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?
* Do Myanmar’s Rohingya Really Need Citizenship Now?—Forbes
Back home in Myanmar, fast-track citizenship is unlikely to be a panacea. After all, the 400 Rohingya who have managed to obtain full citizenship still face the same stigma and marginalization that the stateless Rohingya do in Rakhine state. They don't have the same access to jobs, education or housing that the Buddhists of Rakhine do. As long as these conditions persist, Rohingya will seek better lives overseas and take great risks to do so.
* Myanmar Digital Startup NEX Wins 2nd Round Funds From Blibros—Forbes
The company is also about to release the Nexy Keyboard, the country’s first iOS 8 keyboard in Myanmar that allows typists to use Roman fonts (“Burglish”) to produce words in Myanmar (Burmese) script.
Susan J Cunningham 