WARSAW (Reuters) - Officials from more than 100 countries met in Poland Monday to try to agree how to uphold and expand global democracy in the third millennium but a Franco-U.S. spat underlined how tough their task would be.

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine invited reporters to a briefing in which he said he did not want to criticize the United States or the conference itself but made clear he did not entirely share U.S. views about how to spread democracy.

He mentioned municipalized sanctions regimes against Cuba and Iraq and discussions about how best to remove Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic from power as examples of the complexities of promoting good governance.

``The bottom line is that the Western countries think a little too much that democracy is a religion and that the only thing you have to do is to convert,'' Vedrine said.

The U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch sent a message of support to the conference co-convened by Poland, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Mali, South Korea and the United States.

But it expressed dismay at the inclusion of what it called one-party states and governments restricting political freedom -- such as Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Kenya and Kuwait.

``The concept of democracy is cheapened when it includes one-party states and governments which get 99 percent of the vote,'' said Kenneth Roth, the group's executive director.

Vedrine said democracy was evolutionary rather than revolutionary and added, ``No one has a magic formula.''

A senior embassy official later called U.S. Director of Policy Planning Morton Halperin to tell him it was not Vedrine's intention to be critical.

``France does have some philosophical differences with us about the best way to promote democracy but it was not his intention to get into this,'' Halperin quoted the embassy official as saying.

He also noted that Vedrine had come at an ``extraordinary moment,'' like German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who broke away from a Franco-German summit to attend.

``We knew that Mr. Vedrine had a somewhat different view and he was going to express that,'' Halperin told a news briefing, adding that he could not quite understand what the differences were, though the differences over sanctions were clear.

Halperin said Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the main force behind the conference with Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, had urged Vedrine to express his views.

The French had made it clear that they did not want to create a new institution, and neither did Geremek or Albright, he added.

For example, they wanted to strengthen the United Nations' involvement in democracy,'' he said, noting Secretary-General Kofi Annan would address the conference Tuesday.

Those countries which had doubts about the conference -- which he said did not include Australia and Britain despite the fact that they did not send their foreign ministers -- in many cases had misconceptions about its purpose.

``For example those who are against exporting democracy and think that is somehow a reason to be skeptical...have not read the documents of the conference very clearly.

Halperin was referring to a declaration the countries plan to endorse on the final day Tuesday supporting multi-party elections, human rights and transparency.

Its words had special meaning for Nobel laureate Auung San Suu Kyi who sent them a videotaped message urging: ``We would like to see action, rather than words.''

Tuesday, June 27 12:00 AM SGT

Call for action on Myanmar at opening of global democracy conference

WARSAW, June 26 (AFP) -

The first-ever international conference on promoting democratic rule began here Monday with calls to action from embattled Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and senior US and Polish officials.

But the calls for urgent efforts were tempered somewhat by words of caution from some, particularly France, who warned that an evangelical approach to advocating democracy could have severe unintended consequences and perhaps backfire completely.

"We would like to see action, rather than words," said Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD).

"There have been many words supporting democracy and we are duly grateful for them," she told some 70 foreign ministers and cabinet-level authorities attending the unprecedented two-day event dubbed "Towards a Community of Democracies."

"But words need to be backed up by action -- by action that is united and that is focused on essentials," she continued, in videotaped remarks made at her home in Yangon where she lives under virtual house arrest.

"Only by such action will we be able to realize our democratic aspirations," she added, vowing not to give up the fight the NLD has been enagaged in with Myanmar authorities since it won elections a decade ago that were nullified by the military.

Her comments followed those of Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek who as host opened the conference urging countries to adopt more forceful policies in expanding democratic rule around the globe.

"We must actively promote respect for democracy in international relations," Geremek said, a day after he told a concurrent non-governmental forum that protection of human rights and democracy outweighed traditional concepts of national sovereignty in the modern age.

