Volume XVI, Number 251 13th Waning of Nadaw 1370 ME Thursday, 25 December, 2008

Senior General Than Shwe inspects Htinponseik model village in Kungyangon Township.—MNA

Aerial view of Dedaye Bridge.—MNA

NAY PYI TAW, 24 Dec –Chairman of the State Peaceand Development CouncilCommander-in-Chief ofDefence Services SeniorGeneral Than Shwe in-spected progress of reha-bilitation and reconstruc-tion tasks in storm-hitKyaiklat and Dedaye town-

Senior General Than Shwe inspectsrehabilitation and reconstruction tasks in

Kyaiklat, Dedaye, Kungyangon TownshipsEncouragement and assistance should begiven to one village one product project

ships in Ayeyawady Divi-sion and KungyangonTownship in South Districtof Yangon and met withlocal people this morning.

Accompanied byMember of SPDC Gen-eral Thura Shwe Mann,SPDC Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Thiha Thura Tin

Aung Myint Oo, SPDCmember Lt-Gen Tin Aye,Commander-in-Chief(Navy) Rear-AdmiralNyan Tun, Commander-in-Chief (Air) Lt-GenMyat Hein, Maj-Gen KoKo of the Ministry of De-fence, Lt-Gen Myint Swe,

(See page 8)

Village to village roads and village to townroads are to be built and a road networkshould be established in cooperation with town-ship development affairs committees and localpeople.

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM1

2 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

Thursday, 25 December, 2008

Traffic accidents kill or injure thousandsof people in the world yearly. Drivers andpedestrians can reduce the number of trafficaccidents, injuries, and deaths by abiding bytraffic rules.

Traffic Rules Enforcement and EducativeCompetitions and Exhibitions are held inYangon every year. This year, the exhibitionwill be held in Nay Pyi Taw from 26 to 31December. The exhibition aims at organizingpeople to observe traffic rules and educatingmotorists as well as pedestrians to do the same.

Action is being taken against those whoviolate the traffic rules and educative activitiesare being constantly launched. Arrangementsare being made to hold such exhibition. Thenumber of people killed in traffic accidentsincreases due to the violation of traffic rules.

Last year’s figures show that there were929 traffic accidents in which 133 people werekilled and 1,550 injured.

Every motorist should be skilful at drivingand must refrain from drinking while driving.

Both motorists and pedestrians mustabide by traffic rules in order to reduce roadaccidents. The people on their part are to activelytake part in the efforts for reduction of trafficaccidents.

Participate in drive forroad safety

* 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 DesirePERSPECTIVES

Minister Brig-Gen Thein Zaw delivers speech at work coordination meeting on implementingMyanmar Unicode System.—COMMUNICATION

Mingala Taungnyunt Township BasicEducation High School 4 team taking part in

cricket competition.—MCF

Yoma Technologies to conduct courses on Java professionalYANGON, 24 Dec

— To become a softwareengineer, the practicalprogramming course ofYoma Technologies willgive lecture aboutprofessional softwareprogramming. In addition,systems and experiencebeing applied in softwaredevelopment fields will beeffectively used bylearning from experts.

Under thearrangement of BritishSoftware Engineer, Yoma

technologies will openprogramming course(Java) and Javaprogrammer course on 5,January 2009 and Javaprofessional developercourse (Project) on 26,January 2009.

Java programmercourse includes objectoriented design and UML,core Java/J2SE(collections, I/O, Innerclasses, Generies etc),Java swing API for GUI,

Exceptions and ExceptionHandling Techniques,Introduction to Relationaldatabases and SQL andJava database connectivity(JDBC).

Likewise, Javaprofessional developercourse includes softwaredevelopment lifecycle,object oriented systemanalysis and design,software architectures,commponent baseddevelopment, software

engineering best practicesand a practical softwaredevelopment project toapply all of the above.

Anyone wishing toattend the courses maymake contact with YomaTechnologies at roomNo.3, ward (2), MyanmarInfo Tech, HlineTownship, (Ph-652264(Ext-15), 703230 and503599) and Web:www.yomatechnologies.com/training.—MNA

YANGON, 24 Dec —Jointlyorganized byMyanmar CricketFederation and No. 3 BasicEducation Department, the3rd Inter-School CricketChallenge Shield 2008continued at Bahan Cricket

3rd Inter-School Cricket Challenge Shield2008 goes on

Training Ground here thismorning.

Among thespectators were MCFPresident U Nyunt Win andexecutives and cricket fans.

At men’squarterfinals of the

competition, MingalaTaungnyunt TownshipBasic Education HighSchool 4 beat LanmadawTownship BEHS 1 andAhlon Township BEHS 4won over BotahtaungTownship BEHS 6. — MNA

YANGON, 24 Dec —An annual meetingscheduled to be held on 28December by MyanmarShrimp EntrepreneursAssociation, Myanmar

Fishery ProductsProcessors and ExportersAssociation, CrabEntrepreneurs Association,Eel Entrepreneurs Associa-tion and Ornamental Fish

Entrepreneurs Associationunder Myanmar FisheryFederation was postponedand the date of the meetingwill be announced later.

MNA

MFF annual meeting postponed

YANGON, 24 Dec— Minister forCommunications, Postsand Telegraphs Brig-GenThein Zaw attended thework coordinationmeeting on implementingMyanmar Unicode

Myanmar Unicode system discussed

system at Myanmar InfoTech in Hline Townshipyesterday and made anopening address.

The meeting wasalso participated by ViceChairman of Myanmar e-National Task Force U

Aung Myint and officialsof Myanmar ComputerFederation and MyanmarInfo Tech. They discussedmatters related toMyanmar Unicodesystem, and the ministerfulfilled the requirements

at the meeting.The minister also

inspected HanthawadyInternet Station & AutoExchange andInternational ExpediteMail Service hereyesterday. — MNA

All this needs to be known* Do not be frightened whenever

intimidated* Do not be bolstered whenever flat-

tered* Do not be softened whenever appeased

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM2

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 3

Karzai attends memorialfor three killed in US raid

Civilian casualties in conflictson the rise in Afghanistan

US military deathsin Iraq war at 4,213WASHINGTON, 24 Dec—As of Tuesday, 23 Decem-

ber, 2008, at least 4,213 members of the US mili-tary had died in the Iraq war since it began in March2003.

The figure includes eight military civilians killedin action. At least 3,397 military personnel died as aresult of hostile action, according to the military’snumbers.

The British military has reported 176 deaths;Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13;Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five;Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each;Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, twoeach; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan andSouth Korea, one death each.

Since the start of US military operations in Iraq,30,879 US service members have been wounded inhostile action, according to the Defence Depart-ment’s weekly tally.—Internet

Explosion woundsone in east PakistanLAHORE, 24 Dec—A car bombing in a

neighborhood filled with the homes of governmentworkers wounded one person on Wednesday in amajor eastern Pakistani city bordering India, policesaid.

The explosives were planted in a mini-truckparked in the Mazang Chungi area of Lahore.

The blast obliterated the vehicle and flying de-bris hit a woman passing by, while the wall of anearby house collapsed, police officer Atif Mairajsaid.

“This is an attempt by terrorists to create panicand spread terror,” he said. “We can’t say who isbehind it until the matter is investigated.”

Pakistan has witnessed scores of bombings inthe past two years, but most have occurred in itsnorthwest regions bordering Afghanistan, where al-Qaida and Taleban militants have long proliferatedand the army is carrying out offensives.—Internet

KABUL, 24 Dec—President Hamid Karzaiattended a memorial cer-emony on Tuesday forthree Afghans killed in anovernight raid by USforces, an incident Karzaihas asked America’s topmilitary officer to inves-tigate.

The American military

has said that its forceskilled three people tar-geted as “known individu-als with al-Qaeda links”during a raid on 17 De-cember Col Greg Juliansaid the “insurgents” hadweapons and tried to fireon the US forces first.

Afghan officials saythe three killed were inno-

cent Afghans, and Karzaion Monday asked Adm.Mike Mullen, the chair-man of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff, to investigate thedeaths.

The three killed wereAmir Hassan, 40, his wifeand a 14-year-old nephew,said Haji Balal Hassan,the brother of AmirHassan. Balal Hassan saidthat Karzai shared hiscondolences during theceremony in easternKhost province and askedfor details of the incident.

Some 800 people at-tended the memorial cer-emony. Karzai told thecrowd he is working onthe problems, but said fornow the country needsforeign troops despitepleas from some in theaudience for internationalforces to leave.

Internet

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center, speaks dur-ing a memorial ceremony for three Afghans who werekilled last week during an overnight raid by US forcesin Khost province west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on 23Dec, 2008. Karzai has asked America’s top military officer to investigate the incident.—INTERNET

KABUL, 24 Dec—Con-tinued militancy and con-flicts have claimed thelives of more civilians inAfghanistan in compari-son to last year, spokes-man of Afghanistan Inde-pendent Human RightsCommission (AIHRC)Nadir Nadiri said onTuesday.

In 2007, the number ofcivilian casualties hadregistered over 1,500while in 2008, accordingto the watchdog’sspokesman, the figurehas risen by 41 percent.

More than 1,700 civil-ians, according to Nadiri,have been killed over thepast eight months of2008.

“Since beginning thisyear up to the end of Au-gust 1,778 civilians havebeen killed and out ofthese 625 of them were

killed by the national andinternational troops,” thespokesman asserted.

