http://www.mmtimes.com Myanmar's first international weekly ....... Volume 32, No. 626 (May 14 - 20, 2012) The Myanmar Times - Myanmar Consolidated Media Co., Ltd. 2012 en http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62601.html RECENT changes to car import rules have sent prices tumbling, with some popular models losing more than 50 percent of their value almost overnight. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62602.html CONSTRUCTION company Zaykabar last week defied government instructions to stop destroying embankments on farmland at the centre of an ownership dispute in Mingalardon township, one day after farmers were prevented from ploughing the fields. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62603.html IT was a rainy day in the mid 1960s when I joined the army as a private. On that very day, a young man named Saw Myat Moe also enlisted at the army recruiting centre on Pyay Road. Saw Myat Moe was from Hmawbi. We had both just passed high school but decided to pursue a military career rather than continue on to higher education. Many young people in our country joined the army for different reasons. Saw Myat Moe and I shared a desire to experience the adventure of a soldier's life and we quickly became friends. The two of us believed and hoped that once all the insurgencies in the country had been ended that peace would return and everybody could calmly go about their lives. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62604.html AFTER 10 months of conflict, the UN has finally reached an agreement with the government to assist internally displaced people in camps in Kachin Independence Organisation-controlled areas. This news will no doubt have been greeted with relief by organisations seeking to help IDPs, as well as the affected people themselves. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62605.html A DEMOCRATIC Karen Buddhist Army faction leader accused by Thai authorities of drug trafficking last week denied the allegations and said he would allow drug enforcement teams from Myanmar and Thailand to undertake a joint investigation in the group's territory. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62606.html PRESIDENT U Thein Sein has taken charge of peace talks with armed ethnic groups for the first time, his office has said, in a new push to end bloody fighting that has marred recent reforms. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62607.html THREE groups of MPs have used the parliamentary recess to participate in trips to foreign parliaments. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62608.html THE tourism industry's pricing war – which has operators and hoteliers at loggerheads over soaring hotel room rates – is damaging the industry's reputation, industry experts say. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62609.html TOURISM can become a "success story" and important job-creation vehicle for Myanmar, the head of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation said last week, as he announced that Myanmar was seeking to rejoin the agency. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62610.html STATE-RUN Inland Water Transport has increased fares for foreigners on some Ayeyarwady River routes from April 1. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62611.html UNITED Nations Children's Fund regional director Daniel Toole will begin a week-long visit to Myanmar on May 14, the agency said in a statement. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62612.html THE excitement over the April 1 by-elections has fostered a surge of expectation about the prospects for Myanmar's economy. Politicians will have to handle this issue carefully; it will take years for economic reforms to be implemented and to have an impact. Foreign investors are looking and planning, but big investments will not hit the ground for some years. Living standards and job creation are not going to increase significantly over the next two years. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62613.html YANGON – The government has issued Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with a passport, her party said last week, as the former prisoner of conscience prepares to travel abroad for the first time in 24 years. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62614.html PRESIDENT U Thein Sein's decision to take charge of peacemaking efforts in Kachin State has raised hopes of a historic settlement but also put the government's credibility on the line, experts say. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62615.html GREATER transparency and sincerity will be needed from both the government and Kachin Independence Organisation to end the almost year-long conflict in northern Myanmar, respected Kachin religious leader Reverend Saboi Jum said last week. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62616.html SIX non-government organisations last week visited refugee camps in Myitkyina and Waingmaw townships to assess needs ahead of the rainy season. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62617.html OFFICIALS from the National League for Democracy have backed away from claims ballots in the April 1 by-elections were covered in wax, after the Union Election Commission declared the complaints "groundless". News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62618.html WORKERS at a South Korean-owned wig factory in Hlaing Tharyar have secured a significant pay increase following a two-day strike. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62619.html FIGHTING corruption is the most important duty of media in the transition to democracy, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told a workshop last week. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/626/news62620.html BUSINESS travellers will be eligible for a 70-day visa on arrival at Yangon International Airport from June 1 and the program could be expanded to all travellers later this year, the Minister for Immigration and Population announced last week. News Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62601.html THE exchange value of Foreign Exchange Certificates has strengthened following changes to the country's car import policy announced on May 7, trade officials said last week. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62602.html DEMAND for Myanmar shrimp and prawns has been stronger than expected and prices have doubled year-on-year, a Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF) official said last week. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62603.html PTT EXPLORATION and Production International (PTTEPI) signed contracts for construction work at its Zawtika gas project in the Gulf of Mottama on May 7, the company said. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62604.html POTENTIAL investors are crawling all over Myanmar, with the previous pariah nation now regularly described as the region's "final frontier". Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62605.html A COMPRESSED natural gas pipeline near Htantabin in Yangon Region ruptured on May 5, spewing natural gas into the surrounding area for eight hours before the supply was shut off, a Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise official said last week. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62606.html WASHINGTON – Myanmar is set for economic take-off and faces an historic opportunity to launch growth that would lift living standards – if it pursues the right policy mix, the IMF said on May 8. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62607.html MYANMAR'S insurance industry is set for a major shake up with private companies allowed to join the sector, a news conference was told late last month. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62608.html CASABLANCA, Morocco – When the French seized Casablanca in the early 1900s, they turned the historic Moroccan port into a classic of colonial architecture that would be immortalised in the 1942 namesake film. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62609.html NEW DELHI – There's a note of despair in his voice as Charles Correa, India's most famous modern architect, discusses the multiplying shiny high-rise apartment blocks sprouting across the nation. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/business/626/biz62610.html LIMA – On street corners, under garbage dumps, at construction sites – pre-Inca archaeological sites abound in Lima, where the ruins of hundreds of sacred places are at the mercy of urban growth and public indifference. Business & Property Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/tech/626/tech62601.html INTERNET users have once again been left fuming by a recent slowing of connection speeds, with café owners hit hardest. Information Technology Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/tech/626/tech62602.html TOKYO – Japanese electronics giant Sharp said last week it had created a robot vacuum cleaner capable of recognising and responding to simple voice commands in several languages. Information Technology Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/tech/626/tech62603.html SAN FRANCISCO – Yahoo said last week it would create a special committee with the help of an outside lawyer to review the controversy over chief executive Scott Thompson's misstated academic credentials. Information Technology Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/tea.html ANGELES CITY, Philippines — Claude Tayag sees himself as a food missionary, hoping to convert people at home and abroad to the secret cuisine wonders of the Philippines. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/timeout62601.html AN exhibition featuring photographs of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi taken during her pre-election campaign trips in February and March will be displayed at the French Institute in Yangon from May 17 to 25. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/timeout62602.html JAKARTA — A hardline Islamic group warned last week it would not let Lady Gaga set foot in Indonesia, challenging an army of fans awaiting a concert in the nation with the world's largest Muslim population. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/timeout62603.html THE 130th anniversary of the birth of legendary traditional dancer U Po Sein will be celebrated with performances by various dance troupes at the National Theatre in Yangon on June 3 and 4, from 6pm to 11pm. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/timeout62604.html PARIS — Punk pioneer Iggy Pop has taken his new solo album, a French-flavoured line-up of cover songs, straight to his fans online, shunning record majors convinced it would be a flop. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/timeout62605.html WHEN the opening action set-piece of The Avengers ends with the destruction of a remote research facility, the structure goes out not with a bang but more of a cool sucking noise. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630 http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/626/timeout62606.html PARIS — Druggy road-trips, soul-searching drama and stylish gangland flicks go head to head on the French Riviera this week as a galaxy of stars and directors converge for the Cannes film festival. Timeout Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:00 +0630