Established 1914

Volume XVI, Number 286 4th Waxing of Tabodwe 1370 ME Thursday, 29 January, 2009

* Development of agriculture as the base and all-rounddevelopment of other sectors of the economy as well

* Proper evolution of the market-oriented economicsystem

* Development of the economy inviting participation interms of technical know-how and investments fromsources inside the country and abroad

* The initiative to shape the national economy must be keptin the hands of the State and the national peoples

* Uplift of the morale and morality ofthe entire nation

* Uplift of national prestige and integ-rity and preservation and safeguard-ing of cultural heritage and nationalcharacter

* 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

Constitution* Building of a new modern developed

nation in accord with the new StateConstitution

Four economic objectives Four social objectivesFour political objectives

The government spent a huge sum of money onconstruction of Yangon-Sittway Road and Yangon-Kyaukpyu Road and measures are being taken toupgrade them.

Railroad to be constructed to link Sittwayand An and west bank of Ayeyawady RiverPrime Minister General Thein Sein tours townships in Rakhine State

NAY PYI TAW, 28Jan—Prime MinisterGeneral Thein Sein ac-companied by Lt-GenKhin Zaw of the Ministryof Defence, Chairman ofRakhine State Peace andDevelopment Council

Commander of WesternCommand Maj-GenThaung Aye, ministers,deputy ministers, the di-rector-general of the Gov-ernment Office and depart-mental heads, touredtownships in Rakhine

State from 25 to 28 Janu-ary and met with depart-mental officials, membersof social organizations andlocal people and attendedto the needs.

On 25 January, thePrime Minister and party

left Sittway for PauktawTownship. The PrimeMinister and party werewelcomed by Chairman ofTownship PDC U AungAung and officials.

Better Efficiency

At Pauktaw BasicEducation High School,the Prime Minister met

the headmistress andteachers and instructedthem to teach the pupilsand always try hard tostudy their subjects forgaining better effi-ciency, to train the stu-dents to abide by theschool disciplines andrules and regulations

and to turn out the stu-dents to become out-standing ones endowedwith good moral andUnion Spirit.

Afterwards, the PrimeMinister cordially greetedthe local people.

At the hall of PauktawTownship General Ad-ministration Department,

the Prime Minister metwith township level offi-cials, members of socialorganizations and localpeople.

Chairman of theTownship PDC U AungAung reported on progressof the region.

After giving an ad-

dress, the Prime Ministerpresented books and medi-cines to Head of Town-ship Information and Pub-lic Relations DepartmentDaw San San Aung andTownship Medical Of-ficer Dr Maung MaungWin.

In Myebon Township,they were welcomed by

Chairman of TownshipPDC U Thet Naing andofficials.

At the TownshipGAD Office, the PrimeMinister met departmen-tal officials, social organi-zation members andtownselders.

(See page 8)

Prime Minister General Thein Sein meets with departmental officials,members of social organizations and local people in Myebon

Township, Rakhine State.—MNA

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2 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

Thursday, 29 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

The Union of Myanmar is a nation consistingof states and divisions where national races havebeen living together. Rakhine State is a part ofthe Union of Myanmar where various nationalraces such as Rakhine, Bamar, Pyu, Kanyan,Thet, etc. have been living in unity since timeimmemorial. Rakhine national is also Myanmarnational. They are the same. It is very importantfor national people to forge the Union spiritwherever they live.

The government had to build Yangon-Sittway Road with much difficulty for ensuringbetter transport between Rakhine State and otherregions. It also built Yangon-Kyaukpyu Road forlinking the south and the north of Rakhine Stateand also linking Rakhine State with Ayeyawadyand Yangon Divisions.

Despite difficulties, the governmentimplemented these projects to have cordialrelations among the national races to makeprogress in the region. Arrangements are beingmade for construction of a railroad from Sittway,Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, MraukU and Minbya toAn to link the one on the west bank of AyeyawadyRiver.

The major requirements for Rakhine Stateare advanced communications, smooth transportand sufficient supply of electricity. Plans areunder way to construct Thahtaychaunghydropower plant. On completion of the plant, itwill be able to generate 417 million kilowatthours each year.

Moreover, Sai Tin Hydropower plant willsoon be built for northern parts of Rakhine State.Previously, it was not possible to construct ahydropower plant due to scarcity of water insummer. But now it will soon be built afterbuilding water storage lake.

All local people with full Union spirit are toparticipate in the efforts for development ofRakhine State, a part of the Union.

National progress throughregional development

U Win Shein appointed asAmbassador to Cambodia

NAY PYI TAW, 29 Jan—The Chairman of theState Peace and Development Council of the Unionof Myanmar has appointed U Win Shein asAmbassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiaryof the Union of Myanmar to the Kingdom ofCambodia.

MNA

Minister inspectsreclamation of plotsof land in Labutta

YANGON, 28 Jan—Minister for Progress ofBorder Areas and National Races and DevelopmentAffairs Col Thein Nyunt attended a ceremony to openAyeyawady jetty in Labutta township to mark the62nd Anniversary Union Day on 26 January.

Upon arrival at Land Reclamation Site (3rd

mile camp) being implemented by the DevelopmentAffairs Department, the minister and party inspectedprogress in earth works and then gave instructionson measures to be taken for digging up 100 acres ofland to use it as the dam.

Next, they looked into progress in buildingthe 200-bed hospital and houses with the use of heavymachinery. Plots of land will be reclaimed. Roadswill be built and power and drinking water will besupplied. Plots of land will be sold at reasonableprice. Plots of land will be reclaimed to build coldstorage. 66 KV power lines will be installed. Labuttawill be upgraded into a model district with favourableconditions for social and economic affairs.

MNA

YANGON, 28 Jan—The third round of IBTCOpen Golf Championshipof Myanmar Golf Tour2008-2009, mainlyorganized by MyanmarGolf Federation andMyanmar P.G.A andsponsored by InternationalBeverages Trading Co.,Ltd, was held at Ayetharyargolf resort in Taunggyi,Shan State (south),yesterday.

In professionalgolfers event, MyintThaung (Srixon) stood first

IBTC Open Golf Championship concludeswith 216 strokes, MinNaing (Srixon) second with220 strokes, Soe KyawNaing (Srixon) third with221 strokes, Thein ZawMyint (KM Golf Centre)and Kyaw Thiha (KM GolfCentre) fourth with 226strokes each and Yin Htway(KM Golf Centre) fifth with227 strokes.

In men’s amateurgolfers event, Bo Bo stoodfirst with 227 strokes, NayBala Win Myint secondwith 229 strokes, KyawThura third with 231 strokes

and Zaw Thet Htway fourthwith 232 strokes.

With the aim ofturning out professionalgolfers, main sponsor isInternational BeveragesTrading Co.,Ltd and co-sponsors are KBZ BankLtd., Air Bagan Ltd, HotelYangon, Ruby Dragon(Jade & Gems) Co., Ltd,Srixon, MGWConstruction Ltd,Myanmar Red StarInternational Co Ltd, KMGolf Centre, ACCELInternational Co Ltd,

Canon, Alpine PurifiedDrinking Water, MYAssociates Co Ltd(Patronas), Tiger Headcement, Life Line Co Ltd(DHEA plus) and EdenGroup Co Ltd.—MNA

Myint Thaung (Srixon) tees off at IBTCOpen Golf Championship.—MGF

Minister Col Thein Nyunt inspects land reclamation in Labutta.—PBANRDA

The jetty is 108 feet long, 12 feet wide and 10feet high and it was built by Labutta TownshipDevelopment Affairs Committee during 2008-2009financial year with the funds of Development AffairsDepartment.

Next, the minister met with officials of thecompanies, members of district and township socialorganizations and townselders at Shwenadi Hall inLabutta. In his meeting, the minister said plans areunder way to upgrade Labutta into a model districtand 66 KV power lines will be installed in thetownship.

A total of 4548 rural houses are underconstruction in Labutta and an 85 percent of thewhole project has been covered. In addition, sevenCyclone Shelters are being built by companies.

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 3

Harming civilian not toserve the war on terror

Iraqi police inspect a car at a checkpoint in the neighbourhood of Sadr Cityin Baghdad, Iraq. As the sixth anniversary of the US-led invasion nears, thereare ample signs that Baghdad is settling back into some regular rhythms, butit’s still far from a comfortable trust that the war and its violent offshoots can

be declared over.—INTERNET

KABUL, 28 Jan —Afghanistan’s Presidentialspokesman HamayonHamidzada on Tuesdaystressed that harmingcivilians during themilitary operations againstterrorism would not servethe war on terror.

“The government ofAfghanistan once againemphasizes that inflictingcasualties on civilianswould not only erode thetrust of people in the waragainst terrorism, but alsodamage the support tothe government of

Afghanistan,” Hamidzadatold newsmen at a pressbriefing here.

He made the remarks inthe wake of reportedkilling of civilians by theUS-led Coalition forces inAfghanistan’s easternLaghman Province lastThursday. Over 20civilians, according tolocal officials, were killedby air strikes outsideLaghman’s Provincialcapital Mehterlam onThursday while the USmilitary disputed theclaim, saying 15 militants

were killed in the raid.“The government of

Afghanistan condemnsarbitrary operations thatclaim the lives ofcivilians,” Hamidzadastressed.

Thousands of non-combatant Afghans havelost their lives in the US-led war on terror inAfghanistan over the pastseven years and the bloodyone was the killing of 91persons in Shindanddistrict of western HeratProvince in August 2008.

Internet

A man reflects a partialsolar eclipse throughthe lens of a telescope

while watching thephenomenon atChulalongkorn

University in Bangkok,Thailand, on 26 Jan,

2009.—INTERNET

Roadside bombing kills,wounds 14 in S AfghanistanKANDAHAR, 28 Jan—One civil mini-bus on Tuesday

afternoon was struck by IEDs (Improvised ExplosiveDevice)in southern Afghan Province of Kandahar,leaving at least four civilians dead and 10 morewounded, said an official.

Matiwullah Khan, the provincial police chief, toldXinhua that it occurred at around 3:30 pm local time(1100 GMT) when the mini-bus passing Jalai districtof Kandahar Province hit roadside mines planted bymilitants resulting in four people dead and 10 morewounded, all civilians.

“Four women and one child were among theinjured,” he added.—Internet

Four security forces killed in suicide carbombing in N Iraq

MOSUL, 28 Jan—A suicide car bomber struck the office of a Kurdish party inthe city of Mosul on Tuesday, killing four security members and wounding fiveothers, a provincial police source said.

A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-borne vehicle into a checkpoint outsidethe office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the Faisaliyahneighbourhood in eastern Mosul, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The KDP is headed by Massud Barzani, president of the regional Kurdishgovernment, which rules the autonomous region in northern Iraq.

The attack took place four days before the country’s landmark provincialelections Nineveh Province, with its capital city Mosul, some 400 km north ofBaghdad, is said to be one of the last strongholds of al-Qaeda fighters in the war-torn country. —Internet

US plans to send three more brigades to Afghanistan

Five Taleban militants killedin S Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, 28 Jan—Five Taleban militantsincluding a local commander were killed during aclean-up operation in southern Afghan province ofHelmand, said a police official on Tuesday.

Assadullah Sherzad, the provincial police chieftold Xinhua that the incident took place on Mondayafternoon when a group of Taleban rebels ambushedthe combined patrol of Afghan National Army (ANA)and the NATO-led International Security AssistanceForce (ISAF) in Nawad district of Helmand province.

Sherzad said the combined forces retreated insurgentsafter hours of fighting, killing five of them, includingMullah Khalid, one local Taleban commander. “Severalinsurgents were also wounded but escaped under theirfellows’ cover,” the police official added. “No casualtiesof ANA or ISAF have been reported so far.”—Internet

A model poses with Vierafull high-definition plasmaTVs during a press eventby Panasonic, a unit of

Matsushita ElectricIndustrial Co, in Tokyo.Panasonic Corp said, on28 Jan, 2009 it will cut

560 jobs in Asia due to theclosure of two plants in theregion, while declining to

confirm a report saying theJapanese electronics giantwill likely suffer its first net

loss in six years.INTERNET

WASHINGTON, 28 Jan—The US military plans tosend three additionalcombat brigades to Afg-hanistan by mid-summerthis year, Secretary ofDefence Robert Gatestold members of theSenate Armed ServicesCommittee on Tuesday.

In his first Senatetestimony as Pentagon’stop leader of the Obamaadministration, Gatesalso said further US troopincrease is possible, butit is still undecided.

He cautioned thatsending too many forceswould be a wrong signalin the eyes of theAfghans, who hope to see

their own security forcestake the lead.

Gates also said USgoals in Afghanistanmust be “modest” and“realistic,” stressing theUS objective thereshould be getting rid ofthe terrorists, instead ofbuilding a prosperousnation.

On Iraq, Gates said the

US military is weighingoptions on how towithdraw troops fromthat country.

All the options and theirrespective risks are beingpresented to PresidentBarack Obama, who willmeet with the Joint Chiefsof Staff at the Pentagon onWednesday, he added.

Internet

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4 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

BEIJING, 28 Jan — TheChinese government sp-ent approximately29.5billion yuan (4.3 billionUS dollars) in 2008 tofortify dangerous reser-voirs, Provide rural resid-ents with clean drinkingwater and to upgradeirrigating facilities.

Such expendituresaccounted for 45 percentof the annual governmentinvestment in all sorts ofwater resources projects,said Water ResourcesMinister Chen Lei. Thecentral government’s

Ritual performers wearing costumes of the royal court of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) perform in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the

Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China,on 26 Jan, 2009.—XINHUA

Actors perform folk dances at a tourist resort of Chinese folk culture inShenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, on 27 Jan, 2009. A lot of

tourists enjoy folk dances and makeup parade in the scenic spot during theSpring Festival holiday.—XINHUA

An aerial view shows people protesting against Amazon deforestation duringthe 2009 World Social Forum near the mouth of the Amazon River in the city

of Belem, on 27 Jan, 2009.—XINHUA

China invests 29.5 bln yuan toprovide “safe” water for residents

investment in all waterresources projects totaled65.54 billion yuan in2008.

Of the total, 13 billionyuan was used to fortify2,505 dangerous reser-voirs and 5.9 billion yuanto build supporting pro-jects for large irrigationsystems and to upgradeothers into water-effici-ency ones.

By the end of 2000,379 million rural dwellersnationwide have difficul-ties in getting safedrinking water.

Chen Lei said Chinabegan providing safedrinking water for anadditional 48.24 millionrural people last year. Thisyear, another 60 millionrural residents would getaccess to clean water.

Between 2000 and2008, the water resourcesministry said, China spent61.8 billion yuan (9.04billion US dollars) toprovide 160 million ruralpeople with clean water.

Xinhua

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Jan— The Services Export Fund(SEF), a fund established to assist Malaysian serviceproviders in venturing globally, has recently beenexpanded to include a wider range of programmes andactivities, local media reported on Wednesday.

The scope of the SEF was expanded in response tothe global economic crisis and to assist Malaysianservice providers to further expand overseas.

The SEF is managed by the Malaysian ExternalTrade Development Corporation (Matrade), an agencyunder the Ministry of International Trade and Industry(MITI).

The expanded scope covers the organization ofspecialized marketing and follow-up missions, andhosting of project owners and key decision makers toMalaysia by Matrade.

The fund is available to a wide range of sectors,including the information and communicationtechnology (ICT), healthcare, education, oil and gas,and construction sectors, the New Straits Timesreported.

To date, the SEF has attracted a total of 603applications from312 companies, from a wide rangeof service sectors. Grants approved under the SEF arevalued at 31.1 million ringgit (8.61 million USdollars).—Xinhua

RIO DE JANEIRO, 28 Jan— Brazil’s state-ownedoil and gas giant Petro-bras announced on Mon-day that it has found gasin the country’s south-eastern coast.

The discovery wasmade at Block BM-S-7 inthe shallow waters of theSantos Basin, off thecoast of Sao Paulo state.

Petrobras said the gaswas found 210 km off thecoast and 214 metresunder water above a saltlayer.

The discovery is signi-ficant and its exploitationcould be highly feasibledue to its short distancebelow the water surface,the company said.

Block BM-S-7 isjointly explored byPetrobras and Spanishcompany Repsol. Petro-bras holds a 63 percentstake and Repsol 37percent.—Xinhua

GAZA, 28 Jan—Israeliwarplanes carried out atleast two strikes on theborder between the GazaStrip and Egypt early onWednesday, witnesses said.

The strikes were

LOS ANGELES, 28 Jan—Five children and theirmother were fatally shotinside their home in LosAngeles on Tuesdaymorning, the Los AngelesPolice Department (LAPD)said.

The LAPD said theysuspected the assailant tobe the children’s fatherwho apparently commit-ted suicide after theshooting.

The father called 911

Six family members shot deadin Los Angeles

about the shooting beforekilling himself, accordingto the LAPD.

“He called 911 andsaid his family was deadinside,” police officerSam Park said. “Weresponded. We havemultiple victims inside ofthe house.”

Police found notesinside the house in whichthe gunman referred to“job and work-relatedissues.”

“This was a financialand job related issue thatled to the slayings,”Deputy Chief KennethGarner said. “In thesetough economic times,there are other options. Inmy 32 years, I’ve neverseen anything like this.”

All the children killedwere under 10, includinga set of 5-year-old girltwins and a set of 2-year-old boy twins, policesaid.—Xinhua

Petrobras discoversgas in Brazil’s

southeastern coast

Israeli warplanes strike tunnels on Gazaborder with Egypt

believed to target tunnelsused for smuggling goodsand weapons into theGaza Strip from Egypt.

The bombardment sentresidents in the Gaza townof Rafah fleeing their

homes in panic. Therewas no immediate reportsof any casualties.

The strikes have notyet been confirmed by theIsraeli military.

Xinhua

All items from Xinhua News Agency

Malaysia expandsservices export fund

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 5

Trade between NE China province,Russia exceeds $11 bln in 2008

HARBIN, 28 Jan—Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, which bordersRussia, saw 11.06 billion US dollars in foreign trade with its northern neighbourin 2008, representing a growth of 3.1 percent year-on-year, according to theprovincial commerce department.

The trade volume made up 19.5 percent of China’s total trade value with Russia,the report said.

The increase came after Russia lowered export prices on resource-orientedproducts such as timber. Trade was also improved by the depreciation of the USdollar and the Russian ruble, according to the department.

The province promoted exports such as automobiles, mechanical and electricalproducts.

The export of mechanical and electrical products to Russia hit 3.92 billion USdollars, up 76.8 percent than the previous year. Farm produce reached 1.48 billionUS dollars, up 25 percent year-on-year. —Internet

Bomb blast kills twoin Colombian capital

BOGOTA, 28 Jan—At least two people were killed and dozens of others injuredin a bomb blast in Colombia’s capital late on Tuesday, police said.

The explosion occurred around 0200 GMT outside a video store in an upscalenorthern Bogota neighbourhood.

City police chief Rodolfo Palomino said the bomb appeared to contain about11 pounds (5 kg) of explosives and was placed in an automatic teller booth nextto the store.

The Colombian government has offered a 45,000-US-dollar reward forinformation leading to those responsible for Tuesday’s blast.

The previous attack that shook Bogota took place on 29 Dec. Police blamedthe attack on leftist rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia(FARC).

Internet

Indonesian Gov’t sets threerequirements on investment

in steel industryJAKARTA, 28 Jan—Indonesian Industry Minister

FahmiIdris required steel investors in the country thatthey should have efficient technology applications,their production should be based in South Kalimantan,and they have to launch joint venture with localcompanies.

The Indonesian Business daily on Wednesdayquoted the Ministry’s Director General for Textile Ma-chinery and Miscellany Ansari Bukhari as saying thatthe requirements are targeting the rapid growing offoreign investors in the industry.

Indonesia has an abundant resources of ion ores thatare supplied for many steel manufacturer in thecountry. Thus, many transnational steel producers werevery keen on investing in and establishing steel manu-facturers in the country, such as Pohang Steel Co(Posco) with a total investment up to 1 billion USdollar and ArcelorMittal with a total investment up to800 million dollars.

Internet

More than 1,000 chickens die fromunknown disease in central NepalKATHMANDU, 28 Jan—More than 1,000 local

chickens have died from unknown disease in a villagein Sindhuli district in central Nepal, the National NewsAgency RSS reported on Wednesday.

According to the RSS, the chickens died from thedisease, that has spread for the past few days, said alocal. She said 75 local chickens died in her housealone. They died with swollen throat and accumulationof water. The disease is not identified and the wholevillage, some 40 km southeast of Kathmandu, is interror, the RSS said.

Technical team from the District Livestock Officehas not reached so far, whereas technician of the officeTika Shrestha said the outbreak was because nomedicines were given to the chickens in time.—Internet

22 killed in surging waveof violence in Mexico

MONTERREY, 28 Jan—Twenty-two people werefound shot dead late Monday and Tuesday in northernMexico, including four found on property belongingto the state-run oil giant Pemex, police said.

The killings are likely the result of the ongoing warbetween powerful drug cartels for control of lucrativeaccess corridors to the United States, officials said.

