Domestic airline Air Thanlwin on Wednesday suspended flights to Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, as well as the cities of Tachileik, Kyaingtong and Lashio in adjacent Shan State. The suspension will continue until April 16, the company said in an announcement. myopenads The airline did not provide reasons for the cancellations but promised to […]
BIT, parent of Myanmar’s e-book store Wun Zinn, nets “7-figure USD” Series B funding
April 7, 2020 by
Bagan Innovation Technology (BIT), a digital content provider in Myanmar, has secured “seven-figure USD” in Series B funding, led by Japan’s Kyuu Roku. Existing investor UMJ Ikeya Investment, besides Hotto Link, a social listening company listed on Japan’s stock exchange, also participated. BIT will use this financing to invest into their automatic speech recognition, language […]
Yangon bus lines to keep prices stable even as number of passengers halves
April 7, 2020 by
Bus lines at Yangon Region Highway Bus Terminal will be selling tickets at normal prices, the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) said today (March 31). The decision comes shortly after the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all Regional Supervision Committees to instruct bus lines to reduce the number of passengers by half on March […]
Japan’s top retailer Aeon to open mall in Myanmar by 2023
April 7, 2020 by
TOKYO/YANGON — Japan’s Aeon plans to open a shopping center in Myanmar as early as 2023, tapping into a middle class whose spending power is expected to rise in the coming years, Nikkei has learned. Japan’s largest retailer will set up a joint venture this spring with Myanmar conglomerate Shwe Taung Group to begin work […]
Pandemic adds to Chinese infrastructure delays in Myanmar: ICG
April 6, 2020 by
The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting shock to the economy are likely to ease pressure on Myanmar to speed up China’s ambitious but slow-moving infrastructure programme, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG). The ICG noted that President Xi Jinping’s visit to Myanmar in January, when the outbreak was in its early […]
Chinese consortium may avoid fines despite missing emergency power deadline
April 6, 2020 by
YANGON — A Chinese consortium investing US$800 million in emergency power projects may escape heavy fines for failing to complete its projects on time by claiming to have been hampered by the COVID-19 global pandemic, officials say. It is unclear whether the deadlines are even legally binding, one official told Frontier, as the consortium may […]
Media council vows to name those spreading fake news
April 6, 2020 by
The Myanmar Press Council has threatened to publicly name the people behind social media pages that intentionally spread fake news. U Kyaw Swa Min, secretary of the council, said some social media pages and accounts try to cause public panic by spreading fake news. “We have no power to take action against these social media […]
Myanmar well equipped to battle Covid-19, says health ministry spokesperson
April 6, 2020 by
The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China in late December and has since spread across the globe. It has killed more than 60,000 people and infected more than one million. Myanmar reported its first two cases of Covid-19, the disease the virus leads to, on March 23. As of April 5, 21 people […]
Worker unions in Myanmar to campaign for factory closures, full wages in April
April 2, 2020 by
Worker unions are planning to lobby for the closing of factories for full wages in April, said Ma Moe Sandar Myint, acting head of the Federation of Garment Workers Myanmar (FGWM). About 30 worker unions under the FGWM will participate in a slew of campaigns for this purpose. As there are only two weeks’ worth […]
Over 200 people quarantined at lakeside hotel compound in Yangon – lawmaker
April 2, 2020 by
The Inya Lake Hotel compound in Yangon has been placed under quarantine after a staff member at a private clinic on the site tested positive for coronavirus. The order means more than 200 people will be unable to leave the compound for 14 days, said Yan Shin, a local regional lawmaker. “We were told there […]
