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CNI News
20 Dec 2022
A homemade bomb explosion on Yangon-Dala ferry Cherry (2) wounded 17 passengers.
The ferry was about 50 metres away from Pansodan jetty and was heading to Dala at 6.40 pm on 18 December, 2022, when the bomb exploded at the base of its back steel ladder, according to the press release of the State Administrationn Council.
Civilians injured during the explosion on Yangon-Dala ferry Cherry (2).
The explosion injured 17 civilians.
It is still unknown who was responsible for the explosion.
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CNI News
19 Dec 2022
Upholding U Kyaw Moe Tun's status as the permanent representative at the United Nations is a diplomatic victory, Advocate U Kyee Myint told the CNI.
As U Kyaw Moe Tun is one of the ministers appointed by the National Unity Government, there will be ripple effects, he added.
U Kyee Myint told the CNI, "It is a diplomatic victory. Afghan and Myanmar are treated in the same way. It is a diplomatic victory because he can express the voice of the people at the UN. He is a minister appointed by the NUG and the permanent represented by the NUG. It will have ripple effects."
A demonstration calling for the renewal of U Kyaw Moe Tun's post. (Kyaw Soe Latt)
The renewal of U Kyaw Moe Tun's status as the permanent representative was approved by the 77th General Assembly on 17th December and he will hold the post until September, 2023, when the UN General Assembly is held.
The post of U Kyaw Moe Tun was renewed under the Rule 29 of the General Assembly but it cannot be assumed that he is able to represent an organization, Leader Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun of the News Information Team of the SAC told the VOA.
It is not clear whether U Kyaw Moe Tun can represent Myanmar or not and it is necessary to closely monitor the situation, Chairman U Thar Tun Hla of the Arakan National Party told the CNI.
A pro-democracy demonstration. (GETTY IMAGES)
He said, "U Kyaw Moe Tun's status was also renewed last year but it was not clear whether he represented the country or not. He was not allowed to make speeches at the United Nation General Assembly by representing Myanmar. So, we had to wait and see what changes would take place during the period. However, the UN is not an organization that can bring about significant changes in Myanmar. So, we will have to wait and see the situation this year too because it is difficult to assess the situation."
Both the SAC and the NUG urged the international diplomats and foreign diplomats in Myanmar to support their candidates for the permanent representative.
It was learnt that renewing U Kyaw More Tun as the representative not of the NUG but of the previous governments.
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CNI News
19 Dec 2022
Banning motorcycles and bicycles in Bago and Magway regions and taking action against riders have caused transportation problems in daily activities for local residents.
The traffic police has banned riding motorcycles in Nattalin, Pyay, Paungde, Gyobingauk and Zigon townships and Taungnyo Village in Bago Region.
Locals who violate the ban are fined or sentenced to prison terms, Ma Phyo Phyo, a Nattalin resident, told the CNI.
She said, "As action was taken against motorcycle riders, people were forced to use cars even to buy goods in the local market. Authorities even took action against bicycle riders if they failed to install bells on their bicycles. As a result, peddlers and deliverymen have to halt their activities. It is difficult to transport goods from place to place. As authorities are taking action against trike and bike riders, transportation is very difficult. Bikers were not only fined but also sentenced to prison terms. Even goods were seized if they carried them. The same held true in Nattalin, Gyobingauk and Paungde. The situation was the worst in Zigon, where local residents were forced to go to Taung Nyo to buy goods. Now, authorities have also closed the road to Taung Nyo."
A police officer searches motorcycle riders.
In Pakokku, motorcycle riders are not allowed to carry pillion passengers and residents are also permitted to ride motorcycles between 8 am and 5 pm.
Business activities have been delayed by such restrictions, U Hla Thaung, an onion merchant from Pakokku, told the CNI.
He said, "In the past, motorcycle riders could carry women passengers. Now, they can carry no one. As the time for riding motorcycles has been restricted from 8 am to 5 pm, people are able to start work at 9 am. Those who come to work in town from villages have to go back home earlier. So, business activities have been delayed."
Motorcycle riders staging a protest in front of security forces.
As security forces shot at motorcycle riders who carried pillion passengers, some of them were shot to death, according to local residents.
As members of People Defence Forces use motorcycles to launch attacks on security forces and run away, authorities in some townships have banned riding motorcycles in their areas.
In small townships, local residents have to rely on motorcycles to go to and from and to carry out their daily activities but banning motorcycles there poses difficulties for them.
SAC Chairman Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing urged people to use bicycles to save fuel.
The SAC has not prohibited riding bicycles and motorcycles officially.
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CNI News
17 Dec 2022
U Kay Sai, who served as the chairman of the Naga Self-administered Zone Leading Body during the term of the National League for Democracy from 2015 to 2020, slept in Christ on 16th December.
He had been suffering illnesses for a long time and passed away at his house in Myitkyina in Kachin State on 16th December.
Election result for U Kay Sai in the 2015 general election.
He was born in Shingbwingyang in Tanai Township and survived four offspring.
He represented the NLD and was elected as a regional parliament candidate from Nanyun Township in the 2015 general election.
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CNI News
17 Dec 2022
Most of the youths in the Spring Revolution are fighting against the military junta not because of the flattery of elders, Political Observers told the CNI.
As the injustice of the Myanmar military is so blatant that no one can prevent them from taking up arms, he added.
Security forces carry our operations. (STR-GETTY IMAGES)
U Than Soe Naing told the CNI, "It is not a war instigated by elders including those from powerful organizations, who are disappointed by the 70 years of the civil war. As the injustice of the military is so blatant that no one can prevent them from taking up arms. Those who say that youths take up arms because of the flattery of elders are opportunists who want to cover up the crimes of the military. It does not reflect the reality on the ground. The reality is that youths and elders are united in the movement. Parents permit their children, who also seek permission from their parents to join the war. Atrocities of the military are so worse than the fascists that they can no longer tolerate the situation."
Some social network posts are spreading a concept that no war has broken out because of youths but they are dying because of war. Some youths accepted that war in Myanmar has erupted not because of them.
Youths taking part in military training. (SOPA-GETTY IMAGES)
The root cause of the war in Myanmar is the military dictatorship, Spokesperson Comrade Aye Lwin of the All Burma Student Democratic Front told the CNI.
He said, "The war in Myanmar has been created by the military dictatorship. It was not not created by any individuals. If the military had not staged a coup, the war would not have escalated to such an extent. The situation during the terms of the quasi-civilian government and the civilian government has deteriorated after the coup."
After the military staged a coup against the civilian government on 1st February, 2021, youths have taken up arms to participate in the Spring Revolution.
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CNI News
17 Dec 2022
The trading volume in the 2022-2023 fiscal year was higher than that of the 2021-2022 fiscal year, Myanmar reported a trade deficit of US$ 542.446 million, according to statistics of the Ministry of Commerce.
Although export volume was higher than that of imports in the border trade, imports were higher in trade through other channels and the country showed a trade deficit, according to economic observers.
As the border trade with China, which had been closed since 2021, has been reopened, trading volume has increased, Vice Chairman U Min Thein of Muse Rice Exchange told the CNI.
Trucks exporting goods to China
He said, "During the 2021-2022 fiscal year, border trade halted due to the third wave of COVID-19 from the middle of the year to November, 2021. We couldn't do anything. Border trade resumed in 2022. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year , we are able to export much more rice and broken rice to China than what we did in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. In 2021, Kyin San Kyawt, the only border gate which was still open then, had to be closed. Nothing except medical supplies was allowed to pass through the gate. So, we could do nothing for three months. Border trade resume in 2022. The situation is better in the 2022-2023 fiscal year than that of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Although border trade has improved in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, trading volume has not reached the pre-COVID-19 level, according to merchants.
Exchange calculation.
As of 2nd December in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Myanmar exported goods worth US$ 11,171.143 million and imported goods worth US$ 11,713.589 million, showing a trading deficit of US$ 542.446 million, according to statistics of the Ministry of Commerce.
An economic observer said, "The higher trading volume is beneficial for the country but it cannot be said that trading deficits are not good for the country. Trading deficits may be due to low exports or high imports. If exports do not fall and import volume is higher, the situation is not so bad. Imports can be classified into three groups such as capital goods, intermediate goods and consumer goods. We must find out which group is responsible for increased imports. We will have to think about how to cover the deficits. The FDI can cover the deficit. If we can still cover the deficit with the FDI, this amount of deficit is not much. If the FDI does not cover the deficit and we have to spend the foreign exchange reserve to cover the deficit, it is not beneficial for the country."
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CNI News
17 Dec 2022
A large number of Myanmar workers have been sacked without any reason and compensation in Thailand, labour activists for Myanmar workers told the CNI.
Although there were some Myanmar workers who were dismissed without any reason and compensation in the past, the number of them was not as many as recently. They were fired from factories and workshops, according to labour activists.
Some of them were working under the MOU between the two governments while others were temporary work permit holders and illegal migrants, Ko Thar Gyi, a labour activist for Myanmar workers in Thailand, told the CNI.
Sacked Myanmar workers who received compensation
He said, "They were sacked without any reason. When a new worker applies for a job, he or she has to pay agent fees from Baht 2,000 to 4,000 to get the job. So, agents bring new workers to factories to get agent fees and sack old workers without any reason. If MOU workers demand jobs and wages in accordance with the terms of their job contracts, employers sack them. When they are sacked, they are expelled from their hostels and get into trouble because they have no place to live. It is very difficult for them to sue their employers."
When MOU workers and work permit holders are dismissed without any reason, it is easy for labour organizations to help them for compensation, according to the activists.
However, illegal workers get wages for a few days or travel allowance as compensation when they are fired without any reason.
