Nay Pyi Taw June 1
Chairman of the State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing this morning met with members of Mon State Administration Council and departmental personnel at the office of Mon State Administration Council in Mawlamyine.
Also present at the meeting together with the Senior General were Council members Admiral Tin Aung San, General Maung Maung Kyaw, Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, Mahn Nyein Maung and Dr Banya Aung Moe and Joint Secretary Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo, Union Ministers Dr Nyunt Pe, Dr Thet Khaing Win, U Shwe Lay, Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Moe Aung, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Chairman of Mon State Administration Council U Zaw Lin Tun, Commander of South-East Command Maj-Gen Ko Ko Maung, members of the Mon State Administration Council and departmental officials.
Chairman of Mon State Administration Council U Zaw Lin Tun reported on social, economic, health and regional development tasks of the state, vaccination of COVID-19 and general matters, Union Minister for Transport and Communications Admiral Tin Aung San on arrangements to be made for development of Mawlamyine port and upgrade of Mawlamyine Airport.
In his response, the Senior General stressed the need to rebuild Sittoung Paper Mill for meeting the paper demand of the State. It is necessary to systematically grow bamboo, eucalyptus and Manjansia as raw materials for production of paper. The Senior General spoke of the need to consider the long-term plan for upgrade of Mawlamyine Airport. As development of Mawlamyine Port will help produce the goods made of marine products, short and long term plans should be laid down.
The Senior General expressed his satisfaction with the highest pass rate of the matriculation examination from 1997 to 2020 in Mon State. Mon State makes the best efforts in the education sector. So, it needs to maintain the existing traditions and efforts must be made for achieving more success to be applied for the interests of the state.
All students need to focus on learning and parents and officials should encourage education for those students. Learning the university education is enlarging the scope of studies on their majoring subjects. Although everybody who completed the university education cannot be scholars, they can have knowledge based on learning of respective subjects. As such knowledge can be applied for improvement of their lives, it is necessary to encourage the university education.
The Senior General pointed out that it is necessary to increase the educated persons in the regions for undertaking the regional development tasks. Without knowledge and skills, it is impossible to produce advanced products and advanced agricultural and livestock products. So, institutes of agriculture and institutes of livestock breeding are opened to teach the students to have knowledge of respective subjects, essential for the agriculture and livestock farms. The Senior General stressed the need to encourage domestic production of sufficient and quality agricultural and livestock products at home. Production of necessary product items in Mon State as import-substitute goods will much benefit the country.
With regard to land utilization, agricultural tasks are being carried out as main livelihoods. Although paddy cultivation is sure to be rice sufficiency in Mon State, per-acre yield of paddy is down. Hence, local farmers need to use quality paddy strains, sufficient supply of water, correct agricultural methods and efficient use of necessary inputs. If efforts can be made for increasing the per-acre yield of crops, it will improve the socio-economic life of local farmers. As such, agricultural officials must give encouragements for increasing per-acre yield of crops. Likewise, research based on existing quality strains of crops such as rubber, durian, rambutan, coconut, pomelo, mango and cashew must be conducted for securing the high yield and quality crops. Quality crops can be exported to earn foreign exchange, so local farmers will have benefits and it will contribute much to the regional development. If livestock breeding tasks can be undertaken systematically, it will have good potentials to secure success. As the area is plentiful of water, duck farms should be operated systematically. Oxen, chicken, pigs, fish and prawn should be bred through modern technologies with a plan to export frozen meat to foreign countries. As Mon State is located in the focal point, existing infrastructures must be utilized for development of the state.
With regard to generating electricity, emphasis must be placed on generating the hydropower called renewable energy. Implementation of possible hydropower projects in the state will much benefit the state and the country.
The Tatmadaw is striving for strengthening of the multi-party democracy route the people aspire. The Senior General recounted he has said that he would like to march towards the clean democracy and honesty democracy at the third anniversary ceremony of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2018. The Constitution (2008) comprises many significant characteristics. In studying the Basic Principles of the Union in the Chapter I and the Citizen, Fundamental Rights and Duties of the Citizens in the Chapter VIII, it can be seen that the constitution gives equal rights to all ethnic nationals across the nation. The Tatmadaw wishes to ensure only political peace and stability. Necessary undertakings were performed for the better military-civilian relations. In holding the 2020 general election, the Tatmadaw allowed opening of the polling stations outside the military units.
The Senior General himself cast votes in advance together with military families. When the voting errors were found, the Tatmadaw requested the Union Election Commission to scrutinize the errors but it failed to tackle it. The newly-formed UEC found many errors in inspection. As dishonest processes from the grassroots level to the State level were found, these findings will be released at an opportune time. Political dishonest activities should not be done in the democracy. The election plays a key role in democratization. Due to errors in the voter lists, the Tatmadaw is temporarily taking the State duties in line with the constitution. Arrangements are being made to hold the free and fair election. The Tatmadaw decided to build the Union based on democracy and federalism.
After the meeting, the Senior General cordially greeted the council members and departmental officials.
In the evening, the Senior General and party inspected upgrade of Yamanya stadium in Mawlamyine and instructed officials to upgrade the stadium meeting the standards and other matters.