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BurmaNet News July 26 1995
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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: July 26 1995
ASEAN TO 'STUDY POSITIVELY' BURMA'S REQUEST TO JOIN
ASEAN TO STUDY BURMA AS VN BECOME MEMBER
BURMESE TROOPS ATTACKED
ASEAN MINISTERS GET TOGETHER TO PLAN STRATEGY
BURMA EXPECTED TO SIGN TREATY TO UPGRADE ITS ASEAN STATUS
CHAVALIT TO VISIT TO RANGOON ON A 'SEMI-OFFICIAL' TRIP
KAREN GUERRILLAS MEET TO PURGE OLD GUARD FROM RANKS
TRIANGLE LESS "GOLDEN" BUT STILL A DRUG SOURCE
BURMA WON'T BE GRANTED AUTOMATIC OBSERVER STATUS
BRIGHT FUTURE AWAITS ASEAN THOUGH ROAD WON'T BE EASY
'SHOW SLORC WE TRUST THEM,' SUU KYI URGES BURMA'S MINORITIES
ASEAN DECIDES TO PLAY IT COOL WITH RANGOON
CHARAN URGES GOVT TO STOP INFLUX OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
SPECIAL BRANCH TO PROVIDE TIGHT SECURITY FOR SUU KYI
PROPOSED SUU KYI TRIBUTE QUESTIONED
WRONG TIME FOR SANCTIONS ON BURMA: US OFFICIAL
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===== item =====
ASEAN TO 'STUDY POSITIVELY' BURMA'S REQUEST TO JOIN
The Nation /24.7.95
Agence France-Presse
KUALA LUMPUR - Asean is to study "positively" Burma's request to
join the grouping during next week'smeeting in Brunei, a top
diplomat said yesterday.
Malaysia's foreign ministry secretary-general Ahmad Kamil Jaafar
said while Asean had set no timetable for Burma's entry, it had a
target to have an "Asean-10" - an enlarged 10-nation group - also
embracing Cambodia and Laos "by the turn of the century".
"It is to fulfil the aspiration and wishes of our Asean founding
fathers," Kamil said in an interview.
"The prospects of an Asean 10 are great both in terms of greater
political stability in the region as well as in the enlarged
Asean's economic potential and regional prosperity," Kamil said.
Malaysia, for its part, would consider Burma's interest in
acceding to its Treaty of Amity and Cooperation positively, said
Kamil, who has participated in Asean's annual ministerial meeting
for the seven years.
"The Treaty provides the mechanism for the conduct of relations
and is meant for the region of Southeast Asia. We cannot say no
to countries in the region which want to subscribe to it," he
said before departing for Brunei at the head of senior officials
meeting.
The three-day senior officials meeting precedes the annual
conference of Asean's foreign ministers.
"It will make nonsense of that treaty if Burma is denied entry,"
Kamil said, while welcoming the recent release of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, saying he believed Asean's policy of
constructive engagement had been a contributory factor.
"But we should not dictate to Burma its internal policy as
Malaysia does not want others to dictate what kind of democracy
we should have," Kamil said.
===== item =====
ASEAN TO STUDY BURMA AS VN BECOME MEMBER
Bkk Post/24.7.95
Kuala Lumpur, AFP
ASEAN will study "positively" Burma's request to join the group
during this week's meeting in Brunei which will see Vietnam
admitted as the group's seventh member, a top diplomat said
yesterday.
Malaysia's foreign ministry secretary-general Ahmad Kamil Jaafar
said while ASEAN had set no timetable for Burma's entry, it had a
target to have an " ASEAN 10" - an enlarged 10-nation group-also
embracing Cambodia and Laos by the turn of the century.
"It is to fulfil the aspiration and wishes of our ASEAN founding
fathers," Kamil said in an interview.
With opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi just released from nearly
six years of house arrest, Burma's military rulers apparently
think they have done what they must to gain the world's
acceptance.
ASEAN statesmen hailed the release as a vindication of their
policy of promoting economic and political ties with the junta
over the protests of Western partners who preached isolation as
the best means of encouraging change.
But the same statesmen were understood to be reluctant to move
too quickly to embrace Burma as a full-fledged partner.
While Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw is expected to seek full
observer status at the meeting in Brunei, some members have
already let it be known that they see not need to short-cut
procedures.
The Burmese "are being quietly told there is no hurry, that next
year should be soon enough," a regional diplomat said.
"The lady" herself-as the junta referred to Aung San Suu Kyi
obliquely over the past six years of her detention -has urged
potential international partners not to rush into anything.
"I have been released. That is all. Nothing else has changed,"
she told reporters at her home in Rangoon.
According to Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Rodolfo Severino:
"If the goal is to open up Myanmar's economy, open up Myanmar's
political system, develop pluralistic democracy there, then the
only way to do that is to keep them engaged in the world rather
than isolating them."
The Association of South-east Asian Nations now groups Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Kamil said the prospects of an ASEAN 10 were great both in terms
of greater political stability in the region as well as in the
enlarged ASEAN's economic potential and regional prosperity.
Malaysia, for its part, would consider Burma's interest in
acceding to its Treaty of Amity and Cooperation positively, said
Kamil, who has participated in ASEAN's annual ministerial
meetings for the past seven years.
"The treaty provides the mechanism for the conduct of relations
and is meant for the region of Southeast Asia. We cannot say no
to countries in the region which want to subscribe to it," he
said before departing for Brunei at the head of a Malaysian
delegation to the ASEAN senior officials meeting.
"It will make nonsense of that treaty if Burma is denied entry,"
Kamil said, while welcoming the recent release of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, saying he believed ASEAN's policy of
constructive engagement had been a contributing factor.
"But we should not dictate to Burma its internal policies as
Malaysia does not want others to dictate what kind of democracy
we should have," Kamil said, in dismissing the isolation policy
preached by the Western powers.
Acceding to the 1976 treaty, which sets a code of conduct for
signatories, is a prerequisite for full membership of ASEAN,
formed in 1967 as a bulwark against communism during the Vietnam
War.
Laos and Vietnam-which is to be admitted at the forth-coming
meeting as ASEAN's seventh member-signed the treaty in July 1992,
to signal an end to more than a decade of hostility between
Indochina and ASEAN.
Cambodia acceded to the treaty on July 2.
"A concept paper on how to enhance security in the region will be
presented at the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting," Kamil said,
referring to the security forum that follows the ministerial
meeting.
The forum, scheduled for August 1, will be followed by ASEAN's
meeting with its dialogue partners - Australia, Canada, the
European Union, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United
States.
The 18-member forum, established last year in Bangkok, groups
ASEAN members with major Pacific powers among them China,
Vietnam, Russia and the United States.
===== item =====
BURMESE TROOPS ATTACKED
Bkk POst/24.7.95
Mae Hong Son
HEAVY fighting took place in side Burma yesterday when hundreds
of Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) soldiers launched an
attack on a Burmese government position about 40 kilometers
across the border from this provincial town, a border source
said.
The attack followed the KNPP's July 20 announcement for Rangoon
troops to withdraw from the area they control. The Burmese
soldiers have not withdrawn. however, and reinforcements have
been sent to the area instead.
The KNPP has staged several ambushes while the majority of its
forces have been attacking a government position at Talad Mae Yu
where many Rangoon troops are believed to have been killed.
The din from the fighting could be clearly heard in Mae Hong Son.
===== item =====
ASEAN MINISTERS GET TOGETHER TO PLAN STRATEGY
Bkk Post/24.7.95
by Post Foreign Desk
ASEAN foreign ministers will get together for their annual
meeting in Brunei this week to set strategies for the group amid
signs of improvement unfolding in the region.
Changes in Vietnam and Burma will prompt the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations to assume a more active role in regional
cooperation.
"We think it's time for even closer cooperation among Southeast
Asia nations," said Thai Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign
Affairs Saroj Chavanaviraj.
Laos, Cambodia and Burma, which belong geographically to the
region, should be fully aware of ASEAN's actions and thoughts
about the region in the lead-up to their eventual membership of
ASEAN in the future.
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and
Thailand will officially admit Vietnam as a seventh member this
Friday (July 28) on the eve of the 28th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
to be held in the Bruneian capital of Bandar Seri Begawan. Senior
ASEAN officials begin talks today to prepare agendas for their
ministers.
Vietnam's entry tears down the ideological barriers hitherto
separating ASEAN from its Indochinese neighbours. It's the first
step towards integration of other non-member states under one
umbrella.
The release of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi by the Burmese
military junta makes it easier for the group to think seriously
about the future role of Burma in ASEAN.
Burma will be represented as a guest of the host country for the
second year and its foreign minister Ohn Gyaw has made clear that
Rangoon wants to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation,
which would pave the way for an observer status and eventual full
membership.
But the accession to the treaty does not mean Burma immediately
will become an observer, unlike the cases of Cambodia, Laos and
Vietnam. ASEAN members need to further consider granting observer
status to Rangoon.
And ASEAN officials do not want to rush the issue when
uncertainties still prevail in Burma's internal politics.
How fast the next step will be depends upon discussions among
ASEAN senior officials in the forthcoming session," explained
Norachit Sinhaseni, the director of the East Asian Affairs
Department's Division One which covers Indochina (including
Burma).
Deputy Permanent Secretary Saroj insisted that ASEAN would not
review "the constructive engagement policy" it has adopted
towards Burma since 1988 as Aung San Suu Kyi's release does not
mean all things inside Burma have been settled. Her freedom only
signals Rangoon's flexibility towards national reconciliation.
"Burma is trying to rebuild the country. If negotiations between
the government and its ethnic groups, with the cooperation of
Aung San Suu Kyi succeed, the situation in Burma will improve,"
said Mr Saroj.
Preparations for a historic meeting of leaders of 10 Southeast
Asian nations in Bangkok later this year is another item on the
agenda in Brunei, as ASEAN leaders are pondering how to
accommodate Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
"ASEAN does not want the 10 Southeast Asian leaders meeting to
overshadow the ASEAN summit. Yet at the same time, it does not
want leaders of non-ASEAN nations to feel left out from
discussions," he said explaining the delicacy of the matter.
Thailand will host the fifth ASEAN Summit on December 14-15. The
out come of the Brunei consultations will provide input for the
Bangkok summit which aims to establish a vision of "ASEAN towards
the 21st century.
In Brunei, ASEAN ministers will invite their counterparts from
China, Japan and South Korea to an informal luncheon to discuss
the future of the East Asian Economic Caucus, an idea proposed by
vigorously pursed by Malaysia, Asean is expected to reiterate its
determination to go ahead with the caucus which will operate
under the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, another larger
organisation in which Asean also belongs.
