Saturday, December 13, 2025
Home Blog Page 2

TNLA Blew up 125- year Old Gokteik Viaduct

By
zhm
-

Gokteik Viaduct lies on Mandalay-Lashio road linking Naung Cho and Kyauk Mare townships in Shan State (North). TNLA EAO terror-ists are currently committing vari-ous acts of terror around these two townships and on the communica-tions infrastructure around them, as Tatmadaw forces push them out of these territories.

On the morning of August 24, they used explosives to blow up 125 years old Gokteik Viaduct — one of Myan-mar’s significant landmarks and a world wonder. The viaduct’s ap-proach structure on the Kyauk Mare side, pier No P 16, and a 60-foot section of steel deck between ap-proach structure and the pier were damaged.

Various semi-governmental and NGO within the country put up an-nouncements on national papers condemning TNLA and its actions.

Areca Nut Exports to India Soar in FY2024/25

By
zhm
-

Myanmar’s areca nut export to In-dia showed a substantial increase in the 2024/25 financial year ac-cording to a report by The Hindu Business Line. According to the sta-tistics provided by the lower House of India’s Parliament, the value of areca nut exports to India by Myan-mar and Bangladesh surged last FY. The nuts are the main ingredient for betel chewing practices of the three countries. Myanmar exported $15.6 million in 2023/24 and $33.3 million worth in the following year. These still represented a minor-ity percentage of India’s total areca imports, which amounted to nearly $150 million in the last FY.

Chinese demand for Myanmar’s soft, fresh and moist areca nuts is also on an upward trajectory. After baking the soft areca nuts with heat, they are exported to China.

CBM Issues New Rules on Exporters’ Proceeds

By
zhm
-

Myanmar Kyat has suddenly ap-preciated towards the end of Au-gust and early September, catching many businesses by surprise. From previously trading around 4,400+ Kyats per $, it has appreciated to 4,200 Kyats per $ at the time of writing, representing nearly 5% appreciation in less than a month. Many of them attributed this rise of Kyat to the government stopping imports across the borders, further tightening of import rules and CBM new rules on the use of remittance proceeds from exports.

As per the CBM’s statement, some companies lack up-to-date informa-tion related to exports. Some com-panies heavily rely on third-party agents or their staff, resulting in unauthorised exports under their company name. Despite the remit-tance of export proceeds into the company’s bank account, there is a procedural gap in bank documenta-tion, leading to errors and misstated financial reports. Lack of consisten-cy in bank reconciliation for export proceeds occurs, causing the com-pany to be listed among companies failing to repatriate export proceeds in the prescribed timeline. Conse-quently, the director and the BOD have to face actions and get black-listed. As a result of this, exporters are informed compliance with the repatriation of export proceeds.

Exporters need to obtain a licence through Trade Net 2.0 of the Min-istry of Commerce before signing a sales contract with foreign buyers. The Department of Customs will is-sue an Export Declaration (ED) only after verifying export licence valid-ity and the values of goods shipped as per the sales contract. Myanma Port Authority will issue a Bill of Lading (B/L) after receiving ED and screening the necessary documents. Export earnings must be deposited into the domestic bank accounts within 30 days for the goods to be exported to Asian and within 60 days for other countries outside Asia starting from date of ED num-ber of the Customs Department.

Those exporters who fail to comply with compulsory repatriation rules will face actions (a jail time of less than one year and/or fines).

CBM Action Task Force must con-tact and urge companies in Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay to re-patriate export earnings in the set period. Those companies that fail to meet with the action task force and those that fail to complete bank reconciliation will lead to the tem-porary suspension of the export/im-port licence of the Ministry of Com-merce. The list of those companies will be forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs as well.

Repatriation will be waived for goods rejected due to inferior qual-ity and incorrect shipment. Compa-nies can ask for CBM to be removed from the list for cargoes damaged by submitting other necessary docu-ments.

Blacklisting companies and direc-tors lead to banking restrictions, travel bans, loss of government con-tracts, legal prosecution and loss of public trust and company staff. Those companies that want to del-ist need to clear all export proceeds and submit a bank recommendation of settled balances to the CBM.

Furthermore, the CBM will verify the export proceeds balance, iden-tify whether directors listed in the company registration with the Di-rectorate of Investment and Com-pany Administration are serving multiple companies or not, and check whether they pay court-im-posed fines for prosecuted compa-nies. Upon resolution of export re-patriation, the CBM will continue to notify the Ministry of Home Affairs and the departments concerned to remove them from the blacklist.

