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MIC decides not to include one year and eight months, from May 2020 to the end of December 2021, as investment construction or preparation period

The Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has decided not to count one year and eight months from May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 as investment construction or investment preparation period, the MIC said in a statement. Investors operating with the approval / approval of the Myanmar Investment Commission and the Region / State Investment Committee have applied to extend the construction period due to delays in construction or investment preparation due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

The 1st meeting of the Myanmar Investment Commission (1/2022) held on 14 January 2022 decided not to include one year and eight months from May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 as of May 1, 2020, in order to compensate for the investment activities that were actually affected by the Covid-19 plague. Therefore, the MIC has stated that it does not need to apply for a permit to extend the construction period if the work is underway with the approval / approval of the Myanmar Investment Commission and the Region / State Investment Committee. According to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, Singapore was the largest source of foreign investment in Myanmar in the first six months, with more than $ 297 million.

In the first six months of the 2021-2022 fiscal year (Mini Budget), the national investment in Singapore was $ 297.349 million, including increased investment. $ 142.137 million from China, including increased investment; Taipei: $ 8.641 million, including increased investment; France $ 0.497 million; Hong Kong provided $ 109.140 million, including increased investment; India $ 0.550 million; $ 5.1 million from Indonesia; $ 4.530 million, including increased investment from Japan; Malaysia raised $ 0.3112 billion, including increased investment; RO K: $ 62.693 million, including increased investment; Samoa has pledged $ 2 million, including increased investment. Seychelles: $ 1.343 million; $ 7 million, including increased investment from Thailand; $ 4 million from the Netherlands, including increased investment; The U.K. raised $ 0.335 billion, including increased investment, Nepal received $ 1.5 million.

Source: Daily Eleven

epa07799064 A general view shows trucks loaded containers at Asia World shipping container terminal in Yangon, Myanmar, 28 August 2019. According to figure by Myanmar Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar's total trade with foreign countries reached over 30.593 billion USD as of 16 August 2019 in present fiscal year (from 01 October 2018 to 31 September 2019), of which the export reached 14.69 billion USD while the import was 15.903 billion USD. In 2017-2018 October to September fiscal year, the total trade was 35.895 billion USD and the trade balance had a deficit of 3 billion USD. The most important exports in Myanmar are manufactured products whereas the non-electric machinery and transport equipment are the major products of imports.  EPA-EFE/LYNN BO BO

From May 1, 1131 product lines including yeast, general food, pet food, soap, raw materials, and general chemicals, will be considered as goods lines needed for import application

From May 1, 1131 product lines including yeast, general food, pet food, soap, raw materials, and general chemicals, will be considered as goods lines needed for import application according to the Customs Department. According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce (5/2022) on yeast, general food, pet food, dyes, soap, raw materials, paints, general chemicals; Leather raw materials; Nylon All kinds of ropes; A total of 1,131 product lines, including machinery and equipment, have been declared as third-tier goods lines for import application.

With the HS Code 10 Digit, 1,131 product lines have been changed in the MACCS system. According to the Import / Export Newsletter (5/2022), 1131 HS lines required to apply for import licenses, pre-import declarations submitted before May 1, will be effective. In order to regulate some imported goods under the import license system, some commodity lines have been declared as import lines that need to apply for import licenses. Newsletter on Import and Export 826 and 141 (18/2021); (1/2022) and (2/2022) respectively.

Now the third step is yeast. General food Pet food Dyes Soap raw materials Lightening oil; General chemicals; Leather raw materials; Nylon All kinds of ropes; Machinery and equipment; Electric motor; According to the 2017 Customs Tariff of Myanmar, which covers products such as generators, electronics and its accessories, 536 lines with HS Code 10 Digit or 1131 lines with HS Code 10 Digit have been added as import lines from May 1, 2022.

Therefore, according to the Notification No. 68/2020 issued on 22.10.2020, it is necessary to apply for the import license with HS Code 10 Digit. HS Code 10 Digit issued by Newsletter (18/2021) with 3070 product lines; Attach 826 product lines with HS Code 10 Digit issued by Newsletter (1/2022) and 141 product lines with HS Code 10 Digit issued by Newsletter (2/2022). The goods specified in the S Code are the goods lines that need to apply for an import license, and any of the goods lines that need to apply for a license under paragraph (2) above can be imported from overseas seas. Importing from air and border trade routes will be allowed from May 1, 2022 only after applying for an import license in accordance with the procedures.

Source: Daily Eleven

Foreigners enter Yangon Int’l Airport as services return to normality

Yangon International Airport was reopened to international travellers and businesses on 17 April after a two-year closure due to COVID-19. The first flight of SQ-761 from Singapore landed at the airport at 9 am on the reopening day. Arrivals from Malaysia and Bangkok were followed, and officials welcomed them. On 17 April, 688 departures and 393 arrivals from Yangon International Airport. The service was provided by MAI and MNA airlines. The first flight was launched on 18 April by passengers from Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok, and Malaysia, and a total of 517 passengers have arrived on five airlines. On 19 April, the Bangkok-Yangon flight MAI-336 landed first with 32 passengers, followed by the UB-026 Kuala Lumpur-Yangon flight with 106 passengers.

Two hundred eighty-eight passengers arrived at the airport via five airlines from China (Guangzhou), South Korea (Incheon), Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on the same day. In the evening, Guangzhou, Incheon, and Bangkok tourists continued to arrive. “Yangon International Airport caters to all needs of travellers. Everyone is happy about the reopening of Myanmar’s best airport,” said a Yangon Aerodrome Company (YACL) official at the Yangon International Airport. “And the country’s development is only through these airports, which are the country’s gateways. The tourism industry also needs to make it more attractive for tourists. “If we work harder to revitalize the tourism sector, we will be able to surpass the previous tourist arrivals as tourists love our country’s natural beauty,” he added.

Upon arrival at Yangon International Airport, passengers are required to go to the airport health counter and show the necessary COVID-19 virus-free PCR test and immunization certificate. Once the documents have been verified, passengers can go through the immigration process and pick up their luggage. After departure from the arrival area, passengers can obtain the information on the entrance to the Health Counter Quarantine arranged by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. The quarantine will be provided with check-in and checkout transportation arrangements, and foreign travellers on commercial flights will be able to enter the hotel with a one-day quarantine.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

The Ministry said run out of petrol cannot be happened having about 45 million gallons of petrol and 70 million gallons of diesel including Thilawa reservoirs

About 45 million gallons of petrol and 70 million gallons of diesel are left in the country, including at Thilawa reservoirs, so running out of petrol cannot be happened said the Ministry of Electricity and Energy. On April 19, People Media and MHT News responded to a question from the Ministry of Electricity and Energy on the Viber Group of the State Governing Council Information Team on the news of the fuel leak. Rumors have been circulating on social media that fuel stocks are running low at Thilawa oil depots. 

Today, about 45 million gallons of petrol and 70 million gallons of diesel are left in the country, including at the Thilawa reservoirs, according to the Petroleum Products Inspection Department. At present, there are two vessels that have not yet refueled due to the Thingyan holiday, so there will be no shortage of domestic fuel, according to the Petroleum Products Inspection Department. It has also been circulating on social media that it is not being imported from China to Sri Lanka through intermediaries. Malaysia and Korea are the main importers. 

According to the Petroleum Inspection Department, no shops were closed except for those that were being repaired with the permission of the department. The department also has the relevant committee, Ministries of Commerce; The Petroleum Importers and Distributors Association (MPTA) is cooperating with the Petroleum Importers and Distributors Association (MPTA) and will soon return to normal, and it will be announced soon that petrol stations will resume normal sales, according to the Petroleum Products Inspection Department. The Department of Petroleum Products Inspection said that the department is issuing reference prices on a daily basis and is monitoring the public to buy and use them at reasonable prices in a fair and free and fair market.

