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BurmaNet News: January 13, 2001



______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
         January 13, 2001   Issue # 1710
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________

NOTED IN PASSING:


INSIDE BURMA _______
*United Press International: Letter from Rangoon
*National Public Radio: Bertil Lintner interview on "All Things 
Considered"
*Asia Times: Sanctions seen behind junta's talks with Suu Kyi 
*Fear Eastern Economic Review: Karens Flee Scorched-Earth Policy
*Muslim Information Center of Burma: Junta kills repatriated migrant 
workers in Burma

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*Daily Star (Bangladesh): Land mine blasts along Myanmar border continue
*Kyodo: Thai policeman, 3 Karens shot dead in Myanmar jungle
*The Nation: Khun Sa Aide Tells Court He Got Betrayed
*The Nation: God's Army Allegations Questioned
*The Nation: Drug Courier Caught with One Million 'Ya Ba' Tablets
*Bangkok Post: Rights Group Opposes Call to Relocate Refugee Camp
*Bangkok Post: 'Decisive' Steps in Drug War
*France-Africa (France): Names of the leaders 
*The Northeast Daily (Aizawl, India): Myanmar lifts lid off Chin rebels, 
submits Mizoram probe report

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Dow Jones Newswires: Business News From The Thai Press Friday

OPINION/EDITORIALS_______
*Bangkok Post : High Time for Reconciliation

OTHER______
*Britain-Burma Society: Prospect Burma scholarships announced
*Britain-Burma Society: BBS Announces Shweplanet



__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________


United Press International: Letter from Rangoon


Friday, 12 January 2001 11:20 (ET)


By CALUM MACLEOD

RANGOON, Burma, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- To read the political tea leaves, 
Burma-watchers feast on propaganda rags like the New Light of Myanmar. 
Its Orwellian slogans shout the ``People's Desires'' -- ``crush all 
internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy'' -- but 
read between the lines and public enemy number one, Aung San Suu Kyi, 
had come off lightly over the past month.

The rumors exciting Rangoon's diplomats were finally confirmed this 
week. The generals who run Burma are holding secret talks with the 
embattled torchbearer for democracy, confined to her house or city 
limits since her landslide election victory in 1990.  The dialogue 
spells breakthrough, or another cynical public relations exercise by her 
captors.

For the casual reader of Burma's press, little else had changed. On a 
late December visit, I spotted the usual diatribes against the 
``democracy witchcraft masters of the international colonialist bloc'' 
and annoying puppets like ``screwball'' James Mawdsley, the British 
human rights activist released in October after 415 days in solitary 
confinement. Poor boy, sympathized the paper, it was not his fault he 
was ``infected by others with the democracy gastric.''

This unfortunate ailment seems to plague many of Burma's 50 million 
people. Despite the military's best efforts to silence opposition 
politicians, and hound their supporters into renouncing ties, "The Lady" 
and her National League for Democracy enjoy the whispered support of 
almost everyone I encountered, from Rangoon to Mandalay.

But "government spies are everywhere," warn my confidantes, steering 
conversation back to safer ground like the English soccer ruling 
Saturday night television screens. "Did you see our Oscars?" inquires a 
taxi driver, his tongue loosened by Mandalay rum. The Burmese film world 
had just gathered for its annual back-slap. "Every winner thanked the 
military," he spits with disgust. "But they don't thank from their 
hearts."

The lies perfected by Burma's acting profession are repeated 
countrywide. Most families harbor bitter grievances, but the choice is 
clear: Bear your heart and go to jail, or learn to live with the junta. 
"We were the luckiest students in the world," enthuses a tour guide in 
Rangoon. Let's call him Than. "We had a three-year holiday!" 

Than was reading philosophy when the government shut all universities in 
1996 to teach the students a lesson for their democratic yearnings. Like 
his classmates, Than had voted for Suu Kyi's coalition party, and 
watched in despair as the regime ignored her triumph. 'It has been an 
illusion since then," he says. "Now we can't trust anything the 
government says."

The universities eventually reopened, after relocation to the distant 
suburbs to dampen thoughts of protest, and Than got his degree.  "We 
don't forget, but we have to live," he says. "People have basic needs, 
and no time to worry about politics. Now they think only about the 
lottery!" Tourism is slack so Than helps out at a friend's lottery 
stall. The $100,000 jackpot offers instant nirvana to players with an 
average wage of just $300 per year.