Nadiri added that 25percent of these peoplewere killed in air strikes,but he did not say thenumber of non-combat-ants killed since Septem-ber up to date.

AIHRC also equallyblamed pro-government

troops and militants forthe violence, adding bothsides are involved on 50percent basis in abusingthe rights of non-combat-ants. Both the Talebanand the US-led NATOtroops have abused hu-man rights in combat op-erations which had leftthousands of civiliansdead.—Internet

An Afghan villager points to the blood stains after anovernight raid of the US and Afghan forces in the city of Khost, east of Kabul, Afghanistan.—INTERNET

Bomb explosionkills five policemennorth of Baghdad

BAGHDAD, 24 Dec—Aroadside bomb struck apolice chief's convoy in anIraqi town north of Bagh-dad on Tuesday morning,killing him and fourpolicemen, an InteriorMinistry source said. The incident took placein the town of Tarmiyah,40 km north of Baghdad,when a roadside bomb hitthe convoy of a Colonelwho is the police chief ofthe nearby town ofMashaahda, the sourcetold Xinhua on conditionof anonymity.

Internet

An Afghan policeman

looks through the

debris of the entrance

of the Kandahar

prison in southern

Afghanistan.

INTERNET

Pakistani rescue work-

ers examine the wreck-

age of a car at the site of

bomb explosion in

Lahore, Pakistan, on 24

Dec, 2008.

INTERNET

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM3

4 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

WASHINGTON, 24 Dec— Several reports dueWednesday are expectedto provide more evidencethat consumers are cuttingback on spending andcompanies are eliminat-ing jobs in the face of adeepening recession.

The new figures willcome a day after the gov-ernment said the grossdomestic product, the

Stranded air travelers sleep on the floor at the Seattle-Tacoma InternationalAirport, on 22 Dec, 2008 in Seattle. A series of storms has stranded thousands

of people at the airport and caused hundreds of flights to be canceled ordelayed.—INTERNET

BETHESDA, 24 Dec—A massive, aging water mainruptured on Tuesday and sent a wave of water down asuburban Washington road, transforming the street intoa raging river and trapping nine motorists who had tobe rescued from the frigid deluge by emergency work-ers in helicopters and boats.

The water gushed down River Road and rockedcars. Two people in a minivan were plucked by heli-copter out of the roaring rapids, water crashing andspraying around them as they were lifted to safety in abasket. Other motorists escaped 4-feet deep water byboat.

Montgomery County fire officials said five peoplewere checked for hypothermia; temperatures outsidewere in the 20s.

“The water tumbled over the car like a wave,” saidSilvia Saldana, of Springfield, Va, who was travelingto work when she became trapped. “I started to pray.”

In a frantic 911 call released by authorities, an uni-dentified stranded motorist cried and pleaded for help.

“I can’t see anything,” the woman screamed. “Ineed help!”

“Stay calm, ma’am. We’re coming,” the operatorsays. It was not immediately clear what caused thepipe to burst. Temperature, age and other factors cancontribute to water main breaks.

Fire spokesman Pete Piringer said crews had trou-ble getting to people because of the swift-movingwater. Officials said 150,000 gallons of water perminute were rushing out at one point, spilling rocks,dirt and other debris onto the road.—Internet

A car sits in rushing water released from a 66 inch water main break alongRiver Road in Bethesda, Md on 23 Dec, 2008.—INTERNET

GUADALAJARA, 24 Dec—A reigning Mexicanbeauty queen from thedrug-plagued state ofSinaloa was arrested withsuspected gang membersin a truck filled guns andammunition, police saidon Tuesday.

Miss Sinaloa 2008Laura Zuniga stared at theground, with her flowingdark hair concealing herface, as she stood squee-zed between seven al-leged gunmen lined upbefore journalists.

Soldiers wearing ski

The 2008 beauty queenof the drug-plagued

state of Sinaloa, LauraZuniga, centre, is shown

to the press with otherunidentified suspects

after she was detainedwith guns and large

amounts of cash in thecity of Zapopan,

Mexico, on 23 Dec,2008.—INTERNET

BAGHDAD, 24 Dec—Mahmoud al-Mashhad-ani, speaker of Iraq’s par-liament, announced resig-nation on Tuesday, theofficial Iraqia TV re-ported.

Mashhadani offeredthe resignation at a specialparliament session late inthe day, which was ac-cepted by the majority ofthe parliament members,according to the report.

GAZA CITY, 24 Dec —Hamas says two of itsfighters have been killedin a blast in the southernGaza Strip.

The militant groupsays the men were killedon a “holy mission.”That’s the term Hamasuses when fighters arekilled by explosives thatgo off inadvertently.

Hamas also says thatthree militants killed byIsraeli forces on the Gazaborder late on Tuesday be-longed to the group.

The clash was thebloodiest since a trucebetween Israel and Gaza’sIslamic Hamas rulers ex-pired over the weekend. Itwas followed by mortarand rocket attacks fromGaza on southern Israeliborder communities lateTuesday and early onWednesday.

Internet

Economic data expected toshow more weakness

broadest measure of theeconomy, shrank at a 0.5percent annual rate in thethird quarter. Manyeconomists expect theGDP to shrink by muchmore in the current quar-ter.

Wall Street economistsforecast that a report onconsumer spending in No-vember, to be released bythe Commerce Depart-

ment on Wednesday, willshow a drop of 0.7 per-cent. That would be thefifth straight month of de-cline.

Meanwhile, the LaborDepartment’s tally of ini-tial applications for unem-ployment benefits lastweek is expected to riseslightly to a seasonallyadjusted 560,000 from554,000 in the previousweek.

And the CommerceDepartment is expected toreport that durable goodsorders fell by 3 percent inNovember, after a 6.2 per-cent drop in October. Oc-tober’s decline was thelargest fall in two years.

Internet

Two Hamasmilitants killedin Gaza blast

Mexican beauty queen arrestedin gun-filled truck

masks guarded the 23-year-old model and thesuspects.

Zuniga was arrestedshortly before midnighton Monday at a militarycheckpoint in Zapopan,just outside the colonialcity of Guadalajara, saidJalisco state police direc-tor, Francisco AlejandroSolorio.

Zuniga was riding inone of two trucks, wheresoldiers found a largestash of weapons, includ-ing two AR-15 assault ri-fles, .38 specials, 9mm

handguns, nine maga-zines, 633 cartridges and$53,300 in US currency,Solorio said.

State police identifiedone of the men caughtwith her as the brother ofan alleged drug traffickerfrom Ciudad Juarez, a cityon the US border, and saidthe man appeared to havebeen her boyfriend.

Zuniga told police thatshe was planning ontraveling to Bolivia andColombia with the men togo shopping, Solorio said.

Internet

Iraqi parliament approves speaker’s Iraqi parliamentand bill on troops withdrawal

Deputy SpeakerKhalid al-Attiya will tem-porarily take Mashhad-ani’s post. His replace-ment could be found afterthe parliament returns tosession early next year.

During a parliamentsession last Wednesday,chaos and argumentserupted over the issue ofMuntadhar al-Zaidi, theIraqi journalist who threwhis shoes at the visiting

US President George WBush. During the argu-ments, Mashhadani gotvery angry and insultedsome MPs as “sons ofdogs.”

The vote over the reso-lution on the staying of for-eign troops except the USone was postponed Mon-day as the Kurdish bloc anda major Shiite union in-sisted that Mashhadanishould resign.—Internet

Huge water main break trapsmotorists on Md road

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM4

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 5

An Airbus A320 isassembled at the

workshop in northChina’s Tianjin mu-nicipality, on 23 Dec,2008, with three otherAirbus A320 also in

the process of assem-bling at the same time.It is estimated that the

first plane will bepainted in early2009.—XINHUA

China donates $500,000 to supportZimbabwe cholera fighting

HARARE, 24 Dec—China donated 500,000US dollars to Zimbabweon Tuesday to boost thecountry’s efforts to arrestcholera epidemic whichhas killed more than 1,000people since the first out-break in August.

Speaking at the dona-tion ceremony at theHealth Ministry officebuilding in Harare, HeMeng, Charge d’Affair ofthe Chinese Embassy inHarare, said as a long-term friend of Zimbabwe,

China shares the concernsof international commu-nity over the current chol-era situation, and sympa-thies with Zimbabweanpeople in their sufferings.

“At the moment, Zim-babwean people are ea-gerly waiting for assist-ance fighting againstcholera, we sincerelyhope and believe that themoney would be madebest use of under the co-ordination of the Zimba-bwean government andUN agencies, so as to al-

leviate the epidemic situ-ation and help Zimba-bwean people to over-come challenges at an ear-lier date, ” He said.

Zimbabwe’s Healthand Child Welfare Minis-ter David Parirenyatwasaid with the help of in-ternational organizationsand countries friendly likeChina, the situation isnow much better. Hespoke highly of good re-lations between the twocountries.

Xinhua

US new home sales dropby 2.9% in NovemberWASHINGTON, 24 Dec—New home sales in the

United States fell by 2.9 percent in November to aseasonally adjusted annual rate of 407,000 units, thelowest level since January 1991, the Commerce De-partment said on Tuesday.

The drop in new home sales was bigger than ana-lysts had expected and left sales 35.3 percent belowthe level a year ago.

Regionally, new home sales rose by 14.3 percent inthe Northeast last month and were up 11.0 percent inthe West. In the Midwest, however, sales plunged by16.4 percent. Sales in the South also declined by 7.1percent.

The median price of a new home dropped by 11.5percent in November from the year-ago level to220,400 dollars. That was the biggest year-on-yearprice decline since a 12.7 percent fall in March thisyear. Inventories of unsold new homes at the end ofNovember totaled 374,000 units, representing a sup-ply of 11.5 months at the current sales rate, up from10.8 months for October.—Xinhua

China’s top legislature discusses report onwater pollution control

BEIJING, 24 Dec—China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s toplegislature, began discussing a report on water pollution prevention and controlon Wednesday.

Zhou Shengxian, the Environmental Protection Minister, delivered the reportat a plenary session of NPC Standing Committee.

China has paid increasing attention to ecological challenges and environmentalproblems as it seeks to balance its high economic growth rate with a rational useof natural resources and pollution control. Zhou is to detail the country’s efforts incurbing drinking water contamination and achievements in tackling water pollu-tion in major rivers and rural areas.—Xinhua

Nine female footballers, two coachesdie in auto accident in Nigeria

LAGOS, 24 Dec—Nine footballers and their twocoaches were killed in a motor accident in centralNigeria’s Plateau State at the weekend, local me-dia reported on Tuesday.

A source said the female team comprising 15athletes was returning from a football match to Jos,the capital when their vehicle Peugeot J5 had ahead-on collision with a commercial VolkswagenGolf car in the evening.

The vehicle conveying the athletes somersaultedseveral times and eventually caught fire with oc-cupants inside. Before local people nearby couldget to the scene of the incident and rescue the oc-cupants, 11 of them had already been consumedby fire, according to the Guardian report.

Six of the athletes who sustained injuries wereinitially rushed to a nearby hospital before theywere taken to Jos University Teaching Hospital(JUTH) for further treatment.

The state Commissioner for Youths and SportsJoel Gwatau confirmed the incident and said theteam from Jos North Local Council Area of thestate had finished from a local tournament, whichthey lost to another team and they were on theirway back to Jos when the sad incident oc-curred.—Xinhua

A video grab shows the

wreckage of a bus sits

by the side of the road

after it overturned

between two Egyptian

resorts in the Sinai

peninsula on 22 Dec,

2008.—XINHUA

All items from Xinhua News Agency

A visitor poses for photos in the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, capital ofnortheast China’s Heilongjiang Province, on 23 Dec, 2008. The annual ice

and snow world in Harbin began a test run on Tuesday. —XINHUA

Japan’s Cabinetapproves defence

spending cutTOKYO, 24 Dec—The

Japanese Cabinet approveda plan Wednesday to cutJapan’s fiscal 2009 defencespending for the seventhconsecutive year to a 14-yearlow, government sourcessaid. Defence spending forthe fiscal 2009 starting inApril will fall 0.1 per cent, or5.5 billion yen, from theinitial fiscal 2008 budget to4,774.1 billion yen. The sizeof the initial defence budgetwill remain below the 4, 800billion yen level for thesecond straight year ifParliament approves thebudget. The Cabinetattributed the budget cut tofalling oil prices, theappreciation of the Japanesecurrency and cost savingsfrom the bulk purchase ofarms and munitions.

MNA/Xinhua

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM5

6 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

Kyaw Ye Min

Practice integrated farming for higher income (1)

House 30' x 30' Grass 35' x 85'

Feedstuff godown 30' x 24' Fish pond 110' x 50'

Mushroom farm 30' x 12' Goat farm 35' x 30'

Cattle farm 20' x 55' Earth worm tank 15' x 45'

Pig pen 20' x 25' Vegetable patch one acre

Biogas tank 30' x 45' Paddy field 3.8 acres

Duck farm 20' x 25'

The integrated farm has an area of five acres.

Blueprint of integrated farmingIt was at sunset when I got to the village. Theclouds in the sky were glowing with reflected lightof the sun. It was very pleasant to have a view overrural scenes in a rural region.

Piles of bunches of harvested paddy plants werescattering here and there in the paddy fields stretch-ing to the horizon. Some paddy fields were still atharvest. When a wind blew, I indistinctly heard thevoices of some female workers in the distance. Theysounded happy, working in the fields. Their voiceswere some way a rural music to my ears. Some work-ers were found winnowing paddy. Some were on theirway home from work. The scene of dust layers causedby the two light trucks passing in front of me withthe glittering pagoda in the background provoked athought of the song "My native town" by Than TunLay.

The village is located in an inner place ofNyaungdon Township. It is far from Yangon-PatheinRoad. There lives Maung Toe Myint, a friend of mine,whom I regard as my younger brother. I paid a visitto the village at his invitation.

He is an educated young farmer, running a 10-acre paddy field. He seemed to be making handsomeprofits from his agricultural farm, practicing double-or triple-cropping pattern with advanced agriculturalmethods. He said that he was running a livestock farmof two fish breeding ponds, inspired by his strongdesire to be rich. He also raises four or five pigs. Hethus earned some income.

Once, I shared integrated farming system withhim by chance for his knowledge in a conversation.Then, he took great interest in it and eagerly invitedme to his village. I made a compromise to come tohis village some day and explain integrated farmingsystem not only to him but also to other interestedvillagers.

The village's main business is agricultural andlivestock farming. They seemed to do well in theirbusinesses because there I noticed the majority ofthe houses, fine ones, and the village had a basic edu-cation school, rural health care centre, and a self-re-liant library. It is a lovely village with all the charac-teristics of a village. The village will enjoy greatereconomic growth if it introduces integrated farmingsystem.

In the evening, I happened to meet with him,Village Peace and Development Council ChairmanU Aye Chan, school teacher Ko Thayar and sometownselders, totaling about 15 at the library. Beingengaged both in agricultural farming and in livestockfarming, they showed their interest in the integratedfarming. They said that since they got the informa-tion about the integrated farming, they had been ea-ger to know it in further detail.

Then, we started our conversation. We held dis-cussions in a cordial way, so our conversation soonbecame lively, like a game of traditional cane-ball.U Aye Chan: Well, Ko Kyaw, let's start our discus-

sions now. We want to know about integratedfarming very much because we have heard thatwe can make substantial profits if we integrateagricultural farms with livestock farms.

Ko Thayar: He is right, Ko Kyaw. I have got someknowledge of integrated farming. So, I happenedto discuss it with Ko Toe. But, I must admit I don'tknow how to manage it.

Kyaw Ye Min: It's like that. Integrated farming or in-tegrated agriculture is a system in which a farmerintegrates his agricultural farms with livestockfarms. For instance, a farmer raises cattle for hisagricultural farming. He uses cattle dung as ferti-lizer. That is just a basic stage. The integrated farm-ing I will present you has a much wider area thanthat.

Maung Toe Myint: Interesting! Go on, please.Kyaw: It is said that an association called FARRE

(Forum de l' Agriculture Raisonn’eRespecteuse l' Environnnement) initiated inte-grated farming in France in 1993. To put it in

English, "food production, profitability, safety,animal welfare, social responsibility and en-vironmental care". That's why the govern-ment is disseminating methods in rural areasso that farmers will come to practise integratedfarming on a wider scale to get bio-fertilizerand bio-fuel from cattle dung.

Aye: Yes, you are right. I noticed some news stories inthe newspapers that a family can extract biogas fromanimal waste on a small scale for multipurpose use.Many of our villagers are interested in it.

Kyaw: Yes, I will also explain the method of pro-ducing biogas in integrated farming. Now, inte-grated farming has proved successful in Vietnam.So, without any doubt it will be successful in ourcountry.

(See page 7)

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM6

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 7

Practice integrated farming for higher income (1)

(from page 6)Tha: Yes, we will achieve success if we try our best.

Well, tell us a bit more about integrated farmingof Vietnam.

Kyaw: It is also said that Heifer International, anAmerican NGO, introduced integrated farming infour regions: Mekong River Basin region, south-eastern region, central coastal region, and centralhighland region beginning in early 2001. HeiferVietnam Project was designed to provide farmanimals, seeds and nurseries of crops to farmersin 14 states and cities of those four regions. Moreo-ver, the association provided a family of a Viet-namese farmer with 500,000 Vietnamese dongsto run a livestock farm and disbursed one millionto one million and five hundred thousand Viet-namese dongs to grow vegetables and a patch.

Aye: Vietnam is not the only country to do so. In ourcountry, the government is providing cultivationloans, isn't it?

Kyaw: In Vietnam, integrated farming is compul-sory for all the farmers engaged in the project.Methods and technologies are also provided forthem to do so. Due to Heifer Vietnam Project,Vietnamese farmers are doing well now.

Toe: I wonder how they are making good progress.Kyaw: It is because integrated farming has sev-

eral advantages. There, farmers have to raisefarm animals such as cattle, goat, duck andfish. So, they get higher incomes from theirlivestock farming, don't they? The purpose of

Kyaw Ye Min

their livestock farming is to use all the organ-ics for agricultural farmlands by seeking waysto integrated paddy fields, crop plantations,farm animals and water sources. That savescosts in agricultural farming, but productivityis on the increase remarkably.

Tha: I am afraid, of course it is nice to listen, but Idon't think it is that easy in practice, Ko Kyaw.

Kyaw: Oh, why not! It is quite beneficial, so they prac-tise it. Indeed, integrated farming is not like build-ing castles in the air. The integrated farming Viet-namese farmers practise is a system in which noth-ing is wasted because all things in the system areinterrelated with one another. All cattle dung, forexample, is used and even a single dust of it doesnot go to waste.

