HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION

1000
Ks.

DAILY EDITION

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

ISSUE 73 | FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2015

NO TO REFORM
Elected MPs have accused their Tatmadaw counterparts of misreading the national mood, after
the military wielded its veto powers for the first time yesterday to block constitutional change.
FULL COVERAGE NEWS 3, 4

Tatmadaw MPs vote on proposed constitutional amendments in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. Photo: Thiri

NEWS 5

EXCLUSIVE 7

BUSINESS 10

BUSINESS 12

Ministry defies hluttaw Internal dissent leaves MP in hot water over

on controversial tender Rakhine party in chaos gay hate comments

Nay Pyi Taw hotels

face uncertain future

Energy ministry floats

plan for LNG facilities

The Ministry of Information has

relaunched a tender for a 90-acre site in
Yangon despite MPs ordering the process
be stopped due to transparency concerns.

With ASEAN meetings and the SEA

Games now over, Myanmars capital is
overstocked with hotel rooms, with no
feasible plan to fill them with visitors.

Ministry is working on plans to develop

liquefied natural gas transport facilities
to meet an anticipated shortfall of gas
used to generate electricity.

RNP leader U Aye Maungs attempts

to parachute into a state hluttaw seat
have revealed fault lines over the 2014
merger that created the party.

NEWS 8

USDP rep U Hla Swe used Facebook

to launch anti-gay tirade, and reveals
that he forced homosexuals to work as
porters while serving in the military.

2 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 26, 2015

Page 2

Kayleigh Long |
kayleighelong@gmail.com

THE INSIDER: Something topical

One word democracy
Parliaments getting set to wrap up
and theyve been hammering through
some fairly important business, this
week addressing one of the most
pressing issues facing the country
ahead of The election: constitutional
amendment. And good lordy, it looks
as though therell be a referendum.
not on a matter of any substance, of
course, because (in an outcome no
one saw coming) the push to amend
the military veto stipulation was, well,
vetoed, and looks here to stay. either
way, eligible voters will be able to flex
their democratic muscles on whether
or not they think section 59 of the
constitution ought to be changed. not
59(f), which is the one that would have
been good news for Daw Suu rather,
the bit about the Qualifications of the
President and Vice Presidents. The
constitution requires that the President
and Vice President:
(a) shall be loyal to the union and its
citizens;
(b) shall be a citizen of Myanmar
who was born of both parents who
were born in the territory under the
jurisdiction of the union and being
Myanmar nationals;
(c) shall be an elected person who
has attained at least the age of 45;
(d) shall be well acquainted with the
affairs of the union such as political,
administrative, economic and military.
Section (d) is the one thats up for
amendment, with the monumental
choice the voters face to be whether
to stick with the term military, or
change it to defence. Gee, what a
dilemma.
Acronyms Can Be Confusing
Sometimes (ACBCS)
A rebel group known as nSCn
IM launched an attack on Indian
security guards on patrol in a village
of Chandel, Manipur, India, on 4
June, killing some security officers,
reported Myawaddy, regurgitated in

the new Light on June 22.

The Indian army while securing the
area on 9 June got engaged in fighting
with nSCn-IM insurgents near the
border with Myanmar.
now, this was possibly a basic typo.
K and IM are fairly close to each other
on the keyboard, and as someone
whose name starts with a K this is a
constant source of frustration for me.
However, in this instance, it seems
like a fairly important thing fact to
get right. The nSCn splinter group
that recently tangled with the Indian
military (or didnt, no one quite knows)
was nSCn-K an outfit based on the
Myanmar side, that has recently joined
hands with a pro-independence group
from the Seven Sisters region including
the united Liberation Front of Assam,
whose leader Paresh Barua recently
stated, We will strike wherever and
whenever possible. We also hope to be
able to form a government-in-exile by
the end of this year.
But, as Myawaddy reported, India
and Myanmar are working together
to combat this threat and definitely
have it covered: The Myanmar troops
maintain a continuous patrol of the
border to ensure that there is no
hideout for insurgents. Myanmar will
not tolerate any rebel groups on its soil
which are trying to harm the interests
of its neighbouring countries.
Sense and censorship
Aung San Suu Kyis recent visit to China
still has many scratching their heads,
and has almost certainly ruffled a few
feathers in the tasteful marble-andgilt halls of nay Pyi Taw. While Daw
Suu has remained tight-lipped on the
details of the visit, so too did Chinese
media. now, the visit was a while ago
but I forgot to write about it at the time
and Im trying to fill space and this is
a tidbit not many other outlets seem
to have run with, and I thought it was
interesting, so please bear with me.
A leaked censorship directive

posted on exile China media outlet

China Digital Times stated that
Without exception, the media are
not to report on the delegation from
Myanmar visiting China.
The directive also carried a
couple of other points including a
do-not-mention for under the Dome,
a documentary on Chinas frankly
impressive air pollution problem
which had taken out an environmental
award, as well as the instruction to
increase positive propaganda on
humanitarianism on the Oriental
Star sinking. According to a site
that monitors barred search terms
on Chinese social network Weibo,
the term Aung San Suu Kyi was
also being censored. All of this was
presumably because Beijing was
concerned she might have publicly
acknowledged and drawn attention
to the imprisonment of fellow nobel
laureate Liu Xiaobo.
While its not known what she
brought up in private, it turns out they
really neednt have worried about the
publicly part.

Once was Burma ...

Archival material courtesy of Pansodan Gallery
First floor, 286 Pansodan, upper block, Kyauktada township

As Than Shwe was the leader

of members of the Tatmadaw,
I assume that it [the 2008
constitution] is originally from
Than Shwe. It seems to be
necessary to go to him when we
want to amend Article 436(a) as it
is originally from him.
Chin Development Party MP u
Kyun Khae, nay Pyi Taw, June 24
Headline of the week (or possibly
even the year) from Eleven:
Some are trying to disappoint the
people by threatening that like in
the 1990 election, power would not
be transferred, that the upcoming
election would be fraudulent and that
they would only win the election. Dont
believe it. Thats not possible at all.
Oh Wei self defence/romance issue

In
brief:
everyone agrees that new bar looks pretty brothel-y

expat who recoils at the idea of eating chicken that had been sitting
for hours in the sun at a roadside market under some pretty serious
delusions about where the meat in their beer station food comes from,
study finds
BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher admits he deliberately hyped up
chances of constitutional amendment vote in order to sway the odds at
his illegal gambling ring
eleven legal team reveals how they keep tabs on how many
concurrent lawsuits theyre involved in: Diagrams.

Next
week:
Photos attached to Stuff for sale post on YeC gives depressing glimpse

into the stark existence of a single male expat english teacher

unconfirmed reports indicate staff in charge of new funding allocated
to Ma Ba Tha for radio station are trying to pin down 96.9 FM frequency
Downtown Hindu temple set to double incense-burning efforts in
order to combat stench of chicken fat

www.mmtimes.com

NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

News 3

Disappointment as military
shoots down amendments
Result was expected but elected MPs still reacted strongly to the militarys decision to veto key constitutional reforms
EI EI TOE
LWIN
eieitoelwin@gmail.com

IT was the outcome everyone saw

coming, but civilian MPs professed
great disappointment yesterday as
several key planks of a two-year constitutional amendment process were
shot down by military representatives,
who refused to listen to pleas to give
up their veto powers.
MPs also took aim at the militarys
intransigence, warning that its rejection of the proposed changes would
lead to increased political tension
around the election and peace process.
It was a very disappointing result.
I feel so sad, especially on the outcome
of section 436, U Banyar Aung Moe
from the All Mon Region Democracy
Party said after the vote.
The proposal to reduce [the
threshold for approving constitutional
amendments] to 70 percent would not
have affected [the militarys] power.
Now we can see that they dont want
to lose any part of their power. This is
not good for the sake of the country,
Five of six changes were rejected
in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw yesterday,
the first time that amendments to the
2008 constitution have been put to a
vote.
The key amendments were to section 436(a) and (b), which enshrine
the militarys veto over constitutional
change by setting the threshold for approving constitutional amendments at
75pc of all MPs. In some cases, a referendum is also required.
A bill submitted to parliament on
June 10 had proposed reducing this to
70pc, which would remove the militarys automatic veto but still make
amendments difficult to pass.
Also rejected were proposals to relax the eligibility criteria for the three
presidential nominees although not
enough to make opposition leader
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi eligible for the
top job and to require these nominees to be selected from among elected MPs.
Only the change to section 59(d)
- to replace the word military with
defence in a clause requiring presidential nominees to be well acquainted with the affairs of the Union such
as political, administrative, economic
and military - was approved. It still
requires approval at a national referendum.
The result has deep implications
for a second amendment bill that contains a much larger number of pro-

MPs vote on the constitutional amendments in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. Photo: Thiri

posed changes. MPs will begin debating the bill on June 30, knowing that
the amendments can only pass with
the support of the military bloc.
Prior to the vote there had been
significant debate over which voting
system would be selected for use by
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker Thura U
Shwe Mann.
Rather than the electronic or standup systems, he announced that MPs
would have to write their choices on
a piece of paper and place it in a box
at the front of the chamber - a method
that has not been used since February
2011, when parliamentarians elected U
Thein Sein president.
The Speaker warned MPs there
were only two types of vote yes or
no. Anyone who abstained would be
counted as a no vote. The 583 MPs 50
were absent on the day had to mark
their vote for the six proposed amendments on the one piece of paper.
There was confusion as to whether
the Speaker had the right to vote, but
Thura U Shwe Mann insisted he did
and he voted together with the other
MPs.
After taking almost two hours to
count the votes, the Speaker announced
the results to a hushed chamber.

There was silence, but the result

had been expected. The military representatives had made clear during
debate over the previous two days that
they opposed changes to sections 436,
59(f ) and 60(c).
Civilian MPs, meanwhile, spoke
with surprising unanimity, although
National League for Democracy and
ethnic minority representatives pushed
for the threshold to be lowered further
than 70pc, to two-thirds of all MPs.
Some civilian MPs opposed the
changes to section 59(f ), while the
NLD called for the annulment of the
section in its entirely a move that
would make Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
eligible for the presidency.
Nearly all elected MPs backed the
proposed changes to 60(c), which
would have required the president
and vice presidents to be selected from
among elected MPs.
Amyotha Hluttaw representative U
Aye Maung said the military had misread the political mood by vetoing the
changes.
He said the result showed that the
military does not want to build a genuine federal union. They just want to
build a fake federal union system, he
said.

The Rakhine National Party chief

was one of six participants in a highlevel political dialogue initiated by
parliament in an attempt to win military and government support for constitutional reform.
However, the government participated only very reluctantly, allowing a
single meeting to take place on April
10 after a six-month wait and refusing to schedule a second discussion.
The failure of the talks prompted Thura U Shwe Manns USDP to
submit the amendment bill earlier

Full voting results

Proposed changes required the support of 75 percent of all 633 MPs, or
at least 475 votes in favour. Only 583
MPs were present for the vote.
APPROVED
Section 59(d) - 556 votes, 87.8%
REJECTED
Section 59(f) - 371 votes, 58.6%
Section 60(c) - 386 votes, 61%
Section 418(b) - 386 votes, 61%
Section 436(a) - 388 votes, 61.3%
Section 436(b) - 388 votes, 61.3%

this month.
I feel really sorry about this result. We tried to escape political crisis
through the six-ways talks but they neglected it, U Aye Maung said.
He added that the holding of free
and fair elections would be the best
way to overcome the rising political
tension.
The good point from seeing this
result is that the people can clearly
know who stands on their side and
which party they should vote for in the
upcoming election. It mainly depends
on the people they need to decide the
future of our country but it must be
a free and fair election too, he said.
U Win Than from the USDP said it
was not worth holding a nationwide
referendum to approve the minor
change to section 59(d). It would be a
waste of money, he said, adding, We
tried as much as we could but we still
got a bad result.
The constitutional amendment
process will resume on June 30, when
debate will start on proposed changes
to around 30 other sections that require only the approval of parliament.
The Speaker said yesterday that 63
MPs had registered to take part in the
debate.

4 News
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THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 26, 2015

NLD leader says military has

shown people who to vote for
EI EI TOE LWIN
eieitoelwin@gmail.com
PEOPLE who want change now clearly know who to vote for, Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi declared yesterday as
she urged her party not to look back
and to focus on the general elections
ahead.
Holding a press conference immediately after the results in parliament
showed the military had used its effective power of veto over constitutional change, the National League
for Democracy leader said it could be
assumed that the military would not
back reforms.
It is not a strange result. Its nothing special to be surprised about, the
opposition leader said of the outcome
of the voting in parliament, addressing reporters in the office of the Rule
of Law Committee which she chairs.
Daw Suu Kyi also criticised the
Union Solidarity and Development
Party chaired by Speaker Thura U
Shwe Mann saying the NLD had not
agreed with the way the ruling party had presented the constitutional
amendments, which would have still
prevented her from being eligible for
the presidency.
The amendments proposed by the
USDP are not enough [for democratic
reform]. Now [the military] dont
want to accept even those changes.
We must assume they are not for reform, she said.
After the parliamentary debate,
U Win Myint of the NLD requested
the Speaker to note as record that
the NLD agreed to constitutional
changes but had not supported what

The amendments
proposed by
the USDP are
not enough [for
democratic reform].
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
National League for Democracy

National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the media after parliament voted to reject
amendments to the constitution in Nay Pyi Taw on June 25. Photo: AFP

the USDP had proposed. The Speaker

agreed to the request.
The advantage is that the people
now can decide clearly whom they
should support in the future and
whom should they vote for in the
2015 elections, said Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi. She made no mention of the
possibility that the NLD would boycott the polls as it did in 1990 over
the issue of constitutional change.

There is no way back because of

this result, she said.
Signalling a hardening of political divisions, she said she had given
up on the prospect of reviving stalled
six-way talks with the president and
others on constitutional amendments
and major issues ahead of the elections. Only one meeting was held in
April.
Asked how she would respond

if people took to the streets to demand constitutional changes, she

replied that she hoped that would
not happen.
We never choose the way that
could hurt the people, Daw Suu Kyi
said. We will try within the framework of law. At this time it is very
important to have stability. We cant
achieve development unless there is
stability.

Experts react to the militarys veto call

U Yan Myo Thein, political observer
I want to make two proposals. The first
is that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should
not participate in the 2015 election as
she is responsible for a petition of 5
million signatures for amending article
436. Please implement party building
and act as a National League for Democracy party, not as an individual. And
my second is that the NLD propose a bill
in parliament to hold an urgent referendum on the 2008 constitution and to
collect signatures again.
U Nai Nai, 1990 election candidate, patron of United National
Democratic Organisation
I am not surprised by this. It has been
systematically planned. We already
knew that people couldnt change these
sections. But now we know who are
the good representatives for voters and
who are not. The country cant run with
this constitution. So we have to call for
a referendum on the 2008 constitution.
If there is this army-based constitution,
there will be more conflicts between
people and government.
U Cho Aung Than, former political
prisoner and cousin of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi
The military has ruled the country

for so long. There is no progress but

regression. But I think they [the Tatmadaw] dont have regrets, yet. If
they go on like this, democracy will
not be okay and the country wont
develop. If Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
cant be president, the situation of
the country will not be good. Now
there are some chaotic circumstances in the country. I worry it will become more chaotic.

spouse, it is the peoples choice. Since

I am from an ethnic group, Karen,
which has been restricted and persecuted in the past, I feel that we should
not accept this kind of limitation for a
leader. It is still my hope that this article [section 59(f)] of the constitution
will be changed.

U Hla Soe, retired army captain

The person wanted by the people is
barred by the law. Actually I want
to say, as one of the people, this law
[the constitution] has to be amended.
In the hluttaw, the representatives of
the military blocked the amendments.
Maybe they think their predecessors
took such a long time to complete the
constitution that they could not easily amend it within a short time. The
military might amend the law in the
future when their successors are the
new generation.

U Myo Aung Htwe, political analyst

The constitution grants citizens
rights so if we have no change we are
going to lose our rights. We want to
change many sections in the constitution, for example 59(f ) and the 25
percent of seats for the military in
parliament. With this constitution,
25pc of military in the hluttaw means
25pc fewer voices for citizens. Todays
result means they, the government
and military, are not willing to make
any change for the country. It means
the military do not want to give democracy to the people and they still
want to control. We are going to lose
citizens rights.

Daw Wah Htoo Htoo Naw, private

school owner
In my opinion the leader should be
selected by the people and not limited by the constitution. If the people
dont like a leader because of his or her

U Kyaw Win, lawyer

The constitution needs to change but
it will not be possible to change in the
hluttaw because of the military bloc
there. The majority group is the government, and the NLD and the ethnic

parties are weak. I expect after the

elections we will see a resolution of
the current constitution. We need to
change the constitution because our
country is formed of ethnic groups. We
are calling for change but we cannot.
Larry Jagan, correspondent
We knew this would happen. It shows
how important it is to change the constitution after the next election. It also
shows the power of the military and
how important the military bloc in
parliament is.
Andrew McLeod, research fellow in
law, Oxford University
The failure to pass changes to the
most prominent constitutional provisions will come as a blow not just to
the NLD but also to ethnic nationalities groups. But this wont be the last
word on constitutional reform. The existing hluttaw could easily take up the
issue again when it holds a lame-duck
session in December or January after
the elections. Its composition will be
the same, but if the election delivers
strong results for the NLD and ethnic
parties there may be increased pressure to address the constitution.
Shwe Yee Saw Myint, Mratt Kyaw
Thu and Kyaw Phone Kyaw

News 5

www.mmtimes.com

Proposed K3600 minimum wage draws

mixed response from workers, employers
NYAN LYNN AUNG
29.nyanlynnaung@gmail.com
GARMENT workers and small businesses have given a mixed reaction to
a proposal to set the national minimum daily wage at K3600 (US$3.20),
with employers saying they will continue to campaign against it.
The National Committee on the
Minimum Wage which includes
ministries, employers and labour
organisations thrashed out a longawaited agreement on June 24, settling on K3600 a day, according to
participants, although the figure has
not yet been officially announced.
All sides have two months to respond to the proposal before the issue
goes to parliament, which first passed
a law calling for a minimum wage in
2013.
The garment sector was one of the
areas where debate was fiercest, with
employers calling for a minimum
wage as low as K2500 while workers
demanded K4000.
Daw Htay Htay Aye, managing director of Thiri Sandar Garment and
General trading company and senior
member of the Myanmar Garment
Manufacturers Association, said she
could not afford to pay the proposed
rate and had hoped for K2500 as the
MGMA had discussed.
We are preparing our response as
this is still in the negotiating stage.
The minimum wage is not decided
yet and when it comes out we will
consider whether we can live with it
or not, she said.
Ko Kyaw Lwin Oo, a union leader at the E-land Myanmar garment
factory, told The Myanmar Times
that most of its factory workers had
agreed with K3600, despite pressing
for the higher amount.
We agreed these wages. It is fair
for us because those wages are for an
eight-hour day, and it is not much below our demand for K4000, he said.
Ma Win Theingi, a worker at Yes
One garment factory, said she was
willing to take the deal, even though
she did not fully accept it.

MYINT KAY THI

myintkay94thi@gmail.com

Women work in a snack factory in Yangon. Photo: Zarni Phyo

We have to negotiate with owners for more pay for more production,
b ecause the owners will want more
production if they have to pay proper
wages according to the agreement,
she said.
But Tai Yi factory worker Ma
Yin Aye said the amount was not
enough, and she plans to register her
objection to the committee. We are
planning to complain right now, she
said.
Ma Sander, a member of the Federation of Trade Unions-Myanmar,
said she agreed with the proposal but
believed it might cause problems at
first for employers and workers.

She said trade unions were taking on a more active role. This would
become apparent as employers and
workers negotiated higher wages for
more productivity, she said. If the
owners pay more, I can promise that
we will work hard for output as well,
she added.
Ko Zaw Gyi, a producer of handmade candies, said he was willing to
pay his workers the minimum wage
but voiced concern about the fixing of
overtime rates. His workers currently
put in at least 12 hours a day for a
basic salary of K80,000 a month. Any
higher costs would have to be passed
on to the consumer, he said.

Views from outside Yangon appeared to be positive.

U Khin Kyuu, owner of Zabudate
rubber plantation in Hpa-an, said
that Kayin State rubber plantations
were paying at least K4000 and up to
K7000 a day in wages. Owners who
paid less were having trouble finding
workers, he said.
Ko Zin Min Tun, an agricultural
commodities trader in Pakokku township in Magwe Region, said brokers
in his sector could afford the proposed rate, which does not differ
much from current wage levels. We
welcome these agreements on wages,
he said.

Ministry defies parliament,

relaunches controversial tender
SANDAR
LWIN
sdlsandar@gmail.com

IGNORING a possible impeachment

threat, Minister for Information U Ye
Htut is pressing ahead with plans to
put out to tender a huge project involving the 90-acre site of the Yegu
transmitter.
Despite a parliamentary decision
to suspend the process, the government has announced that the deadline for offers has been extended for
one month.
The information ministry says they
have also made the tender process
more open, placing the documents
containing the tender conditions on
their website instead of selling them
for K1 million (US$895), as they did
before parliaments decision.
The project entails moving the
transmitter, located at the corner of
Gandamar and Waizayandar roads in
Yangons Mayangone township, to a
new location, and developing a huge
media complex on the site. Critics said
the scale of the enterprise, coupled

Dengue
fever
cases
continue
to rise

with the initial tight deadline, suggested that the tender had been tailored
to a very small number of very large
companies.
The tender was announced on
May 5, with a deadline of June 19.
However, parliament suspended the
tender on May 27, citing concerns
over a lack of transparency.

If I breach ethics or
the law, I am ready
to resign without
having to be pushed.
U Ye Htut
Minister for Information

Shortly afterward, the ministry

stopped selling tender forms, but U
Hla Thwin, the director of the Yangon
branch of Myanma Radio and Television, said yesterday that the tender
was continuing.
We have not yet received any submissions. But the deadline has been
extended till July 17, he said.

Parliament has yet to react to the

deadline extension. Article 228 of the
constitution stipulates that the Union government shall implement the
administrative resolutions passed by
the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and report
back on its implementation.
In response to the May 27 resolution from parliament, cabinet secretary U Zaw Than Thin assured MPs
in early June that the government
would take care not to harm the public interest in conducting the Yegu
tender.
Appearing before parliament on
June 18 to announce the resumption of the tender process, U Ye Htut
told MPs that if they believe he is in
breach of the constitution, you can
indict me.
I am ready to face it any time. If I
breach ethics or the law, I am ready to
resign without having to be pushed,
he said.
He has since used social media to
defend and explain the tender process in more detail. Speaking to the
weekly Myanmar Thandawsint, he
said, The public has noted now that
Yegu transmitter site is only for media
business. The bidders can no longer
do other business, or sell or lease the
land. Im pleased with that, he said.

Critics say, however, that the restriction on who can apply bidders
must be a media business, with at
least three consecutive years experience and how the land can be used
will push down the value of the site,
which is potentially worth hundreds
of millions of dollars.
The successful tender applicant
will assume ownership of the Yegu
transmitter site, and must build and
operate a media-related business
park, including a broadcasting complex, a studio complex, a multi-media
university, a theme park and zones for
recreation, sport and public services.
The winner must also bear the costs
of resettling the existing transmitters
and related plant to a 150-acre site
elsewhere.
U Khin Maung Lay, the chair of
the Myanmar Press Council (Interim),
said the tender terms and process
should be more meticulous.
There are many other doubtful
tenders that do not attract much criticism. It is interesting why the criticisms were raised only on this one.
Putting it out to open tender is an
improvement, but they should have
been more careful about the details,
he said, noting that the ministry had
responded to parliaments decision.

EXPERTS say that the rate of

dengue hemorrhagic fever is
rising, and may get worse as
the rainy season progresses.
As of June 23, 9893 patients
have contracted the disease so
far this year, and 43 have died,
according to the Ministry of
Health.
Dr Khin Nan Lon, a project
manager with the ministrys
dengue hemorrhagic fever unit,
said incidence tends to rise in
the wet season.
During July and August the
rate could increase to match the
2013 outbreak. People should
be alert to the risk: Keep your
homes clean and make sure
there is no standing water in
which insects can breed, she
said.
This years figures are significantly up on those from 2014.
Between January 1 and May
26 last year, 3667 patients contracted the fever, eight of whom
died. During the same period
this year, the corresponding
figures were 5092 and 17, more
than doubling the death rate.
The Ministry of Health said
the total number of cases in
2013 was 20,255, and 13,086 in
2014.
A ministry spokesperson
said preparations had been
made to control the disease
and provide treatment, including issuing advice on avoidance
through maintaining clean
conditions, covering vessels
containing water, and using
mosquito nets.
The incidence this year is
higher than last year, and we
expect it to continue to rise
over the next few weeks, he
said, calling for public cooperation in order to avoid a serious
outbreak.
The ministry has set a target for a 25 percent incidence
reduction and a 50pc cut in the
death rate by 2020, based on
2010 figures.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever
has been prevalent in Yangon
since 1965. After a major outbreak in 1970, the fever spread
to Mandalay and Bago regions
and Mon State.
Dengue fever is concentrated in rainy regions like Ayeyarwady, Yangon and Mon, but is
not found in hilly regions, the
ministry spokesperson said.
Children are particularly
susceptible to the virus. The
symptoms are typically flu-like,
and can include joint and muscle pain, as well as high fever.
In 1970, 50pc of patients
died, but the current rate is
only 0.6pc. But protection is
more important than treatment, he said.
The fever is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and is
thought to have increased in
incidence because of climate
change and population growth,
as well as an increase in the
number of containers of standing water.
According to the WHO, 50
million people are infected
with dengue fever each year, of
whom 24,000 die. The disease
is prevalent in the Asia-Pacific
Region.

Rakhine National Party in chaos

Politicians worry that internal dissent within RNP could play into hands of the Union Solidarity and Development Party in upcoming election

MRATT
KYAW THU
mrattkthu@gmail.com

ONE of Myanmars strongest ethnic political parties is in crisis

just months out from the election,
with disputes emerging following
an attempt by Rakhine National
Party (RNP) leader U Aye Maung
to parachute into a seat in the state
hluttaw.
The conflict has revealed deep
fault lines from the 2014 merger
between the Rakhine Nationalities
Development Party (RNDP) and
the Arakan League for Democracy
(ALD), which resulted in both parties being abolished and the RNP
often referred to as the Arakan National Party being formed.
The recent emergence of a new
Rakhine party, the Arakan Patriotic
Party (APP), which applied for registration with the Union Electoral
Commission on June 18, also appears
set to threaten the RNPs status as
the sole ethnic Rakhine party.
Sources in the Rakhine political
community told The Myanmar Times
that the APP has been formed by former executive committee members
of the ALD, although they are not
particularly prominent politicians.
The current situation is very
volatile. There have been attacks
by some party members, including even central executive committee members, U Aye Maung told
The Myanmar Times. MPs in the
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the State
Hluttaw [formerly] from the RNDP
were criticised by the [former] ALD
elements.
The internal dissent has forced
U Aye Maung, one of the countrys
most prominent ethnic leaders, to
convene a meeting of the partys
central executive committee to resolve the disagreements. That meeting could take place as soon as next
week.
The problems came to light with
U Aye Maungs attempt to gain
preselection for a state hluttaw seat
in Rakhine States Munaung township, in the face of opposition from
local residents.
While currently an Amyotha Hluttaw representative, U Aye Maung
wants to use this years election to
shift from a seat in Nay Pyi Taws Union parliament to the state hluttaw
in Sittwe. There is speculation that
he hopes to become Rakhine States
next chief minister, but that would
probably require a constitutional
amendment to enable the state hluttaw to choose the chief minister, who
is currently selected by the president
in Nay Pyi Taw.
U Aye Maung initially sought to

Top left: Rakhine National Party chair U Aye Maung. Bottom left: U Aye Thar Aung, the former leader of the Arakan League
for Democracy. Above right: The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party crest and flag on display at an office in Mrauk Oo
prior to the RNDP/ALD merger. Photos: Staff; Adam Jones

run in Pauktaw, in the states north,

but faced opposition from the partys
vice chair, U Khine Pyi Soe, who is a
Pauktaw resident and plans to run in
that constituency this year.
The deputy leader said he and
other party members want U Aye
Maung to remain a Pyidaungsu Hluttaw representative, as the party has
no other obvious leader in Nay Pyi
Taw.
But they also believe that he has
become too close to the Pyidaungsu
Hluttaw Speaker, Thura U Shwe
Mann, who heads the rival Union
Solidarity and Development Party
(USDP).
I disagreed with Dr Aye Maung
because he believes in the government, especially Thura U Shwe

Mann, U Khine Pyi Soe said.

U Khine Pyi Soe said U Aye
Maung told a recent party meeting that Thura U Shwe Mann had
promised to help him become chief

The current
situation is very
volatile. There have
been attacks by some
party members.
U Aye Maung
Rakhine National Party

minister of Rakhine State, although

this could not be independently verified yesterday.
After the setback in Pauktaw,
U Aye Maung then identified Munaung, an island off the southern
coast of Rakhine State, as a potential constituency, despite the fact
that party rules state a candidate
should be from or resident in their
constituency.
However, the rules also enable
the 25-member township nomination committee to select an alternative, non-resident candidate through
a vote. The decision of the Munaung
committee to choose U Aye Maung
over his sole rival for the candidacy, U Tin Shwe, prompted some
residents and township-level central

executive committee members to

stage a protest on June 17.
The party leader told The Myanmar Times he had been selected
in Munaung because they felt they
needed a big-name candidate to defeat the big-name incumbent, U Thar
Nyunt from the USDP, who is the
state hluttaws Deputy Speaker.
The political divisions in Rakhine State are common to most ethnic minority regions of the country,
in that they are primarily between a
party that contested the 1990 election but boycotted the 2010 vote in
this case, the ALD and one that was
formed to run in 2010, the RNDP.
In most ethnic states, attempts
have been launched to merge the
competing parties, largely due to
fears that running against each other would split the vote under Myanmars first-past-the-post voting system, and give the National League
for Democracy or the USDP more
chance of victory.
But merger talks have been complicated by personality and policy
clashes, as well as Myanmars electoral rules, which require the original parties to be abolished and an
entirely new party formed. Only in
Rakhine State have parties been able
to finalise such negotiations.
This had fuelled hopes that the
RNP could gain at least 25 state
hluttaw seats later this year giving it a majority in the 47-member
house, which includes 12 military
MPs and better the RNDPs performance in 2010, when it won 18
seats.
But the merger, which began with
informal talks in May 2013 and concluded with the RNP registration in
March the following year, now appears to have been lopsided: Most
current CEC members hail from the
RNDP, and some former ALD members have quit the new grouping
altogether.
Though originally named as joint
chair of the RNP together with U
Aye Maung, ALD leader U Aye Thar
Aung was then effectively edged out
and no longer has a senior position
within the party. However, he plans
to contest a state hluttaw seat for
Myebon in this years election.
He declined to wade into the conflict when contacted on June 23.
Most of the senior executives of
the RNP are former RNDP. I hope
that they can handle this situation,
he said.
U Than Tun, a prominent politician from Sittwe, said the chaos in
the RNP was good for the USDP.
If the USDP can convince prominent public figures to run against
the RNP, people will likely vote for
them, he said. In 2010, the Rakhine
people were focused on only one party the RNDP. It was the only choice,
and it was very strong. But now the
situation has changed.

8 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 26, 2015

USDP rep prompts anger

with anti-gay Facebook rant
MP U Hla Swe boasts of having forced homosexuals to serve as porters while a Tatmadaw officer in 1980-1981

LUN MIN MANG

lunmin.lm@gmail.com

KYAW
PHONE
KYAW
k.phonekyaw@gmail.com

A PROMINENT ruling party MP has

outraged the gay and lesbian community by posting on social media
about his hatred for gay people, and
revealing that he forced homosexuals to work as porters when he was
serving in the military.
Amyotha Hluttaw representative
U Hla Swe, MP for Magwe Regions
No 12 constituency, dismissed homosexuals as useless and fake
people.
Activists in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement immediately criticised the
comments of the MP, a former lieutenant colonel in the military who
represents the Union Solidarity and
Development Party.
I condemn his deed. He is
spreading hate speech. MPs are supposed to make laws to protect peoples rights, said Ko Phyo Thit Lu,
from human rights education NGO
Colours Rainbow. There are many
gays workings as doctors, engineers and so forth, he added.
Ko Hla Myint Tun, the head of
communications for Colours Rainbow, said rights activists would
report U Hla Swe to Facebook for
spreading hate speech. He should
take responsibility for his actions.
This is shocking. In other countries,
he would be forced to make a public
apology, he said.
Contacted for a comment by
The Myanmar Times, U Hla Swe
responded with a profanity before
hanging up.
The row began when U Hla Swe
posted a response to a man he said
had abused him on social media. I
checked his Facebook account and
found that he had attacked me because he is gay, he wrote, adding,
I hate gays very much because
they are useless. I call them fake
people.
He was apparently responding
to a post from a man called Sar Du
Gyi who called U Hla Swe a son of
a bitch.
U Hla Swe published a screen
grab of Sar Du Gyis friends, saying,
Look his gay friends.
In his post, U Hla Swe claimed
that as a military officer in 1980-1981
he had deliberately forced homosexuals to serve as military porters, a

Palaung
political
leaders
missing

U Hla Swe brandishes his phone in parliament yesterday. Photo: Thiri

practice internationally criticised as

a war crime. He said he forced them
to shout, We wont live as gays anymore, before releasing them from
their forced labour.
U Aung Myo Min, an executive
director of rights-promoting NGO
Equality Myanmar, said something
is wrong with the MP.
Homosexuality is not a mental
illness homophobia is, he said,
adding, I dont know why he hates
gays, but something is wrong.
But the post angered not only activists. While a few Facebook users
agreed with his views, the majority of the approximately 400 comments posted condemned the rant.
MP, your brain is less mature than a

13-year-old boy, said user Hein Htet

Aung.

[U Hla Swe] is
spreading hate
speech. MPs are
supposed to make
laws to protect
peoples rights.
Ko Phyo Thit Lu
Colours Rainbow

Ko Ko Maung described the post

as vulgar, while Ko Lay Zay responded, Please, youre an MP: control your manners, dont be childish.
U Hla Swe is well known as a prolific and outspoken user of Facebook,
and has even published a book of his
favourite posts.
In 2013, during a hluttaw debate
on peace talks with the Kachin Independence Army, he said, If we cant
try to build peace by offering our
hands, we should use bullets a remark that was condemned by Kachin
parliamentarians.
Facebook has recruited Myanmar
staff to check users posts for hate
speech, but the post remained online
at print time yesterday.

THE Taang (Palaung) National

Party has sent two senior members to Mong Kung, Shan State, to
investigate the disappearance of
the chair and secretary of the local branch established there. The
two were reportedly abducted
by armed men on June 19, three
weeks after the new office was
opened.
The missing chair has been
identified as U Mai Aung Kham,
but no name has been given for
the secretary. Some party members there told us that the two
were taken by an armed group,
said U Mai Ohn Khaing, the partys deputy secretary.
Mong Kung, a township in
southern Shan State, is a hotbed
of armed-group activity. Some
local media have reported that
the two party leaders may have
been detained by the Restoration
Council of Shan State, which has
troops in the area.
The RCSS has denied the accusations, but spokesperson Colonel
Sai La told The Myanmar Times
the group would look into the
matter. If it is true, we will find
out who ordered it done and will
take action against anyone involved in the abduction, he said.
U Mai Ohn Khaing refused to
comment on possible reasons for
the disappearance.
Some may think the armed
groups in the area dont like the
party being there. But in the absence of detailed information, I
dont want to speculate, he said.
The party has reported the disappearance to local authorities.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out
yesterday between the Taang National Liberation Army and government troops between Kwinslan
and Panglao villages in Kyaukme
township, Shan State. The TNLA
says it sustained no casualties in
the three-hour exchange of fire,
while the Tatmadaw has not confirmed casualty figures.
We have been observing
the movements of government
troops for the past month, said
Mai Aik Kyaw, a member of the
TNLA communications team.
The government has been
reinforcing its units in the area
and we have our own regular activities there. When troops from
both sides accidently meet in the
forest, fighting happens, he said.

