WILLIAM
BARNES in Bangkok
Ailing former drug warlord Khun Sa will return to his
headquarters on the Thai border to rejuvenate himself, Burma's intelligence
chief General Khin Nyunt has said.
General Khin Nyunt told villagers, militia and soldiers gathered to greet him
on a visit to Homong that the trafficker, said to be bored in Rangoon, will be
allowed to return to his jungle retreat to "revitalise" himself, according to
the Shan Herald Agency for News.
If this is true, the military regime may be trying to distance itself from
Khun Sa for the sake of its tattered international image, said observers.
Khun Sa surrendered to the military in January 1996 after pressure from
Thailand and Burma. He was allowed to "retire" in comfort to a house in Rangoon
and invest his drug profits in businesses such as road transport.
The junta has rebuffed foreign criticism of its allegedly soft treatment of
traffickers by claiming that this is the only way to deal with heavily armed
groups that defend their forbidding territory tenaciously.
It has used a United Nations crop substitution programme and a drop in opium
yields - at least partly caused by dry weather - to claim that its strategy
works.
The Karen Human Rights Group reported in 1998 that after Khun Sa's surrender
new opium fields sprang up around Homong, protected by the Burmese Army. The
report also claimed the Burmese army was heavily involved in the manufacture of
amphetamines along the border.
If Khun Sa returns to Homong it may mean the rumours that he is not only ill
but bored are true.
"Khun Sa's health has been failing. Due to the economic and diplomatic
pressures he is facing, his spirits are also ebbing. We have therefore decided
that he should come and stay some time in Homong to revitalise himself," General
Khin Nyunt said.
Homong hamlet was turned by Khun Sa into a thriving mini-metropolis in the
1980s - fuelled by drug money and his pretensions to be a Shan nationalist.
- Another
74 members of Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army have surrendered to the Government,
state television said.
Bangkok Post - Feb 29, 2000.
Editorial
Burma
stonewalling on fighting drugs
Burma has no media except the media run by the government. The latest outburst from official newspapers on the subject of drugs shows some serious problems at the heart of the Burmese dictatorship. According to Rangoon, the drug epidemic in Thailand and our region is entirely our fault. This is because Thailand-and China and India-allow shipments of precursor drug chemicals to the makers of narcotics makers of Burma.
This lamentable diatribe from Rangoon is three times distressing. First of all, it is ignorant. Thailand is not a source of the ephedrine used to make amphetamine drugs, acetic anhydride to make heroin, or any similar product. These chemicals are, and have been, long banned for general use in Thailand. The import and handling of these chemicals are carefully controlled. It is a shame Rangoon did not know this basic and public practice.
It also is far behind the times. The effort to control international shipments of chemical precursors has been going on for a long time. In the past decade, it has been the subject of numerous international conferences and regulations. Attempts to smuggle chemical precursors into, or through, Thailand have been frequently intercepted. A major diplomatic incident occurred several years ago when the Customs Department seized tons of ephedrine which were illegally shipped through Thailand by North Korea. It is a shame Rangoon is unaware of these basic and public facts.
Second, the Burmese dictatorship displays a remarkable attitude in fixing blame. It is the fault of Thailand, China and India-according to Burma-that chemicals are smuggled into Burma. The logic here is difficult to fathom. Borders have two sides. If illegal materials are smuggled into Burma, are the Burmese border forces not involved? Or is Burma claiming, through its official media, that the drug-making chemicals are perfectly legal in Burma once they have been transported across the border?
Third, and most importantly, the Rangoon authorities again reject the concept of acting together with their neighbours on this serious problem. It is this attitude which often leads Burma's neighbours to criticise the Rangoon dictators. International criminals continue to seek refuge and help inside Burma. Rangoon refuses to co-operate on this cross-border problem.
Burma clearly provides aid and comfort to the international drug traffickers. Rangoon has recently forced 50,000 people out of their homes in the Shan state in order to turn the area over to ethnic Wa. New settlers loyal to the United Wa State Army are taking over the opium fields once tilled by followers of Khun Sa. Already the world's leading amphetamine dealer, the government-backed UWSA is moving to take over the region's entire opium and heroin traffic.
