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Established 1914
Volume XX, Number 94 5th Waxing of Second Waso 1374 ME Monday,
23 July, 2012
NAY PYI TAW, 23 July—U Thein Sein, President of the Republic of
the Union of Myanmar, has sent a messageof felicitations to His
Excellency Mr Mohamed Morsi, President of the Arab Republic of
Egypt, on the occasionof the National Day of the Arab Republic of
Egypt, which falls on 23 July, 2012.—MNA
President U Thein Sein felicitatesPresident U Thein Sein
felicitatesEgyptian PresidentEgyptian President
Our Three MainNational Causes
* Non-disintegration of the Union
* Non-disintegration of National
Solidarity
* Perpetuation of Sovereignty
NAY PYI TAW, 22 July—A Myanmar delegation ledby President of the
Republic of the Union of Myanmar UThein Sein left here by special
aircraft of Myanmar AirwaysInternational for Thailand at 9 am today
at the invitationof Prime Minister Ms Yingluck Shinawatra of the
Kingdomof Thailand.
President U Thein Sein and party were seen off atNay Pyi Taw
Airport by Vice-President Dr Sai MaukKham, Commander-in-Chief of
Defence Services Vice-Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief
(Army)General Soe Win, Union Minister for Defence Lt-Gen HlaMin,
Union Minister for Border Affairs and for MyanmaIndustrial
Development Lt-Gen Thein Htay, UnionMinister for Cooperatives and
for Livestock and FisheriesU Ohn Myint, Union Minister at the
President Office NayPyi Taw Mayor U Thein Nyunt, Union Minister
forConstruction U Khin Maung Myint, Union Minister forElectric
Power No 1 U Zaw Min, Union Minister forTransport U Nyan Tun Aung,
Commander of Nay Pyi TawCommand Maj-Gen Maung Maung Aye, Vice-Chief
ofMyanmar Police Force Police Brig-Gen Zaw Win,departmental heads,
Charge d’ Affaires ai of the ThaiEmbassy Mr Kallayana
Vipattipumiprates and embassyofficials.
The President was accompanied by Union Ministerfor Foreign
Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Ministerfor Agriculture and
Irrigation U Myint Hlaing, Union Ministerfor National Planning and
Economic Development U TinNaing Thein, Union Minister for Labour
and for SocialWelfare, Relief and Resettlement U Aung Kyi, Union
Ministerfor Energy U Than Htay, Union Minister for Commerce UWin
Myint, Chief Minister of Kayin State U Zaw Min, Chief
President U Thein Sein leaves forPresident U Thein Sein leaves
forThailand on goodwill visitThailand on goodwill visit
Minister of Taninthayi Region U Myat Ko, Adjutant-GeneralLt-Gen
Khin Zaw Oo of the Commander-in-Chief (Army)’sOffice, Deputy
Minister for Industry U Myo Aung, DeputyMinister for Rail
Transportation Thura U Thaung Lwin,Deputy Minister for Health Dr
Win Myint and departmentalheads.—MNA
KYAUKKYI, 22 July—Kyaukkyi Township ForestDepartment of
ToungooDistrict in Bago Region heldthe rainy season treegrowing
ceremony at theplayground of Basic
Saplings collectively planted inKyaukkyi Township
Education Primary School inTheindan Ward of KyaukkyiTownship on
4 July morning.
At the ceremony,Township Administrator UMyint Khaing, Staff
Officerof Township Forest
Department U Khin MaungHtwe, departmentalpersonnel, staff of
ForestDepartment, members ofsocial organizations andstudents
planted 500saplings.—Myanma Alin
YANGON, 22 July—Aspart of efforts to preventdengue hemorrhagic
fever,the team comprisingTownship Medical OfficerDr Daw Mya Mya
Win,health staff, ward
Preventive measures taken against DHFin Dagon Myothit (South)
Township
administrator and membersof social organizationsled by
TownshipAdministrator U Myint Lwinperformed preventivemeasures in
Ward 20 ofDagon Myothit (South)
Township on 16 Julymorning.
They put abadeinto water tanks and potsat over 2500 houses in
theward.
Myanma Alin
Noteworthy amounts ofrainfall (22-7-2012)
Kyauktaw (3.03) inchesShwegyin (2.56) inchesAn (2.05)
inchesNyaunglebin (1.97) inchesTaungup (1.69) inchesKawkareik
(1.69) inches
President U Thein Sein and party being seenoff at Nay Pyi Taw
Airport by Vice-PresidentDr Sai Mauk Kham, Commander-in-Chief
of
Defence Services Vice-Senior GeneralMin Aung Hlaing and
officials.
MNA
Effective supply chain mechanisminstrumental in agricultural
development:
Union Commerce Minister
PAGE 2
Sayagyi Thakin Kodawhmaing libraryopened
PAGE 8
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2 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012
PERSPECTIVES
Rising AsiaMonday, 23 July, 2012
Some of the Asian economies like Japan,South Korea and Singapore
are in the club ofdeveloped countries or rich
industrializedcountries of the world. China now is the
secondlargest economy in the world after the UnitedStates and is
still growing rapidly. Malaysia,Thailand, Hong Kong special
administrativeregion of China, and China Taiwan and so onare
included in the fast developing economies.Moreover, India and
Indonesia are in the G20together with other Asian economic
powersChina, Japan and South Korea.
ASEAN as a whole has also become aneconomic powerhouse with a
lot of potentialsto offer. Giants like China and India are
nowtermed as the engines of global economicgrowth. So, Asia is
rising and its importance inthe global theatre growing more than
everbefore. In fact, Asia is the largest landmark ofthe world and
most populous continent housinglarger number of countries than any
othercontinent of the world.
So there are more opportunities in Asiaalone than in any other
place on Earth as it hasthe world’s second and third largest
economies,economic tigers, global engines of growth andmany other
fast growing economies apart froma number of countries emerging as
neweconomic frontiers.
At the dinner hosted for the participants ofUS-ASEAN Business
Forum the other day inSiem Reap of Cambodia, President U TheinSein
underscored the growing importance ofthe development of Asia in the
world. As weare also an Asian country and a new frontierwe must
learn and imitate the ways of meansand the spirit of our
counterparts that are nowthe integral part of the rising Asia.
We firmly believe with hard work,responsibility and
accountability in everyinstitution especially the government
bodiesand transparency in the areas to fight any kindof malpractice
including bribery andcorruption we can be on the right track
towardsbecoming the core part of rising Asia.
NAY PYI TAW, 22 July—Union Minister for CommerceU Win Myint and
Sagaing Region Chief Minister U ThaAye attended the opening of the
office of Shwese YaungchiRice Co at Taze Township in Sagaing Region
on 20 July.
The Union minister and the chief minister addressedthe ceremony
to provide inputs to farmers by ShweseYaungchi Co at Taze Township
Hall.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union minister said thatemphasis
is put on enhancement of the social status offarmers that
constitutes 70 per cent of the whole population.Taxes have been cut
or exempted on agricultural produceand assistance provided too to
reduce the production costin order that farmers can fetch
reasonable benefits from theirlabour.
The Union minister stressed the need for continuousimprovement
both in terms of quantity and quality, withlower production cost.
He called for better marketpenetration strategies, regular market
share retention andhigher price. He added that the Ministry of
Commerce has
Effective supply chain mechanism instrumental inagricultural
development: Union Commerce Minister
assisted in supply chain management since 2009. The
Unionminister underscored the need to make a shift to
qualitymarketable strains to guarantee the domestic food
securityand strong foothold in international market. He called
forharmonious cooperation of farmers, traders,
companies,departments concerned and the State in supply
chainmechanism from provision of technical assistance to farmersto
exportation.
The region chief minister also spoke on the occasion.Managing
Director of Shwese Yaungchi Co explainedmission and work programmes
of the co and marketingmanager U Soe Moe explained agricultural
methods.
The Union minister, the chief minister and personnelpresented
agricultural inputs to farmers. Shwese YaungchiCo donated K 20
million for renovation of Maha ThiriLake.
The Union minister and the chief minister theninspected
renovation of Maha Thiri Lake in Taze Township.
MNA
Union Minister for Commerce U Win Myint addresses ceremony of
Shwese Yaungchi Rice Co toprovide inputs to farmers.—MNA
NAY PYI TAW, 22 July—Wellwishers donated cashand kinds and
foodstuff topeople today in RakhineState who lost their homesand
properties in recentunrest in the state.
The donationceremony was held at theFire Services
Department(Head Office) in MayangonTownship today. During
theceremony, Tagun non-governmental organizationin Dagon Seikkan
Townshipdonated over K1.2 million
Cash, foodstuff donated to people inRakhine Stateand 126
packages of clothes,medicines, five bags of rice,one bag of
slippers;Myanmar PharmacyProfessionals AssociationK200,000 and
clothes,foodstuff, householduntensils and medicinesworth K1.5
million; Myanmarnationals in Papua NewGuined K570,000; U KhinAung
from HmawbyK115,000, two packages ofclothes and one package
ofblankets; U Aung Moe andDaw Khin Khin Myo
K100,000 and one packageof clothes, Ko Kyaw TintSwe and Dr Daw
Khin KyiK100,000 each; PoliceCaptain Tun Hla Zan andDaw Shwe Sein
K100,000and one package of clothes;U Sein Hla of YankinTownship
K50,000, DawKhin Ohn Myint and familyK30,000 and one package
ofclothes; U Zaw Win and DrDaw Myat Than Nwe K20,000 and four
packages ofclothes; a group comprising14 friends from the
Punhlaing
Housing six packages ofclothes and utensils; U SeinWin and Daw
Pu Pu twopackages of clothes, UThaung Win and Daw KhinThandar Tun
one packageof clothes; Ma Thazin Ayeof Kyimyindine Townshipone
package of clothes, MaTin Myint Yi and friends twopackages of
sanitarynapkins and U Tin Moe,Director -General of the FireServices
Department, andofficials accepted thedonations.
Total cash donation tothe people has reached overK 302 million
so far.
MNA
YANGON, 22 July—Under the arrangements ofMyanmar Rice
IndustryAssociation and RamaNegiv Institute in Tel Avivof Israel,
nine trainees toattend the agriculturaltraining course left here
byair on 16 July.
