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Communication & Transportation
In every big cities, access to telephone is easy and IDD calls can be made at your disposal from any hotel you are staying at or any office you are paying a visit. Faxes are also common in every large business and hotel. Internet Email has been in service but access is limited to the business community. The Internet era is beginning to dawn in Myanmar, but for the time being, it is only within reach of the local IT firms. Nowadays, Network can be widely access in many Internet Centre, located in Yangon and Mandalay. However, it is widely expected that the public access to the Net will soon be granted, probably in phases.
The mass communication is mostly controlled by the government. Four Myanmar newspapers and an English one, all state-owned, are published daily while some regional and international newspapers can be read within the same day. Two TV channels, one operated by the government and the other by the military, broadcast in the mornings and evenings. However, satellite TV channels, which are easily accessible in every big or small hotel, provide an alternative for the non-natives. The only radio station, Radio Myanmar, which is also run by the government, airs in Myanmar but can be tuned in for English program during specified hours.
Myanmar has more than 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) of inland waterways, about 17,000 miles (27,000 kilometers) of roads and about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) of railroad track. The principle means of transport is road but most travelers to Myanmar rely on airlines. There are altogether three of them: one operated by the government and the other two (Yangon Airways and Air Mandalay) by private. Good safety record and easy booking of tickets make the private airlines all the more popular. Yangon and Mandalay, each with international airport, provide gateways to Myanmar. Rail transport is mostly occupied with local travelers because of its punctual and regular service and reasonable fees. The weakness of the railway service is that the destinations are not many and tickets have to be bought days in advance. River transport is least favorite among travelers except for riverine cruises and speed boat trips. In major cities, buses provide a means of public transport while taxis are running in abundance in the capital. Although private cars jam almost all the roads of Yangon, the number of privately owned automobiles is not many considering the general population.
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