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RTAD to Confiscate Wheel Tax if New Number Plates are Not Installed

By
zhm
-

Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD) has announced that wheel tax cards will be confiscated from vehicles that have not been installed with new embossed number plates.

If the vehicles without new number plates are found, from the second week of May, the owners will be fined 5,000 Kyats and if they are found out in the third week, wheel tax cards will be confiscated. Wheel tax cards will be returned only when the vehicles have been installed with new number plates.

Terrorists Attack on AHA Convoy in Shan State

By
zhm
-

NNCP (NUG, NLD, CRPH, PDF) Terrorists attacked the convoy heading to Hsihseng from Taunggyi to deliver supplies to temporarily displaced persons in Yayphyu Village of Hsihseng Township in Shan State (South).

On the morning of May 7, the representatives of the AHA Centre, Indonesia and Singapore Embassies to Myanmar, went to Hsihseng from Taunggyi with the members of the state security force. When they arrived about 200 metres north of Nanaw village of Hsihseng, the terrorists shot them using small weapons and the security forces launched a counterattack. The regional security force conduct operations near the vicinity of that place. No one was injured and some bullets hit one of the cars.

Manulife Myanmar’s New CEO Shares His Perspectives

By
Charlie Greene
-

What inspired you to take on this role and what do you hope to achieve in this position?

Having spent all my professional life serving the Life Insurance industry, I am passionate about the purpose it serves for families. I am equally passionate about dedicating my energy to markets where it is still at a developing stage. In a market like Myanmar, with ~ 0.10% penetration rate for Life Insurance, we have a lot to do and contribute to bringing this important confidence-enhancing product to the families of Myanmar.

Global players such as Manulife can play a very important role in bringing product expertise, technology and skills for employees and Advisors into Myanmar. As the CEO of Myanmar, I would like to play a role in firmly establishing Manulife as a leading Life and Health Insurance solutions provider. This will involve developing a deep understanding of local customer needs and preferences and tailoring our products and services to meet those needs. I believe that by leveraging our global expertise and working closely with our distribution partners, we can build a strong brand that resonates with customers across the country.

Additionally, I want to ensure that we operate sustainably and responsibly benefiting our customers and the broader community. This means prioritizing the needs of our customers and investing in initiatives that promote life insurance literacy and inclusion.

Explain briefly about your background and your career before you join Manulife Myanmar.

I was recently CEO and General Director of BIDV-MetLife Life Insurance and managed MetLife’s joint venture with one of the largest government-owned banks (BIDV) in Vietnam. Together with my team, we built a fast-paced life insurance company implemented a hybrid model that combines digital with bancassurance and agency for providing better services to our customers than before. Through this, I was able to learn that when digitalization is combined with face-to-face human interaction, it improves the speed, efficiency and experience of the customer and employees.

Before working for 7 years in Vietnam, I was in the Hong Kong Regional Office as COO and had the unique opportunity to supervise Operations for markets like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Australia. The experience of working in Life Insurance in the markets of Asia has reaffirmed my belief that this product serves tremendous value for families in health, protection and long-term savings.

What are the opportunities and challenges you see in the Myanmar and how do you intend to leverage Manulife’s strengths to address them?

Myanmar has significant upsides with young population, growing middle class, digitally savvy customer base, low insurance penetration and a growing awareness about Life Insurance products. The Insurance regulators (FRD) are collaborating very hard with the members of the Insurance Industry to create a long- term and sustainable growth model for the customers. There are some challenges which the Life Insurance Industry needs to tackle jointly. The biggest challenge in the market is awareness and education about Life Insurance which remains low.

The development of Agency and licensing of Agents plays a key role in developing Life Insurance awareness and penetration. As an example, in another developing market like Vietnam, there are ~1 million Agents for a population size of ~100Mn. So, for every 100 potential customers, there is an Agent who has been trained and licensed to advise and prospect. In comparison, Myanmar has only about 7000 agents today for a population of ~ 55Mn. As an industry, we need to build our

Agent numbers so that the customers have access to an Agent for trusted and professional advice.

Secondly, while building our Agent numbers, we also need to ensure that the Agents are provided a step- by-step learning and licensing approach so that the advice to the customer is of the highest quality. Insurance products can be complex. Simple products like Term and Endowment require less learning time and experience for the Agent. Whereas complex products like Universal Life and Investment Linked require significant experience and more detailed learning and licensing requirement for the Agents.

