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Subject: [theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: Weekend of March 18-19, 2000
_____________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on_line newspaper covering Burma
______________ www.burmanet.org ______________
Weekend of March 18-19, 2000
Issue # 1490
To view the web version of this issue, go to-
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com/stories/storyReader$248
_______________________________________________________
NOTED IN PASSING:
"These drugs are produced inside a neighbouring country and there is
still no sign our neighbour will do anything to resolve the problem."
Thai Army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont on Burma's production of
methamphetamines
_______________________________________________________
*Inside Burma
BANGKOK POST: REMITTANCE LAW TO BE SCRAPPED
AP: MYANMAR ISSUES NEW HIGHER DENOMINATION COINS
AVA: ACCIDENTAL DEATHS OF BURMESE WORKERS ON ROADWORK
*International
BANGKOK POST: JUNTA GETS BLAME FOR DRUG THREAT
REUTERS: BRITAIN, DENMARK WANT MORE EU SANCTIONS ON MYANMAR
LA TIMES: MYANMAR DEMOCRACY LEADER AWARDED
IRISH TIMES: FESTIVITIES, FIREWORKS AND FREEDOM OF THE CITY
BANGKOK POST: GROUPING ACCEPTS PORTUGUESE PLAN
MIZZIMA: BURMA DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS SEEK SUPPORT FROM INDIA
AND AMERICA
*Opinion/Editorial
IRRAWADDY: THE END OF TOLERATION
___________________ INSIDE BURMA ______________________
BANGKOK POST: REMITTANCE LAW TO BE SCRAPPED
March 19, 2000
Outrage may cost minister his job
Ralph Bachoe
Burma is to revoke its recent ruling that nationals working overseas
must remit home, in foreign currency, 50% of their annual income.
However, they must still register with the Directorate of Labour and
pay 200 FEC (Foreign Exchange Certificate) dollars to a
non_refundable account of the Overseas Employment Registration
Screening Board. This has to be done on their return to the
country.
The decision, soon to be officially announced, follows outrage from
Burmese expatriate workers including diplomats and other officials on
government assignments whose children hold part_time jobs in
countries like Britain and the United States.
Children of these officials, out on work visas, are actually
furthering their studies while working part_time in places like
McDonald's.
Burma does not issue student visas.
Some officials have threatened to leave their children behind on
completion of their assignment overseas.
In the wake of the controversial law, sources in Rangoon said Maj_Gen
Tin Ngwe, the labour minister instrumental in implementing the
unpopular ruling, may be dismissed. It is said that the government
was not involved in the salary remittance issue and it was a
decision taken independently by the labour minister. However, some
are sceptical of this explanation.
_______________________________________________________
AP: MYANMAR ISSUES NEW HIGHER DENOMINATION COINS
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ The Central Bank of Myanmar will put into
circulation a new series of coins in denominations of 100, 50, 10,
5 and 1 kyats.
The announcement from the Central Bank, published in
state_controlled newspapers Saturday, said that all current
banknotes and coins will remain legal tender.
The kyat trades at about six to the U.S. dollar at the official
exchange rate, but 320 to the dollar on the free market. The
failure to make the currency freely convertible has been criticized
as an impediment to foreign investment, which is badly_needed to
help prop up the country's ailing economy.
The new issue coins, with lion motifs on both sides, will become
legal tender from March 24, said the Central Bank.
Currently, coins are issued only in smaller denominations: 1
kyat, and 50, 25, 10 and 5 pyas, 100 pyas being equal to 1 kyat.
Most of these coins are rarely used or even seen, except for the
1_kyat coin which can be used to make calls from public telephones.
But because the 1_kyat coins also are not common, people often must
purchase them at a premium when they need to use a public phone.
The new coins are the second new currency issue since the Asian
economic crisis of 1997.
