16-bed Hospital
opened under Yaungkha Village Project of Myanmar-Thai narcotic drugs eradication
and all-round development of border areas
YANGON,
28 Dec- Under the arrangement of Myanmar-Thai narcotic drugs eradication and
all-round development of border areas, the ceremony to open 16-bed hospital
which was one of the Yaungkha Village Project in Monghsat District, Shan State
(East), was held at the venue on 26 December morning.
Chairman of Shan State (East)
Peace and Development Council Commander of Triangle Region Command Maj-Gen Khin
Zaw and Commanding General of 3rd Army Area of Thailand Lt-Gen Picharnmeth
Muangmanee formally opened the hospital.
Speaking on the occasion,
In-charge of Yaungkha Village Project Col San Pwint said that the project is
being implemented according to the agreement of Myanmar-Thai narcotic drugs
eradication and all-round development of border areas after the meeting between
the prime ministers of the two countries in 2001. The Prime Minister of Thailand
provided 20 million Baht to implement the project.
According to the agreement
between officials of the two countries, Yaungkha Village-tract, 30 miles west of
Tachilek, was chosen as the project area in 2001-2002. So, the project will
benefit not only Yaungkha Village but also local people who are residing in
Yaungkha Village-tract formed with 13 villages and its environs. The project
started in January 2003. In implementing the education sector of the all-round
development project, Basic Education Primary School that can accomodate 500
students was built in May 2003. Starting from June 2003, 10 teachers appointed
by the Ministry of Education are teaching 222 students at the school. In the
health sector, construction of the 16-bed hospital was completed in September
2003. At present, one doctor and four nurses appointed by the Ministry of Health
are providing health care service to local national races.
With regard to the agricultural
sector, the plan has been drawn to cultivate opium-substitute crops. Nowadays,
1,300 acres of highland area and 900 acres of farmland, totalling over 2,200
have been put under paddy, and arrangements were made for building small-scale
dams with a view to ensuring cultivation of double cropping. Now, six
small-scale dams together with a 20-metre-long canal were built in cooperation
with local people for supplying water to over 840 acres of farmland all the year
round. So, over 2,000 tons of rice surplus achieved this year. Maize, soya
beans, bamboo shoot, macadamia, etc were distributed to the local farmers and
arrangements are being made to export poppy-substitute crops produced from the
project area to Thailand. Before conclusion, Col San Pwint said that fish,
poultry and pig are being bred in the region in the livestock breeding sector
for distributing them to households of the villages.
Afterwards, Chenmai District
Lwetong Project Chief Executive Officer Mr Disnadda Diskul, in-charge of the
Thai side in Yaungkha Village Project, reported on arrangements for cooperation
in education, health, agriculture and livestock breeding sectors related to the
project.
Next, local national race leader
U Pau Yu Chan presented fruit baskets to Commander Maj-Gen Khin Zaw and Lt-Gen
Picharnmeth Muangmanee of Thailand. Then, Deputy Minister Brig-Gen Khin Maung
handed over seeds of crops for local people to U Pau Yu Chan.
Commander Maj-Gen Khin Zaw and
guests viewed agriculture and livestock breeding tasks in the compound of the
school and the display of fruits produced from the area.
Then, Commander Maj-Gen Khin Zaw
and Lt-Gen Picharnmeth Muangmanee of Thailand formally opened the stone
inscriptions to mark the opening of the hospital.
Next, the commander and party
viewed round the hospital.
Poppy
plantations destroyed in Pinlaung
YANGON,
17 Dec – A combined team comprising members of Pinlaung Township Myanmar Police
Force and the Special Region 6 and departmental staff destroyed 7.25 acres of
poppy plantations in the west of Tarngo village, Htipaung village-tract,
Pinlaung Township, at estimated map references of R 347461 and R 349465 on 18
November this year.
In 2003-2004 poppy cultivation
season, a total of 2,245.17 acres of poppy – 2,179.85 in Shan State (South),
13.48 in Shan State (North), 48.84 in Shan State (East) and three in Kachin
State – have been destroyed.
278.4 acres of
poppy plantations destroyed
YANGON,
12 Dec – A combined team comprising local Tatmadawmen, members of local
intelligence unit, Myanmar Police Force, departmental staff and local people
destroyed 278.4 acres of poppy plantations in the nearby valleys of Bawran
Village and Lwailon Village in Khaung-ei Village-tract, Pekhon Township, Shan
State (North), from 29 November to 2 December.
Up to 2 December during this
poppy cultivation season, a total of 2963.42 acres of poppy cultivation had been
destroyed.