On another crucial topic, Asean will get together with the so-
called European Union troika _ Spain, France and Italy, which are
past, incumbent and future chairmen of the Union _ to form ideas
on participation, the agenda and venue for the first Europe-Asia
meeting tentatively scheduled for March next year in Bangkok.
The officials are expected to develop what will transpire from
the original idea for an ASEAN-EU summit. A moderate achievement
would be an agreement on the title of the gathering, which is no
longer an Asean-EU Summit but a prosaic and interim Europe
Australia and New Zealand have expressed an interest in
participating.
On the problem front, the South China Sea conflict, Burma and
nuclear matters will surely surface during the ministerial talks
in Brunei.
Competing claims over the Spratlys will figure during the Asean
Regional Forum (ARF), which takes place next Monday. For the
first time, Cambodia, as an observer to the Asean meeting, will
attend the forum together with the line-up of other 18
participants.
After its debut in Bangkok last year, the ARF has arrived at a
critical juncture whereby some participants have called upon
matters of substance _ such as the potential South China Sea
flashpoint _ to be addressed concretely.
The call came from the US, but China, which is staking an
aggressive claim to both the Spratlys and Paracels, has objected
to the inclusion of the south China Sea topic in the Asean
Regional Forum.
ASEAN prefer to see the regional forum evolve at its own natural
pace, with the creation of mutual trust the primary goal at this
stage.
"We are not trying to escape problems... but if one member, a
significant player at that, is uncomfortable about certain
things, we have to take into account her feeling," said an
analyst in obvious reference to China. "And since she's
important, can you imagine the impact of her withdrawal from the
regional forum altogether?"
At the end of the day, the South China Sea inevitably will come
up during the free-for-all exchange of views since the Asean
Regional Forum is about regional security.
China's resumption of nuclear tests in June and France's decision
to conduct underground nuclear tests on Mururoa Atoll in the
Pacific in the next two months are major disappointments for
ASEAN and other Asian countries following the indefinite
extension of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
ASEAN is trying to finalise a draft declaration on the Southeast
Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) in Brunei. If things
proceed smoothly, ASEAN will launch the idea officially at the
Bangkok summit.
Japan is expected to raise the issue of China and France's
nuclear activities during talks with ASEAN in the two-day post
ministerial conference starting August 2.
The forum is for ASEAN members to meet with dialogue partners,
namely Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, South
Korea and the United States, in addition to Japan.
These countries are participants in the regional security talks
which include China, Russia, Laos, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and
Cambodia.
Aware of concerns the ASEAN Regional Forum might lose steam
without concrete achievements, ASEAN plans to step up government
sector activities before the third meeting next year in
Indonesia.
===== item =====
BURMA EXPECTED TO SIGN TREATY TO UPGRADE ITS ASEAN STATUS
MARISA CHIMPRABHA,
KULACHADA CHAIPIPAT
The Nation/25.7.95
BANDAR SERI BAGAWAN _ Burma is expected this week to Asean its
formal accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation _ the
prerequisite to joining the regional grouping.
The submission of "the instrument of accession" to the ongoing
annual Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Brunei will make Burma
officially eligible to become a member of Asean under the 1976
treaty, according to an informed Thai Foreign Ministry source.
Burma has already handled to Brunei's Foreign Minister, Prince
Mohamed Bolkiah, "the letter of intent", stating its desire to
accede to the treaty and to submit the document to the Asean
meeting which will officially start tomorrow.
Speaking after the meeting if senior Asean officials yesterday,
MR Thep Devakul, permanent secretary of the Thai Foreign
Ministry, said participants greed to welcome Burma's accession
and to allow Burmese Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw to attend the
AMM as the guest of Brunei.
Asean, he added, would open the way for Burma to achieve observer
status in Asean, But according to Asean protocol, Burma would
maintain that status only at the next Asean ministerial meeting
in Jakarta next year.
The process of Burma being formally accepted as a full Asean
member would be flexible but dependent "on several other
factors". said Thep, without elaborating.
But an official Thai source said the transition from observer to
member status would depend on Burma's progress on domestic
political development and human rights issues.
According to Thep, Asean agreed in the meeting that its policy of
"constructive engagement" with Burma was a good approach but it
was debatable whether it had helped secure the release of Burma's
opposition leaser Aung San Suu Kyi from almost six years of house
arrest.
However, the controversial policy had helped bring about
"positive" political and economic progress since 1989, he argued.
Burma is the only country in Southeast Asia that has not yet
acceded to the treaty. Cambodia will become an observer in the
Brunei meeting, while Laos and Vietnam acceded to the treaty in
1992 and secured observer status the following year.
Vietnam will become a full Asean member during the current
meeting, while Laos has asked for more time to prepare itself.
The Burmese military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (Slorc), expressed its desire to accede to the treaty and
subsequently apply for observer status only a few days after it
released Suu Kyi on July 10.
Slorc has been criticized for refusing to honour the result of
the May 1990 general election in which Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy won in a landslide victory.
The source stressed that Asean members will have difficulty
making a decision on Burma's application for observer status.
===== item =====
CHAVALIT TO VISIT TO RANGOON ON A 'SEMI-OFFICIAL' TRIP
The Nation/25.7.95
NEWLY appointed Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
announced yesterday that he will make a "semi-official" visit to
Burma, the schedule of which has yet to be worked out.
