|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Burma Students return to
class
AP - Myanmar Students return to
classes
Reuters - ASEAN Ministers Open Talks on Regional
Security
Reuters - Fine Words But Little Action at S.E.Asia
Talks
Reuters - ASEAN communique to deliver little concrete action AFP - ASEAN warned to shape up or risk being sidelined AP - ASEAN Addresses Child Soldiers AP - ASEAN Meeting To Open ABC - Burma dismisses exclusion from EU agreement Bkk Post - Thai-Burma drug-busting pledge as meeting
opens
SCMP- Burmese junta shrugs off EU aid
snub
The Nation - Fresh impetus for Thai-Burma anti-drug effort Xinhua - Forex Earnings From Tourists Drop in Myanmar The Business day - PTT to Hold Talks With Myanmar Bkk Post - Bid to solve five problems affecting frontier
trading
Bkk Post - Backdoor drug talks likely The Nation - Human rights to be on agenda The Nation - Call for top-level talks on drugs with Burma The Nation - Call for ban on children in warfare BBC - Reform call tops Asean agenda ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL
PROTEST AGAINST JAPANESE GOVERNMENT ON AUG 8.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Monday, 24 July, 2000, 12:20 GMT
13:20 UK
Burma students return to class Thousands of Burmese students have been returning to their classes for the first time in three years. All colleges and universities were closed by the military government in December 1996, as they were seen as breeding grounds for dissent. But on Monday an estimated 60,000 undergraduates were heading back to class
after the ban was quietly lifted.
They and their parents have had to sign declarations that they will not
become involved in political activity. Student unions have also been banned.
No formal announcement was made of the lifting of the ban, but the
government wrote to individual students advising them of the decision.
Rebellious
Third and fourth-year students had already been allowed to go back to their
classes at the end of June.
Some people being allowed to resume their studies are having to switch
universities, away from previously rebellious centres including the Yangon Arts
and Science University.
"I am very excited to go to college but I'm very disappointed that I cannot
study at Yangon University, where my elder sister and my parents got their
degrees," said 21-year old Win Win Nwe, who passed her entrance examination in
1996.
And first-year economics student Khaing Win said: "I believe my patience
finally paid off. Many of my friends [1996 high school graduates] who got tired
of waiting for universities to reopen are now attending the University of
Distance Education."
During the three-year closure, some students travelled abroad to study, but
others were unable to do so.
Human rights activists and economists had warned the government of the
risks to Burma's development, if it shut a generation of students out of higher
education.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi also warned the military rulers that
Burma risked becoming a nation divided between educated and uneducated
families.
Monday July 24 8:47 AM ET
Myanmar Students Return to Classes YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - The
military regime allowed the full resumption of higher education Monday, 31/2
years after closing down colleges and universities to stop anti-government
demonstrations.
Some 400,000 high school graduates had been waiting their turns to begin
university studies since the closures in December 1996. Neither the closures nor
the reopening was officially announced.
Nearly 60,000 first-, second- and and third-year students in the arts and
sciences began classes Monday. They followed some 20,000 fourth-year students in
these fields who had already resumed courses June 27. Classes at institutions
teaching medicine, computer science and engineering were reopened in stages
beginning in January 1999.
Pro-democracy leaders and foreign human rights organizations have cited the
closing of schools as one of many human rights abuses inflicted by the military
on the population in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
``Students have always been viewed as a threat to the military regime and
are considered the most vocal group of opposition. Therefore, the military is
sacrificing youth's future in order to prolong its tyrannical reign,'' the
anti-government Campaign Committee for Open Schools said in a statement.
Colleges and universities in Myanmar have been open for only 30 months
since 1988, the year the military brutally crushed a pro-democracy uprising,
said the group, which is composed of Myanmar dissident organizations in
exile.
But military institutes, endowed with funds and state-of-the-art
facilities, have remained opened throughout this period, creating a ``dangerous
division'' in the country, the statement said.
``Burma has become a house divided. The military institutes being the only
way to get a decent education, only pro-military students have a future and are
guaranteed work opportunities, while the rest of the country's youth is left
uneducated, to fend for themselves, often falling into the hands of poverty,''
it said.
Under the current rules, students are allowed to register at educational
institutions after signing a declaration that they will stay clear of political
activities. Student unions and other student organizations have been
banned.