South Korea to fund government policy think tank

SANDAR LWIN
sdlsandar@gmail.com
SOUTH Korea is funding the early
stages of a government think tank in
Nay Pyi Taw, amid hopes that it can
replicate in Myanmar its own recent
history of rapid economic development. The Myanmar Development
Institute (MDI) could begin to operate
within two months, sources close to
the project said yesterday.
The two governments signed an
agreement to launch the institute last
year, and the US$20 million set aside
for the initial operation of the institute
until 2019 will be provided by the Korea International Cooperation Agency
(KOICA).
The Korea Development Institute

(KDI), a leading South Korean government think tank, will provide

technical and preliminary operational assistance.
The preparatory task force for the
MDI is being led by presidential economic advisers U Aung Tun Thet and
U Zaw Oo. South Korean representatives and members of the task force
have been assigned to the Ministry of
the Presidents Office to get the institute up and running.
KDI is at the heart of South Koreas development, and MDI will do
the same here, U Aung Tun Thet said
on June 19.
A plot near Junction Nay Pyi Taw
shopping mall in Nay Pyi Taws Zeyathiri township has been earmarked for
the project, a source close to the project

said. As soon as the land is registered,

temporary offices will be built.
In a couple of months, we will
start allocating Korean researchers
and staff, as well as consultants like
MDRI [Myanmar Development Resource Institute], said Kim Tae Young,
program officer from the KDI School
of Public Policy and Management.
Construction of the permanent
buildings of MDI will start sometime
this year and take at least one year,
he added.
To recruit staff, KOICA and KDI
have established a scholarship program for public policy and management-related subjects, covering both
masters and doctorate courses, over
the next three years. Scholarship recipients have to work for MDI for at

least two years, and will be paid a salary comparable to that of international
organisations.
KDI is closely working with international organisations like ADB,
the World Bank, UNDP, et cetera,
said Mr Kim.
KDI researchers will conduct joint
research with local organisations in
five public-service areas: macro-economics in finance, trade and investment in industries, governance and
public-sector development, and social
development, including healthcare
and labour, he said.
U Aung Tun Thet said the institute
was designed to provide public policy
solutions to the government.
There are many problems in our
country due to weaknesses in public

policy, including serious traffic congestion and the degradation of universities. Thats why the government decided to establish the institute, he said.
Professor Sang Woo Nam, who led
the KDI delegation, said, In many
countries, including Korea, China
and Vietnam, there are government
think tanks and research institutes
helping the government make the
right policies. Surprisingly, Myanmar did not have one. We believe
that the establishment of MDI will
make a great contribution to good
policy-making.
KDI will also train the permanent
secretaries of government ministries
and pave the way to linking MDI research to improving policy-making
procedures.

News 9

www.mmtimes.com

Views

Call for headscarf ban is another

attack on the rights of women
FIONA
MACGREGOR
fionamacgregor@hotmail.co.uk

ROPOSALS to ban Muslim

schoolgirls in Myanmar
from wearing headscarves
raise further concerns that
womens rights are being
oppressed by certain monks.
At a conference in Yangon last
weekend, the Organisation for the
Protection of Race and Religion
the group of monks known as Ma Ba
Tha said the headscarves were not
in line with school discipline.
While some may see the full body
and face coverings worn by some
Muslim women as a sign of female
subjugation, for many women the
wearing of a headscarf is a sign of a
modesty.
Whether one agrees with the
religious and cultural ideals behind
such coverings, to force someone to
expose parts of their body in public
against their will is a serious move
and one which could be regarded as
a violation of rights.
Of course Myanmar is not the
only country seeking to prevent
girls and women from donning
religious veils or headscarves in
certain situations.
A number of nations do not
allow the wearing of full religious
veils in various state settings. Few
apply this to simple headscarves.
However, in France, a country
where separation of state and religion is enshrined in the law, a ban
in state schools on Muslim headscarves along with other conspicuous religious symbols was
introduced in 2004.
The French ban has continued
to be controversial, but within the
context of excluding other religious
symbols in schools, ostensibly at
least, it applies equally to all faiths.
Any such ban in Myanmar
where a large number of children get

their education by becoming nuns

or monks and donning the religious
garb and shaved heads that symbolise their status would obviously be
discriminatory.
However, the issue, whether being
debated in Myanmar or Europe, is
one not just of religious and cultural
intolerance but also of subjugating
womens rights.
The banning of Islamic coverings
is often defended on the grounds
that they represent a form of gender
oppression.
But those outside Muslim
countries who find it offensive that
some women are expected to hide
themselves to such a degree should
consider that in most countries
in the world women are expected,
including sometimes by law, to cover
parts of themselves where men are
not.
Whether thats European women
being expected to keep their tops
covered on sweltering days while
overweight men with noticeable
breasts jiggle freely across the park,
or Southeast Asian women facing similar restraints as their male
counterparts hoist up their t-shirts
to their armpits to seek out a cooling
breeze, theres a disparity in attitudes
toward bodies.
Many women seem content with
these norms, others object to them,
but it cannot be argued they apply to
both sexes equally.

It would seem the

principal aim of
the call for the ban
on headscarves in
school is to imply
that Muslims
are outsiders in
Myanmar.

Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

Girls attend the Muslim Youth Forum in Yangon in February 2014.

I do not support any religion or

culture that forces women to remain
hidden, whether that involves them
being made to stay in their homes,
or being barred from going out with
their faces and bodies veiled.
But equally, I do not support any
religion or culture that forces women
to be exposed against their will.
The key issue here is the forcing.
Those who would suggest that
womens breasts or legs are somehow intrinsically more in need of
coverage than their hair are forgetting that its all a matter of cultural
perspective.
The common defence that religious coverings offend or threaten
dominant cultures or faiths in
particular countries fails to recognise what it would mean if applied
in reverse.
It would seem the principal aim
of the call for the ban on headscarves in school is to imply that

Muslims are outsiders in Myanmar,

regardless of how many generations
of their families have lived here.
But even in the case of recent immigrants or visitors, people should
have the right to have their bodies
treated with respect and dignity.

Would those who seek to prevent

Muslim girls in Myanmar from keeping their hair covered support young
Buddhist women of Myanmar origin
being forced to wear bikinis for
swimming lessons if visiting other
countries?
To give a personal example, while
staying in a village of the Bonda
people in Orissa one of Indias
last remaining naked tribes where
women wear only a narrow band of
cloth across their loins and strings
of beads over their breasts nobody
expected me to wander around in a
similar state of undress.
Indeed, on the day it was decided
that I should entertain the community (and myself ) by appearing
Bonda-style, my hosts were insistent
I keep my underwear on in order to
protect my modesty.
Nakedness is an important part
of Bonda culture and one which
is facing considerable threat from
their encroaching Hindu neighbours.
The Bonda are not renowned for
their refined treatment of women,
but nevertheless they saw no need to
violate any ideas I might have about
keeping my body covered in order to
secure their own traditions.
Cultural sensitivity is important
in all settings, but it should work
both ways, and protecting ones race
and religion should not require girls
and young women to expose any
part of their body against their will.

10 THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 26, 2015

BUSINESS EDITOR: Jeremy Mullins | jeremymullins7@gmail.com

Business

Exchange Rates (June 25 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar

Buying
K1233
K295
K819
K32.8
K1116

Selling
K1253
K306
K833
K35
K1119

Nay Pyi Taws

hotel conundrum
With Myanmars 2014 hosting of the ASEAN chair and 2013 SEA Games finished, the
capital has a surfeit of hotels. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism aims to transform
the city into a conventions hub but not all believe it will be successful

A jaywalker dares to cross a Nay Pyi Taw road. The city is known for its impressive infrastructure, and less appreciated for its cultural highlights. Photo: Thiri Lu

CLARE
HAMMOND
clarehammo@gmail.com

AFTER an extensive building binge,

as the jubilation of hosting two major
regional events subsides the government is seriously assessing how best
to attract people to Nay Pyi Taws hotels. As the citys 10-year anniversary
approaches, it remains disconnected
from the world. The question is becoming ever more critical what next?
There has to be a two-track approach to solving the Nay Pyi Taw problem and its a very, very big problem,
lets not kid ourselves, said Magnus
Bartlett, chair of Odyssey Publications,
which is working with the Ministry of
Hotels and Tourism (MoHT) on a campaign to promote the city as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).
Weve got to be visionary but at the
same time weve got to have a fast-track
short-term plan, if the government
wants a capital city that is taken seriously around the world, he said.
Hotel construction has been one
of the citys major industries over the
past few years. Local companies were
asked to build accommodation at top
speed in three specially designated hotel zones in preparation for the 2013
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the
2014 Asean chairship.
As a result, the number of hotel
rooms more than doubled, from 2111
in 33 hotels at the end of 2012 to more
than 5000 rooms in 62 hotels as of midJune, according to MoHT deputy director U Hlaing Oo.
But due to the speed of construction
the government deadlines for completion were non-negotiable many
of the lower-grade hotels are shoddily
built. Although no comprehensive data
is available, average occupancy rates
range from 43 percent at Kempinski
Hotel to below 20pc elsewhere. To exacerbate the problem, almost 30 more
hotels are under construction, according to MoHT sources.
Nay Pyi Taw is a very challenging
market. Anybody who thinks differently is very naive. Its a very tough place
to do business. If youre in for the short
term you very much should consider
being somewhere else, said William

Costley, vice president of operations for

Southeast Asia at Hilton Worldwide,
which opened a Nay Pyi Taw hotel in
October last year.
International operators in Nay Pyi
Taw such as Accor, Hilton and Kempinski have not invested their own capital into the hotels and have less to lose
from low occupancy rates. However,
local owners, who invested equity in
the projects, have lost out and will continue to do so. Hotels in Nay Pyi Taw
are not money well spent, said Curtis
S Chin, former US ambassador to the
Asian Development Bank.
Like the roads and ministry buildings in Nay Pyi Taw, many hotels were
built by local conglomerates at the
request of the government, in return
for concessions that included vehicle
import licences and land elsewhere in
the country.
Owners now use their properties to
entertain ministers and businesspeople, as well as to host the occasional
conference, according to expatriates in
Nay Pyi Taw. Aside from this, many of
the hotels are at times largely empty.
But this shouldnt be the case, said
Franck Droin, general manager of the
Kempinski Hotel Nay Pyi Taw.
We need to show people what
there is here. If people havent seen
something, they wont know that they
want it. Nay Pyi Taw is the centre of
Myanmar and there are many places
around here to visit. This city is perfect
for the curious traveller, he said. It is
interesting in this regard. It was built
in secret. It has a park in the shape
of Myanmar, a safari and a gems museum. It can be used as a base for day
trips, as it is just a four-hour drive from
Bagan and Mandalay.
Protected areas around Bagan and
Inle Lake should not be overloaded
with hotels, he said. Its important to
consider the footprint and consider the
options for sustainable tourism before
its too late, he said.
However, others believe the dream
of Nay Pyi Taw as a tourist destination
is farfetched due to how the city is perceived overseas. I created a two-day
itinerary for Nay Pyi Taw, when I was
a product manager for Tour Mandalay,
and a US client said my proposal had
discredited our company in their eyes.
They said that this is not a destination
for leisure tourists. I think nothing has
really changed since then, said hospitality and tourism manager Marek
Lenarcik.

While the government is considering promoting domestic tourism and

has opened parliament to visitors, its
primary focus is on developing Nay
Pyi Taw as an international conference
destination, through a campaign entitled MICE is NICE.
Business tourism
Making this city a MICE destination
is the right thing. It is the youngest
capital in the world. It has sufficient
facilities and infrastructure, said Daw
Khaing Mee Mee Htun, director of international and regional cooperation
development at the MoHT.
The ministry, in collaboration with
several parties, is developing a website
called Travel Nay Pyi Taw, which will include an events directory in 20 languages, and will allow companies to send
enquiries directly to the hotels and conference centres. I have been suggesting
that we hold events like Formula One
sports tournaments, tennis, golf and
music concerts, as we have great stadiums here in Nay Pyi Taw, said Steven
Htut, who is building the website.
The MoHT should work with five or
six other ministries, including the Ministry of Transport, to realise the importance to the capital of a vibrant business travel industry, said Mr Bartlett.

Weve got to be
visionary but at the
same time weve got
to have a fast-track
short-term plan,
if the government
wants a capital
city that is taken
seriously around the
world.
Magnus Bartlett
Odyssey Publications

However, some are cautious about

Nay Pyi Taws potential as a MICE destination, as they believe it will involve
too much government intervention.

Earlier this month, Sphere Conferences held a forum on hotels and tourism
that was moved to Nay Pyi Taw at the
request of the MoHT.
The Union minister this morning welcomed you all, but why are you
here? Well actually because he intervened and said the conference should
be here and not in Yangon, said Mr
Chin, during a speech. If they want you
to have a meeting here, you will, but
this is not how business should happen.
To me, Nay Pyi Taw is an example of a
market driven by the government and
not by business projections.
Even during the SEA Games, one of
the two occasions in which hotels were
supposedly fully booked, the Ministry of
Sports bought all the rooms, according
to a businessperson who attended the
event. No one could book rooms directly or choose which hotel they stayed
in. It all had to go through the ministry,
which allocated rooms. My hotel was
40pc empty, he said.
Another challenge to developing
the city as a MICE destination is a
lack of developed supply chains. Hotel chefs said that they have waited
for months at a time for deliveries of
tomatoes, cream, cheese and meat.
Many bring their own supplies by car
from Yangon.
The head chef at a major hotel said
that he has resorted to buying his own
pigs. We are out of cream and have
been told it will come, but not for two
months, he said. The owner of a Yangon restaurant said he opened a Nay
Pyi Taw branch but had to close it due
to problems with obtaining regular
supplies.
A tough road to follow
To begin to attract people to Nay Pyi
Taw, the most important thing is to develop transport routes, said hotels and
tourism minister U Htay Aung, during
the conference last week.
We have to relax regulations.
Nay Pyi Taw International Airport at
the moment is just a name, he said.
We need to incentivise airlines to
come, [by removing] navigation fees
and landing fees. We are very lucky
to receive Bangkok Airways, but they
are worried about return passengers.
Also if it becomes easier to get here by
bus or train that will be very helpful to
get volumes. More people equals more
positive feedback, he said.
Bangkok Airways operates the only
international flight to Nay Pyi Taw,

which runs five times a week from

Thailands capital. Relatively few domestic airlines fly to Nay Pyi Taw
Serge Puns FMI Air Charter provides
the most frequent service, but charges
high rates of around US$320 for a return flight. APEX Airlines flies once a
day and Asian Wings flies four times a
week from Yangon.
Expensive flights are a disincentive
to hold events in Nay Pyi Taw, said a
Yangon-based businessperson. We
hold our corporate events in Ngwe
Saung [a beach in Myanmars Ayeyarwady Region]. I wouldnt fly my whole
team up here for $320 a head, he said.
Encouraging low-cost airlines to
operate flights to Nay Pyi Taw is a challenge, said Mr Bartlett. I talk to the
airlines and theyre not interested in
even considering coming here. They
say, bring us the traffic and then we will
come, he said. Low cost carrier AirAsia
stopped its service to Nay Pyi Taw due to
low demand.
CONTINUED ON BUSINESS 12

Correction
The June 25 article Indian gate
closed for unusually long time
included a statement attributed
to Indian embassy deputy chief of
mission Silas Thangal stating special forces from 21 Para crossed
into Myanmar on June 8. This
statement is incorrect and was included due to an editing error.
Mr Thangal actually said, As far
as the operation along the border
is concerned, India and Myanmar
have signed an MoU on Border
Cooperation in 2014, which covers
cooperation against insurgencies,
transnational crimes, and trafficking of all sorts across our border.
The MoU include a provision for
coordinated petrol on either sides
of the boundary and regular interaction to maintain peace and
stability along the border. In response to the June 4 attack in India
Myanmar and India are presently
cooperating to prevent repetition
of such incidents in line with Myanmars policy of not tolerating any
rebel groups against its neighbours
from its soil.
The Myanmar Times regrets the
error.

12 Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 26, 2015

Companies eye
LNG potential
AUNG
SHIN
koshumgtha@gmail.com

IMPORTS of liquefied natural gas

(LNG) are likely to begin in the future
due to growing energy demand in the
country, according to officials.
Although Myanmar produces over 2
billion cubic feet of natural gas a day,
the majority of that is contracted to
Thailand and China.
Natural gas production at some of
our offshore fields has been declining.
The other blocks are still in exploration,
and newly awarded blocks will take
time, said U Min Min Oo, a director at
the Ministry of Energy.
It will be compulsory that we use
LNG, due to rising energy demand.
LNG is natural gas that is cooled
to about -160 degrees Celsius, which
shrinks the fuel by a factor of 600 to
make it easier to store and to ship.
The energy ministries of Myanmar
and Thailand signed a memorandum
of understanding on June 15 in Nay
Pyi Taw to enhance ties in the energy
sector. A follow-up statement by Myanmars Ministry of Energy said the two
ministries had agreed to closer cooperation in energy-related businesses,
including cross-border pipelines and
development of LNG import capability.
U Min Min Oo said one of the agreements with Thailand is to cooperate in
the initial feasibility study of LNG development. He added it does not necessarily mean the LNG business is to start
with Thailand.
At the moment, we havent decided
yet whether [the Ministry of Energy]
will proceed alone or do it as a joint
venture with a foreign partner, he said.
U Min Min Oo added there will be international bidding for LNG imports to
meet the demand gap.
Myanmars current energy demand
is expected to more than double from
current rates by 2025. Official estimates
say Myanmar will need installed capacity of 23,594 megawatts by 2030 to meet
the goal of 100 percent electrification,
while current installed capacity is only
4987MW. It is also expected to double
its current oil consumption to 42,000
barrels per day by 2025.
About one-third of current generation is from gas-fired power plants,
with hydro being the largest source of
energy. A total of 13 state-owned and

privately run gas-fired plants are operating, though they periodically face fuel
shortages.
A Ministry of Electric Power official
said about 210 million cubic feet per
day of natural gas is earmarked for Yangon power, while about 2 billion cubic
feet per day is exported.
Theres not enough gas to develop
more gas-fired plants at present, the official said.
The Ministry of Electric Power has
been signing agreements to build more
power plants, to be developed by local
and foreign firms.
Singaporean firm Sembcorp Industries won a contract in April to develop
a 225MW gas-fired plant in Myingyan
near Mandalay. Japanese firm Marubeni
Corporation will also develop a 400MW
plant in Thanlyin near Yangon. The
Ministry of Electric Power official said
it will obtain about 56mmcfd of natural
gas from the Shwe Gas project, which
will be use to fuel the Myingyan plant
and a separate one at Kyaukpyu.
Ensuring there is enough gas to generate electricity for Yangon is a main

It will be
compulsory that
we use LNG, due
to rising energy
demand.
U Min Min Oo
Ministry of Energy

concern of the ministry. We will need

300-400mmcfd of natural gas in the
next years, he said. Importing LNG
is one of the options. We are going to
invite private companies to do this
through a tender.
Companies from China, Korea, Japan, Norway, Singapore and Thailand
have already proposed investing into
LNG development in Myanmar. Ministry of Energy officials say some of them
have already completed feasibility studies. LNG requires specialised terminals
for shipping and receiving. Potential
areas for LNG facilities are Yangon,
Pathein, Dawei and Kyaukpyu in Rakhine State, said U Min Min Oo.
None of these proposed LNG projects have yet received Myanmar government approval, though insiders say
it is expected to happen shortly.

Nay Pyi Taws hotel conundrum

CONTINUED FROM BUSINESS 10
As a result of so few flights, Asia World
Companys subsidiary Pioneer Aerodrome Services, which operates the
airport, has not made a profit since it
opened in 2011. Asia World repeatedly
advised the government to abandon
the project, even while it was being
built, according to research firm Thura Swiss. Local media reports have
said it has since asked the Department of Civil Aviation to take back the
airport, to prevent the company from
suffering severe financial losses.
To reach the capital, tourists and
businesspeople have few other options. The train from Yangon takes 10
hours. The motorway connecting Nay
Pyi Taw with Yangon and Mandalay is
known as the Death Highway due to
the number of fatal accidents since it
opened in 2009.
The Ministry of Construction
has called a tender to upgrade the
road, and plans to police it better,
but in the meantime the motorway
continues to be shared by cattle, motorbikes, farm vehicles and the occasional pedestrian.
Draining funds
Even if the transport systems and
supply chains are improved, to attract
visitors, Nay Pyi Taw needs a unique
selling point, said Mr Bartlett.
The problem is that our corporate friends enjoy atmosphere, added
Thomas Kyaw Min Htin, executive
committee member of the Myanmar
Tourism Federation. They say, Hey,
your city is like a resort, but we have
nothing to do at night, no music, bar,
nightlife. Of course there are shopping places, but not for foreign visitors, he said.
However, building new facilities
and launching a marketing campaign
will require yet more spending, said
Mr Chin. For Nay Pyi Taw to become
a business or leisure tourist destination it will require significant investment, and the government has many
projects more important than this,
he said.
Even U Htay Aung expressed some
doubt about the practicality of the
MICE project. Are we already committed to developing [the city] as a
tourism destination? If yes, we can do
everything, but there are many obstacles, he said, during the conference in
Nay Pyi Taw.
Nay Pyi Taw has already been a
huge burden on the countrys budget.
Although the total cost is not public
information, estimates suggest it was
built at a cost of $4 billion, and while
much of this was shouldered by the
private sector, the public sector budget also took a hit.
Instead of injecting revenues into

Traffic jams are not usually

a problem in Nay Pyi Taw.
Photo: Thiri Lu

programs that would benefit the country the government squandered the
money to build up Nay Pyi Taw, much
of which is already crumbling, wrote
Shari Villarosa, charg daffaires for
the US embassy in Myanmar, according to a cable from 2007 leaked by
WikiLeaks.
Today, the spending continues.
In February, MP U Myat Nyarna Soe
told the Amyotha Hluttaw that money
invested in Nay Pyi Taws giant road
network and other infrastructure
was being wasted. This aggressive
development should stop, he said,
adding that it had also fuelled conflict
over land.
He said the low number of visitors
to the capital showed that it was not
a tourist destination, while industry
was also unviable because it was too
far from a major port. Nay Pyi Taw is
neither a commercial city nor a manufacturing [centre]. Its just an administrative capital, he said, as reported by
The Myanmar Times.
The annual budget for Nay Pyi Taw,
directly controlled by the president,
has been a matter of heated debate in
parliament, as it remains much higher
than budgets for the other states and
regions.
Lateral thinking
To attract people to the city while
avoiding another round of needless
spending, the government needs to
think differently, according to commentators, and consider how best to
use the existing facilities. Once the
projects under construction are complete, the city will have more than 90
hotels.
I have no idea why they didnt
design the SEA Games accommodation to be transformable into
student housing and open a university there or a civil service training
school once the need had passed,
rather than force the construction
of all these hotels by now-disgruntled construction companies, said a

Yangon-based businessperson.
Mr Chin pointed out that in other
countries, facilities built for large
events are often rethought afterward.
In London, for example, affordable
housing has been built on the Olympic Games site. But here, at the moment, there is no plan to turn Nay Pyi
Taws hotels into anything other than
hotels, he said.
Some at the conference said they
believe that Nay Pyi Taw would make
a good vocational training centre for
young people. Daw Khaing Mee Mee
Htun said that the MoHT was taking
the lead on this, and that there is an
idea to host students from around the
country.
Due to a lack of vocational training schools, the hotels currently train
their own staff, many of which have
never worked in the hotel industry
before. In the beginning the workers
were not so interested, but now they
are and they love to work the passion has increased a lot, said Tun Tun
Naing, assistant manager at the Kempinski Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw.
The hotels are very good for developing people. Theres a fantastic attitude, but you can only grow as fast
as you have talent, said Mr Droin.
However, others such as Mr Bartlett have even bigger visions for attracting people to the city. To me it
isnt a hopeless case. We could turn
this into the greatest campus city in
the world. Why dont we bring the
universities here Chinese, Indian,
French, German, Australian. Theres
the room and theres the quality of life
here, he said.
He also suggested developing Nay
Pyi Taw as a centre for pan-Asian conflict resolution, or running an international competition for urban planners.
If we dont do something very dramatic and different, I dont think its
ever going to work. But if that vision is
there and the young people here can
see that, then I think something very
exciting could happen here, he said.

International Business 13

www.mmtimes.com
GENEVA

SEOUL

Solar
plane
grounded
in Japan
A SOLAR-POWERED plane attempting to fly around the world
must cross the Pacific within a few
weeks or it could remain stuck in
Japan for a year, its pilot said in an
interview published yesterday.
Solar Impulse 2, which has been
stranded in Japan for three weeks
and had to postpone a planned
take-off this week due to bad weather over the Pacific, only has a short
window for making the next leg of
its journey, one of its two pilots,
Bertrand Piccard, told the Tribune
de Geneve daily.
By early August, the days will become too short for the solar-driven
plane to cross the Pacific, and subsequently the Atlantic Ocean, safely,
he said.
Before August 5, we must have
crossed the Pacific or the Atlantic,
Mr Piccard said, adding that if the
team is unable to do so they will have
to find a permanent hangar where the
fragile aircraft can pass the winter.
If the plane makes it to the
United States, it can easily pass the
winter there before crossing the
Atlantic to complete its aroundthe-world trip, since the team has a
permanent hanger in New York, Mr
Piccard said.

[Solar Impulse 2
can] fly through
clouds for 10 hours,
but after that it needs
blue skies to recharge
its batteries.
Bernard Piccard
Solar Impulse 2 pilot

His partner, Andre Borschberg,

had been scheduled to take off with
the plane from the central Japanese
city of Nagoya early June 24 bound
for Hawaii, on the latest and most
ambitious leg of a bid to circumnavigate the globe using only power
from the sun.
But after a few agonising hours
poring over meteorological forecasts covering the five days and five
nights the flight was expected to
take, mission chiefs pulled the plug.
There is still a cold front that
is blocking our route. Our meteorologists are constantly evaluating
alternative routes, Mr Piccard said.
He pointed out that Solar Impulse 2 can fly through clouds for
10 hours, but after that it needs
blue skies to recharge its batteries.
Otherwise, Andre will have to jump
out in a parachute.
We cant take that risk, he said.
The featherweight flying machine
was not supposed to land in Japan
on its multi-leg trip around the
globe, but bad weather en route from
Nanjing, China, to Hawaii forced a
diversion at the start of June.
Ever since, the crew has been
scouring long-range forecasts for
an opportunity to restart its recordbreaking journey.
Mr Piccard said the many sponsors footing the bill for the project had
promised to continue their support,
but added the team would need to figure out how to continue paying salaries to the roughly 150 people working
on the venture if it dragged on. AFP

S Korea warns chaebols as

Samsung fight looms
AS Samsung Groups founding family prepares for a proxy fight next
month, South Korea signalled it will
defy corporate dynasties that seek
to tighten their grip over their businesses at the expense of minority
shareholders.
The welfare ministrys National
Pension Service, the countrys largest investor, on June 24 made the
rare move of rejecting a proposed
merger within a Korean conglomerate by objecting to the combination
of two SK Group units on concern the
deal is not in the best interest of all
shareholders. The fund opposed only
about 9 percent of proposals put forward by Korean companies last year.
The decision is a blow to SKs
ruling Chey family, which sought to
solidify its holdings across the group
at a time when shareholder activism
is on the rise in Korea. The pension
fund, armed with 446 trillion won
(US$403 billion) in assets, will make
an even more closely watched decision in the coming month when the
nations biggest conglomerate, Samsung Group, puts a controversial deal
to the vote.
Its a welcome move from the NPS

and shows that its becoming more

tuned in to the issue of shareholder
value, said Chae Yi Bai, an analyst at
corporate watchdog Center for Good
Corporate Governance. The decision
is also meaningful because theres a
similar situation at Samsung.
SK, headed by jailed billionaire
Chey Tae Won, said it will push ahead
with the deal an all-stock offer from
SK C&C Co to buy out SK Holdings
Co and put the proposal up to a
shareholder vote today as planned.
Shares of both companies dropped in
Seoul trading after the pension funds
decision was announced.
According to the Ministry of
Health and Welfare, which oversees
the pension fund that owns 7.2 percent of SK Holdings, the offer was
too low. The health ministry said
the committee that advises the NPS
didnt reach a unanimous decision.
The NPSs decision is regrettable,
SK Holdings spokesperson Lee Young
Suk said, adding that other bodies
including Institutional Shareholder
Services endorsed the deal. SK will
do its utmost to boost shareholder
value, he said.
Although the pension fund is big,

Mr Chae said he expects the deal at

the nations third-largest family-run
conglomerate, known locally as the
chaebol, to go through.
A bigger and more controversial
deal is coming to a vote on July 17.
Samsung Groups Lee family,
seeking to solidify control over the
nations biggest chaebol amid a oncein-a-generation leadership transition,
is trying to complete a deal thats
similarly structured as SKs despite
opposition led by US activist investor
Paul Elliott Singer, whose funds have
said the offer is too low.
Like in the SK proposal, Samsung is seeking to merge two units
with group de-facto holding company Cheil Industries proposing to
buy Samsung C&T via an all-stock
transaction.
Cheil, whose offer has been valued
at below C&Ts share price ever since
it made the proposal in late May, was
restricted from making a higher bid
because of Korean rules requiring
such deals to be made based on a
pre-determined formula that averages prices over the preceding month.
The regulation is designed to protect
minority shareholders by preventing

family-run groups from bailing out

affiliates through exorbitantly high
offers.
The deal is important for the Lee
family, particularly heir apparent Lee
Jae Yong, because C&T holds about
$10.9 billion of shares in Samsung
Group units.
The National Pension Service,
C&Ts biggest shareholder with a
10.15pc stake, will be key in determining the outcome of the vote. Elliotts funds, which hold 7.12pc of C&T,
have vowed to oppose the deal. A
representative for Mr Singers funds
declined to comment on the pension
funds decision on SK.
And while the pension fund is
keeping mum on which way it will
vote on the Samsung deal, its decision with SK signals that its no longer a given that it will side with local
founding families.
Todays decision is a warning
sign from the NPS to the market
that the fund wont tolerate acts
that damage shareholder value,
said Lee Jin Woo, a money manager
at KTB Asset Management, which
oversees $10 billion.
Bloomberg

14 International Business
SHANGHAI

Chinese
freight
airlines to
merge
CHINA will merge its three biggest
freight airlines and build the combined entity into Asias largest air cargo operator, a top aviation official was
reported as saying.
Currently, this work [the merger]
is being actively pushed, the official
Xinhua news agency quoted Zhou
Laizhen, deputy chief of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC),
as telling an industry forum.
Chinas top three cargo operators
are the freight arm of Beijing-based
flag carrier Air China, Shanghai-based
China Cargo Airlines, and China
Southern Airlines Cargo, headquartered in the southern city of Guangzhou, said the report.
China has the worlds second-largest air transport system but its cargo
flight through-put grew just 7.8 percent last year to 135.6 million tonnes.
According to International Air
Transport Association statistics, Asias
biggest cargo airline by freight tonne
kilometres in 2014 was Hong Kongbased Cathay Pacific, followed by Korean Air. Worldwide they were number two and three behind global leader
Emirates.
The value of Chinas international air freight only accounted for 17
percent of its total trade turnover in
2014, CAAC chief Li Jiaxiang told the
June 24 forum, compared to a global
figure of 35pc.
Chinas imports slumped nearly
18pc year-on-year in May, the seventh
straight monthly decline, while exports also dropped for the third consecutive month.
Growth in the worlds second-largest economy dropped to 7.4pc in 2014,
the slowest pace in nearly a quarter of
a century, and this year has seen few
signs of any reversal in the slowing
trend. AFP

THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 26, 2015

SEOUL

Korean stimulus package

planned in the wake of MERS
SOUTH Korea yesterday announced a US$14 billion stimulus package to boost its troubled
economy, hammered by the deadly
MERS outbreak which has dented
consumer spending and business
sentiment.
In announcing the 15 trillion
won program which follows a
central bank interest rate cut to a
record low this month the finance
ministry also slashed its growth
outlook for this year.
Finance Minister Choi KyungHwan said the extra move was crucial as a recovery in Asias fourthlargest economy hinged on efforts
to quickly contain the effects of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
As of yesterday the virus had
killed 29 people and infected 151
since the first case was confirmed
on May 20, making it the worst outbreak outside Saudi Arabia.
We can say that we have overcome the MERS crisis only if our
economy rebounds, Mr Choi said,
warning that growth could come in
below 3.0 percent without support
from the extra spending.
The economy is being weighed
down by MERS, which has seriously hurt consumption and the
service sector, he said, adding the
government would use all available
resources to prop up growth, support exports and create jobs.
Mr Choi said the government
would issue bonds to fund the extra budget, the size of which will be
decided after analysing the impact
of MERS.
The finance ministry slashed
its growth forecast for this year to
3.1pc from an earlier projection of
3.8 pc.
The ministry said the MERS
outbreak could pare up to 0.3pc off
annual economic growth, vowing
to keep close tabs on rising household debt and encourage corporate

HANOI

Women wearing face masks walk past a clothes stall at a market in Seoul. Photo: AFP

restructuring that could reduce

risks to the economy.
The slowing global economic recovery and a weak yen and euro are
other risks to South Korea, it said.
As part of the package provincial authorities will be encouraged
to spend more on infrastructure
projects, while it will also be used
to help contain MERS, address the
effects of a severe drought and create more jobs.
Were trying to cope with
shocks from non-economic issues
by boosting fiscal spending sufficiently and keeping it expansionary, said Lee Chan Woo, a director
general at the ministry.

This supplementary budget is

to offset the effect of MERS, the
drought, and to help low-income
earners.
The central Bank of Korea cut
interest rates this month to a record low 1.5pc as businesses including shops, restaurants and cinemas
reported a slump in sales.
South Koreas exports fell 10.9pc
from a year earlier in May, shrinking for the fifth consecutive month.
The ministry forecast this years
exports would fall 1.5pc from a year
ago. It also lowered its inflation
outlook to 0.7pc.
South Koreas benchmark KOSPI failed to get a boost from

the governments announcement

and fell 0.02pc to 2085.06 yesterday with sentiment weakened by
stalled talks on a Greek bailout.
Yesterday, the health ministry
reported two more deaths from
MERS and one more new case of
the disease.
The two fatalities included a
65-year-old man who contracted
the virus at a hospital at the central
city of Daejon. He was diagnosed
on June 6.
The other was a 70-year-old
woman who was a relative of another infected patient. She was diagnosed on June 22.
AFP

WASHINGTON

Vietnamese lawmakers Obama receives backing of

approve controversial Congress for Asia free trade
Ho Chi Minh airport
LAWMAKERS in Vietnam voted
yesterday to build a controversial
new US$16 billion airport near Ho
Chi Minh City, as the country vies
to become one of the worlds busiest aviation hubs.
The project aims to ease airport
congestion in Vietnams business hub
and cater to an ambitious 100 million
passengers and 5 million tonnes of
cargo a year by 2050.
Building the international Long
Thanh airport has been approved
by the National Assembly with 86
percent of votes in favour, the Communist state said in a posting on its
government website, adding the new
airport would be built around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the city.
But the plan, first mooted decades earlier, has sparked vigorous
public debate in the authoritarian country, with many questioning
why the existing airport could not
be expanded.
The problem appears to be a large
golf course, owned by Vietnams powerful military, that sits right next to
the existing Tan Son Nhat Airport. The
government has ruled out expanding
onto this land.

