sein has warned

China not to encroach on Myanmars
sovereignty, as the two sides discuss the
crisis on their border following three
weeks of fighting with ethnic Chinese
rebels in the Kokang area.
I stress here that I will not tolerate
any country or group infringing on the
sovereignty of Myanmar, the former
general said in his monthly radio address on March 1, referring to clashes
in the Kokang Self-administered Zone.
Both the Tatmadaw and the rebels
have sustained heavy casualties since
fighting broke out on February 9, and
tens of thousands of ethnic Chinese
have fled across the border into Yunnan province.
U Thein Sein said the two countries
had discussed the conflict, although he
did not disclose at what level the talks
had taken place. Myanmar and China
would cooperate according to the five
principles of peaceful coexistence, including the understanding that neither
would allow the use of its territory to
damage the interests of the other.
Statements from both sides indicated they had reaffirmed the general principles underpinning their close relationship, but had not reached concrete
agreements over the Kokang conflict.
Responding to reports and accusations from the Tatmadaw that the rebel
Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) is getting support
from inside China, a senior Chinese official denied rumours that local authorities in Yunnan were involved in
the conflict.
No organisation or person using
Chinese territory would be allowed to
undermine the China-Myanmar relationship and stability in border areas,
Kong Xuanyu, head of the foreign ministrys Asia department, was quoted
as saying by the official Xinhua news
agency on the evening of March 1.
The conflict has had an impact on
Chinas border control and social security, Mr Kong said, referring to the influx of refugees estimated by unofficial
sources to number up to 100,000.

Tatmadaw troops patrol the road between Kunlon and Laukkai. Photo: Zarni Phyo

Mr Kong said China has called on

relevant parties to achieve a nationwide ceasefire through peace talks.
President U Thein Sein has declared
martial law and a state of emergency in
Kokang while the government has rejected calls by the rebels for a ceasefire.
Declaring that the government is
truly committed to a negotiated end
to decades of conflict with various minority groups, U Thein Sein confirmed
that the governments Union Peacemaking Work Committee and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team
would resume talks in mid-March.
However, the Myanmar Peace Center, which is facilitating the talks, said
the government would probably bar
the MNDAA from taking part, even
though the Kokang issue was expected
to be discussed.
A member of the NCCT confirmed
to The Myanmar Times that the March
12-16 meeting would discuss the fighting in Kokang but that the three armed
groups involved the MNDAA, the Arakan Army (AA) and the Taang National
Liberation Army (TNLA) would not
be allowed to attend.
The three rebel groups have criticised the government for refusing to
open talks. In a joint statement released on March 1 they said they supported talks aimed at reaching a nationwide ceasefire agreement but that
the government had resorted to force

instead of dialogue.
They also accused the military of
committing war crimes and human
rights abuses in the area of Laukkai, a
charge dismissed last week by the director of the Presidents Office as rebel
propaganda.
The MNDAA is led by Pheung Kyashin, an 85-year-old warlord who was
ousted from the region in a Tatmadaw
offensive in 2009 and is reported to
have spent some of the last six years in
China regrouping his forces.

I will not tolerate

any country or
group infringing on
the sovereignty of
Myanmar.
President U Thein Sein

Official Myanmar media are painting a picture of normality returning to

parts of Kokang, including the main
town of Laukkai, which has seen some
of the heaviest fighting. The reports appear aimed at encouraging people to
return to their homes despite accounts

by human rights groups of looting and

killing of civilians by Tatmadaw forces.
The government denies the allegations.
Laukkai is said to have returned to
normal as the army is making endeavours to secure the area, the state-run
Global New Light of Myanmar reported, quoting army newspaper Myawady.
One volunteer organisation last
week released pictures said to be of its
workers in Laukkai collecting the bodies of 11 civilians and cremating them
on pyres of wood and tyres. Some had
their hands tied behind their backs.
The MNDAA has warned refugees
on the border that it is too dangerous
to return, while China is not publicly
urging them to go back.
While the bulk of Kokangs ethnic
Chinese inhabitants appear to have fled
east to China, more than 10,000 local
government employees, such as teachers, as well as sugar plantation workers mostly non-Chinese have sought
safety deeper inside Myanmar.
Despite reports of people returning, an official at a centre for displaced
people at Mansu Shan monastery in
Lashio told The Myanmar Times that
the 500 inhabitants there did not feel it
was safe to return. If the government
is making life return to normal and
the army is endeavouring to secure the
area, then why are the people fleeing?
This is funny news, Ma Mee said.
Additional reporting by Ye Mon

Two United Nations agencies are

calling for a national immunisation program to resume in Shan
States Kokang region, despite
ongoing violence that has
claimed more than 130 lives.
Clashes that erupted in
northeastern Shan State on February 9 between the Tatmadaw
and the Myanmar National
Democratic Alliance Army have
displaced at least 30,000
locals and also interrupted the
countrys largest vaccination
program to date against rubella
and measles.
The World Health Organization and UN Childrens Fund
(UNICEF) said there was an
urgent need for immunisations
to resume in Kokang, where
35 percent of children remain
at risk of the potentially deadly
diseases.
Viruses do not know borders
and do not discriminate. Conditions must be re-established for
immunisation teams in Laukkai
to resume their work as soon
as possible, Bertrand Bainvel,
UNICEFs representative in
Myanmar, said in a statement
issued last night.
The statement said temporary truces had been called
in other countries to enable
immunisation campaigns to take
place. Myanmar had reached a
95 percent coverage rate before
the vaccinations were disrupted
in Kokang.
The exceptional commitment by the Myanmar society
over the last weeks to protect
children from debilitating
diseases such as measles and
rubella is leading to exceptional
results. Yet, we must reach to
every child, said Dr Jorge Luna,
WHO representative to Myanmar.
Laignee Barron

Workers defy government pleas,

threats to end wage rise protest
Kyaw Phone Kyaw
k.phonekyaw@gmail.com
UP to 1200 striking workers from factories in Yangon are refusing to reel in
the picket lines and return to work, according to a government official.
The remaining strikers rejected a
proposed modest increase to daily wages, U Htin Aung, the deputy minister of
labour, employment and social welfare,
said in a speech yesterday.
Most of the initial strikers have already returned to their factories after
accepting a K300-a-day (US$0.30)
bump in pay that will bring their daily
earnings up to K700 ($0.70).
Just over 2880 workers of the original 3803 have accepted the compromise, according to U Htin Aung.
On January 28, thousands of workers from the Red Stone, Costec, E-Land
Myanmar and Ford Glory garment factories, as well as the Tai Yi shoe factory,
began picketing.
The labourers list of demands varied by factory, but all were unanimous
in seeking a K30,000-a-month pay
increase.
Police beating, arrests and negotiation offers have failed to sway nearly
1200 labourers who continued their

campaign yesterday outside the E Land

Myanmar garment factory of Shwe Pyi
Thar township, according to figures
provided by the workers.
We need more negotiations, said
Ma Aye Sanda Win, a labourer from
Costec garment factory in Shwe Pyi
Thar township.
The government and the employers are cooperating to cheat. They told
the media that the labour protests are
over. That is absolutely wrong. We still
strike, she said.
According to Ma Aye Sanda Win,
those who accepted the K300-a-day pay
rise did so under duress and were not

KYAT

300

Per day pay increase that almost

3000 workers from five factories
have accepted from their employers,
according to the government

satisfied with the increase.

Some of them are afraid of the February 20 arrests by police. And the rest
were thinking about living costs, she
said.
In addition to the pay rise, the protesting workers are also demanding the
release of two labour union leaders and
an activist who allegedly lead the rallies
and are facing charges of public disturbance. The trio will head to court for
arraignments later this week.
Deputy minister U Htin Aung encouraged a swift end to the strike, and
called on workers to head back to the
factories for the health of the economy.
No negotiation gets 100 percent approval. If the result is acceptable to you,
you should agree, he said.
Another official took a more threatening stance, however. U Zaw Aye
Maung, deputy chair of the Yangon
Region labour affairs negotiation team,
warned protesters that if they did not
call off the picket the government could
issue an order under section 144 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure that would
ban public assemblies, marches and
speeches, and impose a 6pm curfew.
Labourers said last night that they
plan to continue the strike until their
demands are met.

www.mmtimes.com

editor: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

News 3

BIRD FLU

Two people wait

on test results after
H5N1 outbreak
One person has already been cleared of infection but
results for two more are expected in coming days
Shwe Yee Saw Myint
Phyo Wai Kyaw
Hlaing Kyaw Soe
Pyae Thet Phyo
newsroom@mmtimes.com

Students gather behind the entrance to Aung Myae Beikman Monastery in Letpadan on March 2. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

Police swoop in to
stop student march
Students say Bago Region minister for security and border affairs reneged on
a promise to allow them to peacefully resume their march toward Yangon

Mratt
Kyaw Thu
mrattkthu@gmail.com

STUDENT protesters and police were

locked in a tense standoff last night
at a monastery in Bago Regions Letpadan township, after the authorities
moved in early yesterday to stop them
from resuming a march on Yangon.
Leaders of the group of students,
which set out from Mandalay on January 20 for Yangon to protest against
the National Education Law, announced last night they would leave
Aung Myae Beikman Monastery within two days, regardless of whether police allow them to pass.
The students halted the march on
February 18, giving parliament until March 1 to enact their proposed
amendments to the law. However,
last week the Amyotha Hluttaw announced that it would hold consultations on the amendment bill from

March 5 to 15.
Student leaders met Pyidaungsu
Hluttaw Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann
on February 27 in a last-ditch effort to
avert a potential confrontation with
the authorities, who have warned
the students against entering Yangon
Region.
However, they emerged from the
meeting without a clear timeline on
when parliament would approve the
bill.
As they prepared to resume their
protest on March 2, however, almost
1000 police moved in at 8:30am,
blocking them from leaving the monastery 30 minutes later as planned.
One of the groups leaders, Ko Nanda Sit Aung, said yesterday that the
authorities had reneged on an earlier
promise to let them march.
We met with the [Bago Region]
minister for border affairs [on March
1] and agreed that we could resume
marching peacefully, without shouting slogans in the cities, and the police
would not be there, he said. But in
the morning, they blocked us at the
gate holding guns.

At 9:30am, border affairs ministry officials arrived at the monastery

gate and announced that the minister wanted to negotiate with the
students.
Minister for Security and Border
Affairs Colonel Thet Tun spoke to student leaders for about 20 minutes, but
the talks did not yield any result.
He told students during the discussion that he understood their promise
at the March 1 meeting to proceed
peacefully to mean they would call
off the protests.
But now this morning you students started marching. Thats why
the police are here, he said in the
meeting.
The students asked whether they
would be arrested if they left the monastery and started marching, but the
minister did not respond.
Further talks are likely on March 3.
We have [told] the minister that
we will start the marching on the
morning of March 3 to Tharyarwady
and from there drive to Yangon, said
Ko Aung Hmine San of the Action
Committee for Democratic Education.

HEALTH officials are awaiting

the result of tests ordered in
the case of two Monywa farmers
who may be infected with bird
flu. Three people who reported
with fever symptoms over the
weekend have been tested, but
one has already been declared
negative.
The news comes as the Ministry of Health announced yesterday that all birds in the Monywa
Fowl and Quail Livestock Special
Zone, where the H5N1 strain
of bird flu was discovered last
week, are to be destroyed over
the next few days.
The National Health Laboratory in Yangon is expected to
release the results of the blood
tests in the next one or two days,
health officials said.
Yesterday a person tested
negative for H5N1, but test results are still awaited for the
other men, director general Dr
Myint Hun told The Myanmar
Times yesterday.
Dr Kyaw Naing Oo, deputy director of the Livestock Breeding
and Veterinary Department, said
the blood tests had been ordered
because the men had reported
symptoms of fever. The ministry
had opened a temporary healthcare centre near the outbreak
zone to provide medical checkups, said Dr Kyaw Naing Oo.
As of last night, half the livestock in the special zone had already been destroyed, he said.
Destruction will be complete
within a week, he said, adding
that the government is compensating farmers affected.
The H5N1 virus was confirmed in the zone, in Monywa,
Sagaing Region, after a number
of birds were found dead. More
than 250,000 birds had been destroyed as of March 1.
Dr Htain Linn, chair of Sagaing Regions Livestock Federation, said yesterday that officials
decided to destroy poultry on
farms that were not affected by
H5N1 in order to ensure there
was no recurrence of the disease.
We have destroyed 50 percent of
the poultry so far, and could be
finished tomorrow. We have been
explaining the situation to farm

owners, he said.
He said that there were
150,000 chickens and 500,000
quail in the 134-acre Livestock
Special Zone, and added that
authorities from the Livestock
Breeding and Veterinary Department were checking chickens
and quails in the neighbouring
Monywa Livestock Special Zone.
No infection has been found
there so far.
No humans have been infected to date. The state will provide
financial help to poultry breeders who sustain losses from the
natural disaster fund, and the
Livestock Federation is being
asked to donate money for them.
Once destruction is complete, we
have to wait 21 days and then
cleanse the farms. If the situation is found to be safe, breeding
can resume, said Dr Htain Linn.

