Members of Myanmar’s Parliament elected in the 2020 vote who are currently confined in Naypyitaw’s government guesthouse following the coup on Monday were told by a military official on Tuesday afternoon that they can return home. The MPs-elect arrived in the capital within the past two weeks to attend the Parliament, but it was dissolved […]
Myanmar announces State of Emergency for 1 year
Myanmar on February 1 announced a state of emergency for up to one year via the military-owned news channel Myawaddy News. Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing is now in power of the State for the duration of the state of emergency, while Vice President U Myint Swe will now serve temporarily as […]
China walks political tightrope in Myanmar
Since 2016, when Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy came to power in Myanmar, China’s relations with the Southeast Asian state have been surprisingly smooth considering Beijing’s close ties with its former military regimes. Previously widespread anti-Chinese sentiment, founded in controversial Chinese investments in natural resources, has largely dissipated. The shift reflects Suu […]
Myanmar Military-Backed Firm Rejects Minister’s Account of Power Meter Bidding Problems
Military-run Myanmar Economics Holding Public Company Limited (MEHPCL) on Friday said that a deputy minister’s comments in Parliament regarding problems with the procurement process for electricity meters over the past three years were unfair and had harmed the company’s reputation. In a statement, MEHPCL said Union Deputy Electricity and Energy Minister U Tun Naing’s comments […]
New Tanintharyi Chief Minister Pledges to Tackle Power, Land Issues New
The new Tanintharyi Region chief minister has vowed to address power shortages and land disputes in the region. As he took the oath of office as the region’s new chief minister on Monday, U Myint Maung promised “to return to local farmers the farmland that private companies have left idle, for the development of the […]
‘Overreacting to failure’: Facebook’s new Myanmar strategy baffles local activists
Facebook banned four ethnic armed Myanmar-based groups from its site this week, in its latest effort to reckon with its role in the violence in that nation. But the tech giant’s decision is drawing criticism from local civil society and human rights groups who warn that the move appears ill-considered and inconsistent with international law. […]
Better oil and gas deals needed in the future, say experts
Efforts must be taken to lessen Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise’s (MOGE) tax burden from contracts signed with joint-venture firms to work offshore oil and gas fields, a report states. According to the “State-Owned Economic Enterprise Reform in Myanmar: The Case of Natural Resource Enterprises” report by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and Renaissance […]