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BurmaNet News: October 13-14, 2001
- Subject: BurmaNet News: October 13-14, 2001
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 08:06:00
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
October 13-14, 2001 Issue # 1898
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________
INSIDE BURMA _______
*AFP: UN rights envoy tours Myanmar's northern border area
*AFP: Burma releases 66 Thai prisoners in goodwill gesture
*Guardian (UK): British oil firms accused of Burma abuses
*Burma Courier: Attempt to Open Nld Office in Mandalay Squashed
*Reuters: U.N. envoy sees progress on human rights in Myanmar
*Irrawaddy online: KNPP Claim Firsthand Knowledge of Forced Labor
*Irrawaddy online: Incense or Tamarinds
MONEY _______
*AFP: Myanmar to keep fuel subsidies despite shortage
*Bangkok Post: Economic agency to handle investments
*Burma Courier: Shrimp Prices Slump after Terrorist Attack
GUNS______
*Arakan News Agency: Border Security Force (Na Sa Ka), Villagers Clash
in Northern Arakan 10 persons injured, 6 arrested
*Irrawaddy online: Security Measures Influence New Bridge
DRUGS______
*AP: Source: Burma to Top Heroin Produce
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Poppy growers looking forward to bumper
harvest
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Ex-Shan leader passes away
*Bangkok Post: Refugee influx hurts fragile ecosystem
EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA________
*The New light of Myanmar (SPDC): Use edible oil and money sparingly
OTHER______
*Committee for Revival of Burmese Literature: Burmese Literature Talk at
New York 2001
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
AFP: UN rights envoy tours Myanmar's northern border area
Saturday October 13, 2:30 PM
YANGON, Oct 13 (AFP) - United Nations human rights envoy Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro was due to meet with minority and democratic opposition leaders
in Myanmar's north as part of his second visit here, official sources
said Saturday.
Pinheiro was expected to leave Yangon early Saturday for the northern
Shan state capital of Lashio, with planned stops at points near the
Chinese border. He is due back in Yangon on October 19.
The Brazilian academic will first visit Muse before journeying to the
Kokang and Wa regions, where he is expected to meet with ethnic militias
that have signed ceasefire agreements with Myanmar's junta.
According to an official itinerary, he will travel to the ancient
capital of Mandalay, 540 miles (860 kilometres) north of Yangon, for a
meeting with leaders of the opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD).
For the remainder of his tour, Pinheiro will visit Myintkyina, in the
Kachin State.
While there, he is expected to talk with military and government
officials as well as leaders from the Kachin Independence Organisation,
the political wing of the minority Kachin Independence Army.
Returning to Mandalay on Tuesday, he will go to the ancient city of
Bagan, to stay overnite and visit cultural and religious sites.
On Thursday, he will visit the capital of southern Shan state to meet
leaders from another minority group that has signed the ceasefire pact,
the Pa-o National Organization.
The UN envoy is expected to meet with NLD leader and Nobel peace prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on his return from the upcountry trip.
Pinheiro, the first UN human rights envoy allowed to visit Myanmar since
1996, is to end his visit on October 20.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the results of the April trip,
and the working relationship was cemented Monday when the junta released
five top political prisoners to mark Pinheiro's arrival.
During his first visit Pinheiro was allowed to see Aung San Suu Kyi, who
has remained under house arrest for the past year, and spoke of an
atmosphere of "cautious optimism" for possible change in the country.
The UN Human Rights Commission passed a resolution in April with the
support of 53 countries saying rights abuses and persecution of the
political opposition in Myanmar were at an unacceptable level.
But Myanmar's junta insisted the resolution failed to accurately portray
the situation, particularly because it relied on information supplied by
the UN's previous rights rapporteur.
___________________________________________________
Guardian (UK): British oil firms accused of Burma abuses
Guardian Unlimited
Fri Oct 12 09:53:46 UTC+0900 2001
Andrew Osborn in Brussels
Friday October 12, 2001
The Guardian
Burmese soldiers retained by the British companies Premier Oil and
TotalFinaElf are guilty of multiple human rights abuses and subject
local peasants to forced labour, extortion and beatings, the European
parliament was told yesterday.
At a hearing organised by the British Labour MEP Richard Howitt, a
non-governmental organisation accused the two of complicity in and
direct knowledge of "egregious human rights abuses for the benefit of
western oil companies".
"The soldiers have committed and continue to commit these violations,"
Marco Simons of Earth Rights International said. "Civilians are
conscripted by the military and forced to carry heavy supplies, beaten
and left for dead.
"Forced labour has not stopped in Burma in the pipeline region and
instead of acting as good corporate citizens and terminating their
complicity in human rights abuses, it is denied."
He called on the companies to either take steps to ensure that the
soldiers - whom they retain to protect two gas pipelines - cease these
abuses or pull out of Burma altogether.
Mr Howitt claimed that peasants are being threatened at gunpoint and, in
exceptional cases, used as human minesweepers.
