Senior General Than Shwe attends ceremony to plant 28 Sacred trees and 108 Sacred Bo trees in Sacred Garden

NAY PYI TAW, 21 July — A ceremony to plant 28 Sacred trees and 108 Sacred Bo trees in the Sacred Garden in the compound of Upatasanti Pagoda to be built here was held on the hilllock where the pagoda is to be built this morning, attended by Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Commander-in- Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe.
Also present on the occasion were 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, member of the SPDC General Thura Shwe Mann of the Ministry of Defence, Prime Minister General Thein Sein, Secretary-1 of the SPDC Lt- Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, members of the SPDC, the Commander-in-Chief (Navy), the Commander-in-Chief (Air), senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence, the chairmen of the State and Division PDCs, ministers, the mayors, deputy ministers and directors of the Ministry of Defence.
At the auspicious time at 9.09 am, Senior General Than Shwe and party took the positions in the garden.
Next, Senior General Than Shwe planted the Sacred tree at No. 1 place, Vice-Senior planted the Sacred trees atGeneral Maung Aye the Sacred tree at No. 2 place, General Thura Shwe Mann the Sacred tree at No. 3 place, Prime Minister General Thein Sein the Sacred tree at No. 4 place and Secretary-1 Lt- Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo the Sacred tree at No. 5 place.
Afterwards, members of the State Peace and Development Council and senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence the remaining places at the same time.
Likewise, at the auspicious time, the chairmen of State and Division PDCs, ministers, the mayors and deputy ministers and directors of the Ministry of Defence planted 108 Bo trees at the designated places in the compound of the pagoda simultaneously.