2015 Mtedailyissue 29

HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION
500
Ks.
WWW.MMTIMES.COM
DAILY EDITION
ISSUE 29 | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

NEWS 4
FDA bans 21 products

containing chemicals
Foods collected in Magwe and Nay
Pyi Taw were found to contain
non-consumable chemical dyes and
preservatives that could cause cancer
and other serious health problems.
IN DEPTH 5
Family waits for justice

In February 2012, U Myo Zaw Oo got in
a fight with his wife. Three days later,
he died in Insein Prison. Now his family
want to know why but they have
received little help from Myanmars
formal complaints mechanisms.
NEWS 6
Muzzled sayadaw
threatens law suit
Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw says the Sangha
committees decision in February to ban
him from preaching is a violation of
the 2008 constitution, as he announces
plans to defy the order this week.
BUSINESS 8
PAGE
12
PHOTO: AFP
The walls started chattering, as if they were cold

In an exclusive eyewitness account of the strongest earthquake to hit Nepal in more than
80 years, The Myanmar Times Catherine Trautwein relates the impact and aftershocks
in the town of Pokhara, 73 kilometres east of the epicentre of the April 25 quake.
FMI outlines plan to

win battle for the skies
Myanmars 10th domestic carrier
sees plenty of opportunities in a
sector where just 35 aircraft serve a
population of more than 51.2 million.
Army makes Rakhine arrests

The Tatmadaw has detained up to 15 civilians under the Unlawful Association Act for contact with the Arakan Army,
in a move that is likely to complicate negotiations toward the formal signing of a nationwide ceasefire. NEWS 3
2 News
THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIL 27, 2015
www.mmtimes.com
Daily Eleven
in military
crosshairs for
Kokang report
MRATT
KYAW THU
mrattkthu@gmail.com
THE Tatmadaw has publicly

condemned a report in Daily
Eleven about alleged losses in
the Kokang conflict, accusing
the paper of breaking journalism
ethics by publishing unverified
information.
The media group has rejected
the accusations, but apologised
for publishing a screenshot of a
photo purporting to show Tatmadaw soldiers who had been
captured by Kokang rebels from
the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army without blurring
the faces of the men.
The image was published with
an article, Unverified rumours
have spread that a government
regiment accidentally entered
into Kokang territory on April 23,
on the cover of the dailys April 25
edition.
The article featured multiple
screenshots from the Facebook
pages of Zhengyi Kokang and Ye
Moe. Eleven said Zhengyi Kokangs
account is closely linked to the
MNDAA, while Ye Moe is thought
to be a former military officer.
But the Tatmadaw said in a
statement, released by a newly
formed military information team
for correct news and published
in state media yesterday, that the
Daily Eleven story was based on
unofficial reports from Facebook
account and was unethical. It said
the report had affected the reputation of the Tatmadaw.
Daily Eleven said in response
it had only printed screenshots
of photos on the Zhengyi Kokang
page and had not used information from the account in its report.
The Tatmadaw has not issued
any information in response to
rumours of heavy losses on April
23. A spokesperson for the Myanmar Press Council (Interim) said
no formal complaint had been received from the military over the
Eleven report.
The complaint is the second
to have been published by the
information team in the past
month, and suggests the military
is becoming increasingly sensitive to critical reporting over its
activities.
In March, the Tatmadaw complained about a cartoon in the
Myanmar-language edition of The
Myanmar Times that linked Kokang offensives to land confiscations. Management subsequently
apologised for the cartoon.
The military has in the past
shown a willingness to pursue
criminal charges against journalists. In July 2014, five people from
Unity journal were imprisoned
for 10 years for a report on a supposed chemical weapons factory.
Press council vice president U
Khin Maung Lay said journalists
faced a dilemma when trying to
cover armed conflict due to both
the difficulty in verifying information and the threat of charges under the Unlawful Association Act
if they contact rebel groups.
When we meet Tatmadaw officers, including the Commanderin-Chief [Senior General] Min
Aung Hlaing, we requested that
the Tatmadaw establish a group or
team to announce updated information. They didnt do it yet, but
now this so-called Tatmadaw information committee has appeared,
he said. As long as the Tatmadaw
and armed groups exist, were going to face these problems.
TRADE MARK CAUTION

NOTICE is hereby given that Uni-Charm Corporation
a joint-stock company duly organized under the laws
of Japan, Manufacturers and Merchants of 182,
Shimobun, Kinsei-cho, Shikokuchuo-shi, Ehimeken, Japan is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the
following trademarks: -
Lifree
(Reg: No. IV/4813 /2008)
SOFY
NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com
News 3
Army detains
civilians for
links to AA
YE MON
yeemontun2013@gmail.com
Aid supplies are unloaded from a boat in Sapa Seik village, Kyauktaw township, where more than 500 people displaced by fighting have taken refuge. Photo: Supplied
Number of Rakhine displaced on the rise

More than 500 people have taken refuge in Kyauktaw village, with volunteers seeking permission to deliver more aid
LUN MIN MANG
lunminlm@gmail.com
A VOLUNTEER aid convoy that took
food to villagers displaced by heavy
fighting in Rakhine State between
government troops and fighters of the
Arakan Army (AA) says the number of
displaced has risen on initial estimates.
The aid convoy, which was
blocked by Tatmadaw troops for
three days as it attempted to make
its way to the conflict zone in
Kyauktaw township, was later allowed to proceed, though soldiers
allowed only three men to take in
the food. Organisers have revised
upward their initial estimate of 450
people at risk by more than 120.
Ko Zaw Win, one of the volunteers allowed to proceed, told The
Myanmar Times yesterday that police officers had put the number of
displaced at 574. The displaced families had been resettled in local schools,
and Ko Zaw Win said the group had
been told they were not allowed to
leave the village of Sapa Seik.
We donated 32 bags of rice, 50
mosquito nets, 10 packs of potatoes,
salt and some other cooking ingredients. We didnt receive many donations and we couldnt take much
food, he said.
The committee is now planning a
return to Sapa Seik village with more
food, provided the authorities allow
more volunteers to enter the conflict
zone next time.
We are collecting food and other
necessary supplies in order to return
within the week. But it also depends
how much we can collect, and how
quickly we can collect it, said Daw
Hla May, chair of Kyauktaw Womens Network and a member of the
typewriters and office requisites (except furniture);

instructional and teaching material (except apparatus);
plastic materials for packaging (not included in other
classes); printers type; printing blocks in Class 16
Babies diapers of textile; babies diaper covers; babies
pants; clothing for babies; bibs, not of paper; clothing;
footwear; underwear; headgear in Class 25
MamyPoko
(Reg: No. IV/4814 /2008)
MOONY
(Reg: No. IV/4816/2008)

The above two trademarks are in respect of:-
(Reg: No. IV/4815/2008)

The above two trademarks are in respect of:-
Disposable diapers or nappies of paper or cellulose

for babies; wetting tissue papers; tissue papers; kitchen
paper; disposable paper wipes; stationary; magazines
[periodicals]; photograph stands; paper, cardboard
and goods made from these materials, not included in
other classes; printed matter; bookbinding material;
photographs; adhesives for stationery or household
purposes; artists materials; paint brushes; calendars;
Drugs for medical purposes; sanitary napkins; panty

liners (sanitary); sanitary pants; menstruation tampons;
napkins for incontinents; pads for incontinents; pants
for incontinents; sanitary masks; absorbent cotton;
breast pads; and deodorants other than for personal use
in Class 5
Babies diapers of textile; babies diaper covers; babies
committee formed to help local residents affected by the fighting.

She said civil society organisations
and community-based networks from
Sittwe were joining the committee in
Kyauktaw to donate aid to Sapa Seik.
The government has a responsibility to send assistance to the camps.
Our committee
expects the military
to lift restrictions so
that more volunteers
are allowed in.
Daw Hla May
Relief committee member
pants; clothing for babies; bibs, not of paper; clothing;

footwear; underwear; headgear in Class 25
MAMY POKO
(Reg: No. IV/4826/2005)

in respect of: - Disposable diapers or nappies, wetting
tissue papers, tissue papers Intl Class: 16
SOFY
(Reg: No. IV/4827/2005)

in respect of: - Napkins for incontinents, sanitary
napkins, menstruation tampons, sanitary pants, and
deodorants other than for personal use Intl Class: 5
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said
trademarks or other infringements whatsoever will be
dealt with according to law.
U Kyi Win Associates
for Uni-Charm Corporation
P.O. Box No 26, Yangon.
Phone: 372416
Dated: 27th April, 2015
Our committee expects the military

to lift restrictions so that more volunteers are allowed in, she said.
The Rakhine State Army, an umbrella armed group that shares the
name Arakan Army, issued a statement on April 25 urging the government to follow the international
military code of conduct and rules
of engagement, not to attack civilians, and to allow aid convoys to
reach people affected by the fighting.
Government officials could not be
reached for comment yesterday.
Rakhine National Party leader
U Aye Maung said the government
should send more supplies to the
camp.
We met with some officials from
the state government about four
days ago. They said they had sent
supplies to the camp, he said. They
should send more.
THE military has begun arresting

residents in Rakhine State for alleged links to the Arakan Army,
in a move that is likely to complicate progress toward a nationwide
ceasefire.
Media reports said up to 65 people had been interrogated and 15
arrested under the Unlawful Association Act in Kyauktaw township,
where the Tatmadaw has recently
battled the AA. Section 17(A) of the
colonial-era legislation prohibits
contact with unlawful groups, and
carries a potential two-year jail
term.
Police Major Khin Maung confirmed the arrests but declined to
give details, referring questions to
the military.
These arrests were made under a military operation so we
cant speak about it, Pol Maj Khin
Maung said yesterday.
The military hasnt transferred
these people to the police yet. They
will face action like the Rakhine insurgents, he said, referring to the
arrest of at least seven members of
the AA last week.
Lieutenant Colonel Nyo Tun
Aung, the deputy commander-inchief of the AA, confirmed that
some of the groups soldiers have
been arrested by the military, along
with civilians.
The army arrested our soldiers and took their phones. They
went through the photos on these
phones and then arrested all of the
people included in the photos. This
includes the families and friends of
the troops, he said.
Military officials could not be
reached for comment yesterday
and the Tatmadaw has released
no information on the arrests of
civilians.
However, if confirmed the militarys actions will further complicate delicate progress toward the
signing of a nationwide ceasefire.
The AA is a member of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination
Team, which negotiated the draft
agreement on behalf of 16 groups.
The ceasefire was signed in principle on March 31. Once confirmed
all signatories would be removed
from the list of unlawful groups.
The Tatmadaws use of the Unlawful Association Act, particularly
in Kachin State, had been a major source of tension with armed
groups. Few arrests under the law
had been made over the past six
months.
However, it appears to have
taken a harder line with the AA because the Rakhine group is fighting
alongside the Myanmar National
Democratic Alliance Army in the
Kokang Region of northeastern
Shan State.
U Zaw Win, a member of a committee providing aid to conflictaffected areas of Rakhine State,
said yesterday that the arrests were
a violation of earlier pledges to no
longer prosecute civilians for links to
groups involved in the peace process.
The government should not
have arrested these people because
the AA is participating in the peace
process. Minister for the Presidents
Office [U Aung Min] has promised
that he will take responsibility if
people are arrested under this act,
he said.
Rakhine National Party leader
U Aye Maung said the government
should not distinguish between
those fighting in Kokang and the
other ethnic armed groups involved
in peace talks.
The government should recognise the three armed groups [the
MNDAA, the AA and the Taang
National Liberation Army] as ethnic armed groups and open peace
talks, he said.
Officials from the NCCT co
yesterday.
KANCHANABURI, THAILAND
Thousands attend ANZAC Day service

MATT ROEBUCK
matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com
MORE than 3000 people marched
under the cover of darkness down the
steep slope to a former railway cutting
of the Thai-Burma Railway that became known as Hellfire Pass on April
25 to honour Australian and New Zealand soldiers who have fallen in battle
over the past 100 years.
The congregation gathered from
4am at the site near Kanchanaburi in
Thailand to commemorate those who
died on the project the railway is estimated to have cost a life for every sleeper laid as well as other service men
and women who have fallen in battle in
century since the tragic Gallipoli landings in Turkey on April 25, 1915.
The ANZAC Day service was led
by chaplain Michael Donaldson of the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF),
who asked those present to honour
those forced to work on the railway by
the Japanese during World War II for
their courage, their devotion to duty
and the sacrifice of life itself.
RAAF chief Air Marshal Geoff
Brown pointed to the Australian War
Memorial in Canberra to highlight the

importance of the 415-kilometre (258mile) railway in Australian history.
The Canberra memorial is flanked
on either side by a depiction of a medic
from the 1915 Dardanelles campaign
and a doctor who treated the sick on
the Thai-Burma Railway, which came
to be known as the Death Railway.
Air Marshal Brown pointed to the
significance of honouring people who
saved lives rather than took them.
Also in attendance was Neil
MacPherson, a veteran of the 2nd/2nd
Pioneers who was forced to work on
the line, which opened in 1943 but fell
into disuse shortly after the war ended.
While laying a wreath at the
12,621
Allied prisoners of war who
perished during construction of the
415-kilometre Thai-Burma Railway
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, he too

spoke of the importance of the doctors
that took care of him and his mates.
He spoke of one lieutenant colonel to
whom I owe my life.
He listed me as incapable of work
during a continuing bout of malaria, he
said. [The doctors] are more than anyone else revered by Australian POWs.
The service was lit by bamboo
torches attached to the stone face of
the deep cutting, casting the same eerie light that illuminated the prisoners
work, and gave the location its vivid
nickname. Others gathered to watch
the service on a big screen at a nearby
museum dedicated to telling the history of the site.
As the sun rose to reveal an equally
eerie mist, soldiers stood to attention
as the Last Post was played, and those
gathered observed a two-minute silence.
More than 240,000 people are
thought to have worked on the railway. One-quarter were Allied prisoners
of war, of whom 12,621 perished. The
rest were labourers drawn from the
region, including Myanmar. They bore
the heaviest losses, with an estimated
90,000 dying during construction.
TRADE MARK CAUTION

NOTICE is hereby given that LG HOUSEHOLD & HEALTH
CARE LTD. a company organized under the laws of Republic of
Korea and having its principal office at 58, Saemunan-ro, Jongnogu Seoul, Republic of Korea is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of
the following trademark:-
(Reg: Nos. IV/11345/2012 & IV/3960/2013)

in respect of: - Skin milk lotions; perfumes; cleansing creams;
shampoos; hair rinses; hair essence in the nature of perfumed oils
for hair; sunscreen lotions; nail polish; nail decolorants; mask
pack for cosmetic purposes; cosmetic soaps; massage cream; body
lotions; bath gels; shower gels; massage oil; cosmetic nourishing
creams; enamel for manicure; vanish-removing preparations;
cosmetic bath powder; perfumed powder; hair lotions; body
creams; skin cleansing foams; skin cleansing lotions; body
cleanser; cosmetics; eye shadows; lipsticks - Class: 3
Retail store services for cosmetics, hair shampoo, toilet soaps,
body cleansers and toothpastes; wholesale store services for
cosmetics, hair shampoo, toilet soaps, body cleansers and
toothpastes Class: 35.
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark
or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according
to law.
for LG HOUSEHOLD & HEALTH CARE LTD.
P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon.
Phone: 372416
TRADE MARK CAUTION

NOTICE is hereby given that KAESER KOMPRESSOREN SE
of a company organized under the laws of Germany and having its
principal office at Carl-Kaeser-Strasse 26, 96450 Coburg, Germany
is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademarks:-
(Reg: Nos. IV/1838/2004, IV/8897/2013 & IV/7535/2014)
(Reg: Nos. IV/1837/2004, IV/8896/2013 & IV/7536/2014)
Mobilair
(Reg: Nos. IV1839/2004, IV/8899/2013 & IV/7537/2014)
(Reg: Nos. IV/1840/2004, IV/8898/2013 & IV/7538/2014)

The said four trademarks are in respect of:machines and machine tools; compressors, blowers, pumps, valves,
condensers; belts and belting; condensing installations; industrial
robots; generators; heat exchangers; drilling machines; drilling
rigs; exhausts (other than for land vehicles); filtering machines;
filters; machines for exhaustion, transportation, generation and
preparation of gases; operating machines; pump diaphragms;
speed governors, turbines (other than for land vehicles); vehicle
washing installations; vulcanisation apparatus; transmission and
propulsion couplings and gears, motors of all kinds for stationery
or mobile installations (except for land vehicles); in particular gaspowered turbomachines; thermal engines, electro thermal engines,
reaction engines, combined-propulsion engines; thrust-reversers
for aircraft engines; component parts of these machines; motors,
engines and reversers; parts and fittings for all the aforesaid goods;
all included in class: 7
trademarks or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with
according to law.
for KAESER KOMPRESSOREN SE
Phone: 372416
4 News
Chief Executive Officer
Tony Child
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Editorial Director U Thiha Saw
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Editor MTM Sann Oo
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Editor Special Publications Myo Lwin
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News Editor MTE Guy Dinmore
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Business Editor MTE Jeremy Mullins
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World Editor MTE Fiona MacGregor,
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The Pulse Editor MTE Charlotte Rose
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Sport Editor MTE Matt Roebuck
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Special Publications Editor MTE Wade Guyitt
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Regional Affairs Correspondent Roger Mitton
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Sub-Editors Peter Swarbrick, Laignee Barron
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Testing finds noxious noodles

and carcinogen-laced candies
SHWE
YEE SAW
MYINT
poepwintphyu2011@gmail.com
ALMOST two dozen food products

from markets and schools in Nay Pyi
Taw and Magwe tested positive for illegal and potentially toxic chemical
substances, according to the Ministry
of Health.
The 21 offending brands included
candies, dry noodles, chilli sauce,
pickled tea and fish paste, a warning
from the ministry said yesterday.
The foods tested positive for dyes
used in the textile industry, as well as
borax, a chemical often found in stain
removers and fire retardants, according to officials from the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), which
conducted the testing.
21
Food products tested positive for

banned chemical substances like borax
that can cause illness if ingested
The chemicals are not supposed

to be used for food, said Dr Khin Saw
Hla, deputy director of the administrations Yangon branch.
The food samples, many of which
were chosen because of their popularity, were collected from locations in
Nay Pyi Taw and Magwe Region, Dr
Khin Saw Hla said.
The public announcement posted
to Facebook said Golden Dragon chil-
One of 21 foods found to contain banned chemicals, Tone Tone fish paste was for sale yesterday. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing
li sauce tested positive for Orange II,

a dye often used for garments. Pinky
strawberry wafers contained Rhodamine B, a dye and suspected carcinogen, according to researchers at the
European Food Safety Authority.
Multiple brands of dry noodles, including 999, tested positive for borax,
a naturally occurring chemical sometimes illicitly used as a preservative
in foods.
Other inedible chemicals included
dyes Auramin O and Sudan III.
Dr Tun Zaw, director of the administrations food department, declined
to say how many food samples had
been tested, when the results were
discovered or how often testing is

conducted.
The FDA has in the past been criticised for its perceived failure to properly regulate food products, including
both imports and those produced domestically, to ensure they are safe for
human consumption.
According to retired FDA official
Dr Myint Hun, the chemical substances found in the 21 food samples
could cause vomiting and dizziness,
as well as more serious problems like
liver disease. They could also harm
the physical and cognitive development of children, he said.
The health authorities should de-
stroy the foods and punish the producers effectively so companies do not use
these banned chemicals, he said.
The health ministry said in the
announcement that the brands would
be punished under section 28(a) of
the national food law, which can result in a three years imprisonment, a
K30,000 fine or both.
A housewife from Bahan township
said she believed the announcement
showed the need for further testing.
I feel that we are not eating safe
food, said Ma Zarwuttyee, 30. I want
the health authorities to work harder
and check more regularly that the
food we are eating is healthy.
Malaysian politician
gives cold shoulder
to refugee seekers
NYAN LYNN AUNG
29.nyanlynnaung@gmail.com
AMID calls for the ASEAN Summit
to jointly address the growing diaspora of refugee seekers from Rakhine
State, a Malaysian senator and former
NGO director offered his solution:
Send them back.
Speaking at the ASEAN Peoples
Forum in Kuala Lumpur on April
23, Datuk Paul Low from the Prime
Ministers Department said Myanmar
refugee seekers without proper documentation should be shown the door.
Responding to questions at the
forum, Mr Low suggested only Myanmar migrants with documentation could stay and work in Malaysia, while the irregular Myanmar
population, including a large number
of Rohingya, should be fined and
repatriated.
Better jobs should be made available to them at home to discourage
them from leaving, he said, seemingly conflating economic migration and asylum seekers fleeing
persecution.
My angle is that if we want to
[solve the issue] we need to drive the
economy of Rakhine State to make
more opportunities, he said, be-
fore acknowledging that Malaysias

burgeoning Myanmar population
includes trafficking victims, whose
cases should be investigated.
More than 140,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers currently
live in Malaysia, according to the UN
Refugee Agency estimates. More than
50,000 of those are from Chin State,
while 40,000 are estimated to be Rohingya and another 12,000 identify as
non-Rohingya Muslims.
Senator Lows push for repatriating Myanmar refugees contrasted
with his preceding speech.
States cannot absolve themselves
of their duty to respect human rights
by saying that the rights of the majority need to be respected when this
is only a thin veil to promote racism,
subjugation, apartheid, slavery, genocide or even extractive forms of industry, he said.
He emphasised the need for inclusivity to counter extremism, adding
that, Those who are considered part
of us are treated with preferential
status whilst those other people are
considered lesser persons, with lesser
rights.
Mr Low wasnt the only Malaysian
official to recently jump on the repatriation bandwagon.
Myanmar refugees and their children sit in their house in Kuala Lumpur in
August 2011. Over 140,000 Myanmar asylum seekers live in Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Another representative from the

