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669: March 11 - 17, 2013

myanmartimes
By Kyaw Hsu Mon

Heartbeat of The Nation www.mmtimes.com

Tatmadaw using aid convoys to reinforce troops

By Bill OToole AFTER more than a year and a half of bloody conflict, fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Kachin Independence Army came to a lull earlier this year as the two sides announced peace talks. The United Nations and other humanitarian groups have stepped in amid the relative peace to deliver aid along roads that were previously caught in the crossfire, but now observers say the Tatmadaw has taken advantage of the uncontested supply lines to reinforce its own positions. The military convoys that residents and aid workers have reported moving through the area raise questions about the sincerity of the peace talks and the possibility of further conflict. [The army] does not care about helping the people or peace, they just want to take over the area, one Myitkyina resident toldThe Myanmar Times. In a memo obtained by The Myanmar Times, a member of the UN team directing the relief mission in Kachin State reported seeing trucks with government soldiers taking advantage of the passage of the aid convoy to take new positions as aid supplies were being transported late last month. Needless to say, this is of serious concern, the memo said. Since fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and the Tatmadaw reignited in June 2011, an estimated 100,000 civilians have been displaced by the fighting, with an unknown number killed. The affected residents have been living mostly in local monasteries and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps that often lack the resources to care for so many people, leaving tens of thousands without basic amenities such as soap and blankets. The aid convoy, which was allowed access after the recent peace talks between government ministers and the KIA in China on February 4, distributed aid in Kachin States Hpakant township from February 17-23, bringing food and other supplies to over 6000 IDPs in the countryside around Hpakant. The mission marked the first time international aid groups had been granted direct access to the region since fighting resumed in 2011. During last months relief effort, several local residents and activists reported seeing trucks full of soldiers and weaponry on roads that had been cleared for aid deliveries. Ms Khon Ja, a coordinator for the Kachin Womens Peace Network who has worked and travelled extensively in the region, reported that she and her team members had seen 20 trucks carrying soldiers and supplies heading towards military installations just south of Hpakant on February 23. More page 4

Four reps barred from assembly

THE National League for Democracy has suspended a member apparently suspected of trying to unseat Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as party leader. The man, U Khin Maung Shain, has strongly refuted the allegation. He is one of four NLD members selected to take part in the partys general assembly on March 8-10 whose participation was blocked by the organising committee. A statement issued by the committee on March 5 said three representatives from Yangon Region, U Khin Maung Win from Lanmadaw township, U Thant Zin from Shwe Pyi Thar township and U Khin Maung Shain from northern Yangon; and one female representative named as Daw Mi Mi Gyi from Kawlin township in Sagaing Region, would not be permitted to serve as NLD assembly representatives. The committee said it had solid evidence that the four had engaged in actions to break the unity of the NLD. In a BBC interview on March 5, organising committee member U Ohn Kyine said the committee had heard that some representatives were acting independently of the party, and said a full account would be provided to the assembly. Speaking to reporters on March 6, U Khin Maung Shain said he was aware of a plan to remove the chair of NLD if she was elected president in 2015 but only through reports he had read in the news. He denied knowledge of the other three members being suspended, and said he had been severely wronged by the suspension. U Khin Maung Shain said he had joined the NLD in 1998 in Insein township, and served as election campaign More page 4

National League for Democracy delegates at the partys first ever party congress at the Royal Rose Hall in Yangon on March 8. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing

NLD party holds landmark congress

party chairman on March 9, said urging delegates not to fight over positions. The spirit of fraternity is very important. We have been strong in the past because of this spirit. Although the NLD is hugely popular, some experts question whether the party is ready to run a nation whose economy, education and health systems have been left in tatters by decades of military rule. The party is expected to win the national elections in 2015, if they are free and fair. But experts say it must first resolve internal divisions, which flared ahead of the conference as four members were banned from attending, accused of trying to influence the voting. Addressing the issue of the partys chairmanship, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said delegates must elect a leader who is in accord with this era, in accord with this country and the party. She urged members to act responsibly for the party and not for a seat in parliament. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, 67, has not ruled out an ambition to become president but a constitutional rule bars her from the role as she was married to a Briton and has two sons who are foreign nationals. But doubts persist over whether her opposition party can remodel itself for the challenges of government, with many senior members known as the NLD uncles and in their 80s and 90s refusing to make way for younger members. We must have people of every age in our party, not just the old or young, she said. The NLD also faces the financial and political might of President U Thein Seins Union Solidarity and Development Party, created by former generals who shed their uniforms to run for office in elections held in 2010. More page 4

By Kyaw Hsu Mon with AFP YANGON National League for Democracy chair Daw Aung San Suu Kyi issued a call for unity on March 9 at the partys first congress amid concerns that internal squabbles could undermine its push for power at elections in 2015. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said members needed to revive the spirit of the party, referring to widespread reports of conflict within Myanmars major opposition group. But she acknowledged there was some fighting within the party, something analysts attribute to the reluctance of elderly senior advisors veterans of the democracy struggle to give way to an eager younger generation. We have to act with restraint, the Nobel laureate, who was expected to be re-elected as

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Outdated fishing tax a flashpoint

Comment by Adam McCarty IF there were prizes for worst policy the licensing of inland waterways would probably be the winner. The British introduced it when they ran the country to tax poor Burmese, along with other taxes, including those on commodities such as salt. In India, Gandhi famously protested against the salt tax. Normally, one of the reasons for throwing out colonialists is to remove such taxes, but this one seems to have stayed on. There are two reasons for this policy: to raise government revenue and to stop over-fishing, which destroys the resource. The present policy fails on both counts. The Department of Fisheries sells fishing areas wholesale, and then private agents break these up into smaller plots. Although nobody has measured it properly, it probably means that for every K10,000 paid by fishing people, maybe just K2000 ends up as government revenue. Further, it makes over-fishing worse, as too many licenses are given out and fishermen with licenses must work harder to make a profit. I have just spent three weeks travelling around Ayeyarwady Region and everywhere fish stocks are falling every year. What can be done to make this policy work? Every village should have its fishing area fixed,with the number of licences they can issue also fixed (much fewer than presently). Village authorities will determine their own system to allocate licenses at a price fixed by the fisheries department (and reviewed every three years). They could then auction the licences, taking the departments price as a minimum. From this, the village keeps 70 percent of revenue and passes the rest to the department. The department uses the money to pay for monitoring the licence system and enforcement of fishing. Villages must pay fines for violations, not individual fishermen (so villages have the incentive to make them follow the rules); and the fines are made sufficiently large to discourage flouting the rules. This must be followed with an education program. This would hopefully prevent the issuing of too many licences, overfishing and the use of illegal fishing techniques or equipment since it lays the burden of responsibility on a whole village for the fines that may ensue. Using a licence system to protect the fishing resource and efficiently raise government revenues (from fewer and relatively richer fishing households) is a good policy, and its high time that this holdover from British rule is replaced. Dr Adam McCarty is an Australian economist who has been living and working in Vietnam since 1991 as a university lecturer and consultant. He is chief economist at Mekong Economics Ltd, which is in the process of establishing a branch in Yangon, and can be contacted on adaminhanoi@ gmail.com

We need more cars, not less

By Stuart Deed SEVERAL months ago I wrote a couple of editorials for this paper decrying the decision to allow in tens of thousands of dollars of newer cars without dramatically upscaling public transport spending. The stories earned me a reputation with some of my friends as being a socialist or communist. Well, today I plan to set that record straight. As you sit in increasingly clogged traffic and watch as pedestrians overtake your vehicle Id like to suggest that what this city needs is not less cars, but more of them. Thats right, open the import floodgates (as if they arent already below the water level), lower the taxes and pare back the bureaucracy lets flood this fine city with newly imported metal. Hell, most cars have functioning air-conditioners and DVD players so we can all sit back and enjoy taking 10 minutes to get to the end of our driveways I know I do every morning. Of course a decent portion of the taxes collected must be reinvested in the roads and infrastructure, police and ambulance services but lets keep public spending to a minimum, at least so I can better promote a US Republican low-taxation agenda and perhaps repair my red-tainted image I am, after all, a business editor of a privately funded newspaper. What were looking to achieve here is citywide gridlock all the time. Only when the super wealthy cannot drive their Hummers, Bugattis, Bentleys and Ferraris without the risk of running out of fuel on Inya Road or use helicopters to get around will things get better for the rest of us. Like most people Ive heard of reports in the Myanmar-language media stating that the citys traffic problems will be solved within three months a friend suggested that the brilliant key to that plan would be to allow cars to drive depending on the final digit of their number plates: odd numbered plates one day, followed by evens the next. To me that would only lead to people making sure they have two cars one with an even final digit, and one with an odd number. In fact, I predict that theres a half-decent chance the citys planners will reverse the ban on motorcycles or at least relax the boundaries and let them closer to the centre. Is that the answer to the congestion problem? I think not but it would certainly increase demand for accident insurance and the emergency wards at hospitals would have more work to do. Nope, Yangon has just started its love affair with the car while the developed world is doing its level best to encourage public transport, and we need to encourage this blossoming relationship, even though there are already precious few places to park. Nor should any pressure be placed on our friends at Shwe Taung Development or Capital Construction to hasten their overpass projects at the Hledan and Shwe Gondaing junctions these are perfect hands-on tutorials for the gridlocked future. I mean, Ive heard that a prefabricated overpass was built in Bangkok in a weekend (at the Rama IV and Wireless roads intersection) but we motorists need time to adapt to moving at 3 kilometres an hour and squeezing five lanes of traffic into two lanes. We must all learn the extremities of our vehicles to ensure we can fit through the smallest gaps. And when the love affair finally starts to lose its shine I would hope that the entrepreneurs, with their huge groups that operate across multiple industries, will feel the need to give something back to the people of Yangon and probably Mandalay by that stage and do what they can to build subways or skytrains to ease congestion. Perhaps by then the traffic police will have realised that sitting in their booths and blowing a whistle in the general direction of a jammed intersection is not effective traffic management.

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President to hand over USDP chair in future

By Win Ko Ko Latt BOWING to the constitution, President U Thein Sein is to hand over leadership of his party, the majority Union Solidarity and Development Party, to its current vice chairman and Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw, Thura U Shwe Mann. No date has yet been set for the handover. The president will hand over the chairmanship of the party to U Shwe Mann, said Thura U Aung Ko, a member of the central committee of USDP. A request from The Myanmar Times for further information from presidential spokesman U Ye Htut has so far received no response. Thura U Aung Ko said the election of President U Thein Sein as party chair in October 2012 had met with criticism on the grounds that it appeared to infringe the constitution. The president chairs USDP, but doesnt take part in party activities because the constitution states that the president shall not do so. Since the chairman has to engage in party activities, the president will give up the chair at an appropriate time, he added. U Win Myint, Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Pathein township, has asked the hluttaw for a definition of the terms used in the constitution. But Minister U Soe Maung from the Presidents Office said the definition had to come from the constitutional tribunal. Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann has said he will ask the tribunal for a definition once it is formed. Under the constitution, political party members shall not take part in their party activities while performing duties at the union level. But no provision requires resignation from the party, said U Htay Oo, a USD vice chairman. Translated by Thiri Min Htun

President U Thein Sein with his Austrian counterpart, Heinz Fischer, during a ceremony in Vienna on March 4. Pic: AFP

President offered fresh EU help

By Claire Rosemberg BRUSSELS U Thein Sein, on the first visit to Brussels by a Myanmar president, received new pledges of EU economic assistance coupled with calls to protect his countrys ethnic minorities on March 5. The Myanmar leader, setting out on the fourth leg of an historic 10day tour of Europe, met successively with European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, EU president Herman Van Rompuy, and foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. You have in the European Union a committed and long term partner for the historic journey that Myanmar and its people have started, Van Rompuy told U Thein Sein, who was warmly welcomed for his ground-breaking reforms in Myanmar. Since the former premier took over the presidency in March 2011, thousands of political prisoners have been released and elections held, including the election to parliament of long-detained opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The EU and Myanmar are turning a page in their relationship, said Barroso. More dialogue, more and better aid, more trade and investment. While EU development aid has more than doubled to about 150 million euros (US$195 million) for 2012-13, Brussels said it was now ready to explore the feasibility of a bilateral investment agreement. Ashton, flanked by commissioner for industry Antonio Tajani, will visit Myanmar later this year to look at further economic support. The EU has also offered to reinstate a preferential tariffs deal with Myanmar. U Thein Sein, however, called on the EU to once and for all lift sanctions against Myanmar, saying we are one of the poorest countries in the world. Though Myanmar had enacted a new foreign investment law to attract capital to exploit its vast mineral resources it is still a great hindrance that sanctions exist, U Thein Sein said after meeting European Parliament president Martin Schulz. The EU in April rewarded Myanmars historic changes by suspending for one year a wide range of trade, economic and individual sanctions while warning it would monitor closely the situation on the ground, keep its measures under constant review. And Brussels on March 5 made clear it was monitoring minority rights, notably the conflict in the northern state of Kachin, and communal Buddhist-Muslim unrest in Rakhine State where the bloc has provided some 5.5 million euros ($7.15 million) to help the internally displaced from both communities. Important challenges remain. In particular, on the need for a comprehensive peace settlement in ethnic areas, Van Rompuy said. Speaking through an interpreter, U Thein Sein said his government had been able to reduce a culture of fear and vowed to continue to work to strengthen democracy. You have my promise we will continue on this path, he stated. He also said his government had worked to end armed conflicts that had lasted more than 60 years by engaging with 11 armed groups fighting in the field when it took office. We cannot say we have a lasting peace because we have a ceasefire, we have to continue the dialogue, he said. But groups such as Human Rights Watch urged leaders in Brussels to press the head of state to honour pledges on rights, including a promise to allow the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to set up an office in Myanmar. There was deadly sectarian violence against ethnic Rohingya Muslims and rights abuses by security forces in ethnic conflict areas, particularly in Kachin State since the resumption of fighting in 2011 against separatists. The minority, numbering about 800,000, has been described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities on the planet, with thousands seeking refuge in neighbouring countries as boat people. Any realistic analysis of the current situation on the ground in Burma would conclude much more needs to be done to entrench reforms, said the groups EU director Lotte Leicht. U Thein Sein, who has already visited Norway, Finland and Austria, will end his 10-day trip in Italy. AFP

Ministry signals the end of departure forms

By Yu Yu Maw DEPARTURE forms for people leaving the country could be on the way out. The Ministry of Immigration and Population is preparing to cancel the so-called D-form, said an immigration department source at Yangon International Airport on March 6. The minister is raising this proposal in the hluttaw. As yet we have no clear decision or instruction to cancel the departure form, the source said. Outward bound traveller U Nyi Myint said: This is very good news. You cant leave the country unless you present a departure form at the immigration desk at the airport. I think this is an unnecessary step. Applying for a D-form every time you leave the country is a waste of time. Anyone wishing to leave the country has to deposit K200 with Myanmar Economic Bank for a D-form, and fill out the form on the official website with bank code number. An approval letter takes a week to 10 days depending on the connection, said Daw Hla Dar Li Khin of Tour De Travel company. Internet cafs can also provide the form, for K1000 to K2000.

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Party conflicts not unusual: NLD founder

In Depth
with Kyaw Hsu Mon CONFLICTS within Daw Aung San Suu Kyis party, the National League for Democracy, relate in part to its emergence from the struggle with the former military dictatorship, a leading member says. In an interview with The Myanmar Times on March 6, U Win Tin spoke about the disputes that have broken out in some local parties throughout the country as the NLD has come to greater prominence. U Win Tin has been among the leaders of the party since it was formed in 1988. He gave the interview as party delegates gathered in Yangon to hold its national conference. Its not unusual that conflicts have occurred, he said. The party struggled under a military dictatorship, and in effect operated as an illegal lobby. [Now that circumstances have changed] there may be less of a sense of unity and solidarity. This is natural. Many of the reported disputes concern procedures rather than a commitment to democracy, U Win Tin said. Its just related to From page 1 mechanisms, and some people may have been hurt by the mechanism. Its certainly not true that there is no democracy in the party. We have to adapt from a situation where we were under military dictatorship. Asked about resignations of party officials in rural areas following disputes among members, and party headquarters ability to handle those disputes, U Win Tin said: Its not true that party headquarters cannot handle it. Remember, the NLD was actually abolished in September 2010. It was permitted to register in January 2012 and then contested the election. The national conference was held in May and there have been about 16,000 conferences nationwide since. Most passed quietly, but in about 40 cases there were disputes, like those at Maubin, Myaungmya and Yaykyi townships and another 40 cases which were not reported in the media. Thats out of nearly 600,000 people who participated in the conferences, about 1.2 million party members throughout the country. In the 25 years since it was founded, many NLD members have been hurt or killed, fled the country or been imprisoned, and the party itself was abolished. Its hardly surprising there should be a few disputes and disagreements, he said.

Third major political party being planned

By Win Ko Ko Latt NEGOTIATIONS are taking place to form a third political party that would challenge the dominance of the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the National League for Democracy. The new party would be a coalition of ethnic parties, and would be ready to fight the 2015 elections, says the chairman of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, Dr Aye Maung. Our new strategy will bring about a political party. We are in negotiation, he said. The new grouping, to be named the Federated Union Party, would field candidates all over the country, he said. The suggestion is that we will have to enter the fray if two big parties run in ethnic constituencies, he said. The USDP and NLD should avoid running in ethnic-minority constituencies if they really want to secure national unity, the ethnic-based National Brotherhood Federation said in their manifesto released on March 2. This manifesto was adopted by the majority, not by any party or individual, said Shan Nationalities Democratic Partys Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Muse township U Sai Pho Aung. NLD chairman Daw Aung San Suu Kyi once discussed with some of us whether ethnic minority candidates should contest only in ethnicminority constituencies. But in the last by-election, they contested those seats as well, he said. This weeks NLD party convention will develop strategy for the 2015 election by forming a central committee, said party spokesman U Ohn Kyaing MP. The central committee will formulate a strategy. For the time being, we have nothing more to say, he added. USDP vice chairman U Htay Oo MP said: In a democratic country, parties can pursue what they believe in. They can try to run in every constituency in 2015. In Kachin State, our party members are Kachin nationals. We will have to consider them. The National Brotherhood Federation was formed from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Chin National Party, Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, All Mon Region Democracy Party and Phalon-Swaw Democratic Party after the 2010 election and now has a core group of seven parties, with six parties as observers. Translated by Thit Lwin

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The USDP, which was battered by the NLD in by-elections held in April last year that saw Suu Kyi elected to parliament, is also scrambling for a new strategy to avert a major defeat in 2015. But with expectations soaring, scrutiny of the NLD will only intensify, said a Myanmar political analyst who asked to remain anonymous. The NLD will need to build capacity within the organisation if they become the next government. I dont think they have anyone capable of running this show, he added. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said party representatives must choose a leader who is in agreement with the political climate and in accord with the countrys needs, as well as those of the party. We all have to embrace diversity of opinion; we dont need to be scared of different ways of thinking and must welcome them to make the best decision, Daw Aung San Suu

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi greets delegates as she arrives at the National League for Democracys party congress on March 9. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing Kyi said. In addition to electing a new chair, the party congress will local partner) a similar situation occurred, the memo says. An activist and aid worker in Myitkyina, who asked not to be named, echoed this claim, alleging that military supplies had been trucked in during previous relief efforts by local groups. If more troops keep coming, it means the fighting will continue, he said. Several UN agencies contacted for this story declined to comment on the situation, though the memo indicates that the issue is also choose 150 representatives to form a central committee from the 890 members attending the of continuing concern. The team will keep following what is being said, and there may be a need if this type of information continues to spread for [the UN] to clarify our position,the memo says.

three-day event. U Tin Oo, a patron of the NLD, who acknowledged that it has been accused of being a centrally organised body, insisted that the party elections would be democratic. Weve faced a lot of conflicts between members before the congress, but weve passed these smoothly and peacefully, and can solve our problems, he said on March 9. We can solve any problem by cooperating with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the leader of the party, he said. The NLD congress was attended by U Htay Oo, the general secretary of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, as well as senior representatives of other political parties. We believe that were working with other political parties because were all in the same boat. I agree with Daw Aung San Suu Kyis speech that we must all work together for the countrys interest, U Htay Oo said. the eve of the partys general assembly. I know just one of these four individuals, he said. But I only know the name and have never met him, so Im not in a position to comment on this. However, I can say that I dont like this situation, which cannot be good for the party. The NLD held its first national general assembly from March 8 to 10 at the Royal Rose Restaurant on Shwegondaing Road in Yangon. Translated by Thiri Min Htun

Tatmadaw convoys
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Spokesmen for the department of defence and the KIA could not be reached for comment. The UN memo indicates that the Tatmadaw has used the cover provided by local humanitarian missions to entrench its positions at other points during the conflict as well In an o t h e r m i s s i on t o Hpakant in the past (not a UN one, but where some of our supplies were loaded, care of a

Four NLD barred

manager for Dr May Win Myint in Mayangone township in the 2012 by-election. U Win Tin, an NLD patron, said he was amazed by the case, which had broken out nearly on

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AusAid to fund antitrafficking program

By Aye Sapay Phyu THE Australian Agency for International Development will fund a program combating human trafficking in seven ASEAN countries, including Myanmar, is expected to begin after March, a project coordinator said recently. The project coordinator with the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) program said the five-year project will be called the AustraliaAsia Program to combat Trafficking in Persons (AAPTIP). It will provide support to strengthen the criminal justice system and law enforcement agencies of the project countries. He said the governments of Australia and Myanmar have been collaborating on human trafficking issues since 2003, mostly through supporting the criminal justice system and law enforcement. According to the agreement of Australia government and Ministry of Home Affairs, a threeyear project was started in 2003. After that, the ARTIP project was continued in the country for five years from 2006 and ended in August 2011. The new project [AAPTIP] will start some time after March. The budget for the AAPTIP project is higher than ARTIP and we hope to increase the number of people undergoing training to strengthen law enforcement and the criminal justice system in regards to human trafficking in the country, he said. He said AAPTIPs budget will be about US$50 million. H e a d d e d th at mor e than 400 Myanmar police have been trained in anti trafficking in past projects.

The tourism sectors reputation, including iconic Inle Lake (pictured), could be tarnished by room shortages and inflated rates, experts said last week. Pic: Stuart Deed

Room shortages threaten tourism industry

By Yu Yu Maw A SHORTAGE of hotel rooms, plus widespread overcharging, threaten to damage the long-term future of the countrys tourist industry, observers are warning. Last year, the number of tourists arriving in Myanmar reached a record one million. This compares to about 20 million people visiting Thailand. But there are only 27,000 hotel rooms in all of Myanmar, compared to more than 42,000 in Bangkok alone. The shortage of rooms has sharply driven up the rates that Myanmar hoteliers can charge. We face skyrocketing hotel room rates in every tourist destination here, but the facilities offered arent worth those rates. Hotels are really greedy. They charge US$150 a night for a room thats worth only $40, said the spokesperson from one travel company, who asked not to be named. Complaints from travellers about poor facilities were increasing, causing potential damage to the image of the country, the spokesperson added. Speaking of hotel accommodation in Nyaung Shwe resort, the vice chairman of Taunggyi Hotel Zone, U Win Oo Tan, said: We need proper management immediately, in time, not only to deal with the hotel room shortage, but also for transportation charges from Heho Airport to Nyaung Shwe. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and Nyaung Shwe tourism authorities are allowing Myo Ma Yangon Monastery to host travellers, and the ministry is considering a home stay system in Nyaung Shwe. Nyaung Shwe has limited rooms, so weve negotiated with the monastery and regional authorities to put up tourists as a temporary measure, he said. About 1500 tourists visit Nyaung Shwe and Inle daily to occupy 1200 hotel rooms in 45 hotels and guest houses. Average hotel occupancy is 70pc. Mr Suki Singh, of Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon, says local hotel standards should be improved. U Aung Kyaw Moe, of Queen Inn, Nyaung Shwe, said facilities there had been upgraded in accordance with the increased room rates. Hoteliers in Kalaw said this was the worst year yet for overcrowding. A spokesperson for Li Li Guest House in Kalaw said there were not enough budget hotels for foreign individual tourists. Five new hotels have opened here, but they all are for classic standard, not budget. For classic hotels, travellers have to pay at least $30 a night. Backpackers pay on average $20 a day for accommodation, food and trekking. They cant pay $30 a night, the spokesman said. In Bagan, problems arise when daily tourist arrivals exceed 1000, said U Than Shwe, chairman of the Bagan hotel zone. Some tourists stay at monasteries because of the hotel room shortage. We encourage guest houses to upgrade their rooms, said U Khin Aung Htun, a spokesperson for Myanmar Tourism Federation. There are eight guest houses that can upgrade and hope 50 rooms will appear this year. Bagan has about 2500 hotel rooms in 80 hotels. Hotels in Bagan reach 75pc occupancy a year. This month we received between 600 and 1000 arrivals a day. We can handle that, but if the numbers rise we will definitely need more rooms, said a spokesperson for Kaytumadi Hotel in Bagan. U Nyi Nyi, a tour guide who works in Nyaung Shwe, said: I have seen so many backpackers staying at monasteries and restaurants. And when I stayed in Bagan recently I had to sleep in the lobby of a hotel. The Nyaung Shwe Tour Guide Association has built its own guest house for visiting guides because there are no rooms available.

Proposed ethnic affairs ministry voted down

A PROPOSAL to set up a union-level ministry for ethnic affairs was thrown out after Amyotha Hluttaw members voted 88 to 76 against it on March 4. Representatives of ethnicminority constituencies expressed regret over the outcome of the vote. U Shu Maung, a representative of Shan State, said: Our country has faced ethnic conflicts for more than 60 years. It needs a ministry to focus on solving those problems. Win Ko Ko Latt

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Womens organisations call for voice in Kachin conflict talks

By Ei Ei Toe Lwin THE Womens Initiative Network for Peace has urged President U Thein Sein and the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Kachin Independence Organization to include representatives of ethnic womens civil society groups in all aspects of peace processes. WIN-Peace, organised by 46 women representative from 30 ethnic womens organisations nationwide, sent the request via letter to the president and General Gon Maw on February 19. We received a reply from the KIO two day ago (February 26) stating that we would be invited to future peace discussion with the government again, said Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe, director of the Karen Women Empowerment Group (KWEG). But it would be impossible to invite us to visit their camps because of unstable conditions there, she said. The government has not replied yet. WIN-Peace said more than five decades of ethnic conflict had hurt women and children the most, and called People displaced by the conflict in Kachin State in a refugee camp set up at St Patricks Church in Man Wun Gyi village, Mansi township, Kachin State, on January 19. Pic: Kaung Htet

Hotel chains eye Myanmar

By Zaw Win Than THE big hotel chains are moving in on Myanmar. Hilton, Accor and Best Western are all eyeing partners and locations in Myanmar, Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay, Bagan and other locations as the country continues to open up to the world. On March 7, Hilton Worldwide signed an agreement with LP Holdings to manage the Hilton Yangon in Kyauktada township, the brands first-ever property in the country. The 300-room Hilton Yangon is scheduled to open in 2014 as part of Centrepoint Towers, a mixed-use development, which includes high-end retail boutiques and offices. Accor Hospitality, based in France, is in negotiation with the Max Myanmar Group of Companies to manage a new five-star hotel in Yangon known as Pyay Tower, on Pyay Road and owned by Max Myanmar. The hotel will have a total of 366 rooms. Best Western said it had been had been discussing franchising and ownership options with potential investors. After sanctions were lifted, after Hillary Clinton and President Obama visited, that gave us confidence in the market. There is tremendous opportunity here, and a lot of foreign direct investment. said Mr Akarapong Sukjit, a senior manager based in Thailand. He said the company was meeting with many local firms with a view to partnership. Weve had many meeting with many local firms in the past few days. Some will be franchised and some will be managed. There are many places we interested in Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay, Kalaw, Bagan, and other key destinations, he added.

for special care and priority to be given to protecting the lives of civilians, especially women and children. The statement is in compliance with the spirit and content of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, 1674, the Geneva Convention and the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which

Myanmar is a party, she said. The letter also calls on the government and KIO to hold peace talks in April, and include civil society and monitoring groups in the discussions. We are ready to participate in all stages of the peace process. We want to go to camps in the conflicts areas and give assistance to women and children. And afterward we wish to stay on as

monitors, said Ma Nilar Thein, a member of 88 Generation Students Group. We urge both sides of the peace process to be transparent, inclusive and to ensure gender equality in all aspects of their work. We believe that peace process might be more effective if we are given the chance to participate in the peace process.

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Women arrested for selling sex drugs

By Shwe Yee Saw Myint POLICE have arrested two saleswomen for allegedly selling a banned drug used to combat male erectile dysfunction. However, the owners of the stores have not been charged and remain free. The two women Ma Mei Yin Yin Khine, 23, and Ma Myint Myint Oo, 42, were arrested by police at Taw Win Center and Sein Gay Har shopping centres in Dagon Township. The two women were detained at the Dagon Township Police Station on charges relating to selling a banned drug, an offence that carries a maximum jail term of seven years, a police spokesperson said, adding that the arrests happened on February 16. 88 Generation Student Group member Ko Tun Tun Kyaw, said he heard of the case through a relative and feels the women have been treated unfairly. Ma Mei Yin Yin Khine is a colleague of my niece. That evening, Ma Mei Yin Yin Khine was on duty at the drug counter when police arrived and asked for a brand of drug. When Ma Mei Yin Yin Khine brought the drug out of the storeroom she was arrested, said Ko Tun Tun Kyaw said. Ko Tun Tun Kyaw said he also helped Ma Mei Yin Yin Khine to contact her family and has discussed the case with human rights activists on March 3. When my niece told me this information I felt very sad and went to the police station to see Ma Mei Yin Yin Khine, he said. She told me that she had only worked at the store for a month and had no idea that some of the drugs it sold were illegal, he added. Police Lieutenant U Tun Tun Win said officers had no choice but to arrest the saleswomen. These two saleswomen were arrested because they had the illegal drugs in their hands, and according to the law we must arrest the people who have the drugs at the scene, he said. Lawyer and 88 Generation member Daw Nan Ei Ei Hlaing said: This is clearly unfair on these women. They do not own the store and only work there. The police should take action against the owners because they decide what drugs are sold in the store. Daw Nan Ei Ei Hlaing is not representing the accused. At a hearing at the Dagon Township Law Court the women were remanded in custody to prison until their trial begins on March 12. Police seized banned drugs from five stores in Yangon in raids conducted from February 14 to 16, a Yangon Region Police Force official said.

Fire breaks out at Insein steel plant

By Noe Noe Aung DIFFICULT access hampered efforts by firefighters to bring under control a fire in the No 3 Steel Plant operated by Myanmar Economic Corporation in Insein township on March 6. A number of old cars stored in the compound caught fire at about 10:45am, an unnamed officer from the Kamaryut Township Fire Station told The Myanmar Times on March 6. We were able to bring the fire under control by about noon but there is still a lot of smoke in the air. We are trying to find out where the fire started and extinguish it, he said. However, when The Myanmar Times visited the site, the compound was crammed with old vehicles and the fire engines could not enter, requiring the firefighters to hoist long hoses over the wall in order to fight the blaze. We assume that the fire started at the bottom of a pile of old vehicles. But firefighters needed to use a crane to remove vehicles on top before we could reach the bottom, the officer said. Between 40 and 50 fire engines from across the city to fight the fire, he said. U Aung Thein Htwe, a worker at the steel plant, said there are more than 100,000 old vehicles in the compound, which he said measures 1 square mile.

Firefighters battle a blaze at a steel plant in Insein township last week. Pic: Boothee There are so many vehicles in the yard and its not hard to believe that some of them have a tiny bit of fuel left in their tanks. Im worried that we might see more fires during these extremely hot days, he said. He added that he did not know the cause of the fire. By the time we knew there was fire in the yard it was too late for us to do anything, he said. A lot of smoke was pouring out, he added. A resident who witnessed the fire said MEC needs to arrange the cars better in future, adding that lives were being put at risk. If the fire was bigger than it was we would all be in trouble because the plant is close to our houses. The compound is jammed with old cars and the firefighters could not reach the fire easily, he said. I think MEC should put stack the old vehicles more carefully to prevent fires in future, he said. A responsible person for the Central Fire Station in Kyauktada township said that fire was extinguished by 2pm but officers were still seeking the cause of the blaze. MEC officials barred reporters from entering the compound and refused all questions.

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MCDC urges owners to register purchases

By Phyo Wai Kyaw MANDALAY City Development Committee has urged property buyers to register new land purchases within three months to certify their ownership. Disputes over property ownership have surged in the city over the past year, especially in vacant lands within Chan Mya Thar Si and Pyi Gyi Tagun townships. In a statement in the Mandalay newspaper on March 1, MCDC warned landowners to make their ownership status irrefutable with the necessary legal documents. But some real estate brokers say last years decision by the government to restore the high tax rate for property purchases could deter buyers from officially reporting their transaction. In August 2012, a fiveyear tax break came to an end, raising property taxes to as high as 30 percent for some transactions, payable by the buyer, with an additional 7pc where the buyer could not demonstrate a source of income. Because of the tax, property buyers are reluctant to register contracts officially, said Daw Khin Than of Kaung Hein Set real estate agency in Pyin Oo Lwin on March 5. U Khin Maung Thaung, of Htin Paw agency, said: Most people dont have solid ownership documents. If you want a new document, you have to find the origin owner.

People care for a woman in distress during a property dispute in Chan Mya Thar Si township, Mandalay, in August. Pic: Phyo Wai Kyaw

Mandalay farmers seek return of 1000 acres

By Pyae Thet Phyo FARMERS in Mandalay Region are demanding compensation from the government over what they say is a 5000-acre land grab eight years ago. The farmers have written letters of complaint to local and national authorities demanding compensation for more than 500 acres of farmland in Nyaung Moke Sate, Ngwe Taung, Gu Taung and Thar Yar Aye villages in the south of Lewe township, in Mandalay Region. They say 5000 acres of land was originally requisitioned for the construction of army buildings in 2005 and 2006. However, more than 4000 acres were then restored following their complaints. Wed like to get back our land for our livelihood because we are now in financial difficulties, said Ko Htain Linn from Nyaung Moke Sate village in Tha Pyay Bin village tract. The military government seized more than 5000 acres of lands around Yay Ni creek and Myauk Khone creek to house the 413th and 414th infantry regiment, but following farmers complaints, the then chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Senior General Than Shwe, ordered the restoration of much of the land. Having retained the rest of the land, the government then rented it out to the farmers who had formerly owned it, charging them 10 baskets of crops for sandbank land and 15 baskets for soiled land, said Ko Htain Linn. He said the government accepted payment in whatever crop the farmer planted on the land. These lands have been cultivated since our grandparents times. We cultivated these lands and paid taxes and selling our crops to the government at the price the government set, said one farmer. The farmers say that in 2008 they were threatened with prison if they invaded the land. Translated by Thiri Min Htun

Pobbathiri blaze torches six houses

By Pyae Thet Phyo SIX empty houses burned down on March 1 after a fire started to burn rubbish blazed out of control. The houses, together worth K12 million, were lowcost accommodation for government workers in Nay Pyi Taw. Htone Pho police have charged a house painter, Ko Kyaw Tint Tun, a 39year-old resident of Paung Laung Street in Wunnadipa ward, with negligence. The fire, in Ngu Shwe War Street and New Thargee Street in Wunnadipa ward, Pobbathiri township, started at about 1:40pm and was extinguished by firefighters by 2.20pm. House fires are very rare in this town. This fire broke out because the fire was not properly controlled, said U Nyi Nyi Win, deputy head of the Fire Services Department, on March 4. Some people said the fire started from burning rubbish, said a resident in Wunnadipa ward. Translated by Thiri Min Htun

Pressure builds on govt to return seized farmland

By Than Naing Soe GIVE us back our land thats the message from farmers whose fields have been confiscated for government projects. According to the law, once the project is complete, any excess land has to be returned to the original owner. But farmers say this is not happening. U Aung Myo Thant, of the Facilitator Network, an NGO working with the UNs International Labour Organisation (upper Myanmar), says some contractors take advantage of government projects to grab more land than is required and claim the rest as their own and sell or lease it off. Chapter 11, section 32 of the farmland law states that the authorities must take the minimum amount of land required for government projects, complete the projects as quickly as possible, and restore any surplus seized lands to the original owners after completion of the project. The farmland law requires the return of all farmlands left over when the projects are completed to the original owners to grow their crops in cultivated season, he said. But the law on confiscated farmlands is often broken, and we have seen that some companies even rent confiscated land to farmers after buying it from the government, added U Aung Myo Thant. The villagers of Phyut Sake Kone, Amarapura township, Mandalay Region, complained that they had not been paid compensation or had their land restored in the area of Pyi Gyi Mingalar Truck Terminal Camp at Nat Yay Kan village tract. Village resident U Thaung Tun said: More than 50 acres of farmland taken for the truck terminal project were left unused. Now these leftover lands have been fenced off. We wrote to the minister for city development and the chief minister of Mandalay Region asking for these lands to be returned to the farmers who originally owned them. But the city development land department said these lands had already been allocated and granted for land ownerships, he said during a press conference in Mandalay in February to draw attention to the plight of farmers whose lands were seized. Eleven acres of farmland and more than 200 houses at Thet Kel Taw, Thapyay Tan and Ka War villages near Shwe Kyat Yat Pagoda in Amarapura township were confiscated prior to the construction of Yadanar Pone bridge, but residents said the No 2 Special Construction Team had been leasing out buildings on the leftover lands after the project was finished. We were told to move to shift to Shwe Lay Gyi in 2003. Officials said they would build streets and clinics on the site, plus other incentives. They also said we could take back our old property once the bridge was completed. But that was years ago. The plots confiscated from us are still vacant, and we want them back, said Ko Moe Naung of Ka War village. Weve read in the media about these land disputes throughout of the country. I think officials need to solve these land disputes, said U Shwe Thein, chairman of Land Affairs Cooperation Team of Food Sufficiency Cooperation Team. The team is cooperating with the government to solve land ownership disputes. Translated by Zar Zar Soe

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The front arch of Lawka Tan Saung Pagoda is about 150 feet from the main road, he said. The owner of the land surrounding the pagodas is U Win Bo, U Shein said. He signed an agreement in front of the community leaders in 2010 stating that 12-feet would be kept clear near the archway. But he has not kept that agreement. He also enclosed the pagodas pond within his compound. All the villagers know about this, he said. U San Tun said Sayardaw Yaw Kaw, a revered monk, bought a plot around the pagoda from U Win Bo for K3000 to ensure it remained religious land but failed to secure the ownership documents. U San Tun said U Win Bo is now saying the sale never took place. He added that the issue is being exacerbated by people conducting low-level land grabs simply fencing off a piece of land and claiming it as their own. These pagodas were built in King Mindons era, according to the inscribed stones at the pagodas. But now its getting difficult to even access them theres no space left for a wall or fence at Bo Bo Lay Pagoda, U San Tun said.

