HEARTBEAT OF THE NATION

1000
Ks.

DAILY EDITION

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

ISSUE 48 | FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

US PRESSES
MYANMAR OVER
RAKHINE

TELENOR SEEKS
TO ADDRESS
CHILD LABOUR

KBZ SET TO
BRING BACK
CREDIT CARDS

NEWS 3

BUSINESS 10

BUSINESS 11

US embassy urges caution

after taxi sexual assault
A recent attack on a female passenger prompts tge embassy
to issue a warning to avoid taking a taxi alone at night, while
Yangon police say they are ramping up efforts to ensure safety.
FULL REPORT PAGE 4

Opposition builds to tax

on phone top-up cards
Mandalay parliamentarian submits urgent proposal to halt 5 percent tax on all top-up card
sales in response to widespread public criticism at the governments decision. BUSINESS 12

Farmers
quit USDP
en masse
over land
confiscation
LUN MIN MANG
lunmin.lm@gmail.com
ANGRY farmers are deserting the ruling Union Solidarity and Development
Party in Bago Region, claiming their
local MP broke a promise to help them
get their land back. Yesterday, 170
USDP members in Nattalin township,
Bago Region, resigned en masse.
Of more than 800 acres of farmland in Nattalin seized in 1995 by local
government bodies, about 353 acres
remain to be restored to their former
owners, they say.
U Win Kyaw, a farmer and former
senior USDP official in Shar Say Bo village, said the villagers were not satisfied with the party.
They said the case was being dealt
with by the administration sector and
the party couldnt do anything, he
said. But they are the ruling party.
Why couldnt they do anything?
U Win Kyaw said party officials had
accepted the mass resignation.
The parliamentary land dispute investigation commission promised the
villagers earlier this month that their
land would be restored to them.
The farmers accused Union- and
regional-level USDP politicians of letting them down. Nattalin Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Ye Htut Oo came
in for particular criticism. Before he
was elected, he said he would do everything he could to advance our interests. But then he seemed to lose interest, said Ko Htat Zaw Lin, a villager
from Da Mah Nge who turned in his
party card yesterday. The farmers also
say that local township officials have
been unhelpful.
We believe the government departments at the township level are
dishonest, said U Myint Naing, a
farmer from Ohn Hne Kan village.
U Aung Cho Oo, secretary of the partys western Bago division, said the issue
had not been raised within the party. I
think the process had been handled by
the respective MPs, he said, adding,
If they dont trust the party any more,
they have the right to resign.
U Ye Htut Oo could not be reached
for comment yesterday.

2 News

Page 2

THE MYANMAR TIMES May 22, 2015

Kayleigh Long |
kayleighelong@gmail.com

THE INSIDER: already on umbrella number two

Once was Burma ...

Archival material courtesy of Pansodan Gallery
First floor, 286 Pansodan, upper block, Kyauktada township

Monsoon edition of Oh Wei magazine, 1969

Stop the nopes

With the boat crisis unfolding off
the coasts of four out of ten aSEaN
nations, heads of state and diplomats
are scrambling to nut out some sort
of solution to the fact that, at this
very moment, there are thousands
of dehydrated, malnourished and
traumatized people adrift at sea.
a regional crisis meeting has been
declared (although, frankly, it does seem
a bit rich to call it a crisis meeting
when its not for another eight days, at
the time of writing) and at this stage it
looks as though Myanmar will attend,
despite the governments general
reluctance to RSVP in the affirmative to
any event where the R word is likely to
be bandied about.
Its in times of crisis that peoples
true nature reveals itself, and even
when it would seem things are at their
lowest ebb, sometimes you can be
pleasantly surprised and have your faith
in humanity restored.
Stories abounded this week in the
media about fishermen from aceh
banding together to provide food and
water, helping the stranded Bangladeshi
and Rohingya ashore. While Thai
authorities twiddled their thumbs, the
New york Times managed to hire a
speedboat and locate a vessel containing
hundreds of wretched souls who
otherwise may well have just wasted
away out there.
Malaysia has extended a hand,
ordering a search and rescue mission
and sending out supplies. Thailand, by
this stage, must be pretty well resigned
to getting slapped with a Tier 3 report
card.
Somali jihadist insurgents alShabaab released a statement, calling
on Muslim nations from Southeast
asia to provide asylum for the people
on the boats. Stories began to do the
rounds that the Philippines had offered
to resettle a number of people, as did
the US.
One such heartwarming offer
of asylum came from The Gambia,
where a statement from the office of
President yahya Jammeh was reportedly
broadcast on television which stated that
the country would gladly play host to
habitable camps with decent sanitary
conditions for the Rohingya (no mention
of the Bangladeshis) if the international
community could possibly arrange
the transport, materials, funding and
healthcare.
While thats a kind offer, the
logistics are probably a bit of a reach
and ultimately some sort of regional
approach is probably what needs to
happen.
Besides, Gambia has enough of
its own people fleeing. In early May,
during a public speech about fostering
a healthy atmosphere for the countrys
youth, Mr Jammeh said he would
personally slit the throats of anyone
attempting to get gay-married on his
watch.
Some people go to the West and

claim they are gays and that their lives

are at risk in the Gambia, in order for
them to be granted a stay in Europe. If
I catch them I will kill them, he said in
2014, apparently without a hint of irony.
australias prime minister came
forward to elucidate his stance on the
notion of resettling people. In his typically
eloquent way, he delivered that message.
Nope. Nope. Nope., said Tony abbott,
who to clarify is an actual leader of
a country and not a child who refuses to
eat his broccoli.
australia will do absolutely nothing
that gives any encouragement to
anyone to think that they can get on a
boat, that they can work with people
smugglers to start a new life. (Not a
radical departure from party line.) Im
sorry. If you want to start a new life,
you come through the front door, not
through the back door.
The thing that this argument fails to
take into account is that, when people
are subject to movement restrictions,
there really is no front door.
Human trafficking and people
smuggling is a despicable trade, but one
that continues to have a market because
of push factors like being stripped of
basic rights, and the niggling fear that
maybe therell be more pogroms.
Its an extremely complex issue, but
one that really needs the aSEaN region
and Bangladesh to come to the table and
discuss pragmatic solutions.
and as far as australias concerned,
when you come up looking less than
tolerant next to someone who has
on-record threatened to behead
homosexuals, its got to be time for a
rethink of your strategy.
Please note: attempts by Page 2 to
confirm the offer from The Gambia went
unanswered: emails to the Presidents
office rebounded, returning a mailbox
full error, and several phone calls simply
rang out. This was reported on several
Gambian news sites, none of which look
particularly credible.

If you want to start

a new life, you come
through the front
door, not through
the back door.
Tony Abbott
World leader

In brief
Man develops carpal tunnel after
incessantly spamming The Myanmar
Times Facebook page with hate speech
Next week
Revealed: Citywide scheme to drive
foreigners out by only stocking ayutthaya,
Mont Claire and Drosty Hof

www.mmtimes.com

NEWS EDITOR: Thomas Kean | tdkean@gmail.com

News 3

LANGKAWI

Malaysian PM
orders search
and rescue
operation
FIONA MACGREGOR
fionamacgregor@hotmail.co.uk
MALAYSIA yesterday ordered a
search and rescue mission for thousands of refugees and migrants adrift
in the Andaman Sea, although it remained unclear when and where people would actually be brought to land
and given shelter.
The announcement by Malaysian
Prime Minister Najib Razak via social
media has been heralded as the first
proactive move toward bringing what
Malaysian intelligence has estimated to
be 7000 people mostly Rohingya and
Bangladeshis safely to shore.
It comes after a deal was agreed on
May 20 by Malaysia and Indonesia to
offer them temporary refuge and stop
pushing boats back out to sea.
I have further ordered @tldm_
rasmi [navy] and APMM [Malaysian
Maritime Enforcement Agency] to
conduct search and rescue efforts on
Rohingya boats, Mr Najib said on his
Twitter account. We have to prevent
loss of life, he added.
Local media yesterday quoted Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri
Anifah Aman as saying that Malaysia
and Indonesia cannot wait any longer
because our priority is to save them.
We cannot leave them at sea.
However, he also told reporters
that until suitable shelter sites had
been prepared, aid would be delivered
to those on boats while still at sea. We
will find a suitable place and in the
meantime they will be provided with
the necessary assistance. We have
been sending supplies to them.
The shelters, once built, are expected to be run by a joint taskforce involving Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
According to The Star newspaper,
the minister ruled out a shelter on the
island of Langkawi where hundreds of
boat people made it to shore on May
11. The migrants are not here for a
holiday, it quoted him as saying.
Thailand has drawn criticism for
failing to join its neighbours in offering to provide shelters for the refugees, many of whom are believed to
have been carried by Thai traffickers
when a clampdown by Thai authorities closed usual smuggling routes,
leaving them stuck at sea.
Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP yesterday that his country had not yet issued a search and rescue order, but that
the issue would be discussed.

Welcoming the initial step to offer shelter, a UNHCR statement said,

It is now urgent for people to be
brought ashore without delay, and
that immediate first aid and other care
is provided for all in need.
Malaysia and Indonesia insist
that the offer to provide temporary
shelter for up to a year is reliant on
support from the international community.
Countries across the world are offering very different responses to the
crisis.
The United States said it would
be willing to help resettle Rohingya
refugees as part of international support efforts organised by the UNHCR.
We obviously cant take this all on
ourselves, but we are prepared to take
a leading role in the effort, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf
said.

It is now urgent
for these people to
be brought ashore
without delay, and
that immediate first
aid and other care is
provided for all.
UN Refugee Agency

However, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has promoted

a strict push-back policy for migrant
boats attempting to enter Australia,
ruled out taking in refugees.
Nope, nope, nope, he told reporters yesterday, saying that any prospect
of resettlement in a Western country
would encourage more people to risk
their lives at sea.
If you want to start a new life, you
come through the front door, not the
back, he said.
Meanwhile, the impoverished West
African nation of Gambia offered to
take in all Rohingya refugees. As human beings, more so fellow Muslims,
it is our sacred duty to help alleviate
the untold hardships and sufferings
fellow human beings are confronted
with, a government statement said on
May 20.

President U Thein Sein talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. Photo: AFP

Senior US official presses

president over Rohingya crisis
GUY DINMORE
guydinmore@gmail.com
A SENIOR US official yesterday
maintained international pressure
on Myanmar to deal with the humanitarian crisis facing Rohingya
Muslims in Rakhine State and help
those held at sea by human traffickers. But diplomats said they had
seen little concrete action so far beyond a change in tone.
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed US concern
over the urgency of the Rohingya
humanitarian crisis in talks with
President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi
Taw, the US embassy said. He also
stressed the importance of regional
cooperation to Foreign Minister U
Wunna Maung Lwin, the embassy
said, in a reference to a conference
on the migrant boat crisis called by
Thailand for May 29.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
rang the alarm bells on May 19 over
the fate of 2000 men, women and
children believed to have been held
by human traffickers for more than
40 days on at least five boats off the
coast of Rakhine State. The UNHCR
appealed to the government to intervene following accounts of food shortages, dehydration and violence given
by Rohingya who had paid their way
off the boats.
The UNHCR said yesterday it had
no further information on their fate.
In response to pressure, Myanmar has abandoned its hardline
rhetoric of denying any role in the

crisis unfolding in the Andaman

Sea and the Bay of Bengal, where
the UN believes some 4000 people
are still stranded in desperate conditions. Myanmar has confirmed
that it would attend the conference
in Thailand and pledged on May 20
to crack down on traffickers and aid
victims at sea.
Malaysia and Indonesia, meanwhile, have promised to stop pushing back boats crammed with migrants and asylum seekers from
Myanmar and Bangladesh.
A senior Western official, who
asked not to be named, said Myanmars shift in tone was welcome but
there had been no visible effort to
heed UN calls to help those stranded
at sea to disembark and return without punishment. However, there
were unconfirmed reports that the
Myanmar Navy had provided some
water to the boats.
A few people were believed to
have slipped ashore and disappeared
among camps that have held a total
of some 140,000 Rohingya since
inter-communal violence flared in
2012. The official said the covert nature of the governments response
reinforced convictions that local officials and police had acted in collusion with traffickers to remove Rohingya at a price and were now
covering for each other in returning
some of them.
Diplomats said there would be
continued pressure on Myanmar to
deal with the root causes of the crisis in Rakhine State, where stateless

Rohingya have no freedom of movement and limited access to schooling

and healthcare. Many live in camps
that a UN special rapporteur this
year described as abysmal.
At the same time the US has
made clear it will continue to engage with Myanmar and support its
transition from military rule. The US
embassy tweeted that Mr Blinken expressed backing for the presidents
democratic reforms and the upcoming general election.
A critical issue to be resolved is
under what circumstances Myanmar
will agree to repatriate any Rohingya rescued at sea. The government
refuses to recognise Rohingya, a
relatively recent political construct,
as an ethnic identity and calls them
Bengali, inferring they are immigrants from Bangladesh. A majority
of the estimated 1.1 million Rohingya in Myanmar are stateless.
Deputy Foreign Minister U Thant
Kyaw was reported by the Bernama
news agency as saying in Thailand
on May 20 that Myanmar would
only agree to take them back if it
was proven that they were Myanmar people.
UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon has urged Myanmar to deal
with the citizenship issue before
the November elections. Longterm stability in Rakhine will remain unattainable without comprehensively addressing the issue
of status and citizenship of the
Muslim populations, he said in
New York on April 24.

4 News
Chief Executive Officer
Tony Child
tonychild.mcm@gmail.com
Editorial Director U Thiha Saw
editorial.director.mcm@gmail.com
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Tin Moe Aung
tinmoeaung.mcm@gmail.com
EDITORIAL
Editor MTE Thomas Kean
tdkean@gmail.com
Editor MTM Sann Oo
sannoo@gmail.com
Chief of Staff Zaw Win Than
zawwinthan@gmail.com
Editor Special Publications Myo Lwin
myolwin286@gmail.com
Editor-at-Large Douglas Long
dlong125@gmail.com
News Editor MTE Guy Dinmore
guydinmore@gmail.com
Business Editor MTE Jeremy Mullins
jeremymullins7@gmail.com
World Editor MTE Fiona MacGregor,
Kayleigh Long
The Pulse Editor MTE Charlotte Rose
charlottelola.rose@gmail.com
Sport Editor MTE Matt Roebuck
matt.d.roebuck@googlemail.com
Special Publications Editor MTE Wade Guyitt
wadeguyitt@gmail.com
Regional Affairs Correspondent Roger Mitton
rogermitton@gmail.com
Sub-Editors Peter Swarbrick, Laignee Barron
Chief Sub Editor MTM Aye Sapay Phyu
Business & Property Editor MTM
Tin Moe Aung
tinmoeaung.mcm@gmail.com
Timeout Editor MTM Moh Moh Thaw
mohthaw@gmail.com
MCM BUREAUS
News Editors (Mandalay)
Khin Su Wai, Phyo Wai Kyaw
Nay Pyi Taw Bureau Chief Hsu Hlaing Htun
hsuhlainghtun.mcm@gmail.com
DIGITAL/ONLINE
Online Editors Eli Meixler, Thet Hlaing
elimeixler@gmail.com, thet202@gmail.com
PHOTOGRAPHICS
Director Kaung Htet
Photographers
Aung Htay Hlaing, Thiri, Zarni Phyo
PRODUCTION
zarnicj@gmail.com
Art Director Tin Zaw Htway
Production Manager Zarni
MCM PRINTING
Printing Director Han Tun
Factory Administrator Aung Kyaw Oo (3)
Factory Foreman Tin Win
SALES & MARKETING
ads.myanmartimes@gmail.com
Deputy National Sales Directors
Chan Tha Oo, Nay Myo Oo,
Nandar Khine, Nyi Nyi Tun
Classifieds Manager Khin Mon Mon Yi
classified.mcm@gmail.com
ADMIN, FINANCE & SYSTEMS
Chief Financial Officer Mon Mon Tha Saing
monmonthasaing@gmail.com
Deputy HR Director Khine Su Yin
khinesu1988@gmail.com
Director of IT/Systems Kyaw Zay Yar Lin
kyawzayarlin@gmail.com
Publisher U Thiha (Thiha Saw), 01021
Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.
CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION
Yangon - subscribe.mt@gmail.com
Mandalay - mdydistribution.mcm@gmail.com
Nay Pyi Taw - nptdistribution.mcm@gmail.com
ADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES
Telephone: (01) 253 642, 392 928
Facsimile: (01) 254 158
The Myanmar Times is owned by Myanmar
Consolidated Media Ltd and printed by
Myanmar Times Press (00876) with approval from MCM Ltd and by Shwe Myanmar
(P/00302) with approval from MCM Ltd. The
title The Myanmar Times, in either English or
Myanmar languages, its associated logos or
devices and the contents of this publication
may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the written consent of the Managing
Director of Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.

Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.

www.mmtimes.com
Head Office: 379/383 Bo Aung Kyaw Street,
Kyauktada Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Telephone: (01) 253 642, 253 651, 392808
Facsimile: (01) 254 158, 392 928
Mandalay Bureau: No. 20, 71st Street,
Between 28th street and 29th Street,
Chan Aye Thar San Township.
Tel: (02) 24450, 24460, 65391. Fax: (02) 74585.
Email: mdybranch@myanmartimes.com.mm
Nay Pyi Taw Bureau: No (15/496) Yaza Htarni
Road, Paung Laung (2)Q, Pyinmana.
Tel: (067) 25982, 25983, 25309, 21426
Email: capitalbureau@myanmartimes.com.mm

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

US embassy urges caution

following attacks in taxis
Warning to US citizens prompted by attempted sexual assault on a female passenger earlier this month
THOMAS KEAN
TOE WAI AUNG
CLARE HAMMOND
newsroom@mmtimes.com
THE United States embassy in Yangon
has warned its nationals to be wary
when taking taxis around the city, following reports of attacks on female
passengers by male taxi drivers.
In one recent incident, a US citizen
said a taxi driver attempted to sexually
assault her, according to police, who
say they are taking steps to better protect passengers.
The US embassy said in a security
message for US citizens yesterday that
the incidents ranged from indecent
exposure to attempted sexual assaults.
It advised a series of security measures, including using a registered taxi,
not sharing a taxi with strangers, sitting directly behind the driver and
taking note of the licence plate or registration number. It also suggested trying to limit travelling alone, especially
at night or after drinking.
It insisted that Myanmar continues to be a safe country to visit and
the recent incidents are not typical.
However, practicing strong security habits will reduce the risk of such
incidents occurring, the notice said.
Bahan township police confirmed
that they had received a report of a recent attack on a US citizen while she
was taking a taxi from a bar in Bahan
to her hotel shortly before midnight
on May 2.
She elected not to file a formal
complaint, said Police Captain Thein
Win. She came to the police station
with a consular official and a translator. Said she didnt want to open a case
She just came to report what happened, he said.
He said the woman had fallen
asleep in the taxi. Instead of taking
her to her hotel, the driver went to a
quiet location in Dagon Seikkan township on the outskirts of Yangon, where
he attempted to sexually assault her,
Police Captain Thein Win said. She
managed to fight him off and escaped.
While no complaint was filed, police searched for the white Super Saloon taxi in Dagon Seikkan township.
News of the incident, as well as
other similar cases, has spread quickly
through Yangons small expatriate
community. On May 18, a message was
posted on the Yangon Expat Connection Google Group warning members
of two recent attacks on passengers
who hired taxis late at night near the
junction of Dhammazedi and Than
Lwin roads in Bahan township.
On May 8, meanwhile, an Australian man was involved in an altercation
with a taxi driver in Hlaing township
after he fell asleep in the taxi and woke

A woman hires a taxi in downtown Yangon yesterday. Photo: Zarni Phyo

to find his wallet, gold ring, phone,

laptop and portable hard drive missing. According to police, the taxi driver
has accused the man of punching him,
while the Australian has filed a complaint to police alleging that the driver
stole his belongings, which were valued at about US$1500.
In another recent case, a Japanese
man was reportedly assaulted while
taking a taxi.

If the taxi is
registered, we can
help to find out who
the driver is. If not it
will be difficult.
U Hla Aung
Motor vehicles supervisory committee

A senior police official said yesterday that he welcomed the embassys

announcement, and police are taking
steps to improve passenger safety.
Police Major Pyae Sone from the
Yangon District Police Office told The
Myanmar Times that police and other
officials were working together to set
up random checkpoints at night to inspect vehicles, including taxis.
In particular, they focus on checking

that the identity card on the taxi dashboard matches that of the driver, as well
as inspecting for drugs or weapons.
He said security for passengers was
an issue for both foreigners and Myanmar passengers.
Local people are abused or robbed
too, he said. Since the case of the
American woman, a woman from
Kyaukpyu who hired a taxi at the highway bus terminal in the early morning
was robbed.
He suggested passengers also check
that the image on the taxi identity
card matches that of the driver, and
also to take note of the licence number
in case there is a problem.
Yangons private taxi fleet has expanded significantly in recent years,
largely due to a sharp drop in prices
following the governments decision in
2011 to begin liberalising car imports.
In October 2014, officials from Yangon Region Supervisory Committee
for Motor Vehicles, which is responsible for registration, said the number of
licensed taxis had risen from 20,000 to
more than 55,000 in just 18 months.
But tracking drivers is difficult, as
most vehicles are owned by individuals rather than companies, and are
rented to drivers. Some vehicles are
rented to multiple drivers in shifts.
Chair U Hla Aung said the committee would help identify drivers if complainants could provide information.
If the taxi is registered, we can
help to find out who the driver is. If
not it will be difficult These are

criminal cases and should be handled

by the police, he said.
U Kar Kyaw, the head of the supervisory committees disciplinary department, said Ma Hta Tha was only
taking temporary responsibility for
taxi registration, and a taxi drivers association would be formed in the future to manage the industry.
Meanwhile, the owners of a number of bars in Yangon say the incident
has been used by police to clamp down
on closing times. The General Administration Department, which issues licences to venues to serve alcohol, sets
closing times uniformly at 11pm, but
these are regularly flouted.
The bar where the US citizen had
been drinking before the May 2 incident is among those that have been ordered to stick to the 11pm closing time.
Lots of people open later but just
do it quietly, said one bar owner, who
asked not to be named.
The bar in question got in trouble
because they were open too late when
the incident happened so they have
to close now at 11pm or they will get
shut down. Others are just following
the rules for a few weeks the police
just said to watch out for a bit and be
low key.
But Police Major Thein Aung said
enforcement of closing times was not
only in response to the recent attack.
KTVs, clubs and bars must close by
11pm at the latest, but some are staying
open even until 4am, he said. Additional reporting by Aye Nyein Win

Millions driving unlicensed: government

HTOO THANT
thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com
A WHOPPING 30 percent of drivers
about 1.5 million have no licence,
a transport official has revealed, although the number could be even
higher.
Speaking at a press conference, U
Lyan Kyint Man, director of the Road
Transport Administration Department of the Ministry of Rail Transportation, said the department had
issued 3.5 million licences, but there
were more than 5 million registered
vehicles.
That makes about 1.5 million people

driving without a licence, he said.

However, the total number of vehicles on the roads is likely to be higher,
with unregistered motorcycles particularly common.
In 2014, unlicensed drivers were
involved in 47pc of all road accidents,
the director said, as he announced a
campaign to ensure that all drivers
are properly licensed and obey traffic
rules.
As of this year, there are 4.9 million
vehicles on the road, a rise of about
800,000 since 2014. In that year, 44pc
of road accidents involved motorcycles, he said. The number of accidents
was 14,997, leaving 4313 people dead

and 24,932 injured.

The number of accidents has increased fourfold in recent years. We
want to decrease the death toll, but it
is increasing, said U Lyan Kyint Man
said.
According to the departments statistics, the death rate in 2014 owing to
traffic accidents was 6.50 deaths per
100,000.
The Myanmar Road Safety Plan
(2014-20) aims to reduce the death
toll by half, he said. The department
would remove old vehicles from the
road, register unlicensed motorcycles, test vehicles for safety when
a licence extension was requested,

improve driver training and raise

awareness about traffic rules.
He said the death rate could be cut
in half by 2020 if road users complied
with traffic regulations.
Nay Pyi Taw resident U Tun Wai
said he thought it was unlikely that
this goal would be attained as the
number of cars on the roads continued to rise.
Maybe they could do it if everybody followed the rules. But in Pyinmana, you see cars from government
departments parked all over the
place. When will they start following
the rules?
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

6 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

IN BRIEF

Three
activists
jailed for
protests

Govt keeps 10 selected

ecotourism sites under wraps

TOE WAI AUNG

linnhtet.lt@gmail.com
THREE pro-democracy activists were jailed for three months
each on May 20 at Kyauktada
township court. U Ba Myint, U
Htay Aung and Daw Lay Lay Myint were convicted under section
18 of the Peaceful Assembly and
Peaceful Procession Law for staging an illegal protest.
U Ba Myint staged a protest
on February 3, 2014, in front of
Yangon City Hall against Minister
for Livestock, Fisheries and Rural
Development U Ohn Myint, who
was depicted in a video as telling
villagers in Magwe Region that
he would throw the governments
critics in jail and was brave
enough to slap anyone in the face.
This is a country where no
action is taken against a minister who threatened and insulted
the public, but arrests those who
demonstrated against his threatening comments, U Ba Myint
told the media before the hearing.
Another activist, U Htay Aung,
took part in the protest against U
Ohn Myints comments. He also
organised a protest on February 28 at Sule Pagoda against a
violent crackdown at Letpadaung
copper mine in Sagaing Region.
Daw Lay Lay Myint, also
known as Daw San San Win, organised a protest with four other
activists in front of the Chinese
embassy in Yangon over the death
of Daw Khin Win at the Letpadaung project last December.
According to the Assistance
Association for Political Prisoners, there were 157 political
prisoners in Myanmar, with 453
activists currently awaiting trial
for political actions. The government insists it freed all political prisoners at the end of 2013,
but continues to use draconian
legislation much of it from the
colonial era to jail activists for
political activities. Translation
by Zar Zar Soe

Kachin Independence Army soldiers stand guard near Laiza in Kachin State in January 2013. Photo: Kaung Htet

Tatmadaw calls for

talks with Kachin
Fighting erupted in Mansi township on May 6 and peaked with airstrikes on May 20

YE MON
yeemontun2013@gmail.com

KACHIN Independence Organisation

leaders are still considering how to respond to an urgent request from the
Tatmadaw to negotiate, in a bid to end
heavy fighting that broke out earlier
this month.
The fighting in Mansi township
reached a peak on May 20 as Tatmadaw aircraft reportedly attacked KIO
positions, with heavy losses feared on
both sides.
KIO spokesperson U La Nan told

The Myanmar Times yesterday that

the Tatmadaws Northern Region
Command had contacted them on the
night of May 20 with an urgent invitation to open talks in Myitkyina. The
KIO has yet to respond, he said.
Its quiet now. After 15 days of
fighting, we captured the Tatmadaw
base camp. Their aircraft bombed us,
but most of the bombs fell on their
own troops. Their losses are worse
than ours, he said.
Each side blames the other for the
outbreak, which began on May 6.
KIO officials claim their forces have
killed more than 40 government soldiers, with another 50 wounded, for
the loss of about 15 Kachin troops.
A colonel in the Tatmadaws Public
Relations and Psychological Warfare

section said yesterday they would

make no statement about the fighting
or their casualties.
U Sann Aung of the Kachin Peacetalks Creation Group said they had
tried to raise the issue with the governments conflict negotiation team,
but had received no response.
The Tatmadaw are saying they are
trying to prevent illegal loggers who
are protected by the KIA. The fighting
should stop, and both sides should respect the ceasefire, he said.
The KIO spokesperson said their
troops never protected illegal logging,
and called for a political solution.
They made the same excuse in
2013. Even though the attacks hurt the
KIA, we will try to sign the national
ceasefire agreement and will raise
this issue at the next meeting of the
Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination
Team, he said, referring to the bloc of
16 armed ethnic groups.
The Union Peace-Making Committee (UPWC) and NCCT have signed the
draft of a nationwide ceasefire agreement, but its final ratification awaits
the approval of ethnic armed-group
leaders. The leaders are to discuss the
draft agreement at Karen National
Union headquarters Law Khee Lar
from June 2 to 6.

Ten tourist sites are to be given

priority development assistance,
according to an agreement
reached at a meeting between
local and international tourism
experts. However, the sites have
not been made public for fear
that an announcement would
lead to a surge in land prices,
officials said.
The tourism ministry has
identified more than 30 potential
ecotourism sites, but many of
them lack the necessary infrastructure. Of those, 10 have been
selected for development.
The sites were chosen at a
three-day closed-door meeting in Nay Pyi Taw involving
the ministries of tourism and
environmental conservation and
forestry, as well as the EU, the
Greater Mekong Subregion-Environment Operation Centre and
the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD). Private companies are
also expected to be involved in
implementing the strategy.
The strategy, which the ministry said would be put in place
this year, will now be presented
to the National Tourism Development Central Committee.
Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Htay Aung said lack of
infrastructure was holding back
ecotourism development.
We will have to prioritise. For
instance, the most important
issue for Inle Lake is the falling
water level, he said. Hsu
Hlaing Htun, translation by Thiri
Min Htun

French Institute to host

climate debate

Local perspectives on the impact

of climate change can be heard
at a debate on June 6 at Yangons
French Institute on Pyay Road.
About 100 people are expected
to attend the event in Sanchaung
township. According to the NGO
Green Lotus, one of organisers,
the event will be linked to international meetings on climate
change known as COP 21. The
debate is expected to cover such
topics as carbon emissions and
the consequences of climate
change, including the increased
incidence of natural disasters
and a rise in the sea level.
The contrast is striking and
reflects the injustice of climate
change impacts as well as the
need for a comprehensive and
concerted action, both locally and
worldwide, in which everyones
voice is heard and respected,
said Constant Courtin, project
manager of Green Lotus.
Aye Sapay Phyu

News 7

www.mmtimes.com

Lecturer who
led protests
to face court
MRATT
KYAW THU
mrattkthu@gmail.com

LECTURER U Wai Yan Aung will learn

today if he has been found guilty of offences in connection with the student
marches on Yangon in March.
He was charged on March 6 after
leading a student march at Pathein
township and a sit-in in front of
Patheins city hall on March 5 against
the National Education Law. He has
already made eight court appearances.

The [Ayeyarwady
Region] chief
minister had told
us we would not be
charged.
U Wai Yan Aung
University lecturer

I have been suspended since March

6. At first I was charged under 12 sections but now they are trying me only
under section 18 [of the peaceful protest law]. I based my defence in the trial
on the agreement reached in the fourparty talks held between the students
and the government, U Wai Yangon
Aung told The Myanmar Times.
The [Ayeyarwady Region] chief
minister told us we would not be
charged for marching, he added.
U Wai Yan Aung is also a general
secretary of University Teachers Association of Pathein. Government employees charged with a crime are automatically suspended from duty, he said.
Students marching against the
education law had been converging
on Yangon when the police launched
a violent crackdown on protesters at
Letpadan.
The 70 students and activists arrested in Letpadan face an array of
charges, including unlawful assembly
and rioting, and could face long prison
sentences if convicted. The next hearing is scheduled for May 26.
The Ayeyarwady march began on
March 3 from Pathein, Kangyidaung,
Kyaunggun and Dedaye, but the
Pathein group suspended their march
at the request of prominent monks.

Highway car washers fear for

jobs after Public Works demand
SI THU LWIN
sithulwin.mmtimes@gmail.com
CAR wash shops clinging to a precarious livelihood along the Pyin
Oo Lwin Road, Mandalay Region,
are anxiously awaiting the outcome of an apparently official
instruction to close down their
businesses. The shops, strung out
between mileposts 16.5 and 19, all
received letters earlier this month
ordering them to close by May 14.
Some did. Most stayed, having
nowhere else to go, they say. As of
yesterday, no action had been taken
against them.
The letter, dated May 11 and received the same day, was apparently
sent by the Department of Public
Works of the Ministry of Construction. It was signed by an official
named as U Lat, township assistant
engineer, but bore no official seal.
The letter objected to the shops
presence on an area designated as
road.
We wash cars. Its honest work.
We provide water too. When cars
break down or accidents happen,
we are ones who help. Now were
being told to take down our temporary shops because were not allowed on the road. But what about
the shops along the Mandalay-Pyin
Oo Lwin Road? said Ko Soe Tun
Aung, 35, who has run a shop in
the area about five years.
There are about 50 shops along
the stretch of road in question, and
all have received the letter.

A car is washed beside the highway running between Mandalay and Pyin Oo
Lwin in Mandalay Region. Photo: Si Thu Lwin

Another stallholder, Ko Tun Min

Lat, said yesterday he and his wife
had been jailed in 2013 for running a
shop on the road. Despite the threat
of jail, he said the number of shops
had increased significantly over the
past year.
Although were scared, my wife
and I do this for our living, he said.

The stallholders gather water

that flows down the hill and store
it to wash passing cars and motorcycles.
Contacted by The Myanmar
Times yesterday, staff officer U Lat of
Pyin Oo Lwin Public Works Department declined to comment.
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin

8 News

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

Views

Letpadaung convictions
taint the legal system
VANI SATHISAN
HAYMAN OO
newsroom@mmtimes.com
THEY can imprison my body, but
never my mind, U Nay Myo Zin told
us just before police led him into the
Dagon township courtroom last week.
We had asked whether he expected
to be released. The court hearing was
to deliver a verdict on four charges relating to a high-profile protest staged
outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon last year.
The court was teeming with guards
and supporters of the accused, who
chanted at the police not to kowtow
to the military government and that
the legal system lacks principle.
U Nay Myo Zin then added, I will
never surrender.
He was one of the six human rights
activists together with Daw Naw
Ohn Hla, Daw Sein Htwe, Ko Tin Htut
Paing, Daw San San Win and U Than
Swe who were subsequently sentenced to four years and four months
in prison with hard labour for organising the demonstration.
Their conviction, after a trial that
didnt meet basic standards of fairness and due process, highlights the
tremendous pressure on the countrys
judiciary at a time when Myanmar
desperately needs to show improvements in the rule of law.

The protesters were convicted of

violating section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law
and sections 147, 505(b) and 353 of
the penal code, for rioting, publishing or circulating information which
may cause public fear or alarm and
may incite persons to commit offences
against the state or against the public
tranquility, and assaulting or preventing a public servant from the discharge of his duty, respectively.
The charges related to their peaceful demonstration outside the Chinese
embassy in Yangon on December 30,
2014, calling on Myanmar authorities
to carry out an urgent and impartial
investigation into the death of Daw
Khin Win.
She was shot dead on December
22, 2014, while demonstrating against
land confiscations and forced evictions at the Letpadaung copper mine
near Monywa.
The Letpadaung project, a joint
venture between Chinese-owned
Myanmar Wanbao and the Militaryowned Myanmar Economic Holdings
Limited, has long been associated
with human rights and environmental
abuses and a lack of accountability.
Hundreds of families have been
moved to resettlement sites, while
many others continue to resist evictions from their ancestral lands. Villagers complain about the opaque

land acquisition process and the lack

of genuine consultations and effective
environmental impact assessments.
Despite widespread calls for an official investigation into the Letpadaung
shooting including by the Myanmar
National Human Rights Commission
there has been no proper inquiry into
the death of Daw Khin Win.
Sources tell us that a case has been
recently filed in a township court
against a police officer in relation to
the shooting, half a year after the incident. Nobody has been prosecuted in
the three years since police used white
phosphorus to disperse monks and
villagers peacefully protesting against
the Letpadaung mines operation and
the piling of mining waste on village
farmlands.
The lack of accountability for the
killing of Daw Khin Win and the incident three years ago stands in contrast
to the rapid convictions of the peaceful demonstrators and the harsh sentences meted out.
The International Commission of
Jurists has observed and documented
the pre-trial and trial phases of the
case, and considers that they grossly
violate international standards of fair
trial. In the hearings we attended, we
observed denials of due process. For
instance, bail was denied without a
reason after hearings lasting less than
five minutes. The hearing in which the

Protesters display banners in front of the Chinese embassy in Yangon on

December 25, 2014. Photo: AFP

defendants were convicted and sentenced also lasted only a few minutes.
The defendants believe more
broadly that they were not tried by a
competent, independent and impartial tribunal. The defence further believes that the judges failed to decide
the matter on the basis of facts and
in accordance with the law, and that
plain-clothed persons inside the
courtroom instilled fear in the judges.
Regrettably, the lack of trust in the
judicial system expressed to us by the
defendants resonates with what we
hear on a regular basis from legal professionals, other non-governmental organisations and ordinary individuals
from around the country. These have
been documented in the ICJs report,
Right to Counsel: The Independence of
Lawyers in Myanmar.
The accused have complained
about poor prison conditions, including poor-quality food and dirty
water. Such conditions would not
comply with the United Nations
Standard Minimum Rules for the

Treatment of Prisoners.
Instead of prosecuting or rather,
persecuting these protesters, the
Myanmar government must drop the
charges against the protesters and release them. The government should
diligently pursue those who killed
Daw Khin Win and, in particular,
whether they were linked to the company operating Letpadaung.
Unfairly jailing those who demand
justice will not end the resistance to
the Letpadaung mine operation or to
the other mega projects now cropping
up around Myanmar. If anything, it
will increase tensions and problems.
This is the time for the Myanmar
government to show it truly wants to
strengthen the rule of law for all people in Myanmar.
Vani Sathisan is an international
legal adviser and Hayman Oo a legal
researcher with the International
Commission of Jurists. They are both
based in Yangon.

EDITORIAL

Paying tax is a duty, but ...

THE recent announcement by the government that commercial tax will be
levied on mobile phone top-up cards
has prompted heated debate among
the public. The Pyithu Hluttaw finally
tried to intervene yesterday, announcing that it would debate a motion to
postpone the levying of the tax.
It is a reality that people must pay
taxes of various kinds in democratic
countries. The issue here is not the tax
itself but the fairness and transparency of the revenue system.
Cheap mobile SIM cards have been
available in Myanmar only since last
year. In the good old days people
had to pay incredibly high prices as
much as US$3000 for a SIM card
on the open market. Even the official
price was $1500.

The issue here is

not the tax itself
but the fairness and
transparency of the
revenue system.

However, a liberalisation that led to

the entry of two giant telecom companies Telenor and Ooredoo into the
market last year has resulted in dramatic changes. Recent figures show
that almost 20 million people now
have access to a mobile phone.
If the average individual spends
K10,000 a month on top-up cards,
the monthly expenditure for 20 million people will be somewhere close
to $200 million. Thats a whopping
$2.4 billion a year. Levying a 10 percent tax on that 5pc from the phone
operator and 5pc from the user will
add nearly $250 million to the state
coffers.
Undoubtedly, governments need to
levy taxes to cover their expenses. But
its not surprising that this hasnt gone
down well.
Squeezing money from a public
that believes it gets little in return
from the government while hundreds of large companies and wealthy
individuals are evading tax does not
sound fair at all.
If the government wants to start
levying broad taxes such as the one
on top-up cards, it will need to work
much harder to convince people that
it deserves their money.

