Established 1914

9th Waxing of Hnaung Tagu 1368 ME Monday, 26 March, 2007Volume XIV, Number 344

Emergence of the State Constitution is the duty of all citizens of Myanmar Naing-Ngan.

Our Tatmadaw is a patriotic Tatmadaw that arose out of national

politics. During the time of anti-fascist movement, our Tatmadaw hand in

hand with the entire people, practised the people’s militia strategy. The

Tatmadaw and the entire people have become one and indivisible.

Senior General Than Shwe

Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council

Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services

(From address delivered at the parade of the 58th Anniversary Armed Forces Day)

The Tatmadaw and the entire people have become one and indivisible

True patriotism* It is very important for everyone of the

nation regardless of the place he livesto have strong Union Spirit.

* Only Union Spirit is the true patriotismall the nationalities will have to safe-guard.

Senior General Than Shwe sendsfelicitations to Bangladesh

NAY PYI TAW, 26 March— On the occasion of the anniversary of theNational and Independence Day of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh,which falls on 26 March 2007, Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of theState Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar, has senta message of felicitations to His Excellency Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed,President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

MNA

YANGON, 25 March — Lt-Gen Myint Swe of theMinistry of Defence went on an inspection tour ofThanlyin, Kayan and Thongwa Townships in YangonSouth District this morning.

Lt-Gen Myint Swe looks into regional developmentworks in Thanlyin, Kayan, Thongwa Tsps

Lt-Gen Myint Swe together with Chairman of YangonDivision Peace and Development Council Commander ofYangon Command Maj-Gen Hla Htay Win attended anopening ceremony of Kyaunggon-Seikkyi tarred road to

mark 62nd Anniversary Armed Forces Day in ThanlyinTownship. First, executive officer U Soe Naing Oo ofThanlyin Township Development Affairs Committee

(See page 8)

Lt-Gen Myint Swe of Ministry of Defence inspects paddy harvesting with combined harvester in Sitpin Village.— MNA

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM1

2 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

PERSPECTIVES* Oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views* Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and progress of the nation* Oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the State* Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy

People’s DesireMonday, 26 March, 2007

The government is making efforts ef-

fectively in the implementation of special

projects laid down by the Special Projects

Implementation Committee with the aim of

bringing about progress and development.

These projects play a vital role in endeav-

ouring for national development. They in-

clude short-term and long-term projects.

The respective ministries are cooperating

and coordinating for completing the tasks in

time.

The Special Projects Implementation

Committee held its (1/2007) coordination

meeting in Nay Pyi Taw the other day. In his

guidance, Head of State Senior General Than

Shwe warned the officials concerned against

discharging their duties perfunctorily. He

noted that they are to strive for national

development with genuine goodwill while

performing the State duties.

The government is implementing spe-

cial projects nationwide with seriousness.

There have been much progress in every

sector due to the active participation of the

ministries concerned under the supervision

and coordination of the central level.

The remaining projects are to be im-

plemented through coordination, coopera-

tion and active participation among the

ministries concerned.

With the success of the projects and

full utilization of land, water and natural

resources and taking advantage of prevail-

ing conditions, a modern developed nation

will take shape in the near future.

A modern developed nationto take shape in near future

YANGON, 25 March — The Ranbaxy JuniorTennis Tournament will be held at Theinbyu TennisCourt in Bahan Township from 5 to 10 April. Thetennis tournament was organized by Ministry of Sportsand Myanmar Tennis Federation.

The competition will include the U-10, U-12and U-14 boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles events.The organizer will arrange accommodation for ath-letes during the competition.

Those wishing to participate in the competitionmay contact MTF not later than 4 April.

MNA

Ranbaxy Junior TennisTournament 5-10 April

Preventive measures against denguehaemorrhagic fever, diarrhoea launched

YANGON, 25 March —Chairman of Yangon Di-vision Peace and Develop-ment Council Commanderof Yangon Command Maj-Gen Hla Htay Win went onan inspection tour of DagonMyothit (North) Townshipyesterday.

Upon his arrival, thecommander inspected pre-ventive measures againstdengue haemorrhagic fe-ver and diarrhoea and gavenecessary instructions.Next, Head of Yangon Di-vision Health DepartmentDr Hla Myint and offi-cials briefed the com-mander on sanitation tasksand proper flow of drain-age for preventive meas-ures against the diseasesat Win Thuza Shop onPanlong Street in DagonMyothit (North) Town-

ship.Afterwards, the

commander gave instruc-tions on participation ofthe public in the sanita-tion tasks and proper flow

of drainage with fullawareness of health andmeasures to be taken forkeeping the wards cleanand beautiful and cultiva-tion of physic nut plants

as targeted.Next, the commander

and official viewed sani-tation tasks and sprayingpesticide and talks onhealth. — MNA

Commander Maj-Gen Hla Htay Win inspects prevention againstdengue haemorrhagic fever and diarrhoea in Dagon Myothit (North)

Township. — MNA

NAY PYI TAW, 25 March — The ceremony onthe 62nd Anniversary Armed Forces Day Parade for2007 will be broadcast live by Myanma Radio andTelevision from Nay Pyi Taw Parade Ground start-ing 6 am on 27 March. — MNA

Armed ForcesDay Parade live on TV

Winners for foreign trip chosenYANGON, 25 March — The second ceremony to

choose lucky winners for foreign trip organized byDoaru Cosmetics and Glorin Hair Care Products tookplace at Sedona Hotel here yesterday afternoon.

Firstly, Director U Tin Aung of Shangri-la LeapInt’l Co Ltd extended greetings and Marketing Man-ager Daw Wint Wint Aung gave accounts on firstpackage tour for 2006. Next, responsible persons andmedia persons chose lucky winners.

Later, Managing Director U Khin Maung Layand members of the board of directors presentedprizes to sale agents who are chosen as lucky winnersfor a foreign trip.

Doaru Cosmetics and Glorin Hair Care Prod-ucts had been awarded ISO 9001:2000 certificate forits highly-qualified products. Doaru Cosmetics andGlorin Hair Care Products will distribute Roll on,facial cleanser for men and hair care products. — MNA

Departmental andTatmadaw vehicles

checked on Dry DayYANGON, 25 March

— Leader of the No 1Team of Dry Day Super-visory Committee PoliceBrig-Gen Than Han and

members together withdepartmental officials su-pervised the functions ofthe inspection teams atdowntown Yangon thismorning and evening.

Dry day inspectionteams inspected dry daypass, driver’s licence,wheel tax bill, wearing ofrespective uniforms andtraffic rules violation ofdepartmental and Tat-madaw vehicles at themain points of Yangonfrom 7 am to 5 pm.

MNA

Managing DirectorU Khin Maung Layof Shangri-la Leap

Int’l Co Ltdpresents prize to an

outstanding saleagent at secondlucky draw pro-gramme. — MNA

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM2

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 3

Tut\kun\Ns\S tiu;®mHc\.ÂkI N T E R N A T I O N A L N E W S

Wilfried Aulbur (2nd R), Managing Director andChief Executive Officer of Daimler Chrysler

India, and Indian car dealer Ashwin Sanghi (3rdR) and Suhas Kadlaskar (R), Director forcorporate affairs and finance of Daimler

Chrysler India, pose for photographers next tothe newly launched Mercedes-Benz S320CDi Lcar in Mumbai, on 23 March, 2007.—INTERNET

Models inthe

traditionaldress ofIndia

performon thesecond

day of the6th

CulturalFestival inDoha, on23 March,

2007.INTERNET

Joanne wins Miss Tourism Perak title

Juries not blind tougliness, study finds

Joanne Chan flanked by Audrey Ng (right) andCaren Goh after their crowning in Ipoh on

Friday.—INTERNET

IPOH, 25 March— Malaysia Airlines stewardessJoanne Chan beat 14 other competitors to win theMiss Tourism Perak 2007 title on Friday night.

She won RM3,000, a crown, sash and other gifts.

Chan, 25, said the title befitted her goal to promoteMalaysia as a tourist destination.

First-runner-up was student Audrey Ng, 22, whowas also crowned Miss ICCC. She received RM2,000,a crown and gifts.Caren Goh, 23, an assistant manager,emerged as second-runner-up and was crowned MissBeautiful Hair, winning RM1,000. Jessie Lim wonthe Miss Beautiful Eyes and Miss Photogenic titles.

The winner and first-runner-up will represent Perakat the national contest in Kuala Lumpur on 30 April.

The pageant on Friday at the Ipoh City & CountryClub was organised by the club and Lions Club ofIpoh Host with the Perak Tourism Board and IpohCity Council.

The event is also part of the Lions Club communityproject which raised RM35,000 for seven homes inthe state. Past weeks saw the contestants in a vintagecar procession, live charity photo contest and a talentshow.—Internet

LONDON, 24 March —Justice is supposed to beblind, but new researchsuggests juries are not, withthe result that uglydefendants are twice aslikely to be found guilty asthose deemed to beattractive.

Christchurch barristerand law lecturer JamesRapley questionedwhether the research, byBath Spa University inBritain, would play outlike that in the jury room,but says appearancecounts in New Zealandcourts.

“It doesn’t surprise methat juries are influencedby how people look, butmy impression in practiceis that once juries begindeliberating, they take theirtask incredibly seriously,”he said.

Rapley said heexpected that the peoplewho took part in theBritish study took theirdecision a lot lessseriously, but he stressedto students of his trialadvocacy lectures thatjuries often took ininformation visuallyrather than only aurally.

Canterbury Law Societypresident John Brandts-Giesen said the findingswere not surprising, but theassessment would need to

be a lot more rigorousbefore it could be reliedon.“From a humanperspective, it would notsurprise me if the waysomeone presents himselfmakes a difference,” hesaid.

The British researchwas done by psychologysenior lecturer Dr SandieTaylor, who gave 96student volunteers afictitious account of anold woman being

mugged.She then gave each

volunteer a picture of oneof four defendants – twovery attractive and tworegarded as “homely”.

A British PsychologicalSociety conference thisweek heard that Taylor'sresearch showed that lessattractive individuals werealmost 50 per cent morelikely to be consideredguilty.

Internet

Sniffer dogs get own bodyguards

One killed, 150 injured asstrong quake hits central

Japan coast TOKYO, 25 March — At least one person was

killed and 150 others were injured when a strongearthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 joltedSea of Japan coast area of central Japan’s HokurikuRegion on Sunday morning, public broadcaster NHKreported.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 9:42 am(0042 GMT), was some 40 kilometers west-southwestof Wajima in the sea off Noto Peninsula and about 50kilometres underground, said the Japan MeteorologicalAgency, which also issued on its website a tsunamiwarning for the area.

While West Japan Railway Co suspended all itstrain services in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures,Tokyo Electric Power Co and Kansai Electric PowerCo said nuclear power plants are operating normally inNiigata and Fukui prefectures, Kyodo News reported.

MNA/Xinhua

A damaged section of a road is seen in this videograb in Ishikawa prefecture in Japan, on 25

March, 2007.—INTERNET

KUALA LUMPUR, 25March —Two sniffer dogswhich tracked down piratedoptical discs worth RM10million have been givenextra protection andsecurity.

Domestic Trade andConsumer Affairs Ministrydecided on this afterreceiving information thatsyndicates have put a priceon the dogs’ heads.

The ministry’s deputydirector-general, IskandarHalim Sulaiman, said thatat least RM10,000 eachwas offered for Lucky andFlo, the two sniffer dogsthat began their hunt sincelast week.It is learnt thatthe bounty was first put onthe dogs by a syndicate inJohor after four stores wereraided with the help of the

sniffer dogs.The busted syndicate is

said to be one of the mainpirated disc suppliers forSingapore, Britain, HongKong and Japan. “Duringthe next operation, moreenforcement officers will be

escorting the dogs whenthey are at the crime scene,”Iskandar Halim said.

He said two minis-try vehicles would alsobe escorting the dogsthroughout their journey.

Internet

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM3

4 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

sk\mOs∑m\;Aa; eKt\ek¥a\lWa;

Motorists drive past an Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus-300 resting in the airportperimeter after the plane overran the runway during its landing at AtaturkAirport in Istanbul, on 23 March, 2007. Around 50 passengers and the crew wereevacuated from the plane unharmed after the plane overran the runway in Istanbul on Friday, a news agency reported. —INTERNET

American singer and actress Jennifer Lopezsmiles during a photo call to promote her latest

album ‘Como ama una mujer’ in Paris,on 23 March, 2007.—INTERNET

Investigators check the bottom of a fire truck that was knocked on its side whileresponding to a call after a collision with a school bus on 23 March, 2007, in Chicago.One firefighter was killed and three others injured in the accident. The school bus had dropped off children at a school. The bus driver was injured.—INTERNET

Nepal to buy power from India KATHMANDU, 24 March — The government has permitted the Nepal

Electricity Authority (NEA) to purchase 23 megawatt electricity from thePower Trading Corporation of India (PTC), The Himalayan Times, a leadingnewspaper, reported on Saturday.

Cyclone kills 69 in Madagascar, thousands homelessANTANANARIVO, 24 March — A cyclone that swept across Madagascar last week killed at least 69 people

and made tens of thousands homeless in the north of the Indian Ocean island, officials said on Friday. Mudslides have buried

whole villages, rivers haveburst their banks and roadshave been cut off sincecyclone “Indlala” struckon 15 March.

“I have never seen somuch damage,” JackyRandimbiarison, execu-tive secretary of thegovernment’s disastermanagement agency, toldReuters.

The agency said it hadconfirmed 69 deaths, twopeople missing, and nearly78,000 people uprooted onthe world's fourth largestisland that is home to 18.6million people.

The storm wiped outmore than 3,600 housesplus dozens of govern-ment buildings, schoolsand bridges, officialssaid. Some 8,280

hectares of paddy-fieldswere ruined.

In northern AmbanjaDistrict “a whole moun-tain has collapsed, bury-ing two villages underthousands of tons of rockand killing 20 peopleincluding six children in aschool”, Randimbiarisonsaid.

The InternationalFederation of Red Cross

and Red CrescentSocieties appealed onFriday for 637,000 USdollars to help Mada-gascar.

“The situation hasbeen made worse be-cause “Indlala” is thefifth cyclone to hitMadagascar in the pastthree months and theregion has alreadyexperienced heavy rainssince December,” saidAmna Al-Ahmar, thefederation’s regionalofficer, in Geneva.

"According togovernment figures, about80 per cent of the country'svanilla production —Madagascar's top foreignexchange earner — hasbeen lost," it said in astatement.

MNA/Reuters

Bird flu spreads to more farms in BangladeshDHAKA, 24 March —

Bird flu has spread tosix poultry farms nearBangladesh’s capital, thegovernment said onFriday, sparking a nation-wide alert.

The United Nationsalso expressed concern.

CS Karim, the govern-ment adviser for agricul-ture and livestock, saidamong more than 42,400poultry on the six farms inSavar, over 12,000 haddied and another 21,000had been culled over thepast few days.

The H5N1 avian fluvirus has not spread toother areas of the countryand there was no cause forpanic, he told a newsconference. Savar is 25kilometres (14 miles)north of the capital.

Dr Duangvadee Sung-khobol, representative ofUN’s World HealthOrganization in Dhaka,said: “We are very con-

cerned because this is ahighly densely populatedcountry where people,animals and poultry livevery close.”

“The government hastaken aggressive measuresto stop the spread of thedisease and that WHOhas confidence it (thegovernment) would be

able to limit the spread,”she told the same newsconference.

The disease was con-firmed through tests bylaboratories in Bangla-desh and Thailand, thegovernment said late onThursday.Another UNofficial also expressedconcern.—MNA/Reuters

Talking to the daily hereon Friday, executivedirector of the NEA ArjunKarki said the NEA willbegin the process shortly.

“In the initial phase, anagreement has beenreached to import powerfor four months. Power isexpensive for the shortterm, but will be cheaper

in the long run,” he said. “The PTC has proposed

to provide over 50megawatt electricity in thewinter season. However,the NEA could not purchasepower in line with theproposal due to the lack ofextension lines,” he said.

After the extension ofelectric lines by next winter,Nepal will see a shortfall ofonly 10-15 megawatt

electricity, Karki added. Purchase of electricity

from the PTC was delayeddue to technical reasons, hesaid, adding that talksbetween India and Nepalare underway for theconstruction of a 400kilovolt line in Nepal joint-ly by the InfrastructureLeasing and FinancialServices Limited of Indiaand NEA. — MNA/Xinhua

Two US tourists wounded byrobbers in Tanzania

NAIROBI, 24 March — Two US tourists and theirTanzanian guide were shot and wounded by robbersin northern Tanzania, police said on Thursday.

The shooting occurred on Wednesday at LakeDuluti, a tourist spot outside the city of Arusha, nearthe Kenyan border.

“The tourists were attacked, robbed and shot at.One tourist was shot in the stomach, and their guidewas shot in the head and is in critical condition,”Basilio Matei, regional police commander for Arusha,told Reuters by phone.

Matei said the other American had been shot in hisleftleg, and both tourists had been transferred to ahospital in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Two otherAmericans and a Briton in the party were not hurt.

MNA/Reuters

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM4

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 5

E C O N O M I C N E W S

An Oriental White-eye bird picks at a flower of a bottle-brush tree in Gurgaon, a suburb south of New Delhi, India, on 23 March, 2007. —INTERNET

The opening ceremony for Pakistan’s Gwadar Port,which is being operated with Chinese assistance, washeld in Gwadar, Baluchistan Province inSoutheastern Pakistan on 20 March, 2007. GwadarPort, located in the southwestern Pakistani provinceof Baluchistan, is a deep-water port that has beenconstructed with Chinese financial and technicalsupport.Work began on Gwadar Port in March 2002and has an all-purpose dock with three 20,000-tonberths. The port is China's biggest foreign aid project to date.—INTERNET

Rachel Renee Smith,Miss Tennessee USA

2007, poses afterwinning the Miss USA

2007 pageant on 23March, 2007, in LosAngeles. INTERNET

Malaysian ICT industry believes currencyfluctuation has minor impact

China becomes EU’s largest exporter LONDON, 24 March — China replaced the United States as the number one

source of the European Union (EU) imports last year, according to officialstatistics carried in Financial Times on Friday.

According to Eurostat,the EU’s statistical office,EU’s imports from Chinarose by 21 per cent to 1,916billion euros last year,while those from theUnited States rose by 8per cent to 176.2 billioneuros.

EU’s export to Chinaalso witnessed a stronggrowth last year, risingby 23 per cent to 63.3

billion euros. The rising importance

of trade links betweenChina and EU wasinterpreted by experts as agood reason for the EU togrow despite the threat ofUS slowdown, the news-paper said.

The latest trade figuressuggested that thestrengthening euro hadyet to cause significantdamage to exports fromeurozone, as Germany’seconomic recovery wasinitially powered byexports and the euro risehas sounded alarm bellsto export competitivenessin France.

For the eurozone,imports from China haveovertaken those from theUnited States by themiddle of last year, butmost of the imports fromChina were those of lowervalued-added parts ofchain like equipment andtextiles, experts said.

MNA/Xinhua

KUALA LUMPUR, 24March — The fluctuationof the ringgit against theUS dollar will haveminimal impact on the

local information andcommunications tech-nology (ICT) industry, thecountry's national ICTassociation said here onFriday.

"The fluctuation of theringgit against the USdollar is minimal andgradual hence the impacton imports of ICTproducts and services isnot significant," said theAssociation of theComputer and Multi-media Industry ofMalaysia (PIKOM).

The fluctuation of thecurrency should not causeany alarm if it continuesto fluctuate within severalpercentage points as longas it is gradual, saidPIKOM Chairman Lee

Boon Kok. As far as the pricing

of imported productsis concerned, currencyis only one factor, hesaid.

Both manufacturersand importers may havesome gains from thestronger ringgit when theybuy from overseas sup-pliers but there are alsoother costs involved intheir entire operations,Lee said.

Lee stressed that

stronger ringgit does notsurely make foreignproducts cheaper, but itwould make Malaysianproducts and servicesmore expensive on theworld market.

One way that exporterscould mitigate the in-fluence of the fluctuationof the currency is to makethe contract in the targetedmarket currency ratherthan in the US dollar,” Leesuggested.

MNA/Xinhua

Vietnam, India to strengthen multi-faceted cooperation

Portugal to increase investment in renewable energy

HANOI, 24 March —Vietnam and India willpromote their all-roundcooperation, especially oneconomy, trade andinvestment, contributing topeace and development inthe world, said toplegislators of the twocountries on Friday.

Chairman of theNational Assembly ofVietnam Nguyen Van Anand visiting Speaker of theHouse of the People (LokSabha) of the IndianParliament SomnathChatterjee held a meetingon Friday. During the talk,the two sides agreed tostrengthen delegation ex-changes, share experiencein the legislatures’ activities

and support each other inregional and internationalforums.

Vietnam wants to shareexperience with India infields like biotechnology,information technology,and education and training,

An said. Chatterjee, starting his

six-day visit to Vietnamon Thursday, said thetwo sides should beef uptheir cooperation in thefields of trade, scienceand technology in the

framework of the As-sociation of South-EastAsian Nations (ASEAN)and other multilateralforums for benefits anddevelopment of the twosides.

MNA/Xinhua

LISBON, 24 March —Portugal will invest 8.1billion euros (10.8 billiondollars) in coming sixyears to develop re-newable energy projects,Antonio Castro Guerra,assistant secretary of statefor Industry and In-novation, told a Pressconference on Thurs-day.

The projects will

create around 10,000jobs, and the wind powerinfrastructure, the largestsingle project amongthem, will cost 1.7 billioneuros, Castro said at theopening of a biomassplant near the town ofCastelo Branco, centralPortugal on Thursday.

Portuguese PrimeMinister Jose Socratespromised earlier that the

country was going toproduce 45 per cent of itsenergy from renewablesources, up from 36per cent in 2005, whichwill make it one of thelargest users of renewableenergy among theEuropean Union’s 27-member states, matchinglevels of Austria andSweden.

MNA/Xinhua

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM5

6 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

HAILING THE 62ND ANNIVERSARY ARMED FORCES DAY:

Only when the Tatmadaw isstrong, will the nation be strong

Building of a modern Tatmadaw:the national task

Kyai Phyu

The Tatmadaw

launched the armed

resistance against

Fascists together with the

people on 27 March

1945. Based on people’s

militia strategy, the

Tatmadaw drove out the

powerful Fascists from

Myanmar soil. It then

liberated Myanmar from

the colonialist yoke and

regained independence

and sovereignty.

The Tatmadaw solved

all political and economic

hardships the nation faced

in 1949-50, 1959-60 and

1962-74. It safeguarded

independence and

sovereignty and saved the

Union from frag-

mentation. It also carried

out nation-building tasks

with might and main.

Those are the historic

traditions of the Tatmadaw.

The fine traditions

of the Tatmadaw are

always flourishing. The

Tatmadaw is always loyal

to the national cause.

The Tatmadaw took

over the State duties on 18

September, 1988 to restore

the nation’s situation that

was in disarray and save

the Union from falling

apart. Moreover, it

safeguarded indepen-

dence and sovereignty of

the nation in time. During

the 1988 unrest, anarchy

ruled Myanmar that was

like a nation existing

without a government.

The Tatmadaw, the sole

national force, had to

assume the State duties

due to unavoidable

circumstances as it is

always loyal to the

national cause.

The Tatmadaw has

been systematically

implementing nation-

building tasks for the

emergence of a peaceful,

modern and developed

discipline-flourishing

State, which is the national

goal. To realize the goal,

the Tatmadaw always

keeps in the fore Our

Three Main National

Causes or the national

policy and is

implementing the 12

political, economic and

social objectives in

cooperation with the

people. The nation has

witnessed the emergence

of a large number of

bridges large and small,

roads, dams, economic

and urban infrastructures,

schools and universities

in all states and divisions

as never before.

Now, I will present a

brief account of the results

of the Tatmadaw’s

endeavours.

The nation had 40,525

schools in 2005, up from

33,747 in 1988; 241,854

school teachers in 2005,

up from 173,772 in 1988;

7,799,053 school students

in 2005, up from

5,239,878 in 1988.

Likewise, the number

of institutions of higher

learning increased to 161

in 2006 from 32 in 1988;

10,254 faculty members

in 2005 from 5,638 in

1988; 705,784 university

students in 2005 from

134,325 in 1988;

bachelor’s degree,

diploma, honours degree,

master’s degree, master’s

degree in research and

doctorate courses to

192 in 2005 from 79 in

1988.

In the health sector,

the number of hospitals,

dispensaries and health

centres reached 2,611 in

2005 from 2,123 in 1988;

physicians and health

staff, 60,229 in 2005

from 33,830 in 1988;

medical universities and

training schools, 37 in

2005 from 10 in 1988;

advanced courses and

post-graduate courses

including doctorate

courses, 94 in 2005,

from nil in 1988.

In addition to health

and education sectors, the

Tatmadaw government

has been developing all

other sectors in serving

the national interest

effectively.

The government has

been tapping more land

and water resources and

successfully building

political, economic and

social infrastructures. At

the same time, it is

building a modern

Tatmadaw as the nation

will be powerful only if

the Tatmadaw is strong.

We need a modern

Tatmadaw to safeguard

sovereignty and

territorial integrity.

So, a modern

Tatmadaw has been built

to safeguard the national

interest well. The modern

Tatmadaw’s main aim is

to keep in the fore Our

Three Main National

Causes.

((See page 7)

The Tatmadaw is an essential political force forevery nation to safeguard its sovereignty andterritorial integrity in accord with the demand ofhistory. Myanmar was rich and peaceful duringBagan, Toungoo and Konboung eras when theTatmadaw was powerful. During the pre-independence period, national leader Bogyoke AungSan asked composer Shwedaing Nyunt to write thesong “Only when the Tatmadaw is strong, will thenation be strong” with the aim of ensuring a strongdefence force for the future nation.

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM6

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 7

1234567890123456789012345678901123456789012345678901234567890112345678901234567890123456789011234567890123456789012345678901123456789012345678901234567890112345678901234567890123456789011234567890123456789012345678901123456789012345678901234567890112345678901234567890123456789011234567890123456789012345678901

POEM:

* To work in concert with the people in

building a peaceful, modern, developed

and discipline-flourishing democratic

nation

* To strive for successful realization of

the seven-step Road Map of the State

with genuine Union Spirit

* To crush every danger posed to stabi-

lity and development of the State hand

in hand with the people

* To build a strong, capable and mo-

dern patriotic Tatmadaw to safeguard

Our Three Main National Causes

Objectives of the 62nd AnniversaryArmed Forces Day

Good sons, thou art saluted* Tatmadaw regained independence

A prize, people desire

* Tatmadaw glorifies

Independence

A blossoming flower

* With sincerity, zeal, patriotism

The Tatmadaw

Develop, modernize nation

For public sufficiency

Winning others’ respect

And honouring Myanmar

Throughout history till future

* Yo! True blood and national force

Beloved sons, thou art honoured

For always loving Union

For always serving brethren

For always building nation

Recorded as peerless

Is the Tatmadaw

Its virtue eminent

And shining brightly

Good sons, thou art saluted

Myo Myat Myat Myint Maung (Trs)

Hailing the 62nd Anniversary Armed

Forces Day

(from page 6)

Actually, every

nation needs a powerful

and modern Tatmadaw to

safeguard its interest

and that of the people

and sovereignty and

territorial integrity.

The Tatmadaw is one of

the characteristics of a

nation. Tatmadaw is the

power and wealth of a

nation.

The Cold War had

ended. But the

superpower and some of

its cohorts are still trying

to put pressure on

developing countries to

make them their minions

under the pretext of

democracy and human

Building of a modern Tatmadaw: the …rights. They even ignore

the UNSC in trying to

invade and bully small

nations to establish neo-

colonialism. In this regard,

the developing countries are

in the process of

modernizing their armed

forces to ward off the

danger of neo-colonialists.

Although the Cold

War had ended, world

powers still hold

sophisticated weapons and

nuclear arms and advanced

sciences and technologies

and some of them are

interfering in the affairs of

small nations. It is common

knowledge that those

powers sometimes lead the

invading army by

themselves and in some

cases they provide arms

and other assistance to

traitors including

insurgents in interfering in

the affairs of other nations.

Democracy and

human rights are noble

causes. However, the act

of hindering the

democratization process

of small nations with

interferences to establish

neo-colonialism is

totally against the noble

causes.

The Tatmadaw

is an essential political

force for every nation to

safeguard its sovereignty

and territorial integrity

in accord with the

demand of history.

Myanmar was rich and

peaceful during Bagan,

Toungoo and Konboung

eras when the Tatmadaw

was powerful. During the

pre-independence period,

national leader Bogyoke

Aung San asked composer

Shwedaing Nyunt to write

the song “Only when the

Tatmadaw is strong, will

the nation be strong”

with the aim of ensuring a

strong defence force for

the future nation.

It is the national

duty of the present-day

Myanmar to ensure

perpetuation of

independence and

sovereignty, safeguard

territorial integrity, and

build a peaceful, modern

and developed discipline-

flourishing democratic

State, the national goal. In

hailing the 62nd

Anniversary Armed

Forces Day, I would like to

make a vow that we all

must be dutiful. So, we

must build a modern,

strong and capable patriotic

Tatmadaw as the back-

bone of the nation.

(Translation: TMT)

YANGON, 25March— A total of 81schoolgirls were initiated into

81 schoolgirls initiated into nunhoodthe nunhood at DawNyanasayi nunnery in NorthKyundaw Ward, Sangyoung

Township this morning. Itwas organized by Culturaland Child/Girl Sub-working

Groups of Yangon DivisionWomen’s AffairsOrganization and SangyoungBasic Education High SchoolNo 2. Present on the occasionwere Patron of YangonDivision WAO Daw MarMar Wai, Chairperson DawKhin Myo Thu andexecutives and members ofdistrict/ township WAOs.

The congregationreceived the Five Preceptsfrom Sayadaw BhaddantaKhantimabhivamsa ofThukhitayama PariyattiMonastery. Afterwards, theydonated provisions to theSayadaw and shared meritsgained.

MNA

Daw Mar Mar Wai, Patron of Yangon Division WAO, and WAO memberspay homage to nuns.— MNA

Our nation was enslaved

due to lack of modern Tatmadaw

against the colonialists.

Wasn’t it?

Quite right.

So, we need to build

a strong, capable

modern Tatmadaw

today.* Non-disintegration of Union* Non-disintegration of national

solidarity* Perpetuation of sovereignty

Ye Min Htet

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM7

8 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

(from page 1)explained about data ofKyaunggon-Se ikky itarred road and atownselder U Thein Tanspoke words of thanks.

Next, director U KyiMyint of Yangon Divi-sion DAC presented com-memorative flags to Lt-Gen Myint Swe and Com-mander Maj-Gen HlaHtay Win and officials

Lt-GenMyint Swelooks intoregionaldevelopment…

YANGON, 25 March —Under the arrangement ofthe Ministry of Health, aneye specialist team led byProf Dr Tin Win and ProfDr Kan Nyunt providedfree medical treatment to2507 patients with eyecomplaint and performed

Eye specialists give free medicalcare in Yanangyoung

minor surgeries to 316 pa-tients in Yanangyoungfrom 19 to 22 March.

The team was assistedby Yanangyoung Town-ship Union Solidarity andDevelopment Association,health staff of Yanan-gyoung People’s Hospital,

members of social organi-zations and wellwishers.Shwe Parami TawyaSayadaw Ashin Chan-dadhika and lay persons,Yanangyoung TownshipAssociation and well-wishers supplied medi-cines to the team. — MNA

concerned.At the auspicious

time, Thanlyin StationCommander Brig-Gen

Win Shein, director U KyiMyint and Yangon SouthDistrict PDC chairman UZaw Win formally

opened the newly-builttarred road.

Next, the commanderformally unveiled thesignboard of the tarredroad. Afterwards, Lt-GenMyint Swe and Maj-GenHla Htay Win and partyinspected the road whichis 2 miles and 3 furlongslong and 12 feet wide.

Upon arrival atmile post No 49/1 inThongwa Township, Lt-Gen Myint Swe and partyattended a ceremony toplant physic nut seedlingson 100 acres of ThongwaTownship PDC and putphysic nut seedlings andgrafts into seedling bags.

Lt-Gen Myint Swegave necessary instruc-tions following the in-spection of thrivingphysic nut plants. A totalof 3,750 acres of physicnut plants have been tar-geted to be grown inThongwa Township thisyear. Thongwa grew775.22 acres of physic nutplants last year.

Next, Lt-Gen MyintSwe and party attended aceremony to open gas-runpower supply task to mark62nd Anniversay ArmedForces Day in KayanTownship. First, Maj-Gen Hla Htay Win andChairman Col ThaungWin of Yangon DivisionRenewable Energy Re-search and DevelopmentTechnology Committeeformally opened the cer-emony. Next, Lt-GenMyint Swe formally un-veiled the signboard ofthe natural gas-firedpower supply.

Afterwards, Com-mander Maj-Gen HlaHtay Win made a speechon the occasion, sayingthat implementation of

natural gas-fired powersupply in Daepauk ModelVillage contributes to up-lift of socio-economic lifeof rural people. Before theimplementation tasks, thechairman of Yangon Di-vision Renewable EnergyResearch and Develop-ment Technology Com-mittee and party had madefield trips down toDaepauk Model Villagefor two times with the in-tention of testing on natu-ral gas wells there. Thecommittee submitted re-ports that productivity ofnatural gas can be gener-ated to supply power forrural area. Yangon Divi-sion PDC has spent overK 20 million on imple-mentation of the powersupply task. Now, peoplefrom over 1,000 houses infour villages are enjoyingfruits of rural power sup-ply. Later, the commanderurged all to participate inrural power supply task.

Chairman of theYangon Division Renew-able Energy Research andDevelopment TechnologyCommittee Col ThaungWin reported on naturalgas-fired power supply task.

Lt-Gen Myint Swegave necessary instruc-tions.

Commander Maj-GenHla Htay Win presented K30 million to Chairman ofKayan Township PDC UHla Thaung. The chairmanof Township PDC also ac-cepted cash donations fromwellwishers. The com-mander presented K 1 mil-lion for the rural health carecentre to Head of YangonDivision Health Depart-ment Dr Hla Myint.

Lt-Gen Myint Sweand party inspected gen-erating of natural gas-fired

power to the people, lampposts and gas tanks.

A total of 526 2-footfluorescent tubes athouses, 12 TVs and 1472-foot fluorescent tubesat lamp posts in DaepaukModel Village are beingsupplied 36 kwh through12 generators of 29 gaswells.A total of 84flourescent tubes and twoTVs in Dawbonsu Vil-lage are being supplied 7.5kwh through one genera-tor of three gas wells.Atotal of 285 fluorescenttubes and five TVs inGwaybinchaung Villageare being supplied 15 kwhthrough five generators of10 gas wells .A total of 22fluorescent tubes and oneTV set in Shwebosu Vil-lage are being supplied 3kwh through one genera-tor of two gas wells.

In line with theguidance of the Head ofState on the One village,One Product system, ar-rangements are beingmade for supplying powerto cottage industries invillages.

Lt-Gen Myint Sweand party paid homage toSayadaw BhaddantaKesarabhivamsa at SasanaZawtika MasoeyeinTaikthit in KwammoedeinModel Village in KayanTownship.

At the site of TarkawSluice Gate Project inThongwa Township, Lt-Gen Myint Swe heard re-ports on progress of theproject, and inspected con-struction tasks.

Afterwards, theyviewed harvesting of sum-mer paddy on three acresof farmer U Htay Hlaingin Sitpinkwin Village ofThanlyin Township.

MNA

Lt-Gen Myint Swe of Ministry of Defence unveils signboard to distribute power at Daepauk Model Village. — MNA

Eye specialists treat patients in Yanangyoung. MNA

Eye specialists treat patients in Yanangyoung Township.— MNA

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM8

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 9

YANGON, 25 March —Hailing the 62ndAnniversary ArmedForces Day, PhatashinBridge betweenMyanaung and Kyanginstations was opened thismorning.

The bridge is onP a t h e i n - H i n t h a d a -Kyangin Railroad sectionand it was built byMyanma Railways of theMinistry of RailTransportation.

Present on theoccasion were Chairmanof Ayeyawady DivisionPeace and DevelopmentCouncil Commander ofSouth-West CommandMaj-Gen Thura Myint

Phatashin Bridge between Myanaung and Kyangin stations opened

Aung, CEC members ofthe Union Solidarity andDevelopment AssociationMinister for RailTransportation Maj-GenAung Min and Ministerfor Forestry Brig-GenThein Aung and DeputyMinister for Energy Brig-Gen Than Htay, DeputyMinister for RailTransportation U PeThan, senior militaryofficers, departmentalofficials and local people.

Commander Maj-Gen Thura Myint Aungdelivered an address. Hequoted the Head of Stateas saying that roads and

bridges are being built astransport plays a vital rolein national development.The government wantsprogress of all the regionsin the Union. That is whymore and more roads andrailroads are being builtfor national and regionaldevelopment. Only whenthere is prevalence of lawand order, candevelopment tasks beundertaken smoothly.

There were delays

of the flow of commoditiesin the division due to thetransport difficulty. Nowtransport in the divisionhas greatly improved, the

commander said.Pa the in -Monywa

Road was built fordevelopment of the westregions of the Ayeyawady.The Myanma Railways isbuilding Pathein-Kyangin-Pakokku-KalayRailroad, the majorrailroad for developmentof the west regions of theAyeyawady.

He said the bridge wasbuilt in eleven months andthanked the workers and

engineers of MR.Next, CEC Member

Minister for RailTransportation Maj-GenAung Min made a speech.He said Phatashin bridgewas built in 1923. Itcollapsed on 30 April,2006 and It is openedtoday. Both cars and trainscan run on the bridge. Thebridge is a key link tocontribute towards thesmooth and securetransport which is the mainrequirement of thedevelopment of westernparts of Ayeyawady river.

Afterwards, CECMember Minister for

Forestry Brig-Gen TheinAung made a speech onthe occasion, saying thatMala storm hit inAyeyawady division inApril of 2006 and most ofthe townships includingMyanaung and Kyanginwere flooded due totorrential rains. TheGovernment renderedrelief supplies to thevictims. Phatashin bridgeis of great importance forthe transport betweenMyanaung and Kyangintownships. Therefore, theMinistry of RailTransportation managedto build the bridge to be

able to overcome thedifficulty the local peoplefaced in accord with theguidance of the Head ofState. Now the localpeople have an easy accessto transport betweenMyanaung and Kyangintownships.

Commander Maj-GenThura Myint Aung, Maj-Gen Aung Min and Brig-Gen Thein Aung anddeputy ministers sprinkledscented water on a trainthat was going to pass thebridge, they formallyopened the bridge and theytogether with the localpeople posed for a

documentary photo.Newly-built Phata-

shin bridge is of reinforcedconcrete. It is 469 feetlong. It is 140 feet longerthan the previous one. It israilroad-cum-motorwaybridge. It is 13 feet wide.It can withstand 30-tonloads. The local peopleand passengers have goteasy access to differentareas through Myanaung-Kyangin-Pyay-Yangon-Mandalay route.

MNA

Commander Maj-Gen Thura Myint Aung delivers an address at the opening ceremony of Phatashin Bridge.— MNA

Commander Maj-Gen Thura Myint Aung, Minister Maj-Gen AungMin and Minister Brig-Gen Thein Aung cut the ribbon to open

Phatashin Bridge.—MNA

Minister for Rail Transportation Maj-Gen Aung Min.—MNA

Minister for Forestry Brig-GenThein Aung.— MNA

Newly opened Phatashin Bridge. —MNA

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM9

10 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

Educative talks on Medical Advances inthe field of Oncology held

YANGON, 25 March— The educative talks onMedical Advances in thefield of Oncology washeld at Traders Hotel onSule Pagoda Road heretoday. It was organizedby Bangkok Hospital(Myanmar branch) of-fice.

Professor Dr SawNaing presided over thetalks. Associated Profes-sor Dr Soe Aung ofYangon General Hospitalgave talks on coping withcancer: Myanmar Per-spective, Dr PrasertLertsanguansinchai ofBangkok Hospital on in-novations in cancer diag-nosis and treatment andDr Surachai Sitawarin oninnovative systemic treat-ment of cancer today.

After the talks, theyanswered the queries

raised by those presents.Next, official of BangkokHospital donated K500,000 each to the can-cer ward and X-ray unit ofYangon General Hospital.

Dr Soe Aung of

YGH presided over thesecond session of thetalks. Dr Prasert and DrSurachai of BangkokHospital gave talks oncancer.

MNA

Commander attends ceremony tomark World TB Day

NAY PYI TAW, 25March — A ceremony tomark World TB Day for2007 was held atYadanamon Hall ofPyinmana No 1 BasicEducation High Schoolyesterday.

It was attended byCommander of Nay PyiTaw Command Brig-GenWai Lwin and wife DawSwe Swe Oo, Deputy

Director-General ofHealth Department DrKyaw Sein and directors,chairman of PyinmanaDistrict Peace andDevelopment Council UKhin Maung Zaw anddistrict level departmentalofficials, head of districthealth department Dr AyeKo Ko, local authorities,members of Women’sAffairs Organizations,

Maternal and ChildWelfare Association,township Union Solidarityand DevelopmentAssociations and socialorganizations.

First, the commandermade a speech on theoccasion. Next, Dr AyeKo Ko explained about thesalient points of TB withaudio-visual aid.

MNA Football Festival in Karaweik Park

Teaching aids, machines donated to Schoolfor Deaf Children in Mandalay

NAY PYI TAW, 25March — Chairman ofMandalay Division Peaceand Development CouncilCommander of CentralCommand Maj-Gen KhinZaw delivered an addressat the cash donation cer-emony to School for theDeaf Children inChanmyathazi Townshipyesterday morning.

Next, wellwisherPresident Mr Sadaaki

Tachiki and party ofKyoshin Co Ltd of Tokyo,Japan, presented cash do-nation to Minister for So-cial Welfare, Relief andResettlement Maj-GenMaung Maung Swe.

The commander, theminister and wellwishersviewed students, learningof training courses such ascomputer, tailoring andknitting.

It was the ninth cashdonation of the wellwisher— teaching aids and ma-chines worth ¥ 2,038,618.The wellwishers had madenine consecutive cash do-nations totalling US$227,945 to the fund of theschool.

A total of 221 stu-dents are attending thevocational courses.

MNA

YANGON, 25 March— Football Festival organizedby Olympic Sports Journal was held at Hmyawsinkyunin Karaweik Park, Kandawgyi here at 10 am to 7 pmon 24 March.

The festival includes fun games, quizes, otherevents related to football, fashion shows, HIV/AIDSand health educative programmes for youths.

The fans were presented gifts and other souvenirs.Famous vocalists also presented entertainment

programmes and outstanding Myanmar athletes tookpart in the festival.

The football festival was sponsored by UN agen-cies such as UNICEF, UNAIDS and UNFPA and so-cial organizations such as Aus AID, Marie Stopes In-ternational, Save the Children and PIS, local cosmet-ics and soft drinks companies and book publishinghouses and City FM.—MNACommander Brig-Gen Wai Lwin addresses commemoration of World

TB Day for 2007 in Pyinmana. — MNAFootball

Festival

organized

by Olympic

Sports

Journal in

Kandawgyi.

MNA

Represen-

tatives

of

ASEAN+3

visit

produc-

tion of

paddy

husk-

fired

gasifier.

H

Official of Bangkok hospital (Myanmar branch)office donates cash for cancer ward andX-ray unit of Yangon General Hospital. — MNA

Representatives of ASEAN+3 view pro-duction of paddy husk-fired gasifier

YANGON, 25 March— The opening ceremonyfor the third New and Re-newable Energy and En-ergy Efficiency & Con-servation Forum ofASEAN + 3 meeting washeld at Hline Campushere on 16 March, at-tended by officials of de-partments and enter-prises, Executive DirectorDr Weena WatChantanokome of ACE,

Ms Rabiah Al Adawiyahof ASEAN Secretariat,representatives of China,Japan, Republic of Koreaand ASEAN membercountries.

The meeting was or-ganized by Ministry ofEnergy, ASEAN Centrefor Energy-ACE, Instituteof Energy Economic Ja-pan-IEEJ and MyanmarEngineering Association-MEA.

After the openingceremony, those presentvisited the paddy husk-fired gasifier factory ofMyanmar Innovator Co-operative Syndicate whowon the ASEAN Alter-native Energy Award for2006 at Hlinethaya In-dustrial Zone andviewed the production ofpaddy husk-fired gas-ifier.

H

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM10

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 11

A worker of Zurich airport de-ices a plane after heavy snowfalls,on 23 March, 2007. — INTETRNET

China, Zimbabwe sign MoU onrural development

Hun Sen defends museum project in Siem Reap PHNOM PENH, 24 March — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended a memorandum of

understanding the government has signed with a Thai firm to build a museum in Siem Reap Province,local media said on Friday.

Gunmen kidnap Dutch securitymanager in Nigeria

LAGOS, 24 March — Gunmen in speed boats kidnapped a Dutch securitymanager of a German construction company in Nigeria’s oil city of PortHarcourt on Friday, security sources said.

HARARE, 24 March —China and Zimbabwe onThursday signed amemorandum of un-derstanding in the areas ofconstruction, rural housingand social amenities toenhance economic de-velopment and improvethe living standards of thepeople.

Speaking at the signingceremony in Harare, Zim-babwean Rural Housingand Social AmenitiesMinister Emerson Mnan-gagwa said the develop-ment would enable the two

countries to share ex-periences and assistance inrural development.Theassistance, he said, wouldalso help the ministry com-plete some of its rural deve-lopment programmes.

“About 70 per cent of ourpopulation live in the ruralareas,” he said. Thereforethe signing of this MoUmarks a significant step intechnical cooperation,technology, experience andknowledge sharing in ruraldevelopment between thetwo countries, the ministersaid.

He said the cooperationdemonstrated the deepsolidarity, friendship andwarm relations that existbetween China and Zim-babwe.

Chinese AssistantMinister of ConstructionLiu Zhifeng urged thetwo countries to continueworking together to improvethe cordial relationshipsthat bond them together.“What we have achievedtoday is just the beginningof greater things to come,”he said.

MNA/Xinhua

A Chinese man works at a steel market in Shenyang in northeast China'sLiaoning Province, on 24 March, 2007. China’s economic output last year

accounted for 5.5 percent of the world total, while it accounted for 15percent of total energy use and 30 percent of steel consumption, Xinhua

reported.—XINHUA

The attackers invadedthe construction yard ofBilfinger Berger on thewaterfront at dawn,engaged guards in athree-hour shootout andabducted the securitymanager when he wentto investigate what washappening.

“They attacked in threespeed boats and foughttheir way into the camp.The security managerwent out to see what washappening and got lifted,”a security source said.

The company has triedunsuccessfully to contactthe group that kidnapped

him, he added. Kidnappings of foreign

oil workers have becomean almost weekly oc-currence this year in PortHarcourt, Nigeria’s oilcapital, and thousands offoreign workers have fledthe Niger Delta since lastyear.—MNA/Reuters

Protesters chant slogansat a rally against the

joint military exercisesbetween South Korea

and US, scheduled from25-31 March, near theheadquarters of the USArmy in Seoul, on 25

March, 2007. Theplacards read, “Weoppose the United

States.”— INTERNET

Britain mulls to raiseschool leaving age to 18 LONDON, 24 March — The government will set

out its plans on Thursday for raising the schoolleaving age to 18, against a backdrop of risingteenage unemployment and an expected decline inthe number of unskilled jobs.

This is an effort to helpconserve Cambodia’sartifacts and earn nationalrevenues through saleof entrance tickets,Cambodian newspaper

the Samleng YuvechunKhmer quoted him assaying.

“The Kingdom ofCambodia benefits from(the agreement) that is the

protection and storage ofartifacts in the museumto serve national andinternational visitors sothey can learn about theworks of ancient Khmerartists, and (ticket sales)benefit national re-venues,” Hun Sen said ina letter dated onWednesday.

The letter is in responseto suggestions fromopposition law-makerKeo Remy that thegovernment should not

have endorsed theagreement with the Thaicompany on the Build,Operate and Transfer(BOT) principle toconstruct the AngkorNational Museum in SiemReap.

Keo Remy said that thefloral designs beneath the name of the museum,which is cur-rently underconstr-uction, demonstratea purely Thai structure andstyle, reported anotherCam-bodian newspaperthe Kampuchea Thmey.

The museum shouldreflect Cambodianculture, according tothe politician, whoemphasized that “cultureis the nation’s soul andculture is the identi-fication of a country’snationality and race”.

MNA/Xinhua

A consultation paper,known as a Green Paper,will examine the prac-ticalities of raising thenumber of 16-18 year-olds in full-time edu-cation or vocationaltraining from the currentlevel of 75 per cent.

The paper will revealwhether the governmentis in favour of makingattendance until 18compulsory.

In January, newspapersreported that EducationSecretary Alan Johnsonwanted the mandatory agefor leaving education ortraining to rise from 16 to18 by 2013.

Chancellor GordonBrown said during his

budget speech on Wed-nesday the governmentwould “for the first time inour country's history, makeeducation a right for everyyoung person until 18”.John Brennan, chiefexecutive of the Asso-ciation of Colleges, wel-comed Brown’s an-nouncement.

Colleges stronglysupport this ambition andwill be the vital factor inensuring it becomes areality,” he said.

The National Union ofTeachers has also sup-ported the move, sayingraising the schoolleaving age to 18 was“inevitable”.

MNA/Reuters

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM11

12 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

India, Japan to work for bilateralfree trade pact by 2009

TOKYO, 24 March — India and Japan on Thursday agreed to work for a bilateral free trade agreementby early 2009, enhance cooperation between their navies to strengthen maritime security and hold theirfirst ever policy dialogue in the energy sector.

Issues relating to freetrade, economic andmaritime cooperationand Indo-US nucleardeal figured during aseries of meetings thevisiting External AffairsMinister Pranab Muk-herjee had with Japa-nese leaders includingPrime Minister ShinzoAbe.

Mukherjee is on athree-day visit to Tokyofor the first-ever strategicdialogue between Indiaand Japan. As part of the

dialogue, he held talkswith the Japanese ForeignMinister Taro Aso.

Abe, during his 35-minute meeting withMukherjee at his ‘Kantei’office, said Japan desiredcloser cooperation withIndia citing the commonvalues of freedom,democracy, rule of lawand human rights that the two countries shared.

Mukherjee told Abe itwas important to enhancecooperation betweennavies of India and Japan

to realize maritimesecurity from the view-points of energy supplyand economic develop-ment.

The issue of theplanned bilateral FreeTrade Agreement came upduring Mukherjee's talkswith Energy MinisterAkira Amari.

Amari was quoted byKyodo news agency astelling Mukherjee thatJapan is seeking toconclude a 'high quality'economic partnership

agreement, with an FTAat its core, at an earlydate.

The two ministers alsoagreed that energyministers from the twocountries will hold theirfirst policy dialogue in theenergy sector in Tokyonext month.

The Indo-US nucleardeal, for which Japan isyet to extend support, isunderstood to have figuredin Mukherjee’s talks withChief Cabinet SecretaryYasuhisa Shioza.

Shioza is reported tohave told Mukherjee thatJapan is still consideringits position regarding thedeal.

Referring to theimportance of the bilateralstrategic dialogue, Pre-mier Abe said the strategicglobal partnership be-tween Japan and Indiahas made “steady pro-gress”.

Mukherjee welcomedJapan’s presence asobserver at the forth-coming SAARC summit.Discussions also coveredother regional and inter-national issues of mutualinterest, official sourcessaid.

Mukherjee and EnergyMinister Akira Amariwelcomed the agreementon modalities and timeframe for bilateralconsultation mechanismon facilitation of high-technology trade waswelcomed.

MNA/PTI

pn\;mn\qs\pc\pn\;mn\qs\pc\pn\;mn\qs\pc\pn\;mn\qs\pc\pn\;mn\qs\pc\elqn\≥sc\jelqn\≥sc\jelqn\≥sc\jelqn\≥sc\jelqn\≥sc\j

Uy¥aU\etatn\;Uy¥aU\etatn\;Uy¥aU\etatn\;Uy¥aU\etatn\;Uy¥aU\etatn\;sit\rWc\ln\;f"sit\rWc\ln\;f"sit\rWc\ln\;f"sit\rWc\ln\;f"sit\rWc\ln\;f"

Vietnamannounces statemonopoly fields

HANOI,24 March —Under Vietnam's newgovernmental decision onclassifying state-ownedenterprises (SOEs), thestate holds 100 per centof registered capital infirms operating in fieldsessential to the country'ssocioeconomic develop-ment and security, saidlocal media on Friday.

The fields includetransmission of electricityunder the national powernetwork; large electricityproduction significantto socioeconomic deve-lopment, defence andsecurity; management andexploitation of nationaland urban railways;airports; large seaports;flight control; control ofnational and urban railwaytransport; maritime safe-ty guarantee; postal pub-lic utility; radio andtelevision broadcasting;publishing and Press;lottery; money printingand casting; cigaretteproduction; and policycredits to serve so-cioeconomic develop-ment.

The fields alsoinclude production andsupply of explosives,toxic chemicals andradioactive substances;and production and repairof military weapons andequipment, according tonewspaper YoungPeople.

The VietnameseGovernment has recentlyinstructed the FinanceMinistry and relevantagencies to speed upequitization of SOEsoperating in differentfields and createfavourable conditions forequitized firms to list theirshares in the effervescentlocal stock market.

MNA/Xinhua

Iran gets 60% of oil incomein non-dollar currencies

TEHERAN, 24 March — Iran, embroiled in a nuclear row with the UnitedStates, is asking more clients to pay for oil in currencies other than the dollarand 60 per cent of its crude income is in other units, an official said recently.

Jailed Colombiandrug kingpinreceives death

threats BOGOTA, 24 March —

An imprisoned Colombiandrug kingpin said onThursday that he wasreceiving death threatssince he intended tocooperate with the US side.

Luis Hernando GomezBustamante, an allegedboss of the Norte del Vallecartel known by his alias“Rasguno”, is in theprocess of being extraditedto the United States.

“My extradition ... isinconvenient for a greatmany people: politicians,guerillas who want to bepoliticians and enemieswho believe I will namethem,” Gomez told me-dia. “There is one personin Itagui Jail (where Co-lombia’s demobilizedparamilitary chiefs arebeing held) who has nearlyall my money. That is whyI am worried that the peaceprocess will be damaged,”he said.

Gomez was deportedto Colombia from Cuba amonth ago. He had beenheld in Cuba since his 2004arrest at Havana’s mainairport. He fled Colombiaafter Washington offered areward of five million USdollars for the capture ofColombia’s top drugtraffickers.—MNA/Xinhua

Hojjatollah Ghanimi-fard, international affairsdirector of state-ownedNational Iranian OilCompany (NIOC), toldReuters almost all of Iran'sEuropean clients and someof its Asian customers hadaccepted making pay-ments in non-dollarcurrencies.

He said Iran wasconcerned about the weakstate of the greenback andwas not being promptedto act by politics.

“To the best of myknowledge, what we aredoing at NIOC is purelysomething based oncommercial reasons,” hesaid. “Part (of this) has todo with the strength of thedollar.”

Ghanimifard had saidin December that about57 per cent of Iran'sincome from crudeexports was in euros.

Washington is leadingefforts to isolate Iran overwhat it says is Teheran'sbid to build atomic bombs.The United States hasimposed sanctions on totwo big state banks andhas urged internationalfirms to avoid doingbusiness with Iran.

Iran, the world's fourthbiggest oil exporter, insistsits nuclear plans are aimedat producing electricity sothat it can conserve its oiland gas resources forexport and to prepare forthe day when its hugeenergy reserves run out.

“We have asked ourclients that whenever theyare ready to exchange thedollar into any othercurrency, including theeuro, we would bewelcoming that. InEurope, almost — I cansay — all have accepted,in Asian markets some,”he said.

Asked how much ofIran’s oil income was nowbeing paid in currenciesother than the dollar,he said:“It would besomething close to 60 to60 something per cent.Iran is expected to earnmore than 50 billion USdollars from its energyexports in the Iranian yearthat ended on 20 March.

MNA/Reuters

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM12

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 13

pvaer;®Pc\. eKt\m^P∑M>‘Pi;tui;tk\eqa Nuic\cMeta\”k^; tv\eSak\AM.Cuba willing to join tsunami early

warning network HAVANA, 24 March — Cuba is willing to join a Caribbean tsunami early-

warning system, which would help protect millions in the region, an expertfrom Cuba’s National Seismological Investigation Institute said on Thursday.

Tests on human caseon H9N2 show birdtransmission likely

HONG KONG, 24 March — A series of test resultsindicated it was likely that the nine-month-old girlfound earlier with H9N2 infection contracted thevirus from birds, a spokesman for the Hong KongDepartment of Health said Friday.

India set to become aerospace power

Speaking to expertsfrom 20 countries atGeosciences 2007, thesecond session of theCuban Earth SciencesConvention, EnriqueDiego Arango said therewas a need for an inte-grated social model toprepare the populationfor these devastatingphenomena.

He said Cuba is

vulnerable to a tsunamitriggered by underwaterquakes. As hurricanesand more conventionalearthquakes pose agreater risk to Cuba, it isimportant for Cuba totake part in internationalanti-tsunami networks,and collaborate inresearch and earlywarnings, Arango said.

He said that better

tsunami monitoring couldprevent loss of human lifein vulnerable nations,especially on islands andshoreline settlements.

The convention, whichends Friday in Havana'sPalace of Conventions,began with a call for theethical, egalitarian andsustainable use of theplanet's resources.

MNA/Xinhua

A Thai Airways aircraft prepares to take off at Bangkok’s Don Muang airport,on 25 March, 2007. Bangkok’s Don Muang airport reopened for domesticflights on Sunday to ease congestion at the new $4 billion Suvarnabhumi

airport, six months after it was decommissioned. —INTERNET

Malaysia’s King Mizan Zainal Abidin, centre, inspects the guard of honourupon his arrival for at the 200th Police Day parade at the IndependentSquare in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 25 March, 2007.—INTERNET

An Irrawaddy dolphin, also known as theMekong dolphin, swims in the river at Kampivillage in Kratie Province, 230 km (143 miles)northeast of Cambodia, on 25 March, 2007.

Cambodia’s rare Mekong dolphin is making atentative comeback from the edge of extinction

after net fishing was banned in its main habitat,Cambodian and World Wildlife Fund officials

said earlier this month. —INTERNET

New Jerseythievessnatch

$12,000 inunderwear

NEW YORK, 24 March— Three brazen NewJersey shoplifters made offwith nearly 12,000 dollarsin women's underwear bystuffing the goods into bagsdesigned to foil anti-theftequipment at a Victoria'sSecret store while the shopwas open for business,police said.

Surveillance camerascaptured two men and onewoman jamming un-dergarments into largebags and walking past cus-tomers and staff into theNewport Centre Mall inJersey City.

Police said the thievestook over 6,900 US dollarsin panties and more than4,900 dollars in bras.Victoria’s Secret brasretail from 30 dollars toover 50 dollars. Pantiescost between 5 US dollarsand 20 dollars, accordingto the company’s website.

No arrests have beenmade since the crime wasreported Tuesday night,said Lieutenant EdgarMartinez, spokesman forthe Jersey City PoliceDepartment. “This isn’tsomething we’ve seenbefore. It's a lot ofunderwear to take,” saidMartinez.

MNA/Reuters

According to thespokesman, geneticsequencing studies of thevirus isolated from the girlshowed that all the genesfrom the virus wereentirely of avian origin.

He explained that thetest results indicated it wasmore likely that the viruswas directly transmittedfrom bird to human andthat there was no re-assortment with humaninfluenza virus.

As regards thelaboratory tests on therespiratory specimenstaken from a healthcareworker and three childrenstaying in the same cubiclein the United ChristianHospital with the baby girlin early March, all of them

yielded negative result toH9 virus. The four hadshown mild upper res-piratory infection symp-toms and specimens weretaken from them for testingon 22 March.

Hong Kong healthofficials confirmed onMarch 20 a human case ofH9N2 infection, a mildform of avian influenza,the first of its kind duringthe past three years in HongKong. — MNA/Xinhua

not area-specific. If weneed men and machinesin the eastern theatre, wecan fly them in from otherregions,” said Major, whowill take over as IAF chiefon 31 March.

Dismissing reportsquoting two northeasternchief ministers as ex-presssing concern overthreats from neighbours,Major said: “We appre-ciate the threat perceptionmore than civilians...Negating threats is ourbread and butter.”

On the shortage ofpersonnel in the IAF, hesaid it was not as bad asthat of the Army. “Ourshortage is marginal —only 750 officers, unlikethe Army where theshortage is a huge at12,000 to 14,000.”

MNA/PTI

SHILLONG, 24 March— India is set to becomean aerospace power in the

next five to 10 years aspart of efforts to ensureenergy security, Indian AirForce (IAF) chief-designate Air MarshalFH Major said onThursday.

“We are headed for thatgoal slowly but steadily.If you look at the speedour country is growing,we need eyes and sensorsfor the sake of energysecurity...We will be anaerospace power de-finitely, perhaps nottomorrow, but five to 10years later,” Major told aPress confernce in thisnortheastern town.

He said the IAF, unlikethe Army, had the inherentflexibility to tackle anysituation within very shortnotice of four to fourhours. “Mobility andversatility of the force are

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM13

14 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007

S P O R T S

Answers to yesterday’sCrossword Puzzle

S T A N Z A 8 S T R I D E

P 8 8 I 8 V 8 I 8 O 8 8 X

R 8 A L T E R N A T E 8 T

O N C E 8 R 8 G 8 A G U E

U 8 Q 8 S T I L T 8 L 8 N

T A U N T S 8 E R R A N D

8 8 I 8 O 8 8 8 I 8 N 8 8

S K E T C H 8 S C O T C H

O 8 S 8 K A P O K 8 I 8 A

L A C K 8 M 8 U 8 U N I T

A 8 E N C L O S U R E 8 R

C 8 8 E 8 E 8 E 8 G 8 8 E

E X P E R T 8 D E E M E D

England’sWayne

Rooney (R)challenges

Israel’s YuvalShpungin

during theirEuro 2008Group E

qualifyingsoccer matchat the RamatGan Stadiumnear Tel Aviv,on 24 March,

2007.—INTERNET

Israel, England disappointin goalless draw

TEL AVIV, 25 March — Israel and England played outa disappointing 0-0 draw in their Euro 2008 Group Equalifying match on Saturday a result that dented thechances of both teams reaching the finals in Austria andSwitzerland next year. England manager Steve McClarensaid he was frustrated and disappointed by the result.

"There was poor quality and poor finishing. We madethe chances ... but we weren't ruthless enough in front ofgoal. It was two points dropped. We should have won,"he told Sky Sports immediatly after the game ended.England have scored only one goal in their last fiveinternationals — their worst run for 26 years.

The visitors went close when Jamie Carragher shavedthe bar with a header in the 69th minute and MicahRichards and Jermain Defoe had the ball in the net threetimes late in the match -- but from offside positions.

England showed a little more intensity in the earlyparts of the second half after Israel had held their own inopening period when Toto Tamuz had two good chanceswithin two minutes, the first a 17-metre low shot in the27th minute which forced England goalkeeper PaulRobinson to stretch to collect, and the second a header inthe 29th which went wide. —MNA/Reuters

Spain reignite campaignwith 2-1 win over Denmark

MADRID, 25 March — Spain revived their Euro 2008qualifying campaign after first-half goals from strikepartners Fernando Morientes and David Villa earnedthem a 2-1 victory over 10-man Denmark at theBernabeu on Saturday.

The win lifted Spain one spot to fourth in Group Fwith six points, one behind Denmark, four behindNorthern Ireland, who have played a game more, andsix adrift of leaders Sweden.

Denmark made a bright start but suffered a setbackin the 19th minute when defender Niclas Jensen wassent off for two quick-fire bookings and Spain werequick to take advantage.

Morientes grabbed the first goal 11 minutes beforethe break with a low finish underneath goalkeeperThomas Sorensen and his Valencia teammate Villamade it 2-0 on the stroke of halftime with a classyindividual effort.

Denmark hit back at the start of the second periodwhen Michael Gravgaard took advantage of someslack defending to head in at the near post, but althoughthey gave Spain several scares the visitors were unableto find the net again.

The match got off to a high tempo start as both sideswent in search of an early goal, but it was Denmarkwho looked more dangerous with Dennis Rommedahland Thomas Kahlenberg going close in the opening 10minutes.— MNA/Reuters

Czech Jan Koller, centre, fightsfor the ball against Germany’sChristoph Metzelder, up and

Per Mertesacker, right, duringthe Euro 2008Group D qualify-

ing match between CzechRepublic and Germany in

Prague, Czech Republic, on 24March, 2007. — INTERNET

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, is tackled by Bel-gium's Gaby Mudingayi during their Euro 2008Group A qualifying soccer match on 24 March, 2007,at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, Portugal. —INTERNET

Maria Sharapova, of Russia,celebrates a point against Chan

Yung-jan, of China (Taipei), on 24March, 2007, during the Sony

Ericsson Open tennis tournamentin Key Biscayne, Fla. Sharapova

won 6-3, 6-2.—INTERNET

Anelka on target as France labourto 1-0 win

Disappointing Dutch heldby Romania

ROTTERDAM, 25 March — The Netherlands wereheld to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Romania in a Euro2008 Group G qualifier on Saturday.

With 11 points after five matches, the Dutch remaintop of the group, followed by Romania and Bulgariawith eight each and a game in hand.

The Dutch chances came from long range. Anattempt from Rafael van der Vaart went wide after aslight deflection and Wesley Sneijder just missed thetarget from 25 metres.

Romania twice came close in the first half butCiprian Marica was foiled by goalkeeper MaartenStekelenburg and later hit the side netting.

Netherlands travel Slovenia on Wednesday andRomania host Luxembourg.—MNA/Reuters

McLeish makes winningstart with Scotland

GLASGOW, 25 March — Scotland made a winningstart under new manager Alex McLeish after substituteCraig Beattie scored in the 89th minute of a 2-1 victoryover Georgia in their Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday.

Rangers striker Kris Boyd powered in the openinggoal with a downward header in the 11th minute fromGary Teale's teasing cross from the right in the GroupB game.

Former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze levelledjust before halftime, latching onto a fine cross fromGeorgi Demetradze and sending his header flashingdown beyond keeper Craig Gordon.

Beattie scrambled a close-range winner to put Scot-land top of the group with 12 points from five games,before France's game in Lithuania. Georgia have threepoints from five games.

Scotland got the start they needed, with Boyd meet-ing Teale's cross with a header that flew into the net atkeeper Georgi Lomaia's left post.

Teale then squandered a fine chance to score whenhe burst through the middle seven minutes later only toshoot tamely at Lomaia.—MNA/Reuters

KAUNAS (Lithuania), 25 March—Nicolas Anelka struck with a lategoal to earn France a 1-0 victoryaway to Lithuania in a Euro 2008,Group B qualifier on Saturday.

The Bolton Wanderers striker,who had been left out of the squadfor more than three years after snub-

bing a late call-up in 2002, decided adull game in the 74th minute with alow shot from just outside the pen-alty area.

Victory kept France second in thestandings with 12 points from fivematches, level on points with leadersScotland, who edged Georgia 2-1earlier on Saturday.

Lithuania are fifth on four pointsfrom four games.

World Cup runners-up Francewere without captain Patrick Vieiraand striker Thierry Henry, both in-jured, while coach RaymondDomenech left out defensivemidfielder Alou Diarra and strikerDavid Trezeguet.— MNA/Reuters

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:10 AM14

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 26 March, 2007 15

Sunday, 25 March, 2007Summary of observations recorded at 09:30 hours

MST: During the past 24 hours, rain or thundershowershave been isolated in Kachin State, upper Sagaing andTaninthayi Divisions and weather has been generally fair inthe remaining areas. Day temperatures were (3°C) to (4°C)above normal in Sagaing, Mandalay and Magway Divi-sions and about normal in the remaining States and Divi-sions. The significant day temperatures were Minbu (42°C),Magway (41°C), Monywa, Chauk, Aunglan and Pyay (40°C)each.

Maximum temperature on 24-3-2007 was 98°F. Mini-mum temperature on 25-3-2007 was 74°F. Relative humid-ity at 09:30 hours MST on 25-3-2007 was 60%. Totalsunshine hours on 24-3-2007 was (9.2) hours approx.

Rainfall on 25-3-2007 was (nil) at Mingaladon, Kaba-Aye and Central Yangon. Total rainfall since1-1-2007 was (nil) at Mingaladon, Kaba-Aye and CentralYangon. Maximum wind speed at Yangon (Kaba-Aye) was(7) mph fromWest at (15:00) hours MST on 24-3-2007.

Bay inference: Weather is generally fair in theNorth Bay and partly cloudy in the Andaman Sea andelsewhere in the Bay of Bengal.

Forecast valid until evening of 26-3-2007: Rain orthundershowers are likely to be isolated in Kachin and MonStates, Taninthayi Division and weather will be partlycloudy in Rakhine, Shan and Kayin States, upper Sagaing,Mandalay, Yangon and Ayeyawady Divisions and gener-ally fair in the remaining areas.Degree of certainty is (60%).

State of the sea: Seas will be slight to moderate inMyanmar waters.

Outlook for subsequent two days: Likelihood ofslight increase of day temperatures in the Central Myanmarareas.

Forecast for Nay Pyi Taw and neighbouring areasfor 26-3-2007: Partly cloudy.

Forecast for Yangon and neighbouringareas for 26-3-2007: Partly cloudy.

Forecast for Mandalay and neighbouringareas for 26-3-2007: Partly cloudy.

WEATHER

*R 489 Published by the News and Periodicals Enterprise, Ministry of Information, Union of Myanmar. Edited and printed at The New Light of Myanmar Press,No 22/30 Strand Road at 43rd Street, Yangon. Cable Newlight, PO Box No. 43, Telephones: Editors 392308, Manager 392226, Circulation 392304, Advertisement 392223,Accounts 392224, Administration 392225, Production/Press 297028

Monday, 26 MarchTune in today

Monday, 26 MarchView on today

8:30 am Brief news8:35 am Music:

-May be baby8:40 am Perspectives8:45 am Music:

-All that I need8:50 am National news&

Slogan9:00 am Music:

-Mano9:05 am International

news9:10 am Music:

-The one1:30 pm News & Slogan1:40 pm Lunch time

music:-My life-Evergreen

9:00 pm Discussion-Significance ofArmed ForcesDay

9:10 pm Article9:35 pmVocal Gems

-On & on9:45 pm News & Slogan10:00 pm PEL

7:00 am1. Recitation of Parittas

by Missionary Saya-daw U Ottamathara

7:25 am2. To be healthy

exercise7:30 am3. Morning news

7:40 am 4. Nice and sweet song7:55 am 5. Song of national races8:05 am 6. Cute little dancers8:10 am7. ss\kiuc\;tiuc\; puTiu;lMu;ss\kiuc\;tiuc\; puTiu;lMu;ss\kiuc\;tiuc\; puTiu;lMu;ss\kiuc\;tiuc\; puTiu;lMu;ss\kiuc\;tiuc\; puTiu;lMu;

tMta;tMta;tMta;tMta;tMta;8:20 am8. (62)(62)(62)(62)(62) Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>

gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\8:30 am 9. International news8:45 am10. Grammar Made

Easy

4:00 pm 1.Martial song4:15 pm 2. Songs to uphold

National Spirit4:30 pm 3. Aew;qc\tkquil\Aew;qc\tkquil\Aew;qc\tkquil\Aew;qc\tkquil\Aew;qc\tkquil\

pvaer;pvaer;pvaer;pvaer;pvaer;Rup\�mc\qMÂka; Rup\�mc\qMÂka; Rup\�mc\qMÂka; Rup\�mc\qMÂka; Rup\�mc\qMÂka; qc\Kn\;saqc\Kn\;saqc\Kn\;saqc\Kn\;saqc\Kn\;sa-----dutiyNs\(sit\pvaAT;�po)dutiyNs\(sit\pvaAT;�po)dutiyNs\(sit\pvaAT;�po)dutiyNs\(sit\pvaAT;�po)dutiyNs\(sit\pvaAT;�po)(sit\pva)(sit\pva)(sit\pva)(sit\pva)(sit\pva)

4:45 pm 4. Dance variety5:00 pm5. �mn\maRiu;raetaDel.�mn\maRiu;raetaDel.�mn\maRiu;raetaDel.�mn\maRiu;raetaDel.�mn\maRiu;raetaDel.

ek¥;lk\et;qMm¥a;ek¥;lk\et;qMm¥a;ek¥;lk\et;qMm¥a;ek¥;lk\et;qMm¥a;ek¥;lk\et;qMm¥a;5:10 pm 6. �mn\masa' �mn\maska;�mn\masa' �mn\maska;�mn\masa' �mn\maska;�mn\masa' �mn\maska;�mn\masa' �mn\maska;5:25 pm 7. Musical programme

(The RadioMyanmar ModernMusic Troupe)

5:35 pm 8. {eK¥ac\;km\;eB;k{eK¥ac\;km\;eB;k{eK¥ac\;km\;eB;k{eK¥ac\;km\;eB;k{eK¥ac\;km\;eB;k

r∑akel;}r∑akel;}r∑akel;}r∑akel;}r∑akel;}(N∑´>N∑´>sn\;' �mc\.�mc\.Kiuc\'(N∑´>N∑´>sn\;' �mc\.�mc\.Kiuc\'(N∑´>N∑´>sn\;' �mc\.�mc\.Kiuc\'(N∑´>N∑´>sn\;' �mc\.�mc\.Kiuc\'(N∑´>N∑´>sn\;' �mc\.�mc\.Kiuc\'Tc\epÅ'Tc\epÅ'Tc\epÅ'Tc\epÅ'Tc\epÅ' qzc\)qzc\)qzc\)qzc\)qzc\)

[dåriuk\ta-�mc\.siu;(w/[dåriuk\ta-�mc\.siu;(w/[dåriuk\ta-�mc\.siu;(w/[dåriuk\ta-�mc\.siu;(w/[dåriuk\ta-�mc\.siu;(w/qqqqq rn\kun\)]rn\kun\)]rn\kun\)]rn\kun\)]rn\kun\)]

5:45 pm 9. tp\meta\en>gu%\�potp\meta\en>gu%\�potp\meta\en>gu%\�potp\meta\en>gu%\�potp\meta\en>gu%\�po

et;q^K¥c\;�pioc\p∑´et;q^K¥c\;�pioc\p∑´et;q^K¥c\;�pioc\p∑´et;q^K¥c\;�pioc\p∑´et;q^K¥c\;�pioc\p∑´Suret;m¥a; (2006 KuNs\)Suret;m¥a; (2006 KuNs\)Suret;m¥a; (2006 KuNs\)Suret;m¥a; (2006 KuNs\)Suret;m¥a; (2006 KuNs\)

6:00 pm10. Evening news6:30 pm11. Weather report6:35 pm12. AAAAAlRamy\ lkmıawy\lRamy\ lkmıawy\lRamy\ lkmıawy\lRamy\ lkmıawy\lRamy\ lkmıawy\7:00 pm13. Niuc\cM�Ka;zat\lm\;t∑´Niuc\cM�Ka;zat\lm\;t∑´Niuc\cM�Ka;zat\lm\;t∑´Niuc\cM�Ka;zat\lm\;t∑´Niuc\cM�Ka;zat\lm\;t∑´

