Heartbeat of the nation

500
Ks.

DAILY EDITION

www.mmtimes.com

ISSUE 24 | Thursday, April 9, 2015

survivors say
captain saved
russians first

Health fears
for letpadan
detainees

ICRC warns of
catastrophe
in Yemen

EXLUSIVE 4

News 6

WORLD 16

Indonesia
to probe
slavery
allegations
THE Indonesian government has announced it will form a special team
to investigate allegations of slavery in
the fishing industry, as officials prepare to return hundreds of foreign
crewmen to their homelands, including Myanmar.
The head of the fisheries ministrys
illegal fishing task force, Mas Achmad
Santosa, said several fishermen had
claimed that an Indonesian company,
which employed more than 1000 foreigners from several Southeast Asian
nations, engaged in slavery and torture in the remote east of the country.
The issue was a priority when President Joko Widodo chaired a cabinet
meeting late on April 7, with fisheries
minister Susi Pudjiastuti declaring afterward Indonesia must show it is serious about tackling the problem and
stamping out illegal fishing.
We must solve this. It should never happen again, because it is embarrassing for Indonesia, she said.
The International Organization for
Migration has estimated up to 4000
fishermen may be stranded in remote
parts of Indonesia, mostly dumped by
illicit fishing operators.
Mr Santosa said more than 350
mainly Myanmar fishermen were
transferred over the weekend from
Benjina island, off the coast of West
Papua province, for their safety. AFP
Hundreds of rescued fishermen, most from Myanmar and Thailand, leave a vessel after being rescued by Indonesias illegal fishing task force during an operation in a
remote Indonesian island on April 4 that was launched following allegations of slavery. Photo: AFP/Ugeng Nugroho/Ministry of Fishery

Related report news 2

Path cleared for six-way talks

President agrees to meet house speakers, NLD leader and commander-in-chief on April 10 following a three-hour
meeting with 48 political leaders yesterday that was dominated by debate on constitutional change. news 3

2 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

MPs and govt

face off over
housing plan

Govt team
to question
migrants
stranded in
Indonesia

Ban on political activities at current accommodation

has prompted MPs to push for dedicated housing

Nyan Lynn Aung

29.nyanlynnaung@gmail.com

Htoo
Thant
The entrance to Mawlamyines colonial-era prison. Officials say work on a new
prison in nearby Kyaikmayaw will finish this fiscal year. Photo: Naw Say Phaw Waa

Mawlamyine Prison to
close, future unclear
Naw Say Phaw Waa
nawsayphawwaa@gmail.com

being managed by the Union government, Col Htay Myint Aung said.
MotetammaOne resident said she hoped the
MAWLAMYINES colonial-era prison site would be left undeveloped and
is to be relocated from the township then opened up to the public.
centre to a nearby village, local memI would like the land to become a
bers of parliament heard on April 7. natural park because there are not any
Colonel Htay Myint Aung, Mon States big parks that people can go and take
minister for security and border af- a rest. It would also be good to have
fairs, told the state hluttaw that the a playground there, said Daw Yu Yu
move should be completed this finan- Maw, who sells soft drinks at the corcial year.
ner of the prison.
The facility, which is more than 100
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin
years old and holds 300 inmates, will
be moved to a 10-hectare (25.66-acre)
site at Yedwingone village, in nearby
Kyaikmayaw township, and the land
it now occupies will be used for city
development, said the minister.
The existing downtown site is close
to the landmark Kyaikthanlan Pagoda, and borders a market and local
schools.
In reply to a question from state
hluttaw representative U Aung Naing
Oo of No 1 constituency, Chaungzon
township, whether the prison land
Mawlamyine
would be sold to the private sector, the
Prison
minister said there was no such plan.
Kyaikthanlan
Since Mawlamyine Prison is the propPagoda
erty of the Ministry of Home Affairs,
the Mon State government would
propose options to the ministry for its
use, said Col Htay Myint Aung.
It is planned to finish moving the
prison in the current financial year.
One-third of the [new] prison facility has been completed, said U Khin
Maung Gyi, assistant director of the
states Prisons Department.
300 m
The relocation to Kyaikmayaw is
n Road
Taung Yoe Ta

Upper Main Road

Lower Main Road

e
ridg
in B )
nlw ma
Tha Motta
(To

AFTER 60 Myanmar fishermen enslaved on a remote Indonesian island

reportedly declined a rescue mission
last weekend, Myanmars Ministry
of Foreign Affairs has announced it
will send a delegation to assess the
situation.
We need to investigate for ourselves the conditions on the islands
and see what is going on and what
happened there, said director general
U Sein Oo.
On April 3, Indonesian authorities
conducted a rescue mission on one of
the isolated islands where thousands
of mostly Myanmar fishermen were
revealed by an Associate Press investigation to be stranded.
As many as 4000 labourers, including many victims of trafficking, have
been dumped on the islands at the
southernmost tip of Indonesia, abandoned by trawlers after years of forced
labour, according to the International
Organisation for Migration.
During the rescue mission, more
than 300 fishermen accepted the
offer of assistance, but dozens more
also rejected the help, U Sein Oo
said, citing correspondence received
from police chief of Maluku state
Musa Ginting.
While the embassy works to help
those already rescued, Myanmar
will also send its own delegation of
anti-human trafficking police to assess the situation, including why the
workers declined to accept the offer
of help.
We dont know why they did not
want to return yet, said Police Brigadier General Win Naing Tun, who
heads the governments anti-human
trafficking unit.
As many as 257 of the more than
300 fishermen rescued over the weekend appear to be Myanmar nationals,
the embassy reported after meeting
the group on April 6. Officials have
compiled a list of names which will be
sent back to Myanmar so citizenship
can be confirmed and repatriation
arranged.
We are starting to confirm the
citizenship of the Myanmar workers
on Tual Island now, said Pol Brig Gen
Win Naing Tun.

thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com

A PARLIAMENTARY debate over

building accommodation for MPs
staying in the capital has been
suspended following a dispute between hluttaw representatives and
the cabinet over the legality of the
proposal.
U Aye Maung, an upper house
representative from the Rakhine
National Party, said MPs needed
their own housing because the Nay
Pyi Taw City Development Committee, which runs the guesthouse
where many currently stay, has
barred them from holding political
activities there.
U Man Aung Tin Myint, who
submitted the housing proposal,
said, Prohibiting MPs from carrying out political activities at the
guest house, with the reason that it
is a state-owned building, creates
difficulties for them.
He estimated the cost of building accommodation at K20 billion,
and said the state could recoup
this by charging MPs K5000 a day
the amount they currently pay to
stay at the city development committee guesthouse.
Minister for National Planning
and Economic Development U Kan
Zaw said the proposed project could
not be implemented until the 201617 financial year, as parliament has
already approved the budget and
planning bill for this year.
But U Win Shein, the finance
minister, said no law stipulated
that the state was responsible for
building accommodation exclusively for MPs. Political parties
could not make use of state funding, he said.
If they [MPs] convene meetings related to their political parties at state-owned buildings,
it means a political party may use
directly or indirectly state-owned
money or buildings or vehicles. So,

they may infringe the Political Party Registration Law, he said.

But U Banyar Aung Moe, an
ethnic Mon representative, replied
by asking how in that case could
MPs discuss political affairs inside
the state-owned Hluttaw Building.
Colonel Win Lwin Oo, a military representative, spoke against
the proposal.
However, Speaker Thura U
Shwe Mann acknowledged the
problems facing MPs, even though
they do mostly do not affect representatives from his own Union Solidarity and Development
Party, who stay in party-owned
accommodation.
I must apologise to MPs who
have been facing difficulties for
their accommodation and transportation, he said.

BILLION KYAT

20

Estimated cost of building housing

inside the hluttaw compound for MPs

The speaker said he had included the project to develop housing

for MPs in previous budgets, but
that he cancelled it after the cabinet promised to take care of it.
Nonetheless, debate on the urgent proposal was suspended.
U Soe Naing from Pyapon township said that in his opinion the debate was suspended because there
would be a loss of face between the
hluttaw and the government if the
proposal was approved.
The government and the Tatmadaw were against, but the rest
of the MPs were likely to support
it, he said. He said he hoped the issue would be settled in a manner
acceptable to both sides.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

www.mmtimes.com

News editor: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

News 3

April 10 meeting to focus Intense fighting

on constitutional change flares again in
Kokang region

Ei Ei Toe
Lwin

Government media changes tune on conflict

and stops reporting clashes, casualty figures

eieitoelwin@gmail.com

Lun Min Mang

Guy Dinmore
newsroom@mmtimes.com

A MEETING of 48 political leaders

convened by President U Thein Sein
yesterday has cleared the way for sixway talks to take place at the presidents residence on April 10. Amendments to the constitution are expected
to dominate the agenda, participants
in yesterdays meeting said.
This meeting is a pre-discussion
for six-way talks requested by the
Pyidaungsu
Hluttaw,
President
U Thein Sein said in his opening
remarks.
While the president did not confirm the date for the meeting yesterday, his spokesperson U Ye Htut said
later that it would take place on April
10.
The six-way talks will definitely
be held on April 10, U Ye Htut said at
a press conference held at the Ministry of Information after the meeting.
The three-hour meeting in Nay
Pyi Taw brought together 44 individuals, including the president, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker Thura U
Shwe Mann, Deputy Commander-inChief Vice Senior General Soe Win,
Union Election Commission chair
U Tin Aye, leaders of registered political parties and 28 ethnic affairs
ministers.
While the president set three
broad topics for the agenda securing an agreement on the peace process and the nationwide ceasefire
draft; holding elections successfully
to continue the democratic transition; and ensuring political stability
around this years election, which is
scheduled for November participants said constitutional change was
the main focus of discussion.
The president mentioned how
important the nationwide ceasefire
accord was and to support its signing
so that political dialogue could start,
said U Aye Thar Aung, who attended
for the Rakhine National Party.
We suggested that these processes, including the signing of the nationwide ceasefire, political dialogue
and building a democratic state, cannot happen without changing 2008
constitution. We urged that constitutional change be discussed at the sixway talks, he said.
He added that the nationwide
ceasefire is a provisional agreement
and many things will still have to be
done to ensure peace.
If they [the government] dont
want to change [the 2008 constitution] to build a federal union system

President U Thein Sein waves as he arrives to a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw with 48
political leaders yesterday. Photo: AFP

such as that which ethnic minorities

have constantly urged for decades,
genuine peace will never come.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not
raise any specific topics at the meeting, he said, suggesting that she was
waiting for the six-way talks to air
her views.
She refused to comment to reporters when she arrived back at her Nay
Pyi Taw residence last night, but said
she would likely hold a press conference in parliament today.
She has been calling for fourway talks between U Thein Sein,
herself, Thura U Shwe Mann and
Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on the constitution since the middle of last year.
In November, parliament approved
a proposal for a six-party meeting,
which would also include upper
house Speaker U Khin Aung Myint
and an ethnic minority representative, U Aye Maung.
However, the president has avoided taking part in the meeting, instead convening talks between larger
groups an effort to be all-inclusive,

according to government officials.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyis comments to the media on April 3 that
she would not rule out boycotting
the election unless the constitution is
amended appear to have spurred him
into action, however.
Yesterday, U Ye Htut who had
previously described six-way talks as
impractical insisted that the president had never denied the proposal.
He just said much more information [on the agenda] was needed.
Now, the president has agreed to hold
those talks as he assumes that weve
got enough information after holding todays meeting with participants
from all of the different parties, said
U Ye Htut.
He added the April 10 meeting
would cover many important issues,
including amendments to the 2008
constitution.
[Changing the 2008 constitution]
will be one topic among many at the
six-way talks. They will also discuss
holding free and fair elections and
the issues of political stability before
and beyond the election period.

GOVERNMENT forces are said to

have launched a heavy offensive
against ethnic Chinese rebels in
Kokang with no sign that a draft
national ceasefire agreement
reached in Yangon on March 31
has had an impact on the twomonth-old conflict.
U Tun Myat Lin, spokesperson of the Myanmar Nationalities
Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), said government troops
had launched a mass attack early
yesterday in a hilly region near
Khote Htan village.
The fighting began in 5am.
Government troops advanced in
four columns and attacked us,
he told The Myanmar Times by
telephone.
State media have recently imposed what amounts to a news
blackout on the fighting in Kokang after initial extensive coverage of the conflict when details
of Tatmadaw and rebel casualties were issued almost daily.
Few independent reports on the
situation have emerged. The formerly self-administered area in
a corner of northern Shan State
remains under martial law and
the lack of security has prevented
international aid agencies from
sending assessment missions.
The UN World Food Programme said on April 7 that it
estimated some 78,000 people
mostly ethnic Chinese had been
displaced by the fighting which
erupted on February 9. Of these
about 70,000 had fled across
the border into China. Other aid
workers said they believed the total was less, while stressing that
accurate information was scarce.
Myanmar Online, a Chineselanguage website that appears to
have close ties with armed ethnic
groups in the region, reported
the Tatmadaw launched a heavy
artillery bombardment of a hilltop it identified as Dongshan on
April 7. It said Chinese military
forces along the border were on
high alert and that Chinese authorities had stopped road traffic from moving south out of the
border town of Nanshan yesterday. Chinas embassy in Yangon
did not respond to requests for
comment.

Myanmar formally apologised

to China on April 2 for a crossborder bombing by one of its
aircraft that killed five Chinese
farm workers and wounded eight
on March 13. Military analysts
said the incident highlighted the
problems facing the Tatmadaw in
pursuing MNDAA fighters close
to the border.
A draft nationwide ceasefire
agreement was signed on March
31 by government representatives
and a team of negotiators representing 16 armed ethnic groups,
including the MNDAA. The government does not recognise the
Kokang fighters and has shown
no sign of wanting to reach a
ceasefire with the MNDAA, despite pressure from China to
open talks.

Aid is delivered to people displaced

by the fighting in Kokang. Photo:
World Food Programme Myanmar

The next stage in the ceasefire

process is for leaders of the various armed groups to hold a joint
conference to discuss the terms
of the draft agreement reached
in Yangon. The United Wa State
Army the most powerful of the
armed groups has offered to
host the meeting in its border
stronghold of Pangkham from
May 1 to 3.
U Tun Myat Lin said the MNDAA would attend the meeting.
U Khun Okkar, a member of the
Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team representing 16 armed
ethnic groups, told The Myanmar
Times that the Kachin Independence Army had also agreed to attend the talks in Pangkham.

Thirty-five parties debate proportional voting plan

Pyae Thet Phyo
pyaethetphyo87@gmail.com
CONSULTATIONS on a proposed
switch to proportional representation
wrapped up yesterday, with representatives of 35 registered parties having
put forward their views over the past
three days. Another five parties invited
to give their thoughts at the hearing
declined.
The bill committee of the Amyotha
Hluttaw, or upper house, called the
hearing to seek feedback on the proposed change, which MPs agreed to
undertake last year. Views on the proposed change were mixed, but most
spoke out against scrapping the current first-past-the-post system.
Id like to suggest that Myanmar is

not ready to adopt proportional representation, National League for Democracy Amyotha Hluttaw representative
U Aung Kyi Nyunt said on April 7. The
major weakness of the system is that
people cant understand it clearly.
But U Banyar Aung Moe from the
All Mon Region Democracy Party told
the hearing that introducing proportional representation would be important for peace, because the political
wings of armed ethnic groups would
have a better chance of winning seats.
Ethnic armed groups will have
a voice in the hluttaw. It will be better
for the country if they can participate,
he said.
The proportional representation
system is the most suitable for Myanmar, he said, adding that he believed

that people can understand it easily.

Yesterday, National Political Alliance League chair U Thein Kyi said he
believed proportional representation
was unnecessary in the upper house

The major
weakness of the
system is that people
cant understand it
clearly.
U Aung Kyi Nyunt
National League for Democracy

because each state and region receive

an equal number of seats. However,
representatives from the Kayan National Party, the Wunthanu Democratic
Party and the Democratic Party (Myanmar) all called for its introduction.
Kokang Democracy and Unity Party
vice chair U Khin Maung Aye attended
the hearing but declined to speak, saying he was there simply to learn from
the comments of others.
I have got a lot of electoral experience from listening to the different
opinions of MPs on the strengths and
weaknesses of each electoral system,
he said.
Amyotha Hluttaw representative
Daw Khin Wine Kyi of the National
Democratic Force tabled a motion
to adopt a system of proportional

representation in elections for the

upper house in June 2014. Views are
mixed, however, even among smaller
parties that might stand to benefit
from electoral reform.
The Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house,
voted unanimously last November to
keep the existing electoral system after
the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that
seven other proposed alternatives were
unconstitutional.
The existing system is generally
considered to favour the opposition
National League for Democracy, while
proportional representation would
benefit its major rival, the Union Solidarity and Development Party. Most
ethnic minority parties are against
changing.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

4 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

Chief Executive Officer

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An undated photo from the Myanmar embassy in Moscow shows Myanmar survivors of the Russian trawler sinking. Photo: Supplied

Trawler survivors blame

captain for sinking, deaths
Captain was still trying to reel in more fish despite unbalanced vessel leaning dangerously to one side

Wa Lone
walone14@gmail.com

MYANMAR survivors of a Russian

trawler disaster yesterday blamed the
captain of the ill-fated vessel for the
deaths of their fellow seamen, saying
he had prioritised Russian lives over
foreign members of his crew.
Just 22 of the 42 Myanmar fishermen survived the sinking of the Dalniy
Vostok freezer trawler, which plunged
into the icy waters off Russias Far East
early in the morning on April 2. The
men said more might have survived
had the captain not overloaded the
vessel with fish, and had he warned all
crew instead of only the Russian deckhands.
Myanmar seamen Ko Myo Min Oo
said the heavily laden ship was already
sloping at a precarious angle when his
shift in the freezer started at 2am, just
hours before the ship sank. The captain
told the crew to take care, but no one
believed anything bad would happen.
Everyone thought the ship leaning
on one side was normal, but it kept getting gradually worse to the point that it
was difficult to work, he said.
He went to the deck to ask what was
happening and saw the Russian crew
trying to lift a huge haul onboard with

a crane.
Something was wrong with the
balance of the pulley and the rope, but
the Russian fishermen had a hard time
trying to control the situation, he said.
Initial accounts that the vessel collided with ice have been dismissed,
replaced by suspicions validated by
survivors accounts that the already
overloaded trawler flouted too many
regulations trying to bring in a big
haul.
[The] vessel didnt replace used
fuel weight with ballast water weight,
said Mikhail Voytenko, a former
marine navigator.
The ship was carrying 1150 tonnes
of fish but had only 50 tonnes of fuel,
Vasily Velmeskin, director of the rescue mission, told the Komsomolskaya
Pravda.
The lack of balance eventually became too much, and then the ship encountered another problem: It didnt
have enough safety equipment for the
132 onboard, according to Russias Investigative Committee.
The captain told the Russians to
grab the few life preservers available,
but did nothing to warn the other crew
in the cabins, said Ko Myo Min Oo.
Some didnt even know there was a
real problem until water began pouring in.
When the ship was sinking, lying
on one side, the officer told their guys
secretly to be prepared. We were all on
the lower floor so didnt know what

was going on until the water came in

from the ship window, said Ko Wai Lin
Moe, another of the Myanmar freezer
workers.
When we climbed up to the deck,
the Russian seamen were wearing all
the immersion suits and life jackets.
Too late to get into a lifeboat, Ko
Wai Lin Moe jumped into the frigid
water and tried to swim to the nearest
raft. Most of those who got on the lifeboats survived, he said, while those in
the water and those who didnt get off
the ship in time died.
The captain was bad - he gave an
alarm only five minutes before the
ship sank. Thats why people died. It
shouldnt have happened, he said.
One of the last to get an immersion
suit, Ko Myo Min Oo said plunged into
the frigid ocean water just moments
before the ship submerged. The water
was so cold he couldnt yell for help and
struggled to move his arms.
Two hours later, rescue boats arrived. But they too prioritised the Russian crew, grabbing those from the lifeboats first, he said. Another 30 minutes
later, the rescue teams began to pull
people directly from the water. But for
many, it was too late.
I still dont dare to think about
what wouldve happened if I stayed in
the freezing water another 30 minutes,
he said.
The 22 Myanmar survivors are now
in a hotel waiting for the embassy in
Moscow to process their passports for

repatriation, but their ordeal is far from

over.
The foreign crew members will be
held administratively liable for illegal
work in Russia, the Russian Federal
Migration Services told news agency
TASS on April 6.
A representative of Magellan LLC
- the parent company that owned the
sunken trawler - tried to deny responsibility for the undocumented labour,
claiming the organisation had no idea
foreign nationals were onboard, TASS
reported.
Fishing industry experts, however,
said Russias Far East is rife with corruption and illegal foreign labour,
though none had previously heard
of Myanmar workers plying Russian
waters.
Many of the Myanmar workers
joined the trawler in South Korea,
some having been lured to the boat by
promises of high salaries, while others were tricked onboard by nefarious
recruitment agencies in Yangon, who
have since had their licences indefinitely suspended.
The surviving workers had little to
say about the dubious legality of their
employment or any potential charges,
however. And though they blamed the
captain, they refrained from blaming their Russian shipmates, many of
whom also died in the accident.
We worked all together, said survivor Ko Win Htut, and now I feel just
the tragedy of losing them.

White-card handback program hits 100,000

Ye Mon
Lun Min Mang
newsroom@mmtimes.com
DEFUNCT white cards, temporary
citizenship documents, are being
handed in at an increasing rate, immigration officials say. Authorities
in Rakhine State have now collected
more than 100,000 of the cards since
a handback program began on April
1, a senior official said yesterday.
In February, the Presidents Office announced that the cards, which
have been distributed to temporary
citizens, would be invalid from March
31. Holders have been given until May
31 to return them.
More than 83 percent of whitecard holders live in Rakhine State,

and most are held by Muslims who

identify as Rohingya.
The handback began slowly, but
has gathered speed since, said immigration director U Khin Soe.
We have sought help from Bengali organisations, the leaders of the
refugee camps and ward administrators. We have set up centres in the
states 14 townships to manage the
return process, said the director.
Department figures show there
are 797,504 white-card holders nationally, of whom 666,381 live in Rakhine State. Only Kayah State and
western Bago Region have no whitecard holders.
Those who surrender their cards
are given a receipt that they can
use in the process of applying for a

permanent citizenship document, the

National Registration Card (NRC),
known as the pink card.