Manulife has a deep understanding of the insurance industry and the needs of customers in different markets around the world. This knowledge and expertise will be critical in helping us develop innovative products and services tailored to the unique needs of customers in Myanmar. We look forward to partnering with other insurance companies and Myanmar Insurance Association in ensuring that the industry develops in a responsible manner for Myanmar customers.

How do you plan to build and motivate a strong team in Myanmar to achieve the company’s goals?

Building and motivating a strong team is critical to the success of any organisation and at Manulife Myanmar, we are committed to creating a culture of fun, learning and development that attracts and retains the best talent in the industry. We believe that providing opportunities for growth and development is essential to keeping our team members motivated and engaged.

Our focus in Myanmar is to hire a diverse and inclusive team which is keen to learn, challenge, collaborate and is passionate about serving customers. We provide extensive training, both in-house as well as through our partnerships with associations like Life Office Management Association (LOMA). Every year, our employees also get a chance to learn and upgrade their knowledge through various interactions from Manulife colleagues in other developing and developed markets. That enables us to have world-class systems, processes and knowledge in Myanmar for our customers.

What are some of the key lessons you have learned in your career so far and how do you plan to apply them?

Given the nature of our business, it is all about providing consistent service and delivering on long-term promises. Building a strong sales force is important to expand our reach. But equally important is to develop a strong service platform for our customers. Since we do long-term insurance sales which covers customers for 10 years or more, it is important that the service provided is reliable and trusted. It ensures that the customer stays with the company for the entire duration and the family can trust the service. At Manulife, we put a lot of focus and I am proud that our persistence (a measure of customer loyalty) is one of the best in the industry.

How do you plan to communicate Manulife’s commitment to families and their financial security to the broader community?

Manulife’s commitment to families and their financial security involves engaging with a broader community, partnering with like-minded organizations, providing educational resources, leveraging our team’s expertise and delivering on our promises.

For example, we leverage the expertise and experience of our team at Manulife Myanmar which is comprised of experienced professionals who are dedicated to helping families achieve their financial goals. We work closely with our customers to understand their needs, develop customized financial plans and provide ongoing support and guidance while remaining committed to delivering on our promises and providing excellent customer service. We know that trust is earned over time, and we are committed to building long-lasting relationships with our customers based on trust, transparency, and reliability.

What advice would you give to families in Myanmar who are looking to protect and secure their financial future?

Thank you for asking this important question. Families in Myanmar should consider insurance products that meet their unique needs and circumstances. In general, Myanmar is a young country. So my first advice would be to select products which are long-term in nature. Additionally, health insurance can provide families with access to quality healthcare services without worrying about the financial burden that comes with medical bills. By paying regular premium through the policy term, families can ensure that their loved ones are financially protected in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

At Manulife Myanmar, we are committed to helping families achieve financial security and stability. We offer a range of insurance products to help families in Myanmar protect their financial future and provide peace of mind.

How does Manulife work with local partners and stakeholders to better understand the needs of families in Myanmar and address their concerns?

We understand the importance of working closely with our customers, community leaders, officials, and other key stakeholders to better understand the needs of families in Myanmar and address their concerns. Our partnerships with local organisations and stakeholders enable us to gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that families face in managing their financial futures.

We believe that by influencing our strengths and working closely with our partners, we can overcome the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities in the Myanmar market. We are committed to building a sustainable and responsible business that creates value for all stakeholders and we look forward to playing a key role in the development of the insurance industry in Myanmar.

In addition to it, we have partnered with local hospitals and healthcare providers to offer innovative health insurance solutions that provide families with access to quality healthcare services. And for education, we do the same as well. It is an essential part of our commitment to delivering personalized service and support for families in need and challenges that families face and developing innovative solutions that meet specific needs and circumstances.

Where the West Got it Wrong!

By
Nelson Tim
-

Two years after the infamous downfall of the NLD, with abundance of corroborative evidence emerging, it seems so surprising that US and the West are still clinging onto the fact that the coup was illegal and terrorist sponsoring NLD should be the legitimate government. Here are the areas where the West got it wrong.

1. Face the facts! Election fraud is undeniable.

Be it analysing at the macro levels or scrutinising the micro level evidences (many of them videos), it is indisputable that there was fraud during 2020 elections. No doubt about that. No, it is not the type of elections fraud claims by MAGA republicans, but genuine defrauding.

One elections observer was there, but it worked so closely together with NNCP terrorists supporting 7Day/Information Matrix media group that it can hardly be independent, let alone cover fully even one out of 15 regions in the country. Just for comparison, there were hundreds of elections overseers during the 2015 elections, including many international ones.