"This is a brutal case of human rights abuse," he said.
ERI backed up its allegations with a report containing hundreds of
witness statements taken in Burma as recently as as last month which, it
said, proved that the situation was as bad as ever.
Both companies were present at the hearing.
Premier Oil, which has been active in Burma since 1990, despite the
continued presence of a military dictatorship, said it could not be held
responsible for the behaviour of troops it retained to protect its
pipeline and employees.
"There are no international sanctions that do not allow our operation to
go ahead there," its corporate social responsibility officer, Richard
Jones, said in an interview with the BBC.
"None of the things we've been accused of is in fact so. We believe
human rights and related issues are a part of our business and we've
been training the Burmese government in human rights over the past year.
"This is an ongoing programme and certainly something we take very
seriously."
Jean-Pierre Cordier of Total FinaElf said the allegations were "without
foundation" and told the hearing that it was "unimaginable" that his
company would have recourse to forced labour.
"Respect for human rights and for decent working conditions in Burma are
the same as we apply all over the world," he added.
The Burmese government had issued two decrees outlawing forced labour,
he said, which were prominently displayed in all the villages adjacent
to his company's pipeline in Yadana.
But human rights activists said these decrees were not worth the paper
they were printed on, and claimed that villagers were still being
intimidated into doing back-breaking work for the troops and were forced
to pay "fines" or worse if they refused.
Mr Howitt claimed that evidence showing that the two companies were
aware of what was effectively being done in their name was "serious and
telling".
He urged them to follow the example of companies such as Pepsi, Texaco
and Apple computers, which have pulled out of Burma because of the
problem of doing business with the repressive military junta which has
been in power since 1962.
Voluntary codes of conduct which can be flouted by the companies which
draw them up are not good enough, he said, calling for a binding code of
conduct for European multinationals.
"Premier Oil should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "Who are they to
make moral judgments that they're helping the situation in Burma when
the whole international community disagrees?"
___________________________________________________
Burma Courier: Attempt to Open Nld Office in Mandalay Squashed
Based on news received from the Network Media Group: October 12, 2001
MANDALAY - Burma's military regime has acted quickly to squash an
attempt by the National League for Democracy to open a constituency
office outside of Rangoon.
On Monday, when members of the Pyigyidagun branch of the NLD in the
south part of Mandalay city sought permission for the party to re-open
its township office, they were advised by officials of the divisional
electoral office that the party did not have official recognition in
the township, according to a ruling of the national Multiparty Electoral
Commission.
When U Saw Htay of the NLD's Pyigyidagun branch asked for the ruling to
be delivered in written form, he was told that the local electoral
office did not have authority from the district electoral commission to
issue such a statement.
Since NLD party offices have been allowed to re-open in more than 20
constituencies in Rangoon division, party officials are questioning what
basis in law the Multiparty Electoral Commission could find for
recognizing the right of the NLD party branches to organize in the
capital while denying constituency branches the same right in other
parts of the country. The answer would appear to be that the Electoral
Commission is not guided by the law in arriving at its decisions.
___________________________________________________
Reuters: U.N. envoy sees progress on human rights in Myanmar
Friday October 12, 6:57 PM
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) - The U.N.'s human rights envoy to Myanmar believes the
military-ruled country has made some progress on human rights in recent
months, foreign diplomats said on Friday.
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the U.N.'s special rapporteur for human rights in
Myanmar, arrived in Yangon on Tuesday and is due to stay in the country
till October 20, meeting government officials, opposition and diplomats,
U.N. sources said.
Diplomats who met Pinheiro on Thursday said he gave a fairly optimistic
view of recent developments in Myanmar, where secretive talks between
the ruling military and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have been
continuing for a year.
"He said he sensed more progress in the situation on human rights since
he last came here in April," one diplomat from a Southeast Asian country
told Reuters.
Military governments have ruled Myanmar for most of the last four
decades, locking up opposition and allowing little dissent.
Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has been under de facto
house arrest since September 2000. Her National League for Democracy
(NLD) won the country's last elections in 1990 by a landslide but has
never been allowed to govern.
But a year ago, talks began between Suu Kyi and leaders of the ruling
State Peace and Development Council and since then many pro-democracy
activists have been released from detention and public criticism between
the two sides has virtually ceased.
On Tuesday, the day Pinheiro arrived, five more NLD prisoners were
released, bringing the total number of NLD detainees sent home by the
authorities to 174.
Pinheiro, a Brazilian, first visited Myanmar in April after being
appointed as a special envoy in February by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan.
A report written by Pinheiro and released by the U.N. last week welcomed
efforts by Myanmar's ruling military to improve human rights in the
country, but repeated calls for the release of all political prisoners.
Amnesty International says there are more than 1,500 political detainees
in Myanmar.
The international community has welcomed the dialogue between Suu Kyi
and the government. But the talks have so far yielded no concrete
political deal and opposition activists have become increasingly
pessimistic over their progress.
