Senior General Than Shwe felicitates President of Poland

YANGON, 3 May— Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar, has sent a message of felicitations to His Excellency Mr Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, on the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Poland, which falls on 3 May 2005.

Source: "The New Light Of Myanmar", www.myanmar.com/nlm/
 

Those with noble and deep political convictions could bring genuine development to the State Narrow-minded lackeys of colonialists could not create the development of national historyThere was no place for bigoted henchmen of colonialists in history of national development

YANGON, 2 May — Patron of the Union Solidarity and Development Association, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe attended opening ceremony of Myanmar and International Studies Course No 7 of USDA held at Pyidaungsu Hall of USDA training school in Hmawby Township at 9 am today.

Also present on the occasion were USDA Patron Vice-Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Maung Aye, Member of the State Peace and Development Council General Thura Shwe Mann of the Ministry of Defence, Prime Minister Lt-Gen Soe Win, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Thein Sein, members of the State Peace and Development Council, the Commander-in-Chief (Navy), the Commander-in-Chief (Air), the Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Commander of Yangon Command, the members of Central Panel of Patrons of the USDA, the ministers, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, the Auditor-General, the chairman of Civil Service Selection and Training Board, the USDA CEC members, senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence, the directors-general, the managing directors, guests, course in-charge Lt-Col Khin Win, course instructors and trainees. In his address, the Senior General said the USDA member trainees will have to learn situation of their own country, Myanmar, and global issues at the course opened today. Subject of Myanmar and international affairs are wide and profound. By learning the subject they will know the events happened in the past and present and those to happen in the future, he said.

The Senior General said as the trainees are playing a part in building a modern developed nation, they will learn and analyze the subject in association with your experiences. It is necessary to know sources of international arena as global issues are interrelated in all aspects. Only then will they know correct points considering cause and effect and you be able to stand tall among others, he noted.

USDA laid down its seven objectives in December 2004 after the approval had been sought from those members from respective states and divisions. The objectives were adopted in accord with prevailing conditions of the State to fulfill requirements, to build promising future of the country and to prevent every form of destructive acts, the Senior General said. It is necessary to create a bright future of the State learning lessons from the past experiences, he pointed out.

When it comes to learning Myanmar affairs, the Senior General said, they need to widely learn correct situations of the past, present and future. And Myanmar’s history has been put on record for the years countable by the thousand. He added that thanks to modern science, we have learnt that earliest human beings have inhabited the land of our country since over 40 million years. Myanmar’s history has passed the stone age, bronze age, iron age and city state age. King Anawrahta of Bagan Period was able to establish the first Myanmar sovereign nation 1,000 years ago. King Bayintnaung of Taungoo Period and King Alaungphaya of Konbaung Period also established the second and third sovereign nation respectively, safeguarding territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State with the strength of unity. The Senior General said the sovereign Union of Myanmar is ancestral heritage that has been bestowed by the history. Imperialism did change the history of most countries of Asia and Africa, he noted.

Colonialists exploited the countries under their subjugation and those countries have been in total jeopardy as sovereignty, politics, economy and social life were destroyed.

In the world history, the imperialism turned out to be a system that crushed and destroyed the national character and the rights of citizens.

In the period of the early 19th century, Myanmar which has been under colonialists was free from the yoke of colonialists together with some Asian and African nations. The independence struggles of the peoples who put up much of a fight against aggressors are the events that should be documented in the history of Asian and African nations. So also, the Myanmar peoples and the Tatmadaw had to fight for independence, risking a lot of their lives, blood and sweat.

Asian and African nations including Myanmar, which were subjected to pressure and threat of colonialists, held a conference in Bandung, Indonesia over 50 years ago after their independence was regained and they laid down the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence which has still been held in high regard by the world.

The principles are:

—mutual respects for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty;

—non-aggression;

—non-interference in each other’s internal affairs;

—respect for mutual equality and work for mutual benefit;

—peaceful co-existence.

It can be said that the five principles are the defence programmes which arose based on bitter experiences and the rights lost under colonialists.

The five principles are also a basic foundation for world peace. All the global nations including super powers which are facing a series of wider and subtle problems ought to practise those principles. In the Union of Myanmar, they are still being practised as the foundation of the foreign policy.

If the political life of the State is assessed after the independence was regained, it can be seen that differences arose among the people due to party splits; that a lack of security for the people due to armed insurgencies of sectarians; and that national solidarity became weak owing to divide-and-rule policy of colonialists.

Those situations have caused deterioration in political, economic and social sectors of the nation. It is a common knowledge that there was no economic infrastructures as far as 1988. There will be no development in a region where there have arisen conflicts and lack of security. The history shows that there is no goal in a society in which unity is in chaos.

In such situations, reviews should be made on some neighbouring countries and the countries in the region.

It is obvious that some countries have reached a status of a developed nation, surpassing the status of developing nations during the period of between ten years and 20 years. It is required to clearly know what the country at present is in urgent need. The present task is to build a modern and developed nation. Every citizen have to perform the task with the determination of the citizens.

He said the government has been implementing the tasks for emergence of a peaceful modern developed nation after laying down the goal and objectives since it took up the State duties.

The government laid down Our Three Main National Causes and made efforts for peace and stability. At the same time, it made endeavours for progress of border areas that lagged behind development. Later, it implemented the tasks for development after designating the major areas as development regions. Nowadays, it also laid down rural development tasks and is undertaking them.

When we review the measures, one can see links of peace and stability, unity and development. The basic concept of the measures is for equal development of all the regions. The equal development of all the regions is the national concept.

The spirit of peace and stability, solidarity, sharing and building the nation is the essence of the Union Spirit. Based on the spirit, infrastructures on national development which are practical needs are being built. The infrastructure building task is the main source of development. When one studies Myanmar affairs he will know how the government builds the nation with what kind of concept in a short time. The infrastructures are being built for region-wise and sector-wise development and all-round development.

He said the first priority was development of border areas and later, 24 major development regions was designated. In order to fulfill the basic requirements of rural areas, rural development tasks are being undertaken with the aims of development of every region. The sector-wise development tasks are being carried out harmoniously, he said.

A large number of infrastructures such as dams, river water pumping projects and sluice gates were built for development of agriculture, the main economic sector of the State. At the same time, roads, railroads, bridges crossing rivers and streams, harbours for ocean-liners, airports are being built for boosting production, wider commerce and extended industries. Moreover, tasks for generating of electric power and other fuel are being implemented with greater momentum.

Considerable benefits has been gained in agricultural sector due to 173 dams and 271 river water pumping projects. There is a transport network because 57,153 miles of roads were built including Union roads, district to district roads and village to village roads. Newly opened ThanLwin Bridge (Mawlamyine) in February is a sign of region-and sector-wise development and all-round development. Mone hydro electric power station, Paunglaung hydro electric power station and Tikyit coal-fired electric power station opened in 2005 generate electric power needed in industrial sector and socio-economic life. Hydro-electric power projects under construction will generate power for extended industrial sector.

The government made efforts for enhancement of social sector as part of all-round development in accord with the social objectives. It upgraded education and health sectors with greater momentum. Basic education schools, universities and colleges were opened for creation of opportunities to learn in every region. National education promotion plan is for all. The trainees have a chance to study the high opportunities to learn education and extended teaching of arts and science.

In health sector, disease control measures on major diseases were carried out nationwide in cooperation with the people. He said they can study the tasks for upgrading of specialist hospitals, rural health care services and teaching of medical science in Myanmar studies sector.

Human resources play a vital role in building a peaceful modern developed nation. Only fit and highly-qualified human resources can build and safeguard the nation and its people. In any system or era, human resources with solidarity outlook, development outlook and defence outlook are needed.

He said now the government has laid down the seven-point Road Map and is implementing it and the Road Map is the political process of the State.

Peace and stability, better economic foundation of the State and its people and development of human resources are basic requirements for democratic society and democratic practices, he said.

He said the government set the precise goal and Our Three Main National Causes to be upheld. It also laid down twelve political, economic and social objectives and implemented with added momentum. He stressed that the government would continue to implement the seven-point Road Map until it succeeds hand in hand with the people. The aim of the government is to build peace and stability, solidarity, development and a democratic nation. So, construction is the history of the Union of Myanmar and many generations. Only those with the concepts of Our Three Main National Causes — non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty— can create the history of the nation and can defend the Union. Our Three Main National Causes are the foundation of the Union spirit, he said.

Senior General Than Shwe stressed that only those with noble and deep political convictions could bring genuine development to the State and narrow-minded lackeys of colonialists could not create the development of national history.

Aims and objectives of some narrow-minded persons were totally against public interests and the history of the nation obviously showed that the people of Myanmar had never believed in the stooges of colonialists.

There was no place for the bigoted henchmen of colonialists in the history of national development.

In conclusion, Senior General Than Shwe urged the trainees to be serious with the study of Myanmar and international affairs, to make a thorough study of absolute truths about domestic affairs, to expose the true motive and background history of those who were always apt to meddle in international and domestic affairs and to see through the narrow-minded approaches and interferences and remove them. Moreover, he added that it was necessary to see through the machinations of stooges and lackeys of colonialists who were always trying to do something wrong and plotting disintegration of the State. It was also necessary to prevent some sectarians from destroying the interests of the nation and the people and to try to reach our goal, crushing all the attempts of those sectarians even at the risk of our lives.

After the ceremony, Patron of the Union Solidarity and Development Association, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe cordially greeted the trainees, had breakfast at Bayintnaung hall and left.

Source: "The New Light Of Myanmar", www.myanmar.com/nlm/
 

FM sends felicitations to Poland

YANGON, 3 May— U Nyan Win, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar, has sent a message of felicitations to His Excellency Prof. Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, on the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Poland, which falls on 3 May 2005.

Source: "The New Light Of Myanmar", www.myanmar.com/nlm/

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