Like many Burmese in the service sector, Than resents Suu Kyi's 
high-minded call on foreigners to boycott her nation until the election 
results are respected. "We need evolution not revolution," he argues, 
"and the more people who come, the better. We need foreign investment 
and foreign technology. We want to swim in the ocean again." 

After decades of self-imposed isolation, the government says it is ready 
to take the plunge. "I hope the international community will not force 
us into a corner," said Foreign Minister U Win last month. "We can stay 
in the corner, but we don't want to." Burma's Asian neighbors are 
prepared to embrace their awkward cousin, while the west demands 
improvements to its atrocious human rights record.

"The only way to change the situation in this country is by engaging 
it," believes Bernard Pe-Win, a British businessman who was born in 
Burma. At his Forum club in Rangoon, a talking shop for the city's small 
expatriate community, Pe-Win argues the west has little leverage to 
bring down the military government. Resource-rich Burma can feed itself, 
and most other essentials slip across the 1,362 mile border with China. 

"Burma is a handy whipping boy," Pe-Win suggests. "The west engages 
China, with its large population and market, and even North Korea, with 
its nuclear weapons, but feels it can ignore Burma. The military 
government is not as good as we would want them to be," he admits, "but 
they are a far cry from how they have been painted. Idi Amin would have 
wiped out the opposition."

Instead, Suu Kyi endures internal exile in her Rangoon home. Like 
Tibet's Dalai Lama, a fellow Nobel Peace Laureate, she remains a potent 
symbol of an oppressed people, yet ``The Lady'' is hardly the regime's 
only concern. Some observers believe the international focus on Suu Kyi 
serves the government's aims, by denying support and negotiating space 
to Burma's restless minority groups, victims of the worst human rights 
abuses.

"This place could be like the Balkans!" warns a western oil executive in 
Rangoon. Burma's borderlands are home to rebel insurgents, drug 
traffickers, and a confusion of ethnic and religious agendas. "I take 
trouble to hire Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and animists, and they 
work well together. But left to themselves, they would just hire their 
own kind. The 'do-gooders' call for democracy, but where will they be 
when the trouble starts?"

The military raises the specter of national disintegration to justify 
its firm grip on power, with the promise of democratic reform when 
circumstances allow. "The repression continues day by day," a former 
political prisoner tells me in Rangoon. He was jailed under a law 
protecting the state from ``destructive elements'' like ``The Lady.'' 
"You can feel it, everybody is tight-lipped, everybody is frightened. If 
there are no sanctions from abroad," he cautions, "then foreign donors 
should see that their money doesn't go into the pockets of the military, 
to enhance their power."



____________________________________________________


National Public Radio: Bertil Lintner interview on "All Things 
Considered"

Jan. 10, 2001


 INTERVIEW: BERTIL LINTNER DISCUSSES THE PERSECUTION OF NOBEL
PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE AUNG SAN SUU KYI IN BURMA  Cat. Title:
ACTIVIST AUNG SAN SUU KYI & BURMA'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT HOLDING
TALKS



NOAH ADAMS, host:

The opposition party in Burma, the National League for Democracy, today 
confirmed that the military government has been holding secret meetings 
with NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The pro-democracy activist and Nobel 
Peace Prize winner has been under house arrest since September. Her 
party won national elections in 1990, but the military junta never gave 
up power. Bertil Lintner covers developments in Burma for the Far 
Eastern Economic Review. He says this
isn't the first time that there'd been talks between military leaders 
and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mr. BERTIL LINTNER (Far Eastern Economic Review): In 1994, the last time 
Suu Kyi was under house arrest, she met with, you know, Khin Nyunt, and 
several other junta leaders at that time, too. And those talks were 
discontinued because the government claimed that she was inflexible and 
it was impossible to talk to her. She kept on demanding that the

government should respect the outcome of the 1990 election and ease 
repression in the country and so on. And it's not inconceivable that the 
generals of Rangoon are playing a very similar game this time. That they 
will hold a couple of rounds of talks with Suu Kyi then turn around and 
say, `Look, it's impossible to talk to her. Isn't this exactly what we 
said?'

ADAMS: Remind us about the logistics here. She's been back under house 
arrest. A United Nations' special envoy has been visiting there. Has he 
been going to her house as the military leadership been going to her 
house?

Mr. LINTNER: It is not clear whether meetings between Suu Kyi and 
military leaderships have been held. But Rasona(ph) definitely went to 
her house in Rangoon to talk to her there. She did not leave the 
compound. She was not allowed to. And this is kind of important to 
remember; that Suu Kyi remains under house arrest and her movements are 
severely restricted. Most of her co-workers in the National League for 
Democracy are in jail. And inside the country the repression is just 
getting worse. And since last July hundreds of NLD supporters have been 
rounded up, sent off to different prisons. Local offices of the party 
are being closed down by the military, and there's no signs that Burma's 
moving to anymore political openness.

ADAMS: A couple of years ago, Suu Kyi's husband, Michael Aris, was dying 
in London. The government of Burma wouldn't allow him a visa to come and 
visit her. And she was actually afraid to leave to visit him because she 
would not be allowed back into the country to continue her fight.

Mr. LINTNER: It is absolutely true. And since Michael's death, the 
campaign against Suu Kyi has actually intensified and they've become 
much worse. That is why she, last year took this initiative to travel 
out of Rangoon. She tried to go to Mandalay, the second biggest city in 
the country. She was repeatedly stopped by the military. She was not 
allowed to meet members of her own party.

ADAMS: Any way of knowing the response is among the opposition? I 
noticed that the All-Burma Students Democratic Front, exiled opponents, 
called the news of these talks a truly historic breakthrough.

Mr. LINTNER: That is what the ABSDF has said in a statement today. But 
given the junta's previous record of manipulating things to its 
advantage, and also the divide and rule among its opponents, it is very 
hard to say that this is a breakthrough at this stage. The first thing 
that would have to happen if you're talking about a breakthrough would 
be a total release of all political prisoners in the country. And 
there's hundreds, if not thousands, of them in prisons all over Burma.

ADAMS: For that to happen, would one think that the opposition would 
need the support of the people. What do the people of Burma think about 
this now?

Mr. LINTNER: It's very hard to say what the people of Burma think 
because if they open their mouths and say something, they end up in 
jail. And a lawyer--a 77-year-old lawyer was sentenced to 20 years in 
prison only a few months ago because he had written on the back of a 
book, `We have no freedom. Our mouths are sealed.' It was enough to 
sentence a 77-year-old man for the rest of his life in prison. And no 
one in Burma really dares to criticize the government openly. It doesn't 
mean that the government is any more popular now than it was, for 
instance, at the time of the 1990 election when the NLD won a landslide 
victory. It won 392 out of 485 seats in the parliament. But the 
parliament was never convened.

ADAMS: Mr. Lintner, thank you for your time, sir.

Mr. LINTNER: OK. Thank you.

ADAMS: Bertil Lintner is a correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic 
Review, author of the book, "Burma in Revolt." He spoke to us from 
Chiang Mai, Thailand.

ROBERT SIEGEL (Host): This is NPR, National Public Radio.


____________________________________________________


Asia Times: Sanctions seen behind junta's talks with Suu Kyi 

January 12, 2001 


BANGKOK - Leading states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
(Asean) are surely breathing easier following the announcement by a 
United Nations special envoy that Burmese military rulers are finally 
ready to hold talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.   Burmese 
pro-democracy activists have often accused Asean and Western governments 
of providing legitimacy to Burmese military rulers by not discouraging 
business deals. However, the junta may finally be feeling the pressure 
of international economic sanctions. Pro-democracy activists here 
believe that this was a key factor in making the military regime realize 
the need for a dialogue with Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy 
(NLD).  

The military regime, known as the State Peace and Development Council, 
has been under intense pressure from the international community to 
start a political dialogue as a first step to restore democracy in the 
country. The junta is also under heavy international criticism for 
alleged human rights excesses. These include charges of arbitrary 
arrests, torture, forced relocation of civilians and forced labor. The 
regime is also accused of turning a blind eye to the large-scale drug 
trafficking out of the country, which has led to the loudest protests 
from neighboring Thailand.  

The UN Special Envoy for Burma, Razali Ismail of Malaysia, disclosed 
Tuesday after a five-day mission to Rangoon that Suu Kyi and the 
military regime held talks late in December. According to unnamed 
Western diplomats quoted by newspapers Wednesday, the Burmese 
pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace laureate has started preliminary 
consultations with the military regime. ''They are discussing the 
subjects they will develop,'' one diplomat was quoted as saying by one 
of Thailand's main English dailies, The Nation.  

Pro-democracy activists here say that the first contact between Suu Kyi 
and the military rulers in the past seven years was to reach an 
agreement on the nature of the forthcoming dialogue. ''It is hoped that 
this will bring an end to the long-term political deadlock. We see it as 
a positive step forward in the political transformation of the 
country,'' said the All Burmese Students' Democratic Front (ABDSF).  

