Presidential adviser sues 13 farmers for trespassing - Online Burma ...

www.mmtimes.com
Mandalay rice reserves sold to keep prices down
KYAY MOHN WIN
kyaymonewin@gmail.com
MANDALAY Rice Wholesale Centre
has been selling off reserves since August
22 in an effort to bring down prices,
centre chairman U Thein Zaw says.
About 40,000 bags have been put
up for sale, with more than 2000 sold
within five days.
“Yangon has been selling its rice
reserve over the past year but this is
the first time rice reserves in Mandalay
have been sold,” U Thein Zaw said,
adding that the sale – both wholesale
Government to propose five
Ayeyarwady dams in 2014-15
name@myanmartimes.com.mm
SHWE GU
THIT SAR
A GOVERNMENT department has
proposed building five small dams –
all less than 3 metres (10 feet) high
– on the Ayeyarwady River that it
says could “open a new age in river
transport” by maintaining water levels
during the dry season.
The proposal, however, is contingent
on parliament support, said U
Thaung Lwin, director of the Ministry
of Transport’s Department of
Water Resources and Improvement
of River System (DWIR). If approved,
work on the low head dams would
begin in 2014-15.
“We aim to build [the dams] but
we are still analysing the most suitable
place,” U Thaung Lwin said. “We
will implement the project when the
Hluttaw approves it … We hope to be
able to build [the dams].”
U Thaung Lwin said the department
is considering five dams in
Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe regions,
including at Chauk, Pakokku,
Myinmu, Singu and near Mandalay’s
Inwa Bridge. He said the dams could
be used to slow the flow of the river
when the water level is high and this
would have a tangible impact on levels
during dry season.
‘’It can open a new age for river
transport because the surface of the
and retail – was aimed at “cooling
down” the rising price.
So far, he said, the strategy seems
to be working.
“After the reserve sale began, the
price stabilised sharply in five days,”
he said. “The price of varieties produced
in other parts of the country has
fallen by K1000 a bag.”
The wholesale centre is selling a bag
of ehmeta for K17,400, with the majority
of buyers coming from the Mandalay,
Tada-U, Shwebo and Wetlet areas.
As of August 26, rice varieties were
selling for anywhere from K19,000 a
river would increase up to 20 feet
(6.1m) during summer, which would
allow ships, tug boats and passenger
vessels to travel on the vessel,” he said.
“In Mandalay, the surface of the
Ayeyarwady is 4 feet to 6 feet [1.2m
to 1.8m] during summer. If there are
low head dams, the depth of the river
can be 20 to 28 feet.”
The department says there are 46
sites on the Ayeyarwady and 37 on
the Chindwin River that are difficult
to pass when water levels are low.
It estimates that it would cost
K82.1 billion (about US$84.6 million)
to build the dams and dredge the rivers
to improve transport.
Between 2001-02 and 2011-12, the
department spent about K2.3 billion
($2.4 million) on improvements to
the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin rivers,
including more than K738 million
($760,000) combating river bank
erosion. The work followed a master
plan devised by a Dutch firm written
in 1986 with World Bank funding.
However, the proposed dams will
be closely scrutinised by civil society
groups, including those that successfully
lobbied for the suspension of
the Myitsone Dam on the Ayeyarwady
River in 2011.
“I’d like the Ayeyarwady River
to flow freely from its origin. I don’t
mean that we should not build dams.
But if we do, they should be built so
that they have the smallest possible
impact on the environment,” said
prominent environmentalist Daw
Daewi Thant Sin.
bag – for the zeya variety – to K38,000
for varieties such as manaw, ayeyarmin
and ma jan taw.
One Mandalay rice trader said the
recent price rise had been driven by
a decline in yields due to drought in
Shwebo, the main rice-growing area
in Sagaing Region. He said significant
exports to China, which had driven up
demand in local markets, was another
factor.
“The rising price was mainly
caused by high demand rather than
short supply,” another trader said.
“The heavy floods in Ayeyarwady have
The Irrawaddy Princess II river boat travels on the Ayeyarwady River in upper
Myanmar. Photo: Boothee
Environmentalist Ko Myo Ko
Ko, director and founder of Point
environment group, agreed.
“Dams should only be built after
carefully studying the likely impact
on the environment. And the
wishes of residents should also be
considered,” he said. “Personally I
think it’s best to let nature take its
course.”
But U Thaung Lwin said the
dams would have numerous benefits
aside from improving transportation.
He said they would also
been cited as a factor but the price was
rising before this happened.”
He added that the sale of the reserves
has kept the price of highdemand
rice varieties from rising further
but not resulted in any price drop.
U Thein Zaw said it was difficult to
predict what would happen to prices
next.
“We have to wait and see what happens
when the harvest starts,” he said,
adding that he believed farmers will
plant more manaw, ayeyarmin and
ma jan taw because of the high prices.
– Translated by Zar Zar Soe
protect against flooding and allow
more water to be distributed to agricultural
and industrial areas, and
could also be designed to generate
electric power,
The electricity would be generated
using bulb turbines and could
have a combined capacity across
the five proposed sites of as much
as 960 megawatts, according to the
department. The cost of installing
these turbines has not been included
in its initial budget estimate.
– Translated by Thiri Min Htun
News 21
Companies
sponsor job
fairs to lure
expats
SHWEGU THITSAR
khaingsabainyein@gmail.com
MYANMAR’S business leaders are taking
steps to reverse the “brain-drain” of
talent to other countries by sponsoring
and taking part in regional job fairs.
The goal, say those organising the
fairs, is to highlight the country’s progress
in recent years and encourage
some of the country’s talent to come
back and contribute.
The Career Development Consultancy
(CDC), a branch of Myanmar
Marketing Research and Development
(MMRD), held its first Myanmar Jobs
Fair at the Peninsula Excelsior Hotel
in Singapore from August 17 to 18, and
plans to hold similar events in Thailand
and Malaysia in the coming months.
CDC director U Lin Kyaw Tun said
another job fair will be held in Thailand
within two months.
“Our aim is for Myanmar workers
who want to participate in the development
of our country [to be able to return
home to work],” he said. “We are
trying to give the best service for them.”
Twelve companies participated in
the event, including City Mart Holdings,
Coca-Cola Pinya Beverages, Kanbawza
Bank, Ooredoo, Nokia Siemens
Network, Fonterra, Capital Diamond
Star Group, Schneider Electric, Forever
Group, AA Medical, Myanmar Brewery
and MMRD.
Almost 3000 people attended the
fair and almost 200 people were hired,
U Lin Kyaw Tun said, adding that there
was significant interest in the advertised
job openings.
“It is a good opportunity for skilled
Myanmar workers to work back in Myanmar
and to discuss [what] opportunities
there are,” he said.
The event featured a video presentation
from U Aung Tun Thet – a member
of the Myanmar Investment Commission
and an economic adviser to
President U Thein Sein – in which he
explained changes in the country and
why skilled workers should come home.
“I also worked abroad for more than
20 years but I have come back to my
home,” he said. “Our country has a lot
of good opportunities for you, especially
in education.”
CDC also plans to hold a job fair in
Malaysia and a second event in Singapore
but dates have not yet been set.