Myanmar morning news for February 21, 2020

Military-Initiated Steel Project Costing Myanmar Govt $345,000 in Daily Loan Payments to China
Myanmar taxpayers are bearing the burden of repaying the loan to China Development Bank.
— Irrawaddy

e-Government system crucial for country’s development: State Counsellor
e-Government is a crucial element in linking the government with stakeholders to better drive economic development and poverty alleviation in Myanmar, said State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
— Myanmar times

Myanmar Arrests 49 Rohingya Muslims Attempting to Flee to Malaysia
Myanmar authorities on Wednesday arrested nearly 50 Rohingya Muslims in Yangon region as they attempted to flee the country for Malaysia, a lawmaker said, while a separate group of Rohingya detainees appeared in court in Ayeyarwady region to face charges on traveling without official permission over their earlier attempt to flee.
— Radio Free Asia

Yangon Investment Forum suspended due to virus fear
Yangon Investment Forum which is scheduled for February is suspended due to the spreading of coronaviurs, said U Thant Zin Lwin, Secretary of Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC)
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar has only nine patients under investigation of coronavirus
Coronavirus (COVID-19) monitoring measures are still going on in the townships bordering China’s Yunnan Province, and till February 19 morning, there were only nine patients under investigation of the virus at some hospitals across Myanmar.
— Eleven Myanmar

Myanmar Reportedly Set to Be Placed on Global Money-Laundering Watchlist
A global watchdog is set to put Myanmar on its money-laundering ‘gray list’, sources close to an ongoing meeting in Paris said, citing trafficking, regulatory concerns.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar Lower House Votes to Scrap Polling Stations on Military Bases
The Lower House has voted in support of an election commission proposal requiring military personnel and their families to cast their votes outside military barracks.
— Irrawaddy

Corn exports delayed
Myanmar and Thailand have yet to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a 12-month contract for Thailand to import corn as Thai growers are opposing such an agreement, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
— Myanmar times

Myanmar firefighters extinguish blaze at high-rise in Yangon
Thank you for reading the news about Myanmar firefighters extinguish blaze at high-rise in Yangon and now with the details.
— Alkhaleejtoday

Manipur-Myanmar bus service to begin from April
A regular passenger bus service from Manipur’s Imphal to Myanmar’s Yangoon will begin from April this year.
— Nenow

Taxpayers bear the costs of loss-making steel factory in Mandalay
Nearly K500 million in interest is paid daily to China for a loan taken to run a loss-making state-owned steel factory in Myingyan township, Mandalay, said U Zarni Aung, regional minister for Electricity, Energy and Construction.
— Myanmar times

Civil groups fight Myanmar Internet ban
The people are at risk of having their rights violated in areas where Internet access has been cut off by the government.
— New Straits Times

Myanmar legislators seek amendment to stop privacy law abuse
A Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) committee wants to amend the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens to make violations a bailable offence.
— Myanmar times

Myanmar prepares to let foreigners trade local stocks from March
Myanmar plans to let some foreigners trade local stocks from March in an initial step toward expanding the country’s small bourse.
— The Malaysian Reserve

Indian Navy to scale up training of Myanmar Navy personnel
Indian Navy is scaling up its cooperation with Myanmar and has offered training of personnel of the country’s Navy. The offer was made during Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh’s ongoing visit to the neighbouring country.
— Defence Aviation Post

Over 230 acres of poppy plantations to be destroyed in Kachin
Plans are under way to destroy more than 230 acres of poppy plantations this year, according to the Kachin State Government.
— Eleven Myanmar

China keen to invest in Dawei SEZ
A state-owned Chinese firm has expressed interest to invest in the planned Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tanintharyi Region, U Myint San, vice chair of Dawei SEZ Management Committee, told The Myanmar Times.
— Myanmar times

Myanmar Tourism Gets a Second Chance: Is It Ready for It?
Ethical tourism made Myanmar a lost tourism frontier in Southeast Asia. But people are forgetting the genocide, giving the destination another crack.
— Skift

Source says traders import 100,000 tn maize from Myanmar at zero duty
Traders have imported about 100,000 tn of maize from Myanmar in January and February, when prices of the coarse grain in domestic spot markets rose sharply, trade sources said.
— Cogenics

A Guide on Myanmar’s New Insolvency Law
On February 14, 2020, the government passed the new Insolvency Law, which replaces the Yangon Insolvency Act of 1909 and the Myanmar Insolvency Act of 1920.
— Asean Briefing

Myanmar to host two international badminton tourneys for the first time
The Myanmar Badminton Federation will host two badminton tournaments of International Challenge and Future Series for the first time in 2020.
— Myanmar times

Myanmar’s Kachin to destroy 230 acres of poppy plantations this year
Plans are under way to destroy more than 230 acres of poppy plantations this year, according to the Kachin State Government.
— The Star Online

