Thanks to the Government’s assistance and the public trust, Myanmar traditional medicine is on the rise again Practitioners urged to collectively strive for required standard of traditional medicine and be free from all harmful ingredients

YANGON, 2 NOV— The following is a translation of message of the Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe sent to the Sixth Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners Conference held at the Institute of Nursing (Yangon) on Bogyoke Aung San Street here today.I am pleased to honour the flourishing of a fine practice of Myanmar traditional medicine practitioners gathering with love and unity at the annually-held Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners Conference, and discussing and sharing knowledge among themselves having one mind about perpetuation and continued progress of traditional medicine.

A true Myanmar cultural heritage, our traditional medicine has flourished alongside our geographical conditions, traditions and culture and Myanmar visions, through cohesion and interaction.

Myanmar traditional medicine has been standing as a prestigious branch of science till now as the successive practitioners have striven for its flourishing as a pure medical science covering a variety of difficult and delicate subjects, effective therapies and potent drugs, while preserving and handing down the genuine heritage from generation to generation, with much respect and esteem.

It is the potency of the traditional medicines that has made Myanmar people strong and efficient in physical and intellectual strength and enjoy longevity till now since the early period of Myanmar history, during which no western medicine had arrived in the country yet.

The State Peace and Development Council’s drive to reinvigorate traditional medicine to regain its high standard in the time of Myanmar monarchs involves the tasks of rediscovering near-extinct traditional medicine subjects, therapies and drugs and promoting them, the laying down of the national health policy covering projects to develop traditional medicine into a scientific branch of international standard, to disseminate the pure traditional medicine, to manufacture internationally standardized traditional drugs through advanced processes, to extend public health care with the help of traditional medicine and to systematically draw all-round-assistance programmes for comprehensive progress of traditional medicine.

The government acknowledges the main force of the practitioners in providing health care for national races and developing their profession. Hence, it is implementing programmes through the work of finding practitioners well-versed in their field, holding seminars in which the physicians themselves can seek means to revive hidden and extinct subjects, therapies and drugs, uniting all the practitioners of the various groups under the banner of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners’ Association, and organizing the Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners Conference annually to uplift the role and dignity of the practitioners.

The arrangements the government has been making for systematic development of traditional medicine according to the set standards involve the opening of diploma courses, practitioner courses and world-class Traditional Medicine University, that are training and producing skilled persons in the field.

In addition to the encouragement the government has given for emergence of large traditional medicine industries in the private sector and for producing safe drugs in accord with the standard, the programmes to discover effective drugs and record their potencies, to produce potent drugs for common diseases, to set up herbal gardens for medicinal plant conservation, to discover and promote potent traditional medicines and effective therapies that can cure diseases incurable by the western drugs, and to find means to treat patients with the combined potency of the western and traditional medicines, are being carried out by government research centres for scientific development of Myanmar traditional medicine.

Myanmar traditional medicine is on the rise again, thanks to the interactions and interrelations occurring between one another with the government’s assistance, the spirit of unity of the physicians to serve the traditional medicine’s interests and the public trust in and assistance for the traditional medicine.

At this time when the traditional medicine sector is in the golden age, I would like to urge the practitioners to collectively strive for the standard of traditional medicine reach international level, extending public health care services with pure traditional medicine, the traditional medicine to meet the required standards and be free from all harmful ingredients, while standing in unity under the banner of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners’ Association.

I wish, the Sixth Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners Conference success realizing its lofty aims; Myanmar traditional medicine achieve progress and extend public health care coverage; and practitioners observe their codes of conduct and to become eminent physicians, while collectively striving with the fine power of their profession for the nation to stand in dignity as the one enjoying high standard of health.

State Peace and Development Council Chairman Senior General Than Shwe receives Indian Chief of the Army Staff

YANGON, 2 Nov — Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe received Indian Chief of the Army Staff General JJ Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC and party this morning at Zeyathiri Beikman, Konmyinttha, here.

Also present at the call 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 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, Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Vice-Admiral Soe Thein, Commander-in-Chief (Air) Lt-Gen Myat Hein, Chief of Military Affairs Security Lt-Gen Myint Swe, Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Mr Bhaskar Kumar Mitra and Military Attache Col Jasvinder Singh Chopra.

Vice-Senior General Maung Aye sees off Indian Chief of the Army Staff

YANGON, 2 Nov— Indian goodwill delegation led by Indian Chief of the Army Staff General JJ Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC and wife Mrs Anupama Singh left here for home this afternoon and Vice-Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar Deputy Commander-in- Chief of Defence Services Commander-in Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and wife Daw Mya Mya San saw off the delegation at Yangon International Airport. Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Vice-Admiral Soe Thein, Commander-in -Chief (Air) Lt-Gen Myat Hein and their wives, Chief of Military Affairs Security Lt-Gen Myint Swe and wife, military officers, Mr Bhaskar Kumar Mitra, Ambassador of India to the Union of Myanmar, Military Attache Colonel Jasvinder Singh Chopra and officials also saw off the delegation.