Petroleos de Mexico workers found the bodies ofthe four men, some half-dressed and with tape overtheir eyes, piled up in a well on company property some150 kilometres (93 miles) northeast of Monterrey, onthe US-Mexican border.

The men had all been shot in the head, police in thisprosperous and heavily industrialized city told AFP,speaking on condition of anonymity.—Internet

JAKARTA, 28 Jan—An earthquake with magnitudeof 5.3 rocked Papua in easternmost of Indonesia onWednesday, no report of damage or casualty,meteorology agency said here.

The quake struck at 08:34 Jakarta time (0134GMT) with epicentre at 137 kilometres northeastNabire of Papua and at 76 kilometres in depth, anofficial of the agency said.—Internet

Police officers inspect the area in front of a video store damaged by theexplosion of a bomb that killed at least two people in Bogota, on 27 Jan,

2009.—INTERNET

A fire department boatapproaches a barge on

fire in Hong Kong’sVictoria Harbour on 27

Jan, 2009.INTERNET

A boy stands on a bike as officials of the departmental health services fumigateduring a campaign against Dengue fever in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on 27 Jan,2009. Bolivian Health Ministry confirmed more than 4000 classic Dengue feverreports and the decease of three people due to Dengue hemorrhagic fever, the stronger version of this acute febrile disease.—INTERNET

Moderatequake hits

Papua,Indonesia

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6 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

NEWS ALBUM

A worker prepares red lanterndecorations at a park in Beijing.

Time bandits: pairfilches Rolex watchesBad timing befell a Farmington Hills

man who tried to sell a costly Rolexwatch, only to have it stolen from him _along with his own $10,000 Rolex. LarryNagel told WDIV-TV in Detroit that awoman who’d seen an online ad forsome of his watches on Craig’s List methim at a Southfield coffee shop.

Nagel said he tried to put one on herwrist but the buckle wouldn’t clasp, sohe tried to put it on his own wrist aftertaking off his Rolex. That’s when a manran up, snatched it and fled.

Nagel followed the thief butremembered his other watches wereon the table. By the time he returned,the woman and the other Rolex weregone.

Police are trying to identify thethieves from security camera images.

Thailand’s “Scorpion Queen”Kanchana Kaetkaew, 38, poses with

scorpions at the Ripley’s Believe It orNot museum in Pattaya.

A frog sits on a banana leaf at agarden in Kuala Lumpur.

Unreturned library bookleads to woman’s arrestAn Iowa woman has been arrested

because failed to return a library book.Thirty-nine-year-old Shelly Koontz

was arrested on Thursday night on a fifth-degree theft charge. She is accused ofkeeping “The Freedom Writers Diary,”which she checked out from the publiclibrary in nearby Jesup in April.

Police say the book—which is about ahigh school teacher’s effort to inspirestudents to write—is valued at $13.95.

Court records show library employeestried repeatedly to contact Koontz by phoneand mail. A police officer even visited herhome last September.

Officials at the Buchanan County jailsay Koontz was released after posting$250 bond. No telephone listing for Koontzcould be found in the Independence area.

Malaysian woman charged with smuggling drug in bra

Armoured truck driverallegedly tapes cash to legs

Talk about being strapped for cash. Anarmoured truck driver was jailed on Fridayin Grapevine on a felony theft charge aftermore than $100,000 was found strapped tohis legs. Police Lt Todd Dearing said 31-year-old Elkin Strozier of Arlington washeld on $10,000 bond.

Strozier was arrested on Thursday andcharged with theft of between $100,000and $200,000. Dearing declined to sayhow much cash was stolen, but says all ofthe money was recovered.

Strozier allegedly cut open a cash bagwhile his partner was out of the vehicle,taped the money to his legs and reclosedthe bag. A bank reported cash was missingafter a delivery was made.

Police said Strozier confessed whenconfronted by his boss.

Australia has charged a Malaysianwoman with attempting to smuggle heroininto Melbourne by hiding the drug in herbra. Customs Department officials saythey suspected the woman may have beencarrying drugs when she arrived onThursday at Melbourne InternationalAirport on a flight from Bangkok.

A female officer conducted a frisksearch and found “inconsistencies” aroundher bra, which turned out to be a package

of white powder, customs officials said ina statement on Friday. The statement saidthe package contained approximately 14ounces (400 grams) of heroin. The 20-year-old woman will appear in court inApril. She faces a maximum penalty of25 years imprisonment and/or fine of550,000 Australian dollars ($356,000).

TOKYO,28 Jan — Japa-nese Defence MinisterYasukazu Hamada has or-dered the dispatch of shipsto fight pirates off Soma-lia.

He did not say howmany ships would be sentor when, but told the mili-tary to assess what sort offorce was needed. Japan’sparliament and PrimeMinister Taro Aso wouldneed to pass a formal or-der before the ships couldset off, a process expectedto take a month.

Japan would be joininga multi-national effortagainst piracy which in-cludes ships from theUnited States and China.“The pirates’ activities off

BEIJING, 28 Jan—Thesea level along China’scoastal areas will rise 0.13meter in the next threedecades, according to areport by the StateOceanic Administration(SOA).

The average increasein sea level has been about2.6 millimetre per year inthe past 30 years, 0.8millimetre higher than theworld’s average, accord-ing to the administrati-

DUBAI,28 Jan — USPresident Barack Obamasaid America was pre-pared to extend a hand ofpeace to Iran if it “unclen-ched its fist” and that thetime was ripe for Israeland the Palestinians toresume peace negotia-tions.

Choosing an Arab sta-tion for his first formalTV interview as presi-dent, Obama also soughtto heal US ties with theArab and Muslim world,telling them “Americansare not your enemy.”

Japan to deploy ships off Somalia

SOFIA, 28 Jan — A Bul-garian man hijacked anintercity bus on Tuesday,apparently to draw atten-tion to a car crash last yearthat caused his pregnantgirlfriend to miscarry.Hesurrendered about 3 hourslater.

Miroslav Blazhev al-legedly took over the busshortly after it left Sofia at

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force is onlyallowed to deploy defensively.—INTERNET

the Somali coast are amajor threat not only toJapan but also to interna-tional society and it is aproblem that we must dealwith urgently,” Mr Ha-mada said.

No Japanese ship has

been taken by pirates yet,the government said, butpirates have fired at threeJapanese vessels. No-onewas injured. Japan’s deci-sion to go ahead with adeployment took monthsof debate.—Internet

Bus hijacker surrenders in Bulgaria1 pm bound for Varna, aresort on the Black Sea,the Sofia News Agencyreported. An official withthe Biomet bus companysaid the bus had 36 pas-sengers, an attendant andtwo drivers.

Blazhev said hewanted to see the man heclaims was responsiblefor the August crash.

A journalist who wasamong the passengersconvinced the hijacker hecould help him get mediaattention for his story, theSofia Echo reported.Blazhev, who had a gunand claimed to have abomb, surrendered with-out incident about 4 pmwithout harming any-one.—Internet

Sea level along coastal China to rise0.13 metre in 30 years

on’s report of China’s sealevel changes.

The report said amongall the coastal seas, theEast China Sea saw thefastest rise in sea level,with an annual increase of2.9 millimetre over thepast three decades.

Li Xiaoming, directorof the department ofoceanic protection of theSOA, said global warm-ing, earth subsidence andunusual climate pheno-

mena all attributed to therise of sea level.

SOA statistics showthat over the past 30 years,air and sea temperaturesalong China’s coastalareas rose 1.1 Celsius and0.9 Celsius respectively.

Li said the rise of sealevel could add to damagecaused by marine disasterssuch as storm tides, coasterosion, sea waterencroachment and soilsalinization.—Internet

Obama says ready to talk to IranDuring the eight-year

administration of formerPresident George WBush, US relations withmany Arab and Muslimnations were damaged bythe invasions of Afghani-stan and Iraq and Bush’sinitial reluctance to pushfor Israeli-Palestinianpeace.

“It is impossible for usto think only in terms ofthe Palestinian-Israeliconflict and not think interms of what’s happeningwith Syria or Iran orLebanon or Afghanistan

and Pakistan,” he told theDubai-based satellitechannel Al Arabiya.

“It is important for usto be willing to talk toIran, to express veryclearly where our differ-ences are, but (also)where there are potentialavenues for progress,”Obama said.

“If countries like Iranare willing to unclenchtheir fist, they will find anextended hand from us.”

Iran said it awaitedchanges in US policiestowards it.—Internet

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM6

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 7

Min

Younger generations of Kachin State have a promising futureArticle: Kyaw Kyaw (Bhamo); Photos: Htay Aung (Kyemon)

Supervisor for Development of Kachin StateU Zaw Win Aung.

U Kyaw Hsan ofMyitkyina Border

Areas and NationalRaces Development

Office.

Principal U KyawKyaw Oo of No. (2)Training School forDevelopment of the

Youth of BorderAreas.

Schoolgirls in a sports event to mark the 61st Independence Day. Schoolboys playing Sepak Takraw.

education at the National-ity Youth Resource De-velopment Degree Col-leges (Yangon) and (Man-dalay) under the ministry;that on completion of ter-tiary education, they wereconferred B.A and B.Scdegrees, and AGTI di-ploma and were appointedat the offices and projectsin border areas; that out-standing students attendedM.A, M.Sc, Prelim,M.Res, M.E, and B.Techcourses; and that theywould soon participate inthe nation-building tasksas intellectuals and intel-ligentsia.

He added that they hadopened 36 vocationaltraining centres forwomen in addition to fourtechnical institutes inLaukkai and Pangsan inShan State (North),Mongla in Shan State(East), and Sittway inRakhine State and gavefree education to trainees;and that Chairman of theWork Committee for De-velopment of Border Ar-eas in Kachin State Com-mander of Northern Com-mand was making con-

(from page 16)responding to the guid-ance, the ministry hadformed the Education andTraining Department tostep up the tasks; that the28 schools provided freeschool education fromthird standard to matricu-lation to needy youths ofborder areas and spentfunds of the border areasdevelopment project ontheir basic needs andother requirements; that

stant inspection tours andfulfilling requirements toopen youths developmenttraining schools inMyitkyina, Putao andBhamo, and vocationaltraining schools in Putao,Nanyun, Bhamo, Dunban,and Dawphonyan inKachin State.

Naga national UKyaw Hsan of MyitkyinaBorder Areas and NationalRaces Development Of-fice said that he pursuededucation till he was at theseventh standard in Nayan

Village, 11 miles fromPanhsaung, Naga moun-tain range; that then hewas not in a position tocontinue his education, sohe joined the youths de-velopment school inMyitkyina; that he got hisB.Sc degree from the Na-tionality Youth ResourceDevelopment Degree Col-lege (Mandalay); that hewas proud to serve borderareas development tasksin his capacity as a deputysupervisor; and that he

would repay the gratitudeof the government byworking hard for furtherdevelopment of border ar-eas.

