Nay Pyi Taw january 16
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing received Patron of Pa-O Peace Organization (PNO) Transformed People’s Militia (Local) U Aung Hkam Hti and party at the parlour of Bayintnaung Villa, here, this morning to discuss development of Pa-O Self-Administered Zone. Also present at the meeting together with the Senior General were Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun and senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army). The Patron of Pa-O Peace Organization (PNO) Transformed People’s Militia (Local) was accompanied by members of People’s Militia (Local). In his address, the Senior General said he held a meeting with local farmers on his tour of Naungtaya and Pinlaung townships in Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in November 2019 to talk about needs of agriculture and development in the region. Pa-O region is an agrobased area, and the majority of local farmers cultivate tea, potato, avocado, onion and other crops on a commercial scale. As such, they should strive for achieving success in agriculture and production tasks applying modern techniques.
The Tatmadaw is giving assistance to them as much as it can. As people from the whole nation prefer potato produced from the region, the Tatmadaw will provide cold storage containers to the region for storage and distribution of domestic potato strains. The Senior General noted that it needs to systematically conduct research on domestic quality strains of crops so as to produce finished products and distribute them in neat and tidy packaging system to the market. He pointed out that local and foreign travellers paying visits to the region plays a crucial role in regional development and successful trading of domestic goods. Abhaya Razamuni Buddha Image with 54 feet in height is being built in Shan State (East) to ensure peace and tranquility in Shan State (East), perpetuate Buddhism and contribute towards regional development through visits of local and foreign travellers.
Assistance is being provided to renovation of Mwedaw Kakku Pagoda in Pa-O Self-Administered Zone with the same purpose. As Pa-O ethnics deeply believe in Theravada Buddhism, they can take pride of renovating famous Mwedaw Kakku Pagoda of the region in original designs as part of attracting travellers.
If number of travellers to the region is high, they will know traditional culture and customs of the region. It can be a drive for development of the region. And, local people should strive for development of the region. Joint Secretary (1) U Nay Win Tun of Pa-O Peace Organization (PNO) Transformed People’s Militia (Local) spoke words of thanks for continuous encouragement to development tasks of the region. Local people from the whole region were delighted at the tour of the Senior General himself in meeting with local people. Local people can produce quality domestic products but they face difficulties and are unable to control the market due to high production cost and no nursery for quality strains of crops and lack of ability to compete with imported low-priced foodstuffs. Plans of the Tatmadaw to provide cold storage containers to store strains of crops will much benefit the region.
The organization will urge local people to entirely participate in regional development tasks with utmost efforts. Then, requirements on the laboratory of crops and generating hydropower were reported to the Senior General. The Senior General said Pa-O Self-Administered Zone needs to efficiently utilize natural resources of the region. Knowing nature of crops, they should have to grow them in all seasons. It needs to conduct systematic surveys on generating hydropower to meet the demand for development of the region, and the Tatmadaw will render assistance to such process. All should make utmost efforts in harmony for development not only of Naungtaya and Pinlaung townships but also of the whole Pa-O region. He urged them to systematically carry out agriculture and livestock breeding tasks in order to have success for development. He stressed need to encourage education for emergence of well-versed experts. As the country mainly consumes chickens, pigs, cows, goats and fish, the region should emphasize breeding of chickens, pigs, cows and goats effectively.
In doing so, the Tatmadaw will provide breeding tech-nologies and necessary assistance to the region. Everybody needs to be healthy to do businesses. So, they themselves need to avoid liquor, betel quid, cigarette and indulgence which can harm their health. The Tatmadaw sends mobile health care teams to the region. The Senior General urged entire Pa-O ethnics to grow trees as a national duty in order to conserve soil resources and climatic conditions of the region. Afterwards, the Senior General presented commemorative gifts to Patron of Pa-O Peace Organiza-tion (PNO) Transformed People’s Militia (Local) U Aung Hkam Hti and party and posed for documentary photos.
