Most women working in media in Yangon claimed they had never encountered sexual harassment but, among those working beyond the capital area, more than half said they had experienced sexual harassment in their workplaces, sometimes from sources ... “Harassment can be physical and verbal. When we want to interview men, sometimes they want to meet in private. There are stereotypes and misconceptions about women working in certain industries."
* As Myanmar looks to develop, a value-added revolution is needed in the countryside—Mizzima
The goal of becoming once again the world’s rice basket is wrong: "If Myanmar emerged as the top exporter of rice and if farmers get rich, why not? But if farmers remain poor, what’s the point? … China’s policy is to reduce the rice-growing area. Vietnam has the target of being rice self-sufficient; it also has among the world’s highest use of agro-chemicals. So what if padi production goes down as a result?"
* Myanmar: 45 Million Mobile Phones and the $19 3G Smartphone
More than half of those 27 million-plus smartphone owners in Myanmar are regular data users, who check into Facebook daily and the Viber messaging and VOIP app almost as frequently. How can so many people afford phones when the average wage is $3 a day?
* Omidyar grant jumpstarts for-profit accelerator in Myanmar—Digital News Asia
Besides Phandeeyar, the eBay founder's "philanthropic investment firm" has given grants to the Open Myanmar Initiative for election monitoring activities, Yangon Journalism Institute and Myitmaklia News Agency. It also supported a Global Witness report on labour conditions in Myanmar jade mines.
* Bangkok Shrine Bombing: Case (Pretty Much) Closed—Forbes
Yet Somyot acknowledged that the bombing might have been set in motion by Thailand’s July 8 deportation of 109 Uyghur men and women back to China at China’s request—despite pleas from the international community and Turkey’s willingness to welcome them as ethnic Turkic brethren.
Susan J Cunningham 