Prime Ministers Department, Datuk
Seri Shahidan Kassim, told Malaysias parliament on April 16 that his
party is constantly urging UNHCR
to speed up the repatriation process or to send [refugees] to a third
country particularly those from
Myanmar, as their prolonged presence here has given rise to numerous
problems.
Since Malaysia is not a signatory
to the UN Refugee Convention, most
refugees are treated as illegal migrants. Deporting such refugee seekers has been challenging in the past,
however, as Myanmar accepts only
those who can prove their citizenship.
Many of the Muslim refugees from
Rakhine State, whom the government

insists on calling Bengali, lack official
identification or citizenship.
Amos Hau Kim, an attendee at the
recent forum, which was held in the
lead-up to the 26th ASEAN Summit,
and a coordinator at the Coalition of
Burma Ethnics Malaysia, said without documents from the UNHCR,
most of Malaysias refugees struggle
to safely remain in Malaysia.
Also speaking at the ASEAN Peoples Forum, Malaysian politician
Mohamed Azmin Ali delivered a
speech criticising the blocs non-interference principle for aggravating
human rights violations in the region
like the systematic expulsion of the
Rohingya from Myanmar.
News 5
www.mmtimes.com
IN DEPTH
Family waits for justice

Formal complaints mechanisms have failed to provide a Yangon family with any answers over the death of
U Myo Zaw Oo, a former soldier who passed away in prison in February 2012, just days after being arrested
BILL OTOOLE
LUN MIN MAING
ON the evening of February 3, 2012, U

Myo Zaw Oo got into a fight with his
wife.
He was 38 years old, a father of
four, and worked at a small mobilephone shop in front of the family home in Hlaing Tharyar township,
Yangon, that he owned and operated
with his mother and brother.
As a young man, U Myo Zaw Oo
had been a soldier based in Pakokku,
Magwe Region. According to his family, he returned home on leave in 1996
and found that he missed his infant
son too much to return to barracks. He
deserted, and lived happily for more
than a decade, having three more
children with his wife, until he was arrested for abandoning his post in the
city-wide police crackdown in 2007.
Though he was sentenced to seven
years in prison, his sentence was suspended much to his familys joy and
relief after a little more than a year,
and he returned to the family home.
Speaking to The Myanmar Times,
his wife, Daw Win Thein, described
the February 2012 argument as a normal husband-and-wife spat. She admits that they were loud, and that her
husband was slightly drunk, but she
insists it was nothing violent or out of
the ordinary.
Some local police, already in the
neighbourhood responding to another call, heard the commotion and
investigated. U Myo Zaw Oo was arrested and taken to the station. His
eldest son delivered food to his father
in the holding cell that evening, and
reported that he was in good health.
That would be the last time the young
man, now 20 years old, ever saw his
father.
U Myo Zaw Oo appeared in court
on February 5, 2012. He was covered
in bruises and fresh wounds. His
mother, Daw Ngwe Thein, said both
his eyes were swollen shut and his lip
was split open.
Shortly after the hearing, U Myo
Zaw Oo was taken via trishaw to a local hospital for treatment. Daw Ngwe
Thein said her son was handcuffed to
a gurney, and received only superficial
treatment for his wounds.
She whispered, Did the police do
this to you? and her son gave a slight
nod, so as not to alert the nearby
guards.
Daw Win Thein holds a photo of her husband, U Myo Zaw Oo, in her Yangon
home. Photo: Yu Yu
U Myo Zaw Oo was then transferred to Insein Prison, where he died

in his sleep the same evening, apparently from internal injuries.
In the years since, U Myo Zaw Oos
family has pursued every formal channel available to them to find answers
and win some measure of justice. Each
one has led them nowhere.
Despite their grief, the family got
to work quickly. On February 7, 2012,
only one day after the death of U Myo
Zaw Oo, they filed a formal complaint
with the Myanmar National Human
Rights Commission, which was then
less than a year old.
At first, things looked promising.
Two district police officers arrived
at their home on February 28, saying
they had orders from Nay Pyi Taw to
investigate the case. They questioned
the family members, and promised
that their next stop would be an interview with the ward administrators.
There was no news for several
months. On July 7, 2012, U Myo Htwe
went to the district court in person,
and was referred to the Ministry of
Home Affairs.
They heard nothing for the next 18

months.
Fed up at the lack of response, U
Myo Htwe, U Myo Zaw Oos younger
brother and a National League for
Democracy member, approached the
Yangon-based Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP), a civil society group that provides free legal advice to victims of human rights abuse.
U Myo Htwe said he and the HRDP
made several attempts to contact the
human rights commission over the
course of 2013, to which they received
no reply.
On April 29, 2014, U Myo Htwe visited the courthouse once again, and
was told that the investigation had
concluded that his brother had injured himself while stumbling around
his jail cell in a drunken haze. When U
Myo Htwe asked about the possibility
of appealing the decision, he was told
that the judge in charge of the case
had been transferred.
The court officers were apparently
so secure in their assessment that
they allowed U Myo Htwe to copy all
the court documents related to the
investigation, which he shared with

The Myanmar Times.
Curiously, the post-mortem report
for U Myo Zaw Oo was not included in
the several dozen pages of documents.
According to U Myo Htwe, the court
officers claimed it had never been sent
from the hospital.
In May, U Myo Htwe sent copies of
all the documents to the Presidents
Office and the parliamentary Rule of
Law Committee headed by Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi, urging them to reopen
the investigation. To date, they have
received no response.
U Myo Zaw Oos case, and many
others like it, have changed the way
the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters operates.
According to U Maung Maung Lay,
a program officer who assisted U Myo
Zaw Oos family, the main service his
organisation provided to victims and
their families from 2012 to 2013 was
helping draft complaint letters to the
human rights commission.
Now, after sending so many letters
and seeing no action from the relevant
authorities, he says they dont bother.
We dont see the MNHRC as an
independent and just organisation,
he said.
While he welcomes the Rule of Law
Committees annual reports and advocacy, he said both bodies have failed
to live up to their promises to uphold
human rights.
Both organisations are limited, he
said. Their role is too narrow.
Rights commission member Daw
Than Nwe said she could not recall
U Myo Zaw Oos case but insisted the
commission was upholding its mandate to protect human rights.
She conceded that the mandate
doesnt stretch very far, however. We
can only investigate and make recommendations its up to the ministries
to enforce [our recommendations].
The governments track record
on investigating human rights abuses
is abysmal, said Matthew Bugher, a
Yangon-based Global Justice Fellow
with Harvard University. The Human Rights Commission and the Rule
of Law Committee have both failed
to fulfil their mandates and have too
often turned a deaf ear to vulnerable
communities.
But U Myo Htwe and his family
are not finished. They intend to keep
pushing for answers through whatever activism and advocacy they can
muster, but will no longer bother trying to work through the governments
formal channels.
They claim to be the voice of the
people, he said, but they are not.
IN BRIEF
EU announces urban
mobility project
Turin, Italy, has sent representatives to advise Yangon on

urban mobility and road safety.
Representatives of Yangon City
Development Committee (YCDC),
the City of Turin and two Italian
NGOs said on April 24 they would
start implementing Sustainable
Urban Mobility Planning.
The EU-funded project is
designed to strengthen Yangons
strategic planning capacity and
promote citizen participation in
urban mobility planning, through
the transfer of good practices and
models.
A pilot project will be carried
out in Tarmwe and Thingangyun
townships.
The two-year project will cost
884,326 euros (US$961,705), of
which 75 percent is being provided by the EU and the rest by
project partners. A workshop will
take place at City Hall today.
Aye Nyein Win
Detained activists face new

charges over protests
Charges are continuing to pile

up against the students who
took part in the protest against
the National Education Law. At a
hearing on April 23, two Yangon
townships charged three of the
student leaders with offences
under the peaceful protest law.
Ma Phyo Phyo Aung, Ko
Nanda Sitt Aung and Ko Phyo
Danat were charged under
section 18 by Botahtaung and
Pabedan township police in relation to protests that took place
on February 8.
U Nay Win, the father of Ma
Phyo Phyo Aung, said the charges
were motivated by a government
grudge against his daughter.
The township court at Letpadan ordered 70 students to
be remanded and granted bail
to a further 11 defendants. The
next hearing is set for April 30 at
Tharyarwady court.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Aye
Thein of Tharyarwady township
said the reason for the transfer
was to ensure the students
security.
Police are still seeking three
students they say played a leading role in the protest movement that culminated on March
10 in the violent crackdown at
Letpadan. They are Kyaw Ko
Ko, Myat Thu Aung and Ye Yant
Kyaw.
The students face charges that
include incitement to riot, defamation and obstructing a police
officer, said their lawyer, U Robert
San Aung. There is nothing fair
about the judicial system in this
country, he said. Wa Lone
New top civil servants to oversee media relations

SANDAR LWIN
sdsandarlwin@gmail.com
A NEW mechanism set up by the government to improve relations with
the media and the public has received
a cautious welcome from journalists.
The government says the aim of the
new setup is to get more information into the public domain. But at
least one journalist has warned that
it could just operate as a mouthpiece
for officialdom.
The new information mechanism
is part of the reform of the government bureaucracy instituted by the
government, which led to the installation of permanent secretaries at the
top of 11 ministries on April 10.
All ministries will have an information department under the
permanent secretarys office. The
department will handle external inquiries and perform tasks prescribed

by the media-related laws, such as the
News Media and Printing and Publishing Enterprise laws, said U Myint
Htwe, chief of staff of the Ministry of
Informations permanent secretary.
The News Media Law obliges ministries to provide journalists with access to information in a timely manner. Officials who fail to comply face
possible sanction.
Each information department will
be headed by a director in charge of
about 30 staff. Earlier this month,
the Ministry of Information provided
training in media relationships to
about 70 deputy directors and assistant directors from 36 ministries,
with assistance from UNESCO and
the International Monetary Fund.
The information mechanism is
still very weak, and relations between

journalists and bureaucrats are not
smooth. These new departments will
correct that situation, U Myint Htwe
said.
U Thiha Saw, a member of the Myanmar Press Council (Interim), and editorial director of The Myanmar Times,
said yesterday that the information departments could be a positive step toward enhancing the accountability and
transparency of the bureaucracy. But
we have to wait and see how well they
perform in information management.
If they can do it well, it is a welcome
development, he said.
He also said that the practices of
each ministry concerning the release
of information should be reviewed
and uniform rules introduced. Each
ministry has its own rules on what
information is secret or restricted.
Without reviewing that, the new departments cant work effectively, he

said.
Though ministries have designated contact persons and formed
Relations between
journalists and
bureaucrats are not
smooth. These new
departments will
correct that.
U Myint Htwe
Chief of staff to a permanent secretary
information teams, some media

sources have complained that the
mechanism leaves something to be
desired. Despite an announcement
late last year that the Presidents Office would hold regular press conferences, only one has taken place.
U San Thar Aung, a journalist
working for a Yangon-based foreign
media company, said he was concerned that the new departments
could become the governments
mouthpiece instead of supplying genuine information to the public.
This new mechanism should not
have the effect of controlling the flow
of information. Most bureaucrats
came from the old system and dont
really understand the concept of serving the people. I hope the new units
will respond to questions from the
media or public, he said.
6 News
Banned monk
threatens legal
action against
Sangha body
Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw says he will defy ban and
preach in Sagaing, Ayeyarwady regions this week
AUNG
KYAW
MIN
aungkyawmin.mcm@gmail.com
IN PICTURES
PHOTO: AUNG KHANT
Ko Steven, a member of the Yangon-based Armenian community,

holds a sign calling for recognition of the Armenian genocide
inside the Armenian Church of St John the Baptist on the corner
of Merchant and Bo Aung Kyaw roads on April 24. The event,
which was organised by the Armenian embassy in Singapore, was
attended by about 50 people, including the Armenian ambassador to
Singapore Ashot Tunyan, the Russian ambassador to Myanmar Vasily
Pospelov and Father Zaven Yazichyan, a member of the Armenian
Apostolic Church based in India. Between 800,000 and 1.5 million
people are estimated to have died at the hands of the Ottoman
Empire, in present-day Turkey, between 1914 and 1918. Turkey rejects
the use of the term genocide to describe the killings.
Deputy minister launches ILO

migrant education handbook
KYAW PHONE KYAW
k.phonekyaw@gmail.com
THE International Labour Organization has drawn up an instruction manual for Myanmar migrant
workers intending to work in Thailand and Malaysia. The handbook
was launched on April 26.
Deputy labour minister U Htin
Aung told the launching ceremony
that more than 10 percent of Myanmars population was working
overseas, mostly as unskilled labourers at risk of human trafficking and exploitation. He said the
pre-departure preparation manual
would have a positive impact.
I am very worried that our migrant workers will face many problems because they are unskilled
and most of them work in jobs that
are dirty, dangerous and difficult,
he said.
The book will be used by employment agencies that send
labourers abroad.
Titled Travel Smart, Work Smart,
the handbook includes information
on the culture of the countries they
will be working in. Pre-departure
curriculum books contain details
on how to send money home, deal
with homesickness, use an ATM,
make plans for the future, avoid
sexually transmitted diseases, and
contact organisations that support
the rights and responsibilities of
workers.
Most migrants get information about migration from family
and friends, but this is not enough.
Returning migrants dont want to
talk to their families about their
problems for fear of upsetting
them. They have to be able to access different sources, said Jackie
Pollock, technical officer of the
ILOs Yangon office.
Piyamal Pichaiwongse, deputy
liaison officer of the ILOs Yangon
office, said they had also issued
similar handbooks for Vietnamese

and Cambodian migrants, based
on close consultations with the
workers concerned.
Ko Sein Htay, director of the
Migrant Workers Rights Network
(MWRN), said, This is a worthwhile activity. It shows the migrant
worker issue is getting attention
from big organisations and from
the government.
However, he also called for improvements in the migrants working conditions and stronger controls to avoid exploitation.
Deputy minister U Htin Aung
said there were about 3 million
Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand and 1 million in Malaysia. He
said the handbooks were intended
only for legal migrants.
Our government cant recognise them if theyre illegal, he said.
The ILO project is funded by
the European Union (EU) and Australian government.
A PROMINENT monk who was recently ordered to stop preaching has

threatened legal action against the
countrys peak Buddhist body, as he
also confirmed plans to defy the order
later this week.
U Pinnyasiha, better known as
Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw, learned on
March 25 that a plenary meeting of the
47-member State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee the previous month had
decided to impose a nationwide ban
on his preaching.
The order set no time limit, but the
committee, which is better known as
Ma Ha Na, said it had been imposed
for allegedly speaking out of line with
Buddhist doctrine and not following
the instructions of his seniors.
Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw told The
Myanmar Times that the order violated the rights of citizens outlined
in the constitution, and that he could
initiate proceedings to have the order
rescinded.
Actually I do not wish to take legal action against our senior monks,
he said. But we must show that it is
possible to have this order rescinded
and that we value our rights under the
constitution.
We cant put up with unfair treatment from Ma Ha Na, Ma Ba Tha, the
president, Thura U Shwe Mann or
anyone they are just citizens, like us.
Why cant we sue them if they have
done something wrong? Why would
we stay silent?
He cited section 348, which says
the union shall not discriminate
against any citizen on the basis of
race, birth, religion, official position,
status, culture, sex and wealth, as well
as 354(d), which guarantees citizens
the right the right to develop the
religion they profess.
Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw has
courted controversy before and has
been known for his criticism of the
anti-Muslim 969 movement, which is
backed by nationalist Buddhist monks.
In 2013 he acted to calm communal
violence between Buddhists and Muslims that exploded in the central city
of Meiktila, and has also spoken out in
defence of political prisoners.
He said he had not yet been formally notified of the ban, although
it has been sent to state, region and
township Sangha offices instructing
officials to stop him from preaching.
Following the order, Shwe Nay Wah
Sayadaw stood down from a preaching
engagement in Shwe Pyi Thar on April
12, sending a deputy in his place.
However, he said he plans to preach
in Myinmu in Sagaing Region on April
30 and Pantanaw in Ayeyarwady Region on May 2.
If the authorities forcibly halt the
events, he will instead turn to preaching abroad until the order is overturned. On April 5, he travelled to
Japan to preach to Myanmar migrant
workers.
I also have my audience abroad,
both Myanmar citizens and foreigners, he said. I have been invited by
[migrants in Japan] again. I have also

received invitations from Myanmar
[in South] Korea, Singapore, Australia
and America.
The state Sangha committee has
regularly been accused of being a
pawn for the authorities, and using its
powers to silence monks who fail to
toe the governments agenda.
It faced similar claims in June
2014, when religious authorities raided a Tarmwe monastery on the orders
of the government following an ownership dispute. In 2007, it punished
members of the Sangha who had
taken part in protests against the military regime, which culminated with
soldiers shooting monks and civilians
in cold blood on the streets of Yangon.
The ban has already drawn international criticism, with the United
States-based rights group Freedom
House saying it highlights the way
Myanmars government targets religious leaders critical of government
actions.
The monastic council is trying to
silence Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw, even
as ultra-nationalist Buddhist monk
Ashin Wirathu slanders a UN official
and incites interreligious discord,
Robert Herman, the groups vice president for regional programs, said in a
statement.
However, U Gunarlinkarra, deputy
leader of the Sangha committee for
Yangon, insisted the order would be
enforced. We will take action if he
preaches without permission I directed township offices to take action
under the Law Relating to the Sangha
Organization and section 295(a) of the
penal code [for insulting religion], he
said.
The ban highlights

the way Myanmars
government
targets religious
leaders critical of
government actions.
Robert Herman
Freedom House
One Bangkok-based Myanmar

monk, U Canda Sari, said the order
was politically motivated because
Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw was a known
opponent of the government.
The Ma Ha Na was appointed by
the dictator government and it has
not yet changed They are just doing
what the government wants.
Any monk who wants a bit of
luck just needs to say something good
about the government, particularly
when theres an election coming up. If
you dont believe me, just watch what
happens, he said.
But another, U Neminda, said he
was unsure on whether the ban was
justified.
If the monk preaches according
to the Buddhas dhamma, there is no
reason to ban him, he said. But the
preaching should not contain personal
attacks.
News 7
www.mmtimes.com
Views
Change you can depend on
EPENDING on who you

