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On the unhappy mixture of drugs and
- Subject: On the unhappy mixture of drugs and
- From: celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 15:32:00
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FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES CHANGE IN BURMA AID POLICY
Burma News - BC: April 22, 1998
Drug trade worries cited as reason for possible aid resumption
OTTAWA -- After speculating to a reporter in Beijing on Tuesday that Canada
might soon resume aid to Burma, the country's Minister of International
Co-operation, Diane Marleau, backtracked at a press conference in Ottawa on
Wednesday, indicating that her remarks had been more in the form of a wish
than a fact.
"Actually, we would love to go back into Burma," she said, "if there was
some movement on the human rights issue. But there is none. Conditions
are absolutely terrible for the people of Burma and all we can do right now
is to monitor the situation closely."
Marleau was accompanied at the press conference by Foreign Affairs
Minister, Lloyd Axworthy, who stated that there had been no change in the
policy of not providing aid to Burma. However he did reveal that there had
been discussions on the matter with Burma's Foreign Minister, Ohn Gyaw,
last summer, in which Canada had proposed movement on eight human rights
concerns as a precondition to possible resumption of aid.
"The Burmese were absolutely adamant and refused to make any kind of
overture whatsoever," Axworthy said, "and there has been no sign of
movement since. In fact the situation is getting worse. The arrest
reported just yesterday of a major leader of the democracy movement there
is a further sign of deterioration."
Axworthy was apparently referring to the case of Daw San San, a labour and
human rights leader, elected a member of Burma's Parliament in 1990. A
news report on Tuesday disclosed that she had been re-sentenced to 25 years
in prison earlier this month. Daw San San was arrested last October after
she gave an interview to the British Broadcasting Corporation in which she
criticized the country's military regime.
In comments not reported by the national press in Canada, Axworthy also
revealed the possible background to Canada's interest in resuming aid to
Burma.
"The problem that we face is that Burma is one of the major suppliers of
the drugs that arrive our shores. We took the initiative last summer in
developing a regional drug strategy. If there was any movement by the
Burmese on the human rights situation we might want to look at how we could
support an anti-drug program, like a crop replacement project or something
of that kind. We talked about that, but it's just stonewall right now.'
In its move to engage Burma in dialogue over the drug trade Canada would
seem to be falling into lockstep with other wealthy nations. At the
beginning of April it was reported that the United States and Japan would
participate in a $US four million, 5-year project to help with the
eradication of opium poppy cultivation in northeastern Burma. The
contribution marks the first time since 1988 that the U.S. has made a
direct grant to a project in Burma.
The project is to be administered by the United Nations Drug Control
Programme (UNDCP). The military government of Burma recently agreed to
representation in Rangoon by the UNDCP.
Richard Dickens, formerly with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is to be
in charge of the UNDCP office in Rangoon. In an interview with the Bangkok
Post last week Dickens said he expected that the activities in Burma would
cover various aspects including crop development, health care and education
and that they would be integrated with law enforcement activities in the
border areas.
According to Dickens the UN programs would supplement the 'master plan for
development of border areas and national races' that the Burmese military
regime initiated in 1990. He was hopeful that donor countries, which had
been cautious about helping Burma because of political concerns, would
relax their funding requirements when they saw the programs in action.
In Vancouver which is fast becoming a major entry and distribution centre
for Burmese drugs in the North American market, C.T. Yawnghwe, of the
Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia said that
efforts over the last twenty years to curb the trade involving the
expenditure of billions of dollars by western governments and the U.N. in
cooperation with corrupt, authoritarian governments in Burma and elsewhere
have been self defeating right from the start.
"This is the consensus reached by international experts at a recent seminar
in Vancouver hosted by the mainstream, very conservative and highly
respected Fraser Institute," he said. "The programs have not worked and
they will not work."
Yawnghwe is to speak at a conference in Ottawa this weekend on links
between Canada, the Burmese military junta and the drug barons who control
Burma's production and export of narcotics.
The conference is a part of a nation-wide consultation sponsored by the
Canadian Friends of Burma, which promotes study and activities designed to
bring about a restoration of democracy and respect for human right in
Burma.
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Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
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<html><head></head><BODY bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><p><font size=3D2 =
color=3D"#000000" face=3D"Arial"><b>FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES CHANGE IN =
BURMA AID POLICY<br><br></b>Burma News - BC: April 22, =
1998<br><br><i>Drug trade worries cited as reason for possible aid =
resumption<br><br></i>OTTAWA -- After speculating to a reporter in =
Beijing on Tuesday that Canada might soon resume aid to Burma, the =
country's Minister of International Co-operation, Diane Marleau, =
backtracked at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, indicating =
that her remarks had been more in the form of a wish than a =
fact.<br><br>"Actually, we would love to go back into Burma," =
she said, "if there was some movement on the human rights issue. =
But there is none. Conditions are absolutely terrible for =
the people of Burma and all we can do right now is to monitor the =
situation closely."<br><br>Marleau was accompanied at the press =
conference by Foreign Affairs Minister, Lloyd Axworthy, who stated that =
there had been no change in the policy of not providing aid to Burma. =
However he did reveal that there had been discussions on the =
matter with Burma's Foreign Minister, Ohn Gyaw, last summer, in which =
Canada had proposed movement on eight human rights concerns as a =
precondition to possible resumption of aid.<br><br>"The Burmese =
were absolutely adamant and refused to make any kind of overture =
whatsoever," Axworthy said, "and there has been no sign =
of movement since. In fact the situation is getting worse. The =
arrest reported just yesterday of a major leader of the democracy =
movement there is a further sign of deterioration."<br><br>Axworthy =
was apparently referring to the case of Daw San San, a labour and human =
rights leader, elected a member of Burma's Parliament in 1990. A =
news report on Tuesday disclosed that she had been re-sentenced to 25 =
years in prison earlier this month. Daw San San was arrested last =
October after she gave an interview to the British Broadcasting =
Corporation in which she criticized the country's military =
regime.<br><br>In comments not reported by the national press in Canada, =
Axworthy also revealed the possible background to Canada's interest in =
resuming aid to Burma.<br><br>"The problem that we face is that =
Burma is one of the major suppliers of the drugs that arrive our shores. =
We took the initiative last summer in developing a regional drug =
strategy. If there was any movement by the Burmese on the human =
rights situation we might want to look at how we could support an =
anti-drug program, like a crop replacement project or something of that =
kind. We talked about that, but it's just stonewall right =
now.'<br><br>In its move to engage Burma in dialogue over the drug trade =
Canada would seem to be falling into lockstep with other wealthy =
nations. At the beginning of April it was reported that the United =
States and Japan would participate in a $US four million, 5-year project =
to help with the eradication of opium poppy cultivation in northeastern =
Burma. The contribution marks the first time since 1988 that the U.S. =
has made a direct grant to a project in Burma.<br><br>The project is to =
be administered by the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). =
The military government of Burma recently agreed to representation =
in Rangoon by the UNDCP. <br><br>Richard Dickens, formerly with =
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is to be in charge of the UNDCP =
office in Rangoon. In an interview with the Bangkok Post last week =
Dickens said he expected that the activities in Burma would cover =
various aspects including crop development, health care and education =
and that they would be integrated with law enforcement activities in the =
border areas.<br><br>According to Dickens the UN programs would =
supplement the 'master plan for development of border areas and national =
races' that the Burmese military regime initiated in 1990. He was =
hopeful that donor countries, which had been cautious about helping =
Burma because of political concerns, would relax their funding =
requirements when they saw the programs in action.<br><br>In Vancouver =
which is fast becoming a major entry and distribution centre for Burmese =
drugs in the North American market, C.T. Yawnghwe, of the Institute of =
Asian Research at the University of British Columbia said that efforts =
over the last twenty years to curb the trade involving the expenditure =
of billions of dollars by western governments and the U.N. in =
cooperation with corrupt, authoritarian governments in Burma and =
elsewhere have been self defeating right from the start. =
<br><br>"This is the consensus reached by international =
experts at a recent seminar in Vancouver hosted by the mainstream, very =
conservative and highly respected Fraser Institute," he said. =
"The programs have not worked and they will not =
work."<br><br>Yawnghwe is to speak at a conference in Ottawa this =
weekend on links between Canada, the Burmese military junta and the drug =
barons who control Burma's production and export of narcotics. =
<br><br>The conference is a part of a nation-wide =
consultation sponsored by the Canadian Friends of Burma, which promotes =
study and activities designed to bring about a restoration of democracy =
and respect for human right in Burma.<br><br><br><br></p>
</font></body></html>
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