March 26 - April 1, 2012

myanmartimes
Myanmars first international weekly Volume 31, No. 620 1200 Kyats

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I have never seen a free and fair election like this that allows all to participate in the MMPO.

Mandalay candidates complain over voter list errors

By Yadana Htun CANDIDATES in the Pyithu Hluttaw seat of Maha Aung Myay in Mandalay have told The Myanmar Times that they have found extensive errors in lists of voters released on February 29 by the regional sub-commission. Dr Than Htike Oo from the Peoples Democracy Party said he found repeated names in the lists of voters in Thanhlyat Hmaw East and Thanhlyat Hmaw West wards, which are both located in Maha Aung Myay township. He said that about 100 names had been repeated 15 or 20 times and we still havent finished checking all the lists. In these wards we found some voters had been listed repeatedly. Sometimes, the same voter appeared on different lists with the same name, fathers name and [National Registration Card] number, said Dr Than Htike Oo, who contested the seat of Pyigyitagun in the 2010 election. The names of dead people in the lists show that the heads of wards, villages and townships didnt work well while they were taking the data of voters. Im even doubtful whether they actually did the lists or just reused the old ones from the previous election, he said. I plan to file a formal complaint to the regional sub-commission to ensure the mistakes are corrected before April 1. According to the lists announced by the Mandalay Region Election Sub-commission there are 129,850 eligible voters and 79 polling stations in Maha Aung Myay, the only vacant constituency in urban Mandalay. Eight candidates have registered for the seat, which was narrowly won in 2010 by Dr Mya Aye of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) with a turnout of about 62 percent. Dr Than Htike Oo said he had verbally complained about the lists to the chairs of the township and regional election sub-commissions. We candidates have to pass through the gates of the parliament based on these voter lists. If these lists have mistakes, we will lose many chances to our competitors. The holding of a free and fair by-election mostly depends on the accuracy of these lists, he said. USDP candidate U Than Tun, a retired lieutenant colonel, said he heard about the mistakes but had no plan to lodge a complaint. More page 4

A member of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation reads out votes on March 23. Pic: Ko Taik

Election heralds new era for film sector

By Nyein Ei Ei Htwe and Zon Pan Pwint A PLANNED restructure of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation took an important step forward last week, with the election through secret ballot of members to represent different segments of the industry. More than 1900 members voted in the election on March 23, which was held at the MMPO office on Wingabar Road in Bahan township. The election is part of a push to turn the governmentaligned organisation into a genuine non-government organisation. Members said it was a model of electoral transparency, with poll officers counting the votes in public and declaring the winner immediately after all votes had been counted. No advance votes were cast. Many who voted last week said they hoped that the election would result in the MMPO being reformed into an organisation that worked for the benefit of its members. Ive been working in the film and video industry for nearly 40 years and I have never seen a free and fair election like this that allows all to participate in the MMPO, said U Nyi Nyi Tun Lwin, who was one of two winners in the director category. If [the MMPO] becomes a new organisation as we hope it will, the leaders of it will also have more responsibilities, he said. But I believe [reforming the MMPO] will bring better opportunities for all of us because it will not be under [state] control but there will be bad results if there are no boundaries at all. The organisation has 10 subgroups and members voted for one nominee to represent their sector. The number of nominees ranged from two to 13, with the two from each sector who received the highest number of votes declared the winners. The 20 winners were due to select office bearers, including a chair and secretary, through a vote on March 24. Director U Myo Zaw Aung, who has worked as an executive at the MMPO for a number of years, said the winners would also hold a meeting to discuss the organisations future and how to tackle industry-wide issues, such as censorship and piracy. Weve planned with all members to form a new organisation, he said. I think if we try to do everything in a rush there will be many gaps so as a first priority well try to eliminate piracy and arrange for more studios because one problem in the industry is a lack of studios. Unity among all sectors of the industry is 100 percent important so well only make decisions after a lot of discussion. I think there are a lot of difficulties waiting for us but with honesty and hard work I believe the leaders can overcome these, he said. It is not so important who won the election but winners must be eager to do their work. Scriptwriter U Aye Kyu Lay said the organisation would need to look at reviving some of its dormant fundraising activities. In the past we published journals and magazines from the MMPO but these have been suspended for years, along with [celebrity] football matches that can raise a lot of funds. Those need to be revived, U Aye Kyu Lay said. More page 4

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Time to overhaul English teaching

By U Than Pe IT is an open secret that all who have a connection with the use of the English language know. Some are even raising a feeble murmur of dissatisfaction about it but nobody seems to be listening. It is high time something is done about the deplorable level of English teaching in schools and institutions of higher education. Todays young graduates produce horrible sentences in English. If there was only one graduate of that calibre then he could be labelled a sloppy student and a fluke but when there are thousands more like him the blame must lie somewhere else. It is clearly a case of systemic failure of the first degree. People of this country are no lazy sluggards. We have, in the past, produced such eminent people like Dr Ba Maw, Dr Htin Aung, U Nu, U Thant, Sao Khun Cho people who shone brightly on international stage in their respective fields. Todays youth are their descendants. The same blood flows in their veins and arteries. Have our youth become sluggish now? No. A definite No, with a capital N. A casual survey will show the discerning observer that today pupils spend a disproportionately large amount of time studying English. Research on that topic would no doubt stun the researchers. Every parent knows how much time their children spend on English. They also know how much they have to pay in tuition fees. In most cases tuition teachers are the people who taught the pupils during school hours earlier in the day. It does not take much imagination to see that the people who are entrusted with the task of teaching are not doing their duty. If these people were in the construction business they could be charged with dereliction of duty but not so in the teaching business. Well, this is not the whole story. On closer look available. One of them has been employed successfully in many countries and it was also used in this country until 1962. A little explanation may be appropriate here. Until the early 1960s that particular method was used in our state schools and it was about 20 percent successful. No language teaching method is, or has ever been, proved 100pc successful. Anyway, 100pc success is not necessary even developed countries cannot teach secondary languages to all of the population and not everybody needs second language fluency. That method was used with proper inspection and well conducted tests. After 1962 many teachers started hobnobbing with the Socialist Party, thereby neglecting their primary duty of teaching. Party interference in the administration produced chaos in inspection and discipline. That in turn affected the teaching and all subjects suffered. Before that malady set in, English was taught by a variety of translation methods. Teachers gave the meanings of new words in the vernacular one day and gave the lesson containing that mastered vocabulary the next day. Lessons were explained in the mother tongue and dictations were given to correct spelling mistakes. A few questions on the text, either oral or written, complemented lessons from a textbook. There were periods set aside for grammar and composition, essay writing, prcis writing and study of poetry. Teachers in those days (until the end of 196162 academic year) were good enough to produce matriculates who could read and understand textbooks on subjects taught in universities. Almost all the textbooks in those days were written by foreigners and printed abroad. Todays students will find it hard to believe that in those days there were no tuition teachers or guides, the twin scourges afflicting the students and pupils of today. The detailed workings described above may not interest the policy makers but they are essential nuts and bolts for the success of the whole system. When they are ignored and neglected, systemic failure is inevitable. Policy makers should remember that the strength of the strongest chain is measured by the weakest link in that chain. Replace the weakest link and the system can be back on track in no time. It is high time necessary action is taken to cure the malady. The nation should rethink and rethink quickly its education policy for the longer we procrastinate, the more difficult reform will be. (U Than Pe is a tour guide from Sanchaung township.)

Students leave a school in Yangon after a recent matriculation exam. Pic: Yadanar the people who teach, in many cases, do not know simple grammar and correct pronunciation. Anyone doubting this assertion can pick out a few people teaching English to five to seven-year-olds or younger and set them a simple test. As teachers they do not lack ceitana, the Buddhist virtue of goodwill towards their learners. The problem is these people do not know their own shortcomings in pronunciation, grammar and usage. They, in their turn, had received similar coaching. If the chain of events is followed or traced backward the source of problem is sure to be found somewhere between the years 1964 and 1966, including both of those years. Nationalisation of private and mission schools, reorganisation of the administration of schools and the downgrading of English at the university level resulted in a lack of quality control and inspection. The psychological blow that English teaching received during those three years was devastating. It never recovered the prestige it once enjoyed. What happened during those three years was quite bad. But worse was still to come, and come it did, in 1972-73. It was the bombshell that sounded the death knell for the future of English language in this country. It was the fatal blow from which it will be very difficult to recover. It was the declaration that English would be taught to children as young as five in kindergarten classes all over the country by totally untrained and unqualified teachers. Since then English has been taught to the young tots by untrained, fresh graduates. Among these graduates were very few English majors. Those that were, were appointed as senior teachers. Primary kids got graduates who majored in subjects like physics, chemistry, philosophy and other subjects totally unconnected with teaching students of their age. According to those who have researched the study of a second language, a child should not be taught a second language before it has mastered its mother tongue. The only exception is the method called immersion, whereby the learner is placed in a situation where he or she is exposed to the use of the second language 24 hours a day for the length of time needed to absorb the fundamentals of the language. That system is, of course, the best for imparting near native fluency in the target language. But it is also obvious that every child cannot avail itself of that facility. Immersion method is best but it is very expensive and impractical on a nationwide scale. At best it can be offered to a few children. But there are other alternatives

The economic cost of conflict

By Aung Tun IN recent months debates have been taking place across the country, and in particular about the peace process is being conducted in ethnicminority dominated areas. Some ceasefires have been successfully implemented, while some are yet to reach even that initial status. The new government has set out three key points in general for the peace process with the countrys very diverse ethnic groups: ceasefire, political dialogue and permanent peace. At the same time, the national budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year is being debated in the capital Nay Pyi Taw. These might seem like two mutually exclusive events. However, these decades-old ethnic wars have had a significant impact on the nations economic development and the budgets bottom line. There are many political and economic angles to consider here. First, we should look at the pure financial cost of these civil wars. Second, who paid for it? Third, what if we had used that money for the development of the region where the fighting has taken place instead of the wars? Fourth, who benefited from the wars? And last and most importantly, what should we do next? There is no definite answer to the first question, although it worth considering that whatever a bullet cost 50 years ago, it would be many times more than that right now due to inflation. Certainly, the cost to the government has been massive; you only need to look at defence spending K1.193 trillion in 2011-12 to get some idea of the cost of perpetual conflict. The second question is easier to answer: we all have to pay for it, and this is a major reason why were now all in a large amount of debt. Recently, the finance minister announced in parliament that we owe more than US$11 billion. No surprises there. The answer to the third question is the really tragic aspect of this, particularly in an age when it is quite difficult to get money from donors. Everybody knows that we are the lowest recipient of aid per capita among undeveloped countries. Yet, we have still spent our own money on these conflicts. If we used this money on development projects instead, we probably wouldnt need to receive support from other countries today. Theres an obvious answer to the fourth question: nobody really benefited from the wars. Many people, both military and civilian, have died, children missed out on their education, refugees camps had to be set up along the border areas, political stability has declined and development in other areas of the country has been hindered. If we add in the additional costs of these ethnic conflicts, the external debt figure doesnt sound so large. So lets address the fifth question perhaps the most difficult one. An excellent start would be to avoid the wars that have dogged us for decades. Both politically and economically, the country cant bear any armed conflict at this crucial time. During his address to parliament earlier this month, President U Thein Sein seemed to emphasise the economic loss of these internal wars. The next day, The New Light of Myanmar proudly carried his words with the headline: All must try to see national race youths who brandished guns using laptops. Personally, I couldnt agree more, except to say that we could probably have given two laptops to each ethnic youth if we didnt fight so much in the past, with one coming from the ethnic army and one from the government. Now is the time for both sides to give the young people of our country that opportunity. (Aung Tun has formerly worked at The Myanmar Times and non-government organisation Proximity Designs and is currently a research fellow at Myanmar Egress, a Yangon-based training centre and policy thinktank.)

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By-elections postponed in Kachin State because of security fears

YANGON The government has postponed by-elections in three constituencies in Kachin State because of security concerns, state media reported last week. Fierce fighting between government and Kachin Independence Army troops in parts of mountainous Kachin State near the Chinese border since June last year has displaced tens of thousands of people. Because of security reasons there are no conditions to hold free and fair elections, state television said on March 23. National League for Democracy spokesperson U Nyan Win expressed disappointment at the decision to indefinitely postpone voting in three of the 48 vacant seats. While the government that came to power last year has signed peace deals with other insurgent groups, several rounds of talks with the Kachin Independence Organisation have failed to bear fruit. The fighting is still happening in some areas in Kachin state almost every day, said U Yup Zaw Hkaung, a prominent Kachin businessman who is acting as a mediator between the government and the rebels. During a recent visit to Myanmar, US special envoy Derek Mitchell said the violence in Kachin State was inconsistent with the governments reformist bent. The immediate concern that we have is on the issue of internally displaced persons, who by any definition are innocents caught in the crossfire of conflict, he said, urging the government to enable aid to reach the victims. Despite the security concerns, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited two of the Kachin constituencies last month as part of her campaigning. The delay means voting will now be held in April in 45 constituencies elsewhere in the country. AFP

National League for Democracy supporters attend a rally in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township last week. Pic: Yadanar

Govt invites poll observers

By Kyaw Hsu Mon with AFP THE government has invited US, European and other observers for the April 1 byelections, an official said last week, allowing international scrutiny of polls seen as a major test of its reform credentials. We welcome the invitation of observers, said a spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD), U Nyan Win. They should be allowed to watch and assess freely. President U Thein Sein vowed to ensure the byelections were transparent, Cambodian government spokesman Mr Khieu Kanharith said following talks in Phnom Penh with Cambodian Prime Minister Mr Hun Sen. The president of Myanmar has assured that he will try his best to make the election transparent and acceptable. Thats why he will invite observers, the spokesman said. Observers from the US, EU, UN and ASEAN have been invited for the April 1 polls, a Myanmar government official said on March 21. It will be up to the countries whether they send people from overseas or inside Myanmar, he said, without specifying how many monitors would be allowed. Chief presidential adviser for political affairs U Ko Ko Hlaing said the move to allow observers shows that the government and election commission wants the byelections to be free and fair. Those in charge, such as the president, the Union Election Commission members, candidates and polling station managers, are trying their best because this is a critical time for the country, he told The Myanmar Times on March 22. The international community may not realise all of this though so [allowing observers] is a good sign for the by-elections, he said. Without inviting the election monitors and observers from abroad, they will probably have come out afterwards and questioned whether the election was free, fair and transparent. With the monitors, observers, they will definitely see what happened in the election and how it was free and fair. There are no perfect elections anywhere in the world so the decision makers need to solve any problems that arise according to the rules. U Kyaw, a Yangon Region Hluttaw representative for the New National Democracy Party, which will contest three seats in the byelections, said he very much welcomed the presidents invitation to international observers and monitors. It is good that it is not only [observers from] ASEAN but also Western countries it will make it more transparent than in 2010, he said, adding that he hoped there would be greater scrutiny of vote counting. US State Department spokeswoman Ms Victoria Nuland said Myanmar had invited two US observers and three US journalists. We will obviously take up this opportunity to monitor, she said. But we would obviously encourage the Burmese government to try to bring this monitoring effort as closely as they can to international standards. The US embassy in Yangon earlier described the move as encouraging. Having observers is one step, but to have a free and fair election there really should be no violence and intimidation as well, said embassy spokesman Mr Mike Quinlan, noting that reports of irregularities in the voting process and cases of alleged intimidation needed to be addressed. There was no official reaction from the European Union, but an EU official in Bangkok who did not want to be named said that at least six months of preparation was usually needed for an observation mission. Foreign election observers and international media were not allowed into the country for the November 2010 general election, which was denounced by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis opposition party and Western powers as a sham. The NLD cannot threaten the ruling partys majority even with a strong result in the 48 constituencies up for grabs. But experts believe the regime wants the prodemocracy leader to win a place in parliament to give its reform drive legitimacy and encourage the West to ease sanctions. It is in the interest of the government that the election is free and fair, so it is only logical that there are some observers, said Myanmar expert U Aung Naing Oo of the Thailand based thinktank Vahu Development Institute. It is important for a country like Myanmar to get used to complaints in the election, to get used to cheats, to get used to monitors coming in, and to get used to the election commission doing its job, he added. The NLD also said that in the constituency of Kawhmu near Yangon, where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is standing, the names of hundreds of dead people were found on the voter list.

Foreign arrivals rise in January, February

THE number of foreign travellers arriving in Myanmar through Yangon International Airport jumped by more than 40 percent in February on the previous year, figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism show. The figures also show that foreign arrivals for January and February were up by nearly 40pc on the same months last year. A total of 50,243 foreign travellers arrived through Yangon International Airport in February, up 41.41pc on the same month in 2011. Arrivals for January and February totalled 98,486, up 37.75pc on the same months the previous year. The overwhelming majority of the arrivals for both months were independent travellers, with 32,960 in February (up from 24,386 the previous year) and 32,250 in January (24,024). The figures for January and February show that the number of arrivals has made a solid start this year as they account for 27.4pc of the 359,359 foreign travellers who entered the country through the Yangon gateway during 2011. Geoffrey Goddard

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March 26 - April 1, 2012
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MyanMar tiMes
Stability of the State, community peace and tranquillity, prevalence of law and order Strengthening of national solidarity Building and strengthening of disciplineflourishing democracy system Building of a new modern developed nation in accord with the Constitution

Four political objectives

Building of modern industrialized nation through the agricultural development, and all-round development of other sectors of the economy Proper evolution of the market-oriented economic system Development of the economy inviting participation in terms of technical know-how and investment from sources inside the country and abroad initiative to shape the national economy must be kept in the hands The of the State and the national peoples

Four economic objectives

Uplift of the morale and morality of the entire nation of national prestige and integrity and preservation Uplift and safeguarding of cultural heritage and national character Flourishing of Union Spirit, the true patriotism Uplift of health, fitness and education standards of the entire nation

Four social objectives

Tarmwe market move in doubt

By Ei Ei Toe Lwin FORMER Yangon Mayor U Aung Thein Linn has promised disgruntled shopkeepers at a Tarmwe market that the regional government will consider their opposition to moving to a new site. The shopkeepers are unhappy that they will be forced to move to a new site at the corner of Kyaikkasan and Marlamyaing streets to make way for a Gamone Pwint department store. Yangon City Development Committees Market Department informed them of the move on February 14 but U Aung Thein Linn, who has left city hall for a seat in the Pyithu Hluttaw, told shopkeepers on March 18 that the move was not yet a certainty. I spoke to [Yangon Region Chief Minister] U Myint Swe and he told me he will decide this case according to the majority wish of the shopkeepers. So I have come here to relay this information, U Aung Thein Linn said. I will try to get an exact answer as soon as possible. During this time, different kinds of rumors may come out so I request you to not believe these. If you have any doubts, come and speak to me in my office at any time, he said. Shopkeepers told The Myanmar Times they do not want to move because the new site is much smaller than their current space and is close to two From page 1

U Aung Thein Linn and Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Tarmwe Daw Lae Lae Win Swe speak to shopkeepers at the Tarmwe temporary market on March 18. Pic: Ei Ei Toe Lwin existing markets. This market is 6.98 acres but the new place is only 2.93 acres. This space is impossible for us to run our business. [YCDC] told us that we do not own this site because it is a temporary market so we have to move, said U Han Sein, a member of the Association for Market Welfare, which was formed by shopkeepers at the Tarmwe temporary market. We moved here 10 years ago from our old place where Tarmwe Plaza is now. At that time, this place was an old cemetery and we struggled so long to develop this market. It is unfair to move us to another place again, he said. There are more than 1200 shopkeepers at the temporary market but only 600 have been guaranteed a space in the new market. As a result, 851 shopkeepers signed a petition and sent it to Daw Lae Lae Win Swe, the Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Tarmwe. We do not believe [YCDC] will build the shops for us for free and we dont want to move anywhere else so we sent letters to Daw Lae Lae Win Swe to solve this problem on our behalf, said Ko Thet Tun, the owner of a commodity shop. Daw Lae Lae Win Swe said she had been trying to help broker a solution since learning of the shopkeepers situation in February. The regional government is also focusing on this case and I believe that they will find the best solution in this case, she told the shopkeepers on March 18. Most shopkeepers said they would prefer the current site to be redeveloped and afterwards they be given a similar-sized space in the new building.

Mandalay candidates
I heard that the names of dead people were in the lists. It might be because the families havent taken the names of those people off their family registrations. These kinds of mistakes happen many times. Another issue is omitting the names of some voters. If this happens, voters can complain and get on the voting list, said U Than Tun. National League for Democracy candidate U Ohn Kyaing told The Myanmar Times that his party made the formal complaint to the regional commission after finding about 1400 voters had been left off the rolls. However, he said he expected to file another complaint as it had found more than 2000 more eligible voters excluded from the voter lists. We already [complained] to get these voters back on the lists. The township commission also helped us. We have also been informed that there are some more people who are not on the lists although they are eligible to vote here. We are still checking this, said U Ohn Kyaing, who won a seat in Mandalay in the 1990 election. He said that while the process of correcting voter rolls was difficult the township commission had assisted his partys efforts to

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remove ineligible people from the lists. They deleted the names of deceased people from the voter lists. We could also remove the names of people who werent staying in the township, he said. But we are still checking to make sure that no one is left off the lists and there are no fake voters. National Democratic Force candidate U Hla Ko said he would carefully monitor the advance voter lists, which were the source of much controversy in 2010. I also heard that there were deceased and under people on the lists. Actually, its not a big problem because we can recheck the numbers of voters and votes cast on election day. But if those peoples names are on the advance voting lists well, then thats a big problem, said U Hla Ko, who has worked as a lawyer for more than three decades. In the 2010 election the Pyithu Hluttaw seat of Maha Aung Myay had relatively few advance voters, with less than 1800 cast from more than 126,000 eligible voters.

MMPO election
He said he hadnt needed to campaign for election because

members knew who the best qualified candidates were. I was elected as an executive of the MMPO in 2005 but I resigned from the organisation for some reasons. But now Im ready to work for our new organisation as a representative of the scriptwriters. Comedian Zaganar said he believed last weeks election would bring positive reform to the film industry. As only a goldsmith knows the quality of gold, the situation of film is best known to those in the film industry. I believe only those in the industry can make good changes, he added. I hope an independent organisation controlled by the members is going to appear, one thats not under the influence of any other group. And I hope I expect we will see an organisation that is fair to each film crew. U Own Win from Lucky 7 film and video production said he wanted the organisation to take care of the welfare of older members of the industry. There are many cases where an old actor cant live peacefully although he was famous when he was younger, he was neglected when he grew old. So there should be a foundation to look after older

industry members, U Own Win said. U Nyein Min, who stood as a candidate for scriptwriters, took the unusual step of voting for a rival candidate because he believed they would be courageous enough to reform the industry. That persons participation [in the MMPO election] shows the focus of the organisation is shifting towards how to improve the film industry, he said. It was unusual that all participants showed unity in the election. In the past, actors were very individualistic, they were the film lions. But I saw unity on polling day. Following last weeks vote, Zaw Min (Han Thar Myay) and Ko Tin Nyein will represent editors; U Myo Zaw Aung and U Nyi Nyi Tun Lwin directors; U Aye Kyu Lay and Su Aww Chal scriptwriters; U Aung Khine and U A Yine supporting cast members; U Kyaw Wunna and U Own Maung producers; U Khin Maung Gyi and U Khin Maung Chin musicians and opera members; U Win Kyi and U Pyuu video industry; U Zaw Min (Mingalar) and U Zaw Min distribution; Ko Kyaw Nyunt and Ko Ngwe Soe camera crew members; and U Zin Wine and U Lu Min actors.

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MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012
By Ei Ei Toe Lwin none of us are politicians. We just use our skills to show support for the NLD, Waing said last week. Part of the performance will focus on voter education, with actors and actresses teaching crowds about the value of voting and how to vote properly to avoid casting an ineligible vote. Ko Waing has made a short movie about voter education. This movie is already on the internet and we changed it to a live performance, said actress Tun Eaindra Bo. The reason I am participating in this trip is I want to help Amay Suu. But Im not really sure what impact it will have on the NLDs fortunes, she said. Singer Tan Thar Win said the trip had originally been planned for March 10 but had to be postponed because it clashed with matriculation exams, which ended on March 22. I am very pleased to participate in this trip because it is likely to improve public interest [in the byelections]. I also love Amay Suu so I would like to help her, she said. Wai said the celebrities wanted to support the NLD because they believe in the partys policies. Amay Suu has also shown many times how much she loves our country so I think she is the leader of the public and we also love her, he said. Based on these reasons we want the NLD to win in these by-elections so we are doing this campaign to help. We have the right to encourage the party we like. Theres nothing in the constitution that celebrities are not allowed to participate in politics, he said. The most important thing is that celebrities have the freedom to perform what they create.

NLD suit Celebrities launch travelling campaign for NLD against Meikhtila opponent rejected
By Kyaw Hsu Mon MEIHKTILA District Court has rejected a suit filed by the National League for Democracy against a former member who has registered to run against the partys candidate in the Pyithu Hluttaw seat of Meiktila. The NLDs Meikhtila township chairman Dr Thein Aung filed a suit against independent candidate Daw Myint Myint Aye in early February, alleging she used the NLD name when campaigning. However, the district court threw out the suit on March 13 but the party has indicated it might appeal to the Mandalay Region Court. The township court rejected that case on March 4 and they went to the district court on March 13 but it was also refused by the district court on that day. They said they will go to region court, Daw Myint Myint Aye said last week. She said District Court Judge Daw Amar decided that the NLD did not have enough reliable evidence for her to accept their appeal against the township court ruling. I am not going to do anything about this, Daw Myint Myint Aye said. I am conducting my campaign activities in nearby villages. However Daw Myint Myint Aye said that the case had hindered her election campaign, with residents telling her that they thought she had been imprisoned and so they shouldnt vote for her on April 1. I explained to them the issues I am facing at the moment, she said. A GROUP of about 40 artists will this week hit the campaign trail in support of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Director Waing, who is leading the trip, said they would visit Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region on March 27, followed by Sagaing and Pale in Sagaing Region and Pakokku in Magwe Region on March 30. The artists will sing and perform skits during the trip. We cant talk about politics

Voters decrease in Nay Pyi Taw: EC

By Win Ko Ko Latt THE number of eligible voters in four townships in Nay Pyi Taw where by-elections will be held has decreased by about 20 percent since November 2010, a senior election commission official said last week. Dr Aung Than, chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw District Election Sub-commission, told The Myanmar Times on March 19 that the decrease was because many migrant workers had left the capital since the middle of last year. In June 2011, the government halted work at many construction sites in Nay Pyi Taw in an effort to reduce the budget deficit. The decision prompted tens of thousands of migrant workers including those working at the parliamentary complex, which employed about 30,000 workers to return to their hometowns, he said. By-elections will be held in the vacant Pyithu Hluttaw seats of Dakkhinathiri, Pobbathiri, Zabuthiri and Ottarathiri. There were more than 190,000 eligible voters in those townships in the 2010 general elections but now there are just over 150,000, Dr Aung Than said. This includes about sub-commissions. He could not say how many migrant workers will be issued with these temporary cards but added that the Nay Pyi Taw area, which is made up of eight townships, has a population of about one million. Some ward and village election sub-commissions will issue temporary cards only when the by-elections draw nearer so that voters do not to lose them, he said. U Myint Than, chairman of the Alin Lo Village Election Sub-commission in Zabuthiri, said that he would issue temporary cards to no more than 20 migrant workers about three days before the byelecitons so they would be able to vote. Ma Tin Tin Ma, a 32-yearold worker at a construction site in Zabuthiri, said: I will take a temporary card so that I dont miss my right to vote. Meanwhile, Dr Aung Than said that residents of two villages in Pyinmana township that had changed to Zabuthiri township would be able to vote as normal on April 1.

National League for Democracy candidate for Zabuthiri, Zayar Thaw, campaigns in Nay Pyi Taw last month. Pic: Kaung Htet 36,200 in Ottarathiri, 54,000 in Pobbathiri, 44,000 in Zabuthiri and 16,400 in Dakkhinathiri, he added. These numbers could rise, however, when new migrant workers are registered to vote. Ward and village election sub-committees have not yet submitted how many migrant workers will cast votes in the by-elections, but we will issue temporary [identity] cards to those who do not hold a National Registration Card so they can vote, Dr Aung Than said. U Than Win, deputy director of the Immigration and National Registration Department, said: Our department will issue [identity cards] to those who are recommended by ward and village election

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Gem sale gives hotels short-term boost

By Zaw Win Than THIS months gem emporium was another bonanza for Nay Pyi Taw hotels, which reported full occupancy during the 10-day sale. Our hotel was fully booked for the emporium. In Nay Pyi Taw the occupancy rate varies considerably but during every emporium all hotels are fully booked, said Ma Thu Thu Aung, marketing manager at Mount Pleasant Hotel. The 49th gem emporium, held at Mani Yadana Jade Hall in Zabuthiri township, ran from March 9 to 18, drawing traders from Myanmar and abroad. Ma Nandar Win, manager of Hotel Thingaha in Nay Pyi Taw, said the emporiums provided a welcome boost to occupancy. Normal average occupancy in Nay Pyi Taw is about 50 to 60 percent. Most of our guests are business travellers and government officials but during the gem emporium it is traders from China and Thailand, she said. Nay Pyi Taw has 29 licensed hotels with 1979 rooms, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, along with a new international airport that opened in December and is capable of handling 65,000 flights a year. However, few foreigners visit the city outside of the gem emporiums, with most rooms booked by business and diplomatic travellers. Capacity is likely to increase further over the next 18 months; Ko Aung Naing Tun from the Nay Pyi Taw Hoteliers Association said the government was aiming to have at least 35 hotels established in time for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. He said that there was enough demand to sustain the hotels outside of gem emporiums and other large events. Nay Pyi Taw is not a tourist destination but hotels here have good occupancy rates due to the gem emporium, which happens at least three times a year. Hotels are also busy with bookings from governments, international nongovernment organisations and private companies coming to Nay Pyi Taw for meetings and seminars, he said. He said the hotel expansion target had seen a second hotel zone created in Oattadathiri township, where 19 hotels would be constructed as part of the zones first phase. Most of the hotels are expected to come online before the SEA Games. Ma Nandar Win said Nay Pyi Taw would attract more visitors if international airlines launched direct flights to Nay Pyi Taw, but she also conceded that the city needed to offer more to attract tourists. For now, however, the airport is used only for domestic services and international charter flights. Nay Pyi Taw has an international airport but there are no any international airlines offering direct flights. The airport is used mainly for trips by foreign delegates and [Myanmar] government officials, said Ko Aung Naing Tun.

Amara Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw. Pic: Christopher Davy

Media law review to include private sector

By Aye Sapay Phyu and Zaw Win Than THE Ministry of Information plans to revise its draft print media law to include input from international organisations and Myanmar journalists, a senior official said last week. Speaking on the first day of the Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, U Ye Htut, director general of Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Information, said the first draft of the law had been reviewed by the Attorney Generals Office and the ministry was preparing a second draft. He said the ministry hoped the new print media law would be in place by the end of this year and that private daily newspapers would be allowed shortly after its promulgation. U Ye Htut also revealed that the ministry was working on a law for broadcast media, including radio, television and online. The second draft will include not only advice from the Union Attorney Generals Office but also input from experts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which held a workshop on the new [print] media law from March 12 to 14 at the Ministry of Information in Nay Pyi Taw. They also discussed the new broadcast media law in Nay Pyi Taw. [Ministry of Information] also noted the opinion of journalists and other stakeholders [and] will consider this input in the second draft, he said on March 19. He said that the second draft would be submitted at the next session of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which was likely to begin in July or August, and a draft would become the committee for promotion of press freedom and ethical standards. These are the important chapters in the new media law. After the new law [is promulgated], all publications can publish without prior scrutiny by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD). Getting the publication license will [also] be easier than now, U Ye Htut said. PSRDs mandate will change to handling copyright issues and complaints from the public. There will be no more censorship. He also said that a committee Minister for Information and Culture U Kyaw Hsan said in the opening address at the conference that the government was not drafting the new print media law to restrict or hamper press freedom. He said the aim was to facilitate proper freedom for the longterm progress of the Myanmar media sector without damaging the interests of the society. We have heard criticism from some quarters saying that the government has no right to supervise press freedom as it is U Kyaw Hsan said the ministry wanted to cooperate with other countries, UN agencies and international non-government organisations. Speaking to The Myanmar Times on March 20, U Ye Htut said foreign investment in the media sector would probably be possible but added that it was not the right time for 100 percent foreign ownership. I think international media investment will be approved by Myanmar Investment Commission ... but so far the Ministry of Information has no plan to open up 100pc foreign media ownership because if they come to invest with strong human resource and technical facilities, it will be harder for the Myanmar-owned media to compete. Thats why we believe this is not the right time to offer 100pc international media investment in Myanmar, U Ye Htut said. He also said that the ministry did not have any specific policies on policing online media, which was currently the responsibility of Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications. We are thinking what should be included when we draft a new TV and radio broadcasting law, he said. However, we must first see how the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw manages the draft [print media] law.

will change to handling copyright issues and PSRDs mandatethe public. There will be no more censorship. complaints from
available after parliament agrees to consider the bill. At that time, he said, anyone could send feedback on the bill to parliament through their local representative. He said the law contained 11 chapters and of these three were the most important. Chapter two is the rights, duties and ethnical code for writers and journalists. Chapter three is the principles to be observed by publications. Chapter four concerns for promotion of press freedom and ethnical standard will be organised and the committee will advise the information minister. If some publications break the law, the committee will review the circumstances and make a recommendation to the minister on how to apply the law to that particular case. U Ye Htut also said the Printers and Publishers Registration Law (1962) would be abolished when the print media law is enacted. granted by the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, [the conventions] Article 29 [as well as] Article 20 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of European Convention on Human Rights calls for due recognition and respect for the rights and freedom of others and meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society in exercising the freedom of expression, he said.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

FoSTeRS BRaNdS LIMITed of 70 London Rd., Twickenham, Middlessex TW1 3QS, United Kingdom, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of following Trade Mark:-

Reg. No. IV/3819/2004 Reg. No. IV/401/2008 Reg. No. IV/777/2009 Reg. No. IV/2269/2012 in respect of Class 32: Beer. Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said Trade Mark or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law. khine khine u, advocate LL.B, d.B.L, LL.M (uk) For FoSTeRS BRaNdS LIMITed #731, 7th Fl., Traders Hotel, Yangon. dated. March 26, 2012

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Mizzima aiming for publication launch in May: spokesman

By Zaw Win Than and Aung Kyi NEW Delhi-based media organisation Mizzima expects to launch a weekly journal in early May, a spokesperson told The Myanmar Times last week. We have already applied for the licence to publish a weekly journal in Myanmar language. The [application] is not approved yet but we are expecting to publish after water festival or in early May. We will definitely publish before the end of this year, U Sein Win, the managing editor and production director of Mizzima, said on March 20, on the sidelines of the two-day Conference on Media Development in Myanmar. We also have a plan for an English paper but it will mainly focus on politics and business and is especially aimed at [foreign] investors and diplomats. I think it will take a long time to get a licence as well because we want to do one after another, said U Sein Win. He said the Myanmar-language journal would have a broader focus and would also cover regional news. Our weekly journal in Myanmar will be along the same lines as existing local journals. We will focus on general news, regional news and we hope we will be able to report more widely than we do on our current website. In the website, we could only post a few nationwide topics, he said. If we can publish a quality news journal I hope we can survive in this market, he said, adding that it would hire more staff for the new venture. While Mizzima appears to be on the verge of a return to Myanmar, representatives of other exile media outlets say they are expecting a longer wait before being able to publish in Myanmar. We have decided to seek permission to set up an office and publications in Yangon but I think it will take time to get permission even though we have been encouraged to [apply] by the Ministry of Information, said U Win Thu, office manager of Chiang Mai-based Irrawaddy Publishing Group. We will have to...establish a branch office in Yangon to publish a publication or online magazine inside the country and we might need assistance from local media groups to speed up the process, he said. U Zaw Naing Oo, from Oslobased Democratic Voice of Burma, said his organisation was also seeking permission to publish in Myanmar. We have also submitted an application to the Ministry of Information for permission to set up an office in Yangon following the visit of DVB chief editor Aye Chan Naing earlier this month, U Zaw Naing Oo said. I think it will take time but we expect to get the permission to set up a bureau inside the country before the end of this year. U Ko Ko, publisher of The Yangon Times and Flower News, said he welcomed the return of exile media and would offer a helping hand if they needed it. He said exile media would create more competition but this was positive in a democracy with an open market policy. U Ye Htut, director general of the Department of Information and Public Relations under the Ministry of Information, told The Myanmar Times that the ministry would allow exile media to publish inside Myanmar if they followed the law. We consider them as Myanmar media organisations based in foreign countries. So if they want to step into Myanmar, we will allow them to do their business according to the ministrys rules and policies, he said.

Boat driver blamed after accident kills at least 25

By Soe Sandar Oo A BOAT that overturned and sank while travelling from Pathein to Ngapudaw, killing at least 25 of its almost 100 passengers, should only have been carrying 12 people, officials said last week. A spokesperson from the state-run Inland Water Transportation said the March 20 accident was caused by careless driving but the boat was also carrying too many passengers and cargo, and lacked life jackets and lifebuoys. The boat was not as large as a ferry; its engine capacity was only 20 horsepower. It was allowed to carry 12 passengers including one driver or 2500 viss (about 4 tonnes) of cargo, he said. The sinking of the boat can be attributed to the drivers gross negligence. The boat turned over because it took a bend against the current at low tide. The Patheinthu 11 capsized about 3pm on March 20, with 99 people on board. State media initially reported that 10 passengers had died but a township official told The Myanmar Times on March 23 that the death toll had risen to 25, with two people still missing. Another 72 passengers were rescued, with seven receiving treatment at a hospital in Pathein, said Ngapudaw township administrator U Win Ko Ko said. The owner of the boat was at the helm when the accident occurred and is still missing, he said. The boat, which was also carrying a large quantity of cargo, including cement, mattresses, chilli, onion and ice chests, overturned about 24 metres (80 feet) from the riverbank as it approached the jetty in Ngapudaws Ma Than Hla, who narrowly survived a boat accident on March 20. Pic: Soe Sandar Oo

Kanseik village in calm water. Witnesses said that as it made a turn to approach the jetty, the vessel failed to slow down and tipped to one side after taking on water. The steel-hulled boat sank almost immediately in about 14 metres (45 feet) of water. Residents of Kanseik immediately launched a rescue operation with their own boats and were soon joined by another larger vessel. Most of the passengers were women and children and rescuers said some had been trapped on the lower levels of the vessel, where the windows were too narrow for them to escape to safety. Pathein Fire Services Department also attended the scene and assisted with the rescue effort, a spokesperson said. Ma Than Hla, a 39-yearold vendor from Karttaya village who regularly took the Patheinthu 11 to and from Pathein, was among those who survived the accident with her 18-yearold daughter. She said the boat was regularly overcrowded and had been cluttered with cargo on the day of the accident. When it prepared

to come into port, water started flowing in. I took hold of my daughter but later we were separated, she said. We both sank with the boat and neither of us can swim. We found no openings to leave the boat I thought we would die. I gave up trying to get out and expected to die but while I was in the water I heard my daughters cry so as a last resort I swam as powerfully as I could and the rescuers saved me. Ma Chaw Chaw Yin, a teacher from Kanseik who assisted with the rescue effort, said that if communications services in the area had been better some of those who died after being swept along the river towards Ngapudaw could have been saved. The accident is not the first to occur on a private boat service in the Ayeyarwady delta and will once again raise questions about safety standards among private operators. In November 2009, the overloaded ferry Nay Myo Tun Gyi collided with an oil barge, the Dana, on the Ngawun River, resulting in the deaths of at least 47 of the 176 people on board.

