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BURMA RELATED NEWS - OCTOBER 23, 2005. YANGON (AFP) - Transport costs in Myanmar have skyrocketed after the junta raised the official price of fuel eight-fold, sending commuters scrambling onto decaying trains for cheaper rides. In a shock move that stoked fears of massive inflation, official fuel prices soared from 180 kyat (about 14 cents) per gallon for petrol and 160 for diesel to 1,500 kyat (1.20 dollars) on Thursday. Passing on much of the price hike to the public, bus operators immediately quadrupled their fares, and taxi drivers doubled their rates, while only Yangon's decades-old inter-city train charged the same. Myanmar's economy has been reeling under decades of mismanagement by the military, and EU and US sanctions tightened since the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2003 have bitten hard. Zaw Oo, a Myanmar political economist at American University in Washington, said that Myanmar is especially vulnerable to rising world prices because the junta buys diesel on spot markets, without committing to long-term contracts. "Since Myanmar is a net importer of diesel fuel, the increased oil price has further eroded Myanmar's balance of payment positions, drawing its currency to the lowest ebb," he said. "Weak fundamentals account for high inflation, and the economy is structurally so weak that the inflationary pressures are expected to rise further." Inflation now has the people of Myanmar, also known as Burma, deeply worried. The knock-on effect of the steeply higher oil prices on public transport was immediate. Until Thursday, buses had charged about 20 kyat (less than two cents) for a ride. Now they charge four times as much. Only train fares have held steady at 10 kyat, making the aging carriages suddenly seem like a great deal. "The number of passengers has really gone up since bus fares have increased," said one government staffer waiting at Yangon railway station. But commuters now worry train fares will go up too. "We heard that the train fees will also be increased because the official petrol price went up," one passenger said. "We have to wait and see." The price rise also hit hard the minority of Myanmar people who own cars. Since fuel is a tightly rationed commodity in Myanmar, with each car allowed only two gallons a day, most drivers had relied on the thriving black market where prices have already been rising steeply for two months. That cushioned the actual impact of the official price increase, since most people were already paying more anyway. But since the official increase, police have begun cracking down on the illegal fuel trade, sending black market prices even higher. Diesel has been selling at 4,000 kyat (3.20 dollars) a gallon, up about 67 percent since August, while petrol went for 3,000 kyat (2.40 dollars), up 58 percent. Businesses now worry about the consequences of rising transport costs. "Some of my company's employees came to see me this morning at the office to complain about the increasing bus fees," said one businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "So I promised them that I will consider increasing their salaries," he said. "I do not want to lose my staff. "Now I also worry that commodity prices will grow higher because of the increased transportation charges." NEW DELHI: Myanmar's military government is allegedly preparing to build a secret nuclear project near the western slope of the Shan hills, some 42 miles from the central Myanmarese city of Mandalay, according to an independent website. Quoting sources, the site run by the Shan Herald Agency for News said the project was being constructed at a "secure site" near Maymyo, officially known as Pyin Oo Lwin near Mandalay. It also published a map of the location of the project. The site is located in "…a flat land surrounded on all sides by steep hills. In addition, the area remains shrouded in mist all round the year, an aspect which the project's planners believe will make it virtually invisible from the air". An airfield has also been under construction since last year at Aneesakhan on the way to Mandalay. "Half of the homes in the town and all homes in the surrounding villages of Singaunggyi, Kangyigon and Nyannyintha were demolished for the purpose. As for Paungdaw, another village nearby, it lost all of its farmland", the website said. The military regime has, however, maintained it was "…only acquiring nuclear technology for medical research purposes and has denied its nuclear programme being a front for bomb-making," the report said. "Sources close to the military say the army is transferring the nuclear plant from Magwe to Maymyo", it said, adding that village homes and fields have been confiscated "…without compensation since 2003. Roads, some say tunnels as well, are being constructed. "It has also been declared off-limits to the local populace with long-term imprisonment as punishment for trespassers", it said, adding that Maymyo, once part of the Shan state and later of Mandalay district, "…has