News & Views From Myanmar (Vol.1 N

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

Subject: News & Views From Myanmar (Vol.1  No.9      4 March 1999)

                                                 News & Views From Myanmar
                                   (Weekly Brief from MOFA, Yangon, Myanmar)
                                            (Vol.1  No.9      4 March 1999)

Internal Developments
1. Towards a drug free world: 13th destruction of narcotic drugs in Yangon
2. Another step for progress of border areas

Foreign Relation
3. High ranking Singaporean economic delegation visits Myanmar
4. Indian delegation on a official visit to Myanmar
5. 4th International Heroin Conference adopts ten recommendations

General News
6. Development of human resources
7. Progress for Rakhine State
8. Building a new peaceful, modern developed nation
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Internal Development

1. Towards a drug free world: 13th destruction of narcotic drugs in Yangon

		The Fourth International Heroin Conference sponsored by the International
Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) was successfully held in Yangon from
23 to 26 February 1999.

		The conference provided a forum where police officers of numerous nations
exchanged views, ideas, facts and experience on anti-drug programmes. Myanmar
showed her full cooperation with the international community by hosting the
conference. Exchanges of experiences, views and ideas by the experts at the
conference assisted Myanmar?s narcotics eradication activities.  The
participants of the conference also had the opportunity to see first hand the
life of the opium cultivators and alternative development activities that are
being undertaken to change their livelihood.

		In conjunction with the conference, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse
Control of the Union of Myanmar organized the 13th destruction of seized
narcotic drugs in Yangon on 25 February.

		Leaders of the country, ministers, officials concerned, participants of the
Fourth International Heroin Conference, diplomats and military attaches and
journalists viewed the exhibition on narcotics.  Director of Interpol Mr. Paul
Higdon, Representative of UNDCP Bureau in Thailand, diplomats and delegates
from 28 countries attending the conference tested the narcotics to be
destroyed by applying chemical tests.

		Narcotic drugs- over 4023 kilos of opium, 431 kilos of heroin, 33 kilos of
morphine base, 19.485 kilos of opium oil, 28.642 kilos of opium liquid,

1443.861 litres of Phensedyl, 416.963 kilos of ephedrine and 165.755 gallons
of cough syrup containing opium-were destroyed on the occasion.

		The Union of Myanmar has always been in the forefront of the battle against
narcotic drugs and gained successes in her long fight against narcotic drugs
only with the loss of many lives. Myanmar is determined to achieve the goal of
total elimination of poppy production in the nation within 15 years.

		Myanmar?s determination to effectively eradicate narcotics is obvious and
with or without outside assistance Myanmar will continue her anti-drugs
programmes. It will truly be a drug free world if the international community
collaborate in these endeavours with an open heart.

2.  Another step for progress of border areas.

		Drugs problem, an evil legacy from the colonial past, became more complex
and complicated when it became linked with internal insurgency which afflicted
the nation since the time of the independence.

		After the assumption of duties of the State in 1988, the government,
however, has striven for national reconsolidation by dispelling disunity and
mistrust among the national brethren and re-establish trust and confidence in
one another.

		Due to circumstances, poppy cultivation was carried out in the hilly border
areas of the country.  To eradicate poppy cultivation, crop substitution is
being undertaken with added impetus with the projects laid down.

		Quality strain buckwheat has been cultivated, as substitute for poppy, on
200 acres in Tarshwehtan area in Laukkai District in the northern Shan State.
Preparations are under way for cultivation of buck wheat on 2,000 acres in the
district.

		Alongside regional development projects, efforts have been made for
eradication of cultivation of poppy and production of narcotic drugs.  The
Kokang national Leaders joined hands with the government in the peace accord
tasks that had been carried out for socio-economic development of the region
which no motor-road reached in the past and where poppy was cultivated for
their livelihood.

		In fact, success in organizing the people not to grow poppy is due to active
leadership and organization of the national leaders and gradual achievements
in the tasks for eradication of narcotic drugs.

