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March 26 - April 1, 2012 Myanmar’s first international weekly Volume 31, No. 620 1200 Kyats

By Yadana Htun

CANDIDATES in the P y i t h u H l u t t a w s e a t of Maha Aung Myay in Mandalay have told The Myanmar Times that they have found extensive errors in lists of voters released on February 29 by the regional sub-commission.

Dr Than Htike Oo from the People’s Democracy P a r t y s a i d h e f o u n d repeated names in the lists of voters in Thanhlyat Hmaw East and Thanhlyat Hmaw West wards, which are both located in Maha Aung Myay township.

He said that about 100 names had been repeated 15 or 20 times “and we still haven’t finished checking all the lists”.

“In these wards we found some voters had been listed repeatedly. Sometimes, the same voter appeared on different lists with the same name, father’s name and [National Registration Card] number,” said Dr Than Htike Oo, who contested the seat of Pyigyitagun in the 2010 election.

“The names of dead people in the lists show that the heads of wards, villages and townships didn’t work well while they were taking the data of voters. I’m even doubtful whether they actually did the lists or just reused the

old ones from the previous election,” he said.

“I plan to file a formal complaint to the regional sub-commission to ensure the mistakes are corrected before April 1.”

According to the lists a n n o u n c e d b y t h e Mandalay Region Election Sub-commission there are 129,850 eligible voters and 79 polling stations in Maha Aung Myay, the only vacant constituency in urban Mandalay. Eight candidates have registered for the seat, which was narrowly won in 2010 by Dr Mya Aye of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) with a turnout of about 62 percent.

Dr Than Htike Oo said he had verbally complained about the lists to the chairs of the township and regional election sub-commissions. “We candidates have to pass through the gates of the parliament based on these voter lists. If these lists have mistakes, we will lose many chances to our competitors. The holding of a free and fair by-election mostly depends on the accuracy of these lists,” he said.

USDP candidate U Than Tun, a retired lieutenant colonel, said he heard about the mistakes but had no plan to lodge a complaint.

Mandalay candidates complain over voter list errors

More page 4

More page 4

By Nyein Ei Ei Htwe and Zon Pan Pwint

A PLANNED restructure of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation took an important step forward last week, with the election through secret bal lot of members to represent different segments of the industry.

More than 1900 members voted in the election on March 23, which was held at the MMPO office on Wingabar Road in Bahan township.

The election is part of a push to turn the government-aligned organisation into a genuine non-government organisation. Members said it was a model of electoral transparency, with poll officers counting the votes in public and declaring the winner immediately after all votes had been counted.

No advance votes were cast.

Many who voted last week said they hoped that the election would result in the MMPO being reformed into an organisation that worked for the benefit of its members.

“I’ve been working in the film and video industry for nearly 40 years and I have never seen a free and fair election like this that allows all to participate in the MMPO,” said U Nyi Nyi Tun Lwin, who was one of two winners in the director category.

“If [the MMPO] becomes a new organisation as we hope it will, the leaders of it will also have more responsibilities,” he said.

“But I believe [reforming the MMPO] will bring better opportunities for all of us because it will not be under [state] control … but there will be bad results if there are no boundaries at all.”

The organisation has 10 subgroups and members

voted for one nominee to represent their sector. The number of nominees ranged from two to 13, with the two from each sector who received the highest number of votes declared the winners.

The 20 winners were due to select office bearers, including a chair and secretary, through a vote on March 24.

Director U Myo Zaw Aung, who has worked as an executive at the MMPO for a number of years, said the winners would also hold a meeting to discuss the organisation’s future and how to tackle industry-wide issues, such as censorship and piracy.

“We’ve planned with all members to form a new organisation,” he said. “I think if we try to do everything in a rush there will be many gaps so as a first priority we’ll try to eliminate piracy and arrange for more studios because one

problem in the industry is a lack of studios.”

“Unity among all sectors of the industry is 100 percent important so we’ll only make decisions after a lot of discussion. I think there are a lot of difficulties waiting for us but with honesty and hard work I believe the leaders can overcome these,” he said.

“It is not so important who won the election … but winners must be eager to do their work.”

Scriptwriter U Aye Kyu Lay said the organisation would need to look at reviving some of its dormant fundraising activities.

“In the past we published journals and magazines from the MMPO but these have been suspended for years, along with [celebrity] football matches that can raise a lot of funds. Those need to be revived,” U Aye Kyu Lay said.

Election heralds new era for film sectorA member of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation reads out votes on March 23. Pic: Ko Taik

I have never seen a free and fair election like this that allows all

to participate in the MMPO.

Commentthe MyanMar tiMes

2March 26 - April 1, 2012

By U Than Pe

IT is an open secret that all who have a connection with the use of the English language know. Some are even raising a feeble murmur of dissatisfaction about it – but nobody seems to be listening. It is high time something is done about the deplorable level of English teaching in schools and institutions of higher education.

Today’s young graduates produce horrible sentences in English. If there was only one graduate of that calibre then he could be labelled a sloppy student and a fluke but when there are thousands more like him the blame must lie somewhere else. It is clearly a case of systemic failure of the first degree.

People of this country are no lazy sluggards. We have, in the past, produced such eminent people like Dr Ba Maw, Dr Htin Aung, U Nu, U Thant, Sao Khun Cho – people who shone brightly on international stage in their respective fields. Today’s youth are their descendants. The same blood flows in their veins and arteries.

Have our youth become sluggish now? No. A definite “No”, with a capital “N”. A casual survey will show the discerning observer that today pupils spend a disproportionately large amount of time studying English. Research on that topic would no doubt stun the researchers.

Every parent knows how much time their children spend on English. They also know how much they have to pay in tuition fees. In most cases tuition teachers are the people who taught the pupils during school hours earlier in the day. It does not take much imagination to see that the people who are entrusted with the task of teaching are not doing their duty. If these people were in the construction business they could be charged with dereliction of duty but not so in the teaching business.

Well, this is not the whole story. On closer look

the people who teach, in many cases, do not know simple grammar and correct pronunciation. Anyone doubting this assertion can pick out a few people teaching English to five to seven-year-olds or younger and set them a simple test.

As teachers they do not lack ceitana, the Buddhist virtue of goodwill towards their learners. The problem is these people do not know their own shortcomings in pronunciation, grammar and usage. They, in their turn, had received similar coaching. If the chain of events is followed or traced backward the source of problem is sure to be found somewhere between the years 1964 and 1966, including both of those years.

Nationalisation of private and miss i on s choo l s , reorganisat ion o f the administration of schools and the downgrading of English at the university level resulted in a lack of quality control and inspection. The psychological blow that English teaching received during those three years was devastating. It never recovered the prestige it once enjoyed.

What happened during

those three years was quite bad. But worse was still to come, and come it did, in 1972-73. It was the bombshell that sounded the death knell for the future of English language in this country. It was the fatal blow from which it will be very difficult to recover. It was the declaration that English would be taught to children as young as five in kindergarten classes all over the country by totally untrained and unqualified teachers.

Since then English has been taught to the young tots by untrained, fresh graduates. Among these graduates were very few English majors. Those that were, were appointed as senior teachers. Primary kids got graduates who majored in subjects like physics, chemistry, philosophy and other subjects totally unconnected with teaching students of their age.

According to those who have researched the study of a second language, a child should not be taught a second language before it has mastered its mother tongue. The only exception is the method called “immersion”, whereby the learner is

placed in a situation where he or she is exposed to the use of the second language 24 hours a day for the length of time needed to absorb the fundamentals of the language. That system is, of course, the best for imparting near native fluency in the target language. But it is also obvious that every child cannot avail itself of that facility.

Immersion method is best but it is very expensive and impractical on a nationwide scale. At best it can be offered to a few children. But there are other alternatives

available. One of them has been employed successfully in many countries and it was also used in this country until 1962. A little explanation may be appropriate here.

Until the early 1960s that particular method was used in our state schools and it was about 20 percent successful. No language teaching method is, or has ever been, proved 100pc successful. Anyway, 100pc success is not necessary – even developed countries cannot teach secondary languages to all of the population and not everybody needs second language fluency.

That method was used with proper inspection and well conducted tests. After 1962 many teachers started hobnobbing with the Socialist Party, thereby neglecting their primary duty of teaching. Party interference in the administration produced chaos in inspection and discipline. That in turn affected the teaching and all subjects suffered.

Before that malady set in, English was taught by a variety of translation methods. Teachers gave the meanings of new words in the vernacular one day and gave the lesson containing that mastered vocabulary the next day. Lessons were explained in the mother tongue and dictations were given to correct spelling mistakes. A few questions on the text, either oral or written, complemented

lessons from a textbook.There were periods set

aside for grammar and composition, essay writing, précis writing and study of poetry. Teachers in those days (until the end of 1961-62 academic year) were good enough to produce matriculates who could read and understand textbooks on subjects taught in universities. Almost all the textbooks in those days were written by foreigners and printed abroad. Today’s students will find it hard to believe that in those days there were no tuition teachers or guides, the twin scourges afflicting the students and pupils of today.

The detailed workings described above may not interest the policy makers but they are essential nuts and bolts for the success of the whole system. When they are ignored and neglected, systemic failure is inevitable. Policy makers should remember that the strength of the strongest chain is measured by the weakest link in that chain. Replace the weakest link and the system can be back on track in no time. It is high time necessary action is taken to cure the malady. The nation should rethink – and rethink quickly – its education policy for the longer we procrastinate, the more difficult reform will be.

(U Than Pe is a tour guide from Sanchaung township.)

Time to overhaul English teaching

Students leave a school in Yangon after a recent matriculation exam. Pic: Yadanar

By Aung Tun

IN recent months debates have been taking place across the country, and in particular about the peace process is being conducted in ethnic-minority dominated areas. Some ceasefires have been successfully implemented, while some are yet to reach even that initial status. The new government has set out three key points in general for the peace process with the country’s very diverse ethnic groups: ceasefire, political dialogue and permanent peace.

At the same time, the national budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year is being debated in the capital Nay Pyi Taw. These might seem like two mutually exclusive events. However, these decades-old ethnic wars have had a significant impact on the nation’s economic development and the budget’s bottom line.

There are many political and economic angles to consider here. First, we should look at the pure financial cost of these civil wars. Second, who paid for it? Third, what if we had used that money for the development of the region where the fighting has taken place instead of the wars? Fourth, who benefited from the wars? And last and most importantly, what should we do next?

There is no definite answer to the first question, although

it worth considering that whatever a bullet cost 50 years ago, it would be many times more than that right now due to inflation. Certainly, the cost to the government has been massive; you only need to look at defence spending – K1.193 trillion in 2011-12 – to get some idea of the cost of perpetual conflict.

The second question is easier to answer: we all have to pay for it, and this is a major reason why we’re now all in a large amount of debt. Recently, the finance minister announced in parliament that we owe more than US$11 billion. No surprises there.

The answer to the third question is the really tragic aspect of this, particularly in an age when it is quite difficult to get money from donors. Everybody knows that we are the lowest recipient of aid per capita among undeveloped countries. Yet, we have still spent our own money on these conflicts. If we used this money on development projects instead, we probably wouldn’t need to receive support from other countries today.

There’s an obvious answer to the fourth question: nobody really benefited from the wars. Many people, both military and civilian, have died, children missed out on their education, refugees camps had to be set up along the border areas, political stability has declined and development in other areas

of the country has been hindered. If we add in the additional costs of these ethnic conflicts, the external debt figure doesn’t sound so large.

So let’s address the fifth question – perhaps the most difficult one. An excellent start would be to avoid the wars that have dogged us for decades. Both politically and economically, the country can’t bear any armed conflict at this crucial time.

During his address to parliament earlier this month, President U Thein Sein seemed to emphasise the economic loss of these internal wars. The next day, The New Light of Myanmar proudly carried his words with the headline: All must try to see national race youths who brandished guns using laptops.

Personally, I couldn’t agree more, except to say that we could probably have given two laptops to each ethnic youth if we didn’t fight so much in the past, with one coming from the ethnic army and one from the government. Now is the time for both sides to give the young people of our country that opportunity.

(Aung Tun has formerly worked at The Myanmar Times and non-government organisation Proximity Designs and is currently a research fellow at Myanmar Egress, a Yangon-based training centre and policy thinktank.)

The economic cost of conflict

news3the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Kyaw Hsu Mon with AFP

THE government has invited US, European and other observers for the April 1 by-elections, an official said last week, allowing international scrutiny of polls seen as a major test of its reform credentials.

“ W e w e l c o m e t h e invitation of observers,” said a spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD), U Nyan Win. “They should be allowed to watch and assess freely.”

President U Thein Sein vowed to ensure the by-elections were transparent, Cambodian government spokesman Mr Khieu Kanharith said following talks in Phnom Penh with Cambodian Prime Minister Mr Hun Sen.

“The president of Myanmar has assured that he will try his best to make the election transparent and acceptable. That’s why he will invite observers,” the spokesman said.

Observers f rom the US, EU, UN and ASEAN have been invited for the April 1 polls, a Myanmar government official said on March 21.

“It will be up to the countries whether they send people from overseas or inside Myanmar,” he said, without specifying how many monitors would be allowed.

Chief presidential adviser for political affairs U Ko Ko Hlaing said the move to

allow observers shows that the government and election commission wants the by-elections to be free and fair.

“Those in charge, such as the president, the Union E l e c t i o n C o m m i s s i o n members, candidates and polling station managers, are trying their best because this is a critical time for the country,” he told The Myanmar Times on March 22.

“ T h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l community may not realise all of this though so [allowing observers] is a good sign for the by-elections,” he said.

“Without inviting the election monitors and observers from abroad, they will probably have come out afterwards and questioned whether the election was free, fair and transparent. With the monitors, observers, they will definitely see what happened in the election and how it was free and fair.

“There are no perfect elections anywhere in the world so the decision makers need to solve any problems that arise according to the rules.”

U Kyaw, a Yangon Region Hluttaw representative for the New National Democracy Party, which will contest three seats in the by-elections, said he “very much welcomed” the president’s invitation to international observers and monitors.

“It is good that it is not only [observers from] ASEAN but also Western countries – it will make it more transparent” than in

2010, he said, adding that he hoped there would be greater scrutiny of vote counting.

US State Department spokeswoman Ms Victoria Nuland said Myanmar had invited two US observers and three US journalists.

“We will obviously take up this opportunity to monitor,” she said.

“But we would obviously encourage the Burmese government to try to bring this monitoring effort as closely as they can to international standards.”

The US embassy in Yangon earlier described the move as “encouraging”.

“Having observers is one step, but to have a free and fair election there really should be no violence and intimidation as well,” said embassy spokesman Mr Mike Quinlan, noting that reports of irregularities in the voting process and cases of alleged intimidation needed to be addressed.

There was no official reaction from the European Union, but an EU official in Bangkok who did not want to be named said that at least six months of preparation was usually needed for an observation mission.

Foreign election observers and international media were not allowed into the country for the November 2010 general election, which was denounced by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party and Western powers as a sham.

The NLD cannot threaten the ruling party’s majority

even with a strong result in the 48 constituencies up for grabs.

But experts believe the regime wants the pro-democracy leader to win a place in parliament to give its reform drive legitimacy and encourage the West to ease sanctions.

“It is in the interest of the government that the election is free and fair, so it is only logical that there are some observers,” said Myanmar expert U Aung Naing Oo of the Thailand based think-tank Vahu Development Institute.

“It is important for a country like Myanmar to get used to complaints in the election, to get used to cheats, to get used to monitors coming in, and to get used to the election commission doing its job,” he added.

The NLD a l so sa id that in the constituency of Kawhmu near Yangon, where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is standing, the names of hundreds of dead people were found on the voter list.

Govt invites poll observersNational League for Democracy supporters attend a rally in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township last week. Pic: Yadanar

YANGON – The government has postponed by-elections in three constituencies in Kachin State because of security concerns, state media reported last week.

Fierce fighting between government and Kachin Independence Army troops in parts of mountainous Kachin State near the Chinese border since June last year has displaced tens of thousands of people.

“Because of security reasons there are no conditions to hold free and fair elections,” state television said on March 23.

National League for Democracy spokesperson U Nyan Win expressed disappointment at the decision to indefinitely postpone voting in three of the 48 vacant seats.

While the government t h a t c a m e t o p o w e r l a s t y e a r h a s s i g n e d peace deals with other insurgent groups, several rounds of talks with the Kach in Independence Organisation have failed to bear fruit.

“The fighting is still happening in some areas in Kachin state almost every day,” said U Yup Zaw Hkaung, a prominent Kachin businessman who is acting as a mediator between the government and the rebels.

During a recent visit to Myanmar, US special envoy Derek Mitchell said the violence in Kachin State was inconsistent with the government’s reformist bent.

“The immediate concern that we have is on the issue of internally displaced p e r s o n s , w h o b y a n y definition are innocents caught in the crossfire of conflict,” he said, urging the government to enable aid to reach the victims.

Despite the security concerns, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited two of the Kachin constituencies last month as part of her campaigning. The delay means voting will now be held in April in 45 constituencies elsewhere in the country.

– AFP

By-elections postponed in Kachin State

because of security fears

THE number of foreign travel lers arr iv ing in Myanmar through Yangon Internat ional Airport jumped by more than 40 percent in February on the previous year, figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism show.

The figures also show that foreign arrivals for January and February were up by nearly 40pc on the same months last year.

A total of 50,243 foreign travellers arrived through Yangon Internat ional Airport in February, up 41.41pc on the same month in 2011.

Arrivals for January

and February totalled 98,486, up 37.75pc on the same months the previous year.

T h e o v e r w h e l m i n g majority of the arrivals for both months were independent travellers, with 32,960 in February ( u p f r o m 2 4 , 3 8 6 t h e previous year) and 32,250 in January (24,024).

The figures for January and February show that the number of arrivals has made a solid start this year as they account for 27.4pc of the 359,359 foreign travellers who entered the country through the Yangon gateway during 2011. – Geoffrey Goddard

Foreign arrivals rise in January, February

the MyanMar tiMes

4newsMarch 26 - April 1, 2012

Four political objectives«Stability of the State, community peace and

tranquillity, prevalence of law and order«Strengthening of national solidarity«Building and strengthening of discipline-

flourishing democracy system«Building of a new modern developed nation

in accord with the Constitution

Four social objectives«Uplift of the morale and morality of the entire nation«Uplift of national prestige and integrity and preservation

and safeguarding of cultural heritage and national character

«Flourishing of Union Spirit, the true patriotism«Uplift of health, fitness and education standards of

the entire nation

Four economic objectives«Building of modern industrialized nation through the agricultural development,

and all-round development of other sectors of the economy«Proper evolution of the market-oriented economic system«Development of the economy inviting participation in terms of technical

know-how and investment from sources inside the country and abroad«The initiative to shape the national economy must be kept in the hands

of the State and the national peoples

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From page 1

Mandalay candidates“I heard that the names of dead people were in the lists. It might be because the families haven’t taken the names of those people off their family registrations. These kinds of mistakes happen many times. Another issue is omitting the names of some voters. If this happens, voters can complain and get on the voting list,” said U Than Tun.

N a t i o n a l L e a g u e f o r Democracy candidate U Ohn Kyaing told The Myanmar Times that his party made the formal complaint to the regional commission after finding about 1400 voters had been left off the rolls. However, he said he expected to file another complaint as it had found more than 2000 more eligible voters excluded from the voter lists.

“We already [complained] to get these voters back on the lists. The township commission also helped us. We have also been informed that there are some more people who are not on the lists although they are eligible to vote here. We are still checking this,” said U Ohn Kyaing, who won a seat in Mandalay in the 1990 election.

He said that while the process of correcting voter rolls was difficult the township commission had assisted his party’s efforts to

remove ineligible people from the lists.

“They deleted the names of deceased people from the voter lists. We could also remove the names of people who weren’t staying in the township,” he said. “But we are still checking to make sure that no one is left off the lists and there are no ‘fake’ voters.”

National Democratic Force candidate U Hla Ko said he would carefully monitor the advance voter lists, which were the source of much controversy in 2010.

“I also heard that there were deceased and under people on the lists. Actually, it’s not a big problem because we can recheck the numbers of voters and votes cast on election day. But if those people’s names are on the advance voting lists – well, then that’s a big problem,” said U Hla Ko, who has worked as a lawyer for more than three decades.

In the 2010 election the Pyithu Hluttaw seat of Maha Aung Myay had relatively few advance voters, with less than 1800 cast from more than 126,000 eligible voters.

MMPO electionHe said he hadn’t needed to campaign for election because

members knew who the best qualified candidates were. “I was elected as an executive of the MMPO in 2005 but I resigned from the organisation for some reasons. But now I’m ready to work for our new organisation as a representative of the scriptwriters.”

Comedian Zaganar said he believed last week’s election would bring “positive reform” to the film industry.

“ A s o n l y a g o l d s m i t h knows the quality of gold, the situation of film is best known to those in the film industry. I believe only those in the industry can make good changes,” he added.

“I hope an independent organisation controlled by the members is going to appear, one that’s not under the influence of any other group. And I hope – I expect – we will see an organisation that is fair to each film crew.”

U Own Win from Lucky 7 film and video production said he wanted the organisation to take care of the welfare of older members of the industry.

“There are many cases where an old actor can’t live peacefully – although he was famous when he was younger, he was neglected when he grew old. So there should be a foundation to look after older

industry members,” U Own Win said.

U Nyein Min, who stood as a candidate for scriptwriters, took the unusual step of voting for a rival candidate because he believed they would be “courageous enough to reform the industry”.

“That person’s participation [in the MMPO election] shows the focus of the organisation … is shifting towards how to improve the film industry,” he said.

“It was unusual that all participants showed unity in the election. In the past, actors were very individualistic, they were the ‘film lions’. But I saw unity on polling day.”

Following last week’s vote, Zaw Min (Han Thar Myay) and Ko Tin Nyein will represent editors; U Myo Zaw Aung and U Nyi Nyi Tun Lwin directors; U Aye Kyu Lay and Su Aww Chal scriptwriters; U Aung Khine and U A Yine supporting cast members; U Kyaw Wunna and U Own Maung producers; U Khin Maung Gyi and U Khin Maung Chin musicians and opera members; U Win Kyi and U Pyuu video industry; U Zaw Min (Mingalar) and U Zaw Min distribution; Ko Kyaw Nyunt and Ko Ngwe Soe camera crew members; and U Zin Wine and U Lu Min actors.

By Ei Ei Toe Lwin

FORMER Yangon Mayor U Aung Thein Linn has promised disgruntled shopkeepers at a Tarmwe market that the regional government will consider their opposition to moving to a new site.

The shopkeepers are unhappy that they will be forced to move to a new site at the corner of Kyaikkasan and Marlamyaing streets to make way for a Gamone Pwint department store.

Yangon City Development Committee’s Market Department informed them of the move on February 14 but U Aung Thein Linn, who has left city hall for a seat in the Pyithu Hluttaw, told shopkeepers on March 18 that the move was not yet a certainty.

“I spoke to [Yangon Region Chief Minister] U Myint Swe … and he told me he will decide this case according to the majority wish of the shopkeepers. So I have come here to relay this information,” U Aung Thein Linn said.

“I will try to get an exact answer as soon as possible. During this time, different kinds of rumors may come out so I request you to not believe these. If you have any doubts, come and speak to me in my office at any time,” he said.

Shopkeepers t o ld The Myanmar Times they do not want to move because the new site is much smaller than their current space and is close to two

existing markets.“This market is 6.98 acres but

the new place is only 2.93 acres. This space is impossible for us to run our business. [YCDC] told us that we do not own this site because it is a temporary market so we have to move,” said U Han Sein, a member of the Association for Market Welfare, which was formed by shopkeepers at the Tarmwe temporary market.

“We moved here 10 years ago from our old place where Tarmwe Plaza is now. At that time, this place was an old cemetery and we struggled so long to develop

this market. It is unfair to move us to another place again,” he said.

There are more than 1200 shopkeepers at the temporary market but only 600 have been guaranteed a space in the new market. As a result, 851 shopkeepers signed a petition and sent it to Daw Lae Lae Win Swe, the Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Tarmwe.

“We do not believe [YCDC] will build the shops for us for free and we don’t want to move anywhere else so we sent letters to Daw Lae Lae Win Swe to solve this problem on our behalf,” said

Ko Thet Tun, the owner of a commodity shop.

Daw Lae Lae Win Swe said she had been trying to help broker a solution since learning of the shopkeepers’ situation in February.

“The regional government is also focusing on this case and I believe that they will find the best solution in this case,” she told the shopkeepers on March 18.

Most shopkeepers said they would prefer the current site to be redeveloped and afterwards they be given a similar-sized space in the new building.

Tarmwe market move in doubt

U Aung Thein Linn and Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Tarmwe Daw Lae Lae Win Swe speak to shopkeepers

at the Tarmwe temporary market on March 18. Pic: Ei Ei Toe Lwin

news5the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Kyaw Hsu Mon

MEIHKTILA District Court has rejected a suit filed by the National League for Democracy against a former member who has registered to run against the party’s candidate in the Pyithu Hluttaw seat of Meiktila.

The NLD’s Meikhtila township chairman Dr Thein Aung filed a suit a g a i n s t i n d e p e n d e n t candidate Daw Myint Myint Aye in early February, alleging she used the NLD name when campaigning.

However, the district court threw out the suit on March 13 but the party has indicated it might appeal to the Mandalay Region Court.

“The township court rejected that case on March 4 and they went to the district court on March 13 but it was also refused by the district court on that day. They said they will go to region court,” Daw Myint Myint Aye said last week.

She said District Court Judge Daw Amar decided that the NLD did not have enough reliable evidence for her to accept their appeal against the township court ruling.

“I am not going to do anything about this,” Daw Myint Myint Aye said.

“I am conducting my campaign activities in nearby villages.”

However Daw Myint Myint Aye said that the case had hindered her election campaign, with residents telling her that they thought she had been imprisoned and so they shouldn’t vote for her on April 1.

“I explained to them the issues I am facing at the moment,” she said.

NLD suit against Meikhtila opponent rejected

By Ei Ei Toe Lwin

A GROUP of about 40 artists will this week hit the campaign trail in support of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Director Waing, who is leading the trip, said they would visit Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region on March 27, followed by Sagaing and Pale in Sagaing Region and Pakokku in Magwe Region on March 30.

The artists will sing and perform skits during the trip.

“We can’t talk about politics –

none of us are politicians. We just use our skills” to show support for the NLD, Waing said last week.

Part of the performance will focus on voter education, with actors and actresses teaching crowds about the value of voting and how to vote properly to avoid casting an ineligible vote.

“Ko Waing has made a short movie about voter education. This movie is already on the internet and we changed it to a live performance,” said actress Tun Eaindra Bo.

“The reason I am participating in this trip is I want to help Amay Suu.

But I’m not really sure what impact it will have on the NLD’s fortunes,” she said.

Singer Tan Thar Win said the trip had originally been planned for March 10 but had to be postponed because it clashed with matriculation exams, which ended on March 22.

“I am very pleased to participate in this trip because it is likely to improve public interest [in the by-elections]. I also love Amay Suu so I would like to help her,” she said.

Wai said the celebrities wanted to support the NLD because they believe in the party’s policies.

“Amay Suu has also shown many times how much she loves our country so I think she is the leader of the public and we also love her,” he said. “Based on these reasons we want the NLD to win in these by-elections so we are doing this campaign to help.

“We have the right to encourage the party we like. There’s nothing in the constitution that celebrities are not allowed to participate in politics,” he said. “The most important thing is that celebrities have the freedom to perform what they create.”

Celebrities launch travelling campaign for NLD

By Win Ko Ko Latt

THE number of eligible voters in four townships in Nay Pyi Taw where by-elections will be held has decreased by about 20 percent since November 2010, a senior election commission official said last week.

Dr Aung Than, chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw District Election Sub-commission, told The Myanmar Times on March 19 that the decrease was because many migrant workers had left the capital since the middle of last year.

I n J u n e 2 0 1 1 , t h e government halted work at many construction sites in Nay Pyi Taw in an effort to reduce the budget deficit. The decision prompted tens of thousands of migrant w o r k e r s – i n c l u d i n g those working at the parliamentary complex, which employed about 30,000 workers – to return to their hometowns, he said.

By-elections will be held in the vacant Pyithu Hluttaw seats of Dakkhinathiri, Pobbathiri, Zabuthiri and Ottarathiri.

“There were more than 190,000 eligible voters in those townships in the 2010 general elections but now there are just over 150,000,” Dr Aung Than said.

This inc ludes about

36,200 in Ottarathiri , 54,000 in Pobbathiri, 44,000 in Zabuthiri and 16,400 in Dakkhinathiri, he added.

These numbers could rise, however, when new m i g r a n t w o r k e r s a r e registered to vote.

“Ward and village election sub-committees have not yet submitted how many migrant workers will cast votes in the by-elections, but we will issue temporary [identity] cards to those

who do not hold a National Registration Card so they can vote,” Dr Aung Than said.

U Than Win, deputy director of the Immigration

and National Registration Department, said: “Our department wil l issue [identity cards] to those who are recommended by ward and village election

sub-commissions.”He could not say how

many migrant workers will be issued with these temporary cards but added that the Nay Pyi Taw area, which is made up of eight townships, has a population of about one million.

“Some ward and village election sub-commissions will issue temporary cards only when the by-elections draw nearer so that voters do not to lose them,” he said.

U Myint Than, chairman of the Alin Lo Village Election Sub-commission in Zabuthiri, said that he would issue temporary cards to “no more than 20” migrant workers about three days before the by-elecitons so they would be able to vote.

Ma Tin Tin Ma, a 32-year-old worker at a construction site in Zabuthiri, said: “I will take a temporary card so that I don’t miss my right to vote.”

Meanwhile, Dr Aung Than said that residents of two villages in Pyinmana township that had changed to Zabuthiri township would be able to vote as normal on April 1.

Voters decrease in Nay Pyi Taw: EC

National League for Democracy candidate for Zabuthiri, Zayar Thaw, campaigns in Nay Pyi Taw last month. Pic: Kaung Htet

newsthe MyanMar tiMes

6March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Aye Sapay Phyu and Zaw Win Than

THE Ministry of Information plans to revise its draft print media law to include input from international organisations and Myanmar journalists, a senior official said last week.

Speaking on the first day of the Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, U Ye Htut, director general of Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Information, said the first draft of the law had been reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office and the ministry was preparing a second draft.

He said the ministry hoped the new print media law would be in place by the end of this year and that private daily newspapers would be allowed shortly after its promulgation. U Ye Htut also revealed that the ministry was working on a law for broadcast media, including radio, television and online.

“The second draft will include not only advice from the Union Attorney General’s Office but also input from experts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO),

which held a workshop on the new [print] media law from March 12 to 14 at the Ministry of Information in Nay Pyi Taw. They also discussed the new broadcast media law in Nay Pyi Taw. [Ministry of Information] also noted the opinion of journalists and other stakeholders [and] will consider this input in the second draft,” he said on March 19.

He said that the second draft would be submitted at the next session of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which was likely to begin in July or August, and a draft would become

available after parliament agrees to consider the bill.

At that time, he said, anyone could send feedback on the bill to parliament through their local representative.

He said the law contained 11 chapters and of these three were the most important.

“Chapter two is the rights, duties and ethnical code for writers and journalists. Chapter three is the principles to be observed by publications. Chapter four concerns

the committee for promotion of press freedom and ethical standards. These are the important chapters in the new media law. After the new law [is promulgated], all publications can publish without prior scrutiny by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD). Getting the publication license will [also] be easier than now,” U Ye Htut said. “PSRD’s mandate will change to handling copyright issues and complaints from the public. There will be no more censorship.”

He also said that a committee

for promotion of press freedom and ethnical standard will be organised and the committee will advise the information minister.

“If some publications break the law, the committee will review the circumstances and make a recommendation to the minister on how to apply the law to that particular case.”

U Ye Htut also said the Printers and Publishers Registration Law (1962) would be abolished when the print media law is enacted.

Minister for Information and Culture U Kyaw Hsan said in the opening address at the conference that the government was not drafting the new print media law to restrict or hamper press freedom.

He said the aim was to facilitate “proper freedom” for the long-term progress of the Myanmar media sector without damaging the interests of the society.

“We have heard criticism from some quarters saying that the government has no right to supervise press freedom as it is

granted by the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, [the convention’s] Article 29 [as well as] Article 20 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of European Convention on Human Rights calls for due recognition and respect for the rights and freedom of others and meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society in exercising the freedom of expression,” he said.

U Kyaw Hsan said the ministry wanted to cooperate with other countries, UN agencies and international non-government organisations.

Speaking to The Myanmar Times on March 20, U Ye Htut said foreign investment in the media sector would probably be possible but added that it was not the “right time” for 100 percent foreign ownership.

“I think … international media investment will be approved by Myanmar Investment Commission ... but so far the Ministry of Information has no plan to open up 100pc foreign media ownership because if they come to invest with strong human resource and technical facilities, it will be harder for the Myanmar-owned media to compete. That’s why we believe this is not the right time to offer 100pc international media investment in Myanmar,” U Ye Htut said.

He also said that the ministry did not have any specific policies on policing online media, which was currently the responsibility of Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications. “We are thinking what should be included when we draft a new TV and radio broadcasting law,” he said.

“However, we must first see how the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw manages the draft [print media] law.”

By Zaw Win Than

THIS month’s gem emporium was another bonanza for Nay Pyi Taw hotels, which reported full occupancy during the 10-day sale.

“Our hotel was fully booked for the emporium. In Nay Pyi Taw the occupancy rate varies considerably but during every emporium all hotels are fully booked,” said Ma Thu Thu Aung, marketing manager at Mount Pleasant Hotel.

The 49th gem emporium, held at Mani Yadana Jade Hall in Zabuthiri township, ran from March 9 to 18, drawing traders from Myanmar and abroad.

Ma Nandar Win, manager of Hotel Thingaha in Nay Pyi Taw, said the emporiums provided a welcome boost to occupancy.

“Normal average occupancy in Nay Pyi Taw is about 50 to 60 percent. Most of our guests are business travellers and government officials but during the gem emporium it is traders from China

and Thailand,” she said. Nay Pyi Taw has 29 licensed

hotels with 1979 rooms, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, along with a new international airport that opened in December and is capable of handling 65,000 flights a year. However, few foreigners visit the city outside of the gem emporiums, with most rooms booked by business and diplomatic travellers.

Capacity is likely to increase further over the next 18 months; Ko Aung Naing Tun from the Nay Pyi Taw Hoteliers Association said the government was aiming to have at least 35 hotels established in time for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. He said that there was enough demand to sustain the hotels outside of gem emporiums and other large events.

“Nay Pyi Taw is not a tourist destination but hotels here have good occupancy rates due to the gem emporium, which happens at least three times a year. Hotels are also busy with bookings from

governments, international non-government organisations and private companies coming to Nay Pyi Taw for meetings and seminars,” he said.

He said the hotel expansion target had seen a second hotel zone created in Oattadathiri township, where 19 hotels would be constructed as part of the zone’s first phase. Most of the hotels are expected to come online before the SEA Games.

Ma Nandar Win said Nay Pyi Taw would attract more visitors if international airlines launched direct flights to Nay Pyi Taw, but she also conceded that the city needed to offer more to attract tourists.

For now, however, the airport is used only for domestic services and international charter flights.

“Nay Pyi Taw has an international airport but there are no any international airlines offering direct flights. The airport is used mainly for trips by foreign delegates and [Myanmar] government officials,” said Ko Aung Naing Tun.

Media law review to include private sector

Gem sale gives hotels short-term boost

Amara Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw. Pic: Christopher Davy

‘PSRD’s mandate will change to handling copyright issues and complaints from the public. There will be no more censorship.’

Reg. No. IV/3819/2004 Reg. No. IV/401/2008Reg. No. IV/777/2009 Reg. No. IV/2269/2012

in respect of “Class 32: Beer”.

Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said Trade Mark or other infringements whatsoever will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

khine khine u, advocateLL.B, d.B.L, LL.M (uk)For FoSTeR’S BRaNdS LIMITed#731, 7th Fl., Traders Hotel, Yangon.dated. March 26, 2012

FoSTeR’S BRaNdS LIMITed of 70 London Rd., Twickenham, Middlessex TW1 3QS, United Kingdom, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of following Trade Mark:-

newsthe MyanMar tiMes

8March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Soe Sandar Oo

A BOAT that overturned and sank while travelling from Pathein to Ngapudaw, killing at least 25 of its almost 100 passengers, should only have been carrying 12 people, officials said last week.

A spokesperson from the state-run Inland Water T r a n s p o r t a t i o n s a i d the March 20 accident was caused by careless driving but the boat was also carrying too many passengers and cargo, and lacked life jackets and lifebuoys.

“The boat was not as large as a ferry; its engine capacity was only 20 horsepower. It was allowed to carry 12 passengers including one driver or 2500 viss (about 4 tonnes) of cargo,” he said. The sinking of the boat can be attributed to the driver’s gross negligence. The boat turned over because it took a bend against the current at low tide.”

T h e P a t h e i n t h u 1 1 capsized about 3pm on March 20, with 99 people on board. State media initially reported that 10 passengers had died but a township official told The Myanmar Times on March 23 that the death toll had risen to 25, with two people still missing.

Another 72 passengers were rescued, with seven receiving treatment at a hospital in Pathein, said N g a p u d a w t o w n s h i p administrator U Win Ko Ko said.

The owner of the boat was at the helm when the accident occurred and is still missing, he said.

The boat, which was also carrying a large quantity of cargo, including cement, mattresses, chilli, onion and ice chests, overturned about 24 metres (80 feet) from the riverbank as it approached the jetty in Ngapudaw’s

Kanseik village in calm water.

Witnesses said that as it made a turn to approach the jetty, the vessel failed to slow down and tipped to one side after taking on water. The steel-hulled boat sank almost immediately in about 14 metres (45 feet) of water.

Residents of Kanseik immediately launched a rescue operation with their own boats and were soon joined by another larger vessel. Most of the passengers were women and children and rescuers said some had been trapped on the lower levels of the vessel, where the windows were too narrow for them to escape to safety. Pathein Fire Services Department also attended the scene and assisted with the rescue effort, a spokesperson said.

Ma Than Hla, a 39-year-old vendor from Karttaya village who regularly took the Patheinthu 11 to and from Pathein, was among those who survived the accident with her 18-year-old daughter.

She said the boat was regularly overcrowded and had been “cluttered with cargo” on the day of the accident. “When it prepared

to come into port, water started flowing in. I took hold of my daughter but later we were separated,” she said.

“We both sank with the boat and neither of us can swim. We found no openings to leave the boat – I thought we would die. I gave up trying to get out and expected to die but while I was in the water I heard my daughter’s cry so as a last resort I swam as powerfully as I could and the rescuers saved me.”

Ma Chaw Chaw Yin, a teacher from Kanseik who assisted with the rescue effort, said that if communications services in the area had been better some of those who died after being swept along the river towards Ngapudaw could have been saved.

The accident is not the first to occur on a private boat service in the Ayeyarwady delta and will once again raise questions about safety standards among private operators.

In November 2009, the overloaded ferry Nay Myo Tun Gyi collided with an oil barge, the Dana, on the Ngawun River, resulting in the deaths of at least 47 of the 176 people on board.

The ferry was only licensed to carry 27.

After that acc ident , regional of f ic ials said they had introduced new safety measures and were enforcing passenger limits.

The IWT spokesperson said last week that under existing rules vessel owners had to provide a lifejacket for each passenger but evasion was common. He said the department was planning tighter inspections of cargo and passenger limits, as well as safety equipment, as a result of last week’s accident.

“[Vessel owners] tend to abide by the law when they are being inspected but after the inspection they take on more cargo or passengers,” he said.

He added that there was also a lack of safety a w a r e n e s s a m o n g passengers in the delta.

“In Yangon it is not uncommon for people to wear lifejackets but in the delta nobody does it.”

Ma Chaw Chaw Yin said the Patheinthu 11 was popular with passengers and regularly overcrowded because it was faster and charged only K500, half the normal fare. – Translated by Thit Lwin

Boat driver blamed after accident kills at least 25

Ma Than Hla, who narrowly survived a boat accident on March 20. Pic: Soe Sandar Oo

By Soe Than Lynn

THE Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has refused to approve the government’s budget proposal for the National Human Rights Commission on the grounds its formation did not conform to the constitution.

The government had requested a budget of K547.208 million for the human rights commission – formed by President U Thein Sein on September 5 – for 2012-13, in addition to K139.86 million for capital expenditure on office equipment, furniture and vehicles.

However, Speaker U Khin Aung Myint forwarded the request – made as part of the 2012-13 National Planning Bill – to the Joint Bill Committee after Pyithu Hluttaw representative Daw Nan Wah Nu of Konhein raised doubts about the commission’s eligibility for funding.

“I submit that money to be allocated for Myanmar National Human Commission in … the 2012-2013 National Planning

Bill should not be allowed at all by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw,” Daw Nan Wah Nu said on March 15.

Based on the bill committee’s report, the speaker told the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on March 16 that the requested budget could not be approved because the commission had not been formed with the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw’s approval and its policies and objectives had not been included in the national planning bill.

“I have received a report from the committee … and a submission by the commission,” the speaker said. “I hereby submit that the formation of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission was not in conformity with the constitution and existing laws. It is found that the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission also accepts this point in its submission.”

“Therefore I, as the Speaker of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, have decided to nullify the inclusion of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission in the list of central bodies of the state and its allotment in the budget.”

Earlier, Daw Nan Wah Nu had argued that the president had not sought parliamentary approval when forming the commission as was required under the constitution.

The president had instructed that the “Human Rights Commission’s chairman is given privileges and insignia of a minister and its members are entitled to what a deputy minister is given”, she said. “Section 202 of the constitution … states that the president with approval from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw may designate ministries or number of ministers, may amend, add or deduct [ministries or number of ministers], and may appoint ministers.

“The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission can only be included as a union-level body or central body after it is approved by the hluttaw.

“In some countries, human rights committees and commissions and corruption fighting committees and commissions are overseen by [parliament].

