Volume XVI, Number 271 4th Waning of Pyatho 1370 ME Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

Established 1914

* Development of agriculture as the base and all-round develop-ment of other sectors of the economy as well

* Proper evolution of the market-oriented economicsystem

* Development of the economy inviting participation in termsof technical know-how and investments from sources insidethe country and abroad

* The initiative to shape the national economy must be kept in thehands of the State and the national peoples

* Uplift of the morale and morality of theentire nation

* Uplift of national prestige and integrity andpreservation and safeguarding of culturalheritage and national character

* 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 Con-

stitution* Building of a new modern developed nation

in accord with the new State Constitution

Four economic objectives Four social objectivesFour political objectives

NAY PYI TAW, 13 Jan– Maj-Gen Min AungHlaing of the Ministry ofDefence together withChairman of Shan State(East) Peace and Devel-opment Council Com-mander of Triangle Re-gion Command Brig-GenKyaw Phyo inspected con-struction of detour withthe use of machinery be-tween Mile Post Nos (16/3) and (17/1) and layingof concrete at Mile Post(17/1) on Kengtung-Mongkhun-Mongkhokroad on 10 January.

At the briefing hallof Asia World Co Ltdnear Nakaw village,Maj-Gen Min AungHlaing heard reports on

Road works on Kengtung-Mongkhun-Mongkhok road inspected

road works betweenMile Post Nos (27/0) and(54/0) on Kengtung-Mongkhun-Mongkhok

road presented by theSuperintending Engineerand the project managerof the company and at-

tended to the needs.Next, Maj-Gen Min

Aung Hlaing met with lo-cal people at Mongbu vil-

lage in Mongkhok andpresented gifts and foodto them.

At Shukhintha (2) vil-

lage, Maj-Gen Min AungHlaing provided local peo-ple with food.

MNA

Mount Noingun, a snow-capped one, is lo-cated at an altitude of 6,150 feet. On the way scalingthe mountains, we did not see any persons as it is aninaccessible region. Sometimes, the weather wasunfavourable because the temperature was belowfreezing point. Whatever it may be, Mount Noingunis one of the most interesting ones in Putao District ofKachin State.

Noingun Hill is located on the way to MountKhakaborazi, the highest one not only in Myanmarbut also in Southeast Asia. Namtee Camp is situatedat an altitude of 3,000 feet and Mount Noingun is over3,000 feet higher than Namtee Camp. The way to themountain is across the dense forests. Sometimes,wild animals can be seen along the route.

Significantly, black orchid species withPaphipedium wadi as scientific name can be found atthe mountain. It can be said that Myanmar is one ofvery few number of countries where the rare blackorchid species can be seen.

(See page 11)

Rare black orchid species thriving onMount Noingun in Putao District

Article: Maung Maung Myint Swe

A close-up view of black orchid(Paphipedium wadi).

Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing inspects road work on Mongkhun-Mongkhok Road. — MNA

Tiny Insect Develops Long-term Memory

A hitch-hiking parasitic wasp (Trichogrammaevanescens) near the eye of an impregnated cab-

bage butterfly (Pieris brassicae).

SCIENCE DAILY, 13 Jan— If a specific butterflyanti-sex scent is coupled with a pleasant experience,then parasitic wasps are able to develop long-termmemory and respond to this scent that they do notinstinctively recognize. After successfully ‘hitch-hik-ing’ with a mated female cabbage white butterfly andparasitizing her eggs, the parasitic wasps are able toremember the route and navigate it again. Researchersfrom Wageningen University, Netherlands, reportedthis finding in the Proceedings of the National Acad-emy of Sciences.—Internet

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2 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 * 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

Today, the whole world is facing naturaldisasters such as floods, landslides, volcanoeruptions, forest fires and strong winds, stemmingfrom climate changes triggered by globalwarming.

Last May, some areas of AyeyawadyDivision were hit hard by a powerful storm,which brought wholesale death and destruction;however the storm-ravaged areas managed toreturn to normal thanks to the significantresilience, good volition, and harmoniouscooperation of the people. So, preparednessmeasures are to be taken region-wise againstnatural disasters, learning lessons from theremarkable achievements.

In addition, preventive measures are to betaken against various forms of destructive acts.Now, the government and the people are workinghard in collaboration to achieve the national goalof building a modern developed nation. In thisregard, the entire people have to remain constantlyvigilant against the acts of internal and externalanti-government elements who are resorting toall possible means to deal a heavy blow to thestability and peace of the nation.

Myanmar being blessed with fertile soil,high rainfall and temperate climate, the peopleneed to work harder for development ofagricultural sector as the base and all-rounddevelopment of economic sectors because theagricultural sector serves as fundamental factorfor food safety and high living and workingconditions of the peasantry.

Taking advantage of its favourable naturalconditions, Rakhine State has to make increasedefforts to boost agricultural production and exportquality crops. The state can make substantialcontribution toward economic growth of itself aswell as the nation by raising sea prawn andcarrying out border trade on a wider scale.

Now, the government, the people and theTatmadaw remain cohesive in the drive fortransforming the nation into a new democraticone. The entire people are, therefore, to takemeasures in concert to surmount the threats tostability, peace and the rule of law and deal withnatural disasters.

Overcome any forms ofnatural and artificial dangers

YANGON, 13 Jan —Loi Hein Co Ltd and IronCross MusicEntertainment held a pressmeet on Alpine MusicTour 2009 at TradersHotel yesterday, attendedby responsible persons ofthe company and IronCross MusicEntertainment, membersof Iron Cross Band,vocalists Lay Phyu, Ange,Myo Gyi and Wine Wyne,media men and artists.

Firstly, Chairman ofLoi Hein Co Ltd Dr SaiHsam Tun extendedgreetings.

Next, Dr Ko Ko Lwinof Iron Cross Music

Press meet on Alpine Music Tour heldEntertainment andVocalist Lay Phyu andmembers of Iron CrossBand explainedentertainment programme.

The concerts of AlpineMusic Tour 2009 will beheld in Yangon, Mandalay,Meiktila, Taunggyi,Pathein, Hpa-an, Lashio,

Associations under MyanmarFisheries Federation to hold

Annual MeetingYANGON, 13 Jan—Under the aegis of Myanmar

Fisheries Federation, Annual Meeting of MyanmarPrawn Entrepreneurs Association, Myanmar FisheryProducts Processors and Exporters Association, EelEntrepreneurs Association, Myanmar Crab Associationand Myanmar Ornament Fish Entrepreneurs will beheld at the Thiriannawa hall of Myanmar FisheriesFederation on Bayintnaung Road in Insein Townshipat 1:00 p.m. on 17 January, 2009.

Members of these Associations are invited toattend the meeting without fail.—MNA

Industry-2 Minister inspects technicaltraining school (Mandalay)

NAY PYI TAW, 13Jan—Minister forIndustry-2 Vice-AdmiralSoe Thein inspectedteaching and trainingmatters in technicaltraining school (Mandalay)yesterday. The ministerlooked into teaching ofComputer Aided Designand Numerical Controlcourse and MechanicalDraughtsman course andcordially greeted trainees.

Afterwards, theminister met withresponsible persons of thetraining school and gaveinstructions on nurturingtrainees to be experts forindustries, improvingtrainees’ learningmotivation, nurturing theyouths to have right vision

for industrial country,carrying out maintenanceswork for clean of thetraining school and not tobe waste of money used

for teaching aids andcarrying out effective use.

The minister inspectedpractical works ofelectrical fitter and

conventional & CNCMachine Tool Operatortrainees at practicalteaching wards.

MNA

Muse, Myitkyina,Hpakant, Magway,Mawlamyine, Mogok,Myingyan and Dawei.

MNA

Minister Vice-Admiral Soe Thein inspects teaching and learning atTechnical Training School (Mandalay). — MNA

Chairman of Loi Hein Co Ltd Dr Sai Hsam Tun extends greetings atpress meet on Alpine Music Tour 2009. — MNA

Volume VI, No. 4 of Sein Le Shwe Pyi NewsJournal comes out

YANGON, 13 Jan—TheVolume VI, No. 4 of SeinLe Shwe Pyi News Journalhas been in circulation.The journal carries localand foreign storiestogether with interestingarticles.

Copies are availableat Sarpay Beikman onMerchant Road inKyauktada Township,Printing and PublishingEnterprise on TheinbyuRoad in BotahtaungTownship, Pann Shwe Pyi

Book Shop of Printing andPublishing Enterprise andBookstall of News andPeriodicals Enterprise onTheinbyu Road inBotahtaung Township.Those wishing to sendmanuscripts may contact

No. 8 on the second floorof Garden Tower at thecorner of Dhammazadiand Bagaya Roads,Myaynigon, SangyoungTownship, Yangon (Ph:538302).

MNA

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 3

Blood stains the ground as Iraqis gather to inspect a damaged buildingfollowing the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) on

Kharmana square in Baghdad, on 12 Jan, 2009. President Bush admittedMonday it had been a mistake to hang a banner saying “mission accom-

plished” on a US battleship where he declared major combat operations inIraq over in 2003.—INTERNET

Obama team to reviewAfghanistan conflict

WASHINGTON, 13 Jan—US President-elect BarackObama intends to sign offon Pentagon plans to sendup to 30,000 more UStroops to Afghanistan tohelp buy time for the newadministration to reap-praise the war effort, TheWashington Post reportedon Tuesday.

The incoming adminis-tration does not anticipatethat the new deploymentwould significantlychange the direction of theconflict, the newspapersaid. Obama campaignedon a promised to “finish

the job” in Afghanistanand said he would increasethe US military presencethere. However, since theNovember election, he hasbeen flooded with dire as-sessments of the war, thePost said. “We have nostrategic plan. We neverhad one,” the newspaperquoted a senior US mili-tary commander as sayingabout the Bush years.

Obama’s first order ofbusiness will be to “ex-plain to the American peo-ple what the mission is” inAfghanistan, the officialtold the newspaper.

