News & Views from Myanmar ( Vol.1

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Subject: News & Views from Myanmar  ( Vol.1 , No.44 )

News & Views from Myanmar

Vol.1       11 November 1999       No.44


Contents

1. INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
    a. Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control holds meeting
    b. To uplift the qualifications and morale of students

2. FOREIGN RELATIONS
    c. President of Republic of Indonesia on friendly visit

3. ECONOMIC COOPERATION
    d. Seminar on the AFTA Process begins
    e. Minister of Commerce of ROK visits Myanmar

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INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS

Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control holds meeting

    A meeting was held by the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control at the 
Ministry of Home Affairs on 4 November to review the accomplishments during 
the first two years of the first five-year project of the 15-year narcotic 
drugs eradication programme.

    CCDAC Chairman and Minister for Home Affairs Col. Tin Hlaing dealt with 
financial matters, treatment and rehabilitation programmes, drug education 
and keeping of systematic records and data on the tasks.  He urged all to 
strive to end narcotic drugs production, to control drug abuse, to crush 
trafficking, to organize the people to take part in the tasks and  to assess 
the international relation in remedying the weakness.

    He revealed that during the meeting of the members of the Counter 
Narcotics Centre of the American State Department and Myanmar officials, the 
American side had admitted that there was a drop of 31 per cent in poppy 
cultivation in Myanmar during 1999 when compared with that of 1998; and 38 
per cent drop in opium production when  compared with that of 1998. However, 
he pointed out that, the CNC reviewed the drop in poppy cultivation and opium 
production was due to bad weather, ignoring the effort of Myanmar government 
and local people in eradicating the narcotic drugs. Nevertheless, the drop 
can be assumed as the beginning of the victory in totally  rooting out poppy 
cultivation and opium production in Myanmar within 15 years. Local 
authorities and the respective ministries are taking part in implementing the 
programme. The national race leaders and the local people are also taking 
part in eradicating narcotic drugs on their own conviction. 

    Secretary of CCDAC Police Maj.-Gen. Soe Win reported on accomplish-ments 
concerning the resolutions of CCDAC meetings, CCDAC Vice-Chairman and 
Minister for Foreign Affairs U Win Aung spoke on the use of Internet and web 
site systems and another Vice-Chairman and Minister for Progress for Border 
Areas and National Races and Development Affairs Col. Thein Nyunt spoke on 
the Ministry's commitments concerning the eradication of drugs and 
international cooperation.

To uplift the qualifications and morale of students
 
A ceremony to open the Special Refresher Course No. 38 for Basic Education 
Teachers was held at the Central Institute of Civil Service in Hlegu, Yangon 
Division on 8 November 1999.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development 
Council Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt elaborated on the government's efforts for 
all-round development and uplift of student youths concerning their standard 
of education, qualifications, knowledge, discipline, morale, physical 
culture, national outlook, patriotic spirit and the Union spirit.

Following are excerpts from his speech:

-   Time will usher in the new millennium passing the present millennium as 
well as coming of the 21st Century as the 20th Century will end in the near 
future.  Only in the final decade of the present century, the entire people 
are able to strive to win back the national amity and unity together with the 
development of the mother country, after passing the periods under 
subjugation, manipulation and exploitation and of disputes and quarrels 
resulting from the evil legacy of colonialists' subjugation.

-   Exerting efforts to the full capacity in harmony and unison to recover 
the losses of the past which had passed fruitlessly and to maintain the 
dignity of the independent and sovereign nation in a deserving manner is the 
national duty of the entire people of Myanmar in the endeavours for progress 
of the nation in peace and stability with high momentum.

-   The State Peace and Development Council has given priority to 
implementing the plans to further strengthen amity and unity among the 
national brethren to promote and propagate the Union spirit for achieving 
perpetual peace and stability in the nation. The government is also exerting 
utmost efforts for progress of the national economy.

-   In accord with the conviction that youths are the principal force, 
education promotion programmes are being launched beginning from the basic 
education schools to uplift the qualifications and morale of the people.

-   Myanmar is striving to further broaden the scope of her international 
relations, extending the cordial relations with the regional countries 
especially with the neighbours in accord with the international codes of 
conduct and actively taking part in the endeavours for regional peace and 
progress.

-   As Myanmar strongly condemns all unlawful terrorist acts, she will never 
accept or encourage any anarchic terrorist acts on her territory or in any 
other region.

-   Myanmar will continue to uphold her independent and active foreign policy 
in accord with the principles of the UN Charter which is the life of the 
organization and the policy to work hand-in-hand with all countries in a 
cordial manner.

-   Myanmar will continue to strive to maintain her cordial relations and 
cooperation with all nations of the world and to build a peaceful, stable, 
modern and developed nation whose economy will be strong enough to ensure 
security in the region.


FOREIGN RELATIONS

President of Republic of Indonesia on friendly visit

    At the invitation of the Chairman of the State Peace and Development 
Council of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe and wife Daw Kyaing 
Kyaing, President of the Republic of Indonesia Mr Abdurrahman Wahid and 
Madame Sinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid paid a friendly visit to the Union of 
Myanmar on 7 November.

    The special aircraft carrying the goodwill delegation arrived at the 
Yangon International Airport at 9.30 am. The Indonesian President and Madame 
Nuriyah were welcomed by Senior General Than Shwe, and wife Daw Kyaing 
Kyaing, and the Senior General presented his entourage to the visiting 
Indonesian President.

    President Abdurrahman Wahid called on Senior General Than Shwe  at 
Sein-Le-Kantha State House at 10.30 am. Later, Senior General Than Shwe 
hosted a luncheon in honour of President Abdurrahman Wahid and members of the 
delegation. Likewise, Daw Kyaing Kyaing hosted a luncheon in honour of Madame 
Nuriyah at Inya Kantha State House. 

    President Abdurrahman Wahid and delegation left Yangon by special flight 
in the afternoon.



ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Seminar on the AFTA Process begins

    The seminar on the AFTA Process jointly sponsored by Myanmar Institute of 
Strategic and International Studies and Sasakawa Peace Foundation and in 
cooperation with the National AFTA Unit was held at the Hotel Equatorial on 8 
and 9 November 1999.

    Minister at the State Peace and Development Council Chairman's Office 
Brig-Gen. Abel, as the ASEAN Economic Minister for Myanmar, in his opening 
speech, said the dissemination of information on the AFTA process in the 
Myanmar Language has started spreading to the private sector which plays a 
pivotal role in the implementation of AFTA.

    Following are salient points in his speech:

-   ASEAN is a region that is outward looking, living in peace, stability and 
prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a 
community of caring societies.  By the year 2020, there will be free flow of 
trade, services and investments within the ASEAN region.

-   The way ASEAN do things is different from that of the other economic 
groupings. ASEAN members strictly adhere to three principles: consensus, 
consolation and non-interference, instead of relying on institutional or 
legalistic approaches.

-   ASEAN is advancing with firm steps to respond to the challenges by 
building mutual understanding among the Member States.  The Framework 
Agreement on Enhancing Economic Cooperation is the Mother Agreement and from 
it emerged the decision to set up an ASEAN Free Trade Area at the Fourth 
Summit in 1992. For this purpose, ASEAN came up with the Agreement on Common 
Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme, the CEPT Scheme, the main mechanism for 
implementing AFTA.

-   Under this Scheme, tariffs are targeted to be reduced to zero to five 
percent within 15 years, later reduced to 10 years.  Quantitative 
restrictions and non-tariff barriers are to be removed immediately and within 
five years upon enjoyment of concession respectively.

-   Myanmar has the obligation to reduce the tariffs of its Inclusion List 
within zero to five percent by 2008.  The ASEAN Economic Ministers agreed 
that the acceleration of AFTA should also aim to intensify both trade 
liberalization and facilitation activities.  The lessons learned from the 
crisis are that the liberalization programs are most important and their 
implementations need to be accelerated.

-   The ultimate goal of free trade is to eliminate tariffs on all products 
meaning zero percent.  It has now been decided that the original six member 
countries are to reduce the tariff rates on all products to zero percent by 
year 2015, and 2018 for new member countries.

-   Concerning Foreign Direct Investment, ASEAN Leaders recognize that direct 
investment is an important source of finance for sustaining the pace of 
economic, industrial, infrastructure and technology development. The leaders 
thus agreed to establish a competitive ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) through a 
more liberal and transparent investment environment. To draw the major 
developed countries' investment back to the region, the idea of organizing a 
joint ASEAN Investment Promotion Mission was agreed at the 31st AEM Meeting.


Minister of Commerce of ROK visits Myanmar

    At the invitation of the Minister for Commerce of the Union of Myanmar, a 
delegation led by Minister of Commerce Mr. Han Duck-Soo of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and Commerce of the Republic of Korea visited Myanmar from 3 
to 5 November, 1999.

    Minister Mr. Han Duck-Soo and party called on  Minister for Foreign 
Affairs U Win Aung at Zizawa Yeiktha of the ministry on 4 November 1999. 
Afterwards, Minister U Win Aung hosted lunch in honour of the visiting 
minister and party at Zizawa Yeiktha.

    During his visit, Minister Mr Han Duck-Soo and party called on Ministers 
at the State Peace and Development Council Chairman's Office Brig-Gen. Abel,  
Secretary of Myanmar Investment Commission Brig-Gen. Maung Maung, Minister 
for Industry-2 Maj-Gen Saw Lwin and Minister for Commerce Brig-Gen. Pyi Sone. 

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