CNI News

24 Jan 2023

Rubber yields in Mon State this year decreased lower than the previous year, according to rubber plantation owners.

The drop in rubber yields was attributed to high costs of inputs, shortages of substances used to increase the yields of latex sap and difficulties to produce rubber due to instabilities in some areas, plantation owners said.

Rubber technology consultant U Thein Tun told the CNI, "Rubber yields have dropped lower than that of last year. Latex yields decreased due to late monsoon. Another reason is that workers could not travel to plantations to harvest latex. Some plantation owners could not afford inputs."

Natural letex

Rubber yields dropped by 20 to 25 percent because inputs cannot be made in the early season and the yields have continued to drop even in the leaf-shedding season.

Rubber is exported as usual but domestic rubber prices have fallen as international prices have dropped.

Rubber prices stood at MMK 1,200 per pound and profits for plantation owners varied depending on the quality of rubber, General Secretary U Khain Myint of the Myanmar Rubber Planter and Producers Association told the CNI.

He told the CNI, "We are buying and exporting rubber as usual. However, rubber prices have dropped in the international market at the moment. We can get between MMK 1,150 and 1,200 per pound. If plantation owners grow low quality rubber trees which can produce 500 pounds per acre, their production costs will be higher but if they grow high quality rubber trees that can produce 1,500 pound per acre, their production cost will be lower. So, their profits may vary depending on the quality of rubber trees they grow.

Drying rubber under sunlight

Fertizer prices rose from MMK 30,000 per bag last year to more than MMK 100,000 this year, plantation owners will suffer losses if the prices continue to fall.

There are more than 500,000 acres of rubber in Mon State, which produces more than 100,000 tons of rubber. Myanmar exports rubber to Thailand and China, earning millions of US dollars every year.

CNI News

24 Jan 2023

Chairman Gen Yawd Serk of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army is planning to go to Nay Pyi Taw to meet Chairman Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing of the State Administration Council soon, Tai Freedom news agency of the RCSS reported.

The Shan general will be accompanied by central committee members Col Saung Han and Lt-Col Oak Khay and central leading committee members Maj Nang Moe Mow Saw and Maj Nang San Phaung and support teams.

The RCSS delegation will meet Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing and the peace making team and discuss the current political situation, the peace process, bilateral issues and trust building processes, according to Tai Freedom news agency.

An RCSS delegation meets the peace making team of the SAC.

The news agency did not elaborate on the precise date but the Shan general would arrive in Nay Pyi Taw today, sources close to authorities said.

Gen Yawd Serk met Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing and the peace making team and discussed the peace process in Nay Pyi Taw in May, 2022.

The RCSS/SSA is an ethnic armed organization and a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.

CNI News

22 Jan 2023

Container trucks transporting tissue bananas to Kanpaiti border trade gate at the Chinese border have to decrease freight charges to lower than that of the previous year, according to truck drivers in Kanpaiti.

As a result, earnings for truck drivers and owners have dropped and they are likely to suffer losses if they are required to repair their vehicles, Ko Shan Gyi, a truck owner, told the CNI.

He said,"Freight charges have dropped to about 7,000 Yuan. In the past, we earned as much as 8,000 Yuan to 13,000 Yuan from place to place. So, freight charges have dropped significantly. We haven't suffered losses but our earnings have dropped. In the past, we earned as much as MMK 1.3 million. We can earn MMK 850,000. If we don't need to repair our vehicles, it is still profitable for us. If we have to repair our vehicle, we will suffer losses."

Freight trucks.

Freight charges were reduced after the state government, tissue banana companies and banana plantation owners held negotiations in November, according to truck drivers.

Another reason for decreasing freight charges may be falling banana harvests and lower demand for freight transportation but they are likely to increase when bananas are harvested massively, Ko Thawdar Aung, a truck driver, told the CNI.

He said, "Last year, the demand for transportation was high and we could raised freight charges. This year, only a few banana plantations have been harvested and the demand for freight transportation is low. As a result, we were forced to accept the freight charges they proposed. Last year, truck owners could ask the fees they liked as the demand for freight transportation was high. When bananas are harvested massively after the Chinese New Year, we can ask for higher fees."

As bananas are being harvested in only a few plantations, truck drivers can operate only two trips to the border a month at the moment but their incomes are likely to increase when bananas are harvested massively and they can operate more trips to the border.

Container trucks are being used in the border trade in Kanpaiti and 60 percent of freight trucks have been transformed into container trucks.

CNI News

22 Jan 2023

The upcoming elections should not be meant for resolution of an individual's crisis, Chairman U Thar Tun Hla of the Arakan National Party told the CNI.

He added that overcoming the current political crisis called for political dialogue.

He said, "The Myanmar crisis is a political issue and as a result, it must be resolved through political means in order to secure commitments. Then, it is necessary to roll out the plans to implement the commitments to the public. If so, the public will be interested in the political process, which will be beneficial for the entire country. Elections should not be meant for resolution of an individual's political crisis."