– Translated by Thit Lwin

Hluttaw refuses human rights body budget

By Zaw Win Than and Aung Kyi

NEW Delhi-based media organisat ion Mizzima expects to launch a weekly journal in early May, a spokesperson told The Myanmar Times last week.

“We have already applied for the licence to publish a weekly journal in Myanmar language. The [application] is not approved yet but we are expecting to publish after water festival or in early May. We will definitely publish before the end of this year,” U Sein Win, the managing editor and production director of Mizzima, said on March 20, on the sidelines of the two-day Conference on Media Development in Myanmar.

“We also have a plan for an English paper but it will mainly focus on politics and business and is especially aimed at [foreign] investors and diplomats. I think it will take a long time to get a licence as well because we want to do one after another,” said U Sein Win. He said the Myanmar-language journal would have a broader focus and would also cover regional news.

“Our weekly journal in Myanmar will be along the same lines as existing local journals. We will focus on general news, regional news and we hope we will be able to report more widely than we do on our current website. In the website, we could only post a few nationwide topics,” he said.

“If we can publish a quality news journal I hope we can survive in this market,” he said, adding that it would hire more staff for the new venture.

While Mizzima appears to be on the verge of a return to Myanmar, representatives of other exile media outlets say they are expecting a longer wait before being able to publish in Myanmar.

“We have decided to seek permission to set up an

office and publications in Yangon but I think it will take time to get permission … even though we have been encouraged to [apply] by the Ministry of Information,” said U Win Thu, office manager of Chiang Mai-based Irrawaddy Publishing Group.

“We will have to...establish a branch office in Yangon to publish a publication or online magazine inside the country and we might need assistance from local media groups to speed up the process,” he said.

U Zaw Naing Oo, from Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma, said his organisation was also seeking permission to publish in Myanmar.

“We have also submitted an application to the Ministry of Information for permission to set up an office in Yangon following the visit of DVB chief editor Aye Chan Naing earlier this month,” U Zaw Naing Oo said.

“I think it will take time but we expect to get the permission to set up a bureau inside the country before the end of this year.”

U Ko Ko, publisher of The Yangon Times and Flower News, said he welcomed the return of exile media and would “offer a helping hand” if they needed it.

He said exile media would create more competition but this was positive in a democracy with an open market policy.

U Ye Htut, director general of the Department of Information and Public Relations under the Ministry of Information, told The Myanmar Times that the ministry would allow exile media to publish inside Myanmar if they followed the law.

“ W e c o n s i d e r t h e m a s M y a n m a r m e d i a organisations based in foreign countries. So if they want to step into Myanmar, we will allow them to do their business according to the ministry’s rules and policies,” he said.

Mizzima aiming for publication launchin May: spokesman

newsthe MyanMar tiMes

10March 26 - April 1, 2012

UN chief to visit ‘probably’ in April

SINGAPORE – UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon said last week he will visit Myan-mar “probably” next month as he urged international support for reforms in the country.

“I have visited Myanmar twice as secretary general, and I am going to visit Myanmar soon, probably next month,” he said in a lecture to government officials, diplomats and aca-demics during a visit to Singa-pore on March 23.

Mr Ban had said in Malay-sia the previous day that his visit to Myanmar will likely be after the by-elections on April 1, but he did not give a specific timeframe.

Mr Ban said he was “encour-aged” by recent reforms imple-mented by President U Thein Sein and urged the global com-munity to help Myanmar as it prepares to assume the rotat-ing leadership of the ASEAN bloc in 2014.

“Myanmar still faces many challenges and will need our support along the way,” he said.

The by-elections will see No-bel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stand for a seat in par-liament for the first time.

– AFP

Australia to send election observers

SYDNEY – Australia said last week it will send a five-person delegation to observe the April 1 by-elections, a poll seen as a major test of Myanmar’s re-form credentials.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on March 23 that the government had invited the team, which is expected to join observers from other nations, including the United States, in Myanmar.

“We have repeatedly encour-aged the Burmese government to ensure these by-elections are free and fair – and this is an encouraging start,” Mr Carr said in a statement.

“Australia hopes to see fur-ther and more comprehensive election observation missions as Burma’s democracy ma-tures.” – AFP

Briefs

By Sandar Lwin

STRIKES organised under the new Labour Organisation Law are not subject to rules pertaining to peaceful protests, a senior official from the Ministry of Labour said last week.

The labour law “does not relate to the peaceful protest law of the Ministry of Home Affairs. That law covers non-labour protests,” U That Naing Oo, director of the Department of Labour, told The Myanmar Times.

The Labour Organisation Law (2011) came into force on March 9 and allows workers from any sector – except essential public services such as water, electricity, fire and health – to strike according to the rules of the relevant labour federation.

Labour federations are an executive committee with an odd number of members that range in size from seven to 15 people and are formed with the recommendation of not less than 20 percent of the members of region or state labour organisations.

Above the federations wi l l be the Myanmar Labour Confederation and under the federations will be region or state labour organisations, township labour organisations and basic labour organisations for each trade or activity.

“If a basic labor organisation wants to strike it would need to get permission from the relevant labour federation. After that they can do the strike whenever – they don’t need to follow the procedures in the peaceful protest law of the Ministry of Home Affairs,” U That Naing Oo said.

The law states that labour issues will have to be filed through the basic labour organisations to a township

conciliation body formed under the Trade Dispute Act. The workers can strike only if the township conciliation body is unable to solve the problem and it has permission from the applicable labour federation.

“Any labour protests that take place without informing the respective conciliation body and the employer at least three days ahead of the protest are not allowed by this law,” he said.

Labour activists said that disputes were “increasing day by day” and labour organisations were urgently needed to solve labour issues under the new law.

Under the law, this process begins at the grassroots level with the support of basic labour organisations.

U Ye Naing Win, a labour activist and spokesperson of a committee established recently to support the formation of independent labour organisations, said it was difficult for many ordinary workers to form labour organisations because of poor literacy and knowledge of the law.

The committee will provide legal and technical assistance to workers wanting to form labour organisations.

“Generally, the workers have little knowledge about labour laws. They need help to form labour organisations and that’s why we formed a support committee to help them,” he said.

U That Naing Oo said the government was closely following the formation of labour organisations.

“The minister and the president are interested in the formation of labour organisations. They regularly ask us how many labour organisations have been formed so far,” he said, adding that none had been formed to date.

By Vong Sokheng and Shane Worrell

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia, as ASEAN chair, could play a vital role in strengthening the international community’s perception that Myanmar has reformed and sanctions need to be lifted, independent observers said last week.

Prime Minister Hun Sen described President U Thein Sein’s March 21 visit to Phnom Penh as something that would boost the two countries’ relations but observers said U Thein Sein was more focused on exporting a message of radical transformation to the world via ASEAN, which will hold its summit in Cambodia on April 3 and 4.

Information Minister Mr Khieu Kanharith said U Thein Sein had promised Mr Hun Sen that the April 1 by-elections would be fair.

“The president has expressed his will to do whatever it takes to have a transparent, acceptable election,” he said.

U Thein Sein praised Cambodia for its enduring support and Mr Hun Sen had said the Myanmar leader’s visit would strengthen the relationship of the two countries, Mr Khieu Kanharith said, but little else was revealed about the meeting.

Mr Chheang Vanarith, director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said U Thein Sein’s visit was aimed at shoring up support from ASEAN nations in its bid to have international sanctions dropped.

“I think the visit is aimed at delivering the diplomatic message to Cambodia, as the chair of ASEAN and a good friend of

Myanmar, that it will need to play an important role in convincing the ASEAN nations to lift sanctions on Myanmar,” he said, adding those nations might then speak to the US and Europe.

“We will wait to see after the election next month … if Myanmar can keep building the trust of the international community.”

“ASEAN has put pressure on Myanmar to do good … and it’s continuing to get ASEAN to look at the kind of reform it’s trying to carry out,” said Professor Carlyle Thayer from the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

“Myanmar is also adopting different policies externally. This is about ASEAN. Bilaterally, there is not much to exchange between Cambodia and Myanmar,” he said.

Mr Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, said ASEAN, which Myanmar will chair in 2014, was “a huge public relations opportunity for the Burmese government”.

“I don’t think Burma will need to claim Cambodia as an ally – since the international community has largely agreed to ASEAN’s decision to permit Burma to take the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014,” he said.

“What we think President Thein Sein should be talking to the Cambodian government about is how to ensure that both countries met their obligations under the ASEAN Charter to respect international human rights standards.”

U Thein Sein began a three-ASEAN member state tour on March 20 in Vietnam and headed to Laos on March 22. – Phnom Penh Post

President shores up support on three-nation regional tour

President U Thein Sein at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. Pic: Kaung Htet

Federations to oversee labour strikes

news11the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

A P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y training course for the v isual ly impaired got underway earlier this month at Kyeemyindaing School for Blind in Yangon.

The course is the second of its type the school has hosted and is co-organised by the Blind Massage Development Foundation and Old Students Society for Blind. It began on March 12 and focuses on Japanese physiotherapy methods as well as anatomy and business management, a spokesperson for the school said, adding that 10 students were selected to participate.

T h e c o u r s e i s taught by experienced physiotherapists from both Japan and Myanmar and will be free of charge. It will run to June 5 and students will receive free accommodation and meals.

Physiotherapy is a form of massage treatment that relieves muscle strain and alleviates the effects of illness or injury.

U Zaw Htwe Oo, a teacher and physiotherapist at the school, said the aim was to teach blind people a vocational skill that could help them earn a living.

He said most blind people don’t get the chance to join a special school or learn vocational subjects, and some do not finish school.

“We trained eight students in last year’s course and seven have since been employed, with one continuing their studies.” – Cherry Thein

Physio training for blind launched

By Soe Than Lynn

T H E P y i d a u n g s u Hluttaw has agreed to j o in the Internat ional Parliamentary Union in order to build relations with foreign parliaments and get more opportunities to exchange views and experiences, according to lawmakers.

The decision was made on March 16, at the 21st sitting day of the third session of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw.

Before asking for the consent o f the house , Speaker U Khin Aung Myint told lawmakers: “If Myanmar is a member of IPU, there will be more opportunities to exchange views and experiences and get wider relations with the international community. It will enable us to get assistance to improve the

performance of hluttaw representatives.”

The decision follows the recent visit by a delegation from the Geneva-based IPU, including secretary general Anders Johnsson, who met with Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker

Thura U Shwe Mann in Nay Pyi Taw on March 6.

Mr Johnsson extended an invitation to Myanmar to rejoin the union and also requested information on the rights of hluttaw representatives.

“We’d like to give the

necessary help to [improve] the process of the hluttaw while it is in the initial period,” he said.

M y a n m a r b e c a m e a member of the IPU in 1957 but left in 1963, shortly after the military coup. Speaker U Khin Aung Myint said Myanmar had “kept in touch” with regional parliaments since the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw joined the ASEAN Parliament Conference as a full member in September 2011.

Lawmakers also approved a proposal to create a national parliamentary body to coordinate between the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the state and region hlutaws.

M e a n w h i l e , U K h i n Aung Myint will attend the ASEAN Summit and Leaders of Parliament Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from March 31 to April 4. – Translated by Thiri Min Htun

Pyidaungsu Hluttaw to join International Parliamentary Union

‘We’d like to give the necessary

help to improve the process of the hluttaw.’

By Kyaw Hsu Mon

THE Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association will be disbanded within three months and replaced by three separate and independent associations, a senior member said last week.

Secretary U Ko Ko said following a special meeting of members on March 24 that separate associations for writers, journalists and publishers would be established in its place and they would be “more free and independent” than the MWJA.

“The MWJA will end automatically when those three associat ions are established. I expect that the process should be completed [within three months],” said U Ko Ko.

Senior MWJA members recently organised three sub-committees to undertake the process of establishing the associations, he said.

“We will use a voting system to select [central executive committee] members for each association. We want these associations to be more free and independent [than the MWJA],” he said, adding that unlike the MWJA the associations would not be overseen by the Ministry of Information.

“What I can say is that the Ministry of Information will continue to be a focal point ministry [for the new associations] in the future,” U Ko Ko said.

He said the new Myanmar Journalists Association and the Myanmar Writers Association would seek to have a more youthful membership than the MWJA, and younger members would be encouraged to take up leadership positions.

MWJA chairman U Tin Hlaing said last week’s special meeting was called to inform members of the plan to form the new associations.

“We need to reform our association as we are following the democracy way so we announced to members that we will try to

organise such new association to be more independent,” U Tin Hlaing said.

He said the organisation structure of the writers’ and journalists’ association would be different, with writers forming township and central bodies and journalists having regional and central bodies. “But they will all be brother

associations,” he added.Senior MWJA member U Myint Kywe

said it was important for the future of the publishing industry that writers and journalists had their own independent organisations.

“In the past, writers and journalists were lumped together under the same association and there were some arguments because we have different points of view,” he said.

The MWJA was established in the early 1990s and has about 8000 members nationally.

Independent associations toreplace MWJA, says official

‘We want these associations to

be more free and independent.’

TiMESbusinessthe MyanMar tiMes

13March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Juliet Shwe Gaung

M P R L E & P c o m p a n y announced that it had discovered gas during drilling operations at the company’s A-6 block in the Bay of Bengal on March 19.

A company press release said testing of the Pyi Thar-1ST well revealed “the

presence of about 20 feet [true vertical thickness] of gas starting at the top of the Pliocene sandstones”. The company has also drilled a second well at the site – Pyi Thar-1.

The gas reserve discovered by MPRL E&P is the second discovery in the Rakhine offshore area and follows the Shwe gas project.

“The wells have provided precious geological and drilling information that will now be integrated by MPRL E&P’s technical team to better assess the full prospectively of block A-6,” a company spokesperson said.

The press release said the company drilled both wells within tight financial and time constraints, finishing

drilling 14 days ahead of schedule and significantly below budget. However, the press re lease d id not provide the expected budget or timeframe for drilling.

MPRL E&P also operates the Mann oil and gas field in central Myanmar in partnership with Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise.

By Yantoultra Ngui

K U A L A L U M P U R – Myanmar’s Central Bank plans to set the country’s new exchange rate at about K820 to the US dollar, close to its black market level, as the nation pushes ahead with economic reforms, two officials with private Myanmar banks said on March 20.

The change would be a shock for government institutions and state-owned enterprises that have been using the official exchange rate of K6.4, the central bank has said. But broader economic waves are unlikely since an exchange rate of about K800 is widely in use.

The bank officials told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry event in Kuala Lumpur that the new “managed float” system would have a trading band of plus or minus two percent.

“We are currently in the auction process, and there is a plan to manage the float of the currency at K820, plus or minus 2 percent, to $1,” said U Aung Kyaw Myo, an official of Kanbawza Bank.

The Central Bank had been expected to set the currency at about that level as it moves to unify the country’s dual exchange rate in the coming weeks – Myanmar’s boldest economic reform yet as it emerges from decades of isolation.

T h e g o v e r n m e n t i s calculating its national budget for the year from April 1 using an exchange rate of K800 to the dollar, a Central Bank official said last week.

The currency reform is a major step in ending market distortions caused by the dual system and improving transparency as foreign investors pour into Myanmar following bold economic and political reforms in recent months.

The kyat’s unofficial rate, used in most transactions, has jumped from more than K1000 to the dollar in 2009 as foreign money has flowed into the timber, energy and gem sectors. That has hurt many Myanmar, from farmers and manufacturers to traders and employees of foreign firms paid in dollars.

“This market-driven reform will boost foreign investment interest,” said Douglas Clayton, chief execut ive o f Leopard Capital, a private equity fund focused on emerging Asian markets. “In terms of

growing pains, there could be some imbalances in supply and demand but that will not be unusual in such a transition.”

S i n c e g o v e r n m e n t institutions have been using the official rate, state revenue is underestimated. Some critics say it is likely that vast sums of that money have been kept off the books and quietly smuggled out of the country into offshore bank accounts held by cronies of the former government.

A Central Bank official said last week that the government plans to hold trial foreign exchange auctions in March before floating the currency from April 1, the start of the 2012-13 fiscal year.

Central Bank documents obtained by Reuters this month set out plans to begin a managed float of the currency in the fiscal year from April and develop an interbank money market. From 2013-14 onwards, Myanmar would aim to “entirely eliminate” the “informal” currency market, the documents said.

Rona Rakhit, head of business development and strategic initiatives of the Co-operative Bank, the second-largest private bank in Myanmar, said at the Kuala Lumpur event that 11 of the 19 private banks in the country are participating in the auction process. The country hopes to unify its dual exchange rates by the end of April, he said.

Co-operative Bank was one of four Myanmar banks that signed remittance agreements with Malaysia’s largest lender Maybank on March 20 to help over 140,000 Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia send money home.

“ T o d a y t h e r e a r e tremendous opportunities for business and investments, and foreign exchange is much needed to funds its economic growth,” Maybank chief executive Abdul Wahid Omar said at the event.

K K Hlaing, a businessman in Yangon, said he expected little disruption from the new exchange rate as it was already widely used in business transactions.

“The government i s simply formalising the unofficial exchange rates in anticipation for investment,” he said.

“There is not going to be any sudden shock in the economy about this because the people have been going around their business using the K800-820 range.”

– Reuters

By Aye Thidar Kyaw

ELEVEN private banks will begin offering Swift money transfers from abroad starting in late April or early May, an industry insider said last week.

“We are preparing all the technical details and setting up machines with Singapore technicians, but we still need to train employees,” said Co-operative Bank managing director U Phey Myint.

“Eleven banks will start this service at the same time,” he added.

The banks that will offer the service are: Ayeyawaddy, Asia Green Development, Co-operative, Innwa, Kanbawza, Myanma Apex, Myanmar Industrial Development, Myanmar Oriental, Myawaddy, Tun Foundation and United Amara, he said.

The Ministry of Finance and Revenue gave permission for the service on November 25, he added.

“We need to use Swift transfers

because it’s a better network for bank-to-bank transfers,” said Kanbawza bank vice chairman U Than Lwin.

Only three state-owned banks –Myanma Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB), Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB) and Myanma Economic Bank (MEB) – operate the system.

Meanwhile, some banks have begun offering money remittance services to Myanmar workers in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand by pairing with banks in those countries.

MPRL E&P announces gas find in A-6

Swift system to start late April: CB Bank

Myanmar to set kyat at 820 a dollar, say sources

MPRL E&P chief executive officer U Moe Myint inspects a drilling rig prior to the start of drilling operations at the A-6 block. Pic: Supplied/Myint and Associates

Businessthe MyanMar tiMes

14March 26 - April 1, 2012

M A Y I N G Y I , D a w e i – Public anger is rising over a planned deep-sea port set to displace thousands of villagers, as recent political reforms galvanise grassroots opposition to industrial mega-projects.

The multi-billion-dollar Dawei development is a key element of the impoverished country’s plans to transform i t s e c o n o m y , g i v i n g wealthier neighbours such as Thailand an outlet to the Indian Ocean and markets to the West.

But with a new government pursuing a series of dramatic re forms in Myanmar, villagers living near the sleepy stretch of southern coastline are daring to speak out in opposition.

“We don’t want to move. Our region has coconuts,

betel nuts, cashew nuts, t a m a r i n d s . W e h a v e everything we need,” said U San Nyein, a 53-year-old farmer in the village of Mayingyi.

Up to 20,000 people are set to be relocated from a verdant stretch of land along the Andaman coast near the border with Thailand, said an official estimate.

The authorities have promised to resettle the villagers in new homes with access to schools, hospitals and shops, as well as running water and electricity.

The Dawei plan includes a 250 square kilometre (100 square mile) industrial area with a steel mill, petrochemical plant and oil refinery.

It is among a number of ambitious foreign-funded

projects which started before the long-ruling junta handed over power last year to a new quasi-civilian government whose ranks are filled with former generals.

Locals in i t ia l ly fe l t powerless to refuse to move for the development – led by Thai industrial giant Ital-Thai – in a country where the junta was for decades able to snatch land at will.

But people are now testing the mostly civilian government’s vow to listen to public opinion.

“We do not want to go anywhere,” said U Tin Hlaing, a 56-year-old fisherman from the village of Ngapitet. “The sea has fed us since we were young. Where should we go to fish if we have to move to a new town?”

L a s t S e p t e m b e r , environmentalists won a rare victory as President U Thein Sein suspended construction of a US$3.6 billion Chinese-backed hydropower project in Kachin State, in a rare response to public opposition.

The government has also announced that it is blocking a 4000-megawatt coal-fired plant that was to be built at Dawei.

The villagers living near the port site now hope their homes and land will be spared from the bulldozers. And their cause may be helped by apparent funding troubles at the developer.

There is little evidence of construction yet apart from access roads, and villagers said the amount of money they were initially offered had

been drastically reduced.Ital-Thai is “having trouble

raising the funds and that is of no surprise at all because the numbers that they are talking about are absolutely vast”, said Mr Sean Turnell, an expert on the Myanmar economy at Macquarie University in Sydney.

“There ’s been a real turnaround of investor sentiment in the project and I think that’s the thing which is really slowing it.”

The developer insists all is going to plan, with negotiations under way to raise investment of $4.5 billion for the first phase of development, which it says will be followed by a second phase requiring an additional $8.5 billion.

It also says the final

project could eventually be worth up to $50 billion.

“The funds are coming in , ” said Mr Somchet Thinaphong, who oversees the project for the Thai industrial giant.

The Myanmar authorities “have actually urged us to accelerate the plan and supported us with globally compet i t ive laws and regulations. There’s nothing to be worried about,” he added.

But locals fear their way of life will change forever, and are anxious about being relocated to an urban setting.

“I was born here. I want to stay here,” said 64-year-old farm owner U Than Myint. “We do not understand cities – they are all the same.” – AFP

By Aye Thidar Kyaw

INTERNATIONAL financial institutions are likely to return to Myanmar if the April 1 by-elections are accepted by the global community. However, some economists are not thrilled at the prospect of global lenders returning.

United States citizen and economic consultant Mr Rick Rowden said during a recent workshop at an NGO in Yangon that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was known for its insistence on a clear divide between the private and government sectors.

He added that if the World Bank came to Myanmar, it would push for the government to vacate the health and education sectors, which he said would make both more expensive.

“In countries that offer only private healthcare and education, poor people stop sending their kids to school and bringing them to clinics when they’re sick because it’s too expensive,” he said during the workshop at ActionAid in early March.

He said that the measures often created a society where only the wealthy could access quality healthcare and education.

When Myanmar attempts to unify its multiple exchange rates in the

next financial year, which starts on April 1, the IMF will give technical advice, which Mr Rowden said would be welcome. But when the IMF begins to try and influence the Central Bank to change its monetary policies, it would create a problem between importers and exporters.

“My advice [to the government] is to ignore the World Bank and keep control of the healthcare and education sectors, and don’t let the IMF dictate budget choices,” he said.

Mr Rowden also advised the government to maintain its links with the business community because severing those relationships would leave it unable to properly implement infrastructure and services upgrades in the future.

Associate professor of economics at Macquarie University in Sydney Dr Sean Turnell said the government had so far adopted policies that would be recommended by the IMF and World Bank.

“Very often the policies of these institutions have been problematic – sometimes they impose a ‘one size fits all’ approach that can be inappropriate in different circumstances,” he said.

However, at the core of advice from both institutions are a number of broad measures that should serve Myanmar

well, he said. These include a sound fiscal policy (which should allow increases in spending on health and education, but reductions in military spending), a realistic unified exchange rate, stress on property rights, rule of law and the problem of corruption, he said.

Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry vice president Dr Maung Maung Lay quoted IMF and World Bank representatives as saying the government could choose to accept their advice or ignore it.

He added that it was hard to separate the private and government sectors and both were required to keep a close eye on the other for the economy to work properly.

Economist Dr Zaw Oo said the government, media and economists had to cooperate to develop the country, adding that the most important job at hand was setting a workable policy framework.

“We have to tell them [international finance institutions/ investors] first what we want, then we will have to cooperate with them but we need to ensure that they do not exploit institutions,” he said.

“The government’s role should just be to supervise and guard against unfair practices in the market, while also protecting the environment,” he said.

MORE than 250 delegates from over 20 countries will attend the Myanmar Oil, Gas and Power Summit from March 27-29.

Organised by the Centre for Management Technology and Myanmar’s Ministry of Energy, the MOGP Summit is the only conference providing first-hand information and answers that will prepare industry majors and investors as well as service and support companies for ventures into Myanmar’s energy sector.

Supported by M & S Co Ltd, the MOGP Summit will represent the movers and shakers within the oil and gas industry. Dramatic changes afoot in Myanmar have drawn foreign investors eyeing a slice of its rich and large economic potential.

The summit, which is titled “Gearing Up for the Emerging Oil and Gas Opportunities”, will explore key issues involved in securing upstream oil and gas exploration ventures, as well as the key challenges, drivers and new business opportunities in Myanmar’s energy industry.

The main highlight of the

conference will be the official opening address by the Minister for Energy, U Than Htay, but other significant talks will be delivered by independent energy industry consultants; Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise officials; Total E&P Myanmar; DFDL Mekong Group; World LP Gas Association; Myanmar Petroleum Products Enterprise (MPPE); Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks; and the Ministry of Electric Power.

Participants at the MOGP Summit can look forward to interacting with key decision-makers from leading oil and gas and petrochemical companies, exploration firms, energy consultants, storage and logistics companies, EPC companies, legal counsellors, project financiers, trading firms and government officials.

To access the program of the MOGP Summit visit the event’s website http://www.cmtevents.com/aboutevent.aspx?ev=120316. For details on reservations please contact Ms Huiyan at (+65) 6346 9113 or email huiyan@cmtsp.com.sg

Dawei port faces growing public backlash

Construction labourers working on an elevated platform at a deepsea port project in Mayingyi, part of the Dawei Special

Economic Zone development, a planned $50-billion project led by a Thai industrial giant, in southern Myanmar. Pic: AFP

Economists debate return of IFIs MOGP summit this week

Business15the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Bill Savadove

SHANGHAI – China’s manufacturing activity fell to a four-month low in March, HSBC said on March 22, adding fuel to concerns over slowing growth in the world’s second largest economy.

HSBC’s prel iminary Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 48.1 in March from 49.6 in February, following a sharp slowdown in exports, the British banking giant said in a statement.

A reading above 50 means expansion, while below 50 suggests contraction.

The data will add to pressure on policymakers to further loosen monetary policy and comes days after Australian resources giant BHP Billiton said China’s demand for iron ore, a key manufacturing component, was flattening.

It is also the latest in a string of negative news from Beijing including a huge trade deficit in February and lawmakers’ decision this month to set a target for 7.5 percent growth this year, from 9.2pc last year and 10.4pc in 2010.

“Investors are already pessimist ic about the economic outlook and the just-released weak PMI data has raised more worries,” Shen Jun, a Shanghai-based analyst at BOC International, told AFP.

The result marks the fifth month that the PMI has remained in contraction since reaching 47.7 in November last year.

“Growth momentum could slow down further amid a combination of sluggish new export orders and softening domestic demand,” HSBC’s chief economist for China Qu Hongbin said. “This calls

for further easing steps from the Beijing authority,” he said n the statement.

China’s central bank in February cut the amount

of cash banks must hold in reserve for the second time in three months as policymakers moved to increase lending and boost

domestic consumption.Bei j ing has pledged

to “fine-tune” policy to prevent a hard landing for the economy, which could trigger widespread job losses and spark social unrest.

The HSBC survey also said the manufacturing slump had led firms to cut back, sending employment to its lowest level in three years in March.

“Worryingly, employment recorded a new low since March 2009, suggesting slowing manufacturing production was hindering enterprises’ hiring desire,” Qu said. No figure was given.

China was hit by a wave of labour unrest late last year, as employees protested over low salaries, wage cuts and poor conditions amid company cutbacks due to the global economic slowdown. – AFP

Lead up to CAEXPO begins againTHE 9th China-ASEAN Expo (C AEXPO) wi l l be held in Nanning, China, from September 21-25, with this year’s event focusing on scientific and technological cooperation, an expo press release said.

The release, which was prepared by the CAEXPO secretariat, said preparations for the annual event are already in full swing, even though the expo is more than six months away.

T h e y e a r m a r k s t h e 1 0 t h y e a r s i n c e t h e Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic C o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n A S E A N a n d C h i n a wa s co n c l u d e d a n d i s a l s o the Year of China-ASEAN Science and Technology Cooperation.

T h e 9 t h C A E X P O w i l l be another diverse and c o l o u r f u l e v e n t t h a t w i l l b r i n g t h e c r e a m of the region’s business communities together at one show. In addition to the five regular pavilions – C o m m o d i t y T r a d e , Investment Cooperation, Advanced Technology, Trade in Services and Cities of Charm – this year’s expo will add a China-ASEAN Science and Technology Ministers Conference to highlight the year of China-ASEAN science and technological cooperation.

This will include a series of high-end conferences, forums and activities, which ASEAN and Chinese leaders will visit. The CAEXPO, co-sponsored by governments of Myanmar, China and other ASEAN member states, has been successfully held for eight consecutive years since 2004.

I t has emerged as an impor tant platform for f r i e n d l y e x c h a n g e s , business promotion and bilateral cooperation in var ious f ie lds between ASEAN and China.

T h e p r e v i o u s e i g h t C A E X P O s a t t r a c t e d 4 2 A S E A N a n d C h i n e s e leaders, more than 1500 VIPs at ministerial level and 316,000 participants.

The events have also featured more than 200 high-level conferences, forums and activities. The total trade volume between ASEAN and China has reached US$11.69 billion, while the contractual i nve s t m e n t vo l u m e o f international cooperation p r o j e c t s a n d C h i n e s e domestic projects reached $49.12 billion and 475.902 billion yuan respectively, the press release said.

CAEXPO now exerts great influence in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and stands as example of the common development between ASEAN and China, the press release said.

– ADVERTORIAL

China’s manufacturing slows: HSBC

By Myat May Zin

BUSINESS leaders from Myanmar and Vietnam s i g n e d 1 1 t r a d e a n d investment agreements following a jointly organised seminar at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon from March 12 to 14.

T h e s e m i n a r w a s attended by 80 Vietnamese businesspeople representing 51 companies, as well as 120 Myanmar entrepreneurs.

“I hope we will make progress by improving col laboration between the p r i va te bus iness communities of both nations,” said Ms Nuyu Thi Hon, vice chairman of Ho Chi Minh City’s investment and trade promotion centre.

“ W e a l r e a d y h a v e experience doing business together but we want to boost trade volumes given the changes taking place in Myanmar,” she said.

The 11 dea ls cover cooperation in sectors such as construction, tourism, cosmetics and consumer products, she said.

Bilateral trade volume in the 2011-12 financial year amounted to US$270 million, a 77 percent rise over the previous year, showed a slideshow provided by Ho Chi Minh City’s investment and trade promotion centre.

Myanmar exported $180 million worth of assorted rubber, forestry products, wood and agricultural and fisheries products, to Vietnam. In return, Myanmar imported $90 million worth of building materials, chemical products, fertilisers, pesticides and other products.

Mr Li Pyoo Ann, the managing director of Phong Thang production and trading company, said there were still a number of factors that inhibited investment in Myanmar.

“This is the first time I’ve visited Myanmar,” he said. “I came to meet businesspeople that I could work with in future. But we have to do lots of evaluation because there’s no international banking available and the new foreign investment law has not been enacted,” he said. – Translated by Zar Zar Soe

VN inks 11 deals during March visit

DUBLIN – Ireland’s economy sank back into recession late last year, despite registering its first annual growth for the first time since 2007, mixed official data showed on March 22.

Irish gross domestic product shrank 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter after a contraction of 1.1pc in the third quarter, the Central Statistics Office said in a statement.

The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters o f e conomic contraction.

Ireland has based its strategy to overcome a debt mountain with the help of

export-led growth. However, the return to recession shows the limits of relying on strong exports to drive growth which has also been undermined by slowing activity in other eurozone nations.

“ T h e o u t l o o k l o o k s challenging given the country’s strong reliance on external demand,” said Sonia Pangusion, an economist at consultants IHS Global Insight.

“The eurozone crisis started to intensify by day during the second half of 2011, hurting global growth prospects. Today’s figures confirmed that Ireland definitely felt the

pinch,” she added.Ireland’s fourth-quarter

exports were meanwhile not enough to sustain growth.

A t t h e s a m e t i m e , domestic demand remains subdued, partly because of state austerity measures and lower government

spending.“Today’s data suggest

that Irish economy is in a technical recession ... but the potential for revisions means Ireland may not actually have suffered two quarters of negative growth,” said economist Conall Mac Coille

at Davy Stockbrokers in Dublin.

“Consumer spending and investment rose in Q4, but destocking by firms pushed down on growth and there was a worrying decline in Irish export volumes.”

– AFP

Irish Republic returns to recession in late 2011, says govt

Businessthe MyanMar tiMes

16March 26 - April 1, 2012

FRANKFURT – The worst is over in the eurozone debt crisis, but risks remain and it is up to governments to resolve them, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said in a newspaper interview on March 22.

“The worst is over, but r isks remain,” Draghi t o l d t h e d a i l y B i l d , Germany’s most widely-read newspaper.

“Key indicators such as inflation, the current account balance and above all budget deficits are all better than, say, in the United States,” the Italian central banker said.

“Investor confidence is returning and for weeks now the ECB has not needed to take supportive action by buying bonds. The ball is now in the governments’ court. They have to make the eurozone permanently immune to crisis,” Draghi said.

Draghi, who took over the running of the ECB last November, defended

the recent move to pump more than one trill ion euros (US$1.3 trillion) into Europe’s banking system, which some critics, including Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann, warn could fuel inflation in the single currency region.

“Of course there are risks and side effects if you use such a powerful medication as the one trillion euros were.”

But the situation last autumn was “really critical”, he insisted.

“There could have been a dangerous credit crunch which would have led to the collapse of companies. We had to prevent that,” Draghi said.

The ECB chief played down perceived tensions between him and the head of the German central bank.

“ P r o f e s s i o n a l l y a n d personally, Jens Weidmann and I get along very well. Our difference of opinion has been hyped up,” he said. – AFP

NEW DELHI – India’s auditor on March 22 rejected reports that it had calculated that the government lost US$210 billion by giving away coal deposits instead of selling them by auction.

The Times of India newspaper had quoted a draft report by the auditor as saying the government extended “undue benefits” to coal companies worth 106.7 billion rupees ($210 billion) by awarding 155 coalfields without auction.

But the Comptroller and Auditor General said the reported figure was “extremely misleading” and that “we have changed our thinking” on the potential loss to the nation’s treasury following clarifications by the government.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office, moving to quell outrage over the figures, released a letter from the auditor expressing “great embarrassment” and “very deep anguish” over the leak.

Last year, a report from the auditor said that the miss-selling of mobile phone licences to favour some firms in 2008 cost the treasury up to $39 billion – causing a huge scandal from which the government is still reeling.

On March 22, parliament erupted in uproar over the latest leaked

figure.“Why were the coal blocks

allotted without auction?” Prakash Javedkar, leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, demanded. “It is a government of scamsters that is involved in knee-deep corruption.”

The Times of India quoted the draft auditor’s report as saying that “coal, being a natural resource, ought to have been allocated to private players on a competitive bidding [basis] as it brings more transparency”.

But the auditor’s office said it now did not believe the benefits reaped by the scores of private miners and some public sector firms from the coal fields represented “an equivalent loss to the exchequer”. It did not give further details.

A former telecom minister, c o r p o r a t e e x e c u t i v e s a n d government officials are facing trial in the second-generation (2G) telecom case, which has cast a long shadow over premier Singh’s government and paralysed policy-making.

The auditor’s final report on coal fields, which were allocated between 2004 and 2009, is expected to be presented to parliament later this month. – AFP

By Rupam Jain Nair

NEW DELHI – The Indian government on March 22 scrapped plans to increase most rail fares, underscoring the Congress-led coalition’s difficulties in implementing tough policy decisions.

“I intend to give relief to the already burdened common man,” the new Railway Minister Mukul Roy told parliament after his predecessor Dinesh Trivedi resigned on March 18 over the controversial issue.

Trivedi had announced the increases in rail fares, a touchstone issue among millions of Indians, only the previous week but the proposed rises triggered fury from his populist Trinamool Congress party, which is part of the ruling coalition.

The dilapidated railways, still the main form of long-distance travel in India despite fierce competition from airlines,

operate thousands of passenger and freight trains and carry millions of people daily.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has suffered a series of embarrassing policy setbacks in recent months as his fractious coalition government struggles to push through its liberalisation agenda.

The withdrawal of major reforms to the retail sector, slowing economic growth and a series of corruption scandals have beset Singh during his second term in office.

The 79 -year -o ld pr ime minister has been criticised as indecisive and the Congress party fared poorly in recent state elections.

Mamata Banerjee, leader of the regional Trinamool Congress party, led outrage against the rail price rises – the first in nearly a decade – saying that they were a deliberate “anti-poor” policy.

Banerjee, a firebrand former railway minister who is chief

minister of West Bengal state, has become a thorn in the side of the government after she also forced the reversal of retail reforms in December.

Roy told a noisy parliament that the rail price rises would not be implemented except in the highest class of travel used by wealthier Indians.

T h e p r o p o s e d m o d e s t nationwide increases would have included the 1390-kilometre (860-mile) Mumbai-Delhi fare rising by only 28 rupees (55 US cents) for bottom-rung second-class customers.

Trivedi had argued that the ticket price rises were necessary to improve safety standards on the crumbling British colonial-era railway network, which carries millions of people a day.

In h is budget , he had pledged to spend a record 601 billion rupees ($12 billion) in the financial year 2012-13 on improving safety and tracks, building new lines and introducing new trains.

After the U-turn on the fares hike, it was uncertain whether the planned upgrade would still take place.

Trade unions were split on the government’s latest move, with some backing increased fares as the only way to fund improvements to the vast network.

“This is a big blunder. The fare increase was needed,” said Shiva Gopal Mishra, of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation, which has 1.26 million members.

“The rise was a positive step as the Indian railway needs more money for its survival. We do not support the rollback in any form,” he told AFP.

India’s train system has a notoriously bad accident record, with a recent official report revealing almost 15,000 people are killed a year crossing rail tracks – a figure the government described as a “massacre”.

Derai lments , co l l is ions and other accidents are also common. – AFP

India abandons rail price rises

India auditor rejects reported $210b coal loss

‘Worst is over’ in eurozone debt crisis, says ECB chief Draghi

Passengers on a congested train platform commuting at a station in Kolkata on March 15. Pic: AFP

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Business17the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Angela Dewan

J A K A R T A – F o r e i g n investors are bemoaning a new law in Indonesia that strips them of control over mining assets, the latest in a rash of regulations that reflect what they see as growing “resource nationalism”.

The law announced this month obliges foreigners to divest at least 51 percent of their shares to Indonesians over a 10-year period.

“We would l ike the benefits of our country’s resources to reach more Indonesians,” energy and minerals ministry resources director Thamrin Shiite said.

“Locals living around mines always say they want a share of what the companies are earning.”

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, has some of the world’s biggest untapped mineral reserves, including tin, nickel, copper and gold.

Talks of benefit-sharing intensified last year in parliament during a three-month strike at a giant gold and copper mine owned by US company Freeport-McMoRan, which ended with a 37pc pay hike for workers.

Political and economic stability over the past decade have empowered Indonesians to demand a greater share of the country’s wealth – and stability has also attracted investors.

Foreigners poured a record US$20 billion of investment into Indonesia last year, according to government data, as the economy grew by 6.5pc. Of that money, $3.6 billion went into mining.

B u t i n v e s t o r s n o w complain the government is sending mixed messages, passing a mining law in 2009 to improve the investment climate, then shifting to a more protectionist stance.

“Under the 2009 mining law, foreigners could for the first time fully own

mining licences,” Deloitte mining consultant Julian Hill said.

“It seemed to be a new dawn in Indonesian mining, so foreigners rushed in. It was a false dawn as it turned out.”

Since the 2009 law was passed, no new licences have in fact been passed.

“The new law requires a tender process, but the terms for the tender process have never been decided, so no licences have been issued. Talk about uncertainty,” Hill said.

Per th -based min ing veteran David Quinlivan is all too aware of that uncertainty. His London-listed company Churchill had its exploration permits revoked.

In partnership with a local company, Churchill had obtained permits on 35,000 hectares of land on Indonesian Borneo, expecting to find 100 million tonnes of coking coal.

Ins tead , i t f ound a staggering 2.8 bi l l ion tonnes, one of the world’s largest reserves, which it says could bring in up to $1 billion a year for the next 25 years.

After Churchill publicised the finding, its permits were revoked by the East Kutai district head and were returned to the former concession holder, the Nusantara Group, which declined to comment.

Nusantara is owned by one of Indonesia’s wealthiest men, Prabowo Subianto, the former head of the notorious Kopassus special forces unit, and a presidential aspirant.

He stands accused of orchestrating atrocities, including rape, murder and torture, in East Timor during Indonesia’s brutal 24-year occupation.

Churchill – whose share price plunged 10-fold, from above 130 pence ($2) in 2010 to around 13 pence today – is now banking on the Supreme Court to overturn the revocation, or to achieve

a commercial settlement with Nusantara.

“It’s disappointing where we are. Indonesia’s a great place for natural resources,” Quinlivan said.

“But we never expected the government to reissue

licences, that never entered our heads. If land title isn’t fixed, that’s a real problem for Indonesia. Investors need security.”

The case highlights the difficulty of working in Indonesia’s decentralised

context, with the power to issue permits devolved to 399 district governments, who now do the job that one central body had done for more than 30 years.

But Indonesia is not alone in seeking to prise back some of the booming revenues flowing to miners in recent years, as global commodity demand has surged on the back of growth in China and the rest of Asia.

A u s t r a l i a , G h a n a and South Africa have all either introduced or deliberated higher taxes or levies on miners to ensure the wealth is more evenly distributed.

Accounting firm Ernst & Young in a report last year cited resource nationalism as the biggest global risk in

mining and metals, ahead of infrastructure access and problems obtaining permits.

Indonesia plans to ban the export of raw minerals by 2014 to stop foreigners gutting the land and to encourage local processing industries.

But the Indones ian Mining Association warns that the country will be no better off if foreign investors are turned away.

