We have to replace earth bricks with stone ones (2)

On 3 June, Vice- Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and party left Pathein for Oktwin Village in Ngapudaw Township by helicopter and inspected the damages to the stormhit village and surrounding villages and reconstruction work in the region by helicopter. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye cordially greeted the storm victims of Oktwin, Phonedawpyi and Thegyoung Villages at the relief camp at Oktwin. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and party went to Hainggyikyun in Ngapudaw Township where Commodore Myo Myint Than of the local station reported on damages in Ngapudaw and Hainggyikyun Townships, rehabilitation tasks, measures to be taken and requirements. On hearing the reports, Vice-Senior General Maung Aye said reconstruction works have to be carried out. He spoke of the need to make efforts for making more progress than before, to make arrangements without decreasing the previous arrangements for reconstruction of the stormhitareas.

He proceeded to Township People’s Hospital and inspected roofing and repair of the hospital. He

also visited the patients. They arrived back in Pathein in the afternoon. In the evening, a meeting on rehabilitation of the areas in Ngapudaw and Labutta Townships was held at Mya E-ya Hall in Pathein. At the meeting Vice-Senior General Maung Aye gave guidelines. He said in reconstructing the stormhit regions, it was necessary to render assistance to change conventional farming to mechanized one, which is one of the objectives of the State in agriculture sector. He stressed the need to grow the crops on the full sown acreage and to make the plans for increasing per acre yield in the fertile regions. Head of State Senior General Than Shwe had given guidance thatarrangements are to be made for ensuring sufficiency of the staple food such as rice, edible oil and salt in the respective regions and for ensuring some regions to become the basic food producing regions of the State. As the all-round arrangements had been made for the long-term in accord with the guidance, the regions facing the emergency had reach nearly the previous level. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the food in the division and efforts should be focused on provision of equipment such as power tillers, fertilizers, fuel, powered boats and fishing nets which are important for rehabilitation of the storm-hit regions.

The life of sons and daughters will be peaceful and beautiful due to the goodwill and correct deeds of good parents for the good of their offspring in the future. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and party arrived in Yangon from Pathein by helicopter on 4 June. They went to Kungyangon by car. At the relief camp control office there, Minister Brig-Gen Lun Thi reported on reconstruction and development tasks of Kungyangon. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye gave instructions. They toured the township in a motorcade and went to Dedaye Township. At the meeting hall of Township Peace and Development Council Office, Minister Maj-Gen Aung Min reported on reconstruction and development tasks of Dedaye. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye then gave necessary instructions. They toured the township in a motorcade and went to Township People’s Hospital where Vice-Senior General Maung Aye greeted the patients, doctors and sown acreage through mechanized farming, to provide types of fishing gear and boats usually used in the region and to undertake the tasks for food and accommodation and improvement of economic enterprises. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and party proceeded to Pyinsalu by helicopter.

They inspected opening of department offices in the temporary tents and greeted the service personnel. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye inspected accommodation of the storm victims in the

temporary tents and comforted the victims. He said the storm victims are our own people and the government will fulfill their requirements for rehabilitation tasks and raising their living standard. His words encouraged and refreshed the local people. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and party went to Third Mile camp in Labutta Township and greeted the Japanese medical team. He then inspected fishing gearprovided by Myanmar Fisheries Federation and the entrepreneurs for the fishermen. They left for Labutta. Minister Maj-Gen Tin Htut reported on
requirements for relief and rehabilitation tasks. Vice- Senior General Maung Aye gave instructions on been able to overcome the anxiety. Regarding the agriculture sector, total acreage of summer and monsoon paddy reached 19.99 million acres nationwide last year including 4.95 million acres in Ayeyawady Division. The number of acres destroyed by the storm in the Ayeyawady Division was just 0.18 million. It is equivalent to 0.009 per cent of the cultivation acreage of the whole country and 0.36 per cent of the cultivation acreage of Ayeyawady Division. He said he believes that if the government fulfills the requirements and local people make efforts for cultivation of paddy, the acreage in the division will nurses. Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and party arrived back in Yangon in the afternoon. In the evening, Vice- Senior General Maung Aye discussed rehabilitation of regions in Kungyangon and Dedaye Townships at the meeting held at Yangon Command.

He said in reconstruction of towns and villages it is necessary to build hospitals that can provide better health care and to construct offices and schools with strong foundation. He also said that it is required to take preparedness and preventive measures against natural disasters by constructing stronger combined offices, schools and other government buildings with high level of foundation and by building roads leading to the coastal regions and by rebuilding 25 feet to 30 feet high roads. Concerted efforts are to be made for focusing on more development of the storm-hit regions, uplift of the social economic status of the local people to shape the brighter future of the State in accord with the expression, replacing earth bricks with the stone ones. The

exhortations of Vice- Senior General Maung Aye are precise work guidelines for successful implementation of the tasks in practical field.