We have destroyed
50 percent of the
poultry [in the
Monywa breeding
zone] so far, and
could be finished
tomorrow.
Dr Htain Linn
Sagaing Region Livestock Federation

Sales of chicken have slumped

in Monywa and Mandalay since
the news of the bird flu emerged,
but prices remain mostly steady.
Dr Min Thein Maw, deputy
director of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Departments
Research and Disease Control Division, said yesterday that tests
were still being conducted to determine the source of the virus.
We are still investigating
where the virus came from and
how it entered the country, he
said.
Dr Lyae Naing Oo, director
of the Disease Control Division,
said it would take about three
months to establish where the virus came from and how it got to
the livestock zone.
Translation by
Thiri Min Htun

4 News
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THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

Migrants in Thailand to get

ID cards as deadline looms
Kyaw
Phone
Kyaw
k.phonekyaw@gmail.com

THE government hopes to dole out

more than 640,000 certificates of
identity in a new attempt to legalise
undocumented Myanmar migrant
workers in Thailand ahead of an impending deadline, according to officials from Myanmars Department of
Labour.
Department of Labour director
general U Myo Aung said the Thai government has warned Myanmar workers to get the identity certificates before March 31 or face possible arrest.
The number eligible for the certificate which remains valid for two
years represents just a fraction of the
estimated 3 million Myanmar migrants
who work in Thailand, however.
Only holders of temporary residency cards, known as pink cards, that
were given to migrants during a registration period that ended in October
can apply.
After Thailands May 22 coup, the
newly installed junta began tightening
restrictions on the countrys foreign
labour force, which is largely undocumented. Migrants lacking passports,
residency cards and work permits
were allowed to register for temporary
documents during a June to October
2014 window. In order to extend the
temporary documents, migrants embassies were tasked with verifying
nationality and issuing identification
documents by the end of March.
Of the 1.6 million total migrants
who registered in Thailand by October, more than 640,000 were from Myanmar, according to the Thai Ministry
of Labour figures.
The Myanmar embassy in the Thai

Migrant workers from Myanmar at their home in Chiang Mai last month. Photo: Kaung Htet

capital Bangkok is making preparations

to handle 600,000 applications from
workers and their dependents during
March, U Myo Aung said last month.
The migrant workers will be able to
apply for the certificate in 21 different
cities in Thailand.
Migrants who already hold a national ID as well as a Myanmar household registration document can apply
directly for a passport however, U Myo
Aung added.
Filing an application for the certificate will cost 30 baht (about US$1)
per worker. Those who qualify will be
charged another 400 baht ($13).
However, migrant rights advocates

said the process will not be straightforward because many pink cards contain incorrect information, including
misspelled or incorrect names.
The employers name might be
listed as the brokers name and that
will be the problem as Thai police can
arrest [the migrant] if the real employers name doesnt match, said U
Ko Tun, a coordinator for the Migrant
Worker Rights Network.
U Myo Aung confirmed this would
slow down the process. He said even
the names of migrant workers are
sometimes spelled incorrectly on the
Thai-issued cards.
For example, we spell Myint

Aung, but Thai officials might spell it

Myn Ang. Then we dont know which
spelling to put on the certificate, U
Myo Aung said.
Migrant rights groups said the
system, which follows several earlier
attempts to register undocumented
workers, will make it more difficult to
work legally in Thailand.
The registration policy generally
changes with politics, so it is inconsistent. This time around it is very
bureaucratic and detailed. It makes
migrants and their employers have to
spend time they dont feel they have,
said Brahm Press, the director of MAP
Foundation in Chiang Mai.

No villagers involved in Kachin murders: KBC

Ye Mon
yeemontun2013@gmail.com
NO civilians are suspected in the rape
and murder of two volunteer teachers
in northern Shan State, the Kachin
Baptist Convention (KBC) has stated.
The KBC set up its own inquiry into
the January 19 atrocities in Muse
townships Kaung Khar village.
Reverend Samson Hkalam, secretary of the KBC, told The Myanmar
Times yesterday that his organisation
had already interviewed all the villagers in Khaung Khar and was satisfied
that none had committed or was involved in the case.

Suspicion has fallen on the Tatmadaw, elements of whose 503rd Light Infantry Regiment were stationed in the
village on the night of the murders.
Government investigators told the
KBC on February 20 that DNA samples taken from the crime scene had
not matched with any members of the
503rd Regiment nor any villagers.
We have interviewed 130 of the
villagers, including two who were suspected of involvement by the government investigation team. From their
answers, we know the villagers did not
commit these crimes, said Rev Samson
Hkalam. He declined to provide further
details, saying the KBC would release a

statement about the case soon.

The KBC yesterday wrote to President U Thein Sein saying the case
should be investigated without pressure and haste in order to ensure that
the truth came out and justice was
done through correct legal procedures.
We informed the president that our
investigation team had changed its
name to the Truth-Finding Committee of Kachin Baptist Convention, and
that we believe no villager was involved, said Rev Samson Hkalam.
However, he said the KBC doubts
the DNA test results because they appear to clear Tatmadaw soldiers of
involvement.

A senior member of the government team has also said the villagers
were not involved, and that the team
would release further details of its investigation once it was complete.
But he defended the integrity of
the DNA results. The results were
checked in the chemical examination
laboratory. I dont understand why
[the KBC] doesnt believe the result,
he said.
The rape and murder of the two
volunteer teachers, Maran Lu Ra, 20,
and Tangbau Hkwan Nan Tsin, 21,
sparked widespread outrage and accusations that Tatmadaw soldiers were
responsible.

News 5

www.mmtimes.com

Farmers seek boycott of MPs

who didnt stand up for us
Parliamentarians whom farmers believe failed to help them get back their land could face election backlash

Si Thu
Lwin
sithulwin.mmtimes@gmail.com

ANGRY farmers whose land was

confiscated are urging voters to withhold support from candidates in the
election later this year who failed to
speak out on the issue. A meeting of
about 700 farmers at Mandalays Bayda Institute on February 28 released
a seven-point statement demanding
that the government stop destroying farmers lives and jailing those
who resist or protest land-grabs.
Farmers have lost their land. Its
totally impossible for us to vote for
candidates who didnt stand up for

Our lands have

been seized. If this
situation persists,
there may be
protests.
Daw Myint Myint Aye
Meiktila-based activist

us, U Aye, whose farmlands in Pyin

Oo Lwin have been confiscated, told
The Myanmar Times.
The farmers second point urged
supporters to vote against MPs who
failed to help resolve farmland issues.
A third expressed objections to setting March 2, the anniversary of General Ne Wins military coup in 1962, as
Peasants Day. The remaining points
of the statement concerned proposed
amendments to the Land Utilisation
Bill which, it said, could hurt the interests of farmers. The farmers also
expressed support for the student-led
protest against the National Education Law and called on the authorities
to refrain from violently dispersing
student marchers.
The current situation of farmers
is not easy because their lands have
been confiscated under successive
governments. Without an effective
settlement, the situation could lead to
farmer uprisings, said U Ko Ko Gyi,
of the Facilitator Network for Interest
of Farmers and Labour (FNIFL).
Daw Myint Myint Aye, who works
with the Meiktila Facilitator Network, told The Myanmar Times that
agriculture-related laws introduced
by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, including the Farmland Law, were worse
than earlier legislation.
The Farmers Interest Promotion
Bill and the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Law work for the benefit of

in BRIEF
Man out with mate told wife he
had been abducted by Tatmadaw

A 22-year-old taxi driver from South

Dagon township has been charged
after he told his wife he had been
abducted by soldiers to work as a
porter when he was really just out for
a night with a friend.
The man called late on February 26
and said he had been taken by two soldiers and put in a truck with seven other
people, and that he had been forced to
leave his taxi on Pyidaungsu Road.
His wife and a local official collected
the car. The man arrived home the next
morning and admitted he had been
out with a friend. He has been charged
with causing a public disturbance.

Argument leads to house fire

A man has been charged with causing

mischief by fire with intent to destroy
property after he used petrol to burn
his personal documents following a
fight with his wife. The February 28 fire
damaged a mattress and the floor of
his East Dagon township home. Toe
Wai Aung, translation by Khant Lin Oo

Activists protest in front of Insein

Farmers whose farmlands have been confiscated meet in Mandalay on
February 28. Photo: Si Thu Lwin

the authorities, not the farmers. We

need to amend these laws, she said.
Farmers have no power or weapons. Our lands have been seized. If
this situation persists, there may be
protests, she warned, adding that
government declarations that confiscated lands had been restored
to their previous owners were contradicted by the fact that many
farmers faced trials following land
disputes with the government and

private companies.
Campaigner Daw Win Win Kyi,
from Tangar Myauk village in Mandalay Regions Madaya township,
said more than 600 acres had been
confiscated in her village since 1986.
If there is no land for farmers
to cultivate, the governments goal
of poverty alleviation can never be
met, she said. They are making the
poor poorer.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

About 15 political activists from the

Movement for Democracy Current
Force group protested in front of Insein
Jail in the morning of February 26,
demanding a government amnesty.
Daw Than Than Maw, wife of MDCF
leader U Htin Kyaw, who is serving
more than 11 years jail for leading a
series of protests without permission,
led the demonstration.
We dont want selective release
of political prisoners. There are also
many prisoners who were sentenced
unjustly. They should also be released,
she said. Lun Min Mang

6 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

Commuters and a conductor jostle for space on a crowded bus in Yangon. Photo: Boothee

Yangons next census:

its struggling bus system
aye
nyein
win
ayenyeinwin.mcm@gmail.com

YANGON transport authorities are to

conduct a census of the citys buses.
The Yangon Region Supervisory Committee for Motor Vehicles, usually
known as Ma Hta Tha, will compare
the number of buses officially registered with those actually running, said
authority chair U Hla Aung last week.
Ma Hta Tha is cracking down on
bus lines that switch buses between
routes without informing them, as
required by regulation. Often, the authorities only find out that this has
taken place after an accident occurs.
In early March, in cooperation with the Transport Planning

Department and the Road Transport

Administration Department, we will
analyse buses operating with a business license or a normal licence and
align our records to show the correct
number of buses, said U Hla Aung.
Some buses no longer run on their
registered routes, and others have
transferred to other lines.

We will take action

against any bus line
that has transferred
buses to other routes
without permission.
U Hla Aung
Head of bus regulatory body

We will take action against any

bus line that has transferred buses to
other routes without permission. This
could even result in them being suspended from operating, he said.
Bus owners need to inform both Ma
Hta Tha and the Transport Planning
Department of any routing change,
but sometimes neglect to do so.
Sometimes they inform us, but not
the Transport Planning Department,
so their list is different from ours. We
only find out when we conduct an
investigation following an accident,
said U Hla Aung.
The authority will be telling owners to keep up with the rules or risk
losing their licence. Updated information will help Ma Hta Tha deal
with customer complaints about the
service.
According to Ma Hta Tha records,
there are 6800 buses operating in
Yangon.

Researchers push for law to

criminalise partner violence
Cherry Thein
t.cherry6@gmail.com
VIOLENCE against women should
be dealt with by the law, a prominent
womens organisation is demanding.
The Gender Equality Network says it
will lobby the government to include
all forms of partner violence within
the legislative framework.
Speaking at the launch of the study
Behind the Silence, which details intimate partner violence, GEN director Daw May Sabe Phyu said that
womens organisations would urge
the inclusion of such crimes in the
Myanmar National Prevention of Violence against Women Law now under
discussion.
She said it was essential to integrate violence prevention into national legislation against violence against
women, including gender equality and
the abolition of discriminatory laws.

We need to raise awareness on

gender so that the legislation deals
with the situation correctly and fairly,
she said.
GEN plans to offer awareness
training on gender equality and womens rights to MPs, legal experts and
government officials, as well as within
communities.
The new law has been in preparation since 2013 by government welfare officials and related NGOs, and
is expected to be submitted to parliament in April or May. GEN will
share its study with MPs for their
consideration.
GEN researcher Dr San Shwe said
civil society, government authorities
and international organisations increasingly recognised the extent of
the issue across the country. She said
violence against women was a serious and reprehensible human rights
violation that directly and indirectly

affected the health, livelihoods and

opportunities of women.
Marital rape and intimate partner
violence are considered a private affair
that cannot be discussed. Most women
keep silent for fear of cultural and social stigma, said Dr San Shwe.
The study interviewed 38 women
with experience of intimate partner
violence in Yangon and Mawlamyine.
It also included focus-group discussions with women there and in Magway, Lashio, Loikaw, Labutta and Kale.
Another researcher, Stephanie
Miedema, said the issue should also
be addressed through classes in
school that focus on gender awareness, healthy relationship, and sexual
health and rights. Programs to foster awareness of gender inequalities,
harmful masculinity, relationship
skills and violence against women as
social problem should be encouraged,
she said.

News 7

www.mmtimes.com

Views

Why managing development

in an election year matters
Masahiko
Tanaka
newsroom@mmtimes.com

IN a democracy, an election season is

an exciting time. It is an occasion for
a possible change in policy directions
or a confirmation of continuity. As evidence of the vitality of democracy, passions around elections should be celebrated. But in economic development,
it is also a time to test what transcends
electoral politics a broadly shared
national vision to guide the country
over a long period and sustained commitment to implementing a coherent
strategy to realise such a vision, regardless of who is in the government.
History tells us that the countries that
fail to achieve such consistency fare
poorly in economic development.
President U Thein Sein has articulated a simple but clear vision for Myanmar a prosperous and inclusive
country. Few would disagree with
this notion. Is there, then, a long-term
strategy that Myanmar can embrace,
independent of different political inclinations its people may have? I think
there is, though it has perhaps not to
date been described so explicitly and
debated publicly.
Inclusive development is generally understood to mean a growth
process that benefits all segments of
the population, including the poorest.
In the longer term, however, we must
be concerned with growth that will
steadily take everyone toward decent
and even comfortable living. For that
to happen, the economy must generate
good employment opportunities or
business opportunities if one is more
independent-minded for all. But how
to make such growth a reality is often
not understood well. So, how would
Myanmar deliver it?
Sustained inclusive development
will require many private businesses
to spring up and grow robustly. They
need to be innovative and competitive, and treat their employees well.
They should not rely on exploitation
of cheap labour to make quick money.