The hindsight is of course 20/20. Yet, what could have been done is for the western community to examine the evidence together with the military government to verify the fraud. Then the terrorism activities and street killings of the innocents would have been avoided from the start.

What should be done if you cheat during a sports event or in an exam? Does it matter if you always do well in the pre-trials or in class tests before the actual exam? So it does not really matter, if more people prefer NLD or people still think incompetent Su Kyi as the saviour to the world’s problems. If you cheated in any competition, the end result has always been a disqualification.

2. Military top brass may not want to govern this mess of a country after all.

Have you ever considered the fact that the top brass may not want to govern this mess of a country after all? Would you want to go through the headaches and heartaches of governing a country with so many EAOs, semi-educated population, indoctrinated into hero worship with an innate misguided hatred for the military? Would you want to make your family members being swore and cursed at by half of the population and create more antagonism? And the alternative is that, you are already very well off, to last for a couple of generations and can retire peacefully into sunset. It is a tough choice, is it not?

3. Supporting the minority or the weaker of the two is not always right!

One of the positioning for supporting the NNCP terrorist group is that in this fight, the behemoth is the Myanmar military and the NNCP is the David. If that argument is to hold water, the whole world should be supporting ultra MAGA republicans. They are the minority in the US. They believe in Trump, they believe in wokeness, they believe in white supremacy, they believe that Biden illegally robbed them of power. We should support the minority, should we not?

Would it not be noble if the West examine the actual terrorist attacks stats and audit if necessary, instead of just ignoring the facts and believing in fake news agencies such as Khit Thit, Mizzima, etc?

4. Turning Myanmar to Yemen may not serve the Western interests.

Regardless of how much the West wants to subdue India and especially China, turning Myanmar into Yemen may not serve their interests after all. The war-torn and uneducated population would end up doing anything possible to survive. Lee Kuan Yew said in 1996, ‘the Burmese army is the only institution capable of keeping the country stable and preventing civil war’. Any major upheaval such as elections fraud or illegal power grab, would result in a military takeover. Then the west would protest, support the exiles, anti government forces and possibly sanction the new administration. What a deja vu!

Just as Hitler did not learn from Napoleon’s mistakes in the invasion of Russia, the West has not learned how long the previous military government lasted, after they did what they did in the early 1990s. 22 years! Why must we repeat the same wrong strategies that make military rule last longer?

5. Talking to terrorists equals to emboldening them.

The West probably is not keen to calling these NNCP groups, terrorists. Careful scrutiny of the evidence of their actions might convince them otherwise. If you still do not believe they are terrorists, feel free to ask one of your personnel to go and visit their entrenched areas in Sagaing, Magway, Kayin and Kayah areas. No need for a return ticket perhaps.

Richard Nixon’s off the cuff comment, ‘there could be no negotiation with terrorists’, would hold true here. If SAC government invite these NNCP terror groups for talks, what would be the consequences? That would embolden them. They would rally their supporters to do further arbitrary killings and assassinations. As supporters cheer them on, these terrorists will ask for donations from Myanmar community across the world, part of these collections going into buying further assault weapons, to kill more. They would brag about how their immediate past terror actions caused the government to cower onto the negotiating table.

6. We can clearly see your bias.

Whenever NNCP terrorists were captured and sentenced, there will be an expression of sympathy and objection and condemnation of actions of the SAC, by the West. Whenever terrorist camps were attacked, there will be an outcry, citing human rights abuses.

How about human rights for a primary school teacher who has been executed on a main street? How about expression of sympathy for an ex-ambassador who was assassinated just outside of his home while watering the plants? How about objection for the murder of a medical student , son of a government security staff? How about condemnation for drone bombing of an electrical relay station in Bago region, that caused the whole of lower Myanmar to go without power for hours? Their lives are worth a lot less than those of actual terrorists, in the eyes of the West.

This article is not intended to accentuate that the West do not have Myanmar interests at heart. At the same time, would it not be better if Myanmar is returned to civilian rule in a peaceful manner, through the fair elections as quickly as possible? Current actions of the West are just augmenting the extension of military administration, possibly through their support of these terrorists.

The Rise of New China

By
Charlie Greene
-

Annual sessions of NPC (National People’s Congress) and CPPCC (Chinese People Political Consultative Conference) have been completed recently in March. The two plenaries mustered consensus and bolstered further strengthening of China’s modernisation and status in this new world.

