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Crowds flock to book ship By
Aung Kyaw Tha
MORE than 5000 people visited the world’s largest
floating bookshop, the MV Doulos, during a visit to Yangon which ended
this week. The Doulos, which is operated by a German-based non-profit
organisation called Good Books For All, docked at Nanthida jetty on
January 7 for a week-long visit. It carries more than half a million books
for all ages and interests. The ship is staffed by 320 volunteers from 37
nations, including Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, South Africa and
South Korea. The visit by the Doulos, which last visited Yangon in
December 1998, was sponsored by the Hotels and Tourism
Ministry. |
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Billboards to warn on smoking SOME cigarette companies in Myanmar have begun including health
warnings on billboard advertising as part of an agreement among some of
the world’s biggest tobacco companies. The move has been welcomed by
anti-smoking group, Tobacco Initiatives, which had suggested the warnings
in a proposal to the National Health Committee. "It is one of our
proposals and I am happy to see the warnings on tobacco advertisements,"
said Tobacco Free Initiatives project manager, Daw Nyo Nyo Kyaing. A
spokesperson for the tobacco industry said the agreement involved the
British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris and Japan Tobacco International
companies. Ko Zaw Htun Oo, the Mild Seven cigarette brand manager
of trading company, Myanmar Indobest, said it had begun including the
warning on billboards even though the agreement was to take effect from
next June. The warning has already appeared on Eyecorps Advertising
Company billboards promoting Aspen Gold cigarettes. – Myo
Theingi Cho |
Secretary 1 says
improvements needed in the tourism industry SECRETARY 1 of the
State Peace and Development Council, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, has called for big
improvements in the tourism industry. FULL
STORY |
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Phuket meet highlights
‘excellent’ relationship A JOINT Myanmar-Thai task force set up to
oversee the repatriation of illegal workers from Thailand will meet soon
to discuss procedural matters, U Thaung Tun, the director general of the
Political Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. FULL
STORY |
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Koizumi meets
Razali, confirms Tokyo’s support of Myanmar
JAPANESE
Minister Junichiro Koizumi has assured United Nations special envoy to
Myanmar, Razali Ismail, that Tokyo’s support for Myanmar remains
unchanged, an official said. The assurance came during a meeting between
the pair in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday, the Japanese foreign ministry
official said. "Japan considers it important to promote democra-tisation
efforts," Koizumi told Razali, the official said. "At the same time, it is
important to provide the support necessary for stable procedures in
Myanmar’s nation-building," Koizumi said. "We want to proceed with the two
ideas together." The Japanese premier’s remarks were welcomed by
Razali, a Malaysian diplomat who is playing a mediating role in the
national reconciliation dialogue between the Myanmar government and the
National League for Democracy’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. "We praise Japan’s
humanitarian assistance and hope Japan will continue (its support) in the
future," Razali told Koizumi, according to the Japanese official. "I
hope other countries will provide further support once the political
process moves forward," the UN envoy said. Japan is Myanmar’s
biggest donor, providing 1.9 billion yen (US$14.3 million) in grant aid as
well as 1.6 billion yen in technical assistance to the country in the year
to March 2001. During his sixth visit to Yangon last month, Razali
held a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
– AFP |