INFORMATION SHEET N0.A. 0391(I)

[OKKAR66127@xxxxxxx]

                                  INFORMATION SHEET

                     N0.A. 0391(I)                    17th April

(1)		Mone Creek Multi-Purpose Dam Project and Anawrahta Bridge Project (Chauk)
Implementation Gaining Momentum
		Mone Creek Multi-purpose Dam Project in Sedoktara Township of Central part
of Myanmar.  When completed, the project will irrigate up to 108,000 acres to
cultivate 170,000 acres of crops and will generate 380 million kilowatt-hours
of electricity annually. In Chauk the Anawrahta Bridge Project (Chauk) is
under construction. The bridge, 4,191 feet long, spanning Ayeyawady River,
will link Chauk on the eastern bank and Seikpyu Township on the western bank.
Efforts are being made to complete it in the early 1999.

(2)		Inauguration of Parahita School Buildings in Yangon
		Two three-storey buildings for Tiger Parahita School of the Department for
Development of Border Areas and National Races were inaugurated on 
16 April in Yangon. The government has rehabilitated the school with the aim
of enabling national races children of border areas to take care of
development projects for their own border areas and own national races
themselves. The government has been exerting utmost efforts since 1988 with
emphasis on the progress of the school to enhance mutual friendship,
cooperation, help and assistance among the national races since the Union of
Myanmar is made up of 135 national races. Establishment of similar Parahita
schools in the States enable more children from those schools to be admitted
to the school in Yangon with the opening of the new buildings. Students at the
Tiger Parahita School are children of national races residing in the border
areas and they are studying at the primary, middle and high school levels and
at the universities. The 168 children at the school comprise Wa, Kokang, Shan,
PaO, Palaung, Naga, Chin, Rakhine and other national races. After completion
of their studies they will return to their native areas and implement
development projects there.  The children  nurtured at the school would be
able to work for the progress of their areas and improvement of their living
conditions and finally become leaders of the states and the nation as a whole.
The  Work Committee is looking after a total of 967 children at 13 border area
development schools under close supervision of the Development for Border
Areas and National Races. 
The Work Committee is running the Parahita schools with the four objectives,
namely, to further strengthen national unity and promote friendship, to uphold
traditions and customs of national races, to acquire a high level of education
and implement regional development projects in their native areas and to learn
vocational education.  The two reinforced concrete three-storey school
buildings opened are two hostels.  Each hostel will accommodate 120 students.
There are 8 Shan, 13 Chin, 18 Kachin, 10 Kayin, 16 Kayah, 4 Kayan, 18 Palaung,
37 PaO, 5 Akha, 10 Wa, 4 Rakhine, 2 Myaungsi, 7 Lahu and 16 Bamar nationals
totalling 168 at the Tiger Parahita School. Of them, 39 are studying at
primary school level, 75 middle school level, 45 high school level and four
university level.  

(3)		26 Countries Confirm Attending  FAO Regional Conference in Yangon
		The 24th Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Conference for Asia and
the Pacific will be held at the Sedona Hotel in Yangon on coming Monday, 20
April. The regional conference will focus on the follow-up to the World Food
Summit (Rome, 1996) and the state of the fisheries sector in the Asia Pacific
region. The conference will begin with senior officers segment lasting three
days. This will be followed by the ministerial-level plenary meeting on
Thursday and Friday, 23 and 24 April.

(4)		Myanmar Delegation Leaves for Bangladesh
		At the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People?s Republic
of Bangladesh Mr Abdus Samad Azad, a Myanmar goodwill delegation  led by
Minister for Foreign Affairs U Ohn Gyaw left Yangon by air for the People?s
Republic of Bangladesh on 16 April.

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