PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2019
MANDALAY – From Monday, March 11 to Wednesday, March 13, 2019, the U.S. Embassy’s “Mandalay Road Show” will highlight and strengthen relations between the United States and Myanmar’s “second city.” Over the next three days, representatives from the U.S. Embassy will be in Mandalay to inaugurate the first American Business Corner in the country, to discuss the corporate social responsibility efforts of U.S. companies, and to talk about the drug epidemic in Myanmar at an open forum with pop singer Ah Moon. Ambassador Marciel will visit Shwe-Nandaw Kyaung, the historic teak monastery whose conservation is supported by the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. He will also deliver a policy speech at Mandalay University. Throughout the day on Tuesday, March 12, U.S. Embassy officials will speak to students and other audiences at Jefferson Center Mandalay about issues ranging from Myanmar’s importance in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy to how to apply for student visas and employee recruitment. At the Jefferson Center, U.S. Embassy officials will also discuss the U.S.-ASEAN Smart City Partnership with Ye Myat Thu, Mandalay’s Smart Cities representative. Krispy Kreme will sell donuts just outside the Jefferson Center all day on March 12.
The following events are open press, and require no prior registration:
1. Inauguration of American Business Corner
Location: Mandalay Region Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Time: 11:00 a.m. (Media who wish to cover the event should arrive at 10:30 a.m.)
The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first American Business Corner in Myanmar. The American Business Corner, embedded inside the MRCCI, is a platform to facilitate ties and successful deals between U.S. and Myanmar businesses, particularly those located in the Mandalay Region.
2. Policy speech by U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel
Location: Innwa Hall of University of Mandalay
Time: 2:00 p.m. (Media who wish to cover the event should arrive at 1:30 p.m.)
Ambassador Marciel will deliver remarks on U.S.-Myanmar policy.
3. Corporate Social Responsibility Forum
Location: Jefferson Center of Mandalay
Time: 3:00 p.m. (Media who wish to cover the event should arrive at 2:30 p.m.)
Representatives from U.S. companies Chevron, Ball Corporation, and Coca-Cola will discuss their corporate social responsibility efforts in Myanmar. They will discuss the ways that their programs benefit the communities in which they work and how these programs demonstrate their commitment to the market in Myanmar.
4. Town Hall for Drug Use Reduction with Singer Ah Moon
Location: Amarapura Ballroom, Marvel Hotel
Time: 5:00 p.m. (Media who wish to cover the event should arrive at 4:30 p.m.)
Singer Ah Moon, social media influencers Phyo Phyo and Dee Dee, and USAID senior advisor Robert Kelly will lead an open forum on the drug use epidemic affecting communities across Myanmar. The event is part of the U.S.-supported 528 LOVE campaign, which provides information about drug use to friends and family of drug users through Facebook. The campaign is part of the more than $32 million the United States invests in improving the health of people and communities in Myanmar each year.
###END###
