The preservatives, according to the claim, cause cancer – even among fishmongers.

Consumer protection chief Panuchote Thongyang, a professional pharmacist, said no preservation are used in the process of making the popular steamed mackerel in the province.

“We have regularly checked the steamed mackerel products in the province and can guarantee that the claims on the social network are groundless,” he said.

Panuchote explained that to make the product, the mackerel is dipped into boiling salted water as a way to preserve them. There is no need to use preservatives, which would also add to the expenses of sellers.

He was referring to a claim that the fish in the market were full of preservatives that could cause cancer.

The claim showed a photo of disfigured hands said to be those of fishmongers who were suffering from cancer.

“Don’t you see that even sellers of the fish themselves got cancer?” the accusation read.

Referring to the photo, Panuchote said it seems to have been taken from cyberspace and had nothing to do with the steamed mackerel.

The youngster looked around shyly as a zookeeper carried her to a platform in her enclosure where the cake, which had a large number “one” on top, was waiting.

After nibbling at some carrots used to decorate the creation, the panda — who has not yet been named — seemed to tire of the celebrations, and fell asleep.

Currently weighing 34 kilos (75 pounds), she is the second cub born to Liang Liang and Xing Xing since they were sent from China to Malaysia in 2014, on a 10-year loan.

    The first, Nuan Nuan, was born in August 2015 and sent back to China in 2017. Beijing and Kuala Lumpur have agreed that cubs born in captivity must go back to China at the age of two.

The pandas are kept at the national zoo’s panda centre outside Kuala Lumpur.

It’s estimated there are some 1,800 giant pandas left in the wild, living mainly in bamboo forest in the mountains of western China, according to environmental group WWF.

Analysts say the move may be in relation to reports that former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra used a Cambodian passport to register as a company director in Hong Kong.

The government last week released a letter of instruction on the provision of diplomatic passports to foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to the political elite and government institutions.

The two-page instruction released on Wednesday by Prime Minister Hun Sen, which The Post received on Saturday, says some foreigners appointed as advisers and assistants to high-ranking officials and institutions had become naturalised Cambodians and applied for diplomatic passports.

The letter of instruction says in order to prevent such passports being used incorrectly as stated in a 2008 sub-decree, the government instructs that Cambodian diplomatic passports must not be issued to those who are not Cambodia-born unless it is a “most necessary case”.

“All ministries and institutions have the duty to collect the diplomatic passports that they applied for their advisers and assistants who are not Cambodian by birth, and hand the passports over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation no later than a month from the date of this instruction,” said the letter, which was signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the duty to check and annul diplomatic passports already issued for individuals who are not Cambodian by birth,” the letter states.

It also orders the Ministry of Interior to prevent the use of such passports to enter and depart Cambodia.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ket Sophann told The Post on Sunday that his ministry had requested Prime Minister Hun Sen to issue the instruction.

“We requested that the Ministry of Interior and relevant ministries collect diplomatic passports for advisers who are not Cambodian by birth and bring them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in one month,” he said, declining to comment on what action will be taken should foreigners still use such passports.

The government’s instruction came as Hong Kong-based English language daily South China Morning Post last week reported that Yingluck, the fugitive former Thai prime minister, had used a Cambodian passport to register a company in Hong Kong last August.

The government denied last week that a Cambodian passport had ever been issued to her.

Asked if the instruction was linked to the Yingluck reports, Sophann said the article by the South China Morning Post was similar to an Asia Times report about a Chinese naval base in Koh Kong province.

“I can just say that [the foreign media] publishes news with an agenda like what had been done by Asia Times, and now it is the South China Morning Post,” he said.

Hong Kong-based online news portal Asia Times in November published a report citing unnamed diplomatic sources as claiming that a Chinese naval base was being built in Koh Kong province.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Phat Sophanith said on Sunday that the Ministry of Interior did not control diplomatic passports and hence did not have figures as to how many have been issued. He said the Ministry of Interior issues only normal passports.

“However, we will be enforcing [the instruction] from Prime Minister Hun Sen,” he said.

Kin Phea, the director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the instruction may be linked to the reports about Yingluck or other cases involving diplomatic passports.

However, he said that Cambodia denied the media reports and no action would be necessary if Thailand did not request cooperation in the Yingluck case.

“It is not necessary for the ministry to investigate. If the media reports something and we investigate [all of them], how busy will the ministry be with reports which are baseless?”

“So I think the denial from the ministry was enough. There is no need for an investigation if it doesn’t harm relations between Cambodia and Thailand,” he said.

Yingluck was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017 for mishandling a rice subsidy scheme which reportedly cost Thailand at least $8 billion. She was ousted from office in 2014 by the Thai military.

Some media reports said she might have used a Cambodian passport to flee Thailand, something Cambodian officials have strongly denied.

Business-class passengers found themselves greeted by the avian stowaway about 12 hours into the flight. A typical Singapore-London flight takes about 14 hours.

In a statement on Sunday (Jan 13), an SIA spokesman confirmed that a bird was found on flight SQ322 last Monday (Jan 7).

“It was subsequently caught by cabin crew with the assistance of some of the passengers on board,” said the spokesman.

In a video posted on Facebook, the mynah can be seen perched, seemingly unfazed, on top of an unsuspecting passenger’s headrest.

An air steward is seen making a grab for the bird but it evades capture.

SIA said the bird was handed over to animal quarantine authorities once the aircraft touched down in London. The airline did not provide more information on how the bird got into the aircraft.

The 35-year-old, who wed DJ Non last year, broke the news to her fans accompanied with a portrait of her pregnant belly.

“My father is a twin, my aunt’s kids are twins. Actually, I am also having a pair of twins,” she said.

In December last year, Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that after settling down with a “not handsome nor rich” guy earlier this year, Sora revealed she is expecting her first child.

“Finally an angel came to me!” Aoi posted on her Instagram today, Dec. 12. She said she was five months pregnant with her baby with DJ Non.

“I am anxious about my first pregnancy,” the 35-year-old former actress admitted in her blog post, as per Tokyo Reporter.

She added that she has experienced morning sickness due to her pregnancy, and is expected to give birth in May next year.

“I do not regret having worked in AV (adult video) but it is not as if there is no backlash in the eyes of the public,” she wrote in her blog post in January when she revealed that she was now a married woman.

“To become a family, I think that it is necessary to be accepting of all of one’s past and from now until the future,” Aoi added. “So, I think he is truly the one who will accept me.”

The Sultan said he was leaving the question about being appointed as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong to God’s will. “If it is written that I will end up there, then there I will be,” he said, citing the Surah Yasin verse 82.

The verse reads in part: Whenever He wills a thing, He just commands it “be” and it is.

After the Sultan of Kelantan, the next in line in the rotation of the nine Malay Rulers to be appointed as King are the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan of Johor and Sultan of Perak.

When met after performing the subuh (dawn) prayers at Masjid Al-Imam Ash-Shafie here, Sultan Abdullah said he had mixed feelings of sadness and gratitude upon being announced as the successor to the Pahang throne.

He expressed his thanks to God, his siblings and the people of Pahang for their support.

“I hope I will get the fullest cooperation from the state and federal governments in performing my duties for the benefit of the people, mainly the needy.

“As Sultan of Pahang, it is my responsibility, not only to the people but also to Allah.

“I am open to advice and constructive criticism, which can be pedas (heated), if it will pave the way for better mutual understanding and for me to perform better for our future,” he said.

Mike Than Tun Win, founder and chief executive of BOD Tech Co which runs Flymya travel portal and Get digital services, said the coming tech disruption will be driven mainly by young entrepreneurs.

“The government should place more focus on IT education in key universities. A better relation between the public and private sectors is critical,” he said.

He stressed the need to open up more sectors to the private sector, so they could play an active role in the nation’s growth. He also encourages adopting more public-private partnerships to accelerate the growth momentum.

Flymya aims to double its web traffic and revenue in 2019. Get Ride plans to bring 30,000 drivers onboard and cover 12 cities, while its digital shop expects to empower 40,000 small shops nationwide.

“Even though smartphone use in Myanmar is pretty high, we expect a gradual growth over the next two years. With improving IT literacy, we will be able to enjoy more exponential growth from 2020 onwards,” said Mike.

Kyaw Kyaw Win, co-founder and chief executive of Innoveller Co, which drives digital transformation in bus ticketing via its platform MMbusticket, urges the government to support entrepreneurs and startups.

“The government plays a very important role in every industry – not just in the tech industry. As regulator, they should set up the right policies to promote and protect the developments in this industry,” he said.

According to Kyaw Kyaw Win, tech businesses in Myanmar urgently need the government’s support in terms of protecting their intellectual property rights, as it is pivotal to their sustainable development.

“Our government should learn how Vietnam allows Facebook and Google to install servers and open representative offices there, as well as how Singapore regulates its ride-hailing industry to protect consumers,” he said.

This year, Innoveller Co will continue to empower more bus operators to improve their operation efficiency, cost effectiveness and revenue growth through digital transformation. It expects all bus operators in Myanmar to be ready for e-commerce by 2020, he said.

“More and more people will use digital money in the coming years,” he said.

Sully Bholat (aka Htet Aung Latt), the founder and chief executive of Flexible Pass Co which tries to bring all the gyms and fitness centres in Myanmar under one umbrella, echoed Kyaw Kyaw Win’s view.

“There will be more mobile money and digital payment options available through this trend of tech disruption. It will make it easier for people to make payments as they will no longer need to rely on cash,” he said.

Tech businesses need more support from the government, he revealed. He suggested providing more loans and financial support for startups to improve the technology landscape in Myanmar.

To date, Flexible Pass has partnered with nearly 90 gyms, fitness centres and hotels in Yangon with 19 different categories of fitness activities available for its users. The firm aims to expand its business in Mandalay and also expand into spas and beauty services in 2019, he said.

Aung Ye Kyaw, the founder and chief executive of White Merak Co which created Myanmar’s first-ever animated comic application, expects tech entrepreneurs to mainly focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning and workflow automation in the near future.

Like other young entrepreneurs, he is also anticipating the enactment of the Intellectual Property Law. He urged that authorities be more supportive of the tech industry through government incubators and standardised investment laws.

“This year, we will bring more engaging content including comics and manga to our readers, and will ensure a more tech-involved creative process in the workflow. We will also engage customers with more immersive reading experiences like augmented reality,” he said.

Soe Thein, director general at the Posts and Telecommunications Department (PTD), pledged to create an enabling environment for both corporates and startups in order to push Myanmar’s tech industry to the next level.

“PTD as the regulator will ensure we create a good mix so that every single player has a chance to be part of our digital transformation journey,” he said.

According to the official, Myanmar looks to strengthen cooperation with multinational companies in its push for the fifth generation of wireless technology (5G) while attempting to launch initiatives to support the development of local tech firms.

Bids to boost digital literacy in Myanmar are also supported by international players, including the digital payment giant Visa. Arturo Planell, country manager of Visa Myanmar, said the transition to a cashless society is possible over the next three or four years, through effective programmes to increase people’s financial literacy.

Provided that nearly 80 per cent of the population remains unserved by Myanmar’s traditional banking system, Brad Jones, chief executive of Wave Money, foresees a brighter future for mobile financial services in Myanmar.