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.