NEWS & VIEWS FROM MYANMAR (r)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

NEWS & VIEWS
FROM MYANMAR

WEEKLY BRIEF FROM MOFA, YANGON, MYANMAR

Vol.1 		17 FEBRUARY 1999	No. 7
_______________________

Sr No. 			CONTENTS

	INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS

1. Area development in peace-restored region
2. For better administration of justice

	FOREIGN RELATIONS
3. Fourth International Heroin Conference to be held in Myanmar

	GENERAL NEWS

4. Seminars on Y2K Challenges
5. Gaining momentum in natural gas and oil production
6. Second Yangon Gems ?99 show
7. More armed group members exchanged arms for peace


#####################
INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Area development in peace-restored regions
	Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt
met 
leaders of national races and discussed regional development and observed
regional development 
undertakings in Shan and Kayah States on 16 February 1999.
	The Secretary-1 looked into the requirements in carrying out farming,
education, health and 
water availability works, stressing the needs to strive for the success in
rendering treatment and 
rehabilitation services to drug addicts, distribution of know-how and seeds to
ensure food 
sufficiency, to earn extra income and to extend farming. The Secretary-1 and
party also inspected 
building of houses for MTA members and families, the drug treatment hospital
and the 
rehabilitation centre.
	Later, the Secretary-1 met leaders of the national races of special regions
of Kayah State 
at Regional Control Command Headquarters. He stressed that peace and stability
has been 
maintained in the entire nation; peace groups are striving in competition for
progress of their 
regions; and some regions have been able to conduct tourism services as they
are gaining progress 
with greater momentum. He also revealed that year-wise plans are being
implemented in wiping our 
poppy cultivation and in carrying out are development in regions where peace
has been restored.
	The Secretary-1 then observed transforming of 2,000 acres of fallow land into
sugarcane 
fields in Thigyeik village-track, fish breeding, education and health
conditions, building and 
upgrading all weather roads in the area, mining and rural water supply
projects which were 
presented by national leaders.

For better administration of justice
	?It is important for the judicial officers to have correct views, outlook and

thought, to 
discharge their assigned duties correctly, fairly, sincerely and precisely in
shouldering their tasks,? 
said Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt.-Gen. Khin
Nyunt addressing the 
Special Refresher Course No.1 for Judicial Officers which was opened at the
Central Institute of 
Civil Services, Yangon, on 15 February 1999. Some 300 judicial officers
including those at the 
State/ Division and District Level took part in the course.
	The following are the salient points in the address:-
		The course will include theoretical lectures, discussion sessions and
workshop and seminar type sessions, rendering the opportunity to judicial
officers in the entire nation to make 			coordination among themselves, to
seek innovative methods and to conduct thorough 			discussions in finding the
right answers, thereby enhancing their work ability. It will also 			help
develop thoughts concerning the administration of justice and ensure
correctness and 			progress of the judicial system.	Endeavours are being made
with momentum for emergence of a nation in which discipline-flourishing
democracy will be applied, and the National Convention is held for laying down
fundamental principles. Prevalence of peace and tranquillity and maintenance
of law and order are essential requirements for all national people to enjoy
the fruits of developmentrapidly, and those undertaking tasks for judicial
	affairs are mainly responsible for prevalence of peace and tranquillity and
maintenance of law and order.In striving for prevalence of peace and
tranquillity and maintenance of law and order, judicial officers have to live
up to the principles such as righteousness, 
		fairness and sympathy and uphold their code of ethics for proper
administration of 			justice.
		As the people always expect prompt and right decisions of the courts, the
duty 
		of the judges who have to pass judgment on the cases is serious and crucial,
		and it is necessary to cooperate between judicial officers, law officers,
police 
		officers and other departmental officials whose tasks are related with the 
		administration of justice to be able to pass prompt and right judgments to
the 
		satisfaction of the public. The trainee judicial officers are urged to
attend 
		lectures with the aim of harmoniously co-operating in the tasks to strive
for 
		emergence of a system for proper administration of justice flourishing
justice, 
		equality and goodwill, and to keep the administration of justice upright
marching 
		forward with political, social and economic outlook.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Fourth International Heroin Conference to be held in Myanmar
	In October 1998, the General Assembly of Interpol (International Police
Organization) has 
decided to offer Myanmar to host the Fourth International Heroin Conference.
Since Myanmar 
always realizes the objectives of Interpol and wishes to make known its
significant anti-narcotics 
activities to the world, it accepts the offer and makes necessary
preparations.
	The Conference will be held from 23 to 26 February of this year at
International Business 

Centre in Yangon. The theme of the Conference is to focus on the consumption
and international 
trafficking of heroin and to strengthen police cooperation in this 
	Uptill now, twenty-two delegates from 15 countries have already confirmed
their presence. 
They will not only have the opportunity to reassess international strategies
in controlling the 
production and trafficking of heroin but observe first hand the magnitude of
the task faced by 
Myanmar and the headway it has made in recent years.
	Myanmar has signed Memorandum of Understanding for Suppression of narcotic
drugs 
with all its neighbours and the UN Drug Control Programme, as well as with
Russia. The principal 
focus of the agreements is on reducing drug trafficking, eliminating poppy
plantation through 
economic and social development programmes. Recently Myanmar government has
laid down two national strategies:
	1. To designate narcotic drug eradication and prevention as a national
responsibility and 
	to carry out it with added momentum;
	2. To gradually eliminate poppy cultivation by raising the standard of living
of the 
	national races in the border areas.
	Accordingly, the three tactics namely Supply Elimination, Demand Elimination
and Law 
Enforcement are employed to implement the above strategies including the
following three methods:
	1.	To enlighten the producer and abuser of narcotic drugs on their belief,
their conviction and psychological make-up for the better;
	2.	To facilitate accessibility and communication between those national
races on the highlands and those in offer regions; and
	3.	To develop the socio-economic condition of the national races in the
border areas.
	Furthermore, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control has drawn up a 15
year project to be implemented beginning 1999-2000. Mongla region (Special
Region 4 of Shan State East) has been declared to the world as an opium free
zone. The government has decided to totally eradicate the narcotic problem by
the year 2014. The organizations of nationalities also promised to make their
regions opium free zones by that time.
	With or without the assistance from international community Myanmar is
striving with firm resolve to eradicate narcotic drugs as a national duty. If
Myanmar can enjoy the international co-operation the striving time will be
shorter. Thus, it is important for countries to have the courage to put the
long-term interest of its people ahead of short-term political consideration.
For, in the final analysis, it is not the fate of one regime or one nation
that is at stake; it is the future of humanity. 

