CNI News

21 Oct 2022

Although it is the dry season teeming with festivals and charities, the Myanmar traditional Pathein umbrella market is as dead as a doornail, according to manufacturers of the traditional product.

The industry is mainly based in Pathein town in Ayeyarwady Region.

Ma Kyu Kyu Aye of the Thitsar Traiditional Pathein Umbrella Production told the CNI, “In the past, we received a lot of orders at this time of the year because there were many charity ceremonies. Now, as the situation of the country is unpredictable, no one has placed orders for us. We have to reduce the number of workers from ten to three. They placed orders at big businesses.”

The traditional Pathein traditional umbrellas are used in Kathina processions, religious festivals, novicehood ceremonies and ordinations as well as decoration in hotels and restaurants.

  An umbrella decoration near the Sule Pagoda.

Due to current economic crisis and instabilities in some regions, there were fewer pagoda festivals but the industry had to rely on Kathina robe offering ceremonies, Daw Ni Ni Tun of the Nay Nat Thar told the CNI.

She told the CNI, “At present, the Pathein umbrella industry has to rely on Kathina robe offering ceremonies as there were no pagoda festivals across the country. In the past, we could sell umbrellas to pagoda festivals. The market is very unpredictable.”

Pathein traditional umbrellas are popular among the travellers in Mandalay, Yangon, Bagan, Nyaung-U and Mawlamyine.

Due to the economic slowdown and political crisis, the traditional Pathein umbrella industry has been suffering from the shrinking market and workers are being laid off.

CNI News

27 Sept 2022

Mizoram University (MZU) in northeastern India is launching a Myanmar language course for foreigners in October, Dr. Mary of the Institute of Chin Affairs told the CNI.

The course will cover the Myanmar alphabet, vocabulary, grammar, speaking and writing.

The first program of its kind is jointly launched by the ICA and the MZU and will be led by Dr. Elis, Dr. Mary told the CNI.

She said, “We proposed a program to establish a research centre at the university but they asked us whether we could teach the Myanmar language at their campus, which also has other language courses. So, we agreed to teach the Myanmar language at the university. We don’t know if there are Myanmar students at the university but the course aims to teach the Myanmar language to foreigners, especially Indian nationals.”

Myanmar refugees in Mizoram State. (GETTY IMAGES)

The MZU is a state-owned university and Dr. Elis, who is teaching Myanmar language at the university, received a Ph.D. in Myanmar language.

The 10-month course is divided into two semesters, Dr. Elis told the CNI.

She said, “It is a diploma course, which is divided into two 5-month semesters, and will focus on speaking but will also teach writing depending on the levels of learners. The university does not have a Myanmar language department. So, it hired me as the only Myanmar language teacher. We haven’t known how many students will attend the course. The aim of the course is to teach Myanmar language to students at the university but outside learners will also be admitted. I will use the curriculum of a partnership organization called MLT. As the university has never offered Myanmar language courses as a specialization, it may be a little difficult to teach it for the first time there.”

The university will collect Rupee 1,000 (MMK 35,000) for a learner, who will also have to pay Rupee 1,200 (MMK 42,000) for teaching materials including the textbooks.

The university also teaches other languages and the opportunity to teach the Myanmar language there is something to be proud of, Dr. Mary of the ICA told the CNI.

Protestors calling for the restoration of democracy. (Frontier Myanmar)

She said, “Teaching our own official language at a university in another country is something to be proud of. As India is a neighbour of Myanmar, it has economic relations with Myanmar and needs to understand Myanmar people. The Myanmar language is important for understanding Myanmar. In short, it is something to be proud of.”

Mizoram shares more than 300 miles of border with Myanmar and there are about 50,000 Myanmar refugees who took shelter in Mizoram after the declaration of a state of emergency in Myanmar on 1st February, 2021, according to local news agencies and civil society organizations.

About 30,000 Myanmar refugees received registration cards, which allow them to live temporarily in the state, issued by the state government.