Principal U KyawKyaw Oo of No. (2) Train-ing School for Develop-

teaching and nurturingthem because they werefrom various regions;that on holidays, theytaught them subjects onUnion Spirit, culture andways to blessings in or-der that they would be-come reliable citizens;that on summer vacation,they taught schoolboysthe arts of handicraft, andschoolgirls, music, danc-ing and vocational edu-cation; that schoolchil-dren had to study and dophysical exercise undera timetable; that theywere encouraged towatch MRTV andMyawady TV pro-grammes to be able tocatch up with what wasgoing on around the na-tion; and that they wereserved nutritious mealsand given medicalchecks once a week.

As a result of the pru-dent projects, border ar-eas now have a growingeducated populationwho will shoulder State’sduties.

Translation: MSKyemon: 26-1-2009

ment of the Youth of Bor-der Areas said that thechildren were nationals ofKachin, Shan and Nagafrom Waingmaw,Chipwe, Tanai, Nanyunand Mogaung; that he hadto show great patience in

the trainees that hadpassed matriculationexam were provided free

Automobiles assembled in HtonboNAY PYI TAW, 28

Jan—Minister for Indus-try-2 Vice-Admiral SoeThein on 24 Januaryviewed assembling ofdoors, floors, front andrear parts of automobileswith the use of spot weld-ing machines, manufac-turing of the rear parts andoil tanks of vehicles andassembling of frames atAutomobile AssemblingWorkshop of No. 2 Auto-mobile Factory (Htonbo)

and gave necessary in-structions.

At Automobile As-sembling Workshop, theminister inspected proce-dures of assembling themachine parts of automo-biles on assembly line andinstructed officials to payattention to quality controlof assembling in manufac-turing of double cabs,make efforts for assem-bling the large number ofautomobiles, upgrade the

quality of Mazda Jeep andsell the automobiles at rea-sonable price for publicuse. The minister also in-spected construction ofPainting Boot, productionprocess of battery work-shop and the constructionsite of Waste Water Treat-ment Plant. Later, the min-ister urged officials to takemeasures of worksitesafety, prevent danger ofwastage and pollution.

MNAMinister Vice-Admiral Soe Thein visits No. 2 Automobile Factory

(Htonbo).—MNA

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM7

8 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

Prime Minister General Thein Sein inspects cooking food with the use of bio-gas at house of farmerU Maung Me in Maungnibyin Village, Sittway Township.—MNA

Prime Minister General Thein Sein presentsbooks and journals to self-reliant village

libraries at An Town Hall.—MNA

Rakhine State is a part of Myanmar which is home to

national races since time immemorial, and therefore

residents are to be equipped with the Union Spirit which

is a driving force to serve the interests of the country.

Railroad to be constructed to link Sittway…(from page 1)

The Chairman of theTownship PDC submittedthe reports on the regionalfacts and requirements.

After delivering anaddress, the PrimeMinister presentedexercise books, medicinesand books to TownshipEducation Officer U TinShwe, Township MedicalOfficer Dr Daw Mya MyaThan and Head ofTownship IPRD U HtayWin.

At Myebon BEHS,the Prime Ministerfulfilled the requirementsafter meeting with theheadmistress and teachers.

They flew over toMinbya where they werewelcomed by TownshipPDC U Nay Lin Tun andofficials.

At Ramong Hall, thePrime Minister met withtownship level officials,members of social

organizations andtownselders. Chairman ofthe Township PDC U NayLin Tun presented reportson the regional facts,progress of agricultureand livestock breeding.

After giving a speech,the Prime Minister handedmedicines, exercise booksand pencils to TownshipMedical Officer Dr TheinTun and TownshipEducation Officer UAungChan Tha.

On arrival atPonnagyun Township,they viewed developmentof the township in amotorcade.

At the hall of thetownship, the PrimeMinister cordially metwith departmentalofficials, socialorganization membersand townselders.Afterwards, the PrimeMinister donated books,exercise books and

medicines to Head ofTownship IPRD U HlaBaw Thu, TownshipMedical Officer Dr KamPo and TownshipEducation Officer DawShwe Nu Aye.

Next, the PrimeMinister and party leftPonnagyun and arrivedback in Sittway in theevening.

Uplift of Living Standard

On 26 Januarymorning, at the house offarmer U Maung Me inMaungnibyin Village ofSittway Township, PrimeMinister General TheinSein and party viewedcooking food with the useof bio-gas. Afterwards,the Prime Ministerinstructed officials toenable the families oflocal people to carry outagriculture and livestockbreeding tasks forearning surplus income,

to strive for uplift ofliving standard of thelocal people by supplyingelectricity through bio-gas obtained fromanimal waste and to usethe liquid from the bio-digesters in cultivationof vegetables.

The Prime Ministerand party left forKyauktaw by Tatmadawhelicopter and arrivedthere at 11.35 a.m. Theywere welcomed byTownship PDC ChairmanU Aung Kyaw Oo andofficials.

After inspectingKissapanadi Bridge onYangon-Sittway Road, thePrime Minister met withtownship level officials,members of socialorganizations and localpeople at the hall ofTownship DAG.

Chairman of theTownship PDC U AungKyaw Oo briefed thePrime Minister on

regional development andprogress in education,health, agriculture andlivestock breeding tasks.

After delivering anaddress, the PrimeMinister presentedmedicines, exercise booksand publications for self-reliant village libraries to

At Maha Muni BuddhaImage in KyauktawTownship, the PrimeMinister offered flowers,water, lights and gold foilsto the Buddha Image.

After donating cashto the funds of the BuddhaImage, the Prime Ministerinspected all-roundrenovation tasks of theimage.

On arrival at MraukUTownship, the PrimeMinister and party werewelcomed by Chairman ofthe Township PDC U TintNaing Oo and officials.

At MraukU Hotel, thePrime Minister mettownship level officials,members of socialorganizations and localpeople. Chairman of theTownship PDC U TintNaing Oo reported onprogress of the townshipand requirements.

After giving a speech,the Prime Minister handedexercise books, medicinesand publications toofficials.

In the evening, theyarrived at An.

Yesterday morning,the Prime Minister andparty met with townshiplevel departmentalofficials, members ofsocial organizations andlocal people at the townhall in An Township.

Chairman of theTownship PDC U TinHtay submitted the reportson regional development,cultivation of monsoonpaddy and sufficiency ofpaddy and edible oil in theregion.

(See page 9)

Township EducationOfficer U Wai San Hla,Township Medical OfficerDr Win Maung Oo andHead of Township IPRDDaw Aye Mya Than. Next,the Prime Ministercordially greeted thosepresent.

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM8

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 9

PrimeMinisterGeneral

Thein Seincordially

greetspeople whoattend themeeting atthe hall ofKyauktawTownshipGeneralAdmini-strationDepart-ment.MNA

Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan meets state/district/township level departmental personnel atoffice of Information and Public Relations Department in Sittway.—MNA

(from page 8)The Prime Minister

donated exercise books,medicines andpublications to officials.

Next, they left forKyaukpyu Township byhelicopter. They werewelcomed by Commanderof Danyawady NavalRegion CommandCaptain Aung Zaw Win(Navy) and departmentalofficials.

At Rammawady Hall,the Prime Minister metdistrict and township levelofficials, social orga-nization members andtownselders. Chairman ofDistrict PDC U AungKyaw Soe reported onregional development,progress in education andhealth sectors andrequirements.

Minister for ForestryBrig-Gen Thein Aung,who accompanied thePrime Minister submitteda report on benefits ofmangroves and con-servation task.

After delivering anaddress, the PrimeMinister donatedmedicines, exercise booksand books to officials.

In Yanbye Township,the Prime Minister andparty were welcomed byCmdr Nay Moe Thet ofDanyawady Naval RegionCommand and depart-mental officials.

At Yanbye TownshipGAD, the Prime Ministermet with departmentalpersonnel, social orga-nization members andlocal people.

First, Chairman ofYanbye township PDC U

Aung Kyaw Soe reportedto the Prime Minister ondevelopment tasks,conditions of agricultureand livestock services,plans for preparednessagainst national disastersand requirements.

In connection with thereports, the Prime Ministermade arrangements tofulfil the requirements andthen made a speech. Next,he presented exercisebooks, medicines andpublications to self-reliantlibrary through townshipeducation officer U NyoTun, acting townshipmedical officer Dr Sit TunAung and head oftownship Information andPublic RelationsDepartment Daw AungTin Kyi.

Next, the PrimeMinister cordially greetedthose present. Afterwards,the Prime Minister andparty left Yanbye byhelicopter and arrived atManaung, where theywere welcomed by CmdrMin Zaw of DanyawadyNaval Regional Com-mand Headquarters and

departmental officials.At Aungzayya Hall of

Manaung Township BasicEducation High School,the Prime Minister metwith departmentalofficials, members ofsocial organizations andtownselders.

Chairman ofManaung township PDCU Nyi Nyi Lwin reported

to the Prime Minister ondevelopment tasks,conditions of agricultureand livestock services andrequirements.

After hearing thereports, the Prime Ministermade a speech and thenpresented exercise books,medicines andpublications to the self-reliance library throughTEO Daw Hla May Saw,township medical officerDr San Lwin and head of

IPRD U Thein Tun Aung.Next, the Prime

Minister cordially greetedthose present. Afterwards,the Prime Minister andparty left Manaung byhelicopter and arrived atTaungup, where they werewelcomed by Lt-Col YuKhine of Local Battalionand departmentalofficials.

Chairman of Taunguptownship PDC U SoeThan reported to the PrimeMinister on developmenttasks, conditions ofagriculture and livestockservices and requirements.

After hearing thereports, the Prime Ministermade a speech and thenpresented exercise books,medicines and publica-tions to the self-reliancelibrary through TEO UTun Myint, township

medical officer Dr SanHlaing and head of IPRDU Myint Shwe.

Next, the PrimeMinister cordially greetedthose present and leftTaungup by helicopter andarrived at Thandwe afterobserving Thahtay CreekHydropower Project Sitefrom the helicopter.

Prime Minister

General Thein Sein andparty met withdepartmental officials andmembers of socialorganizations atDwarawady Hall inThandwe today.

At the meeting, UMyat Kyaw, Chairman ofThandwe Township Peaceand DevelopmentCouncil, reported ondevelopment tasks, andeducation, health,agriculture and livestockbreeding sectors.

After fulfilling therequirements of the town,the Prime Ministerpresented medicines,exercise books and booksto self-reliant librariesthrough responsiblepersonnel.

Afterwards, PrimeMinister General TheinSein and party went by airto Thandwe whereMinister for TransportMaj-Gen Thein Swereported on plans for

extension of the runwayfrom 5,500 ft to 7,000 ft.

The Prime Ministerfulfilled the requirementsfor the work and flew backto Nay Pyi Taw.

Divide-and-rule Policy

At the meetings withdepartmental officials andmembers of socialorganizations on the

inspection tour of RakhineState, Prime MinisterGeneral Thein Sein saidthat Rakhine State laggedbehind in development dueto the geographicalconditions and as peaceand tranquillity did notprevail in Rakhine State inthe past due to the divide-and-rule policy of thecolonialists during theirrule. Today, the Tatmadawgovernment has beenmaking efforts fordevelopment of RakhineState. The governmentspent a huge sum ofmoney on construction ofYangon-Sittway Raodand Yangon-KyaukpyuRoad and measures arebeing taken to upgradethem. In Rakhine State, arailroad will be constructedto link Sittway with Anand with the railroad onthe west bank ofAyeyawady River, thePrime Minister said.

(See page 10)

Thahtaychaung hydropower plant project and An Chaung

hydropower plant project in Rakhine State are under way and

arrangements are being made to construct Sai Tin hydropower

plant.

Railroad to beconstructed tolink Sittway…

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM9

10 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

(from page 9)Thahtaychaung hydropower plant project and

An Chaung hydropower plant project in RakhineState are under way and arrangements are beingmade to construct Sai Tin hydropower plant.

The Prime Minister also urged service personnelto abide by rules and regulations. He also urged teachersto nurture students to become educated and goodcitizens and to be equipped with the Union Spirit.Regarding the health sector, the Prime Ministerurged staff of the Ministry of Health not only toprovide health care services at the hospitals butalso to go to grassroot levels and to provide medicalcare to the people so that they can enjoy good healthand longevity. He also stressed the need forcooperation of the people in implementing thedisaster preparedness. Rakhine State is a part of

Railroad to be constructed to link Sittway…Myanmar which is home to national races since timeimmemorial, and therefore residents are to be equippedwith the Union Spirit which is a driving force to servethe interests of the country.

Minister for Information Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsanwho accompanied the Prime Minister met with state/district/township level departmental personnel of theMinistry of Information at the office of Informationand Public Relations Department in Sittway on 24January and gave instructions on plans to be carriedout in Rakhine State and works to be done department-wise.

Minister for Finance and Revenue Maj-Gen HlaTun who accompanied the Prime Minister on 24January inspected banking services at MyanmaEconomic Bank. After hearing reports presented bystate/district managers, the minister pointed out that

MEB’s banking services should contribute towardsregional development.

Next, the minister met with service personnel ofMyanma Economic Bank, Internal RevenueDepartment, Customs Department, Myanma SmallLoans Department and Pension Department at the statemanager’s office of Myanma Economic Bank. Theminister heard reports on work plans, progress ofworks and future programme presented by officialsand urged them to strive for the regional developmenttasks by realizing the aims and objectives of the Stateand aims and duties of the ministry.

Deputy Minister for Health Dr Mya Oo whoaccompanied the Prime Minister looked into publichealth care services at Sittway People’s Hospital on 24January. On 25 January, the deputy minister met withhealth staff of Pauktaw Township People’s Hospitaland visited Myaypon Township People’s Hospital.

MNA

YANGON, 28 Jan—Specialists from AMRIHospital of India gavemedical talks at theTraders Hotel hereyesterday afternoon.

General Manager MrYogesh Joshi ofInternational Business &Patient Service of AMRIHospital extendedgreetings. Director ofGynaecology & IVFDepartment Dr PronabDosgupta gave talks ontreatment for obstetricsand gynaecology;

YANGON, 28 Jan—Central Executive Com-mittee of the MyanmarWriters and JournalistsAssociation held itsmeeting 1/2009 on thesecond floor of SarpayBeikman Building, here,this afternoon, with anaddress by Chairman of

YANGON, 28 Jan—The Myanmar LibrariansAssociation organized its11th respect-payingceremony at the

AMRI Hospital of India holds medical talksDirector of CardioThoracic & VascularSurgery Department DrKm Mandana; on cardiacoperation; and Director ofNeurology DepartmentProfessor RN BhattaChary, on neurologicaloperation.

AMRI, a member ofInternational HospitalFederation (IHF), is basedin Kolkata and has wonISO-9001: 2000 medals.

AMRI provides treat-ment to its patients witheffective medicines,

advanced therapies andmodern medicalequipment at reasonableprices.

For further details,contact the hospital atRoom F 28, 2nd Floor,Building (B), PaleCondominium, corner ofKaba Aye Pagoda Roadand Saya San Road inBahan Township,Yangon, dial 951 554291,541312, Fax 545983, orget online througha m r i h o s p i t a l s .man@gmail.com.—MNA

NAY PYI TAW, 28 Jan— Minister for Health DrKyaw Myint accom-panied by ActingDirector-General Dr WinMyint of HealthDepartment, DeputyDirector-General DrKyaw Nyunt Sein, ThaiAmbassador to MyanmarMr. Bansarn Bunnag,Singaporean AmbassadorMr. Robert Chua HianKong, EmergencyResponse Officer Mr.Teis Piel Christensen ofInternational Organi-zation for Migration(IOM) and officialsinspected health careservices at Setsan VillageHealth Centre in BogaleTownship on 25 January.

A ceremony to handover documents related toprefabricated clinicfollowed. The actingdirector-general, Mr. TeisPiel Christensen of IOMand the head of Bogale

Prefabricated clinics for local peoplein Bogale, Pyapon, Dedaye Tsps

Township HealthDepartment signed thedocuments.

The minister and ThaiAmbassador presentedmedicines and medicalequipment to the head oftownship Health Depart-ment and the acting-director-general spokewords of thanks.

The minister in-spected prefabricatedclinic and medicalequipment and supply ofdrinking water.

Next, the ministervisited worksite ofconstruction of 16-bedstation hospital.

The minister attendedthe ceremony to hand overdocuments related toprefabricated clinic heldat Daw Nyein Village inPyapon Township. Theacting director-general,Mr. Teis Piel Christensenof IOM and the head ofPyapon Township Health

Department signed thedocuments.

Next, the minister andSingaporean Ambassadorpresented medicines andmedical equipment for thevillage health center tothe head of townshipHealth Department.

The minister lookedinto prefabricated clinicand greeted local people.

Similarly, theceremony to hand overdocuments related toprefabricated clinic washeld at Kyodah VillageHealth Centre. Theminister and IOM officerpresented medicines andmedical equipment to beused in providing healthcare services to stormsurvivors to the head ofDedaye Township HealthDepartment.

Next, the ministerinspected the pre-fabricated clinic donatedby IOM. —MNA

MWJA CEC meeting held

the MWJA U Hla Myaing(Ko Hsaung).

Secretary Dr Tin TunOo (Dr Tin Tun Oo)reported on theimplementation of theminutes of the previousmeeting. Leaders of thework committeessubmitted reports on their

respective sectors. All theparticipants discussedopening of the JournalismCourse No. 1 to beconducted by MWJA at itshall beginning 1 February.

The meeting endedwith concluding remarksby the meeting chair-man.—MNA

Respects paid to elderly librariansUniversities Dhammayon, here on 24 January.

Chairman U TheinShwe and members of theassociation presented gifts

and paid respects to 26veteran librarians. U TinOo and U Thaw Kaunggave counsel to them.

MNA

Minister for Health Dr Kyaw Myint views supply of drinking wateroutside a prefabricated clinic.—MNA

Specialists from AMRI Hospital of India giving medical talks at theTraders Hotel.—MNA

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 11

BEIJING, 28 Jan—Growth in China’s energy productimports slowed down in the first 11 months of 2008,partly due to the effect of the ongoing global economicdownturn and price fluctuations in the internationalmarkets, General Administration of Customs said onWednesday.

Between January and November, China boughtfrom abroad 240 million tons of energy products, agrowth of 3.7 per cent on the same period of 2007. Thegrowth rate was 9.7 percentage points lower year-on-year. The imports were valued at 158.6 billion USdollars, up 74 per cent.

The total arrivals included 164.52 million tons ofcrude oil, up 9.5 per cent, 35.22 million tons of refinedoil, up 13.1 per cent, 2.15 million tons of liquefiedpetroleum gas (LPG), down 43.6 per cent, 3.14 milliontons of liquefied natural gas (LNG), up 18.1 per cent,and 38.11 million tons of coal, down 18.4 per cent.

Of the total imports, 54.9 per cent came from Asia,and 30.8 per cent from Africa.

MNA/Xinhua

Firefighters find 25 bodiesin Madagascar store

AANTANANARIVO, 28 Jan—Firefighters found 25charred bodies in a looted department store inMadagascar’s capital on Tuesday, a day after some ofthe worst anti-government violence in years on theIndian Ocean island.

The leader of the protests, Antananarivo’s 34-year-old mayor and opposition leader Andry Rajoelina,called for peaceful demonstrations in the city’s mainsquare against President Marc Ravalomanana’sgovernment to resume on Wednesday.

On Monday tens of thousands of protesters took tothe streets, burning the state-owned television andradio station when demonstrations turned violent.

A teenager and a policeman were killed in thedisturbances, which revived memories of past politicalvolatility on Madagascar, the world’s fourth largestisland. The unrest will not help the government’sefforts to present the nation as a tourist haven andsound destination for investment in mining and oil.

MNA/Reuters

PARIS, 28 Jan—AFrench frigate has arrestednine Somali pirates in theGulf of Aden, an Armyspokesman said onTuesday, part ofinternational efforts tofight gangs that hijackcommercial vessels inbusy shipping lanes.

Including Tuesday’sarrests, France hascaptured 57 pirates inseven such operationssince last April,spokesman ChristophePrasuk said. Previouscaptives have been handedover to French or Somaliauthorities, and France hasyet to decide how toproceed with the nine, headded.

MNA/Reuters

BERLIN, 28 Jan—The German Governmentapproved on Tuesday the new economic stimuluspackage of 50 billion euros (about 66.8 billion USdollars) to boost German economy.

The new package was first settled by SocialDemocrats (SPD), Christian Social Union (CSU) andMerkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), thethree coalition parties of German Government, onJanuary 12 night. “The economic package is to againstthe global financial crisis,” said Merkel. “We willmake sure the measures are implemented as soon aspossible.” The aim of the package is to help Germaneconomy withstand the current crisis and becomestronger after it, she said. The German Governmenthas to borrow more money to pay for the measures,which increase infrastructure investment and lowertaxes. Merkel said increasing new borrowing was her“most difficult domestic political decision” ever made.She promised to set up a mechanism to ensure therepayments. The new package is said to be used as avoting measure before the general election at the endof September, according to the report of GermanNews Agency DPA.—MNA/Xinhua

BOGOTA, 28 Jan—At least seven people were killedin clashes between two paramilitary groups for controlof the drug trafficking trade in northwest ChocoProvince, regional peace advisers said on Tuesday.

Luis Murillo, adviser to the provincial government,said “the clashes began last week and aimed to taketerritorial control of the distribution andcommercialization of cocaine in the region”.

After the demobilization of the United Self-Defence of Colombia (AUC) in April 2006, formermembers organized criminal gangs to take the controlof drug trafficking and combat other groups in differentzones of the country.

Murillo said the current clashes are between the“El Rastrojo” and “Las Aguilas” gangs in Alto Candoto.Police have identified four of the dead, �but declined tosay whether they were gang members.

MNA/Xinhua

An American Flamingo stands outside in the snowat Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington on 27

Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

The moon casts a shadow at the sun blocking it par-tially in a partial solar eclipse as it sets on Monday 26Jan, 2009 at Manila’s bay, Philippines.—INTERNET

UK urges global response as world’shungry to hit 1 bln

MADRID, 28 Jan—World leaders, majorbusinesses and the UnitedNations were urged to sign-up to a new internationalagreement on Tuesday thatwill lift millions of peopleout of hunger and betterprepare the world for futurefood crises.

Speaking at a worldsummit in Madrid, Spain,which ended on Tuesday,British InternationalDevelopment MinisterIvan Lewis set out aproposed pact that will forthe first time establish aglobal response to foodshortages that will doubleboth food production in

Africa and the growth ofthe agriculture sector inAsia. This Britain-ledaction is expected tosignificantly boostagricultural production,reduce the vulnerability ofthe poor to food price risesand hold countries toaccount on theircommitments to thepoorest nations. It isestimated that 950 millionpeople still face a dailybattle against hunger andthe United Nations nowforecasts that this figurecould rise above one billionthis year. That would meanone in six of the world’spopulation will be unable

to obtain the food they needto live adequately. Peopleliving in 25 of the poorestdeveloping countries areconsidered most at risk.These countries includingAfghanistan, Bangladeshand Ethiopia will bespecifically targeted as partof the new approach.

MNA/Xinhua

France arrestsSomalian piratesin Gulf of Aden

China’s energy productimports grow slower

Seven killed in Colombianparamilitary clashes

Russia bans 80,000 borrowers from travelling abroadMOSCOW, 28 Jan—

Russian bailiffs haverecovered millions ofroubles in debt fromdelinquent borrowers bybarring them from travellingabroad until they pay up.Government bailiffs saidthey had signed orders for82,000 foreign travel bansand recovered almost 800million roubles (24.25million US dollars) from

debtors— some of whomonly found out when theyarrived at the border withtheir bags packed. “Thescheme has been veryeffective, a phenomenalsuccess,” Natalya Seli-vanova, a spokes-womanfor the Federal BailiffService, said on Tuesday.The foreign travel bans,introduced early last year,were issued only after

several warnings and a courtdecision, Federal BailiffService Director ArturParfenchikov said. “Ifsomeone can’t keep up hispayments on a 100,000-US-dollar debt and then buys apackage tour to Thailand ...that’s not just illegal, it’simmoral,” he told a briefingin Moscow.—MNA/Reuters

Germany govt. approves neweconomic stimulus package

David Andersen, center, helps Wendy Stupka, right,dig her car out of the snow along Clifton Blvd. inLakewood, Ohio on Wednesday, 28 Jan, 2009. Awinter storm dumped heavy snow across much of theMidwest, closing schools and causing power outagesand airline delays and cancellations.—INTERNET

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM11

12 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTMYANMA PORT AUTHORITY

INVITATION TO QUOTATIONS/TENDER Sealed quotations/tender are invited by the MyanmaPort Authority, for the supply of the following items; (1) 40 Ton Rubber Tyred Gantry Crane (Tender) (2) Spare Parts For 30.5 Ton Quay Side Container Crane

(Machinery & Electrical) (3) Spare Parts For Rubber Tyre Gantry Crane

(Machinery & Electrical) (4) Spare Parts For P.P.M./ Kalmar/ Fantuzzi Reach Stacker

(Machinery & Electrical) (5) Spare Parts For Portal Crane (Machinery & Electrical)

Quotation (or) Tender forms and documents are avail-able at the Stores Department, Seik Kan Township,Myanma Port Authority, starting from 30-1-2009 duringoffice hours. (Closing date & time 5-3-2009 at 14:00 hrs)

For further details, please contact telephone number292334,292292 and 292301.

Controller of Stores Myanma Port Authority

“President of the com-pany U San Nyein andManager Mr. Teo TiongHeng of Kai Guan Co,.Singapore opened the com-pany and Mr. Teo is not anemployee of NTN. He didnot represent NTN BearingSingapore in the openingof the company.”

“KTK distributes vari-ous kinds of NTN bearingsbut was not appointed asthe Sole Agent of NTNproducts in Myanmar.”

Acknowledgment

Scarlett Keeling’s organs‘destroyed after autopsy’

in GoaPANAJI, 28 Jan—Authorities in the Indian resort state

of Goa have destroyed most of the organs of a Britishgirl who was found dead on a beach almost a yearago, her mother’s lawyer said today.

Fiona MacKeown has been fighting for the returnof her daughter Scarlett Keeling’s full remains sinceher death in the former Portuguese colony on Febru-ary 18 last year so that she can be buried.

Mrs MacKeown is expected in India for the firstanniversary of the 15-year-old’s death and could begiven some of her daughter’s remaining internal or-gans. But her Indian lawyer Vikram Varma said: “Thesubstantial portion which is critical for forensic ex-amination has been destroyed.”

That included the kidneys and liver, which are “cru-cial” for the British post-mortem examination to de-termine exactly how Scarlett died, Mr Varma said.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper said today thatthe destruction was deliberate to prevent the Britishcoroner from contradicting Indian police claims thatScarlett drowned after taking a cocktail of drink ofdrugs.

Two autopsies have already been conducted onScarlett’s body in India. The first was inconclusivebut the second suggested she could have been mur-dered. The organs were removed during both exami-nations and destroyed, Mr Varma said.—Internet

A policeman frisks a motorist in Baghdad’s Doura district on 27 Jan, 2009.INTERNET

Statins may treat blood vessel disorderSALT LAKE CITY, 28

Jan—A blood vessel dis-order that can cause fatalhemorrhagic strokes, sei-zures or paralysis in micecan be treated with statindrugs, US researchershave found.

University of UtahHealth Science researcherssaid that if the results of astudy in mice are con-firmed in a pilot trial withpeople, statins could pro-vide a safe, inexpensivetreatment for cerebral cav-ernous malformation, adisorder with no knowndrug therapy. Dr Dean YLi, director of the Molecu-lar Medicine Programmeat the University of Utahwho was an author of thestudy, said brain surgery orradiation treatment hasbeen the only option forcerebral cavernous malfor-mation patients.

”But because of therisks in those operations,neurosurgeons are reluc-tant to perform them un-less the patient is in im-mediate danger,” Li saidin a statement. “Our studyproposes a potential strat-egy for a simple drugtherapy that could costonly a few dollars a monthat a pharmacy.”

However, the animal

studies must first beevaluated in a pilot clini-cal trial in humans beinginitiated, Li said. Cerebralcavernous malformationis a disorder in whichblood vessels in the brainbecome dilated and weak-ened, and leak blood,causing strokes, head-aches, seizures or otherproblems, explained Li.

Internet

Thieves target Mexicoairport, shoot FrenchmanMEXICO CITY, 28 Jan—

Thieves apparently target-ing people who exchangemoney at Mexico City’sinternational airport shot aFrench citizen in the headon Tuesday, and authori-ties warned that gangshave put lookouts at ex-change windows in the ter-minal. The 55 year-oldFrench biotechnology re-searcher, who works at aMexican university, wasattacked and robbed ofeuro4,800 ($6,336) on astreet near the airport, as-sistant city prosecutor LuisVasquez and police said.He is in serious condition

at a local hospital.Officials at the French

embassy said they couldnot confirm the victim’sname or home town.

Mexico City policechief Manuel Mondragonsaid criminal gangs haveposted lookouts at some ofthe money exchange busi-nesses inside the airport.The lookouts tip off asso-ciates waiting outside whorob the victims after theyleave the terminal. Thegangs often use extremeviolence. The French-man’s driver testified thattwo cars appeared to fol-low them after they left theairport, then cut them off,police said. One man gotout with a gun and shot thevictim when he refused tohand over the bag contain-ing the money.—Internet

Man spends two daystrapped under sofa

LONDON, 28 Jan—A British man survived more thantwo days trapped under his sofa by sipping from abottle of whisky, it was reported today.

Joe Galliott fell against the sofa during a power cutat his home in Somerset, southwest England, and couldnot free himself because of back problems.

He remained stuck for 60 hours in that position —during which time a bottle of whisky rolled closeenough for him to open it — until a neighbour be-came concerned that Mr Galliott’s curtains had notbeen drawn for two days.

“The whole settee tipped over catching me like a ratin a trap,” the 65-year-old told. “I took a sip of (thewhisky) and thought, well this isn’t too bad.”

Internet

Phone led teen to threaten parentsLAUREL, 28 Jan—Police in Delaware say they have

arrested a 16-year-old girl who allegedly threatenedher parents with knives after they took away her cellphone.

Delaware State Police said they were called to aLaurel home about 3 am Sunday by the girl’s parents,who had locked themselves inside their bedroom whiletheir daughter threatened them from outside and at-tacked their door with knives, the New Castle-Wilmington (Del.) News Journal reported onTuesday.The girl’s father told officers he had takenaway the teenager’s phone after suspecting she hadstolen money from her mother to purchase minutes.

Police said the girl put down her two large kitchenknives after speaking to officers for about 10 min-utes. She was arrested and charged with possession ofa deadly weapon during the commission of a felony,two counts of aggravated menacing, terroristic threat-ening, disorderly conduct, theft, criminal mischief andpossession of a deadly weapon by a person prohib-ited.—Internet

Iceland sets major whaling quotaLONDON, 28 Jan—Iceland’s fisheries ministry has

issued whaling quotas substantially enlarged fromthose in previous years, as the government preparesto leave office. The quotas would allow catching of100 minke whales and 150 fin whales annually for thenext five years. The incoming interim administrationis likely to be led by parties opposed to whaling, andmay cancel the move.

The move comes just after details emerged of aneventual possible deal between pro- and anti-whalingnations. Environmental groups swiftly condemned theannouncement by fisheries minister EinarGudfinnsson. “This is basically an act of sabotage, anact of bitterness, against the incoming government,”said Arni Finnsson from the Iceland Nature Conser-vation Association (INCA).—Internet

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM12

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 13

Mercury found in some corn syrupMINNEAPOLIS, 28 Jan

— US researchers saythey’ve found mercury insamples of high fructosecorn syrup and more thana dozen products contain-ing the sweetener.

A study published in thejournal EnvironmentalHealth found mercury innearly 50 percent of testedsamples of high fructosecorn syrup. A separatestudy by the Institute forAgriculture and TradePolicy found mercury innearly one-third of 55popular food and beverage

products where the sweet-ener is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient,the institute said in a newsrelease on Monday.

Dr David Wallinga, aco-author in both studies,said detectable levels ofmercury were found innine of the 20 samplestested.Researchers saidthe corn syrup was likelycontaminated with mer-cury through a causticsoda often used to sepa-rate corn starch from thecorn kernel. “The use ofmercury cells to produce

caustic soda can contami-nate caustic soda, and ul-timately (the corn syrup),with mercury,” the reportsaid.Industry documentscited in the Environmen-tal Health study said ahandful of plants stillmake the caustic soda bymixing a briny solution inelectrified vats of mer-cury, the Chicago Tribunereported.

Corn syrup manufac-turers insist their productsare mercury-free, thenewspaper said.

Internet

Residents bow to the head (bottom R) of their village and other seniors duringa ceremonial event in a village in Gangneung, about 240 km (149 miles) east

of Seoul on 27 Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

Front part of the braincan hold memories

This image provided by

Kaiser Permanente

Bellflower Medical

Center, shows the

nursing staff posing

for a photograph after

delivering octuplets to

a mother, on 26 Jan,

2009 in Bellflower,

Calif.—INTERNET

Early child stress hurtsimmunity later

An elephant keeperfeeds milk to Peppy, a

Sumatran elephantwho was trapped in awell a year ago at the

Elephant ConservationCentre in Way Kambas

National Park onIndonesia’s Sumatra

Island on 25 Jan, 2009.Since 1998, 22

elephants were born atWay Kambas ElephantConservation Centre.

INTERNET

Inmate convicted ofanthrax threat

MEMPHIS, 28 Jan — A federal prison inmate in Ten-nessee has been convicted of sending a threat to a fed-eral judge — a letter with white powder that provedto be Sweet ‘N’ Low.

Marshall DeWayne Williams, 46, faces up to 10years more in prison for the hoax, The (Memphis)Commercial Appeal reported. Jurors deliberated foronly 45 minutes Friday before reaching a guiltyverdict.Williams signed his name to a letter to USDistrict Judge J Daniel Breen, claiming the powderwas “powerful crystal anthrax.” He reportedly toldhis mother after he sent the letter that it was an effortto draw attention to his bid to be paroled from thefederal prison in Memphis.

His mother operates a Web site, FreeMySon net,arguing that Williams should be paroled because hiscrime — killing his stepfather with a pipe bomb —was committed before Congress abolished parole inthe federal system.—Internet

Wearing masks effectiveagainst flu, SARS

DALLAS, 28 Jan — USscientists say they’ve dis-covered individual nervecells in the front part ofthe brain can hold memo-ries for about one minute.

Researchers from UTSouthwestern MedicalCenter said their study ofmice is the “first to iden-tify the specific signalthat establishes non-per-manent cellular memoryand reveals how the brainholds temporary infor-mation.”Assistant Pro-fessor Don Cooper, sen-ior author, said the re-search has implicationsfor addiction, attentiondisorders and stress-re-lated memory loss.

“Researchers have

known permanent memo-ries are stored when theexcitatory amino acidglutamate activates ionchannels on nerve cells inthe brain to reorganizeand strengthen the cells’connections with one an-other,” the scientists said,noting that the processtakes too long to buffer,or temporarily hold, rap-idly incoming informa-tion.

The researchers foundrapid-fire inputs less thana second long initiate acellular memory processin single cells lasting aslong as a minute — aprocess called metabo-tropic glutamate trans-mission.—Internet

SYDNEY, 28 Jan— Don-ning a face mask is an easyway to boost protectionfrom severe respiratory ill-nesses such as influenzaand SARS, Australian re-searchers said.

Lead author RainaMacIntyre of the Univer-sity of New South Walesfound adult mask wearersin the home were fourtimes more likely thannon-wearers to be pro-tected against respiratoryviruses, including thecommon cold or severeacute respiratory syn-drome. However, convinc-ing a reluctant public andhealthcare workers towear masks may prove tobe a struggle, MacIntyresaid. The findings, pub-

lished in Emerging Infec-tious Diseases, have glo-bal implications and areparticularly relevant to ef-forts to combat the spreadof flu pandemics and otheremerging respiratory dis-eases such as SARS,MacIntyre said.

“In the event of a severepandemic, demand for pro-tection could become a lawand order issue,” Mac-Intyre said in a state-ment.”In a crisis, vaccine devel-opment is likely to be de-layed and drugs may be inshort supply or not avail-able at all, so masks are animportant means of protec-tion for the community,who otherwise may be lastin line for vaccines anddrugs.”—Internet

MADISON, 28 Jan —Early stressors in chil-dren have long-term im-plications on a child’simmunity, US research-ers said.

Senior study authorSeth Pollak of the Uni-versity of Wisconsin inMadison said the studyrevealed impaired im-mune function in adoles-cents who, as youngsters,experienced either physi-cal abuse or time in an or-phanage.

The study, publishedin the Proceedings of theNational Academy of

Sciences, evaluated im-mune-system strengthamong adolescents whohad experienced eithertypical or unusuallystressful childhoods. Theresearchers looked forhigh levels of antibodiesagainst the common andusually latent herpes sim-plex virus type 1.

People with healthyimmune systems are ableto keep the virus in checkand rarely if ever havesymptoms — typically,only when stress or ill-ness taxes the immunesystem.—Internet

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM13

14 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009

S P O R T S

Fergie loving it as ManchesterUnited rediscover ruthless edge

BIRMINGHAM, 28 Jan—Sir Alex Ferguson has warnedhis Premier League rivals that Manchester United haverediscovered their ruthless streak after Tuesday’s 5-0hammering of West Brom took the champions threepoints clear of closest rivals Liverpool.

Goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez,Nemanja Vidic and two from Cristiano Ronaldo com-pleted an emphatic rout of bottom club West Brom,whose flickering hopes were snuffed out with the 40thminute dismissal of captain Paul Robinson for a latechallenge on South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung.

But with United now clear of the pack and withgoalkeeper Edwin van der Sar breaking his Chelseacounterpart Petr Cech’s shut-out record by taking hisrun without conceding a goal to 1,032 minutes, Fergusoninsisted that his team are now back to their destructivebest. He said: “We have shown a real ruthless streaktonight which has maybe not been there this season.

“Even Cristiano scored in the league again and Iactually said to him, ‘Oh, you’re scoring again. That’svery good of you!’ But he is delighted to have gothimself back on the scoresheet.”—Internet

Manchester United’s Portuguese midfielder CristianoRonaldo (L) vies with West Bromwich Albion’s Bel-gium defender Carl Hoefkens during the EnglishPremier league football match at The Hawthorns,West Bromwich. Manchester won 5-0.—INTERNET

Spurs boss Redknapp coolover striker swoops

Tottenham Hotspur’sMichael Dawson (R) cel-ebrates his goal againstStoke City during theirPremier League footballmatch at White Hart Lanein London. Tottenhamwon 3-1.—INTERNET

Dokic hails ‘life-changing’Open comeback

Australia’s Jelena Dokic

Roddick ousts defending champ;next up, Federer

MELBOURNE, 28 Jan—Andy Roddick is on the oddest of rollsat the Australian Open, and that’s just fine with him.

When an odd-numbered year comes around, Roddick findshimself in the semifinals of the year’s first major. This time he gotthere courtesy of defending champion Novak Djokovic, who retiredon Tuesday while trailing 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 2-1. A sore, cramping andfatigued Djokovic was undone in the quarterfinal by 95-degree heat.

Roddick previously made it to the Australian semis in 2003,2005 and 2007. He would now like to take this sequence a stepfurther and make it to the final. One problem: Roger Federer.

Federer routed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 6-0,6-0 in his quarterfinal and is now only two wins shy of tying PeteSampras’ record of 14 major titles.—Internet

Robinho arrested in sexassault probe

Manchester City strikerRobinho

Andy Roddick of the United States signsautographs for fans after Serbia’s NovakDjokovic retired from the Men’s singlesmatch against at the Australian OpenTennis Championship in Melbourne,

Australia, on 27 Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

AC Milan negotiating to keepDavid Beckham

AC Milan’sDavid Beckham

Serena to play Dementievain Australian Open semis

Serena Williams cel-ebrates after beating

Russia’s SvetlanaKuznetsova during theirWomen’s singles quar-

terfinal match at theAustralian Open tennis

tournament in Mel-bourne, Australia, on 28

Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

LONDON, 28 Jan—Tottenham manager HarryRedknapp has playeddown talk of swoops forRobbie Keane and Fred butadmitted he is looking fora top class striker despiteseeing his team put Stoketo the sword.

Liverpool forwardKeane has been linked witha return to White Hart Laneafter only appearing in halfof the Reds last 12 gamesand sensationally being leftout of the 18-man squadwhich faced Everton in theFA Cup on Sunday.

Redknapp earlier said he would like a player ofKeane’s quality back at the Lane but when asked afterTuesday’s 3-1 win whether he thought he could lure theIrishman back he replied “I wouldn’t of thought so.”

The former West Ham boss was also pessimisticabout the capture of Lyon forward Fred after the Brazil-ian was heavily linked with a move to Spurs.The 25-yearold is out of contract at the end of the season and hasindicated his desire to leave the French champions.

Internet

MELBOURNE, 28Jan—Australia’sJelena Dokic saidher amazingGrand Slamcomeback at Mel-bourne Park hadchanged her life asthe nation’s mediahailed a prodigaldaughter’s return to the big time. The emotionallytroubled Dokic entered the tournament as a wildcardranked 187 in the world and captivated the Australianpublic with a barnstorming run to the final eight,tipping out three seeded players along the way.