Toe: Then, cattle dung is used as fertilizer in our coun-try, as well, isn't it, Ko Kyaw?

Kyaw: Yes, it is. But, we can't use it as effectively as

The integrated farming system by nature isto make products and waste interrelated witheach other. So, crops, animals, farmlands, andwater in the system are integrated for multi-purpose use.

Integrated farming is not like building castles inthe air. The integrated farming Vietnamese farmerspractise is a system in which nothing is wasted becauseall things in the system are interrelated with one an-other. All cattle dung, for example, is used and even asingle dust of it does not go to waste.

they do. To make it clearer, I would like topresent a simple example. We feed grass todairy cows. The cows produce milk and cowdung. The milk is sold and cow dung is used asfertilizer to grow grass. According to that cy-cle, there is nothing to waste. The integratedfarming system by nature is to make productsand waste interrelated with each other. So,crops, animals, farmlands, and water in thesystem are integrated for multipurpose use.

Aye: Frankly speaking, I am paying a careful atten-tion to what you say, but I haven't got it yet.

Tha: Nor have I. I don't understand it very well.Toe: I held discussions about that once with Ko

Kyaw, so I understand it well. Uncle Aye andKo Thayar, you will understand the system later.

Kyaw: I am sure you will soon get it. Have a look atthis picture. This it a picture of Vietnamese farm-ers' integrated farming system to which a landof five acres is scaled.

Aye: All right, I come to understand it a bit more.Go on, please.

Kyaw: You will all get it if you study it carefully.Well, have a look at the picture.They observed the picture thoroughly till they

got it. It was just a picture of a five-acre land con-sisting of a house, feedstuff closet, mushroom farm,cow farm, duck farm, goat farm, earth worm tank,biogas tank, pasture, fish breeding pond, vegetablepatch and field.

Translation: MS

NAY PYI TAW, 24 Dec—The inauguration ofNgachin Dam constructed by Construction-3 of theIrrigation Department was held at the panal of thefacility near Ngachin Village, Seikpyu Township,Pakokku District, Magway Division, this morning.

Chairman of Magway Division Peace and De-velopment Council Col Phone Maw Shwe addressedthe ceremony, saying that the facility was one of the71 projects for ensuring food security and greeningof Pakokku District.

The opening of the dam added the number ofdams to 43 and acres of irrigated farmlands to 261261in Magway Division, he said. The plan for construc-tion of 71 dams, lakes and small dams was launchedin 2004, he said adding so far, 62 irrigation facilitieshad been constructed and the remaining sevenprojects would be completed by 2009-2010 fiscalyear.

Ngachin Dam to contribute to rice sufficiency

Deputy Minister for Agriculture and IrrigationU Ohn Myint said that the facility was the 217th ofits kind in the nation, calling for effective use of irri-gation facilities for rice sufficiency of the region,edible oil sufficiency of the nation and extensivegrowing of marketable crops such as beans andpulses, and industrial crops such as cotton andsugarcane, and durability of the irrigation facilities.

The chairman of the Division PDC formallyopened the stone plaque of the dam. He and thedeputy minister formally opened the dam and in-spected it.

The dam is the 43rd of its kind in Magway Divi-sion. The earthen dam is 43 feet high, 1980 feet long,and its dyke, 300 feet long. Its maximum water stor-age capacity is 1160 acre feet. The project cost 1146million kyats contributed by the government.

MNA

Minister meetsfarmers in Thongwa

YANGON, 24 Dec—Minister for Religious Af-fairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung met with ruralpeople in Kanmyint village of Thongwa Township inYangon South District on 21 December.

During his meeting with the rural people, theminister discussed matters related to buying paddyfrom the State and plans for disburse loans to the ruralpeople to help cultivation of pulses and beans in thetownship.

After the discussions, the minister inspectedspraying of pesticides in the green gram plantations.

MNA

Beware of Fire

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM7

8 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

A bird’s eye view of Htinponseik model village in Kungyangon Township.—MNA

Senior General Than Shwe inspects kitchen crops in Htinponseik model village of Kungyangon Township.—MNA

Senior General Than Shwe inspects…

In case of emergency,

newly-built roads can be

used as embankments for

villages near the sea.

(from page 1)Adjutant-General Lt-GenThura Myint Aung, Lt-Gen Myint Hlaing andMaj-Gen Maung Shein ofthe Ministry of Defence,Chairman of AyeyawadyDivision PDCCommander of South-West Command Maj-GenKyaw Swe, Minister forAgriculture and IrrigationMaj-Gen Htay Oo,Minister forCommunications, Postsand Telegraphs Brig-GenThein Zaw, Minister forEducation Dr Chan Nyein,Chairman of Yangon CityDevelopment CommitteeMayor Brig-Gen AungThien Lin, senior militaryofficers of the Ministry ofDefence and officials ofSPDC Office, Chairmanof the State Peace andDevelopment CouncilCommander-in-Chief ofDefence Services SeniorGeneral Than Shwearrived by helicopter in

Kyaiklat of PyaponDistrict, AyeyawadyDivision at 10.25 a.m.

Senior General ThanShwe and party werewelcomed by Minister forHotels and Tourism Maj-Gen Soe Naing anddepartmental officials.

At Golden JubileeHall in Kyaiklat, MinisterMaj-Gen Soe Naing whois supervising therehabilitation andreconstruction tasks inKyaiklat reported to theSenior General and partyon economic, education,health and agriculturematters, loss and damagescaused by Storm Nargis,progress of relief, supplyand rehabilitation works,progress of repairingstate-owned and private-owned buildings,arrangements being madefor better transport,cultivation and harvestingof monsoon paddy for2008-09, growing of

summer paddy and tasksto deal with theconsequences in theaftermath of Storm Nargisin cooperation with thegovernment, the peopleand the Tatmadaw inKyaiklat Township.

Next, Commander

Maj-Gen Kyaw Swereported on measuresbeing taken for 33 ricemills in the township tocome into operation,cultivation of summerpaddy and measures takento meet the target.

In connection with thereports, the Head of Stategave guidance onregeneration of agricultural

services that are vital forthe region, extendedconstruction of transportnetwork in the townshipand measures to be takenfor the improvement of theregions.

The Head of State andparty helicoptered to

Dedaye Township ofPyapon District wherethey were welcomed bysenior military officersfrom South-WestCommand anddepartmental heads.

The Head of State andparty viewed conditionsof development of DedayeTownship and progress inrepairing houses and

office buildings in amotorcade.

At the meeting hall ofDedaye Township PDCOffice, Minister Maj-GenSoe Naing presentedreports to the Head of Stateand party on location andarea of the township,supply of power-tillers,fuel and paddy strains forthe cultivation of themonsoon paddy, repairingof embankment to preventsea water from enteringinto the farmlands, harvestof monsoon paddy,cultivation of summerpaddy, arrangements madefor providing fishing boatsand nets for regenerationof fishery sector,construction of houses forstorm survivors,accomplishment of thetasks carried out forbuilding schools, hospitalsand dispensaries andconducting educativecourses on natural disasterpreparedness.

Next, CommanderMaj-Gen Kyaw Swe

presented reports to theHead of State and party onrepairing of rice mills andtheir operations,cultivation of monsoon andsummer paddy and plansto be made for growingcrops as targeted.

After hearing thereports, the Senior Generalgave guidance onregeneration of agriculturalservices and fisheries,extended cultivation ofkitchen crops by eachhousehold, regionaleducation and healthservices to return tonormal, development oftransport and communi-cation, construction ofcyclone shelters and rapidimprovement of storm-hitregions.

Senior General ThanShwe and party continuedtheir journey toKungyangon Townshipwhere they were welcomedby Chairman of YangonDivision PDCCommander Brig-GenWin Myint, Minister forEnergy Brig-Gen Lun Thiand departmental heads.

While they were inHtinponseik modelvillage of Hsukalattvillage tract, Kungyangontownship, they inspectedliving conditions of thestorm survivors in thenewly-built houses, use ofbio fuel digesters atU Singapu’s house,cultivation of kitchen cropsand growing of mango,coconut, pepper and arecanut and cordially greetedlocal people in Htinponseikmodel village.

(See page 9)

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM8

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 9

Library of Htinponseik model village in Kungyangon Township.—MNA

Houses seen in Htinponseik model village of Hsukalatt village tract, Kungyangon Township.—MNA

(from page 8)At the briefing hall, Minister Brig-Gen Lun Thi

presented reports to the Senior General and party onmeasures taken for accommodating storm victims,construction of houses, establishment of villages,accomplishment of the tasks carried out for repairingschools, hospitals and dispensaries, progress inbuilding Kungyangon’s new market, cultivation ofmonsoon paddy thriving farming based on mutualinterest and plans for growing summer paddy.

After hearing reports, Head of State SeniorGeneral Than Shwe gave guidance to grow kitchencrops, to conduct vocational trainings, each village toproduce one product, to establish a road network inthe area in cooperation with local people.

Afterwards, the Head of State inspected the clinic,library, water purifier and water tank in the villageand cordially greeted the villagers.

Senior General Than Shwe and party also visitedKungyangon and inspected Myoma Market, progressof reconstruction of departmental offices anddevelopment of the town in a motorcade. After thetour of inspection, Senior General Than Shwe andparty flew to Yangon.

