CNI News

20 Sept 2022

Large numbers of guests have booked hotel rooms in Bagan in Nyaung-U Township, Mandalay Region and at Ngapali beach in Thandwe in Rakhine State for Thadingyut Festival holiday, according to hoteliers there.

An official from the Ngapali Paradise Hotel said, “We have received a large number of bookings. Some hotels have been fully booked. Most guests booked hotel rooms for three-day on 8^th, 9^th and 10^th October. The guests are from a social class that is indifferent to the political situation. Guests are returning to us for the festival. However, the number of guests will not be as high as that during the Thingyan Festival. As the Thingyan holiday was two-week long, there were more bookings.”

Holiday-makers are booking rooms for the Thadingyut Festival from 8^th to 10^th October and most of them are booking rooms for 9^th and 10 October.

Currently, hotels have been forced to rely on holidays because no bookings are made for off-festival days, an official from a hotel in Bagan told the CNI.

Tourists in Bagan Region.

“During off-festival days, occupancy rate drops to about 20 to 25 percent and there is no booking at all. Currently, we are handling a large number of bookings. However, occupancy rates have not returned to pre-pandemic levels,” he said.

The number of domestic tourists has not reached previous levels but tour operators expect that some domestic tourists will visit pilgrimage sites and beaches.

There would be some domestic tourists who visited Bagan without making bookings during the Thidingyut holiday, Chairman U Zaw Wate of Myanmar Hoteliers Association (Bagan Zone) told the CNI.

“As fuel prices have dropped a little by MMK 200 to MMK 300 per litre, there will be some more guests during the holiday. The number of guests will be higher during the holiday than now. There will be a large number of them. We have to rely on weekends and holidays because guests can come here only on those days. At present, there are only a few guests at hotels. Some hotels have only one or two rooms occupied. Handicraft shops are not making a lot of money at present. However, handicraft sellers at pagodas are in business again. They sell earrings and paintings. Myanmar guests cannot afford large lacquerwares from big lacquer shops,” he said.

Domestic tourist arrivals in Ngapali Beach in Thandwe in Rakhine State increased during the Thingyan festival this year and set a post-pandemic record. However, the number of domestic tourists would not be as many as that during the Thingyan festival, Director U Tin Tun Aung of Rakhine State Hotels and Tourism Ministry told the CNI.

A hotel in Ngapali Beach.

“Everyone wants to welcome domestic tourists in the upcoming dry season. We expect the same and hotels are making ready for them. As it is the season they must resume their operations, no one has decreased their efforts. Everyone is preparing for the upcoming season. During the Thingyan festival when the number of COVID-19 cases had dropped dramatically, many guests were crowded at the only place they could travel safely,” he explained.

During the Thingyan holiday from 9^th to 17^th April, domestic tourist arrivals to Rakhine state hit more than 15,000 and most of them travelled to Sittwe and Thandwe, according to the statistics of the Rakhine State Hotels and Tourism Ministry.

Moreover, only about 1,000 pilgrims visit Bagan during weekdays but on weekends, the number rises to 1,500 pilgrims, according to the Hotels and Tourism Ministry (Bagan Branch).

On festival days, more than 2,500 pilgrims visit Bagan, especially to the Shwezigon Pagoda, the Bu Pagoda and the Arnanda Pagoda.

CNI News

19 Sept 2022

Although the hotels and tourism sector of Myanmar is trying to attract Russian tourists, hotels and restaurants in the country are not ready to serve Russian cuisines, according to entrepreneurs.

As only a few Russian tourists visited the country, Russian food is almost unavailable in Myanmar and it is still necessary to conduct courses on Russian cuisines. However, the hospitality industry in Myanmar is struggling for survival so hard that it cannot take up another task, Chairman U Zaw Wate of the Myanmar Hoteliers Association (Bagan Zone) told the CNI.

He said, “First, we will have to discuss the issue with restaurant associations and master chefs because they know Russian cuisines and tastes. It is a good idea to conduct Russian food preparation courses. However, I don’t think they will be able to do this. Businessmen in Myanmar are farsighted. If they see potential, they try very hard. However, they can’t do anything at present. They couldn’t do anything for the past three years. They are struggling very hard to survive.”

The Azura Beach Resort. (Justice for Myanmar)

There are restaurants serving Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and European foods in Myanmar but Russian cuisines are almost unavailable.

As a majority of restaurants rely mainly on domestic consumers, they are not interested in Russian food, Chairman U Nay Lin of Yangon Restaurants Association told the CNI.

He said, “We have nothing to do with the matter. At present, we are still struggling to survive with local customers. So, we are not interested in the plan. When Russian tourists come to us, we will take it into consideration.”

Russian cuisine.

Entrepreneurs said they would conduct courses on preparing Russian cuisines and catering service but it would take some time if Russian tourists came to Myanmar en messe.

Necessary preparations would be made to provide satisfactory services to Russian tourists, Chairman U Zaw Wate of Bagan Hotel Zone told the CNI.

Scenic view of Bagan.

He said, “We understand how to provide services to tourists from other countries like Korea but we don’t know much about the Russian market because only one or two of them visited our country in the past. We will have to hire Russian chefs and conduct courses on Russian cuisines. Hotels and restaurants are eager to serve Russian tourists. When direct flights have been launched and Russian tourists visit our county, we will try as much as we can to provide services for them.”

The SAC is trying to promote Russia-Myanmar economic as well as tourism cooperation while negotiations are underway to launch direct flights between the two countries.

Russian language courses are being conducted for the tourism sector.

CNI News

19 Sept 2022

The Pa-O National Federal Council has called for action against members of the Pa-O National Organizations/Pa-O National Army who abducted and killed five soldiers from the Pa-O National Liberation Organization/Pa-O National Liberation Army.

In a statement issued on 15^th September, the PNLO/PNLA accused the PNO/PNA of abduction and murder of its five troops in Warpyone Village, Pinmon Village-tract in Pinlaung Township, Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in Shan State (South) without any reason.

The PNFC also issued a statement, saying “To ensure justice for the victims, the central committee of the PNLO/PNLA is urged to ensure responsibility and accountability and take action against those who committed the killing.”

U Khin Myint Tun attends a conference of EAOs in Maijaryan in 2016.

The PNFC called on the PNO/PNA not to repeat the heinous act that violated international ethics, set bad examples in the history of the Pa-O people and hurt the interests of the Pa-O people under the false pretenses of regional security.

The PFNO called on all stakeholders in the Pa-O area to prevent conflicts between the Pa-O people and other ethnic groups, territorial disputes under the false pretenses of security and racial conflicts among ethnic groups.

The PNO/PNA was accused of killing Khun Tun Oo (deputy platoon commander), Khun Shein (deputy squad commander) and three privates including Khum Than Pe, Khun Kyal Sin and Khun Ye Naung without any grudge, according to the statement issued by the PNLO/PNLA.

Current PNLO Chairman Khun Thurein and U Khun Myint Tun. 

The PNLO/PNLA is a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and active in Hsehsai, Hopong, Mawkmai in Shan State (South).

The PNO/PNA is an ethnic armed group that signed a peace agreement with the Tatmadaw in 1991. The Tatmadaw allowed the group to establish a self-administered area called Special Region–6.

In 2010, the group changed its name to the PNO/PNA and registered a political party called the PNO with the Union Election Commission.

The PNFC is a civil society organization chaired by U Khun Myint Tun, a former chairman of the PNLO/PNLA.

CNI News

19 Sept 2022

Dr. Nyo Tun Aung, the deputy commander-in-chief of the United League of Arakan/ Arakan Army, said he had discussed cooperation with the United Wa State Army.

He told a press briefing on 19th September that representatives of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee met in Pangsang ( Pangkham), the headquarters of the UWSA, and discussed further consolidating the cooperation among the members.

Dr Nyo Tun Aung said, “The FPNCC is not a military alliance but a political coalition. We discussed the current political situation in Myanmar and explained tasks being carried out by individual organizations to consolidate the cooperation among the members. We exchanged views on situations in Myanmar and Rakhine State. The focus of the discussion was to strengthen the cooperation among us and further cementing friendship with new generation Wa leaders.

Members of the FPNCC meet in Pangang (Pangkham). (The Kokang)

The coalition had to postpone its in-person meetings for some time due to COVID-19 and has now resumed them.

Dr. Nyo Tun Aung added, “The FPNCC meeting was not new. Ours is a member of the coalition and I am currently performing my duties as an in-charge at the office of the FPNCC. We were not able to meet in person for some time and the recent meeting was just like our regular meetings before the pandemic. No special issue was discussed during the meeting. We just talked about political cooperation.”

The FPNCC is made up of the UWSA, the AA, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Shan State Progressive Party, the Kachin Independence Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.

UWSA leader Bao Youxiang and an MNDAA leader. (The Kokang)

However, representatives of the KIA failed to show up at the recent meeting.

All these EAOs are not signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and negotiations are underway to sign the NCA.

Three members of the FPNCC, the UWSA, the NDAA and the SSPP have joined peace talks with the SAC while the remaining two EAOs, the AA and the KIA, are at war with the SAC in Rakhine State, Kachin State, Sagaing Region and Shan State (North)

CNI News

18 Sept 2022

If the 8-state solution is adopted for building a union, peace cannot be achieved, Central Executive Committee Member Sao Khun Kyaw Win of the Pa-O National Organization told the CNI.

He added that the 8-state solution can even aggravate the situation in Shan State.

Saw Khun Kyaw Win told CNI, “In my opinion, peace will never be achieved if the 8-state solution is pursued. Political negotiations will never take place. In Shan State, it will exacerbate the situation. Territorial control of each ethnic group in Shan State is known to all. If the 8-state solution is approved by all, armed conflicts and ethnic issues in Shan State cannot be resolved. Moreover, the PNO has held national political dialogue in Hopone because it is one of the ethnic groups permitted to do so. We have adopted a policy to establish a new state. The policy is not just for the Pa-O ethnic group. The new state may not be established not on the ethnic line like Pa-O, Palaung or Wa but on the population of each ethnic group. I think we should adopt such a policy.”

Ethnic peoples in Maijaryan.

At the end of February, 2020, representatives from 12 armed organizations met in Chiang Mai and agreed to build a federal union based on the 8-state solution.

However, it was only viable to implement the 8-state solution and the rest would be realized later, Kachin Politician U Kwam Gaung Aung Kham told the NCI.

He said, “It is viable that we implement the 8-state solution based on the 1947 constitution and consider what should be done later. It depends on their abilities.”    

The demand to establish a state for the Bamar ethnic group reflected an ultranationalist point of view, Political Analyst U Than Soe Naing told the CNI.

A ceremony to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement of eight ethnic armed organizations on 15^th October, 2015.

He said, “I think the demand to establish a Bamar state amounts to casting different realities into the same mold and reflects an ultranationalist point of view. Every ethic group must have to right to decide its own fate and equality but it is impossible to cast different realities in the same mold. Some area may become states while others remain as regions and districts. Let’s take the Ta'aung (Palaung) ethnic group as an example. The ethic group does not settle in a single area. If we combine all the areas they settle, we may designate their areas as a district because their areas do not have characteristics of a state. When they have acquired the characteristics, they will become a state. They have the right to establish a state at that time. The 8-state solution is not appropriate for socioeconomic conditions and realities of Myanmar.”

The 8-state solution is based on the concept that the Bamar ethnic group should also have a state like other ethnic groups.

Currently, there are seven regions, seven states, one self-administered region, five self-administered zones and one Nay Pyi Taw Council area under the 2008 constitution.

Ethnic groups like Shanni, Ta’aung, Wa and Pa-ai have also demanded state-status for their areas while Mongla (Special Area-4) has demanded to establish a self-administered zone in areas under its control.

CNI News

18 Sept 2022

The civil war that has broken out in Rakhine State reached a turning point of a decisive battle, Brig-Gen Dr. Nyo Tun Aung, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army, posted on his social media on 17^th September.

The statement was made in Arakanese language.

Dr Nyo Tun Aung posted, “Are you ready, younger brothers and sisters, who asked me when the decisive battle would take place? I am telling you the time has arrived.”

The AA deputy commander-in-chief made the remarks after meeting with new leaders of the United Wa State Army/United Wa State Party recently.

Currently, military escalations are running high in Maungtaw and Paletwa in Chin State and the Tatmadaw is reinforcing its army, navy and air force.

AA troops.

Due to such reinforcements, the AA announced that they would stop and check operations on roads and waterways.

The AA raided a security camp at the border post 40 and an outpost of No. 352 infantry battalion on 31^st August and 10^th September, 2022.

Similarly, the AA occupied the Tatmadaw camp in Mitu in Paletwa Township on 15^th September.

CNI News

17 Sept 2022

The Malaysia government has failed to protect the rights of MyRC card holders from Myanmar and other countries, Myanmar organizations in Malaysia told the CNI.

The MyRC is a special registration card for refugees in Malaysia and the project was officially launched by the previous Malaysian government. However, MyRC card holders were not legally recognized as refugees on the ground, Vice Chairman Ko Aung Min Thu of the ARRC told the CNI.

He said, “If a MyRC card holder is detained by the police, he is still an illegal migrant and will be charged. It is not legally recognized. The project was launched by the previous government just before the election. So, the new government does not want to recognize it. If a MyRC card holder is detained either by the police or the immigration, the card holder will not get any protection. So, we have to ask for help from the UN and local NGOs for them. Although the previous said the cards were legally recognized, it is not true on the ground.”

Although it was said that holders of both the MyRC card and the UN card would be eligible for health and education assistance from the government and would be allowed to work in factories officially, not everyone gets the opportunities.

Refugee cards issued by the UNHCR. (UNHCR). 

When a MyRC card holder is detained by authorities, he or she will be sentenced in accordance with relevant laws but UN card holders are released even if they are detained.

Refugees in Malaysia should have registration cards that can guarantee their rights, Chief Patron Sayadaw U Ottara of the CAR told the CNI.

He said, “The best way for refugees is to hold refugee cards issued by refugee communities. If they hold such cards, we can ask for help from the UNHCR, an internationally recognized organization. It can be said that MyRC cards are not refugee cards. So, we have never heard that MyRC card holders received assistance at police stations, healthcare centres and in labour disputes.”

Recently, only a few refugees applied for MyRC cards and organizations helping refugees have stopped urging refugees to apply for the cards.

Ko Aung Min Thu of the ARRC said, “Previously, we urged our community card holders to apply for MyRC cards. When they were detained, the cards could not provide any protection. So, we stopped recommending the cards and only a few people applied for them at present. Some MyRC card holders renew their cards because their employers asked them to do so. We do not encourage refugees to apply for the new cards because authorities do not recognize them legally.”

Currently, there are about 10,000 MyRC card holders from Myanmar. Applicants for MyRC cards are required to submit their cards issued by relevant ethnic communities.

CNI News

17 Sept 2022

As onion prices rose dramatically, some merchants imported onion from China but the demand was very low, according to Bayint Naung Commodity Exchange.

About 12 truckloads or more than 300,000 visses of onion were imported and stored in Bayint Naung Commodity Exchange. However, the demand was very low and prices could slip to MMK 1,000 per viss, Chairman U Khin Han of the Myanmar Onion, Garlic & Vegetable Produces' & Exporter Association told the CNI.

He said, “Some merchants thought that the prices could rise further and imported onion from China to get more profits. They have imported about 12 truckloads or 300,000 visses of onion. More onion is on the way. However, the demand was low and the prices dropped to MMK 2,600 per viss. As there was no demand and they had to lower the prices gradually to MMI 1,500 per viss. Onion prices were likely to fall to MMK 1,000 per viss.”

Onion and garlic.

Normally, Myanmar imports onion from China and India when domestic onion prices rise. However, there was no demand for imported onions this year.

Myanmar usually imports onion in November but had to import onion earlier as onion prices rose dramatically, according to onion merchants.

Domestic onion prices increased to MMK 3,200 per viss recently but the price fell to MMK 2,700 per viss when imported onion was available, U Hla Thaung, an onion merchant from Pakokku Township Merchants and Brokers Association, told the CNI.

Onions.

He told the CNI, “We were worried when we heard the news that onions were imported from China. Domestic onion prices fell to about MMK 2,500 per viss. I don’t think the prices will drop further. Onion was imported from China this year earlier as the prices skyrocketed. However, onion importers suffered losses. There was no demand and prices of onion fell to around MMK 2,200 per viss.

Onion was imported from China while there was a large stock of domestic onion. Some merchants who store onion suffer losses as onions they stored began to sprout, according to the commodity exchange.

New onions will be harvested in November.

Onion farmers have hoped they will get higher prices when onion is harvested as they had to buy fertilizers this year at prices twice as much as previous years.

CNI News

17 Sept 2022

The National Unity Government should mediate in clashes between the Shanni Nationalities Army and the joint forces of the Kachin State Independence Army and the People Defence Force in Banmauk Township, Sagaing Region, according to local residents in Banmauk.

A camp of the SNA in Banmauk Township came under attack by joint forces of the KIA and the PDF on 20th August. The two sides engaged in fighting on 23rd August again.

Sai Kham, a local resident, told the CNI, “The SNA has adopted a policy to pursue democracy and federalism. It is believed that both the KIA and the PDF have taken the path to democracy and federalism. Why is the PDF fighting against a democratic force? It is completely wrong to attack a democratic force. The NUG should be responsible for this.”

The entrance to Banmauk.

Local residents said armed clashes between the SNA and joint forces of the KIA and the PDF in Banmauk Township have forced residents to halt their farming activities and the joint forces carried out arrests and recruitments in the area. Local residents said the situation posed a threat to their livelihoods and the NUG should mediate in the armed clashes.

SNA spokesman Col Sai Aung Mein told the CNI that there was no reason to fight against each other among organizations pursuing democracy and federalism.

He told the CNI, “It can be said that there is an ulterior motive to attack each other among organizations that are pursuing democracy and federalism. There is no reason for the PDF to fight against us. The KIA has controlled them and they have to do as the KIA instructs. The NUG has not said anything about this and we have not discussed anything with the NUG.”

NUG Prime Minister Mann Win Khaing Than and PDF troops.

The CNI contacted KIA spokesman Col Naw Bu about the clashes between the SNA and joint forces of the KIA and the PDF but he did not answer the phone.

Armed conflicts in Myanmar must be resolved through negotiations politically, Kachin Politician U Kwam Gaung Aung Kham told the CNI.

He said, “We have nothing to say about what is right and what is wrong. As a politician, I want to say that if someone takes up arms, others will do the same. Tensions depend on their attitudes. I would like to highlight that we need to build a genuine federal union as soon as possible. Only then, will our country be peaceful and prosperous. Otherwise, the civil war has been raging for more than 70 years. So, armed struggle has prevailed over political means. Whoever wins or loses in the armed struggle has to resolve issues through political means eventually.
On 8th August, joint forces of the KIA and the PDF raided a camp of the SNA near Hsezin Village in Hpakant Township.

The SNA, the KIA and the PDF.

The SNA is an ethnic armed organization fighting for founding Shanni State by integrating Mawlike District, Kale District, Hkamti District, Katha District and Tamu District in Sagaing Region and Bhamo District, Myitkyina District, Mohnyin District and Moekaung District in Kachin State.

The KIA is an ethnic armed organization aiming to build a federal union and the PDF is an armed organization that emerged from the Spring Revolution and is trying to eliminate military dictatorship.