Inclusive companies rely on innovation, quality of products and services, and competitiveness. Many are in
manufacturing, but they are also found
in services and agriculture. They value
employees, for their strength derives
from the capabilities of their workers.
Those are the companies that generate
good jobs. Over time they help raise
everyones income, as they move into
increasingly sophisticated and highvalue products and services.
Encouraging vigorous growth of
such companies requires sound macroeconomic management, including
moderate fiscal deficits, a non-inflationary monetary policy and competitive exchange rates. But concerted
government action in three important
areas is also needed: upgrading of key
infrastructure; high-quality education for every child, so that there is
abundance of competent workers to
support both innovation and highstandard production; and a businessfriendly institutional environment,
such as sound laws and effective
enforcement, coherent and effective
business regulations, and availability
of financial services.
Some economies have been very
successful in achieving inclusive development. These include South Korea,
Taiwan, Singapore and Japan before
them, as well as many European countries that industrialised earlier. They
have all invested in these three priority areas. A strong education system is
also critical in making sure that every

An appropriate
strategy for building
a prosperous and
inclusive country
has emerged. What
is important now
is to articulate it
more explicity and
forcefully.

Supporters welcome President U Thein Sein back to Yangon following a foreign

trip in October 2012. Photo: Staff

child can avail themself of good economic opportunities. This is the supply side of inclusion.
One thing that is often overlooked
is an important shift that these countries made in the overall political and
economic framework. In earlier times,
their economies were all dominated by
the strong influence of an elite class.
The ruling social class used its political power to gain special economic
privileges, such as monopoly rights to
produce or sell something, fabulously
profitable public contracts, and tax exemptions. In fact, many companies in
the old days were formed on the basis
of such advantages, and this was the
case in Myanmar too, until recently.
The businesspeople tended to see
such arrangements as the main source
of making profits. By changing that
incentive framework, these countries
were able to channel their best entrepreneurial minds toward innovation
and competition.
It also opened opportunities to
those without political connections or
influence. In a sense, this represents
a democratisation of the economy,
for it took away the exclusive status of
the elite class in the economic world.
When this transformation happened,

and simultaneously the government

invested in the three priority areas
infrastructure, education and institutional environment their economies
were put on a path of sustained and
inclusive growth.
Many other countries have focused
on these three basic areas, but failed to
address this last requirement. Some of
them have managed to generate high
GDP growth for a period, but it was
seldom inclusive. Income inequality
often rose and businesses tended to exploit, rather than value, their workers.
Lacking capacity for innovation, those
countries have tended to get stuck in
the middle-income trap.
In Myanmar, the far-reaching reforms and ambitious investment programs have began to address the three
basic building blocks for an inclusive
economy. More importantly, it has also
taken some early steps toward changing the fundamental economic regime.
For instance, the Myanmar Investment Commission has been re-established to bring more transparency
and rigorous evaluation to the business licensing process, thereby reducing questionable deals. The special
treatment that government-owned
enterprises or government-associated

companies used to receive has been

largely eliminated. It is also reforming
its tax policies and tax collection systems. Very importantly, the president
has stressed the importance of fighting
corruption. Corruption is usually the
flip side of the special deals given to
the business elite. Fighting corruption,
therefore, means closing off such old
ways of making money.
One may ask why we should expect Myanmar to succeed where many
others have failed. Although cultural
generalisation is risky, Myanmars traditional values seem to put the country
in a good position to pursue inclusive
development. Its tradition of honesty
and diligence remains firm; so are the
traditions of valuing education and
strength in basic literacy and numeracy. They will all serve the country well
in moving into high-value economic
activities. Its geographic location is already well recognised as an advantage.
Inclusive development is entirely feasible for Myanmar.
An outline of an appropriate strategy for building a prosperous and
inclusive country in Myanmar has
emerged. What is important now is
to articulate it more explicitly and
forcefully to the public so that everyone understands what additional actions government will have to take to
realise the long-term vision. I believe
such an effort is crucial, as it will ensure that not just the broad vision but
also the basic strategy to achieve it is
owned by the nation and becomes an
enduring and collective commitment.
If that happens, then Myanmar can
go through the year of elections with
more confidence, for at least the fundamental path of economic development will not be easily shaken, no matter what the election outcomes, and it
can expect steady progress toward the
shared vision.
Myanmar may have started its work
on building an inclusive economy late.
If it sustains a sound strategy, and remains mindful of the key question of
transforming the business and political
culture early, its future will be bright.
Masahiko Tanaka is head of the Japan
International Cooperation Agency office in
Myanmar.

8 THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

Business
Showroom
stopped by
grudge

Imported car sales have slowed after a

surprise policy change was announced
in December. Photo: Staff

Car sales trickle in with policy

aye
nyein
win
ayenyeinwin.mcm@gmail.com

APPLICATIONS are trickling in

two months after a surprise policy
change hit automobile importers,
according to experts.
Late last year Yangon officials
began requiring car importers to
have proof of a parking space before
being able to purchase an imported
vehicle, which slowed the industry.
Some townships have been more
reluctant than others to issue the
required paperwork showing proof
of parking.
About 2000 people have now
successfully obtained the paperwork to purchase imported vehicles, though most of them are in
outskirt townships with ample

parking space available, according

to U Soe Htun, chair of the Myanmar Automobile Manufacturers
and Distributors Association.
There are about 2000 purchasers who bought cars with the required letters, but they are coming from the outskirts, including
townships like Thanlyin, Konechankone and North Dagon, he
said.
Growing car imports following
the lifting of import restrictions since
2012 have been blamed for causing
increasing traffic jams in Yangon.
In response, the vehicle import supervisory committee announced on
December 18, 2014, that all imported
vehicles must have places to park following the start of 2015.
There are a few exceptions. Notably, those submitting an old car
to the government and receiving
another import ticket were exempt
from the new parking requirement.
U Soe Htun also said that

he reckons only a few hundred

permits are being granted each
month, from 6000 a month before
the restrictions.
Importers are complaining of being forced to wait up to two or three
weeks to receive the required recommendation letters from township administration officials, causing them

About 2000
purchasers ...
bought cars with
the required letters,
but they are coming
from the outskirts.
U Soe Htun
Auto importer

to slow their orders. Some have also

raised the possibility of corrupt payments being required in response for
the documents.
Others in the industry say it
is possible to use an address in
the more permissible townships,
when really importing vehicles
downtown.
However, an official requesting
anonymity from Yangon Region
government said the requirements
are too strict to allow for any importers or officials to cheat.
Importers now need to show
they have recommendation letters
from YCDC as well as the township
administrations. They need to pass
everything step-by-step. So there
cant be corruption, he said.
U Soe Htun said he is not sure
about the specific methods used
to obtain the recommendation letters, but he only takes cars from
importers that have the correct
documentation.

A CAR showroom owner has accused

local authorities in Mandalay of putting
her out of business because of a personal grudge.
Pyone Myanmar, based in Aung
Chan Thar village on the MandalayPyin Oo Lwin Highway in Mandalay
Region, says it has faced lengthy delays
in extending its business licence.
Daw Thu Thu Khin, managing director of the company, said last week
that Pyone Myanmar had been granted
approval by the Ministry of National
Planning and Economic Development
in November 2013 and its operating licence would expire on March 31.
I had no problems getting a licence
for the first year. But now Im having
difficulty obtaining the certificates I
need to get an extension. Even the ward
administrator told me theyd been instructed by their superiors not to give
me a certificate, she said. I dont understand why they are making trouble
instead of helping me. They seem to be
harbouring a personal hatred against
my company. Daw Thu Thu Khin said
she had complained to the president
and the regional government.
The Pyin Oo Lwin township Settlements and Land Records Department
has filed a lawsuit against Pyone Myanmar under section 35 of the farmland
law on the grounds that the company
opened a car showroom on an 0.6-hectare (1.75-acre) plot before land-use permission was granted. The firm applied
in February 2014 but almost six months
went by before it received any response,
though the process is to take a month
and the firm paid its taxes, she said.
U Chit Tun Aung, head of Pyin Oo
Lwin townships Settlements and Land
Records Department, said Pyone Myanmar had been identified as one of
a number of companies allegedly in
breach of land laws. There is no right
to construct any building during the application period, he said.
Si Thu Lwin,
translation by Zar Zar Soe

BUSINESS editor: Jeremy Mullins | jeremymullins7@gmail.com

Shwe Taung opens

restaurant area of
Junction Square

Falling mineral prices

hit North Koreas
economy hard

business 10

BUSINESS 11

Gold exchange coming

Association experts look to China for inspiration to build central market, though
insiders insist it will not move ahead without support from government ministries

Su Phyo
Win
suphyo1990@gmail.com

THE first major gold exchange

centre in the country is closer
to reality as company plans have
been submitted by a gold industry
association.
The Myanmar Gold and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association
would like to build a market modeled after Shanghai and Hong
Kong gold exchanges, but will
need significant government support to govern the project, said
association secretary general U
Kyaw Win.
We have sent our plans to the
Ministry of Commerce and the
Ministry of Finance, he said. We
need ministry support to draw up
rules and regulations to create
the central gold market.
We cant only do it with the
dealers. If the ministries dont get
involved, we wont be able to do
it, he added.
If approved and given support,
the market will among other features allow for the sale of gold
certificates, removing the necessity of holding the physical precious metal.
The association has formed a
public company to look into developing local interest in the precious metal. Officials from the
Myanmar Gold Development Public Company visited Shanghai and
Hong Kong in January to look at
how their exchanges function.
The study trip resulted in a
written report which is to lay the
foundations for the exchange.
U Kyaw Win said the Shanghai
centre was founded largely under
government control in 1997, with
support of dealers. However, it was

A gold seller holds out the precious metal for inspection. Photo: Staff

relatively unsuccessful until the mid2000s. By 2012, it had become the

main centre of Chinas gold dealing,
accounting for up to 95 percent of
the total trade.
The market is supporting the
country and is one of the largest
Shanghai-based government revenues sources, he said. It has
reduced illegal gold trade and
prevents smuggling, which takes
resources out of the country with
no records or state revenue.
The Hong Kong metals market
has differed significantly in its
history and development from its
Shanghai counterpart.
Its gold and silver exchange
was formed by dealers, and the
rules, regulation and constitution
are likely to be different from the
Yangon exchange, said U Kyaw
Win.
China is the worlds largest
gold producer, and overtook India in 2014 as the worlds largest
consumer of the precious metal.
U Kyaw Win said the Shanghai exchange came partly in an
effort to stop gold from leaving

the country by illicit means by

formalising trade.
Myanmar should do likewise
or it will definitely be like Shanghai in its years gone by, he said.
U Kyaw Win claimed local
dealers are not concerned about
the concept and will buy in.
The market must be reliable,
profitable and trustable if it is to
be a success within a short time
period.
If the market actually works,
people will change from buying
gold on a retail basis to buying
gold from companies and banks,
said dealer U Nay Myo Htet.
People would also rather buy
gold certificates [paper representing gold ownership] rather
than actual physical gold from
dealers, which is a constraint on
current dealers.
Still, U Kyaw Win said it is unlikely that dealers will disappear
altogether in the foreseeable future, adding many are doing business in traditional ways and will
be unlikely to change for the time
being.

Exchange Rates (March 2 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar

Buying
K1150
K307
K755
K31
K1036

Selling
K1165
K308
K762
K32
K1040

Struggle to reach even

extended ASEAN goals
Nyan Lynn Aung
29.nyanlynnaung@gmail.com
MYANMAR has a three-year grace period to meet ASEAN Economic Community targets, but will still meet challenges facing its later deadline, according to
experts.
The ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC) is set to be created at the end
of 2015, but the less-developed CLMV
countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
and Vietnam have until 2018 to enact
a range of reforms aiming at creating
a single market, creating a competitive
economic region, equitable development and an internationally integrated region.
In practice, this means the 10
ASEAN members must remove a range
of barriers on the intra-bloc flow of
goods and services, some of which have
been tough to accomplish.
Myanmar Minister of National
Planning and Economic Development
U Kan Zaw said that while the country
has surmounted many changes, it does

face trouble implementing the AEC.

Of course we need to overcome
the challenges and continue to move
forward on essential elements. We are
trying our best. However, no countries
could have perfect AEC implementation, he said.
Some experts have questioned the
degree to which Myanmar will benefit
from participating in the bloc, even
with the three-year extension to meeting its requirements to lower barriers.
Myanmar cannot catch benefits
when other member countries grasp
its profits, in spite of the implementation period being extended, said U
Tin Cho, Parami Energy Group senior
adviser. He said part of the problem is
the unevenness in which trade barriers
are being lowered inside and outside
the bloc.
Other businesspeople such as U
Moe Kyaw, managing director of Myanmar Market Research Development,
said the AEC may not be enough to reduce poverty and narrow the development gap inside the bloc.