At the meetings with officials concerned andlocal people during the tour of Kyaiklat, Dedaye andKungyangon, Head of State Senior General ThanShwe gave guidance on full rehabilitation of theagricultural sector in Kyaiklat, Dedaye andKungyangon townships.

He said agriculture is the main business in thetownships and he spoke of the need to fully producecrops to meet the targets set in the townships and tolay emphasis on boosting production and minimizingloss and wastage.

He urged the officials concerned to try not only torestore and develop the economic sector return tonormal but also to create better conditions than it wasin the past.

He also called for fully reestablishment of region-wise businesses, systematic cultivation of kitchencrops on manageable scale in addition to ensuringsufficiency of rice and edible oil and teaching thelocal people to engage in cottage industries.

He said there should be a chart that contributestowards the assessment of the increase of family

Senior GeneralThan Shwe inspects…

income and economic growth. Encouragement andassistance should be given to one village one productproject. By doing so, per capita income will increaseand living standard of rural people will improve, hesaid.

At the same time, he said, village to village roadsand village to town roads are to be built and roadnetwork in the township should be established incooperation with township development affairscommittees and local people.

With the development of transport, socio-economic conditions such as economy, educationand health of the township will improve and rural andurban areas will also develop equally. In case ofemergency, newly-built roads can be used asembankments for villages near the sea, he added.

He said the government, the people and theTatmadaw are to make efforts for all-rounddevelopment so that storm-hit areas will surelydevelop.—MNA

Fully produce crops to meet the targets set

in the townships and lay emphasis on

boosting production and minimizing loss

and wastage.

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM9

10 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

Lt-Gen Tha Aye inspects construction of Khamaunghla Sluice gate in Maungmeshaung village,

Dawei Township.—MNA

Sections of Dawei-Ye Road under maintenanceNAY PYI TAW, 24

Dec—Lt-Gen Tha Aye ofthe Ministry of Defenceinspected heavymachinery and the axisfor construction ofDawei-Myeik railroad,repairing of DaweiRailway Station andrailroad section at DaweiStation, Dawei inTaninthayi Division, on21 December.

He vieweddevelopment of Daweiand tasks for beautifyingthe town.

He also inspectedconstruction ofKhamaunghla Sluice gatein MaungmeshaungVillage, Dawei Townhip,and ploughing of thefields of farmer U Pha

Hsu with the use ofmachinery to growsummer paddy.

Next, Lt-Gen ThaAye inspected Dawei-Ye

road section, maintenanceof Pyintaing Bridge inYebyu, and resurfacingof the road sectionbetween Mile Post Nos.

34/7 and 34/6.At Kaleinaung

People’s Hospital, hedonated medicalequipment and medicines.

Lt-Gen Tha Ayeinspected repairing ofDawei-Ye road sectionbetween Mile Post Nos.59/6 and 59/7 and

between 66/4 and 66/5,and thriving rubber in theroad section betweenMile Post Nos. 71 and72.—MNA

YANGON, 24 Dec—Chairman of TripartiteCore Group (TCG)Deputy Minister forForeign Affairs U KyawThu received Mr WangYue, Regional Director ofthe United Nations Officefor Project Services(UNOPS) at the ministry

Deputy Foreign Minister receives regionaldirector of UNOPS

here today.They held

discussions on the role ofUNOPS in theimplementation ofMillennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) inMyanmar and assistancefor post-Nargisreconstruction and

livelihood in Deltaregions.

Also present wereMr Sanjay Mathur,Deputy Regional Directorfor Asia and Pacific andMr Lainejoki, ChiefExecutive Officer ofUNOPS Myanmar.

MNA

YANGON, 24 Dec—Deputy Minister for EnergyBrig-Gen Than Htayattended the 7th respect

Deputy Energy Minister pays respectto teachers

paying ceremony to teachersof Myanaung TownshipBEHS in AyeyawadyDivision on 20 December.

The deputy minister spokeon the occasion andpresented cash and gifts toteachers.—MNA

Minister U Aung Thaung looks into cement plant in Thayet.INDUSTRY-1

TCG Chairman Deputy Minister U Kyaw Thu receives RegionalDirector of UNOPS Mr Wang Yue.—MOFA

YANGON, 24 Dec—The annual meeting ofMyanmar Medical

MMA annual meeting on 27 DecAssociation (Yangon) willbe held at the auditoriumof MMA at 10 a.m. on 27

December. MMA mem-bers are invited to attendthe meeting.—MNA

Industry-1 Minister visits factories inMagway Division

NAY PYI TAW, 24Dec — Minister forIndustry-1 U AungThaung visited WinthuzaShop in Aunglan,Magway Division on 22December.

Next, the ministerinspected ThayetCement Plant No 1 andPyaloh cotton buyingcenter in Aunglan andleft necessary instruc-tions.

The minister alsovisited ShwedaungTextile Factory inShwedaung andThayawady EnamelwareFactory in Thayawady.

MNA

EP 2 Minister visits sub-power stations

NAY PYI TAW, 24Dec — Minister forElectric Power No. 2Maj-Gen Khin MaungMyint inspected controlroom and switch yardof 132 KV Aung ChanTha sub-power stationin Monywa on 21

December and lef tnecessary instructions.

At the office ofdivision electricalengineer in Monywa, theminister met with staff.

Next, the ministervisited ChaungUTownship Electrical

Engineer's Office andlooked into distribution ofelectricity.

The minister alsovisited Belin, Inngon andThazi sub-power stationsand met with servicepersonnel.

MNA

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM10

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 11

Article: Zaw Win (Kyemon), Photos: Khin Maung Win (Kyemon)

White gold plantations of Chindwin region

I am disseminatingrubber farming

knowledge to fellowrubber growers.

U Po Tar (a)U Kyaw Swa Lwin

The main reason behind rubber growing is myinterest in agriculture. U Aung Than Myint.

(from page 16)Situated between 400

and 5,700 feet above sealevel, Homalin Townshipin Chindwin region has awarm and wet climate.Its average annual rain-fall is between 70 and 90inches, and its tempera-ture varies from 50 de-gree F to 92 degree F.

The township covers

an area of 2,768,927acres. It has 18,039 acresof arable virgin land and706,317 acres of wild for-est. Therefore, there areenough lands in the town-ship to be allotted to farm-ers, companies, depart-

mental organizations andregiments that are inter-ested in growing rubberplants.

Our mobile team ofthe Mirror Daily visitedHomalin Township at thebeginning of November.During our trip, we had aninterview with Daw Su SuHtwe of Myanma Agri-culture Service. She said

that rubber cultivation wasintroduced in HomalinTownship in 1995, thatthe State laid down a five-year plan starting from2005-2006 and has ren-dered all the necessaryassistance, that rubber

plants have been grownon 2,004 acres of land in2008-2009 and that landreclamation work is beingcarried out to increase thecultivated acreage up to11,000 acres in 2009-2010as targeted.

She continued that in-troduction of rubber culti-vation is a new milestonein the agriculture industryof Homalin Township,that the rubber plantsgrown in the township areof high-yield qualitystrains such as PRIM 600,PB-260, BPM-24, GT-1and PBIG and that exten-sion of rubber cultivationincreases the cultivatedacreage in the township,creates employment,raises the living standardof the local people andcontributes to regional de-velopment and environ-mental conservation.

After the interview,we proceeded to two rub-ber plantations five milesaway from Homalin. Thefirst plantation we visitedwas owned by U Po Tar(a) U Kyaw Swa Lwin ofKawyar village-tract. UKyaw Swa Lwin ex-

plained that he applied forthe use of land in 2005 andwas allotted 220 acres andstarted growing rubberplants in the same year.He said that he had al-ready cultivated rubberplants on 50 acres, that hewould increase the culti-vated acreage up to 220acres as targeted in 2011-2012, that rubber plantsgrown in his plantation isBPIG strain and that theycan be tapped when theyare five years old. He con-tinued that he had dealt invarious kinds of consumergoods before he went toPalaw Township inTaninthayi Division in2004 to attend a practicalcourse on rubber cultiva-tion there. He went on tosay that, on his return fromPalaw to Homalin, he con-ducted a multiplier coursefor some 50 people inter-ested in growing rubberplants, there were about147 rubber growers in thewhole township and thathe was distributing rub-ber saplings of BPM-24,RRIM-600 and PB-260strains to rubber planta-tions in the neighbourhood

at reasonable prices.The next plantation

we visited was U AungThan Myint’s. He alsostarted growing rubberplants in July, 2005. Hesaid that his rubber plan-tation had an area of 100acres and he had alreadycultivated rubber plants on50 acres and that he wouldreclaim another 30 acresin 2008-2009 and growrubber plants to the full oncondition that he could getenough saplings. U AungThan Myint had been amerchant before he tookup farming. He becameinterested in cultivation ofrubber plants as it was along-term investment. UAung Than Myint con-ducted us around his rub-ber plantation.

He explained that hehad planted 1,000 pineap-ple plants between therows of rubber plants theyear before, that he hadfetched about K 400,000from the sale of pineap-ples and that he wouldgrow 10,000 pineappleplants this year.

After spending sometime at U Aung Than

Myint’s plantation, wereturned to Homalin. Itwas already evening. Thelight of the sun was get-ting fainter and fainterand the green colour ofrubber plantations darkerand darker. On the way,we were thinking of theday when Chindwin re-gion would surely be-come a land of whitegold.

Translation: NNKyemon: 23-12-2008

Does global warming lead to change inupper atmospheric transport?

