Myanmar morning news for February 13, 2020

‘EU to continue engaging with Myanmar under EBA trade-preference initiative’
The European Union (EU) says it will continue to engage with countries, including Myanmar, that fall under its Everything But Arms (EBA) trade initiative.
— Myanmar Times

With Virus-Hit China ‘Closed for Business’, Myanmar Exporters Feel the Pinch
Trade at Myanmar’s largest border gate with China, in Shan State’s Muse, has dried up since late January as the coronavirus has spread across the northern neighbor from its epicenter in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, claiming over a thousand lives so far.
— Irrawaddy

Building blocks for bancassurance set to grow in Myanmar
The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Industry’s Financial Regulatory Department has approved a plan by two insurance joint ventures to offer bancassurance products under a pilot project following the liberalisation of the insurance industry in Myanmar.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar court fines five activist, workers for illegal assembly
The Dagon Township Court found an activist and four workers guilty of illegal assembly and violating the country’s Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law on Tuesday.
— Myanmar Times

YBS readies card payment system after successful test
The Yangon Bus Service (YBS), the company that manages metropolitan Yangon’s public buses, conducted a pilot test of its payment card system. The test was run for just over a week, from January 30 until February 9.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi Decries ‘Political Problems’ Behind Failure to Settle Ethnic Wars
Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday that the country’s unresolved political problems were the root cause of failure to end hostilities between the government military and ethnic armed groups as Myanmar continues to strive for permanent peace.
— Radio Free Asia

Company introduces game especially for tourists
Myanmar’s ZE3 Co has introduced its new TREK game, aimed at tourists to the Golden Land. The product launch was held on February 9.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar-based logistics startup Kargo rebrands to Karzo as it refocusses on the B2B segment
Yangon-based logistics startup Kargo today announced its rebrand to Karzo, according to a press statement. Having been focussing on both B2C and B2B segments, the startup also announced that it will be developing a new B2B-focussed strategy as it moves towards securing a Series A funding round this month.
— e27

Paper mill owes $1M for gas bill: Auditor General
The Yangon Region Auditor General’s office has revealed that the Yae Ni Paper Mill has an outstanding debt of US$1 million (K1.43 billion) owed to Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). According to a report released recently, the paper mill still owes $982,446.51 for natural gas from fiscal year 2017-18.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar begins to see increased competition in the fibre broadband Segment
Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communication’s focus report on Myanmar outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets.
— Yahoo News

Yangon govt signs agreement with Berjaya Land for housing project
The Yangon Region government has signed a concession agreement with Malaysia-owned BDS Smart City Co Ltd to formalise a public housing and mixed-development project in Yangon, according to a stock exchange filing by Berjaya Land Bhd, the parent of BDS Smart City, on February 10.
— Myanmar Times

Discreet boom highlights Yangon’s resilience
With its graceful riverfront colonnade and grand facade, Yangon’s first “ultraluxury” hotel, the Rosewood Yangon, is also a striking reminder of the city’s past.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Mobilizing Young, First-Time Voters Is an Investment in Myanmar’s Future
Voting and the electoral process are at the core of a functioning democracy. There is a consensus among political scientists that democracies perform better when more people vote.
— Irrawaddy

This tech startup is improving yields for farmers in rural Myanmar
For many farmers in rural Myanmar, Facebook embodies the internet. With scarce availability of WiFi, they often reserve their mobile data usage for the social network.
— Tech In Asia

Myanmar president calls for preserving independence with all nationals
Myanmar President U Win Myint on Wednesday stressed the importance for all nationals to preserve independence with the united efforts of all nationals.
— Xinhua

Grab says it pumped $100M into Myanmar in four years
Ride-sharing company Grab has invested over US$100 million (K143.5 billion) in Myanmar in the past four years to strengthen its position on the local taxi market, a senior company official said Tuesday.
— Myanmar Times

Two Myanmar companies donate masks to China
Two companies from Myanmar donated a batch of disposable masks to China to bolster its efforts to combat the novel coronavirus, Xinhua reported.
— Mizzima

Myanmar to acquire medical kits to test for coronavirus
Myanmar will soon have medical kits to test for new coronavirus, a disease that has killed over 1000 people, mostly in China, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
— Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s LGBT people taught how to fight back by woman judo champ in country where homosexuality is still illegal and homophobes abound
Khin Cham Myae Thu, or Gloria Judo, is a judo black belt whose free self-defence lessons in Yangon have become very popular with the local LGBT community.
— South China Morning Post