Myanmar Times

MDY religious land dispute continues

By Khin Su Wai NO progress has been made in resolving a land dispute affecting Lawka Tan Saung and Bo Bo Lay pagodas in Mandalays Pathein Gyi township, despite several letters of complaint to township authorities, pagoda trustees said last week. The trustees said they have sent three letters of complaint to Pathein Gyi township administrators to no avail, and will next send letters to regional office. I know townshiplevel officers have been negotiating with the trespassers but we have seen no progress, chairman of the trustees U San Tun said. Now we can see that the area surrounding these pagodas is fenced off, he added. U San Tun said there is not even space for the entrance arches for the pagodas. He added that the land around the pagodas was agricultural land and should not have been able to be sold at all and should not be built upon. U Kan Htoo, an 80-yearold resident and patron of the pagoda trustees, said

Trustees of two pagodas in Mandalays Pathein Gyi township are involved in a land dispute with a land owner who they claim has sold plots around the pagodas that he does not own. Pic: Khin Su Wai there was a 20-foot gap between Lawka Tan Saung Pagodas compound and the next building when he was young. But over the years houses have crept closer and closer to the pagoda. U Shein, another trustee, said the expansion of Mandalay had enveloped the pagoda. Aung Chan Thar, in Pathein Gyi township, is close the University of Technology and the village is very busy. And a six-lane road passes close by, which has lead to increased development in the area, U Shein said.

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Executions of Mekong pirates condemned

By Nan Tin Htwe CHINAS execution of a Myanmar national and three other men for the 2011 murder of 13 Chinese sailors has stirred a storm of criticism, both in Myanmar and China, and throughout the world. Beijings decision to televise live the condemned mens last walk to the execution chamber has drawn particular ire. On March 1, Sai Naw Kham, a 44-year-old ethnic Shan and citizen of Myanmar and three other men convicted with him were executed by lethal injection in Kunming, capital of Chinas Yunnan Province. Sai Naw Kham, described by prosecutors as the godfather of the Mekong, appeared to smile slightly as he was taken, heavily manacled, to the death chamber. Many critics in this country have also hit out at the Myanmar government for its failure to intervene on behalf of their national. Sai Naw Kham was captured in Laos last April and extradited to China on May 10. On February 28, Chinese state media announced that he and his three associates would be executed by lethal injection. Andrew RC Marshall, Bangkok-based special correspondent for Reuters and author of The Trouser People: Burma in the Shadows of Empire wrote, Mekong pirate Naw Kham is executed in China, but the case is less open-andshut than it seems. His investigative piece on the case has appeared on Reuters, suggesting Thai soldiers may have been involved in the killing of the Chinese sailors. On March 5, The Atlantic carried an article entitled Chinas Broadcast of Execution a Slap to the Rule of Law, which said in part: China was displaying the confidence and determination to safeguard national judicial sovereignty and national interests. ABC News described Chinese TV coverage as grisly. In China, prominent human rights Liu Xiaoyuan wrote on his microblog: CCTVs live coverage was both unethical and against the spirit of the law. Using two hours to broadcast live the process for these criminals facing the death penalty is in effect a kind of parading [of the condemned. Nicholas Bequelin, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, called the live broadcast an affront to human dignity and said retribution was not a principle of criminal law. There is no reason to turn an execution into this grotesque show and it actually detracts from the effective dispensation of justice ... no matter what they have done, they are not animals in a zoo, he said.

This frame grab taken from Chinas CCTV shows convicted murderer and gang leader Naw Kham before he was transferred for execution in Yunnan Province on March 1. Pic: AFP The live broadcast of their last moments has been described by one onlooker as exploitative and utterly barbaric. Both mainstream social media carry comments critical of the Chinese action. I cant stomach his crime but cant agree with the sentence either, Mr Jason Eligh, country manager for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Myanmar posted on his twitter account on February 28. Meanwhile, Myanmar Facebook users voiced anger over a picture of Sai Naw Kham kneeling among Chinese officers who were sitting in chair. Moethee Zun, a former All Burma Students Democratic Front leader, wrote: If China wants to be a superpower, they need to have superpower culture ... This is national humiliation. A country which respects human rights doesnt do this. Ko Aung Myat Min, a Myanmar Canadian citizen wrote: U Thein Sein, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Min Ko Naing have to protect our country and called for a new relationship with China. And hip-hop artist Anegga posted: Using Sai Naw Kham for political game tactics is uncouth. The government who allowed that kind of action is even more uncouth. International reports echoed the anger expressed by Myanmar commentators. Hanna Hindstrom, a journalist from Democratic Voice of Burma based in Thailand described the CCTV broadcast as disgusting.

Expression of Interest
UNDP Myanmar invites interested Companies/Individual Consultants to apply for the following:
Interpreter/Translator (Myanmar to English/English to Myanmar) for the update of the UNDP Myanmar Empowered lives. roster/pool of qualified interpreters/translators Resilient nations. Companies/Individual Consultants may apply for any of the following services: n Translation (Myanmar to English/English to Myanmar) n Interpretation, both consecutive and simultaneous (Myanmar to English/English to Myanmar) Qualifications
n

University degree holder (Master Degree in relevant field preferable) Minimum two (2) years of experience with a proven track record n Knowledge in any of the following area of study for specialized translation work: n Economics n Governance and Law n Agriculture and other livelihoods n Environment, biodiversity and climate change n Disaster Risk Reduction n Gender n Human Rights n Health n Development
n n n

Experience in translating UN documents (policy/programme documents) is an advantage Familiar with word processing software is an asset

Submission Details Interested Companies/Individual Consultants who wish to register to the UNDP Myanmar translator/ interpreter roster/pool, should send an application attaching CV(s) and a signed P11 listing qualifications, interpretation and/or translation experience and complete contact information including telephone number, facsimile number and e-mail address, and a financial proposal (fees charged) to e-mail address: ye.htut.thein@undp.org . P-11 can be downloaded from http://www.mm.undp.org/Myanmar-Vacancies.html Companies must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochure, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.,). Companies/Individual Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications. The closing date for this EOI is Friday 15 March 2013 Further information may be obtained at: Procurement Unit, United Nations Development Programme, No.6, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Township, Yangon, Myanmar, Tel: 95-1-542911 Ext. 158 (Ye Htut Thein) and Ext. 166 (Peter ThaTaw Lay).

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A harvested opium poppy in a field near Pinlong in southern Shan State on February 19. Pic: Nan Htin Htwe

Poppy a complicated issue: UNODC

By Nan Tin Htwe I WILL continue growing poppy so that my family can eat well, said U Ba Tein, a 56-year-old Pa-O farmer sitting among dried poppy flowers in his field in Hwai Kyaing village in Pinlong township, southern Shan State. Wearing Pa-O traditional clothing from head to toe, U Ba Tein does not speak Myanmar, only his native ethnic tongue. My life is hard, and I work very hard every day in my fields but its still not enough to provide enough food and income for my family, he said through a translator, and looking far older than his 56 years. U Ba Tein said he started growing poppy about nine years ago when he saw that other villagers were farming the illicit crop. He quickly learned that it was easier to grow than other crops in the mountains and hills where he lives and more lucrative. I see police come and destroy fields sometimes. But I didnt even know it was illegal, he said. Hwai Kyaing village is three hours drive from Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State. But U Ba Tein is oblivious to the changes occurring in Myanmar and the name Thein Sein means nothing to him, he says. On the sunny day when the interview was conducted in mid-February the dried poppies look extra parched. The trip was organised by UNODC and included three Bangkok-based Associated Press journalists, as well as Shan State police officers. The trip was organised by UNODC to show the nature of the poppy problem, as well as highlight what the organisation is doing to solve it. The field is on the side of a steep hill, making it difficult to stand and getting to the field required trekking through thick jungle. For 28-year-old Shan Ma Nan Mo Han, a resident of Taw Net village, the switch from poppy to alternative crops such as corn and avocado precisely demonstrates the scale of the governments efforts to eradicate poppy: her familys income has halved in two years. At least we do not need to US$600. Another reformed poppy farmer, U Maung Sai, said switching crops meant he had to work harder all year round. Now I have to cut wood and bamboo to sell in markets if I want food, he said. According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes World Drug Report 2012, Myanmar remained the secondlargest poppy producer in the world after Afghanistan. Potential opium production in Myanmar increased from 580 tonnes (grown on 38,100 hectares) in 2010 to 610 tonnes (43,600 hectares) in 2011, it said. Meanwhile, Shan State Jason Eligh, UNODC Myanmars country manager, said the organisations efforts in Shan State have been a success. UNODC began operating in Shan State in 1992, mostly encouraging farmers to switch to other crops. The Shan Drug Watch newsletter issued by Shan Herald Agency for News in June 2012 says that 49 of the states 55 townships were growing poppy in the 2011-12 season. We dont grow poppy now, said Ma Nan Mo Han pointing to the steep field which she said used to grow poppies and are now filled with wild plants. But it does not mean that we are okay. Mr Eligh said: People who grow poppy in Shan are poor, much poorer than those who do not grow poppy. Food insecurity is a significant driver of poppy cultivation in Shan State, he said. We are looking at the situation, which is very complicated and is affected by a lot of socio-economic values. But police raids are not the only threat to poppy farmers, such as U Maung Ni, a 40-year-old Pa-O farmer from Hwai Kyaing village. He said growing poppy has made him even more miserable because his last crop was destroyed by heavy rain. Now Im in debt, he said, adding that he had borrowed K1 million from money lenders in Pinlong to grow the crop, which only earned about K300,000. With interest, I owe about K800,000, he said. Every farmer interviewed by The Myanmar Times said they had borrowed money from money lenders at the start of the growing season just like paddy and beans and pulses farmers elsewhere in the country. The first priority after harvest is to repay loans. Hans Jochen Wiese, chief technical advisor from UNODCs office in Peru, who was in Myanmar for an assessment, said poppy farmers in Myanmar have a better situation than those in Peru both politically and geographically. He said Myanmars farmers needed help in establishing permanent crops and plantations, as well as help getting their crops to market. However, he warned that the added investment required to plant and grow permanent crops, such as orange, avocado, rubber and tea, might drive farmers back to planting poppy. The financial benefit to farmers of growing poppy can also be put to good use. I can send my children to school this year because I grew poppy last year, said U Maung Sai. But Im not sure about [whether I can send my children send to school] next year.

I can send my children to school this year because I grew poppy last year.
worry about police coming to destroy our crops anymore, and we dont need to be afraid, she said. But sometimes we dont have enough food, she added. Farmers from both villages cited the same benefits of growing poppy its easier to grow than other crops and the buyers come to them, there is no need to bring crops to markets in town. The poppy season runs from October to February, and a number of farmers said the income earned from a successful five-month harvest is enough to buy food for a year. A viss (1.6 kilograms or 3.6 pounds) of opium sap sells for about K500,000, or remains the hub of opium production accounting for 90 percent of cultivation in 2012 (46,300 hectares), the South East-Asia Opium Survey 2010 shows. In 1999, the government announced a 15-year master plan to eliminate drugs permanently. The plan has been carried out with the cooperation of UNODC, the World Food Program, Pa-O National Organisation, Rehabilitation Council of Shan State (RCSS) and Shan State Army-South (SSA), as well as community leaders. However, with two years to go for the plan, it seems unlikely that opium poppy will be eradicated in Myanmar.

Pa-O poppy farmer U Ba Tein in his field in Hwai Kyaing village in southern Shan States Pinlong township on February 19. Pic: Nan Htin Htwe

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Myanmar Times

SMEs to benefit from Dutch know-how after agreement signed

By Tim McLaughlin AN organisation of Dutch business volunteers pledged their support in helping to develop Myanmars smalland medium-sized enterprises. PUM Netherlands Senior Experts signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) on February 28. The exchange program will send sector leaders from the Netherlands to help Myanmars SME business owners maximise the potential of their companies. The small and medium enterprises need knowledge and experience to develop their businesses. PUM can help with this, said Joost Van Kesteren, PUMs representative in Myanmar. Under the program, a retired business official from the Netherlands would be matched with a company in Myanmar that is seeking to improve one area of its operation. The Dutch volunteer will then spend about two weeks i n My a n ma r p r o v i d i n g assistance and giving recommendations for improvement. The contact with the Myanmar SME and the expert continues after the expert has left. It is also possible that the expert will be brought back after some months for the continuation of the project. In some instances, the expert can also help to establish business contacts between the company and the Dutch private sector, said country coordinator John De Bruijn. Mr Van Kesteren and John De Bruijn said that a number of companies have already expressed interest in the program and that he expects a high volume of applications. To qualify the Dutch

John De Bruijn shakes hands with ???? after signing an agreement that will see Dutch business professionals offer their assistance to Myanmar SME owners. Pic: Ko Taik experts must be between the ages of 50-72 and have worked in a leadership role in their respective field for at least 25 years. The group is active in 70 countries, with around 3000 Dutch experts lending their knowledge across numerous sectors. Myanmar companies must have more than 10 employees with a turnover of less than 10 million euros (about US$13 million). PUMs agreement with the UMFCCI comes amid increasingly vocal calls to develop Myanmars SMEs. U Myint Kyi, a Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Yangon Region, urged the government on February 20 to lay out clear SME policies and framework prior to the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, Mizzima reported on February 22. In January, President U Thein Sein created a central committee tasked with developing SMEs.

Shan party planning to host March peace event

By Kyaw Hsu Mon SHAN and other ethnic groups are to hold a peace conference later this month, despite a brief flare-up of fighting reported last recently. The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy will participate in the peace conference with Kayah and Shan ethnic groups in Lashio, Northern Shan State, in March. This, the second SNLD peace conference within a year, will bring together Shan armed groups, Kayah parties that have entered ceasefire agreements with the government, various political parties and other social groups, U Khun Htun Oo, the chairman of the SNLD parties told The Myanmar Times recently. Participants are expected to include the Shan State Army (SSA), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), as well as all Shan-based NGOs, Shan Womens Action Network from Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Shan Literature and Culture group that took part in the first peace conference in Yangon last November. This time, there will be 20 Shan groups including armed groups and six Kayah parties as well. The main theme is we are building trust among us, said U Khun Htun Oo. Major issues discussed at the November conference include peace, armed-group affairs, the 2013 census in Shan State, narcotics, health, education and social and political issues. On February 22, Voice of America reported clashes between the SSPP and the Tatmadaw in Shan States northern Tantyan region. VOA quoted presidential spokesperson U Ye Htut as saying that the fighting had arisen because of a misunderstanding. However, U Khun Htun Oo said the fighting had been halted. He said there were about four Shan armed groups still active in Shan State, and all had been invited to attend the peace conference.

DVB announces planned homecoming

By Maria Danmark DEMOCRATIC Voice of Burma has been broadcasting news to Myanmar from its head office in a back alley on St Hanshaugen in Oslo for more than 21 years, in the process becoming one of the worlds best known exile media organisations. In particular, DVBs coverage of the September 2007 protests and reporting of the widespread dev astation c au sed by Cyclone Nargis and the governments slow-witted reaction brought acclaim to the organisation. But the exile era seems set to end, with DVB announcing its plans to return home. DVBs head office in Norway is almost closed, except for some administrative staff and servers and the site will be shut by years end. All of DVBs journalists have been relocated to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, temporarily head office for the organisation. Deputy executive director of DVB U Khin Maung Win told The Myanmar Times the relocation was difficult but it was time to return to Myanmar. It is very emotional both personally and organisationally to leave Norway because we have received so much support from the Norwegian people and government over the years. But when we first started out in Norway, it was because we werent allowed to report freely in Myanmar, he said. But the situation has changed and because of the reforms in the past year it is now possible. Our former underground reporters in the country get official press accreditation, so it is time to return, he added. But before the editorial office in Norway was closed, DVB had one last interview to conduct in Norway a face-to-face with President U Thein Sein, who was visiting Norway on a European trip. It felt like a milestone for our media organisation. It was the first time we got an exclusive interview with the president and it was an indicator that we are now treated as a professional independent media organisation, U Khin Maung Win said. U Khin Maung Win was among the student activists who fled what was then Burma in 1988, before making his way with others to Norway. From Norway But the organisation slowly expanded, forming a network of journalists inside Myanmar, who secretly reported what happened in the closed country. Thereafter, DVB established a local office in Chiang Mai to receive information and pass it to Oslo. U Khin Maung Win said the office in Thailand is acting as the organisations head office but only until DVB can broadcast from inside Myanmar. Last year U Khin Maung Win and several other DVB leaders visited Myanmar for the first time since 1988 to seek approval to establish the organisation in the country. It is not yet possible to move our whole operation to Myanmar because we still their own media, he said. He added that an operating license is just one of multiple challenges that must be overcome before DVB can operate properly in Myanmar. The technical infrastructure is just not good enough in Myanmar. To work asa broadcasting media organisation the internet, telecommunications system and satellite uplinks should all be in place and there shouldnt be a single second where the electricity is down that is the biggest obstacle to move broadcasting to the country, he said. It is still quite early to say when we can move all operations to Myanmar. But we are hoping to be broadcasting from inside the country as soon as possible but that is beyond our control, U Khin Maung Win said. Besides the technical infrastructure, DVB is also waiting to see the draft on the media law for broadcasting media because it will not make any compromises when it comes to editorial independence, he said. When the media law is published we will give our comments, if we have any, to make sure that the media law not include any censorship, so that we can report freely and independently. However, U Khin Maung Win said there is one compromise that DVB will have to make. In our conversations about the license with the government we were told that we would not be allowed to useBurma in our name. We will not change our name to Myanmar, so instead we will only use the initials DVB from now on.

we first started out in Norway, itWhen was because we werent allowed to report freely in Myanmar.
the young activists watched the National League for Democracys victory in the 1990 elections and the subsequent annulment and house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. U Khin Maung Win was one of four who started broadcasting DVB in 1992 the year after Daw Aung San Suu Kyis family received the Nobel Prize on her behalf. Three of the four founding members are still working with DVB. He added that DVB mostly broadcast speeches and slogans in the beginning, aiming to reinforce and encourage the democracy movement. need a license. We are in the beginning phase of getting one, and I think it is just a matter of months before we get the license, said U Khin Maung Win. On our visit we also found out that there were people who regularly monitored our broadcast. They needed to monitor all foreign broadcasters to report to the ministers and the government what the foreign broadcasters weresaying about the country. But I also believe that the government needed to listen to foreign media to get information on issues that they would not get from

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Heritage trust aims to make Yangon Asia

YOU recently gave a presentation to the president on Yangon Heritage Trusts vision for heritage conservation in Yangon. Can you tell me about the content of the presentation and how it was developed? It was a PowerPoint presentation, in four parts, that my colleagues and I at YHT had been working on for weeks. The first part set out what we think makes a great 21st century city: a city that is not only modern, but that works for all its people, that is livable, with parks and other green spaces, that has good public transport but is also walk-able, that is culturally diverse, and that protects its heritage, including its architectural heritage and what makes it unique. The second part argued that Yangon has all the elements to become a truly great city and showed the amazing heritage we have, from the views of the Shwedagon to the architecture of downtown, to the wonderful open spaces that still exist. The third part explained why

Yangon Heritage Trust founder Dr Thant Myint-U discusses President U Thein Seins response to the organisations preser

Workers demolish a colonial era building on Pansodan Road recently. Pic: Boothee it is so important to act now, not only because so many buildings are being destroyed but because there is tremendous international interest, both investor and philanthropic interest, that we can draw on to move in the right direction. The last part outlined what needs to happen next, including new zoning laws, a statutory list of protected buildings, and a special plan for downtown Yangon. In 10 or 20 years, Yangon will be competing with cities around the region. Getting Yangon right and making it the most livable and beautiful city in Asia will be crucial in attracting and keeping intellectual and creative talent. Its worth more than all the natural gas and minerals in the country, literally. This is what we said. And what was the presidents reaction? Has your proposal been given the green light? He was extremely positive. He understood right away what was at stake and the need to rethink existing plans. He asked for a detailed and phased action plan, which we are working on. He also asked us to reach out to the public and explain our ideas in the media. Who else in the government or other official bodies, such as Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), have you presented the plan to and how did they respond? What are their main concerns over implementation? We have already been working closely with the [Yangon] Mayor and YCDC. We have been looking in particular at the boundaries and laws that will define the proposed conservation zones, the initial ones being around the Shwedagon Pagoda and downtown. The challenge though is not coming up with new laws or regulations, but monitoring and enforcing compliance and making sure that local communities the

Trade Mark Caution

CATERPILLAR INC., a company incorporated in the State of Delaware, United States of America, of 100 N.E. Adams Street, Peoria, Illinois 61629-9620, U.S.A., is the Owner of the following Trade Marks:-

A colonial era building alongside Asia Green Development Bank ordinary people of Yangon are the first and not the last to benefit from new schemes. We have also met with the ministers for construction, tourism, and transport and several times with the Yangon Region Chief Minister [U Myint Swe] and Minister for the Presidents Office U Soe Thane. What will be the first steps for implementation, and what is already underway? Were trying to move ahead on several fronts at once from new laws and guidelines, to public outreach, to a new blue plaque system to mark historically important sites, to a reexamination of the governance of this issue, to the actual renovation projects and help for lowincome families living in old buildings. Our urgent task right now though is providing the president with the phased action plan he has requested. Has YHT met YCDC and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to discuss integrating its preservation ideas into the Yangon 2040 plan? Yes, we are working very closely with both YCDC and JICA. After discussions with us JICA hired a conservation expert and we are in almost daily contact. The president has asked us to suggest how existing urban planning ideas should be changed from a conservation perspective. You just met with families who are in buildings that are due to be demolished. Are those demolitions likely to go ahead? What did you learn from your conversations with these families? These are generally very low income families who believe that their only hope of a better future is for their homes to become a condominium, so that they can get a new flat or cash. We need to change this. Downtown Yangon is their home. They give life and character to what are otherwise empty buildings. We have to find ways to encourage them to stay. Billions of dollars in tourist and other income can be made from renovating this area. They should benefit as much as anyone else and we need to work with them to find a good outcome for everyone. Is there any update on the building at 233-235 Pansodan Road? Some of the residents were, at least initially, critical of YHTs efforts to preserve the building. Have you been able to take away any lessons from that for engaging with residents in the future? I think everyone is happy now. We proposed that we keep the faade but modernise the interior. We will help with work on the

Reg. No. 1358/1998

Reg. No. 1359/1998 in respect of Machinery for earth moving, earth conditioning and material handling namely, track-type tractors, wheel tractors, loaders, pipelayers, lift trucks, motor graders, scrapers, bulldozers, compactors, rippers; replacement parts, accessories and attachments for all the foregoing goods, engines for powering the foregoing machinery and for industrial and marine application, and as prime movers in electric sets namely, internal combustion engines, diesel engines, natural gas engines, and marine engines; and replacement parts, accessories and attachments for all the foregoing goods; marine gears, track group assemblies for tractors including track links, track shoes and track pins; electric generators for supplying electrical power to home, industry, hospitals, and the like, including diesel electric sets and natural gas electric sets. Vehicles for earth and material hauling and handling namely, trucks and tractors, engines, replacement parts, accessories and attachments for all the foregoing. Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Marks will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for CATERPILLAR INC. P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

Trade Mark Caution

CATERPILLAR INC., a company incorporated in the State of Delaware, United States of America, of 100 N.E. Adams Street, Peoria, Illinois 61629-9620, U.S.A., is the Owner of the following Trade Marks:-

Reg. No. 724/2001

Reg. No. 723/2001

WALKING MACHINES
Reg. No. 725/2001 in respect of Footwear and clothing (Class 25). Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Marks will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for CATERPILLAR INC. P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

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as most livable city

rvation plans with The Myanmar Times editor, Thomas Kean

ks head office on Sule Pagoda Road. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing faade. The only question is whether the height of the new structure can exceed the old. With new laws these issues will become systematised. But until they are in place, we need to negotiate each case and find an outcome that everyone can accept. What other buildings does YHT have it sights set on as urgent priorities? There are dozens actually. Gandhi Hall is under threat of demolition. There are also many private residential homes that may not be around in a few months time. Were particularly concerned though with possible new high-rise projects within what will hopefully become the conservation zone. Its a tragedy that the beautiful building opposite the Scott (Bogyoke) Market was demolished last year, and even worse that the old cinemas near Pansodan are going down. Another egregious case is the attempt, which I think has been halted, to build directly in front of the old Scottish church. As we saw with the Pansodan building, there is likely to be some resistance from residents if they perceive they will be worse off under preservation rather than demolition. How will it be possible to achieve an outcome where everybody is, if not happy, at least amenable to preservation?

Two views of an historic building on Bank Street. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing Right now we need to work on a case-by-case basis. But what I hope is that we can eventually establish a system through which people living downtown benefit in direct financial ways from new investment in the old buildings. The tourism industry may grow enormously in the years to come and we need policies that will make this sustainable and to ensure that that money goes to local communities, in this case the people of downtown Yangon. The last thing I want is to create a sanitised, tourist-only zone, good only for foreigners and rich people. I want to encourage families to stay downtown and make it not only economically viable but economically profitable for them to do so. You told me earlier that difficult challenges lie ahead in the push for preservation. What do you believe are the biggest of these challenges in the short and long term? Its getting the economics of it right and to have public opinion on our side. We can have all the laws and regulations we want, but they will be impossible to enforce unless people see and want the benefits of conservation and we have the right incentives in place. I think though that weve just turned the corner. This may be the last good opportunity to save Yangon.

Timesbusiness
By Justin Heifetz MASTERCARD marked its first Point-of-Sale (POS) transaction in Myanmar at Golden Myanmar Airlines on March 4 before announcing plans to establish 500 POS devices by Co-operative Bank and MasterCard Worldwide throughout the country. MasterCard and CB want to target more than 500 restaurants, retail outlets and hotels for POS devices by the end of the year, a statement from MasterCard released on March 4 says. While MasterCard will begin the rollout in Yangon, it plans to hit Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and Bagan towards the second quarter of 2013, the statement continues. The transaction on March 4 was for the purchase of airline tickets routed through Mandalay International Airport. A POS device, also known as a POS terminal, is a computerised replacement for a cash register that can process debit and credit cards. Other merchants now equipped for MasterCard POS transactions are the

March 11 - 17, 2013

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MasterCard marks first POS transaction

to support the countrys growth, said U Kyaw Lynn, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of CB, the statement reports. Kanbawza Bank, Myanmars largest private bank, entered a bank license agreement with MasterCard for the acceptance and issuance of cards on February 26, U Zaw Lin Htut, KBZs general manager said. Following the Central Bank of Myanmars regulations, we can now accept transactions from international [MasterCard] card holders. We will start to allow MasterCard transactions at our ATMs first and then we plan to later deploy POS terminals at our merchants for MasterCard acceptance. We are now in the process of technical integration, U Zaw Lin Htut told The Myanmar Times on March 6. MasterCard also entered a bank license agreement with United Amara Bank. A representative from the private bank could not be reached for comment and the Central Bank of Myanmar could not confirm the date of the licensing agreement.

A representative from Co-operative Bank holds a new MasterCard-ready POS device on March 4. CB and MasterCard plan to equip 500 merchants throughout Myanmar with a POS device by the end of 2013. Pic: Boothee Orchid Hotel, Hotel 7 Miles, Sein Win and Brothers Transport, Nandawun Gems and Jewellery, Myint Kaung Souvenir and Handicraft, Myanmar VES Gems and Jewellery and New Star Jewellery: all based in Yangon. The rollout of POS terminals across the country is a huge and significant step forward for CB and for Myanmars economy. Developing a new payment infrastructure will bring new opportunities to the country and will also provide opportunities to develop the frontline skills needed

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Myanmar Makro to sue ministry

By Myat Nyein Aye MYANMAR Makro Industry Company will file a lawsuit against Livestock Feedstuff and Milk Products Enterprise, a department of government ministry Myanmar Livestock and Fisheries, Myanmar Makros legal counsel told The Myanmar Times on March 5. U Htun Aye, Myanmar Makros lawyer, said: We will sue the department for a breach of contract with MIC (Myanmar Investment Commission) that is valid under the Yangon Division Court until 2017. Myanmar Makro is a Yangon-based can factory in Thaketa Township responsible for the brand Ready Can. It was granted a 20-year contract in 1997 by MIC for the factory. On January 4, 2011, the governments Myanmar Privatisation Committee (MPC) called a tender for the land and awarded it to Mega Marine on February 28, 2011. In April 2011, Myanmar Livestock and Fisheries began to refuse rental payments from Myanmar Makro. Mega Marine paid the full amount for the factory in three installments by February 2012. On February 15, 2012, Myanmar Livestock and Fisheries announced that Myanmar Makro must turn the factory over to Mega Marine. On February 14, 2013, the government again asked Myanmar Makro to vacate the Thaketa site prompting legal action over whether or not the factorys contract is valid with MIC or MPC. We dont want to be evicted from our factory.

Farmers call foul over chicken prices

By Myat Nyein Aye THE price of live chickens has increased to an all time high of K3900 a viss (1.6 kilograms, or 3.6 pounds), market sources said on March 5. The price spiked on March 2, and has not yet deflated, said Dr Myo Thant, general manager of Myanmar CP Livestock Company on March 5. The highest price was K3000 for one viss last year and the meat was L4500 a viss. The year, the price has increased to K3900 for chicken while the meat has increased to K7000 a viss, he told The Myanmar Times. Prices have been high in previous years because of high demand, but this year marks a record. Last month, the price was K2800 for a viss of chicken, he added. The price has spiked due to high production costs, said Dr Hla Hla Thein, chairman of the Broiler Association, on March 5. Production cost is high because of the recent electricity deficit and cuts. Farmers are using oil to drive their generators at night. In the past, production cost of one chicken was K2500 to K2600, but now the cost is K2800 to K3000, she added. The price of young chickens also increased from K550 to K650 three weeks ago, the owner of al chicken whole sale shop in Yangons Thingangyun township reported. The hatching rate declines during the hot season, which is another reason the price is rising, the owner said. Above average temperatures and frequent electricity cuts have resulted in the deaths of young chickens. Farmers in Yangon Region are reporting an average number of 10 deaths per thousand chickens also contributing to the recent price spike, said Dr Hla Hla Thein. Baby chicks cant live without light at night, so they cant endure electricity cuts. Also, the weather is very hot lately. They cannot grow up quickly enough. I think the price of chickens will remain high as an effect of the high price of young chickens, the high death rate of chickens lately, and the frequent electricity cuts, she said. The price of chicken meat in Yangons markets remained at K7000 a viss as of March 7.

Factory workers wash their hands at the Myanmar Makro can factory on February 26. Pic: Boothee They shouldnt do it like this. We are not ready to move to another site, and we need a lot of time to prepare a new factory. We want the government to honour our tenant agreement until 2017, said U Htun Aye. U Moe Myint Kyaw, the managing director of Myanmar Makros factory, said it is facing unemployment and irreparable financial losses. There are 214 employees and more than one thousand families dependent on my factory. Nearly K1 billion has been invested in this factory. When the Ministry evicts us, we will lose everything. We cant take any machines with us, which is our main investment. Our brand has a record of success and we export it to neighbouring countries we will lose that too, U Moe Mint Kyaw said. During a press conference on February 14, Dr Pyae Sone, general manager of Livestock Feedstuff and Milk Products Enterprise, said that the department refused taking rental money from Myanmar Makro after April 2011 because it chose to value the Mega MarineMPC contract when it outbid Myanmar Makro. MPC made a bid of K3.3 billion for the Thaketa factory on February 11, 2011 and Mega Marine acquired it for K3.29billion. But Myanmar Makro gave a counter offer of only K1.2 billion [during the tender]. So, they will not get the factory, he said. We know that Myanmar Makro will face many difficulties and losses. But we have no power over this. The new deed with [Mega Marine] is indisputable, he added. Following the press conference on February 15, U Moe Myint Kyaw said: We couldnt [match Mega Marines offer] because we invested a lot of money in our factory. We couldnt use any more money at that time. Weve appealed to President U Thein Sein to help us. We plan to eventually release our factory to Mega Marine, but we want to have enough time to prepare our new factory with the time we were originally allotted until 2017, he added. On November 22, 2012, Myanmar Makro made an appeal to MIC. On December 20, 2012, MIC responded by saying that Myanmar Makro, MPC and the Ministry must negotiate the issue between themselves. The government isnt helping us, even though we are really seeking to improve our country as much as we can. There is no other local can factory that matches our size and production, and most cans are imported from other countries, U Moe Myint Kyaw said. Myanmar Makro also produces Ocean Can and Bravo Chili Sauce. It produces over 100,000 cans a month.

Trade Mark Caution

Cartier International AG, a company incorporated in Switzerland, of Hinterbergstrasse 22, Postfach 61, 6312 Steinhausen, Switzerland, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

Reg. No. 872/1985 in respect of Intl Class 3: Perfumery, cosmetics. Class 8: Cutlery, forks and spoons. Class 9: Spectacles, sunglasses. Class 14: Jewellery, goods in precious metal or coated therewith, watches, clocks. Class 16: Stationery, fountainpens, pencils, pens. Class 18: Trunks, suitcases, travelling bags, portfolios, purses, handbags. Class 21: Glassware, porcelain and earthenware. Class 25: Clothing, ties, scarves, belts, shoes. Class 28: Games, playthings and sporting articles. Class 33: Wines, liqueurs, champagne. Class 34: Cigars, cigarillos, cigarettes, smokers articles, lighters. Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for Cartier International AG P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

CARTIER

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Myanmar signatory to New York Convention

By Justin Heifetz IN a move to encourage foreign investment, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw agreed to sign the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (New York Convention) on March 6, state-run media reported. Approval in the parliament came after six lawmakers weighed the pros and cons of signing the Convention. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other MPs also urged the signing of the Convention, saying Investment Law was promulgated in November 2012, replacing a previous law from 1988, in a bid to accelerate foreign investment to Myanmar in line with its new reforms. However, many foreign companies have shown reluctance to invest in Myanmar because of its lack of dispute resolution mechanisms, which were not put into place at the same time as the law. On January 20, Ms Florence Grangerat, in charge of the Myanmar operations of Audier & Partners, a Vietnam-based international law firm providing legal services for global business and industry in South East Asia, told The Myanmar Times that the country has to afford investors the means of protecting their rights and investments to accelerate investment. The New York Convention was signed on day six of the regular session of the first Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. A proposal submitted by the Judicial and Legal Affairs Committee to amend Myanmars arbitration framework was approved on March 8, 2012 that indicated Myanmar would accede to the New York Convention; however, the time frame was never disclosed. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) shows that 148 out of UN member countries have signed the Convention.

Africas largest telecom eyes licence

By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura AFRICAS largest mobile phone company, is interested in a Myanmar operating licence, which it expects will cost the winning bidder $200-$500 million in licence fees. The Johannesburg-based telecoms giant, MTN Group, with operations in 21 nations in Africa and the Middle East posted a disappointing 2 percent rise in full-year profit on March 6 as foreign currency losses eroded earnings from key markets like Iran. MTN said some 90 companies had also expressed interest in Myanmar, but only two licences would be awarded in June. This is really a one-off. This is a greenfield that every operator is interested in, he said. MTN has also received a licence to provide Value Added Services essentially all services other than standard voice calls in Ethiopia, An MTN Group office in Johannesburg, South Africa. Pic: Reuters

another populous country without much of a telecowms industry, Dabengwa said. MTN would have to use infrastructure belonging to Ethiopia Telecom, the only mobile operator in the east African country. The company increased subscribers by 15 percent to 189.3 million and hopes to

raise this by 21 million this year. It plans 28.2 billion rand in capital expenditure this year, a 6pc decline from the previous year. MTN is facing a $4.2 billion lawsuit in a US court for allegedly bribing officials to receive its Iranian licence, which was initially awarded to rival Turkcell. Reuters

make the To economy a success, it all depends on trust.

it was a prerequisite to attract foreign investment, The New Light of Myanmar reported. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, representing Kawhmu Constituency, said during the session: To make the economy a success, it all depends on trust. No matter what legislation is enacted and no matter what agreement is signed, no potential investor would make an investment unless they have confidence in [the political] landscape of the country. Myanmars new Foreign

ADB backs civil society

By Justin Heifetz THE Asian Development Bank will provide Myanmar with a US$225,000 grant to help civil society develop a strategy for participating in ADB-funded programs, an ADB official announced on March 7. We have a unique opportunity to put ADBs project consultation and participation process in the hands of civil society from the start, allowing them to drive the way they engage in the design of ADB-financed projects. This reflects lessons from other countries, and ADBs respect for the complexity of reengagement in Myanmar, said Lainie Thomas, social development specialist in ADBs Southeast Asia Department. ADBs statement says it will identify key stakeholder groups and give them the skills needed to maximise their participation in ADBsupported consultation processes. ADB will also look at ways to bring government and civil society organisations together to discuss development challenges and potential solutions, the statement continues. Since January 2012, ADB has provided Myanmar with over $5.4 million in technical assistance grants. ADB has also undertaken sector-specific assessment, including energy and transportation. ADB resumed operations in Myanmar in January 2013 after a 30-year absence.

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Job watch

USAID optimistic, firm on new terms

By Paul Eckert A TECHNOLOGY delegation led by the US International Development Administrator (USAID) and Cisco, Google, HewlettPackard, Intel, and Microsoft visited Myanmar on March 4 to look into projects to boost access to the Internet, strengthen transparent government and expand digital literacy, USAID said in a statement. These are designed to bring the capabilities of Americas information communications technology leaders to offer young people here the opportunity to be innovative and entrepreneurs and to really get some important skills, said USAIDs administrator, Dr Rajiv Shah. Dr Shah also launched a $10 million project under USAIDs survive and thrive program aimed at reducing preventable child deaths by dispatching US pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists, and midwives to train local counterparts. Myanmars 61 preventable child deaths per 1,000 is extraordinarily high, and USAID hopes to bring that down to 37 per 1,000 in three years, saving 20,000 children each year. A US$11 million project was also inaugurated to support free and fair elections when Myanmar goes to the polls in 2015 an election that analysts say will be a critical step on the countrys road to democracy. Human rights activists have complained that foreign aid goes mostly to comparatively well-off cities, while the countryside, and especially ethnic minority areas, have not seen the benefits of reform. I think the US is going too fast and the situation in Burma is not stable, said Ah Noh, an activist from the Kachin Womens Association Thailand. Things are changing in Kachin state, but in a bad way, with more fighting, Ah Noh said in a recent interview in Washington. Fighting has raged in Kachin state since June 2011, as Myanmars army tries to take control of a region rich in minerals and timber that straddles lucrative trade routes to China. Dr Shah said USAID policy was to push for greater access for US and other aid programs to remote ethnic regions within Myanmar. We always want and currently absolutely seek more access, specifically to internally displaced persons and ethnic minorities. We do believe that theres been progress there, he said. Reuters

USAID and Cisco partner up to support ICT development

By Maria Danmark A NEW partnership between American networking giant CiscoSystems and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was presented by USAIDs administrator, Dr Rajiv Shah, at an information and communication technology fair at Yangons ICT Park on March 7. The aim of the partnership is to provide information and communication skills training in an emerging information and communication technology (ICT) market. Cisco and USAID plan to open two Cisco Networking academies in Myanmar. It has not yet been decided where or when the academies will be built, but Cisco has committed to donating networking equipment for labs in the academies and provided career skills training for up to 15 university faculty staff to support the program. Cisco has already established over 10,000 networking academies in 165 countries. Cisco has a long track record of supporting the development of emerging economies through education, and the Cisco Networking Academy program will equip students in the country with industry relevant skills for the 21st century workforce, as they transform their country and their communities, said the regional director of Ciscos Social Innovation Group in Asia Pacific, Sandy Walsh, in a press release dated March 7. U Khun Oo, president of the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), said in the press release: We welcome USAIDs interest

Dr Rajiv Shah (centre) at ICT Park on March 7. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing in our countrys ICT sector. Opportunities like this will help pave the way for possible collaboration to promote greater innovation and entrepreneurship to transform our countrys future development. Dr Shah participated in the technology fair, hosted by the MCF, as part of his USAID mission to Myanmar from March 7 to 8. He met local entrepreneurs, industry leaders and students engaged in the countrys ICT sector. Myanmars internet penetration rate stands at about seven to eight percent. The global assumption is that this makes it very difficult to have vibrant aspirations in the ICT sector, but to see this work is very inspiring and I know the ICT sector here has a lot of potential, Dr Shah said. Just last week, USAID helped facilitate a group of technology companies. We are now hearing from these companies that they are eager to commit to partnerships. Just so you can get a sense of how rapidly progress can be made, Ciscos partnership was announced just a week after their visit to Myanmar, he added. It was also announced at the technology fair that other IT companies from the USAID-led delegation are already interested in forming local partnerships. The delegation explored a range of opportunities to help accelerate affordable access to the internet, strengthen transparent and efficient government and expand digital literacy. HP, Intel and Microsoft are all eager to expand a range of partnerships, Dr Shah announced. These kinds of partnerships represent the future in developing real economic infrastructure and support that development. But I also think that there will be a lot of natural partnerships, which hopefully will emerge from this. We hope that as a part of the development, these partnerships will improve online access and online learning, but also create real business opportunities for the entrepreneurs in the country, Dr Shah said at the fair.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Myanmar is inviting qualified candidates to apply for the following positions: Sr. Title and level Duty Station 1. MNCH Specialist (IICA 2) Yangon 2. Driver (LICA 1) - (3) positions Yangon 3. Consultant for Study on Cooperatives Systems (IICA 3) Home-based 4. Microfinance Impact Assessment Specialist (IICA 3) Home-based Position International National International International Deadline 19-Mar-2013 21-Mar-2013 21-Mar-2013 21-Mar-2013

For details please visit UNOPS website https://gprs.unops.org/pages/ viewvacancy/VAListing.aspx and click on the post you are interested in applying for. All applications must be made through UNOPS Erecruitment system. For title No. 2, applicants are kindly requested to submit by manual application (paper) to HR Unit, UNOPS Myanmar at 3rd Floor, Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon.