Rangoon has long had the option of helping to fight such international criminals. Instead, it continues to help them, for political and financial reasons. We cannot know the truth of reports that leading Burmese junta members are sharing in drug profits. We know for certain the regime is helping the Wa, Khun Sa and others to make and sell drugs, and to avoid justice.
The Burmese argument that somehow this is all the fault of Thailand, India and China reeks of self-justification. The government mouthpieces speaking for the dictatorship cannot evade their own responsibility so easily. The drug trafficking that threatens the fabric of our nation has a Burma connection. Ending the drug trafficking from Burma is not an easy task. Ending it without Burmese co-operation may be impossible. Burma is inviting severe criticism, or worse, if it continues to co-operate with narcotics peddlers.
Yvonne
Bohwongprasert Underdog Burma surprised top seeds Taiwan and
Japan to clinch the women's team gold on the last day of the 2000 Asian Archery
Circuit at the Hua Mark Archery Stadium. Thailand was soundly beaten by Japan in the quarter-finals by a 198-223
score, even though experienced archers Surang Thaolipoh and Jenjira Kerdprasop
were pretty satisfied with their performance. It was the shaky hands of 17-
year- old Nathida Thongpan which influenced the low score of the Thais, although
she improved in the later stages. The day, however, belonged to Burma's Thi Thi Lwin, Thin Thin Khine and Khin
Than Nwe, who were just too hot to handle for the Japanese trio of Sayami
Matsushita, Murakami Ayumi and Yoko Yamaji, who went down 205-223 to the Burmese
girls in perfect mid-morning weather conditions. To reach their respective finals, Japan beat China 226-233 in the semi-finals
while Burma's very first finals of this event came when they closely beat the
veteran Taiwanese team by 224-223. Japan picked up the team silver, while China
clinched the bronze. Acting national team coach, Dr Myat Thu Ra Soe was very happy with the
performance of his archers: "We are still very new to archery, so this team gold medal makes all of us
very proud. It was about five years ago that we seriously took up the sport. I
attribute this achievement to team unity and hours of practice," said Dr Myat.
The Thai men archers put up a more impressive fight to contend for the men's
team bronze medal against the in-form Bhutan contingent.The local trio of
Parinroj Palasuthorn, Jitti Kaenthonglang and Pipat Talukaew however still could
not match the more focussed Bhutanese men, who targeted four bulls eyes in the
last end round to bag the 238-219 bronze victory. The gold was also hotly contested between Taiwan and China with the Taiwan
team of Chiu Po-Han, Chang Chia-Pin and Wu Tsung-Yi just edging out China
243-241. The Boston Globe PUBLIC
FORUM
This law, which for the moment is unenforceable because of decisions by lower
federal courts, is a bid by the Legislature to use taxpayers' money to punish,
and perhaps overthrow the govenment of Myanmar (formerly called Burma).
The Burma Law is a complete waste of public money, and the same is true for
the ongoing effort to litigate it back to life.
How is the law supposed to work?
Let's say a company you work for, or own stock in, or which has been doing
business in Massachusetts is also exporting a product to the Far East, including
Burma. It could just as easily be importing a product from Burma, or producing
one in that country. If any of these, or a large number of other possible
Burmese connections exist, Massachusetts will impose a 10 percent penalty on
that business whenever it wishes to supply goods or services to the
Commonwealth. For example, if that company submits a bid of $1 million for a
state contract, and the next bid is $95,000 higher, the state will pretend the
second bid is the lowest and spend the extra funds.
Foreign policy decisions are restricted to the federal government for obvious
reasons. More than one foreign policy is no policy at all. In fact, if the
federal government does not have sole authority in this area, there is no reason
to rule out counties, cities, or towns. Miami, as we have seen, has not
hesitated to establish its own approach to relations with Cuba, and New York
City is on the way to having a clearly defined Middle East policy. Closer to
home, it isn't hard to imagine Cambridge jumping into the ring with both feet.
It is undisputed that the government of Myanmar is undemocratic and
repressive. It shares that quality with many other regimes in many parts of the
globe. If this law could pass constitutional muster, Massachusetts might choose
to focus on Burma, while Delaware addresses the obvious problems in China and
Tennessee deals with Syria. While some US companies have publicly stated the
Massachusetts Burma Law has caused them to reconsider doing business in the
country, there is regrettably no evidence of any effect on Burma. It is not only
unconstitutional to fractionalize our approach to foreign govenments; it is a
pretty good way to ensure that we will be unable to exercise influence anywhere.