“We’re not ready for these policies,” the association’s executive director Syahrir Abu Bakar said.

“It takes six or seven years just to build a smelter, so if the government doesn’t come up with better infrastructure fast, Indonesians will lose jobs,” he said. – AFP

Foreign miners decry Indonesian law change

Workers load coal at a mining site in Samarinda, Indonesia, on March 13. Pic: AFP

Used in connection with:- Class 05: Diuretic preparations.

A Declaration of Ownership of the said Mark has been registered in the Office of the Sub-Registrar of Deeds and Assurances, Yangon being No. 172/1967.

WaRNING is hereby given that any fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark in any manner whatsoever will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.Lfor Merck & Co., Inc.P. O. Box 60, YangonE-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mmDated: 26th March, 2012

Notice is given that Merck & Co., Inc. of One Merck Drive, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889-0100, United States of America, is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following Trade Mark:-

ModuReT

ProPertythe MyanMar tiMes

18March 26 - April 1, 2012

BEIJING – Home prices in nearly two thirds of China’s major cities fell in February from the previous month, the government said on March 18, as moves to cool the red-hot property market continue to bite.

Of the 70 large and mid-sized cities tracked by the government, 45 saw new home prices fall month-on-month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement, down from 48 in January.

Prices in a further 21 cities were stable and just four cities experienced price rises, it added.

Beijing has introduced a range of measures aimed at curbing runaway property prices over the past year, such as bans on buying second homes, raising minimum down-payments and introducing property taxes in select cities.

But analysts now worry that slumping home prices could

hurt growth in the world’s second-largest economy, which is already forecast to slow this year from 9.2 percent growth in 2011.

The government, however, has said it has no plans so far to relax policy restrictions aimed at cooling the market.

“China’s property prices will likely continue their downward trend, likely going into the second half of 2012 and until policies are altered,” property analysts EC Harris said in a research note.

“Even if there are concerns on the economic slowdown in China, we expect the ... Chinese leadership to maintain its tightening measures at least until the latter parts of 2012.”

According to the NBS, prices of newly built homes fell in February on a year-on-year basis in 27 of the 70 cities surveyed – higher than the 15 cities that recorded price drops in January. – AFP

CONDOMINIUMS are in hot demand as property investments, real estate agents said last week.

U Sai Khung Noung,

manag ing d i rec tor o f Sai Khung Noung real estate agency in Tarmwe township, said condo sales have been on the way up since the start of the year.

“This is a good period for condo sales and we’ve seen many people trying to buy in good locations across

Yangon,” he said. He said condominiums

in the K100-350 million price range were the most sought-after, particularly in Dagon, Bahan, Kamaryut, Mayangone and Mingalar Taung Nyunt townships.

“ I th ink buyers are looking for condos in good areas that come with good quality services [such as cleaning, parking and water provision] too,” he said.

“And as far as I can see, most buyers are looking at the properties with a view to reselling them later – they’re not worried about renting,” he said.

“But the condominium blocks in Sanchaung, T a r m w e a n d Y a n k i n townships areas are not selling as well. I think the investment focus is on centrally-located areas,” he added.

He said buyers put a high value on security and the availability of a parking space: if a condo did not

offer these facilities, many buyers walked away.

Ko Min Min Soe, from Mya Pan Tha Khin real estate agency in Lanmadaw t o w n s h i p , s a i d h i s agency was seeing strong demand in Kamaryut and Thingangyun townships.

“During the past couple of months, we’ve been selling lots of condo apartments in Kamaryut and Thingangyun, particularly those priced below K100 million.

He added that condo sales in the first three months of 2012 were 30 percent higher than during the same period in 2011.

“I think people are busy searching for affordable condos that they will be able to rent to foreigners in coming months,” Ko Min Min Soe said.

H o w e v e r , h e s a i d t h e e n a c t m e n t o f a c o n d o m i n i u m l a w , whenever that happened, would boost quality and force developers to provide

better facilities. He added that many

so-called condominiums offered buyers nothing more than an elevator.

U Khin Maung Aye, owner of Shwe Kan Myay real estate agency in Tarmwe township, said condominiums were the subject of the industry-wide attention.

“Our agency doesn ’ t specialise in condo sales but I’ve heard from many others in the industry that condos priced between K150 million and K300 are hot,” he said.

He added that developers w e r e t a k i n g n o t e o f Yangon City Development Committee regulations, as well as buyer demand, by ensuring adequate parking in their projects.

U S h e i n W i n , t h e managing director of Tet Lann Construction, which focuses on building in the downtown area, confirmed that demand for condos

was running hot. “Proper facilities are

really important in condo projects, with projects that have adequate parking and security more sought-after,” he said.

“I think the market is so active at the moment because people are buying apartments that they hope to rent to foreigners later,” U Shein Win said.

He said demand was a l s o b e i n g i n c r e a s e d because most hotels and serviced apartments in downtown Yangon were fully booked and arriving foreigners were needing accommodation.

U Shein Win said the market was waiting for a condominium law.

“If a condo law comes I think we’ll see a huge surge in interest because individual foreigners will want to buy apartments and foreign companies will want to buy units for their employees.”

By Htar Hyar Khin

SHWE TAUNG Development Co plans to start building a four-lane flyover at the Hledan Junction this month to ease chronic traffic congestion, a company spokesperson said last week.

The spokesperson said the flyover will reach from Diamond Condo to Kanbawza Bank on Pyay Road in Kamaryut township.

“Yangon’s population increases day-by-day and we’re facing traffic problems almost daily, so building this kind of infrastructure can save time spent in traffic to some extent,” said U Soe Thein, the Minister for Industry, at the ceremony to mark the start of work last week.

A Yangon City Development Committee official said the flyover would be 44 feet wide (13.2 metres), and include a 3-foot-wide (1 metre) pedestrian walkway on either side. He added that it would take about four months to complete.

The bridge was designed by TY Lin International of Singapore and the traffic analysis survey was done by Vertix (Asia Pacific), he added.

Condo market heats up: real estate agents

Work on Hledan flyover starts, says official

Officials take part in a ceremony to mark the start of work on a flyover at the Hledan Junction in Kamaryut township last week. Pic: Boothee

China’s home prices largely down in Feb

Reg. No. 5166/1998

in respect of “Class 29: Canned Fish”.

Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.Lfor Connors Bros. Clover Leaf Seafoods CompanyP. O. Box 60, Yangon Dated: 26th March, 2012

Connors Bros. Clover Leaf Seafoods Company, of 80 Tiverton Court, Suite 600, Markham, Ontario L3R 0G4, Canada, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

used in respect of:- “All articles of clothing, hats wearing apparels and accessories; sporting articles and accessories; footwears; furs; fabrics; household linen; jewellery and imitations; spectacles; writing instruments and particularly fountain pens; propelling pencils, ball point pens; fibre tip pens and the like, smoking articles and particularly lighters; playing cards; bags and all kind of luggage; umbrellas; wigs; furnishing, furniture; decoration, horological instruments; porcelain; earthenware (coating), tiling, wall coverings; portable telephones; design, manufacture and sale of all luxury goods; stores of all luxury goods; websites; hotels and restaurants services; organization of shows and fashion exhibitions”

The above trademark was first registered in 1979 under the name of Christian Dior under Registration No.IV/187/1979. This trademark was assigned to Christian Dior Couture in 1996 and recordal of assignment filed under Registration No.IV/1243/1997.

Warning is hereby given that any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

U Kyi Win Associatesfor Christian Dior Couture

on behalf of United Trademark & Patent Services,Lahore, Pakistan.P.O. Box 26, Yangon, Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

NOTICE is hereby given that Christian Dior Couture of 30, Avenue Montaigne,75008 Paris, France is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademark:-

(Reg: Nos. IV/187/1979 & IV/1243/1997)

ProPerty19the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Kelvin Wong

G U A N G Z H O U , C h i n a – Guangzhou, a trading hub for China since the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century, is in the midst of the biggest commercial real estate boom in its history.

D e v e l o p e r s i n c l u d i n g Guangzhou R&F Properties Co and Poly Real Estate Group Co plan to add more than 1.7 million square metres (18.3 million square feet) of prime office space to the city this year – enough for about 120,000 workers. Almost 90 percent of the new space will be built in Zhujiang Xincheng, a zone twice the size of the City of London that Guangzhou’s government earmarked as its new central business district almost a decade ago, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc.

“Back in 2004, out there it was all just dirt,” said Adrian Chan, assistant to the chairman at Guangzhou R&F, which has completed five office projects in the area since then, including the 160,000-square-metre, 54-storey R&F Centre, where the interview took place. “Today, it turns out to be a good winner.”

Guangzhou R&F and its rivals will be seeking to fill the space at a time of slowing economic growth , wi th the nat ion ’ s expansion target for 2012 this month set at 7.5pc, down from an 8pc goal in place since 2005. China last week reported its biggest trade deficit in at least 22 years, the weakest January-February factory-production gain since 2009, and retail sales that trailed the median of economist estimates.

The new developments may push the prime office vacancy rate in the city to above 20pc by 2015, from 12pc now, according to Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

“With that amount of new supply coming in, I don’t care how fast the absorption rate is, it will

pull up vacancy,” said Alvin Lau, managing director for Southern China at CBRE Group. “And if there isn’t enough demand, then rents will fall, though I don’t think there’ll be a crash.”

Guangzhou, named Canton by Portuguese traders in the 16th century, hosts the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in April every year. In the 19th century, British traders imported opium into China through the city until the Chinese government sought to ban it, triggering the Opium War that resulted in the ceding of Hong Kong.

Guangzhou’s government in 2003 decided to turn the Zhujiang Xincheng district into a financial centre rivalling Shanghai and Shenzhen. That was followed two years later by a 200 billion yuan

(US$32 billion) plan to upgrade the whole city’s infrastructure.

While finance firms didn’t respond, export and domestic- industrial companies have. T h e 6 . 6 - s q u a r e - k i l o m e t r e district features the regional headquarters of China Mobile, the world’s biggest phone carrier by users, General Motors, the largest foreign automaker in China, and Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer.

“It was never going to work as Guangzhou doesn’t even have a capital market,” said Eric Lam, managing director for Southern China at property adviser Colliers International. “The ones who ended up here are the South China or regional headquarters of companies, not banks. At the end it was the market that directed the district’s positioning.”

Even with the new office supply, Lam said rents in top tier buildings will rise because of “very strong” demand.

Average monthly rent at Zhujiang Xincheng was 279 yuan ($44) a square metre in the fourth quarter, compared with 255 yuan ($40) a square metre at Tianhe, Guangzhou’s former central business district, New York-based Cushman said. That compares with 507 yuan ($80) in Beijing and 414 yuan ($66) in Shanghai.

China will overtake the US as the world’s biggest trading nation by 2016 as intra-Asia commerce and rising demand from emerging markets boosts shipments, according to a report from HSBC Holdings last month.

“The government has always

wanted to create a hub for trade operators,” said Donald Choi, managing director of Hong Kong-based Nan Fung Development Ltd, which is spending 6 billion yuan ($950 million) on commercial projects in the city.

“So everything here, the excellent infrastructure, the policies, are all being backed by the government.”

Zhujiang Xincheng, which means Pearl River New Town in Mandarin, is home to the Guangzhou Opera House, the b iggest per forming centre in Southern China, and the 1969-foot Canton Tower, an observation tower that was the world’s tallest when it was completed in 2010.

Guangzhou, with a population of more than 12 million, is China’s third-largest city behind Shanghai and Beijing and is the capital of the Guangdong province.

The expectation of growing demand for off ice space in Zhujiang Xincheng has prompted the government to plan the development of another business district in Guangzhou’s Pazhou, the district where the venue of the Canton Fair is. Companies including Nan Fung are building at least 4.5 million square metres of commercial space there in addition to the existing 335,000 square metres.

“Guangzhou’s market for convention and exhibition is still developing,” said Nan Fung’s Choi. “It’s the center of trading of southern China and we’re very confident in its future.”

The company, one of Hong Kong’s two biggest closely held builders, is investing at least HK$6 billion ($773 million) building a hotel, exhibition venue, and an office building in the district.

“The next five years in Pazhou will be like Zhujiang Xincheng five years ago,” said Colliers’ Lam. “At the moment there’ll still land available, but that’ll change fast.” – Bloomberg News

Traffic moves down a street in Guangzhou. The city is in the midst of the biggest commercial real estate boom in its history. Pic: Bloomberg News

China’s trading hub of Guangzhou booming

teChnologythe MyanMar tiMes

20March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Glenn Chapman

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple announced last week it would spend part of its massive cash hoard to pay its first dividend since 1995, and trumpeted that it had sold three million new iPads on the opening weekend.

Apple also revealed plans to buy back US$10 billion in shares while still adding to the billions it has in its coffers.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold – the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller.

Apple stressed that its dividend and stock buy-back plan, which will tap into cash reserves of $98 billion, will not restrict its ability to invest in research, develop new products, or

pursue valuable acquisitions.“Innovation is the most important

objective at Apple and we will not lose sight of that,” chief executive Tim Cook told analysts in a conference call. “These decisions will not close any doors for us.”

Apple said it would pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 a share from its cash balance generated from sales of its hugely successful gadgets like the iPad and iPhone.

The dividend payment would start with the quarter which begins in July.

Apple said it expected the repurchase program to be carried out over three years beginning October.

Chief f inancial off icer Peter Oppenheimer described the company as generating enough cash to easily accommodate the dividend – amounting to $10 billion a year – and

the stock buyback without biting into Apple’s resources.

In the company’s 2011 fiscal year, Apple generated $31 billion in surplus cash. In the first quarter of 2012, it added another $24 billion.

“That’s plenty of cash to run the business,” said Oppenheimer.

Apple is hauling in cash at such a breathtaking pace that its coffers are expected to continue swelling despite paying dividends and buying back stock.

Analysts were pleased that Apple finally decided to loosen its purse strings and pay dividends but were unimpressed with the amount, which was described as below average for successful technology companies.

Apple shares climbed with the news, hitting $604.62 in trading that followed the close of the market. – AFP

By Steve Terrill

BUGESERA DISTRICT, Rwanda – The lights Daniel Ntibaziyandemye uses for his nocturnal fishing trips are charged by pedal-powered generators that offer an affordable means of creating energy, even for the poor.

The small generator, which stands knee-high inside a wooden frame, is operated by what looks like a recumbent exercise bike and charges batteries for small but bright light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. The light created is cheaper and more efficient than solar power.

“Previously we used torches to find our traps at night,” said Ntibaziyandemye, aged 28, who fishes at night on the remote crocodile-infested Akanyaru river.

“But the batteries were so expensive that it left us with little profit. Now with the new LED lights, we can fish for a week for less money than it used to cost for one night.”

He lays his traps just before dusk among heavy b r u s h , w a v i n g a w a y mosquitoes and listening out for crocodiles, waiting until night to venture into the water to collect his catch.

F i v e l i g h t s c a n b e recharged with 20 minutes of pedalling and each light lasts more than 25 hours – enough for a week for most users. One minute spent pedalling generates almost 400 minutes of light.

Rwandan f irm Nuru Energy, is behind the innovation, which earned it a US$200,000 award in the 2008 World Bank Lighting Africa Prize.

The company gives the generators and lights to small traders, allowing them to pay for them later, in instalments, with the money they make from the

equipment. Villagers then pay a small fee to the traders to have the lights charged every week.

“The company gave me six months to repay the loan for my first lights, but with the money I made from recharging the lights, I was able to repay my loan in two months,” said 25-year-old Martin Uwayezu.

“I used to be poor but now I am a businessman.”

Nuru Energy has pilot projects in other countries, including India, but Rwanda is the first African country where it has launched the pedal-powered generators.

To reach its customers, Nuru uses the local mobile phone money transfer system, whereby traders buy credit by sending text messages and receive a code to unlock the generators and charge the lamps.

Much of Rwanda’s rural areas have no electricity and people rely on kerosene and wood for lighting and cooking.

More than 90 percent of households use kerosene and exposure to the fumes can be as bad as smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

“In addition to being dangerous, it’s inefficient and costly,” said Sloan Holazman, Nuru marketing director. “Households spend 10-25pc of their income on kerosene for light alone.”

The company’s chief executive officer and co-founder Sameer Hajee said they studied energy use by rural Rwandans to come up with the cheap and clean energy technology that many can easily afford and depend on.

The company boasts 10,000 customers across Rwanda and hopes to expand to other east African countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, later this year.

– AFP

By Bhavan Jaipragas

SINGAPORE – Singapore, better known for its clean-cut image and electronics exports, is seeking a place in the global arms industry by exploiting technological expertise honed on its own amply funded military.

From armoured personnel carriers used by British forces in Afghanistan to ammunition and firearms, the city-state is trying to enlarge the overseas market for its homegrown weapons and defence systems.

Its arms exports were in the limelight recently when India’s defence ministry b a n n e d s i x w e a p o n s manufacturers for alleged involvement in a 2009 bribery case – one of them a relatively little-known company from Singapore.

ST Kinetics, part of the multibi l l ion-dol lar ST Engineering industrial group, swiftly and vigorously denied the accusation but the mere mention of the firm underscored Singapore’s growing ambitions in the world arms market.

Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper said ST Kinetics was bidding for a contract to supply India with howitzers when the process was put on hold over the bribery allegations.

Its parent ST Engineering, with revenues of S$5.99 billion (US$4.72 billion) in 2011, was the only Southeast Asian firm on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s list of the world’s top 100 defence manufacturers released last month.

Partly owned by state investment agency Temasek Holdings, ST Engineering dominates the defence industry in Singapore. It says it is one of the world’s top suppliers of 40mm ammunition as well as portable weapons like its CIS 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher.

The company was the biggest exhibitor at last month’s Singapore Airshow where among the equipment on display was a new version

of the Bronco, an armoured all-terrain troop carrier used by British forces in Afghanistan.

“Our things are battle-p r o v e n . I f y o u n e e d something special , we can also customise to give you an edge over other people,” Patrick Choy, executive vice-president for international marketing at ST Engineering, told AFP at the show.

The British Army’s 115 Broncos – first deployed in Afghanistan in 2010 and dubbed the “Warthog” – are ST Engineering’s pride, and billed as the first armoured vehicles built for a Western army by an Asian firm.

Britain has about 9500 troops in Afghanistan, the second-largest foreign contingent after the US troops in the coalition, operating in the difficult t e r r a i n o f H e l m a n d province.

Jon Grevatt, a defence specialist for IHS Jane’s, a global security think tank, said the firm “has done a grand job with the Bronco” but noted that “the British Army heavily customised it

to suit its operational needs in Afghanistan”.

Beyond Br i ta in , ST E n g i n e e r i n g e x p o r t s weapons and mil itary e q u i p m e n t t o o t h e r countries but refuses to divulge details.

According to the Stockholm institute, Singapore has sold defence products to Indonesia, Chad, Nigeria, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil since 2000, generating $1.75 billion in 2010 alone.

D e s p i t e i t s d i v e r s e c u s t o m e r p r o f i l e , S T Engineering is still heavily dependent on the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) , Grevatt said.

Singapore has the largest defence budget in Southeast Asia, thanks to public funds generated by its phenomenal economic growth. It has set aside S$12.28 billion ($9.68 billion) for defence in 2012, at 24.4 percent the largest single allocation in the government’s total budget.

Surrounded by far larger neighbours, Singapore has pursued a robust defence strategy since its

acrimonious split with Malaysia in 1965, and was initially advised by Israel.

A l l a b l e - b o d i e d S ingaporean men are required to devote two years of full-time military serv i ce upon turn ing 18, providing additional manpower on top of the estimated 20,000 armed forces regulars.

“As a defence manufacturer ST is driven largely by what the SAF needs ... which is still conventional systems,” Grevatt said.

“ST’s conventional land systems for the SAF will be difficult to sell outside Singapore because several factors are against it ... the Western market is in decline and conflicts are also winding down.”

H o w e v e r , S T Engineering’s non-defence sectors contribute about 60pc of revenues, with the diverse portfolio bolstering g r o w t h p o t e n t i a l , h e added.

“Defence manufacturers today have to be diverse and have their fingers in many pies to survive,” Grevatt said. – AFP

Pedal power brings cheap energy to Rwanda

Apple announces dividend as iPad sales rocket

Singapore gains toehold in world weapons industry

A Bronco New Gen All Terrain Vehicle made by ST Kinetics on display at

the Singapore Airshow on February 14.

Pic: AFP

The above two trademarks are used in respect of: -“Whisky, rum, liquors” – Int’l Class: 33

Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademarks will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

U Kyi Win Associatesfor Sangsom Company Limited P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon.Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

NOTICE is hereby given that Sangsom Company Limited of 14 Viphavadi Rangsit Road, Khwaeng Chomphon, Khet Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademarks: -

(Reg. Nos. IV/ 4367 /1997 & IV/6392/2007)

(Reg. Nos. IV/ 4371/1997 & IV/6393/2007)

TiMESWORLDthe MyanMar tiMes

21March 26 - April 1, 2012

TOULOUSE – Questions mounted in France last week over how a known Islamic extremist managed to murder seven people, including three children, in three separate attacks before being killed in a firefight.

Adding to pressure on security officials one veteran police officer asked how the gunman was not taken alive during the siege and final assault in the southwestern city of Toulouse, in which the gunman died.

Officers from an elite unit moved in early on March 22 after a 32-hour siege, killing self-proclaimed al-Qaeda militant Mohamed Merah as he tried to shoot his way out of his apartment.

The siege had interrupted the hard-fought campaign for France’s April-May presidential vote, but Sarkozy resumed his re-election bid with a rally in the city of Strasbourg on the evening of March 22.

“These crimes were not the work of a madman,” he said.

“A madman is irresponsible. These crimes were the work of a fanatic and a monster.”

In a televised address earlier, Sarkozy vowed to crack down on extremism, saying he wanted legal action against people who regularly consulted jihadist websites or travelled abroad for indoctrination.

But some politicians were already asking how French intelligence officers had failed to head off Merah’s killing spree, given that he was already known to them as an extremist.

Sarkozy’s main challenger Francois Hollande referred to reports of possible failings in the surveillance of Merah at a rally late on March 22.

With the end of the siege, he said, “questions will have to put.”

Earlier the same day, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in an interview with Europe 1 radio that French intelligence officers had recently questioned Merah.

While he did not know if the intelligence service was

at fault, he acknowledged the matter would have to be investigated.

An al-Qaeda linked group, Jund al-Khilafah, claimed responsibility on jihadist websites for the killings.

During the siege, Merah told police he had carried out all three recent attacks. In the first two he shot dead three soldiers. Then on March 19 he gunned down three children and a teacher at a Jewish school.

France’s chief anti-terror prosecutor Francois Molins confirmed that Merah had filmed the attacks with a video camera.

The killings shocked France, home to western Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim minorities.

On Thursday morning the streets of a residential area in Toulouse were filled with the sound of intense gunfire in a shattering finale to the standoff, which had begun before dawn the previous day.

As police from the elite RAID force stormed his apartment the 23-year-old burst out of the bathroom wearing a black djellaba, a traditional loose-fitting North African robe, and a bullet-proof vest.

He opened fire on them before jumping out the window of his first-floor apartment, still firing as he fell. Molins said Merah was shot in the head.

“He was dead by the time he hit the ground,” a police source told AFP.

Police had been told to do everything possible to take Merah alive, but

had had no choice but to fire, said Molins.

But Christian Prouteau, who founded the GIGN – another of France’s elite police units –asked why police had not used tear gas to flush out Merah, expressing astonishment that they had failed to capture him alive.

In an interview, with Ouest France newspaper, he asked: “How come the police’s best unit did not manage to arrest a man all alone?” – AFP

• Earlier report, P. 23.

DAMASCUS – Fierce clashes erupted in Syria on March 22, as President Bashar al-Assad’s foes branded as toothless a UN Security Council call for peace.

The escalation came just hours after the UN Security Council adopted a s t a t e m e n t u r g i n g Assad and the opposition to implement “fully and immediately” a peace plan by international envoy Kofi Annan.

Annan’s plan calls for Assad to pull troops and heavy weapons out of protest cities, a daily two-hour humanitarian pause to hostilities, access to all areas affected by the fighting and a UN-supervised halt to all clashes.

Monitors say more than 9100 people have been killed in the unrest that started just over a year ago.

The Syrian National Council, the main opposition group, dismissed the UN statement, saying it offered “the regime the opportunity to push ahead with its repression in order to crush the revolt by the Syrian people.”

S N C c h i e f B u r h a n Ghalioun in Paris told AFP that the UN statement “has the merit of representing the common position of the international community against the policies of Bashar al-Assad. But it obviously does not meet the real needs of the Syrian people.”

The official media in Damascus on March 22 played up the lack of any threat or ultimatum in the non-binding Security Council statement.

After intense negotiations between major UN powers, Russia and China signed up to the Western-drafted text which also calls on Assad to work toward a democratic transition. – AFP

UN statement failsthe people, says

Syrian oppositionBriefly

KABUL – The US soldier accused of an Afghan vil-lage massacre that further strained already-frayed Af-ghan-US ties was charged with 17 premeditated mur-ders on March 23. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was also accused of six counts of assault and attempted mur-der in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province on March 11.

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 22 slammed as “hypocritical” a UN Human Rights Council resolution, which ordered a probe into Israeli settle-ments by a vote 36-1, with only the US voting against it. There were 10 absten-tions.It will be the first probe into how Israeli settle-ments may be infringing on the rights of the Palestin-ian people.

GENEVA – The UN Human Rights Council on March 22 passed a resolution urg-ing Sri Lanka to conduct a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during its battle against Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009. US Secretary of State Hil-lary Clinton said in a state-ment the resolution would encourage Colombo to “con-tinue on the path toward reconciliation”.

SYDNEY – A man has been rescued after a three-day ordeal trapped in a remote flooded fishing hut where he was stalked by four-me-tre crocodiles, the Cairns Post reported on March 23. Terry Donovan, 65, told the newspaper he took refuge on a billiard table – the highest place he could find – which he packed with supplies. – AFP

French MPs want answersover ‘monster’ serial killer

‘He was dead by the time he hit the ground.’

A TV grab released last week by television station France 2 of self-confessed serial killer, Mohammed Merah, who died during a police raid on his apartment in Toulouse on March 22. Pic: AFP/France 2

Reg. No. 12955/2011

in respect of “Int’l Class 33: Alcoholic beverages (except beers); wines; sparkling wines; wines from the French Appellation of Origin “Champagne”.

Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.Lfor MHCSP. O. Box 60, YangonE-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mmDated: 26th March, 2012

MHCS, a company incorporated in France, of 9, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Epernay, France, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

VeuVe CLICQuoT

world23the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

TOULOUSE, France – Self-confessed jihadi serial killer Mohamed Merah was a French petty criminal of Algerian origin who spent time in Pakistan and Afghanistan and claimed to be an al-Qaeda militant.

Born in the southwestern French city of Toulouse on October 10, 1988, Merah had been tracked for years by France’s DCRI domestic intelligence service, but nothing suggested that he was preparing a major crime.

Interior Minister Claude G u e a n t s a i d h e w a s part of a group of about 15 followers of Islamic fundamentalist Salafist ideology in Toulouse, where he lived in the northern Izards neighbourhood.

He had made two trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan, although Gueant said h e d i d n o t think Merah had v i s i ted any militant t r a i n i n g camps.

T h e m a n s u s p e c t e d o f c a l m l y shooting dead three children and a teacher at a Toulouse Jewish school on March 19 as well as three French paratroopers in two other attacks – on March 11 and two on March 15 – twice tried and failed to join the French army.

The defence ministry said that Merah first tried to join in northern city Lille in January 2008.

“He passed all the tests but the inquiry into his criminal record decided to reject his application,” Colonel Bruno Lafitte told AFP.

In 2010, he applied to join the Foreign Legion in Toulouse.

He spent the night at the recruitment centre but, Lafitte said: “The very next day he left of his own accord.”

W i t n e s s e s s a i d t h e shootings at the school were carried out by a

man wearing an extreme sports camera on a chest harness.

A man claiming to be the killer called a French television channel shortly before pol ice besieged Merah in his Toulouse flat to say he would soon put footage of the attacks online.

“Either I will go prison with my head held high or I will die with a smile,” the caller said.

He said he wanted to take revenge for the ban on wearing the full Islamic veil in public in France and for France’s participation in the war in Afghanistan.

Gueant said on March 20 that the man behind the killings was “someone who is very cold, very determined, very in control of himself, very cruel.”

Merah reportedly told negotiators at his flat that t h e J e w i s h school attack was to avenge Pales t in ian children killed by Israel.

A y o u n g m a n w h o approached t h e p o l i c e cordon outside

Merah’s flat to offer to talk him into surrender said the suspect worked in car body work.

The father of one of Merah’s neighbours said the suspect helped them carry furniture into their flat about 10 months ago.

“He’s a normal person, like anyone else in the street who would give you a hand to carry a sofa,” Eric Lambert said, adding that among his son’s neighbours, Merah “wasn’t the one who made the most noise”.

Merah reportedly carried out 18 minor crimes, some with violence.

He was also arrested in Afghanistan’s former T a l i b a n s t r o n g h o l d Kandahar in late 2010 for an unspecified crime, a source close to the inquiry told AFP.

Merah reportedly spent

time in lawless areas in Afghanistan but it is not known whether he had combat experience there. Investigators have said from the beginning that the killer was experienced in handling weapons.

The lawyer who had defended Merah since he first appeared in juvenile court said he was concerned his besieged client may

s h o w “ u n p r e d i c t a b l e behaviour”.

Christian Etelin told French television channel BFMTV that Merah was “polite and courteous”.

Etelin said he learned two years ago that Merah had radicalised and gone to Afghanistan.

“I told him that, given his travels, he must be under close police surveillance

and that he had better not do anything wrong.

“He did not give the impression that he could become radical and want to start committing acts of such absolute harshness.”

“ I ’ ve a lways known someone flexible in their behaviour, civilised, and not so rigid that you’d i m a g i n e a n y k i n d o f fanaticism”. – AFP

Above: French paratroopers carry the coffin of their comrade, Abel Chennouf, past his pregnant girlfriend, Caroline (right), during his funeral at Montauban, southern France, on March 21. Chennouf and another French paratrooper were gunned down in Montauban, near Toulouse, on March 15. Below: Israeli mourners at the funerals at Givat Shaun cemetery in Jerusalem on March 21 of the three French-Israeli children and a teacher shot dead at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, two days earlier. Pix: AFP

Petty criminal turns serial killer

‘Either I will go prison with my head held high

or I will die with a smile.’

R I O D E J A N E I R O – Federal prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro on March 21 accused US oil giant Chevron and 17 executives of “environmental crime” in connection with a major spill off southeastern Brazil last November.

The country’s national oil regulator estimates that 2400 barrels of crude were spilled in the accident, which led authorities to suspend all of Chevron’s drilling operations and to deny the company access to huge new offshore fields.

T h e p r o s e c u t o r s s a i d i n a s t a t e m e n t that i t was charg ing “Chevron, o i l dr i l l ing contractor Transocean and 17 executives with

environmental crime and damage in connection with the oil spill.”

G e o r g e B u c k , t h e president of Chevron’s Brazil unit, and three other company officials “sought to frustrate the work of the prosecution by presenting a misleading emergency plan,” and by “altering documents shown to the authorities,” it is alleged.

The prosecutors called for bail of US$550,000 for each person accused and $5.5 million for each company.

Chevron rejected the charges as “outrageous and without merit” and vowed to defend itself and its employees. – AFP

Brazil accuses Chevronof ‘environmental crime’

Clinton warns of water wars

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned on March 22 of the risk of terrorism, political instability and conflict over competition for scarce water supplies worldwide during the next few decades.

The risks highlighted by Clinton were outlined in the unclassified ver-sion of a report on global water security – which she had requested – that was released by the National Intelligence Council on March 22 to coincide with World Water Day.

Houston drowned, coroners reveal

LOS ANGELES – Gram-my-winning pop legend Whitney Houston died from accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after taking cocaine, coroners said on March 22.

Houston, who died at age 48 in a Beverly Hills hotel room last month, could have had a heart at-tack which caused her to slip under the water, said the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.

Houston was found dead on February 11, hours ahead of a glittering pre-Grammy party in the Beverly Hilton hotel where she died.

Red faces over wrong anthem

ALMATY, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s shooting team demanded an apol-ogy from Kuwait after a spoof national anthem from the satirical movie Borat was played at a medal ceremony instead of the official version.

Red-faced organisers in Kuwait apologised for the embarrassing oversight before restaging the medal ceremony with the correct version of the Kazakhstan anthem. – AFP

Briefs

in respect of “All Goods included in Class 6”.

Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

Win Mu Tin, M.A., H.G.P., D.B.Lfor Tenaris Connections BV (Netherlands)P. O. Box 60, YangonE-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mmDated: 26th March, 2012

Tenaris Connections BV (Netherlands), of Locatellikade 1, 1076 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

Reg. No. 4742/2001

in respect of:- “Vacuum bottles, keeping warm water boxes, glass bottles, ice boxes, canteens”

Any fraudulent imitation or unauthorized use of the said trademark whatsoever will be dealt with according to law.

TRade MaRk CauTIoN

U Kyi Win Associates for PeaCoCk Co., LtD.,P.O. Box No. 26, Yangon.Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

PeaCoCk Co., LtD., of 12-20, 5-Chome, Sagisu, Fukushima-Ku, Osaka, Japan is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of the following trademark: -

(Reg: No. IV/1653/1992)

worldthe MyanMar tiMes

26March 26 - April 1, 2012

Analysis by Michael Mathes

WASHINGTON – Despite Mitt Romney’s decisive win in Illinois on March 20, his rivals see no reason to drop out and the Republican presidential contest is unlikely to be settled before June, analysts say.

April is likely to present a golden opportunity for the former Massachusetts governor and clear but h a r d l y c o m m a n d i n g frontrunner to nail down the nominat ion , wi th contests in northeastern states where Romney is seen as having strong support.

But May – when more conservative states such as Texas, Nebraska and Kentucky go to the polls – could be a momentum builder for Romney’s main rival, Rick Santorum, who has cast himself as a more conservative alternative.

The former senator from Pennsylvania lags far behind in delegates, but has been a major thorn in Romney’s

side since winning a handful of states in January and February.

Despite the odds being against him, “there’s really no reason for Santorum to get out,” Henry Olsen, director of the American Enterprise I n s t i t u t e ’ s N a t i o n a l Research Initiative, told AFP after the think tank held a panel discussion on the campaign.

“April is a bad month for Santorum, but May is a great month.”

T h a t c o u l d l e a v e candidates chasing all-important delegates into June, when the largest state California would likely end up pushing Romney over the top to the nomination, the AEI experts said.

But it could be a stalemate until then, even if Romney outpaces his rivals as they seek the magic number of 1144 delegates to the Republican convention, where a nominee is officially crowned.

“There’s no way Romney can get to 1144 if Santorum stays in the race, until California votes” on June

5, Olsen said.Complicating matters is

former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a wild card who is trailing a distant third but refuses to drop out.

Santorum had sought an upset in Illinois, rallying conservatives to stay true to their principles rather than give their vote to a moderate just because he is the “choice of the establishment Republicans.”

It did not happen, and a resounding Romney win gives the frontrunner momentum ahead of Louisiana’s primary on March 24 and contests in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, DC on April 3.

The victory in Illinois meant that Romney has won 21 of the 33 contests, while Santorum has won 10 – largely with the help of evangelicals and the party’s most conservative members – and Gingrich has won two, including his home state of Georgia.

Before Illinois, Romney had won 516 delegates, while Santorum had 236 and Gingrich had 141, showed the website Real Clear

Politics. Texas congressman Ron Paul had about 66.

AEI res ident fe l low Michael Barone agreed

that Romney had a long slog ahead, in part because previously winner-take-all states have begun awarding

delegates proportionally, making it harder for anyone to quickly clinch the race.

“Because of the new Republican Party rules... it’s not really possible for Mitt Romney to win, even with the majority of delegates, until June,” Barone told AFP.

But when California does vote, it will be a “huge win for Romney,” Olsen said. Romney is expected to win delegate-rich New Jersey, which also votes on June 5, and Utah, where many share his Mormon faith, on June 26.

N o r m a n O r n s t e i n , a longtime observer of presidential elections and author of several books on Congress, agreed that it was Romney’s race to lose.

“The way things are going, Mitt Romney just needs to be patient and he’s going to be the nominee,” Ornstein said.

“There’s virtually no chance that Santorum and Gingrich combined can do more than keep him from getting close to the magic 1144.” – AFP

Romney again, but rivals undaunted

Landon Peterson is distracted by a photographer as his mother, Meghan, votes in the Republican primary at Metamora, Illinois, on March 20. Pic: AFP

WASHINGTON – White House hopeful Rick Santorum’s wife hit back on March 19 at claims that her husband is “anti-women,” and denied that if elected he would make it harder for women to gain access to contraception.

In a rare television interview on the eve of a Republican primary contest in Illinois, Karen Santorum defended her husband, who has come under fire from women’s groups for his opposition

to birth control measures and abortion.

She to ld CNN ta lk show host Piers Morgan that her husband’s strong opposition to contraception represent “his personal beliefs,” and would not form government policy were he to become the Republican candidate and defeat Democrat Barack Obama in November’s general election.

“The unfortunate thing is when

Rick was asked the question, he said these are my personal beliefs. And the press kept asking him the issue about it again and again,” Mrs Santorum said.

“What it is, it’s not an issue about contraception. It’s an issue about personal freedoms. And the fact that the government should not be making people go against their conscience.”

S a n t o r u m , a f o r m e r Pennsylvania senator, is a

conservative Catholic who has trumpeted his strong Christian beliefs on the campaign trail.

His opposition to abortion and contraception allowed him to gain traction as the most socially conservative of the four candidates seeking the Republican nomination, but it may have affected his standing with women voters.

Asked if her husband was “anti-women” and opposed to

women having contraception, Mrs Santorum replied: “Not at all.”

“ H e ’ s b e e n 1 0 0 p e r c e n t supportive of me and my dreams and my career. It was my decision to stay home and be a mum at home,” she said.

Asked again if that meant Santorum, if elected, would respect a women’s right to use contraception, his wife replied: “Absolutely. And he has said that.” – AFP

Santorum’s wife hits back at accusations that he’s ‘anti-women’

W A S H I N G T O N – U S President Barack Obama raised more than US$45 million for his re-election campaign in February, p i c k i n g u p t h e p a c e of fundraising ahead of a n e x p e c t e d a s s a u l t by big donors backing Republicans.

Obama’s combined take for his campaign and the Democratic Party was higher than the $29 million he raised in January, but short of the $55 million he pulled in during February 2008, during a fierce battle for his party’s nomination with Hillary Clinton.

But the February 2012 total announced by his campaign on March 19 beat the $11.5 million dollars raised by leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the same month.

Republicans immediately said that Obama’s lag between 2008 and 2012 fundraising was a sign that Americans were uncertain about giving him a second four-year term.

“The president who ran on change and hope has left our country wanting

and whether it’s showing in fundraising or in the polls, Americans are enthusiastic about replacing him in November,” said Republican spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski

But Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt hit back, saying the president was building a long-term campaign structure, not simply splashing cash o n t a k i n g t e l e v i s i o n advertisements slamming opponents from their own party.

“The $ the (Republican) candidates are raising will be spent on the air carpetbombing each other. We are raising $ for our gen elect infrastructure,” LaBolt said on Twitter.

T h e C h i c a g o - b a s e d Obama campaign said that more than 348,000 people had donated to the re-election effort in February, just under a third of whom gave money to support the president’s organisation for the first time.

Obama has so far raised more than $180 million for the 2012 election, show campaign finance disclosures. – AFP

Obama adds $45mto campaign chest

world27the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

BRUSSELS – The European Union last week issued a corrected version of a speech by its foreign policy chief which had angered Israel because it appeared to link a French school shooting and Gaza.

The new t ranscr ip t of Catherine Ashton’s remarks, issued on March 20, mentions the situation of children in both Gaza and the southern Israeli

town of Sderot after the first version only mentioned the Palestinian territory.

A video of her speech on March 19 showed she indeed mentioned Sderot, a town often hit by Palestinian rocket attacks.

After a day filled with criticism from Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ashton denied that she ever compared the shooting at a

Jewish school in Toulouse and the situation in the Middle East.

“I am really saddened by the distortion of my remarks,” she told the EU parliament’s foreign affairs committee. “I drew no parallel whatsoever between this tragedy and events elsewhere in the Middle East.

“I condemn unreservedly the terrible murders at the Ozar Hatorah school

in Toulouse yesterday and extend my sympathies to the families and friends of the victims, to the people of France and the Jewish community.”

In her speech at a youth event, Ashton paid tribute to children killed in “terrible circumstances” and listed a number of tragedies including unrest in Syria, last year’s Norway massacre and the Toulouse shooting.

“When we see what is happening in Gaza and Sderot, in different parts of the world – we remember young people and children who lose their lives.”

The phrase “and Sderot” had been missing from the first transcript of the speech given at the event in Brussels organised by the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNWRA).

The new text was released after a day of damage control, with her spokesman Michael Mann insisting her remarks were “grossly distorted,” although he had not indicated at the time that she had talked about Sderot too.

Mann added that Ashton was making a “general remark” about violence against children around the world. – AFP

BAGHDAD – Key roads in Baghdad were locked down on March 21 as al-Qaeda’s front group in Iraq claimed responsibility for a wave of deadly blasts targeting security for a landmark Arab summit this week.

The tightened measures came a day after nationwide gun and bomb attacks killed 50 people and wounded 255 on the ninth anniversary of the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The country was struck with more unrest on March 21, with five people killed, including three young children.

In a statement posted on jihadist forum Honein, the Islamic State of Iraq declared it was behind the attacks against several “official posts, and security and military posts” in the country.

“The lions (jihadists) of al-Sunna... of the Islamic State of Iraq simultaneously attacked the authorities’ security plans... for the

meeting of Arab tyrants in Baghdad,” said the statement dated March 20.

These attacks “destroyed the plans of the head of Iraqi security chiefs in the space of a few hours,” it added.