The announcement came after Chavalit's meeting with Burmese
Ambassador to Bangkok, U Tin Winn, who congratulated Chavalit on
his new ministerial portfolio.
Chavalit, also deputy prime minister, said he asked the envoy to
convey his "best regards" to Burmese junta leader Gen Than Shwe,
whom he "respects as a brother".
He said he had not yet worked out the date of the visit, and
added that whether he would be able to call on any junta leaders
"depends entirely on the hospitality of the Burmese leaders".
Chavalit is known to be close to leaders of the ruling Burmese
State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). In December
1988, Chavalit, while serving as the army commander in chief,
broke the international isolation of Burma by becoming the first
foreign dignitary to pay a visit to the Slorc, which rose to
power in September the same year after brutally suppressing the
pro-democracy movement.
Upon his return, Chavalit began the repatriation of several
hundred Burmese student dissidents, a move which was strongly
opposed by both the international community and the Burmese
opposition.
Political analysts believe that Chavalit will try to use his
close connections with Slorc leaders to mend the sour relation
between the two countries.
Since early this year Slorc has turned against Thailand which is
one of its strong supporters. It has closed down the border
checkpoints in Tachilek and Myawaddy, distributed anti-Thai goods
leaflets, stopped the construction of the almost-finished Thai-
Burmese bridge across the Moei River and banned the import and
sale of Thai goods in northern Burmese border towns.
Successive Thai military leaders have tried without success to
persuade the Slorc leaders to change their mind. Analysts believe
the hostility against Thailand stems from Slorc's suspicions that
Thailand was providing sanctuary and assistance to armed ethnic
Burmese groups, including opium warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army,
which are still waging wars against the regime in Rangoon.
Meanwhile, Deputy Army Secretary Col Banchorn Chawarnsin said
yesterday that Thailand and Burma have found a solution to the
disputes that have disrupted the construction of the Moei River
bridge.
He said local Thai and Burmese authorities in Mae Sot and
Myawaddy have agreed to separate the bridge construction from the
frontier dispute and each side would inform its respective
government of the decision.
Both sides, said Banchorn, agreed that the bridge would serve to
develop the two countries and that they would continue to
cooperate on the project.
On the border dispute, both sides would continue to seek a
solution to the issue, he said.
The army officer added that the Thai-Burmese treaty on the area
demarcation, which was make over 100 years ago, has strangely
defined the Moei River banks as the boundary line between the two
countries and so periodic changes in the waterway cause the
border to change.
The Slorc has accused Thailand of reclaiming land on the bank
near the Moei River bridge and unsuccessfully urged a halt to the
practice. It has charged the water-flow and thus affected the
Burmese boundary.
===== item =====
KAREN GUERRILLAS MEET TO PURGE OLD GUARD FROM RANKS
Reuter
The Nation/25.7.95
MAE SOT _ The Karen National Union yesterday began a week-long
congress during which the old guard is expected to be purged to
pave the way for peace talks with Burma's military rulers, Thai
Army and guerrilla source said.
The Thai Army source said 70 to 80 members of the KNU's executive
committee and senior KNU army commanders are participating in the
party congress in the southeast Burma near the Thai border.
"The major subject to discuss is the retirement of all the old
guards," a senior Karen source said.
The congress was delayed from a scheduled meeting earlier this
year due to attacks by Burmese troops that forced the KNU out of
their camps in north and northeastern Burma near the Thai border.
During the congress, the KNU president, Gen Bo Mya, is expected
to be replaced be his life-long Lt Gen Shwe Hser, the source
said.
Bo Mya, 67, has served as KNU president and army commander since
1967. He was forced to retire as the powerful army chief in April
after the KNU lost its Marnerplaw headquarters and all major
camps to the Burmese military earlier this year.
"The old guard is the major obstacle for peace talks so they
should be replaced by pragmatic leaders," a Thai Army source
said.
Shwe Hser, 67, the commander of the KNU's sixth army division,
will likely be named to replace Bo Mya as KNU president the
guerrilla source said.
Shwe Hser is regarded as a pragmatist who would likely agree to
start peace negotiations with Burma's ruling State Law and
Restoration Council.
The KNU was formed in 1949, shortly after Burma gained its
independence from Britain, to fight Rangoon.
It has faced major setbacks since late last year when a Buddhist
faction of the guerrilla organization mutineed against the
Christian-dominated group and defected to Burma to fight with the
military.
The guerrilla source said the KNU would follow the example set by
15 other ethnic minority rebel groups that have reached ceasefire
agreements with Slorc.
===== item =====
TRIANGLE LESS "GOLDEN" BUT STILL A DRUG SOURCE
Bangkok Post/25.7.95
ASK the man in the street where Asian drugs come from, and the
automatic response is, "the Golden Triangle." The territory
around the junction of the Thai, Burmese and Laotian borders is
infamous for its poppy and heroin production. But these days, the
man in the street is likely to be wrong in pointing to the Golden
Triangle as the source of narcotics. Opium poppies bloom and
heroin now is refined in countries north and south of the
Triangle.
Only one of the three nation in the Golden Triangle has kept up
its narcotics production. Thailand now produces less than 50
tonnes of illicit opium annually. Production continues to fall in
Laos-from 180 tonnes in 1993 to 80 tonnes in 1994 according to
official and accepted UN figures. In addition , both these
nations have managed to scare off or lock up enough heroin
producers that only negligible amounts of this pernicious drug
are refined, either here or in Laos. Only the Burmese portion of
the Golden Triangle has seen continuing, increasing poppy and
heroin production.