Protea plants help unlock secretsof species ‘Hotspots’

CAPE TOWN, 24 Dec—New species of floweringplants called proteas areexploding onto the scenethree times faster in partsof Australia and SouthAfrica than anywhere elsein the world, creatingexceptional 'hotspots' ofspecies richness, according

to new research.Proteas are best known

as the national symbol ofSouth Africa. Theinternational team behindthe new study created anevolutionary ‘family tree’of all 2,000 protea plantspecies on Earth – themajority of which are

found in South WesternAustralia (SWA) and theCape Floristic Region(CFR) of South Africa.This ‘family tree’ enabledthe researchers to examinehow these and otherregions of the planet withMedi te r ranean-s ty leclimates have become so-called 'biodiversityhotspots'.

Until now, scientistshave not known exactlywhy such large numbers ofplant and animal specieslive in these Mediterraneanhotspots. They are placesof significant conser-vational importance which,like the rainforests, containsome of the richest andmost threatened com-munities of plant andanimal life on Earth.

Internet

FRANKFURT, 24 Dec —Most atmospheric modelspredict that the rate oftransport of air from thetroposphere to the abovelying stratosphere should

be increasing due toclimate change. Sur-prisingly, Dr. AndreasEngel together with aninternational group ofresearchers has now found

that this does not seem tobe happening. On thecontrary, it seems that theair masses are movingmore slowly thanpredicted. This could alsoimply that recovery of theozone layer may besomewhat slower thanpredicted by state-of-the-art atmospheric climatemodels.

The researchersinvestigated the time ittakes to transport theatmospheric trace gasessulfurhexafluoride (SF6)and carbon dioxide (CO2)from the troposphere (theatmospheric layer be-tween the ground and about10 km) to the stratosphere(the atmospheric layerbetween about 10 and 50km altitude).

Internet

Launch of a helium-filled stratosphericballoon by the French Space Agency (CNES).

Such balloons can reach altitudes of more than 35km. The balloon shown here will have a diameterof close to 100 m and a volume of 150,000 cubicmeters when reaching its ceiling altitude. During

the slow descent of the balloon through thestratosphere, air samples can be collected at

different altitudes.—INTERNET

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM11

12 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

CLAIMS DAY NOTICEMV KOTA TABAH VOY NO (263)

Consignees of cargo carried on MV KOTA TABAHVOY NO (263) are hereby notified that the vessel willbe arriving on 25.12.2008 and cargo will be dischargedinto the premises of A.W.P.T where it will lie at theconsignee’s risk and expenses and subject to the byelawsand conditions of the Port of Yangon.

Damaged cargo will be surveyed daily from 8 amto 11:20 am and 12 noon to 4 pm up to Claims Day nowdeclared as the third day after final discharge of cargofrom the vessel.

No claims against this vessel will be admitted afterthe Claims Day.

SHIPPING AGENCY DEPARTMENTMYANMA PORT AUTHORITY

AGENT FOR: M/S ADVANCE CONTAINERLINES

Phone No: 256908/378316/376797

CLAIMS DAY NOTICEMV VASCO DA GAMA VOY NO (137)

Consignees of cargo carried on MV VASCO DAGAMA VOY NO (137) are hereby notified that thevessel will be arriving on 25.12.2008 and cargo will bedischarged into the premises of A.W.P.T where it willlie at the consignee’s risk and expenses and subject to thebyelaws and conditions of the Port of Yangon.

Damaged cargo will be surveyed daily from 8 amto 11:20 am and 12 noon to 4 pm up to Claims Day nowdeclared as the third day after final discharge of cargofrom the vessel.

No claims against this vessel will be admitted afterthe Claims Day.

SHIPPING AGENCY DEPARTMENTMYANMA PORT AUTHORITY

AGENT FOR: M/S INTERASIA LINESPhone No: 256908/378316/376797

Germany mulling supportfor large offshore wind

farmsBERLIN, 24 Dec—Germany might help companies

obtain credits for large offshore wind farms, Environ-ment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the FrankfurterRundschau newspaper in comments published onTuesday.

“We are thinking about deposits to guarantee largeprojects,” Gabriel said.

Berlin has ambitious projects for offshore windpower installations because space on land is begin-ning to run out.

But developing such wind farms is expensive andthe global financial crisis has made it hard to obtaincredits for the technically complex infrastructure.

Gabriel also told the newspaper that he wanted to“accelerate authorisation procedures for electric lines”to link Germany’s coast with the rest of the country.

Internet

Rare rhino calves foundin Indonesian jungle

JAKARTA, 24 Dec—Four calves of theworld’s rarest species of rhino have beenfound in remote jungle on Indonesia’sJava island, giving hope to efforts to savethem from extinction, an official said onTuesday.

“Four Javan rhinos of six to sevenmonths age were seen by scientists onthe beach near the jungle during a re-cent field survey,” Agus Primabudi, thehead of the Ujung Kulon National Parkin West Java, told AFP.

Alerted to the presence of humans, thebaby rhinos fled into the park to wheretwo adult rhinos aged roughly 35 to 36,believed to be their parents, were stay-ing, Primabudi said.

Internet

A hand out video grab taken in May2008 from WWF shows two rhinos in

Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon nationalpark on Java island. Four calves ofthe world’s rarest species of rhino

have been found in remote jungle onJava, giving hope to efforts to save

them from extinction, an official saidon Tuesday.—INTERNET

An offshore wind farm on the British coast. Ger-

many might help companies obtain credits for

large offshore wind farms, Environment Minister

Sigmar Gabriel told the Frankfurter Rundschau

newspaper in comments published on Tuesday.

INTERNET

SINGAPORE, 24 Dec—Singapore officials on Wednes-day were investigating a fire at the world’s biggestobservation wheel that left almost 175 tourists trappedfor hours, some of them dangling high in the sky.

Tuesday night’s fire in the control room of the Sin-gapore Flyer shut down the 42-storey high observa-tion wheel, leaving customers stuck for six hours be-fore power was restored.

A few lowered themselves in a sling-like device ona rope from one of the observation capsules beforethe Singapore Flyer eventually began turning again toallow other trapped passengers to walk out, an AFPreporter witnessed.

Power was restored at about 11:11 pm (1511 GMT).A 70-year-old woman complaining of dizziness, and

a boy who vomited were taken to hospital, said Lieu-tenant Colonel N Subhas, of the paramedic and fireservice.

“We thought we were going to have to abseil out ofthe capsule. Of course we were getting fairly panickyabout that,” said Anna-Louise Allen, an Australiantourist who was trapped with her daughter Amelia, hus-band Syd, and five other people in one capsule.

Internet

Tourists safe after dramaat world’s biggestobservation wheel

Study says Bovine TBstill a threat to people

in UKLONDON, 24 Dec—Three recent cases of bovine

tuberculosis in southwest England —including a motherand her daughter —show the disease remains a threatto human health, researchers said on Tuesday.

The cases in rural Cornwell also involved thewoman’s pet dog and indicate the disease poses a lowbut ongoing public health risk for people too, DineshShrikrishna of the Royal Cornwall Hospital andcolleagues wrote in the journal Thorax.

“The potential for airborne transmission...particularly to segments of the rural population,highlights the need for vigilance and effectivecollaboration between clinicians, animal and publichealth professionals in the management of this oftenforgotten infection,” they wrote.

Bovine TB is a chronic debilitating disease whichcauses breathing difficulties and ultimately death incattle. It can spread to people, with similar symptomsto the human form of the disease, but such cases arevery rare. Badgers are a wildlife host for bovine TB andhave been implicated in spreading the disease. Manyfarmers believe a cull on badgers is needed to tackle itsspread but wildlife groups have provided strongopposition. —MNA/ReutersDrive with care

A stranded passenger is lowered down to theground from the capsule of world’s largest obser-

vation wheel in Singapore on 23 December .Officials in the city state are investigating a fire atthe landmark that left almost 175 tourists trapped

for hours, some of them dangling high in thesky.—INTERNET

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM12

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 13

Drug shields mice from chronic lungdisease

Millions of older Americans userisky drug combos

A man looks at the Hong Kong Victoria harbour from the Peak in Hong Kongon 18 Dec, 2008. —INTERNET

CHICAGO, 24 Dec — Anexperimental drug pro-tected mice exposed totobacco smoke fromdeveloping chronic lungdisease, raising hope for atreatment in humans, USresearchers said onMonday.

They said the chemicalCDDO-Im helped activatea master gene called Nrf2that bolsters the lung’sability to fight off chronicobstructive pulmonary

disease, or COPD, acondition that includesemphysema, chronic bron-chitis and some types ofserious chronic asthma.

“COPD is the 4th-largestkiller in the world with noeffective drugs,” ShyamBiswal of Johns HopkinsSchool of Medicine inMaryland, who worked onthe study, said in an e-mail.

In prior research, Biswaland colleagues found thatNrf2 works as a “master

gene,” turning on genesinvolved in protecting thelungs from pollution andcigarette smoke.“The Nrf2pathway is the majorantioxidant and detoxifyingresponse in the lungs.Therapies targeting thispathway need to bedeveloped and tested inpatients,” said Biswal,whose study was publishedin the Proceedings of theNational Academy ofSciences.—Internet

New study shows how certainvegetables combat cancer

Traders celebrate in front of the electronic board after the closing of the lasttrading day of the year on 24 Dec, 2008 at the Philippine Stock exchange in

Manila’s financial district of Makati.—INTERNET

Indian women face uphillhealth battle

NEW DELHI, 24 Dec — Indian women have taken bigsteps in politics and the workforce but their health isstill determined by class and caste, says a major studytracking their experiences over the last 30 years.