{K¥s\qsßa{K¥s\qsßa{K¥s\qsßa{K¥s\qsßa{K¥s\qsßaBwpc\�Ka;eqa\lv\;}Bwpc\�Ka;eqa\lv\;}Bwpc\�Ka;eqa\lv\;}Bwpc\�Ka;eqa\lv\;}Bwpc\�Ka;eqa\lv\;}(Apiuc\;-6)(Apiuc\;-6)(Apiuc\;-6)(Apiuc\;-6)(Apiuc\;-6)

7:40 pm14. (62)(62)(62)(62)(62) Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>

gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\gu%\�poAs^AsU\7:50 pm15. �pv\q¨>At∑k\tp\meta\�pv\q¨>At∑k\tp\meta\�pv\q¨>At∑k\tp\meta\�pv\q¨>At∑k\tp\meta\�pv\q¨>At∑k\tp\meta\

(k¥n\;maer;'qipMπnv\;pva'(k¥n\;maer;'qipMπnv\;pva'(k¥n\;maer;'qipMπnv\;pva'(k¥n\;maer;'qipMπnv\;pva'(k¥n\;maer;'qipMπnv\;pva'pvaer;)pvaer;)pvaer;)pvaer;)pvaer;)

8:00 pm16. News17. International news18. Weather report9:00 pm19. (62)(62)(62)(62)(62) Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>Ns\e�mak\tp\meta\en>

gu%\�po Rup\�mc\qMÂka;gu%\�po Rup\�mc\qMÂka;gu%\�po Rup\�mc\qMÂka;gu%\�po Rup\�mc\qMÂka;gu%\�po Rup\�mc\qMÂka;zat\lm\;zat\lm\;zat\lm\;zat\lm\;zat\lm\;{AePt¨qa;}{AePt¨qa;}{AePt¨qa;}{AePt¨qa;}{AePt¨qa;}(zat\qim\;piuc\;)(zat\qim\;piuc\;)(zat\qim\;piuc\;)(zat\qim\;piuc\;)(zat\qim\;piuc\;)(zc\wiuc\;' l¨mc\;'(zc\wiuc\;' l¨mc\;'(zc\wiuc\;' l¨mc\;'(zc\wiuc\;' l¨mc\;'(zc\wiuc\;' l¨mc\;'mc\;ema\k∑n\;' enm¥io;eAac\'mc\;ema\k∑n\;' enm¥io;eAac\'mc\;ema\k∑n\;' enm¥io;eAac\'mc\;ema\k∑n\;' enm¥io;eAac\'mc\;ema\k∑n\;' enm¥io;eAac\'T∑n\;T∑n\;(T∑n\;T∑n\;(T∑n\;T∑n\;(T∑n\;T∑n\;(T∑n\;T∑n\;(Examplez)'''''pn\;�Pø' nN∂alOic\'pn\;�Pø' nN∂alOic\'pn\;�Pø' nN∂alOic\'pn\;�Pø' nN∂alOic\'pn\;�Pø' nN∂alOic\'qk\m∑n\�mc\\.' emq√Ωa√^;)qk\m∑n\�mc\\.' emq√Ωa√^;)qk\m∑n\�mc\\.' emq√Ωa√^;)qk\m∑n\�mc\\.' emq√Ωa√^;)qk\m∑n\�mc\\.' emq√Ωa√^;)(dåRiuk\ta-pn\;K¥siu;miu;)(dåRiuk\ta-pn\;K¥siu;miu;)(dåRiuk\ta-pn\;K¥siu;miu;)(dåRiuk\ta-pn\;K¥siu;miu;)(dåRiuk\ta-pn\;K¥siu;miu;)

20. The next day’sprogramme

Earthquake report(Issued at 10:30 hours MST today)

A strong earthquake of intensity (7.2) Richter Scalewith its epicentre outside Myanmar about (5,600) milesSoutheast of Kaba-Aye Seismological observatory wasrecorded at (07)hrs (10)min (02) sec MST and a strongearthquake of intensity (7.1) Richter Scale with its epicen-tre outside Myanmar about (2,980) miles Northeast ofKaba-Aye Seismological observatory was recorded at(07) hrs (12) min (16) sec MST on 25th March 2007.

Farung Yuthithum, 19, smiles after she was crownedMiss Thailand Universe 2007 in Bangkok, on 25

March, 2007. — INTERNET

WHO to launch large-scaleanti-tobacco campaign in Bangkok

BANGKOK, 25 March— The World HealthOrganization (WHO) plansto launch an international

anti-smoking publiccampaign in Bangkok tomark the World No-Tobacco Day, which falls

on 31 May, Thai NewsAgency reported onSaturday, quoting a seniorpublic health official.

Dr Panya Sornkom,adviser to Thailand’sDeputy Public HealthMinister, said that WHOwill launch the publicrelations campaign inThailand from 30 May to 1July this year to mark theWorld No-Tobacco Day on31 May. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan andThai Prime MinisterSurayud Chulanont arescheduled to declare theirjoint intention to fightagainst tobacco con-sumption.

Thailand is regardedas the world’s secondranked country in re-ducing tobacco use byimplementing anti-smoking measures, fol-lowing Canada, Panya said.

The Public HealthMinistry plans to extend nosmoking zones to cover1,500 fresh marketsnationwide before the endof this year. The ministry is

also conducting a feasibilitystudy to see if no-smokingzones should be extendedto entertainment venues likepubs and bars. Thailandalready has some of thetoughest anti-smokinglaws in the world. In 2005,the government bannedcigarette displays at pointsof sale, making Thailandthe third country worldwideto do so. The law banningsmoking in virtually allpublic places came intoforce on 29 December,2006.

Other restrictions onthe tobacco industry in-clude bans on cigaretteadvertisements on media,bans on smoking inmost public places andrequirements that allcigarette packs put ongraphic photos, such asdeath’s heads and darklungs, depicting the illeffects of tobacco on health.

MNA/Xinhua

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:11 AM15

9th Waxing of Hnaung Tagu 1368 ME Monday, 26 March, 2007

* Development of agriculture as the base and all-rounddevelopment of other sectors of the economy as well

* Proper evolution of the market-oriented economicsystem

* Development of the economy inviting participation interms of technical know-how and investments fromsources inside the country and abroad

* The initiative to shape the national economy must be keptin the hands of the State and the national peoples

* Uplift of the morale and morality ofthe entire nation

* Uplift of national prestige and integ-rity and preservation and safeguard-ing of cultural heritage and nationalcharacter

* Uplift of dynamism of patriotic spirit* Uplift of health, fitness and education

standards of the entire nation

* Stability of the State, community peaceand tranquillity, prevalence of law andorder

* National reconsolidation* Emergence of a new enduring State

Constitution* Building of a new modern developed

nation in accord with the new StateConstitution

Four economic objectives Four social objectivesFour political objectives

Prime Minister sendsfelicitations to Bangladesh

NAY PYI TAW, 26 March— On the occasion of the anniversary of the National and Independ-ence Day of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, which falls on 26 March 2007, General Soe Win,Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar, has sent a message of felicitations to Honourable DrFakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser of Non-party Care Taker Government of the People’s Republicof Bangladesh.—MNA

NAY PYI TAW, 24 March—The UNODC thismonth issued the annual report 2007. The reportcovers measures taken in 2006 as to control of humantrafficking and HIV/AIDS and drug-demand reduc-tion in Myanmar.

The report states Myanmar continued tosee opium cultivation decline in 2006. The UNODCran community support projects, introduced drug-demand reduction initiatives and helped to pro-vide treatment and rehabilitation for the coun-try’s opium addicts.

The UNODC’s the 2006 Golden TriangleOpium Survey showed that poppy cultivation has de-creased by 29 per cent in Myanmar, Laos and Thailandwhen compared to 2005. In Myanmar, poppy cultiva-tion fell 34 per cent to 21,500 hectares, representing adramatic 83 per cent drop from 130,300 hectares undercultivation in 1998. The Wa Special Region of ShanState (North) was declared as a opium-free zone. Thisresulted from an opium ban imposed by the localauthorities in June 2005 as part of a five year govern-ment plan to make the country opium-free by 2014.

UNODC provided farmers with alterna-tive livelihoods so that rapid opium eradicationcouldn’t hit them. UNODC took measures to meetthe humanitarian needs of thousands of farmerswho quit poppy cultivation and their families. Itprovided comprehensive assistance to help themobtain foods, basic services and education. In

UNODC issues theannual report on successof control of drugs, hu-man trafficking, HIV/AIDS in Myanmar.

Myanmar sees opium cultivation decline in 2006UNODC strengthens links with UN agencies and NGOsworking on anti-human trafficking efforts of MyanmarIn combating HIV/AIDS, UNODC andMyanmar Drug Control Agency meet

success in law enforcement sector2006, it completed major irrigation schemes suchas the Nantu canal in Ho Tao Township, which willirrigate 80 hectares of land. The project will con-tribute to helping farmers develop their land.

UNODC monitored progress in the Waregion and surveyed districts needing assistance. Asurvey conducted in early 2006 on the impact ofproject work in Mong Pawk region between 1999and 2005 showed major achievements including785 hectares of newly developed irrigated paddyfield and a 21 per cent increase in paddy cultivation.Up to 42 per cent of households were using animproved low-land rice seed variety compared tovirtually none in 1999, while 60 per cent had adoptedat least one new crop.

An off-season opium survey was conductedby Myanmar’s drug-control agency and UNODC inShan State (South). The rapid survey confirmed thatthere was no evidence of poppy cultivation in theregion. UNODC’s Drug Demand Reduction pro-gramme in Wa region provided treatment and detoxi-fication programmes for drug addicts in Mong Pawkand Wein Kao Townships. Between 2004 and July2006, it treated more than a thousand addicts andprovided counseling sessions to families.Anti-trafficking in persons

In 2006, UNODC strengthened links withUN agencies and NGOs working on anti-humantrafficking efforts of Myanmar. A national seminar

took place in Yangon, which recommended devel-oping a National Plan of Action to include theprotection of victims and assistance in the returnof trafficked victims from abroad.

UNODC-supported Border Liaison Officewas set up to increase cooperation on drug controlbetween local authorities, the UNODC regional cen-tre in Bangkok, UNODC Myanmar and the UnitedNations Inter-Agency Project in Human Traffickingin the Mekong sub-region.Anti-HIV/AIDS

UNODC is the lead agency in the area ofHIV/AIDS and drug use in Myanmar. It took part inthe drawing and implementing the National StrategicPlan on HIV/AIDS recognized injecting drug use as aprimary means of transmission of virus.

UNODC and the Myanmar drug controlagency undertook a study to determine the role ofthe law-enforcement sector in the response toHIV/AIDS. Two new centres opened in Hsenwiand Tachilek provided comprehensive drug serv-ices, including treatment and detoxification,counseling and support, health care, educationand training.

The HIV/AIDS prevention project for policeforce in Myanmar provided training at one policeacademy, three police training schools and two anti-narcotic task forces. Training was also given to theArmed Medical Services of Defence Services.—MNA

26-3-07NL 3/26/07, 03:11 AM16