Volume 6, Issue 3

April 2, 2020

Volume 6, Issue 3

Ill-equipped hospitals brace for the worst

As the number of coronavirus cases gains pace in Myanmar, there are more questions than answers about the ability of the public health system to respond to a large outbreak.

BY Hein Thar & Eaint Thet Su

Editorial, Opinion

In Myanmar, the ‘cure’ for COVID could be deadlier than the disease

In the rich world, lockdowns are being debated in terms of “saving lives” versus “saving the economy”, but in Myanmar, it’s not so simple.

BY Frontier

News Feed, News, Affairs, Features

Coronavirus-testing laboratory struggles with resource crunch

With the confirmation of Myanmar’s first COVID-19 cases, the sole laboratory that can detect the virus is under pressure to expand testing, but staffing and equipment remain limited.

BY Hein Thar

News Feed, News

Community rallies as panic buying hits Myanmar over COVID-19 fears

The confirmation of Myanmar’s first COVID-19 cases sparked almost immediate panic buying of basic commodities in Yangon, despite warnings that gathering at crowded markets could increase the risk of infection.

BY Nanda

News Feed, News

Overcrowded prisons battle COVID-19 with ginger water, handbasins as authorities consider early release plan

To prevent an outbreak of COVID-19, prison authorities have focused on providing handbasins for visitors and feeding inmates ginger water – a popular but discredited remedy – but more radical measures are being considered.

BY Ye Mon

News Feed, News, Affairs, Features

For Myanmar Muslims, religious freedom founders in red tape

A committee trying to resurrect shuttered and burned-down mosques has been frustrated by government bureaucracy, leaving many Muslim communities without local places of worship.

BY Eaint Thet Su

News Feed, Bizfeed, News, Business, Features

Stimulus moves win praise, but will they be enough?

The business community has welcomed interest rate cuts and other stimulus measures aimed at cushioning the impact of the coronavirus, but there’s consensus that more needs to be done to avert business closures and massive job losses.

BY Kyaw Lin Htoon

Sithu Aung Myint, Opinion

Why the 2020 general election matters

A long history of military dictatorship and sham polls combined with tense relations between the National League for Democracy and the Tatmadaw make it essential a free and fair general election takes place later this year, despite the COVID-19 global pandemic.

BY Sithu Aung Myint

Opinion

Covering Rakhine: journalism, conflict and identity

A Myanmar journalist and fixer describes the dilemmas of objectivity, identity and trust posed by reporting in a state riven with communal animosity.

BY Eaint Thiri Thu

Opinion

ASEAN must do more in Rakhine

Regional action is needed to stem the unprecedented violence in Rakhine State and should include a push by ASEAN leaders for a ceasefire between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army.

BY Laetitia van den Assum

News Feed, News, Affairs, Features

The dream of a Kayan homeland

The Kayan New Land Party has not traded fire with the Tatmadaw for 26 years, but the armed group says it’s still striving to uplift the Kayan people and secure their autonomy.

BY Ashley South

News Feed, News, Affairs, Features

Hope flies high in the Chin Hills

A privately funded airstrip being built in a remote area of Chin State is the latest expression of one man’s ambition for better healthcare for his people.

BY Kyaw Lin Htoon

Backpage, Opinion

How to keep your distance in Yangon

Research shows that social distancing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and viruses with a high infection rate in general.

BY Nicole Tu-Maung