The March 20 violence rocked 20 towns and cities, including the northern oil hub of Kirkuk and the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, south of Baghdad. The attacks began just after dawn and

continued throughout the day.

“We lost everything,” said Mohammed Sobheh, a policeman wounded in the Kirkuk attack. “Not one of my colleagues is alive – they were all killed.”

“I will never forget their screams, as long as I live.”

The attacks occurred despite unprecedented levels of security in Baghdad as part of preparations for the March 27-29 summit of the

Arab League, the first by the 22-member bloc to be held in the Iraqi capital in more than 20 years.

The tighter security on March 21 worsened already choking traffic in Baghdad.

AFP journalists reported full or partial closures of key routes, while roads that remained open saw increased numbers of checkpoints and security forces, and most of the bridges that traverse the

Tigris River were also shut.Despite the increased

security, gunmen broke into a house in south Baghdad and slaughtered a 25-year-old mother and her three young children, security and medical officials said. Another woman was gunned down in central Iraq, said police.

The March 20 attacks drew swift condemnation from around the world, with United Nations envoy

Martin Kobler describing them as “atrocious”.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the United States “strongly condemns” the violence, while Britain’s Middle East minister Alistair Burt described it as “cowardly.”

Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi condemned the “brutal criminal” attacks, and said they were part of efforts by al-Qaeda to “derail

the Arab summit.After the attacks,

the government declared a week of public holidays from

March 25 to April 1.Coupled with Kurdish

New Year festival Nowruz on March 21 and the weekly Muslim day of prayer on Fridays, much of Iraq will be largely closed until after the summit.

The March 20 violence was Iraq’s deadliest day since January 14, when 53 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside the southern port of Basra.

– AFP

JERUSALEM – Israeli settlers have taken over dozens of natural springs in the West Bank, limiting or preventing Palestinian access to much-needed water sources, a United Nations report said on March 19.

The report produced by the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said at least 30 springs across the West Bank had been completely taken over by settlers, with Palestinians unable to access them at all.

In most instances, the report said, “Palestinians have been deterred from accessing the springs by acts of intimidation, threats and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers.”

Israel slammed the report as “distorted, biased and full of inaccuracies,” and said it protected full access to springs throughout the West Bank.

The report said an OCHA

survey carried out in 2011 identified a total of 56 springs that were under total or partial control of Israeli settlers.

“The loss of access to springs and adjacent land reduced the income of affected farmers, who either stop cultivating the land or face a reduction in the productivity of their crops,” OCHA said.

The report said in most cases where settlers were trying to limit Palestinian access to springs, they have undertaken to turn the area into a tourist attraction, building pools, picnic areas and signs carrying a Hebrew name for the spring.

“Such works were carried out w i thout bu i ld ing permits,” the report said.

OCHA said the takeover of springs was an extension of settlement activity in the West Bank, which it noted was illegal under international law. – AFP

Israeli anger prompts EU to correct Ashton speech

Blasts rock Iraq ahead of Arab summitSettlers seizing control of springs: UN report

‘I will never forget their screams, as long as I live.’

Egyptian Coptic priests gather around the body of Pope Shenuda III, the spiritual leader of the Middle East’s largest Christian minority, in St Mark’s Coptic Cathedral in Cairo on March 19. Pope Shenuda, 88, died on March 17 after a long battle with illness. He was buried on March 20 at St Bishov monastery at Wadi Natrun in the Nile delta, where he lived in exile after a dispute with late president Anwar Sadat. Pic: AFP

TEHRAN – Iran’s supreme leader , Ayato l lah Al i Khamenei, warned last week that his country would hit back at any attack by the United States or Israel, firming tensions in the showdown over Tehran’s nuclear program.

“We have said that we do not have atomic weapons and we will not build any. But if there is any attack by the enemies, whether it be United States or the Zionist regime, we will attack them at the same level as they attack us,” he said in a live televised speech on March 20 to mark the start of the Iranian new year.

The comments reinforced Iran’s position as it faces off against the West over its nuclear activities and as it confronts Israeli and US threats of possible military action.

Khamenei , who was speaking in the northeastern

city of Mashhad, said Iran had a divine right to retaliate if struck.

“The Koran states that if an enemy attacks you first, the enemy will certainly be defeated,” he said.

“This is God’s law. We are not thinking of attacks and aggression, but we are attached to the existence

and identity of the Islamic republic.”

He accused the United States and its European allies of changing their pretexts for interfering with Iran, and claimed the true goal was to control Iran’s vast oil and gas reserves.

“Once, it is the atomic issue ... (another time) it is the human rights issue. The

real issue is that the Iran is guarding its oil and gas resources,” the leader said.

“When the day comes that they (the West) cannot obtain any more oil and gas, that will be the day they will have to makes concessions, and it will be catastrophic for them,” he said.

In the meantime, Iran was an “attractive” t a r g e t f o r t h o s e nations, and they wanted to treat it like “putty in their hands,” he said.

“We will not allow them to do so, and they will remain our

enemies,” he said.“Those who think if we

yield on the nuclear issue then US hostility towards us will decrease, they are wrong. Their case (the US case) against us is not the nuclear program nor is it human rights. It is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is standing against them,” he said. – AFP

Iran will strike backagainst any attack,

says supreme leader

‘The real issue is that the Iran is guarding its oil

and gas resources.’

worldthe MyanMar tiMes

28March 26 - April 1, 2012

BERLIN – Activist pastor Joachim Gauck became German president by an overwhelming majority early last week, marking the first time a candidate from the former communist east will serve as head of state.

Gauck polled 991 votes out of 1232 from a special assembly of MPs and other dignitaries, parliamentary speaker Norbert Lammert said.

Prominent Nazi hunter B e a t e K l a r s f e l d , 7 3 , nominated as a protest candidate by a far-left party, attracted 126 votes while a candidate for the extreme right drew three.

“ W h a t a b e a u t i f u l Sunday,” Gauck, 72, said to enthusiastic applause from the chamber of the glass-domed Reichstag parliament building in central Berlin after the vote on March 18.

C h a n c e l l o r A n g e l a Merkel, who also grew up under communism, hailed Gauck’s victory as a sign o f how Germany had transformed in the nearly 23 years since the Berlin Wall fell.

“The east Germans have arrived but there is still much to do in terms of German unity,” she said.

G a u c k h e l p e d drive the peaceful r e v o l u t i o n t h a t b r o u g h t d o w n communis t Eas t Germany and later fought to ensure that the public would be granted access to the vast stash of files left behind by the despised Stasi secret police after reunification in 1990 . He oversaw the archive for the next decade.

“I accept this responsibility with the endless gratitude of a person, who after the long trail of mistakes through the political deserts of the 20th century, finally and unexpectedly found a home again, and who, in the last

20 years, got to experience the happiness of helping to shape a democratic society,” he said.

He noted that his victory fell on the 22nd anniversary of the first free elections in East Germany.

“I will never forget those elections – never,” he

said. “I knew then that I would never miss another election.”

I t w a s t h e t h i r d presidential election in three years for Germany after the abrupt resignations of Gauck’s two predecessors.

The media and the public cheered Gauck’s candidacy as an opportunity to remove some of the tarnish from the largely ceremonial office which serves as a kind of moral compass for

the nation.Merkel gave her backing to

the plain-spoken Lutheran pastor in February after then president Christian Wulff stepped down amid a f lurry of corruption allegations dating from his time as a state premier.

Wulff served only 20

months of his five-year term in office.

He had replaced Horst Koehler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund who bowed out after an uproar over comments he made appearing to justify using the military to serve Germany’s economic interests.

Expectations are outsized for the new president, who has won a reputation across the country as an inspiring

public speaker.As a staunch Protestant

like Merkel, he is keen to remind Germans that their hard-won freedoms carry weighty responsibilities with them – a lifelong theme he has said he will take to the presidential palace.

Gauck himsel f warned scandal-weary Germans against seeing him a s a r e d e e m e r , telling reporters the night he was nominated that they should not expect “Superman.”

He stressed again on March 18 that he would “surely not be able to fill all expectations.”

Commentators have noted he could help improve Germany’s image abroad at a time that it has taken a hit over its hardline stance in the eurozone debt crisis.

Gauck told rolling news channel NTV after his election that he hoped his first foreign trip as president would be to Poland. – AFP

MOSCOW – A Russian court on March 21 upheld a decision to permit the publication of a sacred Hindu text whose attempted ban sparked protests in India and threatened to strain Moscow’s close ties with New Delhi.

A regional court in the Siberian region of Tomsk said in a statement it had decided “to leave unchanged” a December lower court ruling stating that the “Bhagavad Gita” did not contain extremist material.

Prosecutors had been trying to ban the text’s translation for months because it contained a p r o l o g u e b y S w a m i Prabhupada – founder o f t h e H a r e K r i s h n a movement that has had repeated run-ins with the authorities in post-Soviet Russia.

“This is a completely

just, reasonable and – most importantly – legitimate decision,” the movement’s c o u r t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e Alexander Shakhov was quoted as saying by the Vesti news channel.

But prosecutors left the door open to an appeal once the ruling is studied in detail.

Prosecutors had asked for the ban in June after running a check on Hare Krishna’s activities in the Siberian region. The case threatened to create an unexpected roadblock in the traditionally close relations between Moscow and New Delhi.

Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna described the prosecutors’ attempted ban as the work of “ignorant and misdirected or motivated individuals” that attacked a text defining the “very soul of our great civilisation”.

– AFP

VATICAN CITY – Irish bishops have made progress in protecting children following decades of clerical sex-abuse scandals but the Roman Catholic community has been left with “open wounds”, the Vatican said on March 20.

While bishops are fulfilling a pledge to quickly report new cases, the scandal has led to a loss of trust in the clergy, the Vatican said in a report into the Irish Church’s implementation of guidelines for dealing with abuse.

“The archbishops... gave assurances that all newly discovered cases of abuse are promptly brought before the competent civil authority and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” the report said.

However, reports into hundreds of child sex abuse cases stretching back decades had “opened many wounds” in the Catholic community and led to “a loss of trust” in pastors who failured to prevent abuse or report it to the police.

Public anger at the cover-up sparked a diplomatic row, with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny accusing the Vatican of “dysfunction,

disconnection and elitism”, and culminated in Dublin withdrawing its ambassador to the Vatican.

The Irish government last year accused the Church of attempting to block inquiries by authorities.

Vatican investigators sent to Ireland at the start of 2011 to examine the Church’s response to the crisis stressed their “sense of dismay and betrayal” over “the sinful and

criminal acts that were at the root of this crisis.”

Their report asked for the victims’ forgiveness, saying their well being “is of paramount concern for the Church,” but praised the Irish clergy for its “excellent” results in following the guidelines in combatting sex abuse.

The One in Four group, which represents victims of sexual abuse by priests in Ireland, also accused the Vatican of failing to accept

responsibility for the cover-ups and putting the Church’s reputation before the truth.

T h e V a t i c a n s h o u l d h a v e acknowledged that “its interventions in the abuse scandal al lowed individual Catholic Church leaders in Ireland to ignore guidelines and to protect the good name of the Church at the expense of the safety of children,” it said.

Ireland’s bishops said they wished to associate themselves with the “great sense of pain and shame” expressed by investigators in their findings regarding the abuse of young people and the failure of authorities to react.

“In expressing true sorrow and regret, we make our own the heartfelt plea for forgiveness from the victims, and from God, for these terrible crimes and sins,” Cardinal Sean Brady said in a statement.

The report draws together the findings from seven teams of Vatican-appointed church leaders who visited four Archdioceses throughout Ireland, after Pope Benedict XVI promised Catholics in Ireland an investigation into the scandal. – AFP

Rights activist elected German president

German Chancellor Angela Merkel presents a congratulatory bouquet to Joachim Gauck after he was elected president by the Bundesversammlung federal assembly in Berlin on March 18. Pic: AFP

‘I accept this responsibility with the endless gratitude of a person, who…in the last 20 years,

got to experience the happiness of helping to shape a democratic society.’

Vatican admits ‘loss of trust’

Public anger in Ireland sparked a diplomatic row.

Russia halts move toprohibit Hindu text

The above four trademarks are in respect of:-“precious metal; keyrings; jewel cases of precious metal; personal ornaments; cuff links; purse and wallets of precious metal; semi-wrought precious stones and their imitations; unwrought precious stones; powder compacts of precious metal; shoe ornaments of precious metal; clocks and watches” – Class: 14“clothing for domestic pets; bags and the like; pouches and the like; vanity cases; umbrellas and their parts; leather straps; rawhides; raw skins; tanned leather; fur” – Class: 18“clothing; coats; sweaters; shirts; nightwear; underwear; swimwear; swimming caps; aprons; collar protectors; socks and stockings; puttees and gaiters; fur stoles; shawls; scarves; Japanese style socks; glove and mittens; neckties; neckerchieves; bandanas; mufflers; ear muffs; headgear for clothing; garters; sock suspenders; suspenders; waistbands; belts for clothing; shoes and boots; shoe dowels; shoe pegs; tongue or pullstrap for shoes and boots; hobnails; protective metal members for shoes and boots; Japanese style wooden clogs; Japanese style sandals; clothes for sports; footwear for sports; horse-riding boots” - Class: 25

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TRade MaRk CauTIoN

U Kyi Win Associatesfor dIaNa kaBuSHIkI kaISHaP.O. Box No. 26, Yangon.Phone: 372416 Dated: 26th March, 2012

NOTICE is hereby given that dIaNa kaBuSHIkI kaISHa a company incorporated in Japan and having its principal office at 9-6, Ginza 6-Chome, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan is the Owner and sole proprietor of the following trademarks:-

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(Reg: Nos. IV/1428/2006 & IV/1537/2012)

Featurethe MyanMar tiMes

30March 26 - April 1, 2012

India’s confusing foreign policyLIKE a troublesome ghost that won’t be exorcised, Jawaharlal Nehru’s nonalignment policy continues to hover over India’s foreign relations. Later this month, New Delhi will host its first BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China) summit, a gathering of authoritarian and democratic nations united only by regional heft and implicit opposition to the US-led international order. Earlier this month, a 70-member trade delegation headed to Tehran to explore fresh opportunities for Indian companies in the Islamic republic, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai having previously declared that the recent, tougher round of EU and US sanctions on Iran were inapplicable to India. Instead of using a two-year term (2011 to 2013) on the UN Security Council to underscore its democratic credentials, India has mostly sided with the Russians and the Chinese in their battles on behalf of Bashar al-Assad and the late Moamar Khadafi.

Does this really sound like the foreign policy of America’s new strategic partner, courted by three successive US presidents? Might this relationship – hailed by Barack Obama as “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century” – be long on potential and short on actually fulfilling it?

India’s behaviour, deeply disappointing to those in the United States who have championed closer ties between the world’s largest and most important democracies, reflects a battle in New Delhi for the soul of Indian foreign policy.

On one side you have those for whom a go-it-alone attitude is an end in itself. “Strategic autonomy has been the defining value and continuous goal of India’s international policy ever since its inception as a Republic,” declares Nonalignment 2.0, a new report by eight of the country’s leading public intellectuals and foreign policy specialists. Nonalignment 1.0, of course, was India’s Cold War policy of maintaining equidistance between Moscow and Washington, though in practice it leaned toward the Soviet Union.

Arrayed against this view are those who say nonalignment has outlived its purpose, and seek to strengthen mutually beneficial ties with the West.

Former National Secur i ty Adv i sor B r a j e s h M i s h r a declared it “impossible” for India to remain nonaligned between the United States and China. K. Shankar Bajpai, a former Indian ambassador to the United States and China, said: “Reviving that concept is all too likely to drive our people back to something that is not only long outdated but – and this is its dangerous legacy – which we still fail to recognise as having done us more harm than good.”

Who wins this debate has profound consequences for India, Asia, and the world. If India slips back into measuring its independence by its ability to thwart Washington, it risks fatally undermining the argument it made while lobbying for the 2008 civilian nuclear deal – that the rise of a large, pluralistic, English-speaking democracy in Asia is in the West’s interest. Why squander valuable diplomatic capital on an unreliable partner, sceptics in Washington already argue.

If, however, India learns to view foreign policy like most other

countries – in terms of national interest rather than attachment to abstract doctrine – it will likely come to the conclusion that Washington is a natural partner, with which it shares not only close familial and educational links but also a distrust of China’s rapid military build-up and Pakistan’s continued dalliance with jihadism. This doesn’t mean becoming an American poodle, as New Delhi elites seem to constantly fret about, but recognising an obvious confluence of interests and values. India’s most pressing goal, to modernise its promising but still backward economy, is best achieved in a stable and open international order underpinned by US power. It’s in India’s self-interest to bolster rather than erode this order, while at the same time working to carve out a larger role for itself.

For now, though, Nehru’s ghost continues to cast a shadow over India’s foreign policy instincts.

Supporters of Nonalignment 2.0 tend to view the United States with as much suspicion as China,

despite Beijing’s role in boosting Pakistan’s missile and nuclear weapons program, its continued claims on Indian territory and its military humiliation of India in a brief mountain war in 1962. They see the steady decline of US power and India’s rapid rise to major power status as inevitable and conclude that the United States needs India more than India needs the United States. For India’s unreconstructed Cold War Warriors, America’s closest friends in the region – Japan, South Korea, and Australia – should be pitied as US lackeys rather than emulated as successful free-market democracies that have brought both security and prosperity to their people.

Nowhere are old habits of mind more evident than in India’s Middle East policy.

Last March, with Kadhafi’s forces besieging rebel strongholds, India joined China, Russia, Brazil, and Germany in abstaining from

the Security Council resolution that authorised a no-fly zone to protect civilians. Indian foreign policy pundits spoke of Kadhafi’s firm grip on power, his special affection for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the economic benefits that would flow to India when its steadfast friendship was rewarded. India broke with fellow BRICS on Syria, backing a resolution calling for Assad to step down, but it shares Beijing and Moscow’s reluctance to force the Syrian strongman to step down as a precursor to ending violence in his country.

India broke with fellow BRICS on Syria, backing a resolution calling for Assad to step down, but it shares Beijing and Moscow’s reluctance to force the Syrian strongman to step down as a precursor to ending violence in his

country. As a post-colonial nation, India almost always privileges state sovereignty over human rights. For many Indians, the divide between the West and the East is more palpable than the one between democracies and dictatorships.

One could argue that US leadership in the region has been disappointing: Libya is a mess and Islamist forces are stronger than ever in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen. Nonetheless, India’s opposition to the United States has been gratuitous. Wedded to the status quo, India missed an opportunity to be on the right side of history. Moreover, with no vital interests at stake in either Libya or Syria – unlike in the Gulf with its large population of Indian migrant workers – New Delhi should have gone along with the Western democratic consensus, saving its battles with Washington for when it has real skin in the game.

Iran poses a more serious

conundrum. It supplies 11 percent of India’s oil imports, its second largest supplier after Saudi Arabia. Iran also looms large in India’s conception of its own neighborhood. India relies on Iran for land access to Afghanistan and Central Asia denied to it by Pakistan. New Delhi helped upgrade Chabahar, a minor port in Iranian Baluchistan and has begun to link it with Afghanistan through a web of roads and railways. And, as the United States withdraws troops from Afghanistan, India, and Iran share fears of a Taliban comeback.

Lawmakers in Washington, however, don’t see Iran as merely another issue where friends can agree to disagree. An Indian policy that privileges ties with Iran ahead of the US-India relationship damages India’s long-term global aspirations in the pursuit of short-term regional ones. American lawmakers may have grudgingly seen India’s point when it preferred new European fighter jets over older American ones last year or overlooked the unfairness of India’s

Parliament passing a nuclear liability bill two years ago that effectively shut out American companies, even though the US had done the heavy lifting to make international nuclear commerce with India possible.

But Iran’s apparent pursuit of nuclear weapons is America’s most pressing security concern. India could cut back dependence on Iranian oil and demand a greater say in Afghanistan’s future in exchange for supporting the United States. Instead, it has so far preferred public posturing over quiet pragmatism. In January, Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna declared India’s support for Iran’s nuclear power ambitions, albeit not for its alleged nuclear weapons program. The Indian trade delegation hands the mullahs in Tehran a propaganda coup to counter the narrative of their growing economic isolation. Meanwhile, much of the debate in India consists of simply repeating

all the reasons Iran remains vital to India’s regional calculations. (Though, to be fair, the emergence of Israel as a key security and intelligence partner for India means it has its share of backers as well.)

Opposing US policy strengthens the hand of those in America who argue that India is an unreliable friend. It undercuts those making the case that shared democratic values and common concerns about the rise of an authoritarian China and the dangers of jihadist terrorism bind the two countries together. Japan and Italy, both large consumers of Iranian oil, have grasped the seriousness of the Iran issue. They have cut back on imports and refrained from making provocative statements. Only India appears to believe that it can undermine a core US security concern and still be seen as a benign power worthy of backing at the head table of global affairs.

Despite all this, it’s too early for believers in the US-India relationship to despair. Outside the strongholds of New Delhi’s leftist intelligentsia and the ruling Congress Party, India has changed dramatically since the advent of economic reforms in 1991. Today’s young urban Indians are more likely to recall visits to their city by George W. Bush or Barack Obama than Yasser Arafat or Fidel Castro.

Once a heresy, arguments for closer ties between New Delhi and Washington are now commonplace in public discourse. As C. Raja Mohan, India’s most prominent strategic thinker, puts it: “As it rises, India has the potential to become a leading member of the ‘political West’ and to play a key role in the great political struggles of the next decades.”

Moreover, a new generation of ambitious businessmen knows that America underpins the stable and open international order that India needs to fulfill its economic promise. India’s generals understand that New Delhi should not go out of its way to stick a finger in China’s eye. But they’re also aware that India can hardly afford to be sanguine about the rise of a powerful one-

party neighbouring state with claims on its territory.

All but the most a r d e n t A m e r i c a -bashers have figured out that other countries respect economic achievement more than fictitious bonds of Third World solidarity.

For Indian strategic thinkers who view geopolitics through the prism of economics, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore evoke admiration as sophisticated societies that immeasurably bettered the lives of their citizens in part by maintaining close ties with the world’s foremost power. And though America may indeed appear to be in relative decline, anyone with a sense of history knows that many have bet against it bouncing back in the past – and lost.

Nonetheless, this evolution in Indian thought needs to be speeded up. The sooner India realises that nonalignment has about as much relevance to the 21st century as Nehruvian economics, and the sooner it begins to root its foreign policy in reality rather than abstraction, the more likely it is to start doing right by its people and its partners. – Foreign Policy

(Sadanand Dhume is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute).

Members of South Korea’s Little Angels Folk Ballet perform in New Delhi on November 22 last year. “For India’s unreconstructed Cold War Warriors, America’s closest friends in the region – Japan, South Korea, and Australia – should be pitied as US lackeys rather than emulated as successful free-market democracies that have brought both security and prosperity to their people,” writes Sadanand Dhume.

For Indian strategic thinkers who view geopolitics through the prism of economics, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore evoke admiration as sophisticated societies that immeasurably bettered the lives of their

citizens in part by maintaining close ties with the world’s foremost power.

Comment by Sadanand Dhume

Pic: AFP

asia31the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

STOCKHOLM – Asia leads the world when it comes to weapon imports, said a study released on March 19 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

G l o b a l l y t h e v o l u m e o f international transfers of major conventional weapons was 24 percent higher from 2007-11 compared to 2002-06, the report said.

During the past five years, Asia and Oceania accounted for 44 percent in volume of conventional arms imports, the institute said.

That compared with 19pc for Europe, 17pc for the Middle East, 11pc for the Americas and nine percent for Africa, said the report.

India was the biggest arms importer in 2007-11, accounting for 10pc in weapons volume.

It was followed by South Korea (six percent), China and Pakistan (both five percent), and Singapore (four percent), said the independent institute which specialises in arms control and disarmament matters.

These five countries accounted for almost a third, 30pc, of the

volume of international arms imports, said SIPRI.

“India’s imports of major weapons increased by 38 percent between 2002-06 and 2007-11,” SIPRI said.

“Notable deliveries of combat aircraft during 2007-11 included 120 Su-30MKs and 16 MiG-29Ks from Russia and 20 Jaguar Ss from the United Kingdom,” it said.

While India was the world’s largest importer, its neighbour and sometime foe Pakistan was the third largest.

Pakistan took delivery of “a

significant quantity of combat aircraft during this period: 50 JF-17s from China and 30 F-16s,” the report added.

Both countries “have taken and will continue to take delivery of large quantities of tanks,” it also noted.

“Major Asian importing states are seeking to develop their own arms industries and decrease their reliance on external sources of supply,” said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program.

China, which in 2006 and 2007

was the world’s top arms importer, has dropped to fourth place.

“The decline in the volume of Chinese imports coincides with the improvements in China’s arms industry and rising arms exports,” said the report.

But “while the volume of China’s arms exports is increasing, this is largely a result of Pakistan importing more arms from China,” it added.

China is the sixth largest world exporter of weapons, after the United States, Russia, Germany, France and Britain, it said. – AFP

NEW DELHI – India’s oppos i t ion po l i t i c ians accused the government on March 20 of seeking to conceal widespread poverty after it declared that any Indian who spent 44 cents a day was not poor.

Figures released by the Planning Commission the previous day showed a substantial drop in the country’s poverty figures under the Congress-led g o v e r n m e n t , b u t t h e oppos i t i on Bhara t i ya Janata Party (BJP) said it was fudging the numbers.

“I don’t know which line they are drawing – whether it is the starvation line or the poverty line,” S.S. Ahluwalia, who is deputy leader of the BJP in the upper house of parliament, told reporters.

T h e c o m m i s s i o n ’ s est imates d i f fer f rom state to state depending

on the cost of living, but average out at a 22-rupee (US44 cent) daily spending threshold for villagers and 28-rupees in cities.

The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters on March 20 that the poverty line was meant to reflect conditions of “absolute poverty” in the country.

“This poverty line is not the line that we think a person can comfortably survive. . . the poverty line has been identified as a rock-bottom, bare subsistence kind of line,” he said.

The figures from the Planning Commission, an influential government body that f ormulates national five-year economic plans, suggested overall poverty levels fell from 37.2 percent in 2004-05 to

29.8pc in 2009-10.The statistics mean about

360 million Indians live in poverty, according to the Planning Commission.

The data is used to d e t e r m i n e a c c e s s t o welfare benefits for India’s 1.2 billion people. Anyone living below the poverty line is entitled to subsidised food and cooking fuel distributed through state-owned stores.

T h e P l a n n i n g Commission’s Ahluwalia said that poverty levels in the country had fallen faster between 2004 and 2009 -- marking the first term in office of the Congress coalition government -- than in the previous decade.

“You can put whatever poverty line you want, the fact is... the decline in poverty is twice the decline in the previous 11 years,” he said. – AFP

I S L A M A B A D – A P a k i s t a n i parliamentary committee last week demanded an American apology and taxes on NATO convoys in recommendations put to parliament in a key step towards repairing a major crisis in relations with the US.

Par l iament wi l l debate the recommendations this week in a probable precursor to reopening NATO supply lines into Afghanistan suspended for nearly four months and to putting the Pakistani-US alliance on a more pragmatic footing.

Islamabad closed its Afghan border to NATO after US air strikes killed 24 soldiers in November, plunging relations with Washington to an all-time low after Pakistan was humiliated by a US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May.

Pakistan was incensed by the American refusal to apologise for the November 26 killings and besides shutting its border, ordered US personnel to leave a base reportedly used in America’s drone war against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

“Pakistan wants to pursue good relations with every country. Pakistan also wants to pursue its own national interest,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told reporters after the parliamentary committee issued the demand for the apology on March 20.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United

States would not comment in-depth on the recommendations until they are debated in parliament.

The military is considered the chief arbiter of foreign policy but many see the parliamentary debate as setting a vital precedent by consulting elected political leaders, if only to protect the military from later recriminations.

“This is the first time that the parliament of Pakistan has been given responsibility to frame foreign policy,” said Senator Raza Rabbani, head of the parliamentary committee on national security that drew up the

recommendations.The document calls the November

strikes a “blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty” and said Islamabad should seek “an unconditional apology from the US for the unprovoked incident”.

It said “taxes and other charges must be levied on all goods importing in or transiting through Pakistan” – which experts have estimated could amount to US$1 million a day –and, in a sub clause, an end to American drone strikes.

Drone strikes are resented in Pakistan as violations of sovereignty,

despite the fact that they have at times worked in Islamabad’s favour, such as killing Pakistani Taliban founder Baitullah Mehsud in August 2009.

Parliament will start to debate the recommendations on March 26, after the leader of the opposition, Chaudhry Nisar, demanded time to assess the document.

“This parliament has passed two resolutions against the drone strikes but no one listened to it. What is the guarantee that there will be no back-tracking on this resolution?” Nisar said.

The recommendations backed peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan saying there was “no military solution” to the Afghan conflict.

The United States has called on Pakistan to play a constructive role

in nascent peace efforts in Afghanistan, where its support is considered vital given its history of relations with Taliban insurgents.

It said Pakistan was committed to fighting terror and indicated that foreign boots on Pakistani soil were a red line – despite the bin Laden raid and incidents in which US forces have crossed the border from Afghanistan.

The United States sent condolences over the November air strikes, but stopped short of an apology. NATO expressed regret over what it called a “tragic unintended incident”. – AFP

SINGAPORE – World H e a l t h O r g a n i s a t i o n chief Margaret Chan last week branded the tobacco industry a “ruthless and devious enemy” and called on governments and civil society groups to unite against cigarette firms.

Speaking at a conference on tobacco and health in Singapore on March 20, the WHO director-general slammed cigarette companies for undermining a UN-backed campaign against tobacco use and its associated health risks.

“We have an enemy, a ruthless and devious enemy, to unite us and ignite a passionate commitment t o p reva i l , ” she t o ld delegates.

“The enemy, the tobacco industry, has changed its face and its tactics. The wolf is no longer in sheep’s clothing and its teeth are bared.”

Chan said moves by cigarette firms to challenge the legality of government m e a s u r e s t o p r o t e c t public health amounted to interference in countries’ domestic affairs.

“Paying people to use a

country’s judicial system to challenge the legality of measures that protect the public is a flagrant abuse of the judicial system and a flagrant affront to national sovereignty,” she said.

“This is direct interference with a country’s internal affairs. We will not let them do these kinds of tactics.”

Chan, a former Hong Kong health chief who was elected to the WHO’s top post in November 2006, said legal action by tobacco companies against the authorities in Uruguay, Norway, Australia and Turkey was designed to weaken their resolve to control tobacco use.

“What the industry wants to see is a domino effect,” she said.

“When one country’s reso lve fa l ters under the pressure of costly, drawn-out litigation and threats of billion-dollar settlements, others with similar intentions are likely to topple as well.”

The WHO says tobacco use kills nearly six million people a year, including more than 600,000 who are non-smokers but exposed to second-hand smoke. – AFP

Asia leads world in weapons imports, reveals study

Indian opposition ridiculesgovernment’s poverty data

A woman collects drinking water in plastic pots from a communal tap near her home in the Indian city of Bangalore, on March 20, ahead of World Water Day on March 22. India’s six biggest cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad – are among those most affected by water shortages. A study has forecast that 119 million people would face water shortages by 2050 in the Ganges River delta and plain alone. Pic: AFP

WHO chief describestobacco industry

as ‘ruthless, devious’

Pakistan demands apologyfrom US over air strike

‘Pakistan wants to pursue good relations with every country.’

asiathe MyanMar tiMes

32March 26 - April 1, 2012

MANILA – Philippine President Benigno Aquino said last week that more US troops would be welcome to rotate through the Southeast Asian nation, but ruled out permanent bases.

Aquino told AFP in an interview on March 20 that talks were under way for the longtime allies to hold more military training exercises in the Philippines, as well as increase the number of times that US navy ships visited.

“ W e a r e talking with them. We will have more of the same, is what I am trying to say,” Aquino said, referring to a longstanding partnership that sees regular joint exercises and US port calls in the Philippines.

“Their ships can come and call on us, can be replenished, but our constitution will not allow any permanent berthing here in any form.

“There might be increases in terms of personnel, but it will have to be very clear

on when they come in and go out. They cannot be here permanently.”

The negotiations are taking place as the United States is expanding its military presence in the Asia Pacific as a counterweight to a rising China.

Aquino said the Philippines was also looking to the United States for help in building up its defence capabilities, amid

a maritime territorial dispute with China that flared last year and a host of other security issues.

The Philippines had asked the United States for F-16 fighter jets, as well as patrol vessels, transport aircraft and radar systems, said Aquino.

“They are still studying the request for the excess F-16s. We are hoping they will look at it favourably,” he said.

A q u i n o e m p h a s i s e d there were many reasons

the Philippines needed to increase its military capabilities, including combating terrorism, helping deal with natural disasters and evacuating Filipinos from crises overseas.

But he also talked in depth about the Philippines needing to protect its rights to parts of the South China Sea that are within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic

zone and are believed to sit on vast oil and gas deposits.

China and Taiwan also claim those areas as theirs, even though the contested waters are much closer to the Philippine landmass than to that of China.

Diplomatic tensions escalated last year when the Philippines accused China of harassing a Philippine-chartered oil exploration vessel in one of the disputed areas called Reed Bank, and of other bullying tactics.

Phi l ipp ine concerns abut China’s perceived

aggressiveness prompted it to seek help from the United States in building up its maritime defence capabilities.

T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s responded favourably, d e l i v e r i n g a f o r m e r

coast guard cutter to the Philippine Navy last year and promising more military aid.

T h e n e g o t i a t i o n s currently under way are an extension of that deepening partnership. – AFP

DILI – East Timor’s second presidential ballot as a free nation will see two former guerrilla fighters face off in another round of voting, after Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta lost his re-election bid.

Ramos-Horta, who became the nation’s international voice during two decades of Indonesian occupation, admitted defeat on March 19 after trailing in third place in a vote seen as a key test for the young democracy.

The election went into a second round, expected to be held on April 16, after none of the candidates in the March 17 ballot garnered more than 50 percent of the vote to secure an outright win.

O p p o s i t i o n f i g u r e Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres and former armed forces chief Taur Matan Ruak – both heroes of the nation’s long war against Indonesia’s occupation – advanced to the final round.

Ramos-Horta, 62, will have over power on May 19.

In May, East Timor will celebrate 10 years of independence, and in June, voters will choose a new government in a general election. – AFP

SYDNEY – US Marines are set to arrive in Australia’s tropical north next month as Washington increases its military presence as part of a renewed emphasis on the Asia-Pacific, reports said on March 20.

State radio said about 250 Marines were set to deploy to Darwin from early April as part of a process that will see about 2500 in Australia by about 2016, under a plan announced by President Barack Obama last

year.“This first year, of course, we

start pretty small,” the commander of Australia’s First Brigade, Brigadier General Gus McLachlan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“We have got about 250 arriving in early April. This first year is almost just a foot in the door, proof of concept, and obviously it will build up in a pretty measured pace in the next few years.”

Obama announced plans to increase the number of troops, aircraft and ships that will come to the Northern Territory during his first visit as president to Australia in November.

The move rankled China and caused concern for some Asian neighbours who saw it as a statement by Washington that it intends to stand up for its interests in the region amid concern about Beijing’s growing assertiveness.

But there will be no US bases on Australian soil, with the Marines accommodated in Australian bases as they conduct exercises and training on a six-month rotational basis.

Australia and the United States also agreed to enhance cooperation between their air forces, resulting in increased rotations of US planes through northern Australia, which is closer to Asia than it is to Sydney and Melbourne. – AFP

More US troops welcome: Aquino

Philippine President Benigno Aquino during the interview at Malacanang Palace in Manila on March 20. Pic: AFP

‘They cannot be here permanently.’

American forces poised to deploy in Australia

East Timor vote goesto a run-off

BriefsWorld Bank lends Pakistan $1b

WASHINGTON – The World Bank’s executive board on March 20 ap-proved two projects total-ing US$1.09 billion aimed at supporting Pakistan’s growth agenda for reducing poverty.

The $840 million Tar-bela IV Extension Hydro-power Project will raise power generation capacity of 1410 megawatts, con-tributing a crucial source of electricity for the eco-nomic growth and develop-ment of Pakistan, the de-velopment lender said in a statement.

A $250 million project in the Punjab is aimed at get-ting maximum productivity out of irrigation water by weaning farmers away from the traditional and “waste-ful” flood irrigation, the bank said.

NKorean rocket is aimed south: US

SYDNEY – A senior US official has warned North Korea’s forthcoming rocket launch would be aimed south for the first time and land in an area “roughly be-tween Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines”.

Kurt Campbell, the as-sistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, delivered the mes-sage in person to Austra-lian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Saturday.

North Korea has an-nounced it will launch a rocket in mid-April to put a satellite into orbit.

Impunity will not be tolerated: UN

PHNOM PENH – The United Nations said on March 22 it would not tol-erate impunity at Cam-bodia’s Khmer Rouge war crimes court in a worsen-ing row with Phnom Penh about whether to pursue more suspects.

In a major setback to the UN-backed tribunal, a Swiss judge on March 19 became the second interna-tional judge in six months to resign over difficulties probing two new cases linked to the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime. The government opposes the cases.

Thai police held over drug haul

BANGKOK – Four Thai policemen have been ar-rested after they seized narcotics worth US$1 mil-lion in raids on drug gangs and kept them to sell them-selves, senior police said on March 22.

The four were arrested on the outskirts of Bangkok on March 20 with 305,200 methamphetamine tab-lets and five kilograms (11 pounds) of “ice”. – AFP

Win Mu Tin, M.A.,H.G.P.,D.B.L.for duferco Investment Services SaP.O. Box 60, YangonE-mail: makhinkyi.law@mptmail.net.mmDated: 26th March, 2012

Reg. No. 1174/2012

in respect of “Class 06: Common metals and their alloys; metal in unwrought and semi-wrought form; steel in unwrought and semi-wrought form; goods made of iron and steel including plates, coils, hot and cold rolled coils, sheets, rods, wires, tubes, poles, bars, pipes, welded pipes, merchant bars, bands, strips, sections, slabs, profiles, wire rods, rolled wire, blocks, ingots, iron ore, blooms, pellets, billets, cast steel, strip steel, cold rolled strip steel, rolled steel, hot rolled and cold rolled steel, steel strips, flat steel, line pipe steel, silicon steel, abrasion-resistant steel, galvanized steel plate, bar steel, steel bars, forged steel, steel balls, cast steel, chrome iron, galvanized iron, unwrought and semi-wrought cast iron, rebars, hoop steel, reinforced steel, reinforced steel fabric, structural steel, section steel, coated steel, hot dip coated sheet metal, coated metal sheets, coated metal plates, wide flat steel, special steel, fine steel, bright steel, polished steel, spring steel, steel beams, steel frames for buildings, welding steel, tool steel, stainless steel, steel for electric machines, sheet metal, pins, tinplate, pig iron, cast iron, cast iron pipes, pig iron pipes, white iron and scrap iron; metal building materials including wide flange metal beams, building panels, steel piling, reinforcing bars of metal for building purposes, structural parts for metal beams, metal partitions, metal trim for buildings, gutter stock, metal door trim, metal window trim, metal windows, metal doors, metal door frames, metal door panels, metal purlins and metal studs; non-electric cables and wires of common metal; metal components, namely,

TRade MaRk CauTIoNduferco Investment Services Sa, of Via Bagutti 9, CH-6900 Lugano, Switzerland, is the Owner of the following Trade Mark:-

duFeRCo

metal alloys for further manufacturing; metal components being construction elements made of metal, namely, fascia, soffits, shores, supports, braces, frameworks, linings, flooring, gutters, joinery fittings, junctions for pipes, pipe fittings, fittings of metal for building, tubing of metal, girders of metal, drain pipes, building flashing, reinforcing materials of metal for building, tiles of metal for building, wrapping or binding bands of metal, connectors for decking and decking joints, expansion joints for piping and ducting, flanges, gutter pipes, pipe connectors, pipe muffs, pipe couplings and joints and floor tiles; metal components being metal hardware, namely, nuts, bolts, brackets, rivets and screws; metal roof and metal wall systems incorporating materials made of metal, namely, roof flashings, roof trusses, roofing, roof vents, for heating, cooling and ventilation in residential and commercial buildings, roofing panels, roofing tiles, building curtain walls made primarily of metal, building wall framing made primarily of metal, galvanized steel clip with moulded rubber used to attach drywall to walls or ceilings, expansion joints for floors and walls, ceiling panels, wall panels, sold separately or in units, palisades, gates and fencing; ironmongery; small items of metal hardware; containers of metal; goods of common metal not included in other classes; zinc and its alloys; vanadium; metallic products for use in smelting works; ores for use in refractories; refractory construction materials of metal; refractory products (shaped and unshaped) of metal”.

Fraudulent imitation or unauthorised use of the said Trade Mark will be dealt with according to law.

Time out 33The Myanmar Times March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Nyein Ei Ei Htwe

LETTERS signed by nearly 500 artists requesting a restructuring of the Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization were submitted to the Culture, Sport and Public Relations Development Committee of the Pyithu Hluttaw in January and February.

The first letter, signed by 86 artists, was submitted on January 18, while a second letter bearing the endorsement of more than 400 artists from across Myanmar was sent on February 23, according to a group of artists who held a press conference at City Star Hotel in Yangon on March 17.

The letters asked for an explanation of the accounts of the associat ion, as well as a restructuring of the organisation based on democratic principles through which effective executive members could be elected.

“During this open period we have the chance to express the desires and feelings of artists in a letter, and our main purpose is to restructure the association along democratic lines, under new rules and new authorities,” artist Cobra Zaw Oo said at the press conference.

He said that currently the association is run by a small groups of friends who make decisions according to their own ideas.

“They don’t work to help our artists become successful like in other countries, and they don’t work for better conditions for artists. In fact, they don’t really work at all, and yet they get all the benefits of their position,” he said.

Artist U Myo Myint said the association does not reveal its annual budget like other organisations do, and the executive members run it for their own financial benefit rather than for the benefit of artists.

C o m m i s s i o n e d a r t projects are too often non-transparent, with the association favouring a small number of certain artists.

“Painting the pagodas in Bagan requires so many artists because they have to cover 4000 scenes. It can’t be done by only a few artists but they didn’t ask us for that project, as well as other large artworks in Nay Pyi Taw,” he said.

In connection with the two letters, artists met with U Khine Maung Yee, Pyithu Hluttaw representative from Ahlone township in Yangon, on February 25, and also held discussions with the chairman of Culture, Sport and Public Relations Development Committee of the Pyithu Hluttaw on March 1.

“The authorities say they need to meet with both sides to come to a fair decision, but they haven’t met with anyone from the association yet,” artist U Maung Win Hla said.

In the meantime, the artists are calling for the association’s activities to be suspended until ministry representatives can make a decision on the situation.

“We heard that there will be a conference for the Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization at the National Museum at the end of March, so we sent a letter to the committee and to the Ministry of Culture and Information Affairs on March 16 asking that the conference be suspended,” he said.

Nay Aung Shu also said that artists have been using the association’s book of regulations published in 2001 as a reference, and only recently found out that it has been supplanted by a new rule book released in 2007.

“We didn’t even know about the existence of the 2007 book until after we sent the letters to the Pyithu Hluttaw. We found out they hadn’t properly distributed them at the time. We just want them to start looking after all the artists who have been neglected in the past,” Nay Aung Shu said.

Star U Mya Than, a patron of Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization, sa id there were many differences between the 2001 and 2007 drafts, but even patrons were unaware of the newer version.

“I’ve been involved in the arts since becoming a member of the Art Association of Burma in 1947, and I worked as the head of education on Myanmar Painting and Sculpturing Council until 1992. But even I didn’t know about the 2007 draft book until recently,” he said.

“Yesterday an artist gave me a copy, and I found out that my responsibilities as a patron are completely d i f ferent f rom what I thought,” he said.

According to the 2001 version, patrons have the responsibility of helping lead the association by drafting new guidelines for development.

“But according to the 2007 version, we’re just helpers who give advice and help with the development programs,” Star U Mya Than said.

P y i t h u H l u t t a w representative U Aung Zin from Pazundaung township in Yangon also asked for a restructuring of Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organization.

During a session of the Pyithu Hluttaw in February, he asked that rules for permission to hold art exhibitions be changed so that members of the association could no longer ban artworks from being shown in public without explanation.

U Aung Zin also suggested that the sculpture committee be allowed to separate from the association and start its own organisation.

Artists request restructure for arts

and artisans org

By Nuam Bawi

LAUREL Art Academy, a film school founded in January 2012, announced it is offering scholarships for people who are interested in film but can’t afford to study the subject.

Myanmar has long struggled to produce quality films due to a lack of support in the industry. But with t he e s t ab l i s hmen t o f Laurel Art Academy and its scholarship scheme, they hope to contribute to this development, providing financial support and training for the next generation.

“We [Myanmar] haven’t had a proper film school and we can see the consequences of that when films from neighbouring countries make it on the international film market and are included at international film festivals and ours aren’t,” said director U Maung Maung Myint, a teacher at Laurel Art Academy.

“This is because of the lack of proper training for film, which is why we need to produce and train student as much as possible,” he said.

The academy is giving out 20 scholarships to support both young and financially disadvantaged students.

“We have students studying at our school that can pay so we were careful to choose only those who really can’t afford to study,” said the founder of the school, Daw Thidar Linn.

Applicants need to be between 16 and 25 years old, have passed elementary school standard, and be able to commit to 10 months of study.

The program aims to equip students with a range of film-making skills, including directing, script writing, camerawork, and digital editing.

The scholarship is named the Sithu Kyi Soe Tun Scholarship

Program in a nod to the school’s president and head teacher, who received the title Sithu from the government in honour of his public service on January 4, 2012.

“He was given the title Sithu, which is rarely given out by the government. That is why we wanted to grant the scholarship in honour of our president,” she said.

U Kyi Soe Tun has won a total of five academy awards in his 22 year career.

Scholarship application forms are available at No. 1/5 (C), Pearl Condo Compound, Sayar San Road, Bahan township, and must be submitted by April 30.

Laurel Art Academy offer film scholarships

By Zon Pann Pwint

T H E M y a n m a r M o t i o n Picture Organisation (MMPO) on March 15 removed a curtain that for years had been covering a painting of Bogyoke Aung San delivering a speech in 1947 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Myanmar’s film industry.

The watercolour painting was made by artist Kyaw Nyunt and his group in 1996, based on a photograph taken at the speech in 1947.

The painting has been hanging in the meeting room of the MMPO on Wingaba Road in Bahan township since 1996.

At some point that no one can seem to recall, it was covered with a red curtain and had been under wraps until its unveiling earlier this month.

“Bogyoke Aung San gave a speech in 1947 celebrating the silver jubilee of the film industry. The historical event was photographed,” actor U Aung Lwin said.

“In 1996 when the diamond jubilee was held, artist Kyaw Nyunt and his group were commissioned to paint a historical picture of Bogyoke Aung San to hang at the celebration.”

The pa i n t i n g s hows Bogyoke Aung San addressing the jubilee crowd on the west side of Shwedagon Pagoda, accompanied by Deedote U Ba Cho, who was assassinated along with Aung San on July 19, 1947, and motion picture pioneer U Ohn Maung.

Also depicted in the painting are Parrot U Sunny, theatrical performer U Pho Sein and Aung San’s personal assistant, Bo Tun Hla, whose pen name was Teikatho Nay

Win.“The painting has been

hanging in MMPO’s meeting room since the diamond jubilee, but it was covered with a curtain because people were worried about it being shown. No one told them to cover it,” said director U Soe Moe, who was working as a financial assistant at the organisation at the time the painting was made.

“The painting was unveiled [on March 15] without anyone asking them to remove the curtain,” he added.

Other artworks were also commissioned in 1996 depicting directors and actors who were famous during the silver jubilee era. The collection is housed in the Myanmar Motion Picture Museum adjacent to the MMPO office.

Director U Thein Htut said he knew from his grandfather U Tin Maung —a director who

had worked at A1 Film Studio and who was also a member of the Burma Defence Army (BDA) during World War II — that Bogyoke Aung San was a big fan of the movies.

“He used to watch funny films at Palladium Cinema on Sule Pagoda Road with Bo Tun Hla in 1946, and he liked Charlie Chaplin. He also enjoyed such films as [1939 American historical drama] Juarez,” U Thein Htut said.

“Film directors and actors had a very strong link with Bogyoke Aung San, who was no stranger to the film industry,” he said.

“He used to visit A1 Film Studio, and film directors and actors such Tin Pe, Chit Swe and Kyaw Shwe were members of the BDA. Although Aung Sa was a politician, he loved and enjoyed films.”

MMPO uncovers hidden Aung San painting

Members of the Myanmar Motion Picture Organisation hold meeting at their headquarters in Yangon on March 16, one day after the painting of Bogyoke Aung San was unveiled. Pic: Boothee

timeout 2the MyanMar tiMes

34March 26 - April 1, 2012

Thingyan concert

A traditional Myanmar performance titled Than-Chat — featuring famous comedians such as Mit Tar, Kuh Tho, Bay Luh Wah and Ah Yine — will be held at the People’s Park in Yangon on March 30 from 6pm to 11pm. A fun fair will be held on the same site starting at

3pm. Tickets cost K5000 and K10,000, and are available at Regent Business Academy (Narnattaw Street, Shwe Ke i n Na R i Hou s i n g , Kamaryu t t ownsh ip ) , Nobody and Ko Ko Beauty Salon.

Car exhibition

An exhibit ion of cars imported from South Korea will be held at the National Theatre in Yangon from March 28 to 31. A song competition will also be held in conjunction with the exhibition.

Movie screening

The film Roman Holiday will be screened at Laurel Art Academy (No 1/5 C, Pearl Condominium, Bahan township, Yangon) on April 1 at 2pm. Entry is free.

Indian filmfest

The Indian Film Festival is being held at Cherry Lwin Cinema in Pyin Oo Lwin from March 25 to 29. Films will include 3 Idiots, Krrish, Pokkiri, Om Shanti Om, Aladin and AnjaanaAnjaani.

Events Flashwith ...Nuam Bawi

SA INT PETERSBURG — Vladimir Putin cradles a fragile chick, hugs his dog and lets a tear roll down his cheek in an exhibition of kitsch paintings that opened this week after his re-election to the Kremlin.

The oil paintings aim to show a softer side of the Russian strongman, the artist said as the exhibition titled “A Man with a Heart of Gold” opened in Putin’s northwestern home city of Saint Petersburg.

“I wanted to create human portraits of Vladimir Putin that provoke good feelings,” painter Alexei Sergiyenko told AFP.

Putin has built up a macho image with stunts including riding bare-chested and shooting a wild Siberian tiger with a tranquiliser dart, but seemingly allowed himself to show emotion after he won a third Kremlin term this month.

One painting focuses on the

tear that glistened on Putin’s cheek as he gave a victory speech to flag-waving crowds on election day. To some, it was a sign that the hardman had feelings too, but Putin later blamed the wind.

“I prefer to believe that his tears came from his feelings,” said Sergiyenko, who describes himself as a Putin supporter.

In other brightly coloured pop art style paintings, Putin carries a small boy on his shoulders, cycles through the countryside with young women and holds a bunch of flowers.

Some reproduce Putin’s cuddlier photo opportunities, including a visit to an agricultural show when he held up a chick in his manicured fingers and stared it in the eyes.

He is also shown receiving an affectionate lick from his labrador retriever Connie, who became sufficiently well known during Putin’s presidency to have her “own” weekly column in a women’s magazine.

The Saint Petersburg artist says on his website that his paintings are already in the collection of the presidential administration. — AFP

By Farah Nayeri

LONDON — The remains of a car that was wrecked in an Iraq blast is sitting inside a London gallery.

The vehicle was destroyed in Baghdad by a March 2007 car bomb that killed three dozen people. The rusty carcass is part of a career survey at the Hayward Gallery of the British artist Jeremy Deller, 45, who expresses himself through one-offs: performances, actions, events.

Deller’s original idea was to park a bombed-out Iraqi car on an empty sculpture plinth in Trafalgar Square that artists temporarily fill. Turned down, Deller towed the wreckage of the car around the United States, accompanied by an Iraqi translator and a US Army propaganda officer, both with frontline experience.

“People in America were much more understanding than I thought,” Deller says of a month-long trip he terms the most amazing time of his life.

“I was basically bringing a piece of evidence over to show them, and on the whole, we had incredible conversations. As soon as people started talking to the soldier and the Iraqi, they very quickly realised that we had different motives than what they might have thought,” he says. “We

weren’t making an activist political statement.”

The wrecked Iraqi car was given to him after he had trouble accessing the

Baghdad site where all destroyed vehicles go for forensic purposes.

Two decades after staging an exhibition in his bedroom,

Deller, winner of the 2004 Turner Prize, is still creating action-based art. In his best-known work, The Battle of Orgreave (2001), he re-enacted violent June 1984 clashes between police and striking miners. His cast of 1000 included ex-miners from the original fight.

“I remember i t very clearly, and at the time

thinking this is totally wrong,” he says of the 1984 confrontation. “It was a political awakening, really, for a young person.”

Is he a political artist?“That’s a killer label,” he

says with a wince.The show opens on a

much cheerier note: with a re-creation of the 1993 exhibition he had at his

parents’ south London home, where he lived till he was 31 because “it was cheap and easy”.

The room has a bedstead marked “God Less America,” T-shirts bearing tabloid head l ines (“My Booze Hell,” “My Drug Shame”) and classy cards sent to teenage aristocrats inviting them to meet a group of football hooligans known as the Chelsea Smilers.

A reconstituted toilet nearby has crude graffiti that Deller copied from the men’s room at the British Library and printed in his book Pensees.

The show makes scant reference to Deller’s 1986 encounter with Andy Warhol at a London gallery. He was invited to the Ritz Hotel two nights later, and found the artist and friends watching Benny Hill with the sound turned off and Roxy Music turned on.

T h e t w o w e e k s h e subsequent ly spent at Warhol’s Factory were, he says in the catalogue, as formative as two degrees. They taught him that “an artist can do whatever he or she wants. There are no limits.”

Deller’s next projects are a big interactive sculpture called Sacrilege for a festival in Glasgow in April and a show next year on the Industrial Revolution and how it changed British culture.

Any comment planned on the global financial crisis?

“It’s like when Chairman Mao was asked about the French Revolution,” Deller says. “He said something l ike, ‘ It’s too early to say.’” — Bloomberg News

Deller exhibits Iraq bombed car, graffiti

The wreckage of a car destroyed in a 2007 Baghdad explosion is part of a Jeremy Deller career survey at the Hayward Gallery in London. Pic: Linda Nylind/Hayward Gallery

Putin weeps, cuddles dog Connie in pop art portraits

An exhibition devoted to Russia’s Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin in Saint-Petersburg on March 20. Pic: AFP

timeout 3the MyanMar tiMes

35March 26 - April 1, 2012

By Robert MacPherson

WASHINGTON — They’ve come a long way since the man who would be Mario set off to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man gobbled up as many dots as he could before the ghosts caught up with him.

But really, are video games art?Absolutely, contends a major

exhibition that opened on March 16 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington that celebrates gaming’s rich creative side and the people behind a medium that’s still in full bloom.

The Art of Video Games spans the 40 years since video games moved from amusement arcades into homes around the world, evolving in leaps and bounds with ever-more-sophisticated graphics, interactivity and storytelling.

“While this exhibition is not the first exhibition that actually uses video games, it is the first I believe that actually looks at video games themselves as an art form,” curator Chris Melissinos said.

“This is not about the art within video games,” said Melissinos, an avid gamer since he was a 10-year-old in his native New York borough of Queens. “This is about video games themselves as an artistic medium.”

The exhibition comes nine months after the US Supreme Court said the First Amendment covered video

games, in a landmark ruling that put them on par with books and other forms of artistic expression.

Bathed in red and blue lighting, and appropriately next to a Nam June Paik video installation, The Art of Video Games spotlights 80 hit games created for 20 different gaming systems, from the Atari VCS of the 1970s to today’s PlayStation 3, that Melissinos calls “the touchstones of their generation”.

Five games — Pac-Man, Super

Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst and Flower — are booted up with their original joysticks and motion controllers for visitors to play on wall-sized screens.

Long-obsolete consoles like the ColecoVision that powered Donkey Kong and the Commodore 64 that made Attack of the Mutant Camels” possible are encased in Plexiglas display boxes like pharaonic Egyptian artefacts.

“When hardcore gamers come in here, they’re going to go, ‘Yes, these are the correct games to represent these different eras’,” said Chris Kohler, gaming editor of Wired.com and an advisor to the exhibition.

“But when non-gamers come in, I think they’re really going to get an education into the art form that this medium really truly is, and has become, and how it has evolved,” he said.

In-gallery videos tackle the past, present and future of gaming through interviews with 20 influential figures in the gaming world; the videos also feature on the exhibition’s website (www.americanart.ci.edu).

Notable among the innovators is Jenova Chan, who tells how rural California inspired him to create Flower, in which the player swooshes through Van Gogh-like fields like the wind, picking up flower petals along the way.

“I grew up in Shanghai … I had never seen a rolling hill,” said Chan in the his video interview.

“So when I came to California, I saw these farms, endless green, the windmills. I wanted to capture that because it’s so overwhelming. It’s like a person that has never seen the ocean going to the beach for the first time.”

“Games just aren’t about blowing things up,” said another interviewee, game developer Jennifer MacLean, who personifies the little-known fact that a big segment of those who create online games today are women over 35.

“I’d love to see them enrich somebody’s life by helping them learn to feel more, learn to love more, learn to invest more in the world around them.”

A richly illustrated 216-page catalogue rounds out the exhibition that runs until September 30 before touring 10 other US cities. — AFP

Video games enter realm of art in Smithsonian exhibition

KUALA LUMPUR — Haunted highways, an oil-smeared ghoul prowling villages for virgins, vampiress spirits thirsting for blood: Malaysia has an obsession with the supernatural rooted in age-old legends.

Now that obsession is being increasingly projected upon the nation’s cinema screens, as horror movies have quickly emerged as a force in a booming domestic film industry.

But it wasn’t always so. Horror films were effectively banned in the Musl im-majority country for three decades for celebrating the otherworldly in violation of Islamic teachings.

But s ince s t rongman premier Mahathir Mohamad ret i red in 2003 — and popular culture was allowed to relax a bit — they have risen from the dead.

Three of Malaysia’s six top-grossing films are fright flicks made in the past two years, and the genre made up more than a third of domestic movies in 2011.

This growth, along with popular action films and comedies, has helped fuel a burgeoning industry.

The number of local films in cinemas grew from just eight in 2000 to 49 in 2011 and ticket sales have quintupled in the last six years.

Last year local movies

collected more than 100 mi l l ion r ingg i t (US$32 mi l l ion) in box of f ice sales.

H o r r o r f i l m s h a v e struck a chord because they reflect the country’s village culture and the traditional superstitions that trouble Malay hearts, said director Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nazri.

“Horror movies are the type that will be close to our culture,” said the d i rector o f 2011 box-

office hit Ghost Pillion Rider, about a motorcycle speedster haunted by the spirit of a girl who died aboard his bike.

Malaysia’s highest grossing horror movie ever — and its third biggest overall — Ghost Pillion Rider collected 8.53 million ringgit, around 3 million ringgit less than record-setting action film KL Gangster from the same year.

“In any country, for you to understand the culture, where they come from, you watch horror movies,” Ahmad Idham added.

While differing religious views differentiate Asian horror from that in the Wes t , t he reg i on ha s contributed its own takes on familiar tropes, from Japan ’s p sycho log i ca l fr ights to Hong Kong’s horror-comedies.

After a 30-year lull in Malaysia — censors stopped approving scary movies as Islamic sentiments rose in the 1970s — Fragrant Night Vampire hit screens in 2004.

T h e f i l m , a b o u t a pontianak, or vampiress spirit — a recurring Malay legend and movie subject — was a huge hit and even won accolades abroad.

“Malaysian filmmakers suddenly realised there is a lot of money to be made in horror films … so they jumped on the bandwagon,” said Andrew Hock Soon Ng, a film expert with the Malaysia campus o f Au s t ra l i a ’s Monash University.

“However modern we are, we are still very much regulated by our traditional belief systems.”

Malays were animist before Islam’s 15th century arrival, but belief in the existence of spirits separable from

physical forms and black magic still lurks under the Muslim veneer.

A recurring Malaysian character is the orang minyak (o i ly man), an elusive bogeyman smeared in black oil who hunts for virgins to rape.

I t was immorta l i sed in 1958’s Curse of the Oily Man by the late P Ramlee, Malaysia’s most celebrated filmmaker, and real-life “sightings” remain common.

In January, local media reported residents of a suburb of the capital Kuala Lumpur patrolling streets after two orang minyak were spotted.

M e a n w h i l e , r e p o r t s of school classes being disrupted by suspected c a se s o f “po s s e s s ed” students are regular.

In one publicised incident in 2008, when 35 students were gripped by hysteria in a school in eastern Pahang

state, school authorities reportedly held special religious recitals and prayers and engaged a spiritual healer to “cleanse” the school.

Ahmad Idham said two of his own crew became hysterical while filming one of his several fright films, and a stuntman died in an accident on one of his sets — the crew blamed supernatural forces.

H e n o w t a k e s “ p r e c a u t i o n s ” w h e n shooting, such as praying to Allah and seeking guidance from his uncle, an Islamic spiritual healer.

M a h a t h i r, s t i l l a n influential conservative voice, last year called such films a bad influence that stoked panic. The National Fa twa Counc i l , wh ich issues Islamic edicts, called them “counterproductive to building a developed society”.

There has been no fatwa or any hint of a new ban, but

like all Malaysian movies, horror films are policed by the Film Censorship Board. It orders objectionable scenes cut and positive messages inserted, such as Islam winning out in the end over the supernatural.

In Ghost Pillion Rider, for example, the reckless m o t o r c y c l e - r a c i n g p r o t a g o n i s t r e p e n t s , becoming more religious and responsible.

Such pressure stunts a p r o m i s i n g h o m e -grown genre that faces competition from imported Hollywood and other foreign blockbusters, and shackles directors who need to “think beyond” the conventional to expand their art, said Ahmad Idham.

“It’s quite difficult … to explore new things. As a filmmaker you have to think beyond. But when you start to think beyond, people cannot catch up,” he said.

— AFP

Horror films help revive Malaysian movie industry

A journalist tries out the original version of Super Mario Brothers at the Art of Video Games exhibition at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum in Washington, DC on March 15. Pic: AFP

‘In any country, for you to

understand the culture, where

they come from, you watch horror

movies.’

Malaysian moviegoers wait in queue to get tickets at a movie theatre in downtown Kuala Lumpur on March 14. Pic: AFP

March 26 - April 1, 2012

entertainment news 36the MyanMar tiMes

Myanmar-Pakistan Friendship Golf Tournament

Diploma in Business Law Farewell Dinner

Iora Fashion Shop Opening

Cab’s Hair Product Launch

DKSH Dinner

Japan pop icon marries man almost 20 years younger

TOKYO — One of Japan’s best-known pop stars said last week that she has married a fellow musician nearly 20 years her junior, setting off a frenzy in the country’s tabloid press. Miwa Yoshida, 46, the lead singer of Dreams Come True, which has sold about 50 million albums worldwide, announced on her New York-based blog that she tied the knot with Juon, the 27-year-old lead singer for rock band Fuzzy Control. “I have something to tell you today. You know what, I got married to Juon on March 8,” she wrote. Yoshida, still hugely popular among mostly female fans in Japan, started the duo Dreams Come True more than two decades ago. The band won followers across East Asia with their romantic ballads. The singer had a relationship with a music video director until 2007 when he died of cancer at age 33. She joins a long list of woman celebrities who have married considerably younger men. In November, American actress Demi Moore announced the end of her high-profile marriage to actor Ashton Kutcher. The pair married in 2005 when she was 42 and he was 27. — AFP

Mike Tyson to debut show in Las Vegas, eyes Broadway and London’s West End

LOS ANGELES — Boxing legend Mike Tyson will debut a one-man show in Las Vegas next month, and could take it to Broadway and London’s West End, according to the show’s co-writer. The former heavyweight world champion, infamous for ear-biting and a rape conviction before mounting a showbiz-tinged comeback in recent years, will play six nights in Vegas from April 13 to 18. The 45-year-old is already in rehearsal for Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, Live on Stage, to be staged at the Hollywood Theatre of the Nevada gambling city’s MGM Grand casino complex. He admits to not being entirely sure yet what he will say about his life, which has included a prison term on a rape conviction, three stints in rehab, two failed marriages and the death of a child. “I know what you are probably thinking. ‘What the hell is he going to do?’ To be honest, I wonder, too,” he told the USA Today newspaper. The show is co-written by Tyson’s wife Kiki and Hollywood playwright/director Randy Johnson — who claims he could take it worldwide. “I am hoping to have a run on Broadway and the West End of London. I think we can play every legitimate theatre in the world,” said Johnson, calling Tyson a natural entertainer. — AFP

Muppets get their own star on Hollywood Walk of FameLOS ANGELES — The Muppets were honoured with their own star on the storied Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20, right outside the theatre where their recent movie was made and premiered. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the puppet gang gathered in front of the El Capitan Theatre, opposite Graumman’s Chinese Theatre at the centre of Hollywood’s tourist district. “We are just really happy to be on Hollywood Boulevard today, joining some of the greatest names in show biz,” said Kermit as the Muppet star was unveiled on the stellar stretch of sidewalk visited by millions of tourists. Muppets creator Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa added: “The Muppets have truly arrived with their own star on Hollywood Boulevard in this amazing location which also happens to be very near my father’s star and Kermit’s star.” Key scenes from their recent movie The Muppets were filmed at Disney’s El Capitan theatre, where its world premiere was held followed by festive season screenings of the film preceded by an in-theatre Muppet show. At one point on March 20 Miss Piggy — famously keen on the limelight and use of the French first person — asked: “Is it time now for moi to do my medley of every song ever written from every great movie musical ever made?” Kermit, her long-suffering frog companion, answered: “We’ll see if we can get to that later in the show.” — AFP

Gabor’s husband, daughter in legal fightLOS ANGELES — Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband vowed last week to fight legal action by the aging Hungarian-born star’s daughter seeking to take control of his wife’s affairs away from him. Prince Frederic von Anhalt voiced anger at the reported lawsuit by Francesca Hilton, the 95-year-old’s daughter by her second marriage to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton. Hilton planned to file a lawsuit in Los Angeles asking a judge to appoint a conservator to oversee Gabor’s finances and medical care, saying her mother’s husband is not doing a good job, according to the Los Angeles Times. “My wife’s daughter is attacking us. … I’m the only one who takes care of my wife. Everything is done perfectly, she’s in perfect condition, I bought a US$25,000 bed to be comfortable,” von Anhalt told reporters outside the couple’s Bel Air mansion. Gabor, a platinum blonde actress known for her flamboyant lifestyle, legal troubles and multiple marriages, has been repeatedly hospitalised over the last two years, and had her right leg amputated in January 2011. Shortly after that operation, Von Anhalt announced the couple was putting their home on sale because they could no longer afford the mortgage and her medical bills. — AFP

H E Mr Qazi M Khalilullahand Major General San Oo

Colonel Nguyen Van Vui and U Nyan Tun OoHE Mr Sebastianus Sumarsono

Colonel San Nyunt Oo and Colonel Muhammad Tariq Farid Khan

Dr Daw Khin Mar YeeDr Daw Tin May Htun

Ma Kyaw Hsu Mon andMa Hlaing Myint

Students

M Seng Lu, Tin Moe Lwin, Phyu Nwe Khine and models

Htet Htet Moe Ooand Zuu Myat Htet

Ma Marlar andPhyu Phyu Kyaw Thein

Cab’s staff membersKo Than Nyi Htwe and

Ma Nan Si Voe Phat

Ma Thinza Wintand Dr San San Myint Ma Yee Yee Aung, Dr Than Aung and Ko Toe

Ko Ye Myo Hein, Ma Nwe Nwe, Ko Aung Than Soe and Ko Min Thu Naung

Mrs Farzana Khalil Qaziand Daw Myo Lwin Oo

Dr Mg Maung Thein

Mr Eugine QuahMs Ruth StewardMr Benjamin Lavis

EduLink Australia English School Opening

March 26 - April 1, 2012

soCialite37the MyanMar tiMes

SOCIALITE kicked off the week at the DKSH dealer party at Park Royal Hotel on March 13, and two days later dropped by Shwe Shan Kan restaurant to attend the Diploma in Business Law farewell dinner. On March 16 she was busy with the opening of Junction Square

Shopping Centre on Pyay Road, as well as with branch opening ceremonies for many businesses at the new

centre, including Theingi Shwe War silk wear, Forever Gems and Iora fashion shop. The next day it was

back to Junction Square for the opening of EduLink Australia English School then Socialite attended the Myanmar-Pakistan Friendship Golf Tournament at

Royal Mingalardon Golf and Country Club, followed on March 18 with the Lervia whitening soap launch at Park

Royal Hotel.

Bata Shoes New Branch Opening

Forever Gems Opening Ceremony

Theingi Shwe War Silk Wear Opening

Bata staff members

Ma Christina and friends

Yan Aung and Tun Eaindra Bo Dr Thet Thet Khine

Ma Myint Zu and guest

Wine Su Khine Thein

Ma Sae Sae, Eaindra Kyaw Zin and Ko Win Tun

Ko Ye Naing, Ma Myat Thuza Mon and Ko Han Htut Zaw

Ms SaraDaw Sanda Htun

Lu Min and wife Moh Moh Myint Aung

Junction Square Centre Opening Lervia Whitening Soap Launch

Mr Vimala Putra and Mr Preman Ma Yu Ya Zaw, Ma Mon Mon Hlaing and Ma Thida Han

Models

Soe Myat Thuzar

and Nay Toe

Wutt Hmone Swe Ye

travelthe MyanMar tiMes

38March 26 - April 1, 2012

MiCasa holiday deals

From April 10 to 22, MiCasa Hotel Apartments is offering Happy Thingyan Package deals for two people (US$95 a night) or four people ($180), including buffet breakfast, tea and coffee, water, internet access, and use of swimming pool and health club. A Thingyan Buffet Lunch special will be available from April 13 to 16 for $12 a person, including a glass of draught beer, while free-flowing Myanmar draught is included in the Myanmar New Year Buffet Dinner on April 17 ($18). On Easter Sunday (April 8), a buffet dinner with Tiger draught will be available for $19 a person. For reservations and inquiries, call 01-650-933, ext 121/122.

Oyster special at Kohaku

Through the end of April, Kohaku Japanese Restaurant at Chatrium Hotel is serving up kaki (oyster) specials in various styles, including steak, furai, hoiru, shioyaki and bata. Kohaku opens daily for lunch and dinner at Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon, 40 Natmauk Road, Tarmwe township, Yangon. For information or reservations, call 01-544-500, ext 6231; or email fb@chatriumygn.net.mm.

Jazz nights at the Ritz

The Ritz Exclusive Lounge at Chatrium Hotel is hosting jazz music nights, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in March, from 8:30pm to 11:30pm. The hotel also runs daily happy hours from 7pm

to 9pm, with buy one get one free and special offers on select items, plus complimentary tidbits. The Ritz Exclusive Lounge opens daily from 7pm to 1:30am on the ground floor of the Chatrium Hotel, 40 Natmauk Road, Tamwe Township, Yangon. For more information contact 01-544-500, ext 6243~4; fb@chatriumygn.net.mm, www.chatrium.com/chatrium_hotel_yangon.

Salads and sandwiches

The Peacock Lounge at Traders. Hotel has opened a salad and sandwich station, which is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Food is available for takeaway or for eating in the lounge. For more information contact 01-242-828, ext 6456 or 6434.

The Myanmar Marketing Committee (MMC), the marketing arm of Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board, aims to market and promote Myanmar as a destination to develop the Myanmar tourism industry.

For more information please visit our websites – www.tourism-myanmar.com or www.tourismmyanmar.org – or contact Winnie at Traders Hotel, Level 3, Business Center, No 223 Sule Pagoda Road, GPO Box 888, Yangon, Myanmar.

Tel: +951 242 828 Fax: +951 242 800 Email: mmc-pr@tradersyangon.com.mm

Tourism Myanmar Update

AIRLINE OFFICES

Domestic Airlines

Myanmar Airways International(8M) 08-02, Sakura Tower,339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Ygn.Tel : 255260, Fax: 255305

Thai Airways (TG)#11-01, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp, Ygn.Tel : 255499 Fax : 255490

Malaysia Airlines (MH)335/357, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Pabe-dan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 387648, 241007 ext : 120, 121, 122 Fax : 241124

Air India75, Shwe Bon Thar St, Pabedan Tsp, Yangon. Tel : 253597~98, 254758. Fax: 248175

BangkokAirways (PG)#0305, 3rd Fl, Sakura Tower, 339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp,

Yangon. Tel: 255122, 255 265, Fax: 255119

Air China (CA)Building (2), corner of Pyay Rd and Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Hotel Yangon,8 miles, Yangon, Myanmar.Tel : 666112, 655882.

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

Silk Air(MI)339, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, 2nd Floor, Sakura Tower,

Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 255 287~9 , Fax: 255 290

Air Asia (FD) 33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd, Ground Flr, Parkroyal Hotel,

Yangon. Tel: 251 885, 251 886.

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

Air Mandalay (6T)146, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon Tel : 501520, 525488(Head Office) 720309, 652753, 652754 (Airport Office), Fax: 525 937

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

AIR KBZ (K7)33-49,Corner of Bank Street & Maha Bandoola Garden Street, Kyauktada Tsp,Yangon, MyanmarTel: 372977~80, 533030~39 (Airport)Fax: 372983

Asian Wings (AW)No.34(A-1), Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Township,Yangon.Myanmar.Tel: 951 516654, 532253, 09-731-35991~3.Fax: 951 532333

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

By Jan Flemr

PRAGUE – Riding a wave of public disgust at graft, a new Czech travel agency has started tours highlighting sites linked to corruption, a social ill that has plagued the ex-communist country for decades.

T h e a p t l y n a m e d CorruptTour agency touts the “best of the worst” trips to posh villas, a nonsensical funicular, an empty meadow hosting a nonexistent Olympic stadium, even a big, boxy concrete mausoleum.

“The idea was to reverse the usual situation wherein corruption feeds on business by creating a business that uses corruption as input” by exposing it, said CorruptTour’s founder Petr Sourek, a philosopher and translator.

I n T r a n s p a r e n c y I n t e r n a t i o n a l ’ s 2 0 1 1 Corruption Perception Index, the Czech Republic ranked 57 th a longside Namibia and Saudi Arabia on the list of 183 countries, topped by squeaky clean New Zealand and ending with Somalia.

“The worst thing is that the trend is getting worse,” said David Ondracka, head of the international graft watchdog’s Czech branch.

Ondracka went so far as to call corruption “a fundamental problem” for the country of 10.5 million that shed communism in 1989 and joined the European Union in 2004.

Recent surveys suggest that most Czech managers think things can’t work without corruption greasing the wheels of society.

Most Czechs don’t believe the centre-right government is making good on promises to fight graft even though Prime Minister Petr Necas has sacked four ministers over corruption allegations since his cabinet took power in 2010.

“ I n t h e c o r r u p t i o n s e g m e n t , t h e C z e c h Republ ic has a lot to offer to both local and foreign visitors. The local corruption environment i s e x t r e m e l y s t a b l e with moderate growth,” CorruptTour said dryly on its website.

Their tour guide, wearing a funny orange hat and a waistcoat, is impossible to miss as he stands next to a black mini-bus with 26 tourists eager to embark on an “ornithological safari tour” of Prague’s upscale “nests”.

Resembling a Hollywood homes-of-the-stars circuit, th is tour targets the residences of lobbyists and rich businessmen caught up in dodgy deals – “nesting birds” , in the guide ’s words.

These include Ivo Rittig, a man said to rake in profits from each public transport ticket sold in Prague, and Martin Roman, former head of the power giant CEZ, suspected of handing hefty procurement deals to cronies. Press reports have repeatedly linked both men to graft but neither has ever been charged.

“Please be quiet, don’t disturb the nesting birds. We might be attacked by a dominant male,” tour guide Justin Svoboda pleads with hushed irony, provoking the laughter of tourists clicking

their cameras as the bus pulls up outside a gaudy “nest”.

He then points out a nonexistent house that 589 companies have registered as their headquarters, and a university at which students obtain a degree in under a year – for the right price.

“It’s here that the birds grow longer feathers in a very short time, which then help them extend their territory or lure a female,” Svoboda explained.

“ I t ’ s a f a n t a s t i c experience,” said Kristian Leko, a law student from Prague and one of the tourists.

“The extent of corruption here is unbelievable, they steal billions, everyone knows it, but no one has ever been sentenced, there’s no evidence, the police and the judiciary have been

manipulated,” he said.“We’re famous for being a

corrupt state – not that we should be proud of it,” added Radka Frejnova, a young woman on the tour.

The agency also offers a tour of hospitals known for shady tendering procedures, and a trip to the northern city of Usti nad Labem, the home of a pointless yet overpriced funicular and of a municipal park expensively decked out thanks to European Union subsidies.

“Companies have now started to order tours, and we’re also getting ready for an elementary school trip,” said Sourek, whose agency also offers visits in English and German.

Souvenirs are a must. Besides badges and T-shirts with the agency logo, tourists can buy bearer shares – a

non-transparent security that the Czech government has been reluctant to ban – and an anti-wiretapping gizmo to guard against pesky eavesdropping.

The agency became a hit as soon as it was launched in February, but some are less than pleased.

Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda is dismayed at tourists flocking to a city hall building.

“Of course I’m not happy, but if we closed the door, we would only show nothing here has changed,” said Svoboda, seen by Czech media as a breath of fresh air at the city hall since he took office in late 2010.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to the time when an UncorruptTour will organise city hall tours. That’s what I’d prefer,” he said. – AFP

A guide from CorruptTour travel agency leads clients on a tour of Prague on February 29. Pic: AFP

Corruption tours reveal Czech graft

39the MyanMar tiMes

travelMarch 26 - April 1, 2012

Domestic International6T = Air Mandalay

W9 = Air Bagan

AW = Asian Wings

K7 = AIR KBZ

YH = Yangon Airways

FD & AK = Air Asia

TG = Thai Airways

8M = Myanmar Airways International

PG = Bangkok Airways

MI = Silk Air

VN = Vietnam Airline

MH = Malaysia Airlines

CZ = China Southern

CI = China Airlines

CA = Air China

IC = Indian Airlines Limited

W9 = Air Bagan

3K = Jet Star

Subject to change without notice

DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCHEDULES DAYS Flight Dep Arr DAYS Flight Dep Arr DAYS Flight Dep Arr DAYS Flight Dep Arr

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULESFlight Dep Arr Flight Dep Arr Flight Dep Arr Flight Dep Arr

YANGON TO BANGKOKMON FD 3771 08:30 10:15

8M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

TUE FD 3771 08:30 10:158M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

WED FD 3771 08:30 10:158M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

THUR FD 3771 08:30 10:158M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

FRI FD 3771 08:30 10:158M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

SAT FD 3771 08:30 10:158M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

SUN FD 3771 08:30 10:158M 335 08:50 10:35TG 304 09:50 11:45PG 702 10:55 12:508M 331 16:30 18:15PG 704 16:40 18:35FD 3773 17:40 19:25TG 306 19:45 21:40

YANGON TO SINGAPOREMON 8M 231 08:40 13:05

MI 511 10:10 14:458M 233 14:15 18:40MI 517 16:40 21:15

TUE 8M 231 08:00 12:25MI 511 10:10 14:458M 233 14:15 18:40MI 517 16:40 21:15

WED 8M 231 08:00 12:25MI 511 10:10 14:458M 6232 11:25 15:50MI 517 16:40 21:15

THUR 8M 231 08:00 12:25MI 511 10:10 14:458M 233 14:15 18:40MI 517 16:40 21:15

FRI 8M 231 08:00 12:25MI 511 10:10 14:458M 6232 11:25 15:50MI 517 16:40 21:15

SAT 8M 231 08:00 12:25

MI 511 10:10 14:45

8M 6232 11:25 15:50

MI 517 16:40 21:15

SUN 8M 231 08:00 12:25

MI 511 10:10 14:45

8M 233 14:15 18:40MI 517 16:40 21:15

YANGON TO SIEM REAPWED 8M 401 08:50 11:25

SAT 8M 401 08:50 11:25

YANGON TO KUALA LUMPURMON 8M 501 09:00 13:00

MH 741 12:15 16:30

AK 851 17:15 21:30

TUE 8M 501 09:00 13:00

MH 741 12:15 16:30

AK 851 17:15 21:30

WED MH 741 12:15 16:30

AK 851 17:15 21:30

THU 8M 501 09:00 13:00MH 741 12:15 16:30AK 851 17:15 21:30

FRI 8M 501 09:00 13:00MH 741 12:15 16:30AK 851 17:15 21:30

SAT MH 741 12:15 16:30AK 851 17:15 21:30

SUN 8M 501 09:00 13:00MH 741 12:15 16:30AK 851 17:15 21:30

YANGON TO GUANGZHOUWED CZ 3056 11:20 15:50

THUR 8M 711 08:45 13:15

SAT CZ 3056 11:20 15:50

SUN 8M 711 08:45 13:15

YANGON TO TAIPEIMON CI 7916 14:00 19:25

WED CI 7916 14:00 19:25

FRI CI 7916 14:00 19:25

YANGON TO KUNMINGTUE CA 906 14:15 17:35

WED CA 906 14:15 17:35

THUR CA 906 14:15 17:35

SAT CA 906 14:15 17:35

SUN CA 906 14:15 17:35

YANGON TO KOLKATAMon IC734 13:30 16:40

FRI IC734 13:30 16:40

YANGON TO CHIANG MAITHUR W9 9607 12:00 13:30

SUN W9 9607 12:00 13:30

YANGON TO HANOIMON VN 956 19:10 21:30

WED VN 956 19:10 21:30

FRI VN 956 19:10 21:30

SAT VN 956 19:10 21:30

YANGON TO HO CHI MINH

TUE VN 942 14:25 17:10

THUR VN 942 14:25 17:10

SUN VN 942 14:25 17:10

YANGON TO PHNOM PENHWED 8M 401 08:50 12:50

SAT 8M 401 08:50 12:50

YANGON TO GAYA

WED 8M 601 09:00 10:30

SAT 8M 601 09:00 10:30

BANGKOK TO YANGONMON 8M 336 07:10 07:55

FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05PG 703 15:00 15:50FD 3772 16:25 17:10TG 305 17:50 18:458M 332 19:25 20:10

TUE 8M 336 07:10 07:55FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05PG 703 15:00 15:50FD 3772 16:25 17:10TG 305 17:50 18:458M 332 19:25 20:10

WED 8M 336 07:10 07:55FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05PG 703 15:00 15:50FD 3772 16:25 17:10TG 305 17:50 18:458M 332 19:25 20:10

THUR 8M 336 07:10 07:55FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05PG 703 15:00 15:50FD 3772 16:25 17:10TG 305 17:50 18:458M 332 19:25 20:10

FRI 8M 336 07:10 07:55FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05FD 3772 16:25 17:10PG 703 15:00 15:50TG 305 17:50 18:458M 332 19:25 20:10

SAT 8M 336 07:10 07:55FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05PG 703 15:00 15:50FD 3772 16:25 17:10TG 305 17:50 18:458M 332 19:25 20:10

SUN 8M 336 07:10 07:55FD 3770 07:10 07:55TG 303 07:55 08:50PG 701 09:15 10:05PG 703 15:00 15:50FD 3772 16:25 17:10TG 305 17:50 18:45 8M 332 19:25 20:10