Media threatened over protest coverage
Nationalists in Myanmar threatened the media over their coverage of a pro-military rally in Yangon, demanding that at least two outlets remove reports from their websites about hate speech against State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the religious affairs minister, RFA reported.
— BNI Online

Berlanga set to drill gas well off Myanmar
Singapore operator to use semisub Noble Clyde Boudreaux for wildcat at major prospect
— Upstream Online

At Least 12 Rohingya Muslims Killed as Boat Sinks off Coast of Bangladesh
At least a dozen people drowned after an overcrowded boat carrying Rohingya Muslim refugees capsized and sank off the coast of Bangladesh Tuesday.
— Newdelhitimes

Myanmar can identify coronavirus in its own lab soon: Health Minister
Myanmar can identify 2019 novel coronavirus in its own lab from February 21, said Dr Pike Htwe, Union Minister for Health and Sports in a parliament session held on February 11.
— Eleven Myanmar

Asia Digest: Roxy-Pacific picks 49% in Vivel SG; Myanmar’s Karzo plans Series A
Singapore’s property group Roxy-Pacific Holdings has acquired a 49 per cent stake in Vivel SG Pte. Ltd while Karzo, a tech-based logistics provider in Myanmar, has announced a new B2B focused business strategy as it embarks on its Series A fundraising process this month.
— DealStreetAsia

Myanmar: Illegal poppy growth and production on decline
Myanmar’s illegal poppy growing has declined by 11% and poppy production by over 2%, said Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Maj. Gen. Aung Thu, at a ceremony to release the Myanmar poppy production survey report, held at Horizon Lake View Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw on February.
— The Japan news

22 kg of heroin, stimulants seized in central Myanmar
Myanmar authorities seized a large haul of narcotic drugs including 22 kilograms of heroin and 549,000 stimulant tablets in Mandalay region, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

MFF announces coaches to participate in sports programme in the US
The Myanmar Football Federation has announced a list of community coaches who will participate in the Sports Visitors Programme in the United States.
— Myanmar Times

Forced labour needs to stop — for good
Myanmar became a member of the International Labour Organization on 18 May, 1948. The country established a mechanism to deal with complaints, in cooperation with the ILO, in 2007.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Mobilizing Young, First-Time Voters Is an Investment in Myanmar’s Future
The diplomatic missions of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are organizing their annual Nordic Day Event on Feb. 14. The topic of this year’s Nordic Day is ‘Mobilization of Young Voters’.
— Irrawaddy

Inter-ministerial coordination committee meets for preventing 2019 Novel Coronavirus
The inter-ministerial coordination committee for preventing 2019 Novel Coronavirus, which was recently named as the COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, held a meeting yesterday at the Ministry of Health and Sports yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

State Counsellor meets with local people in Panglong
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi meeting with local people in Panglong Yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Health officials discuss preventive measures against COVID-19
The World Health Organization proposed an official name for the illness caused by the new coronavirus: COVID-19 on 11 February.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

To put an end to the armed conflicts that we have witnessed for over 70 years, we should see what salutary lessons we can gain from the bitter past.
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Following is the Speech delivered by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 73rd anniversary of the Union Day celebration in Panglong.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

CarsDB Auto Show Mandalay 2020 to begin on 6 March
The CarsDB Auto Show Mandalay 2020 will be held from 6 to 8 March at the Mandalay Convention Centre, it is learnt.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

People hold 73rd Union Day, Manaw Festival in Sumprabum
More than 500 people participated in the 73rd Union Day celebrations and the Manaw Festival on 12 February on the township public sports ground in Sumprabum Town of Kachin State.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

73rd Union Day held with State Flag raising, saluting ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw
Vice President U Myint Swe attends the ceremony to celebrate the 73rd Anniversary Union Day in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

On Union Day, Views on Aung San
To mark Union Day, Feb. 12, some of Burma’s leading politicians, activists and religious figures speak about the country’s late independence leader, General Aung San.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar police arrest suspect in daring Yangon bank robbery
Police have arrested one of the suspects who got away with K60 million (US$41,000) in a daring daylight bank robbery in Yangon last week, police said in a statement on Tuesday.
— Myanmar Times

Tealive doubles down on Myanmar market with uab bank tie-up
Tealive has tied up with Myanmar bank uab bank to integrate its store concept and offerings into the bank’s new branches. According to CEO Bryan Loo (pictured), Tealive hopes to assist the bank in attracting younger customers, as well as create a social meeting place for bank customers.
— Marketing-interactive

Feature photo Nor Khay

This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo focus on the signing of the Panglong Agreement, February 12, 1947.

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).

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