Electricification rate up
aung shin
koshumgtha@gmail.com
THE proportion of people on the
nation-wide grid has increased
slightly to 34.6 percent, from about
30pc when the civilian government
took over in 2011, according to the
Ministry of Electric Power.
Domestic electricity rates have
been among the lowest in Asia, and
it is consistently identified as a hindrance for economic development.
The ministry has attempted to
expedite a range of power projects
including large-scale hydropower,
gas-fired and coal-fired plants, as
well as more innovative projects
such as solar and wind.
Minister of Electric Power U
Khin Maung Soe said that while

2.42 million households had access

to power in 2010-11 fiscal year, the
number has grown to 3.15 million.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a power station at Kyaukphyu
Special Economic Zone, he said
there is still a long ways to go.
We have to force electrification
projects for the next 12 years continuously to [reach our goal of ] 65.4pc
population coverage, he said.
Rakhine State, the site of Kyaukphyu, has some of the lowest electrification rates in the country, but
is the target of ministry investment.
Japan International Cooperation Agency is assisting the ministry with its aim to achieve 100pc
electrification by 2030. Current energy consumption for the country is
around 2000 megawatts.

10 Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

Shwe Taung opens restaurant

expansion at Junction Square
Myat
Nyein Aye
myatnyeinaye11092@gmail.com

SHWE Taung Group has updated

its well-known Junction Square
shopping mall with a restaurant
zone titled the Secret Garden.
Opened on February 28, it is
the companys response to increased interest in finding quality
places to eat in Yangon, said Shwe
Taung Group managing director
Daw Sandar Htun.
We want better places to relax
and have good food in the city,
she said. After customers finish
shopping, they can gather at some
very nice restaurants.
Junction Square opened in
March 2012. It comprises about
286,000 square feet (26,570 square

We want better
places to relax and
have good food
in the city. After
customers shop,
they can relax at
some very nice
restaurants.
Daw Sandar Htun
Shwe Taung Group

IN BRIEF
Viber tries out mobile games

Popular mobile messaging service

Viber has begun offering games for
its local users, according to company
officials. Games including Viber Pop,
Viber Candy Mania and Wild Luck Casino have been available since March,
according to a statement.
The app has become popular for
local mobile phone users, in part
because it works even with slower
internet speeds.
Viber added its 5-millionth user in
Myanmar in August, while claiming a
total of 516 million users worldwide.
The firm is one of many companies
riding the wave of increasing numbers
of mobile users in the country.
Aung Kyaw Nyunt

FMI Air receives certificate

The newest full service airline has received its Air Operator Certificate from
the Department of Civil Aviation.
The certificate allows FMI Air to
transition from a charter operator to
a full-schedule airline and put into
service its own Bombardier jet, a press
release said.
We believe that our aircraft and
customer-oriented service will provide
passengers with a superior travel experience, said FMI Air chief executive
officer Bruce Nobles.
The airline will commence a daily
flight service connecting Mandalay and
Yangon on February 25. Staff

Thai officials push for ISO use

Guests take a first look at the Secret Garden area of Shwe Taungs Junction Square building. The new zone includes 12
restaurants and is located above a car park. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

metres) of space of which 166,00

square feet is retail space on the
corner of Pyay Road and Kyundaw
Street in Kamaryut township. It
also claims about 270 shops and
three cinemas inside.
Shwe Taung is one of Myanmars largest property firms.
The company operates three
other Junction-branded malls in
Yangon and one in Nay Pyi Taw,

with a total of 612,358 square feet

of retail space.
The Secret Garden area sits on
the sixth floor of the parking garage, with about 12 restaurants in
the space. The restaurant brands
include several well-known outlets, such as Fuji Japanese Restaurant, Marrybrown and Shabaushi
Buffet.
The expansion was first

planned in 2013, and was designed

with a garden theme by Thailandbased architects. It connects by
elevator with the Junction Square
food station, as well as the car
parking garage.
Daw Sandar Htun also highlighted the ample parking space
an increasing rarity in Yangon as
well as the nearby entertainment
options.

Local companies should make more

use of international ISO standards used
to grade goods and processes, according to Thai businesspeople.
With many smaller IT producers
struggling to gain attention, achieving
the standard means foreign and large
companies are more uncertain about
the companys offerings, said Panitarn
Pavarolavidya, chair of the Thai-Myanmar Business Council.
The ISO standard is important
for software development. Countries
such as Brazil, China and Thailand are
using it, he said. Aung Ko Ko

Sumitomo signs
power agreement
for Thilawa SEZ
aung shin
koshumgtha@gmail.com
JAPANESE firm Sumitomo Corportaion has signed an agreement with
Myanma Electric Power Enterprise
to build a 50-megawatt gas-fired
power plant for Thilawa Special
Economic Zone, according to an official announcement on March 1.
The agreement was signed on
February 26, with the plant to be
financed by a concessionary loan
from Japan International Cooperation Agency, according to the announcement in state newspaper
Myanmar Ahlin.
Sumitomo is also a part-owner of
the Thilawa project along with two
other Japanese companies.

MEGAWATT

50

Output of the new electricity generating

station coming to Thilawa, according to
the agreement

The announcement follows a

process begun by the Ministry of
Electric Power last year to find a
firm to build the 50MW generating
station. Several other private companies were also considered during
the bidding process.
Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise managing director U Htain
Lwain said at the time of bidding
that individual submissions for several different projects were being
considered based on their production and price, with an aim to have
them up and running in 2015.
Natural gas to fuel the Thilawa
project will come from Zawtika, Myanmars fourth commercial gas field
which turned on last year. Myanma
Oil and Gas Enterprise will construct a 20-mile (32-kilometre) long
gas pipeline, which is 20 inches
(50.8 centimetres) in diameter, according to the news.
Sumitomo has other operations
in Myanmar, including partnering
with Japanese telco KDDI in running mobile services provider MPT.
It is also one of three Japanese companies holding a 39 percent share
in Myanma Japan Thilawa Development, the company running the SEZ.
Thilawa is one of three large
SEZs under construction in Myanmar, along with Kyaukphyu and
Dawei.

Business 11

www.mmtimes.com
Columbo

Sri Lanka
cancels
foreign
mining
licences
SRI Lankas new president has cancelled mining licences issued by the
previous government to 16 foreign
companies to search for blue sapphires and other gems, his office
said.
The office of Maithripala Sirisena said permits granted to the
unidentified companies were being
withdrawn immediately to better
protect the local mining industry.
Sixteen foreign companies had
been given gem mining licences by
the previous administration, and
the president in an effort to protect
local miners cancelled those permits without further investigation,
it said in a statement released on
the weekend.
Sri Lanka has a substantial gem
and jewellery industry and is known
for some of the worlds biggest and
most expensive precious stones.

16

Number of permits for foreign mining

companies that were cancelled by Sri
Lankas new government

But traditional gem mining is

labour-intensive and the industry
has resisted attempts to introduce
new technology, fearing deeply unpopular job losses.
It is unclear if the 16 companies
had already been mining on the island or had been preparing to set
up operations.
Mr Sirisena, who ousted Mahinda Rajapakse at presidential
polls in January, first made the announcement at a meeting with local
industrialists on February 28, the
statement added.
Mr Sirisena also told the business leaders he had been under
pressure to make progress on a
long-stalled economic cooperation
pact with India during his visit to
New Delhi in February.
But the president said he had
avoided holding talks on the issue
with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interests of protecting local businesses, according to
the statement.
The Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation Agreement has been in
the works for over a decade. But Colombo has been reluctant to allow
Indian banks, insurance companies
and other firms to operate, fearing
its smaller services sector would be
swamped.
Mr Modi is expected to travel to
Sri Lanka later this month as part
of efforts to deepen ties, partly in
order to counter Chinas growing
influence in the region, including
the Indian Ocean.
Mr Sirisenas trip to India, his
first overseas visit since coming to
power, was aimed at mending relations that had been strained under
Mr Rajapakse.
Mr Rajapakses government had
been accused of corruption and
making concessions to foreign companies in return for kickbacks.
AFP

Pyongyang

North Korea hit by mining fall

THE sharp fall in global commodity
prices is starting to have an impact on
North Korea, economists say, hurting
a state that relies heavily on exports of
minerals to keep its economy afloat
and its gargantuan military funded.
Combined with Chinas economy
coming off the boil, the recent slump
in coal prices in particular could hurt
Kim Jong Uns byungjin policy: His
stated desire to simultaneously develop North Koreas economy and its
nuclear weapons program.
Commodity prices are dropping,
so its becoming more and more difficult for North Korea to earn foreign
currency, said Choi Kyung-soo, president of the North Korea Resources
Institute in Seoul. I think last year,
minerals trade decreased by about 10
percent by volume and about 15pc by
price.
Mining makes up roughly 14pc of
the North Korean economy, which, although in a parlous state and under
heavy financial sanctions, appears to
have been growing in recent years,
when China still was booming and
commodity prices still surging. North
Korea is heavily reliant on commodities such as anthracite and iron ore for
its export revenues, and just as it rode
the resource boom to its apex in 2011,
it is now the victim of a steady and
steep decline in world prices, said

Kim Jong-il visits a North Korea

construction site. Photo: AFP

Kevin Stahler of the Peterson Institute

for International Economics.
The overwhelming majority of
North Koreas trade is with China
which remains its closest ally and
economic patron, despite the political
chill that has descended in the past
three years since Kim Jong Un took
over in Pyongyang. And more than
70pc of its exports to China are mining products, according to the Seoulbased Korea International Trade Association.
The prices that North Korea can
get from China for anthracite coal and
iron ore, its main mineral exports, fell

by 26pc and 35pc, respectively, between their peak in 2011 and last year,
Mr Stahler said in a recent note on the
institutes NK Witness blog.
Furthermore, Beijing is trying to
reduce Chinas dependence on coal,
and North Koreas coal reportedly
does not meet the new sulfur standards introduced to try to tackle Chinas air pollution problems.
All this is bad news for Mr Kim,
who has made industry a priority. In
his New Years address, he said that
improvements in a range of sectors,
including coal mining, were opening
up bright prospects for the building of

an economic giant and improvement

of the peoples living standards.
Underlining the importance of
mining in the North Korean economy,
the Obama administration this year
has slapped restrictions on North
Korean officials working at North
Koreas Mining Development Trading
Corporation, which Washington says
is responsible for the countrys arms
dealing and weapons export business,
in the wake of the devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures. This is in addition to the heavy restrictions on North
Koreas financial activities, which
make it difficult to receive payments
for its exports.
But North Koreas mining sector itself is not under sanctions; its trade in
natural resources is legal. There are
very limited ways for North Korea to
make money: selling weapons, smuggling and mining, said Mr Choi of the
North Korea Resources Institute. Because of sanctions, its very hard for
them to make weapons or to sell [narcotic] drugs, so the only legitimate
way for North Korea to make money
these days is from selling minerals.
All told, South Korea estimates the
total value of the Norths mineral deposits at more than $6 trillion more
than enough, as one analyst puts it, to
fund several more generations of leaders called Kim. Bloomberg

12 Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

New Delhi

No big bang in Indian budget

THE Indian governments budget
was praised as balancing the need to
boost business and to help the poor,
but some experts were disappointed
at a lack of big-bang reforms to Asias
third largest economy.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a US$11.3 billion increase
in spending on crumbling roads, rail
and other infrastructure and cut the
corporate tax rate on March 1, when
he unveiled the right-wing governments first full budget.
Mr Jaitley also rolled out new
pension, insurance and social security programs for tens of millions of
desperately poor, along with tougher
penalties for wealthy people who
stash their cash overseas to avoid
paying tax.
But some analysts were concerned that Prime Minister Narendra
Modi did not use the budget to radically reshape economic policies after
his party swept to power in a general
election last May, pledging to reform
the then-faltering economy.
Given Modis historic mandate
last year, many people had hoped
that this budget would signal a sharp
and visible departure from business
as usual, said Sadanand Dhume,
India expert at Washington-based
think-tank the America Enterprise
Institute. Measured by that yardstick, it is indeed a bit of a disappointment, he added.
Some economists had been hoping Mr Jaitley would slash the more
than $35-billion annual subsidy
bill championed by the previous
left-leaning government. Critics say
the program is inefficient and too
expensive.
Others were anticipating a start to
the privatisation of inefficient staterun banks and companies.
Alok Churiwala, head of Churiwala Securities in Mumbai, said reform
expectations had been sky high, but
we all knew in our hearts that in a

Indian office-goers walk past a digital screen showing Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivering his Budget
speech at parliament in New Delhi, on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai. The Indian
governments budget was praised on March 1 for its balance. Photo: AFP

big democracy like ours [such] moves

are most unlikely.
Mr Jaitley on February 28 attempted to deflect criticism of the pace and
scale of reform, after months of pledges to fire up the manufacturing sector
and improve the ease of doing business to attract foreign investment.
People who urge us to undertake big-bang reforms also say that
the Indian economy is a supergiant
which moves surely but slowly, Mr
Jaitley told parliament.
Political researcher Manoj Joshi
said the government was mindful of
the need to balance reform with helping the two-thirds of Indians still living on less than $2 a day.

The point is that the BJP is a political party and is making a budget
in a country where there are many
poor voters, said Mr Joshi, from
the Delhi-based Observer Research
Foundation.
They have tried to balance the
issue of setting the stage for growth
along with social equity.
Modis Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) last month suffered a drubbing
in Delhi state elections, its first major
defeat at the polls since it stormed to
power.
Despite new figures showing
the economy is growing faster than
previously thought, critics say many
ordinary Indians have yet to feel the

benefit and are tired of waiting for

change. Indias media on March 1
mostly praised the budget for forging
ahead with efforts to boost growth,
while holding back on reforms in favour of helping the poor.
Jaitley lights growth fuse, a
front-page headline read in the Hindustan Times.
An editorial in left-leaning The
Hindu described the budget as an
imaginative and deft balance.
Mr Jaitley has deftly reconciled
the interests of business and the markets on one hand and that of masses
.. on the other... the newspaper said.
It Isnt Big, But Its Full of Bang,
said The Economic Times. AFP

Jakarta

Inflation
slows on
fuel drop
INDONESIAS inflation slowed further
in February, official data showed, owing to the lower cost of fuel and some
staple foods in Southeast Asias top
economy.
Prices rose 6.29 percent year-onyear last month, slowing from a 6.96pc
rise in January, according to data from
the statistics agency.
The rate had accelerated in recent
months after the new government reduced huge subsidies on petrol and
diesel, pushing up the cost of transportation and delivering goods.
But after the price of oil fell dramatically, the government decided to
almost entirely scrap the decades-old
fuel subsidy regime.
Because of the collapse in global oil
prices, letting fuel float with the market actually reduced costs, which has
fed through to lower inflation.
Februarys slowdown was caused
by low prices of staple foods such as
chillies, onions and transportation as
a result of lower fuel prices, said statistics agency official Sasmito Hadi
Wibowo.
Lower inflation last month
prompted the central Bank Indonesia
to announce a shock cut in its key interest rate, reducing it 25 basis points
to 7.5pc, saying it was confident prices
would remain under control.
An aggressive cycle of rate rises
had been blamed in part for a slowdown in economic growth, which has
sunk to five-year lows.
Bank Indonesia last week suggested further rate cuts could follow,
prompting the rupiah to fall to a near
17-year low. Separately, HSBC said its
purchasing managers index of Indonesias manufacturing activity hit a
record low of 47.5 in February, down
from 48.5 in January. AFP

Tehran

WASHINGTON

Internet giants may

be cleared to enter
Islamic Republic

Oracle of Omaha foresees successor

IRAN could allow internet giants such

as Google to operate in the Islamic republic if they respect its cultural rules,
Fars news agency said on February 28
quoting a senior official.
We are not opposed to any of the
entities operating in global markets
who want to offer services in Iran, deputy telecommunications and IT minister Nasrollah Jahangard told Fars.
We are ready to negotiate with
them and if they accept our cultural
rules and policies they can offer their
services in Iran, he said.
Mr Jahangard said Iran is also
ready to provide Google or any other
company with facilities that could enable them to provide their services to
the region.
Forty million people out of a population of around 78 million use the internet in Iran.
Authorities have regularly blocked
access to networks including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter since
protests against the disputed 2009
re-election of hardline president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Telecommunications
Minister
Mahmoud Vaez said in November
that Iran would have smart filtering within six months to weed out
internet content authorities deem

offensive or criminal.
Internet censorship is a bone of
contention between conservative hardliners and government members, including moderate President Hassan
Rouhani who use social networks.
Mr Jahangard told Fars that sanctions imposed by the international
community on Iran over its nuclear
program could create problems for
American companies.
They are waiting for the international legal conditions to be cleared
before they can operate conveniently
[in Iran] but other companies outside
the US have come forward and started
negotiations, he said.
He did not name any of these companies but said that some have accepted the conditions laid out by Iran
adding that technical preparations are
under way for them to enter the Iranian
market.
Britain, China, France, Russia, the
United States and Germany are trying
to strike an accord with Iran that would
prevent it from developing a nuclear
bomb in return for lifting international
sanctions. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely civilian. A March 31
deadline for a political framework for
the deal is looming.
AFP

BILLIONAIRE investor Warren Buffett

hinted he had found a successor to replace him as he reflected on 50 years in
charge of his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate in an annual letter to shareholders.
The 84-year-old investment guru,
ranked by Forbes as the worlds third
richest man with a fortune estimated
at US$72.3 billion, said his replacement
as CEO would be relatively young and
recruited from within.
Our directors believe that our future CEOs should come from internal
candidates whom the Berkshire board
has grown to know well, Mr Buffett
remarked.
Our directors also believe that an
incoming CEO should be relatively
young, so that he or she can have a long
run in the job ... Both the board and I
believe we now have the right person to
succeed me as CEO a successor ready
to assume the job the day after I die or
step down.
In certain important respects, this
person will do a better job than I am
doing.
The identity of Mr Buffetts likely
successor has been a guessing game
for years. However the octogenarian tycoon known as the Oracle of Omaha
bullishly declared he has no intention
of giving up the reins anytime soon.
I truly do feel like tap dancing to
work every day, he said.
Mr Buffett said he had proposed
that his son Howard succeed him as a
non-executive chair in order to guard
against a botched appointment.
My only reason for this wish is to

Warren Buffett. Photo: AFP

make change easier if the wrong CEO

should ever be employed and there occurs a need for the Chairman to move
forcefully, he wrote.
Mr Buffetts letter outlined another
year of gains for his group, with Berkshire Hathaway outperforming the
S&P500 index, up 27 percent compared
to the S&P500s 13.7pc.
In half a century, the contrast is even
more impressive. A dollar invested in
Berkshire in 1964 would now be worth
$1.826 million; the same dollar invested
in the S&P500 would be worth just under $11,200. Mr Buffett compared his
acquistion of obscure textile manufacturer Berkshire half a century ago to
picking up a discarded cigar butt that
had one puff remaining in it.
Though the stub might be ugly

and soggy, the puff would be free, he

remarked. Berkshire is now one of the
worlds largest conglomerates whose
companies manufacture everything
from lollipops to jet airplanes.
The billionaire painted an optimistic portrait of the US economy, noting
that while unbroken gains were unlikely, America could look forward to
a bright future as it pulls clear of the
Great Recession.
The dynamism embedded in our
market economy will continue to work
its magic, he wrote. Gains wont come
in a smooth or uninterrupted manner;
they never have.
And we will regularly grumble
about our government. But, most assuredly, Americas best days lie ahead.
AFP

14 World

World

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

World editor: Fiona MacGregor

BEIJING

Prince meets Xi on China visit

BRITAINS Prince William met with
Chinas Communist President Xi Jinping yesterday before strolling through
the Forbidden City, the former home
of the countrys deposed imperial
dynasties.
Mr Xi warmly welcomed the second-in-line to the British throne, making the highest-profile visit to China
by a member of the royal family since
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband
Prince Philip in 1986.
Prince William was met by the
Chinese leader on the first full day
of a trip which comes as London
and Beijing have traded diplomatic
barbs over pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, a former
British colony.
But the differences appeared to be
put aside as Mr Xi congratulated the
32-year-old prince on the expected
birth of his second child.

The British royal family has great

influence not just in Britain but across
the world, Mr Xi said.
The prince said he was looking
forward to the remainder of his trip,
which will see him visit the commercial hub of Shanghai before heading
to an elephant sanctuary in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Its been a long interest of mine
for many years to come and visit China, he told Mr Xi at the Great Hall of
the People in Beijing.
Prince Williams visit has been seen
as an attempt by Britain to improve
top-level diplomatic relations with
Beijing.
London is anxious to improve its
trade ties with the economic powerhouse. The princes father, Charles,
has never visited mainland China,
though he attended the handover of
Hong Kong.

In a leaked diary, he described Chinas leaders at the 1997 ceremony as

appalling old waxworks, and he has
been accused of deliberately side-stepping formal banquets during Chinese
leaders visits to Britain.
Buckingham Palace has been on a
charm offensive towards China, with
Prince William issuing a Lunar New
Year message in Mandarin ahead of
his visit.
He was asked how his Chinese
skills were developing as he walked
through Beijings ancient Forbidden
City, the palace of Chinas Ming and
Qing dynasties.
Ni hao thats as far as I got, he
told reporters with a smile, standing
in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where coronations were carried out before the Chinese imperial
regime was overthrown.
AFP

IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP

A crane is used to lift the fuselage

Priok port in Jakarta yesterday.
fuselage of an AirAsia jet that cra
people on board, officials said on

SEOUL

N Korea opens fi
Photo: AFP
Britains Prince William (left) meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 2.

NORTH Korea fired two missiles

into the sea and vowed merciless
retaliation yesterday as the US and
South Korea kicked off joint military drills denounced by Pyongyang
as recklessly confrontational.
The annual exercises always
trigger a surge in military tensions and warlike rhetoric on the
divided peninsula, and analysts
saw the Norths missile tests as a
prelude to a concerted campaign
of sabre rattling.
If there is a particularly sharp
escalation, we could see the North
orchestrating some kind of clash on
the maritime border, said Jeung
Young-Tae, an analyst at the Korea
Institute for National Unification in
Seoul.
The missile launches came with
a stern warning from the nucleararmed North Korean Peoples Army
(KPA) that this years military drills
would bring the peninsula towards
the brink of war.
The South Korean defence ministry said the two Scud missiles
were fired from the western port
city of Nampo and fell into the sea
off the east coast a distance of
nearly 500 kilometres (310 miles).
UN resolutions prohibit any
ballistic missile test by North Korea and ministry spokesperson
Kim Min-Seok said Pyongyang
appeared intent on triggering a
security crisis.
We will respond sternly and
strongly to any provocation, Mr
Kim told reporters.
The Japanese government said

it had issued a strong protest to the

North given the danger such missile launches posed to aviation and
shipping.
Missile tests have long been a
preferred North Korean method of
expressing anger and displeasure
with what it views as confrontational behaviour by the South and
its allies.
The situation on the Korean
peninsula is again inching close
to the brink of a war, a spokesperson for the KPA General Staff was
quoted as saying yesterday by the
Norths official KCNA news agency.
The only means to cope with
the aggression and war by the US
imperialists and their followers is
neither dialogue nor peace. They
should be dealt with only by merciless strikes.
North Korea has threatened attacks, including nuclear strikes,
on the US before, although it has
never demonstrated a missile capability that would encompass the US
mainland.
The largest element of the two
South Korea-US drills that began
yesterday is Foal Eagle, an eightweek exercise involving air, ground
and naval field training, with
around 200,000 Korean and 3700
US troops.
The other is a week-long, largely computer-simulated joint drill
called Key Resolve.
Seoul and Washington insist
the exercises are defence-based
in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang

World 15

www.mmtimes.com
Ukraine death
toll tops 6000
since April

Major offensive
against IS
launched in Iraq

world 16

World 17

HONG KONG

Protest leaders turn themselves in

HONG Kong pro-democracy lawmakers handed themselves in to police
yesterday over their involvement in
mass protests for free elections, the latest step in a widespread investigation
which has been accused of intimidation.
Police have vowed to investigate
the principal instigators of the street
blockades which ended in December
when rally camps were cleared.
A number of protest leaders have
been arrested and released without
charge, in a controversial procedure
which some say is harassment.
Albert Ho and Helena Wong, both
of the Democratic Party, turned themselves in at Wan Chai police headquarters yesterday morning after being requested to attend.
Each of them was holding a small
yellow paper umbrella the symbol
of the democracy movement as supporters shouted, We want universal
suffrage.
We Hongkongers who have tried
to fight for true democracy are not the
ones who have done something wrong
... it is the ridiculous Hong Kong and
Chinese governments taking away our
democratic nominations, Ms Wong
said before she went inside.
The street protests which began in

of the crashed AirAsia QZ8501 plane at the Tanjung

Indonesia has retrieved the final major part of the
shed into the Java Sea in December, killing all 162
February 28.

ire as drills start

as provocative rehearsals for
invasion.
The KPA spokesperson said
North Korea would respond in kind
to any act of conventional, nuclear
or cyber warfare.
In case even a single shell drops
on any place over which the sovereignty of the DPRK [North Korea]
is exercised, it will promptly take
counteractions, he said.
North Korea has carried out
three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009
and 2013.
In January, the North offered a
moratorium on further tests if this
years joint drills were cancelled a
proposal rejected by Washington as
an implicit threat to carry out a
fourth atomic detonation.
Analyst Mr Jeung said Pyongyang

was unlikely to conduct a fourth test

just to protest against the exercises.
Nuclear tests carry more significance than that, he said, noting
that the Norths testing schedule
was primarily driven by technical
development.
On the other hand, there is the
chance of a mid- or long-range missile test, Mr Jeung said.
I would say that a demonstration that it could deliver a nuclear
warhead would be more threatening to the world than an actual nuclear test, he added.
A new research report by US experts published last week estimated
that North Korea could be on track
to have an arsenal of 100 nuclear
weapons by 2020.
AFP

North Korea
Two North Korean
missiles with a range
of 500 km fired Monday
from a western port,
across the country, and
into the sea off the east
coast

CHINA

RUSSIA

Sea of Japan
(East Sea)

PYONGYANG
Nampo
S.KOREA
Source: South Korean military

SEOUL

100 km

September and lasted for more than

two months were sparked after Beijing
said that candidates for the 2017 vote
for Hong Kongs next leader would be
vetted by a loyalist committee.

We Hongkongers
who hve tried
to fight for true
democracy are not
the ones who have
done something
wrong.
Helena Wong
Pro-democracy campaigner

Campaigners dismiss that as fake

democracy, but Hong Kongs leadership says that any public vote must
take place within Beijings framework
and has granted no concessions over
the vote.