Senior Obama teammembers and Bush ad-ministration officials in-terviewed for the articlespoke on the condition ofanonymity because of thepresidential transition, thePost said. A retired seniorofficer with long Afghanexperience and ties to theObama team was quotedas saying that they weregoing to have to agree ona set of options and a de-cision on a single strategy.“It’s going to require amuch more complex as-sessment by Obama,” thesource said.—Internet

Biden meets with Iraqileaders; bombings kill 10

US military deathsin Iraq war at 4,226

WASHINGTON, 13 Jan—As of Monday, 12 Jan,2009, at least 4,226 members of the US military haddied in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003.

The figure includes eight military civilians killedin action. At least 3,403 military personnel died as aresult of hostile action, according to the military’snumbers. The British military has reported 178deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria,13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five;Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Es-tonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each;and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Ko-rea, one death each.—Internet

A child is treated for wounds at a hospital incentral Baghdad, Iraq after being caught up in a

bombing, on 12 Jan, 2009. A series of bombstargeting Iraqi security forces ripped through busyareas in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least nine

people, police said.—INTERNET

PESHAWAR, 13 Jan—Taleban militants launched arocket attack on a NATO supply depot in northwestPakistan early Tuesday, torching one truck and dam-aging three others, police said.

The attack on the outskirts of the city of Peshawarwas the first since Pakistan launched a massive mili-tary operation late last month in the rugged Khybertribal region bordering Afgahanistan to clear militantsfrom the area.

That offensive was mounted after a series of spec-tacular attacks on depots in and around Peshawar inwhich hundreds of vehicles used to ferry supplies toNATO and US forces in Afghanistan were torched.

“The militants fired six rockets on a NATO termi-nal during the night. One truck was hit and it caughtfire, while three other vehicles suffered minor dam-age,” senior police officer Fida Mohammad told AFP.

Police and paramilitary soldiers tracked down theattackers and a brief gun battle ensued, he said. Afterabout 30 minutes, the militants fled.

There were no reports of any casualties, the officersaid. Authorities were forced to close the highway link-ing Peshawar to the Afghan border town of Torkhamfor several days at the height of the army offensive inthe Khyber area. It was reopened during daylight hourson 5 January.—Internet

India, Afghanistan call forobligations to prevent terrorism

NEW DELHI, 13 Jan—India and Afghanistan calledfor preventing terrorism in any manner and expressedsatisfaction with the progress in bilateral development,the local newspaper Hindu reported on Tuesday.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting betweenIndian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visitingAfghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday, the twoleaders pointed out that it was necessary for countriesto look after their territories since “terrorism emanatesfrom the sanctuaries and training camps and the sus-tenance and support received by the terrorist groups.”

They called for the “full compliance with bilateral,multilateral and international obligations of States toprevent terrorism in any manner originating from ter-ritories under their control.”—Internet

BAGHDAD, 13 Jan—Vice President-elect JoeBiden conferred Mondaywith Iraqi leaders after atrip to Afghanistan, cap-ping a tour of US battle-fronts on a day when po-lice reported bombingskilled 10 people in Bagh-dad. The four attacks werea reminder that major vio-lence may still return,complicating the incom-

ing administration's plansto draw down troops inIraq and focus more atten-tion on Afghanistan.

Biden, a frequent visi-tor to Iraq as a member ofthe Senate Foreign Rela-tions Committee, metwith President JalalTalabani, Vice PresidentAdel Abdul-Mahdi anddeputy Prime MinisterBarham Saleh after arriv-ing in Baghdad.

US officials issued nopublic statement.

But Abdul-Mahdi saidthey discussed implemen-tation of a security agree-ment that took effect on 1Jan. The accord sets athree-year timeframe forthe full withdrawal ofAmerican forces. The Ira-qis also stressed the impor-tance of enhancing US-Iraqi cooperation in fieldsother than security, theShiite vice president saidin a statement.—Internet

The scene of bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, on 10Jan, 2009. A bomb hidden under a car exploded

in central Baghdad.INTERNET

Militants attack NATO truckdepot in Pakistan

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4 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

WASHINGTON, 13 Jan—President-elect BarackObama is unlikely toclose the GuantanamoBay detention center inthe first 100 days of hispresidency, US mediasaid on Monday.

Analyzing Obama’sinterview with ABC’s“This Week” on 11 Janu-ary, the Los Angeles Timessaid he acknowledgedthat not everything hepromised to do during thecampaign would be ableto happen quickly, includ-ing the shutdown of

WASHINGTON, 13 Jan—A helicopter crash on Mon-day on the Texas A&M University campus killed oneperson and injured four others aboard, authorities said.

The aircraft went down in an open field next to adining hall soon after takeoff from a nearby locationat the College Station, Texas, campus, said universityspokesman Tom Hughes.

All of the injured have been hospitalized and theirconditions were not immediately known.

Students are on winter break, with classes set toresume 20 Jan. The helicopter was participating in amilitary exercise on campus and none of the five onboard was a student. The cause of the crash is underinvestigation. —Internet

Emergency personnel work on the scene after Army Blackhawk helicoptercrashed on the campus of Texas A&M University during on a field training

exercise on Monday afternoon, on 12 Jan, 2009 in College Station, Texas. Fivewere injured in the crash, including four crew and a lieutenant.—INTERNET

South Korean protesters stage a rally demanding the withdrawal of all the USsoldiers from the Korean peninsula, near the US embassy in Seoul, South

Korea, on 13 Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

Palestinian men inspect the debris in a building following Israeli strikesin Gaza City.—INTERNET

Obama unlikely to closeGuantanamo quickly

Guantanamo.Newsweek said in one

story that the president-elect had promised to re-verse some Bush admini-stration policies on thewar on terror, includingGuantanamo, but “it maynot be simple.”

In a separate story,Newsweek presented thecase of Cole (a US war-ship) bombing architectAbd al-Rahim al-Nashiri,a Guantanamo detainee,as one of the “tricky di-lemmas facing the newObama administration.”

The United Statesopened Guantanamoprison in January 2002, tohold terror suspects andTaleban members mainlycaptured during the US-led war in Afghanistan.

To date, about 250prisoners are still beingheld there. The interna-tional community andhuman rights groups havebeen constantly callingfor its closure. Obamapromised to close theprison during his presi-dential campaign in 2007and 2008. —Internet

US helicopter crash killsone, injures four

GAZA, 13 Jan—Islamic Hamas movement’s armedwing, al-Qassam Brigades, revealed on Monday thatan Israeli warplane struck on a group of its militantswho were kidnapping an Israeli soldier in northernGaza Strip.

The group said in a statement sent to reporters bye-mail that four of al-Qassam militants succeeded tocapture an Israeli soldier during a gun battle in north-ern Gaza Strip on Monday.

It added that “as the group was about to leave thearea and take the kidnapped Israeli soldier, an Israeliwarplane fired a rocket at the group and killed thesoldier and the fighters.”—Internet

Israel kills soldier captured bymilitants during airstrike

LONDON, 13 Jan—Brit-ain’s pillar finance sectoris to face 15,000 job lossesin two months time assharp fall in income andprofit start to bite, a newsurvey said on Monday.

In a clear sign thattightened credit marketsare hitting the widereconomy. The amount ofbusiness conducted withmanufacturers, retailers

MANILA, 13 Jan—So-mali pirates have freed aJapanese-operated bulkcarrier with 21 Filipinocrewmen they seized inOctober, a Philippine of-ficial said on Tuesday, thethird ship to be released ina week.

Philippine Foreign Af-fairs spokesman BayaniMangibin confirmed thatthe African Sanderlingand its all-Filipino crew

BISSAU, 13 Jan— Aboat carrying passengerson a Guinea-Bissau rivercapsized in strong winds,leaving more than 40 peo-ple missing, the West Af-rican country’s transportminister said on Monday.

The wooden vessel wascarrying 46 people when itoverturned late Sunday onthe Geba River near thetown of Biombo, just westof the capital of Bissau,Jose Antonio Almaedasaid. Fishermen rescuedthree passengers and recov-ered the body of another,Almaeda said. He said 42people were missing. Smallwooden boats are a com-mon means of transport inthe Guinea-Bissau region,but are often overloadedwith passengers and goods.However, Almaeda said thecraft that capsized was notoverloaded and could carryup to 60 passengers.

Internet

Britain’s finance sector to cut 15,000 jobsand other commercialfirms also shrank at arecord rate, while joblosses mounted and in-vestment plans were cut.

Some 10,000 jobshave gone since October,including thousands afterthe collapse of LehmanBrothers, and manybanks, insurance compa-nies and funds will step upredundancies in the fu-

ture.Results from the sur-

vey conducted among 87companies by the Confed-eration of British Industry(CBI) and Price Water-house Coopers (PwC) in-dicate that almost twothirds suffered a fall inbusiness in the threemonths to December.

Internet

42 missingafter boatcapsizes

21 Filipino crewmen freed by Somali pirateswere released on Sunday.

He gave no other de-tails, and it was not clearif a ransom was paid, asis usually the case.

The Panamanian-flagged and South Ko-rean-owned ship wasseized while en route toAsia from the MiddleEast.

The latest releasebrought to 33 the numberof Filipino sailors still

held by pirates, accordingto government data. ThePhilippines supplies abouta third of the world’s sail-ors.

Pirates last year at-tacked 111 ships andseized 42 off the Horn ofAfrica. An internationalflotilla including US war-ships has stopped manyattacks, but the area is toovast to keep all ships safe.

Internet

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 5

Chinese missile destroyer Wuhan (R) escorts a cargo ship in the waters of theGulf of Aden, on 12 Jan, 2009. The Chinese fleet started to carry out the

second escort mission against pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Monday.XINHUA

People shovel snow on a street in Jeongeup, about280 km (174 miles) south of Seoul, after heavy

snowfall, on 12 Jan, 2009. —XINHUA

Foreign tourist shop in an antique market inBuenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on 11 Jan,2009. Argentina welcomes the golden time for

tourism in January.—XINHUA

Vietnam to take measuresto help 61 poorest districts

China builds trains with own technology

Four die in Russian helicopter crash MOSCOW, 13 Jan—A Russian helicopter crashed in western Siberia on Monday

and four people aboard were killed, Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing localemergencies ministry.

