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COM ISSUE 711 | JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014

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HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION
Ex-prisoners demand apology
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NEWS 4-5
Ethnic Kayin mark
New Year in Yangon
Competitive troupes gathered at
Arlein Nga Sint Pagoda to perform
the traditional don dance, an essential
component of Kayin identity.
NEWS 6
Has the president
honoured his promise?
President U Thein Sein said jails would
be emptied of all political prisoners by
the end of 2013, but activists say some
40 remain behind bars.
BUSINESS 14-15
Electricity problems
far from solved
Investment in Myanmars energy
sector increased in 2013, but power
supplies remain far below the current
level of demand.
PROPERTY 18
Subdivisions bode ill
for land prices
The trend toward carving property
blocks into small plots threatens
to drag down real estate values in
exclusive areas.
Former political prisoners met on January 2 to remember activists who died in prison under the previous military regime
and to ask the government to issue a national confession and apology for past abuses. NEWS 13
Myanmar marks Independence Day
Residents of Yaetarshay Quarter in Yangons Bahan township participate in a wheelbarrow
race to celebrate Myanmar Independence Day on January 4. The national holiday recognises
the day in 1948 when Myanmar ofcially became independent from Britain.
IN PICTURES
Photo:
Aung Htay Hlaing
2 THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
Style
Statement
Release short-lived for two former MI gures
While President U Thein Sein has largely honoured
his commitment to the 2013 year-end deadline for the
release of Myanmars remaining political prisoners, a
few notable exceptions remain behind bars. Civil society
bodies such as Amnesty International continue to push
the case for the release of detained Rohingya activists U
Kyaw Hla Aung and Dr Tun Aung.
Equally controversial is the matter of whether or not
former Military Intelligence gures qualify for political
prisoner amnesties.
The Myanmar Times reported in late December that
members of the Political Prisoner Scrutiny Committee
had rejected a proposal for former MI ofcials to
fall under future presidential amnesties for political
prisoners, but conceded those detained may be able to
push for release on humanitarian grounds.
Following the most recent round of releases, BBC
Burmese and Mizzima Daily reported former MI gures
Colonel Tin Oo and Major Moe Thu were freed from Lashio
and Hpa-an prisons respectively only to be arrested
later the same day. The pair, who have been behind bars
since 2004, are reportedly set to face charges that fall
under the Electronic Transactions Act. The exact nature of
the allegations is not yet clear, but the BBC quoted Deputy
Information Minister U Ye Htut as saying they would be
facing court. Around 20 former MI ofcers, including high-
ranking ofcials, still await release.
Pack of dogs story probably a pack of lies
Late last week, a story began to gain momentum in
mainstream media that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
had doled out a fairly horric form of capital punishment
to his uncle and his ve closest aides, having them
stripped naked and fed to 120 famished dogs.
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns purge of
counter-revolutionary factionalists was originally
rumoured to have seen his uncle Jang Song Thaek face
death by ring squad.
The execution by 120 bloodthirsty hounds tale has
been around since the announcement of the execution,
and can be traced back to Hong Kong-based independent
newspaper Wen Wei Po. This version of the story was
picked up by the Straits Times, and quickly re-reported as
fact by a number of major outlets.
In other news from Pyongyang, the Korean Central
News Agency last week released a set of images
that would indicate the Dear Leader has successfully
circumvented international sanctions in order to procure
ski lifts, snowmobiles, snow cannons and other related
equipment for the newly completed Masik Pass resort
near Wonsan. The difculty Kim Jong Un faced in
procuring ski lifts from European and Canadian producers
had prompted him to issue a statement late last year
calling the matter a grave violation of human rights.
Questions surround elevator death
Reports of a young man being crushed to death in an elevator
at the New Yangon General Hospital grew more complicated
last week, with the hospital issuing a statement saying an
autopsy had concluded he died from a pre-existing cardiac
condition. The initial report from Eleven Media said 26-year-
old Aung Zaw Myo was in a wheeled bed which was not
entirely inside the lift, when the elevator suddenly shot up.
He was killed at the second oor due to the
unexpected accident, while on his way to the oor after
receiving a treatment at the ground oor. We tried hard to
save his life, but in vain, medical superintendent Dr Mya
Thaung told Eleven.
The autopsy reportedly revealed the young man
suffered no internal or external injuries as a result of the
incident. The hospital says it will take responsibility for
funeral arrangements.
I heard a loud noise. When I went there to see what
happened, the patient was crushed to death there at the
elevator. I came back down quickly as I dared not to see
it [the horrible scene] any more. An elevator used to fall
down from up, but here it went up suddenly. Its weird, a
guard working at the hospital told Eleven at the scene.
The Lanmadaw Police Station is investigating the
incident.
Chit Thu Wai
for NOW! magazine.
Photo: Thu Taw Lwin
THE INSIDER: The local lowdown & best of the web
When Myanmar was
Burma...
Archival material provided by
Pansodan Gallery
Yangons Independence monument on the cover of
socialist propaganda magazine Forward in 1972.
online editor Kayleigh Long |
kayleighelong@gmail.com
Page 2
News 3 www.mmtimes.com NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com
RESIDENTS of the Pauk Chaung vil-
lage tract in Sagaing Region are lob-
bying the government for the return
of land they say they were tricked by
a pharmaceutical company into sell-
ing in 1999.
Residents said representatives
from the company told them that
400 acres had been conscated in
1998 by the government for a phar-
maceutical factory run by June Phar-
maceutical and Foodstuf Industry
Ltd.
The 400 acres include plots in
Chaung Pauk, Shwe Kyet Htauk,
Pauk Taw, Myay Daing, Let Pan and
Pe Ngar Ze villages claimed by more
than 70 farmers.
Villagers said they were forced
to sign afdavits saying they never
owned the land, but they later found
out the company had never received
permission from the government for
the factory project.
Frustrated at local ofcials reti-
cence to take up their case, the vil-
lagers have now written to the Chief
Minister of Sagaing Region, U Thar
Aye, asking for the land to be given
back.
U Hla Maw from Pauk Taw village
said company ofcials made villag-
ers sign a letter that said the farmers
had no rights to the land because it
had been conscated under section
39 of the Land Nationalising Act.
But he said the 400 acres in ques-
tion were not included in the phar-
maceutical project, and pointed out
other irregularities in the process.
There was no ofce seal on the
companys letter, and we also found
inconsistencies in the years stated on
the letter, in both the Myanmar lunar
calendar and the Western calendar,
U Hla Maw said.
It appears to be a fabricated
working licence, so the locals are ask-
ing the government to take action so
they can regain their land.
Locals said lower-level govern-
ment ofcials have not taken any
action in the case, despite the fact
that authorities at the regional and
district levels have ordered them to
do so.
U Phoe Kyaw from Pauk Taw vil-
lage said that when pressed to solve
the problem, low-level ofcials re-
spond that they are too busy.
There is a mountain between
the actual project area and the area
where the company grabbed land
using a forged working licence. The
company said they were granted a
working licence to conduct business
on these lands, but we have receipts
for land tax paid through 2012, he
said.
He said locals have sent complaint
letters to U Thar Aye and relevant
government committees about the
allegedly forged licence, and they
also protested in front of the phar-
maceutical company in July 2012 af-
ter applying for permission from the
authorities.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
Farmers await action in
land confscation case
CIVIL society groups from around
Myanmar gathered in Yangon last
week for a three-day Peoples Forum
to discuss issues such as social de-
velopment and democratisation, but
many participants were disappointed
that the crucial issue of farmland dis-
putes was not included.
The forum, held at the Myanmar
Convention Centre from December
28 to 30, attracted 165 participants
representing more than 100 civil soci-
ety organisations, and also drew 650
independent guests.
The event included 18 work-
shops focusing on major issues such
as human rights, social develop-
ment, democratisation and peace.
Topics under discussion included en-
vironmental conservation, womens
and childrens issues, migration and
refugees, ethnic minority education,
healthcare and poverty reduction.
What was missing was any discus-
sion about widespread disputes over
ownership of farmland, which many
participants called one of the most
important civil society issues facing
the country.
In response to complaints from
participants, U Kyaw Lin Oo, a
spokesperson for the Peoples Forum
Organising Committee, said that
when the forum was in the planning
stages, civil society groups were in-
vited to submit lists of topics they
wanted to discuss.
But nobody submitted farm-
land disputes as a topic, so it wasnt
included, he said.
We picked the main topics that
participants indicated they wanted to
discuss. But it seems the lack of at-
tention to the farmland issue reduced
the efectiveness of this forum, so
next time we will try to correct the
oversight.
The results of last weeks forum
will be discussed at the ASEAN Civil
Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples
Forum (ACSC/APF), scheduled to be
held in Myanmar from March 20 to
23. The event is expected to draw
1200 representatives from civil soci-
ety groups throughout ASEAN.
Myanmar civil society groups
will submit proposals at the con-
ference regarding issues related to
peace, the judiciary, human rights
and democracy.
Farmland issues absent from forum
SHWE YEE SAW MYINT
poepwintphyu2011@gmail.com
SI THU
LWIN
sithulwin.mmtimes@gmail.com
There was no
ofce seal on the
companys letter,
and we also found
inconsistencies in
the years stated on
the letter.
U Hla Maw
Pauk Taw resident
TRADE MARK CAUTION
NOTICE is hereby given that ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD., a joint
stock company duly organized under the laws of Japan and having its
principal ofce at 1-7, Yukigaya-otsukamachi, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan
is the owner and sole proprietor of the following trademarks:-
(Reg: No. IV/792/1978)
in respect of: - television tuners; radio tuners; variable resisters
in all types; variable capacitors in all types; all sorts of switches;
magnetic heads; tapedecks; all other electric and electronic
instruments and apparatus, and their parts and accessories
(Reg: No. IV/2628/1996)
in respect of: - scientifc, nautical, surveying, electric, photographic,
cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, checking
(super vision), life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments;
apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or
images; magnetic data carriers, recording discs; automatic vending
machines and mechanisms for coin operated apparatus; cash registers,
calculating machines, data processing equipment and computers; fre
extinguishing apparatus, including; Amusement apparatus adapted for
use with television receivers only; Amusement machines, automatic
and coin operated; Anti-thef warning apparatus; Bar code readers;
Cassette for Floppy disk; Electroluminescent panels and devices;
liquid crystal display: Magnetic encoders; Magnetic tape units (for
computers); Optical goods; Optical lenses; Compact discs (including
CD-V and CD-ROM) (audio-video, read and/or write memory);
Compact disc drives, compact disc changers and compact disc
magazines; Computers; Computer peripheral devices; Computer
keyboards; Computer memories; Computer sofware (recorded); Input
devices, Pointed devices; Printer (Computer peripheral devices); Data
transmission units for computers; Mouse (data processing equipment);
Optical character readers; Remote control apparatus; Magnetic Heads;
Locks (electric); Transmitters (telecommunication); Transmitters of
electronic signals; Transmitting sets (telecommunication); Connections
(electric); Connections for electric lines; Connectors (electricity); BS
Antenna; BS Television Converters; BS Television Tuners; CATV
Head Ends. Door closers (electric), Door openers (electric); FM & AM
Radio Tuners; FM Radio Front Ends; Frequency Synthesizers; High
Frequency Oscillator; Radio Frequency Modulators; Radio Tuners;
Telerupters; Television Tuners; Transceiver Units; Tuners & Modulator
Units; Video-recorders; Tape recorders; Facsimile machines; Battery
chargers; Inverters (electricity); Joy stick, Stick controllers; Resistors;
Sensor; Fluid level sensor; Pressure sensor; Trottle position sensor;
Shock-absorber actuator; Connectors (electricity); control panels
(electricity); Dimmers (regulators) (Light-) (electric); Switches
(electric); Transmission switch; Converters (electric) Class: 9
Apparatus for lighting, heating, steam generating, cooking,
refrigerating, drying, ventilating, water supply and sanitary purposes,
including; Lighting apparatus for vehicles (including bright control
apparatus and parts thereof for indicator panel); Air conditioners and
parts thereof for Vehicles; Ventilation (air-conditioning) installations
and parts thereof for vehicles Class: 11
Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water and parts
thereof, including; Anti-thef devices for vehicles; Direction Signals
for vehicles; Rearview mirrors; Rotary connector (for Airbag systems);
Sensors for vehicles; Shock-absorber actuator; Switches for vehicles
Class: 12
Paper, cardboard and goods made from these materials, not included
in other classes; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs;
stationery; adhesives for stationery or household purposes; artists
materials; paint brushes; type-writers and ofce requisites (except
furniture); instructional and teaching material (except apparatus);
plastic materials for packaging (not included in other classes); playing
cards; printers type; printing blocks, including Inking ribbons (for
computer printers and word processors); Labeling sheets (for computer
printers and word processors) Class: 16
Warning is hereby given that any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized
use of the said trade marks or other infringements in any manner
whatsoever of the rights of ALPS ELECTRIC Co., LTD., thereto will
be dealt with according to law.
U Kyi Win Associates
for ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.,
P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon.
Phone: 372416 Dated: 6
th
January, 2014
ARLEIN Nga Sint Pagoda in Yangons
Insein township is normally an oasis
of serenity, but for three days each
year it comes alive with the vibrant
sights and sounds of the traditional
Kayin don dance competition.
The event occurs during the annu-
al Kayin New Year celebrations, which
this year took place from December 31
to January 2. Huge numbers of ethnic
Kayin and others ocked to the pago-
da to witness the dance contest.
Eleven dance troupes took part in
the competition.
Each troupe consisted of eight men
and eight women, made up mostly
of Yangon residents belonging to the
East Poe, West Poe and Sakaw Kayin
subgroups.
They usually start practising with
trainers in October to prepare for the
competition.
Don dance trainer U Saw Win Na-
ing, 66, told The Myanmar Times that
it takes three months of hard practice
to dance well.
The dance is difcult and requires
a lot of practice to match the body
movements to the sound and rhythm
of the music, he said.
U Saw Win Naing, who has been
teaching the dance for 40 years, said
that in Kayin State the troupes consist
of 16 male and 16 female dancers if
those numbers cant be achieved, the
dance does not occur.
But its hard to form a full troupe
of 32 dancers in Yangon because the
don is unfamiliar for Kayin growing
up in the city, and they dont have the
basic skills. So we reduced the neces-
sary number to at least 16 and up to
24, he said.
Most are Kayin, but there are also
some Bamar who are interested in
taking part.
The don dance is accompanied by
a live band playing drums, oboe, bam-
boo clappers and cymbals to create
a vibrant and spirited performance.
Every year, the dance trainers com-
pose new music and write new words
for the dance.
The music and lyrics composed
for the dance capture the essence and
integrity of the Kayin people, U Saw
Win Naing said. The liveliness and
helpfulness of Kayin youths feature
prominently in the songs.
The lively don dance is an impor-
tant part of Kayin ethnic heritage and
plays a vital role in ceremonial occa-
sions, and U Saw Win Naing said it
has existed for a very long time.
It is believed that the origin of the
dance and the identity of the Kayin
tribe were born together. They created
the dance to celebrate the harvest, and
the movement and steps have been
further developed for modern times,
he said.
Ko Saw Yaunt Thar Ae San, a mem-
ber of the Kayin New Year Organising
Central Committee, told The Myan-
mar Times that the origin of the dance
is difcult to trace, but according to
historical documents, the tradition is
associated with the harvest.
In bygone days, at harvest time,
farming families gathered to take
turns telling how much they had har-
vested for the season. Each family
told how their farms produced higher
yields, and they found ways to cel-
ebrate the joys of this achievement,
he said.
Ko Saw Yaunt Thar Ae San said
that according to common belief, the
rst Kayin instruments were discov-
ered when farmers noticed the sound
made when they struck the hollow
bamboo stems used to carry water.
It is believed that they used hol-
low bamboo stems as musical instru-
ments and then created the dance to
go with the sound. Hitting bamboo
makes a sound like don don don, and
the name of the dance came from that
sound, he said.
He was quick to add that this ac-
count was part of a tradition passed
down by ancestors, but in reality no-
body knows exactly when the dance
was invented and why the dance is
called the don.
Ko Saw Yaunt Thar Ae San estimat-
ed that only about ve Kayin out of
100 are able to dance the don because
it is difcult to practise, but every Kay-
in feels strongly about the importance
of preserving the tradition.
Even if they are willing to learn,
they dont have enough time to
spend three months practising. They
cant abandon their work and study
for the dance. This is one reason why
not every Kayin can dance the don,
he said.
Therefore, this years competi-
tion failed to attract many dancers or
many musicians to blow the oboe and
beat the drums.
U Saw Win Naing said the dance
remains a strong ceremonial tradi-
tion in areas with dense populations
of Kayin.
Wedding ceremonies and Kayin
State Day are not complete without
Kayin don dance expresses joy of harvest
THE Karen Human Rights Group
(KHRG) last month won the Asian
Democracy and Human Rights Award
for 2013, given by the Taiwan Founda-
tion for Democracy.
The group is the rst organisa-
tion from Myanmar to win the award,
which was given at a ceremony in Tai-
pei on December 10, International Hu-
man Rights Day.
The award comes with a grant of
US$100,000, which will be used by the
KHRG to continue its work in promot-
ing and protecting human rights in
Kayin State.
Saw Elbert Moo, the eld direc-
tor for the KHRG, said the award
was valuable and signicant for the
organisation.
The award money will help us car-
ry out our plans in the coming years,
he said.
Ma Khu Khu Juu, the groups ad-
vocacy coordinator, said the prize was
welcomed because the KHRG which
conducts 70 percent of its work in
southeastern Myanmar and the rest in
Thailand had been facing nancial
difculties.
KHRG is supported by interna-
tional donors, but in 2013 we received
more requests for help from villagers
in some areas. They wanted to work
with us by explaining their problems
and living conditions, said Ma Khu
Khu Juu.
She said that some aspects of life
in Kayin State have improved since
a ceasere was signed between the
government and the Karen National
Union in 2012, but widespread human
rights abuses still occur in the region.
After the ceasere, there was in-
creased trade in illegal drugs, and
more businessmen also focused on
acquiring property in the state. This
has caused more problems for the na-
tives, she said.
Also, in some areas people are
still facing issues with exploding land-
mines.
The KHRG is a Thailand-based
grassroots nongovernmental organi-
sation that has worked in Myanmar
since December 1992. It was founded
to record human rights violations
against ethnic Kayin and to provide
documentation and advocacy skills to
afected communities.
At rst we wanted to base KHRG
in Myanmar, but when we tried to re-
cord local conicts we found that it
was not safe and had to move to the
border. So we eventually established
our head ofce in Thailand, but most
of us work in local communities, Ma
Khu Khu Juu said.
Among the issues that the group
addresses are forced labour, forced
relocation, arbitrary detention, tor-
ture, extortion, summary executions
and sexual abuse.
The KHRG has been nominated
for several awards from international
organisations for its ongoing human
rights protection eforts.
In 1995 the group won the Peace
Fund Canada Honour Award, and
in 1998 was nominated for the John
Humphrey Freedom Award.
Nobel Peace Prize nominations fol-
lowed in 2000 and 2001, and in the
latter year it won the Canada-based
Science for Peace Award.
In July 2011, the KHRG released
a report in conjunction with Human
Rights Watch titled Dead Man Walk-
ing: Convict Porters on the Front Lines
in Eastern Burma.
In 2012 and 2013, the group re-
leased documentation about land-
mines and land disputes in Kayin
State. Since its founding, it has
published 640 reports on abuses
and conditions in southeastern
Myanmar.
Ma Khu Khu Juu said the organisa-
tion plans to release a report in March
2014 on human rights conditions in
Kayin State since the 2012 ceasere
agreement.
Kayin group wins 2013 human rights award
NYEIN EI EI HTWE
nyeineieihtwe23@gmail.com
After the ceasere,
more businessmen
also focused on
acquiring property
in the state.
Ma Khu Khu Juu
Karen Human Rights Group
ZON PANN
PWINT
zonpann08@gmail.com
A Kayin dance troupe performs the traditional don dance at Arlein
Nga Sint Pagoda in Yangon on December 31. Photo: Ko Taik
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Kayin don dance expresses joy of harvest
the dance performance. Therefore,
Kayin in these areas are familiar with
the dance from the time they are very
young, he said.
Nant Yin Yin Myo, a West Poe Kay-
in who took part in the competition at
Arlein Nga Sint Pagoda, explained the
attraction of the don dance.
The sound of the drum always
provokes me to dance, she said.
Whenever I hear it, I feel unable to
stay still.
ABOUT 10 agencies in Myanmar
are providing news in the Kayin
language, but members of the eth-
nic community living outside Kayin
State say distribution is poor and
there are still difculties getting up-
dated news about their home region
of southeastern Myanmar.
Daw Kyi Yin, a 50-year-old native
of Kyauk Kyi township in Bago Re-
gion, said she wants to keep up with
events in Kayin State where her rela-
tives live, but news from that area is
often delayed or impossible to nd.
There are many Kayin ethnic
newspapers published locally and at
the border, but we can never nd out
where to buy them, she said, adding
that distribution eforts usually focus
on Kayin State, especially Myawaddy
and Hpa-an townships.
When my sister visits from
Kayin State, she brings newspapers
that have stories in both Kayin and
Myanmar languages. But I feel these
newspapers dont represent the
whole Kayin population of Myanmar
because they cant even be found in
my township, where a lot of Kayin
people live, she said.
Among the more prominent
Kayin-language news sources are
the Karen Information Centre (KIC),
Karennews.org, Kwekalu.net and
Karen Kyae Hmon. They publish
stories in the two main Kayin lan-
guages Ploan and Sgaw as well as
in Myanmar language. None of these
organisations could be reached for
comment for this story.
Saw Tun Kyaw Myint from Pyapon
township in Ayeyarwady Region said
these news sources would not enjoy
a very high readership outside Kayin
State because most young people are
not interested in the Kayin languag-
es or events in that region.
Young Kayin people nd Kayin
news on websites and through inter-
national news agencies, but in Myan-
mar and English. For older people,
its easier to read papers published
in our own language, which we un-
derstand more easily, Saw Tun Kyaw
Myint said.
He said Kayin news agencies can
supply reliable information about re-
mote areas, which government and
Yangon-based publications often get
wrong.
We dont need to believe all the
information from a single source.
The New Light of Myanmar and
some Yangon journals often write
the wrong news about Kayin State.
The Kayin newspapers know the real
situation there, but they arent dis-
tributed widely enough, he said.
Saw Tun Kyaw Myint added that
most Kayin living outside the home
state only see magazines that are
published once a year and distrib-
uted at Kayin New Year events.
We cant nd updated news in
those magazines. They just print sto-
ries about our history, with some fea-
tures mixed in. But we need updated
news, so if Kayin newspapers cant
reach us, these magazines should at
least be published monthly instead
of annually.
Saw Chit Htwe from Yangons
Insein township said the government
should encourage the publication and
distribution of ethnic newspapers.
Our young Kayin people cant
speak and read in our languages,
and they dont know where to learn
them. Publications with updated
news, rather than old history books,
would help them get more interested
in learning, he said.
However, he said more people
from ethnic minorities would need
proper training as journalists.
Each ethnic group is very eager
to cover its own news, but sometimes
the writers are activists instead of
journalists, he said. To publish
more widely and openly, they need
to learn about the practices and eth-
ics of journalism.
Ethnic news agencies not reaching target audience
NYEIN
EI EI
HTWE
nyeineieihtwe23@gmail.com
IN PICTURES Girls in traditional dress enjoy Kayin New
Year celebrations in Insein township on
January 1. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing
6 News THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
ACTIVISTS say that more than 40 po-
litical prisoners remain behind bars
in Myanmar, despite government dec-
larations last week that President U
Thein Sein had kept his word that all
such prisoners would be released by
the end of 2013.
Presidential spokesperson U Ye
Htut wrote on his Facebook page last
week that the president has fullled
his promise given to the people, be-
cause there will be no political prison-
ers at all at the end of 2013.
But Ko Bo Kyi, the general sec-
retary of the Assistance Association
for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and
a member of the Remaining Politi-
cal Prisoners Scrutiny Committee
(RPPSC), said more than 40 people
being held under simultaneous crim-
inal and political charges remain in
prison.
Some say there are no more po-
litical prisoners in prisons. We want
to warn people that this is the wrong
information. There are still more than
40 political prisoners behind bars, Ko
Bo Kyi said.
Several political prisoners were set
free after the government announced
presidential pardons on December 31
and January 2, but it remains unclear
how many prisoners might be released
in the coming days.
We are trying to collect all the
data, but its very difcult to get a cor-
rect list. The government should an-
nounce the list of released prisoners,
Ko Bo Kyi said.
According to AAPP and Former
Political Prisoners (FFPs), only ve
political prisoners were released in
the December 31 amnesty, and three
more were set free under the January
2 pardon.
The numbers are well below the
proposed list sent to the Presidents
Ofce.
We expect the others will be re-
leased gradually but soon. We expect
all of them to be released on January
4, which is Independence Day, Ko Bo
Kyi said.
RPPSC member U Sai Nyunt Lwin
said the committees task of compil-
ing lists of political prisoners has
been made harder because the Min-
istry of Home Afairs has been un-
helpful, especially since its Special
Branch body refuses to release lists
of prisoners and their biographical
details.
Another controversial issue are the
difcult-to-dene cases of former mili-
tary ofcers and whether they should
be listed as political prisoners.
[Parliamentarian] U Thein Nyunt
suggested that U Win Naing Kyaw, a
former Army major, should be on our
list. However, most people could not
accept such a proposal, said U Sai
Nyunt Lwin.
We assume the government will
determine a separate status for such
cases.
U Win Naing Kyaw was an soldier-
turned-businessperson who was ar-
rested in 2009 on charges related to
leaking information to exile media
about Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U Thu-
ra Shwe Manns trip to North Korea in
2008.
According to AAPP, U Win Naing
Kyaw was sentenced to death and
his two co-defendants to 20 years in
prison under a range of laws, includ-
ing the colonial-era Ofcial Secrets
Act and the 2004 Electronic Transac-
tions Act.
U Thein Nyunt said he would con-
tinue to push for U Win Naing Kyaws
release.
I also assume government will
release former ofcers from the Mil-
itary Intelligence Bureau. Even [for-
mer Military Intelligence leader]
U Khin Nyunt, who ordered these
ofcers to perform their duties,
has been released, so why not his
ofcers? he said.
Meanwhile, local and international
organisations welcomed the presi-
dents pardons.
Many problems need to be solved
in our country, but we welcome the
presidents pardons, said 88 Genera-
tion Students member Ko Mya Aye.
Adding to the chorus of praise
for President U Thein Sein were the
United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Amnesty Interna-
tional and Hugo Swire, the minister of
state at the British Foreign and Com-
monwealth Ofce.
However, Mr Swire also released a
statement pointing out that some po-
litical prisoners remained in jail and
expressing concern about hundreds of
prisoners in Rakhine State.
I call, in particular, for the releases
of Dr Tun Aung and Kyaw Hla Aung,
recognised widely as prisoners of con-
science, and call for a review of the le-
gal procedures used in the detentions
and trials of several hundred prison-
ers in Rakhine State following the vio-
lence of 2012, Mr Swire said.
U Kyaw Hla Aung is a Rohingya
lawyer arrested in July 2013, while Tun
Aung was detained a year earlier as an
alleged agitator in Rakhine State.
Ko Bo Kyi said his group has held
discussions with the government
about the prisoners in Rakhine State,
but ofcials have not taken these cases
into account when it comes to politi-
cal prisoners.
We proposed the release of Dr Tun
Aung and U Kyaw Hla Aung to the
president, but I think the government
is worried about what will happen if
they are set free. They are afraid it will
impact the stability of the state.
Activists say political
prisoners remain in jail
Political activist U Htin Kyaw celebrates after being released from Insein Prison
in Yangon on December 31, 2013. Photo: AFP
EI EI TOE
LWIN
eieitoelwin@gmail.com
Many problems
need to be solved
in our country, but
we welcome the
presidents pardons.
Ko Mya Aye
88 Generation Students
PRESIDENT U Thein Sein on Janu-
ary 2 lent his support to reform of
the countrys junta-era constitution,
indicating he would back changes to
allow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to be
eligible to become president.