Remote are of two other nations have taken up the slack in drugs
production created by enforcement and education in Thailand and
Laos. Poppy production has risen dramatically in both China and
Vietnam. The involvement of these two nations in Asian and
international drugs trafficking began years ago. As the two
communist countries opened their doors to foreign investment,
travel and tourism, criminals exploited them as transit points
for " Triangle -produced" drugs.
Now, heroin refineries have sprung up in China's Yunnan province,
both along the Burmese and Vietnamese frontiers. They also have
been pinpointed in northern Vietnam, close to China. Even more
sinister to contemplate, analysts say opium grown in both
countries is being diverted into the illegal drug traffic.
Narcotics traffickers have taken advantage of former tolerance
for small amounts of medicinal opium cultivation to promote
commercial cropping.
It is true Khun Sa, the self-proclaimed Shan freedom fighter,
still dominates the Triangle drug trade. But his importance, and
the Golden Triangle's, is decreasing. Increasing amounts of opium
are produced to the warlord's north, on both sides of the 20,000-
km Burma-China border. Two Chinese now control a large share of
the opium and heroin traffic. The joint commanders of the
National Democratic Alliance Army, Lin Mingxian and Zhang
Zhiming, are former Red Guards who slipped across the border in
1988 to join the Burmese Communist Party. They have a 4,000 man
force to protect and operate refineries which produce an
estimated 2,000 kg of heroin. Their drugs are shipped through
China Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Compared with Burma, China remains a relatively minor source of
opium and heroin. The country is mainly a smuggling route to
other nations of Asia and the West, The opposite is true for
Vietnam. There, the annual opium harvest in regions along the
Chinese and Laotian borders already exceeds 5,000 tons a year.
Vietnam has been added to the list of 29 countries that produce
drugs for the international narcotics trade.
In coming months and years, the man in the street will slowly
stop using "the Golden Triangle" as a metaphor for the source of
drugs. There is more significance to this than mere language, how
ever. There is growing realisation that no Asian nation is free
of the drug stain. This has produced a growing demand for unified
action against a common problem. In Beijing recently, Asian
nations agreed to work with their neigh-bours to control the flow
of drugs.
Growing trends indicate the "Golden Triangle" will become a
pentagon. This has shown and will continue the most troubling
reality. Despite a declared willingness to fight the expansion of
trafficking in their countries, neither China nor Vietnam can
destroy it alone. In fact, no country can afford to go it alone
against traffickers. Cooperation with other countries, UN and
other narcotics experts agree, offers the only hope of victory
against rich and powerful drug gangs.
China has already shown its willing-ness to cooperate. Vietnam
has joined the united effort against traffickers by signing the
"Beijing Declaration" at the UN-arranged gathering in the Chinese
capital last May. The agreement calls for member nations to
increase police cooperation and tighten controls against
chemicals used to produce heroin and other drugs. The combination
of the experience of Thailand, the apparent dedication of
Vietnam, and the cooperation of other countries and the United
Nations gives us hope for success.
===== item =====
BURMA WON'T BE GRANTED AUTOMATIC OBSERVER STATUS
Bkk Post/25.7.95
by Supapohn Kanwerayotin and Bhanravee Tansubhapol
Bandar seri Begawan
BURMA will accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation at this
year's ASEAN Ministerial Meeting but will not be granted
automatic observer status, official sources confirmed yesterday.
Burmese Foreign Minister Oh Gnaw is representing the State Law
and Order Restoration Council for the second time as "guest of
the host country" at this year's ASEAN meeting in Brunei.
He will attend the official opening of the meetings on Saturday,
and will hold a series of meeting with ASEAN members in a group
and also with other participating countries when ASEAN's dialogue
and consultative partners gather for the ASEAN Regional Forum,
such as Japan and Thailand.
It is not yet known when Mr Ohn Gnaw will submit the instruments
of accession, but officials said it would be before Saturday.
The accession to the treaty is the first step to ASEAN membership
for the ten South-east Asian countries.
ASEAN officials said there is no written rule that treaty
accession automatically ensures observership.
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were almost immediately granted the
status upon accession to the treaty, but Burma will not.
Cambodia will ratify the treaty this Friday and officially become
an observer. It acceded on January 23 and its National Assembly
unanimously voted for its ratification on June 30.
ASEAN has championed "constructive engagement" policy towards
Burma since 1998. But rushing to embrace Burma now when there are
no other tangible signs of improvement in human rights and
democratisation, other than the release of dissident leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, could upset ASEAN allies including the United States
and European Union, Australia and Canada, all of whom are ASEAN's
dialogue partners.
===== item =====
BRIGHT FUTURE AWAITS ASEAN THOUGH ROAD WON'T BE EASY
The Nation/EDITORIAL/25.7.95
Asean foreign ministers gathering in Brunei this week have yet to
sit down for a single meeting, but already the implications of
this year's annual get-together are being felt around the region.
Asean's decision to welcome Vietnam as its seventh member is
being widely viewed as the decisive factor that prompted US
President Bill Clinton to finally restore relations with Vietnam.
Had Clinton bowed to domestic pressure and held off on
normalization, the United States would have been in the
diplomatically awkward position of trying to take part in Asean
proceedings while refusing to recognize one member.
