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WIRE:04/19/2000 09:47:00 ET
UPDATE 2-Britain rules out softer stand against Myanmar BANGKOK, April 19 (Reuters) - Britain on Wednesday ruled
out any softening of its tough stand on military-ruled Myanmar,
saying it would continue to shun economic ties and discourage tourism
until the country made democratic reforms.
"We have adopted a very clear position of expressing our concerns about Burma (Myanmar). We have stood by those concerns," British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told a news conference in the Thai capital after talks with Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan. "We'll continue to press them until we secure
reforms."
"We do not provide any support for industrial,
commercial links with Myanmar...We also discourage tourism with
Myanmar under the present circumstances," Cook said.
Cook said Britain would like a commercial relationship
with Yangon but said it needed "to have the confidence we are
dealing with a government that speaks for the people of Myanmar."
Britain has played a leading role in the
international community trying to pressure its former colony, previously
known as Burma, to introduce democracy and improve its human rights.
Thailand and its neighbours have pursued the
alternative policy of "constructive engagement" with Myanmar in the
hope of encouraging reform.
Disagreement over how to handle Myanmar has damaged
ties between the European Union and the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which both Myanmar and Thailand are
members.
BRITAIN, THAILAND DIFFER ON MYANMAR
Surin said that while Britain and others had
legitimate concerns, Thailand, which shares a 2,400-km (1,500-mile)
border with Myanmar, would seek cooperation with its government.
"We have to find a way to work together, to cooperate
with our neighbour to the west in order to give peace and stability,
along the border for our two peoples," Surin said.
In a response to recent British criticism, a spokesman
for Myanmar's military government accused Britain of "a
double-standard ethical foreign policy," saying Myanmar had been a victim
of Britain's colonial policy of "divide and rule."
"Historical facts have clearly revealed that Britain is
the key player in incessantly creating narcotics problems in our
region as well as ethnic armed insurgencies," the spokesman said in a
statement faxed to Reuters. He gave no further details.
But Cook said Britain had lead the fight against the
drugs trade and was concerned about Myanmar "precisely because it
has connived in the growth of the heroin trade and amphetamines."
He also rejected charges of double standards over its
tough treatment of Myanmar and softer approach to reported human
rights violations by major powers like China and Russia.
"There is no double standard. We make it quite clear
we want to see democracy. We want to see human rights preserved
everywhere and we will pursue that dialogue wherever we can," Cook told
Reuters.
EU foreign ministers last week agreed to tighten
sanctions against Myanmar but also held out an olive branch by agreeing
to send an EU delegation to the country to try to improve
relations.
Cook said he welcomed the tougher sanctions while Surin
said he welcomed moves to resume cooperation between ASEAN and the
EU.
Myanmar's military has ruled the country since
overthrowing its last democratic government in 1962 and has ignored
all pressure and appeals to open dialogue with opposition leader and
Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
WIRE:04/19/2000 02:09:00 ET
Australia govt accused of abusing budget for votes CANBERRA, April 19 (Reuters) - Australia's conservative government
was accused on Wednesday of trying to manipulate the 2000/2001 budget at
the risk of good economic management to win votes ahead of next year's
election.
Political wrangling over the May 9 budget got into full swing with the opposition Labor party saying a leaked budget briefing revealed plans to cut foreign aid to a new low against GDP -- while relations were stepped up with Myanmar's military regime. Labor leader Kim Beazley also accused the Liberal/National Party
coalition government of jeopardising a budget surplus with a rash of
domestic spending commitments over the past two weeks totalling A$1.6
billion (US$944 million).
"The leaked briefing paper reveals another miserly performance from a
government which slashed Australia's overseas development assistance in
its first two budgets and now appears content to allow our foreign aid to
slide to a further historic low," Labor's foreign affairs spokesman Laurie
Brereton said.
He said the leaked paper showed the government intended to spend
A$1.6 billion on overseas development assistance in the 2000/2001 budget,
which was 0.25 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compared to 0.28
percent in 1999/2000.
