STATEMENT: Everyone who Visits Myan

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Subject: STATEMENT: Everyone who Visits Myanmar Can See Peace and Tranquility Prevailing  Throughout the Nation

Everyone who Visits Myanmar Can See Peace and Tranquility Prevailing
Throughout the Nation

( The following is the Statement by U Win Aung,
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the
Delegation of the Union of Myanmar in the General
Debate of the Fifty Fourth Session of the United
Nations General Assembly, New York, on 24 September
1999. )

Source: Information  Sheet No.B-1082(I)  26th September 1999
MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE, YANGON

Mr President,
Allow me to begin by extending to you the warmest
congratulations of the delegation of the Union of
Myanmar on your unanimous election as the President of
the fifty fourth session of the United Nations General
Assembly. Heavy and onerous are indeed the duties and
responsibilities that befall upon you at this
particular session. The task before the President of
the General Assembly in any year is by no means easy.
It is even more so this year, as this session has the
additional task of undertaking the preparatory work
for the Millennium Session next year. But we are fully
confident that your great wealth of experience and
outstanding diplomatic skills will stand you in good
stead in the discharge of your responsibilities and
that you will bring this session to a successful
conclusion. I pledge the fullest cooperation of my
delegation for the advancement of the work of this
Assembly under your able leadership. I also wish to
pay our tribute to your predecessor His Excellency Mr
Opertti, for his invaluable contribution to the
successful conclusion of the previous session of the
General Assembly. Our tribute also goes to the
Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, for this untiring
efforts in leading the World Organization so
effectively through these extremely challenging and
difficult years.

Mr President,
Myanmar consistently supports the principle of the
universality of membership of this world organization.
We are, therefore, most delighted to see in our midst
three new members this year. On behalf of the
delegation of the Union of Myanmar, I should like to
extend our warmest congratulations to the delegations
of the Republic of Kiribati Nauru and the Kingdom of
Tonga who have taken their rightful places in this
august Assembly.

Mr President,
We live in a rapidly changing world. With the end of
the Cold War, the old era of bipolar world has been a
thing of the past. The world is in transition from the
old to the new world order, which has not fully taken
shape. At this critical juncture, the world is faced
with uncertainties and unsettling situation. Sometimes
the world had even fallen victim to these turbulences
and chaos. In dealing with such situations, it is our
view that any solutions sought or measures taken even
with the best of intention should be strictly in
conformity with the purposes and principles of the
United Nations Charter. Furthermore, universally
recognized principles governing international
relations and the principle of respect for state
sovereignty should be taken into account before
resorting to measures of extreme nature in connection
with a particular situation.

Mr President,
One outstanding question relating to the reform of
the United Nations is the reform of the structure and
working methods of the Security Council. We are
encouraged to see that the General Assembly has taken
a significant procedural step by adopting a resolution
on the requirement of two-thirds majority in taking
decisions and resolutions on this questions. With
regard to the core issue of enlargement of the
Security Council, there are various proposals on the
table regarding the possible size of the Council. As a
member state of Non-Aligned Movement, our preference
is for enlargement of the Security Council up to 26.
We favour the expansion of the membership of the
Council in both categories, permanent and
non-permanent. In order to overcome the current
impasse on the question of permanent seats in the
Security Council, a compromise formula, acceptable to
all parties, should be worked out through enhanced
consultations and discussions among the Member States.
We are of the view that in the event of other options
having failed to command enough supports the idea of
rotating permanent seats should also be considered as
one of the options in the permanent membership
category.

Mr President,
In the coming year, we are going to convene a
landmark assembly--the Millennium Assembly and the
Millennium Summit. It is crucially important that the
Millennium Assembly Summit should not be mere
ceremonial events but should come up with concrete
ideas and results. As it is clearly evident that the
greatest challenge facing mankind well into the next
Millennium will be economic development and poverty
eradication for the vast majority of people in the
world, it is our view that particular attention should
be given to these issues.

Mr President,
Globalization can cut both positive and negative
ways. It can bring us new opportunities as well as
additional problems. It is true that the process of
globalization can facilitate the economic development
and enhance the living standards of the people. But at
the same time, it can make smaller and less developed
States vulnerable to the undesirable negative effects
of this process. One such problem, caused by the
process of globalization is transnational crimes,
including illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, money
laundering, trafficking in persons, arms smuggling,
piracy and terrorism. These crimes pose serious
threats to the peace and stability of mankind at both
national and regional levels. The nature of this
problem is such that it requires national, regional
and global responses. I am pleased to inform this
esteemed Assembly that in a bid to strengthen
cooperation in the regional grouping, Myanmar hosted
the Second ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational
Crime in June this year. The meeting was a success,
and it constituted a significant step in advancing
regional cooperation in combating this menace in the
South East Asia region. Let me also dwell on the fight
against narcotic drugs in Myanmar. My government is
greatly concerned about the drug menace, and the fight
against narcotic drugs is regarded as a national task
and the top priority. A master plan had been adopted
to totally eradicate poppy cultivation within 15 years
in cooperation with ethnic leaders who signed peace
agreements with the government. In accord with the
Master Plan, many areas have been declared Opium Free
Zones and farmers are now turning to alternative
crops. Law enforcement had been stepped up in the
border areas resulting in increase seizures of
narcotic drugs. While we are quite successful in the
suppression of opium and heroin production, though
only scanty international assistance was received,
another tide of danger has emerged in the form of new
synthetic drugs such as Methamphetamine. The new drugs
were produced around our porous borders with percussor
chemicals such as Ephedrine, unavailable locally, and
drug-making equipment illegally smuggled in from
neighbouring countries. We are redirecting our efforts
to deal with the new problem with the cooperation of
the countries concerned.