The ferry was only licensed to carry 27. After that accident, regional officials said they had introduced new safety measures and were enforcing passenger limits. The IWT spokesperson said last week that under existing rules vessel owners had to provide a lifejacket for each passenger but evasion was common. He said the department was planning tighter inspections of cargo and passenger limits, as well as safety equipment, as a result of last weeks accident. [Vessel owners] tend to abide by the law when they are being inspected but after the inspection they take on more cargo or passengers, he said. He added that there was also a lack of safety awareness among passengers in the delta. In Yangon it is not uncommon for people to wear lifejackets but in the delta nobody does it. Ma Chaw Chaw Yin said the Patheinthu 11 was popular with passengers and regularly overcrowded because it was faster and charged only K500, half the normal fare. Translated by Thit Lwin

Hluttaw refuses human rights body budget

By Soe Than Lynn THE Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has refused to approve the governments budget proposal for the National Human Rights Commission on the grounds its formation did not conform to the constitution. The government had requested a budget of K547.208 million for the human rights commission formed by President U Thein Sein on September 5 for 2012-13, in addition to K139.86 million for capital expenditure on office equipment, furniture and vehicles. However, Speaker U Khin Aung Myint forwarded the request made as part of the 2012-13 National Planning Bill to the Joint Bill Committee after Pyithu Hluttaw representative Daw Nan Wah Nu of Konhein raised doubts about the commissions eligibility for funding. I submit that money to be allocated for Myanmar National Human Commission in the 2012-2013 National Planning Bill should not be allowed at all by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Daw Nan Wah Nu said on March 15. Based on the bill committees report, the speaker told the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on March 16 that the requested budget could not be approved because the commission had not been formed with the Pyidaungsu Hluttaws approval and its policies and objectives had not been included in the national planning bill. I have received a report from the committee and a submission by the commission, the speaker said. I hereby submit that the formation of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission was not in conformity with the constitution and existing laws. It is found that the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission also accepts this point in its submission. Therefore I, as the Speaker of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, have decided to nullify the inclusion of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission in the list of central bodies of the state and its allotment in the budget. Earlier, Daw Nan Wah Nu had argued that the president had not sought parliamentary approval when forming the commission as was required under the constitution. The president had instructed that the Human Rights Commissions chairman is given privileges and insignia of a minister and its members are entitled to what a deputy minister is given, she said. Section 202 of the constitution states that the president with approval from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw may designate ministries or number of ministers, may amend, add or deduct [ministries or number of ministers], and may appoint ministers. The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission can only be included as a union-level body or central body after it is approved by the hluttaw. In some countries, human rights committees and commissions and corruption fighting committees and commissions are overseen by [parliament]. Translated by Thit Lwin

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Briefs
UN chief to visit probably in April
SINGAPORE UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon said last week he will visit Myanmar probably next month as he urged international support for reforms in the country. I have visited Myanmar twice as secretary general, and I am going to visit Myanmar soon, probably next month, he said in a lecture to government officials, diplomats and academics during a visit to Singapore on March 23. Mr Ban had said in Malaysia the previous day that his visit to Myanmar will likely be after the by-elections on April 1, but he did not give a specific timeframe. Mr Ban said he was encouraged by recent reforms implemented by President U Thein Sein and urged the global community to help Myanmar as it prepares to assume the rotating leadership of the ASEAN bloc in 2014. Myanmar still faces many challenges and will need our support along the way, he said. The by-elections will see Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stand for a seat in parliament for the first time. AFP

Federations to oversee labour strikes

By Sandar Lwin STRIKES organised under the new Labour Organisation Law are not subject to rules pertaining to peaceful protests, a senior official from the Ministry of Labour said last week. The labour law does not relate to the peaceful protest law of the Ministry of Home Affairs. That law covers nonlabour protests, U That Naing Oo, director of the Department of Labour, told The Myanmar Times. The Labour Organisation Law (2011) came into force on March 9 and allows workers from any sector except essential public services such as water, electricity, fire and health to strike according to the rules of the relevant labour federation. Labour federations are an executive committee with an odd number of members that range in size from seven to 15 people and are formed with the recommendation of not less than 20 percent of the members of region or state labour organisations. Above the federations will be the Myanmar Labour Confederation and under the federations will be region or state labour organisations, township labour organisations and basic labour organisations for each trade or activity. If a basic labor organisation wants to strike it would need to get permission from the relevant labour federation. After that they can do the strike whenever they dont need to follow the procedures in the peaceful protest law of the Ministry of Home Affairs, U That Naing Oo said. The law states that labour issues will have to be filed through the basic labour organisations to a township President U Thein Sein at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. Pic: Kaung Htet conciliation body formed under the Trade Dispute Act. The workers can strike only if the township conciliation body is unable to solve the problem and it has permission from the applicable labour federation. Any labour protests that take place without informing the respective conciliation body and the employer at least three days ahead of the protest are not allowed by this law, he said. Labour activists said that disputes were increasing day by day and labour organisations were urgently needed to solve labour issues under the new law. Under the law, this process begins at the grassroots level with the support of basic labour organisations. U Ye Naing Win, a labour activist and spokesperson of a committee established recently to support the formation of independent labour organisations, said it was difficult for many ordinary workers to form labour organisations because of poor literacy and knowledge of the law. The committee will provide legal and technical assistance to workers wanting to form labour organisations. Generally, the workers have little knowledge about labour laws. They need help to form labour organisations and thats why we formed a support committee to help them, he said. U That Naing Oo said the government was closely following the formation of labour organisations. The minister and the president are interested in the formation of labour organisations. They regularly ask us how many labour organisations have been formed so far, he said, adding that none had been formed to date.

President shores up support on three-nation regional tour

By Vong Sokheng and Shane Worrell PHNOM PENH Cambodia, as ASEAN chair, could play a vital role in strengthening the international communitys perception that Myanmar has reformed and sanctions need to be lifted, independent observers said last week. Prime Minister Hun Sen described President U Thein Seins March 21 visit to Phnom Penh as something that would boost the two countries relations but observers said U Thein Sein was more focused on exporting a message of radical transformation to the world via ASEAN, which will hold its summit in Cambodia on April 3 and 4. Information Minister Mr Khieu Kanharith said U Thein Sein had promised Mr Hun Sen that the April 1 by-elections would be fair. The president has expressed his will to do whatever it takes to have a transparent, acceptable election, he said. U Thein Sein praised Cambodia for its enduring support and Mr Hun Sen had said the Myanmar leaders visit would strengthen the relationship of the two countries, Mr Khieu Kanharith said, but little else was revealed about the meeting. Mr Chheang Vanarith, director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said U Thein Seins visit was aimed at shoring up support from ASEAN nations in its bid to have international sanctions dropped. I think the visit is aimed at delivering the diplomatic message to Cambodia, as the chair of ASEAN and a good friend of Myanmar, that it will need to play an important role in convincing the ASEAN nations to lift sanctions on Myanmar, he said, adding those nations might then speak to the US and Europe. We will wait to see after the election next month if Myanmar can keep building the trust of the international community. ASEAN has put pressure on Myanmar to do good and its continuing to get ASEAN to look at the kind of reform its trying to carry out, said Professor Carlyle Thayer from the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Myanmar is also adopting different policies externally. This is about ASEAN. Bilaterally, there is not much to exchange between Cambodia and Myanmar, he said. Mr Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watchs Asia division, said ASEAN, which Myanmar will chair in 2014, was a huge public relations opportunity for the Burmese government. I dont think Burma will need to claim Cambodia as an ally since the international community has largely agreed to ASEANs decision to permit Burma to take the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014, he said. What we think President Thein Sein should be talking to the Cambodian government about is how to ensure that both countries met their obligations under the ASEAN Charter to respect international human rights standards. U Thein Sein began a three-ASEAN member state tour on March 20 in Vietnam and headed to Laos on March 22. Phnom Penh Post

Australia to send election observers

SYDNEY Australia said last week it will send a five-person delegation to observe the April 1 by-elections, a poll seen as a major test of Myanmars reform credentials. Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on March 23 that the government had invited the team, which is expected to join observers from other nations, including the United States, in Myanmar. We have repeatedly encouraged the Burmese government to ensure these by-elections are free and fair and this is an encouraging start, Mr Carr said in a statement. Australia hopes to see further and more comprehensive election observation missions as Burmas democracy matures. AFP

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Independent associations to replace MWJA, says official

He said the new Myanmar Journalists Association and the Myanmar Writers Association would seek to have a more THE Myanmar Writers and Journalists youthful membership than the MWJA, and Association will be disbanded within three younger members would be encouraged to months and replaced by three separate take up leadership positions. MWJA chairman U Tin Hlaing said and independent associations, a senior last weeks special meeting was called to member said last week. Secretary U Ko Ko said following a inform members of the plan to form the special meeting of members on March new associations. We need to reform our association as 24 that separate associations for writers, journalists and publishers would be we are following the democracy way so we established in its place and they would be announced to members that we will try to organise such new association more free and independent to be more independent, U than the MWJA. Tin Hlaing said. The MWJA will end We want these He said the organisation automatically when those structure of the writers and three associations are established. I expect that the associations to journalists association would process should be completed be more free and be different, with writers forming township and central [within three months], said bodies and journalists having U Ko Ko. independent. regional and central bodies. Senior MWJA members But they will all be brother recently organised three sub-committees to undertake the process associations, he added. Senior MWJA member U Myint Kywe of establishing the associations, he said. We will use a voting system to said it was important for the future of select [central executive committee] the publishing industry that writers and members for each association. We want journalists had their own independent these associations to be more free and organisations. In the past, writers and journalists independent [than the MWJA], he said, adding that unlike the MWJA the were lumped together under the same associations would not be overseen by the association and there were some arguments because we have different points of view, Ministry of Information. What I can say is that the Ministry he said. The MWJA was established in the of Information will continue to be a focal point ministry [for the new associations] early 1990s and has about 8000 members nationally. in the future, U Ko Ko said. By Kyaw Hsu Mon

Pyidaungsu Hluttaw to join International Parliamentary Union

By Soe Than Lynn THE Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has agreed to join the International Parliamentary Union in order to build relations with foreign parliaments and get more opportunities to exchange views and experiences, according to lawmakers. The decision was made on March 16, at the 21st sitting day of the third session of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. Before asking for the consent of the house, Speaker U Khin Aung Myint told lawmakers: If Myanmar is a member of IPU, there will be more opportunities to exchange views and experiences and get wider relations with the international community. It will enable us to get assistance to improve the performance of hluttaw representatives. The decision follows the recent visit by a delegation from the Geneva-based IPU, including secretary general Anders Johnsson, who met with Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker

like to give Wednecessary the help to improve the process of the hluttaw.

Thura U Shwe Mann in Nay Pyi Taw on March 6. Mr Johnsson extended an invitation to Myanmar to rejoin the union and also requested information on the rights of hluttaw representatives. Wed like to give the

necessary help to [improve] the process of the hluttaw while it is in the initial period, he said. Myanmar became a member of the IPU in 1957 but left in 1963, shortly after the military coup. Speaker U Khin Aung Myint said Myanmar had kept in touch with regional parliaments since the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw joined the ASEAN Parliament Conference as a full member in September 2011. Lawmakers also approved a proposal to create a national parliamentary body to coordinate between the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the state and region hlutaws. Meanwhile, U Khin Aung Myint will attend the ASEAN Summit and Leaders of Parliament Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from March 31 to April 4. Translated by Thiri Min Htun

Physio training for blind launched

A PHYSIOTHERAPY training course for the visually impaired got underway earlier this month at Kyeemyindaing School for Blind in Yangon. The course is the second of its type the school has hosted and is co-organised by the Blind Massage Development Foundation and Old Students Society for Blind. It began on March 12 and focuses on Japanese physiotherapy methods as well as anatomy and business management, a spokesperson for the school said, adding that 10 students were selected to participate. The course is taught by experienced physiotherapists from both Japan and Myanmar and will be free of charge. It will run to June 5 and students will receive free accommodation and meals. Physiotherapy is a form of massage treatment that relieves muscle strain and alleviates the effects of illness or injury. U Zaw Htwe Oo, a teacher and physiotherapist at the school, said the aim was to teach blind people a vocational skill that could help them earn a living. He said most blind people dont get the chance to join a special school or learn vocational subjects, and some do not finish school. We trained eight students in last years course and seven have since been employed, with one continuing their studies. Cherry Thein

Myanmar to set kyat at 820 a dollar, say sources

By Yantoultra Ngui KUALA LUMPUR Myanmars Central Bank plans to set the countrys new exchange rate at about K820 to the US dollar, close to its black market level, as the nation pushes ahead with economic reforms, two officials with private Myanmar banks said on March 20. The change would be a shock for government institutions and state-owned enterprises that have been using the official exchange rate of K6.4, the central bank has said. But broader economic waves are unlikely since an exchange rate of about K800 is widely in use. The bank officials told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry event in Kuala Lumpur that the new managed float system would have a trading band of plus or minus two percent. We are currently in the auction process, and there is a plan to manage the float of the currency at K820, plus or minus 2 percent, to $1, said U Aung Kyaw Myo, an official of Kanbawza Bank. The Central Bank had been expected to set the currency at about that level as it moves to unify the countrys dual exchange rate in the coming weeks Myanmars boldest economic reform yet as it emerges from decades of isolation. The government is calculating its national budget for the year from April 1 using an exchange rate of K800 to the dollar, a Central Bank official said last week. The currency reform is a major step in ending market distortions caused by the dual system and improving transparency as foreign investors pour into Myanmar following bold economic and political reforms in recent months. The kyats unofficial rate, used in most transactions, has jumped from more than K1000 to the dollar in 2009 as foreign money has flowed into the timber, energy and gem sectors. That has hurt many Myanmar, from farmers and manufacturers to traders and employees of foreign firms paid in dollars. This market-driven reform will boost foreign investment interest, said Douglas Clayton, chief executive of Leopard Capital, a private equity fund focused on emerging Asian markets. In terms of

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MPRL E&P chief executive officer U Moe Myint inspects a drilling rig prior to the start of drilling operations at the A-6 block. Pic: Supplied/ Myint and Associates

growing pains, there could be some imbalances in supply and demand but that will not be unusual in such a transition. Since government institutions have been using the official rate, state revenue is underestimated. Some critics say it is likely that vast sums of that money have been kept off the books and quietly smuggled out of the country into offshore bank accounts held by cronies of the former government. A Central Bank official said last week that the government plans to hold trial foreign exchange auctions in March before floating the currency from April 1, the start of the 201213 fiscal year. Central Bank documents obtained by Reuters this month set out plans to begin a managed float of the currency in the fiscal year from April and develop an interbank money market. From 2013-14 onwards, Myanmar would aim to entirely eliminate the informal currency market, the documents said. Rona Rakhit, head of business development and strategic initiatives of the Co-operative Bank, the second-largest private bank in Myanmar, said at the Kuala Lumpur event that 11 of the 19 private banks in the country are participating in the auction process. The country hopes to unify its dual exchange rates by the end of April, he said. Co-operative Bank was one of four Myanmar banks that signed remittance agreements with Malaysias largest lender Maybank on March 20 to help over 140,000 Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia send money home. Today there are tremendous opportunities for business and investments, and foreign exchange is much needed to funds its economic growth, Maybank chief executive Abdul Wahid Omar said at the event. K K Hlaing, a businessman in Yangon, said he expected little disruption from the new exchange rate as it was already widely used in business transactions. The government is simply formalising the unofficial exchange rates in anticipation for investment, he said. There is not going to be any sudden shock in the economy about this because the people have been going around their business using the K800-820 range. Reuters

MPRL E&P announces gas find in A-6

By Juliet Shwe Gaung MPRL E&P company announced that it had discovered gas during drilling operations at the companys A-6 block in the Bay of Bengal on March 19. A company press release said testing of the Pyi Thar1ST well revealed the presence of about 20 feet [true vertical thickness] of gas starting at the top of the Pliocene sandstones. The company has also drilled a second well at the site Pyi Thar-1. The gas reserve discovered by MPRL E&P is the second discovery in the Rakhine offshore area and follows the Shwe gas project. The wells have provided precious geological and drilling information that will now be integrated by MPRL E&Ps technical team to better assess the full prospectively of block A-6, a company spokesperson said. The press release said the company drilled both wells within tight financial and time constraints, finishing drilling 14 days ahead of schedule and significantly below budget. However, the press release did not provide the expected budget or timeframe for drilling. MPRL E&P also operates the Mann oil and gas field in central Myanmar in partnership with Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise.

Swift system to start late April: CB Bank

By Aye Thidar Kyaw ELEVEN private banks will begin offering Swift money transfers from abroad starting in late April or early May, an industry insider said last week. We are preparing all the technical details and setting up machines with Singapore technicians, but we still need to train employees, said Co-operative Bank managing director U Phey Myint. Eleven banks will start this service at the same time, he added. The banks that will offer the service are: Ayeyawaddy, Asia Green Development, Co-operative, Innwa, Kanbawza, Myanma Apex, Myanmar Industrial Development, Myanmar Oriental, Myawaddy, Tun Foundation and United Amara, he said. The Ministry of Finance and Revenue gave permission for the service on November 25, he added. We need to use Swift transfers because its a better network for bankto-bank transfers, said Kanbawza bank vice chairman U Than Lwin. Only three state-owned banks Myanma Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB), Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB) and Myanma Economic Bank (MEB) operate the system. Meanwhile, some banks have begun offering money remittance services to Myanmar workers in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand by pairing with banks in those countries.

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Construction labourers working on an elevated platform at a deepsea port project in Mayingyi, part of the Dawei Special Economic Zone development, a planned $50-billion project led by a Thai industrial giant, in southern Myanmar. Pic: AFP

Dawei port faces growing public backlash

MAYINGYI, Dawei Public anger is rising over a planned deep-sea port set to displace thousands of villagers, as recent political reforms galvanise grassroots opposition to industrial mega-projects. The multi-billion-dollar Dawei development is a key element of the impoverished countrys plans to transform its economy, giving wealthier neighbours such as Thailand an outlet to the Indian Ocean and markets to the West. But with a new government pursuing a series of dramatic reforms in Myanmar, villagers living near the sleepy stretch of southern coastline are daring to speak out in opposition. We dont want to move. Our region has coconuts, betel nuts, cashew nuts, tamarinds. We have everything we need, said U San Nyein, a 53-yearold farmer in the village of Mayingyi. Up to 20,000 people are set to be relocated from a verdant stretch of land along the Andaman coast near the border with Thailand, said an official estimate. The authorities have promised to resettle the villagers in new homes with access to schools, hospitals and shops, as well as running water and electricity. The Dawei plan includes a 250 square kilometre (100 square mile) industrial area with a steel mill, petrochemical plant and oil refinery. It is among a number of ambitious foreign-funded projects which started before the long-ruling junta handed over power last year to a new quasicivilian government whose ranks are filled with former generals. Locals initially felt powerless to refuse to move for the development led by Thai industrial giant ItalThai in a country where the junta was for decades able to snatch land at will. But people are now testing the mostly civilian governments vow to listen to public opinion. We do not want to go anywhere, said U Tin Hlaing, a 56-year-old fisherman from the village of Ngapitet. The sea has fed us since we were young. Where should we go to fish if we have to move to a new town? Last September, environmentalists won a rare victory as President U Thein Sein suspended construction of a US$3.6 billion Chinese-backed hydropower project in Kachin State, in a rare response to public opposition. The government has also announced that it is blocking a 4000-megawatt coal-fired plant that was to be built at Dawei. The villagers living near the port site now hope their homes and land will be spared from the bulldozers. And their cause may be helped by apparent funding troubles at the developer. There is little evidence of construction yet apart from access roads, and villagers said the amount of money they were initially offered had been drastically reduced. Ital-Thai is having trouble raising the funds and that is of no surprise at all because the numbers that they are talking about are absolutely vast, said Mr Sean Turnell, an expert on the Myanmar economy at Macquarie University in Sydney. Theres been a real turnaround of investor sentiment in the project and I think thats the thing which is really slowing it. The developer insists all is going to plan, with negotiations under way to raise investment of $4.5 billion for the first phase of development, which it says will be followed by a second phase requiring an additional $8.5 billion. It also says the final project could eventually be worth up to $50 billion. The funds are coming in, said Mr Somchet Thinaphong, who oversees the project for the Thai industrial giant. The Myanmar authorities have actually urged us to accelerate the plan and supported us with globally competitive laws and regulations. Theres nothing to be worried about, he added. But locals fear their way of life will change forever, and are anxious about being relocated to an urban setting. I was born here. I want to stay here, said 64-year-old farm owner U Than Myint. We do not understand cities they are all the same. AFP

Economists debate return of IFIs MOGP summit this week

By Aye Thidar Kyaw INTERNATIONAL financial institutions are likely to return to Myanmar if the April 1 by-elections are accepted by the global community. However, some economists are not thrilled at the prospect of global lenders returning. United States citizen and economic consultant Mr Rick Rowden said during a recent workshop at an NGO in Yangon that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was known for its insistence on a clear divide between the private and government sectors. He added that if the World Bank came to Myanmar, it would push for the government to vacate the health and education sectors, which he said would make both more expensive. In countries that offer only private healthcare and education, poor people stop sending their kids to school and bringing them to clinics when theyre sick because its too expensive, he said during the workshop at ActionAid in early March. He said that the measures often created a society where only the wealthy could access quality healthcare and education. When Myanmar attempts to unify its multiple exchange rates in the next financial year, which starts on April 1, the IMF will give technical advice, which Mr Rowden said would be welcome. But when the IMF begins to try and influence the Central Bank to change its monetary policies, it would create a problem between importers and exporters. My advice [to the government] is to ignore the World Bank and keep control of the healthcare and education sectors, and dont let the IMF dictate budget choices, he said. Mr Rowden also advised the government to maintain its links with the business community because severing those relationships would leave it unable to properly implement infrastructure and services upgrades in the future. Associate professor of economics at Macquarie University in Sydney Dr Sean Turnell said the government had so far adopted policies that would be recommended by the IMF and World Bank. Very often the policies of these institutions have been problematic sometimes they impose a one size fits all approach that can be inappropriate in different circumstances, he said. However, at the core of advice from both institutions are a number of broad measures that should serve Myanmar well, he said. These include a sound fiscal policy (which should allow increases in spending on health and education, but reductions in military spending), a realistic unified exchange rate, stress on property rights, rule of law and the problem of corruption, he said. Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry vice president Dr Maung Maung Lay quoted IMF and World Bank representatives as saying the government could choose to accept their advice or ignore it. He added that it was hard to separate the private and government sectors and both were required to keep a close eye on the other for the economy to work properly. Economist Dr Zaw Oo said the government, media and economists had to cooperate to develop the country, adding that the most important job at hand was setting a workable policy framework. We have to tell them [international finance institutions/ investors] first what we want, then we will have to cooperate with them but we need to ensure that they do not exploit institutions, he said. The governments role should just be to supervise and guard against unfair practices in the market, while also protecting the environment, he said. MORE than 250 delegates from over 20 countries will attend the Myanmar Oil, Gas and Power Summit from March 27-29. Organised by the Centre for Management Technology and Myanmars Ministry of Energy, the MOGP Summit is the only conference providing first-hand information and answers that will prepare industry majors and investors as well as service and support companies for ventures into Myanmars energy sector. Supported by M & S Co Ltd, the MOGP Summit will represent the movers and shakers within the oil and gas industry. Dramatic changes afoot in Myanmar have drawn foreign investors eyeing a slice of its rich and large economic potential. The summit, which is titled Gearing Up for the Emerging Oil and Gas Opportunities, will explore key issues involved in securing upstream oil and gas exploration ventures, as well as the key challenges, drivers and new business opportunities in Myanmars energy industry. The main highlight of the conference will be the official opening address by the Minister for Energy, U Than Htay, but other significant talks will be delivered by independent energy industry consultants; Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise officials; Total E&P Myanmar; DFDL Mekong Group; World LP Gas Association; Myanmar Petroleum Products Enterprise (MPPE); Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks; and the Ministry of Electric Power. Participants at the MOGP Summit can look forward to interacting with key decisionmakers from leading oil and gas and petrochemical companies, exploration firms, energy consultants, storage and logistics companies, EPC companies, legal counsellors, project financiers, trading firms and government officials. To access the program of the MOGP Summit visit the events website http://www. cmtevents.com/aboutevent. aspx?ev=120316. For details on reservations please contact Ms Huiyan at (+65) 6346 9113 or email huiyan@cmtsp.com.sg

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Lead up to CAEXPO begins again

THE 9th China-ASEAN Expo (C A E X P O) w i l l b e h e l d in Nanning, China, from September 21-25, with this years event focusing on scientific and technological cooperation, an expo press release said. The release, which was prepared by the CAEXPO secretariat, said preparations for the annual event are already in full swing, even though the expo is more than six months away. The year marks the 1 0 th y e a r s i n c e t h e Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between ASEAN and China was concluded and is also the Year of China-ASEAN Science and Technology Cooperation. T h e 9 th C A E X P O w i l l be another diverse and colourful event that will bring the cream of the regions business communities together at one show. In addition to the five regular pavilions C o m m o d i t y Tr a d e, Investment Cooperation, Advanced Technology, Trade in Services and Cities of Charm this years expo will add a China-ASEAN Science and Technology Ministers Conference to highlight the year of China-ASEAN science and technological cooperation. This will include a series of high-end conferences, forums and activities, which ASEAN and Chinese leaders will visit. The CAEXPO, cosponsored by governments of Myanmar, China and other ASEAN member states, has been successfully held for eight consecutive years since 2004. I t has emerged as an impor tant platform for friendly exchanges, business promotion and bilateral cooperation in various fields bet ween ASEAN and China. The previous eight CAEXPOs attracted 42 ASEAN and Chinese leaders, more than 1500 VIPs at ministerial level and 316,000 participants. The events have also featured more than 200 highlevel conferences, forums and activities. The total trade volume between ASEAN and China has reached US$11.69 billion, while the contractual i nv e s t m e n t v o l u m e o f international cooperation projects and Chinese domestic projects reached $49.12 billion and 475.902 billion yuan respectively, the press release said. CAEXPO now exerts great influence in the ChinaASEAN Free Trade Area and stands as example of the common development between ASEAN and China, the press release said. ADVERTORIAL

Chinas manufacturing slows: HSBC

By Bill Savadove SHANGHAI Chinas manufacturing activity fell to a four-month low in March, HSBC said on March 22, adding fuel to concerns over slowing growth in the worlds second largest economy. HSBCs preliminary Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 48.1 in March from 49.6 in February, following a sharp slowdown in exports, the British banking giant said in a statement. A reading above 50 means expansion, while below 50 suggests contraction. The data will add to pressure on policymakers to further loosen monetary policy and comes days after Australian resources giant BHP Billiton said Chinas demand for iron ore, a key manufacturing component, was flattening. It is also the latest in a string of negative news from Beijing including a huge trade deficit in February and lawmakers decision this month to set a target for 7.5 percent growth this year, from 9.2pc last year and 10.4pc in 2010. Investors are already pessimistic about the economic outlook and the just-released weak PMI data has raised more worries, Shen Jun, a Shanghaibased analyst at BOC International, told AFP. The result marks the fifth month that the PMI has remained in contraction since reaching 47.7 in November last year. Growth momentum could slow down further amid a combination of sluggish new export orders and softening domestic demand, HSBCs chief economist for China Qu Hongbin said. This calls domestic consumption. Beijing has pledged to fine-tune policy to prevent a hard landing for the economy, which could trigger widespread job losses and spark social unrest. The HSBC survey also said the manufacturing slump had led firms to cut back, sending employment to its lowest level in three years in March. Worryingly, employment recorded a new low since March 2009, suggesting slowing manufacturing production was hindering enterprises hiring desire, Qu said. No figure was given. China was hit by a wave of labour unrest late last year, as employees protested over low salaries, wage cuts and poor conditions amid company cutbacks due to the global economic slowdown. AFP

for further easing steps from the Beijing authority, he said n the statement. Chinas central bank in February cut the amount

of cash banks must hold in reserve for the second time in three months as policymakers moved to increase lending and boost

Irish Republic returns to recession in late 2011, says govt

DUBLIN Irelands economy sank back into recession late last year, despite registering its first annual growth for the first time since 2007, mixed official data showed on March 22. Irish gross domestic product shrank 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter after a contraction of 1.1pc in the third quarter, the Central Statistics Office said in a statement. The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. Ireland has based its strategy to overcome a debt mountain with the help of export-led growth. However, the return to recession shows the limits of relying on strong exports to drive growth which has also been undermined by slowing activity in other eurozone nations. The outlook looks challenging given the countrys strong reliance on external demand, said Sonia Pangusion, an economist at consultants IHS Global Insight. The eurozone crisis started to intensify by day during the second half of 2011, hurting global growth prospects. Todays figures confirmed that Ireland definitely felt the pinch, she added. Irelands fourth-quarter exports were meanwhile not enough to sustain growth. At the same time, domestic demand remains subdued, partly because of state austerity measures and lower government spending. Todays data suggest that Irish economy is in a technical recession ... but the potential for revisions means Ireland may not actually have suffered two quarters of negative growth, said economist Conall Mac Coille at Davy Stockbrokers in Dublin. Consumer spending and investment rose in Q4, but destocking by firms pushed down on growth and there was a worrying decline in Irish export volumes. AFP

VN inks 11 deals during March visit

By Myat May Zin BUSINESS leaders from Myanmar and Vietnam signed 11 trade and investment agreements following a jointly organised seminar at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon from March 12 to 14. The seminar was attended by 80 Vietnamese businesspeople representing 51 companies, as well as 120 Myanmar entrepreneurs. I hope we will make progress by improving collaboration between the private business communities of both nations, said Ms Nuyu Thi Hon, vice chairman of Ho Chi Minh Citys investment and trade promotion centre. We already have experience doing business together but we want to boost trade volumes given the changes taking place in Myanmar, she said. The 11 deals cover cooperation in sectors such as construction, tourism, cosmetics and consumer products, she said. Bilateral trade volume in the 2011-12 financial year amounted to US$270 million, a 77 percent rise over the previous year, showed a slideshow provided by Ho Chi Minh Citys investment and trade promotion centre. Myanmar exported $180 million worth of assorted rubber, forestry products, wood and agricultural and fisheries products, to Vietnam. In return, Myanmar imported $90 million worth of building materials, chemical products, fertilisers, pesticides and other products. Mr Li Pyoo Ann, the managing director of Phong Thang production and trading company, said there were still a number of factors that inhibited investment in Myanmar. This is the first time Ive visited Myanmar, he said. I came to meet businesspeople that I could work with in future. But we have to do lots of evaluation because theres no international banking available and the new foreign investment law has not been enacted, he said. Translated by Zar Zar Soe

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Job watch
Vacancy Announcement
Secretary to Chairman 1 Female - Any Graduate. - Age 25-30 years old. - At Least 2 years experience in related field. - English 4 Skill & Good computer skill. - Able to know secretarial procedure. - Can work overtime and able to travel. - Able to use E-mail & Internet. This interested, copy of labour registration card kindly submit your CV with one recent photo, relevant documents and references to: HR Deaperment Victory Myanmar Group Co., Ltd. No.216, Bogyoke Aung San Rd. 5th Flr, Botah taung Township, Yangon. Closing date: two week from advertising date.

Passengers on a congested train platform commuting at a station in Kolkata on March 15. Pic: AFP

We recognise that the single most important force in our organisation are our employees. Thanks to them, Maybank Group has now grown from Malaysia domestic leadership to a strong regional presence. As we expand our international network, we rely more than ever on the talent and energy of our employees. As part of our expansion plan, we invite ambitious, open-minded and driven individuals to join Maybank Yangon Representative Office as :ASSISTANT REPRESENTATIVE Job Description To support Chief Rep in liaising with and report to principal office on operational matters To deal with Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, Inland Revenue Department and any other government agency as the need arises To handle booking keeping for the office and deal with bank for banking related matters To oversee office administration, IT and maintenance (including fixed assets), etc Requirements Candidate must possessat least a Bachelors Degree, Post Graduate Diploma or Professional Degree in Business Studies/ Administration/Management, Economics, Marketing, Finance/Accountancy/ Banking, Commerce or equivalent. At least 5 year(s) of working experience in Banking Good networking withinthe Banking community Good command of English language Computer literate in Microsoft Office (Excel, Words and Power Point) Application Procedure: Interested applicants are to send in your resumes to Maybank Yangon Representative Office, 7th Floor, Centrepoint Towers. No 65, Corner of Sule Pagoda Road & Merchant Street, Kyauktada Township, Yangon Before April 9, 2012. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

India abandons rail price rises

By Rupam Jain Nair NEW DELHI The Indian government on March 22 scrapped plans to increase most rail fares, underscoring the Congress-led coalitions difficulties in implementing tough policy decisions. I intend to give relief to the already burdened common man, the new Railway Minister Mukul Roy told parliament after his predecessor Dinesh Trivedi resigned on March 18 over the controversial issue. Trivedi had announced the increases in rail fares, a touchstone issue among millions of Indians, only the previous week but the proposed rises triggered fury from his populist Trinamool Congress party, which is part of the ruling coalition. The dilapidated railways, still the main form of longdistance travel in India despite fierce competition from airlines, operate thousands of passenger and freight trains and carry millions of people daily. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has suffered a series of embarrassing policy setbacks in recent months as his fractious coalition government struggles to push through its liberalisation agenda. The withdrawal of major reforms to the retail sector, slowing economic growth and a series of corruption scandals have beset Singh during his second term in office. The 79-year-old prime minister has been criticised as indecisive and the Congress party fared poorly in recent state elections. Mamata Banerjee, leader of the regional Trinamool Congress party, led outrage against the rail price rises the first in nearly a decade saying that they were a deliberate anti-poor policy. Banerjee, a firebrand former railway minister who is chief minister of West Bengal state, has become a thorn in the side of the government after she also forced the reversal of retail reforms in December. Roy told a noisy parliament that the rail price rises would not be implemented except in the highest class of travel used by wealthier Indians. The proposed modest nationwide increases would have included the 1390-kilometre (860-mile) Mumbai-Delhi fare rising by only 28 rupees (55 US cents) for bottom-rung secondclass customers. Trivedi had argued that the ticket price rises were necessary to improve safety standards on the crumbling British colonialera railway network, which carries millions of people a day. In his budget, he had pledged to spend a record 601 billion rupees ($12 billion) in the financial year 201213 on improving safety and tracks, building new lines and introducing new trains. After the U-turn on the fares hike, it was uncertain whether the planned upgrade would still take place. Trade unions were split on the governments latest move, with some backing increased fares as the only way to fund improvements to the vast network. This is a big blunder. The fare increase was needed, said Shiva Gopal Mishra, of the All India Railwaymens Federation, which has 1.26 million members. The rise was a positive step as the Indian railway needs more money for its survival. We do not support the rollback in any form, he told AFP. Indias train system has a notoriously bad accident record, with a recent official report revealing almost 15,000 people are killed a year crossing rail tracks a figure the government described as a massacre. Derailments, collisions and other accidents are also common. AFP

India auditor rejects Worst is over in reported $210b coal loss eurozone debt crisis,
NEW DELHI Indias auditor on March 22 rejected reports that it had calculated that the government lost US$210 billion by giving away coal deposits instead of selling them by auction. The Times of India newspaper had quoted a draft report by the auditor as saying the government extended undue benefits to coal companies worth 106.7 billion rupees ($210 billion) by awarding 155 coalfields without auction. But the Comptroller and Auditor General said the reported figure was extremely misleading and that we have changed our thinking on the potential loss to the nations treasury following clarifications by the government. Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs office, moving to quell outrage over the figures, released a letter from the auditor expressing great embarrassment and very deep anguish over the leak. Last year, a report from the auditor said that the miss-selling of mobile phone licences to favour some firms in 2008 cost the treasury up to $39 billion causing a huge scandal from which the government is still reeling. On March 22, parliament erupted in uproar over the latest leaked figure. Why were the coal blocks allotted without auction? Prakash Javedkar, leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, demanded. It is a government of scamsters that is involved in kneedeep corruption. The Times of India quoted the draft auditors report as saying that coal, being a natural resource, ought to have been allocated to private players on a competitive bidding [basis] as it brings more transparency. But the auditors office said it now did not believe the benefits reaped by the scores of private miners and some public sector firms from the coal fields represented an equivalent loss to the exchequer. It did not give further details. A former telecom minister, corporate executives and government officials are facing trial in the second-generation (2G) telecom case, which has cast a long shadow over premier Singhs government and paralysed policymaking. The auditors final report on coal fields, which were allocated between 2004 and 2009, is expected to be presented to parliament later this month. AFP FRANKFURT The worst is over in the eurozone debt crisis, but risks remain and it is up to governments to resolve them, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said in a newspaper interview on March 22. The worst is over, but risks remain, Draghi told the daily Bild, Germanys most widelyread newspaper. Key indicators such as inflation, the current account balance and above all budget deficits are all better than, say, in the United States, the Italian central banker said. Investor confidence is returning and for weeks now the ECB has not needed to take supportive action by buying bonds. The ball is now in the governments court. They have to make the eurozone permanently immune to crisis, Draghi said. Draghi, who took over the running of the ECB last November, defended

says ECB chief Draghi

the recent move to pump more than one trillion euros (US$1.3 trillion) into Europes banking system, which some critics, including Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann, warn could fuel inflation in the single currency region. Of course there are risks and side effects if you use such a powerful medication as the one trillion euros were. But the situation last autumn was really critical, he insisted. There could have been a dangerous credit crunch which would have led to the collapse of companies. We had to prevent that, Draghi said. The ECB chief played down perceived tensions between him and the head of the German central bank. Professionally and personally, Jens Weidmann and I get along very well. Our difference of opinion has been hyped up, he said. AFP

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Sales and Marketing manager (pharmaceutical) Brand manager Sales manager Tour operation Manager Tour operation Assistant Tour Sales manager Sales girl - 30 staff (Fresher) Sales boy- 30 staff (Fresher) Engineers (BE/ME/) Accountants Secretary Human Resources Manager No.851/853, 3rd Floor, Bogyke Aung San Road, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon. Tel: 222963/ 229406/ 229437/ 728261 E-mail: esearch@yangon.net.mm

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Business
March 26 - April 1, 2012
mining licences, Deloitte mining consultant Julian Hill said. It seemed to be a new dawn in Indonesian mining, so foreigners rushed in. It was a false dawn as it turned out. Since the 2009 law was passed, no new licences have in fact been passed. The new law requires a tender process, but the terms for the tender process have never been decided, so no licences have been issued. Talk about uncertainty, Hill said. Perth-based mining veteran David Quinlivan is all too aware of that uncertainty. His Londonlisted company Churchill had its exploration permits revoked. In partnership with a local company, Churchill had obtained permits on 35,000 hectares of land on Indonesian Borneo, expecting to find 100 million tonnes of coking coal. Instead, it found a staggering 2.8 billion tonnes, one of the worlds largest reserves, which it says could bring in up to $1 billion a year for the next 25 years. After Churchill publicised the finding, its permits were revoked by the East Kutai district head and were returned to the former concession holder, the Nusantara Group, which declined to comment. Nusantara is owned by one of Indonesias wealthiest men, Prabowo Subianto, the former head of the notorious Kopassus special forces unit, and a presidential aspirant. He stands accused of orchestrating atrocities, including rape, murder and torture, in East Timor during Indonesias brutal 24-year occupation. Churchill whose share price plunged 10-fold, from above 130 pence ($2) in 2010 to around 13 pence today is now banking on the Supreme Court to overturn the revocation, or to achieve context, with the power to issue permits devolved to 399 district governments, who now do the job that one central body had done for more than 30 years. But Indonesia is not alone in seeking to prise back some of the booming revenues flowing to miners in recent years, as global commodity demand has surged on the back of growth in China and the rest of Asia. Australia, Ghana and South Africa have all either introduced or deliberated higher taxes or levies on miners to ensure the wealth is more evenly distributed. Accounting firm Ernst & Young in a report last year cited resource nationalism as the biggest global risk in mining and metals, ahead of infrastructure access and problems obtaining permits. Indonesia plans to ban the export of raw minerals by 2014 to stop foreigners gutting the land and to encourage local processing industries. But the Indonesian Mining Association warns that the country will be no better off if foreign investors are turned away. Were not ready for these policies, the associations executive director Syahrir Abu Bakar said. It takes six or seven years just to build a smelter, so if the government doesnt come up with better infrastructure fast, Indonesians will lose jobs, he said. AFP

MyanMar tiMes

Foreign miners decry Indonesian law change

By Angela Dewan JAKARTA Foreign investors are bemoaning a new law in Indonesia that strips them of control over mining assets, the latest in a rash of regulations that reflect what they see as growing resource nationalism. The law announced this month obliges foreigners to divest at least 51 percent of their shares to Indonesians over a 10-year period. We would like the benefits of our countrys resources to reach more Indonesians, energy and minerals ministry resources director Thamrin Shiite said. Locals living around mines always say they want a share of what the companies are earning. Indonesia, Southeast Asias largest economy, has some of the worlds biggest untapped mineral reserves, including tin, nickel, copper and gold. Talks of benefit-sharing intensified last year in parliament during a threemonth strike at a giant gold and copper mine owned by US company FreeportMcMoRan, which ended with a 37pc pay hike for workers. Political and economic stability over the past decade have empowered Indonesians to demand a greater share of the countrys wealth and stability has also attracted investors. Foreigners poured a record US$20 billion of investment into Indonesia last year, according to government data, as the economy grew by 6.5pc. Of that money, $3.6 billion went into mining. But investors now complain the government is sending mixed messages, passing a mining law in 2009 to improve the investment climate, then shifting to a more protectionist stance. Under the 2009 mining law, foreigners could for the first time fully own

Workers load coal at a mining site in Samarinda, Indonesia, on March 13. Pic: AFP a commercial settlement with Nusantara. Its disappointing where we are. Indonesias a great place for natural resources, Quinlivan said. But we never expected the government to reissue licences, that never entered our heads. If land title isnt fixed, thats a real problem for Indonesia. Investors need security. The case highlights the difficulty of working in Indonesias decentralised

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Notice is given that Merck & Co., Inc. of One Merck Drive, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889-0100, United States of America, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following Trade Mark:-

Used in connection with:- Class 05: Diuretic preparations. A Declaration of Ownership of the said Mark has been registered in the Office of the Sub-Registrar of Deeds and Assurances, Yangon being No. 172/1967. WaRNING is hereby given that any fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark in any manner whatsoever will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for Merck & Co., Inc. P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 26th March, 2012

ModuReT

ProPerty
March 26 - April 1, 2012
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MyanMar tiMes

Work on Hledan flyover starts, says official Chinas home prices

By Htar Hyar Khin SHWE TAUNG Development Co plans to start building a four-lane flyover at the Hledan Junction this month to ease chronic traffic congestion, a company spokesperson said last week. The spokesperson said the flyover will reach from Diamond Condo to Kanbawza Bank on Pyay Road in Kamaryut township. Yangons population increases day-by-day and were facing traffic problems almost daily, so building this kind of infrastructure can save time spent in traffic to some extent, said U Soe Thein, the Minister for Industry, at the ceremony to mark the start of work last week. A Yangon City Development Committee official said the flyover would be 44 feet wide (13.2 metres), and include a 3-foot-wide (1 metre) pedestrian walkway on either side. He added that it would take about four months to complete. The bridge was designed by TY Lin International of Singapore and the traffic analysis survey was done by Vertix (Asia Pacific), he added.

largely down in Feb

BEIJING Home prices in nearly two thirds of Chinas major cities fell in February from the previous month, the government said on March 18, as moves to cool the redhot property market continue to bite. Of the 70 large and midsized cities tracked by the government, 45 saw new home prices fall month-onmonth, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement, down from 48 in January. Prices in a further 21 cities were stable and just four cities experienced price rises, it added. Beijing has introduced a range of measures aimed at curbing runaway property prices over the past year, such as bans on buying second homes, raising minimum downpayments and introducing property taxes in select cities. But analysts now worry that slumping home prices could

Condo market heats up: real estate agents

CONDOMINIUMS are in hot demand as property investments, real estate agents said last week. U Sai Khung Noung, managing director of Sai Khung Noung real estate agency in Tarmwe township, said condo sales have been on the way up since the start of the year. This is a good period for condo sales and weve seen many people trying to buy in good locations across Yangon, he said. He said condominiums in the K100-350 million price range were the most sought-after, particularly in Dagon, Bahan, Kamaryut, Mayangone and Mingalar Taung Nyunt townships. I think buyers are looking for condos in good areas that come with good quality services [such as cleaning, parking and water provision] too, he said. And as far as I can see, most buyers are looking at the properties with a view to reselling them later theyre not worried about renting, he said. But the condominium blocks in Sanchaung, Tarmwe and Yankin townships areas are not selling as well. I think the investment focus is on centrally-located areas, he added. He said buyers put a high value on security and the availability of a parking space: if a condo did not offer these facilities, many buyers walked away. Ko Min Min Soe, from Mya Pan Tha Khin real estate agency in Lanmadaw township, said his agency was seeing strong demand in Kamaryut and Thingangyun townships. During the past couple of months, weve been selling lots of condo apartments in Kamaryut and Thingangyun, particularly those priced below K100 million. He added that condo sales in the first three months of 2012 were 30 percent higher than during the same period in 2011. I think people are busy searching for affordable condos that they will be able to rent to foreigners in coming months, Ko Min Min Soe said. However, he said the enactment of a condominium law, whenever that happened, would boost quality and force developers to provide better facilities. He added that many so-called condominiums offered buyers nothing more than an elevator. U Khin Maung Aye, owner of Shwe Kan Myay real estate agency in Tarmwe township, said condominiums were the subject of the industrywide attention. Our agency doesnt specialise in condo sales but Ive heard from many others in the industry that condos priced between K150 million and K300 are hot, he said. He added that developers were taking note of Yangon City Development Committee regulations, as well as buyer demand, by ensuring adequate parking in their projects. U Shein Win, the managing director of Tet Lann Construction, which focuses on building in the downtown area, confirmed that demand for condos was running hot. Proper facilities are really important in condo projects, with projects that have adequate parking and security more soughtafter, he said. I think the market is so active at the moment because people are buying apartments that they hope to rent to foreigners later, U Shein Win said. He said demand was also being increased because most hotels and serviced apartments in downtown Yangon were fully booked and arriving foreigners were needing accommodation. U Shein Win said the market was waiting for a condominium law. If a condo law comes I think well see a huge surge in interest because individual foreigners will want to buy apartments and foreign companies will want to buy units for their employees.

Officials take part in a ceremony to mark the start of work on a flyover at the Hledan Junction in Kamaryut township last week. Pic: Boothee

hurt growth in the worlds second-largest economy, which is already forecast to slow this year from 9.2 percent growth in 2011. The government, however, has said it has no plans so far to relax policy restrictions aimed at cooling the market. Chinas property prices will likely continue their downward trend, likely going into the second half of 2012 and until policies are altered, property analysts EC Harris said in a research note. Even if there are concerns on the economic slowdown in China, we expect the ... Chinese leadership to maintain its tightening measures at least until the latter parts of 2012. According to the NBS, prices of newly built homes fell in February on a year-on-year basis in 27 of the 70 cities surveyed higher than the 15 cities that recorded price drops in January. AFP

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

NOTICE is hereby given that Christian Dior Couture of 30, Avenue Montaigne,75008 Paris, France is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademark:-

(Reg: Nos. IV/187/1979 & IV/1243/1997) used in respect of:- All articles of clothing, hats wearing apparels and accessories; sporting articles and accessories; footwears; furs; fabrics; household linen; jewellery and imitations; spectacles; writing instruments and particularly fountain pens; propelling pencils, ball point pens; fibre tip pens and the like, smoking articles and particularly lighters; playing cards; bags and all kind of luggage; umbrellas; wigs; furnishing, furniture; decoration, horological instruments; porcelain; earthenware (coating), tiling, wall coverings; portable telephones; design, manufacture and sale of all luxury goods; stores of all luxury goods; websites; hotels and restaurants services; organization of shows and fashion exhibitions The above trademark was first registered in 1979 under the name of Christian Dior under Registration No.IV/187/1979. This trademark was assigned to Christian Dior Couture in 1996 and recordal of assignment filed under Registration No.IV/1243/1997. Warning is hereby given that any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark will be dealt with according to law. U Kyi Win Associates for Christian Dior Couture on behalf of United Trademark & Patent Services, Lahore, Pakistan. P.O. Box 26, Yangon, Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Connors Bros. Clover Leaf Seafoods Company, of 80 Tiverton Court, Suite 600, Markham, Ontario L3R 0G4, Canada, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

Reg. No. 5166/1998 in respect of Class 29: Canned Fish. 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 Connors Bros. Clover Leaf Seafoods Company P. O. Box 60, Yangon Dated: 26th March, 2012

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March 26 - April 1, 2012
wanted to create a hub for trade operators, said Donald Choi, managing director of Hong Kongbased Nan Fung Development Ltd, which is spending 6 billion yuan ($950 million) on commercial projects in the city. So everything here, the excellent infrastructure, the policies, are all being backed by the government. Zhujiang Xincheng, which means Pearl River New Town in Mandarin, is home to the Guangzhou Opera House, the biggest performing centre in Southern China, and the 1969-foot Canton Tower, an observation tower that was the worlds tallest when it was completed in 2010. Guangzhou, with a population of more than 12 million, is Chinas third-largest city behind Shanghai and Beijing and is the capital of the Guangdong province. The expectation of growing demand for office space in Zhujiang Xincheng has prompted the government to plan the development of another business district in Guangzhous Pazhou, the district where the venue of the Canton Fair is. Companies including Nan Fung are building at least 4.5 million square metres of commercial space there in addition to the existing 335,000 square metres. Guangzhous market for convention and exhibition is still developing, said Nan Fungs Choi. Its the center of trading of southern China and were very confident in its future. The company, one of Hong Kongs two biggest closely held builders, is investing at least HK$6 billion ($773 million) building a hotel, exhibition venue, and an office building in the district. The next five years in Pazhou will be like Zhujiang Xincheng five years ago, said Colliers Lam. At the moment therell still land available, but thatll change fast. Bloomberg News

MyanMar tiMes

Chinas trading hub of Guangzhou booming

By Kelvin Wong GUANGZHOU, China Guangzhou, a trading hub for China since the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century, is in the midst of the biggest commercial real estate boom in its history. Developers including Guangzhou R&F Properties Co and Poly Real Estate Group Co plan to add more than 1.7 million square metres (18.3 million square feet) of prime office space to the city this year enough for about 120,000 workers. Almost 90 percent of the new space will be built in Zhujiang Xincheng, a zone twice the size of the City of London that Guangzhous government earmarked as its new central business district almost a decade ago, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc. Back in 2004, out there it was all just dirt, said Adrian Chan, assistant to the chairman at Guangzhou R&F, which has completed five office projects in the area since then, including the 160,000-square-metre, 54-storey R&F Centre, where the interview took place. Today, it turns out to be a good winner. Guangzhou R&F and its rivals will be seeking to fill the space at a time of slowing economic growth, with the nations expansion target for 2012 this month set at 7.5pc, down from an 8pc goal in place since 2005. China last week reported its biggest trade deficit in at least 22 years, the weakest JanuaryFebruary factory-production gain since 2009, and retail sales that trailed the median of economist estimates. The new developments may push the prime office vacancy rate in the city to above 20pc by 2015, from 12pc now, according to Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. With that amount of new supply coming in, I dont care how fast the absorption rate is, it will

Traffic moves down a street in Guangzhou. The city is in the midst of the biggest commercial real estate boom in its history. Pic: Bloomberg News pull up vacancy, said Alvin Lau, managing director for Southern China at CBRE Group. And if there isnt enough demand, then rents will fall, though I dont think therell be a crash. Guangzhou, named Canton by Portuguese traders in the 16 th century, hosts the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in April every year. In the 19th century, British traders imported opium into China through the city until the Chinese government sought to ban it, triggering the Opium War that resulted in the ceding of Hong Kong. Guangzhous government in 2003 decided to turn the Zhujiang Xincheng district into a financial centre rivalling Shanghai and Shenzhen. That was followed two years later by a 200 billion yuan (US$32 billion) plan to upgrade the whole citys infrastructure. While finance firms didnt respond, export and domesticindustrial companies have. The 6.6-square-kilometre district features the regional headquarters of China Mobile, the worlds biggest phone carrier by users, General Motors, the largest foreign automaker in China, and Tesco, Britains biggest retailer. It was never going to work as Guangzhou doesnt even have a capital market, said Eric Lam, managing director for Southern China at property adviser Colliers International. The ones who ended up here are the South China or regional headquarters of companies, not banks. At the end it was the market that directed the districts positioning. Ev en w ith th e n ew of fic e supply, Lam said rents in top tier buildings will rise because of very strong demand. Average monthly rent at Zhujiang Xincheng was 279 yuan ($44) a square metre in the fourth quarter, compared with 255 yuan ($40) a square metre at Tianhe, Guangzhous former central business district, New York-based Cushman said. That compares with 507 yuan ($80) in Beijing and 414 yuan ($66) in Shanghai. China will overtake the US as the worlds biggest trading nation by 2016 as intra-Asia commerce and rising demand from emerging markets boosts shipments, according to a report from HSBC Holdings last month. The government has always

teChnology
March 26 - April 1, 2012
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MyanMar tiMes

Pedal power brings cheap energy to Rwanda

By Steve Terrill BUGESERA DISTRICT, Rwanda The lights Daniel Ntibaziyandemye uses for his nocturnal fishing trips are charged by pedal-powered generators that offer an affordable means of creating energy, even for the poor. The small generator, which stands knee-high inside a wooden frame, is operated by what looks like a recumbent exercise bike and charges batteries for small but bright light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. The light created is cheaper and more efficient than solar power. Previously we used torches to find our traps at night, said Ntibaziyandemye, aged 28, who fishes at night on the remote crocodile-infested Akanyaru river. But the batteries were so expensive that it left us with little profit. Now with the new LED lights, we can fish for a week for less money than it used to cost for one night. He lays his traps just before dusk among heavy brush, waving away mosquitoes and listening out for crocodiles, waiting until night to venture into the water to collect his catch. Five lights can be recharged with 20 minutes of pedalling and each light lasts more than 25 hours enough for a week for most users. One minute spent pedalling generates almost 400 minutes of light. Rwandan firm Nuru Energy, is behind the innovation, which earned it a US$200,000 award in the 2008 World Bank Lighting Africa Prize. The company gives the generators and lights to small traders, allowing them to pay for them later, in instalments, with the money they make from the equipment. Villagers then pay a small fee to the traders to have the lights charged every week. The company gave me six months to repay the loan for my first lights, but with the money I made from recharging the lights, I was able to repay my loan in two months, said 25-year-old Martin Uwayezu. I used to be poor but now I am a businessman. Nuru Energy has pilot projects in other countries, including India, but Rwanda is the first African country where it has launched the pedal-powered generators. To reach its customers, Nuru uses the local mobile phone money transfer system, whereby traders buy credit by sending text messages and receive a code to unlock the generators and charge the lamps. Much of Rwandas rural areas have no electricity and people rely on kerosene and wood for lighting and cooking. More than 90 percent of households use kerosene and exposure to the fumes can be as bad as smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. In addition to being dangerous, its inefficient and costly, said Sloan Holazman, Nuru marketing director. Households spend 10-25pc of their income on kerosene for light alone. The companys chief executive officer and cofounder Sameer Hajee said they studied energy use by rural Rwandans to come up with the cheap and clean energy technology that many can easily afford and depend on. The company boasts 10,000 customers across Rwanda and hopes to expand to other east African countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, later this year. AFP

Singapore gains toehold in world weapons industry

By Bhavan Jaipragas SINGAPORE Singapore, better known for its cleancut image and electronics exports, is seeking a place in the global arms industry by exploiting technological expertise honed on its own amply funded military. From armoured personnel carriers used by British forces in Afghanistan to ammunition and firearms, the city-state is trying to enlarge the overseas market for its homegrown weapons and defence systems. Its arms exports were in the limelight recently when Indias defence ministry banned six weapons manufacturers for alleged involvement in a 2009 bribery case one of them a relatively little-known company from Singapore. ST Kinetics, part of the multibillion-dollar ST Engineering industrial group, swiftly and vigorously denied the accusation but the mere mention of the firm underscored Singapores growing ambitions in the world arms market. Singapores Straits Times newspaper said ST Kinetics was bidding for a contract to supply India with howitzers when the process was put on hold over the bribery allegations. Its parent ST Engineering, with revenues of S$5.99 billion (US$4.72 billion) in 2011, was the only Southeast Asian firm on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes list of the worlds top 100 defence manufacturers released last month. Partly owned by state investment agency Temasek Holdings, ST Engineering dominates the defence industry in Singapore. It says it is one of the worlds top suppliers of 40mm ammunition as well as portable weapons like its CIS 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher. The company was the biggest exhibitor at last months Singapore Airshow where among the equipment on display was a new version

A Bronco New Gen All Terrain Vehicle made by ST Kinetics on display at the Singapore Airshow on February 14. Pic: AFP of the Bronco, an armoured all-terrain troop carrier used by British forces in Afghanistan. Our things are battleproven. If you need something special, we can also customise to give you an edge over other people, Patrick Choy, executive vice-president for international marketing at ST Engineering, told AFP at the show. The British Armys 115 Broncos first deployed in Afghanistan in 2010 and dubbed the Warthog are ST Engineerings pride, and billed as the first armoured vehicles built for a Western army by an Asian firm. Britain has about 9500 troops in Afghanistan, the second-largest foreign contingent after the US troops in the coalition, operating in the difficult terrain of Helmand province. Jon Grevatt, a defence specialist for IHS Janes, a global security think tank, said the firm has done a grand job with the Bronco but noted that the British Army heavily customised it to suit its operational needs in Afghanistan. Beyond Britain, ST Engineering exports weapons and military equipment to other countries but refuses to divulge details. According to the Stockholm institute, Singapore has sold defence products to Indonesia, Chad, Nigeria, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil since 2000, generating $1.75 billion in 2010 alone. Despite its diverse customer profile, ST Engineering is still heavily dependent on the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Grevatt said. Singapore has the largest defence budget in Southeast Asia, thanks to public funds generated by its phenomenal economic growth. It has set aside S$12.28 billion ($9.68 billion) for defence in 2012, at 24.4 percent the largest single allocation in the governments total budget. Surrounded by far larger neighbours, Singapore has pursued a robust defence strategy since its acrimonious split with Malaysia in 1965, and was initially advised by Israel. All able-bodied Singaporean men are required to devote two years of full-time military service upon turning 18, providing additional manpower on top of the estimated 20,000 armed forces regulars. As a defence manufacturer ST is driven largely by what the SAF needs ... which is still conventional systems, Grevatt said. STs conventional land systems for the SAF will be difficult to sell outside Singapore because several factors are against it ... the Western market is in decline and conflicts are also winding down. H o w e v e r , S T Engineerings non-defence sectors contribute about 60pc of revenues, with the diverse portfolio bolstering growth potential, he added. Defence manufacturers today have to be diverse and have their fingers in many pies to survive, Grevatt said. AFP

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

NOTICE is hereby given that Sangsom Company Limited of 14 Viphavadi Rangsit Road, Khwaeng Chomphon, Khet Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademarks: -

(Reg. Nos. IV/ 4367 /1997 & IV/6392/2007)

Apple announces dividend as iPad sales rocket

By Glenn Chapman SAN FRANCISCO Apple announced last week it would spend part of its massive cash hoard to pay its first dividend since 1995, and trumpeted that it had sold three million new iPads on the opening weekend. Apple also revealed plans to buy back US$10 billion in shares while still adding to the billions it has in its coffers. The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold the strongest iPad launch yet, said Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller. Apple stressed that its dividend and stock buy-back plan, which will tap into cash reserves of $98 billion, will not restrict its ability to invest in research, develop new products, or pursue valuable acquisitions. Innovation is the most important objective at Apple and we will not lose sight of that, chief executive Tim Cook told analysts in a conference call. These decisions will not close any doors for us. Apple said it would pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 a share from its cash balance generated from sales of its hugely successful gadgets like the iPad and iPhone. The dividend payment would start with the quarter which begins in July. Apple said it expected the repurchase program to be carried out over three years beginning October. Chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer described the company as generating enough cash to easily accommodate the dividend amounting to $10 billion a year and the stock buyback without biting into Apples resources. In the companys 2011 fiscal year, Apple generated $31 billion in surplus cash. In the first quarter of 2012, it added another $24 billion. Thats plenty of cash to run the business, said Oppenheimer. Apple is hauling in cash at such a breathtaking pace that its coffers are expected to continue swelling despite paying dividends and buying back stock. Analysts were pleased that Apple finally decided to loosen its purse strings and pay dividends but were unimpressed with the amount, which was described as below average for successful technology companies. Apple shares climbed with the news, hitting $604.62 in trading that followed the close of the market. AFP

(Reg. Nos. IV/ 4371/1997 & IV/6393/2007) The above two trademarks are used in respect of: Whisky, rum, liquors Intl Class: 33 Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademarks will be dealt with according to law. U Kyi Win Associates for Sangsom Company Limited P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon. Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

TiMESWORLD
A TV grab released last week by television station France 2 of selfconfessed serial killer, Mohammed Merah, who died during a police raid on his apartment in Toulouse on March 22. Pic: AFP/France 2

March 26 - April 1, 2012

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MyanMar tiMes

UN statement fails the people, says Syrian opposition

Briefly
KABUL The US soldier accused of an Afghan village massacre that further strained already-frayed Afghan-US ties was charged with 17 premeditated murders on March 23. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was also accused of six counts of assault and attempted murder in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province on March 11. JERUSALEM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 22 slammed as hypocritical a UN Human Rights Council resolution, which ordered a probe into Israeli settlements by a vote 36-1, with only the US voting against it. There were 10 abstentions. It will be the first probe into how Israeli settlements may be infringing on the rights of the Palestinian people. GENEVA The UN Human Rights Council on March 22 passed a resolution urging Sri Lanka to conduct a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during its battle against Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement the resolution would encourage Colombo to continue on the path toward reconciliation. SYDNEY A man has been rescued after a three-day ordeal trapped in a remote flooded fishing hut where he was stalked by four-metre crocodiles, the Cairns Post reported on March 23. Terry Donovan, 65, told the newspaper he took refuge on a billiard table the highest place he could find which he packed with supplies. AFP

French MPs want answers over monster serial killer

As police from the elite In a televised address at fault, he acknowledged TOULOUSE Questions mounted in France last week earlier, Sarkozy vowed to the matter would have to be RAID force stormed his apartment the 23-year-old over how a known Islamic crack down on extremism, investigated. An al-Qaeda linked group, burst out of the bathroom extremist managed to murder saying he wanted legal seven people, including three action against people who Jund al-Khilafah, claimed wearing a black djellaba, children, in three separate regularly consulted jihadist responsibility on jihadist a traditional loose-fitting North African robe, and a attacks before being killed in websites or travelled abroad websites for the killings. During the siege, Merah bullet-proof vest. for indoctrination. a firefight. He opened fire on them But some politicians were told police he had carried Adding to pressure on security officials one veteran already asking how French out all three recent attacks. before jumping out the police officer asked how the intelligence officers had In the first two he shot dead window of his first-floor gunman was not taken alive failed to head off Merahs three soldiers. Then on apartment, still firing as he during the siege and final killing spree, given that he March 19 he gunned down fell. Molins said Merah was assault in the southwestern was already known to them three children and a teacher shot in the head. He was dead by the time at a Jewish school. city of Toulouse, in which the as an extremist. he hit the ground, a gunman died. police source told AFP. Officers from an elite Police had been told to unit moved in early on He was dead by the time he hit the ground. do everything possible March 22 after a 32to take Merah alive, but hour siege, killing selfFrances chief anti-terror had had no choice but to fire, Sarkozys main challenger proclaimed al-Qaeda militant Mohamed Merah as he tried Francois Hollande referred to prosecutor Francois Molins said Molins. But Christian Prouteau, to shoot his way out of his reports of possible failings in confirmed that Merah had the surveillance of Merah at filmed the attacks with a who founded the GIGN apartment. another of Frances elite video camera. The siege had interrupted a rally late on March 22. The killings shocked police units asked why With the end of the siege, the hard-fought campaign for Frances April-May he said, questions will have France, home to western police had not used tear gas to Europes largest Jewish and flush out Merah, expressing presidential vote, but Sarkozy to put. astonishment that they had Earlier the same day, Muslim minorities. resumed his re-election bid On Thursday morning the failed to capture him alive. with a rally in the city of French Foreign Minister Alain In an interview, with Strasbourg on the evening Juppe said in an interview streets of a residential area with Europe 1 radio that in Toulouse were filled with Ouest France newspaper, of March 22. These crimes were not the French intelligence officers the sound of intense gunfire he asked: How come the work of a madman, he said. had recently questioned in a shattering finale to the polices best unit did not standoff, which had begun manage to arrest a man all A madman is irresponsible. Merah. While he did not know if before dawn the previous alone? AFP These crimes were the work Earlier report, P. 23. the intelligence service was day. of a fanatic and a monster.

DAMASCUS Fierce clashes erupted in Syria on March 22, as President Bashar al-Assads foes branded as toothless a UN Security Council call for peace. The escalation came just hours after the UN Security Council adopted a statement urging Assad and the opposition to implement fully and immediately a peace plan by international envoy Kofi Annan. Annans plan calls for Assad to pull troops and heavy weapons out of protest cities, a daily twohour humanitarian pause to hostilities, access to all areas affected by the fighting and a UN-supervised halt to all clashes. Monitors say more than 9100 people have been killed in the unrest that started just over a year ago. Th e Syr ian Nation al Council, the main opposition group, dismissed the UN statement, saying it offered the regime the opportunity to push ahead with its repression in order to crush the revolt by the Syrian people. SNC chief Burhan Ghalioun in Paris told AFP that the UN statement has the merit of representing the common position of the international community against the policies of Bashar al-Assad. But it obviously does not meet the real needs of the Syrian people. The official media in Damascus on March 22 played up the lack of any threat or ultimatum in the non-binding Security Council statement. After intense negotiations between major UN powers, Russia and China signed up to the Western-drafted text which also calls on Assad to work toward a democratic transition. AFP

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

MHCS, a company incorporated in France, of 9, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Epernay, France, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

VeuVe CLICQuoT
Reg. No. 12955/2011 in respect of Intl Class 33: Alcoholic beverages (except beers); wines; sparkling wines; wines from the French Appellation of Origin Champagne. 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 MHCS P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 26th March, 2012

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MyanMar tiMes

Briefs
Clinton warns of water wars
WASHINGTON US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned on March 22 of the risk of terrorism, political instability and conflict over competition for scarce water supplies worldwide during the next few decades. The risks highlighted by Clinton were outlined in the unclassified version of a report on global water security which she had requested that was released by the National Intelligence Council on March 22 to coincide with World Water Day.

Petty criminal turns serial killer

T O U L O U S E , F r a n c e man wearing an extreme Self-confessed jihadi serial sports camera on a chest killer Mohamed Merah was harness. A man claiming to be a French petty criminal of Algerian origin who the killer called a French spent time in Pakistan and television channel shortly Afghanistan and claimed to b e f o r e p o l i c e b e s i e g e d Merah in his Toulouse be an al-Qaeda militant. Born in the southwestern flat to say he would soon French city of Toulouse on put footage of the attacks October 10, 1988, Merah online. Either I will go prison had been tracked for years by Frances DCRI domestic with my head held high or intelligence service, but I will die with a smile, the nothing suggested that caller said. He said he wanted to he was preparing a major take revenge for the ban on crime. Interior Minister Claude wearing the full Islamic veil G u e a n t s a i d h e w a s in public in France and for part of a group of about Frances participation in 15 followers of Islamic the war in Afghanistan. Gueant said on March fundamentalist Salafist ideology in Toulouse, where 20 that the man behind he lived in the northern the killings was someone who is very cold, very Izards neighbourhood. He had made two trips to determined, very in control Pakistan and Afghanistan, of himself, very cruel. Merah reportedly told although Gueant said negotiators at he did not his flat that think Merah had visited Either I will go t h e J e w i s h school attack any militant t r a i n i n g prison with my was to avenge Palestinian camps. The man head held high children killed by Israel. suspected A young or I will die of calmly man who shooting dead with a smile. approached three children the police and a teacher cordon outside at a Toulouse Jewish school on March Merahs flat to offer to talk 19 as well as three French him into surrender said paratroopers in two other the suspect worked in car attacks on March 11 and body work. The father of one of two on March 15 twice tried and failed to join the Merahs neighbours said the suspect helped them French army. The defence ministry said carry furniture into their that Merah first tried to flat about 10 months ago. Hes a normal person, join in northern city Lille like anyone else in the in January 2008. He passed all the tests street who would give you a but the inquiry into his hand to carry a sofa, Eric criminal record decided Lambert said, adding that to reject his application, among his sons neighbours, Colonel Bruno Lafitte told Merah wasnt the one who made the most noise. AFP. Merah reportedly carried In 2010, he applied to join the Foreign Legion in out 18 minor crimes, some with violence. Toulouse. He was also arrested He spent the night at the recruitment centre in Afghanistans former but, Lafitte said: The very T a l i b a n s t r o n g h o l d next day he left of his own Kandahar in late 2010 for an unspecified crime, a accord. W i t n e s s e s s a i d t h e source close to the inquiry shootings at the school told AFP. Merah reportedly spent were carried out by a

Houston drowned, coroners reveal

LOS ANGELES Grammy-winning pop legend Whitney Houston died from accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after taking cocaine, coroners said on March 22. Houston, who died at age 48 in a Beverly Hills hotel room last month, could have had a heart attack which caused her to slip under the water, said the Los Angeles County Coroners office. Houston was found dead on February 11, hours ahead of a glittering pre-Grammy party in the Beverly Hilton hotel where she died.

Above: French paratroopers carry the coffin of their comrade, Abel Chennouf, past his pregnant girlfriend, Caroline (right), during his funeral at Montauban, southern France, on March 21. Chennouf and another French paratrooper were gunned down in Montauban, near Toulouse, on March 15. Below: Israeli mourners at the funerals at Givat Shaun cemetery in Jerusalem on March 21 of the three French-Israeli children and a teacher shot dead at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, two days earlier. Pix: AFP

Red faces over wrong anthem

ALMATY, Kazakhstan Kazakhstans shooting team demanded an apology from Kuwait after a spoof national anthem from the satirical movie Borat was played at a medal ceremony instead of the official version. Red-faced organisers in Kuwait apologised for the embarrassing oversight before restaging the medal ceremony with the correct version of the Kazakhstan anthem. AFP

time in lawless areas in Afghanistan but it is not known whether he had combat experience there. Investigators have said from the beginning that the killer was experienced in handling weapons. The lawyer who had defended Merah since he first appeared in juvenile court said he was concerned his besieged client may

show unpredictable behaviour. Christian Etelin told French television channel BFMTV that Merah was polite and courteous. Etelin said he learned two years ago that Merah had radicalised and gone to Afghanistan. I told him that, given his travels, he must be under close police surveillance

and that he had better not do anything wrong. He did not give the impression that he could become radical and want to start committing acts of such absolute harshness. Ive always known someone flexible in their behaviour, civilised, and not so rigid that youd imagine any kind of fanaticism. AFP

Brazil accuses Chevron of environmental crime

RIO DE JANEIRO Federal prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro on March 21 accused US oil giant Chevron and 17 executives of environmental crime in connection with a major spill off southeastern Brazil last November. The countrys national oil regulator estimates that 2400 barrels of crude were spilled in the accident, which led authorities to suspend all of Chevrons drilling operations and to deny the company access to huge new offshore fields. The prosecutors said in a statement that it was charging Chevron, oil drilling contractor Transocean and 17 executives with environmental crime and damage in connection with the oil spill. George Buck, the president of Chevrons Brazil unit, and three other company officials sought to frustrate the work of the prosecution by presenting a misleading emergency plan, and by altering documents shown to the authorities, it is alleged. The prosecutors called for bail of US$550,000 for each person accused and $5.5 million for each company. Chevron rejected the charges as outrageous and without merit and vowed to defend itself and its employees. AFP

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Tenaris Connections BV (Netherlands), of Locatellikade 1, 1076 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

PeaCoCk Co., LtD., of 12-20, 5-Chome, Sagisu, Fukushima-Ku, Osaka, Japan is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademark: -

Reg. No. 4742/2001 in respect of All Goods included in Class 6. 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 Tenaris Connections BV (Netherlands) P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 26th March, 2012

(Reg: No. IV/1653/1992) in respect of:- Vacuum bottles, keeping warm water boxes, glass bottles, ice boxes, canteens Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark whatsoever will be dealt with according to law. U Kyi Win Associates for PeaCoCk Co., LtD., P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon. Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

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Romney again, but rivals undaunted

Analysis by Michael Mathes WASHINGTON Despite Mitt Romneys decisive win in Illinois on March 20, his rivals see no reason to drop out and the Republican presidential contest is unlikely to be settled before June, analysts say. April is likely to present a golden opportunity for the former Massachusetts governor and clear but hardly commanding frontrunner to nail down the nomination, with contests in northeastern states where Romney is seen as having strong support. But May when more conservative states such as Texas, Nebraska and Kentucky go to the polls could be a momentum builder for Romneys main rival, Rick Santorum, who has cast himself as a more conservative alternative. The former senator from Pennsylvania lags far behind in delegates, but has been a major thorn in Romneys side since winning a handful of states in January and February. Despite the odds being against him, theres really no reason for Santorum to get out, Henry Olsen, director of the American Enterprise Institutes National Research Initiative, told AFP after the think tank held a panel discussion on the campaign. April is a bad month for Santorum, but May is a great month. That could leave candidates chasing allimportant delegates into June, when the largest state California would likely end up pushing Romney over the top to the nomination, the AEI experts said. But it could be a stalemate until then, even if Romney outpaces his rivals as they seek the magic number of 1144 delegates to the Republican convention, where a nominee is officially crowned. Theres no way Romney can get to 1144 if Santorum stays in the race, until California votes on June 5, Olsen said. Complicating matters is former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a wild card who is trailing a distant third but refuses to drop out. Santorum had sought an upset in Illinois, rallying conservatives to stay true to their principles rather than give their vote to a moderate just because he is the choice of the establishment Republicans. It did not happen, and a resounding Romney win gives the frontrunner momentum ahead of Louisianas primary on March 24 and contests in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, DC on April 3. The victory in Illinois meant that Romney has won 21 of the 33 contests, while Santorum has won 10 largely with the help of evangelicals and the partys most conservative members and Gingrich has won two, including his home state of Georgia. Before Illinois, Romney had won 516 delegates, while Santorum had 236 and Gingrich had 141, showed the website Real Clear delegates proportionally, making it harder for anyone to quickly clinch the race. Bec au se o f th e n ew Republican Party rules... its not really possible for Mitt Romney to win, even with the majority of delegates, until June, Barone told AFP. But when California does vote, it will be a huge win for Romney, Olsen said. Romney is expected to win delegate-rich New Jersey, which also votes on June 5, and Utah, where many share his Mormon faith, on June 26. Norman Ornstein, a longtime observer of presidential elections and author of several books on Congress, agreed that it was Romneys race to lose. The way things are going, Mitt Romney just needs to be patient and hes going to be the nominee, Ornstein said. Theres virtually no chance that Santorum and Gingrich combined can do more than keep him from getting close to the magic 1144. AFP

Landon Peterson is distracted by a photographer as his mother, Meghan, votes in the Republican primary at Metamora, Illinois, on March 20. Pic: AFP Politics. Texas congressman Ron Paul had about 66. AEI resident fellow Michael Barone agreed that Romney had a long slog ahead, in part because previously winner-take-all states have begun awarding

Santorums wife hits back at accusations that hes anti-women

WASHINGTON White House hopeful Rick Santorums wife hit back on March 19 at claims that her husband is anti-women, and denied that if elected he would make it harder for women to gain access to contraception. In a rare television interview on the eve of a Republican primary contest in Illinois, Karen Santorum defended her husband, who has come under fire from womens groups for his opposition to birth control measures and abortion. She told CNN talk show host Piers Morgan that her husbands strong opposition to contraception represent his personal beliefs, and would not form government policy were he to become the Republican candidate and defeat Democrat Barack Obama in Novembers general election. The unfortunate thing is when Rick was asked the question, he said these are my personal beliefs. And the press kept asking him the issue about it again and again, Mrs Santorum said. What it is, its not an issue about contraception. Its an issue about personal freedoms. And the fact that the government should not be making people go against their conscience. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, is a conservative Catholic who has trumpeted his strong Christian beliefs on the campaign trail. His opposition to abortion and contraception allowed him to gain traction as the most socially conservative of the four candidates seeking the Republican nomination, but it may have affected his standing with women voters. Asked if her husband was anti-women and opposed to women having contraception, Mrs Santorum replied: Not at all. Hes been 100 percent supportive of me and my dreams and my career. It was my decision to stay home and be a mum at home, she said. Asked again if that meant Santorum, if elected, would respect a womens right to use contraception, his wife replied: Absolutely. And he has said that. AFP

Obama adds $45m to campaign chest

WASHINGTON US President Barack Obama raised more than US$45 million for his re-election campaign in February, picking up the pace of fundraising ahead of an expected assault by big donors backing Republicans. Obamas combined take for his campaign and the Democratic Party was higher than the $29 million he raised in January, but short of the $55 million he pulled in during February 2008, during a fierce battle for his partys nomination with Hillary Clinton. But the February 2012 total announced by his campaign on March 19 beat the $11.5 million dollars raised by leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the same month. Republicans immediately said that Obamas lag between 2008 and 2012 fundraising was a sign that Americans were uncertain about giving him a second four-year term. The president who ran on change and hope has left our country wanting and whether its showing in fundraising or in the polls, Americans are enthusiastic about replacing him in November, said Republican spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski But Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt hit back, saying the president was building a long-term campaign structure, not simply splashing cash on taking television advertisements slamming opponents from their own party. The $ the (Republican) candidates are raising will be spent on the air carpetbombing each other. We are raising $ for our gen elect infrastructure, LaBolt said on Twitter. The Chicago-based Obama campaign said that more than 348,000 people had donated to the reelection effort in February, just under a third of whom gave money to support the presidents organisation for the first time. Obama has so far raised more than $180 million for the 2012 election, show campaign finance disclosures. AFP

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town of Sderot after the first version only mentioned the Palestinian territory. A video of her speech on March 19 showed she indeed mentioned Sderot, a town often hit by Palestinian rocket attacks. After a day filled with criticism from Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ashton denied that she ever compared the shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse and the situation in the Middle East. I am really saddened by the distortion of my remarks, she told the EU parliaments foreign affairs committee. I drew no parallel whatsoever between this tragedy and events elsewhere in the Middle East. I condemn unreservedly the terrible murders at the Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse yesterday and extend my sympathies to the families and friends of the victims, to the people of France and the Jewish community. In her speech at a youth event, Ashton paid tribute to children killed in terrible circumstances and listed a number of tragedies including unrest in Syria, last years Norway massacre and the Toulouse shooting. When we see what is happening in Gaza and Sderot, in different parts of the world we remember young people and children who lose their lives. The phrase and Sderot had been missing from the first transcript of the speech given at the event in Brussels organised by the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNWRA). The new text was released after a day of damage control, with her spokesman Michael Mann insisting her remarks were grossly distorted, although he had not indicated at the time that she had talked about Sderot too. Mann added that Ashton was making a general remark about violence against children around the world. AFP

MyanMar tiMes

Israeli anger prompts EU to correct Ashton speech

BRUSSELS The European Union last week issued a corrected version of a speech by its foreign policy chief which had angered Israel because it appeared to link a French school shooting and Gaza. The new transcript of Catherine Ashtons remarks, issued on March 20, mentions the situation of children in both Gaza and the southern Israeli

Iran will strike back against any attack, says supreme leader
TEHRAN Irans supreme c i t y o f M a s h h a d , s a i d real issue is that the Iran l e a d e r , A y a t o l l a h A l i Iran had a divine right to is guarding its oil and gas resources, the leader said. Khamenei, warned last retaliate if struck. When the day comes The Koran states that if week that his country would hit back at any attack by an enemy attacks you first, that they (the West) cannot the United States or Israel, the enemy will certainly be obtain any more oil and gas, that will be the day they will firming tensions in the defeated, he said. This is Gods law. We have to makes concessions, showdown over Tehrans are not thinking of attacks and it will be catastrophic nuclear program. We have said that we do and aggression, but we are for them, he said. In the meantime, Iran not have atomic weapons attached to the existence was an attractive and we will not build target for those any. But if there is any y attack by the enemies, The real issue is that the n a t i o n s ,toa n d t h eit wanted treat whether it be United States or the Zionist Iran is guarding its oil like putty in their hands, he said. regime, we will attack We will not allow and gas resources. them at the same level them to do so, and as they attack us, he they will remain our said in a live televised speech on March 20 to mark and identity of the Islamic enemies, he said. Those who think if we the start of the Iranian new republic. He accused the United yield on the nuclear issue year. The comments reinforced States and its European then US hostility towards Irans position as it faces allies of changing their us will decrease, they are off against the West over pretexts for interfering with wrong. Their case (the US its nuclear activities and as Iran, and claimed the true case) against us is not the it confronts Israeli and US goal was to control Irans nuclear program nor is it human rights. It is that the threats of possible military vast oil and gas reserves. Once, it is the atomic Islamic Republic of Iran is action. K h a m e n e i , w h o w a s issue ... (another time) it is standing against them, he speaking in the northeastern the human rights issue. The said. AFP

Egyptian Coptic priests gather around the body of Pope Shenuda III, the spiritual leader of the Middle Easts largest Christian minority, in St Marks Coptic Cathedral in Cairo on March 19. Pope Shenuda, 88, died on March 17 after a long battle with illness. He was buried on March 20 at St Bishov monastery at Wadi Natrun in the Nile delta, where he lived in exile after a dispute with late president Anwar Sadat. Pic: AFP