In November 1998, the Central Bank put 1,000_kyat banknotes into
circulation, the highest denomination banknote to circulate in
Myanmar since the country gained independence from Britain under
the name Burma in 1948
_______________________________________________________
AVA: ACCIDENTAL DEATHS OF BURMESE WORKERS ON ROADWORK
Killed while on the Job at Tamu_Kalay construction sites on the
Indo_Burma Border
March 16, 2000
There have been accidental deaths on the job along the Indo_Burma
border. The deaths have occurred on the construction site between
Tamu and Kalay as part of a strategic highway connecting India and
Burma. The corporation in charge of the construction is BRTF of
India.
The most recent death has been of Ma Moe Aye who was seriously
injured when a BRTF driver Thant Zin Oo carelessly passed another
truck while not watching the pedestrian. Ma Moe Aye is a native of
Indeinlay village near the town of Kalay. The accident occurred on
March 7th, 2000. Other similar accidental incidents have occurred
during January and February. In January of this year, Ma Cho Mar of
the Thitchauk village died of a severe head injury. She was a worker
who was climbing the back of a BRTF truck when she fell off and was
run over by another oncoming truck. Her head was crushed
severely and she died as a result. On February 21st, of this year,
Maung Lunkunk, a driver from Kalay who was working for BRTF was
severely injured when his truck overturned while crossing the
Phaungowne Bridge.
Four landscape workers were working when a sudden landslide occurred.
The unpredicted incident caused the death of a worker and injured
other three workers. The landslide occurred between milestone 17/7
and 18 on the road connecting Kalaywa and Tamu. Ma Khin Myat Nwe was
the worker who died from suffocation as a result of being buried
under the collapsed earth. The accident took place on February 23. A
merchant who newly arrived from the town of Kalay has been informing
Ava. The merchant also mentioned that the workers stated from BRFT
work sites that they have not been informed of the risks at the work
site and there are no safety regulations. BRTF construction has been
working on the road as agreed with the Burma Labor Ministry. The aim
behind the construction is to create a highway connecting
middle of Burma and India.
End of Report Ava Newsgroup/ Thursday March 16, 2000
_______________________________________________________
AP: MYANMAR REJECTS US CLAIM ON FORCED LABOR
YANGON, Myanmar (AP)
Myanmar has rejected a U.S. government report on labor practices in
the military_ruled Southeast Asian country, describing its charges of
widespread use of forced labor as ``false and malicious allegations.''
Myanmar's state_run press on Friday published a news release from the
foreign affairs ministry saying the report from the U.S. Department
of Labor was ``politically motivated.''
It accused the report of being timed to coincide with the meetings of
the International Labor Organization Governing Body and the U.N.
Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
The United States is a leading critic of the Myanmar junta for its
poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a
democratically_elected government.
The ILO and the U.N. Human Rights Commission have also been highly
critical of human rights conditions in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
In a report issued Tuesday to the human rights body, its special
researcher, Rajsoomer Lallah, said forced labor, political repression
and oppression of ethnic minorities continue unabated.
The report issued by the U.S. Department of labor on Monday said that
forced labor, including child labor, is widespread in Myanmar, and
the government ignores workers' rights.
The report, required by Congress, updated a 1998 review of labor
conditions in Myanmar which reached similar conclusions. Based on
findings of the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, the report said forced labor
is used to construct roads, dikes, canals and projects to support
tourism, military operations and commercial ventures of the military.
Myanmar's foreign ministry responded by calling the allegations
``totally false.''
It said that because the military regime had concluded cease_fires
with 17 armed ethnic rebel groups, ``peace and stability prevail all
over the country.''
``As such there are no need for major military operations, and
contrary to the report, no major military operations have taken place
in recent years,'' it said.
It said the U.S. allegations ``completely ignore the positive actions
taken by the Government of the Union of Myanmar,'' including a law
promulgated in May last year banning the use of forced labor.
___________________ INTERNATIONAL _____________________
BANGKOK POST: JUNTA GETS BLAME FOR DRUG THREAT
18 March 2000
Pill output predicted to reach 600 million
Wassana Nanuam and Sirikul Bunnag
Drug abuse in schools is expected to soar given Burma's refusal to
help stem the massive influx of methamphetamines from across the
border.
An estimated 600 million methamphetamine tablets will be produced
this year by about 50 factories in Burma.
Most will find their way into Thailand, where traffickers are
targeting children as their victims.
Top army, education and public health officials met yesterday to
discuss strategy under the Education Ministry's "White Schools"
programme.
Key participants included army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont, assistant
national police chief Pol Lt_Gen Noppadol Somboonsap and Rasamee
Visthavet, deputy secretary_general of the Narcotics Control Board.
Gen Surayud said he was pessimistic since there was no sign Burma
would co_operate in helping stem the flow.
"These drugs are produced inside a neighbouring country and there is
still no sign our neighbour will do anything to resolve the problem,"
he said.
It was disheartening that the drugs seized each year was a fraction
of the amount that slipped through.
In a bid to keep drugs out of the school system, the Education
Ministry proposed setting up a rehabilitation centre especially for
young people.
Education Minister Somsak Prissanananthakul said the centres would
provide education and treatment for school and university students.
"I want young drug abusers to have a separate rehabilitation centre
so that we can take care of them," he said.
"Existing treatment centres admit all kinds of drug abusers and the
students tend to learn more about drug abuse rather than kick the
habit." Details of patients would be confidential, he said.
The Education Ministry had discussed with police the possibility of
setting up the proposed rehabilitation centre in a boarding school,
and was looking at Sirindhorn School.
He said Deputy Education Minister Pairote Lohsunthorn, chairman of
the White School project, would discuss the details with the various
agencies.
Mr Somsak said screening was needed to ensure patients do not create
a drug haven.
Pol Lt_Gen Noppadol said the drugs trade was booming and dealers were
targeting children as their main clients.
Matters could only worsen in the next two years without drastic
action.
Last year police seized 44 million speed pills and there were 1,667
drug_related cases. Most drugs were smuggled in from Burma, he said.
A senior police officer from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau said
Burma has pushed minority groups along the border to boost output.
Gen Surayud said he had tried his best to tackle drug problems inside
army barracks. "We have to join together to strengthen our society
and struggle through this difficulty with the aim of lessening
demand," he said.
The military would co_operate with the Narcotics Control Board by
turning army camps into rehabilitation centres where teenagers can be
treated and learn self discipline.
Gen Surayud said the army would provide doctors and medical
personnel. "We will co_operate in finding ways to tackle the problem
and hope that these youngsters will provide us with information about
drug dealers," he added.
_______________________________________________________
REUTERS: BRITAIN, DENMARK WANT MORE EU SANCTIONS ON MYANMAR
March 17, 2000
Web posted at: 12:09 AM HKT (1609 GMT)
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) __ Britain and Denmark will urge their
European Union partners next week to toughen sanctions on Myanmar because of its
poor human rights record, EU sources said on Thursday.
They said the two countries would make the proposal when EU foreign
ministers carry out a regular six_month review of the sanctions next Monday, although it was not clear whether they would be supported by other EU member states.
The sources said Britain and Denmark would propose banning equipment
which could be used for repression, publishing the names of Myanmar leaders barred from receiving visas to EU countries and freezing the assets of those on the list.
"The belief is that the (human rights) situation is deteriorating,"
an EU diplomat said. But he added: "The initial reaction of one or two member states has been to ask is the situation really so bad?"
The EU imposed sanctions on Myanmar over its treatment of the
pro_democracy opposition led by Nobel peace laureate Aung Sun Suu Kyi. Her party
won an election in 1990 but the military ignored the result and detained many of its members.
EU foreign ministers extended the sanctions for another six months at
the last review in October and are expected to extend them again on Monday. The Union wants an improvement in human rights and democracy in Myanmar before its lifts the sanctions.
_______________________________________________________
LA TIMES: MYANMAR DEMOCRACY LEADER AWARDED
Saturday, March 18, 2000
DUBLIN, Ireland__Myanmar's pro_democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was
awarded the Freedom of the City honor Saturday night in recognition
of her activism in her Southeast Asian country.
Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her peaceful struggle
for democracy against the military regime in Myanmar, also known as
Burma.
The military regime overturned her party's resounding victory in
general elections the previous year, and refused to recognize the vote as
legitimate.
Hundreds of members of her National League for Democracy have since
been jailed. Suu Kyi herself was under house arrest for six years before
being released in 1995. Her movements and political activities remain
heavily restricted.
She did not attend the Dublin ceremony, but her son Kim Aris flew to
Ireland to collect the award in her place.
"Aung San Suu Kyi was chosen for this award because of her long
courageous stand in support of democracy in Burma," said Dublin's
Lord
Mayor Mary Freehill.
"We will leave the roll of honor unsigned like we did for (South
African President) Nelson Mandela, until she is free to travel to Dublin
herself to sign it."
The members of Irish pop band U2 were also given the award. "We
regard this as a very big deal for us, and we are very humbled by it. It's
humbling and it's fantastic," lead singer Bono said.
Freehill, a longtime admirer of the band, said: "In a lot of ways
they put Dublin on thee map when the city was not as popular as it is
now." Other figures who have received the Freedom of the City honor include
U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II
and Mother Teresa.
_______________________________________________________
IRISH TIMES: FESTIVITIES, FIREWORKS AND FREEDOM OF THE CITY
Saturday, March 18, 2000
By Colman Cassidy
The St Patrick's weekend festivities will go into overdrive today and
tomorrow in Dublin, with the freedom of the city being conferred on
Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi, U2 and their manager, in tandem
with seven tonnes of fireworks and the Sting concert at the Point.
Thousands of television viewers will have seen Aung San Suu Kyi
accept the offer of Dublin Corporation's highest honour on RT??'s Prime Time
on Thursday. Today she will be officially awarded the freedom of the
city at a ceremony in Smithfield Civic Plaza at 5 p.m. Her son, Kim, will
collect the award on her behalf.
U2 and their manager, Paul McGuinness, will also be awarded the
freedom of the city for their work as international emissaries for Ireland.
***
LETTERS
RIGHTS IN BURMA
Sir, _ Granting Aung San Suu Kyi the Freedom of the City of Dublin
today signals our recognition of the noble and courageous struggle of this
inspirational and rightful leader of the people of Burma.
Any such gesture that draws our attention to the repercussions of the
brutal regime under which the people of Burma exist must be welcomed.
However, when one considers the suffering of the people of Burma, it
becomes apparent that gestures such as fleeting media exposure and
symbolic acts of solidarity are not nearly enough. The democratic
rights of the Burmese people have been savagely suppressed over the last
number of years. Several ethnic groups within the country are being denied
the very basic of human rights. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have
fled Burma to neighbouring countries. These refugees are living in
appalling conditions and are exposed to exploitations of the most horrible
nature. The list of atrocities is endless.
It is yet another indication of the lack of interest on the part of
the international community in the lives of those in greatest need that
such suffering and injustice in Burma is permitted to continue unabated.
The Irish people can do more to right this terrible wrong and my
colleagues and I would encourage the Government to use its influence
in the international arena to convince the international community of
its obligations to the oppressed of Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been an inspiration to her people _ but she
cannot conquer the formidable obstacle of oppression alone. _ Yours, etc.,
JOHN O'SHEA, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
_______________________________________________________
BANGKOK POST: GROUPING ACCEPTS PORTUGUESE PLAN
Senior officials of Asean, including Burma, have
accepted a Portuguese proposal to meet their European
Union counterparts in Lisbon, a source said yesterday.
The meeting, the first in four years, would be held
before Portugal's six_month EU presidency ends in
June.
Asean accepted the proposal after France, which takes
up the EU presidency in July, promised to follow up
with a ministerial conference of the two groupings,
the source said.
However, European sources earlier indicated that Portugal did not
have unanimous
support from the 15 EU
states for its initiative.
The EU opposed Burma's admission to Asean in July
1997, with the result that the two groupings held only
their first working level consultation in May last
year, in Bangkok. The meeting in Lisbon would convene
top_ranking permanent officials. The source quoted
Burma as saying relations with the EU had improved,
and expressed a wish not to obstruct relations between
Asean and the Europeans. Portugal had communicated a
need to send out a positive signal.
Portugal's ambassador in Bangkok Jose da Costa Soares
had approached Thailand with the proposal last month,
making it clear that Burma was included, by saying
there were "no conditions", the source said.
Bangkok Post
March 17, 2000
_______________________________________________________
MIZZIMA: BURMA DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS SEEK SUPPORT FROM INDIA
AND AMERICA
March 18, 2000
Mizzima News Group
Over two hundred Burma democracy activists along with their Indian
supporters staged a peaceful demonstration in New Delhi today urging
India and the United States to actively intervene in Burma where the
ruling military junta continues to refuse to relinquish the power.
The demonstrators, holding posters and banners, held the rally at Jantar
Mantar in New Delhi this morning.
The U.S President Bill Clinton is visiting South Asia from March 19
to 26 and during the visit, he will be meeting with Indian leaders to
hold bilateral and multilateral issues.
"Pressure is the only language the ruling military regime in Burma
understands. Therefore, we request the two world's largest
democracies to continue sanctions against the junta in Burma," said Dr. Tint Swe
at the demonstration, which lasted for an hour.
Dr. Tint Swe, an elected Member of Parliament from National League
for Democracy party (NLD) has been in exile in India for ten years. In
the general elections held in 1990, his party, which is led by Nobel
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, got the landslide victory but the military
refused to hand over power to the elected parliamentarians.
"The pro_democracy activists of Burma invites the attention of the
leaders of world's two largest democracies to the plight of democracy
in Burma. The role of international community is crucial as to the time
and its peaceful nature. Being one of the foremost leaders of the
international community, the President Clinton can conveniently talk
with the leaders of the host countries who are Burma's neighbors
about the urgency to nudge its military rulers to accelerate the political
process of peaceful transition to Rule of Law in Burma," said Mr. B.K
Sen, an advocate from India.
In the memorandum submitted to American President Bill Clinton and
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Burma democracy
activists appealed the two leaders to discuss the issue of democracy
vis_a_vis dictatorship in the region. "We hope that democratization
in the region would be in the prioritized agenda in the summit," noted
the memorandum.
________________ OPINION/EDITORIAL __________________
IRRAWADDY: THE END OF TOLERATION
Vol.8 No.2, February 2000
Dissidents are clinging to their commitment to non_violence, but they
may be losing their grip, writes Win Htein The Ratchaburi hospital crisis is over but many questions remain.
One is why ten gunmen from God''s Army stormed a Thai hospital in the
first place. Many Thai people lack sufficient knowledge about Burma to understand this case. They are, of course, still angry at the hostage_takers for endangering the lives of patients and medical staff. But the Thai media and academics are more aware of the issues surrounding the case. ""I understand why they came here. I don't like to just say that those people are bad. They have suffered life_long repression from the Burmese military.
They have no way out, and came here to do something,"" commented
Pornpimol Trichot, a well_known researcher from the Asian Studies Institute at
Chulalongkorn University.
The bus driver whose bus was hijacked from Ban Tagolan recalled,
""They commanded me to drive to Bangkok. But when they saw the hospital, they said to stop. I thought that they had no plan.""
In fact, the Thai army was heavily shelling the God''s Army base at
Kamaplaw while the SPDC troops were trying to occupy it. ""They shelled Kamaplaw after four (Thai) soldiers were killed by a God''s Army landmine on January 18,"" confirmed a leader of the volunteer guard in Ban Phar Pok, the closest village to Kamaplaw.