They were seen off at
Trainees of agriculturalcourse leave for Israel
Yangon InternationalAirport by Chairman ofMyanmar Rice
IndustryAssociation U Sein WinHlaing, Executive U SoeWin of
Republic of theUnion of MyanmarFederation of Chambers ofCommerce
and Industry andofficials.—Myanma Alin
NAY PYI TAW, 22 July—Mon State Traffic RulesEnforcement
SupervisoryCommittee and TrafficPolice Corps have opened amotorbike
driving and trafficrules course for the second
Traffic rules course opened inMon State
time this year inMawlamyine.
The opening ceremonyheld this day was attendedby Lt-Col Than
Daing oflocal station andTatmadawmen from 17
regiments and units.Police Sub Inspector
Aung Naing Oo and membersof Mon State Traffic PoliceCorps gave
lectures on trafficrules.
MNA
KATHA, 22 July—As partof efforts to alleviatepoverty, a ceremony
toprovide school uniforms tooffspring of vendors fromMyoma Market
was held atthe office of KathaTownship DevelopmentAffairs Committee
on 7 July.
Executive Officer UTun Tun presented one seteach of school
uniform to55 students.—Myanma Alin
Schooluniforms
provided tostudents
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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012 3
GENEVA, 22 July—TheWorld Health Organization(WHO) on Saturday
reporteda polio eradication workerbeing shot dead on Fridayevening
in the Gadap townarea of Karachi, Pakistan.
The victim wasidentified as MuhammadIshaq, who had worked
withthe national polioeradication effort for severalmonths, helping
to plan andimplement vaccinationcampaigns to protect localchildren
against the disease.
This is the secondshooting incident in a week,which targeted
health
ISLAMABAD, 22 July—Pakistani military jets struckmilitant
hideouts in thenorthwest of the country onSunday, killing 15
militantsand wounding several others,military officials said.
The airstrikes targetedfour hideouts in the remoteGhaljo and
Dabori areas ofthe northwestern Orakzaitribal region, the
officialssaid. The locations werebeing used by members ofthe
Pakistan Taleban.
The death toll could notbe independently verified
TOKYO, 22 July—A USF-16 fighter jet crashed intothe Pacific
Ocean off the coastof northern Japan on Sundayand efforts are
underway torescue the pilot, aspokeswoman for the MisawaAir Base
said.
The jet took off from theUS air base in Aomori andcrashed about
11:30 Japantime (0230 GMT) some 200miles northeast of
Hokkaido,Japan’s northernmost island,the spokesperson said.
“One person, the pilot,was on board. Efforts arecurrently
underway toretrieve the pilot,” she said,reading from a
statement.
“The aircraft was enrouteto North America when theincident
occurred. The causeof the incident is unknown atthis time.”
The F-16 is made byLockheed Martin Corp.
Reuters
WASHINGTON, 22 July— US President Barack Obamahas promised every
effort will be made to ensure the safetyof Americans, a day after a
shooting rampage in a Coloradomovie theater killed 12 people.
“We are still gathering all the facts about whathappened, but we
do know the police have one suspect incustody.
And the federal government stands ready to doeverything
necessary to bring whoever’s responsible forthis heinous crime to
justice,” Obama said in his weeklyradio and Internet address on
Saturday.
Police have detained James Eagan Holmes, 24, whoallegedly killed
12 and wounded 59 at a midnight showingof the new Batman movie—The
Dark Knight Rises, at
BEIJING, 22 July—Theheaviest rain in six decadesin the Chinese
capital hasleft 10 people dead, Beijingauthorities said on
Sunday.
As of 4 am Sunday, morethan 30,000 residents inDistricts of
Fangshan,
Ten dead, 30,000 evacuated in Beijingdownpour
Firefighters pull a submerged car near GuangqumenBridge in
Beijing, capital of China, on 21 July, 2012.
XINHUA
A military training base is trapped by waters before allthe 350
students and 40 teaching staff trapped were
relocated in Fangshan District of Beijing,on 21 July,
2012.—XINHUA
Huairou, Mentougou andPinggu as well as Miyun andYanqing
counties wererelocated, the city’s floodscontrol headquarters said
at9 am.
In Fangshan, where themaximum precipitation
reached 460 mm in HebeiTownship as of 6 am, roadtraffic in 12
townships wasdisrupted. Mobile teleco-mmunication services
andInternet access were cut offin six townships, theheadquarters
said.
Train services betweenBeijing and Guangzhouwere suspended as
therailway line section atNangangwa, FengtaiDistrict, was soaked in
water,the headquarters said.
More than 12,000people worked for draining1 million cubic metres
ofwater from streets. Mostpuddles in the city werecleared by 6
am.
As of 6 am, citywidepeople suffered an averageprecipitation of
170 mm.
Xinhua
US President Barack Obama during amoment of silence for the
shootings inColorado at an event in Fort Myers,Florida, on 20 July,
2012.—XINHUA
Obama vows to ensure public safetyafter Colorado shooting
Aurora, Colorado, a Denver suburb. The man surrenderedwithout a
fight in a parking lot behind the theater, policesaid.
The shooting reminded Americans of the Virginia Techbloodbath in
April 2007 in which 33 died. The FBI saidthere was so far no
indication of any links to terror groups.
“We will take every step possible to ensure the safetyof all our
people. And we will stand by our neighbors inColorado during this
extraordinarily difficult time,” Obamasaid.
Police said 30 victims remained hospitalized Saturday,11 of them
in critical condition.
“And if there’s anything to take away from this tragedy,it’s a
reminder that life is fragile. Our time here is limited andit is
precious,” the US President said.
However, Obama didn’t mention gun control, a sensitiveissue for
any candidate for the November presidentialelections.
Gallup polls showed 39 percent of Americans owneda gun in 2010,
while the National Rifle Association, a pro-gun lobby group, said
almost half of US households possessguns.
Xinhua
Studentstrain in
mud by asandbank
at asummermilitarycamp inAnsan,south ofSeoul on20 July,2012.
INTERNET
Health worker shot deadin Pakistan
CAIRO, 22 July—An explosion onSunday rocked the Egyptian
pipeline builtto carry natural gas to Israel and Jordan, the15th
time it has been attacked since the startof the uprising in early
2011 that toppledPresident Hosni Mubarak.
The blast occurred in the early hours ofSunday morning at
al-Tuwail, east of thecoastal Sinai town of al-Arish, at a
pointbefore the pipeline splits into separatebranches to Israel and
Jordan, securityofficials and witnesses said.
Gunmen in a small truck drove up to thepipeline, dug a hole and
placed explosivecharges under the pipeline that theydetonated from
a distance, a security officialand witnesses said.
A large boom echoed across the area andresidents up to 30 km (18
miles) away saidlater they could see flames of burning gaslighting
the sky.
Blast rocks Egypt’s gas pipeline to Israel, Jordan
US F-16fighter
crashes offcoast of Japan
Airstrikes kill 15 militants innorthwest Pakistan
workers.On Tuesday, a WHO
staff member and aninternational consultantworking for the
healthagency were injured in thesame region by armed men.
Polio immunizationactivities were suspendedafter Tuesday’s
attack.
Xinhua
and militants often disputeofficial figures.
The Pakistan militaryhas been conductingoperations against
militantsin Orakzai for months.
Several militant groupsare active in Pakistan’snorthwestern
semi-autonomous tribal regions,near the border withAfghanistan,
including thePakistan Taleban,responsible for many of thebombings
across the countryin recent years.
Reuters
An official in the company that managesthe pipeline said exports
of gas to both Israeland Jordan had been halted since an
explosionthat hit the pipeline in April and that theflames were
caused by residual gas.
Residents in al-Arish, however, said gasshipments had begun
three days ago throughthe pipeline, which at one point
suppliedIsrael with about 40 percent of its natural gas.
Egypt in April terminated its agreementto supply gas to Israel
because of what it saidwas a business dispute. The 20-year gas
deal,signed in the Mubarak era, was unpopularwith many Egyptians,
with critics accusingIsrael of not paying enough for the fuel.
No group has claimed responsibility forthe attacks on the
installation that crosses theincreasingly volatile Sinai Peninsula.
Securityin Sinai was relaxed after the fall of Mubarakas the police
presence thinned out acrossEgypt.—Reuters
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4 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012
Science & Technology Science & Technology Science &
Technology
NEW YORK, 21 July — Manufacturing heavyweightFoxconn is
reportedly interested in acquiring board seats atSharp Electronics,
DigiTimes reported on Friday. Thecompany received three
non-executive board seats at SharpDisplay earlier this month after
it acquired a 46.48% stake inthe company, equivalent to 1.32
million shares.
In response to reports that it was seeking a board seat atSharp
Display’s parent company, Foxconn reportedly saidthat “the
company’s focus in cooperating with Sharp is tohelp complement
each’s weakness to allow each side toachieve maximum benefits.
“ The company did say “a board seat is not really themain focus
of Foxconn,” however, adding that it’s “hopingto have more
substantial influence to help Sharp improve itsmanagement and sales
and raise the panel maker’s
Foxconn looks for a board seat at Sharp as AppleHDTV nears.—
INTERNET
Foxconn looks for a boardseat at Sharp as Apple HDTV
nears
profitability.” Sharp Display currently supplies displaypanels
used in Apple’s latest iPad, and it is rumored to bebuilding TV
panels for Apple’s rumored HDTV, which isexpected to launch early
next year.— Internet
WASHINGTON, 22 July—Native American and AlaskaNative leaders
told of theirvillages being under waterbecause of coastal
erosion,droughts and more onThursday during a Senatehearing
intended to drawattention to how climatechange is affecting
tribalcommunities. Theenvironmental changesbeing seen in
nativecommunities are “a seriousand growing issue andCongress needs
to addressthem,” Tex Hall, chairman ofthe Mandan, Hidatsa
andArikara Nation of New Town,ND, said on Wednesday.
Mike Williams, chief of
Leaders say climate is changing Native wayof life
VANCOUVER, 22 July — The engineer behind Canadianstartup Acrylic
said on Friday that he was closing up his one-man shop and joining
the design team at leading socialnetwork Facebook.Facebook
confirmed that it has boughtAcrylic in an “acqui-hire” that brings
on board founderDustin MacDonald, the creator of mobile gadget
applicationsfor newsfeeds and digital wallets.
“Facebook is an invaluable service that we all use daily,and a
company I believe is one of the most innovative andimportant around
today,” MacDonald said in a blog postannouncing his move to
California. “After visiting late lastyear, I discovered that we
shared many of the same coreproduct design goals and principles,
and it soon becameobvious that it was a natural fit.”
