Thet Naing Win: micro-loans ‘beneficial’ for poverty reduction
DVB recently spoke with Thet Naing Win, the general manager of Myanmar Micro Finance Bank, and asked him about who will benefit from his bank’s new loans system. We learned that the Myanmar Micro...
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New Electricity Bill stresses environmental protection
A new draft of Burma’s Electricity Bill is under final revision by relevant ministers and the lower house Natural Resources and Environmental Preservation Committee (NREPC), before submission to the...
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Media Bill stuck in Parliament
Burma’s new Media Bill is currently stalled in Parliament due to dispute over an article that defers press office search and seizure to the Code of Criminal Procedures. Upper house MP Aung Kyi Nyunt...
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Burmese media groups condemn Unity Weekly arrests
Press bodies in Burma have denounced the arrests of five media workers from news journal Unity Weekly over the 25 January reporting of an alleged ‘secret chemical weapon factory’ in Magwe Division. A...
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Anti-corruption commission to be formed
President Thein Sein proposed on Thursday that a commission be formed to begin tackling corruption in Burma. In a letter to the Chairman of the Union Parliament, Thein Sein recommended 15 members; five...
View ArticleShan parties set to merge
Two major political parties in Shan State, eastern Burma, have reached a preliminary merger agreement. Delegations from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the Shan Nationalities...
View ArticleBurma enlists Interpol help ahead of ASEAN summit
Burmese police have brought in Interpol to help with security measures at Rangoon International Airport ahead of the 24th ASEAN Summit due to be hosted in Burma this weekend. Police Lt-Col. Hla Myint,...
View ArticleUttara, Mahasantisukha monks have their day in court
The British embassy in Rangoon said it is providing legal assistance to the Buddhist monk Uttara, a British citizen, who was arrested and charged with religious offences following a night-time raid at...
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Eight Chinese ‘militants’ jailed for weapons raid
Eight Chinese nationals were sentenced to jail terms of up to 13 years after being found guilty of weapons possession, illegal entry into Burma, and illegal possession of radio communication devices....
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We are in favour of changing Article 436, say committee members
Burma’s parliamentary Joint Committee to Review the Constitution (JCRC) has finalised its notes and recommendations on constitutional reform, according to three of the 31 committee members. Aye Maung,...
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Japanese reveal taste for Burmese tea
A Japanese company has contacted the Burmese embassy in Tokyo with a request to buy fresh green tea leaves in bulk. “The Japan Greentea Company distributes dried tea leaves around the world,” the...
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Ethnic bloc to meet NLD, 88 Gen in Thailand
The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an umbrella organisation of ethnic armed groups, is to hold an official meeting with the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other Burmese...
View ArticleBurma to form counter-terrorism unit
The Burmese government plans to set up a national counter-terrorism body in the near future to protect the country from extremist groups, according to a senior police official. Police Brig-Gen Soe...
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UEC begins revamping voter lists
Burma’s Union Election Commission (UEC) has begun compiling new voter lists for the 2015 general election, after this year’s census uncovered a gaping discrepancy in the actual versus the predicted...
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Govt board offers to broker talks between students and MPs
Burma’s Ministry of Education has offered to facilitate discussions between students protesting against the National Education Law and concerned parliamentary committees. The ministry’s Education...
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Rice price volatility in Burma must be addressed, says World Bank
The price of rice in Burma has increased by 41 percent between 2009 and 2013, a rate much higher than neighbouring competitors Thailand and Cambodia. This has led to a decrease in Burmese rice exports...
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88 Gen leader Hla Myo Naung, passes away, aged 47
Prominent pro-democracy activist and 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS) member Hla Myo Naung passed away on the morning of 28 November at Thingangyun Hospital in Rangoon. Hla Myo Naung, 47,...
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Don’t put words in the president’s mouth, warns govt
The Burmese government on Thursday released a press statement accusing political party officials of putting words in President Thein Sein’s mouth and personally attacking others who have different...
View ArticleElection 2015 – fighting for the farmers and workers
A new political party – the Myanmar Peasants, Workers, People’s Party – was on 9 December was given a green light to register with the Union Election Commission. DVB interviewed the party’s general...
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Birdman
In collaboration with international and local conservation organisations, Burmese ornithologists conducted an extensive survey on Burma’s bird species from 2010 to 2014. DVB interviews a leading...
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