Similarly, Rangoon's eagerness to become a part of the Asean
community appears to have played a major part in it's decision to
release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on July 10. The result
of the surprise release remains to be seen, but it can only be
viewed as encouraging after so many years of repression.
Both the moves in Washington and Rangoon are indicative of the
growing influence of Asean and the respect it has earned. With
the inclusion of Vietnam's population of 70 million on Friday,
Asean will now represent nearly 500 million people and be
potentially a bigger political and economic bloc than Europe.
On the crest
But as it stands on this crest of international prominence, what
does the future hold for the regional grouping? If the vision
laid down by its architects comes true, Burma, Laos and Cambodia
will follow Vietnam to become members, finally sealing the old
Cold War divisions that have long distorted politics in the
region.
On the economic front, the Asean Free Trade Area will take effect
by the year 2003, limiting internal tariffs to just 5 per cent,
enhancing cooperation, boosting inter-regional trade and making
the region a more attractive investment destination.
The one thing lacking, however, is an adhesive bond. Consensus,
the constitutionally enshrined way in which Asean has made
decisions, has been hailed as given the grouping flexibility. But
in reality, consensus is as much a weakness as strength. Until
now, Asean always had an enemy to force members to close ranks
when trouble surfaced. In recent years it was the security threat
posed by the Cambodian civil war and before that Vietnam. Indeed,
it is one of the great ironies of this year's meeting that Asian
should be welcoming in Vietnam, the communist power whose rise in
the 1960s prompted the formation of the grouping.
But with Vietnam now a fellow member rather than a perceived
threat to security, Asean needs to become more of a pro-active
rather than reactive body.
Regional forum
It was obvious at last year's founding meeting of the Asean
Regional Forum, a series of discussions designed to address
security issues, that when faced with difficult issues, Asean
member states are more likely to retreat than assert themselves
and risk endangering this much vaunted "consensus". As a result,
the Asean countries found their own forum being dominated by
issues such as the Korean nuclear stand-off which did not have a
direct or immediate bearing on the region.
Encouragingly, Asean took a united stand against China earlier
this year when Beijing and Manila exchanged cross words over
their conflicting claims to the Spratly Islands, quietly but
firmly reminding the Chinese of the concern their actions were
causing.
Asean foreign ministers meet this week to usher in an end to an
era of confrontation. The future promises to be more prosperous
and peaceful than the past but it will not come to be without
hard work and a willingness to face prickly issues.
===== item =====
'SHOW SLORC WE TRUST THEM,' SUU KYI URGES BURMA'S MINORITIES
26/7/95
The Nation, Agencies
RANGOON - Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged
more than a dozen armed ethnic guerrilla groups and the military
junta to establish mutual trust in an attempt to resolve the
country's four-decade-old internal turmoil.
"It is because they [ethnic minorities] do not have confidence in
the central Burmese government that we have all these problems,"
Suu Kyi said at a press conference on Monday.
Suu Kyi, whose commitment to restore democracy and human rights
has earned her huge popularity among the Burmese people,
including the country's diversified ethnic minorities, said she
believes there is nothing, geographically or economically, that
should stand in the way of uniting all the ethnic nationalities
in Burma.
"I feel that establishing trust with the government, showing them
that we value them and understand their feelings would enable us
to achieve unity," said the 50-year-old 1991 Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, who was unexpectedly released on July 10 after nearly
six years of house arrest.
"In the end, if they feel they can trust us, I think we can build
a strong union," she said.
Suu Kyi, who has insisted that dialogue among all parties
concerned is the key to national reconciliation, reaffirmed that
the leadership of the party she co-founded, the National League
for Democracy (NLD), remains united despite the arrest of several
key members by the ruling junta and the exile of several elected
party MPS.
She said Burma's economic growth in the past six years has not
dampened the people's desire for political reform. "The overt
demand for democracy has quietened down, but this has nothing to
do with what the people fear inside, or because of the
restrictions placed on such reforms," she said.
Suu Kyi said economic growth has affected only a few privileged
people, not the country as a whole, and questioned if ongoing
international investments and the Asean policy of "constructive
engagement" towards the government, known as the State Law and
Order Restoration Council (Slorc), really benefits the common
people of Burma.
"This is not the time to rush in with investment and foreign aid.
Please wait and see which direction [national reconciliation]
heads,"she said, repeating her statement made immediately after
her release.
She stressed the importance for Thailand and Burma to have a
strong relationship because the two countries shared a long,
common frontier. "I would like to see the government of Thailand
shape their policy in such a way that there can be a good
relationship between the people of Burma and the people of
Thailand," she said.
"In my opinion, this may be perhaps the most idealistic way of
looking at things, you should always give more sympathy and
compassion to people that are weaker then you."
Meanwhile, the United States, pleased and surprised by the
release of Suu Kyi, will maintain pressure on Burma's military
rulers for return to civilian government, a top official says.
"The regime is as you know, illegal...Our position is very clear,
privately and publicly, on what we think should be the outcome in
Burma- a restoration of the people's mandate," Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Winston Lord
told a US Senate panel hearing on Monday.
"Yes, yes and yes," Lord replied when asked if the 1990 election
won handily by the NLD was free and fair and had a clear result.
The Slorc seized power in September 1998 and refused to surrender
control despite the 1990 balloting, which was regarded as a
referendum against their rule.