ask, its still all too common
to hear people exclaim that
nothing has changed in
Myanmar. They usually
point to problems with the reform
trajectory, the lack of true democratic
participation and the persistence of
military influence in politics. Its easy
enough to make a list of whats going
wrong.
Those who see the country in this
way have often spent a lot of time
gazing across the border from Thailand, or advocating for the dispossessed and downtrodden. From such
a vantage, Myanmar can apparently
look like a diabolical failure, one
worthy of criticism, even scorn. Those
who play active roles in seeking to
right Myanmars wrongs are usually
dismissed for their naivety.
What grates with these negative
impressions is that they serve to
undermine rightful opportunities
for criticism and make a mockery
of the progress that has occurred.
While much is still wrong with how
Myanmar is managed and certain
problems appear intractable, it is too
easy to dismiss the genuinely useful
and constructive changes that have
occurred. Such changes take a variety
of forms.
There is, for a start, the way
that university life in Myanmar has
evolved. The system today is hardly
perfect, yet it gives real chances to
young students seeking to make
their academic mark. They are
welcomed to campuses by enthusiastic teachers, including many who
faced the hardships of the dictatorial decades head-on. On dozens of
campuses around the country there
are inspiring stories of quiet defiance
motivated by determination that the
flicker of Myanmar intellectual life
should never be extinguished. Those
who lived through such lean times
relish the new smorgasbord of fresh
academic opportunities. They teach
their students to pay attention, ask
questions, look around and seize the
possibilities in front of them.
We also see changes in the business community and not just for
the big end of town. Youngsters, often
with no significant financial backing, are forging out into new areas of
the economy. The tech sector is one
place to look for these rising waves of
entrepreneurs, but they are found in
many other corners too. Many take a
President U Thein Sein attends a meeting

with local civil society groups in Yangon
on January 20, 2013. Photo: AFP
NICHOLAS
FARRELLY
nicholas.farrelly@glenlochadvisory.com
socially responsible approach to business formation and hope that their

own economic success can lead to
wider benefits. It is only a matter of
time before some of them hit the big
time, getting the chance to redefine
the commercial landscape. Few will
see them coming.
Its also true that in Myanmars
major government institutions there
are changes under way. They never
make headlines but the new tone
in official Myanmar is arguably the
most important trend of all. Unless
you spend a lot of time with public
servants its hard to get a sense of just
how far opinions have shifted. In half
a decade the people who ultimately
implement government policy have
had a chance to see what needs to
happen for the system to grow and
prosper. Many are now taking up
educational and international travel

possibilities for the first time. As their
horizons expand, so do their visions
for what Myanmar can become.
These are the realities that get
missed in the doom-and-gloom analyses of those who cannot comprehend that some things are getting
better, while others stay the same
or get worse. It is the inconsistency
and contradiction of Myanmars
situation that so often baffles those
who want to offer a ready prognosis. It defies the simple plus-minus
game and undermines any insistence that there is simply one story
of whats happening to more than
50 million people.
From where I sit, getting better
information about the lives of those
50 million people will help to drive
better assessments of whats going on.
For now, too much is still defined by
the lack of a baseline about the most
basic experiences. Instead, there is a
rolling maul of inadequate and often
erratic data points, all of which tell
us something but never come close
to painting the full picture. It is that
overall image, one where shapes
make sense up close but also from a

distance, that eludes us.
In time we will hopefully get the
full picture: coloured by a spirit of
transformation, and now shaded
by countless individual stories and
experiences. Every one of them has
their own motivations and goals. Its
unclear, to me at least, whether well
ever really know what it is that drives
all of the next moves.
Yet what is guaranteed is that
more flux and change awaits. This
means the answer to the assertion that Myanmar isnt changing
shouldnt be a simple retort. The better response is to accept that the divergence of paths, and the mish-mash
of trends, is killing off the certainties
some have come to hold dear. It is
those certainties that are now genuinely threatened by the ever-shifting
picture of reform.
Nicholas Farrelly is a partner at Glenloch
Advisory and a fellow at the Australian
National University. He currently leads an
Australian Research Council project on
Myanmars political cultures in transition.
EDITORIAL
Myanmars
election: Are
we ready?
THIS years general election,
scheduled for November, is likely
to be the most fiercely contested and important - for decades, if not
since independence.
While there might be some
parallels with 1990, it is far from
a rematch. The National Unity
Party is no longer a force, with
the Union Solidarity and Development Party having taken its place.
The simple pro-and-anti-government delineation of the past
no longer applies. Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi is in parliament, not under house arrest; the USDP has
some major political achievements that it can trumpet come
campaign time.
Ethnic minorities, meanwhile,
are better represented than ever
before, but the plurality of parties may be a disadvantage. The
Union Election Commission has
promised the vote will be free, fair
and transparent, and has been
working with the international
community and local groups to
put those promises into effect.
In short, there is much to be
excited about, not least because
the outcome remains very much
in doubt. This is very much the
case for the media, which will
also be enjoying a first in modern
times: covering an election without pre-publication censorship.
But are Myanmar media outlets print, broadcast and online
prepared for the jobs ahead?
There are several tasks that must
be fulfilled. The first is providing
information on the political system, parties and candidates to
voters to ensure they are informed
when they go to vote. Another is
to ensure the process, both before
and on polling day, is free and fair.
To do this, the media must be
independent free of personal
bias, and the influence of any parties, individuals or other groups.
Will all media outlets report
accurately, impartially and responsibly? We have no doubt that
Myanmar journalists will relish
the challenge. It is absolutely imperative that they are given every
chance to rise to the task.
8 THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIL 27, 2015
Business
FMI seeks spot
in busier skies
JEREMY
MULLINS
jeremymullins7@gmail.com
THE domestic aviation industry is, at

first glance, overcrowded.
Two more airlines FMI Air and
Apex Airlines have begun regular
flights this year, bringing the number
of domestic airlines to 10. Thats about
the same number of airlines as Thailand, though they differ significantly
in passenger levels the World Bank
says Thailand had 40 million passengers in 2013, to Myanmars 1.8 million.
Yet simply counting airlines and
comparing them to the number of
passengers is not enough to call the
countrys skies overcrowded. There
are several measures beyond simply
the number of competitors that will
determine the success of Myanmars
airlines.
There are certainly not too many
airplanes here, said Bruce Nobles,
CEO of FMI Air, in an interview.
There are 10 domestic airlines but
only 35 airplanes. For a country of 55
million, 35 airplanes is tiny.
Demand for travel is expected to
grow considerably in the coming years.
Mr Nobles said per capita there is an
average of 0.3 domestic air trips a year
in Myanmar, while in most developing
countries it is 0.75 per capita, and in
most developed countries it is 3.
Mr Nobles said ultimately the
market will decide how many companies make up the aviation industry.
If you look at the domestic travel
in Myanmar its sort of straight up,
he said. But thats not locals, thats
foreigners coming into the country
and travelling domestically.
Visitors will likely continue coming, and as the economy grows more
locals will also travel by air.
While rising demand for flights
is likely to benefit the industry as a
whole, it is also clear the 10 airlines
EI EI
THU
91.eieithu@gmail.com
are starting to take different approaches to serving the market.

Chaired by tycoon Serge Pun, FMI
Air began two years ago as a charter
airline. It chartered excess capacity first from what is now Myanmar
National Airlines and then with Air
KBZ.
As a charter airline, it did not fly
passengers on its own flights, but
rather made reservations, sold tickets, collected money and then put
them on the planes from Air KBZ.
Mr Nobles said this was always
intended to be a temporary setup.
About 18 months ago, FMI Air began
working to get an Air Operators Certificate, which would allow it to become a regular airline.
The airline grew out of Mr Puns
desire to create a more customer-focused airline, said Mr Nobles.
Mr Pun had determined there
were not enough regularly scheduled
flights between Yangon and Nay Pyi
Taw, while the government decided
there were many airlines, but none
based out of the capital, despite being
home to a good-quality airport.
As part of receiving the certificate,
FMI Air will call the capital home.
FMI Air has also decided to use
regional jets manufactured by Canadian company Bombardier, rather
than using turboprops common in
Myanmar. The jets are faster with
greater range, though also use somewhat more fuel.
Mr Nobles said the choice of jets
over turboprops made it complicated
to receive the Air Operators Certificate,
as regulatory authorities and local engineers and pilots were not familiar
with the aircraft, while the operating
manuals also had to be written.
The firm received the certificate
Bruce Nobles, chief executive of FMI Air, speaks to The Myanmar Times of the expansion plans of the airline owned by
Serge Pun, saying the number of planes flying domestically is tiny. Photo: Zarni Phyo
in February this year, and is now preparing to take to the skies with its
three planes.
Its initial flight is Yangon-Nay
Pyi Taw three times a day. As the
three planes enter service, it will
add Mandalay as a destination as
well as other cities.
FMI is also looking at offering
flights based on customer needs.
Our plan is to build a network
where we fly where people want to fly
and when they want to fly, Mr Noble
said.
Having chosen to fly jets instead
of turboprops, the airline has a little
There are 10
domestic airlines
but only 35
airplanes.
Bruce Nobles
FMI Air chief executive
more flexibility in terms of speed.

The aircraft is quite a bit faster
than a turboprop. We think its more
comfortable, it flies faster, it flies
higher, he said.
One downside is the jets use more
fuel to get off the ground, translating
into some higher costs.
FMI has also bought planes that
are about 13 years old, or half-life,
with the average useful life of a
commercial airplane around 25
years. Mr Nobles said there are
many Bombardier CRJs on the market, meaning the firms ownership
costs are a lot less, and its operating
costs is slightly more.
This business is a very high fixedcost business. So the more you fly, the
more you can spread that fixed cost
over your base, he said.
Running an airplane costs the
same, whether it is carrying one passenger or 50. It needs two pilots and
two flight attendants, no matter how
many passengers, and even fuel cost
does not change too much.
Mr Nobles said it is important to
look at value of the service.
All of us talk about ticket prices,
and I think all of us would like ticket

prices to be low. The fact is its an expensive business, he said.
People will pay what they have to
pay if they travel, if they think theyre
getting their moneys worth.
FMI Air is one of 10 domestic
airlines, and it remains to be seen
what happens and how successful
they can be.
While some have said the sector
is leaning toward airlines merging or
buying each other out to reduce the
number, there is not necessarily a
business case.
Everyone talks about consolidation, consolidation, consolidation,
but on the other hand most of the
airlines here have different business
plans. Ours is certainly different from
anybody elses, so why would we consolidate? We have one business plan,
they have another, then what do you
do? he said.
From an airlines standpoint, it
would make more economic sense to
have fewer airlines, said Mr Nobles.
From a customers standpoint, its
perfectly comfortable this way. The
market will decide.
Three rivers dredging process

in final stage as traffic grows
SHWEGU THITSAR
khaingsabainyein@gmail.com
The ESM Cremona, a container ship with a current draught of 8.3 metres, waits
near Nanthida dock yesterday. Dredging work is under way to allow vessels of
gross tonnage of up to 15,000 tonnes to dock in Yangon. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing
DREDGING the confluence of the

Bago and Pun Hlaing rivers and
Pazundaung Creek to facilitate the
passage of ships is in the final stage,
according to waterway authorities.
Four dredgers are engaged in levelling sandbanks, said U Aung Kyaw
Htoo, master attendant of the Ministry of Transports Myanma Port
Authority.
He said the river was as shallow as
3.5 metres (11.4 feet) in sections, making passage difficult for larger ships,
but would be dredged to at least 4.5m.
Locally owned firm Star Height
started dredging the area with a
Cambodian-made dredger in early
April, and the Myanma Port Authority took over the job from April 21.
Our department is using four
dredgers, alternating two each day, to

level underwater sandbanks. We are
not sure how long this will take, since
the large dredger is too big to enter
some places, U Aung Kyaw Htoo told
The Myanmar Times last week.
We will also dredge the sandbanks outside the port, he said.
He said this would enable vessels
of up to 15,000 tonnes to dock in Yangon, adding that the dredging was
necessary because of the increasing
number of ships docking at the city.
U Myint Kyi, general manager of
MITT port at Thilawa, said the shallowness of the river was not an issue
for his company as it is further down
the Yangon River, but that dredging
would improve access to downtown
area ports, such as Sule, MIP and
Asia World.
Elsewhere in the country, the
Department of Water Resources
and Improvement of River Systems

has undertaken dredging to try
to alleviate widespread silting. In
Bago Region, the authorities spent
K287 million of regional funds to
develop rock-fill dams, and K84
million of Union government funds
for dredging in the 2014-15 financial year.
Another K360 million will be
spent in 2015-16 on dredging and
repairing rock-fill dams in northern
Pyay township to prevent the collapse of the banks of the Ayeyarwady
River and deepen the waterway.
More work may be required to
meet demands from helmsmen to
post warning signs of sandbanks,
which are increasing in size year by
year, particularly during the period
November to May, when the water
level is at its lowest.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
BUSINESS EDITOR: Guy Dinmore | guydinmore@gmail.com
Indian SMEs eager for

premier to deliver
VW chair quits in
power struggle
BUSINESS 10
BUSINESS 11
Exchange Rates (April 26 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar
Buying
K1140
K299
K786
K33.1
K1073
Selling
K1173
K315
K805
K35
K1085
WASHINGTON
Election year fuels

deficit and inflation
AYE THIDAR
KYAW
ayethidarkyaw@gmail.com
NOVEMBERs election could bring

higher inflation and a bigger budget
deficit, experts have warned. International Monetary Fund officials told
The Myanmar Times in Washington
that the deficit could rise despite
government attempts to restrain it.
In an interview last week, Hoe Ee
Khor, deputy director of the IMFs
Asia and Pacific Department, said of
the run-up to the parliamentary elections, We fear that the fiscal deficit
might rise, and that the government
is struggling to keep it within 5 percent. Control of inflation could be
difficult, because Myanmar doesnt
have all the instruments of central
banking. He added that he hoped
the Central Bank of Myanmar would
use all the banking instruments
available to it to manage the money
supply effectively.
The IMF predicted earlier this
year that Myanmars budget deficit

would reach 5.22pc of GDP this fiscal year, amounting to some K3.8
trillion, compared to K2.8 trillion,
or 4.16pc of GDP, last year. Yongzheng Yang, deputy division chief
for Asia and Pacific at the IMF,
said inflation was cause for concern both for the government and
the Central Bank. He said the kyat
was depreciating against the dollar,
while a fall in exports reduced the
supply of foreign exchange into the
Myanmar economy.
The Central Bank is holding a
treasury bill auction that could help
ease inflationary pressures by soaking up money from the banks and
the public.
The Asian Development Bank has
predicted a rise in inflation to 8.4pc
this year due to civil service salary
increases.
Economist Sean Turnell, a professor at Macquarie University in
Australia, said budget deficits in
many countries tended to rise in
election years as governments pursued spending schemes they hoped
would be popular with voters. Governments also tended to be less en-
thusiastic about pursuing taxation

revenues, and it was hard to imagine
that Myanmar would be immune
from this phenomenon. Indeed, I
think we are already seeing it play
out, he said.
Given the countrys financial
problems, it was likely that such
election-related spending would be
unhelpful in efforts to reduce inflation, but in itself it would probably
not have a dramatic effect on prices,
he said.
Fiscal year 2014-2015 brought in
lower income from primary exported
products such as natural gas, beans
and pulses, fisheries and rubber,
while spending on civil service salaries and subsidies for elderly persons
rose, said economist U Hla Maung.
The government should manage
spending projects more carefully
by distributing electricity instead of
building dams and bridges, he said.
However, Union Solidarity and
Development Party MP U Win Than
said actual spending on the election
process itself would not make much
difference to the deficit. From my
experience in 2010, most candidates
paid their own expenses, he said.
A farmer irrigates her land with a traditional foot pump. A World Bank credit of
US$100 million for the government is targeted at helping farmers in the poorest
regions with limited water. Photo: Staff
World Bank credits

go to poorest farmers
GUY DINMORE
guydinmore@gmail.com
A trader counts the days takings. The IMF is warning that government spending in this year could drive the budget
deficit and inflation higher. Photo: Staff
MORE than 100,000 of the poorest

farmers with limited access to water stand to benefit from a World
Bank decision last week to approve
a US$100 million credit to the government to help increase productivity and create jobs by making agriculture more resilient to drought
and climate change.
Improving irrigation will increase farm productivity, allow
planting during the dry season
and increase incomes of farming
families, said Ulrich Zachau, World
Bank country director for Myanmar.
The World Bank is pleased to support this project to help improve
farming families lives and reduce
poverty.
The Agriculture Support Project
will benefit some of the countrys
most vulnerable people, including
120,000 farm households dependent on irrigation systems in the regions of Bago East, Sagaing, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw, home to over
one-third of the countrys poor, the
World Bank said.
U Myint Hlaing, Union minister
for agriculture and irrigation, said,
This project will target agricultural
activities, which can have the biggest impact on the countrys economy and on improving the lives of
people in rural areas.
Farm households will benefit
from greater incomes and harvests
through better crop irrigation and
drainage. Farm advisory and technical services will also be provided,
including recommendations for
improving crop diversity, better
farming techniques and vocational
training for rural workers. The project will also provide contingency
funds in the case of emergencies,
the World Bank said.
Sembcorp awarded largest gas-fired power plant project

AUNG SHIN
koshumgtha@gmail.com
SINGAPORE-BASED Sembcorp Industries has been awarded a contract
to develop and operate Myanmars
biggest gas-fired power station, it was
announced last week. The 225-megawatt plant will be built in Myingyan,
Mandalay Region, the company said.
Allocated by Myanmar Electric
Power Enterprise of the Ministry of
Electric Power (MOEP), the US$300
million project is to be completed in

2017.
The new facility will help to ease
the countrys severe power deficit,
which is estimated to be approximately 500MW during peak periods,
the company statement said. MOEP
launched the tender process for the
build-operate-transfer plant last year,
attracting bids from a number of local
and international companies.
The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group has
been providing technical assistance

and capital investment.
Sembcorp is well positioned to
cater to Myanmars increasing power
needs, economic development and
electrification efforts, said Tang
Kin Fei, group president and CEO of
Sembcorp.
The company will have a stake of
at least 80 percent in the project under a 22-year power purchase agreement with MOEP, the company said.
It did not identify a local partner for
the project.
The Myingyan plant will be fuelled
by natural gas pumped from the Myanmar-China Gas Pipeline that became operational in 2013.
Myanmar has a number of gasfired power plants. Most of those
around Yangon are operated by local
and international private companies
with power purchasing agreements
finalised in early 2013.
The country has one of the lowest
per-capita power consumption rates
in the world at 180kWh. But at the current annual growth rate of 15pc, this is
expected to increase to 1493kWh by
2030, according to MOEP.
The ministry is now drafting a national electricity master plan with the
help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Power System
Planning by China Three Gorges Cooperation, the National Electrification Plan by the World Bank and the
Off-Grid Renewable Plan by the Asian
Development Bank.
TRADE MARK CAUTION

NOTICE is hereby given that PIAS CORP. a joint-stock company
duly organized under the laws of Japan, Manufacturers and
Merchants of No.19-3, Toyosaki 3-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan
is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademark:-
10 International Business
NEW DELHI
SUNGRACE
(Reg: No. IV/5117/2008)
in respect of: - Cosmetics, essential oils, soaps, perfumery,

dentifrices, hair lotions Intl Class: 3
to law.
for PIAS CORP.
Phone: 372416
TRADE MARK CAUTION