		The government is doing its utmost to provide assistance, training and
education in crop substitution and other means of income and it has utilized
over K 10 billion for Kokang and Wa regions to bring about socio-economic
development seen there at the present day, and the buckwheat has now become
the favourite crop of the local people in a part of over all endeavour of the
government to combat the menace of narcotic drugs.

		Local people feel a sense of gratitude to Japan for its support for
cultivation of the crop, and expressed belief that the people would render
more assistance for expansion of cultivation of buck wheat as well for
regional development.


FOREIGN RELATIONS

3. High ranking Singaporean economic delegation visits Myanmar 

		Minister for Trade and Industry Mr. Lee Yock Suan, Minister for
Communications Mr. Mah Tan and Minister for National Development Mr.Lim Hng

Kiang and party of the Republic of Singapore visited Yangon from 22 to 25
February 1999 to attend the Third Myanmar-Singapore Joint Ministerial Working
Committee Meeting.

		Before the Third Myanmar-Singapore JMWC Meeting, Deputy Secretary of the
Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore Mr. Ho Meng Kit and party, who
arrived Yangon on 22 February, attended the Third Senior Officials Meeting of
the Two Countries held at the International Business Center, Yangon on 23
February.

		The Third Myanmar-Singapore JMWC Meeting was held at the hall of the
Tatmadaw Guest House in Yangon on 23 February.  They discussed enhancing
cooperation in agriculture, livestock farming, tourism, trade and human
resources development sector under the bilateral economic cooperation
programme. Chief Executive of Singapore Tourism Board Mr. Yeo Khee Leng
presented the Tourism Consultancy Study report to Director-General U Khin
Maung Latt of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

		On 24 February, Minister Mr. Lim Hng Kiang and party visited Hlinethaya
Industrial City and viewed undertakings at the Wire factory of Myanmar Sigma
Cable Co. Ltd. and Shoe factory of Tai Yi International Co Ltd.  Likewise,
Minister for National Development of Singapore visited central agricultural
model farm in Hmawby where they were briefed on quality strains.  They later
visited the rice mill being undertaken under the MTAF programme and
plantations at central agricultural model farm.

		The signing Ceremony for Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between
Myanmar and Singapore was held on evening of 24 February 1999.  Minister for
Finance and Revenue U Khin Maung Thein and Minister Mr. Lim Hng Kiang signed
the Agreement and exchanged it.

		Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe
received the visiting Singaporean delegation at Dagon Yeikthar of the Ministry
of Defence on 25 February, prior to their departure for home.

4. Indian delegation on an official visit to Myanmar

		At the invitation of Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Union of
Myanmar U Khin Maung Win, Foreign Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs of
the Republic of India Mr. K Raghunath and delegation paid an official visit to
Myanmar from 24 to 27 February.

		The Indian Foreign Secretary paid a courtesy call on Minister for Foreign
Affairs U Win Aung on 25 February.

		During their stay in Yangon, bilateral talks were held between the Myanmar
delegation led by Deputy Minister U Khin Maung Win and the Indian delegation
led by Foreign Secretary Mr. K Raghunath.

		Deputy Minister U Khin Maung Win and Foreign Secretary Mr. K Raghunath
signed the agreed minutes of talks between Myanmar-India delegations and
exchanged the documents on 27 February.

5. 4th International Heroin Conference adopts ten recommendations

		The Fourth International Heroin Conference sponsored by the International
Criminal police Organization (Interpol) was successfully held in Yangon from
23 to 26 February 1999 and the conference adopted ten recommendations.

