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Information Sheet No. A-0645(I)



MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
YANGON
Information Sheet

                            No. A-0645(I)                               11 Oct
1998

(1) 		(Continuation of yesterday)
		Attitude of the Nationalities Peace Groups 

		Today, a  translation of  the declaration of the  Shan State Army in
Northern Shan State Special Region-3 ( Shan State Army-SSA) issued on 1-10-98
is stated as follows.

Declaration on Attitude of  the Northern Shan State Special Region 3 in
connection with the National League for Democracy's calling of the Hluttaw

													     Date: 1-10-98

1.	Northern Shan State Special Region 3 abandoned the armed struggle line,
ceased the internal strife which did not serve national and public interest,
restored peace and carried on development projects in cooperation with the
government beginning 1989. 

2.	At present, the National League for Democracy is reported to be attempting
to call the Hluttaw. If the NLD calls the Hluttaw there will occur
confrontation between the State Peace and Development Council and NLD. It is
worried that this can harm internal peace and national reconsolidation and
then lead to unwarranted bloodshed. The Hluttaw called by the NLD should not
be convened and hence the Northern Shan State Special Region 3 does not
support it.

3.	The Northern Shan State Special Region 3 will continue to consolidate peace
already achieved and carry on implementing the people's development projects
in cooperation  with the government.


											    Sao Lwe Mao
												Chairman
										Central Leading Committee
									Northern Shan State Special Regional -3

(2)		Mass Rally in Magway Division Held to Express Desire 

		Over 22,000 people of various strata of life of Magway Division  expressed
their genuine desire to oppose the activities of National League for Democracy
which is detrimental to  National Security and National Interest at a mass
meeting  which was held in Magway Township People's Sports Ground on 10
October morning. Maternal and Child Welfare Association, members of Working
Committee for Women's Affairs, Red Cross Society, Auxiliary Fire  Brigade and
Union Solidarity and Development Association, Women's Sports Federation,
Magway Division Medical Association, Health Assistant Association,  Nurse
Association, Merchant Association, Rice Dealer  Association, Video and
Recording Association, All Bus Lines Control Committee, Restaurant
Association, Thabin Asiayon,  Writers and Journalists Association, Freight
Handling Association, Trishaw Association, Printing Owner Association, War
Veterans Organization, Traditional Indigenous Association, Social
Organizations and people of Magway, Chauk, Yenangyoung, Natmauk, Aung Lan,
Taungdwingyi,  Minbu,  Pwintbyu, slin and Minhla Townships were  present. The
meeting also tabled and seconded two motions calling for safeguarding and
maintaining economic development and ensuring food, clothing and shelter needs
of the people and maintaining and safeguarding the stability of the State
which has already been achieved.

(3)		Laukkai-Kongyan New Road in Kokang Region Inaugurated

		Vice-Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council General Maung Aye,
Secretary-2 Lt-Gen Tin Oo and party attended the opening  ceremony of Laukkai-
Kongyan road in Laukkai, Kutkai Township, Northern Shan State.  Secretary-2
said that after establishment of understanding  and restoration of peace
between the government and nationalities armed groups,  numerous projects had
been implemented and Laukkai-Kongyan Road is one of  them. Better transport
and communications is basic  requirement  for regional progress and the newly-
commissioned Laukkai- Kongyan Road will be improved.  Leader of Special Region
No 1 Kokang national U Phon Kya Shin said the region is now on the path of
peace and progress due to collective efforts of the Tatmadaw members,
departmental personnel and  Kokang nationals. He also explained how efforts
are being made to keep the entire area free from narcotic drugs. He said the
people of the area are  actively and enthusiastically engaged in cultivating
opium substitute crops.  Proper transport is essential for marketing the
produce. Commander of North Eastern Command , Minister for Construction  and U
Phon Kya Shin formally opened the Laukkai-Kongyan gravel road. The new gravel
road is 42 miles long. The width of the earth road is 30 feet and gravel road
12 feet. Tatmadaw  members of battalions and units under the No 99 Light
Infantry Division in cooperation with the local people began building the road
on 6 November 1997 and completed it on 18 September 1998. It serves as the
only road access to Kongyan in Kokang region. Local people are building roads
leading to the villages  from this road.

