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| .mm Myanmar |
Overview Myanmar (Union of Myanmar) is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has a total land area of 676,577 square kilometers and borders China, Thailand and Lao PDR to the east and Bangladesh and India to the west. There are 14 states and divisions in Myanmar with Yangon as the capital. The size of the population is 51.2 million with an urban-rural ratio of 20:80. The ethnic make-up of Myanmar includes the Bamars, who are akin to Tibetans, as a major group and the minority groups of Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon and Rakhine. The Myanmar language is the official language with English being used in business circles. Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion (89.3 percent). The other religions in the country are Christianity (5.6 percent), Islam (3.8 percent), Hinduism (0.5 percent) and Animism (0.2 percent). Myanmar
is an agriculture-based economy. The other major industries are timber, marine
products, steel, textiles and garments. The major exports consist of rice, teak,
beans and pulses, rubber, coffee, minerals and gems. The major imports are fertilisers,
diesel oil, mild steel, cement, palm oil, power tillers, dumpers, loaders and
spare parts, excavators, hand tractors and water pumps. Major trading partners
include China, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and the USA. The highest national body for ICTs in Myanmar is the Myanmar ICT Development Council, which is chaired by the First Secretary of the government. The focal point of the council is the e-National Task Force which was formed in 2000 and chaired by the Minister of Telecommunications, Post and Telegraph with high-level representatives from various ministries, departments and organisations as members. There are six working committees under the task force: the Legal Infrastructure Working Committee, chaired by the Director General of the Attorney General’s Office; the Information Infrastructure Working Committee, chaired by the Chief Engineer of Myanmar Post and Telecom; the IT Education Working Committee, headed by the Rector of Yangon University of Computer Studies; the e-Application Working Committee, headed by the Chairman of Bagan Cybertech, an ISP; the ICT Standardisation Steering Committee, chaired by the Deputy Minister and Vice Chairman of the e-National Task Force and Liberalisation of ICT Products; and the Services and Investment Working Committee, chaired by the Director General of the Customs Department. The working committees have been working to achieve the goals set by the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement, which member states signed in November 2000. Legal infrastructure In order to promote e-commerce activities in the country and to harmonise the legal system with those of other countries, especially with member countries of ASEAN, the Legal Infrastructure Working Committee has been drafting cyber laws. This is being done in two phases. The first phase is to amend the existing Science and Technology Law and Computer Development Law as a stopgap measure before comprehensive cyber laws are implemented. The amendment of these laws was completed in June 2002. The remainder of the cyber laws will cover elements such as digital signature, payment gateway, certification authority, intellectual property rights, cyber security and crime. Drafting of these laws is underway and is scheduled to be completed by 2003. Local legal experts are working with foreign experts in organising workshops and training programmes to support the drafting process. The training is conducted with the cooperation of organisations such as the e-ASEAN Task Force, JICA and the Multimedia Development Corporation of Malaysia. Telecommunications and the Internet Telephone density in Myanmar is 0.6 percent, which can be considered as one of the lowest in the world. In urban areas, such Yangon and Mandalay teledensity is 3.6 percent and 2.3 percent respectively. The state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecom (MPT) is the only telecommunications operator in the country. There are 102 auto-switches in Myanmar, most of which are analogue. In 2001, MPT upgraded the majority of the switches in Yangon and Mandalay to fibre optic, digital switches. The total number of lines installed in the country is around 300,000, including mobile phones. MPT is installing a GSM mobile system in two phases. . . . . the complete text of this chapter is available for purchase and immediate download as a PDF file, please click here for more information. |
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