Japan to provide $900m in loans this year
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Japan will lend Myanmar more than US$900 million (Bt28 billion) for development projects this fiscal year, to be spent on renovation and basic infrastructure in Yangon as well as the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, according to an official from the Japan I
Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans are long-term low-interest loans advanced to developing countries.
“This loan will be spent in three sectors including Thilawa Special Industrial Zone. At present, drinking water, roads and bridges, and electricity will be on the agenda. After that, we are to help in renovating the basic infrastructure in Yangon,” said JICA chairman Dr Akihiko Tanaka.
A total of $380 million of the loan will be used for Thilawa Special Economic Zone, including the building of roads, bridges, generation of electric power and drinking water. At the moment, JICA is drawing up a master plan for the development of Yangon that will comprise over 70 programmes including renovating the city’s public-transport system.
Committee to crack down on illegal imports
Traders continue to import illegal mobile phones, oil and diesel despite the government’s efforts to grant import licences, according to the Central Committee for Illegal Trade Control.
Although Myanmar needs over 1.64 billion litres of petrol to supply over 400,000 registered vehicles, local traders have only applied to import 1.48 billion litres in the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
“We estimated that they are illegally importing [166 million litres] of petrol annually. Besides applying to import ordinary oil and diesel they sell it as premium oil and diesel in filling stations. We will take action if the government allow us,” said Tin Ye Win, director of the Central Committee for Illegal Trade Control.
The committee insists that it will confiscate illegal products if the government allows it to inspect shops and stations.
Myanmar has over 400,000 registered vehicles, which use approximately 545 million litres of petrol per year according to the committee’s recent findings. The amount reflects the minimum amount used by vehicles and does not include ships, boats and industrial machinery or generators.
Furthermore, officials have seized 9,370 mobiles valued at more than 214 million kyats (Bt6.8 million) in the past seven months. The authorities seized them mostly from private vehicles, motorcycles, taxis and passenger vehicles.
Yangon, Mandalay zoos to display white tiger
The Nay Pyi Taw zoological garden sent endangered species including a white tiger for display at the Yangon and Mandalay zoological gardens for the first time on Monday. “The reason for sending a white tiger and other animals is that we want people from Yangon and Mandalay to see endangered species from all over the world,” said a spokesperson from Nay Pyi Taw.
The animals are a pair of hump-backed camels, a pair of zebras and a female white tiger called Snow.
The zoological garden in Nay Pyi Taw is displaying endangered species bought from overseas. They have 26 local species of mammal, 10 from overseas, seven local and seven non-native reptile species, 26 local bird species and one non-native bird.