Brereton expressed strong reservations about government plans to step
up its engagement with Myanmar with the budget to fund a human rights
training course for Myanmar government officials.
"This initiative marks the resumption of government-to-government aid
to Burma and as such represents a significant new development in
Australian government policy," Brereton said.
"Time will tell whether the Howard government's engagement with the
Burmese military regime will have any practical effect on the appalling
human rights situation in Burma. At the outset, one can only have strong
reservations about this scheme."
STRUGGLE TO DELIVER SURPLUS
Beazley has already embarked on a campaign to muddy Prime Minister
John Howard's 2000/2001 budget with the government struggling to deliver a
surplus in the face of a predicted downturn in growth and new spending
demands.
The government is forecasting a cash surplus of A$3.4 billion in
fiscal 1999/2000 on growth of 3.5 percent.
For next year the government has projected a surplus of A$500 million
based on GDP growth of 3.75 percent -- reflecting the net cost of $5.6
billion in tax cuts and compensation to sweeten its tax reform
package.
Treasurer Peter Costello has warned his cabinet colleagues a strong
budget surplus is needed to reassure financial markets, which have already
marked down the Aussie by more than 10 percent against the U.S. dollar
from its January high.
Costello has signalled there was no room for an expansionary budget
because of a range of tax cuts coming into effect on July 1 as part of a
wider taxation reform that amounted to a net fiscal stimulus of A$5
billion.
Beazley said recent spending plans -- including a A$240 million
families package unveiled on Sunday and commitments on petrol, contractors
and public hospitals -- made a mockery of the government's boast of
responsible economic management.
He said these plans would force a future Labor government to delay
plans to roll back the 10 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) being
introduced on July 1 as part of the tax reform.
"Every day we sit down and look at this GST another anomaly drops out
of the hedge and bites you on the ankle," Beazley said.
Costello said Beazley was "walking both sides of the street" by
complaining about the government's savings measures while also complaining
that the government showed the fiscal responsibility of a "drunken
sailor."
Wednesday, April 19 2:45 PM SGT
British FM meets Thai PM on Myanmar refugeesBANGKOK, April 19 (AFP) -British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook met Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai Wednesday, and acknowledged the strain placed on Thailand's resources by 100,000 refugees from Myanmar, officials here said. Cook, who is spending two days here, is due to highlight the plight of people who have fled Thailand's military-ruled neighbour during a visit to a refugee camp on Thursday. "The United Kingdom understands Thailand's problem involving refugees," a Thai government statement quoted Cook as saying in the talks. Chuan told Cook that Thailand bore the responsibility of hosting the refugees with pride, and was only one of several countries in the region with such a problem, the statement said. The two men also discussed Thailand's emergence from the crisis which engulfed its economy in 1997 and Cook praised the government's efforts to reform the financial infrastructure, the statement said. British officials said here before Cook's arrival from India late Tuesday that his visit would include a vigorous discussion on Myanmar, which Britain ruled as colonial Burma until 1948. Britain is one of the military regime's strongest critics and has been a staunch supporter of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose British husband died last year. Myanmar frequently accuses the British government of interfering in its affairs and brands accusations that it is guilty of gross human rights abuses as post-colonial meddling. Myanmar's status as one of the world's top producers of illegal drugs is a constant irritant to Thailand, and one of many problems best tackled by a transition to democracy in Yangon, a British embassy spokesman said. Thailand is home to more than 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who have fled either persecution by the military government or fighting between junta troops and insurgent groups. Myanmar's poisoned political climate is a constant headache for the government of democratic Thailand and conflict often spills over its borders. In January, 10 ethnic Karen rebels were shot dead after seizing a hospital and hundreds of hostages in western Ratchaburi province. The incident followed an earlier siege last year by rebels at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok which ended peacefully. Cook was due to hold a