		Having exchanged all necessary information, expertise and experience
regarding the illicit production and trafficking of heroin and other related

matters, the Conference urges governments of all the Interpol member
countries
to-

		(1)	continue to consider drug abuse and trafficking as a serious 	threat to
the social, economic and moral development of their societies;
		(2)	provide all necessary administrative, legal and material support  to
their drug control agencies;
		(3)	adopt balanced strategies regarding the reduction in supply of and
demand for illicit drugs;
		(4)	modify, if necessary, their drug-related laws, particularly in  respect
of money laundering to bring them in conformity with  the provisions of the
1988 UN Convention on Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances;
		(5)	take all necessary measures including appropriate legislation and
vigorous law enforcement to prevent the diversion into illegal channels of the
chemicals and precursors frequently used in the illicit production of narcotic
drugs and Psychotropic substances;
		(6)	expand and consolidate co-operation among their law enforce-				ment
agencies on a regional as well as international level especially in the areas
of the exchange of drug-related intelligence, training, judicial assistance,
extradition control deliveries, immigration processing system;
		(7)	make, for their fight against the heroin traffickers, greater use of the
Interpol facilities including its modern and safe communications system and
computerized criminal records;
		(8)	call upon the Interpol General Secretariat Drug-Sub Directorate 				to
especially focus on heroin-related activities of the organized criminal groups
and collect, collate, analyze and disseminate all possible information
regarding their cross-border alliances, criminal networks, sources of raw
material, places of manufacture, means of transportation, modus operandi,
assets, investments etc., 
		(9)	appreciate the need and usefulness of the alternative development in the
opium poppy producer countries and invite the world financial institutions and
the international organizations concerned to contribute liberally to the
successful execution of  the alternative development plans;
		(10)	effect greater Co-ordination in their struggle against the drug
	problem by adopting positive policies and practices based on enhanced
understanding of each other?s problems and difficulties, shared responsibility
and strict respect for sovereignty.

GENERAL NEWS

6. Development of human resources

		The Union of Myanmar has been home to national races who have been residing
in it with Union Spirit through thick and thin together keeping the eggs and
the nest intact since days of yore.  It has been usual for the people to
resist together whenever they were confronted with foreign aggression.

		The national brethren had been residing together in friendship and unity but
they became like strangers, misunderstood one another and engaged in conflicts
because of instigation during over 100 years of colonial rule.

		With the aim of enabling to provide the national brethren in the border
areas with a higher level of education, the Academy for Development of
National Groups was upgraded to be the University for Development of National

Races by the present government. It was also aimed to improve the
graduates of
UDNR themselves to obtain degrees and to enhance individual qualities.

		Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe
in his recent guidance to students of No.30 Primary Teachership Course of the
University for Development of National Races urged them to strive for the
development of national races in conformity with the University and in
appreciation and reciprocation of the goodwill of the State towards them and
national races residing in the border areas:

		The following are the salient points of Senior General Than Shwe?s guidance:
		-	Out of the three principal duties the UDNR students had to carry out, the
first was to bring about human resources development in  the border areas.  It
was vital for the progress of the areas and at the same time, education was
basic for human resources development. Only when indigenous people of the
respective areas 	were educated would there be human resources development and
would an independent and developed nation be established.

		-	As the second duty, the students would have to work for regional
development and socio-economic advancement of their national brethren. As the
students had learned agriculture and livestock breeding subjects practically
at the University, they would have to personally engage in regional
development projects, In doing so, they were to lead the local residents with
goodwill to help them strive for regional development and individual economic
progress. 
	
		-	The third duty of the UDNR students was to propagate the Union Spirit
among the national races. They should strive to consolidate unity to
strengthen Union Spirit among national races taking lessons of the past during
which the unity was divided due to the instigation of colonialists though
national races had joined hands 	in unity for years countable in thousands.

		-	Unity could be consolidated more as much as the national people
appreciated that billions of kyats which were being spent only with the view
to achieving regional progress to lessen the unevenness in development among
national races even though the projects 	might not be commercially viable.

7. Progress for Rakhine State

		Building of roads just like Yangon-Sittway Road linking states and divisions
and one region and another is for promoting goodwill relations among nationals
and raising their living standards. Provided there is better transport from
one region to another, relations will be promoted among the nationals.

		On completion of Yangon-Sittway Road, there will be considerable progress in
Rakhine State within a few years.  The main bridge is steel frametype and
approach bridges are reinforced concrete ones. The 2,003-foot long and 28-foot
wide bridge with six-foot walkways on both sides can bear 60-ton loads.
Clearance of the bridge is 230 feet wide and 45 feet high.  Min Creek Bridge
is one of the ten main bridges on Yangon-Sittway Road. Efforts are being made
for completion of the bridge in September 1999 as scheduled in accord with the
standard set and to build better roads like the bridges.


