[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index
][Thread Index
]
BurmaNet News: Weekend of February
- Subject: BurmaNet News: Weekend of February
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 06:25:00
Subject: BurmaNet News: Weekend of February 19-20, 2000
[Visit The BurmaNet News website at http://www.burmanet.org]
=========== THE BURMANET NEWS ===========
Weekend of February 19-20, 2000
Issue # 1466
NOTED IN PASSING:
``Until we see movement towards democracy, respect for human rights, and
cooperation on counternarcotics efforts, the United States will continue
to apply broad sanctions against Burma''
U.S. Embassy, Rangoon. (See AP: U.S. OFFICIAL VISITS MYANMAR)
=========
Headlines
=========
Inside Burma--
ASIAWEEK: MONKS' MURMURS
AP: U.S. OFFICIAL VISITS MYANMAR
XINHUA: FEWER FOREIGN TOURISTS VISIT MYANMAR
XINHUA: MOTOR VEHICLES IN OPERATION IN MYANMAR INCREASE
International--
BANGKOK POST: NEW CLUB BIG LURE FOR THAI GAMBLERS
AFP: MALAYSIA SEEKS MORE INVESTMENT IN MYANMAR, SAYS POLITICS NOT ITS
CONCERN
MIZZIMA: FOUR BURMA ARMY DESERTERS ARRESTED IN MIZORAM STATE OF INDIA
MIZZIMA: CHILD SOLDIERS ARE AMONG THOSE ARRESTED IN MIZORAM STATE
Opinion/Editorial--
MON: JOINT STATEMENT OF THE WORLDWIDE MON COMMUNITY
ON THE 53rd ANNIVERSARY OF MON NATIONAL DAY
Other--
GEORGETOWN UNIVERISTY: OPEN INVITATION TO SANCTIONS CONFERENCE [Mass
Burma law]
=========================================
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
INSIDE BURMA
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
ASIAWEEK: MONKS' MURMURS
Buddhist clerics are calling for dialogue between the junta and the
opposition
FEBRUARY 25, 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 7
By ROGER MITTON Yangon
The venerable Abbot Bhaddanta Pannadipa is one of Myanmar's most revered
monks. From his monastery in suburban Yangon, the elderly prelate has
helped set up a college for religious studies, as well as hold language
classes for thousands of students. "It is not good that the state
universities are closed," he says. Most ordinary citizens would flinch
at making even such an innocuous comment to a foreign journalist, but
not Bhaddanta. And it seems he is not alone. Just two weeks after his
college awarded diplomas to a batch of students in November, a fellow
abbot in Amarapura, near Mandalay, released a letter admonishing all of
Myanmar's key leaders - military chief Gen. Than Shwe, former strongman
Ne Win, and National League for Democracy head Aung San Suu Kyi. It set
tongues wagging. "This is what the regime fears most," says a
Yangon-based diplomat. "Everyone says it's a first since the protests in
the late 1980s."
That may be an overstatement, but the missive was significant. In it,
Abbot Ashin Kunthalabhivamsa said that all three leaders "have been
fighting one another over the past ten years and that makes us, the
monks, sick at heart." His message had been drafted with the support of
the monastery's 1,000 monks. "That's a step higher, compared with a monk
speaking out on his own," notes the diplomat. That Ashin also addressed
his letter to Suu Kyi is additionally provocative. She has said that the
monks' falling living standards are a good social barometer - because
they rely on alms from the public and naturally suffer when people are
too poor to give much. Like his Yangon colleague, Ashin is in his 80s
and revered - which means he is beyond harsh punishment.
At the same time, another senior monk, the Kyarkat abbot in Bago, 80 km
northeast of the capital, gave a talk urging dialogue between the
government and the NLD. Most potently, he delivered it during a visit by
the regime's strategist Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt - to whom he gave a printed
copy of the speech. Other copies were circulated, signifying a planned
political gesture. And it riled the junta. Says Tourism Minister
Maj.-Gen. Saw Lwin: "Politics should be separated from religion." Why
did the senior monk do it? "I had to say something because the people
are suffering," he explains. "But I did not expect it to get so much
attention." He is now watched by military intelligence and finds it
harder to travel. "I don't think he will do it again," says the regime's
Col. Thein Swe. Funding for the Amarapura monastery has reportedly been
reduced. Perhaps as a result, monks in the same sect met in December and
criticized their colleagues who interfered in politics.
