(1) Prime Minister of Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra arrives on official visit to Myanmar

YANGON, 19 June-At the invitation of Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council and Prime  Minister of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe, Thai goodwill delegation led by Prime  Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra arrived here by special aircraft this  afternoon on an official visit to the Union of Myanmar.

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and members of the delegation were welcomed at the Yangon International Airport by Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council and Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe, Vice-Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council General Maung Aye, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen. Khin Nyunt, Secretary-3 Lt-Gen. Win Myint, member of the State Peace and Development Council Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Commander of Yangon Command Maj-Gen Khin Maung Than, Minister for Foreign Affairs U Win Aung, Minister for Communications, Posts and Telegraphs Brig-Gen. Thein Zaw, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand U Myo Myint, Director-General of Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet, Dean of Diplomatic Corps Ambassador of Lao People's Democratic Republic Mr Ly Bounkham, Heads of diplomatic missions in Yangon, Heads of UN Agencies, Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar Mr Oum Maolanon and staff of Royal Thai Embassy. The special aircraft carrying the Thai goodwill delegation led by Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra arrived at the airport at 4.20 p.m. Director-General of Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet and Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar Mr Oum Maolanon boarded the aircraft and welcomed visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra. Visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra was accorded a 19-gun salute.

Schoolgirls at the airport welcomed the visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand waving
miniature flags of the two countries and chanting slogans. On arrival at VIP lounge, a Myanmar young lady presented a bouquet to the visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand. Visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra was greeted by Senior General Than Shwe. Next, Senior General Than Shwe presented his entourage to the visiting Prime Minister. Afterwards, the Senior General and party and the visiting Prime Minister and members of the goodwill delegation went to the reception hall of the airport. The Thai Prime Minister and the Senior General proceeded to the saluting dais and took the salute of the Guard of Honour, while the State Band played the national anthems of the two countries. The visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Senior General inspected the Guard of Honour.

The visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Senior General were greeted by the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, diplomats and Heads of UN Agencies, Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar Mr Oum Maolanon and staff of the Royal Thai Embassy. The visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand and members of the goodwill delegation, accompanied by Senior General Than Shwe, proceeded to Seinle Kantha State House in a motorcade. Teachers, schoolgirls, nurses and people numbering 7,500 warmly greeted the guests waving miniature flags of the two countries from the airport to Seinle Kantha State House, along the University Avenue wishing the Prime Minister of Thailand and the Senior General good health and hailing Myanmar-Thai friendship.

In extending the grand welcome to the visiting Prime Minister and members of the goodwill delegation an archway was put up at the entrance to the Yangon International Airport welcoming the guests in both Myanmar and English " We warmly welcome His Excellency Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.'" Banners were posted on Pyay Road at the entrance to the airport, at 8th mile, at the corner of Inyalay, in front of Inya Lake bank, at the entrance to Seinle Kantha State House, along the University Avenue, at the junction of Kamayut, Hanthawady Roundabouts, U Wisara Roundabouts and the People's Square.

The guests together with the Senior General arrived at Seinle Kantha State House at 5 p.m. The Senior General greeted the visiting Prime Minister and members of the delegation and left at 5.15 PM. The visiting Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Surakiart Sathirathai, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office General Thammarak Isarangura, Minister of Commerce Mr Adisai Bodharamik, Minister of Interior Pol Col Purachai Piumsomboon, Minister of Public Health Mrs Sudarat Keyuraphun, Deputy Minister of Defence General Yuthasak Sasi-prapha and other senior officials.

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(2) Senior General Than Shwe hosts dinner in honour of Thai Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and party 

YANGON, 19 June- Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council and Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe hosted a dinner in honour of Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and members of the goodwill delegation, currently here, at  the Reception Hall of Pyithu Hluttaw Building on Pyay Road at 7.30 p.m. today.

Also present at the dinner were Vice-Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council General  Maung Aye, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen. Khin Nyunt, Secretary-3  Lt-Gen. Win Myint, Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Rear-Admiral Kyi Min, member of the State Peace and  Development Council Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Commander Maj- Gen Khin Maung Than, Deputy Prime Ministers Vice-Admiral Maung Maung Khin and Lt-Gen. Tin  Tun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Military Affairs Quartermaster-General Lt-Gen. Tin Hla,  the ministers, senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, Ambassador of the Union of Myanmar to the Kingdom of Thailand U Myo Myint, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand Mr Oum Maolanon, the directors-general of the State Peace and Development Council Office, the Government Office, the president's Office, the Pyithu Hluttaw Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors of the respective embassies of ASEAN member nations and
guests.

At the dinner, the State Band played the National Anthems of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Union of  Myanmar. Then, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council and Prime Minister of the Union  of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin  Shinawatra proposed a toast to those present at the dinner. Before and during the dinner, vocalists  presented songs to the accompaniment of Myanma Athan modern music troupe. After the dinner, artistes  of Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture entertained the distinguished guests with cultural  dances. After the cultural dance, Thai Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra presented a bouquet to the  artistes.