SINGAPORE TO YANGONMON MI 512 07:55 09:20

8M 232 14:10 15:35MI 518 14:20 15:458M 234 19:40 21:05

TUE MI 512 07:55 09:208M 232 14:10 15:35MI 518 14:20 15:458M 234 19:40 21:05

WED MI 512 07:55 09:208M 6231 09:10 10:358M 232 14:10 15:35MI 518 14:20 15:45

THUR MI 512 07:55 09:208M 232 14:10 15:35MI 518 14:20 15:45MI 520 15:20 16:408M 234 19:40 21:05

FRI MI 512 07:55 09:208M 6231 09:10 10:358M 232 14:10 15:35MI 518 14:20 15:45MI 520 15:20 16:40

SAT MI 512 07:55 09:20

8M 6231 09:10 10:35

8M 232 14:10 15:35

MI 518 14:20 15:45

MI 520 15:20 16:40

SUN MI 512 07:55 09:20

8M 232 14:10 15:35

MI 518 14:20 15:45

MI 520 15:20 16:40

8M 234 19:40 21:05

KUALA LUMPUR TO YANGONMON MH 740 10:05 11:15

8M 502 14:00 15:00

AK 850 15:40 16:45

TUE MH 740 10:05 11:15

8M 502 14:00 15:00

AK 850 15:40 16:45

WED MH 740 10:05 11:15

AK 850 15:40 16:45

THU MH 740 10:05 11:15

8M 502 14:00 15:00

AK 850 15:40 16:45

FRI MH 740 10:05 11:15

8M 502 14:00 15:00

AK 850 15:40 16:45

SAT MH 740 10:05 11:15

AK 850 15:40 16:45

SUN MH 740 10:05 11:15

8M 502 14:00 15:00

AK 850 15:40 16:45

GUANGZHOU TO YANGONWED CZ 3055 08:50 10:30

THUR 8M 712 14:15 15:45

SAT CZ 3055 08:50 10:30

SUN 8M 712 14:15 15:45

TAIPEI TO YANGONMON CI 7915 09:55 12:45

WED CI 7915 09:55 12:45

FRI CI 7915 09:55 12:45

KUNMING TO YANGONTUE CA 905 12:35 13:15

WED CA 905 12:35 13:15

THUR CA 905 12:35 13:15

SAT CA 905 12:35 13:15

SUN CA 905 12:35 13:15

KOLKATA TO YANGONMon IC733 10:00 14:55

FRI IC728 15:50 16:40

CHIANG MAI TO YANGONTHUR W9 9608 14:30 15:00

SUN W9 9608 14:30 15:00

HANOI TO YANGONMON VN 957 16:35 18:10

WED VN 957 16:35 18:10

FRI VN 957 16:35 18:10

SAT VN 957 16:35 18:10

HO CHI MINH TO YANGONTUE VN 943 11:40 13:25

THUR VN 943 11:40 13:25

SUN VN 943 11:40 13:25

PHNOM PENH TO YANGONWED 8M 402 13:50 15:15

SAT 8M 402 13:50 15:15

GAYA TO YANGON

WED 8M 602 11:30 15:00

SAT 8M 602 11:30 15:00

TUE W9 009 08:30 09:30AW 902 08:35 10:00AW 892 08:35 10:306T 406 08:40 10:406T 402 08:55 10:55YH 910 09:25 10:50W9 011 09:25 11:10K7 229 11:15 12:40YH 812 13:25 14:506T 802 13:30 14:45W9 251 13:35 15:00W9 150 16:20 17:45AW 762 16:35 18:40YH 730 17:20 18:456T 502 17:20 19:25

WED W9 009 08:30 09:30AW 892 08:35 10:306T 402 08:55 10:556T 332 09:10 10:35W9 021 14:10 15:10AW 792 16:40 18:45YH 738 17:10 18:35AW 752 17:50 19:15K7 825 17:50 19:156T 502 17:20 19:25

THUR W9 009 08:30 09:30AW 892 08:35 10:306T 406 08:40 10:406T 332 08:45 10:10AW 902 08:50 10:156T 402 08:55 10:55YH 812 13:10 14:35W9 021 14:10 15:10K7 229 15:45 17:10AW 202 16:00 17:25YH 730 17:15 18:456T 502 17:20 19:25

FRI W9 009 08:30 09:30AW 892 08:35 10:306T 406 08:40 10:406T 332 08:45 10:10YH 918 08:50 10:456T 402 08:55 10:55W9 251 13:35 15:00AW 212 16:30 17:55YH 731 17:10 19:256T 502 17:20 19:25W9 232 17:35 19:00YH 728 17:45 19:10

SAT 6T 404 08:00 10:05AW 892 08:35 10:306T 402 08:55 10:55W9 011 09:25 11:10W9 262 10:50 12:15YH 812 13:10 14:356T 802 16:00 17:25AW 602 16:40 18:05K7 623 16:55 18:20YH 730 17:15 18:456T 502 17:20 19:25

SUN W9 009 08:30 09:30YH 910 08:35 10:00AW 892 08:35 10:306T 406 08:40 10:406T 402 08:55 10:55W9 011 09:25 11:10W9 256 11:20 12:45YH 812 13:10 14:356T 802 13:30 14:55AW 212 16:00 17:25K7 623 16:55 18:20YH 738 17:10 18:356T 502 17:20 19:25

YANGON TO NYAUNG UMON W9 143 06:00 07:20

AW 891 06:15 07:356T 405 06:15 07:35YH 633 06:15 07:506T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:05

TUE W9 143 06:00 07:20AW 901 06:15 07:356T 405 06:15 07:35AW 891 06:15 07:356T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:05

WED W9 143 06:00 07:20AW 891 06:15 07:356T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:056T 331 06:45 08:05K7 242 07:00 08:20AW 781 15:00 17:10

THUR AW 891 06:15 07:356T 405 06:15 07:35W9 009 06:30 07:25AW 901 06:30 07:506T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:05

FRI AW 891 06:15 07:356T 405 06:15 07:35W9 009 06:30 07:256T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:05K7 242 07:00 08:20

SAT AW 891 06:15 07:356T 403 06:15 08:30W9 009 06:30 07:256T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:056T 801 10:30 11:50

SUN W9 143 06:00 07:206T 405 06:15 07:35AW 891 06:15 07:35YH 909 06:15 07:50W9 009 06:30 07:256T 401 06:30 07:50K7 222 06:30 07:50YH 917 06:30 08:05

NYAUNG U TO YANGONMON AW 792 17:50 19:10

K7 223 08:10 11:15W9 109 17:25 18:20YH 732 17:55 19:156T 502 18:05 19:25

TUE K7 223 08:10 11:15YH 910 08:40 10:00AW 762 17:20 18:40W9 109 17:25 18:20AW 792 17:25 18:456T 502 18:05 19:25YH 732 18:10 19:30

WED K7 223 08:10 11:15W9 109 17:25 18:20AW 792 17:25 18:45YH 732 17:55 19:156T 502 18:05 19:25

THUR K7 223 08:10 11:15YH 910 08:40 10:00W9 109 17:25 18:20YH 732 17:55 19:156T 502 18:05 19:25

FRI K7 223 08:10 11:15W9 109 17:25 18:20YH 732 17:55 19:156T 502 18:05 19:25

SAT K7 223 08:10 11:15YH 910 08:40 10:006T 404 08:45 10:05W9 109 17:25 18:20YH 732 17:55 19:156T 502 18:05 19:25

SUN K7 223 08:10 11:15YH 910 08:40 10:00W9 109 17:25 18:20YH 732 17:55 19:156T 502 18:05 19:25

YANGON TO MYITKYINAMON W9 255 06:30 09:25

TUE W9 251 06:30 09:25

THUR AW 201 06:30 09:20W9 255 06:30 09:25

FRI W9 251 06:30 09:25

SUN AW 211 06:00 08:50W9 255 06:30 09:25

MYITKYINA TO YANGONMON W9 256 09:45 12:40

TUE W9 252 12:05 15:00

THUR AW 202 09:35 12:25W9 256 09:45 12:40

FRI W9 252 12:05 15:00

SUN W9 256 09:45 12:40

YANGON TO HEHOMON W9 119 11:00 12:10

AW 761 11:00 12:10YH 727 11:00 12:25K7 224 14:00 15:156T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25

TUE K7 822 08:00 09:156T 801 08:00 10:20W9 115 11:00 12:10AW 761 11:00 12:10YH 811 11:15 12:40K7 224 14:00 15:156T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25

WED AW 911 06:30 08:40W9 119 11:00 12:10YH 737 11:00 12:25K7 224 14:00 15:15AW 791 14:30 15:406T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25

THUR AW 761 11:00 12:10AW 201 11:00 12:10YH 811 11:00 12:25K7 224 14:00 15:15W9 109 14:30 15:256T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25

FRI AW 211 11:00 12:10K7 224 14:00 15:15W9 109 14:30 15:256T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25

YANGON TO HEHOFRI K7 244 13:00 15:30

NAYPYITAW TO YANGONFRI K7 245 15:50 16:50

YANGON TO MANDALAYMON AW 891 06:15 08:20

6T 405 06:15 08:20AW 911 06:30 07:556T 401 06:30 08:35W9 011 07:30 08:306T 801 08:30 09:55AW 761 11:00 12:556T 351 11:30 12:55K7 824 12:00 13:25AW 791 14:30 15:556T 501 15:00 17:00

TUE K7 228 06:00 07:25YH 909 06:15 07:556T 405 06:15 08:20AW 891 06:15 08:20AW 901 06:15 08:20W9 251 06:30 07:556T 401 06:30 08:356T 801 08:00 09:25YH 729 11:00 12:40AW 761 11:00 12:55K7 622 12:00 13:256T 501 15:00 17:00

WED 6T 405 06:15 08:20AW 891 06:15 08:20AW 911 06:30 07:506T 401 06:30 08:356T 331 06:45 08:056T 801 08:30 09:55AW 751 11:00 12:10YH 737 11:00 13:106T 351 11:30 12:55K7 824 12:00 13:25W9 261 13:30 07:55AW 791 14:30 16:25YH 731 15:00 17:106T 501 15:00 17:00

THUR K7 228 06:00 07:25YH 909 06:15 07:55AW 891 06:15 08:206T 405 06:15 08:20AW 901 06:30 08:356T 401 06:30 08:35W9 255 06:30 08:556T 331 07:00 08:25YH 729 10:30 13:30AW 201 11:00 12:55K7 622 12:00 13:25K7 226 12:30 13:556T 501 15:00 17:00YH 731 15:00 17:10

FRI AW 891 06:15 08:206T 405 06:15 08:20W9 251 06:30 07:556T 401 06:30 08:35YH 917 06:30 08:506T 331 07:00 08:25AW 751 11:00 12:25K7 824 11:00 12:25AW 211 11:00 12:55K7 224 13:00 14:256T 501 15:00 17:00YH 731 15:00 17:10

SAT W9 271 06:00 07:256T 403 06:15 07:40YH 909 06:15 07:55AW 891 06:15 08:20AW 911 06:30 07:506T 401 06:30 08:356T 801 10:30 12:35YH 729 10:30 13:30AW 601 11:30 12:55K7 622 12:00 13:256T 501 15:00 17:00AW 891 16:15 08:20

SUN YH 909 06:15 08:30AW 891 06:15 08:206T 405 06:15 08:206T 401 06:30 08:35W9 255 06:30 08:556T 801 08:00 09:25AW 211 11:00 12:25AW 751 11:00 12:25K7 622 12:00 13:256T 501 15:00 17:00

MANDALAY TO YANGONMON YH 634 08:35 10:00

AW 892 08:35 10:306T 406 08:40 10:406T 402 08:55 10:55W9 262 10:50 12:15W9 021 14:10 15:10YH 728 16:30 17:55AW 762 16:35 18:006T 502 17:20 19:25K7 825 17:50 19:15

SAT K7 822 08:00 09:15AW 751 11:00 12:10W9 119 11:00 12:10YH 811 11:00 12:25K7 224 14:00 15:156T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25

SUN AW SPL 07:30 08:40AW 751 10:30 11:40W9 115 11:00 12:10YH 811 11:00 12:25K7 826 12:30 13:45K7 224 14:00 15:156T 501 15:00 16:10YH 731 15:00 16:25YH 737 11:00 12:25

HEHO TO YANGONMON W9 143 09:05 10:15

AW 892 09:20 10:306T 406 09:30 10:40YH 918 09:35 10:45W9 011 09:40 10:356T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:15AW 792 16:55 19:10

TUE AW 892 09:20 10:306T 406 09:30 10:40YH 918 09:35 10:45W9 011 09:40 10:356T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:15K7 823 15:15 16:30W9 116 16:45 17:55

WED W9 143 09:05 10:15AW 892 09:20 10:306T 406 09:30 10:40YH 918 09:35 10:456T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:15

THUR W9 143 09:05 10:15AW 892 09:20 10:306T 406 09:30 10:40YH 918 09:35 10:456T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:15

FRI W9 143 09:05 10:15AW 892 09:20 10:306T 406 09:30 10:40YH 918 09:35 10:456T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:15

SAT AW 911 08:55 11:05W9 143 09:05 10:15AW 892 09:20 10:30YH 918 09:35 10:456T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:15K7 823 15:15 16:30AW 752 17:15 18:25

SUN AW SPL 08:55 10:05AW 892 09:20 10:306T 406 09:30 10:40YH 918 09:35 10:45W9 011 09:40 10:356T 402 09:45 10:55K7 223 10:00 11:156T 452 14:55 17:05AW 752 16:45 17:55W9 116 16:45 17:55YH 738 17:20 18:35

YANGON TO SITTWEMON 6T 607 11:00 13:00

W9 309 13:00 14:45

TUE 6T 611 11:15 12:40W9 309 13:00 14:45

WED 6T 607 11:00 13:00W9 309 13:00 14:45

THUR 6T 611 11:15 12:40W9 309 13:00 14:45

FRI 6T 607 12:15 13:40W9 309 13:00 14:45

SAT 6T 611 11:15 12:40W9 309 13:00 14:45

SUN 6T 611 11:15 12:40W9 309 13:00 14:45

SITTWE TO YANGONMON 6T 608 13:15 14:40

W9 310 15:00 16:45

TUE 6T 612 12:55 14:20W9 310 15:00 16:45

WED 6T 608 13:15 14:40W9 310 15:00 16:45

THUR 6T 612 12:55 14:20W9 310 15:00 16:45

FRI 6T 608 13:55 15:55W9 310 15:00 16:45

SAT 6T 612 12:55 14:20W9 310 15:00 16:45

SUN 6T 612 12:55 14:20

YANGON TO MYEIKMON 6T 707 07:30 09:30

TUE AW 301 07:00 09:056T 707 11:15 13:15K7 317 12:30 14:00

THUR K7 317 12:30 14:00AW 301 12:45 14:50

FRI AW 301 07:00 09:056T 707 11:15 13:15

SAT K7 317 12:30 14:00

SUN AW 301 12:45 14:50

MYEIK TO YANGONMON 6T 708 11:55 13:55

TUE 6T 708 15:40 17:40K7 318 16:40 18:10AW 302 17:15 19:20

THUR AW 302 11:30 13:35K7 318 16:40 18:10

FRI 6T 708 15:40 17:40

SAT K7 318 16:40 18:10

SUN AW 302 17:15 19:20

tea Breakthe MyanMar tiMes

40March 26 - April 1, 2012

Aquarius Jan 20 - Feb 18Cultivate a clear understanding of the difference between what you need and what you want, and know that it is important to strive for your needs while having the ability to wisely modify your desires. While it is often easy to read jealousy and avarice on the faces of others, set yourself the more difficult task of detecting understanding in the eyes of those with whom you have social relationships.

Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20Social interference will disturb your mind and cause unhappiness, which you will not be able to easily repair with fine speech. Replenish yourself with close friends, and keep your morale and energy levels high. You and your lover will have a happy reunion that will boost your relationship to higher levels than ever before. A fresh opportunity will shine with potential.

Aries March 21 - April 19Nothing stays the same way and everything changes. Through your own efforts you might earn something that will always stay with you. Learn to work hard to achieve a higher level of influence. Remember that a position doesn’t make a leader, but a leader can make the position. Never try to get the big position,

but strive to become a leader of yourself and community.

Taurus April 20 - May 20Seeing the world through a different set of eyes will help you divine the truth by exposing shadows to the light and making them disappear. Feelings of irritation are often signposts indicating which weaknesses you need to work on and which fears you need to face. Treat people with respect, and leave them in a better state than when you found them. Determination should force you to develop a sharp sense of concentration, leading you to greater accomplishments in life.

Gemini May 21 - June 20A blind impulse will impel you to take another run at glory. However, big disappointments in communication will take a turn toward the serious, and you will have to change your direction with great awareness. But nothing will annihilate you because of the wonderful favour of King Sun. When it comes to finding love, what you see is all that you have to work with. Learn to pay full attention to your partner to get a full emotional response.

Cancer June 22 - July 22Keep challenging yourself to think better, do better and be better. Stand for what is best and refuse to be average. Ask nothing, but open your ears at all times. Social communication will become unavailable, so the most effective channel for useful information will be to find out where the high-level business deals are being made. Relax your mind and cultivate emotional balance in love affairs.

Leo July 23 - Aug 22Keep your mind and body in perfect condition by living in a neutral state, but at the same time remain ever-active. You must achieve your objectives through your own efforts and courage. Never remain indifferent to your close friends who are living far from you. The door to the sanctuary of love is never far away and is always open. Infuse your heart and mind with a sense of marvel and meaning.

Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22Come to love not by finding the perfect person but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. You should know that at the peak of concentration, everything shifts into slow motion. As a big rule, believe that the human female is a skin creature who likes to enter a time-free zone of love. Good deeds should be performed without delay, and will result in the shining of new light that will help you find your direction.

Libra Sept 23 - Oct 22Rather than pretending that you are a perfect person, acknowledge your own faults and devise strategies to help you become the best person you can possibly be. Create a healthy balance of personal and professional interests. Set realistic goals to become more effective in your competitive environment. Pausing, waiting and taking time are necessary to develop the art of love.

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 21Let others know that you understand your own

faults. Doing so will help make you appear more approachable and trustworthy. Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world. Scrutinise your own heart to determine your true feelings for your partner. You will experience positive changes in your social milieu, and your untiring efforts will bring unexpected but profitable results.

Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 21Meditate on how to invest your consciousness. Think back on important people you have met and consider whether your first impressions of them were accurate, or whether you need to develop a better means of evaluating unfamiliar people. When sudden storms arise, do not raise shutters that will lock out your closest friends. You must take social risks to prosper, but beware of challenges from unexpected quarters.

Capricorn Dec 22 - Jan 19Friendship is the framework for success. The most important single ingredient in the formula of high achievement is knowing how to get along with people. Pride is really nothing more than a form of selfishness. A sense of greed without the tempering influence of self-management can lead to intense feelings of dissatisfaction. The key to opening the heart of someone you love is to use your wisdom to cultivate sympathy.

YOUR STARSBy Astrologer

Aung Myin Kyaw

By Ma Thanegi

TWO decades ago Sayasan Road, the part just off Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, had one or two large teashops. They were the kind that served the strong, sweet, condensed-milk-laced tea that is the lifeblood of Yangon men, along with buns, cakes and pastries filled with bean paste.

Now the whole street is lined on both sides with huge restaurants offering Thai food, grills, hotpot, noodles and many more varieties of the same. Most of these restaurants can easily be spotted, with their names and menus flashing in red, green and yellow neon.

But one place, a renovated 1950s house of a substantial size, sits back quietly from the road within a large compound. A wide and pretty glass pavilion stands at the side, rather like a dressed-up girl obediently standing next to her imposing mother. A discreet black-and-white

sign on the front wall says ‘Acacia Tea Salon’. But don’t be misled — Acacia is about much more than tea.

Someone I know to be a person of discerning taste in food and ambience had suggested that my friend Gabriele and I try Acacia. Never having heard of the place, but trusting my friend, we ventured forth one evening, saying to each other that if it did not work out we’d go someplace else. Our doubts were amplified after seeing the sign with the words “tea salon”.

We stepped inside the elegant front room where large glass cases showed off the most beautiful cakes we’d ever seen. They seemed inspired by Miro or Japanese gardens. We forgot about dinner, for a few minutes at least, but upon questioning a waiter, we were assured that we would be fed a proper meal.

Casting experienced eyes on the cakes, we decided to leave room for dessert. I wondered how anyone could

bear to eat up such works of art but, oh yes, we managed to gobble ’em up just fine.

The dining rooms lay behind the front room; the house must have been a residence of one of the old-money aristocrats, and apart from the re-plastered walls and off-white paint job, the decorator had left it in a state of minimalist elegance. A few tubs of tall, lush palms, some cases displaying blue and white ceramics, and white furniture gave an air of dignity to the place.

To break the uniformity, however beautiful, upstairs there was a long front room done in a riot pink, brown and red hues. Soft cushions and thick, wide floor seats were lined up against the walls: It was the Arabic Room, obviously meant for younger people with more flexible knees.

Off to one side of this room were two balconies with tables set for dinner, and at the back a wider patio overlooking the garden.

The menu was not extensive but offered good choices at reasonable prices, including pan fried tuna loin salad (K10,000), seared sea scallops salad (K12,000) and pan-fried French foie gras (K15,000). There were three soups — organic pumpkin (K6000), chicken broth and soup of the day — as well as sandwiches with smoked salmon, Black Forest ham or honey ham.

Of course there were teas — 45 varieties — such as the classics, flavoured green teas, herbal and fruit infusions, flower teas like rosebud, and what must delight tea connoisseurs: white tea. There was coffee too, of course, and a variety of breads.

Among the pasta dishes of homemade tagialini, fettucinni and tortellini, I chose the last, filled with duck confit, ham and porcini in cream sauce; it was heavenly. At K8000, it was a dish I could eat every day, or wait, maybe once a week.

Gabr i e l e had baked snow fish (K20,000), which had light, slightly firm, snowy white flesh, and the caramelised surface was crisp and aromatic and to die for. We thought we would try the veal cheeks another time, as well as the other pasta

dishes, or the sandwiches, or just more cake.

We went for three types of cake, which we chose from the front room display of perhaps 20 kinds: blueberry cheese tart, mango passion charlotte and the standard Black Forest slice, which had no look of being standard about it.

Gabriele pronounced it excellent. The mango passion charlotte was a little, glossy igloo of creamy fruit with coconut cream in its centre. The blueberry cheese tart, which the wait staff said was

the most popular, was our favourite as well.

I met, reverently shook hands with, and took down the names of the three exce l lent Tha i che f s , including the brilliant pastry chef. However, I decided to leave their names out of the story just in case another restaurant gets any ideas about headhunting them.

Acacia Tea Salon: more than just tea

Dessert is served at Acacia Tea Salon. Pic: Yadanar

For a personal reading contact Aung Myin Kyaw, 4th Floor, 113 Thamain Bayan Road,

Tamwe Township, Yangon. Tel: 0973135632,Email: williameaste@gmail.com

Acacia Tea Salon 52 Saya San RoadBahan TownshipTel: 01-554-739

EducationStuDy GuiDeS for Grade 10, 11 and Int’l school (ISY, MISY, ILBC, Total, PISM, Crane, MLA, Diploma-tic, RV) GCSE, SAT , IELTS, TOEFL, Teachers who have got Teaching experience in Singapore, Now back to Myanmar/ Teaching combination of Foreign and Myanmar Style/ Skillful Teachers, Saya Bryan M.E(IT) 09-215-0075 , Tr. Ahme B.Sc ( IC) Ph: 09-730-592 65, Saya Htet B.E(IT) Ph: 09-215-0075, 09-730- 35744, Saya Thet (MBBS) 09-731-11782, Korean Native English Teacher Tr. Kim (after 6 p.m) 655647 , Tr. Phyu 09430 83117 , Sayar Min Aung 0949 280 490 SPARe just a few hours every week. With steady pace you can achieve, See for yourself at ease! (Home tuition available) Teacher Moe (Retired Lecturer) Ph: 09-560-0747.

ABC PReSCHOOL, Subjects : English (4) Skills, Science, Basis Mathematics, Concepts, Myanmar, Hand Work, Drawing & Colouring, Performing Art, Social Studies, Poems , Songs & Rhymes, Excursion.

Time Duration ; School Hour:9:00-15:00 (Close only Sat & Sun). English, Chinese Language, Computer Course : Sat & Sun. No.17, Kamarkyi Rd, Thuwunna .Email : preschoolabc@gmail.com

Expert Service We provide:(1) Buying vehicle One Stop Service for Scrapped-ear-owners and tax-payers. (2)Courier Service for documents and goods to Singapore. (3) Applying Licence in Nay Pyi Taw. (4) Arranging Bank Documents. (5) Arrang-ing Shipping Docu-ments & Transportat-ion. (6) Distribution Services. (7) Finding Oversea Customers. (8) Air Cargo and Sea Cargo Services. (9) Services for Trading, Banking and Shipping to any country via Singapore. Winner Ocean Trading Co., Ltd :75/B, 15 St, Middle Block, Lanmadaw. Ph: 01-03450030, 01-212985, 09-430-88422, 09-516-1716.

tRAnSLAtiOn: Those who are looking for a competent translator; I provide English to Myanmar and Myanmar to English. Specialize in Novel, business and ngos materialsetc: Pls Contact Daw Maw Maw San ph: 09-431-97513 mail: maw.

san @ gmail.comLanguage

HOMe tutiOn japanese language regular course (basic, inter) jpn going course, myanmar language for japanese. Ph: 09-7303-2296

enGLiSH language at your home. Interested persons kindly contact ph : 09-430-57719, 09- 730-21435.

MyAnMAR for foreigners. Ph: 09-731-61269.

GuiDe (For Embassy family and others) When you stay in Myanmar,do you want to ask to your children to learn Myanmar language ? Call-09-732-23668 (ko soe thi aung)

For SaleHR SOFtWARe Package: Price 200,000. Modules: Employee Manage-ment, Time Atten- dance, Payroll. (Avail-able: FingerPrint/Card). POS Software Package: Price 150,000. (Modules: Inventory Control, Purchase, Sale, Account Payable. (Available :Barcode Printer/ Scanner). Contact Ph:09-504-2775.

SHARP Aircon (1.5 HP), Window Type, Brand new special price/offer for projects & hotels. Ph: 206001.

uRGent to sell foe Internet cafe shop At main road (Ba Ho road), Sanchang. 33 computers sets,15kv generator, 4 air conds. 100 Lakhs, Negotiable, Contact : 01-502928, 09-540-8250.

RAzeR Starcraft 2 Headphone , Apple Superdrive New, HTC sensation XE Beat, Dual Core 1.5mhz, Memory 768mb, 8MP Camera with beat earphone Used Price - 380000. Ph: 09-730-48374

Public NoticeAn inDiViDuAL VB.net trainer who can teach during Water Festival Holidays can call: 09-500-6752, 09-518-7487.

Training.net Programming : Home (1) C#.Net, (2) Asp.Net, (3) Sql Server, (4) Other Programming Concept With Project Contact me:Thanda 09-

731-63643MAkeuP Artist from Bangkok is in Yangon for 2 months and avaliable to give private makeup classes in both English and Burmese in request. Availiable subjects are Basic Makeup Application, Products Information & Usageof Know-ledge, Highlighting & Contouring, Film/TV makeup, Photography makeup, Events make-up, Bridal makeup, Male grooming and so on for both Pro and Begginer

level. My works can be seen on www. facebook. com/Makeup.Flora and you can contact me directly at 01 80 10 912. Flora (Thet Thet )

GuitAR GuiDe To Home Ph:09-731-94925

TravelnyAn Myint tHu Car rental service : 56, Bo Ywe St, Latha. Ph: 246551, 375283, 09-645-0599

tHinGyAn SALe

Promotion Ngapali Beach Tour April 12 To 15 , 2012 ( 3N/4D ) Ngapali Beach Fully Package Tours. Including Air Ticket (Round Trip ) 3 star Hotel (3 Night) Meal (Breakfast 3 times , Lunch 4 times , Dinner 3 times) Thandwe Airport to Ngapali Beach car transpor-tation Tour price 490000 Ks / pax Contact person Ms. OUNG [ Ms. Mya Mya Oung, (Tour Manager of Oake Khaung Travels & Tours) Ph: 09-732-42224 Oake Khaung Travels & Tours Co.,Ltd: W-1, West Aung San Stadium, Mingalar Taung Nyunt , Tel (off): 01-252953, 383968, 707-093, 725-858, 706305, 721212, 4413319, 09-730-42266, 09-730-42277. Fax: 01-383968 E-mail : oktouroperator @ gmail. com, Website: www. okmyanmar travels.comWant To Buy

uSeD LAPtOP, Note- book, Netbook, MacbookPro, Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Digital Camera, External Hardisk, Used Phone Nokia Blackberry HTC Sony Ericsson Samsung Galaxy S2 Galaxy Note, Huawei Apple Ipod Touch 4G Iphone 3gs iphone 4, 4s handset Ipad Ipad2) Ph: 09-517-8391

PROPERTY

HousingforRentBAHAn, Apartment along New University Ave Rd, Good electricity & water essential. Fully furnished with 2-3 rooms with attached toilet. Rent Rate - USD500 to USD700 per month. (6 month advance rental). Rental period 1 to 3 years. Pls contact : 09-512-8095 - Ma Thinzar Oo

BAHAn: Golden Valley, Two Story Building, Fully Furnished, Fully Furniture, 2MB, 2SB, Ph,A/C,GoodNeighbor-hood, 20 Lakhs, Foreigners welcome. Call - 09-432-00669

BAHAn, Takathoyeik mon condo, 7F, 1500 Sqft , Fully Furnished, Fully Furniture, 3 A/C, 1 MBR, 2 SBR ,1PH, 6 Lakhs, Ph : 09-731-35900

tHinGAnGyun, 40 x 60 3RC ThuMinGaLar Rd, Good location for car show room & business. ph: 09-430-80638.

BAHAn, Golden Valley, 0.35 acre Land, big garden, 2 storey, ph line, semi-furnished, 4 MBR, US$ 3000 per month, Ph: 09-502-0969

CHinA tOWn apartment, lift, 17’x 59', Ph line, 2AC, 2MBR, Jacuzzi, Funished Room, water heater, US$ 1000 / 8 Lakhs per month, Ph: 09-502-0969

MAyAnGOne, Pyay Rd, 0.5acre land, 2RC Storey new house, 5 master bed rooms, ph, Fully furnished, big garden, US$ 3500 Per month, Ph: 09-503-4954

Housing for SaleLASHiO : 2Acres Land including the main house and 2storey building. In downtown and Very Good place for business. Price: negotiable Ph: 09-515-8738

MAnDALAy : 26(B) Rd, between (86/87) A u n g m y a y t h a r s a n Township. (22 feet X 75 feet ) Ph: 09-504-8704, 02-21915.

Rent / SaletAMWAe : Lovely Banglow, 2 Story, 1 MB, 2SB, 50’x100' Yard, Fully Furnished, 1Ph, 9 Lakhs, Foreigners welcome. Call - 01-569448, 09-731-35900

INGO PositionSOLiDARiteS Int'l is seeking Construction technician in Monywa, Sagaing Region: Specific technical knowledge & experien-ce in construction of small scale community infrastructures (especia-lly water collection and supply facilities). Experience in team supervision. Previous experience in supervis-ing Cash for Work or similar activities is considered as an advantage. Knowledge of the Dry Zone and the project area is consider-ed as an advantage. Understanding of engineering drawings and techincal designs. Driving license and ability to drive motorbikes. Pls submit your application (CV, cover letter, references) to the attention of: Deputy Administrative Manager, GRET Office, 130, Zawtika St, Yankin Ward, Monywa -Sagaing Region. (OR) Solidarites Int'l per email: mon.adm. assst @ solidarites-myanmar. org or eieiphyu04@ gmail.com. Final date for applications: 30.3. 2012 at 05:00 PM. Only short listed candidates will be contacted by phone or by email for an interview.

SOLiDARiteS Int'l (SI) is looking for Logistics Supervisor, Kyein Dwe Base; Kanpetlet Tsp, Southern Chin State. : 2 years professional experience in Logistics field with INGO/ NGO. University Degree or Diploma (preferably in Logistics, Public Administration, Busi-ness administration, accountancy or related area). Or related proven experience in similar area. Knowledge of IT management and MS office (excel, word, power point). Fluent spoken and written English and Myanmar. Good writing & communication skill. Pls submit application (CV, cover letter, references) to the attention of: Win Htay, Deputy Logistics Coordinator - Solidarites Int'l : 44 A, Tharyarwaddy lane, Saya San Ward, Bahan Tsp, Yangon or per email: hr.solidarites. chin.mm@gmail.com & ygn.dpt.logco@ solidarites-myanmar. org. Closing date: 31.3.2012. Only those who qualify the basic requirements will be called for interview.

MeDeCinS du Monde (MDM) is seeking Field Logistician, 1 post in Yangon : Graduate or degree. At least 2 years experience in Logistic Field. Fluent oral and written English. Good Computer skills (Micro-soft Office, Advenced Excel, MS windows, Internet & Email. Interested & qualified applicants should submit CV and a cover letter to MDM Yangon Office 16, Kan Yeik Thar St, Mayangone , Yangon. Tel: 662604, 652658. Email: hr. mdmmyanmar@gmail. com, Closing Date: 5th April, 2012.

SOLiDARiteS Int'l (SI) is looking for (1) AgricultureSupervisor in Myebon, Rakhine State. The position will offer opportunity of regular field trips to the project Villages. (2) Deputy programme Coordinator specializ-ed in Agriculture, Food Security & livelihoods projects. Profile: MBA in Agriculture or other relevant University Degree in the Agriculture sector. 5 years professional experience in project management in the humanitarian or rural development sector. Proficiency in written &

spoken English, Fluency in Myanmar. Excellent writing/ reporting abilities and analytical skills. High computer literacy (Word, Excel, Power Point). (3) Deputy Programme Manager: MBA in Agriculture or other relevant Univeristy Degree. 4 years of professional experience in project management in the humanitarian or rural development sector. For 2 & 3 : Previous experience with an INGO in implementing Food Security/ liveli-hood activities is a must. Fluent in both written & spoken English/ Excellent reporting skills. Good computer skills in particular for data processing & analysis; proficiency in MS Office. Knowledge of the Rakhine State. Pls submit application including a CV, cover letter addressing how you meet the profile required, & references to the attention of: Caroline Courtois, Pro-gramme Coordinator - Solidarites Int'l office : 44 A, Taryarwaddy Lane, Sayar San Ward, Bahan, Yangon OR per email: hr.solidarites. rk. mm@ gmail.com (thanks to use basic excel, word or pdf format). Closing date: 31.3.2012.

CARe Myanmar organi-zation is seeking (1) Senior Program Officer (Gender) - Yangon - 1 post, Closing date : 27th March 2012 (2) emergency Coordinator (Re-announcement) - Yangon - 1 post, Closing date: 28th March2012 (Wednesday) “Qualify women are strongly encourage to apply ½. Pls request the detailed Terms of Reference at the CARE Myanmar office during office hours (8:30 to 5:00) between Monday to Friday or can obtain by email: recruitment@ care.org.mm 17A, Pyi Htaung Su St, Sayarsan Rd, Sayarsan North-West Ward, Bahan, Tel: 401419, 401420.

BuRnet Institute Myanmar is an Int'l Non Government Organi-zation which seeks dedicated people for the following position. (1)Receptionist -1 Post Closing date is March 26, 2012(Monday), 5:00 PM. Detailed information could be seen at the notice board of our Burnet office. Interested & qualified applications are required to submit an Application letter and CV to Human Resource Officer at Burnet Institute Office: 226, 2nd Flr, Wizaya Plaza, U Wisara Rd, Bahan, or by email to burnet. myanmar@gmail. com no later than March 26, 2012 (Monday) .

SOLiDARiteS Int'l (SI) is seeking Human Resource Officer (HR Offier) : Humanitarian values & strong motivat-ion to gain experience with Int'l Humanitarian Organization. Last years of University Degree (preferably in Int'l relations, Public relations, Diplomatic career, Public Admini-stration, Business administration,accoun- tancy or related area) or related experience in similar area. Fluent in English & Myanmar. Good writing & com-munication skills. Flexible, reactive, trustful and calm under pressure. Knowledge of MS office. Pls submit application (CV, cover letter, references) by email on the following e-mail : ygn.adm. coordo@ solidarites-international.org, hr. solidarites.mm@gmail. com Important: the position you want to apply for has to be

specified in the subject of your e-mail, other-wise the application will not be considered as valid. Closing date: 31.3.12.

Local PositionSeekinG the following Full-time positions at various locations in Yangon. it, Accoun-tants, Cashiers, Receptionists, Guest Relation Officers, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Office Clerks, Purcha-sers, Storekeepers, H o u s e k e e p i n g , Laundry Attendant, Securities, Barista, Public Area Attendant (Cleaner) , electriction, Plumber . Interested persons can submit CV with one recent photo, bio data, education certificates, NRC copy, labor registration card in person at ECO Apartment - Pearl Condominium Tower E, Ground Flr No. Ga 21, Kabaaye Pagoda Rd, Yangon or email at mashwemee@gmail.com. Contact Ph: 01-557488, 09-564-0880.

SinGAPORe based company is looking for Consultant (.Net/Java) based in Yangon. The candidate will be working from home for the first 3 months. Attracted salary will be offered according to experience. Interview will be conducted in Yangon in the first 2 weeks of April, 2012. Any interested person, please send CV/Resume to myanmarhr @mevo.com.sg.

QuARtO Products is one of the leading Fine Food & Wine Distribut-ion Company in Myanmar. We are seeking for the following vacancies; (1) Accountant (Manager) - M/F 1 Post :Financial Controller with at least 10 years accountant job experience. Must possess Leadership qualities & foreign company work expe-rience preferred. (2) Accountant (Supervisor) - M/F 1 post : At least 5 years accounting related work experience and foreign company work experience preferred. Possessed ACCA certificates. (3) Assistant Accountant - M/F 1 post : B.com or LCCI Level III. Age less than 30 with minimum 1 or 2 years experience at related field. Good command of English & computer knowledge preferred. (4) Admin & HR Manager - M/F 1 post : Possessed a degree in Human Resource related studies with several years international working experience. (5) Customer Service Assistant - M/F 2 posts : Experience in International hotels preferred with good command of English speaking skills. (6) Operation Staff - M 3 posts : Young male graduate, hardworking with physical ability to move stock, past experience with managing inventory preferred. (7) Manage-ment trainees - M/F 5 posts : Young graduates who are ambitious to become top manage-ment. Possessed a sharp mind and strong characters. You can apply with cover letter, CV with 2 recent photos, copies of NRC card, labor registration card, Police recommendat-ion letter, others educational references & experience to 5 ( B/ D) , Bayint Naung Lane, 550768, 530237.

SAiL Marketing & Communications is seeking experienced advertising agency executives to serve international clients.

(1) Client service manager. (2) Media manager. Please apply at 790 Bogyoke Rd and Wadan Rd Junction Suite403, Danathiha Center Lanmadaw, Yangon, Myanmar Ph: 951-211870, 951-224820.

GReAteR Man Int'l Trading Co., Ltd is seeking : (1) Business Development execut-ives 2 Posts : Can set a business Plan and must have business acumen. BBM or BBA graduated are preferable. (2) Sales executive - 2 Posts : Should have automobiles & machinery related knowledge. Engineer-ing back groud with CAN DO attitude in indispensible. (3) Accountant - 2 Posts: Can Prepare income statement and should have two years related experiences with good will. Age over 25 is preferable. (4) Assistant Mechanic - 2 Posts : Candidate must possess at least a professional certificate from any field. 2 years of experience in the related field is required for this position. All candidates must be energetic enthusiastic and result oriented. Sociable & interested in vehicles, automobiles & related parts. Fluent English, Computer literate and speaking Chinese is preferable. Candidate must be able to travel if works is demanding. Pls submit application to Summit Prak View Hotel, Rm: 220, 221, Alone Rd,

Dagon Tsp, Yangon.inteR GROuP of Companies is a leading management consulting company based in Singapore. We are inviting suitable candidates to join our team for Myanmar operation in the following job opportunity: Admin Assistant : Degree or Diploma Holder. Must familiar with import and export procedures. Good communication & interpersonal skills. Computer Literate. Able to work independently & efficiently in a fast-paced environment . Pls submit your detailed resume with one recent passport photo and together with copies of educational certificates and testimonials to Inter Consulting Co., Ltd : 30 (B-1), Rm 601, 6th Flr, YadanarInnya Condo, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan , Yangon, (Opposite of Fruit Market) Tel: 01-7310 5353 , 01-7310 5340 Email: hr@ icononline. net not later than 6th April 2012 .

(1) WAReHOuSe Manager - M 1 Post : Any graduate. Working experienced at least 3 to 5 years. Age 35 to 40. Good in English & IT. (2) it Assistance Manager - M 1 Post : Any graduate.

Any diploma or certificate with concerning IT. Working Experience at least 3 years. Age 25 to 30. (3) General Worker - M 3 Posts : Passed with matriculation. Age 18 to 25. (4) korean-Myanmar translator - M/F 1 Post : Diploma in Korean from YUFL. 2 years exprience. Age 20 to 25. (5) Security Officer - M 1 Post : Passed with Matriculation. 3 years experience. Age 40 to 45. (6) Security Man - M 4 Posts : Passed with Matriculation. 2 years experience. Age 25 ~ 50. (7) Driver - M 1 Post : Passed with Matriculation. 2 years experience. Age 30 to 35. We must priority all of the post had with experience. Closing date : 28.3.2012. Pls submit application to Office: 10/12, 1st Flr, Bogalay Zay St, Botahtaung, Ph: 392210, 09-500-7538, 09-731-50242. E-mail: naingmyint@gmail.com (skype-hnnagent99) www.hnnbiz-myanmar seashine.com

HORizOn International Kindergarten is expanding the classes. So that, we are looking for the enthusiastic colleagues. (1) Assistant teacher - F 20 Posts: University Graduate. Must be proficient in English. Comfortable working with young learners. (2) Office Secretaries - F 2 Posts : Univeristy Graduate. Must be proficient in English. Has basic accounting

knowledge. Good letter writing skill. (3) nurse - F 2 Posts: Certificate or diploma in related field. Good command of English. Comfortable working with young learners. Interested candidates may submit within a couple of week with a cover letter, a resume/ CV, a copy of relevant Diploma (certificate) & a current photo to the following address: Horizontal Int’l Kindergarten (Po Sein Campus). 5/A, Po Sein Rd, Bahan, Ph: 548452. No.58/B, Shwe Hinn Thar St, 12 Ward, 6½ Mile, Pyay Rd, Hlaing, Ph: 511595.

(1) PLAnninG Manager M/F 1- Must be a MBA/ DMA or relevant degree holder with at least 5 years experience. Understand & commit to ISO system. Can survive in challenging culture/ spirit. Benefit will be from USD 200 to USD 800 based on achieve-ment. (2) Operation Manager - M/F 1post: Must be a MBA/ DMA or relevant degree holder with at least 5 years experience. Able to manage to achieve targets. Understand and commit to ISO system. Can survive in challenging culture/ spirit.

Benefit will be from USD 200 to USD 800 based on achievement. (3) Brand Sales Manager - M/F 2 posts: Able to launch and maintain a product brand in market. Must be a degree holder with 4 years experience. Preferable with relevant diploma or certificate. Understand and commit to ISO system. Benefit will be from USD 200 to USD 800 based on achievement. (4) Sales Manager - M/F 8 posts: Able to manage sale (team) to achieve target. Must be a degree holder with 4 years experience. Benefit will be from USD 150 to USD 700. Remark for No. 1 to 4 posts: All middle level managers are welcome to challenge to an entrepreneur program after achieving satisfactory results. Computer literature skill is preferable for all posts. (5) Management trainee (for Junior Management Posts) M/F 10 posts: Must be a degree holder with 3 years experience. Preferable with relevant diploma or certificate that matches to working experience or interest. Self-motivation, strong in any point with can-do spirit. Benefit will be from USD 100 to USD 300 based on achievement. Suitable posts will be assigned only after management trainee period based on your talent. Remark for No.5 posts: All the selected candidate will be offered to have free management training under the title of “Basic Management Concepts & How to solve problem effectively & efficiently” before provisional recruitment. Computer literature skill is prefer-able for all posts. Pls submit application to E-mail: peterxu. purchase @gmail. com

neeD a lady “junior staff”, at least a graduate, aged around 20~25, for an int’l trade promotional organizat-ion in Yangon, capable of fluent English, computer knowledge, Japanese language skill as an added value, office logistical & secretarial works with keen interest in teamwork. Pls submit applications attached with bio data, copies of certificates & N.R.C, a recent photo to (Sedona Hotel Business Suites#04-02, No. 1, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd., Yankin, Closing date: April 6th, 2012.

SAVOy HOteL is urgently looking for (1) Chief engineer - 1 post 5 years experience . (2) HR/Payroll Assistant - 1 post : 2 years experien-ce. (3) Reservation Assistant - 1 post (4) Waiter/Waitress - 3 posts. For position 3 & 4 1 year experience in hotel fields. Applicat-ion letter by email to operations @ savoyhotel-yangon. com or 129, Dhamma-zedi Rd, Yangon. Tel: 526298, 526289.

inCePtA Pharmaceu-tical Ltd is looking for Medical Promotion Officer (MPO) - 4 posts :Preferably science graduate with 1-2 year experience. Interested candidates are requested for a walk-in-interview in the following address with updated CV in between 10-12 am and 3-5 pm everyday from 14th March to 10th April 2012. Incepta Pharmaceuti-cal Ltd. No.92/94, Rm #3B, 52nd St, Pazun-daung. Ph: 294859, 09-519-0127.

We are urgently seeking (1) General Manager - M 1 Post : Any Graduate or Higher Degree (MBA is preferable). Age 35-45. 7 years experience. knowledge in English. (2) HR Manager - M/F 1 Post : Any graduate,

more preferable MBA degree or DMA diploma holder. Age 30 ~ 45. 5 years experience. De-monstrable experience in Microsoft Office, especially Access & Excel. Effective spoken & written English. (3) Business Develop-ment Manager - M/F 1 Post : Any Graduate or higher degree (MBA is preferable). Age 35-45. 5 years experiences . Good command of English, Computer literate. (4) Dy Manager/ Asst: Manager - M/F 1 Post: Any Graduate (MBA is preferable). Age 35 ~ 45. 3 years experience. Ability to communicat-ion with English. Computer literate. (5) Senior executive (Commercial) - M/F 2 Posts : Working experience in commer-cial Fields (Export, Import documentat-ion). Age under 35. 3 years experience. Good command of English/ Chinese is preferable. Computer literate. For 5 & 6 : Must be staying in Northern Shan State alternative-ly. (6) Senior Account-ant - M/F 2 Posts : B.Com, B.Act, CPA or Higher Degree. Age 30-45. 5 years experience. Must be staying in Northern Shan State alternatively & meal are arranged during in Shan (Nam Kham). Good command of English/ Chinese is preferable. (7) Busi-ness Development executive - M/F 2 Posts : Any Graduate. Age under 35. 1 ~ 2 years experiences in Business development & Tender field. Good command of English. Computer literate.(8) Manager for Executive Office - M/F 1 Post : Any Graduate (MBA is preferable). Age 35-45. 5 years experien-ce in Cooperative multiple tasks with all concerning depart-ment. Good command in English . Computer literate. Pls submit an application letter, with full CV detailing experience, knowledge and skills. Pls include the names and contact details of referees to the HR Department by email to hrd1@ pristinemyanmar. com or PO Box 428 or No.B/7, Taw Win Rd, 9 Mile, Mayangone, within 2 weeks.

tRAVeL Company is seeking (1) inbound Sales & Marketing executive. (2) Outbound Marketing. Remark: Only who has experiences in Tourism Industry. Ph: 371722, 700894, 09-731-93410, 09-731-93420.

(1) DeSiGneR & Architect - Furniture Design / Interior - AutoCAD , Photo shop, Illustrator (2) Program-mer - IT, Computer Engineering, Able to create database, Pro-gramming with 2 years experience (3) Sales & Marketing executives :5 years experience in Interior Design Material/ Furniture.All posts must have 3 to 5 years experience and good command of English & computer skills. Able to drive will be of advantage. Ph: 505345,

707942 email: tps.ygn @gmail.com TPS Wooden Industries Sdn Bhd. 135 - A1, Than Lwin Rd, Kamayut.

JAPAneSe Newly Investment Company at Yangon “EnBiz Myanmar Ltd. (pre-established)” Employ-ment condition and qualification: all the following fields required & age 22-50 years, M/F. Salary is negotiable. English or Japanese communicat-ion skill, minimum computer skill like MS office, internet skill is needed. Managing position: MBA or Equivalent experience. Legal Advisor (commercial): labor law, commercial law etc. Accounting Advisor (commercial): business accounting Japanese translator: business level Japanese language skill. All position Japanese or English language business level skill prefers. Pls send CV to : maymkyi @gmail.com & Kawabata@ nantsu. jp

We ARe looking for highly motivated, creative & energetic individual for Myanmar International Trading Position: Senior Admi-nistrative Assistant: Bachelor Degree preferably in Law. 3 years experience. Spoken/written – Myanmar / English. Computer literate. Able to work independently with minimum supervis-ion. Good communicat-ion skills. Duties & responsibilities. Handle the operations & administrative funct-ions & accounts. Able to multi task. Deal with all levels of the staff effectively. Handle important incoming calls. Pls send applicat-ions with updated C.V. educational certificates & references to Myanmar Int'l Trading Co., Ltd. #92, First Flr, The Strand Hotel, Strand Rd, Kyauktada . Ph:09-730-90408, 254270

MyAnMAR Women Entrepreneurs’Associat- ion (MWEA) is the nonprofit organization in Myanmar is looking Project Manager - 1 post (Yangon) : University Degree /Master Degree in political science, business management with related field. 3 years of relevant experience in the area of project management of gender related projects. Application must include a cover letter, current CV, copies of relevant academic qualification certificate and a recent passport sized photograph. Application should be address to mwea2008 @gmail.com (or) 288/290, MWEA Tower, Shwedagon Pagoda Rd, Dagon Tsp. Closing Date: March 31, 2012

ABC PReSCHOOL is looking for qualified teacher under 25 years old with friendly, patient, self motivated & graduated. Pls send application together with update CV photo, education credentials, & reference to preschoolabc@ gmail. com, No.17, Kamarkyi Rd, Thuwunna,

Employment

The Essentials

Emergency Numbers Ambulance tel: 295133. Fire tel: 191, 252011, 252022. Police emergency tel: 199. Police headquarters tel: 282541, 284764. Red Cross tel:682600, 682368Traffic Control Branch tel:298651Department of Post & Telecommunication tel: 591384, 591387.Immigration tel: 286434.Ministry of Education tel:545500m 562390Ministry of Sports tel: 370604, 370605Ministry of Communications tel: 067-407037.Myanma Post & Telecommunication (MPT) tel: 067-407007.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.

HOSPITALSCentral Women’s Hospital tel: 221013, 222811.Children Hospital tel: 221421, 222807Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital tel: 543888.Naypyitaw Hospital (emergency) tel: 420096.Worker’s 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.

ELECTRICITYPower Station tel:414235

POST OFFICEGeneral Post Office 39, Bo Aung Kyaw St. (near British Council Library). tel: 285499.

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTYangon International Airport tel: 662811.

YANGON PORTShipping (Coastal vessels) tel: 382722

RAILWAYSRailways information tel: 274027, 202175-8.

UNITED NATIONSILO Liaison Officer Rm (M1212~1220), 12 Fl-A, Traders Hotel. 223, tel: 242 393, 242811. fax: 242594.IOM 12th Flr, Traders Hotel, 223, tel: 252560 ext. 5002UNAIDS Rm: (1223~1231), 12 Fl, Traders Hotel. tel: 252361, 252362, 252498. fax: 252364.UNDCP 11-A, Malikha St, Mayangone tsp. tel: 666903, 664539. fax: 651334.UNDP 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan tel: 542910-19. fax: 292739.UNFPA 6, Natmauk Rd, Bahan tsp. tel: 546029.UNHCR 287, Pyay Rd, Sanchaung tsp. tel: 524022, 524024. fax 524031.UNIAP Rm: 1202, 12 Fl, Traders Hotel.tel: 254852, 254853.UNIC 6, Natmauk St., BHN tel: 52910~19UNICEF 14~15 Flr, Traders Hotel. P.O. Box 1435, KTDA. tel: 375527~32, fax: 375552 email: unicef.yangon@unicef. org, www.unicef.org/myanmar.UNODC 11-A, Malikha Rd., Ward 7, MYGN. tel: 666903, 660556, 660538, 660398, 664539, fax: 651334. email: fo.myanmar@unodc.org www.unodc.org./myanmar/UNOPS Inya Lake Hotel, 3rd

floor, 37, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 951-657281~7. Fax: 657279.UNRC 6, Natmauk Rd, P.O. Box 650, TMWE tel: 542911~19, 292637 (Resident Coordinator), fax: 292739, 544531.WFP 3rd-flr, Inya Lake Hotel, 37, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 657011~6 (6-lines) Ext: 2000.WHO 12A Fl, Traders Hotel. tel:250583.ASEAN Coordinating Of. for the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force, 79, Taw Win st, Dagon Township. Ph: 225258.FAO Myanma Agriculture Service Insein Rd, Insein. tel: 641672, 641673. fax: 641561.

EMBASSIESAustralia 88, Strand Road, Yangon. tel : 251810, 251797, 251798, 251809, 246462, 246463, fax: 246159Bangladesh 11-B, Than Lwin Road, Yangon. tel: 515275, 526144, fax: 515273, email: bdootygn@mptmail.net.mmBrazil 56, Pyay Road, 6th mile, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon. tel: 507225, 507251, 507482. fax: 507483. email: Administ.yangon@itamaraty.gov.br.Brunei 317/319, U Wizara Road, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. tel: 526985, 524285, fax: 512854 email: bruneiemb@ bruneiemb.com.mmCambodia 25 (3B/4B), New University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 549609, 540964, fax: 541462, email: RECYANGON @mptmail.net.mmChina 1, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 221280, 221281, 224025, 224097, 221926, fax: 227019, 228319Egypt 81, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 222886, 222887, fax: 222865, email: egye mbyangon@mptmail. net.mmFrance 102, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 212178, 212520, 212523, 212528, 212532, fax: 212527, email: ambaf rance. rangoun@ diplomatie.frGermany 9, Bogyoke Aung San Museum Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 548951, 548952, fax: 548899 email: info@rangun. diplo.deIndia 545-547, Merchant Street, Yangon. tel: 391219, 388412, 243972, fax: 254086, 250164, 388414, email: indiaembassy @mptmail.net.mm

Indonesia 100, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 254465, 254469, 229750, fax: 254468, email: kukygn @indonesia.com.mmIsrael 15, Khabaung Street, Hlaing Tsp, Yangon. tel: 515115, fax: 515116, email: info@yangon.mfa.gov.ilItaly 3, Inya Myaing Road, Golden Valley, Yangon. tel: 527100, 527101, fax: 514565, email: ambyang.mail@ esteri.itJapan 100, Natmauk Road, Yangon. tel: 549644-8, 540399, 540400, 540411, 545988, fax: 549643Embassy of the State of Kuwait Chatrium Hotel, Rm: No.416, 418, 420, 422, 40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe Tsp, Tel: 544500.North Korea 77C, Shin Saw Pu Road, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. tel: 512642, 510205, fax: 510206South Korea 97 University Avenue, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 527142-4, 515190, fax: 513286, email: hankuk@kore mby.net.mmLao A-1, Diplomatic Quarters, Tawwin Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. tel: 222482, fax: 227446, email: Laoembcab@mptmail. net.mmMalaysia 82, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Yangon. tel: 220248, 220249, 220251, 220230, fax: 221840, email: mwkyangon@mptmail.net.mmNepal 16, Natmauk Yeiktha, Yangon. tel: 545880, 557168, fax: 549803, email: nepemb @mptmail.net.mmPakistan A-4, diplomatic Quarters, Pyay Road, Yangon. tel: 222881 (Chancery Exchange) fax: 221147, email: pakistan@ myanmar.com.mm

Philippines 50, Sayasan Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 558149-151, fax: 558154, email: p.e. yangon@gmail.comRussian 38, Sagawa Road, Yangon. tel: 241955, 254161, fax: 241953, email: rusinmyan@mptmail .net.mmSerbia No. 114-A, Inya Road, P.O.Box No. 943-Yangon. tel: 515282, 515283, fax: 504274, email: serbemb@ yangon.net.mmSingapore 238, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. tel: 559001, fax: 559002, 559922, email: singemb_ ygn@_sgmfa. gov.sgSri Lanka 34 Taw Win Road, Yangon. tel: 222812, fax: 221509, email: slembassy.yangon@gmail.com, info@slembyangon.org, www.slembyangon.orgThailand 94 Pyay Road, Dagon Township, Yangon. tel: 226721, 226728, 226824, fax: 221713United Kingdom 80 Kan-na Road, Yangon. tel: 370867, 380322, 371852, 371853, 256438, 370863, 370864, 370865, fax: 370866United States of America 110, University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Yangon. tel: 536509, 535756, 538038, fax: 650306Vietnam Building No. 72, Thanlwin Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. tel: 511305, fax: 514897, email: vnemb myr@cybertech.net.mmRoyal Embassy of Saudi Arabia No.287/289, U Wisara Rd, Sanchaung Tsp. tel : 01-536153, 516952, fax : 01-516951

General Listing

Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40 Natmauk Rd, Tarmwe. tel: 544500. fax: 544400.

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

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

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

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

The First Air conditioning systems designed to keep you fresh all day GUNKUL Engineer supply Co., Ltd. No.437 (A), Pyay Road, Kamayut. P., O 11041 Yangon, Tel: +(95-1) 502016-8, Mandalay- Tel: 02-60933. Nay Pyi Taw- Tel: 067-420778, E-mail freshaircon@gkmyanmar. com.mm. URL: http://www.freshaircon.com

General 83-91, G-F, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Kyauktada Tsp, tel : 706223, 371906

Green GardenBeer Gallery Mini Zoo, Karaweik Oo-Yin Kabar.

ASTROLOGER

BARS

ACCOMMODATION-HOTELS

AIR CONDITION

50th Street 9/13, 50th street-lower, Botataung Tsp. Tel-397160.No. 205, Corner of Wadan

Street & Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road, Lanmadaw Tsp, Yangon. Myanmar. Tel: (95-1) 212850 ~ 3, 229358 ~ 61, Fax: (95-1) 212854.info@myanmarpandahotel .com http://www.myanmarpandahotel.com

No.7A, Wingabar Road,Bahan Tsp, Yangon.Tel : (951) 546313, 430245. 09-731-77781~4. Fax : (01) 546313. www.cloverhotel.asia. info@cloverhotel.asia

Confort Inn 4, Shweli Rd, Bet: Inya Rd & U Wisara Rd, Kamaryut, tel: 525781, 526872Golden Aye Yeik Mon Hotel 4, Padauk Lane, 4th Word, Aye Yeik Mon Housing, Hlaing. tel: 681706.Hotel Yangon No. 91/93, 8th Mile Junction, Mayangone. tel : 01-667708, 667688.Inya Lake Resort Hotel 37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd. tel: 662866. fax: 665537.Orchid Hotel 91, Anawrahta street, Pazundaung Township, Yangon, . Tel: 399930, 704740, 293261. E-mail: orchidhotel@myanmar.com. mm.

Panorama Hotel 294-300, Pansodan Street, Kyauktada Tsp. tel: 253077. PARKROYAL Yangon, Myanmar 33, Alan Pya Pagoda Rd, Dagon tsp. tel: 250388. fax: 252478. email: enquiry.prygn@parkroyalhotels.com Website: parkroyalhotels. com.Savoy Hotel 129, Damazedi Rd, Kamayut tsp. tel: 526289, 526298, Seasons of Yangon Yangon Int’l Airport Compound. tel: 666699.Sweet Hotel 73, Damazedi Road, San Chaung Tsp, Ph: 539152Sedona Hotel Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin. tel: 666900.Strand Hotel 92 Strand Rd. tel: 243377. fax: 289880.

Easy Expat Accommodation Specialist in Yangon. Tel: 09-730-33776.Eco-ApartmentFully Furnished Ga 21, Pearl Centre (Pearl Condo), Bahan Tsp. Tel: 557488.Espace Avenir No 523, Pyay Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. tel: 505213-222.Golden Hill Towers 24-26, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel: 558556. ghtower@mptmail.net.mm.Marina Residence 8, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 6506 51~4. fax: 650630.MiCasa Hotel Apartments 17, Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Yankin Tsp. tel: 650933. fax: 650960.Sakura Residence 9, Inya Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. tel: 525001. fax: 525002.The Grand Mee Ya Hta Executive Residence 372, Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Pabedan Tsp. tel 951-256355 (25 lines). fax: 951-256360. email: gmer@mptmail.net.mm, www.grandmeeyahta.comYangon City Villa (Residence) Pyay Rd, 8 Mile Junction, MYGN, tel: 513101

Charted Certified, Certified Public Accountants. tel: 09-501-0563. drtinlatt@matglobal.com

ACCOMMODATIONLONG TERM

ACCOMMODATION-HOTELS (NAy PyI TAw)

ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS

Reservation Office (Yangon)262-264, Pyay Road, Dagon Centre, A# 03-01, Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon.Tel: 95-1-501937, 536255, 09-520-0926.The Oasis Hotel (Nay Pyi Taw)Tel: 95-67-422088, 422099

Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966. fax: 227995.Thamada Hotel 5, Alan Pya Phaya Rd, Dagon. tel: 243639, 243640, 243641. Traders Hotel 223 Sule Pagoda Rd. tel: 242828. fax: 242838.Winner Inn 42, Than Lwin Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel: 535205, 524387. email: winnerinnmyanmar @gmail.comYangon YMCA 263, Mahabandoola Rd, Botataung Tsp. tel: 294128,Yuzana Hotel 130, Shwegondaing Rd, Bahan Tsp, tel : 01-549600, 543367Yuzana Garden Hotel 44, Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tsp, tel : 01-248944

INYA1 Resturant & BarNo.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp.Tel: 01-527506email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

the MyanMar tiMes

mt QuiCk guideMarch 26 - April 1, 2012

44

Traders Café Traders Hotel, Yangon. #223, Sule Pagoda Rd. Tel: 242828 ext: 6519

The Uranium Dance Studio Pearl condo Bldg (C), 2nd flr, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 09-731-42624, 09-514-0404.

Saw Peter Foot Reflexology Oil Massage, Body Massage, Foot Massage.Any time you want at your place. Tel : 09-518-8047.

BEAUTY & MASSAGE

Innwa Book StoreNo. 246, Rm.201/301, GF, Pansodan Street (Upper Block), Kyauktada Tsp. Tel. 389838, 243216, 374324, 514387

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

MYANMAR BOOK CENTRENandawun 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

BOOK STORES

CAFÈS

ADvERTISING

CHOCOLATE

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

Espace Avenir 523, Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp, Tel : 505214, 505222FIT Club - Rm 101~3, Marina Residence, 8, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp, Tel : 650634, 650651 Ext:102Parkroyal Fitness & Spa Parkroyal Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 250388.

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

FITNESS CENTRE

FLORAL SERvICES

ENTERTAINMENT

MHR Business & Management Institute 905, 9th floor, Modern Iron Market(Thanzay Condo) Lanmadaw St. tel: 707822.NELC (Nelson English Language Centre Young Learner & Adults No 53, Dhamayon Street, Myaynigone, Sanchaung Tsp. tel: 534287NLEC 82 Anawrahta Rd, Corner of 39 St, Kyauktada Tsp. tel: 250225.RV! Centre Yangon Tel: 535433, 541886, 242410, 250388 Ext: 333. email: ask@rvcenre.com.sgThe British Council 92, Strand Rd, Kyauktada Tsp. tel: 254658.

DUTY FREE

CONSTRUCTION

COLD STORAGE ELECTRICAL

EDUCATION CENTRE

Traders Hotel, 5th Floor Tel: 242828,Ext: Coreana. Sedona Hotel, Mandalay Ground Fl. Tel: 02-36488, Ext: Coreana

BATTERY

Proven Technology Industry Co., Ltd.No. FS 14, Bayintnaung Rd, Shwe Sabai Yeik Mon, Kamayut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 951-951-701719~20, 527667, 531030, 531041, 530694. Fax: 527667, 531030. http//www.toyobatterymyanmar.com.

ISO 9001:2008 (QMS)

G-A, Ground Floor, Pearl Center, Kabaraye Pagoda Road, Yangon. Tel: 09 500 6880 Email: chocolateheaven.sale@gmail.com

Floral Service & Gift ShopNo. 449, New University Avenue, Bahan Tsp. YGN. Tel: 541217, 559011, 09-860-2292.Market Place By City MartTel: 523840~43, 523845~46, Ext: 205.Junction Nay Pyi TawTel: 067-421617~18 422012~15, Ext: 235.Res: 067-414813, 09-492-09039. Email : eternal@mptmail.net.mm

24 hours Medical centreNo. 330, Ground Flr, Yangon Int’l Hotel,Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar.24 hour Call Centre : (951) 218 445Clinic : (959) 4921 8159Office : (951) 218 446Fax : (951) 218 389www.leomedicare.com

Piyavate Hospital (Bangkok) Myanmar Represent ative (Head office)Miba Gon Yee Business Group, No.506, 5th-fl, Yuzana Twin Tower, (No.8, Pangyan Tower) Cor of Dhama Zedi & Bargayar Rd, SCHG Tsp. Tel: 500600, 500800, 500900. Fax: 539799. hotline: +9595018777. piyavate@myanmar.com.mm www.piyavate.com

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

Media & Advertising

LEGAL SERvICE

VEJTHANI MYANMAR REPRESENTATIVE OFFICENo.125(C), West Shwe Gon Dine Road, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar. 01-3449977. Hot Line: 09-507-1111, 01-555448, 555998. vejthani@myanmar.com.mmwww.vejthani.com

Shimmering Gold Services Co., Ltd.ViCtORy FOR LiFe

BANGKOK, THAILAND

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

PHIH-Specialist Clinic FMI Centre (4th Floor) #380, Bogyoke Aung San Road, Pabedan Tsp. tel: 243 010, 243 012, 243 013

NatRay Co., Ltd. Rm 807, La Pyayt Wun Plaza. tel : 01-370833, 370836

FURNITURE

HOME FURNISHING

GAS COOKER & COOKER HOODS

Bumrungrad Int’l Rm 238, Summit Parkview Hotel, Dagon Tsp. tel: 723999, 211888. Ext: 8238.

HEALTH SERvICES

GENERATORS

Yangon : A-3, Aung San Stadium (North East Wing), Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp. Tel : 245543, 09-730-37772.Mandalay : Room No.(B,C) (National Gas), 35th St, Btw 80th & 81st, Chanaye-tharzan Tsp. Tel : 09-680-3505, 02 34455, 36748, 71878.

81, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 548022, 542979, 553783, 09-803-0847, 09-730-56079. Email: asiapacific.myanmar@gmail.com.

22, Pyay Rd, 9 mile, Mayangone Tsp. tel: 660769, 664363.

Home Plus Trading Co., Ltd. No. 457, Aung San Stadium, Mingalartungnyunt Tsp. tel: 394888. Fax: 393008.

Acupuncture, Medicine Massage, Foot SpaAdd:No,27(A),Ywa Ma Kyaung Street, Hlaing Township, Yangon. Tel: 01-511122, 526765.

No. 365/367, Bo Aung Kyaw st (Upper), IHBC, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 392484 , 389824, 09-803-0166. Fax: 392590. Email: radiant.aesthetics @gmail.com. Web: www. kembanganradiant.com

Room - 4021, 3rd Floor, Taw Win Centre.Ph: 8600111 (Ext:4021), 09-803-2581.

Foral Service & Gifts shopNo.2, Corner of Khay Mar St & Baho Rd (Near Asia Royal Hospital), Sanchaung Tsp, Yangon. email: yangonflorist@ myanmar.com.mm. Tel: 01-510406, 09-731-84714.

SR 22/1, Next to the Pearl Shopping Centre, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 544297, 549527, 700777. email: eros@ mptmail.net.mm.

Agent Office, 5th Floor, Junction Centre (Maw Tin), Lanmadaw Township, Yangon. Myanmar. Ph: 09-731-56770, 09-511- 7584, Fax: 01-516313, myanmarmeditour@gmail.com

Dance LessonsMon-Fri 12:00 to 23:00. Sat-Sun 10 am to 8 pmFun dancing Friday nights with Filipino musicians4, U Tun Myat St, Tamwe. Tel: 01-541 550

A Little DayspaNo. 475 C, Pyi Road, (Between Sweety Home & Shwe Kant Kaw Silk) Kamayut, Yangon. Tel: 09-431-28831.

Lemon Day SpaNo. 96 F, Inya Road, Kamaryut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 514848, 09-732-08476.E.mail: lemondayspa.2011 @gmail.com

My Way Diamond Condo, Bldg(A), Rm (G-02), Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 52717, 09 51 70528

La Source Beauty Spa80(A), Inya Rd, Kamayut.tel: 512 380, 511 252.Sedona Hotel, Kabar AyePagoda Rd. tel: 666 900

MARINE COMMUNICATION &

NAvIGATION

Top Marine Show RoomNo-385, Ground Floor, Lower Pazundaung Road, Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon.Ph: 01-202782, 09-851-5597

FOAM SPRAY INSULATION

Foam Spray InsulationNo-410, Ground Floor, Lower Pazuntaung Road, Pazuntaung Tsp, Yangon.Telefax : 01-203743, 09-730-26245, 09-500-7681. Hot Line-09-730-30825.

MMRD Research BLDG C, New Mingalar Market, 10-story BLDG, 8 & 9 flr, Coner of Mill St & Banyardala Rd, Mingalar Taungnyunt Tsp. Tel: 200326, 200846, 201350. Fax: 202425.

MARKET RESEARCH

Est. 1992 in MyanmarCold Storage Specialist, Solar Hot Water Storage Solutions.Tel: 09-504-2196, 09-731-94828. E-mail: gei.ygn2@gmail.com, glover2812@ gmail.com

The Yangon GYM Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. tel: 211888, 211966.Traders Health Club. Level 5, Traders Hotel Yangon#223 Sule Pagoda Rd, Tel: 951 242828 Ext: 6561

Est. 1992 in MyanmarElectrical & Mechanical Contractors, Designers, Consultants.Tel: 09-504-2196, 09-731-94828. E-mail: gei.ygn2@gmail.com, glover2812@ gmail.com

24 hours Cancer centreNo. 330, Yangon International Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp,Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 218388, 218292 Fax: (951) 218389

24 hours Laboratory & X-rayNo. 330, Ground Flr, Yangon Int’l Hotel, Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp,Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: (951) 218388, (951) 218292 Fax: (951) 218389

Zamil SteelNo-5, Pyay Road, 7½ miles, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. Tel: (95-1) 652502~04. Fax: (95-1) 650306.Email: zamilsteel@zamilsteel.com.mm

INYA1 Resturant & BarNo.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp.Tel: 01-527506email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

Winning WayNo. 589-592, Bo Aung Kyaw St, Yangon-Pathein highway Road. Hlaing Thayar Tsp. Tel: 951-645178-182, 685199, Fax: 951-645211, 545278. e-mail: mkt-mti@ winstrategic.com.mm

Heavy Equipments & Genset

Cafe de Angel Always Pure & Fresh No.24, Baho Rd, Ahlone Tsp. tel : 703449 Opening Hour: 9 am to 11 pm

We are moving to:17, 2nd street, Hlaing Yadanarmon Housing, Hlaing Township, Yangon. Tel: 500143, 500144, 500145.

Qi Foot Spa At Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon. Tel: +951-662866, 662857 Ext: 1725Zen Wellness Care No.62 (A), Rm-3, Yaw Min Gyi St, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. Tel: +951-252939.

Inya Day Spa 16/2, Inya Rd, Kamayut Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel: 537907, 503375.

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

We StARteD tHe ADVeRtiSinGinDuStRy in MyAnMAR SinCe 1991

mt QuiCk guide45the MyanMar tiMes March 26 - April 1, 2012

OFFICE FURNITURE

Htoo Travels 209/c, first flr, Shwe Gonedaing Rd, Bahan. Tel: 548554, 548039.

Sun Far Travels & Tours 27, Ground flr, 38th st, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel: 380888.

WEB SERvICES

WATER HEATERS

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

Crown WorldwideMovers Ltd 790, Rm 702, 7th Floor Danathiha Centre, Bogyoke Aung San Road, Lanmadaw Township. tel: 223288, 210 670, 227650. ext: 702. fax: 229212. email: crown worldwide@mptmail.net.mm

Road to MandalayMyanmar Hotels & Cruises Ltd. Governor’s Residence 39C, Taw Win Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. tel: (951) 229860fax: (951) 217361. email: RTMYGN@mptmail.net.mm www.orient-express.com

REMOvALISTS

PLEASURE CRUISES

Water HeaterSame as Rinnai Gas cooker and cooker Hood Showroom Address

Myanmar. Tel: 95-1-535-783, 527705, 501429. Fax: 95-1-527705. Email: sales-ikon@myanmar.com.mmJunction Mawtin Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Cor of Wadan St. Lanmadaw Tsp. Tel:Junction Square Pyay Rd, Kamayut Tsp. Tel:Ocean Supercentre (North Point ), 9th Mile, Mayangone Tsp. Tel: 651 200, 652963.Pick ‘n’ Pay Hyper Market Bldg (A,B,C), (14~16), Shwe Mya Yar Housing, Mya Yar Gone St, Mingalartaungnyunt Tsp. Tel: 206001~3, Fax: 9000199Sein Gay Har 44, Pyay Rd, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 383812, 379823.Super 1 (Kyaikkasan) 65, Lay Daunt Kan St, Tel: 545871~73Super 1 (Shwe Bonthar) 397, Bogyoke Aung San St, Pabedan. Tel: 250268~29Victoria Shwe Pone Nyet Yeik Mon, Bayint Naung Rd, Kamaryut Tsp. Tel : 515136.

TRAvEL AGENTS

Asian Trails Tour Ltd73 Pyay Rd, Dagon tsp. tel: 211212, 223262. fax: 211670. email: res@asiantrails.com.mm

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

SUPERMARKETS

STEEL CONSTRUCTION

SOLAR SYSTEM

No.35(b), Tatkatho Yeik Mon Housing,New University Avenue, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 951-549451, 557219, 540730. www.yangon-academy.org

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

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

95, Anawrahta Rd. Tel:296552, 293754. 336, Pyay Rd, Sanchaung Tsp. Tel: 526456.New University Avenue, 551521, 551951, 553896. U Wisara Rd, Tel: 524599, 501976.

Admissions Office:No. 44, Than Lwin Road, Bahan Township, Yangon. Tel: 535433, 09-850-3073.Email: rviacademygn@rvcentre.com.sg

ISM Int’l School W 22/24, Mya Kan Thar Housing, Hlaing Tsp. tel:530082, 530083.International School Yangon 20, Shwe Taung Kyar St, Bahan Tsp. Tel: 512793.

ILBC IGCSE SCHOOLNo.(34), LaydauntkanRoad, Tamwe Tsp, Yangon.Tel: 542982, 545720,549106,545736,400156Fax: 541040Email: info@ilbc.net.mmwww.ilbcedu.com

ILBC 180, Thunandar 9th Lane, Thumingalar Housing, Thingungyung.tel: 562401.

Traders Gourmet CornerLevel 1, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road, Kyauktada Tsp. Tel : 242828 ext : 6503Traders Gallery BarLevel 2, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242 828. ext: 6433Traders Lobby LoungeLevel 1, Traders Hotel, #223 Sule Pagoda Road. tel: 242 828. ext: 6456

Tiger Hill Chinese RestaurantChatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Lobby Level, Tel: 544500 Ext 6253

The Ritz Exclusive LoungeChatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Ground Floor, Tel: 544500 Ext 6243, 6244

1. WASABI : No.20-B,Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd,Yankin Tsp,(Near MiCasa),Tel; 666781,09-503-91392. WASABI SUSHI : MarketPlace by City Mart (1st Floor). Tel; 09-430-67440Myaynigone (City Mart)Yankin Center (City Mart)Junction Mawtin (City Mart)

Kandawgyi (Royal Lake) Park, Yangon. (opposite of Eye Hospital) Ph: 556837, 556838. Fax: 556875. E-mail: whitericeyangon@gmail.comwww.whiterice-myanmar.com

Horizon Int’l School25, Po Sein Road, Bahan Tsp, tel : 541085, 551795, 551796, 450396~7. fax : 543926, email : contact@horizonmyanmar.com, www.horizon.com

SCHOOLS

LANGUAGE

Bilingual Language Centre Teaching Myanmar to Non-Myanmar No.7 (Gournd Floor), Thu-Kha-Main Street, Myaynigone, San Chaung. Tel: 09-500-6431, nyalinphyu@gmail.com

PAINT

TOP MARINE PAINT No-410, Ground Floor, Lower Pazundaung Road, Pazundaung Tsp, Yangon.Ph: 09-851-5202

Bldg No. 12, Yangon Int’l Compound, Ahlone Road. Tel: 09-431-85008, 09-731-60662. sales@corrianderleaf.com

Moby Dick Tours Co., Ltd.Islands Safari in the Mergui Archipelago4 Days, 6 Days, 8 Days TripsTel: 95 1 202063, 202064E-mail: mobydicktours@gmail.com. Website: www.moby-dick-adventures.com

Kangaroo Child Care 55, Aung Min Gaung 1st Rd, Kamayut Tsp. Tel: 501 568, 09 504 7732.

Phoenix Court (Chinese)PARKROYAL Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel: 250388.

Shiki-Tel (Japanese)PARKROYAL Yangon. 33, Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Tsp. tel: 250388.

Kohaku Japanese RestaurantChatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe Tsp, Lobby Level, Tel: 544500 Ext 6231

No. 105/107, Kha-Yae-Bin Road. between Pyi Daung Su Yeik Tha (Halpin) and Manawhari Road/Ahlone Road, Dagon Tsp. Tel/Fax: 538895, Tel: 09-730-29973, 09-540-9469. padonmar.restaurant@gmail.com. www.myanmar-restaurantpadonmar.com

22, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Bahan Tsp. tel 541997. email: leplanteur@mptmail.net.mm.http://leplanteur.net

Enchanting and Romantic, a Bliss on the Lake 62 D, U Tun Nyein Road, Mayangon Tsp, YangonTel. 01 665 516, 660976 Mob. 09-512-7795operayangon@gmail.comwww.operayangon.com

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

Pansweltaw Express Cafe: 228, Ahlone Rd, Ahlone Tsp. Tel: 215363 (1)-Rm-309, 3rd flr, Ocean, East Point Shopping Center, Pazundaung Tsp. Tel: 397900 Ext: 309. (2)–G-Flr, Ocean North Point Shopping Center. Tel:652959, 652960, Ext: 133. www.pansweltaw.com E-mail: pansweltaw@ myanmar.com.mm

No.5, U Htun Nyein St, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayangone Tsp, Yangon. Tel: 656611, 09-431-35406. Email: info@mesamisyangon.com

House of MemoriesPiano Bar & Restaurant Myanmar Cuisine & International Food 290, U Wizara Rd, Kamaryut Tsp, Yangon. tel: 525 195, 534 242. e-mail: houseofmemories 9@gmail.com

Italian delicatesse & Ice-creamNo.150, Dhamazadi Rd, Bahan Tsp. (Monunent Book Shop) Open Daily 9:00am to 7:00pm. Italian Ice-cream, Pasta, Pizza & Bar(2) G/F, City Mart, Myayni-gone Centre. tel : 508469, 508470 ext. 113 Open Daily 9:00am to 10:00pm.

Lunch/Dinner/Catering 555539, 536174

RESTAURANTS

Schenker (Thai) Ltd. Yangon 59 A, U Lun Maung Street. 7 Mile Pyay Road, MYGN. tel: 667686, 666646.fax: 651250. email: sche nker@mptmail.net.mm.

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.

24 hours open.5, Alan Pya Phaya Rd, Dagon Tsp, inside Thamada Hotel. tel - 243640, 243047, Ext: 32.

INYA1 Resturant & BarNo.(1), Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp.Tel: 01-527506email: inyaone@gmail.com www.inya1.com

No.430(A), Corner of Dhamazedi Rd & Golden Valley Rd, Building(2) Market Place (City Mart), Bahan Tsp, Yangon.Tel : 01-523840(Ext-309), 09-73208079.

Black Canyon Coffee & International Thai Cuisine 330, Ahlone Rd, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 0980 21691, 395052. email: blackcanyon@yangon. net.mm.

Centure Office FurnitureMonday to Saturday (9am to 6pm)No. 797, MAC Tower II, Room -4, Ground Floor, Bogyoke Aung San Road,Lamadaw Township, Yangon, Myanmar.Tel: (951) 212944 Ext: 303sales.centuremyanmar@gmail.comwww.centure.in.th

Legendary Myanmar Int’l 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 .mmwww.LMSL-shipping.com

Signature Near U Htaung Bo Round, about Bahan Tsp. tel: 546488, 543387.

PEB Steel Buildings60 (A), Halpin Road, Yangon. Tel: 01-218223, 218224. Fax: 218224. marketing@pebsteel.com.mm www.pebsteel.com.mm

The Brightest AC CFL Bulb 21, 9th St, Lanmadaw Tsp. Ph: 212243, 216861, 216864. spsolarstation@gmail.com. www.spsolarstation.com

ASIA Language & Business Academy (All classes are taught by native English-speaking teachers), No-66, Shwedagon Pagoda Road, Dagon Tsp, Yangon, Myanmar. Tel:+95-1-376236, 376314, 384055.

Streamline Education 24, Myasabai Rd, Parami, Myangone Tsp. tel: 662304, 09-500-6916.

sPortthe MyanMar tiMes

46March 26 - April 1, 2012

KATHMANDU – Nepal is to stage Asia’s first ever multi-sport games for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, organisers announced on March 19.

The two-week event at the national football stadium and other venues around Kathmandu will feature Nepali participants in track and field, volleyball, football, martial arts and tennis, said the Blue Diamond Society, Nepal’s leading gay rights group.

“Renowned and respected Nepali athletes will support as coaches and referees for the program,” said organiser Sunil Pant, the country’s only openly gay lawmaker said in a statement.

Asia already stages the “Asia-Pacific Outgames”, another multi-sport gay event, but this has only been hosted by New Zealand and Australia. Nepal’s version which is due to take place in late September will be the first in Asia.

“The aims for organising the Blue Diamond National Sport Competition 2012 are to mainstream LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people] into the larger society, promote healthy lifestyles, encourage physical fitness, and promote health mentally and spiritually,” said Pant.

Nepal is a conservative, Hindu country which nonetheless has some of the most progressive policies on homosexuality in Asia. A landmark 2007 court ruling ordered the government to enact laws guaranteeing the rights of gays.

The country’s new constitution, currently being drafted by lawmakers, is expected to define marriage as a union between two adults, regardless of gender, and to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

– AFP

Nepal launches Asia’s first gay

sports tournament

NEW DELHI – A former International Cricket Council chief on March 20 accused India of fostering corruption in the sport, saying illegal betting in the country was the root cause of the problem.

Ehsan Mani, who headed the ICC between 2003 and 2006, estimated that the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dhaka on March 18 attracted US$500 million-worth of bets, but did not say how he had arrived at the figure.

“Unless the bett ing industry is brought under control in India, you can’t stop match-fixing,” he told the New Delhi-based Mail Today in an interview.

“There’s no doubt that India, certainly Delhi and Mumbai, is the epicentre of cricket betting.”

“I’m a strong advocate of legalising betting in India, and bringing it under control of regulatory authorities so that ... the conduct of bookies can be monitored properly,” he added.

“You’ll find that the risk of corrupting players around the world will reduce significantly.”

Mani urged the ICC, headed by federal Indian minister Sharad Pawar, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to pressure the government to legalise betting.

“It’s a matter of how you control it because there’s no way, I believe, that it can be stamped out in India. So, if [it] can’t be stamped out, how do they control it in a way that it can stop corrupting the game.”

M a n i , a P a k i s t a n i chartered accountant, said India should look at the legal gambling systems in Britain and Australia.

