Region    

Lt-Gen Maung Bo inspects development tasks in Kayin State

Yangon, 3 April — Member of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Maung Bo of the Ministry of Defence,  on 31 March morning, arrived at Hpa-an bank of Hlaingbwe river crossing Bridge (DawLan) linking Hpa-an Township and Hlaingbwe Township.

Brig-Gen Khin Maung Soe of Kawkareik station, Kayin State Peace and Development Council Chairman Col Cho Tun Aung and departmental officials welcomed them. After hearing reports presented by Brig-Gen Khin Maung Soe on facts about the bridge, Lt-Gen Maung Bo gave instructions on maintenance of the bridge.

Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party went to Nabu Station Hospital in Kawkareik Township and inspected it. He then presented cash for trust fund of the hospital through Medical Superintendent Dr Kyaw Swa.

 They then attended the ceremony to hand over Nabu Basic Education High School building to Education Department and addressed the ceremony. First, Kawkareik District Peace and Development Council Chairman Lt-Col Ko Ko Gyi and Director of the Development Affairs Committee of the Ministry for Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs U Kyaw Hlaing formally opened the new school building which was constructed under the rural areas and national races development implemen-tation programme. Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo made an address. In his address, he said the State and the people are carrying out the five rural development tasks.

The State is laying programmes to enable the school age children to attend school. He urged local authorities, townselders and teachers to maintain the school for long term use and strive for emergence of brilliant students. Next, Kawkareik Township Education Officer U Aye Min reported on facts about the building.

Lt-Col Ko Ko Gyi handed over documents relating to the building to Education Department. Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo presented cash to Headmistress Naw Ohn Kyin for the trust fund of the school. He then inspected extension of buildings in the school compound.

Later, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party proceeded to Nabu Station. At the meeting hall of Nabu Station, Maj Tun Myint of local battalion reported on condition of nine-mile long Nabu-Dawlan road and bridge, 15-mile long Kawkareik-Myapadaing-Nabu road and 30-mile long Kawkareik-Kwinkalay-Thingannyinaung road with the use of charts.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo said that the State has constructed roads and bridges for the regional development. Therefore, there will be smooth transportation and better trading in the regions. Town-to-village and village-to-village roads also have been built for development of rural areas, he added.

Out of 15 miles, four miles and one furlong of Kawkareik-Myapadaing-Nabu road has been tarred by Tatmadawmen. Next, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party inspected the road construction project.

Later, they paid obeisance to Sayadaw Bhaddanta Manava (Dhammacariya) and members of the Sangha in Kawkareik and presented offertories. They then went to Hpa-an-Kawkareik Microwave Station and gave necessary instructions to officials.

Afterwards, they proceeded to Kanni river water pumping station where they were welcomed by departmental officials and Mon national races. At the briefing hall, Lt-Col Ko Ko Gyi reported on construction of roads and bridges for Kyondo-Kanni-Kawbain region development.

Then, Assistant Director U Soe Lwin of Kayin State Water Resources Utilization Department reported on cultivation of 30 acres of summer paddy with pumped river water. Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo met with service personnel and local farmers and gave instructions. He said the State, based on agriculture sector, is striving for the economic development of the nation. To improve agriculture sector, it has implemented dam and river water pumping projects for fulfilling the need of water for agriculture purpose, he said. He urged those present to effectively use modern farming methods, assistance and irrigated water supplied by the government, to strive for meeting the set cultivated acreage for monsoon and summer paddy, and to expand cultivated acreage.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party inspected the cultivation of 30 acres of Hsinshweli summer paddy with use of water supplied by Kanni river water pumping station on the bank of the Houngthayaw River. Later, they returned to Kyondo by boat and proceeded to Jaing river water pumping project in Jaing Village in Hpa-an Township. At the briefing hall of the project, he heard reports on arrangements for irrigation of 1,000 acres of farm by the river water pumping project, cultivation of 500 acres of summer paddy with use of water irrigated by the project and cultivation of 134,253 acres of summer paddy in Kayin State in 2002-2003 presented by the responsible officials. Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo met with service personnel and local farmers and gave instructions. He said Kayin State being a region with abundant land and water resources, local people must strive for the development of agriculture sector of the region. Departmental staff must provide agricultural technologies, high yield paddy strains to farmers, he said. He then urged the local farmers to strive for the development of agriculture sector of Kayin State and the State energetically.

Afterwards, Lt-Gen Maung Bo cordially greeted the local farmers and viewed the thriving fields of paddy irrigated by river water. Then, he left for Hpa-an.

On 1 April morning, Lt-Gen Maung Bo, accompanied by Deputy Commander of South-East Command Brig-Gen Myo Hla and officials, paid homage to State Ovadacariya Bhaddanta Panñasami of Ariyavamsa Monastery and presiding Nayaka Sayadaws of the monasteries in the town and presented offertories to the sayadaws.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party attended the ceremony to hand over the self-reliance new station hospital of Htoneaing Station in Hpa-an Township.

Hpa-an District Peace and Development Council Chairman Lt-Col Soe Myint Aung and Director of Health Department of the Ministry of Health Dr Tin Win Maung formally opened the hospital.

Then, a ceremony to hand over the hospital to Health Department was held at the meeting hall of the hospital. Lt-Gen Maung Bo made a speech on the occasion.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo presented K 50,000 for the funds of the hospital through Dr Thanda Aung. Then, Director U Tin Win Maung of the Health Department accepted documents related to the hospital presented by wellwisher U Khin Maung Win. Hpa-an Township USDA Executive Daw Win Win Than spoke words of thanks.

Afterwards, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party viewed round the hospital and cordially greeted the local people.

The 118-foot-long and 80-foot-wide new hospital was constructed at a cost of K 19.0 million including K 7.3 million contributed by wellwishers U Min Kyaw Win and Daw Mya Kyi family and handed over to the Health Department.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo inspected the telephone exchange of Myanma Posts and Telecommunications in the village.

Next, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party arrived at Htoneaing river water pumping project in the village. At the briefing hall, officials reported on facts about the river water pumping project and cultivation of summer and monsoon paddy in the state. Lt-Gen Maung Bo gave necessary instructions and inspected thriving of summer paddy.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo met with local authorities, members of USDA and social organizations at the meeting hall of Kayin State Peace and Development Council Office. Officials reported on population of the state, land utilization and tasks being carried out in the region.

Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo made a speech. He said it was required to meet the targeted acreage of monsoon and summer paddy in the region. The government was striving for the harmonious development of the country with the participation of the national races by designating 24 development zones, laying border area development and rural development projects, he said. The country being an agro-based one, development of agriculture sector would improve the living standards of the national races. The government was striving for water supply tasks essential for agriculture by using all the ways and means, he said. Then, he urged the farmers to effectively use irrigated river-water by the cultivation of paddy and other crops exceeding the targets. Then, Lt-Gen Maung Bo cordially greeted those present.

At 1.30 pm, Lt-Gen Maung Bo met with Tatmadawmen and their families at the hall of Hpa-an Station and gave instructions. Then, he inspected the development of the town.

Next, Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party inspected the construction of embankment to prevent the erosion on Hpakat side of the Thanlwin Bridge (Hpa-an). After hearing reports presented by officials, Lt-Gen Maung Bo gave necessary instructions. Lt-Gen Maung Bo and party left there by car and arrived back here in the evening.