Information Sheet No.B-1162 (I)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
YANGON

Information  Sheet
No.B-1162 (I)                     25th November, 1999

(1)  Htani Sluice Gate Commissioned into Service in Maubin Township, 
Ayeyawady Division
        
     Htani Sluice Gate was commissioned into service
near Htani village in Maubin Township, Ayeyawady
Division, on 24 November. Included in the
Nyaungdonkyun Land Reclamation Programme of the Lower
Myanmar Reclamation Project, the sluice gate, which is
on Htani Creek, will prevent areas in Htani, Ahlwe and
Kyontakwin, which are located along the Htani Creek in
the south of Nyaungdonkyun, from flooding in the rainy
season. It will also rapidly reduce the water level of
inundated areas during the late monsoon and will help
ease the irrigation to benefit the areas connecting
the Htani Creek banks. Comprising 15 six-foot by
eight-foot valves, the sluice gate is attached with an
inflow-plus-outflow canal, which is 6,800-foot long,
80-foot wide and has an average depth of 14 feet. In
addition to the Htani Sluice Gate, building of other
sluice gates such as Panhlaing, Mezali, Wadaw,
Hlaingta, Maletto, Tabottanaung, Khattiya, Zeebyukyun
and Mya-ge (Ashwekwin) have already been completed. It
took more than three months to build the sluice gate
which will benefit over 15,000 acres. Sluice gates in
Ayeyawady Division will supply water for the success
of monsoon and summer paddy cultivation and will
prevent destruction of crops in low land areas due to
floods, year-round inundation, late ploughing and
harvesting and tides. Ayeyawady Division is included
in the regions mainly reliable for progress of
agriculture of the nation. With the cooperation of the
people, efforts are being made in building dykes,
drainage canals and sluice gates at the required areas
to reclaim inundated and flooded areas in the
Division, which are precious land for cultivation, and
to prevent the crop lands from flooding. New
reservoirs such as Kunchaung creek (North) Dam in
Kyangin Township, Mamya Dam in Myanaung Township,
Kanyin Dam in Ingapu Township, Kyetpaung Dam in Yekyi
Township and Gyatchaung Creek Dam in Laymyethna
Township will be constructed in the Division to
irrigate over 120,000 acres more. Only then, the
agricultural sector will get adequate water at the
required time.

(2)  Minister Meets Royal College Officials
        
     Minister for Health received Overseas
Postgraduates Director, RCP (Edin) Dr. Roland AClark,
Dean of RCP (Edin) Professor Neil Douglas, member of
International Medicine Committee Dr. David Mathews,
Representative of RCPCH Consultant Paediatrician Dr.
RCP Barclay from Royal College of United Kingdom, at
his office on 24 November. They discussed post
graduate course and academic matters on medicine.

(3)  Myanmar Delegation Leaves for Philippines
        
     Myanmar delegation led by Minister for Finance
and Revenue left Yangon by air on 24 November to
attend the Special Meetings of ASEAN to be held in
Manila, the Philippines.

(4)  U Mya Than Presents Credentials at UN
        
     U Mya Than, Permanent Representative of the Union
of Myanmar to the United Nations in Geneva, presented
his credentials to the Director-General of the United
Nations Office His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky
in Geneva on 17 November 1999.

(5)  37th Myanmar Gems Emporium to be Held in March
        
     The 37th Myanma Gems Emporium of the Ministry of
Mines is to be held in March 2000. Gems and jewellery
presented by local gem merchants will systematically
be checked and accepted at the emporium and be sold in
foreign exchange. Myanmar Gems Enterprise will
disburse loans to local merchants for convenience in
business in accord with the set rules and regulations.
Those wishing to display and sell gems and jewellery
at the emporium are to contact MGE between 1 December
1999 and 11 February 2000 for inspection of gems and 
jewellery and coordination for fixing floor prices.
For more information, contacts can be made with
Yangon-based MGE Head Office and offices based in
Mogok, Mandalay, Khamti, and Myitkyina.

(6)  Tenth Anniversary of UN Agreement on the Child Rights Observed
        
     The tenth anniversary of the UN Agreement on the
Child Rights jointly sponsored by National Committee
on the Child Rights of the Ministry of Social Welfare,
Relief and Resettlement and UNICEF was observed at
International Business Centre in Yangon on 24
November. Chairman of National Committee on the Child
Rights, Minister for Social Welfare, Relieve &
Resettlement made a speech. UNICEF Resident
Representative Dr. Juan Aguilar Leon extended
greetings. Children of Pre-primary Schools in Yangon
entertained the guests with dances. The ministers and
officials observed showroom on children's activities
to mark the tenth anniversary of the UN Agreement on
Rights of the Child.

(7)  Myanmar Mayflower Bank Opens Branch in Monywa
        
     Myanmar Mayflower Bank Ltd opened its 16th bank
branch in Monywa town hall in Monywa, Sagaing Division
on 24 November. The 17th branch of Myanmar Mayflower
Bank will be opened in Muse (Northern Shan State) on
30 November. Three other branches will also be opened
in Meiktila, Myingyan Mandalay Division and Hlinethaya
in Yangon Division before the end of 1999.

(8)  Service Agreement between MPT and I.I (W.S) Ltd Signed for International 
                
     Transit Traffic from Philippines to India Signing
ceremony of service agreement between Myanmar Posts
and Telecommunications and I.I (W.S) Ltd of West Samoa
for International Transit Traffic from Philippines to
India was held at foreign communications camp of MPT
in Mayangon Township on 24 November. Managing Director
of MPT and Chairman of I.I (W.S) Ltd  reported on hire
of satellite transponder. They then signed the
contract and exchanged it. The minister and officials
of MPT inspected VSAT satellite ground station for
Myanmar-Thai direct communication new 30 channels
under the agreement of MPT and Telephone Organization
of Thailand (TOT), Shinnawatra Satellite Public Co
Ltd.

(9)  Ephedrine Powder Seized in Kunlong     
        
     A combined team comprising members of regional
intelligence unit and Myanmar Police Force, while
making a search at Nanhu Hpaungseik, Kunlong Township,
Shan State (North), on 15 November, stopped and
searched a car without number plate driven by Ah Kywin
and a passenger Kawkyin of Laukkai Township. The
authorities seized 52.224 kilos of ephedrine, a pistol
and ammunition.  Kunlong Township Police Station is
taking action against them according to Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances Law.

(10)  Goodwill Basketball Team Leaves
        
      The Chinese goodwill basketball team led by Sr.
Col. Jiang Zhong Yu of Jinan Military Command of the
People's Liberation Army, the People's Republic of
China left Yangon by air for home on 24 November.

(11)  NPE MD Receives Nepalese Journalists
        
     Managing Director of News and Periodicals
Enterprise received Nepalese journalists delegation
led by Chairman Mr. Manju Ratna Sakya of Nepalese
Journalists Association at NPE Office in Yangon on 24
November. They discussed matters of friendly
relations, information and journalism. In the evening,
NPE MD hosted dinner in honour of Nepalese Journalists
delegation at the Central Hotel in Yangon.

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