The BurmaNet News: November 12, 199

[strider@xxxxxxx]

Subject: The BurmaNet News: November 12, 1999

---------------------- BurmaNet ------------------------
 Catch the latest news about Burma at www.burmanet.org
--------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: November 12, 1999
Issue #1400

HEADLINES:
==========
ASSOCIATED PRESS: MYANMAR FREES OPPOSITION MEMBERS
REUTERS: MYANMAR OUTPUT DROPS, US BLAMES THE WEATHER
THE STRAITS TIMES: ILLEGALS "TRAPPED" IN THAI JUNGLE
BKK POST: GROUPS CALL FOR PAUSE IN EXPULSIONS
BKK POST: SUPPORT FOR WORKERS THIN
NATION: WIRE FENCES ANGER BURMESE STUDENTS
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: CANBERRA TO LIFT INTAKE
***************************************************

ASSOCIATED PRESS: MYANMAR FREES OPPOSITION MEMBERS
11 November, 1999

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - The military regime has freed all members of the
women's and youth wings of Myanmar's main opposition party who were
detained since September 1998, the party said Thursday.

The National League for Democracy, headed by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San
Suu Kyi, said the final group of detainees were freed Nov. 4.

No figure was given for other party members remaining in custody, though
they are estimated to number in the dozens. Hundreds more have been
imprisoned over the years for separate offenses.

Recently released members said they were not tortured and did not have to
sign statements to obtain their freedom. They had been detained in military
camps or prisons.

``We were treated well during our 14 months' stay,'' said Tun Aung, 26, a
youth wing member who was freed with 17 others. ``Our usual dish was either
boiled beans or mixed vegetables, but we were given meat once a week.''

The crackdown by the ruling State Peace and Development Council was a bid
to smash the party after Suu Kyi and other leaders created a committee to
represent a parliament elected in 1991.

The National League for Democracy overwhelmingly won the elections, but the
military ignored the result and never released its hold on power. The
military has ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962.

***************************************************

REUTERS: MYANMAR OPIUM OUTPUT DROPS, US BLAMES THE WEATHER
11 November,1999 by David Brunnstrom

BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling generals say opium output has
fallen sharply because of their fight against drugs, but U.S. officials
argue poor weather can take the credit.

The U.N. Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) said on Thursday it believed
drought was a significant factor in the output fall in the last poppy
growing season from September 1998 to February.

But, overall, drug lords in the ``Golden Triangle'' compensated for the
poor opium harvests with a flood of synthetic narcotics, the UNDCP said.
The notorious drug-producing region includes Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, and
parts of China and Thailand.

Yangon is annoyed its efforts have not been given credit.

Home Minister Colonel Tin Hlaing last week quoted representatives of the
U.S. Counter Narcotics Center as estimating that poppy cultivation fell 31
percent year-on-year last season and opium output dropped 38 percent.

``However, the CNC ignored the efforts of (the) Myanmar government and the
local people in eradicating narcotic drugs, and attributed the drop to the
bad weather only,'' he said.

A U.S. embassy official in Yangon confirmed the U.S. officials had given
the estimates in a November 4 meeting with Myanmar's Central Committee for
Drug Abuse Control and had attributed the fall to bad weather, but declined
further comment.

MYANMAR SAYS PROGRESS BEING MADE

Most of Myanmar's opium is grown in its northeastern Shan State. A
government statement on Thursday said the weather was not good for growing
in the southern part of the state last season but was good in northern and
northeastern parts.

Tin Hlaing said the data showed Myanmar, the world's number two opium
producer after Afghanistan, was making progress towards its target of total
eradication of opium by 2014.

Yangon has said it could speed this process if countries like the United
States resumed counter-narcotics assistance suspended after Myanmar's
military put down a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. Thousands were killed
in the crackdown.

The U.S. data would mean a drop in potential opium gum production to 1,085
tonnes against the U.S. estimate for the previous growing season of 1,750
tonnes. This would still be enough to produce more than 100 tonnes of heroin.

In September, the UNDCP gave an estimate for the latest growing season of
1,200 tonnes.

Myanmar's official figures have been much lower than U.S. estimates. It
estimated total opium production for the 1997-1998 season at 680 tonnes and
said this year it expected this amount to be halved for the season to last
February.

``It doesn't make an awful lot of difference,'' said Bengt Juhlin, head of
UNDCP's Asia-Pacific regional centre in Bangkok.

``There are still a lot of drugs going out of Burma (Myanmar) and the
decrease in production of opium and heroin has more than been made up for
by the increase in production of methamphetamines.'' Methamphetamines are a
synthetic narcotic.

Given difficulties in obtaining accurate data, it is hard to judge how
effective the eradication has been, he said.

``I'm not saying it is performing better or worse than in previous years,
but I would probably say that a quite significant part of it is due to the
weather,'' Juhlin said.

Most of Myanmar's opium is grown in areas of Shan state run by ethnic
groups that struck ceasefires with Yangon in 1989.

The government insists it is working hard on eradication and rejects
charges it tolerates or benefits from drugs, despite an increase in overall
production during the ceasefire period.

Thursday's government statement said land under opium cultivation had been
cut to 102,000 acres (40,800 ha) from 160,000 acres (64,000 ha) since
February 1998. A third of the area cleared had been sown with substitute
crops, it added.

***************************************************

THE STRAITS TIMES: MYANMAR ILLEGALS "TRAPPED" IN THAI JUNGLE
10 November, 1999 by James East

They fear being raped or killed by junta forces if they go home.  They know
they will be rounded up in Thailand's towns and villages 

Hundreds of illegal Myanmar immigrants are hiding in Buddhist temples and
bolt holes along the Thai-Myanmar border in a desperate attempt to avoid
forced deportation to their homeland.

The impoverished labourers have nowhere to turn.

They fear they will be raped or shot by Myanmar forces if they go home, but
they know they will be rounded up by immigration officers if they return to
Thailand's towns and villages.

Since late last week, more than 4,000 men, women and children -- mostly
from the Karen tribe -- have been seized by Thai police and sent forcibly
across the northern border.

More than 2,000 have fled back across the Moei River into northern Tak
province, the focus of deportation efforts.

Border sources say 12,000 people are now either hiding in the jungle or
have been deported to Myanmar.

Thai immigration police, strengthened by officers from Bangkok, hold those
seized in the border town of Mae Sot, then truck them south and put them on
boats.

Officers have been unable to eject illegals at official checkpoints.

These have been closed by the Myanmar government, which refuses to talk to
the Thai authorities.

Soldiers have threatened to shoot anyone crossing the border, forcing the
Thais to dump their human cargo in remote jungle spots, controlled by the
Yangon-backed DKBA -- a force of armed Karen Buddhists -- or on river islets.

A border-assistance worker said: "A woman who has just come back from
Myanmar said women were being raped on the Myanmar side.

"The Mae Sot Chamber of Commerce has also told us of nine people who
drowned crossing the river back into Thailand. Some have only been getting
across by clinging to floating bamboo."

She said the situation at the border was grim.

"Generally the people have little or no food, whether they are in detention
or in hiding.

"Mae Sot is like a ghost town and all the garment factories are closed,"
said the worker.

Two migrant workers were shot in Tak after Thai farmers were thought to
have mistaken them for thieves.

Thailand's mass circulation Thai Rath newspaper quoted illegal teenage
worker Sanda Win as saying that, following one round-up, she had been
dumped with 1,000 others on an islet.

During the night, 10 soldiers forced them off at gunpoint.

Some of the women were raped. She later fled back into Thailand.

The immigrants are the unfortunate victims of the worst downturn in
Thai-Myanmar relations in years, following last month's siege of the
Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok.

Yangon's military government was angry at Thailand's kid-gloves treatment
of the kidnappers, who were flown to freedom on the border after holding
staff and visa applicants hostage for 25 hours.

The angry junta closed its borders to Thai traders, forcing Thailand to
respond by limiting the number of illegal Myanmar workers in Thailand to
106,000.

There are now more than one million Myanmar people, either in 14 border
camps or working illegally.

They are blamed for taking jobs badly needed by an estimated two million
jobless Thais, but factory owners and business groups are now begging the
Thai government to halt the repatriations.

Factory chiefs have been holding rallies to persuade the government to
soften its stand.

However, Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart has vowed to continue with
the expulsions, saying Thailand could no longer be burdened with looking
after so many migrants.

He has ordered provincial governors to get tough and to ensure the illegal
immigrants do not return.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is monitoring closely
what is going on through its office in Mae Sot, as are the various aid
agencies that work with refugees along the border.

Trying to expel migrants for good is not easy.

Returnees have little problem getting back across the porous border,
factory owners pay little regard to immigration laws and are either hiding
staff or arranging pick-up points for expelled workers.

In addition, many police officers are open to bribes to overlook such workers.

Immigration police estimate that 40 to 60 per cent of those they expel return.

***************************************************

THE BANGKOK POST: CALL FOR PAUSE IN EXPULSIONS
11 November, 1999

Non-governmental organisations yesterday called on the government to
suspend the repatriation of Burmese workers until conditions on the border
ease.

The 13 NGOs also called for a temporary shelter to be set up for the
workers and their families who cannot be sent back. They also urged
measures be introduced to prevent sexual violence against women "especially
by the authorities".

 The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) NGOs, as
well as groups engaged in protection work for women, children and migrants
spearheaded the calls.

 The long-term solutions they proposed included:

*A clear-cut government plan on migrant workers in keeping with demand for
their service and the National Economic and Social Development Plan

*Official-level Thai-Burmese talks

*Devolution of authority to provincial officials

*The setting up of migrant worker committees comprising employers, migrant
workers, NGOs and the media.

 The foreign ministry has conceded the current way of returning Burmese
migrants had not worked and said the government will seek a solution to the
failed repatriation through a high-level political visit to Rangoon.

Thailand has proposed that a joint sub-committee be entrusted with securing
a systematic and sustainable solution, but Rangoon says the issue should be
handled by a local-level mechanism like the township border committee, he
said.

 "The ministry is working on other ways besides the existing mechanisms and
considering that a visit by either country's leader certainly will improve
the political climate," said spokesman Don Pramudwinai.

 A visit to Burma by a Thai leader should not be regarded as a winning or
losing gesture, he said, adding that the question of a high-level visit
should be finalised by the end of this month.

***************************************************

THE BANGKOK POST: SUPPORT FOR WORKERS THIN
11 November, 1999 by Supamart Kasem

Anti-expulsion demo only attracts 400

A rally against the expulsion of illegal workers went ahead as planned in
Mae Sot yesterday but only 400 of an anticipated 5,000 people turned up.

The protest ended after only two hours when the demonstrators were told the
government would review a ban on workers in the farm sector.

Some 250 police, border patrol police, plain-clothes officers and
volunteers were mobilised to keep peace and order at the protest site.

Operators of businesses decided to proceed with the protest after the
government failed to answer their demands by the deadline set at noon.

There was a brief confrontation when a group of 50 people led by Sopit
Wongmontha, a former municipal councillor, showed up to voice support for
the government.

Kokiat Sapsarn, a representative of the industrial sector, called for a
halt to the crackdown, claiming the farm sector was losing 15 million baht
a day as crops lay in the fields.

Mr Kokiat also accused the authorities of trying to prevent the rally.

Panithi Tangpati, president of Tak Chamber of Commerce, re-submitted a
petition to the governor via Mae Sot district chief Cherdsak Chusri.

A similar petition lodged on Tuesday with Governor Nirach Wajjanapumee
urged an immediate stop to the expulsions and the recruitment of locals.

After lodging the petition, Mr Panithi was told Deputy Prime Minister Korn
Dabbaransi would review a ban on workers needed for the farm sector.

Mr Panithi said Mr Korn, the Chart Pattana leader, has ordered Labour
Minister Wut Sukosol to survey the need for workers in the agricultural
sector but the ban on other sectors stands. He claimed that the change in
position by the deputy premier was due to a lack of information about the
need for foreign workers in the agricultural sector.

About 5,000 people were expected to join the protest organised by operators
of businesses in three border districts.

The number dwindled to 400, reportedly due to the local authorities'
attempts to prevent the protest.

A source said local leaders had been ordered to discourage villagers from
joining the protest. Two checkpoints were reportedly set up yesterday to
block potential protesters.

There were also reports of troops issuing threats to villagers, said the
source. A group of soldiers allegedly threatened to take back ownership of
houses built by the state from any villager who joined the protest.

Labour Minister Wut Sukosol and Tripol Chohchit will visit Mae Sot today to
discuss problems with local authorities and the private sector, following
the crackdown.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday appealed to business
operators in Tak to co-operate with authorities in pushing back the illegal
workers.

He said business operators would be affected at the beginning, but added
they would be able to cope and find substitutes.

The premier also reiterated that the government would only keep the agreed
106,000 registered workers.

Mr Wut said he had a plan to help border businesses with their labour
shortage problems. He said he is considering a proposal to the government
ad-hoc committee, dealing with immigrant labour problems, to declare a
special economic zone in which the employment of immigrant labourers would
be allowed. He added this would be dependant on the views of sub-committee
members.

***************************************************

THE NATION: WIRE FENCES ANGER BURMESE STUDENTS
11 November, 1999

RATCHABURI - Burmese students at the Maneeloy holding centre yesterday
protested against the Thai authorities' toughened security at the camp.

They particularly objected to barbed-wire fences that separate newcomers
from the current residents and to the hundreds of security officials on
guard at the centre.

The students called for the fences to be removed and  security officials
sent away, saying fences and guards made them feel like they are living in
prison.

They also threatened to mobilise friends in Bangkok to join their protest
at the holding centre in Ratchaburi's Pak Tho district.

In the afternoon, Thai officials and representatives from the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) met the protesting students to
discuss ways to settle the dispute.

Earlier in the day, more than 200 Burmese students from Bangkok arrived at
Maneeloy on five buses, accompanied by UNHCR officials. The students were
warmly welcomed by their compatriots already living there.

Upon noticing the barb-wired fences and some 400 policemen and village
volunteers on guard, the newcomers began expressing their dissatisfaction,
which culminated in a noisy protest.

***************************************************

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: CANBERRA TO LIFT INTAKE OF ANTI-JUNTA ACTIVISTS
10 November, 1999 by Craig Skehan

Australia is preparing to increase its intake of Burmese student
pro-democracy activists now living as refugees in Thailand.

Well-placed sources said the Immigration Minister, Mr Ruddock, would make
an announcement later this month that a humanitarian program would be
expanded to allow several hundred Burmese students into Australia.

Officials said Australia would almost certainly refuse asylum to five
gunmen who on October 1 stormed Burma's Bangkok embassy, demanding an end
to military rule in their homeland.

Following the embassy siege, the Thai Government asked foreign nations to
help resettle 2,700 Burmese student activists living in the Maneeloy
holding camp near the country's border with Burma.

The request came partly because camp inmates' protests against the Burmese
junta have exacerbated bilateral tensions between Bangkok and Rangoon.

At least some of the five-member group who took control of the Burmese
Embassy were from the Maneeloy camp.

The Thais maintain the pro-democracy militants are now on Burmese soil, but
have undertaken to arrest them if they surrender or are found in Thai
territory.

A front page report in Thailand's The Nation newspaper yesterday, headed
''Burmese gunmen seek haven in Aust'', quoted an associate of the
hostage-takers saying they wanted resettlement in a third country,
preferably Australia. But Australian officials said there was ''virtually
no prospect'' the five would be granted asylum or refugee status.

***************************************************




_____________________________________________________________
Receiving this post in your inbox? You can read it on the Web
at Topica.  Just register and go to "Your Lists" page.  
It's that easy.  http://www.topica.com/t/6