State Counsellor hails celebrations of 72nd Chin National Day in Thantlang, Chin State
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi unveils the signboard of 72nd Chin National Day in Thantlang Township in Chin State, yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Amyotha Hluttaw: Yangon Region registers 188 petrol stations, 785,000 vehicles
The 15th regular session of Amyotha Hluttaw held its 9th day meeting yesterday, and the questions of MPs were answered by the Deputy Ministers from the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, the Ministry of Planning, Finance and Industry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and the Ministry of Health and Sports.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Workers strike at Yangon shoe factory
Hundreds of workers at Li Kyan Footwear factory in a Yangon industrial zone have gone on strike to demand benefits guaranteed under labour law, a leader of their union said.
— Myanmar Times

Yangon Water Bus to use Singapore, Thai ferries when service resumes
The Yangon Water Bus river transport service has ordered passenger ferries from Singapore and Thailand to replace its old vessels once it resumes operation, the company that runs the line said.
— Myanmar Times

Pyithu Hluttaw raises queries about women affairs, calls for preparing AFTA
The Pyithu Hluttaw’s 15th regular session held its 9th day meeting yesterday, with questions to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Ministry of Construction.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

16 injured in fire in downtown Yangon market
Update 2: Sixteen people were injured when a three-hour fire razed a portion of a landmark market in downtown Yangon, police and fire officials said.
— Myanmar Times

Mandalay-Myitkyina AC express train to start services in early March
An air-conditioned express train will be run on the Mandalay-Myitkyina route in early March, with halts at seven stations along the route: Shwebo, Kanbalu, Kawlin, Naba, Mohnyin, Hopin, and Mogaung, according to Myanma Railways.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar’s Union-Level Ceasefire Monitoring Committee to Meet Next Month
The government and 10 ethnic armed groups have agreed to convene the Union-level Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee next month after a yearlong delay.
— Irrawaddy

Education Ministry discusses quality assurance of school textbooks
The Ministry of Education held a meeting at their office yesterday to ensure the quality of school textbooks meet set standards.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Health ministry receives US disease control, prevention missions
The Ministry of Health and Sports convened a meeting with officials from US CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the surveillance and containment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Shan Armed Group May Sign Myanmar’s Nationwide Ceasefire
The Shan State Progressive Party says it is considering signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement this year if it will move Myanmar towards political reform.
— Irrawaddy

India-Myanmar Cross-Border Bus Service to Operate Soon
Mandalay in central Myanmar and Imphal in northeastern India is due to be connected by a bus service from April after 17 years of planning.
— Irrawaddy

KNU to Myanmar Military: Stop Road Building Until Dispute is Settled
The Karen National Union and the Myanmar military are struggling with military tensions over road construction in Karen territory as they work to build a stronger ceasefire.
— Irrawaddy

Union Supreme Court & judges to uphold its independent judicial entity
Chief Justice U Htun Htun Oo of the Union Supreme Court stressed the need for the judges at different levels of court to uphold its independent judicial entity in his opening speech at the 18th coordination meeting between the Union Supreme Court and the high courts of states/regions and the districts’ courts, held at the.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Speech delivered by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 72nd Anniversary of Chin National Day
(20 February 2020) May I extend my warm greetings to you all, esteemed guests, all Union born nationals, especially all our Chin brothers and sisters, present on the occasion of the 72nd Anniversary of Chin National Day.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Fighting Closes Schools Ahead of Key Exams in Myanmar’s Chin State
Fighting between Myanmar’s army and the Arakan Army has forced numerous schools to close across Paletwa in Chin State as vital exams approach in March.
— Irrawaddy

Myanmar moves to save scenic Chin mountain
The government has been asked to declare a new national park at scenic and biodiversity-rich Ciaring Tlang mountain, a Forest Department official said.
— Myanmar times

Blaze in Yangon’s Chinatown Injures 15
Residents were trapped in elevators and choked by smoke as fire raged through two floors of a mixed-use building.
— Irrawaddy

Vice President U Henry Van Thio speaks on 72nd Anniversary of Chin National Day
Vice President U Henry Van Thio delivers the opening speech at the 72nd Chin National Day celebration in Pyinmana, Nay Pyi Taw Council Area, yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Tranquil Thailand’s Gun Culture in Spotlight After Shooting Sprees
A series of deadly shootings has drawn attention to Thailand’s widespread gun ownership and the prevalence of illegal firearms in the country.
— Irrawaddy

Union Minister for Information receives Nepalese media delegation
Union Minister for Information Dr Pe Myint met with a Nepalese media delegation led by Mr Kishor Shrestha, Chairman of the Press Council of Nepal at his office in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
— The Global New Light of Myanmar

Feature photo Build a School in Burma

This week’s Myanmar morning news feature photo focus on International Mother Language Day, February 21.

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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