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(3)  Secretary-1 Lt- Gen. calls on Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra 

YANGON, 19 June- Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen. Khin Nyunt paid  courtesy call on Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Dr Thaksin Shinawatra,  who is currently  here at the invitation of Prime Minister Senior General Than Shwe, at Seinle Kantha State House at 5.30  p.m. today.

Present also together with Secretary-1 Lt-Gen. Khin Nyunt were Minister for Foreign Affairs U Win  Aung, Minister for Communications, Posts and Telegraphs Brig-Gen. Thein Zaw, Deputy Minister for  Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, Ambassador of Myanmar to Thailand U Myo Myint and Director- General of Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet. The visiting Prime Minister was accompanied by  Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Mr Surakiart Sathirathai, Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar  Mr Oum Maolanon and high- ranking officials.

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(4) Mayor meets Indian Ambassador 

YANGON, 19 June-Chairman of Yangon City Development Committee Mayor U Ko Lay received  Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Union of Myanmar Mr Shyam Saran at his office at 10 am  today. Also present at the call were Vice-Chairman of YCDC Vice-Mayor Col Maung Pa, Secretary Col  Myint Aung, Joint Secretary U Kyi Win, committee members and officials.

Minister receives India Ambassador

YANGON, 19 June- Minister for Finance and Revenue U Khin Maung Thein received Ambassador of the  Republic of India to the Union of Myanmar Mr Shyam Saran at his office this morning. Also present at the call was adviser to the Ministry of Finance and Revenue U Kyi Shein.

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(5) Minister inspects information tasks in Pyinmana, Toungoo

YANGON, 19 June- Minister for Information Maj-Gen Kyi Aung, accompanied by departmental officials, arrived at the site, where TV re-transmission station of Myanma Radio and Television will be built, in Pyinmana, Yamethin District, Mandalay Division, yesterday morning. MRTV Deputy Director-General Lt-Col Thein Aung and Deputy Chief Engineer U Myint Aung reported on progress in of construction of the station. The minister gave instructions on timely completion, security, beautifying tasks, tree planting at the station and its environs and drinking water supply and inspected the foundation of the station and machinery.

At Pyinmana Township Information and Public Relations Department, Director-General U Chit Naing of IPRD and staff welcomed the minister. Then, the minister inspected the IPRD office and gave  instructions. After that, the minister proceeded to Toungoo and inspected decoration of MRTV Yeiktha.  Director (Admin) U Phone Myint of MRTV reported on decoration work to the minister. Next, the  minister inspected MRTV re-transmission station in Toungoo and construction site of Toungoo IPRD  Office. The director-general of IPRD and officials conducted the minister round the construction site. The  minister gave necessary instructions. Then, the minister left Toungoo and arrived back here in the  evening.

Ministry of Sports holds first four-monthly coord meeting

YANGON, 19 June-The first four-monthly coordination meeting for 2001 of the Ministry of Sports was  held at the Ruby Hall of National Indoor Stadium-1 in Thuwunna yesterday morning. Present were  Minister for Sports Brig-Gen. Thura Aye Myint, Director-General of Sports and Physical Education  Department U Thaung Htaik, Deputy Director-General U Thein Aung, Assistant Directors of State and  Division Sports and Physical Education Departments and officials. Minister Brig-Gen. Thura Aye Myint  spoke on the work performance during the first four months, tasks to be undertaken, uplift of qualification  of service personnel and producing new generation athletes by holding sports meets at grassroots levels.  Assistant Directors of State and Division Sports and Physical Education Departments reported on work  done and future tasks. The director-general of SPED and the deputy director-general took part in the  discussions. The meeting ended with the concluding remarks by the minister.

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(6) Minister inspects factories in Mandalay

YANGON, 19 June- Minister for Industry-1 U Aung Thaung, accompanied by managing directors,
arrived at Mandalay Soap Factory of Myanma Pharmaceutical Industries on Amarahtani Ward in
Aungmyaythazan Township yesterday morning. At the briefing hall, Factory Manager U Win Ko Ko  explained the production of Sunlight, Hmwe and Caborlic soaps to the minister. The minister gave  instructions to officials. President of Seinban Industrial Cooperative Ltd U Kyaw Win explained the  installation of machinery to the minister, who gave suggestions.

Then, Minister U Aung Thaung inspected fuel oil tank, boiler and production of soaps at the factory. The  minister then arrived at Mandalay Brewery at 8.30 am. At the briefing hall, Managing Director U Kyaw  Myint and Factory Manager U Thaung Myint reported on matters relating to the production and  distribution of Mandalay beer. The minister gave suggestions to them. Factory Manager of Distillery U  Zaw Min explained the production and distribution of Mandalay rum to the minister. The minister gave  suggestions to them and inspected the sample of rum and factory. Minister U Aung Thaung also inspected  Mandalay No 1 Distillery and construction of the distillery tank.

Then, Minister U Aung Thaung arrived at Match Factory of Myanma Paper and Chemical Industries on  Minte Eikin Ward in Aung-myaythazan Township at 10.30 am. General Manager U Thein Soe and  Factory Manger U Nyi Nyi Aung explained the sample of matches at the factory. The minister inspected  the factory and gave instructions to them. In the afternoon, Central Executive Committee member of  Union Solidarity and Development Association U Aung Thaung met secretaries and executives of  Division, District and Township USDAs at Division USDA Office.