Pinheiro's predecessor, Rajsoomer Lallah, was never allowed to visit
Myanmar, and in his final report last October he accused the military of
torturing, raping and executing civilians.
___________________________________________________
Irrawaddy online: KNPP Claim Firsthand Knowledge of Forced Labor
October - 14, 2001.
By Tony Broadmoor and Doh Say
October 11, 2001? Members of the Committee for Internally Displaced
Karenni People (CIDKnP) have found evidence of forced labour as well as
recently planted landmines in the Karenni State, according to a
spokesman from the Karenni National Peoples Party (KNPP).
The fact-finding mission traveled to areas around the old Taungoo Road
in District Two of the Karenni State and found local residents clearing
a section of the road located ten miles from Mawchi. The KNPP told The
Irrawaddy that the Burmese junta plans to use the road again. KNPP
officials said that one Karenni village has been ordered to clear a
one-mile stretch of road as well as thirty-feet on both sides of it.
According to the CIDKnP each village was to receive 8000 kyat (US $17)
and two sacks of rice for their work. Villagers said they were given no
choice in the matter and that the headman of their village was called to
the Burmese military headquarters in Mawchi to answer as to why
villagers had not reported to work.
Other villagers told the CIDKnP that they had offered the military
troops 10,000 kyat in return for not working but were required to work
any way. The KNPP has said that despite the nominal fee paid to
villagers this still constitutes forced labour.
The CIDKnP?s mission concluded just as the International Labor
Organization (ILO) began its fourth trip to Burma to investigate the
continued use of forced labour. The ILO?s trip is now also finished
although the results of the investigation will not be available for some
time.
Brief history of the Taungoo Road:
The Mawchi -Taungoo road was built during World War II. The Burmese
Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) later used the road to send military
supplies from Taungoo to Mawchi. The road was abandoned twenty years
ago. The road is ninety-six miles long with roughly a third of it in the
Karenni State and the remainder in the Karen State.
In 1991, the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
began repairs on the road using forced labour to clear and reconstruct a
twelve-mile section from Mawchi heading towards Taungoo. During that
period, villagers from the Karenni State, including the elderly, women
and children were ordered to repair the road.
During this period, there are numerous reports of villagers being killed
or maimed by SLORC land mines. Now in addition to these older land
mines, newer land mines have been laid by Burmese military troops,
perhaps even as recently as this year. These newer land mines remain on
the very stretch of road that Karenni villagers are being forced to
clear. Military soldiers also remain near the Karenni villagers as they
work, according to the KNPP.
___________________________________________________
Irrawaddy online: Incense or Tamarinds
October 14, 2001.
By Zarny Win and Ko Thet
October 11, 2001--Burma is not know as a country with a penchant for
resource conservation or environmental stability. As seen in a recent
report released by the Geneva-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), Burma was among the top ten countries in the world for net losses
of forested area since 1990.
The latest resource thought to be endangered in Burma is the tamarind
tree. According to sources in Burma, tamarind trees have been
disappearing throughout central Burma as a result of a booming incense
industry?an industry that relies heavily on tamarind trees as a raw
material.
The rise in popularity of incense, or joss sticks as they are known in
Burma, can be traced to an increase in television commercials that
portray joss sticks as a necessary and important part of life. There are
only three televison channels in Burma and the channel predominantly
watched in Burma airs only commercials. Many Burmese, after years of
watching propaganda-filled newscasts, have switched to the
easier-to-watch commercial channel for regular viewing.
"Joss stick commercials have been appearing more and more on televison
to promote them throughout the country.The actors in the commercials say
that everything will be okay if you burn joss sticks. Unfortunately, the
more people who use the joss sticks, the faster the
tamarind trees will disappear," said a teacher from Burma?s Dagon
University.
Many Burmese are worried that the disappearance of tamarind trees will
also threaten central Burma?s dry zone.
Lu Du Daw Ahmar, a highly acclaimed writer and social critic, wrote last
year that, "It will be very sad if the tamarind trees disappear because
of this business."
Magway Division?s Yasegyo Township is famous for its tamarind grooves.
"In Yasegyo, the tamarind trees are almost all gone because the local
people have been selling them to joss stick manufacturers," said a man
in Yasegyo. "Even the trees inside Buddhist monasteries have been cut
down."
Historically joss sticks have only been used by Buddhist practitioners
and also by some ethnic-Chinese living in Burma.
Joss stick makers have been replacing the more tradtional Indian names
with more powerful Burmese names to help attract consumers. They have
changed some of the names to Aung Tate-di ("power"), Lo-ta-ya ("get
whatever one wishes for"), Kan Pwint ("lucky"). The customers appear to
be falling for the names, as sales continue to soar throughout Burma.