U Thein Sein, a former general
who has won international praise for
dramatic reforms since he became
president in 2011, said lively debate
about revising the charter showed
increasing political maturity.
I believe that a healthy consti-
tution must be amended from time
to time to address the national,
economic and social needs of our so-
ciety, he said in a speech published
in the state-run New Light of Myan-
mar newspaper.
He said he supported amend-
ing provisions that exclude anyone
whose spouse or children are over-
seas citizens from becoming presi-
dent a clause widely believed to be
targeted at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
whose two sons are British.
I would not want restrictions
being imposed on the right of any
citizen to become the leader of the
country, U Thein Sein said.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has vo-
ciferously campaigned for a change
to the 2008 constitution, which also
ring-fences one-quarter of the seats
in parliament for unelected military
personnel.
The charter change issue is rising
to the fore as Myanmar prepares for
key 2015 parliamentary elections,
seen as a denitive test of whether
the military is willing to loosen its
grip on power.
The countrys president is select-
ed by the legislature.
On December 28 Daw Aung San
Suu Kyis National League for De-
mocracy (NLD) party said it would
not boycott the 2015 poll, even with-
out a constitutional amendment rst
to allow her to become president.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spent 15
years under house arrest under mili-
tary rule in Myanmar, before she was
freed after controversial elections in
2010 that her party boycotted.
Since then U Thein Sein has pushed
through sweeping changes, including
welcoming Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and the NLD into parliament following
landmark by-elections in 2012.
In his speech, the president said
he had tried to promote harmony
while in power, but he warned that
the country risked a political im-
passe if the demands of the people
are larger than what the current
political system can accommodate.
If this happens, we could lose
all the political freedom we have
achieved so far, he said.
A parliamentary panel is cur-
rently reviewing the constitution
and is expected to report its recom-
mendations at the end of January.
AFP
President U Thein Sein backs constitutional amendment
Campaigners are disputing government boasts made last week that President U
Thein Sein has kept his promise to release all political prisoners by the end of year
News 7 www.mmtimes.com
AT the end of each year, we ponder
lifes great mysteries.
Why do men have nipples? Why
do Asian males have bushy pubic
hair but rarely need to shave their
face? Why are there so many statues
of Lenin, but none of Bert Weedon?
The latter topic has resonated re-
cently in our region after a towering
bust of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, aka
Lenin, was destroyed by protesters
in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on
December 8.
The outrage was particularly felt
in Bangkok and Singapore, which
endured rioting of their own last
month, and even more so in Hanoi,
which has its own vulnerable Lenin
statue.
In Kiev, the protesters were en-
raged because, in their eyes, Lenins
edice symbolised their countrys
continued domination by Russia.
They had naively hoped that
Moscows shackles had been severed
when the Soviet Union collapsed,
but they had ignored the possibility
of another imperialistic, Lenin-like
gure arising.
Then along came Vladimir Putin,
who forced Ukraines President
Viktor Yanukovich to retreat from
forging closer ties with the European
Union.
Horried, the people rose up. And
down came Lenin.
Carved from blood-red granite
and standing outside the citys fa-
mous Besarabsky Market, the statue
was a splendid sight, and its destruc-
tion is rather tragic.
Still, there are plenty of other
Lenins around the world, often in
rather odd spots like Bologna,
London and Tiraspol.
Among the most impressive is
one in Seattle, which shows the great
communist revolutionary striding
forcefully forward under the Aurora
Street bridge in the funky Fremont
district.
Formerly in Slovakia, it was res-
cued from a scrap yard in Poprad by
an eccentric American teacher who
mortgaged his home to ship it to the
United States.
In this region, the best-known
Lenin stands in a small park in
central Hanoi, near where a crowd
gathered on the morning of Decem-
ber 9, 2007.
At a signal, the people moved en
masse to the adjacent Chinese em-
bassy, unfurled Vietnamese ags and
began yelling insults against Beijings
aggressive sovereignty claims in the
South China Sea.
It was an amazing sight, and
like the recent protests in Bangkok,
neither the police nor the security
services interfered in any way.
Given such seething outbursts,
and knowing the populations antipa-
thy to the Vietnam Communist Party
(VCP), Hanois leaders rightly fear
what might happen to their Lenin
statue in the future.
That, of course, is why reports of
Lenins dismemberment in Kiev were
banned in Vietnam.
Initially, the news was available
online, and the BBC reported that it
went straight to the most read spot,
proving even more popular than
coverage of the death of Mandela
and protests in Thailand.
Then the censors swung into ac-
tion and expunged every reference to
the smashing of Lenins statue in Kiev.
It was not unexpected, given that
in November the National Assembly
in Hanoi approved a new constitu-
tion reafrming the VCP as the coun-
trys only allowable political party.
Those who criticise that decision
or suggest moving to a multiparty
system are given lengthy jail terms.
Blogger Nguyen Van Hai is serving
12 years for writing about govern-
ment corruption and protests against
China over the maritime disputes.
Indeed, the authorities have
become so nervous that Hanois
popular Communism Cafe has been
put under surveillance due to its
blasphemous decor.
The cafe, which features VCP
posters and Ho Chi Minh artefacts,
has its menus written on pages cop-
ied from Lenins collected works.
Hanois leaders are not amused. As
the state-owned media reported,
This cafe has trampled on our
ideological values, the moral basis of
leaders like Lenin and especially Ho
Chi Minh.
Well, while this does not exactly
answer any of lifes great mysteries,
it does allow us to come to two solid
conclusions.
Firstly, when the VCP is over-
thrown, Ho Chi Minh City will
joyfully reclaim its rightful name of
Saigon; and secondly, Bert Weedon
may well be a contender to replace
whatsisname in Hanoi.
Is Lenin due for yet another fall?
A protester smashes a statue of Lenin after it was pulled down during a protest in Kievs Independence Square on
December 8. Photo: AFP
ROGER
MITTON
roger.mitton@gmail.com
Views
The protesters were
enraged because
Lenins edice
symbolised their
countrys continued
domination by
Russia.
8 News THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
THE lives of civilians afected by dec-
ades of armed conict in Myanmar are
undergoing profound transformations
for the better, thanks to the cease-
res agreed between the government
and more than a dozen ethnic armed
groups. However, the emerging peace
process is unlikely to be sustainable
unless negotiations begin soon regard-
ing the underlying political, social and
economic causes of conict.
Part of the problem is that diferent
actors, from the military to donors to
conict-afected communities, have dif-
ferent understandings of what peace
is and act accordingly. Because key
stakeholders often fail to dene what
they mean by peace, dominant posi-
tions and actors tend to prevail.
For most ethnic stakeholders, the
primary need is for structural changes
to the state and real autonomy for eth-
nic communities (usually expressed as
an aspiration for constitutional federal-
ism). However, historically in Myanmar
the army has opposed such changes as
threatening national unity. The govern-
ment has sought to escape this thorny
issue by focusing primarily on the hu-
manitarian and development needs of
ethnic communities.
Unfortunately, international sup-
port to the peace process has largely
supported the governments view of
what peace-building means, proceed-
ing in accordance with donors as-
sumptions and agendas rather than an
understanding of political concerns,
and local needs and realities.
There is a risk of missing opportu-
nities for long-term peace, if donors
continue to support activities which
mostly suit aid agency agendas and are
perceived by ethnic communities as
playing into the governments hands.
Conict-afected communities:
hopes and fears
The Myanmar Peace Support Ini-
tiative (MPSI) has recently completed
the rst phase of a listening project
with conict-afected communities in
remote parts of Myanmar. The aim is
to listen to Karen (Kayin), Mon and
Karenni (Kayah) communities par-
ticularly women to better understand
their experiences before and after the
ceaseres.
Initial ndings indicate that many
people have beneted greatly from
preliminary ceaseres between the
government and the Karen National
Union, the New Mon State Party and
the Karenni National Progressive Party.
For example, before the KNU ceasere,
villagers often had to ee from ghting,
and to avoid forced conscription and
portering.
Today people report greatly de-
creased levels of fear. Many of those
who spoke with the MPSI said that for
the rst time in decades they did not
have to worry about eeing into the
jungle, to avoid being subjected to seri-
ous human rights abuses.
In some cases, displaced people are
beginning to return to previous settle-
ments and attempting to rebuild their
lives. Many villagers mentioned that
before the ceasere they were unable
to travel or visit their farms or could
only do so by paying bribes.
Even then, villagers were severely
restricted in terms of the amount of
food or other supplies they could carry
while travelling, as they risked being
accused of supporting the KNU. Villag-
ers told terrible stories of abuse at the
hands of the Tatmadaw, including beat-
ings and killings even the beheading
of suspected insurgents.
After the ceasere, however, villag-
ers have been able to travel much more
freely and to tend their rice elds. Lev-
els of taxation, paid to either the Tat-
madaw or ethnic armed groups, have
decreased signicantly over the past
two years in both Karen and Mon ar-
eas. In many communities, livelihoods
have improved as a result of villagers
better access to their farms and a re-
duction in predatory taxation. Villagers
greatly appreciate these changes, al-
though they worry whether the cease-
re and emerging peace process can be
maintained.
Since the ceasere, I can go to my
rice elds and weed regularly, so I get
more rice for my family, one villager
said. Now I can also travel freely and,
unlike before, sleep out in the rice elds
in a hut without having to fear for my
life. Now the Tatmadaw still move
around but we dont have to fear meet-
ing them.
Another man told the MPSI that our
villagers are like ducklings that have
been in a cage for so long, and now they
are released. They are so pleased to leave
their cage! Our villagers are free to travel
day and night, and are more busy and
productive than before.
Despite such positive views, there
is widespread anxiety that the govern-
ment and ethnic armed groups may fail
to reach a political settlement and the
peace process may yet break down. One
man said, If the ceasere breaks down,
its not worth living for me.
Supporting the peace process:
missed opportunities?
The agreement of ceaseres is a histori-
cally important achievement of peace-
making. In order to sustain the peace
process and move toward a genuine
peace-building phase, it will be neces-
sary to start a multi-stakeholder politi-
cal dialogue and consolidate the exist-
ing ceasere agreements.
The government and most ethnic
armed groups have agreed to contin-
ue negotiations toward a nationwide
ceasere to address these issues.
However, many ethnic stakehold-
ers remain sceptical about whether the
government is willing or able to deliver.
The government can maintain the pre-
sent truces more or less indenitely
without reaching a political settlement;
for ethnic communities, the status quo
is a losing game. Political dialogue is es-
sential.
There are substantial diferences
between the nationwide ceasere
agreement drafted by the government
and that prepared by the ethnic armed
groups Nationwide Ceasere Coordi-
nating Team (NCCT). Nevertheless, one
positive outcome from recent negotia-
tions is the emergence of clarity from
both sides. A fairly cohesive position
has emerged on the part of the groups
in the NCCT. Likewise, on the govern-
ment side, the military is now more
engaged. The National Defence and
Security Council has produced a draft
ceasere agreement that, while prob-
lematic from the ethnic perspective,
has the merit of better reecting the
Tatmadaws position. This is extremely
important given previous concerns that
the army was not involved enough in
the peace process.
The peace process in Myanmar is
unique in many ways, not least because
of the limited role of the international
community: Negotiations are under-
taken between the government and
ethnic armed groups, with no signi-
cant external mediation and only lim-
ited international facilitation. Outsid-
ers can, however, help communities to
recover from conict while supporting
initiatives that build trust and con-
dence in the peace process and test the
sincerity of the government, the Tat-
madaw and ethnic armed groups.
A number of international donors
have pledged nancial support to the
peace process. Already some funds
have been distributed, including to
MPSI-supported projects in a number
of conict-afected areas that are im-
plemented by local communities, civil
society actors and ethnic armed groups.
Several key donors are keen to expand
their assistance on the understanding
that supporting the peace process can
help to consolidate the wider govern-
ment-led reform process. Of course,
there are very substantial needs among
conict-afected communities.
Unfortunately, international sup-
port to the peace process has been
mostly characterised by a lack of di-
rection and by strategic drift. Donors
seem largely content to provide fund-
ing channelled through traditional
and generally government-controlled
structures. This is an easier approach
than seeking out appropriate local
partners on the ground.
This situation is not unique to My-
anmar. Around the world, aid donors
What is the peace process in Myanmar? Local and global realities
Initiatives aimed at ending the countrys long-standing civil wars against ethnic armies must consider the real issues that are important to the communities in those areas afected by the conicts, writes Ashley South
The government and the Karen National Union (KNU) have forged preliminary ceasefire agreements, but lasting peace will require a deeper engagement with issues
underlying long-standing conflicts. Photo: Staff
The problem in Myanmar is not primarily
a failing or weak state that needs to
be strengthened or xed but rather an
urgent need to re-imagine and negotiate
state-society relations and in particular
mend relationships between the
Burman majority and ethnic nationality
communities.
News 9 www.mmtimes.com
tend to frame the concerns of vulnera-
ble communities as technical problems
to be xed by professional aid regimes,
rather than sites of contestation requir-
ing political solutions.
The exceptions are in contexts
where a states legitimacy is very clearly
and persistently challenged, such as
Myanmar before 2011, or when regional
or global powers interests are directly
involved. As a result, it is not uncom-
mon for peace-support initiatives to fail
to engage with the real issues afecting
communities and other stakeholders,
instead falling in behind government-
led development and rehabilitation
projects.
However, the problem in Myanmar
is not primarily a failing or weak state
that needs to be strengthened or xed,
but rather an urgent need to re-imag-
ine and negotiate state-society relations
and in particular mend relationships
between the Burman majority and eth-
nic nationality communities.
The commitments made by inter-
national donors under the Busan New
Deal in 2011 are meant to guide the
international community toward ad-
dressing the causes of conict. Donor
support to the Myanmar peace process
demonstrates the difculties of imple-
menting this approach.
For example, most Asian govern-
ments support to the peace process is
channelled almost exclusively through
Myanmar state structures, demon-
strating very limited consultation with
conict-afected communities or eth-
nic armed groups. This approach to
peace-building frames armed conicts
as problems to be resolved through
foreign aid rather than expressions of
deep-rooted social and political griev-
ances.
Aid agencies working in conict-af-
fected areas need to better understand
local political cultures and perceptions,
and the dynamics of peace and conict.
Illustrating how peace means difer-
ent things to diferent people, ethnic
communities are concerned that the
government has an economic develop-
ment rst agenda and wants to use aid
as an alternative to political dialogue.
Ethnic communities worry that aid
activities constitute eforts by the gov-
ernment to intensify its presence in,
and control over, ethnic communities.
This is deeply problematic for many
ethnic stakeholders, who still regard
the government as largely illegitimate
and whose experience of the Tatmadaw
is as a violent and predatory force.
As the leader of a major ethnic
armed group recently told me, We are
worried that the government and do-
nors are pushing ahead with their own
plans without consulting us and that
the aid agenda is getting ahead of the
political agenda.
Meanwhile, a number of needs ar-
ticulated by key stakeholders in the
peace process are going unmet. For
example, there is a need to provide
funding and training to more than two
dozen liaison ofces established by
ethnic armed groups under agreement
with the government. The liaison of-
ces play important roles in sustaining
the peace process, but apart from some
start-up funding donors have mostly
failed to support this key component of
the peace process.
Another example of unmet needs is
the failure to properly support educa-
tion activities in conict-afected eth-
nic minority areas. Despite requests to
donors dating back more than a year,
ethnic nationality schools in Mon ar-
eas, for example, are still unable to pay
their teachers. This is leading to a local
perception that international donors
are happy to support the government
in this case through the state education
system but are unwilling to engage
constructively with ethnic nationality
systems of service provision.
The Mon National Schools are ad-
ministered by the NMSP and provide
an ethnic language introduction to
schooling for minority children most
of whom do not speak Myanmar al-
lowing them the best possible start in
education. At the same time, the Mon
National Schools teach the Myanmar
language and mostly follow the govern-
ment curriculum, ensuring that gradu-
ates can sit state matriculation exams
and enter the higher education system.
The Mon National Schools repre-
sent the best of both worlds: A locally
owned and delivered education regime
which is closely linked to the state
system, producing students who are
proud of their ethnic cultures, but also
equipped to be citizens of the union.
Despite widespread recognition that
the Mon National Schools represent a
model of best practice, donors have so
far proved unable to provide substan-
tial funding.
International donors and diplo-
mats need to better demonstrate their
understanding of the complexities in
Myanmar, and play a more strategic
role in supporting the peace process.
Failure to cultivate the glimmers of
hope experienced by conict-afected
communities would constitute a terri-
ble lost opportunity to support lasting
peace in Myanmar.
Ashley South is a senior adviser to the
Myanmar Peace Support Initiative (MPSI),
which supports locally implemented
projects that build trust and confidence
in as well as test the ceasefires and the
emerging peace process in Myanmar.
What is the peace process in Myanmar? Local and global realities
Initiatives aimed at ending the countrys long-standing civil wars against ethnic armies must consider the real issues that are important to the communities in those areas afected by the conicts, writes Ashley South
The government and the Karen National Union (KNU) have forged preliminary ceasefire agreements, but lasting peace will require a deeper engagement with issues
underlying long-standing conflicts. Photo: Staff
News 13 www.mmtimes.com
Pressure mounts
over IDP camp
KAYLEIGH LONG
kayleighelong@gmail.com
THE government must take responsi-
bility for the political prisoners who
died while incarcerated in the prisons
and investigation centres of the re-
gime, former political prisoners and
families said on January 2.
For true reconciliation, the govern-
ment must issue a national confession
and apology for the state-instigated
acts that led to the deaths and intern-
ment of political dissidents and activi-
ties, a coalition of rights groups and
politicians said during a memorial for
political prisoners who had died in
custody.
The current government has to
take steps to deal with their behaviour
toward political prisoners. They must
apologise for their behavior, 88 Gen-
eration Students member Min Ko Na-
ing said at a ceremony honoring fallen
political prisoners held at Royal Rose
Restaurant last week.
But [the government] acts now in
a shameless way although they are try-
ing to build national reconciliation,
he said.
He said there was no willingness
among those in power to take respon-
sibility for their actions, instead con-
tinuing to control the state in the same
suppressive way it was governed un-
der the former military junta.
Former Political Prisoners (FPP)
and the Assistance Association for Po-
litical Prisoners (AAPP) organised the
January 2 ceremony to honour politi-
cal prisoners who have died since the
1988 revolution. Hundreds of people
family members of the fallen political
prisoners, ex-political prisoners, mem-
bers of parliament and other politi-
cians attended the ceremony.
At the ceremony, photos and docu-
ments of political prisoners were dis-
played, adorned with black bows.
According to FPP and the AAPP, the
prisoners had died in both investiga-
tion centres and jails after enduring
state-sanctioned torture.
All participants in the ceremony
called for the government to make a
confession and apologise for their ac-
tions at a national level.
Ko Ko Gyi, an ex-political prisoner
and a member of 88 Generation Stu-
dents, said true national reconcilia-
tion would remain elusive until the
government confessed and apologised
for atrocities committed by the state.
[The government] must apologise
for crimes they have committed to the
members of fallen political prisoners,
said Ko Taik Naing, general secretary
of the AAPP.
The AAPP and FPP collected the
documents of 175 political prisoners
who died in jails and investigation
centres, but many remain unaccount-
ed for they simply disappeared from
the system.
National League for Democracy
leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also
sent a message to the ceremony. In
a written statement she said she felt
sorry for prisoners who had sacriced
their life ghting the brutal actions of
the government.
All these people sacriced their
lives by refusing to accept what they
didnt believe. We should try to imple-
ment their aims without them, she
said in her statement.
However, she also urged people not
to hold grudges against anyone and to
share loving kindness to all.
U Hla Thein, the younger brother
of U Sein Win, who died in Insein Pris-
on in 1991, said, All did not deserve
to die in the way they did. I think gov-
ernment should take responsibility for
their action.
Daw Khin Lai Yi, the daughter of
Captain Sat Young, a member of the
Tatmadaw established by General
Aung San during the Japanese occupa-
tion, said her father was also arrested
during the 8-8-88 revolution.
He was accused of being connected
with the Burmese Communist Party
and died in Insein Prison in 1990, al-
legedly of a heart attack.
If possible I want to sue the gov-
ernment for unfair treatment upon my
father, she said.
They informed me my father died
from a heart attack, but I cant believe
this reason.
Ex-political prisoners
urge govt to apologise
EI EI TOE LWIN
eieitoelwin@gmail.com
Guests peruse photographs of fallen political prisoners at Royal Rose Restaurant in Yangon on January 2. Photo: Boothee
PRESSURE is mounting for the My-
anmar government to ensure full
humanitarian access to the Taung
Paw IDP camp in Rakhine States
Myebon township, with several
international bodies decrying the
conditions within the camp as in-
humane.
A joint statement issued on De-
cember 30 by the European Union
delegation, along with the embas-
sies of Switzerland, Turkey and the
United States, has pointed to the
dire humanitarian situation faced
by the camps 752 resident families.
Chief among the concerns out-
lined were the poor living condi-
tions within the camp, including a
lack of safe drinking water, limited
healthcare services, widespread
malnutrition and the restriction of
access beyond camp bounds.
The detrimental impact of the
movement restrictions imposed on
those in the camp were singled out
by UN human rights special rappor-
teur Toms Quintana in February
2013, during a press conference at
the conclusion of his visit.
The government also needs
to address the issue of freedom
of movement of people in these
camps. Taung Paw camp in Myebon
township felt more like a prison
than a camp, Mr Quintana said.
People need to be given great-
er freedom of movement to en-
gage in economic activity, such as
trade and shing, and to access
education and obtain healthcare.
In July 2013, the World Food Pro-
gram (WFP) outlined similar con-
cerns, stating that movement re-
strictions meant camp residents
relied almost entirely on aid.
IDPs have become almost
entirely dependent on outside
assistance, such as the monthly
food rations that WFP has provided
to the displaced since June [2013],
the WFP report said.
The December 30 embassy
statement pointed to improved se-
curity and an easing of restrictions
on international health workers in
the camps as measures that could
pave the way to improved living
conditions.
The international community
calls for increased security to al-
low camp residents to safely move
in and out of the camp, in order to
ensure their access to markets and
livelihoods, and for international
health workers to be allowed to
spend the night in camps to in-
crease healthcare access, the state-
ment said.
A 2013 UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) report on critical shel-
ter needs in the region put the
Taung Paw camps population at
3900 the vast majority of whom
came following the second wave of
deadly sectarian violence in Octo-
ber 2012.
The joint statement from the
embassies and EU delegation also
highlighted concerns that humani-
tarian activities in the camp are be-
ing hampered by some residents of
the Myebon district.
The international community
has received credible reports that
local community members in My-
ebon township have harassed hu-
manitarian staf and impeded ac-
cess for humanitarian supplies to
the people in need in Taung Paw
camp. These actions are unaccepta-
ble, the statement said.
Representatives of the embassies
behind the statement say they re-
main unconvinced by publicly stated
intentions of local, state and union-
level government groups to allow
unimpeded humanitarian access.
Union-level and local ofcials
alike have publicly vowed to en-
force this principle without delay,
the statement said.
Despite these promises, we
have yet to see efective action. The
international community urges au-
thorities to ensure humanitarian
access immediately and without
further delay to allow aid to reach
those in desperate need, and take
immediate and rm action against
responsible individuals, including
those who seek to block humanitar-
ian aid and intimidate, harass or
harm humanitarian workers.
Taung Paw camp in
Myebon township
felt more like a
prison than a camp.
Toms Quintana
UN human rights special
rapporteur
14 THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
Business
GARMENT manufacturers in Cambo-
dia might sell fabrics from unnished
clothing orders worth millions of dol-
lars to factories ofshore in a last-ditch
attempt to meet looming buyer dead-
lines in spite of ongoing strick.
The Garment Manufacturers As-
sociation in Cambodia (GMAC) issued
a letter to the government last week
requesting it to facilitate exports of
unnished orders to other countries
amid garment-worker strike action.
The letter calls on the Ministry of
Economy and Finance to clarify and
advise factory owners on re-export-
ing procedures.
This means that stockpiles of
whole fabric and cut fabric pieces, as
well as accessories, semi-nished and
unpacked nished products, would be
shipped out to a buyers other manu-
facturing operations in the region.
In order to reduce losses, the facto-
ries have no choice other than to trans-
fer the orders to their buyers partners
in other countries, the letter states.
Ken Loo, secretary general of GMAC,
said in a text message that the plan was
to facilitate by simplifying the whole
process to allow such re-export.
Hundreds of garment factories that
ceased operations on December 25 due
to a mass strike over minimum wages
are struggling to nd ways to follow
through on orders in an industry that
ground to a halt last week.
Nam-Shik Kang, managing direc-
tor of Phnom Penh-based Injae Gar-
ment Co, which employs 3500, said
that despite the new plan, he stood to
lose out on prots.
Our factory currently has a full
capacity of orders to ll by February,
most of it being material equating to
about 3 million garment pieces. We
will send to partners in either Indone-
sia or Vietnam . . . This is a huge quan-
tity and a very big disaster for us and
for others, said Mr Kang, whose South
Korean factory supplies Wal-Mart and
JC Penny. AFP
Cambodias
garments to
ship in pieces
PHNOM PENH
DESPITE increased investment in
Myanmars electricity sector in 2013,
including by international nancial
institutions, sustainable development
remains a challenge. Only 26 percent
of the population has access to govern-
ment electricity supplies, government
gures say, while in the past year new
projects to increase production and
a proposal of price hikes to reduce
consumption and bring sustainability
brought controversy at every stage.
The nations energy woes were out-
lined in its rst-ever comprehensive
energy report, released in June at the
World Economic Forum. At the forum,
which was being held in Myanmar for
the rst time, a broad range of topics
were discussed by national and inter-
national industry leaders, businesspeo-
ple and government ofcials includ-
ing the countrys present and future
energy needs.
According to New Energy Architec-
ture: Myanmar, even with electricity
production doubling annually it would
take ve years to meet todays level
of demand. In that time, the report
noted,demand would continue to grow
by 12pc every year.
International energy experts rec-
ommend the country prioritise natural
gas-red power plants to support ur-
gent electricity demand, and the Min-
istry of Electric Power signed agree-
ments with foreign companies for six
gas-red power plant projects in early
2013.
Some foreign rms have also
been given permission to run feasi-
bility studies to consider the efects
of rejuvenating ten ageing gas-red
power plants to improve electricity
production.
As the report makes clear, howev-
er, natural gas alone cant supply the
whole answer to the countrys energy
problems. Current ofshore gas elds
are already engaged for long-term ex-
ports to China and Thailand, while
new discoveries will take several years
to reach production stage.
Currently, only a small portion of
natural gas is supplied to domestic
use. The country needs 700 million cu-
bic feet (mcf) of natural gas daily but
only 300mcf is supported, according
the energy report.
Local and foreign private compa-
nies have invested US$270 million
developing four privately run gas-
red power plants in the Yangon area.
While the plants are ready to produce
electricity, production has been de-
layed as the power purchasing agree-
ment (PPA) is yet to be completed be-
tween the Ministry of Electric Power
and the companies involved.
The private companies are expect-
ing to sell electricity at K120 per unit
once the PPA is signed, said U Zaya
Thura Mon, CEO of Myanmar Central
Power Company.
The hold-up in production is due to
delays in drafting a new electricity law,
which will regulate private electricity
production and distribution. That law
is being written by the electricity min-
istry with the help of the World Bank
and the Asian Development Bank,
though both international nance in-
stitutions have since left the process
for unknown reasons.
Several major hydropower pro-
jects got underway in 2013, with the
government announcing early in the
year that dams will be built on the
Salween River. Projects in Shan State
are at Kwanlon, with an install capac-
ity of 1400 megawatts; Naungpha, with
1000MW; Manntaung, with 200MW;
and Mainton, with 7110MW capacity.
Kayah States Ywarthit will produce
4000 MW, while Hatkyiin Kayin State
will produce 1360MW.
As with the controversial Myitsone
dam project put on hold in 2011 by
ANALYSIS
Electricity problems persist despite progress
AUNG
SHIN
koshumgtha@gmail.com
Mangled power lines hang between buildings in downtown Yangon.
