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BurmaNet News: March 7, 2001
- Subject: BurmaNet News: March 7, 2001
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 20:17:00
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
March 7, 2001 Issue # 1751
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________
INSIDE BURMA _______
*DVB: Deceased army leader's wife urges Than Shwe to issue crash report
*Bangkok Post: Shan Rebels Headed for Junta Bases
*AP: Myanmar denounces `speculation' emerging from Thailand
*Bangkok Post: : Burmese Embassy 'Source' Rejects Thai Officers' Claim
Plane Blast Junta Action
(TV Myanmar: [Press conference on Shan attack on army camp]
*Xinhua: Myanmar Media Denies Invasion into Thailand
*Xinhua: Roundup: Myanmar's Political Crisis Shows Sign of Thaw
Beginning
*New Light of Myanmar: Dailies to be printed locally in upper country
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*Bangkok Post: Don Muang Bombing--Army points finger at junta;
Anti-Thaksin plot also doing rounds
*The Nation: We Shot down Thai Chopper: Burma Defectors
*AFP: Thai FM hopeful talks can reopen with Myanmar after border clashes
*AFP: Myanmar urged to show progress in eliminating forced labour
ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Canadian Labour Congress : Who ordered these uniforms? Why Burma?
*The Nation: Mass Fast at Us, Uk Colleges over Burma
*Bangkok Post: Fisheries-- Government urged to talk with junta; Bid to
resume fishing in Burmese waters
*Nation: 'Bang Rajan' makers march into Burma
OTHER
*Golden Padauk Magazine launched
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
DVB: Deceased army leader's wife urges Than Shwe to issue crash report
Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1245 gmt 6 Mar 01
Daw Khin Than Nwe, wife of Lt-Gen Tin Oo, secretary-2 of the State Peace
and Development Council SPDC , who died in the helicopter crash near
Tayokhla Village in Pa-an Township last month; Daw Khin Hpyu Win, wife
of late Maj-Gen Thura Thiha Thura Sit Maung, commander of Southeast
Military Command; and the wives of military officers who died in the
crash, have written a letter to SPDC Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe yesterday
petitioning him to form a special inquiry committee and issue an
official report on the crash for family, relatives, and the people to
know what really happened.
The letter signed by the surviving family members were hand delivered by
Lt-Gen Tin Oo's wife, Daw Khin Than Nwe, herself when she met Sr Gen
Than Shwe. Although the contents of the letter were not known the letter
indicated that they want to know the real detailed facts by 18 March and
reminded that nothing should be concealed.
The letter also appealed to Sr Gen Than Shwe to issue a directive
ordering the responsible Military Intelligence units and authorities to
issue a report for the people to know before 18 March.
According to family members of one person who died in the helicopter
crash, the Office of Strategic Studies has promised to send surviving
family members who wish to go on a pilgrimage to Bodagaya the birth
place of Lord Buddha in India at the state's expense. Democratic Voice
of Burma, DVB, has learned that the family members have declined the
offer.
___________________________________________________
Bangkok Post: Shan Rebels Headed for Junta Bases
Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Tachilek seen as one likely target
Shan rebels have moved out of a major base near the border prompting
speculation that they may attack Burmese troops deep inside Burma.
Fighters of the Shan State Army left Doi Kaw Wan garrison, opposite Ban
Phaya Prai, Mae Fah Luang district, in five units, sources said. Two
were headed for Tachilek town, one for Mong Sat and the rest for Ban
Pang Luang, opposite Mae Sai district.
The sources said it was likely the Shan rebels were to launch attacks
against Burmese forces guarding those towns.
Lt-Col Kong Jue of the Shan army said Burma might retaliate with air
raids using chemical bombs as in previous strikes on Karen strongholds.
He said Burmese troops had pulled out of a base close to Doi Kaw Wan,
prompting speculation of air strikes.
Burmese troops in Tachilek have reportedly demanded dried food from
shopkeepers in the border township.
Fresh reinforcements were rushed to Mae Sai yesterday to take charge of
mass evacuation in case there is a major battle near the border.
- The army accused Rangoon yesterday of distorting facts about the
military incursion into Chiang Rai and denied it was backing the Shan.
Burmese troops fired on Mae Sai town and an army helicopter on Doi Lang
in Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai, army spokesman Col Somkhuan
Saengpattaranate said.
"Burma is aggressive. We have never been aggressive," he told Today's
News on army-run radio.
"We just want to protect the people and Thai sovereignty. Reinforcements
must be sent to the border in response to those of many Burmese
soldiers."Rangoon was also not sincere in its efforts to co-operate with
Thailand in combatting drugs, he said.
Thai authorities had evidence Rangoon supports drug production and that
there are drug production plants along the border, the spokesman said.
Col Somkhuan said Thailand had to retaliate when Burmese soldiers
entered Mae Fah Luang district on Feb 9. - Two Burmese soldiers who
defected to the Karen National Union said yesterday they were ordered
four years ago to shoot down a Thai military helicopter.
L/Cpl Ye Soe and L/Cpl Thein Soe defected to the KNU several days ago
after nine years in the army.
They said Capt Kyaw San, their company commander, ordered them to fire
on two Thai Jet Rangers on border patrol on Aug 28, 1997 after the
helicopters strayed into Burma due to poor visibility during bad
weather. One helicopter was shot down near a Burmese military camp,
killing all five on board. The other escaped, the defectors said.
The Thai army had said an aircraft had gone missing at the time and
asked for co-operation from Burma to search for the helicopter as well
as from Karen living in the area, but never found any wreckage. -
Bangkok Post/Kyodo
___________________________________________________
AP: Myanmar denounces `speculation' emerging from Thailand
March 7, 2001
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Myanmar on Wednesday denounced what it said
were ``irresponsible speculation and allegations'' being made about it
in Thailand.
The Myanmar government was reacting to an allegation made Tuesday by
two Myanmar soldiers in the custody of ethnic rebels who claimed that a
Thai helicopter that disappeared in 1997 was shot down by the Myanmar
army.
In addition to this allegation, ``a steady stream of irresponsible
speculations and allegations have been systematically launched against
Myanmar by some Thai officials,'' said a Myanmar government statement
faxed to The Associated Press in Bangkok.
Thai government officials were not immediately available for comment.
Several Thai newspapers have quoted senior officials as saying in
recent days that Myanmar drug lords could have masterminded Saturday's
bombing of a Thai Airways jetliner that Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra was supposed to fly.
A steward was killed and seven people were injured in the blast that
destroyed the Boeing 737-400. Newspapers have speculated that Thaksin
was targeted because he has pledged to crack down on rampant drug
smuggling from Myanmar to Thailand.
The statement said a Myanmar ethnic army was virtually named as the
culprit until Thai anti-narcotics officials dismissed the suggestion.
``It is very unfortunate that certain quarters in Thailand are still
continuing to act in a hostile and irresponsible way by making
inflammatory remarks in spite of the understanding and goodwill shown by
the two governments in resolving the recent border tensions,'' the
statement said.
Relations between Thailand and Myanmar have been tense since last month
following a clash at the border in northern Thailand between Thai forces
and Myanmar troops who crossed into Thai territory to attack the Shan
State Army, an anti-government ethnic rebel group in Myanmar.
Thailand accuses Myanmar's military government of turning a blind eye
to the drug trafficking, a charge Myanmar denies.
___________________________________________________
TV Myanmar: [Press conference on Shan attack on army camp]
TV Myanmar, Rangoon, in Burmese 1330 gmt 3 Mar 01
[Excerpt]
A press conference on the SURA [Shan United Revolutionary Army] drug
trafficking terrorist insurgents attack on the Defence Services'
Lwe-daw-kam camp in Tachilek Township, Shan State was held at the
Defence Services Guest House on Inya Road in Yangon [Rangoon] at 0900
[local time] today...
Firstly, Lt-Col San Pwint, General Staff Officer Grade-1 from the DDSI
[Directorate of Defence Services Intelligence], explained the SURA drug
trafficking terrorist insurgents attack on the Defence Services'
Lwe-daw-kam camp in Tachilek Township, Shan State. Next, some incidents
relating to the SURA drug trafficking terrorists attack on Lwe-daw-kam
camp was explained with the aid of a video.
The attendees at the press conference then ask questions and Maj-Gen
Kyaw Win, deputy chief of OSS and deputy director of DDSI, and
responsible personnel provided the answers. The press conference ended
at 0945.
After the press conference, the correspondents and guests viewed the map
detailing the SURA drug trafficking terrorist insurgents attack on the
Defence Services' Lwe-daw-kam camp in Tachilek Township which was
exhibited in the hall.
___________________________________________________
Bangkok Post: : Burmese Embassy 'Source' Rejects Thai Officers' Claim
Plane Blast Junta Action
March 7, 2001
Subin Khuenkaew, Sermsuk Kasitipradit and Aachara Ashayagachat]
Senior military officers from the Third Army suspect the bombing of the
Boeing 737 could be an act of revenge by the Burmese military. While the
Burmese embassy in Bangkok refused to comment on the record, a source
categorically rejected it. A source said senior officers from the Third
Army, including Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuengwong, the commander, did not
rule out the possibility. When senior Third Army officers conducted
their own analysis they began to sense that it could be related to the
border situation in the North. As many as 80 Burmese soldiers were
killed during border fighting in Chiang Rai's Ban Pang Noon forward
military outpost in Mae Fah Luang district. Around 200 Burmese troops
captured the outpost 1km inside Thailand on Feb 9 to use the base for
attacks on the rebel Shan State Army. The outpost was recaptured a day
later amid heavy shelling. A Burmese embassy source said: "If Burma
wanted to settle scores with anyone it would have been with the Third
Army commander, not with the prime minister who enjoys close relations
with us. "Days before the blast, Mr Thaksin held a secret meeting "with
a senior Burmese official" in Bangkok. The source rejected another
theory that the explosion stemmed from a conflict over drugs. Drug mafia
would not have used Thai people to mount the attack. They also would
have been more secretive, and demanded quicker results, the source said.
Internal political conflict within the government was at work, and
"uniformed officers" were responsible, he said. A security adviser to Mr
Thaksin said the bombing involved a heavyweight politician who was not
happy with Mr Thaksin as prime minister. He did not elaborate.
However, the adviser said the army's theory holding Burma as the prime
suspect also sounded possible. Its agents in Thailand had the capacity
to sabotage the plane. Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, also
defence minister, has sidestepped questions about whether the bombing
had anything to do with the border conflict.
___________________________________________________
Xinhua: Myanmar Media Denies Invasion into Thailand
YANGON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar
Tuesday denied that Myanmar troops have invaded Thailand in the two
countries' recent border clashes which took place between February 5 and
March 2, killing 23 Myanmar soldiers and injuring 62 others. "Myanma
Tatmadaw (Armed Forces) has never made any invasion nor has it taken the
invasion by others lying down," the newspaper said. The paper in reverse
charged Thailand with building, in aggressive manner, 34 camps --- nine
on the border demarcation line in Loi Lan region and 25 in the region
inside Myanmar territory. It complained that despite frequent raising of
the issue at the two countries' border committee meeting, it was
neglected. The paper accused the Shan United Revolutionary Army (SURA),
an anti-government Shan ethnic armed group led by Ywet Sit and described
by Myanmar government as a drug trafficking group, has taken the
advantage of the border shared by the two countries and carried out
illegal activities.
It stressed that Myanmar has been able to maintain cordial relations
with its neighbors such as China, Laos, Thailand, India and Bangladesh,
and have mutual understanding. Meanwhile, Thailand charged Myanmar
troops with intrusion of Thai territory, saying that Myanmar soldiers
seized one of its border outposts on February 10 and hit Mae Sai with
stray shells during a battle against the SURA. The tension between the
two countries has prompted Thailand to shut down the Mae Sai border
check point which is still closed due to existence of tension. Thailand
has urged Myanmar to show goodwill by not deploying excessive troops
near the Thai border, warning Yangon not to divert attention from the
real cause of the problem, that is, Myanmar troops had encroached on the
Thai soil, while Thailand has taken the leading role in drug
suppression. Thailand has consistently blamed Myanmar of causing heavy
inflow into the country of narcotic drug, unlawful immigrants and
refugees, bringing about great menace to Thailand's society and
security. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 refugees and
300,000 unlawful immigrants in Thailand
___________________________________________________
Xinhua: Roundup: Myanmar's Political Crisis Shows Sign of Thaw Beginning
YANGON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- A string of developments on the Myanmar
political arena lately heralded the long-awaited thaw of a crisis that
has plagued the country for more than a decade. The first sign showing
the easing of Myanmar's political crisis occurred in October last year
when Myanmar leader Lieutenant- General Khin Nyunt, first secretary of
the State Peace and Development Council, and NLD General Secretary Aung
San Suu Kyi ( ASSK) held their first round of direct dialogue in many
years. Having insisted on the exclusion of ASSK in its dialogue with the
NLD, the Myanmar government's change of attitude demonstrated that it
has made a major concession and thus created a condition indispensable
for the realization of reconciliation with the opposition.
According to Razali Ismail, special envoy of the U.N. secretary-
general, who recently visited Myanmar, the dialogue between the
government and the opposition will continue. Another development that
signified the unfreezing of Myanmar's political situation is that the
government released NLD Vice- Chairman U Tin Oo and 85 other NLD youth
members in late January. Thirdly, beginning this January, Myanmar
official media including radio and television and newspapers have
stopped attacking and hurling abuse at NLD and its general secretary
ASSK. Fourthly, with regard to the issue of ASSK's Yangon real estate,
the Yangon divisional court has adjudicated in favor of ASSK, turning
down the claim of ASSK's brother U Aung San Oo over the 50- percent
ownership of his sister's estate.
More importantly, Foreign Minister U Win Aung has hinted that the
government will free ASSK, who has been under house arrest since
September 22, 2000, at "a appropriate time." Myanmar's political crisis
dates back to more than 10 years ago. On May 27, 1990 the Myanmar
government held a Multi-Party General Election, competed by 93 political
parties, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by ASSK,
won a landslide victory with 396 parliamentary seats out of 485.
However, due to the existence of serious differences between the
government and the NLD on many major issues such as drawing up the state
constitution and transferring of power, the task of power transfer has
never been realized. In November 1995, the NLD withdrew from the
National Convention, which was to draw up the state constitution, and on
September 16, 1998, the NLD unilaterally formed the Committee
Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP) Elected in the 1990 General
Election.
For more than a decade, the crisis has had a significant negative effect
on the political stability, economic development and social progress of
the nation. At the same time, it also lead to sanctions by western
countries. Proceeding from its own political, economic and diplomatic
needs, the Myanmar government of late partly adjusted its policy towards
the opposition NLD. The above concessions made by the government towards
the NLD was also an outcome of mediation made by U.N.
secretary-general's special envoy and leaders of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations including Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohammad. The encouraging change of status of affairs in Myanmar has won
general appreciation and support by the international community and
Myanmar dissidents in exile. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan himself
warmly welcomed the positive change in the country's political
situation. However, despite the remarkable relaxation of tension at the
moment between the Myanmar government and the opposition, the government
still has a relatively long way to go to be totally free from the
political crisis and finally realize its pronounced goal of transferring
power back to the people.
___________________________________________________
New Light of Myanmar: Dailies to be printed locally in upper country
2 Mar 01
Excerpt from report in English by Burmese newspaper The New Light of
Myanmar on 2 March
Yangon Rangoon , 1 March: With a view to ensuring the distribution of
newspapers to the public of States, Divisions, districts, townships and
villages in Upper Myanmar Burma in time, a ceremony to open the
sub-printing house of Kyemon and Myanma Alin dailies of News and
Periodicals Enterprise was held in front of the house between 82nd and
83rd Streets and 20th and 21st Streets in Pale Ngweyaung Ward,
Aungmyethazan Township, Mandalay, this morning. Deputy Minister for
Information Brig-Gen Aung Thein formally unveiled the signboard of the
sub-printing house...
Similarly, arrangements will be made for publication and distribution of
Myanma Alin and Kyemon dailies in Myitkyina, Taunggyi, Keng Tung, Magway
Magwe , Kalay, Pa-an, and Sittwe...
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
Bangkok Post: Don Muang Bombing--Army points finger at junta;
Anti-Thaksin plot also doing rounds
March 7, 2001
Senior military officers from the Third Army suspect the bombing of the
Boeing 737 could be an act of revenge by the Burmese military.
While the Burmese embassy in Bangkok refused to comment on the record, a
source categorically rejected it.
A source said senior officers from the Third Army, including Lt-Gen
Wattanachai Chaimuengwong, the commander, did not rule out the
possibility.
When senior Third Army officers conducted their own analysis they began
to sense that it could be related to the border situation in the North.
As many as 80 Burmese soldiers were killed during border fighting in
Chiang Rai's Ban Pang Noon forward military outpost in Mae Fah Luang
district.
Around 200 Burmese troops captured the outpost 1km inside Thailand on
Feb 9 to use the base for attacks on the rebel Shan State Army.
The outpost was recaptured a day later amid heavy shelling.
A Burmese embassy source said: "If Burma wanted to settle scores with
anyone it would have been with the Third Army commander, not with the
prime minister who enjoys close relations with us."Days before the
blast, Mr Thaksin held a secret meeting "with a senior Burmese official"
in Bangkok.
The source rejected another theory that the explosion stemmed from a
conflict over drugs. Drug mafia would not have used Thai people to mount
the attack. They also would have been more secretive, and demanded
quicker results, the source said. Internal political conflict within the
government was at work, and "uniformed officers" were responsible, he
said.
A security adviser to Mr Thaksin said the bombing involved a heavyweight
politician who was not happy with Mr Thaksin as prime minister. He did
not elaborate.
However, the adviser said the army's theory holding Burma as the prime
suspect also sounded possible. Its agents in Thailand had the capacity
to sabotage the plane.
Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, also defence minister, has
sidestepped questions about whether the bombing had anything to do with
the border conflict.
Subin Khuenkaew, Sermsuk Kasitipradit and Aachara Ashayagachat
___________________________________________________
AFP: Thai FM hopeful talks can reopen with Myanmar after border clashes
HANOI, March 7 (AFP) - Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said
he was hopeful Wednesday that a normal dialogue could be restored with
the military junta in Myanmar after the border clashes of recent weeks.
Recent talks on the border issue gave grounds for optimism, Surakiart
told reporters here on his first overseas trip since taking office.
"The substance of these talks make me cautiously optimistic that both
sides can settle their differences," he said.
Tension has been running high along the border region after incursions
by Myanmar troops into Thailand last month in their fight against the
SSA.
Surakiart said he planned to follow his trip here with visits to all
Thailand's neighbours, including Myanmar.
"However in the case of Myanmar I will have to assess the border
situation before I go."
He said the new Thai government's announcement of its adherence to the
principle of non-intervention had been "warmly welcomed" by Yangon.
"So I think there is a tendency towards resuming normal talks between
our foeign ministry and the foreign ministry of Myanmar," he said.
"I am still confident that our colleagues in Myanamr will be sincere in
working with us including in our joint efforts for the eradication of
drugs, which is a high priority for our government."
The Thai foreign minister said he had no intention of asking the
authorities in either Vietnam or his next port of call Malaysia to
intervene with the Myanmar junta on Thailand's behalf.
But he said he had discussed the Myanmar problem with his Vietnamese
counterpart Nguyen Dy Nien as "it is obviously an issue on which we in
Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries are very concerned."
Both sides had agreed to support the efforts of UN special envoy Razali
Ismail in pushing forward a tentative dialogue between the military
junta and the opposition that began with secret talks last year.
"Thailand will stand ready, if we can be of any assistance at all, to
ensure such a process is sustainable," he said.
___________________________________________________
The Nation: We Shot down Thai Chopper: Burma Defectors
Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Agencies
Mae Sot- Two Burmese soldiers who defected to the rebel Karen National
Union (KNU) said yesterday they were ordered four years ago to shoot
down a Thai military helicopter.
The chopper has been missing since August 1997, with all five crew
members assumed dead.
Lance corporals Ye Soe and Thein Soe defected to the KNU recently after
serving for nine years in the Burmese army.
They said Captain Kyaw San, the commander of their company, had ordered
them to fire on two Thai Jet Ranger helicopters on border patrol on
August 28, 1997, because the choppers had strayed into Burma due to bad
weather and poor visibility.
One helicopter was shot down near a Burmese military camp, killing all
five on board, while the other chopper escaped, the defector said.
The Thai army said an aircraft had gone missing at the time. It asked
for help from Burma plus Karen living in the area to search for
helicopter, but said the wreckage was never found.
Meanwhile, the military used its national radio network yesterday to hit
back at Burma in a war of words over border clashes last month.
Army spokesman Somkuan Saengpattaranetr rejected Burma's claims that the
Thai military was involved in drug trafficking.
"They want the worked to think that Thailand suppot the Drug trafficking
of some ethnic group," Somkuan said on a midday radio programme. "In
fact, the invaded us."
Relations between Thailand and Burma plummeted last month after a series
of clashes along the border. The usually busy border crossing between
the northern town of Mae Sai and Burma's Tachilek remains closed because
of the tension.
The government says Burmese troops crossed into Thai territory on
February 10, seizing an outpost that was later recaptured. A day later,
shells hit Mae Sai as Burmese soldiers and their allies in the United Wa
State Army (UWSA) clashed with ethnic Shan rebels across the border.
Thai soldiers retaliated by firing at Burmese military positions.
The junta denies dropping any shells on Mae Sai and instead blamed the
Shan rebels. It also said the border outpost captured was not in Thai
territory.
The two side have been firing verbal salvos at each other ever since.
Rangoon on Monday accused the Thai military of helping the ethnic Shan
rebels in their battle against Burma and told Thailand to cooperate
instead on " quiet diplomacy" to restore frayed relations.
General Sampao Churi, supreme commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces,
said Rangoon had broken an agreement that non- demarcated border areas
should be regarded as "no man's land".
"When both sides claim right over the land, we should let the area be
no- man's land . But Myanmar (Burma) just took control over the area,"
Sampao said.
Bangkok says the UWSA is the major player in the regional drug trade and
is the source of most of the heroin and amphetamines flooding Thailand.
Thai officials have repeatedly accused the Burmese government of
allowing the drug trade to flourish.
But Burma claims the rebels Shan State Arm is to blame for most drug
trafficking in the region.
The dispute with Burma has been an early headache for Prime Minister
Thasin Shinawatra's new government , whose administration is widely
expected to be less confrontational than the previous regime headed by
Chuan Leekpai.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Chavalit
Yongchaiyoudh has said he can boost ties through his good personal
relationships with some of Rangoon's ruling generals.
But many senior Thai military officers remain deeply suspicious of
Burma.
"They [the Burmese government] say their problem is ethnic groups and we
say ours is drugs., but they never want to patrol along the border with
us to check drug- production bases," Army spokesman Somkuan said
___________________________________________________
AFP: Myanmar urged to show progress in eliminating forced labour
GENEVA, Mar 7 (AFP) - Myanmar has acknowledged the existence of forced
labour in the country and must now show it is eliminating the practice,
the head of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said here
Wednesday.
ILO chief Juan Somavia said Myanmar's minister of labour, General Tin
Ngwe, had sent him a letter last month saying it would continue to take
measures to ensure forced labour was illegal both "in law and in
practice".
The letter also promised to implement a framework of legislative,
executive and administrative measures that had been put in place,
Somavia told a news conference here.
"There is a first result that I believe can be put on the table which
is in fact an acknowledgement by the government of Myanmar that there is
forced labour in the country," Somavia said.
He described the acknowledgement as "very important".
"The ball is now in Myanmar's court," Somavia said.
"The logical next step is for the ILO to be able to make an objective
assessment of what Myanmar says it is doing," he told reporters, adding
the Geneva-based ILO had offered to carry out the assessment.
In an unprecedented move last November, the ILO called on its members
-- workers and employers' groups, and countries -- to review their ties
with Myanmar and take steps to ensure their ties do not help continue or
extend forced labour.
Somavia said on Wednesday the objective was never to sanction Myanmar
but rather to eliminate forced labour.
The ILO wants Myanmar to comply with recommendations made by a 1998
committee of inquiry which found use of forced labour to be "widespread
and systematic".
Questioned on what ILO members had done since November's decision,
Somavia said he believed in some cases "people are observing" while
others wanted further measures to be taken.
He said the ILO was receiving phone calls from companies asking for a
clarification of the situation because they wanted to ensure they were
not involved in any thing connected with forced labour.
_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
Canadian Labour Congress : Who ordered these uniforms? Why Burma?
March 6, 2001
Canadian Labour Congress wants to know who is ordering
"police uniforms" from Burmese sweatshops
OTTAWA, March 6 /CNW/ - The Canadian Labour Congress has obtained a
copy
of a cable from the US Embassy in Burma (renamed Myanmar by the current
military rulers) which reports that police uniforms destined for
Montreal were
being manufactured in a Burmese sweatshop. The document refers to a
visit at a
government-owned garment factory in Burma where an American "reported
seeing
Montreal, Canada police uniforms being sewn and boxed for shipping."
Staff at
the Canadian Labour Congress are working to discover who placed the
order for
those garments.
"Canadians do not want products manufactured in sweatshops," said
Ken
Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. "Working families
have
made it quite clear that they do not want their money handed to
repressive
military rulers like the Burmese government. Those uniforms are dirty
and we
need to find them."
At the factory where the uniforms were spotted, wages start at
$21.00 per
month for a 48 hour work week (which works out to less than 11 cents an
hour).
The factory is owned by the Burmese government, a repressive military
regime
that was recently sanctioned by the International Labour Organization
for its
flagrant and continuous use of forced labour and other violations of
human
rights.
"Why is this still happening?" asked Jean-Claude Parrot, Executive
Vice
President of the Canadian Labour Congress. "Everyone has known about
Burma for
years. At the ILO, representatives from the Canadian government,
employers and
labour joined the rest of the world in a quasi-unanimous vote against
doing
business with this monster of a regime... and still Canadian companies
are
using their sweatshops and giving them the money they only use to
further
oppress their own people."
The Canadian Labour Congress has condemned the military junta's
treatment
of the Burmese people, particularly its use of forced labour, and
continues to
call on the Canadian government to do more than politely ask companies
to
refrain from doing business there. Specifically, the CLC wants the
federal
government to:
1. research, monitor and report on Canadian investments in and
imports
from Burma;
2. review the Special Economic Measures Act to allow for concrete
and
specific measures to be taken; and
3. convene a meeting, with the participation of the CLC, of the
Working
Group on Corporate Social Responsibility to jointly develop steps
to
address this issue.
The Canadian Labour Congress is committed to living up to the spirit
and
letter of the ILO resolution and will continue to work with its
partners, the
Federation of Trade Unions of Burma and the International Confederation
of
Free Trade Unions to monitor closely the situation in Burma. To that
effect,
it adopted an action plan at its Executive Committee and Council Meeting
today
aimed at helping working families avoid the products of sweatshops and
forced
labour.
The Canadian Labour Congress brings together the majority of the
country's unions and represents 2.3 million working Canadians and their
families. Its Executive Council concludes its two-day meeting in Ottawa
at the
Chateau Laurier hotel today.
___________________________________________________
The Nation: Mass Fast at Us, Uk Colleges over Burma
Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Students at 53 universities across the United States and the United
Kingdom fasted for 24 hours yesterday to protest against US corporate
and university support for Burma's military regime.
"We demand that our universities stop doing business with companies
operating in Burma," said Katie Ryan, leader of the Free Burma Coalition
chapter at North Carolina State University.
"Desmond Tutu called Burma the 'next South Africa', and it is time for
our universities to divest and refuse to purchase from US companies
operating in Burma."
The fast comes in the aftermath of a New York Times article on March 1
exposing the links between clothing exports to the United States and
Burma's ruling military regime.
The newspaper had received an unclassified State Department cable from
Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, which said: "We understand that the GOB
[military regime] controls distribution of the current [garment-export]
quota and reserves a large portion of it in government-related
factories."
Harkin, a Democrat, has promised, along with Republican Senators Jesse
Helms and Mitch McConnell to introduce legislation calling for a ban on
imports from Burma.
Students, however, are not waiting for legislation.
"Slavery ended over 100 years ago in the United States. We shouldn't be
supporting a modern form of slavery in Burma through this university's
57,000 shares in Unocal oil company," said Andrew Price, leader of the
Free Burma Coalition at the University of Virginia.
"We have enough problems in our own backyard, and US corporations
shouldn't create more for us in Burma."
Students at American and Bucknell universities and Trinity College have
already successfully pressured their universities to divest shares in
and refuse to purchase from companies operating in Burma.
Clothing companies JanSport, Kenneth Cole and the Dress Barn all
promised to cease sourcing from Burma late last year after protests.
JanSport said after its withdrawal in October: "Recently some
collegiate-licensed apparel was found to have been manufactured in
[Burma] without JanSport's or the university's knowledge.
This was expressly against JanSport's manufacturing policy. I assure
you, JanSport . . . immediately took steps to transfer the production to
an alternative facility."
On Thursday, Burma, which along with Afghanistan accounts for 90 per
cent of world heroin production, was again decertified by the US
government for non-compliance with its anti-narcotic efforts.
Randy Beers, assistant secretary for Narcotics and Law Enforcement,
said: "The government of Burma has also been unwilling or unable to take
on the most powerful trafficking groups directly and continues to refuse
to surrender major drug traffickers under indictment in the United
States."
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Bangkok Post: Fisheries-- Government urged to talk with junta; Bid to
resume fishing in Burmese waters
The Thai Overseas Fisheries Association wants the government to start
talks with Burma to re-open its waters to Thai fishermen.
Wanchai Saengsuk-iam, its president, said closer relations between the
two governments would help secure fishing rights revoked in 1999 when
ties turned sour.
Countries with access to Burmese waters include Korea, Taiwan and China.
Thai fishermen are operating in Yemen, Madagascar and northern Indonesia
and off Sarawak state in Malaysia.
Mr Wanchai said he wanted Agriculture and Co-operatives Minister
Chucheep Harnsawat to also work on ties with his Asean counterparts,
especially the Natural Resources Minister of Indonesia.
The Malaysian government issued a rule last month forcing Thai vessels
to sell 30% of their catch in Malaysia. Thai fishermen were not
consulted.
Nantaphol Supapipat, the association's vice-president, said market
demand was not taken into account in setting the quota. Many fish sold
for less on the Thai market.
"Thai fishermen are willing to co-operate and make a contribution to
Malaysia. But the rule should be fair."He said the fishermen would
prefer a step-by-step approach if quotas had to be imposed, starting at
10%. - Co-operation in fishing, rice trading and road building are high
on the agenda of Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's day trip to
Vietnam today.
In his first overseas trip as foreign minister, Mr Surakiart will
discuss Asean co-operation with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Dy
Nien.
Vietnam is the current chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations. Mr Surakiart will visit Malaysia, a founding member of Asean,
tomorrow and Friday. Time frames are yet to beset for trips to other
Asean member states Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the
Philippines and Singapore.
Mr Surakiart said a memorandum of understanding for Thai-Vietnamese
co-operation in rice trading on world markets had expired.
The road to be discussed is Route 9 which links Mukdaharn with
Savannakhet in central Laos and Da Nang in central Vietnam.
Ploenpote Atthakor
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Nation: 'Bang Rajan' makers march into Burma
[Abridged]
March 5, 2001
BEC-Tero has brought some of the world's biggest acts to Thailand and
despite the financial crisis, the company's founder sees no reason for
the show to slow, writes Ken Ywin.
BEC-TERO Entertainment's blockbuster hit "Bang Rajan" has struck a
patriotic chord by depicting a Thai village valiantly defending itself
against an advancing Burmese army. However, the company, which plans to
list on the Stock Exchange of Thailand soon, has itself "invaded" Burma.
BEC-Tero's Anglo-Burmese managing director, Brian Marcar said the
company's office in Rangoon was now feeding English Premier League
soccer matches and Chinese television programmes to Myanmar Radio TV
(MR-TV) and the military-owned Myawaddy TV (MWD-TV).
"We have the rights for Burma, which we achieved via direct talks in
England and Hong Kong," said Marcar, speaking at his office in Emporium
Tower, Bangkok.
"In the future, we'll also be giving the Burmese television stations
other content besides the soccer matches and Chinese dramas," he added
BEC-Tero is also working with the Tourism Authority of Myanmar to
produce a documentary promoting Burma's rich variety of cultures and
traditions.
Marcar, who is now a Thai citizen, added that BEC-Tero would go public
when "the timing is right".
Tero Entertainment, as the company used to be known, became a subsidiary
of Channel 3's parent BEC World in 1998 after the economic crisis.
"Despite the crisis, people still want to be entertained. Escapism, I
think. Channel 3 is a medium and we are a content provider. Therefore,
it was a mutual marriage," said Marcar.
Marcar and his wife retain a 40-per-cent stake in the joint ven-ture
while BEC World owns the rest.
After graduating from St Paul's High School in Rangoon, Marcar went to
California to get a degree in economics. He was employed by East Asiatic
and launched Dumex milk in the Thai market 15 years ago.
Marcar's older brother resides in San Francisco and helped him make the
right connections to clinch sports and entertainment deals for Thailand.
BEC-Tero has seven divisions producing soap operas, movies, game shows,
singers and events.
Marcar's meeting with Pracha Maleenond, whose family owns Channel 3 and
who is presently deputy communications minister, allowed Marcar to
become one of the first people to bring top TV sports to Thai screens.
He also promoted such hit shows as "Tribute to Elvis" and "CBS Sports
Spectacular", and showcased top international fights after "direct talks
with promoter Don King".
"We were also the first to bring the Manchester United team here in
1989," he said. That year he was voted "Best Promoter of Thailand".
Marcar's proudest moment was when he staged the "Michael Jackson
Dangerous Tour" in 1993. "We paid US$1 million (Bt43 million). It was
the biggest concert ever held here and a tremendous success."
The list of executives running BEC-Tero's seven divisions reads like a
"who's who" of the local entertainment industry. "It took us two years
to get all these good people," Marcar said.
The company's films, such as "Bangkok Dangerous" (sold to Japan for
$500,000) and "Fah Talai Jone", have won international awards. "Bang
Rajan", which has already become one of Thailand's all time top-grossing
movies, has been re-released with a new finale for local and global
consumption.
"The old version ends with a monument honouring the Thai warriors. The
new director's cut will have an ending with a massive Burmese army,
replete with war elephants, ready to invade Ayudhya," Marcar said.
The irony of being a Burmese citizen and having a part in the historical
film is not lost on Marcar. "Well, it's history and we can't do anything
about the past. We can learn and live together in this world which is
fast becoming a global village."
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Golden Padauk Magazine launched
Golden Padauk, a bimonthly Burmese- and English-language magazine is
available for sale now. Golden Padauk is printed in San Francisco.
Visit Golden Padauk on the web at: www.goldenpadauk.com
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