Prominent student leaders including the teenage face of the protests,

Joshua Wong, have already been
through the police procedure, which
saw them formally arrested and questioned when they handed themselves
in, then released without charge hours
later.
Police said they reserved the right
to prosecute those who were released.
Both Mr Chow and Ms Wong questioned the process, saying police should
charge them if they had the evidence.
It engenders a sense of uncertainty
and they are using that, in my view,
as a method of control, said Michael
Vidler, the lawyer representing Joshua
Wong, after the teenager was released.
These pre-arranged arrests are a
waste of resources and money. The
police are trying to intimidate Hong
Kong people, said former lawmaker
Audrey Eu, who was expected to turn
herself in late yesterday. She said she
was being brought in for inciting and
organising an unauthorised assembly.
Former lawmaker and veteran
campaigner Martin Lee also handed himself in yesterday morning
to shouts of Go, Martin, go from
supporters.
AFP

JAKARTA

Bali Nine brother makes TV mercy plea

THE brother of an Australian facing
imminent execution in Indonesia has
appealed on national television for
President Joko Widodo to spare the
drug smugglers life.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called
Bali Nine drug trafficking gang, were
convicted of trying to smuggle heroin
out of Indonesia in 2005 and sentenced
to death the following year.
The men, in their early 30s, recently
lost their appeals for presidential clemency, typically a death row convicts last
chance to avoid the firing squad, and
are expected to be put to death soon.

The families of the pair have been

calling for Mr Widodo to show mercy,
arguing the men are reformed characters after years in prison, and late on
March 1 Mr Chans brother, Michael,
made a fresh appeal.
I would say to Mr President Jokowi
that as a family we are very sorry for
this situation and we apologise for Andrew, he told Indonesias tvOne, using
Mr Widodos nickname. It has brought
a lot of unnecessary shame to the Indonesian people and their country. Andrew is a changed man from 10 years
ago, he added, urging Mr Widodo to
give him a second chance.

Yesterday the head of the Bali prosecutors office said the pair would be
moved this week from their jail on the
resort island to a prison off Java, where
the executions will take place.
He said officials were still discussing the details. Canberra has been
piling pressure on Jakarta to change
course on the executions, and Prime
Minister Tony Abbott last week offered
a glimmer of hoping after talking to
Mr Widodo, saying that the leader was
carefully considering his position.
However, Mr Widodo insisted that
Indonesias stance on the pending executions was clear. AFP

16 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

MADRID

Spanish PM
hits back in
economy row
SPANISH Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called on his Greek counterpart
to get serious about his countrys
debt-wracked economy, after Alexis
Tsipras accused eurozone partners
of undermining its negotiations with
Brussels.
Speaking on March 1 Mr Rajoy was
reacting to comments by Mr Tsipras
the previous day, who said that during
talks that earned Greece a four-month
extension to its bailout, pressure from
certain other European countries had
the character of blackmail pointing
especially to Spain and Portugal.
Conservative forces [in Europe)]
tried to set a trap for us, to drive us into
financial asphyxia, the 40-year-old
Greek premier had said.
Speaking to a meeting of his conservative party, Mr Rajoy fired back in
the first out-in-the-open clash between
Mr Tsipras and another European
leader.
We are not responsible for the frustration created by the radical Greek
left, which promised the Greek people
things it knew it couldnt hold to, Mr
Rajoy said.
He noted that Mr Tsiprass hard-left
Syriza party had tried to lay the blame
for Greeces problems on Spain and
neighbouring Portugal.
Looking for an external enemy is a
way weve already seen many times in
history ... That doesnt solve problems,
it aggravates them, Mr Rajoy said.
The only solution is to get serious,
he advised the new Greek leader.
Both Madrid and Lisbon have filed
official protests against Mr Tsiprass
comments with Brussels, with Portuguese officials also firing back.
Antonio Costa, spokesperson for the
ruling centre-right Social Democratic
Party called Mr Tsipras allegations
totally absurd in addition to being
grave, lamentable, and false.
Mr Costa described the charges as
being sad coming from a leader who
should be rising to assume his responsibilities, and said that statements
cannot be justified by the internal

difficulties Syriza is going through.

In his earlier comments, Mr Tsipras
claimed Greece had came up against
an axis of powers led by Spain and
Portugal that tried to scupper the negotiations to avoid internal political
risks.
These powers do not want the
Greek example to influence other
countries, especially in the perspective of elections in Spain, this year, Mr
Tsipras said.
His remarks were seen as a reference to the rise of anti-austerity parties
in Spain and Portugal, which have been
buoyed by Syrizas arrival to power.
A Greek governmental source insisted that Mr Tsipras had a responsibility to explain to the Greek people
the details after crucial Eurogroup negotiations.
The positions of the European governments were no secret, he added.
The Greek government doesnt
class European countries and citizens
as friendly or rivals. It doesnt look for
enemies abroad, but for solutions at
the European level ... Bad interpretation of the Greek PMs comments dont
aid that dialogue. In Spain which unlike Portugal did not receive a full bailout, but whose banks got emergency
support in 2012 a new anti-austerity
party Podemos, a close Syriza ally, is
leading polls ahead of general elections
due later this year.
In Portugal, meanwhile, opposition Socialists have echoed refrains by
Syriza and Podemos in accusing ruling
conservatives of failing to resist excessive diktats coming from Berlin.
Despite the official protests lodged
over Mr Tsipras accusations, however,
government officials in Spain confided
they dont believe Brussels will take
action, even if authorities there object
to comments coming from Greece as
much as Madrid does.
I dont think the Commission will
issue a public rebuke, the source said,
noting that that in this very sensitive
case, the Commissions role is to be the
intermediary, not to divide. AFP

IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP

The solar-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 flies over the Sheikh

Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on February 26. The plane
made a third successful test flight yesterday ahead of a planned
round-the-world tour to promote alternative energy.

DHAKA

Radical arrested over blogger murder

BANGLADESH authorities announced they had arrested a radical
Islamist yesterday over last weeks
machete murder of an atheist American blogger, accusing him of being
behind earlier death threats on social media.
A spokesperson for the elite
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said
Farabi Shafiur Rahman had been
arrested at a bus station in the capital Dhaka over the gruesome killing
of Avijit Roy, describing him as the
prime suspect in a crime that triggered international outrage.
He is the main suspect, RAB
spokesman Major Maksudul Alam
said.
He is a fundamentalist blogger,
the spokesperson said, adding that
according to primary information
Mr Farabi had threatened Mr Roy
through Twitter and Facebook.
[Mr Roys] family told us that
he got threats from Farabi several
times, he added.
The American, who earned fame
for his blog pieces and for authoring
a series of books including the bestselling The Virus of the Faith, was
hacked to death with a machete in

downtown Dhaka last February 26.

Mr Roy was the founder of the
Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog. He
was born in Bangladesh to a family of scholars but moved to Atlanta
in the southern US state of Georgia
around 15 years ago.
He and his blogger wife, who
was also badly injured in the attack,
had been returning from a book fair
when they were both hauled off their
rickshaw by two assailants who then
slashed them with the machetes.
The RAB paraded Farabi before
the press at its headquarters in
Dhaka where another RAB spokesperson, Mufti Mahmud, described
him as a member of the banned panIslamist outfit Hizbut Tahrir.
On different occasions, he exchanged [Mr Roys] location, his
identity and his familys photographs with various people, Mr
Mahmud told reporters.
He wrote: Avijit Roy lives in
America. So its not possible to kill
him at this moment. But when hell
return to the country, hell be murdered, Mr Mahmud said.
A source within the RAB, which
is mainly tasked with tackling

religious militancy in the Muslimmajority nation, said correspondence between Mr Farabi and another person about killing Mr Roy had
been discovered.
A former physics student at a top
university, Mr Farabi was detained
in 2010 after he joined Hizbut Tahrir and was arrested again after the
murder of another atheist blogger
Ahmed Rajib Haider in February
2013, but was released on bail.
Mr Roy was the second atheist
blogger to have been murdered in
Bangladesh in the last two years and
the fourth writer to have been attacked since 2004.
His killing was greeted by uproar
both at home and abroad with hundreds of secular activists holding
protests for days to demand the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
They also slammed the countrys secular government for not
doing enough to protect humanist
writers.
The United States condemned
the killing as a shocking act of violence and an assault on the countrys proud tradition of free speech.
AFP

GENEVA

Ukraine death toll tops 6000, as Kerry meets Lavrov

MORE than 6000 people have been
killed since violence erupted in east
Ukraine last April, the UN rights chief
said yesterday, decrying a merciless devastation of civilian lives and
infrastructure.
More than 6000 lives have now
been lost in less than a year due to
the fighting in eastern Ukraine,
UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said in
a statement.
The announcement came as US
Secretary of State John Kerry met his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in
Geneva for talks on the Ukraine crisis
yesterday, less than a week after accusing Moscow of lying to his face over
the conflict.
High-stakes talks between Kiev
and Moscow were also due to begin
yesterday aimed at resolving a bitter
gas dispute which threatens deliveries
to Europe, after Russia began direct
supplies to parts of separatist-held
eastern Ukraine.
As relative quiet held on Ukraines
frontlines, Russias foreign minister looked set for tense discussions
with Mr Kerry, who last week said
Moscow officials had engaged in a

propaganda campaign and lied to

my face over supplying troops or
weapons to rebels.
Efforts to implement a tattered
ceasefire that began on February 15
between Russia, Ukraine and the proKremlin rebels were expected to top
yesterdays agenda.
Kiev security officials said on
March 1 there was no fire after midnight on Ukrainian positions and no
Ukrainian soldiers had been killed
over the past 24 hours.
Security spokesperson Andriy Lysenko, however, said eight soldiers
were injured after rebels shot at
Kievs positions late on February 28
including from a tank and a grenade
launcher. Journalists mourned the
killing by mortar fire of a Ukrainian
photographer.
Despite a drop in the number of
truce violations, it was too soon to tell
if we are in any way out of the woods,
a State Department official travelling
with Mr Kerry told reporters.
At this point a further pullback
of heavy weapons is whats required.
There are continued violations of the
agreement that weve also noted, the
staffer said.

Following the shaky start to

Februarys European-brokered peace
plan, both sides have begun to pull
back some heavy weaponry from the
frontline, with rebels claiming on
March 1 that they would complete the
pullback by the end of the weekend.

More than 6000

lives have now been
lost in less than
a year due to the
fighting in Eastern
Ukraine.
Zeid Raad Al Hussein
UN High Commissioner for
Human RIghts

Monitors from the Organization

for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have reported weapons
movements on both sides but say it is

too early to confirm a full pullback.

Speaking at the UN Security Council on February 27, the OSCEs envoy
to Ukraine Heidi Tagliavini said the
current situation was at a crossroads
where the risk of further escalation
remained high despite encouraging
signs.
With the relative hiatus in fighting
on the ground, the focus will also be
on three-way gas talks set to begin yesterday between the energy ministers
of Ukraine and Russia, together with
European Commission vice president
Maros Sefcovic.
Russian state-owned gas giant
Gazprom threatened last week to cut
deliveries to Ukraine over a dispute
related to Moscows move to supply
gas direct to separatist areas and then
demand that Kiev pay for it.
Rebel leaders in east Ukraine said
that Kiev had suddenly ceased gas
supplies, and asked for access to gas
from Russia.
Ukraines national gas company
Naftogas stopped pumping gas to the
separatist areas last month, saying it
could not deliver due to a damaged
pipeline, but then added that deliveries resumed a few hours later.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

has accused Ukraine of perpetrating a
kind of genocide by denying energy
to 4 million people living in territories
hit by a humanitarian crisis.
The Kremlin appeared to soften its
rhetoric, however, after the European
Union unveiled plans last week for a
continent-wide single energy market,
with the goal of diversifying the blocs
energy sources and decreasing its reliance on Russian gas.
Moscow argues that supplies to
the east bypassing Kiev fall under the
current agreement and must be bankrolled by Ukraine. But the government
says it has no control over the volume
or usage of such supplies and accuses
Gazprom of violating the deal.
The European Union receives
about a third of its gas from Russia,
with half that amount transiting via
Ukraine pipelines.
In Kiev, colleagues mourned
the death of photojournalist Sergiy
Nikolayev from the Ukrainian daily
Segodnya. He died on Febraey 28 after
being hit by a mortar shell in Pisky, a
village not far from Donetsk airport
which Ukraines forces ceded to the
rebels in January. AFP

World 17

www.mmtimes.com
SAMARRA

Major offensive to reclaim Tikrit

A MASSIVE military operation to
retake Saddam Husseins hometown
of Tikrit from Islamic State (IS) has
begun in Iraq.
Some 30,000 Iraqi forces backed
by jets and helicopters pounded jihadist positions in and around Tikrit
yesterday in the biggest offensive yet
to retake one of the Islamic State
groups main strongholds.
Security forces are advancing
on three main fronts towards Tikrit,
Ad-Dawr [to the south] and Al-Alam
[to the north)] an army lieutenant
colonel on the ground said by phone.
Tikrit lies 150 kilometres (95
miles) north of the capital Baghdad
and was seized by IS militants in
June 2014.
The strikes followed an announcement on March 1 by Iraqs
Prime Minister Hadier al-Abadi that
operations to reclaim the town were
beginning, while he urged his troops
to spare civilians.
Ahead of the advance, the prime
minister also meet with military
leaders in Salahuddin province, and
offered to pardon all Sunni tribal
fighters who abandoned IS.
The prime ministers March 1
comments on civilians, appeared
to be addressing fears of reprisals against the Tikrit areas Sunni
population.
The priority we gave to the
armed forces and all the forces taking part alongside them is to preserve the security of citizens, Mr
Abadi told reporters.
On social media, he called for utmost care in protecting civilian lives

In Brief
WASHINGTON
Netanyahu arrives in US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu arrived in Washington on
March 1 in a historic quest to stop
an international nuclear deal with Iran
sought by the United States.
Mr Netanyahus controversial 48hour visit has stoked discord with US
President Barack Obama and brought
bilateral relations to their lowest point
in years. A speech before lawmakers
today by the Israeli leader will aim to
drum up last-minute support to halt a
possible world deal with Iran over its
nuclear program.

TALLINN
Reform party wins election

Volunteer Shiite fighters, known as the Popular Mobilisation units, who support the Iraqi government forces in the
combat against the Islamic State group fire a Howitzer artillery canon near the Tikrit on February 28. Photo: AFP

and property.
On February 28 at least 11 Iraqi
forces were killed in a suicide truck
bomb attack on a military position
south of Tikrit.
The Iraqi army, volunteer fighters known as the Popular Mobilisation units, and Shiite militias have
for weeks been closing in on Tikrit,
a main IS stronghold in the country.
Government forces have attempted and failed several times to wrest
back the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein since losing it
to IS in June last year.
Hadi al-Ameri, the Popular

Mobilisation commander and a central figure in Iraqs fightback against

IS, on February 28 urged Tikrit residents to leave their homes within
hours so government forces could
wrap up the battle of the revenge
for Speicher.
Speicher is a military base near
Tikrit from which hundreds of new,
mostly Shiite, recruits were kidnapped before being executed in the
early days of the IS nationwide offensive in June 2014.
Shiite militias in particular have
always vowed to avenge the Speicher
executions, sparking fears of mass

killings against Sunnis if Tikrit were

to be recaptured.
Some Sunni tribes in the Tikrit
area have been accused of direct involvement in the Speicher massacre.
Mr Abadi appealed on residents
to turn against the jihadists, who
have suffered a string of military
losses since Iraqs foreign partners
stepped up their support.
I call on all those who were misled and made mistakes in the past to
lay down their arms today. This may
be the last chance, Mr Abadi said in
Samarra, suggesting some could be
granted amnesty. AFP

Estonias governing pro-NATO Reform

party topped parliamentary elections
on March1, defeating a Kremlin-oriented rival amid concerns over a militarily
resurgent Russia, but analysts warned
that forging a coalition would be difficult. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves is
expected to ask the Reform chief, outgoing Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, to
build a coalition on the basis of the 30
seats his party won in the 101-member
parliament.

TOKYO
Ebola drug offers new hope

The Japanese company behind an

experimental Ebola treatment says
it offers new hope for thousands of
people infected with the deadly virus
in west Africa, but acknowledges it
is not a miracle drug. In their first
comments to media since the release
of early clinical trials last week, executives from Fujifilms drug unit Toyama
Chemical said yesterday the results
were a good first step that could lead
to larger and better-designed trials.

THE MYANMAR TIMES march 3, 2015

it

ge
t

yo

gers o
fin
n

the pulse editor: CHARLOTTE ROSE charlottelola.rose@gmail.com

Return

to glory
nandar aung

HE house on Ko Min Ko Chin Road is

old, more than 100 years old, but long
radiated a kind of shabby grandeur.
Behind the elegant classical portico,
dust and decay held sway. But now the
houses glory days have returned.
Built in 1920 by a wealthy Chinese-Myanmar
couple, the house, in Bahan township, was
abandoned in 1942 when the Japanese invaded.
Once used by General Aung San as an office, it later
served as the headquarters of the former National
University of Art and Culture. Now it is the Yangon
home of the Goethe Institut.
Institut director Franz Xavier Augustin said
yesterday, We appreciate that occupying this
house is an honour. This historic house is now the
focus of the international cultural relationship
between Myanmar, Southeast Asia, Western
Europe and Germany.
The Goethe Institut promotes the German
language and fosters international cultural
cooperation, disseminating information on
Germanys cultural, social and political life. The
institute is no stranger to Myanmar it operated
in Yangon between 1959 and 1962, but, like other
foreign organisations, was closed down under the
Ne Win military regime.
Starting in 2013, the institute reopened at 34
Pyay Road, Sanchaung township, and negotiations

began with the Ministry of Culture over a 15-year

rental.
To mark its reopening, the institute has invited
five Myanmar contemporary artists Chaw Ei
Thein, Wai Mar Nyunt, Yadan Win, Tun Win
Aung and War Nu and four from the Southeast
Asian region Vasan Sitthiketi, Dinh Q Le, Bui
Cong Khanh and Srey Bandaul to exhibit their
work there. The exhibition will showcase future
contemporary artworks with film and video
installations, paintings, sculpture and other works
on the theme of Building Histories. The displays
will not only relate the history of the house, but
also the imaginative concept of the artists as they
reflect on their histories and beliefs.
Cambodian contemporary artist Sery Bandaul,
one of the artists being featured in the exhibition,
said his intestine-inspired artwork, created using
mosquito nets and coloured cotton, represented
all people living in Myanmar.
The intestine is the most important thing in
digestion. I built it in various shapes, some going
up and some going down, he said. Every man
has an intestine, which means he has a place in
history. Bogyoke Aung San tried to get freedom
for his country: all for his nation and its people.
So, he used his digestion to fight for the countrys
freedom, he said.
The exhibition will run to March 15, from
10am to 7pm at 8, Ko Min Ko Chin Road, Bahan
township, near the Golden Butterfly Hotel.

Thai artist Vasan Sitthiket with his artwork at the Building Histories exhibition.
Photos: Aung Htay Hlaing

the pulse 19

www.mmtimes.com

Home is
where the
art is

Charlotte Rose
charlottelola.rose@gmail.com
Nyein Ei Ei Htwe
nyeineieihtwe23@gmail.com

he shortlisted
photographers in
the Inside My Home
photography competition,
hosted by Myanmar Street
Photographers and Myanmar Deitta,
were announced at the Deitta
Gallery in Yangon on March 2.
The competition saw 42 entrants
submitting photos under the theme
The Home. The competition
winners photographs will be
exhibited in urban exhibitions
around the city as part of Yangon

Stars come out

to raise money
for soldiers
families
Chit Su
suwai.chit@gmail.com
The stars are coming out for the
Tatmadaw as it battles rebels in
Kokang, northern Shan State. About
50 movie stars, singers and other
performers have come together
to raise money for the families of
soldiers killed in the fighting, and for
displaced civilians.
Under the name We are one
Myanmar, they are collecting money
door to door in Mandalay on March 2-3.
Thai actress Korravee, who
played opposite Aung Naing Soe in
Myanmar in Love in Bangkok, flew
from Bangkok to join the group.
A camera team from SkyNet
followed the artists as they went from
house to house collecting money and
will broadcast the footage, said a
spokesperson for Myanmar Media 7,
which organised the effort.
All the money collected will go to
the official site set up for the families
of the soldiers.
The fighting started on February
9 in Laukkai, near the Chinese border.

Thai actress Korravee is one of the stars

raising money for the families of soldiers
killed in Kokang. Photo: Supplied

Art and Heritage Festival running

from March 1 until 22. Winning
photographs are being displayed
as public art installations mounted
in downtown Yangon to raise
awareness of the living and cultural
heritage of the city.
Matt Grace, director of Myanmar
Deitta, said the standard of work
submitted was extremely high.
Photographers from all kinds
of backgrounds entered the
competition, from amateurs to
world class photographers, he said.

A boy examines photographs mounted on Pansodan Bridge as part of the Yangon Art and Heritage Festival. Photo: Zarni Phyo

But choosing the shortlisted 10

wasnt as difficult as we thought it
would be we all agreed that the
finalists we selected were the best.
The shortlist was chosen by a
five-person jury, including Grace;
Minzayar, a photojournalist for
Reuters and winner of the 2015
Yangon Photo Festival Best Photo
Essay award; and Thiha Soul,
the founder of Myanmar Street
Photographers.
Photographer Ko Thet Htoo,
one of the shortlisted contestants,

photographed his own home for the

competition.
It only took a few days to
take photos around my house and
around Yangons downtown taking
photographs of buildings and
houses is easy, he said, adding that
the shortlisted photographs made
him look at Yangons buildings in a
different way.
We pass these buildings every
day but we dont notice them.
Seeing them in the photos, we
realize how amazing some of these

old buildings are, he said.

Grace said the five winners had
already been chosen, but will not
be announced until March 22 at
the festivals closing event. Winners
will be awarded cash prizes, with
the first prize winner taking home
US$500.
A selection of the shortlisted
photographs in the Inside My
Home competition can be viewed
at the Deitta Gallery, 49 44th Street
(lower block), Yangon daily from
10am until 5pm.

20 Pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

Books on wheels
get villages reading
Zon Pann Pwint
zonpann08@gmail.com

Christopher Kane

the children to borrow books. The

adults borrow religious books and
children like the illustrated books.
The mobile library initiative
was the idea of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, who became convinced of the
importance of public libraries while
living in the UK. The first mobile
library in Myanmar was opened in
in Kawhmu township in July 2013
by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis mother,
Daw Khin Kyi. A second service was
launched in Pobbathiri township,
Nay Pyi Taw, in March 2014.
The project has been initiated
with the help of Natsuo Miyashita,
an old friend of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi from Oxford, who funded the
project. Books have been donated
by local and foreign donors.

Roksanda Ilincic

MINIVAN trundles
into the remote village
of Watphyu in Kalaw.
Stopping at the edge
of the road, the driver
turns off the engine and opens
the door at the back of the van
to reveal his cargo: shelves full of
books.
The mobile library began
operating in Kalaw, Aung Pan,
Heho and Baw Saing, in southern
Shan State on February 9. Two
vans, carrying around 5024 books,
stop at 42 locations across the
region, including schools and
hospitals.

The children in some villages

trek for two hours through the
mountains to get to school. Since
they spend so much of their time
travelling to school they dont have
time to visit the library, said Ko
Saw Nyi San, operations manager
for the mobile library project.
There are fewer than 10 public
libraries in southern Shan State,
and they are often located far from
villages so many people are unable
to access them.
Most of the children in these
villages are not in the habit of
reading. We want to encourage
them to read more by bringing our
books to their schools and villages,
he said. The teachers in the
schools are very eager to persuade

Fashion focus

Cover up those knees

While hedonism ruled elsewhere on the catwalk at London
Fashion Week, the full, calf-length skirt remains in vogue.
This season also saw its more practical cousin take
centre stage the wide-legged calf-length trouser, seen both
on and off the catwalk.
Burberry had over-the-knee sheer flowering skirts and
Roksanda had a more structured A-line version in
geometric patterns in orange, purple, pink, blue and
gold.
Emilia Wicksteads elegant formal wear beloved
of the Duchess of Cambridge featured both pastelcoloured skirts and belted trousers that end below the
knee, while veteran British designer Paul Smith matched
his wide trousers with masculine suit jackets.

Photos: AFP

Burberry

TODAY

Yangon Art and Heritage Festival.

Various events at venues across
the city (until March 22). For
more information visit www.
yangonartandheritage.com
Building Histories. Nine
contemporary artists from Southeast
Asia, five local artists and four artists
from neighbouring countries tell new
histories linked to the old (until March
15). Goethe-Villa, 8 Ko Min Ko Chin
Road, Bahan 10am-7pm

Mary Katrantzou

Burberry

The mobile library stops at 42 locations across southern Shan State, including schools and hospitals. Photo: Supplied

march 3
Got an event?
List it in Whats On!
whatsonmt@gmail.com

TOMORROW

My Past, My Self. Solo art show by

abstract artist Thar Gyi as part of the
Yangon Art and Heritage Festival (until
March 8). River Gallery 2, 33-35, 37th and
38th streets 4-6pm

the pulse 21

www.mmtimes.com
KAMPALA

18-year-old Phiona Mutesi (left) plays a game of chess with her colleagues at the chess academy in Kibuye, Kampala.
Photo: Saac Kasamani

Amy Fallon

hiona Mutesi happened

upon chess as a famished
nine-year-old foraging for
food in the sprawling and
impoverished slums of the
Ugandan capital.
I was very hungry, said 18-yearold Mutesi.
Now a chess champion who
competes internationally, her tale
of triumph over adversity is being
turned into a Hollywood epic with
Oscar-winning Kenyan actress Lupita
Nyongo tipped to play her mother.
My dad had died, and after the
age of three we started struggling
to get food to eat. My mum was not
working, Mutesi said. They lived on
one meal a day.
She was forced to drop out of
school aged six when her mother
could not pay the fees.
You cant just wake up and say
today: You have to plan first.
One day, Mutesi discovered a chess
program held in a church in the Katwe
slum districts in Kampala. Potential
players were enticed with a free cup of
porridge, and Mutesi began organising
her days around this.
It was so interesting, she recalled
of her introduction to pawns, rooks,
bishops, knights and kings in 2005.
But I didnt go there for chess. I went
just to get a meal.
As she returned week after week,

something unexpected happened that

would transform Mutesis life.
The young girl developed a talent
for chess, which was only introduced
in Uganda in the 1970s by foreign
doctors and was still seen as a game
played by the rich. And her talent
turned into a passion.
I like chess because it involves
planning, said Mutesi. If you dont
plan, you will end up with your life
so bad.
The film, entitled Queen of Katwe,
is based on a book of the same name
about Mutesi by American writer Tim
Crothers. It is to be shot in Uganda
and South Africa, directed by Mira
Nair. Filming will reportedly begin in
late March.
Coach and mentor Robert
Katende, of the Sports Outreach
Ministry, remembers Mutesi wearing
dirty torn clothes when he met her
a decade ago.
She was really desperate
for survival, said Katende, who
is building a chess academy to
accommodate 150 students outside
Kampala.
Two years into the game, Mutesi
became Ugandas national womens
junior champion, defending her title
the next year.
Phiona Mutesi has flourished,
Vianney Luggya, president of the
Uganda Chess Federation, said.
She made history in the schools
competition by becoming the first girl

