Saturday, October 26, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Social media: the good, the bad and the ugly

Posted: 26 Oct 2013 02:00 AM PDT

With internet access rapidly expanding in Burma and the price on SIM-cards and smartphones falling, more and more people are using social media.

But while it can be a way to keep in touch with friends or promote your company, media analysts warn that it can also be a source of hate speech and fear mongering.

The Rangoon-based Heys Food Catering Service turned to social media to launch its business. As a small startup, the company used Facebook to attract customers and introduce itself to the market.

Customers can see the menu and order food for home delivery online. Heys Food also receives orders from other companies, for social meetings and bigger dinner parties.

Meanwhile, writer Mar J from Myanmar Media Group uses Facebook to get material and inspiration for news stories.

"I'm a regular user of social websites. Above all, I think social networks necessarily facilitate our [media workers] business."

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But he has also experienced the downside of the use of the internet. Recently, an interview with an actress about the ultranationalist Buddhist 969 movement, allegedly written by Mar J, went viral. However, the interview had been faked and both Mar J and the actress in question were shocked.

"We saw her image in the news article and my byline was on this fake interview. It said I was interviewing her about the 969 religious movement."

He had to write an explanatory article distancing himself from the interview, and eventually the commotion died down.

Well-known blogger and executive director of Myanmar ICT Development Organisation (MIDO), Nay Phone Latt was sentenced to 20 years in prison for publishing a cartoon of Than Shwe in 2008, but was released in the beginning of 2012.

MIDO now works to narrow the digital divide between rural and urban areas in Burma, and they claim to have observed a pattern in how people use social media.

"Internet users can be divided into two groups. One uses social networks for good purposes; while others use them for bad purposes. Now I think the bad impact of internet is bigger than the good one."

Nay Phone Latt says they have noticed that people use more than one Facebook account, often for the purpose of instigating social or religious unrest. He thinks that this has fuelled a recent wave of Muslim-Buddhist clashes in the country.

He insists that everyone has to collaborate during this period of transition to ensure that social media and the internet are not used in the wrong way.

UN fears over Burma civilians in fresh Kachin unrest

Posted: 25 Oct 2013 11:57 PM PDT

The United Nations has expressed serious concern for hundreds of Burma civilians, many of them children, trapped in a conflict zone in northern Kachin state amid renewed clashes between the army and rebels.

It said over a thousand displaced people are thought to be running short of food after being caught in a new bout of fighting between troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Mansi township in recent days, despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

“I am seriously concerned about the civilians being caught in any crossfire, especially children and the elderly,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Burma Ashok Nigam in a statement released late Friday.

Conflict in Kachin, near the northern border with China, broke out in June 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire crumbled. It has displaced some 100,000 people.

“Hostilities must cease,” said Nigam of the Mansi fighting, adding that aid agencies should be allowed access to civilians in the area, who are deemed “in urgent need of assistance”.

The UN said local aid groups were now unable to reach the displaced there and have reported that they “have only food for a few days”.

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Bloodshed in Kachin — along with religious unrest elsewhere in the country — has overshadowed widely praised political changes as Burma emerges from decades of military rule.

President Thein Sein’s reformist government has reached tentative peace deals with most major ethnic minority rebel groups in the country, which has been racked by civil wars since independence from Britain in 1948.

Earlier this month, Burma hailed a fresh peace deal in ongoing talks to end the Kachin fighting — the country’s last major active civil war.

The agreement, which followed three days of negotiations that were observed by representatives from the UN and China among others, was aimed at laying the “foundation for political dialogue” and working towards peace, according to government mediators.

Thet Naing Win: micro-loans ‘beneficial’ for poverty reduction

Posted: 25 Oct 2013 11:33 PM PDT

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 Finance Bank is going to open in November? Who are you providing loans to and what kind of loans system are you going to employ?

Just like every other bank, we accept deposits and channel them into loans. In terms of operation, we are going to provide micro-loans and commercial loans. For micro-loans, we will redirect the deposits to cooperative societies via the Central Cooperative Society Limited (CCSL) to provide loans for farmers with low incomes in some 60,000 villages across the country.

So who will receive the loans mainly depends on the CCSL while our part is pretty much redirecting the deposits to them. And commercial loans, we will be directly providing for business enterprises. The loans will be provided in accordance the existing Micro Finance Law, without collateral.

How much interest will borrowers be expected to pay?

It will be in accordance with the regulations set out the Central Bank, according to which we cannot set interest rates at more than 2.5 percent for any loans to the public.

How much is the maximum micro-loan an individual can apply for?

Since we are going to redirect the loans wholesale to the CSSL, it depends on them how much the maximum loan can be.

Is the bank going to be government-owned, or private?

It is going to be a publicly owned bank.  We are planning to invite shareholders in the near future.

So the headquarters is in Rangoon? Are you planning to open branches in other towns? If so, where and how many?

We've opened our headquarters on the second floor of the Sayar San Plaza in Rangoon and plan to launch our first branch in South Okkalapa township in November, followed by up to nine other branches in the city. We are also looking to gradually expand operations to other cities such as Mandalay and Naypyidaw. Currently, we have pretty much accomplished preparations for opening, such as building a data centre and banking software. We aim to open about 15 branches within the next year.

Since most of those individuals seeking loans will be relatively poor, what will happen if, for example, they go and gamble all the money away and end up being unable to repay it?

It will depend on the organisation charged with distribution of the loans – the CCSL, in accordance with the Micro Finance La

Do you have plans to introduce a campaign to educate potential borrowers to effectively utilise the loans?

This will be carried out by relevant organisations. Our main focuses are poverty alleviation and regional development. But educating people to spend money more efficiently will not only bring them more income, but will also be more beneficial for the country.

There are similar micro-loan programmes in other regional countries including South Asian nations. Some of them found success, such as Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, while some others ended up going bankrupt. How can you ensure that your bank survives?

We have done our best. As we aim to assist the public, we will try to get large amount of deposits while ensuring no loss to our customers' savings. Being the first ever micro finance bank in Burma, we are hopeful of receiving more deposits from citizens with savings, as well as taking grants and loans from international organisations. We believe we will be able to provide the best service if we have those resources.
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