Acrylic’s best-known applications — Wallet andNewsfeed — were
not acquired by Facebook in the deal.Buying promising startups for
the talent and not its productshas become common in the competitive
Internet technologyworld. Facebook recently bought startups Spool
and TagTilein “talent acquisitions” aimed at helping it stay in
synch withusers as they shift increasingly to using smartphones
andtablet computers.
Internet
LONDON, 21 July — A former RAF Kinloss MountainRescue Team
leader has told how he sought evidence that aRussian satellite
crashed in the Highlands 50 years ago.David “Heavy” Whalley was
intrigued by a story from the1960s that a shepherd found the
remains of a Sputnik on amoor above Ardgay in Sutherland. An RAF
Kinloss MountainRescue Team member sent to the scene later told Mr
Whalleyof finding unusual debris. Team members involved
wereallegedly told to “keep quiet” about it.
After becoming Kinloss’s rescue team leader in the late1980s, Mr
Whalley tried to find a record of the search in theteam’s logs. He
believes the information was deliberatelysuppressed. Sputniks were
a series of satellites built andlaunched by the former Soviet
Union. The first was launchedin 1957 and was the first man-made
satellite to orbit the Earth.The achievement has been widely
credited with starting thespace race between Russia and the US. In
1962, a shepherdreported finding wreckage from a Sputnik in the
hills aboveArdgay.
Russia’s launch of the Sputnik 1 is credited withsparking the
space race.
INTERNET
RAF leader sought evidence of Highland Sputnik crash
The engineer behind Canadian startup Acrylic saidthat he was
closing up his one-man shop and joiningthe design team at leading
social network Facebook.
INTERNET
Facebook acquires mobileapp maker Acrylic
the Yupit Nation in Akiak,Alaska, said in theinformational
Senate IndianAffairs Committee hearing,that villages are
literallybeing wiped out by coastalerosion. Williams said he
cancast a net and catch salmon athis childhood home becausethe home
is under water, hesaid. He also described howthe Iditarod Trail
Sled DogRace, in which heparticipates, has been movedbecause of
lack of snowfalland that dogs must run atnight to stay cool.
“We’ve always lived offthe land and off the watersand continue
to do that. Butwe’re bearing the burden of
living with these conditionstoday,” Williams said.Sen.Daniel
Akaka, committeechairman, acknowledgedthat environmental changesare
widespread, but theHawaii Democrat said nativecommunities
aredisproportionately impactedbecause they depend onnature for
traditional food,sacred sites, and for culturalceremonies. Several
tribesalready are coming up withplans to adapt to the changesand
federal agencies areassisting with resources,Akaka said.
Members of several WestCoast tribes and Alaskacommunities have
been in
Washington this week for asymposium at theSmithsonian
Institution’sNational Museum of theAmerican Indian on theimpact of
climate change onindigenous people and theircommunities.
The symposium, titledFirst Steward, broughttogether tribal
leaders, peopleexperiencing the changesand scientists. Williams
saidCongress needs to come upwith a strategic plan to addressthe
impact to help ensureAlaska Natives and AmericanIndian tribes
continue toexist.
He said in coming upwith the plan, Congressshould consider
Nativepractices and traditionalknowledge.— Internet
The late Jack Baines, an experienced climber who laterbecame an
RAF Kinloss MRT leader, was among militarysearchers sent to
investigate. For the first time, Mr Whalleyhas revealed publicly
that he looked for records of what theyrecovered. He said: “They
found various bits and pieces.“They included a part with Russian
and pictures on itexplaining what to do if the satellite was found
crashed, andthat a reward would be given for its return.
“Jack said the team were told to keep quiet about whatthey
found. “When he told me the story I first thought it wasan urban
myth, but he convinced me and I believe theydefinitely found a
crashed Sputnik.” Mr Whalley added:“There is no incident report, or
mention in the team archives,as I checked when I became the team
leader in the late 80s.”The story of the crash is recalled in a
section of Frank Card’s1993 book Whensoever, which marked 50 years
of RAFmountain rescue.
Internet
HANOI, 22 July —Vietnamese authorities havedetained three
soldierssuspected of torturing andkilling two rare
monkeys,state-run Voice of Vietnamnewspaper reports. One of themen
had posted photos onFacebook showing how themonkeys were
killed,triggering a publicoutcry.The monkeys wereendangered
grey-shankeddouc langurs (Pygathrixcinerea), reports
say.Thesoldiers, stationed inVietnam’s Central Highlandsarea, are
now underinvestigation.
One of them, NguyenVan Quang, who is serving inthe Tay Nguyen
Commandof the Vietnamese army,posted photos of themonkeys on his
Facebookpage last week. The photosshowed one of the
monkeys,believed to be pregnant,being made to smoke acigarette
before it wastortured and killed. ColNguyen Van Hai, head of
TayNguyen Command’s
The monkeys were endangered grey-shanked douclangurs.—
INTERNET
Vietnamese soldiers held overdeaths of rare monkeys
Military Prosecutor’s Office,told the Voice of Vietnamthat the
soldiers had beendetained and were beingquestioned.
“We’re still continuingour investigation into thecase. When we
have enoughevidence, they [the soldiers]will be dealt with
inaccordance with Vietnamesemilitary laws,” he said.Headded that
the three hadadmitted killing themonkeys and said they hadbought
them from locals. Themen, who were identified onThursday, are set
to appear ina military court on an as yetunspecified date.
What is more worryingabout the incident is that theyoung soldier
who postedthe photos on Facebook didnot think he did anythingwrong,
says Nga Pham fromBBC Vietnamese.
Authorities now realisethat they need to do somethingto educate
people, especiallythe young, about animalwelfare and protection,
sheadds.— Internet
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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012 5
Business & Health Business & Health Business &
Health
.
LONDON, 22 July —Europe is on the cusp ofapproving a gene
therapy forthe first time, in what wouldbe a landmark moment forthe
field. Gene therapies altera patient’s DNA to treatinherited
diseases passedfrom parent to child.TheEuropean Medicines Agencyhas
recommended a therapyfor a rare genetic diseasewhich leaves people
unableto properly digest fats.TheEuropean Commission will
Gene therapy nears approval in Europe
Gene therapies alter a patient’s DNA. INTERNET
now make the finaldecision.The idea of genetherapy is simple: if
there is aproblem with part of apatient’s genetic code thenreplace
that part of thecode.The reality has not beenso easy. In one gene
therapytrial a US teenager, JesseGelsinger, died, and otherpatients
have developedleukaemia.There are no genetherapies available
outsideof a research lab in Europe orthe US. The European
Medicines Agency’sCommittee for MedicinalProducts for Human Use
hasconsidered the use of Glyberato treat lipoprotein
lipasedeficiency.One in a millionpeople have the deficiency.They
have damaged copiesof a gene which is essentialfor breaking down
fat.It leadsto fat building up in the blood,abdominal pain and
life-threatening pancreatitis(inflammation of thepancreas).The only
way tomanage the condition is byhaving a very low-fat
diet.Thetherapy uses a virus to infectmuscle cells with a
workingcopy of the gene.It wasrecommended for patientswith severe
pancreatitis, whocannot control the diseasethrough diet.
The manufacturer,UniQure, said the decisionwas a “major
breakthrough”for patients and medicine asa whole. UniQure chief
executive officer Jorn Aldagsaid: “Patients withlipoprotein
lipase deficiencyare afraid of eating a normalmeal because it can
lead toacute and extremely painfulinflammation of thepancreas,
often resulting in avisit to intensive care.”Now,for the first
time, a treatmentexists for these patients thatnot only reduces
this risk ofgetting severely sick, but alsohas a multi-year
beneficialeffect after just a singleinjection.
“Restoring the body’snatural ability to break downfat particles
in the blood, inorder to prevent pancreatitisand excruciating
abdominalpain suffered by patients, iswhat gene therapy is all
about:curing disease at the geneticlevel.”Dr Tomas Salmonson,from
the agency’sCommittee, said the use ofGlybera should be
restrictedto patients “with greatestneed”.
Internet
WASHINGTON, 22 July — General Electric Co on Fridayreported a
2.5 percent rise in profit from continuing operations,topping Wall
Street expectations, as solid demand in theUnited States and
emerging markets offset weakness inEurope.The largest US
conglomerate by revenue stuck withits forecast for the rest of
2012, saying it would increaseearnings at a double-digit percentage
rate by pushing profitmargins higher. In a move intended in part to
cut costs, GEsaid it will break up its big energy division into
three separateunits. “The environment continues to be challenging,”
ChiefExecutive Jeff Immelt said on a conference call with
investors.He said the US economy was stable, adding that
“Europeremains very tough, but within our
expectations.”GE’sindustrial sales in Europe were down 7 percent in
the quarter,but up 6 percent in the United States and 24 percent
higherin China, said Chief Financial Officer Keith Sherin.
Overallrevenue rose 2.5 percent, but missed expectations.
The company, the world’s biggest maker of electricturbines and
jet engines, posted profit of 38 cents per share,excluding one-time
items, a penny above analysts’ averageestimate, according to
Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. It excludes5 cents in charges from its
former US subprime mortgage unitand Japanese consumer finance
business. GE’s reportfollowed two days of stronger-than-expected
earnings fromother industrial companies, including Textron Inc
andHoneywell International Inc, indicating multinationalcompanies
were finding a way to manage through a rougheconomy.— Reuters
A GE logo is seen in a store in Santa Monica, California,on 11
Oct, 2010.— REUTERS
GE second quarter profit topsWall Street view
LONDON , 22 July — Mobile phones are now the mostcommon way for
people to connect to the Internet in China,a report has said. For
the first time, desktop computers are nolonger the leading method
for the country’s 538 millionconnected citizens to get online. The
report from the ChinaInternet Network Information Center (CINIC)
said over 50%of the year’s new internet users were from rural
areas. A fallin smartphone costs has been the key cause of growth,
expertssaid.
“Mobile phones are a cheaper and more convenientway to access
the internet for [residents in] China’s vastrural areas and for the
enormous migrant population,” saidthe report from the state-linked
CINIC. Mobile internetusers now number 388 million, up almost 10%
since thestart of the year.
“Mobile phone prices continued to drop,” the reportsaid. “The
emergence of smartphones under 1,000 yuan[$157, £100] sharply
lowered the threshold for using thedevices and encouraged average
mobile phone users tobecome mobile web surfers.”