Despite widespread shortages, demand for electricity is growing at an
annual rate of 12 percent experts claim. Photo: Staff
15 BUSINESS EDITOR: Philip Heijmans | pheijmans13@gmail.com
Electricity problems persist despite progress
President U Thein Sein (to be debated
again after the end of his governments
term in 2015) opposition to the Sal-
ween River projects has been erce.
Residents and civil societies have
called for the projects to be halted,
voicing concerns over social and envi-
ronmental issues.
Another criticism of the Salween
projects is that as with the shelved
Myitsone dam the government plans
to sell the electricity to other nations, in
spite of a major energy decit at home.
The electricity ministry has signed
agreements hydropower dams with
ve Chinese companies, one Thai com-
pany and three local rms.
Four hydro-power projects have
been halted around the country, and
coal-red power plant projects are also
being condemned by the public, Min-
ister of Electric Power U Khin Maung
Soe said in September.
On November 13 he announced
that 2014s hot season will see electric-
ity demands in areas where electricity
is already provided rise to 2370MW
715MW above the current maximum
electricity production level of 1655MW.
The ministry is trying to increase
[production levels] 202MW with hydro
power plants which are still under con-
struction and 259.1MW from gas-red
power plants, U Khin Maung Soe said.
But with electricity shortages still
expected in the medium term, the gov-
ernment announced at the end of Oc-
tober that they would raise prices 43pc
for certain household consumers, but
delayed the hike until April after back-
lash from the public and parliament.
While the public argued against the
rate hike, some experts said increases
would be needed for nancial sustain-
ability, as the power supply is costing
the government K185 billion (about
US$190 million) a year.
The government would require a
greater amount of tarifs or subsidies
in order to ensure the nancial via-
bility of the power sector, Kim Jong
Inn, an energy specialist with Asian
Development Bank (ADB), said in
November.
In September the World Bank an-
nounced a US$140 million loan to
Myanmars electricity sector. The loan
will help rebuild an old gas-red power
plant in Mon State. In early December
ADB announced a $60 million loan to
update electricity transmission infra-
structure in Yangon, Mandalay, Saga-
ing and Magwe regions.
Of 396 cities in Myanmar, 224 cit-
ies, or 57pc, have access to electricity.
Of the countrys 60,000 villages, less
than 20,000 or one-third have elec-
tricity. In total, according to the Minis-
try of Electric Power, only around 26pc
of the population of Myanmar have ac-
cess to electricity.
Mangled power lines hang between buildings in downtown Yangon.
Despite widespread shortages, demand for electricity is growing at an
annual rate of 12 percent experts claim. Photo: Staff
THE France-based telecom giant
Orange has extended its roaming
service to Myanmar after signing
an agreement with Myanma Posts
and Telecommunications (MPT) in
December, an MPT official told The
Myanmar Times on January 2.
The agreement enables visitors
to make calls with foreign SIM
cards, and also allows phones with
MPT SIM cards to work in other
countries, said U Aung Maw, MPT
managing director.
We have signed an agreement
with Orange Telecom and have al-
ready started this roaming service
to foreign countries since the South-
east Asian Games [last month]. Or-
ange will extend the roaming ser-
vice to more countries. It is likely to
have roaming service worldwide, U
Aung Maw said.
Profits from the December 20
deal will be shared between Orange
and Myanma Posts and Telecommu-
nications, he added.
The first stage of the agreement
allows reciprocal roaming oppor-
tunities with 64 operators from
33 countries, including ASEAN
nations.
In November, SingTel announced
international roaming services in
Myanmar for SMS text messages
only.
Orange inks roaming
agreement with MPT
MYANMAR Metropolitan College in
Yangons Lanmadaw township has
launched the countrys rst US-accredit-
ed Masters of Business Administration
(MBA) program, the school announced.
The MBA program draws materials
from the University of the Potomac in
Washington DC in the United States, as
well as Switzerlands University of Busi-
ness and International Studies (UBIS),
according to Daw Myin Zu Tun, market-
ing director at Myanmar Metropolitan
College.
All the curriculums are from these
universities and there will be local pro-
fessors from the Yangon Institute of
Economics and also international pro-
fessors teaching part-time, she said.
Options include a Masters degree as
well as the post-grad Diploma in Busi-
ness Administration, a course that will
take nine months to complete and will
cost students about K8 million.
Students holding any degree from
Myanmar universities can join the Di-
ploma in Business Administration, said
Daw Myin Zu Tun.
After they nish that diploma, they
can continue directly to the Swiss MBA
[for single-award diploma students]
and continue to the US MBA [for dual-
award diploma students] course, she
said, adding that the price tag would
run another K15 million.
Nowadays, many international
companies are planning to invest in
Myanmar and Myanmars youth must
to be the same level as international
students [to compete], she said, adding
that this kind of international course
will provide a wealth of opportunities
for students.
Daw Myint Zu Tun also said MMC
plans to ofer Bachelors and Masters
degree programs in future.
AUNG SHIN
koshumgtha@gmail.com
Countrys frst US-accredited
MBA program opens in Yangon
EI THAE THAE NAING
eithaethaenaing@gmail.com
BUSINESS 16
No sign of booze law
as alcohol back on the
shelves
Though a quick x,
subdivision poses long
term problems
PROPERTY 18
Exchange Rates (January 3 close)
Currency Buying Selling
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar
K1331
K284
K770
K28.81
K981
K1340
K304
K778
K30.31
K985
KYAT
8m
Cost to complete the Masters of
Business Administration course at
Metropolitan College
64
Operators included in Oranges roaming
network around the world
16 Business THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
Business Development manager
Marketing manager
Sales and distribution manager
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Logistic officer
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Accountant
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Secretary
Passenger service agent ( airline)
Receptionist
Customer service
No. 851/853 (A/B), 3rd Floor, Room (7/8), Bogyoke Aung San Road,
Lanmadaw Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: (951) 229 437, 09 49 227 773, 09 730 94007
Email: esearch@yangon.net.mm, esearch.myanmar@gmail.com
www.esearchmyanmar.com www.facebook.com/esearchmyanmar
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The Fine Print Legal & tax insight
THE past year in Myanmar saw marked
improvements of the legal framework for
foreign investment.
At the start of 2013, the country imple-
mented guidelines to the Foreign Invest-
ment Law, lending improved economic
activity from abroad that resulted in
more than 100 foreign-owned and partly
foreign-owned businesses having been
granted investment permits, according to
a recent announcement by the Myanmar
Investment Commission.
Incorporation procedures have been
also streamlined. Foreign investors can
now obtain a temporary certicate of
company registration within a few days
of having led the application, and can
start business immediately thereafter. The
procedures to obtain an investment per-
mit from the Myanmar Investment Com-
mission and to incorporate a company are
now done in parallel, rather than subse-
quently, thus shortening the time frame
required.
Public projects are now regularly
awarded through tenders, the procedures
for which were specied by a Presidents
Ofce directive issued on April 5 of last
year.
The new Citizen Investment Law, en-
acted on July 19, 2013, allows foreigners
for the rst time to buy shares from Myan-
mar shareholders although this has still
to be tested in practice.
A modern anti-corruption law followed
on August 7, and the public perception of
Myanmar as a corruption-infested coun-
try is beginning to dissolve. Myanmars
reputation as a hotbed for corruption
probably was never entirely deserved and
certainly is not now, at least not when
compared to other countries in the region.
The new Telecom Law, enacted on Oc-
tober 8, 2013, set the framework for My-
anmars biggest infrastructure project: the
introduction of reliable and afordable tel-
ecommunication services throughout the
country.
The Central Bank has been set on the
road for independence by virtue of the
new Central Bank Law, and the new Se-
curities Exchange Law is the rst step to
achieving the ambitious goal of having a
functioning stock exchange by 2015.
Rules for implementing the Telecom
Law, the rst major piece of regulation ex-
pected to come out in 2014, are expected
to be nalised by mid-January. Drafts pub-
lished on November 4 last year contain de-
tailed provisions on the diferent licensing
procedures, the mobile spectrum and the
prevention of unfair competition.
Once the Rules for the Telecommuni-
cations Sector are out, operating licences
for Telenor and Ooredoo are expected to
be issued. It will also be possible for other
companies, such as tower companies, to
apply for licences regulated in the Rules.
Modern intellectual property legisla-
tion is something we expect to see in 2014.
The present lack of reliable protection of
intellectual property is pointed to by many
observers as a major obstacle to foreign
investment, especially from the United
States.
Plans are in place to allow a limited
number of foreign banks to start commer-
cial operations this year. We also hope to
see a new, attractive legal framework for
investments in the mining sector.
The draft of a new Electricity Law was
published a few weeks ago, and we expect
its enactment sometime this year. The
draft explicitly allows foreign investors to
implement power generation projects of
more than 30 megawatts.
Foreign investors will also want to keep
a close eye on the progress of the Condo-
minium Law draft, which if enacted as
currently written will allow foreigners to
buy up to 40 percent of apartments in con-
dominiums, provided they are all on the
sixth oor or above.
What 2014 will bring is uncertain, but
2013 certainly has been an exciting year of
reforms for the countrys legal and busi-
ness framework.
Sebastian and Hnin are consultants at Polastri
Wint & Partners Legal & Tax Advisors.
2013 one for the books, now on to 2014
SEBASTIAN PAWLITA
sebastian@pwplegal.com
HNIN YU MAY
hnin@pwplegal.com
IN BRIEF
Washington
ISM shows US manufacturing
growth slowed in December
US manufacturing sector growth
slowed slightly in December after six
straight monthly gains, the Institute for
Supply Management said last week.
The ISM purchasing managers index
for December fell to 57.0 from 57.3 the
previous month.
It was still the second highest read-
ing of the year; in January 2013 the
index stood at 53.1. A reading above 50
represents expansion. AFP
BOTTLES of imported wine and
alcohol are back on the shelves
of major supermarkets around
Yangon despite there being little
movement on the part of the gov-
ernment to pass legislation that
would legalise its sale outside of
select hotels and duty-free shops.
Alcohol venders around Yan-
gon took down their imported
liquor stock early last month
after following a series of gov-
ernment raids on distributors
that resulted in the conscation
of tens of thousands of bottles
of alcohol, which reappeared
December 31 in time for New
Years celebrations.
We just wanted to sell the
products where taxes are already
paid through duty-free shops,
even if the import procedure is
not yet clear, said Daw May Zin
Soe Htet, spokesperson for local
supermarket chain City Mart.
Our company wants to con-
tinue selling [imported alcohol]
with the same prices, but that
will depend on how much we
have to pay for them through
duty-free shops, she said, adding
that City Mart had received sev-
eral requests to ofer alcohol for
the New Years holiday.
Other markets around the city
have also begun restocking their
shelves with imported liquor,
though the decision did not come
easy for some.
Selling these products came
from the board of directors de-
cision to do so, said an ofcial
at downtown Yangons Sein Gay
Har Supermarket. We stored
our products for several weeks
in our warehouse and in late
December we have decided to
put them back, the ofcial said,
adding that those bottles for sale
have been prescreened by the In-
ternal Revenue Department.
Since the Ministry of Com-
merce raids on alcohol sellers
accelerated in November, the
government has promised to
expedite legislation that would
make the process of importing al-
cohol legal and transparent, say-
ing it would be nished as soon
as last month. It now appears
such legislation is not likely to
pass until March, said one ofcial
at the Ministry of Commerce.
We already submitted lan-
guage [to parliament] a few
months ago and it has been de-
layed. It is likely they still review-
ing it, he said.
A representative at the Eco-
nomic and Trade Development
Committee, who have the legis-
lation, said that the next stage
of passing the law would be to
discuss it during the upcoming
parliamentary session on Janu-
ary 13. He asked not to be named.
With no law in place, other
ofcials are worried that ram-
pant smuggling of imported liq-
uor will become commonplace
as demand remains high in areas
that are now in short supply.
This is not just about placing
excise taxes on products. If gov-
ernment doesnt approve license
soon with demand as high as it
is, the traders will naturally start
to break the law, said U Win My-
int, parliament representative
and member of the Banks and
Monetary Afairs Development
Committee.
The government banned
importing alcohol and certain
foodstufs in 1995 as part of an
efort to protect local produc-
tion of goods. To get around the
ban, some businesses have been
known to collaborate with ho-
tels to import additional alcohol
products that are then sold to
restaurants and retailers, while
others simply import through il-
legal channels.
In an efort to keep costs
down, some local manufacturers
have been known to make liquor
using toxic ingredients, said U
Win Myint.
If the government allows im-
ported branded products, such
products will become limited be-
cause everyone will have access
to imported goods, he said.
No sign of booze law as alcohol back on the shelves
AYE
THIDAR
KYAW
ayethidarkyaw@gmail.com
If government doesnt approve
licences soon with demand as high as
it is, the traders will naturally start to
break the law.
U Win Myint
Banks and Monetary Affairs Development Committee
The United Nations Offce for Project Services (UNOPS) in Myanmar is inviting qualifed candidates to apply for the following
positions:
Sr. Title and level Duty Station Position Deadline
1. National Public Health Programme Offcer (LICA Specialist 8) Yangon National 12 Jan 14
2. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (IICA-3) Yangon International 9 Jan 14
3. Programme Associate (LICA 4) Yangon National 8 Jan 14
4. Contract Assistant (LICA-3) Yangon National 8 Jan 14
5. Senior Policy Offcer (re-advertised) (LICA Specialist-8) Yangon National 8 Jan 14
6. Operations/Contract Associate (G6) Yangon National 7 Jan 14
7. Communications Assistant (LICA-3) Yangon National 7 Jan 14
8. Monitoring and Evaluation Offcer, Malaria (LICA Specialist 7) Yangon National 14 Jan 14
9. Monitoring & Evaluation Offcer, Tuberculosis (LICA Specialist 7) Yangon National 15 Jan 1
10. National Malaria Offcer (LICA Specialist 7) Yangon National 15 Jan 14
11. Deputy Programme Director - Head of Programme Support (IICA-3) Yangon International 13 Jan 14
12. Programme Support Offcer (LICA Specialist-7) Yangon National 13 Jan 14
13. Planning and Budget Associate (LICA-4) Yangon National 20 Jan 14
14. Public Health Analyst, Malaria (LICA Specialist-6) Yangon National 13 Jan 14
15. Vehicle Maintenance Helper(re-advertised) (LICA-1) Yangon National 27 Jan 14
The beneft package for the above positions includes an attractive remuneration, 30 days annual leave and 10 holidays
per year, medical insurance (only for national positions), learning and development opportunities and a challenging working
environment with 250 national and international colleagues.
All applications must be made through the UNOPS E-recruitment System (https://gprs.unops.org) and click on the post you
are interested in applying for.
Business 17 www.mmtimes.com
THE continued devaluation of gold
abroad has led to a 14.73 percent drop
on the local markets over the past
year, shop owners said.
The current market price of one ti-
cal of 24 karat gold (one tical equals
0.576 ounces) now sits at K648,000
(equivalent to US$1133 an ounce),
down from the K760,000 gold sold for
in January 2013, owners said.
The price of gold in Myanmar
is affected by the exchange rate as
well as the precious commoditys
performance on the international
markets. In New York, the price
for gold rose to a five-year high of
nearly $1700 in January 2013, but
as of January 2 it was trading at
just $1216 per ounce.
When the international price was
up, the local price didnt follow very
quickly because local gold cant be im-
ported legally, said U Zaw Aung, add-
ing that smuggling leads to a lag time
between changes in the global market
and local adjustments in price.
Prices have continued to fall
despite having hit a ve-year low
last month when one tical sold
for K653,500 (equivalent to about
US$1228 an ounce), an ofcial from
the Myanmar Gold Entrepreneurs
Association (MGEA) said.
In 2013, international gold prices
were shaken by political tensions be-
tween the United States and Sierra
Leone, leading to price volatility in
August that pegged gold trading be-
tween $1300 to $1400 per ounce.
Thats why international gold
price was down. Local gold prices are
directly connected with international
gold prices, said U Zaw Aung, owner
of Taik Sein gold shop in Yangon, add-
ing that although local gold prices fell
quickly in 2013, the local wholesale
and retail market for gold and jewel-
lery remained healthy.
A strong global stock market
performance also meant interest in
gold was low this year, driving prices
down, owners said.
In 2012, local gold prices stayed
above K700,000 consistently, with
a high of K793,000 reported in Au-
gust 2012.
Gold prices start
year off with a bust
MYAT NYEIN AYE
myatnyeinaye11092@gmail.com
KYAT
112,000
Margin of price drop-off for gold over
the past year
DANISH brewer Carlsberg said
last week it had bought the owner
of eight Chinese breweries for 1.4
billion kroner (US$258 million)
as it continues to grow outside
the sluggish markets of western
Europe.
Chongqing Beer Group has in-
formed the Carlsberg Group that
it has accepted Carlsbergs offer to
acquire 100 percent of Chongqing
Beer Group Assets Management,
the Danish company said in a
statement.
The Chinese firm primarily sells
brands under licence from the
Chongqing Brewery Company, in
which Carlsberg earlier this month
raised its holding to 60pc from
29.7pc.
The Danish group paid around
2.6 billion kroner to up its stake in
the company, which produces its
two leading brands, Carlsberg and
Tuborg.
This transaction, following on
from our decision to construct two
new breweries in China and Myan-
mar, further reinforces our com-
mitment to Asia, and in particular
to China, chief executive Joergen
Buhl Rasmussen said on December
11.
Along with its three bigger ri-
vals AB InBev, SABMiller and
Heineken Carlsberg has been ex-
panding in the fast-growing Asian
market.
The Carlsberg Foundation, the
groups main owner, said in Octo-
ber it wants to change its charter so
that it no longer has to own more
than 25pc of the company, while
continuing to hold at least 51pc of
the voting rights.
AFP
Carlsberg
continues
Asia push
COPENHAGEN
No sign of booze law as alcohol back on the shelves
Imported alcohol reappeared in shops throughout Yangon last week as vendors folded to high demand for quality alcohol ahead of
the holidays. Photo: Boothee
New breweries come on
the heels of factories in
Myanmar and China
BUSINESS EDITOR: Philip Heijmans | pheijmans13@gmail.com
Property
18 THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
THE skyrocketing price of land in
Yangon is driving many would-be
developers to subdivide the large
blocks in elite residential areas, a
trend industry players said ulti-
mately does more harm than good.
Yangons property value has ob-
viously excelled in the last two years,
most notably in 2013, Mya Pan
Thakhin senior real estate agent Ko
Min Min Soe said. Along with prop-
erty value, rents are increasing and
because the rental value of land is
so high, blocks are getting smaller as
they are divided and sold or rented
out.
Subdivision rst prominently be-
came a Yangon property market fea-
ture in 2008, Ko Min Min Soe said.
But after a change of government
and an inux of foreign interest in
the commercial capital, Yangon, de-
mand for land was driven dramati-
cally up.
Exclusive residential and diplo-
matic areas have been targeted by
owners looking to make a windfall
on subdividing.
Golden Valley, Bahan, Kamaryut,
Dagon, Mayangone, and South and
North Okkalapa townships have
seen a surge in subdivided land in
the last year, Sai Khun Naung Real
Estate manager U Yan Aung said.
Land in those areas is mostly be-
tween 5000 and 10,000 square feet
[464 to 929 square metres]. Some of
these blocks are then divided in half
and sold, he said. But some are di-
vided multiple times by owners try-
ing to create a rental enterprise.
In South and North Okkalapa
townships, owners have reduced
large property sizes into mini-blocks
that are less than one-third of the
original.
There are people who have di-
vided their land to 255-square-feet
blocks from a 2400-square-foot
block, he said. It is not happening
equally, but driven by supply and de-
mand from Yangon being the main
place to do business.
In Yangon, large land plots can
go for anywhere between K100,000
and K300,000 per square foot, such
as in Golden Valley, where the prices
fall at the latter end of the scale.
However, uncontrolled subdivi-
sion could end up dragging these
prices down as the rolling, lush resi-
dential suburbs become increasingly
cramped and heavily trafcked due
to subdivision, Yangon Heritage Trust
director Daw Moe Moe Lwin said.
There are areas in Yangon that
are intended to be exclusive and in
the British colonial time there were
zoning laws that meant in some ar-
eas, for example the diplomatic ar-
eas, a block had to be at least half an
acre, Daw Moe Moe Lwin said, add-
ing that there would also be maxi-
mum structure sizes per block to
protect the leafy character of these
neighbourhoods.
But under the new updated mu-
nicipal by-laws, they allow subdivi-
sion, she said.
But controls on subdivision are
either absent or not properly en-
forced leading to a situation where
the reduction of elite properties to
multi-storey, sprawling apartment
complexes could delete the valuable
character of these areas altogether.
Uncontrolled subdivision will
cause even the larger plots of land to
lose value over time, Daw Moe Moe
Lwin said. By changing the valuable
character of residential suburbs
exclusivity, privacy and a quieter
residence the monetary worth of
the property also reduces.
In older or exclusive residential
areas, subdivision is often the re-
sult of multiple children inheriting
their familys home. Each benefac-
tor wants to capitalise on the asset,
ultimately reducing the valuable
property to a series of multi-storey
complexes that occupy almost the
entirety of the mini-blocks, remov-
ing in some cases almost centuries
old vegetation.
Subdivision is also often used as
a trick to avoid additional taxation,
U Yan Aung said.
When people dont pay taxes
to the government, on government
granted land, it can open the pros-
pect of repossession in the future,
making it an untrustworthy long-
term investment option.
Though a quick fx, subdivision
poses some long-term problems
MYAT NYEIN AYE BRIDGET DI CERTO
NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-Un
last week called for the construction
of world-class structures, praising
the speedy completion of his pet ski
resort project.
The construction sector should set
up world-class structures ... and build
many other structures that could con-
tribute to improving the peoples liv-
ing conditions, Mr Kim said in a New
Years message broadcast on state TV.
He praised soldiers and builders
for setting up numerous monumental
structures including the Masik Pass
Ski Resort in a short period.
State media said the ski resort
opened on December 31 and Mr. Kim
visited, taking a ride on a ski lift. Thou-
sands of soldiers had been mobilised
to complete it by the end of last year.
The resort made headlines in
August when Switzerland blocked
a US$7.6 million sale of ski lifts to
Pyongyang, calling it a propaganda
project for the impoverished Sta-
linist regime.
Featuring 70 miles (110 kilometres)
of multi-level ski runs, a hotel, a heli-
port and cable cars, the resort has been
heavily promoted since Kim visited it in
June and called for construction to be
completed by the end of the year.
This year, too, the service person-
nel and people should make concerted
eforts to build up Pyongyang so that it
is more grandiose, Kim said.
The young leader has shown a fond-
ness for expensive, high-prole leisure
projects in and around the showpiece
capital Pyongyang including a massive
new water park, an amusement park
and a luxury horseback-riding club.
The Munsu Water Park in Pyong-
yang opened in October, with the giant
venue sporting dozens of indoor and
outdoor pools, water slides and saunas.
Mr Kim in September also watched
lms at a new 4D movie theatre
built in the newly-renovated Rungna
Peoples amusement park, state media
reported earlier. He was photographed
riding a roller coaster in the Rungna
amusement park in Pyongyang when
it reopened in July 2012 after renova-
tions he had ordered. AFP
N Korea
want top-tier
structures
SEOUL
MILLION
$7.6
Value of ski lifts Pyongyang purportedly
wanted to buy from Switzerland
Houses are seen on a subdivided
plot along Kabar Aye Pagoda Road
in Yangon. Photo: Zarni Phyo
19
THE Spanish-led consortium
expanding the capacity of the
Panama Canal has threatened to
halt construction due to alleged
breaches of contract by the mari-
time routes administration, local
reports said last week.
But canal administrator Jorge
Quijano warned Grupo Unidos
por el Canal (GUPC) that the ca-
nal authority would use contrac-
tual mechanisms to ensure the
completion of the US$5.3 billion
project.
No matter what kind of pres-
sure is exercised against the ACP
[Panama Canal Authority], we
maintain our demand that the
GUPC respect the contract that
they agreed to and signed, he said
in a statement quoted by broad-
cast and print media.
A year ago, GUPC demanded
an extra payment of $1.6 billion
from the ACP due to construction
delays.
The ACP has 21 days to com-
ply with the requirements. But in
the meantime, we will continue to
work normally, GUPC said.
Led by Spains Sacyr Valle-
hermoso, the consortium also in-
cludes Impregilo of Italy, Belgian
rm Jan De Nul and Panamas
Constructora Urbana.
It began work on a third set of
locks for the canal in 2009 and ex-
pects to complete construction in
June 2015, already a nine-month
delay over the date set in the con-
tract.
The new locks will accommo-
date larger ships with a capacity
of 12,000 containers instead of
those with 5000 containers that
are now able to navigate the
canal.
Shortly after work began, there
was a delay of four months be-
cause GUPC had planned to use
low-quality cement that would
have prevented the construction
from lasting more than 100 years,
according to the canal authority.
Roughly 5 percent of interna-
tional commerce passes through
the waterway, a 50-mile (80-kilo-
metre) stretch connecting the At-
lantic and Pacic Oceans. AFP
Breach of contract issues only latest problem for the
struggling project
PANAMA CITY
Panama Canal
work could
come to a halt
BILLION
$5.3
Total value of the Panama Canal
expansion project.
US home prices rose slightly in Octo-
ber, marking a continued softening in
the housing market recovery, according
to a report released last week.
The S&P Case-Shiller 20-city com-
posite home price index rose 0.2 per-
cent in October, following a monthly
gain of 0.7pc in September. On a sea-
sonally adjusted basis, the index was
up 1.0pc.
The index posted a gain of 13.6pc
year-over-year, the largest annual in-
crease since February 2006, but smaller
than the 13.8pc rise expected by ana-
lysts.
The annual gains have been in
double-digit territory since March
2013, but monthly numbers show
we are living on borrowed time
and the boom is fading, said Da-
vid Blitzer, chairman of the index
committee.
Ten cities posted price gains month-
on-month, led by Las Vegas with an in-
crease of 1.2pc.
Nine cities saw prices fall, while
New York prices were at.
The price slowdown in part reects
the rise in mortgage interest rates since
the Federal Reserve revealed plans
in May to cut its stimulus program, a
move the Fed nally took in early De-
cember.
In mid-December, the Fed began to
reduce its monthly asset purchases by
US$10 billion to $75 billion.
The key economic question fac-
ing housing is the Feds future course
to scale back quantitative easing and
how this will afect mortgage rates, Mr
Blitzer said.
Other housing data paint a mixed
picture suggesting that we may be close
to the peak gains in prices. However,
other economic data point to some-
what faster growth in the new year.
Most forecasts for home prices point to
single-digit growth in 2014. AFP
US home prices rose slightly in October, marking a continued softening in the housing market recovery, according to a
report released on December 31. Photo: AFP
WASHINGTON
Home price gains in US slow
again in October: Case-Shiller
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Because the rental value of land is so high, blocks are getting
smaller as they are divided and sold or rented out
Ko Min Min Soe, senior real estate agent at Mya Pan Thakhin
Tradional pottery
fading with the times
THE PULSE 28
20 THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
WorldWORLD EDITOR: Kayleigh Long | kayleighelong@gmail.com
THAILANDS army chief refused
to rule out the possibility of a coup
even after stressing that the mili-
tary cant take sides in the deadly
dispute between protesters and
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawa-
tras government.
The army is at a difcult cross-
road, Army Chief Prayuth Chan-
ocha said at a brieng in Bangkok,
a day after two people were killed
and more than 125 were wounded
in a riot sparked when police tried
to stop protesters from disrupting
preparations for a snap election.
We cant go left and right. I have
shown a red light to both sides.
The protesters have been call-
ing for the military to add its
muscle to the months-long bid
to oust Ms Yinglucks govern-
ment and set up an unelected
council tasked with erasing what
they say is her familys corrupt-
ing political inuence. Allies of
her brother Thaksin Shinawatra
have won the past ve elections,
including two since his ouster in
a 2006 coup, enraging royalists
who say hes a threat to Thailands
monarchy.
When asked Friday whether the
door remained open for the army
to stage a coup, Prayuth said I
wont say open or closed. Every-
thing depends on the situation.
Thailand has experienced nine
coups and more than 20 prime
ministers since 1946.
