Business news from Myanmar (21 Sept

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Subject: Business news from Myanmar (21 September 1999) 

MyaBuzz
Business news from Myanmar (21 September 1999)

C O N T E N T S
0921-01 New Trade Route For Upper Myanmar
0921-02 ?And Another Vital Bridge Planned In the South
0921-03 Myanmar Entrepreneurs To Attend Entrepreneurship Seminar
0921-04 Myanmar Authors Won SEA Write Award For Second Consecutive Year
0921-05 More Edible Oil Produced in Myanmar's Shan Province
0917-06 Ministry News
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0921-01 New Trade Route For Upper Myanmar
**A new 5,000 feet long river bridge across Chindwin River was inaugurated
on 18 September.

The bridge will serve for the direct link between Mandalay, the upper
Myanmar capital with the rest of the region. The bridge was constructed by
the Myanmar Engineers at the cost of over 2.28 billion Kyats (US$7,125,000).

The bridge is the newest link to two important upper Myanmar
provinces-Sagaing and Magwe. These two provinces Saging and Magwe) belong
to the cotton and oil rich region.

Moreover the Chindwin region is geographically close to India at northwest
and Bangladesh at the west. Myanmar and these two countries have
border-trading relations. Imphal, Indian State of Assam's border to Myanmar
and Myanmar's northwestern town of Tamu are two border trading posts.
Myanmar merchants mainly export teak, hard wood, pulses and beans and other
commodities to India and bring in Indian products such as foodstuffs,
garments and pharmaceuticals, etc. In the case of Bangladesh, Myanmar's
marine products and other commodities are bartered with Bangladeshi
products. Myanmar's western town of Maungdaw and the Bangladeshi district
of Cox Bazar are the trade posts for Myanmar and Bangladesh.

0921-02 ?And Another Vital Bridge Planned In the South
** The Ministry of Construction is planning to build river bridge across
the River Salween (Thanlwin) linking southern Myanmar capital Mawlamyine
(formally name as moulmein) about 250 km south of Yangon and nearby town of
Mottama.

This bridge will also link with the Mon province (where Mawlamyine belongs)
with the Kayin province further west, and ultimately to the Thai Myanmar
border town of Mai Sot. Mawlamyine is currently accessible directly from
sea and air route only from upper Myanmar.

The bridge will also include the railway track and motor road, which would
pave the way for direct land link with Yangon and the rest of upper Myanmar
with Mawlamyine.

Mawlamyine is the third largest city in Myanmar and is one of the major
commercial centers. As it is a port city most of the goods from upper and
lower Myanmar converge here.  Mawlamyine also serves as a transit point of
Thai goods before Yangon as this city is close to Kawthoung, Myanmar's
border town to sourthern Thailand.

0921-03 Myanmar Entrepreneurs To Attend Entrepreneurship Seminar
** Three Myanmar entrepreneurs from Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber
of Commerce and Industry left for Thailand on 19th September.

The entrepreneurs will attend the SMES Entrepreneurship Seminar to be held
in southern Thai town of Kaungtaung from 20-22 September.

0921-04 Myanmar Authors Won SEA Write Award For Second Consecutive Year
** A Myanmar author won the South East Asian Write Award for this year. The
author, U Kyaw Aung won the award this year for his work in translating
international informative literatures to Myanmar.

This is the second time in a row for a Myanmar author to win the SEA Write
Award.  Last year another famous Myanmar author Sinphyukyun Aung Thein won
the award for his writing of Myanmar traditional values.

The award giving ceremony was held on 19th September in Thai capital,
Bangkok. The Thai Crown Prince presented the award.

0921-05 More Edible Oil Produced in Myanmar's Shan Province
** An oil mill was inaugurated in Kengtung in eastern Shan province last
week. The mill will produce over 100 kilogram of edible oil for locals.
More edible oil factories are soon to open.

The east Shan state has vast cultivation of sunflower and peanut for edible
oil. Sesame and other oil seed are available in large scale in that area.

Myanmar Last Week
* Krone AG Germany has demonstrated its latest telecommunication equipment
in Yangon on 13th September. MY Associates Co., Ltd, who will be the
distributor of Krone products in Myanmar, sponsored the demonstration
session. The company will distribute public access network equipment;
commercial and retail premises network and industrial wiring.

* Toshiba's branch in Singapore, The Golden Glory Company is launching an
assembly plant in Yangon, this month. The plant is built in the Mingladon
Industrial Zone, about 25-km off Yangon. The assembly lines for TVs, VCRs,
refrigerators, and washing machines are expected to be operational by this
month

* Hong Kong based Gold Joy Travel Ltd, an authorized tour agent for Myanmar
tourism promotion, is launching its campaign by putting ads in Chinese
newspapers, distributing flyers and pamphlet in the big Hong Kong
restaurants. For package tour buyers the company is giving free gift coupon
for dining in its 4 corporate restaurants in Hong Kong.

* A new combined cycle power plant was inaugurated in Yangon's Ahlone
district  (about 15 minutes drive from city center). On 14th September,
Marubeni Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industry of Japan and ABB of Germany
contributed the machinery and technical assistance for the power plant.
Ministry of Electrical Power and Marubeni Corporation of Japan signed a
contract back in March'97 to build two power new plants in Yangon,
including the Ahlone power plant, each with the capacity of producing 54
megawatt of electricity. The other was opened earlier this year in Hlawga,
about 30 km north of Yangon. The Ahlone power plant was built at a cost of
over US$ 30 million.

* A seminar participated in by the Director of Singapore Tourism Board and
the tourism officials from Singapore and Myanmar was held on 17 September
in Yangon. The topic of seminar includes Myanmar-Singapore tourism,
religion related tourism, and cultural archeological tourism and the
attractiveness of tourism destinations.40 entrepreneurs engaged in the
tourism business also attended the seminar.
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