Settlers seizing control Blasts rock Iraq ahead of Arab summit of springs: UN report
JERUSALEM Israeli settlers have taken over dozens of natural springs in the West Bank, limiting or preventing Palestinian access to much-needed water sources, a United Nations report said on March 19. The report produced by the UNs Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said at least 30 springs across the West Bank had been completely taken over by settlers, with Palestinians unable to access them at all. In most instances, the report said, Palestinians have been deterred from accessing the springs by acts of intimidation, threats and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers. Israel slammed the report as distorted, biased and full of inaccuracies, and said it protected full access to springs throughout the West Bank. The report said an OCHA survey carried out in 2011 identified a total of 56 springs that were under total or partial control of Israeli settlers. The loss of access to springs and adjacent land reduced the income of affected farmers, who either stop cultivating the land or face a reduction in the productivity of their crops, OCHA said. The report said in most cases where settlers were trying to limit Palestinian access to springs, they have undertaken to turn the area into a tourist attraction, building pools, picnic areas and signs carrying a Hebrew name for the spring. Such works were carried out without building permits, the report said. OCHA said the takeover of springs was an extension of settlement activity in the West Bank, which it noted was illegal under international law. AFP BAGHDAD Key roads in meeting of Arab tyrants in Arab League, the first by the Baghdad were locked down Baghdad, said the statement 22-member bloc to be held in the Iraqi capital in more on March 21 as al-Qaedas dated March 20. These attacks destroyed than 20 years. front group in Iraq claimed The tighter security on responsibility for a wave the plans of the head of Iraqi of deadly blasts targeting security chiefs in the space of March 21 worsened already choking traffic in Baghdad. security for a landmark Arab a few hours, it added. AFP journalists reported The March 20 violence summit this week. The tightened measures rocked 20 towns and cities, full or partial closures of came a day after nationwide including the northern oil key routes, while roads that gun and bomb attacks killed hub of Kirkuk and the Shiite remained open saw increased 50 people and wounded 255 shrine city of Karbala, south numbers of checkpoints and on the ninth anniversary of Baghdad. The attacks security forces, and most of of the start of the US-led began just after dawn and the bridges that traverse the invasion of Iraq. The country was struck with more I will never forget their screams, as long as I unrest on March 21, with five people killed, including three young continued throughout the Tigris River were also shut. Despite the increased day. children. We lost everything, security, gunmen broke into In a statement posted on jihadist forum Honein, said Mohammed Sobheh, a a house in south Baghdad the Islamic State of Iraq policeman wounded in the and slaughtered a 25-yeardeclared it was behind the Kirkuk attack. Not one of old mother and her three attacks against several my colleagues is alive they young children, security and medical officials said. official posts, and security were all killed. I will never forget their Another woman was gunned and military posts in the down in central Iraq, said screams, as long as I live. country. The attacks occurred police. The lions (jihadists) of The March 20 attacks al-Sunna... of the Islamic despite unprecedented levels State of Iraq simultaneously of security in Baghdad as drew swift condemnation attacked the authorities part of preparations for the from around the world, security plans... for the March 27-29 summit of the with United Nations envoy

Martin Kobler describing them as atrocious. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the United States strongly condemns the violence, while Britains Middle East minister Alistair Burt described it as cowardly. Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi condemned the brutal criminal attacks, and said they were part of efforts by al-Qaeda to derail the Arab summit. After the attacks, live. the government declared a week of public holidays from March 25 to April 1. Coupled with Kurdish New Year festival Nowruz on March 21 and the weekly Muslim day of prayer on Fridays, much of Iraq will be largely closed until after the summit. The March 20 violence was Iraqs deadliest day since January 14, when 53 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside the southern port of Basra. AFP

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VATICAN CITY Irish bishops have made progress in protecting children following decades of clerical sex-abuse scandals but the Roman Catholic community has been left with open wounds, the Vatican said on March 20. While bishops are fulfilling a pledge to quickly report new cases, the scandal has led to a loss of trust in the clergy, the Vatican said in a report into the Irish Churchs implementation of guidelines for dealing with abuse. The archbishops... gave assurances that all newly discovered cases of abuse are promptly brought before the competent civil authority and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the report said. However, reports into hundreds of child sex abuse cases stretching back decades had opened many wounds in the Catholic community and led to a loss of trust in pastors who failured to prevent abuse or report it to the police. Public anger at the cover-up sparked a diplomatic row, with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny accusing the Vatican of dysfunction,

Vatican admits loss of trust Russia halts move to prohibit Hindu text
disconnection and elitism, and culminated in Dublin withdrawing its ambassador to the Vatican. The Irish government last year accused the Church of attempting to block inquiries by authorities. Vatican investigators sent to Ireland at the start of 2011 to examine the Churchs response to the crisis stressed their sense of dismay and betrayal over the sinful and responsibility for the cover-ups and putting the Churchs reputation before the truth. The Vatican should have acknowledged that its interventions in the abuse scandal allowed individual Catholic Church leaders in Ireland to ignore guidelines and to protect the good name of the Church at the expense of the safety of children, it said. Irelands bishops said they wished to associate themselves with the great sense of pain and shame expressed by investigators in their findings regarding the abuse of young people and the failure of authorities to react. In expressing true sorrow and regret, we make our own the heartfelt plea for forgiveness from the victims, and from God, for these terrible crimes and sins, Cardinal Sean Brady said in a statement. The report draws together the findings from seven teams of Vaticanappointed church leaders who visited four Archdioceses throughout Ireland, after Pope Benedict XVI promised Catholics in Ireland an investigation into the scandal. AFP MOSCOW A Russian court on March 21 upheld a decision to permit the publication of a sacred Hindu text whose attempted ban sparked protests in India and threatened to strain Moscows close ties with New Delhi. A regional court in the Siberian region of Tomsk said in a statement it had decided to leave unchanged a December lower court ruling stating that the Bhagavad Gita did not contain extremist material. Prosecutors had been trying to ban the texts translation for months because it contained a prologue by Swami Prabhupada founder of the Hare Krishna movement that has had repeated run-ins with the authorities in post-Soviet Russia. This is a completely just, reasonable and most importantly legitimate decision, the movements court representative Alexander Shakhov was quoted as saying by the Vesti news channel. But prosecutors left the door open to an appeal once the ruling is studied in detail. Prosecutors had asked for the ban in June after running a check on Hare Krishnas activities in the Siberian region. The case threatened to create an unexpected roadblock in the traditionally close relations between Moscow and New Delhi. Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna described the prosecutors attempted ban as the work of ignorant and misdirected or motivated individuals that attacked a text defining the very soul of our great civilisation. AFP

Public anger in Ireland sparked a diplomatic row.

criminal acts that were at the root of this crisis. Their report asked for the victims forgiveness, saying their well being is of paramount concern for the Church, but praised the Irish clergy for its excellent results in following the guidelines in combatting sex abuse. The One in Four group, which represents victims of sexual abuse by priests in Ireland, also accused the Vatican of failing to accept

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

NOTICE is hereby given that dIaNa kaBuSHIkI kaISHa a company incorporated in Japan and having its principal office at 9-6, Ginza 6-Chome, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan is the Owner and sole proprietor of the following trademarks:-

Rights activist elected German president

BERLIN Activist pastor Joachim Gauck became German president by an overwhelming majority early last week, marking the first time a candidate from the former communist east will serve as head of state. Gauck polled 991 votes out of 1232 from a special assembly of MPs and other dignitaries, parliamentary speaker Norbert Lammert said. Prominent Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld, 73, nominated as a protest candidate by a far-left party, attracted 126 votes while a candidate for the extreme right drew three. What a beautiful Sunday, Gauck, 72, said to enthusiastic applause from the chamber of the glass-domed Reichstag German Chancellor Angela Merkel presents a congratulatory bouquet to Joachim parliament building in Gauck after he was elected president by the Bundesversammlung federal assembly in central Berlin after the Berlin on March 18. Pic: AFP vote on March 18. public speaker. C h a n c e l l o r A n g e l a 20 years, got to experience the nation. As a staunch Protestant Merkel gave her backing to Merkel, who also grew up the happiness of helping to under communism, hailed shape a democratic society, the plain-spoken Lutheran like Merkel, he is keen to pastor in February after remind Germans that their Gaucks victory as a sign he said. He noted that his victory then president Christian hard-won freedoms carry of how Germany had transformed in the nearly fell on the 22nd anniversary Wulff stepped down amid weighty responsibilities 23 years since the Berlin of the first free elections in a f l u r r y o f c o r r u p t i o n with them a lifelong allegations dating from his theme he has said he will East Germany. Wall fell. take to the presidential I will never forget those time as a state premier. The east Germans have Wulff served only 20 palace. arrived but there is still e l e c t i o n s n e v e r , h e Gauck himself much to do in terms warned scandalof German unity, weary Germans she said. I accept this responsibility with the endless against seeing him Gauck helped drive the peaceful gratitude of a person, whoin the last 20 years, a s a r e d e e m e r , telling reporters revolution that brought down got to experience the happiness of helping to the night he was nominated that they communist East shape a democratic society. should not expect Germany and later Superman. fought to ensure that He stressed again the public would be granted access to the vast said. I knew then that I months of his five-year on March 18 that he would surely not be able to fill all stash of files left behind by would never miss another term in office. He had replaced Horst expectations. the despised Stasi secret election. Commentators have I t w a s t h e t h i r d Koehler, a former head of police after reunification i n 1 9 9 0 . H e o v e r s a w presidential election in three the International Monetary noted he could help improve the archive for the next years for Germany after Fund who bowed out after Germanys image abroad at the abrupt resignations of an uproar over comments a time that it has taken a hit decade. h e m a d e a p p e a r i n g t o over its hardline stance in I accept this responsibility Gaucks two predecessors. The media and the public justify using the military to the eurozone debt crisis. with the endless gratitude of Gauck told rolling news a person, who after the long cheered Gaucks candidacy serve Germanys economic channel NTV after his trail of mistakes through as an opportunity to remove interests. Expectations are outsized election that he hoped the political deserts of the some of the tarnish from 20th century, finally and the largely ceremonial for the new president, who his first foreign trip as unexpectedly found a home office which serves as a has won a reputation across p r e s i d e n t w o u l d b e t o again, and who, in the last kind of moral compass for the country as an inspiring Poland. AFP

(Reg: Nos. IV/1428/2006 & IV/1537/2012)

(Reg: Nos. IV/1427/2006 & IV/1538/2012) (Reg: Nos. IV/1425/2006 & IV/1539/2012) (Reg: Nos. IV/1426/2006 & IV/1540/2012) The above four trademarks are in respect of:precious metal; keyrings; jewel cases of precious metal; personal ornaments; cuff links; purse and wallets of precious metal; semi-wrought precious stones and their imitations; unwrought precious stones; powder compacts of precious metal; shoe ornaments of precious metal; clocks and watches Class: 14 clothing for domestic pets; bags and the like; pouches and the like; vanity cases; umbrellas and their parts; leather straps; rawhides; raw skins; tanned leather; fur Class: 18 clothing; coats; sweaters; shirts; nightwear; underwear; swimwear; swimming caps; aprons; collar protectors; socks and stockings; puttees and gaiters; fur stoles; shawls; scarves; Japanese style socks; glove and mittens; neckties; neckerchieves; bandanas; mufflers; ear muffs; headgear for clothing; garters; sock suspenders; suspenders; waistbands; belts for clothing; shoes and boots; shoe dowels; shoe pegs; tongue or pullstrap for shoes and boots; hobnails; protective metal members for shoes and boots; Japanese style wooden clogs; Japanese style sandals; clothes for sports; footwear for sports; horse-riding boots - Class: 25 Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademarks or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law. U Kyi Win Associates for dIaNa kaBuSHIkI kaISHa P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon. Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

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Indias confusing foreign policy

all the reasons Iran remains vital LIKE a troublesome ghost that to Indias regional calculations. wont be exorcised, Jawaharlal (Though, to be fair, the emergence Nehrus nonalignment policy of Israel as a key security and continues to hover over Indias intelligence partner for India foreign relations. Later this means it has its share of backers month, New Delhi will host its as well.) first BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, Opposing US policy strengthens China) summit, a gathering of the hand of those in America who authoritarian and democratic argue that India is an unreliable nations united only by regional friend. It undercuts those making heft and implicit opposition to the case that shared democratic the US-led international order. values and common concerns Earlier this month, a 70-member about the rise of an authoritarian trade delegation headed to Tehran China and the dangers of jihadist to explore fresh opportunities for terrorism bind the two countries Indian companies in the Islamic together. Japan and Italy, both republic, Foreign Secretary Ranjan large consumers of Iranian oil, Mathai having previously declared have grasped the seriousness of the that the recent, tougher round Iran issue. They have cut back on of EU and US sanctions on Iran imports and refrained from making were inapplicable to India. Instead provocative statements. Only of using a two-year term (2011 to India appears to believe that it 2013) on the UN Security Council can undermine a core US security to underscore its democratic concern and still be seen as a credentials, India has mostly benign power worthy of backing at sided with the Russians and the Pic: AFP the head table of global affairs. Chinese in their battles on behalf Despite all this, its too early of Bashar al-Assad and the late Members of South Koreas Little Angels Folk Ballet perform in New Delhi on November 22 last year. for believers in the US-India Moamar Khadafi. For Indias unreconstructed Cold War Warriors, Americas closest friends in the region Japan, South relationship to despair. Outside Does this really sound like the Korea, and Australia should be pitied as US lackeys rather than emulated as successful free-market the strongholds of New Delhis foreign policy of Americas new democracies that have brought both security and prosperity to their people, writes Sadanand Dhume. leftist intelligentsia and the ruling strategic partner, courted by conundrum. It supplies 11 percent Congress Party, India has changed three successive US presidents? countries in terms of national of Indias oil imports, its second dramatically since the advent of Might this relationship hailed interest rather than attachment largest supplier after Saudi Arabia. economic reforms in 1991. Todays by Barack Obama as one of the to abstract doctrine it will Iran also looms large in Indias young urban Indians are more defining partnerships of the 21st likely come to the conclusion that by Sadanand Dhume conception of its own neighborhood. likely to recall visits to their city century be long on potential and Washington is a natural partner, India relies on Iran for land access by George W. Bush or Barack with which it shares not only close short on actually fulfilling it? I n d i a s b e h a v i o u r , d e e p l y familial and educational links but the Security Council resolution to Afghanistan and Central Asia Obama than Yasser Arafat or Fidel disappointing to those in the United also a distrust of Chinas rapid that authorised a no-fly zone to denied to it by Pakistan. New Castro. Once a heresy, arguments for States who have championed closer military build-up and Pakistans protect civilians. Indian foreign Delhi helped upgrade Chabahar, a ties between the worlds largest continued dalliance with jihadism. policy pundits spoke of Kadhafis minor port in Iranian Baluchistan closer ties between New Delhi and and most important democracies, This doesnt mean becoming an firm grip on power, his special and has begun to link it with Washington are now commonplace reflects a battle in New Delhi for American poodle, as New Delhi affection for former Prime Minister Afghanistan through a web of roads in public discourse. As C. Raja elites seem to constantly fret Indira Gandhi and the economic and railways. And, as the United Mohan, Indias most prominent the soul of Indian foreign policy. On one side you have those about, but recognising an obvious benefits that would flow to India States withdraws troops from strategic thinker, puts it: As it for whom a go-it-alone attitude confluence of interests and values. when its steadfast friendship Afghanistan, India, and Iran share rises, India has the potential to become a leading member of the is an end in itself. Strategic Indias most pressing goal, to was rewarded. India broke with fears of a Taliban comeback. Lawmakers in Washington, political West and to play a key autonomy has been the defining modernise its promising but still fellow BRICS on Syria, backing a value and continuous goal of Indias backward economy, is best achieved resolution calling for Assad to step however, dont see Iran as merely role in the great political struggles international policy ever since its in a stable and open international down, but it shares Beijing and another issue where friends can of the next decades. Moreover, a new generation of inception as a Republic, declares order underpinned by US power. Moscows reluctance to force the agree to disagree. An Indian policy Nonalignment 2.0, a new report Its in Indias self-interest to bolster Syrian strongman to step down as that privileges ties with Iran ambitious businessmen knows that by eight of the countrys leading rather than erode this order, while a precursor to ending violence in ahead of the US-India relationship America underpins the stable and damages Indias long-term global open international order that India public intellectuals and foreign at the same time working to carve his country. India broke with fellow BRICS aspirations in the pursuit of short- needs to fulfill its economic promise. policy specialists. Nonalignment out a larger role for itself. For now, though, Nehrus ghost on Syria, backing a resolution term regional ones. American Indias generals understand that 1.0, of course, was Indias Cold War policy of maintaining equidistance continues to cast a shadow over calling for Assad to step down, but lawmakers may have grudgingly New Delhi should not go out of its it shares Beijing and Moscows seen Indias point when it preferred way to stick a finger in Chinas eye. between Moscow and Washington, Indias foreign policy instincts. Supporters of Nonalignment reluctance to force the Syrian new European fighter jets over But theyre also aware that India though in practice it leaned toward 2.0 tend to view the United States strongman to step down as a older American ones last year or can hardly afford to be sanguine the Soviet Union. Arrayed against this view with as much suspicion as China, precursor to ending violence in his overlooked the unfairness of Indias about the rise of a powerful oneparty neighbouring are those who say state with claims on nonalignment has its territory. outlived its purpose, For Indian strategic thinkers who view geopolitics through the prism All but the most and seek to strengthen ardent Americamutually beneficial of economics, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore evoke admiration as bashers have figured ties with the West. out that other countries Former National sophisticated societies that immeasurably bettered the lives of their respect economic Security Advisor B r a j e s h M i s h r a citizens in part by maintaining close ties with the worlds foremost power. achievement more than fictitious bonds of declared it impossible Third World solidarity. for India to remain nonaligned between the United despite Beijings role in boosting country. As a post-colonial nation, Parliament passing a nuclear For Indian strategic thinkers who States and China. K. Shankar Pakistans missile and nuclear India almost always privileges liability bill two years ago that view geopolitics through the prism Bajpai, a former Indian ambassador weapons program, its continued state sovereignty over human effectively shut out American of economics, Japan, South Korea, to the United States and China, claims on Indian territory and rights. For many Indians, the companies, even though the US and Singapore evoke admiration said: Reviving that concept is its military humiliation of India divide between the West and the had done the heavy lifting to make as sophisticated societies that all too likely to drive our people in a brief mountain war in 1962. East is more palpable than the international nuclear commerce immeasurably bettered the lives of their citizens in part by maintaining back to something that is not only They see the steady decline of US one between democracies and with India possible. But Irans apparent pursuit close ties with the worlds foremost long outdated but and this is its power and Indias rapid rise to dictatorships. One could argue that US of nuclear weapons is Americas power. And though America may dangerous legacy which we still major power status as inevitable fail to recognise as having done us and conclude that the United leadership in the region has been most pressing security concern. indeed appear to be in relative States needs India more than disappointing: Libya is a mess and India could cut back dependence decline, anyone with a sense of more harm than good. Who wins this debate has India needs the United States. For Islamist forces are stronger than on Iranian oil and demand a history knows that many have bet profound consequences for India, Indias unreconstructed Cold War ever in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen. greater say in Afghanistans against it bouncing back in the Asia, and the world. If India Warriors, Americas closest friends Nonetheless, Indias opposition future in exchange for supporting past and lost. Nonetheless, this evolution in slips back into measuring its in the region Japan, South to the United States has been the United States. Instead, independence by its ability to Korea, and Australia should be gratuitous. Wedded to the status it has so far preferred public Indian thought needs to be speeded thwart Washington, it risks fatally pitied as US lackeys rather than quo, India missed an opportunity posturing over quiet pragmatism. up. The sooner India realises that undermining the argument it made emulated as successful free-market to be on the right side of history. In January, Foreign Minister nonalignment has about as much while lobbying for the 2008 civilian democracies that have brought Moreover, with no vital interests S. M. Krishna declared Indias relevance to the 21st century nuclear deal that the rise of a both security and prosperity to at stake in either Libya or Syria support for Irans nuclear power as Nehruvian economics, and unlike in the Gulf with its large ambitions, albeit not for its alleged the sooner it begins to root its large, pluralistic, English-speaking their people. Nowhere are old habits of mind population of Indian migrant nuclear weapons program. The foreign policy in reality rather than democracy in Asia is in the Wests interest. Why squander valuable more evident than in Indias Middle workers New Delhi should have Indian trade delegation hands the abstraction, the more likely it is to gone along with the Western mullahs in Tehran a propaganda start doing right by its people and diplomatic capital on an unreliable East policy. Last March, with Kadhafis democratic consensus, saving its coup to counter the narrative of its partners. Foreign Policy partner, sceptics in Washington (Sadanand Dhume is a resident forces besieging rebel strongholds, battles with Washington for when their growing economic isolation. already argue. Meanwhile, much of the debate in fellow at the American Enterprise If, however, India learns to India joined China, Russia, Brazil, it has real skin in the game. Iran poses a more serious India consists of simply repeating Institute). view foreign policy like most other and Germany in abstaining from

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That compared with 19pc for Europe, 17pc for the Middle East, 11pc for the Americas and nine percent for Africa, said the report. India was the biggest arms importer in 2007-11, accounting for 10pc in weapons volume. It was followed by South Korea (six percent), China and Pakistan (both five percent), and Singapore (four percent), said the independent institute which specialises in arms control and disarmament matters. These five countries accounted for almost a third, 30pc, of the volume of international arms imports, said SIPRI. Indias imports of major weapons increased by 38 percent between 2002-06 and 2007-11, SIPRI said. Notable deliveries of combat aircraft during 2007-11 included 120 Su-30MKs and 16 MiG-29Ks from Russia and 20 Jaguar Ss from the United Kingdom, it said. While India was the worlds largest importer, its neighbour and sometime foe Pakistan was the third largest. Pakistan took delivery of a significant quantity of combat aircraft during this period: 50 JF17s from China and 30 F-16s, the report added. Both countries have taken and will continue to take delivery of large quantities of tanks, it also noted. Major Asian importing states are seeking to develop their own arms industries and decrease their reliance on external sources of supply, said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program. China, which in 2006 and 2007 was the worlds top arms importer, has dropped to fourth place. The decline in the volume of Chinese imports coincides with the improvements in Chinas arms industry and rising arms exports, said the report. But while the volume of Chinas arms exports is increasing, this is largely a result of Pakistan importing more arms from China, it added. China is the sixth largest world exporter of weapons, after the United States, Russia, Germany, France and Britain, it said. AFP

MyanMar tiMes

Asia leads world in weapons imports, reveals study

STOCKHOLM Asia leads the world when it comes to weapon imports, said a study released on March 19 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Globally the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons was 24 percent higher from 2007-11 compared to 2002-06, the report said. During the past five years, Asia and Oceania accounted for 44 percent in volume of conventional arms imports, the institute said.

Indian opposition ridicules governments poverty data

NEW DELHI Indias opposition politicians accused the government on March 20 of seeking to conceal widespread poverty after it declared that any Indian who spent 44 cents a day was not poor. Figures released by the Planning Commission the previous day showed a substantial drop in the countrys poverty figures under the Congress-led government, but the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was fudging the numbers. I dont know which line they are drawing whether it is the starvation line or the poverty line, S.S. Ahluwalia, who is deputy leader of the BJP in the upper house of parliament, told reporters. The commissions estimates differ from state to state depending on the cost of living, but average out at a 22-rupee (US44 cent) daily spending threshold for villagers and 28-rupees in cities. The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters on March 20 that the poverty line was meant to reflect conditions of absolute poverty in the country. This poverty line is not the line that we think a person can comfortably survive... the poverty line has been identified as a rock-bottom, bare subsistence kind of line, he said. The figures from the Planning Commission, an influential government body that formulates national five-year economic plans, suggested overall poverty levels fell from 37.2 percent in 2004-05 to 29.8pc in 2009-10. The statistics mean about 360 million Indians live in poverty, according to the Planning Commission. The data is used to determine access to welfare benefits for Indias 1.2 billion people. Anyone living below the poverty line is entitled to subsidised food and cooking fuel distributed through stateowned stores. T h e P l a n n i n g Commissions Ahluwalia said that poverty levels in the country had fallen faster between 2004 and 2009 -- marking the first term in office of the Congress coalition government -- than in the previous decade. You can put whatever poverty line you want, the fact is... the decline in poverty is twice the decline in the previous 11 years, he said. AFP

A woman collects drinking water in plastic pots from a communal tap near her home in the Indian city of Bangalore, on March 20, ahead of World Water Day on March 22. Indias six biggest cities Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad are among those most affected by water shortages. A study has forecast that 119 million people would face water shortages by 2050 in the Ganges River delta and plain alone. Pic: AFP

WHO chief describes tobacco industry as ruthless, devious

SINGAPORE World Health Organisation chief Margaret Chan last week branded the tobacco industry a ruthless and devious enemy and called on governments and civil society groups to unite against cigarette firms. Speaking at a conference on tobacco and health in Singapore on March 20, the WHO directorgeneral slammed cigarette companies for undermining a UN-backed campaign against tobacco use and its associated health risks. We have an enemy, a ruthless and devious enemy, to unite us and ignite a passionate commitment to prevail, she told delegates. The enemy, the tobacco industry, has changed its face and its tactics. The wolf is no longer in sheeps clothing and its teeth are bared. Chan said moves by cigarette firms to challenge the legality of government measures to protect public health amounted to interference in countries domestic affairs. Paying people to use a countrys judicial system to challenge the legality of measures that protect the public is a flagrant abuse of the judicial system and a flagrant affront to national sovereignty, she said. This is direct interference with a countrys internal affairs. We will not let them do these kinds of tactics. Chan, a former Hong Kong health chief who was elected to the WHOs top post in November 2006, said legal action by tobacco companies against the authorities in Uruguay, Norway, Australia and Turkey was designed to weaken their resolve to control tobacco use. What the industry wants to see is a domino effect, she said. W h e n o n e c o u n tr y s resolve falters under the pressure of costly, drawn-out litigation and threats of billion-dollar settlements, others with similar intentions are likely to topple as well. The WHO says tobacco use kills nearly six million people a year, including more than 600,000 who are non-smokers but exposed to second-hand smoke. AFP

Pakistan demands apology from US over air strike

I S L A M A B A D A P a k i s t a n i States would not comment in-depth despite the fact that they have at times parliamentary committee last week on the recommendations until they are worked in Islamabads favour, such as killing Pakistani Taliban founder demanded an American apology debated in parliament. The military is considered the chief Baitullah Mehsud in August 2009. and taxes on NATO convoys in Parliament will start to debate the recommendations put to parliament arbiter of foreign policy but many see in a key step towards repairing a major the parliamentary debate as setting a recommendations on March 26, after vital precedent by consulting elected the leader of the opposition, Chaudhry crisis in relations with the US. P a r l i a m e n t w i l l d e b a t e t h e political leaders, if only to protect the Nisar, demanded time to assess the document. recommendations this week in a military from later recriminations. This parliament has passed two This is the first time that the probable precursor to reopening NATO supply lines into Afghanistan parliament of Pakistan has been resolutions against the drone strikes suspended for nearly four months and given responsibility to frame foreign but no one listened to it. What is the to putting the Pakistani-US alliance on policy, said Senator Raza Rabbani, guarantee that there will be no backhead of the parliamentary committee tracking on this resolution? Nisar a more pragmatic footing. Islamabad closed its Afghan border on national security that drew up the said. The recommendations backed to NATO after US air strikes killed peace and reconciliation efforts in 24 soldiers in November, plunging there relations with Washington to an Pakistan wants to pursue good Afghanistan sayingto the was no military solution Afghan all-time low after Pakistan was humiliated by a US raid that killed relations with every country. conflict. The United States has called on Osama bin Laden in May. Pakistan to play a constructive role Pakistan was incensed by the in nascent peace efforts in Afghanistan, American refusal to apologise for the recommendations. The document calls the November where its support is considered vital November 26 killings and besides shutting its border, ordered US strikes a blatant violation of Pakistans given its history of relations with personnel to leave a base reportedly sovereignty and said Islamabad should Taliban insurgents. It said Pakistan was committed used in Americas drone war against seek an unconditional apology from to fighting terror and indicated that the US for the unprovoked incident. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It said taxes and other charges must foreign boots on Pakistani soil were a Pakistan wants to pursue good relations with every country. Pakistan be levied on all goods importing in or red line despite the bin Laden raid also wants to pursue its own national transiting through Pakistan which and incidents in which US forces have interest, Foreign Minister Hina experts have estimated could amount crossed the border from Afghanistan. The United States sent condolences Rabbani Khar told reporters after the to US$1 million a day and, in a sub parliamentary committee issued the clause, an end to American drone over the November air strikes, but stopped short of an apology. NATO strikes. demand for the apology on March 20. Drone strikes are resented in expressed regret over what it called a US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United Pakistan as violations of sovereignty, tragic unintended incident. AFP

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More US troops welcome: Aquino Briefs

M A N I L A P h i l i p p i n e on when they come in and the Philippines needed President Benigno Aquino go out. They cannot be here to increase its military capabilities, including said last week that more US permanently. The negotiations are taking combating terrorism, helping troops would be welcome to rotate through the Southeast place as the United States deal with natural disasters Asian nation, but ruled out is expanding its military and evacuating Filipinos presence in the Asia Pacific from crises overseas. permanent bases. But he also talked in depth Aquino told AFP in an as a counterweight to a rising about the Philippines needing interview on March 20 that China. Aquino said the Philippines to protect its rights to parts talks were under way for the longtime allies to hold more was also looking to the United of the South China Sea that military training exercises States for help in building up are within its 200-nauticalin the Philippines, as well its defence capabilities, amid mile exclusive economic zone and are as increase the believed to sit number of times that US navy They cannot be here permanently. on vast oil and gas deposits. ships visited. China and We are talking with them. We will a maritime territorial dispute Taiwan also claim those have more of the same, is with China that flared last areas as theirs, even though what I am trying to say, year and a host of other the contested waters are much closer to the Philippine Aquino said, referring to a security issues. The Philippines had asked landmass than to that of longstanding partnership that sees regular joint the United States for F-16 China. Diplomatic tensions exercises and US port calls fighter jets, as well as patrol vessels, transport aircraft escalated last year when the in the Philippines. Their ships can come and and radar systems, said Philippines accused China of harassing a Philippinecall on us, can be replenished, Aquino. They are still studying the chartered oil exploration but our constitution will not allow any permanent request for the excess F-16s. vessel in one of the disputed We are hoping they will look areas called Reed Bank, and berthing here in any form. of other bullying tactics. There might be increases at it favourably, he said. Philippine concerns Aquino emphasised in terms of personnel, but it will have to be very clear there were many reasons abut Chinas perceived

World Bank lends Pakistan $1b

WASHINGTON The World Banks executive board on March 20 approved two projects totaling US$1.09 billion aimed at supporting Pakistans growth agenda for reducing poverty. The $840 million Tarbela IV Extension Hydropower Project will raise power generation capacity of 1410 megawatts, contributing a crucial source of electricity for the economic growth and development of Pakistan, the development lender said in a statement. A $250 million project in the Punjab is aimed at getting maximum productivity out of irrigation water by weaning farmers away from the traditional and wasteful flood irrigation, the bank said.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino during the interview at Malacanang Palace in Manila on March 20. Pic: AFP aggressiveness prompted it to seek help from the United States in building up its maritime defence capabilities. The United States responded favourably, delivering a former coast guard cutter to the Philippine Navy last year and promising more military aid. The negotiations currently under way are an extension of that deepening partnership. AFP

NKorean rocket is aimed south: US

SYDNEY A senior US official has warned North Koreas forthcoming rocket launch would be aimed south for the first time and land in an area roughly between Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Kurt Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, delivered the message in person to Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Saturday. North Korea has announced it will launch a rocket in mid-April to put a satellite into orbit.

American forces poised to deploy in Australia

SYDNEY US Marines are set to arrive in Australias tropical north next month as Washington increases its military presence as part of a renewed emphasis on the Asia-Pacific, reports said on March 20. State radio said about 250 Marines were set to deploy to Darwin from early April as part of a process that will see about 2500 in Australia by about 2016, under a plan announced by President Barack Obama last year. This first year, of course, we start pretty small, the commander of Australias First Brigade, Brigadier General Gus McLachlan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. We have got about 250 arriving in early April. This first year is almost just a foot in the door, proof of concept, and obviously it will build up in a pretty measured pace in the next few years. Obama announced plans to increase the number of troops, aircraft and ships that will come to the Northern Territory during his first visit as president to Australia in November. The move rankled China and caused concern for some Asian neighbours who saw it as a statement by Washington that it intends to stand up for its interests in the region amid concern about Beijings growing assertiveness. But there will be no US bases on Australian soil, with the Marines accommodated in Australian bases as they conduct exercises and training on a six-month rotational basis. Australia and the United States also agreed to enhance cooperation between their air forces, resulting in increased rotations of US planes through northern Australia, which is closer to Asia than it is to Sydney and Melbourne. AFP

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

duferco Investment Services Sa, of Via Bagutti 9, CH6900 Lugano, Switzerland, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

duFeRCo
Reg. No. 1174/2012 in respect of Class 06: Common metals and their alloys; metal in unwrought and semi-wrought form; steel in unwrought and semi-wrought form; goods made of iron and steel including plates, coils, hot and cold rolled coils, sheets, rods, wires, tubes, poles, bars, pipes, welded pipes, merchant bars, bands, strips, sections, slabs, profiles, wire rods, rolled wire, blocks, ingots, iron ore, blooms, pellets, billets, cast steel, strip steel, cold rolled strip steel, rolled steel, hot rolled and cold rolled steel, steel strips, flat steel, line pipe steel, silicon steel, abrasion-resistant steel, galvanized steel plate, bar steel, steel bars, forged steel, steel balls, cast steel, chrome iron, galvanized iron, unwrought and semi-wrought cast iron, rebars, hoop steel, reinforced steel, reinforced steel fabric, structural steel, section steel, coated steel, hot dip coated sheet metal, coated metal sheets, coated metal plates, wide flat steel, special steel, fine steel, bright steel, polished steel, spring steel, steel beams, steel frames for buildings, welding steel, tool steel, stainless steel, steel for electric machines, sheet metal, pins, tinplate, pig iron, cast iron, cast iron pipes, pig iron pipes, white iron and scrap iron; metal building materials including wide flange metal beams, building panels, steel piling, reinforcing bars of metal for building purposes, structural parts for metal beams, metal partitions, metal trim for buildings, gutter stock, metal door trim, metal window trim, metal windows, metal doors, metal door frames, metal door panels, metal purlins and metal studs; non-electric cables and wires of common metal; metal components, namely,

metal alloys for further manufacturing; metal components being construction elements made of metal, namely, fascia, soffits, shores, supports, braces, frameworks, linings, flooring, gutters, joinery fittings, junctions for pipes, pipe fittings, fittings of metal for building, tubing of metal, girders of metal, drain pipes, building flashing, reinforcing materials of metal for building, tiles of metal for building, wrapping or binding bands of metal, connectors for decking and decking joints, expansion joints for piping and ducting, flanges, gutter pipes, pipe connectors, pipe muffs, pipe couplings and joints and floor tiles; metal components being metal hardware, namely, nuts, bolts, brackets, rivets and screws; metal roof and metal wall systems incorporating materials made of metal, namely, roof flashings, roof trusses, roofing, roof vents, for heating, cooling and ventilation in residential and commercial buildings, roofing panels, roofing tiles, building curtain walls made primarily of metal, building wall framing made primarily of metal, galvanized steel clip with moulded rubber used to attach drywall to walls or ceilings, expansion joints for floors and walls, ceiling panels, wall panels, sold separately or in units, palisades, gates and fencing; ironmongery; small items of metal hardware; containers of metal; goods of common metal not included in other classes; zinc and its alloys; vanadium; metallic products for use in smelting works; ores for use in refractories; refractory construction materials of metal; refractory products (shaped and unshaped) of metal. 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 duferco Investment Services Sa P.O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 26th March, 2012

East Timor vote goes to a run-off

DILI East Timors second presidential ballot as a free nation will see two former guerrilla fighters face off in another round of voting, after Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta lost his re-election bid. Ramos-Horta, who became the nations international voice during two decades of Indonesian occupation, admitted defeat on March 19 after trailing in third place in a vote seen as a key test for the young democracy. The election went into a second round, expected to be held on April 16, after none of the candidates in the March 17 ballot garnered more than 50 percent of the vote to secure an outright win. Opposition figure Francisco Lu Olo Guterres and former armed forces chief Taur Matan Ruak both heroes of the nations long war against Indonesias occupation advanced to the final round. Ramos-Horta, 62, will have over power on May 19. In May, East Timor will celebrate 10 years of independence, and in June, voters will choose a new government in a general election. AFP

Impunity will not be tolerated: UN

PHNOM PENH The United Nations said on March 22 it would not tolerate impunity at Cambodias Khmer Rouge war crimes court in a worsening row with Phnom Penh about whether to pursue more suspects. In a major setback to the UN-backed tribunal, a Swiss judge on March 19 became the second international judge in six months to resign over difficulties probing two new cases linked to the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime. The government opposes the cases.

Thai police held over drug haul

BANGKOK Four Thai policemen have been arrested after they seized narcotics worth US$1 million in raids on drug gangs and kept them to sell themselves, senior police said on March 22. The four were arrested on the outskirts of Bangkok on March 20 with 305,200 methamphetamine tablets and five kilograms (11 pounds) of ice. AFP

Time out
Artists request restructure for arts and artisans org
By Nyein Ei Ei Htwe LETTERS signed by nearly 500 artists requesting a restructuring of the Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization were submitted to the Culture, Sport and Public Relations Development Committee of the Pyithu Hluttaw in January and February. The first letter, signed by 86 artists, was submitted on January 18, while a second letter bearing the endorsement of more than 400 artists from across Myanmar was sent on February 23, according to a group of artists who held a press conference at City Star Hotel in Yangon on March 17. The letters asked for an explanation of the accounts of the association, as well as a restructuring of the organisation based on democratic principles through which effective executive members could be elected. During this open period we have the chance to express the desires and feelings of artists in a letter, and our main purpose is to restructure the association along democratic lines, under new rules and new authorities, artist Cobra Zaw Oo said at the press conference. He said that currently the association is run by a small groups of friends who make decisions according to their own ideas. They dont work to help our artists become successful like in other countries, and they dont work for better conditions for artists. In fact, they dont really work at all, and yet they get all the benefits of their position, he said. Artist U Myo Myint said the association does not reveal its annual budget like other organisations do, and the executive members run it for their own financial benefit rather than for the benefit of artists. Commissioned art projects a re t oo oft e n non-transparent, with the association favouring a small number of certain artists. Painting the pagodas in Bagan requires so many artists because they have to cover 4000 scenes. It cant be done by only a few artists but they didnt ask us for that project, as well as other large artworks in Nay Pyi Taw, he said. In connection with the two letters, artists met with U Khine Maung Yee, Pyithu Hluttaw representative from Ahlone township in Yangon, on February 25, and also held discussions with the chairman of Culture, Sport and Public Re l a t i o n s D e v e l o p m e n t Committee of the Pyithu Hluttaw on March 1. The authorities say they need to meet with both sides to come to a fair decision, but they havent met with anyone from the association yet, artist U Maung Win Hla said. In the meantime, the artists are calling for the associations activities to be suspended until ministry representatives can make a decision on the situation. We heard that there will be a conference for the Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization at the National Museum at the end of March, so we sent a letter to the committee and to the Ministry of Culture and Information Affairs on March 16 asking that the conference be suspended, he said. Nay Aung Shu also said that artists have been using the associations book of regulations published in 2001 as a reference, and only recently found out that it has been supplanted by a new rule book released in 2007. We didnt even know about the existence of the 2007 book until after we sent the letters to the Pyithu Hluttaw. We found out they hadnt properly distributed them at the time. We just want them to start looking after all the artists who have been neglected in the past, Nay Aung Shu said. Star U Mya Than, a patron of Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization, said there were many differences between the 2001 and 2007 drafts, but even patrons were unaware of the newer version. Ive been involved in the arts since becoming a member of the Art Association of Burma in 1947, and I worked as the head of education on Myanmar Painting and Sculpturing Council until 1992. But even I didnt know about the 2007 draft book until recently, he said. Yesterday an artist gave me a copy, and I found out that my responsibilities as a patron are completely different from what I thought, he said. According to the 2001 version, patrons have the responsibility of helping lead the association by drafting new guidelines for development. But according to the 2007 version, were just helpers who give advice and help with the development programs, Star U Mya Than said. Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Aung Zin from Pazundaung township in Yangon also asked for a restructuring of Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization. During a session of the Pyithu Hluttaw in February, he asked that rules for permission to hold art exhibitions be changed so that members of the association could no longer ban artworks from being shown in public without explanation. U Aung Zin also suggested that the sculpture committee be allowed to separate from the association and start its own organisation.