GENERAL NEWS
Seminars on Y2K challenges

	As time is gradually approaching the end of the millennium, various nations
throughout the world are paying serious attention to solve the problems that
may occur due to the calendar time-based computer and electronic systems when
it strikes twelve at midnight of 31 December 1999 and reaches 1 January 2000.
Many countries are making preparation regarding the Y2K problem spending large
sum of money.
	Myanmar has already formed the National Supervisory Committee for Y2K Problem
to be able to overcome the challenges that may arise in the year 2000.

Seminars have been conducted to work out problems which may encounter in
aviation, banking and military. The Seminar on Y2K: First Challenge of the
Millennium which was cosponsored by Myanmar Computer Association and Office of
the Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Defence was held at the International
Business Centre, Yangon on 27 January 1999. Six resource persons presented
papers related to the Y2K problems at the seminar.
	Likewise, the Defence Services Computer Department under the Ministry of
Defence organized the Seminar on Y2K Challenges in Military on 14 February.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary-2 of the State Peace and Development
Council Lt.-Gen. Tin Oo pointed out that the Ministry of Defence has various
special purpose computers, general purpose computers and embedded systems with
the leading offices of Defence Services and their units and battalions,
stressing the need for the Ministry to form a Y2K Solution Committee and
assign tasks to it to prevent possible delays and standstills in their normal
functions.
	He also cited the points concerning the nature of the Y2K problems and other
significant aspects and underscored the need for all responsible officials to
know that they are free from the problem and to lay down contingency plans.

Gaining momentum in natural oil and gas production

	Myanmar is rich in natural resources. It is important to exploit them
properly and most 
effectively in the interest of the country and the people. Recently, more
invaluable natural oil and 
gas from inland and off-shore areas have been extracted.
	As one of Economic Objectives laid down is ?Development of the economy
inviting 
participation in terms of technical know-how and investments from sources
inside the country and abroad?, foreign investments, technical assistance and
cooperation are welcomed. Promising off-shore natural oil and gas exploration
should be carried out systematically to utilize the natural oil and gas so as
to set up industries for long-term interest of the country.
	Nowadays, many foreign firms are doing business with Myanmar by setting up
joint ventures to produce natural oil and gas. The undertakings in both inland
and off-shore natural oil and gas production are meeting with successes. New
offshore oil and natural gas fields such as Yetagun, Yadana, etc become well-
known today.
	Laying of off-shore pipeline along the axis at KP-42 area, at Kanbauk region
in Tanintharyi Division began in October 1998 and off-shore pipeline in
November 1998. Of the 67 kilometres of pipeline to be laid on-shore, 42
kilometres have so far been laid thus far. Likewise, of the 206 kilometres of
pipeline to be laid off-shore, 178 kilometres have now been completed. The
work of pipeline laying, erection of a production drilling rig and
arrangements to produce and 
sell condensate of Yetagun natural gas project will be ready at the end of
1999.
	The Yetagun natural gas is being implemented by Premier Co of United Kingdom
and Nippon Oil Co of Japan. Arrangements are being made to sell 20 million
cubic feet of natural gas per day to Thailand beginning February 2000. Testing
rigs and production rigs have been put in place. Under-water and in-land

pipelines are being laid. The Premier Co has explored natural gas in four
blocks?M-10, M11, M-12, M-13 and M-14?and the Yetagun gas field was discovered
at M-12 block. Though the natural gas tract is of medium size, natural oil
also exists. Hence, the Yetagun natural gas field will be of great benefit to
the country.

Second Yangon Gems ?99 show

The Second Yangon Gems ?99 which was jointly sponsored by Cooperatives
Department and TTF 
( Yangon ) Ltd. opened at Hotel Equatorial in Yangon on 16 February
1999.Various kinds of gems and paintings were exhibited at 75 counters of ten
Gem Producers Cooperative Societies and 53 local private entrepreneurs. The
gem emporium opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily till 21 February and gem will
be sold in US dollars.

More armed group members exchanged arms for peace

Realizing the correct aims and endeavours of the Government and goodwill of
Tatmadaw, remaining armed groups are exchanging arms for peace individually or
in groups. The number of armed group members exchanging arms for peace in
January totaled 25.Major Lauk Kwe and 3 privates of remnant MTA armed group in
Eastern Command area, 2 members of ABSDF armed group in Northern Command area,
Lieutenant Saw Aye Maung and family of No.2 Brigade of KNU armed group in
Southern Command area, Major L Biharmankaja, Company Sgt Pa Hin and family of
NNC armed group in North-West Command 
area among others, exchanged arms for peace at the respective military camps,
where they were warmly welcomed and their requirements fulfilled by officials
of the military camps. 


*********