		As there is better transport, regional development will be made and
arrangements are to be made for extended agriculture sector. In Rakhine State,
over 800,000 acres of monsoon paddy and 15,000 acres of summer paddy are under
cultivation. It is needed to extend cultivation of monsoon and summer paddy
and to make efforts for cultivation of ten percent of monsoon paddy acreage.

		Mustard has better prospects among oil crops in Rakhine State and
arrangements are to be made for cultivation of 100,000 acres of mustard, and
extended cultivation of rubber is to be undertaken.  Yangon-Sittway Road is
being built for completion this year and on its completion, people relying on
waterway and air will travel by land.

		There are a lot of fallow and virgin lands in Rakhine State and responsible
persons of the regions are to organize local national entrepreneurs to engage
in agriculture and they should take interest in agriculture.

8. Building a new peaceful, modern developed nation

		Today, the State, the people and the Tatmadaw are endeavouring to build the
Union of Myanmar as a new peaceful, modern developed nation.  In this
endeavour, political, economic and social objectives have been laid down and
are being implemented.  Emphasis is placed for national reconsolidation and
emergence of a new enduring State constitution for effecting a discipline
flourishing democracy and building a peaceful, modern developed nation.

		The following economic objectives have been laid down and are being
implemented for modern development of the nation:-

		-	Development of agriculture as the base and all-round develop ment of other
sectors of the economy as well;
		-	Proper evolution of the market-oriented economic system;
		-	Development of the economy inviting participating in terms of 	technical
know-how and investments from sources inside the country and abroad;
		-	The initiative to shape the national economy must be kept in the hands of
the State and the national peoples.

		Development in the nation?s agriculture, industrial and trade sectors is
vital for progress of the nation. Out of the three sectors, agriculture sector
that is replete with land and water resources in the objective conditions in
the country and has been worked efficiently through successive generations.
Agriculture plays a major sector of great magnitude and scope.  It will also
be necessary with farsightedness to extend cultivation of crops for self-
sufficiency of yearly increasing population.

		It must be taken as a national duty to strive to cultivate monsoon paddy on
14 million acres and summer paddy on four million acres totaling 18 million
and get and average per-acre yield of 100 baskets every year for sufficiency
and surplus of paddy, which is the staple crop of the entire people of the
nation.

		Now, as national entrepreneurs equipped with sufficient capital and
managerial skills have come to invest in agriculture sector to tame vacant,
fallow, virgin and wetlands and grow crops to raise per-acre yields and boost
agricultural output, it is most encouraging for the nation.  These
entrepreneurs are ones who will bring a new era in agriculture and modern

farmers who will transform manual into mechanised agriculture and increase
the
agricultural production.

		As national entrepreneurs are also being invited to engage in extending
cultivation of seasonal oil crops and oil-yielding perennial plantations with
the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in edible oil, which is having to be
imported for domestic consumption spending large sums of foreign currency,
sufficiency of edible oil will be achieved in a few years.

		The State has been spending substantial funds and employing various means,
making arrangements to ensure adequate supply of water for agriculture purpose
in the States and Divisions and extending all necessary assistance with a view
to ensuring regional self-sufficiency and surplus of rice, extending the
cultivation of edible oil crops and extending the cultivation of major crops
such as cotton, sugar-cane, corn and pluses plus kitchen crops like chillis,
onions and potatoes in suitable regions.

		In his message sent on the occasion of the 1999 Peasants Day, Chairman of
the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe urged all of
the peasantry to expand multiple cropping year after year thereby improving
their socio-economic life and contributing in a way towards economic
development of the nation.

		The Chairman also urged the peasantry to make concerted efforts together
with the national people of the country, for national reconsolidation, for
emergence of a new enduring State constitution, for rapid agriculture sector
development, for flourishing of agro-based industries and other industries for
overall development of the national economy.

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