Japan’s top envoy to Myanmar said that economic development is an answer to Rakhine’s conflict and that Tokyo is considering providing aid for the state. “If there is economic development, I believe that there will be no conflict,” Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Maruyama said ahead of a Japan-backed investment fair in Ngapali. The first Rakhine Investment […]
‘Overreacting to failure’: Facebook’s new Myanmar strategy baffles local activists
February 11, 2019 by
Facebook banned four ethnic armed Myanmar-based groups from its site this week, in its latest effort to reckon with its role in the violence in that nation. But the tech giant’s decision is drawing criticism from local civil society and human rights groups who warn that the move appears ill-considered and inconsistent with international law. […]
First Tourists Arrive on New Free-Visa System, 21 Western Countries to be Added
October 9, 2018 by
As an initial phase of implementing its new tourism strategy, the tourism ministry launched a free-visa system for tourists from Japan, South Korean and China’s Hong Kong and Macau on Monday. The move is likely to be followed in the coming years by the lifting of visa requirements for citizens of another 21 countries—especially western […]
Bumpy Ride for Tourism Seen in 2018
January 2, 2018 by
The tourism industry this year went beyond expectations despite the sudden outbreak of violence in the northern Rakhine State that gave the country a negative image, but the sector is expected to face a more challenging environment next year. Tourist arrivals in the first 11 months this year was 20 per cent higher compared with the […]
Myanmar Says U.S. Sanctions Against General Based on ‘Unreliable Accusations’
January 1, 2018 by
(Reuters) – Myanmar “feels sad” over a U.S. decision to sanction a military general, a government spokesman said, after Washington linked the commander last week to abuses against the Rohingya Muslim minority. “This targeted sanction is based on unreliable accusations without evidence, as we have repeatedly said, so we feel sad for that,” Zaw Htay, […]
Myanmar’s FDI on target despite Rakhine situation
September 21, 2017 by
NAYPYITAW — In a bright, well-carpeted conference hall in Naypyitaw — Myanmar’s sprawling capital built by the former military government — more than 1,000 investors and business executives gathered earlier this week for the annual Euromoney Myanmar Global Investment Forum. The opening remarks on Sept. 12 by speakers including government officials and foreign and local […]
DICA Advocates for Investment in Conflict Zones
September 15, 2017 by
By the end of the month, the Myanmar Investment Commission will open a branch office in Sittwe to “provide a solution to regional conflict,” U Than Aung Kyaw, Deputy Director General of Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) told Myanmar Business Today. Both the Union and State governments have expressed their desire to achieve […]
Hackers target govt websites in cyber spillover from Arakan crisis
September 7, 2017 by
Hackers targeted several government websites this week, according to state media, apparently in retaliation for Burma’s treatment of the country’s Muslim minority, as international attention on the plight of the Rohingya in northern Arakan State intensifies. The Burmese-language state-run daily Kyemon reported on Tuesday that six government websites had been hacked in a “defacement attack,” […]
Myanmar better off in good graces with the West
Two developments stood out in Myanmar’s international relations landscape in 2017: The increasing Chinese influence in the country and the immense diplomatic pressure from international community on the government’s handling of the Rakhine crisis. Analysts cautioned Myanmar against overdependence on China for its development and urged the country to mend ties with the West to […]