“The helicopter that disappeared today has been found near the river YuganskayaOb, five km from a highway and not far from the oil site Ognenka,” said aspokesman of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Areas.

Four people were aboard the helicopter, including two crewmembers and twopassengers and their bodies have been found at the scene of the accident.

The people aboard the helicopter had used a mobile phone to call their relatives,which helped the rescue team to determine their location, Itar-Tass said.

The latest helicopter accident in Russia was reported on Sunday, when a Mi-8carrier were found crashed in southern Siberia, killing eight people aboard andinjured another four.—Xinhua

China to boost cooperationwith Arabs

CAIRO, 13 Jan—Chinese Foreign Minister YangJiechi on Monday met with Omani MinisterResponsible for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi binAbdullah in Oman’s capital city of Muscat, whereYang is en route to an African tour.

During a brief stay in the Gulf country, the Chineseminister told the Omani official that China is willingto boost Sino-Arab cooperation in various fields andwork with Arab countries in solving the ongoingPalestinian-Israeli conflicts.

The two top diplomats agreed to maintain high-level visits and diversified communications betweenthe two countries. China and Oman would tap thepotential of economic cooperation, expand bilateralinvestment and trade and strengthen cooperation inenergy, infrastructure, agriculture, culture, education,health and other promising areas.

They are also willing to witness further cooperationbetween China and the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC),which groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,Bahrain and United Arab Emirates. —Xinhua

All items from Xinhua News Agency

Russia toresume gassupplies to

EuropeBRUSSELS, 13 Jan—

Russia will restore gassupply to Europe onTuesday after aninterruption of nearly aweek, the European Union(EU) said on Monday.

Russia had promised tostart pumping natural gasagain to the 27-nationbloc via Ukraine after adeal on a monitoringmission was finallyagreed upon, said CzechIndustry and TradeMinister Martin Riman,whose country holds theEU's rotating presidency.

“After signing theagreement, the Russianside promised us that itwill reopen the taps, ifthere are no obstacles, onTuesday at 08:00 CentralEuropean Time (0700GMT),” Riman said.

Xinhua

HANOI, 13 Jan—TheVietnamese governmenthas taken measures to assistthe country’s 61 poorestdistricts in achieving rapidand steady growth, with anaim of slashing povertyrates in these districts tobelow 40 percent by 2010,the local newspaper Peoplereported on Tuesday.

In 2006, more than 50percent of those living inthe 61 poorest districts, 90percent of them beingethnic minorities, earnedan average income of 150

US dollars per capita peryear, said the newspaper.

Under the measures,poor households providedwith forests or land forafforestation will receive300 US dollars per ha tocultivate food crops in theforest areas. The govern-ment will cover 50 percentof the interest on loans fromthe state commercial banksfor afforestation, agri-cultural development andthe processing, storage andconsumption of farmingproducts in these districts,

said the newspaper.The government will

also provide about 5,900US dollars for each of thepoorest districts annuallyto promote trade and localspecialties. Marketinformation will also besupplied to local farmers.

The country’s povertyrate measured as thepercentage of people wholive below one US dollar aday has declined fromabout 58 percent in 1993 tomore than 12 percent in2008.—Xinhua

BEIJING, 13 Jan—Chinabuilds high-speed trainswith its own technologywhile carrying out fruitfulcooperation with foreigncountries in the field, saida Chinese official onSunday.

The Ministry ofRailways spokesmanWang Yongping said,“China has been innovativeand formed its own trainbrand after technologicalcooperation with overseas

manufacturers.”“Foreign companies

gained commercial bene-fits from the cooperationand we gained our owntechnologies. The propertyrights belong to Chinesecompanies,” Wang said.

“China has been coo-perating with companiesfrom Germany, France,Japan and Canada, andlearned the technologies ofmanufacturing high-speedtrains with an average

speed of 300 km per hour.Then we managed tomanufacture new-generation trains, whichboast an average speed of350 km per hour,” he said.

He also said China’srailway market is open tothe outside.

“Technological coo-peration with many foreigncompanies has been goingon well. We expect furthercooperation,” he added.

Xinhua

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6 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

NEWS ALBUM

Man accused of rammingwheelchair into officerA 45-year-old paraplegic rammed

his wheelchair into an officer, threwurine from his catheter bag a patrol carand spat at the officer, police said onSunday. Ralph Evegan was arrested oncharges of assaulting a police officer,obstructing official business, resistingarrest and disorderly conduct.

Evegan’s lawyer said the case is amisunderstanding, and that his clientwas just trying to break his fall after theofficer threw him to the ground.

Police said they originally had goneto Evegan’s apartment to arrest him onan old disorderly conduct charge.

Hamilton County Municipal Judge TedBerry ordered Evegan tested for diseasesthat can be transmitted by bodily fluid.

Woman slips out of cuffsand allegedly kicks copsA Goffstown, NH, woman slipped out

of a pair of handcuffs and kicked twoofficers after being arrested on a drunkendriving charge. The 47-year-old womanwas charged after rear-ending another cararound 4:30 pm. Police said that while thewoman was in custody, she somehowfreed herself from the handcuffs and triedto flee. When police went to restrain her,the woman allegedly kicked the twoofficers. Neither officer was hurt.

A Japanese bluefin tuna that fetchednearly 10 million yen at the year-

opening auction is shown at Tokyo’sTsukiji market, on 5 Jan, 2009. The

premium tuna caught off thenorthern coast of Oma and weighing282.48 pounds (128.4 kilograms) was

auctioned for 9.63 million yen($104,700), the highest since 2001,

when another Japanese bluefin tunafetched an all-time record of 20

million yen, market official TakashiYoshida said.

Two sushi bar owners paid morethan $100,000 for a Japanese bluefintuna at a Tokyo fish auction on Monday,several times the average price and thehighest in nearly a decade, marketofficials said.

The 282-pound (128-kilogram)premium tuna caught off the northerncoast of Oma fetched 9.63 million yen($104,700), the highest since 2001,when another Japanese bluefin tunabrought an all-time record of 20 millionyen, market official Takashi Yoshidasaid.

Yoshida said the extravagant purchase— about $370 per pound ($817 perkilogram) — went to a Hong Kong sushibar owner and his Japanese competitorwho reached a peaceful settlement toshare the big fish. The Hong Kong buyeralso paid the highest price at last year’snew year event at Tokyo’s Tsukijimarket, the world’s largest fish seller,which holds near-daily auctions.

A slightly bigger imported bluefincaught off the eastern United States soldfor 1.42 million yen ($15,400) inMonday’s auction.

“It was the best tuna of the day, butthe price shot up because of theshortage of domestic bluefin,” Yoshidasaid, citing rough weather at the end ofDecember.

Premium tuna fetches $100,000 in Tokyo auctionBuyers vied for only three Oma bluefin

tuna on Monday, compared to 41 last year.

With the Bavarian mountains as abackdrop, horse breeders run their

working horses in a rural sleighracing competition at Elbach,

southern Germany.

NYC man wins his secondcouch potato title

He’s the king of couch potatoes. AManhattan man has won his secondcouch potato contest. Stan Friedman,47, a research librarian, needed 18 hours,48 minutes and 17 seconds of sports-watching time to outlast the competitionat the second annual ESPN ZoneUltimate Couch Potato Competition.

The participants, sitting in reclinersin front of dozens of televisions, weren'tallowed to go to sleep or leave theirrecliners except for restroom breaks onceevery eight hours. Friedman, like anygood athlete, improved on his time.Last year, he needed 29 hours to win.

Fish caught by fishing net scatter on the ground on the Ulunggur Lake in FuhaiCounty, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on 8 Jan , 2009.

The traditional winter halieutics here bring considerable incomes to localfishmen, and boosts the tourism around the Ulunggur Lake as well. —XINHUA

LOS ANGELES, 13 Jan—An electric car startup inLos Angeles is close tobringing the market some-thing that the world’s larg-est auto makers had failedto turn out: affordable all-electric, full-sized vechilesfor ordinary consumers.

Miles AutomotiveGroup, with only abouttwo dozen employees butbig ambitions, will have

CAIRO, 13 Jan—Quartet’s envoy to the Middle EastTony Blair stressed here Monday his full support foran Egyptian ceasefire initiative on Gaza, said Egypt’sofficial MENA news agency.

After meeting with Egyptian President HosniMubarak, Blair said he fully supports the Egyptianinitiative as a mechanism for halting violence in theHamas-ruled Gaza Strip and bringing the peace proc-ess back on track.

Mubarak presented on 6 Jan a three-point proposalcalling for an immediate ceasefire to allow humani-tarian aid to reach Gaza and give Egypt time to con-tinue its efforts to help reach a lasting truce betweenthe conflicting sides.

Talking about the possible ceasefire, Blair, who wasalso the former British prime minister, said he hopesthis would take place in the coming days.—Internet

SYDNEY, 13 Jan—Refugees in Australia continue tobe held in miserable conditions for prolonged periodsdespite a pledge to introduce a more humane policy,according to the government’s human rights watch-dog. Most detention centres felt like prisons, with ra-zor wire, surveillance and cramped conditions creat-ing an atmosphere of oppression, the Human RightsCommission said in its annual report.

At Sydney’s ageing Villawood facility, inmates sleptdormitory-style in bunk beds, with little privacy andfew open areas for exercise.

“It is shameful, not only that it remains standing,but that people are still being detained there in its ut-terly miserable conditions,” said CommissionerGraeme Innes.—Internet

GAZA CITY, 13 Jan—Israeli troops advancedinto Gaza suburbs for thefirst time early on Tues-day, residents said, hoursafter Prime Minister EhudOlmert warned Islamicmilitants of an “iron fist”unless they agree to Isra-el’s terms to end the fight-ing. Hamas showed nosigns of wavering, how-ever, with its leader,Ismail Haniyeh, sayingthe militants were “closerto victory.”

