Cook seeks action on Burma
Achara Ashayagachat
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, left, calls on Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai at Government House yesterday. Mr Cook is here for a
three-day visit. - SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL
Looking forward to Asean-EU dialogue
Britain is concerned at developments in Burma and looks
forward to ministerial talks between Asean and the European Union later this
year, visiting Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said yesterday.
Mr Cook said the British concern about Burma was expressed at the EU meeting in Luxembourg last week which adopted a package of measures that enables Asean and the EU to resume high-level dialogue.
The EU foreign ministers decided to continue sanctions against Burma for another six months, but also announced plans to send a troika to Rangoon, and proposed a ministerial meeting with Asean.
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, who had extensive discussions with Mr Cook, said Thailand, as chairman of Asean, welcomed the EU's decision to remove obstacles to the dialogue, disrupted since March 1998. The EU had strongly opposed Asean's admission of Burma in July 1997.
Officials affirmed that the ministerial meeting would take place during France's chairmanship of the EU presidency in the second half of this year.
Portuguese Ambassador Tadeu de Costa Sousa Soares yesterday held discussions with Pradap Pibulsonggram, head of the Asean Department, on preparations for the senior officials' meeting that Lisbon will host before its presidency of the EU ends in June.
Mr Surin noted some "positive developments" in Burma even though they might not satisfy every party.
In separate talks with Mr Surin and Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, Mr Cook said Britain appreciated Thailand's difficulties with 100,000 Burmese refugees on the border. Mr Cook will visit a holding centre at Ban Tham Hin in Ratchaburi province today.
With the prime minister, Mr Cook welcomed the beginning of Thailand's economic recovery and praised the government's efforts towards economic and political reforms, in particular advances in the democratic system, a Government House spokesman said.
Mr Cook, accompanied by businessmen, also took part in the opening of a major British supermarket chain branch yesterday afternoon.
BBC-Thursday, 20 April, 2000, 11:32 GMT 12:32 UK
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Australia plan to fund Myanmar training under fire
The Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA) expressed scepticism about the benefits of such a course unless Rangoon made a basic commitment to upholding human rights.
Cook Visits Myanmar Refugee Camp
By THAKINA KHAIKAEW, Associated Press Writer
THAM HIN TEMPORARY SHELTER, Thailand (AP) - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook visited a camp for refugees from Myanmar today and left buoyed in the belief that his government should pressure the nation's military regime for political change.
Cook's visit highlights British concerns over the poor human rights record in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and the regime's failure to turn over power to a democratically elected government.
Britain ``is happy to work with Burma as a partner but with a different government which represents the people,'' Cook said after a two-hour tour of the camp housing almost 8,000 refugees.
Thailand avoids public criticism of its neighbor's political system, but is concerned about the many refugees it has to host and the large amount of illegal drugs it says originate there.
The Tham Hin camp, about nine miles from the border, covers 16 acres and houses refugees from Myanmar's Karen ethnic minority, a group that has been at odds with the central government since the country obtained independence from Britain in 1948.
Most of those at the camp came during fighting between government forces and Karen guerrillas in 1997.
Daniel Zu, a camp leader, told Cook of the residents' desire that Britain keep pressuring the military regime in Yangon to move toward peace and democracy.
Britain has given $395,000 for non-governmental organizations to assist people in the refugee camps, and Cook said he would make a case when he got home for continued financial support.
He also said Britain would stand firm in keeping the pressure on the regime, both by itself and in coordination with other European Union countries.
Myanmar dissidents had earlier appealed to Cook to keep up the pressure on the military regime.
A letter from the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of dissident Myanmar groups, said today that Cook's visit ``comes at a crucial time in our struggle for freedom, human rights and democracy for Burma.''
The NCUB and other exile opposition groups support the main legal opposition party, the National League for Democracy, which is led by 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The party won a landslide victory in a 1990 general election, but the military refused to hand over power.
Thursday, April 20 3:38 PM SGT
Britain's Cook blasts "brutal" Myanmar junta during refugee tour
BAN THAM HIN, Thailand, April 20 (AFP) -
Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook on Thursday blasted Myanmar's "brutal" junta for forcing thousands of ethnic Karen to flee into neighbouring Thailand.
Accusing Myanmar's army of torching Karen homes and farms, Cook used a visit to a packed refugee camp here to reinforce Britain's hawkish line on the Yangon junta as he wrapped up a two-day visit to Thailand.
Cook said he was shocked "that any government should have behaved so brutally as to drive out such friendly, gentle people."
"I have heard enough and I have seen enough to know that the people that are here only came here because they were fleeing from brutality, from military action which has burned their villages and destroyed their farms," he said.
Around 8,000 refugees fled to Ban Tham Hin and other camps after Myanmar troops launched a huge offensive against Karen National Union (KNU) insurgents in March 1997.
They are now packed into camps of bamboo huts nestled amid the hills of the Thai-Myanmar border, joining more than 100,000 refugees already in the country.
Cook also moved to profit from Yangon's criticism of his tour, which has already taken in India and heads to Nepal later Thursday.