We have sought
help from Bengali
organisations, the
leaders of the refugee
camps and ward
administrators.
U Khin Soe
Immigration department

State- and township-level scrutiny

boards will review applications for
citizenship that are supported by the
necessary evidence. Applications can
be made starting in June.
U Kyaw Naing, the leader of Baw
Du Pha Camp in Sittwe, who is helping the immigration department
collect the cards, said holders were
handing them in willingly.
The department has already collected all the cards from my camp,
without complaints or resistance, he
said. It was easy.
On April 3, the president formed
a nine-member advisory board led by
U Win Myint, the deputy minister for
immigration and population, to review laws, rules and regulations governing the temporary cards.

News 5

www.mmtimes.com

Cabinet orders split of key

health ministry department
Department of Health has been split into public health and medical care departments as of April 1

Shwe
Yee Saw
Myint
poepwintphyu2011@gmail.com

THE Ministry of Health has officially

split its key Department of Health
into two departments as of April 1,
in a move aimed at improving efficiency and service delivery.
U Sein Win, a spokesperson for
the ministers office, told The Myanmar Times that the order from
cabinet would see the Department
of Health which received about 80
percent of the ministrys budget
split into public health and medical
care departments, both of which will
be headed by a director general.
Public health will be responsible
for improving rural health outcomes,
combating major diseases such as
TB, malaria and HIV, and other
special projects, while medical care
will focus on treatment and hospital
administration.
The order says to establish these
two departments and implement their

Commission
warns Mon
party over
statement
THE Mon National Party has received
a warning from Mon State election
officials over a joint statement it issued with an ethnic armed group
taking part in ceasefire talks with the
government.
The statement made with the New
Mon State Party on March 12 denounced the governments crackdown
on student protests in Letpadan. It
was issued following a meeting of the
two parties leaders.
U Naing Soe Mya, a vice-general
secretary of the MNP, said the state
election sub-commission warned them
by quoting sections of the constitution
and laws during a meeting on April 7.
Although they did not say releasing a joint statement with New Mon
State Party on March 12 was against
the law, they said they were calling us
to make sure that we exactly follow
sections 405 and 407 of the constitution, and section 12 of party registration law, he said.
Our stance is clear. We have a relationship with any organisation for the
interest of Mon people.
During the meeting [on April 7],
when we asked them which sections of
the laws was violated by Mon National
Party, they could not answer it.
The New Mon State Party is the
armed wing of the Mon National Liberation Army and signed a bilateral
ceasefire with the government in 2012.
However, it is still technically considered an illegal organisation by the government, and those found to have contact with such illegal groups face up to
three years imprisonment under the
colonial-era Unlawful Association Act.
But U Naing Soe Mya said having
connections with the New Mon State
Party should not be a violation of the
law, as it is among the armed ethnic
groups that negotiated a draft ceasefire
agreement with the government last
month. The ceasefire states that all signatories will be removed from the unlawful association list. Lun Min Mang

respective plans by the approval of

the cabinet, U Sein Win said.
The change was first flagged by
The Myanmar Times in October,
with some sources saying that the
restructure was being driven by an
attempt to sideline those close to the
current ministers predecessor, Dr
Pe Thet Khin, including the then-director general of the Department of
Health, Dr Min Than Nyunt.
Dr Min Than Nyunt has now retired, with Dr Soe Lwin Nyein, a deputy director general for disease control, temporarily in charge of public
health, and Dr Myint Hun, director
general of the Food and Drug Administration, at the head of medical care.
However, Dr Than Sein, the head

80%

Proportion of Ministry of Health budget

allocated to the Department of Health

of the Public Health Foundation who

is advising the government on the
restructure, insisted at the time that
this was not the motivation, adding
that the change aimed to improve
service provision and strengthen capacity in anticipation of more funding for the health sector from the
national budget and international
donors.
He said the plan, which was developed by Vice President U Sai
Mauk Kham, was being drafted before Dr Pe Thet Khin was replaced by
Dr Than Aung in late July 2014.
Dr Soe Lwin Nyein declined to
comment yesterday on the departments plans for the future, but said
he would soon release details to the
media.
Another change announced on
April 1 will see all medical universities placed under the control of the
Ministry of Education, while the
Department of Medical Science has
been changed to the Department of
Human Resources.
Dr Than Tun Sein, a former director at the Department of Medical Research, said splitting the Department
of Health could create management

problems, particularly if the two new

departments do not cooperate.
While the new departments have
different focuses, there is still significant crossover in their work.
This is especially the case at the
township level, where the government will have to appoint officers for
both public health and medical care,
he said. Will they be able to work
together? It is likely that there will
be problems between these two officers in some cases. To avoid this, they
should have clear responsibilities.
But Dr Myint Hun said that initially the two positions would both
be held by one person, and that responsibilities would be divided later
after a second township officer is
appointed.
He added that it was unclear how
the budget would be divided between
the two departments.
Under the budget approved by
the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or union
parliament, on April 1, the Ministry of Health will receive more than
K757.437 billion (US$737.8 million) in
2015-16, a 6.8 percent increase on last
years K708.949 billion, according to
Minister for Finance U Win Shein.

Bus line
demands
US$1m from
TV station
A BUS company is demanding K1 billion (US$974,000) compensation from
Shwe Than Lwin Media for broadcasting what it says was an inaccurate report of a highway accident on Myanmar National Television (MNTV).
The Shwe Sin Sekyar highway express bus line is demanding payment
within seven days, or they say they will
sue the media company.
On April 6, MNTV reported that
two buses had overturned on the
Yangon-Mandalay Highway. However,
it wrongly identified one of the vehicles as belonging to Shwe Sin Sekyar,
the company says, adding that the bus
was in fact from a different company
called Shwe Sekyar.
Advocate U Nay La, representing
the bus company, told The Myanmar
Times yesterday that the coverage had
resulted in passengers threatening to
cancel their Shwe Sin Sekyar tickets
for travel over the water festival holiday period.
This false report could give the
company a bad name and cause it to
lose business during the touring season, he said, accusing the TV company of negligence.
MNTV officials did not respond to
requests for comment. Ye Mon

6 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

IN DEPTH

Student arrests highlight prison woes

Lack of medical care for those arrested at Letpadan on March 10 symptomatic of a prison system woefully behind international standards
Yola Verbruggen
yverbruggen@gmail.com
OUTSIDE Letpadan Township Court
on April 7, worried parents gathered
to follow the proceedings of a trial
against their children who had participated in a protest against the National Education Law. But most of the
parents concerns were not about the
legal system, in which they have little faith, but about the health of the
young activists.
My son was beaten badly and his
head still hurts, said the mother of
Ko Mar Naw, a student from Kachin
State who had joined the sit-in in
Letpadan on March 10. The worried
mother feels powerless as all she
can do is bring her son medicine in
prison. Medicine will not help him;
he needs to see a doctor, his mother
said, while nervously keeping her
eyes on the prison van that was about
to take her son back to prison.
Other parents expressed similar
worries. U Khin Maung Kyi, father
of student Ko Than Swe, said his
son was taken to hospital last week.
He cannot see with one eye because
he was beaten a lot on his head, U
Khin Maung Kyi said. He is one of
the boys on the photo who loses his
longyi when he was running, you
know?
Photos of students being beaten by
police officers have circulated on social media and on the covers of newspapers for weeks. In the first weeks
after the crackdown, when parents
were not allowed to visit their children, they were desperately trying to
gather information through released
students and people who had witnessed the violent crackdown in the
small town north of Yangon.
Ko Than Swe was sent to hospital
last week, three weeks after he sustained his head injury. He was taken
back to Tharyarwady Prison the same
day. His father had heard rumours
that his son would be sent to hospital in Yangon but has been unable
to confirm this. Prison authorities
are not forthcoming with information and most of the time friends and
family are left worrying about their

A relative of one of the Letpadan detainees cries outside court on March 25. Photo: Zarni Phyo

well-being.
The lack of access to healthcare
is not unique to this case. Prisons in
Myanmar are infamous, one apparent
reason being the lack of medical care.
The Ministry of Home Affairs
needs to address long-standing concerns over poor health, sanitation
and nutrition for regular and political prisoners. Burmas prisons are
routinely referred to as hellholes,
and this is directly the governments
fault, said David Mathieson, senior
researcher for Asia for Human Rights
Watch.
Convicts and political prisoners
alike are often not allowed to see a

doctor and rarely get permission to

visit a hospital.
To receive proper medical treatment, common prisoners need to pay
bribe money and political prisoners
need approval from intelligence officers to visit a public hospital outside
the prison, said Ko Bo Kyi, general
secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
He added that with the approval
of intelligence services, some political
prisoners had received proper treatment lately.
The lack of healthcare for the injured students in custody is a violation of the United Nations Standard

Minimum Rules for the Treatment of

Prisoners, which states, Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment
shall be transferred to specialised institutions or to civil hospitals.
Not only injuries sustained during
the crackdown are bothering the students. Some of them are developing
health complaints from sleeping on
the hard beds in prison and the heat,
which will only get worse in the coming month. The medicine provided by
their parents will only be able to alleviate their complaints, not prevent
or cure them.
Many students at the court yesterday looked skinny, a result of their

deteriorating health under the harsh

prison conditions, the lack of good
food and the stress of their pending
trial.
Parents and other visitors arrived with bags of food that had been
pouring into the court compound all
morning. Bags of rice, fruit and water
were lifted over the gate of the courthouse all day. One mother quickly
was handed two bags of grapes before
she went to see her son. Take it, your
son should eat it, the man who handed it to her said.
The parents have been allowed to
visit their children each Wednesday
and Thursday, and every time they
bring food and medicine.
This is essential, because in the
Myanmar prison system food and
medicine supplied by the authorities
is far from sufficient.
In some prisons, there is no prison hospital but even if there is, there
is not enough medicine or doctors,
said Ko Bo Kyi. The family needs
to provide medicine when they visit
prisons.
While the prisoners receive meals
in prison, Human Rights Watch said
that there are systematic reports of
dirty rice and haphazard food supply. By all accounts its a culinary
dungeon, far below what minimum
standards of nutrition should be supplied to prisoners, Mr Mathieson
said.
The activists standing trial were
taken back to prison on April 7 after
the hearing was adjourned due to the
prosecutions request for the trial to
be transferred to the Tharyarwady
District Court. The next hearing has
been brought forward to today, and a
decision on the location has not yet
been made.
None of the police officers who
acted with extreme violence in the
March 10 crackdown on the students
and local activists who supported
them has been charged.
Eighty-one students and activists
have been charged under five sections of the Criminal Procedure Code,
which could amount to prison terms
amounting to dozens of years each if
they are found guilty.

Cultural, environment protections

promised for Amarapura project Pharmacies pledge not
NAY PYI TAW

to sell sexual stimulants

Khin Su Wai
jasminekhin@gmail.com
A MODEL village project that would
recreate an ancient community will
preserve the environment and respect history, a development company
spokesperson assured journalists yesterday. Executive consultant U Soe
Myat Thu, of the Taungthaman Thitsar company, told a press conference
that the three-year, K10 billion project
would avoid felling trees and would
not obstruct views of the lake.
The 40-acre site on former farmland near the historic U Bein Bridge
is situated well beyond the 120-foot
(40-metre) clearance area around the
structure prescribed by the Ministry of
Culture, he said.
The Taungthaman village resort
will showcase traditional stalls, a service area, a site map area for tourists
and a garden.
U Bein Bridge spans Taungthaman Lake in Amarapura, Mandalay
Region. Once the capital of the Konbaung Dynasty, Amarapura is home
to several historic sites, including
Pahtodawgyi, Bagaya Kyaung, Maha
Gandhayon Kyaung and Kyautawgyi
Paya.

Hsu Hlaing Htun

hsuhlainghtun.mcm@gmail.com

A man rows
a boat across
Taunthaman Lake,
below U Bein
Bridge. Photo:
Phyo Wai Kyaw

It will feature Amarapura-era

model buildings, show the production
of edible oil, and bullock carts, said U
Soe Myat Thu.
The highest building is two storeys, and will not obscure the beauty
of the lake. No trees will be cut down.
Mandalay writer Sue Hnget said

transparency was important in view

of rumours that the environment
might be at risk because of the project. Amarapura is the centre of our
cultural heritage, he said.
U Soe Myat Thu said the developer
was a Myanmar-owned company set
up last April.

NO sex pills please this is Nay Pyi

Taw. Pharmacies throughout the capital have pledged to clear their shelves
of amphetamines and sexual stimulation drugs for the duration of the
Thingyan water festival, Police Colonel
Zaw Khin Aung, deputy head of Nay
Pyi Taw Police Force, said yesterday.
We want to avoid taking action if
possible, so we asked for their undertaking. Weve already given briefings.
We arrested three people in Tatkon
township and weve conducted checks
in Pyinmana, Lewe and Zabuthiri.
Anyone who breaks their guarantee
will face a one-year prison sentence,
he said, warning that spot checks
would be carried out.
Though last years festival was almost trouble-free except for scattered
car accidents and street fights, the police say they are ready to ensure security throughout the holiday.
It seems young people think they
are officially permitted to take drugs
and consume alcohol if pandals are
authorised. We have noted a yearon-year increase in the spread of

narcotics among young people, said

Pol Col Zaw Khin Aung.
One chemist in Pyinmana told The
Myanmar Times that he had heard
drugstores that are suspected of selling illicit drugs were called to a meeting with the authorities.

Until now, we have

never had to undergo
a police check.
Pyinmana pharmacist

Our store was clearly told what

kinds of drugs could not be sold when
we applied for pharmacy registration.
But until now, we have never had to
undergo a police check, he said.
However, young people say that
despite the crackdown, they anticipate no difficulty in getting hold of
drugs and booze at pandals and
restaurants.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe

News 7

www.mmtimes.com

Views

Fear, favour infect

the regions media

Roger
mitton

rogermitton@gmail.com

National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting hosted by President U Thein Sein in
Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. Photo: AFP

What is Daw Aung San

Suu Kyi worried about?
Sithu Aung
Myint

newsroom@mmtimes.com

WE dont think boycotting the election is the best choice. But were not
ruling it out altogether. We are leaving our options open.
So said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
in an interview with Reuters news
agency on April 3.
Her comments have been the hottest news among political analysts
and the public.
She also said in the interview
that she is worried that President U
Thein Sein may delay the election,
citing the need to finalise peace talks
with ethnic armed groups.
On January 12, the president
called a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw
together with the two parliament
speakers, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, National League for Democracy leader
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, other political leaders and ethnic affairs
ministers.
In the meeting, President U Thein
Sein expressed his attitude toward
amending the constitution, saying,
I always believe that a constitution
must be amended under [particular]
circumstances. I believe we have to
do the constitutional amendment if
we are to build a federal union that
ethnic people have continuously
demanded and ensure the implementation of the democratic transition. But this should be done based
on possible outcomes of political

dialogue that will develop from the

current peacemaking process as well
as in accord with legal procedures
stated in the 2008 constitution.
Trying to change the constitution without legal procedures has a
tendency to overtake the rule of law
so we have to do the constitutional
amending in accord with the provisions of the constitution, he added.
Now negotiators from the government and armed ethnic groups have
reached a draft nationwide ceasefire
accord and it is expected that they
will sign the agreement in May. After
that, political dialogue should start
within 90 days, as stipulated in the
agreement.

President U Thein
Sein is not alone in
wanting to prolong
the constitutional
amendment process
as long as possible.

The presidents speech indicates

that he only wants to change the
constitution after political dialogue
is complete. What the president
said contradicts Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker Thura U Shwe Manns
promise that the constitution
amending process will start during
the 12th session of parliament, which
is taking place now, and a referendum will be held in May to approve
proposed amendments.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi seems
anxious about this contradiction.
Shes right to be.
But I dont think its fair to blame

the president alone. The plan of the

two Speakers is not totally different
from what the president wants to do.
On February 12 Union Day
ethnic leaders met the president
and commander-in-chief in Nay Pyi
Taw. They also held separate discussions with the two Speakers. Amyotha Hluttaw Speaker U Khin Aung
Myint spoke about the connection
between peace and constitutional
change.
Parliament gives serious consideration to implementation of constitutional amendments and has also
prepared to start the process, he
said.
Constitutional change is essential for building peace. After signing
a nationwide ceasefire agreement,
political dialogue will take place and
its outcome will be taken into consideration when implementing constitutional change.
He added, Some constitutional
provisions need just 75 percent of
support from MPs, while others also
need approval from the public at a
referendum.
Given that point, President U
Thein Sein is not alone in wanting to
prolong the constitutional amendment process as long as possible.
Both Speakers and Commander-inChief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing want to do exactly the same.
If they continue with this approach, this years general election
will take place under the 2008 constitution. If so, it cannot be free and
fair.
In conclusion, Daw Aung San
Suu Kyis fears over the election are
reasonable. Unless the president, the
two speakers and the commanderin-chief get the constitution amendment process under way, the threat
of conflict and instability will hover
over Myanmars political future.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe

WHEN pondering media repression

in this region, it is not the blatant
cases of molesting, detaining and
jailing journalists that inflame us
most, but the craftier controls enforced by backroom bureaucrats and
company bagmen.
Consider a typical example that
occurred some years ago when the
then-leader of South Africa, President FW de Klerk, paid a state visit
to Singapore.
Local reporters who were assigned to cover the event were sent
to the foreign ministry to receive
a briefing about the itinerary and
other details concerning the visit.
The official giving the briefing,
Bilahari Kausikan, was a high-flyer
in the ministry and a favourite of
the late former Prime Minister Lee
Kuan Yew. Indeed, he was soon
made an ambassador and later
became permanent secretary, the
ministrys topmost bureaucrat.
Much like his mentor, Bilhari
never minced his words and regarded political correctness as a rather
effete Western affectation that tough
little Singapore could not afford to
indulge in.
So, in his usual blunt style, he
told members of the press how to
report de Klerks trip, stressing
that it was highly sensitive, even
more than the recent visit of United
States President George HW Bush.
It must be covered in a restrained way, he said, so that it
would not upset Singapores neighbours, who are friends with the
coons.
Bilahari routinely referred to the
South Africans as coons. Actually,
he often used far cruder terms for
blacks and other minorities.
We both once attended a private
dinner given by Peter Mackler, who
was then the AFP bureau chief in
Singapore, and I was later told by
Peter and his wife that they had
wanted to ask Bilahari to leave
because of his offensive racist
language.
But that is another issue. The
point here is that Bilahari ordered
the media to play down the visit
keep it off the front page, put
a picture on page 3, and do not
say Singapore PM Goh Chok Tong
played golf with de Klerk.
Of course, the Singapore journalists obeyed; they did not want to
get sacked. Some of them, however,
told their visiting colleagues about
the onerous reporting rules and the
South Africans were shocked.
De Klerk was livid. He fumed
that even in apartheid South Africa
they did not do such things and he
let the Singapore government know
how he felt.
Thats when the offal hit the fan.
The local journalists were questioned to try to discover who had
spoken to the South Africans about
Bilaharis strictures and the utter
contempt for the media that they
betrayed.
Really, it was nothing special. It
happened, and continues to happen

all the time, as readers of the recent

memoir of Cheong Yip Seng, the
group editor-in-chief of the Singapore Straits Times, made clear.
Many good journalists left
the paper because of that kind of
nonsense, most of it due to Lees
unflinching dictum, The freedom of
the press must be subordinated to
the integrity of Singapore.
Or more bluntly: You will write
what I say because I, and my minions like Bilahari, will decide what
is best for Singapore.
What is most offensive about this
dismissal of the medias ability in
fact, its duty to make up its own
mind about the governments integrity is that it has become pervasive
across the region.
Often done in underhand but
crass ways like the Singapore example above, it is more often committed shamelessly in full public view,
thus displaying disregard for the
general public as well as the fourth
estate.
In Vietnam, for instance, perhaps
the most media-repressive society in
all of ASEAN, every single publication is owned directly or indirectly
by the dictatorial and long-ruling
Vietnam Communist Party.
As a former deputy minister of
culture, Do Quy Doan, said, The
press in our country is under the
partys control and is used to protect the point of view, direction and
leadership of the party.
And thats just what it does,
with fear and favour. The fear is of
summary sacking or prompt jailing;
the favour comes in white envelopes
with local currency inside worth
about US$5 or $10 - not a lot, but it
soon adds up.
When first given such an
envelope at an event in Danang, I
handed it back - and upset local reporters, who needed the money and,
like many of their colleagues in the
region, were accustomed to skipping
to the partys tune.
In Thailand, it was recently
revealed that one of the largest and
most well-connected companies,
Charoen Pokphand Foods, routinely
did the same kind of thing.
Except that, as might be expected
from a profit-oriented conglomerate,
CPF formally set up a department to
purchase the loyalty of journalists.
As the Bangkok Post noted when
it ran parts of a leaked CPF report,
the company rated journalists as
relatively familiar (cannot be ordered to publish stories), familiar
(can be told to run certain stories),
or close (can be instructed to do
anything).
The department had an annual
budget of about $70,000 and made
monthly payments to reporters
to carry CPF-positive stories or to
prevent CPF-unfavourable stories
appearing.
Three years ago, when a CPF
staffer committed suicide by jumping into a crocodile pool, the company report noted, We paid 30,000
baht [about $1000] to successfully
prevent this story from being
published.
That is how it is across the
region: Reporters are ordered or
paid to carry or not to carry certain
stories, or to write them in a certain
way, or to place them on a certain
page. And they do it.
No journalist likes to admit it,
but as George Orwell said, If liberty
means anything at all it means the
right to tell people what they do not
want to hear. And that includes fellow journalists.