It is very unreasonable to allow

a golf course in the airport while it
lacks parking lots for airplanes, Le
Trong Sanh, former head of the Tan
Son Nhat Airport flight management
section and a vocal critic of the Long
Thanh airport plan, has told state media. He instead supports expanding
the existing site.
According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the citys international airport already serves 20 million passengers a year and will hit the
maximum capacity of 25 million passengers by 2017.
If all goes to plan, the proposed
airport in neighbouring Dong Nai
province would turn Vietnam into a
regional aviation hub.
The projects funding will come
from the state budget, the aviation
sector, Official Development Assistance, enterprises and other sources,
the government said in its statement.
In recent years the current airport
has suffered from a string of technical
glitches including a power outage in
November 2014 that left the control
tower without radar for more than an
hour.
AFP

AFTER weeks of legislative clashes

Congress handed US President Barack
Obama a major policy victory late on
June 24, giving him authority to rapidly conclude a Pacific trade accord
vehemently opposed by many in his
party.
Bucking political tradition, the
Democratic president relied on his Republican rivals to help realise the top
economic priority of his second term:
creating a 12-nation trans-Pacific freetrade area aimed at opening new markets for US exports in countries like
Japan, Chile, Australia and Vietnam.
Mr Obamas own party has rebelled, worried about a repeat of the
1990s North American Free Trade
Agreement, which led to large numbers of manufacturing jobs going to
Mexico, where labour costs were dramatically lower.
But after a major trade package
including so-called trade promotion
authority (TPA) stalled in Congress
this month, the White House and Republican leaders secured the necessary votes to advance at least the TPA
measure.
The Senate voted 60 to 38, with 15
pro-trade Democrats joining all but five
Republicans to approve the measure.
TPA expands Mr Obamas powers

to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other trade deals and present
them to Congress for an up-or-down
vote, without lawmakers able to pick
apart the accord.
The Senate also passed a bill reinstating a worker aid program known
as Trade Adjustment Assistance
(TAA), and on trade benefits for developing nations, mainly in Africa.
The TAA measure still requires
passage by the House of Representatives, where a vote could come as early
as yesterday.
The White House has signalled
it wants both bills on the presidents
desk.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hailed TPA passage as a win
for the middle class.
Achieving this positive outcome
was never going to be easy but it
proves that the power of a good idea,
no matter where it comes from, can
win out over the stasis of gridlock, he
said.
Last week the House narrowly
passed TPA, which would remain valid
until 2021, despite furious opposition
by most Democrats.
The resistance to the trade pact
comes mainly from traditional Democratic allies, including organised

labour, environmental groups and

human rights organisations, many of
whom warn it could trigger a race to
the bottom on wages and jeopardise
environmental and rights standards.
The mechanism for resolving disputes between states and multinational corporations is also a major sticking
point in the negotiations with Brussels
as the United States and European nations hash out a huge transatlantic
trade deal.
This body should not give up its
authority to amend trade agreements,
should not pave the way for a trade
deal that looks like its going to be
more of the same: corporate handouts,
worker sellouts, Senator Sherrod
Brown, who helped lead the charge
against TPA, warned colleagues.
Fast-track authority is not new.
Every president in the last 40 years
has used it and it will allow Mr Obama
to guarantee trading partners that the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will
not be carved up in Congress.
Mr Brown scornfully noted how
NAFTA promised 200,000 jobs in two
years.
Thank you, President Bush 1, and
thank you, President Clinton, for that.
We lost 680,000 net jobs, the Democrat said. AFP

JOB WATCH
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is a Japanese governmental
organization responsible for implementing Official Development Assistance
(ODA) in developing countries such as Technical Cooperation, ODA Loans
and Grant Aid. JICA Myanmar Office is seeking Programme Assistants for its
expanded works in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
(1) Job Description for Programme Assistant: The Programme Assistant
will be responsible for:- assisting in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the
Projects and Programs
- organizing seminars and workshops
- undertaking public relations activities
- assisting in data collection, compilation, data analysis and writing reports
- handling operation and logistic matters
Eligible candidate for Program Assistant should possess following qualifications;
- University graduate
- Fluent in English (reading, writing, speaking)
- Good relationship with Myanmar governmental offices (preferably)
- Ability to work in a team and maintain harmonious relationship with other staff
- More than 5 years of working experience in the organization/s
- Age between 35~45 years (preferably)
- Good computer skills and knowledge of Word, Excel & Power Point
Duration of Assignment: From August (or) September 2015 to 31 March
2016 (negotiable), yearly renewal upon satisfactory performance
How to apply: Qualified and interested persons are requested to send the
applications with updated C.V, educational credentials and references to JICA
Myanmar Office, Room 701, 7th Floor, Sakura Tower, No. 339, Bokyoke Aung
San Road, Kyauktada Township, Yangon, not later than 24 July 2015.

N E W V A C A N C I E S A P P L Y N O W!

Note: Only short listed candidates will be contacted for subsequent interviews.

Business Development manager

Marketing manager
Sales and distribution manager
Brand manager
Logistic officer
Medical doctor
Project manager
Sales engineer
Site engineer
Chief Accountant
Accountant
HR Manager
HR Executive
Legal executive
Secretary
Passenger service agent ( airline)
Receptionist
Customer service

No. 851/853 (A/B), 3rd Floor, Room (7/8),

Bogyoke Aung San Road, Lanmadaw Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: (951) 229 437, 09 49 227 773, 09 730 94007
Email: esearch@yangon.net.mm, esearch.myanmar@gmail.com
www.esearchmyanmar.com
www.facebook.com/esearchmyanmar

16 THE MYANMAR TIMES JUNE 26, 2015

World

17

WORLD EDITOR: Fiona MacGregor

Counting the cost:

South Koreas
landmine victims

Vietnams
moonbears freed
from bile farms

WORLD 18

WORLD 19

SEOUL

KATHMANDU

Dismember the gangster

US imperialists: N Korea

Nepal assures aid will reach victims

NORTH Korea urged the world to join

its struggle to dismember the gangster US imperialists in a statement
released yesterday to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean
War.
The Stalinist states National Defence Commission (NDC) made the
appeal 65 years on from the beginning
of the war, which the North maintains
was started by the United States.
We appeal to the world to turn out
in the worldwide anti-US struggle to
dismember the gangster US imperialists, said the statement carried by
Pyongyangs official Korean Central
News Agency (KCNA).
The English-language statement
continued, Asia should turn out to cut
off the US right hand, Africa should
rise up to cut off the US left land, the
Mid-east has to cut off the US ankles
and Europe has to cut off the US neck.
It called on all nations to pool efforts to dismember the fatty monster
US imperialists.
The US is just like a paper tiger
easy to be crushed and set on fire.
The statement went on to claim
that the US launched the war in the
1950s with the intention of wiping out
the North and stretching the tentacles of aggression to the vast areas of
China and the former Soviet Union.
US ambition still lingers on the
Korean peninsula as a ghost of aggression and war, which is reflected in the
countrys hostile policy toward the
North and its plans to lay siege to the

Asian continent, it said.

Far from drawing a lesson from
the defeat in the war in the 1950s, the
US has intensified isolation, blockade
and suffocation of the DPRK [North
Korea] in a bid to ignite the second
Korean war.
It said the North was ready for a
conventional war, nuclear war and cyber warfare.
The only way for the US to take is
to make apology before the army and
people of the DPRK and hoist a white
flag.
The Korean War of 1950-53 started
with a massive North Korean attack
across the 38th parallel, along which
the Korean peninsula was divided into
the Communist North and the capitalist South.
It soon developed into an international war, drawing in the United
States and its allies on the Souths side
and China on the Norths side.
About 1 million South Koreans
were killed or wounded, while casualties among North Korean civilians are
estimated to be 1.5 million.
Some 140,000 South Korean soldiers died in action and 450,000 others were wounded. Casualties among
North Korean and Chinese soldiers
are believed to be much higher.
More than 40,000 US soldiers were
killed and some 100,000 wounded.
As the conflict ended with a fragile
armistice rather than a peace treaty,
the two Koreas are still, technically, at
war. AFP

Photo: AFP

BEIJING

Chinese child-buyers to
face prosecution
COUPLES who buy abducted children
in China will face criminal punishment under proposed laws that would
remove their exemption from prosecution, reports said yesterday, as authorities clamp down on the flourishing
child trafficking industry.
More than 13,000 children were
rescued by police in China last year,
the China Daily said, with demand for
stolen youngsters fuelled by a traditional preference for sons and a onechild limit for some couples.
Current law imposes harsh sentences for child trafficking, including
the death penalty in certain cases.
Buyers of kidnapped children can
be sentenced to up to three years in
jail, but are exempt from criminal proceedings if they have not abused the
children or obstructed efforts to rescue them.
The revised criminal law will increase penalties for those who buy
children, the state-run newspaper
said, without specifying potential
sentences.
Buyers would receive a less severe
penalty if they did not abuse the child
or attempt to hinder rescue efforts, it
added.
Child trafficking has grown into
a huge problem in China, where this
year alone police have broken up several criminal gangs found keeping babies in disused mortuaries and factories where pregnant women were kept
before selling their newborns.
Almost 13,000 people involved
in human trafficking were punished

IN PICTURES

between 2010 and last year, the China

Daily said, citing the Supreme Peoples
Court.
More than half of those convicted
received sentences ranging from five
years in prison to death.
The new criminal law was submitted on June 24 to the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas rubber-stamp
parliament.
Other revisions include harsher
punishments for those involved in
cults or superstitious activities, and
widening the list of activities which
can be defined as terrorism, state
news agency Xinhua said.
China has previously cracked down
harshly on groups it labels cults,
most notably the Falungong spiritual
movement, which was banned in the
late 1990s.
More recently the outlawed Quannengshen, which can be translated as
the Church of Almighty God, has been
targeted.
A father and daughter who belonged to Quannengshen were executed in February, having been convicted
of beating a woman to death at a McDonalds restaurant, reportedly after
she rebuffed their attempts to recruit
her.
China has also rolled out tough
measures to confront what it labels
terrorism in the largely Muslim region of Xinjiang, sentencing to death
scores of people while hundreds have
been jailed or detained.
AFP

South Korean relatives of the war dead wear traditional costumes as they attend a memorial service to mark the 65th anniversary of
the outbreak of the Korean War in Seoul on June 25. The Korean peninsula is the worlds last Cold War frontier as Stalinist North
Korea and pro-Western South Korea have been technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict.

WASHINGTON

Obama urges Beijing to ease maritime

tensions and work on protecting oceans
US President Barack Obama urged
Beijing to take concrete steps to
ease tensions over maritime claims,
as America and China wrapped up
three days of candid talks.
American officials have also
voiced deep concerns about cyber
intrusions and at the annual strategic and economic dialogue due
to set guidelines for steering future
ties.
During talks with officials including Vice Premier Liu Yandong
and Vice Premier Wang Yang, Mr
Obama raised ongoing US concerns about Chinas cyber and maritime behavior, and he urged China
to take concrete steps to lower
tensions, the White House said in
statement.
Ties have strained over US accusations of cyber espionage and this
weeks talks come after revelations
of huge breaches of US government
computer networks at the Office of
Personnel Management.
But even though both sides have
stressed they continue to have differences over various issues, they
have also been at pains to emphasize that they can cooperate.
US Secretary of State John Kerry,
who hosted the talks along with
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, said

this, the third round of talks which

he has hosted, had been one of the
most constructive and productive.
The United States welcomes the
emergency of a stable, peaceful and
prosperous China that can take a
leading role in global affairs, he
said.
Areas where Beijing and Washington can collaborate include on
nuclear non-proliferation efforts

with Iran and North Korea, as well

as in Afghanistan.
Earlier, the two countries also
launched a joint initiative to protect the oceans, and vowed to step
up efforts to combat illegal wildlife
trafficking.
China and the United States are
two of the top fishing nations in the
world, Mr Kerry said, and also leaders in ocean science.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) shakes hands with Chinese Vice
Premier Wang Yang after closing statements June 24, at the Department of
State in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP

We have a real opportunity

here to be able to come together.
... to deal with conserving and protecting the oceans, he said, adding
it could be a centerpiece in the
newly defining relationship with
China.
Chinas State Councillor Yang
Jiechi agreed, saying the oceans
were a shared homeland of mankind, vital for our survival and
development.
Beijing and Washington are
working together to try to create
a marine protected area in Antarctica in the Ross Sea, Mr Kerry said,
referencing one of the worlds last
true wildernesses.
The United States has long
sought to create a marine reservation in the Ross Sea stretching
across 1.34 million square kilometres (517,400 square miles) in an
area often referred to as the Last
Ocean due to its pristine condition.
Environmentalists
say
the
Southern Ocean is home to more
than 10,000 unique species, including penguins, whales and colossal
squid.
But to the dismay of conservationists, China blocked the move at
a meeting in Australia last year.

A new poll released this week

by the Pew Research Center shows
that the US bid to pivot more toward Asia has won general support
on both sides of the Pacific.
The US is also still seen as the
worlds top economic power, even
more so than last year. But 48
percent of 45,435 people surveyed
across 40 nations believe that China will eventually replace America
as the worlds leading super power.
On their burgeoning economic
ties, the US side stressed the need
for transparency and proper regulation for businesses.
China is the fastest-growing
source of foreign direct investment
in the United States, and in 2014
US exports to China reached $124
billion, making it Americas thirdlargest export market.
A key ingredient is regulatory
rule making that is transparent,
predictable, and open to stakeholder input, said Mr Lew at a
roundtable with top chief executives from Chinese and American
companies.
It is also of vital importance
that there are non-discriminatory
technology policies and open trade
in information and communications technology goods. AFP

NEPALS prime minister pledged yesterday to ensure that all aid would
reach quake victims, seeking to allay
fears over corruption and red tape as
he appealed for funds at a meeting of
international donors in Kathmandu.
Nepal says it needs around US$6.7
billion to recover from the April disaster, which killed more than 8800
people, destroyed nearly half a million
houses and left thousands in need of
food, clean water and shelter.
But some international donors have
been slow to pledge money, concerned
that bureaucracy and poor planning will prevent it from being used
efficiently.
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala urged
delegates including foreign ministers
from regional superpowers China and
India as well as World Bank, UN and
EU officials to work with us, the government of Nepal.
In an environment of good faith, I
assure you that we will [leave] no stone
unturned in ensuring that the support
reaches the intended beneficiaries ...
because we are accountable to our own
citizens, he said as he opened the oneday meeting.
Indias Foreign Minister Sushma
Swaraj pledged $1 billion to finance reconstruction as the meeting got under
way. She said around one-quarter of
the money would be grants, but did not
specify what form the rest would take.
The World Bank has already
pledged up to $500 million for
reconstruction.
Nepal one of the worlds poorest
countries even before the quake desperately needs assistance to rebuild
homes, schools and hospitals destroyed
or damaged by the April 25 earthquake
and a strong aftershock on May 12.
The countrys already weak economy has been hard hit by the disaster,
with annual growth forecast to fall to
just 3 percent, the lowest in eight years.
The government wants all aid to be
channeled through a new state body

being set up to ensure a coordinated

response to rebuilding.
But experts say Kathmandu has so
far failed to lay out a clear set of plans.
What is lacking right now is a
clear strategy. The government needs
to come up with a credible plan to implement reconstruction projects within
a stipulated time, said Chandan Sapkota, economist at the Asian Development Banks Nepal office, ahead of the
meeting.
If it fails to incorporate a robust
checks and balances system, the government will lose credibility.
The UNs humanitarian coordinator for Nepal, Jamie McGoldrick, said
before the conference opened that any
pledges made must be followed up
with a real commitment to Nepals future development.
We cannot repeat the example of
Haiti in Nepal and I dont think we
will, he said.
The
international
community
pledged several billion dollars in aid to
Haiti after a catastrophic earthquake
struck the Caribbean nation in January
2010.

But the pledges yielded little tangible progress as donors delayed implementing projects due to concerns over
corruption and political instability,
leaving thousands living in temporary
shelters five years on.
Dev Ratna Dhakhwa, secretary general of the Nepal Red Cross Society,
said frustrating delays occurred in the
aftermath of the April 25 quake as aid
poured in from around the world.
There were bottlenecks at the
airport, issues getting permissions
to land, issues getting visas for relief
workers. It was chaos, Mr Dhakhwa
said.
He was also sceptical of the governments planned one-window policy
for reconstruction, saying political parties were already trying to manipulate
the system to siphon off funds.
But Finance Minister Ram Sharan
Mahat said concerns about corruption were overblown in a country long
plagued by graft.
There are so many parliamentary
bodies looking at everything with a
magnifying glass nothing can be
hidden. AFP

Nepalese Finance Minister Ram Sharan attends an interview in Kathmandu on

June 22. Photo: AFP

Yangon/Brussels, 26th June 2015

Call for Proposal
OFFICE SPACE FOR EUROCHAM MYANMAR
Grant number: Contrat ICI +/2014/354-408
Name of the project: Establishment of a European Chamber of Commerce in
Myanmar
The EUROCHAM MYANMAR - The European Chamber in Myanmar EuroCham
Myanmar - was formally launched on the 12th of December 2014 in Yangon,
through a grant contract between the European Union (EU) and a Consortium
composed of the French Myanmar Chamber and EUROCHAMBRES Brussels.
The EuroCham Myanmar is looking for a quality office space between
200 - 300 m2 in a good location in Yangon with parking spaces, high internet
speed and full office facilities.
Proposal should be addressed to Mr. Julien Esch, President of the French Myanmar
Chamber, exclusively by e-mail to terminale.olive@eurocham-myanmar.org no
later than 3rd July 2015.

18 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 26, 2015

YEONCHEON

PHNOm PENH

Counting the cost: S Koreas

forgotten landmine victims
AFTER decades of official silence,
South Korea is beginning to compensate hundreds of landmine victims
maimed by a deadly, and dangerously enduring legacy of the Korean War
and its Cold War aftermath.
Dwarfed in numerical terms by
countries like Laos and Cambodia
where landmines kill or injure hundreds each year, South Korean victims have largely been left to suffer
in unrecognised isolation.
At least 1000 are estimated to
have died or been left disabled in recent decades, according to the Peace
Sharing Association, a coalition of
local anti-landmine civic groups.
Among them, nearly 30 have been
killed or maimed since 2005.
Now, 65 years after the conflict
started, a law which came into effect
in April is offering some financial
support, including compensation
payouts, to the injured and to the
relatives of those who died.
Lawmaker Han Ki-Ho, who
championed the bill, said there was
a terrible irony in South Korea having donated 8.8 billion won (US$8.0
million) since 1993 to UN campaigns
to help landmine victims.
And we spent next to nothing to
help our own. It doesnt make any
sense, the former army lieutenant
general said.
The military says more than
800,000 mines were planted along
the tense border with North Korea
during and after the 1950-53 Korean
conflict as a defence against infiltration. Activists estimate the number
at over 1 million.
A particularly large number were
air-dropped in the 1960s, residents
and activists say, as incursion fears
surged following the 1962 Cuban
missile crisis and a 1968 cross-border
mission by North Korean commandos to assassinate then-president
Park Chung-Hee.
Many small anti-personnel mines
were left unmarked or shifted from
their demarcated positions over the
years by rain and mudslides, posing
a fatal hazard to farmers and children playing in the fields.
Lim Duk-Sung was 16 when he
stepped on a landmine in 1978 while
playing near a river around his home
village of Wondang, some 55 kilometres (35 miles) northwest of Seoul,
near the border.
The blast blew off his right
foot and, after a series of painful

Kim Ki-Ho, head of the Korea Research Institute for Mine Clearance, holds up his metal detector near the Demilitarized
Zone (DMZ) in Yeoncheon, north of Seoul, on March 17. Photo: AFP

surgeries, most of his leg below the

knee was amputated.
The medical treatment left his
already impoverished family bankrupt, while Mr Lim dropped out of
school and has battled depression
ever since.
None of us ever imagined protesting to the military or asking for
compensation, Mr Lim said.
Thats just the way things are
here, he said.
There is no official data on the
precise number of landmine victims,
with activists saying they were effectively dismissed as necessary collateral in the constant struggle to
secure the border against aggression
from North Korea.
Many victims were poor, uneducated farmers or their children, as
well as herb pickers searching the
hillsides for medicinal plants.
Few have dared to seek
compensation.
They were scared that they
would be kicked out of their hometown if they cause trouble, said Kim
Ki-Ho, head of the Korea Research
Institute for Mine Clearance.

Once part of a heavily restricted

military area, the border villages
were re-opened in the 1960s, allowing many former residents to return.
But they were required to sign a
waiver that absolved the military of
responsibility for any undefined accidents in the future.
Life in these villages has always
been coloured by the heavy military
presence along the fortified border.
The army bans farmers growing tall crops to better monitor the
border and, in the past, used to require villagers to wear certain colour
clothes on a given day making it easier to spot North Korean spies. Land
mine warning signs are still common
around the area.
Although it stopped laying new
mines in 2000, South Korea like
the US, Russia, China and North Korea has not joined the more than
160 countries to have signed the Ottawa Treaty banning the use or production of anti-personnel mines.
When the United States the
Souths key military ally declared
last year that it was halting the use
of all anti-personnel mines, it made

an exception for the inter-Korean

border, citing the areas unique
challenges.
Lawmaker Mr Han agrees, arguing that landmines remain a crucial
defence tool given that the two Koreas remain technically at war after
the Korean conflict ended with a
ceasefire instead of a peace treaty.
I think we will be able to remove
those mines once the two Koreas reunify, he said.
For Lee Tae-Ui, an 81-year-old
farmer in the village of Wondang,
any change in approach is belated.
Mr Lee was eking out a living as
a part-time scrap metal collector in
the 1960s when the military offered
him work clearing the area around
the village of mines.
He lost his right foot when he
stepped on an unexploded device
and received nothing by way of
compensation.
The financial support being offered by the new bill has come too
late to be of any real use to him.
Whats the point of getting some
money after all these years, when Ill
die soon anyway? he said. AFP

Mekong
body risks
funding
loss
THE Mekong River Commission must
urgently clarify how it will restructure and fund itself in the future or
risk donors pulling out, development
partners have said, as it emerged
funding for the intergovernmental
body would likely be much lower
than the MRC had anticipated.
Following three days of meetings
in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, the
MRCs development partners released
a joint statement on May 24 calling
for more information on critical reforms to its governing bodies.
The statement endorsed by Australia, the European Union, Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United States, among
others comes less than a week after
the MRC referred Laos controversial
Don Sahong dam to national governments after talks through the body
failed.
With six months of strategic planning left for the next funding cycle,
donors chief concerns surround uncertainty over the future of the MRCs
leadership, organisational structure,
staffing, funding arrangements and
the cost-sharing formula between
member countries.
Without clarity on these issues
as a matter of urgency, many development partners will not be in a
position to provide funding for 20162020, the statement said.
As the body seeks to finalise its
planning for the coming years, the
donor statement questioned how the
committee would handle a foreseen
downsizing as MRC programs wind
up this year, saying managing staff
transition has become critical.
There is a high level of uncertainty among staff, with many staff
operating without contracts, and an
unclear process for hiring under the
future structure, it reads.
The statement also recommended
the MRC prioritise its outcomes and
suggest alternative plans as donors
current combined funding of about
US$33 million was much lower
than the amount assumed in the plan.
An update on the MRCs review
of its prior consultation process was
also called for, in light of challenges
raised by the proposed Don Sahong
dam, which, although opposed by
Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, is
being pushed by Laos.
The Phnom Penh Post

World 19

www.mmtimes.com
QUANG NINH

Moon bears
freed from
bile-farms in
Vietnam
FREED from captivity in tiny metal
cages, seven long-suffering Asiatic
moon bears have been rescued on bile
farms in northern Vietnam, as efforts
to end the illegal trade are boosted.
Bear bile farming is banned but it
is legal to raise the animals as pets
a loophole used by illicit Vietnamese
farms to feed a regional demand for
the digestive fluid, which is believed
to possess healing properties in traditional Chinese medicine.
The bears were rescued from
coastal Quang Ninh province earlier
this week and were in extremely poor
health with missing or maimed limbs
after being confined in the small cages where, according to Animals Asia,
they were likely milked for bile.
Rescuers either use honey to calmly coax the animals out of their pens
into a transport cage, or dart them
and stretcher them to the removal
truck if they are unwilling to move.
The moon bears, so named for the
distinctive yellow crescent-shaped
mark on their chests, have since been
transferred to the charitys sanctuary
in another province.
This week will see Quang Ninh
province come very close to being
bear bile farm-free, Animals Asia
Vietnam director Tuan Bendixsen
said, adding the group aims to rescue
seven more bears in the coming days.
We will keep on fighting and
campaigning until every last captive
bear suffering in the province has
been moved to our sanctuary, Mr
Bendixsen said.

1245

Bears believed to remain in captivity

in Vitetnam

Authorities in Quang Ninh,

around 180 kilometres (110 miles)
from Hanoi, ramped up their efforts
to close down the longstanding industry after a flurry of deaths at bile
farms drew attention to the animals.
Their plight even triggered a
decree in March from Vietnamese
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung,
who ordered all captive bears in the
coastal province be moved to facilities with better care.
Quang Ninh is among the provinces with the highest rate of captive
bears, Animals Asia said, partly due
to demand for bear bile from Korean
and Chinese tourists visiting its UNESCO-listed Halong Bay and the surrounding area.
Local authorities are still in negotiations with bile farmers for the
release of around 16 bears that will
still be in captivity after the current
rescue mission ends today, Animals
Asia said.
Nationwide, around 1245 bears
remain in captivity, according to the
agriculture ministry.
In recent years hundreds have
died due to maltreatment the animals are routinely drugged and restrained for bile harvesters to collect
liquid from their gallbladders with
unsterilised needles.
With rising affluence Vietnam has
become a top destination for people
seeking to consume rare wildlife as
well as wines and medicines from
animals thought to have healing or
aphrodisiac properties.
The country is also a major trafficking hub in Southeast Asia, linking
animals sourced in countries including Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar
with buyers in neighbouring China
and other East Asian markets.
The ommunist nation has signed
treaties against the trade but enforcement remains patchy, in part due to
corruption.
AFP

BANGKOK

Thai gun students return

home from Pakistan
A GROUP of Thai students who were
detained in Pakistan after one of them
was caught carrying a gun through Lahore airport returned home yesterday
after officials secured their release.
Thailands Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the students who all hailed
from the kingdoms Muslim-majority
deep south left Lahore late on June
24.
The Thai government has said the
students are not linked to any insurgent groups including in Thailands
conflict-plagued south where ethnic
Malay Muslims have been fighting for
a level of autonomy.
All the Thai students are in
good health and good spirits as they
have returned to their respective
hometowns, the ministry said in a
statement.
The ministry did not say whether
any deal was struck to secure the
groups release or whether they still
faced any charges.

The five students were detained

by Pakistani police on June 8 after
a handgun and bullets were found
in one of the Thais luggage as they
checked in for a flight at Allama Iqbal
International Airport.
The groups release comes as a former senior Thai police officer was arrested earlier this week in Japan after
he was caught carrying a loaded pistol
through Narita airport.
Comronwit Toopgrajank, a former
Bangkok police chief, was detained
on June 22 as he tried to fly back to
Thailand.
Officials stationed at the airport
discovered a revolver with five live
rounds in the 60-year-olds suitcase
and arrested him on the spot on suspicion of violating gun laws.
Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha
has ordered officials to investigate
whether Mr Comronwit was able to
take the pistol through Thai airport
security before flying to Japan. AFP

A captive moon bear lies inside a metal cage at a private bear farm in the district of Quang Yen in Vietnams northeastern
province of Quang Ninh on June 23. Photo: AFP

20 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 26, 2015

BEIRUT

IS re-enters
Kobane
in double
offensive
THE Islamic State group launched
a two-pronged offensive in northern
Syria yesterday after several setbacks,
reentering the symbolic town of Kobane and seizing parts of the city of
Hasakeh.
In southern Syria, an alliance of rebel groups, including al-Qaeda affiliate
al-Nusra Front, attacked governmentheld areas of the city of Daraa.
Kobane, on the border with Turkey,
is an important symbol in the battle against the jihadists, having been
secured by Kurdish militia with USled air support in January after four
months of ferocious fighting.
The jihadists reentered the town by
using a suicide car bomb, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
IS detonated a suicide bomb in
the area near the border crossing with
Turkey, killing at least five people, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman
said.
Fierce clashes erupted afterward
in the centre of the town and there are
bodies lying in the streets, he added,
without giving a specific toll.
Local Kurdish official Idris Nassan
confirmed that IS fighters had penetrated the town.
Daesh or Daesh-related terrorist
groups are trying to create confusion to
avenge their defeat and force Kurds to
flee, he said, using the Arabic acronym
for IS.
Since being pushed out of Kobane
at the start of the year, IS has suffered
a string of defeats at the hands of the
Kurdish Peoples Protection Units
(YPG) and their Arab rebel allies.
The YPG seized the border town of
Tal Abyad farther east on June 16 and

then drove on south toward the Euphrates valley city of Raqa, ISs de facto
Syrian capital.
Tal Abyad had been a key conduit
for IS, allowing it to transport weapons
and fighters to and from Raqa.
The Kurdish advance to within 55
kilometres (35 miles) of Raqa this week
prompted the IS counteroffensive, said
Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the
Brooking Doha Centre think tank and
author of The Syrian Jihad, a book on
IS.
Overnight, IS fighters seized two
neighbourhoods of Hasakeh, capital
of a Kurdish-majority province in the
northeast, the Observatory said.
At least 30 government loyalists
and 20 jihadists were killed in the
fighting, which continued into yesterday morning.
Events overnight in Kobane and
Hasakeh have displayed classic IS strategy, whereby unexpected, spectacular
attacks have been launched as diversionary operations aimed at distracting
the Kurds from their role approaching
Raqa, Lister said.
Control of Hasakeh is divided between government loyalists and Kurdish militia who are mostly present in
the citys north and northwest.
IS has sought repeatedly to enter
the city, including earlier this month
when it advanced to the southern
outskirts before government forces
pushed it back.
State television acknowledged the
jihadists had penetrated the city.
Heavy clashes ongoing between
Syrian army troops and National Defence Forces against IS terrorists in the
Al-Nashwa district of Hasakeh, it said

Smoke billows from the Syrian town of Kobane on June 25. Photo: AFP

in a breaking news alert.

IS media also reported the assault
on the city.
In a surprise attack facilitated by
God, the soldiers of the caliphate took
control of Al-Nashwa district and the
areas around it, the group said in a
statement posted on Twitter.
In southern Syria, government
troops came under attack in Daraa, another provincial capital.
An alliance of rebel groups including al-Nusra attacked government-held
parts of the city, the Observatory said.
The attack followed a series of advances by rebels in the region, much of
which is under opposition control.
State media acknowledged the attack, saying six people were killed and
13 wounded in a terrorist assault on
Daraa city with mortar rounds and gas
canister bombs.
It said army units had foiled attempts by terrorist groups to attack
several military positions in Daraa
province, although it made no mention of fighting inside Daraa city.
More than 230,000 people have
been killed in Syria since the conflict
began with anti-government demonstrations in March 2011. AFP

TURKEY

Kobane

Hassakeh

DAMASCUS
Daraa
JORDAN

IRAQ
100 km

BOSTON

Boston bomber apologises as he is formally sentenced to death

BOSTON bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologised to his victims for
the first time at a highly emotional
court hearing June 24 where he was
formally sentenced to death for the
2013 attacks.
The US citizen of Chechen descent
was sentenced to death on six counts
for perpetrating the Marathon bombings, one of the bloodiest assaults on
US soil since the September 11, 2001,
attacks.
I would like to now apologise to
the victims and to the survivors, said
the 21-year-old former university student in his first public remarks since
the April 15, 2013, bombings that
killed three people.
I am guilty, he said in a slight
Russian accent, standing pale and
thin in a dark blazer. Let there be no
doubt about that.
I am sorry for the lives I have taken, for the suffering, the damage that
I have done, he said, couching his remarks in the name of Allah and asking
for Gods forgiveness.
Judge George OToole officially
imposed the death sentence, which
had been reached unanimously by a
12-person jury on May 15 after prosecutors painted Mr Tsarnaev as a remorseless terrorist.
I sentence you to the penalty of
death by execution, Mr OToole told
Mr Tsarnaev, before he was led away

by US Marshals.
Mr Tsarnaev will eventually sit on
federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana, but prosecutors say he could
be sent first to Americas only super-max prison, ADX Florence, in
Colorado.
Defence lawyer Judy Clarke told
the court that Mr Tsarnaev had offered to plead guilty last year, but the
May 24 remarks were the first time
that her client had expressed any remorse in public.
Survivors were divided on whether
his apology was genuine. Lynn Julian
said his remarks were sort of shocking and denied that he had shown
proper remorse or regret.
A sincere apology wouldve been
nice, she told reporters.
But Henry Borgard, who was a
student on his way home from work
when he was injured in the bombings, was one of the few to forgive and
said that he had been really deeply
moved by Mr Tsarnaevs remarks.
I have forgiven him. I have come
to a place of peace and I genuinely
hope that he does as well, he said.
Im going to take it on faith that what
he said was genuine.
But government prosecutors criticised Mr Tsarnaev, who showed little
emotion during the trial, for invoking
Allah, and said he had not renounced
terrorism nor violent extremism.

On June 24, 24 victims and their

relatives made harrowing impact
statements, some in tears, as they
described their grief, pain, financial
problems and how the attacks brutally
changed their lives.
Outside the courthouse, police arrested a young man who allegedly had
a meat cleaver stashed in his car. He
is being investigated for any possible
terrorism link, the FBI said.
The bombings wounded 264 people, including 17 who lost limbs, near
the finish line at the northeastern
citys popular marathon.
The choices you made were despicable, said Patricia Campbell, whose
daughter Krystle was killed.
What you did to my daughter
was disgusting. The jury did the right
thing, she said, addressing Mr Tsarnaev directly.
Bill Richard, the father of the
youngest victim, eight-year-old Martin, said he would have preferred Mr
Tsarnaev receive a life sentence but
said the attacks were all on him.
Mr Richard said Mr Tsarnaev could
have stopped his brother, changed his
mind and walked away with a minimal sense of humanity.
He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death, Mr Richard said.
We choose love. We choose kindness.
We choose peace. That is what makes
us different.

The judge told Mr Tsarnaev that

his name would only ever be remembered for the horrors that he inflicted.
The death penalty verdict was a
stinging defeat for the defence, who
argued that Mr Tsarnaev was a lost
kid who had been manipulated by his
older brother, Mr Tamerlan.
Mr Tamerlan was shot dead on the
run before Mr Tsarnaev was arrested.
He was found injured in a grounded

boat on which he had scrawled a

bloody message defending the attacks
as a means to avenge US wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
The death sentence is possible only
under federal law. The state of Massachusetts outlawed capital punishment
in 1947 and opinion polls had suggested residents favoured a life sentence
for Mr Tsarnaev.
AFP

FBI special agent in charge of Boston Vincent Lisi speaks during a press
conference following the formal sentencing of Dzhokar Tsarnaev at John Joseph
Moakley United States Courthouse on June 24. Photo: AFP

22 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 26, 2015

SYDNEY

BRUSSELS

Australia closes
asylum loophole
THE Australian government yesterday scrambled to close a possible
loophole in its offshore asylumseeker detention regime, rushing
legislation through parliament in
a bid to avoid a High Court ruling that could render the process
illegal.
The conservative Liberal-National coalition, with the support
of the Labor opposition, voted in
favour of amendments to the Migration Act explicitly spelling out
that the government had the right
to fund offshore processing.
The policy where asylum seekers who arrive in the country by
boat are sent to the Pacific islands
of Nauru and Papua New Guinea
while their refugee applications are
processed is central to Canberras
tough immigration regime.
But a High Court challenge
brought by the Human Rights Law
Centre in Melbourne on behalf of a
group of asylum seekers and their
families, which began on May 14,
questioned the governments legal
authority to support such regional
facilities.
With parliament due for a sixweek break starting today, an 11thhour amendment to the act was
hastily tabled and passed through
the lower house on June 24 with
the upper house Senate voting late
yesterday in support of the bill.
The Human Rights Law Centre slammed the move on June 24

and said all governments should

observe and respect limits on their
power, not hastily remove them.
Given what we know about the
current dangers facing vulnerable
people locked up offshore, now is
not the time to be hastily giving
the government broad powers to
lock up innocent people in other
countries or to write blank cheques
with our money for that purpose,
the centres legal advocacy director
Daniel Webb said in a statement.
Under the policy, which was implemented when the coalition came
into power in September 2013, asylum-seeker boats heading to Australia are turned back in militaryled operations.
Asylum seekers that arrive are
held on Nauru and PNG and are
banned from settling in Australia
even if they are found to be genuine refugees. Human rights groups
have criticised the policy and conditions at the detention centres.
The government has hailed the
policy as a success, with only one
boat carrying asylum seekers reaching the Australian mainland since
December 2013. Before the policy
was introduced, boats were arriving
almost daily, with hundreds drowning en route.
Some 1577 asylum seekers 1391
men, 105 women and 81 children
are held on Nauru and PNG, according to immigration figures ending May 31. AFP

Risk of heavy fighting in

Ukraine, NATO warns
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg warned
yesterday there was still a risk of
heavy fighting in Ukraine and urged
Russia to halt its support for pro-Moscow rebels.
In recent weeks there has been an
upsurge in fighting in a conflict which
has already killed some 6500 people,
despite a February ceasefire brokered
in Minsk which has been regularly
breached.
Ceasefire violations persist. There
is still a risk of a return to heavy fighting, Mr Stoltenberg said on the second day of a NATO defence ministers
meeting at its Brussels headquarters.
Russia continues to support the
separatists with training, weapons
and soldiers. It has a large number
of forces stationed on its border with
Ukraine, he added.
The best chance for peace is the
full implementation of the Minsk
agreements. I urge all parties to do so
and Russia has a special responsibility
in this regard.
Mr Stoltenberg rejected suggestions by reporters that the ceasefire
violations and continued Russian support for the rebels effectively meant
the Minsk peace deal was dead.
I can see no alternative but to
continue to support peace efforts ...
Without Minsk, I am really afraid the
situation could deteriorate.
Russia denies that it is directly
involved in the 15-month conflict in
Ukraine.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak speaks to reporters at NATO

headquarters in Brussels on June 24. Photo: AFP

NATOs 28 members have approved a series of measures to boost

its readiness and reassure nervous
allies in eastern Europe that it will
stand by them in the face of what Mr
Stoltenberg said June 24 were Russias
aggressive actions in Europe.
He said the NATO-Ukraine Council, which the alliance set up to coordinate relations with the non-member
state after the end of the Cold War,
had reviewed efforts to support Kiev
in a series of political, economic and
military reforms.
He added that the fight against
corruption was especially important
to ensure Ukraine could stand on its
own two feet.

