Myanmar Morning News For May 16

ADB considering grant support to help tackle Rohingya crisis
Asian Development Bank (ADB) is considering grant support to Bangladesh to help tackle Rohingya crisis.
— The Daily Star

On Thai-Myanmar border: 5 million meth tablets and 70 kilograms of heroin seized
On May 14, the Thai police shot two Thai citizens, seizing 5 million methamphetamine tablets and 70 kilograms of heroin. The drugs were being transported from the eastern Shan State at the Thai-Myanmar border, into Thailand.
— Fresh Plaza

Government makes it official: Basic wage is K4800
Government ratified on Monday the new daily minimum wage K4800 (US$3.60) or K600 per hour for an eight-hour day after a nearly four-month delay since the National Tripartite Committee made the recommendation in January.
— The Myanmar Times

AirAsia CEO says talks about opening Myanmar airline have stopped
In an interview with Reuters in March, the chief executive, Tony Fernandes, said his budget carrier was in talks with a potential partner to open an airline serving Myanmar, which would help the low-cost carrier to cover up to 95 per cent of the Southeast Asian travel market.
— The Star Online

Churches become refuges in Myanmar’s Kachin State
The Myanmar military’s ongoing offensive against rebels in northern Kachin State has resulted in thousands of people taking refuge in churches.
— UCA News

Myanmar state counselor calls for people’s collective strength in developing nation
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has called for people’s collective strength to develope the nation.
— Xinhua Net

Myanmar to reduce malaria outbreaks to 85% by 2020
Myanmar will try to reduce malaria outbreaks to 85 percent and mortality rate to 95 percent by 2020, according to the Public Health Department.
— Eleven Myanmar

U.S. criticizes China for shielding Myanmar from U.N. action
The United States indirectly criticized China on Monday for shielding Myanmar from strong U.N. Security Council action over a military crackdown against mainly Rohingya Muslims that the U.S. and other countries have denounced as ethnic cleansing.
— Reuters

Delay in new automotive policy for Yangon alarms business groups
Two major business groups penned a letter to the commerce and transport ministries to complain about the delay in implementing the new vehicle registration system in Yangon.
— The Myanmar Times

Myanmar anti-war protester says police to lay more charges against him
Myanmar student activist Zayya Lwin said on Tuesday that police planned to press additional charges against him after he was detained on the weekend following a peace rally and criticized police at a poem-reading event in Yangon two days later.
— Reuters

Myanmar hills embrace silkworms over poppies
Zhou Xing Ci’s family have farmed poppies for as long as anyone remembers, scraping the flowers’ sticky brown sap to produce opium.
— Economic Times

Uncertainty grips Rohingyas as Myanmar approves 1,000 for repatriation
“Myanmar is my birthplace and I want to go back to Rakhine,” said Abul Hashem, 38, a Rohingya refugee living in Kutupalang Camp in Cox’s Bazar district with his family. But before repatriation, he demands the right to citizenship of Myanmar.
— Arab News

Dozens of Jade Miners Detained in Kachin After Wage Dispute Turns Violent
A police officer in the Lone Khin jade mining region of Kachin State said 50 miners were detained on Tuesday after a dispute over unpaid wages with their employer, Yadana Shwe Eaik, turned violent the night before.
— The Irrawaddy

Ministry of Commerce discuses duty on areca nut exports
The Ministry of Commerce is planning to discuss tax on areca nut exported to India via the Tamu and Reed border trade camps, according to a report in Myawady Daily yesterday.
— The Global Newlight of Myanmar

JICA’s Dawei SEZ plan under fire for excluding site-wide assessment
Experts warn that implementation of the Japan-supported master plan for Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) without a legally-required site-wide assessment would be “unlawful” and that transparency and meaningful public participation are necessary to determine who benefits from those plans before moving ahead.
— The Myanmar Times

7,000 Kachin displaced in Myanmar as violence escalates
Almost 7,000 people belonging to the largely Christian minority group in Kachin, northern Myanmar, have fled their houses since fighting between the army and a rebel group flared up in early April, according to recent figures from the Red Cross.
— Sight Magazine

India ramps up Myanmar ties to gain foothold in ASEAN
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with senior Myanmar officials during a two-day visit last week to discuss implementation of agreements signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, especially in investment and trade.
— The Myanmar Times

Rakhine Developer Defies Gov’t Order to Halt New Town Project
A local developer led by influential businessman U Kyauk Taung is proceeding with a major construction project in southern Rakhine State in defiance of an order by the Union government to halt the work.
— The Irrawaddy

China-Myanmar (Yangon) Trade Fair 2018 to be held this month
The China-Myanmar (Yangon) Trade Fair 2018 will be held from 17 to 19 May at Myanmar Event Park (MEP) in Yangon to promote bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries and enhance economic cooperation with China.
— The Global Newlight of Myanmar

War crimes judges to hold closed talks on Rakhine crisis
War crimes judges will hold closed-door talks next month to discuss whether to allow the launch of a probe into the forced exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
— Frontier Myanmar

Feature photo Ronald Woan

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Myanmar morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Myanmar news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Myanmar Morning News For May 16 added by Leakhena Khat on May 16, 2018
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.