At the
invitation of Mr. Kyaw Htin, Director General of Myanmar Customs, WCO Secretary
General Kunio Mikuriya visited Yangon, the economic center and former capital city of
the Union of Myanmar and the location of the Customs Department’s Headquarters,
and Nay Pyi Taw, the country’s current capital city, from 20 to 22 March 2017 in furtherance
of the WCO’s strategic goal of raising Customs’ profile.
In Nay
Pyi Taw, Secretary General Mikuriya had a series of meetings with political
leaders, including Major General Aung Soe, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Mr.
Thant Sin Maung, Minister for Transport and Communication, and Mr. U Maung Maung
Win, Deputy Minister for Planning and Finance.
Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Maj. Gen. Soe accompanied by heads of
police and representatives from other law enforcement agencies, appreciated the WCO’s
explanations on the role of Customs in border security and confirmed that
agencies under his authority would arrange a dialogue with Customs at several
levels to ensure exchange of information.
For Minister
for Transport and Communication Thant Sin Maung, the use of a range of WCO
tools would be relevant for the implementation of the Cross-Border Transport
Agreement that he would like to activate with Myanmar’s neighbouring countries.
He also stressed that the WCO’s assistance in the area of transit would be highly appreciated as Myanmar was
looking into the ASEAN Customs Transit system. In addition, as
Myanmar is gradually opening its borders after five decades of isolation,
Minister Thant Sin Maung emphasized the importance of Customs in assuring
connectivity at borders.
Deputy
Minister for Planning and Finance pointed out the Myanmar Government's twin deficits regarding its budget, with a
tax to GDP ratio of 8%, and its trade with a high trade
deficit caused by weak export capacity. He expressed a particular interest in strengthening capacity in
the field of Customs valuation and offered his strong political support.
Secretary General Mikuriya explained that a variety
of WCO tools and programmes are addressing revenue concerns in support to the
increasing role of Customs in enhancing economic competitiveness, protecting society and ensuring security.
In Yangon, Secretary General Mikuriya visited
the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, which had quickly developed to attract many
overseas companies since its establishment one and a half years ago, where Customs has implemented
a modern operating model. He also
went to see the Myanmar Automated Cargo Clearance System (MACCS) which was implemented in
November 2016 at Customs' Headquarters. In this framework, he had the opportunity to meet with the business
community, which underlined the benefits of the introduction of the
MACCS, through a drastic acceleration in Customs clearance, as well as
an improved business environment thanks to enhanced integrity.