In the past eighteen months the international community has observed historic elections and democratic reforms by the nation of Myanmar, also known as Burma. Based on the positive developments towards democracy earlier this year, the Canadian government and other Western countries eased sanctions against Myanmar.

With these current political changes CARIS had an opportunity to visit Mynamar for the first time ever in August 2012. CARIS' Eduardo Infante travelled to Yangon, the country's largest city, to conduct CARIS LOTS training with participants from the Myanmar Naval Hydrographic Centre (MNHC) and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Both government agencies are involved in the determination of the nation's maritime boundaries, including the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The training consisted of a mix of theoretical sessions and practical exercises on the determination of the foot of the continental slope and various territorial sea boundaries. This also included hands-on exercises and discussions to study boundary scenarios using datasets provided by MNHC and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

CARIS looks forward to furthering the relationship with these organizations and visiting Myanmar again in the near future.