10 THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

Business
Telenor works
to address its
child labour
troubles
CATHERINE
TRAUTWEIN
newroom@mmtimes.com

TELENOR Myanmar has again found

child and underage labour in its supply chain, violations which have increased as the company expands aggressively into new territory, CEO
Petter Furberg said yesterday at the
firms first local sustainability briefing.
The Norwegian telco had reported last August that 19 confirmed
and suspected cases of underage labour had been uncovered in its supply chain. And though the company
has bent over backward to lift local
health and safety standards, progress
has sometimes been slow especially
in the face of fresh challenges arising
from its rural rollout, according to Mr
Furberg.
Despite really enormous efforts,
we see that improvements are coming
very slowly, he said.
In the areas weve been operating
for some time, standards are improving, but every time we move into a
new area it is like Groundhog Day.
We start from scratch every time.
Telenor Myanmar launched at the
end of September last year. Its coverage now reaches about half of the
countrys population of more than 53
million people. While last year, rollout
concentrated on the main cities of
Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon,
its services will go live in the more remote areas in the coming months.
Mr Furberg said that while towers
are being built across all Myanmars

states, Telenor is already present in

Mon, Kayin and Kachin, with launches in Kayah and eastern Shan imminent. Coverage will most likely reach
Chin and Rakhine states last.
As we are expanding we will face
bigger risks, Mr Furberg said. Challenges are not reduced; theyre actually increasing as were entering these
areas.
In the past three months, the company has rooted out 17 confirmed and
four suspected labour violations, six
of which were confirmed child labour
cases where workers were between 12
and 14 years old. These figures represent a marked increase over the previous two quarters, which recorded nine
and six confirmed underage labour
cases with workers ages ranging
from 15 to 17 years old and no instances of child labour for the third
and fourth quarters, respectively.
Following standards from the International Labour Organization, Telenor employees and the employees of
its contractors must be 18 or older to
help build towers as the company has
deemed work on their construction
potentially hazardous, according to
Mr Furberg.
But the company recognises that
for many in Myanmar, the issue of
underage labour can be complex and
confounding. Under local law, Myanmar children can stop attending
school at age 12 and start working at
13 and teenagers are often the sole
breadwinners for their households, according to Mr Furberg.
Its very difficult when you come
out in rural Myanmar to explain why
a 17-and-a-half-year-old cannot dig a
hole in the ground, why he cant carry
material, he said.

A mobile shop prominently displays a Telenor logo near its entrance. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing

Since August, Telenor has conducted more than 2700 inspections

about 85 per week, according to Mr
Furberg. Since the company came to
Myanmar, it has trained 5300 people.
And yet, even when people have
gone through instruction and agreements have been signed, implementation proves another matter.
A combination of factors, including human error and failure to follow
correct procedures, led to the death of
a 24-year-old worker on a tower site
in December 2014, according to Mr
Furberg.
Though he says the companys
costly and time-consuming pursuit
of higher health and safety standards
has not resulted in much, some signals have been encouraging.
One of Telenors tower companies
has kept its record on child labour
clear for the last nine months, while
87pc of another firms sub-suppliers
whose towers make up 80pc of the
firms total have no violations, Mr
Furberg said.
Meanwhile, as the company attempts to keep children away from
its tower rigs, it has teamed with
the Myanmar Mobile Education
project (MyME) to provide teashop

employees 13 years or older educational opportunities.

To become brand outposts for Telenor, tea shops must promise not to
hire children aged 12 or under, and
to allow 13 to 16-year-old employees
six hours of education delivered by
MyME, according to Mr Furberg.
Today, we have together and relating to the branded tea shops 120 children enrolled, he said. But the ambition is by the end of the year we would
have 800 to 1000 enrolled.
Health and safety standards including those around labour will
continue to be a major issue as Telenor rolls out into the countryside, but

Despite really
enormous efforts,
we see that
improvements are
coming very slowly.
Petter Furberg
Telenor Myanmar CEO

not the only one.

Clearly a state like Kachin represents huge challenges, Mr Furberg
said. Going back to one of the issues
that we are of course worried about is
how do we handle internally displaced
people.
Meanwhile, the companys work
putting down fibre in Kayah State led
to a memorable confrontation with an
armed ethnic group, who halted progress on the dig. Telenor engaged with
them and learned their concern was
the company would lay the fibre and
leave without setting up a network, Mr
Furberg said.
After explaining to them and
showing them our rollout plan for
their areas in the coming 12 to 18
months, everything was good and we
were happily allowed to continue, he
said. This is something that everyone
now is waiting for.
But building in these areas we are
also very well aware of the risks, and
theyre clearly higher than what we
have seen in other parts of Myanmar.
Mr Furberg started the session by
saying the rollout so far had been a
struggle but it seems bigger challenges may be around the bend.

MIC talks projects with senior monks IGEs power project to

face further delays

AUNG KYAW MIN

aungkyawmin.mcm@gmail.com

GOVERNMENT officials met with

Shwedagon Pagodas Senior Sayardaw Committee last week to
discuss several nearby construction
projects, a member of Shwedagon
Pagodas trustee committee U Win
Kyai told The Myanmar Times.
The chair of the Myanmar Investment Commission and Minister of Energy U Zay Yar Aung,
the Minister of Religious Affairs
U Soe Win and director general of
the Directorate of Investment and
Company Administration U Aung
Naing Oo, met with the committee
on May 17.
Minister U Zay Yar Aung and U
Aung Naing Oo explained that they
wanted to ensure the Dagon City
projects and other projects near
Shwedagon Pagoda would not trouble the senior monks, said U Win
Kyai.
The ministers told them that

the projects would not affect Shwedagon Pagoda, and that they would
proceed according to the law.
Five mixed-use development projects near to the Shwedagon and
Alan Pya pagodas were temporarily suspended earlier this year amid
public criticism about their impact
on the religious and cultural sites.
Some feared that the view of
Shwedagon would be blocked, while
others called for environmental impact

The ministers
told them that the
projects would not
affect Shwedagon
Pagoda.
U Win Kyai
Shwedagon trustee committee

assessment studies to ensure that the

foundations of Shwedagon would not
be harmed.
I dont know the details of the
discussion, as I was not involved, so
I cant say for certain what was said.
My role was to arrange the meeting between the ministers and the
senior monks, said an officer at the
Yangon Regional Religious Department, U Sein Maw.
Protecting Shwedagon Pagoda
is very important for Myanmar
citizens and Buddhist people, he
added.
Naga Hlainggu Kalaywa monastery sayadaw U Zagara, Insein Ywama sayadaw U Tiloka Biwuntha and
six other senior monks attended the
meeting.
U Zagara said that the reason he
has not had to say anything about
the projects is because they are being overseen by experts.
It will be managed without affecting Shwedagon Pagoda, said U
Win Kyai.

A HYDROPOWER station first conceived in 2003 will require a further

four years of work, costing an estimated
K230 billion more, parliament heard on
May 18. Deputy Minister for Electrical
Power U Aung Than Oo told Amyotha
Hluttaw that the Thahtay hydropower
project on Thahtay Creek, 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Thandwe
in Rakhine State, would need another
K60 billion for the current financial
year alone.
The project started in the 2003-04
financial year. According to the government, the project requires K59.813 billion for 2015-16, K58 billion for 2016-17,
K45 billion for 2017-18 and K67 billion
for 2018-19.
To accomplish the project in the
fixed period of the 2018-19 financial
year, a further K230.524 billion is needed to fund the remaining 62.08 percent
of the project, U Aung Than Oo said.
We are negotiating with the

ministry concerned to buy the main

construction materials, such as cement, diesel fuel and steel rods,
said the deputy minister.
He added that the department
planned to invite tenders from private
companies for any additional materials
required for the project, which has been
run by IGE a conglomerate owned by
the sons of former Minister for Industry
U Aung Thaung, now a parliamentarian since 2009-10.
The Department of Hydropower
Implementation and China Gezhouba
Group have signed to import mechanical and electrical appliances and related
materials for the power station for the
project by using a loan from EXIM
Bank.
The Thahtay hydropower project is
expected to generate 386 million kilowatt hours of electricity at a total cost of
K354.6 billion. Pyae Thet Phyo.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun

11

BUSINESS EDITOR: Jeremy Mullins | jeremymullins7@gmail.com

5% tax on talking
draws wide opposition
among mobile users

Flight attendants
threaten strike at
Cathay Pacific

BUSINESS 12

BUSINESS 14

Exchange Rates (May 21 close)

Currency
Euro
Malaysia Ringitt
Singapore Dollar
Thai Baht
US Dollar

Buying
K1193
K300
K804
K32
K1089

Selling
K1215
K310
K817
K34
K1091

Right-hand-left-hand
spat sets back draft
Automobile Policy
AYE
NYEIN
WIN
ayenyeinwin.mcm@gmail.com

A RIGHT royal hoo-ha has been

raised by proposals that only
left-hand drive cars should be
imported in future.
The draft Myanmar Automobile Policy, which transportation
experts have been working on for
the past two years, is expected to
recommend the left-hand drive
importation policy. The Myanmar Engineering Society (MES),
which is drawing up the policy,
has said the draft will be complete within six months.
Myanmar drives on the right.
But its major source of imported
vehicles, Japan, drives on the
left. So most cars imported from
Japan are right-hand drive. The
word on the street seems to be
that drivers prefer it that way,
even though driving a right-hand
drive vehicle on the right side
of the road can cause inconvenience, and may even undermine
road safety.

As long as drivers
dont obey the
rules, it doesnt
matter what side of
the car the steering
wheel is on.
U Kyaw Soe
Taxi driver

MES vice president U Aung

Myint said yesterday, Most cars
on the road are right-hand drive,
which can affect road safety. For
years weve been advising the
government to import cars better
configured for our system, but
the advice doesnt seem to reach
the highest levels.
The question of right- or lefthand drive cars is controversial,
he said.
Many drivers seem to be so

used to driving on the wrong

side that they are reluctant to
change.
Some say they are not convinced that changing to right or
left-hand drive will necessarily
improve traffic.
Taxi driver U Kyaw Soe, of
Tarmwe township, Yangon, said
yesterday, We want to know if
this new policy is supposed to
improve safety or to reduce traffic jams. But as long as drivers
dont obey the rules, it doesnt
matter what side of the car the
steering wheel is on.
For many drivers, its a question of quality. Even though Japan, the most popular car-maker, does produce left-hand drive
vehicles, some fear they are just
not as good.
Ko Min Min Maung, managing director of Wun Yangon Aha
car sales centre, said, Japanese
cars are the best, and the best
Japanese cars are right-hand
drive. The cars they produce for
countries that drive on the right
may not be as good.
He added that even used Japanese right-hand drive cars were
better than new left-hand drive
vehicles, and suggested that any
change in the rules could cause
more accidents.
Ko Min Zaw, who owns the
No 43 bus line, said, We prefer
Japanese models. Korean cars
are left-hand drive. Some say
they are safer, but others believe
they are not as good as Japanese
cars. My drivers have more accidents in Korean left-hand drive
vehicles.
Importers worry that any
change in the law could affect
shipping charges and waiting
times if vehicles are imported
from other countries, and the
market potential for them could
be reduced.
Others have suggested more
radical approaches to the issue.
At a round-table expert discussion last November, one participant, the chair of the Myanmar Automobile Manufacturers
and Distributors Association
(MAMDA), even suggested that
the government yield to the inevitable and declare that drivers
should keep left instead of right,
as they used to do before the
country switched to right-hand
driving in 1970.

A man withdrawals cash from a KBZ Bank ATM. Photo: Staff

KBZ with first domestic

credit cards in a decade
AYE THIDAR
KYAW
ayethidarkyaw@gmail.com

KBZ is set to issue the first true credit cards in over a decade, as the bank
claims the Central Bank of Myanmar
has given its permission to begin the
service, according to a press release
yesterday.
Credit cards can be used across
the country at ATM machines and
restaurants with point of sale terminals. They will be offered with a
theme of buy now, pay later, the
release said.
KBZ Card Department deputy
general manager Daw Swe Zin Win
said the interest rate will be 13 percent a year, though if customers pay
back the principle within a set period of time, they will not have to pay
interest.
We plan to introduce other kinds
of credit cards to our customer, varying on loan amounts and other factors, she said.
Applications will take three or
five days, with limits depending
on the level of trust KBZ has in the

customer. Most customers with loan

and deposit accounts with the bank
will quality, as will those who have a
recommendation from an accountable person.
There are a number of credit
cards operating in the country,
though they function similar to debit
cards, as they must be prepaid. Several banks were previously allowed

THOUSAND KYAT

500

The maximum credit limit on the

coming credit cards, according to a
Central Bank of Myanmar official

to operate credit cards, though the

Central Bank of Myanmar stopped
the practice during the 2003 banking crisis when some of the countrys
largest banks went under.
Card-based transactions have

been slowly returning to the country.

The Central Bank began allowing
domestic banks to issue debit cards
again in late 2012, resulting in the
rapid growth of ATMs. Central Bank
officials have also said they will allow some banks to offer credit cards,
again depending on the strength of
the individual financial institutions.
Yesterday, a Central Bank official
based in Yangon said that protecting
domestic banks is a priority of its
oversight. Banking policies were too
relaxed before the 2003 crisis, and
many people made credit purchases
at stores for which they had no capacity to pay, he said.
This is the proper time to issue
credit cards in amounts that are not
dangerous for domestic banks, he
said. The official added that initially, credit will be limited to between
K300 and K500,000 in order to keep
risks low.
Other banks are talking to the
Central Bank about offering these
services shortly.
Myanmar has also announced
plans to set up a credit bureau,
though so far the bureau has not
been put into place. It would allow
different banks to conduct more
thorough background checks on
their borrowers.

International Business 13

www.mmtimes.com
TOKYO

WELLINGTON

McDonalds
updates
menu after
scandals
MCDONALDS Japan unveiled a limited revamp to its menu and pricing
yesterday as the under-fire burger
chain fights to restore its reputation
but the modest changes met with a
cautious response from analysts.
The company which has been
battered by a series of scandals including a human tooth found in
some fries said it was adding a new
chicken patty containing vegetables,
as well as a salad and a low-calorie
onion dressing. New combinations
for its set meals would also be offered, it added.
Our customers have spoken and
we have listened, McDonalds Japan President Sarah Casanova told
reporters at a press conference in a
Tokyo outlet.
McDonalds will also round its
prices up or down to avoid awkward
figures that result in customers getting handfuls of change, something
identified as a bugbear.
The updates were offered a cautious welcome by analysts, who said
that while it was unlikely to reverse
recent heavy losses, it may help to rebuild trust lost over a series of foodsafety scares.
Its difficult to launch a plan that
can revive a company all at once,
said Seiichiro Samejima, a fast-food
sector analyst at Ichiyoshi Research
Institute.
McDonalds needs to continue
implementing new measures to restore public trust.
Menu additions were notable for
their having shifted away from the
burgers and fries most closely associated with the McDonalds brand.
Apparently the company wants
to wipe away the negative image
that it serves unhealthy products,
he said.
The Japanese arm of the US food
giant has suffered waves of public
criticism over its handling of a series
of incidents in the past 12 months.

It's difficult to
launch a plan
that can revive a
company all at once.
Seiichiro Samejima
Fast-food research analyst

Last summer a Chinese supplier

was found to be mixing out-of-date
meat with fresh produce, sending
sales plunging and forcing a rapid
switch to a Thai vendor.
Late last year the company had to
airlift an emergency supply of french
fries from the US after a chip shortage resulted in rationing at its 3000
restaurants across Japan.
Over several months there was
a near constant stream of stories
about foreign objects turning up in
produce, capped by the discovery of
a human tooth in some french fries
sold at an Osaka outlet.
In April, the company announced
it would renovate 2000 of its 3000
Japanese outlets and shut down another 130, while reducing its headcount in a bid to cut costs.
That came after it said in February it had lost a worse-than-expected
21.8 billion yen (US$186 million) for
2014 against a year-earlier profit
recording its first loss in 11 years.
The company is forecast to post a
38 billion yen net loss this year.
AFP

Keys NZ budget misses target

NEW Zealand confirmed yesterday it
had failed to meet a pledge to deliver
a budget surplus this year, although
Finance Minister Bill English insisted the governments books were on
the right track.
The annual budget showed a deficit of NZ$684 million (US$500 million) for 2014-15, more than NZ$1 billion off the NZ$372 million surplus
English predicted last year.
Blaming a fall in dairy prices for
the budget miss, Mr English said he
now expected to end a seven-year
run of deficits slightly later than
originally expected, forecasting a
razor-thin surplus of NZ$176 million
in 2015-16.
He said the surplus would then
surge to NZ$3.6 billion by 2018-19
subject to the usual economic variabilities.
Mr English added that the government was on track to reduce debt,
while also assisting societys most
vulnerable, including a new NZ$790
million package for needy families.
Were making good progress on
the governments fiscal priorities and
the outlook is positive, he said.
Prime Minister John Keys conservative government first promised
to deliver a 2014-15 surplus four
years ago, making it a cornerstone
economic policy in campaigning for

Britains Prince Harry (left) gestures to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (right)
as he rides a bike to power a television on a New Zealand visit this month. Photo: AFP

general elections in 2011 and 2014.

Updated Treasury forecasts indicated just a few months after last
years budget that a surplus was unlikely, although Mr Key maintained
until this month that the goal was
challenging but still possible.
Mr English said that even
though the long-awaited surplus
was yet to be realised, striving for
it had forced the government to

impose fiscal discipline, reducing

debt and reining in expenditure.
The overall fiscal trajectory has
not changed, he said.
The surplus target has helped
turn around the governments books.
Weve come from an NZ$18.4 billion
deficit four years ago to seeing steadily rising surpluses into the future.
He said New Zealands farm-reliant economy, which generates an

annual gross domestic product of

about NZ$230 billion, was among
the strongest in the developed world.
Budget papers forecast economic
growth averaging a touch more than
2.8 percent in the next four years,
with subdued inflation averaging
less than 2.0pc.
Mr English said the government
was still on target to meet its longterm goal of reducing net debt to below 20pc of gross domestic product
by 2020. He flagged possible tax cuts
in 2017, an election year, if economic
conditions allowed.
Opposition Labour Party finance
spokesperson Grant Robertson
scoffed at Mr Englishs prediction of
a narrow surplus next year, saying
the National Party-led government
had already shown it could not be
trusted to meet its economic goals.
Not reaching surplus at the
peak of the economic cycle is a huge
failure and makes a mockery of Nationals claims to be good economic
managers, he said.
But ratings agencies Standard &
Poors and Moodys both shrugged
off the missed surplus, saying the
budget would not affect New Zealands credit rating.
S&P declared budget projections
broadly in line with our expectations. AFP

News 9

www.mmtimes.com

Views

Discrimination at home and abroad

HERE was finally some good

news this week when Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to
grant refuge to thousands of
refugees and migrants from
Myanmar and Bangladesh adrift at sea
in dire conditions.
The state of the men, women and
children who made it to shore some
of whom I met on land in Malaysia,
and others I saw crying and pleading
as their boat was towed back to sea
between Thai and Malaysian waters
was harrowing.
The scale of the humanitarian crisis
that has unfolded in the Bay of Bengal
and Andaman Sea over the past few
weeks in many ways transcends
specific gender issues. The starvation,
violence and abuse suffered by those at
sea many of them from the Muslim community who call themselves
Rohingya and are fleeing rights abuses
and poverty in Rakhine has been
horrifying.
The initial response of regional
governments, particularly Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia, who repeatedly forced boats back out to sea, was
shameful. While at the time of writing
it is unclear whether Malaysia and
Indonesia will actively help people
ashore vital if lives are to be saved
let us hope their offer of assistance is
acted upon swiftly.
Yet the recent crisis has highlighted
issues particular to the women refugees that must now be considered by
those offering to support them.
For the Rohingya women who
have been caught up in this tragedy,
additional suffering has been inflicted
on them, and not only by the traffickers in whose hands their lives were
entrusted.
On May 19, a day before Malaysia
and Indonesia agreed to take people
in, a joint statement from senior UN
officials and the International Organization of Migration reported that
women on board boats were being
raped and suffering sexual violence.

FIONA
MACGREGOR
fionamacgregor@hotmail.co.uk

These women, who were trapped in

close confines with their attackers for
weeks and even months, will require
particular medical and psychological
support as soon as possible. That is
something those coordinating relief
measures on land should provide
urgently.
It is unclear who the perpetrators
of this sexual violence were. Survivors
of trafficking camps in Thailand have
reported being raped by their captors.
If this was also the case on board the
boats, then every effort should be
made to ensure those responsible are
charged with those crimes as well as
under trafficking laws.
Violence is also reported to have
broken out between different groups
of passengers sharing boats a mix of
people from Myanmar and Bangladesh. If fellow passengers were involved in sexual attacks, then women
should be protected from those
responsible when moved to shelters
on land.
But the women at sea have also
reportedly suffered traditional gender
discrimination from those within their
own communities.
Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project,
a Rohingya rights group that records
boats leaving from the Bay of Bengal,
said that when her team made phone
contact with those on board, they had
been told that the men were taking all
the food and the women could not get
the food. They were only getting the
little bits left over.
Officers on board the Thai Navy
vessel which towed a boat of Rohingya
refugees out to sea on May 16 for the
second time in three days also told
me how they had been concerned that

A Rohingya girl from Myanmar holds her younger sibling at a newly established
confinement area at Bayeun in Indonesias Aceh Province yesterday. Photo: AFP

women and children had not received

their fair share of food delivered by
the navy on their first contact with the
boat. The Thai officers said on their
second contact with those on board,
they had done their best to see supplies also reached the women.
This treatment suggests those
setting up refugee camps in Malaysia

The recent crisis has

higlighted issues
particular to the
women refugees
that must now be
considered by those
offering support.

and Indonesia will need to ensure aid

delivery is distributed in a way that
prevents this inequality continuing on
shore. A number of the refugee women
I saw held in Langkawi were breastfeeding infants. It is important their
nutritional needs are met as quickly as
possible.
Meanwhile, Rohingya women in
Myanmar, whose hopes of fleeing
even under the most desperate conditions have apparently been stalled
due to the current crisis at sea, are set
to face worsening discriminations and
rights abuses here.
Concerned observers and rights
activists have consistently warned that
the legislation known as the population control bill which will allow authorities to restrict women to leaving a
three-year birth gap between children
is specifically targeted at Rohingya.
This is an accusation that the government has avoided responding to.
This week, however, the extremist

monk U Wirathu cleared up any doubt,

telling reporters the bill is aimed at protecting womens health and stopping
the Bengalis, the name by which many
in Myanmar, including the government,
refer to those who call themselves
Rohingya.
If the bill is enacted, it could stop
the Bengalis that call themselves Rohingya, who are trying to seize Rakhine
State, said the monk, who is closely associated with the nationalist Buddhist
organisation known as the Ma Ba Tha.
The body proposed the original bill as
part of a package of legislation aimed at
protecting race and religion.
Since U Wirathu has made his low
opinion of women abundantly clear in
numerous previous comments, proper
support of female reproductive health
is unlikely to be one of his motivations
for pushing the law.
But it is safe to assume he is serious about wanting to cut Rohingya
birth rates. Rohingya women in some
Rakhine communities have in the past
faced restrictions on how many children they were allowed to have. This
legislation could allow a similar policy
to operate across the state if agreed by
the president.
U Wirathus comments make clear
this legislation is part of a concerted
aim to rid Myanmar of its Rohingya
population by any means even if that
means breaching basic human rights.
As events at sea have brought the
Rohingyas plight to world attention,
many have asked what has forced
them to take such risks in order to escape Myanmar. State-sanctioned rights
abuses such as the population control
bill help to answer that question.
International organisations should
offer particular support to Rohingya
female refugees who have arrived
in Malaysia and Indonesia. But it is
equally important that scrutiny is applied to treatment of the hundreds of
thousands who remain in Myanmar,
and those responsible for promoting
rights abuses are challenged.

12 Business

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

Tax on talking sparks backlash

MYAT
NOE OO

Hluttaw
urges tax
retake
HTOO THANT
thanhtoo.npt@gmail.com

myatnoe.mcm@gmail.com

A 5 PERCENT tax to be levied on

mobile top-ups beginning on June 1
is drawing public opposition.
The tax was announced by the
Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology on May 18
in a presentation attended by representatives of the three main telcos.
With 10 days to go until the tax takes
effect, many telecom users are venting their frustration.
U Mg, a 45-year old resident of
Yankin township, said most people
he knows are not happy with the tax.
Well be paying a tax for talking, he said. U Mg voiced a popular
criticism that both companies and
customers should not be hit by a tax.
He said the companies should be
solely responsible for the tax.
Other consumers say that

NAY PYI TAW

Mobile top-up cards are displayed for sale yesterday. Photo: Aung Khant

while they understand costs levied directly on companies will ultimately be passed to consumers,

Not all mobile users are on board with the tax. Photo: Zarni Phyo

the government should also have

considered the perceptions when
setting up the tax.
Our feelings are important, and
Im not sure they considered how
people would feel about the tax,
said Ko Naung, 22. We can only
complain on Facebook or at the teashop. On June 1, we will pay the tax
because we are Myanmar and we
will follow the laws. Thats reality.
Some subscribers plan to top up
with large amounts before the tax
starts on June 1. That option is not
open to everyone, however, as many
people top up in small increments to
preserve their cash flow.
Daw San San Htwe, 40, a resident of South Okkalapa township,
said phone bills are a large expense
for people, with some running out of
money for credit part-way through
the month, meaning they must wait

for pay day.

It will be most difficult for the
poorer people to afford the 5pc tax,
which essentially means consumers
will receive 5pc less airtime when
they purchase top-ups.
The tax isnt too much for most
people, but it will affect the poorest,
because they already have trouble affording top-ups, she said.
It is clear the tax has its critics.
Ma Su Thandar, a 22-year-old resident of Tarmwe township, said she
understands the reasoning behind
the law, and the revenue it will bring
for the state. If the tax was applied
on the telcos, they would likely find
ways to pass the costs onto consumers. She also joked that top-up is a
valuable commodity to tax.
We must pay the tax, she said.
We cannot give up talking on the
phone and using the internet.

THE Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has decided

to discuss suspending the newly imposed 5 percent commercial tax on
mobile phone top-ups.
At a May 18 event in Nay Pyi Taw,
the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology said the 5pc
tax would be collected on top-ups
beginning on June 1, ending what it
said was an exemption granted to the
industry.
Telenor had previously collected
the tax, though it returned the amount
as a bonus to its customers. Officials
from Ooredoo last year and MPT in
January told The Myanmar Times
they were not collecting the tax at the
time.
Yesterday, U Thein Tun, a member
of parliament from Mandalay Regions
Amarapura constituency, said the tax
should be suspended for a year while
the law is suspended.
The government should first submit a draft law to the Hluttaw, and
then it can determine whether the
tax should be implemented, he said.
U Thein Tun added that the draft law
should not affect taxes that have already been paid.
Member of parliament U Win Than
said the communications ministry
needs to implement rules according
to the existing law. He added that tax
laws usually take effect on April 1.
If the ministry starts the tax at the
beginning of June without collecting
taxes on top-up for April and May, it
needs to be explained, he said.
A decision on the debate is to be
taken on May 22.

MPT may
open more
service
shops
AUNG KYAW NYUNT
aungkyawnyunt28@gmail.com
MPT is planning to open several
more one-stop-service counters,
providing service to customers including replacing lost SIMs, according to its deputy general manger U
Thein Hote.
The firm currently has one such
counter at the Strand Road location of the Yangon General Post Office, a proprietary outlet opened by
the company last November during
a visit by Japans Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe.
MPT is internally discussing
plans to open similar shops in its
other Yangon offices, he said. U
Thein Hote said it would make it
easier for customers to apply for
lost SIM cards.
Mobile phone user U Kyaw Zaw
Yar said he would welcome additional MPT shops, adding it can
currently be challenging to replace
lost SIMs.
Proving ownership of a lost SIM
can also be difficult, as many SIMs
are not registered and other verification techniques must sometimes
be used. U Kyaw Zaw Yar said that
when he lost an MPT SIM, he had to
write down the last three numbers
he called, which can be challenging
to remember.

American automaker Ford has opened a showroom in Mandalay. Photo: Supplied

Ford opens showroom in the second city

FORD vehicles are now on sale in
Mandalay, as the automaker has
opened a showroom and service
centre in the countrys second-largest city, according to a press statement yesterday.
The Dearborn, United Statesbased automaker opened its first
Myanmar showroom in Yangon two
years ago, partnering with Capital
Automotive, a part of local conglomerate Capital Diamond Star
Group.
The Mandalay showroom is on
the corner of 10th and 78th streets,

and includes a vehicle showroom,

displaying Ranger pickups and Fiesta superminis, it said. There is
also a service centre on site stocked
with company spare parts.
Ford Asia Pacific Emerging
Markets managing director David
Westerman said the Mandalay facility is the next step in expanding
the firms presence to key locations
across the country.
As Mandalay continues to develop, so do the needs and requirements of our Ford customers, said
U Khin Tun, managing director of

As Mandalay
continues to
develop, so do
the needs and
requirements of our
Ford customers.
U Khin Tun
Capital Automotive

Capital Automotive Limited.

He added that there are vehicles
including cars, trucks and SUVs on
hand for private buyers, while commercial customers such as those in
the mining industry will value the
local service centre.
Capital Diamond Star Group,
helmed by businessperson U Ko Ko
Gyi, started out in Mandalay.
While a number of foreign
brands have opened Yangon showrooms, they have been slower to
open outside the city.
Jeremy Mullins

14 International Business
HONG KONG

Mysterious
Hong Kong
sell claims
more firms
TWO of Hong Kongs best-performing
stocks plunged more than 40 percent
yesterday, a day after the mysterious
crash of almost 50pc in Chinese solar
firm Hanergy that saw almost US$20
billion wiped off its market value.
Goldin Financial sank 43.34pc to
HK$17.48 (US$2.25) and Goldin Properties crashed 40.91pc to HK$14.36,
after soaring more than 300pc since
the start of January, according to
Bloomberg News.
The companies, which have interests ranging from property development in Hong Kong and China to
vineyards in California and France are
owned by Chinese tycoon Pan Sutong.
The dramatic sell-off came after a
47pc dive in Beijing-based solar energy
firm Hanergy Thin Film Power (HTF).
Trading in the firm was suspended
after 24 minutes, but not before $19
billion was struck off the firms value.
The company said it would make an
announcement containing insider information in the wake of the suspension although it has not yet done so.
HTF had surged more than sixfold in the past year, making it the
worlds largest solar power company by market value, but prompting
questions over its valuation and revenue sources.
A spokesperson for Hong Kongs
Securities and Futures Commission
(SFC), the citys market watchdog,
refused to say whether it was under
investigation. We cannot comment
on individual cases, the spokesperson
said.
A public relations officer for Hanergy could not be reached for a comment yesterday. AFP

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

HONG KONG

Attendants threaten strike at

Cathay Pacific after sit-in
FLIGHT attendants from Hong
Kongs flagship airline Cathay Pacific
threatened a summer strike yesterday if management does not scrap
a new policy to reduce salaries and
perks for cabin crew.
The warning came after a two-day
sit-in held by flight attendants inside
Terminal 1 of the citys international
Chek Lap Kok airport, which failed
to win any concessions.
If [chief executive] Mr Chu decides not respond, we have no other
choice but to start promoting the
strike [among members], said Dora
Lai, head of Cathay Pacific Airways
Flight Attendants Union, at the airlines headquarters.
Around 200 cabin crew who had
been staging the airport sit-in also
gathered at the headquarters to continue their protest.
They chanted Respect the union
and held up placards reading No
more Cut! Cut! Cut! and Cathay Pacific cabin crew strike.
Ms Lai said the union would mobilise its 6400 members to strike for
two weeks starting on August 18 if
the company did not listen to their
demands.
The protests kicked off on May
19 in response to cuts made by the
airline.
Under the new rules, cabin crew
who joined the airline after April
16 will only see their wages rise to
HK$159.40 (US$20.56) after their
first three years with the company,
down from HK$176.80 for those who
signed contracts before April 2.
The union is also protesting over
cuts to lunch allowances for attendants flying through Melbourne, Australia, and a legal protection clause
which it says the airline has deleted

Cathay Pacific flight attendants protest outside the airlines headquarters near the Hong Kong international airport on
the second day of their protest action on May 21. Photo: AFP

from its operational manual.

The clause says Cathay will cover
legal costs resulting from any incident which occurs while cabin crew
are on duty, according to the union.
Ms Lai said that they were still
hoping to talk with CEO Ivan Chu
and avert the strike.
We just want to have our company give us what we had before,
she said.
The airline said it was prepared
to meet with the union but that it

TOKYO

would take time to arrange.

We just received the invitation.
We probably have to check the schedule, said Maggie Yeung, the airlines
general manager of cabin crew.
The company is confident our
staff will put passengers first for
whatever they do. We will keep close
dialogue [with them] and hope to
solve the problem quickly without
causing impact on our customers.
In 2012, the cabin crew union
threatened to take industrial action

which would see flight attendants

stop smiling to passengers and refuse to serve them alcohol after a
proposed pay rise fell short of their
demands, but it later called it off after the company pledged to improve
the terms.
In December, the airlines pilots
union said nearly 2000 pilots were
starting work-to-rule action working only their contractual hours after long-running talks over pay and
working hours broke down. AFP

NEW YORK

Japanese economy crawls back to life $6 billion in fines for

JAPANS economy grew more than expected in the first quarter, data showed
on May 20, as it crawls back from a
brief recession, but observers cautioned that a full recovery may still be
some way off.
The 0.6 percent on-quarter expansion was bigger than revised 0.3pc
growth in the last three months of
2014, and beat market expectations for
a 0.4pc rise.
In annualised terms, the worlds
number three economy expanded
2.4pc January-March as capital spending and the housing market showed
signs of strength, although exports
dipped slightly and consumer spending was weak.
The relatively upbeat figures outpacing a lacklustre 0.2pc annualised
rise in the US economy during the
same period may cool expectations
of imminent stimulus from the Bank
of Japan (BoJ) after a sales tax rise last
year hammered consumer spending.
The sales levy hike Japans first in
17 years plunged the economy into
recession and threw Prime Minister
Shinzo Abes growth-boosting program,
dubbed Abenomics, into question.
Investors embraced the May 20
growth figures, pushing the benchmark Nikkei 225 index up 0.85pc to a
fresh 15-year high of 20,196.56, as Japan wraps up its latest earnings season
with many firms reporting strong profits, largely owing to a weak yen.
The January-March [gross domestic product] growth data were good ...
and buoyed sentiment, said Takuya
Takahashi, senior strategist at Daiwa
Securities.

rigging forex, Libor

Shoppers check vegetables at a

food market in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Corporate earnings for the fiscal

year to March were [also] generally
good and many companies took measures to return surplus to shareholders,
he added, referring to share buybacks
and dividend hikes.
But some are warning that, despite
the pick-up, Japans full-year growth
may come in flat, as firms rising inventories underscore still-lacklustre consumer spending.
The acceleration in GDP growth
last quarter was mostly due to a jump
in inventories, and a range of indicators point to a slowdown in the second
quarter, Marcel Thieliant from Capital
Economics said in a commentary.
Industrial production in March
was 4pc below its January peak, and
the drop in the manufacturing PMI
[purchasing managers index] to a

multi-month low in April suggests

that conditions are unlikely to improve
quickly.
The sales tax rise from 5.0pc to
8.0pc was introduced to help pay down
Japans enormous national debt, one
of the biggest among wealthy nations.
Faced with souring economic data, Mr
Abe delayed a second hike planned
for this year to 2017. And it remains
unclear if the wage hikes announced
by many of Japans biggest companies
after annual negotiations would convince consumers to buy more.
Consumer spending is likely to
remain weak until better results of annual wage negotiations between large
companies and unions spill over to
small- and medium-sized enterprises,
said Harumi Taguchi, principal economist at IHS Economics in Tokyo. AFP

US and British regulators fined six major global banks a total of nearly US$6
billion between them for rigging the
foreign exchange market and Libor
interest rates.
They said forex traders from the
banks had met in online chatroom
groups, one brazenly named the Cartel and another Mafia, to set rates
that cheated customers while adding
to their own profits.
If you aint cheating, you aint trying, a Barclays Bank employee said in
one message on how to mark up prices
to clients.
In the far-flung settlement,
Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, Citicorp
and the Royal Bank of Scotland all
pleaded guilty to US Justice Department charges of conspiring to manipulate the massive currency market.
Switzerlands UBS meanwhile
pleaded guilty to violating a prior settlement of charges for rigging the Libor interest rate.
And Bank of America was included
with the other five in fines levied by
the US Federal Reserve in the forex
rigging case.
They acted as partners rather
than competitors in an effort to push
the exchange rate in directions favourable to their banks but detrimental to
many others, said US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
The decision to demand guilty
pleas shows the Justice Department
has become far more serious in its
criminal prosecutions than it has in

the past, said Harry First, a professor

at New York University School of Law
and a former antitrust regulator.
But the department should prosecute individuals if it wants to show
it is really serious about deterrence,
Mr First said.
In the settlement late on May 20,
the Department of Justice meted out
its largest set of antitrust fines ever,
assessing $2.5 billion against Barclays,
JPMorgan, Citicorp and RBS in the forex case.
Those four, plus UBS and Bank of
America, will also pay more than $1.8
billion to the US Federal Reserve over
unsafe and unsound practices in forex markets.
Barclays, which did not take part in
a previous settlement last November
with various agencies, was additionally fined more than $1.3 billion by
Britains Financial Conduct Authority,
the New York State Department of Financial Services and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Combined with a Justice Department fine for UBS in the Libor case
and other penalties, the total assessed
on May 20 was almost $6 billion.
Regulators described a bold
scheme by bank traders to orchestrate
the $5.3-trillion-per-day global foreign
exchange market.
They communicated almost daily
in code in exclusive chatrooms like
The Cartel fixing exchange rates and
setting trades to benefit one another.
AFP

JOB WATCH
Vacancy Announcement
ASA Microfinance (Myanmar) Limited is a registered company under DICA (Reg. No. 653FC/2013- 2014 and permit
#860/2013) and MMSE License No. (0204/2014) an affiliate of ASA International (www.asa-international.com), one of
the largest microfinance Institution in the world is being operated in Myanmar. We are inviting qualified people to be part
of our operations team for the following positions.
Position: Manager- Internal Audit
Job Description :

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in
Myanmar is seeking for qualified applicants to fill the following position:
1) Programme Associate, GL-6
(UNOPS Contract- Local Individual Contract Agreement, Myiktyina)
Closing date: 01 June 2015
The detailed Terms of Reference for these positions are available on request
from UNHCR offices in Yangon, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Sittwe, Myitkyina,
Bhamo, Mawlamyine, Hpa-An, Loikaw, Dawei and Taungoo.
www.unhcr.org

- Carryout audits, prepare audit reports, facilitate internal & external audits of all support departments, ensure the
organizations/state fiscal rules.
Job Specification :
- Masters/ Bachelors of Commerce (Accounting/ Finance) with CA (inter) or CA (CC), Strong skill in English
- Minimum 3 years of professional experiences in relevant field.
- Age Limit : up to 40 years.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) is the biggest bank
in China and top large listed bank in the world in terms of market capitalization,
customer deposits, and profitability, possessing an excellent customer base.

hasnatsharif.bd@asa-international.com or mail your CV to: "ASA Microfinance (Myanmar) Limited,

ICBC Yangon Branch is now looking for 16 talented and competent local
employees to work as its bank clerks in different units including Financial
institution management, Finance and Accounting management, Risk
management, IT, Banking operation and Executive office.

