I found this in a Google search. I cannot verify its authenticity, but I thought it would be worth reproducing here in case it can be authenticated and to prevent its potential loss if the link is ever removed.
Cheers,
Jason
Source:
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.asean/browse_thread/thread/b4787265c5bcf387?pli=1Text:
MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
YANGON
Information Sheet
N0. C- 2729 ( I ) 16th August, 2003
(1) Myanmar, PRC Sign Special Loan Agreement For Promotion of Friendship and
Economic Cooperation
The Union of Myanmar and the People’s Republic of China signed an agreement
on special loan at the Central Bank in Yangon on 15 August. According to the
agreement, the Chinese government granted foreign currency equivalent to US$
200 million to Myanmar for promotion of bilateral friendship and economic
cooperation.
Governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar and Chairman and President of China
Export-Import Bank Mr. Yang Zilin also made speeches, and signed the agreement
and exchanged the documents. The loan will be used to import heavy machinery
and machines for Yeywa Hydropower Project being implemented on Myitnge River,
31 miles south-east of Mandalay in Mandalay Division.
On completion, the Yeywa Hydropower Station being undertaken by the Hydropower
Department No.2 will be able to generate 790 megawatts and it will be the
largest hydropower project in the nation.
(2) RHP Instructor Course Opens
The opening ceremony of instructor course on Reproductive Health Project (RHP),
jointly conducted by the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA)
and UNICEF, was held at the MMCWA on 15 August with an address by President of
MMCWA.
The 60 delegates from Myan-aung, Kyangin, Ingapu and Salun Township MCWAs in
Hinthada District, Ayeyawady Division, are attending the course which will last
till 19 August.
Special Feature
This office is presenting an article entitled "Whale Sharks: Gentle Giants of
the Sea" which appeared in Enchanting Myanmar Magazine Vol.1, No.2, January -
March, 2002 for your reading pleasure.
"Mr. Oliver! We see whale sharks!" A man was running towards us and shouting.
Oliver Soe Thet, who is the resident General Manager of Bayview Resort informed
us that they must have sighted some whale sharks and is coming to tell us about
it. "You have whale sharks here?" I asked for I know that these creatures are
endangered and it is very rare that they can be seen so close.
Whale sharks are not whales nor are they as dangerous as sharks. The scientific
name is Rhincodon typus. The fishermen of Ngapali call them in the Myanmar
language Wai La Nga but this name is confusing at best. Whales are collectively
called Wai La Nga in the Myanmar language and there is no specific Myanmar name
attached to these whale sharks. Actually they are the largest fish species in
the sea. Some of the bigger specimens could grow up to 15-18 metres but the
average size is around 7 metres and can sometime weigh as much as 12 metric
tons. Even the newborn whale shark is already 40-70 cm long. The skin is blue
green and mottled with pale patches and has conspicuous ridges along its body.
Its mouth is at the end of its snout-an unusual position for a shark-and
although its jaws can be over a metre wide they are armed with the tiniest of
teeth. Their main diet is plankton, krill, small fishes, squids and crustaceans
which they filter through the gills. Whale sharks usually feed by cruising
slowly near the surface. They have also been reported feeding in a vertical
position, using their mouths like giant buckets to trap food. Their natural
habitat is in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. Although they are fishes
the female whale sharks are viviparous, i.e they give birth to live youngs.
Whale watching is big business in the world. People will travel long distances
to see the migrating whales whether it be off the coast of Baja California or
Australia. In Myanmar, Ngapali Beach is one place where tourists have the
unique opportunity of seeing these gentle creatures in their natural habitat.
Bayview Resort, a resort hotel on the Ngapali beach, is operating "Peaceful
Whale Shark Watching Trips" for houseguests whenever these whale sharks are
sighted offshore. Hotel guests are taken by boat to see the whale sharks up
close. The guests take photographs and generally enjoy themselves, seeing these
gentle creatures in their natural environment.
They are also reputed to be important ingredients in many native East Asian
traditional medicines. It is known that Asian foreigners would offer a tidy sum
to the native fishermen to go out and catch these huge fishes and, being poor,
the fishermen would naturally succumb to these incentives. Oliver Soe Thet also
told us: "We have initiated a system with the local fishermen that whenever the
whale sharks are sighted the fishermen are encouraged to contact the hotel
management and we organize special trips for the house guest to see these giant
fishes in their natural habitat." He continued, "This way fishermen are
discouraged to hunt and kill these creatures for commercial gains as they can
now have an alternative source of income from taking these nature lovers to see
these creatures. This in turn will also raise the awareness of the local people
to preserve the environment and the natural resources of their locality and not
succumb to promises of instant riches."
The fishermen of Ngapali are well acquainted with these fishes. "We are old
friends" they say. Although the whale sharks live solitary lives, whole pods
may be seen off the Ngapali Beach between December and January. This is the
time when the waters of the bay is filled with plankton and the whale sharks
congregate to feast on these microscopic organisms.
A senior citizen who had been a fishermen all his life along this coast told us
"We sometimes find small baby whale sharks in the roaming pods." According to
local observations the appearances of these whale shark pods normally coincide
with the fullmoon. Maybe the plankton are more plentiful at that period in time
or the coral blooming cycle coincides with the moon phases.
"We do not harm them" the local Rakhine fishermen told us, "although these
gentle giants are very easy to catch." They show no alarm when approached and
are thus are easy prey. Even when fishermen surround them with nets they will
docilely go inside. The fishermen of Ngapali also do not eat the flesh of these
fish; anyhow there is hardly any flesh, just layers of thick fat. Another
curious thing is that the fins are also not marketed to be used as ingredient
in sharkfin soup. The importance of these fishes is that they can be treated as
a barometer to gauge the abundance of fish stocks or the water quality of the
area.
These creatures are listed as endangered species and it is a good image for the
country that we can still see them in our waters. For instance in some SE Asian
countries the whales sharks are almost but extinct due to indiscriminate
killing for use in traditional Chinese medicines.
Oliver Soe Thet said, "On the 4th of January 2001, the Myanmar government
declared these marine giants as protected species and had prohibited any
killing or catching of these whale sharks. We are very happy and grateful to
the government as this is a concrete Myanmar government’s commitment to
preserve our resources for future generations."