(4)		Multi-Media Training Course for Teachers, English Classes for School
Children  Open

		Multi-media Training Course for Teachers and English Classes for School
Children sponsored by the supervisory committee of Human Resource Development
Department (Yangon Institute of Education), opened at the institute on 10
October morning. The term of Multi-media Training Course for Teachers is from
10 October  to 1 November. Altogether  22 teachers will attend the course.  
A total of 145 students will attend  English Classes for School Children.
Arrangements are being made to conduct the course on Dip in English Language
Teaching  Methodology  in January 1999 under the sponsorship of Human
Resource Development Department ( Yangon Institute of Education).

(5)		Myanmar Buddhist  Delegation Leaves for ROK 

		A Myanmar Buddhist  delegation led by  Chairman  of the State Sangha Maha
Nayaka Committee Abhidaza Agga  Maha Thaddammazawtika Bhaddanta Thawbita left
Yangon by air on 9 October evening to attend the consecration ceremony of
Buddha images in the Republic of Korea.

Special Feature

		This office is presenting an article entitled " Do you really love? "
written by Dr Mya Mya Win for your reading pleasure. She is Chairperson of the
Burmese Association in Japan (BAIJ) which is a non-governmental organization
based Japan and opposed the Myanmar Government in the past. Chairperson Dr.
Mya Mya Win, Vice-Chairperson Maung Pan Hmwe and General Secretary Dr. Win
Naing together with Dr. Mya Mya Win's son Maung Moe Min Oo ( a second year
student at a University in Japan) gave up their refugee status in Japan and
returned to Myanmar on 19 August evening. 

		In Japan, a declaration containing personal affairs that I, Daw Mya May Win,
had become pro-government and other groundless accusations were issued. The
publishers were just a group of few members. And they say that they are doing
politics  without being able  to differentiate the government from the nation.
They do not seem to know that it is my right to do whatever I believe. They do
not understand what I wrote several times that I want to work for the nation
without any connection with party politics. I would like to request that if
someone wants to read my article with suspicion, jealousy  and criticism, he
should not go on reading , but stop here.  I write this article for those who
have clear outlook and accept the truth.

		On 19 August 1998, I arrived back my motherland Myanmar with whom I had been
separated for nearly 11 years. I got a chance to meet my children with whom I
had been off for years. Any mother from any nation and any race who has the
loving kindness of a mother felt happy for me. 

		Every child who was born of a good mother also shared my feeling. Before I
departed from Japan, I was interviewed by those from the TVs, news agencies
and radio stations of the world. I also issued the declaration written by
myself. I have taken full responsibility for what I wrote and said.

		When I negotiated with Myanmar government for me to return to Myanmar, we
had not made any promise or contract. They invited me to come to Myanmar,
study it and carry out social welfare services if I was willing and also told
me that I might return to Japan if I wished to and that I should come to
Myanmar first and then decide  what to do next. I understood that I should go
and see Myanmar. There is a Myanmar proverb  which says: " One will know when
he experiences it if he does not believe what is said." A Japanese proverb
also says: "Don't listen for a hundred times; go and see it just once." I
thought I should go to Myanmar one time. As I am not a sage, I was not up to
the standard  to know everything just by reasoning, so I decided  to go.
However, no one ordered me not to go certain places or not to meet certain
people or not to do certain things when I reached Myanmar. I slept together
with my children at my house. But I was not able to sleep the whole night as I
often got up and looked at my daughters sleeping beside me as I still could
not believe I was with them.

		The following morning, responsible officials came to pick me up for a news
briefing. It was my first sight of the City of Yangon. As my house was quite
close to the airport, I had not gone downtown the previous night. Yangon has
been a great change with modern buildings and wide roads.