Thailands baht fell to its low-
est level since 2010 and the bench-
mark SET Index of stocks led loss-
es in Southeast Asia on concern
worsening political unrest will
spur further capital outows. The
unrest has claimed seven lives in
the past two months, including a
police ofcer and a protester shot
Thursday.
The Election Commission urged
the government to delay the Febru-
ary 2 poll in the wake of the riot,
which saw police re tear gas and
rubber bullets at protesters trying
to force their way into a stadium
where candidates were registering.
The demonstrators say they cant
allow any election under the cur-
rent system.
Violence could intensify if the
election is held as planned, which
would cause unrest, chaos, riots
and loss of life and bloodshed,
Election Commission chair Supa-
chai Somcharoen said Thursday.
If conicts remain, an election
cannot take place in a peaceful and
orderly atmosphere.
Yingluck dissolved parliament
on December 9 to ease tensions,
triggering a poll whose date is set
by royal decree. Delaying the vote
would be unconstitutional and
must go forward, Deputy Prime
Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana
said on January 2.
The protesters said a postpone-
ment was unacceptable because
the election would still eventually
take place and Ms Yingluck would
stay in power as caretaker prime
minister.
The government is now be-
ing pressured by the increasingly
violent protesters on the one hand
and now by the decision of the
Election Commission, Sunai Pha-
suk, a senior researcher at New-
York based Human Rights Watch
in Bangkok, said by phone.
This sends a very bad and wor-
rying message for the future of de-
mocracy in Thailand.
The protesters are closely
aligned with the main opposition
Democrat party, which plans to
boycott the poll.
The party and protesters say
Ms Yinglucks government is ille-
gitimate and run from abroad by
Thaksin, who faces a two-year jail
term for corruption if he returns in
a case he says is politically moti-
vated.
Ms Yinglucks ofers to negoti-
ate with the protesters have been
refused. She has ruled out resign-
ing to make way for the unelected
council, saying the roughly 16 mil-
lion people who voted for her in
2011 should have a say in choosing
the nations political future at the
ballot box.
The Democrats have not won
a national election since 1992 and
may be pinning their future as a
party on a street victory by protest
leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a for-
mer party powerbroker.
The Democrats have long en-
joyed the support of the nations
traditional elite, including royal-
ist generals and those close to the
palace.
The party came to power in a
2008 parliamentary vote that fol-
lowed the dissolution of a Thaksin-
allied party by the Constitutional
Court, which many academics have
described as a judicial coup.
During its less than three years
in power the Democrats twice
called in the military to put down
protests by Thaksin supporters
calling for fresh elections.
Mr Suthep, at the time the
deputy prime minister, oversaw
the 2010 crackdown in which sol-
diers used live ammunition to end
weeks of unrest that left more than
90 dead. Washington Post
Thailand protests threaten stability
People gather at the site of a car bomb that killed five people and wounded at least 20 in Beiruts southern suburb of Haret Hreik on January 2. Photo: AFP
A BOMBING in the southern suburbs
of Beirut last week killed at least four
people, according to ofcials, aggra-
vating the soaring tensions between
Sunnis and Shiites that threaten to
propel Lebanon into full-blown sectar-
ian conict.
The bombing in the Shiite neigh-
borhood of Haret Hreik, which is con-
trolled by Lebanons Hezbollah move-
ment, followed the assassination of a
prominent Sunni gure in a bombing
in downtown Beirut, afrming an es-
calating pattern of retaliatory bomb-
ings in recent months.
It also followed the arrest this week
of the leader of a local al-Qaeda afli-
ate, Majid bin Muhammad al-Majid,
a Saudi national whom Lebanese au-
thorities have linked to a suicide at-
tack on the Iranian Embassy in Beirut
in November. Mr Majids organiza-
tion, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades,
claimed responsibility for the Novem-
ber bombing, in which 23 people died,
as well as at least two earlier bomb-
ings in Beiruts Hezbollah-controlled
southern suburbs.
This latest attack was not as big
as some of the earlier explosions,
but it left little doubt that Lebanons
slide toward conict is accelerating
as the country becomes increasingly
embroiled in the broader sectarian
rivalries threatening to engulf the
region.
The intensifying rivalry between
Iran and Saudi Arabia, compounded
by the tensions stirred up by the war
in neighboring Syria, has aggravated
long-standing disputes between Leba-
nons Sunni and Shiite political fac-
tions, said Rami Khouri, head of the
Tensions mount in the
wake of Beirut bombing
BEIRUT
BANGKOK
A bombing in a Hezbollah-controlled neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut has aggravated sectarian
tensions on a domestic level, but could well have broader implications in the strife-torn region.
Lebanon has
become part of
the wider regional
confrontation,
which is manifesting
itself in these local
bomings.
Rami Khouri
University of Beirut
Former Rwanda intelligence
chief found dead
JOHANNESBURG
RWANDAS former head of intel-
ligence, Patrick Karegeya, 53, was
found dead on a bed in a hotel
room in Johannesburgs afuent
Sandown area on January 1, the
South African Police Service said.
Preliminary investigations re-
vealed that his neck was swollen,
the police said in an e-mailed state-
ment Thursday. A towel with blood
and a rope were found in the hotel
room safe.
Mr Karegeya, living in exile in
South Africa, was meeting a friend
from Rwanda. After searching his
home in Roodeport, west of Johan-
nesburg, his nephew came back to
the hotel and he was found in one
of the rooms, said Mr Kayumba
Nyamwasa, a founding member of
the Rwanda National Congress, an
opposition party, said in a mobile
phone interview from the capital
Pretoria.
The former director of external
intelligence booked into the hotel
on Dec. 29, the police said.
Opponents to Rwandan Presi-
dent Paul Kagame arent safe in
South Africa and any other place in
the world, said Mr Nyamwasa, a
former chief of staf in the Rwan-
dan army. Nyamwasa said he was
shot at in June 2010 in a failed as-
sassination attempt, also in Johan-
nesburg.
Three calls to the mobile
phone of Rwandan government
spokeswoman Louise Mushiki-
wabo Thursday went unanswered.
Mr Kagame has been the Rwan-
dan President since April 2000. His
ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front
party won 41 out of 53 seats at
the Sept. 16 parliamentary elec-
tions. While he has been praised
for rebuilding the economy, human
rights activists have criticized him
for cracking down on civil rights
and silencing dissent.
Rwanda is essentially a hard-
line, one-party, secretive police
state with a facade of democracy,
according to a 2010 briefing note
co-authored by Mr Karegeya, Mr
Nyamwasa and two other senior
former Rwandan officials. Presi-
dent Kagame and the ruling party
that he leads depend on repres-
sion to stay in power.
Karegeya was found in the
Michaelangelo Towers hotel, close
to the citys stock exchange, said
Michael Rwarinda, vice chairman
of the Rwanda National Congress
branch in South Africas Gauteng
province, in an interview. Calls to
the hotel werent answered.
About 3500 Rwandan political
refugees are in South Africa, Mr
Rwarinda said.
Rwandan ambassador to South
Africa Vincent Karega said he
wasnt aware of the death other
than news reports in an interview
with Johannesburg-based state
radio station SAfm. The embassy
doesnt have the capacity to inves-
tigate, he said.
In 2010 the deputy leader of
Rwandas opposition Democratic
Green Party, Andre Kagwa Rwis-
ereka, was found dead with his
head almost severed from his
body near the Rwandan city of
Butare.
Last month Rwandas Supreme
Court extended a jail sentence for
former presidential candidate,
Victoire Ingabire, to 15 years from
eight years, the Nairobi-based
East African newspaper report-
ed, citing a ruling. She had been
charged with threatening state se-
curity and conspiring against the
government. Bloomberg
21
Putin visits blast site
as security concerns
mount for Sochi
WORLD 24
Puppet targeted in
Muslim Brotherhood
crackdown
WORLD 23
Syria chemical
agents bound for a
watery grave
WORLD 26
CAMBODIAN police opened re
on protesting garment workers on
January 3, killing at least three peo-
ple, as the strongman premier faced
growing public anger on the streets
of the capital.
Human rights campaigners con-
demned the crackdown as the coun-
trys worst state violence against ci-
vilians in more than a decade.
The deaths came after striking
workers armed with sticks, rocks
and Molotov cocktails clashed with
rie-wielding police in the Veng
Sreng factory district of Phnom
Penh.
One blood-soaked worker was
seen lying on the ground while an-
other was rushed away after the
latest in a series of violent clashes
between security forces and textile
workers demanding higher wages.
Three people died, according to
police.
If we allow them to continue the
strike it will become anarchy, said
military police spokesman Kheng
Tito, adding that nine policemen
were injured by stones and sling-
shots.
The Cambodian League for the
Promotion and Defense of Human
Rights reported a higher toll of at
least four civilians shot dead and 21
injured, in what it described as the
worst state violence against civilians
to hit Cambodia in 15 years.
Prime Minister Hun Sen faces
a growing challenge to his nearly
three-decade rule from protesting
garment workers and opposition
supporters demanding that he step
down and call a new election be-
cause of alleged vote fraud.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy
denounced the crackdown on the
workers, who are demanding a mini-
mum wage of $160 per month.
Its an unacceptable attempt
to break not only a worker strike
but the whole worker movement as
well as the democratic movement
which is developing in Cambodia
following the July elections, he
told AFP.
Disputes over wages and safety
conditions are common in Cambo-
dias multi-billion dollar garment
industry which supplies brands like
Gap, Nike and H&M.
The sector employs about
650,000 people and is a key source
of income for the impoverished
country.
The Cambodian Center for Hu-
man Rights expressed concern
about the frequent use of excessive
force to quell protests.
At least 25 demonstrations were
violently repressed in 2013 by secu-
rity forces using guns, tear gas, wa-
ter cannon and batons, leaving two
people dead, one person paralysed
and causing three women to sufer
miscarriages, it said.
The latest clash came a day after
a special military unit was deployed
against garment workers, leaving
several injured in a move described
by rights activists as a disturbing
new tactic by the authorities.
Soldiers were seen brandishing
metal pipes, knives, AK47 ries,
slingshots and batons, according to
local rights groups.
There have been daily rallies in
Phnom Penh against Hun Sens gov-
ernment recently, with an estimated
20,000 or more opposition support-
ers taking to the streets.
The opposition party has boycott-
ed parliament since a disputed July
election. It plans a major three-day
protest starting from Sunday.
Parliament in late September ap-
proved a new ve-year term for Hun
Sen, in a move decried by the oppo-
sition as a constitutional coup.
Hun Sen has ruled for 28 years,
and has vowed to continue, ruling
out new elections and rejecting op-
position calls for him to step down.
Garment exports and tourism
have brought buoyant economic
growth but Cambodia remains one
of Asias poorest countries. AFP
Three killed in protest crackdown
People gather at the site of a car bomb that killed five people and wounded at least 20 in Beiruts southern suburb of Haret Hreik on January 2. Photo: AFP
Tensions mount in the
wake of Beirut bombing
DRC commander killed in ambush
CONGO
PHNOM PENH
Issam Fares Institute at the American
University of Beirut.
Lebanon has become part of the
wider regional confrontation, which
is manifesting itself in these local
bombings, he said. There is open
warfare between these two groups,
though who is setting them of we
dont know.
Although the explosion did not ap-
pear to target any of the many Hezbol-
lah ofces or institutions in the area, it
was clearly intended to send a politi-
cal message to the movement, which
is backed by Iran.
Hezbollahs al-Manar television
station broadcast live coverage of
the aftermath, showing rescue work-
ers dragging bodies out of the debris
left by the bomb, which appeared to
have been placed in a parked car. The
Health Ministry said four people were
killed and 66 were injured.
There was no immediate claim of
responsibility, but a Hezbollah law-
maker linked the attack to the turmoil
in Syria.
For us, this is an attack intended
to destroy Lebanon, Bilal Farhat told
the local al-Jadeed television station,
referring to the bombers.
They want Lebanon to be in chaos,
with death and destruction, like Syria.
Hezbollah is deeply entwined in the
Syrian conict, having sent thousands
of ghters to shore up forces loyal to
Syrian President Bashar Assad. Many
Lebanese Sunnis also have crossed
into Syria to ght alongside the Sunni-
dominated rebels, and fear is growing
here that the conict is spreading into
Lebanon.
The disputes taking place on the
ground in Lebanon are bigger than the
internal security forces can solve, the
countrys caretaker interior minister,
Marwan Charbel, warned.
The factions have been unable to
agree on the composition of a govern-
ment since April, leaving the country
largely leaderless, and a push by the
biggest Sunni faction to form a cabinet
independently of Hezbollah has drawn
threats of action from the Shiite move-
ment.
The tensions have been further ag-
gravated by a pledge from Saudi Ara-
bia to donate $3 billion to the Leba-
nese army, the only institution capable
of challenging the Iranian-backed He-
zbollah, the countrys most powerful
military force. Washington Post
A bombing in a Hezbollah-controlled neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut has aggravated sectarian
tensions on a domestic level, but could well have broader implications in the strife-torn region.
THE commander of Congolese gov-
ernment troops ghting Ugandan
Islamist rebels in the restive east of
country has been killed in an ambush,
the government said.
Colonel Mamadou Ndala has
been killed .... Apparently it was the
ADF-Nalu (Ugandan rebel force)
that killed him and two of his body-
guards, government spokesman Lam-
bert Mende said.
This is really an immense loss for
the armed forces and the republic, Mr
Mende told AFP.
Mr Ndala was travelling on Janu-
ary 2 between towns in strife-torn
North Kivu province, for the deploy-
ment of a commando battalion when
his jeep fell into an ambush, Mr
Mende said.
The attack was apparently
the work of the rebel Alliance of
Democratic Forces and National
Army for the Liberation of Uganda
(ADF-Nalu), which is one of the oldest
armed movements active in eastern
DR Congo, military and UN sources
said.
Just when we arrived at Matem-
bo, a rocket came in from the right-
hand side of the road and struck
our jeep, which was mounted with a
heavy weapon, Corporal Paul Safari,
a bodyguard of the colonels, told AFP
near the scene.
I began shooting until I ran out of
ammunition, but the aggressors were
still advancing, he added.
A senior ofcer in the UN mis-
sion in the DR Congo, known as MO-
NUSCO, which is providing the army
with military and logistical support,
conrmed the ambush probably by
the ADF-Nalu against the FARDC
(Congolese army).
The situation is complicated, the
ofcer said without elaborating.
ADF-Nalu was created in the mid-
1990s in western Uganda out of the
merger of two armed groups opposed
to the regime of President Yoweri Mu-
seveni.
The rebel force last week killed
40 civilians in a grisly attack in the
northeastern Beni region of DR
Congo, when they raped women and
hacked children to death, dumping
bodies in latrines, according to local
ofcials and MONUSCO, which sent
attack helicopters on a retaliatory
raid.
Elsewhere, a source at a military
airport in Kinshasa told AFP there
had been an exchange of gunre be-
tween troops and a vehicle full of uni-
dentied armed men.
But government spokesman Mr
Mende said a soldier acting as a secu-
rity guard at a nearby rm had opened
re to scare away a potential thief.
Its an incident that happened out-
side Ndolo airport, although a soldier
from the naval force was involved, Mr
Mende told AFP.
A second source, Georges Tabora,
who commands the international air-
port at Ndjili, 10 kilometres (six miles)
from Ndolo airport, also denied the
reports.
On January 30, armed youths
believed to be loyal to a pastor who
challenged President Joseph Kabila
in elections seven years ago stormed
the state television station, the in-
ternational airport and the military
headquarters.
According to Mr Mende, 103 peo-
ple were killed in the January 30 vio-
lence 95 attackers and eight mem-
bers of the armed forces.
The ADF-Nalu rebels have been led
since 2007 by Jamil Mukulu, a former
Christian who converted to Islam, and
they are considered to be the only
Islamist movement active across the
border in DR Congo.
The United States put the group
on its list of terrorist organisations
in 2001 and Mr Mukulu has been tar-
geted by UN sanctions since 2011 and
European Union sanctions since 2012.
AFP
Protesters clash with military police in front of a factory on January 3. Photo: AFP
MYANMAR Consolidated
Media, Ltd (MCM) is
the legal owner of The
Myanmar Times (in both
English and Myanmar) and
NOW! magazine. MCM has
been producing its newspapers and
magazine continuously since 2000,
and will continue to do so, despite the public
notice that appeared in Pyi
Myanma newspaper on 31
December 2013, which
demanded that MCM cease
publication from 1 January, 2014.
The notice was published by
Dr Tin Tun Oo, Director and
Publisher of Swesone Media, without the consent or knowledge
of the Board of Directors of MCM, of which he is a member.
He was appointed by the Board to act as Publisher of MCM
when he joined the joint venture in 2006, and binding legal
documents which he signed at that time require him to act
always in the best interests of the company and its publications.
Additionally, under Article 8.1(a) of that agreement, he has no
right to unilaterally stop the business of the company. To do
so would be ultra vires, and thus illegal.
Prior to publishing the notice last week, in August 2013
Dr Tin Tun Oo filed an application to liquidate the company
and sell its assets despite the fact that MCM, a well-regarded
company with a solid reputation, is a profitable company that
holds a leading role in the marketplace. This application is still
before the Court, and orders are pending, with a decision due on
7 January 2014. Therefore, it is neither legal nor appropriate for
either party to comment publicly on these matters at this time.
Dr Tin Tun Oos efforts to obstruct MCMs operations
notwithstanding, MCM would like to assure its readers and
advertisers that the company will continue to publish The
Myanmar Times (both editions) and NOW! magazine until
further notice and that
business continues as usual.
MCM would also
like to advise its readers
and advertisers that the
Shareholders Agreement,
signed by both Mr Dunkley and
Dr Tin Tun Oo in 2006, stipulates
that the Board of Directors governs the
companys activities and
makes all decisions regarding
its current and future
operations. Individual
board members seeking to change
the direction of the company or to
take action on issues regarding its
operations may do so only through the legal mechanism of the
Board of Directors and the Managing Director.
In accordance with this agreement, because Dr Tin Tun
Oo relinquished his roles as MCMs Publisher and Printer, in
a letter sent to company management on DATE?, the Board
by all rights can call an meeting to appoint a new Publisher
and Printer, and it plans to do so as soon immediately.
Readers and advertisers should also note that in that letter,
Dr Tin Tun Oo also relinquished the role of Editor in Chief
of The Myanmar Times (Myanmar edition). Therefore, Mr
Dunkley, who is currently Editor in Chief of the English edition,
will now assume that role.
Given that Dr Tin Tun Oo has initiated an application to
liquidate MCM, and that this request is still pending before
the Court, MCMs bona fide belief is that his recent actions
are an attempt to interfere with the due legal process of the
Court and to undermine any orders that the Honourable Court
might make in this case.
MCM strongly believes that this amounts to Contempt of
Court and plans to take appropriate action in accordance with
the existing laws of The Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Myanmar Consolidated Media, Ltd
PUBLIC
!
NOTICE
International World 23 www.mmtimes.com
THE Egyptian governments crackdown
on suspected Islamists has come to this:
a terrorism probe focused on a puppet.
Abla Aunt Fahita a Muppet-style
character who regularly appears on
Egyptian television went on the air
last week to deny allegations that her
lines in a recent commercial were cod-
ed messages to the recently banned
Muslim Brotherhood organisation.
I am a comedic character, Fahita,
a gossipy widow, said in an interview
with Egypts CBC network.
The investigation of the puppet is
an extreme sign of a climate of fear
and paranoia in Egypt that has inten-
sied in recent weeks.
Since a coup ousted President Mo-
hammed Morsi in July, the military-
backed government has arrested thou-
sands of people believed to be tied to the
Islamist group he was associated with,
the Muslim Brotherhood. Lately, even
more repressive security measures have
been adopted following a spate of deadly
bombings blamed on Islamist militants.
Authorities have arrested people
including a young schoolboy simply
for displaying pro-Brotherhood signs
or paraphernalia. And this week, se-
cret police detained four journalists
with the Qatar-based news channel
Al Jazeera English, alleging that the
reporters including one Australian
had joined the Brotherhood and
helped incite riots. The network de-
nied the charges.
And now, there is the investigation
of the puppet. She has been accused
by a little-known activist who goes by
the moniker Ahmed Spider. The young
man led a legal complaint that was
then forwarded to special terrorism
prosecutors.
As stupid as it is, its very telling,
Ziad Akl, a political analyst at the Al-
Ahram Center for Political and Strate-
gic Studies, said of the puppet case.
It says a lot about the patriotism
frenzy we are in. There is denitely a
sentiment of fascist nationalism that
you either subscribe to, or face being
labeled a traitor.
The military has enjoyed broad
public support for removing the
democratically elected but deeply un-
popular Mr Morsi, who had lost sup-
port because of rising crime, a sinking
economy and his courtship of hard-
line Islamists while in power.
The swelling nationalism fanned
by the countrys state- and privately-
owned media has given the army-
backed government the legitimacy to
quell further dissent in the name of
national security.
Today, opposition to the government
is being suppressed even more brutally
than it was under strongman Hosni
Mubarak, the longtime ruler who was
forced out in the Arab Spring revolt in
2011. And the campaign against govern-
ment critics has gone beyond Islamists.
In November, authorities jailed
some of Egypts most prominent pro-
democracy activists under a draconian
new protest law that severely restricts
free assembly. Security forces have
arrested hundreds of students who
have staged regular anti-government
rallies on university campuses across
the country.
The string of recent bombing at-
tacks many of which involve jihad-
ist groups based in the Sinai Peninsula
has spurred public calls for a strong
response from the state.
The government last week desig-
nated the Muslim Brotherhood a ter-
rorist organisation, one of the most
serious moves against the group in its
85-year history.
Mr Morsi himself is scheduled
to appear in court on January 8 on
charges of involvement in the killing
of protesters outside the presidential
palace in Cairo in December 2012.
Ofcials have made a series of
seemingly far-fetched allegations
against Mr Morsi and the Brother-
hood, including that they conspired
with Iran to seize power in Egypt.
Mr Morsi has also been charged with
stealing livestock from a prison com-
plex he escaped from during the 2011
uprising.
In a post about the Vodafone ad
on her blog, Inanities, the British-
Egyptian writer Sarah Carr said the
public mood in Egypt has become al-
most fascistic in its reverence for the
elimination of opponents or critics of
the state.
Sometimes it seems that Egypt
does extreme tragedy and extreme
comedy and nothing in between, Ms
Carr wrote.
Signs of the paranoia about poten-
tial enemies are rife. Last fall, security
forces in the countrys south detained
a stork they suspected of spying be-
cause it was wearing an electronic
tracking device.
The puppet Fahitas suspicious mes-
sages were allegedly transmitted in a
new commercial for the telecommuni-
cations company Vodafone. Security of-
cials summoned Vodafone executives
on January 2 to interrogate them.
In the ad, Fahita is shown speaking
with someone on the phone about how
to nd and reactivate her late hus-
bands telephone SIM card. She men-
tions using a snifer dog at a shopping
mall in an efort to locate the card.
In a statement, Vodafone said the
skit was meant to explain to consum-
ers how to reactivate old cards. But
Ahmed Spider, an opponent of Egypts
2011 uprising against authoritarian
rule who led the complaint, inter-
preted the reference to the mall as a
suggestion for the location of a forth-
coming bomb attack.
Other phrases in the commercial
allegedly allude to the governments
recent seizure of Muslim Brotherhood
assets, Spider says. He adds that the
appearance of a cactus adorned with
Christmas decorations in the commer-
cial is a threat of violence, with the or-
naments symbolizing bombs.
The Associated Press said it re-
ceived an emailed statement from
Vodafone that called Spiders interpre-
tation of the ad mere imagination.
On social media sites Thursday,
the investigation of Fahita was wide-
ly mocked. Twitter users started the
hashtag #FreeFahita.
We are laughing about the puppet
now, but replace the puppet with any-
thing else another symbol, another
gure and the media can manipu-
late and do anything with it in this
climate, Mr Akl said. AFP
Egypt terrorism probe hones in on puppet
CAIRO
Vodafone advert featuring the puppet Abla (Aunt) Fahita. Photo: AFP
24 World International THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin,
visiting the site of the suicide bomb-
ings that killed more than 30 people
this week, called for increased se-
curity nationwide before the Sochi
Winter Olympic Games in February.
Mr Putin spoke to some of those
injured during the attacks in Volgo-
grad and met with local ofcials on
January 1, according to a statement
on the Kremlins website.
He was accompanied by Alexan-
der Bortnikov, head of the FSB Fed-
eral Security Service, and Interior
Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.
I would ask the Federal Security
Service Director and the Interior
Minister to stay after the meeting for
a separate discussion of the measures
you are taking to step up security on
the entire territory of the Russian
Federation in view of the events
here, in Volgograd, Mr Putin said
according to a partial transcript of
his speech.
Mr Putins government, which
will seal of Sochi, a city of 345,000
people, had planned to beef up se-
curity starting January 7, a month
before the Games start, according to
state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Russia is spending at least US$48
billion to stage the Olympics, mak-
ing them the most expensive Winter
Games.
The possible threats extend be-
yond the Black Sea city of Sochi, 700
kilometres (435 miles) southwest of
Volgograd, and include the routes
athletes, journalists and spectators
will travel to reach the site.
There are a limited number of air
gateways to the city, including Mos-
cow, Prague, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf
and Stockholm.
While Russian authorities will
be deploying 30,000 police ofcers
and soldiers in and around Sochi,
the Volgograd attacks emphasize the
vulnerability of targets farther away
from the host city.
Sochi lies to the west of the Cauca-
sus Mountains, which stretch about
1200 kilometres through one of the
most economically distressed re-
gions of the country across Chechn-
ya to Dagestan on the Caspian Sea.
Toward the east, Russian forces
battle almost daily attacks by Muslim
extremists after two separatist wars
since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The attack on January 3 killed
at least 16 people when a man deto-
nated a bomb in a trolleybus during
the morning rush hour in Volgograd,
while the death toll from the rail-
station blast rose to 18 people, RIA
Novosti reported, citing the Health
Ministry.
More than 60 people remain hos-
pitalised after the two acts, the Inter-
fax news service reported.
The Investigative Committee, the
Russian federal body that oversees
major criminal probes, said its treat-
ing the bombings as terrorist attacks
that may be linked.
The Volgograd bomb had the ex-
plosive power of more than 4 kilo-
grams (9 pounds) of TNT, according
to a website statement.
Washington Post
Security concerns
ahead of Sochi Games
Voters reject Chinas pre-
screening mechanism
Russian officials inspect the site of the December 30 bomb in the southern city
of Volgograd that claimed the lives of 10 people. Photo: AFP
MOSCOW
HONG KONG
More than 90 percent of people who
took part in an survey organised by
a pro-democracy group said China
shouldnt vet candidates for Hong
Kongs next leader.
About 62,000 people took part
Tuesday in the poll commissioned
by Occupy Central and published by
the University of Hong Kong. They
rejected any pre-screening mecha-
nism for candidates to replace Chief
Executive Leung Chun-ying in 2017.
The results reect anxiety among
opposition groups that Chinas rul-
ing Communist Party will exert
increased control over the chief-
executive selection process as it un-
dergoes changes by 2017. China said
the citys leader should be chosen via
elections, though ofcials have said
candidates should be vetted and the
post should be lled by a patriot.
Opposition lawmakers in Hong
Kong, a British colony returned
to Chinese rule in 1997, are call-
ing for full-edged democracy, and
have threatened demonstrations
unless political reforms speed up.
More than 10,000 people took part
in a protest Tuesday demanding to
choose their next leader, according
to estimates from the university.
Mr Leung took over as the citys
leader in July 2012. He was elected
by a committee made up of billion-
aires, lawmakers and business lead-
ers.
More than 88 percent of people
participating in the poll said the
nominating committee should be
more representative and 94.1 percent
said the public should be involved in
the nominations, according to the
poll results.
Hong Kong started a ve-month
consultation in December to gather
public opinion on the reform pro-
cess. The survey is focused on nomi-
nation procedures for the elections,
including the composition of a com-
mittee that will pick the candidates,
according to Chief Secretary Carrie
Lam.
Li Fei, deputy secretary-general of
Chinas National Peoples Congress
Standing Committee, said in Novem-
ber that candidates for Hong Kongs
leader must be vetted by a commit-
tee and the position must be lled
by a patriot.
Four people were arrested Tues-
day for breaking into the headquar-
ters of the Chinese armys garrison in
Hong Kongs Central district on De-
cember 26, according to an e-mailed
police statement. Two of the people
were detained at Tuesdays protest
and all were believed to be part of a
pro-independence activist group, ac-
cording to the South China Morning
Post.
All Peoples Liberation Army gar-
rison barracks in Hong Kong are
protected by law, an unidentied
spokesperson for the Hong Kong and
Macao Afairs Ofce said, according
to the ofcial Xinhua News Agency.
Those who disregarded the law and
forced into the barrack should be
punished. AFP
IN BRIEF
Wal-Mart issues apology over
donkey meat mix-up
Global retail giant Wal-Mart
Stores has recalled a donkey meat
product from some Chinese stores
after tests found traces of other
animals DNA, the company said
on January 2, after authorities said
it contained fox meat.
The worlds largest retailer will
reimburse customers who bought
the Five Spice Donkey Meat 50
yuan ($8.25), a spokesperson told
AFP.
The company would also
independently DNA test all of
its high risk meats in China, a
procedure which is not required by
retailers under Chinese food laws,
the spokesperson said.
We are deeply sorry for this
whole affair, said Wal-Marts
China president and CEO Greg
Foran according to the online
statement, posted Wednesday.
It did not give an explanation for
how the contamination happened,
but Foran added that the company
would increase its focus on
supplier management.
Donkey meat is not a Chinese
staple meat dish, but is commonly
consumed as a snack.
China has seen several food
safety scares in recent years,
including one in which the
industrial chemical melamine
was added to milk formula in
2008, killing at least six babies and
making 300,000 ill.
Wal-Mart plans to open up to
110 new stores in China over the
next two years, according to the
companys website. AFP
26 World International THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
WITH special machinery installed in
the hold American cargo ship the MV
Cape Ray is poised to embark on an
unprecedented mission to destroy
Syrias lethal chemical agents at sea.
At a shipyard in Virginia, the
650-foot (197.5-metre) ship from
the Maritime Administrations re-
serve eet has been outtted with
two portable hydrolysis systems de-
signed to neutralise the most dan-
gerous chemicals in Syrias arsenal.
Im waiting for my sailing or-
ders, said Captain Rick Jordan,
clad in overalls and a construction
helmet.
The US ofcer told reporters he
expects to get the green light to set
of within about two weeks.
Under a deal brokered by Rus-
sia and the United States, Syria was
supposed to remove its key chemical
weapons components by the end of
2013.
But the countrys raging civil war,
logistical problems and bad weather
have held up plans to move chemi-
cal agents out of Syria to the port of
Latakia, according to the joint UN-
Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission
overseeing the efort.
The most dangerous elements
used for mustard gas and the nerve
agent sarin are supposed to be load-
ed soon onto cargo ships and escort-
ed to Italy by Danish and Norwegian
naval vessels.
In waters of Italy, about 700
tonnes of chemical agents will then
be loaded onto the Cape Ray, ac-
cording to Frank Kendall, Pentagon
undersecretary of defense for acqui-
sition, technology and logistics.
The US ship will then head out to
an undisclosed location, possibly in
the Mediterranean, to begin the task
of neutralising the chemical agents.
Inside the cavernous vessel, all is
ready to accommodate a 35-member
crew and 63 specialists overseeing
the hydrolysis operation, as well as a
security team.
Inside the plastic tent are two
tanks, where the lethal agents will
be mixed with water and other
chemicals.
While destroying chemical weap-
ons at sea is without precedent,
the technology employed has been
around for decades, according to
Adam Baker, a chemical engineer
with the US militarys Edgewood
Chemical Biological Center.
It is essentially the same chemi-
cal process that weve used for our
chemical weapons stockpile, Mr
Baker said. We just scaled it down
into a transportable form.
The hydrolysis process is
supposed to render the lethal agents
into a sludge similar to industrial
toxic waste.
On the outside of the tent, huge
green pipes run through a forest of
valves and six enormous gray cis-
terns, where the resulting material
from the hydrolysis will be stored
and measured for toxicity.
The residue from the operation,
which will amount to 1.5 million gal-
lons (5.7 million litres), will then be
transferred to white cisterns mount-
ed on a lower deck.
Private rms will handle the dis-
posal of the hazardous material,.
French environmentalist group
Robin de Bois warns the plan carries
numerous risks as the 36-year-old
ship has only a single hull and no
transverse partitions in case the ship
sufers a leak or a re.
But the ships captain said the
double hulls are used for oil tankers
or other cargo vessels. In this case,
the chemicals are already conned
in hermetically sealed containers.
Safety is our rst order of busi-
ness, said Kendall.
And were going to make sure
that we dispose of the materials
that we have to handle in a very safe
manner and we take care of both the
people that are involved, people that
might be afected, and the environ-
ment.
The neutralization work at sea is
due to take about 45 to 90 days, ac-
cording to the Pentagon.
The ship is designed to absorb
rough seas but if it becomes un-
manageable, well have to shut down
production, Jordan said. AFP
Contractors work the Field Deployable Hydrolysis System (FDHS) onboard
the M/V Cape Ray on January 2, in Portsmouth, Virginia. Photo: AFP
Syrias chemical agents set for sea burial NKorea purges counter-
revolutionary factionalists
VIRGINIA PYONGYANG
NORTH Korean supreme leader Kim
Jong Un said last week that unity had
strengthened by 100 times following the
purge of counterrevolutionary factional-
ists an apparent reference to his uncle,
Jang Song Thaek, who was executed last
month for treason.
Mr Kims comments came in a lengthy
New Years Day address and were his rst
since Mr Jangs alleged coup plot. Though
Mr Kim did not mention Mr Jang by
name, he did call the purge the correct
decision.
Mr Kim also said that the North must
be more vigilant in stamping out dissent.
He called for intensied ideological educa-
tion among Workers Party members and
citizens to ensure that they think and act
at all times and in all places in line with
the Partys ideas and intentions.
[North Koreans] should wage a vig-
orous struggle to stamp out any sort of
alien ideology and decadent lifestyle,
which may undermine our system, Mr
Kim said.
The acknowledgment of potential dis-
sent is noteworthy because Pyongyang
for decades has used its propaganda to
project a sense of unquestioned loyalty to
the Kim family. Some analysts say that the
North under Mr Kim has abruptly aban-
doned that mythmaking, and is instead
highlighting the punishment that will
come to those who are disloyal.
Mr Kim, who will turn 31 next week,
assumed power in the North following the
death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in Decem-
ber 2011. Mr Jangs removal represents the
highest-level shake-up during his tenure,
and experts are uncertain whether the
move will help Mr Kim consolidate power
or bring further chaos.
Analysts who study the authoritarian
nation say the annual New Years address
provides some hints about the Norths
policy goals though theres also plenty
of by-the-numbers propaganda. Much of
Mr Kims address focused on modest steps
to improve agriculture and the economy.
Mr Kim also said a favorable climate
should be established to improve relations
with South Korea. Mr Kim had laid out a
similar vision one year ago, but volleyed
Seoul in March and April with threats of
a military attack.
This was at least the third time that Mr
Kim has delivered a speech to mark a ma-
jor holiday. The approach contrasts with
that of his more private father, Kim Jong
Il, who ruled for 17 years and addressed
North Korean citizens only once. During
Kim Jong Ils tenure, the annual address
took the form of an editorial published by
the main state-run newspapers.
For all of Mr Kims talk about bolster-
ing the economy, there was no mention
about international trade or foreign in-
vestment areas in which Mr Jang had
been heavily involved.
It implies that North Korea is go-
ing to focus more on domestic matters,
said Park Hyeong-jung, a North Korea
researcher at Seouls Korea Institute for
National Unication.
South Koreas unication minister told
members of Parliament on January 30
that the North was continuing to purge of-
cials whod been close to Mr Jang. That
group likely includes the Norths ambas-
sador to Sweden, Pak Kwang Chol, who
has been summoned back to Pyongyang,
according to the Souths Yonhap news
agency.
Last month, South Korean President
Park Geun-hye warned the North may
attempt an armed provocation, given
the uncertainty of its political situation.
Mr Kims speech Monday was light on war
rhetoric, but he did blast the United States
and South Korea for staging military exer-
cises, which he described as a rehearsal for
a nuclear war against the North.
Should another war break out on
this land, Mr Kim said, it will result in a
deadly nuclear catastrophe and the Unit-
ed States will never be safe. AFP
[North Koreans]
should wage a
vigorous struggle to
stamp out any sort
of alien ideology and
decadent lifestyle,
which may undermine
our system
Kim Jong Un
North Korea Supreme Leader
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Temporary accommodation services, accommodation (rental of
temporary), catering (food and drink), rental of meeting rooms,
restaurants, cafs, reservations of temporary accommodation;
providing temporary housing accommodation; providing serviced
apartments; hotel services. Class: 43
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark or
other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law.
U Kyi Win Associates
for Millennium & Copthorne International Limited
P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon.
Phone: 372416 Dated: 6
th
January, 2014
THE PULSE EDITOR: BRIDGET DI CERTOBridget.dicerto@gmail.com THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014






G
E
T

Y
O
U
R

F
I
N
G
E R
S

O
N

I
T
The human-powered process of Twantes disappearing pottery industry; from the stamping, mixing of clay, forming, skimming and decorating right through to the final product. Photo: Philip Heijmans
M
A Aye Aye is beautiful.
With pearly white
skin, shiny hair and a
dazzling smile, she dees
her 34 years of age.
But Ma Aye Aye is worried.
The daughter of two traditional
pottery artisans, she has already
watched the waves of exodus from
other pottery families in Twante, a
hamlet across the Yangon river from
downtown.
We cannot say if this business
will continue after us. Maybe once
our parents are retired, we will
nd other work, she said, adding
her sister left to work as a maid in
Malaysia.
This tradition is dying
generation by generation, she said.
Potters in Twante and the
surrounding village have a unique
geographical edge in having access
to a high-quality clay that is only
formed in 13 places in the whole
of Myanmar. The clay is creatred
when paddy mud washes into the
river and is churned by fast-owing
currents, mixing it with river mud.
When combined with the
mountain clay used across the
country in ceramics, the river mud
gives the baked pottery an attractive
creamy terracotta hue.
Ma Aye Ayes family goes to the
river directly to harvest the river
mud for their crafts.
Once a vibrant market centre for
regional pottery, Twante, like many
other nearby artisan villages, was
all but levelled when Cyclone Nargis
tore through the delta to Yangon in
2008.
When the cyclone hit, expensive
and livelihood-gifting brick kilns
were destroyed, rewood was
drowned and wood and thatch
houses collapsed in on themselves.
Inside Ma Aye Ayes family
workshop it is dark. A high
thatched roof traps the plumes of
clay powder that swirl in shafts
of sunlight ltering down to the
earthen oor that is cluttered with
ceramic works in various states of
completion. There are water jars,
ofering cups and ower pots, as
well as a few made-to-order pieces
of elegantly carved display pottery.
The familys home is to the back
of the compound, a similarly simple
dwelling with earthen oor and
thatch roof.
Without water or electricity
in the family home, the whole
operation is powered by hand. It
can take nearly a full day to tease
the re in the kilns to appropriately
high temperatures for baking the
pottery.
Post-Nargis, the family has not
been able to aford the repairs to
return the workshop to its former
glory: Two kilns remain completely
collapsed in on themselves and
repairs are slowly progressing on a
third, leaving only one functioning
oven for the workshop.
The devastation after Nargis
forced about three-quarters of
pottery families in Ma Aye Ayes
village to abandon their craft and
seek work elsewhere, leaving only
about 10 families who remained to
try to resuscitate the craft that had
nourished them for generations.
In the aftermath of the cyclones
deadly path, some funding was
received from a French NGO and
UNICEF for potters in Twante to
make ceramic water lters to send
down to the delta to help relief
eforts in that area.
But not all families had the
manpower or the technical know-
how to accept the massive order
from the NGOs.
The job would have required the
use of costly-to-operate electrical
machines and a higher number of
employees who simply werent
available after the cyclone wreaked
devastation through the delta and
Yangon.
I dont think the children will
join the business, Ma Aye Aye
said of the two excitable toddlers
crawling around the dirt oor of the
familys pottery workshop. We will
instead try to send the children to
school.
Ma Aye Ayes family still makes
all works by hand. They mainly
produce small ofering cups that are
sold for K12 per cup wholesale and
ceramic water containers.
To make their pottery, the family
must rst pound the mountain
clay into a ne powder that can
be sifted. Next, this ne powder is
stamped into the river mud using
bare feet, not unlike a Greek grape-
crushing spectacle.
From this clay block, a potter
can make up to 1500 small cups a
day by hand and a spinning wheel,
which are then left to dry in the sun
and later baked in the familys one
remaining kiln.
If a pot fractures in the sun, it
can be worked down, back to its
clay form, but if it cracks in the kiln
it becomes road rubble, Ma Aye Aye
explained with a smile.
Her family makes between
K800,000 and K900,000 per month,
with a little under half around
K350,000 as prot to support two
grandparents, 4 adult children and
2 grandchildren.
There has been about a 40
percent increase in the cost of
rewood and mountain clay in
recent years, Ma Aye Aye estimated,
adding that the rising costs couples
with competition from mechanical
or factory-style pottery workshops
makes the traditional method of
pottery more difcult every year.
In a nearby family-run workshop,
48-year-old Ko Tin Thaung likewise
worries about the future of the craft.
Families or village
representatives from all over
Myanmar have travelled to Twante
to learn the unique and highly
coveted technique for making rst-
class ceramics, Ko Tin Thaung said.
To learn how to kick and spin
the pottery plate takes about one
year, he said. And to learn to build
a ower pot takes at least three
years.
But this traditional hand-
powered turning of clay into
beautiful works is quickly dying
as electrical machines and moulds
take the place of the artisans in
Twante.
Ko Tin Thaung shrugs when
asked about the future. For him, the
only time he can think about is now.
the pulse 29 www.mmtimes.com
We cannot
say if this
business will
continue after
us ...This
tradition
is dying
generation by
generation
BRIDGET DI
CERTO
bridget.dicerto@gmail.com
Traditional pottery
fading with the times
The human-powered process of Twantes disappearing pottery industry; from the stamping, mixing of clay, forming, skimming and decorating right through to the final product. Photo: Philip Heijmans
30 the pulse local THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
CAPRICORN | Dec 22 - Jan 19
The leader must make personal changes before asking others
to change. Keep your communication channels open and be
exible and adaptable throughout the process. Never allow
others to think you always have the best answers. Help others
to think through the entire process of their problems. Develop a
game plan for social activities and never forget to build trust in love.
LIBRA | Sep 23 - Oct 22
Awareness does not mean only remembering all the truths
all of the time but making each of them a way of life in a
gradual process. Make a resolution today that not one harsh
word will be used by you, whatever the situation. This could
open up a wonderful future for you. A cursory glance at your
experience reveals that you have the ability to contact your inner soul.
Inner darkness cannot see loves value.
AUNG MYIN KYAW
4
th
Floor, 113, Thamain Bayan Road, Tarmwe township, Yangon.
Tel: 09-731-35632, Email: williameaste@gmail.com
SCORPIO | Oct 23 - Nov 21
Silence has been universally applauded as the most potent way of
conserving our energy. You should always weigh every word
before you let it leave your mouth. Goodness and humility go
hand in hand. Try to replace selfishness with selflessness, and let
your mind free itself from worldly attachments. Acknowledge
your awkwardness or anxiety but freshen up in emotional affairs.
WEEKLY PREDICTIONS
JANUARY 6 - 12, 2013
ARIES | Mar 21 - Apr 19
Make certain you do not indulge in negative, defeatist, unkind
or depressing thoughts. Recall frequently that you can
experience nothing outside what you create in your own mind.
Nothing is accomplished without desire. Desire is a wish with
wings of imagination and faith. To focus only on needs and to
exert willpower is to increase your condition of powerlessness.
TAURUS | Apr 20 - May 20
Look behind before you look ahead. Logically look at your
past failures but feel nothing about your mistakes. The
value of a vision is determined by the energy and direction
it gives. Do not fear the risk of pursuing a vision. Selsh
people are vision-busters. Light will bring out the optimism
in you. It may be difcult to make your love story understood.
PISCES | Feb 19 - March 20
Nothing in the world puries like spiritual wisdom. No
praise can make you pure and no criticism can take away
your goodness. Do not delay pardoning someone who
has wronged you and do not delay begging pardon from
someone whom you have wronged. Your lack of sleep
may cause irritation, depression and mental disorder.
AQUARIUS | Jan 20 - Feb 18
Your vision will become clear only when you look into
your own heart. Develop a denite plan for turning over
your desires to your subconscious mind. Decide what
belief you must hold. Know that belief is a thought in your
mind and that what you think you create. Never dwell on
the problem of love. Light up your mental passion.
CANCER | Jun 21 - Jul 22
Embrace the big idea, which is that people want to
know you as a real man with a decent and
trustworthy nature. Focus plus daily improvement
plus time equals genius. Understand that your life
will never be the same, and you can change
according to your belief. Get wildly interested in what others
have to say to you. And just watch how people respond.
VIRGO | Aug 23 - Sep 22
Learn some simple yogic exercises and keep your
soul in the open air as long as you can. You will
feel free and fresh to reduce social stresses and
emotional worries. Be sure to become character-
driven instead of emotion-driven. Let your actions
control your attitude but do not allow your attitude to control
your actions.
LEO | Jul 23 - Aug 22
Never let go of a dream until youre ready to wake
up and make it happen. People do not care how
much you know until they know how much you
care. Your decisions will always be better if you do
what is right for the organisation rather than what
is right for yourself. Share information with everyone and put
the interests of the group over your own. Create dignity and
love. Its in your hands.
GEMINI | May 21 - June 20
Understand how the power of sustained imagination
can bring success. Put your wit wholeheartedly into
the act, living on this assumption and creating a
better and healthier mental balance. Whatever you
can conceive is true, you should bring into being.
Know that honesty, sincerity, kindness and integrity are all
aspects of love. It must be of the heart and the heart is the centre
of love.
SAGITTARIUS | Nov 22 - Dec 21
Sidney Howard said that one half of knowing what you want
is knowing what you must give up before you get it. Believe
that the wrong decision at the right time is a mistake and the
right decision at the wrong time is non-acceptance. Your
analysis of new ideas must incline toward maintaining the
status quo. The heart is not for suffering disappointments but exquisite
understanding.
F
OR the nest Japanese steak
and BBQ Kobe-Ya Japanese
Restaurant is in a league of
its own.
From the moment you
enter the Kobe-Ya compound of
Pyay Road in Kamayut Township, the
elegantly lit, manicured gardens and
chic exterior of the Kobe-Ya villa let
you know you are in for something
exceptional.
Attentive staf usher you past the
wine and sake cellars into a private
room for 2, 4, 8, or 20 people. Decked
with a marble heat-resistant tablet
and a chrome exhaust this is where
the magic happens.
The menu prominently features
BBQ sets but also ofers al a carte
selection and syabu syabu hot pot.
The owner Hiroko Nakamura
personally ies to Tokyo to select the
nest Kobe and Wagyu beef to import
to the restaurant and, she is the rst
to admit her standards are high.
I am not one to run away in the
face of challenges, Ms Nakamura
said. Here we use the nest Kobe
beef, imported directly from Kobe
which is a town and a brand or
standard of beef in Japan.
The restaurant is geared toward
VIP dining, with prices for BBQ
sets ranging from US$25 to $89 per
person and a selection of ne wines
and sake ranging from $13 to $300
per bottle.
We tried the Suma BBQ Set, which
includes a salad, appetizer, 4 types of
Japanese beef, seafood, soup, rice and
dessert for US$58. Needless to say, a
hearty appetite is an essential dining
companion.
A huge, hot-coal pot is placed in
the middle of your table with a steel
mesh grill over the top. The grill
quickly heats up, ready for your BBQ.
A cold, pickled appetizer sampling
plate of kimchi, kale, radish and bean
sprouts is rst brought out, along
with a cold green salad avoured
with Japanese wasabi-sesame
dressing.
Next is the main event 4 beef
cuts, including Kobe beef, each
plate with about fteen-twenty
cuts and two seafood selections
of prawns and squid. Using steel
tongs, the raw meat is placed on
the grill and heated to your desired
spectrum of rare to well done. The
cuts can be cooked within a minute
on the super-heated grill.
There are three BBQ dipping
sauces to accompany your meal, each
a priority paring for diferent cuts of
meet.
The Kobe beef is a succulent,
wagyu strip that feels marshmallowy
in the mouth and is best not too
cooked to keep the juices sealed
inside the meat.
Next a mushroom, egg and
vegetable soup are brought out and
a bowl of rice to nish of the main
meal.
And just when you thought you
couldnt eat anymore, a lemony
granita ice and fruit tray appear for
dessert.
Kobe-Ya is a relatively new
addition to the Yangon dining scene,
marking its 1
st
anniversary recently,
but has already seen popularity for
business lunches and VIP dining.
Worth the investment for a special
occasion.
A taste of luxury at
Kobe-Ya Japanese
Restaurant
BRIDGET DI
CERTO
bridget.dicerto@gmail.com
Kobe-Ya Japanese Restuarant. Photo: Philip Heijmans
A private group dining room at Kobe-Ya Restaurant. Photo: Philip Heijmans
Hiroko Nakamura. Photo: Philip
Heijmans
Suma Set Japanese BBQ dishes are
seen at Kobe-Ya. Photo: Philip Heijmans
the pulse local 31 www.mmtimes.com
WE should just ride it over! It was
said jokingly whilst on the train to
Mandalay. But as we were getting
delirious from the intense rocking
of the train and lack of sleep, we
fantasised about how nice it would
be to have a bike in Myanmar and
reminisced about the old Royal
Eneld Andy still had stored in Delhi
from when he used to live there a few
years ago.
Somehow the idea stuck and, back
in Yangon a couple of weeks later, we
started to look seriously at just how
crazy an idea it would be to try to ride
a motorcycle from Delhi to Yangon.
Pretty crazy, as it turned out
rst and foremost because the
border between India and Myanmar
is closed to foreigners. Second, the
route would have to pass through
some of Indias dodgiest states in
the countrys restive northeast.
Plus there were the unpredictable
road conditions in the Himalayas,
which looked to be some of the
most challenging in the world.
Then there was the innumerable
red tape involved in transporting a
motorcycle across six international
borders. And the small matter
that its actually illegal to ride a
motorcycle in Yangon.
It was quite understandable
therefore that we couldnt nd
evidence of anyone whod driven
this route previously. A couple of
organised groups including the
Calcutta to Kunming Car Rally had
actually crossed overland from India
to Myanmar, but they had the sort
of high-level contacts we could only
dream of. Plus they were escorted
all the way through, which certainly
wasnt what we had in mind. No
one seemed to have been permitted
to cross independently for at least
several decades.
So why try? The lure of
adventure was strong. Just the
names of the places that the
route would take us through
Kathmandu, Sikkim, Bhutan,
Nagaland was enough to convince
us that we should give it a shot.
Moreover, we felt it would ofer a
great perspective on Myanmars
past, present and future regional
connections. We live on Shwe Bon
Thar Street in downtown Yangon,
an area brimming with Indian
roots and fading colonial buildings.
Probably half of the traders on our
street can claim Indian ancestry,
their forefathers having made the
journey from the old country. We
thought it would be fascinating to
retrace that trip and see how the
region beyond Myanmars western
borders is changing. It would mean
travelling along old trade routes
that will soon become the new high
roads of Asia as India and China
develop and as Myanmar, a crucial
link between the two, opens up.
So it was that a few weeks later
we found ourselves on a ight to
India, not quite believing what
we were about to try to do. In the
meantime, wed been busy. We had
a rough route planned that looked
kind of feasible on paper, though
whether certain thin lines on the
map corresponded to navigable
roads on the ground especially
just after the monsoon was a
diferent matter. Wed secured visas
for India and special permission
to travel through Bhutan with
our bike, but not Nepal. And we
still had no green light to cross
into Myanmar overland, despite a
series of missives to the Ministry of
Foreign Afairs in Nay Pyi Taw.
Wed done our own amateur
security brieng and, while safety
in western and southern Nepal
seemed hazy, in Northeast India and
particularly in Manipur it was crystal
clear several bombings and highway
robberies in the past few weeks
assured us that this would be the
most dangerous part of the journey.
Wed studiously ignored the fact
that neither of us have a clue how
to maintain a motorcycle, deciding
that wed rely on roadside mechanics
and crossed ngers instead. And
wed have to gamble on Google Maps
for the navigation. We now had
what we thought were the essentials
for a motorcycle trip stufed into
two backpacks in the airplanes
overhead lockers, including the vital
Swiss Army knife and hip ask of
single malt which we felt should be
sufcient to see us through the more
sticky situations. We also had a shiny
new blog online, though we wondered
what hope we really had of living up
to its ambitiously optimistic address,
Ridingtorangoon.com.
Only now, as we looked out the
airplane window and down at the
vast expanses of the northern plains
of India, did other vital questions
start to pop into our heads: Would
the motorcycle still perform at high
altitude? Just how cold was it going
to get? What was the number of days
one should reasonably allocate for
sickness and breakdowns? And where
exactly would you pass the night
should you get lost in the middle of
the Nagaland jungle? All of these
would be answered in the coming
weeks, proving several of our airborne
guesses to be wildly wrong. Our
musings, however, were interrupted
by the cabin crew preparing for
landing, and a few minutes later we
were bumping down onto the tarmac
of Delhis Indira Gandhi Airport.
We allowed ourselves a day in
Delhi for nal preparations and
some last minute shopping. Most
importantly, though, we wanted to
get the bike blessed. We viewed the
protection of Ganesh as absolutely
essential given the amount of holes
that still existed in our plan. So we
headed up to Lalli Singhs bike garage
in North Delhi where we were warmly
greeted with namastes and chai.
Lalli had introduced Andy to the
legendary Royal Eneld motorcycle
some years back and taught him
how to ride (at least, in a certain
fashion). The Royal Eneld is a bike
that is ubiquitous in India, a classic
1940s-style machine that can be seen
chugging along the highways and
byways across the country, piloted
by mustachioed khaki-clad cops,
turbaned young Sikhs and anyone
else who wants a little piece of
Bollywood machismo in their life.
Despite hosting numerous over-
landers, Lalli confessed that hed
never heard of anyone succeeding
in riding from India to Myanmar.
Thus he gave us a very special puja,
during which he had a moment of
inspiration after considering that
our surnames are Rell and Beneld.
Achah, so Rell Beneld on the Royal
Eneld! he exclaimed, declaring that
this was certainly a sign from Ganesh
that our trip would be fortuitous.
With the bike appropriately
garlanded, the next morning we
corded our backpacks onto the back,
strapped on our helmets and kicked
the engine into life. Ahead of us lay
6500km (about 4050 miles) of the
unknown. The idea that wed actually
ride all the way to Yangon on this
thing was hard to believe. And what
wed experience in the attempt, we
really had no idea. But it was time to
stop worrying and start riding.
Not toward Myanmar just yet.
First, we had to make a very planned
excursion to the Taj Mahal, a place
neither of us had ever visited despite
the length of time wed both spent in
the country. Expecting potholes, dust
and blaring trucks, instead we were
greeted by the spanking new Yamuna
Expressway, which runs from Delhi
down to Agra, 200km of smooth
six-lane asphalt with hardly another
vehicle in sight. The expressway
provided the ideal stretch to ease
us in and for Emilies rst go at
riding, which we agreed went rather
swimmingly. Team spirit suitably
cemented, we steeled ourselves for
what we knew would be the far more
challenging roads ahead.
Blessed be the bike: part one of a motorcyle journey from Delhi to Yangon
On the road riding to Rangoon
ANDY BENFIELD
EMILIE RELL
Negotiating for the motorbike.
Interested, or perhaps apprehensive, onlookers check out the spectacle of
motorbike travel. Photo: Supplied
About to depart for the epic ride to
Rangoon. Photo: Supplied
The l ure of
adventure was
strong. Just
the names of
the pl aces that
the route woul d
take us...
Photo: Supplied
32 the pulse tea break THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
ACROSS
1 Catchers
protection
5 Daniel Boone star
Parker
9 Had a yearning
14 ___ go bragh
15 Words from a
nonfolder
16 One brick shy
of a load
17 Optimists feature
20 Warning
21 Go one better than
22 Rounded
church area
23 Chewed and
swallowed
24 Triangular sail
26 Ripped
28 Prefix with dynamic
and space
30 Philosophy of bare
existence?
34 Some aliens
37 Bar bills
39 Disgraced hotelier
Helmsley
40 Ignore
intentionally
44 Game related
to bingo
45 Damaged by
drought
46 Long ___ and far
away ...
47 Quakers with deep
roots?
49 Anna and the
King of ___
51 ___ silly
question ...
53 Orange or lemon
attachment
54 What Kind of Fool
___
57 Fun coaster
60 Fake ones get people
bounced
62 Present
decoration
64 Glance over once
more
67 All possible
68 Diagonal cut
69 Billion extension
70 Like leisure suits and
phonographs
71 While beginning?
72 Ran, as a color
DOWN
1 Where some pilgrims
hope to land
2 Enlightened one, in
Buddhism
3 Straining tool
4 Your largest joint
5 Adjective for Hawaii,
say
6 Ostrich cousin
7 Delta filler
8 Condescending one
9 Certain
keyboard key
10 Bowl-shaped strainer
11 Basketball rim
12 Dukes of Hazzard
policeman
13 The Dick Van ___
Show
18 Malay prince
19 Once ___ a time ...
25 Hillsides in Scotland
27 Be sovereign
29 Double-reeded
woodwinds
31 Corn-growing state
32 Entanglement
33 ... and hold the ___
(deli order)
34 Napoleons place of
exile
35 Foot digits
36 Afternoon drama
38 Narrow groove
41 Bread makers, at times
42 A great deal
43 Adjustable car part
48 Epidermis
50 Golda of Israel
52 Brick dried in the sun
54 Buzzing with
excitement
55 A Visit from St.
Nicholas poet
56 Like printing presses
57 Dance lesson
58 Etna spew
59 Barely achieves (with
out)
61 Use a spoon, in a way
63 Divulge a secret
65 Will do, at sea
66 Currently possesses
Universal Crossword
Edited by Timothy E. Parker
SEE WHAT I MEAN? By Oliver Klamp
SUDOKU PACIFIC
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS
DILBERT BY SCOTT ADAMS
PEANUTS BY CHARLES SCHULZ
CALVIN AND HOBBES BY BILL WATTERSON
Laugh all the way to the bank when you rent this space.
The tea break page is being re-formatted in readiness for our move to a daily cycle. It may look something like this in the future.
Our market research shows that a page like this attracts a large number of readers, who loyally read it every day.
Ring Marketing Department to book this space permanently and
laugh all the way to the bank with the extra business coming in your door.
Telephone us now on +951 392 928
the pulse food and drink 33 www.mmtimes.com
PHYOS COOKING ADVENTURE
Throw a quail on the barbie
Sweet or spicy two tasty ways to serve up a quail
phyocooking@gmail.com
Q
uails are a delicious bird
whichever way they are
prepared: pan-fried, roasted
in the oven, grilled or, as
in Myanmar, deep-fried
and eaten as snacks and nibbles.
My personal preference is for pan
frying or grilling, but both methods
pose some challenges. You must pay
attention. Theres not much meat on
the bird to begin with, and its all too
easy to waste it.
I have seen fresh quails for sale at
the poultry counter at Marketplace
most of the time. The butcher has
cleaned them already so they are
ready to cook. Just take the neck of
from the body and cut the back bones
with scissors so the bird will lie at.
HONEY-GRILLED QUAIL
(SERVES 4)
4 quails
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried thymes leaves
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon zest
Take of the head and neck of the
quail and clean the inside. Wash well
and pat dry with paper towel.
Prepare the marinade. In a large
glass bowl, add lemon zest, garlic,
honey, oil and thymes leaves and mix
well. Add salt and black pepper to
taste.
Rub the marinade over the quail
and keep it in the fridge for at least
an hour.
Grill on an open re (gas stove
or charcoal). Turn the quail a couple
of times while grilling about 3-5
minutes each side. Take care not to
overcook. when the meat is cooked
through, serve with lemon wedges.
PAN-FRIED SPICED QUAIL
(SERVES 4)
4 quails
2 cloves garlic
tsp ground cinnamon
tsp turmeric powder
tsp chili powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp sultanas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Take of the head and neck of the
quail and clean the inside. Wash well
and pat dry with paper towel.
Prepare the marinade. In a large
glass bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the
vegetable oil and other ingredients and
mix well. Add salt and black pepper to
taste.
Rub the marinade over the quail
and keep in the fridge for at least an
hour.
When ready to cook, add remaining
oil into a non-stick frying pan and
heat on medium. When the oil is at
temperature, add the quail and cover
the pan with a lid. Cook 3 minutes on
each side, keeping the pan covered.
If the meat seems dry, add 3
tablespoons of water or more while
cooking, but be careful not to overdo it.
Serve with rice or salads.
FOODIE QUOTE
Food is to eat, not to frame and
hang on the wall.
William Denton Grilled and sweetened quail. Photo: Phyo
Fireworks displays lights up Dubais palm frond island. Photo: AFP The worlds tallest building, the worlds biggest fireworks display. Photo: AFP
Pan fried quail with a spicy Moroccan twist Photo: Phyo
DUBAI shattered the world record for
the largest-ever pyrotechnic display
on New Years Eve with a show
involving more than half a million
reworks, Guinness World Records
said on January 1.
Ten months in planning, over
500,000 reworks were used during
the display which lasted around
six minutes, with Guinness World
Records adjudicators on hand to
conrm that a new record had been
set, the Guinness website said.
The display spanned 94
kilometres (58.4 miles) of the Dubai
coast, which boasts an archipelago
of man-made islands and Burj
Khalifa, the worlds tallest tower,
Guinness said.
Enough reworks were launched
in the rst minute of the display to
break the previous record, set by
Kuwait in 2011 with an hour-long
show of 77,282 reworks.
The main displays took place
at Burj Khalifa and the luxurious
Atlantis hotel located in Palm
Jumeirah, one of three palm-shaped
islands.
US rm Fireworks by Grucci
designed the display, Guinness
said, using 100 computers and
200 technicians to synchronise the
pyrotechnics at a reported cost of
around US$6 million.
Dubai boasts the worlds tallest
tower, its largest man-made island
and one of its busiest airports.
The UAB state set its latest record
in May last year with Princess Tower,
recorded by Guinness as the worlds
tallest residential building.
Dubai has been vying to become a
permanent xture on the world map
of New Year celebrations, staging
spectacular shows since the opening
of the 828-metre (2716-foot) Burj
Khalifa tower in 2010. AFP
DUBAI
New Years2014 reworks
display breaks world record
THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
Real Fitness Centers charity bazazar FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour
Ko Kyaw Zayyar Win and Ma Ei Mon Kyaws wedding reception
June XI service and business center opening ceremony
34 the pulse socialite
Soe Thu and an attendee
Models Cutting ribbons for opening
Ko Kyaw Zayyar Win and Ma Ei Mon Kyaw Ko Nyan Lin Aung and wife Ko J Paing and a friend
Performers Chit Snow Oo and friends Yan Yan Chan
Ko Andy Fifa ofcals
A guest poses with the Fifa World Cup trophy
An attendee
Moe Sat Wine, Daw Khin Marla, Awn Seng and children U Nay Aung, Arr T, Daw Khin Marla and attendees
Chaw Yadanar and Thandar Bo
Next Staff Party MMDC Graduation ceremony
Academy Awarding Ceremony
www.mmtimes.com the pulse socialite 35
Happy New Year to you all readers! Socialite wishes you
are all in great moods, back from your vacation and ready
to start your New Years plans and resolutions. Despite a
holiday from the ofce, there were still events to attend at
this exciting time of year. On December 25, she attended the
June XI service and business center on Dagon road. On the
following day, along with a large crowd of attendees, she
visited the Real tness centers Charity Bazaar and New Year
Party. On December 29, she attended the Myanmar Academy
awarding ceremony at Thuwunna Stadium. Then, she
started the 2014 New Year with Next Stuf party at Junction
Square and then celebrated the wedding reception of Ko
Kyaw Zayyar Win and Ma Ei Mon Kyaw at Mahar Sandi
Sukha Buddhist Monastery.
nyeineieihtwe23@gmail.com
NYEIN
EI EI HTWE
Lu Pant Nge
Saga War Model Yoon Yoon
Thet Mon Myint
Moe Sat Wine
Ma Nyein Thin Zar
Students receive graduration achievement
36 the pulse travel THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES
Domestic
6T = Air Mandalay
W9 = Air Bagan
YJ = Asian Wings
K7 = AIR KBZ
YH = Yangon Airways
FMI = FMI AIR Charter
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines
Subject to change
without notice
Domestic Airlines
Air Bagan Ltd. (W9)
Tel : 513322, 513422, 504888, Fax : 515102
Air KBZ (K7)
Tel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (Airport),
Fax: 372983
Air Mandalay (6T)
Tel : (Head Ofce) 501520, 525488,
Fax: 525937. Airport: 533222~3, 09-73152853.
Fax: 533223.
Asian Wings (YJ)
Tel: 951 516654, 532253, 09-731-35991~3.
Fax: 951 532333
Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)
Tel: 95 9 400446999, 95 9 400447999,
Fax: 01 860 4051
Yangon Airways(YH)
Tel: (+95-1) 383 100, 383 107, 700 264,
Fax: 652 533.
FMI Air Charter - Sales &
Reservations
Tel: (95-1) 240363, 240373 / (+95-9) 421146545
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday
YANGON TO NAY PYI TAW
Flight Days Dep Arr
FMI A1 1,2,3,4,5 7:30 8:30
Y5 777 1,2,3,4,6 7:45 8:25
FMI A1 6 8:00 9:00
FMI B1 1,2,3,4,5 11:30 12:30
FMI A1 7 15:30 16:30
FMI C1 1,2,3,4,5 16:30 17:30
YH -SPL 1,4,6 18:00 19:10
NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
FMI A2 1,2,3,4,5 8:50 9:50
FMI A2 6 10:00 11:00
FMI B2 1,2,3,4,5 13:00 14:00
FMI A2 7 17:00 18:00
Y5 778 1,2,3,4,6 17:30 18:10
FMI C2 1,2,3,4,5 18:00 19:00
YH -SPL 1,4,6 19:10 20:05
YANGON TO MANDALAY
Flight Days Dep Arr
YJ 901 Daily 6:00 7:25
YH 917 Daily 6:00 8:20
YJ 891 Daily 6:10 8:15
Y5 234 Daily 6:15 7:30
YH 909 1,2,3,4,5,7 6:15 7:55
6T 401 Daily 6:20 8:25
K7 222 Daily 6:30 8:40
K7 626 1,5 6:45 8:10
K7 226 2,4 6:45 8:10
YH 833 2 7:00 8:40
YH 831 4,6 7:00 8:40
YJ 001 1,2,3,4,5 7:30 9:20
W9 201 Daily 7:30 8:55
8M 6603 2,4,7 9:00 10:10
K7 624 Daily 10:30 11:55
YJ 211 5,7 10:30 11:55
YJ 601 1 10:30 11:55
YJ 761 1,2,4,6 11:00 12:55
YJ 201 1,2,3,4 11:00 12:25
YJ 751/W9 7751 3,5,7 11:00 12:55
YH 737 3,5,7 11:00 13:10
YH 729 2,4 11:00 14:00
YH 727 1 11:00 13:10
W9 251 2,5 11:15 12:40
YH 921 5 11:30 15:10
6T 807 7 11:30 12:55
6T 807 1 12:00 13:25
YH 731 4 13:30 15:40
YH 921 6 13:30 15:10
K7 224 Daily 14:30 16:35
W9 129 Daily 15:00 16:55
YH 731 1,2,3,5,6,7 15:00 17:10
6T 501 Daily 15:30 17:30
W9 211 Daily 15:30 16:55
MANDALAY TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
YJ 901 Daily 7:40 9:45
YH 910 1,2,3,4,5,7 7:55 10:00
Y5 233 Daily 8:10 9:25
YH 918 Daily 8:20 10:15
YJ 891 Daily 8:30 10:25
6T 402 Daily 8:45 10:45
K7 223 Daily 8:55 11:00
W9 201 Daily 9:10 11:05
W9 144 Daily 9:20 10:45
Y5 132 3,5,6,7 9:30 10:30
YJ 001 1,2,3,4,5 9:50 10:45
K7 227 2,4 10:35 12:00
K7 627 1,5 10:55 12:20
YH 834 2 11:30 12:55
YH 832 4,6 11:30 12:55
K7 845 2,4,7 12:50 16:00
6T 808 7 13:15 15:15
6T 808 1 13:45 15:45
YJ 602 6 15:10 16:35
YJ 202 1,2,3,4 15:30 16:55
YJ 212 5,7 15:30 17:35
YH 732 4 15:40 18:40
YH 728 1 16:30 17:55
YJ 762 1,2,4,6 16:35 18:00
W9 120 1,3,6 16:30 17:55
K7 225 Daily 16:50 19:00
W9 129 Daily 17:10 18:35
YH 738 3,5,7 17:10 18:35
W9 211 Daily 17:10 19:15
K7 625 Daily 17:10 18:35
8M 6604 2,4,7 17:20 18:30
YH 730 2,4 17:45 19:10
6T 502 Daily 17:50 19:55
YJ 752/W9 7752 3,5,7 17:50 19:15
YH 922 5,6 18:00 19:25
YANGON TO NYAUNG U
Flight Days Dep Arr
YH 917 Daily 6:00 7:35
YJ 901 Daily 6:00 8:10
YJ 891 Daily 6:10 7:30
W9 141 Daily 6:15 7:35
YH 909 1,2,3,4,5,7 6:15 8:40
6T 401 Daily 6:20 7:40
6T 351 1,2,3,4,6,7 6:30 7:50
K7 222 Daily 6:30 7:50
YH 909 6 7:00 8:40
W9 143 Daily 7:15 8:35
YH 731 4 13:30 17:20
K7 224 Daily 14:30 17:25
W9 211 Daily 15:30 17:40
YH 731 1,2,3,5,6,7 15:00 17:55
6T 501 Daily 15:30 18:20
NYAUNG U TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
YH 917 Daily 7:35 10:15
YJ 891 Daily 7:45 10:25
W9 141 Daily 7:50 10:40
K7 222 Daily 8:05 11:00
YJ 901 1,2,3,4,5,6 8:25 9:45
YH 910 Daily 8:40 10:00
W9 144 Daily 8:50 10:10
6T 351 5 10:50 13:55
YH 732 4 17:20 18:40
K7 225 Daily 17:45 19:00
W9 211 Daily 17:55 19:15
YH 732 1,2,3,5,6,7 17:55 19:15
6T 502 Daily 18:35 19:55
YANGON TO MYITKYINA
Flight Days Dep Arr
YH 833 2 7:00 10:05
YH 833 4,6 7:00 10:05
K7 844 2,4,7 7:30 11:05
K7 624 Daily 10:30 13:25
YJ 211 5,7 10:30 13:20
YJ 201 1,2,3,4 11:00 13:50
W9 251 2,5 11:15 14:10
MYITKYINA TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
YH 834 2 10:05 12:55
YH 832 4,6 10:05 12:55
YJ 211 7 13:35 16:55
YJ 211 5 13:35 17:35
YJ 202 1,2,3,4 14:05 16:55
K7 625 Daily 15:40 18:35
W9 252 2,5 16:05 19:00
YANGON TO HEHO
Flight Days Dep Arr
YH 917 Daily 6:00 9:05
YJ 891 Daily 6:10 9:00
W9 141 Daily 6:15 8:20
6T 401 Daily 6:20 9:20
K7 222 Daily 6:30 9:30
6T 351 1,2,3,4,6,7 6:30 8:45
W9 201 Daily 7:30 9:40
K7 828 1,3,5 7:30 8:45
YH 505 2,3,4,6,7 10:30 11:55
YJ 751/W9 7751 3,5,7 11:00 12:10
YJ 761 1,2,4,6 11:00 12:10
YH 737 3,5,7 11:00 12:25
W9 203 Daily 11:00 12:10
YH 727 1 11:00 12:25
W9 119 1,3,6 11:15 12:25
6T 807 7 11:30 13:50
K7 826 2,6 11:45 13:00
6T 807 1 12:00 14:20
YH 731 4 13:30 14:55
K7 224 Daily 14:30 15:45
W9 129 Daily 15:00 16:10
YH 731 1,2,3,5,6,7 15:00 16:25
6T 501 Daily 15:30 16:40
HEHO TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
W9 141 Daily 8:35 10:40
6T 352 Daily 9:00 11:10
YH 918 Daily 9:05 10:15
YJ 891 Daily 9:15 10:25
6T 402 Daily 9:35 10:45
K7 223 Daily 9:45 11:00
W9 201 Daily 9:55 11:05
YH 506 2,3,4,6,7 11:55 14:00
W9 204 Daily 12:25 13:35
K7 829 1,3,5 13:50 15:05
6T 808 7 14:05 15:15
6T 808 1 14:35 15:45
W9 120 1,3,6 15:45 17:55
YH 728 1 15:45 17:55
YJ 762 1,2,4,6 15:50 18:00
K7 224 Daily 16:00 19:00
YH 738 3,5,7 16:25 18:35
W9 129 Daily 16:25 18:35
YH 731 1,2,3,5,6,7 16:25 19:15
YH 732 4 16:25 18:40
6T 501 Daily 16:55 19:55
K7 827 2,6 17:25 18:40
YANGON TO SIT T WE
Flight Days Dep Arr
6T 605 Daily 11:15 13:15
6T 611 4,6 14:30 15:55
W9 309 1,3,5,6,7 11:30 12:55
YH 511 1,5 10:30 12:35
K7 426 Daily 12:30 13:50
SIT T WE TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
YH 512 1,5 12:35 13:55
6T 606 Daily 13:35 15:00
K7 427 Daily 14:05 15:25
6T 612 4,6 16:15 17:40
YANGON TO MYEIK
Flight Days Dep Arr
K7 319 Daily 7:00 9:05
YH 633 1,3,5,7 7:00 9:15
MYEIK TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
K7 320 Daily 11:30 13:35
YH 634 1,3,7 11:25 13:25
YH 634 5 9:15 12:55
YANGON TO THANDWE
Flight Days Dep Arr
W9 141 Daily 6:15 9:35
6T 351 1,2,3,4,6,7 6:30 10:00
6T 605 Daily 11:15 12:10
YH 505 2,3,4,6,7 10:30 13:10
YH 511 1,5 10:30 11:35
W9307 2,4 11:30 13:50
W9 309 1,3,5,6,7 11:30 13:50
THANDWE TO YANGON
Flight Days Dep Arr
W9 141 Daily 9:50 10:40
6T 632 1,2,3,4,6,7 10:15 11:10
6T 605 Dailys 12:25 15:00
6T 632 5 13:00 13:55
YH 511 1,5 11:35 13:55
YH 506 2,3,4,6,7 13:10 14:00
W9 307 2,4 14:05 14:55
W9 309 1,3,5,6,7 14:05 14:55
the pulse travel 37 www.mmtimes.com
CURVING softly through the world-
famous Cardamom Mountains in
Koh Kong province, the Tatai River is
clear and warm. Stretching from the
dramatic mountains in the provinces
northeast to the picturesque mangrove
ats of the western seaboard, it
occasionally splits into tributaries and
lake-like shallows.
The tidal waterway, which is
several hundred metres wide and
about 20 metres (66 feet) deep for the
majority of its course, alternates from
salt to fresh water through the course
of each day creating a layered
phenomenon with cool water at the
surface and warm water running
beneath. A mild current makes
it a perfect place for water-based
activities.
Its pretty unique here. There
are only two places with mountain
ranges in Cambodia, and Koh Kong is
one of those, says Lois Woodward, a
wilderness activities expert based at
local eco-resort Rainbow Lodge.
We are on the edge of the
Cardamom Mountains, which is
the largest surviving rainforest [in
Southeast Asia] now. The community
is very reliant on nature here, still
very in touch with shing and
farming, she adds.
With accommodation limited
near the weaving Tatai, Rainbow
Lodge provides access to a range of
activities. Expert guides can lead
visitors through primary rainforest,
pointing out birds, wildlife and rare
ora along secluded tracks.
A wide variety of berries and
fruit line the way and trekkers can
even spot the jungles namesake
the cardamom spice in bright
green, nger-length pods. It grows
wild alongside green jungle chillis
that mature naturally in the soft,
fertile soil.
With paths about one person
wide, trails often succumb to the
overwhelming power of aggressive
tropical jungle and guides carry
machetes to clear bamboo or new
branches. While there are some tricky
root obstacles and the odd low-
hanging branch to scramble under,
a hike through the Cardamoms is
suitable for every level of tness,
apart from a short, steep climb at the
beginning of the trek.
In reality we dont know
how much longer it will be here,
Woodward says of the wild forest
that sees poachers and loggers alike
coming to claim spoils. There is
a wealth of diferent wildlife you
dont nd in other places. I spotted a
baby sun bear once, but didnt hang
around for mum to come back.
There is also a large variety of
snakes, some venomous, in the area
during wet season. The golden tree
snake, part of a family of ying
snakes, has the ability to jump from
tree to tree.
Lasting for two, ve or eight
hours, the treks conclude at the Tatai
waterfalls a series of steep rapids
that intermittently pool in naturally
formed jacuzzi-like hollows.
In wet season, the rocky enclave
is bursting with gushing rapids and
is a popular spot with local visitors.
Nestle into one of the smaller falls
for a one-of-a-kind back, neck and
shoulder massage.
For bird enthusiasts the
Cardamoms prove a rare haven for
precious wildlife, while a guided or
unguided kayaking adventure along
the gentle ow of the Tatai can reveal
secret inlets and tributaries perfect
for exploring.
Woodwards background is in
wilderness therapy, a form of social
intervention for young and at-risk
people that helps them develop
condence, trust and social skills in
an outdoor environment.
From this experience, she is
developing a range of activities in the
Tatai area focused on children and
young adults, such as rock scrambling
and orienteering courses.
Along with kayaking, swimming
and boat cruises, visitors can camp
in hammocks at the Tatai waterfalls
during overnight treks run from
the Lodge.
We set them up with a BBQ and
a bottle of wine, Woodward says,
accenting the ready availability of
creature comforts, despite the wild
setting. Because its less developed,
you can have that experience of being
in nature. Its quiet you can come
away and have a good nights sleep.
The animals are the rst sound you
hear, not the trafc.
Traversing the
tropical Tatai river
in Cambodia
BRIDGET DI CERTO
bridget.dicerto@gmail.com
Bamboo resting platforms are seen over the Tatai river in Cambodia.
Narrow
trai l s often
succumb to the
overwhel mi ng
power of
aggressi ve
tropi cal j ungl e
Photo: Bridget Di Certo
International
FD & AK = Air Asia
TG = Thai Airways
8M = Myanmar Airways International
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines
PG = Bangkok Airways
MI = Silk Air
VN = Vietnam Airline
MH = Malaysia Airlines
CZ = China Southern
CI = China Airlines
CA = Air China
KA = Dragonair
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines
IC = Indian Airlines Limited
W9 = Air Bagan
3K = Jet Star
AI = Air India
QR = Qatar Airways
KE = Korea Airlines
NH = All Nippon Airways
SQ = Singapore Airways
DE = Condor Airlines
MU=China Eastern Airlines
BR = Eva Airlines
DE = Condor
AI = Air India
BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Subject to change
without notice
International Airlines
Air Asia (FD)
Tel: 251 885, 251 886.
Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)
Tel : 513322, 513422, 504888, Fax : 515102
Air China (CA)
Tel : 666112, 655882.
Air India
Tel : 253597~98, 254758. Fax: 248175
Bangkok Airways (PG)
Tel: 255122, 255 265, Fax: 255119
Condor (DE)
Tel: + 95 1 -370836 up to 39 (ext : 810)
Dragonair (KA)
Tel: 95-1-255320, 255321, Fax : 255329
Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)
Tel: 95 9 400446999, 95 9 400447999,
Fax: 01 860 4051
Malaysia Airlines (MH)
Tel : 387648, 241007 ext : 120, 121, 122 Fax
: 241124
Myanmar Airways International(8M)
Tel : 255260, Fax: 255305
Silk Air(MI)
Tel: 255 287~9, Fax: 255 290
Thai Airways (TG)
Tel : 255491~6, Fax : 255223
Vietnam Airlines (VN)
Fax : 255086. Tel 255066/ 255088/ 255068.
Qatar Airways (Temporary Ofce)
Tel: 01-250388, (ext: 8142, 8210)
Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG)
Tel: 371867~68, Fax: 371869.