NATO also agreed to help Ukraine

manage air traffic, with neighbouring states such as Poland supplying
information to improve oversight and
safety.
Mr Stoltenbergy made no direct
reference to the July shooting-down
of Malaysia Airlines MH17 over rebelheld territory in the east but said it
was prudent to improve air traffic control in an area where there was fighting on the ground.
NATO remained committed to
Ukraines territorial integrity and
sovereignty, and would not recognise
Russias illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, he added.
AFP

World 23

www.mmtimes.com

IN PICTUREs
Photo: AFP

Migrants pray near

the sea in the city
of Ventimiglia on
the French-Italian
border on June 24.
Italy warned today
that EU solidarity
is at stake if the
28-nation bloc
fails to reach a
deal on sharing
the burden of the
Mediterranean
migrant crisis.
WELLINGTON

Mutineer
island backs
same-sex
marriage
TINY Pitcairn Island, a one-time
hideout for the infamous HMS
Bounty mutineers with a population of just 50, has legalised samesex marriage to help bring the remote community into the modern
age.
The change to the law was made
last month but only just released
publicly on the official website for
the island, which is Britains last
Pacific territory.
While Pitcairns Aucklandbased Deputy Governor Kevin
Lynch was unaware of any samesex islanders likely to wed, he said
it showed the territory was adapting to the modern world.
I think its quite a substantial
change that reflects their standing
in the world ... bringing them into
line with modern legislation, Mr
Lynch told Radio New Zealand.
Formally known as The Pitcairn
Group of Islands, the territory consists of four volcanic outcrops in
the South Pacific, about halfway
between New Zealand and Chile.
Only the second-largest island,
Pitcairn, is populated, with its
inhabitants descended from the
Bounty mutineers and their Polynesian companions, who settled
there in 1790.
A few months earlier, they had
rebelled against Captain William
Bligh, setting him and a group of
loyal officers adrift so they could
stay in the South Seas.
The mutiny, led by Fletcher
Christian, became one of the most
notorious episodes in British naval
history and has been immortalised
in numerous Hollywood movies
starring the likes of Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson.
It became a British territory
in 1838 and remains one of only
14 overseas territories still under
British jurisdiction.
However, island life has often
fallen short of the tropical idyll

depicted on celluloid, and in

1856 Pitcairns population moved
nearly 6000 kilometres (3700
miles) to Norfolk Island due to
overcrowding.
Some returned a few years later
to resume life in what remains one
of the most isolated settlements on
the planet.
Accessible only by sea, it has
struggled with a falling population
in recent years.
Numbers peaked at just under
250 in the 1930s but slumped to 48
in 2013, prompting the local government to develop a program to
attract migrants.
A report commissioned as
part of the programme raised
concerns about the settlements
very existence as an ageing demographic and dwindling population threaten to make it economically unviable.
It cited three barriers to boosting the population the issues
around the history of widespread
child sex abuse, acceptance of outsiders and new ideas, and island
accessibility.
The report also said people were
put off by a sex case which resulted
in six men being convicted after a
high-profile trial that detailed decades of widespread abuse.
If the same-sex marriage reform is a gauge of the islands willingness to accept modern ideas, it
appears to have won enthusiastic
support on the Pitcairn Islands
Tourism Facebook page.
Pitcairn Island wins again!
commented American Mara McCabe. Besides being the right
thing to do, its also a great marketing idea!
Dutchman Reza Namavar said
it was a positive move: This is so
nice, I woke up with this message
and gave me a smile for the whole
day, he commented.
AFP

BOGOTA

Plane crash mother and baby alive

A MOTHER and her infant son who
disappeared in a plane crash in the
dense jungles of northwestern Colombia several days ago have been found
alive and in what authorities called a
miracle.
Nelly Murillo, 18, and her son Yudier Moreno, not yet one year old, were
discovered on June 24 near the site
where the Cessna 303 crashed four
days previously in thick brush.
Its a miracle. It is a very wild area
and it was a catastrophic accident,
Colonel Hector Carrascal, commander
of the Colombian Air Force in Antioquia department, said.
His mothers spirit must have given him strength to survive, he said of
the baby.
Ms Murillo and her son were taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital
with minor injuries, said Ms Carrascal, adding that he was stunned they
were alive.
The lady has wounds and minor
burns and apparently the child is
unharmed, the Colombian Air Force
said in a statement.
The planes pilot, Captain Carlos
Mario Ceballos, died in the crash and
rescuers found his body in the aircraft.

They discovered the doors of the

plane ajar and suspected that survivors may have climbed out.
A 14-person search-and-rescue
team scoured the dense forest for several days before finding the mother
and child.
The rescue team was on the last

day of its work when the mother and

child appeared near the site of the
crash, Mr Carrascal said.
The plane offered air taxi services
between remote areas in northwest
Colombia. It was traveling between
Nuqui and Quibdo when it was declared missing, authorities said. AFP

A Red Cross worker holds baby Yudier Moreno as he and his mother are
transported on a helicopter to a hospital in Quibdo, Colombia. Photo: AFP

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LANguAgE Proficiency,
Effective & Scientific
way. Tutor, Translator,
Interpreter.
(Such
language
:
Hindi,
Sanskrit, Bengali, Nepali,
English & Myanmar).
R.S. Verma.B .Sc.,(Bot),
Yangon. (UFL-English),
Yangon. Email:rsverma.
myanmar@gm ail.com.
Ph:09-730-42604, 09796 572668.
ENgLiSH (home tuition)
speaking,
grammar,
issue. letter, academic
writing. SAT. TOEFL.,
IELT.GCE,
IGCSE.
GMAT four skills. local
& international school,
English for Japaneses
children & adult - home
tuition, courses are
available now. Contact to
Saya-U-Kyi-Sin (Mumyint
Thar) Ph:09-4210-67-375
www.kyisinplb.blogspot.
com
WiTHiN 24 hours can
make you confidient
in Myanmar language
speaking & scripts.
Teacher Phyu Phyu
Khin, Ph: 09-4930-8926,
email : phyuporcupine@
gmail.com, Add : 56 I, Thiri
Marlar Lane, 7.5 mile,
Pyay Rd, Yangon.
MyANMAr Language,
Who want to learn
Myanmar speaking for
free and have fun staying
in Myanmar? Ph: 09-364444-08
TEAcHiNg
Myanmar
language for adults
Yangon area Tel: 094200-30782
TEAcHiNg English for
adults (for foreigners and
for locals) Yangon area
09-4200-30782
u MyA HAN, French,
English & Myanmar
classes. Ph: 09-73174940
ATTENd & feel the
difference, FLAMINGO
American
English
Speaking Class (IELTS
Intensive
Speaking
class, Interview course,
Special Package for
Hotel , Showroom, Bank
& Trading Company) Ph:
09-510-4826, 01 383811
Email:johnflamingo7@
gmail.com
fOr fOrEigNErS, Mr.
William Lin (Taiwan, UK)
is teaching Myanmar
language
4
skills

now. Please contact :

09421147821. Email :
mr.williamlin009@gmail.
com
ENgLiSH for professional
purpose is the need
of principle of written
English.Writing ought to
be easiest of the four skill
for students of English
as a Second language,
unlike listening & reading,
the student is control
with the words. However
writing class often the
opportunity to see growth.
to share important ideas
and to develop sense of
community. If you had
tried as much as you
can to follow the lesson
and you will get good
experiences and skill.
Middle school students
can study in a small class.
Spanish is also inquired.
U Thant Zin, 28-3B, Thati
Pahtan St, Tamwe. Ph:
09-503-5350, 09-31021314,.

Travel
AuNg Su WAi Travels
& Car Rental Service
: Promotion Domestic
Tours or Outbound
Tours, Yangon ~ Kyone
Htaw Waterfall Trip (Day
Return) Yangon-Bangkok
~ Yangon Shopping Trip
( 2 Nights/ 3 Days) . Hot
line : 09-2589-22562~4,
01-543189.
SMiLE
PANOrAMA
Travels & Tours Co., Ltd,
Car rental services. Ph:
09-505-3004, 09-250605665.

Training
SAyA KyAW, AGTI
(MECH), Autocad teacher
2D, 3D. Ph: 09-31551456.
Only downtown.
MANdALAy Computer:
Computer for Kids,
Basic Accounting for Job
I-Office , Advanced Excel
Course, DTP Course
MYOB Software, Peach
Tree Software, Window
Shortcut Course, Email
& Internet Course Mp3,
Mp4, Video Editing,
Multimedia
Course.
Ph:09-4440-11279(MDY)
ArT BASic, Perspective,
Interior Design, Exterior
Design & Colour Theory.
Learn Art 5 months to be
a professional architect.
Only 2 months for Special
classes. Home tuition also
available. New Vision Art
Gallery and Center, No
132 lift no: 4 Bagaya Rd,
Sanchaung, Shann Lann
Bus top, Ph: 09-254257911

Public Notics
THE rOyAL Embassy of
Saudi Arabia is pleased
to invite pre-qualified
companies to tender for
Armed Security Guarding
Services. All interested
Tenders are required in
advance to purchase
the Documents for
specification and General
Contractual terms, which
will be obtained from:
The Royal Embassy of
Saudi Arabia: No.6S,
Inya Yeiktha St, Ward 10,
Mayangone Township,
Yangon, Myanmar. Tel :
(01) 652-343 (01) 652344
PHySicS TuTOr needed
for Year 12 International
School student. Ph: 09502-2834
cOMMuNiTy Partners
International, Yangon
office relocated to the
following address- No.
(12/B), Hnin Si Lane,
Parami Road, Chaw dwin
gone, Yankin Township,
Yangon, Myanmar. Ph: +
95 1 657909

Sell / Rent
BAHAN, Near Chatrium
Hotel, Po Sein Rd, 2
RC house, 3 Rooms
with toilet, 3 AC, 2
Cable phones, wide car
parking. US$ 2300 per
month, Ph: 09-250026350, 09-9726-70813.
THiNgANgyuN,
Khayaymyaing
Rd,
4800sqft, 2 storey, 3
rooms, for rent 18 lakhs,
for sale 13000 lakhs,
negotiable. Ph: 09-260332121.
KAMAyuT, Pyay Rd,
Diamond condo, 1650
sqft, unfurn or f f, nice
& newly apt. US$ 2500
pr IS$ 3000. Sale 4200
Lakhs. Call Maureen :
09-518-8320.
THiNgANgyuN,
Thuwunna.
60'x80'
land. 2 storey house,
corner garden. 3 rooms
with bathroom attached.
4 aircons. 20 Lakhs per
month for rent/13.000
Lakh for sale. Negotiable.
Ph:09-2603-321212
KAMAyuT,
Diamond
Condo, Pyay Rd, 1600
sqft, 1MBR, 2BR, 3A/C,
f.f, 4300 Lakhs & 35
lakhs, Call owner: 09518-8320

Housing for Rent

OrcHid
cONdO
(Leasing) Brand New
Furnished apartments
for lease. Great views,
Central location, Over
sized, 2,750 sqft-3200
sq-ft. US $ 4,300. Ph: 094303-0 288, 09-30166888, 09-2506-65 669
PEArL
cENTEr,
Commercial Spaces to
lease. Affordable Price,
Flexible lease terms,
Ample Car Parking. Ph:
09 430 30 288,09 301 66
888, 09 250 665 669
grAdE A Office Suite,
Well designed office
suite at UFC, suitable
for finance, insurance
sector. 24 hour security,
Fiber Optic internet,
Underground
Car
parking. Ph: 09-4303-0
288, 09-3016-6888, 092506-65669
SANcHAuNg, Corner
of Baho Rd, 1400 sqft,
2nd Flr, 1SR, 1MBR,
2Bathrooms, Partially
Furnished, Renovated,
10 Lakhs (Negotiable).
Ph - 09 431 57 571
MAyANgONE, Mindham
ma Rd, Shwe Kabar
Housing, 1800 sqft, 3SR,
1MBR,
2Bathrooms,
3 AC, Fully furnished,
Car park, 17 Lakhs
(Negotiable). Ph: 09500-62 67
MAyANgONE, Kabaraye
Villa,
Kabaraye
Pagoda Rd, 2200 sqft,
Renovated, 2SR, 1MBR,
30 Lakhs.Ph:09-4315-7
572
MAyANgONE, Shwe
Hnin Si St, 2RC, Land
area 2500 sqft, House
area : 2400sqft, Fully
furnished, 6 AC, 1SR,
3MBR, 4 Bathrooms,
Car Park, 25 Lakhs,
(Negotiable).
Ph:01
701062\
BAHAN, Than Lwin Rd,
1.5 RC, Land area :
2948 sqft, Fully facilities
& Furniture, Renovated,
3AC, 1SR, 2MBR, 3500
$ (Negotiable). Ph:094315-7 573
KAMAryuT, 4th Flr,
Mya Kanthar Avenue,
Mya Kanthar Housing,
Room Type, 2 Bed
Rooms, 25x35 Ft, Fully
furnished. Decoration
can be discussed.
Foreigner Only. Ph : 092581- 44770
PEArL cONdO (D), 15th

Flr, 1410ft2, Corner Room

Fully furnished, 4 Air-con,
2BR, 1MBR, 2'000 US$
per month. contact no:
Burmese: 09-511-1032;
English: 09-515-2532
MyiNT MOu THidA
General Services Co.,
Ltd. Service Apartment
Available Units @ Chan
Thar Condo , Tamwe Tsp.,
(a)1650sqft, 1 MBR, 2SR
(3 Units) (b)1750 sqft,
2MBR, 2SR (2 Units).
G.M.P Condo, Kabaraye
Pagoda Rd, (a)1650 sqft,
1MBR, 2SR (2 Units)
(b)3500sqft,
3MBR,
2SR (3 Units). Muditar
(a)650sqft, 1MBR, 1SR
(2 Units) We can provide
service apartment for you
according to your budget
& area. Ph:09-501-9648
HEriTAgE
OfficE
space for rent, Fully
renovated office for
rent, based in a heritage
building in downtown
Yangon on Bogalay Zay
street. Total about 200 m2
(including mezzanine and
balcony) on the first floor.
High ceilings, kitchen
and 2 toilets. Ideal for
small organization (1012 staff) looking for
a representative and
tasteful office space with
character. 2500 Usd /
month - 5 year contract
and monthly payment
possible.
Available
immediately. Contact:
edwinbriels@gmail.com
or 09-7319 9668
(1)MiNdAMA cONdO,
2000sqft, 2MBR, 1SR,
fully furniture, USD 4000.
(2)Thein Phyu Rd, new
condo, 1500sqft, inside
2 stories, 2MBR, 1SR,
semi furniture USD 3500.
(3) Po Sein condo, 1500
sqft, fully furniture, 1MBR,
2SR, USD 3000.(4)
Shine condo, near Aung
San Stadium, 1500sqft,
1MBR, 2SR, USD 2500.
(5)Beside Dagon center ,
1500 Sqft, 1 MBR, 2SR,
semi furniture , USD 3000.
(6)San chaung, 1200
Sqft, 2 SR, semi furniture.
1500 USD. (7) Near Aung
San stadium, G flr, 1000
Sqft, 3SR, 1 MBR, 1500
USD.
(8)Universtity
Avenue Rd, 1650sqft,
1MBR, 2SR, USD 3500.
(9) Yankin center , 1500
sqft, 1MBR, 2SR, semi
furniture , USD 3500.
Ph:09-2527-0 3331.
8th MiLE, Kaba Aye Villa,
3 bed/3 bath flat in quiet,
exclusive
residential
compound. 2360 sqft. To
rent unfurnished for long
term. Except furniture, the
flat has parquet flooring,
kitchen unit, hot water
system, curtains and four
a/c. 30 lakhs per month
(negotiable). Available
from 1 July 2015. No
brokers. Ph 09-503-1380.
MAyANgONE
(1)0.8
acre land, Built on the
lake, deck with lake view,
Single storey nice house
with big lawn, wooden
flr, 3MBR, USD 10000
per month. (3)7 Mile,
Pyay Rd. 0.7 acre land,
huge garden. 2 storey
renovated house. 3 MBR,
generator. USD 5000 per
month. (4) Parami Rd,
0.4 acre, 2 storey office
building, 8 rooms, big
car park. USD 10000 per
month, Nego: Ph: 0997018-1144
BAHAN (1)Golden valley,
Single storey nice house
with 2 bedrooms, fully
furnished, lawn. USD
3000 per month. (2)Near
Kandawgyi Rd, 0.3 acre
land. 2 storey, 3MBR,
2SR, ph, furnished,
Generator, nice beautiful
garden. maid rooms. USD
6000 per month. Nego:

Ph:09-9701-81144
BAHAN (1)Thanlwin Rd,
Windermere part, 0.5
acre, single storey, 4
master rooms, ph line,
big lawn, 6500USD per
month, negotiable, (2)
Inya Rd, 0.3 acre land,
single storey, 3MBR, ph
line, nice garden, semi
furnished US 6000 per
month, negotiable, Ph:
09-2603-32121
(1)AvAiLABLE from the
start of July - a lovely three
bedroom second floor, flat
one minutes walk from
Aung San Stadium City
Mart. 2 double bedrooms
& 1 single, with large
sitting room, 2 bathroom
(1 with hot water). 3AC & 2
balconies. Parquet floors
throughout and off street
parking.
Unfurnished
1200 USD per month. No
agent's fee. (2)Recently
available, on Botataung
Pagoda Rd, one minute's
walk from Yuri Miko
Shopping Centre. It has
one double bedroom &
1 single, fully furnished
and parquet floor. 700
USD per month. Pls call
Kyi May, 09-518-5794,
09-254- 043094
cONdOMiNiuM, Chan
Thar Gone Yaung Condo
at Upper Pazuntaung St,
Tamwe. 2nd flr, Gym,
24-hour Lift, Security,
Car Park, Generator,
Swimming Pool, 1MBR,
2SR, 4 Aircons, 1650sqft,
23 Lakhs (negotiable).
Ph: 09-9751-25218
KAMAyuT, Pyi Yeik Thar
St, Apartment 15' x 60',
1MBR, Fully Furnished,
Changing Room, washer
& Drier, Cool and Hot
water, dry kitchen and
equipment. 3rd Flr / 4th
Flr, USD 3000 each.
Ph:09-4500-37300, 09788-408340

Housing for Sale

STAr ciTy (Thanlyin
Tsp), is relatively matured
condominium sitting on a
vasst piece of land with full
condominium facilities.
The unit is about (905)
square feet big. Will be
completed rougly within
next three months.
Please contact the owner
for futhur informations.
Ph:09-7999-77699
SHWE Pyi THA, 21
quarter, Lein Kone
north side of the river
Boaungkyaw St, 40x60
ft, 28 lands (one big blog
together). Want to sell.
Contact number- 09-5179645, 09-4210-43939,
09-4201-81730.
BAgO, Myo Shout Rd, 3
acre land , 30 year grant,
with iron fence around,
three way Rd, for sale
15000 lakh, negotiable,
Ph:09-2603-32121

Want to Hire
WANTEd Factory building,
Dimension: Length: 140
meters x Width: 45 meters
x Height: 8 9 meters
Use: Immediate / Heavy
Industry With Electricity
Power of 500 Kva (11Kv)
minimum & water supply
Area: Yangon / Bago area
Preferable from direct
owner. Please contact :
mtrajahkl@gmail.com,
tinhlaing2167@gmail.
com, chohlaingnyein@
gmail.com Tel: 09 -421135261, 09-507-8834, 094250-15876
ExPAT
working
in
Yangon looking for
accommodation to share
with other Expats. If you
want to rent a bedroom in
your house or flat please
contact me through my
email at biscay.world@
gmail.com

FREE

THE MYANMAR TIMES june 26, 2015

Employment
UN Positions
The UniTed Nations
World Food Programme,
is seeking Reports
& Communications
Officer NO-A, Yangon
(COB 6 July 2015)
For more information,
please visit to http://
www.themimu.info/jobsfor-myanmar-nationals.
Please
Email
the
applications with UN
P-11 to wfpmyanmar.
vacancy@wfp.org.

Ingo Positions
dM OffiCeR - 1 Post.
Please send application
letter, CV & related
documents to Myanmar
Red Cross Society (Head
Office)
Yazatingaha
Rd,
Dekkhinathiri,
Nay Pyi Taw. Or
mrcshrrecruitment@
gmail.com
www.
myanmarredcross
society.org
(1)LOgisTiCs OffiCeR
- 1 Post (2)Clerk-1 - 1
Post (3)first Aider - 2
Posts. Please send
application letter, CV
related
documents
to
Myanmar
Red
Cross Society (Head
Office)
Yazatingaha
Rd,
Dekkhinathiri,
Nay Pyi Taw. Or
mrcshrrecruitment@
gmail.com
www.
myanmarredcross
society.org.
MedeCins
Sans
Frontieres - Switzerland
(MSF-CH) is seeking
nurse 2 posts in Wa
Special Region 2, Shan
State : Nurse degree/
diploma a recognised
by National Authorities.
Valid license required.
Experience - Non is
required.
Myanmar,
Wa or Shan speaking
required.
Chinese
speaking is an asset.
Basic English would
be advantage. Please
submit
application
(motivation letter and
updated CV) to: msfchrangoon-web@geneva.
msf.org with the following
code "2015 15 Nurse".
MedeCins
Sans
Frontieres - Switzerland
(MSF-CH) is seeking
(1)deputy
field
Coordinator 1 post in
Pang Kham/ Ling Haw/
Pang Yan, Wa Special
Region 2 Preferably a
medical or paramedical
qualification or univer
sity-level
studies.
Success ful experience in
the field of humanitarian
aid, preferably with MSF,
or other organisations.
Experience in manage
ment of health project
is an assest. Fluent
in English. Chinese/
Wa speaking is an
strong asset. (2)hR
&
Administrative
Officer 1 post in Dawei,
Tanintharyi Region :
Diploma or certificate
in human resources
management & business
administration. 2 years
experienced.
Fluent
in English. Computer
literate.
(3)deputy
Medical Coordinator
1 post in Yangon
Coordination Office :
REcognized & registered
(SAMA) medical doctor.
Master in Public Health
is an asset. Fluent in
English.
Computer
skills. (4)Laboratory
technician 2 post in
Dawei,
Thanintharyi
Region : A Laboratory
Technician
diploma/
degree
recognized
by the state.
Able
to work in a generic/
basic laboratory; no
experience is required
but it is an asset, 1 year
experience.
Please
submit appilcation (moti
vation letter & updated
CV as soon as possible
to email: msfch-rangoonweb@geneva.msf.org
MedeCins
Sans
Frontieres - Switzerland
(MSF-CH) is seeking
Medical doctor 2 post
in Wa Special Region 2,
Shan State : Recognized
medical doctor degree
(plus inscription to the
national register of the
country of the mission,

if there is one). Valid

SAMA licence required.
(the experience coming
from the long months
of
"stage"
during
medical studies is
already considered as
a practical experience).
Myanmar, Wa or Shan
speaking
required.
Chinese speaking is
an asset. Basic English
would be advantage.
Please submit applicat
ion (motivation letter &
updated CV) to: msfchrangoon-web@geneva.
msf.org
Agencefranaise de
Dveloppement (AFD)
is seeking Project
Officer. The principal
duties & responsibilities
include: Support to AFD
operational activities in
Myanmar within AFD and
with local stakeholders
&
authorities
at
every phase of AFD
decision process for a
financing (identification,
evaluation, approval)
as well as during
project
negotiation,
formalization,
imple
mentation & portfolio
management: contribu
tion to due diligence,
internal reviews &
reporting, organization &
participation to missions
from experts from AFD
headquarters, meetings
with local stakeholders,
support. Relations with
Myanmar interlocutors,
especially central & local
government authorities,
public companiesand
civil society organizations
in relation with the
identification, evaluation,
approval process and
implementation of AFD
projects in Myanmar.
Relations with other
donorsbasedinMyanmar
and participation to aid
coordination meetings
on
topics
covered
by AFD. Contribute
to the elaboration of
background or strategic
notes
about
AFD
activities in Myanmar,
Contribute to the commu
nication plan of AFD in
Myanmar. Qualifications
&
requirements:
Advanced
university
degree in business,
finance or engineering,
Financial & credit skills,
Project preparation &
management, Notion in
procurement, 5 years
relevant professional
experience, Ability to
work in multi-cultural
organization
&
to
interact & negotiate
with
colleagues,
clients & public bodies,
Strong commitment to
development & environ
mental goals, Fluent
in Myanmar language
& English, French
notions would be aplus.
Expected start: as soon
as possible. Contact:
Ms Julia de Pierrepont,
depierrepontj@afd.fr Ph:
95 01 2302167
ACTed
is
seeking
Cashier post in Yangon:
University degree in
any area and/with
preferably finance and
accounting knowledge.
1 year experience.
Strong computer skills
especially on Microsoft
windows 2000, MS
Word, Excel and Access.
Good in Myanmar &
English. Applications in
the English language,
including a resume of
not more than 3 pages;
a cover letter expressing
the
motivation
to
work with an NGO &
addressing each of the
required qualifications
with vivid examples;
Copy of the university
degree & Contact details
of 3 references should
be submitted by email
to yangon.adminfin@
acted.org.
MyAnMAR Red Cross
Society is seeking
WAsh
Consultant
1 post in Ralam &
Matupi (Chin), Mogok:
University
Degree
in Civil Engineering,
Geology, Hydrology, or
related fields. 2 years
experience. Effective
computer knowledges
& English language skill.

Knowledge of AutoCAD
(2D). Please submit
consultancy proposals.
Proposals should include
consultant profile/ CV
with description of
experience
relevant
to this consultancy &
outline consultancy fees
(per day and total) &
availability of consultant
for indicated timeframe.
Please note that costs
for travel to field sites
including transportation
& accommodation will
be covered by MRCS
based on actual costs.
Electronic proposals
should be submitted to
mrcshrrecruitment@
gmail.com

Local Positions
ThihA gROUP is seeking
(1)steel sale Manager
: 5 years experience in
steel or construction
materials sales activity,
Fluent in English, Good
communication skills (2)
Chief Financial Officer
- 5 years experience,
Excellent writing skills,
(3)Assistant Tendering
engineer : BE(Electrical
Power), 3 to 5 years
experience, English 4
skills, (4)Sales Executive
- Construction Materials
: English required,
Sales representative
skills, Provide excellent
customer
service
by addressing and
resolving
customer
queries/issues in a timely
manner. Pls send CV to
info@thihagroup.com or
recruiting@thihagroup.
com Ph:546464
dVB
Multimedia
Group Co., Ltd is
seeking
Marketing
Manager : Passion
for the DVBs mission.
Bachelors
Degree
in
Communications,
Marketing, or Business
Administration.
Graduate degree a
plus. Experience in
executing
marketing
plans on digital platforms
including social media,
with an open eye/
mind to continually
evaluate new cuttingedge online vehicles
& tools. Experience
managing new product
commer cialization in
any industry a plus.
High-level knowledge
of B2B sales processes
and
techniques
in
any industry a plus.
Excellent written and
spoken communication
skills. Fluency in either
Myanmar or English;
with a good command
of English. Eligibility to
work in Burma. DVB
has
a
competitive
compensation package.
Please submit an applicat
ion letter detailing why
they are interested in the
position and an updated
CV including contact
telephone
number,
education qualifications
and contact details to:
Email: admin@dvb.no;
chris@dvb.no
gOLden hAWks Int'l
Ltd, leading trading
house
dealing
in
the
Pharmaceutical
products
with
an
execellent distribution
network within the
country. is seeking (1)
Product
executive
(Or) special Product
Officer - M/F 5 Posts :
M.B.B.S, B.D.S,B.V.S,B.
Pharm, Any science
degree Holder can apply,
Have good knowledge
& Well experience on
Biomolecular product
(Or) Advanced scientific
potential
molecules
in market with Either
One (Or) 2 years
related marketing field
experience. Computer
literate with well operating
Microsoft Word, Excel,
Powerpoint. Age 30 ~ 50
years, Can travel cities
in Country. Pls send
application with CV, 1
passport photo copies
of labour registration
card, NRC card, Edu
cational
certificate
from respective ward
police station , working
experience &
other
relevant
certificates

together with supporting

documents to 15, (88)
Rd, Between Myanma
Gone Yee & Daw Thein
Tin St, Yangon. Ph :
01 - 370097, 370104.
(P.O Box 753) Email:
hr.goldenhawks@gmail.
com or P.O Box Closing
date : 30.6.2015.
gLOMed Pharmaceu
tical Co., INC. is seeking
(1)sales Manager - M/F
in Yangon. Excellent in
English. Knowledge &
experience of pharma
ceutical market. Deter
mines sales plans by
implementing marketing
strategies; analyzing
trends
&
results.
(2)Medical
sales
Representative (MSR):
M/F 4 posts in Yangon,
2 in Mandalay, 1 in each
other States in Myanmar.
Approaching & making
good relationship with
customers.
Recom
mending & selling
products to customers
in pharmacies/clinics
in appointed area. (3)
Office Executive - F 1
post in Yangon. English
speaking. Coordinates
administrative activities
& supports the offices
daily operations to
ensure
efficiently
office admin function.
For all posts : Salary
negotiation. Please sent
CV by email to Email:
giang.glomedvn@gmail.
com; C/c to: truonggiang.
nguyen@glomedvn.
com HP: +95 92 5200
2759 Mr. Giang
(English speaking) Add.:
35th str., 1st flr, middle,
Kyauktada,
Yangon.
www.glomedvn.vn

applications with detail

and complete CV, recent
photo, copy of NRC card,
certificates of other
qualifications, certificte
of
graduations,labor
registration card, copy
of census, credential
of polices station with
expected salary. Closing
date : 27.6.15
We ARe seeking (1).
Office Secretary 1
Post
(2).Assistant
supervisor 1 Post (3).
driver 3 Posts (4).
Admin/hR Manager 1
Post (5).Counter girl
2 Posts (6).showroom
staff 1 Post (7).Cashier
1 Post. 01-245925/01246304 Ext-13. Email:
h r. m y a n m a r k o w a @
gmail.com
LOLC
Myanmar
Microfinance Co Ltd
(LMM) is seeking iT
Officer in Yangon:
Degree in IT or equal
qualification.
Strong
Knowledge in Operating
System platforms/ SQL
Server/ Software &
Hardware.
exposure
to Networking/ PABX
& troubleshooting is
advantageous.
Pls
submit a Cover letter &
CV to Email at: Carrers@
lolcmyanmar.com or by
delivery to the LOLC
office : 163, Shwe Hnin
Si Kan St, (5) ward,
Mayangone, Yangon.
URgenTLy ReQUiRed
for sales Promoter:
Microsoft
Office
Essential, Email &
Internet
knowledge,
Smart personality, honest
& willing to hard working.
Any graduate. Good
commend of English &

MM inTeRPLAse Co.,
Ltd is seeking Driver
1 post : Basic English
communication skills,
Good area knowledge of
Yangon. Please apply to
42/A, Pantra St, Dagon
Tsp, Yangon, Bet : 9 am
to 5 pm. Ph: 09-421021654.
CiTy sTAR hOTeL is
seeking (1).Front Office
department - M/F (2).
Waiter/ Waitress - M/F
(3).security - M (4).
sale & Marketing M/F (5).Reservation
department - M/F (6).
kitchen department
- M (7).Bell service
department - M (8).
Accountant - M/F (9).
hR department - M/F
(10).Admin staff - M/F
(11).M&e departmentM.
Please
submit
with CV, photo with
necessary documents
to our hotel by directly
or by Email. 169/171,
Mahabandoola Garden
St, Kyauktada, Yangon.
Email:
citystarhotel.
yangon@gmail.com Ph:
01-370920~924
We
are
seeking
Assistant Coffee shop
Manager -1 Post : F&B
Shop / Coffee Shop
Management : 1 year,
Good
interpersonal
skills, Highly motivated
and can lead the team,
Must be able to work on
weekends and public
holiday. To apply : send
your CV with photo to
wai.strategypartner@
gmail.com
We areseekingforJewelry
shop, sales girls - F 3
posts : Any graduate,
Good
interpersonal,
communication skills &
honesty, Strong customer
facing experience and
good job knowledge
jewelry. Interested and
qualified candidates are
interesting to submit

able to write in English.

Please send CVs to
jobs@myanmars.net,
admin@myanmars.net
or Contact to Myanmars
NET 3/1, Myanmar ICT
Park, 11052, Yangon.
Ph: 652250, 652323,
C h Ry s A n T h e M U M
WeALTh is seeking (1)
Production Assistant
Manager - M 1 post (2)
Machining supervisor M 1 post (3)Maintenance
& safety engineer - M
1 post (4)Lath Machine
Operator - M 2 posts (5)
Machanic - M 6 posts (6)
Components Washing
& sand Blasting - M
2 posts (7)Machanic
helper - M 1 post (8)
Welder - M 1 post (9)
Painter - M 1 post (10)
helper - M 2 posts (11)
Traning Manager M 1 post (12)Trainer
- M 2 posts (13)QA
Machanic - M 4 posts
(14)QA Admin - F 1
post (15)salesman - M
2 posts (16)inventory
Assistant - M 1 post (17)
Warehouse Assistant M 1 post (18)driver - M
1 post (19)Tools keeper
- M 1 post. Please
submit CV, photo with
necessary documents
to 898, Thudamar 4/6,
Anawrahta Industrail
Zone, Yangon Pathein
Highway Rd, near
Tamargone bus stop.
Ph: 09-799-502621, 01645410. Emai : raman-hrrec@winstrategic.com.
mm, reman-admhd@
winstrategic.com.mm
LAWyeR : Bachelors
degree in law (or Masters
degree in law is a plus),
1-3 years experience
in related filed, Good
command of both written
& spoken English, Able
to work independently
and as part of a team.
Responsibilities
:
Conducting trade mark

search & advising client

on registrability of trade
marks, Preparing & filing
trade mark application
up to grant, Advising
clients on examiners
office actions, Advising
clients on contentious
matters including filing
cancellation
action,
sending cease & desist
letter & negotiating in
relation to conflict, etc.
Advising clients on
registration of trade marks
inforeigncountries.Please
send full resume with all
details of qualifications &
experience, educational
certificate,
expected
retainer fee and recent
photo to chadarat@
rouse.com. www.rouse.
com Ph : 01 1222352, 01
371385
AUng ChAn ThAR
Trading Co., Ltd is seeking
(1)sales executive - M
5 posts: Any graduate,
Preferable BE or B
Tech(Mechanical) 3 year
experience, Age 20 ~ 30,
(2)sales executive - M
5 posts : Any graduate,
Preferable BE or B Tech
(Mechanical) Age 20 ~
30, (3)sales engineer M 10 posts : Any graduate,
Preferable AGTI or B
Tech, Age 20 ~ 25, (4)
engineer Trainee - M
15 posts : Any graduate,
BE, More preferable AGTI
or B Tech, Age 20 ~ 25,
(5)senior engineer - M
10 posts: Any graduate,
Preferable BE or B
Tech(Mechanical), 3 year
experience, Age 25 ~ 35,
(6)PssR - M 5 posts : Any
graduate, Preferable BE
or B Tech (Mechanical)
Age 25 ~ 30, (7)Local
Purchaser - M 3 posts :
Any graduate, Perferable
BE or BTech(Mechanical),
3 years experience, Age
25 ~ 30. (8)Machanic
helper/Tool
Roomstore - M 5 posts : Age
25 ~ 30, (9)Cashier/
Accountant - F 3 posts :
Any graduate, Preferable
B Com or LCCI level
3, 3 years experience,
Age 25 ~ 30, (10)Office
driver - M 5 posts : 5
years experience, Kha
valid driving license, Age
30 ~ 40. Please submit
CV, phot with necessary
documents
to
HR
Manager : 54 A, Kabaaye
Pagoda Re, Mayangone.
Ph: 657066, 657067.
The hOTeL@Tharabar
Gate, Old Bagan is
seeking (1)food &
Beverage
Manager
- M/F 1 post: Hotel
Management graduate
with 3 years experience.
(2)sous Chef - M/F 1 post
: 3 years experience, will
be responsible to oversea
the culinary production
and stewarding, Have
practical
creativity,
knowledge of current
trends to best serve
clients. Both positions are
based in Bagan, Please
send application form
with 1 recent photo, labor
registration card, relevant
certificates & testimonies
to Rm 2H, No 22/24, Sa
Mon St, Natwartat Condo,
Dagon tsp. or email
to gm@tharabargate.
com
or
bodsec@
hoteltharabarbagan.
com.mm
skyLARk Co., Ltd
is seeking Business
development execu
tive - M/F 3 to 5 posts:
Any graduate (Good IT
knowledge), Age 23 to 28,
English communication,
Public
Relation,
Presentation skill, SelfManagement, team work,
Problem solving skill, Able
to work under pressure,
Market
knowledge,
Competitor analysis .
2 years experience in
IT & Business related
experience. Pay Range:
300 USD to 700 USD
(Will negotiate upon
skill & experience).
Please submit CV,
photo with necessary
documents to email:hr@
skylarkmyanmar.com,
www.skylarkmyanmar.
com
Ph:01-652947,
652948
URgenTLy ReQUiRed
(1)iT engineer (Network
ing) - M/F 2 Posts : B.C.Sc
(Computer) & related

network
certificates,
Age 25 ~ 35, 3 years
& above experience,
Good command of
English. Salary range:
250,000~300,000 (2)
senior Programmer
- M/F 2 Posts : Age 25
~ 35, 3 years & above
experience,
B.C.Sc
(Computer) & related
network
certificates,
B.A.Sc.
(computer),
Related Certification,
3 ~ 5 years, 250000
& 300000. Encodes
project
requirements
by converting work
flow. Written programs
by entering coded.
Confirms
programs
operation by conducting
tests. (3)Programmer
: General programming
skills, Analyzing project,
Problem
solving,
Software performance
tuning. More should
familiar with VB, VB Net,
MS SQL, Oracle platform.
Salary range: 250,000 ~
300,000 Contact to : U
John @ U Kyaw Win Sein
: 09-2500-88750.
hinA Shipping (Myanmar)
Co., Ltd, is seeking (1).
Admin/H.R. Manager M/F 1 post : A degree from
a recognized university.
Must possess a degree/
certificate in the related
fields.(Admin/HR), 3 years
of experience. Fluency
in English. Computer
literate. (2).equipment
control executive. - M/F
1 post : A degree from a
recognized university. 2
years of experience in
the shipping, depot and
terminal etc. Fluency
in English, Computer
literate. (3)Cashier.- M/F
1 post: A degree from a
recognized university.
1 year experience. Fair
knowledge of English.
Able to use the computer.
LCCI Levels I & II or hold
relevant certificates. (4).
Operation staff - M/F
1 post : A degree from
a recognized university.
Certificate
regarding
shipping matters will
be an advantage. Fair
knowledge of English.
Able to use Email, internet,
Able to use computer
(4)Customer service
executive - M/F 1 post:
A recognized university.
2 years experience
in shipping line. Fair
knowledge of English.
Able to use Email, internet
& computer. For the
above mentioned posts
priority will be given to
the candidate fluent in
the Chinese language
Applications together with
CV photo with necessary
documents & references
will be accepted to 501,
Rm(B 1001/1002), 10th
Flr, Myawaddy Condo,
Corner of Bogyoke Rd &
Wartan St, Lanmadaw,
Yangon. Tel: 01- 2300157,
2300158,
Closing
date:30.6.2015.
We ARe seeking (1)
Architect - M/F 2 posts
: B.Arch degree holder,
5 years experience or
M.Arch Degree holder, 3
years experience in the
architectural environment,
Proficiency in using Auto
CAD, Sketch Up and
also have rendering
skill, Excellent sense of
design and solid technical
abilities,
(2)senior
Architectural drafter
- M/F 1 Post: B.Arch or
B.E (Civil) degree holder,
3 years experience,
Able to use Auto CAD,
Sketch Up and photo
shop software.(3)senior
interior designer - M 1

post : Bachelor or Diploma

in Interior Architecture or
Interior Design, 2 years
experience, Proficiency
in using Auto CAD,
Sketch Up and also
have rendering skill, (4)
Marketing
Manager
- M/F 1 post : Have
to understand project
sales, retail marketing
& other marketing tools
& technique. 4 years
experience. (5)Project
Coordinator (Interior
Decoration) - M/F 1
post : Able to set project
timelines & coordinate
different parties. Well
knowledge in modern
furniture & furniture
installation & production.
3 years experience. (6)
Project Manager - M/F
1 post : Need to hold a
degree of B.E (Civil). 5
years experience. Well
experience in high-rise
construction, (7)safety
engineer - M 1 Post :
A.G.T.I (Civil). 2 years
experience.
(8)site
engineer - M/F 1 Post : B.E
(Civil), 2 year experience,
Well experience in highrise construction, (9)
Assistant hR Manager
- M /F 1 post : MBA, Any
graduate Diploma holder
(or) any diploma related in
HR Management. 5 years
experience. Computer
skills. (10)Cashier - M/F
1 post: Any graduate (or)
Distance Student, 1 year
experience, (12)driver M 1 post : Age over 40, 4
years experience.
(13)store keeper - M /F
2 posts : Age under 40,
Warehouse (or) Store
experience 1 year (14)
general helper M 1
post. Please submit with
CV, photo with necessary
documents to Zware
Group (De Arch, Live
Life & Builder Group) :
440, Waizayandar Rd &
Thitsar Rd, S Okkalr. Ph:
01-565911, 01-8551294.
Email:recruitment@
zwaregroup.com
iCBC is the biggest
bank in China and top
large listed bank in the
world in terms of market
capitalization, customer
deposits, and profitability,
possessing an excellent
customer base. ICBC
Yangon Branch is now
looking for 16 talented
& competent local
employees to work as
its bank clerks in different
units including Financial
institution management,
Finance and Accounting
management,
Risk
management, IT, Banking
operation & Executive
office.Requirements:
Grade
10
degree
or above, major of
Accounting, Finance,
Law, IT, Economics is
preferred. Good reading,
writing & communication
skills in English or
Chinese. Strong sense of
responsibility, willingness
of learning & cooperation.
Basic computer skills,
able to use MS word
& Excel. Candidates
who want to do IT work
should be familiar with
fundamental
network
knowledge. Age under
30, beyond is possible
for excellent candidates.
Please send a detailed
CV to jy_xgs@126.
com, ycxu@mm.icbc.
com.cn and lixiaoming@
mm.icbc.com.cn ICBC
Yangon Representative
Office : (601)A, 6th
Flr,
Sakura
Tower,
Bogyoke Aung San Rd,
Kyauktada,Yangon. Ph:
01-255045

26 Sport

THE MYANMAR TIMES June 26, 2015

Football

Without a
league of
their own
W

ith an islamic headscarf tucked into her

football top, 16-yearold Fatwa Nurjannah
kicked the ball enthusiastically around the pitch at a training session in the indonesian capital
Jakarta.
People tell me since im a girl and
i wear the headscarf, im better off at a
religious school. No way, she told AFP,
as she took part in the all-female practice at a football academy.
Nurjannah is among a new generation of players hoping to revive the
womens game in indonesia, a tough
challenge in a conservative, Muslimmajority country where football is
typically the preserve of men.
to compound problems, the country has just been hit with a FiFA ban,
which means indonesia cannot compete in world football.
top teams are gearing up for the
Womens World Cup quarter-final this
weekend, but it is a rather different
picture in indonesia, where the womens team stood no hope of qualifying
as it did not even have a FiFA ranking
due to be being inactive for so long.
Nevertheless there is renewed optimism in indonesia, with officials
saying that the womens game is grow-

ing in popularity, and there are hopes

it could eventually return to its glory
days when the country challenged
Asias top teams.
Since that era in the 1960s and
70s, indonesian football has repeatedly been hit by corruption and mismanagement, dragging down both the
mens and womens teams.
But indonesia last year revived
a top-level tournament for women,
which produced a national team that
was sent to the ASeAN Football Federation Womens Championship last
month, the first indonesian side to
play in the regional tournament since
2011.
Some have voiced fears that FiFAs
weekend decision to suspend indonesia over government meddling in the
domestic league could damage efforts.
Not only are all indonesian teams
banned from international competition, but authorities can no longer
draw on FiFA funds to develop womens football.
however the government insisted
that the ban presents an opportunity
for a complete overhaul of football,
including the womens game. indonesia was hit with sanctions for ousting
the domestic football association, but
authorities argue the move clears the

Indonesian womens football team goalkeeper Evi Iswandari (right) guards the goal against Erma Karafir during a friendly
match in Bogor. Photo: AFP

way for reform as the association was

responsible for many of the sports
problems.
the government is serious and
this gives us good momentum, said
sports ministry official Djoko Pekik
irianto, when asked about the ban. he
added that authorities hoped to have a
womens league, which currently does
not exist, up and running once they
had completed a management reorganisation in a year.
Supporters of reviving the female
game point to an increasing number
of confident, young women from the
countrys rapidly emerging middleclass who are ready to challenge traditional values.
i cried when my older brother told
me not to play football. he said its not
proper and i should just stay in the
kitchen to cook, national team player
tugiati Jawa, 29, told AFP.
But now that i am making a living

out of something i love, he has been

supportive.
there is also evidence traditional
attitudes are softening and relatives
growing more supportive.
Nurjannahs father cheered her on
from the sidelines during the recent
session in Jakarta and has been taking
her to practise every week.
She is not currently playing in any
team but is taking part in the academys female-only training sessions
still a rarity in a country where women
often find themselves having to join in
with mens training.
indonesias size has as many disadvantages as advantages, with organising national tournaments a logistical
nightmare as the best players often
need to be flown thousands of miles
from around the country to Jakarta.
While the government has downplayed the FiFA ban, it does mean
indonesias women are unlikely to

get a chance to compete on the world

stage for some time, even if they do
improve.
And their recent return to international football was hardly triumphant.
At the AFF tournament in Vietnam,
indonesia crashed out in the first round
after losing all three of its matches, including a 10-1 defeat inflicted by thailand. Myanmar finished runners-up at
the tournament but did not face indonesia, who was drawn in a different group.
While attitudes are changing as indonesians become wealthier and better educated, many in the conservative
country are still against the idea of
womens football.
there is potential and interest but
the handicap for womens football in
indonesia is the culture and values,
said tommy Welly, a senior official
from the indonesian football association. People think football is not a
sport for women. AFP

Centuries of sporting tradition on display in Florence

Players of the 16th Century game of mob

football use an array of violent methods to
achieve their goals. Photos: AFP

WheN it comes to history, soccers classic derby matches are put in the shade by
the Calcio Storico Fiorentino, a fixture that
has been played in Florence since the 16th
Century.
every year on June 24 the feast day
of the citys patron saint St John the Baptist, teams from two of the four historic
neighbourhoods do battle in the final of a
competition that wraps football and rugby
skills into something that resembles a mass
brawl conducted in historical costume.
the districts of Santo Spirito (the
whites) and San Giovanni (the greens) were
the finalists this year and it was the whites
who ran out the winners on June 24 in
front of a crowd of more than 4000 people
at the famous Piazza Santa Croce.
Brutal it may have been at times, but
Veronica, an American spectator, could not
got enough of the peculiarly Florentine mix
of sport, history and culture.
its something that it is really interesting, as a cultural thing, how they take it,
she told AFPtV.
And so ive been coming for three years
and its fantastic ... i like the heart that goes
into it and the amount of culture and tradition. it is beautiful.
Local seven-year-old Francesco was not
about to join the tradition. Personally i
wouldnt play that. id rather be a footballer, he said.
Giacomo, a member of the winning
team, explained the attraction. On the field
there is adrenaline. But it is also a wonderful sport. if it wasnt great id stay at home.
Piazza Santa Croce has always been
the venue for a game and these days the
elegant square is covered in mud to make
it like it was in the early days of the contest, when it was reserved for aristocrats
and played every night during a fixed
winter period. AFP

Sport
28 THE MYANMAR TIMES JunE 26, 2015

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

Mob rules: a traditional

Florentine game of football
SPORT 26

myanmaR naTiOnal league

Federation secures stands

maTT ROebuck
matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com

HE Myanmar Football Federation is taking action to

make football stadiums safer, after outbreaks of crowd
violence that have plagued
home and international fixtures in recent years.
The first step is running stadium
security sessions, which the MFF has
provided to police and fire crews who
staff the stadia on match day.
Because of our past record we
must play our World Cup Qualifiers
home matches elsewhere, Myanmar
National League CEO Jeysing Muthiah
told The Myanmar Times yesterday at
a course for township officers at Yangons Aung San Stadium.
Were not proud of our record. Our
matches should be played in a safe and
secure environment for players, referees, spectators and officials, he added.
Crowd violence is so bad that the
team were initially barred from entering the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying stages. Though upon appeal the
decision was changed to allow participation, Myanmar was forbidden to
host home matches in the qualification process. The Myanmar Football
Federation then faced further censure
after crowd violence at the Myanmarhosted AFC U19 Championship.
Today another course will be held,
this time at the Yangon United Sport
Complex on Insein Road, before tomorrows top-of-the-table 3:30pm kick-off
between Yangon and Ayeyawady United.
Last season, the league-deciding
fixture played at YUSC between Yangon and their then-rivals Yadanarbon
FC ended with an attack by fans on the
team offices and accommodation after
Yadanarbon secured a draw that effectively handed them the title.
Courses have already been held
at stadiums that host MNL clubs
in Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Pathein,
Taunggyi and Monwya. Further training is planned at Yangons Thuwunna,
Padonmar and Salim, the latter two
hosting Myanmar National League-2

fixtures, before the end of July.

Previously everybody involved
in stadium security was called into
a single location for training, said
Jeysing.
Now the MFF goes to them, delivering theoretical sessions they can put into
practice in their stadia the next day. The
sessions are run by Jeysing and former
Police Colonel Khin Tun and Col Aye
Chu, formerly of the Tatmadaw, both of
whom now work for the MFF.
Issues dealt with in the sessions go
beyond crowd management, covering
topics such as decision-making over the
cancellation of matches due to weather.
But Jeysing knows that educating
the police and fire services will not be
enough. In order to replicate the scenes
of good-natured Myanmar fans who
won plaudits for their behaviour at the
Southeast Asian Games in Singapore
and the U20 World Cup in New Zealand,
a cultural change will be required.
We also need to educate the fans
through the mass media, and create
awareness through adverts within the
stadia, added Jeysing, We hope to
begin implementing programs such as
the Respect campaign [a program developed by the English FA] soon.

A newly trained police officer wears a security vest while on duty at Aung San Stadium. Photo: Matt Roebuck

maTcH OF THe Week

Yangon United FC

Ayeyawady United FC

Pos

Team

Pld

GF

GA

GD

Pts

Yangon united

30

+22

27

Ayeyawady united

20

+13

22

Yadanarbon FC

15

+7

19

Magway FC

19

11

+8

18

Kanbawza FC

11

+3

15

Chin united

11

+2

14

nay Pyi Taw FC

12

-5

Rakhine united

20

-11

Hantharwady united

10

-3

Yangon United Sport Complex

10

Zeyar Shwe Myay FC

21

-13

League leaders Yangon United face off against second-place Ayeyawady. The Delta
Boys lost to Chin United last week, and if Yangon make it two on the trot the Lions will
leave themselves in a commanding position for the second half of the season.

11

Manaw Myay FC

20

-13

12

Zwegapin united

16

-10

June 27, 3:30pm

wEEKEND
THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

contents

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

FEATURE

ot
h
ps
To

A parade participant
poses in costume for
the 33rd Annual Mermaid
Parade at New Yorks
Coney Island on June
20. Over 700,000 people
are expected to turn out
for the parade, wellknown for its extravagant
and sometimes scanty
costumes. Photo: AFP/
Timothy A Clary

12-13

Rolling stones
Families are leaving their
farms behind and moving
to the city in search of
work in the stone trade

FEATURE

14-15

Girls, uninterrupted
Portraits tell the
stories that need to
be told

TRAVEL

16-17

From dusk till dawn

Exploring the ancient
kingdom of Mrauk Oo

5
7
8
9
10
11
18
19
21
25
26

Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.

www.mmtimes.com

arts & entertainment

Listening to extreme music makes you calmer, says study
FOOD & DRINK
Golden Pho reviewed

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The economic benefits of increasing urban green space

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New York exhibition plots rise of global fashion

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FAMILY
Dont worry, working mums leave Dad in charge at home
HOME & GARDEN
Decluttering: a load of junk?
TRAVELSCHEDULES
Domestic and international flight times
FICTION
A Scent of Scandal
PUZZLERS
Comics, crosswords and predictions
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Fabulous photos from the biggest bashes around town
whaTSON
Your weekly guide to events in Yangon

Chief Executive Officer

Tony Child
tonychild.mcm@gmail.com
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wEEKEND | ARTS&entertainment

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

Man Asian literary

prize winner
apologises after
plagiarism row
Shin Kyung-sook had earlier denied
using material by Yukio Mishima,
but has now apologised, saying, I
cant believe my own memory
S

HIN Kyung-sook, an
internationally renowned
South Korean novelist who
won the US$30,000 Man Asian
literary prize four years ago, has
apologised to her readers and
admitted that everything is
my fault after being accused of
plagiarism.
Shin had earlier denied
allegations that she had plagiarised
passages in her 1996 short story
Legend from the Japanese author
Yukio Mishimas Patriotism
(1961). The accusation was made by
the poet and novelist Lee Eung-jun
in the Huffington Post; Lee cited
lines from both pieces, calling it a

clear case of plagiarism, a dishonest

act of a literary work which cannot
be acceptable to any professional
literature writer.
Last week, Shin released a
statement from her publisher to the
Korea Times, saying that she had only
read Mishimas The Temple of the
Golden Pavilion (1956), that she felt
sorry to let my readers undergo such
a commotion, and that as I have
weathered hardships (together with
my fans), I want my fans to believe
me. According to the Korea Times,
Shins collection of short stories The
Strawberry Field, and her novel The
Train Departs at 7, were the subject of
previous plagiarism allegations also

Shin Kyung-sook has apologized to her readers after being accused of plagiarism. Photo: Facebook

denied in 2000.
But now the novelist, whose Man
Asia-winning novel Please Look
After Mother has sold more than
2 million copies worldwide, has
backtracked on her earlier denial,
and apologised to her readers.
She told South Korean
newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun
that after comparing the sentences
cited by Lee, she thought that
it might be right to raise the
plagiarism allegation.
I desperately tried to recall my
memory only to find that I havent
read Patriotism, but now Im in a
situation where even I cant believe
my own memory, said Shin, in a

translation quoted by the Yonhap

News Agency.
She is now planning to discuss
removing Legend from the book
in which it is collected with her
publisher, she said, adding, I
sincerely apologise to the literary
writer who raised the issue as well
as all my acquaintances, and above
all, many readers who read my
novels Everything is my fault.
But Shin is not planning to give
up writing, because literature is her
life, she said. No matter how hard I
think, however, I cant announce the
end of my writing career, she told
the local paper.
Meanwhile university literature

professor Hyun Tac-soo is also

alleging that Shin partly plagiarised
passages from the prolific German
author Luise Rinsers The Middle
of Life (1950) for her prize-winning
novel Please Look After Mother,
as well as the passages from
Patriotism. According to Yonhap,
he has filed a complaint with the
authorities, and he told the news
agency that he has no intent to
cancel the measure.
What Shin disclosed through
the interview was not an apology.
I felt she was only trying to justify
herself without admitting to
plagiarism, he said.

The Guardian

Moroccan director accused of pornography

and debauchery over sex worker drama
BY ADAM ALEXANDER

EPORTS from Morocco

say director Nabil Ayouch
and actor Loubna Abidar
have been summoned to court to
face indecency charges over their
explicit film about the countrys
clandestine sex industry.
The director of Much Loved, a
controversial new Moroccan film,
has been summoned to court on
charges of pornography, indecency
and inciting minors to debauchery.
Moroccan media reports say
director Nabil Ayouch and his
Moroccan leading actor, Loubna

Abidar, who plays a prostitute in

the film, are to appear in court in
Marrakesh on 15 July.
The film immediately became
the centre of a social media
backlash in Morocco after several
clips including explicit sex leaked
online following the films screening
at Cannes last month. Among the
responses was a Facebook page
that called for the execution of the
French-Moroccan director and his
lead actor.
The Moroccan government
have banned the film in advance
of its planned autumn release.
Minister of Communication
Mustapha El Khalfi said that it

undermines the moral values and

dignity of Moroccan women, and is
a flagrant attack on the Kingdoms
image. Representatives from the
government are yet to see the film.
Not everyone in Morocco agrees
with the minister. Artistic works
must be evaluated according to
creative criteria and not through a
moral prism, said Khadija Rouissi,
an opposition MP and deputy
speaker of the parliament.
Ayouch, who is no stranger to
controversy in his native land,
said he was very shocked and
surprised by the ban, arguing that
its healthy for a country to be
able to look at itself in the mirror.

A still from Nabil Ayouchs film Much Loved, which has been banned by the Moroccan government. Photos: Facebook

The director has reportedly defied

the ban by screening the film at a
private university in the Moroccan
capital, Rabat, where he defended
his film and thanked the people who
published clips on social media.
They offered me free publicity, he
was reported as saying at the private
screening, adding that it was
inappropriate to ban the film.
Much Loved, also known as Zin
Li Fik in Morocco, tells the story of
four women working as prostitutes
in Moroccos most popular tourist
destination, Marrakesh. Denied
state funding, Ayouch and his
team cast non-professional actors
from the neighbourhoods where
prostitution is common in Morocco.
The film was made by a largely
female team.
The film presents realistic sex,
including a fumble in a parked van, a

failed attempt to achieve an erection

(resulting in violence) and scenes
of violent sex. Later, a Moroccan
policeman rapes the lead character
while she is in custody, and a French
tourist shouts, Were going to get
fucked tonight! One scene shows
a homeless boy admitting that
European men are regularly abusing
him for sex at US$7 a time.
Morocco is a Muslim country
where prostitution is illegal, even
though many analysts say sex work
not only constitutes a thriving
industry, but is some peoples only
way of making a living. There is
concern among analysts that the
countrys lax regulation is providing
a safe haven for sex tourists,
particularly paedophiles, drawn by
the low conviction rates for those
caught soliciting sex.

The Guardian

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | ARTS&entertainment

Listening to extreme music makes you

calmer, not angrier, says study
Rather than inciting people to anger or violence, research has found that loud and chaotic
music such as metal and punk is a healthy way of processing anger
H

EAVY metal is more

commonly associated with
headbanging, satanism,
moshpits and the decapitation of
small mammals. According to a new
study, however, metal, and all forms
of extreme music, can positively
influence the listener, inspiring
calmness rather than anger.
A study by the University of
Queensland, the Australian public
research institution in Brisbane,
revealed that rather than proving
the hypothesis that extreme music
causes anger, the theory that
extreme music matches and helps
to process anger was supported
instead.
Focusing on heavy metal, emo,
hardcore, punk, screamo and the
various other subgenres featured
in the category of extreme music,
honours student Leah Sharman and
professor Genevieve Dingle studied
39 regular listeners of extreme
music, between the ages of 18-34.
We found the music regulated
sadness and enhanced positive
emotions, Sharman said. When
experiencing anger, extreme-music
fans liked to listen to music that
could match their anger.
The music helped them explore
the full gamut of emotion they felt,
but also left them feeling more active

Myanmar band Culture Shock perform at

the Voice of the Youth music festival in
Yangon on June 13. Photo: Zarni Phyo

and inspired, reads the study.

Results showed levels of
hostility, irritability and stress
decreased after music was
introduced, and the most significant
change reported was the level of

inspiration they felt.

The subjects of the study,
which was published in Frontiers
in Human Neuroscience, were
monitored after a 16-minute
anger induction. This involved

each individual describing topics

that might inspire irritation,
such as relationships, money or
work, before spending a further 10
minutes listening to songs of their
choice and then experiencing 10

minutes of complete silence. The

researchers discovered that metal
music relaxed participants as
effectively as sitting in silence.
A secondary aim for the study
was to see what music angry
participants would select from their
playlist, Sharman said.
It was interesting that half of
the chosen songs contained themes
of anger or aggression, with the
remainder containing themes
such as though not limited to
isolation and sadness.
Yet participants reported
they used music to enhance their
happiness, immerse themselves in
feelings of love and enhance their
well-being.
Although citing the limitations
of the study, such as the experiment
being conducted in a laboratory under
controlled conditions rather than
subjects ruminating in solitude in a
bedroom, the study refutes the notion
that extreme music causes anger. It
notes, however, that further research
is required to replicate these findings
in naturalistic social contexts,
and to investigate the potential
contributions of individual listener
variables on the relationship between
extreme music listening and anger
processing.

The Guardian

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | FOOD&DRINK

Kimchi why everyone is going

crazy for fiery fermented foods
From kimchi to kombucha, fermented and pickled foods are popping up on menus everywhere
F

ERMENTING and pickling

didnt start off being about
taste.
It was primarily a means of a
survival: a way of preserving food
from harvest to harvest with origins
in ancient times.
The health benefits of these
natural means of storage didnt
take long to catch on with Aristotle
praising the healing effects of
pickled cucumbers back in 850 BC.
But forget about preservation
and health now its all about the
taste.
The combination of funky
and tart is surprisingly addictive
and from kimchi to kombucha,
fermented and pickled food are
popping up on menus all over town.
In case youre wondering,
fermenting refers to preserving
food using a process which
incorporates the natural bacteria
already present in certain foods to
produce lactic acid and preserve
the food, while pickling employs an
acidic element such as vinegar to aid
preservation.
To its fans, kimchi is the ultimate
fermented dish: part fiery, part
funky and a little bit feral, its a
staple of Korean cuisine.
For my kimchi fix, I love the
homemade kimchi at Frying
Colours in Kensington, Melbourne.
Chef Min Hui Lee makes all the
kimchi at Frying Colours based on
his grandmothers recipe.

You dont have to go to a restaurant to get your kimchi fix its easy to make at home. Photo: Shutterstock

He mixes the shredded cabbage

with salt and sugar, leaves it for
a day or so at room temperature
to acquire that sour flavour, and
then puts it away to ferment for six
months.
For a dish thats so long in the

making, the cabbage kimchi at

Frying Colours is mellow and
balanced with just the right amount
of chilli kick.
It works perfectly as an
accompaniment to KFC (Korean
Fried Chicken) and bibimbap.

Of course, there are a myriad of

vegetables that can be fermented,
not just cabbage.
Moon Park in Sydneys Redfern
serves up kimchi with a twist, made
using cucumber and nashi pear.
Its got the spice and heat of a

traditional kimchi but is also fresh

and light.
But you dont have to go to a
restaurant to get your pickling and
fermenting fix.
In a sold-out session at the recent
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival,
Benjamin Cooper, head chef at
Kong, gave a master class in how to
pickle and ferment at home.
Cooper is somewhat of an expert
having made 100 kilograms of
kimchi ahead of Kongs opening last
year.
Like many chefs his method
is more a handful of salt and a
handful of sugar and short on
actual recipe details.
But Cooper swears its pretty
hard to mess it up and says
we shouldnt be worried about
poisoning our nearest and dearest.
Just get loose, Cooper says.
He believes renewed interest
in traditional techniques like
fermenting and pickling is a
response to the technical wizardry
of chefs like Heston Blumenthal.
Its sort of come out the other
side of that now and what were
facing is the exact opposite of it.
Weve gone back to things which
are 100 to 1000 years old, using
techniques that have been around
for forever and a day.
Dont mind me. Ill just be getting
loose in the kitchen with a heap of
shredded cabbage.
The Guardian

Watermelon and tomato salad with feta

RECIPE

Photo: Aung Khant

OR his last week as Weekends guest

chef, Kevin Ching is sharing another
Port Autonomy favourite for you to try
at home.
This super-simple but delicious salad
is just what you need to brighten up these
overcast days, he said.
When choosing a watermelon, Ching
suggests forgetting the tapping method.
Instead, look for one with a big off-colour
spot, usually yellow or lighter colored. This
means that the melon sat on the ground, and
thus on the vine, for a long time and had a
good chance to ripen, he said.
Its nice to keep things chunky and rustic
with this salad, Ching says, so dont worry
about cutting things perfectly. He also
suggests bulking out the salad with any extra

vegetables you have at home: Red or yellow

capsicum, rocket, and avocado work great!
Watermelon and tomato salad with feta
Serves 4
4 cups watermelon, cut into small chunks
(blend and strain the scraps for fresh juice!)
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or the
ripest tomatoes you can find)
1 cup cucumber (Japanese are better), diced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup green olives, broken up by hand
1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1 handful fresh mint leaves, whole
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
For the balsamic dressing
1 part balsamic vinegar
1 part red wine vinegar

Photo: Zarni Phyo

3 parts extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt, pepper and sugar
Combine all the balsamic dressing
ingredients in a bowl or jar, mix well and
set aside.
Combine all the salad ingredients in a
bowl except for the feta cheese and half of
the basil and mint. Toss gently with a few
tablespoons of the balsamic dressing.

Pile the salad onto a serving plate and

garnish with the remaining basil, mint,
crumbled feta cheese, extra virgin olive oil
and a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper.
If you have any leftovers, this salad will
not keep well. Instead, chuck it all into a
blender with a few pieces of stale bread and a
splash of olive oil and puree it into a gorgeous
watermelon and tomato gazpacho thats even
better the next day!

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

Top tips for healthy,

easy family meals

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Golden Pho
ITH the exception of a growing number
of exotic street vendors who caused
outrage recently when it was discovered they
were serving dog meat to labourers on a nearby
construction site Vietnamese food has yet to take off
in the city. That could be about to change, however, with
a trickle of new Vietnamese restaurant openings doing
a roaring trade particularly among expats thankful
for their fresh, healthy offerings and minimal use
of oil.
Golden Pho which opened last month
has proven so popular that, during our
visit, all but one of the tables in the lively
restaurant were occupied by diners
enjoying steaming bowls of pho. As we slid
into the last remaining seats the serving
staff shot us a vexed look that said, You
better be prepared for a wait, folks. And
wait we did though it was difficult to
feel impatient seeing them dash around
madly with armfuls of dishes.
You will find all of your favourite
Vietnamese dishes on the menu here,
which includes the usual pork buns, Pho
and a range of salads. My guest and I opted
for the fried spring rolls (K3500) and fresh
prawn and pork rice-paper rolls (K3000)
to start, both of
which were
excellent

BY RACHEL POMERANCE BERL

though,
admittedly, difficult
to get wrong. When it comes
to sorting the vrai from the faux in the Vietnamese
restaurant game, every Vietnamese food lover knows
it all rests on the pho, so my guest chose the chicken
version while I opted for the sliced rare beef. The dishes
were served in the traditional Vietnamese way with a
side of fresh bean sprouts and fresh herbs and plenty
of fresh chilli for those who like their noodle soup with
added kick. The fragrant, steaming broth is just like
youd find in any good restaurant in Vietnam, and has
a clean, wholesome flavour that sets it apart from the
fatty, oilier versions available elsewhere in the city.
There are no alcoholic beverages on the menu, but

wEEKEND | FOOD&DRINK

health-conscious
diners will take
pleasure in the surprising range of
fresh juices and smoothies. My fresh pineapple
juice (K2500) was served in a Mason jar a
trendy touch (the restaurants owner hails
from Melbourne) that will no doubt prove
popular with bearded expats. Fresh young
coconuts (K2000) are also on the menu
the staff will carve the shell up for you if you
want to scoop out the fruit inside and the
traditional Vietnamese coffee is a real gem.
There are no delusions of grandeur here.
The interior is modern but minimal almost
clinically so and the service was somewhat
aloof, even after the crowds had cleared out.
But Golden Pho undoubtedly serves the freshest,
tastiest, best-value Vietnamese food in Yangon,
making it a must-go for noodle soup lovers if you can
find a table.
Golden Pho
62 Yaw Min Gyi Street, Yangon
Restaurant Rating:
Food
Beverage
Service
Value
X-factor

9
8
7
9
9

N a few weeks, Aviva Goldfarb

will be making zucchini
noodles with a puppet named
Zach Zucchini. A crusader for
healthy family dinners, Goldfarb
will guest star in a cooking video for
Super Sprowtz, a New York-based
childrens edutainment company,
with a band of veggie superheroes
such as Curtis the Carrot whose
stores of beta-carotene give him
supreme vision and Zach the
Zucchini, who is, for some reason,
a surfer. (The fact that Zach will be
pulverizing his own people in the
upcoming production is likely to be
lost on the target audience.)
While Super Sprowtz marks a
new foray one of many for
Goldfarb, shes long been spreading
the joy of sharing healthy,
homemade meals.
The best thing you can do is
to try to step back, most likely on
the weekends, and plan ahead,
says the mother of two and creator
of The Six OClock Scramble, an
online family dinner planner. Plan
a few meals to make for the week
ahead, use a grocery list to avoid
extra shopping trips and food
waste, and make it fun, she advises.
A sense of adventure can
help prod picky eaters to test
their palates, says Goldfarb, who
suggests getting kids input in
choosing and ranking a new dish,
and praising them for trying out
foods. Whenever one of her kids
liked a healthy, new food, she and
her husband would perform a
celebratory chicken dance and add
the item to a running list of kidapproved foods on the fridge.
They also reserved dessert for
Friday night dinners Goldfarb
tired of the power struggle
surrounding sweets and the kids
favourites for babysitter nights.
Theyre not overnight going
to start accepting every new food
on the table, but if you dont start
somewhere, then youre going to
lock yourself into years of your kids
having very limited diets, because
youre not helping them evolve,
she says.

The cast of Super Sprowtz a New Yorkbased childrens edutainment company

aim to get children eating their vegetables.
Photo: Super Sprowtz/Facebook

A former healthcare reform

activist, Goldfarbs current career
resulted from the common
challenge of making fast, healthy
meals for her own family. As she
swapped recipes and shared stories,
co-authoring her first cookbook
in 1998, Peanut Butter Stew and
Couscous, Too, she realised that
food provided her with a better path
toward public health.
Its such a communal thing that
everybody wants to talk about, she
says. It was like the antidote for
me working in politics.
In 2003, Goldfarb launched
website The Six OClock Scramble,
which is both practical and
advocacy-oriented, documenting
the decline of family dinners
and linking their regularity to
such benefits as healthy weight,
improved academic performance
and less risky behaviour in children
and teens.
Four cookbooks later the site
has given Goldfarb a public health
platform. Among other roles, she
advises Real Food for Kids an
organization that presses for
healthier food in the US and
contributes to the Today show and
The Washington Post.
Still, she crafts new recipes,
often trying to use up fresh foods
on hand a recent effort yielded
sweet potato topped with broiled
Gorgonzola thats now on her site.
Speaking of sweet potatoes,
Goldfarb has been serving them to
her son, 18, and daughter, 15, for
ages. Last year, they decided that
they like them.

The Washington Post

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | HEALTH&beauty
LIVING WELL IN MYANMAR

Can parents protect

kids from peanut
allergies?
CHRISTOPH GELSDORF, MD

HEN I was in elementary

school in the United States
I dont recall many of my
classmates having peanut allergies.
But these days when I speak to my
friends about their kids, it seems to
be quite common so much so that
children are no longer permitted to
bring peanut butter to school.
The number of kids in the US
with peanut allergies has increased
fourfold over the last 13 years and
is the leading cause of food-allergyrelated deaths. The number of
children diagnosed appears to be
rising in Asia and Africa as well.
Clearly peanut issues are relevant
to our lives here in Myanmar due to
the frequency with which we find
peanuts in salads, curries and noodle
dishes. Research published earlier
this year in The New England Journal
of Medicine gives us new information
on what might be possible in
reversing the growing trend of
peanut allergies.
The study was a randomised
control trial, which is the highestquality approach Western medicine
has to establish the truth. The
authors took a group of 640 infants
between four and 11 months felt to
be at high risk of peanut allergies
because they already had eczema

or egg allergies who either ate or

avoided peanuts until they were five
years old. They further sub-divided
the groups according to whether the
children had a positive or negative
peanut skin-prick test, meaning
before the study started certain kids
were known to already be peanut
sensitive.
The results were fascinating.
Among the group who had a
negative skin-prick test meaning
no pre-existing peanut sensitivity
13.7 percent of those who did not eat
peanuts developed a peanut allergy
at age five while, of those who ate
peanuts from birth, only 1.9pc
developed a peanut allergy.
Among the group who had a
positive skin-prick test meaning
they were already sensitive to
peanuts before the study began
35.3pc of those who got no peanuts
developed a peanut allergy at age
five, while 10.6pc of the peanut
eaters were allergic to peanuts at
age five.
According to this study at least,
the message is clear: Giving allergyprone kids peanuts early in life will
decrease the likelihood that they
develop a peanut allergy in childhood
even if they are already susceptible
to a peanut allergy to begin with.
These results are generally in line
with a growing body of research that
has looked at other allergenic foods,
such as eggs and cows milk, and

found that early introduction into the

diet was associated with a decrease in
the development of allergies.
Regular readers of Living Well
in Myanmar will recall that Ive
frequently written on the health
benefits of nuts, both in their own
right and as a component of the
Mediterranean Diet. Research last
year showed an association between
eating nuts every day and living
longer. Nuts are variable in their
cost, with peanuts generally being
one of the cheaper options. From a
public health standpoint, wed like
to get as many people eating nuts as
possible, so finding ways to prevent
allergies is important.
What then are the practical
implications of this study? Do we
now tell parents all babies should be
eating peanuts before 11 months?
Unfortunately we dont have the
full answer yet. We dont know

whether kids need eight peanuts

three times per week for five years,
as was done in this research, or
whether some peanuts every now
and then would be sufficient. Also
the research was carried out with a
set of allergy-prone infants, so its
unclear how well the findings apply
to average-risk children. The authors
are going to continue following this
research cohort, so well learn over
time whether the protection against
allergies lasts into adolescence and
adulthood.
However it does appear that
the general approach and medical
recommendations toward allergies
and food introduction are going to
change radically. Until recently,
medical groups advised withholding
allergenic foods from children
the exact opposite of what were
now learning. This will likely be
considered a landmark study in

the modern history of paediatric

preventative care.
An informal survey of my medical
colleagues in Myanmar seems to
indicate that peanut allergies here
are either under-diagnosed or rare
probably the latter. Is this because
no one would think it necessary to
withhold peanuts from food given
to babies? Perhaps. Regardless, the
peanut reversal is a humble reminder
that in Western medicine a portion of
what we assume today to be right will
eventually be proven incorrect.
Christoph Gelsdorf is an American
Board of Family Medicine physician
who sees patients in Yangon and
California (www.gelsdorfMD.com).
He is a member of the Myanmar
Academy of Family Physicians.
Reader thoughts and questions are
welcomed at livingwellmyanmar@gmail.

com

Sex seems to be the hardest word

for Myanmars women
BY CHIT SU

ITH its scantily clad

women and racy bedroom
tips, Myanmars first
sex-education magazine, Hyno,
didnt last very long after it
was banned in 2013 shortly
after the release of its first
issue. But in a country where
talking about sex remains
a cultural taboo, where do
women go for sex education?
Daw Htar Htar, director
of the Akhaya Womens
Association, says a lack of sex
education for women is one of the
main reasons for gender inequality
in Myanmar.
We found through our sexeducation forums that the root
cause of gender inequality in
Myanmar is that theres no sex
education, she said.
Myanmar women get sex
education from nowhere. They
dont get it at school, or from family
because of Myanmar culture. Men
get sex education from each other,
as they tend to discuss the topic
with friends and elders whether
the information they are given
is true or not. So every women
in Myanmar is in need of sex
education, she said.
Daw Htar Htar started Akhaya in
2008 and started delivering weekly
sex-education training sessions for
women.

