Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Burma enhances airline ground services


Monday, 20 August 2012 14:31 Mizzima News
Burma’s state-run domestic airline has agreed to jointly operate ground handling 
airline services with the Dnata Company, based in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), 
under a memorandum of understanding signed in Rangoon, 
official media reported on Sunday.

Read More---

Visa says international ATM service in Burma months away


Monday, 20 August 2012 13:22 Mizzima News
Visa has started training Burmese local bank employers to use electronic 
payment systems to help modernize the economy, but it says the full introduction 
of ATM machines that can use international credit cards is months 
away because of poor infrastructure.

Read More---

Burma could become middle-income nation by 2030


Monday, 20 August 2012 13:56 Mizzima News
Burma could follow Asia’s fast growing economies and expand at 7-8 per cent a year, 
becoming a middle income nation with triple its per capita income by 2030, 
if it can surmount development challenges through reforms, 
says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) study released on Saturda

Read More---

500 civilians flee Kachin state's Hpakant area as Burma army moves in


20-Aug-12
An estimated group of more than 500 civilians in the Kachin Independence 
Organization (KIO) controlled section of the Hpakant jade mining district, 
fled their village over the weekend to escape Burma army troops 
who have moved into the area.

Read More---

US ambassador expresses concern over Foreign Investment Law


Monday, 20 August 2012 14:19 Mizzima News
The new US ambassador to Burma, Derek Mitchell, has praised the country’s 
leaders in his first in-depth interview, but he expressed concern about 
the fragility of the reform effort.

Read More---

NLD opens office in Naypyitaw, Burma’s capital


Monday, 20 August 2012 13:03 Mizzima News
The National League of Democracy (NLD) opened an office in Naypyitaw, 
Burma’s capital, on Wednesday, marking the rise of the once suppressed 
opposition political party, many of whose members now hold a seat in 
Parliament after serving prison terms for their pro-democracy activities.

Read More---

Burma forms commission to investigate Rakhine State unrest


Monday, 20 August 2012 12:26 Kyaw Phone Kyaw
Rangoon (Mizzima) – The Burmese government has formed a 27-member 
commission including political party leaders, former political prisoners, 
opposition leaders, Muslim and Buddhists religious leaders and others 
to recommend short and long-term solutions to the community unrest in Rakhine State.

Read More---

Karen communities in Australia celebrate to protect their culture


20-Aug-12
Karen people who have resettled in Australia are determined that their children 
do not forget their heritage or their traditions. This year a Karen community 
living in Melbourne, Victoria invited other ethnic groups from Burma and local 
Aboriginal leaders to attend the annual wrist-tying ceremony.

Read More---

Land Rights Activist Hit with Court Summons


20-Aug-12
RANGOON—An activist has been summoned to appear in a Rangoon Division court 
to answer defamation charges filed by a Burmese company he accused of illegal land grabs.

Read More---

UN Calls on Govt to Release Aid Workers Still in Detention


20-Aug-12
The United Nations’ top official in Burma said he welcomed the release 
last week of aid workers detained since violence broke out in Arakan State 
in June, but urged the government to free others still behind bars.

Read More---

KIO Prepares for Return of Refugees


20-Aug-12
Under pressure from the Chinese authorities, the Kachin Independence 
Organization (KIO) says it has agreed to take back about 4,000 Kachin 
refugees who are currently staying in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province.

Read More---

Irrawaddy region’s infrastructure exacerbates flooding


20-Aug-12
The Irrawaddy region’s parliament may need assistance from the central 
government to provide urgent relief after heavy flooding deluged swathes 
of central Burma last week.

Read More---

Burma Ends Censorship


2012-08-20

But self-censorship concerns remain as work continues on reforms.

The Burmese government announced on Monday the lifting—after 

50 years—of direct censorship of print media, removing requirements 

that journalists submit articles on religion or politics for government 

review before publication.


Read More---

Burma abolishes pre-censorship, but forbids criticism of state


20-Aug-12
The Burmese government announced on Monday that it has abolished 
pre-censorship of its media, but local papers say they have been issued 
a strict set of guidelines that forbid them from criticising the state.

Read More---