become so militarised during the last decade (that) sources are estimating its population as half civilian and half military". Myanmar's West Point Defence Services Academy is also located here. As per the map, the so-called "secret site" is located in the vicinity of the Yeywa dam site under construction by Chinese engineers. Russia's atomic energy ministry, or Minatom, has that it has resumed talks with Myanmar's military government on developing a nuclear research facility at Kyaukse in Mandalay division, The Mizzima Journal available here reported. Plans for the facility, to be built by Minatom, were shelved early this year after Russian officials said Myanmar's generals could not afford the project. Meanwhile, Russian arms trader Rosoboronexport plans to open an office in Myanmar before the yearend, Mizzima, a journal published by Myanmarese dissidents in India, said in a separate report. The state-owned company had announced its intention to have an office in Myanmar in November last year when its director general Sergei Chemezov told reporters that new offices in Belgium, Myanmar, Italy and Venezuela were on the cards. A spokesman for Minatom told Mizzima final discussions were being held on the price and financing of the nuclear research facility. "The government of Myanmar has enough money I think, so we will continue our negotiations," the spokesman said. Minatom will not be involved in building the 10MW pool-type nuclear research reactor but will supervise and provide necessary fuel for it. Myanmar's plans to build the facility were first announced in 2002 when former foreign minister Win Aung told BBC the country planned to build the reactor for medical purposes. Most Asian countries have at least one research reactor - only Burma, Laos and Cambodia do not possess such facilities. Mizzima, however, reported many international observers, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the US were reportedly worried about Myanmar's ability to maintain such a facility to international safety standards. Myanmar has had a long history of arms trading with Russian companies, buying fighter jets and hand-held weapons from various Russian dealers.(IANS) In this connection, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has already been entrusted with the task of constructing a multi-crore land custom station at Zakhawthar. Admitting the lethargic approach towards the border trade, Chief Minister Zoramthanga told UNI that the border business is yet to materialize as it was expected. Chief Forest Conservator H Ramhluna also lamented that import, of the world famous Burma teak and other forest items, could not be done as it was expected due to the lack of initiative by the concerned authorities. "Mizoram will be one of the richest state once there is a full-fledged and smooth trade across the border," he claimed adding "once the goods from Myanmar goes through our state to rest of the countries, we not only have the economy boost but also lots of employment can be generated in various forms." Few years ago, the authorities in Mizoram 'over enthusiastically' evicted villagers staying on Indo-Burma border from their village for a new Indo-Burma border trade route. Many houses in the nearby villages were bulldozed by the authorities as the owners refused to move to the government-allocated new site. Following the eviction, the Mizoram government had set up a small custom house for petty trading, under the agreement, 22 items are identified for exchange by residents living along the border between India and Burma. These 22 items are: Mustard/Rape seed, Pulses and Beans, Fresh Vegetables, Fruits, Garlic, Onion, Chilies, Spices (excluding nutmeg, vace, cloves, cassia), Bamboo, Minor forest products excluding Teak, Food items for local consumption, Tobacco, Tomato, Reed Broom, Sesame, Resin, Coriander Seeds, Soya bean, Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Katha, Ginger. NANNING, Oct. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Advanced and feasible technologies developed by Chinese companies have attracted many businessmen from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) to the second China-ASEAN Expo which ended here Saturday. Myanmar businessman U-Aung-Lwin, lingering in the exhibition hall of advanced and feasible technologies, said that he will "be sure to make good money" if he introduces the new technologies forcommercial production of animal and poultry vaccines and the effective utilization of low-value fish to southeast Asia. These technologies have been widely applied in China's rural areas and have yielded enormous economic benefits for the rural population. China started cooperation with the five GMS nations, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, in 1992. A number of agricultural technologies, including rice and vegetable planting and sea food processing, have been introduced to these nations. Vu-Tien-Loc, chairman of the Vietnamese federation of chambers of industry and commerce, said that China and the other GMS nations face great cooperative potential in the farm produce processing industry. He called on China to export more agricultural technology and equipment to and import more primitivefarm produce from the other GMS countries. U-Win-Myint, chairman of Myanmar federation of chambers of industry and commerce, said there is still 9.2 million hectare arable land to be exploited in his country. China's advanced farming technologies would help Myanmar reduce poverty more rapidly, he said. Cao Yihua, an official of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, said 400 advanced and feasible technological items puton display at the exposition were all adapted to the conditions incountries such as Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. "This will not only help these countries to boost development of agriculture, but also facilitate the export of advanced technologies and products to member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Wu Qibin, who runs an agricultural technology company in south China, said Chinese enterprises would to the country's along the Mekong River to seek business partners worry-free if there is government support and legal guarantee. He said he was optimistic about the prospect of applying China's advanced and feasible technologies to the vast land of these countries. Bangladesh has directed the law-enforcing agencies to arrest Myanmarese Rohingyas living outside refugee camps, saying many of them are involved in militant activities. The Rohingyas, Myanmar's ethnic Muslim minority, fled to Bangladesh 1991-1992 to avoid persecution by the military regime. Following reports that many of the refugees were involved with local Islamic militant outfits, the Bangladesh government had mounted a strict vigilance on them, a senior official of the home ministry told IANS. The ministry, however, asked the agencies to deal with the refugees very cautiously as a number of international human rights bodies were apparently sympathetic toward Rohingyas, who had taken shelter in Bangladesh legally or illegally at different places in the two districts bordering Myanmar. The government sounded the alert after the arrest of 25 Rohingyas in Chittagong and their subsequent statements admitting their link with the local militants involved in the Aug 17 countrywide series of blasts and the Oct 3 bomb attacks on courts. The ministry, at a meeting in the past week, decided to take action against Rohingyas involved in militancy, the official said. The meeting observed with grave concern that many of the refugees were involved with a number of Islamic militant groups in the name of religion. According to sources, some female refugees were also being recruited into militant groups and they were being trained to carry out militant activities. Over 250,000 ethnic Muslim minorities of Myanmar took shelter in Bangladesh during 1991-1992 to evade military persecution in Myanmar's Arakan state. Most of the refugees have been repatriated to Myanmar with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, but there are still more than 20,000 refugees living in camps of Cox's Bazar and Teknaf. Official sources said many of those who were repatriated to Myanmar had re-entered Bangladesh, where they were staying illegally. Burmese minister visits India as agitated Burmese pro-democracy activists call on India and America for restoration of democracy in Burma. Does India prefer gas to democracy and human rights? India must decide which way it wants to go says Burmese pro-democracy agitators. Shwe Gas Project in Burma will bring a huge natural gas reserve from Burma to India. But India who preaches and practices democracy and human right must decide – gas or democracy. The Burmese deputy foreign minister, Kyaw Thu, is leading a five-member delegation from the Burmese Foreign Ministry on a four-day visit to India. His meetings in New Delhi with Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, began on Wednesday and will end on Friday. Mr Kyaw Thu served the Burmese military junta as its ambassador to India from 2001 to 2003. Burmese activists have asked India to use Burma's fledgling relationship with the United States to push for the restoration of democracy in Burma. "As the largest and the oldest democracies in the world, India and the United States must put pressure on the Burmese military regime to restore democracy. India must work with the international agencies in general and the United Nations in particular, to accelerate the democratisation process in Burma. A democratic Burma will deliver long-term benefits to India," said a Burmese pro-democracy activist. Mr Kyaw Thu, who is the son of former Burmese President Maung Maung, discussed matters of bilateral interest besides regional and international cooperation issues. His visit comes close on the heels of the 14 October demonstrations to mark the "International Day of Action Global Call to Action against the Shwe Gas Project in Burma." This gas will be sold to India. |
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