RANGOON — Rangoon’s new chief minister said Monday he will focus on using local and foreign investment to ramp up the development of infrastructure in Burma’s commercial capital. A lawmaker for Hlegu Township, Phyo Min Thein was appointed Chief Minister of Rangoon by the National League for Democracy (NLD) during a divisional parliament session on Monday. […]
In Election Campaigning, Candidates Chase Votes via ‘Likes’
RANGOON — With 55 days to Burma’s Nov. 8 general election, candidates for the poll are beginning to pound the pavement—and increasingly, the keyboard—in search of voters’ favor. Unsurprisingly, given the enormous popularity of the social networking platform, several candidates have taken to Facebook to garner support for their parliamentary bids in recent days, and […]
Smartphones Bring Happiness And Headaches To Myanmar
The number of mobile subscribers in Myanmar has quickly grown in a short five years from a mere 500,000 to more than 22 million — giving Burmese a crash course in all the benefits and challenges new technology can bring. Myanmar’s low electrification rates, recurring power outages and poor Internet infrastructure mean that this growth […]
Myanmar internet down to crawl speed as SEA-ME-WE undersea cable goes for repair
Yangon — Burma’s Internet users should expect delays in establishing connections for a period of about one month, after a disruption occurred with the underwater fiber cable that links the country with international cable networks, Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) announced on Wednesday. “Works are being carried out to repair the fault as quick as […]
Myanmar braces for mobile phone boom as Internet access trickles in
In Yangon, Myanmar, giant Samsung billboards hang overhead as dozens of handset shops line the crowded city streets and advertise the latest smartphones. Just a few years ago, you wouldn’t have seen such a sight, said Soe Nyi Nyi, a local tech entrepreneur. “There’s been a lot of changes,” he said. “There’s a lot of […]