The former world number four and 2000 Wimble-don semi-finalist lost to world number three DinaraSafina on Tuesday but will break back into the top 100on the back of her Australian Open efforts.—Internet

MILAN, 28 Jan—ACMilan plans to meet withDavid Beckham’s agentsto see if the former Eng-land captain can get out ofhis contract with the LosAngeles Galaxy and staywith the Serie A club.

“If Beckham reaches anagreement with the Gal-axy, we are prepared topay a fee,” Milan vicepresident Adriano

Galliani said on Tuesday.“We will meet with hisrepresentatives in the nextfew days.”

Beckham is on a two-month loan from the Gal-axy and is due to return toMajor League Soccer onMarch 9.The former Man-chester United and RealMadrid player scored hisfirst goal for Milan in Sun-day’s 4-1 victory overBologna.

“If he decides to freehimself and wants to(stay), we will welcomehim with open arms, buthe belongs to another cluband we’ve got to thankthem because they werevery kind with us,”Galliani said, according tothe Gazzetta dello SportWeb site.—Internet

LONDON, 28 Jan—Man-chester City and Brazilstriker Robinho has beenarrested over allegationsof a serious sexual assaultin a British nightclub, ac-cording to police and hisspokesman.

The spokesman for25-year-old Robinho,Britain’s most expensiveplayer, said he “strenu-ously denied” theallegations.”We can con-firm that Robinho met thepolice today, as pre-ar-ranged and as part of acriminal investigation,”spokesman ChrisNathaniel said in a state-ment on Robinho’s offi-cial website.

“He strenuously deniesany allegation of wrong-doing or criminality andis happy to cooperate with

the police if furtherrequired.”

West Yorkshire policein northern England con-firmed a man was arrestedon Tuesday and was ques-tioned in connection witha serious sexual assault ina Leeds nightclub on Janu-ary 14.A spokesman saidthe man had been releasedon bail pending furtherinquiries.—Internet

MELBOURNE, 28 Jan—Serena Williams was hav-ing what she called an “out-of-body experience” onWednesday in brutal heatat the Australian Open.

Closing the Rod LaverArena roof and crankingup the air conditioning

helped the defendingchampion pull herself to-gether and advance to thesemifinals — but left heropponent steaming. “I feltI was watching someoneplay in a blue dress, and itwasn’t me, because it wasso hot out there,” said thesecond-ranked American,who beat Russia’s SvetlanaKuznetsova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.“And I kept trying to tellmyself that it’s not hot. Butit got hotter.”

Williams, seeking herfourth Australian title and10th Grand Slam champi-onship overall, next facesOlympic gold medalistElena Dementieva, whohad to play her entire matchwith the roof open. Thefourth-seeded Dementievaousted Carla SuarezNavarro 6-2, 6-2 to run herwinning streak to 15matches after she won twotuneup tournaments.

Internet

29-1-09 NL 7/29/18, 12:06 PM14

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Thursday, 29 January, 2009 15

WEATHER

Summary of observations recorded at 09:30 hrMST: During the past 24 hours, isolated light rain orthundershower has been in the Kachin State, weather hasbeen partly cloudy in Chin and Rakhine States, TaninthayiDivision and generally fair in the remaining States andDivisions. Night temperatures were (3˚C) to (4˚C) aboveJanuary average temperatures in Chin and Rakhine States,Mandalay and Taninthayi Divisions, (7˚C) above Janu-ary average temperatures in Kachin State and about Janu-ary average temperatures in the remaining States and Di-visions. The significant night temperatures were Loilem(1˚C), Namhsam (2˚C) and Pinlaung (4˚C). The notewor-thy amount of rainfall recorded was Putao (0.12) inch.

Maximum temperature on 27-1-2009 was 91˚F.Minimum temperature on 28-1-2009 was 63˚F. Relativehumidity at (09:30) hours MST on 28-1-2009 was 76%.Total sunshine hours on 27-1-2009 was (7.6) hrs approx.

Rainfall on 28-1-2009 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 (4) mph from Southeast at (18:30) hours MST on27-1-2009.

Bay inference: Weather is partly cloudy in the South-east Bay and generally fair in the Andaman Sea and else-where in the Bay of Bengal.

Forecast valid until evening of 29th January 2009:Possibility of isolated light rain or thundershowers inKachin State, weather will be partly cloudy in upperSagaing, Taninthayi Division and generally fair in theremaining areas. Degree of certainty is (40%).

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

Outlook for subsequent two days: Likelihood ofslight decrease of night temperatures in the extreme South-ern Myanmar areas.

Forecast for Nay Pyi Taw and neighbouring areafor 29-1-2009: Generally fair weather.

Forecast for Yangon and neighbouring areafor 29-1-2009: Generally fair weather.

Forecast for Mandalay and neighbouring areafor 29-1-2009: Generally fair weather.

Wednesday, 28 January, 2009

Thursday, 29 JanuaryView on today

7:00 am

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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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Local Transmission

* Signature Tune* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights* The Elephant Camp...Where I’ve been to* The Historical Sites of Taung Tha Man* Shopping with Torchlight* Feel Pretty...in a Rawan Outfit* Ayeyawady Dolphin Expedition (Part-V)* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights

Abroad Transmissions

* Signature Tune* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights* Myanmar’s Hardy Raftsmen At Work* Myanmar Traditional Food “Pone Ye Gyi”* Making of Traditional Lacquerware* Ayeyawady Dolphin Expedition (Part -IV)* Beach Souvenir Sea Shell Decorations* The Heritage of Kyin (or) Wrestling* Myanmar Marionette “A Laudable Myanma Marionette

(Part-I)”* Extravagant Evidences of Myanmar Culture (Part -II)* Myanmar Modern Song* The Elephant Camp... Where I’ve been to* The Historical Sites of Taung Tha Man* Shopping with Torchlight* Feel Pretty...in a Rawan Outfit* Ayeyawady Dolphin Expedition (Part-V)* Myanma Marionette “A Laudable Myanma Marionette

(Part-2)”* Pleasant Taunggyi (Part-I)* Song of Myanma Beauty and Scenic Sights

Website: www.mrtv3.net.mm

MRTV-3Programme Schedule

(29.1.2009) (Thursday)

Transmission Times

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

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SEOUL, 28 Jan—South Korea’s imports of durableconsumer goods reached 955 million US dollars inDecember, down 26.1 per cent from a year ago, theKorea Herald reported on Wednesday.

The decline was mainly due to drop of imports inexpensive items such as automobiles, home appliances,gold and golf equipment, the Korea Customs Service(KCS) said at a report. Among the four items, the valueof automobile imports dropped the most.

The KCS said the value of automobiles importedlast month amounted to 126 million US dollars, whilethe number of the same period in 2007 was recorded at262 million US dollars.

The value of imported gold in December decreased47.9 per cent from a year ago to 54 million US dollarswhile the value of golf equipment imported decreasedby 22.5 per cent, the data showed, the KSC said. Importof home appliances in December last year dropped15.2 per cent to 209 million US dollars from the sameperiod in 2007, the KSC said. The Korea Heraldattributed the fall to the economic downturn which hascaused consumers to put off buying high price itemssuch as automobiles and home appliances.

MNA/Xinhua

S Korea’s durable goods importsdrop 26.1% in December

Giant panda Mei Xiang plays in the snow atSmithsonian National Zoo in Washington on 27

Jan, 2009.—INTERNET

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4th Waxing of Tabodwe 1370 ME Thursday, 29 January, 2009

Younger generations of Kachin State have a promising futureArticle: Kyaw Kyaw (Bhamo); Photos: Htay Aung (Kyemon)

Take FirePreventiveMeasures

Industry-1 Ministry tostage market festivalsNAY PYI TAW, 28 Jan—The Ministry of Indus-

try-1 today announced that it will hold specialmarket festivals in Pale, Sagaing Division, from 27January to 2 February; in Mohnyin, Kachin State,from 28 January to 3 February; in ChanayethazanTownship, Mandalay Division, from 30 January to5 February; and in Pwintbyu, Magway Division,from 30 January to 5 February.—MNA

INSIDE

The projects for rapid development of borderareas and national races, which are behind otherregions in development, are very rewarding.

So far, the Ministry of Progress of Border Areasand National Races and Development Affairs hasestablished 28 training schools for development ofthe youth of border areas across the nation in compli-ance with the guidance of the Head of State on

development of human resources in border areas forsustainable development and higher living standard oflocal people in border areas.

When asked about No (1) Training School forDevelopment of the Youth of Border Areas inMyitkyina, Kachin State, Supervisor for Developmentof Kachin State U Zaw Win Aung told the Kyemon thatthe Project for Development of Border Areas launched

in 1989 expedited regional development tasks; thathuman resource development of a region was essen-tial for sustainable development of the region, soChairman of the Central Committee for Developmentof Border Areas and National Races Senior GeneralThan Shwe gave guidance on development of humanresources in border areas; that respecting and

(See page 7)

Daily school recess improvesclassroom behavior

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY, 28 Jan — School childrenwho receive more recess behave better and are likelyto learn more, according to a large study of third-graders conducted by researchers at Albert EinsteinCollege of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

The study, published in Pediatrics, suggests that adaily break of 15 minutes or more in the school daymay play a role in improving learning, social develop-ment, and health in elementary school children. Thestudy's principal investigator is Romina M. Barros,M.D., assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Ein-stein.—Internet

A daily break of 15 minutes or more in the school daymay play a role in improving learning, social devel-opment, and health in elementary school children.

Butterflies across Europe facecrisis as climate change looms

The scarce copper (Lycaena virgaureae) is one ofthe butterflies, researchers analyzed.

LIEPZIG, 28 Jan — Climate change will causeEurope to lose much of its biodiversity as projected bya comprehensive study on future butterfly distribu-tion. The Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterfliespredicts northward shifts in potential distribution areaof many European butterfly species.

As early warning indicators of environmentalchange, butterflies are a valuable tool to assess overallclimate change impact and to provide some indicationon the chances to come nearer to the target of haltingthe loss of biodiversity by 2010 set by the EU Headsof State in 2001.

The Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterfliesis based on the work of scores of scientists from acrossEurope. They applied climate change models to datacollected by tens of thousands of volunteers. Theauthors say that some climate change is now inevita-ble and that the extent of the losses will depend on thedegree of that change and how we respond to the newthreat. Butterflies have already suffered huge lossesacross Europe following decades of habitat loss andchanging farming and forestry practices.

Internet

PERSPECTIVESPAGE 2

Nationality Youth Resource Development Degree College (Yangon).

The government had to build Yangon-Sittway Road with much difficulty for ensur-ing better transport between Rakhine Stateand other regions. It also built Yangon-Kyaukpyu Road for linking the south and thenorth of Rakhine State and also linkingRakhine State with Ayeyawady and YangonDivisions.

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