Suu Kyi's release "is only the begining of what promises to be a
long, slow process," Lord said. But now, "there is some reason to
hope that Burma might take the steps it must to emerge from a
long period of isolation and oppression."
===== item =====
ASEAN DECIDES TO PLAY IT COOL WITH RANGOON
Bangkok post/26.7.95
by Supapohn
Kanwerayotin and Bhanravee Tansubhapol]
Bandar Seri Begawan
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will plat it cool with
Burma. It will leave the door open for Burma's involvement in the
group but will not commit itself to quick admission of the
country ruled by a widely reviled junta.
Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw, who will be attending the
annual Asean foreign ministers' meeting here as "guest of the
host" for the second consecutive year, is expected to present the
"instrument of accession" to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
this Friday, when he meets ASEAN chairman Brunei Foreign Minister
Prince Mohammed Bolkiah.
But ASEAN will not be granting Burma automatic observership.
ASEAN does not want to hurry in embracing Burma, since the recent
release of Burmese dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi has just
opened a floodgate of other political problems in Burma.
Freeing Mrs Suu Kyi, who the junta kept under horse arrest for
six years, is a "constructive sign", but no one can read Burma's
future, according to M.R. Thep Devakul, permanet secretary for
foreign affairs.
"We are sure the constructive engagement policy (that ASEAN has
applied to Burma since 1988) is good, but whether it played a
role in bringing about Mrs Suu Kyi's release, we are not so
sure," M.R Thep said when asked how ASEAN assessed this policy
which goes against the western view favouring pressure and
sanctions against Burma.
At their meeting on Monday to lay the groundwork for the
ministerial conference which starts this weekend, senior ASEAN
officials wilcomed recent developments in Burma, in particular
the release of Mrs Suu Kyi and Burma's accession to the Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation.
"With Burma's accession to the treaty, ASEAN offers the
possibility for it to be and observer a future ASEAN ministerial
meetings. If Burma has shown the wish, I don't see why we should
not let them in," M.R thep said on Monday night.
After acceding to the treaty, Burma is on track toward being an
ASEAN observer, a status held by Laos.
As an observer Burma can take part in the ASEAN Regional Forum, a
vehicle for security dialogue that brings ASEAN and its observers
face to face with major world powers such as the US, China and
Japan.
Vietnam has been an observer for the last two years and will be
admitted as a full member on Friday, joining Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Also this Friday, ASEAN will welcome Cambodia as an observer.
M.R Thep recalled that Thailand first suggested the idea of Burma
getting involved in ASEAN in the 1970s, an offer Rangoon then
declined, stating it wanted to be independent and neutral.
Burma resigned from the Non-Aligned Movement some time ago,
stating the group was no longer non-aligned.
According to Mr Ohn Gyaw, the instrument of accession is a letter
he signed which he described as the "declaration of what each
government will do to accede to the treaty".
ASEAN officials stressed that accession to the so-called Bali
Treaty does not guarantee automatic observer status.
"Observer status is not related to the treaty accession. After
accession, there is yet another procedure of application to be an
observer which ASEAN needs to consider," an ASEAN diplomat said.
But in an interview with the Bangkok Post earlier this month in
Rangoon, Mr Ohn Gyaw pointed to the case of Cambodia.
"I will hand over my accession instruments to the chairman, who
will them take over the procedure. For example, as far as I know,
Cambodia has presented this instrument of accession and then, in
Brunei, Cambodia will become an observer," he said.
ASEAN foreign ministers are expected to voice concern over
nuclear test activities, but they will stop short of mentioning
China and France or any other country.
Work is under way to finalise the draft declaration for the
Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, which ASEAN plans to
unveil at its leaders' summit in December in Bangkok.
===== item =====
~PROPOSED SUU KYI TRIBUTE QUESTIONED
26 JULY 1995
A senior army yesterday questioned the decision of Thammasat
University to renew its invitation to Burmese opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Thailand to receive an honorary doctor
ate in political science.
"I don't know what their real motive is. They need to weigh the
pros and cons [of inviting Suu Kyi]," said Lt Gen Bundit Malai-
arisoon, commander of the First Army Region.
Anel Lao-thammathat, vice rector of Thammasat, told The Nation
yesterday the university decided in 1991 to confer the honorary
doctorate upon the Burmese opposition leader. "It is in honour of
her peaceful struggle for democracy in her country," he said.
Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest one year before the Na
tional League for Democracy, the political party she co-founded,
won the general election in May 1990.
Anek said the university has renewed the invitation to Suu Kyi in
the wake of her release. "Since we have no channel of communica
tion with her, we want the media to pass on the message to her,"
he said.
Anek said because Suu Kyi had indicated she would travel to Oslo
to receive the Nobel Peace Prize she won in 1991, she could
therefore stop over in Bangkok to accept the degree.
Lt Gen Bundit said yesterday the invitation would have both
positive and negative effects. "It would be alright if it does
not have an impact on our relations with our neighbour," he said.
Anek said the decision to award Suu Kyi the honorary degree was
made by the university council after consultation with Foreign
Ministry officials. (TN)
===== item =====
~WRONG TIME FOR SANCTIONS ON BURMA: US OFFICIAL
26 JULY 1995
A top US official said on Monday that imposing unilateral eco
nomic sanctions on Burma in an attempt to foster democracy there
would be counterproductive.
"This is not the right time," Winston Lord, assistant secretary
of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, told s Senate hear
ing.