Food shortages and a declining governmentcommitment to health care in the 1990s increased the“systemic inequities” for women throughout thecountry, said a copy of the report obtained by AFP.

Positive developments such as longer female lifeexpectancy are negated by the fact that a woman’shealth “depends on where she is born and lives, andwhat class and caste she belongs to,” says the study.

Internet

New discovery offers hope for treatingkidney cancer

WASHINGTON, 24 Dec— While it has beenknown for some timethat eating cruciferousvegetables, such asbroccoli, can help preventbreast cancer, the me-chanism by which theactive substances in thesevegetables inhibit cellproliferation wasunknown — until now.

Scientists inUniversity of California,Santa Barbara, reportedon Tuesday that their newresearch has shown howthe healing power of thesevegetables works at thecellular level.

The study results waspublished in this month’sjournal Carcinogenesis.

“Breast cancer canbe protected againstby eating cruciferousvegetables such as cab-bage and near relativesof cabbage such asbroccoli and cauli-flower,” said first authorOlga Azarenko.

“These vegetablescontain compoundscalled isothiocyanateswhich we believe tobe responsible for thecancer-preventive andanti-carcinogenic acti-vities in these vege-tables.”

Their research focuseson the anti-cancer acti-vity of one of thesecompounds, called sul-foraphane, or SFN.

Internet

WASHINGTON, 24 Dec —Kidney cancer is typicallywithout symptoms until ithas spread to other organs,when it is also the mostdifficult to treat. Newerchemotherapies showgreat promise for exten-ding survival during laterdisease stages, but theycan also be highly toxic.

In one of the firstdiscoveries of its kind,researchers at University

of California, Davis, haveidentified ways to block acancer gene’s own repairmechanism and, in sodoing, help makechemotherapy for kidneycancer more effective andbetter tolerated.

The outcome ispublished in the currentissue of Cancer Biologyand Therapy.

“Cancer cells arenotorious in their ability

to rapidly create copiesof themselves. While thelatest medications slowdown that process, theydo not tend to be curativeand have many sideeffects,” said leadresearcher Robert Weisson Tuesday. “We wantedto find ways to help makechemotherapeutics aseffective as possible at thelowest doses possible.”

Internet

CHICAGO, 24 Dec —Atleast 2 million olderAmericans are taking acombination of drugs orsupplements that can be arisky mix — from bloodthinners and cholesterolpills to aspirin and ginkgocapsules — a new studywarns.

Among older men, thenumbers are particularlyalarming — one in 10 aretaking potentially harmfulcombinations, according tothe study.The results aren’t

always disastrous, but olderpeople are more vulnerableto side effects and drug-to-drug interactions. Andpatients need to know thatjust because lots ofmedicines and supplementsdon’t require prescriptionsdoesn’t mean they’reharmless. Nor are some ofthese safe to take whenyou’re prescribed othermedications.

Experts say the take-home advice is to ask aboutany side effects of

prescription drugs, and tellyour doctor before takingother medicines.

The report showing justhow many older people areusing risky combinationscomes from a study ofnearly 3,000 interviewswith people aged 57 to 85.The research, funded bythe National Institutes ofHealth and University ofChicago, appears inWednesday’s Journal ofthe American MedicalAssociation.—Internet

A

Vietnamese

boy sells

balloons

from his

bicycle in

the

northern

Vietnamese

city of

Hanoi.

INTERNET

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM13

14 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008

S P O R T SChelsea’s Cech makes

case for ScolariLONDON, 24 Dec—Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech in-

sists Luiz Felipe Scolari still has the full support ofthe Stamford Bridge squad.

Reports in the English media recently claimed thatsenior players including John Terry and FrankLampard were unhappy with Scolari's training meth-ods and substitutions.

Chelsea's results have hardly quelled the sense thatScolari is struggling to adapt to life at the west Lon-don club, as well as the unique demands of the Pre-mier League.

Although the Blues remain firmly in the title race,they wasted a chance to go top of the table at Christ-mas on Monday after drawing 0-0 at Everton.

Scolari's team, who are one point behind leadersLiverpool, have won just one of their last five leaguematches and Terry's red card at Goodison Park is thelatest set-back for the club.—Internet

Chelsea’s Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech is picturedduring a training session.—INTERNET

Evra targets title treblefor Man Utd

Manchester UnitedFrench defender

Patrice Evra

Mikic leaves Dynamo Zagrebfor Japanese challenge

ZAGREB, 24 Dec—Dynamo Zagreb midfielder Mihael Mikicsaid on Tuesday he has negotiated an early exit from the Croatianchampions to join Japanese second division outfit SanfrecceHiroshima.

“Japan is a new challenge in my career and I will leave forHiroshima in early January,” Mikic told journalists.

“I’m grateful to Dynamo for their understanding, which has enabledme to leave although my contract was to expire in a year,” the 28-year-old added.

Mikic, who has also played for Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern, hada contract with Dynamo until June 2010.

Internet

Arshavin transfer on the way, says agent - report

Highly-rated Russian forward AndreiArshavin, could finally be on his way

to Europe after his agent said theZenit St Petersburg player was almost

certain to be sold in the transferwindow.—INTERNET

Arsenal’s Fabregas ruled outfor four months

Arsenal's Spanishcaptain Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea midfielder Essientops Ghana poll

Chelsea midfielderMichael Essien

Mihael Mikic of Dynamo Zagreb

Capello ends England’s‘funfair’ culture

LONDON, 24 Dec—Football Association chairmanLord Triesman believes Fabio Capello's most signifi-cant achievement since taking charge of England hasbeen to destroy the "funfair" culture surrounding theteam.

Capello rules the England set-up with a no-nonsensementality that has stripped away the excesses of SteveMcClaren's reign.

Under McClaren, and his predecessor Sven GoranEriksson, England's players were allowed to becomefar too comfortable on international duty, with wives,girlfriends and agents following them everywhere.

But in his first 12 months in charge Capello haslaid down the law by banning all hangers-on from Eng-land's hotel.

After a slow start, the Italian has convinced the play-ers to buy into his philosophy.

The results have been impressive. Four successiveWorld Cup qualifying victories, including a superbaway win in Croatia, were followed by a friendly tri-umph over Germany in Berlin last month.—Internet

England coach FabioCapello. Football

Association chairmanLord Triesman believesCapello's most signifi-cant achievement sincetaking charge of Eng-land has been to de-stroy the "funfair"

culture surrounding theteam.—INTERNET

MANCHESTER, 24 Dec—Patrice Evra has told hisManchester United team-mates to focus on a hat-trick of Premier Leaguetitles.

The champagne corkshad barely stopped pop-ping on United's ClubWorld Cup victory at theweekend before Francedefender Evra turned histhoughts back to domes-tic action in England.

Not only did Unitedenjoy a successful trip to

Japan to end the year as world champions, as well asreigning Premier League and Champions League hold-ers, but they received a further boost as Chelsea andLiverpool wasted their chance to open up a big leadover Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

United could have returned from Asia with a sub-stantial deficit to make up on the top two, but Liver-pool's draw at Arsenal and Chelsea's goalless scrap atEverton kept the Old Trafford outfit within sevenpoints of first place, with two games in hand.

Internet

ACCRA, 24 Dec—Chelseamidfielder Michael Essien hasbeen named Ghana Footballer ofthe Year after a media poll here.

A couple of other midfieldersin the national 'Black Stars' team,Sulley Muntari of Inter Milanand Laryea Kingston of Hearts,came second and third respec-tively, reports said.

Essien, a regular AfricanFootballer of the Year finalist, has been sidelined sincemid-year after suffering an injury playing for Ghanaagainst Libya in a 2010 World Cup-African NationsCup qualifier.—Internet

LONDON, 24 Dec—Ar-senal manager ArseneWenger revealed on Tues-day that Gunners captainCesc Fabregas will be outof action for four monthsafter suffering a partialrupture of his medial kneeligament in Sunday'sdraw against Liverpool.

Fabregas suffered theinjury in a challenge withLiverpool's Xabi Alonsoand limped off at half timeat the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger initially hopedFabregas would only beout for three weeks butscans confirmed the Spainmidfielder won't playagain before April.

"The news is notgood," Wenger said. "Itwill take three to fourmonths, we count four. Hewill be working hard tocome back earlier but Icount four months.

"The challenge byAlonso was fair and hon-est, I have no problemwith it. It is exactly whatI have said many times, itis the kind of thing youaccept in the game thatcan happen. I don't feelthere was any intention tohurt, it was purely acci-dental."

Internet

LONDON, 24 Dec—Highly-rated Rus-sian forward Andrei Arshavin could fi-nally be on his way to Europe after hisagent said the Zenit St Petersburg playerwas almost certain to be sold in the trans-fer window.

Arshavin has been linked to Arsenal,Tottenham and Real Madrid and, accord-ing to a BBC website report on Tuesdayhis agent, Dennis Lachter, said Arshavinand Zenit had agreed that he should finda new club in January.

"He will definitely move in Januaryor the player and club will lose money,"Lachter said.

"Zenit and Andrei understand that it istime for them to part from each other."

