Nay Pyi Taw – The following is the full text of the speech delivered by Senior General Than Shwe, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, at the Graduation Parade of the 11th Intake of Defence Services Medical Academy today.

Comrades, Today is the graduation day of the 11th Intake of the Defence Services Medical Academy. As you will soon have to discharge the duties of national defence and the duty of the Defence Services Medical Corps, I would like to give necessary guidance solemnly to all of you. Comrades, As you have successfully completed the military and medical studies at the Academy, you will have to provide health care services to the Tatmadawmen and their family members in the regiments you are posted to.

By nature of work, our Tatmadawmen are always facing the brunt of severe weather, disease from different regions and injuries caused by various reasons. In addition, you will have to perform your duties in the far-flung remote areas where there would be neither communications nor medical health care services.

Therefore, when you perform the duty of health care services for the Tatmadawmen and their families, apart from providing medical treatment, it is necessary for you to undertake extensive educational activities to promote public awareness so that they could live with health knowledge and consciousness.

If each and every Tatmadawman will become smart enough to live with health knowledge and consciousness in line with the motto “Prevention is better than cure”, losses caused by diseases could be prevented. It is an honour for a Tatmadawman to sacrifice his life for the country in the fight against an enemy. However, it is an undesirable loss for the country and the Tatmadaw if a Tatmadawman lost his life due to diseases.

Therefore, you must render health care services to Tatmadawmen who are performing national defence duties in accordance with the aim of the Defence Services Medical Corps “Sound Health and Fitness for Combat Capability” so that all the Tatmadawmen could fulfill their duties in good health without any trouble of diseases.

Beside, our family members must also take part in rendering necessary support together with the Tatmadawmen in the remote regions where com munication and transportation are difficult. I would like to urge you to treat such family members as your own close relatives and provide health care services to them.

Comrades,

You are medical professional as well as members of the Tatmadawmen shouldering the duties of national defence. Our Tatmadaw has always paid respect to its loyalty to the State and the people, as it is steadfastly upholding the “Four Oaths” of its commitments. The Tatmadawmen are those who do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the country and the Tatmadaw if necessary.

Those fine and noble traditions of our Tatmadaw must be upheld and maintained at risk of your lives. As the main responsibility of Tatmadaw is safeguarding of the country and national security, you must also perform your duty of defending the country playing whatever role you are in. You have to perform the duties of providing medical services hand-in-hand with the

combatant Tatmadawmen in the frontline. Likewise, you will also have to render health care services of the Tatmadawmen and members of their families who have been carrying out the supplying duties in the base. In whatever region or situation you are posted, you need to render your services with goodwill and kindness according to the motto: “Goodwill and Kindness take harm away”.

The services of the members of the Medical Corps like you play an important role for the Tatmadaw, as the combating warriors will be able to fully perform their national defence duties only when they are in good health and fitness and high morale.

Comrades,

There have been advancements in medical science and military related science with the changes of eras and systems.

Nuclear, chemical and biological weapons have been produced by combination of medical and military sciences. There were times when those weapons were used in some regions although the international community is making efforts to control and restrict those weapons, as the attacks with such kinds of dangerous weapons could have serious consequences causing social sufferings for consecutive generations of mankind. As you are members of Tatmadaw and medical professions, you are required to seek ways and means in advance to prevent the dangerous consequences of these nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Only then will you be able to protect the members of the Armed Forces effectively in the face of such dangers. Therefore, apart from your studies at the Academy, you have to pursue further studies on a sustainable basis not only of the ever progressing medical science but also other related military science and tactics. I wish to urge you to apply your profession with innovative and creative efforts in the interest of the country and the Tatmadaw through exchange of knowledge and experiences gained in your practical life among yourselves.

Comrades,

Being Tatmadawmen performing duties of national defence, we should always undergo training to get ourselves ever ready for combat in accordance with the motto of “Three Forevers”. You have been trained to acquire the military education by the Academy up to the level of a Platoon Commander. You will also have the opportunity to study further advanced military education occasionally at the military training institutes. While practicing continuously military profession, you need to keep pursuing studies in ever changing military tactic so that you will be able to lead your troops in the battle fields in time of need. Moreover, only when you keep on practicing your medical knowledge learnt from the Academy, will you be able to carry out health care activities effectively. Being Tatmadawmen and medical doctors, you need to be not only military leaders with full of physical prowess and combat capability but also medical doctors with mental prowess and kind heart to help others. I wish to urge you to train and build up yourselves in order to become good leaders imbued with both physical and mental prowess.

Comrades,

As the Tatmadaw was born out of the peoples, we always uphold the interest of the people. During the course of the history, we have made our utmost endeavours to carry out the public welfare activities.

Our members of medical corps sacrificed their own interest and rendered assistance to the people in the areas affected by the Cyclone Nargis in early May 2008. The Tatmadaw has proved its goodwill intention rendering help with warmth, goodwill and loving kindness to the people living in the far-flung remote areas lacking in communication and transportation facilities. The collective efforts of the State, people and the Tatmadaw has successfully overcome the ensuing epidemics that could arise in the areas struck by natural disasters. In that regard, contributions of the Members of the Medical Corps deserve commendation and have been put on record with high esteem and honour. As all of you are to be assigned at different regions of the country, you have to look after the health and wellbeing of the local people to the best of your ability. Since majority of the people of our country live in the rural areas, the Government has laid down five programmes for Rural Areas Development with a view to emergence of the new, modern developed nation and is striving to achieve the objective of making every one free from curable diseases fully enjoy a long life. Therefore, while lending your hands in implementing the National Health Plan laid down by the State, you have to continue to participate in the public welfare activities in line with the fine tradition of the Tatmadaw.

Comrades,

Being physicians and members of the Tatmadaw, all of you are also young leaders of the Tatmadaw. Therefore, you are required to equip yourselves with the leadership qualities. Whatever tasks assigned to you must be fulfilled together with the members under your charge by exerting correct leadership. Good leadership means having firm belief in yourselves, capabilities, and possessing the ability to build the members under your leadership to have good morale, discipline, full capabilities, unity, and the ability to lead them to work together under your management.

Moreover, as you are going to lead and supervise the members of the medical corps, you have to be excelled in your respective professions in order to earn admiration, trust and reliance from the members of the corps.

In this way, you can successfully fulfill all the assigned duties harmoniously with the team spirit. Comrades, As you are to be assigned at different regions of the country, you have to build up the national unity while performing your duties to look after the health and wellbeing of the national brethren.

National unity is the most essential requirement for the perpetuation of the sovereignty of the State which is resided by over one hundred national races. Although we have different faiths and traditions, all the nationalities are the citizens of the Union of Myanmar with the same characteristics such as kindness, helpfulness, patience, bravery, and patriotism.

True patriotism means not to harbour narrow-minded nationalism, but to have the true patriotic spirit desirous of working together for the perpetuation, progress and prosperity of the Union.

While extending help in the health and welfare activities of the national brethren, you must organize the people so that such a true patriotism or union spirit be flourished among the national races.

Comrades,

I would like to conclude by urging you-

- To exert efforts to become reliable physicians of the Tatmadaw in line with the motto of the Defence Services Medical Academy “Courageous

Physicians, the Conquering Warriors”.

- To try to become good leaders equipped with three designated capacities while upholding the “Our Three Main National Causes”, and to undergo training and get yourselves ever ready for the national defence.

- To build national unity by serving the interests of the local people at any regions of your assignment.