Prosecution against those compa-nies with overdue receivables will be undertaken only after progressive steps; the respective banks contact them to clarify the overdue receiv-ables, the action task force encour-ages them to repatriate during a set period and blacklisting.

The First Time at the Fair

By
zhm
-

MI was at the 72nd Bangkok Gems and Jewellery Fair that was held in Bangkok during the second week of September. We pre-registered our-selves as a media organisation be-forehand and got an acknowledge-ment email prior to the event. Yet when we arrived, our logs seemed to be missing from their records.

Every who and who of Myanmar jewellery market was there at the event, including many newbie cele online sellers, whose knowledge of swearing and cursing during live sales supersede their techni-cal knowledge on gems. The event was held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) next to the MRT station bearing the same name. The fair itself occupies two huge levels of the large convention centre; the halls 1 to 4 in G floor and halls 5 to 8 in LG floor. The former contains diamonds, fine jewellery, silvery jewellery and equipment and tools sections. The latter caters spe-cifically for gemstones.

Apparently a dress code was in place for entry, but it was not made well know prior and a lot of entrants were caught off guard and the rule was not universally enforced. While two of us from MI were allowed for entry first time round, myself and teammate were flagged during the second time; me for wearing crop pants and my teammate for wear-ing a slipper that she bought from Japan.

The Halls
Booths within the diamond section were mainly by Indian merchants. As happening in the world markets, the demand for diamonds were fall-ing and it was reflected in the dearth of crowd compared to other fine gems. The uncontrolled production of synthetic diamonds is not help-ing the market either, with a supply glut.

Over the other sections, people con-centrate on colour gemstones.The gems market is based on trust and as such, it is much more ethnic based than other trades. Japanese buyers focus on Japanese owned shops and likewise for the Indians and the Chinese.

If you asked for one trade that Inter-national community has a high im-pression on the Myanmar people, it would be the gems trade. We, being the producer of world renown rubies and sapphires, the world sees us as people of reasonable standing when it comes to the gems knowledge. Lots of Burma rubies were on dis-play at many gems shops, normally separated between heat-treated and unheated. The scarcity of Burmese rubies is also evident at the event. Most of the good quality Burmese rubies on display are sub one carat and the rubies of larger size either come from Madagascar, Sri Lanka, etc., or lack any noticeable transparency or even translucency. The rubies from other countries may be larger but if you ever feel like own-ing opaque rubies, go right ahead please.

First time for everything According to the organisers, it is the first time that a media from Myan-mar was covering the event. We are of the opinion that visitors from Myanmar represent the highest proportion of foreign visitors. We encountered many familiar names and faces and famous gemologists from motherland.

According to some shops, Myanmar people were buying too. They main-ly target garnets and even rubies from other countries. The normal route for serious visitors after tour-ing the exhibition would be to go to the Jewellery Trade Centre near Surasak and look around for better pricing from the shops at the centre.

 