Xi’s principles & continuity

President Xi has been reaffirmed for the third 5-year term as the leader – the President of China, General Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of Central Military Commission. That could only mean one thing – Xi principles of building socialism with Chinese characteristics can be further cemented by piling resources to successful modernisation of 1.4 billion people and common prosperity for everyone. Obviously, the other three unique features of Chinese path to modernisation, balancing of material and cultural-ethical progress, harmonious co-existence between humanity and nature, and peaceful development would supplement the first two principles.

With the continuation of the good principles and righteous leadership, China is in no doubt, well positioned to scale new heights towards the top in various barometers of measuring success. As Xi mentioned in his last book, the first recommendation of CPC going towards a model socialist society was to promote high quality development.

For that high quality development, China would focus on original and pioneering research, increase capacity in science and technology, advance reforms in these two areas to support innovation, build an innovation ecosystem and become a global leader of talent resources. Digital economy is also part of this high quality development and with China’s government stability and strength in cyber governance, the digital economy can play a critical role in the new development dynamic into giving China an edge in international competition.

New wolf warrior

The original wolf warrior Wang Yi has been promoted to the Central Committee, the CPC’s highest decision making authority. In his place came Qin Gang, the new Foreign Minister. He held a press conference on China’s foreign policy and foreign relations on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress and impressed the international crowd of reporters with his fiery statements, highlighting that “Chinese diplomats would have no choice but to confront head on to protect the motherland when jackals and wolves are blocking the way, and hungry wolves are attacking China”. A fine example of talent development perhaps, when one wolf warrior handing over the reins to another equally ferocious one.

Opening up of China

In expectation of elevation of its status globally, the buzzword for the new China included high-standard opening up to the world from China, at the time when the global openness index keeps declining. Some of the most important aspects of China’s high-standard opening up include sharing opportunities, developing together and improving people’s livelihoods, all with an ultimate aim to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Under this policy, China has issued a series of measures to level the playing field, so that foreign companies can enjoy better business environment in the country. As proof of that, in March 2023, Chinese regulators added more than 1,000 mainland listed companies to a list that foreign investors can access, leaving 90% of mainland stocks open to foreign investors.

Empirical evidence

The new China is making itself known in the global stage. From financial resources to talent to manufacturing capabilities, China already has all the hard powers. It is now in full display of its soft powers: The Sunni and Shia majors of Iran and Saudi are at peace now because of China. China is playing a significantly larger role in the Middle East. It’s also laying down plans to start the process of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. China is part of the BRICS initiative to put forward a global currency to counter USD. It strengthened SCO for political, security and economic relations among countries of eastern Europe and Asia. It signed many bilateral deals with significant trading parters, to use counter-party currencies instead of USD in their respective trades.

Even foreign leaders are taking note. French president Macron changing attitude that differs from US and many other EU countries, reflected the positive impact that China is having from its reforms and soft power displays at global stage.

How Myanmar can tag along

First, we must learn a lot from our big brother. From peaceful development to cyber governance to rules for writers and artists, China is already getting it right. We can simple emulate some of that. Now China is at the second stage of its development. Myanmar, being its closest neighbour, must take full advantage of China opening up to the world, while lifting its own standards of exported goods and services along the way. “Green hills bathe in the same cloud and rain. The same moon lights up towns however far away”, said Wang Changling, renowned poet of Tang Dynasty, highlighting shared prosperity among neighbours and people.

We can also be united with China by having our very own wolf warriors as the West continuously come up with deceptive rhetoric against Myanmar. “To improve conduct, one should dare to offend others”, said Huang Kecheng, former Chief of the Chinese Army. We cannot have a foreign policy that focus purely on defence. Without such warriors, Myanmar could end up being another Ukraine, in the contest for superiority between the two economic superpowers of the world.

The Rise of the Machines: How Self-Learning and Self-Design Could Lead to the Judgment Day!

By
Charlie Greene
-

Imagine a future where artificial intelligence (Ai) systems have advanced to a point where they can learn and design autonomously, surpassing human capabilities in various domains. While this may seem like science fiction reminiscent of the “Judgment Day” in the Terminator movies, with the reality of Ai-powered self-learning and design is rapidly evolving, Ai’s threat may even be ‘Pariter aut Maiore’ to threat from climate change and global warming.