Before departure for India, Vice-Senior General Maung Aye presented a photo album and a video tape on the delegation’s visit to Myanmar to General JJ Singh at the lounge of the airport.

Mrs Anupama Singh, wife of the Indian Chief of the Army Staff, presented a TV to the personnel of Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association for the MMCWA.

Traditional medicine practitioners today are in golden age created by strong forces of unity and encouragement of the government and the people

YANGON, 2 Nov — The opening ceremony of the 6th Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners Conference was held at the hall of Institute of Nursing (Yangon) on Bogyoke Aung San Street, here, this morning.

Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe sent a message to the conference.

Chairman of National Health Committee Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Thein Sein delivered an opening address.

Also present on the occasion were Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Commander of Yangon Command Lt-Gen Myint Swe, the ministers, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, the Mayor, the deputy ministers, members of NHC, the President of Myanmar Women’s Affair Federation, the President of Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association, the director-general of the State Peace and Development Council office and departmental heads, ambassadors and charges d’affaires ai of foreign missions in Yangon, resident representatives and officials of UN agencies, directors-general of departments under the Ministry of Health, members of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Council, officials of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association, delegates to the conference, members of Traditional Medicine Inspection Central Committee, officials of MRCS, Myanmar Medical Association, Myanmar Nurses Association, Myanmar Dental Association and Myanmar Health Assistant Association and guests.

First, Minister for Health Dr Kyaw Myint read out the message sent by Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe to the Conference. (The message is reported separately)

Next, NHC Chairman Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Thein Sein delivered an opening address. He said:

The government honours the Myanmar traditional medicine practitioners with respect as they are the persons willingly discharging the noble duty of ensuring perpetuation, promotion and propagation of the traditional medicine, a national heritage, and extending the public health care coverage with their profession out of their own sincere goodwill alone.

It is in my belief that the gathering of traditional medicine practitioners who are carrying out their own portion of the noble task in various parts of the nation at this conference will produce good results of enhancing love and unity among them. In addition, the conference will help draw sound projects that will realize the high aims the State has for the profession as it will serve as an excellent venue to share knowledge on the essence of the traditional medicine.

Since over 2000 years ago, Myanmar possessed and nurtured a civilization high enough to set up city states, and the traditional medicine was already flourishing significantly as a major part of the Myanmar cultural superstructure during the time.

Arjuveda traditional medicine, inclusive in the Bhesijjanaya, was flourishing widely in Pyu city states such as Tagaung, Srikistra and Hanlin of the early periods of Myanmar civilization. Beginning the Bagan era during which Theravada Sasana shone brightly, the Abhidhamma-based De-sananaya, Nekkhattanaya and Vijjadharanaya bran-ches of the profession took root in Myanmar. Thus, we take pride in ourselves to possess a large array of traditional medicine branches covering the core of the profession.

Myanmar traditional medicine practitioners of successive generations have dutifully preserved, protected and upgraded traditional medicine, our ancestral heritage since the nation’s early period of history, for its further development throughout the different stages of history, with innovative means and by compiling medical treatises. Thanks to their efforts, we now have our own branch of traditional medicine em-erging as a separate science rich with a wide range of delicate subjects, a number of profound treatises, a variety of therapies and different types of potent drugs.

During the time Myanmar was under her own monarchs, the Myanmar traditional medicine stood as a court profession whose range even reached the remote rural areas in providing health care for the entire nation. However, like all other sciences of Myanmar cultural heritage, traditional medicine was in a state of decline under the oppression and downgrading of the colonialists during the time the nation was a colony. It is an unforgettable lesson in history.

The traditional medicine did not entirely vanish because of the efforts of the patriotic practitioners who were loyal to their profession. However, the loss of connections among the practitioners living in different parts of the nation led to variations of forms and methods and potency of drugs and effectiveness of therapies were on the wane.

The dispersion, disappearance and waning situation of the practitioners, medical treatises, therapies and drugs was followed by the weakness in systematic dissemination of the knowledge, the wrong interpretations on profound treatises and the delicate branches of the field, and a halt in the advancement of the profession due to the missing link resulting from the tradition of handing down the knowledge only to the family members; this brought the core knowledge, treatises, therapies and drugs of the field to near extinction. The breaking up of the traditional medicine went on till the coming into being of over 100 different groups based on the methods that varied from one place or school to another. Consequently, the effectiveness and potency of the Myanmar traditional medicine were gradually diminishing.