Despite the tough words,Egypt said it was makingslow but sure progress inbrokering a truce, and spe-cial Mideast envoy TonyBlair said elements were inplace for a cease-fire.

Sounds of the battlecould be heard clearlybefore dawn on Tuesdayaround the city of 400,0000as the Israeli forces, backedby artillery and attack heli-copters, moved into neigh-bourhoods east and southof Gaza City. Israeli gun-boats shelled the coast fromthe west.—Internet

Israeli leaderwarns Hamasof ‘iron fist’

US electric car startup aims big with China outsouring25 prototypes of its High-way Speed Sedan testedin the United States, Eu-rope and China thismonth. It plans to sell9,000 such cars almost ex-clusively in California,mostly in the Los Ange-les area, next year.

And through out-sourcing its assemblywork to China, the smallcompany claims to have a

big advantage over estab-lished automotive compa-nies like Nissan Motorand other potential startupcompetitors in the field.

Miles might be the firstcarmaker to outsource itsassembly work to China,a model that its Chief Ex-ecutive Kevin Czingersaid is no different fromwhat Apple Inc does withthe iPod.—Internet

Blair stresses full support forEgyptian ceasefire initiative

Australia’s refugees face‘miserable conditions’

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 7

YANGON, 13 Jan —Deputy Minister forHealth Dr Paing Soevisited the free medicalservices provided byspecialists at BargayaRoad in SangyoungTownship today.

During his visit, thedeputy minister met withdepartmental officials andmembers of socialorganizations.

At the meeting, hefulfilled the requirements

Specialists provide free medicaltreatment in Sangyoung Township

and urged officialsconcerned to participatein implementing tasks forpublic health and todisseminate healthknowledge to people.

The deputy ministerdistributed medicines toaged people and viewedfree medical treatmentbeing provided byspecialists.

Deputy Minister DrPaing Soe also visitedthe f ield medical

services at the HealthDepartment inSangyoung Township,and attended educativetalks on health atMoklatsaunggon Wardin the township.

Afterwards, thedeputy ministerinspected measuresagainst dengue fever inMoemakha Street andPyithu Kwatthit-1 Streetin the township

MNA

YANGON, 13 Jan—Aceremony to concludeApplied Accounting andManagement Course(Level-1) and KoekiJapanese LanguageCourse (Batch-3),conducted by EducationWork Committee underthe Union of MyanmarFederation of Chambersof Commerce and Industry(UMFCCI), was held at

Applied Accounting and ManagementCourse (Level-1) and Koeki JapaneseLanguage Course (Batch-3) conclude

No. 29, Mingalar Hall ofUMFCCI office tower onMin Ye Kyaw Swa Road,Lanmadaw Townshiphere on 9 January.

Vice-president UAung Lwin of UMFCCIand Japanese courseinstructor Mr KojiIshimaru made speecheson the occasion.

General SecretaryChairman of Education

Work Committee U SeinWin Hlaing madeclarification on coursematters. Afterwards, vice-president U Zaw Min Winof UMFCCI and CECmembers, executives andcommittee memberspresented certificates totrainees. The ceremonywas concluded byspeaking words of thanksby a trainee.—NLM

DeputyMinisterDr PaingSoe views

freemedical

service atHealth

Departmentin

SangyoungTownship.

MNA

A

responsible

person

presents a

certificate

to a

trainee.

NLM

People stand in front of a building destroyed by a blast in Russia's southerncity of Nazran, on 13 January, 2009. The explosion in the region of

Ingushetia in southern Russia destroyed a government office on Tuesday andburied people underneath rubble. The cause of the blast was unclear, butItar-TASS news agency quoted the speaker of Ingushetia's parliament as

saying that a gas leak may have caused the blast.—INTERNET

Scale models of Peugeot cars are put on sale inside the French carmaker’sexhibition shop on the Champs Elysee in Paris on 13 January, 2009.—INTERNET

SINGAPORE, 13 Jan—Oil prices fell to near $37a barrel, on Tuesday inAsia on expectations crudedemand will weaken amida severe global economicslowdown.

Light, sweet crude forFebruary delivery wasdown 45 cents at $37.14 abarrel by midday inSingapore in electronictrading on the New YorkMercantile Exchange.

Crude prices havefallen more than 25percent since reaching justabove $50 a barrel lastweek as traders returned

Oil falls to near $37 on gloomy demand outlookfrom the holiday break tofind evidence of fallingmanufacturing andconsumer spending acrossthe globe. The Februarycontract fell 8 percent onMonday, or $3.24, to settleat $37.59 after Alcoa Inc.,the world's third-largestaluminum company,reported a quarterly lossof $1.19 billion.

Alcoa, the firstcomponent of the DowJones industrial averageto post results, said lastweek it plans to lay offabout 13 percent of itsglobal work force by the

end of 2009 amid sinkingprices and demand for themetal.

The Dow fell 1.5percent Monday and hasdropped 3.5 percent thisyear. “The negativesentiment we're seeingreflects the broadinternational macroe-conomic outlook, whichis considerably weaker,and what that means forenergy consumption,”said David Moore,commodity strategist atCommonwealth Bank ofAustralia in Sydeny.

Internet

“Slumdog Millionaire” wins top prize at Golden GlobesLOS ANGELES, 13

Jan— British directorDanny Boyle's "SlumdogMillionaire" on Sundaywon the top prize at the66th annual Golden GlobeAwards.

“Slumdog Million-aire,” a love story about ayoung man from thetroubled slums of Mumbaiwho finds success on atelevision game show inIndia, was named the best

drama motion pictureover fellow nominees“The Curious Case ofBenjamin Button,""Frost/Nixon”, “TheReader” and “Revoluti-onary Road”. The film,which was the top award-winner of the night, alsowon best director forDanny Boyle, bestscreenplay for SimonBeaufoy and originalscore for A.R. Rahman.

Earning one of thelargest ovations of theceremony at the BeverlyHilton Hotel, MickeyRourke, won best actor forhis role in "The Wrestler”.

Meanwhile, Britishactress Kate Winslet wontwo Golden Globes, onefor best dramatic actressin "Revolutionary Road”,and the other for bestsupporting actress in “TheReader”.—MNA/Xinhua

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8 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

NAY PYI TAW, 13Jan – The Tatmadawmembers, MyanmarPolice Force and theCustoms Departmentexposed 192 drug-relatedcases in December.

They seized51.3238 kilos of opium in42 cases, 2.3274 kilos of

YANGON, 13 Jan—The Volume VII, No. 17of Shwe Naing-nganNews Journal has beenin circulation. Thejournal carriesinteresting local andforeign stories.

Copies are availableat Sarpay Beikman onMerchant Road inKyauktada Township,Printing and PublishingEnterprise on TheinbyuRoad in Botahtaung

Volume VII No. 17 of Shwe Naing-nganNews Journal in circulation

YANGON, 13 Jan –Organized by SocialWelfare Department ofthe Ministry of SocialWelfare, Relief andResett lement, theopening of MyanmarNational TechnicalMeeting on Ageing washeld at Inya Lake Hotelthis morning.

It was attended byMinister for SWRR Maj-Gen Maung Maung Swe,departmental heads, theAmbassador of the

YANGON, 13 Jan –The first respect-payingceremony of old medicalstudents who had studiedmedical science atUniversity of Medicine(Mandalay) from 1983 to1993 was held inconjunction with get-together at Sedona Hotel(Mondalay) on 27December, 2008(Saturday).

Firstly, Master ofCeremonies Dr Thet ThetKhine announced theopening of the ceremony.

Next, old studentspresented gifts to oldteachers. On behalf of theold teachers, U Ngwe San,

YANGON, 13 Jan — A fire brokeout at two-storied house at the corner of(89th x 90 th) street and 41st street,Thanhlethmaw east ward,Mahaaungmye Township, MandalayDivision at 11.20 p.m. on 12 January.

Minister Maj-GenMaung Maung Swe

delivers openingaddress at MyanmarNational TechnicalMeeting on Ageing.

MNA

Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing presents gifts to residents in MongbuVillage in Wuntaung Village-tract in Mongkhok. (News on page 1)

MNA

A ceremony to pay respects to faculty membersof University of Medicine (Mandalay) in

progress. — NLM

Myanmar National Technical Meetingon Ageing opens

Republic of Korea, theresident representativesof UN agencies andofficials of Help AgeKorea, Help AgeInternational.

Firstly, SWRRMinister Maj-GenMaung Maung Swe andChairman of Help AgeKorea Mr. Cho Hyun Sedelivered addresses onthe occasion.

Next, the ministerposed for a documentaryphoto together with those

present.A f t e r w a r d s ,

Deputy Director-GeneralU Aung Tun Khaing ofSocial WelfareDepartment, Dr MyintHan of the Ministry ofHealth, Mr. Cho Hyun Seof Help Age Korea, MrGodfred PouC of HelpAge International and DrStenly Sajaw of UNFPApresented papers on eldercare and they answeredthe quarries raised bythose present. — MNA

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Fire breaks out in Maha AungmyeTownship

The cause of fire was due to thenegligence. The fire had been put out at11.50 p.m. Four houses were gutted andfour household—11 men and 13women — were homeless.

MNA

University of Medicine (Mandalay)holds respect-paying ceremony

Professor Dr U Bo Ni,Professor Dr U Chit Maungand Professor Dr U WinNaing spoke words ofadvice. On behalf of old

students, Dr Thwin ThwinKyaw spoke words ofthanks and the ceremonycame to an end.

NLM

192 drug-related cases exposed inDecemberherosin in 57 cases, 0.1958kilo of opium oil in sevencases, 1.2749 kilos of low-grade opium in 10 cases,2.797 kilos of marijuanain 15 cases, 120579stimulant tablets in 47cases, 10.086 kilos ofopium speciosa in 10cases, 253 kilos of

ephedrine, 5.6304 kilos ofIce in one case, two bottleof morphine, two cases infailure to register and oneother case.

Action was takenagainst 277 – 210 men and67 women — in 192 drug-related cases in December,2008. – MNA

Township, Pann ShwePyi Book Shop ofPrinting and PublishingEnterprise and Bookstallof News and PeriodicalsEnterprise on TheinbyuRoad in BotahtaungTownship. Thosewishing to send

manuscripts may contactNo. 8 on the second floorof Garden Tower at thecorner of Dhammazadiand Bagaya Roads,Myaynigon, SangyoungTownship, Yangon (Ph:538302).

MNA

Donate Blood

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM8

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 9

TCG delegation arrives back from ThailandYANGON, 13 Jan —

Chairman of TripartiteCore Group (TCG)Deputy Minister forForeign Affairs U KyawThu arrived back hereyesterday after visitingThailand from 6 to 12

was accompanied by themembers of TCG fromASEAN, Mr BansarnBunnag, Ambassador ofThailand to the Union ofMyanmar, and membersfrom United Nations, DrBishow Parajuli, United

Nations ResidentCoordinator and MrThierry Delbreuve, Headof United Nations Officefor the Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs inMyanmar.

On 9th January, thechairman and members ofTCG met with Director-General Mr AnuchaMokkhavesa of theMinistry of Interior,

Department of DisasterPrevention andMitigation and sharedexperiences duringnatural disaster in

Thailand. They held ameeting with officials ofthe Department ofDisaster Prevention andMitigation and discussedexperiences of Thailandduring the Tsunami.During the meeting,Chairman of TCG DeputyMinister U Kyaw Thuexplained the experiencesgathered during theNargis Cyclone which hitMyanmar on 2 and 3 May,2008, situationconcerning Govern-ment’s Programme forReconstruction ofCyclone Nargis affectedareas and implementationplans for preparednessand protection againstfuture National Disaster;and efforts undertaken bythe TCG. Representativefrom ASEAN and UnitedNations also explainedtheir efforts.

The chairman andmembers of TCG visitedthe Office of AsianDisaster Preparedness

Center (ADPC) inBangkok and AsianInstitute of Technology,Regional Multi-HazardEarly Warning Center atPrathumthani Province on8 January.

The TCG delegationwent to Phuket on 9January and met withDeputy Governor andauthorities concerned ofPhuket to share theirexperiences regardingnatural disasters andexplained the situationconcerning reconstructionefforts.

The delegation alsomade a field visit toTsunami-affected areas inPhuket.

During the visit toPhangnga Province on 10January, the delegationmet with the authoritiesconcerned, and alsovisited Tsunami-affectedareas.

Deputy Minister UKyaw Thu met with MrKasit Piromya, Minister

for Foreign Affairs, atPlaza Athenee Hotel inBangkok. The delegationalso attended a meetingwith officials from theMinistry of Communi-cation and Technology,National DisasterWarning Center (NDWC)from NonthaburiProvince.

In the afternoon, MrVirasakdi Futrakul,Permanent Secretary ofForeign Affairs ofThailand, hosted lunch forDeputy Minister U KyawThu and the TCGdelegation at Intercon-tinental Hotel. In theafternoon, DeputyMinister U Kyaw Thu metwith Minister for ForeignAffairs for NationalResources andEnvironmental Dr SuwitKhunkitti, of the newlyformed Government ofThailand at the Minister’sOffice and exchangedviews.

MNA

January under theprogramme to exchangeviews among the naturaldisaster-hit countries.

The chairman of TCG

NAY PYI TAW, 13 Jan—The new two-storey ShweYadana building of theaffiliated basic educationhigh school of KhinmonVillage in ChaungUTownship, MonywaDistrict, Sagaing Division,was opened and handedover at the school on 10January.

The building wasconstructed with thecontribution of U Ya Chiand Daw Thein Kyi(jewellery shop).

OPV to be given to 790,730 under-fives in Sagaing Division

Chairman of ChaungUTownship Peace andDevelopment Council UNyunt Maung, U Ya Chiand Township EducationOfficer U Aye Myintformally opened the facility.Chairman of SagaingDivision PDC Commanderof North-West CommandMaj-Gen Myint Soe andMinister for InformationBrig-Gen Kyaw Hsanunveiled the signboard ofthe building and deliveredspeeches.

A member of thefamily of U Ya Chiexplained the purpose ofthe donation, and handedover the documents toDivision Education OfficerU Than Tun.

The building is 120 feetlong, 30 feet wide and 24feet high and is constitutedwith four classrooms andone assembly hall. Theoverall cost of the building

including furniture is 77million kyats.

The commander andthe minister attended theopening of NationalImmunization Days for2009 at the city hall ofMonywa.

The commander madean address. Thecommander, the ministerand the secretary of thedivision PDC and

departmental heads gaveoral polio vaccines tochildren.

Oral polio vaccineswere given to 790,730under-fives of 6148 wardsand villages of 37 townshipsin Sagaing Division at 5899gathering points for the firsttime from 10 to 12 Januarythe second ceremony willtake place from 7 to 9February.—MNA

Commander Maj-Gen Myint Soe gives poliovaccine to a child.—MNA

Commander Maj-Gen Myint Soe and Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsanattend a ceremony to open two-storey school building in Khinmon

Village in ChaungU Township. —MNA

Deputy Minister U Kyaw Thu visits National Disaster Warning Centre(NDWC) in Nonthaburi Province. — MNA

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM9

10 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

(from page 16)He said universities and colleges were opened or

upgraded in states and divisions. Now there are auniversity or a degree college, a technological univer-sity and a university of computer studies in all 24special development regions.

He spoke on use of research on the related fields.computer training centre, multimedia lecture room,computer resource centre, learning centre and lan-guage lab. In the higher education sector, syllabuses,combined subjects, teaching and conducting master’sand doctorate courses are upgraded.

He said efforts are to be made not only for im-provement of teaching methods but also for enhancingthe quality on research work.

He said at a time when technical developmentsaffect other development sectors, teachers in the edu-cation sector are responsible for prosperity of thenation and its people.

He said peace and tranquility, development andemergence of a discipline-flourishing democratic na-tion are inseparable.

Every citizen who really wants democracy is re-sponsible for cooperation in making the nation peace-ful, stable and developed.

In retrospect, regarding the value of stability andpeace, the colonialists eventually had no choice but togrant independence to the nation due to the might ofconsolidated unity of national brethren. So, they plot-

Peace and tranquility, development and emergence…ted clandestine schemes to undermine independence,internal peace and national unity.

To make things worse, the State constitution hadso many loopholes and defects as it had to be formu-lated in haste to regain independence as soon as possi-ble, so the Union was again on the edge of collapse. Inconsequence of internal instability, successive gov-ernments were not in a position to carry out nation-building tasks in an effective way.

Now, the new State constitution of the Republic ofthe Union of Myanmar that can guarantee a prosperousfuture of the nation has been approved by the greatmajority of the people due to the harmonious coopera-tion of the government, the people and the Tatmadawaccording to the lessons from such historic events. Thenation will see to the remaining steps of the State’sseven-step Road Map.

Faculty members play a key role in communicat-ing moral conduct and discipline to and improving theeducation standard of younger generations. The train-ees are to make constant self-study to be able toaccomplish those duties, and learn the lessons thor-oughly throughout the course for their professionalgrowth.

In conclusion, the minister called on the trainees toimprove their competency by holding discussions aboutteaching and research experiences in the training term;strive constantly for individual progress for building anew nation, understanding the lofty duty of promoting

the national education standard; and continue to studyin a systematic way equipping themselves with UnionSpirit for accomplishing the national duties in theeducation sector.

After the ceremony, the ministers cordially greetedthe trainees.

Present were Minister for Industry-2 Vice-Admi-ral Soe Thein, Minister for Labour U Aung Kyi,Chairman of Mandalay City Development CommitteeMayor Brig-Gen Phone Zaw Han, the deputy minis-ters, the deputy chief justice of Upper Myanmar,members of Civil Service Selection and TrainingBoard, heads of departments, local authorities, Rectorof CICS (Upper Myanmar) U Aung Hsan Win, thepro-rectors, heads of departments and trainee facultymembers.

Altogether 460 faculty members from universitiesand colleges of the upper Myanmar are attending thefour-week course.—MNA

Mayor inspectsupgrading of road

YANGON, 13 Jan—Chairman of Yangon City De-velopment Committee Mayor Brig-Gen Aung TheinLin looked into upgarding of East Race Course Roadbeing carried out by Engineering Department (Roadand Bridge) in Tamway Township here this morning.

The resurfacing work of 4100-foot long and72-foot wide road is nearing completion.

MNA

Hlaingchaung Dam provides irrigation water and clean waterArticle, photos: Khin Maung Than (Industry)

Hlaingchaung Dam is seen with the mountain range in the background.

(from page 16)For an interview pro-

gramme, I had to visitConstruction (4) of theIrrigation Department,which constructedHlaingchaung Dam andis located in the site, sevenmiles and four furlongsfrom mile post No. 40/5of Pale-Gangaw Road inMonywa.

The construction ofthe dam was completedin December 2006 andput into commission on30 December 2006. Con-struction tasks for the ir-rigation system began on5 December 2006, andnow they have been com-pleted close to cent percent.

Hlaingchaung Damis of an earthen type, andis situated near Nwe-inVillage, Pale Township,Sagaing Division, with a73 feet high and 4500 feetlong main dam and 750feet long dyke. It has acatchement area of 15square miles and annualinflow water of 5700 acrefeet. Its maximum waterstorage capacity is 5370

acre feet, stagnant waterstorage capacity, 1194acre feet, and water spreadarea, 340 acres.

Each of its two-foot-diameter reinforced con-crete outlet conduits is 180feet long. Its water out-flow capacity is 180 cubicfeet per 30 second. Itsspillway is of broadcrested type and is 60 feetwide and 490 feet long. Its

water outflow capacity is3737 cubic feet per sec-ond. The main canal isfive miles long and itstributary canals, 10 milesin total. It has 75 canalstructures. The dam irri-gates 1000 acres of arablelands.

