Senior General Than Shwe sees off PM General Soe Win on his departure for Thailand to attend 2nd ACMECS

YANGON, 1 Nov— At the invitation of Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, General Soe Win, Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar, and party left for Bangkok, Thailand, to attend the 2nd Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit.

Myanmar delegation led by Prime Minister General Soe Win was seen off at Yangon International Airport by Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe, 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 State Peace and Development Council General Thura Shwe Mann of the Ministry of Defence, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Thein Sein, members of the State Peace and Development Council, the Commander-in-Chief (Navy), the Commander-in-Chief (Air), the Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council the Commander of Yangon Command, ministers, senior military officers, Charge d’ Affairs ai of the Embassy of Thailand Mr Opas Chantarasap and embassy staff, departmental heads and officials.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister for National Planning and Economic Development U Soe Tha, Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win and heads of department.

Making use of communications and technologies and media, some big nations attempting to dominate youth Waging propaganda campaign that Myanmar culture, national cause are outdated Preserve good legacies of Myanmar performing arts, organize people to vitalize patriotism

YANGON, 1 Nov— The following is the translation of an address delivered by Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Thein Sein at the prize presentation ceremony of the 13th Myanmar Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competitions at the National Theatre on Myoma Kyaung Street here today.

I wish State level officials, specially invited guests, diplomats and officials of UN agencies, judges and contestants “auspiciousness” and to be able to strive for preservation and promotion of national culture to enhance dignity of the nation in the world.

The successful holding of the first to the 13th Myanmar Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competitions has produced sound results of development in preserving and promoting the national cultural heritage and reinvigorating and strengthening national characters, alongside vitalization of nationalistic fervour, patriotism and Union Spirit.

The year-by-year progress of the Performing Arts Competitions is the result of the government and people’s encouragement together with the spirit and qualifications of the doyen artistes and contestants to value, preserve and promote traditional culture.

Culture is the core and jewel of a human society. The cultural essence of a society will determine its value.

“Standing firm as a nation in the international community requires the characteristics — territory, citizens, government and sovereignty”, said a definition. Moreover, culture indicates the standard of the national traits, value and standard.

The natural means of improving the standard of modes of dresses, acts, thoughts and behaviour in a more cultural way is through the preservation and uplift of the national culture.

Over 2,000 years ago, Myanmars were civilized to a degree of setting up advanced city states of that time. Myanmars had all kinds of performing arts and were the people nurturing and developing a variety of branches of delicate and profound artistic knowledge and skills in the very early period.

Myanmar cultural superstructure of that time was endowed with grand ideologies, teachings of Theravada Buddhism to cultivate the morals and manners of the people, and the reputation of having sympathy and equality for mankind and observing the social codes of conduct.

Besides, Myan-mars’ fine practice of preserving and observing the traditions and culture, human ethics, values and norms flourishing on the foundation of the respectable reputation and customs; they abide by them the way they observe the Precepts till today.

We, the present-day people, are applying various means including the Performing Arts Competitions in preserving and upholding the cultural traits, practices, values and qualifications, the heritage ancient Myanmars have handed down after establishing and nurturing then to be able to relay them to the future.

The driving force that has shaped and is still shaping the Myanmar society to be civilized and polite, to enjoy high standard of culture and to ensure prevalence of justice and equality is the codes of conduct, social values, and the teachings of Theravada Buddhism, the people have been observing respectfully.

Such fine social ethics and the teachings of the Buddha are presented in Myanmar treatises, epics, poems, verses, and treatises on code of ethics. Similarly, scripts of Myanmar dramatic art and marionette shows are richly endowed with essence of Myanmar traditions and culture.

In particular, close connection and interrelation between Myanmar literature and arts of drama and marionettes has consolidated and widened the scope of the cultural superstructure of the nation. It is found that Myanmar literature and art of dramas reflect royal costumes, court affairs, kingly duties, and the teachings of the Buddha due to the fact that Myanmar literature and dramas flourished in the royal palace.

Moreover, the arts of drama and marionette has greatly influenced Myanmar people who love the performing arts. And it is most encouraging and laudable that artistes of dramas and marionettes correctly and beneficially applied their influence over the audiences.

In the Vidhura Drama Contest prescribed for the drama contest of the Competitions, all the contestant troupes have been able to present their artistic skills to vividly reflect the essence of the Vidhura Jataka — the fulfilment of perfections by Vidhura Minister, would-be Buddha, based on high moral attributes such as great wisdom, truthfulness and patience. That makes vividly clear that Myanmar people appreciate and value of Dhamma on the basis of wisdom.