8 THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

Business
Reclaiming
the rice
bowl title

DRESSED in Chelsea football shorts

and a wide-brimmed hat, U Than Tun
toils away in his paddy field on the
outskirts of Yangon, sweat pouring
down his sinewy arms.
Gruelling work that once helped
Myanmar become the worlds largest
rice exporter is today a Herculean and
often lonely job for farmers striving to
return the impoverished nation to its
former grain prowess.
No one comes here and asks about
the difficulties we face, the 40-yearold said during his break, citing voracious insects, crumbling irrigation
channels and greedy middlemen as
just some of the challenges preventing
him making a profit.
For much of the early 20th century Myanmar was Asias rice bowl.
But after a nominally socialist junta
seized power in 1962, decades of
mismanagement shattered the agriculture industry in a nation where
70 percent of inhabitants still live in
the countryside.
The quasi-civilian reformist government, which took over from the
military in 2011, is determined to resurrect the countrys reputation as a
rice producer.
But rotting stocks, creaking infrastructure, heavily indebted farmers
and minimal foreign investment are
among the hurdles it faces.
Still, many economists believe
helping farmers like U Than Tun offers Myanmar one of the fastest ways
to both alleviate poverty and turn
around the countrys fortunes.
Improvements in agriculture are
one of the genuine low-hanging fruit
of reforms that could do much, remarkably quickly, said Sean Turnell,
an expert on Myanmars economy at
Australias Macquarie University.
This is not just theory we can
see Vietnam as a wonderful example
of what is possible. A country that
could barely feed itself in the 1980s
now dominates various food and commodity categories, he added.
Sergiy Zorya, a Bangkok-based

expert on rice production at the

World Bank, agrees it is high time
Myanmar and the international
community did more to invest in rice
farmers. A significant increase in rice
productivity and yields over the next
decade would offer a major opportunity to drive GDP growth, increase
farming incomes, increase exports
and reduce poverty, he said.
Rice is a good poverty alleviation
tool, he explains, because money actually filters down to poor farmers
rather than resting in the hands of
corporations or middlemen.
He points to Cambodia, which has
heavily invested in improving rice production and exports. Over the past 10
years each 1 percent increase in GDP
has resulted in reducing the countrys
poverty rate by 5.2 percent.

U Kyaw Win, who owns one of the

areas larger processing plants, is desperate for the government to clear the
hurdles for foreigners to invest in the
rice industry.
Our farmers need more knowledge about how to harvest more efficiently. At the moment we are creating a lot of waste, he says, as workers
haul heavy sacks of unmilled rice behind him.
Lack of good storage facilities
means most farmers are forced to sell
their rice shortly after the harvest
when prices are at their lowest.
Meanwhile, local mills are notoriously inefficient some are still
steam-powered and produce lowquality rice that is hard to export and
sold on the cheap.
In one of U Kyaw Wins warehouses

a group of Japanese technicians install

a gleaming new US$3-million mill
controlled by a complicated bank of
computers.
The rice wholesaler is one of the
few businessmen with hard cash to
buy new equipment in an industry
where most find restrictive financial
rules prevent them investing in modern mills.
U Kyaw Win says the largest loan
he can access locally is around $1.5
million, which he would need to pay
off within a year. But the entrepreneur
is among the luckier ones already expanding his business.
We have plans for a bigger plant,
which weve already ordered. That will
cost $5-6 million, he said, adding that
foreign investment would help other
companies like his bring Myanmars

This is not just

theory we can
see Vietnam as a
wonderful example
of what is possible.
Sean Turnell
Economist

But in Laos, an economy dominated by hydro-power and mining, a 1pc

growth in GDP results in just a 0.5pc
poverty reduction, he adds.
Myanmar is fortunate to have both
huge natural resources and farming
potential. But it is the former that has
piqued the interest of foreign investors scrambling to access the sector as
the country opens up.
On the northwestern outskirts of
Yangon lies Shwe Pyi Tar, a dusty suburb of wooden shacks overshadowed
by huge warehouses, where most of
Myanmars rice harvest is milled.

Rice workers fill bags for export on the outskirts of Yangon. Photos: AFP

rice production back on track.

U Than Tun is also dreaming of
a better future, but he has smaller
goals, starting with decent irrigation.
The system for his paddy fields,
only 20 kilometres (12 miles) from
fast-developing downtown Yangon,
was built in his grandfathers time
while his village Htaw Bo still lacks
electricity.
The government is not helping
the farmers much. We have to take
care of the irrigation system ourselves, he said.
U Than Tun said he has never
voted and taken little interest so far
in the landmark election slated for
later this year.
From what I can tell theres nothing offered for us, he concludes. We
just have to be on our own. AFP

Business editor: Jeremy Mullins | jeremymullins7@gmail.com

Digital entrepreneur
takes to the web to
spread his message

Indias Modi to woo

European investors
during trip

Business 10

business 12

Government extends
one-third of K20
billion in SME loans
ko ko aung
pmkokoaung@gmail.com
STATE-OWNED SME Development Bank has disbursed K7 billion (US$6.8 million) to 237 small
and medium enterprises in 2014-15
fiscal year through a government
program.
It aimed to offer loans of up to
K20 billion for 2014-15, but as of
March 24, only one-third of that
amount has been lent out, according
to a government official.
The government has paid out
loans of about K7 billion for the 201415 fiscal year for SME development,
said Daw Yi Yi Khaing, director of
the SME Development Department
at the Ministry of Industry.
The SME Development Department is also helping SME owners
with information and loans, she
said.
The biggest destinations for investment were Mandalay Region,
with 37 recipients, 25 in Magwe Region and 39 in Bago Region. Daw Yi
Yi Khaing said there are a number
of areas with growing quantities of
SMEs that need funding, including
Yangon and Mandalay.
Funding provided through the
program, which is administered
by the SME Development Bank,
has slowly grown. In 2012 and
again in 2013 fiscal years, loans
totalled K5 billion.

The vast majority of local private enterprises are SMEs. There

were 30,538 small enterprises
and 8471 medium enterprises
registered in Myanmar as of
2015, according to the SME development centre website. This
means 68.28 percent of firms are
small businesses and 18.93pc are
medium businesses, according to
statistics.
Daw Yi Yi Khaing said access to
finance is only part of the barriers
to SME development, adding lack
of technology, low productivity, poor
information access and weak business development services also hold
small business back.
Although the government has
been working to increase lending to
SMEs, some small-business owners
say it is tough to borrow from private or state-owned banks.
Still now, there are some restrictions on borrowing money from
banks, said MTE restaurant owner
Ko Zaw Zaw. He said that without
proper documentation showing
land ownership, the bank will not
accept his property as collateral.
The governments 2014 Small
and Medium Sized Enterprise Development Bill defines medium-sized
firms as having capital between K50
million and K1 billion.
This program is not the only one
which is providing loans to SMEs inside Myanmar.

Exchange Rates (April 8 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar

Buying
K1152
K290
K780
K32.5
K1075

aungkyawnyunt28@gmail.com

THE three mobile operators are

launching bonuses ahead of water
festival, a further sign of growing
competition for the countrys mobile subscribers.
Competition has been increasing in the market since Telenor and
Ooredoo entered the market last
year, and MPT began a significant
revamp with support from Japanese firms KDDI and Sumitomo.
MPT has extended promotional
prices for users of its Swe Thahar
plan, offering half-priced internet
beginning in March. It also allows
MPT users to call three other MPT

PERCENT

30

Size of bonus Ooredoo is giving to its

customers topping up between April 8
and 11

numbers at K25 a minute, a discount from its usually K35.

Last year, MPT provided a 20
percent bonus from April 12 to 21,
though it currently does not plan a
similar bonus for its non-Swe Thahar users this year.
MPT deputy general manager U
Thein Hote said there are currently
no announced plans to give a bonus
for MPT customers who have not
switched to Swe Thahar, though that
may change closer to water festival.
Its customers say they are hoping
for promotions, like last years 20pc
bonus, which was one of the first
such instances of MPT discounting.
Last year we received extra calling time I hope we do this year
as well, said MPT customer Ko Min
Khint Soe.
MPTs two rivals have already
announced promotions over the
Thingyan period.
Ooredoo will provide a 30pc bonus to all users who top up with
K3000 or more from April 8 to 11, it
said in a press release late on April 7.
The firm has also announced it has
lowered the cost per minute of a call
from K25 to K20 with its Red plan.
Telenor has also announced a
plan for water festival, offering topup bonuses from April 8 to 10 that
increase the larger the size of the
top-up. A K10,000 top-up during
the period will result in a K5000
bonus, while a K3000 top-up generates a K600 bonus.

K1172
K297
K790
K33.5
K1086

DICA licences not

enough to allow futures
trading, official says
Kyaw
Phone
Kyaw
k.phonekyaw@gmail.com

THE Directorate of Investment and

Company Administration is registering companies to trade futures
online, but it is not responsible for
oversight of the business, according
to deputy director Daw Nilar Mu.
A number of companies have set
up futures brokerages in Myanmar.
They allow clients to trade through
online platforms on international
futures markets though some say
the legal situation of some of these
businesses are unclear and should be
more strictly regulated.
Brokerage companies have said
they are cleared to run in Myanmar
as they have business registration
from the Directorate, but Daw Nilar
Mu said yesterday that this is not
strictly the case.
Our department only provides
permits for a companys name and
then completes registration. If they
want to run their business, they
must apply for permission from the

relevant government organisation,

she said.
In the case of financial services
companies, this generally means
permission from a body such as the
Central Bank of Myanmar or the Securities and Exchange Commission of
Myanmar.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Myanmar is currently preparing policies and reviewing applicants for the planned Yangon Stock
Exchange, which is to launch later
this year. Senior commission members could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Businesses involved in online futures trading say they have permission to operate through their Directorate of Investment and Company

They must apply for

permission from the
relevant government
organsation.
Daw Nilar Mu
DICA official

Administration licences.
Ma Myat Myat, an assistance business manager with Asian E-Trade
Consultant Company, a company allowing Myanmar people to trade on
the New Zealand futures market,
says it has both a business licence
from the Directorate of Investment
and Company Administration as well
as an authorisation letter from New
Zealand.
She also said that her firm is not
a broker, but merely providing a service for the financial market.
If someone has K10 million, it is
not enough to set up a company. But
in our business, its enough to invest,
she said. If clients are able to control their desire, they might profit by
K200,000 or K300,000 a day but its
not a sure thing.
Ma Myat Myat said that some of
her clients have lost all of their deposit money, as much as US$10,000.
Some of our clients power off
their phone or switch to silent mode,
so we cant tell them market information. At that moment, they lose, she
said. But we also provide avenues to
recover money. It is an advantage of
our business.
She also declined to reveal how
many customers she has.

Telcos roll out their

Thingyan bonuses
Aung
Kyaw
Nyunt

Selling

A Telenor employee gives away branded items during a visit to Hpa-an, Kayin State. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

10 Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

PROFILE

Forestry exploitation
Digital future for online pioneer must be done carefully
tin Yadanar htun
yadanar.mcm@gmail.com
A MARINE engineer by training, Ko
Aung Kham, 23, has followed his personal interests into blogging and information technology. He is now chief
editor and team leader at Yo Yar Lay
online news and program manager at
Phandeeyar Myanmar Innovation Lab.
He also studied in Singapore to be
a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist and has received many online
certificates for networking and information technology.
I won lots of academic prizes,
including at the Myanmar Mercantile Marine College in Yangon, which
awarded me a diploma, he said.
But after I finished college, there
was no opportunity to become a seaman, so I decided to move into information technology.
Blogging began for Ko Aung Kham
as a pasttime, something he had been
doing since he was 18.
I got into digital marketing at the
same time. I will open a digital marketing company this year. Digital marketing will do well, and Im interested
it. But now Im a program manager at
Phandeeyar and I wont give up that
job. I will try and make a success of
Phandeeyar, Myanmar Innovation Lab
and then start my own digital marketing company.
Blogging has been something of a
boom business for Ko Aung Kham. His
first job after leaving college was with
Media Lane, a creative agency, where
he quickly became familiar with the
internet.
He began a blog called International

Su Phyo Win
suphyo1990@gmail.com

Ko Aung Kham, 23, chief

editor and team leader at
YoYarLay Online News.
Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

News for Myanmar and posted four or

five news items a week, which quickly
grew into gigs with large companies.
After I wrote two blogs, many foreign companies invited me to write
blogs for them. I didnt need a job, so
I wrote blogs like www.blog.techspace.
com.mm, www.colay.com.mm, and
others, and also joined with Ideabox
Myanmar and Rocket Internet like
www.house.com.mm.
All of Ko Aung Khams blogging
commitments require him to be productive, but he says his interest in his
work sees him through.
Im really interested in reading

and writing, so I dont find it hard to

write 10 news stories a day. I always
read one article a day from Wikipedia,
where I learn a lot, he said. Young
people should read Wikipedia articles.
We should use the internet usefully,
and not waste time.
When I was younger, my first priority was money, but now money is
not so important for me. I want to try
to develop the IT sector, and digital
marketing, he said. I want people
to change and be active as a result of
my articles, my words. I particularly
want to encourage people who are
depressed.

FORESTS must be exploited for the

countrys development, while care
must be taken to protect the natural environment, the Union Minister for Environmental Conservation
and Forestry told an expert workshop this week.
Minister U Win Tun told participants in the National Workshop on
Community Forestry Timber Legality at the International Business
Centre, Yangon, that 70 percent of
the population was dependent on
the nations forests for a portion of
their livelihood.
While increased demand for development had led to the exploitation of timber and forest products,
At the same time, they [forests] are
very instrumental in biodiversity
conservation and climate change
mitigation, he said.
The workshop is the culmination of the project for Improved
Legality, Governance and Trade for
the Community and Smallholder
Timber, which began in January
2014 and ends next month.
Over the past 15 months, similar
workshops have been held across
the country as government officials,
NGOs and local residents discussed
the balance between fair exploitation and environmental conservation for the countrys forests.
The discussions took place in
Kachin and Shan states and Tanintharyi, Magwe and Ayeyarwady
regions.

Topics under discussion included the sustainable utilisation of forest products, opportunities, challenges, and countermeasures for
legal trade and sustainable forestry
management in line with national
policy, and rules and regulations
governing the export of forest products in accordance with international standards.
The project forms part of the
National Forest Master Plan (200102 to 2030-31), under which 826
groups have received authorisation
to establish community forestry
projects totalling in area more than
80,000 hectares (200,000 acres).
In an attempt to combat illegal
logging, Myanmar joined the EU
FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement,
Governance and Trade) process.
Once Myanmar and the EU have
signed the agreement, Myanmar
timber products will be eligible for
export to Europe, the minister said.
But the movement has its critics.
U Saw Aye Kyaw, who attended the
workshop, said large workshops are
annexing large swathes of the forest for development.
Before the new plants are cultivated, they would definitely clear
all the forest and our mountains
are almost clear near the villages.
Like the time they did the oil palm
projects, too many villages have to
be reallocated, he said.
This is not at all what the community wants.
Last year, Myanmar also banned
the export of unprocessed logs in an
attempt to capture more added value.

Chicago

Chinese moonshine, hogs and drought

fuel sorghum boom on US plains
ACROSS the Great Plains, American farmers are turning to a littleknown grain called sorghum for
relief from a two-year slump in agriculture prices.
A kernel-yielding stalk thats native to Africa, sorghum has three
things going for it right now. Its
cheap to plant; it holds up better
in drought-like conditions than
other crops; and most importantly,
demand is soaring in China, where
farmers feed the plant to their hog
herds, and moonshiners make it
into a whiskey-like liquor called
baijiu. While corn, soybeans and
wheat slumped into bear markets
last year amid a global supply glut,
sorghum prices have held stable.
As far as an alternative crop,
its so much better than anything
else right now, said Clayton Short,
a 53-year-old farmer in Assaria,
Kansas.
Mr Short plans to sow sorghum
on 650 acres this year, an increase
of about 30 percent from 2014 and
the most in the six decades that his
family has been growing the grain.
Overall in the US, sorghum plantings will climb to the most in seven
years, a jump made possible in part
by cutbacks on corn and cotton, a
Bloomberg survey showed.
Exports of sorghum from the
United States, the worlds top grain
shipper, are headed for the most
in 35 years with most of it going
to China, government data show.
The Asian nation began tapping
foreign suppliers in recent years to
meet growing consumption by the
worlds largest hog herd. The US
Grains Council estimates 10pc of

Chinas imports are used to make

baijiu, a 100-proof grain alcohol
that is the most-consumed booze in
the world.
While lesser known than corn,
wheat, rice and barley, sorghum is
the worlds fifth-largest grain by
output. Like corn, it is used mostly
to feed livestock and to make ethanol, a grain-based fuel, though sorghum kernels also end up in food
like couscous or can be popped like
popcorn.

There are hundreds

of baijiu brands,
and they go from the
very big companies
all the way down
to mom-and-pop
distilleries in every
town and city.
Silvio Leal
Baiju maker

Domestic sorghum plantings

will jump 14pc to 8.148 million
acres, the most since 2008, according to a Bloomberg survey of 15
analysts.
Even though the crop accounts
for less than 4pc of the land devoted to corn, soybeans and wheat,

its appeal increased after two years

of big global harvests reduced export demand for the top US grains.
Prices plunged, compounding a
slump in commodities fuelled by
surpluses in everything from crude
oil to sugar.
The Bloomberg Commodity Index has tumbled 27pc in the past
year, including 21pc for corn, the
biggest domestic crop, to $3.9425 a
bushel in Chicago. Wheat slumped
24pc, soybeans tumbled 34 and cotton plunged 33pc.
Some farmers in Kansas are being
offered $0.35 cents a bushel more for
sorghum planted this spring than
corn, according to Dan OBrien, an
economist at Kansas State University in Manhattan. The state is the
biggest US grower. The cash price
for sorghum delivered in Kansas City
slid 0.7pc in the past 12 months.
China stepped up purchases of
US sorghum in 2013 to supplement
domestic production, which the
USDA expects will remain steady
this season as imports surge 68pc
to 7 million tonnes, the most ever.
While the nation mostly uses the
crop in hog and poultry feed, distillers have been fermenting the
grain into baijiu for centuries. Domestic sales of the liquor climbed
about 5.5pc in 2014 from a year earlier, Nielsen data show. Spirit makers are now seeking to sell more to
Western consumers.
There are hundreds of baijiu
brands, and they go from the very
big companies all the way down to
mom-and-pop distilleries in every
town and city, said Silvio Leal, the
chief operating officer of ByeJoe, a

company based in Stafford, Texas,

that makes a lighter version of the
Chinese liquor.
These can be very rudimentary,
moonshine-type operations that are
very small, with small volumes sold
right there in the town.
The export surge may not last.
China increased buying after banning a genetically-modified strain
of US corn used in animal feed. The

Sorghum. Photo: Bloomberg

ban was lifted in December.

Sorghum will average $3.68 a
bushel next season, down from
$3.87 in the 12 months that end
August 31, the University of Missouris Food and Agricultural Policy
Research Institute said in a release
on March 16.
When a market flashes up overnight, theres always worries about
whether its going to stay, said Tom
Sleight, president of the US Grains
Council in Washington.
The US will account for 74pc of
world sorghum exports in the season started September 1, compared
with 15pc for wheat, the USDA has
estimated.
Even if exports slow, farmers
may plant more because sorghum
is hearty and cheap to grow. About
28pc of the High Plains was in
moderate to extreme drought as of
March 24, up from 11pc at the start
of the year, US Drought Monitor
data show.
It will cost $142 an acre to grow
sorghum this year, including seed,
fertilizer and chemicals, the USDA
estimates. Cotton will be $497.26,
corn $350.33 and soybeans $181.07.
John Bondurant, who owns 4300
acres in Mississippi and Arkansas,
said hell increase sorghum plantings fivefold to 1000 acres, displacing soybeans and wheat. He can
deliver sorghum in September at 85
cents a bushel more than corn, offering the highest return of any of
his crops.
Its all about dollars and cents,
said Mr Bondurant, 72, who is also
the owner of Bondurant Futures in
Memphis. Bloomberg

International Business 11

www.mmtimes.com
London

Shell launches mega purchase

of British firm BG Group
ENERGY titan Royal Dutch Shell
yesterday announced a mega
takeover of British rival BG Group
worth 47 billion, consolidating
their positions in a sector battered
by sliding oil prices.
The cash and shares deal, approved by the BG board and worth
the equivalent of US$70 billion or
64 billion euros, will help Shell to
boost its flagging output thanks to
BGs strong position in liquefied
natural gas (LNG), a cleaner alternative to energy types such as coal
and nuclear.
The new company will be worth
twice the value of BP and overtake
US energy giant Chevron Corporation on finalising the sectors biggest deal in a decade, according to
Bloomberg News.
BGs share price, which has
tumbled over the past year on
plunging oil prices, soared by almost 40 percent in reaction to yesterdays announcement.
The boards of Shell and BG
are pleased to announce that they
have reached agreement on the
terms of a recommended cash and
share offer to be made by Shell for
the entire issued and to be issued
share capital of BG, said a statement issued by the Anglo-Dutch
group.
The offer represents a premium
of about 50pc compared with BGs

closing share price on April 7, costing Shell approximately 47.0 billion for its rival, the statement
added.
The result will be a more competitive, stronger company for both
sets of shareholders in todays volatile oil price world, Shell chairm
Jorma Ollila said in the release.
BG chief executive Helge Lund
said the deal delivers attractive
returns to shareholders and has
strong strategic logic.
He added, BGs deep water positions and strengths in exploration ...
will combine well with Shells scale,
development expertise and financial
strength.
It is the first major deal for Mr
Lund, formerly chief executive of
Norwegian energy giant Statoil,
since he took up the reins at BG earlier this year.
The tie-up will improve Shells
proved oil and gas reserves by a
quarter and lift output by one-fifth,
while delivering enhanced positions in competitive new oil and gas
projects, particularly in Australia
LNG and Brazil deep water, the
statement added.
The deal between Royal Dutch
Shell and BG Group will prompt
sector consolidation, noted Marc
Kimsey, senior trader at Accendo
Markets.
The decline in oil prices over the

past year has battered some stocks

which are clearly now looking attractive. In the last year BG shares
fell 30pc ... By comparison sector behemoths BP and Royal Dutch Shell
have only shed 10pc over the same
period leaving them in the position
of predator rather than prey.
Following yesterdays announcement, BGs share price was up by a
huge 37pc to 1251 pence on Londons
benchmark FTSE 100 index, which
was 0.48pc higher overall to 6995.43
points in early deals.
Shell B shares the ones used
to finance the transaction dropped
5.82pc to 2080 pence.
UK equities are trading higher,
buoyed by confirmation that Shell
has agreed to buy BG Group, said

Shell and BG Group

in Myanmar
Shell is the operator of three
deep-water blocks, AD-9, AD-11
and MD-5. The three blocks
cover 21,000 square kilometres
and range in depth from 1800
to 2700 metres. It signed the
Production Sharing Contracts on
February 5, and is the 90 percent
owner, with Japans MOECO

Rebecca OKeeffe, head of investment at stockbroker Interactive

Investor.
In what is the biggest deal in the
sector in 10 years, the company is set
to become the second-largest global
energy company, behind only Exxon
in terms of scale and resources.
Crude oil prices lost more than
half their value between last June
and the end of January owing to a
supply glut fuelled largely by robust
output from US shale rock and weak
global demand.
That in turn has weighed heavily on energy majors such as Shell,
denting their profits and share prices and causing them to cut operating costs.
AFP

holding the remainder.