Diary of a Candidate

By
zhm
-
Elections season is coming and the temperature is going up to feverish category as we get closer towards the year end. MI managed to track down a candidate who wants to make a difference to the country and the state of affairs. Just let’s call him, Mg Ko Oo (MKO) for the time being.
MKO family was from the military background. As such, he felt that it would be a betrayal to Tatmadaw if he were to join any other party apart from USDP. Some political analyst and 88 generation (forever) stu-dent such as Yan Kyaw, clearly said it would be stupid not to contest as an independent this time round, but we will only know how accurate his assessment is at the end of Janu-ary 2025. Even though PPP Chief has invited him to join her party, he had to politely deny as the existing party members would not think so kindly of someone who is willing to betray his roots. Just think of what happened to Shwe Man and how Su Kyi treated him after she got what she wanted. The other parties such as PP led by Ko Ko Gyi does not impress him either. The leader ap-parently does not fall under the cat-egory of being smart and intelligent. After he joined the USDP, he heard the ‘good’ news that the other three out of eight parties competing na-tionwide has been dissolved, due to their inability to meet some of the eligibility criteria; the main ones be-ing inability to meet the minimum number of party members and the party branches across the country. Especially when the main opposi-tion fo USDP is NDF where the rem-nants of the now-defunct party NLD ended up joining, the main rivals of the largest party USDP would likely turn out to be independents, who have no chance of a government for-mation by themselves.
The remaining six nation-wide par-ties are:
1. USDP (Union Solidarity and Development Party)
2. Ta Sa Nya (Nationalities Unity Party)
3. People’s Pioneer Party (PPP)
4. Myanmar Farmers’ Develop-ment Party (MFDP)
5. Shan and Nationalities Demo-cratic Party (SNDP)
6. People’s Party (PP)
The Road Rush
The deadline for the submission of the candidacy was originally on the 17th. The document requirements were not cumbersome yet not that easy either. Together with candi-dacy form, form for personal par-ticulars, candidates are required to submit, educational qualifications, tax clearance, household list evi-dencing their stay in respective con-stituencies, bank deposit of 5 Lakhs (~$120), swearing in, in front of a judge, appointment of a representa-tive and confirmation by the state, region or township UEC (Union Elections Commission) branch.
Our man, being the speedy Gon-zales, completed all the documen-tations above by Friday the 12th, well ahead of the closing date. He has even started visiting a couple of USDP beaches in his designated district, touch base, network and discussed some plans for the cam-paign the following day. Being an election virgin, he has not expected the bombshell of USDP calling him on 13th and informing him that his constituency and representation has been changed. Previously he was contesting in a district within Yangon for an upper house seat and now he has to join the race in a township for a lower house position.
So it’s a redo all over, but he all put it as part of the elections experience. The good thing is the government instructed all respective offices to remain open on Saturday (13th) and Sunday (14th), thus making the rush a lot more doable. Together with USDP candidates nationwide, MKO would submit the documents on Monday the 15th. The latest an-nouncement from UEC has further postponed the submission date from September 17 to September 22, giving the impression that espe-cially the bigger parties are not done with their allocation of seats. So far, as of September 15, nearly 70 can-didates from various parties other than USDP has submitted their ap-plications to the UEC.
During this period, USDP leader of Yangon region gave a briefing to all participants from Yangon region (comprising of upper house, lower house and regional parliamentary candidates). He highlighted the need to play fair and keep records of elections spending properly. Par-ticipants also took turns to intro-duce each other during the briefing.
Currently the rumour, quoting one online political cele, is such that the applicants outnumber the positions only in USDP. The rest of the par-ties are having difficulties in getting enough candidates to stand in the available constituencies.
For MKO, this decision to partici-pate in the general elections may be just a small step towards his inter-est in governance and government perhaps, but a giant step towards getting ‘Smarter people to create an even smarter government’!

Uganda Reaches Agreement with US to Take Migrants

By
zhm
-

Myanmar anti government celebrities, wishing to migrate to the US in the pretext of possible persecution by the government, might end up getting more than they bargained for, by ending up in Africa instead of the promised land.

Uganda has agreed to receive migrants who do not qualify to remain in the United States, a foreign ministry official said, in Washington’s latest attempt to speed up deportations. US President Donald Trump’s administration has negotiated arrangements to send people to third countries, such as El Salvador and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland of Africa).

Uganda already hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, nearly 2 million, according to the United Nations, and is the latest east African country to signal such a deal with Washington, joining Rwanda and South Sudan. He said it was a “temporary arrangement”, which specified that “individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted”.

China and India Supporting Myanmar’s SCO Entry

By
zhm
-

SG Min Aung Hlaing was on officialvisit to China early this month, attendingthe SCO (Shanghai CooperationOrganisation) annual summit,meeting world leaders while admiringthe Victory Day parade.

For the history buff, the Chinese hassent nearly 3 million soldiers duringthe WWII into Myanmar, to join thefight against the invading Japanese.Only half of them had returned to China. The victory day was to commemorate the victory of the Chinese army in that Anti-Fascist War.

In accordance with the principles of peaceful co-existence and common prosperity, China supports the political system of Myanmar and is firmly standing with the current government in support of upcoming elections.

Myanmar became a dialogue partner of the SCO in May 2023 and has been attending the summits from then on. SG requested during the bilateral meeting with President Xi that China recommend Myanmar to become a member of the SCO.

The Chinese President expressed his wide scope of discussions on matters for continued implementation, which were agreed upon during the meeting between the Chinese and Myanmar leaders in Moscow in May 2025, opposing external interference in Myanmar’s politics, promotion of China-Myanmar strategic cooperation, positive standing of China to ensure peace and stability of Myanmar and further action plans, and standing of Myanmar with prestige and integrity in the international landscape and relations with regional organisations. China also promised to support Myanmar’s request to become an SCO member country.