NOTICE is hereby given that ONI Global Pte. Ltd. a company
organized and existing under the laws of Singapore and having
its principal office at 65 Ubi Avenue 1, OSIM Headquarters,
Singapore 408939 is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following
trademark:-
LAC TAUT
(Reg: Nos. IV/2152/2012 & IV/20099/2014)

in respect of:- Non-medicated skin care preparations; non-medicated
creams for the skin and body; non-medicated skin products; nonmedicated body care preparations; skin renewal creams, skin repair
creams, lotions and gels and skin firming preparations; beauty creams;
non-medicated sun care preparations; non-medicated toiletries; nonmedicated sun blocking preparations; non-medicated skin cleansing
preparations; beauty care preparations; beauty, cosmetics and cleansing
masks; cosmetics; cosmetic preparations; cosmetic preparations for
skin care; collagen preparations for cosmetic application; cosmetic
moisturizers; cosmetic oils; skin care creams; skin care lotions; skin
care oils; anti-ageing creams, anti-cellulite preparations, anti-wrinkle
cream; facial masks; eye masks; cosmetic serums (non-medicated);
essences for skin care; moisturising concentrates [cosmetic]; skin
firming preparations; eye cream, lotions and gels Int l Class: 3
Medicine for human use, traditional Chinese herbal preparations for
medical purposes, Chinese medicinal and other tonic preparations;
Chinese proprietary medicines; ginseng; traditional Chinese medicine;
Chinese patent medicines; herbal beverages and compounds for
medicinal use; herbal extracts and infusions for medicinal purposes;
pharmaceutical, healthcare products [medicinal] and dietetic
preparations [medicinal]; dietetic substances adapted for medical
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containing cordyceps and lingzhi; health food supplements and
health food containing lingzhi and cordyceps adapted for medical
use; mineral food supplements, mineral dietary supplements for
humans adapted for medical use, vitamins, vitamin preparations,
vitamin supplements, vitamin tablets, health food supplements,
food and dietary supplements adapted for medical use, nutritional
supplements; collagen based medicated supplements for food;
preparations containing collagen [medical]; royal jelly (for medical
purposes); dietary supplements principally of royal jelly (for medical
use); natural healthcare preparations (medicaments) Intl Class: 5
Non-alcoholic drinks; aerated water; beverages consisting of a blend
of fruit and vegetable juices; other preparations for making beverages;
beverages containing added trace elements; beverages enriched
with added minerals; vitamin enriched non-alcoholic beverages
[vitamins not predominating]; beverages (non-alcoholic) containing
cordyceps and fungi, not for medical purposes; mixed plant drinks;
drinks flavoured with herbs; syrups and other preparations for
making beverages; soda water; fruit extracts (non-alcoholic); isotonic
beverages; collagen drink (non-alcoholic) not for medical purposes;
herbal beverages (other than for medicinal use) Intl Class: 32
trademarks or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with
according to law.
for ONI Global Pte. Ltd.
Phone: 372416
Indian labourers work in a jute mill at Jagatdal north of Kolkata. Photo: AFP
Indias SMEs hunger

for more policy change
WHILE Narendra Modi may be the
toast of Indias titans of industry,
bosses of the army of small and
medium-sized businesses (SMEs)
are beginning to grow impatient for
change a year into his premiership.
With the economy now outpacing even China, Mr Modi has won
big-name plaudits for transforming
the climate with a series of reforms
and pledges that have burnished
his business-friendly credentials.
In a paean to Mr Modi for the
latest edition of Time magazine, US
President Barack Obama hailed the
prime minister for pursuing an
ambitious vision ... to unleash Indias true economic potential.
His domestic cheerleaders include some of the biggest names in
Indian business, such as the industrialist Gautam Adani who rarely
left Mr Modis side during the premiers recent trip to France and
Germany.
Since Mr Modis election victory last May, big business has been
delighted by his pledges to slash
bureaucracy, streamline the tax regime and make it easier for companies to acquire agricultural land.
But the reception of SMEs has
been significantly more circumspect, with many complaining that
Mr Modi is far more interested in
pushing the cause of big business
rather than encouraging entrepreneurs.
Ankit Sethi, the founder and
managing director of the VibeTech
India outsourcing firm, said Mr
Modi was concentrating too much
of his efforts on benefiting giant
corporations.
Small to midsize companies
havent been able to gain much
from this government except for
a positive image for India which
might be very beneficial for a few
people, said Mr Sethi.
Mr Modi has made changing the
rules on buying land a major part
of his plans to kickstart industrial
projects and accelerate economic
growth, which the International
Monetary Fund predicts will rise to
7.5 percent this year.
But Mr Sethi said Mr Modis
prioritising of the land bill, which
is fiercely opposed by farmers, is
symptomatic of his desire to please
big business while doing little to

help SMEs.
Think about it from my point of
view, how much land could I possibly want to acquire? he told AFP
in his cramped office in the Delhi
business suburb of Noida.
This land acquisition bill and
the fact that hes given a lot of these
bigger businesses free reins with
environmental clearances. Who do
you think it benefits? Big corporations. Who do you think can afford
this land? It doesnt help small to
medium-size companies anyway.
His promises have been on
a large level for the big guys, but
on the micro level, when you come
down to actually dealing with these
situations for small players like me,
it has had zero impact.
Such comments echo a common
refrain from Mr Modis decade as
chief minister of Gujarat, the thriving coastal state that he governed
before winning last years general
election.
Major companies flocked to Gujarat to take advantage of various
tax breaks, cheap power and relaxed
rules on land acquisition, including
over environmental hurdles.
PERCENT
7.5
IMF forecast of Indias economic growth

rate this year
Tycoons such as Mr Adani and

Mukesh Ambani Indias second
wealthiest man were among those
drawn to Gujarat and were early
champions of Mr Modis quest to
become prime minister.
Business empires like Ambanis
Reliance Industries and the sprawling Tata group still dominate vast
sectors of the Indian economy.
While most SMEs are seeing
their business grow faster than the
economy as a whole, they only ac-
count for around 8 percent of Gross

Domestic Product, according to a
recent survey
Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general
of the Federation of Indian Micro
and Small and Medium Enterprises,
said the pace of economic growth
had improved the mood among
SMEs but acknowledged a degree
of impatience for reforms, especially over vows to scythe through the
jungle of bureaucracy.
The progress is encouraging
but expectations are higher, he
said. Ease of doing business is crucial. Old rules must be scrapped.
Dinesh Singhal, who runs an
electronic transformers business
called Kanohar Electricals, says doing away with administrative hassles is key to Indian business being
able to compete against Chinese
competitors.
There is openness from the central government, hes ready to listen
but policies have not taken place
for the moment, he said.
One eagerly awaited reform is the
introduction of a goods and service
tax (GST) which is aimed at unifying the myriad levies imposed by the
federal and state governments.
After overcoming resistance
from state governments, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley is hoping to
steer the bill through parliament in
the current session, arguing it will
increase GDP by up to 2pc.
If GST comes in, it will be a
major boon, said Mr Sethi. It will
make life very easy because right
now a lot of businesses have to
deal with sales tax, service tax, VAT
[value added tax] ... GST will be a
blessing.
Samiron Ghoshal, an analyst for
Ernst & Young, agreed GST would
make a big difference but said SMEs
have to temper their expectations.
Once we see actual institutional
changes like the GST, land bill and
such, itll trickle down to every sector of the economy, he said.
But yes, itll take years for it to
happen. It wont happen overnight.
In all honesty, this whole fasterthan-China growth is probably
mostly because China has slowed
down, making India look quite
good.
AFP
International Business 11
www.mmtimes.com
FRANKFURT
VW in power struggle shake-up

VOLKSWAGON patriarch Ferdinand
Piech has resigned as head of the German auto giants supervisory board in
the wake of his bitter power struggle
with the VW chief executive.
The company made the announcement on April 25, just two days after
Mr Piech rejected media reports that
he was plotting to oust the carmakers
CEO Martin Winterkorn.
But Mr Piech, a member of the
powerful Porsche dynasty that is a
shareholder in Volkswagen, and one of
the most important figures in German
business, sent shockwaves through the
industry last weekend by declaring in
a magazine interview that he was distancing himself from Mr Winterkorn.
Volkswagen had attempted on
April 24 to draw a line under the management tug-of-war, saying it would
extend Mr Winterkorns contract.
According to German public broadcaster NDR, even after that decision
the 78-year-old Mr Piech was plotting
to have Mr Winterkorn, 67, replaced.
Mr Piech was trying to drum up a
majority on the full supervisory board
to have the CEO removed from his
post, NDR reported.
Ironically, it was Mr Piech who had
installed Mr Winterkorn as VW boss
in 2007.
But he appears to have become irked
by his former proteges difficulties in
LONDON
UK exit for
HSBC?
GLOBAL bank HSBC has launched a
review of whether to remain headquartered in Britain as the country
increases regulation and taxation of
the sector.
In a surprise announcement less
than two weeks before Britains general election, the Asia-focused bank
again highlighted its concern about
government policy to ring fence
British banks retail operations to
protect them from their investment
divisions.
The board has asked management to commence work to look at
where the best place is for HSBC to
be headquartered amid regulatory
and structural reforms, said HSBC
chair Douglas Flint in a statement
for the banks annual general meeting in London on April 24.
The question is a complex one
and it is too soon to say how long
this will take or what the conclusion
will be; but the work is under way,
Mr Flint added.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority reacted by saying that it
takes a positive attitude should
HSBC consider relocating its headquarters back to Hong Kong, where
it is the largest bank.
HSBC has also been hit particularly hard by the British governments banking sector levy, which
last year cost it $1.1 billion, up from
just $200 million in 2013. The levy
imposed on lenders balance sheets
was hiked again in April.
Mr Flint also referred to the uncertainty facing the bank over Britains future in the European Union.
HSBC has been based in Britain
since 1992 when it took over Midland Bank and shifted its headquarters to London. Founded in Hong
Kong and Shanghai in 1865, it employs 48,000 across Britain with
around 8,500 staff based at its London headquarters.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick
Clegg said he hoped HSBC would
remain headquartered in Britain.
AFP
Volkswagen group supervisory board chair Ferdinand Piech and his wife and board member, Ursula Piech, take part in the
annual general meeting of Audi in Ingolstadt on May 16, 2013. Mr Piech and his wife have resigned from all their positions,
the German auto giant announced on April 25, 2015. Photo: AFP
areas such as making substantial inroads into the US market, and the companys over-dependence on the Chinese
market.
Mr Winterkorn had been seen as
Mr Piechs close ally and heir apparent
and the idea of a poisonous rift between

the two ignited fears about the future
running of Europes biggest carmaker,
whose empire spans 12 brands and annual sales of 200 billion euros (US$215
billion).
In a statement on April 25, influential members of the supervisory body
said that in view of the past weeks,
the mutual trust necessary for good
collaboration was no longer present,
precipitating Piechs departure.
Mr Piech gave up all his positions
in the VW group with immediate effect, along with his wife Ursula Piech
a former family nanny who had been
on the VW board since 2012.
He will be provisionally replaced
by deputy chairman of the supervisory board Berthold Huber, according
to the company statement.
Mr Piech is the grandson of the inventor of the iconic Beetle, the model
on which VWs fortune was built, and
was himself VWs chief executive between 1993 and 2002, before becoming its supervisory board chief.
But the veteran auto executive appeared to be facing criticism for being
out of step with the times. The weekly
newspaper Die Zeit in a recent editorial said Mr Piechs authoritarian style
was becoming anachronistic.
Mr Piechs departure will open a
new chapter for the Volkswagen group
which must now choose a successor to
steer the worlds second largest automobile maker. AFP
12 THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIL 27, 2015
13
World
WORLD EDITOR: Fiona MacGregor
Malaysian police say they

have foiled terror plot ahead
of Asean meeting
Vietnam war babies

returning home 40
years on
WORLD 14
WORLD 15
POKHARA
JAKARTA
The walls started

chattering as if they
were cold
IN PICTURES
Photo: AFP
The Myanmar Times Catherine Trautwein was

holidaying in the tourist town of Pokhara, Nepal 73
kilometres east of the quakes epicentre when the
shock struck
jumped a few feet to meet. On the
ground, it became harder to tell if
the tremor had finished, so we consulted the still-rattling windows in a
building next door.
Back at our hotel, we werent allowed inside for a while. We spent
part of the afternoon in the company of a Yogi certification course
group that had also been staying at
Hotel Tulsi where we were based.
One of the participants Elinor
Ingemann told me theyd been discussing Shiva and earthquakes
when the shock struck, leaving her
terrified the ground would crack
apart beneath her feet
I spoke to another participant Fabiana Borto, who was sleeping alone
on the third floor when the earthquake hit. She described how at
times she thought she wasnt going
to make it out of the building alive.
I really thought I was going to
die, she told me.
CATHERINE
TRAUTWEIN
newroom@mmtimes.com.
I WAS strolling past an open storefront on a Pokhara street with my

brother and our sherpa when I suddenly realised something was very
wrong.
A man inside was windmilling
his arms like a third-base coach,
urging people out of the shop; none
of us understood what was happening in those first, early seconds.
I thought a fight had broken out,
my brother and our guide thought
there was a bomb but then the
walls along the street seemed to
start chattering as if they were cold.
Our guide grabbed my hand and
started running, headed to the middle of the road where we would try
to keep safe from the earthquake
that was making Pokhara vibrate as
if it were sitting on a car engine.
It felt like that first quake lasted
about a minute. We sat down at a
concrete median under an old tree
that looked anchored to the earth.
I insisted to anyone who would
listen including a tourist outside
of a restaurant where I hooked onto
WiFi to reassure my mother we were
fine - that we were feeling the aftershock of some earthquake in China.
That was something I had experienced last year in Myanmar.
In his turn, the tourist told me
we could expect aftershocks any
time, information I thanked him for
facetiously and chose to ignore.
The first aftershock hit during
lunch at a safe spot our guide had
chosen a posh restaurant that recalled Greeces Santorini with firstfloor, outdoor seating.
As more shocks followed I realised that indistinct rumblings were
preceding tremors and quakes as if
the buildings were warning us what
was about to happen.
As the shaky hum of the first
aftershock started up, our guide
directed us to the grassy expanse
beyond the restaurant, which we
Our guide grabbed

my hand and started
running, headed
to the middle of
the road where
we would try to
keep safe from the
earthquake.
The mood among guests vacillated from jokey to dark. News
reports
showed
shaky
footage of destruction in the country and people were scared.
We began to hear reports that Kathmandu had been worse hit.
We spent the night outside in
sleeping bags. Almost directly after
5am yesterday, a short tremor shook
sleepers awake a terrifying alarm
clock.
That morning we were told the
airport here was closed. It looks like
we could be here for a while.
Nepal quake
Epicentre
CHINA
NEPAL
Gandaki
Mt Everest
Pokhara
KATMANDU
Bhaktapur
60 km
Prayer flags frame a

rescue helicopter as
it ferries the injured
from Everest Base
Camp on April
26, a day after an
avalanche triggered
by an earthquake
devastated the
area. Rescuers in
Nepal are searching
frantically for
survivors of the
massive quake,
which killed over
2000, digging
through rubble
in the devastated
capital Kathmandu
and airlifting
victims off the
mountain.
INDIA
KATHMANDU
Nepal death toll tops 2000 as aftershocks continue

RESCUERS in Nepal searched frantically yesterday for survivors of a
quake that killed more than 2000,
digging through rubble in the devastated capital Kathmandu and
airlifting victims of an avalanche at
Everest base camp.
Terrified residents of Kathmandu were woken by fresh aftershocks
in the worst disaster to hit the
impoverished Himalayan nation
in more than 80 years, with many
forced to spend the night trying to
sleep out on the streets and open
ground in tents.
Hospitals were so stretched that
medics had to set up tents outside
to treat patients.
The historic nine-storey Dharahara Tower, a major tourist attraction, was among the buildings
brought down on April 25, with at
least a dozen bodies recovered from
the ruins of the 19th-century tower.
The quake ripped through the
middle of highways in the capital and also caused damage to the
countrys only international airport,
which was briefly closed.
Kari Cuelenaere, an official at
the Dutch embassy, said the impact
had swept the water out of a swimming pool at a Kathmandu hotel
where Dutch national day was being celebrated.
It was horrible. All of a sudden all the water came up out of
the pool and drenched everyone,
the children started screaming,
Ms Cuelenaere said. Some parts of
the city fell down. There was dust
rising ... There were many [rescue]

helicopters.
Offers of help poured in from
around the world, with the United
States and European Union announcing they were sending in disaster response teams.
India flew out its stranded citizens in military planes while a
62-strong Chinese rescue team arrived with sniffer dogs.
National police spokesperson
Kamal Singh Bam said the number
known to have died in Nepal had
risen to 1953 while 4629 people had
been injured.
Officials in India said the toll
there now stood at 53, mainly in the
eastern state of Bihar, while Chinese state media said 17 people had
been killed in the Tibet region.
We have deployed all our resources for search and rescues, Mr
Bam said.
Helicopters have been sent
to remote areas. We are sifting
through the rubble where buildings
have collapsed to see if we can find
anyone.
The Red Cross said it was concerned about the fate of villages
near the epicentre of the quake
northwest of Kathmandu.
Officials said 17 people were so
far known to have died on Mount
Everest where an avalanche
Nepalese rescue members and onlookers gather at the collapsed Dharahara

Tower in Kathmandu on April 25. Photo: AFP
triggered by the earthquake buried

part of base camp.
It is the deadliest disaster in
Everests history and comes almost
exactly a year after an avalanche
killed 16 sherpa guides.
AFPs Nepal bureau chief Ammu
Kannampilly, on an assignment at
base camp, reported that six helicopters had managed to reach the
mountain yesterday morning after
the weather improved overnight.
The agencys South Asia photo
chief Roberto Schmidt photographed a massive cloud of snow
and debris cascading onto base
camp, burying scores of climbers
and flattening tents.
People being stretchered out as
choppers land - half a dozen this
morning, Mr Kannampilly said in
a text message.
The countrys cellphone network was working only sporadically, while large parts of the capital
were without electricity.
AFP correspondents in Kathmandu reported that tremors were
felt throughout the night, including one strong aftershock at dawn.
It has been a sleepless night,
how can we sleep? It has been
shaking all night. We are just praying that this will end and we can
return home, said Nina Shrestha,
a 34-year-old banker who spent the
night with hundreds of people on
open ground in the capitals Tudhikhel district.
As rescuers sifted through
the huge mounds of rubble, the
hospitals were overflowing with

victims who suffered multiple fractures and trauma.
We have treated many people
since yesterday, majority children,
said Samir Acharya, a doctor at
Nepals Annapurna Neurological
Hospital.
Most patients have head injuries or fractures. Two of our patients died, two are critical.
Mr Acharya said medics were
working out of a tent set up in a
parking lot because of overflowing
patients, while some patients were
too scared to stay in the building.
Families had grabbed whatever
possessions they could muster and
sought shelter on the streets, many
of which had been split asunder.
Weather forecasters warned
that rain was on the way, with dark
clouds looming over Kathmandu
and promising more misery for displaced survivors.
Snowfalls on April 25 had
thwarted efforts to airlift survivors from Everest, where around
800 mountaineers were gathered
at the start of the annual climbing
season, cancelled last year after the
sherpa deaths.
Google executive Dan Fredinburg was one of the climbers to
have been confirmed as having
been killed.
Experienced mountaineers said
panic erupted at base camp, which
has been severely damaged, while
one described the avalanche as
huge.
Seventeen have been reported

dead so far and 61 are injured,
said Tulsi Gautam of Nepals tourism department which issues permits to climb the worlds highest
mountain.
Those who are able are walking
down. Others are being airlifted.
Mr Kannampilly said many of
those stranded at the scene were
walking down the mountain rather
than risk being stuck for days.
George Foulsham, a Singaporebased marine biologist, described
the moment that the disaster
struck.
I was outside, saw a white
50-storey building of white come at
me. I ran and it just flattened me,
he said.
I tried to get up and it flattened me again. I couldnt breathe,
I thought I was dead. When I finally stood up, I couldnt believe it
passed me over and I was almost
untouched.
I saved for years to climb Everest. It feels like the mountain is
saying its not meant to be climbed
for now. Too much of a coincidence
to see this twice in two years.
Nepal and the rest of the Himalayas are particularly prone to
earthquakes because of the collision of the Indian and Eurasia
plates.
An 6.8 magnitude quake hit
eastern Nepal in August 1988 killing 721 people, and a magnitude 8.1
quake killed 10,700 people in Nepal
and India in 1934. AFP
Executions imminent for