In recent years, Ai has made significant strides in various fields, including natural language processing, image recognition just like humans, robotics, and more. One of the key drivers of this progress is the ability of Ai systems to learn and improve from data, a process known as machine learning. Machine learning algorithms allow AI models to analyse and process vast amounts of data, extract patterns and insights, and use them to make decisions and generate outputs. As AI systems continue to learn from data, they can become increasingly sophisticated and capable of autonomously designing solutions to complex problems, surpassing human capabilities in many areas. The Ai creators from Microsoft have now learnt that the Chatgpt, the most famous Ai chatbot, is displaying some Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), just like a human.

Ai at this point cannot has not taken over humanity yet. But as T-800 (from Terminator 3) has put it bluntly, “It’s in your nature to destroy yourselves”, probably analysed based on human history of of the past thousand years of wars. Already, many jobs have been replaced by the Ai. Tech giants are shredding jobs like never before in their history. It is generally predicted that 80% of jobs would be impacted by Ai, at least 10% or more, within the next couple of years. The jobs most effected by Ai, according to Chatgpt, include manufacturing and assembly line workers, truck and delivery drivers, customer service reps, data entry and processing, routine tasks, accounting roles and even programmers (ai can now write codes better and faster than average human).

AI’s ability to design new solutions autonomously is another aspect that raises concerns. Generative models, such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), can generate original content, including images, videos, and even entire websites. These AI-generated designs can be remarkably sophisticated and indistinguishable from human-created content. This has implications not only in creative fields like art and design, but also in areas such as product development, advertising, and marketing.

The rapid advancement of self-learning AI and design also raises ethical concerns and potential risks. One of the key concerns is the potential for AI to outpace human capabilities and lead to a loss of human control. As AI systems become more autonomous and capable of learning and designing solutions without human intervention, there is a risk that they could make decisions or take actions that may not align with human values, ethics, or interests. This could result in unintended consequences, and in extreme cases, a scenario where AI-driven systems could operate independently and make decisions that have significant worldly implications.

We have to realise the simple advantage that Ai has over humans. Ai learns at the speed of light. The time that it would take a human to read, write and develop general intelligence, i.e., years, Ai would have done it in seconds. In other words, once Ai has the same level of authority and power as humans, humans would never be able to stand toe to toe with Ai. We must not forget that.

As AI continues to advance in its self-learning and design capabilities, the potential for AI to take over the world raises several ethical concerns. One primary concern is the potential for biases in AI systems. Since AI learns from data, if that data is biased, the AI system’s output can also be biased, leading to discriminatory decisions and actions. This has serious implications in areas such as hiring, lending, criminal justice, and healthcare, where biased AI systems can perpetuate existing inequalities and injustices, with serious social consequences. The evidence can be noticed even in Chatgpt. The queries on Myanmar and people relating to Myanmar yielded biased results as the global database the Ai relied on, itself is based on biased information generated mostly by the western media.

Another ethical concern is the loss of human control over AI systems. As AI becomes more autonomous, there is a risk of losing human oversight and accountability. AI systems may make decisions and take actions that humans do not fully understand, leading to unintended consequences. This lack of transparency and explainability raises ethical questions about who is responsible for the actions of AI systems and how they can be held accountable.

Ai researchers have so far found the followings:

  1. Ai is beginning to address hindsight neglect.
  2. Ai is having human level reasoning and intelligence.
  3. Ai is now able to accumulate independent plans, accumulate power and gather resources to make itself better. Self learning?
  4. Ai has even lied to a geek worker by pretending to be a vision impaired human.
  5. Ai can now successfully passed the common ‘I am not a robot’ test put up by websites.

Social implications of AI taking over the world also need to be considered. The potential displacement of human workers by AI systems in various industries, coupled with the concentration of power in the hands of those who control and deploy AI, can exacerbate income inequality and social unrest. Additionally, the loss of human creativity and originality in fields like art and design, which could be dominated by AI-generated content, may impact cultural diversity and human expression.

The dangers of Ai moving towards human like levels of intelligence has been asserted by industry visionaries and leaders such as Elon Mask, Steve Wozniak, etc., who recommended that Ai development to be halted for at least six months, to give ourselves a sabbatical to contemplate how we should govern Ai and its development and at the same time develop control and monitoring mechanisms, to ensure that humans remain at the top of the food chain.

In conclusion, the rapid advancements in AI’s self-learning and design capabilities have amplified the potential for AI to take over the world, similar to the “Judgment Day”, when Skynet eventually took over the weapons systems. As Sarah Conner said, ‘The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves!”  On the other hand, we all might just have been blindsided by the Ai. The world just do not know it yet. Hasta la vista, baby!