In the '60s and '70s there was strong movement to restrict investment in
South Africa as a reaction to apartheid. This movement took the form of
selective investment of pension funds and other monies. These restrictions were
defended with an argument that the law should treat states and other governments
like private parties and recognize their rights to act as ''market
participants'' in choosing how and where to do business and invest funds. Even
if it were to be upheld, the problem with the Burma Law is that it is not based
on market rationale. On the contrary, it requires spending funds unnecessarily
and acting against market principles.
The Burma Law's supporters are well motivated, but that doesn't change the
fact that the US Senate does not convene on Beacon Hill. Political pressure to
pursue sanctions against Myanmar should be directed toward our representatives
in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Grainger is president of New England Legal Foundation, which
submitted a brief in opposition to the Burma Law on behalf of Associated
Industries of Massachusetts and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts in
the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
This story ran on page C4 of the Boston Globe on 2/29/2000.
BBC-Tuesday, 29 February,
2000, 13:45 GMT
t the request of
Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly, the US Supreme Court is now
reviewing the state's so-called ''Burma Law.''
The human rights
group Amnesty International has accused the Bangladeshi Government of failing to
fulfil a peace agreement, which ended a guerrilla war in the remote south-east
of the country.
The Chittagong Hill Tract peace accord was signed more
than two years ago, ending decades of guerrilla war against tribal rebels in the
thickly-forested hills.
But Amnesty says the government has still not
done enough to prevent human rights violations by security forces.
And
it says it has failed to settle disputes over land between former rebels and
non-tribal settlers.
Continuing violence
More than 8,000
people died in the conflict in which the Shanti Bahini rebels fought against the
Bangladeshi Government for autonomy for the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which border
India and Burma.
The hills border Burma and
India |
Amnesty is urging the Bangladeshi Government to investigate accusations of killings of civilians and human-rights violations by security forces and militant tribal groups in the tracts.
Land disputes
The human rights group also says that what it calls a culture of violence continues between tribals and settlers who moved in during the insurgency.
The two communities, whose numbers are now roughly equal, are competing for land in one of the world's most densely-populated countries.
Amnesty says the government has failed to honour its commitment to resettle tribal refugees who returned after the peace agreement was signed.
They have also failed to return land taken from tribal people, and to withdraw many of the military camps from the hills.
'Temporary delay'
The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who won a United Nations peace prize for the accord, says the delays in putting it into practice are only temporary.
But it is opposed by opposition parties and by tribal militant groups, who say it favours the mainly Muslim settlers over the predominantly Buddhist and Christian tribals.
Tribal representatives say the government's continued failure to honour its commitments is increasing support for the militants.
The Nation - Feb 29, 2000.
Thailand urged to stay out of Burma summit
BURMESE Foreign Minister Win Aung has written a letter to his Thai counterpart Surin Pitsuwan urging Thailand not to take part in the discussion on Burma in Seoul later this week for the sake of "Asean spirit and solidarity".
The top-level discussion on Burma will be attended by high-powered delegations from the Western countries which spearheaded the current sanctions against the Rangoon junta. At a meeting last year in Britain, Deputy Foreign Minister MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra gave a briefing on the current situation in Burma. Seoul has invited Sukhumbhand to attend as Thailand's representative.
The Burmese request has annoyed top-echelon officials. They view Burma's request as blatant, if not outright, interference in Thailand's internal affairs. If that is the case, which Burma repeatedly reminds everybody of.
Somewhere along the lines, Burma has realised the importance of this meeting, and it wants Thailand out of it. So what is interesting is how Surin will respond to Maung's request. Moreover, Burma is constantly testing Thailand's unity on its policy towards Burma. Last week Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said that Burma had to come to grips with the new reality that Thai-Burmese relations were in civilian hands.
Yet apparently the Burmese junta leaders, who are used to manipulation, are trying to drive a wedge between the top policy-makers in the Foreign Ministry.
One wonders what the junta leaders in Rangoon will accomplish if the Seoul meeting takes place without Thailand? We must wait and see.
