UNION Minister for Min­istry I of the President’s Office U Tin Aung San vis­ited Myitkyina yesterday morning and paid homage to the presiding Sayad­aw of Sasana Wunsaung MyoU Monastery.

He met reverends from various denomi­nations in Myitkyina at the Kachin Baptist Con­vention (KBC). During the meeting, the Union Minister urged religious leaders to uphold peace founded on faith and mor­al values and to contrib­ute, within their respec­tive capacities, to build a stable, peaceful, modern and developed Union. He also called for collective efforts to advance peace­fully along the path of mul­tiparty democracy desired by all ethnic nationalities. Gifts and cash donations were presented to the rev­erends.

Afterwards, the Union Minister met members of the Kachin State govern­ment, officials, peace-talk creation group members, religious organizations, ethnic literature and tra­ditional cultural troupes, business owners, social or­ganizations and residents at the Maykha Hall of the state government office.

In his address, the Union Minister said the meeting aimed to coordi­nate efforts for regional development, socio-eco­nomic progress and other essential needs of the state. He explained that, in accordance with the four-point objectives of the National Defence and Security Council, the phase I of the election was successfully held on 28 De­cember, the phase II was being conducted that day, and the phase III would take place on 25 January.

He added that only through elections could a government elected by representatives chosen by the people continue to car­ry out state responsibili­ties. He noted that Myan­mar had adopted policies centred on agriculture and livestock breeding to improve the national econ­omy and was prioritizing increased productivity in these sectors.

To ensure the success of agricultural develop­ment, he stressed the need for awareness-rais­ing activities by relevant officials. He also highlight­ed the importance of pro­moting One Region-One Product initiatives by uti­lizing locally produced raw materials and developing MSMEs. Relevant depart­ments, he said, needed to provide capital and tech­nical support to advance these efforts.

The Union Minister emphasized that elec­tricity was essential for agricultural and livestock production, as well as for processing goods from raw materials to finished products.

He stated that, in Kachin State, it was neces­sary to review, discuss and implement the Ayeyawady River confluence hydro­power project at the junc­tion of the Maykha and Ma­likha rivers. If successfully implemented, the project would generate electrici­ty benefiting Kachin State and the nation, enhance productivity, and provide long-term benefits for fu­ture generations.

Subsequently, Dr Aye Lwin, an earthquake and engineering geology ex­pert from the Ministry of Electric Power, presented a detailed briefing on seis­mic resistance considera­tions in dam construction. Union Minister for Elec­tric Power U Nyan Tun then explained the tech­nical aspects of the Myit­sone hydropower project, including flood control measures, maintenance of normal river flow along the Ayeyawady, navigabil­ity for vessels, sufficient electricity generation and distribution for the state and the country, and sys­tematic technical safe­guards to address public concerns.

Residents attending the meeting presented their views and discussed regional development is­sues and the Myitsone project.

The Union Minister later presented financial assistance to religious organizations and ethnic literature and traditional cultural troupes and de­livered closing remarks.

On the same day, the Union Minister and party inspected the construction site of the State High Court building and instructed officials to ensure that quality standards were met. They also inspected the construction of seven RC valves at Yekyi Creek sluice gate implemented by the Department of Ir­rigation and Water Utili­zation Management, and urged that the project be completed within the designated timeframe. — MNA/KZL