Parade of 78th Anniversary Armed Forces Day held; Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing delivers address
NAY PYI TAW March 27
The Parade of the 78th Anniversary Armed Forces Day took place at Nay Pyi Taw military parade ground on 27 March morning with an address by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing.
Military personnel of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air), female parade company of the Tatmadaw (Army), members of Myanmar Police Force and female parade company of MPF in columns which would participate in the parade ceremony took positions at the Thittat parade ground and participated in it on the parade agenda.
First, the Bagpipe Band and the Central Military Band took the designated position in the parade ground. Mechanized companies representing Directorate of Artillery, Directorate of Missiles, Directorate of Tanks, Office of Chief of Air Defence Troops, Directorate of Military Engineers, and Office of Commander-in-Chief (Navy) led by column commander Brig Gen Zaw Tun Oo of mechanized column, took the designated positions.
Then, the flag bearers led by Parade Commander Maj-Gen Myint Kyaw Tun, followed by Anawyahtar Column led by Column Commander Brig Gen San Yu Naing comprising guard of honour, the parade companies representing the Directorate of Military Engineers, Office of Chief of Air Defence Troops, Directorate of Tanks, Directorate of Ordnance, Triangle Region Command, Northern Command (company 1), Office of Chief of Military Training.
Kyansittha column led by Column Commander Brig Gen Tin Aung Swe comprising Guard of Honour, parade companies representing Directorate of Signals, Office of Chief of Military Equipment Production, Directorate of Medical Services, Directorate of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Yangon Command, Northern Command (company 2), Coastal Region Command.
Bayintnaung column led by Column Commander Brig Gen Kyaw Lin Zaw, comprising guard of honour, parade companies of Office of Commander-in-Chief (Navy), Office of Commander-in- Chief (Navy) (female company), Office of Commander-in- Chief (Navy) (company 1 and 2), South West Command, North East Command (company 1), North West Command (company 1).
Aung Zeya column led by Column Commander Brig Gen Zaw Myint Oo comprising guard of honour, parade companies representing Office of Commander- in-Chief (Army) (female company), Office of Commander-in- Chief (Army) (female company 1), Office of Commander-in-Chief (Army) (female company 2), Office of Commander-in-Chief (Army) (female company 3), Office of Commander-in-Chief (Army) (female company 4), Office of Commander-in-Chief (Army) (female company 5), Office of Commander-in-Chief (Army) (female company 6).
Hsinbyushin column led by Column Commander Brig Gen Tun Win comprising guard of honour, parade companies rep-resenting Office of Commander- in-Chief (Air), Office of Comman-der-in-Chief (Air) (female company), Office of Commander-in-Chief (Air) (company 1 and 2), Western Command, ), Eastern Command (company 2), Central Command (company 2).
Bandoola column led by Column Commander Brig Gen Soe Hlaing comprising guard of honour, airborne parade company, parade companies representing Directorate of Artillery, Directorate of Supply and Transport, East Central Command, Nay Pyi Taw Command, Eastern Command, Southern Command.
The Aung San column led by column commander Police Brigadier General Win Bo comprising the guard of honour company, the parade company representing Myanmar Police Force (Women), the parade companies (1) and (2) representing MPF (Women), and the parade companies (1), (2), (3) and (4) representing MPF (Men), together with the military bands marched towards the parade ground,according to the agenda.
During the parade, wife of the Chairman of the State Admi-nistration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, wife of the Vice Chairman of the SAC Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Daw Than Than Nwe, the wife of the Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air), the wife of the Commander-in-Chief (Navy), the wife of the Commander-in-Chief (Air) and wives of senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief garlanded personnel in the columns. Similarly, officers, other ranks and families from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), the Nay Pyi Taw Command and respective stations, members of the Myanmar Police Force and families, film and music artistes and local residents warmly greeted the parade columns with garlands along the road. Tatmadaw personnel and members of the MPF marched into the parade ground by chanting military songs in patriotic spirit and took designated positions. Then, the parade company of the Special Mission Force (Female) led by Capt Daw May Myat Mu and parade company of the Special Force of the Navy led by Maj Zaw Zeyar Win took designated positions in the parade ground.
Present at the parade ceremony were Chief of General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) General Thiri Pyanchi Sithu Maung Maung Aye, Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Zeya Kyawhtin Sithu Moe Aung, Commander-in-Chief (Air) General Zeya Kyawhtin Sithu Tun Aung, the secretary, joint secretary and members of the SAC, union level officials, senior military officers from the Office of Commander-in-Chief, families of the Thirty Comrades, families of retired commanders-in-chief, retied senior officers (Army, Navy and Air), stars of independence (first, second and third grades), advisors, deputy ministers, retired ambassadors from the Tatmadaw, members of the Nay Pyi Taw Council, military attache' and officials from foreign embassies, repesentatives of EAO signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, chairmen and officials from political parties, families and relatives of the receipients of Aung San Thuriya title, officers and other ranks who won Thiha Thuya titles, Thuya titles, military gallantry and outstanding peformance titles and hero record badges and their families, members of the Myanmar War Veteran Organization, members of transformed people's militias, original people's militias and the border gaurd central advisory commands, the Myanmar Police Force, the fire brigade and the Myanmar Red Cross, officials and staff from ministries, officials from the YMBA, the Myanmar Woman Affairs Federation, the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association and the Interfaith Friendship Organization (Central), artistes who performed in stories commemorating the Armed Forces Day, prize winners in marching song, military song, poem, short story and novel competitions, wellwishers who made donations commemorating the Armed Forces Day, officials from the News Media Council, the Myanmar Motion Pictures Association, the Myanmar Theatrical Association, the Myanmar Music Association and Centre for Strategic Studies, members of university training corps, faculty members and students of University of the Development of National Races, invited guests and local and foreign media.
First, Chairman of the State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Thadoe Maha Tharay Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing arrived at the parade ground and took positions on the plat-form to take salute of the personnel of the Tatmadaw and members of the MPF. Then, the Senior General inspected the parade columns.
Then, the Senior General and Tatmadaw personnel and members of the MPF took the fourpoint oath after saluting the State flag and the fallen Tatmadaw members.
Afterward, the Senior General delivered an address. (The full text of the speech will be published separately.)
Then, personnel of the Tatmadaw and members of the MPF of parade columns led by Parade Commander Maj-Gen Myint Kyaw Tun saluted the Senior General in columns while marching to leave the parade ground.
While parade columns were saluting the Senior General, an MI-17 transport helicopter flying the State Flag of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and escorted by two MI-2 M helicopters, three MI-35 P helicopters flying the flags of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air), one Su-30 SME 4 plus generation multirole heavy fighter and two MIG-29 multirole fighters, one H-125 helicopter and two Eurocopters flew over the parade ground in composite formation. One MTX -1A and five PT-6 performed composite wedge formation while Y-12 IV transport plane and two Grob-120 TP aircraft performed Vic formation. One MTX-1A and five PT-6 aircraft flew over the parade ground in composite wedge formation by turning on landing lights at 45 degrees on the right side of the view direction while one ATR-42 transport plane and two BEECH 1900 D transport planes performed composite formation at 45 degree on the left side of the direction view direction.
Then, six K-8W fighters flew in Wedge formation leaving red, green and yellow smoke trails representing the State Flag, an A-5JK bomber fighter and four Yak-130 fighters in composite head formation, six K-8W figh-ters in Vulcan formation for the second time leaving red, green and yellow smoke trails represent-ing the State Flag, five FTC-2000G fighters in arrowhead formation, five MIG-29 multiple-purpose combat aircraft in arrowhead formation, five FTC-2000G fighters in arrowhead formation for the second time and five MIG-29 multipurpose combat aircraft in arrowhead formation and Fan Break formation in saluting the Senior General.
Afterwards, the Senior General cordially greeted the guests who attended the parade and left the parade ground. The 78th Anniversary of the Armed Forces Day Parade came to an end successfully.
The honourable bronze statues of the founder kings of the First, Second and Third Myanmar Kingdoms, the Armed Forces Day Torch, and the plaque marking the 78th Anniversary Armed Forces Day could be seen with admiration in the parade ground. Moreover, the Burma Independence Army Flag, the Burma Defence Army Flag, the flags of Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air), the flags of the directorates of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army), and the colourful flags bearing the labels of military commands, light infantry divis-ions and battalions and units were also fluttering at the parade ground.
Besides, giant posters portraying the activities of Tatmadaw members (Army, Navy and Air) that promote patriotism and nationalistic fervour were ere-cted along Yangon Mandalay highway and Pinlaung junction and posters bearing the mottos of the Tatmadaw in Myanmar and English were erected or hanged along the parade route in honour of the 78th Anniversary Armed Forces Day.