PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020

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PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
PwC Myanmar Weekly
Business Intelligence
Issue No. 207

05 April 2020
PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

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PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                          2
PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence
                                                                                                                      MIC
                                              Financial and                        Policy and        Tender                          Upcoming
           Issue - 207, 05 Apr 2020             Business
                                                                 Infrastructure
                                                                                   Regulation      Opportunities
                                                                                                                   Permitted
                                                                                                                                      Events
                                                                                                                    Projects

                                                                                                                        Infrastructure
                                                                                                                             Infrastructure
       Highlights
       •     “On Sunday, a working committee to tackle the impacts of the global coronavirus outbreak on the
                                                                                                                                Transport
             country’s economy announced that the most vulnerable sectors—CMP (garment and
             manufacturing) and hotel and tourism businesses, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises                     •   Japan to provide ¥47 billion for two infrastructure projects
             owned by local businesspeople—can apply for loans from the COVID-19 fund set up by the state.”                     •   Smart parking project temporarily suspended
       •     “Myanmar enacted a new insolvency law on March 25, a month after receiving Parliament                              •   SJ Myanmar Secures 6th Contract to Manage Jetty Construction
             approval. The new legislation will facilitate the government in managing and dealing with cases
             involving insolvency in Myanmar and is expected to strengthen the business environment and                         Energy
             draw more foreign investors to the country.“                                                                       •   Chinese consortium may avoid fines despite missing emergency power deadline
       •     “The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Myanmar’s government on Tuesday                             •   Power shift
             agreed to official development assistance (ODA) loans to contribute to economic and social
             development through improvements to the railway system and electricity supply.”
                                                                                                                                Real Estate
            Financial and Business                                                                                              •   Construction contraction due to virus outbreak
                                                                                                                                •   South Korean govt vows to see projects through in Myanmar
  •        Myanmar Govt Announces Loan Package for Coronavirus-Hit Businesses in Key Sectors
                                                                                                                                •   Winners and losers at the Thilawa SEZ
  •        Govt to go fully online for import, export licences in Myanmar
                                                                                                                                Waste and Water
  •        More woes for Myanmar garment industry as EU cancels orders
                                                                                                                                •   Purity and Danger, on Yangon’s streets
  •        Myanmar Investments agrees to sell microfinance firm MFIL to Thailand’s Thitikorn
  •        Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank cuts interest rates

                                                                                                                                Other Infra
           Policy and Regulation                                                                                                •   Pandemic adds to Chinese infrastructure delays in Myanmar: ICG
                                                                                                                                •   Telenor follows Myanmar orders to block alleged ‘fake news’ sites
  •        Myanmar enacts new insolvency legislation
                                                                                                                                •   Five key markets in Yangon closed
  •        World Bank cuts growth forecast, urges focus on health sector
  •        China committed to investing in Myanmar despite COVID-19 pandemic: Ambassador
  •        Stimulus moves win praise, but will they be enough?
                                                                                                                                                                                                          05 April 2020
  •        In Myanmar, the 'cure' for COVID could be deadlier than the disease
 PwC                                                                                                                                                                                                                 3
PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Financial and Business

                         05 April 2020
                                    4
PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Financial and Business
                                                                                                    Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

           Myanmar Govt Announces Loan Package for                                                                           Myanmar aviation sector expected to become
           Coronavirus-Hit Businesses in Key Sectors                                                                            profitable, but more pain ahead first
                                             30 Mar 2020                                                                                                               27 Jan 2020

YANGON—The Myanmar government has                     before the end of March 2018; must have had an                 Myanmar’s aviation industry is betting on a more            tourist attractions in the future,” U Kyaw Nyein.
announced that local businesses that have been        annual income for the past two years; and must                 profitable future with the number of airlines now           Air KBZ has also been expanding. Last year, it
badly hit by COVID-19 can apply for loans as          be in sufficiently stable condition to repay the               reduced to half compared to 2017 and demand                 upgraded its fleet of planes and announced new
part of its initial stimulus package to cushion the   loan.                                                          for domestic air travel expected to catch up with           destinations to Dawei , Kaw Thaung , Myeik,
impact of the global pandemic on the country’s        Moreover, the committee said the loans must be                 supply. However, they will have to swallow more             Sittwe, Kyaingtong, Hkamti and Loikaw. its sister
economy.                                              used to pay salaries and fund current business                 losses in the short term before things get better.          airline, Myanmar Airways International, added a
On Sunday, a working committee to tackle the          operations only.                                               There are currently five airlines in Myanmar,               new Airbus A319 to its fleet, expanding its
impacts of the global coronavirus outbreak on the     To qualify for a loan, businesses must be                      down from ten three years ago. But even though              capacity by 144 passengers.
country’s economy announced that the most             currently active, or their operations must not                 there are fewer players now in the market, the              Tanes Kumar, commercial director for Air KBZ,
vulnerable       sectors—CMP       (garment     and   have been suspended for more than three                        volume of passengers flying domestic remains                said even though the new routes are not yet
manufacturing)         and   hotel   and    tourism   months prior to the date of the announcement.                  below three million, according to government                profitable, the main aim of adding new
businesses, as well as small and medium-sized         Operations must be resumed immediately upon                    data.                                                       destinations is to expand the airline’s network
enterprises owned by local businesspeople—can         the loan being granted, the committee said.                     At those levels, demand is not sufficient to cover         and connectivity. “This gives passengers more
apply for loans from the COVID-19 fund set up         The committee said qualifying businesses,                      the industry’s losses, U Kyaw Nyein, CEO of                 options and allows employees to learn new skills
by the state.                                         whether corporations or smaller companies, must                Golden Myanmar Airlines (GMA), told The                     for more expansion in the future,” he said.
The fund, which was created last week,                not have been suspended or removed from the                    Myanmar Times in a recent interview.
earmarks 100 billion kyats (about US$72 million)      company register. The businesses must be on                    But profitability is possible in the years ahead,
for those sectors, which have been recognized         record as paying taxes, particularly income,                   making it a good time for the remaining airlines to         Source: Myanmar Times
as priorities for state assistance based on their     commercial and special goods taxes.                            accelerate their plans for expansion to capitalise
                                                                                                                                                                                 https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanma
vulnerability to COVID-19. The interest rate on       The committee will prioritize businesses that                  on future demand, according to a 2019 report by
                                                                                                                                                                                 r-aviation-sector-expected-become-
loans provided by the fund will be only 1 percent     have contributed to the Social Security Fund.                  the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
with a loan period of one year.                                                                                       Last year, GMA took delivery of a new aircraft,            profitable-more-pain-ahead-first.html
The committee said the businesses can apply for                                                                      taking its current fleet of ATR-72s to three. “With
the loans from March 30 to April 9.                   Source: The Irrawaddy                                          the additional seats, we can now fly daily
Among other criteria established by the               https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanma                    compared to alternate days before. We will also
government, qualifying businesses must have           r-govt-announces-loan-package-coronavirus-hit-                 extend our destinations to include more flights to
been licensed by the relevant departments             businesses-key-sectors.html                                    Dawei and Kaw Thaung, which could be potential

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PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Financial and Business
                                                                                                       Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

      Govt to go fully online for import, export licences in                                                                     More woes for Myanmar garment industry as EU
                            Myanmar                                                                                                             cancels orders
                                              02 Apr 2020                                                                                                                 29 Mar 2020

The Ministry of Commerce has announced that it         System (HS), fully online applications for 73                    Update: More garment factories stopped                      he added.
will fully adopt online procedures for issuing         began on April 1. Essential goods such as                        operations in Myanmar as European Union                     Among the garment companies that suffered
import and export permits for more than 100            pharmaceutical products, medical supplies for                    countries, a major export market, cancelled                 cancellations of orders are the Global Apparel
types of goods starting April 1, 2020, as part of      hospitals, consumer goods, chemical fertilisers,                 orders last week amid the spread of the COVID-              Textile Myanmar Co. Ltd, which no longer has
efforts to implement social distancing to stop the     palm oil, and oil products, among others, are                    19 pandemic, a senior industry leader said.                 problems with the supply of raw materials but left
spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar.                         included in the categories.                                      U Myint Soe, chair of Myanmar Garment                       with huge inventory due to cancelled purchase
“The move is being made with the aim of                According to the Ministry of Commerce,                           Manufacturers Association (MGMA), said the EU               orders.
avoiding crowded situations, but there will be         companies will be able to fill in application forms              market accounts for 70 percent of the country’s             Daw Sandar Min, a Yangon regional MP, said
difficulties in implementing it at first. We’ll also   at the website www.myanmartrade.com.mm.                          garment export.                                             another garment firm, the Lat War Co. Ltd., is
need to improve the fully online system to cope,”      A spokesperson for the ministry said companies                   “All operations of the factories that have                  stuck with 500,000 pieces of garments after a
said U Khin Maung Lwin, assistant secretary at         will have to register first to use the system and                accepted orders from the EU have stopped. I                 European buyer cancelled the order. Other
the Ministry of Commerce.                              payments will be through Myanmar Citizen                         don’t know how we will deal with this issue,” he            companies in the same predicaments are Gold
“We’re facing a great health risk, so the move is      Bank’s (MCB) ecommerce system for the time                       said.                                                       Emperor, Hong Text, and Myanmar Irrawaddy.
good for companies as well as in terms of              being even as and efforts are being made for                     The bad news came as the supply of raw                      The shutdown of more garment factories led to
prevention of the disease, and hopefully it will       payments through the Myanmar Payment Union                       materials from China re-started to flow back into           more labour unrest, including the strike at the
speed up the issuance of the permits,” said U          ecommerce system.                                                the country after three months of stoppage due              Grand Enterprises Garment Co. Ltd at Yangon’s
San Main, a business owner.                            Relevant electronic data will be sent to the                     to the virus outbreak.                                      East Dagon Industrial Zone on Thursday as the
“Although the application of permits online is not     Customs Department to carry out a trial run with                 “We began to receive raw materials from China.              company announced a layoff of thousands of
available for all types of goods, most of the          of the Myanmar Automated Cargo Clearance                         We have no more raw materials problem. Now,                 workers.
essential ones can be applied for online. It is a      System (MACCS) for the permits issued online.                    the EU no longer accepts our garment exports. It
good sign as the country is trying to help reduce                                                                       happened since last week,” U Myint Soe said.
the spread of the disease,” he said, voicing                                                                            “As COVID-19 spread in Europe, all shops
support for the move.                                                                                                   closed there. Garment factories in Myanmar face
Of 91 sections in the internationally standardised                                                                      difficulty as they told us not to make the clothes,         Source: Myanmar Times
system of names and numbers to classify traded         Source: Myanmar Times                                            which they have bought, and not to ship them.               https://www.mmtimes.com/news/more-woes-
products called the Harmonised Commodity               https://www.mmtimes.com/news/govt-go-fully-                      This problem is big. That’s why, factories have             myanmar-garment-industry-eu-cancels-
Description and Coding System, or Harmonised           online-importexport-licences.html                                shut down and reduced their number of workers,”             orders.html

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PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Financial and Business
                                                                                                   Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

  Myanmar Investments agrees to sell microfinance firm                                                                Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank cuts interest
            MFIL to Thailand’s Thitikorn                                                                                                    rates
                                            03 Apr 2020                                                                                                               03 Apr 2020

LSE-listed investment firm Myanmar Investments      operations. The investment firm attributed the                  The Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank                   10 acres of agricultural land and are issued
International (MIL) and other shareholders of       decision to difficulties in raising capital and                 has announced that it will cut its interest rates on        during Myanmar’s three climactic seasons –
Myanmar Finance International Limited (MFIL)        identifying suitable investments in Myanmar,                    loans and savings accounts effective April 1.               monsoon, winter, and pre-monsoon.
have accepted an offer to sell the microfinance     given the slow pace of reform in the country and                The bank said in a statement that it is cutting             The bank issues loans for a total of 22 types of
business to Thai consumer finance firm Thitikorn.   continued economic volatility.                                  interest on agricultural loans from 8 percent to            crops, ranging from K150,000 per acre of rice, to
MIL currently holds a 37.5 per cent stake in        In December 2019, MIL sold its shares in                        7pc, interest on Japan International Cooperation            K100,000 per acre for sugarcane.
MFIL.                                               Medicare International Health and Beauty for $1                 Agency two-step loans from 8pc to 6.9pc, and
Thitikorn is expected to seek shareholder           million. It had invested $895,000 in Medicare in                interest on Myanmar Economic Bank two-step
approval for the deal on 23 April, MIL said.        2017 for a 47.1 per cent stake.                                 loans from 9pc to 8pc.
Regulatory approval would normally take             MIL’s largest investment to date is $21 million in              “We thank the bank for charging lower rates. We
between two and six months to obtain, excluding     telecom tower firm AP Towers. The recent                        welcome the move, but the interest rate
any delay caused by COVID-19.                       merger of Apollo Towers and Pan Asia Towers                     reduction isn’t going to make much difference to
“The minimum consideration for this transaction     into AP Towers “is expected to produce a more                   the lives of farmers immediately. It will neither
will be calculated based on a pre-agreed formula    efficient and profitable combined investment with               improve the lives of the farmers nor help
of 2 times the audited book value of MFIL at        greater prospects for an eventual liquidity event               overcome the problems they are now facing. We
closing once these conditions have been             for shareholders,” MIL said.                                    face difficulties paying the interest whether it is
satisfied,” MIL said in a stock exchange filing.    MIL estimated the value of its shareholding in AP               8pc or 6pc,” said U Thein Aung, chair of Farmers
“This sale is expected to lead to a modest uplift   Towers was $32 million as at the end of                         Development Association.
in the Net Asset Value of MIL once it completes,”   September 2019.                                                 In reality, what farmers need most are longer-
it added.                                                                                                           term loans, he added.
The microfinance company was MIL’s first                                                                            The bank also used to give 8pc interest on
investment in 2014. In 2015, Norwegian                                                                              farmers’ savings accounts, but the bank has cut
development finance institution Norfund picked                                                                      the rate has now been cut to 6.5 pc.
up a 25 per cent stake in the microfinance firm.                                                                    The bank, established 73 years ago, loans                   Source: Myanmar Times
The business is profitable, according to MIL.       Source: Deal Street Asia                                        totalling of K1.74 trillion to farmers in fiscal            https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-
MIL has been seeking to dispose of all of its       https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/myanmar-                 2018/19.                                                    agricultural-development-bank-cuts-interest-
holdings as the firm plans to wind down its         investments-mfil-thitikorn-182817/                              Applicants are provided loans sufficient to plant           rates.html

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PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Infrastructure

                 05 April 2020
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PWC MYANMAR WEEKLY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - ISSUE NO. 207 - 05 APRIL 2020
Infrastructure                                                     Transport
                                                                                                        Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

       Japan to provide ¥47 billion for two infrastructure                                                                       Myanmar aviation sector expected to become
                           projects                                                                                                 profitable, but more pain ahead first
                                                02 Apr 2020                                                                                                                27 Jan 2020

The Japan International Cooperation Agency               cycle facilities at the Thilawa Thermal Power                   Myanmar’s aviation industry is betting on a more            tourist attractions in the future,” U Kyaw Nyein.
(JICA) and Myanmar’s government on Tuesday               Plant in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone,                     profitable future with the number of airlines now           Air KBZ has also been expanding. Last year, it
agreed to official development assistance (ODA)          thereby contributing to economic and social                     reduced to half compared to 2017 and demand                 upgraded its fleet of planes and announced new
loans to contribute to economic and social               development. The project is expected to be                      for domestic air travel expected to catch up with           destinations to Dawei , Kaw Thaung , Myeik,
development through improvements to the                  completed in 2024.                                              supply. However, they will have to swallow more             Sittwe, Kyaingtong, Hkamti and Loikaw. its sister
railway system and electricity supply.                   The Japanese development agency will continue                   losses in the short term before things get better.          airline, Myanmar Airways International, added a
JICA signed the loan agreements with the                 to support Myanmar’s infrastructure and                         There are currently five airlines in Myanmar,               new Airbus A319 to its fleet, expanding its
government to provide the ODA loans of up to a           economic development, Sakakura Noriji, the new                  down from ten three years ago. But even though              capacity by 144 passengers.
total of ¥47.94 billion (K607.3 billion) for the two     chief representative at JICA Myanmar, said last                 there are fewer players now in the market, the              Tanes Kumar, commercial director for Air KBZ,
projects.                                                week.                                                           volume of passengers flying domestic remains                said even though the new routes are not yet
Of the total, ¥40.6 billion will be used for the first   JICA will continue to promote private investment,               below three million, according to government                profitable, the main aim of adding new
phase of the Yangon-Mandalay Railway                     infrastructure development, education and                       data.                                                       destinations is to expand the airline’s network
Improvement Project, while ¥7.33 billion will be         human resource development in Myanmar,                           At those levels, demand is not sufficient to cover         and connectivity. “This gives passengers more
for a third phase of infrastructure development in       Sakakura Noriji, Noriji said.                                   the industry’s losses, U Kyaw Nyein, CEO of                 options and allows employees to learn new skills
the Thilawa Special Economic Zone.                       In January, JICA signed loan agreements                         Golden Myanmar Airlines (GMA), told The                     for more expansion in the future,” he said.
The Yangon-Mandalay Railway Improvement                  totalling ¥120.9 billion yen with Myanmar for four              Myanmar Times in a recent interview.
Project is to improve the capacity of railway            projects - the Yangon Sewerage System                           But profitability is possible in the years ahead,
transportation by rehabilitating and modernising         Development        Project,      Yangon    Urban                making it a good time for the remaining airlines to         Source: Myanmar Times
the existing railway and related facilities from         Development Project, Urban Area Power                           accelerate their plans for expansion to capitalise          https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-
Yangon to Toungoo in part of the Yangon-                 Distribution Improvement Project, and Regional                  on future demand, according to a 2019 report by             aviation-sector-expected-become-profitable-
Mandalay Railway thereby contributing to the             Infrastructure Improvement Project.                             the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.                       more-pain-ahead-first.html
economic development of Myanmar. The                                                                                      Last year, GMA took delivery of a new aircraft,
project’s construction work is expected to be                                                                            taking its current fleet of ATR-72s to three. “With
completed by 2023.                                                                                                       the additional seats, we can now fly daily
The infrastructure development in Thilawa is to          Source: Myanmar Times                                           compared to alternate days before. We will also
strengthen the electricity supply capacity of            https://www.mmtimes.com/news/japan-provide-                     extend our destinations to include more flights to
Myanmar by additionally installing combined              y47-billion-two-infrastructure-projects.html                    Dawei and Kaw Thaung, which could be potential

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              05 April 2020
PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                              9
Infrastructure                                                  Transport
                                                                                                     Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

          Smart parking project temporarily suspended                                                                         SJ Myanmar Secures 6th Contract to Manage Jetty
                                                                                                                                              Construction
                                            30 Mar 2020                                                                                                                 31 Mar 2020

The pilot project for Yangon’s smart parking         according to the designated parking spaces,                      Surbana Jurong Myanmar has secured its sixth
system has been suspended temporarily due to         which are demarcated with either red, yellow or                  project to manage a jetty construction in
the outbreak of COVID-19, said Daw May Maw           green lines. The hourly fees are also displayed                  Myanmar.Wilmar Myanmar Port Terminal
Thway, a Yangon City Development Committee           on the signboards of each street corner.                         (Thilawa) Limited commissioned SJ Myanmar to
(YCDC) member.                                       Availability of spaces can also be checked using                 oversee the construction of the extension of the
“We suspended the project due to health and          the parking apps, and the streets will be                        Wilmar Jetty in Thilawa, Yangon. The project
safety reasons during the COVID-19 outbreak,         monitored to check that drivers are parking                      aimed to include loading and barge platforms to
as people were supposed to volunteer for the         correctly.                                                       the existing jetty structure. The upgrade
project. We’ll be able to resume the smart           Parking officials will collect fees from motorists,              enhanced the port terminal’s performance by
parking project only when the situation returns to   including governmental vehicles, in six downtown                 enabling it to dock bulk carriers, oil tankers and
normal,” said Daw May May Thwal.                     townships in Yangon to reduce traffic congestion,                even river barges.
The smart parking pilot project was scheduled to     according to an announcement made by the                         Since 2017, SJ Myanmar has been working
run from March 22 to April 4, but was suspended      YCDC on March 3.                                                 closely with various developers and contractors
after two days on March 24.                          The parking fee collection system was                            in the design and construction supervision of
The smart parking system was implemented in          suspended       under    the     U    Thein  Sein                jetties, tank farms and related facilities. This
Lanmadaw, Latha, Pabaedan, Kyauktada,                administration, and has been replaced by the                     recent win showed once again a strong
Botahtaung and Pazundaung townships. An              current smart parking system.                                    recognition of SJ’s competency in the oil and gas
expression of interest notice was issued earlier                                                                      sector in Myanmar.
this year, and three companies out of a total of
26 were selected to take part in the pilot
programme.
The parking fees can be paid by cash or via an
online payment system. There are three ways to
pay for parking fees, by using the following apps:                                                                                                                                Source: Consult Myanmar
Parking Yangon app, and the Smart                    Source: Myanmar Times                                                                                                        https://consult-myanmar.com/2020/03/31/sj-
Parking@Yangon and Flowbird apps.                    https://www.mmtimes.com/news/smart-parking-                                                                                  myanmar-secures-6th-contract-to-manage-jetty-
Fees range from K200 to K500 per hour                project-temporarily-suspended.html                                                                                           construction/

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           05 April 2020
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Infrastructure                                                  Energy
                                                                                                     Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

      Chinese consortium may avoid fines despite missing                                                                      Grab says it pumped $100M into Myanmar in
                  emergency power deadline                                                                                                     four years
                                             04 Apr 2020                                                                                                                12 Feb 2020

Three projects totaling 900 megawatts that were       due to begin producing power on April 3 – 210                   Ride-sharing company Grab has invested over                 across the country this year, Toh said. GrabFood
due to go live on April 3 remain weeks, possibly      days after the consortium receive letters of                    US$100 million (K143.5 billion) in Myanmar in               will be launched for local restaurants and
months, away from completion. But thanks to           agreement from the Ministry of Electricity and                  the past four years to strengthen its position on           transportation partners in Mandalay this year.
COVID-19 and the apparent absence of a signed         Energy – or pay fines of K200 million a day for                 the local taxi market, a senior company official            “Although food delivery is increasing locally, it
contract, the developers may avoid the heavy          Thaketa, K180 million for Thanlyin and K30                      said Tuesday.                                               still lags behind other countries. We have many
fines.                                                million for Kyaukphyu, a combined total of almost               Cindy Toh, country manager for Grab, said the               opportunities,” said U Myat Kaung Min, head of
YANGON — A Chinese consortium investing               US$300,000 a day.                                               company will continue investing to further                  GrabFood Myanmar.
US$800 million in emergency power projects            However, the projects remain weeks and                          improve the quality of its service in Myanmar.              Grab For Good will be launched in Myanmar
may escape heavy fines for failing to complete its    possibly months away from completion. When                      “Grab will emphasise service quality and safety,            soon.
projects on time by claiming to have been             Frontier visited the consortium’s Thilawa project               not only technology,” she told a briefing. “We will         In 2018, Grab launched its Grab Thone Bane
hampered by the COVID-19 global pandemic,             site – from where liquefied natural gas will be                 continue investing in expansion and partnerships            (three-wheeler) service in Bagan and Mandalay
officials say.                                        offloaded for use at both Thanlyin and Thaketa –                to better the platform and expand the                       city, and Grab TaxiPlus service.
It is unclear whether the deadlines are even          on April 2, there were few workers present and                  ecosystem.”                                                 More than 166 million people in 339 cities in
legally binding, one official told Frontier, as the   key infrastructure, including the jetty, remained               Grab launched its service in Myanmar in July                Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand,
consortium may not have signed a final contract       incomplete.                                                     2017, and has since introduced Grab Taxi Call               Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
with the ministry despite having already invested     Ministry officials have previously insisted to                  service, Premium Rentals (Beat), and Grab                   have downloaded the Grab app on their mobile
hundreds of millions of dollars in the projects.      Frontier that they would fine the consortium if it              Food.                                                       phones. – Translated
Following a controversial tender, three liquefied-    missed the deadline, but that now appears in                    The company’s taxi service is popular and
natural-gas-to-power projects – a 400-megawatt        doubt.                                                          experiencing an increase of 10 percent in daily
plant at Thaketa, 350MW plant at Thanlyin and                                                                         rides in 2019 from the previous year, and adding
150MW plant at Kyaukphyu – were awarded in                                                                            more than 196,000 more precise location points
September last year to a consortium comprising                                                                        in the Grab application.
China’s state-owned China National Technical                                                                          The number of businesses using Grab for
Import and Export Corporation and Hong Kong-          Source: Frontier Myanmar                                        Business doubled in 2019, and the most popular              Source: Myanmar Times
listed VPower, with RGK+Z&A Group as a local          https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/chinese-                         destinations for rides were Myanmar Plaza,                  https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-
partner.                                              consortium-may-avoid-fines-despite-missing-                     Junction City, and Yangon Airport.                          aviation-sector-expected-become-profitable-
Under the terms of the tender, the projects were      emergency-power-deadline                                        Grab will expand its services to other key cities           more-pain-ahead-first.html

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           05 April 2020
PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                       11
Infrastructure                                                   Energy
                                                                                                     Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

                                          Power shift

                                             09 Mar 2020

Energy is vital for countries seeking to power and    Thailand's largest oil and gas explorer.
sustain economic growth. But as the world feels       Among the fossil fuels that will still account for
the heat of climate change, the energy industry is    almost 80% of total energy demand in 2040,
under pressure to undertake a major transition.       natural gas is showing the highest growth and
Somehow, it must find ways to ensure that             becoming a key to a clean energy transition, he
consumption can continue without interruption         said at the Future Energy Asia 2020 forum in
but with far fewer negative consequences for the      Bangkok last month.
environment.                                          "More challenges are arising from oil-price
Rapid technological advances across a variety of      volatility from geopolitical tensions, trade
industries, meanwhile, are enabling society's         conflicts, shale oil production and even from the
quest for sustainability at an unprecedented          coronavirus outbreak which has had such a
pace. The resulting transition is causing an          significant impact on energy consumption as well
epochal shift in how the world's population           as the global economy," he added.
consumes energy and natural resources.                LNG is much cleaner than diesel and other fossil
Asia has far outpaced the rest of the world in        fuels in terms of carbon emissions, said Alan
energy consumption to serve its rising prosperity.    Lau, president director of PT Anglo Euro Energi
But a growing desire for cleaner air is pushing       Indonesia and a member of the United Nations
demand for greener energy. Natural gas, mainly        Economic Commission for Europe.
in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG), is seen   "However,      according     to   some    studies,
as one of the best options to serve the transition,   processing LNG at processing plants still emits
say industry executives.                              10% of carbon into the environment," he told
"One of the biggest challenges our industry is        Asia Focus on the sidelines of the three-day
facing is the need to balance rising energy           energy event.
demand, while reducing the environmental
impact from our carbon footprint," said               Source: Bangkok Post
Phongsthorn Thavisin, president and CEO of            https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1874634
PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP),           /power-shift

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PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                       12
Infrastructure                                                   Real Estate
                                                                                                     Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

         Construction contraction due to virus outbreak                                                                       Grab says it pumped $100M into Myanmar in
                                                                                                                                               four years
                                             31 Mar 2020                                                                                                                12 Feb 2020

Industry insiders say that the country’s              Many of the construction business owners                        Ride-sharing company Grab has invested over                 across the country this year, Toh said. GrabFood
construction sector has slowed by around 30           spoken to said they are waiting for new                         US$100 million (K143.5 billion) in Myanmar in               will be launched for local restaurants and
percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.                 government tenders while also hoping that the                   the past four years to strengthen its position on           transportation partners in Mandalay this year.
“There are construction projects that have been       completion deadlines for current contracts will be              the local taxi market, a senior company official            “Although food delivery is increasing locally, it
suspended due to a shortage of imported               loosened as efforts to stop the spread of the                   said Tuesday.                                               still lags behind other countries. We have many
building materials and some have been stopped         virus will also slow construction work.                         Cindy Toh, country manager for Grab, said the               opportunities,” said U Myat Kaung Min, head of
temporarily due to cash flow problems. About          “To operate the business while the workers in the               company will continue investing to further                  GrabFood Myanmar.
70pc of projects are still running as usual. The      projects are worried is not easy. Tenders need to               improve the quality of its service in Myanmar.              Grab For Good will be launched in Myanmar
situation is not so bad yet,” Myanmar                 be completed on a deadline so we dare not stop                  “Grab will emphasise service quality and safety,            soon.
Construction Entrepreneurs Federation (MCEF)          projects. Everything may be okay if the                         not only technology,” she told a briefing. “We will         In 2018, Grab launched its Grab Thone Bane
Chair U Shein Win told The Myanmar Times.             government postpones deadline for completion,”                  continue investing in expansion and partnerships            (three-wheeler) service in Bagan and Mandalay
However, if the situation worsens or drags on         MCEF general secretary U Myo Myint said,                        to better the platform and expand the                       city, and Grab TaxiPlus service.
longer than expected, more construction projects      adding that transportation is being provided by                 ecosystem.”                                                 More than 166 million people in 339 cities in
may stop, he warned.                                  companies so that workers don’t have to take                    Grab launched its service in Myanmar in July                Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand,
“Health is the most important thing. Construction     public transport.                                               2017, and has since introduced Grab Taxi Call               Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
projects have to stop if the government calls a       “The central bank has reduced interest rates but                service, Premium Rentals (Beat), and Grab                   have downloaded the Grab app on their mobile
halt on projects as a precaution to stop the          it hasn’t changed the situation yet. Given the                  Food.                                                       phones. – Translated
spread of the virus,” said U Shein Win.               current conditions, people are holding on to their              The company’s taxi service is popular and
Workers are allowed to return to their hometowns      money so there have been some delays in                         experiencing an increase of 10 percent in daily
if they want and construction projects are            payment to construction companies. In the                       rides in 2019 from the previous year, and adding
operating with half their workforce on a rotational   meantime, workers still have to be paid. To                     more than 196,000 more precise location points
basis, said U Ye Lin the head of the Danu San         prevent job losses, the government has to take                  in the Grab application.
Yar Construction company.                             decisive action,” said U Myo Myint.                             The number of businesses using Grab for
“Like other types of businesses, construction                                                                         Business doubled in 2019, and the most popular              Source: Myanmar Times
companies are making their workforce work on a        Source: Myanmar Times                                           destinations for rides were Myanmar Plaza,                  https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-
rotational basis to preserve jobs and to keep the     https://www.mmtimes.com/news/construction-                      Junction City, and Yangon Airport.                          aviation-sector-expected-become-profitable-
business running,” U Ye Lin said.                     contraction-due-virus-outbreak.html                             Grab will expand its services to other key cities           more-pain-ahead-first.html

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PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                       13
Infrastructure                                                  Real Estate
                                                                                                    Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

      South Korean govt vows to see projects through in                                                                                 Winners and losers at the Thilawa SEZ
                         Myanmar
                                            03
                                            02 Mar
                                               Apr 2020                                                                                                                02 Apr 2020

South Korea sees “immense potential” in              them back on track,” he added.                                  The Thilawa Special Economic Zone is one of                 roads in the country. Any driver who travels
Myanmar as the last frontier market in the           In a recent interview, he spoke about South                     the country’s most successful projects, but some            regularly between Thanlyin and the SEZ would
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)       Korea’s coronavirus experience, the status of its               relocated land users say they deserved better               certainly agree.
under President Moon Jae-In’s New Southern           investments, and three major projects led by his                compensation.                                               “Thanlyin also has the most developed and
Policy.                                              country in Myanmar:                                             IN THE middle of the Bago River between                     successful economic industrial zone outside of
Though the coronavirus poses an unforeseen           What can Myanmar learn from South Korea’s                       Yangon’s Thaketa and Thanlyin townships, the                the Yangon metropolitan area,” Phyo Min Thein
challenge for South Korean businesses here,          experience with COVID-19?                                       tall piers of a new Japanese-funded bridge are              was quoted as saying by state-run daily The
they have confidence that the economic setbacks      The South Korean government’s strategy                          slowly emerging.                                            Global New Light of Myanmar on February 22.
would not last, South Korean Ambassador to           consists of the three Ts – test, trace and treat –              The existing 2.2-kilometre long bridge, which was           In planning, implementation and management,
Myanmar Lee Sang-hwa said in a recent                plus civic participation.                                       built with financial and technical assistance from          the Thilawa SEZ is regarded as one of the
interview.                                           Robust testing is the core of our strategy.                     China between 1988 and 1993, is often heavily               country’s most impressive success stories since
South Korea had the most confirmed COVID-19          Besides drive-through testing stations that allow               congested, particularly during the morning and              the transition to democracy began in 2011.
cases outside China in late February. However,       specimen collection in less than 10 minutes                     even peak hours.                                            Developed by a Myanmar-Japanese consortium,
by setting up hundreds of drive-thru testing         without drivers needing to get out of their                     Scheduled for completion by the end of 2022, the            the SEZ had five factories when its first phase
clinics across the country in a short period of      vehicles, private hospitals also have walk-                     new bridge reflects the fact that Thanlyin is no            was officially opened in September 2015. It has
time, it was soon able to bring the outbreak         through testing stations where medical workers                  longer a sleepy backwater. This is largely thanks           since grown to 117 investments from 19
under control. Now the number of coronavirus         are protected behind clear acrylic panels as they               to the Japanese-backed Thilawa Special                      countries and territories, said Daw Than Than
cases in South Korea has been surpassed by           collect specimens from people.                                  Economic Zone, which continues to expand,                   Thwe, joint secretary (1) of the Thilawa SEZ
several western countries.                           The government is vigorously tracking and                       making the old bridge a bottleneck of connectivity          Management Committee.
“Aggressive and extensive testing” is crucial, Lee   testing those who have been in contact with                     between the commercial capital and the zone.                “There are 81 factories operating in the SEZ and
said. The drive-thru testing clinics helped          confirmed cases, utilising credit card transaction              But the new bridge is far from the only                     others are under construction,” Than Than Thwe
conduct up to 20,000 tests per day. The              histories, CCTV footage, and mobile phone GPS                   improvement to Thanlyin’s infrastructure and                told Frontier in late February. “Thilawa is
government then put the people who tested            data when necessary within the scope of the                     connectivity.                                               obviously a success story; we should keep it up.”
positive in isolation and treated them in a timely   Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.                  At the opening ceremony for a new four-lane
manner to prevent further spread.                    Source: Myanmar Times                                           highway between the bridge and the SEZ on                   Source: Frontier Myanmar
“As soon as we overcome this [challenge], we         https://www.mmtimes.com/news/south-korean-                      February 21, Yangon Region Chief Minister U                 https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/winners-and-
will expedite all cooperation projects to bring      govt-vows-see-projects-through-myanmar.html                     Phyo Min Thein observed it was one of the best              losers-at-the-thilawa-sez

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Infrastructure                                                   Waste and Water
                                                                                                       Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

                 Purity and Danger, on Yangon’s streets                                                                         Grab says it pumped $100M into Myanmar in
                                                                                                                                                 four years
                                             03 Apr 2020                                                                                                                  12 Feb 2020

Mary Douglas’ 1966 book Purity and Danger             to disinfect the roads in the hope of preventing                  Ride-sharing company Grab has invested over                 across the country this year, Toh said. GrabFood
illustrates how human societies make sense of         the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).                             US$100 million (K143.5 billion) in Myanmar in               will be launched for local restaurants and
the world by classifying things as “dirty” and        Public hygiene and COVID-19                                       the past four years to strengthen its position on           transportation partners in Mandalay this year.
“pure”.                                               Myanmar had no recorded cases of COVID-19                         the local taxi market, a senior company official            “Although food delivery is increasing locally, it
Dirt is not just soil on the ground or mud on our     until an announcement by the Ministry of Health                   said Tuesday.                                               still lags behind other countries. We have many
shoes, she argued. What we think of as “dirt”         on March 24 – and that’s when things changed.                     Cindy Toh, country manager for Grab, said the               opportunities,” said U Myat Kaung Min, head of
changes according to our culture, and over time.      In her televised address to the nation State                      company will continue investing to further                  GrabFood Myanmar.
For example, in some Western households it            Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stressed the                      improve the quality of its service in Myanmar.              Grab For Good will be launched in Myanmar
might be acceptable to wear shoes inside the          importance of hygiene in fighting COVID-19. A                     “Grab will emphasise service quality and safety,            soon.
house, whereas Asian housewives will shudder          video of her explaining “how to wash your hands”                  not only technology,” she told a briefing. “We will         In 2018, Grab launched its Grab Thone Bane
at the thought of not leaving your boots outside      was produced, and shared among Myanmar’s                          continue investing in expansion and partnerships            (three-wheeler) service in Bagan and Mandalay
the door. Likewise, spitting on the street is         many millions of Facebook users.                                  to better the platform and expand the                       city, and Grab TaxiPlus service.
tolerated in some countries, but elsewhere            The streets were soon full of makeshift sinks,                    ecosystem.”                                                 More than 166 million people in 339 cities in
“hoiking a loogie” is considered gross and “dirty”.   hooked up to municipal water supplies via                         Grab launched its service in Myanmar in July                Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand,
What is defined as “pure” and “dirty” can also        Myanmar’s ubiquitous blue PVC piping.                             2017, and has since introduced Grab Taxi Call               Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
change within a culture, depending on peoples’        Hand sanitisers appeared everywhere too – on                      service, Premium Rentals (Beat), and Grab                   have downloaded the Grab app on their mobile
access to knowledge and practices around              counters insides shops, beside lottery ticket                     Food.                                                       phones. – Translated
hygiene.                                              displays and outside of monasteries. Inside the                   The company’s taxi service is popular and
Douglas argued that our definitions of “dirt” carry   major shopping centers, security guards were                      experiencing an increase of 10 percent in daily
associations of danger, particularly when things      even instructed to spray trolleys and baskets.                    rides in 2019 from the previous year, and adding
cross boundaries – between the dirty and the          In a city where littering and spitting betel quid on              more than 196,000 more precise location points
pure; between the outside and the inside; the         the streets is common, the transformation has                     in the Grab application.
healthy and the sick.                                 been remarkable. Peoples’ notions of “dirt” have                  The number of businesses using Grab for
A bit like a virus.                                   changed.                                                          Business doubled in 2019, and the most popular              Source: Myanmar Times
Such a reordering of boundaries seemed to be          Source: Myanmar Times                                             destinations for rides were Myanmar Plaza,                  https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-
taking place on the streets of Yangon this week,      https://www.mmtimes.com/news/purity-and-                          Junction City, and Yangon Airport.                          aviation-sector-expected-become-profitable-
as teams of volunteers worked with city officials     danger-yangons-streets.html                                       Grab will expand its services to other key cities           more-pain-ahead-first.html

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PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                         15
Infrastructure                                                   Other Infra
                                                                                                     Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

      Pandemic adds to Chinese infrastructure delays in                                                                       Grab says it pumped $100M into Myanmar in
                      Myanmar: ICG                                                                                                             four years
                                             30 Mar 2020                                                                                                                12 Feb 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting shock to          addressing the fallout of the crisis, rather than               Ride-sharing company Grab has invested over                 across the country this year, Toh said. GrabFood
the economy are likely to ease pressure on            pressing quickly ahead with previous plans.”                    US$100 million (K143.5 billion) in Myanmar in               will be launched for local restaurants and
Myanmar to speed up China’s ambitious but             “Certainly there is a perception in Myanmar that                the past four years to strengthen its position on           transportation partners in Mandalay this year.
slow-moving        infrastructure       programme,    this is a ‘foreign virus’, but public attention is              the local taxi market, a senior company official            “Although food delivery is increasing locally, it
according to a new report by the International        focusing much less right now on its origin in                   said Tuesday.                                               still lags behind other countries. We have many
Crisis Group (ICG).                                   China and much more on the risk of returning                    Cindy Toh, country manager for Grab, said the               opportunities,” said U Myat Kaung Min, head of
The ICG noted that President Xi Jinping’s visit to    Myanmar nationals bringing Covid-19 into the                    company will continue investing to further                  GrabFood Myanmar.
Myanmar in January, when the outbreak was in          country,” he added.                                             improve the quality of its service in Myanmar.              Grab For Good will be launched in Myanmar
its early stages, had already failed to secure the    Mr Horsey noted that the first few cases                        “Grab will emphasise service quality and safety,            soon.
major acceleration Beijing was hoping for in the      identified in the country were people returning                 not only technology,” she told a briefing. “We will         In 2018, Grab launched its Grab Thone Bane
multi-billion dollar China-Myanmar Economic           from Europe and the United States, while large                  continue investing in expansion and partnerships            (three-wheeler) service in Bagan and Mandalay
Corridor (CMEC), which forms a core part of its       numbers of Myanmar migrant workers are now                      to better the platform and expand the                       city, and Grab TaxiPlus service.
global logistics Belt and Road Initiative.            coming back from Thailand.                                      ecosystem.”                                                 More than 166 million people in 339 cities in
“Uneasiness and lack of capacity within the           Key manufacturing, agriculture and tourism                      Grab launched its service in Myanmar in July                Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand,
Myanmar government, as well as political              industries in Myanmar have been severely hit by                 2017, and has since introduced Grab Taxi Call               Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
sensitivities around Chinese investment, mean         the pandemic. Factories have been forced to halt                service, Premium Rentals (Beat), and Grab                   have downloaded the Grab app on their mobile
that this trend is likely to continue through at      operations while farmers and fruit producers                    Food.                                                       phones. – Translated
least November 2020, when Myanmar is                  relying on the China market have suffered huge                  The company’s taxi service is popular and
scheduled to hold a general election,” the ICG        losses.                                                         experiencing an increase of 10 percent in daily
says in its 45-page report, Commerce and              Beyond the immediate economic disruption, the                   rides in 2019 from the previous year, and adding
Conflict:     Navigating      Myanmar’s       China   pandemic has derailed efforts by Daw Aung San                   more than 196,000 more precise location points
Relationship, released by the Brussels-based          Suu Kyi’s government to boost investments and                   in the Grab application.
think tank on March 30.                               growth ahead of parliamentary elections in                      The number of businesses using Grab for
Richard Horsey, ICG Myanmar adviser and one           November.                                                       Business doubled in 2019, and the most popular              Source: Myanmar Times
of the report’s authors, told The Myanmar Times:      Source: Myanmar Times                                           destinations for rides were Myanmar Plaza,                  https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-
“Even once the pandemic eases, China and              https://www.mmtimes.com/news/pandemic-adds-                     Junction City, and Yangon Airport.                          aviation-sector-expected-become-profitable-
Myanmar will likely be focused for some time on       chinese-infrastructure-delays-myanmar-icg.html                  Grab will expand its services to other key cities           more-pain-ahead-first.html

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PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                       16
Infrastructure                                                 Other Infra
                                                                                                   Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

   Telenor follows Myanmar orders to block alleged ‘fake                                                                                     Five key markets in Yangon closed
                       news’ sites
                                            31 Mar 2020                                                                                                                01 Apr 2020

Norway’s Telenor says it will follow Myanmar’s      owned MPT, Qatar’s Ooredoo and military-run                     The Mingalar Taung Nyunt township COVID-19                  “We give notice to the first offenders, and order
other mobile operators and comply with the          Mytel operate in Myanmar.                                       Prevention and Control Committee has instructed             them to close. If they violate again, we will take
government’s order to block a list of “fake news”   Telenor said it initially did not comply with the               shops that sell clothing, shoes and non-essential           action in accordance with law. Some shops
sites, including prominent ethnic media outlets,    request to block sites in the category of “fake                 things in five markets to close, amid fears of an           opened, yesterday and I myself had them shut
after initially refusing to do so.                  news” as it was unable to establish sufficient                  outbreak of the Coronavirus. The Mingalar                   down,” U Hla Htay said.
Myanmar has directed all four of its mobile         legal basis for this part of the request.                       Market, Yuzana Plaza, Shwe Pyae Sone,
operators to block access to a total of 221         But the Norwegian company said that on March                    Mingalarmon Market and Shwe Mingalar Markets
websites, but it has not made a list of the sites   30 it had decided to block a further 67 sites,                  were mentioned in the order.
public or clarified the legal basis for the move.   bringing the total to 221.                                      Two cases of COVID-19 were recently reported
A senior government official was reported as        “Telenor has assessed that the risk involved in                 in Mingalar Taung Nyunt, and the markets in the
saying the clampdown was linked to publication      not following the directive as regards fake news                vicinity are to close until April 9.
of fake news over the COVID-19 pandemic, but        is likely to have wider implications in terms of                Shops that sell foods, commodities and
the sites are said to also include adult content,   servicing the public,” the company said, following              medicines, however, are permitted to remain
child pornography as well as ethnic media outlets   talks with the ministry.                                        open, said U Hla Htay, regional assembly MP
such as Development Media Group and                 Article 77 of the Telecommunications Law allows                 from the Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township
Narinjara, both based in the restive state of       the ministry to impose restrictions or bans in an               Constituency No. 1.
Rakhine.                                            “emergency situation” out of public interest. The               He said these markets will reopen once the
The Ministry of Transport and Communications        government has not explained what kind of                       situation has stabilised, and the period of the
initially issued a directive to the four telecoms   emergency it is invoking or how it might extend to              closures may be extended if necessary.
operators to block 207 specified websites under     adult content or pornography.                                   “It is a matter of national interest that we do this.
Article 77 of the Telecommunications Law,                                                                           There might be some people who agree with
according to Telenor. On March 23 a further                                                                         us,and others who don’t like it. But our focus is
directive was issued for the blocking of 14 more                                                                    on the health of all citizens,” U Hla Htay said.
websites which the ministry accused of              Source: Myanmar Times                                           The street market in Mingalar Taung Nyunt was
disseminating misinformation, or “fake news”.       https://www.mmtimes.com/news/telenor-follows-                   closed today, and restaurants have also been                Source: Myanmar Times
There has been no public statement by the           myanmar-orders-block-alleged-fake-news-                         instructed to operate on a takeaway only basis.             https://www.mmtimes.com/news/five-key-
government or other operators. Telenor, state-      sites.html                                                      Betel quid shops also have to close, he added.              markets-yangon-closed.html

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PwC   PwC Myanmar Weekly Business Intelligence                                                                                                                                                                                     17
Policy and Regulation

                        05 April 2020
                                  18
Policy and Regulation
                                                                                                   Financial and Business   Infrastructure   Policy and Regulation   Tender Opportunities   MIC Permitted Projects   Upcoming Events

            Myanmar enacts new insolvency legislation                                                                       Myanmar aviation sector expected to become
                                                                                                                               profitable, but more pain ahead first
                                            31 Mar 2020                                                                                                               27 Jan 2020

Myanmar enacted a new insolvency law on              Resolving insolvency is also one of criteria                   Myanmar’s aviation industry is betting on a more            tourist attractions in the future,” U Kyaw Nyein.
March 25, a month after receiving Parliament         measured by the World Bank on its Ease of                      profitable future with the number of airlines now           Air KBZ has also been expanding. Last year, it
approval.                                            Doing Business Index. Although Myanmar raised                  reduced to half compared to 2017 and demand                 upgraded its fleet of planes and announced new
The new legislation will facilitate the government   its ranking on the World Bank’s Doing Business                 for domestic air travel expected to catch up with           destinations to Dawei , Kaw Thaung , Myeik,
in managing and dealing with cases involving         2020 Report to165th place out of 190 countries                 supply. However, they will have to swallow more             Sittwe, Kyaingtong, Hkamti and Loikaw. its sister
insolvency in Myanmar and is expected to             on the index compared to 171st place in 2019,                  losses in the short term before things get better.          airline, Myanmar Airways International, added a
strengthen the business environment and draw         resolving insolvency was one of the areas in                   There are currently five airlines in Myanmar,               new Airbus A319 to its fleet, expanding its
more foreign investors to the country,               which improvement is still much needed.                        down from ten three years ago. But even though              capacity by 144 passengers.
“We are working on linking the Insolvency Law to     The new law replaces the Yangon Insolvency Act                 there are fewer players now in the market, the              Tanes Kumar, commercial director for Air KBZ,
the Myanmar Companies Online Registration so         (1909) and the Myanmar Insolvency Act (1920).                  volume of passengers flying domestic remains                said even though the new routes are not yet
that all registered companies in Myanmar are         Quek Ling Yi, Partner at Dentons Myanmar, said                 below three million, according to government                profitable, the main aim of adding new
covered by the law,” U Thant Sin Lwin, Director      though, that the interpretation and actual                     data.                                                       destinations is to expand the airline’s network
General of the Directorate of Investment and         implementation of the new law will have to be                   At those levels, demand is not sufficient to cover         and connectivity. “This gives passengers more
Company Administration, said.                        guided by directives or notifications issued at a              the industry’s losses, U Kyaw Nyein, CEO of                 options and allows employees to learn new skills
The law, which has 425 sections, includes            later juncture.                                                Golden Myanmar Airlines (GMA), told The                     for more expansion in the future,” he said.
recourse for micro, small and medium-sized           But she noted that “in light of COVID-19, the                  Myanmar Times in a recent interview.
enterprises (MSMEs) and directives related to        potential decline in market conditions and                     But profitability is possible in the years ahead,
cross border insolvency.                             consequent rise in bad debts may spur the                      making it a good time for the remaining airlines to         Source: Myanmar Times
It aims to achieve nine objectives, including        authorities to publish the guidelines and                      accelerate their plans for expansion to capitalise
                                                                                                                                                                                https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanma
compatibility between national law systems and       notifications earlier than expected."                          on future demand, according to a 2019 report by
                                                                                                                                                                                r-aviation-sector-expected-become-
commerce systems, effective management,                                                                             the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
predictability and fairness throughout the process                                                                   Last year, GMA took delivery of a new aircraft,            profitable-more-pain-ahead-first.html
of insolvency and providing support for MSMEs                                                                       taking its current fleet of ATR-72s to three. “With
facing financial difficulty. It will also provide                                                                   the additional seats, we can now fly daily
protection for local firms entering the              Source: Myanmar Times                                          compared to alternate days before. We will also
international market by building a framework for     https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-                          extend our destinations to include more flights to
cross border insolvency.                             enacts-new-insolvency-legislation.html                         Dawei and Kaw Thaung, which could be potential

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