press conference later Wednesday, before leaving Thailand for Nepal on the last leg of his Asian tour on Thursday. Tuesday, April 18 5:47 PM SGT British FM to tackle Myanmar issues in Thai visitBANGKOK, April 18 (AFP) - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook arrives in Thailand Tuesday on a visit sure to highlight London's hawkish attitude towards the military government in neighbouring Myanmar. Cook, who is expected to land in Bangkok late Tuesday evening after visiting India, will meet Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan on Wednesday. British officials here said a vigorous discussion is likely on Myanmar, which Britain ruled as colonial Burma until 1948. "We can expect a good exchange of views on Burma, a comparison of interests (highlighting) the fact that Burma is a phenomenal burden on Thailand," said a British embassy spokesman. Myanmar's status as one of the world's top producers of illegal drugs is a constant irritant to Thailand, and one of many problems best tackled by a transition to democracy in Yangon, the spokesman said. Cook will refer to both Thailand's "burden" and the plight of pro-democracy activists and refugees when he visits a transit camp in western Thailand on Thursday. Thailand is home to more than 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who have fled either persecution by the military government or fighting between junta troops and insurgent groups. Britain is one of the military regime's strongest critics and has been a staunch supporter of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose British husband died last year. Britain and -- to Yangon's fury -- Thailand, a fellow member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, sent representatives to an international conference on promoting political reform in Myanmar held in South Korea last month. Sources and reports have indicated the talks in a Seoul hotel were aimed at kickstarting a long-frozen dialogue between Yangon's miltary rulers and the democratic opposition of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar frequently accuses the London government of interfering in its affairs and brands accusations that it is guilty of gross human rights abuses as post-colonial meddling. Myanmar's poisoned political climate is a constant headache for the government of democratic Thailand and conflict often spills over its borders. In January, 10 ethnic Karen rebels were shot dead after seizing a hospital and hundreds of hostages in western Ratchaburi province. The incident followed an earlier siege last year by rebels at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok which ended peacefully. Cook is also expected to praise Thailand's efforts to overhaul its economy following the financial crisis which erupted in 1997. And pushing the role of British companies in the recovery, he will tour a new branch of the British supermarket chain Tesco's. Cook is due to leave Thailand for Nepal on the last leg of his Asian tour on Thursday. Business Recorder
Myanmar opposition denies sabotage attempt BANGKOK (April 19) : An opposition group pressing for democracy in Myanmar denied on Tuesday it had sent saboteurs into the country to plant explosives. Myanmar's military government said on Monday it had arrested three "saboteurs" sent by a group known as People's Power 21st Century (PP-21) to blow up parts of the capital Yangon and incite riots. The group rejected the accusation. The group said in a statement it was a non-violent organisation working for human rights and civil government and supported the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. "At no time did PP-21 send people inside Burma (Myanmar) with explosives," it said. "This is not the first time the Burmese junta has made unfounded accusations concerning pro-democracy groups and the use of violence. Similar groundless allegations were made in 1998. "PP-21 believes that the recent allegations were made to damage the organisation's reputation in the international community, and to divert attention from soaring prices inside Burma," it said. Myanmar's government-controlled newspapers reported on Monday that Soe Thi Ha, 29, Aung Hlaing Win, 25, and Naing Lin Aung, 30, had been arrested along the Myanmar-Thai border between April 1 and 11. They quoted military sources as saying the three "demolitionists" planned to blow up unidentified sites in Yangon during the Maha Thingyan Water Festival during April 13-15. The government said those arrested were members of various opposition groups, including the NLD, the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) and PP-21. The NLD and ABSDF both denied those arrested had any connection with their organisations. "The accusation is groundless and I think those victims who are being detained by the military government are scapegoats of dictatorship propaganda," Thien Oo, a member of an NLD "government in exile" told Reuters by telephone from the Myanmar-Thai border.--Reuters Bangkok Post - April 19, 2000.Inbrief