Nobody is exactly sure how many of the trees have been logged, but the
state-run MRTV television station advised people to stop using the whole
tree when cutting it for wood, according to a tutor from Ye Zinn
Institute of Agriculture in Mandalay Division.
Wood-apple trees or elephant-apple trees have already disappeared in
Mandalay Divison?s Pyinmana Township and surrounding areas due to the
joss stick business. Wood-apple trees were also used as a raw material
for joss sticks.
__________________________________________________
AFP: Burma releases 66 Thai prisoners in goodwill gesture
Friday October 12, 5:31 PM
BANGKOK, Oct 12 (AFP) - Burma released 66 Thai prisoners Friday as a
goodwill gesture to solidify relations between the two countries
following a visit by Burma's intelligence chief Khin Nyunt last month.
Thai military airport officials said most of the prisoners were jailed
on criminal charges of illegal migration, fishing and drug possession.
They were released from eight prisons throughout Burma and transported
on military aircraft from Rangoon, arriving in Bangkok in the early
afternoon.
Burma authorities set special guidelines for the releases, saying they
will have to serve out the remainder of their sentences in addition to
any new penalties if they violate Burma laws again.
Thailand and Burma agreed to release the prisoners when the Burma number
three, Khin Nyunt, visited Thailand in September on a three-day trip
aimed at smoothing over a row centred on border issues and the drugs
trade.
The spat was set off in March when the two national armies staged a
half-day clash after becoming embroiled in fighting between rival ethnic
militias accused of involvement in drug trafficking.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made an inaugural visit to Burma
in June that largely diffused the argument
______________________MONEY________________________
AFP: Myanmar to keep fuel subsidies despite shortage
YANGON, Oct 14 (AFP) - Myanmar's military government has pledged to
maintain its subsidised gasoline and diesel allocations to the public,
without raising prices, despite a chronic fuel shortage, a report said
Sunday.
The Myanmar junta distributes 7.5 million gallons of gasoline and up to
19 million gallons of diesel every month at subsidised prices, Energy
Minister Brigadier-General Lun Thi told the Myanmar Times.
The regime has to import more than five million tonnes of crude oil
annually to meet this quota, he said.
"We have no intention of further reducing the present quota or raising
the official price of 180 kyats (36 US cents) per gallon for gasoline
and 160 kyats (32 US cents) for diesel," Lun Thi said.
Last April the energy ministry cut daily fuel quotas from three gallons
to two for taxis and private cars. Rumors have abounded since then that
another reduction was in the offing.
On the open market, gasoline costs around 950 kyats (1.90 dollars) per
gallon and diesel, used mostly for public transport, more than 1,000
kyats (two dollars).
Taxi drivers say the two-gallon allocation does not meet their needs.
One told AFP that he had to supplement his allocation with another two
gallons bought on the open market.
"I don't know about the private cars, but taxis have to ply almost the
whole day and two gallons are hardly sufficient to keep my taxi
running," he said.
The huge gap between the official and open market prices of gasoline
and diesel has resulted in private car owners selling the fuel they
don't use at hefty profits.
Private cars line up daily at government outlets to buy their two
gallons of fuel, half of which many of them hawk on the open market.
Some have even invested in a cheap extra car for the sole purpose of
collecting the official daily quota, observers claim.
According to official estimates, there are more than 300,000 cars in
the Myanmar capital alone.
___________________________________________________
Bangkok Post: Economic agency to handle investments
October 14, 2001.
Fisheries chief to hold talks tomorrow
Wassana Nanuam
All talks on investment between Thailand and Burma will have to go
through the Thai-Burmese Economic Friendship Association, said Gen Sanan
Kachornklam, an adviser to the defence minister.
He said Burma's Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council, informed all Burmese agencies to go through the
association.
The association was founded last month by Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and Defence
Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
Gen Sanan led a delegation to Rangoon for talks with senior Burmese
military officers on Oct 9-11.
``Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt believes Thailand and Burma will no longer have
problems but will co-operate for economic development. He gives us full
support. If state-level talks fail, the private sector can talk via the
association,'' he said.
Thailand and Burma would set up special industrial zones and bamboo
paper factories in the Tachilek-Chiang Rai, Myawaddy-Tak, and
Kawthaung-Ranong areas.
To promote tourism, more tours to Burma would be arranged and joint
tourism offices set up in Myawaddy, Tachilek and Kawthaung, in Burma,
and in Bangkok.
To boost cultural ties, the nations would join hands to organise Loy
Krathong festivities, cultural exhibitions and student exchanges.
Gen Sanan said Burma still refused to grant fishing concessions to Thais
except for joint-venture investments. But the fisheries chief would hold
talks on the issue tomorrow with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.
___________________________________________________
Burma Courier: Shrimp Prices Slump after Terrorist Attack
Oct 7 - 13, 2001
Based on news from Myanmar Times and Business Tank: Updated to Oct 9,
2001
RANGOON -- A shrimp farming expert from Thailand in Rangoon for a
seminar last week that the current world crisis has seriously affected
the bottom line for seafood producers and marketers.