Before 2008, she worked for the

Burnet Institute, an NGO offering
HIV protection and treatment,
where she advised about protection
and gave training about safe sex. She
believes it is Myanmars patriarchal
culture that keeps women from
speaking openly about their
sexual lives.
The traditional
view in Myanmar
is that womens
genitals are dirty,
which leads to
degrading views
about women
in general.

When society
degrades women, no one
respects them. I think sex
education is important
in teaching women to value

themselves, she said.

Ei Pwint, 26, who works for
an NGO, says she thinks sex
education in schools needs to be
improved. When I was 13, I got
some knowledge at school about
sex education, such as using
condoms, but it was very little,
she said.
I think we need more sex
education according to our age.
We have to know about our body
because our body and hormones are
always changing, she added.
In Myanmar, sex remains
a taboo subject, and efforts to
improve sex education are often
met with concerns about protecting
traditional religious or cultural
values.
It is seen as rude and
shameful for girls to

talk about and ask about sex, but

it is not the same for boys, said
a 31-year-old woman who asked
not to be named. Teachers dont
talk about sex at school and most
parents dont explain or mention
it at home. I first learned about sex
from my childhood friend who went
abroad and came back when we
were 15. Before that I had no idea
what sex was I thought you could
get pregnant from sleeping together
side by side and kissing someone on
the cheek, she added.
When we were young we
dared not eat a banana in public
because people would mock
us, especially men. But
I didnt understand
what they meant
at that

time I only understood what

oral sex was when I was 26 and I
learned about it on the internet,
she said.
When we ask participants in the
training to draw naked bodies they
always get embarrassed and start
giggling nervously, said Daw Htar
Htar, but by the end of the training,
they are not embarrassed.
The women who attend our
sex-education forums leave feeling
more confident about themselves.
They know what sexual harassment
is and they know they
can report it, and
they understand
how women get
pregnant, so
they can play
an active role
in protecting
themselves, she
said.
The organisation
has provided sex
education to almost
2000 women through
since 2011. The weekly
training sessions are
attended by women of a
diverse range of ages and
religions.
We believe it has been a
success, Daw Htar Htar said.
When women are more confident
and have more knowledge about sex,
they in turn can start sharing the
information so we can educate even
more women.

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | STYLE

Rabbits and rockets at Prada

Spring 2016 collection

Photos: AFP/Gabriel Bouys

NCE again, iconic fashion house

Prada surprised crowds when it
unveiled its Spring 2016 collection
at Milan Fashion Week on June 21.
While the colour palette was relatively
subdued on tailored pieces grey and
navy blazers and mustard shirts poppy

graphics of rabbits, rockets and race

cars cast a quirky note, with bold prints
splashed across jumpers and jackets for
both men and women.
In March, Prada reported a steep fall
in profits in the previous year, linked
to a changing political landscape in

China and an increasing desire, among

luxury consumers, to buy understated,
less obviously branded, goods. Time
will only tell if this new collection
of whimsical prints can come to the
brands rescue.

Charlotte Rose

10

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | Family

Dont worry, working mums

just leave Dad in charge at home
BY ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER

ORKING mothers today are the targets

of an entire industry of books, magazines
and advice columns on how to balance
work and family, complete with competing
studies as to whether couples in which husbands
help more with housework have more or less sex.
Forget the rarified world of the chief executives
who need to travel frequently and make
themselves available constantly for clients or
crises; a far larger group of women simply want
to advance in their careers at a steady pace at
least keeping up with the men in their offices
without feeling overwhelmed by duelling
demands at home.
But all that counsel only goes so far: Even
when their husbands fully share the housework
and childcare, it doesnt help reduce the stress
that so many women say results from the
equivalent of two full-time jobs. The biggest
problem is that Mum remains the designated
worrier in most households, as Judith
Shulevitz wrote on Mothers Day. Mothers
draft the to-do lists while fathers pick and
choose among the items. The psychological
toll of always being responsible can knock a
woman partway or clean off a career path.
Theres a simple fix for that anxiety, though:
Dont just ask men to do more work at home.
Put them in charge.
Call it the feminism of empowered dads.
Want to open the boardroom doors for
women? Encourage heck, praise dads who
stay home with their children. The man who
made that appeal in 2013 is Conor Williams,
an early-education expert at New America who
spent several years as the primary caretaker
for his young son and daughter. That allowed
his wife to run projects for a nonprofit in
preparation for business school, thereby taking
the first step on that path to the boardroom.
Female leaders have ascended thanks to
this model. Bloomberg News Carol Hymowitz
researched the 18 female chief executives of
Fortune 500 companies in 2012 and found
that almost half had or once had full-time
primary-caregiver husbands. Others had
husbands whose flexible careers allowed them
to anchor the home front the kind of jobs still
known in many quarters as mummy track
career paths. These women had figured out,
Hymowitz concluded, what every man with a
corner office has long known: To make it to the
top, you need a wife. If that wife happens to be
a husband, and increasingly it is, so be it.
My husband is a distinguished professor of
international affairs but is also the lead parent
the one who can adjust his work schedule to be
available for teachers conferences, homework
projects or music lessons. Yet this is not a role
that the husbands of working women have been
eager, so far, to grab for themselves en masse.
Shulevitz points to biology, arguing that
women are just evolutionarily conditioned
to worry more about their children. But the
evidence from the animal kingdom and from
neuroscience is equivocal at best. And biology
is what historically confined women to roles
as wives and mothers rather than lawyers and
neurosurgeons. Same-sex couples also challenge
our preconceptions of natural roles. Biology is
mutable; the more we know about the plasticity
of brains, the more we realise the extent to which
nurture actually shapes nature.
For men to take charge, however, women
have to be willing to step aside, despite all the
cultural expectations that well run the home
front no matter what. Andy and I have, after
some debate, come to an understanding that
if hes the lead parent, he gets to call the shots
about schedules, how things are organised
(I can never find anything in our kitchen),
the punishments to mete out when the kids
break the rules and myriad other parenting
decisions. I dont like it. But he says that if
I want to change it, I can stop travelling as
much as I do and focus less on running things
in my office. Otherwise, hes not about to be
micromanaged.
For many women, no matter how stressed
they are, this is a hard step. When I speak
to womens groups, I describe the following
scenario. You walk into your office, and your
boss says, I am biologically better at this, but I
think you can do this job if I micromanage you
enough, leaving you long lists of what needs

to be done and calling in every hour or two to

make sure you are actually doing what you are
supposed to be. Partway through, ripples of
laughter begin to spread through the audience;
the women recognise that I am describing how
most of us treat our husbands. Some heads
nod, but in the question-and-answer period,
someone will always raise her hand and say
that her husband really cant do it. He cant
multitask. Hell forget which child has to be
where, when. Hell just order pizza for dinner.
Maybe. But we dont know until we try.
Men run offices with many moving parts;
they oversee military camps and bases that
provide food, healthcare and other services for
thousands of soldiers; they produce movies and
complex entertainment spectacles. When I
was growing up, many women never imagined

To make it to the top, you

need a wife. If that wife
happens to be a husband,
and increasingly it is, so be it
Carol Hymowitz

that their husbands could cook; now men

compare stoves the way they compare cars.
They may have different ways of parenting and
organising a household, but women should be
the last people to say that different is wrong.
Men seem ready. We know from a Pew study
on modern parenthood in 2013 and a study by
the Families and Work Institute a year later on
the new male mystique that men and women
now feel roughly the same level of work-family
stress when they have children at home.
Nearly the same percentage 52 percent of
mothers and 48pc of fathers, according to the
Pew survey said that they would prefer to be
home with their children but they have to work
because they need the income. Would men

resist becoming lead parents if it meant their

wives could bring in more money and they
could spend more time with their children?
We dont really know. Men arent brought
up to seek roles beyond breadwinning, much
less act on those desires. Once, we didnt really
know what women wanted, either; in the early
days of the womens movement, many people
insisted that women did not actually aspire to be
professionals that they were happy at home and
didnt want to wear the pants in the family.
Men who prefer to do more at home still
confront an outdated image of masculinity
from women and from other men. Most
definitions of masculinity, Conor Williams
writes, can accommodate shirts soaked with
sweat, blood, or ambiguous grime . . . but not
applesauce. He describes the emasculating
ridicule he and his fellow dads often face from
women at the playground. But he sees himself
as someone whose version of masculinity
includes shouldering the bulk of our familys
childcare. With good reason, he also sees
himself as a true feminist.
Men like Williams are secure enough in
their masculinity to challenge stereotypes.
It is the breadwinning wives, whether sole
or co-breadwinners, who are often more
uncomfortable than their husbands. A
lot of successful women are still slightly
embarrassed to have a stay-at-home spouse, as
Vivia Chen noted in Time magazine in 2013.
High-ranking partners in big law firms whose
husbands have primary responsibility for the
kids will say that their spouses also do some
vaguely explained work on the side, Chen
reports. And in all the womens leadership
conferences I have attended, I have never once
heard a panel on the essential role of a leadparent spouse in making it to the top.
Liam Robb OHagan, whos married to
Equinox chief executive Sarah Robb OHagan and
is the primary caregiver for their three kids, is
thoughtful on this point as well. Since I quit paid
employment, he writes, Im pretty sure Ive
filled in a few forms using the term unemployed
instead of stay-at-home dad. Which, when I
think about it, it is quite strange. It speaks to how
much what you do defines you as a man.
Feminists of my generation and the
millions of younger women who were raised to
believe they could break every glass ceiling in

sight feel the same way: We should be defined

primarily by what we do, which is why deciding
to stay home and give up that comforting
professional identity is so hard. The answer,
for both women and men, is to make clear that
parenting is just as hard and important as an
income-generating profession and to allow
men and women to be in charge equally in
whatever sphere they are in.
That, ultimately, may require mums to
give something up, too. I remember the first
time one of our sons woke up in the night and
called for Daddy instead of Mummy. My first
reaction, to put it politely, was deep dismay.
Im his mother. Kids are supposed to call for
their mothers.
If Im honest, however, the hardest emotion
to work through at that moment was less guilt
than envy. Even with all the rewards of my career,
I would still like for our sons to call for me first.
As the psychiatrist Andras Angyal wrote, We
ourselves want to be needed. We do not only
have needs, we are also strongly motivated by
neededness. But something has to give. I am
deeply involved in my childrens lives while being
able to pursue my career ambitions on a slower
track than if we didnt have children, but fast
enough for me. Thats enough.
Being in charge means being the
indispensable one children rely on and turn
to. And it means imposing your priorities
and arranging things your way. But if women
cannot let go, we cannot ever make it to the
top in the same numbers that men do, much
less create a society that supports all women
and men in caring roles. We have to share the
home in the same way we are demanding that
men share the office. Women and men will
have to accept and indeed value a loosening of
male gender roles, just as we have accepted and
come to value working women, who once were
seen as deeply masculine.
Real equality, for our partners and for us,
hangs in the balance. So lets take a hard look at
ourselves and our expectations, and give it up
for Dad.

The Washington Post

Anne-Marie Slaughter is president and CEO of

New America and the author of several books
including Unfinished Business: Women, Men,
Work, Family.

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | HOME&GARDEN

Decluttering: a load of junk?

BY EVA WISEMAN

HERES a point, almost

halfway through Marie Kondos
bestselling book The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying, where she
politely invites the reader to chuck
it in the bin. This is the call of the
clutter therapist: Get rid, purge, clear,
toss, abandon, and with relish, too.
This also is the message of the fastest
growing self-help sub-genre, itself
the worlds bestselling genre. And its
one that has arrived at exactly the
right time. Two-thirds of us think we
would be better off if we lived more
simply. Many of us feel weighed
down by our own excess. In his (also
bestselling) book, trend forecaster
James Wallman calls the problem
Stuffocation, and defines it as the
material equivalent of the obesity
epidemic. There are so many books
being published about clutter that if
you placed them end to end, you could
easily fill a small one-bedroom flat.
Why, then, are we suddenly
so desperate to learn how to live
minimally? Every expert has an
answer. Wallman breaks them
down into the environmental
argument (were worried were
using more resources than the
planet can sustain), the political
argument (without having to worry
about basic material needs we have
become post-materialists), the
social scientists argument (weve
learned that possessions dont
make us happy), and the economic
argument (we simply cant afford
not to). I asked Alain de Botton

for the philosophical argument.

The more chaotic, abundant and
junk-filled a society, he explains,
the more its tastes in interiors will
incline towards the minimalist, the
austere and the tidy. At a personal
level, he adds, The more turbulent
someones inner life is, the more
tidiness appeals. It isnt tidy minds
that go for tidy exteriors. Its chaotic
minds. Chaotic minds gather on
social media, where before and after
wardrobe photos are a currency.
The first thing youll notice when,
like the 2 million people before you,
you begin reading Kondos book, is
that it is pleasingly short. In just

The more turbulent

the inner life, the more
tidiness appeals. It
isnt tidy minds that
go for tidy exteriors, its
chaotic minds
Alain de Botton

over 200 pages, it promises, you will

be cured of this malady, this virus.
Cured of the shelves packed three
books deep, of the drawer of old
phone chargers, of the socks and the
cardigans and the drying felt-tips.
I started, as Kondo recommends,
with my clothes, and from
there to books, papers, komono
(miscellaneous items) and finally
things with sentimental value. My
clothes are their own private island,
like Necker, or one thats suffered
less fire damage. It is a task, plonking
every last garment on the floor
mainly because first I have to clear
a space on the floor. But as I work
through them (in silence Kondo
asks that you turn all music off) I
feel something. I quickly fill two big
Ikea bags with ugly vintage dresses,
lingerie that still has its tags on,
shoes that made me walk home from
the station barefoot. Its starting! I
think, sitting on the floor in a bra and
pair of tights. Im becoming a better

person! And then my mum calls.

Parents and family are a recurring
theme in TLCMOT. Not only does
Kondo advise against passing on any
clothes you want to get rid of to your
siblings, or asking your mother to
store a pile of books for you in her
attic, she insists you tidy without
telling them. The volume of what
youre getting rid of, she says, will
make them anxious about how youll
survive on whats left. So I sit alone,
and begin on my papers.
I threw away every bank
statement, every birthday card, every
sketch and magazine and letter. Some
of it was hard to lose, but most of it
was easy. I felt lighter, but scared.
Every time, though, I held the thing
in my hand like a paper grenade, and
asked myself the question that Kondo
says is the key, the secret, to the
life-changing magic of tidying: Does
this spark joy? After asking herself
this question one of Kondos clients
got rid of her husband. I started
smaller. A Moschino dress that Ive
been meaning to get altered for 10
years does this spark joy? A pair of
over-washed pyjamas joy. A plate in
the shape of a cabbage leaf extreme
joy. And so my flat began to empty.
Except, as I got deeper into the days,
the days spent surrounded by my
dwindling things, it felt like instead
of getting bigger, airier, my home was
deflating.
I could have got rid of more, but
Id stopped wanting to. Perhaps the
process had made me appreciate
the value of stuff, of my chosen stuff.
Perhaps Id answered all the questions
Kondo forces you to ask yourself,

11

about why you want to live the way

you want to live. Perhaps I was bored.
The minimalist home is a style
choice, I realised. The things Kondo
calls clutter, I call my lovely pictures,
my funny shoes, my pieces of a life.
The aim of decluttering, it turns
out, should not in fact be to purge
your belongings, to live in that white
nothingness. The aim should not
be to wake up in a flat of echoes, to a
kitchen with a single plate. It should
be to enjoy the objects youve chosen
to live with, and to continue to choose
only things youll love. Holding each
one in my hand, as Kondo urges, and
realising how many of them do spark
joy was a pleasure, a reminder of who
I am. Clutter kills, says Stuffocations
Wallman, like a talking cigarette
warning. But like dirt, clutter is just
matter out of place. Holding your stuff
in your hand the best thing Kondo
can teach you made me realise that
the only thing I needed to bin was the
book.

The Guardian

12

wEEKEND | FEATURE

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

Rolling stones

wEEKEND | FEATURE

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

13

As machines replace the

need for manual labour,
families are leaving their
farms behind and moving to
the city in search of work in
the stone trade
BY NANDAR AUNG

T dawn they are already covered in sweat

from lugging the baskets of pebbles over the
wooden ramp from the ship to the bank of
the Bago River in Dagon Seikkan township.
The cold breeze off the water does not cool their
sweat, nor even ruffle their hair, which is encased
in plastic bags. Most are men, but there are also
women, girls and boys.
I dont want my sisters working as hard as me,
says 14-year-old Phyu Phyu Win, the eldest. I want
them to be educated. I will try to enrol them in
school and keep pushing them to live like ladies.
Phyu Phyu Win was born in a village in
Ayeyarwady Region to farm workers whose daily
wages could not support their childrens schooling.
She quit in fifth grade.
Her father, Zaw Min Oo, 36, decided to leave the
farm work that paid him K2000 for a working day
that lasted from 6am to 5pm without a break.
My parents were farm workers too. But I cant
support my family by farming. Once the paddy is
harvested I have no work. And as many farmers
are mechanising, there is less work anyway. I
borrowed some money, but then found we were
working all the time just to pay off the debt.
Now he helps his sister-in-law, a mason,
unloading the pebbles from the boat. He earns
at least K7000 a day, carrying 200 baskets at
the rate of K35 a basket. Once established, he
called his whole family up from Ayeyarwady last
December. Along with his wife and Phyu Phyu
Win, the family can earn K15,000 to K20,000 a
day, supporting the two youngest daughters, aged
three and five.

Mechanisation has not yet replaced the need for

manual workers in the stone trade. When the boats
bearing the rocks come down from Magwe Region,
teams of men and women and children are still
needed to fill the baskets with pebbles and carry
them onto the shore. Construction companies
buy the pebbles for the sites that have sprung up
around Yangon.
Since 2000, Htay Construction Wares has
employed 200 regular daily workers. Most are
casuals who live near the river bank, and some, like
Zaw Win Oo and his family, have migrated from
elsewhere. The workers and their families move
around frequently, and often live in temporary
housing next to the sites where they work.
Things have changed a lot for us since coming
here. Now we have money every day. We can
eat whatever we want, and even send our young
daughters to school, said Zaw Min Oos wife,
36-year-old San San Nu, a Kayin. The family now
lives in a 10-foot-square room with a thatched roof
and bamboo floor.
The increase in income has brought ambition.
When Ive put together enough money to invest
in my own business and buy a house, I will quit
and go back to my home town and spend the rest
of my days there, said Ko Zaw Min Oo. Yangon is
no place for the likes of us, who are poor and dont
have enough time to rest. We dont belong here.
Ko Zaw Min Oo and Phyu Phyu Win both
remember the green fields and fresh air of
Ayeyarwady Region.
Talking done, he goes back to work. There are
500 baskets of pebbles to be unloaded if he is to
make todays target, and his lifes dream. Ignoring
the wind and the rain, he shoulders his basket and
trudges on.

Photos: Zarni Phyo

14

wEEKEND | FEATURE

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

BY FIONA MACGREGOR

IRL Determined is a Myanmar-based organisation

that aims to facilitate girls to recognise their personal
and group potential. More than 2000 girls across the
country are already part of the movement which provides
them with leadership skills to advocate for their own rights
and a future that does not recreate the risks they now face.
On June 28, an exhibition and fundraising auction of
limited edition photographs of Girl Determined members by
internationally acclaimed photographer Andrew Stanbridge,
will take place in Yangon. The event, which will also feature
video documentaries of the girls, an opportunity to speak
to staff and hear from those who have graduated from the
program, along with live music by Gitameit a raffle, and
complementary food by 57Below.
The Myanmar Times met with Mr Stanbridge in Yangon
this week to find out what inspired the exhibition and why the
photographer, who has been working in Myanmar for 15 years,
has become such a staunch supporter of Girl Determined.
How did you first hear about Girl Determined?
I first met Brooke [Zobrist, Girl Determined founder] in
Chiang Mai in 2000. After she started the Girl Determined
programs and started talking to me about them. I asked her if I
could go out and see them.
From the very first one, I realised the kids had a way of
interacting that Id never seen before.
In what way did you think Girl Determined was different?
Ive seen a lot of aid work being done across the world that just
seems to be band-aid kind of aid work.
This is an organisation that has a long term commitment
and the vision is long, which I think is brilliant. They are not
looking for, just the two years that these girls [are part of the
program]. But that these girls after the two years become
women and they learn how to change and how to empower
themselves and carry that on to their children, and their
children, so it will be a generational thing.

Girls, uninterrupted
Portraits tell the stories that need to be told

Photos: Andrew Stanbridge

What made you decide to start taking these series of

images?
What really drew me in was [filming] video interviews. Id be
sitting there filming and I didnt understand the language but
Id see the girls be extremely emotional.
Hearing those stories after they were translated for me [I
learned] what these girls and it seems like the majority of girls
in Myanmar go through on a daily basis in terms of abuse or
getting pulled out of school unwillingly to go and work.
Then, hearing what a difference it was for them to be in
these Girl Determined circles [groups]. Not only the impact
it had on them in terms of their voice and participation in
the community, but first and foremost learning that they are
people and they have emotions. They learn how to look inward
and thats an ok thing to do and its very important to respect
yourself and form your own opinions.
The first experiences of it impacted on me so much I said
to Brooke, These stories need to be told. People have heard

wEEKEND | FEATURE
stories of the hardship that girls face but it needs to be told
that there are ways to address the problems and this is a very
successful program.
The photographs in this exhibition have been taken over
three years. What did you learn about the girls during that
time?
Coming back over and over, Ive seen the girls go through the
curriculum and the transition in the way they communicate
and interact with the other.
You see so many young girls in places where Girl
Determined isnt functioning who are timidly walking around
and interacting in a way you can barely hear them. Then you
see these girls who are graduates walking through the town
arm in arm like they own the place.
Also there is a sense of comradeship and solidarity that
they form with each other. They learn that theyre not the only
ones who are going through these struggles: that every single
girl almost that they come in contact with are going through
them, and sharing is a good thing and finding strength in
companionship is so important.
Has your approach to the way in which you take
photographs changed over the time that youve got to know
the girls?
Getting to know the girls changed things, but also they change
[because of the program]. So its not just our relationship and
their comfort level with me, but also me witnessing them
becoming these strong women with goals.
I do a lot of individual portraits of them. So rather than
these girls who look scared of not only me but the world, just
[the look] in their eyes and the way the carry themselves
changes so much and so that imagery in itself changes. Its not
me so much who makes the pictures different, but the girls
who make them different.
How did you pick the photographs appearing in this
exhibition?
I wanted to give a sense of the broad geographical area that the
organisation works in. Then some are just direct portraits that
allow the girls to be represented as themselves and represent
themselves. Others photographs give a sense of daily life
that allow people to walk into the place visually that this is
[happening]. Then there are the photographs of the [Girl
Determined] activities themselves.
Do you have a favourite image?
I love the portraits. When Brooke and I were going through
them there were about five of them that we looked at and
thought, The future board of directors for Girl Determined!
They were very powerful. Some of them mirror and I am
consciously doing it, but at the same time Im not posing them
in any way but they really speak to that iconic picture by Nic
Dunlop of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Is there any particular story from working with the girls
that has stuck in your mind?
Theres a photograph of a girl with her father and mother in
their small bamboo house on the outskirts of Yangon. The

15

girls mother had had a very debilitating stroke, but she had
this beautiful smile and these eyes that really lit up, especially
when they were talking about her daughter.
After hearing so many awful stories about the men in
families, [it was very positive] to see this father who had stuck
with the family, was taking care of the mother and was so
proud of his daughter for taking part in Girl Determined.
But the girl was also talking about maybe having to drop
out of school to help the family basically survive. So even in a
household where you arent facing the normal challenges of
male dominance these girls can have extreme challenges. But
it was a positive feeling that, ok, there are some good males
in the world! And it was a beautiful moment of family and
togetherness.
How do you feel that particular story reflected what Girl
Determined achieves?
Ive seen it a lot of times when in the beginning the families
were very reluctant to have their girls take part in Girl
Determined, but after a few months they begin to see the
change and have admiration for what their daughters are
accomplishing and also start to be able to communicate with
them, because their daughters are able to stand up and give
good reasons [for what they want to do] and are talking about
their hopes and dreams. I think not only are girls empowering
themselves, they are empowering their families as well.
What do you hope to achieve by holding this exhibition?
As it approached the five-year anniversary of Girl Determined,
I thought, now that theres a sort of open society in Myanmar
and groups like this can function out in the open, lets have a
kind of coming-out party. So it will be great.
We can raise money, which is a very important thing,
because its incredible how low the cost is of the program for
an individual girl, so by raising money you can really affect a
large population.
And also it is [an opportunity] to introduce Girl
Determined to the Myanmar community of government, aid
organisations and international investment organisations that
are all working to try and make this country stronger.
Im hoping to be able to meet and talk to a lot of people
about my experiences [with Girl Determined] and so not only
is it through my photographs, but I can also give voice to the
photographs.
The images of the girls are beautiful in their own right, but
when people buy photographs at the auction, do you think
they will have a sense of taking something more than that
home with them?
The hope with any photograph or piece of art is that they are
impetuses for conversations to start and so if someone takes
home a photograph and has it on their wall and they have a
party and someone asks, Whats this about?, the dialogue
continues.
............................................................................................................
The event will take place on Sunday, June 28, 4-7pm, at Goethe
Villa, 8 Ko Min Ko Chin Road, Bahan township, Yangon. For
more on Girl Determined and the fundraising exhibition visit:
http://www.girldetermined.org/fundraiser.php

16

wEEKEND | TRAVEL

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | TRAVEL

The ancient kingdom

of Mrauk Oo can be
explored on foot, but
hopping on a bicycle
is the best way to
appreciate the city in all
its splendour

From dusk till dawn

BY MICHELANGELO PIGNANI

T is generally advisable not to trust touts, but the boy who

approached me as I was waiting for my bag at the airport
made me an offer I couldnt refuse. Id arrived in Sittwe on the
afternoon flight from Yangon, fearing I was far too late to find onward
transport. Resigned to spending the night in Sittwe, I decided to throw
caution to the winds when the boy at the airport offered me transport
on a private boat leaving very soon for a reasonable price. Within 10
minutes I was on the back of a motorcycle heading towards the port,
and at 4pm I was aboard a converted green wooden fishing boat headed
for my destination: Mrauk Oo.
Mrauk Oo was founded in the 1430s as the capital of the last
unified Arakanese Kingdom, which at its peak stretched from
the Ganges to the western shores of the Ayeyarwady River. The
city was renowned as a regional trading hub and remained so
until its conquest by the Burmese in 1784. The once-great city has
since dwindled into a pleasant rural town. However, many of the
kingdoms former temples and stupas remain intact. Some of its
finest were constructed during the reign of King Minbin in the mid16th century, stone structures with a fortress-like feel. Today, part of
its allure is that it remains outside of the itineraries of most tourists,
meaning youre likely to have the place to yourself.
The gateway to Mrauk Oo is Sittwe, with daily flights from Yangon
via Thandwe. From Sittwe to Mrauk Oo the most popular choice is
to take a boat or a ferry. Scheduled departures are either by slow boat
leaving at least five times weekly and taking about seven hours, or
by express boat which leaves once a week and takes three hours. The
express boat has glacial A/C and there is no way to leave the main cabin
during the voyage, so bring along a book and a jumper. If you have the
time and patience try to plan at least one of the legs by a private or
slow boat. These meander their way through the Rakhine backwaters
and offer little glimpses of rural life. The most adventurous option is
to take a local private boat. An itinerant travel agent will undoubtedly
approach you at the airport; travel times are from four to seven hours.
If you choose to take one of these, agree beforehand on what you are
getting for your money, and pay only when everything is clearly agreed,

preferably once seated on the boat. Scheduled departure times and

dates change frequently, so it is best to check ahead.
Mrauk Oos main areas of interest are found either north or east
of the town. The northern group of temples which include Mrauk
Oos most famous structure, Shittaung Pagoda, built in 1535 to
celebrate the victory of King Minbin over the 12 provinces of Benga
can be visited on foot, but a bicycle is probably the better option.
A basic model with almost-functioning brakes and no gears can be
rented for as little as US$1 a day from most local hotels.
Unlike its more illustrious cousin Bagan, Mrauk Oos temples
were not built on a vast plain, but on a series of undulating hills and
valleys, and temples are dispersed throughout a backdrop of busy
villages and rice fields. To fully appreciate them you have to clamber
up one of the many elevated viewing spots. From here, nearly all the
surrounding hilltops seem to be crowned with a stupa.
The vista is breathtaking enough during the day, but in the
plangent light of a setting or rising sun or the blue-indigo of a dusk
or pre-dawn it becomes almost ethereal in beauty. Photographers
will find a tripod invaluable for catching the clarities and subtleties
of both morning and evening hues and you will want to capture
them, once youve seen their wonders.
Sunrise is about 5:30am in May to 6:40am in January. While few
visitors likely get up religiously for every sunrise during their stay in
Mrauk Oo, it is well worth the effort to try to catch at least one, for
you will be rewarded with an unforgettable moment. Remember to
take at least one torch, preferably the type you can mount on your
head as most rental bikes have no light. During winter months the
early mornings can be surprisingly nippy, so bringing along an extra
layer is also advised. Breakfast, though, is best left until the sun has
bleached away the mornings luxurious pastel colours.
While crepuscular sightseeing can be a little more demanding,
the experience will reward you with a unique appreciation of the real
splendour of the region. Sunset times range from about 5:30pm in
December to 6:50pm in early July; its best to arrive at your chosen
sunset viewpoint at least 30 minutes in advance. Remember to bring
along your torch in the evenings as well, for night falls quickly here
youll not want to spoil the glorious memories of a Mrauk Oo temple
sunset by stumbling about in the dark on your return.

