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On the morning of the same day, the opening ceremony was solemnly held in a joyful atmosphere among the people of Myanmar at the two main venues in Yangon City Hall and City Council.
On this occasion, Myanmar President U Thein Sein expressed his hope that Myanmar would become a unified, just, and free country. He also urged the people to be vigilant against terrorist elements as well as negative factors both domestically and internationally that exploit the instability in Myanmar over the past year to incite ethnic and religious conflict in the country.
To ensure safety and order throughout the holiday period, more than 5,000 police and security personnel were deployed in the areas where the main activities took place.
This year's Thingyan Festival will last until April 16th. During the festival, people in Myanmar have the custom of splashing water on each other to wash away the bad luck of the past year.