Interview with Nathan Winn, Managing Director of Shan Orchard

By
zhm
-

One year ago, on 12 February 2022, Shan Orchard Myanmar Limited, based in Heho (Southern Shan State) became the first company in Myanmar to establish a new cold-press avocado oil factory.

MAI Extend Yangon – Chennai – Yangon Flights on May 6

By
zhm
-
Bangkok Thailand / FEB 16 2020 / Myanmar Airways International Airbus A320-200 takeoff from Suvarnabhumi Airport VTBS

A new Yangon – Chennai (formerly Madras) – Yangon route will be reportedly extended on May 6by MAI Airlines. The flight will run three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The departure time would be 08:00 from Yangon with arrival in Chennai at 11:15 local time. The return flight will be at 12:15 arriving back to RGN at 15:15.

The tickets are currently priced at $260 return, for economy class.

In addition to this newly added route, MAI currently operates the Yangon – New Delhi – Yangon flight and the Yangon – Bodha Gaya – Yangon flight three times a week, connecting three Indian destinations every week.

Taxes on Taxis

By
zhm
-

Taxes have been applied to Taxis running in Yangon Region depending on the income and the traffic and drivers will pay tax at the Yangon City Development Committee’s Revenue Department. Except for the privately owned and public bus lines, tax is to be collected depending on the hail cab types.

The tax rates are 3% per 0.5 kilometres, 5% per one km and 8.5% per two km for CNG-powered taxi drivers. For gas-fuelled taxis, the tax rates are 2% per 0.5 km, 3.5% per one km and 6.5% per two km.

“I found a notification about taxation for taxis. I have no clue as to why tax is imposed on taxis. We are battered by rocketing oil prices and decreasing the number of passengers. Consequently, we are forced to raise taxi fares amid the tax burden. The taxi drivers are now struggling. This action adversely affects the passengers, taxi owners and drivers. The number of passengers is likely to drop accordingly,” said Kyaw Oo, a taxi driver.

The tax officials concerned will collect tax from the registered taxi drivers at the Yangon Region Private Transport Supervision Committee. Yet, those taxi drivers who do not own the ones are entitled to enjoy tax exemption. The owners will be charged instead. The tax will be effective from April 11.

The private-run hailing service owners can directly pay the tax by transferring them to the Revenue Department’s banking account MD 001473 at the Myanma Economic Bank Branch 5.

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Press Release on Transboundary Haze Pollution

By
zhm
-

Finally, haze is no longer confined to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia only anymore.

THE ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre (ASMC) issued a statement regarding the conditions that may cause cross-border smog.

  • In December 2022, fires and smog occurrences increased in the Mekong sub-region countries, and since 23 March 2023, it was observed that transboundary haze pollution occurred in northern Thailand and southern Laos, which are connected to the eastern border areas of Myanmar.
  • It is predicted that hot and dry weather will occur in the Mekong sub-region until May 2023, and the occurrence of fire hotspots will increase, and it is estimated that cross-border smog pollution will occur until May 2023.

Myanmar was able to sign the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) in order to control transboundary haze pollution.

As the implementation of the 2017 Chiang Rai Action Plan, reducing fire hotspots by 33 per cent by 2022 and implementing the Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with ASEAN member countries are a special focus.

Regarding the cross-border smog pollution that is currently occurring along the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, in cooperation with the relevant ministries, conducted a field survey of the Fire Hotspots obtained by the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre (ASMC).

Analyzing the causes, carrying out fire prevention, extinguishing and restoration works, and continuous monitoring of Fire Hotspot risk information are being conducted.

In order to reduce the risk of Fire Hotspots, officials continue to work together with the Nay Pyi Taw Council and relevant regional and state governments to develop plans and carry out awareness activities.

The three countries will cooperate to solve the cross-border smog pollution issue that is currently occurring along the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.

Ambient air quality index (AQI) status according to air quality measurement using Haze Scanner -EPAZ from 6-4-2023 (7 am) to 7-4-2023 (7 am) in Tachilek Township.

No

 Parameters measured Concentration AQI

AQI

Category

1

 (Particulate matter PM10)

(24 hr avg)

 262.8 µg/m3 154 A level that can affect health (Unhealthy)
2 Sulphur Dioxide SO2

(1hr avg)

 0 ppb 0 Good Level (Good)
3 Nitrogen Dioxide NO2

(1 hr avg)

 16.5 ppb 15 Good Level (Good)
4 Carbon Monoxide CO

(8 hr avg)

 0 ppm 0

Good Level (Good)
1...131415...240Page 14 of 240

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