It's HOT in politics and outdoors... + Suomi osio

It's HOT in politics and outdoors...

Summer temperature peaks with power blackouts in Myanmar

As the temperature rises over 40 degrees Celsius in many areas, the power outages makes it even harder the bear.  Also eight people died, as the hailstorms hit the country last week. The hails, size of the golf balls hit the ground and damaged thousands of  houses. Also April 13, 2016 M 6.9 earthquake hit the southeast of Mawlaik, damaging buildings around Myanmar.

The government is suffering the yearly power shortage in the country, which has the least power available currently in South-east Asia. The master plan is to increase the power capacity and consumption from current 2700MW to 4531MW at 2020, 8121MW by the year 2025 and 14525MW at the year 2030. Even that is lacking from the neighboring Thailand's consumption currently 27000MW.  There is lot of demand and work to be done in power field in Myanmar at coming years. And opportunities for Europeans!

Part of the problem of developing this field seems to be public opposition against hydro power (or who actually owns and benefits from it) and coal power plants (which is obvious). Since the social media is pretty free in Myanmar, lot of people are demanding the explanations about the power shortages from the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

Parliament planning to end the rules for overnight visitors

There is a special law in Myanmar, that restricts people to stay overnight anywhere else but their registered home address. All visitors must be reported in advance to local administrative office. That pretty much restricts any visitor staying past midnight visiting friends and relatives in anywhere else but home or public places. Good fro restaurant business, bad for country's imago. While at it, I would change the rule for foreign visitors to stay only in the hotel or resort, not in private homes. Anywhere else, if I have an friend coming to visit, he can stay in my home and it is not a big deal.

New government struggle to amend the constitution

Myanmar court has dropped charges against 69 students, who has been in prison since March 2015. Also 83 political prisoners were released recently by the pardon from Myanmar new president Htin Kyaw. Among those released were four journalists and an executive from the newspaper Unity Journal, who were sentenced to 10 years hard labor in 2014 for reporting on an alleged military chemical weapons factory. The new National League for Democracy (NLD) government of former detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has released or dropped charges against 282 people accused of political crimes since taking power on April 1.

The new government has been trying two times to amend the constitution without success due the eto from the permanent parliament seat holders of 25% of parliament seats, which is enough to stop any progress. NLD is now planning to rewrite the whole constitution instead of trying to change or amend the old one. In any country this is a big job and specially big in Myanmar, which is taking the first baby steps towards the real democracy. IMHO this will take years and a lot will happen during it. But it seems that country will stay "as it was" without government being able to change the constitution as there are a lot of of limiting laws for all areas of life.

USDP, the former majority holder in government has sacked 17 senior members from party lead, including U Shwe Mann, former acting party chairman and former speaker of the Union Parliament and House of Representatives (Lower House). Along with U Shwe Mann, other senior USDP members removed include U Maung Maung Thein, U San Shwe Aung, U Ko Ko Naing, U Zaw Myint Pe, U Thein Zaw and Thura U Aung Ko.

Also Daw Aung San Suu Kyi orders civil servants not to accept any gifts worth 25,000+ kyat (about USD 20.- or EUR 18.- ) as part of anti-corruption campaign. As in Asia the giving and getting gifts is deeply part of business and social environment, I doubt if this has any effect in that culture.

Commercial news;

Another telecoms company, Viettel enters to Myanmar with the investment of US$ 1.5 billion to build the nationwide 3G-only mobile network in 900MHz and 2100MHz frequency bandwidths. They also plan to launch 4G service later. Before Viettel there has been 3 established 3G mobile networks with MPT (government owned telecoms company), Telenor from Norway and OOREDOO from Qatar.

Finnish part, SUOMI OSIO

Käytyäni ensimmäisen kerran Burmassa vuonna 1989 ja lisääntyvinä vierailuina sekä viimeisen puolen vuoden oleskelustani nykyisessä Myanmarissa, täytyy aluksi sanoa että en ole missään Aasian maassa nähnyt vastaavaa potentiaalia mille tahansa alalle kuin Burmassa ja aikanaan Kiinassa. Maa on ollut lähes saman verran suljettuna vuosikymmeniä, kuin Pohjois Korea mutta Burman avauduttua viime vuonna, (virallisesti jo viisi vuotta sitten mutta minun kirjoissani oikeasti vasta nyt), on kehitys maassa ollut silminnähtävää. Isoin potentiaali on varmasti turismin kehittämisessä, maallahan on tuhat kilometriä trooppista hiekkarantaa ja tuhansia vuosia vanhat historialliset vierailu kohteet.

Mutta katsoen Suomen vinkkelistä asioita, meillä olisi erinomaiset mahdollisuudet vedenpuhdistus teknologian, vesi-sähkö tekniikan ja tietoliikenteen kehittämisessä maahan. Myös Finnairilla olisi tänä vuonna erinomainen mahdollisuus varata "laituri" Yangonin kansainväliseltä lentokentältä sillä pian kentän kapasiteetti on varattu ja sen jälkeen saapuville lehtoyhtiöille on tilaa ainoastaan lähes 200km päähän valmistuvalle uudelle lentokentälle, Peguun. Jo pelkkä kenttä varaus (sinne ei tarvitse lentää itse) tulee olemaan todella arvokas sillä kenttähän on lähes Yangonin keskustassa. Jo pelkkä neuvottelujen aloittaminen ja tietojen selvittäminen olisi kannattavaa tulevaisuuden kannalta.

Myös monilla muilla aloilla alkaa etsikkoaika, josta aikaisin markkinoille saapuneet nappaavat parhaat palat.

Water festifal and New year is over, what now?

Water festival and New year is over, what now?

Shift of seasons and politics

The rainy season in Myanmar is arriving soon and remembering last years flooding, no one is really waiting for it. The rainy season is relatively long in Myanmar lasting from May till October. It looks as likely that forming the complete new government will take as long. The minister seats are shuffled, changed or added weekly.

Originally 18 ministers were proposed at end of March and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi planned to hold several minister positions, the plan has changed now and it is likely that she will eventually has just one or maybe two minister seats. The foreign minister seat is decided so far. Another seat earlier taken by her was education minister but is now changed.

Here is the list of ministries and I try to keep up the changes in it until the "final" running minister list it up:

U Myo Thein Gyi, director general of the education ministry’s Educational Research Bureau is proposed to be new Minister of Education and U Pyae Myint Htun is told to take over the Power and Energy ministry.

In my earlier blog I had a large number of ministries listed. That was the previous government situation. The new parliament decided to combine lot of them together to reduce the number to above listed 20. It also will be interesting to see the deputy ministers roster build up as they handle the many practical matters for the ministry.

Housing news

As I have realized myself, rental and housing cost in Myanmar is par to Finland or even more expensive (Finland is not cheap country...). I have been looking for to buy reasonably good quality and "affordable" priced condominium from Yangon. So far I have not been happy with the quality/price situation. Now the new government promises to build lot of low-priced rental apartments. Well, since the average build time for medium sized condominium is today about two years, the real relief will come earliest 2018. However due the last years housing market speculation, the prices might come down earlier as IMHO there is clear price bubble and I really cant believe that housing costs more in Yangon than in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Seoul...Or Helsinki.

The impact developing low cost affordable housing will be seen in higher end housing costs as well. The current lack of housing in Yangon makes all housing costs rocket high but eventually all prices will balance to comparable level to other capitals in Asean. And due the labor coast in Myanmar houses should be cheaper than bordering, more developed countries.

From now on I add the Finnish lanquage part to end of my blog, If you are really interested in this part in English, use translator or send me a message for it...

Myanmar on tänään nopeiten kasvava maa Aasiassa

Kun saavuin aasiaan ensimmäisen kerran 1986, muutin suoraan asumaan Hongkongiin. Kiina oli auennut ulkomaailmalle 1984 ja Hongkong oli erinomainen maa asua, jos halusi tehdä kauppaa Kiinaan. Kun aloitimme markkinoinnin sinne Suomi antoi kehitysapua hallitustasolla ja viralliset tahot puhuivat kuinka Kiinassa asui miljardi persaukista ihmistä.  Yritin puhua usein että Kiina on nopeiten kasvava valtio Aasiassa ja sinne kannattaa tosiaankin panostaa. Pääosa suomalaisista yrityksistä heräsi tähän kuitenkin vasta 1990 tai 2000 luvulla, 10-15 vuotta liian myöhään.

Myanmar alkoi demokraattisen prosessin jo noin 5 vuotta sitten. Aikanaan 50-60 luvulla silloinen Burma oli itsenäistynyt Englannin alta ja oli Aasian rikkain valtio, jolla oli isoimmat luonnonvarat ja riisituotanto. Luonnonvarat eivat kadonneet minnekkään sotilasvallan aikana ja riisituotantokin on vain tekniikan ja ajan kysymys palauttaa ennalleen. Tuotantokulut ovat aasian halvimmat ja turvatilanne alkaa olla mielestäni parempi kuin naapurimaassa Thaimaassa.

Eli nyt taas kun monet länsimaat rynnistävät Myanmariin (mm. Norjan Telenor on yksi kolmesta puhelinliikenteen toimittajasta maassa) ja Euroopan ulkoministerit jonottavat että pääsevat tapaamaan Daw Aung San Suu Kyitä, Soinia ei ole hirveästi näkynyt Myanmarissa. Viimevuotisen Vapaavuren vierailun jälkeen en ole korkean tason aktiivista toimintaa havainnut vietettyäni siellä viimeiset puoli vuotta. Yksi virallinen vierailu, ei tee mitään näkyvää tulosta vaan poliittisen ja taloudellisen yhteistyön ajaminen pitää olla jatkuva prosessi.

NYT olisi aika laittaa lonkerot sinnepäin. Jos Suomella ja Suomessa menee talous päin honkia, pitäisi kehittää niitä valtioita joissa tällä hetkellä on 55 miljoonaa persaukista ja huomenna 5 miljoonan rikkaan ihmisen markkinat. Jos olet ollut mukana alkuvaiheessa, on helppo saada osa kakusta. Perässä tulijat saavat ne muruset markkinoilta, joita muut eivat halunneet. Ystäväni business ja hallitustasolla pyytävät että Eurooppalaiset olisivat nyt aktiivisempia ettei tarvitse antaa jokaista kannattaa kauppaa Kiinalaisille.

No, aika näyttää miten Suomi sijoittuu Myanmarin business kartalla.

Saa kommentoida :)

THINGYAN WATER FESTIVAL And The Lady

THINGYAN WATER FESTIVAL

This week is the traditional THINGYAN WATER FESTIVAL week that ends to the Myanmar New Year (note: the new year in many Asian countries differs from western christian standard 01.01.xxxx).

In water festival you will very likely to get wet if you leave your apartment in anywhere Myanmar. Tradition is to throw water on other people to "clean" previous year dust and start new year fresh. Water festival is celebrated at 14,15,16 of April, this ending to Myanmar New Year at 17.04-2016. 

If you have never experienced this, I recommend it as a once in a life time experience to your bucket list (second time is an other story). This will be also be official end of the warm season or summer and the start of the rainy season. There are three seasons in Myanmar and the "winter" starts around end of October when rains will end.

Aung San Suu Kyi, "The Lady"    

Some people have compared her to Gandhi, referring this to non-violent revolution for changing the country peacefully towards more democratic direction. Who is she and how did she get in to position to lead the country currently? Here are some notes and facts;

Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of the famous Burmese general Aung San, who was fighting against British colony rulers before Burma got the independence at 4th of January 1948. General Aung San was murdered half a year before this.

Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Rangoon, British colony; Burma at 19 June 1945.  She studied in the university of Delhi, graduating  in 1964 and University of Oxford in 1968. She married British husband and has two sons. She arrived back to Burma at end of 1980's and lead her party NLD, National League for Democracy, to 1990 elections, which NLD also won. The results were later cancelled and that lead to her long time house arrest and suspension of the party activity.

To cut the very long story shorter,  She remained under the house arrest for almost 15 of the 21 years from 1989 to 2010. NLD boycotted the 2010 elections, resulting to military backed  Union Solidarity and Development Party the victory. At 2012 she become as MP and last elections NLD received landslide victory, having  67% of the seats, where 75% was available for elections and rest 25% were reserved for military.

Myanmar leader system has a president and 2 vice presidents, second reserved for military. Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be elected as president due the recent law changes by the previous military government, prohibiting anyone who has "foreign" passport holder relatives to be elected as president. Aung San Suu Kyi has two children, having British passports.

She has received Nobel piece price as well as several other honors and awards.

First acts as foreign minister of the Myanmar, she met Chinese, Italian, German and Canadian foreign ministers. Finland visit is probably still far ahead, hopefully happening eventually (attn. Soini!)

Then something to read if you are interested in;

Myanmar mobile leaps along

Much talk in the telecoms market has been dedicated to the digital leapfrog: the almighty hop from legacy technology to a mobile-first future. Myanmar’s operators – state-owned incumbent Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), Ooredoo and Telenor – have seen subscriber figures jump by millions over the past few years; and though coverage rates have climbed higher than ever before, they’re not stopping now.

MPT

“For MPT, mobile subscribers tripled from 6 million to 19 million,” said KSGM public relations adviser Yosuke Fukuma in an email. “More than US$3 billion [has been] invested in the ICT sector led by telecoms, with over 50,000 jobs created in the telecoms sector, according to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology [MCIT].”

Future challenges for the state-owned operator include mobile network enhancement and the launch of 4G, building nationwide broadband infrastructure for high-speed internet services, and encouraging mobile financial services, mobile education, mobile health, e-government and other extensions across industries, he said.

Ooredoo

Ooredoo CEO Rene Meza said the company was extremely pleased with the progress it had made on expanding its network.

“The transformation the country has seen in the telecommunications sector is supported largely by the fact that currently close to 80 percent of Myanmar’s population has access to high-speed mobile internet delivered by our 3G network and more than 7700 kilometres [4800 miles] of fibre optic built,” Mr Meza said, adding that the company’s investment of more than $1.7 billion had helped.

Ooredoo has moved on to the second phase of its rollout – into the Myanmar countryside. “Most of the challenges we had at the beginning of our journey are now behind us and we continue to rapidly expand our network coverage and infrastructure, which is getting into deep rural areas,” Mr Meza said.

“For this transformation to continue and for Myanmar to continue being a world example of technological leapfrogging, the right and efficient allocation of spectrum is fundamentally crucial as the country and consumers get ready for new technologies like 4G to be introduced.”

Telenor

Telenor Myanmar CEO Petter Furberg said at the company’s third sustainability briefing that the company had reached 62 percent coverage by February and had turned on about 5000 towers.

He said coverage could be defined differently with regards to signal strength.

“The thing that surprised us most [was] the data – 52pc monthly data users is very high [in a] country with this type of GDP, so it’s promising in terms of what you can do on that platform,” he said.

“When we add financial services, [that] will allow you over time to participate in the global internet ... We have the opportunity to leapfrog.”

The sustainability briefing highlighted health, safety, security and environmental issues Telenor faces in Myanmar, including cases of underage labour in the supply chain.

“I don’t think it’s impossible to eradicate it … I think we are definitely improving Myanmar in this respect,” he said.

Meanwhile, new challenges could crop up.

“I think [they’ll] potentially be related to … security, and how governments will use new laws and regulations that are coming with respect to their rights and opportunities to access confidential information.”

New parlament and ministries

In this new blog, I will write basic information about Myanmar and important happenings in Economic and political field. I am not an expert in in any means and keeping blog is my way of keeping up the knowledge of the current happenings in Myanmar.

Myanmar (Ex. Burma) has finally "opened" to world and after long economic sanctions, western countries are arriving to country.

Aung San Suu Kyi ("The Lady"), had a landslide victory in the first, almost open, parliamentary elections at the end on 2015 and got almost all parliament seats available in elections, 25% of the seats were reserved to the military without elections. I will write more about The Lady at the later blocks.

Lower house of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Parliament of the Myanmar)

As 25% of the members can veto all changes to constitution of Myanmar, any big changes to law is not likely at the current time.

However NLD has the right to select the president and U Htin Kyaw was selected as the new president of the Myanmar at 2016. The new president is not very well known in the country, or even inside NLD party, but as The Lady has indicated earlier: "Since she cant be selected as the president, she will have a loyal proxy to run the country for her". And as U Htin Kyaw has supported her through the harsh times, he was a natural selection for this position.

Leadership of the parliamanet:
Speaker: Win Myint, NLD, Since 1 February 2016
Deputy Speaker: T Khun Myat, USDP, Since 1 February 2016

Ministries:
Agriculture and Irrigation
Border Affairs
Commerce
Communications and Information Technology
Construction
Cooperatives
Culture
Defence
Education
Electric Power
Energy
Environmental Conservation and Forestry
Finance
Foreign Affairs
Health
Home Affairs
Hotels and Tourism
Immigration and Population
Industry
Information ( Myanmar Radio and Television)
Labour, Employment and Social Security (Social Security Board)
Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development
Mines
National Planning and Economic Development
Rail Transportation
Religious Affairs (State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee)
Science and Technology
Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement
Sports
Transport (Civil Aviation)

This new list of ministries has changed some from the old ones as some ministries has been combined to have more efficient structure in the future.

Currently the shuffle of the ministry leaders is on and the final leaders will be announced soon.

In my next week blog, I will write about The Lady, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is she, her background and how did she end up leading the country.