Chairman of the State Administration Coun­cil Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by Council Joint Secretary Gener­al Ye Win Oo, Union ministers and the Nay Pyi Taw Council chairman, yesterday afternoon inspected the National Museum (Nay Pyi Taw) damaged by the Mandalay earthquake.

The Senior General and par­ty viewed round the building of the library, the room where lit­erary works of Alinka Kyawswa Sithu Tekkatho Myat Thu are kept, the electronic library and reading room, Wunzin Min Yazar hall, bookshelves, palm leaves and folded paper section, loss and damage to the library, and systematic keeping of books in genres. The Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture and officials reported on the loss and damage to the library in the earthquake.

After hearing the reports, the Senior General stressed the need to systematically keep books in the library in genres and set records. Repairs must be done for damaged parts. The library must keep good literature on real historical events in the political changes of the State. Of­ficials need to systematically and continuously preserve, protect, and pass Myanmar’s political history down from generation to generation.

The Senior General present­ed cash support for librarians through an official.

At Uppatasanti Pagoda, the Senior General assessed the conditions where cracks, subsidence, and damage had occurred in some areas of the sacred pagoda’s platform and religious structures. Officials reported damaged parts at the pagoda.

In his response, the Senior General instructed officials to swiftly repair damaged parts of the terrace of the pagoda, re­taining walls and some religious buildings. The repair process must be done as much as possi­ble before the rainy season. The government will provide neces­sary assistance for the repair processes. It is necessary to urge well-wishers to make donations for the repair and renovation of the religious buildings at the pagoda.

The Senior General paid homage to the Buddha image in the cave of the pagoda and fed white elephants at the shed.

The stake-driven ceremo­ny for Uppatasanti Pagoda took place in 2006. As the corner­stones were laid on 440 bored piles systematically, just a few parts of the pagoda were dam­aged in the earthquake. As some cracks and subsidence occurred on the terrace of the pagoda, the government plans to swiftly repair them. Hence, people can make donations for the repair and renovation of the terrace of the pagoda and religious build­ings as part of performing meri­torious deeds. — MNA/TTA