23 March 

President U Win Myint who was in Myitkyina, Kachin State went to inspect the construction of the Nant Myitkha Bridge on Myitkyina-Waingmaw road yesterday morning. The President was accompanied by Union Ministers Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe, Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Dr. Myint Htwe, U Han Zaw and Nai Thet Lwin, State Chief Minister Dr. Khet Aung, state ministers, Chief of Myanmar Police Force Police Lt-Gen Aung Win Oo and officials.

Department of Bridge Deputy Director General U Khin Maung Swe explained about the bridge project in the briefing hall of the bridge construction project.

The President made remarks about completing the project on time, ensuring that standards and norms were met, preventing the wastage of state funds and instructed the state government to manage the vehicles crossing the bridge.

Next the President inspected the construction status of the bridge including the construction of a retaining wall underneath the bridge to prevent erosion by river water.

The Nant Myitkha Bridge is a reinforced concrete steel frame type bridge and is on the Mandalay-Lashio-Bhamo-Myitkyina road. The maximum permitted load was 75 tons per vehicle. The bridge is a four lane bridge and at the moment a two lane portion was already completed.

Afterwards the President visited the Myitkyina Town Border Areas National Races Youth Development Training School and met with the students.

At the meeting the Ministry of Border Affairs, Education and Training Department Deputy Director General U Tin Maung Myint explained about the school, courses conducted and youths trained.

In response to the explanation presented, the President commented that the country was a union and that a union constituted ethnic nationals. The Ministry of Border Affairs was working towards education development, creating job opportunities and human resources development of ethnic nationals in the union and that the sons and daughters of the union need to follow the teaching and guidance of the teachers.

What the teachers taught would be important for the future of the sons and daughters of the union and the teachings were seen to be aimed at providing education, vocational training and strengthening union spirit. Sons and daughters should propagate the union spirit to their neighborhoods, their region and their ethnic people. The education level was also seen to have improved and the development of a country depends on the investment in education. He was glad to see that libraries were established in the youth development schools. Sons and daughters were to make good use of their time by studying and reading in the libraries. Among you would be the future leaders of the country. You all need to have educational and moral strength to serve the country and all of you must have union spirit for life and strive towards peaceful development of the union, said the President.

After the meeting, the President provided cash assistance to the students and the school personnel and then inspected the living quarters and dining hall of the students and the library and took a commemorative group photo with the teachers and the students.

Later the President inspected the development status of Myitkyina Town by motorcade and took a commemorative group photo with the Union Ministers, Kachin State Chief Minister, state ministers and officials at the Citapu Manaw Field. Finally, the President and party left Myitkyina by Tatmadaw airplane and arrived back in Nay Pyi Taw in the afternoon. — MNA (Translated by Zaw Min)