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES
YANGONTOBANGKOK
Flights Days Dep Arr
PG 706 Daily 7:15 9:30
8M 335 Daily 8:40 10:25
TG 304 Daily 9:50 11:45
PG 702 Daily 10:30 12:25
TG 302 Daily 14:55 16:50
PG 708 Daily 15:20 17:15
8M 331 Daily 16:30 18:15
PG 704 Daily 18:20 20:15
Y5 237 Daily 18:05 19:50
TG 306 Daily 19:45 21:40
YANGONTODONMUENG
Flights Days Dep Arr
DD 4231 1,3,5,7 8:00 9:45
FD 2752 Daily 8:30 10:20
FD 2756 Daily 12:50 14:40
FD 2754 Daily 17:35 19:25
FD 2758 1,2,3,4 20:55 22:50
YANGONTOSINGAPORE
Flights Days Dep Arr
MI 509/SQ 5019 1,2,6,7 0:25 5:00
8M 231 Daily 8:00 12:25
8M 233 5,6,7 14:00 18:25
Y5 233 Daily 10:10 14:40
SQ 997/MI 5871 Daily 10:25 14:45
3K 586 Daily 11:40 16:20
MI 517/SQ 5017 Daily 16:40 21:15
TR 2827 1,6,7 15:10 19:35
TR 2827 2,3,4,5 17:10 21:35
3K 588 2,3,5 19:30 00:10+1
YANGONTOKUALALUMPUR
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 501 1,3,5,6 8:55 12:55
AK 1427 Daily 8:30 12:50
MH 741 Daily 12:15 16:30
MH 743 Daily 16:00 20:15
AK 1421 Daily 19:05 23:20
YANGONTOBEIJING
Flights Days Dep Arr
CA 906 2,3,4,6,7 14:15 21:55
YANGONTOGAUNGZHOU
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 711 2,4,7 8:40 13:15
CZ 3056 3,6 11:35 15:50
CZ 3056 1,5 17:40 22:05
YANGONTOTAIPEI
Flights Days Dep Arr
CI 7916 1,2,3,5,6 10:50 16:15
YANGONTOKUNMING
Flights Days Dep Arr
MU 2012 1,3 12:20 18:20
MU 2032 Daily 14:40 18:00
CA 906 2,3,4,6,7 14:15 17:35
YANGONTOCHIANGMAI
Flights Days Dep Arr
W9 9607 4,7 14:30 16:20
YANGONTOHANOI
Flights Days Dep Arr
VN 956 1,3,5,6,7 19:10 21:30
YANGONTOHOCHIMINHCITY
Flights Days Dep Arr
VN 942 2,4,7 14:25 17:10
YANGONTODOHA
Flights Days Dep Arr
QR 919 Daily 7:30 11:15
YANGONTOPHNOMPENH
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 403 1,3,6 8:35 12:30
YANGONTOSEOUL
Flights Days Dep Arr
0Z 770 4,7 0:50 8:50
KE 472 Daily 23:35 07:45+1
YANGONTOHONGKONG
Flights Days Dep Arr
KA 251 1,2,4,6 01:10 05:35
YANGONTOTOKYO
Flights Days Dep Arr
NH 914 Daily 22:10 06:45+1
YANGONTOSIEMREAP
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 401 1,3,6 8:35 10:45
YANGONTOGAYA
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 601 1,3,5,6 9:00 10:20
YANGONTODHAKA
Flights Days Dep Arr
BG 061 1,4 19:30 20:45
MANDALAYTOBANGKOK
Flights Days Dep Arr
TG 2982 1,2,4,6 9:50 12:00
TG 2984 3,5 19:35 21:45
PG 710 Daily 14:15 16:40
MANDALAYTODONMUENG
Flights Days Dep Arr
FD 2761 Daily 12:50 15:15
MANDALAYTOKUNMING
Flights Days Dep Arr
MU 2030 Daily 14:40 17:20
NAYPYIDAWTOBANGKOK
Flights Days Dep Arr
PG 722 1,2,3,4,5 19:45 22:45
BANGKOKTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 336 Daily 11:55 12:40
TG 303 Daily 8:00 8:45
PG 701 Daily 8:50 9:40
TG 301 Daily 13:00 13:45
PG 707 Daily 13:40 14:30
PG 703 Daily 16:45 17:35
TG 305 Daily 17:50 18:45
8M 332 Daily 19:20 20:05
PG 705 Daily 20:00 21:15
Y5 238 Daily 21:10 21:55
DONMUENGTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
DD 4230 1,3,5,7 6:30 7:15
FD 2751 Daily 7:15 8:00
FD 2755 Daily 11:35 12:20
FD 2753 Daily 16:20 17:05
FD 2757 1,2,3,4 19:35 20:25
SINGAPORETOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
SQ 998/MI 5872 Daily 7:55 9:20
3K 585 Daily 9:10 10:40
8M 232 Daily 13:25 14:50
TR 2826 1,6,7 13:10 14:30
MI 518/MI 5018 Daily 14:20 15:45
TR 2826 2,3,4,5 15:00 16:30
Y5 234 Daily 15:35 17:05
3K 587 2,3,5 17:20 18:50
8M 234 5,6,7 19:25 20:50
MI 520/SQ 5020 1,5,6,7 22:10 23:35
BEIJINGTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
CA 905 2,3,4,6,7 8:05 13:15
KAULALUMPURTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
AK 1426 Daily 6:55 8:00
MH 740 Daily 10:05 11:15
MH742 Daily 13:50 15:00
8M 502 1,3,5,6 14:00 15:00
AK 1420 Daily 17:20 18:25
GUANGZHOUTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
CZ 3055 3,6 8:35 10:35
CZ 3055 1,5 14:40 16:40
8M 712 2,4,7 14:15 15:50
TAIPEITOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
CI 7915 1,2,3,5,6 7:00 9:55
KUNMINGTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
MU 2011 1,3 8:25 11:40
CA 905 2,3,4,6,7 13:00 13:15
MU 2031 Daily 13:30 14:00
CHIANGMAITOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
W9 9608 4,7 17:20 18:10
HANOITOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
VN 957 1,3,5,6,7 16:35 18:10
HOCHIMINHCITYTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
VN 943 2,4,7 11:40 13:25
DOHATOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
QR 918 Daily 21:15 06:29+1
GAYATOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 602 1,3,5,6 11:20 14:30
PHNOMPENHTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
8M 404 1,3,6 13:30 14:55
SEOULTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
KE 471 Daily 18:30 22:30
0Z 769 3,6 19:30 23:40
TOKYOTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
NH 913 Daily 11:45 17:15
HONGKONGTOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
KA 250 1,3,5,7 21:50 23:45
DHAKATOYANGON
Flights Days Dep Arr
BG 060 1,4 16:15 18:30
BANGKOKTOMANDALAY
Flights Days Dep Arr
TG 2981 1,2,4,6 7:45 9:00
TG 2983 3,5 17:30 18:45
PG 709 Daily 12:05 13:25
DONMUEANGTOMANDALAY
Flights Days Dep Arr
FD 2760 Daily 10:55 12:20
KUNMINGTOMANDALAY
Flights Days Dep Arr
MU 2029 Daily 13:55 13:50
BANGKOKTONAYPYIDAW
Flights Days Dep Arr
PG 721 1,2,3,4,5 17:15 19:15
General Property
HOW TO GET A FREE AD
BY FAX : 01-254158
BY EMAIL : classied@myanmartimes.com.mm, advertising@myanmartimes.com.mm
BY MAIL : 379/383, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Kyauktada Township, Yangon.
HOW TO GET MORE BUSINESS FROM
AS LITTLE AS K.5,000.
BUY SPACE ON THESE PAGES
CALL: Khin Mon Mon Yi - 01-392676, 392928
FREE
Rent/ Sale
KAMAYUT, Innya Myaing
Rd, 80' x 80' land, 2RC,
4 MBR, Fully furnished,
New (7) Aircons,
Generator, Lawn, Ph Line,
US$ 6500 per month. (2)
Innya Rd, 80' x 90' land,
2RC, 4 Master bedroom,
Ph Line, US$ 6000 per
month. Ph: 09-507-4241
PABEDAN, New Condo,
Downtown Near Sule
Pagoda, 3000 Sqft, 3
MBR, 1 Single bedroom
5 Aircons, Bathtub, Teak
foor, nice view, US$
3500 per month. Ph:
09-507-4241.
THINGANGYUN, On Thu
Min Ga La Main Rd, Near-
Yangon International
School (YIS), ILBC
Apartment - First Flr
(1,200 Sqft) One Master
Bed Room attached
bath room& toilet, Two
Single Rooms Extra Bath
Room & Toilet, Kitchen
Room,Dining Room,
Sitting RoomNear KBZ
Bank, City Mart, Market,
Schools, Circular Train
Station car parking
space, Opposite of YIS
Teachers' apartments
Nice, Peace Location: Ph-
09-5148138, 01-573881.
HousingforRent
MAYANGONE, 8
th
Mile
Primrose Condo 3F
Living Room, 1MBR,
2SBR, 1 Maid Room,
Fully Furnish, Own
Parking, Two Elevator,
Card security System.
Ph: 09-511-1485, 45L
MYA YA MON Water
Front Villa, 3 storey
building with full facilities.
Ph: 01-241756, 370334,
09-510-3207.
T H I N G A N G Y U N ,
Kyipwaryay (North)
Drive 25 minutes to
Down Town, 40' x 60',
2 RC, 3 MBR, 2 SR,
3 Aircons, 1 Ph. US$
(1000) per 1 Month.
Only 1 year contract.
Contact :09-508-0880.
m2k20066@gmail.com
(1).NEAR Bogyoke
Market, 2500 sqft, 2
MBR, 1 SR , fully furnish,
3000 USD. (2).Near
Park Royal hotel, 1250
Sqft, 2 MBR, 1 SR, fully
furnish, 2500 USD. (3).
Near Park Royal hotel,
2500 Sqft, 3 MBR, fully
furnish, 4000 USD. Ph:
09-4921-4276.
(1) THUWUNNA, Duplex
for Sale, 2 storeys
building, 40 x 70 ft,
Thuwunna VIP-1, Main
Rd (2) North Oakklapa,
Main Rd (Wai Pon La Rd)
Near Medical School
Shop House, 1200 Sqft,
Hall type, . (3) Yankin,
Shwe Ohn Pin Housing,
900 Sqft. 3 rooms, fully
furnished, Near Sedona
Hotel. Ph:09-732-41848,
09-8601-042.
BAHAN, Golden velly,
(1) near ISY school,
2RC, 2400 sqft, 2 MBR,
2 SR, fully furnish, 4500
USD (2).near City Mark,
2 RC, 5600 sqft , 6 MBR,
fully furnish (10000 USD)
(3). 3 RC, 5000 sqft, 3
MBR, good for offce,
4500 USD. Ph: Ph: 09-
4921-4276.
(1)KYEE MYIN DINE,
Pan Hlaing housing, Pan
Hlaing St, frst fr, 25' x
37', 2BR, 3 Aircon, 1Ph,
1heater, pressure pump,
2 exhaust fans, highly
decoration, 750 Lakhs,
Negotiable, (2)Pazun
Daung, Mahabandoola
Rd, 8th fr, 25'x60', 3BR,
1 Aircon, 800 Lakhs,
Negotiable, Ph-09-4016-
04409.
CENTRAL CITY
Residence near
Park Royal, marble/
hardwood premium
fttings, modern design.
4 rooms 3 bathroom(2
master w/ attached bath)
1955sqft $4850/month.
jasonwongjp@gmail.
com, 09-4211-02223.
PRIME OFFICE,
Pansodan Rd, 2500
sqft, offce layout w/
boardroom& manager's
offce. Clean open
design, foreign quality
fttings. Full building
generator. $6250/month.
jasonwongjp@gmail.
com, 09-4211-02223.
HousingforSale
LAND & Building for Sales
by owner:- 40' x 60' area
land & Wood Building
Water, Electricity OK
& ready for staying
No.294, South Dagon-
18(B) Aung Min Ga La
St (Concrete Rd) Ph:01
573881, 09-514-8138
WE have Lands for sale
suitable for making
Industrial buildings in
large area. Buyers can
Contact Us on 09-4500-
59037. (There is no pay
for Agents & Third party
... Warmly welcome the
buyers )
Want to Rent
APARTMENT/HOUSE
- Wanted Couple from
Singapore seeks a
clean and comfortable
house or apartment in
quiet neighbourhood -
not more than 9 miles
fromcity - for long term
stay (minimum 1 year)
commencing J anuary/
February 2014. Rental
USD 2,500 per month.
Email to yadana@
victorymyanmar.com or
call 094-5005-3669
Education
LCCI, Level I,II &III, MYOB.
Ph : 09-520-0974.
EDUCATION Guiding
Primary Student for
primary level English,
Maths, Science, Geogra
phy, History, English
Language. gmail:
caroline.zita@gmail.com
FOR IGCSE (Edexcel &
Campridge) & Secondary
level Regular tuition
classes Home tuition
Exampreparation classes
All subjects available
Contact: 09-508-8683.
TEACHERS who have
got Teaching experience
in Singapore, Intl School
(primary & seconday
levels) AEIS, PSLE,
GCSE, SAT , IELTS,
TOEFL, English-Myamar
Speaking Class for
company , Sayar Bryan
(ME) 09-4200-7 0692
"SCHOLAR Teaching
Organization" founded
with ME, BE and Master
Degree holder with 12
years experience in
teaching feld.Role &
Responsibility: Making
the students develop
problem solving skills,
critical thinking skills
and I.Q & E.Q enriching
skills, Int'l School (ILBC,
Total, MISY, ISY, PISM,
Horizon, ISM, network,
MIS, MLA, ES4E, DSY,
IISY, RV). All grades, All
Subjects Singapore MOE
Exams (AEIS, S-AEIS
exam, IGCSE, IELTS,
TOFEL. Tr.Daniel Caulin
: 09-2150-75 Tr.Bryan
:09-4200-70692.
Expert Services
SERVICE OFFICE you can
trust. Business Service for
foreign investors . 905, 9F,
Panchan Tower, Corner of
Dhamazedi Rd &Bagayar
Rd, Sanchaung Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 01-503895,
Email :yangon_info@
v2m.jp, http://www.v2m.jp
ENGLISH Corresponding
Service, Email: Reading
and Replying. Fax :
Reading and Replying.
Letter writing for
companies. Albert Than
- 09-4310-5909.
REAL ESTATE : We have
Lands for sale suitable
for making Industrial
buildings in large area.
Buyers can Contact
Us on 09-4500-59037.
(There is no pay for
Agents & Third party
... Warmly welcome the
buyers )
AUNG Professional
Translation Professional
Translation from
Myanmar to English &
English to Myanmar.
For legal Translation,
Technological, Diploma
tic, Contract, Advertising,
Movie, Literature, etc.
With Various Services
on paper, electronic
fle, recording & other
relevant matters. both
regular and express with
expert service. No139,
2nd Flr, Bargayar Rd,
Sanchaung, Yangon.
Ph: 09-732-11907,aung.
translation@gmail.com
For Rent
CAR For Rent (Toyota Vitz
/ 2008 / AC) - Short and
longer distances. - Driver
is fuent in English. - Try us
for Compitative rates. Mr.
Benjamin, Ph : 09-2590-
65766, 09-730-39218.
General
IF you are thinking to give
a book-gift to your loved
ones. Meiji Soe's "Culture
& Beyond - Myanmar" is a
unique of its king revealing
Myanmar Culture, Beliefs
and Superstitions in
sector by sector together
with photos. Available at
Book Stores & MCM Ltd.
Ph: 253642, 3922928,
392910. Email: distmgr@
myanmartimes.com.mm
SHWE KYIN Slipper
shop, Yangon. Ph: 01-
240966 ext 333, 09-
515-7156.
Language
WITHIN 24 hours can
make you confdient
in Myanmar language
speaking and scripts!
Teacher Phyu Phyu
Khin 09-4930-8926,
phyuporcupine@gmail.
com, No.56 I, Thiri Marlar
Lane, 7.5 mile, Pyay
Road, Yangon.
ENGLISH Grammar for
all classes. Ph: 09-541-
3847.
CHINESE for all grades.
Ph: 09-541-3847.
GIVE your child the best
possible start to life at Int'l
Montessori Myanmar
(English Education
Center) Accredited by
IMC Bangkok (Since
1991), Our Montessori
curriculum includes:
Practical Life Exercises,
Sensorial Training,
Language Development,
Mathematics, Cultural
Studies, Botany &
Zoology, History,
Creative Art, Music and
Movement, Cooking
Physical Development,
Social & Emotional
Development, Learning
through play, 55(B),
Po Sein Rd, Bahan,
Yangon, Myanmar, Ph:
546097, 546761, Email:
imm.myn@gmail.com
MYANMAR for
Foreigners, Ph: 09-
2501-50791.
WITHIN 24 hours can
make you confdient
in Myanmar Language
speaking and scripts!
Teacher Phyu Phyu
Khin : 09-4930-8926,
phyuporcupine@gmail.
com, 56 I, Thiri Marlar
Lane, 7.5 mile, Pyay Rd,
Yangon.
ENGLISH for Adults
&Young Learners 100 %
face to face classroom
based lessons, Small
classroomsized, limited
seats, Variety of learning
resources Experienced,
internationally qualifed
teacher who get the best
out of you, whatever your
level. Offer courses that
build your confdence
for practical situations
and improve important
areas such as Speaking
and Listening in English.
English for young
learners : Teacher Yamin
- Ph: (01) 291679, 09-
250-136695.
FOR FOREIGNERS
Want to learn Myanmar
speaking at your home?
Contact : 09-517-9125,
09-861-1052
ENGLISH for Young
learners : Build
confdence in commu
nicating in English.
Build strong foundation
in English for further
education. Introducing
reading with variety
of books. Using Int'l
syllabuses such as
Oxford, Collins &
Cambridge ,etc. Lesson
will be conducted in
English. Taught by
qualifed & internationally
experience teacher.
English for Adults
Speak fuently in various
situations. Improve
your pronunciation and
increase your vocabulary.
Communicate effectively
in everyday situations.
English for social, study,
overseas travel and
work purposes. Teacher
Yamin - Ph:291679, 09-
250-136695
Public Notice
HR MODULE -1,
Recruitment & Selection
Certificate Course
Trainer (1) Daw Soe
Soe Kyi , HR Practitioner
MPA , B.Sc (Chemistry),
Executive Diploma
in Human Resources
Management Trainer
(2) Daw Swe Swe Aung,
HR Practitioner B.Agr.
Sc Executive Diploma
in Human Resources
Management Fees Ks-
120,000. Schedule,Start
date : - 14th December,
2013. Complete date -
29th December, 2013 ,
Sat: & Sun: (3-weeks)
Time - From 02:00 pm
to 05:00 pm , total 6-
hrs. Address : Ba Yint
Naung Tower -1 , Ground
Flr, RmC&D, Kamaryut
Yangon. Contacts : 09
4500 45916 emails :
thewindyhills@gmail.
com , maytwonine.tg@
gmail.com
Opening Q1 2014
is looking for candidates to complete its team,
F & B Department Front Offce
>>Waiters* >>Receptionist*
>>Cooks >>Bell Boys*
>> Reservation Clerk*
Sales & Marketing Housekeeping / Laundry
>>Sales Manager* >>Chambermaids
>>Laundry Attendant
Security Maintenance
>> Security Offcer >> Plumber , Electrician
>>Gardeners
Administration Spa
>>Accountant >>Therapists
>>HR Clerk
All positions open for Men or Women,
* English Mandatory
Send CV & Photo to
hr.novotelinlelake@outlook.com
Only Short listed candidates will be contacted.
The Novotel Inle Lake Features 60 Villas and 60 Junior suites and 2 Presi-
dential Villas and all Day Dinning.The Hotels also offers Spa , Fitness Cen-
ter , Swimming Pool , Function rooms and Meeting facilities.
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT (GIZ/001/2014)
Finance Offcer
The Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federalenterprise-
withworldwideoperations. It supports the German Government in international cooperation for sustain-
able development and in international education work. GIZ currently runs three projects in Myanmar.
For the overall coordination of its activities, GIZ is usingthe GIZ Offce Yangon (GOY).
For the GIZ Offce Yangon, GIZ is hiring a Finance Offcer
Contract period: 01.02.2014 31.01.2016
Responsibilities
The Finance Offcer is responsible for
ensuring fnancial administration functions well in accordance with GIZ standard procedures
effectively coordinating with the staff of the fnance team or the Commercial Affairs Department
at GIZ Head Offce
cash payments and deposits at the bank
fnancial planning, monitoring and accounting for GIZ-assisted projects
Tasks
The Finance Offcer:
monitors income, expenditure and the monthly bank reconciliation
manages the processing of letters of credit
assists with the transfer of funds to projects
monitors real accounts (payables, receivables) and reports regularly to the Heads of Programme/
Project and the Head of Administration and Finance
checks the vouchers and receipts submitted by the projects/programmes for completeness and
allocation to cost units and categories, and corrects these where necessary
advises on fnancial aspects of projects
carries out internal controls in accordance with GIZs internal controlling manual
carries out accounting tasks using WINPACCS accounting software and prepares monthly end-
of-period accounts and bank reconciliation vouchers
submits the end-of-month accounts from the project accounting, cash books and account balance
vouchers (through or from WINPACCS) to the Heads of Programme/Project and forwards them
to GIZ Head Offce
prepares fnancial contributions
performs other duties and tasks at the request of management
Required qualifcations, competences and experience
BA in accounting and auditing or similar area
at least 3 years professional experience in a comparable position
in-depth knowledge of accounting software (ideally of WINPACCS)
Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Offce, Email, Internet), ideally knowledge of SAP
confdential handling of data and information
very good knowledge of English, ideally a knowledge of German
willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed corresponding measures are
agreed with management
Application procedure:
GIZ offers a competitive salary and a social benefts package.
Pleasesubmit CV, including application letter and contact detail of two referees no later than15 Janu-
ary 2014 to :
Deutsche GesellschaftfrInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, No 35 (B) / 15 New University
Avenue,Yangon, Myanmar
(OR)
E-Mail: giz-myanmar@giz.de
Please mark the application with: Application for Finance Offcer GOY
For more information on GIZ, please visit at www.giz.de.
We are looking forward to receiving your application.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Avenue 64 Hotel
No. 64 (G), Kyitewine
Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon. Tel : 09-8631392,
01 656913-9
Asia Plaza Hotel
YANGON
No. 277, Bogyoke Aung
San Road, Corner of
38
th
Street, Kyauktada
Township, Yangon,
Myanmar.
Tel : (951) 391070, 391071.
Reservation@391070
(Ext) 1910, 106.
Fax : (951) 391375. Email :
hotelasiaplaza@gmail.com
The Essentials
Emergency Numbers
For more information about these listings, Please Contact - classied@myanmartimes.com.mm
Ambulance tel: 295133.
Fire tel: 191, 252011, 252022.
Police emergency tel: 199.
Police headquarters tel: 282541, 284764.
Red Cross tel:682600, 682368
Trafc Control Branch tel:298651
Department of Post & Telecommunication tel: 591384,
591387.
Immigration tel: 286434.
Ministry of Education tel:545500m 562390
Ministry of Sports tel: 370604, 370605
Ministry of Communications tel: 067-407037.
Myanma Post & Telecommunication (MPT) tel: 067-
407007.
Myanma Post & Tele-communication (Accountant Dept)
tel: 254563, 370768.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs tel: 067-412009, 067-412344.
Ministry of Health tel: 067-411358-9.
Yangon City Development Committee tel: 248112.
HOSPITALS
Central Womens Hospital tel: 221013, 222811.
Children Hospital tel: 221421, 222807
Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital tel: 543888.
Naypyitaw Hospital (emergency) tel: 420096.
Workers Hospital tel: 554444, 554455, 554811.
Yangon Children Hospital tel: 222807, 222808, 222809.
Yangon General Hospital (East) tel: 292835, 292836, 292837.
Yangon General Hospital (New) tel: 384493, 384494,
384495, 379109.
Yangon General Hospital (West) tel: 222860, 222861,
220416.
Yangon General Hospital (YGH) tel: 256112, 256123,
281443, 256131.
ELECTRICITY
Power Station tel:414235
POST OFFICE
General Post Ofce
39, Bo Aung Kyaw St. (near British Council Library). tel:
285499.
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Yangon International Airport tel: 662811.
YANGON PORT
Shipping (Coastal vessels) tel: 382722
RAILWAYS
Railways information
tel: 274027, 202175-8.
UNITED NATIONS
ILO Liaison 1-A, Kanbae
(Thitsar Rd), Yankin Tsp,
Tel : 01-566538, 566539
IOM 12th Flr, Traders Hotel,
223, Tel: 252560 ext. 5002
UNAIDS 137/1, Thaw Wun Rd,
Kamayut Tsp.
Tel : 534498, 504832
UNDCP 11-A, Malikha St,
Mayangone tsp.
Tel: 666903, 664539.
UNDP 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan
tel: 542910-19. fax: 292739.
UNFPA 6, Natmauk Rd,
Bahan tsp. tel: 546029.
UNHCR 287, Pyay Rd,
Sanchaung tsp.
Tel: 524022, 524024.
UNIAP Rm: 1202, 12 Fl,
Traders Hotel.
Tel: 254852, 254853.
UNIC 6, Natmauk St., Bahan,
tel: 52910~19
UNICEF 14~15 Flr, Traders
Hotel. P.O. Box 1435,
Kyauktada. Tel: 375527~32,
Email: unicef.yangon@unicef.
org, www.unicef.org/myanmar.
UNODC 11-A, Malikha Rd., Ward
7, Mayangone. tel: 01-9666903,
9660556, 9660538, 9660398.
email: fo.myanmar@unodc.org
UNOPS Inya Lake Hotel, 3
rd
oor, 37, Kaba Aye Pagoda
Rd, Mayangone Tsp. Tel: 951-
657281~7. Fax: 657279.
UNRC 6, Natmauk Rd, P.O.
Box 650, TMWE Tel: 542911~19,
292637 (Resident Coordinator),
WFP 5 Kan Baw Za St, Shwe
Taung Kyar Ward (2), (Golden
Valley), Bahan Tsp.
Tel : 2305971~6 (6 lines).
WHO No. 2, Pyay Rd, 7 Mile,
Mayangone Tsp, Tel : 650405-
6, 650416, 654386-90.
ASEAN Coordinating Of. for
the ASEAN Humanitarian
Task Force, 79, Taw Win st,
Dagon Tsp. Tel: 225258.
FAO Myanma Agriculture
Service Insein Rd, Insein. tel:
641672, 641673. fax: 641561.
EMBASSIES
Australia 88, Strand
Road, Yangon. Tel :
251810, 251797, 251798.
Bangladesh 11-B, Than
Lwin Road, Yangon.
Tel: 515275, 526144,
email: bdootygn@
mptmail.net.mm
Brazil 56, Pyay Road,
6
th
mile, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 507225,
507251. email: Administ.
yangon@itamaraty.gov.br.
Brunei 17, Kanbawza
Avenue, Golden Velly (1),
Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
566985, 503978.
email: bruneiemb@
bruneiemb.com.mm
Cambodia 25 (3B/4B),
New University Avenue
Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 549609, 540964.
email: RECYANGON @
mptmail.net.mm
China 1, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon.
Tel: 221280, 221281.
Danmark, No.7, Pyi Thu
St, Pyay Rd, 7 Miles,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 01 9669520 - 17.
Egypt 81, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon.
Tel: 222886, 222887,
Egyptembassy86@
gmail.com
France 102, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon.
Tel: 212178, 212520,
email: ambaf rance.
rangoun@ diplomatie.fr
Germany 9, Bogyoke
Aung San Museum Road,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 548951, 548952,
email: info@rangun.
diplo.de
India 545-547, Merchant
St, Yangon.
Tel: 391219, 388412,
email: indiaembassy @
mptmail.net.mm
Indonesia 100,
Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 254465,
254469, 229750, fax:
254468, email: kukygn @
indonesia.com.mm
Israel 15, Khabaung
Street, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 515115, fax:
515116, email: info@
yangon.mfa.gov.il
Italy 3, Inya Myaing Road,
Golden Valley, Yangon.
Tel: 527100, 527101, fax:
514565, email: ambyang.
mail@ esteri.it
Japan 100, Natmauk Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 549644-8,
540399, 540400, 540411,
545988, fax: 549643
Embassy of the State of
Kuwait Chatrium Hotel,
Rm: 416, 418, 420, 422,
40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe
Tsp, Tel: 544500.
North Korea 77C, Shin
Saw Pu Rd, Sanchaung
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 512642, 510205
South Korea 97
University Avenue, Bahan
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 527142-
4, 515190, fax: 513286,
email: myanmar@mofat.
go.kr
Lao A-1, Diplomatic
Quarters, Tawwin Road,
Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
222482, fax: 227446,
email: Laoembcab@
mptmail. net.mm
Malaysia 82, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon.
Tel: 220248, 220249,
email: mwkyangon@
mptmail.net.mm
Nepal 16, Natmauk
Yeiktha, Yangon. Tel:
545880, 557168, fax:
549803, email: nepemb
@mptmail.net.mm
Norway, No.7, Pyi Thu
St, Pyay Rd, 7 Miles,
Mayangone Tsp,Yangon.
Tel: 01 9669520 - 17
Fax 01- 9669516
New Zealand No. 43/C,
Inya Myaing Rd, Bahan
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 01-2305805
Netherlands Diplomatic
Mission No. 43/C, Inya
Myaing Rd, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon. Tel : 01-2305805
Pakistan A-4, diplomatic
Quarters, Pyay Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 222881
(Chancery Exchange)
Philippines 50, Sayasan
Rd, Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 558149-151,Email:
p.e. yangon@gmail.com
Russian 38, Sagawa Rd,
Yangon.
Tel: 241955, 254161,
Royal Embassy of Saudi
Arabia No.287/289, U
Wisara Rd, Sanchaung.
Tel : 01-536153, 516952.
Serbia No. 114-A, Inya
Rd, P.O.Box No. 943,
Yangon. Tel: 515282,
515283, email: serbemb
@ yangon.net.mm
Singapore 238,
Dhamazedi Road, Bahan
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 559001,
email: singemb_ ygn@_
sgmfa. gov.sg
Sri Lanka 34 Taw Win
Road, Yangon.
Tel: 222812,
The Embassy of
Switzerland
No 11, Kabaung Lane, 5
mile, Pyay Rd, Hlaing
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 534754,
512873, 507089.
Fax: 534754, Ext: 110
Thailand 94 Pyay Rd,
Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
226721, 226728, 226824
Turkish Embassy
19AB, Kan Yeik Thar St,
Mayangone Tsp,Yangon.
Tel : 662992, Fax : 661365
United Kingdom 80
Strand Rd, Yangon.
Tel: 370867, 380322,
371852, 371853, 256438,
United States of
America 110, University
Avenue, Kamayut Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 536509,
535756, Fax: 650306
Vietnam Bldg-72,
Thanlwin Rd, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 511305
General Listing
Chatrium Hotel
40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe.
tel: 544500. fax: 544400.
The First Air conditioning
systems designed to keep
you fresh all day
Zeya & Associates Co., Ltd.
No.437 (A), Pyay Road,
Kamayut. P., O 11041
Yangon, Tel: +(95-1)
502016-18,
Mandalay- Tel: 02-60933.
Nay Pyi Taw- Tel:
067-420778, E-mail :
sales.ac@freshaircon.
com. URL: http://www.
freshaircon.com
ACCOMMODATION-
HOTELS
AIR CONDITION
RESORTS
No. 205, Corner of Wadan
Street & Min Ye Kyaw
Swa Road, Lanmadaw
Tsp, Yangon. Myanmar.