Source: Daily Eleven

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Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Ministry of Health

Order No 83/2022

14th Waxing of Tagu 1383 ME
14 April 2022

The Ministry of Health has issued this order by exercising its authority under Sub-section (b) of Section 21 of the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases Law.

  1. The Ministry of Health issued an order 56/2022 on 15-3-2022 to allow the gathering of up to 400 people starting 16-3-2022, exclusive of the exceptional cases to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
  2. Currently, as the COVID-19 positivity rate, infection rate and mortality rate have dropped significantly, the ban on mass gatherings will be revoked starting at 00:00 hour on 17-4-2022 (Myanmar New Year Day).
  3. The people need to continuously follow the orders and directives issued by the Ministry of Health. Failure to comply with the orders and directives will result in legal action under the existing laws.

Dr Thet Khaing Win
Union Minister

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

MAI to extend local, foreign flights after easing curbs on international flights

The Yangon International Airport will resume admission to international flights on 17 April, Myanmar New Year Day and Myanmar Airways International will extend domestic and foreign flights. MAI will run Malaysia, Singapore and Bangkok flights once a day while thrice a day to Guangzhou (China) and Incheon (South Korea), once a week to India, Dubai of UAE and Japan and twice a week to Phuket (Thailand) and Penang (Malaysia) and also operate Mandalay-Bangkok route.

It also plans to operate New Delhi (India), Dubai and Japan flights thrice every week. “MAI provided flight operations keeping in line with the rules of transportation. It has been running for 27 years since 1993 and will keep cooperating in the country’s development sector when world tourism comes alive again in Myanmar. We will run local routes as the Kalay airport is opened. ‘We will run to 18 local airports.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic for two years, we will provide services as per the rules and regulations of WHO when the world tourism industry is revised. The MAI welcomes the tourists,” said U Kyaw Soe Hla, Chief Operating Officer of MAI. During the Thingyan period, MAI will run to 18 domestic airports in addition to Thandwe, Sittway, Kyaukpyu, Mandalay, Myitkyina, Putao, Kengtung, Tachilek, Myeik, Kawthoung, Nay Pyi Taw and Lashio. The MAI will resume local and foreign flight operations following the COVID-19 health rules of the Ministry of Health. 

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Singapore accepts Myanmar COVIDPASS

Passengers travelling to Singapore from Myanmar can now use the ZADA COVIDPASS to share their vaccination records on arrival at the immigration checkpoints at Changi Airport. They are very proud that COVIDPASS holders in Myanmar now can use the COVIDPASS as a vaccination proof when entering Singapore, giving travellers from Myanmar complete confidence that their data is secure and under their control, said Andreas Sigurdsson, ZADA Founder & CEO.

The COVIDPASS is managed in the ZADA digital wallet and can only be issued by accredited vaccination centres such as Pun Hlaing Hospitals in Yangon. Digital health certificates such as COVIDPASS are becoming a key feature of international air travel, and decentralized solutions like ZADA are a more secure and efficient way to manage them.

The Chief Commercial Officer at MAI, the first Airline in Myanmar to verify the COVIDPASS for travel, shared, MAI is delighted to collaborate with COVIDPASS as they strive to improve the overall travel experience of their passengers during these challenging times. They hope this addresses the need to digitalize vaccine passports and streamline sharing of sensitive information.

ZADA is seeing growing success with the COVIDPASS credential, and in the last eight months since going live in Myanmar, over 100,000 certificates have been issued, multiple partners have joined the network, and the unique experiences of running a Decentralized Identity Network have been shared through forums in both Europe, Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

COVID-19 impacts stop gold exports

The gold export has stopped owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Chair U Myo Myint of the Yangon Region Gold Entrepreneurs Association (YGEA). As international passenger flights have been banned, there is no export demand for gold yet. However, export procedures have been prepared, he continued. “There is no foreign demand, yet the gold is ready for export. They appraise the gold and set the price depending on the prevailing market price.

Then, it can be exported,” U Myo Myint elaborated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Transport and Communications have declared temporary measures to prevent the importation of COVID-19 to Myanmar through air travel since 29 March 2020. They are extended until 31 March 2022, as per the notification released by the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on 18 March 2022.