"I personally feel gratified that the government of Burma has criticised me. It convinces me that I have been saying the right things," he said during his tour of the camp.
Britain, which ruled Burma -- as Myanmar was then known -- as a colony until 1948 is one of the fiercest critics of the military regime in Yangon and is a firm supporter of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Speaking to scores of refugees and touring a school and hospital to donate medical supplies, Cook promised that Britain would not forget their plight and would do all it could to force the junta from power so they can return home.
He also insisted Britain had convinced its European Union partners to adopt a stronger line on Myanmar as part of a package of measures being discussed permitting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU to resume ministerial meetings.
Contacts between the two groupings have been stalled over Myanmar's presence in ASEAN.
Thailand is home to more than 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who fled either persecution by the military government or fighting between junta troops and insurgent groups.
On Wednesday a Myanmar spokesman issued a statement in Yangon lambasting Britain and its attitude towards the military-ruled state.
"Myanmar has not only been a victim of colonial Britain's divide-and-rule policy but it is still a victim of today's Britain's double-standard ethical foreign policy," said the spokesman.
Myanmar frequently accuses the British government of interfering in its affairs and dismisses accusations that it is guilty of gross human rights abuses as post-colonial meddling.
Thursday, April 20 2:57 PM SGT
Myanmar Dissident Grps Appeal To UK Foreign Secy For Help
BANGKOK (AP)--Dissident groups from Myanmar appealed Thursday to British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to keep up pressure on the military regime that rules their homeland to restore democracy and human rights.
Their appeals came as Cook, on an official visit to Thailand, made a two-hour tour of one of the border camps in Thailand, housing some of the more than 100,000 displaced persons from Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.
Cook's visit, which began Tuesday, highlights British concerns over the Myanmar regime's poor human rights record and failure to turn over power to a democratically-elected government.
Thailand avoids public criticism of its neighbor's political system, but is concerned about the many refugees it has to host as well as the large amount of illegal drugs that it alleges originate there.
An open letter from the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of dissident Myanmar groups, on Thursday thanked Cook for visiting a refugee camp, saying his visit "comes at a crucial time in our struggle for freedom, human rights and democracy for Burma."
The NCUB also said it hoped the British government would continue to pressure Premier Oil, a British oil company, to withdraw its investment in Myanmar.
Last week, British Foreign Office Minister John Battle said that foreign firms operating in Myanmar were helping prop up a repressive military dictatorship, and made an unprecedented appeal to Premier to withdraw. Premier rejected the appeal.
Mahn Sha, senior member the Karen National Union, a major ethnic rebel group, also praised the appeal to Premier Oil to leave Myanmar. He noted that other foreign companies, including the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and France's Total, also have oil and gas investments in Myanmar.
The U.K., he said, shouldn't neglect Myanmar, which was ruled as a British colony until it gained independence in 1948.
Thursday, April 20 6:07 PM SGT
Cook Visits Myanmar Refugee Camp
By THAKINA KHAIKAEW, Associated Press Writer
THAM HIN TEMPORARY SHELTER, Thailand (AP) - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook visited a camp for refugees from Myanmar today and left buoyed in the belief that his government should pressure the nation's military regime for political change.
Cook's visit highlights British concerns over the poor human rights record in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and the regime's failure to turn over power to a democratically elected government.
Britain ``is happy to work with Burma as a partner but with a different government which represents the people,'' Cook said after a two-hour tour of the camp housing almost 8,000 refugees.
Thailand avoids public criticism of its neighbor's political system, but is concerned about the many refugees it has to host and the large amount of illegal drugs it says originate there.
The Tham Hin camp, about nine miles from the border, covers 16 acres and houses refugees from Myanmar's Karen ethnic minority, a group that has been at odds with the central government since the country obtained independence from Britain in 1948.
Most of those at the camp came during fighting between government forces and Karen guerrillas in 1997.
Daniel Zu, a camp leader, told Cook of the residents' desire that Britain keep pressuring the military regime in Yangon to move toward peace and democracy.
Britain has given $395,000 for non-governmental organizations to assist people in the refugee camps, and Cook said he would make a case when he got home for continued financial support.
He also said Britain would stand firm in keeping the pressure on the regime, both by itself and in coordination with other European Union countries.
Myanmar dissidents had earlier appealed to Cook to keep up the pressure on the military regime.
A letter from the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of dissident Myanmar groups, said today that Cook's visit ``comes at a crucial time in our struggle for freedom, human rights and democracy for Burma.''
The NCUB and other exile opposition groups support the main legal opposition party, the National League for Democracy, which is led by 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The party won a landslide victory in a 1990 general election, but the military refused to hand over power.
Thursday, April 20 6:30 PM SGT
Scavengers move in as council workers demolish beggars' colony
THE Ampang Jaya Municipal Council yesterday demolished the beggars' colony in Taman Kosas.
As it had been vacant for two weeks after police rounded up the Myanmar occupants, it took its enforcement officers only an hour to bring down the dilapidated houses.
Scavengers then moved in to salvage zinc roof sheets and metal items.
Word that the demolition team would be levelling the village sent the scavengers scurrying to the riverside village.
Residents in the area are relieved by the action but hope similiar action will be taken against the Indonesian settlement next door.
"They are an eyesore and a nuisance to this otherwise peaceful housing estate," said one of the residents, who declined to be identified.
She said the landowner should also act fast before new squatters make their way to the spot.
The Malay Mail exposed the existence of the village in January when a reporter stumbled onto the settlement during a stakeout on foreign beggars.
The village was occupied by 65 residents who were recently deported by the Immigration Department.
Channel Newsasia
Thursday, April 20 8:00 PM SGT
UK's Cook blasts Myanmar for forcing ethnic Karens to flee
Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has blasted Myanmar's government for forcing thousands of ethnic Karens to flee into neighbouring Thailand.
Mr Cook made the comments as he toured a Thai border camp that houses some of the more than 100,000 refugees from Myanmar.
Mr Cook, who has used his two-day visit to Thailand to highlight Britain's campaign to isolate Myanmar, promised the refugees that he would highlight their plight to the world.
He said Britain would do all it could to force the military from power so they can return home.
He insisted that Britain had convinced its European Union partners to adopt a stronger line on Myanmar.
The refugees are now living in camps of bamboo huts nestled amid the hills of the Thai-Myanmar border.
Around 8,000 refugees fled Myanmar after troops launched a huge offensive against Karen National Union insurgents in March 1997.
Thailand though espouses a constructive engagement policy with Myanmar's government but has lately voiced concern about the refugees it receives from the country.
The Times of India-April 20, 2000.
Cook to press for reforms in Myanmar
BANGKOK: British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook met with the Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai on Wednesday, beginning a visit focusing attention on neighbouring military-ruled Myanmar. Cook was to tour a border camp for refugees from Myanmar Thursday before leaving for Nepal.
Britain, like many Western countries, strongly criticises the military regime in Myanmar for human rights violations and failure to turn over power to a democratically elected government. "We will continue to press until we secure reform in Myanmar, a country where we want to see people enjoy the same kind of rights of democratic process and human rights and the freedom to decide their employment the way our people enjoy," Cook said at a news conference.
Myanmar's government has been accused by the UN's International Labour Organization and other groups of the widespread use of forced labour. It denies the charge. Cook said he sympathised with Thailand for the challenge it faces in dealing with the more than 100,000 refugees it hosts at camps along the border.
"We recognised that displaced persons are an international responsibility and that is why we support the cause of the UNHCR," he said, referring to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
In his 30-minute courtesy call on Prime Minister Chuan, Cook stressed relations within the context of the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, a biennial meeting of the 15 European Union members and 10 Asian countries, Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said. (AP)
The international community should close ranks
behind the new United Nations special envoy to Burma to push for a dialogue
between Rangoon and the opposition, a former UN rapporteur said yesterday. Yozo Yokota, who served as the rapporteur on human rights in Burma from
1992-96, said the "slightly different positions" that Japan, the US, the
European Union, Asean and Australia previously took failed to send a "solid"
message to Rangoon. These countries should "get together and take a firm position to support the
work of the special representative of [UN Secretary-General] Kofi Annan," Mr Yokota told the Bangkok Post on the
sidelines of a seminar sponsored by the UN Development Programme and the
independent InterAction Council. Mr Yokota, who visited Burma several times as the rapporteur for human
rights, said the task of a special envoy like Razali Ismail was more important
than that of a reporter on the situation. "The most important thing is not just investigating human rights violations
in Myanmar. It is a well-known fact that the most important thing is to [activate] a dialogue between the government and the NLD," Mr Yokota said,
referring to the National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr Razali, a retired Malaysian diplomat currently serving as Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad's special adviser on foreign affairs, will go to Burma next
month as the new special envoy. Mr Yokota, now an economic law professor at the University of Tokyo, said Mr
Razali would have a "better chance" than others of succeeding. "In dealing with
an old and traditional country like Myanmar, you need to send a high-level
representative," Mr Yokota said Kyodo news BAN THAM HIN, Thailand,
April 20 Britain has no carrots, promises more sticks for
Myanmar
Softened EU stance on Burma hailed
* The Public Welfare Department officially received four sets of audio
equipment and videotape recorders donated by the British government for use in
law enforcement and for questioning accused young people, a junior labour
minister said yesterday. Britain will continue to seek measures to force Myanmar's ruling junta to accept political reform, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
said Thursday while visiting a camp for refugees from Myanmar in Thailand.
The British government has made a clear condemnation of Myanmar for the ways the junta uses military force to suppress democracy groups
presses the Karen minority and others into forced labor and forces people to be displaced, he said..
AP photos news
Myanmar dissidents Kaosak Nuonchhay, right, and Motsay Hamsamay, left, stand in the dock in Phnom Penh's military court during their trial Thursday, April 20, 2000. The two soldiers, the self-styled members of the Rehmanya Restoration Army, a group resisting Myanmar's military regime, were found guilty of illegal entry into Cambodia. (AP Photo/Andy Eames)