When I first
learned about
chess it was so
interesting. But
I didnt go there
for chess. I went
to get a meal
Phiona Mutesi
Chess player

Slum girl to
silver screen:
Ugandas
chess
prodigy
to compete in the boys category. It
was certainly surprising.
By the time she participated in
her first international competition,
Africas International Childrens Chess
Tournament in South Sudan in 2009,
Mutesi still had not read a book.
It was really wonderful because
it was my first time abroad, she said.
It was my first time to sleep in a
hotel. We came back with a trophy.
Since then Mutesi has competed in
chess Olympiads in Russias Siberia,
in Turkey after which she was given
the Woman Candidate Master ranking
by FIDE, the World Chess Federation
and in Norway last year.
The teenager, who has two more
years of high school left, hopes to
go to the next Olympiad in 2016 in
Azerbaijan.
Overseas, Mutesi has also played
against her hero, Russian former
world champion and Grandmaster
Garry Kasparov, and inspired
school students in the US to start a
tournament in her name.
Back home, her fame has had an
incredible impact, said Luggya.
The number of lady players
participating in national chess
championships has doubled, he said,
adding that each of the 26 schools
set to compete in Ugandas annual
championships in April will have
girls and boys teams.
Ugandas female players have also
been spurred on by the success of Ivy

Amoko, who became east Africas first

FIDE Master last year.
A recent week-long chess clinic,
involving Mutesi, attracted more
than 200 participants, most of them
female, from Kampala slums and
surrounding communities.
British-Nigerian actor David
Oyelowo nominated for a Golden
Globe for his portrayal of Martin
Luther King in the 2014 drama Selma
is also set to star in Queen of Katwe.
Luggya said she hopes the film will
open doors for all players in Uganda,
adding: I think Ugandans realise that
it is a brain game that can enhance
their potential in all other aspects of
life.
Though the country now has east
Africas only International Master,
Elijah Emojong, and the regions
biggest number of titled players,
Uganda still struggles with kit and
trainers normally volunteers plus
sponsorship for overseas titles.
Mutesi is aware this may hold her
back ultimately.
But while her goal is to rise to
Grandmaster, she also hopes to
become a paediatrician and open a
home for children, especially girls
facing the same predicament she
overcame.
Girls are always under-looked,
even in chess, said Mutesi. But I
dont think theres any reason why a
girl cannot beat a boy. It comes from
believing in yourself. AFP

22 Sport

THE MYANMAR TIMES March 3, 2015

ATHLETICS

Hong Kong runners battle

boredom in ultramarathon
HUNDREDS of runners competed
in Hong Kongs first inner-city ultramarathon on March 1 despite a repetitive 2-kilometre (1.2-mile) course
that has been criticised as simply too
boring.
Ultra races defined as anything
longer than the standard 42.2-kilometre marathon distance have taken off in Hong Kong in recent years,
but are usually held on the extensive
network of trails in the surrounding
hills where spectacular scenery can
offset the pain.
Instead, the March 1 50-kilometre Rotary HK Ultra Marathon saw
competitors pound the same stretch
of mainly flat road in central Hong
Kong 25 times.
In the weeks leading up to the
race some of the citys leading distance runners voiced doubts.
It will be boring and very difficult,
if not dizzy, for the runners, Hong
Kong-based Kenyan Thomas Kiprotich told the South China Morning Post.
I dont mind monotonous courses, but this is a bit extreme monotony for my tastes, US runner Michelle
Lowry, also based in Hong Kong, told
the newspaper.
But runners taking part were upbeat on the day of the race.
Its the first time Ive run an ultra
and the flat course was the reason that
I signed up, said Woody Li-mok, a
50-year-old police officer. I think this
is better for my first time.
Caroline Ngai, 30, who works for
an NGO, was also running her first
ultra.
I dont think its boring. Its
challenging. Every time you run is
different.
Building engineer Jeffrey Lam,
37, who already has a 100-kilometre

ultra under his belt, prepared by regularly running 30 kilometres around a

400-metre (1320-foot) track.
Running is like meditation, he
said. I think a flat ultra is interesting because you have to train your
mind.
A bright morning after a long
spell of pollution and heavy cloud
had the Lung Wo Road course looking its best, with landmarks including the citys Ferris wheel and Chinas PLA military barracks, plus a
skyscraper backdrop.
Kwan Kee, chair of the Hong
Kong Amateur Athletic Association
and one of the race organisers, admitted the course was quite boring
but said access for cheering spectators was an advantage.
Distance running is becoming
more and more popular in Hong
Kong, he said.
It was great that we could secure
this course in the heart of the city
Land in Hong Kong is very limited.
Kwan said that 300 runners were
taking part. He hoped to extend the
distance next year and attract overseas competitors.
Young star Nestor Wong, 19 who
broke the citys junior half-marathon
record in January won in 3h 24m
20s.
I didnt think it was boring because I could hear a lot of cheering
from my friends, he said.
This is my first ultra on the road
Ive done two 50-kilometre races on
trails. The road was easier because it
was flat. I felt more comfortable.
According to the International
Association of Ultrarunners there
are now more than 1000 ultra races
around the world, with Asia a particular growth area. AFP

Competitors start a relay race along the same course as Hong Kongs first innercity ultra marathon on March 1. Photo: AFP

TENNIS

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Argentine Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1 in the ATP final, in
Buenos Aires on March 1. Photo: AFP

Title win ends

Nadal drought
R
AFAEL Nadal won his
first title in nearly nine
months on March 1, beating Juan Monaco 6-4,
6-1 to win the Argentina

Open.
Nadals triumph was his first
since he won a ninth French Open
title at Roland Garros last June.
It was Nadals 65th career crown
on all surfaces, moving him into sole
possession of fifth place on the Open
Era all-time list led by the 109 titles
of American Jimmy Connors.
He broke out of a tie for fifth with
Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras.
They have an impressive history, Nadal said of Sampras and
Borg. Thats why it is an honour to
be compared to them.
He claimed his 46th career clay
court title, second-most in the Open
Era behind the 49 of Argentinas
Guillermo Vilas.
Most importantly, the victory
showed Nadal is headed in the right
direction.
The Spaniard, who battled injury
last year after his Roland Garros triumph, exited early in Qatar and fell
in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in January.
He had fallen to fourth in the
world after a semi-final loss to Italian
Fabio Fognini in Rio de Janeiro last
week, the first time he has not figured

continued from 24
holding midfielder in the absence
of the suspended Nemanja Matic.
Its very difficult for a central
defender to play there, Mourinho
said.
Because central defenders, they
dont have pressure from behind.
They are pressed in their faces, not
pressed from behind.
In that position, youre surrounded by players. You have to
think quick, you have to decide
quick. Its very, very difficult, but
our new Marcel Desailly, he worked
hard during the week and did a fantastic job for us.
Mourinhos first League Cup success in 2005 proved the precursor
to back-to-back league titles, but

in the top three since August 2013.

With this win, hes projected to
return to third in the world, again
overtaking Britains Andy Murray.
Im coming off a season that has
not been easy injuries, accidents,
said Nadal, who had to cope with
wrist trouble and an appendectomy
in 2014.

The beginning of
this year has been
a bit tricky after
some time out, but
little by little we
have found positive
feelings.
Rafael Nadal
Fifth-most Open wins

The beginning of this year has

been a bit tricky after some time
out, but little by little we have found
positive feelings.
The 28-year-old left-hander
needed one hour and 26 minutes
on court to notch his sixth victory

although Manchester Citys 2-1 loss

at Liverpool earlier on March 1 left
Chelsea five points clear in the Premier League with a game in hand,
he said there was still a long way
to go.
We have lots of difficult matches to play, he said. Twelve matches
to play, still difficult.
Spurs had stunned Chelsea 5-3
when the sides last met at White
Hart Lane on New Years Day and
they started positively, with Christian Eriksen hitting the bar from
a free-kick and Harry Kane testing
Cech with a low shot.
But Terrys goal arrived with
cruel timing just before half-time
and after Walker had inadvertently
deflected a shot from Diego Costa
into his own net in the 56th minute

over Monaco in as many meetings

on clay.
But the players had to wait out
a two-hour rain delay before the
match, and another 55-minute delay after both held serve for 1-1 in
the opening set on the still-slippery
court.
It was a tough day in the rain
because no one knew what was going to happen, Nadal said. I am
very thrilled to win here. From the
first day I trained my best to achieve
this goal. Im very happy. I leave here
with an unforgettable feeling and
memory.
After securing a tight first set
with a break of serve in the seventh
game, Nadal stormed through the
second.
He broke Monaco twice en route
to a 4-0 lead, then broke him again
in the final game, clinching the win
on his first match point when Monaco sent a forehand long.
Nadal, playing in the Argentinian
capital for the first time in a decade,
didnt face a break point in the contest before a packed crowd that included Vilas and David Nalbandian,
the last Argentinian player to win
the Buenos Aires title.
All titles are special, but Im really happy because I have not been
a champion for a long time, Nadal
said. AFP

Tottenhams fight faded.

However, Spurs head coach
Mauricio Pochettino said he was
proud of his teams display and
with 21-year-olds Kane and Eric
Dier and 20-year-old Nabil Bentaleb among those getting their first
taste of a major final, he urged his
players to build on the experience.
We respected our style, our philosophy, said the Argentine, who
joined Spurs after leaving Southampton at the end of last season.
For us I think we need to take a
lot of positive things. I think we are
a very young squad. Today, 23-anda-half years the average on the
pitch and for many players, the first
final. I think we are in a good way.
Its sure that we will play a lot of
finals in the next few years. AFP

Sport
24 THE MYANMAR TIMES march 3, 2015

SPORT EDITOR: Douglas Long | dlong125@gmail.com

Nadal climbs all-time leader

board with Argentina title
SPORT 22

FOOTBALL

Wembley win
leaves Mourinho
feeling like a kid

HELSEA manager Jose

Mourinho said he felt like
a kid after claiming the
first trophy of his second
Stamford Bridge tenure
with a League Cup final victory over
Tottenham Hotspur.
A deflected John Terry strike and
a Kyle Walker own-goal gave Chelsea
a 2-0 win at a rain-soaked Wembley
on March 1 and earned Mourinho his
third success in the competition after
two triumphs during his first spell as
the west London clubs manager.
It ended a 914-day wait for silverware for the 52-year-old Portuguese
the longest of his managerial career
and he expressed hope that it was a
sign of things to come for his nascent
Chelsea team.
For me its very important to feel
that Im a kid, said Mourinho, whose
previous trophy had been the 2012
Spanish Super Cup he won with Real
Madrid.
Before the game I had the same

feelings as my first final, I dont know

how many years ago. Its important
for me to feel the same happiness after the victory. Its important for me
to feel that I am a kid at 52 years old.
I know I have a team to build,
which is what we are doing, but I feed
myself with titles. Its difficult for me
to live without winning things, even
knowing that we are doing the work
to be stable for many years.
I need to feed myself with titles.
Its important for me, its important
for the boys.
For the club its one more cup. But
its the first one of the new team. You
have Petr Cech, John Terry, [Didier]
Drogba, and after that everybody belongs to a new generation of players.
So as a team, very, very important.
One of Chelseas new generation
to feature prominently at Wembley
was French centre-back Kurt Zouma,
20, pressed into action as an auxiliary
More on sport 22

Chelsea players celebrate their victory in the League Cup final football match against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium
in London on March 1. Photo: AFP

FOOTBALL

China reform group pushes for excellence on the football pitch

CHINA has taken steps to improve
its football performance, state media reported on March 1, after a key
group with presidential backing
agreed a plan to raise the level of the
game.
The countrys central reform leading group, chaired by President Xi Jinping, approved the plan on February
27, the official Xinhua news agency
said.
We must develop and revitalise
soccer to ensure we are a strong nation of sports, Xinhua cited a state-

ment issued after a meeting of the

group as saying. It is the desperate
desire of the people as well.
The worlds most populous country
has long been a powerhouse in sports
such as gymnastics, diving, table tennis and badminton.
But despite a domestic football
league that offers foreign managers
and players lucrative contracts, the
national side remains a lowly 82nd
place, tied with Guatemala, in FIFAs
latest global rankings.
Still, that is markedly better than

November when it stood in 99th place.

The countrys stock rose after coach
Alain Perrin surprisingly took the side
to the Asian Cup quarter-finals in Australia in January.
Team China romped through the
group stage but were ultimately laid
low in a 2-0 loss to the host Socceroos, the eventual winner of the
tournament.
But in the past far smaller neighbours Japan and South Korea have
outshone China in the sport, with the
South Koreans reaching the World

Cup semi-finals in 2002. China lost all

three group matches that year, their
only appearance at the finals.
Japan and South Korea jointly
hosted the 2002 World Cup and thus
gained automatic qualification, leaving the way open for China to make it
in from the Asian region.
Xinhua stressed that Xi is an avid
soccer fan who was apparently unpleased with the national teams play.
It noted that in 2011, when still vice
president, he had listed as his personal ambitions for China that year to

qualify for the World Cup as well as

eventually hosting and winning it.
The reform group statement
stressed the need to develop youth
talent.
More efforts should be made at
the grassroots level to nurture young
talents and to ensure the integration
of professional clubs, school teams
and amateur teams, it said.
China must overcome its defective system and provide better institutional guarantees for the sports
development, the group added. AFP