Bali Nine duo and 6 others
INDONESIA yesterday signaled it was
determined to push ahead with the execution of eight foreign drug convicts
including two Australians who were
part of the smuggling group known as
the Bali Nine.
Authorities on April 25 gave formal
notice to the eight from Australia,
Brazil, Nigeria and the Philippines
that they would be executed by firing
squad imminently, along with an Indonesian prisoner.
However, a Frenchman also on
death row for drug-related crimes was
granted a temporary reprieve after
Paris stepped up pressure on Jakarta.
The execution notices prompted a
wave of global condemnation led by
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, but
yesterday Indonesian authorities indicated they would not be swayed on the
executions of the other foreigners.
The group has been moved to the
high-security prison island of Nusakambangan, where Indonesia puts
condemned prisoners to death, and
Jakarta says the executions could be
as early as tomorrow, although no official date has been set.
The convicts recently lost appeals
for mercy to President Joko Widodo,
who has taken a hard line against drug
traffickers and refused to back down
on the executions despite mounting
international criticism.
The UNs Mr Ban added his voice to
appeals for the convicts to be spared.
The Secretary General urges President Joko Widodo to urgently consider declaring a moratorium on capital
punishment in Indonesia, with a view
toward abolition, a spokesperson for
Mr Ban said.
Australia, which has mounted a
sustained diplomatic campaign to
save its two citizens in the group, also
renewed appeals following the March
25 news.
Nothing can be gained and much
will be lost if these two young Australians are executed, said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
I again respectfully call on the
president of Indonesia to reconsider
his refusal to grant clemency. It is not
too late for a change of heart.
France has stepped up pressure on
Jakarta in recent days, with President
Francois Hollande warning of consequences if its citizen, Serge Atlaoui, is
put to death.
The warning came shortly before
it was announced that Mr Atlaoui had
won a temporary reprieve to allow
him to pursue a further legal appeal.
Brazil vowed to press Indonesia not to execute the Brazilian man

among the group, Rodrigo Gularte, for
humanitarian reasons, saying that he
suffers from schizophrenia.
Despite the appeals, Indonesia
has shown little sign that it is willing
to back down and the foreign ministry indicated yesterday that Mr Bans
statement would not change their
plans.
We note the statement by the UN
but we also note that there was no
similar statement made when recently
two Indonesians were executed, ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir
said, referring to recent executions of
Indonesian domestic workers in Saudi
Arabia.
Executions were carried out recently by other countries and we did
not see any statement made by the
UN, he added.
The executions have been delayed
for weeks, with Indonesia coming
close to carrying them out in February, but then agreeing to let final legal
appeals be resolved following an international outcry.
However the March 25 announcement signals they are finally going
ahead.
While Jakarta has not officially
announced a date, lawyers for two of
the convicts, the Filipina and one of
the Nigerians, said they had been informed it would be on tomorrow.
Authorities have said that they are
waiting on the outcome of the appeal
by the sole Indonesian in the group,
which could come as early as today.
Relatives of the condemned prisoners have been rushing to Cilacap, the
town that serves as the gateway to Nusakambangan, as authorities informed
the death row convicts they would
face the firing squad soon.
The family of the Australians, heroin traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, arrived on March
25 to visit the men, crossing over to
Nusakambangan accompanied by embassy officials.
Relatives of Filipina Mary Jane
Veloso, including her sons aged six
and 12, visited her on March 25 and
again yesterday.
Philippine Vice President Jejomar
Binay, who has spearheaded efforts to
save Ms Veloso, urged his country not
to lose hope yesterday, noting her
legal team had filed a second petition
with Indonesias Supreme Court.
We will continue to use all the avenues available to us, he said. AFP
Lawyers Julian McMahon (left) and Veronica Haccou (right) display three selfportrait paintings made by Australian death row prisoner Myuran Sukumaran in
Cilacap, Indonesia, on April 25. Photo: AFP
14 World
KUALA LUMPUR
China nearing de facto control of South China Sea: Philippines

BEIJING is readying to effectively
take over the South China Sea, the
Philippines warned yesterday as it
called on fellow Southeast Asian
countries to stand up to their
massive neighbour.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of
the strategic South China Sea, but
Beijing claims nearly all of it and
its increasingly aggressive moves
to assert those territorial ambitions
have caused concern in the region
and beyond.
[China] is poised to consolidate
KUALA LUMPUR
de facto control of the South China

Sea, Philippine Foreign Secretary
Albert del Rosario told fellow ministers at a regional meeting in Kuala
Lumpur, according to a transcript
of his remarks.
Foreign ministers met a day
ahead of a summit by regional leaders that will convene amid growing
concern over a Chinese land-reclamation campaign that is building
up disputed reefs into full-fledged
islands.
Satellite photos that emerged
earlier this month triggered alarm
bells by providing fresh evidence

of the activities, which defence
analysts have said are creating land
masses big enough for airstrips and
other large facilities.
Rosario told his Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
colleagues that China was clearly
and quickly advancing with its massive reclamation works.
The threats posed by these
massive reclamations are real and
cannot be ignored or denied. Their
adverse implications are urgent
and far-reaching, going beyond the
region to encompass the global

community, he said.
Is it not time for ASEAN to say
to our northern neighbour that
what it is doing is wrong and that
the massive reclamations must be
immediately stopped?
The Philippines and Vietnam
have repeatedly been involved in
tense confrontations with China at
sea, and have been the most outspoken countries in the region in criticising Chinese actions.
Manila is pushing for summit
hosts Malaysia to come out with a
strong statement rebuking China,

something that ASEAN historically has avoided due to Beijings
immense trade and diplomatic
leverage.
A draft statement prepared before the gathering began calls for
self-restraint, avoiding threats or
use of force, and the peaceful resolution of disputes at sea, but avoids
direct criticism of China, a diplomatic source said previously.
The statement could change,
however, based on discussions in
Malaysia. AFP
BALTIMORE
ASEAN
terror plot
foiled in
Malaysia,
say police
AUTHORITIES in Malaysia said 12
people plotting to sow civil unrest
and seized explosives yesterday, just
one day before the country is to host
a Southeast Asian summit.
National police chief Khalid Abu
Bakar said the suspects were arrested
in a western suburb of the capital
Kuala Lumpur.
The suspects are believed to be
planning to cause civil unrest in the
country, Mr Khalid said in a posting
on the official Malaysia police Facebook page.
He gave no details of the items
seized or the backgrounds of those
detained, nor did he make any link
to the diplomatic gathering. Police
counter-terror officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Kuala Lumpur is host of todays
summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Malaysia plans to call during
the gathering for regional anti-terror
cooperation.
Over the past year the Muslim-majority nation has announced a series
of arrests that authorities say have
involved suspected supporters of the
extremist Islamic State (IS) group.
The suspects are

believed to be
planning to cause
civil unrest in the
country.
Khalid Abu Bakar
National police chief
Malaysian police say dozens of its

citizens have gone to Syria to join the
brutal IS jihad, and have warned of
radicals returning to stage attacks on
home soil.
In early April police said they arrested 17 IS-inspired militants who
were plotting to kidnap unspecified
high-profile figures, rob banks and
launch terror attacks.
A day later the government passed
an anti-terrorism law that allows police to hold suspects virtually indefinitely without judicial review.
The law has drawn fire from the
parliamentary opposition and human rights groups, who say the longruling government has a history of
using security laws against political
opponents. AFP
Protesters clash with police during a march in honor of Freddie Gray on April 25 in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr Gray died from severe spinal injuries on April 19
after being in police custody. Photo: Alex
Race protests over police

custody death turn violent
PROTESTERS went on a rampage
in downtown Baltimore at the
weekend as the biggest demonstration yet over the death of a young
African-American man in police
custody turned violent.
More than 1000 people had
joined an orderly 90-minute rally
at city hall on April 25 demanding
justice for Freddie Gray, 25, who
died last week from spinal injuries,
seven days after his arrest in west
Baltimore.
But the mood shifted dramatically when scores of protesters moved
to the vicinity of the Camden Yards
baseball stadium, scene of an evening Baltimore Orioles-Boston Red
Sox game.
Twelve people were arrested, police commissioner Anthony Batts
told reporters.
My family wants to say, Please,
please stop the violence. Freddie
would not want this, Mr Grays twin
sister Fredericka said.
She spoke alongside Mayor
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who said
she was profoundly disappointed
by violence she blamed on a small
group of agitators.
Live images from local television
news helicopters showed a crowd
hurling traffic cones, soda bottles

and trash cans at police officers, before randomly smashing store windows and looting merchandise.
Targets included a 7-Eleven
convenience store, a Michael Kors
fashion boutique, a financial services center and a cellphone shop
in Baltimores landmark Lexington
Market.
Street signs were torn down, and
one motorist got a rock through
her car window, local news media
reported. At least one city bus was
also struck.
An AFP photographer saw five
cars have their windows smashed, before riot-equipped police intervened.
Fans at the baseball game, which
went beyond the standard nine innings due to a tie, were told to remain in the stadium due to an ongoing public safety issue, before the
gates were opened for them to leave.
One police spokesperson blamed
the trouble on isolated pockets of
individuals who were believed to
have come from out of town.
Later in the evening, dozens
of police formed a cordon around
the Western District police station,
scene of nightly protests since Mr
Gray died. NBC affiliate WBAL re-
ported two arrests, witnessed from

its news helicopter.
Tensions have been simmering
in the blue-collar Mid-Atlantic port
city of 620,000 as investigators try
to establish the circumstances that
led to Grays death.
Speakers at the city hall rally
called for President Barack Obama
to launch a national inquiry into
police misconduct, following a series of fatal confrontations between
white police officers and AfricanAmerican men and boys.
It has to stop. It really has to
stop because it could have been any
one of us, a member of Mr Grays
extended family told the crowd.
In a press conference on March
24, officials acknowledged Mr Gray
should have received medical help
at the moment of his arrest, when
he was seen by bystanders and
caught on video howling in apparent pain.
They also revealed that Mr Gray,
contrary to police department policy, was not buckled into his seat in
the van, which made at least three
unexplained stops on its way to the
Western District police station.
Mr Gray died on April 19 with 80
percent of his spine severed at the
neck, lawyers for his family have

said. His funeral is scheduled for
today.
Six officers have been suspended
with pay as the police investigation
inches closer to a May 1 deadline to
submit findings to a Maryland state
prosecutor, who could decide to
press charges.
My family wants to
say, Please, please
stop the violence.
Freddie would not
want this.
Fredericka Gray
Twin sister of Freddie Gray
Mr Grays death is the latest in a

string of high-profile confrontations
between African Americans and police, including the fatal shooting of
unarmed teenager Michael Brown
in August in the St Louis suburb of
Ferguson. AFP
World 15
www.mmtimes.com
HO CHI MINH CITY
Vietnams airlift babies

still seeking answers
four decades later
IN the chaotic last days of the Vietnam
War, the US airlifted thousands of children out of Saigon. Forty years later,
many Operation Babylift survivors
have returned, looking for answers
from a family or country they never
knew.
During the controversial mass
evacuation, some 3000 children were
flown out of Vietnam to be adopted by
families from America to Sweden. The
very first Babylift flight crashed shortly
after takeoff.
My [adoptive] parents received a
telegram ... saying they couldnt find
us ... We were missing and presumed
dead, said Landon Carnie, who was on
the C5-A Galaxy plane on April 4, 1975.
Mr Carnie and his twin sister Lorie were later found floating in a rice
paddy amid the smouldering wreckage
of the crash, which killed 138 people
including 78 children.
It was actually a rice farmer who
found my sister and I together, both in
the same shoe box, he said as he explored the site of the crash earlier this
month.
The twins eventually left Vietnam
on another flight, alongside thousands
of other Babylift infants who were
taken from orphanages or hospitals
across what was then South Vietnam.

They were part of a mass exodus of
people.
As it became clear Saigon would
fall, America evacuated all remaining
civilian and military personnel. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese,
many associated with the South Vietnam regime, also fled.
Some criticised the Babylift operation, questioning whether the children
involved were all really orphans or had
just been separated from their families
or given up in a desperate bid to get
them out of the war-torn country.
Mr Carnie and his sister were
adopted by a Mormon family and
grew up in rural Washington state.
When he decided to return to Vietnam 15 years ago, the first thing that
struck him was that everyone looked
the same as him.
I didnt stand out. I wasnt being
looked at or pointed at. Im not saying that happens in America a lot but
I came from a rural town and I knew I
was different, he said.
In Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon
was renamed after Vietnams beloved
founding president nobody paid attention to me, I actually liked that, he
said.
He liked it so much that he moved

back to Vietnam and has lived in
HCMC for the last decade, where
he works for Australian University
RMIT.
Mr Carnie was told that his mother
had died in childbirth. But all his original documentation was destroyed in
the plane crash and he has not tried to
trace his birth family since he returned
to Vietnam as he says hes made peace
with his past.
Im comfortable with exactly who I
am ... therefore I dont need to pursue
anything else, he said.
But other Babylift children are still
looking for answers.
Chantal Doeck, raised in Australia
by adoptive parents who responded
to an advert in their local newspaper,
said she began asking questions after
she had her own children.
Earlier this month, she returned
to the hospital in Ho Chi Minh City
where she was born and tried to find
out more about her mother, who gave
her up shortly after childbirth. But
with hardly any documentation to
help her, she had little success.
I just want to find a family member, she said blinking back tears.
Theres things I need to know.
Landon Carnie stands on April 11 at the site where the very first Babylift flight
crashed on April 4, 1975, on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: AFP
But Ms Doeck said she has found

another family of sorts other Babylift
adoptees, whom she has connected
with first on Facebook and then in Vietnam during a 40th-anniversary reunion this month.
Im friends with so many adoptees
from all over the world, and its fantastic, she said. I love every one of them
Ive met. We all call each other brother
and sister.
She now feels increasingly comfortable in Vietnam.
Australia is where I live but this is
home ... A lot of the adoptees say the
same things.
For three decades,from Ho Chi
Minhs declaration of independence
in 1945 to its eventual realisation with
the fall of Saigon and reunification in
1975, Vietnam endured upheaval and
conflict.
There are uncountable numbers
of missing people in Vietnam, said
Nguyen Pham Thu Uyen, a TV presenter based in Ho Chi Minh City.
Almost every family in this country

has suffered some kind of separation,
with at least one person missing, Ms
Uye said.
She hosts a hit show called As If
There Were No Separation which tries
to reunite families separated by war.
Ms Uyens team have worked on
some Operation Babylift cases, and she
says they have a unique perspective on
their positions. They are rarely resentful of their birth parents and accepting
they were given up so they could have
a better life.
Its very moving, this humane attitude, she said.
Babylift adoptee Ms Doeck agrees
that the burning questions she has for
her birth family do not include why
did you give me up?.
I dont hold any grudges against
my mother or father. It was wartime
what choice did they have? she said.
Id just like to find somebody, she
added.
AFP
THE MYANMAR TIMES April 27, 2015
it
ge
t
yo
gers o
n
i
f
n
the pulse editor: ChArlotte rose charlottelola.rose@gmail.com
Dog Cooler by Hiroshi Naito is dedicated to

the artists beloved dog, Spitz, with whom he
spent 16 years. Photos: Yomiuri Shimbun
Mobile Home for

Shiba by Toyoo Ito was
inspired by the designers
desire to create mobile
architecture that helps his
beloved dog get around
even in old age.
Barking mad
architecture
has its day in
Japan
SHOJI ICHIHARA
n ongoing exhibit at the 21st Century Museum

of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, explores
architectures new creative possibilities by
reinterpreting it from dogs viewpoints and
perspectives.
Architecture for Dogs features 28 works by 13 leading
architects and designers, including Kengo Kuma and
Kazuyo Sejima. Designer Kenya Hara served as director
for the show.
If you assume the exhibits are simply about kennels,
you are in for quite a treat.
Particularly surprising was a work for Chihuahuas by
Reiser + Umemoto, a pair engaged in architecture designs.
Titled Chihuahua Cloud, orange textile materials cover
the head and body of the dog like a dress. Using detailed
mesh for the part covering the face, the work is designed
to allow a dog to look around.
It looks like a fanciful dress in a fashion show, but the
artists maintain the work is intended to be architecture
that travels with the dog. Thats a convincing explanation.
If you are a dog lover, youll certainly be moved to tears
by Hiroshi naitos work Dog Cooler, a piece made for a
Spitz.
naito had a male Spitz named Pepe, who was always
panting from the heat. The work is dedicated to the him,
with whom he spent 16 years.
The work was created by connecting wood with
aluminium pipes a material with high heat conductivity
using rubber, assuming it will help cool down a dog
resting on it if ice-packed vinyl bags are put into the pipes,
naito said.
I thought dogs wouldnt like it if only aluminium was
used because it would make it slippery, naito said. So I
used wooden material in between to give dogs something
to cling to with their claws.

It is certainly architecture made with careful
consideration of the client.
Focusing on smell, Torafu Architects created
Wanmock, which is a pun made from the words
hammock and wan (Japanese for bark), for Jack Russell
terrier.
The work was specially designed for the species, which
is known for having an acute sense of smell and sleeps on
their owners clothes for their scent. The simple design
made by covering a wooden frame with old clothing
makes the work particularly impressive.
During production, the creators looked at photographs
of Bouillon, copywriter Shigesato Itois dog, to get ideas.
This interesting background conveys the creators sincere
wish to create a work not only based on what they wanted,
but on what might make a dog happy.
A work by Toyoo Ito, which he created for his Shiba
dog Momo, looks like a buggy. The artist said he decided
on the design out of a desire to create mobile architecture
that helps his beloved dog get around even in old age.
Looking at the variety of works on display, its clear that
creators did not regard their works simply as kennels.
They all seem to prove that a pleasant space for dogs can
be a pleasant space for human beings, too.
This well-conceived show will certainly entertain both
dog and architecture lovers.
Architecture for Dogs will run through to May 10 at
the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
in Kanazawa, which is closed on Mondays and on May 7.
Admission is free. Blueprints of the artwork on display can
be downloaded from architecturefordogs.com for those
wishing to build the works themselves. Washington Post
Chihuahua Cloud by Reiser