For us, we cannot let our traditional medicine vanish as the profession with firm roots and high potency is one of our heritage, and was also providing adequate health care for Myanmars before the emergence of western medicine.

In this regard, the Tatmadaw government has been laying down and implementing programmes to revive, nurture and upgrade the fine traditions of indigenous medicine.

Head of State Senior General Than Shwe has been giving guidance for reinvigorating the Myanmar traditional medicine, a true cultural heritage of the nation. Thanks to his guidance for enabling the royal practice of the past to shine again and reach a new age, to rediscover practitioners, subjects, therapies and potent drugs to form them as a united strength, and, especially, for scientific advancement of the medicine till it flourishes in foreign nations too, the government is able to develop the profession to reach the present stage of development.

The time is ripe for us to develop and promote traditional medicine by taking one further step as it is now firmly on the correct road to scientific development and propagation.

At present, advanced traditional medicine hospitals have been set up in major towns of states and divisions. With the cooperation of the practitioners in the field, government departments are conducting scientific and advanced research on potent traditional drugs and therapies and recording their potency levels, launching research projects to manufacture traditional medicines to cure common diseases of the nation and also weird diseases that are incurable for the western medicines and inventing new treatments through combination of western medicine and advanced hospital equipment and indigenous medicine, on a wider scale. The nation is even enjoying the fruits of the wide-scale endeavours of the field.

Because of the government’s encouragement and the cooperative efforts of the practitioners, the nation has been witnessing the sound development of the traditional medicine sector from its roots during the time of the Tatmadaw administration.

The government is conducting traditional medicine diploma courses and practitioner courses in addition to setting up a world-class Traditional Medicine University. The university after making coordination with eminent indigenous medicine practitioners, has formulated an advanced curricula covering all the essence and core subjects of the four Nayas of the traditional medicine field, and also the basic western medicine. It is teaching students with the help of advanced teaching aids and hospital equipment of western medical field to confer degrees on them. Brilliant and skilled traditional medicine practitioners are emerging in the nation thanks to the university’s systematic teaching and training methods.

Due to the government’s encouragement and assistance to manufacture standard and harm-free potent medicines, the private sector sees the emergence of modern traditional medicine industries. Consequently, the manufacturing of standard traditional medicines through correct and precise drug-making methods, and international level production processes, storage systems and packaging machines has enhanced public trust in the indigenous drugs and increased demand for them not only in rural areas but also in urban areas.

Today’s significant achievement is organizing the indigenous medicine practitioners, who once were of a loose society spreading all over the nation under different organizations and various groups into the consolidated and united Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners’ Association.

Traditional medicine practitioners today are in the golden age created by the strong forces of unity and the encouragement of the government and the people. In this regard, I would like to urge them to make patriotism-based collective efforts for emergence of a scientific and international-standard integrated field of traditional medicine, a combination of the essence of the branches of traditional medicine, invaluable experiences of many practitioners of successive eras and the core parts of the potent drugs and therapies.

The Myanmar traditional medicine stands as an integrated profession crowned with full effectiveness, public reliance, and morality, fidelity and knowledge of the physicians.

Hence, I would like to request the practitioners to further uplift the dignity of their profession, while adhering to the ethics, rules and moral conduct which physicians of the field of the past successive eras had traditionally followed, and curing patients with loving kindness, goodwill, sympathy, morality and truthfulness till they recover from illness.

The government on its part has been striving for the development of all sectors including the health sector for the nation to be a peaceful and tranquil and anxiety-free place for people possessing physical and intellectual might. Another aim of the all-round development drive is for emergence of a nation for healthy and fit citizens equipped with national strength, and who have the right to self-determination in an environment free from outside domination.

The task of laying down and implementing the national objectives for health and fitness of the entire nation, and the national health projects covers the work programmes to systematically develop and propagate Myanmar traditional medicine in accord with specified standards till flourishing in global countries, and to play a wider, effective and efficient role of the traditional medicine in health care undertakings.

Here, I would like to urge the practitioners to extend public health care coverage with patriotism and energetic and harmonious efforts, while playing a role in the government’s drive to further upgrading the standard of traditional medicine, enhancing their own professional skills and rediscovering and developing potency of traditional drugs.

In conclusion, I wish all traditional medicine practitioners strive for further improvement of the Myanmar traditional medicine standard and extending the public health care coverage; emergence of quality traditional medicines of international standard; and contributing to emergence of a modern and developed nation by creating healthy and fit citizens and a peaceful environment, while cooperating one another in the spirit of unity and harmony.

