03-08-2025
Myanmar's SSPC Chairman inspects excavation of centuries-old Ketumati City
YANGON: The Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC), Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, inspected the status of the restoration and maintenance of the ancient city of Ketumati on August 2 and rode the Nay Pyi Taw-Yangon express train from Taungoo to Yangon.
During the trip, the SSPC Chairman, along with SSPC Joint Chief Executive General Ye Win Oo and the accompanying delegation, toured the ancient city of Ketumati in Taungoo, Bago Region, including the Yodaya hole site at the eastern moat, the excavation and preservation of the city wall at the western wall, and the moat site and the road along the city wall outside the city wall.
Based on the presentations of Bago Region Chief Minister U Myo Swe Win and officials from the Department of Archaeology and National Museums, Taungoo, the SSPC Chairman said the research work on the ancient city walls and moats of Ketumati, built in 1510 AD during the Toungoo dynasty of Mingy Nyo (AD 1485 - 1531), should be successfully implemented, the bridge sites and bridge designs in the old city should be re-examined and built in places where they can be built, the ministry buildings that need to be moved should be moved, and the designated cultural heritage sites should be systematically maintained in accordance with the law.
Then, the SSPC Chairman and members arrived at Taungoo Station. At the station briefing room, Union Minister for Transport and Communications U Mya Htun Oo gave a presentation on the progress of the Taungoo bypass railway construction, including information on the railway line and railways, the planned construction of the new Taungoo Station, the demarcation of the railway and station entrance road, the plans for the land reclamation project and the status of the work.
In response to the explanations, the SSPC Chairman said that the construction of the new railway and station should be carried out in accordance with the standards and guidelines set for sustainability from the beginning to the end, and that it should be built in accordance with the process steps and meet the quality standards.
The SSPC Chairman and his wife, Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, and the members accompanying them on the trip travelled along the railway section from Taungoo Station to Yangon Station with the passengers on the Nay Pyi Taw-Yangon No. (8) Down DEMU passenger express train that departed from Nay Pyi Taw.
During the ride, the officials inspected the conditions of the services provided by Myanma Railways to ensure that passengers can travel comfortably by train, and the conditions that need to be further improved, the conditions of agricultural activities along the railway tracks, and the development of urban and rural areas.
The SSPC Chairman stated that continuous efforts should be made to ensure the strength and systematisation of the railway tracks, that the railway tracks should be kept clean and beautiful, that the water flow should be improved, that the farmlands along the railway tracks should be developed into systematic farmlands, that the station yards and stations should be kept clean and tidy, and that small forests should be planted in the railway areas that are green and pleasing to the eye.
He directed that the railway passengers who are traveling by train should be able to travel comfortably and that public transportation, such as train transportation, should be further enhanced.
The SSPC Chairman also greeted the passengers on the train journey.
The new DEMU passenger express trains will be operated on the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw railway section from February 28, 2025, with Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw and Nay Pyi Taw-Yangon trains and the running time will be about five and a half hours. - Eleven Media/ANN
