Military authorities try to revive economy

20 October 2021
Military authorities try to revive economy
Yangon. Photo: Mizzima

Myanmar's military-appointed authorities are doing their best to revive an economy in turmoil since the February coup and stabilise the kyat, a minister told Reuters on Tuesday, blaming the crisis partly on foreign backers of its opponents.

The currency lost more than 60% of its value in September after the Southeast Asian nation was roiled by months of protests, strikes and economic paralysis following the coup.

Inflation has soared to 6.51% since the military took power from 1.51% previously, and foreign reserves stand at 11 trillion kyat, or $6.04 billion at the central bank's official rate, the minister, Aung Naing Oo, said in a rare interview.

It was the first time Myanmar had disclosed its level of foreign currency since the coup and compares with a World Bank figure of just $7.67 billion at the end of 2020, the Reuters report said.