The region has anaverage annual rainfall of37.85 inches. Previously,it had to rely on the rain-

water and could not pro-duce crops on a large scale,and water was somewhatscarce in it. Now, it enjoyssufficient irrigation andclean water.

Now, another dam isunder construction on thePyuntet Creek to supportwater to HlaingchaungDam and green the region.The earthen type facilityis located near Mayoedan

Village, Pale Township,Sagaing Division. Its mainembankment is 48 feethigh and 820 feet long. Itsfirst dyke is 350 feet longand second dyke, 380 feetlong.

The Irrigation Depart-ment under the Ministryof Agriculture and Irriga-tion is constructing me-dium and small irrigationfacilities through feasibil-

ity study wherever nec-essary in accordance withthe directives of the gov-ernment to helpstrengthen nation’s eco-nomic growth, therebycontributing towards re-gional development inthe economic and socialsectors.

Translation: MSKyemon: 12-1-2009

*****

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM10

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 11

Rare black orchid species thriving on Mount Noingun in Putao DistrictArticle: Maung Maung Myint Swe

(from page 1)Moreover, only few

numbers of such orchidspecies can be found onthe mountain.

The black orchidspecies are thriving at thepeak of Noingun. To pluckthe flowers, the climbersstarted their climb fromNamtee Camp formedwith about 10 houses.

The path went round

Photo shows flower and stalks of blackorchid.

Beautiful black orchid flowers seen on hill side.

Mount Noingun. It was arough path due to erosionof mountain torrent,landslides and lack ofmaintenance.

In the dense forest, thepath was covered with thickfoliage of trees, that gothigher and higher on themountain. On the way,many trees with straighttrunks were seen.

Whitish orchids were

in bloom on some hightrees. However, the speciesof orchid could not beobserved closely and so theflowers could not beindentified as they werehigh up in the trees.

We arrived at the peakof Mount Noingun at 11a.m. From the peak ofmountain, we saw a snow-covered mountain range inMalikhu where Malikha

River originated and othermountain ranges in parallelwith Namtamai River. Thelocal national races callMount Noingun as“Babulonthang”.

Black orchid speciescould not be found at themountain peak andsurrounding areas. Alongthe downhill path from thepeak to Masabu Camp,such orchid was notwitnessed.

In the dense forest, theblack orchid species wasfound at a hill sideunexpectedly.

Indeed, the colour ofsuch orchid species was notblack. Green and purplecolours were mixed in theflowers. Sepals of theflower were of mild purplecolour mixed with whiteand green. The shape of theorchid was like the high-heeled shoes of ladies.

Myanmar botanistsname such orchid speciesas black orchid. In theflowers’ encyclopaedia, theblack orchid is calledPaphipedium wadi or

Cyprepidium wadianum asscientific names.

Actually, rare blackorchid species is thrivingon the land of Myanmar asthe gift of nature. As part ofeffort to develop theecotourism industry,arrangements should be

made for journeys of worldtourists to Mount Noingunon the watershed mountainranges of Malikha andNamtisam rivers, northeastof Putao in Kachin State.

*****Translation: TTA

Myanma Alin: 6-1-2008

NAY PYI TAW, 13 Jan—DeputyMinister for Energy Brig-Gen Than Htay,on 10 January attended the opening ceremonyof the hand pump donated by villagers heldat Basic Education Primary School of Pyasievillage, Thegon Township, Bago Division(West). And the deputy minister made cashdonation.

Afterwards, the deputy minister alsoattended the ceremony to donate publicationsto village library and to present awards towinners of literary contest in commemorationof Sarsodaw Day held at Launggyi village.And the deputy minister donated cash for

Attorney-General meets law officers inPyinOoLwin, Lashio, Muse, Mandalay

NAY PYI TAW, 13 Jan— Attorney-General U AyeMaung together with Deputy Attorney-General U TunTun Oo and officials met with the law officers of district andtownship law offices in PyinOoLwin District and in Musedistrict separately on 9 January.

At the meetings, the Attorney-General and theDeputy Attorney-General gave instructions on workprogrammes.

The Attorney-General and party attended aceremony to inaugurate the newly-constructed office ofthe law office in Muse the next day. He also met with lawofficers of Shan State (North) law office, Lashio Districtlaw office and law offices in Lashio District on 11January and law officers of Mandalay Division LawOffice, district office and township offices in MandalayDistrict on 12 January. During the tour of Mandalay,Attorney-General U Aye Maung and party inspectedtasks of the respective offices.— MNA

Regional development tasks in BagoDivision (West) inspected

regional development.The deputy minister attended

opening ceremony of Padigon-Nyaungwin village-to-village road held atNyaungwin village. And he met localresidents and donated cash for regionaldevelopment. Afterwards, the deputyminister met with villagers at Nwekaukvillage-tract of Tegyigon village, Thegonin the afternoon. On 11 January, thedeputy minister met local residents atBEPS of Phokhaung village-tract,Zayatgyi village and donated cash forrenovation of the school.—MNA

Attorney-GeneralU Aye Maung

meeting with lawofficers

in Lashio. — MNA

DeputyMinisterBrig-Gen

Than Htaymeeting

with localpeople in

NyaungwinVillage,Thegon.

MNA

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM11

12 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

S Korea, Iran sign MoUon tourism cooperationSEOUL, 13 Jan—South Korea and Iran have signed

a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on promo-tion of tourism and cultural ties, South Korea’s Cul-ture Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the two countries willseek stronger tourism cooperation and push for theestablishment of tourist offices in each other’s coun-try. The two sides will also boost exchanges in tour-ism and journalism.

The MoU was signed by South Korean Culture Min-ister Yu In-chon and his Iranian counterpart IsfandiarRahim Mashaee.

Mashaee, the Iranian vice president and head ofIran’s cultural heritage and tourism organization, ar-rived in Seoul on Monday to attend the third round ofthe UN World Tourism Organization’s forum on cli-mate change.—Internet

Visitors walk past lingerie displayed outside a

booth at the Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/

Winter 2009 in Hong Kong, on 12 Jan, 2009.

INTERNET

Hormone therapy hastens brain mass lossWASHINGTON, 13 Jan—

Hormone treatments com-monly used by menopau-sal women appear to ac-celerate brain shrinkage,according to two newstudies.

The research, appear-ing in the 13 January is-sue of the medical journalNeurology, showedgreater than typical braintissue loss in women 65and older.

Previous studiesshowed that older womenon progestin-based drugshad decreased thinkingskills and memory, andwere more likely to suf-fer from dementia andbrain diminished func-tion. Doctors long had be-lieved that the impairmenthad been caused by tinyvascular brain lesionscaused by hormonal treat-ments.

But the new researchusing MRI scans of wom-en’s brains appears toshow a reduction in braintissue in regions critical tomemory for women whoused the hormones.

“Our findings suggestone possible explanationfor the increased risk fordementia in older womenwho had previously takenpost-menopausal hor-mone therapy,” said LauraCoker of Wake ForestUniversity Baptist Medi-cal Center, a lead re-searcher on one of thestudies.

A second study foundthat women who hadtaken hormone therapyhad slightly smaller brainvolumes in the brain’sfrontal lobe and the hip-pocampus—both criticalareas for thinking andmemory skills.—Internet

Yachts Ericsson 4 (L) and Puma take part in theSingapore in-port race during the 2008-2009 Volvo

Ocean Race, on 10 Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

S Korean gov’t to invest$71.2 bln in 3 core industries

SEOUL, 13 Jan—The South Korean governmentannounced on Tuesday its plan to invest 97.8 trillionwon (71.2 billion US dollars) in three core indus-tries over the next five years.

According to the Ministry of KnowledgeEconomy, the country selected green technology sec-tor, high-tech convergence and value-added indus-tries as the three core industries with 10 underlyingprojects.

“The key industries were selected to allow thecountry to become a leading player instead of justfollowing in the footsteps of others and have thegreatest impact on advancing the economy to the nextlevel,” said Lee Dong-geun, head of the ministry’sgrowth industry office.

Lee added that the fund will be used to supportvarious high risk research and developmentendeavors that companies may not otherwise engagein and to help companies sell high-tech goods by cre-ating a market.

For green technology sector, funds will be usedto promote development of technologies for reusableenergy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy ef-ficient automobiles and advance application of lightemitting diodes, the ministry said.

Internet

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM12

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 13

US researchers discover key Ebolaprotein structure

Pete Convey, a biologist at the British Antarctic Survey, examines rocks forsome of Antarctica’s bugs, on 11 Jan, 2009 near Rothera Base on theAntarctic Peninsula. Mites are the largest land predators on the frozencontinent and the biggest land creature is a flightless midge - the simple

ecosystem could help experts studying the impacts of climate change. Picturetaken, on 11 Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

�WASHINGTON, 13 Jan— A team led by IowaState University scientistshas solved the structurefrom a key part of theEbola protein known asVP35, which interfereswith the natural resistanceof host cells against viralinfections, the universitysaid on Monday.

����“Usually when vi-ruses infect cells, the hostimmune system can fightto eventually clear the vi-rus. But with Ebola infec-tions, the ability of thehost to mount a defence

against the invading virusis lost,” said GayaAmarasinghe, teamleader and an assistantprofessor in biochemistry,biophysics and molecularbiology.

����He said that is be-cause the VP35 proteininterferes with the host’sinnate immune pathwaysthat form the first line ofdefense against patho-gens.

����In their research inunderstanding host-viralinteractions, the team em-ployed a combination of

X-ray crystallography andnucleic magnetic reso-nance spectroscopy tosolve the structure usingnon-infectious proteinsamples.

����Now that the struc-ture from a key part ofVP35 is available, the in-formation can be used asa template for anti-viraldrug discovery.

����“The next step is touse the structure to iden-tify and design drugs thatpotentially bind withVP35,” Amarasinghesaid. —Internet

Stanford creates 100 ml dlr energyresearch centre

Peanut butter linked toUS Salmonella outbreak

WASHINGTON, 13 Jan — Tests confirm that bacteriain recalled batches of contaminated peanut butter matchthe strain of Salmonella food poisoning that has madeat least 410 people sick, health officials said on Monday.

Minnesota investigators found the bacteria in thepeanut butter was a genetic match to the bacteriamaking the people sick.

“Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Healthlab tests conducted last week discovered Salmonellabacteria in a 5-pound (2 kg) package of King Nutpeanut butter collected from a long-term care facilityassociated with one of the reported illnesses,” thehealth department said in a statement.

It said the peanut butter was the likely source of the30 cases in Minnesota.

On Saturday Ohio-based food distributor King NutCos said it had contacted its customers and asked themto remove all King Nut peanut butter and Parnell’sPride peanut butter from the market.

Solon, Ohio-based King Nut supplies peanut butterto food service companies that distribute the productsto institutions like hospitals, schools, restaurants andnursing homes. The brands are not sold directly toconsumers.King Nut said it asked customers to stopdistributing all peanut butter with lot codes beginningwith the number eight and has canceled orders with themanufacturer, Peanut Corporation of America.

Internet

Vicks VapoRub canharm children under two

CHICAGO, 13 Jan —Vicks VapoRub, acommon cold remedy, cancause respiratory distressin children under 2 wheninappropriately applieddirectly under the nose,US researchers said onTuesday.

They said using theProcter & Gamble Coproduct in this way cancause a young child’s tinyairways to swell and fillwith mucus, triggeringsevere breathingproblems.

“The only problemwe’ve seen is in a smallchild when it has been putunder the nose,” Dr BruceRubin of Wake ForestUniversity School ofMedicine in NorthCarolina, said in atelephone interview.

Rubin said theingredients in Vicks can

be irritants, causing thebody to produce moremucus to protect theairway. And since infantsand young children haveairways that are muchnarrower than those of anadult, any increase inmucus or swelling cannarrow them severely.

“The company is reallyclear it should never gounder the nose or in thenose for anybody and itshouldn’t be used inchildren under 2,” saidRubin, whose studyappears in the journalChest.

While the researchersonly tested the Vicksproduct, Rubin saidsimilar products,including genericversions, could cause thesame negative effects ininfants and toddlers.

Internet

Extinct Tasmanian “tiger”DNA has clues to demiseWASHINGTON, 13 Jan — DNA taken from the hair of

two extinct Tasmanian “tigers” suggests the Australianmarsupials last seen 70 years ago may have become tooinbred to survive as a species, researchers reported onMonday.The researchers used the method they used tostudy the DNA from extinct woolly mammoths’ hair toget a good comparison of the gene sequences fromTasmanian tigers, formally known as thylacines, andsaid they hope to study other extinct animals — andperhaps resurrect one or two of them.

“Our goal is to learn how to prevent endangeredspecies from going extinct,” said Webb Miller ofPennsylvania State University, who helped lead theinternational study.“What I find amazing is that the twospecimens are so similar,” said Dr Anders Gotherstromof Uppsala University in Sweden, who worked on thestudy.—Internet

This handout

photo shows two

thylacinus in

Washington

DC’s National

Zoo.

INTERENT

SAN FRANCISCO, 13 Jan—Stanford University iscreating a 100-million-dollar research institutethat will focus on energyissues, including the search

for ways to reduce globalwarming, officials said.

University PresidentJohn Hennessy announcedthe creation of the centre,which is to be called thePrecourt Institute forEnergy, named for JayPrecourt, a Stanfordgraduate and energyindustry executive whodonated 50 million dollarsfor the centre.

“Universities such asStanford need to focus theirfull talent on the greatestchallenges facing the

world today,” Hennessysaid in a news release.

“Energy is certainly oneof those issues, posing athreat to our economy, tonational security and,through the use of fossilfuels, to our environment.”

Precourt, who holdsbachelor’s and master’sdegrees in petroleumengineering from Stanford,said he welcomed thechance to help reducecarbon emissions and alsowas concerned aboutenergy security.—Internet

In this photo released by JAXA (Japan AerospaceExploration Agency), a staff conducts an

experiment to check impact in opening the solararray panels of greenhouse-gas monitoring

satellite ‘Ibuki’ at JAXA’s Space StationIntegration and Promotion Center in Tsukuba,

northeast of Tokyo, on Tuesday, 4 Nov, 2008. The‘Ibuki’ will be launched on Japan’s homegrownH2A rocket and sent into orbit along with seven

mini satellites on 21 Jan, 2009 from the country’smain space center on the southern Japanese

island of Tanegashima.INTERNET

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM13

14 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

S P O R T SAC Milan’s Galliani happy

with Beckham debutROME, 13 Jan—AC Milan vice-president Adriano

Galliani congratulated former England captain DavidBeckham following the midfielder's workmanlike de-but for the club in the 2-2 draw at AS Roma.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid starwas taken off with a minute to go of the Serie A en-counter after giving an industrious performance on theright side of a three-man midfield having made a sur-prise start.

"It went a lot better than we expected," said Gallianiof the on-loan LA Galaxy man's first appearance.

However, the Milan chief was less pleased with histeam as a whole as they failed to take advantage ofleaders Inter Milan's slip at home to Cagliari (they drew1-1), leaving them still third and nine points adrift.

Internet

Benitez turns fire on Man UtdCEO Gill

Liverpool's Spanishmanager Rafael Benitez

Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFAWorld Footballer of the Year

Portuguese footballplayer Cristiano Ronaldoreacts after receivingFIFA world footballer ofthe year 2008 award in

Zurich. —INTERNET

Brazilian star set to join USwomen’s league

LOS ANGELES, 13 Jan—Brazilian forward Marta,who won her third FIFA Women's World Player of theYear award for her 2008 heroics, will join the LosAngeles Sol of Women's Professional Soccer for theupcoming season.

Marta, who turns 23 next month, led the Braziliansto the 2007 Women's World Cup final in China, wherethey lost to Germany, and silver-medal finishes at the2004 and 2008 Olympics. She most recently playedfor Umea IK of Sweden.

"Of course I am sad I am leaving, but I am happybecause a new project is beginning. It is time to startsomething new," Marta said.

Internet

Brazilian forwardMarta, seen here posingin Zurich after winningher third FIFA Women'sWorld Player of the Yearaward for her 2008 he-roics, will join the LosAngeles Sol of Women'sProfessional Soccer forthe upcoming season.

INTERNET

Fiorentina sweating on Mutuand Frey fitness for Milan trip

Fiorentina are counting the costof a disastrous match against

Lecce at the weekend as captainAdrian Mutu, seen here in 2008,and goalkeeper Sebastien Frey

could both miss Saturday's trip toAC Milan.—INTERNET

Trezeguet returns to first team trainingROME, 13 Jan—Former France striker David Trezeguet started training with his

team-mates again on Monday for the first time since having knee surgery in Septem-

Tottenham’s King fears relegation

Tottenham Hotspur's LedleyKing (right) holds off a challengefrom Bosko Balaban (left) ofClub Brugge during the UEFACup game at White Hart Lane,north London, in 2006. King hastold his team-mates they "will godown" from the Premier Leagueunless there is a marked improve-ment in the north London club'sperformances.—INTERNET

Juventus' Frenchforward David Trezeguet

Federer questions if Murrayready for tennis prime time

Roger Federer is seenhere serving to Brit-

ain's Andy Murray inDoha, on 9 January.

Federer has backed hisown chances for lifting

a fourth AustralianOpen title while

marvelling that Britishbookies are tipping

untried Murray for thetrophy.—INTERNET

ZURICH, 13 Jan—Man-chester United and Portu-gal star Cristiano Ronaldowas on Monday namedFIFA World Footballer ofthe Year for 2008.

Ronaldo, who is alsoholder of the prestigiousBallon d'Or for the Euro-pean Footballer of theYear, beat off competitionfrom 2007 winner Kaka(Brazil), Lionel Messi(Argentina), FernandoTorres (Spain) and Xavi(Spain).

"It's an overwhelmingmoment in my career andI'd like to dedicate thisaward to my family,friends and colleagues,"he said.

"Winning the Champi-ons League for me wasthe most memorable mo-ment of 2008," addedRonaldo, who scored inthe final but missed a pen-

alty in the penaltyshootout against Chelsea.

Ronaldo went out ofhis way to heap praise onUnited manager Sir AlexFerguson, with whom re-lations became strainedduring last summer overwhether he was going toleave the club for RealMadrid.—Internet

ber, the club said on its website. The 31-year-old has played only six minutes this sea-

son in Juve's opening home match against Udinese on14 September. Nine days later he was operated on.

According to Juve he will come into first team con-tention at the end of the month.

Trezeguet - who has fallen out of favour with Francecoach Raymond Domenech - has been an unqualifiedsuccess at Juventus since joining the club in 2000, scor-ing 130 goals in 219 league matches.—Internet

ROME, 13 Jan—Fiorentina are countingthe cost of a disastrous match against Lecceat the weekend as captain Adrian Mutu andgoalkeeper Sebastien Frey could both missSaturday's trip to AC Milan.

Not only did Fiorentina lose 2-1 at hometo their lowly rivals on Sunday but Mutuwent off with an injured elbow and hisreplacement Pablo Osvaldo was dismissedlate on.

Since then Frey has been diagnosed withdamage to a knee that has previously beenoperated on.

Both he and Mutu are doubtful for thetrip to Milan.—Internet

LONDON, 13Jan—TottenhamHotspur captainLedley King hastold his team-matesthey "will go down"from the PremierLeague unless thereis a marked im-provement in thenorth London club'sperformances.

