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Bangkok Post - Feb 22,
2000.
HEALTH Malaria hits border unitsWassana Nanuam
Malaria and meningitis are posing a serious
threat to Thai soldiers posted in border areas, particularly along the
Thai-Burmese border. Maj-Gen Bunlert Chantharapas, director of the Medical Department's Phra
Mongkut Hospital, yesterday said the resurgence of malaria and meningitis had
become quite serious and threatened the health of soldiers stationed in border
areas. Many of them have already died from malaria and many are still bed-ridden
from the disease. The Medical Department has tried in vain to control its spread, he said. Maj-Gen Bunlert admitted it was an uphill task to fight malaria and other
contagious diseases on the border as they were brought into the country by
refugees from neigbouring countries. To prevent the spread of malaria, the army has distributed doxycycline to
soldiers in border areas. Sources said five soldiers at the border in Kanchanaburi had died of
meningitis. Malaria along the Thai-Lao border in Amnat Charoen has claimed two
lives, with hundreds hospitalised. Bangkok Post Feb 22, 2000. Postbag
I want to applaud U Win Naing's position (Feb 16) that we need to take a new
stand against the military junta in Burma. I also agree with him that violence
and extremism are not the Burmese way. But I do not know how U Win Naing views the history of Burma under the army's
despotic rule. I am not clear on this point. How can we ignore the military's claim to the key positions of power in the
new constitution being drafted by the so-called national convention? It is very
clear that the present leadership considers political power "omnipotent" and
that it should be reserved only for the generals according to a bureaucratic
hierarchy based mainly on the notion of fealty and absolute loyalty to the
supreme warlord Ne Win. How can we accept in the 21st century the "supremacy of specialised
warriors", as it is called by French historian Marc Bloch in his book Feudal
Society. I am also disgusted by U Win Naing's comment that young Burmese are afraid of
going to jail now. Thousands of students and young pro-democracy dissidents have
served solitary confinement in prison for a second and third time without caring
what they suffer. Some have died bravely there, having been subjected to
unspeakable torture and deprivation of the most basic nutrition and medical
care. Has U Win Naing never heard about them? He needs to learn more about the junta and the attitudes of the people in
Burma before commenting further. Aye Chan Asia internal refugees in the
spotlight
A SENIOR UN official for internally displaced persons will attend a three-day
regional conference on internal displacement in Asia opening today in Bangkok.
The conference will look for more effective solutions to problems of
displaced persons in Asia. Millions of people have been forcibly displaced
internally by armed conflicts, ethnic strife, violations of human rights,
natural and man-made disasters and development projects.
Unlike refugees who have an established system of international protection
and assistance upon which to reply, the internally displaced often find
themselves with no one to turn to, although they are in equally desperate state,
it added.
International experts, representatives of national human rights commissions,
non-governmental organisations, and regional and international organisations are
to attend the conference. Sixteen countries were invited to send
representatives.
Chuchai Kasemsarn, the Foreign Ministry's deputy permanent secretary, will
give an opening statement while Francis Deng, the UN secretary-general's
representative on internally displaced persons, and other key representatives
will deliver introductory statements on the subject.
The conference is hosted by Chulalongkorn University and Forum Asia, and
sponsored by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Brookings Institution
Project on Internal Displacement, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the US
Committee for Refugees.
According to informed sources, the organisers have failed to convince the
Thai government to allow the attendance by Burmese representatives who work with
Burmese refugees and internally displaced persons.
Thailand is currently housing about 100,000 refugees from Burma, and an
estimated half a million Burmese are migrant workers in the Kingdom.
According to private relief agencies and Burma's armed ethnic groups, some
500,000 people along the Thai-Burma border have been displaced by the Burmese
junta during the past several years.
According to the United Nations, about 20 million to 25 million people are
internally displaced worldwide.
The Nation The Strait Times KL may invest in Myanmar
Malaysia says politics is not its concern, adding that
Yangon has its own way to solve its internal situation
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia said yesterday it might develop a huge oil-palm
plantation in Myanmar and was looking at other investments, adding that politics
in the military-ruled state was not its concern.
Western nations have shunned Myanmar because of its human-rights record.
Local rights group Voice of Malaysia Peoples (Suaram) described Malaysia as
the junta's strongest regional supporter and said it was making a "huge mistake"
in not linking human rights to investment.
But Foreign Minister Datuk Syed Hamid Albar, who returned on Thursday from a
visit, said he held "productive talks" with Myanmar's military rulers on ways to
step up investment.
He said Myanmar favoured Malaysian investments due to the close ties between
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the military rulers.
Asked whether he had urged the junta to open talks with opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, Datuk Syed Hamid replied "that is not our responsibility, our
relations are with the government of the day". The minister described Myanmar as
"stable and peaceful" and said the government had its own way to solve its
internal situation.
"The political system that they have is for them to determine. It is not only
that Myanmar must understand us but we must also understand Myanmar," he added.
He also said Myanmar's admission to Asean had brought positive results.
Ms Elizabeth Wong, coordinator for Suaram, said Malaysia was making a "huge
mistake" drawing a line between human rights and economic interests. She urged
Malaysia and other Asean countries to initiate dialogue with the National League
for Democracy headed by Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, "hand in hand with any business
dealings with the junta".
Datuk Syed Hamid said Myanmar had offered Malaysia 40,000 ha to develop an
oil-palm plantation. -- AFP |