Myanmar Monitor Weekly
Security
Myanmar to increase security for Aung San Suu Kyi after ISIS death threat
More security will be provided for State Counsellor and Foreign Affairs Minister Aung San Suu Kyi after her name appeared on a hit list sent by the ISIS militant group to police in Malaysia, a government spokesman said on 3 August. Malaysian police are trying to identify the sender, while forensics experts are examining the letter, which also included Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
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Politics
Myanmar Government removes more than 600 names from Official Blacklist
The Myanmar government is removing names of more than 600 citizens and foreigners on an official “no-entry” black list, as part of the government’s 100-day reform programs. Of the 619 names removed, 248 are of Myanmar nationals while 371 are foreigners. The exact number of how many names remain on the blacklist has not been revealed.
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Economy
Myanmar targets 7.8m tourists a year
Myanmar’s tourism authority is shaping new policies that should help the country attract 5.5 million visitors this year and more than 7.8 million per year for the next three years. “Our focus is to create more jobs and generate more income for the nation while paying attention to environmental protection,” said Tint Thwin, director-general of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism on 2 August, adding that the ministry would encourage private-sector participation and engage more with other ministries.
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Myanmar’s Kanbawza Bank opens office in Bangkok
Kanbawza Bank (KBZ Bank) has opened a representative office in Bangkok, the first Myanmar bank to establish an international presence. The office would start offering financial and advisory services to Myanmar people and to businesses in Thailand. The bank also recently obtained a representative licence to open an office in Singapore, continuing its planned expansion within ASEAN.
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Foreign Affairs
Thai authorities arrest and deport thousands of Myanmar workers
Thai authorities have arrested and deported up to 10,000 Myanmar nationals working in the country as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants during the last 10 days, an official from the Myanmar Association in Thailand. Thai authorities confiscate their Thai work permits and residency documents and transport them to border towns, where they have to pay Thai officials 1,000 baht (US$29). So far, only Myanmar employees have been arrested in the operation.
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