Villagers in Natmataung are interested in growing coffee, avocados and fruit trees, a project that is being supported by CARE, UNDP and BANCA with community nurseries, tools, seeds and seedlings and other inputs, as well as technical training.

But the foreign crowd is a boon for Singaporean entrepreneurs, providing a number of niche markets that many business people are happy to exploit for a number of reasons.

Mr Abhisit has admitted that security measures were too lax at the meeting in Pattaya, southeast of Bangkok, where hundreds of security forces did little to halt the rampaging demonstrators.

“We got the tractors in time to start ploughing, and I think this rainy-season paddy will be great. Last summer’s yield was unsuccessful because I couldn’t hire a tractor until after everybody else had finished ploughing. But this year I was able to share a tractor,”

Addressing guests at a lunch held at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr Ban recalled that during his mission to Myanmar last year in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, he took the opportunity to visit the U Thant mausoleum in Yangon to pay his respects.

“It is important for medical professionals not to automatically trust all the information available in this age of information explosion because they are dealing with the lives of their patients.”

“I remember that there were some people who didn’t know much about Chinese traditional medicine but they wanted to test it as an alternative health treatment. Most of them are Myanmar people and there were even some Indians.”

U PHONE Myint Aung (48), is a veteran director/producer who worked for MRTV channel for 20 years before retiring to make comedy programs in partnership with MWD television channel. His first comedy program “Lu Shwin Daw Shwe Phalar” for MWD channel attracted a very loyal following and now the director is back with another similar program “Har Tah Yote Sone”, which is currently being filmed.

“We started the cup competition having to play against strong sides, filled with foreign players (Yadanarbon) and national team players (Kanbawza). Although we lost in the first two matches, we came to know our weaknesses and that was a valuable lesson for us,”

Magway opted to play a longer, more direct game with captain Soe Myat Min the focus of their attacking thrusts. He had a priceless opportunity to level the scores on 43 minutes when he lost his marker at the back post but his header was well saved by Yadanarbon goalkeeper Yin Min Aung.