A Conversation With US Ambassador Scot Marciel

On March 8, The Irrawaddy’s editorial team invited US Ambassador Scot Marciel to our office in Yangon to participate in a conversation on a range of issues, particularly the many challenges Myanmar is facing. The ambassador offered his frank views in response to questions from senior editors. Here are excerpts from the interview: The Irrawaddy: […]

Implementation of burma’s vacant, fallow and virgin land management law: at odds with the nationwide ceasefire agreement and peace negotiations

Land rights of peoples must be protected to improve prospects for peace. The Government of Myanmar’s approach to land policy risks increasing land conflicts and exacerbating current challenges in formal peace negotiations. Civil society organizations strongly oppose implementation of the recently-amended Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law (VFV Land Law), due to well-founded fears […]

NLD government to face tougher challenges in 2018

Among the many countries struggling for democracy, some succeed, some fail, while others slide back after a few measures of success. Myanmar is one of these countries, which recently gained democracy through peaceful reforms and elections but now appears to be sliding back to its old draconian ways. After more than 20-year military rule, the […]

Peace process is the way forward

The government will not back down from the peace process despite the hardships it faces getting all ethnic armed groups to the negotiating table, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said Sunday at the second anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). “It is the second anniversary of the signing. There […]

Insurance liberalisation must strike delicate balance in Myanmar

Insurance is normally a highly competitive industry, but in Myanmar – only recently opened to the international market – that competition is highly controlled. Nyo Myint, Vice Chairman of IKBZ Insurance, explains that although the monopoly of the state-owned Myanma Insurance has ended, the country’s 12 insurance companies are still relative novices. Myanmar’s insurance industry […]

UN Hails Myanmar’s Historic New Parliament

The UN has added its powerful voice of support for the dramatic leadership changes happening now at all levels in Myanmar’s government. When U.Thant of Burma (now Myanmar) was elected UN Secretary-General back in November 1962, he was the first Asian to hold that post after Trygve Lie of Norway and Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden. […]