The Nation
Security alert in Mae Hong Son
SECURITY was stepped up in the border province of Mae Hong Son yesterday following a warning from the leader of Burmese refugees living in a refugee camp there.
Saowarat Yimrungrung, district chief of Mae Sa Reang, said he was informed by the leader of Ban Tasala-Mae Kongka refugee camp, named Peter, that there is great unrest among the Burmese living there.
Saowarat quoted Peter, 41, as saying that the present situation was uncontrollable and that he could not guarantee that his men would not break the law.
A number of Burmese asylum-seekers and students had slipped out of the camp recently and caused disturbances to Thai villagers along the Burma border.
Saowarat said he did not want to take any chances this time and had requested security reinforcement for the camp and public offices in the district.
He added that security officials were preparing to search the camp for smuggled arms and other prohibited items.
Earlier, he said, a group of Burmese students had been arrested near the camp for possession of explosive substances, suspected to be for use in acts of sabotage.
Ban Tasala-Mae Kongka refugee camp is a home to more than 10,000 Karens seeking refuge from bloody fighting inside Burma.
Saowarat said the refugees had caused a lot of problems for Thailand and Thai people, and should be sent back home as soon as the fighting in Burma ended. Their repatriation would also help reduce the destruction of the Salaween forest, he said.
"We have already informed international non-governmental organisations supporting the Burmese asylum-seekers and students about the problems. We will give these people a chance to return to the camp, but if they remain recalcitrant, the authorities will not hesitate to take firm measures," Saowarat said.
The Nation
The Nation, 29 Feb 2000
Joint action on malaria, Aids
RANGOON - Top
Thai and Burmese officials yesterday joined hands to curb the sharp increase
cases of malaria and Aids in the Thai border provinces.
Health Minister
Korn Dabaransi led health officials to meet Military Intelligence chief Gen Khin
Nyunt, who also chairs Burma's national health council, to discuss the
problem.
After the meeting, the two countries decided to establish a
joint health committee that will meet in Chiang Mai in June to discuss the
spread of malaria and Aids on the Thai-Burmese border.
Korn also visited
Burma's Health Ministry to grant Bt5 million worth of medical supplies and said
that Thailand would also provide training to Burmese health
personnel.
The minister said Thailand had reported an over-80-per-cent
increase in malaria and Aids infections in the northern border provinces last
year, especially in Chiang Rai.
Thailand spent over Bt160 million last
year on the treatment of patients suffering from these two diseases, most of
whom were Burmese.
Korn and Gen Nyunt reportedly did not discuss the
problem of illegal Burmese workers in Thailand, which is believed to have led to
the spread of the diseases.
The Nation
Bangkok Post 29 Feb
2000
MILITARY
Explosion
theory ruled out
The army chief yesterday rejected a
witness account of the helicopter crash in Kanchanaburi last week, saying
preliminary findings ruled out mid-air explosions.
Gen Surayud Chulanont
said the wreckage is being examined by the army's crash investigation team which
has so far found nothing suspicious.
Earlier a witness claimed he heard
explosions before the Bell 212 carrying Maj-Gen Sanchai Ratchatawan, the
commander of the 9th Infantry Division and
10 other officers, went
down.
Officials from the helicopter manufacturer will be invited to join
the investigation before the crash probe results are released within a week or
two.
A meeting of senior army officers yesterday acknowledged a report
that under a life insurance policy taken out with the Thai Life Insurance, the
nine
commissioned officers killed in the crash were entitled to 200,000 baht
each and the two non-commissioned officers 160,000 baht each.
Gen Surayud
presided over a ceremony to present the insurance money to their relatives
yesterday at Wat Somnatvoraviharn, where they will be cremated on
March
5.
- Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart cancelled a helicopter trip
to Saraburi at the last minute yesterday and travelled, with a party of
senior
ministry officials, by car instead.
Maj-Gen Sanan said the
change of plan was due to bad weather.
The helicopter prepared for the
trip was of the same type that crashed in Kanchanaburi on Friday.
Despite
some delay, Maj-Gen Sanan arrived in Saraburi amid criticisms his official trip
was arranged to benefit a former aide who is standing for the
senate.