"Shrimp prices have fallen 25 per cent due to the terrorist attacks in
the U.S.," said Dr Chalor Limsuwan.
His assessment was confirmed by Dr. Aung Lwin of Pyae Phyo Tun, one of
the leading marine fishery export companies in Burma. He told the
biweekly on-line journal Business Tank recently that the seafood export
market in general had taken a downturn. "At present, the Japanese
market demand for seafood is cool while the situation in the United
States has worsened the prospects. We are working cautiously because we
might be faced with huge stocks in our hands if the global recession
continues."
Dr Chalor was more optimistic about the long term prospects,
particularly for shrimp farming. "The industry still has a good future;
shrimp farming is the number one seafood business in the region," Dr
Chalor said.
The military government has a big push on expanding the shrimp farming
business. Plans call for a tripling of land devoted to shrimp
cultivation between 2000 and 2003 when 220,000 acres is targeted.
Currently about 100,000 acres has been developed with Arakan state
leading the way with 83,000 acres under cultivation. Twenty hatcheries
run by the government's fisheries department and private companies are
currently distributing over 90 million shrimp fry annually with the
private hatcheries producing over 80% of the total.
International competition is tough. Thailand is the world's top producer
with an annual output of about 320,000 tonnes a year, followed by China
with about 250,000 tonnes. Burma produced more than 130,000 tonnes of
shrimp last year, almost all of which was exported.
According to the fisheries department the number of shrimp farming
companies has jumped to more than 50 from only six last year. But the
main players are international firms such as Thailand's C.P. Co. and
Marine PCR. An expert from Marine PCR told the seminar that shrimp
farms have the potential to be a 'gold mine' for Burma.
_______________________GUNS________________________
Arakan News Agency: Border Security Force (Na Sa Ka), Villagers Clash in
Northern Arakan 10 persons injured, 6 arrested
12. 10. 2001
By Our Special Correspondent
Taungbro (near Burma-Bangladesh border), October 10: Border Security
Force known as Na Sa Ka belonging to Thet Chaung Camp of Na Sa Ka area ?
No.1 clashed with villagers of Thet Chaung (Taikkom) village about some
15 miles north-east of Kyin Chaung (Bawlibazar) in northern part of
occupied Arakan, in south western Burma, resulting in the injuries to 10
persons, 2 seriously and arrest of 6 persons.
The incident took place at 11:45 P.M. on September 28 in the said
village when two Na Sa Ka soldiers namely Maung Myint and Kyaw Maung of
the said camp tried to rape a girl after forcibly entering into her
house. The family members raised hue and cry causing alarm among other
villagers who surrounded the house. While villagers were trying to beat
up the culprits more Na Sa Ka came to the scene of conflict and started
firing in the air and at the villagers. 10 persons were reportedly
injured, 2 of them seriously according to the villagers. The two Na Sa
Ka soldiers also sustained cut injuries and bruises.
The situation was brought under control after about an hour. Six persons
? Aye Kyaw Nyunt, 22, son of Maung Kyaw Hla, Chan Sein Maung, 19. son of
U Tha Htun, Shwe Maung, 22, son of U Maung Tha Doe, Tha sein U, 23, son
of U Shwe Htun and two others, all belonging to the said village ? were
arrested later accusing them as trouble shooters.
Many similar incidents of rape and looting by the Na Sa Ka forces go
unnoticed or unreported in extreme border villages as the villagers fail
to resist or complain for fear of retribution from them.
Abdur Rashid
Chief Reporter
Arakan News Agency
___________________________________________________
Irrawaddy online: Security Measures Influence New Bridge
October 14, 2001.
By Maung Maung Oo
October 12, 2001?Burma?s decision to build a second bridge linking Mai
Sai in Thailand with Tachilek in Burma?s Shan State is not simply an
attempt to boost bilateral trade. The move is primarily aimed at better
controlling the flow of vehicles heading in and out of Burma, according
to sources in Tachilek.
"The mixed flow of pedestrians and vehicles on the old bridge creates a
rather chaotic scene for border officials," said a man in Tachilek.
The new bridge will only be used for motored vehicles, while the current
bridge will deal with foot traffic. The bridge is projected to be
finished in two years.
The source added that the decision was also based on a recent incident
involving a group of high-ranking Thai officials who entered Burma
unnoticed and who were eventually kidnapped by soldiers from the United
Wa State Army (UWSA). The UWSA is an armed guerilla group that is widely
believed to be the number-one producer of both methamphetamines and
heroin in Burma.
"Rangoon does not want to face another problem like this in the future,"
said an intelligence source in Tachilek. The Thai officials were
released unharmed after a delegation of Burmese officials brokered their
release.
The border crossing was closed for almost five months this year after a
series of border clashes between the two countries. The border crossing
reopened in July.