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Minister of Energy, said during the summit on March 4: The government of Myanmar took necessary actions recently required to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) The Ministry of Energy will make all of the terms and conditions [for bids] transparent and impartial, so the best proposals can be accessed and selected for award. Myanmar is relying on the development of its oil and gas sector not only for domestic use, but also for export as sanctions against the country continue to ease around the world, said U Htin Aung, the Deputy Minister of Energy. More than 100 companies attended the conference, with global representatives from Europe, North America and Asia. U Than Htay said the summit brought together senior governmentlevel officials and experts in oil and gas exploration, logistics, construction, finance and legal solutions to successfully collaborate in developing the regions potential. Total, Petronas, Chevron, Daewoo and other oil and gas giants are operating offshore in Myanmar, U Than Tun, director of offshore exploration for MOGE said. The Yadana gas field is Myanmars largest producing gas field. It yields 834 million cubic feet a day and contains more than 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas; the field has an expected life of over 30 years. The field accounts for 15 to 20 percent of Thailands gas consumption. Total operates the field as a joint venture with Chevron, PTT and MOGE. The Yetagun gas field is the countrys second-largest source of gas production. Operated by Petronas in a joint venture with PTT, Nippon Oil and MOGE, the field yields 412 million cubic feet a day. Daewoos Shwe project, a development plan comprising two gas fields and intensive oil and gas pipeline infrastructure including the Southeast Asia Oil Pipeline is particularly ambitious and the most controversial oil and gas project to date, U Than Tun said. U Than Tun announced on March 6 that MOGE will extend the Yadana, Yetagun and Shwe projects sales agreements for another thirty years.

Myanmar Times

Offshore blocks up for auction in April

By Soe Sandar Oo THE Ministry of Energy will put about 25 offshore oil and gas exploration blocks up for auction in April, a Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) official announced at the three-day Myanmar Upstream Summit oil and gas conference on March 4. U Zaw Aung, the director of planning at MOGE, added during the summit that Myanmar plans to put 18 onshore blocks up for bids in January 2014. Foreign investors are more interested in Myanmars offshore blocks, because they have greater potential. The government plans to drill over 300 new wells over the next five years, he said. MOGE has not yet decided whether foreign companies will be allowed a 100pc stake in deep-water blocks. However, it has definitively announced that foreign companies will have to cooperate with local companies to work both onshore and on shallowwater blocks, he said. U Zaw Aung said that decisions for onshore bids probably will not be finalised until November. U Than Htay, the

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A pedestrian walks past the Punjab National Bank Ltd building in Mumbai, India. Pic: Bloomberg

Indias PNB seeks recovery from 4-year low

By Anto Antony Punjab National Bank (PNB), Indias third-largest state-run lender, is seeking home and automobile buyers to boost credit and bolster margins from the narrowest level in almost four years. The bank also plans to limit high-cost deposits of more than 10 million rupees (US$183,000) and reduce credit to indebted real estate developers, said KR Kamath, chairman and managing director of the New Delhibased bank. Net interest margin, the difference CORRECTION: In our story headlined Auto traders ask YCDC for transparency in issue 667, we incorrectly stated that Shwe Taung Development Company had won a tender for the Hantharwady car trading zone. We received this information from a member of a committee of car traders opposing the relocation of the zone. Shwe Taung Development Company did not win the tender for that piece of land, nor did it bid on the plot, the company said. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this error. between earnings on loans and the cost of funding, fell to 3.47 percent in the three months ended December 31, the least since the three months to March 2009. Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd had the highest margin of 4.6pc last quarter. The lender, which has the second-largest branch network in the worlds most populated nation after China, is tapping segments that expanded faster than loans to companies. The slowest pace of growth in a decade in the $1.8 trillion economy has sapped demand for credit to expand and build factories. Mortgages may climb as the central bank reduces borrowing costs, encouraging homebuyers to accelerate purchases. We will be back on the growth path from the next financial year if the economy permits, Kamath said in an interview. We projects were low last year, transactions in the secondary market remained strong, primarily driven by smaller cities. The central bank cut its policy rate to 7.75pc from 8pc on January 29, the first reduction since April. Six of 15 economists in a pace of annual growth since at least 2002. At about 12pc, Punjab National has the highest proportion of soured and restructured debt among the nations 10 largest lenders, according to exchange filings. The measure is 7.7pc for State Bank of India, the PNB is poised for a rally as the economy improves, said Nitin Kumar, an analyst with Quant Broking Pvt. The pace of increase in non-performing assets has moderated and growth in the economy will help them to bring down stressed assets substantially. India Ratings & Research Pvt, a unit of Fitch Ratings, on March 7 kept Punjab Nationals local currency rating at AAA, citing extraordinary support from the government, which owns 56pc of the lender. Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, in his budget presented in Parliament on February 28, pledged to add 140 billion rupees ($2.6 billion) to boost capital at state-run banks. He also announced measures to accelerate infrastructure projects, which will help in recovering bad loans in the road and power sectors, said SMCs Narnolia. Chidambaram allocated 330 billion rupees for the ruling coalitions flagship rural jobs program and 100 billion rupees for a plan to give the poor cheap food grains, ahead of a general election due by 2014. There is an expectation that credit offtake will pick up over the next two quarters as higher government spending nudges private investments, said Debasish Mallick, chief executive officer at IDBI Asset Management Ltd. That may help banks, he said. Bloomberg

will pick up in the current year with a Home sales reduction in interest rates.
have realigned our balance sheet and have put in place measures to recover bad loans. Demand for loans to buy homes and vehicles accelerated to 14.3pc at Indian banks in the 12 months to December 28, while the pace of growth for credit to industry slowed to 13.8pc, according to data compiled by the central bank. Retail lending, including mortgages and auto credit, account for as much as 11pc of Punjab Nationals loans, exchange filings show. Punjab National was overtaken by Bank of Baroda as Indias second-largest lender by assets in the three months ended September 30. Home sales will pick up in the current year with a reduction in interest rates, said Anubhav Gupta, a Mumbai-based analyst at Kim Eng Securities Pvt. While bookings at new Bloomberg survey forecast the Reserve Bank of India will reduce the benchmark rate by three-fourths of a pc by December. Property sales in Bangalore, home to software developers including Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd, grew 77pc in the two years to December 31, according to Liases Foras Real Estate Rating & Research Pvt. In New Delhi, a record 30.99 million square feet of property were sold in the three months to March 31, before dropping to 20.5 million square feet by December, the data show. The 117-year-old lender is targeting a net interest margin of more than 3.5pc, Kamath said. The company also plans to cut bad loans, which narrowed for the first time in 15 quarters in the third quarter, to boost profit, he said. Net income may rise 2pc in the year ending March 31, according to the median estimate of 59 analysts. Thats the slowest nations largest, and 2.1pc for No. 2 ICICI Bank Ltd. With stressed assets higher than 12pc of the loan book, it will take time to clean up the balance sheet, Vishal Narnolia, a Mumbaibased banking analyst at SMC Global Securities Ltd, said by phone. It will take at least two more quarters before seeing any meaningful improvement. The lender to grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and Suzlon Energy Ltd, the wind-turbine maker that defaulted on its convertible bonds last year, ordered three executive directors to monitor recovery of delinquent debt over 5 million rupees, Kamath said. Shares of the lender have dropped 13pc in the past year, making them the worstperforming stock after IDBI Bank Ltd. in the 14-company S&P BSE Bankex index. They rose 0.5pc to 814.65 rupees in Mumbai, the highest since February 27.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
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using a shared kitchen sink for six months when a plastic shower hose in the communal bathroom broke, Chan said. Homes in the city cost an average of 13.5 times the gross median household income, up from 12.6 times a year ago, making it the most expensive housing market in an annual affordability survey by Belleville, Illinois-based consulting company Demographia released in January. The survey examined housing prices in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Chans one-room dwelling is smaller than some single-person cells in the citys correctional centres, which are typically 62 square feet at Stanley prison and 77 square feet at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, according to the Correctional Services Department. Cramped living space in cage homes, cubicle apartments and sub-divided flats has become the reluctant choice for tens of thousands of Hong Kong people, the citys chief executive Leung Chun-ying said in his January 16 maiden policy address. Their plight has cast a dark shadow on our thriving city. Even as officials pledge to improve the affordability of housing, a scarcity of land, long waiting lists for public housing and the constant influx of people mean prices will stay high in the short term, according to LH Li, deputy head of the University of Hong Kongs department of real estate and construction. Chan barely survives on a monthly wage of HK$11,000 ($1,418) close to the HK$12,000 median income in Hong Kong after paying his bills and sending money to his family in mainland China, he says. Life is hard, he says, as a small fan above his door whirs overhead, his rooms only source of air movement. I hope that more can be done to level the playing field in this city. Bloomberg

Myanmar Times

Surging property prices spur virus risk

By Natasha Khan CHAN Sung-ming says the coughs and sneezes echoing through the plywood walls of his windowless, 60square foot Hong Kong apartment get him thinking: Is there a bug going around and could it be deadly? A decade after SARS began a lethal odyssey via Hong Kong, which has the worlds most-densely populated urban areas, Chan says his apartment one of eight in a space about the size of a squash court makes him feel more prone to airborne germs. Even as the city spends HK$1.6 billion (US$206 million) a year on a disease-tracking centre to prepare for future contagions, a tripling in the price of homes in the past decade have forced its 7.2 million residents closer together. Thats stoking the potential for a rapid rise of bugs like the severe acute respiratory virus that exploded there in early 2003. In Hong Kong, we live vertically, not horizontally, said Sian Griffiths, director of the Chinese University of Hong Kongs school of public health. Its as if weve turned a village street on its end. People are so close together here, the risk of transmission is greater. Chans apartment is smaller than some of the citys prison cells. The 36-year-old electrician says the cramped living arrangements mean he hears his neighbours every cough and bowel movement, and sometimes shares their pathogens too. What can I do? Chan says, seated on a blue plastic childrens chair squeezed between his bed and a table on which he perches a second-hand laptop. I cant afford to move. When a fast-spreading germ takes hold in Hong Kong, the consequences for the city and the world can be devastating. Griffiths was part of a group that investigated the citys most

Members of the WHOs Environmental Health Team walk out of the Amoy Gardens in Hong Kong on April 30, 2003, where 40 residents died and 329 were infected. Pic: Bloomberg devastating cluster of SARS cases. More than 40 residents of Amoy Gardens, a middle-class, high-rise private housing estate, died and guests, who took it with them on airplanes to Canada, Ireland, the U.S., Vietnam and Singapore, illustrating the citys potential to international hub have increased the challenge of detecting potential threats. Cities are where some infectious

we live vertically, not horizontally...Its as if weve In Hong Kong, turned a village street on its end.
329 were infected. The investigators found severe watery diarrhea from infected people carried the virus into other peoples apartments in the form of tiny aerosols that were probably drawn by exhaust fans into the air from the buildings sewage system. The coronavirus began spreading in a Hong Kong hotel after it was introduced by an infected doctor visiting from Guangdong. From there, it passed to other hotel cultivate and disseminate pathogens internationally. SARS infected 1,755 people in Hong Kong, killing 300, and caused economic losses totaling HK$3.8 billion ($490 million) in two months alone as tourist arrivals dwindled and businesses from restaurants to taxi cabs slumped. While newer laboratory testing tools have made surveillance more efficient, the citys growing population and status as an diseases love to move between people nice and efficiently, said Richard Coker, professor of public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Population density increases that risk. Hong Kong electrician Chan, who shares a mold-stained toilet with his neighbours, says hed move out if it werent for the rising cost of accommodation. Last year, residents were forced to bathe

Hong Kongs New World Development plans listing of hospitality assets

By Kelvin Wong NEW World Development Co, the Hong Kong builder controlled by billionaire Cheng Yu-tung, said its considering listing some of its hospitality assets. The company, with stakes in 16 hotels in Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia, hasnt decided on the timing and assets to be spun off, New World said today in a statement on March 8 to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Rising income and the expanding middle class in China are fueling a tourism boom within the region, benefiting hotel operators including Mandarin Oriental International Ltd Hong Kong, where New World owns hotels including the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency, is a favorite destination for Chinese tourists shopping for luxury handbags and jewellery. Hotels are getting good valuation because of the booming tourism, said Adrian Ngan, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Citic Securities Co. Therere still a lot of details we need to know about this deal, such as which assets would be spun off, and whether theyll be listed as a company or a real estate investment trust, he said. Hotels and restaurants brought in revenue of about HK$3.6 billion (US$465 million) in the six months ended December 31, accounting for 11 percent of New Worlds sales, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. Cheng, 87, last year stepped down as the companys chairman and was replaced by son Henry Cheng. Hes ranked 36 in the Bloomberg Billionaire Index with an estimated net worth of $19.8 billion. Bloomberg

PEB 10 x 2

Advertorial

Making the first call on home improvement

Thomas Ng ( NatRay Design Studio Creative Director) Its time to doll up your house. But should you call up a renovation contractor or an interior designer? Since you are renovating your house, the first thing that come to your mind is to call up a contractor. Why should one pay extra to engage an interior designer? Arent a contractor is good enough to handle all my needs? Yes, a renovation contractor can double as an interior designer. But thats as clever an idea as getting your car mechanic to double as your dentist, said NatRay Design Studio Creative Director Mr. Thomas Ng. Interior designers and contractors seem similar, but theyre not. Interior designers are up to date on current trends, and they have no interest in making you buy the most expensive junk possible. Because unlike many contractors, they dont get a cut from the stuff you buy. And because they have a portfolio job, interior designers actually have something to lose if your house looks like an industrial accident, said Mr.Thomas Ng. Contractors are execution stage, hands-on people: They are the ones who stick on the tiles and drill the walls. Hence, it is always advisable to split your renovation into two stages. Let the expert perform in their own field. Get an interior designer to do the design and get a top contractor to do the hands on job. NatRay Design Studio provide both services as one, every home designs and detail drawings have to go through my hands for screening to ensure theres no mistake, said Mr. Ng. After which, it will then be handed over to our in house contractors. To sum up, a designer creates it and the contractor builds it. There must be creation first before any fabrication. Without technical drawings from a designer, a contractor cant build anything. Thats the difference.

A home must be materially and spiritually pleasurable.

For this week, we interviewed U Chit Ko Ko who is the owner of Real Home Construction. His company is building houses with a compound.
participate in Beauty any building. A building Home Contest? where men can live is a house. But exceptionally, A. It is located no 205, 206. Aung zedi St, 10th mile, a container box cannot be Yangon. The compound called a house. Though is (90 x 100) feet square some uses a container box wide. Living area is 8700 to live in, it cannot be called square feet wide. There is a house because it does not a basement and two upper meet any standards of a storeys. In total, it is a typical house. But home is three-and a half storeyed different, any building can building. be called a home. It can be a container box and also a tent. The typical standard Q. Did you expect any prize for you contesting that we can call a home home? is that it must be where you lives and it must give A. My opinion is to help Q. Which kind of home people. I just want to show the dwellers physical and could be said like a real what I find what everyday mental peace as well. If one home? does not find. Thats all. meet that standard, it can A. I happen to answer too I dont expect any prize. be called a home. many interviews apart from I am quite rejoiced if this one like I always said, somebody got to know a home and a house are not Q. W h e r e i s t h e h o m e what I presented. that is intented to be the same thing. A house is Q. How do you want to reflect on the contest that the Myanma Times Journal is sponsoring. A. C o m p e t i t i o n i s g o o d everywhere. There will be improvement if there is competition. We will get better views about homes. Someone is doing is this way and other one is doing that way. From there, we will eventually better ideas about building homes.

A HOME CONTEST THATS ALL ABOUT STYLE is jointly organized by The Myanmar Times, NatRay Co.,Ltd and the Association of Myanmar Interior Design (AMID).

Technology
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Gadgets, gizmos galore at worlds top high-tech fair

HANOVER, Germany From a glove that can be used as a mobile phone to a remote-controlled spy helicopter: this years CeBIT, the worlds top high-tech fair, showcases a bewildering array of gadgets. For geeks in cold climates, China-based firm Winnershine Technology has just the thing: a glove that can be used as a mobile phone while keeping your hands toasty warm. Connected to your smartphone via bluetooth, the earpiece is in the thumb of the woolly green glove, with the speaker in the little finger, allowing you to make calls without getting your hands cold. Yours for a snip at US$12.50. Equally nerdy is the smartphone-controlled golf ball developed by Woddon Industrial Limited. No need for golf clubs: simply download the app to your smartphone, then wave your device as if swinging a club. The ball judges the speed and angle of the swing and moves accordingly. Woddon also showcases their latest line in remotecontrolled spy devices. Budding James Bonds can choose between flying saucers, helicopters or airships and pilot them using a smartphone, taking pictures or real-time video of their unsuspecting target. The latest iConCopter, due out in a couple of months, has a maximum range of 50 metres (165 feet) and is likely to retail at about 299 euros ($390), said sales manager Harry Chen. But not all the gadgets are so frivolous at CeBIT, the self-styled Davos of hightech, which opened on March 4 and ended on March 9. Taiwan-based PenPower Technology is wowing crowds with its text-reading and translating scanning pen. Sleek-black and scarcely bigger than a normal ballpoint pen, the device scans text from a sheet of paper and transmits it instantly to a smartphone before offering to translate it into more than 20 languages. Launched last month, the futuristic pen recognises a host of Asian languages, including Japanese, Chinese and Korean, and costs about 130 euros, said manager Shin Kuo, who believes it is a unique application. Also pulling in the crowds on CeBITs first day was the Cookoo watch unveiled by Bluetrek Technologies from Hong Kong. The Cookoo looks and functions just like a normal watch but is linked to the smartphone in your pocket and notifies you when you have received an email or when one of your Facebook friends has updated his or her status. The Cookoo can also take pictures, which are transferred to your smartphone, and allow you to skip songs playing on your MP3 player without the hassle of taking it out of your pocket. Launched in January, the watch retails at 129 euros, said sales manager Willy Vong. One of more unusual computer accessories on show is a mouse in the shape of the iconic yellow three-wheeled van from cult British TV comedy classic Only Fools and Horses. But for the ultimate in pointless but fun gadgets that no self-respecting nerd should be without, UK-based Satzuma is hard to beat. Large crowds gathered around its stand at the opening of the show to coo over a tap-shaped shower radio or alarm clock shaped like a directors clapper board that sleepy users have to snap down to stop the wakeup call. Satzuma also unveiled a personal drink-chiller. The can-sized red fridge plugs neatly into your laptop or desktop and keeps your beverage cold all day, enthused sales executive Michaela Grill. Cold beer all day and you need never get up from your desk, she said. AFP

Merkel pins hopes on IT to boost eurozone

HANOVER German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week the IT industry was one of the key potential sources for growth in the crisis-hit eurozone, as she opened the worlds biggest high-tech fair. Formally inaugurating the CeBIT fair on March 4, Merkel said that while a lot had been done to stabilise the euro, we still talk about creating growth without really having an answer as to where this growth is going to come from. The IT industry is without doubt one of the possibilities and one of my dreams ... is to create the same founding conditions for all small IT companies everywhere in Europe, said Merkel. Hours earlier, Germanys IT industry lobby BITKOM forecast sales growth in 2013 to rise by 1.4 percent to 153.3 billion euros (US$199 billion), driven by a solid market in smartphones and tablet computers. While a slight drop from the 2.2pc seen last year, the forecast is still considerably higher than the 0.4pc total overall growth for the German economy, the largest in Europe, said BITKOM president Dieter Kempf. Sales of tablet computers in Germany were expected to rise by 11pc to 2.3 billion euros, the lobby forecast. Sales of tablets should for the first time show the same sales levels as desktop PCs, said Kempf. Global IT spending was expected to rise this year by 5.1pc to 2.7 trillion euros, forecast BITKOM, with India (+13.9pc), Brazil (+9.6pc) and China (+8.9pc) the biggest growth markets. There is a shift in the 2013 country ranking: China has overtaken Japan and is for the first time the second biggest national market, said Kempf. China holds 9.5pc of the global IT market, ahead of Japan with 8.3pc. Both Asian giants are still comfortably behind the United States, which enjoys a 26.8pc share of the worlds technology market. About 4100 exhibitors from some 70 countries attended the CeBIT fair, including tech giants Microsoft, SAP, IBM and Google. AFP

Sunstone identified as Viking seafarers aid

PARIS An oblong crystal found in the wreck of a 16thcentury English warship is a sunstone, a near-mythical navigational aid said to have been used by Viking mariners, researchers said on March 6. The stone is made of Iceland spar, a transparent, naturally-occurring calcite crystal that polarises light and can get a bearing on the Sun, they said. It was found in the remains of a ship that had been sent to France in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I as a precaution against a second Spanish Armada but foundered off the island of Alderney, in the Channel. British and French scientists have long argued that the find is a sunstone a device that fractures the light, enabling seafarers to locate the Sun. Sunstones, according to a theory first aired 45 years ago, helped the great Norse mariners to navigate their way to Iceland, long before the magnetic compass was introduced in Europe in the 13th century. But there is only a sketchy reference in ancient Norse literature to a solarsteinn, which means the idea has remained frustratingly without solid proof. In a study published in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A , investigators analysed a tiny sample, using a spectrometer, which confirmed that the stone was a calcite. It is milky white in appearance, and not transparent, but the new experiments show that this is surface discolouration, caused by centuries of immersion in sea water and abrasion by sand, the study said. Using a transparent crystal similar to the original, the scientists were able to follow the track of the setting Sun in poor light, with an accuracy of one degree. In a second experiment, they were able to locate the Sun for 40 minutes after sunset. Other factors provide evidence that this is a sunstone, found the investigation, led by Guy Ropars of the University of Rennes, in Frances western region of Brittany. The crystal was found in the wreckage beside a pair of navigation dividers. Tests that placed a magnetic compass next to one of the iron cannons excavated from the ship found that the needle swung wildly, by as much as 100 degrees. Put together, these suggest the sunstone may have been kept as a backup to a magnetic compass. How does the sunstone work? If you put a dot on top of the crystal and look at it from below, two dots appear, because the light is depolarised and fractured along different axes. You then rotate the crystal until the two points have exactly the same intensity or darkness. At that angle, the upward-facing surface of the crystal indicates the direction of the Sun, Ropars told AFP in an interview in 2011, when preliminary research about the Alderney stone was published. AFP

Venus is pictured through the rings of Saturn is this image released by NASA on March 5 and taken on November 10 last year by NASAs Cassini spacecraft. The vast distance from Saturn means that Venus is apparent as a small, white dot, just above and to the right of the centre of the image. Though Venus has an atmosphere of carbon dioxide that reaches nearly 500 degrees Celsius (900F) and a surface pressure 100 times that of Earth, it is considered a twin to our planet

because of its similar size, mass, rock composition and orbit. Venus is covered in thick sulphuric acid clouds, making it very bright. The bright arc is the limb of Saturn. The image was taken by a wide-angle camera at a distance of about 802,000 kilometres (498,000 miles) from Saturn and at a sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 178 degrees. The image scale is 44 kilometres (28 miles) a pixel. Pic: AFP/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

TimesWORLD
BANGKOK A British activist who could face up to seven years in a Thai prison for his investigation into alleged migrant labour abuses last week decried the charges as a politically motivated attempt to silence him. Andy Hall, a migrant consultant for the EU-funded International Management Group (IMG) and an advisor to the Myanmar government, faces civil and criminal

March 11 - 17, 2013

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Myanmar Times

Thailand charges activist over migrant workers report

lawsuits submitted against him by Thai fruit processor Natural Fruit, a major supplier to the European drink market. The legal action follows a recent report Hall prepared for Finnish rights watchdog Finnwatch which accused Natural Fruit of using forced and child labour, involvement in human trafficking, unlawfully low wages and long hours. Thailand faces a possible downgrade in the annual US Trafficking in Persons report to Tier 3 on a par with countries such as Algeria, Cuba and Libya for failing to do enough to tackle such problems. Politically charged criminal and civil prosecutions against me are likely part of a wider and more aggressive campaign to silence me and my colleagues, to undermine freedom of expression more generally in Thailand, and to distract me from my work to enhance protection of migrant workers and reduce their systematic exploitation, Hall, 33, told AFP by email on March 6. Abuse against migrants remains systematic and entwined with abuse by corrupt law enforcement officials, employers and politicians themselves, he said. Natural Fruit has submitted a criminal suit against the activist at the Bangkok South Criminal Court on charges of defamation under the computer crime act, which lawyers said could result in up to seven years in jail on each count. The company is also seeking US$10 million through a separate civil suit, accusing him of making false statements to the media, some of which posted the allegations on their websites. He damaged our companys reputation in his study of Myanmar migrant workers, Natural Fruit assistant marketing director Krisna Suwannang told AFP. Hall said he stood by his research and would not attend a court hearing scheduled for April 1 unless legally obliged to do so in order to concentrate on his work. He is also considering a counter suit against Natural Fruit. AFP

Malaysia incursion toll rises after fresh clashes

Malaysia rejected a ceasefire offer by self-proclaimed Filipino sultan as clashes between his followers and local security forces had left at least 60 people dead
Malaysia ordered jet fighters and soldiers on Tuesday to clear out Filipino occupiers February 12 235 followers of the sultan had sailed to Sabah and claimed territory as their ancestral land MINDANAO

NKorea threatens war over new sanctions

SEOUL North Korea responded to new UN sanctions on March 8 with fresh threats of nuclear war, the scrapping of peace pacts with South Korea and the severing of a hotline with Seoul. The latest measures announced by Pyongyang ramped up tensions on the Korean peninsula that have surged since the North staged a third nuclear test last month. On March 7, the country had threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States and South Korea. North Korea abrogates all agreements on nonaggression reached between the North and the South, the state-run Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said in a statement. A non-aggression pact signed in 1991 endorsed the peaceful settlement of disputes and the prevention of accidental military clashes. The CPRK said the pact would be voided as of March 11, the same day that Pyongyang has vowed to rip up the 1953 armistice agreement that ended Korean War hostilities. It also notifies the South side that it will immediately cut off the North-South hotline, the committee said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. The hotline was installed in 1971 and the North has severed it five times in the past most recently in 2010. Pyongyangs latest announcement came hours after the UN Security Council strengthened existing sanctions in response to its February 12 nuclear test. The resolution adopted by the 15-member Council added new names to the UN sanctions blacklist and tightened restrictions on North Koreas financial dealings, notably its suspect bulk cash transfers. The new sanctions will bite hard, said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice. They increase North Koreas isolation and raise the cost to North Koreas leaders of defying the international community. China wants full implementation of the resolution, said its UN envoy Li Baodong, while stressing that efforts must be made to bring North Korea back to negotiations and to defuse tensions. Before the Security Council meeting, the North Korean foreign ministry had threatened a pre-emptive nuclear attack against the United States and all other aggressors. The US responded by saying it was fully capable of defending itself and its allies including South Korea against any missile strike. AFP

FELDA SAHABAT, Malaysia Malaysia said clashes between intruding Filipino militants and its security forces had left 60 people dead as of late on March 7, as it rejected a ceasefire offer from the fighters leader. Police chief Ismail Omar said 32 followers of a self-proclaimed Philippine sultan had been killed in two confrontations since March 6 near the scene of a three-week standoff in Sabah state, after a military assault to dislodge them. That brought the total dead to 60, including 52 militants. Eight Malaysian policemen were killed in skirmishes the previous weekend. Troops and police are hunting the Islamic militants in a remote region of Borneo island, where they landed last month to assert a long-dormant territorial claim in what has become Malaysias worst security crisis in years. A spokesman for their Manila-based leader, who called for a midday ceasefire, said 235 people including eight women took part in the original incursion. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who flew to the region on March 7 to inspect security operations, said he told Philippine leader Benigno Aquino by phone the ceasefire offer was rejected. I told President Aquino they must lay down their arms immediately, Najib told reporters in a village near where the army and police were searching for scores of militants. The sultan, Jamalul Kiram III, declared a unilateral ceasefire and urged Malaysia to reciprocate.

Deadly Sabah standoff

Clashes reported Toll: At least 60 people -- 52 militants and MALAYSIA 8 police, Malaysian police say SABAH Tanduo Lahad Datu Kunak

PHILIPPINES

Semporna BORNEO INDONESIA

Wednesday, March 6 Veteran members of former insurgent group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) reported to have sailed from the Philippines to reinforce followers of the sultan

But Najib said Malaysian forces would continue the offensive, sending more soldiers into the hilly region of vast oil palm estates and pockets of jungle. Anger has mounted in Malaysia over the incursion, which began on February 12 when fighters arrived from the southern Philippines to press Kirams claim to the area. Kiram says he is heir to the Sultanate of Sulu, which once ruled islands that are now part of the southern Philippines as well as Sabah. The main group of militants was

holed up in the sleepy farming village of Tanduo for three weeks until two deadly shootouts with security forces on the weekend of March 2-3 triggered a military assault to dislodge them. The attack scattered the fighters and security forces were searching huge oil palm groves for them. Tension is running high in eastern Sabah due to the incursion. Residents of some towns have fled after police said gunmen were spotted in other areas down the coast, raising fears of a wider guerrilla infiltration. AFP

Hot and getting hotter

WASHINGTON The Earth is on track to becoming the hottest it has been at any time in the past 11.3 millennia, a period spanning the history of human civilisation, a study published in Science on March 7 has found. Based on data collected from 73 sites around the world, scientists have been able to reconstruct the history of the planets temperature from the end of the last Ice Age about 11,000 years ago to the present. They have determined that the past 10 years have been hotter than 80 percent of the last 11,300 years. Virtually all the climate models evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict that the Earths atmosphere will be hotter in the coming decades than at any time since the end of the Ice Age, no matter what greenhouse gas emission scenario is used, the study found. We already knew that on a global scale, Earth is warmer today than it was over much of the past 2000 years, said Shaun Marcott, a post-graduate researcher at Oregon State University and the lead author of the study. The climate models project that average global temperatures will rise by 1.1 to 6.3 degrees Celsius (2.0 and 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, depending on the level of C02 emissions resulting from human activities, the researchers found. AFP

Trade Mark Caution

Abbott Laboratories, a company incorporated in the United States of America, of 100 Abbott Park Road, Dept. 377-APA6-1, Abbott Park, Illinois 60064, U.S.A., is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

Trade Mark Caution

KAO KABUSHIKI KAISHA (also trading as Kao Corporation), a joint-stock company duly organized under the laws of Japan, of 14-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

ALUVIA
Reg. No. 9669/2009 in respect of Pharmaceutical preparations - an antiviral. Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for Abbott Laboratories P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

Reg. No. 3048/2010 in respect of Class 1: Chemical preparations for use in the manufacture of cosmetic products. Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for KAO KABUSHIKI KAISHA P. O. Box 60, Yangon. Email: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

BISAMIN

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Top Russian ballet dancer charged over acid attack

MOSCOW Russia last week charged a leading Bolshoi dancer with grievous bodily harm after he admitted ordering an assault on the famed ballet troupes chief while denying ever planning the use of acid. Russian police on March 7 charged leading Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, who had made a speciality of playing villains, and the suspected perpetrator and driver under a statute that could see them jailed for up to 12 years. Dmitrichenko earlier told a Moscow district court he did not tell suspected perpetrator Yuri Zarutsky, who police say the dancer paid to carry out the attack, to fling acid into the face of Sergei Filin. The acid attack left Filin, 42, battling to save his eyesight and prevent permanent facial disfigurement. He is undergoing rehabilitation in Germany. I did not want to cause harm, Dmitrichenko told the court, looking wan and haggard. Dmitrichenko admitted he had been angered by Filins behaviour as artistic director, in a row that reportedly was triggered by the ballet chiefs refusal to let his dancer girlfriend take the star role in Swan Lake. Dmitrichenko said that it was Zarutsky who had originally suggested attacking Filin as a way of getting back at him for what Dmitrichenko considered his bad leadership of the Bolshoi.

Mystery crime fighter unmasks himself

LONDON A takeaway delivery man revealed on March 5 that he is the mysterious crime-fighter whose image went viral online after he walked into a British police station dressed as Batman and handed over a wanted man. Stan Worby, 39, said he was gobsmacked by worldwide coverage of his antics and revealed that the man he turned into police was a friend. Worby sparked a wave of theories about his identity on March 4 when police released a CCTV image of a man dressed as the comic book hero, delivering the suspect to a police station in Bradford, northern England. He had told dumbstruck officers: Ive caught this one for you! before vanishing into the night on the early hours of February 25. Danny Frayne, 27, has been charged with handling stolen goods and fraudrelated offences and was to appear in court on March 8. Worby, who works for a Chinese takeaway, said his friend had wanted to hand himself in. Obviously it was done as a joke, Worby told ITV television. Worby said he took offence at media reports describing him as a chubby version of the caped crusader protesting that he looks overweight in the picture because he was wearing a tracksuit under the costume to stay warm. Worby said he had been at a football match in London on February 24 wearing the Batman outfit when Frayne called to ask if he could give him a lift to the police station. I told him as soon as I was home I would run him to Bradford central police station, Worby told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. Dannys a good friend of mine and Ive known him for 15 years or so. Who knows if Ill be doing some more crimefighting in the future? AFP

Undated images released by the Bolshoi Theatre showing, from left, Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin, Bolshoi Ballet ballerina Anzhelina Vorontsova and Bolshoi Ballet soloist, Pavel Dmitrichenko. Pic: AFP/Bolshoi Theatre I told Yuri Zarutsky about the politics that took place in the Bolshoi Theatre, about the violations that took place and the corruption, Dmitrichenko said in televised comments. Then he (Zarutsky) suggested: Okay, then Ill beat him up and I agreed to his suggestion, said Dmitrichenko. The only thing I admit April 18. The defence said that Dmitrichenko had de-facto admitted his guilt while denying he had wanted to cause such serious harm to Filin. My client never had any intention of causing such harm to health, especially not in a loathsome way like disfiguring the face or causing the loss of sight, said reports have suggested was caused by the Bolshoi chiefs refusal to give his ballerina girlfriend Anzhelina Vorontsova top roles. In a tale of bitterness reminiscent of the hit ballet film Black Swan, Dmitrichenko is reported to have been particularly riled that Vorontsova was not allowed to dance the main Odette-Odile role in Swan Lake, the dream of any ballerina. With piercing eyes and a lean face, Dmitrichenko had made a speciality of portraying villains, like Ivan the Terrible and the Evil Genius in Swan Lake. Filins wife Maria told the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily that her husband had suspicions about Dmitrichenko but believed that a much wider circle of people was involved. Police however said in a statement that the case was solved and no further arrests of suspects were expected. AFP

I did not want to cause harm.

is that I did phone him. He asked me to tell him when Filin would be leaving the theatre. I told him, that I admit to absolutely. But he added: I couldnt believe that this guy who offered to beat him up went and did all this with the acid. Basically I was in shock. Dmitrichenko, Zarutsky and the suspected getaway driver Andrei Lipatov were also all remanded in custody by the Moscow court until defence lawyer Alexander Barkhanov. Police said in a statement that Dmitrichenko had paid Zarutsky 50,000 rubles (US$1630) to attack Filin, who had the acid thrown in his face while returning home on the night of January 17. Police have said the crime was motivated by Dmitrichenkos hostile personal relationship with Filin, which Russian press

A record for women: IPU

GENEVA The share of women in the worlds parliaments has risen to a new high topping 20 percent, with quotas the driving the surge, the International Parliamentary Union said on March 5. Since parliaments exist, this is the first time in history that theres been one woman for every four men, said Anders Johnsson, head of the Geneva-based IPU, which groups 162 national legislatures. The global average share of women in parliaments stood at 20.3 percent in 2012, up from 19.5pc in 2011, the IPU said, ahead of the UNsponsored International Womens Day on March 8. Of the 48 countries which held elections last year, 22 used quotas of some form. Where quotas were set down in law, women took an average 24pc of the seats, while voluntary quotas produced a rate of 22pc. In countries without a quota, women took just 12pc of seats. AFP

Trade Mark Caution

NOTICE is hereby given that PTT Retail Management Company Limited of 2/4 Siam Commercial Samaggi Insurance Tower, 11th Floor, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Thungsonghong, Laksi, Bangkok 10210 Thailand is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademark: -

(Reg: No. IV/8321/2012) in respect of: - Business management of convenience store; the bringing together, for the benefit of others, of a variety of goods (excluding the transport thereof), enabling customers to conveniently view and purchase those goods from a convenience store; business management of restaurants; business management of retail outlets; supermarket, convenient store, wholesales, bakery shop, food kiosks and beverage kiosks all included in Class: 35 Restaurant, coffee shop, catering services, self-services restaurant, beverage services, cafes, cafeterias, canteens and snack-bars Class: 43 Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law. U Kyi Win Associates for PTT Retail Management Company Limited P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon. Phone: 372416 Dated: 11th March, 2013

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Syrian rebels seize UN peacekeepers

DAMASCUS Syrian rebels 6 by gunmen who said the increasingly difficult for the kept 21 UN peacekeepers troops would be held until United Nations to keep the h o s t a g e o n t h e G o l a n regime forces pulled back mission up to strength. In amateur video footage Heights on March 7 despite from a Golan village. M a n i l a s t r o n g l y distributed by Britainworld condemnation of the spillover of Syrias conflict condemned their seizure based Syrian Observatory onto the sensitive armistice and demanded they be f o r H u m a n R i g h t s , a released immediately, a rebel spokesman said the line with Israel. Diplomats scrambled to call echoed by UN chief Ban peacekeepers would not be freed until Syrian regime secure the release of the 21 Ki-moon. P h i l i p p i n e F o r e i g n forces pull out of the area. Filipinos serving with the If they do not withdraw, four-decade-old UN peace Secretary Albert del Rosario mission on the strategic said the peacekeepers these men will be treated as plateau, as concern mounted d e t e n t i o n w a s a g r o ss prisoners, spokesman Abu that their seizure might violation of international Kaid al-Faleh said, accusing prompt more governments law as they were operating the UN force of working with the Syrian to withdraw their army against the contingents. Israel, which If they do not withdraw, these rebels. Israel, which has repeatedly captured much warned that it men will be treated as prisoners. of the Golan in will not tolerate the 1967 Middle East war any spillover onto the Golan, under the UN flag. The captive troops are part and annexed it in 1981 in said it feared the hostagetaking might lead to the of a 300-strong Philippine a move never recognised by already depleted force being contingent to the UN force the international community, that has been monitoring said it feared any depletion wound up altogether. For months, Israel has the separation of Israeli and of the UN force would pose a retaliated against stray Syrian troops on the Golan serious threat. This kidnapping is likely fire onto its side of the since a 1974 armistice that armistice line, whether from followed the previous years to convince countries who participate in this force to Damascus troops or from Middle East war. At the end of February, bring their troops home, the rebels, who are also hostile to its occupation of the UN Disengagement which would undoubtedly Force comprised some 1000 create a dangerous vacuum the Syrian territory. The Philippine soldiers peacekeepers but a growing in no-mans land on the were detained at a rebel post number of incidents over Golan, an Israeli official on the Syrian side on March the past year has made it said. AFP

A Syrian woman and her children eat lunch at a refugee camp in Lebanons Bekaa valley last week. The UN refugee agency said on March 6 that the number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance now exceeds one million. It warned that Syria is heading towards a full-scale disaster. Pic: AFP

Israel accused of abusing minors

JERUSALEM The illtreatment of Palestinian minors held within the Israeli military detention system is widespread, systematic and institutionalised, said a report released by the UN childrens fund on March 6. In the 22-page report entitled Children in Israeli Military Detention, UNICEF said Israel was the only country in the world where children were systematically tried in military courts and gave evidence of practices it said were cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalised, it concluded, outlining 38 recommendations. In the past decade, Israeli forces have arrested, interrogated and prosecuted about 7000 children between 12 and 17, mostly boys, UNICEF found, noting the rate was equivalent to an average of two children each day. Figures from the end of January show that 233 children are being held in custody, 31 of them under the age of 16. Israel is the only place in the world where automatically, a child when he is under arrest, is put before a military tribunal, said Jean-Nicolas Beuze, UNICEFs regional adviser on child protection. In response, Israel said it had provided UNICEF with material used in the report and pledged to work towards implement its conclusions. Most arrests are for throwing stones. AFP

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Tears, chants and politics as Venezuela farewells Chavez

CARACAS Venezuela gave late leader Hugo Chavez a lavish farewell at a state funeral on March 8 that brought some of the worlds most notorious strongmen to tears before his handpicked successor took office in a disputed inauguration. More than 30 heads of state paid tribute to the leftist firebrand president as his body lay in state in a flag-covered coffin at a military academy, bringing the curtain down on a 14-year reign that divided his nation. There you are, undefeated, pure, transparent, unique, true, alive forever, his political heir Nicolas Maduro said as his voice rose and cracked in a eulogy that both praised his mentor and railed against his opponents. Mission accomplished comandante! The struggle goes on, he exclaimed as the guests, ranging from Cuban leader Raul Castro to Hollywood star Sean Penn, applauded. The vice president was sworn-in as acting president later on March 8 at the National Assembly. The main opposition coalition boycotted the event, arguing that it was unconstitutional. This set the stage for a bitter election campaign that must be called within 30 days, five months after Chavez beat a stronger challenger than he had been used to Henrique Capriles, who will now likely face Maduro. Nicolas, nobody elected you president. The people didnt vote for you, kid, Capriles said, arguing that the constitution requires the vice president to step down in order to run for office. Before the political battle began, the state funeral opened with Venezuelan conductor and Los Angeles Philharmonic maestro Gustavo Dudamel leading an orchestral rendition of the national anthem. Maduro placed a replica of the golden

Uncertainty ahead, say world papers

MADRID Hugo Chavez article described Chavez as has left Venezuela divided passionate but polarising. Some papers were more with an economy overly reliant on oil wealth and sympathetic, however. Chavezs fierce anti-US riddled with corruption, world newspapers warned rhetoric led him to fraternise on March 6, foreseeing great with regimes such as those in Iran or Belarus, said the instability after his death. Chavezs death from online edition of Germanys cancer at 58 leaves a complex Frankfurter Allgemeine legacy for his successor, with Zeitung. But the relationship elections expected in 30 days, newspapers and online sites between Latin America and the North was deeply said. Yet few papers could deny c h a n g e d b y C a r a c a s s his huge political impact repeated verbal attacks in Venezuela and across on Washington in recent the Latin American region, years. Latin American states though the verdict on his gained self-confidence, the paper said. performance was mixed. In Britain, the left-leaning Chavez stayed in power for 14 years, winning elections Guardian said Chavez had with a mix of personal left a legacy of literacy and charisma, largesse in the healthcare for the poor but also use of oil money, populist crumbling infrastructure rhetoric and an ability to and dependence on oil. The conservative Daily convince many that their Telegraph was lives would be less forgiving, better thanks to escribing the Bolivarian Chavez was a d Chavez as revolution, said Spains brilliant politician a s h r e w d demagogue leading daily El Pais. and a disastrous who combined brash but But it seems ruler. intoxicating more than rhetorical gifts improbable with a free that any successor will be able to stir spending of oil revenues to enough support to make turn himself into a leading citizens tolerate for much figure on the world stage. In Cuba, there was only longer the enormous financial imbalances, daily shortages, effusive praise in the official extensive corruption or press. Chavez struck up a lasting rampant urban violence that afflict the Caribbean nation friendship with Cubas 86and that remain in place or year-old retired leader Fidel are even worse after the late Castro. For all the true greats, presidents long reign, El time makes them greater Pais said. Rory Carroll, Guardian rather than extinguishing correspondent and author of them, ran one of the Comandante: Hugo Chavezs headlines in Cuban stateVenezuela, wrote an opinion run newspaper Granma piece for the New York Times along with a photo gallery headlined: In the end, an of the Venezuelan leaders various encounters with awful manager. Chavez was a brilliant Fidel Castro. Chavezs death will politician and a disastrous ruler. He leaves Venezuela a plunge Venezuela into a ruin, and his death plunges new period of uncertainty, its roughly 30 million citizens warned conservative French into profound uncertainty, daily Le Figaro, headlining its editorial The end of a Carroll wrote. The Washington Posts lead provocateur. AFP

A supporter pays her last respects to Hugo Chavez during his funeral in Caracas on March 8. Pic: AFP sword of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar on his mentors wooden casket and then handed it to his family at the end of the funeral. Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus sat next to each other, wiping away tears as a band played one of Chavezs favorite sentimental songs. We have lost a great leader, a great man, Ahmadinejad said after the ceremony. Hugo came from the people and he served the people. Several Latin American leaders, including Cubas Castro, were invited to stand in an honour guard around the coffin, which was closed and covered in the yellow, blue and red colors of Venezuela. Chavezs body will lie in state for seven more days and officials said it will be embalmed and preserved like Lenin to rest in a glass casket in the military barracks where he plotted a failed coup in 1992. Venezuela is giving Chavez a long farewell, with hundreds of thousands of people filing past his open casket nonstop since March 6, one day after Chavez lost his two-year battle with cancer at age 58. In a country divided by Chavezs populist style, opinions of his legacy vary, with opposition supporters in better-off neighbourhoods angry at the runaway homicide rate, high inflation and expropriations. There are no words for what Chavez did: he ruined Venezuela, said Giuseppe Leone, a 78-year-old Venezuelan-Italian in the well-to-do east of the city. Leaders from Africa and the Caribbean attended the funeral, but European nations sent lower-level delegations. The United States was represented by its charge daffaires and two politicians from President Barack Obamas Democratic Party. AFP

Trade Mark Caution

HLT International IP LLC, of 7930 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 1100, McLean, VA 22102, United States of America, is the Owner of the following Trade Marks:-

HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON

Reg. No. 10450/2011

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON
Reg. No. 10443/2011 Reg. No. 10444/2011

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON HOME2 SUITES BY HILTON

Reg. No. 10452/2011 Reg. No. 10451/2011

Trade Mark Caution

Schering-Plough Ltd., a company organized and existing under the laws of Switzerland, of Weystrasse 20, CH-6000, Lucerne 6, Switzerland, is the Owner of the following Trade Marks:-

Reg. No. 10445/2011

HILTON GARDEN INN

Reg. No. 10446/2011

Reg. No. 10447/2011

HAMPTON BY HILTON
Reg. No. 10448/2011

Reg. No. 10453/2011 in respect of Class 43: Hotel services, restaurant, catering, bar and cocktail lounge services; resort lodging services; provision of general purpose facilities for meetings, conferences and exhibitions; provision of banquet and social function facilities for special occasions; and reservation services for hotel accommodations for others. Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Marks will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A.,H.G.P.,D.B.L. for HLT International IP LLC P.O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

Reg. No. 8743/2006 in respect of Class 5: Pharmaceutical products. Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Marks will be dealt with according to law. Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.L for Schering-Plough Ltd. P. O. Box 60, Yangon E-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mm Dated: 11 March 2013

PEGINTRON

(Miscellaneous Pegintron Design) Reg. No. 8741/2006

Reg. No. 10449/2011

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Briefs
Egyptian court cancels elections
CAIRO Egypts administrative court on March 6 ordered the cancellation of controversial parliamentary elections scheduled for April 22, throwing the country deeper into political crisis. President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood both issued statements saying they would respect the courts decision. Judge Abdel Meguid alMoqanen said Morsi had ratified a new electoral law last month without sending it to the Supreme Constitutional Court for its approval, as required by the constitution.

Brennan confirmed as director of CIA

WASHINGTON The US Senate confirmed John Brennan as CIA director on March 7 after the White House doused a fierce debate over the potential use of domestic drones, which could have delayed filling the crucial post. Brennan, a counter-terrorism expert and 25-year veteran of the CIA who was the architect of the controversial secret program that uses armed drones in targeted killings overseas, was given the green light after a two-month confirmation process that heated up in its final week. The Senate voted 63-34 with several Republicans approving Brennan following a dramatic 13-hour stall tactic, called a filibuster, the night before by Senator Rand Paul, who demanded clarification from the White House on the limits of the governments legal power to kill its own citizens on US soil. The Brennan confirmation fills a crucial position on Obamas national security team, after senators gave their nod to John Kerry to lead the State Department and to Chuck Hagel as Pentagon chief. Despite his reservations, Paul was among several Republicans who allowed the Brennan vote to go ahead, although he ultimately voted against Brennans confirmation. The senator from Kentucky had delayed the nomination, seeking clarification from the White House over whether it was US policy to allow the killing by a drone strike of a noncombatant American citizen on US soil. He got his answer earlier on March 7, when Attorney General Eric Holder wrote to tell Paul that this was not US policy.

US general recommends 13,000 troops stay in Afghanistan after 2014

WASHINGTON The general overseeing US forces in Afghanistan told senators on March 5 that he recommended keeping 13,600 American troops in the country once NATO withdraws in 2014, even as White House officials have pushed for a smaller presence. It was the first time a senior military leader had revealed his advice on how many troops should stay in Afghanistan as President Barack Obamas administration carries out an internal debate on the size of a future force after 2014. At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, General James Mattis, head of US Central Command, w as asked by S enator John McCain what he had recommended on future troop levels and he said: That recommendation is for 13,600 US forces, sir. And the American troops would be joined by several thousand non-US NATO forces, with around 50 percent of what we provide, said Mattis, who as Central Command chief presides over troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan. His comments confirmed speculation that the military prefers a larger troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014 than some senior White House officials, who have leaked proposals for a follow-on force of 6000-9000 boots on the ground. T h e O b a m a administration is anxious to wrap up the unpopular war and to reduce costs amid deep budget cuts, but some commanders worry that battlefield gains from a troop surge in 201011 could unravel without a more robust military presence. US defence officials said no final decision has been made on how many troops should remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014 and it was unclear if the militarys top officer, General Martin Dempsey, endorsed Mattis advice. Obama last month announced 34,000 troops would return from Afghanistan by midFebruary 2014, reducing the force to about 32,000. At the moment, there are roughly 66,000 troops in the country, after a peak of about 100,000 in 2011. AFP

Conclave due to choose new pope

VATICAN CITY Vatican workers made final preparations in the Sistine Chapel on the weekend after Roman Catholic cardinals voted begin their conclave to elect a new pope on March 12. The conclave of 115 cardinal electors will choose the 264th pope, following 85-year-old Benedict XVIs abrupt decision to resign last month after a troubled eight-year papacy. The decision on the date of the conclave was taken at a closed-door meeting of cardinals on March 8.

John Brennan testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing ahead of his confirmation last week. Pic: AFP Paul, who emerged from his filibuster as somewhat of a political celebrity with backing from some fellow Republicans, said that receiving Holders letter proved that the entire battle was worthwhile. The unmanned aerial drone program had emerged as the most contentious element of Brennans nomination to head the CIA. Earlier last week Holder had said that, while Obama had no intention of ordering drone strikes on US soil, the scenario could be possible if there was an extraordinary circumstance such as an attack similar to 9/11. Paul acknowledged that US drone strikes have proven effective in places such as Pakistan and Yemen. But he added during his filibuster: If youre going to kill noncombatants, people eating dinner, in America, there have to be some rules. AFP

Billions spent in Iraq for little gain: report

WASHINGTON After the use of about $1.7 billion, invading Iraq ten years including $1.3 billion in fuel ago, the United States spent purchases, it said. The lengthy report US$60 billion on a vast reconstruction effort that highlighted some of the worst left behind few successes examples of mismanagement and a litany of failures, and graft and included an auditors report said on interviews with senior Iraqi and US officials who mostly March 6. T h e a m b i t i o u s p l a n regretted the outcome of the to transform the country reconstruction program. The level of fraud, after the fall of Saddam Hussein has been marked waste, and abuse in Iraq by half-finished projects was appalling, Senator and crushed expectations, Susan Collins, a Republican said the final report of the from Maine, was quoted as Special Inspector General for saying. She was especially angry Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart when she learned that some Bowen. The aid effort was plagued reconstruction money found its way into by in-fighting the hands among US of insurgent agencies and The level of groups, the an improvised adhocracy fraud, waste, and report said. The review, approach, with no one clearly abuse in Iraq was h o w e v e r , concluded that in charge of appalling. a program to a massive train and arm investment that was supposed to put Iraqi security forces stood out Iraq on a stable footing, said as a success. Both Iraqi and US officials the report to Congress. Management and funding agreed that the Americans gaps caused hundreds of tended to ignore the advice projects to fall short of of Iraqis or never bothered promised results, leaving a to consult them before legacy of bitter dissatisfaction launching costly projects, among many Iraqis, it said. with sometimes disastrous Some of the reconstruction results. The list of failures included money was stolen, with a number of US military officers a new police academy with and contractors imprisoned raw sewage leaking through for fraud, while other funds ceilings, a subcontractor remain unaccounted for to charging $900 for a control switch valued at seven dollars this day, it said. Of $2.8 billion in Iraqi oil and a project to build large revenues handled by the prison in Diyala province that US Defense Department, was eventually abandoned, officials could not produce despite an investment of $40 documents accounting for million.

Kenyatta wins presidential race

NAIROBI Uhuru Kenyatta was elected Kenyas new president, despite facing an international crimes against humanity trial for violence in the previous polls, provisional election commission figures showed on March 9. Kenyatta won 50.3 percent of the vote, tallies showed. Prime Minster Raila Odinga trailed in second place with 43.28pc. Kenyatta becomes the countrys new leader 50 years after his independence hero father, Kenyas founding president, Jomo Kenyatta.

Bin Laden relative in New York court

NEW YORK Osama bin Ladens son-in-law and former spokesman pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in New York on March 8, where he was brought a week ago after a secret US operation. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, allegedly a senior propagandist in the al-Qaeda network, is accused of conspiring to kill nationals of the United States. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if found guilty. Ghaith was remanded in custody until April 8. AFP

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Authorities in Maldives release former president

MALE Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed was freed on March 6 after his overnight detention sparked antigovernment protests that led to the arrest of over 80 opposition activists, police said. The release of Nasheed, the countrys first democratically elected leader, came after he was taken before a magistrate on charges of abusing hi s authority when he was in power between 2008 and 2012. We produced him (before a judge) in court today as instructed by the magistrate and after todays hearing he was free to go, police spokesman Hassan Haneef told AFP. Nasheeds Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the case had been put off for another four weeks. But there was no ruling on the 45-year-old politicians demand to postpone the case until after the September 7 presidential election in which he is a candidate, the MDP said. Nasheed says the charges are politically motivated and aimed at disqualifying him from contesting the September presidential elections. Police detained him on March 5, defying pressure from regional power India which had called for him to be free to campaign for the elections. During the one-hour hearing on March 6, two women were arrested for causing disturbances, police spokesman Haneef said, adding that a total of 81 people had been detained since protests erupted the previous day. In New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in an address to parliament on March 6 warned against critical political instability in the atoll nation. We remain concerned about critical political instability in Maldives. It is our hope that Maldives will have free, fair and credible elections in September to elect their president, Singh said. India will support all efforts to ensure free, fair and credible elections...We are closely monitoring the developments, the Indian leader added. Male has been racked by violence and political infighting since February 2012 when Nasheed was ousted following a mutiny by security forces and street protests. AFP

Briefs
Court rules in Dotcoms favour
WELLINGTON An appeal court on March 7 backed Megaupload boss Kim Dotcoms right to sue New Zealands foreign intelligence agency for illegally spying on him as part of a US probe into alleged online piracy. The Court of Appeal refused a government request to overturn a High Court decision in December that said he can seek damages from the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) over his treatment. The ruling also means the GCSB will have to disclose to Dotcoms defence some details of informationsharing arrangements it had with foreign agencies, including US authorities, before the internet tycoons arrest in January 2012.

Villagers gather around a well in a village in Gujurat state during a drought in June 2003. Millions of people in western India are suffering their worst drought in more than four decades, officials said last week. Pic: AFP

India suffers worst drought in decades

10,000 villages affected, but said it ran into millions. Christopher Moses runs a charitable hospital in Jalna, one of the worst-affected districts. This is a famine. Villagers have nothing to eat, they are scraping literally the bottom of their pot, Moses told AFP by telephone from Jalna. He said the crisis may force him to shut down parts of his Jalna Mission Hospital for the first time in its 117-year history. With nearly three-quarters of Indians dependent on rural incomes, the yearly monsoon is a lifeline especially given that about two-thirds of farmland is not irrigated and depends entirely on rain. While last years monsoon picked up late in western parts of India, low rainfall in the crucial month of June led to water deficiency throughout the season, said Medha Khole at the India Meteorological Department. Chavan warned there would a very serious problem if the rains fail this year. AFP

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RAFFLES RESIDENCES

MUMBAI Millions of people in western India are suffering their worst drought in more than four decades. Central areas of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, are facing a water shortage worse than the severe drought in 1972, the states chief minister Prithviraj Chavan told AFP on March 6. In recorded history the reservoirs have never been so low in central Maharashtra, he said. With every passing day the reservoirs are drying up. Chavan blamed the crisis on two successive poor monsoons, although others say a public policy failure is also responsible. Nearly 2000 tanker trucks are being used to transport drinking water to the needy, while hundreds of cattle camps have been set up to keep livestock alive until the monsoon, which usually arrives in June. With every passing day, the tankers have to travel a greater distance. Its a huge logistical issue, Chavan said. The chief ministers office could not put an exact figure on the population in the

Jail terms for bank executives

KABUL An Afghan court on Mach 5 sentenced two senior Kabul Bank executives to five years in jail for a staggering multi-million-dollar fraud that caused the countrys largest bank to collapse in 2010. Judge Shamsul Rahman Shams also banks former chairman, Sher Khan Farnoud, and its former CEO Khalilullah Ferozi, must repay US$278 million and $530 million respectively. The court also sentenced the other 20 accused to jail terms ranging from six months to four years.

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Cambodian activist slams jail sentence

PHNOM PENH A prominent critic of Cambodias government lashed out against his 20-year jail term at an appeal hearing on March 5. Radio station owner Mam Sonando was convicted in October on charges including insurrection and inciting people to take up arms against the state. Sonando, 71, said he was a scapegoat for troublemakers who wanted him to take the blame for unrest triggered by a land dispute.

(Reg: No. IV/14151/2012) the above trademark is in respect of: - Class: 16 and Class: 43

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RAFFLES

Bushfire forces a back down

SYDNEY An Australian anti-logging campaigner who has spent the last 15 months living 60 metres (196 feet) up a tree was on March 7 forced down by an approaching bushfire, but vowed to continue her protest. Miranda Gibson, 31, began living on a makeshift platform atop a eucalypt tree in Tasmania in December 2011 in support of a demand that the states high conservation value forests were protected from logging. AFP

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visits to military units. This is Xi Jinpings first term and right now the security situation around China is rather tense and theres the US pivot toward Asia and other issues, said Peking University security expert Zhu Feng. For Xi, this increase in military spending is probably an indicator of his taking on responsibility for national said: We should accelerate modernisation of national defence and the armed forces so as to strengthen Chinas defence and military capabilities. We should resolutely uphold Chinas sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and ensure its peaceful development. The pace of the budget increase represents a But overall, he said, I see quite little change. The double-digit rise is always there. The increases are a particularly sensitive topic in neighbouring countries, which say China is taking a more assertive stance on long-simmering territorial rows. Beijing and Tokyo have both scrambled jets near disputed islands in the East China Sea administered by Tokyo but claimed by China. Beijing is also at odds with Southeast Asian countries over islets in the South China Sea. China began revamping the PLA a one-time ragtag peasant force formed in 1927 by the Communist party after a troubled 1979 incursion into Vietnam. Last year the navy took delivery of its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and it has also developed stealth fighter and anti-satellite capabilities. AFP ISLAMABAD The United States and China began naval drills in the Arabian Sea with Pakistan and other countries on Mach 7, the Pakistani navy said, in a show of strength against terrorism and piracy. The AMAN-13 exercise involves ships from 13 countries and observers from 20 others and comes two weeks after China took control of a strategic Pakistani Arabian Sea port from Singapores PSA International. The five-day exercise, which began earlier last week with meetings and manoeuvres in port, was to end on March 9 and was aimed at information sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interest, the navy said in a statement. The manoeuvres the fourth since 2007 will also help develop and practice response tactics, techniques and procedures as well as improving cooperation between navies, the statement said. One of the main objectives is to display united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain, it said. The shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean have been plagued in recent years by attacks from Somali pirates. All the nations participating in the AMAN have a common objective of ensuring peace and stability in the maritime arena to provide freedom of navigation and uninterrupted flow of trade, the Pakistan navy statement said. The American destroyer USS William P. Lawrence was among the ships taking part, along with vessels from Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and Turkey. Russia and Germany are among the observers. AFP

Myanmar Times

BEIJING China announced a further double-digit rise in its defence spending on March 5, underlining its military ambitions as Beijings new leadership pushes its claims in a series of territorial disputes. The budget increases, the latest revealed at the start of the annual session of the national parliament, have triggered concern in Asia and Washington, with experts saying actual totals are substantially higher than those publicised. Since taking charge of the party and the countrys top military body in November, incoming p r e si d e n t X i Jinping has exhorted the armed forces to boost their war-fighting abilities and loyalty to the party. He has reportedly also taken charge of a secretive civilian-military group responsible for strategy in maritime disputes, particularly with Japan, and made a series of high profile

China take part in China ups defence spending US, Pakistani naval drills

The double-digit rise is always there.

security. China plans to raise its defence budget by 10.7 percent to 720.2 billion yuan (US$115.7 billion) in 2013, said a government report that will be reviewed by the countrys rubberstamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress. In a speech to the parliament, outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao elicited loud applause when he slight slowdown from the 11.2pc announced in 2012 and 12.7pc the year before, but is part of a trend of substantial rises that have come alongside strong economic growth. Zhu said the slight drop signalled that Beijing doesnt want to give an impression that China is coming to some sort of rearming process with full energy.

Vietnam bans fat traffic cops

HANOI Short, pot-bellied policemen will be banned from traffic duty in Vietnams capital Hanoi and given office jobs in a bid to improve the forces public image, police said on March 6. Details of the new height and weight restrictions were not available but the head of Hanois traffic police said they were working on a list of cops who didnt measure up and would be redeployed out of sight. Police with pot-bellies, or who are too small, will be moved to office work to avoid their coming into contact with the public, Colonel Dao Vinh Thang told AFP. This is one of the strategies to build up the image of Hanois traffic police in 2013, he added. Vietnams traffic police which were voted the most corrupt institution in the communist country according to a recent World Bankfunded survey have long been dogged by a poor public image. In 2011, authorities banned traffic police from wearing sunglasses on duty and warned them not to hide behind trees to ambush motorists to extract fines. Earlier this year, authorities introduced specially-trained female officers on busy corners during rush hour in a bid to cast a friendly light onto the force, state media reported at the time. The move to weed out fat, short policemen is a good initiative which may help improve public perceptions of the force, policeman Nguyen Trong Thai told state media on March 6. It is necessary for officers to undergo regular physical training, he said. AFP

Trade Mark Caution

NOTICE is hereby given that Fujitsu General Limited a joint-stock company organized under the laws of Japan, Manufactures and Merchants of No.1116, Suenaga, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademarks:-

(Reg: No. IV/14155/2012) in respect of :- air conditioners, room coolers, air circulators, ventilators, air cleaners, electric fans, electric refrigerators, hot-water heaters, solar water heaters, filters for air conditioning apparatus, air deodorizing apparatus, electrically heated carpets, electric freezers and parts and fittings for the aforesaid goods In Class: 11 Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law. U Kyi Win Associates for Fujitsu General Limited P.O Box No. 26, Yangon. Phone: 372416 Dated: 11th March, 2013

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Bangladesh torn by lingering tensions

DHAKA When Bangladesh set up a war crimes court in 2010, its stated aim was to heal the wounds from the nations traumatic birth. Three years on, its first verdicts have plunged the country into one of its most turbulent chapters since it broke free from Pakistan four decades ago and threatens lasting damage to the worlds eighth most populous country. Up until March 6, more than 80 people had been been killed in protests, thousands of tourists have been forced to flee and a series of strikes have pummelled an economy which had enjoyed annual growth rates of about six percent over the last 10 years. The verdicts and the subsequent violence have set Bangladesh on the road to a protracted conflict, which may leave permanent damage to society, said Ataur Rahman, Bangladeshi social activists stand in silence at an intersection in central Dhaka on February 12 to demand the quick a Bangladesh expert based execution of those sentenced to death for war crimes during the conflict that led to independence on 1971. Pic: AFP at the State University of the political process, was of having collaborated with Islamists, two of whom have with the police. New York. forces from West Pakistan, But in a sign of the fresh growing rapidly. The former East Pakistan been sentenced to death. He warned of more violence leading militias on murderous But all the defendants polarisation of a country declared independence from Islamabad in December are either members of the which was born out of division, in the coming months as rampages in towns and cities 1971 at the end of a nine- Jamaat-e-Islami party s e c u l a r d e m o n s t r a t o r s the tribunal hands down its in 1971. But their claims that month civil war in which or of the main opposition responded with even bigger verdicts against seven more the government says three Bangladesh National Party protests when the second Jamaat officials and two from the tribunal is biased have million people were killed. Independent estimates put Its true that nobody foresaw such a scale of violence and its difficult to say how its going the figure much been bolstered by a series (BNP), prompting accusations defendant was sentenced the BNP. lower. Its already a chaotic of controversies, including T h e D h a k a - b a s e d that the process is politically- to life in prison rather than situation, exacerbated by the resignation of the chief ordered to hang. I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r i m e s driven. Rahman said the divide the perception among many judge last year after a tapped After the first verdict was Tribunal, which was set up in March 2010, is trying handed down on January b e t w e e n B a n g l a d e s h s people that the war crimes phone conversation showed about a dozen defendants 21, thousands of Jamaat Islamic and secular Bengali tribunal is flawed and him discussing the case with prosecutors. over their role in the war and supporters took to the streets identities, which for decades biased, he said. A defence witness was The defendants are accused has so far convicted three where many fought battles had been reconciled within also abducted outside the courthouse. Prime Minister Sheikh Trade Mark Caution Trade Mark Caution Hasinas Awami League government has steadfastly NOTICE is hereby given that Kentucky Fried Fulian (M) Sdn. Bhd. of 969, Lorong Perindustrian rejected criticism of the Chicken International Holdings, Inc., a company court, insisting it operates independently. The rivalry between Hasina and BNP leader Khaleda Zia has been a central feature of Bangladeshi politics for years and the verdicts have fanned the flames. Zia has called the deaths of the protestors a genocide while Hasina has accused the BNP of siding with war criminals. Mubashar Hasan, who researches political Islam in Bangladesh, said that democracy in a country wracked by coups, stands on the brink of disappearing unless the two women can agree to sit down and save it from more bloodshed. Chances are high that, the democracy of Bangladesh would be in jeopardy, if it is not already, said Hasan, based at Australias Griffith University. Some commentators, however, say the scale of the violence is largely due to intelligence failures by police who were complacent about the Jamaat backlash. Shahdeen Malik, a law professor at Dhakas Brac University, said the violence reflected a desperation in Jamaats ranks that the party could be banned ahead of next Januarys elections and uch of its to end. m leadership executed. Its true that nobody foresaw such a scale of violence and its difficult how its going to end, Malik told AFP. But this violence is a sign of Jamaats weakening support. Theyre attacking police out of desperation. Theyve resorted to violence because their support has declined due to the war crime convictions of their leaders. AFP

Bukit Minyak 16, Kawasan Perindustrian Bukit Minyak, 14100 Seberang Perai Tengah, Penang, Malaysia, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of following Trade Mark:

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TWISTER

PAMPERS

Time out
By Lwin Mar Htun POPULAR Myanmar R&B singer Ar-T will release his first solo album, titled Cho Chin (Candy), on March 24, marking the milestone with a live concert in Yangon. The singer said he has been working on the album since May 2012 using his own money. Ive been planning to release a solo album since I moved from Mandalay to Yangon in October 2009, but I faced many problems. Now I have the chance to release the album, he said. Ar-T gained popularity in 2009 when his song Chit Tel Pyaw Chin Loe was included on the compilation album Hip-Hop Atu Nek Asis (Real Hip-Hop and Imitation). The song Chit Tel Pyaw Chin Loe was just a demo and I didnt know it would be used on the compilation album. But later I was amazed that hip-hop singer J-Me knew my song and then a reporter from Now! magazine contacted me for an interview, he said. I came to Yangon to do the interview but J-Me urged me to collaborate on more songs, so I have been unable to go back to Mandalay. Ar-T said that when he arrived in Yangon he only had K300,000 in his pocket and no place to stay. But I had made up my mind that I wanted do music in a serious way, so I didnt consider going back home even though none of my relatives would let me stay with them and they wanted to send me back to Mandalay, he said. At first I stayed at a friends house and I made some money writing songs for other musicians. But then my friend moved out of the Singer Ar-T performs at Man of the Year 2012 in Yangon. Pic: Supplied

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The Myanmar Times March 11 - 17, 2013

Ar-T finds success in the face of adversity

house where we were living, so I had to move in with one of my uncles, but he didnt like my job and said it was inconvenient for me live there. As a result, Ar-T said he had to keep moving from o n e f r i e n d s h o u s e t o another, which made him feel depressed but also made him more determined to succeed in spite of those who scoffed at his desire to be a musician. Towards that end, he focused on producing a solo album using money he raised

through writing songs and performing live. Before this album Cho Chin, I worked on a different album with another producer. But halfway through, the producer cancelled the project because our opinions were too different, he said. All the songs on that album were owned by the producer, so none of them are included on Cho Chin. Ar-T said he has quickly gained plenty of experience in the music industry, gaining confidence and making contacts. His parents have

also come to accept his work as a musician and they provide emotional support even if they dont contribute financially. The album will include 14 or 15 songs, seven of which were written by Ar-T. He said most of the songs are R&B style, with some pop songs mixed in. There will also be one blues song written by Big Bag and Blood Sugar Politik singer Kyar Pauk. The album will feature guest vocals by J-Me, Sandy Myint Lwin, Chit Soe and Kay Kay Moe.

Ar-T will perform a concert to promote the album at Junction Square shopping centres outdoor area on March 24, from 4pm to 8pm. On March 26 he will play live at Diamond Plaza in Mandalay. I have put a lot of time and effort into this album. I own the rights and I wrote

the songs myself, so I think it will help me build some pride and self-confidence, he said, adding that the target audience was young adults but the songs could be enjoyed by everyone. Ar-T said he is already planning to include some English-language songs on his second solo album.

MWD plans to expand TV programming

By Zon Pann Pwint IN order to better compete with other domestic television stations, state-run MWD plans to increase its broadcasting hours and expand programming on its five digital channels by the end of May. In February 2012, MWD launched six digital channels variety, movies, series, music, documentary and shopping after the completion of a new television station in Nay Pyi Taw, said U Kyaw San, managing director of Myanmar Media United (MMU). Since last May MMU has been running five MWD digital channels (the variety channel was appropriated by the regular MWD channel). The channels are currently broadcast for 10 hours a day, from 7am to 11am, and from 6pm to midnight By the end of May the daily schedule will be expanded to 18 hours, from 6am to midnight without interruption, said U Kyaw San. He said the expansion was aimed at increasing the appeal of MWD, which since its launch in 1995 has been less popular than other local free-to-air TV stations such as Channel 7 and Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV). We didnt have enough content to fill our schedules and not enough expert staff to operate the channels, so we couldnt attract viewers, he said. U Kyaw San said MRTV-4, which launched in 2004, became more popular as a result of its Fashion Music Festival program introduced in 2010. At that time women in blue jeans or short skirts were not allowed to be shown on television, but MRTV-4 pioneered the practice of showing fashionably dressed Im always passionate about television, so when U Kyaw San asked for help in creating new television programs for MWD, I thought it was a very good opportunity for me, Mr Felgate told The Myanmar Times. I look at Skynet, MRTV-4 and other television channels, and I see very good programs. I see a lot of potential to bring very good entertainment into Myanmar, and thats why I decided to come, he said. He said Myanmar was similar to Cambodia in the sense that free-toair television was the main form of entertainment in rural areas, where there is less access to other forms of entertainment such as music concerts or cinema. Mr Felgate also said he was focusing on raising the standards of local productions, including introducing international-style game shows to the local market. Singing and music seem to be very popular in Myanmar so we are also focusing on these areas, especially the possibilities of adding more domestic productions, he said. Some of the programs broadcast on other channels are good but I think the local content needs to be improved. I hope we can improve the standard of programs for MWDs digital channels.

popular in Myanmar so we are also focusing on these areas.

and music Singing seem to be very

models. The program popularised the channel, he said. Another show that added to MRTV4s popularity was Sagar Naban (The Fray), where participants told jokes that could not be told on other channels at that time. To help increase the appeal of its digital channels, MWD has enlisted the help of Mr Glen Felgate, former general manager of Cambodia Television Network.

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Myanmar Times

New Bowie album rekindles Berlin flame

BERLIN British rock icon David Bowie revives his love story with Berlin in his first new album in a decade, out this month, and the city is returning his affections with fervent tributes to its adopted son. Bowie lived in the still warravaged, divided city for three years in the 1970s, when he was wearied by fame and trying to kick the drug and drink addictions that threatened to make him just another rock n roll casualty. It was a fruitful time creatively, producing three albums including Heroes, whose cover art inspires the sleeve of the new record, The Next Day, which shows a theatrically posed black-and-white photo of Bowie obscured by a white square. The singer eventually moved away, settling in New York with SomaliAmerican supermodel Iman and their daughter. But Berlin never quite forgot Bowie, and his glamorous ghost still haunts the dreams of the hordes of expatriates who have flocked to the city since the fall of the Wall in 1989. Bowie affected the history of Berlin, just as much as Berlin affected Bowie, said Mike West, 29, who leads tours to sites around town including Bowies former flat, the neighbouring gay bar where he had breakfast nearly every morning, and the Hansa Studios where he recorded. Berliners are very proud of Bowie, the fact that his best music came from while he was in Berlin. Nowhere was the shock of Bowies new single, released out of the blue on his 66th birthday on January 8, greater than in Berlin, which has responded with massive media coverage, themed club nights and a spike in interest in tours like Wests. Where Are We Now? namechecks iconic sites throughout the city and came complete with a wistful video directed by American artist Tony Oursler. Bowie is seen at the apartment where he lived in the Schoeneberg district of West Berlin, and passing remnants of the Wall, where a kissing couple inspired the Heroes single still a Berlin anthem. Bowies Berlin era, during which he spent much of his time with US rocker Iggy Pop, has also inspired a new film project, the British-German co-production Lust for Life. Journalist Tobias Ruether, who wrote a 2008 book about Bowie in Berlin, said the citys perpetual transformations appealed to a singer keen on reinvention. It was the mixture of going back t o I spent most of my time with Iggy and basically we tried to get away from the state we were in when we lived in the US, Bowie told the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel in 2002 in a rare interview about his time in the city. He said Pop, real name James Osterberg, was wont to raid his refrigerator for the delicacies he picked up at the posh KaDeWe department store, and accompanied him on endless nights at the fabled Dschungel bar, which is now the site of an upscale hotel. Bowie said he took inspiration from all the glory and horror the city had to offer: the Nazi past, East-West hostility, its museums Expressionist masterpieces, Bertolt Brecht plays and the budding electronic music scene. I couldnt have made the music I did then if I hadnt been completely taken with Berlin, with its special structures and its tensions ... the Wall and its impact on the city, he said. Asked if he would encourage young artists to follow in his Berlin footsteps now, Bowie demurred. I always tell them thats over. You cant repeat the past. Maybe youll experience something else thats great. But it will never be like what I felt, he said. Ruether said that Bowies apparent nostalgia for Berlin was linked to the creative heyday he had in the city. I think Bowie feels very strongly that his Berlin period was probably his best and his most creative that was just an extraordinary move that he made way back then, to live in Los Angeles and decide to move back to Europe but not to London, to this strange West Berlin island, he said. He always said I never felt freer than I did in Berlin. AFP

the 1920s which he has always been very fascinated by in terms of the arts and painting and at the same time he felt this is the place where the most interesting music is being produced, he said. I always thought Bowie was the first to figure out that you could come to Berlin with its past and the strange situation that you have the ruins here and the new buildings there and vast amounts of space where you can create and find yourself. Bowie arrived in Berlin in 1976 as a skin-andBritish singer David Bowie performs during bones superstar who a concert organised by NRJ radio station at place de la Nation in Paris on September had become a slave to 21, 1991. Pic: AFP cocaine and liquor.

The interior of the Hansa-Tonstudios recording studio in Berlin, which once hosted David Bowie. Pic: AFP

Ringo Wrong does Mandalays hair

WHEN it comes to hair, Ringo Wrong from Hong Kong knows right from wrong. Mr Wrong will be among four hairstylists from Japan and Hong Kong who will dazzle audiences with their tress-manipulating prowess at the Colourful Hair Show, scheduled to be held at Hotel Mandalay on March 15. The show is being organised by RDC, which distributes imported hair care products in Myanmar. The companys marketing manager, Michelle, said it was the third time they have held such a show in Myanmar. We believe we need to upgrade and introduce new hairstyles to our people at least once every three years. We held the first hair show in Mandalay in 2008 and the second in Yangon in 2009, so this time we decided to return to Mandalay, she said. Aside from Mr Ringo Wrong, the participating stylists are Mr Chris, Mr A Mour and Mr Andy. The event is free and starts at 6pm. Hairstyle is the second face of a person so it is very important for everyone, Mr Wrong told The Myanmar Times by email. It can make us fresh and looking good. Hairstyle is also like a fashion for a person, it can give a very different look to us. Nuam Bawi

British author brings live literature night to Myanmar

By Zon Pann Pwint ABOUT 10 years ago British a u t h o r Pa t r i c k N e a t e introduced a monthly event called Book Slam to London. This literary nightclub brings together live music and readings from famous and up-and-coming writers, in a relaxed atmosphere where the audience can enjoy drinks while watching the performances. On March 2 Mr Neate brought the concept to Yangon, with an event at House of Memories organised by the British Council that included readings by local poet Zeyar Lynn, novelist Ma Thida (Sanchaung) and Mr Neate himself, as well as live music performed by Moe Naing from Gitameit Music Centre. Zeyar Lynn said Mr Neate had explained to him that the Book Slam concept was born out of the idea of bringing literature and normal people closer together. Mr Neate said people read literature in their homes, at bookstores and at libraries, and they go to literary talks, but most people seemed distant from art and literature, Zeyar Lynn told The Myanmar Times. Nobody enjoys poems at all. Only poets reads poem. His idea was to hold poetry and book readings at places like restaurants where most people usually go. Zeyar Lynn said it was difficult to say whether live literary events would catch on in Myanmar, adding that local audiences would need to broaden their minds to accept such an unconventional idea. In the United Kingdom and United States there are particular bars or restaurants where live literary events are usually held. People who love literature go to these places where artists and writers read, Zeyar Lynn said. Here it would also be possible for live literary events to catch on if they were held at places where people who love literature hang out. I dont think it will be successful if they hold in at just any restaurant or tea house. It needs to start at a particular restaurant. He said that although organisers of such events might face problems at first, they can succeed if they are determined to move forward. He added that most of the audience at House of Memories consisted of locals who were not from the literary field, and they gave their wholehearted support to the event. They especially showed interest in what Mr Neate read, Zeyar Lynn said.

Soe Thu to hold free concert

By Lwin Mar Htun ACTOR and singer Soe Thu will hold a free concert at the Maidar compound on Myoma School Street in Yangon on March 30. Throughout his career Soe Thu acted in many films and also released 11 solo albums in Myanmar, but 10 years ago he moved to the United States. He returned to Yangon in January to care for his sick mother, and wanted to arrange a concert before his return to the US. I sang a lot of songs and then I went far away from my audience. Now I want to give something back to the people who love and support me, he said at a press conference at Junction Square Shopping Mall on March 3. The concert, titled Past and Present Soe Thu, is being organised by Forever Blossom and Index Creative Village, two companies that collaborated in putting together the New Year Countdown in Yangon on December 31. Ko Win Thura Hlaing, managing director Forever Blossom, said his company also organised the Jason Mraz concert with MTV Exit last December, and they plan to join with Index Creative Village to hold more free concerts in the future. At the upcoming show Soe Thu will perform songs from his 11 solo albums, with the Plus Three Band providing musical backup.

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Myanmar Times

Tibetan self-immolators inspire Chinese painter

By Carol Huang BEIJING Stacked up in Liu Yis studio dozens of Chinas most sensitive subjects stare out from thick black-andwhite oil paintings, from victims of Tiananmen Square to Tibetans who have set themselves on fire. Liu, 50, is a rare example of a member of Chinas Han ethnic majority taking up the Tibetan cause a project that has finally brought the authorities to his door. More than 100 Tibetans have set themselves alight, around 90 dying, to protest against what many call Beijings oppressive rule, but most Han Chinese accept the governments stance that it has brought development and is combating tragic acts of violence. What they want is simply freedom of religion, of faith, and respect, said Liu, in a spare brick-walled studio at his home in an artists, community in eastern Beijing. One goal is to commemorate them, he said of his images. Another is to let more people understand the truth in Tibet through these paintings, because nowadays, especially in China, people simply dont know what is happening. He is provided with earlier photographs by a Tibetan writer but treats his 40 subjects as though he knew them personally, pointing out the first immolator, the youngest, and the first woman. This was a mother with four children this one had a one-year-old child, he said, rushing between the sombre portraits. Over the past 15 years growing numbers of Han Chinese have embraced Tibetan Buddhism including Liu but have not backed their political demands, says Columbia University Tibet expert Robbie Barnett. Artists have drawn inspiration from Tibetan landscapes while devotees have even travelled to Official Chinese data say that Han numbers in Tibet rose 56 percent from 2000 to 2010 and 92pc in the previous decade, compared to 12 and 15pc for Tibetans. The census figures say Tibetans make up 90pc of the regions population, but the Tibetan governmentin-exile counters that, if traditionally Tibetan areas in the rest of China are included, their ethnic group is now outnumbered. Liu hopes to spread awareness of the Tibetan perspective through his latest collection, even though he knows it is unlikely ever to go on public display in China like his previous series commemorating prominent protesters. These include victims of the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989 and well-known dissidents whom he calls Chinas conscience, among them jailed Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo. A 4.5-metre-long mural shows photos of children propped up by rubble from the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, when many schools collapsed while other buildings did not, prompting angry accusations of corruption until discussion of the topic was suppressed. Ti b e t a n t h e m e s h a v e attracted Liu since he began travelling to the region in the 1980s. He keeps a Tibetan dog and has painted countless Tibetan Buddhist images and many portraits of the Dalai Lama. After his immolation paintings began drawing attention, he said, the authorities visited him three times in 10 days and tried to confiscate his work. But he managed to dissuade them and is preparing to start his next batch of portraits this time on larger canvases. Unless they lock me up in prison, as long as I am free, then for sure I will keep painting, Liu said. I am definitely not afraid. Who am I compared to those selfimmolators? AFP

Raphael exhibit first of its kind outside Europe

By Shinji Inoue TOKYO A new exhibition in Tokyo featuring masterpieces by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio, 1483-1520), who ranks alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as a great master of the Italian Renaissance, is the first of its kind held outside of Europe. Raphael, who brought the Renaissance painting style to maturity, was widely considered to be a model for later painters. Due to the importance and rarity of Raphaels works, it is difficult to organise largescale exhibitions of this kind, even in Europe. The Raffaello exhibition runs until early June and showcases about 20 works by Raphael, including oil paintings, such as Madonna del Granduca (1505-1506), rough sketches for prints and decorative art. A total of 60 works 20 by Raphael and 40 by his contemporaries are on display at the exhibition, which provides an opportunity for visitors to gain an appreciation of Raphael in the context of in the mysterious black background of Madonna del Granduca. The study revealed that an indoor space and a landscape originally appeared behind the virgin with child. Visitors are advised to compare the Madonna del Granduca itself with X-ray images taken from 2009 to 2010. A rough sketch that may have been part of Raphaels design for the work is also on display. Italian painter Giorgio Vasari, in his 16 th century examination of Renaissance masters The Lives of the Artists , praised Raphaels style and behaviour as a model for painters. The German writer Goethe analysed Raphaels charm in his travel report, Italian Journey, in the latter half of the 18th century, judging that Raphael always had a correct understanding of nature and appreciated aspects of it to which most people were blind. Born in Urbino, Raphael studied the basics of painting under his father and his master and later lived in Florence and Rome, where he studied works by da Vinci and Michelangelo. Later, he had a studio and enjoyed wide popularity among popes and aristocrats in the Vatican, partly due to his good nature. He died young, however, at 37. Great artists of later centuries, including Ingres (1780-1867), Manet (18321883) and Renoir (18411919), regarded Raphaels work as an aesthetic ideal. W h a t s t h e s e c r e t o f R a p h a e l s e n d u r i n g popularity? Shinsuke Watanabe, a senior researcher at the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, said it is the balance he strikes between extremes. Raphael had great spatial awareness regarding the layout of the work. He rendered figures and expressions with realism that served to convey the stories of the characters. The results are extremely persuasive and well-balanced, he said. Raphael was able to completely digest the ancient works and theories that were available in his time, and synthesised them to propose a new approach to creation. The grace Raphael expressed in his works featuring the Madonna has been praised for the healing power it exerts on the minds of viewers. The Madonna is a theme through which a painter can express grace. Raphael was very good at it. He came to be called the Madonnas painter, Watanabe said. Raffaello is in exhibit through June 2 at the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, in Ueno Park, near Ueno Station in Tokyo. For details, call (03) 57778600 or visit the website at http://raffaello2013.com. The Yomiuri Shimbun

Artist Liu Yi poses before paintings showing the faces of Tibetan self-immolators at his studio on the outskirts of Beijing. Pic: AFP India to hear from the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing denounces as a separatist encouraging immolations. But the spiritual interest seems not to affect political positions, certainly not openly, Barnett said in an email. For an ethnic Chinese artist to take up this project publicly is very unusual and high-risk, and I cant think of a precedent. China has invested heavily in Tibetan areas to raise living standards but also imposed controls such as monitoring monasteries and banning images of the Dalai Lama. It has also gone on the offensive to prevent immolations which the UN and overseas rights groups have blamed on repressive tactics by jailing those accused of inciting and abetting the acts. Guards equipped with fire extinguishers are posted on Beijings Tiananmen Square, their numbers boosted for Chinas current National Peoples Congress meeting, where the Tibetan delegates are handpicked loyalists whose leader was seen wearing a Mao Zedong badge. Han Chinese make up 91 percent of Chinas population and Barry Sautman, an expert on ethnic politics in the country, said while they may empathise with Tibetans and appreciate their culture, they also tend to trust the government on security matters. The majority thinking runs along the lines of the government is trying to do something for the Tibetans; on the other hand, the Dalai Lama is trying to get them to commit suicide, said Sautman, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Critics argue that Chinas development efforts have mainly benefited Han incomers while eroding Tibetan culture, and that other measures have inhibited religious practice and led to abuses such as disappearances and unfair trials.

Renaissance painting style to maturity, was widely considered to be a model for later painters.

who Raphael, brought the

Global art sales swell as China market slows

PARIS Works by Andy Warhol topped the list of auction sales in 2012, as the global art market thrived thanks to high sales in New York and in China, the French watchdog Artprice said last week. After a bumper rise in sales of 21 percent in 2011, the global market grew more than 6pc last year, found a joint report published on March 14 by Artprice and the group Artron. Auction sales of art works around the globe which include paintings, sculptures and photographic prints totalled US$12.27 billion last year. Sales of colourful Warhols fetched $329 million, allowing the American artist to climb up from third place in 2011 to scoop the top spot he occupied back in 2007. Chinese artist Zhang Daqian, the favourite at auction houses two years ago, came in second, followed by Pablo Picasso. Paintings by the German Gerhard Richter were the fourth most popular to go under the hammer. Richters work Abstraktes Bild, which went for $30.4 million in October, became the worlds most valuable work by a living artist. Though China retained the number one spot in art auction sales it has held since 2010, sales in 2012 dropped 44pc from 2011 to $5.07 billion. The figures mark the end of explosive growth which started in 2008 said Artron, specialists in the Chinese art market. In 2012, only seven works were sold for over $10 million in China compared to 22 the previous year. Suspicious of dodgy transactions and counterfeit works, Chinese collectors are buying less, said Artron. There were spikes in sales in 2010 and 2011 but it was a bubble for the art market with a boom of transactions, numerous works attracting exceptional prices but also a large number of transactions that were invalid or falsified, the group said. The report points to a lack of robust legislation for the Chinese art market and the difficulty of taking restrictive or punitive measures on illegal trading. The credibility of auction sales is very low and has considerably diminished the capacity to attract new buyers, said Artron. In terms of the sales of art works worth more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million), only 45pc of transactions were actually completed, the group said. The Western art market, which comprises the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, grew 5.5pc, with the US placed number two in the global market. Britain and France followed in third and fourth place, though the financial crisis in Europe significantly impacted sales, the watchdogs said. AFP

the times in which he lived. The exhibition comprises four chapters or stages in the masters life, which serve to frame the changes his painting style underwent. In his earliest days, Raphaels works were heavily influenced by his father, Giovanni, who was a court painter, as well as by his master, Pietro Perugino, both of whose works join those of Raphael in the exhibition. The portraits and rough sketches from his days in Florence and Rome lay bare the stages of his artistic development. In addition, the breadth of his influence on other painters is introduced through works including the oil paintings of his pupil Giulio Romano, and copperplate prints by Marcantonio Raimondi, whose rough sketch was drawn by Raphael. The largest feature in the exhibition is Madonna del Granduca, a piece for which Ferdinand III, the grand duke of Tuscany, displayed such extraordinary affection that he carried it with him when he was exiled. In 1984, scientists examined what was originally depicted

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Myanmar Times

Native food on menu in bush tucker boom

By Amy Coopes SYDNEY Wild plants and meals of swamp wallaby, lizard or wombat sustained Australias indigenous people for tens of thousands of years before British settlers brought a radical change of diet. But so-called bush tucker the local fruits, shoots and creatures that also include kangaroo and crocodile are enjoying something of a renaissance on dining tables Down Under. Beryl van Oploo, a selfproclaimed foodie from central Australias Gamilaroi people has just opened Sydneys first bush tucker cafe offering a rustic menu with a bush flavour inspired by the knowledge of her elders. There is a kangaroo pie with bush tomato sauce, native greens, and fruits and berries that most Australians wouldnt even realise they were able to eat. We always knew that there was food on the land and thats how we survived for many of thousands of years, van Oploo said. The younger generation never took advantage of that, we just got caught up in whatever was given to us. Van Oploo was raised by her aunt in a household of 17 children where resources were scarce and we always had to survive off the land, even in my time. You went out and put a line into the river and caught a fish and cooked it on an open fire, she said. Local foods were a staple, not just to save money but for their central place in Aboriginal culture and beliefs. Bush tucker is very close to the culture because culture is the lore of the land and bush tucker is part of the land, said Evan Yanna Muru, who leads cultural hikes or walkabouts in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, educating tourists about the local Darug clan. bitter, snowy winters. The women would dig with the yam sticks to get all them yams down on the river flats, and the men would climb the trees and smoke out them possums, said Yanna Muru. Their diet was rich in the vitamins and minerals of local plants and roots a typical day would begin with water sweetened with banksia flower and a bread made from ground swordgrass seeds. Between meals of possum or swamp wallaby, lizard, snake or wombat, the Darug ate tiny sour apples, sweet purple dianela berries and mambara, tiny lycheetasting fruits squeezed out of a green skin. Woodgrubs were highly prized, both for their flavour and unusually high fat content 35 percent compared with 6pc for a kangaroo. Warrabura, what Yanna Muru calls bush chewing gum was chewed throughout the day. High in vitamin C and with a licorice flavour, the dark green leaves were considered both bush tucker and bush medicine. Aboriginal people lived in delicate balance with nature, moving with the seasons and eating what the land offered. It gives you a rich connection to country, it gives you meaning in your life, understanding, interacting with nature, Yanna Muru said of the connection between food and culture.

can feast on crocodile chipolatas or kangaroo rump.

Visitors to Sydney Tower

Evan Yanna Muru takes people on cultural hikes or walkabouts in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney on December 3, 2012. Pic AFP Van Oploos cafe is in central Sydneys Victoria Park, traditionally a meeting place for the local Gadigal people. What was once a natural waterhole has been transformed into a lake populated by ducks and native birds. She runs a hospitality school for indigenous students marrying modern skills with bush tucker knowledge as a new generation of Australians seeks to reconnect with traditions stretching back some 40,000 years. Visitors to Sydney Tower, which boasts 360-degree vistas of the city from its upper levels, can feast on crocodile chipolatas or kangaroo rump. Celebrity chef Kylie Kwong is also experimenting with Asian-bush fusion cooking. Po r k a n d g o j i b e r r y dumplings and stir-fried pasture-fed wallaby tail with black bean and chilli feature on the current menu at her popular Sydney restaurant Billy Kwong, along with a variety of native fruit sauces and local greens including Warrigal spinach and saltbush. Van Oploo sampled the bush degustation at Billy Kwong and said it was a welcome sign of changing attitudes to Australias native foods, with farms beginning to spring up as demand grows. For all of Australia I think we lost a generation whether were white or indigenous or whatever, and I think now its starting to turn around a little, she said. Every country has its own cuisine and I think its time for us to do that as well. AFP

When the bush tuckers in season somewhere, thats where we are. According to cultural lore, the Darug, who get their name from the yams or sweet potatoes that grow in the region, were vegetarians until a terrible drought withered the mountains and their sky god Baiame gave permission for them to eat meat sparingly. So began a great tradition of possum-hunting, both for the meat and the pelt that was used to make cloaks and blankets to shelter from the

Internet floggers cash in on Asian hunger for food knowledge

By Shannon Teoh KUALA LUMPUR As a Hindu who does not eat beef but craves other meat, Tashny Sukumaran discovered her new passion for pork burgers through her native Malaysias vibrant food-blogging, or flogging, scene. The Muslim-majority countrys mainstream media shy from references to pork and other foods objectionable to Islam, but blogs have helped spark a burger boom in a nation with sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian communities. I kept reading about pork burgers on flogs but have never seen much in newspapers, I guess because its non-halal, said Sukumaran, 22. Food blogs have come to dominate Asias gastronomical discourse, turning diners on to new foods and giving small eateries valuable exposure in an internet-fuelled democratisation of food reviews, as Australian flogger Thang Ngo puts it. The number of restaurant reviews is limited by a few pages in the paper each week. Smaller restaurants in particular love bloggers because many may never be reviewed by newspaper critics, he said. Food blogging is a worldwide phenomenon but has found an especially eager readership in Asia, a region whose diners are typically passionate about eating and fussy about taste, and where food holds great cultural importance. outlet in 2009 with husband Tee Tsun Joo. They now have five sites as revenues have soared. They credit their success to blogs, saying newspapers have avoided mentioning the non-halal pork burger trend. Tan adds that they were refused space in two of Malaysias largest malls as they sought to expand. We didnt invite bloggers, they just came. But as of last year, we had over 130 postings on us, she said, adding that they have never advertised. But can you still trust food blogs? That is a question increasingly asked as flogging grows and becomes susceptible to the same influences for which it was supposed to provide an alternative, some in the industry complain. Chief among these is a growing pay-to-praise industry that has spawned brokers who charge businesses large sums for media coverage and positive reviews. Tony Hong, a South Korean actor who runs several successful restaurants there, de-listed one outlet from a popular review site in 2011, claiming one of its regular contributors demanded 120,000 won (US$114) per month for positive comments. After we refused, the number of bad comments snowballed, Hong said. Lee Khang Yi, food editor for The Malay Mail, a Kuala Lumpurbased newspaper, said Malaysian bloggers can earn from 300-1500 ringgit ($100-$500) per favourable posting. Bloggers in Singapore say restaurants will pay up to S$2000 (US$1630) for a positive posting on a popular blog. Restaurateurs also increasingly complain of camera-wielding bloggers demanding free meals and threatening bad reviews if denied. Brad Lau had to publicly deny allegations that he refused to pay a bill of S$435 (US$350) for himself and three friends at a top restaurant in 2010. Lau said he was invited for a tasting and eventually stumped up S$160 (US$130) to cover two meals after the restaurant waived some charges. Doubts about blogs have opened space for hungry diners to turn to more direct social media avenues like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and smartphone apps, where they can find out where to get that tasty-looking meal that a friend just posted in a photo. Despite the complaints, Time Outs Kuala Lumpur editor Lim Chee Wah said food blogs and social media tools have enriched the food scene and provided new opportunities for smaller eateries. The coverage on blogs, traditional and social media has raised the level of discussion here. They set trends which develop taste buds because people will try it out and the scene becomes more sophisticated, he said. AFP

Customers eat pork burgers inside a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur on January 5. Pic: AFP Nowhere are the passions stronger than in Malaysia, where the dining scene is dominated by open-air cafes and food stalls. These are typically too small for a restaurant review but inspire intense devotion and debate on blogs about where to find the perfect bowl of steaming noodles or best scoop of spicy curry. People dont pray before eating any more, they take pictures instead, said Nazeen Koonda, marketing manager for Time Out Malaysia. As floggers draw increasing clicks, they are finding ways to milk cash from their following. Singaporean Brad Lau, whose www.ladyironchef.com saw 1.5 million page views in December, sells ads on his site including some unrelated to food. Blogs are word-of-mouth on steroids, said Lionel Lau, cofounder of Des Gourmand, a restaurant group that runs several trendy eateries in Malaysia. South Koreas vibrant online community has no shortage of food bloggers, including so-called power bloggers reviewers read by tens of thousands daily who can make or break restaurants. Janice Tan, who runs Ninja Joe, the Kuala Lumpur fast-food joint whose pork patties are favoured by Sukumaran, opened the first

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Food & Drink

Myanmar Times

Phyos Cooking Adventure

WHEN you live with an Australian family, barbecue is part of everyday life. I love barbecued fish cooked with plenty of herbs and with crispy skin. I experimented with plenty of Asian grilled fish recipes, including variations from Thailand and Vietnam, and later developed my own versions. Of course I include fish sauce in my recipes to make them even more delicious. Here I share two of my fish recipes, one for grilling and one for steaming. You can serve them with rice, Asian green salads, Vietnamese rice paper rolls or rice noodle salads. The recipes use minimal cooking oil, so they are healthy and are also good for people who are dieting. Different types of fish can be used in these recipes. Sea bass, red snapper and tilapi are good for grilling, and for steaming I prefer sea bass.

March 11 - 17, 2013

Phyo cuts through culture to reveal lifes true taste

One fish, two fish, grilled fish, steamed fish

also use sweet ones, in which case you dont need to add sugar to the recipe. When ready, arrange a plate on the top of the stand in the wok, place the fish on the plate, pour the sauce mixture over top and cover with a lid. Steam for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Heat the oil and fry the rest of ginger until it is crisp. Pour it over the fish and sprinkle with a few dashes of peanut oil. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Main Tips
Make deep incisions in the fish so it will cook evenly and so it will be easy to pick the flesh. Banana leaves can be found at the local wet market. Salted preserved soy beans can be found at the supermarket, while sweet varieties are available at local markets.
Quaffing Quote

Dipping sauce 1 INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons of fish sauce 1 big red chili (sliced or diced) 1 teaspoon of sugar 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons of lime skin (diced) 3-4 shallots or spring onions (sliced)
mixture and the lemongrass stalks into the belly of the fish. Lay the fish over the grill or insert into a flexible grill basket, and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. During the grilling brush the oil over the fish before turning on to the other side. Serve on banana leaves. and marinate for 15-20 minutes. In a wok, place a metal stand to hold a plate, and fill the wok with enough water to just cover the stand. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and allow the water to gently boil. Meanwhile, mix the soy beans, sugar, chilies, half the ginger, the remaining shallots and Chinese cooking rice wine, and let the sugar dissolve. I use salted soy beans in this recipe but you can

PREPARATION Peel the skins off the lime and dice. Mix all the ingredients in a jar and shake well. Dipping sauce 2 INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons of soy sauce big red chili (sliced or diced) 2 cloves of garlic (crushed) PREPARATION Mix all the ingredients well.

Soup and fish explain half the emotions of human life. Sydney Smith (19th century English wit, writer and Anglican cleric)
Next Week

Vietnamese-style grilled fish INGREDIENTS (2 servings) 1 medium red snapper 2 cloves of garlic 2 stalks of lemongrass 1/3 cup of coriander (chopped) 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 1 teaspoon of sugar 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil 2 red chilies PREPARATION Scale the fish and clean the belly, then wash and pat dry. Make two or three slits on each side of the fish. Dice the heads (white part) of the lemongrass, keeping the stalks for later use. Thoroughly wash the coriander (including the roots) and chop the whole plant. Halve the chilies, remove the seeds and dice the chilies. In a big bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of oil, coriander, chilies and lemongrass very well, and let them sit for a few minutes. Rub the mixture on both sides of the fish and also insert some into the slits. Then insert the rest of the

Vietnamese baguette sandwiches

Stonehaven Shiraz 2012 This vigorous vintage boasts a burly fruit fragrance proficiently hitched to the whiff of scorched oak, with a mediumbodied flavour rounded out by superb depth of succulence.

Red Wine

Vietnamese steamed fish with soy beans INGREDIENTS (2 servings) 1 small sea bass 4-5cm of ginger (peeled and julienned) 6-8 shallots or spring onions (white and light green parts) 2 tablespoons of peanut oil 2 tablespoons of preserved soy beans (pae` ngapi) 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking rice wine 1 teaspoon of white pepper 2 red chilies (de-seeded and julienned) 2 handfuls of coriander
Scale the fish and clean the belly, then wash and pat dry. Make two or three slits on each side of the fish. Insert of the ginger, a bit of coriander and 2-3 shallots into the belly. Rub white pepper on the fish

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/10

East glances westward at East Hotel cafe

IT is a well-worn clich to say that Burmese curries tend to be too oily for Western tastes, but its a clich that happens to be true. Lucky for those persnickety foreigners with hypersensitive gullets, there are a growing number of venues around Yangon that make Burmese food for Western tastes. One of these is the centrally located Amber Caf at East Hotel. The menu offers a range of Western and Asian dishes from nasi goring and chicken sate, to spaghetti and grilled chicken but I always head straight for the Myanmar set menu. For US$6 you get curry (choice of chicken, pork, has a nice cumin bite to it as well. The $6 price tag might seem a bit steep for Burmese food, but theres more than enough to fill your stomach. Even so, I normally eat every bite (except for the balachaung), such is the deliciousness factor. And the price also includes government tax and service charge, so overall its a pretty good deal. The menu also has an array of soft drinks, fruit juices, beer and hot drinks. The fresh coffee ($2) actually is fresh coffee, very nice to sip while sitting in the clean, air-conditioned dining room and looking through the caf windows at the parade of life unfolding on Sule Pagoda Road.

White Wine
Lamberti Santapietre Pinot Grigio 2011 This moonbeamyellow nectar mesmerises the muzzle with its tantalisingly flowery bouquet, while the palate is love-tapped by the elegantly ethereal tang of fresh apples and bananas. Score BOX

Amber Caf at East Hotel

234-240 Sule Pagoda Road, Kyauktada township, Yangon Food: Drink: Atmosphere: Service: X Factor: Value for money: 8 7 8 7 8 7

Ks 10,000

/10

beef or butterfish), soup (choice of roselle leaf or yellow lentil), stir-fried vegetables, balachaung

and steamed rice. The curries are light on oil and have a pleasantly spicy tang, and the lentil soup

Score BOX

/10

Socialite
March 11 - 17, 2013
the

44
Myanmar Times

Ko Zaw Latt @ Sony Days New Product Launch

U Wai Lwin @
Sony Days New Product Launch

Htun Eaindra Bo @ Love Taken Cho Zin Oo, Pa Pa, Mr Hatsady Songthavone and Aye Myat Care by Angels Album Launch @ JVC Grand Opening Ceremony

Student @ Pride ISM Academy Opening Ceremony

Issani @ Singer D Yae Toes Birthday Party

U Tun Shwe @

Pride ISM Academy Academy Opening Opening Ceremony Ceremony

Daw Hla Yin Win @ Pride ISM

Supermodels Album Launch

U Aung Shan Wai @

Director Kyi Soe Tun @ Laurel Mo Mo Ko @ 12Plus Cosmetics New

Art Academy Graduation Ceremony

Daw Dae Wee Thant Sin

Product Launch

@ Myanmar Consumers Union Public Lecture

Supermodels band members @ Supermodels Album Launch

@ 12Plus Cosmetics New Product Launch

May Myint Mon

Thiri Swe @ 12Plus Cosmetics New

Product Launch

Mr Sayam Ramasoot and models @ Wuttisak Clinic Beauty & Skin Centre Opening Ceremony

Yin Min Htun and D Yae Toe @ Singer D Yae

Toes Birthday Party

Ko Thu Ya @ Follow Yin May Pyone @

Premier Mocha New Product Launch

U Myint Thein Phay

@ Laurel Art Academy Graduation Ceremony

U Maung Maung Myint

@ Laurel Art Academy Graduation Ceremony

Me Sale

Model @ Follow Me Sale

Aunty Mya and guests @ Chigo Dinner Party

Sweety Ko & Model @ 12Plus Cosmetics New Product Launch

Cho Pyone @ Chigo

Dinner Party

Chit Snow Oo @
Chigo Dinner Party

Myanmar Consumers Union Public Lecture

Daw Cho Maw Han @ Hlwan Paing @ Premier Mocha

New Product Launch

R Zarni, One, Khine Thit Lwin and Ko

Mobile Nexus4 New Product Launch

Linn Lwin @ LG

Ta Ta Young @ Wuttisak Clinic Beauty & Skin Bobby Soxer @ Premier Mocha New
Centre Opening Ceremony Product Launch

45
the

Socialite
March 11 - 17, 2013

Myanmar Times

SOCIALITE launched her peaceful week with a dinner party by Chigo company at Traders Hotel on February 25. On the following day, she popped up at the graduation ceremony W I T H N U A M B AW I of Laurel Art Academy at Traders Hotel. She went to the launch ceremony for the album Angel Dwe Sauk Shauk Deh A Chit (Love Taken Care by Angels) at Sakura Tower on February 27, and the next day attended another album launch by the Supermodels girl band, followed by a birthday party for singer D Yae Toe at TG Bar. Socialite floated through the first day of March with many events, including the new product launch by LG Nexus4 at Traders Hotel, Follow Me cosmetics sale at Junction Maw Tin, 12Plus Cosmetics product launch at Traders Hotel, JVC grand opening ceremony at Junction Square, and Pride ISM Academy opening ceremony at Sedona Hotel. The next day she attended new product launches for Sony at Kandawgyi Palace Hotel and for Premier Mocha at Capital Hypermarket. On March 3 Socialite went to the opening ceremony for OIOI fashion shop at Pearl Condo after she listened to the public lecture by the Myanmar Consumers Union at Diamond Condo. Somewhere in there she also dropped by the Wuttisak Clinic Beauty & Skin Centre opening ceremony near Junction Maw Tin.

SOCIALITE

Student @ Pride ISM Academy Opening Ceremony

Nyan Lin Aung (left), U Pee Paw, San Pee and KAT (middle three) @ Love Taken Care by Angels Album Launch

Mr Teruaki Sato, U Tin Saung and Mr Viboon Reukkriengkari @ JVC Grand Opening Ceremony

R Zarni granting the award @ LG Mobile Nexus4 New Product Launch

Ma Zin and guests @ OIOI Fashion Shop Opening

Aye Chan Moe (left), Su Myat Noe Kyaw (3rd from left) and Poe Ei Phyu Sin (right)
@ Chigo Dinner Party

Thai ambassador and wife with Mr Sayam Ramasoot

@ Wuttisak Clinic Beauty & Skin Centre Opening Ceremony

Bunny Phyoe @ Premier Mocha New Product Launch

Kyi Phyu Phyu Naing @ Sony

Days New Product Launch

Moe Hayman Khin @ Singer D

Yae Toes Birthday Party

Sai Sai Kham Hlaing @

Sony Days New Product Launch

Guests, San Thit La (Centre) and Marina (right)

@ Singer D Yae Toes Birthday Party

Travel
Days Flight Dep Arr Days Flight
SAT YJ 911 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 6T 341 K7 222 K7 244 YJ 001 Y5 131 YJ 761

46
www.mmtimes.com/images/flight-schedules.pdf

March 11 - 17, 2013

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

Dep Arr
08:05 08:15 07:40 08:25 07:55 08:40 08:10 07:55 09:00 12:55 12:55 14:30 17:10 17:30 08:15 08:30 08:25 08:10 08:40 07:55 09:00 10:10 11:25 12:55 13:25 13:25 16:05 17:10

Days Flight

Dep Arr

Days Flight
FRI YJ 891 YH 918 6T 401

Dep Arr
10:25 10:25 10:45 11:20 11:40 18:00 18:10 19:15 19:20 07:20 10:25 10:45 11:20 11:05 10:20 10:55 14:25 18:00 18:15 19:15 19:55 09:40 10:25 10:25 10:45 10:55 10:15 18:00 18:35 19:15

Days Flight
SAT YJ 911 YH 909 YJ 891 6T 401 K7 224

Dep Arr
08:50 08:40 09:00 09:20 09:00 09:00 13:00 12:10 12:40 13:45 15:30 16:25 16:40 08:15 09:00 09:15 09:20 09:15 11:55 12:10 12:40 13:45 16:25 15:10 15:30

Days Flight

Dep Arr

YANGON TO NAY PYI TAW

MON UB-A1 UB-B1 UB-C1 6T 211C TUE UB-A1 UB-B1 UB-C1 07:45 11:30 16:00 18:30 08:45 12:30 17:00 19:25

07:45 08:45 11:30 12:30 16:00 17:00 07:45 11:30 13:00 16:00 08:45 12:30 13:55 17:00 SUN

WED UB-A1 UB-B1 6T 211 UB-C1 THUR UB-A1 UB-B1 UB-C1 FRI UB-A1 UB-B1 UB-C1 UB-A1 UB-A1

06:00 06:10 06:00 06:20 06:30 06:30 06:45 07:00 08:00 11:00 YJ 601/W97601 11:30 YH 729 11:30 YH 731 15:00 6T 501 15:30 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 YH 909 K7 222 YJ 001 Y5 131 8M 6603 YJ 211 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 YJ 751/W97751 11:00 YH 737 11:15 K7 622 12:00 6T 501 14:00 YH 731 15:00

YANGON TO NYAUNG U
MON YJ 901 W9 501 YH 917 YJ 891 6T 401 YH 909 6T 403 06:00 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 K7 222 06:30 W9 141 06:30 W9 143 07:00 YJ 911 09:15 W9 109 14:00 YH 731 15:00 W9 205 W9 141 YH 909 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 K7 222 6T 403 06:00 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:00 06:20 06:30 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 W9 143 06:45 YH 711 10:30 W9 109 14:00 6T 501 15:30 YH 731 15:30 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 06:45 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 YJ 911 09:15 6T 501 14:30 YJ 791 15:00 YH 731 15:00 W9 129 15:30 06:00 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 06:45 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 501 14:00 W9 501 15:00 YH 731 15:00 YJ 501/W97501 15:45 YH 909 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 K7 222 K7 242 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 YJ 791 14:30 YH 731 15:00 YJ 911 YH 917 YJ 891 YH 909 6T 401 K7 222 6T 341 06:00 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 451 10:45 6T 501 15:30 YH 731 15:00 YJ 901 06:00 YJ 891 06:10 YH 917 06:10 6T 401 06:20 K7 222 06:30 YH 909 06:30 6T 403 06:45 6T 501 14:00 K7 224 14:15 YH 731 15:00 07:20 08:10 07:45 07:30 07:40 08:55 08:05 08:05 07:50 07:50 08:20 11:25 16:40 17:55 07:20 08:10 07:45 07:30 08:25 07:40 07:50 08:05 08:05 08:05 12:50 16:40 18:20 18:25 07:20 07:30 07:45 07:40 07:50 07:50 08:05 08:05 08:05 11:25 17:20 17:40 17:55 18:10 08:10 08:25 07:30 07:45 07:40 07:50 07:50 08:05 08:05 08:05 16:55 17:10 17:55 17:05 08:25 07:30 07:45 07:40 07:50 08:05 08:05 16:35 17:55 07:20 08:25 07:30 07:45 07:40 07:50 08:45 08:05 12:05 18:20 17:55 07:20 07:30 07:45 07:40 07:50 08:55 08:05 16:55 16:25 17:55 08:55 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:20 11:05 09:55 10:55 10:15 14:45 18:00 18:15 19:15 19:20 19:25 10:25 09:50 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:00 11:20 11:25 14:45 18:15 18:40 19:15 19:55 08:55 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:20 11:10 14:45 18:00 18:55 19:15 19:45 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:10 11:20 11:05 09:45 10:55 10:55 18:35 18:40 19:15

07:45 07:45 07:55 YJ 141/W97141 08:20 YH 918 10:20 K7 225 16:40 YJ 792 16:50 YH 732 17:55 6T 342 18:00 YJ 911 YJ 891 6T 401 06:00 07:45 07:55 YJ 141/W97141 08:20 YH 918 08:25 6T 342 09:00 YH 910 09:35 6T 451 12:20 K7 225 16:40 YJ 602/W97602 16:55 YH 732 17:55 6T 502 18:35 YJ 901 YJ 891 YH 918 6T 401 6T 403 YH 910 K7 225 6T 502 YH 732 07:35 07:45 07:45 07:55 08:35 08:55 16:40 17:15 17:55

SAT

06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 451 10:45 YJ 761 11:00 YH 505 11:15 K7 826 12:30 K7 224 14:15 YH 731 15:00 6T 501 15:30 YJ 901 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 6T 403 YH 505 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:45 10:30 YJ 751/W97751 11:00 YH 737 11:15 K7 822 11:30 YH 731 15:00 6T 501 14:00 K7 224 14:15

YANGON TO SITTWE
MON 6T 611 K7 422 YJ 301 6T 607 WED 6T 607 THRU 6T 611 FRI SAT SUN 6T 607 6T 607 K7 422 6T 611 YJ 301 TUE 11:15 12:40 06:45 07:00 11:15 10:15 08:40 08:10 12:40 11:40

Island art festival showcases beauty of Seto Inland Sea

TAKAMATSU, Japan The Setouchi Triennale 2013 art festival is set to kick off March 20, featuring works from 175 contemporary artists and groups from Japan and about 20 other countries and regions. The event will take place on 12 islands in the Seto Inland Sea, including Naoshima in Kagawa Prefecture, which is home to the popular Chichu Art Museum designed by architect Tadao Ando. Attracted by the concept of revitalising these small depopulated islands with the beauty of the seascape and contemporary art, the event will feature art from big names such as painter Tadanori Yokoo, film director Takeshi Kitano and photographer Nobuyoshi Araki as well as Ando. Yokoo said he was enchanted by Teshima Island, which had been tainted by illegal dumping of industrial waste. Undaunted by its infamous past, local fishermen and farmers are striving to regain the islands former beauty by rebuilding its fishing industry as well as cultivating strawberries and lemon trees. I want visitors to see and feel through art how the island has regained its vitality, Yokoo said. The first Setouchi Triennale was held from July to October 2010 on seven islands, and was organised by a committee of the Kagawa prefectural government and other entities. The event drew 930,000 people, more than three times the target number. Encouraged by its success, organisers decided to hold the event every three years. Yokoo also participated in the first event. For this years exhibition, he will remodel an old house as an art museum that will be opened in July. There, he plans to create a work comprising 10,000 postcards of waterfalls that will be reflected on a mirror floor to create the illusion of an abyss, thereby expressing the joy of life. Collaborating with contemporary artist Kenji Yanobe, Kitano will display an 8-metre-tall objet dart depicting a monster jumping from an old well with an axe stuck in its head. According to Kitano, the work is a parody of the Aesop fable The Honest Woodcutter, and also represents his anger toward the destruction of the environment. Araki, better known as Ararchy, will exhibit largescale photos of vibrant flowers, and other photographs, on the walls of six buildings near Uno Port in Tamano, Okayama Prefecture, which serves as a gateway to the islands hosting the festival. On Awashima Island in Kagawa Prefecture,

11:30 12:55 11:15 12:40 11:15 12:40 06:45 08:40 11:30 12:55 12:40 13:50

SUN

07:45 08:45 11:30 12:30 16:00 17:00 07:45 08:45 11:30 12:30 16:00 17:00 08:00 09:00 15:30 16:30

TUE

SITTWE TO YANGON
MON 6T 612 TUE K7 423 YJ 302 6T 608 13:00 14:25 08:55 10:50 12:25 13:35 13:00 13:50 12:00 14:00 13:15 14:40 13:00 15:00 13:00 15:00 08:55 10:50 13:15 14:40 17:05 18:15

SAT SUN

SUN

WED 6T 608 THUR 6T 612 FRI SAT SUN 6T 608 6T 608 K7 423 6T 612 YJ 302

NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON

MON UB-A2 UB-B2 UB-C2 6T 612 TUE UB-A2 UB-B2 UB-C2 09:15 13:00 17:30 19:45 10:15 14:00 18:30 20:40

HEHO TO YANGON
MON W9 141 YJ 892 YH 918 09:00 09:15 09:15 YJ 141/W97141 09:15 6T 402 09:35 6T 404 09:45 K7 223 09:50 W9 502 09:55 YJ 912 12:35 W9 109 15:25 YJ 762 15:50 YH 728 16:00 6T 501 16:10 YH 732 16:25 K7 829 16:30 W9 120 17:05 YH 910 YJ 892 08:40 09:15 YJ 141/W97141 09:15 W9 141 09:20 6T 402 09:35 6T 404 09:45 W9 143 09:50 K7 223 09:50 YH 918 09:55 W9 202 10:55 YH 712 11:55 W9 109 15:25 YJ 762 15:50 YH 732 16:25 6T 501 16:55 K7 823 17:10 08:55 09:00 YJ 141/W97141 09:15 K7 243 09:15 YJ 892 09:15 YH 918 09:15 6T 402 09:35 K7 223 09:50 W9 201 09:55 YH 712 11:55 YJ 912 12:35 6T 501 15:55 YH 732 16:25 K7 827 16:30 YH 738 16:40 W9 129 16:55 W9 120 17:05 11:05 10:25 10:25 11:20 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:05 14:45 18:15 18:40 18:10 19:25 19:15 17:45 19:15 09:50 10:25 11:20 11:25 10:45 10:55 11:00 11:05 11:05 12:05 14:45 18:15 18:40 19:15 19:55 19:25 10:15 11:05 11:20 11:30 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:05 14:00 14:45 18:55 19:15 17:45 18:50 19:45 19:15

09:15 10:15 13:00 14:00 17:30 18:30 09:15 13:00 14:30 17:30 10:15 14:00 15:25 18:30

MANDALAY TO YANGON
MON YH 910 YJ 892 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 W9 502 Y5 132 W9 504 W9 109 YJ 762 K7 623 YH 728 YH 732 6T 502 W9 120 TUE YJ 892 6T 402 K7 223 W9 143 YH 918 Y5 132 YJ 202 W9 109 YJ 762 K7 623 YH 732 8M 6604 6T 502 YH 730 K7 823 W9 252 08:10 08:30 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:10 09:30 15:45 16:10 16:35 16:40 16:45 17:10 17:15 17:50 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:05 09:10 09:30 10:30 16:10 16:35 16:40 17:10 17:20 17:50 18:15 18:00 18:35 10:15 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:05 10:30 17:10 18:15 18:00 18:05 18:10 19:15 19:25 19:15 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:00 11:05 10:30 11:55 18:15 18:40 18:05 19:15 18:30 19:55 19:40 19:25 20:00 10:15 09:55 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:10 10:30 18:05 18:55 19:15 18:50 19:45 19:15 19:15 09:45 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:10 11:05 10:30 14:45 17:15 18:35 18:00 18:05 19:15 18:30 19:40 10:25 10:25 10:45 10:55 11:05 10:30 11:55 12:55 17:30 18:10 19:20 19:05 19:15 10:20 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:05 10:30 11:55 18:15 18:00 19:15 19:55 10:15 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:05 10:30 11:55 16:25 18:35 18:05 19:15 18:30 18:45 18:50 19:15

WED UB-A2 UB-B2 6T 212C UB-C2 THUR UB-A2 UB-B2 UB-C2 FRI UB-A2 UB-B2 UB-C2 UB-A2 UB-A2

WED YJ 901 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 K7 222 W9 141 W9 143 K7 242

YANGON TO MYITKYINA
MON W9 503 K7 622 TUE YJ 201 W9 251 K7 622 11:00 13:55 12:00 14:55 06:00 08:50 11:30 14:25 12:00 14:55 12:00 14:55 06:00 08:50 06:30 09:20 10:00 12:50 12:00 14:55 TUE

YANGON TO MYEIK
MON K7 319 TUE K7 319 YJ 301 07:00 09:05 07:00 09:05 12:15 14:25 07:00 09:05 07:00 09:05 07:00 09:05 07:00 09:05 07:00 09:05

WED K7 319 THUR K7 319 FRI SAT SUN K7 319 K7 319 K7 319

09:15 10:15 13:00 14:00 17:30 18:30 09:15 10:15 13:00 14:00 17:30 18:30 10:00 11:00 17:00 18:00

WED K7 622 THUR YJ 201 FRI SUN YJ 211 YJ 211 K7 622

SAT SUN

YANGON TO MANDALAY
MON W9 501 YH 909 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 K7 222 Y5 131 YJ 911 YJ 761 YH 727 W9 119 K7 622 6T 501 W9 109 YH 731 TUE W9 141 YJ 201 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 K7 222 W9 143 Y5 131 8M 6603 YJ 761 YH 729 W9 251 K7 822 K7 622 W9 109 YH 731 6T 501 06:00 06:30 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 08:00 09:15 11:00 11:15 11:45 12:00 13:45 14:00 15:00 06:00 06:00 06:10 06:00 06:20 06:30 06:45 08:00 09:00 11:00 11:30 11:30 11:30 12:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 07:25 08:10 08:15 08:30 08:25 08:40 09:00 10:40 12:55 13:25 13:40 13:25 15:10 15:55 17:10 07:25 07:25 08:15 07:40 08:25 08:40 08:50 09:00 10:10 12:55 14:30 12:55 12:55 13:25 15:55 17:10 17:30 08:15 08:30 08:25 08:10 08:40 08:10 08:50 08:55 09:00 10:40 12:55 13:25 13:40 13:25 13:25 16:30 17:10 17:25 07:25 08:15 07:40 08:25 08:40 08:50 09:00 10:10 12:55 14:30 13:25 16:05 16:25 16:25 17:10 07:25 07:40 08:15 08:30 08:25 07:55 08:40 07:55 08:25 09:00 12:55 13:25 14:25 15:45 17:10 16:55

THUR W9 205 YH 910 YJ 891 YH 909 6T 401 K7 222 W9 141 W9 143 6T 403

MYEIK TO YANGON
MON K7 320 TUE K7 320 YJ 302 11:30 13:35 11:30 13:35 16:40 18:50 11:30 13:35 11:30 13:35 11:30 13:35 11:30 13:35 11:30 13:35

MYITKYINA TO YANGON
MON W9 504 K7 623 TUE YJ 202 K7 623 W9 252 14:15 17:10 15:10 18:05 09:05 11:55 15:10 18:05 17:05 20:00 15:10 18:05 11:55 14:45 09:35 12:55 13:05 16:25 15:10 18:05

The first Setouchi event drew 930,000 people, more than three times the target number. Encouraged by its success, organisers decided to hold the event every three years.

WED K7 320 THUR K7 320 FRI SAT SUN K7 320 K7 320 K7 320

WED K7 623 THUR YJ 202 FRI SUN YJ 212 YJ 211 K7 623

FRI

YANGON TO THANDWE
MON W9 141 K7 420 06:30 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 YH 503 10:30 6T 601 14:45 10:00 07:40 10:15 11:35 15:40 10:20 07:40 10:15 13:55 13:50

YANGON TO HEHO
MON YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 W9 141 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 403 06:45 K7 828 10:00 YJ 911 09:15 YJ 761 11:00 YH 727 11:15 W9 119 11:45 6T 501 13:45 W9 109 14:00 K7 224 14:15 YH 731 15:00 W9 141 YH 909 YJ 891 6T 401 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 403 06:45 W9 143 06:45 W9 201 09:30 YH 711 10:30 YJ 761 11:00 K7 822 11:30 W9 109 14:00 YH 731 15:00 6T 501 15:30 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 W9 201 07:30 YJ 911 09:15 YH 711 10:30 YJ 751/W97751 11:00 YH 737 11:15 W9 119 11:45 K7 826 12:30 K7 224 14:15 6T 501 14:30 YH 731 15:00 W9 129 15:30 06:10 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 403 06:45 W9 143 06:45 K7 828 10:00 YH 711 11:15 YJ 761 11:00 6T 501 14:00 W9 129 14:30 YH 731 15:00 YH 909 YH 917 YJ 891 6T 401 K7 242 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 6T 403 07:00 YJ 751/W97751 11:00 YH 727 11:15 6T 501 13:45 K7 224 14:15 YJ 791 14:30 YH 731 15:00 09:00 09:15 09:20 08:45 09:00 09:15 11:15 12:20 12:10 12:40 12:55 16:05 15:10 15:30 16:25 09:05 08:40 09:00 09:20 09:00 09:15 09:35 10:40 11:55 12:10 13:45 15:10 16:25 16:40 09:00 09:15 09:20 08:55 08:45 09:00 09:40 12:20 11:55 12:10 12:40 12:55 13:45 15:30 15:40 16:25 16:40 08:40 09:00 09:15 09:20 08:45 09:00 09:15 09:35 11:15 12:40 12:10 15:10 15:40 16:25 09:20 09:15 09:00 09:20 09:00 09:00 09:30 12:10 12:40 14:55 15:30 15:40 16:25

WED YH 910 W9 141

WED YH 910 6T 332 YJ 892 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 W9 144 Y5 132 K7 623 6T 502 YH 732 YH 738 W9 129 W9 120

08:10 08:30 08:30 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:05 09:30 16:40 16:50 17:10 17:25 17:40 17:50 YJ 752/W97752 17:50 07:40 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:05 09:10 09:30 13:20 15:50 16:25 16:35 16:40 17:10 17:20 18:15

TUE

SAT

06:00 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 YH 711 10:30 6T 607 11:15

W9 141 K7 422

WED W9 141 6T 607 YH 711

YJ 141/W97141 06:45 10:15

06:30 10:00 10:15 12:50 10:30 13:10 10:00 07:40 10:15 13:55 12:10

SUN

THUR W9 141 K7 420

TUE

THUR YH 910 YJ 892

YJ 141/W97141 09:15 11:20

08:40 10:55 09:15 10:25 09:35 09:45 09:50 09:50 09:55 12:40 15:30 15:50 15:55 16:25 16:30 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:10 11:05 14:45 18:35 18:00 18:05 19:15 17:45 FRI

WED YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 YH 909 K7 222 6T 331 W9 143 W9 201 Y5 131 YJ 911

06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 06:45 06:45 07:30 08:00 09:15 YJ 751/W97751 11:00 YH 737 11:15 W9 119 11:45 K7 622 12:00 W9 501 12:00 6T 501 14:30 YH 731 15:00 W9 129 15:30 06:00 06:10 06:00 06:20 06:30 06:45 08:00 09:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:00

THUR W9 205 YJ 892 6T 402 K7 223 W9 143 YH 918 Y5 132 YJ 202 K7 227 6T 502 YJ 762 W9 129 YH 732 8M 6604 YH 730 FRI YJ 892 YH 918 6T 402 6T 404 K7 223 Y5 132 YJ 002 YJ 212 6T 502 YH 728 6T 342 K7 825 6T 342 YJ 892 6T 402 K7 223 YH 918 Y5 132 YJ 002

NYAUNG U TO YANGON
MON YJ 902 YH 918 YJ 891 6T 401 07:35 07:45 07:45 07:55 YJ 141/W97141 08:20 W9 502 08:25 W9 144 08:35 6T 403 08:35 YH 910 08:55 YJ 911 11:40 K7 225 16:40 W9 109 16:55 YH 732 17:55 6T 342 18:00 6T 502 18:05 TUE YJ 891 07:45 YH 910 07:40 6T 401 07:55 6T 403 08:05 YH 918 08:25 W9 143 08:20 YJ 141/W97141 08:20 W9 141 08:25 YH 712 12:50 W9 109 16:55 YJ 762 17:20 YH 732 17:55 6T 502 18:35 WED YJ 902 07:35 YJ 891 07:45 YH 918 07:45 6T 401 07:55 W9 141 08:05 YJ 141/W97141 08:20 W9 144 09:50 YJ 911 11:40 K7 225 16:40 6T 502 17:35 YH 732 17:55 W9 129 18:25 THUR YJ 891 07:45 6T 401 07:55 W9 141 08:05 W9 143 08:20 YJ 141/W97141 08:20 YH 918 08:25 W9 205 08:25 6T 403 08:35 YH 910 09:35 6T 502 17:15 YJ 502/W97502 17:20 YH 732 17:55

6T 402 6T 404 K7 223 W9 143 YH 918 YH 712 6T 501 YJ 762 W9 129 YH 732 K7 829

06:30 06:45 YJ 141/W97141 06:45 YH 711 11:15 6T 601 11:15 6T 607 YH 503

YJ 141/W97141 06:45 10:15

11:15 13:50 12:00 13:05

SAT

YJ 141/W97141 06:45 10:15

6T 607 YH 505

11:15 13:50 11:15 13:55

SUN

K7 422 YH 505 6T 601

06:45 07:40 10:30 13:10 11:15 12:10

FRI

YJ 892 YH 918

THUR W9 205 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 K7 222 W9 143 Y5 131 8M 6603 YJ 761 YH 729 K7 226 6T 501 W9 129 W9 501 YH 731 FRI YJ 201 YH 909 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 YJ 211 K7 222 YJ 001 6T 403 Y5 131

08:30 08:30 08:45 08:55 09:00 09:30 11:00 11:30 16:05 16:45 17:15 17:40 YJ 752/W97752 17:50 08:15 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:10 09:30 11:00 YJ 602/W97602 16:10 YJ 762 16:35 YH 732 17:10 6T 502 17:50 YH 910 YJ 892 YH 918 6T 402 K7 223 Y5 132 YJ 002 YJ 212 6T 502 K7 623 YH 732 8M 6604 K7 823 YH 738 08:10 08:30 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:30 11:00 15:00 16:25 16:40 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:25 YJ 752/W97752 17:50

WED YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 YH 909 W9 141

YJ 141/W97141 09:15 11:20

09:15 10:25 09:15 10:25 09:15 09:25 09:35 09:45 09:50 15:10 15:55 16:00 16:25 11:30 11:40 10:45 10:55 11:05 17:30 18:10 18:10 19:15

THANDWE TO YANGON
MON K7 421 W9 141 YH 504 YJ 912 6T 602
YJ 141/W97141 10:30 11:20

K7 243 YH 910 6T 402 6T 404 K7 223 6T 501 YJ 792 YH 728 YH 732

07:55 08:50 10:15 11:05 13:35 12:25 13:50 14:45 15:15 16:50

TUE

YJ 141/W97141 10:30 11:20

K7 423

09:55 10:50 10:35 11:25 13:55 14:45 14:05 15:00

SAT

YH 910 YJ 912 YJ 892

SAT

THUR YH 909 YJ 891 YH 917 6T 401 W9 141

08:40 09:05 09:15 YJ 141/W97141 09:15 6T 402 09:35 K7 223 09:50 YH 918 09:55 YH 506 12:40 6T 452 13:15 YJ 762 15:50 YH 732 16:25 6T 501 16:55 K7 827 17:10 YH 730 08:15 YJ 902 YJ 892 YH 918 6T 402 6T 404 K7 223 YH 506 6T 501 YH 732 YH 738 08:30 09:15 09:15 09:35 09:45 09:50 11:55 15:30 16:25 16:40

10:55 11:15 10:25 11:20 10:45 11:05 11:05 14:45 14:25 18:00 19:15 19:55 18:25 19:25 09:40 10:25 10:25 10:45 10:55 11:05 14:00 18:35 19:15 18:50

W9 141 YH 712 6T 608

contemporary artist Katsuhiko Hibino will exhibit pieces salvaged from sunken ships, such as Bizen-style pottery locally manufactured hundreds of years ago, to entertain visitors with a trip into the areas maritime history. Ando, one of the events founders, is building a museum to commemorate his activities on Naoshima Island. Visitors can access the event across three seasons from March 20 to April 21 for spring, July 20 to September 1 for summer and October 5 to November 4 for autumn. The Yomiuri Shimbun

WED W9 141 6T 608 YH 712

YJ 141/W97141 10:30 11:20

10:15 11:05 13:05 14:00 13:10 14:00 08:50 11:05 11:20 13:20 14:45

THUR K7 421 W9 141

07:55 10:15 YJ 141/W97141 10:30 6T 602 12:25 YH 712 13:55 K7 243 YH 504 6T 608

Domestic Airlines
Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)
56, Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 513322, 513422, 504888, Fax : 515102

Asian Wings (AW)

FRI

YJ 141/W97141 10:30 11:20

SUN

10:35 11:30 13:05 13:55 14:05 15:00

SAT

YJ 141/W97141 10:30 11:20

Air KBZ (K7)

33-49,Corner of Bank Street & Maha Bandoola Garden Street, Kyauktada Tsp,Yangon, Myanmar Tel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (Airport) Fax: 372983

No.34(A-1), Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Township,Yangon. Myanmar. Tel: 951 516654, 532253, 09731-35991~3.Fax: 951 532333

06:00 06:00 06:10 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:30 07:00 07:00 08:00 YJ 751/W97751 10:00 YH 727 11:15 K7 824 13:00 6T 501 13:45 YH 731 15:00 6T 341 15:30

SUN

K7 245 YH 506 6T 608

10:35 11:30 13:55 14:45 14:05 15:00

Yangon Airways(YH)
166, MMB Tower, Level 5, Upper Pansodan Rd, Mingalar Taungnyunt Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (+95-1) 383 100, 383 107, 700 264, Fax: 652 533.

SUN

FRI

K7 423 6T 602 YH 506

09:55 10:50 12:25 13:20 13:10 14:00

Domestic
6T = Air Mandalay W9 = Air Bagan YJ = Asian Wings K7 = AIR KBZ YH = Yangon Airways UB = FMI UB Charter Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

Air Mandalay (6T)

Subject to change without notice
146, Dhammazedi Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon Tel : (Head Office) 501520, 525488, Fax: 525937. Airport: 533222~3, 0973152853. Fax: 533223.

FMI Air Charter Sales & Reservations

No.380, Bogyoke Aung San Rd., FMI Centre, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (95-1) 240363, 240373 / (+95-9) 421146545, E-mail: reservations@fmiaircharter.com sales@fmiaircharter.com

47
March 11 - 17, 2013
www.mmtimes.com/images/flight-schedules.pdf

Travel
Days Flight
TUE WED THUR SAT SUN CA 906 CA 906 CA 906 CA 906 CA 906

Clues youre staying at a murder hotel

By Justin Peters NEW YORK This January, a 21-year-old Canadian tourist named Elisa Lam disappeared while visiting Los Angeles. Lam was last seen at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where she had been staying. In late February, her body was found at the bottom of one of the hotels rooftop water tanks, thus solving two separate mysteries at once: What happened to Elisa Lam? and Why is the water pressure so bad at the Cecil Hotel? The hotels guests were horrified at the news, with good reason nothing spoils a vacation faster than learning you may have been brushing your teeth with corpse-water. But anyone familiar with Los Angeles history couldnt have been too surprised. Downtown LA has long been seedy, and somewhat dangerous; the Cecil Hotel, for its part, has a long and sordid criminal history. The Cecil doesnt advertise its dark past; caveat emptor and all that. But still, many guests might balk at staying in a hotel that was once a crime scene. Its best if you do your research before embarking on your travels, not after. Here are some ways to determine whether or not you might have booked a room in a murder hotel. The hotel is also a residential hotel Half the time, people who live in hotels are either eccentric millionaires or adorable, adventure-prone children. The rest of the time, they are usually creepy drifters. Sometimes its hard to tell which is which, so corpse-wary travellers should play it safe and avoid hotels that court the long-term trade. The Hotel Chelsea, where Sid Vicious allegedly killed Nancy Spungen in 1978, was also a long-term residential hotel. The Cecil is one, too; a Los Angeles Times article about the Lam case featured quotes from an 89-year-old man who has lived in the Cecil for 32 years. A hotel like this is probably not the sort of place you want to stay, unless you are a character in a Charles Bukowski novel in which case, congratulations on magically coming to life! Half the online reviews are left by people with names like The Night Stalker A little Googling will reveal whether any serial murderers have ever used your chosen hotel as a kill site. Indeed, a quick search for Cecil Hotel and serial killers wouldve turned up a bunch of pertinent information. In 1985, Richard The Night Stalker Ramirez used the Cecil as a home base during his months-long murder spree in which he killed 14 people. (As far as I know, he did not actually kill any of his victims in the hotel.) An Austrian author and ex-convict named Jack Unterweger stayed at the Cecil in 1991 while in town researching a story on LAs red-light district. Apparently Unterweger never learned that good journalists shouldnt make themselves part of the story; he murdered several prostitutes over the course of his stay. The hotel seems to court the sex trade Last year, just like every single year before it, prostitutes took the top prize at the Groups of People Most Likely to Be Killed in Hotel Rooms Awards. This is why squeamish travellers should stay away from hotels that rent rooms by the hour, or boast that their staff is discreet. A few years back, I used to stay overnight at a hooker hotel in the heart of the East Village. The hotel was really cheap, and thus I was willing to overlook the bulletproof glass at reception, and its pay-incash policy, and the giant mirrors next to the beds so that self-absorbed johns could watch themselves in flagrante. Turns out that some people also used the mirrors to tell whether the prostitutes they had just strangled were still breathing. I dont stay at that hotel anymore. The room smells like corpses At some point in your life probably while you were driving across Pennsylvania or something you may have rented a room in a cheap motel, opened the door, sniffed the air, and yelled Who died in here? Often, the answer is the previous occupant. Stories abound of corpses stashed under hotel beds, often for inexplicable lengths of time; in 2010 and this is the most extreme case I could find a Memphis woman named Sony Millbrook mouldered under the box springs of a bed at the Budget Lodge for six weeks before being found. If your room smells like death, dont just send down for some air freshener. Find a better place to stay. The website is inept and hostile Most respectable hotels put a lot of time and effort into their websites, which is why you should be very suspicious of hotel websites that look like they were created with Microsoft FrontPage 97. Take New Yorks Hotel Carter, for example, a notoriously dirty Times Square hostelry known for its body count: a woman thrown out of a window, an infant beaten to death, a goth rocker stashed under a bed, a hotel clerk killed by another hotel clerk. Its website is inept, ungrammatical and at times perplexingly belligerent. We do not receive package/shipments for guests. We will refuse to receive package to those who order online and use our hotel address, the home page states, emphatically, in red italics. You know what else is red? Blood. A sign that this might be a murder hotel. The closet is actually a chute leading down to a secret murder chamber Not to take anything away from turn-of-the-century serial killer H H Holmes whose terrible true story was told in Erik Larsons The Devil in the White City but come on, victims. Do a walk-through before you put a deposit down on a room. If you see any unexplained trap doors, leave. Slate

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES

Days Flight
MON PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306 TUE PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306 WED PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306 THUR PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306 FRI PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306 SAT PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306 SUN PG 706 8M 335 TG 304 PG 702 TG 302 8M 331 PG 704 TG 306

Dep Arr
07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 07:15 08:40 09:50 10:45 14:45 16:30 18:45 19:40 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35 09:30 10:25 11:45 12:40 16:40 18:15 20:40 21:35

Dep Arr
14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 14:15 21:55 21:55 21:55 21:55 21:55

Days Flight
TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 TUE 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 WED 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 THUR 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 FRI 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 SAT 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 SUN 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703 TG 305 8M 332 PG 705 MON FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753 TUE FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753 WED FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753 THUR FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753 FRI FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753 SAT FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753 SUN FD 2751 FD 2755 FD 2753

Dep Arr
17:55 19:20 20:15 06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05 17:55 19:20 20:15 06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05 17:55 19:20 20:15 06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05 17:55 19:20 20:15 06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05 17:55 19:20 20:15 06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05 17:55 19:20 20:15 06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05 17:55 19:20 20:15 07:15 11:35 16:20 07:15 11:35 16:20 07:15 11:35 16:20 07:15 11:35 16:20 07:15 11:35 16:20 07:15 11:35 16:20 07:15 11:35 16:20 18:40 20:05 21:30 07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55 18:40 20:05 21:30 07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55 18:40 20:05 21:30 07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55 18:40 20:05 21:30 07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55 18:40 20:05 21:30 07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55 18:40 20:05 21:30 07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55 18:40 20:05 21:30 08:00 12:20 17:05 08:00 12:20 17:05 08:00 12:20 17:05 08:00 12:20 17:05 08:00 12:20 17:05 08:00 12:20 17:05 08:00 12:20 17:05

Days Flight
8M 502 AK 1420 AK 1424 MH 740 8M 502 AK 1420 AK 1424 MH 740 8M 502 AK 1420 AK 1424 MH 740 AK 1420 AK 1424 MH 740 8M 502 AK 1420 AK 1424 MH 740 8M 502 AK 1420 AK 1424 MH 740 AK 1420 CZ 3055 8M 712 CZ 3055 8M 712 CZ 3055 CZ 3055 8M 712

Dep Arr
14:00 15:40 06:55 10:05 14:00 15:40 06:55 10:05 14:00 15:40 06:55 10:05 15:40 06:55 10:05 14:00 15:40 06:55 10:05 14:00 15:40 06:55 10:05 15:40 14:45 14:15 08:40 14:15 14:45 08:40 14:15 07:00 07:00 07:30 07:00 07:00 07:00 07:30 07:00 07:30 07:00 15:00 16:45 08:00 11:15 15:00 16:45 08:00 11:15 15:00 16:45 08:00 11:15 16:45 08:00 11:15 15:00 16:45 08:00 11:15 15:00 16:45 08:00 11:15 16:45 16:35 15:50 10:30 15:50 16:35 10:30 15:50 09:50 09:50 10:35 09:50 09:50 09:50 10:35 09:50 10:35 09:50 14:00 13:15 14:00 13:15 14:00 13:15 14:00 14:00 13:15 11:30 13:15 14:00

YANGON TO BANGKOK

YANGON TO BEIJNG

TUE

WED DE 2369 MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN CZ 3056 8M 711 CZ 3056 8M 711 CZ 3056 CZ 3056 8M 711

YANGON TO FRANKFURT
17:40 08:40 11:20 08:40 17:40 11:20 08:40 10:50 10:50 11:35 10:50 10:50 10:50 11:35 10:50 11:35 10:50

YANGON TO GAUNGZHOU

05:35 16:40 22:15 13:15 15:50 13:15 22:15 15:50 13:15 16:10 16:10 17:20 16:10 16:10 16:10 17:20 16:10 17:20 16:10 18:00 17:35 18:00 17:35 18:00 17:35 18:00 18:00 17:35 18:10 17:35 18:00

WED

THUR FRI

MON CI 7916 TUE CI 7916 BR 288 WED CI 7916 THUR CI 7916 FRI CI 7916 BR 288 SAT CI 7916 BR 288 SUN CI 7916

YANGON TO TAIPEI

SAT

SUN

MON MU 2032 TUE CA 906 MU 2032 WED CA 906 MU 2032 THUR CA 906 MU 2032 FRI MU 2032 SAT CA 906 MU 2012 SUN CA 906 MU 2032 MON AI 234 FRI AI 234 AI 228

YANGON TO KUNMING
14:40 14:15 14:40 14:15 14:40 14:15 14:40 14:40 14:15 12:20 14:15 14:40

MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

GUANGZHOU TO YANGON

YANGON TO KOLKATA

THUR W9 9607 SUN W9 9607 MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TUE THUR SAT SUN VN 956 VN 956 VN 956 VN 956 VN 956 VN 956 VN 956 VN 942 VN 942 VN 942 VN 942

YANGON TO CHIANG MAI YANGON TO HANOI

19:10 19:10 19:10 19:10 19:10 19:10 19:10 14:25 14:25 14:25 14:25

13:40 16:55 13:40 16:55 18:45 19:45 14:20 16:10 14:20 16:10 21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30 17:10 17:10 17:10 17:10 08:20 15:00 08:20 08:20 15:00 08:20 11:45 11:45 11:45 11:45 11:45 11:45 11:45

MON CI 7915 TUE CI 7915 BR 287 WED CI 7915 THUR CI 7915 FRI CI 7915 BR 287 SAT CI 7915 BR 287 SUN CI 7915

TAIPEI TO YANGON

DON MUENG TO YANGON

MON FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754 TUE FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754 WED FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754 THUR FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754 FRI FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754 SAT FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754 SUN FD 2752 FD 2756 FD 2754

YANGON TO DON MUENG

08:30 12:50 17:35 08:30 12:50 17:35 08:30 12:50 17:35 08:30 12:50 17:35 08:30 12:50 17:35 08:30 12:50 17:35 08:30 12:50 17:35

International Airlines
Air Asia (FD)
33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd, Ground Flr, Parkroyal Hotel, Yangon. Tel: 251 885, 251 886.

Condor (DE)
th

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9) Air China (CA)

56, Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 513322, 513422, 504888, Fax : 515102 Building (2), corner of Pyay Rd and Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Hotel Yangon, 8 miles, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel : 666112, 655882.

Unit 10-05, 10 Flr, La Pyayt Wun Plaza, 37, Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Tel: + 95 1 -370836 up to 39 (ext : 810)

Silk Air(MI)

339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, 2 Flr, Sakura Tower, Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 255 287~9, Fax: 255 290
nd

MON MI 509 8M 231 SQ 997 8M 6232 3K 586 8M 233 MI 517 TUE 8M 231 SQ 997 3K 586 8M 6232 MI 517 WED 8M 231 SQ 997 8M 6232 3K 586 MI 517 THUR 8M 231 SQ 997 3K 586 8M 6232 MI 517 FRI 8M 231 SQ 997 3K 586 8M 6232 3K 586 8M 6232 8M 233 MI 517 SAT 8M 231 SQ 997 8M 6232 3K 586 8M 233 MI 517 MI 509 SUN 8M 231 SQ 997 3K 586 8M 6232 8M 233 MI 517 MON AK 1425 8M 501 MH 741 AK 1421 TUE AK 1425 8M 501 MH 741 AK 1421 WED AK 1425 8M 501 MH 741 AK 1421 THUR AK 1425 MH 741 AK 1421 FRI AK 1425 8M 501 MH 741 AK 1421 SAT AK 1425 8M 501 MH 741 AK 1421 SUN AK 1425 MH 741 AK 1421

YANGON TO SINGAPORE
00:25 08:30 10:25 11:30 11:30 13:45 16:40 08:30 10:25 11:40 11:40 16:40 08:30 10:25 11:30 11:30 16:40 08:30 10:25 11:40 11:40 16:40 08:30 10:25 11:30 11:30 11:40 11:40 13:45 16:40 08:30 10:25 11:30 11:30 13:45 16:40 00:25 08:30 10:25 11:40 11:40 13:45 16:40 08:30 08:55 12:15 17:15 08:30 08:55 12:15 17:15 08:30 08:55 12:15 17:15 08:30 12:15 17:15 08:30 08:55 12:15 17:15 08:30 08:55 12:15 17:15 08:30 12:15 17:15

10:20 14:40 19:25 10:20 14:40 19:25 10:20 14:40 19:25 10:20 14:40 19:25 10:20 14:40 19:25 10:20 14:40 19:25 10:20 14:40 19:25 05:00 13:00 14:45 16:05 16:05 18:15 21:15 13:00 14:45 16:25 16:25 21:15 13:00 14:45 16:05 16:05 21:15 13:00 14:45 16:25 16:25 21:15 13:00 14:45 16:05 16:05 16:25 16:25 18:15 21:15 13:00 14:45 16:05 16:05 18:15 21:15 05:00 13:00 14:45 16:25 16:25 18:15 21:15 12:45 12:55 16:30 21:30 12:45 12:55 16:30 21:30 12:45 12:55 16:30 21:30 12:45 16:30 21:30 12:45 12:55 16:30 21:30 12:45 12:55 16:30 21:30 12:45 16:30 21:30

YANGON TO HO CHI MINH

MON MU 2031 TUE CA 905 MU 2031 WED CA 905 MU 2031 THUR CA 905 MU 2031 FRI MU 2031 SAT CA 905 MU 2011 SUN CA 905 MU 2031 MON AI 227 FRI AI 227 AI 233

KUNMING TO YANGON
13:30 13:00 13:30 13:00 13:30 13:00 13:30 13:30 13:00 08:35 13:00 13:30

KOLKATA TO YANGON

MON 8M 601 AI 234 WED 8M 601 FRI 8M 601 AI 234 SAT 8M 601 MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN QR 619 QR 619 QR 619 QR 619 QR 619 QR 619 QR 619

YANGON TO GAYA
07:00 13:40 07:00 07:00 13:40 07:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00

10:10 12:55 10:10 12:55 13:30 16:00

THUR W9 9608 SUN W9 9608 MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TUE THUR SAT SUN VN 957 VN 957 VN 957 VN 957 VN 957 VN 957 VN 957 VN 943 VN 943 VN 943 VN 943

CHIANG MAI TO YANGON HANOI TO YANGON

16:35 16:35 16:35 16:35 16:35 16:35 16:35 11:40 11:40 11:40 11:40

17:20 18:10 17:20 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 18:10 13:25 13:25 13:25 13:25

YANGON TO DOHA

YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR

MON SQ 998 07:55 09:20 3K 585 09:10 10:40 WED 8M 403 16:45 19:10 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 SAT 8M 403 16:45 19:10 8M 232 14:10 15:40 YANGON TO SEOUL MI 518 14:20 15:45 MON KE 472 00:05 08:00 TUE SQ 998 07:55 09:20 TUE KE 472 00:05 08:00 3K 585 09:10 10:40 WED KE 472 00:05 08:00 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 THUR KE 472 00:05 08:00 8M 232 14:10 15:40 0Z 4763 00:50 08:50 MI 518 14:20 15:45 FRI KE 472 00:05 08:00 WED SQ 998 07:55 09:20 SAT KE 472 00:05 08:00 3K 585 09:10 10:40 SUN KE 472 00:05 08:00 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 0Z 4763 00:50 08:50 8M 232 14:10 15:40 YANGON SIEM REAP MI 518 14:20 15:45 MON 8M 401 17:05 19:15 THUR SQ 998 07:55 09:20 FRI 8M 401 17:05 19:15 3K 585 09:10 10:40 YANGON TO HONGKONG 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 MON KA 251 01:10 05:45 8M 232 14:10 15:40 TUE KA 251 01:10 05:45 MI 518 14:20 15:45 THUR KA 251 01:10 05:45 FRI SQ 998 07:55 09:20 SAT KA 251 01:10 05:45 3K 585 09:10 10:40 YANGON TO TOKYO 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 MON NH 914 22:00 06:40+1 8M 232 14:10 15:40 WED NH 914 22:00 06:40+1 MI 518 14:20 15:45 8M 234 19:15 20:45 SAT NH 914 22:00 06:40+1 MI 520 22:10 23:35 MANDALAY TO DON MUENG SAT SQ 998 07:55 09:20 MON FD 2761 12:50 15:15 3K 585 09:10 10:40 TUE FD 2761 12:50 15:15 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 WED FD 2761 12:50 15:15 8M 232 14:10 15:40 THUR FD 2761 12:50 15:15 MI 518 14:20 15:45 FRI FD 2761 12:50 15:15 8M 234 19:15 20:45 SAT FD 2761 12:50 15:15 SUN SQ 998 07:55 09:20 SUN FD 2761 12:50 15:15 8M 6231 09:10 10:40 MANDALAY TO KUNMING 3K 585 09:10 10:40 MON MU 2030 14:40 17:20 8M 232 14:10 15:40 TUE MU 2030 14:40 17:20 MI 518 14:20 15:45 WED MU 2030 14:40 17:20 8M 234 19:15 20:45 THUR MU 2030 14:40 17:20 MI 520 22:10 23:35 FRI MU 2030 14:40 17:20 BEIJNG TO YANGON SAT MU 2030 14:40 17:20 TUE CA 905 8:05 13:15 SUN MU 2030 14:40 17:20 WED CA 905 8:05 13:15 MANDALAY TO GAYA THUR CA 905 8:05 13:15 TUE 8M 603 11:10 12:15 SAT CA 905 8:05 13:15 THUR 8M 603 11:10 12:15 SUN CA 905 8:05 13:15 SUN 8M 603 11:10 12:15

YANGON TO PHNOM PENH

SINGAPORE TO YANGON

HO CHI MINH TO YANGON

MON 8M 602 WED 8M 602 FRI 8M 602 AI 233 SAT 8M 602 TUE 8M 604 THUR 8M 604 SUN 8M 604 MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN QR 618 QR 618 QR 618 QR 618 QR 618 QR 618 QR 618

GAYA TO YANGON
09:20 09:20 09:20 15:00 09:20

12:30 12:30 12:30 16:00 12:30

GAYA TO MANDALAY

13:15 16:20 13:15 16:20 13:15 16:20 21:05 21:05 21:05 21:05 21:05 21:05 21:05 06:29+1 06:29+1 06:29+1 06:29+1 06:29+1 06:29+1 06:29+1

DOHA TO YANGON

WED 8M 404 SAT 8M 404

PHNOM PENH TO YANGON SEOUL TO YANGON

18:40 18:40 18:40 19:30 18:40 18:40 18:40 19:30 18:40

20:10 21:35 20:10 21:35 22:55 22:55 22:55 23:40 22:55 22:55 22:55 23:40 22:55

MON KE 471 TUE KE 471 WED KE 471 0Z 4753 THUR KE 471 FRI KE 471 SAT KE 471 0Z 4753 SUN KE 471 MON 8M 402 FRI 8M 402

SIEM REAP TO YANGON TOKYO TO YANGON

20:15 21:25 20:15 21:25 11:10 17:05 11:10 17:05 11:10 17:05 21:35 21:35 21:35 21:35 10:55 10:55 10:55 10:55 10:55 10:55 10:55 23:35 23:35 23:35 23:35 12:20 12:20 12:20 12:20 12:20 12:20 12:20

Dragonair (KA)
Unit 1107, 11 Flr, Sakura Tower, 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp; Yangon. Tel: 95-1-255322
th

Thai Airways (TG)

Room No. 1101, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Ygn. Tel : 255491~6, Fax : 255223

MON 8M 336 TG 303 PG 701 TG 301 PG 703

BANGKOK TO YANGON
06:40 08:00 09:05 13:00 17:05

07:25 08:45 09:55 13:45 17:55

TUE

FRANKFURT TO YANGON
DE 2368

12:40 04:25+1 06:55 08:00 10:05 11:15

MON NH 913 WED NH 913 SAT NH 913 MON WED FRI SUN KA 250 KA 250 KA 250 KA 250

MON AK 1424 MH 740

KAULA LUMPUR TO YANGON

HONGKONG TO YANGON

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

335/357, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Pabedan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 387648, 241007 ext : 120, 121, 122 Fax : 241124

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

International
FD & AK = Air Asia TG = Thai Airways 8M = Myanmar Airways International PG = Bangkok Airways MI = Silk Air VN = Vietnam Airline MH = Malaysia Airlines CZ = China Southern CI = China Airlines CA = Air China KA = Dragonair IC = Indian Airlines Limited W9 = Air Bagan 3K = Jet Star AI = Air India QR = Qatar Airways KE = Korea Airlines NH = All Nippon Airways SQ = Singapore Airways DE = Condor Airlines MU=China Eastern Airlines BR = Eva Airlines DE = Condor

Air India

75, Shwe Bon Thar St, Pabedan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 253597~98, 254758. Fax: 248175

#1702, Sakura Tower 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon. Fax 255086. Tel 255066/ 255088/ 255068.

Bangkok Airways (PG)

#0305, 3rd Fl, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 255122, 255 265, Fax: 255119

Myanmar Airways International(8M)

Qatar Airways (Temporary Office)

MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY

FD 2760 FD 2760 FD 2760 FD 2760 FD 2760 FD 2760 FD 2760

KUNMING TO MANDALAY
MU 2029 MU 2029 MU 2029 MU 2029 MU 2029 MU 2029 MU 2029 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00

08-02, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Ygn. Tel : 255260, Fax: 255305

33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd. 2nd Flr, Parkroyal Hotel, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 01-250388, (ext: 8142, 8210)

Subject to change without notice

13:50 13:50 13:50 13:50 13:50 13:50 13:50

Timeout
March 11 - 17, 2013
the

48
Myanmar Times

Iraqis look to revive traditional music

By Guillaume Decamme BAGHDAD Hussein Abdullah clutches his oud, long the symbol of Iraqi music, and sighs. Iraqis do not care for their musical heritage, he laments. On TV, all you see are singers who have no voice. While his contemporaries may have chosen to play the drums or guitar, or belt out modern lyrics, the 25-year-old has instead opted for the oud, part of an attempted revival of Iraqi traditional music, long in decline. The contrast is evident in the upmarket neighbourhood of Jadriyah in central Baghdad in the evenings, when restaurants are packed and the streets are filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic, revellers are more likely to hear the melodies of Egyptian singer Amr Diab than the Iraqi oud. Hussein is one of a growing number of students at Baghdads Musical Studies Institute, a bastion of traditional music and a breeding ground for budding talents. At the vanguard of that effort is Sattar Naji, the institutes director who meets with every prospective student hoping to, one day, break into the elite of Iraqi traditional music. It is better now, Naji said, recalling that after the US-led invasion of 2003, we did not even have 30 students. oud, but also on performing with the qanoon, an Arab take on the sitar, and the violin. Though he will be accomplished in the art, it is unclear whether he will find an audience. Sadly, us, the Iraqis, we have lost our traditions, lamented Mustafa Zair, an oud teacher and renowned concert musician. From 2005 to 2008, Iraq was blighted by a brutal sectarian war in which tens of thousands died, and many chose to stay in their homes after dark rather than take their chances with the rampant violence. At the time, music, even in its traditional Iraqi form, was often targeted by insurgents. From 2005 to 2007, when I was studying at the Musical Studies Institute, recalled Murad, a flautist in a traditional music orchestra, I was afraid to carry my instruments in public. I was even scared to tell my neighbours that I was studying music. Though still violent 246 people were killed in Iraq in January security is markedly improved from its darkest days, and musicians have experienced greater freedom. But they increasingly find themselves constrained by a new challenge: a lack of resources and listeners. One victim of those challenges has been maqam, a slow form of music that was developed at around the time of the foundation of modern Iraq. It accomplished little in recent years but satisfy connoisseurs, and has all but disappeared. And now, many are trying to ensure the oud does not meet a similar fate. Satellite channels are destroying our heritage, said institute director Naji. They play frivolous music with semi-naked girls the songs speak only to baser instincts, they do not evoke passion. Hussein, the young oud student, has refused to give up, however. With three friends, he has founded a traditional music group he plays the oud, Mohammed is on the piano, Ahmed sings and Ghassan plays the violin. The four draw their inspiration from what has long infused traditional Iraqi songs slow and haunting melodies, where depth and introspection take precedence over a catchy tune. We want to play for free in public places, Mohammed declared, before adding forlornly: We asked Zawraa Park [in central Baghdad] for permission to play outdoors, but we were told to go to the culture ministry. Restaurants in Abu Nawas [the main street that snakes along the banks of the Tigris river] will not give us the electricity to connect our instruments, the pianist added. AFP

A musician plays the violin during a concert at the Musical Studies Institute in Baghdad on February 6. Pic: AFP Today, we are working with more than 150. Among the hopefuls who want to join that group is Mohammed Ali Mohammed, an 18-year-old with slick-black hair. As part of an entrance exam, Naji, who works with three teachers at the institute, asked the teenager to reproduce a beat he made by humming and clapping his hands. Though awkward at first, Mohammed quickly caught on, and after 10 minutes, Naji consulted with his colleagues. Not bad, he said. Well take him he will get better over time. Despite his talent, Mohammed lacked Husseins passion, admitting afterwards that he would have preferred to have auditioned for Iraqi Star, a television talent show that is the local equivalent of American Idol or The X-Factor. But I had to go to school, so I could not try out, he said. The young man is nevertheless in line for four years of intensive teaching teachers will work with him on his singing and playing the

Events Flash
Hinnthar show
Hinnthar Art Gallery (42A Inya Myaing Road, Bahan township) is celebrating its 12th anniversary from February 23 to March 23, with a group exhibition featuring the work of Lun Gywe, Lun Mya Mya, Myint Aung and 13 other artists. shopping centres outdoor area on March 24, from 4pm to 8pm. On March 26 he will play live at Diamond Plaza in Mandalay.

YOUR STARS
By Astrologer Aung Myin Kyaw
Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Throw away your emotional baggage and free up your mind. Its also time to start valuing yourself more highly. Opportunities await, but you will find it hard to secure them. Making a living is tough and its not going to get any easier this week. Listen to advice from your elders. Try not to lose focus, particularly in your love life. Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Quick and correct action is essential during this week. You will need to be diplomatic to maintain compatibility in social affairs, and time management will also be important. Promises will be tested, and you will need to show some courage to make it through the week unscathed. Not much will change for the better in your love life, at least not until you actively make things happen. Aries (March 21 - April 19) You must learn to trust your decision-making abilities, particularly where finances are concerned. Fortunes fickle needle is pointing to an exciting and luck-ridden week. Hard effort and less talk will be needed if you are to achieve your professional goals. Cheer up a little, get out more and begin to dictate how you want to live life, rather than simply following the flow of social events. Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Be sure to mind the difference between your thoughts and decisions, and what is right and wrong. Family affairs might require your immediate action in the right direction. Silence will be golden this week, and you might find it more effective than shooting your mouth off. Moneymaking will be easy, but your lifestyle will take the blame for many problems because of your strong emotional drive. Gemini (May 21 - June 20) Find the information you are looking for by listening to the voices of the people around you. Make sure to put time into your most valuable relationships. Nothing will weigh heavily on your shoulders, but you will need to be more attentive to your familys needs. You must be courageous enough to follow the rules of the heart. Cancer (June 22 - July 22) Nobody can advise you better than yourself because of your correct concepts and optimistic attitude. Respect your elders and seniors in social dealings, and avoid travel this week. Love at first sight is possible but deep relationships take time to build, so you can allow some freedom in between. Prepare yourself to make the right challenges.

Leo (July 23 - Aug 22) Tread carefully with others this week, as an upset is in the cards. You might be better off holding your tongue at work as well. Your responsibilities are golden images of tomorrow. Be prepared to welcome an unprecedented number of hidden opportunities. Pay attention to the needs of your colleagues and try not to create disturbances at work it wont be worth the effort. Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22) Allow yourself to be guided by a moral responsibility to dwell within a strict set of social and ethical themes. Urgent action is required to rescue yourself from sinking into delusion and ignorance in emotional matters. Improvements in your life will depend on making good decisions and having a strong determination to follow through. Romance requires time and diligence to develop correctly. Libra (Sept 23 - Oct 22) Enhance your personality and transform boredom into creative activity. Wasting energy by striving for the impossible will adversely affect your health as well as your ability to concentrate for long periods of time; you can start rectifying the problem by reducing the number of demands you make on yourself. Do not suffer under the interference of others, but instead live with love. Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21) Maintain optimism and change your immediate environment for the better. Wisdom and knowledge are your real strengths, and they will help you break through interference caused by others. Learn to delegate responsibility to those you trust so you can focus on management and observation. The one you love will grant you favour. Focus your mind on relaxation and silence. Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21) Strife and controversy are unnecessary in social relations. The situation can be calmed by implementing a personal policy of cultivating mutual respect. Each adversity has its positive aspect, which also holds true with affairs of the heart. Dont worry about the aggressive and combative nature of others; focus instead on their needs and desires. Build trust in society. Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19) Anxiety and worry continuously assault your mind because you have fallen prey to too many misconceptions. You should stop, or risk losing what you value in a flurry of pride and conceit. Guard against personal feelings of greed, which might make it impossible to fulfill your hopes and desires. Egocentrics have no good rules for dealing with the affairs of the heart and soul. For a personal reading contact Aung Myin Kyaw, 4th Floor, 113, Thamain Bayan Road, Tamwe Township, Yangon. Tel: 0973135632, Email: williameaste@gmail.com

Local comedians
Local comedian groups Mya Ponnamar and Thee Lay Thee will perform a concert under the title Pyi Thu A Nyeint Tha Bin at Peoples Park in Yangon on March 27, at 6pm. Tickets cost K6000, K15,000 and K20,000.

Electronic City
Lokanat Gallery (62 Pansodan Street, First Floor, Kyauktada township) will host an exhibition by painter Aung Kyi Soe titled Electronic City from March 11 to 16.

Soe Thu live

Singer-turned-actor Soe Thu will perform live at Mindar Ground (U Wizara Road, Kamaryut township) on March 30, starting at 4pm. Entry is free.

Thein Tan live

Singer Thein Tan (Myanmar Pyi) will perform live at the Myanmar Convention Centre (Mindhamma Street, Mayangone township) on March 16, starting at 7pm.

50th Street live

Jazz band Great Blessings plays 50th Street Bar on Wednesday night, while Friendship Band belts out classic rock tunes on Fridays.

Baji Aung Soe

An exhibition in memory of artist Baji Aung Soe (1924-1990) will be held at Pansodan Gallery (286 Pansodan Street, First Floor, Kyauktada township) from March 22 to 25. Works of art by Baji Aung Soe, along with other 50 artists, will be on view.

Moyo Beats@Mojo
DJs XU, Iwok and Cyncity (from Phnom Penh-based Kimchi Collective) will play an eclectic mix of electronic music ranging from dubstep to house, bass to disco, and garage to electro at Mojo (Inya Road opposite Savoy Hotel) on March 16, from 9pm to 2am. Entry is free, and drink specials will be offered all night long.

Ar-T live
Popular singer Ar-T will launch his new album Cho Chin (Candy) with a live concert at Junction Square

General
Education
Teachers who have got Teaching experien ce in Singapore,Grade 10, 11 & Intl School, GCSE, SAT, IELTS, TOEFL, Sayar Bryan, ME (IT) 09-420-07 0692, Sayar Htet Ph; 09-2150075, Sayar Min Aung (B.E ,IT) 09-492-80490 saya Saw Aung (Ex.A.P) Chemistry Classes for Intl school (see-levels), iGCSE, GCE A Level & SAT II. Ph : 2300441, 09500-5470. Exam preparation classes for IGCSE MAY/ JUNE 2013 (Edexcel & Cambridge). Only 5 students per class. All subject available. For more info: Tr. Pyae Phyo Kyaw 09-508-8683 Prepa ration) , communi cative skill in English, English for Grade 11, Business English, Job Interview and affair. Ph: 09-401-604365 hlc High Language Centre, Hindi, English & Myanmar, (Writing, Reading & Speaking) by an Expert Teacher. Ph : 09-4210-98790. Teaching English (4 Skills) Near Myay Ni Gone City Mart 09-4200- 30 782 Teaching Myanmar language (4 Skills) for foreigners Near Myay Ni Gone City Mart. Ph: 09-4200- 30782 image of Myanmar Nationalist who brought Burmas independence back from British colonial rule. It is an art sculpted for those who love to keep a replica of Boyoke Aung San as a treasure in their surroundings and for those willing to take it abroad as present, or as a collection. The pieces are available at National League for Democracy (Head quarter), Bahan, Pls call: 09-430-88645, 09-430-88645. FREE to good home, 2 Yorkie Puppies ReHoming, Akc Reg, Contact me via email for more details on: rowwf450@ googlemail.com

Property
Housing for Rent
KAMAYUT: Baho St - 3 storey. 7MB. unfurnish ed- USD$12000. fully furnished- USD$15000. suitable for office use too. pls call 09-5200654 T hingangyun Kyipwaryay (North), 25 minutes drive to Down Town 40' x 60' 2 RC, 3 MBR, 2 SBR, Ready to stay, 4 AC, 1 Ph Line US$ 1000 1 month Allowe 6 months contract. Ph: 09-73111190 email: m2k 20099@gmail.com Bahan, (1) Near Singa pore Embassy, (60' x 90'), 4MBR, 2RC, 7000 USD.(2) Golden Velley, near USA Embassy, (100' x 100'), 8 BR, 2RC + 1RC, negotiate. Near Chatrium Hotel, Po Sein St, (50' x 70'), 1MBR, 1 RC, 2400 USD.Ph:09-421-77105 Office Space Available @ Orchid City Hall Hotel Ground Floor USD.5.00 (1 sqft) 2nd Floor & 9th Floor USD 3.00 (1 sqft) Please contacts at 09-507-7594, 09-5053820. ( 1 ) S hwehinthar Condo, 6 miles, 2000 sqft, f.f. US$ 4000 (2) Moe Myat San Condo, Bahan Off New University Ave Rd, f.f, 25 Lakhs. (3) Shwe Than Lwin Condo, 3600 sqft, f.f. US$ 2500 call maureen: 09-518-8320 (1)KAMAYUT, Diamond Condo, Bldg B, Rm (6-01), Corner of Pyay Rd & Nanataw Rd, (1550') (2) Ahlone, 54, G Flr, Thake Pan St, Sin Min Ward, (25' x 50') Ph: 09-860-0126, 01687-878.

Housing for Sale

M I ngalar taungnyunt ; (506/1), Kyi Taw Housing, Kyi Taw St,(14'x55'), Corner Rm 5th Flr, 2 Bedrooms, 2 Balcony, porcelain floor, Toilet. Price - 340 lakhs. Ph: 09-421-111893 9 miles, Mayangone , Bonyarna Lane (50"x 70") garden with includ ing house (3500 Lakhs) no agent please Pls call : (09-503-6519, 09-421029911) LASHIO : Ward 12, 2 Acres Land including the main house and 2 storey building. Near down town and Very Good place for busi ness. Price: negotiable Ph: 09-49273629, 09-517-1377, 09-515-8738.

Training center
Tango dancing class (Sunday) No.236(D), Dammazedi Rd, Bahan, Yangon. (Near the singapore embassy and Market place. small street beside Trust Land Auto car showroom). Business Institute Yangon. Ph-09 450-038820, 09-73172070, 09-518-0577

Education
Teachers who have got Teaching experien ce in Singapore,Grade 10, 11 and Intl School, GCSE, SAT, IELTS, TOEFL, Sayar Bryan, ME ( IT) 0942 007 0692, Sayar Htet Ph; 0921 50075, Sayar Min Aung (B.E ,IT) (0949 280490) SUMMER ENGLISH Classes (11 March - May 31) for ages 6-12 y.o. Monday - Friday 9am to 12noon. Fees: USD200 for the whole course including materials. Register early as places are limited. Call 09-450-032598, 09730-97836 for more information. ENGLISH classes for Cambridge Young Learners - Starters/ Movers/ Flyers/ KET and PET. Also available Business English for Absolute Beginners (Adults), Reading classes for 6-10 y.o, Creative Writing for 7-10 y.o. & Book Club for 7-12 y.o Call 09-506-2283 HOME TUITION for AP, IGCSE/BIOLOGY. Pls call 09-731-00069. Part time study guide only downtown area. 07:00 Pm to 09:00 Pm Ph: 09-420-106628 saya Saw Aung (Ex.A.P) Chemistry Classes for Intl school (see-levels), iGCSE, GCE A Level & SAT II. Ph : 2300441, 09500-5470. Exam preparation classes for IGCSE MAY/ JUNE 2013 (Edexcel & Cambridge). Only 5 students per class. All subject available. For more info: Tr. Pyae Phyo Kyaw 09-5088683 For Sale iPad 1 32GB Wifi+3G, Price : 230000. Ph : 09450-039844. Dell Inspiron 1464, CPU : Intel Core i3, Ram : 2GB. H.D.D :Condition Price 100000 Kyats.99% New 3 week Used Apple MacBook Air 13 inch (Mid 2012) latest Model Macbook Air Processor - Intel Core i5 Ram - 4GB SSD - 128GB <Intel HD Graphic 4000 512MB With Box & Full Original Accessries 100% Excellent condition Just like Brand New Price - 800000 Ph : 09-730-48106

Want to Buy
WiMax , McWill. Ph : 245 415 We Pay Cash for your Mobile phone handset laptop Notebook Netbook Macbook and other electronic device We buy mobile Samsung Apple HTC LG Sony Nokia and other We buy with high price if you want to sales pls contact 09-517-8391.w

Public Notices
a small sculpture of General Aung San, carved thoroughly in brass, represents an

Language
Saya Dennis Special : English Four skills (Intro-Advanced) , IELTS (Foundation &

Vacancy Announcement (Inland only) Young Investment Group Co. Ltd No. 647 (A), Pyay Road, Kamaryut Township. Phone : 01-526626, 01-512528 Young Investment Group of Companies is currently seeking for qualified and motivated candidates to fill the following positions: 1. General Manager 2 Posts - Any graduate, MBA is must prefer - Age above 35 years - Minimum 5 years of relevant experiences - Good personality and fluent in English - Have good computer skills 2. Human Resource Manager 2 Posts - Any graduate, MBA is prefer - Above 5 years of relevant experience - Good interpersonal skill, pleasant personality and co-ordination skills 3. Administrative Manager 2 Posts - Any graduate - Fluent in English (speaking & writing) and good computer skills - Must be self-motivated, co-ordination and able to be a team player and a good leader - Must have at least 5 years working Experience 4. Personal Assistant (PA) 4 Posts - Any graduate - Fluent in English (4 skills) - Good personality and communication skills are preferable 5. Project Engineer 2 Posts - Graduate for (B.E, M.E) Civil - At least 10 years of working experience 6. Chief Engineer 2 Posts - Graduate for (B.E, M.E) Civil - At least 10 years of working experiences in Engineering Field 7. Assistant Engineer (AE) 4 Posts - Graduate for (A.G.T.I, B-Tech, B.E) Civil - More than 5 years of experiences in Construction Engineering Field Please submit the CV Form with a passport photo, NRC card copy, labor registration card copy, other educational certificates copies, quarter and police recommendation letters to above mentioned address, not later than 25.3.2013.

Employment
Ingo Positions
a consortium of international and national organizations comprising HelpAge International, The Leprosy Mission International, Network Activity Group, Myanmar YMCA and Golden Plain has received funding from Livelihood and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) for a 3-year livelihood /food security project entitled REVEAL Reducing Economic Vulnerability through an Equitable/Inclusive Approach to Livelihoods has been implementing in 30 villages in Ayartaw Township in Sagaing Region and Mahlaing Township in Mandalay Region since February 2011. We are seeking qualified and experience Myanmar nationals for the following three positions for about eight months:- Job Title: Project Finance Officer (1 post). Location: Yangon with frequent travel to project areas. Qualifications and competencies: CPA/ ACCA. At least 5 years experience in similar position with international agencies/UN. Experience in producing budgets, financial monitoring and donor reports. Solid experience in developing internal finance control systems. Experience in building staff capacity in accounting, controls, budgeting and project finance management. Experience in working as part of multidisciplinary teams. Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Advance computer skills particularly in Excel. Good command of spoken and written English and Myanmar Languages. Ability to delivery under pressure and willingness to travel in the project areas. Job Title: Project Finance Assistant (1 Post). Location: Mandalay YMCA with frequent travel to project area (Mahlaing). Qualifications and competencies: Bachelors degree in Commerce/Economics/ BACT. At least two years experience in accounting with INGOs. Experience in working as part of multi-disciplinary teams. Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Advance computer skills particularly in Excel. Good command of spoken and written English and Myanmar Languages. Ability to delivery under pressure and willingness to travel in the project area. Job Title: Field Facilitator (1 Post). Location: Project Office in Mahlaing. Qualifications and competencies. Minimum BEHS Level of education. Experience in community facilitation/community organizing using participatory methods. A sincere desire to help small scale farmers, livestock farmers and landless families. At least 3 years community mobilization/ facilitation work with INGO at the community. Level or equivalent experience is helpful. Strong familiarity with participatory development approaches. Good problem solving and organizational skills. Understanding of village level problems. Knowledge about agriculture, fisheries, livestock/small scale income generation activities helpful. Job Title: Human Resources Officer (1 Post). Location: Yangon Office. Period: One year (extendable). Educated to Bachelors degree in level, preferably in a HR discipline or related field. At least 3 years experience in the field of HR/ administration preferably with UN agencies/INGOs. Significant experience in administering recruitment campaigns. Experience of liaising with NGOs, UN agencies and government departments. Welldeveloped interpersonal and team skills and proven ability to be flexible in demanding situations. Ability to maintain confidentiality. Fluency in written and spoken English is essential and the ability to write clear reports for a wide range of audiences. Ability to think and plan workload and work on own initiative. Skills in organising filing systems and managing personal and confidential data. Excellent computer skills in MS-Word, Excel, Power-point, databases, internet, e-mail, and any other relevant software. Commitment to humanitarian principles and action, along with the aims and objectives of HelpAge International. Job Title: Day/Night Security Guard. Location: Yangon Office. Period: One year (extendable). Qualifications and competencies: Minimum High School level. Experience of guard duties for at least 2 years, Physically and mentally fit. Matured, good communication skill and have a sense of responsibility and have a participatory spirit of team work. Ability to communicate with Myanmar and prefer to have knowledge of English. Interested and qualified candidates are requested to send a Cover Letter and Curriculum Vitae to the Human Resources Unit of HelpAge International Myanmar Country Office, No 10 Kanbawza Avenue, Shwetaungaya Ward No. 1, Bahan Township, Yangon OR by email to hr.helpagemyanmar @gmail.com no later than 5 p.m., 18 March 2013. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview. medecins du Monde (MDM) is seeking Data Clerk 1 Post : Finished High school education. Experience in data collection. 1 year experience as data clerk for medical data collection. Good computer skills. Good command of data bases software. Pls submit CV & a cover letter to MDM Yangon Program Office : 2, Aung Dhama Yeik Tha St, Hlaing. Ph: 664352,660948.Email: hr.mdmmyanmar @ gmail.com medecins du Monde (MDM) is seeking Project Manager (ReAdvertisement) 1 Post: Complete University Degree in any of following specialties: Public Health, Medical science, Social work, Public administration, Program management. 3 years experience in NGOs, possibly in Health programs, out of which 2 years in senior management position. Fluent in English. Pls submit CV & a cover letter to MDM Country Coordi nation Office, Yangon : 47-B, Po Sein St, Bahan. Ph: 542830, Email:hr.mdmmyanmar @ gmail.com acted is currently looking for AME Officer in Yangon & Frequent travel to field: A person with significant initiat ive & a proactive, responsible approach. bachelors degree in a relevant field. Previous experience in Monitor ing & evaluation. Previous working experience with partner organizations. Pls submit a resume, a cover letter & 3 references to : 661 (A), Myakan thar Lane (1), Kamayut, Email: acted-myanmarjobs @ gmail. com or Yangon. finance @acted.org. Medecins du Monde (MDM) is seeking Field Logistician 1 Post in Yangon: Graduate. 2 years experience in Logistic field. Fluent in English. Good compu ter skills. Pls submit CV & a cover letter to MDM Yangon Program Office, Yangon : 2, Aung Dhama Yeik Thar St, Hlaing, Ph: 664352, 660948. Email: hr.mdm myanmar@ gmail.com. ion or related field. 2 years of progressive experience in related field. Excellent compu ter skills in MS office & Excel. (4) Medical Logistics Assistant - 1 post in Mawlamyine, Mon State. IOM Miss ion in MyanmarYangon, 12th Flr, Traders Hotel : 223, Sule Pagoda Rd, Yangon Email: iom yangon @ iom.int, Tel: 252560, 254008. Lubricants sector.Duties include over operations and marketing of the product.Must be able to speak, read & writeEnglish fluently. (2) Markety Executive: Should have 3 years experience in market ing Lubricants & various Oil products. (3) Marketing Manager: Should have min .5 years of experience in marketing tractors & other agricultural equipments. Applicants with experience in marketing generators, various inductrial equipments & other vehicles can also apply.Must be able to speak,read & write English fluently. (4) Service & Marketing Executive:Should have atleast 3 years experience in servicing Bandoo la Garden St, Kyaukta da, Ph : 377-893, 254812. Closing date : March 15, 2013. WE are looking for a qualified Receptionist / Admin for Foreign Company. All interested applicants must be computer literate, selfmotivate, fluently speak in English. Pls send application letter, CV with at least 1 referee, along with 1 passport photo, copy of professio nal certificates, closing date 14th March 2013. Pls send by email to: swezin.hagl@ gmail.com Good Neighbours Int'l (GNI) is seeking (1) Administrative Coordinator. (2) Child Care & Develop ment Coordinator - 1 post in Yangon Office. (3) Child Care & Develop ment Officer 1 post Bogale Tsp. (4) Child Care & Development Officer 1 post in Sinbaungwe Tsp. Interested candidates must fill up GNIs application from, Certificate of College/ University, Copy of NRC, Copy of Fathers NRC, Recommen dation letters from Previous or Cureent organization to 17(A), San Yeik Nyein 6th St, Kamaryut, Yangon. Ph : 513763, 09-730-87354. Email : gnmmrho.hr @ gmal. com, We are looking for a Junior Sales Execu tive - M/F: Any graduate, but any diploma in Market ing or Business is preferred, Good acquisition skills, Advanced computer skills; typing in English & Myanmar, internet experience, Fair level in English, Willing to do content administra tion but also to go out for marketing, Age 20 ~ 30, Pls send CV to Rocket Internet Myanmar (we recom mend to upload your CV & apply via Work.com.mm) You can also send CV to theingi. oo@work.com. mm or call 01-255078. Wanted a house-maid Decent lady not more than 40years of age. Understand basic English speaking. Know non-pork dishes cooking. Ph : 536 153 We are seeking Sales Executive - 4 Posts: for F&B Supplies to Hotels & Restaurants. Prefer with supermarket & F&B knowledge back ground. Ph: 01-450858, 01 -450859, 01 -450860, 09-500-8359 & email is grandtwinbrothers@ gmail. com Wanted a driver : English speaking, non alcoholic, no betel quid eater, honest and quiet to work in Yangon. Contact; 01 536 153

Embassy
A Female staff at Residence of Head of Foreign Mission , (Must be presentable, neat and tidy) Age : between 21 to 28 years. Height: Not less than 5 feet 4 inches. Contact Mobile: 09-503-3739 (or)Email: tztztz78@gmail.com

UN Positions
iom Int'l Organization for Migration is seeking (1) Admin & Finance Assistant in Ye, Mon State: University degree in Business Administrat ion or related fields, preferably with a graduate degree in Management, Business Administration, or Acocunting. 3 years related work experience & work experience with int'l humanitarian orga nizations. (2) Admini strative/ Account ing Assistant in Mawla myine, Mon State : Academic background in Business Administrat ion or related field. 2 years of progressive experience in related field. Good writing & communicat ion skill in English is an advant age. Excellent compu ter skills in MS office & Excel. (3) Accounting Assistant in Myawad dy, Kayin State : Acade mic background in Business Administrat

The Italian Embassy in Yangon is seeking Administrative Assistant 2 posts , requiring previous experience in secreta riat & administrative tasks. Very good English & Myanmar knowledge (spoken and written) is required, while Italian will be highly valued. Candidates must submit by March 19th, 2013 an application form, available at the Embassy & at: www. ambyangon.esteri. it,to: Italian Embassy, 3 Inya Myaing Rd, Golden Valley, Bahan, Yangon or to: archivio.yangon @ esteri.it Applicants shall be: at least 18 years old; in good health; highschool equivalent degree; Resident in Myanmar for at least 2 years. For queries, call: 01.527100 ext. 0

Local Position
Bandoola Enterprises Ltd is looking for efficient & affluent candidates for the following posts,for arenowed multinatio nal company operat ions in Yangon (1) Business Develop ment Manager : Should have min.10 years of experience in

& maintence of tractors and various agricultural equipments.Applicants with experience in repairing generators can also apply. Eligible applicants must send in their CVs before 20th March 2013 to E-mailgbg.tractors@gmail.com or you contract us on Ph: 09-4200 87374 REAL ESTATE Agency is seeking (1) Marketing - F 3 posts & M 2 posts: Well experience & can speak English (2)Driver - F 1 post: 5 years experience. Pls contact Ph: 09-420114749, 09-421-177105. Looking for a house helper : English speak ing, good looking lady to work in USA. Know how to taking care of kids and household things. Pls contact: 01 536153. WE are looking for (1) Project Coordinator - M/F (2) Personal Assistant - M/F (3) Asst: Manager -M/F. Must have a bachelors degree (or) Diploma in English. Must have good commu nication skills in English. Submit application with CV, Copy of NRC card, Certified back ground check by police depar tment to A1 Construction Co., Ltd. : (33-49), Maha

The Essentials
EMBASSIES Australia 88, Strand Road, Yangon. tel : 251810, 251797, 251798, 251809, 246462, 246463, fax: 246159 Bangladesh 11-B, Than Lwin Road, Yangon. tel: 515275, 526144, fax: 515273, email: bdootygn@mptmail.net. mm Brazil 56, Pyay Road, 6th mile, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon. tel: 507225, 507251, 507482. fax: 507483. email: Administ.yangon@ itamaraty.gov.br. Brunei 17, Kanbawza Avenue, Golden Velly (1), Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 566985, 503978, fax: 512854 email: bruneiemb@ bruneiemb. com.mm Cambodia 25 (3B/4B), New University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 549609, 540964, fax: 541462, email: RECYANGON @mptmail. net.mm China 1, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 221280, 221281, 224025, 224097, 221926, fax: 227019, 228319 Egypt 81, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 222886, 222887, fax: 222865, email: egye mbyangon@mptmail. net.mm France 102, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 212178, 212520, 212523, 212528, 212532, fax: 212527, email: ambaf rance. rangoun@ diplomatie.fr Germany 9, Bogyoke Aung San Museum Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 548951, 548952, fax: 548899 email: info@rangun. diplo.de India 545-547, Merchant Street, Yangon. tel: 391219, 388412, 243972, fax: 254086, 250164, 388414, email: indiaembassy @mptmail. net.mm Indonesia 100, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 254465, 254469, 229750, fax: 254468, email: kukygn @indonesia.com.mm Israel 15, Khabaung Street, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon. tel: 515115, fax: 515116, email: info@ yangon.mfa.gov.il Italy 3, Inya Myaing Road, Golden Valley, Yangon. tel: 527100, 527101, fax: 514565, email: ambyang.mail@ esteri.it Japan 100, Natmauk Road, Yangon. tel: 549644-8, 540399, 540400, 540411, 545988, fax: 549643 Embassy of the State of Kuwait Chatrium Hotel, Rm: No.416, 418, 420, 422, 40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe Tsp, Tel: 544500. North Korea 77C, Shin Saw Pu Road, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. tel: 512642, 510205, fax: 510206 South Korea 97 University Avenue, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 527142-4, 515190, fax: 513286, email: myanmar@mofat.go.kr Lao A-1, Diplomatic Quarters, Tawwin Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. tel: 222482, fax: 227446, email: Laoembcab@ mptmail. net.mm Malaysia 82, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 220248, 220249, 220251, 220230, fax: 221840, email: mwkyangon@mptmail. net.mm Nepal 16, Natmauk Yeiktha, Yangon. tel: 545880, 557168, fax: 549803, email: nepemb @mptmail.net.mm Pakistan A-4, diplomatic Quarters, Pyay Road, Yangon. tel: 222881 (Chancery Exchange) fax: 221147, email: pakistan@ myanmar. com.mm Philippines 50, Sayasan Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 558149-151, fax: 558154, email: p.e. yangon@gmail.com Russian 38, Sagawa Road, Yangon. tel: 241955, 254161, fax: 241953, email: rusinmyan@mptmail .net.mm Serbia No. 114-A, Inya Road, P.O.Box No. 943Yangon. tel: 515282, 515283, fax: 504274, email: serbemb@ yangon.net.mm Singapore 238, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 559001, fax: 559002, 559922, email: singemb_ ygn@_ sgmfa. gov.sg Sri Lanka 34 Taw Win Road, Yangon. tel: 222812, fax: 221509, email: slembassy. yangon@gmail.com, info@slembyangon.org, www.slembyangon.org Thailand 94 Pyay Road, Dagon Township, Yangon. tel: 226721, 226728, 226824, fax: 221713 United Kingdom 80 Kanna Road, Yangon. tel: 370867, 380322, 371852, 371853, 256438, 370863, 370864, 370865, fax: 370866 United States of America 110, University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Yangon. tel: 536509, 535756, 538038, fax: 650306 Vietnam Building No. 72, Thanlwin Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. tel: 511305, fax: 514897, email: vnemb myr@ cybertech.net.mm Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia No.287/289, U Wisara Rd, Sanchaung Tsp. tel : 01-536153, 516952, fax : 01-516951 UNITED NATIONS ILO Liaison Officer Rm (M1212~1220), 12 Fl-A, Traders Hotel. 223, tel: 242 393, 242811. fax: 242594. IOM 12th Flr, Traders Hotel, 223, tel: 252560 ext. 5002 UNAIDS Rm: (1223~1231), 12 Fl, Traders Hotel. tel: 252361, 252362, 252498. fax: 252364. UNDCP 11-A, Malikha St, Mayangone tsp. tel: 666903, 664539. fax: 651334. UNDP 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan tel: 542910-19. fax: 292739. UNFPA 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan tsp. tel: 546029. UNHCR 287, Pyay Rd, Sanchaung tsp. tel: 524022, 524024. fax 524031. UNIAP Rm: 1202, 12 Fl, Traders Hotel.tel: 254852, 254853. UNIC 6, Natmauk St., BHN tel: 52910~19 UNICEF 14~15 Flr, Traders Hotel. P.O. Box 1435, KTDA. tel: 375527~32, fax: 375552 email: unicef.yangon@unicef. org, www.unicef.org/myanmar. UNODC 11-A, Malikha Rd., Ward 7, MYGN. tel: 666903, 660556, 660538, 660398, 664539, fax: 651334. email: fo.myanmar@unodc.org www. unodc.org./myanmar/ UNOPS Inya Lake Hotel, 3rd floor, 37, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 951657281~7. Fax: 657279. UNRC 6, Natmauk Rd, P.O. Box 650, TMWE tel: 542911~19, 292637 (Resident Coordinator), fax: 292739, 544531. WFP 3rd-flr, Inya Lake Hotel, 37, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 657011~6 (6-lines) Ext: 2000. WHO 12A Fl, Traders Hotel. tel:250583. ASEAN Coordinating Of. for the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force, 79, Taw Win st, Dagon Township. Ph: 225258. FAO Myanma Agriculture Service Insein Rd, Insein. tel: 641672, 641673. fax: 641561.

General Listing
ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS
Avenue 64 Hotel No. 64 (G), Kyitewine Pagoda Road, Mayangone Township. Yangon. 09 8631392, 01 656913-9 Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe. tel: 544500. fax: 544400. Sweet Hotel 73, Damazedi Road, San Chaung Tsp, Ph: 539152 Sedona Hotel Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin. tel: 666900. Strand Hotel 92 Strand Rd. tel: 243377. fax: 289880. Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966. fax: 227995. Thamada Hotel 5, Alan Pya Phaya Rd, Dagon. tel: 243639, 243640, 243641. Traders Hotel 223 Sule Pagoda Rd. tel: 242828. fax: 242838. Windsor Hotel No.31, Shin Saw Pu Street, Sanchaung. Yangon, Myanmar. Ph: 95-1-511216~8, www. hotelwindsoryangon.com Winner Inn 42, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 503734, 524387. email: reservation@winner innmyanmar.com Yangon YMCA 263, Mahabandoola Rd, Botataung Tsp. tel: 294128, Yuzana Hotel 130, Shwegondaing Rd, Bahan Tsp, tel : 01-549600, 543367 Yuzana Garden Hotel 44, Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp, tel : 01-248944 Sakura Residence 9, Inya Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. tel: 525001. fax: 525002. The Grand Mee Ya Hta Executive Residence 372, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Pabedan Tsp. tel 951-256355 (25 lines).

ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS

Charted Certified, Certified Public Accountants. tel: 09-5010563. drtinlatt@matglobal.com

AIR CONDITION
Chigo No. 216, 38 Street (Upper), Kyauktada Tsp, tel : 373472

No.7A, Wingabar Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : (951) 546313, 430245. 09-731-77781~4. Fax : (01) 546313. www.cloverhotel.asia. info@cloverhotel.asia Confort Inn 4, Shweli Rd, Bet: Inya Rd & U Wisara Rd, Kamaryut, tel: 525781, 526872

No. (356/366), Kyaikkasan Rd, Tamwe Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Ph: 542826, Fax: 545650 Email: reservation@ edenpalacehotel.com Hotel Yangon 91/93, 8th Mile Junction, Mayangone. tel : 01-667708, 667688. Inya Lake Resort Hotel 37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 662866. fax: 665537. MGM Hotel No (160), Warden Street, Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. +95-1-212454~9. www. hotel-mgm.com

The First Air conditioning systems designed to keep you fresh all day GUNKUL Engineer supply Co., Ltd. No.437 (A), Pyay Road, Kamayut. P., O 11041 Yangon, Tel: +(95-1) 502016-18, Mandalay- Tel: 02-60933. Nay Pyi Taw- Tel: 067-420778, E-mail : sales.ac@freshaircon. com. URL: http://www. freshaircon.com General 83-91, G-F, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Kyauktada Tsp, tel : 706223, 371906

ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS (Nay Pyi Taw)

(Nay Pyi Taw)

ASTROLOGER
Saya Min Thoun Dara Astrologer No(2), Maha Wizaya Pagoda North Stairway, Dagon Tsp. tel: 296184

Emergency Numbers
Ambulance tel: 295133. Fire tel: 191, 252011, 252022. Police emergency tel: 199. Police headquarters tel: 282541, 284764. Red Cross tel:682600, 682368 Traffic Control Branch tel:298651 Department of Post & Telecommunication tel: 591384, 591387. Immigration tel: 286434. Ministry of Education tel:545500m 562390 Ministry of Sports tel: 370604, 370605 Ministry of Communications tel: 067-407037. Myanma Post & Telecommunication (MPT) tel: 067407007. Myanma Post & Tele-communication (Accountant Dept) tel: 254563, 370768. Ministry of Foreign Affairs tel: 067-412009, 067-412344. Ministry of Health tel: 067-411358-9. Yangon City Development Committee tel: 248112. HOSPITALS Central Womens Hospital tel: 221013, 222811. Children Hospital tel: 221421, 222807 Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital tel: 543888. Naypyitaw Hospital (emergency) tel: 420096. Workers Hospital tel: 554444, 554455, 554811. Yangon Children Hospital tel: 222807, 222808, 222809. Yangon General Hospital (East) tel: 292835, 292836, 292837. Yangon General Hospital (New) tel: 384493, 384494, 384495, 379109. Yangon General Hospital (West) tel: 222860, 222861, 220416. Yangon General Hospital (YGH) tel: 256112, 256123, 281443, 256131. ELECTRICITY Power Station tel:414235 POST OFFICE General Post Office 39, Bo Aung Kyaw St. (near British Council Library). tel: 285499. INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Yangon International Airport tel: 662811. YANGON PORT Shipping (Coastal vessels) tel: 382722 RAILWAYS Railways information tel: 274027, 202175-8.

