INFORMATION SHEET No.A. 0589 (I)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

                        MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
                                                   YANGON

                                      INFORMATION SHEET

                        No.A. 0589 (I)                       2 September 1998

(1)		Minister for Health Leaves for India

		A Myanmar health delegation led by Minister for Health  left Yangon by air
on 1September to attend the 16th Meeting of Health Ministers of WHO Member
Countries of South-East Asian Region in New Delhi, India, from 2 to 8
September.

(2)		16 Engineers Leave for the Philippines

		A total of 16 engineers of Public Works left Yangon for the Philippines by
air on 1  September  to attend a six-week skill supervisory training course
and a three-week upgrading course for technology instructors at Meralco
Foundation Institute under the sponsorship of the Philippine  Government.

(3)		Over 180,000 Attending Classes Under Non-Formal Education Programme
		The Non-Formal Education Work Committee under the Education for All
Programme held a meeting at the Myanmar Educational Research Bureau on 1
September.   Myanmar is carrying out Education for All Programme as laid down
by the World Education Conference held in Thailand in 1990.  Accordingly, the
programme is being implemented as a national task with the aims of providing
education for all, ensuring that 80 per cent of them complete the primary
education and reducing the adult illiteracy rate from 22 to 11 by the year
2000.  Non-formal education  is extensive since it involves vocational
programmes and income generation for adults in addition to literacy  work.
Moreover, follow-up programmes for neo-literates are to be undertaken.
180,035 persons are attending 12,674 classes in 104 townships under Non-Formal
Education Programme.  The International Literacy Day ceremony and exhibition
will take place at  the Yangon University Diamond Jubilee Hall on 8 September
1998.  Talks on non-formal education will be held on 8, 9 and 10 September
starting 1 pm daily.  Second week of September 1998 is designated as the
Literacy Week during which print and electronic media will feature Education
for All Programme.

(4)		FSD Officers to Attend Course in Singapore

		Seven officers of Fire Service Department on 1 September  left for Singapore
to attend the course on repair and maintenance of respirators used in Advance
Fire Fighting Course.

(5)		Drug Control and Treatment Discussed 

		Officials on 1 September  assessed implementation of the resolutions of
meeting of work supervisory committee on drug control and treatment tasks of
tuberculosis and AIDS control programme.  The meeting at Health Department was
addressed by Deputy Minister for Health  who elaborated on achievements and
future tasks on Tuberculosis, AIDS and drug control programmes.

                         OFFICE CALLS IN YANGON ON 1 SEPTEMBER

(A)		Minister for Home Affairs received Regional Representatives Mr. Toni
Pfarnner and Ms Gitte Gammelgaard of International Committee of the Red Cross
at his office.

(B)		Minister for Communications, Posts and Telegraphs  received Chairman Mr.
Satoshi of Sanwa Trading Co  Ltd of Japan at his office.

(C)		 Secretary of Myanmar Investment Commission  received Executive Chairman
Mr. Rehman Sobhan of Centre for Policy Dialogue of Bangladesh  at the
commission office. 
						
						     Special Feature

                            National Security over Party Politics

		The present Myanmar Government after  assuming the State Power in September
1988 had managed to put the country back on its feet and its track as well and
also to pave the way to a Multi-Party Democracy practising a Market-Oriented
Economy.  The government began in establishing national unity, peace and
stability by taking the initiative of bringing in 98% of all  the  armed
insurgents which have been fighting against all successive Myanmar Governments
since regaining her independence in 1948 from Britain. The present government
believes that national unity, peace and stability are the most essential
elements the nation requires in order to develop economically and politically.
Past experience has proven that without the fundamentally essential
requirements (National Unity, Peace and Stability) in spite of the financial
loans and grants from various countries and money lending institutions,
Myanmar eventually became a Least Developed Country from her original status
of being the rice basket of Asia. In spite of the 65% of the Industry being
destroyed and looted  during  the national crisis in Yangon it had started
with the almost depleted foreign reserve, and also with the suddenly  rampant
anarchism and active insurgency creating the situation in the country to be
fluid and tense. But after 1988 when the government started in establishing
National Unity, Peace and Stability, growth and development began to
materialize substantially. 

