Information Sheet No. (B)1005(I)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
YANGON

Information  Sheet
No. (B)1005(I)                                     30th 1999

(1)     Thai Deputy Prime Minister Arrives on Goodwill Visit

        At the invitation of Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development 
Council 
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Mr. 
Bhichai Rattakul arrived Yangon by air on 29 July on a goodwill visit to the 
Union of Myanmar. Thai Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by senior 
officials of Thailand. 

(2)     Minister U Win Aung Arrives Back from Singapore after Attending
32nd    
            ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM)

        Minister for Foreign Affairs arrived back Yangon by air on 29 July 
from Singapore after attending the 32nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), 6th 
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) which 
were held from 23 to 28 July in Singapore. During his visit to Singapore, the 
Minister had attended the 32nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting from 23 to 24 July, 
the 6th ASEAN Regional Forum on 26 July and Post Ministerial Conferences from 
27 to 28 July, 1999. He gave an address at the opening ceremony of the 32nd 
AMM on 23 July and participated as a lead discussant at the PMC deliberating 
on drug trafficking. He also made an address at the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue 
Meeting on 27 July and assured at the meeting that Myanmar would try her 
utmost to promote ASEAN-Japan Cooperation when she takes over the country 
coordinatiorship from Vietnam starting from July, year 2000. 

        During his stay in Singapore, Minister paid a courtesy call on Prime 
Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong of the Republic of Singapore together with other 
ASEAN Foreign Ministers on 23 July, 1999. He held bilateral meetings with 
Professor S Jayakumar, Foreign Minister for Singapore, Mr. Hor Namhong, 
Senior Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International 
Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad, Prime 
Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR, Mr. Domingo L Siazon 
Jr, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr. 
Surin Pitsuwan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, on 
promoting bilateral relations. He also met Foreign Ministers from Dialogue 
Partners namely, Mr. Don Mckinnon of New Zealand, Alexander Downer of 
Australia, Mr. Jaswant Singh of the Republic of India, and Igor Ivanov of the 
Russian Federation and discussed bilateral matters. The Minister met with the 

leader of EU delegation to PMC, Ms. Tarja Halone, Foreign Minister of 
Finland, which holds the present EU presidency, on separate occasions as 
well. Minister had granted interviews to CNN co-respondents, Media persons 
from the Reuters News Agency, Ms. Varunee of Kyodo News Agency, U Kyaw Zan 
Tha of BBC Myanmar Service, Mr. Roger Mitton of Asiaweek Magazine. He had 
also responded to the questions raised by a staff reporter from the 
International Herald Tribune and U Kyaw Zan Tha of BBC during the PMC Joint 
Press Conference held at the end of the PMC meetings on 28 July, 1999. 
        The highlight of the AMM meeting this year was marked by the first 
AMM Retreat held at the Sentosa Island in Singapore, where ASEAN Foreign 
Ministers discussed on the future of ASEAN, the  future of ARF and the future 
of PMC. Two important initiatives made at this year AMM meeting were the 
ASEAN Road show project proposed by Singapore to jointly promote foreign 
investments in ASEAN countries and the establishment of the ASEAN Human 
Resources Development Fund and intensification of cooperation in Human 
Resources Development among ASEAN member countries proposed by Thailand.

(3)     Fire Brigade to Strive to Become Reserve Force for National Peace and 
            Stability

        Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin 
Nyunt met with officials of the Fire Services Department (FSD) in Ayethida 
Hall of FSD on 29 July. The FSD was formed under the Ministry of Social 
Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and the organizational set-up of FSD is 
being extended at present to enable the FSD personnel to participate more in 
social activities in addition to their normal tasks. The fire brigade law was 
enacted in accord with the developing and changing national situation and the 
FSD was formed to safeguard the lives and property of the national races from 
the danger of fires, to cooperate with the national races and other 
organizations in saving the people and the nation from the dangers of natural 
disasters and to become the reserve force for ensuring peace and stability in 
the nation. 
        Central Fire Services Training School was opened in PyinOoLwin to be 
skilled in advanced fire fighting techniques. The school is bringing out FSD 
personnel possessing high qualification in fire fighting and spirit. FSD now 
has a strength of 3,403 Fire Brigade members and 131,765 Auxiliary Fire 
Brigade members. There are now 217 fire stations and 328 auxiliary fire 
stations in the entire nation. The Secretary-1 urged the FSD to strive as the 
reserve force in maintaining the national peace and stability; to enhance the 
organization of auxiliary fire brigades in accord with the five principles 
and policies and seven tasks of the Fire Brigade in safeguarding the lives 
and property of the people; to strive to win the love of the people by 
safeguarding and maintaining the already achieved national peace and 
stability and progress by rendering assistance to the people; to unitedly 
ward off all the dangers of destructive elements who want to destroy the 
nation and the Union together with other reserve forces for national peace 

and stability.

