National News

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• Govt proposes TNLA ceasefire talks
• Thai trips expected to rise as visa-free deal comes into effect
• Small parties struggle to match their electoral ambitions
• Landslides could force Hakha City to move
• Flood death toll tops 100
• Flood-hit farmers fear loan losses
• Health officials fight potential for cholera
• Overlooked residents in Magwe appeal for more aid
• Rice destined for flood-hit areas
• Online future for highway bus tickets

Govt proposes TNLA ceasefire talks Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT The government and an ethnic Palaung army fighting in the Kokang region could soon hold ceasefire talks, a development that could help break an impasse over the nationwide peace deal.

Thai trips expected to rise as visa-free deal comes into effect Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT Visa-free travel to Thailand comes into effect today, sparking a likely spike in visitor numbers, travel agents say. Following an agreement reached last month, Myanmar passport holders can now pop over to Bangkok or Phuket for a two-week trip without queuing for a visa at the Thai embassy in Yangon or showing evidence of funding.

Small parties struggle to match their electoral ambitions Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT Flooding , funding shortfalls and personnel problems have bedevilled the efforts of small parties to field a full slate of candidates in the November 8 election, it has emerged. Though the Union Election Commission (UEC) extended the deadline for the submission of candidate lists from August 8 to August 14, some smaller parties have effectively abandoned their attempt to run in many constituencies they had planned to contest.

Landslides could force Hakha City to move Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT The Chin State government is considering relocating the majority of the state capital after landslides caused by heavy monsoon rain ripped through the city last month.

Flood death toll tops 100 Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT The death toll from severe flooding across Myanmar has topped 100, state media reported yesterday, with nearly 1 million people affected as fears intensify for the country's crucial rice bowl region.

Flood-hit farmers fear loan losses Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT As floodwaters recede from parts of Magwe Region, farmers are facing new problems – paying back loans they took out before the growing season. Such loans from the state-run Myanma Agricultural Development Bank (MADB) are usually repaid from the proceeds of the crop. But in many cases in the flood-hit regions, the crops have been destroyed, leaving farmers deep in debt.

Health officials fight potential for cholera Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT Health workers are battling the spectre of cholera in the regions devastated by floods. So far, they say, the several known outbreaks of diarrhoea do not constitute an epidemic. But relief workers are moving rapidly to distribute medicines and carrying out crash public health education programs on the scene to alert people to the risk of dirty water and contaminated food.

Overlooked residents in Magwe appeal for more aid Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT As the government, NGOs and civil society rally to help flooding victims in the nation's afflicted midsection, would-be rescuers are pleading for more aid to be directed to one of the most inaccessible disaster zones. In Yenangyaung township, Magwe Region, more than 20,000 people have been devastated by flooding, with thousands huddled in relief camps desperately in need of supplies, local administrators say.

Rice destined for flood-hit areas Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT A local trading firm has donated 85 bags of rice valued at K2 million to Myanmar Red Cross Society for distribution to families affected by recent flooding. Lucky Family Trading handed over the rice on August 8 at MRCS headquarters in Botahtaung township.

Online future for highway bus tickets Posted: 10 Aug 2015 02:30 PM PDT The scrum for bus tickets in the lead-up to popular holidays like water festival could soon be a thing of the past, as more companies – and, they hope, customers – head online to make bookings. The country's increasing interconnectedness, particularly in Yangon, is allowing people to save time they would have spent buying tickets in person by instead using their laptop or smartphone.

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