Golfers bombed off course
YANGON, 26 March 2012: Two bombs exploded at a Myanmar hotel golf course Saturday, wounding two people during a tournament to mark next week’s Armed Forces Day, a government official said.
The first blast occurred at around 0700 at the Regina Hotel golf course in Tachilek, near the border with northern Thailand, followed an hour a later by a second explosion, the official, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
Two people were wounded by the second bomb and sent to hospital in Thailand, he said.
UN chief may visit Myanmar
KUALA LUMPUR, 22 March 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday commended Myanmar’s moves towards democracy and said he was considering visiting soon after a by-election set for next month.
“I myself am considering visiting Myanmar at a certain date as soon as the election is over,” Ban told a press conference during a visit to Malaysia.
The by-election will see Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi stand for a seat in parliament for the first time, and comes a year after a nominally civilian government took power following the end of decades of outright military rule.
Myanmar’s new recipe for success
YANGON, 16 March 2012: As Myanmar opens up to the world, one cooking school is giving wannabe chefs a chance to shine in the bustling kitchens of Yangon as the city prepares for an influx of foreign visitors.
Trainees at the Shwe Sa Bwe, or “Golden Table”, cookery school are learning how to whip up a gazpacho soup, flip crepes and perfectly grill juicy chunks of chicken — all on the menu du jour for paying guests.
The centre, in a quiet upmarket area just north of Yangon’s Inya Lake, offers free courses to underprivileged young Burmese, giving them the chance to learn French-based cuisine or restaurant hospitality.
Qatar Airways resumes Yangon Service
March 15, 2012 by Rapeepat Mantanarat
Filed under Aviation, Myanmar, News
BANGKOK, 15 March 2012: Middle East carrier, Qatar Airways, will resume its Doha-Yangon service in the winter timetable starting this November after halting services four years ago.
At the time it claimed rising fuel prices and low-yields on the route did not justify the service that targeted mainly labour traffic.
The Doha-Yangon service will be reintroduced from 29 October with just three weekly flights using an Airbus A319.
Sanctions on Myanmar weaken
YANGON, 15 March 2012: The son of a tycoon with reputed close links to Myanmar’s former junta has successfully challenged an EU freeze on his assets, arguing that he should not be punished because of his father.
The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg said in a statement released on Tuesday that it had annulled a 2008 regulation freezing the funds of Pye Phyo Tay Za, whose father Tay Za is the target of EU sanctions.
“Sanctions adopted by the Council in relation to a third country cannot be applied to natural persons solely on the ground of their family connection with persons associated with the leaders of that country,” it said.
Myanmar targets a million
March 14, 2012 by Rapeepat Mantanarat
Filed under Myanmar, News
BANGKOK, 14 March 2012: Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism reported the country received 816,369 international tourists (including day return visitors) during 2011, up 3.14% from 2010. The country aims to reach the 1 million milestones this year.
The country’s tourism statistics analysts moved the goal posts a mite by including day-return visits. Most countries adopt the UNWTO “tourist” definition that stipulates a minimum stay of 24 hours.
Myanmar claims it earned US$319, from each visit, up 25.6%, while average spending per day, per person, stood at US$120, up 17.6% from US$102 in 2010.
Myanmar gains Singapore know-how
SINGAPORE, 1 February 2012: Myanmar signed an agreement with Singapore, Monday, seeking the financial centre’s help as the country emerges from political and economic isolation after decades of military rule.
President Thein Sein arrived Sunday for a four-day state visit to the city-state accompanied by a top-level delegation which included business leaders and top ministers in charge of economic portfolios.
Thein Sein met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Monday to witness the signing by their foreign ministers of an agreement under which Singapore will provide training for reforms in the legal, banking and financial sectors.
No nukes in Myanmar
SINGAPORE, 1 February 2012: Myanmar President Thein Sein has denied his country is trying to obtain nuclear weapons from North Korea, describing allegations of a covert programme as “unfounded”.
“We are not acquiring nuclear weapons from North Korea,” the Straits Times newspaper on Tuesday quoted him as saying in an interview during a four-day state visit to Singapore.
“These allegations are unfounded and based on suspicion by some Western countries.” Read more
Myanmar taps Singapore investors
SINGAPORE, 30 January 2012: Myanmar President Thein Sein has arrived in Singapore hoping to tap the financial centre’s expertise as the country emerges from political and economic isolation, analysts said.
Thein Sein arrived Sunday for a four-day state visit accompanied by a top-level delegation which included business leaders and top ministers in charge of economic portfolios.
On Monday Thein Sein met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding under which Singapore will provide training for reforms in the legal, banking and financial sectors.
ASEAN speaks out on Myanmar
PHNOM PENH, 16 January 2012: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) late last week called for European nations to lift sanctions against Myanmar following much-lauded signs of change in the army-dominated nation.
Strict sanctions on Myanmar, enforced notably by the United States and the European Union in response to human rights abuses and for failing to free all political prisoners, have long left the country isolated.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, whose country has just taken over the rotating chairmanship of the 10-nation regional bloc, said democratic reform in Myanmar was moving forward. Read more