""(The rebels'') only choice was which way to diesitting under the shelling or doing something before they died. They chose the second way."" However, it is not the first time Burmese activists have resorted to such tactics. Similar incidents have occurred on three other occasions. In 1989, two Burmese students, Ye Yint and Ye Thiha, hijacked a Burmese domestic plane from the southern Burma town of Mergui to Bangkok with a fake bomb.
In 1991, Ye Yint and Ye Marm hijacked a Thai plane from Bangkok to
New Delhi. But in October 1999, dissidents did not use a fake bomb. They came
heavily armed to the Burmese embassy in Bangkok. They planned to kill ambassador Hla Maung, who is close to the junta''s powerful general Khin Nyunt. ""A decade is long enough to wait. We must change our strategy,"" declared Kyaw Ni, leader of the Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors, in a telephone interview during the embassy siege. ""The
time has come to shoot to the forehead of the key general."" Kyaw Ni, or ""Johnny"" as he is more commonly known, explained that he had taken part in peaceful protests in front of the Burmese embassy in the past, and had also been a member of the All Burma Students'' Democratic Front. Now that 11 years have passed, he said that demonstrations and fighting against normal soldiers on the front line are meaningless.
""The world community''s pressure is just talking. It will never be like Kosovo
or East Timor,"" said Johnny. Nearly four months later, they came again to Thai soil to do something to attract the attention of the world community to their country''s political crisis.
But this time, the Thai response was very severe. All ten gunmen in
the Ratchaburi hospital siege lost their lives. ""(The crackdown on Burmese
dissidents) is not a real resolution, just a temporary one. If we cannot send them back to their own country, it will happen again. We must think how we can help to solve Burma's crisis,"" observed Pornpimol, who is studying the situation of Burmese minorities in depth, especially the
cease_fire process between the ethnic groups and the ruling junta
over the last decade. Ye Thiha, the mastermind of the Mergui hijacking, said, ""I support Daw Aung San Suu Kyi''s non_violent means. It is the best option for our country. But we do not want to sit and wait in order to see change. We want to do something significant which will catch
the world''s attention."" This was in a letter to Htun Aung Kyaw,
former chairman of the ABSDF, on the Burma_net computer network. Thai police have been searching for Ye Thiha in Bangkok. Accused of masterminding two recent hostage_taking dramas in Thailand, San Naing has been in hiding since last October. ""Here, people talk about revolution as a seasonal job. It is very hard to find a person who has a long_term commitment. I see there are a lot of meetings, conferences and publishing newsletters. It
is not a real revolution."" However, the leading figure of the
Burmese democracy moment, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, rejected the methods used by the hostage_takers.
""There is only one path to reach democracy, and that is each group
must talk at the negotiation table without a gun,"" she said. Other armed groups have also distanced themselves from the actions of rebels who have resorted to violence on Thai soil. But while official policy and Thai pressure may prevent rebel leaders from aligning themselves with radical elements, some rank_and_file members of border_based groups have expressed more sympathy with those who have sacrificed their lives for the cause.
After 11 years with no progress in Burma, many activists are finding
it difficult to believe in the non_violent way and cannot tolerate the ongoing situation. Their problem is not only an internal affair but also a serious concern for the whole Southeast Asian region, particularly Thailand.
There are one million Burmese immigrant workers, over 100,000
refugees and several thousand students and dissidents in Thailand. The Thai authorities cannot deport all of them back to Burma and they cannot close the whole 2400_kilometre border with Burma.
The best solution to this problem may be for Thailand to take a more
active role in mediating an end to Burma''s internal conflicts, both between the
junta and the democratic opposition and Rangoon and ethnic rebels. Chulalongkorn''s Pornpimol urged the Thai government to take a more pro_active stance. ""If (the Thai government) cannot solve every problem at this time, they must choose some burning issue, such as minorities, Burmese students, refugees or immigrant workers as the first step, "" said the
researcher. If the Thai government continues to avoid involvement in
Burma''s ""internal affairs"", it may find it increasingly difficult to contain threats to its own security.
Win Htein is a Bangkok_based correspondent for the Democratic Voice of Burma.
________________
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