National News

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• Five arrested over Hpakant mosque burning
• Garment factory workers finally get their due
• Govt to meet again with armed Kokang groups
• As war of words drags on, government in Rakhine State opts for term ‘Rakhine ethnics’
• Nay Pyi Taw farmers get cooperative loans
• Activists urge transparency in Kachin death investigation
• Union minister urges civil servants to drop old habits
• Isolated and lacking labour rights, housemaids toil in silence
• Farmers threaten to ramp up protests over lost land
• Pre-1988 land issues will not be considered, chief minister says

Five arrested over Hpakant mosque burning Posted: 05 Jul 2016 09:30 AM PDT Police have detained five villagers for burning down a mosque last week in Hpakant township, Kachin State, an officer said today, as authorities look to contain religious violence.

Garment factory workers finally get their due Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Abandoned garment workers of the defunct Unipolar factory got their money yesterday, thanks to the Ministry of Labour and white-knight businessperson U Myint Than.

Govt to meet again with armed Kokang groups Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT The government is planning to meet with the three armed ethnic groups from the Kokang region that had been excluded from last year's so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement, according to government peace negotiator U Hla Maung Shwe.

As war of words drags on, government in Rakhine State opts for term ‘Rakhine ethnics’ Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT A day after thousands of Buddhist nationalists staged protests across Rakhine State, the regional government issued a statement saying it would call the state's Buddhist majority "Rakhine ethnics", as controversy over terminology continues to simmer.

Nay Pyi Taw farmers get cooperative loans Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Some farmers say the duration of the six-month loans now being handed out by the agriculture ministry is too short. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation yesterday gave cooperative loans worth K500 billion (US$420 million) to the Nay Pyi Taw Council area in a ceremony to mark International Day of Cooperatives 2016.

Activists urge transparency in Kachin death investigation Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Kachin activists protested in Yangon's Tarmwe township yesterday, urging government officials to make details public surrounding the death of university student Maung Gum Seng Aung who was gunned down by a soldier in Kachin State's Myitkyina township last month.

Union minister urges civil servants to drop old habits Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT U Aung Thu, Union minister for agriculture, livestock and irrigation, has urged civil servants to leave behind old habits, take initiative and make the most of their potential.

Isolated and lacking labour rights, housemaids toil in silence Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Thousands of girls from poor families across Myanmar work as maids for wealthier households, and often face gruelling working hours and abuse.

Farmers threaten to ramp up protests over lost land Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Impatient at what they say is 20 years of delay, Mandalay Region farmers are warning they will take their protest to the streets unless the government restores their lost land. They say 3000 acres (1200 hectares) were seized in 1995 to build three government institutions, but only 1000 acres were used. They say they have been demanding the return of the remaining 2000 acres ever since.

Pre-1988 land issues will not be considered, chief minister says Posted: 04 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT No action will be taken against farmers who take part in "plough campaigns" to cultivate land they claim was stolen from them, Mandalay Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung has announced. He said on July 1 that the police would no longer make arrests for trespassing and causing "damage" in such cases.

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