After the ceremony, the Secretary-1 and party cordially greeted the traditional practitioners who are attending the Conference, and visited the booths of traditional medicine industrialists.

Indian goodwill delegation tours Yangon

YANGON, 2 Nov — The Indian goodwill delegation led by Indian Chief of the Army Staff General JJ Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC and wife Mrs Anupama Singh this morning visited Htaukkyant Commonwealth military cemetery in Mingaladon Township and laid a wreath at the cemetery.

Afterwards, the goodwill delegation visited Shwedagon Pagoda and made cash donation at the pagoda.

They also went to the Defence Services Museum on Shwedagon Pagoda Road where Lt-Col Zaw Win and officers conducted them around the museum.

The delegation also visited the National Defence College. During the tour, the delegation was accompanied by Maj-Gen Than Htay of the Ministry of Defence and his wife, and officials.

Poppy cultivation and production fell due to the government’s efforts on self-reliance basis
Opium Poppy Survey of Myanmar for 2005 clarified

YANGON, 2 Nov — The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Yangon presented a clarification on Opium Poppy Survey of Myanmar for 2005 jointly conducted by Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) and UNODC at the Sedona Hotel yesterday.

In connection with the survey, Secretary of CCDAC Director-General of Myanmar Police Force Brig-Gen Khin Yi delivered a speech. He said Myanmar has been consistently combating anti-drug control projects at successive periods. Myanmar laid down strategies and tactics in the time of the Tatmadaw government and is implementing drug elimination project with greater momentum as a national task, he said.

He said effective measures could not be undertaken as major poppy-growing areas were under the control of insurgents in those days. National races armed groups returned to the legal fold and exchanged arms for peace in the time of the Tatmadaw government. They participated in national development tasks hand in hand with the government. The government also implemented the tasks for development of national races and border areas where poppy was grown, he added.

The government launched the 15-year Drug Elimination Project in 1999. The first five year project was successfully undertaken and the first year of the second five-year plan is now under implementation. As a result, poppy cultivation in Myanmar falls annually. These facts and figures were announced according to the opium yield survey in Myanmar conducted ten times by Counter Narcotics Centre (CNC) of the US beginning 1993 and results of illicit opium yield survey carried out by UNODC starting from 2002, he underscored.

The US Administration announced that poppy cultivation fell by 81 percent and poppy production by 88 percent according the ten times surveyed from 1993 to 2004. The UNODC stated that poppy cultivation decreased by 29 percent and poppy production by 54 percent in 2004 comparing with those of 2002.

The poppy cultivation and production fell due to the government’s efforts on self-reliance basis. Efforts are being made in supply reduction and drug control sectors with seriousness. Myanmar launched anti-drug activities based on her own strength without any foreign assistance. However, the government is cooperating with international organizations in drug control sector. Some national race organizations declared the respective regions as drug free zones and Wa region will be declared as opium free zone soon, he said.

Next, Regional Illicit Crop Monitoring Expert of UNDOC Mr Xavier Bouan of UNDOC explained about opium poppy survey of Myanmar for 2005.

Joint Secretary of CCDAC Police Col Kham Aung and Mr Xavier Bouan replied to the questions raised by journalists.

Myanmar U-23 emerge champion in Grand Royal ’05 Challenge Cup

YANGON, 2 Nov — Chairman of the Myanmar Olympic Committee Minister for Sports Brig-Gen Thura Aye Myint enjoyed the final match of Grand Royal ’05 Challenge Cup at the Youth Training Centre (Thuwunna) at 4 pm today.

In the final match, Myanmar U-23 Team secured championship by winning a 2-1 over the selected team of Bangladeshi Football Federation.

After the match, Man of the Match Award went to Aung Kyaw Moe of Myanmar team. Managing Director U Kyi Lwin of Max soft drink presented US$ 200 to Aung Kyaw Moe. General Secretary of MOC Director-General U Thaung Htaik of Sports and Physical Education Department gave away gifts to four referees who discharged duties in the final match. Next, Managing Director U Kyi Lwin of Max soft drink presented Golden Boot Award and US$ 1,000 to Yan Paing who scored six goals in the cup. Managing Director U Aung Moe Kyaw of IBTC also gave away the trophy and US$ 1,000 to Yan Paing who won the best player award.

Myanmar Football Federation President U Zaw Zaw presented individual prizes and US $ 8,000 to second prize winning Bangladeshi team. Next, the second prize winning team presented a souvenir to the MFF President.

MOC Vice-Chairman Mayor Brig-Gen Aung Thein Lin awarded prizes to footballers from Champion Myanmar team individually.

Later, Minister Brig-Gen Thura Aye Myint presented the Cham-pionship Cup and US$ 15,000 to Champion Myanmar team.