Spurs managerHarry Redknappaccused some of hisplayers of lackingthe character for arelegation scrap af-ter Sunday's 1-0stoppage-time loss

away to Wigan left his side rooted in the bottom three.Tottenham enjoyed a revival when Redknapp arrived

at White Hart Lane from Premier League rivals Port-smouth in October. But although their knockout formhas held up - the League Cup holders are on course forthe final after a 4-1 semi-final first leg win over Burnley- it has been a different story in the Premier League.

"We have to improve, otherwise we will go down. Itis simple," centre-half King told Monday's LondonEvening Standard. "We need people to stand up andfight for each other, and be counted as men and as play-ers.—Internet

LIVERPOOL, 13 Jan—Liverpool managerRafael Benitez, not con-tent with attacking Man-chester United counter-part Sir Alex Ferguson,has now criticised his ri-vals' chief executiveDavid Gill.

In the build-up to last weekend's matches Benitezstunned English football with a series of commentsabout what he regards as Ferguson's hypocrisy, bully-ing of officials and serial whingeing.

And on Monday he accused Gill, also a senior fig-ure at England's governing Football Association, of aconflict of interest.

Premier League leaders Liverpool could only man-age a goalless draw with Stoke while English, Euro-pean and world champions United thrashed title ri-vals Chelsea 3-0.

Although Ferguson's men are five points behind Liv-erpool, they could be top of the table by the time ofMonday's Merseyside derby if they win their twogames in hand this week against Wigan and Bolton.

Internet

MELBOURNE, 13 Jan—Roger Federer has backedhis own chances for liftinga fourth Australian Open ti-tle while marvelling thatBritish bookies are tippinguntried Andy Murray for thetrophy. "Murray's the fa-vourite? good for him, butit doesn't help him a lot,"said the Swiss player at thepresentation of the eight-man Kooyong Classic, con-sidered the top tune-up forthe grand slam starting onMonday.

But after losing twice tothe Scot this month, once atan unofficial exhibition andin the Doha ATP semi-fi-nals, Federer does give thenumber four player his due.

"He's put himself into agreat position," said the 13-time grand slam championwho could pull level on theall-time best of 14 held byPete Sampras with a title inMelbourne.—Internet

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM14

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 15

WEATHER

Summary of observations recorded at 09:30 hrMST: During the past 24 hours, weather has been partlycloudy in Kachin and Shan States and Taninthayi Divi-sion and generally fair in the remaining States and Divi-sions. Night temperatures were (5˚C) to (6˚C) below Janu-ary average temperatures in Mon State, Yangon andTaninthayi Divisions, (3˚C) below January average tem-peratures in Chin and Kayah States, (3˚C) above Januaryaverage temperatures in Shan State and about Januaryaverage temperatures in the remaining States and Divi-sions. The significant night temperatures were Loilem (3˚C)and Mogok (4˚C).

Maximum temperature on 12-1-2009 was 88˚F.Minimum temperature on 13-1-2009 was 57˚F. Relativehumidity at (09:30) hours MST on 13-1-2009 was 59%.Total sunshine hours on 12-1-2009 was (9.0) hrs approx.

Rainfall on 13-1-2009 was (Nil) at Mingaladon,Kaba-Aye and Central Yangon. Total rainfall since 1-1-2009 was (Nil) at Mingaladon, Kaba-Aye and CentralYangon. Maximum wind speed at Yangon (Kaba-Aye)was (9) m.p.h from East at (10:30) hours MST on 12-1-2009.

Bay inference: Weather is generally fair in the NorthBay and partly cloudy in the Andaman Sea and elsewherein the Bay of Bengal.

Forecast valid until evening of 14th January 2009:Weather will be partly cloudy in Kachin and Shan StatesTaninthayi Divisions and generally fair in the remainingStates and Divisions.

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

Outlook for subsequent two days: Likelihood ofslight decrease of night temperature in lower Myanmarareas.

Forecast for Nay Pyi Taw and neighbouring areafor 14-1-2009: Generally fair weather.

Forecast for Yangon and neighbouring areafor 14-1-2009: Partly cloudy.

Forecast for Mandalay and neighbouring areafor 14-1-2009: Generally fair weather.

Tuesday, 13 January, 2009

Wednesday, 14 JanuaryView on today

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8:05 am 7. Musical programme

8:20 am 8. International news

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4:00 pm 1. Martial song

4:10 pm 2. Dance of national races

4:20 pm 3. Niuc\cM.sp∑a;Ael;Ta;ek¥;lk\Niuc\cM.sp∑a;Ael;Ta;ek¥;lk\Niuc\cM.sp∑a;Ael;Ta;ek¥;lk\Niuc\cM.sp∑a;Ael;Ta;ek¥;lk\Niuc\cM.sp∑a;Ael;Ta;ek¥;lk\

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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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5:00 pm

6. Songs to uphold

national spirit

5:10 pm

7. Classical song

5:20 pm

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5:30 pm

9. Musical programme

5:45 pm

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6:30 pm

12. Weather report

6:35 pm

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6:50 pm

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7:45 pm

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17.�News

18. International news

19. Weather report

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Local Transmission

* Signature Tune* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights* Nan Pan Market Day* Hta Pwe (or) Mogok Gems Market* Magic of Cotton Blanket* Myanma Bamboo Xylophone (or) Pattala* Quality Pearls from Myanmar Oysters* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights

Abroad Transmissions

* Signature Tune* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights* Myanmar’s intricate arts and crafts...silk fabric

with wavy patterns* Starry Emperor Breeding Camp* A Day in Yangon (People’s Square)* Survey of Hu Koung Valley Tiger (Part-IV)* Travel and Description (Yangon to Thanlyin-

KyaukTan)* Myanmar Modern Song* Nan Pan Market Day* Quality Pearls from Myanmar Oysters* Beauty of Gall Wood displayed* Unforgettable Trip to Ahka Village* Myanmar Orchestra (Thichinkhant)* Myanmar Modern Song* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights

Website: www.mrtv3.net.mm

MRTV-3Programme Schedule

(14.1.2009) (Wednesday)

Transmission Times

Local Transmission - (09:00am ~ 10:00am) MSTAbroad Transmission(Europe) - (15:30pm ~ 23:30pm) MSTAbroad Transmission(North America) - (23:30pm ~ 07:30am) MST

Palestinians fetch living articles from their housesdestroyed by Israeli strikes in the al Karama area

of Gaza City, on 13 Jan, 2009. Israeli soldiersfought heavy battles with local militants in Gazaearly Tuesday. Medics said on Monday that over900 people have been killed and more than 4,100others wounded since Israeli military operation,

on 27 Dec, 2008.—INTERNET

Slovakia weighs nuclearreactor restart, EU opposed

BRATISLAVA, 13 Jan—Slovakia said on Monday itwould decide within hours whether to restart a Soviet-era nuclear reactor, a plan that would put it on acollision course with a highly critical European Union.

The government has begun preparatory workneeded to restart the 440 MW unit at the JaslovskeBohunice power station. Prime Minister Robert Ficosaid on Monday the decision would depend on whetherSlovakia received an assurance that Russian gassupplies would resume.

Last week Bratislava declared a state of emergencyafter the flow of Russian gas stopped and thegovernment said the Bohunice unit, closed at the endof 2008, had to be put into operation again to maintainthe stability of the power grid.

“I will check the situation when I return home, Iwill speak with the Prime Minister and then I willdecide what to do next,” the news agency SITA quotedEconomy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek as saying aftera meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels.

MNA/Reuters

14-1-09 NL 7/30/18, 5:36 PM15

4th Waning of Pyatho 1370 ME Wednesday, 14 January, 2009

Peace and tranquility, development and emergence ofdiscipline-flourishing democratic nation inseparable

Special Refresher Course No. 11 for faculty members of universitiesand colleges opened in CICS (Upper Myanmar) in PyinOoLwin

Marathon cycling to be heldYANGON, 13 Jan—Myanmar Cycling Federa-

tion will hold a 380-mile Yangon-Mawlamyine-Yangon Marathon cycling from 23 to 26 February.Everyone wishing to participate may register at theoffice of MCF (Thuwunna) by 21 February. Anykinds of bicycle may be used for competition.

MNAControl tower of Hlaingchaung Dam near Nwe-in Village, Pale Township, Sagaing

Division.

Hlaingchaung Dam providesirrigation water and clean water

Article, photos: Khin Maung Than (Industry)Apart from large dam projects, the govern-

ment is implementing medium and small onesacross the nation for boosting agricultural produc-tion and greening the regions concerned. One ofthem is Hlaingchaung Dam the Irrigation Depart-

ment has constructed on the Hlaing Creek in PaleTownship, Sagaing Division. Upon completion,the project will be able to benefit some 1000 acresof farmlands.

(See page 10)

NAY PYI TAW, 13 Jan – Special Refresher CourseNo. 11 for faculty members of universities and col-leges was opened at Yadana Hall of the Central Insti-tute of Civil Service (Upper Myanmar) in PyinOoLwinTownship, Mandalay Division yesterday morning.

On behalf of Chairman of the Myanmar EducationCommittee Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Devel-opment Council Lt-Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung MyintOo, Minister for Science and Technology U Thaungdelivered an address.

Minister U Thaung said human resources consist-ing of brilliant intellectuals and intelligentsia play avital role in building a new peaceful, modern devel-oped discipline-flourishing democratic nation whilethe government is making all-round development inevery sector.

Discoveries and findings of scientists and scholarsin production of basic personal goods, therapies, infor-mation technology and space are advancing day by day.Ways and means that ensure management, commerce,banking system and insurance easy and smooth are

Every citizen who really

wants democracy is respon-

sible for cooperation in mak-

ing the nation peaceful,

stable and developed.

being utilized for systematic application of the results ofscience and technology in society, he said.

With the aim of producing human resources thatcan shape better future of the nation and its people, thegovernment is implementing the 30-year national edu-

cation promotion programme after laying down OurVision of emerging an education system that can createa constant learning society capable of facing the chal-lenges of knowledge age, he said.

(See page 10)

Minister U Thaung delivers an address at Special Refresher Course No. 11 for faculty members of universities and colleges in PyinOoLwin.—MNA

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