Students who earlier attended the Yangon Arts and Science University, a
traditional hotbed of dissent, are now attending classes not at the Yangon
campus but at two suburban universities.
``I am very excited to go to college, but I'm very disappointed that I
cannot study at Yangon University, where my elder sister and my parents got
their degrees,'' said 21-year old Win Win Nwe, who passed her entrance
examination in 1996.
Yangon University and the Yangon Technical College, another seat of
anti-government activity in the past, were almost empty with just small numbers
of students attending postgraduate classes, special honors classes and the
faculty of anthropology.
Monday July 24 12:33 AM ET ASEAN Ministers Open Talks on Regional Security
By Edward Davies BANGKOK (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers kicked off a two-day meeting in the Thai capital on Monday which will include talks ranging from drug trafficking to Indonesia's ethnic and religious strife. Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai opened the 33rd Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meeting, which will also discuss a plan to speed the bloc's response to the array of security, economic and social problems that plague its diverse membership. ``Issues such as illicit drugs, trafficking of women and children, transnational crime and environmental degradation all represent obstacles to our development,'' Chuan told the opening ceremony. ``With ASEAN's membership enlarged to include all 10 countries of Southeast Asia, the challenge before us now is how to deepen our cooperative endeavours,'' Chuan said. Cambodia joined ASEAN in 1999, completing a body grouping Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The environmental hazard of smog from forest fires in Indonesia polluting large parts of the region is expected to be raised. Jakarta is under further pressure because of bloody fighting between Muslims and Christians in the Moluccas. But Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab is expected to relay to the meeting Indonesia's rejection of calls for international intervention to end the violence that has killed thousands since early 1999. ASEAN traditionally does not interfere in the affairs of member countries. North Korea Emerges The two-day meeting precedes ASEAN talks running until July 29 also involving China, Japan and South Korea and wider bilaterals and regional security discussions bringing in the United States, Russia and the European Union among others. North Korea will join the fray for the first time as a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, meaning the consultative security grouping will represent 37 countries. The United States said on Sunday it was still unclear whether Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would meet North Korean foreign minister Paek Nam-Sun on Wednesday, due to the ongoing Middle East peace talks. Rapid Progress Not On The Agenda Despite ASEAN's array of problems, Thailand's proposal for a ``troika'' of decision makers to speed the bloc's often sluggish response to crises seemed to have been diluted during preparatory meetings. The model is inspired by the European Union's practice of having the current EU president head a three-way decision-making group to take the lead on ad hoc issues. The Thai Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary Nitya Pibulsonggram told reporters on Saturday any ``troika,'' comprising the immediate past and future ASEAN chairs along with the current one, would require the bloc's consensus before making any move. Ahead of Monday's meeting, ASEAN officials also took a tentative step toward protecting citizens' rights with their first look at plans for a regional human rights commission. The proposal is for a body with powers to probe rights violations in signatory states, either on its own initiative or at the request of other signatories or recognized rights groups. ``If we have this ASEAN human rights mechanism set up, at least (people) can come and complain to us or talk to us and we can do something about it,'' said Praphan Hutasingh, chairman of the Thai working group for ASEAN human rights. Monday July 24 10:00 AM ET
By Thongchai Nonthleeruk BANGKOK (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers warned Monday their bloc risked being marginalized unless it woke up and responded to its numerous problems, but looked set to offer few concrete solutions. A draft of the final communique of ministers of the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), obtained by Reuters Monday, offered no commitment to tackle most of the problems that have engulfed the region in recent years. Aside from vague support for greater regional cooperation and praise for efforts by its members to tackle their host of social problems, the envoys will pledge few solid policies or new programs, according to the draft, due to be issued on Tuesday. ASEAN documents are frequently drawn up weeks ahead of ministerial meetings by senior officials and final versions rarely differ significantly from late drafts. Opening the 33rd ASEAN ministerial meeting, Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai delivered a stark message: ``Issues such as illicit drugs, trafficking of women and children, transnational crime and environmental degradation all represent obstacles to our development.'' Singapore Foreign Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar said the international perception of ASEAN remained negative and the group risked being marginalized in the new global