Rains, gold-mine collapse kill 11
Play
Heavy rains in eastern Myanmar killed at least 11 people, including several who died when a gold mine collapsed, officials said Friday. Myanmar's national police said in a statement that the casualties occurred in two separate locations Thursday in the to
In one incident, eight gold mine workers were killed and seven injured when a huge tree fell on their living quarters. In another incident nearby, three other gold mine workers were killed and four went missing when part of the mine they were working in collapsed, police said.
Lawmaker Thaung Shwe put the death toll at 16 and said rescuers believed several people were still trapped inside the debris of the gold mine. They were trying to clear it on Friday.
Assembly to debate state of emergency
A special session of the Union Assembly will be called to debate whether to extend the state of emergency in Meikhtila, state-owned media announced yesterday. The special session will be held at 10am on May 20 in Nay Pyi Taw, they reported.
President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in Meikhtila two months ago, following communal violence that claimed the lives of 43 people and injured 86.
“As it has been 60 days since the state of emergency was declared in Meikhtila, the president needs approval from the Union Assembly to extend it. Although the [Union Assembly] speaker said the parliament will be called in June, the President’s Office informed him and asked him call a special session,” Upper House MP Dr Aye Maung said before the announcement was made.
State, military papers now rushing out news
State- and military-run papers are now competing to be the first to get important stories out. Reporting on the recent radio broadcast speech by the president was a good example.
This shows how news outlets, both state-run and the private sector, have changed to survive in the new competitive market.
The president gave a radio speech to the public at 7am on May 2. Three state newspapers (the Mirror, the Myanma Alin and the New Light of Myanmar) and the Myawaddy run by the military printed the president’s speech in their May 2 issues.
Thein Sein’s speeches are usually put on the President’s Office website. But the it didn’t upload the speech until 10.13am on that day. The response by state papers has been the most significant change in the market, since Deputy Minister Ye Htut became the president’s spokesperson.