BG Group holds an interest in
four blocks along with Australias
Woodside Energy. These include
a 45pc stake in A-4 and a 55pc
stake in AD-2, in which it is the
operator. It also holds 45pc in
both A-7 and AD-5, though it is
not the operator in those blocks.
The four are between about 2200
and 2600 metres deep and cover
34,000 square kilometres.

sydney

Oz okays
Chinese
takeover of
developer
AUSTRALIAN Treasurer Joe Hockey
yesterday gave approval for Chinas
CCCC International Holding to buy
construction firm John Holland in a
deal worth a reported A$1.15 billion
(US$881.8 million).
CCCC International is a wholly
owned subsidiary of the state-run
China Communications Construction
Company, the fourth-largest construction firm in the world by revenue.
Part of global contractor Leighton
Holdings, John Holland is one of Australias biggest engineering and construction firms, employing more than
5600 workers in eight countries.
The government welcomes foreign
investment where it is not contrary to
our national interest, Mr Hockey said
in a statement.
Foreign investment has helped
build Australias economy and will
continue to enhance the wellbeing of
Australians by supporting economic
growth and prosperity.
Mr Hockey noted media reports
about CCCC being debarred from
World Bank contracts until January
2017 over fraud relating to road projects in the Philippines.
I have sought advice and action
on these and other issues in relation
to CCCC, he said.
AFP

12 International Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

Tokyo

WASHINGTON

Ageing economies
limit future growth

Workers check containers unloaded from a cargo ship at a pier in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Japan stands pat on stimulus as

economy still disappoints
THE Bank of Japan held off further
easing measures yesterday as it struggles to drag up the countrys flat-lining
inflation that is defying a massive stimulus program launched two years ago.
The central bank stayed pat on its
record stimulus program, which is adding about 80 trillion yen (US$663 billion) to the money supply every year.
After a two-day meeting, the BoJ
said in a statement consumer inflation
was likely to be about zero for the time
being due to lower energy prices.
However, it added, Inflation expectations appear to be rising on the
whole from a somewhat longer-term
perspective.
The phrasing is identical to the outlook offered in the statement after the
banks March meeting.
The yen picked up on the news

Singapore

Security
firm bought
by Singtel
SINGAPORE Telecom (Singtel) said yesterday it will buy almost all of US cybersecurity firm Trustwave for US$810
million, saying it was looking to become
a global player in the sector.
Southeast Asias biggest telecom
firm by revenue said it will acquire a
98 percent equity interest in Trustwave
under an agreement it signed with the
Chicago-headquartered company.
Trustwave, a leading specialist in
managed security services, is valued
at $850 million, Singtel said in a statement. Trustwave chair and chief executive Robert J McCullen will hold the
other 2pc.
We aspire to be a global player in
cybersecurity, Singtel group chief executive Chua Sock Koong said in the
statement.
Speaking at a news conference Mr
Chua added, I think if you look at acquisitions outside of the traditional telco business on a single investment basis
this is the largest that we have done.
Singtel said it will leverage Trustwaves threat intelligence, technology
and talent to meet the growing demand
for always-on managed security services in North America and the AsiaPacific region.
Trustwave which helps firms fight
cybercrime, protect their data and reduce security risk has 3 million business subscribers. AFP

soon after the banks statement the dollar was at 120.06 yen compared with
120.32 yen in New York on April 7.
The bank also kept unchanged its
overall opinion of the economy as Tokyo attempts to kickstart growth in
the worlds third-largest economy after
years of falling or stagnant prices.
Japans economy is expected to
continue its moderate recovery trend,
with demand both at home and abroad
picking up, it said.
The price trend is a far cry from the
banks goal of a sustained 2 percent inflation level, and has spawned speculation that the bank will this year add to
the stimulus measures it launched in
April 2013.
BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda has
repeatedly said the bank would further
loosen monetary policy if necessary

and in October it surprised markets

by expanding the scheme earlier than
expected.
Tokyos campaign to stimulate
spending faltered after the government
raised the countrys sales tax last year
to help pay down Japans enormous national debt.
That hammered consumers and
led to a brief recession, while falling
oil prices have hammered energy
inflation.
The BoJs inflation target is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Shinzo
Abes drive to resuscitate Japans fortunes, which also includes big government spending and an overhaul of the
highly regulated economy.
Japan limped out of recession in the
last quarter of 2014 with an unimpressive 0.4pc growth rate. AFP

ADVANCED economies face limits on future growth due to the

drag from ageing populations, unless they can boost productivity
through technology and infrastructure investment, the International
Monetary Fund said.
A higher proportion of aged
citizens means a smaller workforce
and lower potential output, which
in turn could spell lower living
standards in the future, the IMF
said in a new study.
The phenomenon of lower potential growth in economies is
increasingly evident in some advanced economies, but also faces
emerging markets like China where
the average population age is also
rising.
The new study, part of the IMFs
semi-annual World Economic Outlook, seeks in part to explain why
advanced economies have remained
so turgid in the wake of the financial crisis which began in 2008.

In emerging market
economies, lower
potential growth
will make it more
challenging to rebuild
fiscal buffers.
IMF Report

Of the key inputs to growth, the

supply of capital for investment has
expanded, though more slowly than
expected.
But labour pools have grown
even more slowly, as measured by
the level of participation by a population in the active workforce.

A key part of the reason for that

is that more people have retired or
will retire compared to the level of
entrants into the jobs market.
The result is a drag on the potential increase in output, or economic
growth, the study says.
For advanced economies, potential economic growth, which was
around 2 percent before the crisis,
fell to 1.3pc in the crisis years but
will be only about 1.6pc through
the rest of this decade, the IMF
said.
In emerging economies, potential growth will slip from 6.5pc in
2008-2014 to 5.2pc through 2020.
This shift raises new challenges for governments. In advanced
economies, lower potential growth
will make it more difficult to reduce high public and private debt
ratios, the IMF said.
In emerging market economies,
lower potential growth will make it
more challenging to rebuild fiscal
buffers.
Countries can counter this drag
with increasingly focused capital
investment, the study noted.
Increasing potential output is
a policy priority for advanced and
emerging market economies, it
said.
The prescriptions differ across
economies, but focus mostly on the
need to expand investment.
But also, the report said that,
structural reforms and greater
support for research and development are key to increasing supply
and innovation.
In emerging market economies,
higher infrastructure spending is
needed to remove critical bottlenecks, and structural reforms must
be directed at improving business
conditions and product markets.
AFP

New Delhi

Modi to woo Europe investors

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi will
take his push to turn thriving India
into a major manufacturing and investment hub to the eurozones two
biggest economies this week on his
maiden visit to the continent.
Mr Modi flies out today to France,
whose government is desperate to
save a troubled US$12 billion defence deal, before heading to Germany to inaugurate one of the worlds
biggest trade fairs.
He will also visit Canada at the
end of the three-nation trip, home to
a large Indian diaspora.
The right-wing Hindu nationalist
was effectively blacklisted by the European Union for years after deadly
communal riots in 2002 in the state
of Gujarat, which he governed for
over a decade.
But after his landslide victory in
last years general election and with
Indias economy now growing faster than even Chinas, the one-time
outcast is likely to receive a warm
reception.
While New Delhis close ties with
Moscow may limit the areas of common ground on geopolitical issues,
the trip represents a perfect opportunity for Mr Modi to tout India as a
place to do business.
I look forward to visit France to
seek greater French involvement in
our Make in India Program, including in the defence manufacturing
sector, the prime minister wrote on
Facebook ahead of his departure.

Frances President Francois

Hollande (left) greets Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at a G-20
meeting last year. Photo: AFP

Mr Modi launched the Make in

India campaign last year as the centrepiece of a project to rewrite the
countrys reputation as a tricky place
to do business in, beset by bureaucracy, corruption and a stringent tax
regime.

The government has already relaxed rules for foreign investors, eager to create work for the millions
who enter Indias jobs market each
year.
But India is currently ranked
142nd out of 189 countries in a World

Bank ease of doing business global

league table.
And the continued uncertainty
over a deal for India to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets from the French
company Dassault Aviation is seen
as symptomatic of the challenges
confronting foreign companies.
Dassault won the right in 2012
to enter exclusive negotiations to
supply the jets, with experts saying a final deal could be worth $12
billion.
But after tortuous negotiations
lasting for over three years, there are
now new questions about its cost, although Dassaults boss Eric Trappier
recently insisted the deal was 95 pc
finalised.
French President Francois Hollande confirmed to reporters on
April 7 that he and Mr Modi will
have discussions about the Rafale
deal while stressing he didnt want
the issue to define their relationship.
There are also hopes the visit will
provide a shot in the arm to another
delayed deal with French nuclear giant Areva, still awaiting the go-ahead
to set up six reactors in Indias western state of Maharashtra, five years
after a bilateral civil nuclear accord.
It is really good if it happens during this visit. If not, it will happen
later, French ambassador Francois
Richier said in Delhi.
After his three-day visit to France
Mr Modi heads to Germany.
AFP

International Business 13

www.mmtimes.com
WASHINGTON

Berlin

World Banks Kim

welcomes Chinabacked institution
CHINAS new development bank
can have an important role in fighting extreme poverty if it establishes
high standards for its projects,
World Bank President Jim Yong
Kim said on April 7.
Vowing to work with an institution resisted by the United States,
Mr Kim called the Beijing-led Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank a
major new player in development
that is a potentially strong ally in
its own work to help development
in the poorest countries.
If the worlds multilateral
banks, including the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and the
New Development Bank, can form
alliances, work together and support development that addresses
these challenges, we all benefit especially the poor and most vulnerable, Mr Kim said in a Washington
speech.
It is our hope indeed, our expectation that these new entries
will join the worlds multilateral development banks and our privatesector partners on a shared mission
to promote economic growth that
helps the poorest.
Despite Washingtons resistance,
China has received applications
from more than 50 countries, including important US allies, to join

the AIIB, which will aim at financing infrastructure development

around Asia.
The United States and Japan
though have resisted joining, with
Washington warning that the AIIB
needs to erect strong standards for
lending and project development,
and to be fully transparent in its
approach.
The United States sees the AIIB
and a development bank planned
by the BRICS emerging-market
countries, the New Development
Bank, as competitors to the World
Bank and the Asian Development
Bank, where the United States is
the largest shareholder.
Mr Kim echoed that concern. He
stressed that only with the right
environment, labour and procurement standards can the two new
institutions become important forces to fight poverty.
In that case, he said, the World
Bank Group sees these development
banks as potentially strong allies.
Mr Kim said he will have talks
with Chinese authorities next week
at the World Banks spring meetings in Washington on potential
cooperation.
I will do everything in my power to find innovative ways to work
with these banks, he said.

Sydney

Tech giants defend

Australia tax record
GLOBAL technology giants Apple,
Google and Microsoft yesterday
defended their corporate tax structures at an Australian parliamentary hearing, rebuffing claims they
were shifting their profits offshore
to avoid paying taxes in the nation.
The three firms also told the upper house Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance, which held
its first day of hearings in Sydney,
that they were among 12 technology companies being audited by the
Australian Taxation Office.

There is a strong
sense out there that
companies such as
yours ... also have
a great moral and
social responsibility
to give more back to
this community.
Sam Dastyari
Chair of hearings

There have been increased efforts by governments around the

world, including Australia, to crack
down on multinational firms that
use complex corporate structures
to lower their tax bills.
The European Union last month
unveiled an ambitious plan to force
its 28 member countries to share
the details of any tax deals agreed
with some of the worlds biggest
companies.

The Australian public dont accept that the structures that are being created by these companies are
necessarily genuine and there is a
strong sense out there that companies such as yours ... also have a
great moral and social responsibility to give more back to this community, the hearings chair Sam
Dastyari said.
There was a general perception, he added, that the structures that have been created within
your firms, be it through Ireland
or Singapore or through the US
... have been designed to minimise your tax obligation in this
country.
The firms representatives said
they were paying all the taxes they
owed under Australian law.
The inquiry heard Google Australia in 2013 made A$358 million
(US$275 million) in income, generated profits of just over A$46 million in profit and paid A$7.1 million
in tax.
Googles Australia and New
Zealand managing director Maile
Carnegie told the inquiry she
could not reveal how much revenue in total was generated in the
country.
But she said some of the revenue
generated in Australia such as from
advertising was booked in Singapore, its Asia-Pacific headquarters,
which has lower tax rates.
Apples Australia and New Zealand managing director Tony King
said his firm last year reported
revenue in Australia of A$6 billion
and generated a net profit of A$250
million for a tax bill of about A$80
million.
We havent shifted any profits.
We booked all of our revenues here,
all of our costs, Mr King added.
AFP

Germany dumps on
dumb Greek claims
GREECES insistence on German
reparations for World War II is a
dumb distraction, Chancellor Angela Merkels deputy said, snubbing a
claim of 278.7 billion euros (US$303
billion) calculated by the government
in Athens.
As Germany seeks a way to aid
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras government and keep the euro area intact, reparations demands are unrelated and make it easier for critics to
balk at helping Greece, vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said late April 7.
This doesnt advance us one
millimetre in terms of stabilising
Greece, he said during a panel discussion in Berlin. Honestly, I think
its dumb.
The number cited in parliament
by Greek alternate finance minister Dimitris Mardas, which almost
matches this years German federal budget, extends a dispute thats
flared as Greece seeks financing from
euro-area partners while pledging to

end fiscal austerity its leaders blame

mostly on Germany.
Germanys position, shared by the
three parties in Ms Merkels government, is that the treaty reuniting East
and West Germany and the post-Cold
War Paris Charter, both signed in
1990, legally ended war reparations.
The governments view that the
case is legally and politically closed
hasnt changed, a Finance Ministry
spokesperson said on April 7, asking not to be identified in line with
policy.
If you bring two issues that have
nothing to do with one another,
both heavily burdened issues politically, into a single context, then you
make it damned easy for those from
whom you want something simply
to exit the debate and say, You cant
do that, said Ms Gabriel, who also is
economy minister.
Greece will deliver a payment to
the International Monetary Fund this
week and seeks to complete talks on

economic changes needed to unlock

more funding by a meeting of euroarea finance ministers on April 24,
Euclid Tsakalotos, the minister for
international economic affairs, said
on April 7.
Were doing our best to reach a
new deal for what we think is good
not just for the average Greek, but
for the average European, he told
Bloomberg Television.
Greece, Europes most-indebted
state, is negotiating with euro-area
countries and the IMF on the terms
of its 240 billion euro rescue. The
standoff, which has left Greece dependent upon European Central
Bank loans, risks leading to a default
within weeks and its potential exit
from the euro area.
Ms Merkel has said that while the
question of reparations is closed for
Germany, shes open to talks on a separate fund. The German government
plans to spend 299.5 billion euros in
this years budget. AFP

14 THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

World

15

World editor: Kayleigh Long

Red Cross
sounds alarm
on Yemen crisis

EU tensions flare
as Greece and
Russia meet

World 16

World 17

BANGKOK

SINGAPORE

State forces killed civilians, probe finds

Filipino slapped with sedition

charges after online rant

FOUR unarmed Muslim men shot

dead last month in Thailands conflict-racked south were not rebels, an
investigation has found, raising the
possibility of legal action against the
security forces.
Two villagers and two students
were gunned down on 25 March in a
raid on Ban To Chut village in Pattani
province, when security forces acting
on a tip-off opened fire on a group of
suspected militants.
In a region where killings of civilians are common and legal action against security forces is rare,
initially authorities said the men were
members of one of the patchwork of
Muslim rebel groups waging a bloody
decade-long insurgency.
But an investigating panel headed
by Pattani governor Werapong Kaewsuwan found the men were unarmed
and mistaken for militants.
It is clear that all four people were
not members of militant groups, the
panel said in a statement, adding that
weapons seized after the incident did

not belong to the men.

State actions have caused damage
and severely impacted on the public,
therefore all of the officials who were
involved must be prosecuted in line
with judicial process, it added.
Rights groups have for years accused Thai security forces of carrying
out extrajudicial killings with impunity in the remote and inaccessible
south.
Most of the nearly 6300 victims of
the last decade of conflict have been
civilians, both Muslims and Buddhists, killed by rebels or the security
forces.
Pattani
police
commander
Kriskorn Paleethunyawong confirmed
the panels findings but dampened expectations of criminal proceedings.
We are open and listen to all ideas
and opinions but it depends on the judicial system to rule what is right or
wrong, he told AFP.
Last week the commander said
seven members of the security forces
were being sought over the incident.

Civil society campaigners have little faith in investigating panels, saying

that so far no members of the security
forces have been prosecuted over civilian deaths.
When killings occur, inquests
commonly rule that police, military
and paramilitary forces acted in the
line of duty even when victims are
unarmed.
The Pattani case damages a highlypublicised hearts and minds strategy by the military to pay villagers to
provide their own security and inform
on insurgent movements.
It is also likely to deepen mistrust
of the ruling junta, which is trying to
revive a stalled peace process with
several rebel groups seeking more autonomy for the deep south.
Thailand, a mainly Buddhist nation, annexed the region more than
100 years ago and stands accused of
perpetrating severe rights abuses as
well as stifling the distinctive local culture through clumsy, and often forced,
assimilation schemes. AFP

A FILIPINO nurse who insulted

Singaporeans online and called for the
takeover of the city-state by his countrymen was charged in court on April
7 with sedition and lying to police, offences punishable by fines or jail.
Ello Ed Mundsel Bello, 28, had
already been fired from his job at
the government-run Tan Tock Seng
Hospital in January following internal investigations into a series of social media posts which were deemed
offensive.
On April 7 he was slapped with two
charges of publishing seditious statements on January 2 as well as three
charges of subsequently lying to the
police, a spokesperson for the Attorney-Generals Chambers told AFP.
Charge sheets said Mr Ellos remarks have the tendency to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the
population of Singapore, namely, between Singaporeans and Filipinos in

HANOI

IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP

45 kilograms (100 pounds) and is

some 18 inches (45 centimetres) long
and 6 inches wide, the department
said in a statement.
It contains Co-60 which was used
for liquid measurement. It poses a potential danger to the environment and
peoples health, the statement said.
State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said
the cobalt-60 was among five radioactive sources which Pomina imported
in 2010 to measure liquid steel levels
at its plant.
The equipment was last confirmed
to be at the facility late last year, the
company said, according to the report.
The search zone includes several
waste dumps in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and
surrounding areas including Ho Chi

Minh City.
Its our top priority to look for the
container, Mai Thanh Quang, director
of the science department, was quoted
as saying.
The biggest risk is that a scrap collector could find the box and cut open
the protective lead casing, potentially
exposing himself and others to radiation, he said.
Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope
of the metallic element cobalt and the
gamma rays it emits destroy tumours.
Apart from radiotherapy, it can
be used to irradiate food and sterilise
health care products.
But direct contact or mere proximity can cause cancer without proper
safeguards. AFP

An Indian farmer of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Indian

Farmers Union) listens to a speech by the leadership during a
protest demanding compensation for damage to crops due to
fluctuating rains and the waiving of electricity bills and loan
interest, in Allahabad on April 7.

which is mainly ethnic Chinese.

In a statement after Mr Ello was
charged in court, the Singapore Police
Force said it takes a stern view of acts
that could threaten social harmony in
Singapore.
Any person who posts remarks
online that could cause ill-will and
hostility between the different races
or communities in Singapore will be
firmly dealt with in accordance with
the law, it said.
Singapore clamps down hard on
anyone seen to be inciting communal
tensions after bloody racial riots in the
1960s.
The Filipino community in Singapore is estimated at more than
170,000.
Singaporean citizens make up just
over 60 percent of the 5.4 million population, with a low fertility rate forcing the government to rely heavily on
foreign workers.
AFP

JAKARTA

Radioactive box missing in Vietnam

VIETNAMESE authorities are searching for a lead box containing hazardous radioactive material which has
gone missing from a steel factory, an
official said yesterday.
The box of cobalt-60, which has a
wide range of uses including for radiotherapy and in industry, has disappeared from the Vietnamese-owned
Pomina steel mill in the south of the
country.
[We] do not know how and when
the container went missing, Do Vu
Khoa, an official with the Department
of Science and Technology in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau said.
We are searching for the radiation
box, he added.
The silver-white container weighs

Singapore.
In the first Facebook post on January 2, he wrote, Singaporeans are
loosers in their own country, we take
their jobs, their future, their women
and soon we will evict all SG loosers
out of their own country hahaha.
He ended the post by saying Remember Pinoy [Filipinos] better and
stronger than Stinkaporeans.
In a subsequent comment on the
same day, Mr Ello said We will kick
out all the Singaporeans and SG will
be the new filipino state.
Mr Ello was also charged with lying to the police on three different occasions during investigations.
He had told police officers that he
was not responsible for the offending
posts, and that his Facebook account
had been hacked.
Under the Sedition Act, among
other things, it is an offence to promote hostility between different races
or classes in multiracial Singapore,

Australia makes last-ditch bid at

reprieve for Bali Nine condemned
IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP

Activists wearing masks depicting Philippine President Benigno Aquino (L) and Filipina
Mary Jane Veloso (R), currently on death row in Indonesia after being convicted of drug
trafficking, stage a protest against Velosos impending execution outside the Philippine
consulate in Hong Kong on April 8. Veloso was caught at Yogyakarta airport on the main
island of Java carrying 2.6 kilograms (5.73 pounds) of heroin on a flight from Malaysia in
April 2010.