+ Umemoto for Chihuahua is
one of the pieces in the exhibit
Architecture for Dogs at
the 21st Century Museum of
Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in
Kanazawa, Japan.
the pulse 17
www.mmtimes.com
Aspiring Myanmar chefs hungry to learn
Chefs Jean-Francois Reinhard (left) and Patrick Clarke (right) demonstrate European haute cuisine at vocational training restaurant Shwe Sa Bwe.
Photos: Michelangelo Pignani
MichelAngelo PignAni
WITzeRLAnD. For
many, the name conjures
up images of triangular
chocolate, breathtaking
mountain vistas and
droopy-faced dogs sporting barrels of
whisky around their necks.
One thing that might not
immediately spring to mind is haute
cuisine. And yet, Switzerland has an
exciting traditional cuisine in fact,
the countrys restaurants have been
awarded more Michelin stars per
head of population than France.
The last two weeks of March saw
two chefs from world-renowned cole
just finished overseeing the restaurants

busy lunchtime service. I asked them
a few questions about their 11-day stay
here.
Michelangelo Pignani: Jean-Francois,
this is your 2nd time in Yangon. What
made you return?
Jean-Francois Reinhard: After the
success of The Taste of Switzerland
week at Shwe Sa Bwe last year,
restaurant manager Franois Stoupian
asked if I would like to come back.
Of course, I had to get the agreement
of the director of the Hotel School of
Lausanne. He was really helpful and
even funded my trip out here.
of their 11-month course. They are

confident in the basic techniques. They
learn fast you show them something
once and they are able to reproduce it
almost exactly. Whilst they dont have
any experience in Western cooking at
first, during their studies they will learn
the Western style of catering, plate
preparation, blending, and the fusion
of traditional dishes with more modern
dishes.
PC: I agree with Jean-Francois. As the
dessert chef, I have a smaller number
of trainees with me three as opposed
to Jean-Francois 20. What impresses
me is their eagerness and that they are
hungry to learn.
MP: What are the main differences
between the students here and those
you teach at the Hotel Management
School in Lausanne?
J-FR: Both schools are very different.
In Lausanne the students are studying
for a BA [bachelor degree] in General
Management and spend only seven
weeks in the kitchen. Here the
emphasis is more practical and focuses
either on the cooking or the service.
Students are helped by four former
graduates who supervise them.
PC: The students here are willing to
do anything for you. They have huge
respect for us.
MP: What are the major challenges
when preparing european haute
cuisine here in Myanmar?
htelire de Lausanne visit Yangon,

coaching local culinary students on the
fineries of european cuisine with a
Swiss twist.
Shwe Sa Bwe, a small boutique
restaurant just off Parami Road, hosted
the lessons. The restaurant has been in
business for four years now and is run
as a not-for-profit vocational training
centre, providing free training for
disadvantaged Myanmar young people.
The majority of the restaurants service
and cooking is done by the students,
under a rotating tutelage of european
chefs.
I caught up with the two cuisiniers
Jean-Francois Reinhard and Patrick
Clarke, from the tranquillity of the
restaurants secluded patio. They had
MP: How about you Patrick? What

convinced you to visit Yangon?
Patrick Clarke: Its my first time here
and I was excited about the project.
After last years visit, Jean-Francois
told me that he would need help. Once
again, we approached the director of
the school and he agreed to partially
sponsor both of us!
MP: The students here are from a
disadvantaged backgrounds, with little
or no experience of european cuisine or
even the ingredients used. How well do
they adapt to this new culture?
J-FR: I am impressed. They have
already completed three months
Students apply their newly gained culinary techniques.
PC: The ingredients. I can find about

half of the things I usually use. So, you
have to adapt.
JF: From my previous experience of
cooking in Asia, Myanmar has many
Western foodstuffs that are difficult to
find in other countries. It is relatively
easy to find good vegetables, for
example, leeks, cabbages, asparagus
and a variety of lettuces.
PC: For pastry, the high level of
humidity and temperatures can be
problematic. We also have to be very
careful of the temperature for hygiene.
JF: Yes. It means that we have a lot
of equipment in terms of fridges and
storage areas. Here they always play on
the safe side.
MP: Have you used any local

ingredients in the cooking?
MP: What has been your strongest

impression?
JF: All the vegetables are local, as well

as the beef. The local fish is of excellent
quality.
JF: For me its the peoples smile. Here,

people are happy.
PC: The fruits are particularly good,

especially the strawberries.
MP: Did you get any inspiration from
Myanmar cooking?
JF: Unfortunately we havent had
much time to try Myanmar cuisine. We
have had a few local dishes the staff
prepared for us they were all very
tasty. every day one of the apprentices
has to cook for the other staff members.
For example, today we had traditional
fishcakes stuffed with tofu and bean
sprouts, which was excellent.
PC: The very pleasant working

environment. everyone I have met has
been very humble. Myanmar is a place I
will definitely come back to.
The Taste of Switzerland week ran
March 24-29, 2015. It is planned again
for next year around the same time.
Jean-Francois Reinhard and
Patrick Clarke are senior lecturers of
Culinary Arts at the ecole htelire of
Lausanne.
Shwe Sa Bwe is located on Malikha
Road. Telephone: 09 42100 5085.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.
com/ShweSaBwe
18 the pulse
THE MYANMAR TIMES April 27, 2015
WASHINGTON
70 years on, comfort woman

demands apology from Japan
eated on a sofa in an
embroidered silk costume,
Yong Soo Lee is a study
in grim dignity. She is
86 now, and the story of
her long-ago wartime ordeal as a
comfort woman for the Japanese
Imperial army emerges slowly and
hesitantly at first. She speaks in an
embarrassed murmur, constantly
handling a rosary.
But as she continues, Lees
gestures grow animated and angry,
bearing mute witness to the violence
and humiliation she endured for
two years as teenage captive at a
Japanese military base. Her face
grimaces and crumples. Her hands
chop the air, grab her neck, clutch
her stomach.
at first the other girls tried to
protect me because I was so young,
she says through an interpreter,
beginning to weep. I saw the
soldiers on them, but the girls put
a blanket over me and told me to
pretend I was dead so nothing would
happen to me. I didnt know what
they meant. I was only 14. I didnt
know anything then.
Lee is one of 53 surviving comfort
women, the euphemistic term used to
describe tens of thousands of girls and
women from Korea, China and other
asian countries who were forced into
farm labour and sexual servitude for
Japanese combat or occupation troops
before and during World War II.
She travelled to Washington this
week from South Korea to tell her
story on the eve of a high-profile visit
by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
abe, whom some Korean american
groups accuse of backtracking
on promises to apologise for the
wartime abuses and of trying to
whitewash the past to placate
conservative nationalist groups at
home.
Lees trip was arranged by the
Washington Coalition for Comfort
Women Issues, a group of activists
who plan to stage protests when
abe arrives and have demanded that
he make formal amends when he
addresses Congress april 29. Some
scholars and politicians close to the
Japanese premier have suggested
that many comfort women were

prostitutes rather than victims of an
official military policy.
the issue has particular
resonance in Washington because
of the regions large and successful
Korean american community. Fairfax
County is home to at least 42,000
Korean americans, who have built
churches and businesses and wield
growing political influence there.
Last May, a memorial to Koreas
comfort women was built next to the
Fairfax County Government Center.
the creation of the memorial,
following that of two others in
California and New Jersey, provoked
objections from some Japanese
american residents and officials. But
coalition leaders said their cause
has attracted support from human
rights groups in Japan, as well as
from a Japanese american member
of Congress, Rep Michael Honda,
d-Calif, who has promoted a bill
calling for an unequivocal apology.
We dont want to offend Japan
or be aggressive. We just want this
issue to be resolved peacefully and
done with, said Jungsil Lee, an art
historian in Rockville who is the
coalitions president. We do want
abe to acknowledge what happened
and issue an official apology. then
we will be glad to dissolve our
organisation and move on.
Masato Otaka, a spokesmperson
for the Japanese embassy, said his
countrys government had bent
over backward to make amends to
the comfort women over the years,
making statements of apology and
remorse, paying atonement money
to some victims through a special
fund and sending individual letters
to victims from a former prime
minister.
Japan has apologised over and
over, on various occasions, Otaka
said april 22. We have done our
best, and I cant think of anything
better than sending personal letters
to the victims, but South Koreans
are still telling us we didnt go far
enough.
For 47 years after the war ended
and Yong Soo Lee was taken home,
she told no one what had happened
A Japanese comfort station. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
South Korean Yong Soo Lee, 86, is speaking out about her experience as a comfort woman during World War II.
Photo: Washington Post/Sarah L. Voisin
I was taken from

my home as a
child. My right
to be happy, to
marry, to have a
family, it was all
taken from me
Yong Soo Lee, 86
to her. She said she felt ashamed,

afraid and isolated. She had no idea
that her ordeal had been shared by
thousands of other young women
at dozens of military comfort
stations throughout the Pacific.
Unable to confide in her family,
she remained single and childless
for life.
But in 1991, when another
comfort woman broke a half-century
of silence, Lee realised that she had
not been alone. She registered with
the government and travelled to
the base where she had been held,
accompanied by Japanese historians.
She was able to learn the fate of
crucial individuals, including a
Japanese military officer who took
pity on her and was later killed in
combat. and finally, she began to
talk.
as Lee recounted april 21 during
an interview at the home of friends
in Fairfax, her nightmare began one
night in October 1943. Lee said she
was asleep in her familys farmhouse
when she heard a neighbour calling
and went outside. Soon she found
herself with four other girls being
marched off by Japanese soldiers,
then forced on a series of journeys by
train, truck and ship.
Her final destination was a
coastal base for kamikaze pilots,
where she learned by heart a pep
song the pilots sang before heading
off on suicide missions. although
reluctant to state explicitly that she
was forced to have sex with Japanese
soldiers, she recounted numerous
other details of her time in captivity
that made the circumstances
painfully clear.
Soon after reaching the base,
she said, she was told to go into
a curtained cubicle and wait for
a soldier, but at first refused. as
punishment, she said, she was
brutally beaten and tortured with
electric shocks to her wrists. after
that, she said, she obeyed.
It never entered my mind to
run away, Lee said in Korean,
as members of her host family
interpreted. I had no idea where
I was or what was outside. I didnt
have a chance to talk with the other
girls. My food was brought to me. I

thought I was alone.
Outside, the war in the Pacific
was raging. Lee recalled hearing loud
sounds of combat, sounds she said
she still hears at night. at one point
the building where she lived was hit
by US bombs. Injured in the collapse,
she bled heavily and thought she
might die. Much later, she learned
she had miscarried.
When Lee was finally rescued and
sent home after the war, she was 17.
But in many ways, her life did not
begin again until the plight of the
comfort women became known. In
her late 60s, she threw herself into
the campaign to expose the abuses
and demand Japanese atonement.
She testified before commissions
and legislatures. She was taken to
the Vatican to meet the pope. In the
process, she said she found purpose
in the life she thought had been
thrown away.
I lost myself for a long time,
Lee said. I thought I was worthless.
I didnt talk about it, and nobody
asked me. Until the women came
out, I did not exist.
Nearly two hours into her story,
Lees diffident demeanour changed.
She stopped handling her rosary
beads. When she spoke again, it was
with deep rage against her abusers,
against her lost youth, even against
the term that is commonly used to
describe her.
I never wanted to give comfort
to those men, she said with a glare
of disgust. that name was made up
by Japan. I was taken from my home
as a child. My right to be happy, to
marry, to have a family, it was all
taken from me. She wiped her eyes
once more, then straightened up on
the sofa.
I am a proper lady and a
daughter of Korea, Lee declared.
I dont want to hate or hold a
grudge, but I can never forgive what
happened to me. I must stand up for
myself and the others. Mr abe should
act like a man and face the truth of
the crimes that were done to us. I
was robbed of my youth, and I want
him to apologise before I die.
Washington Post
the pulse 19
www.mmtimes.com
Documenting
the long march
La Min Htun stands with his photograph of student protesters being held in
headlocks by vigilantes. Photo: Aung Khant
NyeiN ChAN MAy
A
Student protesters pose at the photography exhibition.
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DOCUMENTARY account
of the student protests
against the National
Education Law is on
display until the end of
today at Think Art Gallery, Nawaday
Street, Dagon. The photos show
the evolution of a series of marches
on Yangon by students and their
supporters.
The exhibition features 37 news
photos taken by Jay Paing, Sai Zaw
Thaik, Hein Htet and Tay Zar Hlaing
from Irrawaddy Media, and La Min
Htun of The Peoples Age.
We also have many photos
taken by students who were
demonstrating against the law. The
photographers involved originally
wanted to produce a photo
documentary book, but decided
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against it. We wanted to bring the

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didnt have much money, so we
organised this exhibition, said
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The organisers also hope that
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The photos are not for sale, but the
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The journalists are planning to
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The documentary will also be on sale
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said Ko Jay Paing.
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20 the pulse
DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO MANDALAY
Flight
Y5 775
W9 515
YH 909
YH 917
YJ 891
YJ 891
K7 282
W9 201
YH 826
YH 835
YH 909
YH 831
YH 911
W9201
YH 829
7Y 131
K7 266
8M 6603
YJ 751
YJ 601
YJ 201
YJ 761
YJ 233
YJ 211
YH 729
YH 737
YH 727
W9 251
K7 822
YJ 151/W9 7151
K7 622
K7 226
YH 731
Y5 234
W9 211
Days
Daily
1
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
1,2,4,5,6
3
Daily
Daily
3
1,7
7
4,6
2
1
5
Daily
Daily
4
5
6
1,2,4
1,2,4
6
5,7
2,4,6
3,5,7
1
2,5
4,7
1
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
Daily
Daily
4
Dep
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:10
6:00
6:30
6:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:15
8:00
9:00
10:45
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:15
11:15
11:30
12:30
13:00
13:00
13:30
14:30
15:20
15:30
Arr
7:10
7:25
7:40
8:30
8:05
8:35
8:10
8:25
8:40
8:40
8:40
8:40
8:40
8:25
11:05
9:20
10:05
10:10
14:50
12:25
12:25
12:55
12:55
12:25
14:00
13:25
13:25
12:55
16:55
16:45
14:25
14:55
16:40
16:30
16:55
MANDALAY TO YANGON
Flight
Y5 233
YJ 891
K7 283
YH 918
YH 910
W9 201
YJ 891
7Y 132
K7 267
YH 830
YH 912
YJ 762
YH 832
YH 827
YH 836
YH 910
YJ 212
YJ 212
YJ 202
YJ 602
YJ 762
YH 732
YH 732
YH 728
W9 152/W97152
Y5 776
W9 211
K7 823
8M 6604
K7 227
8M 903
YH 738
K7 623
YH 730
YJ 234
W9 252
Days
Daily
1,2,4,5,6
Daily
Daily
7
Daily
3
Daily
Daily
5
2
4
4,6
3
1,7
1,2,3,5,6
5,7
5,7
1,2,4
7
1,2
6
Daily
1
1
Daily
4
2,4,7
4
2,4,6
1,2,4,5,7
3,5,7
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
6
2,5
Dep
7:50
8:20
8:25
8:30
8:40
8:40
8:50
9:35
10:20
11:05
11:30
13:10
13:20
13:20
13:20
13:20
15:00
15:00
15:30
15:40
16:35
16:40
16:40
16:45
17:05
17:10
17:10
17:10
17:20
17:20
17:20
17:25
17:40
17:45
17:45
18:15
Arr
9:00
10:15
11:30
10:45
10:05
10:35
10:45
11:30
12:25
14:55
13:25
17:00
14:45
14:45
14:45
14:45
16:25
16:25
16:55
17:35
18:00
18:05
18:45
18:10
18:30
18:20
19:15
18:35
18:30
18:45
18:30
18:50
19:05
19:10
19:10
19:40
YANGON TO NAY PYI TAW
NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON
Flight
FMI A1
FMI B1
FMI C1
Flight
FMI A2
FMI B2
FMI C2
Days
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
Dep
7:15
10:45
17:00
Arr
8:15
11:45
18:00
YANGON TO NYAUNG U
Flight
K7 282
YJ 891
YH 909
YH 917
YJ 891
YH 909
K7 242
7Y 131
K7 264
YH 731
W9 129
W9 211
W9 129
Days
Daily
1,2,4,5,6
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
3,7
4
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,3,6
4
1
Dep
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:10
6:30
6:30
7:00
7:15
14:30
14:30
15:30
15:30
15:30
Days
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
Dep
8:35
13:30
18:20
Arr
9:35
14:30
19:20
NYAUNG U TO YANGON
Arr
7:20
7:20
8:25
7:45
7:50
8:05
8:20
8:35
16:40
17:25
17:35
17:40
17:35
Flight
YJ 891
YH 918
YJ 891
YH 910
YH 910
K7 242
7Y 131
K7 283
K7 265
YH 732
W9 129
Days
1,2,4,5,6
Daily
3,7
4
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,3,6
Dep
7:35
7:45
8:05
8:05
8:25
8:35
8:50
10:10
16:55
17:25
17:50
Arr
10:15
10:45
10:45
9:25
9:45
11:45
11:30
11:30
18:15
18:45
19:10
YANGON TO MYITKYINA
MYITKYINA TO YANGON
Flight
YH 829
YH 826
YH 835
YH 831
YJ 201
YJ 201
W9 251
Flight
YH 827
YH 832
YH 836
YH 830
YJ 202
YJ 202
YJ 234
W9 252
Days
5
3
1,7
4,6
1,2,4
3
2,5
Dep
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
11:00
11:15
11:30
Arr
9:40
10:05
10:05
10:05
13:50
14:05
14:25
Days
3
4,6
1,7
5
1,2,4
3
6
2,5
Dep
11:55
11:55
11:55
12:30
14:05
14:20
16:20
16:45
Arr
14:45
14:45
14:45
14:55
16:55
17:10
19:10
19:40
YANGON TO HEHO
Flight
YJ 891
K7 282
YH 917
YJ 881
YJ 891
K7 242
7Y 131
K7 266
Y5 649
YH 505
YJ 751
YJ 751
YJ 761
YJ 233
YH 727
YH 737
YH 727
K7 828
K7 822
K7 264
YH 731
W9 129
Days
1,2,4,5,6
Daily
Daily
7
3
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
3,7
5
1,2,4
6
1
3,5,7
3
1,3,5
2,4,7
Daily
Daily
1,3,6
Dep
6:00
6:00
6:10
6:30
6:30
7:00
7:15
8:00
10:30
10:30
10:30
10:45
11:00
11:00
11:15
11:15
11:15
12:30
12:30
14:30
14:30
15:30
HEHO TO YANGON
Arr
8:50
9:00
9:35
8:45
9:20
9:15
10:05
9:15
12:45
11:55
11:40
11:55
12:10
12:10
12:40
12:40
12:40
13:45
13:45
15:45
15:55
16:40
YANGON TO MYEIK
Flight
Y5 325
K7 319
7Y 531
Y5 325
Days
1,5
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
2
Dep
6:45
7:00
11:45
15:30
Days
1,3,6
Daily
1,3,5,7
Dep
11:30
11:45
12:00
Days
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,3,6
1,3,5,7
Daily
1,3,4,6
Dep
7:00
10:30
11:30
12:00
13:00
15:45
Flight
Y5 326
7Y 532
K7 320
Y5 326
Arr
12:55
12:55
13:50
Flight
W9 309
6T 612
K7 423
Days
1
2,4,6
Dep
7:00
11:45
Days
3,7
5
2,4,6
1,3,5
Dep
10:30
10:45
11:00
12:30
Arr
10:35
13:10
13:50
12:50
13:35
16:40
Flight
K7 243
YH 506
7Y 413
W9 309
K7 422
Y5 422
Arr
8:10
12:50
Flight
K7 320
7Y 532
Days
3
4,6
1,7
2,5
Dep
7:00
7:00
7:00
11:30
Dep
8:35
16:05
11:30
17:15
Arr
10:05
18:10
13:35
18:45
Days
1,3,6
Daily
Daily
Dep
13:10
13:15
15:10
Arr
14:55
14:20
16:30
Days
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,3,5,7
1,3,6
Daily
1,3,4,6
Dep
10:50
13:10
13:05
14:05
14:10
16:55
Arr
11:45
14:00
15:25
14:55
16:30
17:50
Days
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
Dep
12:25
17:05
Flight
YJ 752
K7 829
K7 829
YJ 752
YH 730
Days
5
1,3
5
3,7
2,4,6
Dep
13:15
15:05
15:05
15:40
16:45
Arr
16:30
15:55
17:25
17:55
19:10
PUTAO TO YANGON
Arr
11:00
11:00
11:00
15:25
Air Bagan (W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102
Air KBZ (K7)

Tel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (airport), 373766
(hotline). Fax: 372983
Asian Wings (YJ)

Tel: 515261~264, 512140, 512473, 512640
Fax: 532333, 516654
Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051
Mann Yadanarpon Airlines (7Y)

Tel: 656969
Fax: 656998, 651020
Flight
YH 836
YH 832
YH 827
W9 252
Days
1,7
4,6
3
2,5
Dep
11:00
11:00
11:00
15:45
Tel: 383100, 383107, 700264

Fax: 652 533
FMI Air Charter

Tel: 240363, 240373, 09421146545
Airline Codes
7Y = Mann Yadanarpon Airlines
W9 = Air Bagan
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines
YH = Yangon Airways
YJ = Asian Wings
FMI = FMI Air Charter
Arr
13:35
18:10
LASHIO TO YANGON
Arr
12:45
13:00
13:00
14:50
Domestic Airlines
K7 = Air KBZ
DAWEI TO YANGON
YANGON TO PUTAO
Flight
YH 826
YH 831
YH 835
W9 251
Days
1,5
2,4,6
1,3,5,7
2
THANDWE TO YANGON
YANGON TO LASHIO
Flight
YJ 751
YJ 751
YH 729
K7 828
Arr
10:10
10:15
11:30
10:35
11:45
10:45
10:45
11:30
12:25
14:00
16:30
17:00
18:00
18:45
17:25
18:10
18:15
18:50
17:55
19:10
SITTWE TO YANGON
YANGON TO DAWEI
Flight
K7 319
7Y 531
Dep
9:00
9:05
9:15
9:25
9:30
9:35
9:35
10:20
11:10
11:55
14:20
15:50
15:50
15:55
16:10
16:00
16:30
16:40
16:45
16:55
Yangon Airways (YH)
Arr
8:15
9:05
13:50
17:00
YANGON TO THANDWE
Flight
K7 242
YH 505
W9 309
7Y 413
K7 422
Y5 421
Days
7
1,2,4,5,6
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
3
Daily
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
5
4
1,2
Daily
1,3,5
1
Daily
3,5,7
3,7
1,3,6
MYEIK TO YANGON
YANGON TO SITTWE
Flight
W9 309
6T 611
K7 413
Flight
YJ 881
YJ 891
K7 283
W9 201
K7 243
YH 918
YJ 891
7Y 132
K7 267
YH 506
YJ 752
YJ 762
YJ 762
YH 732
K7 829
YH 728
K7 264
YH 738
YJ 752
W9 129
Arr
14:45
14:45
14:45
19:40
Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday
the pulse 21
www.mmtimes.com
InternAtIonAl FlIGHt SCHeDUleS