CNI News

1 July 2023

Foreigner overstayers including Myanmar citizens in Malaysia have not yet been allowed to return home officially, which the people helping Myanmar citizens in Malaysia told CNI News.

Although Malaysia allowed overstayers to return home officially before the Covid period, because official repatriation has been closed since the Covid-19 period, overstayers are finding it difficult to go home, said Ko Thet, chairman of Lovely Heart Philantropic Myanmar Youth Blood Donor Group to CNI News.

people who are repatriated

"Those who can't walk and the people with broken backs want to go back to Myanmar, but they can't. Malaysian immigration department has blocked their return. Myanmar Embassy there, sometimes, help the patients. Even when you go to the Myanmar Embassy, you will be inspected so much that I've heard. That's why it's very difficult. There are about five patients whom we have taken care of. Some pregnant women don't want to give birth here. The patients can't go home as well. Even if they give money, they can't go back.Myanmar Embassy has not taken any action. Malaysia has blocked any foreigner overstayers" he said.

If they get medical treatment in Malaysia, it will cost them a lot of money, Myanmar citizens want to go back home and receive health treatment. But because they have not been allowed to return home officially up to now, most of overstayers go back home through unofficial routes and are arrested on purpose and are punished after which they are sent back to their countries reportedly.

 people who are to be repatriated are being brought

Many overstayers who went back home through unofficial routes were arrested, said U Nyi Nyi Lwin, Director General of Center for Arakan Refugees to CNI.

"Especially many pregnant women went back when they were three to five months pregnant. They were arrested on the way back home especially on the Malaysian border. And unhealthy persons have to get the recommendations from physicians and the documents from their embassies. Afer that, they have to submit the documents to the immigration department.It costs a lot. It costs a person about 6 to 7 thousand ringgits. Those who want to go home go home by unofficial routes, giving money. It costs them a great deal of money. They earn about 1,500 each a month. They can only save about five hundreds a month. They have to send the money to their family in their country as well. When they go back home, they have to spend about seven thousand which means they will have to save money for a year if they want to go home. It shouldn't cost them a lot like that" he said.    

Some of the people who want to go home because of bad health cannot afford even if they go back through unofficial routes reportedly.

So, Myanmar Embassy should co-ordinate and negotiate with the Malaysian government for the legal repatriation of overstayers , said the people helping Myanmar citizens in Malaysia.  

CNI News

7 Dec 2022

The National Unity Government issued a statement on 5th December, vowing to investigate the murder of a woman in a street in Tamu in Sagaing Region and take action against those who committed the crime.

Instructions have been given to military officers to investigate the details as to whether the PDFs were involved in the crime or not, according to the statement.

The NUG statement said, "As the incident is completely unacceptable under military ethics and rules, an investigation will be launched into the incident and action will be taken effectively against whoever involved in it."

The NUG.

People Defence Forces are required to abide by military laws and instructions in launching anti-terrorist and people's resistance war, the statement stated.

Such incidents took place only in Sagaing Region but the NUG has been unable to take action against them effectively, Political Observer U Than Soe Naing told the CNI.

He told the CNI, "The NUG said that such problems must be prevented from happening. However, the NUG does not have such a mechanism but it is impossible for the NUG not to take action against the murder. It said it will take necessary action against such incidents to prevent division and differences among the NUG. Such incidents had happened in Sagaing but effective action could not be taken against them because the NUG lacks investigation mechanism and detention centres. However, the NUG said it was unacceptable and must be prevented. I understand that the NUG will take action against the murder appropriately."

An archway to Tamu.

The NUG said it had investigated the violation of the military ethic and taken action against them but it was difficult to reveal the details, he added.

The NUG said it would monitor the situation not to repeat such incidents in an accountable manner with the aim of building the future federal democracy union, according to the statement.

Physically abusing and killing a woman in the street in Tamu showed the threat against women rights, according to women rights activists.