(4)     Myanmar Soccer Team Leaves for Brunei

        The first batch of Myanmar sports contingent led by deputy leader 
Deputy Director-General of Sports and Physical Education Department (SPED) 
and Myanmar soccer team left Yangon by air for Brunei on 29 July to take part 
in XX South East Asian Game. 

(5)     Myanmar-Japan Friendship Volleyball 

        Myanmar-Japan friendship volleyball match was held on 29 July at 
National Indoor Stadium-2. Myanmar team beat the Japanese team 3-0. Two more 
friendly matches will be held at the stadium on 31 July and 2 August. 

(6)     Minister for Labour Visits Sinmar Tech Training and Testing Centre

        Minister for Labour visited Sinmar Tech Training and Testing Centre 
jointly opened by the Labour Department under the Ministry of Labour and 
Sinmar Tech Co Ltd in Dagon Myothit (North), Yangon Division, on 29 July. A 
total of 1,200 and 1,100 trainees have completed the basic and advanced 
courses conducted at the centre. The basic and advanced courses are being 
attended by 60 and 300 trainees respectively. The centre sent 720 trainees 
abroad for employment and arrangements are being made to send 79 trainees. 

(7)     Counterfeit US $ 100 Notes Seized at Border Check Point of Maungtaw

        A Bangladeshi was caught together with counterfeit US $ 100 notes at 
border check point No.1 in Maungtaw, Rakhine State on 18 June. The inspection 
group of the check point searched Mamed Hasan, aged 33, of Chittagong, 
Bangladesh, with a border pass, and found 90 counterfeit US $ 100 notes 
hidden in his underwear. Action is being taken against him. 

(8)     Yachting Team Arrives Back

        Aung Myin Thu of Myanmar won fourth at Kyushu Cup Asian Juniors 
Friendship Yachting in Fukuoka, Japan. Fifty-five contestants from 10 
countries took part in the race which was held from 18 to 22 July. The team 
arrived back Yangon by air on 23 July.

(9)     Friendship Shooting Contest

        Military Attaches of foreign missions led by Dean of the Military 
Attaches, Military Attache of the Embassy of Russia Col Vladimir I. 
Kontchakov held a friendship shooting contest at Okkalapa Shooting Range  on 
29 July. The military attaches made cash donation to Myanmar Shooting 
Federation (MSF).
Special Issue
        This office is presenting the News Bulletin issued by Myanmar Embassy 
in London on 29 July for your information.

NEWS RELEASE

        For the past few years, amidst predictions by some western political 
figures of impending political upheavals and civil unrest, the Union of 
Myanmar has continued to enjoy peace and stability throughout the nation. 
Even the small remaining insurgent groups such as the Karen National Union, 
seeking refuge in uninhabited jungles along Thai-Myanmar border, have 
suffered from mass defections and inter-factional skirmishes among 
themselves. 
        However, in view of their untenable military situation following 
unrealistic rejection of the peace terms already accepted by 17 other former 
insurgencies, there seems to be a shift in tactics towards fabrication of 
news and false information in order to mobilise political support from 

governments as well as human rights organizations in western countries. 
        They are now apparently hoping against hope that they might be able 
to incite civil unrest  around their numerically obsessed dates of 8.8.88 
anniversary and the forthcoming 9.9.99.
        Recent dissemination by them of completely false and fabricated 
stories such as "Sa, Sa, Sa" death squads and detention of a three years old 
as "youngest prisoner of conscience" (who was never arrested) are glaring 
examples of this ploy which may have already hoodwinked some prominent 
"rights" organizations such as Amnesty International that reported the 
"insurgent news" without seeking confirmation from credible alternative 
sources.
        The Embassy now foresees a similar trend of action by supporters of 
these desperate insurgent groups. For this reason, those truly non-political 
human rights organizations should be conscious of this possibility before 
drawing any conclusions especially on news emanating from such directions.
        An overwhelming majority of Myanmar's national races including the 
Kayins (or Karens) are living peacefully in complete harmony with each other 
like never before since the country became independent in 1948, only soon to 
become embroiled in multicoloured insurgencies.
        As things stand today any attempt from inside or outside of Myanmar 
to sow discord among the national races will only be a perilous exercise in 
futility as well as a wasteful consumption of scant resources that are so 
much in need for other purposes.    
                        
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