State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing meets members of Mon State Administration Council, departmental personnel

Chairman of the State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing yesterday morning met Mon State Administration Council members and departmental personnel at the office of Mon State Administration Council in Mawlamyine.
Mon State Administration Council Chairman U Zaw Lin Tun reported on social, economic, health and regional development tasks of the state, vaccination of COVID-19 and general matters and Union Minister for Transport and Communications Admiral Tin Aung San on arrangements to be made for the development of Mawlamyine port and upgrade of Mawlamyine Airport.
In his response, the Senior General stressed the need to rebuild Sittoung Paper Mill to meet the State’s paper demand. It is necessary to systematically grow bamboo, eucalyptus and Manjansia as raw materials for paper production. The Senior General spoke of the need to consider the long-term plan for an upgrade of Mawlamyine Airport. As the development of Mawlamyine Port will help produce the goods made of marine products, short and long term plans should be laid down.
The Senior General expressed his satisfaction with the highest pass rate of the matriculation examination from 1997 to 2020 in Mon State. Mon State makes the best efforts in the education sector. So, it needs to maintain the existing traditions, and efforts must be made for achieving more success to be applied for the interests of the state. All students need to focus on learning, and parents and officials should encourage education for those students. Learning the university education is enlarging the scope of studies on their majoring subjects.
The Senior General pointed out that it is necessary to increase the educated persons in the regions for undertaking the regional development tasks. Without knowledge and skills, it is impossible to produce advanced products and advanced agricultural and livestock products. So, institutes of agriculture and institutes of livestock breeding are opened to teach the students to have knowledge of respective subjects, essential for the agriculture and livestock farms. The Senior General stressed the need to encourage domestic production of sufficient and quality agricultural and livestock products at home. Production of necessary product items in Mon State as import-substitute goods will much benefit the country.
With regard to land utilization, agricultural tasks are being carried out as main livelihoods. Although paddy cultivation is sure to be rice sufficiency in Mon State, a per-acre yield of paddy is down. Hence, local farmers need to use quality paddy strains, sufficient water supply, correct agricultural methods and efficient use of necessary inputs. Quality crops can be exported to earn foreign exchange, so local farmers will have benefits, and it will contribute much to the regional development.
Concerning generating electricity, emphasis must be placed on developing hydropower called renewable energy. Implementation of possible hydropower projects in the state will much benefit the state and the country.
The Tatmadaw is striving for strengthening the multiparty democracy route the people aspire. The Senior General recounted he has said that he would like to march towards a pure democracy and honesty democracy at the third-anniversary ceremony of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2018. Political dishonest activities should not be done in a democracy. The election plays a key role in democratization. Due to errors on the voter lists, the Tatmadaw is temporarily taking the State duties in line with the constitution. Arrangements are being made to hold the free and fair election. The Tatmadaw decided to build the Union based on democracy and federalism.
In the evening, the Senior General and party inspected the upgrade of Yamanya stadium in Mawlamyine and instructed officials to upgrade the stadium meeting the standards and other matters. —MNA