"The evidence on the effectiveness of economic sanctions is
clear," Lord said. "They are not effective without broad interna
tional support."
Since the release from prison earlier this month of Burmese
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, there is "no support" for
sanctions from the international community, Lord added.
Lord also expressed concern that provisions of the proposed
sanctions would violate international accords, adding that the
United States should not penalize the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council (Slorc) when positive measures are being
taken.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and chairman
of the Senate foreign appropriations subcommittee, has threatened
to introduce a bill imposing sanctions on Burma if speedy efforts
are not made by Rangoon on democracy and human rights.
The proposed 1995 Free Burma Act would require President Bill
Clinton to verify that the military junta known as Slorc had
freed all political prisoners, handed over power to delegates
elected in 1990, and implemented an effective anti-narcotics
programme.
Failing that, the legislation would ban US trade with, investment
in and travel to Burma, suspend all preferential trade privi
leges, cease aid to countries selling arms to Burma, and down
grade diplomatic ties.
Lord told McConnell that current diplomatic pressures are more
appropriate. He said Burma has been "decertified" under a law
that requires countries to prove they have cooperated with US
authorities in drug-trafficking before receiving certain assis
tance.
Lord also advocated the continued denial of direct development
aide and tariff breaks, and said the Clinton administration would
oppose lending assistance from international financial institu
tions and seek to maintain an international but "informal" arms
embargo.
However, the assistant secretary said the administration supports
continued contact with the Slorc and advocated the continued
funding of the United Nations Development Program, and UN drug
control assistance.
And he said the United States would seek Aung San Suu Kyi's views
on the situation in Burma "and how the international community
can assist her in moving the process in Burma forward."
Despite urging continued links with the military junta in Burma,
Lord said the United States did not have "unrealistic
expectations" about the prospect for a rapid lurch toward demo
cratic rule.
"Engregious human rights violations continue. Burmese citizens
are routinely rounded up and forced to carry military equipment,
weapons and ammunition for the Burmese army," he said. "There's
forced labour on the roads, the railroads and other infrastruc
ture projects."
Also testifying at the hearing was Robert Gelbard, assistant
secretary of state for international narcotics and crime.
He called Burma "the epicentre of worldwide production of illicit
opiates," and said the heroin problem in the United States could
not be tackled without dealing a blow to production there. (TN)
===== item =====
~CHARAN URGES GOVT TO STOP INFLUX OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
26 July 1995
THAILAND needs to stop the influx of people from neighbouring coun
tries especially along the northern border with Burma as it is a
causing social problems and affecting national security, National
Security Council secretary-general Charan Kullavanijaya said yester
day.
Gen Charan made the statement during a speech at the seminar of the
Office of Highland Development and Cash Crop Planting Control, Third
Army Area at Duang Tawan Hotel, Chiang Mai.
Attending the seminar on the new master plan to develop the highland
community over the next five years, were 170 officials of six con
cerned ministries, provincial sectors and non-governmental organisa
tions.
The new plan on developing the standard of living of highland people
and a drug suppression policy will be linked with the Quadrangle
Economic Cooperation Plan to open the northern border to neighbouring
countries to boost economic cooperation.
Gen Charan said it is good to anticipate possible problems from such
plans as it will help Thailand to prepare for them. It will have to
know how to cope with drug and human trafficking along the new route.
He added that it is necessary to contain immigrants along the Thai-
Burmese border in certain settlements so as to send them back home
whenever the situation allows. It would also prevent them from migrat
ing further into Thailand.
Official figures show Thailand has about 570,000 hill tribe people in
20 provinces, mostly in the North. But the actual number is over
700,000. The migration along the Thai-Burmese border has added more to
the number.
More than 80,000 Burmese immigrants, forced to leave their home by
fighting at the border, are currently accommodated at about 22 tempo
rary shelters along the border in Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son.
We are trying to reduce the number of temporary shelters as to be
easily taken care of because they cost money. We pay 20 baht each day
for each person in the temporary shelters, he said.
Thailand cannot push them back to Burma while fighting is going on as
this is against human rights, Gen Charan said.
Thailand has spent more than 489 million baht during 1992-1995 on
developing hill tribe life. In 1996, the government is expected to
allocate around 271 million baht for such work.
The immigrants are at risk of being exploited by human traffickers in
Thailand, he said.
Gen Charan estimated Thailand currently has more than 300,000 Burmese
immigrants. It is hard to think about the number of Chinese aliens in
Thailand but police arrest around 300 of them every month.
He expressed optimism that these people would want to return home when
the fighting ends.(BP)
===== item =====
~SPECIAL BRANCH TO PROVIDE TIGHT SECURITY FOR SUU KYI
26 July 1995
THE Special Branch police will provide tight security for Burmese pro-
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during her trip to Thailand, Commis
sioner Veera Visuthakul said yesterday.
His remark was in response to reports that Thammasat University would
grant an honourary doctorate to Aung San Suu Kyi for her struggle for
democracy in Burma.
It was earlier reported that the Burmese opposition leader would
travel to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and visit Thailand
before returning home; however no schedule has made so far, said Pol
Lt-Gen Veera.
What Special Branch police have to do is beef up security for Suu Kyi
during her stay as the country's guest, he said.
On a suggestion that Burmese students in Bangkok would stage a gather
ing to welcome her, the Special Branch commissioner said well-wishers
would be allowed to do so but they not violate the law.(BP)
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