Checking voting papers.

He added that the current political crisis of Myanmar cannot be resolved by holding elections.

The upcoming elections would serve as a peaceful means to overcome the current political crisis, Spokesperson Naing Than Shwe of the Mon Unity Party told the CNI.

Naing Shwe Than said, "The general election will be held within six months after lifting the state of emergency. Under the 2008 constitution, the elections must be held. The elections are essential for restoring the federal democracy not only for the SAC but also for the entire country and a means to overcome the political crisis."

He added that elections are essential to the democracy system.

The SAC announced that a general election would be held in August, 2023 and power would be transferred to the winning party.

CNI News

21 Jan 2023

As Myanmar is an agricultural country, it is necessary to produce sufficiently at home, according to farmers.

As the country has not been able to produce enough fertilizer at home, it has to import it from other countries, forcing farmers to spend large sums of money for inputs. As a result, if the county can produce enough fertilizer at home, farmers will be able to save cultivation costs, Chairman U Thein Aung of the Development of Farmers Association told the CNI.

He said, "Fertilizer produced at home costs only MMK 40,000 per bag while exported fertilizer costs as much as MMK 100,000 per bag. If sufficient fertilizer can be manufactured at home, input costs of farmers can be reduced. Fertilizer use efficiency is not so different but we can use two and a half bags of domestic fertilizer at the cost of one bag of imported fertilizer. So, cultivation costs will decrease significantly."

Farmers in a paddy field.

Myanmar mainly imported fertilizer from Thailand and China while it is also smuggled into Myanmar from Bangladesh.

Although there are five fertilizer factories under the Myanmar Petrochemical Industry, No (4) Fertilizer Factory (Myaungdagar) and No (5) Fertilizer Factory (Kangyidaunt) are producing fertilizer under MPE brand.

The two factories can produce 700 tons of fertilizer a day but the remaining three factories have to suspend their operations due to shortages of natural gas.

In the past, domestic fertilizer cannot be stored for a long time because of the defects in the packaging system but the packages of fertilizer have improved recently, according to farmers.

However, they have to use imported fertilizer as there is no domestic fertilizer in shops, U Aung Kyaw Mya, a farmer in Kyauktaw in Rakhine State, told the CNI.

He told the CNI, "We can use domestic fertilizer if it contains 46 percent of urea. However, it is not available in the government. I think it is available only for government departments. So, we are forced to use imported ones."

A fertilizer factory.

Myanmar grows 15 million acres of monsoon paddy and three million acres of summer paddy, totaling 18 million acres of paddy and it is necessary to use three bags of urea, T-super and potash or compound fertilizer to harvest 100 baskets of paddy per acre.

Myanmar needs 2.7 million tons of fertilizer per year only for paddy and another 3 million tons of fertilizer for other crops including pulses and beans and oil crops, according to studies of the Agriculture Department.

According to a survey of fertilizer prices in other countries, fertilizer prices in Myanmar are higher than other countries at US$ 445 per ton while fertilizer prices stand at US$ 410 per ton in Cambodia, US$ 400 in Thailand and US$ 380 in Vietnam.

CNI News

21 Jan 2023

Some political observers in Myanmar are debating how the current crisis in Myanmar brings benefits for neighbouring countries.

Neighbouring countries are benefiting from the crisis in Myanmar, Political Observer Dr Aung Myo told the CNI.

A demonstration calling for democracy. (The Frontier Myanmar)

He said, "Neighbouring countries are getting significant benefit. For instance, Myanmar has not been able to address the refugee issue in Bangladesh, which has been enjoying benefits from the refugees. Thailand will gain benefit when the US offers financial aid to Myanmar under the NDAA because the aid will come not through China but through Thailand. China opposes the NDAA because it poses threats against China through Taiwan and Myanmar. As the aid will come through Thailand, the country will get not only US dollars but also weapons."

Armed conflicts have erupted in Myanmar and the country is in political, economic, social, health and education crises.

Due to instabilities in Myanmar, neighbouring countries have been able to sell weapons, Political Observers U Than Soe Naing told the CNI.

Snr General Min Aung Hlang and Chinese Special Envoy.

He said, "One of the benefits for neighbouring countries is that they can sell weapons to Myanmar. India, China and Russia supplying weapons and aircraft to Myanmar. Russia does not receive as much benefit as others because it is far away from Myanmar and it sells only aircraft to Myanmar. Weapons are mainly flowing into Myanmar from China, which is also involved in maritime expansion in Myanmar. However, Chinese weapons are flowing into the country through the UWSA."

Thanks to instabilities in Myanmar, neighbouring countries can sell weapons to Myanmar while they can hire Myanmar workers at cheaper wages. They are also benefiting from humanitarian aid for Myanmar refugees.

Moreover, neighbouring countries are also reaping business and investment opportunities from the Myanmar crisis.

CNI News

21 Jan 2023

The office of the National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee on Shweli Road in Yangon was hit by grenades at about 1 pm on 20th January.

Two grenades were thrown into the compound of the NSPNC but one of them failed to explode and security forces had to carry out controlled detonation.

The NSPNC meets political parties

The grenades fell on the roof of the car parking and damaged three vehicles.

The NSPNC office is a venue for negotiations among ethnic armed organizations, political parties and international diplomats over the peace process.

The information team of the SAC was not immediately available for comments.

CNI News

21 Jan 2023

As authorities have suspended the application process for new passports, the number of illegal migrant workers and holders of fake passports is likely to increase, labour agencies and overseas employment agencies told the CNI.

All passport offices in the entire country have suspended the application process for new passports for an unlimited period as of the end of 2022

Suspension of passport application has forced migrant workers who otherwise would have gone abroad officially to opt for illegal migration, Labour Activist U Min Oo of the Foundation for Education and Development told the CNI.

He told the CNI," Their move has pushed migrant workers closer to fall victim to trafficking in person. It is beneficial for human traffickers and transnational crime will increase. This is because migrant workers will try to go abroad anyway and they cannot wait until authorities are ready to issue new passports. The situation will be getting worse in the future. Myanmar authorities saidthey are looking for an easier way for the public to apply for passports. It is just an excuse because the passport application process has become more complicated and authorities are asking one document after another to apply for passports. First, they have asked for household registration forms and national registration cards and then required OWIC cards and employment letters.They are making the process more difficult. The more difficult the process is, the more bribe money they can ask for from workers. Government departments may take security reasons into their consideration.

People queuing for passport applications. (CNI)

Any type of passport application has been suspended but application for passports for pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya was processed through the green channel.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement that said it would blacklist 143 companies for passport issues and the Department of Labour sent a notification to the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation, saying that 133 overseas employment agencies were among the companies.
And then, authorities again have suspended the green channel since 17th January, according to the MOEAF.

He wants to urge people intending to work abroad not to trust agents who promise to help them get passports and to wait until passport offices have reopened, a director from an overseas employment agency which sends workers to Japan.

He said, "It is even difficult for passport agents to get into passport offices because authorities have tightened security. Even if they could help workers apply for passports, it would cost a large sum of agent fees at the moment. Such passport agents might forge fake passports. It was learnt that passports were available in Lashio. I think they were forging fake passports. Fake passport holders will get into trouble at the immigration counter at the airport. We can do nothing but wait. Don't trust anyone."

As action can be taken against those who forge official documents under section 420/468 of the Penal Code, migrant workers should not try to apply for passports through agents.

Although authorities said they have suspended the passport application process to introduce a new process, there may be other reasons like security issues and passport agent problems.

CNI News

20 Jan 2023

Immigration authorities in Malaysia officially announced on 18th January that foreign workers including Myanmar nationals would be allowed to register with them to apply for rekalibrasi (RTK) work permits as of 27th January.

The valid period for application of the work permits will be from 27th January, 2023 to 31st December, 2023 and there are eight eligible types of jobs. Myanmar workers who have passports and recommendations from their employers should make preparations for work permit applications, Myanmar nationals in Malaysia told the CNI.

A Myanmar passport holder.

Mwar Michael, who has been living in Malaysia, told the CNI, "The registration period lasts about a year. About one or two months after registration, authorities will take the fingerprints of applicants, who are required to say the factories where they used to work previously. Those who had run away from their factories will be cancelled and will be told to return home within a certain period after paying fines. This is the rule they have adopted. The work permits will be issued for those who are found to be eligible. Work permit levy fees and insurance premiums will vary depending on types of jobs such as agriculture, construction, factory work, restaurant works. Myanmar applicants are required to have passports issued by the Myanmar embassy including passports with visit visas. Then, they need employers who recommend them and their licenses and documents. If all the required documents are submitted, authorities will issue work permits for migrants.

Five types of job have been prohibited for foreign workers including textile, goldsmith, barber, social welfare and recycling industries.

If employers apply for the RTK permits on behalf of their workers, the latter will have to pay official fees set by the government but those who apply for the permits through agents will cost much more than the official fees and may even be cheated of their money.

An official from Maharajar Travel and Tour said, "Migrants are allowed to apply for work permits under a immigration system through their employers or agencies. Then, they will be permitted to stay in Malaysia officially. So, they cannot be detained during police operasis."

immigration centre in Malaysia.

When work permits were issued last year, migrant workers whose permits were applied for by their employers on behalf of them had to pay Ringgit 5,000 (more than MMK 2.4 million) but those who had overstayed their visas were required to pay fines. However, those who applied for the permits through agents had to pay up to Ringgit 15,000 (more than MMK 7.2 million).

As authorities are rounding up illegal migrants at the moment, overstaying Myanmar nationals in Malaysia should apply for the work permits, according to Maynmar nationals in Malaysia.

The RTK program aims to issue official work permits for illegal migrants and the permits are required to be renewed once a year.