The UN Country Team in Myanmar may not yet be in bed with Lo Hsing Han but they are now getting a step closer by moving into his hotel. Those discounted buffets will come in handy, too.

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Note: Traders Hotel part-owned by family company Asia World of heroin
"kingpin" Lo Hsing Han.

United Nations offices make move to Traders Hotel
By Maw Maw San and Zaw Win Than
http://www.mmtimes.com/no379/n008.htm

AGENCIES under the United Nations are planning to move their
Myanmar regional offices from Yangon International Hotel to Traders
Hotel in the first week of September, sources in the hotel industry
said last week.

The organisations include the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World
Health Organisation (WHO), UN Inter-Agency Project on Human
Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (UNIAP), Joint UN
Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Inter-national Labour Organisation
(ILO) and International Or-ganisation for Migration (IOM).

“These organisations are moving into Traders Hotel because it
provides excellent security, including plenty of security cameras
and trained guards,” the source said.

A spokesperson from the UN said the reason for the move was
problems with communications infrastructure at Yangon International
Hotel. “Regional officers from the UN and WHO chose Traders based
on the security they can provide for staff. We are going to take
four floors from the 12th to 15th floors. We are now getting
organised to make the move,” he said.

Another hotel industry source agreed that the main selling point of
Traders Hotel was its security guarantees.

“Many hotels applied to host the UN offices but they chose Traders
because it offers the best security. Unauthorised people will be
kept off the floors where their offices are located,” he said.

He said the hotel has thrown in other perks as well, including a
discounted buffet for UN employees, special car parking and
housekeeping services.

“The offices will have technical support for phone and internet
use. They will need special communication connections but the hotel
already has the capacity to handle them,” he said.

The source said the UN signed a four-year contract for the office
space. The UN and Traders would not comment on the contracted price
for the space but industry sources said it could be in the
US$50,000 a month range.

Cross posted from Burma AIDS http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/burmaaids/message/538