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News and Views from Myanmar ( Vol.1



Subject: News and Views from Myanmar ( Vol.1 , No.47 )

News and Views from Myanmar
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Vol.1                                1 December 1999                   No. 47
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Sr. No.                          CONTENTS                   

    INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS   
1.  Endeavours for supplying sufficient water for cultivation           


    FOREIGN RELATIONS
2.  Third ASEAN Informal Summit                         
3.  US Congressmen's visit to Myanmar                       

    GENERAL NEWS 
4.  Yangon-Macau-Yangon charter flight inaugurated              
5.  More armed group members exchange arms for peace                

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INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS

Endeavours for supplying sufficient water for cultivation

    As Myanmar is an agro-based country, the national development depends on 
the agricultural development of the nation. All-out efforts are hence made in 
the direction of developing the agriculture sector, and ways and means are 
sought for supplying sufficient water for cultivation. 

    During the time of the State Peace and Development Council Government,  a 
large number of dams and reservoirs as well as dykes, drainage canals and 
sluice gates have been built in every corner of the country. On 24 November, 
the Htani Sluice Gate was commissioned into service near Htani Village in 
Maubin Township, Ayeyawady Division.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary-2 of the State Peace and 
Development Council Lt.-Gen. Tin Oo said successful emergence of the dams, 
drainage canals, diversion dams, sluice gates, roads and bridges in a short 
time is the outcome of the correct national objectives laid down by the 
government and the endeavours of the entire people which is the national 
force. 

    Included in the Nyaung-don-kyun Land Reclamation Programme of the Lower 
Myanmar Reclamation Project, the sluice gate will prevent areas, which are 
located along the Htani Creek, 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. Built at a cost of over 
K.134 million, it took more than three months to complete 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.

    The 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. Moreover, new reservoirs  will be constructed in the Division to 
irrigate over 120,000 acres more.


FOREIGN RELATIONS
  
Third ASEAN Informal Summit 

    Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than 
Shwe and party attended the Third ASEAN informal Summit held in Manila on 27 
and 28 November 1999. 

    The Third ASEAN Informal Summit was not only the last ASEAN Summit of the 
current 20th  Century but also the first ASEAN Summit where all the ten 
South-East Asian nations were represented as full members of the association. 
In addition to the ASEAN Informal Summit, ASEAN members also held meetings 
with the Heads of State/ Government of China, Japan and Republic of Korea. At 
the meetings, the Declaration of Cooperation in East Asia, which provided the 
framework for enhanced cooperation between ASEAN and the three dialogue 
partners from East Asia, was adopted signifying the commitment of the 13 
nations to promote cooperation in the coming 21st Century. 

    In the course of the meetings, Senior General Than Shwe not only made 
important contributions to the deliberations of the ASEAN informal Summit and 
ASEAN plus China, Japan and Korea meetings but also had friendly exchange of 
views with nine ASEAN leaders and the leaders of China, Japan and Korea, 
thereby further consolidating the existing personal rapport among the leaders.

    The Heads of State/ Government of ASEAN nations also met with senior 
executive officers of information technology companies at the Philippines 
International Conference Centre, seeking means for progress of electronic 
enterprises in ASEAN nations. The senior executive officers of information 
technology companies reported on data on condition and potentials of 
information technology in ASEAN nations and plans for mutual participation of 
the public and the private sector in the ASEAN information technology sector. 


US Congressmen's visit to Myanmar

    US Congressman Tom Campbell, Congressman Donald Payne and Congressman 
John Cooksey and party visited Myanmar from 22 to 26 November 1999. During 
their visit, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt.-Gen. 
Khin Nyunt received the visiting US Congressmen and party, together with 
Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of Embassy of the United States Ms. Priscilla A Clapp, 
at Dagon Yeiktha of the Ministry of Defence on 23 November. 

    The US Congressmen and party also called on Minister for Home Affairs 
Col. Tin Hlaing, Minister for Foreign Affairs U Win Aung and Minister for 
Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs Col. 
Thein Nyunt on the same day. In the evening, Minister U Win Aung hosted 
dinner at Mya Yeik Nyo Royal Hotel in honour of the US Congressmen and party.

    During their stay in Myanmar, the US Congressmen and party visited 
Kengtung, Mongla and Tachileik in Shan State on 24 and 25 November and 
observed alternative development programmes being implemented in the region. 

    Moreover, Congressman Cooksey and party called on Minister for Health 
Maj.-Gen. Ket Sein on 25 November. Then, Congressman Cooksey and party went 
to Eye, Ear,  Nose and Throat Hospital in Yangon, where they met professors 
and specialists at the hospital.


GENERAL NEWS

Yangon-Macau-Yangon charter flight inaugurated

    A ceremony to mark the Yangon-Macau-Yangon inaugural charter flight of 
Myanmar Airways International of the Ministry of Transport took place at the 
Airport Lounge of Macau International Airport at 5 pm local time on 27 
November 1999. 
    The WA-G Developmental Group has chartered the Boeing-737 (400) aircraft 
of MAI to run Yangon-Macau-Yangon for ten frequencies up to February in the 
year 2000 with effect from that day.

    MAI Chairman U Maung Maung Ohn then invited all the people in Macau 
whether or not they had been to Myanmar to come and visit the land of 
undisturbed natural beauty and carefully preserved ancient cultural heritage 
which is given the name of the Golden Land. 


More armed group members exchange arms for peace

    Realizing that armed opposition does not benefit the nation and the 
people but only hampers regional development, a 22-member armed group led by 
sergeant U Saw Phala Oh of No.4 Brigade Combat Company of KNU armed group and 
41 family members, together with 18 assorted  guns, eight magazines, 277 
rounds of ammunition and others ammunition, exchanged arms for peace at the 
military column in Thayetchaung Township in Coastal Region Command region.

    A ceremony to exchange arms for peace of the armed group led by sergeant 
U Saw Phala Oh was held in Thayetchaung Township on 26 November.  Tactical 
Operations Commander Col. Ohn Myint in extending greetings said national 
solidarity has become strong due to genuine goodwill of the government, and 
only when national solidarity is strong and peace and tranquillity reign in 
the country, can concerted efforts be made for regional development and will 
a peaceful, modern developed nation emerge.

    The Tactical Operations Commander invited remnant armed groups to 
exchange arms for peace. He urged the armed group members to participate in 
regional development tasks.


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