No. 7, Pan Cherry Street, Kha Yae Pin Villa, Mingalardon Tsp, Yangon- by 7th June, 2015.

Requirements:

Salary : Negotiable, Job Location : Head Office

Apply to the Manager HR and Training, ASA Microfinance (Myanmar) Limited, Email:

1. Grade 10 degree or above, major of Accounting, Finance, Law, IT,

Economics is preferred.
2. Good reading, writing and communication skills in English or Chinese.
3. Strong sense of responsibility, willingness of learning and cooperation.
4. Basic computer skills, able to use MS Word and Excel. Candidates who
want to do IT work should be familiar with fundamental network knowledge.
5. Under 30 years old, beyond is possible for excellent candidates.
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to send a detailed CV
to jy_xgs@126.com, ycxu@mm.icbc.com.cn and lixiaoming@mm.icbc.
com.cn.
Address: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Yangon Representative
Office
No.(601)A , 6th Floor,Sakura Tower,
Bogyoke Aung San Road, Kyauktada Township,Yangon.
Phone No. (0095)1255045
LOCALS ONLY POSITION
Pact, a U.S based INGO with operations throughout Myanmar,
is currently seeking an experienced and dedicated candidate
for the position below.
Position Title: Communications Manager
Position Summary: The Communications Manager is responsible for
providing leadership in the communications department, including supervising
communications officer(s), managing the implementation of Pacts
communication strategy, overseeing publicity and media relations, and the
production of key publications and materials.
Requirements:
Degree-level qualification or equivalent, Masters degree preferable
Minimum 5 years experience working in the development/humanitarian
field (preferably in communications section) or in media industry
Excellent verbal and written proficiency in English and Myanmar language
Demonstrable experience in working with a wide range of media, preparing
press releases, editing and producing publications, and managing social
media platforms
Computer literate in both Microsoft and Apple operating systems, with
strong technical skills including experience with video editing, photography,
and production of layouts and graphics in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and
Illustrator
NB: This position is for Myanmar nationals only.
Detailed job description including requirements for the position is available
at the Pact office or www.themimu.info/jobs/index.php. Only short-listed
candidates will be contacted.Interested and qualified candidates can send their
application letter, CV, one passport-sized photo and references to:
HR Officer, Pact #608 Penthouse, Bo Son Pat Condominium, Pabedan
Tel: 09-8553198; 373221, 378931 & 245447 (Ext: 78, 73)
E-mail: myanmarhr@pactworld.org

LOCALS ONLY POSITION

Pact, a U.S based INGO with operations throughout Myanmar,
is currently seeking an experienced and dedicated candidate
for the position below.
Position Title:
Department:

Senior Regional and Operations Coordinator

ShaeThot Program

Position Summary: The Senior Regional and Operations Coordinator (SROC)

is a key member of the leadership team of a dynamic and growing country
program and responsible for providing leadership for operations, highlevel program implementation, and effective program compliance to ensure
programming is efficient and responsive to community needs; plays a key
role in coordinating partnerships with international and national organizations,
managing relations with government, and in the overall management of the
Operations Unit and Regional Offices for Pacts Shae Thot program.
Requirements:
University degree in a related field
At least 5 years of management experience in international development or
similar organizations
Excellent written and verbal communication in English and Burmese.
Detailed job description including requirements for the position is available at
the Pact office or www.themimu.info/jobs/index.php
Interested and qualified candidates can send their application letter, CV, one
passport-sized photo and references to:
HR Officer, Pact #608 Penthouse, Bo Son Pat Condominium, Pabedan
Township
Tel: 09-8553198; 373221, 378931 & 245447 (Ext: 78, 73)
E-mail: myanmarhr@pactworld.org
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

16 THE MYANMAR TIMES May 22, 2015

17

World

WorLd edItor: Kayleigh Long

Church influence
wanes as Ireland votes
on gay marriage

Sri Lanka says

war crimes probe
to start in June

World 17

World 23

ABUJA

GENEVA

Disorder in the ranks: military on trial

Yemen talks set for next week

NIGERIAS military announced on

May 21 that 579 officers and soldiers
were facing two separate trials over
indiscipline, after 66 troops were sentenced to death last year for mutiny.
We have about 473 officers and
soldiers being tried at the Army
Headquarters Garrison and 106 in 81
Division, said army spokesman Sani
Usman.
He did not specify the charges
against those currently facing court
martial but Femi Falana, a human
rights lawyer working on the case,
said some had been accused of mutiny.

A UNITED Nations conference to relaunch political talks in Yemen will

open in Geneva next week, a UN
spokesperson said on May 21, despite
uncertainty over who will attend the
gathering.
UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said the May 28 meeting was to
restore momentum towards a Yemeni-led political transition process
after weeks of conflict that have left
1,850 dead.
UN-brokered peace talks were suspended when Shiite Huthi rebels went
on the offensive, capturing the capital
Sanaa in September and advancing on
Aden in the south, forcing the president to flee to Saudi Arabia.
Mr Ban hopes the Geneva talks
will help Yemen re-launch the political process, reduce the levels of
violence and alleviate the intolerable
humanitarian situation, said a statement from his spokesman.
The three-day conference was supposed to be announced last week, but
the United Nations demanded a halt
in fighting for the talks to go ahead.
Instead, the announcement came
as Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen intensified after a five-day humanitarian
truce expired at the weekend.
It remained unclear if the Huthi rebels planned to attend while Yemens

Many Nigerian troops based in the

northeast have defied orders to battle
Boko Haram Islamists, citing a lack
of adequate weapons and other essential equipment.
The essence of all these trials is
just to emphasise on discipline, professionalism and some other things,
Mr Usman told reporters in Abuja,
without giving further details.
Mr Falana, who defended the 54
soldiers sentenced to death last year
and was familiar with the fresh cases,
told AFP the charges included cowardice, mutiny and disobedience to
authorities.

A man walks past a tank left by Boko Haram militants between Michika and
Marabara on May 10. Photo: AFP

The military and independent

sources have said conditions for soldiers in the northeast have improved
over the last six to eight months, with
Nigeria securing additional weaponry needed to tackle the rebels.
Experts say the new hardware
has helped troops liberate a series of
Boko Haram strongholds in an operation launched in February with backing from neighbouring armies.
Despite the reported improvements, complaints of soldiers being
underpaid or poorly equipped persist.
Last year, soldiers based in the
northeastern city of Maiduguri set up
a protest camp after being ordered to
deploy to a remote part of the region
to fight Boko Haram.
Wives of soldiers launched a separate protest outside a barracks, claiming their husbands were being used
as cannon fodder and were being sent
to battle insurgents who had vastly
superior weapons.
A military court last December
sentenced 54 soldiers to death for
refusing to deploy and take on Boko
Haram in the northeast.
Twelve received the same sentence
in September last year for mutiny
after shots were fired at their commanding officer.
Mr Falana said the death sentences had not yet been approved by
military top brass and there was still
hope of a reprieve.
AFP

loS ANGElES

State of emergency declared over spill

THE governor of California has
declared an emergency as crews
scramble to contain an oil slick and
clean up popular beaches after a pipeline rupture dumped thousands of
gallons of oil into the ocean.
A day after the spill near Santa Barbara, northwest of Los Angeles, the US
Coast Guard said helicopter overflights
had shown the slick stretched some
nine miles (14 kilometres) along the
Pacific Ocean coast.
The spill caused governor Edmund
Brown to declare an emergency in the
Santa Barbara area on May 20 in order
to quickly send specialized teams to
clean up the hazardous leak.
We will do everything necessary
to protect Californias coastline, Mr
Brown said in a statement alongside
the emergency proclamation.
Teams of white-clad workers used
rakes, trucks and pads to scoop up
thick oil covering the sand on the
Refugio Beach, where a campground
was evacuated.
A number of government environmental clean-up crews have been
mobilized to survey and test the area
by aircraft and boat.
The spill was estimated at up to
105,000 gallons (400,000 liters), of
which some 21,000 gallons of crude
oil may have leaked into the ocean,
according to an official update on the
afternoon of May 20.
Santa Barbara area beaches
would normally be preparing to host
thousands of visitors for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, but the
affected area was out of bounds.
A nearby beach has been closed for
at least a week and a fishing ban has
been imposed by authorities one mile
east and west of the spill site.

Oil flows over the rocks and sand at Refugio Beach on May 20. Photo: AFP

The leak which began around

midday on May 19 was caused by a
Plains All American Pipeline, which
stopped the flow of oil, the company
said.
It said the oil reached the ocean
through a drain which has now been
blocked off, and no additional oil is
reaching the water.
Plains deeply regrets this release
has occurred and is making every effort to limit its environmental impact,
the company said in a statement.
Environmental groups warned of
the possible long-term impact.
The Environmental Defense Center
lamented the spill, saying there were
likely failings that allowed it to occur.
There continues to be a number
of questions ... including why there
was no automatic shut-off on this relatively new pipeline, and why the early
response was not more successful in
halting the flow, said the groups head
Owen Bailey.
This region is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife including nu-

merous species of endangered whales

and iconic coastlands that bring people
from across the world to visit, he said.
Kathryn Phillips, California director
of environmental group Sierra Club,
added: Every time we hear about an
oil spill, we hold our breath and hope it
wont get worse.
How many more signals do we
need from the oil industry that public
health and the environment arent at
the top of its list when it decides how
much to invest in creating its products?
Its time we all demand better from
this incredibly wealthy industry, she
said.
The 24-inch pipeline, built in 1987,
transports crude oil from a nearby
above-ground oil storage facility to refineries throughout southern California. It typically operates at some 50,400
gallons per hour.
Santa Barbara was the scene of
what was then the largest oil spill in
US history, when in 1969 several million gallons of crude spewed into the
ocean after an oil rig blowout. AFP

The citadel of the ancient oasis city of Palmyra, 215 kilometres northeast of Damascus, has now fallen to the Islamic State (IS). Photo: AFP

foreign minister Riyadh Yassin told

AFP he would not go to Geneva unless the Huthis withdrew from at least
part of the territory seized.
We are not going unless there is
something on the ground, Mr Yassin
said in Riyadh. He demanded that a
UN Security Council resolution adopted last month that called for the pullback be implemented.
We will not attend if there is no
implementation, at least part of it. If
there is no withdrawal from Aden at
least, or Taez, Mr Yassin said.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said it
was too early to say who will accept
the invitation to attend, but he noted
that the UN envoy for Yemen had been
laying the groundwork for the conference and that he believes we have the
understanding necessary to proceed.
The UN envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh
Ahmed, briefed the Security Council
during a closed-door meeting before
traveling to Tehran for talks with
key officials in Iran, the Huthis chief
backer.
Yemens ambassador to the United
Nations, Khaled Alyemany, told reporters that the Geneva talks would
be to convince the Huthis to give up
what they are doing and be part of the
solution.
Mr Alyemany stressed that a Huthi

withdrawal was key for the talks to

succeed.
It seems that they are ready to
reach this moment to want to talk,
but they dont want to give up what
they consider their expansion on the
ground, said the ambassador.
In announcing the conference, Ban
noted that previous rounds of talks
had allowed the parties to chart a
course for democratic change and a
new vision for the country.
Tragically, Yemen has now slid
into conflict that risks spilling across
its borders and that is having a dramatic impact on civilians, who are
paying the highest price, he added.
Ban is expected to attend a formal
ceremony on May 28 that will kick off
three days of consultations on the way
forward.
The Security Council welcomed the
announcement of the Geneva talks
and backed Mr Bans call for renewing
the humanitarian truce.
The Saudi-led coalition launched
an air war on Yemen on March 26 to
restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The violence has displaced close to
half a million people and raised alarm
among aid agencies, which are unable
to reach civilians trapped in the fighting. AFP

dAMASCUS

Ancient city of Palmyra falls to IS

ISLAMIC State group jihadists
seized full control of the ancient
Syrian city of Palmyra on May 21,
putting the world heritage site
and its priceless artefacts at risk
of destruction.
The
Britain-based
Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights
said IS now control half of all
territory in the war-torn country.
The capture of Palmyra, a former stopping point for caravans
on the Silk Road, is the latest
blow to efforts to hold back the
advancing jihadists, following
the fall of Iraqs Ramadi.
IS fighters are in all parts
of Tadmur, including near the
archeological site, Observatory
head Rami Abdel Rahman told
AFP, using the Arabic name for
the city.
The jihadists also proclaimed
their capture of the entire city,
which is strategically located at
the crossroads of key highways
leading west to Damascus and
Homs, and east to Iraq.
The Observatory said regime
troops had pulled back from
positions in and around Palmyra,
including from an army intelligence outpost, a military airport
and a prison which the jihadists
captured overnight.
The monitor, which relies
on a network of sources on the
ground, said IS now controls
more than 95,000 square kilometres of Syria, which has been
engulfed by a multi-sided civil
war since a 2011 uprising.
The jihadists, notorious for
demolishing
archaeological
treasures since declaring a caliphate last year straddling Iraq
and Syria, fought their way into
Palmyra on foot after breaking
through in the citys north.
Regime troops collapsed and
withdrew from their positions

without resistance, said Mohamed Hassan al-Homsi, an activist

originally from Palmyra.
The assault on Palmyra came
days after the militants took the
Iraqi city of Ramadi, their most
significant victory since mid-2014
when they conquered swathes of
land, sparking a US-led air campaign to support Baghdad.
A US State Department official said the loss of Ramadi
would force Washington to take
an extremely hard look at its
strategy against IS.
The jihadists sparked international outrage this year when
they blew up the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and smashed
artefacts in the museum of Mosul, both in Iraq.
The situation is very bad,
Syrias antiquities chief, Mamoun
Abdulkarim, said on May 20 as IS
overran the north of Palmyra.
If only five members of IS go
into the ancient buildings, theyll
destroy everything, he added,
calling for international action
to save the city.
Hundreds of statues and artefacts from Palmyras museum
have been transferred out of the
city, according to Abdulkarim,
but many others including massive tombs could not be moved.
In neighbouring Iraq, IS consolidated its hold on Ramadi,
capital of Anbar province, just
10km (60 miles) west of the capital.
On May 20, the Anbar police
chief was dismissed, after video
footage emerged online suggesting security personnel deserted
their posts at the height of the IS
offensive.
The militants gains have
sparked international concerns,
with France pledging on May 20
to host high-level international

talks next month in Paris over

the threat posed by IS.
The US official said Washington would step up its aid to Iraq,
including sending 1000 anti-tank
missile systems to help stop suicide car bombs and accelerating
its training and equipping of
tribal forces to fight IS.
Youd have to be delusional
not to take something like this
and say: What went wrong, how
do you fix it and how do we correct course to go from here?, the
official told reporters.
Asking not to be identified,
the official highlighted the IS
tactic of ploughing huge vehicle-born improvised explosive
devices (VBIEDs) into buildings
and walls.
In Ramadi, an explosivespacked bulldozer was used to
blow up the security perimeter
around a government-held compound.
Around 30 vehicles such as

Humvees then flowed in, many

loaded heavily with explosives.
Besides the more than 3,000
air strikes carried out so far,
Washington has supported a
deep reform of Iraqs army and
offered training to Sunni tribesmen.
But that failed to prevent
the loss of Ramadi, where Iranbacked militias will now take the
lead in any counter-attack.
According to officials from
Anbar, at least 500 people were
killed in three days of fighting
in Ramadi during which IS used
waves of suicide car bombs.
Tens of thousands were forced
to flee their homes in the process.
And on May 20, more than
2000 were able to join them and
escape conflict-torn Anbar after
the authorities opened a bridge
that had been closed for three
days.
AFP

WASHINGToN

US declassifies Bin Laden documents

HUNKERED down in his Pakistani
compound, Osama bin Laden pleaded
with his followers to stay focused on
attacking the United States instead of
being dragged into Muslim infighting.
Documents that were declassified
on May 20 shed new light on the mindset of al-Qaedas founder, his debates
over tactics, his anxiety over Western
spying and his fixation with the groups
media image.
The focus should be on killing and
fighting the American people and their
representatives, the late al-Qaeda figurehead wrote.
The letter was among thousands of
files found by US Navy SEALs on May
2, 2011 when they descended on Bin
Ladens hideout in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad and shot him
dead.
US intelligence agencies have now
declassified more than 100 of these
documents taken from Bin Ladens
archive, after lawmakers ordered the
move and critics accused the CIA of
withholding material.
AFP was given exclusive access to
the documents ahead of their release,
and they have since been posted online
by the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence.
Jeff Anchukaitis, spokesperson for
the office, said the release of a sizeable
tranche of documents was in line with
President Barack Obamas call for increased transparency.
It was also in accordance with a law
obliging the spy agencies to review all
the Bin Laden material for possible release, he said.
The documents released are English translations of the originals, and
AFP had no way to independently verify the materials or the accuracy of the
translation.
The release came shortly after US
journalist Seymour Hersh alleged that
Washingtons official account of the
hunt for Bin Laden and the raid that

led to his death was a lie.

But CIA spokesperson Ryan Trapani said the declassification had been
planned for a year and had not been intended as a response to Hershs report.
From strategic and theological discussions to the mundane details of domestic funding and security measures,
the documents show the man behind
9/11 preoccupied with once again attacking the West in spectacular fashion.
Mindful of drone strikes taking out
senior jihadist figures, Bin Laden frequently refers to security headaches
and advises against communicating by
email.
He scolds his followers for gathering in large groups and frets about a
microscopic bug being inserted in his
wifes clothes.
He lays out plans to groom a new
cadre of leaders, and his associates discuss arrangements for smuggling Bin
Ladens favorite son and likely heir,
Hamza, to Pakistan.
The spy agencies also released a list
of English language books and articles
found in Bin Ladens compound.
The bookshelf of PDF files showed
the al-Qaeda leader was particularly interested in Frances economy and conspiracy theories including those questioning accounts of the 9/11 attacks.
Intelligence officials said the texts
suggested Bin Laden was possibly planning to strike at the French economy in
hopes of triggering a wider collapse in
the West.
Before he was killed, Bin Laden
wrote of plans for an elaborate propaganda blitz to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
But the documents also highlight
deep divisions among the militants.
Bin Laden warns that conflict with
regimes in the Middle East would distract the extremists from hitting hard
at what as far as he is concerned is the
real enemy America.

We should stop operations against

the army and the police in all regions,
especially Yemen, he writes.
al-Qaedas branch in Iraq, which
would later morph into the Islamic
State group and which now increasingly overshadows al-Qaeda also
comes up in the documents.
Bin Laden and his then deputy,
Ayman al-Zawahiri, receive a scathing
rebuke in a letter from some Iraqi supporters, who demand they denounce
the bloodletting in Iraq.
In a letter dated May 22, 2007, the
Jihad and Reform Front warns Bin
Laden that God will hold him to account for blessing the work done by
the al-Qaeda in Iraq organization without disavowing the scandals that are
committed in your name.
Bin Laden writes of the need for
large-scale terror operations, even
though some of his deputies are finding it difficult to organize mass attacks
with drones overhead and US eavesdropping.
One document recently declassified
in a terrorism trial in New York but not
released on May 20 quotes Abu Musab
al-Suri, an al-Qaeda veteran, who advocates going after smaller targets of opportunity as a more realistic approach,
officials said.
Bin Laden at the time of his death
remained focused on large-scale operations while other al-Qaeda leaders believed smaller operations, or inciting
lone terrorist attacks, could succeed at
bleeding the West economically, the
intelligence analyst said.
Bin Laden lost the argument. After
his death, al-Qaedas leadership called
for lone wolf attacks, and Suris idea of
individual jihad has won out.
The IS group, which was officially
rejected by al-Qaeda, now controls vast
swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria
and its online propaganda has been
blamed for inspiring attacks from Paris
to the Dallas suburbs. AFP

18 World

THE MYANMAR TIMES May 22, 2015

BANGUI

Bangui market mends ties after conflict

LET Us Reconcile implores a banner on a statue at the entrance to the
main market in Bangui, in a Muslim
neighbourhood that gave refuge to
people fleeing religious strife that
swept the Central African Republic.
The market was a thriving hub in
the capitals Kilometre Five district
before a March 2013 coup that led to
the first conflict directly pitting Christians against minority Muslims in a
nation with a long history of unrest.
The bloodshed halted business
and displaced scores of thousands of
terrified people as successive waves of
violence meant that nobody was safe
in Bangui for many months.
Back then, Kilometre 5 was the
Alamo, recalls a security specialist, referring to the 1836 siege by the
Mexican army of a mission in Texas
that ended in the slaughter of all the
defenders.
Michel Djotodia, the countrys
first Muslim president who was put
in power by rebels in the immediate
aftermath of the coup, stepped down
in January 2014 under strong international pressure.
Though Mr Djotodia had disbanded the armed Seleka coalition that
backed him, many former rebels went
rogue and carried out vicious attacks
on Christian residents.
The atrocities provoked fierce reprisals by anti-balaka (anti-machete)
forces from Christian communities,
and fears of genocide sped up foreign
military intervention.
Vigilantes massacred hundreds of
Muslims and drove many to seek safety in Seleka-guarded KM-5, which is
now patrolled by foreign peacekeeping troops.
KM-5 is one of the most tightly
secured places in the city of Bangui
today, said Public Security Minister
Nicaise Samedi Karnou, for whom the
district is an economic priority.
The gradual resumption of trade

A woman walks past a sign on May 18 at the entrance to the Kilometre Five market Bangui, a Muslim neighbourhood that
gave refuge to people fleeing religious strife that swept the Central African Republic. Photo: AFP

goes together with efforts to pacify

the poor, landlocked nation, which
has been prey to unrest since independence from France in 1960.
Customers consider it safe to come
to the market and buy foods like
cassava, rice, meat, flour and spices,
along with clothes, pots and pans and
cleaning products.
But business is still bad, says Adim
al-Khalil, a 65-year-old palm oil vendor.
We manage to eat every day, he
says. No more than that.
Two abandoned police stations
are now manned again by national

law enforcement officers, who work

alongside African troops wearing the
blue helmets of a UN mission, MINUSCA.
I appreciate the MINUSCA patrols. Theyre reassuring, Khalil says.
Traders swap greetings with
armed African soldiers riding by in
their military vehicles.
But French peacekeepers receive a
far frostier reception after a scandal
broke last month over accusations of
child rape involving at least 14 soldiers.
Some Muslims already resent
France for allegedly abetting attacks

by Christians.
We dont like the French, Khalil
says. If only they had approached
Muslims in a friendly way.
Yet there are signs of reconciliation between the two faiths.
Eloge Bouteh, a Christian vendor
of cotton swabs, is both neighbour
and friend to Ali Uche, a Muslim who
sells earrings.
My big brother, my cousin and my
grandmother died during the conflict,
but Christians and Muslims are already together, Mr Bouteh says.
We used not to get on, but now
were starting to understand each oth-

er. During the events, we all fled to go

home, but its calm now. People move
around freely.
Mr Uche says he lost my father,
my mother, children (and) younger
brothers, but puts his country first,
insisting that he is Central African
like his friend.
We cant visit their districts,
Uche nevertheless warns. If Muslims
go the Christians, the Christians will
kill them. They come to KM-5, but we
dont kill them.
Christians and Muslims, theyre
all my customers, but today the market is dead compared with the bustling place it once was, he adds.
Romaric Omagele, a 19-year-old
driver, eats by a stall selling grilled
mutton and goat, known as mechoui.
This is good, its mechoui, its
Muslim. Im a Christian and I eat my
brothers food. It was politics that
drove us apart.
Though the mood is broadly optimistic, problems persist. While normal life prevails in daylight, residents
say they dont dare to venture out at
night.
Market produce mostly comes
from neighbouring Cameroon, but
truckers dare not take to the roads
unprotected for fear of attack. Goods
are brought twice a week in convoys
escorted by UN troops.
Even former rebels remain active and run a racket to extort 1,000
CFA francs (1.5 euros, US$1.70) from
each trader every week, according to
a source close to the market vendors.
A butcher was killed recently, apparently for refusing to pay up, according to imam Kobine Layama,
president of the Islamic Community
of the Central African Republic.
Before, they [Muslim fighters]
were the defenders and the people
rejoiced in their presence, but today
they hold the population hostage, he
said. AFP

DUBLIN

Church influence wanes

as Ireland goes to vote
on gay marriage
TODAYS vote on legalising same-sex
marriage in Ireland is a further sign of
the waning influence of the once-dominant Catholic Church, experts said.
Bishops have come out strongly
against changing the constitution, but
polls indicate their attempt to swing
the vote for the No side will fall
through.
The Catholic Church in Ireland is a
much weakened institution, Diarmaid
Ferriter, historian and lecturer in modern Irish history at University College
Dublin, told AFP.
There are still a lot of people who
take their religion seriously but I think
the idea of the Church as arbiters of
morality, sexuality and issues around
marriage is not what it was, he added.
Sociologist Tom Inglis, author of
Moral Monopoly: The Rise and Fall
of the Catholic Church in Modern Ireland, agreed.
Its an indication of how the
Church no longer acts as a moral conscience of Irish society, he said.
Theres an element of secularisation taking place and at the same time
for those people that are religious, religion is becoming more personal and
private, he told AFP.
An avalanche of child sex abuse
scandals has rocked the Catholic
Church in Ireland in recent years, with
religious leaders accused of having protected predator priests and disrupted

inquiries.
Attendance at masses has dropped
sharply in recent decades, though 84.2
percent of the population still identified as Catholic in the last census in
2011.
Father Brendan Hoban, a parish
priest in the west of Ireland, and a
founder of the Association of Catholic
Priests, said the drop in attendance can
be attributed to the abuse scandals, a
growth in prosperity and the secularisation of society.
The Church in Ireland has failed
dismally to face the reality of the situation. Our numbers in terms of priests
are declining and will decline significantly over the next number of years.
Parishes are going to close. These
are parishes that have been there for
over a 1000 years and they will not
survive.
Ireland has followed a more secular
narrative in recent years, highlighted
by Prime Minister Enda Kennys 2011
attack on the Vaticans handling of clerical child abuse.
Its inability to properly deal with
the issue showed the dysfunction, the
disconnection, the elitism of the culture at the Vatican, he said.
Father Michael Mernagh, one of the
fiercest critics of the leadership failings during the abuse scandals, said
the Church was struggling to find a
relevancy in the middle of all the social

A man walks past a row of anti same-sex Vote No posters in Knock, west Ireland on May 18. Photo: AFP

changes.
The Church needs to look at the
core of its original message, which is
one of love, and try to express it and
drop things that are not important, he
told AFP.
If it doesnt, the Church will just
become totally irrelevant, he added.
Despite their opposition to the referendum, bishops have tried to frame
their language in a conciliatory manner, admitting gay and lesbian people
were treated in a harsh way by the
Church in the past.
It follows similar placatory com-

ments from Pope Francis, who posed

the question, Who am I to judge?
when asked his views on homosexuality. He has since repeated his opposition
to same-sex marriages, however.
There are still plenty of enduring
signs of Irelands Catholic tradition.
Over 70 per cent of weddings still
take place in churches, and the angelus bells chime twice a day on TV and
radio stations of the national broadcaster, RTE.
Meanwhile, over 90pc of primary
schools are still under the patronage of
the Catholic Church.

But even among believers, there

are widely differing positions on hotbutton social topics like gay marriage.
The Association of Catholic Priests
decided not to take a public stand on
the referendum after a survey of members revealed contrasting views.
Hoban said the Church was in denial about the decline.
Its not coming to terms with making the decisions that need to be made
to face the future, he said.
Its being very much pushed to
the periphery of Irish life and its on a
downward trend. AFP

World 23

www.mmtimes.com
colombo

Sri Lanka war crimes

probe to start by June
SRI Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on May 21 a local
investigation into allegations of
war crimes committed during the
islands separatist conflict would
begin by June, vowing to prosecute
anyone found guilty.
Mr Sirisena said he welcomed
any guidance from the UN Human
Rights Council on setting up the
probe, amid international pressure
for the island to account for alleged
atrocities committed during the
war which ended in 2009.
We will start the work of the local mechanism by next month. This
will be in line with our own laws,
Mr Sirisena told reporters.
If anyone is to be found guilty
by the investigation we will take action according to our own law, he
said.
The government has brought
forward the deadline for starting
the probe after saying earlier this
month it would be up and running
by September when the UN rights
council next meets in Geneva.
During a visit to the island this
month, US Secretary of State John
Kerry urged the government to
ensure accountability for war-time
atrocities and work towards ethnic
reconciliation.
Mr Kerry echoed longstanding
demands of ethnic minority Tamils
to investigate cases of thousands

A woman holds her child in a camp for the displaced in 2008. Photo: AFP

who went missing or were killed

towards the end of the conflict,
which claimed some 100,000 lives
between 1972 and 2009.
At the ballot box in January,
President Maithripala Sirisena
unseated long-time strongman
Mahinda Rajapakse who drew
international condemnation over
his refusal to probe alleged military
abuses.
Mr Rajapakse insisted that

security forces did not kill a single

civilian while fighting Tamil Tigers
who were known for their trademark suicide bombings.
The UN has been investigating
possible war crimes for more than
a year.
In February, however, the UN
postponed its report at Colombos
request to allow more time for Sri
Lanka to complete its own investigation. AFP

ToKYo

Zoos and aquariums

vote on Taiji roundup
JAPANS zoos and aquariums voted on
May 20 to stop using dolphins caught
by the controversial drive hunt method in Taiji, allowing them to remain
part of a global body that had suspended the countrys chapter over the issue.
The vote was prompted by the
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) suspension of the Japanese chapter (JAZA) last month, saying
it had refused to stop taking dolphins
caught in the southern whaling town.
Taiji came to worldwide attention
after the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove showed pods of the
animals forced into a bay and butchered with knives, in a mass killing that
turned the water red with blood.
(JAZA) will prohibit its members to
acquire wild dolphins caught by drive
fishing in Taiji and to take part in their
export and sale, JAZA chair Kazutoshi
Arai said in a letter to WAZA following
the vote, which saw an overwhelming
majority of the 152 members opt to
remain part of the global body.
JAZA does not regard drive hunt as
cruel, Arai told during a press briefing, adding that a dolphin from Taiji
costs about a million yen (US$8,300).
Earlier, JAZA executive director
Kensho Nagai said, We annually take
about 20 dolphins from Taiji, but we
have improved how we hunt, separating our hunt from everything else at
Taiji that is for dolphin meat.
But we dont have control over the
rest of the dolphin catch, part of which
is said to be sold by local brokers to
aquariums in China and the Middle

East, he added.
Taiji residents have long defended
the drive hunt saying its purpose is to
obtain dolphin meat, which they say is
a traditional part of their diet.
But some live dolphins are also sold
on after the drive hunt which typically involves pushing the animals together with boats and closing off their
escape, forcing them into a coastal bay.
Critics of the practice say there is
insufficient demand for dolphin meat
and drive hunting is only profitable because of the high prices live dolphins
can fetch when sold to aquariums and
dolphin shows.
(WAZA) requires all members to
adhere to policies that prohibit participating in cruel and non-selective methods of taking animals from the wild,
the global body said.
A weekend Japanese report said
nearly half the dolphins in the countrys aquariums are caught using the
controversial fishing method, but it did
not specify whether the dolphins came
from Taiji.
Chief Cabinet Secretary and top
government spokesperson Yoshihide
Suga said the government is aware of
the controversy between WAZA and its
Japanese chapter, and the government
will take measures to avoid any ramifications on exhibitions in aquariums.
The drive hunt is a sustainable
fishing (method) under appropriate
control by ... the government with scientific foundations, and is being carried out carefully so that dolphins are
not hurt, Mr Suga said. AFP

FREE

HOW TO GET A FREE AD

HOW TO GET MORE BUSINESS FROM

AS LITTLE AS K.5,000.

By Fax
: 01-254158
By Email : classified.mcm@gmail.com
By mail : 379/383, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Kyauktada Township, Yangon.

BuY SpAce ON THeSe pAGeS

Call: Khin mon mon yi - 01-392676, 392928

General
Education
LAnCASTer Education
Centre,Academic reading
& writing skills, General
English
(Elementary
- Intemediate), IELTS
(Foundation,
Prepa
ration, Exam Pracice),
IELTS (Intensive), IGCSE
(English),
Starters,
Movers, Flyers, KET,
PET, Pre-FCE. Add:26 A,
3 Flr, Nawaday St, Dagon
tsp. Ph: 374664, 09-73097466.
ACAdeMiC Excellence,
Teaching and study guide
for international school
students (Primary
TeAChing & Guide for
all International school
students and Government
students. For the students
who want to improve their
knowledge and their skills,
please contact : 09-73041340.
SAYA Saw Aung (Ex.A.P)
Chemistry Classes for
Int'l School (sec-levels),
IGCSE, Cambridge Int'l
AS & A Level & SAT-2,
Ph: 09-500-5470.
need
A
TUTor?
Homework
help
&
tutoring in English, Maths,
Physics, Chemistry. 12
years experience. Only
Ks 150,000 per month.
Ph: 39298, 09-73255281.
CheMiSTrY Teacher
Saw : Edexcel, Cie & SAT
2 II. Ph: 09-500-5470.
hoMe TUTion & Guide,
For Pre KG, Primary
and Secondary Level,
Special in Maths, Tr. Daw
Khin Swe Win (B.E.H.S
Thuwunna) Rtd. Ph: 09730-99679,
An
experienCed
English Tutor is looking
for private students
or teaching classes
at schools (5 years
experience in teaching,
all ages and levels). I
offer fun and interactive
classes for a reasonable
price. If interested, lease
text or call:09-252394112.
SpeCiAL for Math,
Geometry, Algebra &
Calculus. For Int'l school
(ISY, ISM, YIS & ILBC)
Grade V to XII. If you
want to be outstanding
in Math,Please contact :
Tr.Kaung Myat BE(PE).
Ph:09-731-42020, 092533-70400, Email :
kaungmyatoo251@
gmail.com
LCCi Level 1 + 2 & 3, (Home
teaching & old question
prepare for exam) Ph:094211-34427.
phYSiCS Tutor needed
for year 12 international
school student. Ph: 09502- 2834.
engLiSh ( home tuition),
speaking,
grammar,
issue. letter, academic
writing. SAT. TOEFL. IELT.
GCE, IGCSE. GMAT four
skills . local & international
school English : English
for Japaneses children
and adult - home tuition
courses are available

now. You can contact to

SayaU Kyi Sin (Mumyint
Thar) Ph:09-4210-67375,
www.kyisinplb.
blogspot.com
STUdY gUide, Need help
with your studies? I can
ensure that you have that
extra time and attention
you need to succeed.
I am a qualified tutor,
with stright A's in GCE
A levels and four gears
of experience, tutring
students of Grade 5 ~
12, GCE O and A levels,
Sat and IELTS. Ph: 01253543, 09-519-0543.
MATheMATiCS Teaching
: Students (Grade 1
to 9 from YIS, ISM,
ISY, Yangon Academy,
MIS & MISY) who are
weak in Mathsand dont
know how to solve the
problems. Guide : only
Maths for IGCSE O
Level students who will
sit for the exam in 2015.
DawNaingNaingAung,
B.Com (Q), No. (6),
Thuketa St, Baukhtaw,
Yankin. Ph : 544594, 09500-4993.
gUide for 2nd M.B.,B.S,
Students, Ph: 09-32121352, 09-517-3808.
priMArY - International
school, Private school: Kg
to Primary 4 home guide.
Ph: 09-4200-33613.
igCSe,
GCE,
SAT,
PHYSICS. Saya U M
T (since 1984). Ph: 09730- 52859

Expert Services
if YoU need House
condo or apartment.
Please contact me. No
need to pay any fees.
Ph: 09-256-036644, 09799-839080.
d pLACe Consultancy
Services : Translation
of documents/ Inter
pretation (simultaneous/
consecutive) in meetings
& conferences (English Myanmar) Tel: 09-250535322 email: info@
thedplace.com
www.
thedplace.com Add: 682|
Thitsar Rd| Ward No.
6 (Ponnami Bus Stop)
South Okkalapa, Yangon,
Myanmar. (Upper Floor
of Sakura Dental Clinic)
w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /
thedplace
Thin
Thin AUng,
USA. Certified Public
Accountant, B.S in
Accounting. Have 15
years of accounting
services in various
industries (healthcare,
Insurance, retail, trading,
etc.) in America. Expertise
in and provide following
servfices;
Business
formation and setup for
the foreign companies.
Business consultation
(i.e, joint venture and
investment opportunities).
Monthly & yearly closing
of
the
Company's
books and records in
international Standards)
(IFRS
compliance).
Accounting training for
companies & individuals.
Financial planning and

forecasting for the setup

companies and already
established companies.
Prepare consolidated
financial statements for
the group of companies
to see bigger picture of
their companies financial
status as a whole. Ph:099749-0064.
Tin Tin LATT, Certified
Public
Accountant
Finance
Profectional
40 years' expserience
in Government, NGO
& company accountin,
audition & finance,
Audition
(external/
internal),
Financial
management,
NGO
Financial Management
training and on the job
accounting training. Ph:
09-2506-49443, Email :
dorothytintinlatt@gmail.
com. Bldg 221, Rm 2,
Yanshin Rd, Yankin.
we do SerVe interpret
English-ChineseMyanmar for movies,
project datas & files.
Serving translate English
- C h i n e s e - M y a n m a r.
Teacher Mr. William Lin
(Taiwan) YUNAN DIP,
IDCS, BM, TW CIVIL &
IT Top one (Interpreting,
Translating & Teaching
Language Class) Yangon.
Ph: 09-4211-47821, 0979580-7548
ToUr gUide Service,
If any prospective tour
operator needs a licensed
guide in English. Please
contact Mr David, 44 st, 3
Flr, Natchanug , Tamwe.
Ph: 09-30199028.
Union
MiSSion,
Computer Troubleshoot
ing & Repair, Windows
Os Installation, Anti Virus
& Software Installation,
Office & Internet Cafe
Network
Contracts,
Wireless
Networking
Setup,
Router
&
CPE
Configuration,
Server Installation &
Configuration,
CCTV
System solutions &
Installation service. Ph:
09- 2527-06 016
weLCoMe to contact us
for serving & translating
your business cases.
(1)Seminar, (2)Training
(3)Projects. Contact ~
Teacher Mr. William Lin
(Taiwan) 09-4211-47821
zCL(Y.U.f.L), Translation
Service : Translate from
English to Myanmar,
Myanmar to English. Ph:
09-2506-66325. email
atar1990@gmail.com

For Rent
CArS,
(Expert use
only). Mid size wagon.
Now only350.000kyats
per month with deposit
for long term. company
ID required. Call 09 730
33776.

For Sale
eMBASSY of Pakistan,
Yangon intends to sell
out 1 x unit car toyota
corolla, 1500 cc, model
year 2005, black colour to
local citizens and diplomat

Property

/ non-diplomat community
in Yangon. Sealed bids
are invited from all the
interested parties by 15
May 2015 in the name of
Embassy of Pakistan, A4,
Diplomatic Quarters Pyay
Road, Dagon Township
Yangon. Car can be
visited between 1000 1300 hrs at the Embassy
location from 6-10 May
2015."
Air
CoMpreSSor,
Product type: GA 907.5,
Serial number: ARP
881188, Max. final
pressure (e) .. bar 7.5
Interstage pressure (s)
(e) .. bar, Motor power:
kW....... 90 Max. speed:
..... r/min.... 1500, Year of
manufacture: .... 19 90,
Made by Atalas Copco
Airpower n.v. Wilrijk
Belgium. Ph:09-4217
-44300

General
gLoMed Pharmaceutical
Co., Inc. www.glomedvn.
vn

Language
TeAChing
Myanmar
language for adults
Yangon area Tel: 094200-30782
TeAChing English for
adults (for foreigners and
for locals) Yangon area 09
4200 30 782
U MYA hAn, French,
English & Myanmar
classes. Ph: 09 731
74940
ATTend & feel the
difference, FLAMINGO
American
English
Speaking Class (IELTS
Intensive
Speaking
class, Interview course,
Special Package for
Hotel , Showroom, Bank
& Trading Company) Ph:
09-510-4826, 01 383811
Email:johnflamingo7@
gmail.com
for
foreignerS,
Mr. William Lin (Taiwan,
Yunan, UK) is teaching
Myanmar language 4
skills now. Please contact
: 09421147821. Come
with advertisement paper
10% discount available.
engLiSh (home tuition)
speaking,
grammar,
issue. letter, academic
writing. SAT. TOEFL.
IELT. GCE, IGCSE.
GMAT four skills. local
and international school.
English for Japaneses
children & adult - home
tuition: courses
are
avail e now. you Can
contact to Saya U Kyi
Sin (MUMYIT THAR) Ph:
09-4210-67-375, www.
kyisinplb.blogspot.com
engLiSh for professional
purpose is the need
of principle of written
English.Writing ought to
be easiest of the four skill
for students of English
as a Second language,
unlike listening & reading,
the student is control
with the words. However
writing class often the
opportunity to see growth.
to share important ideas
and to develop sense of
community. . If you had

tried as much as you

can to follow the lesson
and you will get good
experiences and skill.
Middle school students
can study in a small class.
Spanish is also inquired.
U Thant Zin, 28-3B, Thati
Pahtan St, Tamwe. Ph:
09-503-5350, 31021314,.
An
experienCed
Chinese
(Mandarin)
teacher here in Yangon,
Myanmar. I have over
6 years teaching in
Singapore. Please do
not hesitate to contact
me for an evaluation. Im
a professional teacher
who will help you improve
your speaking, reading
and writing skills. I use
Singaporean text books
and Chinese speaking/
conversation
books
for teaching speaking,
reading and writing in
Mandarin. Im available
Monday-Sunday with
a flexible schedule. I
also teaching Myanmar
language to all Foreigner.
Elizabeth Bao Shi :09516-2988, also SMS.
A Two MonTh English
specking
classes,
Parents desiring to hire a
tutor or send their children
to teacher's classes
(Tamwe/Downtown) are
requested to contact
soon. Limited learners
only. Ph: 09-301-99028.
LeArn
frenCh,
Myanmar, English and
Tamil in a month. Limited
seats. Ph: 09-30199028.

Travel
SMiLe
pAnorAMA
Travels & Tours Co., Ltd,
Car rental services. Ph:
09-505-3004, 09-250605665.
JpM Journeys Princess
Myanmar Travel & Tours
: Domestic & Int'l ticketion,
Hotel accommodation
bookings,
Package
tours, Visa on arrival,
Publics buses, trains,
river boats, Off the beaten
track, Individually tailored
incentive tours, Special
event tours, Expert
guides for all journeys
princess Myanmar tours.
Ph: 09-731-45835, 09252-030997. Email : jpm.
sales3@gmail.com, jpm.
rsvn@gmail.com

Training
MAndALAY Computer:
Computer for Kids,
Basic Accounting for Job
I-Office , Advanced Excel
Course, DTP Course
MYOB Software, Peach
Tree Software, Window
Shortcut Course, Email
& Internet Course Mp3,
Mp4, Video Editing,
Multimedia
Course.
Ph:09-4440-11279(MDY)
ArT BASiC, Perspective,
Interior Design, Exterior
Design & Colour Theory.
Learn Art 5 months to be
a professional architect.
Only 2 months for Special
classes. Home tuition also
available. New Vision Art
Gallery and Center,No
132 lift no: 4 Bagaya Rd,
Sanchaung, Shann Lann
Bus top, Ph: 09-254257911

Public Notics
phYSiCS TUTor needed
for Year 12 International
School student. Ph: 09502-2834
CoMMUniTY Partners
International, Yangon
office relocated to the
following address- No.
(12/B), Hnin Si Lane,
Parami Road, Chaw dwin
gone, Yankin Township,
Yangon, Myanmar. Ph: +
95 1 657909

Sell / Rent
KAMAYUT, Pyay Rd,
Diamond condo, 1650
sqft, unfurn or f f, nice
& newly apt. US$ 2500
pr IS$ 3000. Sale 4200
Lakhs. Call Maureen :
09-518-8320.
ThingAngYUn,
Thuwunna.
60'x80'
land. 2 storey house,
corner garden. 3 rooms
with bathroom attached.
4 aircons. 20 Lakhs per
month for rent/13.000
Lakh for sale. Negotiable.
Ph:09-2603-321212
KAMAYUT,
Diamond
Condo, Pyay Rd, 1600
sqft, 1MBR, 2BR, 3A/C,
f.f, 4300 Lakhs & 35
lakhs, Call owner: 09518-8320

Housing for Rent

CondoMiniUM
for
Rent, Chan Thar Gone
Yaung Condo at Upper
Pazuntaung
Street,
Tamwe Township. 2
nd floor, Gym, 24-hour
Lift, Security, Car Park,
Generator, Swimming
Pool, 1 Master and 2
Single Bed Rooms, 4
Aircons, 1650 Sq.Feet,
23 Lakhs (negotiable).
Contact : 09-9751-25218
BAhAn, Pearl Condo, (1)
11 Flr, 1775 sqft,1MBR,
2SR, 2 htater, 4 A/C,
ADSL internet, US$
3000 (2)16 Flr, 1775
sqft,1MBR, 2SR, 2 htater,
4 A/C, ADSL internet,
US$ 3200. Negotialble,
Ph: 09-731-81377
ApArTMenT
hostel
dorm avail. Behind
Sakura Tower. Tel: 092500-76812
BAhA, Pearl condo (1)
Penthouse, fully furnished
with bills included. 5MBR.
US$5000 per month (2)
Apartment, 3 bedrooms,
fullyfurnished with fully
equippted kitchen with
bills included. US$3000
per
month.
Email:
J.meifang@gmail.com.
Ph: 09-732-50365, 09520-0654.
(1)LAnMAdAw
St,
refurbished apartments,
fully furnished bills
included, 1 bedroom
US$1500. 2bedroom
US$1800. 3bedroom
US$ 2000. (2) Botataung,
Bo Myat Tun Rd, fully
furnished 2bedroom,
US$2000.
Email:
J.meifang@gmail.com.
Ph: 09-732-50365, 09520-0654.
BAhAn, New University
Avenue Rd, walk up apt,
2 F, 1200 sqft, furn or
unfurn, US$ 1500. Call
Maureen : 09-518-8320.
CLASSiC Strand Condo
suitable for office, 2280
sqft (2,500 sqft with
mezzanine), 3rd floor,
wide open space, 14 ft
ceilings, face river. New
building with gym, car
park, cafe, facilities. Prime
downtown location, close
to strand hotel/union bar.
5,800 USD per month.
porntipawong@gmail.
com. 09420004585
CLASSiC
STRAND
Condominium,
1,500
sqft, 8th floor, 3 bedroom
corner unit with excellent
view of river. New building
with gym, car park,
cafe, facilities. Prime
downtown location, close
to strand hotel/union bar.
3,600 USD per month.
porntipawong@gmail.
com. Tel: 09-4200-04585
VerY niCe Condo,
Thiri Avenue,Taw Win
St, 9 mile. Mayangone.
1350-sqft, 2MBR, 1BR,
Living room, shrine,
dinning room, kitchen,
Varandah 4th Floor,

Lift,own car park, security

and waste management.
Fully Furnished. only for
Foreigners. one year
basic contract. Ph:095000621, 01-200581.
(1)Bo YAr nYUnT
St, 2500 Sqft, 1MBR,
2SR, fully furniture USD
3000. (2)Near UNDP
office,1500 Sqft, 1MBR,
2SR, USD 1500 (3)Near
Sedona Hotel, Shwe Ohn
Pin apartment, 1500 sqft,
1MBR, 2SR, USD 1500.
(4)8 Mile, Prom condo,
2500 Sqft, 1MBR, 2SR,
fully furniture, USD 4000.
(5)Near China Embassy,
Golden rose condo, 2500
Sqft, 2MBR, 1SR, fully
furniture USD 4000.(6)
Chanthargone Young
condo, 2500 Sqft, 1MBR,
2 SR, USD 2500. (7)
University Avenue Rd,
Thakatho Yeikmon condo,
1250 Sqft, 1MBR, 2 SR,
fully furniture, 2500 USD.
Ph : 09-2527-0 3331
(1) 7 MiLe, single house,
2 RC, 2MBR, 1SR, fully
furniture, USD 4500. (2)
8 Mile, single house, 2
RC, 2MBR, 1SR, fully
furniture USD 7000.(3)
Near Russian Embassy,
2 RC, 2MBR, 1SR , fully
furniture USD 15000. Ph:
09-2527-0 3331
BLAzon apt - (corner
unit), 3 bed room, 1900
+ sq.ft, Contact owner:
09-520-3220, 557453.
BAhAn, Near Holiday
hotel, Po Sein Rd, 2 RC,
3 Room with toilet, 3 AC,
car parking, 2000US$
per month. Ph: 09-250026350, 09-31287827
dAgon Tsp, Condo,
near park royal hotel,
1250 sqft, window
side, 1MBR, 1SR,with
balcony, 3AC, Lift, car
parking, T200USD per
month. Ph: 09-250026350, 09-312-87827
(1)TAMwe, East Race
Course St, 48'x73'.
Condo Pent house. 1
MBR, 2SR, wooden
floor. aircons. USD 3500
per month. (2)Bahan,
Golden Valley, 80'x60' , 2
storey building. 3 MBR,4
aircons. USD 2500 per
month. (3)Mayangone,
Maykha Rd, Parami.
0.5 acre land. European
Single storey, 4MBR, Big
lawn, Swimming pool.
Negotiable. Ph:09-260332121.
KAMAYUT, (1)Thanlwin
Rd. 80'x80'. 2 storey
new house. 6 MBR, 10
Aircons. Lawn. modern
nice house USD 8000 per
month. (2)Inya Rd. 0.25
acre land. Single storey.
3 MBR. aircons. Semi
furnished. USD 6000
per month. Negotiable.
Ph:09-2603-32121
SAnChAUng, Bagayar
Rd, Newly decorated
apartment
(Airconditioned, big build in
wardrobe with dressing
table, standard bath room
with water heater, and
exhaust fan in Kitchen)
with good lighting and
ventilation high floor,
clear view to Shwe Dagon
Pagoda at quiet location,
between Bagayar and U
Wisara Rd is available to
rent. Walking distance to
Myay Ni Gone City Mart,
Dagon Centre, $800/
month - Negotiable for
fully furnish : Ph: 09-43067111
(1)3 Bedroom Brand New
Condo, Furnished. Pay
TV, Internet provided, 5
min walk to Kandawgyi
lake and downtown.
USD 2500 per month. No
agent fees. (2)2 Bedroom
Condo. Not furnished. 5
min walk to Sule pagoda
&
Shangrila
Hotel.

USD 1000 per month.

One month agent fees.
Contact: phyuphyu.077@
gmail.com Ph: 09-5032952, 09-730-75900.
AhLone, Strand Condo,
1250 sqft, fully furnished,
1 MBR, 1 common room,
decorated, lift, car park,
3 A/C, river view. Ph :
09-508-1175, Email :
kaungthihaheaven@
gmail.com
VerY niCe Condo,
Thiri Avenue, Taw Win
St, 9 Mile, Mayangone.
1350 sqft, 2 MBR, 1
BR, Living room, shrine,
dinning room,kitchen,
Varandah, 4th Flr, Lift
own car park, security
and waste management.
Fully furnished. Only for
foreigners, one year basic
contract. Please contact :
09-5000621, 01-200581.
MUdiTAr Condo flat,
Fully furnished 2, bed
room, 2.7,lakhs/month.
First to see will lease.
Ph:09 4236 60602.
Email:vtchit@gmail.com
offiCe SpACe To LeT
3100 sqm available over
5 floors in a 12-storey
building with car park,
restaurant, multi function
hall and apartments.
Please contact - Ph:
09-2523-59355.
Email : office-mm@
uniteammarine.com,
web: www .facebook.
com/officespaceyangon

Housing for Sale

pwin oo Lwin, Land 40'
x 70', 320 Lakhs. Ph: 09518-8320.
CLASSiC Strand Condo
suitable for office, 2280
sqft (2,500 sqft with
mezzanine), 3rd floor,
wide open space, 14 ft
ceilings, face river. New
building with gym, car
park, cafe, facilities. Prime
downtown location, close
to strand hotel/union bar.
porntipawong@gmail.
com. Tel: 09-4200-04585
TAUnggYi Plots (1)
Regularly-shaped plot
of 0.25 acres @ Yay
Aye Kwin Ward for MMK
9,000 Lakhs ; (2) 0.11
acres @ Yay Aye Kwin
Ward with 2-storey house
and good view for MMK
3,000 Lakhs. Interested
buyers or brokers in
Taunggyi, please email to
pdecfinance@gmail.com
or call 09-262702844.
eAST dAgon, VIP 11
quarter, 40' x 60', Gayan,
550 Lakhs. Negotiable,
Ph: 01-500064, 094480-03146.
TAUng gYi, Bayar Phyu
Quarter, 50' x 55', 150
lakhs, Negotiable, Ph:
01-500064, 09-448003146

Want to Hire
wAnTed
Factory
building
for
rent
Dimension:
Length:
140 meters x Width: 45
meters x Height: 8 9
meters Use: Immediate
/ Heavy Industry With
Electricity Power of 500
Kva (11Kv) minimum
& water supply Area:
Yangon / Bago area
Preferable from direct
owner. Please contact :
mtrajahkl@gmail.com,
tinhlaing2167@gmail.
com, chohlaingnyein@
gmail.com Tel: 09 -421135261, 09-507-8834, 094250-15876
expAT
working
in
Yangon looking for
accommodation to share
with other Expats. If you
want to rent a bedroom in
your house or flat please
contact me through my
email at biscay.world@
gmail.com

FREE

THE MYANMAR TIMES MAY 22, 2015

Employment
UN Positins
The UniTed Nations
World Food Programme,
is seeking (1)Logistics
Officer NO-B, Yangon
(COB 21 May 2015) (2)
Logistics Officer NOA, Maungdaw (COB 22
May 2015) For more
information, please visit
to http://www.themimu.
info/jobs-for-myanmarnationals. Please Email
the applications with UN
P-11 to wfpmyanmar.
vacancy@wfp.org.

Embassy
embassy of Egypt is
seeking an experienced
staff to work as Bearer
at the Ambassador's
Residence. Must be able
to speak English well and
have experience in the
same field. Qualified and
Interested candidates
should submit CV and
copies of testimonials
as soon as possible
to Embassy of Egypt,
No.81
Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Rd, Dagon
Township or to email:
egyptembassy86@
gmail.com.

Ingo Position
inT'L Rescue Committee
is seeking (1)Field
Manager 1 post in
Paletwa, Chin State
: University degree
in
Management,
Community
Develop
ment or equivalent field.
Fluently in English/
Myanmar & excellent
report writing skills.
Computer skills. (2)
Senior Health Officer
2 posts (one for Mese
and one for Hpasaung
: MBBS, BCoomH,
BNSc or other related
professional of health
developmental science. 3
years' experience. Good
skill on Microsoft office
package. Good command
of English and Myanmar.
(3)Senior
Health
Officer 1 post Hprusoe/
Bawlakhae - Kayah
State : MBBS, BComH,
BNSc or other related
professional of health
developmental science.
3 years' experience.
Good skill on Microsoft
office package. Good
command of English and
Myanmar. Please send
a Cover letter, CV & all
relevant documents to
the HR Department by
email at WaiMar.Naing@
rescue.org or by delivery
to the IRC Office:33/A,
Natmauk Lane Thwe (1),
Bocho (2) Quarter, Bahan,
Yangon. Closingdate : 2,
June, 2015.
The
inT'L
Rescue
Committee (IRC) is
seeking (1)Warehouse
Assistant 2 posts in
Sittwe and Rathaedaung
Tsp, Rakhine State:
Knowledge of generic
warehouse management
systems
&
forms
Secondary
school
education to tertiary
education. Holder of a
valid driving license. (2)
Logistics Assistant 1
post in Sittwe : Degree
or Diploma in related field
and/ or related trainging
course. Computer literate
with strong MS Office.
Good communication
in both Burmese and
English. Who live in Sittwe
is preferable. Please
submit a Cover letter & CV
to the HR Department by
email at: WaiMar.Naing@
rescue org or by delivery
to the IRC office :.33/A,
Natmauk Lane Thwe (1),
Bocho Quarter. Bahan,
Yangon, Closing date :
27 May 2015.
inT'L Rescue Committee
is seeking(1) Monitoring
& Evaluation Manager in
Yangon : M.B., B. S, MD,
B.C.Sc with post graduate
degree in Public Health or
a related field. 3-5 years
experience in M&E of
complex health programs
in a humanitarian UN/
INGOs/ LNGO context.
Good computer literacy
and have good skills and
experience of applying
database,
statistical
soft-wares and research

designs.
Excellent
command of MS-Office
software applications.
(2)Senior Monitoring
& Evaluation Officer
in Yangon : M.B.,B.S,
MD, B.C.Sc. 2 years
experience in M&E of
complex health programs
in a humanitarian UN/
INGOs/ LNGO context.
Excellent
command
of MS-Office software
applications. Plese send
a Cover letter, CV & all
relevant documents to
the HR Department by
email at WaiMar.Naing@
rescue.org or by delivery
to the IRC Office : 33/A,
Natmauk Lane Thwe
(1), Bocho (2) Quarter,
Bahan, Yangon. Closing
date : 5 June 2015.
(1)CsR Field Officer 2
posts (2)Branch WASH
Officer 1 Post (3)hR
Assistant 1 Post (4) Field
Officer 2 Posts (5) Field
Supervisor 2 Posts (6)
Field Assistant 4 Posts.
Please send application
letter, CV & related
documents to Myanmar
Red Cross Society (Head
Office)
Yazatingaha
Rd,
Dekkhinathiri,
NayPyi Taw. Ormrcshr
recruitment@gmail.
com
www.myanmar
redcrosssociety.org
inT'L Rescue Committee
is seeking (1)Senior
Health Officer in Paletwa,
Chin State : Degree on
Development Studies,
Social Science or other
related professional of
health developmental
science.
2
years
experience. Good skill on
Microsoft office package
& command of English &
Myanmar. (2)Senior Field
Health Officer 1 post in
Kanpetlet, Chin State
M.B., B.S, B.CommH,
BNSc,
Diploma
in
Midwifery or other health
related disciplines. 2
years experience. Good
Myanmar & ability to
communicate in English.
(3)Reproductive Health
Project
Manager:
Medical degree with
public health background/
Master of public health or
post graduate diploma in
poublic health is an asset.
5 years of professional
experience. Able to work
and travel to very remote
areas. Operational skilled
on Microsoft Office
Package. Fluency in
English/ Chin (Khumee).
Please submit a Cover
letter & CV to the HR
Department by email at:
WaiMar.Naing@rescue.
org or by delivery to the
IRC office 33/ A, Natmauk
Lane Thwe (1), Bocho (2)
Quarter, Bahan, Yangon.
Closing date : 22 May,
2015.
fondazione Terre des
hommes Italia (Tdh- It)
is seeking Agriculture
Technician
(Based
Myingyan,
Mandalay
Region) : Bachelor
degree in Agriculture or
Diploma in Agriculture.
Effective English skill.
Good computer skill.
Sharing the values and
mission of Tdh-It and the
Convention on the Rights
of the Child. Please
submit application with
completed information
about current job and
expected salary incl.
CV, photo, references
by email or by postal
service to Terre des
Hommes Italia Country
Office: Tdh-It Country
Office: 48, Shwe Hinn
Thar St, Hlaing, Yangon.
Tel: 01-654604, Email:
hr.tdhit.mya@gmail.com,
Closing date : 22-5-2015.
(1) fieLd sUpeRvisoR
1 Post : Demoso (Kayah
State) Please send
application letter, CV
and related documents
to
Myanmar
Red
Cross Society (Head
Office)
Yazatingaha
Rd,
Dekkhinathiri,
NayPyi
Taw.
Ormrcshrrecruitment@
gmail.com
www.
myanmar
redcross
society.org.
The
inT'L
Rescue
Committee (IRC) is
seeking Senior Officer
1 post in Kayin State:
Bachelor ofArts or Science

in Social, Public Health,

Humanities or other
related field. 3 years of
professional experience
in manage ment in NGOs.
2 years of GBV, social
work, counseling, or
psychosocial experience
in. Computer literate,
including Microsoft Word
& Excel. Fluency in
English. Please submit
a Cover letter & CV to
the HR Department by
email at: WaiMar.Naing@
rescue.org or by delivery
to IRC office Int'l Rescue
Committee (IRC) 33/A,
Natmauk Lane Thwe
(1), Bocho (2) Quarter,
Bahan, Yangon.

Local Positions
desiGneR - F : Age 20
~ 30, Photoshop, Adobe,
Adjust salary, 9 am to
6 pm. Contact ph : 01566044, 566045
edULink Australia is
seeking (1)Study Abroad
Counsellor
4 Posts
: University graduate,
Upper-Intermediate
English,
Computer
literate. To apply for the
position please click
here:
https://goo.gl/
naEWrN (or) careers@
edulinkaustralia.com
CustomerServiceOfficer
4 Posts : University
graduate,
Computer
literate,
Intermediate
English. To apply for
the position please click
here:
https://goo.gl/
naEWrN (or) careers@
edulinkaustralia.com
bUsy Readymix operation
near Thanlyin require Concrete Supervisors,
Concrete Mixer Drivers,
Concrete Batch Plant
operators, Concrete
Q.S
Supervisors,
Loading
Shovel
Operators, Cleaners,
General Workers /
Helpers, Batch plant
Electricians, Batch plant
Mechanics, Secretary.
Good rates of pay, 8 Hour
shifts, Accommodation if
required. Please sent
c.v or letter stating which
you are applying for and
expected salary to Human
Resources,
Lafarge /
Star Cement No.16A,
Thukhawadi St, Yangkin,
Yangon, Myanmar. Email
: mary.han@lafarge.com
a new established
boutique public relation
company is seeking a
young and energetic
staff to join the team. (1)
Translator-M/F 1 Post.
(2)Media Monitoring
Assistant - F 2 Posts.
(3)Office Assistant - F
1 Post. For all positions :
Any graduate, Computer
literate (Able to use
Words, Excel, Power
Point, Internet & Email),
Able to work with team,
multitasking and work
under pressure with
minimum supervision,
Excellent interpersonal
skills. Office hour - 9 am
to 5 pm (Only week days)
If you are interested in
growing your experience
with us please send an
application including CV
with expected salary
to pandpmedia.com@
gmail.comor No.(17),
Shwe Tha Pyay Yeik
Mon(2), Nawarat St,
Tharketa,
Yangon.
Closing date : 25 May
2015.
bUsy
Readymix
operation near Thanlyin
require - Concrete
Supervisors, Concrete
Mixer Drivers, Concrete
Batch Plant operators,
Concrete
Q.S
Supervisors, Loading
Shovel
Operators,
Cleaners,
General
Workers / Helpers,
Batch plant Electricians,
Batch plant Mechanics,
Secretary, Good rates
of pay 8 Hour shifts,
Accommodation
if
required. Please sent
c.v or letter stating
which you are applying
for and expected salary
to Human Resources
Lafarge /Star Cement
No.16A, Thukhawadi St,
Yangkin, Yangon, Email
: mary.han@lafarge.com
sTUdy
abRoad
Counsellor 4 post:
Selection
Criteria,

Any graduate, UpperIntermediate English,

Has initiative, Well
organised and able to
manager time effectively.
Excellent interpersonal
&
communication
skills. Able to use Ms
Work,Excel and Internet.
Able to use Gmail and
Google Calendar (or
to learn to use them). If
you believe that you are
suitably qualified for this
position please apply
using this link: http://goo.
gl/EHstKS
CUsTomeR seRviCe
Officer
4 posts :
University graduate, Basic
computer skills (MS office,
Gmail),
Intermediate
English, Professional
presentation. To apply for
the position please click
here: http://goo.gl/725l3h
CooL CiTy Zone Co.,
Ltd is seeking (1)Sales
& Marketing Manager M/F 1 Post (2)Sales and
Marketing Assistant
Manager -M/F 1 Post, For
1 & 2: Any graduate/Civil
Engineering, Additional
qualifications in Marketing
or Business Management
would be advantageous.
5 years experience. (3)
Sales Supervisor - M/F 1
Post (4)Sales Promoter
- M/F 1 Post. For 3 &
4: Any graduate/AGTICivil. 2 years of relevant
experience. (5)Auto Cat
2D, 3D - M/F 1 Post : Any
graduate prefer with Civil/
Mechanical Engineering
(6)Junior Accountant M/F 1 Post : Degree or
Diploma in Accounting
and Finance or equivalent.
For 5 & 6: one year of
relevant
experience.
Please submit CV (with
attached a recent photo),
with relevant documents
to 552, Lower Kyeemyin
Daing Rd, Kyeemyin
Daing, Yangon, Ph:
01-215033, Email: ccz.
myanmar@gmail.com
within 2 weeks.

only and information will

be destroyed after the
selection process.
CenTURion Auto Group
Transportation services
is seeking Driver : Must
have valid license. May
have to expert high way
in Myanmar and down
town area in Yangon.
Can drive all type of cars
(automic and manual). No
tobacco, acohol and betel
nut. Basic Command
in Spoken English. At
least three or five year
experience in driving cars.
Knowledge of mechanical
skills is preferable. If you
interest this position
please contact to 157/41,
Yeik Thar 2nd St, Thin
Gyan Gyun. Email :
sawthuunandar@gmail.
com. Ph: 09-2501-88232.
we
aRe
currently
seeking two new dynamic
teachers to work at
"Kings
International
School". We follow the
Early years foundation
Stage Curriculum of
England, but are happy
to offer training for a good
candidate. We teach both
Myanmar and Chinese
language alongside our
curriculum with specialist
teachers. Candidates
should show : Graduate
level qualifications and
teaching certificate. A
sound knowledge of
good practice, curriculum
and philosophy. Have
a fun, inspiring manner
with the children. Have
high expectations for
their children in relation
to achievement and
behavior. Be keen to
work hard and become
part of strong team. The
candidate must submit
his/her application or CV
(with attached photo) in
person to The Manager,
Kings Int'l School : 695,
Mahabandoola Rd, Bet:
19th St & Sint Oh Dan St,
Latha. Ph : 01-382213,
395816, or by email to:

vpoweR
is
an
independent
power
producer, one of the
leading solution providers
in the short to mid-term
power supply market
including
temporary
power rental is seeking
(1)Project Manager :
Bachelors degree in
Electrical Engineering,
Fluent
in
English,
Chinese language will
be preferred, 5 years
project
management
experience,
Strong
leadership skills, Good
communication skills to
train and interact with staff
at all levels (2)Project
Electrical / Mechanical
Engineer (Coordinator)
: Bachelors degree or
above in Electrical or
Mechanical Engineering,
Fluent
in
English,
Chinese language will
be preferred, 3 years
relevant
experience,
Practical
knowledge
& skills in repairing &
installingelectrical
or
mechanical
system
at a work site, Less
experience
will
be
considered as Project
Coordinator
position.
We provide an attractive
remuneration package
to the right candidates.
Please send application
with full details stating
Current & Expected
Salary to vpower2013@
ymail.com. The Company
may also refer suitable
applicants to other
vacancies within the
Group. All personal
datawill be used for
recruitment purposes

zawmyogreenboy@
gmail.com
dvb Multimedia Group
is
seeking
Senior
Accountant : B.Com
or Certified Accountant,
5 years experience in
a similar position/field,
Prior experience with
international accounting
standards,
Familiar
with
computerized
accounting, Preferably
familiar with QuickBook
accounting
software,
Good Computer skill
(office
application),
Good analytical skill,
Excellent communication
& networking (interper
sonal) skills, Preferably
familiar with QuickBook
accounting
software,
Preferably
good
command of spoken &
written English. Rm 4,
Bldg 18, Hninn Si Rd,
Tamwe.
www.dvb.no
ClDeadline Application:
Until Candidate Identified

yanGon International
School is looking for (1).
IT network Engineer :
Must have a degree in IT
and be able to manage
the local area network,
server functions and
organizations,
user
systems the installation
of all front-end (user) and
back-end (infrastructure)
school-wide technology
systems, peripherals,
apparatus & software. 3
years experiences. (2).
Admissions' Assistant
: Customer service
experience.
Good
command English and
Myanmar.
Familiarity
with international schools
will be an advantage.
Qualified and interested
candidates may send their
CV forms to Mr. James
at james@yismyanmar.
com or 117, Thumingalar
Rd,
Thumingalar
housing, Thingangyun,
Yangon, Ph: 01 578171,
09420163769.
The
position is open until filled.
G sTaR hoTeL is seeking
(1)Driver - M 2 Posts (2)
Waiter - M 10 Posts (3)
Room Attantant - M/F
3 Posts (4)Bell Boy - M
1 Post (5)Cashier - F
3 Post (6)Public Area
Cleaner - M/F 2 Posts (7)
Receptionist - F 3 Post
(8)m&e (Maintainess) - M
1 Post. For new branch
at Thaketa G Star II is
seeking (1)Waiter - M
10 Posts (2)Cashier - F
3 Posts. Please submit
CV with necessary
documents to 20/b, c,
Thukhawati St, West
Yankin, Yankin. Ph:
09-32109590, 09-32109591. Closing Date : 15
.5 .2015.
we
aRe
seeking
Translator : 3 year
experience,
Strong
knowledge of legal
terminology,
Positive
working
attitude,
interpersonal
&
communication skills,
Good awareness of
current affairs, cultures
and politics, It is an
advantage to have a
knowledge of and/or
interest in specialist
areas such as law,
politics/government/
public administration,
economics, marketing
and financial affairs.
Interested
candidate
please send CV to ppo@
kcyangon.com with Last
drawn, expected salary &
availability period.
keLvin Chia Yangon
Ltd is a foreign legal
consultancy firm. We
invite motivated and
committed individuals to
join us as (1) Lawyers
who will work on a variety
of corporate & commercial
matters & transactions
in Myanmar. If you are
a
Myanmar-qualified
lawyer with strong English
language skills, you are
invited to apply to join our
Myanmar practice group.
Myanmar
nationals
admitted to intl bars are
also welcome to apply.
Training will be provided.
(2)Corporate Affairs
Executive As a corporate
affairs executive, you will
be involved with business
development, networking,
market research &
liaison work. Applicants
should be proficient in
English, energetic & selfmotivated. All nationalities
are welcome (Myanmar,
Japanese,
Korean,
Chinese, Taiwanese, etc).
Please email application
and curriculum vitae to
ppo@kcyangon.com

GLomed phaRmaCeU
TiCaL Co., INC is seeking
(1)Sales Manager M 1 post in Yangon:
Excellent in English.
Determines
sales
plans by implementing
marketing strategies;
analyzing trends &
results. Establishes sales
objectives by forecasting
and developing annual
sales quotas for regions
and territories; projecting
expected sales volume
for existing & new
products. Willing to go on
business trip in the whole
Myanmar. (2)Medical
Sales Representative
(MSR) : M/F 4 posts
in Yangon, 2 posts in
Mandalay, 1 in each
other State in Myanmar:
Approaching and making
good relationship with
customers.
(3)Office
Admin - F1 post in
Yangon
:
English
speaking. Coordinates
administrative activities
& supports the offices
daily operations to
ensure efficiently office
admin function. Contacts
with the vendor to carry
out indirect purchasing
process such as car
rental, the apartment
lease, HOTELBOOKING,
air tickets. Coordinates
logistics for the expatriate
such as visa/working
permit/residence permit/
apartment lease agree
ment. Arranges travel
and logistics for internal
parties. Checks all
expenses relate to
travel report and creates
weekly/travel report in
SAP system. Arranges
appointment/meeting
when necessary. Other
miscellaneous duties as
assigned by Superior.
CVs should be sent
by email to : giang.
glomedvn@gmail.com;
C/c to: Congkhanh.
nguyen@glomedvn.
com H/P: +95 92 5200
2759 Mr. Giang (English
speaking) +959 261 779
889 Mr. Khanh (English
speaking) 35th St, 1st
flr, middle, Kyauktada,
Yangon. www.glomedvn.
vn
we aRe seeking (1)
Production Manager
- M 1 post : A.G.T.I
(Mechanical), 3 years
experience, Age 30 ~ 55,
Well knowledge in modern
furniture & furniture
installation & production.
(2)Marketing Manager
- M/F 1 post : Have
to understand project
sales, retail marketing
& other marketing tools
and technique. 4 years
experience in Decorative
Materials & Construction
materials industry. (3)
Project Coordinator
(Interior) - M/F 1 post
: Able to set
project
timelines & coordinate
different parties. Well
knowledge in modern
furniture & furniture
installation & production.
3 years experience. (4)
Project Manager- M/F 1
post : A.G.T.I (Civil) or B.E
(Civil). 5 years experience.
Well experience in
high-rise construction.
Well
knowledge
in
steel structure, precast building & modern
building techniques. (5)
Assistant HR Manager M/F 1 post : Any graduate,
5 year experience, HR
knowledge, Computer
skills & also reporting skill.
Good communication

skills. Please submit CV,

photo with necessary
documents
to
HR
Department
Zware
Group of Companies
(DeArch Co., Ltd, Live
Life Co., Ltd, Builder
Group Co., Ltd, MBIG)
440, Waizayantar Rd (at
the corner of Waizayantar
Rd & Thit Sar Rd), South
Okkala, Yangon. Tel: 951565911, +951-8551294,
www.zwaregroup.com
Email:
recruitment@
zwaregroup.com
asia pLaza hoTeL
is seeking (1)Sale &
Marketing Manager M/F 1 Post. (2) Assistant
FO manager - M/F 1 Post.
(3)Sales & Marketing
Executive - M/F 2 Posts.
(4) FO Supervisor - M/F 2
Posts. (5) F&B Manager
M/F 1 Post. (6)Chief
Accountant - M/F 1 Post.
(7) G.s.o (Guest Service
Officer) - M/F 1 Post. (8)
HR Assistant - F 1 Post.
Must be interesting,
strive & in the long term
for this position. Please
apply with CV, Photo,
Expect salary, Certificate
& other attachement
copy. Asia Plaza Hotel,
Yangon : 277, Corner of
38th & Bogyoke Aung San
Rd, Kyauktada, Yangon.
Ph:391070, 391071.
enGLish
TeaCheR
in Language School :
Responsible & reliable,
Efficient and resultoriented,At least 3 years in
teaching, Willingness and
capacity to accommodate
when faced with difficult
and frustrating working
conditions, Able and
willing to travel in Yangon.
Interested applicants are
to send their current C.V
with recent photo and
fixed a day for interview.
Send to jatojamie@gmail.
com or call 09-450050725.
exo TRaveL is seeking
(1)Admin
Assistant
(Logistics) : Any degree
holder or equivalent
qualifications, Able to
use Microsoft office
programs comfortably.
Able to commit overtime
when necessary. (2)
Travel Consultant :
2 years experience in
tourism related field,
Pro-active & Team spirit,
good organizational &
problem solving skill,
Strong sales & customer
service focus, Computer
proficiency : Microsoft
word, Excel, & Outlook,
Good communication in
English/French (Written
& Spoken ). (Only those
with a genuine interest
in joining a professional
travel company for longterm commitment need
apply.) Plesase send
a detailed resume HR
Manager at memecho@
exotravel.com or mail to
147. Shwegonedaing St,
West Shwegonedaing,
Bahan, Yangon, Tel: +
95 (0) 1 8604933
inT'L Accounting &
Law firm is seeking (1)
Junior Associates, LL.
B or LL. M - F 3 posts.
(2)Cpas - F 2 posts. (3)
Accountants, B Com,
Level II, Level III - F 3
posts. (4) Receptionist
& Secretary - F 2 post.
For all posts: Ages 22
~ 35, Fluent in English,
Excellent negotiation &
communication skills,
Computer skills. Please
submit CV to alex.
hwang@polaris.com.
mm

26 Sport

THE MYANMAR TIMES May 22, 2015

QATAR 2022

Sponsors pressure FIFA amid

fresh Qatar worker abuse claims

ajor sponsors Visa and

Coca-Cola pressed FIFa
May 21 to help improve
labour conditions in
Qatar as amnesty International accused the 2022 World Cup
host of failing to deliver on promised
reforms for migrant workers.
We continue to be troubled by the
reports coming out of Qatar related to
the World Cup and migrant worker
conditions, credit card giant Visa
said, adding that it had expressed its
grave concern directly to footballs
top body.
Coke said it was also pressing FIFa
to demand more labour reforms from
Qatar after fresh accusations from
rights group amnesty that labourers
in the tiny oil-rich country were dying
in their hundreds.
We expect FIFa to continue taking
these matters seriously and to work
toward further progress, the company
said.
Their statements, which come after
similar criticism from sponsor adidas,
are the strongest indication yet that
high-profile commercial backers are
becoming increasingly uneasy over
the treatment of migrant workers in
Qatar.
FIFa is due to hold a meeting later
this month that could see a resolution put forward to remove the World
Cup from the country the first ever
awarded to the Middle East because
of the slow pace of labour reforms.
World footballs governing body
said it would continue to urge the
Qatari authorities to accomplish reforms.
FIFa has repeatedly urged publicly

An artists rendering of a spectators view in the planned Al Wakrah Stadium in Qatar. Photo: Zaha Hadid Architects

and with the highest authorities in Qatar that fair working conditions for all
workers in Qatar are imperative, it said.
But amnesty warned that without prompt action, the pledges Qatar
made last year are at serious risk of
being dismissed as a mere public relations stunt to ensure the Gulf state can
cling on to the event.
In the latest of a string of reports
on migrant worker abuse, the rights
group said Doha had failed to deliver
reforms in key areas such as pay, the
kafala system that blocks workers

from leaving the country and curbs on

changing employers.
Some 440 migrant workers from
India and Nepal the two countries
with the largest number of migrants
working on World Cup projects died
in 2014, amnesty said, citing their governments figures but without detailing how they were killed.
Qatar is failing migrant workers,
said Mustafa Qadri, a Gulf migrants
researcher at amnesty.
Last year the government made
promises to improve migrant labour

rights in Qatar, but in practice, there

have been no significant advances.
The lack of a clear roadmap of
targets and benchmarks for reform
leaves serious doubts about Qatars
commitment to tackling migrant labour abuse, he said.
The release of amnestys report,
Promising Little, Delivering Less: Qatar and Migrant Labour Abuse Ahead
of the 2022 Football World Cup, caps a
turbulent week for Doha.
on May 18, it emerged that a BBC
journalist invited to Qatar to examine

the living conditions of workers building infrastructure for the World Cup
had been arrested and held without
charge.
Qatar has been repeatedly criticised for the poor working conditions
of as many as 1 million migrant workers.
Facing searing international condemnation, Doha pledged in May 2014
to reform some of its more contentious labour laws but has so far failed
to live up to its promises.
Earlier this month abdullah bin
Saleh al-Khulaifi, the minister of labour and social affairs, said he was
90 percent certain the kafala system would be replaced by the end of
2015.
He added that the wage protection
system would be up and running by
mid-august, as would improvements
to workers accommodation.
But amnesty said that with the
number of migrant workers in the
country expected to more than double, reforms to labour conditions were
becoming increasingly vital.
amnesty listed nine fundamental
areas for reform and said Doha has
managed only limited progress in
five, and none at all in four.
It criticised Qatar for not meeting a
target of having 300 labour inspectors
in place by the end of last year and for
the slow introduction of an electronic
wage protection system.
With Qatars construction boom
continuing and the migrant worker
population set to expand to 2.5 million, the need for urgent reform is
more pressing than ever, said Qadri.
AFP

Qatar World Cup on schedule

despite controversies
THE controversies surrounding Qatars hosting of the football 2022 World
Cup may continue unabated but so too
do the countrys preparations for the
tournament itself.
I can say we are on schedule,
tournament chief Hassan al-Thawadi
said earlier this month.
This week, the man who oversaw
Brazils preparations for the 2014
World Cup, ricardo Trade, visited Qatar and announced himself impressed

with the amount of detailed planning

and stadium progress achieved by
the Qataris seven years away from the
start of the tournament.
Confidence in the progress of Qatars preparation comes at the same
time as the howls of protest at the
countrys proposed hosting of the
World Cup grow ever louder.
just in the past few weeks alone,
Qatars poor image in the eyes of
many abroad has been further

battered by events.
anger over the arrests of two foreign journalist crews trying to expose
the squalid living conditions faced by
many labourers, the Council of Europe
calling for a re-run of the vote which
awarded the tournament to the Gulf
emirate, trades unions urging World
Cup sponsors to lobby for reform, and
the publication of another unfavourable amnesty International report,
have all added to the feeling that Qatars World Cup is under permanent
seige.
Meanwhile, a FIFa meeting later
this month could see a resolution tabled to remove the World Cup from
Qatar because of the slow pace of labour reforms.
Yet inside Qatar all this appears to
be making little difference to the Gulf
countrys timetable for the 2022 tournament.
Thawadi, a fervent Liverpool fan
who talks dreamily of his idol King
Kenny Dalglish, bullishly dismisses
criticism and says, We have always
said we have been confident in the integrity of our bid.
on the ground, Qatars preparations
already mean that work has begun on
potentially more than half of the stadiums that will be used by the worlds best
footballers in seven years time.
Qatar has unveiled the designs for
,or already begun reconstruction on
five of the grounds to be used.
as few as eight stadiums or as
many as 12 might be used for the
first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, which is uniquely taking

An artists rendering of the future Al Wakrah Stadium. Photo: Zaha Hadid Architects

place in the months of November and

December.
Last month, Thawadi was on hand
to oversee the launch of the latest
stadium design for the 40,000-seater
al rayyan Stadium, Doha, which will
be used to host matches up until the
quarter-final stage.
renovations have begun on the
Khalifa International Stadium, which
will also host the 2019 World athletics
Championship.
In the north of Qatar, the main
construction on the 60,000 al-Bayt
Stadium, which will be the site for one
of the World Cup semi-finals, will start
later this summer.
In addition, preliminary building
work has begun on the Qatar Foundation Stadium and the al Wakrah Stadium, shaped to look like a traditional
dhow boat. Each of these has a capacity of 40,000.
It has also been announced that re-

nowned British architects Foster and

Partners will design the stadium that
will host the final of the tournament
in 2022.
The 80,000-seater stadium will be
constructed in the purpose-built city
of Lusail, some 15 kilometres (9 miles)
north of Doha.
It may be on time but it is not
known if Qatars World Cup preparations are on budget.
one unknown is exactly how much
the tournament is costing the deeppocketed Qataris.
Multi-billion-dollar figures for the
actual cost of the tournament in the
energy-rich county have been thrown
around, but Thawadi refuses to play
ball.
I cant disclose the budget we have
represented so far because a lot of
the stadiums are at tender phase, so
I dont want to provide the numbers,
he said. AFP

Sport
28 THE MYANMAR TIMES May 22, 2015

SPORT EDITOR: Matt Roebuck | matt.d.roebuck@gmail.com

Amnesty and sponsors

criticise Qatar 2022
SPORT 26

FOOTball

FIFA presidents MiddleEast peace bid stutters

IFA president Sepp Blatter

saw his Mideast peace-making mission crumble on May
20 after the Palestinians
vowed to press efforts to
have Israel suspended at the upcoming world football congress.
After months of rising tensions
over plans by the Palestinian Football
Association (PFA) to have its Israeli
counterpart expelled from FIFA, Blatter flew into the region on May 19 on a
mission to resolve the dispute.
At issue is a Palestinian complaint
over Israeli restrictions on the freedom of movement of its players and
footballing officials.
The Palestinians are also protesting the existence of five Israeli teams
in settlements which are built on land
they want for a future state. The clubs
play in the third and fourth divisions.
Blatter first met in Jerusalem with
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
who pledged to take a number of steps
to ease the situation.
But after talks with Palestinian
president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah on May 20, it quickly became clear
it was not enough, with PFA chief Jibril Rajoub saying they would not take
the proposal off the agenda for the upcoming FIFA Congress which begins
on May 28.
We will keep the proposal on the
agenda [of the upcoming FIFA Congress] for sincere and open discussions
by the FIFA member associations, Rajoub said at a joint press conference
with Blatter.
There will be no compromising on
free movement of our athletes and officials.
The Palestinians want the matter
to be put to a vote at the annual FIFA
Congress where it will only pass if it
gets the support of three-quarters of

the 209 member federations.

Israel has denounced the Palestinian move as an attempt to mix politics
and sport, saying such matters had no
place within FIFA.
Rajoubs remarks were a clear indication that Blatters peace efforts
had failed, although the world football
chief vowed he would not give up.
Blatter has spoken out against suspending the Israeli FA, saying such a
move would damage the organisation
as a whole and could set a dangerous
precedent.
If one association is not happy
with the other and claiming whatever
they claim, and it is a political matter
that cannot be solved by FIFA statutes
... then [a suspension] would be a dangerous precedent, Blatter said, citing
concerns that other federations in conflict zones could follow suit.
This is not football. Thats why Im
on a peace mission.
Blatter, 79, is seeking reelection at
the FIFA Congress in the hope of winning a fifth term in office.
During his talks with Abbas, Blatter
told him Israel had agreed to station
people at checkpoints to facilitate the
movement of football people and to
establish a VIP service to allow players
to move between the West Bank and
Gaza.
They also agreed to create a special ID card for Palestinian players,
and to set up a third-party working
group comprising Israeli, Palestinian
and FIFA representatives which would
meet monthly to analyse and monitor
the situation.
But he said the question of the
five settlement teams had not been
resolved, describing it as a delicate
problem.
This has nothing to do with FIFA
statutes but it could [do] if this would

mean a national association is playing

on the territory of another national association without having received permission to do so, he said.
I had a meeting today with president Abbas and we discussed this matter and this is a big question mark.
Explaining the decision to press
ahead with the resolution, Rajoub said
that all other avenues for resolving the
matters had not borne fruit and that it
was up to FIFA member associations
to decide.
We are convinced that most FIFA
members share our views on the situation and will support our proposal ...
because racism is one of the greatest
dangers that football faces at the present time, he said.
Blatter also proposed the idea
of the two national teams playing a
match for peace with Netanyahu
welcoming the idea but Rajoub saying
the conditions were not yet ready for
such a game.
Its a creative idea. I like it, he told
Blatter.
But we have to pave the road for
that. We have to prepare the environment. But this should be an endgame.
This should be a purpose for you, and I
urge you not to give up, he said.
The Palestinians say they are confident of winning support from many
federations within the congress, notably those based in Africa and Asia, recalling how the Asian Football Conference banned Israel in the mid-1970s.
The Israel Football Association,
which was recognised by FIFA in 1929
during the British Mandate, was admitted to the Asian Football Conference in 1954, but expelled 20 years
later following pressure from Arab
and Muslim members.
It was admitted to UEFA in 1994.
AFP

Sepp Blatter addressesd a crowd in Palestine on May 20. Photo: AFP

wEEKEND
THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22-28, 2015

On screen

Video revives the radio star

Golden oldies: Myanmars forgotten age of film

contents

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

FEATURE

ot
h
ps
To

A model presents a
creation by Belarusian
designer Maria Kutsko
during the international
festival A Mill of Fashion
in Minsk, on May 14.
Photo: AFP/Sergei
Gapon

12-13

A flick back to a
cinematic golden age
Experts fight to preserve
Myanmars film heritage

FEATURE

14-15

Girls on film
Cannes stars reject
patronising Year of
Women tag

TRAVEL

16-17

Kayaking Thailands
hidden lagoons
You can still find deserted
lagoons near Phuket as
long as you dont mind
kayaking to them

4
6
8
9
10
11
18
20
21
25
26

Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.

www.mmtimes.com

arts & entertainment

Film festivals pave the way for freedom of expression
FOOD & DRINK
Farenheit Bar and Restaurant reviewed

Head Office: 379/383 Bo Aung Kyaw Street,

Kyauktada Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Telephone: (01) 253 642, 392 928
Facsimile: (01) 254 158

health & beauty

Ebooks at night wont help you sleep tight

Mandalay Bureau: Bld Sa/1, Man Mandalar

Housing, 35th Street, between 70th and 71st
streets, Yan Myo Lone Quarter, Chan Aye Thar
San Township.
Tel: (02) 65391, 74585. Fax: (02) 24460
Email: mdybranch@myanmartimes.com.mm

STYLE
The not-so-timeless red carpet trend

Nay Pyi Taw Bureau: No (15/496) Yaza Htarni

Road, Paung Laung (2)Q, Pyinmana. Tel: (067)
25982, 25983, 25309, 21426
Email: capitalbureau@myanmartimes.com.mm

FAMILY
How to set boundaries on screen time
HOME & GARDEN
Indoor-outdoor furniture: A natural fit
TRAVELSCHEDULES
Domestic and international flight times
PUZZLERS
Comics, crosswords and predictions
FICTION
Chronicles of Bei Ka Street
socialite
Fabulous photos from the biggest bashes around town
whaTSON
Your weekly guide to events in Yangon

Chief Executive Officer

Tony Child
tonychild.mcm@gmail.com
Editorial Director U Thiha Saw
editorial.director.mcm@gmail.com
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Tin Moe Aung
tinmoeaung.mcm@gmail.com
WEEKEND
Editor-at-Large Douglas Long
dlong125@gmail.com
Pulse Editor Charlotte Rose
charlottelola.rose@gmail.com
Editor Special Publications Wade Guyitt
wadeguyitt@gmail.com
Art Director Tin Zaw Htway
kohtway.mcm@gmail.com
Layout Designer Khin Zaw
kophoaww@gmail.com
COPYRIGHT MCM
The Myanmar Times is owned by Myanmar
Consolidated Media Ltd and printed by
Myanmar Times Press (00876) with approval from MCM Ltd and by Shwe Myanmar
(P/00302) with approval from MCM Ltd. The
title The Myanmar Times, in either English or
Myanmar languages, its associated logos or
devices and the contents of this publication
may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the written consent of the Managing
Director of Myanmar Consolidated Media Ltd.

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | ARTS&entertainment

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | ARTS&entertainment

Woody Allen toys with existentialism

and death in latest movie
K

Film festivals
pave the way
for freedom of
expression
Film-goers watch a documentary at the Wathann Film Festival in 2013. Photo: Staff

BY CHIT SU

HE knot of onlookers in
the teashop was small
but animated as audience
members discussed with filmmakers the finer points of their work.
Sometimes it still looks as if people
are still getting used to doing this.
Before 2011, it would not have been
possible.
We started the Wathann Film
Festival for local film-makers who
wanted to invent new departures
from the mainstream, including very
artistic films, Thaiddhi, the founder
of the Wathann Film Festival said.
The Wathann Film Festival was
held in 2011 for the first time, taking
advantage of the new freedom of
expression. The founder and cofounder of the festival graduated from
FAMU (the film and TV academy
of performing arts in Prague), and
received support from FAMU.
Nowadays, Myanmar film-makers
are making the two formerly unusual
categories of documentary and short
film much more easily available, with
two or three a year being produced for
local consumption. They dont make
much money, and they often face
barriers to their work.
Documentary film-maker Tin Win
Hlaing, who produced a short film
about people suffering from mental
illness in Myanmar which received
an honourable mention at the 2012
Art of Freedom Film Festival, says it
wasnt easy making the film.
I first started making
documentaries in 2011 during the
democratic transition. Often when

I was trying to interview people on

the street I would be stopped by the
authorities. My mother didnt like
me making films as she was worried I
would get arrested, he said.
Film festival organisers say
documentary screenings can have an
important social impact in countries
like Myanmar.
When audiences do get to see a
documentary or a short film, they
can ask film-makers freely what
they want to know and discuss their
work in public. This is the impact of
the film festival, said film-maker
Thu Thu Shein, who co-founded the
Wathann Film Festival.
But these four years have been
just the start of a long journey. We
need government support, just as
in other countries the independent
film industry receives support, said
Thaiddhi. For one thing, the festival
still needs a letter of approval from
the government before it can screen
movies. Hiring cinemas is another
practical problem.
In 2011, they screened films
without permission until the final
day of the festival because the
government had not replied, even
with three months notice.
We were worried about screening
without permission. We didnt want
the participants to get into trouble. I
think the government took its time
replying because it was the first time
for them too, said Thu Thu Shein.
Though festivals are still required
to seek government approval, and
films are technically subject to
censorship, no film has been censored.
Government censorship is one
thing. Censorship by social media is

another.
Open Sky depicted the friendship
between a Muslim woman and a
Buddhist man in Meiktila at the
time of the intercommunal clashes
of March 2013. So much hate was
spewed onto social media about the
20-minute film, including threats to
burn down the cinema in which it
was to be screened, that the film was
struck from the playbill of the Human
Rights Human Dignity (HRHD)
International Film Festival. The film
has never been shown in public in
Myanmar.
The HRHD festival was formed in
2013 by Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi director
of the award-winning documentary
The Floating Tomatoes and organiser
of the Art of Freedom Film Festival in
2012 who was inspired by a similar
initiative in the Czech Republic.
In our country, people are not
really familiar with the concept of
human rights, said Mon Mon Myat, a
festival organiser.
HRHD the third edition of which
will be held in Yangon from June 14
to 19 has organised a successful
Travelling Film Festival to spread the
word about human rights across the
country. But Mon Mon Myat said that
local people were still wary in their
exercise of the right to freedom of
expression.
We were screening films in
Hakha, Chin State. The first night,
400 people turned up, watched the
film, asked questions afterward. The
second night, only 20 came, because
they saw there was a police car parked
outside the cinema.
It turned out the officers just
wanted to enjoy the film.

ANT and killing might seem

an unusual cinematic mix.
Unless, of course, its in a
Woody Allen film.
The prolific director has often
thrown philosophy into his wry
comedies, and he won new respect
with his 2005 murder thriller
Match Point.
His latest movie, Irrational
Man, which premiered at the
Cannes Film Festival on May 15,
mixes both elements in a story
that, while of a familiar Allen
mould, showcases the formidable
acting talents of Joaquin Phoenix
and Emma Stone.
The film follows a cynical,
world-weary philosophy professor,
Abe (Phoenix), who takes up a
teaching post in a small campus
town and who in a Woody Allen
touchstone proves irrestistable
to a sassy and smart female
student, Jill (Stone).
While Abe quotes Immanuel
Kant and Soren Kierkegaard,
he is too jaded to believe the
philosophers ideas mean
anything until he decides to
murder a judge he doesnt know as
a test of his unorthodox morality.
The plotting of the crime reinvigourates Abe and gives him a
new taste for life. But, as in Match
Point, events cascade toward

potential disaster.
Allen told a media conference
after the press screening of
Irrational Man that while the Abe
character appeared to be acting in
a crazy way, his decisions were not
all that unusual.
I do think that there are
turning points in your life when
you realise something momentous
can happen if you make the
choice, he said.
Its not so irrational given the
comparisons with the choices we
all make in life.
Irrational Man was shown
out of competition at Cannes.
Although Allen has come a dozen
times to the Riviera festival to
present films, he refuses to have
them vie for its top Palme dOr
prize. Making them is reward
enough, he has said.
At 79, a bit hard of hearing
and apparently having trouble
seeing the journalists before him,
Allen was inevitably questioned
about his own views on death and
existence, and where film-making
fit into it all.
The answer was
characteristically nihilistic, but
he admitted that making cinema
was necessary for him to find a
semblance of meaning to life.
The bottom line is that life has

Photo: AFP

its own agenda and it runs right

over you while youre prattling,
he said.
Life, he said, has no meaning:
Youre living in a random universe,
and youre leading a meaningless
life and everything youve created
in your life or do is going to vanish.
And the Earth will vanish.
And the Sun will burn out. And

BY NYEIN EI EI HTWE

Photo: Supplied

So I decided to reproduce the

radio dramas as acted out by my
students, he said.
Broadcasting began in late
2013. Daw Thidar Linn directed
the shooting. But despite the fame
of her actors and the popularity
of the old plays, challenges
abounded. Over two generations,
the flow and pitch of the language
have altered, rhythms have
accelerated, usages shifted. People
dont talk the way they used to.
The actors had to suit the
action to the word, the word to the
action. Acting out someone elses
words is hard. And we had to cast
according to the quality of the
voice. You cant have a big actor
playing a character with a little
voice, she said.
Locations were also difficult.
The old actors were trained to
convey in their voices the thrills
and risks of cliff-top fistfights and
gunfights conducted on horseback.
Getting actors to do those things
while faithfully mouthing other
peoples words took some effort.
Script writers could let their
imagination run wild when they
wrote for the radio. When we
shot, we had trouble matching
the original drama with a suitable
location. Actors would get sick,

Female
directors
struggle
onto
screens
BY NYEIN CHAN MAY

A face for radio: Actors bring

radio dramas to the screen
T is a ritual which, with
the arrival of television,
has long been forgotten.
Families would gather around the
radio for the 45-minute drama
program, broadcast every evening
after the news at 8pm.
The radios place as the family
hearth may be a thing of the past,
but director U Kyi Soe Tun wants
to make sure the once-popular
radio plays live on. Over the past
year, he has produced 58 television
dramas for MRTV, which bring old
radio dramas to life on screen.
Forty years ago, radio dramas
were the only form of mass
entertainment for most families,
and people were fond of them.
They deserve to be valued, said
five-time Myanmar Academy
Award-winner U Kyi Soe Tun.
The series of programs,
produced by Laurel Art Academy,
stars well-known Myanmar actors
who play out an original radioplay soundtrack. The idea was
conceived by academy chair U Kyi
Soe Tun two years ago.
MRTV brought in leading
actors and actresses to recreate
the sound plays as threedimensional live performances,
lip-synching the original lines that
had captivated their parents or
grandparents generation.
How those radio dramas
would make us laugh and cry. The
voice actors and actresses were
excellent. Anyone listening could
fully imagine the scenes in their
head, said U Kyi Soe Tun.
The beauty and complexity
of the scripts and the quality of
the language helped create the
magical effect, he said.
Now, film industry people
are very superficial. This is just
a business to them. I wanted
people to know how those old
scripts were put together, and how
those old actors projected them.

she said.
Some famous actors were
apparently too nurturing of
their talent to spend time
memorising the script. Others
seemed to disdain adapting their
cool modern style to the more
declamatory modulations of
yesteryear.
At first we hired actors, but
they had no time to read the
script and as we took a week for a
radio drama, they didnt want to
work with us. Finally, we asked
our students to do it, she said.
Audiences loved it. Older
people were thrilled at the
re-creation of their simple
pleasures, and younger people
astonished at the funny way
people used to talk.
Our programs made
grandmas and granddads feel
young and fresh again, said Daw
Thidar Linn.
The last of the 58 dramas was
broadcast last Saturday. But they
will all be re-broadcast once a
week, every Tuesday night.
Laurel Art Academy film
school was founded in January,
2012, offering courses in acting,
video editing and audio editing,
and has produced more than
2000 graduates.

the universe will be gone. And its

over.
Allen said his conclusion to
such a grim outlook was that
artists such as himself needed to
provide distraction.
You can distract people ... And
making movies is a wonderful
distraction.

AFP

TS not so much Lights!

Cameras! Action! as sweep,
dust and mop, would-be
female film directors are finding.
Never numerous in the industry
except as actresses, women in the
movie world complain that men
are more comfortable seeing them
wield a dustpan and brush rather
than a megaphone.
This is not a new phenomenon.
Back in the 1940s, Daw Khin Nyunt,
Parrot Daw Mya Mya, Daw Ei Ei
Khaing, Daw Thin Thin Yu and Daw
Wah Wah Win Shwe blazed a blackand-white trail making movies. But
they must have had it tough too.
Rising through the ranks doesnt
seem to be an option. If you want
to be a famous female director,
start your own film company. If not,

Documentary filmmaker
Thu Thu Shine speaks
at the Wathan Film Festival.
Photo: Supplied

find funding. Otherwise, you wont

get very far, said Kyi Phyu Shin,
who directs and produces movies
and videos with her own company,
Mahar Htun. If youre a new film
director, you need a production
company. Its very difficult, and
harder for women than for men.
Former actress Daw Swe Zin
Htike says men just dont trust
women to do it right. I started
to work as a director when I was
21. The men called me a shadow

director, she said, adding that most

people believe women should be
getting on with the housework.
If women who want to shoot
movies make a real effort, they will
succeed one day. There is more
scope these days. You can work for
TV, says documentary filmmaker
Thu Thu Shine.
I would like to encourage women
to become creative directors and to
try their best. We need more female
directors, said Kyi Phyu Shin.

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | FOOD&DRINK
RESTAURANT REVIEW

Yangon newcomer
Mexi-can and does
An employee arranges sweets bearing portraits of foreign leaders at a chocolate boutique in
Moscow. Photo: AFP/Alexander Utkin

Life is sweet for

chocolate artists
P

ORTRAITS of Audrey Hepburn

and Charlie Chaplin, views
of Venetian canals or a
growling lion, these artworks all have
something in common outside hefty
pricetags theyre edible.
Long known in the West,
chocolate painting was introduced
in Russia about a decade ago but
until lately remained the preserve
of the elite, with pieces costing up to
US$1000.
Irina Eldarkhanova, whose familyrun firm, Confael, holds the countrys
sole patent for chocolate painting,
said one guest to the 2011 wedding
of Britains Prince William and Kate
Middleton commissioned the couples
chocolate portrait as a gift.
Yet more and more ordinary
shoppers are seduced by this luxury,
like Tatiana, a sales manager at a
Moscow clothing shop,
That cant be true! cried her
eight-year-old nephew Sergey when
she offered him a small picture of a
sailboat rocking on the waves. Its
really chocolate!
Tatiana, who did not give her last
name, said her nephew has checked
his gift with a lick at least 20 times but
not yet dared take a bite.
While such painting in the
West can range from kitsch art to
a clever gift or a craft for children,
Eldarkhanova sees things differently.
Chocolate painting is, to us, a
work of art created using a special
material, the confectioner, whose
firm started in 2001, said.
It allows us to perfectly express
emotions, said an equally passionate
artist for the firm, Vitali Ponomarev.
Its about anticipation of a party, of
love, of joy.
Ponomarev paints with softened
white chocolate mixed with apple,
orange or cherry alcohol, adding food
dyes to vary or intensify his colours.
The paint sets almost immediately
so he works swiftly on a base of white

chocolate, using his fingers or a tiny

palette knife.
It can take up to three days to
finish a work, which weighs on
average 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds)
and measures at most 75 centimetres
(29 inches), he said.
A painting can be eaten up to
one year after production, said
Eldarkhanova, or admired for about
10 years provided an appropriate
temperature is maintained.
Confaels chocolate paintings were
bought mainly by European or Middle
Eastern royalty, famous politicians,
sports stars or other prestige clients
to offer as gifts.
Pope, Benedict XVI, a Saudi
sheikh and former Ukrainian
president Leonid Kuchma were all
offered their edible likenesses.
Yet despite big price tags that run
from $500 to $1100 apiece, more and
more everyday Russians are ready to
pay for such a work.
Men love to order their portraits
while companies ask us to draw their
office buildings, said Eldarkhanova.
And the collapse of the ruble
following sanctions has not affected
business.
Chocolate is widely held as a
morale booster, but those in the trade
also point to what they call Russians
superstitious side ordering ones
portrait in chocolate is seen as a way
of ensuring life will be as sweet as
candy.
Sales have not dropped, but even
picked up a bit, said Eldarkhanova,
who is studying the possibility of
opening up stores in China and the
United Arab Emirates.
The owner, however, concedes a
downside to the art the final result
can be fleeting.
Many people dont believe its
real chocolate, she said, so they
immediately break off little bits to
taste it.

AFP

INDING a dazzling Mexican

restaurant is no small
order. All too often, that
hotly tipped hidden gem or hip
new taco truck leaves you feeling
that the hype was bolder than the
flavours. Forgive us for not holding
our breath, therefore, when a
new Mexi-fusion restaurant
announces its arrival in Yangon
even with a head chef fresh off
the plane from the US, the second
home of Mexican cuisine.
With a such a trumpeted entrance,
you could say the pressure is on
for newcomer Fahrenheit, a joint
venture by three enthusiastic young
hosts whose roots extend around
the globe. Their aim? High-quality

Ginger Fahrenheit ($5.50) a

punchy vodka orange liqueur combo
beautifully countered by fresh
orange and ginger, and topped with
a delightful home-brewed ginger
beer.
To accompany our drinks we
ordered toasted tortillas with
guacamole ($5). The blend of
creamy avocado, offset by tart
citrus, onion and chilli, was
delicious. Our only complaint?
There wasnt quite enough of it.
To my mind, this appetizer should
be a restaurants loss leader a
generous invitation for the flighty
after-work drinker to sample the
highlights of Mexican flavours, in a
bid to win them over for dinner.
For mains we decided to hedge
our bets, ordering one dish from
the Mexi-camp and the other

Mexican, Tex-Mex and Asian fusion

food, as well as exciting bespoke
drinks.
First impressions: This place is
seriously well-designed. They
have the minimal chic thing
down, succeeding where countless
others have failed. The space feels
refreshingly uncluttered, yet retains
its warmth and colour thanks to
beautiful hardwood furniture and
adventurous-yet-tasteful lighting
installations. The only casualty of
this hard-surface styling is a fairly
noisy environment.
My guest and I were immediately
greeted by enthusiastic staff
offering a combined menu and
taking our drink orders. We were
delighted to see stalwart compadre
Corona Extra (US$4.50) on the
menu, as well as a punchy 8.6
percent beer from Holland ($3.50)
that, interestingly, is blonde not a
stout nor IPA.
Turning our attention to the
impressive cocktail list, featuring a
large selection of timeless classics
and craft creations, we selected an
expertly executed G&T ($4) and
signature bespoke cocktail The

from the fusion menu. First,

a straight-up Mexican classic:
fajitas with black beans, peppers,
onions, rice with braised spicy beef
tenderloin ($8.50). But heres where
Fahrenheits culinary combining
takes flight: meat fillings include
Asian-style garlic ginger curry
chicken or steamed sweet pork.
Our second choice was the pad Thai
chimichanga ($7). Yes, you read
it correctly. The menu informs us
that this wild imagining is Chefs
Choice.
Our meals arrived beautifully
presented, a reflection of the
carefully crafted surroundings.
Again, theres comfort in the
minimalist style no small-portion
panic. The fajitas are served on a
sizzling cast-iron pan, braised beef
atop a trio of char-grilled peppers,
onions and a tasteful amount of
melted cheese. Perhaps the only
unnecessary Asian element to this
fusion was in the rice: Mexican rice
is typically quite dry, a contrast to
the fluffy local style, and certainly
my preference with fajitas.
The pad Thai chimichanga arrived
as a perfectly golden-fried parcel,

BY TOM BARTON

encasing a solid example of the

famous Thai rice noodle dish. The
accompanying Shan salad drew an
insightful parallel between the zesty
tomato and onion freshness of the
local dish and a classic Mexican
salsa.
Our friendly table-neighbour
ordered the beef tacos: an enticing
trio of modest soft-shelled offerings
accompanied by fresh beans and
corn, lettuce and tomato. Here, and
only here, does our humble friend
corn make an appearance. While
difficulty in obtaining year-round
supplies of avocado in Yangon could
go toward explaining the smaller
portion of guacamole, the same can
surely not be true of corn. Mexican
food has a basis in corn staple
starch of the Americas and it
would have been great to see it
appear as either a feature (braised
corn), a more regular guest in sides,
or as the traditional basis for the
tortillas (my gluten-intolerant guest
agreed wholeheartedly).
Dessert offered two options: an
Apple empanada ($3.50) and a
banana and Nutella chimichanga
($4.50). To pay homage to an icon of
90s taco kit advertising Porque
no los dos? we decided why
not both? To accompany these
decadent gastronomic delights, I
felt compelled to order a cocktail Id
spied earlier the Baileys banana
split martini ($5). Taking me back
to beloved days of a local St Kilda
taqueria, the drink utterly exceeded
my expectations.
Fahrenheits menu makes it
clear theyre in beta mode a
term used in early-stage software
development and we were
invited by two of the managers
on duty to offer any constructive
criticism. This is solid evidence
that Fahrenheits captains intend
on focusing the same attention to
detail theyve poured into design
and food into making a serious
mark on the Yangon food scene.
Gastronomically and aesthetically,
Fahrenheit achieves what it sets
out to do and then some. The
fusion between Asian and Mexican
cuisine is thoughtful and exciting,
and offers an experience that is
unique to even the most welltravelled of palettes.
Farenheit Bar and Restaurant
38 Bogyoke Road (near 52nd Street)
Restaurant Rating:

8
10
Atmosphere: 9
Service:
7
Value:
8
Food:

Drinks:

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | FOOD&DRINK

RECIPE

Deep-fried river prawn

wasabi salad
O

UR guest chef this week is

Raymond Wong, chef de
cuisine at Novotel Yangon
Maxs Royal Pavilion restaurant.
When he was young, Wong
remembers his father saying to
him, If you want a job that takes
you around the world you should
become a Chinese chef in a hotel.
His father was right. Wong started
working in Brunei at the age of
20, and has since worked for more
than 20 hotels around the world,
including in the Philippines,
Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.
Wong loves experimenting with
food and creating new tastes, and
says his favourite thing about being
a chef is seeing the smiles on the
faces of his customers when they
leave the restaurant.
The perfect dish for wasabi
lovers, this prawn salad makes
a great lunch or appetiser for
an evening meal. The tasty
wasabi dressing is the perfect
accompaniment to the crunchy
deep-fried prawns, and best of all,
the dish is quick and easy to prepare
perfect for those last-minute
dinner parties.

Photo: Supplied

Deep fried river prawn wasabi

salad
6 servings
600g river prawns
5g salt
5g chicken powder
white pepper
10ml corn oil
5ml sesame oil
500ml cooking oil
200g potato starch
1 carrot, sliced (for decoration)
5g tobiko (fish roe)
For the Wasabi dressing:
200g mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lime juice

20g
wasabi powder
In a bowl, combine the salt,
chicken powder, white pepper, corn
oil and sesame oil. Wash and peel
the prawns and leave to marinate in
the mixture for several hours.
Heat the cooking oil in a pan to
150c (300F). Coat each prawn with
potato starch and fry in the oil until
golden in colour.
To make the wasabi dressing,
add the mayon naise, lime juice and
wasabi powder in a bowl and stir
to combine. Add the prawns to the
bowl and gently roll in the dressing
until they are covered.
Arrange the prawns on a plate,
and garnish with the sliced carrot
and tobiko.

Photo: Naing Wynn Htoon

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | HEALTH&beauty

Ebooks at night wont help you

sleep tight, US study finds
Researchers say light-emitting ebooks negatively affect our
sleep and lead to next-day grogginess
BY ALISON FLOOD

HEY may have become a popular

alternative to actual books, but a
new US study has found reading
a light-emitting ebook before bed is bad
for your health. The study warns that use
of the devices affects both sleep at night
and alertness the following morning.
Researchers from Harvard Medical
Schools sleep medicine department put
12 healthy young adults through a two
week experiment, in which participants
read either a light-emitting ebook for
four hours before bedtime or a printed
book. Study participants reading a lightemitting ebook took on average almost 10
minutes longer to fall asleep and said they
were less sleepy an hour before bedtime
than they were reading a paper book.
They also had suppressed evening
levels of the sleep-promoting hormone
melatonin readers of print showed no
suppression and significantly less REM
(rapid eye movement) sleep than print
book participants. The next morning,
they took hours longer to fully wake up
and attain the same level of alertness,
researchers have reported in a new paper
published in the journal Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS).
Harvards Anne-Marie Chang, Daniel
Aeschbach, Jeanne Duffy and Charles
Czeisler wrote that sleep quality and
duration has declined over the past 50
years, adversely affecting general health.
They point to a recent survey which
found that 90 percent of Americans
use an electronic gadget at least a few
nights a week before going to sleep.
The Harvard study participants were
reading on an iPad, but researchers
said other devices would cause the same
effect. Lead researcher Czeisler said,
The light emitted by most ereaders
is shining directly into the eyes of the
reader, whereas from a printed book or
the original Kindle the reader is only
exposed to reflected light from the pages

If books in digital form

enable us to read faster,
this may not necessarily
be a good thing ... Just as
we have a movement for
slow food in reaction to
fast food we should be
advocating slow books
Angus Phillips, author of Turning the Page

of the book.
In the paper the researchers write,
The use of light-emitting electronic
devices for reading, communication,
and entertainment has greatly increased
recently. We found that the use of these
devices before bedtime prolongs the
time it takes to fall asleep, delays the
circadian clock, suppresses levels of the
sleep-promoting hormone melatonin,
reduces the amount and delays the timing
of REM sleep and reduces alertness the
following morning. Use of light-emitting
devices immediately before bedtime also
increases alertness at that time, which
may lead users to delay bedtime at home.

They point out that the use of

technology before bedtime is most
prevalent in children and young adults,
and call for further studies on the impact
of the light exposure on learning and
development.
They add that the results of the
study are especially concerning given
the recent evidence linking chronic
suppression of melatonin secretion
by nocturnal light exposure with the
increased risk of breast, colorectal and
advanced prostate cancer associated
with night-shift work. Another concern
of sleep deficiency is the increased risk
of cardiovascular disease and metabolic
diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
Angus Phillips, director of the Oxford
International Centre for Publishing
Studies, noted that previous research
has found that most readers prefer print,
but when reading performance such as
accuracy and speed is compared, some
screens have shown higher levels. This
may explain why the highest take-up for
digital reading is of genre fiction linear
reading often at some pace, Phillips
explains. Also, when you reach the end
of the second part of a gripping trilogy,
you can simply download the next part
and carry on reading through the night.
He points to other benefits of ebooks,
including the option to adjust type size
and contrast on a back-lit screen, and
that ereading may appeal to those who
dont want to disrupt a partner who
wants to sleep.
But other types of book should be
more contemplative reads, he says. In
his book Turning the Page, he writes, If
books in digital form enable us to read
faster, this may not necessarily be a good
thing. To relax, to engage in deep thought
are not encouraged by rushing through
at speed. Just as we have a movement for
slow food in reaction to fast food we
should be advocating slow books read
aloud to children, broadcast on the radio,
or taken at a leisurely pace in whatever
format.

The Guardian

You dont have

to put on the
blue light
ANY folks keep
devices in hand until,
or after, bedtime.
But science shows screens
disrupt sleep patterns not
from info overload but
from backlighting. The
blue wavelengths given
off trick the melanopsin
photoceptors in our eyes,
making the brain think its
still daytime and delaying
the release of melatonin, the
chemical that initiates and
regulates sleep.
You could avoid all
screens after 6pm (and
turn off overhead lights
too). But a more realistic
approach is f.lux (free for
Mac, Windows, Linux, and
jailbroken iPhones and
iPads, not yet for Android;
download at justgetflux.
com). This 1.4mb program
adjusts the tint of your
screen to match the time of
day, keeping your body in
step with its natural pattern.
(Its name evokes both
flux as in fluctuation
and lux, the unit used to
measure the brightness of
a light.)
Adjust the preferences
and f.lux calculates what
time night falls in your
area. Then, as the sun sets
outside, your screen will
start setting as well, taking
on a warm orange-to-red
hue until morning (not an
overlay; the effect is whats
left after the blue wake-up
rays are removed from the
spectrum).
If youre doing something
requiring neutral colours
(say, watching a movie),
you can easily snooze
the tinting, or set it to be
always off with particular
programs. There are also
specialised settings
including darkroom, which

is like working inside a

nuclear submarine.
Does it help me sleep?
I dont know yet, but
the website links to 32
journal articles about
photoreceptors and
circadian rhythm that say
it does (talk about bedtime
reading!), so the science
appears solid. The site
summarises one study as
follows:
While people are using
an iPad at night their
body produces 55% less
melatonin. After shutting
off the lights (and the
iPad), they took an extra 10
minutes to fall asleep. When
they did fall asleep, they had
less REM sleep during the
night. The next morning,
the iPad readers felt
sleepier, and it took them
hours longer to feel alert.
The book readers quickly
felt more alert immediately
upon waking. When it was
time for bed the next night,
the iPad readers circadian
clocks were delayed by more
than 90 minutes. Their
bodies began to feel tired an
hour and a half later than
normal, because they were
exposed to alerting light
from the iPad the night
before.
The f.lux effect can be
odd at first, but the orange
tint soon becomes relaxing.
Ive even tweaked my
daytime settings, which
seems to reduce eye strain.
The biggest test comes
when, after a couple of days,
you try turning it off: Watch
the regular whiteness come
back and youll recoil from
your monitor, hands over
eyes in agony like a prisoner
as the dungeon door swings
open.

Wade Guyitt

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

HAT happened to fashion being fun?

Remember the 90s, when A-listers
took to the red carpet in black pvc,
safety pin dresses and back-to-front suits?
They may not have been timeless (or, in
many cases, flattering), but these looks
have become a distant memory of the time
when stars werent afraid to push the style
boundaries.
These days, Hollywood seems to have
found its safe zone when it comes to dressing
for the red carpet. Vintage glamour,
timeless elegance or (yawn) old-school
Hollywood style: Whatever you want to call
it, celebs seem to have decided the key to
avoiding the worst-dressed lists is to dress
like you live in the 1950s. No sooner had the
rug been rolled out at this years Oscars than
was it covered in armies of red-lipped, Audrey
Hepburn lookalikes in trailing silk dresses, fur
shrugs, and ostrich-feather skirts.
This months Cannes Film Festival has
been no exception, with the usual suspects
channeling the vintage trend. Actress Emma
Stone arrived at the opening in a white
textured high-neck gown by Christian Dior,
while Naomi Watts worked the look two days
in a row with a black strapless gown followed
by a silver, diamante-covered dress with
feather plume. Pretty? Yes. Exciting? No.
If the Hollywood A-list need some style
inspiration, they should be looking to their
African and Asian counterparts, who have
been stealing the Cannes spotlight when it
comes to the dressed-to-kill game. MexicanKenyan actress Lupita Nyongos emerald
gown was one of the festivals red-carpet
highlights, with Ethiopian Liya Kebedes
futuristic mini dress following quickly
behind. Their main style rival was Chinese
actress Fan Bingbing, whose dreamlike floral
dress provided all the evidence we needed
that old Hollywood glamour really is old
news. Charlotte Rose

Salma Hayek

Julianne Moore

Vintage glamour?
Thats so old hat

wEEKEND | STYLE

Naomi Watts

Natalie Portman
Emma Stone

Liya Kebede

Charlize Theron

Lupita Nyongo

Fan Bingbing

10

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | Family

How to set boundaries

on screen time
BY MEGHAN LEAHY

HAVE yet to meet one one parent who

isnt struggling to wean their children off of
technology.
It is one of parents biggest challenges these days,
and though we try, it is pretty darn impossible to get it
right.
Why is it so hard? Why is placing boundaries on
technology such a mess?
First of all, most of us did not grow up with anywhere
near the amount of technology available to our children
today. I grew up with corded phones, and when a friend
wanted to speak to me, she had to call my house, talk
to my mother and then talk to me. And I had to have
that conversation in the kitchen, with my entire family
around. No privacy.

Even as I became older and had an extension in my

room, my mother would pick up and say, so lovingly,
Get off the phone, Meghan. And I would. I would have
to hang up. Any unsaid thoughts were left to my journal
or overwrought notes passed in class or, God forbid,
mailed. This was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but
by the late 90s, gaming had landed.
Fast-forward 15 years and everything has changed.
Your children can play video or computer games
anywhere, anytime. They are playing in groups with
kids they have never met face to face. The games are
sophisticated, ever-changing and seductive. We have
no clue how these advances will change children. The
research is not in.
Many experts will shy away from saying your
12-year-old is addicted to technology. We adults are not
addicted, either. We are not compulsive and obsessive
in our checking of smartphones or e-mails. We can

stop whenever we want. And so can our children. Well,

except for the part where we cant. And neither can
our children. The reality is that our children are acting
addicted, so we have to handle these issues as if this is
not purely about willpower.
To understand the tantrums your child has when you
take away games, technology and TV, it is important to
understand how gaming affects the brain.
Many games never reach a true conclusion. You can
choose play again and play again and play again.
The game will keep asking you, and the really smart
games will continuously adjust the level to challenge
you. This play again is hitting the same reward centre
of the brain that loves all the bad stuff. Drugs, gambling
(when you win), shopping, etc. The brain is getting
hits of winning from the games and wants more,
more, more!
It is normal. So, even if your childrens muscles
are atrophying and grades are tanking, the rewards of
gaming are so powerful, they will not pull away.
When we were children, even TV used to be
something that ended, meaning that the show we
were watching would end and there would nothing left
to watch. As children, we were forced to either watch a
soap opera or get up and play.
Now, there are endless channels that show childrens
programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Couple this with the fact that we are dealing with an
immature, growing brain, and technology can really
find a strong toehold with a tween.
You know we need to set boundaries, but like every
other parent in the world, you want the boundaries to
come with peace and ease. You want zero tantrums. And
I get it. I hate the tantrums, too.
But when a brain loves the stimulation of games this
much, the pushback is going to come.
You are not going to sidestep it. The brain wants
what it wants. It craves the reward and will fight for it.
But you can make this process go a little more
smoothly:
1. Build up your relationship with your children. Be
sure to find some ease with them. Enjoy your time with
them. Find a way to laugh. Any rule or boundary you
create is only as good as the relationship it rests upon.
Otherwise, you will only have struggle and strife.
2. Begin to have some family meetings and begin
a discussion surrounding the technology use. Do what
works for your family. You are in charge. Trust yourself
and your familys needs.
3. Make the rules and uphold them, fully preparing
yourself for the blowback. Dont punish the tantrums
when they inevitably come. Simply hold strong during
the storm.
4. Celebrate the wins. Find non-tech (or some
tech-related) ways to reward making it through a week
or even a day. I know it sounds paradoxical, but you may
need these baby steps.
5. Have faith. Have faith that you can hold strong.
Have faith that your child will stop the tantrums.
Have faith that punishments wont really work. Have
faith that the boundary can hold and if it needs to be
changed, you are the parent and you can do that.

Washington Post

It might not challenge

their greatest
films, but this is a
smart and visually
inventive piece of
entertainment

Inside Out: a buoyant and

sweet-natured comedy from Pixar

BY PETER BRADSHAW

ETE Docters new animation

Inside Out does not deliver
that shock of the new which
was so stunning in the Pixar heyday
of the last decade all the dazzling
technical spectacle of detail, colour
and light which had us gobsmacked,
and which we now take utterly for
granted. This movie is a sweetnatured coming-of-age comedy,
a kind of tween-transition crisis,
though with a fundamentally sunny
Disney-fied worldview. It hasnt
anything as genuinely emotionally
devastating as Up, or the subtlety
and inspired subversion of
Monsters Inc. and the Toy Storys
which it certainly resembles at
various stages. But it is certainly a
terrifically likeable, ebullient and
seductive piece of entertainment,
taken at full-throttle. There is that
sheen of pure professionalism
that I associate with its executive
producer and presiding deity, John
Lasseter.
Like the earlier movies, Inside
Out is about the secret imaginary
quasi-adult figures who are the
unseen, unsung guardian angels
for kids. Riley (voiced by Kaitlin
Dyas) is an 11-year-old girl who has
had to leave behind all her friends
in Minnesota when her parents
move to San Francisco where her
dad is precariously setting up as
an entrepreneur. But the move
is making her depressed in ways
that her parents have not fully
appreciated we appreciate it,
because we are taken inside the
mission control headquarters
of Rileys mind, perhaps a very
U-certificate version of a similar
idea in Woody Allens sketch for
All You Wanted To Know About Sex.
Riley, like every other human being
and indeed animal, is controlled
by five different mood-entities: the
upbeat Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler),
the cringing Fear (Bill Hader), the
ferocious Anger (Lewis Black), the

fastidious Disgust (Mindy Kaling)

and the miserable Sadness (Phyllis
Smith).
They are in charge of creating
glowing little memory balls which
are stored in the control suite for
the day and then, when Riley goes to
sleep, despatched to be warehoused
off-site with all the other long-term
memories. This infinite memoryball library is situated in a huge,
Daliesque alien-planet landscape
which includes vast identity islands
symbolising various aspects of
her personality: honesty, love of
family etc. It all runs perfectly until
Riley spirals into unhappiness:
Joy and Sadness somehow become
locked out of the command centre,
leaving Riley in a disastrous state of
emotional illiteracy and confusion.
Her identity islands of childhood
are crumbling and Docter shows
that it is a cross between a Three
Mile Island meltdown and a bad
LSD trip.
As ever, with this kind of
symbolism, there is potential
confusion. When these mood-entities
are effectively humans themselves:
what does it mean in terms of drama
or logic when Anger calms down,
or when Joy becomes sad, or when
Sadness cheers up? Well, of course
you just have to go with it, as it all part
of the general lesson that Sadness is
actually important: The primacy of
Joy at the controls could be a problem.
Unless Sadness is acknowledged and
is permitted to take the wheel, there
can be no happiness and no growing
up.
It is tremendously buoyant and
watchable, with some great visual
invention. There is not much in the
way of irony: Inside Out does not
want to send itself up, except right
at the end in the wacky gag-reel
over the closing credits, as Docter
unleashes a torrent of jokes which
seem to have been pent up over the
previous hour and a half. No great
leap forward this: but slick, smart
and funny.

The Guardian

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | HOME&GARDEN

Indoor-outdoor furniture: A natural fit

BY MEGAN BUERGER

HEN designers say, Bring

the outdoors in, theyre
usually referring to plants.
But while leafy greens are one way
to freshen up a room, theyre not
Mother Natures only children.
Indoor-outdoor furniture isnt
often recommended to apartment
dwellers, probably because few
apartments can claim an outdoor
space. But perhaps it should be.
Transitional pieces that can take
a beating and work in a variety
of spaces are often exactly what
urbanites need. Its like clothing,
says interior designer Nancy
Colbert. When you invest in it, you
expect it to weather a few moves.
And thanks to improved
technology, durable materials such
as polypropylene or Sunbrella are
no longer stiff and waxy. Natural

table, or by an entryway as a catchall piece for bags. Many retailers

offer storage benches to keep boots,
hats and gloves out of sight.
Reclaimed wood has been big
for a few years now. The newer
trend is to mix it with metals,
marbles, things that add dimension
and surprise, says April Force
Pardoe, of AFP Interiors in the US.
Its like nothing is one material
anymore.
The one material Pardoe is
not sure about using indoors?
Wicker. There are two camps on
wicker, she says, and she sides with
those who think it can look too
traditional, and thus out of place
in an apartment. She steers clients
toward the thick, woven variety.
Its unexpected, but warm, she
says. Another way to keep the look
modern is to look for wicker pieces
in clean, stylish silhouettes.
Speaking of unexpected, one of

In Yaraghis SoHo apartment,

he uses a stool in his bathroom as
a surface for towels
or toiletries, and
slides it under the
pedestal sink when
hes not using it so
its still
visible.
He
uses

another as an end
table in his living
room, and nudges it under a console
table when he needs to make space.
Pardoe is also on the garden-stool
bandwagon. I cant resist them,
she says. Theyre like throw pillows
but more functional, you know?
People say if you want to add flair
to your apartment, do so with fun
throw pillows, but you can do that
with garden stools, too. They have a
presence without screaming.

The Washington Post

materials such as reclaimed wood

have seen a renaissance, and
materials such as sea grass and
wicker, which were long taboo
indoors, are welcome under the
right circumstances.
Thats great news for apartment
renters, because these materials
are nothing if not versatile. If youre
having a last-minute gathering and
need extra seating, or find yourself
moving into an apartment with a
balcony, you wont have to buy allnew furniture.
Mark Jupiter, a furniture
designer who specialises in
working with wood, encourages
homeowners to embrace natural
materials interiors. They make a
home feel less stuffy, he says. My
whole business is based on modern
interpretations of that raw, natural
look.
A wooden bench, for example,
is one piece that comes in handy
almost anywhere you stick it. Slide
it up next to the foot of a bed or the
back of a sofa to use as a makeshift

Pardoes handiest design items for

spicing up an interior is a garden
stool. The traditional ones often
shaped like plump barrel drums,
lacquer-finished with little cutouts
are rather country-chic, and
almost conjure up a grandmothers
home. But garden stools actually
hail from ancient China, where
they were fashioned out of tree
stumps. Today, theyre a go-to
accent piece for designers who want
to add a heavy dose of colour and
texture to a stale room, and whats
more, theyre highly functional.
Theyre the opposite of
frivolous, says Jonathan Yaraghi,
who is the creative director of
Safavieh, a national furniture store
headquartered in New York that
offers modern interpretations
on the traditional piece such as
metallic finishes. They can be used
almost anywhere as a table or extra
seat, and theyre a high-impact
design piece. And what I mean by
that is theyre a little piece that
packs a lot of style.

11

Photos: The Washington Post

12

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | FEATURE

wEEKEND | FEATURE

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

13

A flick back to Myanmars golden age

were sold to foreign countries. Many were sold to
street plastic bottle buyers.
U Kyi Soe Tun said there were many black-andwhite films left at MRTV, which continued to screen
them. Thinking back to 1977, when he began his career
as a director, he said, In its heyday, A-One and
British Burma film companies had their own
actors, directors, actresses, film crews and
even writers and musicians. They went to
their particular companies in the morning,
stayed at the studios the whole day
whether there was shooting or not, and
ate lunch together. They went back
home in the evening, he said.
If the shooting started, they worked
happily, spending a great deal of time, he
said.
They worked with great passion, said actress
Swe Zin Htike.
Swe Zin Htike made her debut in 1971 and took a
career break in 1991. She has appeared in more than
200 films. The actresses, actors and film crews at
that time devoted themselves to their career. They
were passionate about filming. They made great
effort not because of money but because of passion,
she said.
When Swe Zin Htike entered upon her filming
career, the artists and film crews worked humbly.
They all rode in the same bus to the location for a
film and worked and ate together.
Making a film lasted at least three months, but
some films took three years. Even though the film
was done, sometimes we were asked to work on postproduction, and if the directors needed to re-shoot
some acts, we had to act again to make the film
better, she said.
She said the early 1970s were the best for her
career. More than 70 films were produced a year. In a
country without television and DVD players, film was
the only form of mass entertainment.

I hope the next government will

help our industry
U Thein Htut
Director

At that time, people

valued film. Even on the
radio, the second-most favourite
program after the news was the
broadcast of drama and performances
dubbed by actors and actresses. It was usually
broadcast at 8pm, she said.
She said artists and film crews had a very strong attitude
toward their career. They thought they could achieve
success through effective teamwork, and every single
crew member worked harder to achieve this goal.
They invested what they earned from filming in
making more films. Its a shame that nowadays actors,
actresses and film directors invest what they earn in other
industries, she said.
But everyone believes films still need to be archived in
suitable conditions, including air-conditioning.

Three founding
fathers of Myanmars
film industry are celebrated
at the Myanmar Motion Picture
Museum in Yangon. Photo: Staff

The past is the past, and whats gone is gone. Now we

need to maintain whats left of the old films, said U Thein
Htut.
We need good studios to preserve an archive of
collected film, film reels, videotapes, DVDs, CDs and
other forms of digitally transferred films. Also we need to
cooperate with the experts to preserve them through the
best available technical means, he said. I hope the next
government will help our industry.

Film poster for the Myanmar film Five Bullets, starring Zaw Lwin and Khin Aung

BY NANDAR AUNG AND ZON PANN PWINT

N the pre-independence film Nilar Yaung (The

Colour of Sapphire), stuntman Chit Shwe would
thrill audiences by wrestling with a real crocodile,
while Myanmar Aswe Film Company (later renamed AOne) splurged on the 1973 film Japan Yin Thway (Japans
Offspring), which told an unusual tale about Myanmar pilots.
The female lead was Japanese, and the film was shot there.
The film was certainly unusual for its time, and the audience
appreciated it.
But we and the generations who will follow cant see these
golden movies of the silver screen. And the golden age of our
film industry was bright indeed.
In the post-independence years, the success of Myanmar
films redounded far beyond our borders. Six-time Myanmar
Academy Award-winning director U Thu Khas 1975 film Shwe
Chi Ngwe Chi Tan Par Lo, (A Gold and Silver Thread of Tender
Attachment) was screened at the International Film Festival
in the Philippines, attracting wide attention.
Film directors and veterans bemoan the failure to preserve
those half-forgotten masterpieces, which barely cling to life at
the Archive Film and production companies.
Archive Film stores black-and-white and colour films,
some of which won Academy Awards, in an air-conditioned
building.
Sadly, the oldest films that survive at Archive Film
date from the 1930s, and the films from earlier years didnt
survive, said five-time Academy Award winning director U

Kyi Soe Tun.

But in the Memory International Festival of Heritage
Cinema on May 27, four classic films dating from 1950 to 1985
will be shown.
A-Ones U Thein Htut, 70, said the years of military
government had much to answer for in failing to save the
nations movie heritage. At that time, most cinemas were
nationalised and shut down. The repercussions on our film
companies and the industry as a whole were catastrophic, he
said. Luckily, some of A-Ones most famous products were sent
to Myanmar Radio and Television, which was founded in the
1980s.
MRTV had Tele Cinema and they broadcast English
movies. So we decided to send them our films for rebroadcast,
he said.
We also persuaded the local film companies to send their
movies to MRTV. Some did, and some did not. MRTV made
copies and sent back the originals. But after the 1988 general
strikes, the whole industry faced manipulation from the
military government that had a very destructive effect.
Myanmar motion pictures go back to 1920, when U Ohn
Maung made a short documentary about the funeral of
politician U Tun Shein. That documentary, the first film
produced in Myanmar, premiered to a packed house at the
Palladium Cinema, together with an American film. U Ohn
Maungs work was an inspiration. That same year, a group of
film lovers founded the Burma Film Company, the first of its
kind in Myanmar, which produced the first feature-length
film, Myittar Hnint Thuya (Love and Liquor).
None of the films produced between 1920 and 1930

survive. During those years, numerous masterpieces

were produced, especially featuring Shwe Ba. The state of
preservation in Archive Film is terribly poor, said U Kyi Soe
Tun.
To preserve what he could of the heritage, he started
to collect film advertisements that had been published in
newspapers, journals and magazines. Some appeared during
the Second World War, including Japan Yin Thway (Japans
Offspring).
If we cant show the black-and-white films, at least we
have the advertisements, so that we can record the year the
films appeared and the names of the actors and actresses who
starred in them, he said.
Electricity-saving measures under Socialist Party rule
damaged many films, U Kyi Soe Tun said.
He said the black-and-white films had been well preserved
by their film production companies.
But fire destroyed a hoard of highly flammable 35mm
nitrate films belonging to many companies, including Archive
Film and A-One in the 1950s.
As A-Ones U Thein Htut said, I heard from my teachers
that the fire was caused by a chemical explosion from the film.
It was the most terrible moment for A-One, and the company
lost many precious films. In the disaster, A-One Film
Company lost all its silent films and most of the black-andwhite dramas and histories.
We lost our history, said U Thein Htut.
Actress Swe Zin Htike, who won an Academy Award for
her supporting role in Mainkhalay Shin Ye Sanda (Wish of A
Woman) in 1977, said, It is a rather tragic story. Some films

Movie stills from classic Myanmar films.

Archival material courtesy of Pansodan Gallery, 286 Pansodan Street, Kyauktada

14

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | FEATURE

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | FEATURE

The illusionists

Cannes stars reject

patronising Year of
Women tag

Friday night is movie night

for Myanmars very own
Mad Men
BY CATHERINE TRAUTWEIN

BY ERIC RANDOLPH

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy arrive for the screening of the film Mad Max: Fury Road during the Cannes
Film Festival in France on May 14. Photo: AFP/Loic Venance

Cate Blanchett poses at the screening of the film Sicario at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May
19. Photo: AFP/Anne-Christine Poujoulat

Cate Blanchett talks during a press conference for the film Carol at the Cannes Film Festival in
France on May 17. Photo: AFP/Anne-Christine Poujoulat

15

HIS years Cannes Film Festival has been dubbed the Year of
the Women for its focus on female issues and filmmakers, but
many of the women in question seem keen to fight back against
the label.
The festival on Frances south coast like the wider film industry
that feeds it has a reputation for male domination, so there was some
relief that this years official selection opened things up a bit.
A female director, Emmanuelle Bercot, opened the festival for only
the second time in its history and Agnes Varda will be the first female
recipient of the honorary lifetime achievement award.
The competition includes two women directors where often there
are none, and one of the most critically lauded entries Carol starring a
lavishly praised Cate Blanchett focuses on repressed lesbian love.
Even the action films Mad Max: Fury Road and drug war thriller
Sicario have female leads in the form of Charlize Theron and Emily
Blunt.
Despite all this, the women in question have pushed back against the
idea they should feel grateful for the supposed largesse.
They say its the year of the women, said Blanchett at a press
conference. You hope its not just a year not just some fashionable
moment.
Bercot outright rejected the idea that the choice of her film as
festival opener was some sort of victory for female empowerment.
Its the selection of the film thats an honour, she said. I dont feel
Ive been a given a gift because such a prestigious slot went to a woman.
To make matters worse, the festivals supposed embracing of females
was undermined by claims on May 19 that women were being turned
away from the red carpet for not wearing high heels.
Blunt said the reports were very disappointing Everyone should
wear flats to be honest.
She went on to criticise the obsession of reporters with her tough
characters.
I get asked a lot about playing tough female roles, but I dont really
see them as tough, said the British actress.
There are plenty of strong women out there and I dont think they
can be compartmentalised as one thing oh, youre tough. Why?
Because I have a gun?
Oscar winner Natalie Portman, who has been all over the seaside
Croisette promoting her directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness
this week, said women-led productions were still being written off as
vanity projects.
I remember as a kid when Barbra Streisand would make movies
that she was in and people would say, Oh its vanity. Its a vanity thing,
said Portman, criticising the completely imbalanced industry that
means women direct only a tiny fraction of Hollywood pictures.
A talk about gender on the sidelines of the festival opened with
the statistic that only 4.6 percent of US studio films were directed by
women last year, and not one Oscar best picture nominee featured a
female protagonist.
Speaking at the talk, Salma Hayek argued that real change would
come not from token gestures at festivals but from a realisation that
women can bring in the bucks.
The only thing we can do is show them we are an economic force,
said the Mexican actress and producer.
Nothing else will move them. The minute they see money, things
will be instantaneously different.
That shift is already happening. In the industry marketplace that
runs alongside the festival, sales have been increasingly focused on
women viewers this year.
It used to be all about action-driven things with a male
demographic, the Stallone-Schwarzenegger-type movie, said Scott
Roxborough, a journalist with The Hollywood Reporter.
Everyone now is trying to get women on board to try to appeal to
a female audience and not just grab teenage boys. Teenage boys dont
go to movies they either watch them on the internet or play video
games.
Blanchett said she was exasperated that this discussion was still
happening in 2015.
I want it to not be discussed anymore, she told Variety. But it
needs to be discussed.

AFP

Natalie Portman arrives at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 17. Photo: AFP

Emmanuelle Bercot (left) and director Maiwenn pose during a photocall for the film
Mon Roi (My King) at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 17. Photo: AFP/
Anne-Christine Poujoulat

TS nearing 4:30pm on a Friday, and at many

offices around the world the clock has run out
on the work day. Yet, on the 11th floor of an
office building on downtowns Kone Zay Tay Street,
employees of Yangon marketing and advertising agency
MultiVerse Asia remain glued to their computers
despite strong inducements to peel themselves away.
Grab a beer thats an order! jokes their spikyhaired leader, advertising industry veteran Thom
Hayward, as he urges his team away from the computerfilled bullpen and toward two black couches where
theyll watch The Illusionist starring Edward Norton
and Jessica Biel.
On Fridays, the MVA team watches films together.
While some companies might feel movies better
reserved for the weekend, Hayward says exposure to
other media which he encourages his team to explore
for on average an hour a day is everything.
His approach injects a bit of Silicon Valley into
Southeast Asias advertising industry. MVAs on-theclock pursuit of art as well as its ethos seem to take cues
from the likes of Google, which had allowed employees
to spend 20 percent of their time on ventures outside of
their daily tasks.
I want people to enjoy football, opera, computer
games, Hayward said. If you dont have a broad
spectrum, how do you market?
He has been building up his team since last year. A
chocolate cake celebrating three near-simultaneous
one-year anniversaries testifies to this fact and precedes
the May 15 movie night.
With a future plan to retire in Southeast Asia, and
with Myanmar opening up, moving to the country felt
logical, said Hayward, who has been here since January
2014. But his next step back into advertising wasnt
quite so obvious.
Connections reached out asking for assistance with
branding and marketing, and ever since he lent a hand
the phone has been ringing, Hayward said.
Right before 2014 became 2015, he decided to throw
the whole kit and caboodle behind his new company.
I just said, I love these guys that work for me. Im
going to put everything I have into this and I want to
have the biggest independent Myanmar-based agency
there is, because the talent is here.
The companys digs on Kone Zay Tan double as home
base for Hayward and creative director Ben McGrath.

Haywards bedroom has a sliding door but it was open

on Friday; inside, its proximity to Yangon River became
clear when a foghorn belated on the water.
Both chief strategy officer Linda Lim and account
director Jue Jue, who had spent a year at the company
this May, have called the agency a family.
Meanwhile, one employee whose nicknames include
Master Zaw and Super Zaw He does what mortal
designers cannot, Hayward said mentions teamwork
as his favourite aspect of working for MultiVerse Asia.
This group collaborates like nothing Ive ever seen
before, Hayward said, adding that hell compliment a
team member on their work only to have them pass the
credit on.
He said the atmosphere at the firm and the future
it promises helps keep the team at the company
even in the face of attempted poaching. One designer
reportedly turned down a salary double to remain at the
agency.
Hayward, whose grey vest sports a black lightning
bolt and ear a black stud, exudes earnestness when he
talks about his team, admitting some of what he says
might sound corny.
Im not giving these guys jobs, Im giving them
career paths, he said. They stay because they love the
environment and were going somewhere.
The company has already achieved success inside
and across Myanmars border. Clients have included
Coca-Cola, MySquar and Phuket Yacht Haven the
last of which came their way from one of their major
competitors.
I believe that theres a really good time coming for
Myanmar and corporate communications and proper
advertising is going to be a very important part of the
story. I believe that theres a real need to have a truly
independent advertising agency, Hayward said.
Instead of answering to a board of directors, which
could have a say in everything even control over a
Friday night film he says he wants to answer to clients.
Meanwhile, traversing movies and media like The
Illusionist with its unexpected turn, romance and
moody cinematography could help the team on from
creative blocks to Eureka moments.
[The companys work is] not just good by
Myanmar standards, its good by international
standards. And thats why I show international
films and encourage them to look at websites and
companies in the US and Europe and other places in
Asia, said Hayward. Inspiration could come from all
over the place.

Emily Blunt poses during a photocall for the film Sicario at the Cannes Film Festival in
France on May 19. Photo: AFP/Valery Hache

Thom Hayward introduces MultiVerse Asias Friday night movie, The Illusionist, to his team. Photo: Aung Khant

16

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | TRAVEL

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | TRAVEL

Kayaking Thailands hidden lagoons

collectors, who sell the valuable ingredients for soup,
and are allowed to shoot anyone who encroaches on their
territory.
Riding the tide back to camp, exhausted after seven
hours kayaking, we returned to a delicious meal cooked
by chef Toy on a makeshift kitchen set on some stones, of
spicy tom kha gai coconut soup, curry, noodles and sweetand-sour jackfish, freshly picked cockles and chillies
(I chose to ignore what John Gray had said about raw
sewage being pumped into the bay).
Phang Nga is so vast, it would take weeks to paddle
across. To be sure we saw the highlights, a long-tail boat
whisked us around the next day. At Tarzan beach we
swung on vines from rocks into the sea, saw huge shoals
of anchovies and several cigar fish, drifted silently
listening to monkey calls, and explored Hlam Tang, the
largest hong yet, negotiating athick maze of mangroves to
a huge, other-worldly cavern full of dripping stalactites.
Later, squatting among lifejackets and paddles below
deck, Toy cooked green curry the best I had in Thailand
which we ate on the swaying roof ofthe boat, learning
some Thai: Pet pet pet! (Very spicy!). Snorkelling
later to a long sandy spit that protruded from the beach
on Koh Pak Beer, I floated above massive sea urchins,
brain coral, giant clams and parrotfish, and almost
stepped on a stingray in the shallows.
Koh Yao Noi, the bays second-largest island next to
its neighbour Koh Yao Yoi, was my drop-off point. With
its tiny villages, beach huts, massage stalls and rubber
farms, it looked charmingly traditional and unspoilt,
despite the smattering of top-range hotels. But as the
long-tail pulled up at the immaculate lawns ofthe
Koyao Island Resort, I knew the luxurious sea-view
accommodation would never match the magic of a plastic
tent on a deserted strip of sand.

You can still find deserted lagoons near Phuket

as long as you dont mind kayaking to them
BY GEMMA BOWES

YING back in the kayak, I tried to follow my guides

instructions to make myself as horizontal as possible
while he propelled our two-person boat into the mouth
of the sea cave and through a narrow tunnel.
OK, now turn on your torch, Olay said. Look, bats!
Just a couple of feet above my face, dozens of small, greyish
bundles hung like macabre Christmas decorations. I shrank
down further, willing them to stay put and trying not to
swallow the repulsive stench of bat guano that grew stronger
the further in we floated. At last we came swerving out into a
perfect, circular lagoon of blue-green water, surrounded on
all sides by high cliffs, vines and vegetation clinging to the
vertical habitat.
There are only two ways into the lagoons, Olay had said
as our groups motorised escort boat set off into Phang Nga bay
from Phukets Ao Por Pier, by boat or by helicopter, and Im
afraid we dont have a helicopter.
But there can be no better way to explore the emerald bay
on the western Andaman coast of Thailand than by kayak.
Over 160limestone islands litter its breadth, characterised
by sheer cliffs rising straight from the sea and, in some cases,
hongs (hidden lagoons) at their centres, scenery brought to
our attention by the blockbuster film The Beach in 2000. The
area has been dramatically influenced by tourism since then.
As part of the backpacking generation who flocked to Thailand
adecade ago,Iremember being totally alone onthe famous
jungle-backed beach where the film was set.
Sadly now, Olay reported, hundreds of tourists visit the
beach daily, and the bays most famous paradise spots
Phuket in the west, Krabi on themainland in the east, and Phi
Phi island further south have come to symbolise the ruinous
capacities of tourism, with big hotels jostling for space, and
refuse, sewage and pollution problems. Yet, particularly if
you travel by kayak, it is still possible to find an unspoilt side
to Phang Nga. Californian John Gray was the first to bring
commercial sea-kayaking to the bay back in 1989, importing
a business hed established in Hawaii (and has since rolled
out to Vietnam, Fiji and the Philippines), and discovering
lagoons, caves and tunnels unknown even to locals. Many
other operators now run kayak tours of Phang Nga, but as the

original, and an active environmentalist, John has earned

local respect. Accompanying me and 20 other tourists on his
signature hong by starlight excursion, he admitted feeling
guilty about how busy the bay had become, and explained he
is trying to get the industry to green up by educating guides
and encouraging them to collect floating rubbish. Be careful
what youre standing on there is the mangroves lungs, he
said, pointing at the little nubs of root sticking up from the
mud, as we squelched over one islands interior. Ive seen
photos of people doing pull-ups on the branches. Please dont
touch.
The excursions selling point is that each customer has
their own guide to paddle their sit-on-top kayak and point
out wildlife monkeys, birds and lizards as you explore
several stunning lagoons. As dusk fell we ate a delicious
buffet of curries on the deck of the big boat that ferried us
between kayak spots, and made kratongs, floating offerings
of flowers and candles, that we released to bob about a starlit
lagoon: romantic, but atad schmaltzy. Plus being paddled
by the guide felt cossetting. Ideally one would explore the
bay independently, but local operators wont rent kayaks to
inexperienced tourists without aguide (due to dangerous
currents and complicated tides), so I had booked an extended
camping and kayaking mini expedition. While the rest of the
punters headed back towards the dazzle of Phuket, our small

There are only two ways into the

lagoons by boat or by helicopter.
And Im afraid we dont have a
helicopter.

breakaway party with leader Olay, Welsh guide Martin and

assistant Pung paddled out into the darkness.
We set up camp on a tiny stretch of beach backed by
towering cliffs on Koh Penak, and parked our kayaks in front
of our tents. Blinded by each others headtorches, we drank
beers around the fire, and listened to Martins tales of expat
life, such as the time he discovered a curled-up cobra in his
bed and hired a snake-charmer to move it.
Phosphorescence glittering in the warm sea drew us in
for a late-night swim, and we floated on our backs looking
up at the stars, flipping over to create our own underwater
constellations, and filling bottles tomake sparkling water.
Unzipping the tent at dawn and walking straight out onto
the sand to watch a violet-rose-red sunrise is a luxury Phukets
most expensive resorts could never match. Between looming
hulks of limestone across the bay, long-tail boats cast the days
first nets while around me the island woke up. Insects buzzed
in the greenery, freshly filled rock pools fizzed, and before
the tents had started emitting yawns and mosquito-aimed
slapping noises, I had already watched a trio of hornbills flee
squawking from the trees, and a metre-long black monitor
lizard slither into the sea from the rocks. At breakfast fresh
pancakes and scrambled eggs Olay described how hed had to
rescue the kayaks from the high tide in the middle of the night
that attempted to snatch them from our sandy doorstep.
Eventually we set off, each paddling our own kayak,
following the tide east into the bay. We made stops to examine
quivering red anemones, explore Hong island, a glittering
diamond cave, and watch monkeys, before striking out into
open water to paddle from island to island, Olay adjusting
our route to circumvent the currents. In the main channel,
pleasure boats chugged past, blasting their horns, loaded
with tourists bound for Koh Ping Kan James Bond island,
the setting for Scaramangas lair in The Man with the Golden
Gun. Inevitably, we stopped there, too, walking along a path
to see the famous limestone stack just a few metres out in
the water, where dozens of tourists Japanese, French,
German, Aussie posed, fingers pointing like guns. How those
people were missing out. With so many islands, it isnt hard
to find deserted places to swim, and if not by kayak you can
reach them by chartering a long-tail boat. We saw many tiny
beaches where the company sometimes camps, though Olay
insisted others were forbidden to all but licensed birds nest

The Guardian

Tourists descend on Phang Nga Bay, known as James Bond Island after the 1974 movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Photos: Shutterstock

17

the pulse travel

4
wEEKEND | travel schedules
18

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO MANDALAY

MANDALAY TO YANGON

YANGON TO HEHO

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Y5 775

Daily

6:00

7:10

Y5 233

Daily

7:50

9:00

W9 515

6:00

7:25

W9 201

Daily

8:40

10:35

YH 917

Daily

6:10

8:30

YJ 761

8:40

10:35

YJ 891

7:00

8:25

7Y 132

2,4,6,7

8:50

10:45

7Y 131

2,4,6,7

6:30

8:35

K7 223

1,3,5

8:55

11:00

K7 222

1,3,5

6:30

8:40

YH 918

Daily

9:15

10:25

6T 805

2,4,6

6:30

7:40

6T 806

2,4,6

10:30

11:40

YJ 201

1,2,4

7:00

8:55

YJ 202

11:30

12:55

YJ 201

7:00

8:25

YJ 202

1,2,4

12:00

13:25

W9 201

Daily

7:00

8:25

YJ 761

1,2,4

13:10

17:00

W9201

7:00

8:25

YJ 212

15:00

16:55

8M 6603

9:00

10:10

YJ 212

15:00

16:25

YJ 601

11:00

12:25

YJ 602

15:40

17:35

YJ 761

1,2,4

11:00

12:55

7Y 242

1,3,5

16:40

18:45

YJ 211

5,7

11:00

12:25

YJ 234

16:50

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

14:00

K7 225

2,4,6,7

16:50

Flight
YH 917
YJ 891
7Y 131
K7 222
7Y 131
YJ 891
Y5 649
YJ 751
YJ 761
YJ 233
K7 224
7Y 241
W9 129

Days
Daily
3
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
Daily
5
Daily
3,5,7
1,2,4
6
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
1,3,6

Dep
6:10
6:20
6:30
6:30
7:15
7:00
10:30
11:00
11:00
11:00
14:30
14:30
15:30

HEHO TO YANGON
Arr
9:15
10:35
9:20
9:30
10:05
9:10
12:45
12:10
12:10
12:10
15:45
15:40
16:40

Flight
YJ 891
YH 918
W9 201
7Y 132
K7 223
YJ 762
7Y 242
K7 225
YJ 602
W9 129

Days
3,5
Daily
Daily
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
1,2,4
1,3,5
2,4,6,7
6
1,3,6

Dep
9:25
9:15
9:25
9:35
9:45
15:50
15:55
16:00
16:25
16:55

Arr
10:35
10:25
10:35
10:45
11:00
17:00
18:45
19:00
17:35
19:10

YANGON TO MYEIK

MYEIK TO YANGON

18:15

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

19:00

Y5 325

1,5

6:45

8:15

6T 706

1,3,5

8:25

9:35

YH 737

3,5

11:00

13:10

YH 728

17:00

18:25

K7 319

1,3,5,7

7:00

9:05

Y5 326

1,5

8:35

10:05

YH 727

11:30

13:40

W9 152/W97152

17:05

18:30

YH 737

11:30

13:40

Y5 776

Daily

17:10

18:20

6T 705

1,3,5

7:00

8:10

7Y 532

2,4,6

15:35

17:40

7Y 531

2,4,6

11:15

13:20

K7 320

1,3,5,7

11:30

13:35

Y5 325

15:30

17:00

Y5 326

17:15

18:45

SO 201

Daily

8:20

10:40

SO 202

Daily

13:20

15:40

2,5

11:30

12:55

W9 211

17:10

19:15

13:00

16:45

YH 738

3,5

17:10

18:35

7Y 241

1,3,5

14:30

16:25

8M 6604

17:20

18:30

K7 224

2,4,6,7

14:30

16:35

8M 903

1,2,4,5,7

17:20

18:30

Y5 234

Daily

15:20

16:30

YH 738

17:40

19:05

W9 211

15:30

16:55

YH 730

2,4,6

17:45

19:10

W9 252

2,5

18:15

19:40

YANGON TO SITTWE

SITTWE TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

K7 422

2,4,6

8:00

9:55

K7 423

2,4,6

10:10

11:30

YANGON TO NAY PYI TAW

NAY PYI TAW TO YANGON

7Y 413

1,3,5,7

10:30

12:20

7Y 414

1,3,5,7

12:35

13:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

12:55

W9 309

1,3,6

13:10

14:55

Flight
YJ 201
YJ 201
ND 910
ND 105
ND 107
ND 109
ND 9109
ND 111
SO 102

Flight
SO 101
YJ 201
ND 9102
ND 104
ND 106
YJ 202
ND 108
YJ 212
ND 110
ND 9110

6T 611

Daily

11:45

12:55

6T 612

Daily

13:15

14:20

Arr

Flight

Days
1,2
4
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
6
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
7
Daily

Dep
7:00
7:00
7:15
10:45
11:25
14:55
17:00
18:25
18:00

Arr
7:55
10:20
8:15
11:40
12:20
15:40
18:00
19:20
19:00

YANGON TO NYAUNG U
Flight
YH 917
YJ 891
K7 222
7Y 131
K7 224
7Y 241
W9 129
W9 211
W9 129

Days
Daily
3
1,3,5
2,4,6,7
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
1,3,6
4
1

Dep
6:10
6:20
6:30
6:30
14:30
14:30
15:30
15:30
15:30

Days
2,4,6
1,3.5
3
1,2,4
6
2,5

Dep
6:30
7:00
7:00
7:00
11:00
11:30

Dep
7:00
8:10
8:35
9:20
10:00
10:35
13:30
16:00
17:00
18:20

Arr
8:00
13:25
9:35
10:15
10:55
13:25
14:25
16:55
17:55
19:20

Arr
7:45
7:40
7:50
7:50
17:25
17:10
17:35
17:40
17:35

Arr
8:55
9:40
9:50
10:20
15:10
14:25

Flight
YH 918
YJ 891
7Y 132
K7 223
K7 225
W9 129
7Y 242

Days
Daily
3
2,4,6,7
1,3,5
2,4,6,7
1,3,6
1,3,5

Dep
7:45
7:55
8:05
8:05
17:40
17:50
17:25

Arr
10:25
10:35
10:45
11:00
19:00
19:10
18:45

MYITKYINA TO YANGON
Flight
6T 806
YJ 202
YJ 202
YH 827
YJ 234
W9 252

Days
2,4,6
3
1,2,4
1,3,5
6
2,5

Dep
9:10
10:05
10:35
11:30
15:25
16:45

YANGON TO THANDWE
Flight

Days

Dep

THANDWE TO YANGON

Arr
11:40
12:55
13:25
13:55
18:15
19:40

Days

Dep

Arr

K7 422

2,4,6

8:00

8:55

K7 422

2,4,6

9:10

11:30

7Y 413

1,3,5

10:30

11:20

7Y 413

1,3,5

11:35

13:55

W9 309

1,3,6

11:30

13:50

7Y 413

12:05

14:20

7Y 413

11:00

11:50

W9 309

1,3,6

14:05

14:55

Y5 421

1,3,4,6

15:45

16:40

Y5 422

1,3,4,6

16:55

17:50

YANGON TO DAWEI

NYAUNG U TO YANGON

YANGON TO MYITKYINA
Flight
6T 805
YH 826
YJ 201
YJ 201
YJ 233
W9 251

Days
Daily
1,2
1,2,3,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
6
4
1,2,3,4,5
5
7
1,2,3,4,5

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air KBZ (K7)

Tel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (airport), 373766
(hotline). Fax: 372983

Asian Wings (YJ)

Tel: 515261~264, 512140, 512473, 512640
Fax: 532333, 516654

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999

Fax: 8604051

Days

W9 251

Air Bagan (W9)

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Flight

YJ 151/W9 7151

Domestic Airlines

Mann Yadanarpon Airlines (7Y)

Tel: 656969
Fax: 656998, 651020

Yangon Airways (YH)

Tel: 383100, 383107, 700264
Fax: 652 533

FMI Air Charter

Tel: 240363, 240373, 09421146545

APEX Airlines (SO)

Tel:95(1) 533300 ~ 311
Fax : 95 (1) 533312

Air Mandalay (6T)

Tel: (+95-1) 501520, 525488,
Fax: (+95-1) 532275

Airline Codes
SO = APEX Airlines
7Y = Mann Yadanarpon Airlines
K7 = Air KBZ
W9 = Air Bagan
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

DAWEI TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YH = Yangon Airways

K7 319

1,3,5,7

7:00

8:10

YH 634

2,4,6

12:15

13:25

YJ = Asian Wings
6T = AirMandalay

YH 633

2,4,6

7:00

8:25

K7 320

1,3,5,7

12:25

13:35

SO 201

Daily

8:20

9:40

6T 708

3,5,7

14:15

15:15

6T 707

3,5,7

10:30

11:30

SO 202

Daily

14:20

15:40

7Y 531

2,4,6

11:15

12:20

7Y 532

2,4,6

16:35

17:40

Flight

YANGON TO LASHIO

LASHIO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Dep

Arr

YH 729

2,4,6

11:00

13:00

YJ 752

3,5,7

16:10

17:55

YJ 751

3,5,7

11:00

13:15

YH 730

2,4,6

16:45

19:10

YANGON TO PUTAO

Days

PUTAO TO YANGON

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

Flight

Days

Dep

Arr

YH 826

1,3,5

7:00

10:35

YH 634

10:35

13:55

YH 633

7:00

10:35

YH 827

1,3,5

10:35

13:55

W9 251

2,5

11:30

15:25

W9 252

2,5

15:45

19:40

FMI = FMI Air Charter

Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday
4 = Thursday
5 = Friday
6 = Saturday
7 = Sunday

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | TRAVEL

19

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES

YANGON TO BANGKOK
Flights
Days
Dep
PG 706
Daily
6:15
8M 335
Daily
7:40
TG 304
Daily
9:50
PG 702
Daily
10:30
TG 302
Daily
15:00
PG 708
Daily
15:15
8M 331
Daily
16:30
PG 704
Daily
18:20
Y5 237
Daily
19:00
TG 306
Daily
19:45
YANGON TO DON MUEANG
Flights
Days
Dep
DD 4231
Daily
8:00
FD 252
Daily
8:30
FD 254
Daily
17:30
DD 4239
Daily
21:00
YANGON TO SINGAPORE
Flights
Days
Dep
8M 231
Daily
8:25
Y5 2233
Daily
9:45
TR 2823
Daily
9:45
SQ 997
Daily
10:35
3K 582
Daily
11:15
MI 533
2,4,6
13:45
MI 519
Daily
17:30
3K 584
2,3,5
19:15
YANGON TO KUALA LUMPUR
Flights
Days
Dep
8M 501
1,2,3,5,6
7:50
AK 505
Daily
8:30
MH 741
Daily
12:15
8M 9506
Daily
12:15
8M 9508
Daily
15:45
MH 743
Daily
15:45
AK 503
Daily
19:30

YANGON TO BEIJING
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CA 906
3,5,7
23:50 05:50+1
YANGON TO GUANGZHOU
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
8M 711
2,4,7
8:40
13:15
CZ 3056
3,6
11:25
16:15
CZ 3056
1,5
17:30
22:15
YANGON TO TAIPEI
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CI 7916
1,2,3,5,6
10:50
16:15
YANGON TO KUNMING
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CA 416
Daily
12:15
15:55
MU 2012
3
12:40
18:45
MU 2032
1,2,4,5,6,7 15:20
18:40
YANGON TO HANOI
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 956
1,3,5,6,7
19:10
21:30
YANGON TO HO CHI MINH CITY
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 942
2,4,7
14:25
17:15
YANGON TO DOHA
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
AI 701
1,5
14:05
19:50
QR 919
1,4,6
8:00
11:10
YANGON TO SEOUL
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
0Z 770
4,7
0:35
9:10
KE 472
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
YANGON TO HONG KONG
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
KA 251
5
1:30
5:55
KA 251
1,2,3,4,6,7
1:10
5:45

BANGKOK TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
TG 303
Daily
7:55
8:50
PG 701
Daily
8:50
9:40
Y5 238
Daily
21:30
22:20
8M 336
Daily
10:40
11:25
TG 301
Daily
13:05
14:00
PG 707
Daily
13:40
14:30
PG 703
Daily
16:45
17:35
TG 305
Daily
17:50
18:45
8M 332
Daily
19:15
20:00
PG 705
Daily
20:15
21:30
DON MUEANG TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
DD 4230
Daily
6:20
7:05
FD 251
Daily
7:15
8:00
FD 253
Daily
16:20
17:00
DD 4238
Daily
19:30
20:15
SINGAPORE TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
TR 2822
Daily
7:20
8:45
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
8:50
SQ 998
Daily
7:55
9:20
3K 581
Daily
8:55
10:25
MI 533
2,4,6
11:35
15:00
8M 232
Daily
13:50
15:15
MI 518
Daily
15:15
16:40
3K 583
2,3,5
17:05
18:35
KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
AK 504
Daily
6:55
8:00
8M 9505
Daily
10:05
11:15
MH 740
Daily
10:05
11:15
8M 502
1,2,3,5,6
12:50
13:50
8M 9507
Daily
13:40
14:50
MH 742
Daily
13:40
14:50
AK 502
Daily
17:50
19:00
AI 227
1
10:35
13:20
BEIJING TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CA 905
3,5,7
19:30
22:50
GUANGZHOU TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CZ 3055
3,6
8:40
10:25
CZ 3055
1,5
14:40
16:30
8M 712
2,4,7
14:15
15:50
TAIPEI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
CI 7915
1,2,3,5,6
7:00
9:55
KUNMING TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
MU 2011
3
8:25
11:50
CA 415
Daily
10:45
11:15
MU 2031
1,2,4,5,6,7 13:55
14:30
HANOI TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 957
1,3,5,6,7
16:50
18:10
HO CHI MINH CITY TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
VN 943
2,4,7
11:50
13:25
DOHA TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
AI 401
1,5
7:00
13:20
QR 918
3,5,7
20:40 06:25+1
SEOUL TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
KE 471
Daily
18:45
22:25
0Z 769
3,6
19:50
23:25
HONG KONG TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
KA 252
4
22:50 00:30+1
KA 250
1,2,3,5,6,7 21:45
23:30

YANGON TO TOKYO
Flights
Days
Dep
NH 814
Daily
21:45

TOKYO TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
NH 813
Daily
11:00

Arr
15:40

DHAKA TO YANGON
Days
Dep
1,6
12:30
4
10:40

Arr
14:55
13:05

INCHEON TO YANGON
Flights
Days
Dep
KE 471
Daily
18:45
8M 7701
Daily
18:45
8M 7501
3,6
19:50
W9 608
4,7
17:20
PG 723
1,3,5,6
11:05

Arr
22:25
22:25
23:25
18:10
12:00

CHIANG MAI TO YANGON

Flights
Days
Dep
Y5 252
2,4,6
9:25
7Y 306
1,5
13:45

Arr
10:15
14:35

Flights
BG 061
BG 061

YANGON TO DHAKA
Days
Dep
1,6
15:35
4
13:45

Arr
8:30
9:25
11:45
12:25
16:55
17:10
18:15
20:15
20:50
21:40
Arr
9:50
10:15
19:05
22:45
Arr
12:50
14:15
14:25
15:10
15:45
20:50
22:05
23:45
Arr
11:50
12:50
16:30
16:30
20:05
20:05
23:45

Arr
06:50+1
Arr
17:00
15:10

YANGON TO INCHEON
Days
Dep
Arr
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
Daily
23:30 07:50+1
4,7
00:35
09:10
4,7
14:20
16:10
1,3,5,6
13:10
15:05
YANGON TO CHIANG MAI
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
Y5 251
2,4,6
6:15
8:05
7Y 305
1,5
11:00
12:50

Flights
KE 472
8M 7702
8M 7502
W9 607
PG 724

Flights
BG 060
BG 060

Flights
AI 236
AI 701

YANGON TO GAYA
Days
Dep
3,5,6
7:00
2
13:10
YANGON TO DELHI
Days
Dep
2
13:10
1,5
14:05

Flights
AI 228

YANGON TO KOLKATA
Days
Dep
1,5
14:05

Arr
15:05

Flights
AI 227

Flights
AI 773

YANGON TO MUMBAI
Days
Dep
1,5
14:05

Arr
22:35

Flights
AI 675

Arr
16:30

BANGKOK TO MANDALAY
Flights
Days
Dep
PG 709
Daily
12:00

Flights
8M 601
AI 236

MANDALAY TO BANGKOK
Flights
Days
Dep
PG 710
Daily
14:05

Arr
8:20
15:05

Flights
AI 235
8M 602

Arr
16:30
19:50

Flights
AI 235
AI 401

GAYA TO YANGON
Days
Dep
2
9:20
3,5,6
9:20
DELHI TO YANGON
Days
Dep
2
9:20
1,5
7:00

Arr
12:0
12:30

Air Asia (FD)

Tel: 09254049991~3

Air Bagan Ltd.(W9)

Tel: 513322, 513422, 504888. Fax: 515102

Air China (CA)

Tel: 666112, 655882

Air India

Tel: 253597~98, 254758, 253601. Fax 248175

Bangkok Airways (PG)

Tel: 255122, 255265. Fax: 255119

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG)

Tel: 371867~68. Fax: 371869

Condor (DE)

Tel: 370836~39 (ext: 303)

Dragonair (KA)

Tel: 255323 (ext: 107), 09-401539206

Golden Myanmar Airlines (Y5)

Tel: 09400446999, 09400447999
Fax: 8604051

Malaysia Airlines (MH)

Tel: 387648, 241007 (ext: 120, 121, 122)

Fax: 241124

Myanmar Airways International (8M)

Tel: 255260. Fax: 255305

Nok Airline (DD)

Tel: 255050, 255021. Fax: 255051

Qatar Airways (QR)

Singapore Airlines (SQ) / Silk Air (MI)

Tel: 255491~6. Fax: 255223

Tiger Airline (TR)

Tel: 371383, 370836~39 (ext: 303)

Vietnam Airlines (VN)

Tel: 255066, 255088, 255068. Fax: 255086

Airline Codes
3K = Jet Star
8M = Myanmar Airways International

BG = Biman Bangladesh Airlines

CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines
CZ = China Southern
DD = Nok Airline
FD = Air Asia
KA = Dragonair
KE = Korea Airlines
MH = Malaysia Airlines

Arr
13:20

PG = Bangkok Airways

MUMBAI TO YANGON
Days
Dep
1,5
6:10

Arr
13:20

KUNMING TO MANDALAY
Flights
Days
Dep
MU 2029
Daily
13:00

NH = All Nippon Airways

QR = Qatar Airways

Arr
12:50

BANGKOK TO NAY PYI TAW

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
PG 721
1,2,3,4,5
17:00
19:00
PG 721
3
18:25
19:35
PG 721
1,2,3,4,5
17:45
19:45

Tourism chiefs hope set-jetting

will drive visitors out of London
and into other regions of the UK
as film production in the country
intensifies
BY HIROAKI ONO

Thai Airways (TG)

KOLKATA TO YANGON
Days
Dep
1,5
10:35

DON MUEANG TO MANDALAY

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
FD 244
Daily
10:50
12:15

The stunning
locations cashing in
on film and TV fame

Tel: 255287~9. Fax: 255290

MU = China Eastern Airlines

Arr
13:20

The site of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, UK, is a
popular set-jetting destination for film fans. Photo: Shutterstock

Tel: 379845, 379843, 379831. Fax: 379730

MI = Silk Air

MANDALAY TO DON MUEANG

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
FD 245
Daily
12:45
15:00

NAY PYI TAW TO BANGKOK

Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
PG 722
3
20:15
23:15
PG 722
1,2,3,4,5
19:30
22:30
PG 722
1,2,3,4,5
20:15
23:15

Tel: 255412, 413

Arr
12:20
13:20

SINGAPORE TO MANDALAY
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
Y5 2234
Daily
7:20
16:30
MI 533
2,6
11:35
15:00

Arr
16:40

All Nippon Airways (NH)

AK = Air Asia

MANDALAY TO SINGAPORE
Flights
Days
Dep
Arr
MI 533
2,6
15:55
20:50
Y5 2233
1,2,4,5,6
7:50
14:15

MANDALAY TO KUNMING
Flights
Days
Dep
MU 2030
Daily
13:50

International Airlines

SQ = Singapore Airways
TG = Thai Airways
TR = Tiger Airline
VN = Vietnam Airline
AI = Air India
Y5 = Golden Myanmar Airlines

Subject to change
without notice
Day
1 = Monday
2 = Tuesday
3 = Wednesday

4
5
6
7

=
=
=
=

Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

hey might be low on gossip

value and have distinctly
uneventful love lives but
it seems the new celebrities are
not the stars of the screen but
the locations. An appearance on
television or in a film has such a
powerful effect on buildings and
countryside around Britain that
research has found that it brought
in between 100 million and
140m (between US$155 million
and $220m) in international
tourism to the economy in
England excluding London last
year.
The researchers looked at
eight screen celebrity hotspots
old and new, including Alnwick
Castle, Northumberland, (the
site of Hogwarts in two of the
globally successful Harry Potter
films); the Oxfordshire village
of Bampton (Downton Abbey);
Holkham in Norfolk (Shakespeare
in Love, The Duchess); Lyme Park
in Cheshire (The Awakening, Pride
and Prejudice); Puzzlewood in the
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
(Doctor Who, Merlin and the new
Star Wars); and Wollaton Hall, a
hilltop mansion in Nottingham
(The Dark Knight Rises).
Alnwick Castle was the bestperforming location in the survey,
with day-visit spends from screen
tourists estimated to be worth
4.3m in 2014. The top three
locations were depicted clearly
on screen and fairly central to the
plot but the report also suggests
that screen tourism is a trend for
all types of content, from period
drama and childrens programmes
to crime and sci-fi.
James Berresford, CEO at
VisitEngland, said it was an
exciting phenomenon. It is
fantastic that so many tourist
destinations are benefiting from
domestic and international
visitors who increasingly want
to experience stunning locations
from the world of television and
film.
Its not just England, of course.
Scotland has long had its stunning
scenery and elegant cities
showcased by films and television

series from James Bond and Harry

Potter to Cloud Atlas and World
War Z. The 2012 animated Pixar
movie Brave was claimed to have
generated 120m for the Scottish
economy, although that was after
an extensive joint marketing
campaign by VisitScotland and
Disney tied in with the film.
Even the remote clifftop
ruins of Dunnottar Castle, near
Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, saw
a leap of 16 percent in visitor
numbers after its cartoon version
was depicted in Brave.
More recently VisitScotland
has produced a map for Bollywood
fans after seeing a rise in the
numbers of Indian productions
using Scottish castles and
lochsides for their high-glamour
productions. Announcing the map
last month, Scotlands culture
minister, Fiona Hyslop, said
tourism from India was a strong
emerging market as a result of
the Bollywood explosion.
And in Northern Ireland poor
old giant Finn MacCool is in
danger of losing his mythological
standing over the causeway coast
and glens of Antrim thanks to
the massively successful HBO
television show Game of Thrones.
Now in its fifth series, the magical,
medieval adventure story is filmed
extensively in castles and beaches
across the region, leading to the
springing up of a Game of Thrones
industry with tour and coach
operators in Belfast.
Creative England, an
organisation that helps to
promote filming in England,
who carried out the research,
hopes it will encourage people in
the tourist industry to cash in.
Kaye Elliott, head of production
services at Creative England,
said: We work hard both to
encourage production teams to
film in the English regions, and
also to work with locations, local
businesses, local authorities
and tourist agencies to help
them maximise the benefits of
this growing trend, something
that has the potential to add
even more money into the UK
economy. This country is full of
magnificent locations.

The Guardian

20

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | PUZZLERS

SUDOKU PACIFIC

Universal Crossword
Edited by Timothy E. Parker

WOOD YOU MIND? By Kaye Drummond

ACROSS
1 Does dear
5 Reach for the
stars
11 Big ___ (London
landmark)
14 Hawaiian city
15 Trumpet relative
16 ... ___ he drove out
of sight
17 Question for a
Canadian tree?
19 Ids counterpart
20 Truthfulness
21 Cleric ranking below
a priest
23 N.Y. summer
setting
24 A Kennedy
26 Cheerleaders
cheer
27 Like some cakes
29 Support in
chicanery
32 Entree fowl
35 Not one card short
of a deck
37 Scene of the
William Tell
legend
38 Starting points
41 Nighttime visitor of
folklore
43 Ms. Taylor
44 Saroyans My
Name Is ___
46 View from an
overlook
47 Knock silly
49 Startled
52 Massachusetts
cape
54 Calvin or Robert
55 Put two and two
together
58 Small pet
61 It keeps one up at
night
63 Inventor Whitney
64 What the paranoid
tree-phobic person
shouts?
66 Dads room,
perhaps
67 Exact restitution
68 Comstock, for one
69 A musician might
pick it? (Var.)
70 Less easygoing
71 Like Easter eggs

DILBERT

DOWN
1 Get rid of a five
oclock shadow
2 Tuckered out
3 On ones toes
4 The Duchess of Alba
painter
5 Sharpness of
perception
6 Apply balm to
7 What God hears
8 Type of stain
9 Swamp thing
10 It put people to sleep,
once
11 Lazy trees?
12 Cogito, ___ sum
13 Advertising sign

18 South and central

Pacific islands
22 Not quite the majors
25 Sheepherding areas
27 Fire fuel
28 Genetic material
30 Latin I word
31 Rocking Turner
32 More than cool
33 Pavarotti solo
34 Delivered tree?
36 To make poisonous
39 Large lobbying grp.
40 Famed vaccine
developer
42 How ___ this
happen?
45 Drags through

the mud
48 Unpopular slice
50 Fail to keep a
promise
51 Title thats usually
abbreviated
53 Jack Sprats dietary
restriction
55 Rankle
56 Electron tube
57 Not fashionable
58 Helen of Troys mother
59 Potpourri for
400, ___
60 Donate
62 Canasta term
65 Stimpys cartoon
friend

BY SCOTT ADAMS

PEANUTS

BY CHARLES SCHULZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

BY BILL WATTERSON

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | fiction

WEEKLY PREDICTIONS

CHRONICLES OF BEI KA STREET

AUNG MYIN KYAW

4th Floor, 113, Thamain Bayan Road, Tarmwe township, Yangon.
Tel: 09-731-35632, Email: williameaste@gmail.com

A Scent of

MAY 15 - 21, 2015

CHAPTER 1
AQUARIUS
Jan 20 Feb 18
You should do small things with great
love. Remember that few things are
more important than your own sense of
happiness and inner peace. Dont waste
any more precious moments of your life
regretting the inevitable. Do something
nice for someone else. Those little,
nameless, unremembered acts of
kindness and of love are treasured.

PISCES
Feb 19 March 20
Accept people as they are, even as you
constantly strive to better yourself.
You can get more done if people want
to help you. Your role is not to criticise
them or put them down. Know that
people have a different pace, tone and
way of looking at the world. Observe
peoples mannerisms, the better to
blend your style with theirs.

ARIES
Mar 21 Apr 19
The very basis of will itself is thrown
into question. There may be certain
values in your determinism. Your
beliefs may overcome your chronic
self-consciousness, thus paving the
way to advancement. You should
immerse yourself in the interrelation
between will, wish and whim to grasp
the deeper meanings of your life.

TAURUS
Apr 20 May 20

LEO
July 23 Aug 22
Uncertainties are a part of life.
Consider this: You do not even know
how many hairs grow on your own
head, or the length of your small
intestine. How then can you tell
yourself you understand the world
around you? We are all surrounded
by quotidian mysteries, and the
more we know, the less we know.

VIRGO
Aug 23 Sept 22
Your own independence of attitude
will bring you into conflict with
close partners. The benefits of
deeper harmony are not easy to
understand in social relations. Make
a good impression every time you
speak. Unhappy love affairs are best
consigned to the footlocker of history:
Act before its too late.

LIBRA
Sept 23 Oct 22
Knowledge is a treasure but practice
is the key to it. Truly is it said that
fortune favours the prepared mind.
Be sure to equip yourself with a
strong determination to prevail in the
battles life brings. If love conquers all,
wisdom is not far behind. You will find
it expedient to bring greater order into
your life.

SCORPIO
Oct 23 Nov 21

People say the world is the oyster

of the optimist. But in opposition to
that yang, consider this yin: If the
glass is half-empty, there is plenty
of room for more. This week, money
will come more easily than you
might expect, though love might well
recede tantalisingly beyond reach.
You pay your money, you take your
choice.

Weekly trends are important for all

practical issues, and even though
you may find things slow-moving,
they are moving in the right
direction. Social communications
may be disrupted by an unexpected
disagreement. Your travel plans
bode well for your financial health,
and romance will radiate new light
in your life.

GEMINI
May 21 June 20

SAGITTARIUS
Nov 22 Dec 21

Mental stability is more important

than physical power. This is something
that, as a Gem, you may be apt to
forget; after all, maintaining an even
strain is hardly your strong point. But,
if only for the next seven days, try to
keep both of those flighty feet on the
ground. Its important. Next month,
who knows.

CANCER
June 21 July 22
Look at the people around you with
greater respect by trying to see them
not as they are, but how they could
be. For we know what we are, but
not what we may be. Enhance your
own value to others and to the world
by performing good deeds. Not too
many. People might start to wonder
about you.

The secret of success in life is to

know when the time has come to act,
and when not to act. Your ability and
originality of thought may be applied
to any problem whose resolution
requires energy and wit. There should
be considerable lessening of tension
in all your associations with others
from now on.

CAPRICORN
Dec 22 Jan 19
Success calls for hard grind, whether
in work or play. However, do not
neglect the fine art of doing nothing,
which revives the flagging spirit. Work
on your sense of self-esteem in order
to build self-assurance. Association
with those of a selfish or narrowminded outlook should be avoided this
week and next.

EDITED BY KO NAN DOI

OR U Sha Lok, she was always

that woman; a phrase used
always with a kind of rueful
admiration and, despite everything,
never a breath of acrimony.
My friend was not an admirer of
the fair sex. He led a largely solitary
life in which his only passion seemed
to be the solving of the tangled cases
that came to his notice and, though I
counted myself his friend perhaps
his only friend I would have been
hard put to it to defend him from
accusations of coldness and want of
natural human fellow-feeling. He
seemed, in particular, impervious to
feminine charm. Though invariably
gracious to our landlady, Daw Hat
Sun, and most solicitous to his
female clients, who came to him in
various degrees of distress, he was
wont in private to make game of what
he called womens intelligence,
making clear his fixed view that in
any sphere, women were inferior to
men, and most particularly where it
concerned the power of the intellect.
Until, that is, he met Daw Aye
Linn.
Let me be more precise: until he
was defeated and publicly humiliated
by Daw Aye Linn, outmanoeuvred
and exposed under a glaring
spotlight, to the mocking laughter of
hundreds of onlookers. After that I
never heard him dilate quite so much
on the inferiority of women.
After my marriage, U Sha Lok
and I had grown somewhat apart,
naturally enough, since we no
longer shared our comfortably
shabby bachelor quarters in Bei Ka
Street. His reputation continued
to grow apace, and he acquired
a large following. From time to
time I would read of his exploits
in The Myanmar Times, almost
always in connection with a case
that stunned the newspaperreading public with its bizarre or
horrific elements. The affair of
the Sule Ruby springs to mind, or
the astonishing denouement of
the series of grisly murders on the

21

Scandal
Circular Railway Line. At other
times, though his name was never
mentioned, I fancied I could detect
his hand in the solution of other
crimes that had long baffled the
official Yangon Metropolitan Police.
I have no doubt, for instance, that
it was he who cracked the mystery
surrounding the notorious breakin of the underground vault below
the Federated Union Bank in Hat
Tan Garden Street and the theft of
millions in valuables stored there in
safe-deposit boxes.
It was in the cold season of 94
that, my work over for the day, I
found myself sauntering past the
familiar corner of Bei Ka Street. On
an impulse, I turned into the street
and was just passing our old home,
number 221B, when I saw U Sha Lok
himself, standing at the window of
our upstairs sitting room and gazing
down into the street. He seemed to
be quite lost in thought. As I stood
there, he suddenly became aware of
my presence and beckoned, quite
imperiously, for me to ascend.
Nothing loth, I had myself admitted,
and soon entered the familiar
diggings where we had shared so
many uncanny and sometimes
hazardous adventures.
Well, Wa Zone, marriage suits
you, I must admit. You must have
put on several ticals I would say a
couple of viss, to be sure!
Perhaps a kilo, I replied, rather
stiffly, since I was aware that I was
losing my youthful slenderness of
figure, as old married men will.
You have arrived just in time. If
you can spare me some time from your
sweetly onerous marital duties
I say, old man
There is no one whose company,
and help, I would rather have at
my side in this matter which just
come before me. Its early days
yet, but this affair could turn out
to have significant international
consequences.
Oh. Well. If you put it like that, I
suppose I could send a boy to tell my
wife Ill be a little late
I will not detain you long, at
least not this evening. Take a look at

this, he thrust at me an envelope,

already torn open, addressed to
himself at this address, but without
a stamp. The handwriting was wellformed, neat and legible, but gave
the impression it had been written
by someone copying the symbols
from a book, rather than by one who
had learned our characters at his
mothers knee.
You know my methods, Wa
Zone, he said, stretching out in
his familiar place on the settee, his
hands clasped behind his head, a
posture he claimed was conducive
to clarity of thought. Examine the
envelope, the writing, the texture
of the paper, anything which may
indicate to you something of the
sender, especially something which
the sender might wish to conceal, or
of which he himself may be unaware.
For we all surround ourselves at all
times with mute witnesses of our
innermost thoughts, and to the
keen observer, those witnesses shall
speak, whether we will or no.
I should explain that my friend
U Sha Lok, Yangons foremost
consulting private detective, lived
by his wits in exercising the most
remarkable skills. He was a master
at observation, drawing from the
close and precise scrutiny of the
evidence of his eyes and ears the
most pertinent deductions to assist
him in his calling. It was not only the
police who were wont to call upon his
services whenever they were baffled.
Any humble citizen could rely on U
Sha Loks assistance, provided only
that he found their case sufficiently
intriguing. And I was aware that
in recent months, the rich and the
famous, stars of stage and screen had
begun to turn to him when a delicate
problem required a discreet solution.
While avowing myself a mere
amateur in the arts he had perfected,
I had picked up a few hints from
watching his prowess and recording
his cases and, at his invitation, I now
began to apply such little skill as I
had garnered.
Next week: A mysterious client

22

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | QUICK GUIDE

General Listing

The Essentials
EMBASSIES
Australia 88, Strand Road,
Yangon. Tel : 251810,
251797, 251798.
Bangladesh 11-B, Than
Lwin Road, Yangon.
Tel: 515275, 526144, email:
bdootygn@mptmail.net.mm
Brazil 56, Pyay Road,
6th mile, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 507225,
507251. email: Administ.
yangon@itamaraty.gov.br.
Brunei 17, Kanbawza
Avenue, Golden Velly (1),
Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
566985, 503978.
email: bruneiemb@
bruneiemb.com.mm
Cambodia 25 (3B/4B),
New University Avenue
Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 549609, 540964.
email: RECYANGON @
mptmail.net.mm
Canada
9th Floor, Centerpoint
Towers, 65 Sule Pagoda
Road, Yangon, Tel :
01-384805 , Fax :01
384806, Email : yngon@
international.gc.ca
China 1, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
221280, 221281.
Denmark, No.7, Pyi Thu
St, Pyay Rd, 7 Miles,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 01 9669520 - 17.
Egypt 81, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
222886, 222887,
Egyptembassy86@gmail.
com
France 102, Pyidaungsu
Yeiktha Road, Yangon. Tel:
212178, 212520, email:
ambaf rance. rangoun@
diplomatie.fr
Germany 9, Bogyoke Aung
San Museum Road, Bahan
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 548951, 548952, email:
info@rangun. diplo.de
India 545-547, Merchant
St, Yangon. Tel: 391219,
388412,
email:indiaembassy
@mptmail.net.mm

Indonesia 100, Pyidaungsu

Yeiktha Rd, Yangon. Tel:
254465, 254469, 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 Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 549644-8,
540399, 540400, 540411,
545988, fax: 549643
Kuwait
62-B, Shwe Taung Kyar St,
Bahan Tsp.
Tel : 01-230-9542, 2309543. Fax : 01-230-5836.
Laos 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,
email: mwkyangon@
mptmail.net.mm
Nepal 16, Natmauk
Yeiktha, Yangon. Tel:
545880, 557168, fax:
549803, email: nepemb @
mptmail.net.mm
Norway, No.7, Pyi Thu
St, Pyay Rd, 7 Miles,
Mayangone Tsp,Yangon.
Tel: 01 9669520 - 17 Fax
01- 9669516
New Zealand No. 43/C,
Inya Myaing Rd, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon.
Tel : 01-2306046-9
Fax : 01-2305805
Netherlands No. 43/C, Inya
Myaing Rd, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon. Tel : 01-2305805
North Korea 77C, Shin
Saw Pu Rd, Sanchaung
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 512642, 510205

Pakistan A-4, diplomatic

Quarters, Pyay Rd, Yangon.
Tel: 222881 (Chancery
Exchange)
Philippines 7, Gandamar
St, Yankin Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 558149-151, Email:
p.e. yangon@gmail.com
Saudi Arabia No.6/S,
Inya Yeiktha St, 10th Qtr,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon,
Tel: (951) 652-344, 652-344,
Fax: (951) 657-983
Russia 38, Sagawa Rd,
Yangon.
Tel: 241955, 254161,
Serbia No. 114-A, Inya
Rd, P.O.Box No. 943,
Yangon. Tel: 515282,
515283, email: serbemb @
yangon.net.mm
Singapore 238, Dhamazedi
Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 559001, email:
singemb_ ygn@_sgmfa.
gov.sg
South Korea 97 University
Avenue, Bahan Tsp,
Yangon. Tel: 527142-4,
515190, fax: 513286, email:
myanmar@mofat.go.kr
Sri Lanka 34 Taw Win Rd,
Yangon. Tel: 222812,
Switzerland
No 11, Kabaung Lane, 5
mile, Pyay Rd, Hlaing Tsp,
Yangon.
Tel: 534754, 507089.
Thailand 94 Pyay Rd,
Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
226721, 226728, 226824
Turkey
19AB, Kan Yeik Thar St,
Mayangone Tsp,Yangon.
Tel : 662992, Fax : 661365
United Kingdom 80 Strand
Rd, Yangon.
Tel: 370867, 380322,
371852, 371853, 256438,
United States of America
110, University Avenue,
Kamayut Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 536509, 535756, Fax:
650306
Vietnam Bldg-72, Thanlwin
Rd, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel:
511305

UNITED NATIONS
ILO Liaison 1-A, Kanbae
(Thitsar Rd), Yankin Tsp,
Tel : 01-566538, 566539
IOM 318 (A) Ahlone Rd, Dagon
Tsp, Yangon.Tel 01-210588,
09 73236679, 0973236680,
Email- iomyangon@iom.int
UNAIDS 137/1, Thaw Wun Rd,
Kamayut Tsp.
Tel : 534498, 504832
UNDCP 11-A, Malikha St,
Mayangone tsp.
Tel: 666903, 664539.
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.
UNIAP Rm: 1202, 12 Fl,
Traders Hotel.
Tel: 254852, 254853.
UNIC 6, Natmauk St., Bahan,
tel: 52910~19
UNICEF 14~15 Flr, Traders
Hotel. P.O. Box 1435,
Kyauktada. Tel: 375527~32,
unicef.yangon@unicef. org,
UNODC 11-A, Malikha Rd., Ward
7, Mayangone. tel: 01-9666903,
9660556, 9660538, 9660398.
email: fo.myanmar@unodc.org
UNOPS 120/0, Pyi Thu Lane,
7 Miles, Mayangone Tsp.
Tel: 951-657281~7.
Fax: 657279.
UNRC 6, Natmauk Rd, P.O.
Box 650, TMWE Tel: 542911~19,
292637 (Resident Coordinator),
WFP 5 Kan Baw Za St, Shwe
Taung Kyar, (Golden Valley),
Bahan Tsp. Tel : 2305971~6
WHO No. 2, Pyay Rd, 7 Mile,
Mayangone Tsp, Tel : 6504056, 650416, 654386-90.
ASEAN Coordinating Of. for
the ASEAN Humanitarian
Task Force, 79, Taw Win st,
Dagon Tsp. Tel: 225258.
FAO Myanma Agriculture
Service Insein Rd, Insein. tel:
641672, 641673.

For more information about these listings, Please Contact - classified.mcm@gmail.com

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.

ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS

Excel Treasure Hotel

Yangon

AsiA PlAzA Hotel

YANGON
No. 277, Bogyoke Aung
San Road, Corner of
38th Street, Kyauktada
Township, Yangon,
Myanmar.
Tel : (951) 391070, 391071.
Reservation@391070
(Ext) 1910, 106.
Fax : (951) 391375. Email :
hotelasiaplaza@gmail.com
Avenue 64 Hotel
No. 64 (G), Kyitewine
Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon. Tel : 09-8631392,
01 656913-9

No.520, Kaba Aye Pagoda

Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: 01-559150 to 7
Fax: 01-559150

Excel River View

Hotel

No.(3) Block (1 to 4), Near

Thanlyin Bridge, Thanlyin
Township, Yangon Myanmar.
Tel: 056-22550, 09-8601892,
Fax: 056-22546,

Excel Palace Hotel

No.(25, D1), New University

Avenue Road, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: 01-544491, 01-556601
Fax: 525028, 01-544604
excel@myanmar.com.mm
autospeed123@gmail.com
www.exceltreasurehotel.com

Novotel Yangon Max

459, Pyay Rd, Kamayut
Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel.: +95(1) 2305858
Email: bqsales1
novotelyangon@gmail.com
Parkroyal Yangon,
Myanmar
33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon tsp.
tel: 250388. fax: 252478.
Savoy Hotel
129, Damazedi Rd,
Kamayut tsp.
tel: 526289, 526298,
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.