Just like China, India had long supported
having elections in Myanmar
as a way to get out of the quagmire
of the situation that Myanmar is in.
Even if the elections were held in
limited areas and on an incremental
basis, India would still support the
holding of them.

SG also met with India Prime Minister, Modi gyi and discussed measures to ensure peace and stability in border region. The discussions also included trade promotion and further cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. Both China and India plan to send electoral observation teams to Myanmar. India also highlighted support for Myanmar’s SCO entry during the meeting.

In addition to meeting the leaders of two most populous countries and economic power houses, Myanmar leader also had fruitful discussions with its long term ally of Russia on the sidelines of the summit.

Parade Stirred Emotions

By
zhm
-

2025 Victory Day Parade in Beijing showcased the might of Chinese military and an array of latest high tech military gadgets, demonstrating how far China has come from the days of the great leap backwards and starvation through cultural revolution. Yet the real movers and shakers were neither the leaders watching the Parade nor the military men displaying their discipline and advance machineries. The emotions were stirred up by those watching the parade live on TV from near and afar. Chinese people dropped whatever chores they were doing and glued to the TV to immerse themselves in the destiny of the future of China and bright rays of hope shining over them. Tears dropped from their eyes possibly from the happiness of their nation and their competent leaders having reversed 100 plus years of humiliation. More emotions were visible from the generations who had gone through decades of hardships, poverty and humiliation during the dark decades. Their extreme satisfaction and pleasure were clearly visible on their rugged faces, having witnessed their beloved nation becoming a powerful civilisation once again. The final proof of China forging ahead to possibly become the greatest nation on earth could be found on the tears of 92 years old Taiwanese man, watching the Parade too, from Taipei. He said on TV that he followed Chiang Kai Shek, believing the latter’s words that they (Kuo Min Tang) would eventually retake the mainland China. After he saw the Parade, he said he would not have followed him if he foreseen that China would turn out to be what it is today. The morale of this story is that the style or system of government is not important at all. It is the leadership that counts. Good leadership can transform a country from a third world poverty wreck to a first world republic.

Global South Media and Think Tank Forum

By
zhm
-
While the leaders of the SCO were enjoying the sights of China’s military parade, members of the global south gathered in the Southern province of Yunnan to join the above forum. Members of the media and think tank communities of the Global South participated in talks and discussions relating to reshaping the new world order and forging new pathways of developing their own respective countries.
One of the more noteworthy speeches was the one given by UN under-Secretary General. She highlighted how the social media today has turned into a money making machine through distribution of fake news, false facts, personal slanders and anti-social activities. Most people globally were now afraid of trusting any news at all, due to this impact and it made the works of UN and governments  across the world extremely difficult to carry out the necessary reforms and actions.
The forum was held over three days from September 05 to 07.

Yangon Region Sees Growth in Commercial Swiftlet Farms

By
zhm
-
There are more commercial breeders of swiftlet birds in the Yangon Region, according to a commercial bird-nest producer. Currently, commercial farming is not widespread, but there are small-scale farmers.
“In Yangon, there are more commercial farmers. Small scale farming can be seen in other towns. There are more two-storey buildings with bird nests built upstairs and people living downstairs. As they need capital [for separate farming], farmers tend to do like that,” he said. Most of the private farms near Yangon are found in Htaukkyant, Hlinethaya, Okkan and other suburban townships. “These birds like quiet places. That’s why there are many farms in Htaukkyant, Hlaing Thaya, Okkan and Thitseikkone.
Land in these locations is not very expensive”, he continued.
China and Thailand are reportedly the main buyers of high-quality raw bird’s nests. “China and Thailand buy raw bird’s nest. They also purchase from our Bahan Bird’s Nest factory, as Myanmar products are better than those of Thailand. As it is organic farming, the quality is better,” he said.
As the Yangon city expands however, these bird nest factors are set to create negative externalities to the neighbouring houses and residents, through noice pollution and avian diseases, unless the government can create dedicated zones quickly to cater for the growth of these swiftlet farms.
123...246Page 2 of 246

Latest Videos

video
Video

Interview with Alison Fox Principal of The British School Yangon

Interview with Alison Fox Principal of The British School Yangon

Recent Posts

© 2019 Myanmar Insider. WordPress Website Maintenance by Myanmar Web Designer.