WASHINGTON

Pressure mounts for ferry salvage

SOUTH KOREA said yesterday
it would cost US$110 million to
raise the Sewol ferry, as pressure to salvage the vessel grows
before the first anniversary of its
sinking.
The 6,825-tonne passenger
ship sank off the southwest coast
on April 16 last year with the loss
of more than 300 lives most of
them high school students.
Ahead of next weeks first anniversary of the tragedy, hundreds
of parents of the dead students
some with their heads shaved and
clad in white mourning robes
marched 35 kilometres (22 miles)
to Seoul from their hometown of
Ansan over the weekend.
They were joined by hundreds
more supporters for a rally in
the capital on April 5 that called
on the government to bring the
sunken vessel to the surface and
ensure a fully independent inquiry into the disaster.
A total of 295 bodies were recovered from the ferry, and nine
victims remained unaccounted
for when divers finally called off
the dangerous search of its interior last November.
President
Park
Geun-Hye
promised on April 6 to actively

consider raising the Sewol, taking into account the opinions of

the relatives and salvage experts.
At a briefing yesterday, the
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
said the salvage operation if approved would cost around 120
billion won ($110 million).
And that is only an estimate,
as the final cost would be greatly
dependent on weather conditions, technological uncertainties
... etc, said senior ministry official Yeon Yeong-Jin.
Speaking in parliament the
day before, Maritime Minister
Yoo Ki-June had said a technical
review on raising the Sewol was
80 percent complete and a full
report would be published by the
end of April.
Mr Yeon said the government
had already spent 185 billion won
most of it on the lengthy search
and rescue operation and financial support for victims relatives
and had budgeted a further 140
billion won in future compensation payments to families.
Ms Parks administration was
widely criticised for its response
to the disaster, and her approval
ratings have only just begun to
recover.

After months of political bickering, parliament passed a bill in

November initiating an independent investigation into the sinking.
But relatives have accused the
government of trying to influence
the probe by appointing officials
to key posts in the 17-member inquiry committee.
More than 50 people have
been put on trial on charges

linked to the disaster, including

15 crew members who were
among the first to climb into
lifeboats.
The Sewols captain was jailed
in November for 36 years for
gross negligence and dereliction
of duty, while three other senior
crew members were sentenced to
jail terms of between 15 and 30
years. AFP

Relatives of victims of the Sewol ferry disaster march across a bridge over the
Han river in Seoul on April 5. Photo: AFP

AUSTRALIA is doing everything it

can to save two drug smugglers facing the firing squad in Indonesia,
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said yesterday after the pair lost their latest
legal appeal.
On April 6 a Jakarta court dismissed Andrew Chan and Myuran
Sukumarans challenge against the
rejection of their pleas for clemency.
Indonesias legal chief then said
they had exhausted all options to
avoid the death penalty, but their
lawyers insist legal avenues remain.
We are continuing to do everything we possibly can for them, Mr
Abbott told reporters in Sydney in

his first comments since the decision.

Thats what were doing ... Everyone knows Australias position on the
death penalty.
Mr Sukumaran, 33, and Mr Chan,
31, the ringleaders of the so-called
Bali Nine drug trafficking gang,
were sentenced to death in 2006 for
trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.
Their appeals for clemency,
typically a death row convicts final
chance of avoiding the firing squad,
were rejected earlier this year by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
In the April 6 ruling, the State
Administrative Court upheld a deci-

sion that it does not have the authority

to hear a challenge to Widodos rejection.
Mr Abbott said he had spoken to
the Indonesian leader again about
the Bali pair.
Ive had a number of conversations with President Widodo on this
issue. Im not going to go into what
was said, but I have certainly made
our position very clear, he said.
Indonesia executed six drug offenders in January, including five foreigners, prompting a furious Brazil
and the Netherlands whose citizens
were among those put to death to
recall their ambassadors. AFP

SEOUL

The Interview airdrops into N Korea

A SOUTH Korean activist said yesterday he had launched thousands of copies of Hollywood film The Interview
into North Korea by balloon, ignoring
dire threats of reprisals from Pyongyang.
The capital has labelled the Seth
Rogen comedy, about a fictional CIA
plot to assassinate North Korean leader
Kim Jong-Un, a wanton act of terror.
North Korean defector-turned-activist Lee Min-Bok said he had carried
out four cross-border balloon launches
since January the latest one on April
4.
On each occasion he tied bundles
carrying copies of The Interview and
anti-Pyongyang leaflets to helium balloons, which he then released from the
back of a truck.
I launched thousands of copies and
about a million leaflets on April 4, near
the western part of the border, Mr Lee
told AFP.
All the launches were carried out at
night with little or no advance publicity, given the sensitivity on both sides.

North Korea has long condemned

the cross-border launches and demanded that the South Korean authorities step in to prevent them.
Last October North Korea border
guards attempted to shoot down some
balloons, triggering a brief exchange of
heavy machine gun fire between the
two sides.
Pyongyang issued stern warnings
against any effort to include copies of
The Interview in the balloon bundles,
saying that any challenge to its just
physical countermeasures will trigger
merciless retaliatory strikes.
It stands accused by the FBI of being behind a devastating cyber attack
last November on Sony Pictures, the
studio behind the movie.
While appealing to activists to avoid
overly provoking the North, Seoul insists their actions are protected by freedom of expression principles.
Police have intervened to prevent
some launches, but only when there is
a prospect of North Korean retaliation
that might endanger residents living

near the balloon launch site.

Mr Lees launches were done at
night in remote locations, and though
they were monitored by local police, no
move was made to stop him.
The police would have no right to
stop me from doing this, Mr Lee said.
I am always being tailed by police,
he added.
A CNN camera crew that followed
Mr Lee filmed him attaching the bundles to the balloons in the middle of
the night, before releasing them into
the darkness.
The balloons are wholly at the mercy of the prevailing winds, and it is impossible to determine how many will
actually come down in North Korea.
Seouls Unification Ministry, which
said it had only become aware of Lees
latest launches in the past couple of
days, declined to comment directly on
his efforts to send copies of the movie.
Our stance is that we continue to
acknowledge the freedom of individuals to publicise their opinions, a ministry spokesperson said. AFP

16 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

ADEN

ICRC warns of catastrophe in Yemen

THE Red Cross has warned of the
catastrophic situation unfolding
in Yemens main southern city Aden,
as forces loyal to the president battled Iran-backed Shiite rebels in the
streets.
The Huthi rebels and their
allies made a new push on a port
in the central Mualla district of the
city, but were forced back by militia supporting President Abedrabbo
Mansour Hadi, witnesses said.
Naval forces of the Saudi-led
coalition, which has carried out
nearly two weeks of air strikes
in support of Hadi, shelled rebel
positions across the city, the
witnesses said, though the coalition
denied launching a naval combat
operation.
International Committee of the
Red Cross spokesperson Marie
Claire Feghali said the humanitarian situation across Yemen was
very difficult ... [with] naval, air
and ground routes cut off .
The situation in Aden was
catastrophic to say the least.
The war in Aden is on every
street, in every corner ... Many are
unable to escape, she said.
General Ahmed Assiri, spokesperson for the coalition, however, said many parts of the city
remained stable.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
said the situation was worsening
by the day.
Medics in Aden had not
received
large
numbers
of
casualties over the past few days...
due to the difficulties faced in trying to reach a hospital, said MSFs

The war in Aden

is on every street,
in every corner ...
Many are unable to
escape.
Marie-Claire Feghali
ICRC spokesperson

A Yemeni supporter of the separatist Southern Movement, loyal to the government forces, stands on a street in Adens
northern district of Dar Saad on April 7. Photo: AFP

Marie-Elisabeth Ingres.
MSF has a team of 140 local staff
and eight expatriates at a hospital
in Aden.
Our priority is to find a way to
send a supporting medical team,
Mr Ingres told AFP, adding a team
was waiting in Djibouti for a green
light from the coalition.
Mr Assiri said later that permits
had been issued for a boat carrying
aid and medics from Djibouti.
The Red Cross hoped to deliver
to Sanaa 16 tonnes of medical aid
on a plane loaded in Jordan yesterday. Another plane carrying twice
as much could follow the next day.
Two students were killed and
several others wounded on April 7
when a rocket hit a school near AlHamza military base in the south-

western Ibb province, an official

said, adding it was unclear if the
school was hit in an air strike or by
Huthi artillery.
Rebel-controlled Saba news
agency accused coalition warplanes
of hitting the school.
Coalition strikes killed at least
eight Huthis north of Aden, a military source said, as raids also targeted air defence posts in Taez province, as well as Al-Sadrayn military
base in Daleh province.
On April 6, Saudi-led warplanes
struck the rebel-held Al-Anad air
base north of Aden, a general said,
while to the east, al-Qaedas Yemen
franchise sought to tighten its grip
on Hadramawt province.
Loud explosions were heard as the
jihadists attacked an army base in the

provincial capital Mukalla, much of

which they captured last week.
Meanwhile, 10 Huthis and three
tribesmen were killed in Shabwa,
according to tribal sources.
Fighting in Aden left at least
10 people dead, adding to the 53
people killed in the previous 24
hours.
Nationwide, more than 540 people have died and 1700 have been
wounded since March 19, the World
Health Organization said.
At least 74 children had been
killed since the coalition strikes
began on March 26 though the
real figure is thought to be much
higher and more than 100,000
displaced, according to the UN.
Observers
have
warned
al-Qaeda could exploit the fighting to

expand its control following the

withdrawal of US troops overseeing a
longstanding drone war against it.
The US, which sees al-Qaedas
Yemen franchise as its most dangerous, has expedited weapons
deliveries in support of the Saudiled coalition, said Deputy Secretary
of State Antony Blinken.
The Gulf states are also
pushing for UN sanctions to be
imposed on Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi and ex-president Ali
Abdullah Salehs eldest son, Ahmed,
adding them to a list of three others,
including the former president, hit
by a global travel ban and asset
feeze in November.
The evacuation of foreigners
continued with three Indian planes
carrying 604 passengers, including some Yemenis, from Sanaa to
Djibouti.
Pakistans navy also said it
evacuated 146 nationals and 36
foreigners.
Islamabad said it would take its
time deciding whether to accept a
Saudi request to join the coalition,
which so far consists of nine Arab
mostly Sunni countries.
Pakistans neighbour Iran the
main Shiite power has strongly
criticised the intervention and
rejected accusations it is arming the
rebels.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
said Pakistan was not in a hurry
to decide and that diplomatic efforts were under way involving
Turkey and Iran.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has expressed
support for the coalition without
providing military forces, held talks
in Tehran on March 7.
Iranian
Foreign
Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif were
expected in Islamabad yesterday.
Pakistan faces a tricky dilemma,
as it has long enjoyed close ties with
Riyadh and has benefited hugely
from the oil-rich kingdoms largesse.
But it has called for a negotiated
solution, saying it does not want to
take part in any conflict that would
worsen sectarian divisions in the
Muslim world. AFP

WASHINGTON

Al Qaeda making gains

in Yemen, US concedes
US DEFENSE Secretary Ashton
Carter acknowledged yesterday that
al Qaeda was seizing terrain amid
the chaos in Yemen, but vowed that
Washington would continue to combat the extremist group despite
ongoing fighting there.
We see them making gains on
the ground there as they try to take
territory, said Mr Carter, who was in
Japan as part of a visit to Asia for talks
with regional allies.
Yemen has descended into violence
over recent months, with Huthi rebels
seizing power in the capital Sanaa in
February.
The Huthis, allied with army
units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have been fighting forces
supporting President Abedrabbo
Mansour Hadi, who has fled to the
Saudi capital Riyadh.
Late last month Saudi Arabia
launched a campaign of air strikes,
amid fears Yemen will slip into Huthi
control and shift into the orbit of
Shiite Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabias
regional rival.
Observers say al Qaeda and other groups are exploiting the instability, in which the World Health

Organisation says at least 540 people

have died since March 19.
The terrorism threat to the West,
including the United States, from
AQAP [Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula] is a longstanding and serious one that we will
keep combating, he added at a press
conference alongside his Japanese
counterpart, Gen Nakatani.
Obviously its always easier to
conduct CT [counter-terrorism] ops
when there is a stable government
willing to cooperate.
That circumstance now obviously
doesnt exist in Yemen but that doesnt
mean that we dont continue to take
steps to protect ourselves. We have to
do it in a different way, but we do and
we are.
Mr Carter expressed hope that
peace would be restored not only for
that reason but also [because] there is
a lot of suffering in Yemen.
At the end of last week AQAP,
which the US views as the most
dangerous wing of the Sunni Muslim
extremist group, captured the army
headquarters and the southeastern
port of Al Mukalla.
AFP

Yemeni fighters opposing the Huthi rebels hold a bullet belt in the northern entrance of the southern Yemeni city of Aden
on April 8 as clashes continue to rage in the embattled city between Shiite Huthi rebels and forces loyal to fugitive Yemeni
President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. Photo: AFP

World 17

www.mmtimes.com
MOSCOW

Greek PM rattles EU in Moscow talks

GREEK Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
was due to meet Kremlin strongman
Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday
as part of an eye-catching visit that
has fuelled EU fears cash-strapped
Athens is cosying up to Russia.
The two-day trip comes as Mr
Tsipras is battling to unblock a rescue
package from the EU and IMF, with
some in Brussels warning against any
move to barter financial support from
Moscow for political backing over the
Ukraine crisis.
But analysts say that while the visit
might see Moscow lift an embargo on
Greek fruit, overall it is more about
political grandstanding aimed at pressuring Europe rather than a serious
shift in policy.
Mr Tsipras, a former Communist
who came to power in January, has
made no secret of seeking closer ties
to Russia at a time when Moscow is at
loggerheads with the European Union
over the conflict in Ukraine.
He has travelled to Moscow already last year, prior to his election
win, to meet with several officials and
lawmakers.
A number of Greek officials have
openly broached the prospect of Athens turning to Russia or China for
financial assistance if loan talks with
the EU end in failure.
Ahead of the trip, Mr Tsipras once
again rattled the EUs already shaky
stance over Ukraine by lashing out at
Western sanctions against Moscow as
a road to nowhere.
We do not agree with sanctions,
Mr Tsipras told Russian state news
agency TASS.
I support the point of view that
there is a need for a dialogue and

diplomacy. We should sit down at the

negotiating table and find the solutions to major problems.
Both sides have talked up the possibility of closer economic ties between
the two Orthodox nations ahead of
the visit set to be followed by another trip to Moscow for Mr Tsipras for
WWII victory anniversary commemorations in May.
Prominent among the issues on
the agenda is gas after Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis discussed energy exploration and the new Turkish
Stream pipeline during a two-day visit
last month.
But while both sides make positive noises there appears no chance
of Russia battling an economic crisis
of its own stepping in with major financial aid.
There is no question of Greece receiving any money to plug its holes,
Russian foreign affairs expert Fyodor
Lukyanov told AFP.
Moscow, however, could well decide to revoke a painful embargo on
fruit imposed as part of a wider
ban on Western products in response
to sanctions over Ukraine that has
bruised Greeces agricultural sector.
That does not cost anything but
still looks good, Mr Lukyanov said.
For Mr Putin, courting Athens is
most likely seen as a way of sowing
discord in Europe and Greece might
be seen as a Trojan Horse for helping
to rock his Western foes.
Its not realistic to expect that
Greece will veto the sanctions against
Russia, Mr Lyukanov said.
But it could foment a wave of
opinion against the sanctions and that
is useful.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (foreground right) takes part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow on April 8. Photo: AFP

For Mr Tsipras, experts said, the

visit to Moscow is far more a warning shot to Europe as the wrangling
over the bailout drags on rather than
a genuine gambit to throw Athens lot
in with Russia.
The Tsipras government seeks
to leave ambiguity hanging over its
intentions as if to tell the Europeans
dont take us for granted, said Greek

analyst Constantinos Filis.

But he added that this is merely a
tactic rather than a true foreign policy shift and cosying up to Moscow is
just an additional card in the game
of brinkmanship.
Greece needs the EU and Russia
needs Greece to remain part of the EU
and NATO in terms of the support it
can offer against criticism and eco-

nomic sanctions.
Thanos Veremis, vice-president of
the Hellenic Foundation for European
and Foreign Policy says Mr Tsipras
visit is mainly directed at the electorate at home.
Its designed to show that the government is proactive and prepared to
try things out.
AFP

WASHINGTON

Jamaican progress: Obama launches Caribbean appeal

BARACK Obama is set to become the
first US president to set foot on Jamaican soil in more than three decades,
as the United States bids to check Venezuelan influence in the Caribbean.
Mr Obama was set to arrive in
Kingston late yesterday for a meeting
with the 15-member CARICOM Caribbean bloc, the first time a sitting US
president has visited the island since
Ronald Reagan in 1982.
Mr Obama will be keen to offer an
alternative to cheap Venezuelan oil,
which has enticed many of the regions
struggling economies, but looks set to
end.
Mr Obama will have to woo countries that while geographically close to
the US, are often politically distant.
We absolutely feel that the CARICOM region does deserve greater at-

tention and engagement from the

United States, said senior Obama
advisor Ben Rhodes on the eve of the
visit.
He pointed to a recent energy initiative led by Vice President Joe Biden.
We are looking to continually
deepen our relationship with the Caribbean and can play an important role
in enhancing the energy security of
the region, said Mr Rhodes.
The US had significant energy resources and infrastructure, he added.
If the US has not always made its
presence fully felt in the Caribbean,
that vacuum was filled by Petrocaribe,
an initiative by Caracas state-owned
PDVSA Petroleos de Venezuela.
The program offered Caribbean
and some Central American nations
the opportunity to defer payment for

oil under low interest rates.

But as Venezuelas own economy
has faltered as oil prices slid, Caribbean states have faced stricter terms
and shorter supplies, leaving them
vulnerable.
Venezuela has been reducing its
subsidized oil exports to Petrocaribe
and the smaller states that receive
those subsidies including Cuba, said
Ted Piccone, a former advisor in Bill
Clintons White House.
Mr Piccone, now of the Brookings
Institution, said the cuts to Petrocaribe are estimated to be anywhere between ten and thirty percent of supply.
The goal of the US now is to try
to break up Petrocaribe and offer in
particular the Caribbean states that
are so vulnerable and so dependent
on energy imports some extra special

KIGALI

France to declassify Rwanda files

RWANDAS justice minister yesterday
welcomed Frances declassification of
documents relating to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which Kigali accuses
Paris of having an indirect role.
However, Minster of Justice Johnston Busingye said Paris should ensure
the documents released are total.
A decision to declassify the papers
was signed on April 7 and concerns
documents in the Elysee relating to
Rwanda between 1990 and 1995, spanning the genocide which claimed at
least 800,000 lives, a source in President
Francois Hollandes entourage said.
The Franco-Rwanda political, diplomatic and military relationship during the 1990-1995 period has been a

tightly guarded domain, Mr Busingye

told AFP.
Perhaps the goings-on at the time
will finally be opened up, and it will
shed light on the many dark and grey
questions still unaddressed. One only
hopes that the declassification is total.
The papers, which include documents from diplomatic and military
advisers as well as minutes from ministerial and defence meetings, will
be available to both researchers and
victims associations, the French presidency said.
Ties between France and Rwanda
are strained as Rwandan President
Paul Kagame accuses Paris of complicity in the genocide because of its

support of the Hutu nationalist government that carried out the mass
killings, mainly of ethnic Tutsis.
Paris has repeatedly denied the accusations and insists that French forces had worked to protect civilians. Relations between both countries were
completely frozen from 2006 to 2009.
The president of Ibuka, Rwandas
genocide survivors association, called
for documents to be made available as
soon as possible.
Let them do it and do so quickly. It is interesting, it is good, said
Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, saying
it could shed light on Frances role
and actions through the period of the
genocide. AFP

attention.
Before the CARICOM meeting today, Mr Obama was slated to hold
talks with Jamaican Prime Minister
Portia Simpson-Miller.
Her government has been forced
to adopt tough austerity measures in
order to correct a fiscal crisis and meet
the demands of IMF creditors.
With domestic pressure building,
the White House is lending its strong
support for Jamaicas work to deal
with a debt crisis said another senior
Obama advisor, Ricardo Zuniga.
Critics say Jamaica has been forced

to adopt what the US-based Center for

Economic and Policy Research called
the most austere budget in the world.
Jamaica actually has a lower per
capita GDP in 2015 than when Obama
was elected more than six years ago,
the economic think tank said, urging
less strident cuts.
Before departing for a Summit of the Americas in Panama Mr
Obama will take part in a town hall
meeting with young leaders in
Jamaica and participate in a
wreath-laying ceremony.
AFP

TRADE MARK CAUTION

Sigma-Tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite S.p.A., of
Viale Shakespeare, 47-00144 ROMA, Italy, is the Owner of the
following Trade Mark:-

LEVOCARNIL

Reg. No. 12948/2011

in respect of Pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations; sanitary
preparations for medical purposes; dietetic substances adapted
for medical use, food for babies; plasters, materials for dressings;
material for stopping teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations
for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides.
Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark
will be dealt with according to law.
Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L
for Sigma-Tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite S.p.A.
P. O. Box 60, Yangon
E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm
Dated: 9 April 2015

18 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

WASHINGTON

CIA chief defends Iran deal

IN PICTUREs

Photo: AFP

Kenyans take part in a march

demanding greater national
security on April 7, following
last weeks massacre by
Somalias Shebab Islamists,
ahead of a candlelit vigil on
the final day of mourning for
the 148 people killed by the
militants.