As the fatality rate from COVID-19 and the infection rate have significantly dropped, the temporary suspension on international passenger flights will be lifted from 17 April in order for foreigners to enter Myanmar in line with travel requirements. Once Myanmar eases entry restriction, the gold export market is expected to revive. Additionally, the international remittance for gold transactions valued below US$50,000 is allowed to use the Telegraph Transfer (TT) system. Japan and the Republic of Korea primarily purchase gold and other jewellery, and other tourists also buy them, the YGEA stated. 

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

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Permit for the import license after arrival of goods at the port will not be granted from April 20, 2022

Import license after arrival of goods at the port; The Department of Commerce of the Ministry of Commerce has issued a press release (6/2022) stating that applications for permits will not be granted from April 20, 2022. Ministry of Economy and Commerce Due to various difficulties in applying for import permit quickly, import license, Pre-shipment is allowed before import permit is granted. On the day of arrival at the airport, import license; Import permits must be obtained by the deadline. Previously, the permit was issued on a Valid for Prior Arrival basis if the import permit had not been obtained.

However, taking advantage of this program, some businesses have applied for import licenses only when the goods arrive at Yangon Port. In addition, in order to comply with the customs clearance procedures issued by the Ministry of Planning and Finance in Notification No. 68/2019, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce.The Order No. (50/2020) dated 2020 stipulates that “goods not to be imported to the port before importation except for goods imported for import license to be imported into the Customs Warehouse” shall be permitted. It was announced that action would be taken.

Despite this announcement, the company, Some businesses are applying for import licenses only when they arrive at the port without complying with the order issued by the Ministry. Shipment should be done only after obtaining import permit. Import license after goods arrive at the port; The Department of Commerce will take action in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Notification No. 50/2020 if it is found that the permit application will not be granted from April 20, 2022 and if the relevant departments arrive at the port before the import license permit.

Source: Daily Eleven

The embassies of Singapore and Japanese have demanded the exemption due to difficulties with the setting of MMK 1,805 per dollar

The embassies of the two countries have demanded the exemption of Singapore and Japanese companies due to difficulties with the setting of 1,850 kyat per dollar, according to a statement. According to a statement from the embassies of these countries, the central bank’s directive to exchange dollars and kyats within a working day if there is foreign currency inflows is causing difficulties. Singaporean investment companies operating in Myanmar are facing challenges due to central bank directives and are struggling to stay afloat.

As a result, the Singapore embassy has demanded that all Singaporean companies be exempt from the central bank’s directive. From October 2021 to February 2022, a total of more than $ 530 million in foreign investment came in, accounting for more than 52% of the total investment from Singapore, valued at over US $ 277 million. The Japanese embassy said in a statement that it was “very difficult” for Japanese businesses to invest in Myanmar, and called on Japanese companies and legal entities to be exempt from the central bank’s policy in order to maintain goodwill between the two countries. The official bodies of the Japanese government in Myanmar are the Embassy of Japan in Myanmar; JICA; Jetro and the Thilawa SEZ are home to several billion-dollar companies.

Foreign exchange inflows must be converted into Myanmar kyats within one day from the date of entry and the exchange rate is 1,850 kyats per dollar, according to Directive No. 4/2022 dated 3 April 2022. According to Notification No. 12/2022 issued by the Central Bank of Myanmar on April 3, 2022, foreign exchange licensed (AD) licensed banks are required to comply with the following: (A) Notification No. (12/2022) of Notification No. 12/2022 dated (April 20, 2022) of the Central Bank of Myanmar (Ref. 3) Except for the exemption cases, the foreign currency accounts opened at AD licensed banks shall be exchanged for Myanmar kyats within one working day from the date of entry and shall be credited to the kyats opened by the recipient. The conversion from foreign currency to Myanmar kyat must be exchanged for 1850 Kyats per dollar. For other currencies, the central bank has set the exchange rate at 1,850 kyat per dollar.

Source: Daily Eleven