		In September 1988 when this present government assumed the state
responsibility the country was even on the verge of importing rice and her
economy was in total shambles with insurgency rampant in the country. But
today after establishing National Unity, Peace and Stability in the nation
almost without any outside assistance it had managed to bring up Myanmar to
the level where it is now enabling  to export annually a substantial amount of
agriculture products along with other exports. In spite of the sanctions and
embargoes imposed on Myanmar by the Western Nations and the indirect effect of
the Regional Financial Crisis, Myanmar still continues to enjoy a steady
growth in her economy. Comparing the economic situation of 1988 period and
that of today, Myanmar?s condition is  quite astoundingly well off but for a
newly emerging economy which is in the process of political changes there are
definitely difficulties and challenges this nation has to go through. But of
course the U.S. and the E.U.?s  continuous unnecessary pressures put on
Myanmar are like putting hurdles and obstacles on her path to democracy. It
amounts to slowing down her process in creating Myanmar to become a
functioning democracy based on a sound economy. Myanmar Government believes
that a sound economy will help create a strong middle class which is essential
in creating a functioning democracy. It is quite interesting to learn how any
nation can actually become a functioning democracy with a strong lower class.

		The present Government of Myanmar has managed to successfully bring in 98%
of all the armed insurgent groups to give up their over (40) years of armed
struggle and to join the government in the rebuilding of a nation. Although
the (17) former insurgent armies have come back into the legal fold they are
still being permitted to retain their arms for self-protection and area-
defence purposes since there  still exists some splinter groups in the border
areas and a separatist insurgent group  continuing with their armed struggle
on the Thai / Myanmar border. All those former ethnic insurgent armies  have
an agreement with the Government to give up their arms after a new national
constitution emerges.

		 Unfortunately, while the country is going through her priorities the NLD?s
declaration to hold a national parliament on their own comes up as a threat to
Myanmar?s National Security.

		The Government sincerely hoped that the NLD would  refrain from taking such
course of action being regarded as detrimental to the national security and
interest. Technically and legally a national parliament cannot be convened in
the absence of a national constitution and only the officially recognized
government  is eligible to do so. For an enduring constitution to come into
fruition, the prevalence of law and order and stability is of paramount
important. That is the reason why consolidation of the already achieved
stability and security of the state and community peace and tranquillity is
being observed and carried out without any failure.
 
		The Government of Myanmar noted with concern the decision by the NLD to
convene a national parliament. Such an action by any individual political
party would be in contravention of Myanmar law, and seems designed to derail
the ongoing discussions between the Government and the NLD. More importantly,
it would amount to the NLD making herself a parallel government which no
government in the world could accept if they come across the same situation.
It is quite obvious that the last remaining armed terrorist group, the KNU and
the splinter groups will support the NLD in becoming armed wings of a parallel
government. The most concerning issue is that the government?s ongoing
national reconciliation process with the ethnic armed groups could be derailed
by this political activity of the NLD and could also shatter the recently
established understanding and unity. In this scenario the Government of
Myanmar will be left with no choice but to take necessary legal action in
safeguarding its National Security. It is the obligation of each and every
government to give priority to National Interest and National Security over
the interest of an individual or a political party.

		All nations whether they are big, small, powerful or weak it is an
undeniable fact that national security is of utmost importance to a nation.
But it is very unfortunate that in Myanmar?s case those big countries are
denying Myanmar her right to safeguard her National Security and blatantly
encouraging NLD to take the confrontational and provocative path which will
derail Myanmar?s national unity, peace and stability which a developing nation
like Myanmar requires most at her present stage of development. But what will
happen if Myanmar disintegrates and becomes  mini-states because of outside
interference and pressure? Will those same governments that exerted pressure
and interference and transformed Myanmar into a Bosnia help resolve the
problems by taking responsibility of sending Marines to help fight to restore
law and order and establish national unity in the country  of (135) different
ethnic groups professing many different religions. Will the E.U. nations then
come into a country  to invest  where the civil war is uncontrollable. If the
answer is negative and nobody is willing to take any substantial
responsibility,   why is it that those countries are so willing to act
irresponsibly ? In reality, the overwhelming  majority of the Myanmar people
wish those governments  not to rock the boat with the intention to capsize and
drown Myanmar people under the pretext of democracy and human rights. It is
also important for the NLD to fully understand the consequences the nation
will have  to face, once her national unity, peace and stability which the
nation at present is enjoying for the first time in her modern history after
regaining independence from Britain in 1948 is being destroyed.

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