The total number of those online has risen 5% since the
The number of people accessing the internet via mobilehas risen
10% since the end of 2011.— INTERNET
Rural Chinese get online asmobile overtakes desktop
end of last year, many of whom are very active in
cyberspace.Bill Dutton, professor of Internet studies at the
University
of Oxford, told the BBC that the trend followed similargrowth in
other parts of the world. “We’re moving to what wecall
next-generation users,” he said.
“They’re likely to have three or four devices in theirhomes,
therefore they’re able to integrate computing intotheir lives
wherever they are.”He added that the rapid adoptionof mobile among
the rural community was one of necessityover desire.”There’s a wave
of people coming online thatwould not otherwise be able to afford
to be there.”—Internet
LONDON, 22 July —People living on the Englishcoast are more
likely thanthose living inland to saythey are fit and well,
ananalysis of census datasuggests. The researcherssaid living in
areas such asSkegness, St Ives orScarborough was linked to a“small,
but significant”improvement in health.
Lower stress and moreopportunities to exercisewere suggested as
possibleexplanations.The findingswere published in the
journalHealth and Place.
The researchers lookedat data from 48 millionpeople in England
from the2001 census. They comparedhow close people were to
thebracing sea air and theiranswer to a question about
Are areas like the Wirral coastline good for health?
INTERNET
People feel ‘healthier’ on the English coasttheir own health.The
studywas conducted by theEuropean Centre forEnvironment and
HumanHealth at the PeninsulaCollege of Medicine andDentistry at the
University ofExeter.It found people livingless than 1km from the
seawere more likely to say they
were in “good health” thanpeople living further away.
The effect was small butthe researchers said that whenmagnified
across 48 millionpeople it could have a largeimpact on public
health. Thelead researcher Dr BenWheeler said loads ofexplanations
had been
suggested, although they hadnot yet been tested. “One ofthe most
obvious is theopportunity for physicalactivity or being
moremotivated to go for a walkalong the coast,” hesaid.There are
also ideasabout ‘being beside theseaside’ being a morerelaxing
environment.
However, there is anotherexplanation. Wealthier andhealthier
people might bemore able to move to thecoast. “They are
possiblymoving to the coast andbringing their good healthwith
them,” Dr Wheeler toldthe BBC.The study alsofound that people from
thepoorest backgroundsbenefited most from a coastalhome. There was
little or nobenefit to the most affluentpeople.
Internet
LONDON, 22 July — Vodafone has seen its sales growthslow in the
first quarter, dragged down by a weak performancein Europe. Group
service revenue grew 0.6% on an organicbasis to £9.98bn. In the
fourth quarter it had recorded growthof 2.3%.Sales in Italy and
Spain shrank, as conditionsremained “challenging”. UK growth was
weak due to“increased competition and a weak economy”.
Vodafoneoutperformed its peers over the previous year, paying a
recorddividend to shareholders. Shares in the mobile operatorclosed
down 2% on Friday trading in London. Vodafone’sstrength in emerging
markets, Germany, Turkey and—untilrecently — the UK has helped
offset a slump in southernEurope. But in recent months the downturn
on the Continenthas begun to take its toll.
In May, the company wrote down the value of its assetsin Italy,
Spain, Portugal and Greece by £4bn. Vodafone, theworld’s largest
mobile operator by revenue, provides itsgrowth figures on a
reported basis and on an organic basis.Organic revenue growth
reflects performance on a comparablebasis, by stripping out the
effects of mergers and acquisitionsand of movements in foreign
exchange rates.— Internet
Vodafone sees revenue growth slow
P5(23).pmd 7/23/2012, 1:38 AM5
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6 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012
Putin signs Russia’s WTO accession protocol
Russian President Vladimir Putin
MOSCOW, 22 July —Russian President VladimirPutin has signed into
law aprotocol ratifying thecountry’s accession to theWorld Trade
Organization(WTO), the Kremlinannounced here on Saturday.
The bill was approved bythe State Duma, or the lowerhouse of the
parliament, on 10
June and passed by the upperhouse on 18 July ahead of itssummer
break, according to astatement issued by thePresident’s Office.
In light of the Russianlaw, the country will officiallybecome a
member of the WTO30 days after the parliament’sapproval and the
president’sratification.
In December 2011, theWTO decided to grant Russiaits membership,
thus usheringin the last major economyoutside the global trade
club.
The WTO accession hastriggered heated debates inRussia, though
the countryhas been seeking it for morethan 18 years.
Those against it claim thatthe move would negativelyimpact
domestic economy, andeven undermine nationalsovereignty and
security. Afterthe WTO accession, Russiawill have to gradually
lower itsaverage tariff ceiling to 7.8percent from the current
10percent, with the agriculturaltariff down from 13.2 percentto 10.
8 percent. Tariff forindustrial products will alsobe reduced from
9.5 percent to7.3 percent.—Xinhua
Chinese navy escort ships complete first jointescort
operation
GULF OF ADEN, 22 July—The Chinese navy’s 11th and12th escort
groups accomp-lished their first joint escortoperation here on
Friday.
The groups escorted sixmerchant ships from China,Singapore,
Norway, SouthKorea and Portugal.
The two fleets held a
handover ceremony on thedestroyer “Qingdao” beforethe joint
escort operation. Thefarewell ceremony of the 11thgroup will be
held on 23 July.Then the flotilla will leave theGulf of Aden and
Somaliwaters and embark on agoodwill visit.
The 11th group has
escorted 184 ships in 43operations since it started themission
on 27 Feb. A total of126 pirate vessels in 58incidents were
successfullydriven away by the fleet.
To date, the Chinese navyfleets have escorted 4,727ships from
countries all overthe world.—Xinhua
LONDON, 22 July —Fauja Singh, the world’soldest marathon runner
at101, will be running theOlympic torch through thestreets of east
London lateron Saturday.
Singh, who carried thetorch in Athens eight yearsago, was born
in Punjab in1911 and has been stayed inUK since 1992.
He ran his firstmarathon at the age of 89and has since completed
sixLondon marathons.
Xinhua
BEIJING, 22 July —Threeuniversity students havebeen selected to
attend the2012 Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC) summitin
Vladivostok, Russia, inSeptember on behalf of all ofthe country’s
university
Indian election observers (L) watch officials sort ballotpapers
from an emptied box as they begin tallying thepresidential election
results, at the Parliament in New
Delhi on 22 July, 2012.—INTERNET
An aerial view shows Kansai Electric Power Co’s Ohinuclear power
plant’s No 4 reactor (front) in Ohi,
Fukui prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo on 19July, 2012.
Kansai Electric Power Co said its 1,180-
megawatt No 4 reactor at its Ohi nuclear plantresumed supplying
electricity to the grid on Saturday,Japan’s second nuclear unit to
regain power since last
year’s Fukushima crisis led to the shutdown of
allunits.—REUTERS
101-year-oldFauja Singh torun Olympictorch relay
Three students selected to attend 2012 APECsummit
students.The three representa-
tives were chosen from nearly10,000 contestants afterseveral
rounds of competition,which were conductedthrough mock summits
heldin key universities across the
country.The competition was
started in 2010 to broadenstudents’ internationalknowledge and
improve theirunderstanding and analyticalabilities regarding
politics andeconomics.—Xinhua
EU to continue joining peaceeffort in S Philippines
MANILA, 22 July— TheEuropean Union (EU) willcontinue to
participate in theMalaysian-led InternationalMonitoring Team (IMT)
inconflict-stricken areas insouthern Philippines after itsterm
expired last month, theMoro Islamic Liberation Front(MILF)
disclosed onSaturday.
MILF said that thedecision to continue EU’s rolein the IMT was
made late lastmonth by the EuropeanCommission. “The decisionalso
outlined a newprogramme of support for thepeace-making in
Mindanaoby the EU,” the MILF said.
Muhammad Ameen,head of the MILF Secretariat,welcomed EU’s move,
sayingit was a positive developmentthat would give inspirationsto
the parties to strive further
to resolve the Moro Questionand the armed conflict
inMindanao.
“This is an indication ofthe EU strong commitment toprovide
support to the GPH(Government of thePhilippines)-MILF
peacenegotiation,” he stressed.
IMT, composed ofrepresentatives fromMalaysia, EU,
Brunei,Indonesia, Norway andJapan, has been overseeingthe ceasefire
agreementbetween the governmenttroops and the MILF and
thedevelopment aspects in theconflict-affected areas.
The GPH and the MILFhave been engaged in a peaceprocess with the
goal offorging a final peace pact toend the decades-old conflictin
Mindanao.
Xinhua
WASHINGTON, 22 July—The Pentagon is seeking tosend hand-launched
dronesto Kenya as part of a $40million-plus military aidpackage
designed to help fourAfrican countries fight al-Qaeda and
al-Shabaabmilitants, notably in Somalia,the Wall Street
Journalreported. Kenya would geteight “Raven” unmannedaerial
systems—an unarmeddrone that can be used toidentify targets for
strikes byground forces or other aircraft.
“This assistance willimprove the tacticaleffectiveness and
operationalreach of the Kenyan NationalDefence Forces engaged in
CT(counter-terrorism) operationsagainst al-Shabaab in Somalia,”the
newspaper quoted aPentagon document as saying.
The Ravens for Kenyawould be part of an initial $41.4million
package that alsowould include trucks, com-munications gear and
rifles forBurundi, Djibouti and Uganda,
The USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrierwhich is
currently supplemented by biofuel, sails about
150 miles north of the island of Oahu during theRIMPAC Naval
exercises off Hawaii on 18
July,2012.—INTERNET
Kenya clinches 8 cooperativedocuments with E China’s
Jiangxi
NANCHANG, 22 July —Kenya inked eightmemorandums of
cooperationhere on Saturday with eastChina’s Jiangxi Provinceduring
the visit paid by the
Kenyaclinches 8
cooperativedocuments
with EChina’sJiangxi.XINHUA
African country’s PrimeMinister Raila Amollo Odinga.
Five of the documentswere reached by Kenya andJiangxi
Corporation forInternational Economic and
Technical Cooperation onprojects of upgrading Kenya’shighways
and the construc-tion of diesel-solar hybridpower supply
system.Meanwhile, the other dealsare stroke between Kenya
andJiangxi Zhongmei EngineeringConstruction Co Ltd, coveringthree
highway constructionprojects worth of 600 millionUS dollars.