As authorities are making arrests of illegal migrant workers, employers are worried that they might also be punished by authorities for allowing illegal migrants to work for them and sack illegal workers, Executive Director U Htoo Chit of the Foundation for Education and Development told the CNI.
More than 5,000 Myanmar migrants who did not get jobs staged a demonstration on 9th December.
He said, "Employers hired illegal workers in the past but they are now sacking such workers. Another reason is that they are required to employ an MOU worker at the job stated in the job contract in accordance with the law. They cannot employ a bricklayer in a restaurant because this breaches the law. So, they sack such workers. If they do not, action can be taken against them in accordance with the law."
On 9th December, more than 5,000 Myanmar migrants staged a demonstration in front of a Thai labour office after they had been cheated out of their money by Thai and Myanmar agents who promised them to help get jobs in a seafood factory. They had been waiting to get the jobs for six months.
Labour activists and Thai authorities held discussions to solve the issue and promised them to provide jobs and to get their money back.
Myanmar workers in Thailand who are subject to wage exploitation, sacking without reason and compensation, workers' right abuses can make complaints at township offices for protection of workers, according to labour activists for Myanmar workers in Thailand.
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CNI News
16 Dec 2022
Monsoon paddy yields in Rakhine State have dropped by 40 percent this year, farmers in the state told the CNI.
They blamed late monsoon, storms, shortages of inputs and resumption of fighting for the fallen paddy yields this year.
Farmer U Aung Kyaw Mya told the CNI, "Paddy yields in Rakhine State dropped significantly this year. When paddy needed a lot of water in June and July, monsoon rains halted for 40 days and had serious impacts on paddy yields. Emata paddy prices currently stand at MMK 1 million per 100 baskets while Pawhsan paddy reach MMK 1.3 million per 100 baskets. As paddy yields dropped, farmers suffered losses for their inputs. Farmers suffered significant losses."
As farmers in Rakhine State have no other livelihood than farming despite suffering losses and there are no factories and livestock farms, they have no other choice than paddy growing. So, farmers will face challenges for coming years, he added.
Supply water to paddy fields.
Rakhine farmers reduced paddy acreage when they grew monsoon paddy but they hoped to harvest about 50 baskets of paddy per acre.
However, per-acre paddy yields dropped from about 60 to 80 baskets last year to only about 40 baskets this year, farmers from Rakhine State told the CNI.
Other major reasons for falling per-acre paddy yields are rising prices of diesel and fertilizer, whose prices rose from MMK 50,000 per bag to MMK 100,000 per bag this year.
As monsoon paddy yields in Rakhine State have dropped year by year, farmers have started to worried about their livelihood, Chairman U Kyaw Zan of All Rakhine State Peasant Union told the CNI.
He said, "I am worried about the situation. Total acreage as well as per-acre yields have dropped. Paddy yields in the entire country have dropped. Without any technical assistance, the quality of paddy has also fallen. What we are talking about is very simple. The agriculture ministry is also responsible for the livelihood of farmers. They need investment, inputs, seeds and water. The government needs to offer assistance for the needs. Then, they need technical assistance and market guarantees. Farmers have fallen victim to exploitation of brokers and merchants. When paddy prices hit MMK 1 million per 100 baskets, they purchased paddy from farmers at MMK 700,000 per 100 baskets. Relevant government agencies are required to provide assistance for the three sectors.
Winnowing paddy.
Paddy yields are likely to fall further in the upcoming year if instabilities and high input prices persist. Paddy yields can increase only when instabilities stop and input prices drop, according to farmers.
Rakhine state has about 1.2 million acres of paddy field but farmers were able to grow paddy on about 900,000 acres of land. And about 100,000 acres of paddy were also destroyed by a storm. Total paddy yields of Rakhine State cannot be determined at present as some farmers have not harvested their paddy, according to the peasant union.
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CNI News
16 Dec 2022
The Kachin Independence Army is ready to respond in kind if the Myanmar military launches violent attacks against it, said Vice Chairman of the Kachin Independence Council Lt-Gen Gunmaw.
He made the comments during an interview the RFA aired on 15th December, 2022.
He said, "We have taken various military options into consideration. If the military launches violent attacks against us, we will have to defend ourselves fiercely. We will have to respond in kind to violent attacks. We have taken various plans into account and have been prepared in terms of morale."
Damage seen after airstrikes of the military in October, 2022.
He added that the KIA has trained more than 4,000 members of the People's Defence Force under the National Unity Government, which has been trying to topple the military junta.
The KIA has been cooperating with the NUG and the Committee Representing Pyithu Hluttaw to oust the military junta.
The military junta launched airstrikes against Anantpar in Hpakant Township, an area controlled by Brigade (9) of the KIA on 24th October, 2022, killing more than 80 people including KIA senior officers.
Armed clashes have erupted between the military and joint forces of the KIA and the PDF in Sagaing Region, Kachin State and Shan State (North) and tensions have escalated.