Vidhura Minister remained absolutely faithful to the truthfulness even when he was under the death threat. It reflects that Myanmar national people are faithful to truthfulness.

Besides, till the last moment when he was about to go with Ponnaka, the ogre commander, Vidhura Minister remained composed and was completely free from fear.

And significantly he delivered the sermon Rajavasati that states the principles to be followed by wife, children, servants and male members of royal entourage (now State service personnel) as follows:—

- for male members of royal entourage, to be equipped with moral ethics, to enhance wisdom, and to be clean and righteous at heart,

- to discharge duties free from bias,

- to carry out tasks righteously even behind their superiors’ back,

- not to misappropriate the finances of the king, and be thrifty,

- to perform duties relentlessly, to refrain from consuming drugs and drinks, and to be upright,

- to control physical and verbal deeds, and not to speak worthless words,

- not to let anyone even wife know what is to be kept secret, and

- to be loyal to the king or the State.

Such invaluable teachings remind each and every Myanmar national about the code of conduct and loyalty to the State, and are still applicable up to now.

In the marionette contest, contestant troupes have exhibited their artistic skills to reflect Prince Minkutha’s righteousness, resolute determination, and great perseverance and diligence, and the benefits of being well-versed in Myanma traditional arts and crafts by combining the art of singing, lamentation and addresses, the art of pulling strings attached to marionettes, and the art of playing orchestra.

The arts of Myanmar drama and marionette not only reflect Myanmar traditions, prestige, and customs but also comprises lyric poems, classical songs on longing, songs on humour, poems, verses, art of calling and answering and scolding, and the calling on the drum ensemble to strike up the music. In addition, it indicates that Myanmar dramatists are knowledgeable about literature and treatises and traditions, and familiar with court etiquette.

Although in other countries, there are different categories of dramas such as operas, plays and ballet, Myanmar drama is all embracing music, singing, dancing, acting and also comprising literature, poems and verses.

Likewise, own ways and traditions in the field of Myanmar traditional cultural performing arts such as costumes, dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, and types of musical instruments are peculiar to the country and thus they are own cultural heritages, of which Myanmars can be proud among the world nations.

I am sure that by presenting such fine cultural heritages in the Myanmar Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competitions, the youths will notice well the grandness, long history, and delicateness and profoundness of Myanmar culture. And this inspire them to appreciate and cherish own culture all the more.

In addition, they will be equipped with high morality, loyalty and uprightness alongside the sense of preserving national culture and national character, and as a result, their patriotism and Union Spirit will be further enhanced and cemented.

Nowadays, making full use of the state-of-the-art communications and technologies and media, some big nations are attempting to ideologically and culturally dominate the youth of the country through the doorways of politics, economy and culture. They are exporting western culture by skillfully waging a propaganda campaign by attempting to mislead the people into believing that the western culture is the world culture and also the international culture and that Myanmar culture and national cause are outdated; they are doing so in order that the country may fall to their domination, the people will lose the sense of nationalistic fervour and patriotism after the loss of national character and culture. In reality, Myanmar people have own national character, high standard of civilization, profound cultural traditions and concepts plus administrative system, judicial affairs and social codes of conduct that are still applicable; they have been able to stand tall throughout history for their fine traditions, kind heart and capabilities.

That is why the onus is on the present-day citizens to promote and pass on these fine traditions to the next generation youth while safeguarding the good legacies of the country while making use of the resources and opportunities in hand. I would like to urge the people to preserve the good legacies of Myanmar performing arts, the superstructure of national culture, in combination with the fruitful results that have emerged from the Myanmar traditional cultural performing arts.

Particularly, efforts should be made through the might of the arts that stimulate the correct sense and thoughtfulness to get the people to join hands in striving for perpetuation of the Union and serving the interests of the country and the people.

In conclusion, I would like to call on those responsible to organize the people to vitalize patriotism and nationalism, to preserve and safeguard Myanmar cultural heritage, to guard against the influence of alien culture and to strengthen national unity and Union Spirit by making use of literature and art while preserving the invaluable culture of the nation through innovation.

Foreign Affairs Minister sends congratulatory message to Japanese counterpart

YANGON, 1 Nov— Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar U Nyan Win has sent a message of congratulations to His Excellency Mr Taro Aso, elected as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.