Mr. President
Allow me to take this opportunity to apprise this
August Assembly briefly of the recent developments and
trends taking place in my country.My government is
against neither democracy nor human rights. As a
matter of fact, we are taking necessary steps towards
the establishment of a democratic nation.We have a
vision of establishing a modern, peaceful and
development democratic state. In order to bring this
vision into reality, we are reconsolidating the
national unity as number one priority. Necessary
foundation being laid for the emergence of a nation
where a disciplined and multi-party democratic system
fully functions and justice, liberty and equality
prevail.

We fully subscribe to the human rights norms
enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. Here, I wish to underscore that the government
does not condone any violations of human rights, and
the type of democracy we envision will guarantee the
protection and promotion of human rights, particularly
the rights to basic human needs such as clothing ,
food and shelter. If there is an imperative need for
improvement in areas of human rights, we are willing
and ready to receive sensible suggestion and take
whatever action we possibly could. For instance, in
the middle of this year, we received a delegation from
the  International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
and made detailed arrangements for them to visit the
prisons in Myanmar as a measure of confidence-building
and to interview the inmates in accordance with the
ICRC standard procedures. As a result of the full
cooperation we extended to the ICRC delegation, those
visit is were successful and productive, enabling both
sides to build mutual trust and goodwill. I consider
it pertinent to state here that ICRC delegation
expressed their satisfaction with the overall
situation regarding the relationship between the
prison authorities and the inmates.

Also in August of this year, Mr, Chris Sidoti,
Australian Human Rights Commissioner, visited Myanmar
and held discussions with the authorities concerned,
including myself, on the possibility of establishing
a national human rights institution in Myanmar and
exchanged views on cooperation between the two
countries on human rights matters. As a result of this
visit, we were able to identify certain areas of
cooperation between the two countries.

Mr. President
In conformity with our consistent policy of
establishing friendly and amicable relations with all
the countries of the world, we accepted the proposal
for the visit of the Troika Mission of the European
Union of Myanmar in July this year. The mission was a
fact-finding one in nature, and both sides expressed
their satisfaction with the result. It is our hope
that this mission will further strengthen our
relations with the European Union and pave the way for
enhancing our contacts and dialogue with the EU to a
more meaningful and substantive stage in the future.
Likewise, we would also like to seek better relations
with the United States of America. Furthermore, I
would like to confirm our willingness to receive Mr de
Soto, the Special Representative of United Nations
Secretary-General, to visit my country in the near
future.

Mr President,
Myanmar is a multi-ethnic society where many national
races with different and diverse cultural and social
backgrounds are residing together. In addition,
primarily due to the divide and rule policy under
colonial rule, the unity among the national races
deteriorated and as a result, armed insurrections
broke out all over the country. For these reasons, the
present government came to the conclusion the racial
harmony was imperative and in the absence of which
various issues will continue to hamper the national
development endeavours. This rationale led the
government to make peace overtures with the armed
groups and establish peace with them.

In order to restore trust and confidence among the
national races, the government has even allowed the
ethnic armed groups to hold on their arms until a
democratic government is formally established in
accordance with the new constitution we are drafting
now. This is a reflection of our trust in our national
brethren. At the same time the government has launched
an ambitious plan for the development of border areas
and national races. Despite its meager financial
resources, the government has spent over 15 billion
Kyats on the plan. At present, the national races are
actively working together with the government in their
regional development efforts. This conscious and
willing involvement in the national development tasks
as equal partners has nurtured the Union spirit and
sense of togetherness. With 17 armed groups in the
legal fold, peace is holding the entire length and
breadth of the country. As far as the question of
national unity is concerned this is the first ever
concrete result achieved and unprecedented in number
of armed groups involved the  extent of peace
established. This is a result we achieved through
sincere, genuine and open dialogue between the
government and ethnic armed groups where we first
built confidence and then conviced each other of our
respective objectives. The government is open to such
a dialogue with any remaining groups, including the
Karen National Union (KNU), where we could build
confidence and identify common grounds in the sole
interest of the country and its people. In this
regard, I with to reiterate that the government's
offer of peace to the KNU still stands.

As a matter of fact, the same dialogue is going on in
the national convention process where representatives
of national races and political parties and delegates
representing all strata of life are actively involved
in drafting a new constitution to lay solid foundation
for a new democratic political system. The national
convention has been a successful process where we had
agreed on the basic principles that will govern the
future life of the country and will allow
self-administered zones for certain national groups.
At this juncture, we are in the painful and arduous
process of building a consensus on power-sharing,
which is an extremely sensitive issue for all parties
concerned. In view of the delicate nature of this
sensitive question, it is vitally important for us to
proceed systematically and with the greatest caution
possible to safeguard the interests of all the
national races and not to repeat the short comings of
the previous two constitutions. We firmly believe that
there is no better alternative at all to the current
national convention process if we genuinely wish to
transform the country into a peaceful, modern,
developed, and democratic state. It is therefore
essential for us to complete the national convention
process.

In this connection, it is our ardent hope that the
international community will be supportive of our
sincere efforts and appreciative of the positive
achievements we have made thus far for the development
of the country.

Mr President
Myanmar is very often portrayed from outside as if
vast violations of human rights are taking place,
forced labour is rampant, free flow of narcotics
exists and economic and social conditions are in
chaos. These portrayals are in contradiction to the
true situation. Let me cite here a very widely known
teaching of the Lord Buddha called "Kalama Sutta". The
Sutta says;

(Quote) Oh-Ye-Kalamas-
-Do not be led by whatever you are told!
-Do not be led by whatever has been handed down from
the past generations!
-Do not be led by hearsay or common opinion!
-Do not be led by whatever the scriptures say!
-Do not be led by mere logic!
-Do not be led by mere deduction or inference!
-Do not be led by considering outward appearance!
-Do not be led by the theory reflected as an
approval!
-Do not be led by whatever believable one says!
-Do not be led by what your teacher tells you it so!
(Unquote)

In short, Lord Buddha taught us to accept and
practice only when we ourselves directly know which is
wrong and which is right.

Everyone who visits Myanmar can see the greenness of
the country, peace and tranquillity prevailing
throughout the nation, people leading their normal
daily lives with happiness pleasure, and building
their nation with zest and zeal. The people have full
knowledge that they are on the right path to peace and
prosperity. I would like to invite all of you to come
and see yourselves. Seeing is believing!

Mr President
Our nation is still in the process of building, solid
foundations being laid, infrastructure being improved
throughout the country. The government and the people
fully understand where we were, where we are now and
in which direction we are moving. We think of
ourselves as builders, carpenters and plumbers
building a house not to enjoy ourselves but for the
entire people who are rightful owners. When the
building is finished, furnished, and fine touched, it
will be handed over to them. The people will decide
who shall manage the house. There are some Myanmar
youths that abandoned our land and took refuge
elsewhere. By taking this opportunity, I would like to
send them a message from this podium that they are
welcome with our open arms if they return home and I
would like to invite them to join us in building the
nation. Our future lies with us. If we work together,
we will reach our goal sooner than later.

Mr President
Religious harmony and freedom is our shared
tradition. Our previous two constitutions provided for
safe guards against religious discrimination and
religious intolerance. Similarly, the fundamental
principles we have agreed on in the national
convention process guarantee religious
non-discrimination and religious tolerance. Although
Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country with
nearly 90 percent of the population professing
Buddhism, the government attaches great importance to
harmonious relations among the major religions
existing in the country. Accordingly, the government
has taken all necessary steps to encourage the
prevailing harmony among the religions through
continuous contacts with the respective religious
leadership and provision of necessary assistance in
both financial and material terms to enable them to
promote their faiths effectively. I want to state that
there is freedom of religion for all faiths in the
country. It is also worth recalling here that a few
years ago, Madam Ogata, the High Commissioner for
Refugees remarked in her capacity as the Independent
Expert of the Commission on Human Rights, to the
effect that Myanmar was a model society as far as
religious tolerance was concerned. Though made
sometime in the past, I wish to stress that these
remarks remain valid and true at this point in time as
well, and the government is determined to safeguard to
the best of its ability all the religions of the
country against intolerance, and help them in all
possible ways to co-exist harmoniously with each
other.

Mr President
It will not be complete without mentioning what any
country is achieving on economic front. Despite
slowdown in economic growth due to Asian financial
crisis. Myanmar has enjoyed considerable economic
growth in recent years. The emphasis of the government
is to promote private sector development and
privatization. At the same time, the government is
focusing its endeavours on infrastructure development
as a precondition for sustained development. Moreover,
the government is carrying out an extensive programme
of land reclamation in wet and virgin lands by
granting large land holding to the private companies.
The private sector has been able to reclaim and
developed 1.1 million acres of fallow and wet lands
for agricultural productions, which will not only help
domestic food supply but also will contribute to
regional food security.

Mr President
We have a vision for the new millennium, where we
could build a society peaceful,  modern, developed and
democratic. In order to realize our vision, we will
endeavour with whatever resources we have at our
disposal. The realization of this goal could be
accelerated if we receive the support of the
international community. We are optimistic that we
will be able to achieve our vision and that the
international community will demonstrate understanding
and appreciation of our sincere efforts to uplift the
economic and social well-being of the people of
Myanmar.

I thank you, Mr. President.

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