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, representing one of the gathering's six co-convenors, stressed that democratic values were universal and rejected as "false and self-serving" accusations that advocacy of the system was an unfair imposition.

"We have heard again the voices of those who say that much of the world is not ready for democracy -- to which we must reply that none of the world has ever truly been ready for anything else," she said.

But while Geremek and Albright as well as Aung San Suu Kyi were urging greater intervention in the support of democracy in fragile states, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine took pains to warn that too much interference, particularly efforts outside the United Nations mandate, would open a "Pandora's Box."

"External intervention can have very destructive results," he told reporters following his address to the conference, adding: "Let's not give too many lessons to other countries."

"The bottom line is that the western countries think a little too much that democracy is a religion and the only thing you have to do is convert (people)," he said, maintaining that reality was quite different.

Though Vedrine was careful not to directly criticize the conference or Albright's or Geremek's positions, his comments drew a quick response from the United States.

"This conference is not for the French, it's for people struggling for democracy," a senior US official said, recalling that French intervention in colonial America and US intervention in revolutionary France had helped create democracy in both countries.

"This conference is about what they did for us and what we did for them in the 18th century. Whatever happened to 'liberte, fraternite, egalite'?" the official asked, using the famous French national slogan.

Despite the differences, all countries in attendance are expected to adopt the "Warsaw Declaration," reaffirming their commitment to democracy when the conference closes on Tuesday.

The document seeks to promote "a community of democracies" and underscore "the right of every person to freedom of opinion and of _expression_, including to exchange and receive ideas and information through any media, regardless of frontiers."

Hosted by Poland and co-sponsored by the United States, Chile, India, Mali, South Korea and the Czech Republic, the conference has attracted controversy for the exclusion of certain countries judged not worthy of attendence but where democracy advocates say the most work is needed.

China, Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Libya were among those not invited to attend.

At the same time, human rights groups have complained that some invitees, such as Haiti and Peru, have not displayed an appropriate commitment to democracy.

Tuesday, June 27 2:08 PM SGT

Thai villagers armed in the fight against drugs

PANG MA PHA, Thailand, June 27 (AFP) -

Thai villagers living along the tense border with Myanmar are swapping their hoes for shotguns to protect themselves from the violent new trade in amphetamines.

The fields of opium poppies that once splashed scarlet on Thailand's northern hill regions are now largely gone, thanks to an aggressive military campaign of eradication and crop replacement.

But the heroin business has been replaced by the new scourge of amphetamines, known as the "ya baa" or "crazy drug" in Thai, because of their catastrophic effect on users.

Blamed for a grim spate of car accidents, hostage-takings, stabbings and murders in Thailand's cities and towns, ya baa has also brought a wave of violence to the northern border provinces.

Villagers living near this outpost in northeastern Mae Hong Son province have been terrorised by drug traffickers who storm through their lands after escaping clashes with Thai troops or border police.

They also dodge the skirmishes between ethnic minority rebels and the Myanmar troops that frequently tumble over the border. Other villagers have been killed after unwittingly disturbing drug manufacturers.

After nine villagers were massacred by Myanmar drug traffickers in the northern town of Ban Mae Soon Noi last year, the army moved to set up a civilian army in the settlements along the smuggling routes.

Apart from being anxious to stem the loss of life, they are also concerned that if frightened villagers are forced off their lands by the violence, it could hand the rebels ready-made bases for drug manufacturing.

"The idea is to teach them to protect themselves from intruders into Thailand, including drug dealers, until we can reach them and assist them," said Deputy Commander Colonel Thawatchai Wattana.

Army officers who patrol Mae Hong Son's 426 kilometers (264 miles) of border with Myanmar say 26 high-risk villages have been selected as recruiting points for the civilian army.

Men aged between 20 and 40 have been issued shotguns and drilled in how to patrol their lands and fight intruders.

"We are happy to have had this training and assistance, which makes us feel much safer," says Panomchai Kamkiew, from Mae La Na village which lies 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) from the Myanmar border.

The Thai military now considers amphetamines to be the country's "top national security threat" and preventing ya baa and other drugs from flooding into Thailand is its biggest priority.

Military documents obtained by AFP indicate that Thailand believes up to 46 amphetamine factories are scattered the border along its three northern-most provinces.

These factories, housed in everything from bamboo huts to purpose-built concrete warehouses, churn out an estimated 600 million amphetamine tablets every year for Thai consumption alone.

The United Wa State Army (UWSA), an ethnic militia based in Myanmar, is accused by Western anti-narcotics experts of being responsible for the much of the trade.

Myanmar's generals, who are fighting several insurgencies, allegedly turn a blind eye in return for the ceasefire they have forged with the Wa.

Apart from the threat of violence that goes hand in hand with the drugs trade, the northern villages are facing drug addiction problems of their own as their youngsters are tempted by the easy access to amphetamines.

Panomchai says his village is fending off the problem by making a community-wide effort to prevent its youngsters being lured into the trade. But he is worried at how fast amphetamine use is spreading.

"We talk about the dangerous of drugs and amphetamines among ourselves," he says.

Despite the lure of easy money so close by, one woman living in Mae La Na village says her people are not tempted to cash in on the trade.

"We grow our produce, we have other activities to occupy ourselves and we play lots of sport. So we have no need to be involved in drugs," she says.

The rains that will drench the northern hills until the end of the year ensure the situation along the border is quiet now, but come January when when the dry season begins, the villagers expect the daily fighting to resume.

This time they hope they will be better prepared.

Monday June 26 2:35 PM ET

Nations Discuss Democracy, Rights

By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writer

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Fiji and Kyrgyzstan were politely asked to ignore their invitations, and they did. Peru and Haiti, which became unwanted guests after suspect elections in each country, decided to show up anyway.

Ivory Coast may well have had a seat, had it not been for the December coup. And some are asking why Iran, which just completed successful elections, isn't here.

Deciding whom to invite to the first-ever global conference dedicated solely to democracy - and just as critically, whom not to - was tricky business.

The ever-fluid membership in the club of democratic nations - and the regular attempts at gatecrashing - speaks to the fragility of young democracies, something organizers hope to shore up by agreeing on ``a universal catalogue'' of standards of democracy.

The conference hopes to capitalize on a trend in the second half of the 20th century that saw the number of countries with a stated commitment to democracy increase from 30 in 1974 to some 120 today.

``Democracy has burgeoned and spread across every continent,'' Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek told the opening session Monday.

But the lines of what comprises democracy quickly blur: The number of nations with a stated commitment to democracy is fewer than the 133 nations invited to Warsaw. And Human Rights Watch cited Peru among about a dozen nations whose presence, it said, weakens the Warsaw forum's goals.

``We must be honest and acknowledge that some leaders are far more eager to be called democratic than to embrace democratic standards,'' U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told the World Forum on Democracy, a meeting non-governmental organizations held parallel to the ministerial level session.

Albright told an audience that included Peru's main opposition figure, Alejandro Toledo, that the ministers were discussing how to support democracy through regional and global organizations; ways to share information about building democratic institutions; how to deal with nations that are backsliding from democratic norms; and how to assist new democracies.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still struggling to have the military government of Myanmar recognize her party's election victory 10 years ago, said in videotaped remarks that her nation's example makes clear that democratic trappings alone do not guarantee democracy.

``It is not enough to say that people should have the right to free and fair elections,'' she said. ``I think the world has to make certain that the outcome of the elections is honored. Unless the outcome of elections is honored, there is very little point in holding them.''

Kyrgyzstan, a poor mountainous country of 4 million people, had long been considered a democratic role model in a region dominated by authoritarian leaders. But President Askar Akayev, who has led the country since the 1991 Soviet breakup, has increasingly cracked down on dissent, and parliamentary elections in March drew sharp international criticism.

In the South Pacific nation of Fiji, gunmen have been holding the elected prime minister and other lawmakers hostage for more than a month. The country's military has assumed power.

Organizers of the democracy conference have set a high bar: Geremek, the Polish foreign minister, wants the declaration, to be adopted Tuesday, to have the same force as the 1975 Helsinki Final Act establishing standards for human rights recognized by both East and West.

``The Helsinki Act showed that there was such a thing as the power of the powerless,'' said Geremek, who was an opposition activist when Poland's communist government signed the Helsinki accords and then forbade its citizens from reading it. Still, the awareness of a universal idea of human rights is one of the factors credited with undermining communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

``I wish the same for the Warsaw declaration,'' he said, ``so that the ideas in it mean a warning to the governments absent, and hope for those who are striving.''

Tuesday, June 27 1:42 AM SGT

China Executes Dealers on Drug Day

By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writer

BEIJING (AP) - China marked U.N. anti-drug day Monday by executing dealers, torching narcotics and publicly acknowledging the grim inroads drugs are making among Chinese, particularly the young.

Those executed included three drug traffickers from Taiwan, a Hong Kong resident, two Shanghai heroin dealers, four dealers in the northern province of Shaanxi, three farmers in China's drug-afflicted southwest, and four manufacturers of methamphetamine, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

It carried conflicting accounts on the total number of people put to death but said the executions made ``a clear and compelling statement.''

China also executed at least 38 drug traffickers last week.

In its first policy paper on China's drug problems, the government said Monday that the number of registered drug addicts jumped from 148,000 in 1991 to 681,000 last year. Heroin was the drug of choice for 71 percent of addicts, and 79 percent were under age 35, according to the document issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

More recent figures have put the number of registered addicts as high as 800,000, and a senior U.S. drug control official has quoted Chinese estimates of 3 million to 12 million total drug users, out of China's estimated 1.25 billion people.

``The drug scourge is becoming more serious with each passing day and the situation is grim for the anti-drug struggle,'' the policy paper acknowledged.

Law enforcers ``are waging a fierce battle against all drug-related criminal activities, administering merciless punishment to those involved.''

Between 1991 and 1999, China cracked more than 800,000 drug cases, confiscating almost 40 tons of heroin, 17 tons of opium, 15 tons of marijuana, and 23 tons of methamphetamine, the paper said. It added that the 22 tons of drugs seized in 1999 marked a 33 percent rise over the previous year.

After wiping out widespread opium addiction in the first years of communist rule, the government was slow to react to a resurgence in drug use following economic reforms in the 1980s. Only in the past few years has the government started public awareness campaigns and appealed for international cooperation.

On Monday, authorities in the southern provinces of Fujian and Guangdong burned 21/2 tons of seized drugs, Xinhua said. In Beijing, authorities distributed 500,000 anti-drug brochures.

State-run television broadcast a report about young disco-goers using the drug Ecstasy, known in China as the ``head-rocking pill.'' Stylishly dressed women were shown shaking their heads violently to techno music.

The policy paper said China treats addicts within its system of 746 compulsory rehabilitation centers and 168 treatment and labor camps - facilities for hard-core users.

Private treatment centers are also being set up. One model community outreach program for recovering addicts in Inner Mongolia has brought the relapse rate down to 30 percent, the policy paper said.

Overall, relapse rates remain high, partly a factor of the poor employment prospects many former addicts face at a time of rapid economic reforms.

China lies on a major transit route for the 110 tons of heroin produced in neighboring Myanmar every year. The policy paper blamed drugs smuggled from the ``Golden Triangle'' border region for the surge in addiction.

It said China has virtually eradicated cultivation of plants such as opium poppies within its territory and aids Myanmar and Laos with crop-substitution and tourism-promotion programs to discourage poppy growing.

Monday, 26 June 2000 5:55 (ET)

Burmese dissident: Put people first, not governments
By LOU MARANO

WARSAW, Poland, June 26 (UPI) - Democracies are not based on governments but on people, Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Ki told the first-ever Conference of Democracies as it convened in the Polish capital Monday.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung's address was videotaped because Burma's military leaders are not expected to allow her re-entry if she leaves her country.

Before the viewing, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reminded conference delegates that Aung's National League for Democracy overwhelmingly won the last free elections held in Burma ten years ago. Military authorities betrayed their pledge to support a democratic transition, Albright said, and instead arrested many of the successful candidates.

Aung was put under house arrest for five years. Since her release she has struggled for freedom for the Burmese people, the secretary said.

"What we all want is basic human rights," Aung said, "that will give us the right balance between freedom and security. I think it has been proven that of all the imperfect systems that exist in the world today, democracy is best for the people at large. It may not be best for governments, but that is not our main aim. ... (which) is to find out what is best for the peoples of the world."

Aung said the main concern of authoritarian regimes is the perpetuation of their own power, "and by concentrating on this concern, they destroy their nations. ...''

"We would like actions rather than words," Aung told conference delegates. "There have been many words supporting democracy (in Burma), and we are duly
grateful for them ... but words need to be backed up by action."

Albright said in her introductory remarks: "As long as you struggle, we will do all we can to assist."

Aung's father was a leader in Burma's fight for independence from Britain.

Bangkok Post - June 27, 2000.
BURMA
Opposition proposes talks
Or armed struggle will be inevitable

Ralph Bachoe
Umphang, Tak

A Burmese opposition group has extended the hand of friendship to the ruling military junta in Rangoon to restore democracy to the country.

The Parliamentary Democracy Party said it was willing to hold negotiations with the junta or take up arms to achieve its aims.

Bo Aung Din, the party chairman, said: "We call on the military to come to the negotiating table so that we may find a solution to cure the ills destroying our country.

"If the military is unyielding and inflexible, wanting to hang on to power at all costs, they will leave us with no choice but to pursue the path of armed struggle."

He said the party did not want to exact revenge nor humiliate the military for its crimes against the people.

Many officers are essentially decent, family men who have been coerced by the system into behaviour that is intrinsically alien to them, he said.

The party was formed in 1970 by U Nu, the late premier, after Gen Ne Win overthrew the elected government in March 1962.

Bo Aung Din, 54, is one of the original members of the group, and a former member of the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in Burma founded by the late U Tin Maung Win.

The declaration, made at its conference in a liberated area in Burma in April, urged Rangoon authorities to:

- Hear and acknowledge the national clamour to bring an end to military rule.

- Arrange for a free and fair election [under United Nations supervision], in which all political parties, whatever their political creed, will take part.

It said the mission is one of "ridding our Motherland of military tyranny, of uniting the diverse races of the country and fostering reconciliation, trust and confidence among its people, including the military."

Bo Aung Din said the party has the support and co-operation of the military rank-and-file. "Should the junta shun the offer, the party would have no choice but to take up arms," he said.

Bangkok Post - June 26, 2000.

NARCOTICS

Role of communities stressed

Corruption seen as the silent partner

Anucha Charoenpo

The United Nations International Drug Control Programme yesterday launched a "Lights On" campaign to highlight drug abuse, corruption and violence in East Asia and the Pacific.

The initiative coincided with International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Sandro Calvani, of UNDCP Regional for East Asia and the Pacific, opened the ceremony and said the campaign was a community initiative.

Effective measures against drugs, corruption and violence could only be achieved in the communities, he said.

Mr Calvani encouraged communities in East Asia and the Pacific to campaign against drugs and develop effective drug policies.

He also wanted the communities to help drug addicts, even violent ones, and crack down on corruption and violence.

Everybody is aware of the damage and pain caused by drug abuse, but not enough is being done in civil society to guard against it, the activist said.

That is what causes the predatory behaviour of corrupt politicians and state authorities.

He said violence especially hurts women and children, the most vulnerable people in society. It also affects the youth, and destroys their feelings and aspirations.

Mr Calvani cited a Thai Farmer's Research Centre survey conducted in February which found that there were 680,000 registered drug addicts in China and that 75% of blue-collar workers in Bangkok admitted to using drugs.

He said drug abuse was a huge global problem which did not discriminate between rich or poor, employed or unemployed. He urged communities to "switch on the light" to fight against drugs, corruption and violence.

Sorasit Saengprasert, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said the Lights On campaign was a new plan designed by UNDCP, which has also launched anti-drug marches.

Bangkok Post - June 27, 2000.

Border alert after shelling

Cheewin Sattha

Security has been stepped up along the border after two stray artillery shells from Burma landed on Thai soil on Sunday night.

Troop reinforcements were sent to an area near the Thana Khwai border pass in Muang district yesterday after the rounds, fired from Hill 685 in Burma, fell near Hill 555 at 9.30pm.

Security was also beefed up at the Ban Nai Soi, Pang Tractor and Pang Khawi camps, and Karen refugees were not allowed to leave from 8pm yesterday until 6am today.

Poj Outhana, governor of Mae Hong Son, said there were no injuries or damage reported and efforts were under way to identify the source of the shelling.

A border source said the shells might have been fired by Burmese troops from the Light Infantry Division 101, who have recently been a target of Shan rebels.

Mae Hong Son MP Panya Jinakham, who is also secretary to the House Committee on Military Affairs, said he would look into the matter and find ways to improve border security to make the area safer for Thais.

It was reported that a border co-ordination unit would send a protest letter to the Burmese authorities if the 7th Infantry Regiment's special task force team confirms their involvement.

Meanwhile, police launched a crackdown on border drug trafficking.

The Nation June 27, 2000.

Letter

Thailand has to oppose Burma

I read in the local press about the International Labour Organisation meeting that will take place in November. What I think Thailand should do is vote against Burma.

Think about it: If Thailand supports Burma, then it'll take ages to win the war against drugs and terrorists. I'm sure Thailand will be successful in its mission (eradicating drugs and terrorists), but it certainly will take a very long time.

Without Burma's support in the provision of drugs, we shall do a lot better in our battle. Now, if Thailand claims itself to be very busy at the time the vote is taken, then Thailand would be committing an act of a cowardice. Running away from problems is never a solution to anything.

We should face the challenge and do what we think is right. We should make time to attend the meeting, and "vote to condemn and further sanction Burma" for our own benefit.

Shveta Kukreja

The Japan Times: June 28, 2000
Japan may defy bans to resume Myanmar aid

YANGON (Kyodo) Japan may resume official development assistance to Myanmar as part of aid to countries surrounding the Mekong River, according to a document obtained by Kyodo News on Tuesday.
The document was presented to the Myanmar government and served as the basis for discussions at a two-day workshop on Japanese support for Myanmar's economic reforms. The workshop ended Monday in Yangon.

Although assistance to Myanmar alone would be unlikely, it could be extended as part of efforts to help countries along the Mekong River to cope with deforestation, narcotics trafficking and social problems, it states.

The support -- planned for Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand -- is described as "region-wide basic humanitarian assistance" in the document.

The document was prepared by researchers at the Finance Ministry's Institute of Fiscal and Monetary Policy, in cooperation with experts in Japan.

But Japan's plan may attract criticism from the United States and European countries, which have imposed economic sanctions on Myanmar for delaying democratization and suppressing human rights. especially following the International Labor Organization's decision earlier this month to punish the country for using forced labor.

A Foreign Ministry source said Japan believes putting Myanmar's stagnant economy on the right path, rather than imposing sanctions, will help move democratization forward.

The document states that Yangon should improve its deficit-ridden finances, integrate its official and market exchange rates into a single rate system, and promote industrial activities through infrastructure improvements and trade liberalization.

Burma Related News - June 27, 2000.