Kayin, Bamar, Rakhine, Mon, Shan, PaO, and other races striving for emergence of peaceful, developed and modern State under the guidance of the State Peace and Development Council in Kayin State

Yangon, 11 June – The following is clarifications on facts about Kayin State and its development projects implemented by the Government in Kayin State during the 18 years, by Chairman of Kayin State Peace and Development Council Col Khin Kyu.

I would like to present the regional developments of Kayin State after 1988.

Kayin State is located in lower Myanmar, sharing its borders with Shan and Kayah States in the North, with three-hundred-mile border between Myanmar and Thailand in the east, with Taninthayl Division in the south and with Bago Division and Mon State in the west. It is seventy miles in width from east to west and three hundred and twenty six miles from north to south in length. The area of Kayin State is 11,730.85 square miles (over 7,500,000 acres).

Kayin State comprises three districts, seven townships and five sub-townships and it has a population of over 1,600,000 with various ethnic groups such as Kayin, Bamar, Mon, PaO, Shan, Rakhine and other national races. The population of urban area is about 250,000 and that of rural areas is over 1 ,400,000; 59% Kayin, 12% Barnar, 5% PaO, 12% Mon, 3% Shan, 1% Rakhine and 8% other races.

First and foremost, I am going to present the development of agriculture sector of Kayin State. The total area for growing annual crops has increased from 580,000 to 900,000 acres. The main crops are paddy, edible oil crops, industrial crops and beans and pulses. The acres of cultivating rice has been raised from 0.38 million acres to 0.605 million acres. The area for growing oil crops, beans and pulses and industrial crops has increased from 30,000 acres to 80,000 acres.

The acres of growing other crops have also increased to 0 .05 million acres. Out of the yield of paddy of 35.7 million baskets, 2.7 million baskets were consumed. At present, the sufficiency rate is 132%.

Concerning irrigation, the number of small dams has increased from 51 to 97 benefiting 90,194 acres of farmland. The productive acres have increased, by extending 45,190 acres.

Six river water pumping projects have come into existence, providing 7,800 acres for growing summer paddy.

May I now move on to the sector of livestock and fisheries. Animal husbandary zones, nowadays, are being carried out in Hpa-an, Kya-in-Seikkyi, Kawkareik and Myawady after the year of 1988. The income from this sector has increased to 8,139 million kyats to date.

In the sector of fish and prawn, we could not do prawn breeding before 1988, but the production of prawn has improved and the area of fish producing zones has been extended 136.38 acves to 381.09 acres after 1988. Then, 1,551.6 million kyats has been realized from meat and fish sector. Compared to 1988, it has increased to 1,546.615 million kyats. Now let me present the forestry sector, the area of forest reserve has increased from ten million acres to eleven million acres. The protected forest reserve has become 12,000 acres from 10,000 acres.

Regarding the progress of industrial sector; the government has developed a 4,000-ton cement plant in addition to the 800 ton cement plant built before 1988. The number of private industry has also risen from 489 to 514.

In electric power sector, there were 12,222 transformers in 1988 and there are 29,909 now, 245% growth. The length of power cables increased from 190.3 miles in 1988 to 348.51 miles to date.

Regarding the communication sector the number of telephones has increased from 800 to 3,660 and the process of installing telephone cable network has increased from 640 to 3,987 phone lines.

May I now present you the transportation of the Kayin State. The length of tarred road has increased from 152.6 miles to 230 miles, the gravel road from 2 miles to 76.7 miles and the earth road from 118.6 to 115.6 miles.

As regards the bridges, 195 bridges, including 5 bridges which have 180 feet and above, have been opened in Kayin State only after 1988.

Thanlwin bridge (Hpa-an), 2,252 feet in length, was built on 1st March 1994 and opened on 3rd August 1997. It links the state and the main land, and cost 726.6 million kyats and US$ 3.863 million.

Gyaing (Zarthapyin) Bridge, built on 26th June 1996 and opened on 24th March 1999 connects Mon and Kayin States. It is 1,900 feet in length and cost 1,200 million kyats plus US$ 4.96 million.

The Government has also built the 1,200 feet long Gyaing (Kawkareik) Bridge at a cost of 855 million kyats and US$ 0.892 million. It was opened on 22nd May 1999.

The Government has built the bridges mentioned above to facilitate travel for all national races living in Myanmar with family spirit.

For the development of the health sector,the 150 bed hospital was promoted to the 200-bed hospital after 1988. Again, two hospitals with 50 beds and eight l6 beds each have been opened. Besides, 8 rural health care centres and 41 rural health care branches have been opened in Kayin State.

The number of health staff has also increased. Seventy one doctors, 176 nurses and 81 health staff have been employed and they are taking care of the local people’s health.

Now, let me present how the Government has endeavoured for the development of education sector. In basic education, the number of high schools, middle schools and primary schools has also increased. Before 1988, there were only 20 high schools, 65 middle schools and 1,064 primary schools in Kayin State. Now, 35 high schools, 77 middle schools and 1,154 primary schools have been in existence. The number of teachers has increased from over 4,000 to over 6,000.

Moreover, the number of students has also increased from over 100,000 to 210,000. So, the increase in the number of students is 80,000. For the progress of higher education sector, the only Degree College in Hpa-an was upgraded to the University and opened on 14th May 2003. Hpa-an Technical High School was upgraded to Hpa-an Government Technological College on 28th December, 2002 and Government Computer College was opened on 3rd September, 2001. Education College was also opened on 1st December,1998.

After 1988, 93.4 mile long tarred road, 186.6 mile long gravel road, 49.7 mile long laterite road and 1,215.5 mile long earth road were built and moreover, one concrete bridge which has 200 feet in length, sixteen concrete bridges and 93 wooden bridges have been constructed.

In addition, 244 shallow wells, 37 deep wells and 105 artisan wells were sunk in order to supply drinking water. Nine BEHSs, 5 BEMSs and 45 BEPSs were built. For rural health development, five hospitals, six clinics, six rural health care centres, 13 rural health care branches have been opened.

Although there was no self-reliant library to educate rural people but now 1,766 libraries have been opened after 1988. In 1988, there was no television retransmission stations but now we can see six in our state.

There are five wind mills in Paikyon, four mills in Hpa-an and one in Kawkareik installed after 1988. There was no rural telephone exchange station before 1988. After that year, six telephone exchange stations and five I.D.D phones were installed.

In conclusion, Kayin, Bamar, Rakhine, Mon, Shan, PaO, and other races are striving for the emergence of a peaceful, developed and modern State under the guidance of the State Peace and Development Council in Kayin State.