Despite its landslide win in the 1990 parliament election in Burma, the 
NLD has been kept out of office by the military rulers who have 
routinely cracked down on its leader. Suu Kyi herself has been 
restricted to her home since September 22 last year, after trying twice 
to defy the military regime by travelling outside the capital. Two 
senior NLD leaders are in jail.  

The pro-democracy activists praise Razali's role. Malaysia's permanent 
envoy to the United Nations, Razali has visited Burma three times since 
his appointment as special envoy in April last year. His visit to 
Rangoon closely followed that of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir 
Mohamad.  

Malaysia is said to be one of the few countries which the Burmese 
government is willing to listen to. Malaysia has traditionally glossed 
over Burmese human rights record and defended that nation in the face of 
international criticism and demands for more openness there.  
In a media interview, Burmese Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win said: 
''Because Mr Razali is from Asia I believe he has a better understanding 
of the issues involved.''  

Kuala Lumpur played a key role in getting Burma admitted into the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 1997 in the face of 
protests from the Western world and reservations by other Asean members. 
Burma's membership of Asean has since clouded the regional grouping's 
ties with the West and often put Asean capitals in delicate diplomatic 
situations.  

Countries like Thailand have been vocal in advising greater political 
openness in Burma and speaking out for human rights in that country. 
However, critics have accused key Asean nations of shoring up the 
military regime in Rangoon by encouraging business investments in that 
country.  

Malaysian firms have invested US$587 million in 25 projects in Burma in 
the last 12 years. Malaysia is the fourth largest foreign investor in 
Burma after Singapore, Britain and Thailand.  

Thailand's state oil company, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), 
and Malaysian state oil firm Petronas are reported to be planning 
setting up a natural gas processing plant in southern Burma. Petronas is 
also a partner in the $650 million Yetagun gas field development in a 
consortium that includes British, Thai and Japanese oil firms.  

The pro-democracy activists have hailed the announcement as an 
''historic breakthrough''. ''This is a truly historic breakthrough after 
12 years of struggle. We're very optimistic. This is the most positive 
sign we've seen since the general election held in 1990,'' the ABDSF 
said in a press note on Wednesday. 






___________________________________________________


Fear Eastern Economic Review: Karens Flee Scorched-Earth Policy


Issue of January 18, 2001

    Concerted drives by the Burmese army against Karen guerrillas have 
displaced up to 30,000 people in eastern Burma, Western relief workers 
say. 
 
    The army, in a bid to deprive the separatist Karen National Union 
fighters of their support base, has in recent months been using 
scorched-earth tactics in the hills lying between the Sittang and Bilin 
rivers, say the workers, who are based in Thailand but help refugees 
across the border. 
 
    Village after village has been burned and the Karen inhabitants have 
fled to the surrounding hills. The relief workers are worried about the 
Karens' welfare and say many are starving and suffering from disease, 
including malaria, typhoid and diarrhoea. 
 
    The Karen National Union is one of the few ethnic rebel armies in 
Burma that hasn't reached a ceasefire with the government. It has 
several thousand guerrillas in the eastern hills.  

    The war has forced more than 100,000 civilians to seek refuge in 
Thai camps and the Burmese army's current push could trigger a fresh 
influx. 


___________________________________________________


Muslim Information Center of Burma: Junta kills repatriated migrant 
workers in Burma

Jan. 13, 2001

[Abridged]

Thai authorities in  Maesot, Tak province of Thailand have been  
repatriating Burmese migrant workers almost every day over the past six  
months. [At least 12]  Muslims were among those Burmese migrant workers  
repatriated by the Thai authorities and were killed by the Burmese  .

  According to a migrant worker, (name withheld)  who escaped, the 
military  authorities led by Lt. Soe Win of Light Infantry Battalion 
No.206 under Light Infantry  Division 22, and Bo Chit Thu  of Democratic 
Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)  killed Burmese migrant workers respectively, 
between  8th  November, 2000 to December, 25, 2000. The DKBA is an 
alliance army of  ruling military junta, known as State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC).



___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				

Daily Star (Bangladesh): Land mine blasts along Myanmar border continue

Jan. 13, 2001

>From Our Correspondent


COX'S BAZAR, Jan 12: Explosion of land mines along Bangladesh-Myanmar 
border continued for the third day today, creating panic among people in 
border villages of Bangladesh, sources said.