Odinga paid the visit afterattending the Fifth
MinisterialConference of the Forum onChina-Africa
Cooperation(FOCAC) held in Beijing fromThursday to Friday.
Statisticshows that a total of 21contracts worth over 5 millionUS
dollars each had been inkedbetween Jiangxi’s companiesand Kenya
from 2009 and2011.— Xinhua
Pentagon eyes drones forKenya to fight militants nearby
the newspaper said. TheUnited States providedRavens to Uganda
last year, itadded, citing officials anddocuments. The
DefenceDepartment and the StateDepartment had no immediatecomment.
US government-to-government arms transfers arepresided over by the
StateDepartment, subject to anoften- lengthy congressionalreview
process.
The newspaper citedofficials as saying the militaryaid package
would be meant tohelp key African allies in theregion go after
al-Sabaab andother al-Qaeda supporters.
The Raven is built byMonrovia, California-headquartered Aero
Viron-ment Inc Weighing 4.2 pounds(1.9 kilograms) and with
awingspan of 4.5 feet (1.37metres), it is described ascapable of
sending real-timecolor or infrared imagery toground controllers and
toremote viewers day or night.
Reuters
P6(23).pmd 7/23/2012, 1:38 AM6
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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012 7
The best time to plant a treewas 20 years ago.
The second best time is now.
HELLO TOURISM By Ba ThanTourism has come to our Land of a
million pagodas
and smiling peoples. It is indeed a hearty welcome for theglobal
tourists who have now chosen this beautiful havento enjoy the still
virgin landscape, the magnificent pagodasand temples of a thousand
years of heritage, the yetunexplored nooks and corners, swaying
coconut trees,silver sands, and unspoiled clear seas. The time has
neverbeen more opportune. A constellation of factors and eventshave
converged to affect a glorious boom: the multi-partyelection
resulting in the opening of democracy and civilsociety, resurged
interest of the Western hemispheretowards the country overlooked
through passage ofdecades, and not yet ready for the hospitality
services.
The spate of catastrophic disasters in the years 2008onwards had
caused havoc for the regular tourist-friendlyhost nations of Japan,
Thailand, Chinese Taipei in SouthEast Asia such as severe storms,
floods, earthquakes andattending tsunami deadly deluges, at one
time or the other.Even in Myanmar the deltaic fertile flatland once
thegranary of Asia, was utterly devastated by Nargis followingAceh,
as hundreds of thousands of lives perished,uncountable thatched
huts demolished, mangroves andpaddy fields wasted. Continuing
calamities followed offand on as a result of turbulence caused by
mancompounding nature’s miseries in the wake. Only now thesituation
had somewhat calmed due to the efforts of theState and the
sympathetic public, NGOs and many generousdonors who came to the
rescue of the afflicted, out ofsublime compassion.
There is also a welcome climate of change visible inthe overall
landscape and socio-economic spectrum. Thisis the morn of
Democracy, openness pervading in theoverall environment, and the
voice of the people, from theelectorate and constituency to
representation for the peoplebecoming more articulate. The dawn of
the New Year 2012augurs spreading the red carpet to the
distinguishedstatesmen, celebrities and friends from the West,
followedin its heels in rapid progression by the people with
warmingof relations amity and trade. There is also an
activeinterchange as we also reach out beyond to the ASEAN,
theASPAC and the wide wide world. Never has our aspirationbeen so
brimming as we look forward with pride anddignity to the years
ahead.
Global tourists who used to plan yearly summer toursmonths ahead
with regularity, were now faced with disruptedtour plans never
before experienced, with their jauntsalmost totally wiped out.
Thereupon, as an alternative theyswarmed to Myanmar to explore the
land quite adjacent butseldom frequented. Only now in just two
years the touristindustry and its complementarities started to
gainmomentum. Hotel bookings rose to cater to unprecedenteddemands
as tourists from UK, EU, the America, Australia andNew Zealand, as
well as traditionalists from our Asianneighbours thronged in frenzy
to make the most of the timeavailable in the tail-end of the
holiday season. As with theeconomics of demand and supply, rentals
rose erratically asthe hoteliers lolled on windfall gains with
near-full
occupancy. Shortage of hotels, and rooms in hotels werenever
more critically felt and tariffs skyrocketed, as scruplesgot the
better of reason and conscience and the souveniritems intrinsic to
the host country in a wide array such aspaintings, exquisite
tapestry, elaborate lacquer wares,sculpture, figurines crafted in
genuine precious and semiprecious jewels plain or inlaid with gold
and silver, rightdown to small figurines made of teak and a variety
ofhardwoods enjoy brisk sales too. Clothing and apparelwoven in
silk with elaborate designs descending from theancient heritage of
Myanmar kings are also displayed for thenouveau riche with the sky
as the limit.
The first magnificent sight for the incoming tourist byair is
the majestic Shwedagon Pagoda, epitome of pristineperfection, a 326
feet glittering golden stupa inlaid withthousands of priceless gems
of heritage value of the ancientkingdoms, now 2600 years old this
March 2012. Then thereis the ancient city of Bagan of more than a
thousand-yearstanding with over 2000 relic pagodas, stupas,
temples,caves and ancient library of Buddhist canonical
scriptures.Then there is the Shit-thaung Pagoda complex of
Rakhinemaritime nation on the west coast of the Bay of
Bengalenjoying prosperity around the same millennium. Formillions
of Buddhists around the religious world andparticularly for the
devotees and disciples of 5 TheravadaBuddhism: Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos andCambodia, they are the sacred repositories of the
enduringfaith. Intrinsically also they are the marvels of art,
cultureand architecture of bygone centuries, for many to wonderat
the state of preservation witnessed today in spite oficonoclastic
vandalism, and wanton destruction, over andabove the vagaries of
tropical weather of the centuries.What remains are indeed treasure
troves which the touristswill eagerly scout with zest and
enthusiasm.
The British had been here since 1824 in three wavesculminating
with total occupation in 1886.ForeignChristian missionaries of
various denominations madeearly incursions followed by war, and
then by trade. Colonieswere the source of raw materials, cheap
exploited labourand market for finished goods for the colonial
industrialpower. Mercantilism, Laissez-faire economics andmonopoly
capitalism were the order of the times till 1939the outbreak of the
Second World War, when the BritishGovernment made hasty mass
retreat by motor road alongMahamyaing forest from Tamu border to
India.
Colonial architecture, representative of massivecolonnaded
commercial buildings lined the Strand Roadwith the Strand Hotel as
the flag bearer of the British Raj inMyanmar. Viewed from vantage
point in 2012 the fadedbuildings along Strand Road, the
Secretariat, coupled withChristian cathedrals and churches with
lingering old grace,have become history, which had stood witness to
a bygoneera of heritage value and themes for research and study
forscholars, historians and tourists.
A scintillating panorama opens up to the tourist on hisfirst
visit in a number of ways: the sights he sees, the air hebreathes,
the water he drinks, the earth he treads, the esoteric
food he tastes. The Sacred Shwedagon is unique,comparable to
none, in its breath-taking aura, pomp andpageantry. Then there are
many others too for sheer beautyin their own beautiful renditions.
You may climb theGolden Rock Pagoda, perched precariously on the
tip ofa boulder, defying gravity. For curiosity if not for
anythingelse you can push the Golden Rock and be amazed that
itrocks. There are two famous lakes, the Inle in the SouthernShan
State and the Inn-Daw-Gyi in the Kachin State inNorthern Myanmar
where “Mount Khakhaborazi” withsnow capped peak amidst virgin
surroundings willcaptivate you ravishingly. There are so many to
explorethat the author leaves you to your imagination tailored
toyour own itinerary.
There are also national and ethnic food to savour atwill. Being
ethnically linked since the beginning ofmigration to the main
Mongolian races, the foods arenatively similar with distinct
flavor, aroma and mixture ofspices, sweets, and condiments to
accentuate the nationalcredo. Here the sojourn of a tourist will
not be completewithout the two Myanmar national snacks:
mohingar,and lephet. Being rice-eaters, rice in all its
varietiesjaponica and indica are consumed as the staple food.
Andalmost all snacks, delicacies and finger foods are
mostlyrice-based. Preparation of curry and snacks vary with
itsregional or ethnic preferences. Hinthada Mohingar,Mandalay taw
win(Royal) Nangyi Monti, Shan khauksweand Tofoo, Rakhine Monti
salad, Bhamo Myee Shay andAnyar crisp fried flour parata with
boiled mash peas etc aremost eagerly sought. Then there is a
variety of fried fritterswith succulent fresh gourd leading the
finger food treatwith potatoes a distant second. And there are also
fruits ofmany varieties to the bargain. While we Asians
indolentlyconsume delicious oranges, bananas, mangoes,
exoticpungent durians and tropical varieties, we tend to crave
forapples luxurious and high priced. Little will our commonfolks
imagine that what we take as ordinary is indeedtreasured as exotic
as is the other way round mutatismutantis indeed.
All these preconditions positively point out to rosydays ahead
for boom of long term tourism. Tourism here,in spite of a certain
head-start 20 years ago seemed to benot as it should have been so.
Much will still need to bedone in terms of infrastructure,
investment, recruitment,training in the hospitality industry, and
above all themindset and ambience to make it going. Start from
thebasics such as clean and fragrant toilets encompassingstandard
toilet culture and rise in progression to the ladderof efficiency,
courtesy and service with a smile, a real one,not a plasticized
copy. Both forward and backwardlinkages, spread effects and
backlash will have to becarefully noted. Experiences will have to
be nurtured andoutsourcing worked out. Setting high vision for the
futurewith open environment, transparency and allure of
tourists,Myanmar may yet set its place as one of the
risingattractions in the global map of tourism.
*****
Palethwe hybrid paddyharvested on model plot of
Pyawbwe Township
PYAWBWE, 22 July—Under the supervision of PyawbweTownship
Agriculture Department, the harvesting ofPalethwe hybrid paddy was
held in Thitseintpin Village
of the township on 14 July.Head of Mandalay Region Agriculture
Department U
Hla Myint Aung explained 10-point good agriculturepatterns for
production of over 100 baskets per acre.
The paddy harvesting work on 0.10 acres of farmlandin field No
364/A of Thitseintpin Village of ChaungmagyiVillage-tract produced
171.68 baskets per acre in drystatus.—Kyemon
MYANAUNG, 22 July—Myanma AgriculturalDevelopment Bank of
Myanaung Township disbursedagricultural loans to local farmers for
cultivation ofmonsoon crops in 2012.
