Monday, April 10, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine


USDP Protest Over NLD Party Message in State Counselor’s Speech 

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 07:57 AM PDT

Spokesperson of military-backed former ruling party says using state media and Union ministers to campaign is wrong.

The post USDP Protest Over NLD Party Message in State Counselor's Speech  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Push for Treatment-Oriented Drug Policy Continues

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 07:03 AM PDT

The Drug Policy Advocacy Group discusses a recent draft of updated narcotics legislation that emphasizes decriminalization.

The post Push for Treatment-Oriented Drug Policy Continues appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Govt’s Rock Bottom Rent Rates Lose Billions to Companies

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 05:11 AM PDT

Low rent from two construction projects—plus one in the pipeline—cost the regional govt more than 13 billion kyats in the last fiscal year.

The post Rangoon Govt's Rock Bottom Rent Rates Lose Billions to Companies appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Coffee Culture Grows in Rangoon

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 04:19 AM PDT

New cafés open alongside traditional teashops in the commercial capital's downtown.

The post Coffee Culture Grows in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic Armed Group Leaders Agree to Basic Federal Principles

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 03:34 AM PDT

Signatories and non-signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement approve a guide to more autonomy at a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The post Ethnic Armed Group Leaders Agree to Basic Federal Principles appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UNICEF Official Seeks Release of Detained Children in Burma

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 01:58 AM PDT

A police document shows children as young as 10 are among hundreds of Rohingya detained on charges of consorting with insurgents.

The post UNICEF Official Seeks Release of Detained Children in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Death Toll Rises to 30 in Pathein Boat Tragedy

Posted: 09 Apr 2017 11:36 PM PDT

The bodies of 10 missing people from a capsized ferry in the Irrawaddy Delta are recovered, bringing the death toll to 30.

The post Death Toll Rises to 30 in Pathein Boat Tragedy appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China’s Nuclear Envoy in S. Korea Amid Talk of Trump Action Against N. Korea

Posted: 09 Apr 2017 10:27 PM PDT

US strike group Carl Vinson heads to the Korean peninsula as North Korea nuclear and missile tests are feared as key anniversaries loom.

The post China's Nuclear Envoy in S. Korea Amid Talk of Trump Action Against N. Korea appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

National News

National News


Bullock cart race in Nay Pyi Taw

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 12:23 AM PDT

Concerned over the shortage of bullocks, a Pyinmana township resident in Nay Pyi Taw organised a bullock cart race, hoping to raise awareness and encourage others to breed the animals.

Free viewing from Bagan Nan Myint tower

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 12:18 AM PDT

Until June 21, visitors in Bagan can view the heritage pagodas and surrounding scenery for free from the third floor of the Bagan Nan Myint viewing tower.

Disruption of train services during Thingyan

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 12:17 AM PDT

As fewer passengers travel by train during the Thingyan water festival, some of the train services will not run until the festival is over. The train services will resume their normal schedules after Thingyan, Mandalay Railway Station Master U Nyein Maung said.

K19 billion excess taxes collected

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 12:13 AM PDT

Mandalay's tax revenue in the last budget year exceeded the collection of the year before by almost K20 billion, thanks to increased awareness among taxpayers.

Nga Wun River boat capsize kills 30

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 12:07 AM PDT

A ferry carrying more than 60 passengers crashed with a barge at the Nga Wun River on Friday night, killing 30 passengers, according to the Ayeyarwady Region's police station.

Gen Mutu Say Poe re-elected as KNU chair

Posted: 09 Apr 2017 11:57 PM PDT

The Karen National Union (KNU) has re-elected General Mutu Say Poe as chairman for the next four-year term. The election was announced on April 8.

Lawmakers to discuss YBS weaknesses

Posted: 09 Apr 2017 11:27 PM PDT

A proposal by a regional Member of Parliament to discuss the weaknesses of the public transportation system in the Yangon Region has been submitted to the Yangon Region Hluttaw on April 5.

Activists charged in MYTCL case

Posted: 09 Apr 2017 11:23 PM PDT

Three social activists charged with trespassing into the Myanmar Yang Tse Copper Limited (MYTCL) premises among other offences are appealing against the fines sentenced on them, said one of the defendants.

Public opinion a must for drug policy success

Posted: 09 Apr 2017 11:19 PM PDT

The process of reforming the drug policy in Myanmar will need to involve a change in public opinion regarding drug users, said Police Colonel Zaw Lin Tun, Head of Department of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control Myanmar.

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News


3 civilians killed in clashes between Burmese army, TNLA

Posted: 10 Apr 2017 12:06 AM PDT

Three civilians were shot dead in northern Shan State's Kyaukme Township during armed clashes between Burmese government forces and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Sunday, according to an MP from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD).


MP Sai Htun Naing, who represents Kyaukme Township Constituency No 2, said that the fighting took place in Jarng Huang tract about a half mile from Kyaukme Township. He confirmed that three people had been killed.

"The three victims were local villagers," he told Shan Herald on Monday. "They were truck drivers."

Sai Htun Naing said that eye-witnesses had informed him that the three victims were found wearing TNLA uniform shirts. However, he questioned whether the shirts had been put on before or after the men's deaths.

Other local sources told Shan Herald that the three victims were identified as Sai Sarng Lwin and Sai Win Kyaing from Tawsarng tract, and Sai Ai Woon from Jarng Huang.

No details of how the killings occurred have been forthcoming by the time of press.

Since 2012, fighting has regularly broken out between Burmese armed forces and TNLA troops. The Ta'ang or Palaung rebel faction is among those armed groups excluded from signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement by the government in 2015.

According to Myanmar Peace Monitor, there were 309 clashes between the two armies in 2016, most of which occurred in northern Shan State towns such as Naung Cho, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Kutkai and Namhsan.

 By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)