Arshavin, 27, was linked withTottenham last summer following hisimpressive performances at Euro 2008,and this week Zenit general directorMaxim Mitrofanov was quoted as say-ing his price tag was 20 million pounds

and they hoped Arsenal would make anoffer. But Lachter denied reports that theplayer had visited both teams' traininggrounds on a recent trip to London.

Internet

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM14

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 25 December, 2008 15

WEATHER

Summary of observations recorded at 09:30 hrMST: During the past 24 hours, weather has been partlycloudy in Kachin and Shan States, Sagaing and TaninthayiDivisions and generally fair in the remaining States andDivisions . Night temperatures were (3˚C) below De-cember average temperatures in Chin State, (3˚C) to (4˚C)above December average temperatures in Shan,Rakhine, Kayah and Mon States, upper Sagaing, Manda-lay and Taninthayi Divisions, (5˚C) to (6˚C) above De-cember average temperatures in Kachin State and aboutDecember average temperatures in the remainingareas.The significant night temperatures were Hakha(3˚C) and Loilem (4˚C).

Maximum temperature on 23-12-2008 was 93˚F.Minimum temperature on 24-12-2008 was 62˚F. Rela-tive humidity at (09:30) hours MST on 24-12-2008 was76%. Total sunshine hours on 23-12-2008 was (9.2) hrsapprox.

Rainfall on 24-12-2008 was (Nil) at Mingaladon,Kaba-Aye and Central Yangon. Total rainfall since 1-1-2008 was (110.31) inches at Mingaladon,(120.95) inchesat Kaba-Aye and (140.94) inches at Central Yangon.Maximum wind speed at Yangon (Kaba-Aye) was (4)mph from Northeast at (17:30) hours MST on 23-12-2008.

Bay inference: Weather is partly cloudy in theAndaman Sea and South Bay and generally fair else-where in the Bay of Bengal.

Forecast valid until evening of 25th December2008: Possibility of isolated rain or thundershowers inKachin, Northern Shan States and uppper Sagaing Divi-sion and weather will be partly cloudy in Chin, RakhineStates, Mandalay, Yangon and Taninthayi Divisions andgenerally fair in the remaining areas. Degree certainty is(40%).

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

Outlook for subsequent two days: Likelihood ofslight decrease of night termperatures in the EasternMyanmar area.

Forecast for Nay Pyi Taw and neighbouring areafor 25-12-2008: Partly cloudy.

Forecast for Yangon and neighbouring areafor 25-12-2008: Partly cloudy.

Forecast for Mandalay and neighbouring areafor 25-12-2008: Partly cloudy.

Wednesday, 24 December, 2008

Thursday, 25 DecemberView on today

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7:30 am 3. Morning news

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7:50 am 5. Dance variety

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8:50 am10. Local talent

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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 392369

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RIO DE JANEIRO, 24Dec—Brazil and Francesigned a defence deal onTuesday worth about 8.6billion euros (12 billionUS dollars) whichincludes the transfer oftechnology for LatinAmerica’s largesteconomy to develop itsown arms industry.

The accord wassigned by BrazilianPresident Luiz InacioLula da Silva and FrenchPresident NicolasSarkozy, who ended atwo-day visit to Rio deJaneiro on Tuesday.Under the deal Brazil willbuy 50 EC725 helicoptersbuilt locally by Helibras,Eurocopter's subsidiary inBrazil. Eurocopter is thehelicopter subsidiary ofEuropean aerospacegroup EADS. The

BRUSSELS, 24 Dec—Emergency measures havebeen taken after an outbreak of bird flu was detected intwo farms in northern Belgium, Belgian media reportedon Tuesday.

Control tests showed last Friday that some ducksand geese in a farm in Bocholt, which borders theNetherlands, were infected with the H5 bird flu virus.The same virus was also detected in a farm inBuggenhout in the province of East Flanders.

The H5 virus is not dangerous to human beings andis different from the H5N1 variant, which has killedmore than 200 people since it surfaced in 2003.

The Belgian Federal Food Agency, whichsupervises the safety of the food chain, has orderedemergency measures to be taken in the two farms andsurrounding areas.

Some 5,000 animals had to be slaughtered as aprecautionary measure and all poultry within a radiusof one kilometre of the farms must be kept indoors.Transport of poultry is forbidden for 21 days.

MNA/Xinhua

KABUL, 24 Dec—TheTaleban’s supreme leaderrejected on Tuesdayreports he had sent a letterto the Saudi Kinginvolving a formula forending the war inAfghanistan and con-ditions for talks with theAfghan Government.

Mullah MohammadOmar, who carries abounty of 10 million USdollars by the UnitedStates for his capture, alsodenied reports sayingmembers of the Taleban’s

Bird flu detected inbelgian farms

Taleban’s Omar rejects reportsof peace formula

resurgent movement hadheld talks with pro-Afghan Governmentofficials on ending theconflict.

“The fact is that theIslamic Emirates hasneither held anynegotiations in SaudiArabia or in the UnitedArab Emirates and neitheranywhere else,” theTaleban’s Website quotedOmar as saying in astatement.

“I neither have sentany letter addressed to

Saudi-King Abdullah binAbdul-Aziz, or to theopposite side (AfghanGovernment) and neitherhave (I) received anymessage from them.”

The statement addedthat whatever was beingsaid on this issue wasfalse and part of apropaganda campaign byvested interests.

An Iranian Pressreport had initially saidOmar had sent a peaceformula to the SaudiKing.—MNA/Reuters

Brazil, France sign$12b defence pact

helicopters, worth anestimated 1.9 billioneuros, are to be deliveredfrom 2010.

MNA/Reuters

Bulgarian carol singers bearing gifts of foodperform traditional songs and dances in Varna,

east of the capital Sofia.—INTERNET

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM15

13th Waning of Nadaw 1370 ME Thursday, 25 December, 2008

Article: Zaw Win (Kyemon), Photos: Khin Maung Win (Kyemon)

White gold plantations of Chindwin region

INSIDE

He is an educated young farmer, running a 10-

acre paddy field. He seemed to be making handsome

profits from his agricultural farm, practicing dou-

ble- or triple-cropping pattern with advanced agri-

cultural methods.

* 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

Sale agents invited, Win Thuza shops to be hiredYANGON, 24 Dec—The Ministry of Industry-1 is producing textiles, ready-made

clothes, foodstuff, beverage, medicines, soap, ceramics, paper and exercise books,paints, sewing machines, bicycles, plastics, leather, rubber totaling 904 items.

With the purpose of distributing products to the public, sales agents are invited.In addition, Win Thuza shops, which are being kept open in all parts of the countrywill be hired at reasonable rate.

Those wishing to sell goods and hire Win Thuza shops may contact theDirectorate of Industries (Tel-067-408196), Myanma Textile Industries (Tel-067-408157), Myanma Foodstuff Industries (Tel-067-408276), Myanma PharmaceuticalIndustries (Tel-067-408162), Myanma Ceramics Industries (Tel-067-408372),Myanma Paper and Chemical Industries (Tel-067-408374) and Myanma Generaland Maintenance Industries (Tel-067-408340).—MNA

PAGES 6+7

Rubber plants are being grown on many acres ofland in Taninthayi Dvision and Mon State in Myanmar.Other regions such as Kayin State, Bago, Yangon andAyeyawady Divisions, and some townships inRakhine, Kachin and Shan States are also suitable forcultivation of rubber plants.

Rubber plants can grow well in the regions

where the climate is neither too hot nor too cold andthe temperature ranges from 55° F to 100° F. They canbe cultivated even in the regions more than 2,000 feetabove sea level. In this case, however, it takes a littlelonger than normal for them to be tapped.

Rain is of the essence in the growth of rubberplants and the most suitable rainfall is from 80 to

160 inches. They can grow well also in the areaswith an average annual rainfall of 200 inches. It islearnt that it is more profitable to grow rubberplants in the regions where it rains from time totime all the year round because it can increase theyield.

(See page 11)

Blue whales. Earth’s creatures come in all sizes,yet they (and we) all sprang from the same single-celled organisms that first populated the planet. Sohow on Earth did life go from bacteria to the blue

whale?—INTERNET

Evolution: Life on Earth got bigger in 2-million-fold leapsSCIENCE DAILY, 24

Dec—Earth’s creaturescome in all sizes, yet they(and we) all sprang fromthe same single-celled or-ganisms that first popu-lated the planet. So howon Earth did life go frombacteria to the blue whale?

“It happened prima-rily in two great leaps, andeach time, the maximum

size of life jumped up by afactor of about a million,”said Jonathan Payne, as-sistant professor of geo-logical and environmen-tal science at Stanford.

Payne, along with adozen otherpaleontologists and ecolo-gists at 10 different re-search institutions, pooledtheir existing databases,

combed the scientific lit-erature and consulted withtaxonomic experts in aquest to determine themaximum size of life overall of geological time.

That might sound likea rather large undertak-ing, but, fortunately, thequest was made easierbecause even the profes-sionals have a fascinationwith the size of the fossil-ized.

“The nice thing aboutmaximum size is that peo-ple tend to remark on verylarge fossils, so they aremuch easier to track downin the geologic literaturethan anything else,” Paynesaid. In addition to quanti-fying the enormity of thetwo leaps in maximumsize, the researchers alsopinned down when thoseleaps took place.

Internet

Rubber and pineapple plants seen in Aung Thukha (Lin) rubber plantation of U Aung Than Myint in Homalin Township.

KYAW YE MIN

25-12-08 NL 7/30/18, 12:02 AM16