Privatisation plan for Burma’s ports

Three major Rangoon ports handling 90% of Burma’s imports and exports are to be privatised, the military ruling junta has announced.

"Arrangements are under way to hand over ports under the Ministry of Transport, including three major ports in Yangon [Rangoon]," a senior official from the Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce has said. The ports are situated at Botataung, Bo Aung Kyaw and Sule.

A small part of port operations in Burma is already run by private entities. The announcement follows a series of privatisations, including gas retailing, which saw economic assets passed to junta-friendly hands. Many of these firms are also blacklisted by US sanctions.

Speculation abounds that the move to privatise industry is related to this year’s controversial elections, rumoured to be in October. Burmese political analyst Aung Thu Nyein said “firesale privatisations” were a way for the military government to “maintain economic control after the 2010 election...and gain some sought of supposed legitimacy”.

(Source: Port Strategy)