CIA director John Brennan has given a staunch defence of the framework nuclear deal with Iran, calling
some criticism of the accord disingenuous while expressing surprise
at Tehrans concessions.
In his first public remarks since
the outline agreement was announced last week, the spy agency
chief said the deal would impose a
litany of restrictions on Irans nuclear work that had once seemed
impossible to secure.
I must tell you the individuals
who say this deal provides a pathway for Iran to a bomb are being
wholly disingenuous, in my view,
if they know the facts, understand
whats required for a [nuclear] program, Mr Brennan told an audience
at Harvard University.
The outline deal would see the
United States and the European
Union lift all nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in exchange for a 98
per cent cut in Irans stocks of highly
enriched uranium for 15 years.
The accord would mean cutting
off pathways not just to uranium
enrichment but to plutonium enrichment and include a very intrusive
inspection regime, Mr Brennan said.
I certainly am pleasantly surprised that the Iranians have agreed
to so much here.
In terms of the inspections regime, the reduction as far as the centrifuges, the stockpile, what theyre
doing with the Arak reactor all of
that I think is really quite surprising
and quite good.
Citing Tehrans concessions,

including agreeing to a dramatic reduction of centrifuges, Mr Brennan

said, Boy, nobody ever thought they
would do that at the beginning.
Some critics were less focused on
Irans nuclear program and more on
the effect of lifting sanctions, as they
worry it will allow Tehran to cause
more trouble throughout the area,
Mr Brennan said.
That was a concern, he said. But

I certainly
am pleasantly
surprised that
the Iranians have
agreed to so much
here.
John Brennan
CIA Director

the framework deal itself offered

a way of curtailing any attempt by
Iran to build nuclear weapons and
is as solid as you can get, he said.
US and allied intelligence agencies would be closely monitoring
how Iran implemented any deal.
It was unclear if the pragmatic approach demonstrated
by President Hassan Rouhani
on the nuclear negotiations
would migrate to other areas of

Iranian foreign policy, he said.

I think well see. But I dont
think this is going to lead to a light
switch when all of a sudden the Iranians are going to become passive,
docile in the region, no.
Mr Brennan, who served as
President Obamas counterterrorism
adviser before taking over at the spy
agency, said Irans attitude on the issue had changed since Mr Obama
entered office six years ago mainly
because sanctions had hit the countrys economy hard, he said.
New leadership under Mr Rouhani, who was a more reasonable
figure, also provided an opening.
Recognizing the threat posed by the
sanctions, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave a green
light to Mr Rouhani to try to broker
a deal, Mr Brennan said.
If the talks failed, Mr Khamenei
could then blame Mr Rouhani and
his foreign minister for the result, he
added.
Mr Brennan also suggested that
digital sabotage on Irans uranium
enrichment work had played a role.
Asked by New York Times reporter David Sanger if the cyber attack
was a factor, Brennan said: I think
their inability to progress certainly
helped slow that program.
Mr Sanger in 2012 broke the story of Stuxnet, a US-Israeli effort to
undermine Irans nuclear program
with a damaging computer worm.
Mr Brennan made a joking reference to Mr Sangers articles, saying:
I wouldnt attribute your reporting
to helping that frankly. AFP

World 19

www.mmtimes.com
LONDON

glasgow

Posh nosh: Cameron

roasted over hot dog gaffe
BRITAINS Prime Minister David
Cameron has been skewered in the
middle of a tense election campaign
for eating a hot dog with a knife and
fork.
The Conservative leaders visit to a
voter barbecue backfired as an attempt
to appear as an everyman, relaxing in
a blue shirt as the beer flowed.
Newspapers and social media
seized on the photograph of Mr Cameron using the cutlery as evidence that
the prime minister is posh and unrelatable an image he has battled to shake.
David Cameron doesnt know how
to eat a hot dog announced the Metro;
I wont try to hide the fact I am posh

was the headline of the Daily Mail.

What kind of person eats a hot
dog with a knife and fork? asked
The Times journalist David Jack.
I do the same at McDonalds with
a Big Mac just before I ask to see the
wine list, joked one Twitter user.
Mr Cameron has said he will not
change his upper-class accent to win
votes, or apologise for what he called
his privileged upbringing.
Mr Cameron, like Prince William,
Prince Harry and a large proportion
of Britains ruling class, attended the
prestigious boarding school Eton College. The UK will take to the polls on
May 7. AFP

Faced with a tough choice, David Cameron opts to use cutlery. Photo: AFP

Scots look to step up

SCOTTISH nationalists are preparing for landslide election gains at the
expense of Labour next month but
also holding out the offer of a pact
that could put the centre-left party
in power.
Scotlands voice at Westminster
has always been very quiet. In fact its
been completely muted because the
strings have been pulled by UK Labour, said Carol Monaghan, an Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate
in Glasgow.
People dont want that any more,
she added.
Labour won 41 out of 59 seats in
Scotland in the 2010 vote, but polls
suggest the majority of these will
pass to the pro-independence SNP on
May 7.
Without big wins in Scotland, Labour has little chance of winning a
majority in Britains 650-seat House
of Commons but neither does
Prime Minister David Camerons
Conservative Party, leaving the election wide open.
If Labour werent losing ground
in Scotland ... it would be pretty obvious that they were the only party capable of forming a government, said
John Curtice, professor of politics at
Strathclyde University.
But the SNP surge could improve, not hinder Labour leader Ed
Milibands chances as the party has
indicated it could support a minority
Labour government to keep Cameron
out.
I dont want David Cameron
to be prime minister. Im offering
to help make Ed Miliband prime

minister, Sturgeon said in a televised

debate.
In the central Scottish town of
Cumbernauld, Labour MP Gregg McClymont won 57 percent of the vote
at the last election but is fighting to
keep his seat amid polls showing a
major swing to the SNP.
Its certainly going to be a tight
contest, theres no denying it, he
said, pushing leaflets through doors
on a housing estate during a spring
hail storm.
Many voters seem receptive to
Labours policies on the key issues of
education and the state-run National
Health Service, and Mr McClymont
remains upbeat.
But there is still resentment
against Labour, which was in government in Britain between 1997 and
2010.
The party has been demonised
by the SNP as being too similar to
the Conservatives and was widely
blamed for the financial crash of
2008.
The SNP has in recent years
pitched beyond its nationalist base to
traditional Labour voters with a message of a fairer, more equal Scotland
in charge of its own affairswith significant success.
The party has run the devolved
government in Edinburgh since 2007,
and in the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections won an impressive 45
percent of ballots cast.
The Yes campaign secured a
similar proportion of the vote in Septembers independence referendum,
and that enthusiasm now looks set

to translate into SNP success at Westminster.

Glasgow has long been solid Labour territory but the party could be
set to lose all but one of its seats, according to polling.
In the northwest of the city,
Monaghana physics teacher moved
to enter politics after the referendum
looks set to overturn a Labour majority of 19,000.
It helps the SNPs campaign
that Labour campaigned with the
Conservatives against independence
the Tories are deeply unpopular in
Scotland, and have just one MP here.
I think having a stronger SNP
voice in Westminster is generally a
good thing to shake up the big, larger
parties, said Stewart Cunningham,
a 33-year-old PhD student who is
switching from Labour to the SNP.
Labour has declined to say whether it would take up its old enemies to
do some kind of post-election deal,
only ruling out a formal coalition.
The two parties share some policies they would both raise the top
rate of income tax and the minimum
wage, and oppose the referendum
that Cameron has promised on Britains membership of the European
Union.
For Mr Curtice, this means that,
despite its losses the Labour party
has a friend in the SNP that Mr
Cameron lacks.
And that, to some degree, other
things being equal, does tip the odds
in favour of Ed Miliband being the
next prime minister, Mr Curtice said.
AFP

THE MYANMAR TIMES april 9, 2015

it

ge
t

yo

gers o
n
i
f
n

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

A hidden beauty uncovered

Zon Pann Pwint
zonpann08@gmail.com

HOSE familiar with Yangon as a place of

construction sites and constant, snarling
traffic may be interested to know that even 10
years ago, when cars were a rarity and months
would go by without a developer breaking
ground, keeping the city green was a source of concern.
U Hla Thein Maung, director of So Pyay Landscaping
Service, remembers well those days.
It was a beautiful place, marred only by a rubbish
dump, he says, contemplating the placid vista of Inya
Lake. In the early days of the century, he and his siblings
used to drive past the lake, lamenting the ugly tip of
waste and the tangle of weedy undergrowth that spoiled
the view of the lake and the University of Yangon.
Whenever we drove past, I would re-imagine it as a
lakeside garden, he said.
His dream became reality in 2004 when his company
received permission from the Ministry of Education,
which owns the site, to clear the land.
Within three months, the litter-choked ponds were
filled with earth, the overgrown shrubs pruned back,

the mounds of rubbish cleared away, and the entire

site landscaped with trees and flowers. The view was
transformed.
Passers-by would ask us if they could sit for a while
and rest, said Daw Aye Thandar Tun, another director of
the landscaping service.
The garden, in Inya Road, opened in March last year.
They called it Seinn Lann So Pyay, and the public has
never stopped pouring in, with up to 700 visitors a day
savouring the scenic view.
From dawn to dusk, birdsong and the gentle soughing
of the wind off the water complement the visual
experience and add lustre to the garden. Later in the
year, a new restaurant was opened for visitors to the
garden.
Yangon City Development Council runs many parks,
but they have been neglected, he said, complaining
that all too often after dusk the parks were the scene of
furtive fumblings by couples with one thing in mind and
nowhere else to go, causing embarrassment to family
visitors.
Whenever I catch a couple getting up to that sort
of thing in my garden, I put a plant pot there, he said,
surveying the verdant scene. I dont want the families
and the children to be upset.
Rusty see-saws and slides in some playgrounds are
not safe for children to play on, he added, calling for
more space to be made over for recreation.
There is no air more fresh than the wind blowing
across the lake.

Stunning Seinn Lann So Pyay Garden was once nothing more than a rubbish dump.
Photos: Aung Tun Win

the pulse 21

www.mmtimes.com

Blooming trade in
Myanmar arts and crafts
Nandar Aung
nandaraung.mcm@gmail.com
Photos: Aung Khant

RULY dedicated followers

of fashion, like me and,
possibly, you (no, not
you - you over there), will
understand accessories.
A merely beautiful dress without
accoutrements simply will not do.
Good taste demands more.
If you go one step further and
insist that your daily fashion
accessories be crafted with handmade tools, then you and I may well
have rubbed unwitting shoulders at
Sunflowers Art, Organic Dye Textile
and Crafts store.
For those behind the curve, the
store is no longer in 35th Street,
Kyauktada township, but has
relocated to 54 Shan Gone Street,
Myaynigone, Sanchaung township
(theres nothing like the proximity of
a brand-new K17 billion reinforced
concrete flyover for enhancing the

subtle beauty of environmentally

friendly products).
Naturally enough, the store
nestles under the wing of the
Sunflowers Group Social Enterprise,
run by artists Maung Maung Thein
(Pathein) and Chaw Ei Thein as a
gallery and studio for art classes
since 1994. But the traditional
textiles, natural dye and knitting
accessories schtick started just last
year.
Our store embraces the themes
of recycling and natural materials.
We draw from our environment that
which is useful, and which need not
be abandoned, said Chaw Ei Thein.
All things have beauty. All we need
to do is to see that beauty and to use
it in an appropriate place.
So here is your hand-made soap,
there your shower creams or facial
cleansers distilled from tomatoes, or

cucumbers, or aloe vera and what

have you.
Here, too, your colourful knitting
accessories, crafts, postcards,
recycled products reborn as earrings,
bracelets, necklaces, traditional shoes
and natural-dye cloth, including
cottons, silks and lotus produced and
designed by rural women or NGOs
earnestly improving education or
struggling for the rights of old or
disabled people.
We have market demand,
but we still face difficulties in
production. Were working on that,
with the rural weavers, promises
Ma Chaw Ei Thein.
Some Sunflowers products may
be had from Pomelo, Thiripyitsaya
souvenir shops in Yangon and
Narita and Osaka airports and art@
apt in New York. See you there,
sweeties.

NEW YORK

Monets lillies bloom once again in rare New York art auction
Oil paintings by impressionist
master Claude Monet are expected
to be stars of the spring auction
season in New York, where
Sothebys believes they could fetch
as much as US$110 million.
One of the paintings is part
of the famous Nymphas (Water
Lilies) series the French artist
painted at Giverny. Forecast to sell
for an estimated $30-45 million,
this work has been held by a
collector since 1955, and has not
been seen in public since 1945.
The six Monet works have
been in private collections; they
are expected to generate a lot of
enthusiasm on the auction block
at evening sales.
The other works are Le Palais
Ducal painted in 1908 in Venice;
it is expected to fetch $15-20
million; Bassin aux nymphas,
les rosiers from $18-25 million;

and Le Chemin dEpinay, effet de

neige (1875). It is expected to sell
for $6-8 million.
In addition, La Seine
Vtheuil (1901) is expected to
bring in $6-8 million; it has been
in private hands since 1955 and
has not been sold at auction.
And Au Val Saint-Nicolas prs
Dieppe, matin (1897) could fetch
$3-4 million, the auction house
said.
These six works by the
impressionist will be shown
in London April 10-14, before
returning to New York where they
will be on view through May 1.
Auctioneers Christies,
meanwhile, announced April 6
it would sell a Monet work Le
parlement, soleil couchant for
an expected $35-45 million on
May 11 in New York.
The record for a single Monet

was set in June 2008 when

Christies in London sold Le
bassin des Nymphas for $80.1
million.
The six works by Monet that
we are privileged to present this
May represent exactly what buyers
are seeking at this moment:
several of his most famous scenes,
emerging from prestigious private
collections and completely fresh to
the market, said Simon Shaw at
Sothebys.
Were undeniably witnessing
an exceptional moment for great
works by Monet at Sothebys. As
new generations and new markets
rediscover the master, the supply
of strong examples remaining in
private hands is shrinking fast.
The result is fierce competition
that leads to the results we have
witnessed recently at Sothebys.
AFP

Claude Monets paintings are estimated to achieve in excess of $110 million at an

upcoming Sothebys auction in New York. Photo: AFP/Handout/Sothebys

IN PICTUREs

Photo: AFP

Each year
the Pralormo
castle hosts
the Mister
Tulip event
in the English
garden where
over 75,000
tulips bloom at
the same time
and announce
the arrival of
spring.

TODAY

Folk On Fire with Lnr Band. From

Folk to Reggae, oldies to recent tunes.
Mojo Lounge and Restaurant, 135 Inya
Rd, Bahan. Free entry. 9:30pm.
Taco Bar Buffet. All you can eat Mexican
with free-flow Coronas, Margaritas and
tequila. Bookings essential, at: events.
tgr@belmond.com or +95 (1) 229 860.
Belmond Governors Residence, Taw Win
Road. $42. 6:30-9:30pm.
Juize Mix Battle in collaboration with
Jam It! Artists: Gtone, One way, Hip II,
Net Kyaw/Spider/CJ, YBV, C Phyo Min
biz (Beatboxxer). Graffiti: Wunna Lynn

(Roar) , Thu Myat (O.K.P). MC: K-CA$H.

Taw Win Centre, Pyay Road, Dagon.
Free entry. 4-7pm.

TOMORROW

Aaron Gallegos Trio. Blending diverse

influences from flamenco to bossa,
jazz and world music. Gekko, 535
Merchant Rd. 7pm.
French Love Friday. Davdenam X
Fisewook Tech house, indie dance,
deep house, minimale French touch,
Nu-Disco. K6000 (with 3 free drinks).
Institut Francais de Birmanie, 340 Pyay
Rd. 10pm-2am.

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

22 the pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

screen scene
Woody Allen, Cate
Blanchett, Matthew
McConaughey at Cannes?

W A R N I N G :

S E V E R E

S P O I L E R S

A H E A D !

The 10 most shocking

deaths (so far) in
Game of Thrones
Valar Morghulis.
All men must die.
David Malitz

his is more than just a

central theme of Game of
Thrones. It is a promise.
On the eve of its fifth
season, the HBO epic has
become synonymous with death.
Surprising deaths, gruesome deaths,
but most of all, plentiful deaths.
But not all GoT deaths are created
equal. This list will count down the
shows 10 most shocking deaths.
For the sake of this list, shocking
is a combination of surprising
and gruesome, with some points
for impact. Its not simply a list of
major characters who have died. For
example, Khal Drogos death was not
exactly surprising powerful men
have a habit of not lasting long on
this show and there was no need
to shield your eyes during his mostly
peaceful final moments. So here are
the top 10, which 10 weeks from now
will almost certainly have some new
additions.

this list. Just stick with me for a

second here, OK? Animals have it as
bad as humans in the GoT universe,
and since they are just innocent
beasts, their suffering sometimes
affects us more. Call it the Sarah
MacLachlan Rule. Anyway, Original
Mountains single-chop decapitation
of his horse after losing a joust to
Loras Tyrell was one of the nastiest
scenes of the first season.

random Mountain was on the show

that season.

7. Ros: Heres one death we didnt

actually see transpire, and thank
the old gods and new for that. It
would be hard to call Ross hangingfrom-the-ceiling, crossbow-to-theheart murder Joffreys most sadistic
moment, but its on the shortlist.

2. Catelyn Stark and Robb Stark:

The Red Wedding. The defining
moment of the show may not be No 1
on this list, but it remains one of the
most memorable television scenes
of our new century. The chaos of the
massacre starting with the moment
Catelyn spotted Roose Boltons
armour-clad forearm and realised
what was about to happen, then
quickly escalating to Talisas violent
stabbing was presented masterfully.
Roose Boltons send-off line to
Robb (The Lannisters send their
regards) was a classic, and Catelyns
murderous spasm of vengeance
against Walder Freys wife before her
own throat was slit was as brutal as it
gets, emotionally and physically.

6. Shae: The Tyrion/Shae love affair

was one of the few heartwarming
storylines in GoT. Until, of course,
Cersei got to Shae and convinced her
to turn on Tyrion and implicate him
in Joffreys death. In terms of karma,
she had it coming, but it was still
extremely unsettling to see Tyrion
Lannister arguably the moral centre
of this universe lacking morals
strangle the former love of his life.

3. King Joffrey Baratheon:

Certainly the most fulfilling death
on this list, in part because of how
shocking it was. Joffreys death by
poison scores points for both surprise
and disgust. The blood flowing from
his nose, his purple face, gasping for
air, those dead eyes.