YANGON TO BANGKOK
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
PG 706
Daily
6:05
8M 335
Daily
7:40
TG 304
Daily
9:50
PG 702
Daily
10:30
TG 302
Daily
14:50
PG 708
Daily
15:20
8M 331
Daily
16:30
PG 704
Daily
18:35
Y5 237
Daily
19:00
TG 306
Daily
19:50
YANGON TO DON MUEANG
Flights
DD 4231
FD 252
FD 256
FD 254
FD 258
DD 4239
Flights
Days
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
8:20
9:25
11:45
12:25
16:45
17:15
18:15
20:30
20:50
21:45
Dep
8:00
8:30
12:50
17:35
21:30
21:00
Arr
9:45
10:20
14:40
19:25
23:15
22:55
YANGON TO SINGAPORE
Days
Dep
Arr
BANGKOK TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
TG 303
Daily
8:00
PG 701
Daily
8:45
Y5 238
Daily
21:30
8M 336
Daily
10:40
TG 301
Daily
13:05
PG 707
Daily
13:40
PG 703
Daily
17:00
TG 305
Daily
18:05
8M 332
Daily
19:15
PG 705
Daily
20:15
DON MUEANG TO YANGON
Flights
DD 4230
FD 251
FD 255
FD 253
FD 257
DD 4238
Flights
Days
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
8:45
9:40
22:20
11:25
13:50
14:30
17:50
18:50
20:00
21:30
Dep
6:30
7:15
11:35
16:20
20:15
19:25
Arr
7:15
8:00
12:20
17:05
20:55
20:15
Dep
Arr
8M 231
Daily
8:00
12:25
Y5 2233
Daily
9:45
14:15
TR 2823
Daily
9:45
2:35
SQ 997
Daily
10:25
15:10
3K 582
Daily
11:45
16:20
MI 533
2,4,6
13:35
20:50
8M 233
5,6,7
14:40
19:05
MI 519
Daily
16:40
21:15
3K 584
2,3,5
19:30 00:05+1
YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR
TR 2822
Daily
7:20
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
SQ 998
Daily
7:55
3K 581
Daily
9:10
MI 533
2,4,6
11:30
8M 232
Daily
13:25
MI 518
Daily
14:20
3K 583
2,3,5
17:20
8M 234
5,6,7
20:15
KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON
8:45
8:50
9:20
10:40
12:45
14:50
15:45
18:50
21:40
8M 501
AK 505
MH 741
8M 9506
8M 9508
MH 743
AK 503
11:50
12:45
16:30
16:30
20:05
20:15
23:20
AK 504
8M 9505
MH 740
8M 502
8M 9507
MH 742
AK 502
8:00
11:15
11:15
13:50
14:50
15:05
18:25
Arr
0550+1
Flights
CA 905
Flights
Flights
CA 906
Days
Dep
Arr
1,2,3,5,6
7:50
Daily
8:30
Daily
12:15
Daily
12:15
Daily
15:45
Daily
16:00
Daily
19:05
YANGON TO BEIJING
Days
3,5,7
Dep
23:50
YANGON TO GUANGZHOU
Flights
Days
8M 711
CZ 3056
CZ 3056
Flights
Days
Daily
Dep
Arr
Flights
Flights
Days
13:15
15:55
22:10
Dep
Arr
10:50
16:10
VN 956
1,3,5,6,7
Dep
Flights
Days
2,4,7
Days
CZ 3055
CZ 3055
8M 712
Flights
Days
CI 7915
Daily
Arr
Dep
19:10
Arr
Flights
21:25
Dep
Days
1,4,6
17:05
Flights
Days
Flights
4,7
Daily
Dep
7:55
Dep
0:50
23:55
Arr
11:40
Arr
8:50
07:45+1
YANGON TO HONG KONG

Days
KA 251
KA 251
1,2,3,4,6,7
5
Flights
Days
Daily
Arr
05:45
05:55
Dep
22:10
Arr
06:45+1
YANGON TO DHAKA
Flights
Days
BG 061
BG 061
Flights
Dep
01:10
01:30
YANGON TO TOKYO
NH 914
2
5
Dep
Arr
11:45
19:45
YANGON TO INCHEON
PG 724
W9 607
8M 7702
8M 7502
Days
1,3,5,6
4,7
Daily
4,7
Dep
12:50
14:30
23:30
00:35
Days
2,4,6
1,5
4,7
VN 957
Flights
Days
3,5,6
2
1,5
Flights
Days
VN 943
2,4,7
Flights
Days
Flights
AI 234
AI 228
1
5
Dep
7:00
13:10
14:05
Dep
13:10
Dep
14:05
18:45
MANDALAY TO BANGKOK
Flights
PG 710
Days
Daily
Dep
14:15
MANDALAY TO SINGAPORE
Flights
MI 533
Y5 2233
Days
2,4,6
1,2,4,5,6
Dep
15:45
7:50
MANDALAY TO DON MUEANG
Flights
FD 245
Days
Daily
Dep
12:50
MANDALAY TO KUNMING
Flights
MU 2030
Days
Daily
Dep
13:50
NAY PYI TAW TO BANGKOK
Flights
PG 722
Days
1,2,3,4,5
Dep
19:45
Days
3,5,7
10:35
16:40
15:50
Dep
Arr
7:00
9:50
Dep
Arr
11:50
11:30
14:00
Arr
16:40
Dep
11:45
Flights
Days
KE 471
0Z 769
Daily
3,6
Flights
Days
KA 252
KA 250
4
1,2,3,5,6,7
Flights
Days
Daily
Flights
Arr
Days
2
5
INCHEON TO YANGON
Arr
Arr
Days
2
3,5,6
5
Days
Dep
9:25
13:45
17:20
Dep
9:10
9:20
15:00
Dep
7:00
KOLKATA TO YANGON
AI 227
AI 233
Days
1
5
Dep
10:35
13:30
BANGKOK TO MANDALAY
Flights
PG 709
Days
Daily
Dep
12:05
SINGAPORE TO MANDALAY
Flights
Y5 2234
MI 533
Days
Daily
2,4,6
Dep
7:20
11:30
DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY
Flights
15:15
FD 244
Arr
Flights
Days
Daily
Dep
10:55
KUNMING TO MANDALAY
16:40
MU 2029
Arr
Flights
22:45
11:00
17:20
18:45
19:50
DELHI TO YANGON
Flights
Flights
20:50
14:15
1,3,5,6
4,7
Daily
3,6
Dep
GAYA TO YANGON
Flights
Arr
Arr
Days
Days
2,4,6
1,5
4,7
AI 235
8M 602
AI 233
AI 235
16:40
Dep
8:30
16:30
CHIANG MAI TO YANGON
16:30
17:20
19:45
Dep
11:45
DHAKA TO YANGON
Flights
Arr
Dep
22:50
21:45
TOKYO TO YANGON
NH 913
BG 060
BG 060
Arr
Dep
18:30
19:30
HONG KONG TO YANGON
13:00
21:00
8:20
14:10
15:05
Dep
19:45
Days
Daily
Dep
12:55
BANGKOK TO NAY PYI TAW
PG 721
Days
1,2,3,4,5
Dep
17:15
Tel: 255412, 413
Air Asia (FD)
Tel: 09254049991~3
Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)
Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102
Air China (CA)
Tel: 666112, 655882

Tel: 253597~98, 254758, 253601. Fax 248175
Bangkok Airways (PG)
Tel: 255122, 255265. Fax: 255119
Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG)

Tel: 371867~68. Fax: 371869
Condor (DE)
Tel: 370836~39 (ext: 303)
Dragonair (KA)
Tel: 255323 (ext: 107), 09-401539206
Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051
Malaysia Airlines (MH)
Tel: 387648, 241007 (ext: 120, 121, 122)

Fax: 241124
Myanmar Airways International (8M)

Tel: 255260. Fax: 255305
Nok Airline (DD)
Tel: 255050, 255021. Fax: 255051
Qatar Airways (QR)
Tel: 379845, 379843, 379831. Fax: 379730
Singapore Airlines (SQ) / Silk Air (MI)

Tel: 255287~9. Fax: 255290
Dep
SEOUL TO YANGON
Flights
Y5 252
7Y 306
W9 608
YANGON TO KOLKATA
Days
Flights
QR 918
Arr
8:05
12:50
16:20
Dep
6:15
11:00
14:30
YANGON TO DELHI
AI 236
Arr
3
8:25
Daily
11:10
1,2,4,5,6,7 13:30
HANOI TO YANGON
1,3,5,6,7
PG 723
W9 608
8M 7701
8M 7501
YANGON TO GAYA
8M 601
AI 236
AI 234
Days
Days
14:45
16:20
07:50+1
09:10
YANGON TO CHIANG MAI
Flights
Y5 251
7Y 305
W9 607
Dep
18:10
Thai Airways (TG)
Arr
Tiger Airline (TR)
13:25
DOHA TO YANGON
YANGON TO SEOUL
0Z 770
KE 472
Arr
22:50
HO CHI MINH CITY TO YANGON

Arr
14:25
Flights
MU 2011
CA 415
MU 2031
YANGON TO DOHA
Flights
QR 919
Dep
19:30
3,6
8:35
1,5
14:40
2,4,7
14:15
TAIPEI TO YANGON
15:55
18:50
18:15
YANGON TO HO CHI MINH CITY

VN 942
Arr
KUNMING TO YANGON
Daily
12:30
3
12:40
1,2,4,5,6,7 14:50
YANGON TO HANOI
Days
Dep
Daily
6:55
Daily
10:05
Daily
10:05
1,2,3,5,6
12:50
Daily
13:40
Daily
13:55
Daily
17:20
BEIJING TO YANGON
Days
3,5,7
Flights
YANGON TO KUNMING
CA 416
MU 2012
MU 2032
Days
GUANGZHOU TO YANGON
2,4,7
8:40
3,6
11:35
1,5
17:40
YANGON TO TAIPEI
CI 7916
Flights
All Nippon Airways (NH)
Air India
SINGAPORE TO YANGON
Days
International Airlines
Arr
0459+1
Arr
22:30
23:40
Arr
00:30
23:30
Arr
17:15
Arr
10:45
18:45
Tel: 255491~6. Fax: 255223

Tel: 371383, 370836~39 (ext: 303)
Vietnam Airlines (VN)
Tel: 255066, 255088, 255068. Fax: 255086
Airline Codes
3K = Jet Star
8M = Myanmar Airways International
AK = Air Asia
BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines
CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines
CZ = China Southern
Arr
11:55
18:10
22:25
23:25
DD = Nok Airline
FD = Air Asia
KA = Dragonair
Arr
10:15
14:35
18:10
Arr
12:10
12:30
18:00
Arr
12:10
Arr
13:20
18:00
Arr
13:25
Arr
16:30
14:50
Arr
12:20
Arr
12:50
Arr
19:15
KE = Korea Airlines
MH = Malaysia Airlines
MI = Silk Air
MU = China Eastern Airlines
NH = All Nippon Airways
PG = Bangkok Airways
QR = Qatar Airways
SQ = Singapore Airways
TG = Thai Airways
TR = Tiger Airline
VN = Vietnam Airline
AI = Air India
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines
Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4
5
6
7
=
=
=
=
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
TRADE MARK CAUTION

NOTICE is hereby given that LG HOUSEHOLD & HEALTH
CARE LTD. a company organized under the laws of Republic of
Korea and having its principal office at 92, Sinmunno 2-ga, Jongnogu, Seoul, Republic of Korea is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of
the following trademark:-
(Reg: No. IV/3798/2012)

in respect of: - Skin milk lotions; perfumes; cleansing creams;
shampoos; hair rinses; hair essence in the nature of perfumed oils
for hair; sunscreen lotions; nail polish; nail decolorants; mask
pack for cosmetic purposes; cosmetic soaps; massage cream; body
lotions; bath gels; shower gels; massage oil; cosmetic nourishing
creams; enamel for manicure; varnish-removing preparations;
cosmetic bath powder; perfumed powder; hair lotions; body
creams; skin cleansing foams; skin cleansing lotions; body
cleanser; cosmetics; eye shadows; lipsticks. - Class: 3
to law.
for LG HOUSEHOLD & HEALTH CARE LTD.
Phone: 372416
TRADEMARK CAUTION
KATO WORKS CO., LTD., a company incorporated in Japan
and having its registered office at 9-37, Higashi-ohi 1-chome,
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0011, Japan is the owner and proprietor
of the following Trademark:
Reg. No. 4/2683/2015 (6.3.2015)

In respect of Scrapers, loading shovels, clamshells (excavators),
draglines, shovel loaders, wheel loaders, muck loaders, pile
drivers, earthdrills, earth augers, motor operated graders,
asphalt finishers, streetsweepers, sewerage cleaners, backhoes,
snowploughs, road rollers, all being machines; wheel cranes,
crawler cranes, tower cranes, bulldozers, power shovels, tractor
shovels, mobile pumps for concrete in Class 07; and Vehicles
adapted for use in loading, tractors; trucks incorporating cranes
in Class 12.
Fraudulent or unauthorised use or actual or colourable imitation
of the Mark shall be dealt with according to law.
Daw Yee Mon Aung, H.G.P
For KATO WORKS CO., LTD.,
C/o Kelvin Chia Yangon Ltd.,
Level 8A, Union Financial Centre (UFC), Corner of Mahabandoola
Road and Thein Phyu Road, Botahtaung Township, Yangon, T he
Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Dated 27 April 2015
yma@kcyangon.com
22 Sport
THE MYANMAR TIMES april 27, 2015
FOOTBALL
Chinese football faces

challenge from ping-pong
HINESE football could

struggle to attract youngsters away from table tennis
and badminton and needs a
home-grown star playing in
Europe before it really takes off, former
England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson
said last week.
President Xi Jinping has high ambitions for footballs ultimate sleeping giant, including a rumoured bid to hold
the World Cup a tournament that
82nd-ranked China has only reached
once before.
Eriksson, now coach of Shanghai
SIPG, backed Chinas new plans to raise
standards, including training players
from an early age and introducing the
sport to more schools.
But the well-travelled Swede warned
it will take some years before any evidence of improvement is apparent.
The reason for that is that the
grassroots football is almost non-existent, Eriksson said.
That is a pity because young people
boys, girls they play badminton, they
play ping pong, they play basketball.
Football, almost nothing.
China dominates Olympic table tennis and badminton, and basketball has
China needs a
Chinese player
playing in Premier
League, or La Liga
or Bundesliga or
somewhere, and
who can do it with
success.
Sven-Goran Eriksson
Shanghai SipG coach
Photo: AFP
Former England manager Sven-Goran
Eriksson attends a training session of
Shanghai SIPG of the Chinese Super
League in Shanghai on April 18.
a long tradition in the country highlighted by the NBA exploits of Yao Ming.
But Eriksson said Chinese youngsters did not have the access to spaces
to play football that children in Europe
enjoy, putting them at a disadvantage.
If you go to the parks it is always
written in Chinese, Dont walk on the
grass, he said, before drawing a comparison to Londons green spaces.
Hyde Park, Regents Park. Saturdays, Sundays. What are people doing
there? Playing football, he said.
That is grassroots football and I
think that most of the schools in places
like Shanghai they dont have any space
to play football. Badminton, ping pong
and basketball you need very little
space.
Chinas breathtaking economic rise
has seen its cities and towns develop at
a rapid pace, with space for sports fields
way down the list of priorities.
But even if Chinese youngsters were
given opportunities to succeed, they
need an aspirational big star to make
it in England, Spain or Germany, Eriksson said.
China needs a Chinese player play-
ing in Premier League, or La Liga or

Bundesliga or somewhere, and who can
do it with success, he said. That is the
only way [for football] to be big in this
country.
Eriksson joined Shanghai in November after an 18-month stint at fellow
Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou R&F, where he was also ambassador for schools football.
He is among the big names to have
arrived in China as the CSL emerges
from years of corruption and sleaze that
threatened to derail the sport in the
country.
Italian World Cup-winning captain
Fabio Cannavaro joined current champions Guangzhou Evergrande as manager in November, replacing the highly
successful Marcello Lippi.
Cannavaro and Eriksson have been
at the centre of a cash splurge in the
CSL, whose clubs spent US$165 million
during the January transfer window, according to statistics from German website transfermarkt.
The figure is almost double last
years figure and second only to the
English Premier League ($203 million),
the website said.
The 47 foreign imports, including
Australias Tim Cahill and a raft of Brazilian talent, doubled the CSLs foreign
ranks ahead of the season opening last
month.
The standard of Chinese football is
getting better and better, Eriksson said,
praising a league that is now the mostwatched in Asia.
More and more money goes into
football clubs. Rich people buying it.
Government-owned companies buying
football clubs and the money is more
and more to buy foreign players and
also big competition to take the best
Chinese players.
But he was elusive on his own reported windfall from the Chinese game,
when asked if his annual salary was near
the $6 million reported in local media.
Not at all, he laughed. I have a
good salary, but not at all. AFP
FOOTBALL
Pellegrini aims for unbeaten

finish after victory over Villa
MANCHESTER City manager Manuel
Pellegrini believes his team can go
through the remainder of the Premier
League season unbeaten if they show
the same character they displayed in a
3-2 victory over Aston Villa on April 25.
The thrilling win at Eastlands, settled by Fernandinhos 89th-minute shot,
left City firmly on course for a top-four
finish and Champions League football
next season.
But while unhappy with Citys defending against relegation-threatened
opponents, Pellegrini said his side had
showed the character that would carry
them to second place behind champions-elect Chelsea.
We didnt play well [on April 25].
Maybe it was one of our worst games in
possession, said Pellegrini, whose side
have rarely hit the heights this term
that saw them win the Premier League
title last season.
We have so much possession every
game, against every team, so it was
strange to see how much possession we
lost, the Chilean added.
But it is not easy when you are winning 2-0, and they come back to 2-2, to
go on and get the winner but we did
it. If we play with this spirit, maybe
we dont lose another game With
another 12 points to play for it is very

important to continue playing with the
spirit we had [on April 25].
City were gifted an early lead after
an error by goalkeeper Brad Guzan,
which saw Sergio Aguero score his
21st league goal of the campaign and
remain on course to finish as the divisions leading scorer.
I think it is important, after the
team, to have individual awards for different players, said Pellegrini.
Also it is important for Kun
[Aguero] to score more goals but it
is more important to win the game.
Thats why were trying to work as
a team. But he has started scoring
again the last three games, which is
important for him.
Aleksandar Kolarov extended Citys
lead before Tom Cleverley and Carlos
Sanchez claimed the goals which levelled the game at 2-2 after 85 minutes.
Following the equaliser, Villa striker
Christian Benteke was clean through
on goal with only Joe Hart to beat but
was flagged offside incorrectly according to replays.
Citys winner followed within seconds and the manner of the disallowed
goal frustrated Villa manager Tim
Sherwood who, nevertheless, remained
optimistic regarding his FA Cup finalists chances of avoiding relegation,

even though the Birmingham club are
now just two points above the bottom
three.
Its onside, its a penalty and a sending-off for Joe Hart, said Sherwood.
You get some, you dont get others but
at this stage of the season its difficult
and Im saying that with a lump in my
throat, to be honest.
Sherwood added, Not only was the
fight and the character there but the
ability and performance was there also.
If we perform like that in the remaining games, we will be okay.
City emerged from the game with
an injury concern over midfielder Yaya
Toure, who limped off at half-time with
a hamstring problem.
With City captain Vincent Kompany
unlikely to play again this season because of a knee injury, Pellegrini will
have to wait for the results of tests on
Ivory Coast international Toure before
discovering whether he has played his
final game of the campaign.
Its difficult to know today what
will happen, Pellegrini said. But
[Toure] was not brought off as a precaution. It was a muscle injury and we
will have to see how serious it is. AFP
Sport 23
www.mmtimes.com
OLYMPICS
IOC chiefs Delhi visit

fuels talk of Indian bid
I
NTERNATIONAL
Olympic
Committee supremo Thomas
Bach will meet Indias Prime
Minister Narendra Modi today
amid growing expectations that
one of the Olympics perennial underachievers may make its first bid
to host the Games.
Even if hosting the Olympics in
2024 appears unlikely, observers say
Modi may sanction a bid for further
down the line, although he will be
anxious to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing headlines that accompanied the shambolic 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
With Beijing having played host
in 2008 and Tokyo due to do the honours for a second time in 2020, there
is a growing sense that an Indian bid
to stage the worlds biggest sporting
competition is overdue.
Speculation that Modi could approve a bid was fuelled by recent
reports which said the nationalist
premier would raise the issue when
he meets Bach, the IOC president, in
Delhi.
Randhir Singh, Indias only IOC
member since 2001, said interest in
a bid would be welcomed by his colleagues, while playing down talk of
2024 as wishful thinking.
The IOC would love to see India
host the Games, Singh said.
Everything will depend on how
the talks between Modi and Bach go
because ultimately it is the government that has to make a call. But why
not? If it is not 2024, it could be 2028
or even 2032. There is more awareness
when you organise a Games. The interest grows, there is more sponsorship,
there is benefit all round.
Despite being the worlds secondmost populous nation, India has a
poor record in Olympic competition.
Shooter Abhinav Bindra, who
won gold in 2008 in the 10-metre
air rifle event, remains the countrys
only individual champion, while the
last of Indias eight field hockey titles
came back in 1980.
Randhir Singh, Indias only International Olympic Committee member since

2001, speaks during an interview in New Delhi on April 21. Photo: AFP
There will be
sceptics who will talk
of white elephants
and enormous
costs, but hosting an
Olympic Games can
enable a changing
and dynamic India
to become a soft
superpower.
Ayaz Memon
Indian sports columnist
The medal haul from the London

Games in 2012 was a meagre two
silver and four bronze, leaving India
55th in the medal table. Worse was
to follow at the 2014 Winter Games
in Sochi, when competitors werent
TENNIS
allowed to parade the Indian flag at

the opening ceremony after the national Olympic association was suspended for electing corruption-tainted
officials to key posts.
The staging of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was overshadowed by
a string of corruption scandals and
budget overshoots that could damage Indias hopes of being allowed
to host a much bigger event like the
Olympics.
The Times of India reported last
month that Modi was open to the
idea of bidding for the Games but
wants to know the costs, financial
implications and other details to
avoid a repeat of the 2010 debacle.
Modis election last year was due
in part to his reputation as a sound
administrator during his decade as
chief minister of the thriving state of
Gujarat, and his zero-tolerance approach toward corrupt officials.
Singh, a former trap shooter who
represented India at five Olympics,
predicted that Modi and Bach would
work well together.
One is a gold medal-winning
fencer leading the Olympic movement with a new vision, the other is a
dynamic prime minister who wants
to take the country to a higher level,
Singh said.
Having hosted the Commonwealth Games so recently, Delhi can
boast a number of top-notch sports
facilities as well as a comprehensive
metro system which is seen as a crucial ingredient to a successful bid.
With Tokyo due to host the
Games in 2020, Asia is seen as an
unlikely venue for 2024. Paris, Rome
and Boston are all expected to throw
their hats in the ring by the mid-September deadline.
But Modi, a fervent nationalist,
knows that a successful bid for 2024
will ensure him an even more prominent position in Indias history books.
Veteran sports columnist Ayaz
Memon said India should bid for the
Games, arguing that it would be a
huge boon to national prestige.
There will be sceptics who will
talk of white elephants and enormous costs, but hosting an Olympic
Games can enable a changing and
dynamic India to become a soft superpower, Memon said.
Singh, who has been the secretary-general of the Olympic Council
of Asia since 1991, said the perception that India was only interested in
cricket was changing.
He pointed to the success of the
made-for-television leagues in hockey, badminton and football, as well
as the achievements of individual
stars such as tennis ace Sania Mirza
and badmintons world number one
Saina Nehwal.
In the past, the priorities of the
government in a developing country
like ours were different. There could
not be so much emphasis on sport,
he said.
But now patronage in the form
of sponsorship from business houses
has begun. Overall, the picture is
changing. We are slowly changing.
AFP
FOOTBALL
Gasquet, Kyrgios seek Court blocks plan for

French Open boost
Atletico stadium
FRANCES Richard Gasquet and
Australian Nick Kyrgios will hope to
kick-start pre-Roland Garros injury
comeback bids at the Estoril Open
which begins today.
Fifth seed Gasquet, who lost the
2007 final to Novak Djokovic and suffered the same fate in 2012 against
Juan Martin del Potro, will step onto
court for the first time in more than six
weeks after suffering a back injury.
The 27th-ranked Frenchman has
yet to play on clay in 2015 and will
need to try and quickly acclimatise
to the surface this week.
Its much the same for Kyrgios,
seeded seventh, with the number 41
Australian teenager losing a 4-1 lead
in the final set last week in Barcelona to exit in the first round against
Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer.
Kyrgios has struggled with injuries since the start of the season,
with various back, ankle and other
physical problems.
He took a break after the Australian Open quarter-finals which he
played in pain and did not reappear
until Indian Wells in March.

After winning one round, he lost
to Grigor Dimitrov and took more
recovery time at home for his ankle
concerns.
The long-time Portugal clay
showcase event has been completely
restructured under new tournament
management and moved to a small
club location in the seaside town.
Court capacity will drop to 4000
from 6000, patrons will find themselves seated closer to the court itself
and a few unprecedented night sessions are planned.
Past tournament winners include
Roger Federer, Del Potro, Djokovic
and Stan Wawrinka.
Spains Feliciano Lopez leads the
seedings, ahead of South African
Kevin Anderson, Spaniard Tommy
Robredo and Leonardo Mayer of
Argentina.
Gasquet begins in the first round
against Australian Marinko Matosevic while Kyrgios gets an early clay
test against Spaniard Albert RamosVinolas. AFP
A SPANISH court has blocked plans

to build 2000 flats on the site of
Atletico Madrids Vicente Calderon
stadium.
In a judgment passed on April 13
and published last week, the court in
Madrid scrapped a plan passed by
the city council in 2009 that would
have allowed construction of tower
blocks on the site of the ground in
the south of the Spanish capital.
The court explained the plans did
not conform with laws preventing
the construction of buildings that
rose higher than three storeys plus
attic space. According to the daily El
Pais, the plans were to build towers
rising to 36 storeys. The judgment
can still be appealed.
The initial plans were to replace
the Vicente Calderon with green
space and build apartments on the
adjacent site of a former factory
owned by the brewery Mahou.
El Pais reports that the operation would have helped Atletico fund
building work at their planned new
ground, La Peineta, in the east of Ma-
drid, where construction work is set

to cost US$212 million.
Senales de Humo (Smoke Signals), a supporters association opposed to the plans to demolish the
Calderon, took the case to court.
Atletico meanwhile released a
statement declaring the courts decision will not have any impact on
their move to La Peineta, the athletics stadium being expanded to hold
70,000.
Work on the new stadium is
scheduled to be completed in the
spring of 2017 and this judgment will
not change that, the club said.
Atletico claim the new stadium
will improve their image and help
them move into the modern era.
The ground was initially supposed to be ready this year. It was
earmarked to be used as the Olympic
Stadium if a Madrid bid for the 2020
Games had been successful, but the
Spanish capital lost out to Tokyo.
The Calderon, which holds almost 55,000, has been Atleticos
home since 1966. AFP
SNOOKER
Ding eyes
snooker
world title
CHINAS Ding Junhui insisted he
had yet to hit top form after moving
into the quarter-finals of the World
Championships for just the third
time after battling back to defeat
John Higgins 13-9 in Sheffield on
April 25.
World number three Ding, beaten
six times in the opening two rounds
of the tournament since his debut in
2007, trailed 5-1 and 7-5, but eventually saw off the four-time world
champion to book a last-eight clash
against Judd Trump or Marco Fu.
The 28-year-old has been based in
Sheffield for the last decade but the
Crucible Theatre has rarely seen his
best performances, with Dings only
semi-final appearance coming in
2011 when he lost to Trump.
Im playing well, and keep scoring heavily, and won frames after he
made 50 breaks, said Ding. I hope
Im going to win the tournament. I
believe I can I have the form to
win any tournament. I think I can
play better.
Higgins was in no doubt about
Dings world-title chances, saying
of his opponents recovery from 5-1
down, I missed a red, and from then
on he was clinical.
He never let his head drop, and
he came back into it and then
played clinical, clinical stuff, added
the Scot, who compared Dings play
to that of snooker great Steve Davis.
He reminds you of Steve Davis
in his prime, his cue-ball control,
said Higgins. He makes everything
look ridiculously easy, and he made
a couple of pressure clearances. I
think it probably means hes maybe
ready to win the world title. Hes a
big, big danger to win this tournament, I think.
Last season Ding won a recordequalling five ranking titles to extend his career haul to 11, but this
has been a barren campaign for the
leading light of Asian snooker.
When Higgins opened up his substantial leads over Ding, it seemed
the champion of 1998, 2007, 2009
and 2011 would condemn the Chinese star to more Crucible misery.
But instead Ding struck back and
he led 9-7 heading into the final session, nudging closer to the winning
line with breaks of 63 and 89.
Higgins held up Dings triumph
by pinching a tight frame to close to
12-9, but he missed a key brown in
the next, when trailing by 28 points.
That put Ding in control of his
destiny. When Ding dropped in the
penultimate red, he held a 44-point
cushion, with 35 left on the table.
Misfortune struck as Ding glided
off the last red when escaping from
a snooker and the white fell into the
yellow pocket.
Higgins had a free ball, with the
red hidden by the brown, and Higgins knew he would close to 12-10
should he clear the table.
But he missed a testing pink off
the remaining red and Ding was
soon celebrating his first quarterfinal appearance in Sheffield since
2013.
Higgins wasnt the only Scot
to lose at the Crucible on April 25,
with 2006 world champion Graeme
Dott beaten 13-5 by Englands Stuart
Bingham.
Ive got some good memories of
this place, but Ive had some thumpings as well, said Dott.
That didnt really feel like 135. But obviously it is, so its still a
slaughter.
Meanwhile Englands Barry Hawkins moved into the quarter-finals with
a hard-fought 13-11 victory over Mark
Allen of Northern Ireland. The tournament ends on May 2. AFP
Sport
24 THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIl 24, 2015
SPORT EDITOR: Matt Roebuck | matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com
Hot snooker action nears

climax in Sheffield
SPORT 23
FOOTBALL
Revamped General Aung San

Shield tournament kicks off
KyAw ZIn HLAIng
kyawzinhlaing.mcm@gmail.com
THE first matches of the re-launched
General Aung San Shield football
tournament were held in Yangon on
April 25, with Hantharwady United
confronting Pong Gan FC at Aung San
Stadium, and Horizon FC at variance
with Mawyawadi FC at Thuwunna
Youth Training Centre.
Twenty-two clubs from the Myanmar National League and Myanmar
National League (2) are participating
in the tournament, which is organised
by the Myanmar Football Federation.
The first round is being contested
by the 10 teams from the MNL (2) plus
two teams relegated from the MNL.
The winners will move on to the round

of 16, where they will compete against
the 10 teams from the MNL.
In the April 25 matches, Horizon
FC overpowered Mawyawadi FC 2-0,
while Hantharwady United vacuumed
the pitch with Pong Gan FC 11-1.
In the round of 16 matches, scheduled to be held between July 11 and 14,
Hantharwady United will face Yadanarbon FC, and Horizon FC will engage
KBZ.
Other first-round action scheduled
for April 26 and 27 included Myawady
FC vs GFA FC, Silver Stars FC vs University FC, Southern Myanmar FC vs
Best United FC, and Dagon FC vs Rakhine United FC.
The tournament is aimed at com-
memorating the 100th anniversary of

General Aung Sans birth. The history
of the shield dates back to 1957 but was
last contested in 2009, before the introduction of the fully professional Myanmar National League.
The shield had been replaced by
the MFF Cup as the federations top
knockout trophy, which has taken a
number of guises according to the
sponsorship deal: the Max Cement
Cup, the MFF Digicel Cup and last
year the MFF Ooredoo Cup.
This year we did not secure a
sponsor for this competition, said
MFF spokesperson U Soe Moe Kyaw.
But as we all know this year is the
100th birthday of General Aung San
so we have named this competition
Members of Mawyawadi FC pose before clashing with Horizon FC at Thuwunna

Youth Training Centre in Yangon on April 25. Photo: Supplied
in memorial to him.
The winning club will receive K30
million (US$30,000) and should qualify for the Asian Football Confederation Cup, the continents second-tier
club competition. Last years domestic cup winners Ayeyawady United
currently sits in a strong position to

qualify from Group H of the AFC Cup
for the final 16 of the competition.
The General Aung San Shield runner-up will receive K15 million, while
the defeated semi-finalists will each
take home K7.5 million.
TemdOLO
Mayweather vs Pacquiao packs

an incredibly lucrative punch
The fight by the numbers
Graphic artist and barista Zach Yonzon displays two lattes bearing the frothy likenesses of Philippine boxing icon Manny
Pacquiao (right) and US American boxer Floyd Mayweather at his cafe in Manila on April 23. Photo: AFP
THOmAS HeATH
T is billed as the richest boxing

match ever.
The Las Vegas welterweight
championship unification bout
on May 2 between the worlds
ranking richest athlete, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and Filipino politician
Manny Pacquiao (11th-richest athlete)
will make them even wealthier, to the
tune of at least US$100 million each.
More than $300 million will flow
into the boxers camps, from sources
such as Tecate beer, which paid $5.6
million to plaster its name on the
event, to the 16,200 patrons who will
pay up to $7500 for ringside seats

or more on the resale market at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The financial homerun is the estimated 3 million fans who will fork
over $89.95 each and $99.95 for highdefinition pay-per-view. That is 40 percent higher than the previous record,
also a Mayweather fight.
The fight will be a massive economic blast for Nevada, rippling through
the Silver State via tax revenue, hotel
bookings, bets, meals, shows, car rentals and even tips for valet parking.
The fans at the live match and
thousands of others watching in Las
Vegas at nearby closed-circuit events
are expected to spend $645 each outside the casinos, a much-needed boost
for a region that has suffered from the
housing and financial crisis of 2008.
God knows what this event is going to end up doing, said Bob Arum of
Top Rank, who is Pacquiaos promoter.
You do the math. Weve never seen
numbers like this. Usually on these
events, I am accused of hyperbole.
Here, there is no reason for hyperbole.
The fighters camps have been negotiating the event since 2009. At 470, Mayweather, 38, ranked by Forbes
as the worlds highest-paid athlete at
$105 million last year, and Pacquiao,
36, with a 57-5-2 record, are considered
The pot, split between the fighters:

$300 million
The boxers estimated total revenue
expected for the Floyd Mayweather
versus Manny Pacquiao fight on May
2 from live ticket sales, global TV
sales, closed-circuit sales, sponsorships, merchandise and pay-per-view
sales. The fight follows six years of
negotiations.
Heineken, is the big fight sponsor,

paying $5.6 million.
$1 million: Merchandise includes
mens and ladies T-shirts, hats and
fight memorabilia.
Additionally, Top Rank executive vice president Lucia McKelvey
secured endorsements in excess of
$5 million for Pacquiao. Mayweather
has none.
Total take per boxer

Pacquiao: $120 million
Mayweather: $180 million (worlds
highest-paid athlete, according to
Forbes)
By comparison, the estimated
2015 payroll for the entire roster
of the Washington Nationals is
$163,184,473, according to Spotrac.
Live ticket sales: $72 million
Six percent tax ($4 million) goes
to Nevada. The former live gate record
was $20 million when Oscar De La
Hoya fought Mayweather in 2007.
Television and venue

$12 million: US closed-circuit sales.
Of that, $4 million is expected just
in Las Vegas. Bars and restaurants
in Las Vegas MGM alone will have
35,000 seats showing the fight on
closed-circuit at $150 a pop.
US TV pay-per-view sales sales:
$165 million
International TV sales: $35
million (these sales are expected to
increase with Britain, Australia and
Germany pay-per-view)
Venue seating at MGM Grand:
16,200
Some seats could go for as much
as $100,000 or more after-market.
Sponsorship and merchandise

$12 million: Tecate, owned by
the worlds two best fighters, poundfor-pound.
These fighters, Mayweather and
maybe Manny, too, are going to each
make for one night more money than
the payroll of an entire baseball team
makes for a year, Arum said.
Make that some baseball teams.
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers payrolls are well over
$200 million each. The fighters will
split around $300 million, with Mayweather getting 60 percent of that
gross and Pacquiao the rest. Pacquiao
agreed to take a lower percentage to
get the undefeated Mayweather to
fight him.
The outcome will not affect each

fighters payday, although Mayweather
is a 2-to-1 favorite, according to Las Vegas bookmakers.
After federal income taxes, fees and
promoters take Arum estimated he
will make $15 million to $20 million
for representing Pacquiao they will
each walk away with tens of millions
of dollars, at least.
Mayweathers 2007 fight against
Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand
earned Mayweather around $25 million and De La Hoya $52 million,
which was the highest purse ever for
a fighter at the time.
The Washington Post

2015 Mtedailyissue 29

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HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION

ISSUE 29 | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

FDA bans 21 products

Family waits for justice

The walls started chattering, as if they were cold

FMI outlines plan to

Army makes Rakhine arrests

THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIL 27, 2015

THE Tatmadaw has publicly

TRADE MARK CAUTION

(Reg: No. IV/4813 /2008)

NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

Number of Rakhine displaced on the rise

typewriters and office requisites (except furniture);

(Reg: No. IV/4816/2008)

(Reg: No. IV/4815/2008)

Disposable diapers or nappies of paper or cellulose

Drugs for medical purposes; sanitary napkins; panty

committee formed to help local residents affected by the fighting.

pants; clothing for babies; bibs, not of paper; clothing;

(Reg: No. IV/4826/2005)

(Reg: No. IV/4827/2005)

Our committee expects the military

THE military has begun arresting

Thousands attend ANZAC Day service

Memorial in Canberra to highlight the

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, he too

TRADE MARK CAUTION

(Reg: Nos. IV/11345/2012 & IV/3960/2013)

TRADE MARK CAUTION

(Reg: Nos. IV/1838/2004, IV/8897/2013 & IV/7535/2014)

(Reg: Nos. IV/1837/2004, IV/8896/2013 & IV/7536/2014)

(Reg: Nos. IV/1840/2004, IV/8898/2013 & IV/7538/2014)

Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.

THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIL 27, 2015

Testing finds noxious noodles

ALMOST two dozen food products

Food products tested positive for

The chemicals are not supposed

li sauce tested positive for Orange II,

discovered or how often testing is

fore acknowledging that Malaysias

Another representative from the

Rakhine State, whom the government

Family waits for justice

LUN MIN MAING

ON the evening of February 3, 2012, U

U Myo Zaw Oo was then transferred to Insein Prison, where he died

They heard nothing for the next 18

investigation, which he shared with

Turin, Italy, has sent representatives to advise Yangon on

Detained activists face new

Charges are continuing to pile

New top civil servants to oversee media relations

department will handle external inquiries and perform tasks prescribed

still very weak, and relations between

Without reviewing that, the new departments cant work effectively, he

information teams, some media

THE MYANMAR TIMES APRIL 27, 2015

PHOTO: AUNG KHANT

Ko Steven, a member of the Yangon-based Armenian community,

Deputy minister launches ILO

similar handbooks for Vietnamese