National News

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• Pat Ja San attacked by hand grenade
• Parliament accepts urgent poppy proposal
• Government presents handover ceremony plan to NLD
• Teacher numbers to grow by a quarter under reform plan
• Military sends warning to Shan, Palaung armies
• Govt ignores Amnesty report on rights abuses
• Heavy rain in north prompts rapid river rise
• Donors offer US$75,000 lifeline to peace process
• Hospitals on alert for heat-related illness
• Warnings of strong El Niño through June

Pat Ja San attacked by hand grenade Posted: 25 Feb 2016 03:07 AM PST The Kachin anti-poppy vigilante group Pat Ja San reported that they were attacked this morning by armed poppy growers, including a hand grenade, while destroying opium fields near Sadon sub-township of Waingmaw township.

Parliament accepts urgent poppy proposal Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST A Kachin politician yesterday blamed China for undermining Myanmar's efforts to root out rampant opium poppy cultivation. In defending an urgent proposal put to parliament, MP U La Gan Zal Jone said that more than 10,000 acres of opium fields that residents want destroyed in Kachin State are owned and run by "the rich neighbouring country".

Government presents handover ceremony plan to NLD Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The government has presented a draft plan for a transfer of power ceremony to the National League for Democracy, the President's Office announced in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.

Teacher numbers to grow by a quarter under reform plan Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST In a major nationwide overhaul of education, the government is to hire and train more than 100,000 primary-school teachers to work in a revitalised system, the Department of Education has announced.

Military sends warning to Shan, Palaung armies Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The Tatmadaw has increased the pressure on Shan and Palaung armies fighting in northern Shan State to cease hostilities, warning of a planned "clearance" operation unless they pull back to the original border of their respective territories.

Govt ignores Amnesty report on rights abuses Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST The Myanmar government has said it will not respond to Amnesty International's annual report, in which the rights group yesterday criticised it for failing to address religious discrimination and human rights abuses. The report also alleged there was an ongoing climate of impunity for security forces.

Heavy rain in north prompts rapid river rise Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Downpours beyond the country's northwestern border, along with deforestation, have created a "significant" surge in the level of the Ayeyarwady River, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology warned yesterday.

Donors offer US$75,000 lifeline to peace process Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Foreign donors have agreed to provide US$75,000 to keep the peace process running until the National League for Democracy-backed government takes office at the end of March, negotiators said yesterday.

Hospitals on alert for heat-related illness Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Health officials are preparing to treat the effects of high temperatures as warnings of a powerful El Niño effect continue to multiply. Following a planning meeting last week in Nay Pyi Taw, treatment guidelines have been drawn up and hospitals alerted in the lower and central Myanmar.

Warnings of strong El Niño through June Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:30 PM PST Brace yourselves: 2016 could be the hottest year on record, bringing high temperatures, drought and perhaps more flooding to Myanmar, weather experts warn.

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