Border watch
The army chief has instructed the
Surasi task force to focus on fighting drugs along the western border where
tension has eased with the rout of God's Army. Gen Surayud Chulanont was quoted as saying more drug traffickers would switch
to smuggling routes along the western border to evade the Pha Muang task force
in the North. More methamphetamine factories could be set up along the western border, Gen
Surayud said. Up to 600 million speed pills are expected to be produced and
smuggled into Thailand this year. Mae Hong Son-A man was arrested
after military volunteers found 221 Karen rebel uniforms and a shotgun in his
pickup truck in Mae Sariang district yesterday. Following the arrest of Chamnian Nakkasem, 38, two Karen National Union
officers asked Saowarat Yimrungruang, the district chief, for the return of the
uniforms but were told to leave Mae Sariang in 24 hours or face arrest. Since then, officers posted at checkpoints throughout the district have been
placed on 24-hour alert on the orders of the district chief. Mae Hong Son-About 130 Karenni
crossed into Thailand yesterday and said they were fleeing fighting between
Burmese forces and ethnic rebels. Local officials said they were unaware of any fighting in areas of Burma
opposite Mae Hong Son but allowed the Karenni in and confiscated assault rifles
some of the men in the group had brought. An intelligence officer said there was suspicion that the Karenni might have
been planning to set up a rear base on Thai soil to conduct their armed struggle
against the junta.-AP Transport and Communications Minister Suthep Thaugsuban would today join
ministers of the other three countries in the Burmese town of Tachilek, to seal
the commercial navigation pact. Common navigation rules are expected to be concluded within six months and
the agreement will come into effect in one year, the ministry said. The deal will clear the way for ships to freely navigate on the upper Mekong
region from Simao in southern China to Chiang Rai and Luang Prabang in Laos, it
said. The ministry expects the agreement to stimulate trade, investment, contacts
and tourism in the region. The Harbour Department would map out plans to build ports in the northern
districts of Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong. The government has set aside a
260-million baht-budget for the project, which will add to Thailand's 14 other
ports along the Mekong. Vessels from the four countries will enjoy faster customs procedures and
equal access to ports and warehouses, the ministry said. Chiang Rai Governor Samrerng Poonyopakorn said a 70-million-baht pier would
be built in Chiang Saen district and would be completed next year, he said. The
governor said local residents welcomed the agreement as it would boost year-long
trade. In the past, receding water during summer had forced ships to stop. The
new agreement would enable ships to pass through all year long. The Nation - April 19, 2000.
Mekong River pact to be signed today
FOUR Mekong riparian states will today sign an historic pact to open a
navigation route along the upper reaches of the 4,200kmlong Mekong River.
The agreement marks an end to decades of political and geographic barriers
that have prevented crossborder navigation along that section of the river.
The pact will be signed today in the Burmese border town of Tachilek,
opposite Thailand’s Chiang Rai province, by transport ministers from China,
Burma, Thailand and Laos.
It will take effect one year from today.
A fourparty committee will meet afterwards in China to draft common
navigation rules.
Dubbed the “Agreement on commercial navigation along the upper reach of the
Mekong River”, it will allow commercial navigation covering 786km from Simao in
China’s Yunnan Province, to Luang Prabang in northern Laos.
Fourteen ports – China’s Simao, Jinghong, Menghan and Guanlei; Laos’ Ban Sai,
Xiengkok, Muangmom, Ban Khouane, Houaysai and Luang Prabang; Burma’s Wang Seng
and Wan Pong and; Thailand’s Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong – have been designated
as official ports able to handle goods and passengers.
As part of the agreement, the parties concerned will not collect transit fees
from vessels authorised to operate along the route, and use will begin without
any alteration to the river’s condition.
Kobsak Chutikul, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s economic affairs
department, said the agreement was the first concrete economic framework signed
under the 10yearold economic quadrilateral cooperation agreement.
The agreement covers areas of northern Thailand, northern Laos, northeast
Burma and China’s southern province of Yunnan.
The new transport route is expected to increase the flow of goods and people
and promote tourism in the region, where land transport is still limited by
inept infrastructure.
The official said benefitsharing from the project might not be equal among
the four participants, but this would be offset by several other projects in the
pipeline, to be made under the quadrangular cooperation.
China stands to gain most from the river route’s potential as it will open up
landlocked Yunnan to its southern neighbours.
Thailand and Laos will benefit from an anticipated tourist boom expected from
the opening of this largely untapped river attraction.
The navigation pact only won final approval at a meeting in Rangoon in March,
after being stalled for almost six years because of differences over navigation
safety, immigration, water levels and the environmental impact
Laos initially feared that the agreement would lead to physical adjustments
to the river to facilitate navigation which could impact the river’s flows.
Another hitch was a dispute about the river’s name.
Beijing negotiated successfully to call its section of the river – which
flows from Tibet through Yunnan – MekongLancangJing.
Rangoon has not been cooperative during negotiations because of the small
gains expected for the country from its participation.
The Burmese junta has been preoccupied with security risks in its narcotic
and insurgencyplagued area, the eastern Shan State, through which the river
passes.
BY KULACHADA CHAIPIPAT
The Nation Suharto's Son
Questioned JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — One of
former dictator Suharto's sons was questioned at the attorney general's office
Wednesday as part of an investigation of his father's involvement in a
corruption scandal. After six hours of questioning, Bambang Trihatmodjo emerged to say that he
was asked about his role as treasurer of a charitable foundation embroiled in
the scandal. He refused to comment on any connection his father might have to the case.
Suharto has officially been named a suspect in the investigation. He, like many
Indonesians, uses only one name. Bambang was issued a summons last week to appear before prosecutors to answer
questions about the misuse of millions of dollars channeled through several
foundations controlled by Suharto's super-rich family. On Tuesday, Bambang's sister Siti Hardijanti Rukmana was questioned for five
hours. Rukmana also was treasurer of one of the foundations. Suharto, 78, has denied any wrongdoing. But he has evaded extensive
questioning, claiming he is too ill. Last week, prosecutors banned Suharto from traveling overseas for one year
and ordered him not to leave Jakarta. Bambang said his father, who is a virtual recluse in his Jakarta home, had
not yet been told of the travel ban. Wednesday, April 19 1:37 PM SGT BANGKOK (AP)--British Foreign
Secretary Robin Cook met Wednesday with Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, kicking
off a visit that is expected to focus attention on neighboring Myanmar, which is
under military rule. Cook, who arrived from India on Tuesday night, will highlight a variety of
issues during his visit, including trade and investment, children's rights and
refugees.
In his 30-minute courtesy call on Chuan, Cook called for stronger economic
ties between Britain and Thailand, said Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan,
who was present.
Cook stressed relations within the context of the Asia-Europe Meeting, or
ASEM, which is a biennial meeting of the 15 European Union members and 10 Asian
countries, said Surin.
Cook also offered to share his country's expertise on privatization, if
Thailand sought its advice as it tries to privatize its own state enterprises,
said Surin.
Cook also praised Thailand's participation in the U.N. peacekeeping operation
in East Timor, Surin said.
The Thai prime minister thanked the British government for providing
scholarships and financial aid for students from Thailand during the country's
recent economic crisis.
Cook and Surin met later to discuss the situation in Myanmar, also known as
Burma. Britain, like many Western countries, strongly criticizes the military
regime in Myanmar for human rights violations and failure to turn over power to
a democratically-elected government.
Thailand espouses a "constructive engagement" policy of avoiding public
criticism of Myanmar's political system, but is concerned about the many
refugees it receives from the country as well as the large amount of illegal
drugs that it alleges originate there.
Surin said that Cook's plan to visit a camp for displaced people from Myanmar
"has shown his concern about human rights violations inside Myanmar."
"He will see what the British government can do to help," said Surin.
Cook will tour a border camp for refugees from Myanmar on Thursday before
departing for
Nepal |