The ceremony was held at the hall of TownshipGeneral
Administration Department in Myanaung on 12
Agricultural Development Bankdisburses loans to farmers in
Myanaung Township
July. Township Administrator U Aye Kyu explainedeffective
spending of loans on cultivation of monsoonpaddy through 14-point
good agricultural patterns.
It was attended by administrators of 57 village-tracts,
secretaries of village-track banks and farmers ofKwantaw Village.
Manager of the Township MyanmaAgricultural Development Bank Daw
Khin Myint Yiexplained matters related to loans for cultivation
ofmonsoon paddy.
After that, Township Administrator U Aye Kyupresented K 66850000
for 1337 acres of farmlands to213 farmers from Kwantaw
Village-tract.
Myanma Agricultural Development Bank ofMyanaung Township has
disbursed K 4625 million for92500 acres of farmlands in
2012.—Myanma Alin
P7 (23).pmd 7/23/2012, 1:38 AM7
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8 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012YANGON, 22
July—A ceremony to open Sayagyi Thakin
Kodawhmaing library sponsored by Myanmar LibrariesFoundation
took place at Walai village, Meelaung village-tract, Shwedaung
Township, Pyay District, Bago Regionthis noon with an address by
Patron of MLF Union Ministerfor Information and for Culture U Kyaw
Hsan.
Also present on the occasion were Bago RegionHluttaw Speaker U
Win Tin, Bago Region DevelopmentAffairs Minister U Ye Myint Tun,
Director-General ofInformation and Public Relations Department U Ye
Htutand officials, Chairman of Myanmar Writers AssociationU Tin
Hlaing (Ledwintha Saw Chit) and executives,Chairman of MLF U Maung
Maung, Vice-President UNyunt Swe and executives, film stars and
musicians,social organizations, local people, students
andwellwishers.
Bago Region Hluttaw Speaker U Win Tin, BagoRegion Development
Affairs Minister U Ye Myint Tunand Chairman of MLF U Maung Maung
formally openedthe library.
Next, Patron of MLF Union Minister for Informationand for
Culture U Kyaw Hsan unveiled the signboard ofthe library.
Afterwards, the Union Minister and party looked intothe library
and signed in the visitors’ book.
Making a speech on the occasion, Union Minister forInformation
and for Culture U Kyaw Hsan said that it wasa great pleasure for
the Ministry of Information and MLFto witness the opening of a
library at the native of PatrioticSayagyi Thakin Kodawhmaing who
had devoted all hisefforts to anti-imperialist, national liberation
and internalpeace.
He added that the Ministry of Information launchedthe opening of
self-reliant rural libraries since 2004, andit has opened libraries
at over 50,000 villages so far. Thevillages covering the opening of
libraries include those ofnoted writers and well-known
personalities.
Those libraries were established by locals as a tokenof paying
gratitude to their villages or by families inmemory of their late
parents or by locals in admiration oftheir noted and well-known
persons. A report of IPRD in2010 revealed that there was no library
in Walai village,Shwedaung Township, the native of well-known
Sayagyi
Sayagyi Thakin Kodawhmaing library opened
Thakin Kodawhmaing and in Mangyitone village, WetletTownship,
the native of Sayagyi Shwe Oo Daung. Hence,the library was
established by the Ministry of Informationand MLF in cooperation
with wellwishers and local people.
The Union Minister said that the newly-opened librarywas built
at a cost of over K 21 million and stressed theneed for local
people to try their utmost to ensure itsperpetual existence and to
transform it into an e-librarycomplete with online media network
while turning it intoa second monastery. He also stressed one more
point tobear in mind the patriotism and brilliant endeavours
ofSayagyi Thakin Kodawhmaing and expressed his thanks toMLF,
well-wishers and local people who contributed theirshares for the
emergence of the facility.
Next, Chairman of Myanmar Libraries FoundationU Maung Maung
clarified the purpose of the opening ofthe facility.
Afterwards, Union Minister U Kyaw Hsan and wifeDaw Kyi Kyi Win
family donated a generator for thelibrary and 50 dozens of exercise
books for students ofWalai village. Chairman of Library Funds
RaisingCommittee U Khin Maung Than accepted the donations.
Later, Chairman of MLF U Maung Maung handed
over the related documents to member of LibraryCommittee U Myo
Kyi while Vice-Chairman of MLF UNyunt Swe presented publications to
Librarian U Nyi NyiZin.
Next, Shwe Than Lwin Co donated a set of SkyNet anda LCD TV;
musicians led by Academy Khant Sithu donateda set of computer, DVD
and a wall watch; U Myo Kyi(Walai village) a plot of land for the
library worth 2million; Bago Region USDA K 100,000; Ledi
PitakattaikLibrary (Shwedaung) K 100,000; Newloktha Motor
Gate(Pyay) K 100,000; Printing Entrepreneurs (Pyay)K 50,000; Yadana
Filling Station K 50,000 andAyeyashwewar K 50,000. Officials
accepted the donationsand U Myo Kyi,on behalf of the wellwishers,
spoke wordsof thanks.
After the ceremony, the Union Minister cordiallygreeted those
present on the occasion.
The newly-opened library was established by MLFwith the
contributions of wellwishers. Situated on a 67feet x 175 feet, the
RC type-facility is 40 feet long, 30 feetwide and 16 feet high. The
construction of the librarystarted on 16 May 2012 and it costs over
K 21.27 million.
MNA
NAY PYI TAW, 22 July—Recycling,Environmental Conservation
andRenewable Energy Promotion SubCommittee Chairman Deputy Minister
forElectric Power No. 1 U Myint Zaw metvillagers of Singwin and
Sinkun villages inPekhon Township of Kayah State yesterdayand
presented 101 sets of 92 watt solarpackages inclusive of solar
bulbs to thevillages and stationary to the schools inthose
villages.
The deputy minister then addressed the
Myitkyina University welcomes freshersNAY PYI TAW, 22
July—Myitkyina
University Kachin National Literatureand Culture Committee
extended awelcome to freshers of 2011-2012academic year at the
convocation hall ofthe universi ty yesterday morning,attended by
Myikyina University RectorDr Aye Ko and committee chairman DrZaw
Jab.
The committee chairman presentedKachin State Chief Minister U La
JohnNgan Hsai, the State Hluttaw speaker andthe rector with
gifts.
Next, officials presented cash to thecommittee and
undergraduates stagedmusic shows and Kachin traditionaldances,
extending welcome to thefreshers.—MNA
Deputy Electric Power No. 1 Minister calls forutilization of
renewable energy
fourth meeting of the recycling,Environmental Conservation
andRenewable Energy Promotion SubCommittee at Upper
PaunglaungHydropower Project. The deputy ministeron the occasion
called for promotion ofsolar energy use, small-scale
hydropowerplants and wind power utilization,highlighting the
importance of systematicwaste disposal and
environmentalconservation.
MNANAY PYI TAW, 22 July—The ruraldevelopment and poverty
alleviationsurvey and implementation teams made fieldtrips for the
third time to Region 7 ofAungzabu Ward in Zabuthiri Township.
This morning, member of Nay Pyi TawCouncil U Myo Nyunt looked
into the tasksof the survey teams.
Survey on rural development, povertyalleviation undertaken
In meeting with local people, heexplained purpose of the survey
teams andcomforted the patients.
Members of Township Women’s AffairsOrganization, Maternal and
Child WelfareAssociation, Red Cross Society and AuxiliaryFire
Brigade joined hands with the surveyteams in their
undertakings.—MNA
Flowery plants blooming in farms ofYamethin Township
YAMETHIN, 22 July—Floweryplants are grown in Nyaunglebin,Hseto,
Zaygon and Kokkogonvillages of Htihlaing Village-tractin Yamethin
Township of MandalayRegion.
The plantations of flowers thatbloom in Thadingyut
andTazaungmon, (October andNovember) fetched good prices.Local
growers in Yamethin sendtheir flowers to markets in Nay PyiTaw,
Tatkon, Yamethin, Pyawbweand Meiktila.
Blooming flowers in YamethinTownship contribute to
environ-mental conservation in one way oranother.
Kyemon
Taninthayi RegionTransport Minister
Dr Kyaw Hsanpresenting stipend to a
university student.Owners of Thiha Min,Kyal Sin Hein and MinHtet
Hein Express, a
major transportor fromYangon to the regiongranted stipends
to
offspring of staff at MyaSein Hall in Dawei on
14 July.—MNA
Patron of MLF Union Minister for Information and for Culture U
Kyaw Hsan unveils thesingboard of Sayagyi Thakin Kodawhmaing
library.—MNA
A local grower showers various species offlowery
plantations.
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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012 9
Duties of projects assigned in Mansi TownshipMANSI, 22
July—A
ceremony to assign annualduties of projects for 2012-2013 fiscal
year was held at thehall of Mansi TownshipGeneral
Administration
Department of Bhamo Districton 16 July afternoon.
At the ceremony,Township Administrator UThein Zaw Oo made a
speech.Staff Officer U Zaw Min Htay
of Planning Departmentassigned duties to Head ofTownship
AgricultureDepartment U Hla Pe on behalfof township level
departmentalofficials.—Township GAD
Trees collectively planted in rainy season
NAMHSAN, 22 July—Therainy season tree growingceremony 2012 was
held in
Namhsan Township of LoilemDistrict on 12 July morning.
The ceremony was held
at Myenigon of No 5 Village-tract. The Assistant Directorof
Loilem District ForestDepartment, TownshipAdministrator U Khin
MaungLwin, Chairperson ofTownship Women’s AffairsOrganization Daw
TheinThein Thin and thecommander of TownshipPolice Force
presentedsaplings to local people.
After that, the localpeople planted over 1000saplings at the
designatedplaces.—Myanma Alin
Collection of taxes explained in PatheinPATHEIN, 22 July—
Ayeyawady Region InternalRevenue Department held aceremony to
makeclarification matters relatedto various taxes toentrepreneurs
at the hall ofthe Region Internal RevenueDepartment in Pathein on
15July.
The clarification wasaimed at levying taxes fromentrepreneurs of
hotels, innsand restaurants under therules of commercial tax
law.
The clarification wasattended by entrepreneursfrom Chaungtha
andNgwehsaung regions ofPathein Township.
At the ceremony, Headof Ayeyawady RegionInternal Revenue
DepartmentThura U Khin Kyaw Moeexplained matters related totaxes
and replied to queriesraised by entrepreneurs.
Myanma Alin
CSC ISSUED: The issuance of citizenship scrutiny cardswas held
at the administrative office in Kyuchaung
Village of Malit Village-tract in Dagon Myothit (East)Township
recently. Head of Township Immigration and
National Registration Department U Set Shwe issuescitizenship
scrutiny cards to 60 eligible citizens.
MYANMA ALIN
Shwegyin Township keeps itselfgreen and clean
SHWEGYIN, 22 July—The ceremony to mark theSchool Environment
Daywas organized in thecompound of BasicEducation Primary School
inYontaing Village ofThayetchaung Village-tractin Shwegyin Township
ofBago Region on 15 July
morning.At the ceremony,
Township Administrator UKhin Thein Maung anddepartmental
officials,teachers and students of theschool participated
incultivation of over 1000saplings.
Myanma Alin
Taxation talks given at BEHSNo 1 in Yamethin
YAMETHIN, 22 July—Atalk on taxation was organizedby Yamethin
TownshipInternal Revenue Departmentof Mandalay Region on
18July.
At Anawrahta Hall ofBasic Education High SchoolNo 1 in Yamethin,
Staff Officerof Yamethin Township
Internal Revenue DepartmentU Aung Kyaw Hsanexplained facts about
taxationbeing managed by thetownship IRD.
Deputy Head ofDepartment U Kyi Thein andstaff distributed
pamphletsto the students.
Myanma Alin
DISTRICTNEWS
SCHOOL EQUIPMENTDONATED: U Thein
Myint-Daw Lay Kyi andfamily of Yangyiaung
Ward in Ye of Mon Statedonated 50 sets of desksand chairs worth
K 1.25million for No 1 Basic
Education Primary Schoolin Ye on 10 July. TheHeadmistress
accepts
donation.—MYANMA ALIN
APBCC of Yangon Region training bus workersYANGON, 22 July—
Yangon Region All PrivateBus-line Central ControlCommittee
conducts trainingcourses to the drivers andbus conductors with the
aimof reducing traffic accidentsand abiding by the rules
andregulations.
On 8 July, the basictraining course No 9/2012 forbus workers was
opened andit was attended by 91 trainees.The refresher course No.
7/
2012 will be opened on 27July.
So far, a total of 821 busworkers have attended thetraining
courses up to courseNo. 9/2012. Likewise,altogether 585 bus
workershave completed the refreshercourses up to No 6/2012.
“The training courses areaimed at changing thecharacteristics of
the busworkers. Some of bus workerskeep themselves away from
training courses due todifficulties of their basicneeds.
Actually, all the busworkers must attend thetraining courses. It is
surethat those who completed thetraining courses show offtheir
moral and mentalcharacters with betterattitudes,” said an official
ofYangon Region All PrivateBus-line Central ControlCommittee.
Myanma Alin
Books, publications donated to library inKangyidaunt
Township
KANGYIDAUNT, 22 July—A ceremony to donate booksand cash to
Pyinnya PyokhinLibrary was held inMyinkaseik (Seebyuchaung)Village
of Kangyidaunt
Township in AyeyawadyRegion on 12 July morning.
At the ceremony,Township Information andPublic Relations
Departmentdonated books andpublications, departmentsand NGOs cash
to the library.
The library with themeasurement of 20 feet longand 18 feet wide
brick nogginwas built at a cost of K 1million funded by the
State
and K 800,000 by fourwellwishers.
The library building wasformally opened byTownship Administrator
UMyint Sein, Head ofTownship Information andPublic
RelationsDepartment Daw Zin MarOo, Village Administrator UThein Soe
and townselder UTun Aung.
Myanma Alin
Thai Ambassador donates Taraflex Floor toMyanmar Volleyball
Federation
YANGON, 22 July—Ambassador of Thailand toMyanmar Mr
SinauSuvanajata donated TaraflexFloor to Myanmar
VolleyballFederation at National IndoorStadium in Yangon on 17
Julyevening.
Also present on theoccasion were Vice-Presidentof Myanmar
VolleyballFederation U Thein Win,General Secretary U Nyi NyiLwin
and Myanmar selectedvolleyball athletes who arebeing trained for
XXVII SEAGames and internationalvolleyball tournaments.
Speaking on theoccasion, the ThaiAmbassador said that
hisdonation will contribute todevelopment of volleyball
sports in Myanmar bysecuring medals for selectedMyanmar men’s
and women’svolleyball athletes in theXXVII SEA Games
andinternational volleyballtournaments and to training
courses for the Myanmarvolleyball teams.
After that, Vice-President of the federation UThein Win spoke
words ofthanks.
Myanma Alin
Thai Ambassador, Vice-President of MyanmarVolleyball Federation
seen with players after donation
of Taraflex Floor.
MyanmarLibraries
Foundationinvites cash,
bookdonationsMyanmar Libraries
Foundation is givingencouragement tobroadening the horizon ofthe
people and developingself-reliant libraries acrossthe nation.
Those wishing todonate cash and books tothe libraries may
contactMyanmar LibrariesFoundation at No. 228 onTheinbyu Street
inBotahtaung Township,Yangon, Tel: 01-371342, 01-201936 and
01-398756.
Employees Cooperative Societyholds annual general meeting
GANGAW, 22 July—Gangaw TownshipEmployees Micro-creditCooperative
Society ofMagway Region held theannual general meeting for2011-2012
fiscal year at thehall of Gangaw TownshipCooperative Department on
1July afternoon.
Chairman of the societyU Khaing Tun, TownshipAdministrator U Hla
Win
Aung and Staff Officer U MyoAung of TownshipCooperative
Departmentmade speeches.
Secretary of the societyU Chit Wai read the annualreport of the
society. Themeeting adopted future tasksand decisions. Later,
thechairman presented prizes tooutstanding students in
thematriculation examination.
Myanma Alin
Drive Safely
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10 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012
NATO soldiers killed in E AfghanistanKABUL, 22 July—Three
NATO soldiers have beenkilled in two separateincidents in
restive easternAfghanistan, the NATO- ledcoalition confirmed
onSunday morning.
“Two InternationalSecurity Assistance Force(ISAF) service
members diedfollowing an improvisedexplosive device (IED) attackin
eastern Afghanistan
today,” the NATO-led ISAFsaid in a statement issuedhere.
Another ISAF soldierwas killed in an insurgentattack also in
eastern part ofthe country on Saturday.
The brief ISAFstatement gave neither thenationalities of the
victims northe details about the incidentsunder the ISAF
policy.
Troops mostly from
United States have beenstationed in easternAfghanistan within
theframework of ISAF to curbTaleban-linked insurgencythere.
Violence has been on therise since Taleban launchedan annual
spring offensiveon 3 May. A total of 247foreign soldiers have
beenkilled in Afghanistan so far in2012.—Xinhua
Motoristsnegotiate a
floodedstreet
following aheavy
monsoonrain
spawned bya tropicaldepressionin Manila,
Philippines.INTERNET
Police display counterfeit money during a newsconference in
Lima, on 18 July, 2012. Police seized
counterfeit $2 million in US dollars, 1.5 million in Eurosas
well as printing machines and other counterfeitingequipment during
a raid on Wednesday, according to
local media reports.—INTERNET
9 killed in suicide bomb attack in NW PakistanISLAMABAD, 22
July—At
least nine people includingfive children were killed and15
others were injured when asuicide bomb hit a militantheadquarters
in Pakistan’snorthwest tribal area ofKurram Agency on
Saturdayafternoon, local mediareported.
Earlier reports said thatthe attack was launched inKurram
Agency’s neighbou-ring area of Hangu.
In a report, local state-run TV channel PTV said thatthe
incident took place atabout 1:00 pm (local time)
when a suicide bomberrammed his explosive-laddenvehicle into the
wall of a houseused as headquarters of aMolana Nabi
Hanfi-ledmilitant group in Speen Tallarea of Kurram Agency,
arestive semi-autonomoustribal area at Pakistan-Afghanistan
border.
The suicide blast killednine people including fourmilitants and
five kids whowere passing by the blastsite after attending
theirschool.
Outer wall of the militants’headquarters was completely
destroyed and four nearbyhouses were also damaged inthe
blast.
No group claimedresponsibility for the blast.
The attack seems to bean outcome of internal conflictbetween two
militant groupslead by Molana Hafiz ZiaurRehman and Molana
NabiHanfi.
Both groups have beenat odds with each other forthe last two
years and theyare often involved in killingand kidnapping of
rivalfighters in Kurram Agency.
Xinhua
Bodyguard ofShiite VP shot
dead inBaghdadBAGHDAD, 22 July—A
bodyguard of Iraqi Shiite vicepresident was shot dead onSaturday
in an attack in centralBaghdad, an Interior Ministrysource
said.
Unidentified armed mengunned down a bodyguardof Vice President
Khudair al-Khuzaie in Baghdad’s centraldistrict of Karrada, the
sourcetold Xinhua on condition ofanonymity.
Khuzaie himself was notat the scene when the attackoccurred
around midday, thesource said.
Violence and sporadichigh-profile bomb attacks stillcommon in
Iraqi cities despitethe dramatic decrease inviolence since its peak
in 2006and 2007 when the countrywas engulfed in
sectariankillings.—Xinhua
Moderate quake hitsHokkaido, Japan region
TOKYO, 22 July—An earthquake measuring 5.1 on theRichter scale
jolted Hokkaido, Japan region at 0441 GMT onSunday, the US
Geological Survey said.
The epicenter, with a depth of 57.70 km, was initiallydetermined
to be at 42.5113 degrees north latitude and 142.9201degrees east
longitude.
Xinhua
One missing, two injured in helicopter crashin SW China
Afghan soldiers stand guardnext a destroyed vehicleafter a
roadside bomb in
Nangarhar province easternof Afghanistan on July 21,2012. At
least four civilians
killed and two otherswounded after a vehicle hit
to a roadside bomb inNangarhar police on
Saturday, police officialsaid.—XINHUA
KUNMING, 22 July—Oneperson was missing and twoothers injured
after ahelicopter crashed into areservoir in the city ofChuxiong in
southwestChina’s Yunnan Province,local authorities said
onSunday.
The accident happened
at around 5:45 pm onSaturday at the Qingshanzuireservoir, local
authoritiessaid.
Three people were onboard when the helicoptercrashed, two of
them havingbeen rescued and sent tohospital for treatment. Theyare
currently not in critical
conditions, according to localauthorities.