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Members of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation hold meeting at their headquarters in Yangon on March 16, one day after the painting of Bogyoke Aung San was unveiled. Pic: Boothee

MMPO uncovers hidden Aung San painting

By Zon Pann Pwint THE Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation (MMPO) on March 15 removed a curtain that for years had been covering a painting of Bogyoke Aung San delivering a speech in 1947 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Myanmars film industry. The watercolour painting was made by artist Kyaw Nyunt and his group in 1996, based on a photograph taken at the speech in 1947. The painting has been hanging in the meeting room of the MMPO on Wingaba Road in Bahan township since 1996. At some point that no one can seem to recall, it was covered with a red curtain and had been under wraps until its unveiling earlier this month. Bogyoke Aung San gave a speech in 1947 celebrating the silver jubilee of the film industry. The historical event was photographed, actor U Aung Lwin said. In 1996 when the diamond jubilee was held, artist Kyaw Nyunt and his group were commissioned to paint a historical picture of Bogyoke Aung San to hang at the celebration. The painting shows Bogyoke Aung San addressing the jubilee crowd on the west side of Shwedagon Pagoda, accompanied by Deedote U Ba Cho, who was assassinated along with Aung San on July 19, 1947, and motion picture pioneer U Ohn Maung. Also depicted in the painting are Parrot U Sunny, theatrical performer U Pho Sein and Aung Sans personal assistant, Bo Tun Hla, whose pen name was Teikatho Nay Win. The painting has been hanging in MMPOs meeting room since the diamond jubilee, but it was covered with a curtain because people were worried about it being shown. No one told them to cover it, said director U Soe Moe, who was working as a financial assistant at the organisation at the time the painting was made. The painting was unveiled [on March 15] without anyone asking them to remove the curtain, he added. Other artworks were also commissioned in 1996 depicting directors and actors who were famous during the silver jubilee era. The collection is housed in the Myanmar Motion Picture Museum adjacent to the MMPO office. Director U Thein Htut said he knew from his grandfather U Tin Maung a director who had worked at A1 Film Studio and who was also a member of the Burma Defence Army (BDA) during World War II that Bogyoke Aung San was a big fan of the movies. He used to watch funny films at Palladium Cinema on Sule Pagoda Road with Bo Tun Hla in 1946, and he liked Charlie Chaplin. He also enjoyed such films as [1939 American historical drama] Juarez, U Thein Htut said. Film directors and actors had a very strong link with Bogyoke Aung San, who was no stranger to the film industry, he said. He used to visit A1 Film Studio, and film directors and actors such Tin Pe, Chit Swe and Kyaw Shwe were members of the BDA. Although Aung Sa was a politician, he loved and enjoyed films.

Laurel Art Academy offer film scholarships

By Nuam Bawi LAUREL Art Academy, a film school founded in January 2012, announced it is offering scholarships for people who are interested in film but cant afford to study the subject. Myanmar has long struggled to produce quality films due to a lack of support in the industry. But with the establishment of Laurel Art Academy and its scholarship scheme, they hope to contribute to this development, providing financial support and training for the next generation. We [Myanmar] havent had a proper film school and we can see the consequences of that when films from neighbouring countries make it on the international film market and are included at international film festivals and ours arent, said director U Maung Maung Myint, a teacher at Laurel Art Academy. This is because of the lack of proper training for film, which is why we need to produce and train student as much as possible, he said. The academy is giving out 20 scholarships to support both young and financially disadvantaged students. We have students studying at our school that can pay so we were careful to choose only those who really cant afford to study, said the founder of the school, Daw Thidar Linn. Applicants need to be between 16 and 25 years old, have passed elementary school standard, and be able to commit to 10 months of study. The program aims to equip students with a range of film-making skills, including directing, script writing, camerawork, and digital editing. The scholarship is named the Sithu Kyi Soe Tun Scholarship Program in a nod to the schools president and head teacher, who received the title Sithu from the government in honour of his public service on January 4, 2012. He was given the title Sithu, which is rarely given out by the government. That is why we wanted to grant the scholarship in honour of our president, she said. U Kyi Soe Tun has won a total of five academy awards in his 22 year career. Scholarship application forms are available at No. 1/5 (C), Pearl Condo Compound, Sayar San Road, Bahan township, and must be submitted by April 30.

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Deller exhibits Iraq bombed car, graffiti

By Farah Nayeri LONDON The remains of a car that was wrecked in an Iraq blast is sitting inside a London gallery. The vehicle was destroyed in Baghdad by a March 2007 car bomb that killed three dozen people. The rusty carcass is part of a career su rve y a t t h e H a y w a rd Gallery of the British artist Jeremy Deller, 45, who expresses himself through one-offs: performances, actions, events. Dellers original idea was to park a bombed-out Iraqi car on an empty sculpture plinth in Trafalgar Square that artists temporarily fill. Turned down, Deller towed the wreckage of the car around the United States, accompanied by an Iraqi translator and a US Army propaganda officer, both with frontline experience. People in America were much more understanding than I thought, Deller says of a month-long trip he terms the most amazing time of his life. I was basically bringing a piece of evidence over to show them, and on the whole, we had incredible conversations. As soon as people started talking to the soldier and the Iraqi, they very quickly realised that we had different motives than what they might have thought, he says. We parents south London home, where he lived till he was 31 because it was cheap and easy. The room has a bedstead marked God Less America, T-shirts bearing tabloid headlines (My Booze Hell, My Drug Shame) and classy cards sent to teenage aristocrats inviting them to meet a group of football hooligans known as the Chelsea Smilers. A reconstituted toilet nearby has crude graffiti that Deller copied from the mens room at the British Library and printed in his book Pensees. The show makes scant reference to Dellers 1986 encounter with Andy Warhol at a London gallery. He was invited to the Ritz Hotel two nights later, and found the artist and friends watching Benny Hill with the sound turned off and Roxy Music turned on. The two weeks he subsequently spent at Warhols Factory were, he says in the catalogue, as formative as two degrees. They taught him that an artist can do whatever he or she wants. There are no limits. Dellers next projects are a big interactive sculpture called Sacrilege for a festival in Glasgow in April and a show next year on the Industrial Revolution and how it changed British culture. Any comment planned on the global financial crisis? Its like when Chairman Mao was asked about the French Revolution, Deller says. He said something lik e , I t s t oo e arly t o say. Bloomberg News

The wreckage of a car destroyed in a 2007 Baghdad explosion is part of a Jeremy Deller career survey at the Hayward Gallery in London. Pic: Linda Nylind/Hayward Gallery werent making an activist political statement. The wrecked Iraqi car was given to him after he had trouble accessing the 3pm. Tickets cost K5000 and K10,000, and are available at Regent Business Academy (Narnattaw Street, Shwe Kein Na Ri Housing, Kamaryut township), Nobody and Ko Ko Beauty Salon. Baghdad site where all destroyed vehicles go for forensic purposes. Two decades after staging an exhibition in his bedroom, Deller, winner of the 2004 Turner Prize, is still creating action-based art. In his bestknown work, The Battle of Orgreave (2001), he reenacted violent June 1984 clashes between police and striking miners. His cast of 1000 included ex-miners from the original fight. I remember it very clearly, and at the time t hink ing t his is t ot ally wrong, he says of the 1984 confrontation. It was a political awakening, really, for a young person. Is he a political artist? Thats a killer label, he says with a wince. The show opens on a much cheerier note: with a re-creation of the 1993 exhibition he had at his

Events Flash
with ...

Movie screening
The film Roman Holiday will be screened at Laurel Art Academy (No 1/5 C, Pearl Condominium, Bahan township, Yangon) on April 1 at 2pm. Entry is free.

Nuam Bawi

Thingyan concert
A traditional Myanmar performance titled ThanChat featuring famous comedians such as Mit Tar, Kuh Tho, Bay Luh Wah and Ah Yine will be held at the Peoples Park in Yangon on March 30 from 6pm to 11pm. A fun fair will be held on the same site starting at

Car exhibition
An exhibition of cars imported from South Korea will be held at the National Theatre in Yangon from March 28 to 31. A song competition will also be held in conjunction with the exhibition.

Indian filmfest
The Indian Film Festival is being held at Cherry Lwin Cinema in Pyin Oo Lwin from March 25 to 29. Films will include 3 Idiots, Krrish, Pokkiri, Om Shanti Om, Aladin and AnjaanaAnjaani.

Putin weeps, cuddles dog Connie in pop art portraits

SAINT PETERSBURG Vladimir Putin cradles a fragile chick, hugs his dog and lets a tear roll down his cheek in an exhibition of kitsch paintings that opened this week after his re-election to the Kremlin. The oil paintings aim to show a softer side of the Russian strongman, the artist said as the exhibition titled A Man with a Heart of Gold opened in Putins northwestern home city of Saint Petersburg. I wanted to create human portraits of Vladimir Putin that provoke good feelings, painter Alexei Sergiyenko told AFP. Putin has built up a macho image with stunts including riding bare-chested and shooting a wild Siberian tiger with a tranquiliser dart, but seemingly allowed himself to show emotion after he won a third Kremlin term this month. One painting focuses on the tear that glistened on Putins cheek as he gave a victory speech to flag-waving crowds on election day. To some, it was a sign that the hardman had feelings too, but Putin later blamed the wind. I prefer to believe that his tears came from his feelings, said Sergiyenko, who describes himself as a Putin supporter. In other brightly coloured pop art style paintings, Putin carries a small boy on his shoulders, cycles through the countryside with young women and holds a bunch of flowers. Some reproduce Putins cuddlier photo opportunities, including a visit to an agricultural show when he held up a chick in his manicured fingers and stared it in the eyes. He is also shown receiving an affectionate lick from his labrador retriever Connie, who became sufficiently well known during Putins presidency to have her own weekly column in a womens magazine. The Saint Petersburg artist says on his website that his paintings are already in the collection of the presidential administration. AFP

An exhibition devoted to Russias Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin in Saint-Petersburg on March 20. Pic: AFP

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Horror films help revive Malaysian movie industry

KUALA LUMPUR Haunted highways, an oil-smeared ghoul prowling villages for virgins, vampiress spirits thirsting for blood: Malaysia has an obsession with the supernatural rooted in ageold legends. Now that obsession is being increasingly projected upon the nations cinema screens, as horror movies have quickly emerged as a force in a booming domestic film industry. But it wasnt always so. Horror films were effectively banned in the Muslimmajority country for three decades for celebrating the otherworldly in violation of Islamic teachings. But since strongman premier Mahathir Mohamad retired in 2003 and popular culture was allowed to relax a bit they have risen from the dead. Three of Malaysias six top-grossing films are fright flicks made in the past two years, and the genre made up more than a third of domestic movies in 2011. This growth, along with popular action films and comedies, has helped fuel a burgeoning industry. The number of local films in cinemas grew from just eight in 2000 to 49 in 2011 and ticket sales have quintupled in the last six years. Last year local movies collected more than 100 million ringgit (US$32 million) in box office sales. Horror films have struck a chord because they reflect the countrys village culture and the traditional superstitions that trouble Malay hearts, said director Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nazri. Horror movies are the type that will be close to our culture, said the director of 2011 boxIn any country, for you to understand the culture, where they come from, you watch horror movies, Ahmad Idham added. While differing religious views differentiate Asian horror from that in the We s t , t h e r e g i o n h a s contributed its own takes on familiar tropes, from J a p a n s p s y c h o l o g i c a l f r i g h t s t o H o n g Ko n g s horror-comedies. After a 30-year lull in Malaysia censors stopped approving scary movies as Islamic sentiments rose in the 1970s Fragrant Night Vampire hit screens in 2004. The film, about a pontianak, or vampiress spirit a recurring Malay legend and movie subject was a huge hit and even won accolades abroad. Malaysian filmmakers suddenly realised there is a lot of money to be made in horror films so they jumped on the bandwagon, said Andrew Hock Soon Ng, a film expert with the Malaysia campus o f A u s t r a l i a s M o n a s h University. However modern we are, we are still very much regulated by our traditional belief systems. Malays were animist before Islams 15th century arrival, but belief in the existence of spirits separable from

Malaysian moviegoers wait in queue to get tickets at a movie theatre in downtown Kuala Lumpur on March 14. Pic: AFP physical forms and black magic still lurks under the Muslim veneer. A recurring Malaysian character is the orang minyak (oily man), an elusive bogeyman smeared in black oil who hunts for virgins to rape. It was immortalised i n 1 9 5 8 s C u r s e o f t h e Oily Man by the late P Ramlee, Malaysias most celebrated filmmaker, and real-life sightings remain common. In January, local media reported residents of a suburb of the capital Kuala Lumpur patrolling streets after two orang minyak were spotted. Meanwhile, reports of school classes being disrupted by suspected cases of possessed students are regular. In one publicised incident in 2008, when 35 students were gripped by hysteria in a school in eastern Pahang state, school authorities reportedly held special religious recitals and prayers and engaged a spiritual healer to cleanse the school. Ahmad Idham said two of his own crew became hysterical while filming one of his several fright films, and a stuntman died in an accident on one of his sets the crew blamed supernatural forces. He now takes precautions when shooting, such as praying to Allah and seeking guidance from his uncle, an Islamic spiritual healer. M a h a t h i r, s t i l l a n influential conservative voice, last year called such films a bad influence that stoked panic. The National Fatwa Council, which issues Islamic edicts, called them counterproductive to building a developed society. There has been no fatwa or any hint of a new ban, but like all Malaysian movies, horror films are policed by the Film Censorship Board. It orders objectionable scenes cut and positive messages inserted, such as Islam winning out in the end over the supernatural. In Ghost Pillion Rider, for example, the reckless motorcycle-racing protagonist repents, becoming more religious and responsible. Such pressure stunts a promising homegrown genre that faces competition from imported Hollywood and other foreign blockbusters, and shackles directors who need to think beyond the conventional to expand their art, said Ahmad Idham. Its quite difficult to explore new things. As a filmmaker you have to think beyond. But when you start to think beyond, people cannot catch up, he said. AFP

understand the culture, where they come from, you watch horror movies.

any country, In for you to

office hit Ghost Pillion Rider, about a motorcycle speedster haunted by the spirit of a girl who died aboard his bike. Malaysias highest grossing horror movie ever and its third biggest overall Ghost Pillion Rider collected 8.53 million ringgit, around 3 million ringgit less than record-setting action film KL Gangster from the same year.

Video games enter realm of art in Smithsonian exhibition

By Robert MacPherson WASHINGTON Theyve come a long way since the man who would be Mario set off to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man gobbled up as many dots as he could before the ghosts caught up with him. But really, are video games art? Absolutely, contends a major exhibition that opened on March 16 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington that celebrates gamings rich creative side and the people behind a medium thats still in full bloom. The Art of Video Games spans the 40 years since video games moved from amusement arcades into homes around the world, evolving in leaps and bounds with ever-more-sophisticated graphics, interactivity and storytelling. While this exhibition is not the first exhibition that actually uses video games, it is the first I believe that actually looks at video games themselves as an art form, curator Chris Melissinos said. This is not about the art within video games, said Melissinos, an avid gamer since he was a 10-yearold in his native New York borough of Queens. This is about video games themselves as an artistic medium. The exhibition comes nine months after the US Supreme Court said the First Amendment covered video In-gallery videos tackle the past, present and future of gaming through interviews with 20 influential figures in the gaming world; the videos also feature on the exhibitions website (www. americanart.ci.edu). Notable among the innovators is Jenova Chan, who tells how rural California inspired him to create Flower, in which the player swooshes through Van Gogh-like fields like the wind, picking up flower petals along the way. I grew up in Shanghai I had never seen a rolling hill, said Chan in the his video interview. So when I came to California, I saw these farms, endless green, the windmills. I wanted to capture that because its so overwhelming. Its like a person that has never seen the ocean going to the beach for the first time. Games just arent about blowing things up, said another interviewee, game developer Jennifer MacLean, who personifies the little-known fact that a big segment of those who create online games today are women over 35. Id love to see them enrich somebodys life by helping them learn to feel more, learn to love more, learn to invest more in the world around them. A richly illustrated 216-page catalogue rounds out the exhibition that runs until September 30 before touring 10 other US cities. AFP

A journalist tries out the original version of Super Mario Brothers at the Art of Video Games exhibition at the Smithsonians American Art Museum in Washington, DC on March 15. Pic: AFP games, in a landmark ruling that put them on par with books and other forms of artistic expression. Bathed in red and blue lighting, and appropriately next to a Nam June Paik video installation, The Art of Video Games spotlights 80 hit games created for 20 different gaming systems, from the Atari VCS of the 1970s to todays PlayStation 3, that Melissinos calls the touchstones of their generation. Five games Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst and Flower are booted up with their original joysticks and motion controllers for visitors to play on wall-sized screens. Long-obsolete consoles like the ColecoVision that powered Donkey Kong and the Commodore 64 that made Attack of the Mutant Camels possible are encased in Plexiglas display boxes like pharaonic Egyptian artefacts. When hardcore gamers come in here, theyre going to go, Yes, these are the correct games to represent these different eras, said Chris Kohler, gaming editor of Wired.com and an advisor to the exhibition. But when non-gamers come in, I think theyre really going to get an education into the art form that this medium really truly is, and has become, and how it has evolved, he said.

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Myanmar-Pakistan Friendship Golf Tournament

Mike Tyson to debut show in Las Vegas, eyes Broadway and Londons West End
LOS ANGELES Boxing legend Mike Tyson will debut a one-man show in Las Vegas next month, and could take it to Broadway and Londons West End, according to the shows co-writer. The former heavyweight world champion, infamous for ear-biting and a rape conviction before mounting a showbiz-tinged comeback in recent years, will play six nights in Vegas from April 13 to 18. The 45-year-old is already in rehearsal for Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, Live on Stage, to be staged at the Hollywood Theatre of the Nevada gambling citys MGM Grand casino complex. He admits to not being entirely sure yet what he will say about his life, which has included a prison term on a rape conviction, three stints in rehab, two failed marriages and the death of a child. I know what you are probably thinking. What the hell is he going to do? To be honest, I wonder, too, he told the USA Today newspaper. The show is co-written by Tysons wife Kiki and Hollywood playwright/director Randy Johnson who claims he could take it worldwide. I am hoping to have a run on Broadway and the West End of London. I think we can play every legitimate theatre in the world, said Johnson, calling Tyson a natural entertainer. AFP
HE Mr Sebastianus Sum arsono

Colonel Nguyen Van Vui and U Nyan Tun Oo

Mrs Farzana Khalil Qazi and Daw Myo Lwin Oo

H E Mr Qazi M Khalilullah and Major General San Oo Colonel San Nyunt Oo and Colonel Muhammad Tariq Farid Khan

Muppets get their own star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

LOS ANGELES The Muppets were honoured with their own star on the storied Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20, right outside the theatre where their recent movie was made and premiered. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the puppet gang gathered in front of the El Capitan Theatre, opposite Graummans Chinese Theatre at the centre of Hollywoods tourist district. We are just really happy to be on Hollywood Boulevard today, joining some of the greatest names in show biz, said Kermit as the Muppet star was unveiled on the stellar stretch of sidewalk visited by millions of tourists. Muppets creator Jim Hensons daughter Lisa added: The Muppets have truly arrived with their own star on Hollywood Boulevard in this amazing location which also happens to be very near my fathers star and Kermits star. Key scenes from their recent movie The Muppets were filmed at Disneys El Capitan theatre, where its world premiere was held followed by festive season screenings of the film preceded by an in-theatre Muppet show. At one point on March 20 Miss Piggy famously keen on the limelight and use of the French first person asked: Is it time now for moi to do my medley of every song ever written from every great movie musical ever made? Kermit, her long-suffering frog companion, answered: Well see if we can get to that later in the show. AFP

Diploma in Business Law Farewell Dinner

Ma Kyaw Hsu Mon and Ma Hlaing Myint

Dr Daw Tin May Htun

Dr Daw Khin Mar Yee

Students

Dr Mg Maung Thein

Iora Fashion Shop Opening

M Seng Lu, Tin Moe Lwin, Phyu Nwe Khine and models

Gabors husband, daughter in legal fight

LOS ANGELES Zsa Zsa Gabors husband vowed last week to fight legal action by the aging Hungarian-born stars daughter seeking to take control of his wifes affairs away from him. Prince Frederic von Anhalt voiced anger at the reported lawsuit by Francesca Hilton, the 95-year-olds daughter by her second marriage to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton. Hilton planned to file a lawsuit in Los Angeles asking a judge to appoint a conservator to oversee Gabors finances and medical care, saying her mothers husband is not doing a good job, according to the Los Angeles Times. My wifes daughter is attacking us. Im the only one who takes care of my wife. Everything is done perfectly, shes in perfect condition, I bought a US$25,000 bed to be comfortable, von Anhalt told reporters outside the couples Bel Air mansion. Gabor, a platinum blonde actress known for her flamboyant lifestyle, legal troubles and multiple marriages, has been repeatedly hospitalised over the last two years, and had her right leg amputated in January 2011. Shortly after that operation, Von Anhalt announced the couple was putting their home on sale because they could no longer afford the mortgage and her medical bills. AFP
Htet Htet Moe Oo and Zuu Myat Htet

Ma Marlar and Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein

Cabs Hair Product Launch

Cabs staff members

Ko Than Nyi Htwe and Ma Nan Si Voe Phat

EduLink Australia English School Opening

Japan pop icon marries man almost 20 years younger

TOKYO One of Japans best-known pop stars said last week that she has married a fellow musician nearly 20 years her junior, setting off a frenzy in the countrys tabloid press. Miwa Yoshida, 46, the lead singer of Dreams Come True, which has sold about 50 million albums worldwide, announced on her New York-based blog that she tied the knot with Juon, the 27-year-old lead singer for rock band Fuzzy Control. I have something to tell you today. You know what, I got married to Juon on March 8, she wrote. Yoshida, still hugely popular among mostly female fans in Japan, started the duo Dreams Come True more than two decades ago. The band won followers across East Asia with their romantic ballads. The singer had a relationship with a music video director until 2007 when he died of cancer at age 33. She joins a long list of woman celebrities who have married considerably younger men. In November, American actress Demi Moore announced the end of her high-profile marriage to actor Ashton Kutcher. The pair married in 2005 when she was 42 and he was 27. AFP
Mr Benjamin Lavis
Ms Ruth Steward

Mr Eugine Quah

DKSH Dinner

Ma Thinza Wint and Dr San San Myint

Ma Yee Yee Aung, Dr Than Aung and Ko Toe

Ko Ye Myo Hein, Ma Nwe Nwe, Ko Aung Than Soe and Ko Min Thu Naung

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Junction Square Centre Opening Lervia Whitening Soap Launch

MyanMar tiMes

SOCIALITE kicked off the week at the DKSH dealer party at Park Royal Hotel on March 13, and two days later dropped by Shwe Shan Kan restaurant to attend the Diploma in Business Law farewell dinner. On March 16 she was busy with the opening of Junction Square Shopping Centre on Pyay Road, as well as with branch opening ceremonies for many businesses at the new centre, including Theingi Shwe War silk wear, Forever Gems and Iora fashion shop. The next day it was back to Junction Square for the opening of EduLink Australia English School then Socialite attended the Myanmar-Pakistan Friendship Golf Tournament at Royal Mingalardon Golf and Country Club, followed on March 18 with the Lervia whitening soap launch at Park Royal Hotel.

Mr Vimala Putra and Mr Preman Lu Min and wife Moh Moh Myint Aung

Ma Yu Ya Zaw, Ma Mon Mon Hlaing and Ma Thida Han

Theingi Shwe War Silk Wear Opening

Ma Sae Sae, Eaindra Kyaw Zin and Ko Win Tun

Daw Sanda Htun Ms Sara

Models Ko Ye Naing, Ma Myat Thuza Mon and Ko Han Htut Zaw

Wutt Hmone Swe Ye Wine Su Khine Thein

Forever Gems Opening Ceremony

Ma Myint Zu and guest

Soe Myat Thuzar and Nay Toe

Yan Aung and Tun Eaindra Bo

Dr Thet Thet Khine

Bata Shoes New Branch Opening

Ma Christina and friends

Bata staff members

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Corruption tours reveal Czech graft

By Jan Flemr PRAGUE Riding a wave of public disgust at graft, a new Czech travel agency has started tours highlighting sites linked to corruption, a social ill that has plagued the ex-communist country for decades. The aptly named CorruptTour agency touts the best of the worst trips to posh villas, a nonsensical funicular, an empty meadow hosting a nonexistent Olympic stadium, even a big, boxy concrete mausoleum. The idea was to reverse the usual situation wherein corruption feeds on business by creating a business that uses corruption as input by exposing it, said CorruptTours founder Petr Sourek, a philosopher and translator. In Transparency Internationals 2011 Corruption Perception Index, the Czech Republic r a n k e d 5 7 th a l o n g s i d e Namibia and Saudi Arabia on the list of 183 countries, topped by squeaky clean New Zealand and ending with Somalia. The worst thing is that the trend is getting worse, said David Ondracka, head of the international graft watchdogs Czech branch. Ondracka went so far as to call corruption a fundamental problem for the country of 10.5 million that shed communism in 1989 and joined the European Union in 2004. Recent surveys suggest that most Czech managers think things cant work without corruption greasing the wheels of society. Most Czechs dont believe the centre-right government is making good on promises to fight graft even though Prime Minister Petr Necas has sacked four ministers over corruption allegations since his cabinet took power in 2010. In the corruption segment, the Czech Republic has a lot to offer to both local and foreign visitors. The local corruption environment is extremely stable with moderate growth, CorruptTour said dryly on its website. Their tour guide, wearing a funny orange hat and a waistcoat, is impossible to miss as he stands next to a black mini-bus with 26 tourists eager to embark on an ornithological safari tour of Pragues upscale nests. Resembling a Hollywood homes-of-the-stars circuit, this tour targets the residences of lobbyists and rich businessmen caught up in dodgy deals nesting birds, in the guides words. These include Ivo Rittig, a man said to rake in profits from each public transport ticket sold in Prague, and Martin Roman, former head of the power giant CEZ, suspected of handing hefty procurement deals to cronies. Press reports have repeatedly linked both men to graft but neither has ever been charged. Please be quiet, dont disturb the nesting birds. We might be attacked by a dominant male, tour guide Justin Svoboda pleads with hushed irony, provoking the laughter of tourists clicking

AIRLINE OFFICES
Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

56, Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 513322, 513422, 504888, Fax : 515102 Air Asia (FD) 33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd, Ground Flr, Parkroyal Hotel, Yangon. Tel: 251 885, 251 886.

Air China (CA)

Building (2), corner of Pyay Rd and Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Hotel Yangon, 8 miles, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel : 666112, 655882.

Bangkok Airways (PG)

Yangon. Tel: 255122, 255 265, Fax: 255119

#0305, 3rd Fl, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp,

Air India

75, Shwe Bon Thar St, Pabedan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 253597~98, 254758. Fax: 248175

Myanmar Airways International(8M)

08-02, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Ygn. Tel : 255260, Fax: 255305

A guide from CorruptTour travel agency leads clients on a tour of Prague on February 29. Pic: AFP their cameras as the bus pulls up outside a gaudy nest. He then points out a nonexistent house that 589 companies have registered as their headquarters, and a university at which students obtain a degree in under a year for the right price. Its here that the birds grow longer feathers in a very short time, which then help them extend their territory or lure a female, Svoboda explained. Its a fantastic experience, said Kristian Leko, a law student from Prague and one of the tourists. The extent of corruption here is unbelievable, they steal billions, everyone knows it, but no one has ever been sentenced, theres no evidence, the police and the judiciary have been manipulated, he said. Were famous for being a corrupt state not that we should be proud of it, added Radka Frejnova, a young woman on the tour. The agency also offers a tour of hospitals known for shady tendering procedures, and a trip to the northern city of Usti nad Labem, the home of a pointless yet overpriced funicular and of a municipal park expensively decked out thanks to European Union subsidies. Companies have now started to order tours, and were also getting ready for an elementary school trip, said Sourek, whose agency also offers visits in English and German. Souvenirs are a must. Besides badges and T-shirts with the agency logo, tourists can buy bearer shares a non-transparent security that the Czech government has been reluctant to ban and an anti-wiretapping gizmo to guard against pesky eavesdropping. The agency became a hit as soon as it was launched in February, but some are less than pleased. Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda is dismayed at tourists flocking to a city hall building. Of course Im not happy, but if we closed the door, we would only show nothing here has changed, said Svoboda, seen by Czech media as a breath of fresh air at the city hall since he took office in late 2010. Personally, Im looking forward to the time when an UncorruptTour will organise city hall tours. Thats what Id prefer, he said. AFP

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

335/357, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Pabedan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 387648, 241007 ext : 120, 121, 122 Fax : 241124 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, 2nd Floor, Sakura Tower, Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 255 287~9 , Fax: 255 290

Silk Air(MI)

Thai Airways (TG)

#11-01, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Ygn. Tel : 255499 Fax : 255490

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

#1702, Sakura Tower 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon. Fax 255086. Tel 255066/ 255088/ 255068.

Domestic Airlines
Yangon Airways(YH)

Tourism Myanmar Update

MiCasa holiday deals From April 10 to 22, MiCasa Hotel Apartments is offering Happy Thingyan Package deals for two people (US$95 a night) or four people ($180), including buffet breakfast, tea and coffee, water, internet access, and use of swimming pool and health club. A Thingyan Buffet Lunch special will be available from April 13 to 16 for $12 a person, including a glass of draught beer, while freeflowing Myanmar draught is included in the Myanmar New Year Buffet Dinner on April 17 ($18). On Easter Sunday (April 8), a buffet dinner with Tiger draught will be available for $19 a person. For reservations and inquiries, call 01-650-933, ext 121/122. Oyster special at Kohaku Through the end of April, Kohaku Japanese Restaurant at Chatrium Hotel is serving up kaki (oyster) specials in various styles, including steak, furai, hoiru, shioyaki and bata. Kohaku opens daily for lunch and dinner at Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon, 40 Natmauk Road, Tarmwe township, Yangon. For information or reservations, call 01-544-500, ext 6231; or email fb@chatriumygn.net.mm. Jazz nights at the Ritz The Ritz Exclusive Lounge at Chatrium Hotel is hosting jazz music nights, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in March, from 8:30pm to 11:30pm. The hotel also runs daily happy hours from 7pm to 9pm, with buy one get one free and special offers on select items, plus complimentary tidbits. The Ritz Exclusive Lounge opens daily from 7pm to 1:30am on the ground floor of the Chatrium Hotel, 40 Natmauk Road, Tamwe Township, Yangon. For more information contact 01544-500, ext 6243~4; fb@ chatriumygn.net.mm, www. chatrium.com/chatrium_ hotel_yangon. Salads and sandwiches The Peacock Lounge at Traders. Hotel has opened a salad and sandwich station, which is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Food is available for takeaway or for eating in the lounge. For more information contact 01-242828, ext 6456 or 6434.

166, MMB Tower, Level 5, Upper Pansodan Rd, Mingalar Taungnyunt Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (+95-1) 383 100, 383 107, 700 264, Fax: 652 533.

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

56, Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 513322, 513422, 504888, Fax : 515102

AIR KBZ (K7)

33-49,Corner of Bank Street & Maha Bandoola Garden Street, Kyauktada Tsp,Yangon, Myanmar Tel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (Airport) Fax: 372983

Air Mandalay (6T)

146, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon Tel : 501520, 525488 (Head Office) 720309, 652753, 652754 (Airport Office), Fax: 525 937

The Myanmar Marketing Committee (MMC), the marketing arm of Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board, aims to market and promote Myanmar as a destination to develop the Myanmar tourism industry. For more information please visit our websites www.tourism-myanmar.com or www.tourismmyanmar.org or contact Winnie at Traders Hotel, Level 3, Business Center, No 223 Sule Pagoda Road, GPO Box 888, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: +951 242 828 Fax: +951 242 800 Email: mmc-pr@tradersyangon.com.mm

Asian Wings (AW)

No.34(A-1), Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Township,Yangon.Myanmar. Tel: 951 516654, 532253, 09-73135991~3.Fax: 951 532333

39
the

travel
March 26 - April 1, 2012

MyanMar tiMes

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

DAYS
FRI FRI MON

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES

DAYS
SAT

Flight
K7 244 K7 245 AW 891 6T 405 AW 911 6T 401 W9 011 6T 801 AW 761 6T 351 K7 824 AW 791 6T 501 K7 228 YH 909 6T 405 AW 891 AW 901 W9 251 6T 401 6T 801 YH 729 AW 761 K7 622 6T 501 6T 405 AW 891 AW 911 6T 401 6T 331 6T 801 AW 751 YH 737 6T 351 K7 824 W9 261 AW 791 YH 731 6T 501 K7 228 YH 909 AW 891 6T 405 AW 901 6T 401 W9 255 6T 331 YH 729 AW 201 K7 622 K7 226 6T 501 YH 731 AW 891 6T 405 W9 251 6T 401 YH 917 6T 331 AW 751 K7 824 AW 211 K7 224 6T 501 YH 731 W9 271 6T 403 YH 909 AW 891 AW 911 6T 401 6T 801 YH 729 AW 601 K7 622 6T 501 AW 891 YH 909 AW 891 6T 405 6T 401 W9 255 6T 801 AW 211 AW 751 K7 622 6T 501

Dep Arr
13:00 15:50 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 07:30 08:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 14:30 15:00 06:00 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 08:00 11:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:45 08:30 11:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:30 14:30 15:00 15:00 06:00 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 07:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 15:00 15:00 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 07:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 15:00 06:00 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 10:30 10:30 11:30 12:00 15:00 16:15 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 08:00 11:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 15:30 16:50 08:20 08:20 07:55 08:35 08:30 09:55 12:55 12:55 13:25 15:55 17:00 07:25 07:55 08:20 08:20 08:20 07:55 08:35 09:25 12:40 12:55 13:25 17:00 08:20 08:20 07:50 08:35 08:05 09:55 12:10 13:10 12:55 13:25 07:55 16:25 17:10 17:00 07:25 07:55 08:20 08:20 08:35 08:35 08:55 08:25 13:30 12:55 13:25 13:55 17:00 17:10 08:20 08:20 07:55 08:35 08:50 08:25 12:25 12:25 12:55 14:25 17:00 17:10 07:25 07:40 07:55 08:20 07:50 08:35 12:35 13:30 12:55 13:25 17:00 08:20 08:30 08:20 08:20 08:35 08:55 09:25 12:25 12:25 13:25 17:00

DAYS
TUE

Flight
W9 009 AW 902 AW 892 6T 406 6T 402 YH 910 W9 011 K7 229 YH 812 6T 802 W9 251 W9 150 AW 762 YH 730 6T 502 W9 009 AW 892 6T 402 6T 332 W9 021 AW 792 YH 738 AW 752 K7 825 6T 502 W9 009 AW 892 6T 406 6T 332 AW 902 6T 402 YH 812 W9 021 K7 229 AW 202 YH 730 6T 502 W9 009 AW 892 6T 406 6T 332 YH 918 6T 402 W9 251 AW 212 YH 731 6T 502 W9 232 YH 728 6T 404 AW 892 6T 402 W9 011 W9 262 YH 812 6T 802 AW 602 K7 623 YH 730 6T 502 W9 009 YH 910 AW 892 6T 406 6T 402 W9 011 W9 256 YH 812 6T 802 AW 212 K7 623 YH 738 6T 502 W9 143 AW 891 6T 405 YH 633 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 W9 143 AW 901 6T 405 AW 891 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 W9 143 AW 891 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 6T 331 K7 242 AW 781 AW 891 6T 405 W9 009 AW 901 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 AW 891 6T 405 W9 009 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 K7 242

Dep Arr
08:30 08:35 08:35 08:40 08:55 09:25 09:25 11:15 13:25 13:30 13:35 16:20 16:35 17:20 17:20 08:30 08:35 08:55 09:10 14:10 16:40 17:10 17:50 17:50 17:20 08:30 08:35 08:40 08:45 08:50 08:55 13:10 14:10 15:45 16:00 17:15 17:20 08:30 08:35 08:40 08:45 08:50 08:55 13:35 16:30 17:10 17:20 17:35 17:45 08:00 08:35 08:55 09:25 10:50 13:10 16:00 16:40 16:55 17:15 17:20 08:30 08:35 08:35 08:40 08:55 09:25 11:20 13:10 13:30 16:00 16:55 17:10 17:20 06:00 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:00 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:45 07:00 15:00 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 07:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 10:40 10:55 10:50 11:10 12:40 14:50 14:45 15:00 17:45 18:40 18:45 19:25 09:30 10:30 10:55 10:35 15:10 18:45 18:35 19:15 19:15 19:25 09:30 10:30 10:40 10:10 10:15 10:55 14:35 15:10 17:10 17:25 18:45 19:25 09:30 10:30 10:40 10:10 10:45 10:55 15:00 17:55 19:25 19:25 19:00 19:10 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:10 12:15 14:35 17:25 18:05 18:20 18:45 19:25 09:30 10:00 10:30 10:40 10:55 11:10 12:45 14:35 14:55 17:25 18:20 18:35 19:25 07:20 07:35 07:35 07:50 07:50 07:50 08:05 07:20 07:35 07:35 07:35 07:50 07:50 08:05 07:20 07:35 07:50 07:50 08:05 08:05 08:20 17:10 07:35 07:35 07:25 07:50 07:50 07:50 08:05 07:35 07:35 07:25 07:50 07:50 08:05 08:20

DAYS
SAT

Flight
AW 891 6T 403 W9 009 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 6T 801 W9 143 6T 405 AW 891 YH 909 W9 009 6T 401 K7 222 YH 917 AW 792 K7 223 W9 109 YH 732 6T 502 K7 223 YH 910 AW 762 W9 109 AW 792 6T 502 YH 732 K7 223 W9 109 AW 792 YH 732 6T 502 K7 223 YH 910 W9 109 YH 732 6T 502 K7 223 W9 109 YH 732 6T 502 K7 223 YH 910 6T 404 W9 109 YH 732 6T 502 K7 223 YH 910 W9 109 YH 732 6T 502 W9 255 W9 251 AW 201 W9 255 W9 251 AW 211 W9 255 W9 256 W9 252 AW 202 W9 256 W9 252 W9 256 W9 119 AW 761 YH 727 K7 224 6T 501 YH 731 K7 822 6T 801 W9 115 AW 761 YH 811 K7 224 6T 501 YH 731 AW 911 W9 119 YH 737 K7 224 AW 791 6T 501 YH 731 AW 761 AW 201 YH 811 K7 224 W9 109 6T 501 YH 731 AW 211 K7 224 W9 109 6T 501 YH 731

Dep Arr
06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 10:30 06:00 06:15 06:15 06:15 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 17:50 08:10 17:25 17:55 18:05 08:10 08:40 17:20 17:25 17:25 18:05 18:10 08:10 17:25 17:25 17:55 18:05 08:10 08:40 17:25 17:55 18:05 08:10 17:25 17:55 18:05 08:10 08:40 08:45 17:25 17:55 18:05 08:10 08:40 17:25 17:55 18:05 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:30 06:00 06:30 09:45 12:05 09:35 09:45 12:05 09:45 11:00 11:00 11:00 14:00 15:00 15:00 08:00 08:00 11:00 11:00 11:15 14:00 15:00 15:00 06:30 11:00 11:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:00 11:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:00 07:35 08:30 07:25 07:50 07:50 08:05 11:50 07:20 07:35 07:35 07:50 07:25 07:50 07:50 08:05 19:10 11:15 18:20 19:15 19:25 11:15 10:00 18:40 18:20 18:45 19:25 19:30 11:15 18:20 18:45 19:15 19:25 11:15 10:00 18:20 19:15 19:25 11:15 18:20 19:15 19:25 11:15 10:00 10:05 18:20 19:15 19:25 11:15 10:00 18:20 19:15 19:25 09:25 09:25 09:20 09:25 09:25 08:50 09:25 12:40 15:00 12:25 12:40 15:00 12:40 12:10 12:10 12:25 15:15 16:10 16:25 09:15 10:20 12:10 12:10 12:40 15:15 16:10 16:25 08:40 12:10 12:25 15:15 15:40 16:10 16:25 12:10 12:10 12:25 15:15 15:25 16:10 16:25 12:10 15:15 15:25 16:10 16:25

Flight
K7 822 AW 751 W9 119 YH 811 K7 224 6T 501 YH 731 AW SPL AW 751 W9 115 YH 811 K7 826 K7 224 6T 501 YH 731 YH 737 W9 143 AW 892 6T 406 YH 918 W9 011 6T 402 K7 223 AW 792 AW 892 6T 406 YH 918 W9 011 6T 402 K7 223 K7 823 W9 116 W9 143 AW 892 6T 406 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 W9 143 AW 892 6T 406 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 W9 143 AW 892 6T 406 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 AW 911 W9 143 AW 892 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 K7 823 AW 752 AW SPL AW 892 6T 406 YH 918 W9 011 6T 402 K7 223 6T 452 AW 752 W9 116 YH 738 6T 607 W9 309 6T 611 W9 309 6T 607 W9 309 6T 611 W9 309 6T 607 W9 309 6T 611 W9 309 6T 611 W9 309 6T 608 W9 310 6T 612 W9 310 6T 608 W9 310 6T 612 W9 310 6T 608 W9 310 6T 612 W9 310 6T 612 6T 707 AW 301 6T 707 K7 317 K7 317 AW 301 AW 301 6T 707 K7 317 AW 301 6T 708 6T 708 K7 318 AW 302 AW 302 K7 318 6T 708 K7 318 AW 302

Dep Arr
08:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 14:00 15:00 15:00 07:30 10:30 11:00 11:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 15:00 11:00 09:05 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:40 09:45 10:00 16:55 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:40 09:45 10:00 15:15 16:45 09:05 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:45 10:00 09:05 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:45 10:00 09:05 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:45 10:00 08:55 09:05 09:20 09:35 09:45 10:00 15:15 17:15 08:55 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:40 09:45 10:00 14:55 16:45 16:45 17:20 11:00 13:00 11:15 13:00 11:00 13:00 11:15 13:00 12:15 13:00 11:15 13:00 11:15 13:00 13:15 15:00 12:55 15:00 13:15 15:00 12:55 15:00 13:55 15:00 12:55 15:00 12:55 07:30 07:00 11:15 12:30 12:30 12:45 07:00 11:15 12:30 12:45 11:55 15:40 16:40 17:15 11:30 16:40 15:40 16:40 17:15 09:15 12:10 12:10 12:25 15:15 16:10 16:25 08:40 11:40 12:10 12:25 13:45 15:15 16:10 16:25 12:25

Flight
MON FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306 TUE FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306 WED FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306 THUR FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306 FRI FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306 SAT FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306 SUN FD 3771 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 8M 331 PG 704 FD 3773 TG 306

Dep

Arr

Flight
SAT 8M 231 MI 511 8M 6232 MI 517 SUN 8M 231 MI 511

Dep

Arr

Flight
MON 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 PG 703 FD 3772 TG 305 8M 332 TUE 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 PG 703 FD 3772 TG 305 8M 332 WED 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 PG 703 FD 3772 TG 305 8M 332 THUR 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 PG 703 FD 3772 TG 305 8M 332 FRI 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 FD 3772 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 SAT 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 PG 703 FD 3772 TG 305 8M 332 SUN 8M 336 FD 3770 TG 303 PG 701 PG 703 FD 3772 TG 305 8M 332

Dep

Arr

Flight
SAT MI 512 8M 6231 8M 232 MI 518 MI 520 SUN MI 512 8M 232 MI 518 MI 520

Dep

Arr

YANGON TO HEHO NAYPYITAW TO YANGON YANGON TO MANDALAY

YANGON TO BANGKOK
08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40 08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40 08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40 08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40 08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40 08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40 08:30 10:15 08:50 10:35 09:50 11:45 10:55 12:50 16:30 18:15 16:40 18:35 17:40 19:25 19:45 21:40

08:00 12:25 10:10 14:45 11:25 15:50 16:40 21:15 08:00 12:25 10:10 14:45

BANGKOK TO YANGON
07:10 07:55 07:10 07:55 07:55 08:50 09:15 10:05 15:00 15:50 16:25 17:10 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10 07:10 07:55 07:10 07:55 07:55 08:50 09:15 10:05 15:00 15:50 16:25 17:10 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10 07:10 07:10 07:55 09:15 07:55 07:55 08:50 10:05

07:55 09:20 09:10 10:35 14:10 15:35 14:20 15:45 15:20 16:40 07:55 09:20 14:10 15:35 14:20 15:45 15:20 16:40

SUN

SUN

8M 233
MI 517

14:15 18:40
16:40 21:15

WED

NYAUNG U TO YANGON
MON MON

YANGON TO SIEM REAP

WED 8M 401 SAT 8M 401 08:50 11:25 08:50 11:25

HEHO TO YANGON
10:15 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:35 10:55 11:15 19:10 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:35 10:55 11:15 16:30 17:55 10:15 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:55 11:15 10:15 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:55 11:15 10:15 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:55 11:15 11:05 10:15 10:30 10:45 10:55 11:15 16:30 18:25 10:05 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:35 10:55 11:15 17:05 17:55 17:55 18:35 13:00 14:45 12:40 14:45 13:00 14:45 12:40 14:45 13:40 14:45 12:40 14:45 12:40 14:45 14:40 16:45 14:20 16:45 14:40 16:45 14:20 16:45 15:55 16:45 14:20 16:45 14:20 09:30 09:05 13:15 14:00 14:00 14:50 09:05 13:15 14:00 14:50 13:55 17:40 18:10 19:20 13:35 18:10 17:40 18:10 19:20

8M 234
MON MH 740 8M 502 AK 850 TUE MH 740 8M 502 AK 850 WED MH 740 AK 850 THU MH 740 8M 502 AK 850 FRI MH 740 8M 502 AK 850 SAT MH 740 AK 850 SUN MH 740 8M 502 AK 850

19:40 21:05
10:05 11:15 14:00 15:00 15:40 16:45 10:05 11:15 14:00 15:00 15:40 16:45 10:05 11:15 15:40 16:45 10:05 11:15 14:00 15:00 15:40 16:45 10:05 11:15 14:00 15:00 15:40 16:45 10:05 11:15 15:40 16:45 10:05 11:15 14:00 15:00 15:40 16:45

TUE

KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON

TUE

YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR

MON 8M 501 MH 741 AK 851 TUE 8M 501 MH 741 AK 851 WED MH 741 AK 851 THU 8M 501 MH 741 AK 851 FRI 8M 501 MH 741 AK 851 SAT SUN MH 741 AK 851 8M 501 MH 741 AK 851 WED CZ 3056 THUR 8M 711 SAT CZ 3056 09:00 13:00 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 09:00 13:00 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 09:00 13:00 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 09:00 13:00 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 09:00 13:00 12:15 16:30 17:15 21:30 11:20 15:50 08:45 13:15 11:20 15:50 08:45 13:15

THUR

TUE

WED

WED

THUR

WED

15:00 15:50 16:25 17:10 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10 07:10 07:10 07:55 09:15 07:55 07:55 08:50 10:05

FRI

FRI

THUR

SAT

FRI

THUR

SAT

SUN

15:00 15:50 16:25 17:10 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10 07:10 07:10 07:55 09:15 07:55 07:55 08:50 10:05

SAT

YANGON TO MYITKYINA
MON TUE THUR FRI SUN

GUANGZHOU TO YANGON
WED CZ 3055 THUR 8M 712 SAT CZ 3055 08:50 10:30 14:15 15:45 08:50 10:30 14:15 15:45

YANGON TO GUANGZHOU

SUN

FRI

SUN

16:25 17:10 15:00 15:50 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10 07:10 07:10 07:55 09:15 07:55 07:55 08:50 10:05

MYITKYINA TO YANGON
MON TUE THUR FRI SUN MON

SUN 8M 711

SUN 8M 712

YANGON TO TAIPEI
MON CI 7916 WED CI 7916 FRI CI 7916 14:00 19:25 14:00 19:25 14:00 19:25

TAIPEI TO YANGON
MON CI 7915 WED CI 7915 FRI CI 7915 09:55 12:45 09:55 12:45 09:55 12:45

YANGON TO SITTWE
MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

SAT

YANGON TO NYAUNG U
MON

YANGON TO HEHO

YANGON TO KUNMING
TUE CA 906 14:15 17:35 14:15 17:35 14:15 17:35 14:15 17:35 14:15 17:35 WED CA 906 THUR CA 906 SAT SUN CA 906 CA 906

15:00 15:50 16:25 17:10 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10 07:10 07:55 07:10 07:55 07:55 08:50 09:15 10:05 15:00 15:50 16:25 17:10 17:50 18:45 19:25 20:10

KUNMING TO YANGON
TUE CA 905 12:35 13:15 12:35 13:15 12:35 13:15 12:35 13:15 12:35 13:15 WED CA 905 THUR CA 905 SAT SUN CA 905 CA 905

TUE

TUE

SUN

WED

SITTWE TO YANGON
MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE

YANGON TO KOLKATA
Mon FRI IC734 IC734 13:30 16:40 13:30 16:40

KOLKATA TO YANGON
Mon FRI IC733 IC728 10:00 14:55 15:50 16:40

WED

YANGON TO SINGAPORE
MON 8M 231 MI 511 08:40 13:05 10:10 14:45

YANGON TO CHIANG MAI

THUR W9 9607 SUN W9 9607 12:00 13:30 12:00 13:30

SINGAPORE TO YANGON
MON MI 512 8M 232 MI 518 07:55 09:20 14:10 15:35 14:20 15:45

CHIANG MAI TO YANGON

THUR W9 9608 SUN W9 9608 14:30 15:00 14:30 15:00

THUR

MANDALAY TO YANGON
MON YH 634 AW 892 6T 406 6T 402 W9 262 W9 021 YH 728 AW 762 6T 502 K7 825 08:35 08:35 08:40 08:55 10:50 14:10 16:30 16:35 17:20 17:50 10:00 10:30 10:40 10:55 12:15 15:10 17:55 18:00 19:25 19:15

THUR

8M 233
MI 517 TUE 8M 231 MI 511

14:15 18:40
16:40 21:15 08:00 12:25 10:10 14:45

YANGON TO HANOI
MON VN 956 WED VN 956 FRI SAT VN 956 VN 956 19:10 21:30 19:10 21:30 19:10 21:30 19:10 21:30

8M 234
TUE MI 512 8M 232 MI 518

19:40 21:05
07:55 09:20 14:10 15:35 14:20 15:45

HANOI TO YANGON
MON VN 957 WED VN 957 FRI SAT VN 957 VN 957 16:35 18:10 16:35 18:10 16:35 18:10 16:35 18:10

FRI

FRI

YANGON TO MYEIK

8M 233
MI 517 WED 8M 231 MI 511 8M 6232 MI 517 THUR 8M 231 MI 511

14:15 18:40
16:40 21:15 08:00 12:25 10:10 14:45 11:25 15:50 16:40 21:15 08:00 12:25 10:10 14:45

8M 234
WED MI 512 8M 6231 8M 232 MI 518 THUR MI 512 8M 232 MI 518 MI 520

19:40 21:05
07:55 09:10 14:10 14:20 09:20 10:35 15:35 15:45

Domestic
6T = Air Mandalay W9 = Air Bagan AW = Asian Wings K7 = AIR KBZ YH = Yangon Airways FD & AK = Air Asia TG = Thai Airways

International
8M = Myanmar Airways International PG = Bangkok Airways MI = Silk Air VN = Vietnam Airline MH = Malaysia Airlines CZ = China Southern CI = China Airlines CA = Air China IC = Indian Airlines Limited W9 = Air Bagan 3K = Jet Star

THUR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE

YANGON TO HO CHI MINH

TUE VN 942 14:25 17:10 14:25 17:10 14:25 17:10 THUR VN 942 SUN VN 942

HO CHI MINH TO YANGON

TUE VN 943 11:40 13:25 11:40 13:25 11:40 13:25 THUR VN 943 SUN VN 943

MYEIK TO YANGON

YANGON TO PHNOM PENH

WED 8M 401 SAT 8M 401 08:50 12:50 08:50 12:50

07:55 09:20 14:10 15:35 14:20 15:45 15:20 16:40

PHNOM PENH TO YANGON

WED 8M 402 SAT 8M 402 13:50 15:15 13:50 15:15

8M 233
MI 517 FRI 8M 231 MI 511 8M 6232 MI 517

14:15 18:40
16:40 21:15 08:00 12:25 10:10 14:45 11:25 15:50 16:40 21:15

8M 234
FRI MI 512 8M 6231 8M 232 MI 518 MI 520

19:40 21:05
07:55 09:10 14:10 14:20 15:20 09:20 10:35 15:35 15:45 16:40

Subject to change without notice

THUR FRI SAT SUN

YANGON TO GAYA
WED 8M 601 SAT 8M 601 09:00 10:30 09:00 10:30

GAYA TO YANGON
WED 8M 602 SAT 8M 602 11:30 15:00 11:30 15:00

tea Break
March 26 - April 1, 2012
the

40
MyanMar tiMes

Acacia Tea Salon: more than just tea

By Ma Thanegi TWO decades ago Sayasan Road, the part just off Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, had one or two large teashops. They were the kind that served the strong, sweet, condensedmilk-laced tea that is the lifeblood of Yangon men, along with buns, cakes and pastries filled with bean paste. Now the whole street is lined on both sides with huge restaurants offering Thai food, grills, hotpot, noodles and many more varieties of the same. Most of these restaurants can easily be spotted, with their names and menus flashing in red, green and yellow neon. But one place, a renovated 1950s house of a substantial size, sits back quietly from the road within a large compound. A wide and pretty glass pavilion stands at the side, rather like a dressedup girl obediently standing next to her imposing mother. A discreet black-and-white sign on the front wall says Acacia Tea Salon. But dont be misled Acacia is about much more than tea. Someone I know to be a person of discerning taste in food and ambience had suggested that my friend Gabriele and I try Acacia. Never having heard of the place, but trusting my friend, we ventured forth one evening, saying to each other that if it did not work out wed go someplace else. Our doubts were amplified after seeing the sign with the words tea salon. We stepped inside the elegant front room where large glass cases showed off the most beautiful cakes wed ever seen. They seemed inspired by Miro or Japanese gardens. We forgot about dinner, for a few minutes at least, but upon questioning a waiter, we were assured that we would be fed a proper meal. Casting experienced eyes on the cakes, we decided to leave room for dessert. I wondered how anyone could bear to eat up such works of art but, oh yes, we managed to gobble em up just fine. The dining rooms lay behind the front room; the house must have been a residence of one of the oldmoney aristocrats, and apart from the re-plastered walls and off-white paint job, the decorator had left it in a state of minimalist elegance. A few tubs of tall, lush palms, some cases displaying blue and white ceramics, and white furniture gave an air of dignity to the place. To break the uniformity, however beautiful, upstairs there was a long front room done in a riot pink, brown and red hues. Soft cushions and thick, wide floor seats were lined up against the walls: It was the Arabic Room, obviously meant for younger people with more flexible knees. Off to one side of this room were two balconies with tables set for dinner, and at the back a wider patio overlooking the garden. The menu was not extensive but offered good choices at reasonable prices, including pan fried tuna loin salad (K10,000), seared sea scallops salad (K12,000) and pan-fried French foie gras (K15,000). There were three soups organic pumpkin (K6000), chicken broth and soup of the day as well as sandwiches with smoked salmon, Black Forest ham or honey ham. Of course there were teas 45 varieties such as the classics, flavoured green teas, herbal and fruit infusions, flower teas like rosebud, and what must delight tea connoisseurs: white tea. There was coffee too, of course, and a variety of breads.

Dessert is served at Acacia Tea Salon. Pic: Yadanar Among the pasta dishes of homemade tagialini, fettucinni and tortellini, I chose the last, filled with duck confit, ham and porcini in cream sauce; it was heavenly. At K8000, it was a dish I could eat every day, or wait, maybe once a week. Gabriele had baked snow fish (K20,000), which had light, slightly firm, snowy white flesh, and the caramelised surface was crisp and aromatic and to die for. We thought we would try the veal cheeks another time, as well as the other pasta dishes, or the sandwiches, or just more cake. We went for three types of cake, which we chose from the front room display of perhaps 20 kinds: blueberry cheese tart, mango passion charlotte and the standard Black Forest slice, which had no look of being standard about it. Gabriele pronounced it excellent. The mango passion charlotte was a little, glossy igloo of creamy fruit with coconut cream in its centre. The blueberry cheese tart, which the wait staff said was the most popular, was our favourite as well. I met, reverently shook hands with, and took down the names of the three excellent Thai chefs, including the brilliant pastry chef. However, I decided to leave their names out of the story just in case another restaurant gets any ideas about headhunting them.

Acacia Tea Salon

52 Saya San Road Bahan Township Tel: 01-554-739

YOUR STARS
By Astrologer Aung Myin Kyaw
Aquarius Jan 20 - Feb 18 Cultivate a clear understanding of the difference between what you need and what you want, and know that it is important to strive for your needs while having the ability to wisely modify your desires. While it is often easy to read jealousy and avarice on the faces of others, set yourself the more difficult task of detecting understanding in the eyes of those with whom you have social relationships. Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20 Social interference will disturb your mind and cause unhappiness, which you will not be able to easily repair with fine speech. Replenish yourself with close friends, and keep your morale and energy levels high. You and your lover will have a happy reunion that will boost your relationship to higher levels than ever before. A fresh opportunity will shine with potential. Aries March 21 - April 19 Nothing stays the same way and everything changes. Through your own efforts you might earn something that will always stay with you. Learn to work hard to achieve a higher level of influence. Remember that a position doesnt make a leader, but a leader can make the position. Never try to get the big position,

but strive to become a leader of yourself and community. Taurus April 20 - May 20 Seeing the world through a different set of eyes will help you divine the truth by exposing shadows to the light and making them disappear. Feelings of irritation are often signposts indicating which weaknesses you need to work on and which fears you need to face. Treat people with respect, and leave them in a better state than when you found them. Determination should force you to develop a sharp sense of concentration, leading you to greater accomplishments in life. Gemini May 21 - June 20 A blind impulse will impel you to take another run at glory. However, big disappointments in communication will take a turn toward the serious, and you will have to change your direction with great awareness. But nothing will annihilate you because of the wonderful favour of King Sun. When it comes to finding love, what you see is all that you have to work with. Learn to pay full attention to your partner to get a full emotional response. Cancer June 22 - July 22 Keep challenging yourself to think better, do better and be better. Stand for what is best and refuse to be average. Ask nothing, but open your ears at all times. Social communication will become unavailable, so the most effective channel for useful information will be to find out where the high-level business deals are being made. Relax your mind and cultivate emotional balance in love affairs.

Leo July 23 - Aug 22 Keep your mind and body in perfect condition by living in a neutral state, but at the same time remain ever-active. You must achieve your objectives through your own efforts and courage. Never remain indifferent to your close friends who are living far from you. The door to the sanctuary of love is never far away and is always open. Infuse your heart and mind with a sense of marvel and meaning. Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22 Come to love not by finding the perfect person but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. You should know that at the peak of concentration, everything shifts into slow motion. As a big rule, believe that the human female is a skin creature who likes to enter a time-free zone of love. Good deeds should be performed without delay, and will result in the shining of new light that will help you find your direction. Libra Sept 23 - Oct 22 Rather than pretending that you are a perfect person, acknowledge your own faults and devise strategies to help you become the best person you can possibly be. Create a healthy balance of personal and professional interests. Set realistic goals to become more effective in your competitive environment. Pausing, waiting and taking time are necessary to develop the art of love. Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 21 Let others know that you understand your own

faults. Doing so will help make you appear more approachable and trustworthy. Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world. Scrutinise your own heart to determine your true feelings for your partner. You will experience positive changes in your social milieu, and your untiring efforts will bring unexpected but profitable results. Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 21 Meditate on how to invest your consciousness. Think back on important people you have met and consider whether your first impressions of them were accurate, or whether you need to develop a better means of evaluating unfamiliar people. When sudden storms arise, do not raise shutters that will lock out your closest friends. You must take social risks to prosper, but beware of challenges from unexpected quarters. Capricorn Dec 22 - Jan 19 Friendship is the framework for success. The most important single ingredient in the formula of high achievement is knowing how to get along with people. Pride is really nothing more than a form of selfishness. A sense of greed without the tempering influence of selfmanagement can lead to intense feelings of dissatisfaction. The key to opening the heart of someone you love is to use your wisdom to cultivate sympathy. For a personal reading contact Aung Myin Kyaw, 4th Floor, 113 Thamain Bayan Road, Tamwe Township, Yangon. Tel: 0973135632, Email: williameaste@gmail.com

Education
StuDy GuiDeS for Grade 10, 11 and Intl school (ISY, MISY, ILBC, Total, PISM, Crane, MLA, Diplomatic, RV) GCSE, SAT , IELTS, TOEFL, Teachers who have got Teaching experience in Singapore, Now back to Myanmar/ Teaching combination of Foreign and Myanmar Style/ Skillful Teachers, Saya Bryan M.E(IT) 09-2150075 , Tr. Ahme B.Sc ( IC) Ph: 09-730-592 65, Saya Htet B.E(IT) Ph: 09-215-0075, 09730- 35744, Saya Thet (MBBS) 09-731-11782, Korean Native English Teacher Tr. Kim (after 6 p.m) 655647 , Tr. Phyu 09430 83117 , Sayar Min Aung 0949 280 490 SPARe just a few hours every week. With steady pace you can achieve, See for yourself at ease! (Home tuition available) Teacher Moe (Retired Lecturer) Ph: 09-5600747. ABC PReSCHOOL, Subjects : English (4) Skills, Science, Basis Mathematics, Concepts, Myanmar, Hand Work, Drawing & Colouring, Performing Art, Social Studies, Poems , Songs & Rhymes, Excursion.

Time Duration ; School Hour:9:00-15:00 (Close only Sat & Sun). English, Chinese Language, Computer Course : Sat & Sun. No.17, Kamarkyi Rd, Thuwunna .Email : preschoolabc@gmail. com

san @ gmail.com

Language

Expert Service
We provide:(1) Buying vehicle One Stop Service for Scrapped-ear-owners and tax-payers. (2)Courier Service for documents and goods to Singapore. (3) Applying Licence in Nay Pyi Taw. (4) Arranging Bank Documents. (5) Arrang-ingShippingDocuments & Transportat-ion. (6) Distribution Services. (7) Finding Oversea Customers. (8) Air Cargo and Sea Cargo Services. (9) Services for Trading, Banking and Shipping to any country via Singapore. Winner Ocean Trading Co., Ltd :75/B, 15 St, Middle Block, Lanmadaw. Ph: 01-03450030, 01212985, 09-430-88422, 09-516-1716. tRAnSLAtiOn: Those who are looking for a competent translator; I provide English to Myanmar and Myanmar to English. Specialize in Novel, business and ngos materialsetc: Pls Contact Daw Maw Maw San ph: 09-431-97513 mail: maw.

HOMe tutiOn japanese language regular course (basic, inter) jpn going course, myanmar language for japanese. Ph: 09-7303-2296 enGLiSH language at your home. Interested persons kindly contact ph : 09-430-57719, 09- 73021435. MyAnMAR for foreigners. Ph: 09-731-61269. GuiDe (For Embassy family and others) When you stay in Myanmar,do you want to ask to your children to learn Myanmar language ? Call-09-732-23668 (ko soe thi aung)

uRGent to sell foe Internet cafe shop At main road (Ba Ho road), Sanchang. 33 computers sets,15kv generator, 4 air conds. 100 Lakhs, Negotiable, Contact : 01-502928, 09540-8250. RAzeR Starcraft 2 Headphone , Apple Superdrive New, HTC sensation XE Beat, Dual Core 1.5mhz, Memory 768mb, 8MP Camera with beat earphone Used Price - 380000. Ph: 09730-48374

731-63643 MAkeuP Artist from Bangkok is in Yangon for 2 months and avaliable to give private makeup classes in both English and Burmese in request. Availiable subjects are Basic Makeup Application, Products Information & Usageof Know-ledge, Highlighting & Contouring, Film/TV makeup, Photography makeup, Events makeup, Bridal makeup, Male grooming and so on for both Pro and Begginer

For Sale

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Public Notice
An inDiViDuAL VB.net trainer who can teach during Water Festival Holidays can call: 09-5006752, 09-518-7487.

Promotion Ngapali Beach Tour April 12 To 15 , 2012 ( 3N/4D ) Ngapali Beach Fully Package Tours. Including Air Ticket (Round Trip ) 3 star Hotel (3 Night) Meal (Breakfast 3 times , Lunch 4 times , Dinner 3 times) Thandwe Airport to Ngapali Beach car transpor-tation Tour price 490000 Ks / pax Contact person Ms. OUNG [ Ms. Mya Mya Oung, (Tour Manager of Oake Khaung Travels & Tours) Ph: 09-732-42224 Oake Khaung Travels & Tours Co.,Ltd: W-1, West Aung San Stadium, Mingalar Taung Nyunt , Tel (off): 01-252953, 383968, 707-093, 725858, 706305, 721212, 4413319, 09-73042266, 09-730-42277. Fax: 01-383968 E-mail : oktouroperator @ gmail. com, Website: www. okmyanmar travels.com

PROPERTY
HousingforRent
BAHAn, Apartment along New University Ave Rd, Good electricity & water essential. Fully furnished with 2-3 rooms with attached toilet. Rent Rate - USD500 to USD700 per month. (6 month advance rental). Rental period 1 to 3 years. Pls contact : 09512-8095 - Ma Thinzar Oo BAHAn: Golden Valley, Two Story Building, Fully Furnished, Fully Furniture, 2MB, 2SB, Ph,A/C,GoodNeighborhood, 20 Lakhs, Foreigners welcome. Call - 09-432-00669 BAHAn, Takathoyeik mon condo, 7F, 1500 Sqft , Fully Furnished, Fully Furniture, 3 A/C, 1 MBR, 2 SBR ,1PH, 6 Lakhs, Ph : 09-73135900 tHinGAnGyun, 40 x 60 3RC ThuMinGaLar Rd, Good location for car show room & business. ph: 09-430-80638. BAHAn, Golden Valley, 0.35 acre Land, big garden, 2 storey, ph line, semi-furnished, 4 MBR, US$ 3000 per month, Ph: 09-5020969 CHinAtOWn apartment, lift, 17x 59', Ph line, 2AC, 2MBR, Jacuzzi, Funished Room, water heater, US$ 1000 / 8 Lakhs per month, Ph: 09-502-0969 MAyAnGOne, Pyay Rd, 0.5acre land, 2RC Storey new house, 5 master bed rooms, ph, Fully furnished, big garden, US$ 3500 Per month, Ph: 09-5034954

Housing for Sale

LASHiO : 2Acres Land including the main house and 2storey building. In downtown and Very Good place for business. Price: negotiable Ph: 09-5158738 MAnDALAy : 26(B) Rd, between (86/87) Aungmyaytharsan Township. (22 feet X 75 feet ) Ph: 09-504-8704, 02-21915.

Training

level. My works can be seen on www. facebook. com/Makeup.Flora and you can contact me directly at 01 80 10 912. Flora (Thet Thet ) GuitAR GuiDe To Home Ph:09-731-94925

Want To Buy

.net Programming : Home (1) C#.Net, (2) Asp.Net, (3) Sql Server, (4) Other Programming Concept With Project Contact me:Thanda 09-

Travel

nyAn Myint tHu Car rental service : 56, Bo Ywe St, Latha. Ph: 246551, 375283, 09-645-0599 tHinGyAn SALe

uSeD LAPtOP, Note- book, Netbook, MacbookPro, Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Digital Camera, External Hardisk, Used Phone Nokia Blackberry HTC Sony Ericsson Samsung Galaxy S2 Galaxy Note, Huawei Apple Ipod Touch 4G Iphone 3gs iphone 4, 4s handset Ipad Ipad2) Ph: 09-517-8391

Rent / Sale
tAMWAe : Lovely Banglow, 2 Story, 1 MB, 2SB, 50x100' Yard, Fully Furnished, 1Ph, 9 Lakhs, Foreigners welcome. Call - 01569448, 09-731-35900

Employment
INGO Position
SOLiDARiteS Int'l is seeking Construction technician in Monywa, Sagaing Region: Specific technical knowledge & experience in construction of small scale community infrastructures (especially water collection and supply facilities). Experience in team supervision. Previous experience in supervising Cash for Work or similar activities is considered as an advantage. Knowledge of the Dry Zone and the project area is considered as an advantage. Understanding of engineering drawings and techincal designs. Driving license and ability to drive motorbikes. Pls submit your application (CV, cover letter, references) to the attention of: Deputy Administrative Manager, GRET Office, 130, Zawtika St, Yankin Ward, Monywa -Sagaing Region. (OR) Solidarites Int'l per email: mon.adm. assst @ solidarites-myanmar. org or eieiphyu04@ gmail.com. Final date for applications: 30.3. 2012 at 05:00 PM. Only short listed candidates will be contacted by phone or by email for an interview. SOLiDARiteS Int'l (SI) is looking for Logistics Supervisor, Kyein Dwe Base; Kanpetlet Tsp, Southern Chin State. : 2 years professional experience in Logistics field with INGO/ NGO. University Degree or Diploma (preferably in Logistics, Public Administration, Business administration, accountancy or related area). Or related proven experience in similar area. Knowledge of IT management and MS office (excel, word, power point). Fluent spoken and written English and Myanmar. Good writing & communication skill. Pls submit application (CV, cover letter, references) to the attention of: Win Htay, Deputy Logistics Coordinator - Solidarites Int'l : 44 A, Tharyarwaddy lane, Saya San Ward, Bahan Tsp, Yangon or per email: hr.solidarites. chin. mm@gmail.com & ygn. dpt.logco@ solidaritesmyanmar. org. Closing date: 31.3.2012. Only those who qualify the basic requirements will be called for interview. MeDeCinS du Monde (MDM) is seeking Field Logistician, 1 post in Yangon : Graduate or degree. At least 2 years experience in Logistic Field. Fluent oral and written English. Good Computer skills (Microsoft Office, Advenced Excel, MS windows, Internet & Email. Interested & qualified applicants should submit CV and a cover letter to MDM Yangon Office 16, Kan Yeik Thar St, Mayangone , Yangon. Tel: 662604, 652658. Email: hr. mdmmyanmar@gmail. com, Closing Date: 5th April, 2012. SOLiDARiteS Int'l (SI) is looking for (1) AgricultureSupervisor in Myebon, Rakhine State. The position will offer opportunity of regular field trips to the project Villages. (2) Deputy programme Coordinator specialized in Agriculture, Food Security & livelihoods projects. Profile: MBA in Agriculture or other relevant University Degree in the Agriculture sector. 5 years professional experience in project management in the humanitarian or rural development sector. Proficiency in written & spoken English, Fluency in Myanmar. Excellent writing/ reporting abilities and analytical skills. High computer literacy (Word, Excel, Power Point). (3) Deputy Programme Manager: MBA in Agriculture or other relevant Univeristy Degree. 4 years of professional experience in project management in the humanitarian or rural development sector. For 2 & 3 : Previous experience with an INGO in implementing Food Security/ livelihood activities is a must. Fluent in both written & spoken English/ Excellent reporting skills. Good computer skills in particular for data processing & analysis; proficiency in MS Office. Knowledge of the Rakhine State. Pls submit application including a CV, cover letter addressing how you meet the profile required, & references to the attention of: Caroline Courtois, Programme Coordinator Solidarites Int'l office : 44 A, Taryarwaddy Lane, Sayar San Ward, Bahan, Yangon OR per email: hr.solidarites. rk. mm@ gmail.com (thanks to use basic excel, word or pdf format). Closing date: 31.3.2012. CARe Myanmar organization is seeking (1) Senior Program Officer (Gender)-Yangon-1post, Closing date : 27th March 2012 (2) emergency Coordinator (Reannouncement) Yangon - 1 post, Closing th date: 28 March2012 (Wednesday) Qualify women are strongly encourage to apply . Pls request the detailed Terms of Reference at the CARE Myanmar office during office hours (8:30 to 5:00) between Monday to Friday or can obtain by email: recruitment@ care.org. mm 17A, Pyi Htaung Su St, Sayarsan Rd, Sayarsan North-West Ward, Bahan, Tel: 401419, 401420. BuRnet Institute Myanmar is an Int'l Non Government Organization which seeks dedicated people for the following position. (1)Receptionist -1 Post Closing date is March 26, 2012(Monday), 5:00 PM. Detailed information could be seen at the notice board of our Burnet office. Interested & qualified applications are required to submit an Application letter and CV to Human Resource Officer at Burnet Institute Office: 226, 2nd Flr, Wizaya Plaza, U Wisara Rd, Bahan, or by email to burnet. myanmar@ gmail. com no later than March 26, 2012 (Monday) . SOLiDARiteS Int'l (SI) is seeking Human Resource Officer (HR Offier) : Humanitarian values & strong motivation to gain experience with Int'l Humanitarian Organization. Last years of University Degree (preferably in Int'l relations, Public relations, Diplomatic career, Public Administration, Business administration,accountancy or related area) or related experience in similar area. Fluent in English & Myanmar. Good writing & communication skills. Flexible, reactive, trustful and calm under pressure. Knowledge of MS office. Pls submit application (CV, cover letter, references) by email on the following e-mail : ygn.adm. coordo@ solidarites-international. org, hr. solidarites.mm@ gmail. com Important: the position you want to apply for has to be specified in the subject of your e-mail, other-wise the application will not be considered as valid. Closing date: 31.3.12. (1) Client service manager. (2) Media manager. Please apply at 790 Bogyoke Rd and Wadan Rd Junction Suite403, Danathiha Center Lanmadaw, Yangon, Myanmar Ph: 951-211870, 951224820. GReAteR Man Int'l Trading Co., Ltd is seeking : (1) Business Development executives 2 Posts : Can set a business Plan and must have business acumen. BBM or BBA graduated are preferable. (2) Sales executive - 2 Posts : Should have automobiles & machinery related knowledge. Engineer-ing back groud with CAN DO attitude in indispensible. (3) Accountant - 2 Posts: Can Prepare income statement and should have two years related experiences with good will. Age over 25 is preferable. (4) Assistant Mechanic - 2 Posts : Candidate must possess at least a professional certificate from any field. 2 years of experience in the related field is required for this position. All candidates must be energetic enthusiastic and result oriented. Sociable & interested in vehicles, automobiles & related parts. Fluent English, Computer literate and speaking Chinese is preferable. Candidate must be able to travel if works is demanding. Pls submit application to Summit Prak View Hotel, Rm: 220, 221, Alone Rd, Any diploma or certificate with concerning IT. Working Experience at least 3 years. Age 25 to 30. (3) General Worker - M 3 Posts : Passed with matriculation. Age 18 to 25. (4) koreanMyanmar translator - M/F 1 Post : Diploma in Korean from YUFL. 2 years exprience. Age 20 to 25. (5) Security Officer - M 1 Post : Passed with Matriculation. 3 years experience. Age 40 to 45. (6) Security Man - M 4 Posts : Passed with Matriculation. 2 years experience. Age 25 ~ 50. (7) Driver - M 1 Post : Passed with Matriculation. 2 years experience. Age 30 to 35. We must priority all of the post had with experience. Closing date : 28.3.2012. Pls submit application to Office: 10/12, 1st Flr, Bogalay Zay St, Botahtaung, Ph: 392210, 09-500-7538, 09-731-50242. E-mail: naingmyint@gmail.com (skype-hnnagent99) www.hnnbiz-myanmar seashine.com HORizOn International Kindergarten is expanding the classes. So that, we are looking for the enthusiastic colleagues. (1) Assistant teacher - F 20 Posts: University Graduate. Must be proficient in English. Comfortable working with young learners. (2) Office Secretaries - F 2 Posts : Univeristy Graduate. Must be proficient in English. Has basic accounting Benefit will be from USD 200 to USD 800 based on achievement. (3) Brand Sales Manager - M/F 2 posts: Able to launch and maintain a product brand in market. Must be a degree holder with 4 years experience. Preferable with relevant diploma or certificate. Understand and commit to ISO system. Benefit will be from USD 200 to USD 800 based on achievement. (4) Sales Manager - M/F 8 posts: Able to manage sale (team) to achieve target. Must be a degree holder with 4 years experience. Benefit will be from USD 150 to USD 700. Remark for No. 1 to 4 posts: All middle level managers are welcome to challenge to an entrepreneur program after achieving satisfactory results. Computer literature skill is preferable for all posts. (5) Management trainee (for Junior Management Posts) M/F 10 posts: Must be a degree holder with 3 years experience. Preferable with relevant diploma or certificate that matches to working experience or interest. Self-motivation, strong in any point with can-do spirit. Benefit will be from USD 100 to USD 300 based on achievement. Suitable posts will be assigned only after management trainee period based on your talent. Remark for No.5 posts: All the selected candidate will be offered to have free management training under the title of Basic Management Concepts & How to solve problem effectively & efficiently before provisional recruitment. Computer literature skill is preferable for all posts. Pls submit application to E-mail: peterxu. purchase @gmail. com neeD a lady junior staff, at least a graduate, aged around 20~25, for an intl trade promotional organizat-ion in Yangon, capable of fluent English, computer knowledge, Japanese language skill as an added value, office logistical & secretarial works with keen interest in teamwork. Pls submit applications attached with bio data, copies of certificates & N.R.C, a recent photo to (Sedona Hotel Business Suites#04-02, No. 1, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd., Yankin, Closing date: April 6th, 2012. SAVOy HOteL is urgently looking for (1) Chief engineer - 1 post 5 years experience . (2) HR/Payroll Assistant 1 post : 2 years experience. (3) Reservation Assistant - 1 post (4) Waiter/Waitress - 3 posts. For position 3 & 4 1 year experience in hotel fields. Applicat-ion letter by email to operations @ savoyhotel-yangon. com or 129, Dhammazedi Rd, Yangon. Tel: 526298, 526289. inCePtA Pharmaceutical Ltd is looking for Medical Promotion Officer (MPO) - 4 posts :Preferably science graduate with 1-2 year experience. Interested candidates are requested for a walk-ininterview in the following address with updated CV in between 10-12 am and 3-5 pm everyday from 14th March to 10th April 2012. Incepta Pharmaceuti-cal Ltd. No.92/94, Rm #3B, 52nd St, Pazun-daung. Ph: 294859, 09-519-0127. We are urgently seeking (1) General Manager - M 1 Post : Any Graduate or Higher Degree (MBA is preferable). Age 35-45. 7 years experience. knowledge in English. (2) HR Manager - M/F 1 Post : Any graduate, more preferable MBA degree or DMA diploma holder. Age 30 ~ 45. 5 years experience. Demonstrable experience in Microsoft Office, especially Access & Excel. Effective spoken & written English. (3) Business Development Manager - M/F 1 Post : Any Graduate or higher degree (MBA is preferable). Age 35-45. 5 years experiences . Good command of English, Computer literate. (4) Dy Manager/ Asst: Manager - M/F 1 Post:Any Graduate (MBA is preferable). Age 35 ~ 45. 3 years experience. Ability to communicat-ion with English. Computer literate. (5) Senior executive (Commercial) - M/F 2 Posts : Working experience in commercial Fields (Export, Import documentation). Age under 35. 3 years experience. Good command of English/ Chinese is preferable. Computer literate. For 5 & 6 : Must be staying in Northern Shan State alternative-ly. (6) Senior Account-ant M/F 2 Posts : B.Com, B.Act, CPA or Higher Degree. Age 30-45. 5 years experience. Must be staying in Northern Shan State alternatively & meal are arranged during in Shan (Nam Kham). Good command of English/ Chinese is preferable. (7) Business Development executive - M/F 2 Posts : Any Graduate. Age under 35. 1 ~ 2 years experiences in Business development & Tender field. Good command of English. Computer literate.(8) Manager for Executive Office - M/F 1 Post : Any Graduate (MBA is preferable). Age 35-45. 5 years experience in Cooperative multiple tasks with all concerning department. Good command in English . Computer literate. Pls submit an application letter, with full CV detailing experience, knowledge and skills. Pls include the names and contact details of referees to the HR Department by email to hrd1@ pristinemyanmar. com or PO Box 428 or No.B/7, Taw Win Rd, 9 Mile, Mayangone, within 2 weeks. tRAVeL Company is seeking (1) inbound Sales & Marketing executive. (2) Outbound Marketing. Remark: Only who has experiences in Tourism Industry. Ph: 371722, 700894, 09-731-93410, 09-731-93420. (1) DeSiGneR & Architect - Furniture Design / Interior - AutoCAD , Photo shop, Illustrator (2) Programmer - IT, Computer Engineering, Able to create database, Programming with 2 years experience (3) Sales & Marketing executives :5 years experience in Interior Design Material/ Furniture.All posts must have 3 to 5 years experience and good command of English & computer skills. Able to drive will be of advantage. Ph: 505345, 707942 email: tps.ygn @ gmail.com TPS Wooden Industries Sdn Bhd. 135 - A1, Than Lwin Rd, Kamayut. JAPAneSe Newly Investment Company at Yangon EnBiz Myanmar Ltd. (pre-established) Employ-ment condition and qualification: all the following fields required & age 22-50 years, M/F. Salary is negotiable. English or Japanese communicat-ion skill, minimum computer skill like MS office, internet skill is needed. Managing position: MBA or Equivalent experience. Legal Advisor (commercial): labor law, commercial law etc. Accounting Advisor (commercial): business accounting Japanese translator: business level Japanese language skill.All position Japanese or English language business level skill prefers. Pls send CV to : maymkyi @gmail. com & Kawabata@ nantsu. jp We ARe looking for highly motivated, creative & energetic individual for Myanmar International Trading Position: Senior Admi-nistrative Assistant: Bachelor Degree preferably in Law. 3 years experience. Spoken/written Myanmar / English. Computer literate. Able to work independently with minimum supervision. Good communication skills. Duties & responsibilities. Handle the operations & administrative funct-ions & accounts. Able to multi task. Deal with all levels of the staff effectively. Handle important incoming calls. Pls send applicat-ions with updated C.V. educational certificates & references to Myanmar Int'l Trading Co., Ltd. #92, First Flr, The Strand Hotel, Strand Rd, Kyauktada . Ph:09730-90408, 254270 MyAnMAR Women EntrepreneursAssociation (MWEA) is the nonprofit organization in Myanmar is looking Project Manager - 1 post (Yangon) : University Degree /Master Degree in political science, business management with related field. 3 years of relevant experience in the area of project management of gender related projects. Application must include a cover letter, current CV, copies of relevant academic qualification certificate and a recent passport sized photograph. Application should be address to mwea2008 @gmail.com (or) 288/290, MWEA Tower, Shwedagon Pagoda Rd, Dagon Tsp. Closing Date: March 31, 2012 ABC PReSCHOOL is looking for qualified teacher under 25 years old with friendly, patient, self motivated & graduated. Pls send application together with update CV photo, education credentials, & reference to preschoolabc@ gmail. com, No.17, Kamarkyi Rd, Thuwunna,

Local Position
SeekinG the following Full-time positions at various locations in Yangon. it, Accountants, Cashiers, Receptionists, Guest Relation Officers, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Office Clerks, Purchasers, Storekeepers, Housekeeping, Laundry Attendant, Securities, Barista, Public Area Attendant (Cleaner) , electriction, Plumber . Interested persons can submit CV with one recent photo, bio data, education certificates, NRC copy, labor registration card in person at ECOApartment - Pearl Condominium Tower E, Ground Flr No. Ga 21, Kabaaye Pagoda Rd, Yangon or email at mashwemee@gmail. com. Contact Ph: 01557488, 09-564-0880. SinGAPORe based company is looking for Consultant (.Net/Java) based in Yangon. The candidate will be working from home for the first 3 months. Attracted salary will be offered according to experience. Interview will be conducted in Yangon in the first 2 weeks of April, 2012. Any interested person, please send CV/Resume to myanmarhr @mevo. com.sg. QuARtO Products is one of the leading Fine Food & Wine Distribut-ion Company in Myanmar. We are seeking for the following vacancies; (1) Accountant (Manager) - M/F 1 Post :Financial Controller with at least 10 years accountant job experience. Must possess Leadership qualities & foreign company work experience preferred. (2) Accountant (Supervisor) - M/F 1 post : At least 5 years accounting related work experience and foreign company work experience preferred. Possessed ACCA certificates. (3) Assistant Accountant - M/F 1 post : B.com or LCCI Level III. Age less than 30 with minimum 1 or 2 years experience at related field. Good command of English & computer knowledge preferred. (4) Admin & HR Manager - M/F 1 post : Possessed a degree in Human Resource related studies with several years international working experience. (5) Customer Service Assistant - M/F 2 posts : Experience in International hotels preferred with good command of English speaking skills. (6) Operation Staff - M 3 posts : Young male graduate, hardworking with physical ability to move stock, past experience with managing inventory preferred. (7) Management trainees - M/F 5 posts : Young graduates who are ambitious to become top management. Possessed a sharp mind and strong characters. You can apply with cover letter, CV with 2 recent photos, copies of NRC card, labor registration card, Police recommendat-ion letter, others educational references & experience to 5 ( B/ D) , Bayint Naung Lane, 550768, 530237. SAiL Marketing & Communications is seeking experienced advertising agency executives to serve international clients.

Dagon Tsp, Yangon. inteR GROuP of Companies is a leading management consulting company based in Singapore. We are inviting suitable candidates to join our team for Myanmar operation in the following job opportunity: Admin Assistant : Degree or Diploma Holder. Must familiar with import and export procedures. Good communication & interpersonal skills. Computer Literate. Able to work independently & efficiently in a fastpaced environment . Pls submit your detailed resume with one recent passport photo and together with copies of educational certificates and testimonials to Inter Consulting Co., Ltd : 30 (B-1), Rm 601, 6th Flr, YadanarInnya Condo, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan , Yangon, (Opposite of Fruit Market) Tel: 01-7310 5353 , 017310 5340 Email: hr@ icononline. net not later than 6th April 2012 . (1) WAReHOuSe Manager - M 1 Post : Any graduate. Working experienced at least 3 to 5 years. Age 35 to 40. Good in English & IT. (2) it Assistance Manager - M 1 Post : Any graduate.

knowledge. Good letter writing skill. (3) nurse - F 2 Posts: Certificate or diploma in related field. Good command of English. Comfortable working with young learners. Interested candidates may submit within a couple of week with a cover letter, a resume/ CV, a copy of relevant Diploma (certificate) & a current photo to the following address: Horizontal Intl Kindergarten (Po Sein Campus). 5/A, Po Sein Rd, Bahan, Ph: 548452. No.58/B, Shwe Hinn Thar St, 12 Ward, 6 Mile, Pyay Rd, Hlaing, Ph: 511595. (1) PLAnninG Manager M/F 1- Must be a MBA/ DMA or relevant degree holder with at least 5 years experience. Understand & commit to ISO system. Can survive in challenging culture/ spirit. Benefit will be from USD 200 to USD 800 based on achievement. (2) Operation Manager - M/F 1post: Must be a MBA/ DMA or relevant degree holder with at least 5 years experience. Able to manage to achieve targets. Understand and commit to ISO system. Can survive in challenging culture/ spirit.

The Essentials
EMBASSIES Australia 88, Strand Road, Yangon. tel : 251810, 251797, 251798, 251809, 246462, 246463, fax: 246159 Bangladesh 11-B, Than Lwin Road, Yangon. tel: 515275, 526144, fax: 515273, email: bdootygn@mptmail.net. mm Brazil 56, Pyay Road, 6th mile, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon. tel: 507225, 507251, 507482. fax: 507483. email: Administ.yangon@ itamaraty.gov.br. Brunei 317/319, U Wizara Road, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. tel: 526985, 524285, fax: 512854 email: bruneiemb@ bruneiemb.com.mm Cambodia 25 (3B/4B), New University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 549609, 540964, fax: 541462, email: RECYANGON @mptmail. net.mm China 1, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 221280, 221281, 224025, 224097, 221926, fax: 227019, 228319 Egypt 81, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 222886, 222887, fax: 222865, email: egye mbyangon@mptmail. net.mm France 102, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 212178, 212520, 212523, 212528, 212532, fax: 212527, email: ambaf rance. rangoun@ diplomatie.fr Germany 9, Bogyoke Aung San Museum Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 548951, 548952, fax: 548899 email: info@rangun. diplo.de India 545-547, Merchant Street, Yangon. tel: 391219, 388412, 243972, fax: 254086, 250164, 388414, email: indiaembassy @mptmail. net.mm Indonesia 100, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 254465, 254469, 229750, fax: 254468, email: kukygn @indonesia.com.mm Israel 15, Khabaung Street, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon. tel: 515115, fax: 515116, email: info@ yangon.mfa.gov.il Italy 3, Inya Myaing Road, Golden Valley, Yangon. tel: 527100, 527101, fax: 514565, email: ambyang.mail@ esteri.it Japan 100, Natmauk Road, Yangon. tel: 549644-8, 540399, 540400, 540411, 545988, fax: 549643 Embassy of the State of Kuwait Chatrium Hotel, Rm: No.416, 418, 420, 422, 40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe Tsp, Tel: 544500. North Korea 77C, Shin Saw Pu Road, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. tel: 512642, 510205, fax: 510206 South Korea 97 University Avenue, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 527142-4, 515190, fax: 513286, email: hankuk@ kore mby.net.mm Lao A-1, Diplomatic Quarters, Tawwin Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. tel: 222482, fax: 227446, email: Laoembcab@ mptmail. net.mm Malaysia 82, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 220248, 220249, 220251, 220230, fax: 221840, email: mwkyangon@mptmail. net.mm Nepal 16, Natmauk Yeiktha, Yangon. tel: 545880, 557168, fax: 549803, email: nepemb @mptmail.net.mm Pakistan A-4, diplomatic Quarters, Pyay Road, Yangon. tel: 222881 (Chancery Exchange) fax: 221147, email: pakistan@ myanmar. com.mm Philippines 50, Sayasan Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 558149-151, fax: 558154, email: p.e. yangon@gmail.com Russian 38, Sagawa Road, Yangon. tel: 241955, 254161, fax: 241953, email: rusinmyan@mptmail .net.mm Serbia No. 114-A, Inya Road, P.O.Box No. 943Yangon. tel: 515282, 515283, fax: 504274, email: serbemb@ yangon.net.mm Singapore 238, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 559001, fax: 559002, 559922, email: singemb_ ygn@_ sgmfa. gov.sg Sri Lanka 34 Taw Win Road, Yangon. tel: 222812, fax: 221509, email: slembassy. yangon@gmail.com, info@slembyangon.org, www.slembyangon.org Thailand 94 Pyay Road, Dagon Township, Yangon. tel: 226721, 226728, 226824, fax: 221713 United Kingdom 80 Kanna Road, Yangon. tel: 370867, 380322, 371852, 371853, 256438, 370863, 370864, 370865, fax: 370866 United States of America 110, University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Yangon. tel: 536509, 535756, 538038, fax: 650306 Vietnam Building No. 72, Thanlwin Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. tel: 511305, fax: 514897, email: vnemb myr@ cybertech.net.mm Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia No.287/289, U Wisara Rd, Sanchaung Tsp. tel : 01-536153, 516952, fax : 01-516951 UNITED NATIONS ILO Liaison Officer Rm (M1212~1220), 12 Fl-A, Traders Hotel. 223, tel: 242 393, 242811. fax: 242594. IOM 12th Flr, Traders Hotel, 223, tel: 252560 ext. 5002 UNAIDS Rm: (1223~1231), 12 Fl, Traders Hotel. tel: 252361, 252362, 252498. fax: 252364. UNDCP 11-A, Malikha St, Mayangone tsp. tel: 666903, 664539. fax: 651334. UNDP 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan tel: 542910-19. fax: 292739. UNFPA 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan tsp. tel: 546029. UNHCR 287, Pyay Rd, Sanchaung tsp. tel: 524022, 524024. fax 524031. UNIAP Rm: 1202, 12 Fl, Traders Hotel.tel: 254852, 254853. UNIC 6, Natmauk St., BHN tel: 52910~19 UNICEF 14~15 Flr, Traders Hotel. P.O. Box 1435, KTDA. tel: 375527~32, fax: 375552 email: unicef.yangon@unicef. org, www.unicef.org/myanmar. UNODC 11-A, Malikha Rd., Ward 7, MYGN. tel: 666903, 660556, 660538, 660398, 664539, fax: 651334. email: fo.myanmar@unodc.org www. unodc.org./myanmar/ UNOPS Inya Lake Hotel, 3rd floor, 37, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 951657281~7. Fax: 657279. UNRC 6, Natmauk Rd, P.O. Box 650, TMWE tel: 542911~19, 292637 (Resident Coordinator), fax: 292739, 544531. WFP 3rd-flr, Inya Lake Hotel, 37, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 657011~6 (6-lines) Ext: 2000. WHO 12A Fl, Traders Hotel. tel:250583. ASEAN Coordinating Of. for the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force, 79, Taw Win st, Dagon Township. Ph: 225258. FAO Myanma Agriculture Service Insein Rd, Insein. tel: 641672, 641673. fax: 641561.

General Listing
ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS
Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe. tel: 544500. fax: 544400. Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966. fax: 227995. Thamada Hotel 5, Alan Pya Phaya Rd, Dagon. tel: 243639, 243640, 243641. Traders Hotel 223 Sule Pagoda Rd. tel: 242828. fax: 242838. Winner Inn 42, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel: 535205, 524387. email: winnerinnmyanmar @gmail.com Yangon YMCA 263, Mahabandoola Rd, Botataung Tsp. tel: 294128, Yuzana Hotel 130, Shwegondaing Rd, Bahan Tsp, tel : 01-549600, 543367 Yuzana Garden Hotel 44, Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp, tel : 01-248944

ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS

Charted Certified, Certified Public Accountants. tel: 09-5010563. drtinlatt@matglobal.com

AIR CONDITION
Chigo No. 216, 38 Street (Upper), Kyauktada Tsp, tel : 373472

No.7A, Wingabar Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : (951) 546313, 430245. 09-731-77781~4. Fax : (01) 546313. www.cloverhotel.asia. info@cloverhotel.asia Confort Inn 4, Shweli Rd, Bet: Inya Rd & U Wisara Rd, Kamaryut, tel: 525781, 526872 Golden Aye Yeik Mon Hotel 4, Padauk Lane, 4th Word, Aye Yeik Mon Housing, Hlaing. tel: 681706. Hotel Yangon No. 91/93, 8th Mile Junction, Mayangone. tel : 01-667708, 667688. Inya Lake Resort Hotel 37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 662866. fax: 665537. Orchid Hotel 91, Anawrahta street, Pazundaung Township, Yangon, . Tel: 399930, 704740, 293261. E-mail: orchidhotel@myanmar. com. mm.

ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS (NAy PyI TAw)

The First Air conditioning systems designed to keep you fresh all day GUNKUL Engineer supply Co., Ltd. No.437 (A), Pyay Road, Kamayut. P., O 11041 Yangon, Tel: +(95-1) 502016-8, Mandalay- Tel: 02-60933. Nay Pyi TawTel: 067-420778, E-mail freshaircon@gkmyanmar. com.mm. URL: http:// www.freshaircon.com General 83-91, G-F, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Kyauktada Tsp, tel : 706223, 371906

Reservation Office (Yangon) 262-264, Pyay Road, Dagon Centre, A# 03-01, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 95-1-501937, 536255, 09-520-0926.
The Oasis Hotel (Nay Pyi Taw)

ASTROLOGER
Saya Min Thoun Dara Astrologer No(2), Maha Wizaya Pagoda North Stairway, Dagon Tsp. tel: 296184

Tel: 95-67-422088, 422099

ACCOMMODATION LONG TERM

No. 205, Corner of Wadan Street & Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road, Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon. Myanmar. Tel: (95-1) 212850 ~ 3, 229358 ~ 61, Fax: (95-1) 212854. info@myanmarpandahotel .com http://www. myanmarpandahotel.com Panorama Hotel 294-300, Pansodan Street, Kyauktada Tsp. tel: 253077. PARKROYAL Yangon, Myanmar 33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd, Dagon tsp. tel: 250388. fax: 252478. email: enquiry.prygn@ parkroyalhotels.com Website: parkroyalhotels. com. Savoy Hotel 129, Damazedi Rd, Kamayut tsp. tel: 526289, 526298, Seasons of Yangon Yangon Intl Airport Compound. tel: 666699. Sweet Hotel 73, Damazedi Road, San Chaung Tsp, Ph: 539152 Sedona Hotel Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin. tel: 666900. Strand Hotel 92 Strand Rd. tel: 243377. fax: 289880. Easy Expat Accommodation Specialist in Yangon. Tel: 09-730-33776. Eco-Apartment Fully Furnished Ga 21, Pearl Centre (Pearl Condo), Bahan Tsp. Tel: 557488. Espace Avenir No 523, Pyay Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. tel: 505213-222. Golden Hill Towers 24-26, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel: 558556. ghtower@ mptmail.net.mm. Marina Residence 8, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 6506 51~4. fax: 650630. MiCasa Hotel Apartments 17, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin Tsp. tel: 650933. fax: 650960. Sakura Residence 9, Inya Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. tel: 525001. fax: 525002. The Grand Mee Ya Hta Executive Residence 372, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Pabedan Tsp. tel 951-256355 (25 lines). fax: 951-256360. email: gmer@ mptmail.net.mm, www. grandmeeyahta.com Yangon City Villa (Residence) Pyay Rd, 8 Mile Junction, MYGN, tel: 513101

BARS
50th Street 9/13, 50th street-lower, Botataung Tsp. Tel-397160.

Green Garden Beer Gallery Mini Zoo, Karaweik Oo-Yin Kabar.

Emergency Numbers
Ambulance tel: 295133. Fire tel: 191, 252011, 252022. Police emergency tel: 199. Police headquarters tel: 282541, 284764. Red Cross tel:682600, 682368 Traffic Control Branch tel:298651 Department of Post & Telecommunication tel: 591384, 591387. Immigration tel: 286434. Ministry of Education tel:545500m 562390 Ministry of Sports tel: 370604, 370605 Ministry of Communications tel: 067-407037. Myanma Post & Telecommunication (MPT) tel: 067407007. Myanma Post & Tele-communication (Accountant Dept) tel: 254563, 370768. Ministry of Foreign Affairs tel: 067-412009, 067-412344. Ministry of Health tel: 067-411358-9. Yangon City Development Committee tel: 248112. HOSPITALS Central Womens Hospital tel: 221013, 222811. Children Hospital tel: 221421, 222807 Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital tel: 543888. Naypyitaw Hospital (emergency) tel: 420096. Workers Hospital tel: 554444, 554455, 554811. Yangon Children Hospital tel: 222807, 222808, 222809. Yangon General Hospital (East) tel: 292835, 292836, 292837. Yangon General Hospital (New) tel: 384493, 384494, 384495, 379109. Yangon General Hospital (West) tel: 222860, 222861, 220416. Yangon General Hospital (YGH) tel: 256112, 256123, 281443, 256131. ELECTRICITY Power Station tel:414235 POST OFFICE General Post Office 39, Bo Aung Kyaw St. (near British Council Library). tel: 285499. INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Yangon International Airport tel: 662811. YANGON PORT Shipping (Coastal vessels) tel: 382722 RAILWAYS Railways information tel: 274027, 202175-8.

INYA1 Resturant & Bar No.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 01-527506 email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

Strand Bar 92, Strand Rd, Yangon, Myanmar. tel: 243377.fax: 243393, sales@thestrand.com.mm www.ghmhotels.com

Lobby Bar PARKROYAL Yangon, Myanmar. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel: 250388.

mt QuiCk guide
March 26 - April 1, 2012
ADvERTISING
We StARteD tHe ADVeRtiSinG inDuStRy in MyAnMAR SinCe 1991

44
the

MyanMar tiMes

Inya Day Spa 16/2, Inya Rd, Kamayut Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 537907, 503375.

SAIL Marketing & Communications Suite 403, Danathiha Center 790, Corner of Bogyoke Rd & Wadan Rd, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 211870, 224820, 2301195. Email: admin@ advertising-myanmar.com www.advertising-myanmar. com

Room - 4021, 3 Floor, Taw Win Centre. Ph: 8600111 (Ext:4021), 09-803-2581.
rd

MYANMAR BOOK CENTRE Nandawun Compound, No. 55, Baho Road, Corner of Baho Road and Ahlone Road, (near Eugenia Restaurant), Ahlone Township. tel: 212 409, 221 271. 214708 fax: 524580. email: info@ myanmarbook.com

CONSTRUCTION

ENTERTAINMENT

GAS COOKER & COOKER HOODS

24 hours Laboratory & X-ray No. 330, Ground Flr, Yangon Intl Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 218388, (951) 218292 Fax: (951) 218389

CAFS

BEAUTY & MASSAGE

Qi Foot Spa At Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon. Tel: +951-662866, 662857 Ext: 1725 Zen Wellness Care No.62 (A), Rm-3, Yaw Min Gyi St, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel: +951-252939.

Zamil Steel No-5, Pyay Road, 7 miles, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (95-1) 652502~04. Fax: (95-1) 650306. Email: zamilsteel@ zamilsteel.com.mm

Dance Lessons Mon-Fri 12:00 to 23:00. Sat-Sun 10 am to 8 pm Fun dancing Friday nights with Filipino musicians 4, U Tun Myat St, Tamwe. Tel: 01-541 550 The Uranium Dance Studio Pearl condo Bldg (C), 2nd flr, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 09731-42624, 09-514-0404.

Yangon : A-3, Aung San Stadium (North East Wing), Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp. Tel : 245543, 09-730-37772. Mandalay : Room No.(B,C) (National Gas), 35th St, Btw 80th & 81st, Chanayetharzan Tsp. Tel : 09-6803505, 02 34455, 36748, 71878.

La Brasserie (International) PARKROYAL Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel : 250388. Cafe de Angel Always Pure & Fresh No.24, Baho Rd, Ahlone Tsp. tel : 703449 Opening Hour: 9 am to 11 pm

DUTY FREE

GENERATORS
Heavy Equipments & Genset

FITNESS CENTRE
Espace Avenir 523, Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp, Tel : 505214, 505222 FIT Club - Rm 101~3, Marina Residence, 8, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp, Tel : 650634, 650651 Ext:102 Parkroyal Fitness & Spa Parkroyal Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 250388.

A Little Dayspa No. 475 C, Pyi Road, (Between Sweety Home & Shwe Kant Kaw Silk) Kamayut, Yangon. Tel: 09-431-28831.

La Source Beauty Spa 80(A), Inya Rd, Kamayut. tel: 512 380, 511 252. Sedona Hotel, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 666 900 My Way Diamond Condo, Bldg(A), Rm (G-02), Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 52717, 09 51 70528

We are moving to: 17, 2nd street, Hlaing Yadanarmon Housing, Hlaing Township, Yangon. Tel: 500143, 500144, 500145.

Winning Way No. 589-592, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Yangon-Pathein highway Road. Hlaing Thayar Tsp. Tel: 951645178-182, 685199, Fax: 951-645211, 545278. e-mail: mkt-mti@ winstrategic.com.mm

24 hours Cancer centre No. 330, Yangon International Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 218388, 218292 Fax: (951) 218389

INYA1 Resturant & Bar No.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 01-527506 email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com Traders Caf Traders Hotel, Yangon. #223, Sule Pagoda Rd. Tel: 242828 ext: 6519

EDUCATION CENTRE
MHR Business & Management Institute 905, 9th floor, Modern Iron Market(Thanzay Condo) Lanmadaw St. tel: 707822. NELC (Nelson English Language Centre Young Learner & Adults No 53, Dhamayon Street, Myaynigone, Sanchaung Tsp. tel: 534287 NLEC 82 Anawrahta Rd, Corner of 39 St, Kyauktada Tsp. tel: 250225. RV! Centre Yangon Tel: 535433, 541886, 242410, 250388 Ext: 333. email: ask@rvcenre.com.sg The British Council 92, Strand Rd, Kyauktada Tsp. tel: 254658.

HOME FURNISHING

Traders Hotel, 5th Floor Tel: 242828,Ext: Coreana. Sedona Hotel, Mandalay Ground Fl. Tel: 02-36488, Ext: Coreana

BATTERY

CHOCOLATE
ISO 9001:2008 (QMS)

Mr. Betchang No.(272), Pyay Rd, DNH Tower, Rm No.(503), 5th flr, Sanchaung Tsp, Tel: 095041216 The Yangon GYM Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966. Traders Health Club. Level 5, Traders Hotel Yangon#223 Sule Pagoda Rd, Tel: 951 242828 Ext: 6561

22, Pyay Rd, 9 mile, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 660769, 664363. Home Plus Trading Co., Ltd. No. 457, Aung San Stadium, Mingalartungnyunt Tsp. tel: 394888. Fax: 393008.

24 hours Medical centre No. 330, Ground Flr, Yangon Intl Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. 24 hour Call Centre : (951) 218 445 Clinic : (959) 4921 8159 Office : (951) 218 446 Fax : (951) 218 389 www.leomedicare.com
Shimmering Gold Services Co., Ltd.
ViCtORy FOR LiFe

BANGKOK, THAILAND

HEALTH SERvICES

SR 22/1, Next to the Pearl Shopping Centre, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 544297, 549527, 700777. email: eros@ mptmail.net.mm.

Proven Technology Industry Co., Ltd. No. FS 14, Bayintnaung Rd, Shwe Sabai Yeik Mon, Kamayut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 951-951-701719~20, 527667, 531030, 531041, 530694. Fax: 527667, 531030. http//www. toyobatterymyanmar.com.

G-A, Ground Floor, Pearl Center, Kabaraye Pagoda Road, Yangon. Tel: 09 500 6880 Email: chocolateheaven. sale@gmail.com

FLORAL SERvICES

81, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 548022, 542979, 553783, 09-8030847, 09-730-56079. Email: asiapacific. myanmar@gmail.com.

VEJTHANI MYANMAR REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE No.125(C), West Shwe Gon Dine Road, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar. 01-3449977. Hot Line: 09-507-1111, 01-555448, 555998. vejthani@myanmar.com.mm www.vejthani.com

Lemon Day Spa No. 96 F, Inya Road, Kamaryut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 514848, 09-732-08476. E.mail: lemondayspa.2011 @gmail.com Saw Peter Foot Reflexology Oil Massage, Body Massage, Foot Massage. Any time you want at your place. Tel : 09-518-8047.

BOOK STORES

COLD STORAGE

ELECTRICAL

LEGAL SERvICE
U Min Sein, BSc, RA, CPA.,RL Advocate of the Supreme Court 83/14 Pansodan St, Yangon. tel: 253 273. uminsein@mptmail.net.mm

Innwa Book Store No. 246, Rm.201/301, GF, Pansodan Street (Upper Block), Kyauktada Tsp. Tel. 389838, 243216, 374324, 514387

Est. 1992 in Myanmar Cold Storage Specialist, Solar Hot Water Storage Solutions. Tel: 09-504-2196, 09-73194828. E-mail: gei.ygn2@ gmail.com, glover2812@ gmail.com

Est. 1992 in Myanmar Electrical & Mechanical Contractors, Designers, Consultants. Tel: 09-504-2196, 09-73194828. E-mail: gei.ygn2@ gmail.com, glover2812@ gmail.com

Floral Service & Gift Shop No. 449, New University Avenue, Bahan Tsp. YGN. Tel: 541217, 559011, 09-860-2292. Market Place By City Mart Tel: 523840~43, 523845~46, Ext: 205. Junction Nay Pyi Taw Tel: 067-421617~18 422012~15, Ext: 235. Res: 067-414813, 09-49209039. Email : eternal@ mptmail.net.mm

Agent Office, 5th Floor, Junction Centre (Maw Tin), Lanmadaw Township, Yangon. Myanmar. Ph: 09-731-56770, 09-5117584, Fax: 01-516313, myanmarmeditour@gmail. com Bumrungrad Intl Rm 238, Summit Parkview Hotel, Dagon Tsp. tel: 723999, 211888. Ext: 8238.

MARINE COMMUNICATION & NAvIGATION

Floral Service & Gift Centre 102(A), Dhamazaydi Rd, Yangon.tel: 500142 Summit Parkview Hotel, tel: 211888, 211966 ext. 173 fax: 535376.email: sandy@ sandymyanmar.com.mm.

Top Marine Show Room No-385, Ground Floor, Lower Pazundaung Road, Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon. Ph: 01-202782, 09-851-5597

Foral Service & Gifts shop No.2, Corner of Khay Mar St & Baho Rd (Near Asia Royal Hospital), Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. email: yangonflorist@ myanmar.com.mm. Tel: 01-510406, 09-73184714.

No. 365/367, Bo Aung Kyaw st (Upper), IHBC, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 392484 , 389824, 09803-0166. Fax: 392590. Email: radiant.aesthetics @gmail.com. Web: www. kembanganradiant.com

MARKET RESEARCH

MMRD Research BLDG C, New Mingalar Market, 10-story BLDG, 8 & 9 flr, Coner of Mill St & Banyardala Rd, Mingalar Taungnyunt Tsp. Tel: 200326, 200846, 201350. Fax: 202425.

FOAM SPRAY INSULATION

Acupuncture, Medicine Massage, Foot Spa Add:No,27(A),Ywa Ma Kyaung Street, Hlaing Township, Yangon. Tel: 01-511122, 526765. Piyavate Hospital (Bangkok) Myanmar Represent ative (Head office) Miba Gon Yee Business Group, No.506, 5th-fl, Yuzana Twin Tower, (No.8, Pangyan Tower) Cor of Dhama Zedi & Bargayar Rd, SCHG Tsp. Tel: 500600, 500800, 500900. Fax: 539799. hotline: +9595018777. piyavate@ myanmar.com.mm www.piyavate.com PHIH-Specialist Clinic FMI Centre (4th Floor) #380, Bogyoke Aung San Road, Pabedan Tsp. tel: 243 010, 243 012, 243 013

Media & Advertising

Foam Spray Insulation No-410, Ground Floor, Lower Pazuntaung Road, Pazuntaung Tsp, Yangon. Telefax : 01-203743, 09730-26245, 09-500-7681. Hot Line-09-730-30825.

FURNITURE
NatRay Co., Ltd. Rm 807, La Pyayt Wun Plaza. tel : 01-370833, 370836

Intuitive Design, Advertising, Interior Decoration Corporate logo/Identity/ Branding, Brochure/ Profile Booklet/ Catalogue/ Billboard, Corporate diary/ email newsletter/ annual reports, Magazine, journal advertisement and 3D presentation and detailed planning for any interior decoration works. Talk to us: (951) 430-897, 553-918 www.medialane.com.au 58B Myanma Gon Yaung Housing, Than Thu Mar Road, Tamwe, Yangon.

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Signature Near U Htaung Bo Round, about Bahan Tsp. tel: 546488, 543387.

MyanMar tiMes
SCHOOLS
ASIA Language & Business Academy (All classes are taught by native English-speaking teachers), No-66, Shwedagon Pagoda Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel:+95-1376236, 376314, 384055.

OFFICE FURNITURE
Schenker (Thai) Ltd. Yangon 59 A, U Lun Maung Street. 7 Mile Pyay Road, MYGN. tel: 667686, 666646.fax: 651250. email: sche nker@mptmail.net.mm.

Streamline Education 24, Myasabai Rd, Parami, Myangone Tsp. tel: 662304, 09-500-6916. No.35(b), Tatkatho Yeik Mon Housing, New University Avenue, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 951-549451, 557219, 540730. www.yangon-academy.org

Centure Office Furniture Monday to Saturday (9am to 6pm) No. 797, MAC Tower II, Room -4, Ground Floor, Bogyoke Aung San Road, Lamadaw Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 212944 Ext: 303 sales.centuremyanmar@ gmail.com www.centure.in.th

Kohaku Japanese Restaurant Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Lobby Level, Tel: 544500 Ext 6231

PLEASURE CRUISES

Bo Sun Pat Tower, Bldg 608, Rm 6(B), Cor of Merchant Rd & Bo Sun Pat St, PBDN Tsp. Tel: 377263, 250582, 250032, 09-511-7876, 09-862-4563.

Bldg No. 12, Yangon Intl Compound, Ahlone Road. Tel: 09-431-85008, 09-731-60662. sales@corrianderleaf.com

Enchanting and Romantic, a Bliss on the Lake 62 D, U Tun Nyein Road, Mayangon Tsp, Yangon Tel. 01 665 516, 660976 Mob. 09-512-7795 operayangon@gmail.com www.operayangon.com The Ritz Exclusive Lounge Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Ground Floor, Tel: 544500 Ext 6243, 6244

RESTAURANTS

Horizon Intl School 25, Po Sein Road, Bahan Tsp, tel : 541085, 551795, 551796, 450396~7. fax : 543926, email : contact@horizonmyanmar. com, www.horizon.com ILBC 180, Thunandar 9th Lane, Thumingalar Housing, Thingungyung.tel: 562401.

SOLAR SYSTEM
The Brightest AC CFL Bulb 21, 9th St, Lanmadaw Tsp. Ph: 212243, 216861, 216864. spsolarstation@ gmail.com. www. spsolarstation.com

STEEL CONSTRUCTION

Moby Dick Tours Co., Ltd. Islands Safari in the Mergui Archipelago 4 Days, 6 Days, 8 Days Trips Tel: 95 1 202063, 202064 E-mail: mobydicktours@ gmail.com. Website: www. moby-dick-adventures.com

24 hours open. 5, Alan Pya Phaya Rd, Dagon Tsp, inside Thamada Hotel. tel 243640, 243047, Ext: 32.

22, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel 541997. email: leplanteur@ mptmail.net.mm. http://leplanteur.net Tiger Hill Chinese Restaurant Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Lobby Level, Tel: 544500 Ext 6253 Traders Gourmet Corner Level 1, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel : 242828 ext : 6503 Traders Gallery Bar Level 2, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242 828. ext: 6433 Traders Lobby Lounge Level 1, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242 828. ext: 6456

Lunch/Dinner/Catering 555539, 536174 Road to Mandalay Myanmar Hotels & Cruises Ltd. Governors Residence 39C, Taw Win Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. tel: (951) 229860 fax: (951) 217361. email: RTMYGN@mptmail.net.mm www.orient-express.com Black Canyon Coffee & International Thai Cuisine 330, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 0980 21691, 395052. email: blackcanyon@ yangon. net.mm.

ILBC IGCSE SCHOOL No.(34), Laydauntkan Road, Tamwe Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 542982, 545720, 549106,545736,400156 Fax: 541040 Email: info@ilbc.net.mm www.ilbcedu.com ISM Intl School W 22/24, Mya Kan Thar Housing, Hlaing Tsp. tel:530082, 530083. International School Yangon 20, Shwe Taung Kyar St, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 512793.

PEB Steel Buildings 60 (A), Halpin Road, Yangon. Tel: 01-218223, 218224. Fax: 218224. marketing@pebsteel.com. mm www.pebsteel.com.mm

SUPERMARKETS
Asia Light 106, Set Yone Rd.tel: 294074, 294083. Capital Hyper Mart 14(E), Min Nandar Road, Dawbon Tsp. Ph: 553136. City Mart (Aung San Branch) tel: 253022, 294765. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (47th St Branch) tel: 200026, 298746. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Junction 8 Branch) tel: 650778. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (FMI City Branch) tel: 682323. City Mart (Yankin Center Branch) tel: 400284. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Myaynigone Branch) tel: 510697. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) City Mart (Zawana Branch) tel:564532. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Shwe Mya Yar Branch) tel: 294063. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Chinatown Point Branch) tel: 215560~63. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) City Mart (Junction Maw Tin Branch) tel: 218159. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Marketplace) tel: 523840~43. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) City Mart (78th Brahch-Mandalay) tel: 02-71467~9. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) IKON Mart IKON Trading Co., Ltd. No.332, Pyay Rd, San Chaung P.O (11111), Yangon,

Myanmar. Tel: 95-1-535783, 527705, 501429. Fax: 95-1-527705. Email: salesikon@myanmar.com.mm Junction Mawtin Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Cor of Wadan St. Lanmadaw Tsp. Tel: Junction Square Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: Ocean Supercentre (North Point ), 9th Mile, Mayangone Tsp. Tel: 651 200, 652963. Pick n Pay Hyper Market Bldg (A,B,C), (14~16), Shwe Mya Yar Housing, Mya Yar Gone St, Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp. Tel: 206001~3, Fax: 9000199 Sein Gay Har 44, Pyay Rd, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 383812, 379823. Super 1 (Kyaikkasan) 65, Lay Daunt Kan St, Tel: 545871~73 Super 1 (Shwe Bonthar) 397, Bogyoke Aung San St, Pabedan. Tel: 250268~29 Victoria Shwe Pone Nyet Yeik Mon, Bayint Naung Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. Tel : 515136.

TRAvEL AGENTS

No.5, U Htun Nyein St, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 656611, 09-431-35406. Email: info@ mesamisyangon.com Monsoon Restaurant & Bar 85/87, Thein Byu Road, Botahtaung Tsp. Tel: 295224, 09-501 5653.

Asian Trails Tour Ltd 73 Pyay Rd, Dagon tsp. tel: 211212, 223262. fax: 211670. email: res@ asiantrails.com.mm Htoo Travels 209/c, first flr, Shwe Gonedaing Rd, Bahan. Tel: 548554, 548039. Sun Far Travels & Tours 27, Ground flr, 38th st, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 380888.

PAINT
No.430(A), Corner of Dhamazedi Rd & Golden Valley Rd, Building(2) Market Place (City Mart), Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 01-523840(Ext-309), 09-73208079.

Admissions Office: No. 44, Than Lwin Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 535433, 09-850-3073. Email: rviacademygn@ rvcentre.com.sg

TOP MARINE PAINT No-410, Ground Floor, Lower Pazundaung Road, Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon. Ph: 09-851-5202

REMOvALISTS

Crown Worldwide Movers Ltd 790, Rm 702, 7th Floor Danathiha Centre, Bogyoke Aung San Road, Lanmadaw Township. tel: 223288, 210 670, 227650. ext: 702. fax: 229212. email: crown worldwide@mptmail.net.mm

Italian delicatesse & Ice-cream No.150, Dhamazadi Rd, Bahan Tsp. (Monunent Book Shop) Open Daily 9:00am to 7:00pm. Italian Ice-cream, Pasta, Pizza & Bar (2) G/F, City Mart, Myaynigone Centre. tel : 508469, 508470 ext. 113 Open Daily 9:00am to 10:00pm.

No. 105/107, Kha-Yae-Bin Road. between Pyi Daung Su Yeik Tha (Halpin) and Manawhari Road/Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel/Fax: 538895, Tel: 09730-29973, 09-540-9469.
padonmar.restaurant@ gmail.com. www.myanmarrestaurantpadonmar.com

WATER HEATERS

Legendary Myanmar Intl Shipping & Logistics Co., Ltd. No-9, Rm (A-4), 3rd Flr, Kyaung St, Myaynigone, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 516827, 523653, 516795. Mobile. 09-512-3049. Email: legandarymyr@ mptmail.net .mm www.LMSL-shipping.com

House of Memories Piano Bar & Restaurant Myanmar Cuisine & International Food 290, U Wizara Rd, Kamaryut Tsp, Yangon. tel: 525 195, 534 242. e-mail: houseofmemories 9@gmail.com

Pansweltaw Express Cafe: 228, Ahlone Rd, Ahlone Tsp. Tel: 215363 (1)-Rm-309, 3rd flr, Ocean, East Point Shopping Center, Pazundaung Tsp. Tel: 397900 Ext: 309. (2)G-Flr, Ocean North Point Shopping Center. Tel:652959, 652960, Ext: 133. www.pansweltaw.com E-mail: pansweltaw@ myanmar.com.mm

1. WASABI : No.20-B, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin Tsp,(Near MiCasa), Tel; 666781,09-503-9139 2. WASABI SUSHI : Market Place by City Mart (1st Floor). Tel; 09-430-67440 Myaynigone (City Mart) Yankin Center (City Mart) Junction Mawtin (City Mart)

95, Anawrahta Rd. Tel:296552, 293754. 336, Pyay Rd, Sanchaung Tsp. Tel: 526456. New University Avenue, 551521, 551951, 553896. U Wisara Rd, Tel: 524599, 501976.

The Global leader in Water Heaters A/1, Aung San Stadium East Wing, Upper Pansodan Road. Tel: 251033, 09-730-25281.

Phoenix Court (Chinese) PARKROYAL Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel: 250388.

Kandawgyi (Royal Lake) Park, Yangon. (opposite of Eye Hospital) Ph: 556837, 556838. Fax: 556875. E-mail: whitericeyangon@gmail.com www.whiterice-myanmar. com

LANGUAGE
Bilingual Language Centre Teaching Myanmar to Non-Myanmar No.7 (Gournd Floor), Thu-Kha-Main Street, Myaynigone, San Chaung. Tel: 09-500-6431, nyalinphyu@gmail.com

INYA1 Resturant & Bar No.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 01-527506 email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

Yangon International School Fully Accredited K-12 International Curriculum with ESL support No.117,Thumingalar Housing, Thingangyun Township, Yangon. Tel: 578171, 573149 www.yismyanmar.net Yangon International School New Early Childhood Center Pan Hlaing Golf Estate Housing & U Tun Nyo Street, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon. Tel: 687701, 687702 Kangaroo Child Care 55, Aung Min Gaung 1st Rd, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 501 568, 09 504 7732.

Same as Rinnai Gas cooker and cooker Hood Showroom Address

Water Heater

WEB SERvICES

Shiki-Tel (Japanese) PARKROYAL Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel: 250388.

World-class Web Services Tailor-made design, Professional research & writing for Brochure/ Catalogue/e-Commerce website, Customised business web apps, online advertisement and anything online. Talk to us: (951) 430-897, 553-918 www.medialane.com.au 58B Myanma Gon Yaung Housing. Than Thu Mar Road, Tamwe, Yangon.

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India illegal betting hub: Ex-ICC chief

NEW DELHI A former International Cricket Council chief on March 20 accused India of fostering corruption in the sport, saying illegal betting in the country was the root cause of the problem. Ehsan Mani, who headed the ICC between 2003 and 2006, estimated that the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dhaka on March 18 attracted US$500 million-worth of bets, but did not say how he had arrived at the figure. Unless the betting industry is brought under control in India, you cant stop match-fixing, he told the New Delhi-based Mail Today in an interview. Theres no doubt that India, certainly Delhi and Mumbai, is the epicentre of cricket betting. Im a strong advocate of legalising betting in India, and bringing it under control of regulatory authorities so that ... the conduct of bookies can be monitored properly, he added. Youll find that the risk of corrupting players around the world will reduce significantly. Mani urged the ICC, headed by federal Indian minister Sharad Pawar, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to pressure the government to legalise betting. Its a matter of how you control it because theres no way, I believe, that it can be stamped out in India. So, if [it] cant be stamped out, how do they control it in a way that it can stop corrupting the game. Mani, a Pakistani chartered accountant, said India should look at the legal gambling systems in Britain and Australia. Legal betting firms inform the ICCs Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) if they encounter suspicious betting patterns, Mani said. Mani said lucrative Twenty20 tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash in Australia, had emboldened illegal bookies. Obviously, high profile matches like the IPL and Big Bash leave a lot of scope for players to be corrupted; whether they are being corrupted or not, I cant say, he said. I think IPL must have added hugely to the cricket betting industry in India. BCCI spokesman Rajiv Shukla was not available to comment on Manis remarks. Cricket has been under a cloud since 2000 when three former captains the late Hansie Cronje of South Africa, Mohammad Azharuddin of India and Salim Malik of Pakistan were handed life bans for their alleged dealing with bookmakers. Three Pakistani cricketers were last year jailed in Britain after being found guilty of spot-fixing. Indian bookmakers have often being accused of underhand dealings with players. AFP

Messi reaches Barca milestone

MADRID Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to become Barcelonas all-time leading scorer on 234 goals in a 5-3 win over Granada on March 20. The win helped Barca cut Real Madrids lead in La Liga to only six points after a nine-man Madrid side were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal on March 21, their second in two games. It was Barcas sixth consecutive league win with coach Pep Guardiola praising the record-breaking Argentinian. We have to congratulate Messi, he has scored so many goals and is only 24, he does not just score ordinary goals but great goals and we hope he gets lots more for us, we can compare him perhaps to Michael Jordan in football, he said. Xavi Hernandez and Messi hit the net for Barcelona in the first half before Diego Mainz reduced arrears for the Andalusians on 55 minutes. In doing so, Messi equalled the record of 232 goals held by club legend Cesar Rodriguez. Guilherme Siqueira levelled from the spot for the away side seven minutes later after Dani Alves pulled down Dani Benitez, raising the prospect of a possible upset. However those fears lasted only minutes as Messi produced a trademark chip over Granadas Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar in the sent off. We must do our job. We took one point and must continue working hard. Theres no pressure and any team would like to be where we are now. Were fine. We didnt win but were in good spirits. Villarreal had a number of chances to take the lead, the most notable when Iker Casillas saved well on 20 minutes after a Sergio Ramos slip allowed Nilmar to bear down on goal. Mourinho made a tactical change in midfield on 28 minutes replacing Lassana Diarra, who had picked up a yellow card, with Jose Callejon. The home team then had a strong claim for a penalty turned down on 37 minutes when Alvaro Arbolea appeared to pull the shirt of Neymar at a corner. The game was becoming increasingly scrappy when on 61 minutes Ronaldo and Ozil exchanged passes, the latter with a delightful backflick, for the Portuguese to round Diego Lopez in the Villarreal goal and put Madrid ahead. Madrid were now in control and four minutes later Javier Camunas had to make a goal-line clearence after Sami Khedira hooked the ball towards the net. Villarreal did not look like equalising until Hamit Altintop fouled Joan Oriol on the edge of the area and Senna stepped up to convert the free-kick from 20 yards with eight minutes left. AFP

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi, celebrates after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match against Granada on March 20 at the Camp Nou stadium. Pic: AFP 67th minute to put Barcelona 3-2 ahead. Cristian Tello then drove the ball into the net after Messis shot was parried by Cesar to make it 4-2 for the hosts, and Messi followed up with another fine piece of individual skill to make it 5-2 in the 86th minute. Previously, Cesar was believed to have scored 235 goals for Barcelona, but a study had revealed that the 1950s striker had in fact scored 232 goals a statistic confirmed earlier on March 20 on Barcas website. Messis latest hat-trick, taking his Barca total to 234, also made it 34 goals so far in the league, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo who scored his 33rd goal of the season in the 62nd minute of their draw against struggling Villareal, but Marcos Senna equalised with eight minutes remaining. Things got worse for Real as Sergio Ramos, making his 300th appearance, and Mesut Ozil were both red-carded in the closing moments while coach Jose Mourinho and assistant Rui Faria were sent to the stands. Afterwards neither Mourinho nor any of his backroom staff came out to face the press while it was reported that Ronaldo left the pitch repeatedly shouting weve been robbed. Referees hurt us too much sometimes, but we must hold our heads high and move on. Every team would like to have a six point lead, said Reals Brazilian star Marcelo. You saw what happened and how many of us were

Indonesia PSSI submits FIFA plan

JAKARTA Indonesias football association has submitted to FIFA its plans to resolve a crisis sparked by the revival of a breakaway league in a bid to avoid sanctions, an official said March 20. Footballs top governing body had asked Indonesias football association (PSSI) to resolve problems triggered by the unofficial elite league, the Super Liga, which has split the countrys best clubs. It had asked PSSI to resolve the issue by March 20, in order to avoid sanctions, which may include banning Indonesia from international football. The Indonesian associations legal team submitted the report on our plans to fix the football situation in Indonesia on March 19, PSSIs special staff to the secretary-general Rudolf Yesayas told AFP. We hope FIFA will be able to look at it in a comprehensive manner, consider our efforts and hopefully we can escape sanctions, Yesayas said. Its hard to say if we are confident about avoiding sanctions. The situation is unpredictable, he added. He said FIFA committee members would meet on March 26, adding: Lets just wait and see if Indonesian football will be discussed. Yesayas said that the report outlined proposals that include merging the leagues or formally recognising the Super Liga, but on condition it would be under PSSIs control. We also told FIFA that PSSI as an organisation is problemfree and there is a rival group which wants to crush the current leadership, he said. He was referring to a group of officials from the breakaway league which on March 18 held an extraordinary meeting to get PSSI chairman Djohar Arifin Husin replaced. This illegal group, which is using the official PSSIs attributes like our logos, must be banished, he added. The PSSI has been mired in corruption scandals and leadership battles for years. Last month it suffered another blow when the national team was thrashed 10-0 by Bahrain in an Asian zone 2014 World Cup qualifier. FIFA launched an investigation into the match, in which Bahrain needed to win by a nine-goal margin to have any hope of making the next round of qualifiers. We have let FIFA handle the matter and we dont know yet the progress of FIFAs investigations. But as far as PSSI is concerned, theres no match-fixing, he said. Indonesia had fielded a weak team as FIFA disallows members from unofficial leagues from competing in international matches, forcing the PSSI to omit Super Liga players. AFP

Nepal launches Asias first gay sports tournament

KATHMANDU Nepal is to stage Asias first ever multi-sport games for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, organisers announced on March 19. The two-week event at the national football stadium and other venues around Kathmandu will feature Nepali participants in track and field, volleyball, football, martial arts and tennis, said the Blue Diamond Society, Nepals leading gay rights group. Renowned and respected Nepali athletes will support as coaches and referees for the program, said organiser Sunil Pant, the countrys only openly gay lawmaker said in a statement. Asia already stages the Asia-Pacific Outgames, another multi-sport gay event, but this has only been hosted by New Zealand and Australia. Nepals version which is due to take place in late September will be the first in Asia. The aims for organising the Blue Diamond National Sport Competition 2012 are to mainstream LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people] into the larger society, promote healthy lifestyles, encourage physical fitness, and promote health mentally and spiritually, said Pant. Nepal is a conservative, Hindu country which nonetheless has some of the most progressive policies on homosexuality in Asia. A landmark 2007 court ruling ordered the government to enact laws guaranteeing the rights of gays. The countrys new constitution, currently being drafted by lawmakers, is expected to define marriage as a union between two adults, regardless of gender, and to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. AFP

The Indonesian Football Rescue Committee (KPSI) held an extraordinary congress in Jakarta on March 18. Pic: AFP

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Exile over as Tevez inspires City fightback

LONDON Carlos Tevez returned from exile to keep Manchester Citys title challenge on course as the Argentine substitute played a crucial role in their 2-1 win over Chelsea at Eastlands on March 21. A goal from Gary Cahill had appeared set to end Citys streak of 19 consecutive home league victories but, with the hosts trailing 1-0, Roberto Mancini introduced Tevez, making his first appearance for nearly six months as a 66th minute substitute. Tevez had fallen out with City boss Roberto Mancini over his refusal to warm-up during a Champions League tie at Bayern Munich in September, and the controversial Argentinian was greeted by a smattering of boos from home supporters. But within 12 minutes of his arrival, those jeers had been silenced and City were level as Michael Essien handled a Pablo Zabaleta shot and Sergio Aguero equalised with a superbly-struck penalty. It set the stage for a fascinating finale and, with five minutes remaining, Samir Nasri played a short ball to Tevez, who returned the pass on the edge of the area for Nasri to calmly convert the winning goal. The victory means City move to within one point of leaders Manchester United. Mancinis men are also only the fourth team ever and the first in Premier League history to record 20 consecutive home wins in the top flight. City started strongly, with a David Silva corner headed out to full-back Zabaleta whose shot, from the edge of the area, was deflected behind. A mistake by Ashley Cole then presented the ball to Zabaleta to pull back for Silva who leant back to shoot over from just inside the box. There was a quick, and almost lethal, response from Chelsea as Fernando Torres darted towards goal before squaring to allow Mata a shot which the midfielder placed well wide of the City goal. Considering the stakes, there was little caution on display f r o m e i t h e r s i d e and, after eight minutes, Yaya Toures well-judged through ball was controlled superbly by Nasri, on his chest, before the winger volleyed over Petr Cech and saw his effort strike the cross-bar and rebound to safety. Frank Lampards woeful short pass on the halfway line just before the half-hour was collected easily by Mario Balotelli who outpaced the Chelsea defence but shot well wide of the mark, with Cech getting the slightest touch. A Zabaleta cross was met by a bicycle kick from Aguero which failed to trouble Cech, a sign that chances were becoming fewer as the half drew to a close. Mancini took off the ineffective Balotelli, to be replaced by Barry at the interval with Aguero and Nasri now spearheading the frontline. Chelsea opened the scoring on the hour in controversial fashion after David Luiz and Gareth Barry tangled as they competed for a half-cleared Juan Mata corner. While City appealed for a foul, Cahill played on and his shot took an unkind deflection off the boot of Yaya Toure, wrongfooting Joe Hart on its way into the City goal. Citys response was to bring on Tevez for the final 25 minutes of a game which they simply could

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero (front) attempts a shot on goal during the English Premier League football match against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on March 21. Pic: AFP not afford to lose. It was an inspired move. City levelled through Agueros 78 th -minute penalty and the home team dominated the remainder of the game before Tevezs astute pass set up Nasri for a dramatic 85th minute winner. Im happy, because he [Tevez] did well, Mancini told Sky Sports. I dont think we deserved to go behind, but we had the desire to win this game. Its more than three points this game. After their goal I felt squeaky bum time! AFP

Vermaelen heads Arsenal into third place as Spurs stumble

LIVERPOOL Thomas Vermaelen headed Arsenal into third place in the Premier League for the first time this season after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Everton on March 21. Arsenal, who have now won six top-flight games in a row, leapfrogged Tottenham after Belgium defender Vermaelen struck in the eighth minute. It was a significant blow for Spurs, who needed a stoppage time equaliser from Rafael van der Vaart to rescue a 1-1 draw against Stoke. Having trailed Tottenham for most of the season, Arsene Wengers men have opened up a one-point cushion over their neighbours. It was hardly vintage Arsenal and Everton will be upset Royston Drenthes equaliser was ruled out by a controversial off-side flag. Robin van Persie is used to scoring goals rather than teeing them up, but the Netherlands strikers corner allowed Vermaelen to power a header beyond United States keeper Tim Howard after out-jumping the home defence. Everton, sluggish throughout the first half, could not say they had not been warned. Two minutes earlier van Persie headed into the path of Aaron Ramsey, the 21year-old Wales midfielder screwing his volley horribly wide from a good position. Arsenal, back in action after a nine-day break, were everything Everton were not in the early stages hungry, determined and eager to wrap up victory before half-time. Tony Hibbert made a vital block to deflect Ramseys goal-bound effort out for the corner from which Vermaelen broke the deadlock before Howard made a crucial save to stop van Persie making it 2-0 in the 10th minute. Arsenal included Mikel Arteta in their side, the Spanish playmaker making his first return to Goodison Park since making a 10 million (US$15.8 million) move from Everton at the end of last August. But Arteta was fairly anonymous on his Merseyside return as Everton came back into the game. D r e n t h e w a s controversially denied a 32 nd-minute equaliser by an offside flag, while Nikica Jelavic headed straight at Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the early stage of the second half. Yet only the woodwork saved Everton from falling 2-0 behind after van Persie let fly when Kieran Gibbs nodded the ball into his path. Everton had won their previous three top-flight home games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. But their hopes of defeating Arsenal for the first time since March 2007 looked slim after Szczesny produced a late save to deny Marouane Fellaini after he had burst into the Gunners penalty area. Vermaelen might have been the goal hero on the day but Arsenals travelling fans in the Goodison crowd of 30,330 were only interested in chanting the name of one player. Fabrice Muamba, were Thinking Of You they sang in praise of their former player, who collapsed from the cardiac arrest he suffered during Boltons FA Cup quarter-final with Tottenham on March 17. Spurs were back at White Hart Lane just four days after Muambas collapse and both sets of players warmed up for the game sporting T-shirts which read Get well soon Fabrice. There was a minutes applause before kick-off, both for Muamba and the medical staff who saved the 23-year-olds life. But Spurs struggled to find any momentum once the action started and fell behind in the 75th minute when Cameron Jerome poked home Robert Huths header. Van der Vaarts last-gasp headed equaliser at least stopped Spurs suffering a fourth successive defeat, but it was only a slender consolation. It was a game I thought we would win and were disappointed to only take a point but it might come in handy at the end of the season, Redknapp said. Although Spurs have been in freefall over the last month, Redknapp remained convinced they will rediscover their peak form in time to pip Arsenal to third. We can still finish above Arsenal. Arsenal can think its all over. Its not all over, Redknapp said. Theres a long way to go yet. Therell be twists and turns. Its all to play for still. AFP

Arsenal midfielder, Mikel Arteta (left) vies with Everton midfielder, Leon Osman, during their English Premier League match at Goodison Park on March 21. Pic: AFP

Hansson quits MFF over unclear role

By Aung Si Hein THE Myanmar Football Federations (MFF) technical director, Stefan Hansson, resigned from his post via email after returning to Vietnam, his home. He requested MFF cancel his contract, expressing unhappiness that his coaching role had been made untenable. It is a misunderstanding between me and the federation, Stefan Hansson told The Myanmar Times in an email. After initially being asked to coach the national team, the MFF changed its mind after promising a contract to South Korean coach, Park Sung Hua, and instead offered Hansen the role of technical director and coach of the U-21 squad on a one year contract. However, Park Sung Hua was subsequently asked to assume overall responsibility for all the national teams, further isolating Hansen. Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmars star striker said that Hansen was happy to coach any of the national teams, and questioned the MFFs decision to give all coaching responsibility to one man. He wanted to coach ... but the MFF did not allow him. He did not appear to be happy with being just a technical director, he said. MFF is testing the [South] Korean coach, but if he handles all the national teams we will only gain the same technique and there will be no difference being in the national squad, the U-21s or U-22s, Kyaw Ko Ko said. The MFF has had a difficult relationship with coaches for the national team, with none lasting more than a year for the past five years. Following Myanmars 1-0 loss against Mongolia in the Asian qualifying rounds for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 29 last year, the then coach, Milan Zivadinovic,

tImESsPORt
was fired for attempting to introduce an unfamiliar defensive formation of 3-5-2 in the match that the players struggled to adopt. Another former coach, Drago Mamic, had met the same fate in early 2010 for not achieving sufficient success at the 2009 Southeast Asian (SEA) games. But Hansen had proved a successful coach during his spell in Myanmar. Completing his contract in Vietnam in 2008, Hansson took over the reins with Zayar Shwe Myay United FC (ZYSM) as a head coach on a contract running until 2014. He took the team to third place in the Myanmar National League 2011 season, notched a victory against the champions, Yangon United, 3-1 at their home ground, and reached the semi-finals of the MFF Max Cement Cup. Hansson was appointed coach of the U-23 national squad for the 2011 SEA Games achieving third place and a bronze. Following this success, he was asked to continue as U-21 coach for the upcoming SEA Games to be held in Myanmar in 2013 and so agreed with ZYSM to end his contract. Reaction from the domestic football scene has been a mix of dissatisfaction at how the situation was managed and support for the departed coach. We should be careful when dealing with foreign coaches, agents, and players. If we make a promise, we must make it happen, U Aung Kyaw Lwin, Yangon United manager, said. Hansen received consolation from his old club, ZYSM. While he was at ZYSM, we fulfilled whatever he asked for as ZYSM are quite a flexible club. I dont know what happened to him after moving to MFF as there are a lot of regulations and restrictions, U Than Zaw general secretary of ZYSM FC said.

March 26 - April 1, 2012

Ayeyarwaddy United FC defender, Nay Lin Aung, heads the ball toward goal during their AFC group phase match against Kelantan FC at Thuwanna Stadium on March 21. Pic: Boothee

Ayeyarwaddy blaze AFC trail

By Aung Si Hein AYEYARWADDY United FC defeated Malaysia Super League champions, Kelantan FA, 3-1 in their AFC cup group stage match at Yangons Thuwanna Stadium on March 21. In the other AFC fixture involving a Myanmar club, Yangon United was defeated 2-1 by Hong Kongs Citizen FC on March 21. Ayeyarwaddy United and Kelantan are both debuting in the AFC competition and looked tentative in their pursuit of international success. Despite the final score, both sides gave a scrappy performance, with Kelantan players more focused on defending their Malaysia Super League status, and Ayeyarwady playing their usual defensive game, with lone striker, Jupiter, frequently isolated up front. Josef Herel, head coach for Ayeyarwaddy, defended his teams performance against the Malaysian champions. Three goals is more than enough as Kelantan are not a bad team. We have many more games ahead so we cant say how far we can go. The yellow cards, misplaced passes and all the mistakes we made are part of the game, nothing more, he said. The head coach of Kelantan, Bojan Hodak, lamented his teams focus, blaming a number of different factors. My players dont yet know the importance of the AFC Cup and are still focusing more on the national league. The other team took their chances well where we didnt. We also lacked five first team players due to injury, with four of those selected for the national side. I believe we can win against Ayeyarwaddy at home, although all the teams in our group have an equal chance, he said. Ayeyarwaddy United were without their key midfielder, Min Min Thu, through injury. The scoring was opened on the fourth minute, with Kelantans Nwaneri Obinna scoring an own goal while trying to cut out a neat cross from Nanda Lin Kyaw Chit. Ayeyarwaddys wingers proved too slow and allowed the Kelantan forwards to approach goal far too easily with several incisive passes played into the penalty area. Luckily, Kelantan proved wasteful on the final ball and were unable to score the equaliser. Despite Ayeyarwaddys initial gameplan to crowd the defence, they found they were able to gradually control the midfield and attempt to build their attacks rather than resort to long balls up field for Jupiter. But the lack of familiarity with this style showed, with inaccurate passes and frequent interseptions by Kelantan players creating a scrappy midfield battle. The first half was seemingly slipping to an uneventful close when Ayeyarwaddy initiated a counter-attack that saw midfielder Aung Kyaw Myo neatly dribble past a defender and snatch a second goal. At two goals down, Kelantan came out for the second half determined to redeem themselves, raising the tension of the match. But Ayeyarwaddy got the first chance as Jupiter took a shot on goal, only to see it nicely saved when a simple pass to two team-mates in better positions would have given them a 3-0 lead. Ayeyarwaddy defender Nay Lin Aung also missed a gilded chance to head a ball into the net, but instead sent it wide. Kelantan also proved woeful in front of goal, with forward Mohamad Ghaddar hesitating in a one-on-one with Ayeyarwaddys keeper Thiha Si Thu on 56 minutes, tamely laying it into his hands. Kelantan got their chance on 64 minutes when Ayeyarwaddy defender Kyaw Zayar Min pulled down Kelantan forward Chanturu, and a penalty was given with the defender lucky to escape with a yellow card. Mohamad Ghaddar saw his initial strike parried by Thiha Si Thu but he rushed forward to send the rebound into the back of the net. Unable to grasp the momentum for a comeback, the last goal of the night went to Ayeyarwaddy in the 80th minute. Nanda Lin Kyaw Chit sent the ball high in the air from the left wing for Jupiter to control it and then deliver a decisive strike to ensure the third for Ayeyarwaddy and settle the match.

Bangladesh Embassy, Yangon, Myanmar celebrates

a Myanmar Times Sponsored Section

The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

Message from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh
convey my heartiest greetings to my countrymen as well as to all expatriate Bangalees on the occasion of the great Independence and National Day of Bangladesh. The 26th March is a glorious day in our national life. On this great day, I pay my deep homage to the 3 million martyrs and 200 thousand women who lost their innocence in the War of Liberation in 1971. I recall with deep gratitude the great leader of our liberation struggle, the greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman, under whose dynamic leadership we earned our great independence. I also pay my humble tributes to four national leaders and the valiant freedom fighters, who had fought against the Pakistani occupation forces to free our beloved motherland. I extend my sympathies to those who had lost their near and dear ones, and were subjected to brutal torture and subjugation during the war. I recall with gratitude our foreign friends who had extended their whole-hearted support and cooperation for the cause of our liberation. The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh at the first hour of the 26th March, 1971 after the occupation forces launched sudden attack on the innocent and unarmed Bangalees on the black night of the 25th March, 1971. Banglabandhus proclamation was spread all over the country through telegrams, teleprinters and EPr wireless. at each and every district and subdivision, awami Leagues leaders and workers publicized the declaration widely through mikes. The international media also had circulated Bangabandhus proclamation of independence. Under the brave and dauntless leadership of Bangabandhu, we earned the ultimate victory on the 16th December, 1971 after a 9-month

Golden Bangla is our dream, Vision 2021 is our roadmap for making this dream come true
Message from the President of Bangladesh
I

President Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

Md. Zillur Rahman

Sheikh Hasina

arch 26 is our great Independence and National Day. On the eve of the day, I convey my heartfelt greetings and felicitations to the fellow countrymen living at home and abroad. The historic Independence Day is a glorious day in our national life. We achieved our long-cherished independence through nine-month long armed struggle and supreme sacrifices of millions of people. On this solemn day, I pay my deep homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives in the War of Liberation in 1971. I pray to the almighty for the salvation of those departed souls. On this very memorable day, I recall with profound respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman, who proclaimed countrys independence at the early hours on March 26, 1971. responding to his clarion call, the people from all walks of life participated in the War of Liberation and achieved victory through armed struggle. I also recall with deep respect our four National Leaders; valiant Freedom-fighters and organizers who rendered their dedicated efforts and enthusiastic support that accelerated the achievement of our victory. I also remember with deep respect the contributions of late Sher-e-Bangla a. K. Fazlul haque, huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Moulana abdul hamid Khan Bhasani who inspired our people at various stages for attaining countrys self-sovereignty. The contributions of those valiant sons of the soil would be ever written in the history of our independence. One of the prime objectives of our hardearned independence was to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. Keeping that in mind, the Government is rendering untiring efforts in materializing the objectives of independence. With the span of time, we have achieved some significant progresses in the field of agriculture, education, health, rural infrastructure, communication, IcT, SME, youth and sports, women and children, women empowerment, etc. at national level. at the same time we have also attained notable advancement in corporate sector

including the area of readymade garments, pharmaceuticals, ceramic and ship-building industry. The Government is also very sincere to establish rule of Law, human rights in the country. Our achievement at international arena is also praiseworthy. Yet, we have to go a long way for achieving the desired goals of independence and building a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. I believe concerted efforts from all strata irrespective of party affiliation are imperative in this regard. The people of our country are democracyloving. Without making institutionalization of democracy, the overall development is hard to attain. Tolerance, fortitude and respect to others opinion are the preconditions for flourishing democracy. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to maintain patience, forbearance at all levels and to be respectful to others opinion in a democratic pluralism. Let us make our Jatiya Sangsad as a certre of excellence in solving our national issues through discussion. I am confident, everybody irrespective of party affiliation would play responsible role in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of our common people by playing their due role. The present Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh hasina, has declared Vision 2021 with a view to attaining Golden Bangla dreamt by Bangabandhu. I believe people from all strata of life would contribute to build an ITbased happy and prosperous Bangladesh by materializing the Vision in the Golden Jubilee of independence in 2021. On this Independence Day, I urge all, living at home and abroad, to work unitedly imbued with the spirit of War of Liberation to expedite economic self-reliance and democratic advancement of the country.
May the Almighty be with us. Khoda Hafez. May Bangladesh Live Forever.

bloody war. The independence earned through huge bloodbath and sacrifice is our peoples greatest achievement. To ensure that this achievement remains meaningful, the spirit of our great liberation war should be reached to every nook and corner of the country. cherishing the true history of the liberation war close to our hearts, we would have to go ahead in achieving the objectives of the charter of change by building a Bangladesh, free from corruption, mal-governance, terrorism, hunger and poverty. The present awami League government has been implementing huge development programmes in all sectors, including agriculture, education, health, law and order, information technology, energy and power and communications. The defeated anti-liberation, communal and identified reactionary forces are trying to undo the democratic and development process of our beloved

country at a time when our government had executed the verdict of Bangabandhus assassination case, and is holding the trial of the war criminals. On this auspicious day of our independence, I urge the countrymen to remain united to foil the ill-designed plots of the anti-democratic and anti-liberation forces against the government and the people. We have been striving hard to establish Bangladesh as a poverty-, hunger- and illiteracy-free modern Digital Bangladesh by the Golden Jubilee year of our independence through implementing Vision-2021. I hope that all citizens of our country would engage themselves with their utmost sincerity, honesty and dedication to build Bangladesh as a prosperous and prestigious country in the comity of nations. I am confident that Insha-allah, with our united efforts, we would surely achieve our golden Bangladesh as envisioned by the Father of the Nation

Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu May Bangladesh Live Forever

Sheikh Hasina

Md. Zillur Rahman

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw on December 06, 2011.

The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

Message from the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh

ODaY, 26 March, 2012 Bangladesh celebrates its 41st anniversary of Independence and Sovereignty. It is the 4th such occasion on which I am privileged to address you as your Foreign Minister. The Bangalee nation has travelled a long distance from its painful birth, from the sacrifices made by its men and women, young and old, as a nation united by the common cause of exercising sovereign statehood. In the wake of the assumption of responsibility as a government by peoples representatives under a free and fair election a little over three years ago, the awami League, together with the 14 party alliance, has made giant strides towards fulfilling our dreams. Most significantly, we have vigorously pursued the four fundamental principles of our constitution and of our State Policy. We have launched our pursuit of building a Sonar Bangla. We are able to envisage middle- income, digital, knowledge based Vision of Bangladesh in 2012. We have demonstrated intent and ability to forge partnerships with our neighbours and far beyond. We are deeply involved in the process of multilateralism, through global and regional commitments. We are involved in social and economic restructuring through the empowerment of women and children; we have embarked on fashioning intergenerational equity; we continue to address ourselves to cooperating with developing countries in the framework of a global economic and political order. We stand on the threshold of redressing the injustices inflicted upon us, historically and in more recent times. We are embarked in the process of redressing the imbalance in the relationship between developed and developing countries. Our policy and purpose to claim our entitlements occasioned by the factum of climate change is a major feature of our foreign policy. We seek to ensure better terms of trade with the United States and the European Union whilst at the same time pursuing greater fairness and equity in bilateral relations wish our more resourceful neighbours and special friends. We have vastly improved our relations with our immediate neighbour, Myanmar, on such important issues as the rohingya issue and in economic and cultural spheres.

Foreign Minister Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

Dr. Dipu Moni, MP

We continue, with new attention and new measures, to serve our men and women who work abroad, now numbering about eight million, and increasing every year, whose contribution to our economy and welfare has provided us with a new dimension of the sovereign state that they represent. Out ever evolving policy to serve our expatriate workers has brought about hope for a better future for their welfare than just the contribution that they render to the quality of life we enjoy within the country. Bangladesh is now a role model for fighting poverty and extremism, empowering women, disaster management and in coping with the challenges posed by global warming and climate change. Bangladesh is often cited as one of the eleven emerging economies of the world. It has achieved remarkable success and recognition in the social sector. The winning of the MDG award for achieving targeted reduction in infant mortality and the UN South South award for the use of modern technology in the development of women and child health by the Prime Minister bears testimony in this regard. Since the awami League assumed responsibility for conducting the affairs of the State, we have brought a judicial closure to the assassination case of Bangabandhu and his family and although some of the convicted continue to remain fugitives abroad, we are encouraged to believe that the horrors of impunity are being addressed. We have initiated the difficult process of

bringing to justice war criminals through fair trials consistent with high standards of fair trial under international law. We have made much progress in the cases against the BDr mutineers who threatened to shock and derail the Government within weeks of its assumption of State responsibility. Following judgments of the apex court, we have undertaken constitutional legislation, through the Fifteenth amendment, to remedy the aberrations inflicted by military dictators and usurpers upon the constitution. In Parliament, we have adopted significant legislation that has rendered the constitution consistent with our founding principles of Statehood. We believe that have made deep inroads to reverse the culture of impunity which had besieged the nation since the assassination of the Father of the Nation will effectively lay down a bedrock for the return, and advent, to the rule of law and rule under the constitution. On foreign policy issues, the Government has continued to pursue its policy of friendship to all nations. coupled with its elected character and the massive mandate it has received in the last general elections, Bangladesh now enjoys excellent relations with the outside world. The resolution of some long running issues with India and considerable progress to solve remaining ones, the successful holding of the climate Vulnerable Forum Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka, the unanimous adoption of the honourable Prime Ministers peoples empowerment model at the Second committee of the UN, Bangladeshs election to a record number of UN and international bodies, the decision to establish the Permanent Secretariat of

the BIMSTEc in Dhaka, the prompt repatriation of about 37000 Bangladesh nationals from Libya etc. securing the return of 35 Bangladesh nationals, including 26 crew members, seized by Somali pirates and the foreign policy pursued by the present Government during last three years. The winning of South South award during the 66th UNGa and MDG award by the honourable Prime Minister during the 65th UNGa for achieving impressive progress are eloquent testimonies in this regard. Without prejudice to our other achievements, we have been able to participate meaningfully in an ever expanding multilateral world and contribute to world peace-keeping efforts through the UN. Our efforts have resulted in Bangladesh being called a stabilizing State in the region. Then, of course, we have enjoyed high success in pursuing our interests in our maritime claims. Ever since the birth of our nation, our entitlement to the territorial sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone and the continental Shelf appeared to be theoretical rights. They were, indeed, neglected and Bangladesh was unable to exercise sovereignty and sovereign rights over these territories contemplated in our constitution. callous neglect by successive Governments, military and quasi military, had deprived our people over the resources over these areas. Our Government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh hasina, has successfully settled our maritime entitlements with our co-literal state, Myanmar through arbitration at ITLOS. Not only have been able to settle this issue we have settled it through peaceful means and respect for international law and the principles laid down in the UN charter to which we are committed. That although are maritime entitlements remain unsettled with India, we have every reason to believe that we will be able to settle our claims peacefully and successfully through the arbitration process we have initiated at the International court of arbitration and Bangladesh will emerge with vast new resources hitherto untapped and unavailed. I wish to highlight that continuing engagement by, and efforts of, our Diaspora serve enormously towards the achievement of our foreign policy objectives. The introduc-

tion MrP and MrV have been introduced in almost half of the Bangladesh Missions abroad, together with the on going process to do so in the remaining Missions, reflects the high degree of success in that area. To find out business potentials and to aggressively explore employment for our nationals, the Government has sent fact-finding Missions to Latin america and africa for the first time. We are planning to open new Missions abroad soon to support our commercial drive and at a time when our export volume, remittance flow and inbound FDI are witnessing an upward trend. I take this opportunity to thank all our officials and staff at the Ministry of Foreign affairs and our missions abroad who have devoted themselves to achieving our foreign policy objectives. I also congratulate the Bangladesh Diaspora who has lent buoyancy of the economy of their country of origin as well as to their host countries. No message, at this state of our national life, can be complete without invoking the source of our inspiration, namely, the inspiration imbibed by Bangabandhu, the Father of our Bangalee Nation, our four national leaders who, in his absence, led us during the nine months to our ultimate victory, the martyrs who laid down their lives, our Freedom Fighters, who had risked their lives against a modern ruthless and genocidal army. I recall their cause and contribution in the great struggle for our independence and statehood. With the entire nation, I also recall, with the highest regard, those who suffered in silence, moved from shelter to shelter within the country, or took refuge across the border in India, without assurances of food or money on their person, and to those who lost their closest relatives and friends. I take the opportunity to remind ourselves that their will and aspirations embodied in our constitution will provide the basis of all our endeavours.

Joy Bangla Joy Bangabandhu

Dr. Dipu Moni, MP

Message from the Ambassador

OaDY Bangladesh celebrates the 41st anniversary of its Independence and National Day. On this joyous occasion we remember with gratitude all our freedom fighters, especially those who made supreme sacrifices, for the cause of our independence. On this day we also solemnly pay our deepest tribute to the memory of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman, our Father of the Nation, who made our dream an independent Bangladesh - come true. as we celebrate this occasion, I would avail myself of the opportunity to convey our heart-felt greetings to all our countrymen, living in Myanmar, as well as the great people of Myanmar. I may firmly say that Bangladesh has been marching ahead under the visionary leadership of our honble Prime Minister Sheikh hasina since her assumption of office in 2009. Despite global recession and certain constraints, our Government has been able to achieve major successes in domestic and international arenas in the fields of world peace, socio-economic development, food security, etc. Our contribution to the UN Peace Keeping in the pursuit of peace around the world has brought us approbation of the international community; our Governments stand for rational claim of countries that are environmentally vulnerable has attracted attention of the members of civil societies around the globe; our food production is on the rise. all these indicate that our Government and the people are now relentlessly striving hard to fulfill the dream of our Father of the Nation to turn Bangladesh into Sonar Bangla or Golden

Maj Gen Anup Kumar Chakma, ndc, psc Ambassador

Bangla in its truest sense, where the people will not only be free of poverty and hunger but also see democratic values, peace and secularism established in the country. Our efforts to elevate Bangladesh to a middle-income country and transform it into Digital Bangladesh by 2021 are also underway. Bangladesh-Myanmar relations are deeply rooted to our history, geographical proximity, common values and cultures. Myanmar was one of the first few countries to recognize Bangladesh on January 13, 1972. Both the countries share common views on many major regional and international issues and extend mutual support and cooperation to each other in the international organizations and UN bodies like the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Economic cooperation (BIMSTEc), BcIM, arF, acD, etc. With a note of satisfaction I may mention that the recent visit of our honble Prime Minister Sheikh hasina to Myanmar in December 2011 has added significant momentum to our efforts to further consolidate the existing friendly relations be-

tween our two countries - Myanmar and Bangladesh. I firmly believe that existing trade relations between our two countries would also grow further and that we would cooperate in exploiting the best potentials that we offer to each other in this field. Bangladesh offers various incentive packages to foreign investors and Myanmar businessmen may explore the opportunities of joint venture projects in Bangladesh and so will hopefully be the situation in Myanmar for Bangladesh and its businessmen. The recent verdict of the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar brought peaceful end to this very long outstanding issue. It is heartening to note that our two countries have happily accepted the verdict as fair and in accordance with international maritime laws, which surely paves the way for forging stronger brotherly relations between our two countries in the days ahead. On this auspicious day let us all pledge to build Bangladesh as a truly Sonar Bangla prosperous and self-reliant and pray that we will have our friendly countries including Myanmar and its great people standing by us in our endeavours.

Destination Bangladesh
By-Mohammad Shahidul Islam

country of pristine beaches, national parks, ancient palaces, mosques, temples, churches and wildlife, Bangladesh is truly one of the most delightful places to visit. Bangladesh enjoys a moderate tropical climate and as a vacationer, you could go riding on the secluded beaches or enjoy an exhilarating trek among the cloudreaching mountains at Bandarban, as well as a wide variety of other options to choose from when making a travel plan. You could stay in either a hotel or motel. If however, you were planning to stay for a longer time with friends or family, it would be ideal and more cost-effective to rent out

Joy Bangla Joy Bangabandhu Long live Bangladesh-Myanmar friendship

Anup Kumar Chakma

a guesthouse or a flat. coxs Bazar- certainly one of our major attractions- is a mesmerising site, which is also the longest stretch of natural beach in the world and has enchanted travellers from across the globe for a long time. The magnificent sights and sounds of coxs Bazar is a fascinating, aweinspiring experience. Sundarbans, the beautiful forest is undoubtedly another must see. here, the land and the water meet in spectacular fashion. The wildlife presents many a spectacle. If youre really lucky, you may come

across a royal Bengal Tiger swimming across the streams or crocodiles basking on the riverbanks. For the horticulture enthusiast, the lover of nature, the poet and the painter, this mass of green forest provides a variety of wonders for which they all crave. The capital city, Dhaka is friendly and relatively clean in the posh areas. There are many sights to attract visitors. The most essential sights are the Lalbagh Fort, the National assembly Building, the Baitul Mukarram Mosque, National museum, Savar Sriti Shoudho, Shahid Minar, botanical gardens, the zoo and many more significant places to enjoy. You can get cheap deals on flights to Dhaka throughout the year, and once there, the cost of living is considerably low, making Dhaka, and Bangladesh as a whole, amongst the best value destinations in the world. It would be a good idea to move around Bangladesh with a constant vehicle, so renting a car is a good option. There are many companies offering car rental and hiring services. You could negotiate your rates with them. Get help from a travel agency to chart out your Bangladesh vacation. They would be in a better position to plan a Bangladesh travel diary for you. Winter in Bangladesh is a most comfortable season and therefore the ideal time for a vacation.

The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

Steadily improving trade ties

Export and Import Volume:
Financial year 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2008-09 2009-10 2010-2011 Import from Myanmar 12.92 24.86 18.00 35.94 26.53 32.66 66.64 67 66.60 69 166 Export to Myanmar 0.60 1.09 2.40 1.13 3.525 4.181 5.19 6.31 9.169 11 09
Figures in Million US$

The Bangladesh players celebrating their win against Sri Lanka (Top) and India (Bottom) at the 2012 Asia Cup to play the Final against Pakistan on March 22, 2012.

Export items:

Export from Bangladesh to Myanmar consists of pharmaceuticals, jute products, chemicals, fertilizers, cement, garments, textile fabrics, aluminum utensils, G.I. sheets, P.V.c pipes, iron chains, cosmetics, consumer products, printed materials, electronic products etc.

materials such as iron rods, G.I sheets, PVc pipes, iron chains, condensed and evaporated milk products, cosmetics & toiletries, tea in packets, leather goods, plastic/multilayer laminated tubes for tooth paste, electronic products etc.

Import items:

Potential export items:

Other potential export items may include ceramic tiles, ceramic table and kitchen wares, sanitary wares and insulators, knitwear and fabrics, garments, construction

apart from agricultural produce like rice, beans, pulses, garlic, ginger, sugar, onions, yellow maize and betel nuts, Bangladeshi traders import fish, timbers/logs, sleepers, minerals (gypsum), beverages, etc from Myanmar.

The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

Activities of Bangladesh Embassy, Yangon.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after having inaugurated the construction works of Bangladesh Chancery Complex in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on December 06, 2011.

Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Mubeen ndc, psc, called on Commander in Chief of Myanmar Defence Services General Min Aung Hlaing, on May 23, 2011

December 16, 2011: Advisor to the President of Myanmar U Ko Ko Hlaing graced the Victory Day celebration programme.

Little fun on Victory Day celebration at the Chancery premises.

February 21, 2012: Bangladesh Embassy and Myanmar National Commission for UNESCO jointly celebrates Glorious Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day

Opening remarks by the Ambassador.

Dr. Lwin Lwin Soe, Rector, YUFL.

Ms. Rezina Ahmed, Minister & DCM of the Embassy.

Participants in the Cultural Programme.

March 17, 2012: Bangladesh Embassy celebrates 92nd Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children Day

Remarks by the Ambassador.

Cake cutting

Prize distribution

Children participants

Dance performance

Make Money from doing Business with Bangladesh.

A country like Bangladesh has huge need for products and services. And Myanmar, its neighbour, is a right place to explore. Bangladesh has also products and services to offer. To this end, Bangladesh Embassy will shortly organise Bangladesh Single Country Trade Fair in Yangon This could be the chance for buyers and sellers to meet, to source investors or to make enquiries about line of business .......

Knowing one another is no less important than doing business

Asia Cup Cricket: March 22, 2012 Bangladesh Community in Yangon and Embassy officials and their families enjoying Asia Cup Final Match between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the Chancery premises
Contact the Embassy now for further details. Commercial Wing The Bangladesh Embassy 11/B, Than Lwin Road, P Box 70, Yangon, Myanmar. .O Telephone: (+95) 1 525244, 526 144 Telefax (+95) 1 515 273 Email: hasanch64@gmail.com, bdootygn@mptmail.net.mm

Congratulations
on
The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh