YANGON, 11 November 2019: I enjoy walking tours, but I always keep one eye open for the corner coffee shop a couple of hours into the tour as the sun’s tropical glare intrudes on sidewalk shade. Yangon is no exception as I follow the guide through a warren of stalls that make navigation of the […]
Myanma Railways seeks consultants to supervise Yoma Central
November 4, 2019 by
STATE-OWNED Myanma Railways plans to hire consultants to monitor the US$700 million Yoma Central project and ensure it is finished on time and according to the terms of the contract. Yoma Strategic Holdings, a Singapore-listed company controlled by Mr Serge Pun, leads the consortium behind the project, which it describes as “one of the most […]
What Singapore and Yangon share: a dark colonial past, and existential angst about the future
September 27, 2019 by
Sometimes cities are planned down to every last corner, with neat grids and clearly divided zones. And sometimes a city’s future grows up organically around its past, history and aspiration tangling like vines at the heart of a rainforest. One sees all this from the ballroom of Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, nestled on the banks […]
The future of the Secretariat
May 9, 2019 by
At over 100 years old, the splendid centrepiece of Yangon’s colonial heritage, the Secretariat, is a landmark beloved by locals. More than its aesthetic appeal and imposing size, the building holds a special significance for being the site of the 1947 assassination of General Bogyoke Aung San and eight other senior advisers. The Secretariat was […]
Danish Minister for taxation visits Myanmar
January 24, 2019 by
The Danish Ministerial delegation, led by Minister of Taxation Karsten Lauritzen paid a visit to Myanmar on 17-20 January 2019 The purpose of the visit is to exchange the viewpoint about tax policies and conditions for foreign companies in Myanmar. At the first day of the visit, Karsten Lauritzen paid a visit to Carlsberg, the […]
Keeping the menorah burning in Myanmar
January 23, 2019 by
The corner of MahaBandoola and 26th Street bustles with food service, tightly packed fashion stores, teashops and vendors. The cars squeeze by as people weave their way up and down on their daily business. The place is thriving all day, busy enough that unless you knew what you were looking for, you could easily miss […]
Restoration project reopens ‘best view in Yangon’
December 13, 2018 by
Through a doorway where colonial shoppers once flocked, up several flights of steps and a wrought-iron spiral staircase, there lies one of the most splendid sights in downtown Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. Gazing to the left from a panoramic roof terrace, almost within touching distance, is the top of the gleaming Sule Pagoda. Slightly beyond […]
Yangon Region seeks to give historic train warehouse a second life
September 24, 2018 by
The Yangon regional government has asked the government for money to renovate the 1906 War Tan train warehouse, said Daw Nilar Kyaw, regional minister of Electricity, Transportation and Communication. She told parliament on Thursday the request was included in the budget proposal for fiscal year 2019. “It is a historical building, so we and the […]
