PM Lee to S'poreans in Myanmar: Still some uncertainties, but press on

Yangon, Myanmar

WHEN Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last visited Yangon back in 2005, a group of Singaporeans working there had lamented to him that it wasn't easy doing business in the city.

Speaking to some 300 Singaporeans at a dinner reception at the Sedona Hotel in Yangon on Wednesday, he recalled: "Things were quite tough. They told me that they couldn't leave and had to hang on. It took a long while for things to change."

There are still uncertainties now, even as Myanmar is gradually opening up, but Mr Lee said he was glad to see that many Singaporeans were living and working in what he described as an "adventurous place".

"We need Singaporeans to be out there on that frontier, finding new opportunities and doing well. I hope that many of you will succeed," he said in a short speech.

The Singapore community in Myanmar has expanded steadily over the years; at last count, there were about 500 registered citizens, although the actual figure is likely to be higher.

Ellise Lim, for example, has been busy running The Press Office Cafe in Yangon for the past 18 months.

"I didn't really know what to expect when I first came here. It was really tough at the start, but things improved once we became immersed in the community," she told The Business Times.

"As I got to know more people and contacts, it was easier to source for ingredients and products that we needed on a regular basis. It's been a positive experience overall, and I've picked up some of the language too, which helps a lot," she added.

Fellow entrepreneur Melissa Koh has been operating two eateries called Easy Cafe with her husband for the past three years, dishing out popular fare such as Hainanese chicken rice and curry puffs.

She said: "There was some culture shock for us and that's something that we had to adjust to, such as understanding the work ethic of the people and coping with the language barrier.

"My husband and I love being here. I enjoy cooking, so setting up a cafe was a natural decision for us. Things have worked out well so far."

In his speech, the prime minister said that Singapore and Myanmar were working together to deepen the level of interaction and cooperation.

As announced on Tuesday, there will be visa-free access for ordinary passport holders from both countries from Dec 1 for stays of up to 30 days, which Mr Lee said would make it more convenient to travel back and forth more often.

He added that Singapore has proposed the idea of having "stopover flights" by Singapore Airlines and SilkAir in Myanmar. This would enable travellers from Singapore to land in Yangon, spend time there and then return home after a stopover tour in Mandalay on the same carrier. No Singapore carrier flies the route from Yangon to Mandalay now.

"It's a more attractive bundle ... We will continue to make our arguments to the Myanmar government and I hope that, in time, they will see it does make sense for them and they will consider it seriously," said Mr Lee.

Earlier in the day, while still in Nay Pyi Taw, he had separate meetings with Myanmar's Union Parliament Speaker Win Khaing Than and Lower House Speaker Win Myint.

Both speakers expressed their appreciation for Singapore's support towards their country's human resource development, and welcomed the establishment of the new Singapore-Myanmar Vocational Training Institute (SMVTI) in Yangon.

Mr Lee next met Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing, before sitting down to tea with former president Thein Sein, who is now the chairman of the Union Solidarity and Development Party.

On Thursday, Mr Lee will officially launch the SMVTI, the flagship project between Singapore and Myanmar which supports vocational training in practical and employable skills for Myanmar's youth.