Kachins Complain of ‘Tax’ Collection by Ethnic Armed Group Amid COVID-19
A rebel armed ethnic group is taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to extort money from Kachin businesspeople in Myanmar’s far north, placing an undue financial burden on locals who already are struggling to make ends meet, residents said Thursday. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has imposed a “tax” on shop owners and jade traders, […]
Asia and Pacific Region COVID-19 Situation Report No. 6
Regional Situation The pandemic continues to spread across the region. India, Iran, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines continue to experience a steady increase in new cases. With over 1.8 million confirmed cases, India has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the region. Maldives continues to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases per million […]
Rice Farmers Affected By Late Monsoon Season
Hla Maung, a rice farmer from Wan Kein village in Loi Long-tract, told NMG last year they suffered from drought but this year the “situation is worse.” If he can’t grow his rice this year, Hla Maung says he won’t make enough money to feed his family or send his children to school. […]
Unidentified Perpetrators Destroy Farmers’ Corn in Hsihseng Township
According to the farmers, nearly 35 acres of corn plants owned by at least 10 farmers were destroyed on the nights of July 3 and 4. “I have 12 acres of corn. All of my corn plants were destroyed,” farmer Khun Maung Gyi told SHAN. “I have lost all of my investment in […]
Arakan Army Collects Taxes, Polices Streets in Parts of Myanmar’s War-Torn Rakhine State
The rebel Arakan Army has set up civil administrations in parts of western Myanmar’s Rakhine state, collecting taxes and arresting illegal drug users — making good on a pledge to provide governance to underpin the ethnic Rakhine autonomy the armed group has been fighting for. The predominantly Buddhist ethnic army has been at war with […]
Chinese-Backed Copper Exploration Plans in Myanmar Rekindle Fears
The recent approval of plans by a Chinese-backed mining firm to explore a vast swathe of northwestern Myanmar for copper has alarmed residents who fear losing their farms in a repeat of earlier bitter clashes over land rights, pollution, and compensation that gripped the region. The multinational firm with links to a Chinese state-owned resource […]
China Banks Freeze Accounts of Cross-Border Traders in Myanmar’s Shan State
Myanmar traders in northern Shan state said Tuesday that their cross-border business has been stymied by Chinese authorities who abruptly froze bank accounts at Chinese financial institutions after suspecting that some of their clients had engaged in illegal activities in Yunnan province. Many Myanmar traders have Chinese bank accounts to facilitate cross-border trade transactions. The […]
Iranian currency rates for May 20
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has announced the official rate of foreign currencies on May 20, Trend reports referring to CBI. According to the currency exchange rate of the Central Bank of Iran, 26 currencies have increased and 14 have decreased compared to May 19. According to CBI, $1 equals 42,000 Iranian rials and 1 euro […]
Global Markets Sluggish Wednesday
Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as optimism over a potential coronavirus vaccine earlier this week steadily begins to fade. The Nikkei index in Tokyo gained nearly 162 points to finish 0.7% higher, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX, the KOSPI in Seoul and Taiwan’s TSEC index had all earned 0.4% by late afternoon. Hong Kong and Shanghai were […]