ASEAN is not aiming to become like the European Union even if it achieves economic integration by its target date of 2015, current group chairman Singapore said last week.

THE Occupational Health Division under the Department of Health is planning to monitor air quality in Yangon throughout next year in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, said Dr Mya Thein, an assistant doctor from the division.

NEXT month will mark the conclusion of a special six-month period during which the Department of Immi-gration and National Reg-istration has relaxed the process for issuing national identification cards to citizens, with the aim of urging everyone throughout the country to apply.

THE Ratana Metta Organisation, a local non-government Buddhist organisation, will hold ongoing sewing courses for women living with HIV starting from September 24 to help provide them with a source of income, a senior official from the group said.

MYANMAR authorities arrested 262 suspected drug dealers and seized 110 kilograms (242 pounds) of opium in August, state media said Thursday. Among those arrested nearly 20 percent were women, the official New Light of Myanmar daily said, citing police figures.

“We’ve been to Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar so far and everything has been pleasant and exciting – especially Myanmar – and the people have been charming. We’ve heard some nice music too with xylophone and guitar, which is different but still nice.”

A TEAM of engineers from Myanmar and Thailand has started a project to set up a rice husk power plant to bring electricity to Taguntaing village in Twante township, Yangon Division, U Win Khine, the general secretary of the Myanmar Engineering Society, said last week.

WHEN Nu Nu Yi (Inwa) was short-listed two months ago for the Asian Literary Prize with her contemporary classic novel, Smile As They Bow, Laugh As They Bow, it was as if a bubble had risen and shattered the surface of a long-stagnant pond.

OUTREACH eye-care trips by medical specialists to rural areas are an essential way to provide treatment for cataract patients who fail to seek treatment at hospitals, Dr Tun Aung Kyaw, a senior consultant ophthalmologist, said last week.

The price – US$196 a person for a single room or $168 a person in a shared twin room – includes roundtrip airfare, airport transfer and two nights of accommodations with buffet breakfast at Empress Hotel or Park Hotel in Chiang Mai. The price does not include airport tax and insurance charge.

“Carrying twins can be difficult for a pregnant women because they are so heavy and the woman can suffer from blood pressure problems and swollen legs. Twins are usually delivered before the due date but we are giving her medicine so she can carry them for the full 38-week term,”

THE government last week accused the National League for Democracy and the 88 Generation Student Group for causing disturbances and demonstrations in Myanmar.

“The new station is located near Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone in an area with many warehouses and wholesale businesses. So if a fire breaks out in the area, we can respond quickly,”

CONSTRUCTION on a new hotel in Taungoo in Bago Division is more than 75 percent complete and is expected to be finished in time for a December opening, the project’s developers said last week.

THE ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (ASEAN COCI) will promote traditional handicrafts in the region by giving awards early next year for outstanding works of art from member countries.

THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and National Tuberculosis Program provided training last month to medical technicians on how to use microscopes to analyse the saliva of suspected tuberculosis patients.

EDUCATIONAL talks are being planned throughout the country to give poultry farmers a greater role in the campaign against avian flu, the managing director of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, Dr Ohn Kyaw, said last week.

A NETWORK of groups involved in caring for needy children is helping its partner organisations establish micro-finance programs to help them generate more funds to support their activities.

“When we had to dial up to the internet, there were few users because it wasn’t easy to get a connection. But since ADSL access started in February, the number of users has increased,”

“My contact in Singapore said factories there have stopped making CRT monitors. In the near future, LCD monitors will take over completely,” predicted Daw Khin Mya Htut, managing director of Citicom Computer Sales and Service in Kyauktada township.

MES offers courses on engineering

Japan donates to WFP projects

Competition to test programmers’ skills

“The team has improved a lot since the ASEAN U20 tournament and I’m confident about their performance because we’ve had enough time to prepare now,” ...

Myanmar golfer Zaw Moe is ready to capitalise on a new lease of life with a successful campaign with Soe Kyaw Naing in the Fortis International Challenge at the Kota Permai Golf and Country Club from September 27-30.