Local people and BDR sources said, a series of land mine explosions took 
place in Naikkongchhari, Fultali and Amtali border areas.


Two cows were killed in land mine explosions at Amtali 'Zero point' this 
morning. Panic-stricken Bangladeshi villagers are fleeing their homes. 
Villagers said a series of land mines planted by Myanmar border forces 
Nasaka in the zero line of the border exploded near border pillar number 
47 and 48 in the last three days.


BDR jawans requested the woodcutters and local people not to go near 
border pillers as Nasaka continued to plant land mines along the border. 


Our correspondent from Bandarban reports, Nasaka imposed curfew along 
20-kilometre bordering areas on their side on January 10.


The curfew was imposed in the backdrop of massing of troops along 
Myanmar border. BDR and Nasaka exchanged fire on January 18 over 
construction of a dam over river Naf by Nasaka.


BDR sources said, a flag meeting between the two sides will be held on 
January 14 at Ulubonia, Cox's Bazar.
 

___________________________________________________


The Nation: God's Army Allegations Questioned


Saturday, January 13, 2001


SENATORS and human rights activists yesterday said there was not enough 
evidence to support allegations that a Karen rebel group was behind the 
recent killings of six villagers in Ratchaburi's Suanphung district.  

Pensuk Juksuchinda, vice chairman of the Senate's Foreign Affairs 
Commission, and members of Forum Asia, urged security officials to put 
the issue in perspective and not to take drastic measures such as the 
repatriation or relocation of refugees. 

Some officers had alleged that members of the God's Army were behind the 
murder of six Thai villagers. 

Reports suggesting that the God's Army was behind the deaths have caused 
an uproar among the residents, hundreds of whom have demanded that the 
Karens, living in the nearby Thamhin refugee camp, be relocated. 

The group of senators and activists presented the results of their 
fact-finding mission yesterday. 
Pensuk said authorities first needed to clarify that there was no 
connection between the God's Army and the refugees. 

The group also called on the government to form a clear policy on how to 
deal with the refugees. 
More than 100,000 are living in border camps. 

Soon after the killings last month, Thai soldiers said they discovered 
the corpse of a God's Army soldier known as Rambo along the border. They 
said he might have had something to do with the killings. 

However, Pensuk said it was uncommon for Burmese rebels to kill innocent 
Thai villagers, adding that the closest witness to the scene was about 
200 metres away. 

Aporn Vongsang, who took part in the group's fact-finding mission, also 
downplayed suggestions that Karen refugees in the camp could have taken 
part, saying that the security there was tight. 

BY JEERAPORN CHAISRI 

___________________________________________________


Kyodo: Thai policeman, 3 Karens shot dead in Myanmar jungle


BANGKOK Jan. 12 Kyodo - A Thai policeman and 3 Karens were shot dead 
Thursday in the Myanmar jungle about 30 kilometers from the border with 
Thailand, police said Frixxday.  

Sgt. Maj. Suvit Rungarunkarn and the three Karen laborers were killed 
Thursday morning by unidentified gunmen while working at a road 
construction site, they said.  
As Thai police have no authority to guard work sites in foreign states, 
the group is under suspicion of involvement in narcotics trafficking, 
according to a border source. 




____________________________________________________


The Nation: Drug Courier Caught with One Million 'Ya Ba' Tablets

Saturday, January 13, 2001



POLICE caught a Thai national transporting one million methamphetarnine 
tablets across the border from Burma's Tachilek to Chiang Rai's Mae Sai 
dis trict yesterday, said a senior officer.

Pornsak Kulana, a Lamphun resident, was arrested as he crossed to the 
Thai side, said Lt Gen Priewphan Damaphong, commissioner of the Drug 
Suppression Unit.

Priewphan said Pornsak told police that he had been hired to transport 
the drugs across the border, and that he had been paid Bt5,000 for 
making the deliv ery. He also said he had carried out the task twice 
before. - The Nation. 	

____________________________________________________


Bangkok Post: Rights Group Opposes Call to Relocate Refugee Camp

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2001


Changes sought in negative attitudes by villagers

A human rights group yesterday opposed a call for a Burmese refugee camp 
in Ratchaburi to be relocated or shut down for safety of villagers at 
the border. 

The Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia) said though 
it sympathises with the villagers' difficulty in living near the border 
with Burma, moving the camp out of the area or closing it was not a 
solution to their safety.

Some residents of Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district have shown growing 
disapproval of the camp following a raid by Karen guerrillas of the 
God's Army group on Thai villages on Dec 30 last year.

But Forum Asia, which visited the area on Thursday, said the refugees 
had no connection with the raiders and would return to Burma if the 
situation in their country becomes safe and secure.
The group also suggested authorities launch activities to change 
villagers' negative attitudes towards refugees and make them understand 
that the refugees had no link with armed Karen rebels.


____________________________________________________


Bangkok Post: 'Decisive' Steps in Drug War

 SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2001


 
Thailand to act alone if Burma won't help
Saritdet Marukatat 
Ampha Santimethaneedol 

Thailand will resort to "decisive means" to deal with illegal drug 
factories on the border if Rangoon does not act, Thaksin Shinawatra said 
in Chiang Mai. 

While declining to explain what he meant by "decisive means", the Thai 
Rak Thai leader said yesterday he would attempt to deal with the problem 
diplomatically. 

On the basis of "mutual sincerity and good neighbourliness", he would 
have talks with Burma's leaders about cracking down on methamphetamine 
factories on the Burmese side of the border. 

If this failed to secure their co-operation, Mr Thaksin said Thailand 
might have to deal with the problem in its own way. 

"Neighbours which share a common border must not cause trouble for each 
other. If there is no response and the troubles persist, we will make 
things right," said Mr Thaksin. Thailand, he said, could not tolerate 
allowing ethnic people to produce drugs "on its doorstep".   The prime 
minister-in-waiting said he would explore personal connections with 
neighbouring countries to improve relations. 

Earlier, Thai military officers suggested precision cross-border raids 
to destroy drug factories run by the Wa ethnic group. 

The factories reportedly churn out millions of methamphetamine tablets a 
day, most of which are smuggled across the border to satisfy the needs 
of up to one million users here. 

Burma's military strongman Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt yesterday sent a 
congratulatory message to Mr Thaksin for winning the elections.   He 
expressed hope that Thai-Burmese relations would improve. Analysts, 
meanwhile, urged the government to act promptly to stamp out the influx 
of drugs and illegal labour from Burma, the two most serious security 
threats facing Thailand. 

They said Mr Thaksin could not afford to sit back while society was 
devastated and the economy slowly crippled. 

"Thai society is encountering a new war on the western frontier-the war 
against drugs," warned Surachart Bamrungsuk, deputy director of the 
Institute of Security and International Studies at a seminar organised 
by the Supreme Command. 


The government faced an uphill task. It could not rely on help from 
western countries whose focus was on stamping out heroin use. The influx 
of speed tablets was perceived as Thailand's domestic problem because it 
posed no immediate danger to others, said Mr Surachart, a political 
scientist at Chulalongkorn University. 

Rangoon's policy of relocating the Wa from Burma's north to border areas 
close to Thailand made it easier for the group to smuggle drugs.   
Somkiat Osothsapha, an economist at Chulalongkorn University, said drug 
addiction would deplete the workforce and affect foreign investor 
confidence.   He pointed to Colombia and Peru, where foreign investment 
was drying up amid a crisis of confidence in their ability to fight the 
drug scourge.  

He said the problem was too serious for any one agency. A war room 
should be set up with the armed forces as the spearhead agency. Mr 
Surachart said the emergence of international gangs dealing in drugs 
could prolong the problem for a decade. 



___________________________________________________



France-Africa: Names of the leaders 

[Appr. Jan. 11, 2001]

[Translation from French]

At midday today Jean-Christophe Mitterrand was released from jail 
(Prison de la Sante, Paris).
Danielle Mitterrand paid out the 5 million francs bail money to have her 
son freed. Yesterday he commented that Judge Philippe Courroye had been 
showing towards him a "deep hostility, expressing real hatred".

Francois-Xavier Verschave, President of the "Survival" association 
(which works at new franco-African relationships), also author of "La 
Francafrique" (Stock publisher) and "Noir Silence" (Les Arenes  
publisher) adds: "The judges are facing a steep mountain. 
Jean-Christophe Mitterrand is only a first catch, an easy and 
eye-catching one which points at the Mitterrand-Pasqua losers group.  
Pierre Falcone, Charles Pasqua, Michel Roussin (The French management's 
Man in Africa), Jean-Charles Marchiani (European Parliamentarian and 
former adviser to Pasqua) and Arcadi Gaydamak are much more important 
players of the Francafrique scenario."

To illustrate this point, Francois-Xavier Verschave recalls how Burma, 
"main supplier of heroin to the world, is a caricature of Francafrica. 
It has been annexed by the Francafrican networks in the fields of 
petroleum/[gas], weapons and secret services. Pierre Falcone's company 
is present there, and Michel Roussin has taken many trips to this 
country."




___________________________________________________


The Nation: Khun Sa Aide Tells Court He Got Betrayed

Saturday, January 13, 2001



A Former close aide to Burmese opium warlord Khun Sa told a Thai court 
yesterday that he was stunned when former associates also loyal to Khun 
Sa showed up at his residence with the Burmese police officers who 
arrested him.  
Yang Wan-Hsuan, also known as Lao Tai, was living in the Burmese border 
town of Tachilek at the time he was apprehended. He was immediately 
handed over to the Thai police in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai. 

Yang told the Thai court that the people who had him captured were 
ordered to betray him by Khun Sa's son. He added their appearance at his 
arrest amazed him, because not long before New Year's Day the same men 
showed up at his home to pay their respects. 

Yang, who is wanted in the United States for drug trafficking, dismissed 
allegations that he is involved in the trade. 

He admitted that he had worked for Khun Sa as a private aide for two 
decades but insisted that he was not involved in any illegal activities. 
 

Yang was indicted in the US Eastern District Court in New York in 1994, 
along with more than 20 other drug traffickers from the infamous Golden 
Triangle. He has a price tag of US$2 million (Bt86.8 million) on his 
head.  

According to Lt Gen Priewphan Damaphong, deputy commissioner for the 
Police Drug Suppression Unit, Yang's arrest came after a tip from US 
narcotics officers. 

Priewphan said Yang, who was based in Baan Hin Taek, was responsible for 
Khun Sa's financial affairs and investments, including illegal logging 
along the Thai-Burmese border, before Khun Sa and his Shan United Army 
surrendered to the military government in 1995 in return for amnesty.  

Yang holds both Burmese and Chinese nationalities and is believed to 
have a Thai identification card, which makes him a Thai national as 
well.  

Priewphan said authorities were investigating how Yang obtained the Thai 
identification card. 

Priewphan added the extradition process should be completed within two 
months. 

Burma is one of the world's biggest producers of opium and its refined 
form, heroin. Its military rulers have been accused by the US of turning 
a blind eye to the drug trade. 

The government has consistently come under criticism from the US and a 
number of Western countries for not doing enough to curb the flow of 
drugs coming out of the country. 

The US has also demanded that Rangoon hand over Khun Sa to face charges 
in the US. But the two countries, often at odds over accusations of 
human rights abuses, do not have an extradition treaty. 


___________________________________________________


The Northeast Daily (Aizawl, India): Myanmar lifts lid off Chin rebels, 
submits Mizoram probe report
 
January 11, 2001 

AIZAWL, JAN 10: Myanmar has sent the interrogation report of its two 
nationals suspected to be involved in the daring bank robbery in South 
Mizoram last year.  

The two have reportedly confessed looting the State Bank of India 
Lwangtlai branch, of about Rs five crore on January 17, 2000, to the 
Myanmar authorities.  

The Mizoram officials were upbeat as the state police had been claiming 
the involvement of Myanmarese nationals in the crime from the very 
beginning. ôBut till the time they record their statements to an Indian 
court we cannot celebrateö, additional secretary (home) C Tawnluia told 
UNI.  

According to the report, which was received by the state government 
through the Northeast division of the Union home ministry, Lalfela and 
Laineigha distributed most of the booty between themselves. The police 
were able to recover part of the amount in Mizoram, while some money was 
recovered from a few people arrested during the course of investigation. 
The two are suspected to be former members of the underground Chin 
Nationnal Army of Myanmar.
  
There is a growing opinion in the state that Mizoram might request New 
Delhi to use diplomatic channels to extradite the two suspects. (UNI)  



_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 


Dow Jones Newswires: Business News From The Thai Press Friday

Friday January 12, 10:02 AM


The Petroleum Authority of Thailand plans to issue 10 billion baht 
($1=THB43.378) worth of domestic bonds this year to refinance its 
dollar-denominated debt and to finance a contract for gas delivered from 
Yadana, Myanmar, The Nation reports.  



______________OPINION/EDITORIALS_________________


Bangkok Post : High Time for Reconciliation

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2001



News of dialogue between the military junta in Rangoon and prodemocy 
leader Aung San Suu Kyi can only be welcome.But doubters still lurk and 
Rangoon must prove them wrong.

Thailand was among the first to welcome news of contact between Aung San 
Suu Kyi, first lady of the National League for Democracy, and Lt-Gen 
Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the ruling State Peace and Development 
Council in Rangoon.

A Foreign Ministry statement expressed hope that this would lead to 
national reconciliation in Burma, commended the United Nations 
secretary-general KofiAnnan, and his special envoy Razali Ismail, for 
their "unrelenting efforts", and urged them to pursue the matter to its 
desired conclusion.
	
Singapore, a top-ranking investor in Burma, said the "positive 
development" showed the importance of "patient and quiet diplomacy".

The generals in Rangoon should be pleased with the friendly 
encouragement from Thailand, an immediate neighbour and partner in the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Singapore, a topranking 
investor in Burma, and Asean colleague.

They should not be surprised by the scepticism that tinged the reactions 
of Western governments, notably that of the United States,
whose Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called for respectful 
treatment of Ms Suu Kyi. 
	
Britain's Foreign Office Minister John Battle said there would be no 
easing of pressure for the assurance of democracy and human rights in 
Burma "until we see real progress."

Mr Razali, a veteran Malaysian diplomat, announced news of the contact 
in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday after a five-day trip to Rangoon 
during which he met Ms Suu Kyi twice, and held separate talks with 
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and Foreign Minister Win Aung. 
	
The NLD and the UN spokesman in New York Fred Eckhard subsequently 
confirmed that the contact was made. Mr Eckhard moreover specified 
meeting took place in October.

Though it iS not public knowledge  yet whether the meeting preceded or 
followed Mr Razali s trip to Rangoon that month, his second after being 
appointed special envoy in April, it makes sense that something should 
rnove now.

Mr Razali is known to be a skilful diplomat well versed in UN 
procedures, and this was his third mission to Rangoon . The military 
junta owes much to his country, Malaysia, which spearheaded the move for 
Burma to be admitted into Asean in July 1997, and tried hard to protect 
it from sanctions approved by the International Labour Organisation in 
November for failure to end forced labour.

In addition, Burma is soon to receive a fact-finding mission of the 
European Union troika, comprising the current Swedish presidency, the 
High Representative to the Common and Foreign Security Policy Xavier 
Solana, and a European Commissioner. 
	
Suggested by Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung during an AseanEU meeting 
in Vientiane last month, the mission would be important to Burma's 
chance of sealing a bilateral agreement with the EU. This
event would make the cash-strapped country eligible to development aid 
from the affluent bloc as nine other Asean member states are.


Mr Razali is due to go on what will be his fourth mission to Rangoon 
shortly, and Ms Suu Kyi is expected to meet with a member of the junta 
again in March.

The UN secretary-general has urged the Burmese government and opposition 
to "seize the momentum" and work for national reconciliation "at an 
early date". 

To keep up this momentum, and prove doubters wrong, Rangoon should free 
Ms Suu Kyi and other NLD members from virtual house arrest, and allow 
them freedom of movement. Real and lasting reconciliation would be hard 
to achieve so long as such a basic right is denied to the side that 
undoubtedly won the Burmese people's mandate in elections in May 1990. 


______________________OTHER______________________


Britain-Burma Society: Prospect Burma scholarships announced

Jan. 2001

 Prospect Burma Scholarships, 2001-2
 
          Prospect Burma has announced its scholarships for the coming  
academic
 year.  The awards will be made to students of Burmese origin who are 
studying a particular range of subjects.  Preference will be given to > 
applicants who are presently in South-East Asia or the Indian > 
sub-continent.  The closing date for applications is 15th March 2001. > 

          Full details - and forms to download - can be obtained from 
the Britain-Burma Society web sites, Planet Burma and Planet Myanmar, on 
> http://www.planet.simplenet.com/
 
          On arriving at the web site, click on the red START HERE link 
at  the
 bottom of the screen, and then the further link to the scholarship 
page.  

          Derek Brooke-Wavell
          Hon secretary, Britain-Burma Society


___________________________________________________


Britain-Burma Society: BBS Announces Shweplanet

Jan. 2001

 The Britain-Burma Society, a non-political body, continues to offer web 
sites with two
alternative environments: Planet Burma and Planet Myanmar. 

What is new is our web host; we have moved from Simplenet to Shweplanet.

>From now on, Planet Burma can be found on http://Shwepla.net/Burma       
  
Planet Myanmar can be found on http://Shwepla.net/Myanmar 

        All visitors are welcome

        Derek Brooke-Wavell
        Hon secretary, Britain-Burma Society



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