"Business is only back to about half of what it was before the closure,"
said a businessman in Tachilek. The Burmese government is still
prohibiting the import of certain Thai products such as MSG and some
energy drinks."
Last Sunday, Burma?s Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and Thai Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai inspected the new bridge site.
________________________DRUGS______________________
AP: Source: Burma to Top Heroin Producers
Friday October 12 12:20 PM ET
LONDON (AP) - Burma could become the world's biggest supplier of heroin
if Afghan growers adhere to the Taliban's ban on opium poppy
cultivation, a U.N. researcher said Friday.
Dr. Sandeep Chawla, chief of research for the U.N. drug control program,
said last year's ban by Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s hard-line
Taliban rulers was highly effective.
``Afghanistan has gone from producing 70 percent of the world's opium to
less than 10 percent,'' Chawla told a London conference organized by the
British charity Drug Scope.
During the 1990s, Afghanistan produced between 3,000 and 4,000 tons of
opium per year, followed by Burma, which produced 1,000 tons a year, and
Laos and Colombia, which produced 100 tons a year, Chawla said.
At poppy harvest time last year, Afghanistan had 200,000 acres under
poppy cultivation, producing 3,276 tons of raw opium. This year, 18,700
acres under cultivation have produced 185 tons of opium.
The price of raw opium in Afghanistan went from $20 a kilo last year to
more than $200 this year. It was $700 just before the Sept. 11 attacks,
after which it plummeted dramatically on speculation that the Taliban
prohibition on poppy cultivation would not be enforced, Chawla said.
For the first time in 30 years, the price of raw opium in Burma is at
the same level as in Afghanistan, when usually it is up to three times
higher, he said.
Although there was no evidence so far that farmers were returning to
growing opium, Chawla said they might if political instability and
widespread poverty continued.
__________________________________________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: Poppy growers looking forward to bumper
harvest
12 October 2001
No: 10 - 03:
Poppy farmers along the Thai border are predicting a rich yield of opium
this season compared to last year when poor weather ruined countless
fields, according to sources.
Many fields across Maehongson, Chiangmai and Chiangrai are already near
harvest. Farmers said they expected another harvest in December and a
third one in January.
Apart from the weather condition, there were other favorable factors,
they told S.H.A.N..
"For one thing the arrival last year of Wa troops in the areas where the
Shan State Army used to be active against both the Burma Army and drug
operators has turned the scales in the favor of the investors both from
within and without," he said. "The SSA has been less active since."
Anti-narcotics operations of the SSA, led by Col Yawdserk, who is
avowedly against drugs, led to retaliations by the Burma Army that
escalated into military confrontations between Rangoon and Bangkok early
this year.
"The SSA is clearly in a bind," said one border watcher. "It cannot
fight both the Wa and the Burmese at the same time like Khun Sa did
before his surrender in 1996. His military campaigns against the Burmese
in the meanwhile are increasingly frowned upon by Bangkok. And if he
does war with the Wa, he is only helping Rangoon."
The SSA have strongholds opposite Maehongson, Chiangmai and Chiangrai
provinces of Thailand.
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
Bangkok Post: Refugee influx hurts fragile ecosystem
October 14, 2001.
Western forest now `severely degraded'
Kultida Samabuddhi
The refugee influx from Burma has severely degraded Thailand's western
forest complex, one of the most pristine ecosystems in Southeast Asia,
environmentalists said yesterday.
Thirteen refugee camps with around one million displaced people, mostly
ethnic minorities from Burma, have been set up along Thailand's western
border, which was part of the forest, said Ratchada Chaisawadi, of the
Union for Civil Liberty.
``The government's unstable policy on the western border issue and
refugees are causing negative effects on soil, water and biological
resources in the country's largest protected forest area,'' she said.
Rataya Chanthien, of Sueb Nakasathien Foundation, said the camps, packed
with people, had depleted a great deal of natural resources.
Problems relating to refugees and the border were intractable, related
as they were to national security and Thailand's relationship with its
neighbour.
``Even the government is unable to tackle these problems,'' Mrs Rataya
told a forum on the western forest complex, organised by the Thai
Society of Environmental Journalists.
Covering 11.7 million rai, the forest consists of six wildlife
sanctuaries, 10 national parks, and one forest reserve. They include the
natural World Heritage sites Thung Yai and Huay Kha Kaeng wildlife
sanctuaries.
The complex is home to more than 2,500 varieties of plant, 150 types of
animal and 470 bird species.
It is also the last habitat for large and near-extinct animals such as
wild elephants, tigers, gaurs, bantengs, tapirs.
Chatchawal Pisdamkham, head of the Western Forest Complex Ecosystem
Management Programme (Wefcom), said degradation of the forest arose from
misuse of forest land.
People lacked knowledge about forest ecology.
Wefcom is a three-year project, initiated by the Forestry Department
with financial support from the Danish Co-operation for Environmental
Development.
