Relief effort aiding cyclone survivors
Survivors of Cyclone Giri, which slammed into Rakhine State on October 22 and 23, are in need of emergency food and water supplies, said relief workers and residents in affected areas last week. Water wells in Kyunthaya, Thinpaung Chaung and Ngapaton villages in Myebon township were flooded with saltwater, and the rice paddies in the area were also underwater. People in those areas are having trouble finding food and water. Many families were relying on the food donated early last week by Kyaukpyu residents, and locals were hoping that more support from authorities and from donors in Yangon would arrive soon.

Conservation group applies for Inle Lake survey grant
The Myanmar-based Environment Thematic Working Group has applied for a US$1 million grant from an international environmental organization to help fund a series of conservation projects at Inle Lake in Shan State. U Ohn, the vice president of the Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association (FREDA), said the group had applied for the grant at the beginning of October from the Global Environment Facility, a Washington-based NGO that provides funding for conservation projects in developing countries. The Environmental Thematic Working Group (ETWG) focuses on environmental, food security and disaster risk reduction projects throughout Myanmar, including conservation projects planned for Inle Lake. The Inle projects will include surveys of the region's socioeconomic situation, of the use of agricultural products such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and of water and sanitation concerns, all aimed at collecting data about the environmental and health issues faced by Inle residents. U Ohn said the group also plans to educate villagers on using environmentally safe bio-fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, planting trees and maintaining the area's forests, and building sanitary toilets. The group will also build dams aimed at preventing sediment from flowing into the lake. Inle is a freshwater lake that has been included on the list of ASEAN Heritage Parks. There are about 400 villages in the Inle Lake area with a total population of about 170,000. In the summer of 2010 the area of Inle Lake decreased by about one-quarter, from 100 square miles to 73 square miles. An estimated 310,000 metric tones of sediment enter the lake each year from 29 creeks flowing through the watershed area.

New snub-nosed monkey found in Kachin State
A new species of monkey with an upturned nose has been found in northern Myanmar, conservationists said. The animal is almost entirely black with white tufts on its ear and chin. The monkeys display characteristics unlike any other snub-nosed species previously described. On rainy days they often sit with their heads tucked between their knees to avoid getting water in their upturned noses. The monkey inhabits an area in Kachin State that is geographically isolated from other species by the Mekong and the Salween rivers. Species of snub-nosed monkeys are found in parts of China and Vietnam and considered endangered. Conservationists say this is the first time the species has been reported in Myanmar.

Kayan women no longer ringed by tradition
Like many traditional customs challenged by globalization, the Kayan are reassessing their relationship with the heavy brass rings that make their women stand out. Elders in far-flung villages and towns still wear brass rings, but the young have lost interest in the tradition. Globalization has created a clash between the old ways of life and modern beliefs in young people. They now question why they should wear these plain rings or who will propose to them. The rings were not comfortable to wear and made her feel out of place among other ethnic groups. The Kayan are composed of four main sub-groups: Lahwi, Lahta, Kekhu and Kangan. Among them, the Kayan Lahwi are a conspicuous for the wearing the brass rings. A number of explanations exist for how the tradition came about. Kayan folklore holds that the people are kin of a dragon and the long brass coils are worn to make them resemble the mythical beasts and protect them from tiger bites. A more practical explanation has it that the rings were a means to limit the interest of kings in bygone days that would come to the villages and take the women. The Kayan live in Pekhone in Shan State, Demawso and Loikaw in Kayah State, Than Taung in Kayin State and some villages in Mandalay region.
“They wore the brass rings for beauty’s sake. The well-heeled women wore longer coils to show their wealth; the longer the coils they wore the richer and more beautiful they were,” says the retired teacher who lives in Loikaw.
The brass rings worn around the neck can weigh between three or four viss (1 viss equals 1.6kg) and those worn around the calves about two viss.

Foreign Exchange rates continue to fall
Exchange rates for the US dollar in Yangon fell below K900, market sources in Yangon said. The economic situation is depressed. And those who are trading might only be doing 70 percent of the business they might normally do.