Yet in Hpa-an, capital of Kayin state, a third meddlesome monk, Abbot
Tamanya, engaged in political activism - for which he has something of a
record. In 1995, he met Suu Kyi when she was freed after six years of
house arrest. "He is well known and used to be the most outspoken monk,"
says a diplomat. This time, he took pity on the thousands of illegal
Burmese workers that the Thai government drove back across the border
after a siege at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok late last year. The
abbot went to the frontier area and urged Myanmar troops not to harm the
returnees. Says one ambassador: "The regime is worried about his
influence."
Need it be? Well, yes. In largely Buddhist Myanmar, the monkhood is the
single most revered institution. If monks took to the streets, the
people would follow - as happened in 1988. And while the military may be
400,000-strong, there are 350,000 monks. So the generals take
extraordinary measures to keep the monks on side. The front page of the
official New Light of Myanmar regularly shows pictures of Khin Nyunt and
other leaders giving presents to the monasteries. "The monks know that
compared with previous governments, we have done a lot for their
welfare," says Saw Lwin. Actually, the monks' recent protest messages
are unlikely to bring many citizens onto the streets. Consider Ashin's
call to the government and the NLD. He wrote: "Let bygones be bygones,
wipe the slate clean and work toward peace. Then, join hands and work
for the good of the country." Even the junta can buy that kind of
homily. "We agree with what the senior monks said," says spokesman
Lt.-Col. Hla Min.
Even so, the monks were chastised for allegedly letting themselves be
used. Says Hla Min: "We believe the political parties exploited the
monks for their own ends." Was the NLD involved? The regime thinks so.
"If that party cannot cause trouble through student activities, it will
come through these monks," says Saw Lwin. More impartial sources say
that is unlikely, but not impossible. "Some monks do support the NLD and
perhaps did act under its influence," says a diplomat.
One thing is certain: All sides have been active on various fronts.
Yangon-watchers note the junta's moves over the past year to improve its
image. The one most often cited is its decision to grant the Red Cross
access to prisons. "It is astonishing they allow this and the Red Cross
is doing good work," says one ambassador. "This is more than just PR; it
is very positive." Even envoys from anti-junta nations laud the move.
More significantly, Suu Kyi herself has reversed her opposition and now
extols the entry of the Red Cross.
But on key issues, she remains steadfast. At a luncheon with European
Union envoys at the residence of British ambassador John Jenkins on Jan.
6, Suu Kyi struck an aggressive stance - in the face of mounting
skepticism. Though she insisted that sanctions were working, the envoys
said they saw little evidence of it. Recalls one: "'Time is on our
side,' Suu Kyi said. 'The regime is getting weaker and weaker.' But it
doesn't seem like that to us." When one diplomat said that investments
would lead to jobs and more electric power, which would help the people,
she looked aghast. Said another: "We are all in broad agreement that we
want to see democracy, but our differences - with her, and among
ourselves - are over tactics." There is a growing sense that current
tactics are not working - and may even be cementing the military's hold
on power.
Still, Yangon's greater concern for its public image, and its muted
response to the monks' protests, gives cause for guarded optimism. The
generals seem more willing to listen to outside suggestions, especially
from Japan. "We are grateful that they give us good ideas - what to do,
where to do it," says Thein Swe. "Some we can do and some we cannot."
That suggests the regime is learning the art of pragmatic politics. As a
result, the years ahead are more likely to see Myanmar re-enter the
world community - on its own terms - than at any time since
Independence. Says Thein Swe: "I'm very optimistic." Go tell that to the
monks.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
AP: U.S. OFFICIAL VISITS MYANMAR
Fri 18 Feb 2000
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) ? The United States will maintain sanctions
against Myanmar until the military regime improves human rights and
moves towards democracy, U.S. officials said Friday.
The announcement came a day after the highest-level U.S. visit to
Myanmar ? formerly known as Burma ? in five years. Ralph Boyce, deputy
assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, met
with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar deputy foreign
minister Khin Maung Win and foreign aid workers on a one-day visit to
Yangon, the Myanmar capital.
``Until we see movement towards democracy, respect for human rights, and
cooperation on counternarcotics efforts, the United States will continue
to apply broad sanctions against Burma,'' a statement from the U.S.
embassy in Bangkok said. It urged the regime to enter into a
``meaningful dialogue'' with its democratic opposition and ethnic
minority groups.
The Myanmar military has ruled the country since 1962 and refused to
hand over power to Suu Kyi after her party swept general elections in
1990. Hundreds of her supporters and opponents of the regime have since
been jailed.
Foreign donors including the United States have heavily restricted
foreign aid to Myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries, since a
1988 crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in which thousands of
protesters were gunned down by the military.
Since 1997, the U.S. government has banned new investment by American
companies in Myanmar. It also bars top members of the Myanmar government
from receiving visas to visit the United States. Yangon has an
equivalent policy against the United States.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
XINHUA: FEWER FOREIGN TOURISTS VISIT MYANMAR
February 18, 2000, Friday
YANGON, February 18 (Xinhua) - A total of 216,428 foreign tourists
visited Myanmar in the first 10 months of 1999, a 3 percent drop
compared with the same period of 1998, the country's Central Statistical
Organization said in its latest issue. Myanmar annually attracts over
200,000 foreign tourists, earning 30 million U.S. dollars. There is a
total of 492 hotels in Myanmar with 13,984 rooms. Since Myanmar opened
to foreign investment in late 1988, it has absorbed 1.1 billion dollars
of investment in the sector of hotels and tourism in 30 projects. The
country targets to draw 500,000 foreign tourists annually.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
XINHUA: MOTOR VEHICLES IN OPERATION IN MYANMAR INCREASE
YANGON, February 18
The number of motor vehicles in operation in Myanmar totaled 413,611 at
the end of October 1999, an increase of 3.91 percent compared with a
year earlier.
Of the total, there were 170,752 passenger cars, 56,327 trucks, 16,590
buses and 160,079 motor-cycles, according to the latest Economic
Indicators issued by the country's Central Statistical Organization.
Motor vehicles used in Myanmar are mainly those manufactured in Japan
and most of them are second-hand or outdated ones.
To ensure smooth transport and traffic safety, the Myanmar transport
authorities have introduced harsher measures to punish drivers who break
the traffic rules and have built more roads in the country.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
INTERNATIONAL
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
BANGKOK POST: NEW CLUB BIG LURE FOR THAI GAMBLERS
Major shareholder has drug connection
Feb. 20, 2000
Supamart Kasem
Mae Sot, Tak
A new casino aimed at Thai gamblers opened over the Burmese border on
Friday and immediately attracted players.
The 140-million-baht Casino Club operates under the flagship of the
Myawaddy Riverside Resort.
Htoo Than Kyaw, 50, a close aide of former drug baron Khun Sa, is the
casino's major shareholder with the coinvestors being Thai and Taiwanese
businessmen.
The 50-rai club is only a stone's throw north of the Thai-Burmese
Friendship Bridge.
It is the second casino to be built right next to the Burmese border to
cater to Thais, following the opening of the Andaman Club Hotel opposite
Rangoon. Many others operate along the Cambodian border.
The opening of the casino flies in the face of a statement by National
Security Council chief Kachadpai Burusphat last month that Thai
authorities would try to dissuade people from leaving the country to
gamble.
He admitted they could not stop people exercising their right to cross
the border legitimately, but urged officials to enforce currency
regulations.
Thais are allowed to take a maximum of 500,000 baht over the border at
Myawaddy.
The border is only open during the day and day-trippers are forbidden to
stay in Burma overnight.
The Associated Press reported that one of the Burmese investors in the
casino was from the Wa ethnic minority, said an unnamed businessman.
The Wa are heavily involved in drug production and trafficking in
eastern Shan state which lies further to the north.
Burma is a leading producer of heroin and methamphetamines.
Meanwhile, Burma's Myawaddy authorities yesterday closed seven piers
along the Moie river leaving the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge as the
only crossing point.
The action was taken following a request from Thai authorities to
improve the monitoring of the crossing of people and goods. The bridge
is open between 6am to 6pm.
Bangkok Post (February 20, 2000)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
AFP: MALAYSIA SEEKS MORE INVESTMENT IN MYANMAR, SAYS POLITICS NOT ITS
CONCERN
Agence France Presse
February 18, 2000, Friday
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18
Malaysia said Friday it might develop a huge oil palm plantation in
Myanmar and was looking at other investments, adding that politics in
the military-ruled state was not its concern.
Many Western nations have shunned Myanmar because of its human rights
record.
Local rights group Suaram described Malaysia as the junta's strongest
regional supporter and said it was making a "huge mistake" in not
linking human rights to investment.
But Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who returned Thursday from a
visit, said he held "productive talks" with Myanmar's military rulers on
ways to step up investment.
He said Myanmar favoured Malaysian investments due to the close ties
between Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the military rulers.
Asked whether he urged the junta to open talks with opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, Syed Hamid replied: "... that is not our
responsibility, our relations are with the government of the day.
"It is up to the Myanmar government to resolve its internal situation."
Syed Hamid described Myanmar as "stable and peaceful" and said the
government had its own way to solve its internal situation.
"The political system that they have is for them to determine. It is not
only that Myanmar must understand us but we must also understand
Myanmar," he added.
He also said Myanmar's admission to the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) had brought positive results.
Elizabeth Wong, coordinator for Voice of Malaysia Peoples (Suaram), said
Malaysia was making a "huge mistake" drawing a line between human rights
and economic interests.
"We note that within ASEAN, Malaysia is the biggest supporter of the
junta ... the investments will only strengthen the position of the
illegitimate government in Burma (Myanmar's former name)," she told AFP.
She urged Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to initiate dialogue with
the National League for Democracy headed by Suu Kyi, "hand in hand with
any business dealings with the junta.
Syed Hamid said Myanmar had offered Malaysia 100,000 acres (40,000
hectares) to develop an oil palm plantation.
"The offer was made to a federal agency and we will take the matter up
with the agency to find out the position on that offer," he said.
His talks also focused on the investment climate, especially in finance
and banking.
Malaysia is the fourth largest foreign investor in Myanmar, with
investments worth 500 million dollars mainly in tourism-related
projects.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
MIZZIMA: FOUR BURMA ARMY DESERTERS ARRESTED IN MIZORAM STATE OF INDIA
Aizawl : February 19, 2000
Mizzima News Group
Four Burma armymen were arrested by the police in Mizoram State of India
near a village in Champhai district. The armymen believed to be
deserters from Light Infantry Battalion No. 266 of Burma Army were
arrested on February 17 near the border village of Kelkang in Champhai
district.
They reportedly deserted from a Burma army outpost stationed at Rid
village of Burma, which is bordering with Mizoram's Zokhawthar village.
According to Mizoram Home Ministry sources, three G-3 assault rifles and
ammunitions were seized from the deserters. The state police is
currently holding them in Champhai police station under investigation.
In recent years, a number of soldiers have been deserting from Burma
army, particularly from the battalions stationed along the border areas
of the country. Indian government had, in 1996, handed over eleven Burma
army defectors to the hands of authorities in Burma and the defectors
were reportedly tortured and sentenced long-term imprisonment by the
junta in Burma.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
MIZZIMA: CHILD SOLDIERS ARE AMONG THOSE ARRESTED IN MIZORAM STATE
Aizawl: February 20, 2000
Mizzima News Group
Two teenagers are among those Burma army deserters who were arrested by
Mizoram police on February 17 near a village in Indian border. Tun Linn
Naung, aged 13 and Win Kyaw aged 18 are the two soldiers from Light
Infantry Battalion No. 266 who deserted along with two other soldiers
(Than Thun, aged 25 and Soe Aye, aged 20) from an army outpost stationed
at Rid village of Chin State of Burma.
The Champhai police in Mizoram State arrested all the four Burmese
soldiers near the border village of Kelkang in Champhai district.
The police is holding them in Champhai police station under
investigation. The Burma army commanders from Rid outpost have
reportedly sought the return of the weapons and ammunitions that were
seized from these four deserters by the Indian authorities. The police
seized three G-3 assault rifles and ammunitions (140 bullets) from the
deserters.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
OPINION/EDITORIALS
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
MON: JOINT STATEMENT OF THE WORLDWIDE MON COMMUNITY
ON THE 53rd ANNIVERSARY OF MON NATIONAL DAY
[Edited]
February 20, 2000
Mon National Day commemorates the founding of the last Mon Kingdom,
known as Hongsawatoi, which had its seat in Pegu what is now part of
Lower Burma...
...Mon National Day has not been held officially, freely and openly but
always secretly at the risk of arrest and imprisonment. Mon literature
and cultural activities have also been suppressed. Even the teaching of
Mon language is currently banned in Monland. As a result of these
unbearable conditions, we Mons have taken up arms and fought against
Burma's central government from 1948 to the present time. The
celebration of Mon National Day has never died out. Our national spirit
and heritage are deeply and firmly implanted within the hearts of the
Mon people. We have continued to endure the suppression of our
political, social and cultural rights.
The refusal of Burma's military regime to resolve the rights of the
ethnic nationalities and to allow for the development of democratic
institutions in the country is causing the situation to worsen from day
to day. Wide spread of arrests, torture, disappearances, forced labour,
portering and relocation continue. Freedom of expression and opinion do
not exist. Hundreds of thousands from all of Burma's nationalities have
fled to the borders as well as to neighbouring countries and are living
there either as internally displaced persons, refugees or illegal
immigrants.
On this auspicious occasion of Mon National Day, we must keep in heart
that our motherland has been created through bitter suffering and
hardship and the sacrifice of many lives. Our historic duty is to live
up to our heroic forefathers and restore democracy and justice in our
land. To that end, international support is vital for our cause.
>From the international community we urgently request the following:
Pressure on the military regime in Burma to release Mon national leaders
and all political prisoners immediately;
Pressure on the military regime to recognize the Mon National Democratic
Front (MNDF) which is at present outlawed;
Support in our work to bring an end to human rights violations in Burma.
Assistance in implementing a tripartite dialogue between Burma's
democratic parties, the ethnic leaders and the current military regime.
Measures designed to bring about the withdrawal of military operations
from the homelands of the ethnic nationalities and a stop to the
practices of forced labour, forced portering and forced relocation.
Support for the opening of Mon national schools and the free practice of
our culture and national heritage.
Mon Unity League
Mon National Day Celebration Committee (Australia)
Mon Canadian Association (Toronto, Canada)
Mon Community of Canada (Vancouver, Canada)
Mon Cultural Society (Alberta, Canada)
Mon National Democratic Front (Australia)
Monland Restoration Council (USA)
Mon Youth Community (Thailand)
Mon National Students Organization
Overseas Mon National Students Organizations (North America)
In solidarity,
Cham Toik
Event Coordinator
53rd Anniversary of Mon Natonal Day Celebration Committee
Vancouver, Canada
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Column/8582
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
OTHER
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
GEORGETOWN UNIVERISTY: OPEN INVITATION TO SANCTIONS CONFERENCE [Mass
Burma law]
Wed., Feb 23, 2000
Moot Court Room
Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
(between Mass and F St on New Jersey--two blocks westof Union Station)
Come hear the on-going debates on existing and threatened U.S. and
international sanctions throughout Asia--particularly in Burma. Views
from both sides of the fence will be heard, and proposals for modifying
or strengthening U.S. sanctions will be put forth. Much discussion will
focus on upcoming U.S. Supreme Court arguments regarding the
Massachusetts Burma Law. For more information (and to RSVP for the
lunch, at which space is
limited), call John Dempsey, Asian Studies Program, 202-662-9690.
Georgetown Journal of Law and Policy in International Business & The
Georgetown Asia Forum present a Symposium on
SANCTIONS REFORM?
Evaluating The Economic Weapon in Asia & The World
Wednesday, February 23, 2000,
Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
Moot Courtroom
AGENDA
8:00-8:25: Registration/Coffee
8:25-8:30: Welcome/Opening Remarks
8:30-10:00: Panel I: "Legal and Political Problems of Unilateral
Sanction Regimes"
Moderator: Mr. Endy Zemenides,Journal of Law & Policy in
International Business
Panelists: Professor Barry Carter, Georgetown University Law Center
· On the legal problems of relaxing sanctions on "terrorist" states
Mr. Mark Lagon, Staff, Committee on Foreign Relations, US Senate
· On why we need sanctions on "terrorist" states
Ms. Dianne Rennack, Congressional Research Service
· On unilateral sanctions and reform-the view from the Hill
Mr. Art Downey, Baker Hughes Incorporated
· Critique of the recent use of the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act
10:00-10:15: Coffee Break
10:15-11:45: Panel II: "Towards a New Approach to Sanctions"
Moderator: John Dempsey, Journal of Law & Policy in International
Business
Panelists: Dr. Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Sr. Fellow, Institute for
International Economics
· On the use of "smarter sanctions"
Dan O'Flaherty, U.S.A. ENGAGE
· On the use and effectiveness of sanctions against South Africa
Dr. Meghan O'Sullivan, The Brookings Institution
· On economic engagement strategies
Professor Richard Parker, University of Connecticut Law School
· Critique of the methodology used in evaluating the effectiveness of
sanctions
11:50-1:40: Luncheon
Introduction: Associate Dean Charles Gustafson, Georgetown Law Center
Keynote Address:
Dr. Richard N. Haass, Vice President and
Director of Foreign Policy Studies, The Brookings
Institution
1:45-3:15: Panel III: "Sanctions, Commerce, and Human Rights in
Asia"
Moderator: Dr. David Steinberg, Director of Asian Studies
Georgetown School of Foreign Service
Panelists: Mr. Mike Jendrzejczyk, Washington Director, Human Rights
Watch, Asia
· On Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other regional hot-spots
Professor Robert Stumberg, Georgetown University Law
Center
· Defending state & local sanctions-the Massachusetts Burma Law
Mr. Daniel Price, Partner, Powell, Goldstein, Frazer, & Murphy
· On the unconstitutionality of Massachusetts' Burma Law and other state
& local sanctions
3:15-3:30: Coffee Break
3:30-5:00: Panel IV: "Sanctions and Weapons Proliferation in Asia"
Moderator: James Clad, Research Professor of Southeast Asian
Studies, Georgetown School of Foreign Service
Panelists: Professor James Feinerman, Georgetown University Law
Center
· On curbing China's proliferation through sanctions regimes
Mr. Dan Poneman, Partner, Hogan & Hartson
· On Iraq, North Korea & combating proliferation
Mr. Dan Fite, Minority Staff Member, International Relations Committee,
U.S. House of Representatives
· On proliferation in South Asia and labeling states "sponsors of
terrorism"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The BurmaNet News is an Internet newspaper providing comprehensive
coverage of news and opinion on Burma (Myanmar). For a subscription to
Burma's only free daily newspaper, write to: strider@xxxxxxx
Letters to the editor or enquiries should go to the same address or
BurmaNet can be contacted by telephone or fax:
Voice mail +1 (435) 304-9274
Fax +1 (810)454-4740
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
===END=============END=============END===
_____________________________________________________________
Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list!
http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk