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BurmaNet News: September 7, 2001



______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
           September 7, 2001   Issue # 1880
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


NOTED IN PASSING:  "That's not the case...He hasn't seen her for several 
months." 

U Lwin, Chairman of the NLD in response to Thai General Chavalit?s who 
said that Khin Nyunt told him that he saw Aung San Suu Kyi every two 
weeks. See BBC: Burma opposition denies 'power share'

INSIDE BURMA _______
*BBC: Burma opposition denies 'power share'
*AP: Source: Myanmar junta has proposed power sharing with Suu Kyi 

MONEY _______
*Reuters: Asia Rice-Africa seen buying cheap Myanmar rice
*Xinhua: Customs Duties in First Four Months
*Xinhua: Myanmar Exports Less Teak, Hardwood in First Four Months

DRUGS______
*AP: Thai police seek more arrests in alleged money-laundering scheme 
*Xinhua: Myanmar Exposes 1,536 Drug-Related Cases in Half Year

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AP: Burmese population pursues democracy through labor unions 
*South China Morning Post: Exiled opposition fears firms will exploit 
'peace dividend' 
*Arakan Rohingya National Organization: About 160 Rohingya Arrested



					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________



BBC: Burma opposition denies 'power share'



Thursday, 6 September, 2001, 11:24 GMT 12:24 UK 




By regional analyst Larry Jagan in Bangkok 
Burma's military rulers have proposed a power sharing arrangement with 
the country's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Thai army officer 
has said, quoting a top Burma general. 

But a spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy 
told the BBC he knew of no such proposal. 



We are waiting for the military to make an offer
 
U Lwin, National League for Democracy  

Thailand's Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyut made the claim 
following a visit to Thailand by Burma's military intelligence chief, Lt 
General Khin Nyunt. 

"The talks are going well," he told journalists. "There may be good news 
soon." 

But the NLD spokesman, U Lwin, told the BBC "there was in fact no 
dialogue process going on at present." 

He added: "We are waiting for the military to make an offer." 

U Lwin said the party was waiting for more releases of political 
prisoners and were very hopeful that this might happen in the near 
future. 

Thai interests 

The talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's military leaders are on 
the verge of a break-through, according to senior Thai military sources. 




Khin Nyunt has just returned from a visit to Thailand
 
But it is in Thailand's interests to believe Khin Nyunt. The Thai 
Government has gone overboard in supporting the Burmese military 
government - with substantial aid packages for crop substitution 
programmes and promises of major economic co-operation in the future. 

The government is keen to deflect opposition criticism of its policy of 
doing business with the junta as well as international criticism that is 
bound to follow. 

General Chavalit told reporters that General Khin Nyunt told him that he 
saw Aung San Suu Kyi every two weeks. 

"That's not the case" NLD spokesman U Lwin told the BBC. "He hasn't seen 
her for several months." 

Thai military sources told the BBC that Khin Nyunt actually said they 
were seeing Aung San Suu Kyi through a channel of contacts rather than 
direct face-to-face meetings. U Lwin said that this was the case, and a 
military intelligence liaison officer was calling on Aung San Suu Kyi at 
least once a week. 

Slow change 

This is not the first time that General Chavalit has told journalists 
that there was about to be a political break-through in Burma. He told 
journalists something similar in July. He is known to be very close to 
Khin Nyunt. 



Change in Burma is imperceptible and will not be in the form of major 
milestones
 
UN special envoy Razali Ismail  
Diplomats in Rangoon say the talks between the two sides are obviously 
at a crucial stage. Aung San Suu Kyi appears very confident, they say. 

But the fact remains that no one is revealing what, if any, the 
substance of the talks are. 

Aung San Suu Kyi has told diplomats and senior party members that she 
had promised the Generals not to discuss the details of the talks with 
anyone, and she was keeping to that even if the military were not 
keeping their part of the bargain. 

The signs in Rangoon seem to indicate that the talks may be on a verge 
of a break-through of sorts, but according to senior NLD sources this 
means movement from talks about talks to something substantive. 

"We must remain patient" U Lwin told the BBC. 

This seems to also reflect the UN special envoy, Razali Ismail's view. 

"Change in Burma is imperceptible and will not be in the form of major 
milestones," he told the BBC. 

For the moment everyone is advising patience. 

"Although we don't know what, things are happening," said a diplomat who 
wanted to remain anonymous. 

But the talks have been going on for nearly a year and there is growing 
impatience among pro-democracy supporters inside and outside Burma. 

They want a clear indication that the talks are moving beyond the 
confidence-building stage and are becoming a substantive dialogue 
involving some kind of power-sharing proposals. 






___________________________________________________






AP: Source: Myanmar junta has proposed power sharing with Suu Kyi 


September 6, 2001

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Myanmar's military junta has proposed a power 
sharing arrangement with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and is 
awaiting her response, a Thai source said Thursday quoting a top Myanmar 
general. 

 This apparent breakthrough in national reconciliation talks was 
disclosed by the junta's No. 3 leader, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, during his 
talks this week with Thai Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh in 
Bangkok. 

 The source, an army officer present during the talks, said Khin Nyunt 
told Chavalit: ``There has been talk on sharing (power) and we hope to 
hear good news soon if the other side accepts the proposal.'' Khin Nyunt 
did not elaborate, the source said. 
 But U Lwin, the secretary of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy 
party, said in Myanmar that he and other party leaders have no 
information about the proposal. 

 ``I cannot confirm this. We have been meeting Suu Kyi three times a 
week and ... she has never mentioned the proposal. We have never heard 
about this so called proposal,'' he said. 

 ``We are still optimistic and we are hoping for the releases of 
political prisoners,'' U Lwin said. 

 The Thai source quoted Khin Nyunt as saying that the junta has 
``established a channel of contact and contacts have been made every 
couple of weeks.'' 
 The contacts were not necessarily direct talks between Khin Nyunt and 
Suu Kyi but messages sent back and forth through intermediaries, the 
source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

 Khin Nyunt's reported comments are the first solid information to 
emerge from the closed-door talks going on between the junta and Suu Kyi 
since October. The talks were kickstarted by a special U.N. envoy Razali 
Ismail, who last month ended his fifth visit to Myanmar. 

 Khin Nyunt was in Thailand from Monday to Wednesday and held talks with 
Chavalit, a former army chief known to be close to Myanmar generals. 

 On Thursday, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted Chavalit as saying that 
he had a positive feeling about Myanmar, also known as Burma. 

 ``We expect to see every party in Burma join together to set up a 
government to work for the people and the country,'' Chavalit was quoted 
as saying. 

 The Nation newspaper quoted Chavalit as saying: ``He (Khin Nyunt) told 
me that everything is good and maybe we will have good news soon. I 
believe that the talks will succeed as the Burmese leaders are sincere 
and serious in bringing peace to the country.'' 

 The current group of generals came to power in 1988 after crushing a 
pro-democracy movement that left hundreds dead. The regime called 
general elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results after Suu 
Kyi's party, the NLD, won convincingly. 
 Instead, NLD members were jailed and harassed or put under house 
arrest. Recently, in a goodwill gesture, the government released in 
batches nearly 160 political prisoners from jails and 32 NLD elected 
representatives. Suu Kyi, the 1990 Nobel peace laureate, however, 
remains under virtual house arrest. 








______________________MONEY________________________





Reuters: Asia Rice-Africa seen buying cheap Myanmar rice

By Vissuta Pothong 

 BANGKOK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - African countries are likely to keep buying 
low grade rice from Myanmar due to much lower prices than other origins 
in Asia, traders said on Thursday. 

 Demand from Africa -- mainly for parboiled and low grade rice -- is 
expected to continue through at least until the end of the year, traders 
said. 

 ``Rice trading in Myanmar has been very good in recent weeks. It is 
moving very fast as the Myanmar origin rice is selling at lower prices 
compared with others,'' said one trader. 

 ``And as for the quality...not bad.'' 

 Myanmar 25 percent broken grade has been quoted steady for over a month 
at $120 per tonne, FOB. 

 Vietnamese 25 percent rice was quoted at $152-$153, versus last week's 
$155 (RICE/ASIA1). Thai 25 percent broken grade was quoted unchanged at 
$160. 

 Chinese 25 percent broken grade has barely been offered over the past 
few weeks with Beijing holding stocks for domestic consumption, traders 
said. 

 Thai white 100 percent broken rice was quoted at $146-$150 and in 
Vietnam the same was quoted at $140. 

 ``Buyers will always go to origins that offer them the most attractive 
price,'' said a trader. 

 Traders said the export price in Myanmar was not expected to change in 
coming weeks. 

 ``The export price is likely to remain low as the government wants to 
attract more buyers by maintaining its prices at a level that is 
relatively cheaper compared to other origins in Asia,'' one trader said. 


 The rice trade in Myanmar, unlike other countries in Asia, is 
controlled by the government. 

 Several deals for Myanmar rice have been inked over the past month, 
when supplies in Vietnam were unusually tight and Thai rice prices were 
high, traders said. 

 The latest deal was in late August, when London-based Louis Dreyfus 
bought 40,000 tonnes for African markets, traders said. 

 The trading firm has contracted some 135,000 tonnes of Myanmar rice so 
far this year, trade sources told Reuters. 

 This week, about five vessels carrying a total of 70,000 tonnes of rice 
were being loaded at ports in Yangon for destinations mainly in Africa, 
traders said. 
 Two more vessels were scheduled to be loaded next week, they said. 

 During January-August 31, Myanmar exported almost 300,000 tonnes of 
rice, U Kyaw Tin, general manager at Yangon-based cargo surveyor Societe 
Generale de Surveillance Myanmar (SGS) told Reuters. 

 Myanmar shipped a total of 110,000 tonnes of rice in 2000, mainly to 
Bangladesh, compared with only 63,700 tonnes exported in 1999. 

 QUIET TRADE IN VIETNAM, THAILAND 

 The rice trade in Thailand and Vietnam, the world's top two rice 
exporters, has been quiet this week amid weak demand from overseas 
buyers, traders said. 

 ``Not much business is going on this week in the Vietnamese rice 
market...few buyers want to buy, saying the price is still high,'' said 
a trader. 
 Indonesia, after buying Thai in recent weeks when Vietnam faced tight 
local supply, was unlikely to return to Vietnam anytime soon unless 
prices ease, traders said. 





___________________________________________________





Xinhua: Customs Duties in First Four Months

YANGON, September 6 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar received 360.44 million U.S. 
dollars from customs duties in the first four months of this year, 16.84 
percent more than the same period of 2000 when it registered at 308.48 
million dollars with the income, according to the latest figures 
released by the country's Central Statistical Organization. The main 
source of Myanmar's customs duties income comes from import through 
normal trade and border trade, of which the import customs duties income 
earned through normal trade accounted for 98. 79 percent of the total 
during the four-month period. To promote agricultural development, 
Myanmar government has exempted import customs duties levied on 
agricultural implements including fertilizer, pesticide and improved 
variety and machinery. According to official statistics, in 2000, 
Myanmar earned 891 million dollars from customs duties and its foreign 
trade totaled 4.086 billion dollars in the year, of which imports 
amounted to 2. 567 billion dollars, while exports were valued at 1.519 
billion dollars. 







___________________________________________________



Myanmar's Cotton Yarn Production Up in First Four Months


YANGON, September 6 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar produced 1,951.38 tons of cotton 
yarn in the first four months of this year, 30.12 percent more than the 
same period of 2000 when it registered 1,499. 6 tons, according to the 
latest data released by the country's Central Statistical Organization. 
During the four-month period, Myanmar also yielded 7,702,278 meters of 
cotton fabrics, up 26.5 percent from the corresponding period of 2000 
which saw a production of 6,088,154 meters. Cotton is one of the four 
major crops of Myanmar with the other three known as paddy, beans and 
pulses, and sugar cane. Official statistics show that in 2000, Myanmar 
produced 5,700 tons of cotton yarn and 22 million meters of cotton 
fabrics, up 19 percent and 23.37 percent respectively from 1999. Other 
statistics show that altogether 325,215 hectares of cotton were 
cultivated in Myanmar in the fiscal year 2000-01 which ended in March 
and the country targets to grow 348,300 hectares of the crop in 2001-02. 
Meanwhile, to maintain the enthusiasm of cotton growers and to solve 
their difficulties of shortage of capital used in cultivation, the 
government provides annually more than 1 billion Kyats (about 2 million 
U.S. dollars) of loans to the growers in the country in addition to 
granting advance payment to them for the purchase of cotton. 




___________________________________________________






Xinhua: Myanmar Exports Less Teak, Hardwood in First Four Months

YANGON, September 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar exported 106,832.5 cubic-meters 
of teak in the first four months of this year, 2.83 percent less than 
the same period of 2000, according to the latest figures released by the 
country's Central Statistical Organization. Meanwhile, during the 
period, the country exported 98,625.5 cubic-meters of hardwood, a 
48.33-percent reduction from the corresponding period of 2000. Export 
earning from teak and hardwood totaled 70.69 million U.S. dollars during 
the four-month period, 12.43 percent less than that in the same period 
of 2000. In 2000, Myanmar exported a total of 302,810 cubic-meters of 
teak and 494,259.5 cubic-meters of hardwood with their total earning 
amounting to 201 million dollars. Timber has become Myanmar's second 
largest export goods after agriculture products and foreign exchange 
earned through the export of timber accounted for about 20 percent of 
Myanmar's total export earning. Myanmar's forest covers 50 percent of 
its total land area, a 7- percent reduction from 1962 reportedly due to 
indiscriminate felling of trees. Of the forest area, 18.6 percent are 
reserved and protected public forest, the percentag
e of which is being targeted to increase to 30. 







________________________DRUGS______________________





AP: Thai police seek more arrests in alleged money-laundering scheme 


BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Police on Thursday issued arrest warrants for 
19 more suspects in an alleged money laundering scheme for millions of 
dollars, a television news report said. 

 The Nation television said the suspects included ethnic Chinese and 
Indian businessmen. Two of them have already been arrested, it said. No 
other details were given. Police confirmed the warrants but refused to 
give details. 

 The case came to light last Friday when a banker, Sirinra Mahamad, was 
arrested and charged with illegally transferring dlrs 222 million abroad 
from 1997 to 2000. 

 Sirinra is an executive of UOB Radanasin Bank but the transfers were 
done by several obscure private companies sending money through another 
bank to firms in United States, Hong Kong, China and Singapore. 

 Police suspect, but have released no evidence, that the three companies 
were money laundering fronts for other illegal activities such as drugs, 
gambling or currency speculation. 

 On Wednesday, the Economic Crime Investigation Division issued arrest 
warrants for Sirinra's older sister, Rosarin Chorpradit, and Rosarin's 
husband Pichet. 

 Their whereabouts are not known, though some unconfirmed reports said 
they fled to neighboring Myanmar. Another warrant was reportedly issued 
for a senior banker at Bangkok Bank, Suksawat Onnuam. 

 Police say the money was sent from three Thai companies where Rosarin 
and her husband were major shareholders _ Eastern Petro Power, 
Ratanakosin International and Thana Subthavee _ to supposed overseas 
creditors. 

 Photos and testimony gathered by police indicated that the suspects 
claimed to have close connections with leading figures in the previous 
government of Democrat Party leader Chuan Leekpai. 

 It is not rare for financial scams to be tied to influential public 
figure, but it is equally common for the alleged criminals to make false 
or inflated claims of such connections. 
 One senior police figure, Col. Worapong Futrakul, the deputy commander 
of the Economic Crime Suppression Division, has admitted personal and 
business ties to some of the suspects, and been temporarily transferred 
from his duties.




__________________________________________________



Xinhua: Myanmar Exposes 1,536 Drug-Related Cases in Half Year


YANGON, September 7 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar authorities exposed a total 
of 1,536 narcotic-drug-related cases in the first half of this year, 
seizing 474.91 kilograms (kg) of opium and 27.89 kg of heroin, according 
to a latest compiled data of the Myanmar Central Committee for Drug 
Abuse Control. The seizure, made by army units, police and the customs, 
also includes 8,371 kg of marijuana, 6.14 million tablets of stimulant 
drugs, 1,889 kg of ephedrine and 269.28 liters of phensedyl. During the 
half-year period, the authorities punished 2,187 people for being 
involved in the cases, it revealed. Earlier official statistics show 
that in 2000, the Myanmar authorities exposed a total of 3,535 
drug-related cases, seizing 2. 268 tons of narcotic drugs, of which 
opium accounted for 1,552 kg, while heroin represented 158 kg. During 
the year 4,881 drug offenders were punished.

Meanwhile, the authorities also destroyed a total of 9,317.9 hectares of 
illegally-grown poppy fields in the country in the fiscal year 2000-2001 
which ended in March. Following the declaration of its Mongla region in 
eastern Shan state as an opium-free zone in April 1997, Myanmar began in 
1999 implementing a 15-year drug eradication plan in three five-year 
phases which costs 33,588.14 million Kyats (about 50 million U.S. 
dollars) plus 150 million dollars covering 25 townships in the first 
phase, 20 townships in the second phase and nine townships in the third 
phase.









___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				




AP: Burmese population pursues democracy through labor unions 


September 5, 2001

DATELINE: FORT WAYNE, Ind. 

BODY: 
Burmese immigrants in northeast Indiana are persisting in their quest 
for democracy, more than 12 years after many families fled to the United 
States to escape a military junta. 

Fort Wayne is home to about 1,500 Burmese, making it one of the largest 
contingents of Burmese dissidents anywhere in the nation. 

Numerous Burmese immigrants were scholars, university professors and 
prominent citizens in their homeland. Now, because of language barriers, 
many are working in factories. But they have carried on their efforts to 
pursue democratic ideals by joining labor unions and other activist 
organizations. 

"The Burmese are very passionate about democracy," said Tom Lewandowski, 
president of the Northeast Indiana Central Labor Council. "A lot of them 
have put their lives on the line. They've been in jail, their families 
have suffered. They're courageous people." 

Most of the immigrants fled Burma - also known as Myanmar - in 1988 to 
escape a military government that seized power after a bloody crackdown 
on pro-democracy groups. 

For Tin Maung Maung Htway, a Burmese refugee who arrived in Fort Wayne 
10 years ago, labor unions do more than seek better wages and benefits - 
they help preserve democracy. 

"We are looking for social and political democracy, especially in the 
workplace," Htway said. 

Labor unions are particularly important for immigrants who face language 
and cultural barriers that make it harder to get a fair shake in the 
workplace, Htway said. 

Fort Wayne's Burmese community is a coalition of people who represent 
various pro-democracy organizations, "but we work together as a family," 
Htway said. 

Many Burmese want to show others how labor unions help protect workers. 

"I don't want to use the word 'teach,' but we can share our 
experiences," Htway said. 

They look forward to returning home eventually, once political 
conditions there have changed. 

"We are working here to get democracy in Burma," said Peter Limbin, a 
former member of the Burmese parliament who has traveled to 40 countries 
seeking support for those left behind in his native land. 

When the junta is overturned, "Then we will go back and work for our 
people," Limbin said. 

Aung Myint Soe, a former professor, said Burmese often face employment 
discrimination because of language and cultural barriers. 

And in slow economic times, immigrants are often the most vulnerable. 

"There is a lack of democracy in Burma, but in the U.S. it flourishes 
 ... because we have the right to establish unions," Soe said. 

But, Soe added, in the non-union workplace, workers' rights are 
trampled, "and it is no different than in Burma." 




___________________________________________________




South China Morning Post: Exiled opposition fears firms will exploit 
'peace dividend' 


September 6, 2001 

William Barnes 




The Thai Government is determined to reap a "peace dividend" from 
establishing good, perhaps even close, relations with Myanmar's military 
junta, critics of the ruling generals said yesterday. 

No one doubts that Thai authorities are serious in wanting their 
neighbours to rein in drug traffickers in the bordering Shan state. At 
the same time, influential businessmen are applauding the latest 
rapprochement efforts, the critics said. "The subtext is business. When 
you try to analyse what is going on, you always have to remember that, 
ultimately, this comes down to who gets what deal," one observer said. 

The regime's powerful intelligence chief, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, 
yesterday ended what may turn out to be a watershed visit to Thailand. 

One of the first people to greet him was Defence Minister Chavalit 
Yongchaiyudh, who led the first foreign trade delegation to Yangon after 
the 1988 massacre of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators that 
rendered the military regime an international pariah. 

Mr Chavalit was able to squeeze a series of lucrative logging and 
fishing concessions from the cash-strapped generals. But relations later 
soured, especially when Myanmar-based traffickers started to flood 
Thailand with millions of amphetamine tablets in the mid-1990s. 

Now, exiled opposition members suspect the relatively undeveloped 
Myanmar is ripe for exploitation by entrepreneurs as soon as the 
political negotiations under way between the military and opposition 
leader Aung San Suu Kyi yield fruit. 

"We worry very much that the Thais will rush in there without checking 
to see what harm they might do. We would certainly advocate that every 
businessman looking at Burma (Myanmar) count to 100 before jumping in," 
one opposition member said. 

"There will be a time to invest, but it must be the right time." 

Thai road contractors, mining companies, hotel operators and factory 
owners have already indicated they expect to get lucrative contracts in 
Myanmar. 







___________________________________________________




Arakan Rohingya National Organization: About 160 Rohingya Arrested

Maungdaw, 

September 04, 2001

By our Correspondent

>From last two weeks about 160  Arakanese Rohingya Muslims have been 
arrested by Bangladesh police in Teknaf area of Cox's Bazar district  in 
Southern Chittagong. These unfortunate people have years of stay in the 
villages of the Cox's Bazar district,  mixing with the local people, 
after they had left their homeland Arakan for their lives. They have 
been put in jail while the police operation against  Rohingyas is still 
continuing.

It may be mentioned that occasional arrests against the Rohingya 
settlers is a regular phenomenon in Bangladesh particularly in the 
districts of Cox's Bazar and Bandarban. On the other hand, the Burmese 
military have rejected their citizenship and have subjected them to 
ethnic cleansing and large-scale persecution in Burma.

Source: Press & Publication Department, ARNO 4 September 2001 
 





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