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DAILY EDITION

ISSUE 52 | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

NEWS 2

NLD top brass skip 1990

election commemoration
Prominent NLD leaders were absent
from a ceremony marking the 25th
anniversary of the 1990 elections
annulled by the military.
NEWS 4

Australia slashes aid to

Myanmar health fund
The Three Millennium Development
Goal Fund announced yesterday that
the Australian government pulled out
US$42 million, leaving it far below its
expected annual budget.
BUSINESS 8

Bangkok Bank, ICBC set

to open branches
The Central Bank of Myanmar has
approved licences for a Thai and a
Chinese bank, meaning they can begin
operations on June 2. Six of the nine
foreign banks selected last year are now
cleared to run.

BUSINESS 9

PAGE

PHOTO: ZARNI PHYO

Hundred of nationalist monks and laypeople took to the streets in Yangon yesterday
to protest against mounting international support for the boat people refugee crisis.
In a police-sanctioned march, the ralliers denounced foreign criticism of Myanmars
treatment of mostly stateless Rakhine State Muslims.

State Bank of India office

to open as trade grows
Indias largest lender will open a
Myanmar representative office on June
1, as the two neighbouring countries
hope to increase trade linkages.

Tax on talking suspended

Parliament has decided to postpone the introduction of a 5 percent tax on mobile phone top-ups for a year, after a
groundswell of opposition among mobile users led parliamentarians to reconsider the unpopular proposal. BUSINESS 8

2 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

NLD shuns 1990 election ceremony

LUN MIN
MANG
lunmin.lm@gmail.com

THEY were the winners who scored a

landslide exceeding 80 percent. They
were the peoples choice, and were set
to take their seats in parliament to
debate a constitution that would have
taken the country into the 21st century.
Of the 492 seats contested, they won
392.
Instead, their victory was brushed
aside by the military regime. Many
newly elected MPs were arrested and
imprisoned. Hundreds have died since
the election, held 25 years ago yesterday, on May 27, 1990, when Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi led the National League
for Democracy to victory in the election that never was.
But the unseated MPs who have
died in the intervening two-and-a-half
decades were not the only ones missing from a commemoration ceremony
held in Yangon yesterday.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself
now, as then, the leader of the NLD
was said to be attending the parliamentary session in Nay Pyi Taw.
Other prominent NLD members, including those known to be in
Yangon, were conspicuous by their
absence.

a question of settling scores, but of

doing what is right, said U David
Hla Myint, who in 1990 was elected
NLD MP of Ngapudaw, Ayeyarwady
Region.
NLD patron U Tin Oo, who took
part in the press conference with 88
Generation students yesterday, also
missed the event, and the NLD sent no
message to the commemoration.

U David Hla Myint, elected as MP for the

National League for Democracy in 1990,
tells an anniversary commemoration
that those who broke the law by
annulling the elections should be
punished. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

We feel we are still

obliged to carry out
the wishes of those
who elected us in
1990.
U David Hla Myint
1990 election winner
As the victors of 1990 gathered at
the Judson Centre in Pyay Road yesterday, current NLD central executive
committee members were apparently
otherwise engaged.
CEC member U Tun Tun Hain said
invitations to the event had been sent
to individuals rather than by party.
They invited the MPs by name. I dont
know about other peoples reasons,
but I myself was busy at headquarters in a joint press conference with
the 88 Generation Students about the
event. He declined to comment on the

absence of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Of those members of the 1990
contingent who did attend, Daw San
San, who was elected MP of Seikkan
township, Yangon, and served in the
National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma, said she would never
forget the former military governments dishonesty. It has been more
than 20 years, but we still feel that the
military broke their promise, she said.
A report prepared by a committee
of the 1990 MPs said the constitution
drawn up by the military government

in 2008 after what they called a manipulated referendum contained no

guarantee of either federalism or citizens rights.
The 1990 MPs also said they would
launch legal proceedings against some
of the members of the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) whom
they accuse of breaking the electoral
laws of the time.
We feel we are still obliged to carry out the wishes of the people who
elected us in 1990. Those who broke
the laws should be punished. Its not

U Aye Thar Aung, a former member of the Committee Representing the

Peoples Parliament (CRPP) and now a
member of the Rakhine National Party, said current NLD members should
have attended. So many MPs were arrested. Some died in jail. Those were
unforgettable days. The old members
of the NLD attended today, but I did
not see any current members. Where
were they? he said.

No sign of amending constitution, says 88 Generation

MRATT KYAW THU
mrattkthu@gmail.com
THE opposition National League for
Democracy and 88 Generation Peace
and Open Society both slammed the
government yesterday for its lack of
progress on constitutional reform despite popular support for the changes
demonstrated during a massive campaign last year.
Although the two [parliamentary] houses are trying to implement

amendments to the constitution, we

have seen no tangible outcomes on
that, said U Tin Oo of the NLD during a conference at the partys Shwegonedaing headquarters.
The NLD last year began a countrywide petition aimed at upending
section 436 of the military-crafted
constitution, which ensures the militarys veto power. The disputed section requires more than three-quarters of parliament to approve any
amendments, and since one-quarter

of the seats are reserved for the military, with another half held by the
military-aligned Union Solidarity and
Development Party (USDP), the section allots de facto power to the top
brass.
The NLDs campaign to amend
the disputed section received 5 million signatures of support over eight
weeks.
Five million signatures! And support is much more than this since we
even couldnt reach to almost any of

the ethnic areas and some of the rural areas, said Ko Min Ko Naing, a
leader of 88 Generation.
In a joint statement released yesterday, the groups said there could
be no hope of real political reform in
Myanmar if the constitution conundrum was not resolved.
Without amending the 2008
constitution, there can be no peacebuilding processes. The privileged
and repressive constitution must be
amended to solve objective problems,

it said.
The NLD and Generation 88 group
have also demanded a second section
of the constitution, article 59(f ), be
amended as it prohibits Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi from taking the presidential office because her two sons
are not citizens of Myanmar.
The NLD has so far refused to commit to participating in the upcoming
general elections, saying it will decide
after the Union Election Commission
announces the official date.

www.mmtimes.com

NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

News 3

Cardinal urges compassion

for boat people
GUY DINMORE
guydinmore@gmail.com

U Parmaukha, one of the leaders of Ma Ba Tha, delivers a speech at Kyaikkasan sports ground in Yangon on May 27
during a rally against boat people from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Photo: Zarni Phyo

Nationalists say no to
foreign pressure
WA LONE
walone14@gmail.com

UPWARD of 150 Buddhist nationalists converged at a rally in Yangons

Tarmwe township yesterday, protesting against international pressure
over the migrant boat crisis, as well
as perceived bias in foreign media
coverage.
The demonstration, which had
been granted official permission by
Bahan township police, saw laypeople and monks march to Kyaikkasan
Stadium.
Protesters carried red vinyl signs
bearing both English- and Myanmar-language slogans, and chanted
in unison from laminated printouts
a well-coordinated effort to deliver
a clear message to the international
press.
The protests location, at the western gate of Kyaikkasan Stadium, has
historically been used as a site for
demonstrations permitted under the
former military regime. Its relative
seclusion makes it a difficult spot to
garner much public attention.
The rally came ahead of tomorrows regional conference in
Bangkok, where ASEAN and other
nations will meet to formulate an
approach to dealing with the thousands left stranded at sea in the
wake of a crackdown on human trafficking rings. Participants will also
decide what to do with those who
have already made it to the shores
of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Protesters told The Myanmar
Times they were upset at the UNs
and the international medias insistence on using the term Rohingya
a nomenclature they believe has no
historical merit, and is part of a concerted ploy by Bengalis, or illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh, to lay
claim to Myanmar citizenship.
We object to the boat people entering the country, and thats why I
came here to protest, said Ko Zarni
from Thingangyun township. The
media is not good. They are so biased on one side.
While the current humanitarian
crisis unfolding off the coast has

thrust the plight of the boat people

to the top of the international news
agenda, the nationalist activists say
they are angry at what they see as a
general pro-Muslim bias in Western
media coverage of issues in Rakhine
State.
Indeed, the BBC in particular has
drawn the ire of nationalist groups,
with their coverage warranting its
own banner slogan, BBC and some
media are doing a mistake. They
dont really know what is happening
here.
Rally organiser Ko Min Min told
The Myanmar Times that as many
as 20 different groups were involved
in the protest. Ma Ba Tha-affiliated
monk U Parmaukha addressed the
crowd, and members of suburban
969 chapters sported T-shirts reading Boat people are not Myanmar.

I teach the
children to love our
own nationality,
not to marry
people of different
religions.
Ko Zin
High school student

Unlike previous nationalist rallies against the UN and Time magazine, the controversial 969 groups
logo was notably absent from banners, posters and clothing. A flag
bearing the logo of the relatively
new National Security Force group
was prominently displayed.
U Wirathu, a leading monk in the
969 movement, was not present, but
free DVDs featuring some of his sermons were distributed.
Ko Thar Wa, one of the five appointed spokespeople officially permitted to speak to media representatives at the rally, expressed sympathy
for those migrants, would-be asylum
seekers and trafficking victims who
have died at sea and in camps. But,
he added, this should not mean Myanmar should resettle people from

Bangladesh.
U Thutar Nanda, a monk from
North Okkalapa township, explained
that he actively seeks to promote
Buddhism through his teaching.
I am trying to open a Dhamma
school We aim to teach people to
believe in Buddhism, and also teach
to make a better situation for our
own religion, not to marry people
from different religions. Dhamma
schools are opening now for the children in this country that we love.
Referring to the belief that not
only is Myanmar under threat from
an influx of illegal immigrants, but
also that Buddhism itself is under direct threat from a creeping spread of
Islam, he said, We must protect our
land. Muslims have already organised themselves in every mosque.
Ma Sandi, who had previously
lived in London but came back to
join the nationalist movement, said
Myanmar has been unfairly singled
out by the UN and rights groups
who have decried the persecution of
Rakhine States Muslim population.
She also categorically rejected the
use of the word Rohingya.
I am so worried about the boat
people because the UN and international [groups] created the wrong
thing, like saying the Bengali people are Rohingya. The world should
[look] at Myanmar with humanity.
This is a global problem.
This is why we have to take action to solve the problem together
peacefully. Dont blame Myanmar.
This is not Myanmars problem, she
said.
Ko Zin, a 16-year-old high school
student from Thingangyun township, is also a member of his local
969 chapter. He teaches religious
training in his quarter, including
Buddhism and nationalism.
I teach the children to love our
own nationality, not to marry people
of different religions, not to make
friends [with them], not to buy any
snacks at shops owned by different
religious people.
Elaborating on his reason for
joining the rally, and his self-professed violent urges against boat
people, he said, [The Bengalis] rape
and destroy our people. I heard that
news from the newspapers and public talks. Additional reporting by
Kayleigh Long

CARDINAL Charles Maung Bo yesterday made a powerful appeal to the government and the Buddhist community
not to allow a handful of merchants
of hatred to destroy the countrys tradition of compassion as migrants fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh die at
sea unwept and unsung.
The head of the Roman Catholic
Church in Myanmar commended the
government for its rescue last week of
two boatloads of migrants off the coast
of Rakhine State.
This gesture, coming from a nation
worshipping the Lord of Compassion,
Buddha, is highly commendable. Our
brothers and sisters in Myanmar
never cringed from their commitment
to compassion in the moments of human brokenness, the cardinal said in
a statement.
He also applauded Malaysia, the
Philippines and Indonesia for opening their doors.
The cardinal made no direct reference to yesterdays protest in Yangon by
Buddhist nationalists, but added, Sadly
democracy has brought in hatred, denial
of rights to sections of the people. People of Myanmar will reset their moral
compasses and return to fellowship.
With deep appreciation of the
challenges faced by the Myanmar government, while welcoming its recent
actions, we strongly urge the government not to allow discourses of hatred
to subvert its glorious tradition of
compassion, the cardinal said.

He said the boat people were ejected by excruciating poverty and conflict
from both Myanmar and Bangladesh
and had endured an agony of immense poignancy from being exploited by human traffickers.
Father Charles, appointed as Myanmars first cardinal by Pope Francis in
February, told The Myanmar Times
in an earlier interview that he wanted
to be a voice for the voiceless.
A community cannot be demonised and denied its basic rights to
name, citizenship and right to community, he said yesterday, referring
to the governments rejection of Rohingya as an ethnic identity.
Names cannot dilute humanity,
the cardinal said, without mentioning either of the words Rohingya or
Muslim himself.
Appealing directly to the Buddhist
majority, he said the great seers and
monks of the great Theravada Buddhists are beacons of compassion to
the world.
A death of a leaf should break the
heart of a disciple of Dhamma [teachings of Buddha]. Surely the disciples
of Dhamma would not allow human
beings women and children to die,
unwept, unsung in the abyss of merciless seas, he said.
We as a nation stand at the crossroads of history. Its dreams cannot be
wiped out by the spirit of a handful of
merchants of hatred. Boat people have
stirred the conscience of a nation. Let
mercy and compassion flow like a river in the land of Buddha and a million
pagodas.

Bangladesh to relocate
Rohingya to an island
BANGLADESH plans to relocate thousands of Rohingya who have spent
years in refugee camps near the Myanmar border to a southern island, an
official said yesterday.
The government has started planning the relocation to Hatiya Island
in the Bay of Bengal in a move backed
by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said
additional secretary Amit Kumar Baul.
The relocation of the Rohingya
camps will definitely take place. So
far informal steps have been taken
according to the PMs directives, said
Mr Baul, head of the governments Myanmar Refugee Cell.
A Rohingya leader urged the government to cancel the plans, saying
it would only make life worse for the
refugees many of whom have been
languishing in the camps for years.
We want the [Bangladesh] government and international organisations

to resolve our issue from here, said

Mohammad Islam, a community leader
in one of the camps.
Bangladesh is home to 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees who are
sheltering in two camps in the southeastern district of Coxs Bazar, which
borders Myanmar.
Mr Baul said the move was partly
prompted by concerns the camps were
holding back tourism in Coxs Bazar,
home to the worlds longest unbroken
beach.
News of the plan comes just days
after Mr Hasina slammed Bangladeshs own economic migrants, many
of whom are stranded in dire conditions at sea, calling them mentally
sick and accusing them of hurting the
countrys image.
There was no official reaction from
the United Nations refugee agency.
AFP

4 News
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THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

After disaster, recruiters keep

tight fist on compensation funds
WA LONE
walone14@gmail.com
THE seamens union is ready to take
recruiters to court over unpaid compensation and wages for fishermen
who survived the sinking of their
freezer trawler last month, representatives said yesterday.
Five local recruitment firms illegally transferred 42 Myanmar seamen
onto the ill-fated Russian fishing ship
at the end of last year, in many cases
without workers knowing their employer. Due to systemic abuses, Myanmar has banned its seamen from the
fishing industry, but the regulation is
notoriously widely flouted.
Just 22 of the Myanmar fishermen
survived when the ship, the Dalny
Vostok, plunged into near-freezing
waters in the Okhotsk Sea on April
2. Since the disaster, families of the
deceased and the survivors have been
locked in a battle for compensation,
with many of the agencies adamantly
refusing to pay out insurance the union says they are legally obliged to
provide.
Its not our duty to pay compensation, its the ship owners responsibility, said U Soe Tint, manager of Sea
Rider Shipping, which sent 27 workers to the Russian trawler without either the Myanmar or Russian governments approval.
He added that his company is also
not responsible for insurance payouts.
Other recruiting agencies involved
in the accident, as well as the Myanmar Maritime Seafarers Federation,
said under 2013 laws, companies are
in fact required to purchase either international or domestic insurance for
their recruits.
We might have big problems with
the Seamen Employment Control Division if we dont make life insurance
policies, said U Nyi Nyi Thein Myint,
director of Top Chances Shipping
Company, which sent two workers to
the sunken trawler.
He said as part of the US$2000
recruitment fee paid by the workers,
up to $400 is meant to be dedicated
to life insurance.
Top Chances, along with its partner firm Asia Wave, purchased Nova
Life Insurance, worth $30,000,
U Nyi Nyi Thein Myint said. He

Myanmar fishermen who survived the sinking of the Dalny Vostok in April are now at home battling for compensation while
the families of their deceased fellow crewmembers struggle to obtain life insurance. Photo: Supplied

claimed the families of the deceased

fishermen will receive the funds
within two or three weeks.
But families of the victims told
The Myanmar Times none of the

Its not our duty to

pay compensation,
its the ship owners
responsibility.
U Soe Tint
Manager of a recruitment firm

promised cash including from the

Russian governments vow to provide
families of deceased foreigners onboard the ship with $15,000, and survivors with $3000 has materialised.
Ma Thin Zin Moe, sister of Ko Pyone Mg Mg who died during the catastrophe, said her brother took all
his papers and ID with him, and now
recruiters are claiming to have no record of his existence.
Her brother, she said, paid a broker
to help arrange work overseas, which
included a payment for K30,000 for
domestic insurance.
We checked at the local insurance company to claim the K5 million
[$5000], but they said they had no

record even of the brokers who recruited my brother, she said.

The seafarers federation has attempted to step in on behalf of the
families, but have found some of the
agencies in the corruption-rife industry less than willing to comply in fulfilling the guidelines.
We are asking for compensation,
salary and bonus money for each
seaman but have not yet heard from
all the companies, said U Sein Hlaing, the federations deputy chair.
If they continue to pretend like
they do not understand their responsibilities, maybe they will understand when they are in police
custody during trial.

Tatmadaw accused of
Australia drains
health funds budget killing in Shan State
SHWE YEE SAW MYINT
poepwintphyu2011@gmail.com
AUSTRALIA has pulled the plug on
contributions to the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund, emptying the health consortium of tens of
millions of dollars amid the largest
single slashing of the countrys foreign aid budget in history.
Australia, the second-largest contributor to the fund and the chair
of the board, is pulling out US$42
million of pledged aid to the group,
resulting in a 13 percent cut of the
total budget, according to a statement released by the 3MDG Fund
yesterday.
The decision means the total
amount of funds committed to the
3MDG Fund stands at approximately USD$292 million, compared to
the previous figure of USD$334 million, the statement said.
The 3MDG declined to comment
about the loss of funding yesterday,
but said in their statement that the
drastic cut will have no immedi-

ate impact on current programs,

which focus on child and maternal
health as well as combating HIV/
AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The implications for future
programming and spending are
currently being considered by the
3MDG Fund Board and the Ministry
of Health, the statement said.
The reduction of the Australian
overseas aid budget this year is the
biggest single drop in the history
of the countrys foreign assistance.
While Australias overall budget actually grew by more than 13 percent,
the foreign aid fell by over 30 percent.
Few countries were left unscathed
by the multi-billion drop, but Africa,
with an 80 percent overall decline
in funding, and Southeast and East
Asia, with a 40pc drop, received a
particularly dire blow.
Cambodia, which signed a highly
controversial refugee deal with Australia last year, is one of the only
countries in the region that will
continue to see a steady influx of
aid.

TATMADAW forces were accused by a

human rights group yesterday of killing
a civilian and seriously injuring three
others while they were travelling on a
main highway in northern Shan State
close to the border region of Kokang.
The Shan Human Rights Federation said a family in a stationary car
was fired upon by troops apparently
hidden behind the road, while a passing motorbike was also targeted. The
incident occurred on the morning of
April 14, the NGO said, adding that it
had taken weeks to verify details.
A colonel acting as spokesperson
for the Tatmadaws Public Relations
and Psychological Warfare Department said he had no knowledge of the
incident.
The shooting was reported to have
happened near Mong Li village, which
lies on the road from Lashio to Hsenwi, a major route for traffic to and
from the Muse border crossing with
China. Some international organisations have stopped using the road
since fighting erupted in the Kokang
region in February.

The Shan rights group said 40-yearold U Loong Hsu was killed instantly
in a blast that hit his motorbike. His
wife and passenger, Daw Nang Hseng,
was wounded in the shoulder and leg.
Moments before, an explosion and
gunfire hit a car with a family of three
that had halted by the roadside while
overtaking a convoy of army trucks
to allow the motorbike to pass from
the other direction. U Min Naing, the
father and driver, was injured in his
arm and leg. One of his three children
in the back, 16-year-old Nang Khawn
Nan, was wounded in the head.
After the explosions, the car passengers saw about 20 Burmese troops
carrying weapons coming out from
the bushes at the side of the road
where the local Mong Li spirit shrine
was located, the rights group said.
Nang Khawn Nan was operated in
Lashio Hospital to have shrapnel removed, and then transferred to Mandalay Hospital for two more operations. The rights group said she is now
able to speak but cannot move the left
side of her body. Guy Dinmore

News 5

www.mmtimes.com

Witnesses
waiting to
testify in Ko
Par Gyi case
NAW SAY PHAW WAA
nawsayphawwaa@gmail.com
CIVILIAN witnesses have been giving
evidence in the hearing over the death
of freelance journalist Ko Aung Kyaw
Naing, better known by his pen name
Ko Par Gyi, who was shot while in Tatmadaw custody last October.
The trial is going forward at Kyaikmaraw Township Court in Mon State,
even though a military tribunal has already acquitted two soldiers who had
been accused of the journalists death.
The tribunal took place without notice last November, a fact that came to
light only weeks ago.
Though Ko Par Gyis widow, Daw
Thandar, had been campaigning to
keep public interest in the case alive,
she was given no notice of the Kyaikmaraw court case.
Ko Par Gyi was shot dead while
allegedly trying to escape from army
detention on the evening of October
4 last year. He had been arrested in
Kyaikmaraw township while covering
the fighting between the Tatmadaw
and the Democratic Karen Benevolent
Army (DKBA).
On May 25, a local administrator
and four local civilians gave evidence
in the case.

They had no right to

retain his property
because his death
was unlawful.
Daw Thandar
Ko Par Gyis widow

Daw Thandar complained on May

26 of apparent collusion among the
witnesses, saying some of them had
read from notes in their palm in response to questions.
She also objected to what the military termed the nationalisation of
her late husbands property that is,
the fact that the military had apparently confiscated the belongings found
on him at the time of his death.
They had no right to retain his
property because his death was unlawful, and not the result of a court verdict. He has never been found guilty of
a crime, she said. The personal items
retained reportedly include money, a
phone and a ring he had intended to
give his daughter, all valued at about
US$1500.
Earlier this month, Daw Thandar
related to the court details of Ko Par
Gyis life, including how they met when
he was working as a security guard for
National League for Democracy leader
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Daw Thandar
said she cherished the photos of her
husband with the democracy icon. After she heard about Ko Par Gyis death,
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sent me a letter,
telling me to be brave, she said.
Daw Thandars lawyer, U Robert
San Aung, also criticised the police for
violating Ko Par Gyis human rights
by transferring him to army custody
instead of applying to a court for an
extension of his remand. It was the
responsibility of the police to question him. They failed to do their job,
he said.
No Tatmadaw member has yet given
evidence at the trial. Public prosecutor
U Nyi Nyi Lwin told The Myanmar
Times that Tatmadaw witnesses would
be summoned in accordance with the
witness list. He added that there were
30 more witnesses waiting to give evidence. The next hearing is on June 1.
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin

Let sleeping MPs lie: Hluttaw

imposes media restrictions
EI EI TOE
LWIN
eieitoelwin@gmail.com

NO wonder critics accuse parliament of sleepwalking into political

deadlock. In what could be a wakeup call for the democratic transition, journalists have protested
against official attempts to curtail
their coverage of parliament. Officials explained that the new restrictions had been imposed to
stop newspapers running pictures
of MPs sleeping on the job.
Parliamentary officials said they
had closed the media room overlooking the chamber because pictures of dozing lawmakers made
the hluttaw look bad. While berating journalists for their coverage,
U Kyaw Soe, director general of
the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, admitted,
MPs are old. Sometimes they fall
asleep in the hluttaw.
The media facility, a glasswalled room commanding a view
of the chamber and equipped with
a live TV feed for sound, was closed
on May 26. Until then, journalists

could take pictures, record the debates via the TV, and generally keep
an eye on proceedings. Now, access
for the 20 or so news outlets whose
reporters cover parliament is restricted to a TV set outside.
Asked to explain the restriction,
U Kyaw Soe said, Journalists see
MPs asleep, or military MPs voting for absent colleagues, and put
pictures of them in the paper. MPs
are old people. Sometimes they fall
asleep in the hluttaw chamber.
He insisted that the new arrangements provided journalists
with everything they required, adding, Parliaments in other countries dont let journalists into the
chamber either.
When the hluttaw first convened, in January, 2011, journalists were allowed into the chamber
to cover the news. But access was
first restricted in early 2013 on the
grounds that the conduct of interviews, photography and videoshooting activities constituted a
disturbance.
We did allow news-gathering
[in the chamber] in the beginning,
U Kyaw Soe said.
MPs found it was not convenient
to be interviewed, so we restricted
media entry. Now we have to make an-

other restriction. He said reporters

could copy photos, videos and sound
recordings made by parliamentary
staff from a room overlooking the
chamber.
The ban applies only to the joint
houses of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
as a whole, not to the separate upper and lower houses, the Amyotha
Hluttaw and the Pyithu Hluttaw.

If it was up to me
I would let the
media in, as long
as they dont throw
bombs.
U Hla Swe
Union Solidarity and
Development Party

This was not my decision. It is

a response to circumstances, said
U Kyaw Soe.
In the wake of the decision,
some saw a more nightmarish motive.

Ko Aung Htet, senior reporter

of The Voice, said covering the hluttaw had been difficult enough even
before the new restrictions, which
raised questions about parliaments
commitment to democracy.
They dont understand how the
media work, he said. How will TV
broadcast the proceedings in real
time? Whats to stop the government
introducing more restrictions later?
National League for Democracy
MP U Min Thu said restrictions on
the right to cover the news should
not be imposed because of fears
that the image of MPs might be
harmed, and could create misunderstandings.
Hluttaw officials and the media should negotiate on dos and
donts, he said.
Amyotha Hluttaw representative U Hla Swe of the Union Solidarity and Development Party said,
If it was up to me I would let the
media in, as long as they dont
throw bombs.
Upcoming issues whose coverage
could be affected by the restriction
include the constitutional amendment bill, the revision of the National Education Law and debates
on the Interfaith Marriage Law.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

6 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

Administrative
reforms aimed
at Union level
HTOO
THANT
thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com

A THREE-PLANK platform for administrative reform is being hammered together by policy experts in Nay Pyi Taw.
The Administrative Reforms and Coordination Committee has concluded
a two-day workshop in the capital on
building a national-level framework for
further reform.
U Khin Maung Aye, a member of
the Union Civil Services Board and
vice chair of the committee, said the
framework depended on a few basic
principles.

Every ministry
has been making
reforms but we
need a framework
to organise them
together.
U Aung Tun Thet
Presidential consultant

We will boost the capacity of civil

servants and develop the civil service
sectors, implement decentralisation,
and create transparency and accountability within the government, he said
at the closing ceremony of the workshop at the Myanmar International
Convention Centre 2.
In delving into the details, the committee will now consult with the Ministry of Finance on budget allocation and
with the Union Civil Services Board on
capacity-building for civil servants.

Committee chair U Hla Tun, Union

minister for the Presidents Office, said
the framework to be drawn up was a
strategic foundation on which future
reforms and development would be
based.
He added that once aligned with
other national-level strategies, the
framework would allow short-, medium- and long-term goal delivery.
I hope the framework will give
the international community a better
understanding of our governments
prioritised agenda and encourage
more international aid and investment, he said.
During its four-year transition
from military government to multiparty democracy, Myanmar has tried
to upgrade its administration while
introducing reforms that meet the
aspirations of its people in a manner
consistent with its constitution, said
U Hla Tun. However, practices that
have been deep-rooted for ages cannot
be altered overnight, he said.
All government departments concerned will now work together on finalising the framework, continuing
to pursue reforms that have been in
implementation since the government
took office in 2011 but in a fully coordinated manner. This will increase effectiveness, said presidential adviser U
Aung Tun Thet.
Every ministry has been making
reforms but we need a framework to
organise them together. This workshop was organised to develop that
framework. We have to consider the
facts we cant change as well as the
facts we can change as we go about the
reforms, he said.
Committee vice chair U Khin Maung
Aye said the goal was to produce the final draft of the framework by August,
following further discussions and debate through June.
The final stage of the framework
will be completed in September for
submission to the president, he said.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

TRADE MARK CAUTION

JCB Co., Ltd., a company incorporated under the laws of
Japan, and having its principal place of business at 5-1-22
Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8686, Japan, is
the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following Trademark:-

Reg. Nos. 4/478/2007, 4/8300/2009,

4/6396/2012, 4/3816/2015
in respect of:- Intl Class 9: Integrated circuit chips;
Computer programs, including downloadable software;
Computer programs recorded on data media; Magnetic
encoded cards; Integrated circuit cards [smart cards];
Integrated circuits; Electronic machines and apparatus, and
their parts; Telecommunication machines and apparatus;
Computer software used for electronic payments via a
computer network; Portable telephones; Computers; Card
readers; Point-of-sale terminals.
Intl Class 16: Booklets; Bookmarkers; Books; Calendars;
Catalogues; Maps; Passport holders; Magazines; Periodicals;
Newspapers; Posters; Printed matter; Publications;
Stationery; Wet tissue papers; Tissue papers; Pocket

A man reads a voter education pamphlet distributed by the Mandalay Election Commission. Photo: Maung Zaw

Long-stay migrant workers

can vote in Mandalay
MG ZAW
mgzaw.mmtimes@gmail.com
MIGRANT workers in Mandalay will
be allowed to vote there if they can
show they have lived there for the
past 180 days, says the regions electoral chief. U Aung Htut, chair of the
Mandalay Region Electoral Commission, said the migrants could vote
even if they had no national ID card,
as long as they were aged over 18.
I think the recent MCDC election

has helped put people in the mood

for voting, he told The Myanmar
Times.
Many people who live and work
in Mandalay Region come from elsewhere in the country, and it would
be costly for them if they have to go
back to their region to vote. So we
are arranging for them to be able to
vote here if they wish.
Migrant workers in Mandalay
can register at a UEC office near
their current home by producing

letters from their employers certifying that they had lived there for not
less than 180 days. Would-be voters
without an NRC card could register
on the basis of a letter from their
ward administration, he said.
Being able to vote like this is so
convenient for us. Going home to
vote would be so expensive, said Ko
Aung Lin Soe from Pakokku, who is
working at Shwe Taw in Thabeikkyin township, Sagaing Region.
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin

Observers will be allowed in

military polling stations: UEC
BOTH domestic and international
observers will be allowed to enter
military polling stations, according
to U Aung Htut, chair of the Union
Election Commission for Mandalay
Region.
We will allow observation of the
advance vote count as well, he said.
Candidates will also be allowed to
accompany ward and village electoral
officials gathering the advance votes.
They will be able to check the
number of advance votes against the

list of advance voters already posted

in the polling station, he said. Advance votes are to be kept in a separate ballot box and counted once polls
close at 4pm, according to a recent
statement from the UEC.
In the last general election, in
2010, candidates were not allowed
to enter polling stations in their
constituencies, but U Aung Htut
said the by-laws for Novembers
election would reflect the changed
policy.

memorandum books; Memorandum books; Paintings and

calligraphic works; Photograph stands; Stickers.
Intl Class 35: Advertising and publicity; Advertising
agencies; Advertising by mail order; Systemization of
information into computer databases; Import-export agencies
and providing information thereon; Mediation of contracts
for purchase and sale of products; Providing information
on commodity sales; Marketing research; Providing
information on marketing research; Auctioneering;
Providing information on auctioneering; Issuance of trading
stamps; Providing information on employment agencies;
Providing information on rental of copying machines
and word processors; Providing information on financial
statement preparation; Providing information on arranging
newspaper subscriptions for others; Sales Promotion for
others; Secretarial and clerical services; Agencies for
conclusion of credit card merchant agreements; Orderreception and ordering services for others; Data entry and
data processing services; Telephone answering services;
Issue and dispatch of bills and accounting statements;
Compilation and processing of statistical data and
information.
Intl Class 36: Credit card services; Providing information
of credit card statements; Debit card services; Issue of
pre-paid cards; Debt collection agencies; Acquisition and
transfer of monetary claims; Financial clearing; Money
exchange; Factoring agencies; Financing services; Loan

U Khin Maung Than, a lawyer and

a member of the National Democratic
Force partys Mandalay branch, was
unconvinced by the UECs promise.
Despite the commission chairs
promise, we will not know until election day whether the military will allow observers into polling stations,
he said. But its good that the electoral law allows candidates to enter
polling stations.
Mg Zaw, translation by
Zar Zar Soe

services; Electronic funds transfer; Surety services;

Installment loans; Hire-purchase financing; Brokerage for
hire-purchase; Brokerage for issue of travelers checks;
Agencies for collecting gas and electric power utility
charges, telephone charges and public utility charges, and
providing information relating thereto; Rent collection;
Lending against security; Savings banks; Financial
evaluation regarding insurance, banking and real estate;
Financial analysis; Financial consultancy; Providing
financial information; Issue of tokens of value; Agencies or
brokerage for trading of securities; Providing stock market
information; Insurance brokerage; Insurance premium rate
computing; Insurance consultancy; Providing insurance
information; Insurance underwriting; Credit bureaux;
Company credit investigation; Charitable fund raising;
Rental of card-readers, card-writers and payment processing
machines and equipments used for credit cards or debit
cards; Agencies for recruitment and management of credit
card members and merchants(member stores) on behalf of
credit card issuers.
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said
Trademark will be dealt with according to laws.
For JCB Co., Ltd.
U Nyunt Tin Associates International Limited
Intellectual Property Division
Tel: 959 4500 59 247, Email: info@untlaw.com
Dated: 28 May, 2015.

News 7

www.mmtimes.com

Views

Facing sweet and sour times in Malaysia

While a series of missteps in recent years by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has caused the UMNO party to question his leadership and
has damaged his countrys international image, young politician Lim Guan Eng has thrived as the chief minister of Penang State

ROGER
MITTON

rogermitton@gmail.com

ERHAPS because the

Cannes Film Festival has
just ended, the French
movie One Sings, the Other
Doesnt comes to mind when
pondering the fate of two Malaysian
leaders.
One is Prime Minister Najib
Razak, an increasingly beleaguered
and tragic figure, and the other is the
buoyant young Penang Chief Minister
Lim Guan Eng.
Both men, whom Ive interviewed
several times, are open and genial, yet
also wary and cautious Najib because
its his nature, Lim because he has suffered for being too guileless in the past.
Both were born into politics.
Najib is the son of former PM Razak
Hussein, arguably the nations most
revered leader, and also the nephew
of another former PM, Hussein Onn.
Lim comes from the other side.
He is the son of a veteran opposition
leader, the pugnacious Lim Kit Siang,
and like his father he is familiar with
the inside of a Malaysian jail.
After becoming the nations youngest member of parliament at age 23,
Najib joined the cabinet two years
later and soon after became chief
minister of Penang, the largest state
in peninsular Malaysia.
Politically speaking, he was hitting
all the high notes, as he went on to
hold several top ministerial posts,
including defence, education and
finance, before becoming PM in 2009.
At that point, Najib seemed destined to bestride the nations polity
for years to come.
But events kicked in and he
handled them badly, suggesting that
perhaps he had reached his level of
incompetence, as other leaders like
Cambodias Norodom Ranariddh,

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak addresses a news conference

in Kuala Lumpur on May 11. Photo: EPA/Fazry Ismail

Thailands Abhisit Vejjajiva and

Vietnams Le Kha Phieu have done in
the past.
It became clear that Najib was
politically tone-deaf and lacked the
common touch; of course, it had long
been known that he lacked conviction
and always waited to see which way
the wind was blowing before he took
any decision.
That worked as a survival technique while he climbed through the
ranks, but it has been calamitous
since he got to the top, and he now
faces a revolt by fellow leaders of his
United Malays National Organisation
(UMNO), the countrys dominant
political party.
In contrast, as a Malaysian-Chinese oppositionist, Lim had to deal
with adversity from day one, and, to
continue the metaphor, he seemed to
be singing, if at all, in an off key for
many years.
Yet, like his father, he has proved
fearless and, it has to be said, often
foolhardy, intemperate and sometimes foolish; yet it has always been

Lim Guan Eng speaks in Georgetown, Penang, on

March 4, 2008. Photo: EPA/Ahmad Yusni

clear to his loyal electorate that his

heart is in the right place.
He could never be defeated at the
polls, so UMNOs leaders copied their
loathed counterparts in Singapore,
and used the judiciary to silence this
meddlesome Chinaman who exposed
their misdeeds and mismanagement.
It worked up to a point, but then
after former PM Mahathir Mohamad

While Lim has

hit the high notes,
Najib has slid
ever-downward
for reasons that
just seem to keep
mounting up rather
than being resolved.

stood down in 2003, the UMNO-led

government started an inexorable
slide that culminated in major setbacks in the 2008 election.
Among the losses was the rich
state of Penang, which was won by
Lims opposition alliance. He suddenly became chief minister, and
unlike Najib, took to the corridors of
power like a duck to water.
Under Lims tenure, Penang
has kept its rank as Malaysias top
investment destination, and international agencies and the countrys
own auditor-general rate it the best
financially managed state.
Not unexpectedly, Lim and his
team were massively returned to
office in Penang in the 2013 election,
when the ruling coalition, led by
Najib, endured further nationwide
setbacks and lost the popular vote to
the opposition alliance.
Indeed, while Lim has hit the high
notes, Najib has slid ever-downward
for reasons that just seem to keep
mounting up rather than being
resolved.

First, he was implicated in the

murder of a Mongolian model who
had been pleasuring his key adviser;
then he alienated Chinese and Indian
voters by boosting Malay rights and
allowing stricter Islamist policies.
Most recently, he has presided
over what is called the mother of all
scandals: the catastrophic billiondollar losses of the state investment
fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad
(1MDB) of which he is the chair. On
his watch, it has run up debts of
US$11.5 billion.
On May 24, former PM Mahathir
said Najib must be prosecuted for lying about the status of 1MDB and for
the damage it has caused the nation.
Right now, Malaysias auditor-general the man who praised the fiscal
rectitude of Lims administration in
Penang is examining 1MDBs books
and will soon issue a report that may
skewer Najib.
If it does not, Najibs own men
may do the job. Already, they have
been stunned by a leaked video in
which Deputy PM Muhyiddin Yassin
has advocated sacking the entire
1MDB board or risk election defeat.
Former minister Zainuddin Maidin said that Muhyiddins remarks
had undercut Najib and showed
that UMNO is not united to face
Mahathirs attacks, 1MDB and the
current political and economic crisis.
He is dead right. There is a political and economic crisis and UMNO is
split down the middle about whether
to tackle it by sticking with Najib
or by installing a new leader at the
partys general assembly later this
year.
There is a growing consensus that
if Najib does not start singing at least
as sweetly as Lim does in Penang,
then it is likely he will soon be a footnote in history.
Already, his regime has tarnished
Malaysias international image. Last
month, Britains Financial Times ran
an article headlined Something Rotten in the State of Malaysia.
Its opening sentence was, Is
Malaysia falling apart? It is not yet,
not with regional state chief ministers
like Lim Guan Eng; but unless Najib
stiffens his sinews pretty fast, it may
well happen.
Lune chante, lautre pas.

8 THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

Business
Parliament suspends
5% tax on top-up
EI EI TOE
LWIN
eieitoelwin@gmail.com

THE Union Parliament yesterday suspended a newly imposed 5 percent

commercial tax on mobile phone topups until the next fiscal year.
The proposal was approved
following a long debate between
members of parliament and ministers during a May 27 parliamentary session.
The move follows a groundswell
of opposition to the tax, announced
at a May 18 event in Nay Pyi Taw
by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
(MCIT). It said the 5pc tax on telecoms services would be collected
from June 1, ending what it said
was an exemption granted to the
industry.
However, on May 21, U Thein
Tun Oo, a member of parliament
from Mandalay Regions Amarapura constituency, put an urgent
proposal to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, saying that the tax should be
suspended for a year.
Six MPs backed his proposal
and pointed out that the ministry
should not collect tax until they are
providing a proper service to the
mobile user.
People are now using MPT,
Telenor and Ooredoo SIM cards,
but these do not work in rural
and remote areas, and they cannot
provide a sufficient service to customers. I want them to collect tax,
but only if they can provide an adequate service, said U Tin Maung
Win from the Mingalardon constituency in Yangon Region.

U Aye from Homalin constituency in Sagaing Region said 50pc of

the 28 million mobile users around
the nation are poor. They are now
happy because they can use a mobile. If the government collects tax
without any proper warning, they
could become irritated, he said.
He suggested that the government should not collect tax this
year, and that if it intends to collect
tax at a later stage, it should not begin with 5pc, but should introduce
it at 1pc or 2pc.
U Thaung Tin, deputy minister
of the Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology, said
that many things still need to be
implemented in order to provide a
quality service, and that the tax was
aimed at helping to provide such a
service.
Union Minister for Finance U
Win Shein said that other countries

collect an indirect mobile tax of between 6pc and 20pc. In Myanmar

we planned to collect only 5pc, he
said.
Currently, 28 million people
in Myanmar are using mobile
phones. The average spend per
person per month is K5000. If
parliament collects a tax of 5pc,
the government will receive K84
billion per year. Government taxes
are used to help the development
of the country.
Thats why I would like to ask
that you cooperate with us for the
long-term benefit, U Win Shein
said.
However, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann agreed
with the MPs and said that the government should suspend the tax.
When he urged parliament to make
a decision, all MPs agreed to suspend the 5pc top-up tax.

Many mobile phone

users had come out
against the tax.
Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

Telcos in a data-rate duel

CATHERINE TRAUTWEIN
newroom@mmtimes.com
DATA prices have reached new
low rates in Myanmar, with dual,
near-simultaneous price cuts by
duelling telcos.
The already-competitive telecoms sector became even more
so on May 26 when Ooredoo introduced its Phalan Phalan internet
promotion which priced data at
K6 per megabyte only to have
Telenor announce rates at K5 per
megabyte less than 10 hours later.
Ooredoo called a press conference for 10am May 26 to announce its new Phalan Phalan internet plan, which would reduce
the firms pay-as-you-go internet
rates from K10 to K6 per megabyte, matching its competitors
prices.
Were just trying to give everybody the chance to enjoy the fantastic service, Ooredoo Myanmar
CEO Ross Cormack said on May
26. The firm currently covers 45
percent of Myanmar by population, and aims to blanket threequarters of the country by the end
of this year.

Ooredoos internet new rate of

K6 per megabyte briefly mirrored
Telenors under its My Internet plan
for the space of about half a day.
The Norwegian firm announced
shortly before 8pm May 26 that,
starting the following day, the plans
rates would be reduced by K1 per
megabyte, sliding Telenors prices
just under those of Ooredoos.

KYAT

New price per megabyte for users of

Telenors My Internet plan dropped
on the same day Ooredoo moved to K6

Open and healthy competition

will almost always result in competitive prices, and this is something customers will continue to
expect, Telenor Myanmar CEO

Petter Furberg said in an email.

When asked about the timing of Telenors price cut which
seemed too close to Ooredoos to
be accidental Mr Furberg said
the answer didnt matter so much.
In this respect, whether yesterdays announcement was response
or a coincidence is probably not as
important, he said. And Telenors
prices will always be the lowest for
the mass market.
The moves to make data cheaper for consumers show Myanmars
mounting interest in getting on
the internet. In its financial results for the first quarter, Ooredoo
Myanmar said that about 80pc of
its users are on smartphones a
figure that Frost & Sullivan analyst Naveen Mishra noted as testifying to the countrys demand for
connectivity. Meanwhile, Telenor
said 65pc of its customers engage
with data and nearly 60pc use
smartphones.
Our internet price plans ...
reflect the growing appetite for
data in Myanmar and are aimed at
stimulating further internet adoption and usage, Mr Furberg said
in a statement.

Bangkok Bank and

ICBC cleared to
open on June 2
JEREMY MULLINS
jeremymullins7@gmail.com
TWO more foreign banks have been
given permission to open their Myanmar branches beginning on June 2 by
the Central Bank of Myanmar.
With the official nod given to Bangkok Bank and Imperial and Commercial Bank of China late on May 26,
two-thirds of the nine foreign banks
that won a tightly-contested tender
last year have now been allowed to
open.
Foreign banks face a number of restrictions in Myanmar, as they are only
allowed to service foreign-invested
companies and domestic banks, and
are limited to one branch each.
The two banks have undergone a
stringent entry process as defined by
the Central Bank of Myanmar in 2014,
the Central Bank said in a press release.
Over the past year, Bangkok Bank
said it has been working on branch
fit-out, the installation of IT and business systems, personnel recruitment,
knowledge transfer, and the development of local employees in business
systems and financial products.
These preparations are now complete and the Yangon branch is ready
to open, it said.
Bangkok Bank president Chartsiri
Sophonpanich said its Myanmar representative office had opened 20 years
ago, but with the full branch it will play
a major role in providing information
and service to businesses interested in
Myanmar. It will also be able to provide
an additional range of services and
connect to Bangkok Banks international network.
Yesterday, ICBC officials declined to
comment immediately.

Opened
The Bank of TokyoMitsubishi UFJ
Commenced 22 April
OCBC
Commenced 23 April
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Corporation
Commenced 23 April
UOB
Commenced 4 May

Licensed to open
Industrial and Commercial
Bank of China (ICBC)
Bangkok Bank

Expected to be licensed by end of

September
Australia and New
Zealand Banking Group
(ANZ)
Mizuho Bank

Malayan Banking Berhad

(Maybank)

World-class dutyfree coming to

Myanmar airports
CLARE HAMMOND
clarehammo@gmail.com
SINGAPORE Windsor Holdings has
signed a 10-year agreement with
DFS Group to develop and operate
duty-free retail outlets at Yangon International Airport and Nay Pyi Taw
International Airport.
DFS Group is a Hong Kong-based
luxury travel retailer, majorityowned by conglomerate Mot Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH).
In addition to a duty-free store
at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport,
we will open duty-free outlets at the
existing departure and arrival terminal of Yangon International Airport,
followed by a much larger duty-free
retail space when the new terminal
at Yangon International Airport is
completed towards the end of this
year, said a notice on the Singapore
Exchange (SGX).
By the end of 2015, Singapore
Windsor will operate almost 2000
square metres of duty free retail
space at the two airports. The notice

did not mention plans to introduce

duty-free services to Mandalay International Airport.
The new international terminal
in Yangon airport is expected to
handle three times the current passenger traffic volume. Myanmars
airports already offer duty-free alcohol and tobacco, but not yet to an
international standard, according to
the notice.
DFS is headquartered in Hong
Kong and has offices in Hawaii,
Los Angeles, Shanghai, Singapore
and Tokyo. Singapore Windsor is a
Singapore-listed, Myanmar-focused
company, with interests in telecom
infrastructure construction, trading,
distribution and retail, serviced offices, and car hire and rental services.
Last week, the groups wholly
owned subsidiary SMI Auto Services
signed a five-year franchise agreement with Europcar, to provide vehicle rental and limousine services
throughout Myanmar. The deal is
renewable for another five years, if
both parties agree to it.

BUSINESS EDITOR: Jeremy Mullins | jeremymullins7@gmail.com

Information Ministry
tender suspended by
parliament

Chinese stock-picking
a mugs game with
rapid price rise

BUSINESS 10

BUSINESS 11

Exchange Rates (May 27 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar

Buying

Selling

K1176
K300
K802
K32
K1097

K1196
K310
K815
K34
K1099

NAY PYI TAW

Bids invited for

upgrade toYangonMandalay highway
HTOO THANT
thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com

A customer waits at a shop in the Red Dot network. Photo: Naing Wynn Htoon

Red Dot now in 3000 spots

CATHERINE TRAUTWEIN
newsroom@mmtimes.com
LOCAL payment services firm Red
Dot has built up a network of more
than 3000 retailers in Mandalay, Nay
Pyi Taw and Yangon, chief marketing
officer Andy Whelan said at a press
conference yesterday.
Shop owners in every township
of Myanmars three largest cities
have set up Red Dot terminals machines that act as payment gateways
allowing customers to top up mobile
phones without scratch cards.
Based in downtown Yangon, Red
Dot offers technology and services
that can streamline top-up sales and
management for vendors, which is
currently a clunky and involved process, according to Mr Whelan.
You go into top-up stores and the
retailer pulls out his box thats got all
his scratch cards in it; he searches
through for the one that youre requesting, he said. Theyve got to
manage stock, make sure the expiry
doesnt run out, make sure none of

the stock gets lost, and make sure [to

have] all the different denominations
when people come in.
Red Dots system involves small
terminals and trading balances. The
year-old firm buys credit from Myanmars telcos Ooredoo, Telenor, MecTel and MPT the same as that which
shop owners buy.
Through Red Dot, these retailers
then have virtual balances of top-up,
which deplete as customers walk in
wanting credit. The terminals print
receipts with instructions on how to
top up, just like scratch cards but
without the silver band at the bottom.
Mr Whelan said the company has
already built relationships with CB
and AYA Banks in order to make the
transfer payment process easier for
retailers, and more relationships are
forming.
The Red Dot system ensures topup wont expire in stores, get lost or
damaged, or ever run out, according
to the company.
One of our problems is that the
cards expire, said Ma Tin Aye Yee,

whose Bo Yar Nyunt Street shop sells

top-up. We dont worry about the
expiry of the card when using this
machine.
Red Dot will soon move into other
payment services, namely bill pay. For
now, it helps take Myanmar a step beyond scratch cards, already a relic in
many telco markets.
What were doing is not unique,
Mr Whelan said. In other developed
markets you cant buy scratch cards
anymore ... Thats where Myanmar
will get as well.
The companys customer-care
team works on the ground floor of its
headquarters on Yaw Min Gyi Street.
Signs on the door to their office encourage smiling and positivity Be
an Optimus Prime, not a Negatron,
one reads. What can I do to help get
6000 active trading merchants? another asks.
The company targets enabling terminal top-ups at 20,000 outposts in
Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw
before 2015 ends a massive scale-up
in the months to come.

THE Ministry of Construction is

planning to upgrade the YangonMandalay highway to an international standard following a highprofile crash last year.
Though hundreds of accidents
take place each year on the expressway, last year on May 12, 2014, a bus
left the road and fell off a bridge,
killing 12 people and injuring another 29.
The Yangon-Mandalay highway
opened in 2009, though experts have
said it is missing many of the safety
features found on internationalstandard highways, such as roadside
reflectors, warning signs and rumble
strips to alert drivers when their vehicles are leaving the road.

We are trying to
make a perfect
expressway. In
order to achieve
this, we plan to
invite tenders.
U Win Pe
Ministry of Construction

Public concern over the highway

has grown, particularly following
the May 2014 crash. Ministry of
Construction officials have routinely said that while transport on
the road is not yet perfect, there is a
master plan to continue upgrading
it and it had been opened early for
the publics use.

We are trying to make it a perfect expressway, said U Win Pe,

director general of the Road Department under the Ministry of
Construction.
In order to achieve this, we
plan to invite tenders for a buildoperate-transfer contract.
U Win Pe said the ministry has so
far received 126 applications from
local and foreign firms, of which 26
applications are be carefully looked
at. However, the structure of the
build-operate-transfer contract has
not been detailed, as many stages
are still being scrutinised.
Its hard to say what the contract will look like, but I hope an
answer will be coming soon, he
said at a Nay Pyi Taw press conference on May 26.
The master plan calls for the
Yangon-Mandalay highway to eventually be upgraded to eight lanes,
from its current four. U Kyaw Lin,
permanent secretary at the Ministry of Construction, said upgrading
the road will help it meet international norms of driving faster and
safer while traveling comfortable.
But the frequent use of the highway by cattle, motorcycles and farm
vehicles causes cars to break and
swerve, which could be alleviated
with more lanes. Rest places also
need to be placed at 50-mile intervals
along the road for comfort of travel,
while CCTV cameras and fences are
needed near the road for safe driving, according to U Kyaw Lin.
Traffic police say driver negligence, excessive speeds and drunk
driving are the main causes of accidents. U Win Pe said Chinese and
South Korean companies have also
flagged their interest in the tender,
along with local companies. He
added the government will attempt
to keep the toll rates the same.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe

State Bank of India to open rep office

CLARE
HAMMOND
clarehammo@gmail.com

THE State Bank of India (SBI) is to

become the fourth Indian bank to
open a representative office in Myanmar and may be joined within
the year by Punjab National Bank,
which has reportedly applied for a
licence.
SBI, which is the largest commercial bank in India in terms of assets, and the countrys largest state
owned bank, received its licence
to open a representative office in
March last year. Under the licence
terms, the bank can only carry out
liaison activities and will not be
able to offer financial services.
The office, which will officially
open next week, will be run by chief

representative Anil Bankey. It has

been a long time coming Indian
media reported in 2004 that SBI
had sent a team of officials to Yangon to assess whether the time was
right to open an office.
When Myanmar invited foreign
lenders to apply for full licences last
year, SBI was the only Indian bank
to submit an application, but was
eventually unsuccessful. It lost out
to nine other Asia Pacific headquartered banks, all of which had been
running a representative office in
Yangon for at least a year before the
tender was called.
Unfortunately India did not get
any of the banking licences, and
there is no formal banking relationship between India and Myanmar
yet, said Sailas Thingal, deputy
chief of mission at the Embassy of
India.
This is a problematic area for
the improvement of trade and investment relations between our two

countries. Our governments realise

that to enhance bilateral trade we
really need a banking relationship,
and that this is one of the bottlenecks we face, he said.
A semi-formal agreement between the United Bank of India
branch in Moreh, Manipur, and the
Myanmar Economic Bank in Tamu
in Sagaing Region, facilitates border
trade between the two countries.

PERCENT

4.23

The total amount of Myanmars trade

that is done with India, even as the two
countries share a long border

In 2012, United Bank of India became the first Indian bank to open
a representative office in Myanmar
since 1963, when the Ne Win government nationalised all foreign
bank branches. Following this, the
Export Import (Exim) Bank of India
and the Bank of India opened representative offices in 2013.
Punjab National Bank, another
of Indias major state owned banks,
has reportedly applied for a licence.
According to several sources it has
recently been approved, but the
bank could not be contacted for
comment by press time.
While several major Indian companies including Tata Group and
ONGC Videsh have made large scale
investments into Myanmar, overall
trade and investment figures between Myanmar and India are relatively lacklustre.
Trade with India represented
just 4.23 percent of Myanmars total
bilateral trade in fiscal year 2015 to

January, according to the latest figures available from Myanmars Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).
In comparison, trade with Thailand
made up 18.48pc of the US$23 billion total over the same period,
and trade with China comprised
34.67pc.
Bilateral trade is expected to increase once infrastructure along the
1600-kilometre (1000-mile) border
between the two countries is more
developed.
However, a number of major projects have been subject to long delays, including the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project, that will
connect Calcutta with Sittwe Port,
and the India-Myanmar-Thailand
Trilateral Highway.
Indian companies pledged $11.5
million in foreign direct investment in fiscal year 2013, rising to
$24 million in 2014 and $208.9 million in 2015 to January, according
to CSO data.

10 Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

Parliament to stop Info Ministrys tender

SANDAR
LWIN
sdlsandar@gmail.com

PARLIAMENT decided yesterday to

suspend a large-scale tender for a media-related property following intense
criticism, though the Ministry of Information says it will wait for the Cabinets
decision before halting.
South Okkalapa township representative U Aung Thein Linn submitted
an urgent proposal on May 22 to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw to suspend the project, claiming a lack of transparency in
the tender process. Critics have claimed
the tender, to take over and re-develop
the large complex at the site of the Yegu
transmitter at the corner of Gandamar
and Wai Za Yan Tar Roads in northern Yangon, excludes all but a handful
of well-connected local media-related
companies.
Parliament decided to suspend the
tender yesterday.
We will wait for the governments
[Cabinets] decision for the suspension,

and then will follow that decision, said

U Myint Htwe, chief of staff of the Ministry of Informations permanent secretary office.
An Eleven Media report said the
document which contained terms and
conditions of the tender is being sold
for K1 million (US$908). About 120
acres of the former site of a broadcasting station are up for tender. Some 30
acres are earmarked for MRTV, with
the remaining 90 acres to be handed
over to the tender winner.
This means that the tender winner
will secure the 90-acre stretch of land,
which has potential to become the hub
of Yangon and the place of least traffic
congestion, the Eleven Media article
said.
The tender winner will be required
to install a number a facilities at their
own expense, including a mediarelated business park complete with
a broadcasting complex, a studio, a
multi-media university, a theme park,
a recreation zones, public service areas and sports facilities, including an
open stadium with 50,000 seats and
an indoor 15,000-seat stadium. The
winner must allow two broadcast stations and three studios to continue

YHT to survey for local

peoples heritage views
MYAT NYEIN AYE
myatnyeinaye11092@gmail.com
THE Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT),
with assistance from the New Zealand
government, will launch a project this
month aiming to understand what Yangon residents value about their local
environment.
YHT, a non-government organisation, will carry out direct consultation
with local residents. The project is also
being supported by Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), according
to a 26 May announcement.
This study will provide one of the
first opportunities for downtown communities to express how they feel about
the streets and urban environments
they live in, said the announcement.

operating on site. The winner will

also be allowed to run businesses
such as hotels, guesthouses and commercial buildings on the site.
Businesspeople told The Myanmar
Times that the difference between the
tenders announcement on May 15 and
its deadline on June 19 is too short for
most companies to meet.
Bidders must submit zoning plans
for each portion of the project, work
plans and implementation programs,
detailed methodology, a proposal for
technical services, architectural design
of the buildings, high-voltage power
distribution, estimates and work schedules by the June 19 deadline.
It is indeed nonsense according
to international standards, but, I dont
know, according to the Myanmar way,
said U San Oo, chair of the Association
of Myanmar Architects.
It is too difficult to complete even
the designs. It is absolutely impossible.
Even if it is a very rushed project, it will
take at least four or five months to complete the sketches.
U Hlaing Oo, chief engineer for
state-owned broadcasting enterprise
Myanmar Radio and Television, which
is to maintain its presence on the site

under the terms of the tender, said he

is not sure if the current process will allow solid plans to be created for such a
large project.
If the architects have top ability
and work intensively, they can probably
finish the designs. But for the entire
project? Im not sure, and cant say, as
Im an electrical engineer.
While the Ministry of Information
has listed a number of criteria the winner needs to meet, there appears to be
no formal mechanism for action in case
the winner does not fulfill its criteria.
Officials from some of Myanmars
largest media broadcasting groups
have so far remained noncommittal.
Eleven Medias article said that Forever
Group, the broadcaster of MRTV-4 and
Channel 7, and Shwe Than Lwin, broadcaster of Myanmar National Television
(MNTV) are the two most likely bidders.
Forever Group co-founder and
member of the board of directors U
Khin Maung Htay said he did not want
to discuss the project or tender in any
way, though confirmed his company
would not submit a bid.
I have no information on whether
Shwe Than Lwin will bid on the tender,
said U Than Htike, executive general

Yangon Heritage Trust guided tours

have become popular Yangon
outings. Photo: Boothee

There has been much discussion

among local and international stakeholders about the future of downtown Yangon, which retains one of the
worlds most complete ensembles of colonial architecture in the world.
YHT aims to protect the city from intense pressure for rapid urban development. However, in the end, its the people of Yangon who will need to decide
how they would like to protect their
heritage and see their city grow, said U
Thant Myint-U, YHTs chair.
The project will allow YHT to directly engage with local communities
and establish connection with the people who live in Yangons heritage buildings, and will encourage local residents
to think about what they do and do not
value in their neighborhoods.

TRADE MARK CAUTION

F. Uhrenholt Holding A/S, a Company incorporated in Denmark,
of Teglgardsparken 106, 5500 Middelfart, Denmark, is the Owner
of the following Trade Mark:-

UHRENHOLT
Reg. No. 2792/2009

in respect of Class 29: Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts;
preserved, frozen, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams,
compotes; eggs, milk and milk products; edible oils and fats, vegetable
oils, shellfish, not live, fruit sauce, milk powder and dairy products,
cheese, butter and cream, all the aforementioned goods also as frozen
and refrigerated foodstuffs; protein for human consumption. Class 30:
Coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, tapioca and products made from tapioca,
sago, artificial coffee; flour and preparations made from cereals, bread,
pastry and confectionery, ices and products made from ices; honey,
treacle; yeast, baking-powder; salt, mustard; vinegar, sauces (condiments);
spices; ice, artificial tea, candy for food, noodles and products made from
flour and corn, soya sauce, soya bean paste [condiment], essences and
spices for foodstuffs, except etheric essences and essential oils, all the
aforementioned goods also as frozen refrigerated foodstuffs. Class 31:
Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products and grains not included
in other classes; live animals; fresh fruits and vegetables; seeds, natural
plants and flowers; foodstuffs for animals, including protein for animal
consumption, malt. Class 35: Wholesale and retail related to meat, fish,
poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, frozen, dried and cooked fruits
and vegetables; jellies, jams, compotes; eggs, milk and milk products; edible

manager of Shwe Than Lwins Sky Net

broadcaster. Such decisions are made
by the superior management body of
the company.
The countrys broadcasting sector
is not yet fully privatised, with many of
the companies currently in the business
still maintaining strong government
links. Although the tender does not set
a deadline to be accomplished, the sustainability of such a large project given
the countrys small media business is an
open question.
The countrys broadcasting sector has not even been opened, said U
Soe Myint, founder and chief editor of
Mizzima Media. Ive heard about the
project and tender, but dont know
the details, though it is sure there is a
need to develop the infrastructure for
broadcast media in the country. But,
for our media group, Im not interested in bidding.
However, the Ministry of Informations U Myint Htwe said about five
media organisations including FM radio had submitted proposals within the
first 12 days of the tender period.
I cant provide the details of the
bidders, but some print media organisations are included, he said.

ThyssenKrupp
opens
branch
AUNG SHIN
koshumgtha@gmail.com

oils and fats, vegetable oils, shellfish, not live, fruit sauce, milk powder and
dairy products, cheese, butter and cream, deep-frozen meat products,
deep-frozen poultry, deep-frozen shrimps, vacuum packed, heat-treated
poultry; deep frozen ready-made food in the form of gratins containing
meat or meat and vegetables, turkey schnitzels, chicken schnitzels, cordon
bleau, meatballs, pork and veal patties, steaks and hamburgers, pizzas and
French loaf containing meat or meat and vegetables, protein for human
consumption, including frozen and refrigerated foodstuffs; wholesale
and retail related to coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, tapioca and products
made from tapioca, sago, artificial coffee; flour and preparations made
from cereals, bread, pastry and confectionery, ices and products made
from ices; honey, treacle; yeast, baking-powder; salt, mustard; vinegar,
sauces (condiments); spices; ice, artificial tea, candy for food, noodles
and products made from flour and corn, soya sauce, soya bean paste
[condiment], essences and spices for foodstuffs, except etheric essences
and essential oils, including frozen and refrigerated foodstuffs and
wholesale and retail related to agricultural, horticultural and forestry
products and grains not included in other classes; live animals; fresh fruits
and vegetables; seeds, natural plants and flowers; foodstuffs for animals,
including protein for animal consumption, malt.
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 F. Uhrenholt Holding A/S
P.O. Box 60, Yangon
E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm
Dated: 28 May 2015

GERMAN multinational conglomerate ThyssenKrupp opened its Yangon

branch office on May 26, initially targeting the elevator market, according
to company officials.
The firm has been distributing its
products in Myanmar for 85 years,
which it hopes will give it the competitive edge.
We are bringing our core engineering expertise and ability to connect competencies to the country,
said ThyssenKrupp Asia Pacific chief
executive Stefan Schmitt.
Today we open a new chapter
for us as a partner supporting Myanmars sustainable and technology-led
development.
The firm will bring a technical
team to its Yangon office to meet
commercial requirements and service
the elevator market, one of its focused sectors locally. ThyssenKrupp
has six business areas internationally,
including components technology,
elevator technology, industrial solutions, material services, steel Americas and steel Europe.
ThyssenKrupp has been involved
in a range of businesses in Myanmar
over the last 85 years. It sold 40 locomotives to Burma Railway in 1929,
along with a range of other goods
including mining materials, pipes,
pumps, and a number of fertiliser
and chemical plants in the 1960s, 70s
and 80s.
The company aims to train staff
in the country, and has taken staff
abroad for training, officials said.
The economic outlook of Myanmar is very promising and highly
attractive but competition would be
different with other markets, said Mr
Schmitt. He added the firm is confident it can differentiate itself to attract customer development.
At the moment there is no huge
investment plan, but other investors
will be our customers, he said.
ThyssenKrupps opening follows
the launch of the German Myanmar
Business Chamber earlier this month.

International Business 11

www.mmtimes.com

IN BRIEF
Yuan no longer undervalued: IMF

Chinas yuan currency, which Washington has long alleged was manipulated,
is no longer undervalued, the International Monetary Fund said.
The value of the yuan, also known
as the renminbi, has been a source of
tension for years, with Chinas major
trade partners, led by the United
States, accusing Beijing of keeping it
artificially low to give Chinese exporters an unfair competitive advantage,
which Beijing denied. Our assessment
now is that the substantial real effective appreciation over the past year has
brought the exchange rate to a level
that is no longer undervalued, the IMF
said in a statement after a consultation
mission to China.
China keeps a tight grip on the
value of the yuan out of concerns that
unpredictable currency inflows and
outflows could harm the economy and
weaken its financial control.

Amazon begins paying taxes

Online retail giant Amazon said it has

started declaring sales in four European
countries which would now be subject
to local taxes, a move that could affect
other multinationals under EU investigation for possible tax avoidance.
Amazon has tax agreements in
Luxembourg under which it recorded
European sales and paid taxes on them
in the tiny country instead of at the
source. The deal had provoked howls
of criticism that the internet company
was trying to avoid taxes, and sparked
a probe by the European Commission.
But the Seattle-based firm said
it has established local branches in
Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Smartphone sales cool on Chinas

economic slowdown
A slowdown in smartphone sales in
China is cooling the global market for
the devices, research firm IDC said.
The market tracker said global
smartphone sales will see a rise of
11.3 percent in 2015, following robust
growth in 2014 of 27.6pc.
IDC said the overall market is still
moving forward thanks to growth in
other countries and estimated sales
rising to 1.9 billion units by 2019 from a
projected 1.44 billion this year.
Smartphone volume still has a lot
of opportunity in the years to come,
but two fundamental segments driving
recent years growth are starting to
slow, said analyst Ryan Reith.

Greeks collect small change

The Greek government, struggling to

keep up its debt repayments, announced that any dormant public
sector accounts holding less than 100
euros (US$109) should be emptied and
the funds handed over to the central
bank. It covers bank accounts which
on March 15 held a total of 0-99 euros,
the finance ministry said in a decree.
The ministry added that the funds
would be collected from 1039 public
sector or ministerial accounts which
had not been used since 2009.
The total will be no more than 1
million euros, the statement added.
That wont put much of a dent in the
next repayment of 300 million euros
due to the International Monetary Fund
by June 5.

German consumer confidence at

highest in 13.5 years
Consumer confidence in Germany
is at its highest in 13.5 years, as the
positive economic outlook and low
inflation persuade consumers to open
their purses, a poll found yesterday.
Very strong domestic demand in
Germany and the low rate of inflation
are fuelling economic expectations
and consumers willingness to spend,
market research company GfK said in
a statement.
By contrast, income expectations
have slipped slightly from their previous record high, the statement said.
Looking ahead to next month, GfKs
headline household confidence index
was forecast to rise to 10.2 points in
June from 10.1 points in May. AFP

Tough to pick Chinese stocks

ONLY in China can you predict the
worlds biggest stock-market rally and
still come out looking like a pessimist.
A year ago, analysts who cover
the 50 largest companies trading in
Shanghai and Shenzhen said equities
were set to rally 28 percent. Turns
out they werent anywhere near optimistic enough, as monetary easing
and a buying frenzy among Chinese
retail investors sent shares surging
111pc through last week.
Analysts have been scrambling
ever since, updating predictions, then
re-updating them and re-re-updating
them as stocks blew by their target
prices. The rally that outran their
forecasts is now making their jobs
even more difficult as they try to assess the prospects of companies trading at multi-year highs with the possibility of further government stimulus.
This market has been driven up
by capital thats flooded in, while you
need to touch upon company fundamentals in your research notes, said
Li Xiaolu, a Shanghai-based equity
analyst at Capital Securities Corp.
We cant write baseless reports, so
the current market makes it more
difficult for us, and makes me hesitate. If a stocks gain is beyond reasonable, it may continue to climb
even if I cut its rating.
Ms Li is among the best performing analysts on at least 10 companies over the past year, including

locomotive manufacturer CSR Corporation, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

With the Beijing-based company
trading at 5.13 yuan, or US$0.83, in
August, she called for a 21pc gain,
to 6.20 yuan, over the next year.
She raised her projection to 7 yuan
in October, and then 11 yuan in December and 18 yuan in March. The
stock reached a record 35.88 yuan
last month before ceasing trading
as the company completes a merger
with Beijing-based China CNR Corp.
Surging participation among individual Chinese investors is helping
fuel the markets breakneck climb.
Individuals comprise about 80pc of
equity trading and stock accounts
with non-zero balances are rising at
the fastest pace since at least 2008,
according to data from the China
Securities Depository and Clearing
Corp.
Theres so much money in the
market, Ms Li said. Its a bit embarrassing to re-rate companies at this
point.
No major company highlights the
difficulties of forecasting in the current market more than China Railway Group. A year ago analysts expected a 12-month gain of 19pc. The
stock has surged 707pc, boosting its
market capitalisation to 377 billion
yuan ($61 billion), in line with some
of the biggest US companies such as

Hewlett-Packard Co and MetLife Inc.

Collectively, analysts were forecasting gains of 28pc for the FTSE
China A50 Index in the span, the biggest expected return among 45 of the
worlds major benchmark indexes.
While regulators have taken steps
to weed out speculators, theyve also
sought to expand the role of equity
markets in helping companies raise
funds as the government reins in
credit expansion. Beijing has accelerated reviewing companies applications for initial public offerings since
April. More than 120 newly listed
companies have started trading so
far this year, almost matching the total for all of 2014.
Chinese authorities also began an
exchange link between the Shanghai

Theres so much
money in the
market. Its a bit
embarrassing to
re-rate companies
at this point.
Li Xiaolu
Shanghai-based equity analyst

and Hong Kong bourses in November that has allowed international investors greater access to its domestic
equity market.
The presence of a much larger
pool of capital, domestic Chinese institutions as well as foreign institutions now that are willing and able
to invest creates demand for those
securities that wasnt there before,
David Riedel, president of New Yorkbased Riedel Research Group, said
by phone May 13.
The Peoples Bank of China cut
benchmark interest rates for the
third time in six months on May 11,
and has lowered lenders reserve ratios twice this year to revive growth
in the worlds second-largest economy. Prospects for further government stimulus continue to draw buyers, sending the Shanghai Composite
Index up 8.1pc last week.
Even so, analysts are beginning
to temper expectations for further
gains. Chinas 50 biggest companies
will rise just 2.7pc over the next 12
months from their close on May 22,
according to forecasts compiled by
Bloomberg.
While analyst recommendations
should be primarily based on elements such as earnings potential
and management competency, they
should also factor in external market
conditions, according to Mr Riedel.
Bloomberg

12 THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

13

World

WORLD EDITOR: Fiona MacGregor

Thai elections face further

delays as Thaksins
passport cancelled

Malaysian villagers say

government ignored
trafficking clues

WORLD 14

WORLD 15

LONDON

UK referendum: Tick Yes to stay in EU

BRITISH voters will be asked to vote
Yes or No on remaining in the
European Union in a referendum to
be held by the end of 2017, media reported yesterday.
The first indications of the style of
the question emerged as Prime Minister David Camerons government
prepares to publish the bill paving
the way for the referendum the day
after the May 27 Queens Speech.
This is when Queen Elizabeth II
outlines the governments legislative
program to parliament in a speech
written for her by the new government.
Mr Cameron, who won a surprise
outright majority at this months general election, promised two years ago,
under pressure from eurosceptics, to

hold a referendum on whether Britain should leave the EU.

The BBC and other media reported that, while the precise wording of the referendum question has
still to be decided, it would be along
the lines of Should Britain remain a
member of the EU?.
That would allow those fighting to
stay in Europe run a Yes campaign,
seen as an advantage as it allows
them to present a positive argument.
The EU referendum bill, which is
due to be published today, is expected
to keep open the prospect of a vote
next year, which Mr Cameron has not
ruled out, but not include a date for
the ballot.
Parliament could start debating the bill as early as June, media

IN PICTURES

reported.
After addressing the House of
Commons on the Queens Speech yesterday, Mr Cameron was due to begin
a whirlwind diplomatic offensive,
meeting the leaders of five European
countries, including Germany, France
and Poland, tomorrow and the following day.
He is seeking a string of reforms
to the EU before the referendum,
including on benefits payments to
migrants which he says will require
treaty changes.
If Mr Cameron can secure these,
he says he will campaign in favour of
Britain, the EUs second-biggest economy, remaining part of the 28-nation
bloc.
AFP

Photo: AFP
Iraqi fighters from the
Shiite Muslim Al-Abbas
Popular Mobilisation Unit
battle Islamic State jihadists
in an area surrounding
the village of Dujail in
Salaheddin province, north
of Baghdad, on May 26.
Iraqi forces closed in on
Ramadi and launched an
operation aimed at cutting
off the jihadists in Anbar
province before a major
offensive to retake the
city. The operation will see
a mix of security forces
and paramilitaries move
south toward the city from
Salaheddin province, said
Hashed al-Shaabi (popular
mobilisation in Arabic)
spokesperson Ahmed alAssadi.

WASHINGTON

NASA to search for life on Jupiters Europa

NASA has chosen a trove of instruments to send to Jupiters ice-covered
moon Europa, as it presses forward
with its search for evidence the orb
could support life, it was announced
on May 26.
The nine gadgets, from cameras
to radars to magnetic field gauges,
will be used to try to determine if
Europa has an ocean beneath its glacial surface, as scientists have long
suspected.
Europa, which is about the size of
Earths moon, could have twice the
amount of water as our own planet,
NASA said.
Scientists are keen to find out for
sure, and the nine devices will be sent
to Europa sometime in the 2020s.
Were excited about the potential
of this new mission and these instruments to unravel the mysteries of Europa in our quest to find evidence of
life beyond Earth, said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate.
The instruments will be looking for a few key indicators to suggest Europa can in fact support life:
salt water, a rocky sea floor, and energy and chemistry created by tidal
heating.
Europa could be the best place in
the solar system to look for present
day life beyond our home planet,

NASA said.
The mission to Europa could come
with a US$30 million price tag, which
the space agency has already requested in its 2016 budget.
The fact-finding trip would entail sending a spacecraft to Jupiters
moon, which would orbit Europa,

Europa could be
the best place in the
solar system to look
for present-day life
beyond our home
planet.
NASA

getting as close as 16 miles from its

icy surface at times.
Among the instruments in the
celestial treasure chest are cameras
and spectrometers to photograph the
moon.
Another device, the appropriately
named magnetometer, will measure the strength and direction of

Europas magnetic field, while penetrating radars will search for subsurface lakes, much like the ones beneath Antarctica on Earth.
Other instruments will search for
recent eruptions of warm water and
tiny particles.
The mission will also be on the
look-out for water plumes from a subsurface ocean, which will help scientists study Europas chemical makeup
key to unlocking whether its environment could support life.
NASA scientist Curt Niebur said
choosing the devices to send to Europa was a key step in the search for
life on one of Jupiters largest moons.
This is a giant step in our search
for oases that could support life in
our own celestial backyard, said Mr
Niebur, Europa program scientist.
Were confident that this versatile
set of science instruments will produce exciting discoveries on a muchanticipated mission.
The nine instruments were selected out of 33 proposed devices from
NASA researchers last year.
Jupiter is a gas giant, composed
mainly of hydrogen and helium, and is
the largest planet in the solar system.
Its four biggest moons, Ganymede,
Io, Europa and Callisto, can be seen
with binoculars on a clear night.
AFP

SYDNEY

Sorcery attacks must stop: Amnesty

THE Pacific nation of Papua New
Guinea must crack down on crimes
against people suspected of sorcery
after a mob hacked a woman to death
this week, Amnesty International said
yesterday.
The rights group said the death of
the woman, identified only as Misila,
on May 26 in a remote part of the
Highlands area of the often lawless
country underlined the imminent risk
to those accused of witchcraft.
The vicious killing of Misila highlights the Papua New Guinean governments persistent failure to address the
wave of attacks against those, mainly
women, accused of sorcery, Amnestys Kate Schuetze said in a statement.
The government must act immediately to ensure that the perpetrators
of such attacks are brought to justice.
Rights campaigners have long

pushed for justice for sorcery-related

attacks, spurred by the horrific murder of a young woman accused of
witchcraft in 2013.
In that case, Kepari Leniata, 20,
was stripped naked, tied up, doused
in petrol and burned alive in front
of a crowd by relatives of a boy who
died following an illness in the Mount
Hagen area.
Amnesty said in the latest attack
in PNG, where sorcery and cannibalism have both been reported in recent
years, two other women had also been
assaulted and briefly held captive in a
hut but managed to flee after villagers
heard their cries.
The three women had been threatened for months, with police intervening in January after the victims and
their children received death threats
and were accused of using sorcery.

The fact that two other women

who only narrowly escaped death last
week are at imminent risk means that
the government must act now, Ms
Schuetze said.
These two women must be given
protection immediately and police
must be given the resources to travel
to remote communities so as to ensure the protection of others who are
at risk.
Following Ms Leniatas murder, in
2013 PNG repealed the 1971 Sorcery
Act which provided for a reduced sentence for anyone who committed assault or murder if they believed their
victim had been committing acts of
sorcery.
It also revived the death penalty to
reduce rampant crime, a move which
met with opposition and is now under
review. AFP

KABUL

Kabul gun-battle as Taliban attacks grow

GUNFIRE and explosions rang out
yesterday in a diplomatic quarter
of Kabul as security forces waged
an all-night battle with Taliban
militants who tried to storm a
guesthouse owned by a prominent
political family.
The standoff ended at daybreak
with all four attackers killed, a government minister said, reporting
no civilian or military casualties.
Four attackers who had one
RPG launcher, three AK-47s and
one grenade launcher were killed
in Wazir Akbar Khan, deputy interior minister Mohammad Ayoub
Salangi said on Twitter.
The attack was claimed by the
Taliban, who are intensifying their
annual spring offensive despite repeated overtures from the government about opening peace talks.
Sporadic blasts were heard
hours after the assault began late
on May 26 in the upmarket neighbourhood of Wazir Akbar Khan,
home to several foreign embassies
and a prime target for attacks.

Four attackers
who had one RPG
launcher, three
AK-47s and one
grenade launcher
were killer.
Mohamma Ayoub Salangi
Deputy interior minister

We have surrounded the area

and cornered them, Kabul police
spokesperson Ebadullah Karimi
told AFP earlier.
The attackers wanted to get
into Heetal Hotel but failed. They
have now taken position among
the trees behind the hotel and are
firing at security forces.
The manager of the Heetal Hotel, owned by the family of Foreign
Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and
known for being popular with foreigners, said all the guests were in
safe rooms and no one was hurt.
Heetal is very well fortified.
After one or two initial explosions,
our guards started firing on attackers who were unable to get inside,
manager Beizhan told AFP by telephone from inside the guesthouse.
The Heetal was damaged in
2009 when a suicide bomber blew
himself up outside the gate, killing
eight people and wounding another 40.
The May 26 attack began
around 11pm. An AFP reporter
near the scene heard the loud
crackle of gunfire and more than
a dozen explosions from the area.
The Taliban, waging a 13-year
war against the US-backed Afghan
government, earlier on May 26
killed 26 Afghan police in multiple
attacks in the volatile south.
The militants have launched
a series of attacks in the capital
and around the country as NATO
forces have pulled back from the
frontlines.
A blast triggered by a Taliban
car bomber ripped through the
parking lot of the justice ministry
in Kabul on May 19, killing four

people and wounding dozens of

others.
Also this month 14 people
mostly foreigners were killed in
a Taliban attack on a guesthouse in
the capital that trapped dozens attending a concert.
Official efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table have so
far borne little fruit.
The surge in attacks has taken a
heavy toll on civilians, according to
the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan. In the first four
months of 2015, civilian casualties
jumped 16 percent from the same

period last year, it said.

The Afghan government has
drawn public criticism for failing to
end insurgent attacks, which critics
blame on political infighting and a
lengthy delay in finalising a cabinet.
President Ashraf Ghani last week
nominated Mohammad Masoom
Stanekzai, a top official in the government body overseeing the countrys peace process, for the crucial
position of defence minister.
The post had been left vacant for
months due to disagreements between Mr Ghani and his chief executive officer and former presidential

election rival, Abdullah Abdullah.

Public criticism over the failure
to appoint a defence minister has
been especially fierce.
Afghan forces are now solely responsible for security after NATOs
combat mission formally ended in
December, with a small follow-up
force staying on to train and support local personnel.
Earlier this month NATO formally announced plans to retain a small
military presence in Afghanistan
after 2016 to help strengthen local
security forces.
AFP

Indian fishermen catch fish in a shrunken pond in the village of Phaphamau on

the outskirts of Allahabad on May 26. Photo: AFP

HYDERABAD

Over 1100 dead as

heatwave continues
MORE than 1100 people have died in
a major heatwave sweeping India, authorities said yesterday, as forecasters
warned searing temperatures would
continue.
Southern India has borne the brunt
of the hot, dry conditions and many of
the victims are construction workers,
elderly or homeless people unable to
heed official advice to stay indoors.
Roads have melted in New Delhi,
where forecasters said they expected
the high temperatures to continue
into next week, adding to the misery
of thousands living on the capitals
streets with little shelter from the hot
sun.
Brahma Prakash Yadav, director
of the Indian Meteorological Department, said top temperatures in the
capital would remain around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) -- the
national benchmark for a heatwave.
Maximum temperatures wont fall
substantially. However, major relief
can be expected from June 2 as there
are indications of good showers, he
said.
Hospitals in the worst-affected
states were on alert to treat victims
of heatstroke and authorities advised
people to stay indoors and drink plenty of water.
Hundreds of people mainly from
the poorest sections of society die
at the height of summer every year
across the country, while tens of thousands suffer power cuts from an overburdened electricity grid.
Authorities in the worst-hit state

of Andhra Pradesh in southern India,

where nearly 900 people have died
since May 18, called for emergency
water distribution areas to be set up.
However, P Tulsi Rani, special commissioner for disaster management
in the state, said meteorologists were
forecasting a dip in temperatures in
the coming days.
In the neighbouring state of Telangana, where temperatures hit 48
Celsius over the weekend, more than
200 people have died in the last week.
Eleven people were confirmed to
have died in the western state of Orissa and another 13 succumbed to the
heat in the eastern state of West Bengal, where unions urged drivers to stay
off the roads during the day.
Residents of Gurgaon, a high-rise
satellite city that is home to many
of the citys workers, suffered power
cuts of up to 10 hours a day as the
electricity grid struggled to cope
with the demand from millions of air
conditioners.
Indias power industry has long
struggled to meet rapidly rising demand in Asias third-largest economy,
with poorly maintained transmission
lines and overloaded grids.
The Hindustan Times warned that
some of the hot, dry conditions could
plunge the worst-affected states into
drought before monsoon rains arrive.
The monsoon is forecast to hit the
southern state of Kerala toward the end
of this month before sweeping across
the country, but it will be weeks before
the rains reach the arid plains. AFP

TRADE MARK CAUTION

Johnson & Johnson, a corporation organized and existing under
the laws of the State of New Jersey, U.S.A., of One Johnson &
Johnson Plaza, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08933 U.S.A., is
the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

LONVYDEL

Reg. No. 18850/2014

in respect of Intl Class 5: Human pharmaceutical preparations.
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 Johnson & Johnson
P. O. Box 60, Yangon
E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm
Dated: 28 May 2015
Afghan security forces gather outside the gate of the Heetal Hotel in Kabul on May 27. Photo: AFP

14 World
TOKYO

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

SEOUL

Dolphin
hunt to go
ahead
JAPANESE fishermen vowed yesterday to continue their dolphin hunt,
despite a pledge by zoos and aquariums not to buy animals caught with
the controversial method.
We will never stop it, Yoshifumi
Kai of the fishermens cooperative in
the western Japanese town of Taiji,
where the hunt takes place, said.
The press conference came a week
after Japans zoos and aquariums voted to stop using dolphins caught by
the so-called drive hunt method, as
demanded by the World Association of
Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
Some dolphins are captured alive
and sold to aquariums, fetching about
1 million yen (US$8300) each.
The vote was prompted by WAZAs
suspension of the Japanese chapter
(JAZA) last month over the issue.
WAZA regards drive hunt fishing,
where pods of cetaceans are herded
into a bay by a wall of sound before
being butchered, as cruel, a charge
local fishermen reject.
Shuichi Matsumoto, head of another local fishermans group, said
they have not broken any rules, adding the group wants to continue the
tradition.
Taiji came to worldwide attention after the Oscar-winning 2009
documentary The Cove showed pods
of the animals forced into a bay and
slaughtered with knives, in a mass
killing.
Animal rights activists continue to
protest in the town, despite hostility
from locals who say they are victims of
anti-Japanese bias.
Many of the dolphins are butchered for food, but campaigners claim
there is insufficient demand for their
relatively unpopular meat to make the
hunt economically worthwhile.
They charge that the high prices
live animals fetch when sold to aquariums and dolphin shows is the only
thing that sustains the hunt. AFP

Nuclear heads meet on N Korea

NUCLEAR envoys from South Korea, Japan and the United States
met in Seoul yesterday, seeking a
way forward to revive long-stalled,
six-party talks with North Korea on
its nuclear weapons program.
The effort comes as North Korea
ramps up its nuclear rhetoric, boasting last week of its ability to miniaturise a nuclear warhead to fit on
high-precision, long-range rockets.
Hwang Joon-kook, South Koreas
special representative for Korean
Peninsula peace and security affairs,
said yesterdays dialogue was particularly timely given what he described as an uncertain and tense
situation in North Korea.
We are also facing the continuing advancement of North Koreas
nuclear and missile capabilities, Mr
Hwang said before the meeting with
Sung Kim, US special representative
for North Korea policy, and Junichi
Ihara, a regional director-general in
the Japanese foreign ministry.
As well as last weeks claim that
the nation was capable of miniaturising nuclear warheads, Pyongyang
recently hailed the historic test of
a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
But outside experts said state
media reports of the test were exaggerated and estimated that the
North was still years from developing a genuine SLBM capability.
Meanwhile, questions over the
stability of Kim Jong-Uns leadership re-surfaced after South Korean
intelligence reported that his defence minister had been purged and
likely executed.
Against this background, efforts
have been gathering pace to find a
way back to the six-party talks, between North and South Korea, Japan, the United States, China and
Russia.
The six-party forum was set up to
persuade North Korea to give up its
nuclear weapons in return for economic and diplomatic benefits, as

TRADE MARK CAUTION

ACCOR, a company incorporated under the laws of France, and
having its principal place of business at 110 Avenue de France,
75013 Paris, France, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the
following Trademarks:-

Reg. No. 4/3463/2015

Reg. No. 4/3464/2015

ITS A LOT BETTER AT NOVOTEL

Reg. No. 4/3465/2015
in respect of Class 43: Hotels; hotels services; providing of food
and drink; restaurants; cafeterias, tea rooms, bars (except clubs);
temporary accommodation; holiday homes; booking of hotel rooms
for travelers; temporary accommodation reservations; consultancy
and advice (non-business) in the fields of hotels and restaurants;
rental of meeting rooms and conference rooms; provision of
exhibition, conference and meeting facilities; reservation services
of hotels and restaurants; provision of online information relating
to reservation of hotels and restaurants.
Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said
Trademarks will be dealt with according to law.
For ACCOR
U Nyunt Tin Associates International Limited
Intellectual Property Division
Tel: 959 4500 59 247, Email: info@untlaw.com
Dated: 28 May, 2015.

(Left to right) Junichi Ihara, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministrys Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau,
Hwang Joon-Kook, South Korean special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Sung Kim,
US special representative for North Korea policy, pose for a photo before their meeting in Seoul on May 27. Photo: AFP

well as security guarantees, but has

not met since December 2008.
After yesterdays dialogue in
Seoul, the South Korean and US
envoys were set to fly to Beijing to
meet with their Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.
There is growing pressure for
the international community to try
a new approach with North Korea,
which has pushed ahead with its
nuclear and missile programs despite multi-layered UN sanctions
and diplomatic isolation.
The United States and South Korea insist that the North must show
a tangible commitment to denuclearisation before significant talks

can resume a stance some analysts

find too rigid.
Unless they lower the bar for
North Korea to resume the talks,
China is unlikely to take the initiative, said Hong Hyun-Ik of the Sejong Institute think tank in Seoul.
China is North Koreas largest
investor, aid donor and trade partner, as well as its main diplomatic
protector.
But relations have cooled significantly since Xi Jinping became
Chinas president in 2012 and North
Korean leader Kim Jong-Un took
power following the death of his father in late 2011.
Mr Xi and Mr Kim have kept their

distance since each assumed power

and the Chinese leaders first visit as
head of state to the Korean peninsula was to the capitalist South last
year, rather than the North.
North Korea carried out nuclear
tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and
has an active ballistic missile development programme, although
expert opinion is split on how much
progress it has made.
A recent report by US researchers warned that the North was
poised to expand its nuclear program over the next five years and, in
a worst-case scenario, could possess
100 atomic arms by 2020.
AFP

BANGKOK

BANGKOK

Thaksins passports
cancelled after talk

Elections
delayed till
Sept 2016

THAILANDS foreign ministry has

cancelled fugitive former premier
Thaksin Shinawatras passports
amid claims he may have committed lese majeste in a recent
interview.
The billionaire telecoms tycoon-turned-prime minister, who
was toppled by a coup in 2006,
sits at the heart of Thailands bitter political divide and now lives
in self-exile to avoid jail on a corruption charge.
The foreign ministry said it was
asked to take action against Mr
Thaksin after police deemed that
part of his interview endangered
national security or national reputation.
It was not immediately clear
which interview was being referred to or why it was deemed
to breach security rules, but last
week Mr Thaksin made rare public comments in an overseas interview broadcast on CNN and at the
Asian Leadership Conference in
Seoul.
In its statement the foreign
ministry said two passports belonging to Mr Thaksin had been
cancelled with effect from May 26.
Since going into self-imposed
exile, he has travelled frequently
and has been based in Dubai.
The Foreign Ministry decided

that reasons cited [by security

agencies and police] were enough
to cancel his passport under the
ministrys regulations, the statement said.
It was not immediately possible
to confirm the impact the move
would have on Mr Thaksins ability to travel but he is also believed
to hold passports from other
countries.
Last May Thailands generals ousted the government of Mr
Thaksins younger sister Yingluck
in a coup shortly after she was removed as premier by a controversial court ruling.
Parties led by or aligned to the
Shinawatras have won every election since 2001, and they are loved
in the nations rural north for their
populist policies.
But opponents comprising
large swathes of the military, judiciary and royalist elite in Bangkok
and the southern portion of the
country accuse them of cronyism,
corruption and financially ruinous
politics.
In a CNN interview broadcast
last week as Thailand marked a
year since the military takeover
Mr Thaksin said he would wait for
the right moment to re-enter Thai
politics.
AFP

THAILANDS junta confirmed yesterday that elections will not be held until
September 2016, dealing a further blow
to hopes that the kingdoms generals
will swiftly hand power back to a civilian government.
When army chief and now Prime
Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha swept to
power in a coup last May he initially
said he hoped to hold elections within
15 months.
But that timetable has repeatedly
slipped as the junta goes about rewriting the countrys constitution, a process
critics have described as an attempt to
consolidate an unelected elites control
over Thai politics.
The prime minister expects the
elections will be held in September
[2016], junta spokesperson Colonel
Werachon Sukondhapatipak told reporters after Gen Prayut met a delegation of UN ambassadors in Bangkok.
There had been confusion in recent
weeks over when an election might be
held after the junta-appointed committee tasked with drawing up the new
constitution said the document should
be approved in a referendum.
The junta had previously said an
election would likely take place early
to mid-2016, but that timetable did not
take into account a referendum. AFP

World 15

www.mmtimes.com
WANG KELIAN

Malaysian villagers say trafficking camp

clues ignored by authorities for years
MALAYSIAS government has expressed shock at finding humantrafficking camps and graves near the
Thai border, but according to local
villagers including Sani Hashim the
human clues were right there in plain
sight.
Mr Sani is one of many residents
of the remote area in Perlis state who
say that starving illegal migrants
many of them Rohingya from Myanmar and some bearing signs of mistreatment have for years staggered
from nearby thickly jungled hills,
where a network of graves and camps
was recently found.
Their accounts stand in stark
contrast to those of Malaysian authorities, long accused by activists of
tolerating an abusive and deadly regional human-trafficking trade, who
claim the grisly discovery came as a
surprise.
I have lived here for 30 years and
I have seen many Rohingya, and they
are always in bad shape, said Mr
Sani, 80. Emaciated Rohingya routinely approach his small farm to beg
for food, water and clothing, he said.
We do what we can. And if they
are not able to stand or walk, we call
the authorities who take them away,
he said.
Malaysian police say a total of 139
gravesites and 28 recently abandoned
camps had been found, capable of
housing hundreds of people.
It marked the most direct evidence yet of a brutal and large-scale
human-trafficking trade on Malaysian soil.
Similar smaller sites found in
Thailand in early May prompted a
police crackdown there that has severely disrupted the once-steady flow
of migrants from Bangladesh and
Myanmar, down through Thailand
and across the land border into Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Malaysias government initially
denied such brutal sites could exist on its soil. I am shocked, Home

A Royal Malaysian Police forensic team handles exhumed human remains in a jungle at Bukit Wang Burma in the Malaysian
northern state of Perlis, which borders Thailand, on May 26. Photo: AFP

Minister Zahid Hamidi declared

when announcing the discovery on
May 24.
But activists say they have fed authorities evidence for years, yet nothing was done.
In Malaysia, theyve had the blinders and earmuffs on and have let
these networks operate with impunity, said Amy White, executive director of anti-trafficking group Fortify
Rights.
She said trafficking victims and
even smugglers had years earlier

told Fortify Rights about vulnerable

migrants held against their will in
camps or private homes in Malaysia.
Malaysia needs to be held accountable for the abuses taking place
on its soil, she said.
Relatively prosperous Malaysia is
a magnet for migrants from poorer
regional neighbours.
But the US State Departments annual human-trafficking report says
Rohingya and other migrants are often forced into abusive or exploitative
work, preyed on by police or other

authorities, trapped in virtual slavery via debt bondage or forced into

prostitution.
Last years report the next is
expected in June put Malaysia on
its lowest possible tier, reserved for
countries that are failing to stop the
trade, which leaves them open to possible US sanctions.
Thai authorities have faced sustained criticism over the years for
failing to stop trafficking, or even
profiting from it.
But the graves in Malaysia, a key

destination for migrants, are focusing

new attention on its own poor record
and whether corruption is at its root.
Corruption is indeed common
in Malaysia, and the police force in
particular are criticised by reform
advocates as unprofessional, corrupt
and prone to brutal treatment of
detainees.
For trafficking to grow to the scale
that it did, you must have strong players. You need traffickers, authorities
and also local people to be involved,
said Aegile Fernandez, of Malaysian
migrant-rights group Tenaganita.
Police have not given a cause of
death for the interred bodies.
But rights groups say ample evidence has existed for years that migrants were being trafficked and held
captive along the border, sometimes
killed if friends or family could not
pay ransoms or if the migrants fell ill.
Malaysian police said this week
37 people had been arrested this year
on suspicion of human-trafficking,
giving no details. Home minister Zahid said on May 26 several forestry
officials on the border had been detained.
The Malaysian graves were found
between May 11 and 23, and some
were occupied as recently as two
weeks ago, police say.
But other police have told AFP
the camps were known about much
sooner. The Star newspaper yesterday
quoted unnamed police officials as
saying the camps were found as far
back as November.
Police have declined to provide
further clarification.
Lyza Ibrahim, a shopowner who
has frequently provided food, water
and clothing to distressed migrants,
is among many in the area who feel
action came too late.
If they really had the information
earlier, the police should have come
and checked for the graves and these
kinds of camps in the jungle, she
said. AFP

BRUSSELS

EU to unveil plan to share Med migrants across Europe

THE European Commission was due
yesterday to unveil its latest version
of a controversial plan to force EU
member states to more evenly absorb the wave of migrants making
the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean to Europe.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon was also
expected in Brussels after urging
Europe to do more to help migrants
and after the EU has sought UN Security Council approval to launch
a naval operation against migrant
smugglers.
The commission, the executive of
the 28-nation EU, will ask member
states to share the burden of admitting tens of thousands of asylum
seekers who land in Italy, Greece
and Malta.
The proposal is not perfect, but
it amounts to an enormous step
forward, because it introduces the
principle of solidarity, EU foreign
policy chief Federica Mogherini said
on May 26.
We will have to build a consensus around the relocation proposal
for asylum seekers so that interior
ministers can approve it by a simple
majority when they meet June 16 in
Luxembourg, she added.
The task is bound to be particularly difficult because Britain,
Hungary, the Baltic states, the
Czech Republic and Poland oppose

mandatory relocation based on a redistribution key system.

The proposal presented yesterday
by EU Home Affairs Commissioner
Dimitris Avramopoulos suggests migrants be distributed according to
four criteria: gross national product,
population, unemployment and the
number of asylum requests already
registered in the country.
The relocation plan is to allow for
the transfer to other states of people
eligible for international protection.
It opens a breach in the Dublin rules
that require the country where asylum seekers first land to take them
in.
The measure aims to respond to
an emergency, according to the
commission, which fears the arrival
of a wave of migrants and asylum
seekers during the summer in Italy,
Malta and Greece.
Around half a million migrants
could attempt to cross the Mediterranean, the UN International Maritime Organization warned in late
April.
But the effort to share the burden is due to be limited in time and
concerns only new arrivals from the
month of July.
EU sources said only a little
more than 40,000 people, mainly
asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea, would be redistributed around

member states.
There was never a question of
retroactivity, an EU source said.
Italy alone will be left to deal
with the 80,000 migrants and asylum seekers who have landed on its
shores and are housed in centres.
France said it was ready to accept
a temporary redistribution mechanism in the European Union for asylum seekers having a manifest need
of protection.
But it is and remains opposed to
any idea of quotas in terms of asylum requests.
The commission was also due
yesterday to recommend to member
states to resettle on their territory
over the next two years some 20,000
refugees, mainly from Syria.
The commission is planning a redistribution key system for refugees,
but on a voluntary basis because the
proposed quotas are too high for
many states.
To start with, Poland will welcome 60 Christian refugee families
from Syria, Polish Prime Minister
Ewa Kopacz announced. Based on
the mechanism proposed by the
commission, Poland should admit
962 of the 20,000 refugees.
EU nations already approved
plans May 18 for an unprecedented
naval mission starting next month to
fight human traffickers responsible

for a flood of migrants crossing the

Mediterranean from Libya.
The scheme backed by foreign
and defence ministers in Brussels
will involve European warships and
surveillance aircraft gathering intelligence and then raiding boats to

crack down on people smugglers.

But the EU is still waiting for a
UN resolution that will allow it to
destroy boats that belong to people
smugglers in Libyan waters, where
political turmoil has created a safe
harbour for traffickers. AFP

Afghan migrant women arrive on a beach on the Greek island of Kos, after
crossing a part of the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece, on May 27.
Photo: AFP

THE MYANMAR TIMES May 28, 2015

the pulse 17

www.mmtimes.com

it

ge
t

yo

gers o
n
i
f
n

DEPUTy PUlsE EDiTor: ToM BarToN tom.a.barton@gmail.com

MYINT KAY THI ANd CHIT Su

Candles burn bright

in memory of AIDS victims

LICKERING candle flames pierced the dusk of Yangons

Sein Lan So Pyay Garden, and red ribbons adorned the
lapels of the mourners. The occasion, on May 24, was a
memorial to the victims of AIDS.
Religious leaders of four faiths came together to lead
prayers for the departed.
This is the third year the ceremony has been held in Myanmar
in collaboration with UNAIDS and NGOs dedicated to helping
people living with HIV/AIDS.
The theme of this years ceremony was Fighting for Our Lives.
We selected that title with the intention of resisting the hatred
born of prejudice. The ceremony is meant to express grief on
behalf of those who cannot express it for themselves, said Dr Sid
Naing, country director for Marie Stopes International.
Launched 30 years ago, the ceremony is now held in 110
countries across the world on the third Sunday in May.
Some people criticise us as fools copying the United States, and
they believe that the ceremony gives priority to gay and lesbian
people. For us, its an opportunity for people of different faiths to
unite on something important, he said.
After the Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders
prayed, candles were lit in the form of the red ribbon design.
In addition to commemorating the dead, the ceremony is also
intended to encourage the living and to raise awareness, including
among those who may be carrying the disease without knowing

it. They are advised to have themselves tested and to refrain from
activity that might place them at risk of contracting the virus. The
occasion also seeks to increase tolerance.
Society should change its mindset, said Dr Naing.
Eamonn Murphy, Myanmar country director of UNAIDS, said,
People living with HIV/AIDS have been discriminated against in
Myanmar, and enjoy fewer job opportunities.
But the government has developed significantly, he added,
citing the improvement in official attitudes over the past 10
years or so. The government helps people to get ART [antiretroviral treatment], and the health ministry works with us
in raising public awareness about HIV/AIDS and how to treat
those living with the disease.
The ceremony in 2013 was held with the theme Solidarity, and
last years theme was Lets keep the light on HIV.
Those who leave the world early due to HIV/AIDS could have
had a beautiful future. They died before their time because they
didnt get the help they should have received from society and
their family. I hope this ceremony can help end discrimination
toward people living with HIV/AIDS, said singer Than Thar Win,
who attended the ceremony.
According to the health ministry, as of the end of 2013 there
were nearly 200,000 people in Myanmar suffering from AIDS and
more than 7000 people living with HIV, while more than 15,000
have died due to AIDS. Translation by Thiri Min Htun

Photos: Aung Khant

18 the pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES May 28, 2015

Union bar chef

has his fingers
in many pies
StuaRt alaN BeckeR
stuart.becker@gmail.com

EUBEN Gould comes from

a family of South Africans
living in London. He
credits his grandmothers
casseroles, lamb and
pickled fish with getting him
interested in cooking to begin with,
but it was his uncle who helped him
get his first job.
Coming up to the age of 18 in
Finchley, London, and self-described
as both mischievous and a hooligan,
he telephoned his uncle Andr who
was a celebrated chef in New Zealand.
He told me to either join the army
or be a chef.
Now, 18 years later, Gould is not
only the chef for Union Bar & Grill
located on Strand Road, but also
takes charge of the menus for Gekko
Restaurant downtown, two Parami
Restaurants and another as yetunnamed restaurant opening soon, all
owned by British restaurateur Nico
Elliott.
With his first job as an apprentice to chef Roger Scotton, a friend
of Uncle Andr at a Holiday Inn at
Kings Cross, London, Gould credits
Scotton with showing him the tricks
of the trade.
I was lucky I had some great
chefs to nurture me, Gould said.
After a few years around London including a stint at the Hilton
Hotel in Notting Hill, Uncle Andr
introduced Gould to a chef named
Anthony Marshall at the Park Lane
Hilton in Mayfair.
That was my first real big taste of
excellence in fine dining and banqueting.
The next step up for Gould was
a sous-chef position at Browns a

restaurant dating back to 1837 and

owned by the Raffles Company also
located in Londons posh Mayfair
district.
We won best restaurant of year
award from Time Out magazine.
While hes good at cooking pretty
much everything, Gould especially
loves the fruits of the ocean.
I love anything to do with fish.
Mother nature is incredible. He often
finds himself the only expat in the
seafood market at 2am, where he
discovered a kind of mantis prawn
which he loves and has turned into
a dish called Giga Prawns with a
jalapeno sauce.
What I do to get the maximum
flavour is lightly poach them with a
fragrant water, take them out of the
shell and fry them up, starting with
olive oil and finishing with butter.
Its almost like a lobster but more
tender.
He says the fresh sea bass of Myanmar are wonderful to taste, as well
as the herbs and some of the local
produce.
The herbs are so fragrant in
Myanmar the basil, the avocados.
I teach local chefs not only how to
cook, but also how to pick the ingredients at the market.
For our interview lunch at Union
Bar & Grill, Gould brought out panfried scallops with pork belly pure
and caper sauce, along with old-fashioned braised beef, creamed horseradish and vegetable chips.
We marinate the beef cheeks for
four days, he said.
The Union serves as a sort of informal flagship for the four restaurants
under Goulds care.
Gekko has a high-quality modern
Japanese theme, but not Asian
fusion.

Chef Reuben Gould works in the Union Bar kitchen. Photo: Zarni Phyo

I love anything
to do with fish.
Mother Nature is
incredible
Reuben Gould
Chef
At Gekko, Gould recommends the
aromatic duck curry.
Yangons two Parami restaurants,
each with different menus on an Italian theme, were influenced by Goulds
time in Azerbaijan four years working for the countrys president and his
daughter.
They asked me if I could open an

Italian restaurant. He knew he could

do it, but just to make sure he visited
25 Italian restaurants in London,
studying menus and dishes.
Gould says pizza is all about the
dough.
Pizza is just a variation of making
bread.
The Italian restaurant was a
phenomenal success at a beach resort
on the Caspian Sea. It was from
Azerbaijan, in fact, that Gould came
to Myanmar.
At the original Parami Restaurant
on Parami Road, Gould recommends
the pork chops with creamed sliced
gratin potato and sauted peppers.
He also recommends the salmon with
risotto verd.
At the second Parami Restaurant,
located opposite The Lab at Shwegondaing, he recommends the Borolo
braised lamb shank.
Im very happy to be in Myanmar, Gould said. I like the
challenge and I like to teach. Im
here to help the country, not just 57
Below [the company that owns the
restaurants]. I believe Im here for

the greater good as well.

The head of business development
for 57 Below, Dutchman Tim Reus,
says the concept of Union Bar & Grill
is that of an English gastro pub with a
focus on quality. As such, a number of
events are planned.
Last Saturday, Union Bar celebrated its second birthday party with
Motown music featuring Aaron Gallegos kicking off an every-Saturday
Motown music series. The catch
phrase is Wind down with Motown,
Reus said. People want to be able to
communicate and have great music,
great food, and great drinks. Gallegos
also performs with a jazz band at
Gekko on Fridays, 7-10pm.
With Union, Gekko, the Parami
restaurants and one more coming,
Reus says the 57 Below catering business is well on its way.
We have a great name and great
quality behind it. We do set menus,
buffets, and Western set dinners in
all our restaurants, he said. On Mondays, Union Bar is planning to have
whisky tasting and cigars, and an 80s
DJ every Thursday.

Asian Pacific Broadcasting Union tunes into the future of radio

NaNdaR auNg
nandaraung.mcm@gmail.com

Indian band Peepal Tree will perform tomorrow night at a free concert hosted by the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union, at the
National Theatre. Photo: Justin Jaideep/Facebook

INTERNET buffs who say radio is dying

may not be familiar with the habits of
Yangon taxi drivers. Stuck behind the
wheel all day, wondering which route
will cause them the least stress, many
of them view local channels as a lifeline.
On a recent taxi journey my driver
was glued to Cherry FM, which
started out in 2000 and carries,
among other things, traffic updates.
I dont know about other people.
But radio programs are my soulmate
while Im driving, he said.
Back in the 1940s, the British
established the Burmese Broadcasting
Service (BBS) (now Myanmar Radio
and Television), broadcasting Bama
Athan (Voice of Burma) carrying
Myanmar-language news and
entertainment, educational and
English-language programming.
Now, under the Ministry of
Information, a host of channels
including MRTV, City FM, Shwe FM,
Paddamya FM, Cherry FM, FM Bagan,
Mandalay FM and others continue to
enliven the airwaves.
Radio faces strong competition
from other media, says
Tatsuhiro Beniko, Asia Pacific
Broadcasting Union (ABU)
director of programming. ABU was
established in 1964 as a non-profit,

non-governmental professional
association to assist the development
of broadcasting in the region. It
promotes the collective interests
of TV and radio broadcasters and
encourages regional and international
cooperation among broadcasters.
ABU is now organising its third
Radio Song Festival with MRTV, along
with the Radio Asia Conference and the
Radio Song Festival 2015 in Yangon.
The conference will be an ideal
forum to deliberate the power of
radio and for networking with
broadcasters in the region, he said.
Broadcasting experts from the
Asia-Pacific region and beyond are
meeting in Yangon, starting today
until Saturday May 30, to look at
the creativity of radio and new
opportunities for the industry.
From 6pm tomorrow at the
National Theatre, a free concert hosted
by the ABU will feature artists from 12
countries: Myanmar, Thailand, Tunisia,
Vietnam, Singapore, Pakistan, Maldives,
Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, India and
Brunei.
For Myanmar, two groups from
Paddamyar FM and Cherry FM were
performing selected songs with
vocalists Zaw Paing, Ni Ni Khin Zaw
and Ah Moon.
This memorable event is the very
first time for Myanmar, said MRTVs
Daw Soe Yin Pyone.

20 the pulse

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 28, 2015

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO MANDALAY

MANDALAY TO YANGON

YANGON TO HEHO

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Y5 775

Daily

6:00

7:10

Y5 233

Daily

7:50

9:00

W9 515

6:00

7:25

W9 201

Daily

8:40

10:35

YH 917

Daily

6:10

8:30

YJ 761

8:40

10:35

YJ 891

7:00

8:25

7Y 132

2,4,6,7

8:50

10:45

7Y 131

2,4,6,7

6:30

8:35

K7 223

1,3,5

8:55

11:00

K7 222

1,3,5

6:30

8:40

YH 918

Daily

9:15

10:25

6T 805

2,4,6

6:30

7:40

6T 806

2,4,6

10:30

11:40

YJ 201

1,2,4

7:00

8:55

YJ 202

11:30

12:55

YJ 201

7:00

8:25

YJ 202

1,2,4

12:00

13:25

W9 201

Daily

7:00

8:25

YJ 761

1,2,4

13:10

17:00

W9201

7:00

8:25

YJ 212

15:00

16:55

8M 6603

9:00

10:10

YJ 212

15:00

16:25

YJ 601

11:00

12:25

YJ 602

15:40

17:35

YJ 761

1,2,4

11:00

12:55

7Y 242

1,3,5

16:40

18:45

Flight
YH 917
YJ 891
7Y 131
K7 222
7Y 131
YJ 891
Y5 649
YJ 751
YJ 761
YJ 233
K7 224
7Y 241
W9 129

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

Dep
6:10
6:20
6:30
6:30
7:15
7:00
10:30
11:00
11:00
11:00
14:30
14:30
15:30

HEHO TO YANGON
Arr
9:15
10:35
9:20
9:30
10:05
9:10
12:45
12:10
12:10
12:10
15:45
15:40
16:40

Flight
YJ 891
YH 918
W9 201
7Y 132
K7 223
YJ 762
7Y 242
K7 225
YJ 602
W9 129

YJ 211

5,7

11:00

12:25

YJ 234

16:50

18:15

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

14:00

K7 225

2,4,6,7

16:50

19:00

Y5 325

1,5

Dep
9:25
9:15
9:25
9:35
9:45
15:50
15:55
16:00
16:25
16:55

Arr
10:35
10:25
10:35
10:45
11:00
17:00
18:45
19:00
17:35
19:10

MYEIK TO YANGON

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

6:45

8:15

6T 706

1,3,5

8:25

9:35

YH 737

3,5

11:00

13:10

YH 728

17:00

18:25

K7 319

1,3,5,7

7:00

9:05

Y5 326

1,5

8:35

10:05

11:30

13:40

W9 152/W97152

17:05

18:30

YH 737

11:30

13:40

Y5 776

Daily

17:10

18:20

6T 705

1,3,5

7:00

8:10

7Y 532

2,4,6

15:35

17:40

7Y 531

2,4,6

11:15

13:20

K7 320

1,3,5,7

11:30

13:35

Y5 325

15:30

17:00

Y5 326

17:15

18:45

SO 201

Daily

8:20

10:40

SO 202

Daily

13:20

15:40

W9 251

2,5

11:30

12:55

W9 211

17:10

19:15

13:00

16:45

YH 738

3,5

17:10

18:35

7Y 241

1,3,5

14:30

16:25

8M 6604

17:20

18:30

K7 224

2,4,6,7

14:30

16:35

8M 903

1,2,4,5,7

17:20

18:30

Y5 234

Daily

15:20

16:30

YH 738

17:40

19:05

W9 211

15:30

16:55

YH 730

2,4,6

17:45

19:10

W9 252

2,5

18:15

19:40

YANGON TO SITTWE

SITTWE TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

K7 422

2,4,6

8:00

9:55

K7 423

2,4,6

10:10

11:30

YANGON TO NAY PYI TAW

NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON

7Y 413

1,3,5,7

10:30

12:20

7Y 414

1,3,5,7

12:35

13:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

12:55

W9 309

1,3,6

13:10

14:55

Flight
YJ 201
YJ 201
ND 910
ND 105
ND 107
ND 109
ND 9109
ND 111
SO 102

Flight
SO 101
YJ 201
ND 9102
ND 104
ND 106
YJ 202
ND 108
YJ 212
ND 110
ND 9110

6T 611

Daily

11:45

12:55

6T 612

Daily

13:15

14:20

Arr

Flight

Days

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

Dep
7:00
7:00
7:15
10:45
11:25
14:55
17:00
18:25
18:00

Arr
7:55
10:20
8:15
11:40
12:20
15:40
18:00
19:20
19:00

YANGON TO NYAUNG U
Flight
YH 917
YJ 891
K7 222
7Y 131
K7 224
7Y 241
W9 129
W9 211
W9 129

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

Dep
6:10
6:20
6:30
6:30
14:30
14:30
15:30
15:30
15:30

Days
2,4,6
1,3.5
3
1,2,4
6
2,5

Dep
6:30
7:00
7:00
7:00
11:00
11:30

Dep
7:00
8:10
8:35
9:20
10:00
10:35
13:30
16:00
17:00
18:20

Arr
8:00
13:25
9:35
10:15
10:55
13:25
14:25
16:55
17:55
19:20

Arr
7:45
7:40
7:50
7:50
17:25
17:10
17:35
17:40
17:35

Arr
8:55
9:40
9:50
10:20
15:10
14:25

Flight
YH 918
YJ 891
7Y 132
K7 223
K7 225
W9 129
7Y 242

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

Dep
7:45
7:55
8:05
8:05
17:40
17:50
17:25

Arr
10:25
10:35
10:45
11:00
19:00
19:10
18:45

MYITKYINA TO YANGON
Flight
6T 806
YJ 202
YJ 202
YH 827
YJ 234
W9 252

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

Dep
9:10
10:05
10:35
11:30
15:25
16:45

YANGON TO THANDWE
Dep

THANDWE TO YANGON

Flight

Days

K7 422

2,4,6

8:00

8:55

K7 422

2,4,6

9:10

11:30

7Y 413

1,3,5

10:30

11:20

7Y 413

1,3,5

11:35

13:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

13:50

7Y 413

12:05

14:20

7Y 413

11:00

11:50

W9 309

1,3,6

14:05

14:55

Y5 421

1,3,4,6

15:45

16:40

Y5 422

1,3,4,6

16:55

17:50

YANGON TO DAWEI

NYAUNG U TO YANGON

YANGON TO MYITKYINA
Flight
6T 805
YH 826
YJ 201
YJ 201
YJ 233
W9 251

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

Arr
11:40
12:55
13:25
13:55
18:15
19:40

Air Bagan (W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air KBZ (K7)

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

Asian Wings (YJ)

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

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999

Fax: 8604051

YH 727

YJ 151/W9 7151

Domestic Airlines

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

YANGON TO MYEIK
Flight

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

Dep

Arr

Mann Yadanarpon Airlines (7Y)

Tel: 656969
Fax: 656998, 651020

Yangon Airways (YH)

Tel: 383100, 383107, 700264
Fax: 652 533

FMI Air Charter

Tel: 240363, 240373, 09421146545

APEX Airlines (SO)

Tel:95(1) 533300 ~ 311
Fax : 95 (1) 533312

Air Mandalay (6T)

Tel: (+95-1) 501520, 525488,
Fax: (+95-1) 532275

Airline Codes
SO = APEX Airlines
7Y = Mann Yadanarpon Airlines
K7 = Air KBZ
W9 = Air Bagan
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

DAWEI TO YANGON

YH = Yangon Airways

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

K7 319

1,3,5,7

7:00

8:10

YH 634

2,4,6

12:15

13:25

YJ = Asian Wings

YH 633

2,4,6

7:00

8:25

K7 320

1,3,5,7

12:25

13:35

6T = AirMandalay

SO 201

Daily

8:20

9:40

6T 708

3,5,7

14:15

15:15

6T 707

3,5,7

10:30

11:30

SO 202

Daily

14:20

15:40

FMI = FMI Air Charter

7Y 531

2,4,6

11:15

12:20

7Y 532

2,4,6

16:35

17:40

Flight

YANGON TO LASHIO

LASHIO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

13:00

YJ 752

3,5,7

16:10

17:55

YJ 751

3,5,7

11:00

13:15

YH 730

2,4,6

16:45

19:10

YANGON TO PUTAO

Days

PUTAO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YH 826

1,3,5

7:00

10:35

YH 634

10:35

13:55

YH 633

7:00

10:35

YH 827

1,3,5

10:35

13:55

W9 251

2,5

11:30

15:25

W9 252

2,5

15:45

19:40

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

the pulse 21

www.mmtimes.com
MIAMI

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES

Flights

YANGON TO BANGKOK
Days

Dep

Arr

PG 706
Daily
6:15
8M 335
Daily
7:40
TG 304
Daily
9:50
PG 702
Daily
10:30
TG 302
Daily
15:00
PG 708
Daily
15:15
8M 331
Daily
16:30
PG 704
Daily
18:20
Y5 237
Daily
19:00
TG 306
Daily
19:45
YANGON TO DON MUEANG

8:30
9:25
11:45
12:25
16:55
17:10
18:15
20:15
20:50
21:40

DD 4231
Daily
8:00
FD 252
Daily
8:30
FD 254
Daily
17:30
DD 4239
Daily
21:00
YANGON TO SINGAPORE

9:50
10:15
19:05
22:45

8M 231
Daily
8:25
Y5 2233
Daily
9:45
TR 2823
Daily
9:45
SQ 997
Daily
10:35
3K 582
Daily
11:15
MI 533
2,4,6
13:45
MI 519
Daily
17:30
3K 584
2,3,5
19:15
YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR

12:50
14:15
14:25
15:10
15:45
20:50
22:05
23:45

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

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

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

1,2,3,5,6
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

7:50
8:30
12:15
12:15
15:45
15:45
19:30

YANGON TO BEIJING

Flights

Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Arr

Flights

BANGKOK TO YANGON
Days

Dep

Arr

TG 303
Daily
7:55
PG 701
Daily
8:50
Y5 238
Daily
21:30
8M 336
Daily
10:40
TG 301
Daily
13:05
PG 707
Daily
13:40
PG 703
Daily
16:45
TG 305
Daily
17:50
8M 332
Daily
19:15
PG 705
Daily
20:15
DON MUEANG TO YANGON

8:50
9:40
22:20
11:25
14:00
14:30
17:35
18:45
20:00
21:30

DD 4230
Daily
6:20
FD 251
Daily
7:15
FD 253
Daily
16:20
DD 4238
Daily
19:30
SINGAPORE TO YANGON

7:05
8:00
17:00
20:15

TR 2822
Daily
7:20
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
SQ 998
Daily
7:55
3K 581
Daily
8:55
MI 533
2,4,6
11:35
8M 232
Daily
13:50
MI 518
Daily
15:15
3K 583
2,3,5
17:05
KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON

8:45
8:50
9:20
10:25
15:00
15:15
16:40
18:35

AK 504
8M 9505
MH 740
8M 502
8M 9507
MH 742
AK 502
AI 227

8:00
11:15
11:15
13:50
14:50
14:50
19:00
13:20

Flights

Days

Flights

Days

Flights

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Daily
6:55
Daily
10:05
Daily
10:05
1,2,3,5,6
12:50
Daily
13:40
Daily
13:40
Daily
17:50
1
10:35
BEIJING TO YANGON
Days

Dep

Days

Dep

Arr

CA 906
3,5,7
23:50 05:50+1
YANGON TO GUANGZHOU

CA 905
3,5,7
19:30
GUANGZHOU TO YANGON

22:50

8M 711
CZ 3056
CZ 3056

CZ 3055
CZ 3055
8M 712

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

10:25
16:30
15:50

1,2,3,5,6
7:00
KUNMING TO YANGON

9:55

Flights

Flights

CI 7916
Flights

Arr

2,4,7
8:40
3,6
11:25
1,5
17:30
YANGON TO TAIPEI

13:15
16:15
22:15

1,2,3,5,6
10:50
YANGON TO KUNMING

16:15

Days

CA 416
MU 2012
MU 2032
Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

Daily
12:15
3
12:40
1,2,4,5,6,7 15:20
YANGON TO HANOI

15:55
18:45
18:40

Days

Dep

Arr

Days

Dep

Arr

Days

Dep

Flights

Flights

CI 7915
Flights

Days

MU 2011
CA 415
MU 2031
Flights

Days

Arr

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

3
8:25
Daily
10:45
1,2,4,5,6,7 13:55
HANOI TO YANGON

11:50
11:15
14:30

Days

Dep

Arr

Days

Dep

Arr

Days

Dep

International Airlines
All Nippon Airways (NH)
Tel: 255412, 413

Air Asia (FD)

Tel: 09254049991~3

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air China (CA)

Tel: 666112, 655882

Air India

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

Bangkok Airways (PG)

Tel: 255122, 255265. Fax: 255119

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG)

Tel: 371867~68. Fax: 371869

Condor (DE)

Tel: 370836~39 (ext: 303)

Dragonair (KA)

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

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

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

Fax: 241124

Myanmar Airways International (8M)

Tel: 255260. Fax: 255305

Nok Airline (DD)

Qatar Airways (QR)

Tel: 379845, 379843, 379831. Fax: 379730

VN 957
1,3,5,6,7
16:50
18:10
HO CHI MINH CITY TO YANGON

Singapore Airlines (SQ) / Silk Air (MI)

VN 942
Flights

AI 701
QR 919
Flights

Flights

2,4,7
14:25
YANGON TO DOHA

17:15

VN 943

1,5
14:05
1,4,6
8:00
YANGON TO SEOUL

Arr

19:50
11:10

Flights

Days

Dep

Arr

AI 401
QR 918
Flights

13:25

Thai Airways (TG)

1,5
7:00
3,5,7
20:40
SEOUL TO YANGON

Arr

13:20
06:25+1

Tiger Airline (TR)

Days

Dep

0Z 770
4,7
0:35
9:10
KE 472
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
YANGON TO HONG KONG

KE 471
Daily
18:45
0Z 769
3,6
19:50
HONG KONG TO YANGON

KA 251
KA 251

5:55
5:45

KA 252
KA 250

Arr

Flights

Flights

Days

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

Arr

YANGON TO TOKYO

Flights

Days

NH 814

Daily

Dep

21:45

Days

BG 061
BG 061

1,6
4

NH 813

Arr

Flights

Dep

15:35
13:45

YANGON TO INCHEON
Days

Dep

17:00
15:10

BG 060
BG 060

Arr

Flights

KE 472
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
8M 7702
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
8M 7502
4,7
00:35
09:10
W9 607
4,7
14:20
16:10
PG 724
1,3,5,6
13:10
15:05
YANGON TO CHIANG MAI
Flights

Days

Y5 251
7Y 305

2,4,6
1,5
Days

8M 601
AI 236

Days

AI 236
AI 701

2
1,5

Dep

13:10
14:05

YANGON TO KOLKATA
Days

AI 228
Flights

Dep

3,5,6
7:00
2
13:10
YANGON TO DELHI

Flights

Flights

Dep

6:15
11:00

YANGON TO GAYA

Flights

1,5

Dep

14:05

YANGON TO MUMBAI

AI 773

Days

1,5

Dep

14:05

MANDALAY TO BANGKOK

Flights

PG 710

Days

Daily

Dep

14:05

MANDALAY TO SINGAPORE

Flights

MI 533
Y5 2233

Days

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

Dep

15:55
7:50

MANDALAY TO DON MUEANG

Flights

FD 245

Days

Daily

Dep

12:45

MANDALAY TO KUNMING

Flights

MU 2030

Days

Daily

Dep

13:50

NAY PYI TAW TO BANGKOK

Flights

PG 722
PG 722
PG 722

Days

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

Dep

20:15
19:30
20:15

Flights

06:50+1

YANGON TO DHAKA

Flights

Flights

Dep

1:30
1:10

Arr

Arr

Flights

8:20
15:05

AI 235
8M 602

Arr

Flights

16:30
19:50

AI 235
AI 401

Arr

Flights

15:05

AI 227

Arr

Flights

22:35

AI 675

Arr

Flights

Arr

Days

Daily

11:00

1,6
4

Dep

12:30
10:40

INCHEON TO YANGON
Days

Dep

Days

2,4,6
1,5

Dep

9:25
13:45

GAYA TO YANGON
Days

Dep

2
9:20
3,5,6
9:20
DELHI TO YANGON
Days

2
1,5

Dep

9:20
7:00

KOLKATA TO YANGON
Days

1,5

Dep

10:35

MUMBAI TO YANGON
Days

1,5

Dep

6:10

Days

Daily

Dep

12:00

SINGAPORE TO MANDALAY

Flights

Arr

Flights

Days

Daily
2,6

Dep

7:20
11:35

DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY

FD 244

Days

Daily

Dep

10:50

KUNMING TO MANDALAY

Flights

16:40

MU 2029

Arr

Flights

23:15
22:30
23:15

Dep

DHAKA TO YANGON
Days

Days

Daily

Dep

13:00

BANGKOK TO NAY PYI TAW

PG 721
PG 721
PG 721

Days

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

Dep

17:00
18:25
17:45

Arr

00:30+1
23:30

TOKYO TO YANGON

PG 709
Y5 2234
MI 533

Arr

Dep

22:50
21:45

BANGKOK TO MANDALAY

20:50
14:15
15:00

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

Flights

Y5 252
7Y 306

16:30

Days

Arr

22:25
23:25

KE 471
Daily
18:45
8M 7701
Daily
18:45
8M 7501
3,6
19:50
W9 608
4,7
17:20
PG 723
1,3,5,6
11:05
CHIANG MAI TO YANGON

8:05
12:50

Tel: 255287~9. Fax: 255290

2,4,7
11:50
DOHA TO YANGON

Arr

15:40

Tel: 255491~6. Fax: 255223

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

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

Tel: 255066, 255088, 255068. Fax: 255086

Airline Codes
3K = Jet Star
8M = Myanmar Airways International
AK = Air Asia

Arr

14:55
13:05
Arr

22:25
22:25
23:25
18:10
12:00
Arr

10:15
14:35
Arr

12:0
12:30

BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines

CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines
CZ = China Southern
DD = Nok Airline
FD = Air Asia
KA = Dragonair
KE = Korea Airlines
MH = Malaysia Airlines
MI = Silk Air

Arr

12:20
13:20
Arr

13:20

MU = China Eastern Airlines

NH = All Nippon Airways
PG = Bangkok Airways
QR = Qatar Airways

Arr

13:20
Arr

13:20
Arr

16:30
15:00
Arr

12:15
Arr

12:50
Arr

19:00
19:35
19:45

SQ = Singapore Airways
TG = Thai Airways
TR = Tiger Airline
VN = Vietnam Airline
AI = Air India
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

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

4
5
6
7

=
=
=
=

Little Havana:
Close to the old island
but decades away
MARIO IVN OA

Tel: 255050, 255021. Fax: 255051

VN 956
1,3,5,6,7
19:10
21:30
YANGON TO HO CHI MINH CITY
Flights

Don Pedro Bello Sr, from a long tradition of tobacconists, sits on a chair in front
of his Cuba Tobacco Cigar store on the street known as Calle Ocho in Little
Havana. Photo: Carlo Allegri

Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

antera offerings are

scattered at the base
of a ceiba tree near the
main strip. Unsuspecting
chickens peck at scraps,
not knowing they might be the next
sacrifice. The corner fruit market
sells fresh-made guarapo, juice from
crushed sugar cane. Nearby, a couple
is dancing salsa on the sidewalk. And
everyone speaks Spanish.
This is Miamis Little Havana. And
for more than 50 years, this was the
closest that most Americans could
get to experiencing Cuba. But with
the Obama administrations push to
restore diplomacy with the island
nation, Cuba seems poised to become
as accessible as Cancun.
Little Havana has its own cultural
identity, one that has maintained its
vibrant allure even as new souvenir
shops pop up and more tour buses
pull in.
Little Havana and La Habana
are vastly different experiences, says
Cuban-born Guillermo J Grenier, coauthor of A History of Little Havana,
referring to the Spanish spelling of
Cubas capital city. Its like visiting
Little Italy in New York versus Italy.
They [both] will always have their
own unique appeal.
I eased in slowly: Shortly after
landing in Miami, I stopped for a
quasi-authentic Cuban experience
at a chain restaurant called Havana
1957, at a location about 30 miles (48
kilometres) north of Little Havana.
Think Hard Rock Cafe but with
congas, not electric guitars.
The music paired well with my
sugar-cane-garnished mojito and
papa rellena, a deep-fried ball of
mashed potato with a slightly crunchy
crust and a centre of finely chopped
ground beef. Add in my waiter,
decked out in a guayabera shirt and
fedora, and I could easily imagine I
was in a Cuba long gone.
Cuban Memorial Boulevard Park is
a narrow park that runs a mile along
13th, perpendicular to Calle Ocho. It
features busts of Cuban heroes as well
as memorials commemorating those
lost in the revolution and the Bay of
Pigs invasion, the failed US-backed
attempt to overthrow Castro in 1961.
Tourists and chickens loitered
around the parks centerpiece, the
stout ceiba tree that is a makeshift
site for practicing the Afro-Caribbean
Santera religion. The faithful drop off
fruit here as a gift to their saints and

sometimes make eyebale, or blood

sacrifices mostly chickens, roosters
and pigeons. Although I didnt
witness any rituals, I did spot rotting
fruit and dried bones nestled at the
trees roots.
Los Pinareos Frutera, also near the
park, is where you can grab a guarapo
or coco frio a fresh, chilled coconut
with a small machete-chopped opening
and straw for your walk. Or you can
head out back and enjoy a fruit batido,
or shake, at a picnic table while you
check out the pet pig.
At the corner of 15th Street, the
allegiance to the past continues at the
Cuba Ocho Art and Research Center,
which calls itself an extensive library
and important collection of artworks that
were created between 1850 and 1958.
It also houses an art gallery bar
boasting the worlds largest rum
collection, an extensive selection of
cigars, and an ample dance floor.
Little Havana itself is a gallery,
with colourful street art perpetually
on display. Chipped and ageing
murals depict Cuban icons, such
as legendary percussionist Ramn
Mongo Santamara or 19th-century
literary hero Jos Mart. What
you wont find are any favourable
depictions of Castro, or that famous
poster of Che Guevara, Castros righthand man.
Theres a strange paradox in
Little Havana: The intensity of its
street life makes you feel like youre
experiencing something genuine, sort
of like seeing the Berlin Wall standing
even if its part of a bus tour
instead of a chunk of it on display at
the Newseum. At the same time, its
all about evoking and celebrating a
culture that simply ceased to exist in
Cuba following the revolution.
Grenier points out that despite
their vast differences, the rival Cuban
communities have one interesting
thing in common.
Ironically, theyre both sort of
stuck in the 60s, he said, but for very
different reasons: In La Habana, because
of the revolution, you see mostly cars
from the 60s. And in Little Havana, most
Cubans simply want to remember how
it was before the revolution.
It seems likely that as diplomatic
relations normalise, new Cuban
immigrants will come to Miami, exiles
will return to the island, and more
cross-cultural pollination will occur,
changing both La Habana and Little
Havana dramatically. Thats all the
more reason to visit both, and soon.
The Washington Post

22 Sport

THE MYANMAR TIMES May 28, 2015

Rugby union

Vandals visit Myanmar to

spread passion for the game
Matt Roebuck
matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com

ugBy players from Hong

Kong Football Club have
arrived in Myanmar on
their end-of-season tour
to face the yangon Dragons but also to spread their love of
the game.
The Vandals, the clubs touring
side, will run a fun coaching clinic
with the Colourful girls program,
a community-based project that lists
its aim as empowering teen girls in
Myanmar.
The session for 30 girls from
Thanlyin and Hlaing Tharyar will be
held at Star City, Thanlyin, on May
29, the day before the sides May 30
3:30pm kick-off against the Dragons
at the same venue.
Our end-of-season tour, since
2010, has been focused on spreading
the rugby gospel and passion to new
countries and cultures, Sean Purdie,
player-manager for the Vandals, told
The Myanmar Times.
The catalyst behind this tradition is that the Vandals lost nine
players in the 2002 Bali bombings,
and we wanted to continue touring
in respect of our teammates.
The sides tours now always include introducing the game as well
as making donations of equipment,

both sporting and otherwise, to local

children.
When we toured to Kathmandu
in 2010, one of our players was associated with the umbrella Foundation, a childrens charity operating
in nepal. We decided to support
the umbrella Foundation by raising money, donating kit and equipment, and taking a training session
with 300 kids who had never seen a
rugby ball before in their lives, said
Purdie.
Since then the side has visited Sri
Lanka, Mongolia, india and Laos.
in all these places we have had
training sessions with local underprivileged children, and provided
training gear and donations.
Purdie added that the club chose
to support the Colourful girls initiative on the advice of the yangon
Dragons a local side that includes
male and female sections playing
full-contact and touch rugby.
after the games on May 30 that
will also feature a womens touch
rugby contest between the yangon
Dragons and iCE at 2p, the HKFC
Womens touring side the touring
sides will have a full day at Zaba aye
Education Monastery at East Dagon
township, yangon, with 120 children.
Were all looking forward to a
great time in yangon meeting our
new friends in rugby, added Purdie.

The Vandals lift a child during a line-out taken near Nonghet in northeastern Laos. Photo: HKFC Vandals

Yangon
Dragons

HKFC
Vandals

3:30pm,
Star City

cycling

Make a Difference tour pedals on to Shan State

Matt Roebuck
matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com
Taunggyi, Shan State, will this
weekend welcome the fourth leg of
Myanmars Cycle and Make a Difference Charity series.
The tour, in its inaugural season,
has already visited yangon in november 2014, nay Pyi Taw in January

2015 and Mandalay this past March.

The race will feature male and
female categories and past winners
have been awarded K1 million certificates to donate to a charitable organisation working in a community
in the vicinity of the race course.
Khin Maung Win, owner of series sponsor Myan Shwe Pyi Tractors
(MSP), has described the tour events

as a milestone for the local cycling

scene.
Two races will be held over the
weekend. a road race beginning at
Bogyoke Park in Taunggyi at 6:30am
on May 30 will take place on the
road to and from Heho. The winner will take the tape at ayethaya in
front of MSPs local office.
The next day will see a mountain-

bike contingent racing around a

5-kilometre loop in a forest on the
Taunggyi-Hopone main road.
With SEa games competitors
missing the event due to training
commitments for the early June
event in Singapore, eyes in the womens race will likely be on Tin Win
Kyi, a 21-year-old triathlete in training at the youth Training Centre in

nay Pyi Taw.

in Mandalay, the youngster, who
has only recently joined the sporting academy, dominated the field
in both the road race and mountain
bike events. Should she repeat the
feat it will confirm her standing as
a bright prospect for the 2017 SEa
games. Additional reporting by
Douglas Long

1 Start: The race kicks off

at 6:30am in downtown
Taunggyi.
2 Fast, steep downhill: Just a few kilometres from
the start, the cyclists will have to be careful as
they negotiate the tricky descent off the Taunggyi
Plateau especially if the weather is rainy.

4/6 The big hill: This is where the strong climbers will make their move,
attacking on the way to Heho and striving to extend their lead on the
second ascent heading back east. But will they be able to stay away on
the long, flat section back to the finish?
8 Finish line: Expect a fast finish on the flat
roads near ayethaya at the base of Taunggyi
Plateau.

5 Heho Airport: The riders turn

around here for the ride back toward
Taunggyi.

3/7 Flat roads and rolling hills: On the way

out to Heho, the fast-moving pack is likely to
stay together. Heading back toward the finish,
competitors might find themselves riding in small
groups or even alone.

GROUP C

Myanmar

Ukraine

USA

New Zealand

USA

Panama

Austria

Panama

Ghana

Argentina

1A

2F

Colombia

Senegal

Portugal

Colombia

Qatar

Colombia

Portugal

MaY 31, 1PM, DuneDIn

Senegal

June 6, 1PM, HaMILTOn

Senegal

June 3, 7PM, HaMILTOn

Qatar

June 3, 4PM, HaMILTOn

Portugal

MaY 31, 4PM, HaMILTOn

Qatar

June 10, 7:30PM, auCKLanD

June 14, 4:30PM, WeLLInGTOn

QUARTER-FINAL

Four Best 3rd-Place

1A Plays
Qualifier Combinations

1B Plays

June 20, 5PM, auCKLanD

1C Plays

1D Plays

June 17, 7:30PM,

auCKLanD

3C
3C
3E
3E
3C

BCDF
BCEF
BDEF
CDEF

3C

ACEF
BCDE

3C

ACDF

3D

3C

ACDE

ADEF

3E

3D

ABDF
ABEF

3C
3D

ABCF

3C

ABCE
ABDE

3C

ABCD

3D

3D

3C

3D

3D

3A

3A

3D

3D

3A

3A

3A

3A

3A

3D

3F

3B

3B

3B

3B

3F

3F

3A

3A

3B

3B

3B

3B

3B

3A

3E

3F

3F

3F

3E

3E

3E

3F

3E

3F

3F

3E

3F

3E

3B

June 14, 1PM, CHrISTCHurCH

QUARTER-FINAL

SEMI-FINAL

June 14, 4:30PM, auCKLanD

QUARTER-FINAL

1F

ROUND of 16

2E

June 10, 7:30PM, WeLLInGTOn

1B

ROUND of 16

June 10, 4PM, DunDeDIn

1D

ROUND of 16
3

2C

GROUP F

Serbia
V

Uruguay
V

Mali
V

Mexico
V

Uruguay

Brazil
Hungary
V

North Korea
V

Brazil
V

Nigeria
Brazil

North Korea

June 7, 5PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Hungary

June 7, 5PM, neW PLYMOuTH

Hungary

June 4, 7PM, neW PLYMOuTH

Nigeria

June 4, 4PM, neW PLYMOuTH

June 1, 4PM, neW PLYMOuTH

Nigeria

June 1, 1PM, neW PLYMOuTH

Mali

June 6, 4PM, HaMILTOn

Serbia

June 6, 4PM, DuneDIn

Serbia

June 3, 7PM, DuneDIn

Mexico

North Korea

GROUP E

June 3, 4PM, DuneDIn

Uruguay

June 10, 7:30PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Fiji
V

Honduras
V

Fiji
V

Uzbekistan
V

Germany
Fiji

Uzbekistan

June 4, 5PM, WHanGareI

Honduras

June 7, 5PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Germany

June 4, 7PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Honduras

June 4, 4PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Uzbekistan

June 1, 4PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Germany

ROUND of 16

June 11, 7:30PM, WHanGeraI

2B

ROUND of 16

June 17, 4PM,

CHrISTCHurCH

SEMI-FINAL

June 14, 1PM, HaMILTOn

QUARTER-FINAL

June 10, 7:30PM, WeLLInGTOn

2A

Mali

June 1, 1PM, CHrISTCHurCH

Ghana

June 11, 7:30PM, HaMILTOn

1C

ROUND of 16
3

2D

ROUND of 16

MaY 31, 4PM, DuneDIn

Mexico

MaY 31, 1PM, DuneDIn

June 11, 7:30PM, neW PLYMOuTH

1E

ROUND of 16

The Myanmar Times wallchart for New Zealand 2015

FIFA U20 WORLD CUP

GROUP D

MaY 31, 1PM, HaMILTOn

Panama

June 5, 4PM, auCKLa nD

Austria

June 5, 4PM, WeLLInGTOn

Argentina

June 2, 7PM, WeLLInGTOn

Austria

June 2, 4PM, WeLLInGTOn

Ghana

MaY 30, 7PM, WeLLInGTOn

Argentina

MaY 30, 4PM, WeLLInGTOn

Ukraine

June 5, 7PM, auCKLanD

Myanmar

June 5, 7PM, WeLLInGTOn

June 2, 7PM, auCKLanD

Myanmar

June 2, 1PM, WHanGareI

USA

New Zealand

GROUP B

Ukraine

MaY 30, 4PM, WHanGareI

MaY 30, 1PM, auCKLanD

New Zealand

GROUP A

Sport
24 THE MYANMAR TIMES May 28, 2015

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

Clip out your U20s

World Cup wallchart
SPORT 23

Sailing

No old sea dogs for Myanmar

Kyaw Zin Hlaing
kyawzinhlaing.mcm@gmail.com

FLOTILLA of youngsters
will represent Myanmar in the sailing events
at this years Southeast
Asian Games.
Of the 10 sailors heading for Singapore to compete in the regatta in Marina Bay, only one is over the age of 20,
with the remainder of the squad being
just 14 and 15 years old.
After the 2013 SeA Games, a large
number of our sailors retired. So we
chose to pull together a team of talented youngsters and build for the
future, Maung Win, vice president of
the Myanmar Sailing Federation.

Our target is for

our athletes to
gain experience
for the future.
Sai Pyae Sone Hein
Coach
The Myanmar fleet train for the 2015 Singapore SEA Games off the coast of Ngwe Saung. Photo: Facebook/Myanmar Sailing Federation

The elder of the group, July hmway, who trains in Thailand, will be
targeting a gold medal. But for the
remainder of the squad, their Games
focus will be on developing experience
as part of a long-term plan.
This is a long-term strategy, Sai
Pyae Sone hein, the federations head

coach told The Myanmar Times.

We will have 10 sailors competing in
six events but we only hope for one gold
medal. Our target is for our athletes to
gain experience for the future.
Although our sailors are young,
their training began after the last
SeA Games and they are therefore

well-experienced for their age after

competing in many local matches.
The Singapore Games will put up 20
gold medals for sailing events but Myanmar is sending only the sailors they believe will get the most from the contest.
We are currently training 30
young athletes and we chose 10 from

that wider squad. The focus of all

these athletes is now settled on the
SeA Games but with a view to future
international competition, added Sai
Pyae Sone hein.
In 2013, when Myanmar hosted,
Singapore won five of the 13 golds
available while Myanmar won two,

plus one silver and two bronze. The

coach believes local waters will only
play further into the hands of Singapores sailors.
Irregular weather, changing wind
direction and water currents will present a tough challenge for our athletes, said Sai Pyae Sone hein.

fOOTball

US indicts nine FIFA officials in corruption probe

The US Justice Department announced conspiracy and corruption
charges against nine officials from
FIFA international footballs ruling
body and five business executives
May 27, after Swiss authorities arrested seven suspects based on the indictments.
The 14 officials and executives were
charged with a bribery and kickback
scheme that spanned a 24-year period.
The US Justice Department said the
detained officials could face up to 20
years in jail.
The Justice Department revealed
that four individuals and two companies have already pleaded guilty, in a
case that has rocked footballs world
governing body.
It spans at least two generations
of soccer officials who, as alleged, have
abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and
kickbacks, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said.
At the same time as the indictments were unsealed, authorities
raided the Miami headquarters of
the CONCACAF soccer association,
which coordinates the sport in North
and Central America and the Caribbean.
Lynch, along with FBI Director
James Comey, was to hold a press
conference at 10:30am (2:30pm GMT)
yesterday in Brooklyn, New York.

According to the Justice Department, the defendants include Jeffrey

Webb, FIFA vice president, executive
committee member and CONCACAF
president; eduardo Li, FIFA executive
committee member-elect and CONCACAF executive committee member;
Julio Rocha, FIFA development officer; Costas Takkas, attache to the CONCACAF president; and Jack Warner,
former FIFA vice president and exCONCACAF president.
The others are: eugenio Figueredo,
current FIFA vice president and executive committee member; Rafael
esquivel, current CONMeBOL executive committee member; Jose Maria
Marin, current member of the FIFA
organising committee for the Olympics; and Nicolas Leoz, former FIFA
executive committee member.
The sports marketing executives
charged include: Alejandro Burzaco,
controlling principal of Torneos y
Competencias SA; Aaron Davidson,
president of Traffic Sports USA Inc;
and hugo and Mariano Jinkis, controlling principals of Full Play Group
SA.
The four who have pleaded guilty
are: Daryll Warner, a former FIFA
development officer and son of Jack
Warner, the former CONCACAF president; Daryan Warner, who holds dual
nationality from Trinidad and Tobago
and Grenada; Charles Blazer, former

CONCACAF general secretary and

a former FIFA executive committee
member; and Jose hawilla, owner of
the Brazilian sports marketing Traffic
Group.
The seven arrested in Zurich are:
Webb, Li, Rocha, Takkas, Figueredo,
esquivel and Marin.
All now face deportation to the
United States on charges of accepting
more than US$100 million in bribes.
Separately, Swiss police seized files
and emails at the FIFA headquarters
as part of an investigation into the
awarding of the 2018 World Cup to
Russia and the 2022 tournament to
Qatar.
The 2010 vote by FIFA that attributed the events has been surrounded
by widespread allegations of fraud. A
spokesperson said May 27 though that
there was no question of changing the
venues.
FIFA spokesperson Walter de Gregorio said Blatter is not involved in
the investigations and that the presidential vote would be held as planned
on May 29.
The timing is not great, de Gregorio told reporters. But he added that
FIFA welcomes actions that can help
contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football.
Blatter has been overwhelming favourite to win a fifth term at the head
of the multi-billion dollar body. But

the events could swing many votes.

his only challenger, Prince Ali bin
al hussein, a FIFA vice president from
Jordan, called the arrests a sad day
for football.
Prince Ali and european federation chiefs say a change of leadership
is now urgently needed to save FIFAs
tainted image.
The FIFA spokesperson said Blatter
was relaxed about the future fallout
from the investigation.
he isnt dancing in his office, de
Gregoria told reporters. he is very,
very calm. he sees what happens. he
is fully cooperative with everybody.
Swiss police gave a surprise 6am
wake-up call to FIFA vice president
Jeffrey Webb, from the Cayman Islands, and other six officials at the luxury Baur au Lac hotel. A US Department of Justice statement said seven
people were detained.
Police in plain clothes took the
room keys from reception and went
to the rooms of the six, the New York
Times said. The operation was carried
out peacefully, it added.
The Swiss justice ministry said
those detained were suspected of accepting bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present
day.
A ministry statement said that
representatives of sports media and
sports marketing companies allegedly

paid bribes in exchange for the media rights and the marketing rights for
competitions in the United States and
South America.
The Swiss raid on FIFAs headquarters formally opened an investigation
into the 2018 and 2022 World Cups
that FIFA itself asked for in November.
Police are to question 10 members
of the executive committee who took
part in the 2010 vote while they are
in Zurich for the Congress, officials
said.
Qatar has strongly denied any
wrongdoing linked to its bid. A former FIFA vice president from the Gulf
state, Mohammed bin hammam, was
banned for life from FIFA because of
corruption.
A former US attorney, Michael Garcia, investigated the World Cup bids.
he left FIFA because it refused to fully
publish his report.
In May, Blatter denied he was a target of an FBI corruption investigation
and that he had no fear of going to the
United States.
he said he would probably go in
2016 for a football tournament there
and to Canada next month for the
Womens World Cup.
The denial came after an eSPN television documentary said the Swiss
official was afraid to go to the United
States because of the FBI investigation. AFP