No. 12, Pho Sein Road,

Tamwe Township, Yangon
Tel : (95-1) 209299, 209300,
209343 Fax : (95-1) 209344
bestwestern.com/
greenhillhotelyangon.com
Chatrium Hotel
40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe.
tel: 544500. fax: 544400.
Confort Inn
4, Shweli Rd, Bet: Inya Rd
& U Wisara Rd, Kamaryut,
tel: 525781, 526872
Clover Hotel
No.7A, Wingabar Road,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : (951) 546313, 430245.
09-731-77781~4. Fax : (01)
546313.
www.cloverhotel.asia.
info@cloverhotel.asia
Clover Hotel City Center
No. 217, 32nd Street
(Upper Block), Pabedan Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 377720, Fax : 377722
www.clovercitycenter.asia
Clover Hotel City Center Plus
No. 229, 32nd Street
(Upper Block), Pabedan Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 377975, Fax : 377974
www.clovercitycenterplus.asia

No. (356/366), Kyaikkasan

Rd, Tamwe Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Ph: 542826, Fax: 545650
Email: reservation@
edenpalacehotel.com

M-22, Shwe Htee Housing,

Thamine Station St., Near
the Bayint Naung Point,
Mayangone Tsp., Yangon
Tel : 522763, 522744,
667557. Fax : (95-1) 652174
E-mail : grandpalace@
myanmar.com.mm

153/159,Bogyoke Ag San Rd,

Botataung Tsp.Yangon,
Tel: 951-298986,296209,
www.grandlaurelhotel.com
Hotel Grand United
(Chinatown)
621, Maharbandoola Rd,
Latha Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 372256-58
(21st Downtown)
66-70, 21st Street (Enter
from Strand Rd), Latha
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (95-1)
378201
(Ahlone Branch)
35, Min Ye Kyaw Swar
Rd, Ahlone Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 218061-64;
Email: grandunited.
head@gmail.com, www.
hotelgrandunited.com

Winner Inn
42, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan
Tsp. Tel: 503734, 524387.
email: reservation@winner
innmyanmar.com

No.183, 35th St; Bet; 77th

&78th Street, Mahar Aung
Myae Tsp, Mandalay. Ph: 02
67 404, 67 405, 67 406, 67
407, 67 408, website:www.
yuanshenghotel.com,
Email: sale.yuanshenghotel
@gmail.com
Yuzana Garden Hotel
Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Dagon
Tsp. Tel: 503734, 524387.

ACCOMMODATIONHOTELS (NAy PyI TAw)

186, Lu Nge Thitsar
Street, on Thitsar Road,
Yankin Township, Yangon,
Myanmar. Ph: +951-8550
283, +951-8550 284,
+959-2540 63632, E-mail:
enquiry@hotelyankin.com,
www.hotelyankin.com

Excel Capital Hotel

Nay Pyi Taw

No.(23/24), Yarza Thingaha

Rd, Dekhina Thiri Township
Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
Tel: 067-8106011 to 17,
Fax: 067-8106020,
excel@myanmar.com.mm
autospeed123@gmail.com
www.exceltreasurehotel.com

No.1, Wut Kyaung St,

Yay Kyaw, Pazundaung Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Ph: 01-8610640, 01-202187,
www.mkhotelyangon.com
Panda Hotel
Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road,
Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (95-1) 212850 ~ 3,
229358 ~ 61,
Inya Lake Resort Hotel
37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd.
tel: 662866. fax: 665537.

Reservation Office (Yangon)

123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon Township
Tel
: 951- 255 819~838
Hotel Max, (Nay Pyi Taw)
Tel
: 067- 414 177,
067- 4141 88
E-Mail: reservation@
maxhotelsgroup.com

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | QUICK GUIDE

23

THE MYANMAR TIMES MARCH 20 , 2015

ACCOMMODATION
LONG TERM

ARCHITECTS &
MODULAR BUILDINGS

HAPPY HOMES
REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT

Tel: 09-7349-4483,
09-4200-56994.
E-mail: aahappyhomes@
gmail.com, http://www.
happyhomesyangon.com
Hotel Yangon
91/93, 8th Mile Junction,
Tel : 01-667708, 667688.

BEAUTY & MASSAGE

contactus@greenarc.net.au
Tel : 09-730-22820

AIR CONDITION

Marina Residence
8, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,
Mayangone Tsp.
tel: 6506 51~4. fax: 650630.
Sakura Residence
9, Inya Rd, Kamaryut Tsp.
tel: 525001. fax: 525002.
Sule Shangri-La Hotel
223 Sule Pagoda Rd. tel:
242828. fax: 242838.
Yuzana Hotel
130, Shwegondaing Rd,
Bahan Tsp, tel : 01-549600

The First Air conditioning

systems designed to keep
you fresh all day
Zeya & Associates 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 Aircon
83-91, Ground Flr, Bo Aung
Kyaw St, Kyauktada.
Ph: 01-706223, 373462.
Hitachi Aircon
SA 7, Aung Zaya Housing,
Ahlone Strand Rd, Corner
of Ahlone Rd & Strand Rd.
Ahlone tsp.Tel: 01-2301267, 09-431-53423.

BOOK STORES

ADVERTISING & MEDIA

WE STARTED THE ADVERTISING
INDUSTRY IN MYANMAR SINCE 1991

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

A D V E RT 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

Beauty 49
49 street (middle),
Botataung Tsp.
Tel:292650
California Skin Spa
NO 32.B, Inya Myaing Road,
Yangon. (Off University
Road) Tel : 01-535097,
01-501295. Open Daily :
(10 AM - 8 PM)

KH Hotel, Yangon
28-A, 7 Miles, Pyay Rd,
Mayangone Tsp, Yangon.
Ph: 95-1-652532, 652533

17, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd,

Yankin Tsp.
Tel: 650933. Fax: 650960.
Email : micprm@
myanmar.com.mmwww.
myanmar micasahotel.com

MYANMAR BOOK CENTRE

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

150 Dhamazedi Rd.,

Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: (01) 536306, 537805.
Email: mbt.marketing.
mgr@gmail.com
15(B), Departure Lounge,
Yangon Intl Airport.
# 87/2, Crn of 26th & 27th
St, 77th St, Chan Aye Thar
Zan Tsp, Mandalay.
Tel: (02) 24880
ELT Showroom:
# 43, 165 St, Tarmwe Tsp,
Yangon.
Tel: (09) 5116687

YANGON
La Source Beauty Spa
12-E, Inya Rd, Kamayut Tsp.
Tel: 512380, 526653
Beauty Bar by La Source
Shop (1004), Sedona Hotel,
Tel : 860 5377 Ext : 7167
MANDALAY
La Source Beauty Spa
13/13, Mya Sandar St,
bet: 26 x 27, bet: 62 x 63,
Chanaye Tharzan Tsp.
Tel : 09-4440-24496.
www.lasourcebeautyspa.com

Marina Residence, Yangon

Ph: 650651~4, Ext: 109
Beauty Plan, Corner of
77th St & 31st St, Mandalay
Ph: 02 72506
Yves Rocher
147, Shwe Gone Taing Rd,
West Yay Tar Shay Ward,
Bahan, Ph: 01-8604930~31

BUSINESS SERVICE

CAR RENTAL

CLEANING SERVICES

CENTURION AUTO GROUP

Corporate Car Rental
Transfer | Daily | Monthly| Fleet

English Speaking Driver

On-board Wi-Fi
$1-million Insurance
Concierge & Refreshment
Defensive Driver Training
Tel: 571586, 09 250188232
www.centurionauto.com

Car Rental Service

No. 56, Bo Ywe St,
Latha Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 01-246551, 375283,
09-2132778, 09-31119195.
Gmail:nyanmyintthu1983@
gmail.com,
Moe Car Rental
Than Thu Mar Rd,
Thuwunna, Thingangyun.
Tel: 09-2540-07712, 0949570697, 09-799658370.
MYANMAR EXECUTIVE
LIMOUSINE SERVICE

HOT LINE:
09 - 402 510 003
01-646 330
First Class VIP
Limousine Car Rental.
Professional English
Speaking Drivers.
Full Insurance for
your Safety and
comfortable journey
Call us Now for your
best choice
www.mmels.com

Self Drive Daily Rental

Brand New Left Hand
Drive
Comprehensive Insurance
Daily Rental (24 hours)
Unlimited Kilometres
24/7 Roadside Assistance
www.yomafleet.com
soe@yomafleet.com
+95 9 4500 35280

Commercial Cleaning
Services and Products
Carpet, Windows,
Upholsteries, Floor,
Buildings...We Clean It All!
For FREE estimates,
Contact: 09 730 35336,
09 7321 2220 or
ppcscleaning@gmail.com

COFFEE MACHINE

illy, Francis Francis, VBM,

Brasilia, Rossi, De Longhi
Nwe Ta Pin Trading Co., Ltd.
Shop C, Building 459 B
New University Avenue
01- 555-879, 09-4210-81705
nwetapintrading@gmail.com

COLD STORAGE

Express Courier & Cargo

One Stop Logistic Solution
Ygn, Hot Line: 011224270

Life Fitness
Bldg A1, Rm No. 001,
Shwekabar Housing,
Mindhamma Rd,
Mayangone Tsp. Yangon.
Ph: 01-656511,
Fax: 01-656522,
Hot line: 0973194684,
natraysports@gmail.com

No. 20, Ground Floor, Pearl

Street, Golden Valley Ward,
Bahan Township, Yangon.
Tel : 09-509 7057, 01220881, 549478 (Ext : 103)
Email : realfitnessmyanmar
@gmail.com

FLORAL SERVICES
Est. 1992 in Myanmar
Cold Storage Specialist,
Solar Hot Water Storage
Solutions.
Tel: 01 663656,
09 73164485, 09 252395198
Email: sales@glovermkm.
com.mm

CONSTRUCTION

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

CO WORKING SPACE

No. (6), Lane 2

Botahtaung Pagoda St,
Yangon.
01-9010003, 291897.
info@venturaoffice.com,
www.venturaoffice.com

CONSULTING

Myanmar Research | Consulting

Capital Markets

Shwe Hinthar B 307, 6 1/2

Miles, Pyay Rd., Yangon.
Tel: +95 (0)1 654 730
info@thuraswiss.com
www.thuraswiss.com

DUTY FREE

Duty Free Shops

Yangon International
Airport, Arrival/Departure
Mandalay International
Airport, Departure
Office: 17, 2nd street,
Hlaing Yadanarmon Housing,
Hlaing Township, Yangon.
Tel: 500143, 500144, 500145.

ELECTRICAL

Est. 1992 in Myanmar

Electrical & Mechanical
Contractors, Designers,
Consultants.
Tel: 01 663656,
09 73164485, 09 252395198
Email: sales@glovermkm.
com.mm

Worlds leader in
Kitchen Hoods & Hobs
Same as Ariston Water
Heater. Tel: 251033,
379671, 256622, 647813

GEMS & JEWELLERIES

www.realfitnessmyanmar.com

DELIVERY SERVICE

News & Business Ideas

facebook box.com.mm
http://box.com.mm

FITNESS CENTRE
Balance Fitnesss
University Avenue Rd,
Bahan Tsp. Yangon.
01-656916, 09 8631392
Email - info@
balancefitnessyangon.com

Floral Service & Gift Shop

No. 449, New University
Avenue, Bahan Tsp. YGN.
Tel: 559011, 541217,
09-730-55660
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,
09-492-09039. Email :
eternalflowers99@gmail.
com

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

Kham Le
22, Thukha Waddy St,
Suneyan Park, Yankin, Ph:
01-8605223, 8605224.

Ruby & Rare Gems

of Myanamar
No. 527, New University
Ave., Bahan Tsp. Yangon.

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

Tel: 549612, Fax : 545770.

The Lady Gems

7, Inya Rd, Kamayut Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-2305800,
09-8315555

GENERATORS
Your Most Reliable Jeweller

The Natural Gems of

Myanmar & Fine Jewellery.
No. 30(A), Pyay Road,
(7 mile), Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-660397, 654398
spgems.myanmar@
gmail.com

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

HEALTH SERVICES

Foam Spray Insulation

No-410, Ground Fl,Lower
Pazuntaung Rd, Pazun
taung Tsp, Yangon.Telefax
: 01-203743, 09-5007681.
Hot Line-09-730-30825.

GLASS

International
Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, G-Fl, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-245112,
09-730-22820
Email : intconstruction
material@gmail.com

GAS COOKER &

COOKER HOODS

Yangon : A-3, Aung San

Stadium (North East Wing),
Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp.
Tel : 245543, 09-73903736,
09-73037772.
Mandalay : No.(4) 73rd St,
Btw 30th & 31st St, Chan
Aye Thar Zan Tsp. Tel : 096803505, 09-449004631.
Naypyitaw : Level (2),
Capital Hyper Mart,
Yazathingaha Street,
Outarathiri Tsp. Tel : 0933503202, 09-73050337

98(A), Kaba Aye Pagoda

Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon. Tel: 542979,
553783, 09-732-16940.
Fax: 542979
Email: asiapacific.
myanmar@gmail.com.
Dent Myanmar
Condo (C), Room (001),
Tatkatho Yeikmon Housing,
New University Avenue Rd,
Bahan Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 09 8615162, 09 8615163,
542 375, (Ext 1155)

Japan-Myanmar
Physiotherapy Clinic.
Body Massage - 7000 Ks
Foot Massage - 6000 Ks
Body & Foot Massage 12,000 Ks
No.285, Bo Aung Kyaw Rd,
Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon.
09:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Tel : 09-8615036

24 Hours Laboratory
& X-ray, CT, MRI, USG
Mammogram, Bone DXA
@ Victoria Hospital
No. 68, Tawwin Rd, 9 Mile,
Mayangon Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: (951) 9 666141
Fax: (951) 9 666135

24

THE MYANMAR TIMES ISSUE 10 I MAY 22 - 28, 2015

wEEKEND | QUICK GUIDE

THE MYANMAR TIMES MARCH 20, 2015

24 Hrs International Clinic

Medical and Security
Assistance Service
@ Victoria Hospital
No.68, Tawwin Rd, 9 Mile,
Mayangon Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel: +951 651 238
+959 495 85 955
Fax: +959 651 398
www.leomedicare.com

MARINE
COMMUNICATION &
NAVIGATION

Top Marine Show Room

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

OFFICE FURNITURE
NO.61, 2nd Floor, 101 Street,
Kandawlay, Mingalar
Taung Nyunt Tsp, Yangon,
Myanmar.
Ph: 01-205102, 09 2603
60932, 09 2603 60933,
09 3334 6666

No.(68), Tawwin Street,

9 Mile, Mayangone Tsp,
Yangon.
Hunt line: +95 1 9666 141,
Booking Ext : 7080, 7084.
Fax: +95 1 9666 135
Email:
info@witoriya hospital.com
www.victoriahospital
myanmar.com,
Facebook :
https://www.facebook.com/
WitoriyaGeneralHospital

HOME FURNITURE

22, Pyay Rd, 9 mile,

Mayangone Tsp.
tel: 660769, 664363.

99 Condo, Ground Floor,

Room (A), Damazedi Rd,
Kamayut Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 09-2504-28700
info@decorum.mm.com

Tel : 01-9000712~13 Ext : 330

09-4200-77039.
direct2u@mmrdrs.com

Bldg-A2, G-Flr, Shwe

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

Bld-A2, Gr-Fl, Shwe

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

Room No. 1101, 16th Flr,

Tower B, Maw Tin Tower,
Corner of Anawrahta Rd
& Lanthit St, Lanmadaw
Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : (95-1) 218489. 218490
218491
Fax : (95-1) 218492
Email : marketing @
kaytumadi.com, contact@
kaytumadi.com,
kaytumadi@gmail.com.
web : www.rockworth.com

Worlds No.1 Paints &

Coatings Company

Sole Distributor
For the Union of
Myanmar Since 1995
Myanmar Golden Rock
International Co.,Ltd.
79-D, Bo Chein St, Pyay Rd,
6 Mile, Hlaing Tsp,
Tel: 654810~654819
654844~654848

TOP MARINE PAINT

No-385, Ground Floor,
Lower Pazundaung Road,
Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon.
Ph: 09-851-5202

International
Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, G-Fl, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-245112,
09-730-22820
Email : intconstruction
material@gmail.com

PLEASURE CRUISES

Intl Quality Uniform &

Promo Gifts
for Corporate, Hotel, F&B
Tel: (959) 972 154 990,
Email: suchada@
stgroupholdings.com

Premium Chef Uniform

No. H-8, May Kha Housing,

May Kha St., Thingangyun
Tsp, Yangon.
Tel: 01 855 0105, 09 506
7816, 09 254443366
Email: theworkwear
myanmar@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/
workwearmyanmar

01 9000 712~3, Ext 330/332,

Email: enquiries.HM@
mmrdrs.com, www.
hermanmillerasia.com

HOUSING

PAINT

Pun Hlaing Golf Estate

Gated Golf Community
HOUSE RENTAL
APARTMENT RENTALS
SERVICED APARTMENTS
Available Immediately
RENTAL OFFICE
OPEN DAILY 9-5
PHGE Sales & Marketing,
Hlaing Tharyar Tsp, Yangon.
Tel : 951-687 778, 684 013
phgemarketing@
spa-mm.com,
www.punhlainggolfestate.com

SUPPLIER of Quality Paints

DECORATIVE COATINGS
PROTECTIVE COATINGS
MARINE COATINGS
POWDER COATINGS
Jotun Myanmar (Services)
Co. Ltd.
G-7, May Kha Housing,
Lay Doung Kan Road,
Thingangyun Township,
Yangon-Myanmar
Tel: +95 1 566716, 566843
jotun.com

Relocation Specialist
Rm 504, M.M.G Tower,
#44/56, Kannar Rd,
Botahtaung Tsp.
Tel: 250290, 252313.
Mail : info@asiantigersmyanmar.com

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

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

SCHOOLS
World famous Kobe Beef
Near Thuka Kabar
Hospital on Pyay Rd,
Marlar st, Hlaing Tsp.
Tel: +95-1-535072

No. 5, U Tun Nyein

Street, Mayangone T/S,
Yangon.
Tel : 01-660 612, 657928,
01-122 1014, 09 508 9441
Email : lalchimiste.
restaurant@gmail.com

Enchanting and Romantic,

a Bliss on the Lake
62 D, U Tun Nyein Road,
Mayangon Tsp, Yangon
Tel. 01 665 516, 660976
Mob. 09-730-30755
operayangon@gmail.com
www.operayangon.com

22, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd,

Bahan Tsp. tel 541997.
email: leplanteur@
mptmail.net.mm.
http://leplanteur.net

Moby Dick Tours Co., Ltd.

Islands Safari in the Mergui
Archipelago
No.89-91, Rm No.2, Gr Fr,
32nd St, Pabedan Tsp, Ygn.
Tel / Fax: 01-380382
E-mail: info@islandsafari
mergui.com. Website: www.
islandsafarimergui.com

REAL ESTATE

Commercial leasing
Contact : 09 301 66 888
sales777Lux@gmail.com

American best practices

Pabaedan Township.
09 253 559 848
info@PathwayMoving.com
www.PathwayMoving.com
Yangons premier mover

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.

Horizon Intl School

235, Shukhinthar Myo Pat
Rd, Thaketa Tsp, Yangon,
Ph: 450396~7, 25, Po Sein
Rd, Bahan Tsp, Yangon,
Ph: 543926, Fax: 543926,
email: contact@
horizonmyanmar.com

G-01, City Mart

(Myay Ni Gone Center).
Tel: 01-508467-70 Ext: 106

Monsoon Restaurant
& Bar 85/87, Thein Byu
Road, Botahtaung Tsp.
Tel: 295224, 09-501 5653.

Delicious Hong Kong Style

Food Restaurant
G-09, City Mart (Myay Ni
Gone Center).
Tel: 01-508467-70 Ext: 114

TRAVEL AGENTS

Yangon International
School (YIS)
Grades, Pre-school Grade 12.
American Curriculum.
117, Thumingalar Housing
Thingangyun Tsp
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 95 1 578171, 573149
Fax : 95 1 578604
Website :
www.yismyanmar.com

SERVICE OFFICE

Executive Serviced Offices

Real Estate Agent

N o Fe e s fo r C l i e n t s ,
Contact Us : 09 2050107,
robin@prontorealtor.com

For House-Seekers

with Expert Services

In all kinds of Estate Fields
yomaestatemm@gmail.com
09-332 87270 (Fees Free)
09-2541 26615, 09254392553

Aye Yeik Mon

New University Avenue
Rd, Bahan Tsp.
Ph: 095188320

Reservation Office (Yangon)

123, Alanpya Pagoda Rd,
Dagon Township
Tel
: 951- 255 819~838
Max Resort (Chaung Tha)
Tel
: 042 42346~9
E-Mail: reservation@
maxhotelsgroup.com

SANITARY WARE
Coffee & Snack Bar
Shop: No.150, Dhamazedi
Road, Bahan Township,
Yangon, Myanmar,
09-3621-4523, gustocafe.
yangon@gmail.com

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

Asian Trails Tour Ltd

73 Pyay Rd, Dagon tsp.
tel: 211212, 223262.
fax: 211670. email: res@
asiantrails.com.mm
Shan Yoma Tours Co.,Ltd
Ph: 01-9010378, 9010382,

www.exploremyanmar.com
www.exploreglobaltravel.
com

WATER HEATERS

The Global leader in

Water Heaters
A/1, Aung San Stadium
East Wing, Upper
Pansodan Road.
Tel: 01-256705, 399464,
394409, 647812.

www.hinthabusinesscentres.com

Tel : 01-4413410

Made in Japan
Same as Rinnai Gas Cooker
and Cooker Hood
Showroom Address
Executive Serviced
Office, Registered
and Virtual Office, Hot
Desking, Meeting Rooms
Tel: +(95) 1 387947
www.officehubservices,com

STEEL STRUCTURE

Design, Fabrication,
Supply & Erection of Steel
Structures
Tel : +95 9 252399569
Email : Sales@WECMyanmar.com
www.WEC-Myanmar.com

Faucets | Showers |
Sanitarywares | Bathroom
Accessories, Ph: 379671,
256622, 399464, 09 9771
09852. Address: Same
as ARISTON
Grohe
Bath Room Accessories,
79-B3/B3, East Shwe Gone
Dine, Near SSC Womens
Center, Bahan.
Tel : 01-401083,

WATER PROOFING

International
Construction
Material Co., Ltd.
No. 60, G-Fl, Sint-Oh-Dan St,
Lower Block, Latha Tsp,
Yangon, Myanmar.
Tel : 01-245112,
09-730-22820
Email : intconstruction
material@gmail.com

WATER TREATMENT

SPORTS

Premium Trophies
From Malaysia/Italy

RESORT

Executive Serviced Offices

Contact : 09 301 66 888
sales777Lux@gmail.com
Quality Chinese Dishes
with Resonable Price
@Marketplace by City Mart.
Tel: 01-523840 Ext.109

SC STORAGE YANGON
Monthly storage available
Transportation of goods
provided,
Mobile: 09-253 559 848,
Email: YangonStorage@
gmail.com

Water Heater

RESTAURANTS

Good taste & resonable

price
@Thamada Hotel
Tel: 01-243047, 243639-41
Ext: 32

STORAGE
SC STORAGE YANGON

G-05, Marketplace by
City Mart.
Tel: 01-523840 Ext: 105

HOTEL SUPPLY
European Quality
& Designs Indoor/
Outdoor Furniture, Hotel
Furniture & All kinds of
woodworks
Office Tel: 01-380382,
09-509-1673, Show Room:
No. 123-124, Shwe Yin Aye
(2) Street, Industrial Zone
5 (Extension), Hlaing Thar
Yar Township, Yangon,
Myanmar. E-mail: contact@
smartdesignstrading.com,
www.royalbotania.com,
www.alexander-rose.co.uk,
Please call for any enquiry.

REMOVALISTS

No. H-8, May Kha Housing,

May Kha St., Thingangyun
Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 01 855
0105, 09 540 8885. Email:
trophystudio@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/
trophystudio.mm

Water & Wastewater

Treatment (Since 1997)
Amd Supply Package
Fiberglass Wastewater
System for Offices,
Condominiums & Hotels
Project. Can Design for
YCDC Permit Application.
39-B, Thazin Lane, Ahlone.
09-5161431, 09-43126571,
01-218437~8

WATER SOLUTION

Aekar

Company Limited

SUPERMARKETS
Capital Hyper Mart
14(E), Min Nandar Road,
Dawbon Tsp. Ph: 553136.
City Mart (Aung San) tel:
253022, 294765.
Junction Square
Pyay Rd, Kamayut,
Ph: 01-527242.
Junction Zawana
Lay Daung Kan St,
Thingangyun, Ph: 573929.
Ocean (North Point)
Pyay Rd, 9 mile,
Ph: 01-652959.
Ocean (East Point)
Mahabandoola Rd,
Ph: 01-397146.
Orange Super Market
103, Thu Damar Rd,
Industrial Zone, North
Okkalar, Ph: 9690246

Water Treatement Solution

Block (A), Room (G-12),
Pearl Condo, Kabar Aye
Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp.
Hot Line : 09-4500-59000

WEB SERVICE

Web Services
All the way from Australia
world-class websites/
web apps for desktop,
smartphone & tablets,
online shopping with
real-time transaction,
news/magazine site,
forum, email campaign
and all essential online
services. Domain
registration & cloud
hosting. Talk to us: (01)
430-897, (0) 942-000-4554.
www.medialane.com.au

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | SOCIALITE

Christa, Matt, Sammy and Sooz

Seeing
double
The launch of
Grand Royals
Double Gold
whisky on May 15
saw guests flocking
to 50th Street Bar
to get a taste of the
liquid gold.

Jeewee Van Rooij

Pyae Phyo Kyaw and La Min Mg

Theint Oo Khaing, Theingi Kaung, Thwin Eaindra Oo

A touch of spice
Guests indulged in
biryani and a host of
other authentic dishes
at the Bangladesh Food
Festival, held at Sedona
Hotel from May 15 to 19.

Abul Kalam

Yu Yu and Ko Michael

Pride against
prejudice
Guests gathered
for the opening
of the second
&PROUD 2015
photo exhibition
at Yangons Deitta
Gallery on May
16. The exhibition
features 44 photos of
the LGBT community
by 11 local
photographers, and
is open to the public
until May 24.
Eugene Yeo and Vinoth Kumar
Wanekas, Brian, Varsha and Edwin

25

Ma Khin Pearl Yuki

TRADEMARK CAUTIONARY NOTICE

26

wEEKEND | WHATSON

Orient-Express Hotels Interfin Ltd., a company organized under

the laws of BERMUDA and having its principal office at Canons
Court, 22 Victoria Street, P.O. Box HM1179, Hamilton HM EX,
BERMUDA is the owner and sole proprietor of the following
Trademarks : -

Myanmar Registration Numbers. 4/3450/2014, 4/3451/2014,

4/3452/2014 & 4/3453/2014
Used in respect of :Business management of hotels in class 35.
Renting or selling residential real estate connected to hotels in
class 36.
Transportation of persons by rail; cruise ship services; tourism,
namely arranging excursions for tourists; tourist agency services;
organizing sight-seeing tours and excursions; travel information
and agency services in connection with transportation of passengers
by ship in class 39.
Hotels; hotel services; resort hotel services; restaurants; restaurant
services in class 43.
Any unauthorized use, imitation, infringements or fraudulent
intentions of the above marks will be dealt with according to law.
Tin Ohnmar Tun, Tin Thiri Aung & The Law Chambers
Ph: 0973150632
Email:law_chambers@seasiren.com.mm
(For. Domnern Somgiat & Boonma,
Attorneys at Law, Thailand)
Dated. 22nd May, 2015

TRADEMARK CAUTIONARY NOTICE

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited, a company organized
under the laws of England and Wales, and having its principal
office at 1st Floor, Shackleton House, 4 Battle Bridge Lane, SE1
2HP London, United Kingdom is the owner and sole proprietor
of the following Trademark:-

EVENTS
FRIDAY 22
MUSIC
Live music by the Aaron Gallegos Trio.
Gekko, 535 Merchant Road 7pm
Nightly live music. Kokine Bar and
Restaurant (next to Kokine Swimming
Club) 6-11pm
Live music by The Four Band.
Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro, 20th floor, Sakura
Tower, 339 Bogyoke Aung San Road,
Kyauktada 7-10pm

MISC
Breakfast Talk on Corporate Social
Responsibility. CCI France Myanmar and
the Centre of Excellence for Business
Skills Development (CEBSD) will share
their knowledge. Centre of Excellence
for Business Skills Development, Parami
Road, Hlaing Campus (opposite MIETC),
Hlaing 8-10am
The story of Yangon Echoes. An
illustrated talk by Virginia Henderson
and Tim Webster about their new book
Yangon Echoes: Inside Heritage Homes,
with excerpts of interviews with residents
speaking about life in their old Yangon
homes. The British Club, 46 Kandaw
Kalay Street, Mingalar Taung Nyunt
7-9pm (see our pick on page 27)

ART
The Buddhas Heritage. Solo exhibition
by artist Win Zin. Gallery 65, 65 Yaw
Min Gyi Road, 9:30-5:30pm daily (until
May 24)

NIGHTLIFE
The Yangon Vibe. R&B, hip hop and party
anthems. Entry K7000. MOJO, 135 Inya
Road, Bahan 10-11:45pm

SATURDAY 23
Myanmar Registration Numbers. 4/1413/2013 for
Intl Class 16, 4/1414/2013 for
Intl Class 39 & 4/1415/2013 for Intl Class 43
Used in respect of:Printed matter, cardboard and cardboard articles and tickets,
newspapers, periodical publications, brochures, books and
stationery, writing instruments, address books and diaries, personal
organisers, photographs and posters, greeting cards, postcards,
maps and picutres. (International Class 16)
Transportation and passenger services, travel reservation services,
arrangement of cruises and cruise packages, storage services, travel
services, travel agencies. (International Class 39)
Services for providing food and drink; Temporary accommodation;
Reservation services for accommodation and hotels. (International
Class 43)
Any unauthorised use, imitation, infringements or fraudulent
intentions of the above mark will be dealt with according to law.
Tin Ohnmar Tun, Tin Thiri Aung & The Law Chambers
Ph:0973150632
Email:law_chambers@seasiren.com.mm
(For.Domnern Somgiat & Boonma,
Attorneys at Law, Thialand)
Dated. 22nd May, 2015

NIGHTLIFE
Mo-Town and live music from Soul
Union. Union Bar and Grill, 42 Strand
Road, Botahtaung 7-10pm
Electro night. K7000 including one free
drink. J-ONE Music Bar, Bocho Street
(near Japanese embassy), Bahan 4-11pm

ART
&PROUD LGBT photo exhibition. Entries
from the LGBT photo competition will be
on display, as well as the kG Krishnans
Continuum series from Malaysia.
Myanmar Deitta, 49 (3rd floor) 44th Street,
Botahtaung 106pm

MISC
Weekly run. All levels of runner can join.
Balance Fitness, 103 University Avenue
(corner of Thanlwin Street), Bahan
7:15am

SUNDAY 24
MUSIC
Yangon Hip Hop. Music by Myanmar
hip hop artists, J-Me, Ya Tha, G Tone,
Jouk Jack, Hlwan Paing, Yair Yint Aung,

Ar-T, Shwe Htoo, X Box, Lil Z, Htet Yan,

G-Fatt, Wyne Su Khaing Thein, Ni Ni Khin
Zaw. (K7500) available at Bo Bo Music
Production, Bo Bo Film Production, City
Mart and Ocean Supermarket, Orange
Supermarket. Kandawgyi Myaw Sin
island 4-9pm

MISC
The story of Yangon Echoes. An
illustrated talk by Virginia Henderson
and Tim Webster about their new book
Yangon Echoes: Inside Heritage Homes,
with excerpts of interviews with residents
speaking about life in their old Yangon
homes. Pansodan Scene, 144 Pansodan
Street 3-4pm (see our pick on page 27)
Capoeira class. Classes are free and
beginners can join. Institut Francais, 135
Pyay Road 5-7pm

MONDAY 25
MUSIC
Live piano music by Bonny. Thiripyitsaya
Sky Bistro, 20th floor, Sakura Tower, 339
Bogyoke Aung San Road, Kyauktada 7pm
Monday Blues. Mojo Bar, 135 Inya Road,
Bahan 9:30pm

NIGHTLIFE
The Fat Ox pool tournament. K5000 entry,
winner takes all! The Fat Ox, 50th Street
(middle block), Botahtaung 7-10pm
Unlimited cocktails night. K8000 per
person. B2O Bar and Bistro, 96 20th Street
(upper block), Latha 8-11:45pm
Salsa night. Learn some funky Latin
moves at Club 5, Park Royal Hotel, 33
Alan Pya Paya Road, Dagon 711pm.

MISC
Trivia Night. Free beer pitcher for round
winners and winning team gets a
K30,000 bar tab. 50th Street Bar, 50th
Street (lower block) 8-11pm

TUESDAY 26
MUSIC
Live music by The Experience Band.
Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro, 20th floor, Sakura
Tower, 339 Bogyoke Aung San Road,
Kyauktada 7-10pm

MISC
Stand up Yangon. Myanmars only
international comedy club is back,
featuring Canadas Pat Burtscher and
Garret Jamieson, along with Yangons
William Childress. K5000 entry. 50th Street
Bar, 50th Street 8-10 pm
Tuesday Movies at the Connect Institute.
Free popcorn, chips and soft drinks. Fun
games and quizzes. Thought-provoking
discussions and more. Connect Institute,
3A Pansodan Business Tower (corner of
Anawrahta Road and Pansodan Street)
2:30pm-4pm
Tuesday Snippets. Gallery Conversation
and drinks. Pansodan Gallery, Pansodan
Street 7-10 pm
Yoga Class. Stretch your limbs in the
outdoor covered studio on the lake, with
a beautiful view, gentle breezes. One-anda-half hours for K7000. LOpera Italian

Restaurant, 62D U Htun Nyein Street,

Mayangon 4:45pm

WEDNESDAY 27
MISC
Build Tech Yangon 2015 Exhibition. For
trade professionals and interested parties
in the construction and engineering
businesses. Myanmar Convention Center,
Mindhamma Road, Mayangone 10-6 pm
(until May 29)
Fun dance cardio. Fun dance cardio for
adults, K6000 per session. Grace Studio,
Pearl Condo Building A, Room F-38, Kabar
Aye Pagoda Road 8-9pm
Link the Wor(l)ds: Literature, translation
and publishing workshop. Inviting writers
and translators for an intensive program
of hands-on translation practice alongside
wide-ranging discussions about writing,
publishing and editing. Taw Win Garden
Hotel, 45 Pyay Road, Dagon 10:30-5pm
(until May 31)

THURSDAY 28
ART
IFG amateur photo competition and
exihibition. Creative photos of Myanmar
in support of charity. Goethe Institute, 8
Ko Min Ko Chin Road, Bahan 6pm

MISC
Connect Public Speaking Club. Join this
club to learn how to speak confidently
without fear. Connect Institute, 3A
Pansodan Business Tower, corner of
Anawrahta Road and Pansodan Street
2:30pm-4pm

FILM

Start times at Mingalar (1,2), Top Royal,

Shae Saung (1,2) and Nay Pyi Taw
cinemas are 10am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm,
6:30pm and 9:30pm
Start times at Junction Square and
Juntion Maw Tin are 9:30am, 12:30pm,
3:30pm and 6:30pm daily, and 9:30am,
12:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 9:30pm
on Friday and Saturday.
Start times at Mingalar San Pya are
10am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and
9:30pm
Nay Pyi Taw Cinema, near Sule Pagoda
Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D). Directed by
Joss Whedon. American superhero film
Make Me Shudder 3. Directed by Poj
Apirut. Horror film
Shae Saung Cinema, Sule Pagoda Road,
Kyauktada
Run All Night. Directed by Jaume ColletSerra. American action thriller.
Fast & Furious 7. Directed by James Wan.
American action film.
Mingalar San Pya Cineplex, Phone Gyi
Street and Anawrahta, Lanmadaw
Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D).
Run All Night. Directed by Jaume ColletSerra. American action thriller.
Mingalar Cinema 2, Dagon Center 2,
Myaynigone
Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D)
Junction Maw Tin, corner of Anawrahta
Road and Lan Thit Street, Lanmadaw
Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D)
Junction Square, Kyun Taw Road
Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D).

WWW.MMTIMES.COM

wEEKEND | WHATSON

27

WHATS ON PICK OF THE WEEK

The story of
Yangon Echoes
BY JOE WOODS

VERY city should have a

coffee table book and now
with the publication of
Yangon Echoes, Yangon has its
first. As writer Ma Thida recounts
in her foreword, while the former
capital was demoted by the regime
in 2005, Yangon enduresas the
most populous and ethnically
diverse city in the country and
thus has been crying out for visual
depiction and the recording of
citizens stories.
The book is beautifully designed
but it is Tim Websters photography
that grabs you and draws you in.
He revels in both the interiors
and exteriors of Yangons heritage

Yangon Echoes: Inside Heritage Homes

Virginia Henderson & Tim Webster
River Books, $35

buildings, focusing occasionally

on the entire building but more
often on an associated personality,
a portrait or a detail: antique tiles,
termite-eaten books, a dinner gong,
even a hot- water bottle hanging
on a bathroom wall surely a most
redundant item in Yangon.
He also depicts the grand and the
humble. Juxtaposed alongside neoclassical India House and Belmont
House are more humble apartments
and, disconcertingly, families living
on the roofs of iconic buildings,
under corrugated steel and in
abandoned ministries.
Virginia Henderson sensitively
records the stories of personalities
in the pictures. A trained oral
historian, Henderson has
wide experience in cultural
documentation. In the introduction
she writes about how authorised
history narratives of ordinary
people are lost, and she sets out
to retrieve aspects of these peoples
lives through domestic connections
to old places.
Not every inhabitant is
photographed and some narratives
are more complete than others,
especially womens stories ranging
from the wise, witty and liberal
Daw Yin Yin Wal to Daw Thida
who, in describing her parquet
floor, dislodged by earthquakes
and Cyclone Nargis says, These
days the loose pieces sound like
a xylophone. The book is full of

stories of resilience and making do

with what life has doled out in the
last half century or so in Yangon.
It is also a book of some sadness
from pictures of fearfully neglected
buildings to their very elderly
and gaunt inhabitants. Some
of the buildings have already
disappeared, with others designated
as dangerous by municipal
authorities. Many are earmarked for
demolition to be replaced by pastel
or brown-tiled high rises. Travel
writer Paul Theroux once described
Yangon as a ghost town in which
imperial buildings were preserved
by virtue of their being ignored.
This may have been the case, but it
was assisted according to many
of these testimonies by Ne Wins
disastrous nationalist mission,
which wiped out businesses,

appropriated property and land,

and sent all foreigners home.
According to Daw Khin Lay,
who like many of the older people
featured here was Christianeducated but remained Buddhist,
When the schools were
nationalised, all the nuns were sent
back to Ireland. I didnt make it to
the goodbye party. She has decided
to hold on to her house for her
family, to do whatever they want,
in the face of regular offers for
development.
Empty houses are also included
too. Former deputy prime minister
Kyaw Nyeins house uninhabited
since 1992, is revisited by his three
grown-up children who reminisce
on their childhood there.
Lastly, in the once Persianowned and now traditional

guesthouse on Merchant Street, I

was intrigued to learn that under
the same roof was the long-running
English restaurant The Piccadilly,
and a Swiss clock showroom.
It shows how much Yangon
has changed and continues
to and the great service the
authors have done in presenting
and resurrecting narratives of a
vanishing world.
Virginia Henderson and Tim
Webster will give an illustrated
talk about Yangon Echoes at
Pansodan Scene, 144 Pansodan
Street (across from the gate of the
Ganesh Temple at the corner of
Pansodan and Maha Bandoola),
on Sunday, May 24, at 3pm.