Initial investigationshowed the helicopterbelonged to the
YunnanGeneral Aviation Co, LtdRescuers are searching forthe missing
person. Probes tothe cause of the accident areunderway.—Xinhua
16 killed, 27 injured in bus collision in South Africa
JOHANN RESBURG, 22 July—A running bus collided with the other
one in the southernSouth Africa on Saturday, leaving at least
sixteen people dead and 27 hurt, local news agencyreported.
The accident occurred on the route R61 in the southern province
of the Eastern Cape,the South African Press Association (SAPA)
reported.
One of the two buses was carrying schoolchildren to an event as
it collided with the otherone with passengers, said the SAPA.
Among the injured, four are in a critical condition, according
to the SAPA.Police are investigating the fatal incident.
Xinhua
13 killed in road mishap innorthern India
NEW DELHI, 22 July—In a tragic incident, 13 people,including 11
women, were killed when a speeding truckmowed them down while they
were sleeping on the roadsideslums and pavement in the northern
Indian state of UttarPradesh late Saturday night, a senior police
official said onSunday.
“The mishap happened in the state’s Etawah district.Some 17
people were sleeping when 13 of them were run overby the truck
after its driver lost control of the vehicle. All thevictims died
on the spot while others who sustained injurieshave been rushed to
a local hospital,” he said, on conditionof anonymity.
The driver of the truck has managed to flee but effortsare on to
nab him, the official said, adding that a probe hasbeen ordered
into the incident.
A large number of homeless people sleep on pavementsin cities
and towns across the country, often becomingvictims of road
mishaps.
Xinhua
Italy shipwreck hearingpostponed to 15 October
GROSSETO, 22 July—Experts investigating theCosta Concordia
shipwreck,which killed as many as 32people, need more time togather
evidence and willpresent their findings at apre-trial hearing on
15October, lawyers said onSaturday.
The panel of expertsinvestigating the January 13cruise line
disaster off theItalian coast are expected tocomplete their work
bySeptember.
Saturday’s pre-trialhearing, which considersevidence ahead of a
full trial,was postponed after the
experts asked for more timeto answer some 50 requestsfrom
information by theprosecutors, lawyers said. Itwas the second
hearing sincethe procedure opened on 3March. “It was a
simpletechnical delay,” said BrunoLeporatti, a lawyerrepresenting
the ship’scaptain Francesco Schettino,who is accused of causing
theaccident and who facescharges including
multiplemanslaughter.
Leporatti said theinvestigators had not beenable to gather all
the evidence“given the complexity of thequestions”.
The Costa Concordia cruise ship lies on its side, half-submerged
during sunrise at Giglio Island on 14 July,
2012.—REUTERS
The huge CostaConcordia, with some 4,200passengers and crew
aboard,ran aground and halfcapsized after a rock tore ahole in its
hull when itapproached the tiny Tuscanisland of Giglio during a
cruise of the westernMediterranean.
At least 30 people diedduring a chaotic nighttimeevacuation of
the 114,500-tonne ship, and another twobodies have still not
beenrecovered.—Reuters
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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 July, 2012 11
Lawmakers in Japan outline denuclearizationbill
TOKYO, 22 July—FormerJapanese prime ministerNaoto Kan and
othergoverning party lawmakershave announced an outlineof a bill
that would end Japan’sreliance on nuclear energy by2025.
The draft outline saysnuclear power generationcould lead to
infinite damagesin the event of an accident. Itadds that lack of
final disposalmeasures will end up leaving
future generations piles ofradioactive waste.
It calls for establishingalternative power sources andreducing
the number ofoperating nuclear powerplants to zero.
The draft also calls forpromotion of solar, wind, andother
sources of renewableenergy to cut carbon dioxideemissions.
The outline alsomandates the central
government to create jobs incommunities that hostnuclear
plants.
The secretary general ofthe governing DemocraticParty, Azuma
Koshiishi, hasbeen asking Kan to compile aplan on future energy
sources.
The former prime ministersaid he intends to seeksupport within
his party andthat he wants to submit thebill with support from
theopposition.—NHK
Cui Yonggu,62, a garbage
collector, takesa break fromcleaning thewater surfaceto the west
of
the ThreeGorges Dam.
By scooping upwaste from theriver, Cui earns
40-50 yuan($6.3-$7.8) a
day thissummer.XINHUA
At least 18 killed inbus accident in India
NEW DELHI, 22 July—A bus plunged intoa gorge after landslides in
India’s northeasternstate of Mizoram, killing at least 18 peopleand
injuring dozens, a police official said onSunday.
The accident took place on Saturdaynear Keifang village, close
to the border withMyanmar and more than 100 km (60 miles)from the
state capital Aizwal, the official, L.R.Sailo, said.
“Seventeen people died on the spot anda 10-year boy died in the
hospital,” Sailo saidby telephone from Aizwal.
Reuters
A robot Ultraman lookalike shaves noodles at arestaurant in
Jilin, Jilin Province on 17 July. The owner
said the robot cost him 20,000 yuan ($2,973) and itworks twice
as fast as a human and conserves energy.
The lights, in place of eyes, signal the robot is working.Many
people visit the robot noodle restaurant to have a
bite made by the machine. China is undergoing aninvasion of
Ultraman robots serving noodles to
customers. In November 2011, one was pictured makingnoodles in
Shijiazhuang city, capital of North China’sHebei Province. In March
2012, another one appeared
at a restaurant in Xuchang, Central China’s
HenanProvince.—INTERNET
Boy attacked by hyenas receivingtreatment
Rescued Taiwan fishing vessel crew membersarrived in
Tanzania
BEIJING, 22 July—Chinahere on Saturday voiced thewill to
maintain close contactswith Russia for an early andproper solution
of the disputeon the detained Chinesefishing ships, which left
afisherman missing.
Such events are “suddenand individual” cases, andChina hopes the
two sides cansolve them while bearingChina-Russia friendship
inmind, said Foreign Ministryspokesman Hong Lei whencommenting on a
relevantquestion. According to theChinese Consulate inVladivostok,
Russia’s Far-Eastregion, two Chinese fishingships from China’s
easternShandong province wererecently seized by the Russianside
respectively.
Media reports said that aRussian coast guard vesselfired shots
to one of the twoChinese fishing ships that hadbeen fishing in
Russia’sexclusive economic zone. AChinese fisherman wentmissing
after the boat he wasaboard collided with a Russianship that chased
the Chineseone.
China had lodged
WAJIR, 22 July—A 10-year-old Kenyan boy left with several long
scarson his face from an attack by hyenas has been flown to Nairobi
for treatment,officials said.
The pack of hyenas attacked Musa Jelle on 10 June as he and his
familyslept in their home in the northern Kenya town of Wajir, the
BBC reported.
The attack left two children in the family dead and 10 other
people injured.The Kenya Wildlife Service, which manages the
country’s game parks
and wildlife, is covering Musa’s medical expenses and paying
compensationof about $230 to his family.
KWS has killed the hyenas involved in the attack.The BBC noted
wild animals are a major tourist attraction in Kenya but
confrontations with humans have increased recently.KWS is trying
to stop the killing of wildlife in local communities.
Internet
China to seek “early, proper”solution with Russia ondetained
Chinese ships
DAR ES SALAAM, 22July—The 26 rescued Taiwanfishing vessel Xufu 1
crewmembers, transferred by aChinese navy warship,arrived in Dar es
Salaam, thecapital of Tanzania onSaturday morning.
All crew memberslooked well and weretransported immediately
tohotel for medical examines bya Chinese medical teamwaiting
there.
They crew members havealso received medical andpsychological
examines when
they were on the Chinesenavy warship for three daysafter freed
by Somalia pirates.
An official with China’sMinistry of Foreign affairssaid the
Chinese navywarship sent a helicopter toairlift the crew members to
thewarship after they were freed,due to the difficulties causedby
strong wind and seawaveat the rescuing spot. Chineseambassador to
Tanzania LvYouqing expressed hisgratitude to the Tanzaniagovernment
for its help duringthe transferring and Customs
clearance process.The Vietnamese crew
members were received byofficials with Vietnamambassy to
Tanzania afterarriving at the port. TheChinese crew members
wereexpected to fly back home onMonday.
Xufu 1, with 13 crewmembers from the Chinesemainland, one from
Taiwanand 12 from Vietnam, washijacked by Somali pirates inDecember
2010 off theMadagascar coast and takento Somalia.—Internet
TOKYO, 22 July—Mitsubishi Motors hasintroduced a system to
useelectric vehicles as anemergency power source inthe event of
outages at itsheadquarters in Tokyo.
Mitsubishi experiencedpower cuts following lastyear’s earthquake
and tsunamithat hit northeast Japan. Theauto company’s
headquartersbuilding has been refurbishedso that electric vehicles
can beconnected by cable to switchboxes.
The company says thatin the event of a power outage,stored
electricity will be usedto feed power to communica-tions equipment
and ateleconference system at adisaster response task force.The
company says the systemwill allow it to confirm safety ofemployees
and giveinstructions to productionsites across Japan.
Mitsubishi says it willmake the stored electricityavailable for
workers strandedat the company by trafficdisruptions. It plans to
connect4 electric vehicles to thebuilding, which it says canprovide
enough electricity tomaintain the system for 3 days.
Another Japanese autofirm, Nissan, startedpreparations to use
electriccars as emergency powersources at its dealershipsnationwide
this month. MoreJapanese companies areexpected to follow
suit.—NHK
A train-turned hotel sits onthe tracks waiting for its
firstgroup of guests in Xifengcounty, Southwest China’sGuizhou
Province, on 18
July, 2012. —XINHUA
Children are treatedwith a “sanfutie”
plaster at theHuaibei Hospital ofTraditional ChineseMedicine in
AnhuiProvince on 18 July.
“Sanfutie” datesback to the Jin
Dynasty (AD 265-420) and is believed
to be useful inrelieving chronic
illnesses.—XINHUA
Mitsubishi to useEVs as emergency
batteries
TOKYO, 22 July—A small sightseeing boat narrowlyescaped a large
wave created by a piece of crumbling icebergin the Arctic. The boat
carrying a tourist was approaching agigantic iceberg off the coast
of western Greenland onThursday when the wave was created.
A video taken by a crewmember shows the icebergcreaking and
cracking and a massive wave closing in on theboat. The boat barely
stayed ahead of the wave as its captainsteered it at full
speed.
NHK