Tel: (95-1) 212850 ~ 3,
229358 ~ 61,
Fax: (95-1) 212854.
info@myanmarpandahotel
.com http://www.
myanmarpandahotel.com
No.7A, Wingabar Road,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : (951) 546313,
430245. 09-731-77781~4.
Fax : (01) 546313.
www.cloverhotel.asia.
info@cloverhotel.asia
Confort Inn
4, Shweli Rd, Bet: Inya Rd
& U Wisara Rd, Kamaryut,
tel: 525781, 526872
PARKROYAL Yangon,
Myanmar
33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon tsp.
tel: 250388. fax: 252478.
email: enquiry.prygn@
parkroyalhotels.com
parkroyalhotels. com.
Golden Hill Towers
24-26, Kabar Aye Pagoda
Rd, Bahan Tsp.
tel: 558556. ghtower@
mptmail.net.mm.
Marina Residence
8, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,
Mayangone Tsp.
tel: 6506 51~4. fax: 650630.
ACCOMMODATION
LONG TERM
ACCOMMODATION-
HOTELS (Nay Pyi Taw)
Tel: 09-7349-4483,
09-4200-56994.
E-mail: aahappyhomes@
gmail.com, http://www.
happyhomesyangon.com
Happy Homes
REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT
MGM Hotel No (160), Warden
Street, Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon,
Myanmar. +95-1-212454~9.
www. hotel-mgm.com
Savoy Hotel
129, Damazedi Rd,
Kamayut tsp.
tel: 526289, 526298,
Sedona Hotel
Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,
Yankin. tel: 666900.
Strand Hotel
92 Strand Rd. tel: 243377.
fax: 289880.
Summit Parkview Hotel
350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon
Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966.
Traders Hotel
223 Sule Pagoda Rd. tel:
242828. fax: 242838.
Winner Inn
42, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan
Tsp. Tel: 503734, 524387.
email: reservation@winner
innmyanmar.com
Windsor Hotel No.31, Shin
Saw Pu Street, Sanchaung.
Yangon, Myanmar.
Ph: 95-1-511216~8, www.
hotelwindsoryangon.com
Yuzana Hotel
130, Shwegondaing Rd,
Bahan Tsp, tel : 01-549600
Yuzana Garden Hotel
44, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp,
tel : 01-248944
No. (356/366), Kyaikkasan
Rd, Tamwe Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Ph: 542826, Fax: 545650
Email: reservation@
edenpalacehotel.com
Royal White Elephant Hotel
No-11, Kan Street, Hlaing
Tsp. Yangon, Myanmar.
(+95-1) 500822, 503986.
www.rwehotel.com
Reservation Ofce (Yangon)
123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon Township
Tel : 951- 255 819~838
Royal Kumudra Hotel,
(Nay Pyi Taw)
Tel : 067- 414 177,
067- 4141 88
E-Mail: reservation@
maxhotelsgroup.com
(Nay Pyi Taw)
M-22, Shwe Htee Housing,
Thamine Station St., Near
the Bayint Naung Point,
Mayangone Tsp., Yangon
Tel : 522763, 522744,
667557. Fax : (95-1) 652174
E-mail : grandpalace@
myanmar.com.mm
No. 12, Pho Sein Road,
Tamwe Township, Yangon
Tel : (95-1) 209299, 209300,
209343, 209345, 209346
Fax : (95-1) 209344
E-mail : greenhill@
myanmar.com.mm
Clover Hotel City Center
No. 217, 32nd Street
(Upper Block), Pabedan Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 377720, Fax : 377722
www.clovercitycenter.asia
Clover Hotel City Center Plus
No. 229, 32nd Street
(Upper Block), Pabedan Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 377975, Fax : 377974
www.clovercitycenterplus.asia
Hotel Yangon
91/93, 8
th
Mile Junction,
Tel : 01-667708, 667688.
Inya Lake Resort Hotel
37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd.
tel: 662866. fax: 665537.
Reservation Ofce (Yangon)
123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon Township.
Tel : 951-255 819-838
Hotel Max
(Chaung Tha Beach)
Tel : 042-423 46-9,
042-421 33.
Email :
maxhotelsreservation@
gmail.com
17, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,
Yankin Tsp.
Tel: 650933. Fax: 650960.
Email : micprm@
myanmar.com.mmwww.
myanmar micasahotel.com
Air Con Sales & Service
No. 2/1, Than Thu Mar
Rd, Thuwunna Junction.
Tel : 09-4224-64130
No. (68), Tawwin Street,
9 Mile, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : (951) 9 666141
Fax : (951) 9 666135
Email :
info@witoriyahospital.com
Website :
www.witoriyahosptial.com
THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
HOME FURNISHING GENERATORS
GEMS & JEWELLERIES
22, Pyay Rd, 9 mile,
Mayangone Tsp.
tel: 660769, 664363.
Floral Service & Gift
Centre 102(A), Dhamazaydi
Rd, Yangon.tel: 500142
Summit Parkview Hotel,
tel: 211888, 211966 ext. 173
fax: 535376.email: sandy@
sandymyanmar.com.mm.
FLORAL SERVICES
Floral Service & Gift Shop
No. 449, New University
Avenue, Bahan Tsp. YGN.
Tel: 541217, 559011,
09-860-2292.
Market Place By City Mart
Tel: 523840~43,
523845~46, Ext: 205.
Junction Nay Pyi Taw
Tel: 067-421617~18
422012~15, Ext: 235.
Res: 067-414813, 09-492-
09039. Email : eternal@
mptmail.net.mm
FITNESS CENTRE
24 Hour International
Medical Centre @
Victoria Hospital
No. 68, Tawwin Rd, 9 Mile,
Mayangon Township,
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: + 951 651 238,
+ 959 495 85 955
Fax: + 959 651 398
24/7 on duty doctor:
+ 959 492 18 410
Website: www.leo.com.mm
One Stop Solution for
Quality Health Care
Balance Fitnesss
No 64 (G), Kyitewine
Pagoda Road, Mayangone
Township. Yangon
01-656916, 09 8631392
Email - info@
balancetnessyangon.com
Life Fitness
Bldg A1, Rm No. 001,
Shwekabar Housing,
Mindhamma Rd,
Mayangone Tsp. Yangon.
Ph: 01-656511,
Fax: 01-656522,
Hot line: 0973194684,
natraysports@gmail.com
No. 589-592, Bo Aung
Kyaw St, Yangon-Pathein
highway Road. Hlaing
Tharyar tsp. Tel: 951-
645178-182, 685199, Fax:
951-645211, 545278.
e-mail: mkt-mti@
winstrategic.com.mm
Ruby & Rare Gems
of Myanamar
No. 527, New University
Ave., Bahan Tsp. Yangon.
sales@manawmaya.com.mm
www.manawmayagems.com
Tel: 549612, Fax : 545770.
Bldg-D, Rm (G-12), Pearl
Condo, Ground Flr,
Kabaraye Pagoda Rd,
Bahan Tsp. Tel: 557448.
Ext 814, 09-730-98872.
BEAUTY & MASSAGE
ADVERTISING
SAIL Marketing &
Communications
Suite 403, Danathiha Center
790, Corner of Bogyoke Rd
& Wadan Rd, Lanmadaw
Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: (951) 211870, 224820,
2301195. Email: admin@
advertising-myanmar.com
www.advertising-myanmar.
com
WE STARTED THE ADVERTISING
INDUSTRY IN MYANMAR SINCE 1991
MAR K E T I NG & COMMUNI CAT I ONS
A D V E R T I S I N G
Strand Bar 92, Strand
Rd, Yangon, Myanmar.
tel: 243377.fax: 243393,
sales@thestrand.com.mm
www.ghmhotels.com
Lobby Bar
PARKROYAL Yangon,
Myanmar. 33, Alan Pya
Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp.
tel: 250388.
MYANMAR BOOK CENTRE
Nandawun Compound,
No. 55, Baho Road,
Corner of Baho Road
and Ahlone Road, (near
Eugenia Restaurant),
Ahlone Township. tel:
212 409, 221 271. 214708
fax: 524580. email: info@
myanmarbook.com
COFFEE MACHINE
CAR RENTAL
illy, Francis Francis, VBM,
Brasilia, Rossi, De Longhi
Nwe Ta Pin Trading Co., Ltd.
Shop C, Building 459 B
New University Avenue
01- 555-879, 09-4210-81705
nwetapintrading@gmail.com
150 Dhamazedi Rd.,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 536306, 537805.
Email : yangon@
monument-books.com
15(B), Departure Lounge,
Yangon Intl Airport.
#87/2, Crn of 26
th
& 27
th

St, 77
th
St,Chan Aye Thar
Zan Tsp, Mandalay.
Tel : (02) 24880.
Spa Paragon
Condo B#Rm-106, Shwe
Hinthar Condo, Corner of
Pyay Rd & Shwe Hinthar
St, 6Mile, Yangon.
Tel: 01-507344 Ext: 112,
09-680-8488, 09-526-1642.
BOOK STORES
Lemon Day Spa
No. 96 F, Inya Road,
Kamaryut Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 514848, 09-732-08476.
E.mail: lemondayspa.2011
@gmail.com
No. 52, Royal Yaw Min Gyi
Condo, Room F, Yaw Min
Gyi Rd, Dagon Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: 09-425-307-717
YANGON
La Source Beauty Spa
80-A, Inya Rd, Kamayut Tsp.
Tel: 512380, 511252
Beauty Bar by La Source
Room (1004), Sedona Hotel,
Tel : 666 900 Ext : (7167)
LS Salon
Junction Square, 3rd Floor.
Tel : 95-1-527242, Ext : 4001
MANDALAY
La Source Beauty Spa
No. 13/13, Mya Sandar St,
Chanaye Tharzan Tsp.
Tel : 09-4440-24496.
www.lasourcebeautyspa.com
No. 20, Ground Floor, Pearl
Street, Golden Valley Ward,
Bahan Township, Yangon.
Tel : 09-509 7057, 01-
220881, 549478 (Ext : 103)
Email : realtnessmyanmar
@gmail.com
www.realtnessmyanmar.com
First Class VIP
Limousine Car Rental.
Professional English
Speaking Drivers.
Full Insurance for
your Safety and
comfortable journey
Call us Now for your
best choice
www.mmels.com
MYANMAR EXECUTIVE
LIMOUSINE SERVICE
HOT LINE:
09 - 402 510 003
01-646 330
Get the Best Pure Natural
Gemstones and Jewellery
No. 44, Inya Road,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-2305811, 2305812.
email : info@bestjewels
myanmar.com,
Bestjewelsmyanmar.com
Zamil Steel
No-5, Pyay Road,
7 miles,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 652502~04.
Fax: (95-1) 650306.
Email: zamilsteel@
zamilsteel.com.mm
24 hours Cancer centre
No. (68), Tawwin Street,
9 Mile, Mayangone
Township, Yangon.
Tel : (951) 9 666141
Fax : (951) 9 666135
24 hours Laboratory &
X-ray
No. (68), Tawwin Street,
9 Mile, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : (951) 9 666141
Fax : (951) 9 666135
The Lady Gems & Jewellery
No. 7, Inya Rd, Kamayut
Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-2305800, 09-8315555
The Lady Gems & Silk
Co operative Business
Centre, Room No (32/41),
New University Avenue Rd,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 09-5200726
theladygems@gmail.com
www.thelady-gems.com
No. 56, Bo Ywe St,
Latha Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 01-246551, 375283,
09-2132778, 09-31119195.
Gmail:nyanmyintthu1983@
gmail.com,
Car Rental Service
CONSTRUCTION
One Stop ENT Center
No. (68), Tawwin Street,
9 Mile, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : (951) 9 666141
Fax : (951) 9 666135
Email :
info@witoriyahospital.com
Website :
www.witoriyahosptial.com
CONSULTING
Shwe Hinthar B 307, 6 1/2
Miles, Pyay Rd., Yangon.
Tel: +95 (0)1 654 730
info@thuraswiss.com
www.thuraswiss.com
Myanmar Research | Consulting | Technology Marina Residence, Yangon
Ph: 650651~4, Ext: 109
Beauty Plan, Corner of
77th St & 31st St, Mandalay
Ph: 02 72506
DUTY FREE
Duty Free Shops
Yangon International
Airport, Arrival/Departure
Tel: 533030 (Ext: 206/155)
Ofce: 17, 2
nd
street,
Hlaing Yadanarmon Housing,
Hlaing Township, Yangon.
Tel: 500143, 500144, 500145.
FOAM SPRAY
INSULATION
Foam Spray Insulation
No-410, Ground Fl,Lower
Pazuntaung Rd, Pazun
taung Tsp, Yangon.Telefax
: 01-203743, 09-5007681.
Hot Line-09-730-30825.
GLASS
International Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-2410292, 243551,
09-431-83689, 09-4480-
33905.
The Natural Gems of
Myanmar & Fine Jewellery.
No. 30(A), Pyay Road,
(7 mile), Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-660397, 354398-9
E-mail : spgmes.myanmar
@gmail.com
Your Most Reliable
Jeweller
ENTERTAINMENT
No.94, Ground Floor,
Bogalay Zay Street,
Botataung Tsp,
Yangon.Tel: 392625,
09-500-3591
Email : danceclub.
hola@gmail.com
(Except Sunday)
Dance Club & Bar
No-001-002, Dagon Tower,
Ground Flr, Cor of Kabaraye
Pagoda Rd & Shwe Gon
Dine Rd, Bahan Tsp.
Tel: 544480, 09-730-98872.
S.B. FURNI TURE S.B. FURNI TURE
HEALTH SERVICES
98(A), Kaba Aye Pagoda
Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon. Tel: 553783,
549152, 09-732-16940,
09-730-56079. Fax: 542979
Email: asiapacic.
myanmar@gmail.com.
CO WORKING SPACE
No. (6), Lane 2
Botahtaung Pagoda St,
Yangon.
01-9010003, 291897.
info@venturaofce.com,
www.venturaofce.com
DTDC Courier and Cargo
Service (Since 1991)
Yangon. Tel : 01-374457
Mandalay. Tel : 09-431-
34095. www.DTDC.COM,
dtdcyangon@gmail.com
Door to Door Delivery!!!
COURIER SERVICE
ENGINEERING
One-stop Solution for
Sub-station, M&E Work
Design, Supply and
Install (Hotel, High Rise
Building Factory)
193/197, Shu Khin Thar
Street, North Okkalapa
Industrial Zone, Yangon.
Tel: 951-691843~5, 951-
9690297, Fax: 951-691700
Email: supermega97@
gmail.com.
www.supermega-engg.com
FASHION & TAILOR
Sein Shwe Tailor, 797
(003-A), Bogyoke Aung
San Rd, MAC Tower 2,
Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon,
Ph: 01-225310, 212943~4
Ext: 146, 147, E-mail:
uthetlwin@gmail.com
Yangon : A-3, Aung San
Stadium (North East Wing),
Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp.
Tel : 245543, 09-73903736,
09-73037772.
Mandalay : No.(4) 73rd St,
Btw 30th & 31st St, Chan
Aye Thar Zan Tsp. Tel : 09-
6803505, 09-449004631.
GAS COOKER &
COOKER HOODS
Worlds leader in
Kitchen Hoods & Hobs
Same as Ariston Water
Heater. Tel: 251033,
379671, 256622, 647813
GIFT PRODUCT
Sole Distributor of
Red Ginseng from
Korea Ginseng Corporation
Tel: 01-374851, 394360
Stores:Coreana @
Junction Square / Mawtin,
UNIQHAN@U Wisara Rd;
MBIC No.16, 87
th
street.
BARS
50
th
Street
9/13, 50th street-lower,
Botataung Tsp. Tel-397160.
UnionBarAndGrill
42 Strand Road,
Botahtaung, Yangon.
Tel: 95 9420 180 214, 95
9420 101 854
www.unionyangon.com,
info@unionyangon.com
Get your Visa online for
Business and Tourist
No need to come to
Embassy.
#165. 35th Street,
Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: +951 381200, 204020
travel.evisa@gmail.com
JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014 THE MYANMAR TIMES
VISA & IMMIGRATION
WATER TREATMENT
WEB SERVICE
Wat er Heat er
Made in Japan
Same as Rinnai Gas Cooker
and Cooker Hood
Showroom Address
Capital Hyper Mart
14(E), Min Nandar Road,
Dawbon Tsp. Ph: 553136.
City Mart
(Aung San Branch) tel:
253022, 294765.
City Mart (47
th
St Branch)
tel: 200026, 298746.
City Mart (Junction 8)
tel: 650778.
City Mart (FMI City Branch)
tel: 682323.
City Mart (Yankin Center
Branch) tel: 400284.
City Mart
(Myaynigone Branch)
tel: 510697.
City Mart (Zawana Branch)
tel:564532.
SUPERMARKETS
Commercial scale
water treatment
(Since 1997)
Tel: 01-218437~38.
H/P: 09-5161431,
09-43126571.
39-B, Thazin Lane, Ahlone.
PAINT
Open Daily (9am to 6pm)
No. 797, MAC Tower II,
Rm -4, Ground Flr,
Bogyoke Aung San Rd,
Lamadaw Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (951) 212944 Ext: 303
sales.centuremyanmar@
gmail.com
www.centure.in.th
Sole Distributor
For the Union of
Myanmar Since 1995
Myanmar Golden Rock
International Co.,Ltd.
#06-01, Bldg (8), Myanmar
ICT Park, University Hlaing
Campus, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 654810~17.
Worlds No.1 Paints &
Coatings Company
Bldg-A2, G-Flr, Shwe
Gabar Housing, Mindama
Rd, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon. email: eko-nr@
myanmar.com.mm
Ph: 652391, 09-73108896
WATER SOLUTION
SERVICE OFFICE
No. (6), Lane 2
Botahtaung Pagoda St,
Yangon.
01-9010003, 291897.
info@venturaofce.com,
www.venturaofce.com
REAL ESTATE
Real Estate Agent
Agent fees is unnecessary
Tel : 09 2050107,
09 448026156
robinsawnaing@gmail.com
22, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd,
Bahan Tsp. tel 541997.
email: leplanteur@
mptmail.net.mm.
http://leplanteur.net
Good taste & resonable
price
@Thamada Hotel
Tel: 01-243047, 243639-41
Ext: 32
G-01, City Mart (Myay Ni
Gone Center).
Tel: 01-508467-70 Ext: 106
G-05, Marketplace by
City Mart.
Tel: 01-523840 Ext: 105
1. WASABI : No.20-B,
Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd,
Yankin Tsp,(Near MiCasa),
Tel; 09-4250-20667,
09-503-9139
Myaynigone (City Mart)
Yankin Center (City Mart)
No. 5, U Tun Nyein
Street, Mayangone T/S,
Yangon.
Tel : 01-660 612, 011 22
1014, 09 50 89 441
Email : lalchimiste.
restaurant@gmail.com
RESTAURANTS
Bo Sun Pat Tower, Bldg
608, Rm 6(B), Cor of
Merchant Rd & Bo Sun
Pat St, PBDN Tsp. Tel:
377263, 250582, 250032,
09-511-7876, 09-862-4563.
Your Most Reliable &
Friendly Real Estate Agency
Tel : 09-7308848
01-242370, 394053
Road to Mandalay
Myanmar Hotels &
Cruises Ltd. Governors
Residence 39C, Taw Win
Rd, Dagon Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (951) 229860
fax: (951) 217361. email:
RTMYGN@mptmail.net.mm
www.orient-express.com
MARINE
COMMUNICATION &
NAVIGATION
Top Marine Show Room
No-385, Ground Floor,
Lower Pazundaung Road,
Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon.
Ph: 01-202782, 09-851-5597
Schenker (Thai) Ltd.
Yangon 59 A, U Lun
Maung Street. 7 Mile
Pyay Road, MYGN. tel:
667686, 666646.fax:
651250. email: sche
nker@mptmail.net.mm.
No.290-B,U Wisarya
Road,10 Ward, Kamaryut
Township,Yangon.
TEL:(09)259040853
Open daily 11:00~23:00
Produce by Sagittarius
Myanmar
Executive Serviced Ofces
www.hinthabusinesscentres.com
Tel : 01-4413410
TRAVEL AGENTS
Shan Yoma Tours Co.,Ltd
www.exploremyanmar.com
Asian Trails Tour Ltd
73 Pyay Rd, Dagon tsp.
tel: 211212, 223262.
fax: 211670. email: res@
asiantrails.com.mm
Water Treatement Solution
Block (A), Room (G-12),
Pearl Condo, Kabar Aye
Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp.
Hot Line : 09-4500-59000
Aekar
Company Limited
PLEASURE CRUISES
Moby Dick Tours Co., Ltd.
Islands Safari in the Mergui
Archipelago
5 Days, 7 Days, 9 Days Trips
Tel: 95 1 202063, 202064
E-mail: info@islandsafari
mergui.com. Website: www.
islandsafarimergui.com
World famous Kobe Beef
Near Thuka Kabar
Hospital on Pyay Rd,
Marlar st, Hlaing Tsp.
Tel: +95-1-535072
Enchanting and Romantic,
a Bliss on the Lake
62 D, U Tun Nyein Road,
Mayangon Tsp, Yangon
Tel. 01 665 516, 660976
Mob. 09-730-30755
operayangon@gmail.com
www.operayangon.com
Relocation Specialist
Rm 504, M.M.G Tower,
#44/56, Kannar Rd,
Botahtaung Tsp.
Tel: 250290, 252313.
Mail : info@asiantigers-
myanmar.com
Crown Worldwide
Movers Ltd 790, Rm 702,
7
th
Flr Danathiha Centre,
Bogyoke Aung San Rd,
Lanmadaw. Tel: 223288,
210 670, 227650. ext: 702.
Fax: 229212. email: crown
worldwide@mptmail.net.mm
Yangon Intl School
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42 Sport THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014
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RANCES Barthelemy dethroned Inter-
national Boxing Federation super feath-
erweight champ Argenis Mendez with a
controversial second-round knockout last
Friday at the Target Center arena in Min-
neapolis. The 27-year-old Cuban boxer
kept his undefeated record intact as he im-
proved to 20-0 with 13 knockouts.
Barthelemy sent Mendez to the canvas
late in the second round with two hard
lefts. It was the rst time champion Men-
dez had been knocked down in his career.
Barthelemy then used another stinging
left and a combination of punches, which
oored Mendez again as the bell sounded
to end the second round. Referee Pete
Podgorski counted Mendez out to end the
ght. The ofcial time of the knockout was
2:59 but promoter Mike Tyson insisted that
the nal punches came after the bell so he
planned to organise a rematch.
I am going to call for a rematch, said
former world heavyweight champ Tyson,
who is now a promotor. The guy was hit
twice after the bell. I am going to complain
and go to the commission. The guy was
winning the ght but still hit him after the
bell and that wasnt fair at all.
Barthelemy said he thinks he won the
ght and should keep the title.
My punches were ying as the bell was
ringing. They will see when they review the
ght what actually happened, Barthelemy
said. Barthelemy said he won because he
stuck to his ght plan.
The key to this ght was staying pa-
tient, he said. I tried to use my jab.
The 27-year-old Dominican Mendez not
only sufered the rst knockdown of his ca-
reer but his record dropped to 21-3-1 with
11 KOs. This was the second defense of the
title for Mendez, who kept the crown with
a majority draw against Canadian Arash
Usmanee in August.
Mendez won the title in March with a
fourth-round stoppage of Mexicos Juan
Carlos Salgado.
In that ght, Mendez avenged a unani-
mous decision loss to Salgado in 2011 in
Mendezs rst world title bout. The Miami-
based Barthelemy booked his chance at his
rst world title ght last June with a sec-
ond-round knockout of Thailands Fahsai
Sakkreerin. AFP
Mendez hits the canvas
for the rst time
IN PICTURES
Britains Peter Wright throws during the PDC World Championship darts nal
against the Netherlands Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace in north
London on January 1. Photo: AFP
Sport
44 THE MYANMAR TIMES JANUARY 6 - 12, 2014 SPORT EDITOR: Tim McLaughlin | timothy.mclaughlin3@gmail.com
Tyson says Barthelemys Mendez
KO after the bell
SPORT 42
M
ICHAEL Schumachers
family hailed the Formula
One legend as a ghter
who will not give up, as
he spent his 45
th
birthday
on Friday lying in a coma in a French
hospital following a skiing accident.
The retired seven-time world
champion slammed his head against
a rock on Sunday while skiing in the
French Alps and has had two opera-
tions to remove bleeding and pressure
on his brain.
Prosecutors have opened a probe
into the accident, as is common prac-
tice in France in such cases, and are
exploring the theory that the German
was skiing at great speed when he fell.
Schumachers plight has prompted
an outpouring of sympathy from fans
and in a message coinciding with his
birthday, his family said they were
touched by the reaction.
Following Michaels skiing ac-
cident, we would like to thank the
people from all around the world who
have expressed their sympathy and
sent their best wishes for his recovery,
the family said in a statement posted
on Schumachers website.
We all know he is a ghter and
will not give up, they added.
There have been conicting state-
ments about the speed Schumacher
was going at the time of his accident
at the Meribel ski resort, where he has
a property.
The impact split the helmet he was
wearing in two, according to a source
close to the investigation.
The Ferrari F1 team, with whom
Schumacher spent many years, last
friday held a silent gathering in front
of the Grenoble hospital where he is
being treated to mark the birthday of
their ex-driver, who is being kept in an
induced coma.
Schumachers fan club in his child-
hood town of Kerpen said any celebra-
tion of the birthday would be in bad taste.
Jean Todt, former head of the Fer-
rari team, visited Schumachers bed-
side on Thursday. Schumachers wife
Corinna, their two teenage children,
and his father and brother were also
there.
The hospital and Schumachers
manager had briefed the press daily
since the accident. But they did not do
so on Thursday, instead promising to
communicate only if there was some-
thing new to report.
His media representative, Sabine
Kehm, said Wednesday that Schu-
macher was stable though still critical.
The hospital has been faced with in-
tense media pressure due to the world-
wide interest in its famous patient.
A vacant lot nearby has been turned
into an impromptu parking area for
numerous television satellite vans.
Kehm earlier in the week said
some people had tried to sneak into
Schumachers room, one dressed as a
priest.
The three medical professors
treating him two neurosurgeons
and the head of the anaesthetic and
intensive care department have also
been thrown into the spotlight.
They have appeared at press con-
ferences to explain the latest devel-
opments. While they have refused to
speculate on how Schumachers con-
dition may evolve, they say his age
and tness could help with recovery.
Yet questions have emerged over
exactly how the accident happened
on a small, seemingly innocuous of-
piste section of Meribel located be-
tween two ski slopes one classed as
easy and the other as intermediate.
The prosecutors are looking at
whether the limits of the pistes next
to the area where accident happened
were correctly marked, and whether
the safety releases on Schumachers
skis operated properly.
German newspaper Bild reported
the skis were rented and one of their
safety releases did not open at the
moment of the accident.
Prosecutors were not expected to
make any statement on the investiga-
tion until early next week.
Kehm said this week that the for-
mer racer was not skiing fast when
he fell.
He seems to have hit a rock as he
took a turn. It was a chain of unfortu-
nate circumstances, she said.
She added that Schumacher was
with his 14-year-old son Mick at the
time of the accident, as well as a small
group of friends.
He was not going quickly, because
it seems he helped a friend who had
fallen down, she said.
Schumacher, who made his debut
in 1991, dominated Formula One, win-
ning more world titles and races than
any other driver.
He rst retired aged 37 but was un-
able to resist the lure of the track. In
2010, he came out of retirement but
was unable to recover his previous per-
formance and quit for good in 2012.
As an F1 racer, Schumacher was
known for his daring overtaking ma-
noeuvres, his at-times almost reckless
abandon in the pursuit of victory and
his mastery of tricky conditions pre-
sented by rain.
AFP
Schumacher spends 45
th
birthday
in coma following ski accident
Schumachers Ferrari F1 team hold a silent gathering outside of the French hospital he is being treated in. Photo: AFP
We would like to
thank the people
from all around the
world who have
expressed their
sympathy and sent
best wishes for his
recovery.
The Shumacher family
via Schumachers website