No. 205, Corner of Wadan Street & Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road, Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon. Myanmar. Tel: (95-1) 212850 ~ 3, 229358 ~ 61, Fax: (95-1) 212854. info@myanmarpandahotel .com http://www. myanmarpandahotel.com Parkroyal Yangon, Myanmar 33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd, Dagon tsp. tel: 250388. fax: 252478. email: enquiry.prygn@ parkroyalhotels.com Website: parkroyalhotels. com.

Reservation Office (Yangon) 123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Dagon Township Tel : 951- 255 819~838 Royal Kumudra Hotel, (Nay Pyi Taw) Tel : 067- 414 177, 067- 4141 88 E-Mail: maxhotelsreservation@ gmail.com

BARS
50th Street 9/13, 50th street-lower, Botataung Tsp. Tel-397160.

ACCOMMODATION LONG TERM

Espace Avenir No 523, Pyay Rd, Kamaryut. tel: 505213-222. Golden Hill Towers 24-26, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel: 558556. ghtower@ mptmail.net.mm.

Green Garden Beer Gallery Mini Zoo, Karaweik Oo-Yin Kabar.

No.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 01-527506 email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

Happy Homes
Real Estate & Property Management

Royal White Elephant Hotel No-11, Kan Street, Hlaing Tsp. Yangon, Myanmar. (+95-1) 500822, 503986. www.rwehotel.com Savoy Hotel 129, Damazedi Rd, Kamayut tsp. tel: 526289, 526298, Seasons of Yangon Yangon Intl Airport Compound. tel: 666699.

Tel: 09-7349-4483, 09-4200-56994. E-mail: aahappyhomes@ gmail.com, http://www. happyhomesyangon.com Marina Residence 8, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 6506 51~4. fax: 650630. MiCasa Hotel Apartments 17, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin Tsp. tel: 650933. fax: 650960.

Strand Bar 92, Strand Rd, Yangon, Myanmar. tel: 243377.fax: 243393, sales@thestrand.com.mm www.ghmhotels.com

Lobby Bar Parkroyal Yangon, Myanmar. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel: 250388.

MT Quick Guide
March 11 - 17, 2013
Advertising
WE STARTED THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY IN MYANMAR SINCE 1991

52
the

Myanmar Times

A Little Dayspa No. 475 C, Pyi Road, Kamayut, Yangon. Tel: 09-431-28831.

M a r k e t i n g & c o mm u n i c a t i o n s

A d v e r t i s i n g

SAIL Marketing & Communications Suite 403, Danathiha Center 790, Corner of Bogyoke Rd & Wadan Rd, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 211870, 224820, 2301195. Email: admin@ advertising-myanmar.com www.advertising-myanmar. com

Spa & Boutique Fashion No. 24, Inya Road, Kamaryut Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 951 534 654, 09-73200147 theredscarf99@gmail.com

Acacia Tea Salon 52, Sayar San Rd, Bahan Tsp, Tel : 01-554739. Cafe47 47-A, Pyay Rd, 7 miles, Mayangone Tsp, Tel : 01-651774. Traders Caf Traders Hotel, Yangon. #223, Sule Pagoda Rd. Tel: 242828 ext: 6519

EDUCATION CENTRE
MHR 905, 9th floor, Modern Iron Market(Thanzay Condo) Lanmadaw St. Tel: 707822. NLEC 82 Anawrahta Rd, Corner of 39 St, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 250225.

Traders Health Club. Level 5, Traders Hotel Yangon#223 Sule Pagoda Rd,Tel:951242828Ext:6561

Gems & Jewelleries

Diamond Queen 75, Oo Yin Lane, New University Avenue Rd, Bahan Tsp. Tel :01-548001, 704398 Diamond & Me Junction Square, Ground Floor, Kamayut Tsp. Tel :01-527242, (Ext : 1082) 24 hours Cancer centre No. 330, Yangon International Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 218388, 218292 Fax: (951) 218389

cold storage

Electrical

Balance Fitnesss No 64 (G), Kyitewine Pagoda Road, Mayangone Township. Yangon 01-656916, 09 8631392 Email - info@ balancefitnessyangon.com

BOOK STORES

BEAUTY & MASSAGE

Innwa Book Store No. 246, Rm.201/301, GF, Pansodan Street (Upper Block), Kyauktada Tsp. Tel. 389838, 243216, 374324, 514387

Est. 1992 in Myanmar Cold Storage Specialist, Solar Hot Water Storage Solutions. Tel: 09-504-2196, 09-73194828. E-mail: gei.ygn2@ gmail.com, glover2812@ gmail.com

Est. 1992 in Myanmar Electrical & Mechanical Contractors, Designers, Consultants. Tel: 09-504-2196, 09-73194828. E-mail: gei.ygn2@ gmail.com, glover2812@ gmail.com

Sports & Fitness Grand Meeyahta Executive Residence. Shop 4-5, Ph: 256355, Ext: 3015, 3204 09 731 94684 email: natraysports@gmail.com

Marina Residence, Yangon Ph: 650651~4, Ext: 109 Beauty Plan, Corner of 77th St & 31st St, Mandalay Ph: 02 72506

Construction

ENTERTAINMENT

sales@manawmaya.com.mm www.manawmayagems.com

Ruby & Rare Gems of Myanamar No. 527, New University Ave., Bahan Tsp. Yangon.

24 Hour International Medical Centre @ Victoria Hospital No. 68, Tawwin Rd, 9 Mile, Mayangon Township, Yangon, Myanmar Tel: + 951 651 238, + 959 495 85 955 Fax: + 959 651 398 24/7 on duty doctor: + 959 492 18 410 Website: www.leo.com.mm One Stop Solution for Quality Health Care Vibhavadi Hospital 214. 1st Floor, Waizayanter Rd, Thingangyun Tsp.Email: vibhavadimyanmar @gmail. com, Hot line: 09-2011-772, 09-731-650-45, 09-86-250-86 PHIH-Specialist Clinic FMI Centre (4th Floor) #380, Bogyoke Aung San Road, Pabedan Tsp. tel: 243 010, 243 012, 243 013

Tel: 549612, Fax : 545770.

Aesthetic Medical Spa 5 (C), Race Course Condo, South Race Course Street, Tarmwe, Yangon. Mobile: 09-5202781 dr.face.aesthetic@gmail.com

LS Salon Junction Square, 3rd floor.

Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp. Tel 527242, ext 4001

150 Dhamazedi Rd., Bahan T/S, Yangon. Tel: 536306, 537805. Room 308, 3rd Flr., Junction Center (Maw Tin), Lanmadaw T/S, Yangon. Tel: 218155, Ext. 1308. 15(B), Departure Lounge, Yangon Intl Airport. 45B, Corner of 26th & 68th Sts., Mandalay. Tel: (02) 66197. Email: yangon@monumentbooks.com MYANMARBOOKCENTRE Nandawun Compound, No. 55, Baho Road, Corner of Baho Road and Ahlone Road, (near Eugenia Restaurant), Ahlone Township. tel: 212 409, 221 271. 214708 fax: 524580. email:info@ myanmarbook.com

Zamil Steel No-5, Pyay Road, 7 miles, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (95-1) 652502~04. Fax: (95-1) 650306. Email: zamilsteel@ zamilsteel.com.mm

Dance Club & Bar No.94, Ground Floor, Bogalay Zay Street, Botataung Tsp, Yangon.Tel: 392625, 09-500-3591 Email : danceclub. hola@gmail.com
(Except Sunday)

Mr. Betchang No.(272), Pyay Rd, DNH Tower, Rm No.(503), 5th flr, Sanchaung Tsp, Tel: 095041216

FLORAL SERVICES

CONSULTING

The Uranium Dance Studio Pearl condo Bldg (C), 2nd flr, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 09731-42624, 09-514-0404.

Myanmar Research | Consulting | Technology

Shwe Hinthar B 307, 6 1/2 Miles, Pyay Rd., Yangon. Tel: +95 (0)1 654 730 info@thuraswiss.com www.thuraswiss.com

FASHION & TAILOR

FloralService&GiftShop No. 449, New University Avenue, Bahan Tsp. YGN. Tel: 541217, 559011, 09-860-2292. Market Place By City Mart Tel: 523840~43, 523845~46, Ext: 205. Junction Nay Pyi Taw Tel: 067-421617~18 422012~15, Ext: 235. Res: 067-414813, 09-49209039. Email : eternal@ mptmail.net.mm Flower Express For enquiries pls call tel: 685150.

Natural Gems of Myanmar No. 30 (A), Pyay Road (7 mile), Mayangone Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 01-660397, 654398~9. E-mail: spgems.myanmar @gmail.com

GENERATORS

Heavy machinery

La Source Beauty Spa Kamayut Tsp, tel: 512 380, 511 252. www.lasourcebeautyspa.com
~80(A), Inya Rd,

DUTY FREE

CAFS

Lemon Day Spa No. 96 F, Inya Road, Kamaryut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 514848, 09-732-08476. E.mail: lemondayspa.2011 @gmail.com

Duty Free Shops Yangon International Airport, Arrival/Departure Tel: 533030 (Ext: 206/155) Office: 17, 2 street, Hlaing Yadanarmon Housing, Hlaing Township, Yangon. Tel: 500143, 500144, 500145.
nd

Sein Shwe Tailor, No.797 (003-A), Bogyoke Aung San Road, Corner of Wardan Street, MAC Tower 2, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon, Ph: 01-225310, 212943~4 Ext: 146, 147, E-mail: uthetlwin@gmail.com

Winning Way No. 589-592, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Yangon-Pathein highway Road. Hlaing Tharyar tsp. Tel: 951645178-182, 685199, Fax: 951-645211, 545278. e-mail: mkt-mti@ winstrategic.com.mm

ATC Co., Ltd. 27 (A), Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Yankin TSP:, Yangon, Myanmar. T & F : 665610, 667498
atc-admin@wimaxmail.net.mm

HEALTH SERVICES
Flora Service & Gift Shop No.173(B), West Shwegonedaing Rd, Bahan Tsp, YGN. Tel: 09.731 800 30 No.75/77, Yaw Min Gyi St. Dagon Tsp, YGN. Tel: 09.431 432 34. Home: 01-577 387, Email: rosanafloral.ygn@ gmail.com

FITNESS CENTRE
The Yangon GYM Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966.

ATC Co., Ltd. 27 (A), Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Yankin TSP:, Yangon, Myanmar. T & F : 665610, 667498
atc-admin@wimaxmail.net.mm

La Brasserie (International) Parkroyal Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel : 250388.

98(A), Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 553783, 549152, 09-732-16940, 09-730-56079. Fax: 542979 Email: asiapacific. myanmar@gmail.com.

Home Furnishing

22, Pyay Rd, 9 mile, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 660769, 664363. Acupuncture, Medicine Massage, Foot Spa Add:No,27(A),Ywa Ma Kyaung Street, Hlaing Township, Yangon. Tel: 01-511122, 526765. Franzo Living Mall 15 (A/5), Pyay Rd, A-1, 9 Miles, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. Ph: 664026

Floral Service & Gift Centre 102(A), Dhamazaydi Rd, Yangon.tel: 500142 Summit Parkview Hotel, tel: 211888, 211966 ext. 173 fax: 535376.email: sandy@ sandymyanmar.com.mm.

Foam spray Insulation

Piyavate Hospital (Bangkok) Myanmar Represent ative (Head office) Grand Mee Yahta Executive Residences. No.372, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, PBDN. Ph: 256355, Ext: 3206. Hotline: 09-7377-7799. Email: piyavate@cnt.com. mm, piyavate.cnt@gmail. com, Website: www. piyavate.com European Quality & Designs Furniture Suitable for Outdoor or Indoor Use No. 422 - 426, FJVC Centre, Ground Floor, Room No. 4, Strand Road (Corner of Botahtaung Pagoda Road), Botahtaung Township, Yangon 11161, Myanmar. Tel: 01 202063, 01 202064 H.P: 09 509 1673 Fax: 01 202063 E-mail: contact@ smartdesignstrading.com Website: www. wovenfurnituredesigns.com

Foam Spray Insulation No-410, Ground Floor, Lower Pazuntaung Road, Pazuntaung Tsp, Yangon. Telefax : 01-203743, 09730-26245, 09-500-7681. Hot Line-09-730-30825.

GAS COOKER & Cooker Hoods

Yangon : A-3, Aung San Stadium (North East Wing), Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp. Tel : 245543, 09-730-37772. Mandalay : Room No.(B,C) (National Gas), 35th St, Btw 80th & 81st, Chanayetharzan Tsp. Tel : 09-6803505, 02 34455, 36748, 71878.

24 hours Laboratory & X-ray No. 330, Ground Flr, Yangon Intl Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 218388, (951) 218292 Fax: (951) 218389

LEGAL SERVICE
U Min Sein, BSc, RA, CPA.,RL Advocate of the Supreme Court 83/14 Pansodan St, Yangon. tel: 253 273. uminsein@mptmail.net.mm

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MT Quick Guide
March 11 - 17, 2013
Traders Gallery Bar Level 2, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242 828. ext: 6433 Traders Lobby Lounge Level 1, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242 828. ext: 6456 Western Park Thakhin Mya Park, Ahlone. Tel: 225143 Streamline Education 24, Myasabai Rd, Parami, Myangone Tsp. tel: 662304, 09-500-6916. No.35(b), Tatkatho Yeik Mon Housing, New University Avenue, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 951-549451, 557219, 540730. www.yangon-academy.org Myanmar. Tel: 95-1-535783, 527705, 501429. Fax: 95-1-527705. Email: salesikon@myanmar.com.mm Junction Mawtin Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Cor of Wadan St. Lanmadaw. Ocean Supercentre (North Point ), 9th Mile, Mayangone Tsp. Tel: 651 200, 652963. Pick n Pay Hyper Market Bldg (A,B,C), (14~16), Shwe Mya Yar Housing, Mya Yar Gone St, Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp. Tel: 206001~3, Fax: 9000199 Sein Gay Har 44, Pyay Rd, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 383812, 379823. Super 1 (Kyaikkasan) 65, Lay Daunt Kan St, Tel: 545871~73 Victoria Shwe Pone Nyet Yeik Mon, Bayint Naung Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. Tel : 515136. TOP MARINE PAINT No-410, Ground Floor, Lower Pazundaung Road, Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon. Ph: 09-851-5202 Crown Worldwide Movers Ltd 790, Rm 702, 7th Flr Danathiha Centre, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Lanmadaw. Tel: 223288, 210 670, 227650. ext: 702. Fax: 229212. email: crown worldwide@mptmail.net.mm 22, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel 541997. email: leplanteur@ mptmail.net.mm. http://leplanteur.net

Myanmar Times

Marine Communication & Navigation

Top Marine Show Room No-385, Ground Floor, Lower Pazundaung Road, Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon. Ph: 01-202782, 09-851-5597

PLEASURE CRUISES

Enchanting and Romantic, a Bliss on the Lake Schenker (Thai) Ltd. Yangon 59 A, U Lun Maung Street. 7 Mile Pyay Road, MYGN. tel: 667686, 666646.fax: 651250. email: sche nker@mptmail.net.mm. 62 D, U Tun Nyein Road, Mayangon Tsp, Yangon Tel. 01 665 516, 660976 Mob. 09-4210-34875 operayangon@gmail.com www.operayangon.com

Media & Advertising

SOLAR SYSTEM
1. WASABI:No.20-B, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin Tsp,(Near MiCasa), Tel; 666781,09-503-9139 2. WASABI SUSHI:Market Place by City Mart (1st Floor). Tel; 09-430-67440 Myaynigone (City Mart) Yankin Center (City Mart) JunctionMawtin(CityMart) The Brightest AC CFL Bulb 21, 9th St, Lanmadaw Tsp. Ph: 212243, 216861, 216864. spsolarstation@ gmail.com. www. spsolarstation.com

Intuitive Design, Advertising, Interior Decoration Corporate logo/Identity/ Branding, Brochure/ Profile Booklet/ Catalogue/ Billboard, Corporate diary/ email newsletter/ annual reports, Magazine, journal advertisement and 3D presentation and detailed planning for any interior decoration works. Talk to us: (951) 430-897, 553-918 www.medialane.com.au 58B Myanma Gon Yaung Housing, Than Thu Mar Road, Tamwe, Yangon.

Moby Dick Tours Co., Ltd. Islands Safari in the Mergui Archipelago 4 Days, 6 Days, 8 Days Trips Tel: 95 1 202063, 202064 E-mail: info@islandsafari mergui.com. Website: www. islandsafarimergui.com

STEEL CONSTRUCTION

Office Furniture

Road to Mandalay Myanmar Hotels & Cruises Ltd. Governors Residence 39C, Taw Win Rd, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (951) 229860 fax: (951) 217361. email: RTMYGN@mptmail.net.mm www.orient-express.com

Bo Sun Pat Tower, Bldg 608, Rm 6(B), Cor of Merchant Rd & Bo Sun Pat St, PBDN Tsp. Tel: 377263, 250582, 250032, 09-511-7876, 09-862-4563.

Monsoon Restaurant & Bar 85/87, Thein Byu Road, Botahtaung Tsp. Tel: 295224, 09-501 5653. Pansweltaw Express Cafe: 228, Ahlone Rd, Ahlone Tsp. Tel: 215363 (1)-Rm-309, 3rdflr,Ocean, East Point Shopping Center, Pazundaung Tsp. Tel:397900 Ext: 309. (2)G-Flr, Ocean North Point Shopping Center. Tel:652959, 652960, Ext: 133. Royal Garden Nat Mauk Road, Kandaw Gyi Natural Park, Bahan Tsp. tel: 546202 Signature Near U Htaung Bo Round, about Bahan Tsp. tel: 546488, 543387. Spicy Forest Thai, Korean and European Food Rm-051/Basement-1 (B1), Taw Win Center, Pyay Rd. Tel : 09-7320-9566, 01-8600111 (1151) Summer Palace (Chinese) Restaurant Level 2, Traders Hotel, #223, Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242828. ext:6483

SCHOOLS

RESTAURANTS

Horizon Intl School 25, Po Sein Road, Bahan Tsp, tel : 541085, 551795, 551796, 450396~7. fax : 543926, email : contact@horizonmyanmar. com, www.horizon.com ILBC 180, Thunandar 9th Lane, Thumingalar Housing, Thingungyung.tel: 562401.

PEB Steel Buildings 21/5, Thirimingalar Avenue, Kabaaye Pagoda Rd, Yankin Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 653410, 09-7325-7042, 09-5150332, 09-4016-01948. marketing@pebsteel.com. mm www.pebsteel.com.mm

TRAVEL AGENTS

SUPERMARKETS
Asia Light 106, Set Yone Rd.tel: 294074, 294083. Capital Hyper Mart 14(E), Min Nandar Road, Dawbon Tsp. Ph: 553136. City Mart (Aung San Branch) tel: 253022, 294765. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (47th St Branch) tel: 200026, 298746. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Junction 8 Branch) tel: 650778. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (FMI City Branch) tel: 682323. City Mart (Yankin Center Branch) tel: 400284. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Myaynigone Branch) tel: 510697. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) City Mart (Zawana Branch) tel:564532. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Shwe Mya Yar Branch) tel: 294063. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Chinatown Point Branch) tel: 215560~63. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) City Mart (Junction Maw Tin Branch) tel: 218159. (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) City Mart (Marketplace) tel: 523840~43. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) City Mart (78th Brahch-Mandalay) tel: 02-71467~9. (9:00 am to 10:00 pm) IKON Mart IKON Trading Co., Ltd. No.332, Pyay Rd, San Chaung P.O (11111), Yangon,

Asian Trails Tour Ltd 73 Pyay Rd, Dagon tsp. tel: 211212, 223262. fax: 211670. email: res@ asiantrails.com.mm Tour & Car Rental Service English Speaking Driver Ph:09-510-7461,09-73046093.

REAL ESTATE
Monday to Saturday (9am to 6pm) No. 797, MAC Tower II, Rm -4, Ground Flr, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Lamadaw Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (951) 212944 Ext: 303 sales.centuremyanmar@ gmail.com www.centure.in.th

Lunch/Dinner/Catering 555539, 536174

Water Treatment

Aye Yeik Tha Real Estate No. 441 (A3), New University Avenue Rd, Bahan Tsp., Yangon. Mobile: 09-518 8320, 09-507 4096.

No.430(A), Corner of Dhamazedi Rd & Golden Valley Rd, Building(2) Market Place (City Mart), Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 01-523840(Ext-309), 09-73208079. Black Canyon Coffee & International Thai Cuisine 330, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 0980 21691, 395052.

Win
Real Estate Agency Our Services - Office, House & Land (For Rent) (Agent Fees Free) Tel: 09-501-8250, 09-732-02480.

ILBC IGCSE SCHOOL No.(34), Laydauntkan Road, Tamwe Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 542982, 545720, 549106,545736,400156 Fax: 541040 Email: info@ilbc.net.mm www.ilbcedu.com International School Yangon 20, Shwe Taung Kyar St, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 512793.

Commercial scale water treatment (Since 1997) Tel: 01-218437~38. H/P: 09-5161431, 09-43126571. 39-B, Thazin Lane, Ahlone.

Water Heaters

Bld-A2, Gr-Fl, Shwe Gabar Housing, Mindama Rd, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. email: eko-nr@ myanmar.com.mm Ph: 652391, 09-73108896

REMOVALISTS

Heaven Pizza 38/40, Bo Yar Nyunt St. Yaw Min Gyi Quarter, Dagon Township. Tel: 09-855-1383

Indian Fine Dining & Bar Bldg No. 12, Yangon Intl Compound, Ahlone Road. Tel: 01-2302069, 09-43185008, 09-731-60662. sales@corrianderleaf.com

Bld-A2, Gr-Fl, Shwe Gabar Housing, Mindama Rd, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. email: eko-nr@ myanmar.com.mm Ph: 652391, 09-73108896

Relocation Specialist Rm 504, M.M.G Tower, #44/56, Kannar Rd, Botahtaung Tsp. Tel: 250290, 252313. Mail : info@asiantigersmyanmar.com No.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 01-527506 email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

Paint
Worlds No.1 Paints & Coatings Company Legendary Myanmar Intl Shipping & Logistics Co., Ltd. No-9, Rm (A-4), 3rd Flr, Kyaung St, Myaynigone, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 516827, 523653, 516795. Mobile. 09-512-3049. Email: legandarymyr@ mptmail.net .mm www.LMSL-shipping.com

The Ritz Exclusive Lounge Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Ground Floor, Tel: 544500 Ext 6243, 6244

Admissions Office: Than Lwin Campus: 44, Than Lwin Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 951535433, 959-8503073. Email: rviacademygn@ rvcentre.com.sg Website: www.rvcentre. com.sg

The Global leader in Water Heaters A/1, Aung San Stadium East Wing, Upper Pansodan Road. Tel: 251033, 09-730-25281.

Same as Rinnai Gas cooker and cooker Hood Showroom Address

Water Heater

WEB SERVICES

Sole Distributor For the Union of Myanmar Since 1995 Myanmar Golden Rock International Co.,Ltd. Level 6, FJV Commercial Center, Botahtaung Tsp Yangon. Ph-202092-96, Fax: 202079

Kohaku Japanese Restaurant Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Lobby Level, Tel: 544500 Ext 6231

The Emporia Restaurant Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp. Lobby Level, Tel: 544500 Ext 6294 Traders Gourmet Corner Level 1, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel : 242828 ext : 6503

Yangon International School Fully Accredited K-12 International Curriculum with ESL support No.117,Thumingalar Housing, Thingangyun Township, Yangon. Tel: 578171, 573149 www.yismyanmar.net Yangon International School New Early Childhood Center Pan Hlaing Golf Estate Housing & U Tun Nyo Street, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon. Tel: 687701, 687702

World-class Web Services Tailor-made design, Professional research & writing for Brochure/ Catalogue/e-Commerce website, Customised business web apps, online advertisement and anything online. Talk to us: (951) 430-897, 553-918 www.medialane.com.au 58B Myanma Gon Yaung Housing. Than Thu Mar Road, Tamwe, Yangon.

Sport
March 11 - 17, 2013
Sajad Hossaini celebrates his victory at the awards ceremony after the Afghan Ski Challenge in the Shahidan Valley of Bamiyan province on March 1. Pic: AFP
the

54
Myanmar Times

Afghan ski race fuels optimism for future

BAMIYAN The road to get there may not be safe and local attacks may be at a decade high, but an annual ski race in the Hindu Kush offers Afghanistan the glimpse of a better future, organisers say. Under the beady eye of Afghan police armed with machine guns, a reminder of the countrys war, local and Western skiers compete in a gruelling test of physical fitness in the mountains 180 kilometres (110 miles) west of Kabul. Organising a ski competition seems frivolous, but it has a symbolic dimension, said Christoph Zurcher, the events Swiss founder. People here can think that Afghanistan is going somewhere instead of going down. There are no ski lifts in Shaidan valley, Bamiyan province, so the 30 participants in last weeks Afghan Ski Challenge first had to clamber up a steep ascent on a course ranging in altitude from 3,200 to 3,480 metres. Afghans accustomed to mountain conditions soon stretched ahead of breathless international skiers as a cheerful crowd of several hundred supporters and children from nearby villages shouted encouragement. The stunning setting and peaceful atmosphere was a world away from Afghanistans violent image, and Zurcher hopes that the race is one small step towards the valley becoming a proper ski resort. Most countries which are off-track, when they open, people rush there. Look at Cambodia or Burma. If Afghanistan opens, it will be the same. Zurcher, a journalist based in Zurich, said the idea of holding a race came to him when he was stuck in Bamiyan for four days in 2010 while on assignment. With all those mountains around, it doesnt take long for a Swiss person to think about skiing. Few local people had heard of the sport. Im very happy, we trained really hard, seven days a week as soon as snow started to fall, said Sajad Hosseini, a local guide. He won in a time of 28 minutes. The last exhausted and sun-burnt foreigners finished after more than three hours. It wasnt just about the race. It was also about the ski business. Tourism will develop in the future, Hosseini said. First because here its cheap. And also because nobody did it before, so people will love to come here. Despite the optimism, serious problems remain for the country. The organisers issued a warning that mountains of Afghanistan are not the Alps nor the Rocky Mountains, stressing that racers took part at their own risk, given poor access to medical care in the war-torn, povertystricken country. Bamiyan province, known for its vast Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, wants to revive its tourism heyday in the 1960s when visitors thronged to its mountains, lakes and impressive historical and archaeological heritage. Since the fall of the Taliban, the province has been one of Afghanistans most tranquil areas despite being surrounded by more volatile provinces. But there has been a recent rise in incidents, with the deaths of five New Zealand military last August shocking many who believed that the ethnic Hazaras who dominate Bamiyan were keeping Taliban insurgents at bay. The two roads from Kabul remain unsafe due to kidnapping and robbery, and provincial governor Habiba Sarobi admits that 18 Afghans died in attacks in Bamiyan linked to the insurgency last year, the worst record in 11 years. On race day, armed police watched over the scene on Sarobis orders. This is to reassure the media and participants and to show that we protect the event, she said after watching the race. But in Bamiyan, we dont have any problem. The Taliban do not exist here. With Afghan forces taking over the fight against Taliban-led insurgents as NATO combat troops withdraw, the outlook for the country is uncertain and mass tourism appears a distant dream. But Gull Bayzadeh, a local travel agent who helped organise the race, saw the success of the event as a sign of Bamiyans long-term potential. Skiing and tourism are symbols of peace. It will replace the war, the fighting, he said. AFP

Beckham named China football ambassador

BEIJING Football superstar David Beckham has been named an ambassador for the Chinese Super League, the countrys football association said, a move that has been widely anticipated but also criticised. The former England captain will visit three times during the season from March to November to promote the sport in China and attract the global spotlight, the China Football Association said in a statement. Beckham will come to China to promote youth football and serve as ambassador to the Chinese Super League (CSL), it said, touting the athletes success in boosting the popularity of the sport worldwide. His arrival will bring international attention to Chinese football and at the same time his personal involvement will be a good way to make Chinese football more international. State media, however, cast doubt on whether Beckham -- currently with French club Paris Saint-Germain could repair the image of a sport scarred by match-fixing and bribery scandals. A three-year inquiry resulted last month in 33 people receiving lifetime bans and the former club of Didier Drogba, Shanghai Shenhua, being stripped of its 2003 league title. The arrival last year of the Ivory Coast striker along with Nicolas Anelka, his former team-mate at English Premier League side Chelsea, signaled to some observers that Chinese football had turned a corner. But both players have since left Shenhua, with Drogba going to Turkish league leaders Galatasaray in disputed circumstances and Anelka signing for Juventus on loan. When news of Beckhams appointment began to circulate last month, the Peoples Daily online said the departure of two international stars had already hurt CSLs reputation and even Beckham would not heal the damage. While spending loads of money hiring international stars like Beckham, the CSL should make efforts to improve the quality of its products, it said. Without a truly favourable environment and high-calibre professional clubs, more foreign stars are likely to leave like Drogba and Anelka did. AFP

Skiing and tourism are symbols of peace. It will replace the war, the fighting.

Zurcher found sponsors to buy equipment from Europe and held the first race in 2011, with the event now supported by a range of commercial backers who guarantee free entry and provide prizes of luxury watches and jackets. After completing the first arduous climb, a flat section and then another ascent, skiers completed the 2.6kilometre (1.5-mile) course with a well-earned cruise to the finishing line on beautiful powder snow.

55
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Sport
March 11 - 17, 2013

Myanmar Times

NBA adds Asia games

LOS ANGELES Kobe Bryants Los Angeles Lakers and Jeremy Lins Houston Rockets will travel to Asia for a series of exhibition games in October, the National Basketball Association announced on March 5. The Lakers will play two games in China against the Golden State Warriors, beginning with an October 15 contest at the MasterCard Center arena. Three days later the same two teams will square off in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Lins Rockets will play in both Taiwan and the Philippines. Houston faces the Indiana Pacers on October 13 at the Taipei Arena. They start their Asia swing with an October 10 contest against the Pacers in Manila. It has been just over a year since Linsanity gripped New York Knicks fans and propelled break-out star Lin to global fame. But nowhere is the point guard more popular than in Taiwan. Lin Shu-hao, who was born in Los Angeles, is the first American of Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. His parents, Lin Gie-ming and Shirley Lin, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s and are dual nationals of Taiwan and the United States. Bryants Lakers will be playing for the first time in China. Five-time NBA champion Bryant has been coauthoring a blog in Chinese for several years. Last month Bryant joined the Twitter-like Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, getting thousands of

Four in the race for AFC

KUALA LUMPUR Four officials three from the Middle East and one from Thailand have been nominated to run for president of the Asian Football Confederation, replacing the scandal-hit former boss. Worawi Makudi of Thailand, Hafez Ibrahim al-Medlej of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain and Yousuf al-Serkal of the United Arab Emirates will vie for the top post, the AFC said in a statement on March 4. Their main task will be to clean up Asian footballs top governing body after its former president, Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, stepped down amid allegations of corruption which he has denied. Worawi, al-Khalifa and al-Serkal all head the football associations in their countries. The nominees are all AFC executive committee members except for the Bahraini. The nominations will now be scrutinised and the list of candidates will be sent to the member associations one month prior to the congress, the AFC said. AFCs current caretaker chief Zhang Jilong of China shocked football fans last week when an official close to him revealed he would not be running for president in the elections on May 2. Former AFC secretarygeneral Peter Velappan said only a fresh face like alKhalifa would be able to unite the AFC, riveted by corruption claims and infighting, and refocus the body on the sports development. For the good of AFC and Asian football, no member of the current executive committee should run for the presidency. The reason is that all of them are very close friends of bin Hammam and all of them contributed to the downfall of AFC and Asian football, he told AFP. Lets have a new face. He added it was a pity that Zhang had decided not to run in the elections in Kuala Lumpur, where the AFC is based, as he would have liked to see him take the lead for at least one term. The 46-member AFC is the largest of six federations that make up the worlds football governing body FIFA. Bin Hammam, 63, was accused of trying to buy votes in FIFAs 2011 presidential vote as he challenged the powerful Sepp Blatter for leadership of the global body, and was banned from football. The businessman formally resigned as AFC leader in December. The FIFA life ban was overturned but bin Hammam remains suspended from football. AFP

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks over Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center on March 3. Pic: AFP followers in just the first few hours. We look forward to the opportunity to play in front our Chinese fans, said Lakers vice president of business operations Tim Harris. The Lakers are happy to continue to be a part of the NBAs efforts to expand its global reach. The Lakers/Warriors and Rockets/ Pacers games highlight a total of eight NBA overseas games in October. They are joined by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls in the NBA global games schedule. The Thunder will play October 5 against Fenerbahce Ulker in Istanbul and on October 8 against the 76ers in Manchester, England. The Sixers also play against Uxue Bilbao Basket in Bilbao, Spain, on October 6. The Bulls and the Wizards face off in Rio de Janeiro on October 12. AFP

tIMESSPORT
By Kyaw Zin Hlaing MYANMAR qualified for the final round of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives after downing India 1-0 on March 6 in Yangon. Myanmar kept a quick pace after kickoff, looking to use their speed to an advantage. Strikers Kyi Lin and Kyaw Zayar Win along with midfielder Yan Aung Kyaw proved to be difficult mismatches for the slower Indian defenders. But even with their quickness Myanmar was unable to score early and the teams remained tied at 0-0 until the 75th minute when a strike by substitute Soe Min Oo shocked the Indian side, which was a heavy favourite entering the match. We have ourselves to blame. We just couldnt keep the ball and gave it away too often. It was a mustwin match for Myanmar, said India coach Wim Koevermans. Coming into the match India was unbeaten, having defeated Chinese Taipei 2-1 and Guam 4-0. Myanmar collected an easy victory over Guam 5-0 in their opening match on March 2 and in the second round they could manage only a 1-1 draw with Chinese Taipei on March 4, leaving them in need of a win in the final match. The victory put Myanmar atop as Group A with seven points. India finished second with six points, failing to qualify for the finals. India will now have to wait for results in other groups to see if they make the finals as one of the two best group runner-ups Even although we have injured players, to we took advantage of their weaknesses to win and our team played the best soccer, said Myanmar coach Park Seong Wha after the match. Myanmar was rewarded with K50 million from Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) for its accomplishment.

March 11 - 17, 2013

Parks side punches ticket to the Maldives

Kyi Lin makes a run during Myanmars March 6 match against India in Yangon. Pic: Boothee

Union Cup opens after exam delay

By Aung Si Hein and Su Hlaing Tun DESPITE rumours of further delays, the Union Cup opened at Nay Pyi Taws Wunna Theikdi Stadium on February 28 providing a test run for the upcoming 27th Southeast Asian Games set for December. Delegations representing 15 states and regions of Myanmar marched onto the pitch for the opening precession. The event was capped by archer Yaw Sein Yah, who lit the Cups ceremonial torch with a skillfully placed arrow. We hold this tournament because we want our athletes to have a chance to experience living the atmosphere of the actual SEA Games, U Tint San, Minister for Sports told a news conference on January 9. The opening ceremony was originally scheduled for February 19, but was delayed due to some athletes needing to take high school matriculation exams. U Htay Aung from the Ministry of Sports had told The Myanmar Times on February 19 that the new opening date of February 28 remained uncertain and could be further delayed until mid-March due to the exams. However, the second delay did not happen and students were able to participate despite the tight scheduling. About 10,000 spectators, comprised mostly of civil servants clad in matching uniforms filled the newly built stadium, which has a maximum capacity of around 30,000. Vice President U Nyan Tun and other ministers attended the ceremony that also featured performances by a number of singers. While the ceremony itself went smoothly, there was grumblings from the press corps over disorganisation and overly strict security guards who limited access to the event. The security guards said we were not allowed to photograph the opening from the pitch because we are not listed as media, while MRTV-4, Sky Net and other broadcast media can. If this is true, why were we photographers given media passes for this event and what is the use of it? Why were we invited to previous press conferences? It was so hard to get even for a confirmation of assured date for this event, let alone secure other necessary information, a photojournalist from Myanmar Khit Media who asked not to be named told to The Myanmar Times. The Union Cup ended on March 7 after 22 events were contested, but the closing ceremony was cancelled for unknown reasons.

Dazzling debut for rookie Rutherford

DUNEDIN New Zealands Hamish Rutherford played down his achievement in posting the seventh highest debut in Test history march 8, saying he was just doing his job for the Black Caps. The 23-year-old scored 171 against England in the opening Test at his home ground in Dunedin to put the unfancied New Zealanders in a commanding position against the second-ranked team in Test cricket. It wont sink in until I get home and have a wee lie down, the quietlyspoken batsman said. There was a lot of relief, I suppose. Obviously its very special to do it here in front of my home fans and family and friends. Rutherford, the son of former Black Caps captain Ken, said he deliberately kept his celebrations muted after becoming only the ninth New Zealander to score a century on debut, briefly raising his bat to mark the milestone. Youre picked to do a job and your job is to score runs, so at the end of the day thats what youre picked to do, he said, admitting he was still kicking himself after losing his wicket just after lunch. Rutherford conceded he might imbibe in a cheeky glass of milk after his stunning effort but put his achievement down to sound advice from his mentor, former Black Cap Craig Cumming, and batting on his home ground. His composed innings contrasted with his fathers first Test in 1985, when Rutherford senior made a pair against the West Indies in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. His father, who was only 19 at the time and facing the mighty West Indies pace attack in their heyday on home turf, went on to play 56 Tests and captain New Zealand from 199295. Rutherford did not believe his debut innings would finally stop him from being referred to as Ken Rutherfords boy. I dont know if thatll quite happen just yet, well see what happens, he said. In the meantime, he said he would stick to a simple formula for Test match batting. You just duck and weave and... try and hit as many as you can in between, he said. The approach saw Rutherford score 22 fours and three sixes during 340 minutes at the crease. AFP