Photos: Michelangelo Pignani

17

18

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | travel schedules

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO MANDALAY
Flight

Days

Dep

MANDALAY TO YANGON
Arr

Flight

Days

YANGON TO HEHO

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 891

1,2,3,5,6

8:40

10:35

YJ 891

1,2,3,5,6

6:20

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

8:30

10:25

6T 805

2,4,6

6:30

7:40

6T 806

2,4,6

10:30

11:40

YJ 201

1,2,3

7:00

8:55

YJ 202

1,2,3

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

16:25

8M 6603

9:00

10:10

YJ 212

15:00

16:55

YJ 601

11:00

12:25

YJ 602

15:40

17:35

YJ 211

5, 7

11:00

12:25

7Y 242

1,3,5

16:40

18:45

YJ 761

1,2,4

11:00

12:55

K7 225

2,4,6,7

16:50

19:00

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

14:00

YH 728

17:00

18:25

YH 737

3,5,7

11:00

13:10

W9 152/W97152

17:05

18:30

YH 727

11:30

13:40

Y5 776

Daily

17:10

18:20

W9 251

2,5

11:30

12:55

W9 211

17:10

19:15

7Y 241

1,3,5

14:30

16:25

YH 738

3,5,7

17:10

18:35

K7 224

2,4,6,7

14:30

16:35

8M 6604

17:20

18:30

Y5 234

Daily

15:20

16:30

8M 903

1,2,4,5,7

17:20

18:30

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 NAY PYI TAW

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Flight
YH 917
YJ 891
7Y 131
YJ 891
K7 222
7Y 131
Y5 649
YJ 751
YJ 761
YJ 751
YJ 233
YH 737
YH 727
K7 224
7Y 241
W9 129

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

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

HEHO TO YANGON
Arr
9:15
9:10
9:20
8:45
9:30
10:05
12:45
11:40
12:10
12:10
12:10
12:25
12:55
15:45
15:40
16:40

Flight
YJ 891
YH 918
YJ 891
W9 201
7Y 132
K7 223
YJ 762
7Y 242
K7 225
YH 728
YH 738
YJ 602
YJ 752
W9 129

Arr
8:15
9:05
8:40
13:20
17:00
10:40

Flight
Y5 326
6T 706
7Y 532
K7 320
Y5 326
SO 202

YANGON TO MYEIK
Flight
Y5 325
K7 319
6T 705
7Y 531
Y5 325
SO 201

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

Dep
6:45
7:00
7:30
11:15
15:30
8:20

Days

Dep

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

Arr
10:10
10:25
10:35
10:35
10:45
11:00
17:00
18:45
19:00
18:25
18:35
17:35
17:55
19:10

Air Bagan (W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air KBZ (K7)

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

Asian Wings (YJ)

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

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Tel: 656969
Fax: 656998, 651020

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

Dep
8:35
8:55
15:35
11:30
17:15
13:20

Arr
10:05
10:05
17:40
13:35
18:45
15:40

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Yangon Airways (YH)

Tel: 383100, 383107, 700264
Fax: 652 533

FMI Air Charter (ND)

Tel: 240363, 240373, 09421146545

APEX Airlines (SO)

SITTWE TO YANGON
Arr

Arr

K7 422

2,4,6

8:00

9:55

K7 423

2,4,6

10:10

11:30

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

6T 611

Daily

11:45

12:55

6T 612

Daily

13:15

14:20

YJ 201

1,2,3,4

7:00

7:55

SO 101

Daily

7:00

8:00

ND 910

1,2,3,4,5

7:15

8:15

YJ 202

1,2,3,4

8:10

13:25

ND 105

1,2,3,4,5

10:45

11:40

ND 9102

1,2,3,4,5

8:35

9:35

ND 107

11:25

12:20

ND 104

1,2,3,4,5

9:20

10:15

ND 109

1,2,3,4,5

14:55

15:40

ND 106

10:00

10:55

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

2,4,6

8:00

8:55

K7 422

2,4,6

9:10

11:30

YANGON TO THANDWE

Domestic Airlines

Mann Yadanarpon Airlines (7Y)

MYEIK TO YANGON

YANGON TO SITTWE
Flight

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

THANDWE TO YANGON

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

ND 9109

1,2,3,4,5

17:00

18:00

ND 108

1,2,3,4,5

13:30

14:25

K7 422

ND 111

18:25

19:20

YJ 212

16:00

16:55

7Y 413

1,3,5

10:30

11:20

7Y 413

1,3,5

11:35

13:55

SO 102

Daily

18:00

19:00

ND 110

17:00

17:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

13:50

7Y 413

12:05

14:20

K7 = Air KBZ

ND 9110

1,2,3,4,5

18:20

19:20

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

W9 = Air Bagan

YANGON TO NYAUNG U

NYAUNG U TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YH 917

Daily

6:10

7:45

YH 918

Daily

7:45

10:25

K7 222

1,3,5

6:30

7:50

7Y 132

2,4,6,7

8:05

10:45

7Y 131

2,4,6,7

6:30

7:50

K7 223

1,3,5

8:05

11:00

K7 224

2,4,6,7

14:30

17:25

K7 225

2,4,6,7

17:40

19:00

7Y 241

1,3,5

14:30

17:10

W9 129

1,3,6

17:50

19:10

W9 129

1,3,6

15:30

17:35

7Y 242

1,3,5

17:25

18:45

W9 211

15:30

17:40

W9 129

15:30

17:35

YANGON TO MYITKYINA

YANGON TO DAWEI

DAWEI TO YANGON

MYITKYINA TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

6T 805

2,4,6

6:30

8:55

6T 806

2,4,6

9:10

11:40

YH 826

1,3.5.7

7:00

9:40

YJ 202

1,2,3,4

10:35

13:25

YJ 201

1,2,3,4

7:00

10:20

YH 827

1,3,5,7

11:30

13:55

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

YH 633

2,4,6

7:00

8:25

K7 320

1,3,5,7

12:25

13:35

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

7Y 531

2,4,6

11:15

12:20

7Y 532

2,4,6

16:35

17:40

YJ 233

11:00

15:10

YJ 234

15:25

W9 251

2,5

11:30

14:25

W9 252

2,5

16:45

LASHIO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YJ 751

3,5

10:30

12:45

YJ 752

3,5

15:40

17:55

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

13:00

YJ 752

16:10

17:55

YJ 751

11:00

13:15

YH 730

2,4,6

16:45

19:10

Arr

Flight

Days

YANGON TO PUTAO
Dep

PUTAO TO YANGON
Dep

Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

YH = Yangon Airways

Flight

YANGON TO LASHIO

7Y = Mann Yadanarpon Airlines

Flight

Days

18:15

Arr

YH 826

1,3,5,7

7:00

10:35

YH 827

1,3,5,7

10:35

13:55

19:40

W9 251

2,5

11:30

15:25

W9 252

2,5

15:45

19:40

YJ = Asian Wings
6T = AirMandalay
FMI (ND) = FMI Air Charter

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

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | TRAVEL
CHRONICLES OF BEI KA STREET

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO BANGKOK
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
PG 706
Daily
6:15
8:30
8M 335
Daily
7:40
9:25
TG 304
Daily
9:50
11:45
PG 702
Daily
10:30
12:25
TG 302
Daily
15:00
16:55
PG 708
Daily
15:15
17:10
8M 331
Daily
16:30
18:15
PG 704
Daily
18:20
20:15
Y5 237
Daily
19:00
20:50
TG 306
Daily
19:45
21:40
YANGON TO DON MUEANG
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
DD 4231
Daily
8:00
9:50
FD 252
Daily
8:30
10:15
FD 254
Daily
17:30
19:05
DD 4239
Daily
21:00
22:45
YANGON TO SINGAPORE
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
8M 231
Daily
8:25
12:50
Y5 2233
Daily
9:45
14:15
TR 2823
Daily
9:45
14:25
SQ 997
Daily
10:35
15:10
3K 582
Daily
11:15
15:45
MI 533
2,6
13:45
20:50
MI 519
Daily
17:30
22:05
3K 584
2,3,5
19:15
23:45
YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
8M 501
1,2,3,5,6
7:50
11:50
AK 505
Daily
8:30
12:50
MH 741
Daily
12:15
16:30
MH 743
Daily
15:45
20:05
AK 503
Daily
19:30
23:45
YANGON TO BEIJING
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CA 906
3,5,7
23:50 05:50+1
YANGON TO GUANGZHOU
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
8M 711
2,4,7
8:40
13:15
CZ 3056
3,6
11:25
16:15
CZ 3056
1,5
17:30
22:15
YANGON TO TAIPEI
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CI 7916
1,2,3,5,6
10:50
16:15
YANGON TO KUNMING
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CA 416
Daily
12:15
15:55
MU 2012
3
12:40
18:45
MU 2032
1,2,4,5,6,7 15:20
18:40
YANGON TO HANOI
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 956
1,3,5,6,7
19:10
21:30
YANGON TO HO CHI MINH CITY
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 942
2,4,7
14:25
17:15
YANGON TO DOHA
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
QR 919
1,4,6
8:00
11:10
YANGON TO SEOUL
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
0Z 770
4,7
0:35
9:10
KE 472
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
YANGON TO HONG KONG
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
KA 251
5
1:30
5:55
KA 251
1,2,3,4,6,7
1:10
5:45
Flights
NH 814

YANGON TO TOKYO
Days
Dep
Daily
21:45

YANGON TO DHAKA
Flights
Days
Dep
BG 061
1,6
15:35
BG 061
4
13:45
YANGON TO INCHEON
Days
Dep
4,7
14:20
1,3,5,6
13:10
YANGON TO CHIANG MAI
Flights
Days
Dep
Y5 251
2,4,6
6:15
7Y 305
1,5
11:00

Flights
W9 607
PG 724

YANGON TO GAYA
Flights
Days
Dep
8M 601
3,5,6
7:00
AI 236
2
13:10
YANGON TO DELHI
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 236
2
13:10
AI 701
1,5
14:05
YANGON TO KOLKATA
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 228
1,5
14:05
YANGON TO MUMBAI
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 773
1,5
14:05
MANDALAY TO BANGKOK
Flights
Days
Dep
PG 710
Daily
14:05

BANGKOK TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
TG 303
Daily
7:55
8:50
PG 701
Daily
8:50
9:40
Y5 238
Daily
21:30
22:20
8M 336
Daily
10:40
11:25
TG 301
Daily
13:05
14:00
PG 707
Daily
13:40
14:30
PG 703
Daily
16:45
17:35
TG 305
Daily
17:50
18:45
8M 332
Daily
19:15
20:00
PG 705
Daily
20:15
21:30
DON MUEANG TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
DD 4230
Daily
6:20
7:05
FD 251
Daily
7:15
8:00
FD 253
Daily
16:20
17:00
DD 4238
Daily
19:30
20:15
SINGAPORE TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
TR 2822
Daily
7:20
8:45
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
8:50
SQ 998
Daily
7:55
9:20
3K 581
Daily
8:55
10:25
MI 533
2,6
11:35
12:55
8M 232
Daily
13:50
15:15
MI 518
Daily
15:15
16:40
3K 583
2,3,5
17:05
18:35
KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
AK 504
Daily
6:55
8:00
MH 740
Daily
10:05
11:15
8M 502
1,2,3,5,6
12:50
13:50
MH 742
Daily
13:40
14:50
AK 502
Daily
17:50
19:00
BEIJING TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CA 905
3,5,7
19:30
22:50
GUANGZHOU TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CZ 3055
3,6
8:40
10:25
CZ 3055
1,5
14:40
16:30
8M 712
2,4,7
14:15
15:50
TAIPEI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CI 7915
1,2,3,5,6
7:00
9:55
KUNMING TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
MU 2011
3
8:25
11:50
CA 415
Daily
10:45
11:15
MU 2031
1,2,4,5,6,7 13:55
14:30
HANOI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 957
1,3,5,6,7
16:50
18:10
HO CHI MINH CITY TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 943
2,4,7
11:50
13:25
DOHA TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
QR 918
3,5,7
20:40 06:25+1
SEOUL TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
KE 471
Daily
18:45
22:25
0Z 769
3,6
19:50
23:25
HONG KONG TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
KA 252
4
22:50 00:30+1
KA 250
1,2,3,5,6,7 21:45
23:30
TOKYO TO YANGON
Days
Dep
Daily
11:00

Arr
15:40

Arr
17:00
15:10

DHAKA TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
BG 060
1,6
12:30
BG 060
4
10:40

Arr
14:55
13:05

Arr
16:10
15:05

Flights
W9 608
PG 723

Arr
06:50+1

Arr
8:05
12:50

Flights
NH 813

INCHEON TO YANGON
Days
Dep
4,7
17:20
1,3,5,6
11:05
CHIANG MAI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Y5 252
2,4,6
9:25
7Y 306
1,5
13:45

Arr
10:15
14:35

Air Asia (FD)

Tel: 09254049991~3

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air China (CA)

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)

Tel: 255050, 255021. Fax: 255051

Qatar Airways (QR)

Tel: 379845, 379843, 379831. Fax: 379730

Singapore Airlines (SQ) / Silk Air (MI)

Tel: 255287~9. Fax: 255290

Thai Airways (TG)

Tel: 255491~6. Fax: 255223

Tiger Airline (TR)

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

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

Tel: 255066, 255088, 255068. Fax: 255086

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

BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines

CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines

DD = Nok Airline
FD = Air Asia
KA = Dragonair
KE = Korea Airlines

Arr
15:05

KOLKATA TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 227
1,5
10:35

Arr
13:20

Arr
22:35

MUMBAI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 675
1,5
6:10

Arr
13:20

SQ = Singapore Airways

Arr
16:30

BANGKOK TO MANDALAY
Flights
Days
Dep
PG 709
Daily
12:00

Arr
13:20

TR = Tiger Airline

MH = Malaysia Airlines

Arr
12:20
13:20

MU = China Eastern Airlines

MANDALAY TO DON MUEANG

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
FD 245
Daily
12:45
15:00

DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
FD 244
Daily
10:50
12:15

NAY PYI TAW TO BANGKOK

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
PG 722
1,2,3,4,5
19:30
22:30

KUNMING TO MANDALAY
Flights
Days
Dep
MU 2029
Daily
13:00

Arr
12:50

BANGKOK TO NAY PYI TAW

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
PG 721
1,2,3,4,5
17:00
19:00

MI = Silk Air

NH = All Nippon Airways

PG = Bangkok Airways
QR = Qatar Airways

TG = Thai Airways

VN = Vietnam Airline
AI = Air India
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

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

EDITED BY KO NAN DOI

Tel: 666112, 655882

Arr
16:30
19:50

Arr
16:40

CHAPTER 6: A PLAN MISFIRES

Arr
12:0
12:30

SINGAPORE TO MANDALAY
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
16:30
MI 533
2,6
11:35
15:00

Scandal

Tel: 255412, 413

GAYA TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 235
2
9:20
8M 602
3,5,6
9:20
DELHI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
AI 235
2
9:20
AI 401
1,5
7:00

Arr
8:20
15:05

A Scent of

All Nippon Airways (NH)

CZ = China Southern

MANDALAY TO SINGAPORE
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
MI 533
2,6
15:55
20:50
Y5 2233
1,2,4,5,6
7:50
14:15

MANDALAY TO KUNMING
Flights
Days
Dep
MU 2030
Daily
13:50

International Airlines

AK = Air Asia

Arr
18:10
12:00

19

4
5
6
7

=
=
=
=

Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

HIS was my moment. All I

had to do, as instructed by
U Sha Lok, was to light the
fuse of the Chinese firecrackers
he had given me and toss them
through the open window of Daw
Aye Linns front room, in which
he now lay prostrate on the sofa,
as if barely conscious. In fact, it
struck me that he was giving a very
good impression of being barely
conscious. From my vantage point
by the window, looking into the
brightly lit room, I could see that
his nose was still pouring blood
where he had been struck while
attempting to quell the melee that
had erupted around Daw Aye Linn
when she stepped out of her car.
Much as I admired my friends
facility with the art of disguise, I
was very impressed that he should
have taken it to such lengths.
Putting aside these thoughts, I
reached for my cigarette lighter to
light the fuse of the firecrackers.
It was not there.
Baffled, I patted the pockets of
my jacket, but to no avail. I could not
think what I had done with the lighter,
which I was sure I had with me. U Sha
Lok had not told me the full details
of his plan, but on this point he was
very clear: on his signal, which he had
just sent, I was to light the fuse of the
firecrackers and toss them through the
open window with a cry of Fire! I was
authorised to cry Fire! a second time,
and possibly a third, but no more. Then
I was to proceed calmly to the teashop
at the corner of Anawrahta Street and
await his coming.
But I had no lighter. I looked
around me wildly. A few feet away,
the young woman with the downhome Delta accent was still cooking
dumplings at her impromptu kitchen
on the pavement. I approached her
and asked politely if I could light
my firecrackers at her cooking fire.
She nodded assent, and I went down
on one knee to apply the fuse of the
crackers to the nearest flame. But
at that moment, the dumplings she
was frying suddenly spat hot fat
into my face. With a cry, I dropped
the firecrackers into the flames and
clutched at my cheek. The Delta lady
started up in alarm, and I had just got
out my handkerchief and was dabbing
at my cheek when the firecrackers
ignited with a loud bang and a gout of
thick black smoke,
Oh, lordy! Fire! she
screamed. That was my line.
Fire! I cried, in the direction of
the house.
No, no, its a real fire! she
exclaimed. She was pointing at my
longyi which, I now observed, had
been set ablaze by the firecrackers.
Fire! Fire! shouted other
voices, as the argumentative
teashop customers and chinlone
players involved in the fight before
Daw Aye Linns door suddenly
rushed back, clustering round her
window and crying out excitedly.
Fire! I cried again,
desperately trying to beat out the
flames in my longyi.
Fire! they repeated
enthusiastically, pointing into Daw
Aye Linns front room.
Not there! Here! I cried out
again, jumping around in agitation
as the flames mounted higher. At
that moment, the dumpling lady,
snatching up two jugs of beer from
the teashop, emptied the contents
over my burning attire, which
continued to smoulder gently.

My mind raced rapidly. U Sha

Lok had given me three simple
instructions. He told me I was to
toss the lighted firecrackers in
through the open window of Daw
Aye Linns house; shout Fire! two
or three times; and then proceed
calmly to the teashop at the corner
of Anawrahta Road.
By any objective standard I had
not quite managed the first, but
I had certainly called out Fire!
twice. It only remained for me now
with what dignity I could muster
in my charred, smoking and
beer-sodden clothing, to saunter
nonchalantly down to the teashop
without drawing attention to
myself. I fancy I did it rather well,
though the waiter at the teashop,
sniffing suspiciously as he eyed
me, wouldnt let me sit at a table,
so I waited outside.
That is where I was when,
ten minutes later, U Sha Lok
appeared, his nose no longer
bleeding but remarkably red and
swollen. One of his eyes seemed to
be blackening. We eyed each other
in silence for a moment.
I thought that went rather
well, I said. Your nose looks jolly
realistic. Id assumed you would
have some sort of little plastic sac
of fake blood that you would use to
make it look like
He silently held out a small
plastic sac of red fluid which he
had concealed in his hand.
Oh.
I neglected to mention to the
men when I explained my plan
to them that I had brought fake
blood. They improvised.
No wonder it looked so
convincing, then, I said. Did you
hear me shout Fire!? I shouted
twice, like you said, jolly loud too.
I heard you, he said. Indeed,
in accordance with my prior
instructions to them, half the street
was shouting Fire! It was most
impressive. The only thing missing
was some actual fire, which would
have been available had you hurled
the firecrackers I gave you through
the window which I had caused to be
opened. The lack of fire, inside the
house that is, detracted rather from
the execution of my design. The only
actual fire in the vicinity, but too far
away to be of any use to me, was that
which you caused by setting light
to your garments, which I do not
remember instructing you to do.
No, thats true. You see, what
happened was
He held up a hand. Enough.
But did the plan work? I mean,
apart from that. Did you get the
pamphlet?
The plan, which was to induce
the lady, under the threat of fire, to
hasten to rescue the pamphlet from
its secret location, did not work. She,
seeing no fire, not unreasonably saw
no need to retrieve the pamphlet. I
therefore still have no idea where it
is, he said. But I see, or rather smell,
that you have nevertheless decided to
celebrate our success, perhaps rather
prematurely, with a drink or two.
Oh, I say, I said. It wasnt
exactly like that, you know. Look,
old man, Im sorry about the
firecrackers. I forgot my lighter.
And then things got rather out of
hand. But it was a jolly good plan,
nevertheless. All we have to do now
is
Yes?
Well, come up with another
one, I suppose.
Next Week: The Biter Bit

20

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | PUZZLERS

SUDOKU PACIFIC

Universal Crossword
Edited by Timothy E. Parker

A BIG MAYBE By Judith W. Walker

ACROSS
1 Quint in Jaws
5 Defender of Castle
Grayskull
10 Drunkards
14 Caesars garb
15 Deposed leader,
perhaps
16 Exclude
17 Poetic
collection
18 Extend, in a way
19 Old Chevy
20 Bullys credo
23 Can of worms?
24 Warms up, as
leftovers
25 Arrangement
28 Move, as a
plant
31 Acknowledge
32 Like granola
33 Drink from a
dish
36 Was completely
indifferent
40 Pull the plug on
41 Singing duo
Hall & ___
42 Gadgeteers
concerns
43 Grapevine
tidbit
44 Drum sounds
46 Remove a violin
string
49 That hurt!
50 Middle of a certain
month
57 Digestion aid
58 Pay a call on
59 Pink, as a steak
60 Young winged
god of the
Greeks
61 Slur over a
syllable
62 Affirm
63 Blow a gasket
64 Bottle-___
dolphin
65 Requisite

6 Permission to
leave granted by
a bishop
7 Stole type
8 Safe, on board
9 Kind of wire
10 Part of USSR
11 Alphas opposite
12 A size too small
13 Sports figs.
21 St. Anthonys
cross
22 Arles river
25 Curtain material
26 Mary Kay
competitor
27 ___ better watch
out ...

28 Indy entrant
29 Flight data,
briefly
30 Part of a price
32 Director
Preminger
33 ___ we forget
34 Not on solid
ground?
35 Do you want to
hear a secret?
37 Long green
38 Platoon locale,
for short
39 Certain
Protestant
43 Take back to
the lab

44 Furrowed, as
a road
45 Point of no return?
46 Color often
described as
burnt
47 Nigerian currency
48 Aircraft race-course
tower
49 Nitrous ___
(laughing gas)
51 Word after get
or break
52 Fodder holder
53 Horned goddess
54 Church part
55 Sloths home
56 Range group

DOWN
1 Check
2 Arizona Native
American
3 All excited
4 Basin
5 Type of crab

DILBERT

BY SCOTT ADAMS

PEANUTS

BY CHARLES SCHULZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

BY BILL WATTERSON

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | PUZZLERS

WEEKLY PREDICTIONS

21

AUNG MYIN KYAW

4th Floor, 113, Thamain Bayan Road, Tarmwe township, Yangon.
Tel: 09-731-35632, Email: williameaste@gmail.com

JUNE 26 - JULY 3, 2015

AQUARIUS
Jan 20 Feb 18

GEMINI
May 21 June 20

LIBRA
Sept 23 Oct 22

Judge people by what they do to you or what

you see them do to others, not by hearsay or
prejudice based on appearance. Learn respect
for the rights of all people. Always extend your
hand to help others. Know that charity begins
at home and then spreads abroad in concentric
circles of increasing diameter, web-like.

Never get tired of doing the right thing, no

matter how tiresome virtue can be. Though
life is short, you have to work hard to make
it sweet. Give of your best in service to the
present and the future, preferably without taking
yourself too seriously. Set your sights high, your
aspirations higher and your hopes highest of all.

You have to be a good friend to win trust in a

relationship. Define yourself for yourself and
then share your blessings with others. Know
that love must be learned and learned again
and again and there is no end to it. What
is important is that one is capable of love.
Understand the value of each other in love.

PISCES
Feb 19 March 20

CANCER
June 21 July 22

SCORPIO
Oct 23 Nov 21

Blessings come with many responsibilities.

Know this: As long as there is a working class,
you are of it. As long as there is a criminal
class, you are of it. As long as there is a soul in
prison, you are not free. Understand the value of
education before understanding anything else,
because education is your key to survival.

Deal with yourself as an individual worthy of

respect, and make everyone else deal with you
the same way. Instil in yourself the injunction
never to take anything for granted, because life
is a precious gift, and the gift of life shouldnt be
misused, but treasured. Social graces and good
manners are essential to buttress emotional
structure.

It is difficult to keep up with your own emotional

swings but if you relax enough to allow the
pendulum to sway on its own, eventually it
will come back. Take advantage of current
opportunities, but move with care. The less
disruption you create, the greater the reward
will be, and the sooner it will come.

ARIES
Mar 21 Apr 19

LEO
July 23 Aug 22

SAGITTARIUS
Nov 22 Dec 21

Always have more qualifications than anybody

else and try to be over-qualified for everything.
Never use the words I cant, but say youll try
your best. You have a responsibility to use your
mind and to go as far as it will take you. Abjure
and eschew the fake and the phony, which only
impair your values.

Never let anyone take your independence away.

Dont depend on connections, but connect to
yourself. Hold your head up and never look
down. Set yourself a goal and reach it through
consistent effort. No one can take whats in your
head away from you. Good breeding requires you
to avoid showing pain while undergoing anything
less than amputation.

Begin with heightened optimism to project

your current job prospects into a vision for
your future success. Light up your social life
and increase your partying index. You may
even surprise yourself now with your openness
to new concepts and unconventional people.
Changing your mind is okay to create a new
emotional sphere.

TAURUS
Apr 20 May 20

VIRGO
Aug 23 Sept 22

CAPRICORN
Dec 22 Jan 19

Share words of wisdom with others, but beware

the backlash from those who prefer their
minds to be undisturbed. Remember the fate
of Socrates, who walked around Athens telling
everybody how to be good. They killed him. Set
your goals, work hard to achieve them, and then
write a book about it.

Make it a habit to keep looking good while

preparing for something better. In any
relationship, mutual respect is of the essence,
and if you lose it your relationship could be
over. Never let anybody have the last word if you
know you are right. Dont sit down and wait for
opportunities to come.

Never envy anybody, because it takes you away

from caring for yourself. All youll ever have in
life is your own integrity. Dont ever give it up
for anything or anybody. As the old saying goes,
when you fall down, get up. If you fall down
again, get up again. Dont be ashamed of falling
down.

22

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | QUICK GUIDE

General Listing

The Essentials
EMBASSIES
Australia 88, Strand Road,
Yangon. Tel : 251810,
251797, 251798.
Bangladesh 11-B, Than
Lwin Road, Yangon.
Tel: 515275, 526144, email:
bdootygn@mptmail.net.mm
Brazil 56, Pyay Road,
6th mile, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 507225,
507251. email: Administ.
yangon@itamaraty.gov.br.
Brunei 17, Kanbawza
Avenue, Golden Velly (1),
Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
566985, 503978.
email: bruneiemb@
bruneiemb.com.mm
Cambodia 25 (3B/4B),
New University Avenue
Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 549609, 540964.
email: RECYANGON @
mptmail.net.mm
Canada
9th Floor, Centerpoint
Towers, 65 Sule Pagoda
Road, Yangon, Tel :
01-384805 , Fax :01
384806, Email : yngon@
international.gc.ca
China 1, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
221280, 221281.
Denmark, No.7, Pyi Thu
St, Pyay Rd, 7 Miles,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 01 9669520 - 17.
Egypt 81, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
222886, 222887,
Egyptembassy86@gmail.
com
France 102, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
212178, 212520, email:
ambaf rance. rangoun@
diplomatie.fr
Germany 9, Bogyoke Aung
San Museum Road, Bahan
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 548951, 548952, email:
info@rangun. diplo.de
India 545-547, Merchant
St, Yangon. Tel: 391219,
388412,
email:indiaembassy
@mptmail.net.mm

Indonesia 100, Pyidaungsu

Yeiktha Rd, Yangon. Tel:
254465, 254469, email:
kukygn @indonesia.com.
mm
Israel 15, Khabaung
Street, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 515115, fax: 515116,
email: info@yangon.mfa.
gov.il
Italy 3, Inya Myaing Road,
Golden Valley, Yangon.
Tel: 527100, 527101, fax:
514565, email: ambyang.
mail@ esteri.it
Japan 100, Natmauk Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 549644-8,
540399, 540400, 540411,
545988, fax: 549643
Kuwait
62-B, Shwe Taung Kyar St,
Bahan Tsp.
Tel : 01-230-9542, 2309543. Fax : 01-230-5836.
Laos A-1, Diplomatic
Quarters, Tawwin Road,
Dagon Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 222482, Fax: 227446,
email: Laoembcab@
mptmail. net.mm
Malaysia 82, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
220248, 220249,
email: mwkyangon@
mptmail.net.mm
Nepal 16, Natmauk
Yeiktha, Yangon. Tel:
545880, 557168, fax:
549803, email: nepemb @
mptmail.net.mm
Norway, No.7, Pyi Thu
St, Pyay Rd, 7 Miles,
Mayangone Tsp,Yangon.
Tel: 01 9669520 - 17 Fax
01- 9669516
New Zealand No. 43/C,
Inya Myaing Rd, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon.
Tel : 01-2306046-9
Fax : 01-2305805
Netherlands No. 43/C, Inya
Myaing Rd, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon. Tel : 01-2305805
North Korea 77C, Shin
Saw Pu Rd, Sanchaung
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 512642, 510205

Pakistan A-4, diplomatic

Quarters, Pyay Rd, Yangon.
Tel: 222881 (Chancery
Exchange)
Philippines 7, Gandamar
St, Yankin Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 558149-151, Email:
p.e. yangon@gmail.com
Saudi Arabia No.6/S,
Inya Yeiktha St, 10th Qtr,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon,
Tel: (951) 652-344, 652-344,
Fax: (951) 657-983
Russia 38, Sagawa Rd,
Yangon.
Tel: 241955, 254161,
Serbia No. 114-A, Inya
Rd, P.O.Box No. 943,
Yangon. Tel: 515282,
515283, email: serbemb @
yangon.net.mm
Singapore 238, Dhamazedi
Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 559001, email:
singemb_ ygn@_sgmfa.
gov.sg
South Korea 97 University
Avenue, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 527142-4,
515190, fax: 513286, email:
myanmar@mofat.go.kr
Sri Lanka 34 Taw Win Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 222812,
Switzerland
No 11, Kabaung Lane, 5
mile, Pyay Rd, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon.
Tel: 534754, 507089.
Thailand 94 Pyay Rd,
Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
226721, 226728, 226824
Turkey
19AB, Kan Yeik Thar St,
Mayangone Tsp,Yangon.
Tel : 662992, Fax : 661365
United Kingdom 80 Strand
Rd, Yangon.
Tel: 370867, 380322,
371852, 371853, 256438,
United States of America
110, University Avenue,
Kamayut Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 536509, 535756, Fax:
650306
Vietnam Bldg-72, Thanlwin
Rd, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
511305

UNITED NATIONS
ILO Liaison 1-A, Kanbae
(Thitsar Rd), Yankin Tsp,
Tel : 01-566538, 566539
IOM 318 (A) Ahlone Rd, Dagon
Tsp, Yangon.Tel 01-210588,
09 73236679, 0973236680,
Email- iomyangon@iom.int
UNAIDS 137/1, Thaw Wun Rd,
Kamayut Tsp.
Tel : 534498, 504832
UNDCP 11-A, Malikha St,
Mayangone tsp.
Tel: 666903, 664539.
UNDP 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan
tel: 542910-19. fax: 292739.
UNFPA 6, Natmauk Rd,
Bahan tsp. tel: 546029.
UNHCR 287, Pyay Rd,
Sanchaung tsp.
Tel: 524022, 524024.
UNIAP Rm: 1202, 12 Fl,
Traders Hotel.
Tel: 254852, 254853.
UNIC 6, Natmauk St., Bahan,
tel: 52910~19
UNICEF 14~15 Flr, Traders
Hotel. P.O. Box 1435,
Kyauktada. Tel: 375527~32,
unicef.yangon@unicef. org,
UNODC 11-A, Malikha Rd., Ward
7, Mayangone. tel: 01-9666903,
9660556, 9660538, 9660398.
email: fo.myanmar@unodc.org
UNOPS 120/0, Pyi Thu Lane,
7 Miles, Mayangone Tsp.
Tel: 951-657281~7.
Fax: 657279.
UNRC 6, Natmauk Rd, P.O.
Box 650, TMWE Tel: 542911~19,
292637 (Resident Coordinator),
WFP 5 Kan Baw Za St, Shwe
Taung Kyar, (Golden Valley),
Bahan Tsp. Tel : 2305971~6
WHO No. 2, Pyay Rd, 7 Mile,
Mayangone Tsp, Tel : 6504056, 650416, 654386-90.
ASEAN Coordinating Of. for
the ASEAN Humanitarian
Task Force, 79, Taw Win st,
Dagon Tsp. Tel: 225258.
FAO Myanma Agriculture
Service Insein Rd, Insein. tel:
641672, 641673.

For more information about these listings, Please Contact - classified.mcm@gmail.com

Emergency Numbers
Ambulance tel: 295133.
Fire tel: 191, 252011, 252022.
Police emergency tel: 199.
Police headquarters tel: 282541, 284764.
Red Cross tel:682600, 682368
Traffic Control Branch tel:298651
Department of Post & Telecommunication tel: 591384,
591387.
Immigration tel: 286434.
Ministry of Education tel:545500m 562390
Ministry of Sports tel: 370604, 370605
Ministry of Communications tel: 067-407037.
Myanma Post & Telecommunication (MPT) tel: 067407007.
Myanma Post & Tele-communication (Accountant Dept)
tel: 254563, 370768.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs tel: 067-412009, 067-412344.
Ministry of Health tel: 067-411358-9.
Yangon City Development Committee tel: 248112.
HOSPITALS
Central Womens Hospital tel: 221013, 222811.
Children Hospital tel: 221421, 222807
Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital tel: 543888.
Naypyitaw Hospital (emergency) tel: 420096.
Workers Hospital tel: 554444, 554455, 554811.

Yangon Children Hospital tel: 222807, 222808, 222809.

Yangon General Hospital (East) tel: 292835, 292836, 292837.
Yangon General Hospital (New) tel: 384493, 384494,
384495, 379109.
Yangon General Hospital (West) tel: 222860, 222861,
220416.
Yangon General Hospital (YGH) tel: 256112, 256123,
281443, 256131.
ELECTRICITY
Power Station tel:414235
POST OFFICE
General Post Office
39, Bo Aung Kyaw St. (near British Council Library). tel:
285499.
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Yangon International Airport tel: 662811.
YANGON PORT
Shipping (Coastal vessels) tel: 382722
RAILWAYS
Railways information
tel: 274027, 202175-8.

ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS

Excel Treasure Hotel

Yangon

AsiA PlAzA Hotel

YANGON
No. 277, Bogyoke Aung
San Road, Corner of
38th Street, Kyauktada
Township, Yangon,
Myanmar.
Tel : (951) 391070, 391071.
Reservation@391070
(Ext) 1910, 106.
Fax : (951) 391375. Email :
hotelasiaplaza@gmail.com
Avenue 64 Hotel
No. 64 (G), Kyitewine
Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon. Tel : 09-8631392,
01 656913-9

No.520, Kaba Aye Pagoda

Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: 01-559150 to 7
Fax: 01-559150

Excel River View

Hotel

No.(3) Block (1 to 4), Near

Thanlyin Bridge, Thanlyin
Township, Yangon Myanmar.
Tel: 056-22550, 09-8601892,
Fax: 056-22546,

Excel Palace Hotel

No.(25, D1), New University

Avenue Road, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: 01-544491, 01-556601
Fax: 525028, 01-544604
excel@myanmar.com.mm
autospeed123@gmail.com
www.exceltreasurehotel.com

Novotel Yangon Max

459, Pyay Rd, Kamayut
Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel.: +95(1) 2305858
Email: bqsales1
novotelyangon@gmail.com
Parkroyal Yangon,
Myanmar
33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon tsp.
tel: 250388. fax: 252478.
Savoy Hotel
129, Damazedi Rd,
Kamayut tsp.
tel: 526289, 526298,
Sedona Hotel
Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,
Yankin. tel: 666900.
Strand Hotel
92 Strand Rd. tel: 243377.
fax: 289880.
Summit Parkview Hotel
350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon
Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966.

No. 12, Pho Sein Road,

Tamwe Township, Yangon
Tel : (95-1) 209299, 209300,
209343 Fax : (95-1) 209344
bestwestern.com/
greenhillhotelyangon.com
Chatrium Hotel
40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe.
tel: 544500. fax: 544400.
Confort Inn
4, Shweli Rd, Bet: Inya Rd
& U Wisara Rd, Kamaryut,
tel: 525781, 526872
Clover Hotel
No.7A, Wingabar Road,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : (951) 546313, 430245.
09-731-77781~4. Fax : (01)
546313.
www.cloverhotel.asia.
info@cloverhotel.asia
Clover Hotel City Center
No. 217, 32nd Street
(Upper Block), Pabedan Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 377720, Fax : 377722
www.clovercitycenter.asia
Clover Hotel City Center Plus
No. 229, 32nd Street
(Upper Block), Pabedan Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 377975, Fax : 377974
www.clovercitycenterplus.asia

No. (356/366), Kyaikkasan

Rd, Tamwe Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Ph: 542826, Fax: 545650
Email: reservation@
edenpalacehotel.com

M-22, Shwe Htee Housing,

Thamine Station St., Near
the Bayint Naung Point,
Mayangone Tsp., Yangon
Tel : 522763, 522744,
667557. Fax : (95-1) 652174
E-mail : grandpalace@
myanmar.com.mm

153/159,Bogyoke Ag San Rd,

Botataung Tsp.Yangon,
Tel: 951-298986,296209,
www.grandlaurelhotel.com
Hotel Grand United
(Chinatown)
621, Maharbandoola Rd,
Latha Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 372256-58
(21st Downtown)
66-70, 21st Street (Enter
from Strand Rd), Latha
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (95-1)
378201
(Ahlone Branch)
35, Min Ye Kyaw Swar
Rd, Ahlone Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 218061-64;
Email: grandunited.
head@gmail.com, www.
hotelgrandunited.com

Winner Inn
42, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan
Tsp. Tel: 503734, 524387.
email: reservation@winner
innmyanmar.com

No.183, 35th St; Bet; 77th

&78th Street, Mahar Aung
Myae Tsp, Mandalay. Ph: 02
67 404, 67 405, 67 406, 67
407, 67 408, website:www.
yuanshenghotel.com,
Email: sale.yuanshenghotel
@gmail.com
Yuzana Garden Hotel
Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Dagon
Tsp. Tel: 503734, 524387.

ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS (NAy PyI TAw)

186, Lu Nge Thitsar
Street, on Thitsar Road,
Yankin Township, Yangon,
Myanmar. Ph: +951-8550
283, +951-8550 284,
+959-2540 63632, E-mail:
enquiry@hotelyankin.com,
www.hotelyankin.com

Excel Capital Hotel

Nay Pyi Taw

No.(23/24), Yarza Thingaha

Rd, Dekhina Thiri Township
Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
Tel: 067-8106011 to 17,
Fax: 067-8106020,
excel@myanmar.com.mm
autospeed123@gmail.com
www.exceltreasurehotel.com

No.1, Wut Kyaung St,

Yay Kyaw, Pazundaung Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Ph: 01-8610640, 01-202187,
www.mkhotelyangon.com
Panda Hotel
Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road,
Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 212850 ~ 3,
229358 ~ 61,
Inya Lake Resort Hotel
37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd.
tel: 662866. fax: 665537.

Reservation Office (Yangon)

123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon Township
Tel
: 951- 255 819~838
Hotel Max, (Nay Pyi Taw)
Tel
: 067- 414 177,
067- 4141 88
E-Mail: reservation@
maxhotelsgroup.com

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | QUICK GUIDE

23

THE MYANMAR TIMES MARCH 20 , 2015

ACCOMMODATION
LONG TERM

ADVERTISING & MEDIA

WE STARTED THE ADVERTISING
INDUSTRY IN MYANMAR SINCE 1991

California Skin Spa

NO 32.B, Inya Myaing Road,
Yangon. (Off University
Road) Tel : 01-535097,
01-501295.

CAR RENTAL

CLEANING SERVICES

CENTURION AUTO GROUP

Corporate Car Rental
Transfer | Daily | Monthly| Fleet

HAPPY HOMES
REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT

Tel: 09-7349-4483,
09-4200-56994.
E-mail: aahappyhomes@
gmail.com, http://www.
happyhomesyangon.com
Hotel Yangon
91/93, 8th Mile Junction,
Tel : 01-667708, 667688.

17, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,

Yankin Tsp.
Tel: 650933. Fax: 650960.
Email : micprm@
myanmar.com.mmwww.
myanmar micasahotel.com
Marina Residence
8, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,
Mayangone Tsp.
tel: 6506 51~4. fax: 650630.

Residence@26
No. 26, Myay Nu Street,
Sanchaung Township,
Yangon.Tel.: 01 230 61 78
Email: info@residence26.
com.
www.residence26.com
Sakura Residence
9, Inya Rd, Kamaryut Tsp.
tel: 525001. fax: 525002.
Sule Shangri-La Hotel
223 Sule Pagoda Rd. tel:
242828. fax: 242838.

ARCHITECTS &
MODULAR BUILDINGS

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

A D V E RT I S I N G

SAIL Marketing &

Communications
Suite 403, Danathiha Center
790, Corner of Bogyoke Rd
& Wadan Rd, Lanmadaw
Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: (951) 211870, 224820,
2301195. Email: admin@
advertising-myanmar.com
www.advertising-myanmar.
com
Red Line Advertising Agency
Olympic Tower, Rm 505,
5 Flr, Corner of Bo Aung
Kyaw Rd & Mahabandoola
Rd, Kyauktada tsp. Tel:
01391752, 376122.