``Some sensitive areas, such as Khao Ban Dai in Huay Kha Kaeng wildlife
sanctuary, must be saved as a strictly natural area, a place free from
human activity, to protect the
fragile ecosystem of fauna and flora,'' he said.
Anak Pattanavibool, Wefcom's wildlife ecologist, said activities
threatening the forest included state development projects such as dams
and roads, depletion of natural resources by minority groups, the camps,
and poaching wild animals.
``There are still poachers in the protected areas. Most of them hunt for
wild elephant tusks,'' he said.
Panelists also expressed concern about mining concessions in the forest,
including two mines at the south of Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife
sanctuary.
Mrs Rataya said mine operators had applied for concessions covering more
than 20,000 rai of land and were waiting for permission from the
Forestry Department.
``The department should not allow mining in the forest and should
immediately annex the area to the proposed Lam Klong Ngu national
park,'' she said.
___________________________________________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: Ex-Shan leader passes away
12 October 2001
No: 10 - 04:
Major Nawmong Awn, 60, from Shan State Peace Council, died at 03:28 on
Monday (8 October), reported a source from Tachilek, opposite Chiangrai.
Nawmong, a native of Langkher, joined the resistance in 1959. He served
as a radio operator and intelligence officer in the Shan State Army. He
also served as Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Front, following
the assassination of Col Hsengharn, his predecessor, in 1982.
He suffered a massive stroke on 14 May in Lashio and was hospitalized,
said the source.
He funeral was held on Wednesday (10 October) at Khaisim, the SSPC's
headquarters in Hsipaw.
___________________________________________________
The Nation: Illegal labourers' deadline extended
October 14, 2001.
Published on Oct 14, 2001
Up to 670,000 illegal foreign workers in the country were expected to
register with the government after yesterday's registration deadline was
extended to October 25.
Elawat Chandraprasert, permanent secretary for labour, said the
registration of illegal workers in the South already reached nearly
100,000, making it the country's largest home for these workers.
The latest figures show that 427,072 workers had registered with the
government since September 24.
According to Elawat, the final tally could reach 670,000 against the
government's target of 500,000.
Registration fees cost Bt4,450 each person per year. Of this amount, the
first Bt3,250 is collected first and was good for the first six months
of the registration. Another Bt1,200 will have to be paid later to cover
the remaining six months.
Elawat said many business operators had applied to register their
foreign workers but could not complete the registration process by the
original October 13 deadline. So the government has decided to postpone
the deadline to October 25.
Besides these operators, the extended deadline was also expected to
cover those who had not started the registration process. The latter
group will have to provide acceptable reasons to officials in order to
qualify.
The breakdown of such workers regionally were as follows: a total of 97,
182 workers in the South had registered; followed by 91,969 in the
Central region; 83,524 in Bangkok; 64,693 in the North; 46,706 in the
East; 33,480 in the West; and 9,518 in the Northeast.
Workers of Burmese nationality topped the list, followed by those from
Laos and Cambodia.
___________EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA__________
The New light of Myanmar (SPDC): Use edible oil and money sparingly
[BurmaNet adds--This editorial, calling on Burmese to use less cooking
oil is an indication of economic desperation and in particular, of a
shortage of hard currency. Much of Burma's cooking oil is imported.
The New Light assures the reader that economic conditions are not
desperate and that Burmese people earn enough money to purchase a basic
commodity like cooking oil but in blaming the Burmese people for their
spendthrift ways ("our Myanmar people tend to spend as much as they
have" the regime indirectly acknowledges that the real shortage is
money, not oil.
[Abridged]
Saturday, 13 October, 2001
Ours is the most edible oil consuming nation. Myanmar people like edible
oil very much. An old man living in our rural community cannot help
sprinkling edible oil on cooked rice and eating it, however good curries
are. Even there is a pork curry, he sprinkles edible oil on cooked rice.
Now we should eat less edible oil for the sake of our health. The
economic condition of Myanmar is good. Things have come to such a pass
that everybody can earn as much as they can work. Their daily income is
substantial. Individual income is not meagre, either. In our Myanmar,
there are a good deal of job opportunities. There is not any form of
restrictions. So the economic condition is favourable.
However, our Myanmar people tend to spend as much as they have. I happen
to find the method of spending less money on food in order to save
money. In our Myanmar, goods are not scarce. One can buy whatever one
wants. The State has employed every way and mean to stimulate economic
growth. It has taken every measure to raise the social status of the
people as well. Our housewives are required to reduce expenditure in
view of individual income and the size of family. Therefore, our
housewives should discard the previous extravagant life style, spend
money prudently in consideration of commodity prices and not squander
money on unnecessary matters.
Our staple food is rice. We eat rice as soon as morning comes. We cannot
reduce the amount of rice we eat daily. If, for instance, a one-Pyi
container of rice has to be cooked for a household, that amount of rice
cannot be reduced. For those who consume rice as their staple food, rice
is essential.
As we are satisfied only after eating our fill of rice, we eat rice to
our heartsÕ content. Therefore, we cannot reduce the amount of rice we
eat. However, it is possible to reduce the amount of edible oil we use.
There are cookery methods, according to which less edible oil is used.
There are also methods in which no edible oil is used at all. There are
other methods in which the cooking can be done by reducing the amount of
edible oil. Some housewives are systematic in doing the cooking. The
methods of using edible oil are different according to individual
persons concerned. If what should be reduced is reduced, one can feel
relief and will not have any stress. So I would like to give some good
methods of doing the cooking with the use of less edible oil. I happen
to think of how to cook curries with no edible oil at all, how to cook
curries with edible oil and how to cook curries with a moderate amount
of edible oil.
Curries cooked with no edible oil at all is shrimp paste baked and
pounded with dried shrimp and spices, soup, fish sauce, pickled, boiled
or raw vegetables, fish salad, boiled fish with vegetables and pounded
fish. The method of cooking curries with a reduced amount of edible oil
is cooking meat by boiling and frying with a small amount of edible oil
and cooking meat with vegetables. Although these methods require use of
edible oil, the amount is small. The method of cooking curries with the
use of a small amount of edible oil is not cooking many dishes, using
the amount of edible oil according to the dish and eating a side dish
cooked without edible oil together with another main dish cooked with
edible oil.
Here I would like to relate my experience. While I was living in the
army quarters, housewives had to use an edible oil ration. We had to
find out the method of doing the cooking with a small amount of edible
oil. We cooked a pork curry with a little amount of edible oil and mixed
it with gourds, brinjals, carrots, peas, bamboo shoots, roselle,
potatoes, gram and pigeon pea. Some boiled meat without using edible oil
and fried it with a little amount of edible oil. Some ate meat cooked
with thin gravy.
These are cookery methods which can save money and provide nourishment.
A systematic plan has to be made to strike a balance between income and
expenditure. In order to save money, we should eat with the use of what
we have. If everyone is not indulged in extravagance and practises
thrifty, it can save expenditure and the economic condition of everybody
and every household will improve. Our housewives have to reduce the use
of edible oil so that there may not be unnecessary use of money for the
kitchen. I would like all the housewives to know the cookery methods
which involves use of only a small amount of edible oil and money. I
have a large family. There are many relatives also. Guests can always be
seen at my house.
Therefore, I have to exercise prudence in balancing expenditure against
income. For example, if I am going to spend K 100 doing the shopping, I
put remaining K 10 or 5 in a box in the kitchen. If there are some
occasions to use money, I can use the money from that box. I don't use
money on extras. If it is necessary to use money, I use only the
necessary amount. The expenditure for the kitchen is large, and the
kitchen is the source of daily expenditure. Therefore, all the family
members need to know it. If they like the same thing, extra money does
not need spending. The habit of eating food which most of the family
members like should be cultivated. Old people say that people do not see
the food one eats, but the clothes one wears. So they do not pay
priority to food. They eat only properly. They wear suitable clothes
which can be put on in all weathers. Therefore, it is the best life
style if one can follow the maxim " You should not discard the old
tradition, nor should you be extravagant."
Author : Mann Khin Khin
______________________OTHER______________________
Committee for Revival of Burmese Literature: Burmese Literature Talk at
New York 2001
Burmese Literature Talk at New York 2001
Dear Friends,
We, Committee for Revival of Burmese Literature, are proud to announce
our second annual Literature Talk event to be held in New York City.
This year we will present one of our favorites U Tin Moe, most
influenced and philosopher-poet of today in Burma, former political
prisoner(1991-1995); Dr. Tin Maung Than, former chief editor of
Thintbawa [Your Life]; U Aung Saw Oo(Pen Name, Mat Myin, Mg Pauk Kyine
and Chan Mhing Aung), editor, former students leader and former
political prisoner(1976-78 and 1982-84); and Ko Aung Din (Pen Name, Dat
Hta), poet and former ABFSU vice chairmen (2), former political
prisoner(1989-1993). They will enlighten how and why Burmese literature
is deteriorating.
Therefore, we warmly would like to welcome you to attend this wonderful
occasion as followings. Please, mark the day on your calendar. Actions,
laughter, and grief are guaranteed. It will be a memorable day in our
history.
Day: Sunday October 14th 2001
Time: 12:00 NOON to 5:00 PM (Literature Talk)
5:00PM to 6:00PM (Questions and Answers)
Place: Sun Yet San
100 Huster Street
New York, NY.10002
Contact: Ko Zaw Win (Founder and In charge of CRBL)
(718) 424-5272
Freeburma2001@xxxxxxxxx
U Kyaw Win(Treasure of CRBL)
(718)651-2687
Ko Moe Chan (Secreaty of CRBL)
(718)335-2240
srfantasy@xxxxxxxxx
Ko Aung Min Tun (Committee Member)
(646)594-3999
________________
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