Game of Thrones season 5, episode 1, premieres in Myanmar on HBO

at 7:30am on April 13, concurrent with the US broadcast. A same-day
encore will show at 7:30pm.
10. Viserys Targaryen: Its easy to
forget about him now, but Viseryss
death was one of the first times a
(seemingly) major character died
a gruesome death. Khal Drogo
gave Viserys the golden crown he
always wanted, burning him alive
by pouring molten gold on his head,
sending him out in a sort of Raiders
of the Lost Ark style.
9. Ygritte: Love is doomed in the
Seven Kingdoms, so Ygritte seemed
like a goner at some point. But to
have her killed by that dirt-covered
teen, Olly, just as she was having a
cathartic moment with Jon Snow?
That was a lot to take.
8. The Mountains horse: Yes, Im
putting Gregor Cleganes horse on

5. Tywin Lannister: Now we get

to the biggies. After Shae, Tyrions
killing spree ended with his father,
the most powerful man in Westeros.
The impact of his sudden death will
likely swing the balance of power
in the Seven Kingdoms, and like
Ygrittes death in No 9, the act of a
sudden projectile to the heart in the
middle of an emotional conversation
was a gasp! moment.
4. Oberyn Martell: Some of us
are still having nightmares about
this one. The eminently likable
Red Viper stood little chance of
living through his encounter with
the Mountain but did he really
have to go out like that? Like that
being, of course, his face completely
squished into oblivion by whatever

1. Eddard Ned Stark: Did Ned

Starks beheading have the same
cultural impact as the Red Wedding?
Certainly not. In its first season, GoT
had yet to become a phenomenon
but this pivotal episode is arguably
what made it one. Ned Stark was the
protagonist of the show. He was the
foundation on which everything was
built. Watching him get paraded to
the chopping block, you just assumed
he would escape his predicament.
But in the moments before Ser Ilyn
Paynes sword came down, your
realisation sunk in: Holy ... theyre
actually going to kill Ned Stark!! His
death set the standard for everything
that would happen over the course
of the show. If he wasnt safe, truly
nobody was safe.
The Washington Post

With the Cannes Film Festival

set to open in just over a
months time, speculation is
swirling over which films
and which top directors and
actors could be getting their
moment under the French
Riviera sun.
Photographers line the carpet at Cannes Film
Woody Allen is seen as
Festival in Cannes, France. Photo: Shutterstock
more than likely to be walking
the red carpet with his new
flick, Irrational Man, starring Joaquin Phoenix.
Cate Blanchett might also be along for her movie Carol. And fellow Oscar-winner
Matthew McConaughey could appear for The Sea of Trees the latest film by director
Gus Van Sant, which also stars Naomi Watts.
Canness organisers jealously guard their selections for the competition line-up
and the out-of-competition program until a month before the film fest opens.
This year, the movies to be shown at Cannes will be announced on April 16, and the
festival will run from May 13 to 24.
Cannes mixes international arthouse cinema, Hollywood blockbusters,
extravagant parties, industry wheeling and dealing, and eye-catching publicity stunts
in a potent cocktail that has made it the pre-eminent global showcase for movies.
So far the only movie confirmed to be screened is Mad Max: Fury Road. The
dystopian sci-fi movie, the fourth in the high-action Mad Max franchise and the first to
star British actor Tom Hardy in the title role.
Asia, as always, is expected to be well represented.
Thailands Apichatpong Weerasethakul has just completed a romance, Love in
Khon Kaen, which might screen. Taiwans Hou Hsiao-hsien, a competition veteran,
has a good chance with martial arts picture The Assassin. AFP

House of Cards renewed for season four

There is no trailer. There is no release date.
There are no plot details. But Netflix has
confirmed that House of Cards has been
renewed for a fourth season.
The shows Twitter account announced
the renewal on April 2 with President Frank
Underwoods signature line: I will leave a
legacy.
House of Cards headlined by Kevin
Spacey as President Underwood, a full-time
House of Cards Machiavellian
Machiavellian and occasional murderer, and
Frank Underwood. Photo: Netflix
Robin Wright as his icy first lady more-orless reinvented television in 2013. The show
won more than its share of Emmys, including one for Spacey, and proved that a
series could be incredibly successful without ever being traditionally broadcast.
Headline Hollywood reported the show will begin filming sometime this
summer near Baltimore. The show threatened to move out of Maryland after
the shows producers, Media Rights Capital, had a spat with legislators over tax
credits last year. Washington Post

Films that pass the Bechdel test plummet in 2014

The number of films featuring positive depictions of women has dropped
significantly.
New research suggests that 2014 saw a significant drop compared to 2013
in the number of movies released that passed the Bechdel test, the informal
guidelines that judge whether individual films represent female characters fairly.
According to data publishing site Silk, the Bechdel pass rate was 55.4
percent in 2014, while in 2013 it was 67.5pc, a drop of 12 percentage points. The
2014 figure bucked a recent trend of steadily improving rates: 2012 saw a 66.4pc
pass rate, 2011 was 62.8pc, and 2010 was 60.8pc. In fact, the 2014 figure was the
worst the survey found since 1994, which came in at 52.4pc.
The Bechdel test began as a joke in Alison Bechdels comic strip Dykes to
Watch Out For in 1985, but has since gained huge popularity as a tool for analysing
gender bias in films.
The Silk survey also concluded that animated films of particular concern,
as large numbers of young children watch them have had a chequered history
in relation to the Bechdel test, with the last two years showing a startling
improvement, presumably down to the Frozen effect. In 2012, 59.1pc of
animated films received a Bechdel pass, while for 2013 the figure jumped to
72.7pc, before falling to 64.3pc for 2014. Guardian

X-Files returns after 13-year

commercial break
Cult sci-fi TV show The X-Files is returning
for six new episodes, 13 years after David
Duchovny and Gillian Andersons last outing
as agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
The Emmy and Golden Globe winning
series which ran for nine seasons and over
200 episodes between 1993 and 2002 will
begin production this summer with the
original stars, broadcaster Fox said.
I think of it as a 13-year commercial break,
said the shows creator and executive producer
Chris Carter, adding,The good news is the
world has only gotten that much stranger, a
perfect time to tell these six stories.
The series follows the adventures of
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents
Scully and Mulder, who investigate the
mysterious cases blamed on paranormal
phenomena. AFP

Much-loved cult icons

Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.
Photo: Fox

24 the pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

Yangon to Mandalay
Flight
Y5 775
W9 515
YH 909
YH 917
YJ 891
YJ 891
YJ 891
K7 282
W9 201
YH 826
YH 835
YH 909
YH 831
YH 911
W9201
YH 829
7Y 131
K7 266
8M 6603
YJ 751
YJ 201
YJ 211
YJ 601
YJ 761
YJ 761
YJ 233
YH 729
YH 737
YH 727
W9 251
K7 822
YJ 151/W9 7151
K7 622
K7 226
YH 731
Y5 234
W9 211

Days
Daily
1
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
3,7
4
1,2,5,6
Daily
Daily
3
1,7
7
4,6
2
1
5
Daily
Daily
4
5
1,2,3,4
5,7
6
1,2
4
6
2,4,6
3,5,7
1
2,5
4,7
1
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
Daily
Daily
4

Dep
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:10
6:00
6:30
6:30
6:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:15
8:00
9:00
10:45
11:00
11:15
11:15
11:15
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:15
11:15
11:30
12:30
13:00
13:00
13:30
14:30
15:20
15:30

Arr
7:10
7:25
7:40
8:30
8:05
7:55
8:35
8:10
8:25
8:40
8:40
8:40
8:40
8:40
8:25
11:05
9:20
10:05
10:10
14:50
12:25
12:40
12:40
13:10
12:55
12:55
14:00
13:25
13:25
12:55
16:55
16:45
14:25
14:55
16:40
16:30
16:55

Mandalay to Yangon
Flight
Y5 233
YJ 891
YJ 891
K7 283
YH 918
YH 910
W9 201
YJ 891
7Y 132
K7 267
YH 830
YH 912
YJ 762
YH 832
YH 827
YH 836
YH 910
YJ 212
YJ 212
YJ 752
YJ 202
YJ 602
YH 732
YH 732
YH 728
YJ 762
W9 152/W97152
Y5 776
W9 211
K7 823
8M 6604
K7 227
8M 903
YH 738
K7 623
YH 730
YJ 234
W9 252

Days
Daily
4
3,7
Daily
Daily
7
Daily
1,2,5,6
Daily
Daily
5
2
4
4,6
3
1,7
1,2,3,5,6
7
6
5
1,2,3,4
6
6
Daily
1
1,2
1
Daily
4
2,4,7
4
2,4,6
1,2,4,5,7
3,5,7
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
6
2,5

Dep
7:50
8:10
8:20
8:25
8:30
8:40
8:40
8:50
9:35
10:20
11:05
11:30
13:10
13:20
13:20
13:20
13:20
15:00
15:15
15:05
15:30
15:55
16:40
16:40
16:45
16:50
17:05
17:10
17:10
17:10
17:20
17:20
17:20
17:25
17:40
17:45
17:45
18:15

Arr
9:00
10:05
10:15
11:30
10:45
10:05
10:35
10:45
11:30
12:25
14:55
13:25
17:00
14:45
14:45
14:45
14:45
16:25
16:40
16:30
16:55
17:50
18:05
18:45
18:10
18:15
18:30
18:20
19:15
18:35
18:30
18:45
18:30
18:50
19:05
19:10
19:10
19:40

Yangon to nay pyi taw

Nay pyi taw to Yangon

Flight
FMI A1
FMI B1
FMI C1

Flight
FMI A2
FMI B2
FMI C2

Days
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5

Dep
7:15
10:45
17:00

Arr
8:15
11:45
18:00

Yangon to Nyaung U
Flight
K7 282
YJ 891
YH 909
YH 917
YJ 881
YJ 891
YH 909
YJ 881
K7 242
7Y 131
K7 264
YH 731
W9 129
W9 211

Days
Daily
3,7
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
7
1,2,5,6
4
4
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,3,6
4

Dep
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:10
6:30
6:30
6:30
6:45
7:00
7:15
14:30
14:30
15:30
15:30

Days
5
3
1,7
4,6
1,2,3,4
2,5

Dep
7:00
7:00
7:00
7:00
11:00
11:30

Dep
8:35
13:30
18:20

Arr
9:35
14:30
19:20

Nyaung U to Yangon
Arr
7:20
7:20
8:25
7:45
7:50
7:50
8:05
8:05
8:20
8:35
16:40
17:25
17:35
17:40

Yangon to Myitkyina
Flight
YH 829
YH 826
YH 835
YH 831
YJ 201
W9 251

Days
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5

Arr
9:40
10:05
10:05
10:05
13:50
14:25

Flight
YJ 891
YH 918
YJ 881
YJ 891
YH 910
YJ 881
YH 910
K7 242
7Y 131
K7 283
K7 265
YH 732
W9 129

Days
3,7
Daily
7
1,2,5,6
4
4
1,2,3,5,6
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,3,6

Dep
7:35
7:45
8:05
8:05
8:05
8:20
8:25
8:35
8:50
10:10
16:55
17:25
17:50

Arr
10:15
10:45
10:10
10:45
9:25
10:25
9:45
11:45
11:30
11:30
18:15
18:45
19:10

Myitkyina to Yangon
Flight
YH 827
YH 832
YH 836
YH 830
YJ 202
YJ 234
W9 252

Days
3
4,6
1,7
5
1,2,3,4
6
2,5

Dep
11:55
11:55
11:55
12:30
14:05
16:20
16:45

Arr
14:45
14:45
14:45
14:55
16:55
19:10
19:40

Yangon to Heho
Flight
YJ 891
YJ 891
K7 282
YH 917
YJ 881
YJ 891
YJ 881
K7 242
7Y 131
K7 266
Y5 649
YH 505
YJ 751
YJ 751
YJ 761
YJ 233
YJ 761
YH 727
YH 737
YH 727
K7 828
K7 822
K7 264
YH 731
W9 129

Days
4
3,7
Daily
Daily
7
1,2,5,6
4
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
3,7
5
4
6
1,2
1
3,5,7
3
1,3,5
2,4,7
Daily
Daily
1,3,6

Dep
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:10
6:30
6:30
6:45
7:00
7:15
8:00
10:30
10:30
10:30
10:45
11:00
11:00
11:15
11:15
11:15
11:15
12:30
12:30
14:30
14:30
15:30

Heho to Yangon
Arr
8:40
8:50
9:00
9:35
8:50
9:20
9:00
9:15
10:05
9:15
12:45
11:55
11:40
11:55
12:10
12:10
12:25
12:40
12:40
12:40
13:45
13:45
15:45
15:55
16:40

Flight
YJ 891
YJ 881
YJ 891
K7 283
YJ 881
W9 201
K7 243
YH 918
YJ 891
7Y 132
K7 267
YH 506
YJ 752
YJ 762
YH 732
YJ 762
K7 829
YH 728
YJ 602
K7 264
YH 738
YJ 752
W9 129

Arr
8:15
9:05
13:50
17:00

Flight
Y5 326
7Y 532
K7 320
Y5 326

Yangon to Myeik
Flight
Y5 325
K7 319
7Y 531
Y5 325

Days
1,5
1,3,5,7
2,4,6
2

Dep
6:45
7:00
11:45
15:30

Days
1,3,6
Daily
1,3,5,7

Dep
11:30
11:45
12:00

Days
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,3,6
1,3,5,7
Daily
1,3,4,6

Dep
7:00
10:30
11:30
12:00
13:00
15:45

Days
1
2,4,6

Dep
7:00
11:45

Flight
W9 309
6T 612
K7 423

Arr
10:35
13:10
13:50
12:50
13:35
16:40

Flight
K7 243
YH 506
7Y 413
W9 309
K7 422
Y5 422

Days
3,7
5
2,4,6
1,3,5

Dep
10:30
10:45
11:00
12:30

Days
3
4,6
1,7
2,5

Dep
7:00
7:00
7:00
11:30

Days
1,5
2,4,6
1,3,5,7
2

Dep
8:35
16:05
11:30
17:15

Arr
10:05
18:10
13:35
18:45

Days
1,3,6
Daily
Daily

Dep
13:10
13:15
15:10

Arr
14:55
14:20
16:30

Days
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,3,5,7
1,3,6
Daily
1,3,4,6

Dep
10:50
13:10
13:05
14:05
14:10
16:55

Arr
11:45
14:00
15:25
14:55
16:30
17:50

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air KBZ (K7)

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

Asian Wings (YJ)

Tel: 515261~264, 512140, 512473, 512640
Fax: 532333, 516654

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Mann Yadanarpon Airlines (7Y)

Tel: 656969
Fax: 656998, 651020

Arr
8:10
12:50

Flight
K7 320
7Y 532

Arr
12:45
13:00
13:00
14:50

Flight
YJ 752
K7 829
K7 829
YJ 752
YH 730

Arr
11:00
11:00
11:00
15:25

Flight
YH 836
YH 832
YH 827
W9 252

Days
1,3,5,7
2,4,6

Dep
12:25
17:05

Arr
13:35
18:10

lashio to Yangon
Days
5
1,3
5
3,7
2,4,6

Dep
13:15
15:05
15:05
15:40
16:45

Arr
16:30
15:55
17:25
17:55
19:10

putao to yangon
Days
1,7
4,6
3
2,5

Dep
11:00
11:00
11:00
15:45

FMI Air Charter

Tel: 240363, 240373, 09421146545

Airline Codes
7Y = Mann Yadanarpon Airlines
K7 = Air KBZ
W9 = Air Bagan
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines
YH = Yangon Airways
YJ = Asian Wings
FMI = FMI Air Charter

dawei to Yangon

yangon to putao
Flight
YH 826
YH 831
YH 835
W9 251

Air Bagan (W9)

Tel: 383100, 383107, 700264

Fax: 652 533

thandwe to Yangon

yangon to lashio
Flight
YJ 751
YJ 751
YH 729
K7 828

Domestic Airlines

Yangon Airways (YH)

Arr
12:55
12:55
13:50

yangon to dawei
Flight
K7 319
7Y 531

Arr
10:05
10:15
10:15
11:30
10:25
10:35
11:45
10:45
10:45
11:30
12:25
14:00
16:30
17:00
18:45
18:15
17:25
18:10
17:50
18:15
18:50
17:55
19:10

sittwe to Yangon

Yangon to thandwe
Flight
K7 242
YH 505
W9 309
7Y 413
K7 422
Y5 421

Dep
8:55
9:05
9:05
9:15
9:15
9:25
9:30
9:35
9:35
10:20
11:10
11:55
14:20
15:50
15:55
16:05
16:10
16:00
16:40
16:30
16:40
16:45
16:55

Myeik to Yangon

Yangon to sittwe
Flight
W9 309
6T 611
K7 413

Days
4
7
3,7
Daily
4
Daily
Daily
Daily
1,2,5,6
Daily
Daily
1,2,3,4,5,6
5
4
Daily
1,2
1,3,5
1
6
Daily
3,5,7
3,7
1,3,6

Arr
14:45
14:45
14:45
19:40

Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday

the pulse 25

www.mmtimes.com

International FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO BANGKOK

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

PG 706
Daily
6:05
8M 335
Daily
7:40
TG 304
Daily
9:50
PG 702
Daily
10:30
TG 302
Daily
14:50
PG 708
Daily
15:20
8M 331
Daily
16:30
PG 704
Daily
18:35
Y5 237
Daily
19:00
TG 306
Daily
19:50
YANGON TO DON MUEANG
Flights
DD 4231
FD 252
FD 256
FD 254
FD 258
DD 4239
Flights

Days
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily

8:20
9:25
11:45
12:25
16:45
17:15
18:15
20:30
20:50
21:45

Dep
8:00
8:30
12:50
17:35
21:30
21:00

Arr
9:45
10:20
14:40
19:25
23:15
22:55

YANGON TO SINGAPORE
Days

Dep

Arr

BANGKOK TO YANGON

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

TG 303
Daily
8:00
PG 701
Daily
8:45
Y5 238
Daily
21:30
8M 336
Daily
10:40
TG 301
Daily
13:05
PG 707
Daily
13:40
PG 703
Daily
17:00
TG 305
Daily
18:05
8M 332
Daily
19:15
PG 705
Daily
20:15
DON MUEANG TO YANGON
Flights
DD 4230
FD 251
FD 255
FD 253
FD 257
DD 4238
Flights

Days
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily

8:45
9:40
22:20
11:25
13:50
14:30
17:50
18:50
20:00
21:30

Dep
6:30
7:15
11:35
16:20
20:15
19:25

Arr
7:15
8:00
12:20
17:05
20:55
20:15

Dep

Arr

8M 231
Daily
8:00
12:25
Y5 2233
Daily
9:45
14:15
TR 2823
Daily
9:45
2:35
SQ 997
Daily
10:25
15:10
3K 582
Daily
11:45
16:20
MI 533
2,4,6
13:35
20:50
8M 233
5,6,7
14:40
19:05
MI 519
Daily
16:40
21:15
3K 584
2,3,5
19:30 00:05+1
YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR

TR 2822
Daily
7:20
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
SQ 998
Daily
7:55
3K 581
Daily
9:10
MI 533
2,4,6
11:30
8M 232
Daily
13:25
MI 518
Daily
14:20
3K 583
2,3,5
17:20
8M 234
5,6,7
20:15
KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON

8:45
8:50
9:20
10:40
12:45
14:50
15:45
18:50
21:40

8M 501
AK 505
MH 741
8M 9506
8M 9508
MH 743
AK 503

11:50
12:45
16:30
16:30
20:05
20:15
23:20

AK 504
8M 9505
MH 740
8M 502
8M 9507
MH 742
AK 502

8:00
11:15
11:15
13:50
14:50
15:05
18:25

Arr
0550+1

Flights
CA 905

Flights

Flights
CA 906

Days

Dep

Arr

1,2,3,5,6
7:50
Daily
8:30
Daily
12:15
Daily
12:15
Daily
15:45
Daily
16:00
Daily
19:05
YANGON TO BEIJING
Days
3,5,7

Dep
23:50

YANGON TO GUANGZHOU
Flights

Days

8M 711
CZ 3056
CZ 3056
Flights

Days

Daily

Dep

Arr

Flights

Flights

Days

13:15
15:55
22:10

Dep

Arr

10:50

16:10

VN 956

1,3,5,6,7

Dep

Days

VN 942

2,4,7

Days

CZ 3055
CZ 3055
8M 712
Flights

Days

CI 7915

Daily

Arr

Dep

19:10
Dep

14:25

Flights

MU 2011
CA 415
MU 2031

Arr

Flights

21:25

VN 957

Arr

Flights

Days
1,4,6

Flights

Days

Flights

4,7
Daily

Dep

Arr
11:40
Arr

8:50
07:45+1

YANGON TO HONG KONG

Days

KA 251
KA 251

1,2,3,4,6,7
5

Flights

Days

Daily

Arr

05:45
05:55

Dep

22:10

Arr

06:45+1

YANGON TO DHAKA

Flights

Days

BG 061
BG 061
Flights

Dep

01:10
01:30

YANGON TO TOKYO

NH 914

2
5

Dep

Arr

11:45
19:45

YANGON TO INCHEON

PG 724
W9 607
8M 7702
8M 7502

Days

1,3,5,6
4,7
Daily
4,7

Dep

12:50
14:30
23:30
00:35

Days
2,4,6
1,5
4,7

Days

VN 943

2,4,7

Flights

Days

3,5,6
2
1,5
Days

AI 236
Flights

Days

1
5

Dep

7:00
13:10
14:05
Dep

13:10
Dep

14:05
18:45

MANDALAY TO BANGKOK

Flights

PG 710

Days

Daily

Dep

14:15

MANDALAY TO singapore

Flights

MI 533
Y5 2233

Days

2,4,6
1,2,4,5,6

Dep

15:45
7:50

MANDALAY TO DON MUEANG

Flights

FD 245

Days

Daily

Dep

12:50

MANDALAY TO KUNMING

Flights

MU 2030

Days

Daily

Dep

13:50

NAY PYI TAW TO BANGKOK

Flights

PG 722

Days

1,2,3,4,5

Dep

19:45

10:35
16:40
15:50

Dep

Arr

7:00

9:50

Dep

Arr

11:50
11:30
14:00
Arr

16:40
Dep

11:45

Flights

Days

KE 471
0Z 769

Daily
3,6

Flights

Days

KA 252
KA 250

4
1,2,3,5,6,7

Flights

Days

Daily

Flights

Days

2
5

INCHEON TO YANGON

Arr

Flights

Arr

16:40
Arr

20:50
14:15
Arr

1,3,5,6
4,7
Daily
3,6

Dep

11:00
17:20
18:45
19:50

Flights

Dep
9:25
13:45
17:20

gaya TO YANGON
Days

2
3,5,6
5

Dep

9:10
9:20
15:00

delhi TO YANGON
Days

AI 235

Dep

7:00

kolkata TO YANGON

AI 227
AI 233

Days

1
5

Dep

10:35
13:30

BANGKOK TO MANDALAY

Flights

PG 709

Days

Daily

Dep

12:05

singapore to mandalay

Flights

Y5 2234
MI 533

Days

Daily
2,4,6

Dep

7:20
11:30

DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY

Flights

15:15

FD 244

Arr

Flights

Days

Daily

Dep

10:55

KUNMING TO MANDALAY

16:40

MU 2029

Arr

Flights

22:45

Days

Days
2,4,6
1,5
4,7

Flights

AI 235
8M 602
AI 233

Arr

Dep

8:30
16:30

chiang mai TO YANGON

8:20
14:10
15:05

17:20
19:45

Dep

11:45

DHAKA TO YANGON

Flights

Arr

Dep

22:50
21:45

TOKYO TO YANGON

NH 913
BG 060
BG 060

16:30

Dep

18:30
19:30

HONG KONG TO YANGON

13:00
21:00

Arr

Dep
19:45

Days

Daily

Dep

12:55

BANGKOK TO NAY PYI TAW

PG 721

Days

1,2,3,4,5

Dep

17:15

Tel: 255412, 413

Air Asia (FD)

Tel: 09254049991~3

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air China (CA)

Tel: 666112, 655882

Tel: 253597~98, 254758, 253601. Fax 248175

Bangkok Airways (PG)

Tel: 255122, 255265. Fax: 255119

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG)

Tel: 371867~68. Fax: 371869

Condor (DE)

Tel: 370836~39 (ext: 303)

Dragonair (KA)

Tel: 255323 (ext: 107), 09-401539206

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

Tel: 387648, 241007 (ext: 120, 121, 122)

Fax: 241124

Myanmar Airways International (8M)

Tel: 255260. Fax: 255305

Nok Airline (DD)

Tel: 255050, 255021. Fax: 255051

Qatar Airways (QR)

Tel: 379845, 379843, 379831. Fax: 379730

Singapore Airlines (SQ) / Silk Air (MI)

Tel: 255287~9. Fax: 255290

Dep

SEOUL TO YANGON

Flights
Y5 252
7Y 306
W9 608

YANGON TO kolkata

AI 234
AI 228

Days
3,5,7

Arr
8:05
12:50
16:20

Dep
6:15
11:00
14:30

YANGON TO DELHI

Flights

Flights
QR 918

PG 723
W9 608
8M 7701
8M 7501

YANGON TO gaya

8M 601
AI 236
AI 234

Arr

3
8:25
Daily
11:10
1,2,4,5,6,7 13:30
HANOI TO YANGON
1,3,5,6,7

14:45
16:20
07:50+1
09:10

YANGON TO chiang mai

Flights
Y5 251
7Y 305
W9 607

Dep

18:10

Thai Airways (TG)

Arr

Tiger Airline (TR)

13:25

DOHA TO YANGON

Dep
7:55

0:50
23:55

Arr
22:50

HO CHI MINH CITY TO YANGON

17:05

YANGON TO SEOUL

0Z 770
KE 472

Days

Days

YANGON TO DOHA
Flights
QR 919

Dep
19:30

3,6
8:35
1,5
14:40
2,4,7
14:15
TAIPEI TO YANGON

15:55
18:50
18:15

YANGON TO HO CHI MINH CITY

Flights

Arr

KUNMING TO YANGON

Daily
12:30
3
12:40
1,2,4,5,6,7 14:50
YANGON TO HANOI
Days

Dep

Daily
6:55
Daily
10:05
Daily
10:05
1,2,3,5,6
12:50
Daily
13:40
Daily
13:55
Daily
17:20
BEIJING TO YANGON
Days
3,5,7

Flights

YANGON TO KUNMING
CA 416
MU 2012
MU 2032

Days

GUANGZHOU TO YANGON

2,4,7
8:40
3,6
11:35
1,5
17:40
YANGON TO TAIPEI

CI 7916

Flights

All Nippon Airways (NH)

Air India

SINGAPORE TO YANGON
Days

International Airlines

Arr
0459+1
Arr

22:30
23:40
Arr

00:30
23:30
Arr

17:15
Arr

10:45
18:45

Tel: 255491~6. Fax: 255223

Tel: 371383, 370836~39 (ext: 303)

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

Tel: 255066, 255088, 255068. Fax: 255086

Airline Codes
3K = Jet Star
8M = Myanmar Airways International
AK = Air Asia
BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines
CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines
CZ = China Southern

Arr

11:55
18:10
22:25
23:25

DD = Nok Airline
FD = Air Asia
KA = Dragonair

Arr
10:15
14:35
18:10
Arr

12:10
12:30
18:00
Arr

12:10
Arr

13:20
18:00
Arr

13:25
Arr

16:30
14:50
Arr

12:20
Arr

12:50
Arr

19:15

KE = Korea Airlines
MH = Malaysia Airlines
MI = Silk Air
MU = China Eastern Airlines
NH = All Nippon Airways
PG = Bangkok Airways
QR = Qatar Airways
SQ = Singapore Airways
TG = Thai Airways
TR = Tiger Airline
VN = Vietnam Airline
AI = Air India
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday

4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday

26 Sport

THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

THE MASTERS

Bubba on his own for

Masters Fight Club

new poll indicating that

Bubba Watson is unpopular with his golfing
peers has given the reigning Masters champion
food for thought ahead of this weeks
title defense at Augusta National.
Compiled by ESPN.com, the
anonymous poll was conducted recently among 103 PGA players, posing the question who would be the
last fellow pro they would help out
in a fight.
A whopping 22.6 percent of golfers surveyed chose Watson, doubling
up on Patrick Reed, the second-leading answer with 11 percent.
Asked by journalists on April 7
if he felt irritated over the poll, its
findings or its timing, the 2012 and
2014 Masters winner said no, preferring instead to take it on the chin.
I take it as I need to improve as
a man. I take it with pride. I need to
get better. And I think over my career, since my rookie season to now,
Ive gotten better, he said.
But obviously theres more room
for me to improve as a man. And so
hopefully next year or the year after,
it improves.
Its a challenge. Its great. Im
glad that it came out and its going
to help me improve.
So if its a bad thing and people
dont like me, then Ive got to improve and prove them wrong.
If there are some bad feelings
toward Watson in the locker room,
there is no doubting his popularity
among the fans, who again flocked
to his side as he practised for the
years first major.
His unique, self-taught golfing
style and heart-on-sleeve emotions
on the course are a perfect match
for the awe-inspiring beauty and
knife-edge challenge that Augusta
National provides.
The warm feelings are reciprocal
with Watson saying that the fabled
Georgia layout is his favorite.

Chipping in ...
BUBBA WATSON
on new poll saying he was the player most fellow
pros would not help in a fight:
Obviously, Ive never been in a fight in my
life, so if I was in a fight, it was my fault. I
caused somebody to get angry. So yeah, I
wouldnt help myself either.
HENRIK STENSON
on being asked the reason that has kept him from
placing no better than 14th at Augusta
Not playing better than 14th, I guess.

TIGER WOODS
on his troubled buildup to the Masters:
I worked my ass off. Thats the easiest way to
kind of describe it. I worked hard.

JORDAN SPIETH
on Tiger Woods quip that Spieth was in diapers when
Woods first won the Masters in 1997:

Watson may have the gallery behind him but have the players got his back?
Photo: AFP

Well, its the only course Ive won

twice at, so its pretty good, and its a
good one to win twice at, he said.
Its a special place. This is exciting. This is the perfect golf course.
The shape is perfect. The grass is all
pretty green.
This golf course, it gives me
goosebumps every time you come
down Magnolia Lane.
Watson also believes that he is
better prepared this time around to
become just the fourth player after
Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Nick
Faldo to successfully defend his
Masters title.
A year after his shock win in 2012,
when he defeated Louis Oostuhuizen
in a playoff, he found himself dazed
and confused with all the hoopla that

goes with being the defending champion.

The media attention, the atmosphere even a year later, youre excited about your win, Watson said.
Sometimes you get away from your
routine or you just use your energy
in a different way. Thats what I did. I
dont know about the other guys, but
thats what I did.
This time I know what to expect.
Doesnt mean Im going to play better, just I know what to expect, I know
how to save some energy.
I know how things are going to
happen in the Champions Dinner
now. I know more. That doesnt mean
its going to help. It just means that I
should be better prepared this time.
AFP

I cant confirm that. Im embarrassed; I just

came out of diapers a couple years ago. So I
probably was.

BEN CRENSHAW
on the steely countenance of young fellow Texan
Jordan Spieth
You know, when I first met him, I tell you,
Ill never forget it. I looked right at him and
he looked at me and I thought I was looking at
Wyatt Earp. He just had that look about him,
just wonderful.

RORY MCILROY
to writers at his press conference:
Im just here to play golf and you guys can
write the stories, and I wont read them and
well move on.

AFP

The Masters Euro-mystery: Why cant they win?

Its a Masters mystery and no one it
seems has the answer what is stopping
European players winning at Augusta
National ?
The last European winner of the fabled tournament was Jose Maria Olazabal, the Spaniard donning his second
green jacket in 1999, edging Davis Love
and Greg Norman down the back nine
on the Sunday.
That emotional victory 16 years ago
proved to be the last chapter in two
decades of European supremacy at the
best-known and loved golf course in the
United States.
Fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros set
the ball rolling with his breakthrough
win in 1980 and over the course of 20
years, victory went to European golfers
11 times.
Since then there have been no successors to Olazabal, Ballesteros, Nick
Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam
and Sandy Lyle and that at a time
when European golf has continued to
thrive at the other majors and in the
Ryder Cup.
No cogent reason has been put forward for such an anomaly other than
the rub of the green and the ability
to cope with the particular demands
thrown up by Augusta National down
the back nine on Sunday.
Next week once again European
hopes are running high with world
number one Rory McIlroy a strong favourite to win a third straight major
and second-ranking Henrik Stenson of

Sweden in top form.

Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin
Kaymer and Victor Dubuisson are all
in the world top 20 and it would be
foolhardy to write off the chances of
such Ryder Cup standouts Graeme
McDowell, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.
McIlroy for one believes that there
is no one factor preventing a European
player from winning the years first
major.

I dont know if its

anything necessarily
to do with European
players ... I dont see
any reason that I can
think of.
Rory McIlroy
Northern Irish golfer

Asked to account for the winless

streak the Northern Irishman, who was
just a nine-year-old when Olazabal won,
replied: Tiger Woods has been one of
the reasons.
I dont know if its anything necessarily to do with European players,
you know. I feel a few of us had had a

chance, Lee [Westwood] had a chance

in 10, I think. I had the chance in 11.
Luke Donald was up there 11, 12. I dont
know. I dont think theres any reason.
You look at in the early 90s you
had a lot of Europeans win, Bernhard
Langer, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam.
Maybe that will change and it will
start to happen again. I dont see any
reason that I can think of of why that
is.
Of course most droughts come to
an end at one time or another and
at Augusta National the case of the
long-running Australian jinx provides
encouragement.
Years of Aussie heartbreak at the
Masters, notably through Greg Norman, finally came to an emotional
end in 2013 when Adam Scott edged
Angel Cabrera in a rain-soaked playoff.
One authority who does believe that
McIlroy is set to end the drought is
Colin Montgomerie, a long-time European number one who never quite got
to grips with the special demands of Augusta National.
That is not the case for the Irishman,
he says.
Rory didnt play well last year, and
he still tied for eighth. He hits those big
high draws, so the course is suited for
him, the Scot said.
I would be I wont say shocked,
but if he doesnt win, Ill be as disappointed as Rory will be to not win and
get the career slam. AFP

Sport 27

www.mmtimes.com
ASIA

Athletics

Chinas greatest Olympic

athlete Liu Xiang retires

hinas greatest track and

field athlete Liu Xiang announced his retirement
on April 7, with the injury-plagued Athens 2004
gold medal winner saying he had no
choice but to bring down the curtain
on his trail-blazing career.
From today, I will end my life as
a professional athlete and retire formally, the 110m hurdles star said in
an online post.
This is a decision made after long
deliberation. I am deeply reluctant
and feel pained, but I have no choice,
he added, on his verified account on
Sina Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter.
The 31-year-olds retirement is likely to spark an outpouring of emotion
from Chinese sports fans, despite the
news being widely expected, particularly since reports last week that an
announcement was imminent.
The Shanghai-born athlete has
become loved for his heart-breaking
setbacks as well as his achievements
after he burst onto the scene in Athens
to claim Chinas first mens track and
field gold.
Following that victory, Liu was hotly tipped for gold at the 2008 Olympic
Games in Beijing, but limped out of
the first heat, shocking tearful home
fans at the Birds Nest stadium.

Liu Xiangs body succumbed to the pressure of international athletics as he approached the Beijing Olympics. Photo: AFP

Liu suffered another agonising exit

at London 2012, clattering into the first
hurdle in his opening heat. After being
helped up, he hopped the length of the
track before symbolically kissing the last
barrier and exiting the Olympic arena.
Liu will be remembered in China
as the man who proved that Asian
athletes can compete with the worlds

best in sprint sports, particularly

when he was on world-beating form
ahead of Beijing 2008.
He arrived at the Games after
breaking the world record with a time
of 12.88 seconds in 2006, and winning
the world title in 2007.
His coach Sun Haiping was quoted
in Chinese media last week as saying

Ice Hockey

Liu was preparing to retire, fuelling

speculation at he would finally draw
the curtain on a remarkable career.
In his retirement statement, Liu
looked back with reluctance to the
pivotal Beijing Olympics, when his career began to be severely affected by a
right Achilles tendon injury.
I dreamt about raising the [Chinese]

flag, he said, But the injuries started to

torture me just before the race.
Why did I let the Chinese people
down? he added.
His withdrawal in 2008 sparked
widespread debate in China, with
many observers accusing him at the
time of letting his country down,
while others said he had been pushed
too hard by the countrys strict state
sports system.
But his pioneering exploits in athletics have been widely praised by
many sports fans in China, and on
April 7 his retirement was the biggest topic on Weibo, with 11.5 million
people re-posting the news within an
hour of the announcement.
You are the pride of China, one
netizen said.
Our national hero brought the
Asian people glory, another added.
Lius retirement follows Chinas
first tennis Grand Slam winner Li Na
calling it a day last year, and hugely
popular former NBA star Yao Ming
signing off in 2011.
Many Chinese netizens compared the trio as they saluted Lius
achievements.
Chinas three biggest sports stars
have retired, one said. Although this is
sad, I look forward to more sports stars
replacing them in the future. AFP

TRADE MARK CAUTION

Kao Kabushiki Kaisha (also trading as Kao Corporation), of
14-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
is the Owner of the following Trade Marks:-

Reg. Nos. 5251/2000 & 2975/2005

VALCAN

Reg. No. 12619/2011

in respect of Intl Class 3: Soaps; perfumery; essential oils;
cosmetics; hair lotions; dentifrices.

The Indian Ice Hockey team will continue their development in the centre of winter sports that is Kuwait. Photo: AFP

Indias cash-strapped
skaters seek crowdfunding
Indias ice hockey players have resorted to crowdfunding to take part
in an international tournament, saying they are struggling to make ends
meet a country better known for its
field hockey.
A crowdfunding website set up
by the national team says the sport
receives government funding only
to attend the Olympics or the Asian
Games, and the players dont have
the money to travel to Kuwait for next
weeks International Ice Hockey Federation Challenge Cup.
It is so tough to push sports like
ice hockey when cricket is taking
all the limelight and glory, Vedank

Singh, the digital marketing head of

the Ice Hockey Association of India,
told AFP on April 8.
See, we have a national team and
we have to beg for money.
Singh, who launched the crowdfunding campaign on April 4 using the
Twitter hashtag #SupportIceHockey,
said the team did not have even basic
facilities.
But he said the response to the
campaign had been fantastic, yielding the teams first corporate sponsorship deal, with the Mahindra Group.
The head of the US$16.5-billion
conglomerate, Anand Mahindra,
tweeted that he had decided to

support these passionate athletes.

Cricket has long been the national
obsession in India, overshadowing all
other sports.
Ice hockey is relatively unknown
on the sub-continent, although forms
of the game have been played for decades in parts of the Himalayas.
India, which has never won a
medal at a Winter Olympics, sent just
three athletes to compete at the 2014
Sochi Games.
Even successful sportspeople struggle to make a living, while the countrys top cricketers can earn millions
from playing contracts and brand
endorsements. AFP

Reg. No. 12620/2011

Reg. No. 12622/2011
in respect of Intl Class 3: Soaps; perfumery; essential oils;
cosmetics; hair lotions; dentifrices. Intl Class 21: Household or
kitchen utensils and containers (not of precious metal or coated
therewith); combs and sponges; brushes (except paint brushes),
perfume atomizers (containers), cosmetic brushes, eye brow
brushes, hair brushes, nail brushes, shaving brushes, hair combs,
powder compacts not of precious metals (containers), dispensers
for liquid soap, soap holders, sponge holders, powder puffs.
Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Marks
will be dealt with according to law.
Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L
for Kao Kabushiki Kaisha
P. O. Box 60, Yangon
E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm
Dated: 9 April 2015

Sport
28 THE MYANMAR TIMES April 9, 2015

SPORT EDITOR: Matt Roebuck | matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com

Indias ice hockey team

crowdfund to Kuwait
SPORT 27

FOOTBALL

Return of the Gen.

Aung San Shield
Matt Roebuck
matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com
Kyaw Zin Hlaing
kyawzinhlaing.mcm@gmail.com

Last years winners Ayeyawady United celebrate after their semi-final victory over Yadanarbon FC. Photo: MFF/Facebook

two seeds as determined by the

previous years final league positions
not entering until the fourth round,
the quarter-final stage. This arguably
reduced the thrill of the competition
as the threat of a giant killing was
significantly reduced.
This year however the General
Aung San Shield will be competed
for over a five-round competition
and all teams will have entered the
contest by round two.
MFF spokesperson U Soe Moe
Kyaw said the reorganisation had
been made to make the contest fairer
and the rules also mean that the four
top seeds last years MFF Cup win-

ners Ayeyawady United, Nay Pyi Taw

FC, who lost out 2-0 to Ayeyawady
in last years final, and Yadanarbon
FC and Yangon United, the top two
in last years Myanmar National
League-1 will not face each other
until the semi-final stage.
Round One will feature two games
a day to be played across the weekend from Saturday, April 25, to Monday, April 27, with kick-offs scheduled
for 4pm. Appearing in this round will
be all 10 teams from the second-tier
Myanmar National League-2 plus the
two sides who found themselves promoted from that division last year:
Rakhine United and Hantharwady

First Round
Date

Day

Spurs
will face
Malaysia
in May
Matt Roebuck
matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com

n commemoration of the 100th

anniversary of the birth of General Aung San, the Myanmar
Football Federation yesterday
held the draw at the governing bodys Thuwunna headquarters
for the reintroduced General Aung
San Shield. The history of the shield
dates back to the 1957 season but was
last competed for back in 2009, before the introduction of the fully professional Myanmar National League.
Since the introduction of the
professional league, we have held
this competition with the sponsors title but as this years tournament coincided with General Aung
Sans birthday celebrations we have
brought back the name and hope to
continue to contest this trophy on an
annual basis.
The shield had been replaced by
the MFF Cup as the Federations top
knockout trophy, which has taken a
number of guises according to the
sponsorship deal: the Max Cement
Cup, the MFF Digicel Cup and last
year the MFF Ooredoo Cup.
This year we did not secure a
sponsor for this competition, said
MFFs spokesperson U Soe Moe
Kyaw. But as we all know this year
is the 100th birthday of General Aung
San so we have named this competition in memorial to him.
With a new name, the knockout
competition has received another
format makeover, it was announced
as the draw for the first two rounds
were held.
Last year, the MFF Cup was
played over six rounds, with the top

MCH
No.

FOOTBALL

Match

Time

Venue

April 25

Sat

Mawyawadi FC

Horizon FC

4pm

Y.T.C

April 25

Sat

Hantharwady United FC

Pong Gan FC

4pm

Aung San

April 26

Sun

Myawady FC

GFA FC

4pm

Y.T.C

April 26

Sun

Silver Stars FC

University FC

4pm

Aung San

April 27

Mon

Southern Myanmar Fc

Best United FC

4pm

Aung San

April 27

Mon

Dagon FC

Rakhine United FC

4pm

Y.T.C

Round of 16
7

July 11

Sat

Yadanarbon FC

Winner of 1

4pm

Aung San

July 11

Sat

Winner of 2

KBZ FC

4pm

Y.T.C

July 12

Sun

Magwe FC

Chin United FC

4pm

Y.T.C

10

July 12

Sun

Winner of 3

Yangon United FC

4pm

Aung San

11

July 13

Mon

Zwekapin United FC

Zeyar Shwe Myay FC

4pm

Aung San

12

July 13

Mon

Winner of 4

Ayeyawady United FC

4pm

Y.T.C

13

July 14

Tue

Manaw Myay FC

Winner of 5

4pm

Aung San

14

July 14

Tue

Winner of 6

Nay Pyi Taw FC

4pm

Y.T.C

United. Those two sides currently

find themselves sat eighth and ninth
in the MNL-1.
The complicated process saw the
draw requiring six pots of balls to determine the draw.
The pick of the Round One draw
is likely to be April 26 clash of second-place team Horizon FC and
fourth-place Lashios Mawyawadi
FC who finished out the first half
of the MNL-2 season on March 27
with a bad-tempered affair that saw
two Mawyawadi players sent off and
some fans believing the Horizon side
that won 3-0 were lucky not to have
suffered the same.
All tournament games will be
played at either the Aung San Stadium on the edge of downtown Yangon
or at the Youth Training Centre better known as Thuwunna Stadium
in Yangons Thingangyun township.
The exception for this will be the
semi-final, scheduled to be a twolegged affair and played at the home
grounds of the respective sides.
Although Thuwunna is the larger,
more modern of the two stadiums and
host of the majority of the national
team games, the final will be played at
the competitions namesake venue.
The winning club will receive
K30 million (US$30,000) and should
qualify for the Asian Football Confederation Cup, the continents second-tier club competition. Last years
domestic cup winners Ayeyawady
United currently sit in a strong position to qualify from Group H of the
AFC Cup for the last-16 of the competition. They play New Radiant at
Thuwunna Stadium on April 15, in
a game that would virtually assure
them qualification should results
elsewhere go their way.
The runners-up of the Aung San
Shield will receive K15 million and
the beaten semi-finalists will take
K7.5 million each.

English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur have

confirmed their intention to
visit Malaysia next month to
take part in an exhibition game
against a Malaysia XI select
side.
The North London team currently sitting sixth in the league
will play at the Shah Alam Stadium on May 27, confirmed the
club on its website.
Therefore, this is fantastic
news to all Tottenham Hotspur
fans in Malaysia and thousands
more from neighbouring countries such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei,
who we hope to see at Shah Alam
Stadium on the night,said Julian Kam, chief executive of the
match promoter, ProEvents.
The Myanmar Football Federation has over the past couple
of years been in negotiations
to bring a Premier League side
to the country but to no avail.
These efforts have included attempts to bring West Ham Football Club to the country, reports
of which surfaced in the press
last year.
The problem for Myanmar
would be how to make such an
event pay in the same way Tottenhams Malaysian adventure
will. International fixtures in
Myanmar are normally costed
at about K3000 (US$3) and all
four of the countrys pitches that
meet international standards
Yangons Thuwunna, Nay Pyi
Taws Wunna Theikdi and Zayar
Thiri Stadiums and the Mandalar Thiri Stadium in Mandalay
have crowd capacities of about
30,000.
Seats at the 80,000-seater
Shah Alam will cost 58 Ringgit
($16), with special VIP seating
available at RM428 ($118) and
RM328 ($90).
[Tottenham Hotspur] are
one of the top clubs from the
English Premier League and
have a following of over 400
million supporters globally,
with over 170 million of those
fans residing in Far East Asia,
claimed Kam in a Spurs press
release.
Malayias national team head
coach, Dollah Salleh, told reporters at a press conference to
announce the news in Malaysia
that his team would try their
best against the English outfit, who last visited Malaysia in
1979.
Our target is to score at least
one goal, said Dollah.
My boys will have a good
opportunity to learn a lot from
them [Tottenham Hotspur], he
added.