AIR CONDITION

YANGON
La Source Beauty Spa
12-E, Inya Rd, Kamayut Tsp.
Tel: 512380, 526653
Beauty Bar by La Source
Shop (1004), Sedona Hotel,
Tel : 860 5377 Ext : 7167
MANDALAY
La Source Beauty Spa
13/13, Mya Sandar St,
bet: 26 x 27, bet: 62 x 63,
Chanaye Tharzan Tsp.
Tel : 09-4440-24496.
www.lasourcebeautyspa.com
Yves Rocher
147, Shwe Gone Taing Rd,
West Yay Tar Shay Ward,
Bahan, Ph: 01-8604930~31

BOOK STORES

English Speaking Driver

On-board Wi-Fi
$1-million Insurance
Concierge & Refreshment
Defensive Driver Training
Tel: 571586, 09 250188232
www.centurionauto.com

Car Rental Service

No. 56, Bo Ywe St,
Latha Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 01-246551, 375283,
09-2132778, 09-31119195.
Gmail:nyanmyintthu1983@
gmail.com,
Moe Car Rental
Than Thu Mar Rd,
Thuwunna, Thingangyun.
Tel: 09-2540-07712, 0949570697, 09-799658370.
MYANMAR EXECUTIVE
LIMOUSINE SERVICE

The First Air conditioning

systems designed to keep
you fresh all day
Zeya & Associates Co., Ltd.
No.437 (A), Pyay Road,
Kamayut. P., O 11041
Yangon, Tel: +(95-1)
502016-18,
Mandalay- Tel: 02-60933.
Nay Pyi Taw- Tel:
067-420778, E-mail :
sales.ac@freshaircon.
com. URL: http://www.
freshaircon.com
General Aircon
83-91, Ground Flr, Bo Aung
Kyaw St, Kyauktada.
Ph: 01-706223, 373462.
Hitachi Aircon
SA 7, Aung Zaya Housing,
Ahlone Strand Rd, Corner
of Ahlone Rd & Strand Rd.
Ahlone tsp.Tel: 01-2301267, 09-431-53423.

BEAUTY & MASSAGE

150 Dhamazedi Rd.,

Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (01) 536306, 537805.
Email: mbt.marketing.
mgr@gmail.com
15(B), Departure Lounge,
Yangon Intl Airport.
# 87/2, Crn of 26th & 27th
St, 77th St, Chan Aye Thar
Zan Tsp, Mandalay.
Tel: (02) 24880
ELT Showroom:
# 43, 165 St, Tarmwe Tsp,
Yangon.
Tel: (09) 5116687
MYANMAR BOOK CENTRE
Nandawun Compound,
No. 55, Baho Road,
Corner of Baho Road
and Ahlone Road, (near
Eugenia Restaurant),
Ahlone Township. tel:
212 409, 221 271. 214708
fax: 524580. email: info@
myanmarbook.com

BUSINESS SERVICE

HOT LINE:
09 - 402 510 003
01-646 330
First Class VIP
Limousine Car Rental.
Professional English
Speaking Drivers.
Full Insurance for
your Safety and
comfortable journey
Call us Now for your
best choice
www.mmels.com

Commercial Cleaning
Services and Products
Carpet, Windows,
Upholsteries, Floor,
Buildings...We Clean It All!
For FREE estimates,
Contact: 09 730 35336,
09 7321 2220 or
ppcscleaning@gmail.com

COFFEE MACHINE

illy, Francis Francis, VBM,

Brasilia, Rossi, De Longhi
Nwe Ta Pin Trading Co., Ltd.
Shop C, Building 459 B
New University Avenue
01- 555-879, 09-4210-81705
nwetapintrading@gmail.com

COLD STORAGE

Est. 1992 in Myanmar

Cold Storage Specialist,
Solar Hot Water Storage
Solutions.
Tel: 951 663656, 951
665848, Email: sales@
glovermkm.com.mm

CONSTRUCTION

contactus@greenarc.net.au
Tel : 09-730-22820

News & Business Ideas

facebook box.com.mm
http://box.com.mm

Sein Shwe Tailor, 797

(003-A), Bogyoke Aung
San Rd, MAC Tower 2,
Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon,
Ph: 01-225310, 212943~4
Ext: 146, 147, E-mail:
uthetlwin@gmail.com

FITNESS CENTRE
Balance Fitnesss
University Avenue Rd,
Bahan Tsp. Yangon.
01-656916, 09 8631392
Email - info@
balancefitnessyangon.com

Life Fitness
Bldg A1, Rm No. 001,
Shwekabar Housing,
Mindhamma Rd,
Mayangone Tsp. Yangon.
Ph: 01-656511,
Fax: 01-656522,
Hot line: 0973194684,
natraysports@gmail.com

No. 20, Ground Floor, Pearl

Street, Golden Valley Ward,
Bahan Township, Yangon.
Tel : 09-509 7057, 01220881, 549478 (Ext : 103)
Email : realfitnessmyanmar
@gmail.com
www.realfitnessmyanmar.com

FLORAL SERVICES

Self Drive Daily Rental

Brand New Left Hand
Drive
Comprehensive Insurance
Daily Rental (24 hours)
Unlimited Kilometres
24/7 Roadside Assistance
www.yomafleet.com
soe@yomafleet.com
+95 9 4500 35280

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

CO WORKING SPACE

DELIVERY SERVICE
Marina Residence, Yangon
Ph: 650651~4, Ext: 109
Beauty Plan, Corner of
77th St & 31st St, Mandalay
Ph: 02 72506

FASHION & TAILOR

Express Courier & Cargo

One Stop Logistic Solution
Ygn, Hot Line: 011224270

No. (6), Lane 2

Botahtaung Pagoda St,
Yangon.
01-9010003, 291897.
info@venturaoffice.com,
www.venturaoffice.com

CONSULTING

Myanmar Research | Consulting

Capital Markets

Shwe Hinthar B 307, 6 1/2

Miles, Pyay Rd., Yangon.
Tel: +95 (0)1 654 730
info@thuraswiss.com
www.thuraswiss.com

DUTY FREE

Duty Free Shops

Yangon International
Airport, Arrival/Departure
Mandalay International
Airport, Departure
Office: 17, 2nd street,
Hlaing Yadanarmon Housing,
Hlaing Township, Yangon.
Tel: 500143, 500144, 500145.

ELECTRICAL

Est. 1992 in Myanmar

Electrical & Mechanical
Contractors, Designers,
Consultants.
Tel: 951 663656, 951
665848, Email: sales@
glovermkm.com.mm

Worlds leader in
Kitchen Hoods & Hobs
Same as Ariston Water
Heater. Tel: 251033, 399491,
379671, 255795, 394409

GEMS & JEWELLERIES

Kham Le
22, Thukha Waddy St,
Suneyan Park, Yankin, Ph:
01-8605223, 8605224.

Ruby & Rare Gems

of Myanamar
No. 527, New University
Ave., Bahan Tsp. Yangon.

sales@manawmaya.com.mm
www.manawmayagems.com

Tel: 549612, Fax : 545770.

Your Most Reliable Jeweller

The Natural Gems of

Myanmar & Fine Jewellery.
No. 30(A), Pyay Road,
(7 mile), Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-660397, 666052,
666053,Fax:(95)-1-664574
spgems.myanmar@
gmail.com, www.facebook.
com/pages/SP-Gems

GENERATORS
Floral Service & Gift Shop
No. 449, New University
Avenue, Bahan Tsp. YGN.
Tel: 559011, 541217,
09-730-55660
Market Place By City Mart
Tel: 523840~43,
523845~46, Ext: 205.
Junction Nay Pyi Taw
Tel: 067-421617~18
422012~15, Ext: 235.
Res: 067-414813,
09-492-09039. Email :
eternalflowers99@gmail.
com

Genarator & Forklift

Sales and Rental
589-592, Bo Aung Kyaw
St, Yangon-Pathein
highway Rd. Hlaing
Tharyar tsp.Tel:-951645334;Fax:951-645211.
e-mail:mkt-pgis@
winstrategic.com.mm.
hot line +9595057182

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

GLASS

International
Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, G-Fl, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-245112,
09-730-22820
Email : intconstruction
material@gmail.com

GAS COOKER &

COOKER HOODS

Yangon : A-3, Aung San

Stadium (North East Wing),
Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp.
Tel : 245543, 09-73903736,
09-73037772.
Mandalay : No.(4) 73rd St,
Btw 30th & 31st St, Chan
Aye Thar Zan Tsp. Tel : 096803505, 09-449004631.
Naypyitaw : Level (2),
Capital Hyper Mart,
Yazathingaha Street,
Outarathiri Tsp. Tel : 0933503202, 09-73050337

98(A), Kaba Aye Pagoda

Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon. Tel: 542979,
553783, 09-732-16940.
Fax: 542979
Email: asiapacific.
myanmar@gmail.com.
Dent Myanmar
Condo (C), Room (001),
Tatkatho Yeikmon Housing,
New University Avenue Rd,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 09 8615162, 09 8615163,
542 375, (Ext 1155)

Japan-Myanmar
Physiotherapy Clinic.
Body Massage - 7000 Ks
Foot Massage - 6000 Ks
Body & Foot Massage 12,000 Ks
No.285, Bo Aung Kyaw Rd,
Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon.
09:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Tel : 09-8615036

24 Hours Laboratory
& X-ray, CT, MRI, USG
Mammogram, Bone DXA
@ Victoria Hospital
No. 68, Tawwin Rd, 9 Mile,
Mayangon Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: (951) 9 666141
Fax: (951) 9 666135

24

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | QUICK GUIDE

THE MYANMAR TIMES MARCH 20, 2015

OFFICE FURNITURE
24 Hrs International Clinic
Medical and Security
Assistance Service
@ Victoria Hospital
No.68, Tawwin Rd, 9 Mile,
Mayangon Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: +951 651 238
+959 495 85 955
Fax: +959 651 398
www.leomedicare.com

NO.61, 2nd Floor, 101 Street,

Kandawlay, Mingalar
Taung Nyunt Tsp, Yangon,
Myanmar.
Ph: 01-205102, 09 2603
60932, 09 2603 60933,
09 3334 6666

Tel : 01-9000712~13 Ext : 330

09-4200-77039.
direct2u@mmrdrs.com

Bldg-A2, G-Flr, Shwe

Gabar Housing, Mindama
Rd, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon. email: eko-nr@
myanmar.com.mm
Ph: 652391, 09-73108896

Bld-A2, Gr-Fl, Shwe

Gabar Housing, Mindama
Rd, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon. email: eko-nr@
myanmar.com.mm
Ph: 652391, 09-73108896
No.(68), Tawwin Street,
9 Mile, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon.
Hunt line: +95 1 9666 141,
Booking Ext : 7080, 7084.
Fax: +95 1 9666 135
Email:
info@witoriya hospital.com
www.victoriahospital
myanmar.com,
Facebook :
https://www.facebook.com/
WitoriyaGeneralHospital

99 Condo, Ground Floor,

Room (A), Damazedi Rd,
Kamayut Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 09-2504-28700
info@decorum.mm.com

HOTEL SUPPLY

Intl Quality Uniform &

Promo Gifts
for Corporate, Hotel, F&B
Tel: (959) 972 154 990,
Email: suchada@
stgroupholdings.com

Premium Chef Uniform

No. H-8, May Kha Housing,

May Kha St., Thingangyun
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 01 855 0105, 09 506
7816, 09 254443366
Email: theworkwear
myanmar@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/
workwearmyanmar

HOUSING

Sole Distributor
For the Union of
Myanmar Since 1995
Myanmar Golden Rock
International Co.,Ltd.
79-D, Bo Chein St, Pyay Rd,
6 Mile, Hlaing Tsp,
Tel: 654810~654819
654844~654848

International
Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, G-Fl, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-245112,
09-730-22820
Email : intconstruction
material@gmail.com

01 9000 712~3, Ext 330/332,

Email: enquiries.HM@
mmrdrs.com, www.
hermanmillerasia.com

PERFECT SOLUTIONS FOR

YOUR OFFICE SPACE!
Taw Win Center, 3rd Flr,
Rm 4031/4033, Pyay Rd,
Dagon Tsp, Yangon.
Email: bd1@bristol.com.mm
web: www.bristol.com.my
Ph: 09-2540 14097,
09-259455550

Moby Dick Tours Co., Ltd.

Islands Safari in the Mergui
Archipelago
No.89-91, Rm No.2, Gr Fr,
32nd St, Pabedan Tsp, Ygn.
Tel / Fax: 01-380382
E-mail: info@islandsafari
mergui.com. Website: www.
islandsafarimergui.com

REAL ESTATE

European Quality
& Designs Indoor/
Outdoor Furniture, Hotel
Furniture & All kinds of
woodworks
Office Tel: 01-380382,
09-509-1673, Show Room:
No. 123-124, Shwe Yin Aye
(2) Street, Industrial Zone
5 (Extension), Hlaing Thar
Yar Township, Yangon,
Myanmar. E-mail: contact@
smartdesignstrading.com,
www.royalbotania.com,
www.alexander-rose.co.uk,
Please call for any enquiry.

PAINT

SUPPLIER of Quality Paints

DECORATIVE COATINGS
PROTECTIVE COATINGS
MARINE COATINGS
POWDER COATINGS
Jotun Myanmar (Services)
Co. Ltd.
G-7, May Kha Housing,
Lay Doung Kan Road,
Thingangyun Township,
Yangon-Myanmar
Tel: +95 1 566716, 566843
jotun.com

SC STORAGE YANGON

No. 5, U Tun Nyein

Street, Mayangone T/S,
Yangon.
Tel : 01-660 612, 657928,
01-122 1014, 09 508 9441
Email : lalchimiste.
restaurant@gmail.com

Horizon Intl School

235, Shukhinthar Myo Pat
Rd, Thaketa Tsp, Yangon,
Ph: 450396~7, 25, Po Sein
Rd, Bahan Tsp, Yangon,
Ph: 543926, Fax: 543926,
email: contact@
horizonmyanmar.com

SC STORAGE YANGON
Monthly storage available
Transportation of goods
provided,
Mobile: 09-253 559 848,
Email: YangonStorage@
gmail.com

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

American best practices

Pabaedan Township.
09 253 559 848
info@PathwayMoving.com
www.PathwayMoving.com
Yangons premier mover

Bo Sun Pat Tower, Bldg

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

62 D, U Htun Nyein Road

Mayangone Tsp, Yangon
Tel 01 665 516, 01 660 975
Reserv. 09 7703 0755
(facebook) operayangon
operayangon@gmail.com
www.operayangon.com

NAY PYI TAW BRANCH

Nirvana Hotel & Resort
No. MH-3,
4, Yar Za Thin Gaha Road
Datkhina Thiri Township
Hotel Zone 1, Nay Pyi Taw
Reserv. 09 795 915 540
Tel 067 422253, 067 422256

Yangon International
School (YIS)
Grades, Pre-school Grade 12.
American Curriculum.
117, Thumingalar Housing
Thingangyun Tsp
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 95 1 578171, 573149
Fax : 95 1 578604
Website :
www.yismyanmar.com

SERVICE OFFICE

Executive Serviced Offices

Asian Trails Tour Ltd

73 Pyay Rd, Dagon tsp.
tel: 211212, 223262.
fax: 211670. email: res@
asiantrails.com.mm
Shan Yoma Tours Co.,Ltd
Ph: 01-9010378, 9010382,

www.exploremyanmar.com
www.exploreglobaltravel.
com

WATER HEATERS

The Global leader in

Water Heaters
A/1, Aung San Stadium
East Wing, Upper
Pansodan Road.
Tel: 01-251033, 255795,
379671, 399491, 394409.

www.hinthabusinesscentres.com

22, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd,

Bahan Tsp. tel 541997.
email: leplanteur@
mptmail.net.mm.
http://leplanteur.net

G-05, Marketplace by
City Mart.
Tel: 01-523840 Ext: 105

Tel : 01-4413410

Water Heater

Made in Japan
Same as Rinnai Gas Cooker
and Cooker Hood
Showroom Address
Executive Serviced
Office, Registered
and Virtual Office, Hot
Desking, Meeting Rooms
Tel: +(95) 1 387947
www.officehubservices,com

STEEL STRUCTURE
Commercial leasing
Contact : 09 301 66 888
sales777Lux@gmail.com

Room No. 1101, 16th Flr,

Tower B, Maw Tin Tower,
Corner of Anawrahta Rd
& Lanthit St, Lanmadaw
Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : (95-1) 218489. 218490
218491
Fax : (95-1) 218492
Email : marketing @
kaytumadi.com, contact@
kaytumadi.com,
kaytumadi@gmail.com.
web : www.rockworth.com

STORAGE

WATER PROOFING

RESTAURANTS

Good taste & resonable

price
@Thamada Hotel
Tel: 01-243047, 243639-41
Ext: 32
Executive Serviced Offices
Contact : 09 301 66 888
sales777Lux@gmail.com

Real Estate Agent

N o Fe e s fo r C l i e n t s ,
Contact Us : 09 2050107,
robin@prontorealtor.com

Quality Chinese Dishes

with Resonable Price
@Marketplace by City Mart.
Tel: 01-523840 Ext.109

Coffee & Snack Bar

Shop: No.150, Dhamazedi
Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon, Myanmar,
09-3621-4523, gustocafe.
yangon@gmail.com

G-01, City Mart

(Myay Ni Gone Center).
Tel: 01-508467-70 Ext: 106

Monsoon Restaurant
& Bar 85/87, Thein Byu
Road, Botahtaung Tsp.
Tel: 295224, 09-501 5653.

with Expert Services

In all kinds of Estate Fields
yomaestatemm@gmail.com
09-332 87270 (Fees Free)
09-2541 26615, 09254392553

From Malaysia/Italy

Delicious Hong Kong Style

Food Restaurant
G-09, City Mart (Myay Ni
Gone Center).
Tel: 01-508467-70 Ext: 114

RESORT

Heaven Pizza
38/40, Bo Yar Nyunt St.
Yaw Min Gyi Quarter,
Dagon Township.
Tel: 09-855-1383

The Taj
Authentic North Indian Dining
Ph 09 97662518/09
252451353, No. 9, Aung San
Stadium North Wing,

WATER TREATMENT

No. H-8, May Kha Housing,

May Kha St., Thingangyun
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 01 855
0105, 09 540 8885. Email:
trophystudio@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/
trophystudio.mm

Water & Wastewater

Treatment (Since 1997)
Amd Supply Package
Fiberglass Wastewater
System for Offices,
Condominiums & Hotels
Project. Can Design for
YCDC Permit Application.
39-B, Thazin Lane, Ahlone.
09-5161431, 09-43126571,
01-218437~8

WATER SOLUTION

Aekar

Company Limited

Reservation Office (Yangon)

123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon Township
Tel
: 951- 255 819~838
Max Resort (Chaung Tha)
Tel
: 042 42346~9
E-Mail: reservation@
maxhotelsgroup.com

SANITARY WARE
World famous Kobe Beef
Near Thuka Kabar
Hospital on Pyay Rd,
Marlar st, Hlaing Tsp.
Tel: +95-1-535072

International
Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, G-Fl, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-245112,
09-730-22820
Email : intconstruction
material@gmail.com

SPORTS

SUPERMARKETS

REMOVALISTS

Relocation Specialist
Rm 504, M.M.G Tower,
#44/56, Kannar Rd,
Botahtaung Tsp.
Tel: 250290, 252313.
Mail : info@asiantigersmyanmar.com

Design, Fabrication,
Supply & Erection of Steel
Structures
Tel : +95 9 252399569
Email : Sales@WECMyanmar.com
www.WEC-Myanmar.com

Premium Trophies

For House-Seekers

Aye Yeik Mon

New University Avenue
Rd, Bahan Tsp.
Ph: 095188320
Pun Hlaing Golf Estate
Gated Golf Community
HOUSE RENTAL
APARTMENT RENTALS
SERVICED APARTMENTS
Available Immediately
RENTAL OFFICE
OPEN DAILY 9-5
PHGE Sales & Marketing,
Hlaing Tharyar Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 951-687 778, 684 013
phgemarketing@
spa-mm.com,
www.punhlainggolfestate.com

Crown Worldwide
Movers Ltd 790, Rm 702,
7th Flr Danathiha Centre,
Bogyoke Aung San Rd,
Lanmadaw. Tel: 223288,
210 670, 227650. ext: 702.
Fax: 229212. email: crown
worldwide@mptmail.net.mm

PLEASURE CRUISES

HOME FURNITURE

22, Pyay Rd, 9 mile,

Mayangone Tsp.
tel: 660769, 664363.

SCHOOLS

Worlds No.1 Paints &

Coatings Company

Faucets | Showers |
Sanitarywares | Bathroom
Accessories, Ph: 379671,
255795, 399491, 251033,
394409. Address: Same
as ARISTON

Capital Hyper Mart

14(E), Min Nandar Road,
Dawbon Tsp. Ph: 553136.
City Mart (Aung San) tel:
253022, 294765.
Junction Square
Pyay Rd, Kamayut,
Ph: 01-527242.
Junction Zawana
Lay Daung Kan St,
Thingangyun, Ph: 573929.
Ocean (North Point)
Pyay Rd, 9 mile,
Ph: 01-652959.
Ocean (East Point)
Mahabandoola Rd,
Ph: 01-397146.
Orange Super Market
103, Thu Damar Rd,
Industrial Zone, North
Okkalar, Ph: 9690246

Water Treatement Solution

Block (A), Room (G-12),
Pearl Condo, Kabar Aye
Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp.
Hot Line : 09-4500-59000

WEB SERVICE

Web Services
All the way from Australia
world-class websites/
web apps for desktop,
smartphone & tablets,
online shopping with
real-time transaction,
news/magazine site,
forum, email campaign
and all essential online
services. Domain
registration & cloud
hosting. Talk to us: (01)
430-897, (0) 942-000-4554.
www.medialane.com.au

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | SOCIALITE

Studio
Bar
launch

Monsoon merriment
Italian restaurant Di Vino hosted a monsoon party for guests on June 17,
where they enjoyed traditional Italian hospitality, cuisine and, of course, wine.

Guests
gathered
at Novotel
Yangon
Max on
June 13 to
celebrate
the
opening
of its new
Studio Bar.

Enchant opening

U Sonny Swe and guests

Aung Zaw Oo and friend

Guests celebrated the launch of new furniture store

Enchant in North Dagon on June 21.

Aye Kanedar Aung and Khin May Thet

Yamin, Ange and friend

25

26

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 15 I JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

wEEKEND | WHATSON

Compiled by Nyein Chan May

EVENTS

Bando Kickboxing Class. Militarystyle workout for fitness, flexibility,

stamina and core strength. K5000 per
session. Fitness Wharf Studio, Ocean
Center, Pyay Road, 9 Mile 6-7pm

FRIDAY 26
ART

NIGHTLIFE

A Confluence of Minds and Interplay of

Colours. A painting exhibition organised
by the Bangladesh embassy in Yangon
featuring works by several Bangladeshi
artists including Hashem Khan, Nasreen
Begum, Mahmudul Haque, Rokeya
Sultana, Fraida Zaman, Bipasha Hayat,
Mohammad Eunus, Bishwajit Goswami.
National Museum, 66/74 Pyay Road,
Dagon 10-5pm (see our pick of the week
on page 27)

Salsa at Salud. K5000 entry includes free

Mojito, beer or cocktail of your choice.
Salud Salsa Club, 7C Wingabar Road
(next to Clover Hotel), Bahan 8pm
Ladys Night. One free cocktail for ladies.
B20 Bar and Bistro, 96 20th Street, Latha
8-11:45pm

THURSDAY 2

Yangon Echoes photo exhibition. Archival

prints from the book Yangon Echoes by
Virginia Henderson and Tim Webster.
Myanmar Deitta, 49 (3rd floor), 44th Street,
Botahtaung 5-8 pm

MUSIC
Folk on fire. Jean-Franois Rancourt will
once again set the stage on fire with his
witty folk songs, in English and in French.
Free entry. The Lab, 70A Shwegonedaing
Road, Bahan 9:30-11:30pm

MUSIC
Live music by the Aaron Gallegos Trio,
featuring vocalist Tom Barton. Gekko, 535
Merchant Road 7pm
Nightly live music. Kokine Bar and
Restaurant (next to Kokine Swimming
Club) 6-11pm
Romances Violin night. Enjoy with The
Two Nightingales Band and Romances
classical violin music. B2O Bar and Bistro,
98 20th Street, Latha 8-11pm

NIGHTLIFE
Dour Hour with False Morality. More rain.
More humidity. More reasons to kick it
with some cocktails at the end of another
long week. Hummingbird, 76 Phone Gyi
Street 8pm
Freaky Friday. Free service drinks,
canapes and music from DJ Mickey
and DJ Smith. P2 Bar, 330 Yangon
International Hotel Compound, Ahlone
Road, Dagon 8-12pm
Monsoon Umbrella Latin Spirit. Dance
the night away with Latin dance expert
Ghizzy and Latin tunes by DJ Bay Tar.
Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon, 40
Natmauk Road, Tarmwe 7pm

MISC
Friday-night bike ride around Yangon.
Ride is free of charge. Bike rental (if
required) K15,000. Start place is Bike
World, 6 Mile, Pyay Road, Hlaing 10am

SATURDAY 27
ART
A Myanmar Traditional Art Traveller
solo exhibition featuring the designs and
artworks of renowned Myanmar master
artist Aye Myint. Gallery 65, 65 Yaw Min
Gyi Road, Dagon 10-6pm [Until June 29]

This and other photos are displayed in the Yangon Echoes photo exhibition at Myanmar Deitta Gallery until July 18. Photo: Tim Webster

MISC
The Jam Down 2015. Dance competition
hosted by the Myanmar Street Dance
Association. Here and Now Dance studio,
41 65th Street, Tarmwe 3:30pm (see our
pick of the week on page 27)
Grab & Go. 20 percent discount event
on all green furniture by Yangon Green
Furniture for one day only. Yangon Green
Furniture, 29G Yezet Street, Kabar Aye
Pagoda Road, Mayangone 1-5pm
The Yangon Hash. A mixed, family-style
Hash runs usually take about an hour.
K4000. University Avenue (at the main
entrance to the old university) 2:45-8pm

NIGHTLIFE
The Yangon Vibe. Resident Mr Y will be
spinning for your pleasure. R&B, party
anthems and a dose of house to dance
and sing all night. Mojo Bar, 135 Inya
Road, Kamaryut 10pm
Future EDM Volume II: Crayon Night.
ROOF Alchemy and H-Life Entertainment
bring you the awesome EDM party. Roof
Alchemy Gastropub, Yangon International
Hotel Compound, Ahlone Road, Ahlone
9pm
FAB party. Club night for lesbians, gays
and friends. Entry fee K5000. J-One Music
Bar, Bo Cho Road (Near Union Business
Centre), Bahan

MUSIC
Saturday Night Live. Live band and halfprice cocktails. Studio Bar, Novotel Yangon
Max, 459 Pyay Road, Kamaryut 7pm

Wine down with Mo-Town. Live music

from Soul Union. Union Bar and Grill, 42
Strand Road, Botahtaung 7-10pm

Great Stories. Cigar smoke, single malt

and blends. Union Bar and Grill, 42
Strand Road, Botahtaung 7-11:45pm

Ok Music Festival. Music by Wai La, Ye

Yint Aung, Thar Thar, Phyu Phyu Kyaw
Thein, Chan Chan, Ni Ni Khin Zaw, Thiri
Swe, Eait Chit, Nan Myat Phyo Thin,
Super Model. Myaw Sin Kyun Island
(Kandawgyi Natural Park) 5-9pm

The Fat Ox pool tournament. K5000 entry,

winner takes all! The Fat Ox, 50th Street
(middle block), Botahtaung 7-10pm

Unplugged music night. B2O Bistro Bar,

98 20th Street, Lathar 8-10pm

SUNDAY 28
MISC
Girl Determined fundraiser event. Images
of Girl Determineds programs across
the country, all captured by acclaimed
photographer Andrew Stanbridge, will be
auctioned during the event. The photographs
will be on display all day, so buyers can see
them beforehand and make their choice.
Both kyats and dollars are accepted. GoetheVilla, 8 Ko Min Ko Chin Road, Bahan 4-7pm
(see story page 14)
Tea House movie: 1993s Jurassic Park.
A 22-year gap may be a bit much to
recollect, so let us refresh your memory
with Spielbergs ultimate thrill ride with
the screening of the original Jurassic
Park. Rangoon Tea House, 77 Pansodan
road (lower block) 8-10:45pm
Sunday BBQ. Bring ID and US$. Australian
Club, 18 Shwe Taung Kyar Road 5-8pm

MUSIC
Live music at Studio Bar. Are you ready
to rock? Live band every Thursday, Friday
and Saturday. Studio Bar, 459 Pyay Road,
Kamaryut 7-10pm

MONDAY 29
NIGHTLIFE
Cocktail night. Unlimited cocktails offer
(K8000 per person). B2O Bar and Bistro,
98 20th Street, Latha 8-11:45 pm

MISC
Monday Special Taco Night. Fahrenheits 1
Dollar 1 Taco Fiesta. Mix and match their
delicious fish, chicken, pork and mini
beef tacos. Fahrenheit Bar, 38 Bogyoke
Road (corner of Botahtaung Pagoda Road)
5-11pm

Salsa night. Learn some funky Latin

moves at Club 5, Park Royal Hotel, 33
Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon 711pm
Trivia Night. Free beer pitcher for round
winners and winning team gets a
K30,000 bar tab. 50th Street Bar, 50th
Street (lower block) 8-11pm

TUESDAY 30
MISC
Tuesday Snippets. A gathering in which
all sorts of people interested in the future
of the country enjoy conversation and
perhaps some beer until late at night.
Pansodan Gallery, Pansodan Street,
Kyauktada 7-10pm
Tuesday Movies at the Connect Institute.
Free popcorn, chips and soft drinks; fun
games and quizzes; thought-provoking
discussions and more. Connect Institue,
3A Pansodan Business Tower (corner of
Anawrahta Road and Pansodan Street)
2:30pm-4pm

MISC
Yoga Class. Stretch your limbs in the
outdoor covered studio on the lake, with
a beautiful view and gentle breezes.
One-and-a-half hours for K7000. LOpera
Italian Restaurant, 62D U Htun Nyein
Street, Mayangone 4.45pm

NIGHTLIFE
80s music night. Great gastropub food and
80s music with DJ Bay Tar. Union Bar and
Grill, 42 Strand Road, Botahtaung 7-12pm

FILM
Start times at Mingalar (1,2), Top Royal,
Shae Saung (1,2) and Nay Pyi Taw
cinemas are 10am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm,
6:30pm and 9:30pm
Start times at Junction Square and
Junction Maw Tin are 9:30am, 12:30pm,
3:30pm and 6:30pm daily and 9:30am,
12:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 9:30pm
on Friday and Saturday.
Start times at Mingalar San Pya are
10am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and
9:30pm
Nay Pyi Taw Cinema, near Sule Pagoda
Mad Max: Fury Road [3D].
Directed by George Miller. Action film.
Jurassic World [3D].
Directed by Colin Trevorrow. American
science fiction adventure film.
Skin Trade [2D]. Directed by Ekachai
Uekrongtham. Action-thriller film.

Yoga Class. Stretch your limbs in the

outdoor covered studio on the lake, with
a beautiful view and gentle breezes.
One-and-a-half hours for K7000. LOpera
Italian Restaurant, 62D U Htun Nyein
Street, Mayangone 4.45pm

Shae Saung Cinema,

Sule Pagoda Road, Kyauktada
Jurassic World [3D].
Directed by Colin Trevorrow. American
science fiction adventure film.
Ghost Coins [2D]. Directed by Tiwa
Moeithaisong. Thai horror film.

WEDNESDAY 1

Mingalar San Pya Cineplex, Phone Gyi

Street and Anawrahta, Lanmadaw
Jurassic World [3D].
Directed by Colin Trevorrow. American
science fiction adventure film.

MUSIC
Jazz music and dinner. Enjoy jazz music
and a great dinner in a friendly musical
atmosphere. The Rendez-Vous Restaurant,
340 Pyay Road 7:30-9:30pm

MISC
Yangon Language and Cultural Exchange.
A great opportunity for you to learn and
practise your language skills in a fun
and friendly environment. Meet people
from all over the world and make new
friends by sharing your own stories, events,
hobbies, music, dance, art, adventures,
sports, games, cultural events, food, movies,
parties, etc. Smoothie Foodie, Anawrahta
Street, Lanmadaw 7-9pm

Mingalar Cinema 2,
Dagon Center 2, Myaynigone
Jurassic World [3D].
Directed by Colin Trevorrow. American
science fiction adventure film.
Junction Square, Kyun Taw road, near
Hanthawaddy Circle
Tracers. Directed by Daniel Benmayor.
American action drama film.
Robot Overlords. Directed by Jon Wright.
British independent science-fiction film.
Junction Maw Tin, Corner of Anawrahta
Road and Lan Thit Street, Lanmadaw
Tracers. Directed by Daniel Benmayor.
American action drama film.

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | WHATSON

27

WHATS ON PICKS OF THE WEEK

Mix of minds and colours in

international art collaboration
BY NANDAR AUNG

MEETING of minds has led

to a blending of colours and
styles at a bi-national art
exhibition this week in the Yangon
Gallery. It features artists from
Myanmar and Bangladesh, whose
governments have collaborated for
the first time in an event of this
kind.
Confluence of Minds and
Interplay of Colours, being exhibited
at the National Museum from
June 26 to July 2, puts on display a
combination of abstract-line object
paintings and abstract realism.
Bangladeshi foreign minister Md
Shahidul Haque announced from
Dhaka, I am happy to know that
the event will create an opportunity
for artists of both countries to
work together and exchange ideas.
This will certainly contribute to
understanding and ultimately help
bring our two peoples closer.
The exhibition is organised by
the Bangladeshi Embassy in Yangon
and the National University of Arts
and Culture of Myanmars Ministry
of Culture.
Eight Bangladesh artists
Hashem Khan, Nasreen Begum,
Mahmudul Haque, Rokeya Sultana,
Farida Zaman, Bipasha Hayat,
Mohammad Eunus and Bishwajit
Goswami display their works,
alongside those of U Myat Tun
Aung, Daw Nwe Ni Win, U Aung
Thin Oo, U Thabye Swe Myint,
U Tin Soe and U Myint Oo of the
National University of Arts and
Culture.

A gallery visitor examines works at the Confluence of Minds and Interplay of Colours
exhibition at Yangon Gallery. Photos: Aung Khant

The Bangladeshi works show

how themes, forms, colours and
lines portray ideas and global
thoughts, traditional concepts and
the modern ethos, while the six
Myanmar artists abstract realism
portrays the lives and beauties of
Myanmar.
The two groups had already
exhibited together at the Chin
Chong Culture Centre, Kanbawza
Yeikthar, Yangon from June 21 to 23.
The current exhibition brings
together all the works displayed so
far.
Md Reyad Hossain, first
secretary of the Bangladeshi
embassy, said yesterday, The
exchange of views between the
artists of both countries will be

symbolise the confluence of minds.

It will help build a bridge between
the peoples of Bangladesh and
Myanmar.
One Myanmar artist said the
exhibition was a good opportunity
for local art-lovers to appreciate
Bangladeshi art.
Myat Tun Aung, who is
exhibiting three pictures of potters
in Shan State, is also professor of
the Department of Painting at the
National University of Arts and
Culture.
Our artists had the chance to
learn from their incredible artworks
and to exchange views with the
Bangladeshi artists. We learned a
great deal, he said.

Freestyle dancers prepare to break

BY NYEIN CHAN MAY

REAK in your new breaks and get your locking

and popping rocking. The Myanmar Street Dance
Association is calling on Yangons finest B-Boys
and Fly Girls to battle it out this June 27.
The competition is open to anyone and spectators are
welcome free of charge.
In Myanmar dance competitions are rare, said
organiser Ko Jin Me of the Myanmar Street Dance
Association. So we aim to have one competition every
six months.
While organisers say there are no formal rules for
dance styles, the competition will be in the style of a
cypher battle where competitors form a circle and
take turns dancing in the centre in the style of hip-hop or
b-boy/break dancing. From this initial contest, 16 of the
best dancers will be nominated to face off in a knockout
round, with one winner emerging.
Established in 2009, Myanmar Street Dance
Associations first street dance competition was held in
Yangon in 2012.
This time were running a small competition, said
Ko Jin Me. But there is a big one coming soon. We will be
inviting a referee from overseas. This dance competition
will be held in December and is expected to attract a large
number of contestants from across Myanmar.
We do it for the Myanmar youth dancer generation,
said Ko Jin Me.
A dancer performs at The First Jam dance competition in
February 2014.
Photo: Myanmar Street Dance Association/Facebook

The Jam Down will start at 3:30pm at the Here and

Now Dance Studio, 41 (ground floor), 165th Street,
Tarmwe. Contestants can join on the day for a K3000
entry fee.