Latest news with #StateSecurityandPeaceCommission
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Myanmar's SSPC Chairman inspects excavation of centuries-old Ketumati City
YANGON: The Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC), Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, inspected the status of the restoration and maintenance of the ancient city of Ketumati on August 2 and rode the Nay Pyi Taw-Yangon express train from Taungoo to Yangon. During the trip, the SSPC Chairman, along with SSPC Joint Chief Executive General Ye Win Oo and the accompanying delegation, toured the ancient city of Ketumati in Taungoo, Bago Region, including the Yodaya hole site at the eastern moat, the excavation and preservation of the city wall at the western wall, and the moat site and the road along the city wall outside the city wall. Based on the presentations of Bago Region Chief Minister U Myo Swe Win and officials from the Department of Archaeology and National Museums, Taungoo, the SSPC Chairman said the research work on the ancient city walls and moats of Ketumati, built in 1510 AD during the Toungoo dynasty of Mingy Nyo (AD 1485 - 1531), should be successfully implemented, the bridge sites and bridge designs in the old city should be re-examined and built in places where they can be built, the ministry buildings that need to be moved should be moved, and the designated cultural heritage sites should be systematically maintained in accordance with the law. Then, the SSPC Chairman and members arrived at Taungoo Station. At the station briefing room, Union Minister for Transport and Communications U Mya Htun Oo gave a presentation on the progress of the Taungoo bypass railway construction, including information on the railway line and railways, the planned construction of the new Taungoo Station, the demarcation of the railway and station entrance road, the plans for the land reclamation project and the status of the work. In response to the explanations, the SSPC Chairman said that the construction of the new railway and station should be carried out in accordance with the standards and guidelines set for sustainability from the beginning to the end, and that it should be built in accordance with the process steps and meet the quality standards. The SSPC Chairman and his wife, Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, and the members accompanying them on the trip travelled along the railway section from Taungoo Station to Yangon Station with the passengers on the Nay Pyi Taw-Yangon No. (8) Down DEMU passenger express train that departed from Nay Pyi Taw. During the ride, the officials inspected the conditions of the services provided by Myanma Railways to ensure that passengers can travel comfortably by train, and the conditions that need to be further improved, the conditions of agricultural activities along the railway tracks, and the development of urban and rural areas. The SSPC Chairman stated that continuous efforts should be made to ensure the strength and systematisation of the railway tracks, that the railway tracks should be kept clean and beautiful, that the water flow should be improved, that the farmlands along the railway tracks should be developed into systematic farmlands, that the station yards and stations should be kept clean and tidy, and that small forests should be planted in the railway areas that are green and pleasing to the eye. He directed that the railway passengers who are traveling by train should be able to travel comfortably and that public transportation, such as train transportation, should be further enhanced. The SSPC Chairman also greeted the passengers on the train journey. The new DEMU passenger express trains will be operated on the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw railway section from February 28, 2025, with Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw and Nay Pyi Taw-Yangon trains and the running time will be about five and a half hours. - Eleven Media/ANN
The Star
7 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Myanmar remains upbeat on trade talks despite 40% Trump tariffs
YANGON: Myanmar's military government said it remains upbeat on reaching a deal with the US to see a decrease in Trump's new tariffs of 40% on goods from the South-East Asian country. "The US continues to negotiate with us on this so it's still in a stage of negotiation,' Zaw Min Tun, chief spokesman of the ruling State Security and Peace Commission, told Bloomberg News on Saturday (Aug 2). Myanmar has offered to reduce its tariff on American goods entering the country to a range of 0%-15%, from the previous rate of 88%, and expects the ones imposed by the US to drop to a range of 0%-7%, he said. The nature and channel of ongoing discussions between the US and Myanmar is not immediately clear as Washington has imposed sanctions on most of Myanmar generals and cabinet members following a military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government in 2021. Last month, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing (pic) praised Donald Trump in a rare letter and compared his military's coup to the American president's baseless claims of US election fraud, suggesting both leaders were victims of rigged votes. In the letter, he requested a reduced tariff rate and offered to send a high-level trade delegation to Washington. Myanmar's bilateral trade with the US is relatively small compared to other countries in the region. The value of two-way trade was US$588.3 million in the fiscal year ended March, down from $701.9 million a year earlier, while the US continued to see a trade deficit, according to government data. Myanmar has been struggling with a crippling economy and a growing civil war since the military seized power more than four years ago. Earlier this week, the regime lifted a 54-month state of emergency, paving way for long-promised general elections in December which many countries consider as a sham. - Bloomberg
Bangkok Post
7 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Myanmar remains upbeat on trade talks despite 40% Trump tariffs
NAY PYI TAW — Myanmar's military government said it remains upbeat on reaching a deal with the US to see a decrease in US President Donald Trump's new tariffs of 40% on goods from the Southeast Asian country. 'The US continues to negotiate with us on this so it's still in a stage of negotiation,' Zaw Min Tun, chief spokesman of the ruling State Security and Peace Commission, told Bloomberg News on Saturday. Myanmar has offered to reduce its tariff on American goods entering the country to a range of 0%-15%, from the previous rate of 88%, and expects the ones imposed by the United States to drop to a range of 0%-7%, he said. The nature and channel of ongoing discussions between the US and Myanmar is not immediately clear as Washington has imposed sanctions on most of Myanmar generals and cabinet members following a military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government in 2021. Last month, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing praised Donald Trump in a rare letter and compared his military's coup to the American president's baseless claims of US election fraud, suggesting both leaders were victims of rigged votes. In there, he requested a reduced tariff rate and offered to send a high-level trade delegation to Washington. Myanmar's bilateral trade with the US is relatively small compared to other countries in the region. The value of two-way trade was US$588.3 million in the fiscal year ended March, down from $701.9 million a year earlier, while the US continued to see a trade deficit, according to government data. Myanmar has been struggling with a crippling economy and a growing civil war since the military seized power more than four years ago. Earlier this week, the regime lifted a 54-month state of emergency, paving way for long-promised general elections in December which many countries consider as a sham.
The Star
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Conflict-ridden Myanmar to vote
THE military leadership lifted a state of emergency more than four years after it took power in a coup, a necessary step for holding elections slated to be held later this year. The decision, announced by the junta yesterday after a meeting of the National Defence and Security Council, comes as civil war engulfs the South- East Asian nation. Under Myanmar's 2008 Constitution, emergency rules must be lifted before elections can be held, which the junta has pledged to do in December. 'For the state to continue going ahead on the democratic path elections need to be held, so the state of emergency has been lifted today,' said junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing also announced the formation of 10-member State Security and Peace Commission that he will chair, and also formed the 30-member Union Government, appointing his aide, Nyo Saw, as Prime Minister. The move comes as Myanmar's military faces a collapsing economy and growing resistance from armed, pro-democracy groups. The council decided in its last meeting, in January to extend the state of emergency until July 31, saying at the time that 'there is a need for stability to ensure a free and fair general election'. Western governments, including the United States, have dismissed any junta-organised elections as illegitimate. The National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was officially deregistered in 2023, and the 80-year-old leader is currently serving a 27-year prison term for various offenses. Min Aung Hlaing claimed Myanmar's 2020 election, won in a landslide by the NLD, was marred by fraud – a key justification for the military's coup. The military enacted a law this week it said was designed to protect the electoral process from 'sabotage,' with punishments including the death penalty for disrupting elections. Beyond the coup, the US and regional governments have accused Myanmar of harbouring so-called 'scam compounds' run by crypto crime syndicates and fuelled by trafficked labour. In May, Washington sanctioned a junta-linked militia for backing cyber scams 'on an industrial scale' that have cost Americans billions. Aung Hlaing hinted at lifting the state of emergency on Wednesday, saying that the country was entering a new phase. 'If at the start of this second chapter we write it well, beautifully, and sincerely with our own hands and carry it out successfully, I believe we will overcome even more challenges,' he said at a ceremony in the capital Naypyidaw, according to a government release. — Bloomberg