Legal betting firms inform the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) if they encounter suspicious betting patterns, Mani said.

Mani said lucrat ive Twenty20 tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash in Australia, had emboldened illegal bookies.

“Obviously, high profile matches like the IPL and Big Bash leave a lot of scope for players to be corrupted; whether they are being corrupted or not, I can’t say,” he said.

“I think IPL must have added hugely to the cricket betting industry in India.”

BCCI spokesman Rajiv Shukla was not available to comment on Mani’s remarks.

Cricket has been under a cloud since 2000 when three former captains – the late Hansie Cronje of South Africa, Mohammad Azharuddin of India and Salim Malik of Pakistan – were handed life bans for their alleged dealing with bookmakers.

Three Pakistani cricketers were last year jailed in Britain after being found guilty of spot-fixing. Indian bookmakers have often being accused of underhand dealings with players. – AFP

India illegal betting hub: Ex-ICC chief

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s football association has submitted to FIFA its plans to resolve a crisis sparked by the revival of a breakaway league in a bid to avoid sanctions, an official said March 20.

Football ’s top governing body had asked Indonesia’s football association (PSSI) to resolve problems triggered by the unofficial elite league, the Super Liga, which has split the country’s best clubs.

It had asked PSSI to resolve the issue by March 20, in order to avoid sanctions, which may include banning Indonesia from international football.

The Indonesian association’s legal team submitted the report

“on our plans to fix the football situation in Indonesia” on March 19, PSSI’s special staff to the secretary-general Rudolf Yesayas told AFP.

“We hope FIFA will be able to look at it in a comprehensive manner, consider our efforts and hopefully we can escape sanctions,” Yesayas said.

“It’s hard to say if we are conf ident about avo id ing sanctions. The situation is unpredictable,” he added.

He said FIFA committee members would meet on March 26, adding: “Let’s just wait and see if Indonesian football will be discussed.”

Yesayas said that the report

outlined proposals that include merging the leagues or formally recognising the Super Liga, but on condition it would be under PSSI’s control.

“We also told FIFA that PSSI as an organisation is problem-free and there is a rival group which wants to crush the current leadership,” he said.

He was referring to a group of officials from the breakaway league which on March 18 held an extraordinary meeting to get PSSI chairman Djohar Arifin Husin replaced.

“This illegal group, which is using the official PSSI’s attributes like our logos, must be banished,” he added.

The PSSI has been mired in corruption scandals and leadership battles for years.

Last month it suffered another blow when the national team was thrashed 10-0 by Bahrain in an Asian zone 2014 World Cup qualifier.

FIFA launched an investigation into the match, in which Bahrain needed to win by a nine-goal margin to have any hope of making the next round of qualifiers.

“We have let FIFA handle the matter and we don’t know yet the progress of FIFA’s investigations. But as far as PSSI is concerned, there’s no match-fixing,” he said.

Indonesia had fielded a weak team as FIFA disallows members from unofficial leagues from competing in international matches, forcing the PSSI to omit Super Liga players. – AFP

Indonesia PSSI submits FIFA plan

The Indonesian Football Rescue Committee (KPSI) held an extraordinary congress in Jakarta on March 18. Pic: AFP

MADRID – Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to become Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer on 234 goals in a 5-3 win over Granada on March 20.

The win helped Barca cut Real Madrid’s lead in La Liga to only six points after a nine-man Madrid side were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal on March 21, their second in two games.

It was Barca’s sixth consecutive league win with coach Pep Guardiola praising the record-breaking Argentinian.

“We have to congratulate Messi, he has scored so many goals and is only 24, he does not just score ordinary goals but great goals and we hope he gets lots more for us, we can compare him perhaps to Michael Jordan in football,” he said.

Xavi Hernandez and Messi hit the net for Barcelona in the first half before Diego Mainz reduced arrears for the Andalusians on 55 minutes.

I n d o i n g s o , M e s s i equalled the record of 232 goals held by club legend Cesar Rodriguez.

Gui lherme S ique i ra levelled from the spot for the away side seven minutes later after Dani Alves pulled down Dani Benitez, raising the prospect of a possible upset.

However those fears lasted only minutes as Messi produced a trademark chip over Granada’s Brazilian ‘keeper Julio Cesar in the

67th minute to put Barcelona 3-2 ahead.

Cristian Tello then drove the ball into the net after Messi’s shot was parried by Cesar to make it 4-2 for the hosts, and Messi followed up with another fine piece of individual skill to make it 5-2 in the 86th minute.

Previously, Cesar was believed to have scored 235 goals for Barcelona, but a study had revealed that the 1950’s striker had in fact scored 232 goals – a statistic confirmed earlier on March 20 on Barca’s website.

Messi’s latest hat-trick, taking his Barca total to 234, also made it 34 goals so far in the league, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo who scored his 33rd goal of the season in the 62nd minute of their draw against struggling Villareal, but Marcos Senna equalised with eight minutes remaining.

Things got worse for Real as Sergio Ramos, making his 300th appearance, and Mesut Ozil were both red-carded in the closing moments while coach Jose Mourinho and assistant Rui Faria were

sent to the stands.A f t e r w a r d s n e i t h e r

Mourinho nor any of his backroom staff came out to face the press while it was reported that Ronaldo left the pitch repeatedly shout ing “we ’ve been robbed”.

“Referees hurt us too much sometimes, but we must hold our heads high and move on. Every team would like to have a six point lead,” said Real’s Brazilian star Marcelo.

“You saw what happened and how many of us were

sent off. We must do our job. We took one point and must continue working hard.

“There’s no pressure and any team would like to be where we are now. We’re fine. We didn’t win but we’re in good spirits.”

Villarreal had a number of chances to take the lead, the most notable when Iker Casillas saved well on 20 minutes after a Sergio Ramos slip allowed Nilmar to bear down on goal.

Mourinho made a tactical change in midfield on 28 minutes replacing Lassana Diarra, who had picked up a yellow card, with Jose Callejon.

The home team then had a strong claim for a penalty turned down on 37 minutes when Alvaro Arbo lea appeared to pull the shirt of Neymar at a corner.

The game was becoming increasingly scrappy when on 61 minutes Ronaldo and Ozil exchanged passes, the latter with a delightful back-flick, for the Portuguese to round Diego Lopez in the Villarreal goal and put Madrid ahead.

Madrid were now in control and four minutes later Javier Camunas had to make a goal-line clearence after Sami Khedira hooked the ball towards the net.

Villarreal did not look like equalising until Hamit Altintop fouled Joan Oriol on the edge of the area and Senna stepped up to convert the free-kick from 20 yards with eight minutes left. – AFP

Messi reaches Barca milestone

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi, celebrates after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match against Granada on March 20 at the Camp Nou stadium. Pic: AFP

sPortthe MyanMar tiMes

47March 26 - April 1, 2012

LIVERPOOL – Thomas Vermaelen headed Arsenal into third place in the Premier League for the first time this season after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Everton on March 21.

Arsenal, who have now won six top-flight games in a row, leapfrogged Tottenham after Belgium defender Vermaelen struck in the eighth minute.

It was a significant blow for Spurs, who needed a stoppage time equaliser from Rafael van der Vaart to rescue a 1-1 draw against Stoke.

Having trailed Tottenham

for most of the season, Arsene Wenger’s men have opened up a one-point cushion over their neighbours.

It was hardly vintage Arsenal and Everton will be upset Royston Drenthe’s “equaliser” was ruled out by a controversial off-side flag.

Robin van Persie is used to scoring goals rather than teeing them up, but the Netherlands striker’s corner allowed Vermaelen to power a header beyond United States keeper Tim Howard after out-jumping the home defence.

E v e r t o n , s l u g g i s h throughout the first half, could not say they had not been warned.

Two minutes earlier van Persie headed into the path of Aaron Ramsey, the 21-year-old Wales midfielder screwing his volley horribly wide from a good position.

Arsenal, back in action after a nine-day break, were everything Everton were not in the early stages – hungry, determined and eager to wrap up victory before half-time.

Tony Hibbert made a v i ta l b lock to def lect Ramsey’s goal-bound effort out for the corner from which Vermaelen broke the deadlock before Howard made a crucial save to stop van Persie making it 2-0 in the 10th minute.

Arsenal included Mikel Arteta in their side, the Spanish playmaker making his first return to Goodison Park since making a £10 million (US$15.8 million) move from Everton at the end of last August.

But Arteta was fairly a n o n y m o u s o n h i s Merseys ide return as Everton came back into the game.

D r e n t h e w a s controversially denied a 32nd-minute equaliser by an offside flag, while Nikica Jelavic headed straight at Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the early stage of the second half.

Yet only the woodwork saved Everton from falling 2-0 behind after van Persie let fly when Kieran Gibbs nodded the ball into his path.

Everton had won their previous three top-flight h o m e g a m e s a g a i n s t

Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. But their hopes of defeating Arsenal for the first time since March 2007 looked slim after Szczesny produced a late save to deny Marouane Fellaini after he had burst into the Gunners penalty area.

Vermaelen might have been the goal hero on the day but Arsenal’s travelling fans in the Goodison crowd of 30,330 were only interested in chanting the name of one player.

“Fabrice Muamba, we’re Thinking Of You” they sang in praise of their former player , who col lapsed from the cardiac arrest he suffered during Bolton’s FA Cup quarter-final with

Tottenham on March 17.Spurs were back at

White Hart Lane just four days after Muamba’s collapse and both sets of players warmed up for the game sporting T-shirts which read “Get well soon Fabrice”. There was a minute’s applause before kick-off, both for Muamba and the medical staff who saved the 23-year-old’s life.

But Spurs struggled to find any momentum once the action started and fell behind in the 75th minute when Cameron Jerome poked home Robert Huth’s header.

Van der Vaart’s last-gasp headed equaliser at least stopped Spurs suffering a

fourth successive defeat, but it was only a slender consolation.

“It was a game I thought we would win and we’re disappointed to only take a point but it might come in handy at the end of the season,” Redknapp said.

Although Spurs have been in freefall over the last month, Redknapp remained convinced they will rediscover their peak form in time to pip Arsenal to third.

“We can still finish above Arsenal. Arsenal can think it’s all over. It’s not all over,” Redknapp said.

“There’s a long way to go yet. There’ll be twists and turns. It’s all to play for still.” – AFP

Vermaelen heads Arsenal into third place as Spurs stumble

Arsenal midfielder, Mikel Arteta (left) vies with Everton midfielder, Leon Osman, during their English Premier League match at Goodison Park on March 21. Pic: AFP

LONDON – Carlos Tevez returned from exile to keep Manchester City’s title challenge on course as the Argentine substitute played a crucial role in their 2-1 win over Chelsea at Eastlands on March 21.

A goal from Gary Cahill had appeared set to end City’s streak of 19 consecutive home league victories but, with the hosts trailing 1-0, Roberto Mancini introduced Tevez, making his first appearance for nearly six months as a 66th minute substitute.

Tevez had fallen out with City boss Roberto Mancini over his refusal to warm-up during a Champions League tie at Bayern Munich in September, and the controversial Argentinian was greeted by a smattering of boos from home supporters.

But within 12 minutes of his arrival, those jeers had been silenced and City were level as Michael Essien handled a Pablo Zabaleta shot and Sergio Aguero equalised with a superbly-struck penalty.

It set the stage for a fascinating finale and, with five minutes remaining, Samir Nasri played a short ball to Tevez, who returned the pass on the edge of the area

for Nasri to calmly convert the winning goal.

The victory means City move to within one point of leaders Manchester United.

Mancini’s men are also only the fourth team ever – and the first in Premier League history – to record 20 consecutive home wins in the top flight.

City started strongly, with a David Silva corner headed out to full-back Zabaleta whose shot, from the edge of the area, was deflected behind.

A mistake by Ashley Cole then presented the ball to Zabaleta to pull back for Silva who leant back to shoot over from just inside the box.

There was a quick, and almost lethal, response from Chelsea as Fernando Torres darted towards goal before squaring to allow Mata a shot which the midfielder placed well wide of the City goal.

Considering the stakes, there was little caution on display from either side and, after eight minutes, Yaya Toure’s well-judged through ball was controlled superbly by Nasri, on his chest, before the winger volleyed over Petr Cech and saw

his effort strike the cross-bar and rebound to safety.

Frank Lampard’s woeful short pass on the halfway line just before the half-hour was collected easily by Mario Balotelli who outpaced the Chelsea defence but shot well wide of the mark, with Cech getting the slightest touch.

A Zabaleta cross was met by a bicycle kick from Aguero which failed to trouble Cech, a sign that chances were becoming fewer as the half drew to a close.

Mancini took off the ineffective Balotelli, to be replaced by Barry at the interval with Aguero and Nasri now spearheading the frontline.

Chelsea opened the scoring on the hour in controversial fashion after David Luiz and Gareth Barry tangled as they competed for a half-cleared Juan Mata corner.

While City appealed for a foul, Cahill played on and his shot took an unkind deflection off the boot of Yaya Toure, wrong-footing Joe Hart on its way into the City goal.

City’s response was to bring on Tevez for the final 25 minutes of a game which they simply could

not afford to lose.It was an inspired move. City

levelled through Aguero’s 78th -minute penalty and the home team dominated the remainder of the game before Tevez’s astute pass set up Nasri for a dramatic 85th minute winner.

“I’m happy, because he [Tevez] did well,” Mancini told Sky Sports. “I don’t think we deserved to go behind, but we had the desire to win this game. It’s more than three points this game. After their goal I felt squeaky bum time!” – AFP

Exile over as Tevez inspires City fightback

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero (front) attempts a shot on goal during the English Premier League football match against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on March 21. Pic: AFP

March 26 - April 1, 2012

tImESsPORt

By Aung Si Hein

AYEYARWADDY United FC defeated Malaysia Super League champions, Kelantan FA, 3-1 in their AFC cup group stage match at Yangon’s Thuwanna Stadium on March 21.

In the other AFC fixture involving a Myanmar club, Yangon United was defeated 2-1 by Hong Kong’s Citizen FC on March 21.

Ayeyarwaddy United and Kelantan are both debuting in the AFC competition and looked tentative in their pursuit of international success.

Despite the final score, both sides gave a scrappy performance, with Kelantan players more focused on defending their Malaysia Super League status, and Ayeyarwady playing their usual defensive game, with lone striker, Jupiter, frequently isolated up front.

Josef Herel, head coach for Ayeyarwaddy, defended his team’s performance against the Malaysian champions.

“Three goals is more than enough as Kelantan are not a bad team. We have many more games ahead so we can’t say how far we

can go. The yellow cards, misplaced passes and all the mistakes we made are part of the game, nothing more,” he said.

T h e h e a d c o a c h o f Kelantan, Bojan Hodak, lamented his team’s focus, b laming a number o f different factors.

“My players don’t yet know the importance of the AFC Cup and are still focusing more on the national league. The other team took their chances well where we didn’t.

“We also lacked five first team players due to injury, with four of those selected for the national side. I believe we can win against Ayeyarwaddy at home, although all the teams in our group have an equal chance,” he said.

Ayeyarwaddy United were without their key midfielder, Min Min Thu, through injury.

The scoring was opened on the fourth minute, with Kelantan’s Nwaneri Obinna scoring an own goal while trying to cut out a neat cross from Nanda Lin Kyaw Chit.

Ayeyarwaddy’s wingers proved too slow and allowed the Kelantan forwards to approach goal far too easily

with several incisive passes played into the penalty area. Luckily, Kelantan proved wasteful on the final ball and were unable to score the equaliser.

Despite Ayeyarwaddy’s initial gameplan to crowd the defence, they found they were able to gradually control the midfield and attempt to build their attacks rather than resort to long balls up field for Jupiter.

But the lack of familiarity with this style showed, with inaccurate passes and frequent interseptions by Kelantan players creating a scrappy midfield battle.

T h e f i r s t h a l f w a s seemingly slipping to an uneventful close when Ayeyarwaddy initiated a counter-attack that saw midfielder Aung Kyaw Myo neatly dribble past a defender and snatch a second goal.

At two goa ls down, Kelantan came out for the second half determined to redeem themselves, raising the tension of the match.

But Ayeyarwaddy got the first chance as Jupiter took a shot on goal, only to see it nicely saved when a simple pass to two team-mates in better positions would have

given them a 3-0 lead.Ayeyarwaddy defender

Nay Lin Aung also missed a gilded chance to head a ball into the net, but instead sent it wide.

Kelantan also proved woeful in front of goal, with forward Mohamad Ghaddar hesitating in a one-on-one with Ayeyarwaddy’s keeper Thiha Si Thu on 56 minutes, tamely laying it into his hands.

K e l a n t a n g o t t h e i r chance on 64 minutes when Ayeyarwaddy defender Kyaw Zayar Min pulled down Kelantan forward Chanturu, and a penalty was given with the defender lucky to escape with a yellow card.

Mohamad Ghaddar saw his initial strike parried by Thiha Si Thu but he rushed forward to send the rebound into the back of the net.

Unable to grasp the momentum for a comeback, the last goal of the night went to Ayeyarwaddy in the 80th minute. Nanda Lin Kyaw Chit sent the ball high in the air from the left wing for Jupiter to control it and then deliver a decisive strike to ensure the third for Ayeyarwaddy and settle the match.

By Aung Si Hein

THE Myanmar Football Federation’s (MFF) technical director, Stefan Hansson, resigned from his post via email after returning to Vietnam, his home.

He requested MFF cancel his contract, expressing unhappiness that h is coaching role had been made untenable.

“It is a misunderstanding b e t w e e n m e a n d t h e federation,” Stefan Hansson told The Myanmar Times in an email.

After initially being asked to coach the national team, the MFF changed its mind after promising a contract to South Korean coach, Park Sung Hua, and instead offered Hansen the role of technical director and coach of the U-21 squad on a one year contract.

However, Park Sung Hua was subsequently asked to assume overall responsibility for all the national teams, further isolating Hansen.

Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar’s star striker said that Hansen was happy to coach any of the national teams, and questioned the MFF’s decision to give all coaching responsibility to one man.

“He wanted to coach ... but the MFF did not allow him. He did not appear to be happy with being just a technical director,” he said.

“MFF is testing the [South] Korean coach, but if he handles all the national teams … we will only gain the same technique and there will be no difference being in the national squad, the U-21s or U-22s,” Kyaw Ko Ko said.

The MFF has had a difficult relationship with coaches for the national team, with none lasting more than a year for the past five years.

Following Myanmar’s 1-0 loss against Mongolia in the Asian qualifying rounds for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 29 last year, the then coach, Milan Zivadinovic,

was fired for attempting to introduce an unfamiliar defensive formation of 3-5-2 in the match that the players struggled to adopt.

Another former coach, Drago Mamic, had met the same fate in early 2010 for not achieving sufficient success at the 2009 Southeast Asian (SEA) games.

But Hansen had proved a successful coach during his spell in Myanmar.

Completing his contract in Vietnam in 2008, Hansson took over the reins with Zayar Shwe Myay United FC (ZYSM) as a head coach on a contract running until 2014.

He took the team to third place in the Myanmar National League 2011 season, notched a victory against the champions, Yangon United, 3-1 at their home ground, and reached the semi-finals of the MFF Max Cement Cup.

Hansson was appointed coach of the U-23 national squad for the 2011 SEA Games achieving third place and a bronze.

Following this success, he was asked to continue as U-21 coach for the upcoming SEA Games to be held in Myanmar in 2013 and so agreed with ZYSM to end his contract.

Reaction from the domestic football scene has been a mix of dissatisfaction at how the situation was managed and support for the departed coach.

“We should be careful when dealing with foreign coaches, agents, and players. If we make a promise, we must make it happen,” U Aung Kyaw Lwin, Yangon United manager, said.

H a n s e n r e c e i v e d consolation from his old club, ZYSM. “While he was at ZYSM, we fulfilled whatever he asked for as ZYSM are quite a flexible club. I don’t know what happened to him after moving to MFF as there are a lot of regulations and restrictions,” U Than Zaw general secretary of ZYSM FC said.

Hansson quits MFF over unclear role

Ayeyarwaddy blaze AFC trailAyeyarwaddy United FC defender, Nay Lin Aung, heads the ball toward goal during their AFC group phase match against Kelantan FC at Thuwanna Stadium on March 21. Pic: Boothee

March 26 is our great Independence and National Day. On the eve of the

day, I convey my heartfelt greetings and felicitations to the fellow countrymen living at home and abroad.

The historic Independence Day is a glorious day in our national life. We achieved our long-cherished independence through nine-month long armed struggle and supreme sacrifices of millions of people. On this solemn day, I pay my deep homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives in the War of Liberation in 1971. I pray to the almighty for the salvation of those departed souls.

On this very memorable day, I recall with profound respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman, who proclaimed country’s independence at the early hours on March 26, 1971. responding to his clarion call, the people from all walks of life participated in the War of Liberation and achieved victory through armed struggle. I also recall with deep respect our four National Leaders; valiant Freedom-fighters and organizers who rendered their dedicated efforts and enthusiastic support that accelerated the achievement of our victory. I also remember with deep respect the contributions of late Sher-e-Bangla a. K. Fazlul haque, huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Moulana abdul hamid Khan Bhasani who inspired our people at various stages for attaining country’s self-sovereignty. The contributions of those valiant sons of the soil would be ever written in the history of our independence.

One of the prime objectives of our hard-earned independence was to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. Keeping that in mind, the Government is rendering untiring efforts in materializing the objectives of independence. With the span of time, we have achieved some significant progresses in the field of agriculture, education, health, rural infrastructure, communication, IcT, SME, youth and sports, women and children, women empowerment, etc. at national level. at the same time we have also attained notable advancement in corporate sector

Message from the President of Bangladesh

“Golden Bangla” is our dream,‘Vision 2021’ is our roadmap for making this dream come true

PresidentPeople’s Republic of Bangladesh

Md. Zillur Rahman

including the area of readymade garments, pharmaceuticals, ceramic and ship-building industry. The Government is also very sincere to establish rule of Law, human rights in the country. Our achievement at international arena is also praiseworthy. Yet, we have to go a long way for achieving the desired goals of independence and building a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. I believe concerted efforts from all strata irrespective of party affiliation are imperative in this regard.

The people of our country are democracy-loving. Without making institutionalization of democracy, the overall development is hard to attain. Tolerance, fortitude and respect to other’s opinion are the pre-conditions for flourishing democracy. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to maintain patience, forbearance at all levels and to be respectful to other’s opinion in a democratic pluralism. Let us make our Jatiya Sangsad as a certre of excellence in solving our national issues through discussion. I am confident, everybody irrespective of party affiliation would play responsible role in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of our common people by playing their due role.

The present Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh hasina, has declared ‘Vision 2021’ with a view to attaining ‘Golden Bangla’ dreamt by Bangabandhu. I believe people from all strata of life would contribute to build an IT-based happy and prosperous Bangladesh by materializing the ‘Vision’ in the Golden Jubilee of independence in 2021.

On this Independence Day, I urge all, living at home and abroad, to work unitedly imbued with the spirit of War of Liberation to expedite economic self-reliance and democratic advancement of the country.

May the Almighty be with us. Khoda Hafez.

May Bangladesh Live Forever.

Md. Zillur RahmanBangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw on December 06, 2011.

The 41st Anniversary of ‘‘Independence and National Day of Bangladesh”

a Myanmar Times Sponsored Section

Bangladesh Embassy, Yangon, Myanmar celebrates

I convey my heartiest greetings to my coun-trymen as well as to all expatriate Ban-

galees on the occasion of the great Inde-pendence and National Day of Bangladesh.

The 26th March is a glorious day in our national life. On this great day, I pay my deep homage to the 3 million martyrs and 200 thousand women who lost their innocence in the War of Liberation in 1971.

I recall with deep gratitude the great leader of our liberation struggle, the great-est Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman, un-der whose dynamic leadership we earned our great independence.

I also pay my humble tributes to four national leaders and the valiant freedom fighters, who had fought against the Paki-stani occupation forces to free our beloved motherland.

I extend my sympathies to those who had lost their near and dear ones, and were sub-jected to brutal torture and subjugation dur-ing the war. I recall with gratitude our foreign friends who had extended their whole-heart-ed support and cooperation for the cause of our liberation.

The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh at the first hour of the 26th March, 1971 after the oc-cupation forces launched sudden attack on the innocent and unarmed Bangalees on the black night of the 25th March, 1971. Banglabandhu’s proclamation was spread all over the country through telegrams, tele-printers and EPr wireless. at each and eve-ry district and subdivision, awami League’s leaders and workers publicized the declara-tion widely through mikes. The international media also had circulated Bangabandhu’s proclamation of independence. Under the brave and dauntless leadership of Banga-bandhu, we earned the ultimate victory on the 16th December, 1971 after a 9-month

bloody war. The independence earned through huge

bloodbath and sacrifice is our people’s greatest achievement. To ensure that this achievement remains meaningful, the spirit of our great liberation war should be reached to every nook and corner of the country. cherishing the true history of the liberation war close to our hearts, we would have to go ahead in achieving the objectives of the charter of change by building a Bangla-desh, free from corruption, mal-governance, terrorism, hunger and poverty.

The present awami League government has been implementing huge development programmes in all sectors, including agri-culture, education, health, law and order, information technology, energy and power and communications. The defeated anti-lib-eration, communal and identified reaction-ary forces are trying to undo the democratic and development process of our beloved

country at a time when our government had executed the verdict of Bangabandhu’s as-sassination case, and is holding the trial of the war criminals.

On this auspicious day of our independ-ence, I urge the countrymen to remain united to foil the ill-designed plots of the anti-dem-ocratic and anti-liberation forces against the government and the people.

We have been striving hard to establish Bangladesh as a poverty-, hunger- and illiter-acy-free modern Digital Bangladesh by the Golden Jubilee year of our independence through implementing ‘Vision-2021’. I hope that all citizens of our country would engage themselves with their utmost sincerity, hon-esty and dedication to build Bangladesh as a prosperous and prestigious country in the comity of nations.

I am confident that Insha-allah, with our united efforts, we would surely achieve our golden Bangladesh as envisioned by the Father of the Nation

Joi Bangla, Joi BangabandhuMay Bangladesh Live Forever

Sheikh Hasina

Message from thePrime Minister of Bangladesh

Sheikh Hasina

Prime MinisterGovernment of the People’s Republic

of Bangladesh

B The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

TODaY, 26 March, 2012 Bangladesh celebrates its 41st anniversary of In-

dependence and Sovereignty. It is the 4th such occasion on which I am privileged to address you as your Foreign Minister.

The Bangalee nation has travelled a long distance from its painful birth, from the sac-rifices made by its men and women, young and old, as a nation united by the common cause of exercising sovereign statehood. In the wake of the assumption of responsibility as a government by people’s representa-tives under a free and fair election a little over three years ago, the awami League, to-gether with the 14 party alliance, has made giant strides towards fulfilling our dreams. Most significantly, we have vigorously pur-sued the four fundamental principles of our constitution and of our State Policy.

We have launched our pursuit of building a Sonar Bangla. We are able to envisage middle- income, digital, knowledge based Vision of Bangladesh in 2012. We have demonstrated intent and ability to forge partnerships with our neighbours and far beyond. We are deeply involved in the proc-ess of multilateralism, through global and regional commitments. We are involved in social and economic restructuring through the empowerment of women and children; we have embarked on fashioning inter-generational equity; we continue to address ourselves to cooperating with developing countries in the framework of a global eco-nomic and political order.

We stand on the threshold of redressing the injustices inflicted upon us, historically and in more recent times. We are embarked in the process of redressing the imbalance in the relationship between developed and developing countries. Our policy and pur-pose to claim our entitlements occasioned by the factum of climate change is a major feature of our foreign policy. We seek to en-sure better terms of trade with the United States and the European Union whilst at the same time pursuing greater fairness and equity in bilateral relations wish our more resourceful neighbours and special friends. We have vastly improved our relations with our immediate neighbour, Myanmar, on such important issues as the rohingya issue and in economic and cultural spheres.

We continue, with new attention and new measures, to serve our men and women who work abroad, now numbering about eight million, and increasing every year, whose contribution to our economy and welfare has provided us with a new dimen-sion of the sovereign state that they repre-sent. Out ever evolving policy to serve our expatriate workers has brought about hope for a better future for their welfare than just the contribution that they render to the qual-ity of life we enjoy within the country.

Bangladesh is now a role model for fight-ing poverty and extremism, empowering women, disaster management and in coping with the challenges posed by global warm-ing and climate change. Bangladesh is often cited as one of the eleven emerging econo-mies of the world. It has achieved remarkable success and recognition in the social sector. The winning of the MDG award for achiev-ing targeted reduction in infant mortality and the UN South South award for the use of modern technology in the development of women and child health by the Prime Minis-ter bears testimony in this regard.

Since the awami League assumed re-sponsibility for conducting the affairs of the State, we have brought a judicial clo-sure to the assassination case of Banga-bandhu and his family and although some of the convicted continue to remain fugitives abroad, we are encouraged to believe that the horrors of impunity are being addressed. We have initiated the difficult process of

bringing to justice war criminals through fair trials consistent with high standards of fair trial under international law. We have made much progress in the cases against the BDr mutineers who threatened to shock and derail the Government within weeks of its assumption of State responsibility. Following judgments of the apex court, we have undertaken constitutional legislation, through the Fifteenth amendment, to rem-edy the aberrations inflicted by military dic-tators and usurpers upon the constitution. In Parliament, we have adopted significant legislation that has rendered the constitu-tion consistent with our founding principles of Statehood. We believe that have made deep inroads to reverse the culture of im-punity which had besieged the nation since the assassination of the Father of the Nation will effectively lay down a bedrock for the re-turn, and advent, to the rule of law and rule under the constitution.

On foreign policy issues, the Government has continued to pursue its policy of friend-ship to all nations. coupled with its elected character and the massive mandate it has received in the last general elections, Bang-ladesh now enjoys excellent relations with the outside world. The resolution of some long running issues with India and consider-able progress to solve remaining ones, the successful holding of the climate Vulner-able Forum Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka, the unanimous adoption of the honourable Prime Minister’s “people’s empowerment” model at the Second committee of the UN, Bangladesh’s election to a record number of UN and international bodies, the decision to establish the Permanent Secretariat of

the BIMSTEc in Dhaka, the prompt repa-triation of about 37000 Bangladesh nation-als from Libya etc. securing the return of 35 Bangladesh nationals, including 26 crew members, seized by Somali pirates and the foreign policy pursued by the present Gov-ernment during last three years. The winning of ‘South South award’ during the 66th UNGa and ‘MDG award’ by the honour-able Prime Minister during the 65th UNGa for achieving impressive progress are elo-quent testimonies in this regard. Without prejudice to our other achievements, we have been able to participate meaningfully in an ever expanding multilateral world and contribute to world peace-keeping efforts through the UN. Our efforts have resulted in Bangladesh being called a stabilizing State in the region.

Then, of course, we have enjoyed high success in pursuing our interests in our maritime claims. Ever since the birth of our nation, our entitlement to the territorial sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone and the continental Shelf appeared to be theoreti-cal rights. They were, indeed, neglected and Bangladesh was unable to exercise sover-eignty and sovereign rights over these ter-ritories contemplated in our constitution. callous neglect by successive Govern-ments, military and quasi military, had de-prived our people over the resources over these areas. Our Government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh hasina, has successfully settled our maritime entitlements with our co-literal state, Myanmar through arbitration at ITLOS. Not only have been able to settle this issue we have settled it through peace-ful means and respect for international law and the principles laid down in the UN char-ter to which we are committed.

That although are maritime entitlements remain unsettled with India, we have every reason to believe that we will be able to set-tle our claims peacefully and successfully through the arbitration process we have ini-tiated at the International court of arbitration and Bangladesh will emerge with vast new resources hitherto untapped and unavailed.

I wish to highlight that continuing engage-ment by, and efforts of, our Diaspora serve enormously towards the achievement of our foreign policy objectives. The introduc-

tion MrP and MrV have been introduced in almost half of the Bangladesh Missions abroad, together with the on going process to do so in the remaining Missions, reflects the high degree of success in that area. To find out business potentials and to aggres-sively explore employment for our nationals, the Government has sent fact-finding Mis-sions to Latin america and africa for the first time. We are planning to open new Missions abroad soon to support our com-mercial drive and at a time when our export volume, remittance flow and inbound FDI are witnessing an upward trend.

I take this opportunity to thank all our of-ficials and staff at the Ministry of Foreign affairs and our missions abroad who have devoted themselves to achieving our foreign policy objectives. I also congratulate the Bangladesh Diaspora who has lent buoyan-cy of the economy of their country of origin as well as to their host countries.

No message, at this state of our national life, can be complete without invoking the source of our inspiration, namely, the inspi-ration imbibed by Bangabandhu, the Father of our Bangalee Nation, our four national leaders who, in his absence, led us during the nine months to our ultimate victory, the martyrs who laid down their lives, our Free-dom Fighters, who had risked their lives against a modern ruthless and genocidal army. I recall their cause and contribution in the great struggle for our independence and statehood. With the entire nation, I also re-call, with the highest regard, those who suf-fered in silence, moved from shelter to shel-ter within the country, or took refuge across the border in India, without assurances of food or money on their person, and to those who lost their closest relatives and friends. I take the opportunity to remind ourselves that their will and aspirations embodied in our constitution will provide the basis of all our endeavours.

Joy BanglaJoy Bangabandhu

Dr. Dipu Moni, MP

Message from the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh

Foreign MinisterGovernment of

the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Dr. Dipu Moni, MP

TOaDY Bangladesh celebrates the 41st anniversary of its In-

dependence and National Day. On this joyous occasion we remember with gratitude all our freedom fight-ers, especially those who made supreme sacrifices, for the cause of our independence. On this day we also solemnly pay our deepest tribute to the memory of Banga-bandhu Sheikh Mujibur rahman, our Father of the Nation, who made our dream – an independent Bangladesh - come true. as we celebrate this occasion, I would avail myself of the opportunity to convey our heart-felt greetings to all our countrymen, living in Myan-mar, as well as the great people of Myanmar.

I may firmly say that Bangladesh has been marching ahead under the visionary leadership of our hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh hasina since her assumption of office in 2009. Despite global recession and certain constraints, our Government has been able to achieve major successes – in domestic and international arenas – in the fields of world peace, socio-economic development, food security, etc. Our contribution to the UN Peace Keeping in the pursuit of peace around the world has brought us approbation of the international community; our Government’s stand for rational claim of countries that are environmentally vulnerable has attracted attention of the members of civil societies around the globe; our food production is on the rise. all these indicate that our Government and the people are now relentlessly striving hard to fulfill the dream of our Father of the Nation to turn Bangladesh into “Sonar Bangla” or “Golden

Bangla’ in its truest sense, where the people will not only be free of poverty and hunger but also see democratic values, peace and secularism established in the country. Our efforts to elevate Bangladesh to a middle-income country and transform it into “Digital Bangladesh” by 2021 are also underway.

Bangladesh-Myanmar relations are deeply rooted to our history, geographical proximity, common values and cultures. Myanmar was one of the first few countries to recognize Bangladesh on January 13, 1972. Both the countries share common views on many major re-gional and international issues and extend mutual support and coop-eration to each other in the interna-tional organizations and UN bodies like the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Eco-nomic cooperation (BIMSTEc), BcIM, arF, acD, etc. With a note of satisfaction I may mention that the recent visit of our hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh hasina to Myanmar in December 2011 has added significant momentum to our efforts to further consolidate the existing friendly relations be-

tween our two countries - Myan-mar and Bangladesh.

I firmly believe that existing trade relations between our two countries would also grow further and that we would cooperate in exploiting the best potentials that we offer to each other in this field. Bangladesh offers various incen-tive packages to foreign investors and Myanmar businessmen may explore the opportunities of joint venture projects in Bangladesh and so will hopefully be the situ-ation in Myanmar for Bangladesh and its businessmen.

The recent verdict of the Interna-tional Tribunal for Law of the Sea on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar brought peaceful end to this very long outstanding issue. It is heartening to note that our two countries have happily ac-cepted the verdict as fair and in accordance with international mari-time laws, which surely paves the way for forging stronger brotherly relations between our two coun-tries in the days ahead.

On this auspicious day let us

all pledge to build Bangladesh as a truly “Sonar Bangla” – prosper-ous and self-reliant – and pray that we will have our friendly countries including Myanmar and its great people standing by us in our en-deavours.

Joy BanglaJoy Bangabandhu

Long live Bangladesh-Myanmar friendship

Anup Kumar Chakma

By-Mohammad Shahidul Islam

a country of pristine beaches, national parks, ancient pal-

aces, mosques, temples, churches and wildlife, Bangladesh is truly one of the most delightful places to visit. Bangladesh enjoys a mod-erate tropical climate and as a vacationer, you could go riding on the secluded beaches or enjoy an exhilarating trek among the cloud-reaching mountains at Bandarban, as well as a wide variety of other options to choose from when mak-ing a travel plan.

You could stay in either a hotel or motel. If however, you were plan-ning to stay for a longer time with friends or family, it would be ideal and more cost-effective to rent out

a guesthouse or a flat.cox’s Bazar- certainly one of our

major attractions- is a mesmeris-ing site, which is also the longest stretch of natural beach in the world and has enchanted travellers from across the globe for a long time. The magnificent sights and sounds of cox’s Bazar is a fascinating, awe-inspiring experience.

Sundarbans, “the beautiful for-est” is undoubtedly another must see. here, the land and the water meet in spectacular fashion. The wildlife presents many a spectacle. If you’re really lucky, you may come

across a royal Bengal Tiger swim-ming across the streams or croco-diles basking on the riverbanks. For the horticulture enthusiast, the lover of nature, the poet and the painter, this mass of green forest provides a variety of wonders for which they all crave.

The capital city, Dhaka is friendly and relatively clean in the posh ar-eas. There are many sights to attract visitors. The most essential sights are the Lalbagh Fort, the National assembly Building, the Baitul Mu-karram Mosque, National museum, Savar Sriti Shoudho, Shahid Minar, botanical gardens, the zoo and many more significant places to enjoy.

You can get cheap deals on flights to Dhaka throughout the year, and once there, the cost of living is considerably low, making Dhaka, and Bangladesh as a whole, amongst the best value destinations in the world.

It would be a good idea to move around Bangladesh with a constant vehicle, so renting a car is a good option. There are many companies offering car rental and hiring serv-ices. You could negotiate your rates with them.

Get help from a travel agency to chart out your Bangladesh va-cation. They would be in a better position to plan a Bangladesh travel diary for you.

Winter in Bangladesh is a most comfortable season and therefore the ideal time for a vacation.

Message from the Ambassador Destination Bangladesh

AmbassadorMaj Gen Anup Kumar Chakma, ndc, psc

CThe 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

Steadily improving trade ties

Export items:Export from Bangladesh to Myanmar consists of pharmaceuticals, jute products, chemicals, fertilizers, cement, garments, textile fabrics, aluminum utensils, G.I. sheets, P.V.c pipes, iron chains, cosmetics, consumer products, printed materials, electronic products etc.

Potential export items:Other potential export items may include ceramic tiles, ceramic table and kitchen wares, sanitary wares and insulators, knitwear and fabrics, garments, construction

materials such as iron rods, G.I sheets, PVc pipes, iron chains, condensed and evaporated milk products, cosmetics & toiletries, tea in packets, leather goods, plastic/multilayer laminated tubes for tooth paste, electronic products etc.

Import items:apart from agricultural produce like rice, beans, pulses, garlic, ginger, sugar, onions, yellow maize and betel nuts, Bangladeshi traders import fish, timbers/logs, sleepers, minerals (gypsum), beverages, etc from Myanmar.

Export and Import Volume:

Financial year Import from Myanmar Export to Myanmar

1999-2000 12.92 0.60

2000-2001 24.86 1.09

2001-2002 18.00 2.40

2002-2003 35.94 1.13

2003-2004 26.53 3.525

2004-2005 32.66 4.181

2005-2006 66.64 5.19

2006-2007 67 6.31

2008-09 66.60 9.169

2009-10 69 11

2010-2011 166 09

Figures in Million US$

The Bangladesh players celebrating their win against Sri Lanka (Top) and India (Bottom) at the 2012 Asia Cup to play the Final against Pakistan on March 22, 2012.

Congratulationson

The 41st Anniversary of

Independence and National

Day of Bangladesh

Activities of Bangladesh Embassy, Yangon.

Make Money from doing Businesswith Bangladesh.

A country like Bangladesh has huge need for products and services. And Myanmar, its neighbour, is a right place to explore.

Bangladesh has also products and services to offer. To this end, Bangladesh Embassy will shortly organise

“Bangladesh Single Country Trade Fair” in YangonThis could be the chance for buyers and sellers to meet, to source investors

or to make enquiries about line of business .......

“Knowing one another is no less important than doing business”

Contact the Embassy now for further details.Commercial Wing

The Bangladesh Embassy11/B, Than Lwin Road, P.O Box 70, Yangon, Myanmar.

Telephone: (+95) 1 525244, 526 144 Telefax (+95) 1 515 273Email: hasanch64@gmail.com, bdootygn@mptmail.net.mm

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after having inaugurated the construction works of ‘Bangladesh Chancery Complex’ in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on

December 06, 2011.

Opening remarks by the Ambassador.

Remarks by the Ambassador. Cake cutting Prize distribution Children participants Dance performance

Dr. Lwin Lwin Soe, Rector, YUFL. Ms. Rezina Ahmed, Minister & DCM of the Embassy. Participants in the Cultural Programme.

Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Mubeen ndc, psc, called on Commander in Chief of Myanmar

Defence Services General Min Aung Hlaing, on May 23, 2011

December 16, 2011: Advisor to the President of Myanmar U Ko Ko Hlaing graced the Victory Day

celebration programme.

Little fun on Victory Day celebration at the Chancery premises.

February 21, 2012: Bangladesh Embassy and Myanmar National Commission for UNESCO jointly celebrates Glorious Martyr’s Day and International Mother Language Day

March 17, 2012: Bangladesh Embassy celebrates 92nd Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children Day

Asia Cup Cricket: March 22, 2012Bangladesh Community in Yangon and Embassy officials and their families enjoying Asia

Cup Final Match between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the Chancery premises

D The 41st Anniversary of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh