YANGONG // Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie met women garment workers in Myanmar on Saturday with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to learn more about their working conditions, as part of her first visit to the country.
The Oscar-winning star, who is also a special envoy for the United Nations’ refugee agency, arrived in Myanmar on Wednesday, meeting president Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw and survivors of sexual violence in the war-torn northern state of Kachin.
On Saturday she met Ms Suu Kyi at her residence in Yangon after which the pair visited women from Myanmar’s largely female textile industry workforce at their living quarters in Hlaing Tha Yar, a town on the western outskirts of the city.
Dozens of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood star and Myanmar democracy icon together as they arrived at the workers’ hostel, each welcomed with a bouquet of flowers.
Ms Jolie and Ms Suu Kyi spoke to workers about their living and working conditions as well as their aspirations for further education, according to a statement on Facebook posted by the opposition National League for Democracy party.
The garment industry has been in the spotlight across Asia in recent years because of concerns over labour rights and safety.
Myanmar textile workers have protested for better pay and conditions after decades of junta rule ended in 2011, with a wave of political and economic reforms opening up new industries in the former pariah state.
The star’s visit to the country followed an invitation from Ms Suu Kyi, according to the British Embassy, which is working with Ms Jolie as part of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative that promotes prosecutions of sexual violence perpetrators.
On Friday the actress urged Myanmar to ensure that those who commit sexual violence are brought to justice after “moving and humbling” meetings with victims in Kachin.
Ms Jolie arrived in Myanmar after a brief visit to Cambodia where she plans to direct a film for Netflix about Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime as seen through the eyes of a war-scarred child.
She was accompanied for that portion of the trip by her 14-year-old son Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia.
Myanmar is still beset by the legacy of dozens of long-raging civil wars in its border areas and the government is trying to broker a nationwide ceasefire with rebels before general elections in November.
In Kachin some 100,000 people have been displaced since civil war erupted in 2011.
* Agence France-Presse
The specs
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Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
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On sale: now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
more from Janine di Giovanni
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Honeymoonish
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