		From my house to Myanma Radio and Television Studio, I had not been
instructed anything though I thought they would do so. I was not told any such
thing as to how to answer  the questions or not to reply to  certain
questions. I was preoccupied with the thought that as only the men of their
TVs and newspapers would come, they had already rehearsed it and that was why,
they did not tell me what to do.  When we got there, the men  who drove me
were telling me to go straight away to the studio; I requested them to let me
go to the water-closet for a moment and then, entered the news  briefing hall.

		Till I entered the hall, there was no one to give me any instruction or
order. When I stood in the hall, I found that it was not the newsmen of
Myanmar alone gathering there. After I had explained my conviction and aims of
returning to Myanmar,  they asked me questions one after another.  Unlike the
interviews I had experienced during the 10 years, I could talk freely in my
mother tongue before Myanmar authorities. What was said without any restraint
or reason in the past was from a foreign land.

		After the news briefing I went directly to Ba Ba (Uncle) U Thukha. I paid
respects to him saying, " I have never forgotten what you said that if the
voice is good, the act will be good, and if the intention is proper, fortune
will favour. I have been trying to have a good voice with proper intention for
10 years."

		After taking rest at home one day, I travelled to border town Mongla via
Kengtung (Eastern Shan State). I visited a village of Akha national near
Kengtung and tried on the strange-looking traditional dress. The village
headman  said to me, " Sayama ( Teacher), please tell these people to apply
for national scrutinization cards. They are rather simple and understand
things very little. I can't  persuade them to  have national scrutinization
cards. They always say that they will never go anywhere as they were born
there and are working there and they will also die there, too; the national
scrutinization cards are no use to us and they do not want them." I felt
slightly embarrassed. I was thinking to discuss democracy and human rights and
they were asking me to persuade those people to have national scrutinization
cards. The topic differed. To hide my feeling, I just said, " You just go on
persuading them. I'll come back later." I then bought products of their
village and left. The suspicion that they had already rehearsed with the
government suddenly disappeared as I realized that my thought was insulting
their honesty.

		I then went to Bala Ngadan Youth Training School in Kengtung, which looks
after 150 orphans. Though I have been trying to open an orphanage for 13
years, my dream has not come true yet. I wrote about  it in the book " Fate"
written in Japanese. Japanese Sankei newspaper said my book is one of the
best-sellers. When I arrived at the orphanage which I had dreamed, my eyes met
those of the children feeling dejected and longing for loving kindness. I was
rather moved. The government is taking care of what I had dreamed and teachers
are voluntarily working  there. I learnt that such schools do exist, are being
established and are going to be built. I felt peaceful after I had become
friendly with those who can regard other people's children as theirs though
there are those who want only their own children to prosper and have no
consideration for others'. It is a school established  with proper aims,
nurturing the nationalities  youths  of  border region to develop all-round. I
could not help appreciating the government's loving kindness and goodwill.

		I then proceeded to Kengtung Domestic Science Training School not far from
there. I met over 40 trainees of Course No 20. The boys and the girls were
being taught tailoring,  cookery,  hair-dressing, lathe-handling and
agriculture to enable them to earn their living by proper means, for they,
especially the girls, can be easily spoiled by the means to earn money so
easily. I was entertained to a plate of delicious traditional potato pudding
prepared by the course instructor and trainee  girls. I met the principal, who
is rather young and beautiful. When I asked her where she was from, she said,
" Yangon." Then I felt ashamed again. I said, "You,  teachers are practically
working in the interest of the nation and people without  boasting. For us, we
are living in a foreign  country and shouting aloud  for the nation, but we
have not done anything good  for  the nation. I feel ashame."  The principal
teacher said, "Elder sister,  you've just come back to do something good for
the nation. Try your utmost. We welcome you."  I thought for something which I
could practically help them;  I got the idea that white and green tetron cloth
would do a great help in their training and could let the children of the
orphanage wear  the clothes.  I then went to Kengtung Market and got for  them
as much cloth as I could buy. 

		Touring the nunnery under construction  and the completed Dhammayon and
pagodas, I thought  deeply of the meaning of the government's promise to bring
about all-round development and propagate religion up to the border  regions.
( To be continued )
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