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(7) Italian delegation calls on Minister

YANGON, 19 June- Minister for Commerce Brig-Gen. Pyi Sone received Commercial Director Mr  Giuseppe Ribechi of Mediotrade SPA of Italy and party at his office this afternoon. Also present at the call  were Deputy Minister Brig-Gen. Kyaw Hsan, Director-General of Directorate of Trade U Nyunt Aye,  Director-General of Border Trade Department U Nay Win, Managing Director of Myanma Agricultural  Produce Trading U Min Hla Aung and officials.

Minister of Rail Transportation concludes coord meeting 

YANGON, 19 June- The Ministry of Rail Transportation held the first four-monthly coordination meeting  for the fourth and final day at the hall of the ministry yesterday morning, with an address by Minister U  Pan Aung. Also present on the occasion were Deputy Ministers Thura U Thaung Lwin and U Pe Than,  the managing director and advisers and officials. Project executive engineers reported on the  implementation of respective projects.

The minister attended to their needs. Then, the minister said all-out efforts are to be made for undertaking the tasks because work skill and effective supervision are required in carrying out the railway  sector; officials must be dutiful and capable maintenance of roads and bridges must be done in accord with  the work manual; major- and medium-scale repair work for locomotives and carriages must be regularly  performed; it is necessary to effectively use locomotives and carriages in respective railroad sections, and  the minister urged the officials to carefully carry out the scheduled tasks with skill and high capability.

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(8) Police urged to strive to win public trust  

YANGON, 19 June - Myanmar Police Force held its first four-monthly meeting for 2001 at MPF
Headquarters this morning, with an address by Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing. Based on the  policy guidelines given by the Head of State, directions given by the Chairman of Reforming Management  System of MPF and resolutions of the committee meeting, the MPF should launch their operations to  ensure the rule of law and to win public reliance, he said.

The MPF should strive for the prevalence of peace and the rule of law in urban areas as well as in rural  areas, he noted. MPF personnel have the duty to ensure public security, rule of law and fairness in the  courts, he added. They should try to win public trust and should modernize their organization in order to  be able to join hands with the Tatmadaw in times of emergency, he stressed. Also present at the meeting  were Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen. Thura Myint Maung, Director-General of MPF Police  Maj-Gen Soe Win, directors-general of departments under the Ministry of Home Affairs and police  officers of various states and divisions.

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(9) Upgrading of Arntgyi and Dalla shipyards stressed 

YANGON, 19 June - Minister for Transport Maj-Gen Hla Myint Swe inspected Arntgyi and Dalla
shipyards this morning. At the briefing hall of Arntgyi Shipyard, the minister heard a report on financial  situation of the shipyard, foreign exchange earnings, building of ships and growing of edible crops in the  compound presented by General Manager U Tin Soe and Deputy General Manager U Myint Thaung of  Myanma Port Authority. Deputy Minister for Transport U Pe Than also explained the functions of the  shipyard. During the discussions, the minister spoke of the need to upgrade the shipyard, saying that the  ministry will provide necessary assistance.

At Dalla Shipyard, the minister inspected progress in building a 1,400-ton capacity dry-dock and repair of  a 100-ton capacity crane. Superintending Engineer U Charley Than and officials explained points of the  shipyard. During the meeting with officials, the minister heard a report on functions, upgrading and  financial situation of the shipyard and progress in building the No 4 Dockyard presented by Deputy  Minister U Pe Than, Managing Director of Inland Water Transport U Tun Aung Myint and officials.
 
New school multimedia classrooms opened in Kyaukse 

YANGON, 19 June-A ceremony to open a new school and multimedia classrooms of No 3 Basic
Education High School in Ayemyakyilin Ward, Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Division, was held at the in  school this morning. Commander of Central Command Maj-Gen Ye Myint, Minister for Industry-1 U  Aung Thaung, Minister for Education U Than Aung, Deputy Minister Brig-Gen. Soe Win Maung,  officials, towns elders attended the ceremony. Headmaster U Htay and Chairman of School Board of  Trustees U San Myint formally opened the school. The commander unveiled the signboard of the school.  Then, the commander, the ministers and guests inspected the Language Lab, Computer Aided Instruction  Room, Computer Skill Room, Audio-Visual Room, Projected Media Room, classrooms and the altar  room.

The commander delivered a speech, followed by explanation on construction of the school and multimedia  rooms by Minister U Aung Thaung. Next, Managing Director U Thaik Tun of Myanma General and  Maintenance Industries handed over the documents related to the school to Director-General Lt-Col Win  Htain of No 2 Basic Education Department. Townselder U Than Shwe spoke words of thanks. The  commander and the ministers then inspected new buildings and the chosen site for main hall. Altogether  915 students are attending the school which has 12 classrooms and an office. The school was built by the  Ministry of Industry-1. Afterwards, Minister U Aung Thaung arrived at Paleik Textile and Garment  Factory where Managing Director U Oo Thein Maung and Factory Manager U Maung Ni conducted him  around the factory. The minister left necessary instructions there.

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