economy. ``We may not like the perception of ASEAN as ineffective and a sunset organization,'' he said. ``If we continue to be perceived as ineffective, we can be marginalized as our dialogue partners and international investors relegate us to the sidelines.'' Chuan said cooperation should be deepened now that ASEAN included all 10 countries in Southeast Asia. Cambodia joined to complete the so-called ASEAN 10 in 1999, sitting alongside Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ``Progress'' On Haze But the draft communique dismissed many of the region's crises in a handful of paragraphs, saying merely that ASEAN remained committed to developing ``as a concert of nations.'' It pledged stronger cooperation on ``transnational issues affecting the region, especially those related to environment, trafficking in persons, trafficking of illicit drugs, transnational crime and HIV/AIDS.'' The regionwide smog from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra that has blanketed parts of Southeast Asia in recent weeks was referred to as a ``haze.'' The ministers ``noted the progress made in implementing the Regional Haze Action Plan'' and ``underlined the importance of strong commitments and concerted efforts'' of regional committees. Smog returned to large parts of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia this month, three years after a choking smoke cloud forced ASEAN governments to promise action to tackle the problem. The draft communique said a paper proposing to streamline ASEAN's decision making with a three-country ``troika'' was approved, but gave no details. Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told reporters on Monday the idea of a troika, modeled on a European Union system of using present, past and future presidents to take pressing decisions, would be agreed by ministers Tuesday. The draft also reaffirmed ASEAN's pledge to support the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including the provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya, both of which have separatist movements. The Indonesian Moluccas islands, scene of bloody carnage between Muslims and Christians since early 1999, was not mentioned. Thousands have died in that conflict. Faced with a growing drugs menace and the world's second largest opium and heroin production area in one of its members -- Myanmar -- the ASEAN ministers ``took note of the threat of drug abuse and drug trafficking on the security of the ASEAN region.'' Thailand Welcomes North Korea Host Thailand welcomed the prospect of North Korea's participation for the first time as a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a wider consultative security grouping representing 37 countries which meets later this week. The two-day ASEAN ministers' meeting precedes talks running until July 29 that also involve China, Japan and South Korea and wider bilaterals and regional security discussions bringing in the United States, Russia and the European Union among others. ``(North Korea's participation) will certainly bode well for peace, for trade, for investment, for tourism, everybody will gain,'' Surin said. The United States said Sunday it was still unclear whether Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would meet North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun Wednesday, because of the ongoing Middle East peace talks. WIRE:07/24/2000 08:51:00 ET
ASEAN communique to deliver little concrete action BANGKOK, July 24 (Reuters) -
Southeast Asian foreign ministers will deliver a final communique full of
fine-sounding phrases at the end of two days of talks on Tuesday, but they
appear set to make few real commitments to action. A draft of the final
communique of ministers of the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN), obtained by Reuters on Monday, offered no commitment to tackle most of
the problems that have engulfed the region in recent years. Aside from vague
support for greater regional cooperation and praise for efforts by its members
to tackle their host of social problems, the envoys will pledge few solid
policies or new programmes, according to the draft. ASEAN documents are
frequently drawn up weeks ahead of ministerial meetings by senior officials and
final versions rarely differ significantly from late drafts. Dismissing many of
the region"s crises in a handful of paragraphs, the communique said ASEAN
remained committed to developing "as a concert of nations." It pledged stronger
cooperation on "transnational issues affecting the region, especially those
related to environment, trafficking in persons, trafficking of illicit drugs,
transnational crime and HIV/AIDS." But it offered little evidence of new plans
to deal with any of these issues. The regionwide smog from forest fires in the
Indonesian island of Sumatra that has blanketed parts of Southeast Asia in
recent weeks was referred to briefly as a "haze." "PROGRESS" ON HAZE ACTION PLAN
The ministers merely "noted the progress made in implementing the Regional Haze
Action Plan" and "underlined the importance of strong commitments and concerted
efforts" of regional committees. Smog returned to large parts of Malaysia,
Thailand, and Indonesia this month, three years after a choking smoke cloud
forced ASEAN governments to promise action to tackle the problem. Faced with a
growing drugs menace and the world"s second largest opium and heroin production
area in one of its members -- Myanmar -- the ASEAN ministers "took note of the
threat of drug abuse and drug trafficking on the security of the ASEAN region."
It urged its members to enhance joint efforts to combat the use of new drugs
such as methamphetamine, which is known in its crystalised form as "Ice." The
draft communique said a paper proposing to streamline ASEAN"s decision making
with a three-country "troika" was approved, but gave no details. Thai Foreign
Minister Surin Pitsuwan told reporters on Monday the idea of the three-person
grouping, modelled on a European Union system of using present, past and future
presidents to take pressing decisions, would be agreed by ministers on Tuesday.
The draft also reaffirmed ASEAN"s pledge to support the territorial integrity of
Indonesia, including the provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya, both of which have
separatist pressures. The Indonesian Moluccas Islands, scene of bloody carnage
between Moslem and Christians since early 1999, was not mentioned.
Monday, July 24 8:28 PM SGT
ASEAN warned to shape up or risk being sidelinedBANGKOK, July 24 (AFP) -ASEAN risks being relegated to diplomatic and economic irrelevance unless it moves fast to regain ground lost since the 1997 regional crisis, the group's foreign ministers said here Monday. At the opening of their annual meeting, they also warned against complacency amid the economic recovery and said the region must learn to cope with the advent of globalisation and the information technology age. There were also calls for more openness and cooperation on the host of sensitive problems that dog many of its 10 member nations. "Issues such as illicit drugs, trafficking of women and children, transnational crime and environmental degradation all represent obstacles to our development," said Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar sounded the warning bell, saying the region's rebound since the crisis of 1997 had not changed the view that ASEAN was a "sunset organisation." "If we continue to be perceived as ineffective, we can be marginalised as our dialogue partners and international investors relegate us to the sidelines. The danger is real," he said in a hard-hitting speech. ASEAN was accused of sitting on its laurels during the economic boom of the early 1990s, and failing to spot the warning signs before the region finally toppled into crisis. With foreign investors watching the "quality" of ASEAN's recovery, Jayakumar urged members to push on with reforms and adopt the "best standards of government, transparency, corporate governance and the rule of law." He said the group must also forge ahead with a plan for a free trade area and turn itself into an "e-ASEAN" to prevent it from falling further behind the fast growing new economies of Northeast Asia. Chuan, who opened the two-day meeting, told ASEAN members not to fall into a "false sense of complacency" but to speed up economic integration that would help it compete with other trading blocs. Despite being home to about 500 million people, ASEAN accounts for only 1.5 percent of the world's gross domestic product while the United States alone contributes over 20 percent, he said. "With the new century, the challenge is to adopt a development agenda that is balanced, effective and viable." All 10 ministers gave a warm welcome in their opening speeches to North Korea, which this week attends the region's top security group, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), for the first time. "We hope to see very soon North Korea contributing positively to the work of the ARF," said Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab. During the ARF meeting Thursday, the foreign ministers from the two Koreas will meet for the first time. The North's Paek Nam-Sun is also expected to meet US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in the highest-level contact ever between the two countries. After an afternoon retreat Monday, Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said the ministers had made significant progress in line with the clarion calls made earlier in the day. "It has taken a higher plane ... we opened up, we were candid, we were disarmed, we were extremely honest with each other, particularly the problems and challenges facing us," he said. The ministers also supported Chuan's proposal for a triennial regional trade fair to promote inter-ASEAN trade, and would forward the recommendation to their trade ministries, Surin said. Another sensitive issue pushed ahead Monday was a plan for an ASEAN "troika" which would mediate swiftly on regional problems as they flare up. Despite concerns from some members that the troika would impinge on ASEAN's tradition of not meddling in each other's affairs, Surin said the ministers agreed to give "more latitude" on the issue. In emergencies, it could be activated on the say-so of the chairman of the ASEAN standing committee, instead of waiting for a consensus, he said. "This is to ensure that ASEAN will win the confidence of the international community, will be effective and relevant in changing the situation in our region." ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Monday July 24 6:43 AM ET
By GRANT PECK, Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The use of children as soldiers in armed conflicts appears to be increasing in Indonesia, the Philippines and Laos, a group opposed to the practice said Monday. Appealing to countries attending meetings this week of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the London-based Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers urged the nations to declare the region a ``child soldier free zone.'' The non-governmental group also said in a report that military-ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, has one of the highest numbers of child soldiers of any country in the world, both within the army and in the ethnic and other armed groups pitted against it. ``ASEAN and its dialogue partners have come to recognize that these armed conflicts have an impact on the security of the entire region and require a concerted response,'' the group said. Such a response is unlikely since ASEAN members are reluctant to criticize the affairs of other countries in the group. That may be changing, however, as Thai officials are pushing for a new attitude that would allow more involvement in other nations' affairs. ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, also known as Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. According to the coalition, there are about 300,000 children fighting as soldiers in more than 30 countries worldwide. In recent years in the Asia-Pacific region, tens of thousands have been recruited, sometimes forcibly, into government and insurgent groups. The coalition says the problem is most serious in Cambodia and Myanmar, but that ``there are clear signs of escalating problems in Indonesia, the Philippines and Laos.'' In Myanmar, it claimed, children often under 15 years of age are sometimes attracted by the prestige and power of becoming soldiers, but many - especially orphans and street children - are forced to join. The military regime has denied such practices. The presence of child soldiers is well-established among ethnic insurgent groups. Many are orphans whose parents were killed by the Myanmar security forces. There are fears a similar situation could arise in Laos, where a small insurgency by members of the Hmong highland minority has grown more active, the report said. In Indonesia, there have been alarming signs of the recruitment of children by armed groups, both aligned with and opposed to the government, in restive regions such as Aceh, West Papua and Maluku. Monday, July 24 1:56 AM SGT ASEAN Meeting To OpenBy MATTHEW PENNINGTON, Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - North Korea's attendance at a regional security forum here this week - a major step toward breaking decades of isolation - will likely grab headlines, but the meeting's hosts will also be grappling with their own issues of cooperation and openness. At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual round of ministerial meetings, beginning Monday, the 10 ASEAN nations will consider measures which could for the first time open up the problems of each member-state to the scrutiny of the others. The prospect is not appreciated by ASEAN's more closed societies, who look upon it as interference in domestic affairs. Thailand, the outgoing chair of ASEAN, has called for a revamping of the group ever since it failed to effectively respond to Asia's 1997 economic crisis and the social upheaval that followed. At Thailand's bidding, ASEAN ministers will consider the idea of establishing a ministerial ``troika'' - a three-country diplomatic squad to address regional crises such as forest fires that spread haze over frontiers and last year's violence in East Timor. In addition, transnational crime, including trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings, will be discussed at the ASEAN Regional Forum for the first time. Both measures begin to breach a founding principle of ASEAN, set up with five members 33 years ago as a Cold War bulwark against communism: that a country's internal affairs, particularly its politics, are its own affair. ASEAN now comprises liberal democracies like Thailand and the Philippines as well as one-party regimes such as Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar, also known as Burma. The other members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. ``The time has come for us to enhance our interaction to make ASEAN relevant for the new globalized world,'' Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said at a press conference last week. Yet efforts to broaden cooperation beyond traditional areas like trade and investment - for example, into cross-border concerns like drugs and terrorism - could run into opposition. Myanmar, for example, is unlikely to welcome a discussion about drugs: The military-run nation is the world's second-largest producer of heroin and a big supplier of methamphetamine tablets to Thailand, though it says it is doing all it can to combat the drug menace. Meanwhile, the Thai proposal to institute a troika system modeled on the European Union's three-nation ad hoc group for urgent issues could be shot down. ``Personally, I think that the troika is a good idea but don't think it will go through easily,'' said Eric Teo, honorary secretary of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Council, an independent think-tank. ``Unlike the EU, ASEAN may not be quite ready for it.'' The ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia's biggest security conference, is already attended by countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and China, and this year, North Korea will participate for the first time. The move comes just weeks after communist North Korea and pro-Western South Korea held a historic summit, beginning a thaw in their long-icy relations. Australian Broadcasting Corporation- July 24, 2000. Burma dismisses exclusion from EU agreement Burma has played down its exclusion
from a cooperation agreement with the European Union which its neighbours will
sign this week. Bangkok Post - July 24, 2000. ASEAN /
NARCOTICS
Thai-Burma drug-busting pledge as
meeting opens
Win Aung: Onus not on Rangoon
alone
Saritdet Marukatat and hanravee
Tansubhapol Thailand and Burma pledged to step up
co-operation against drug trafficking yesterday as Asean foreign ministers
braced to review regional efforts at their annual meeting opening today. The issue was prominent in talks between Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan and
his Burmese counterpart Win Aung on the eve of the 33rd Asean Ministerial
Meeting. Mr Surin said the two sides agreed to activate all existing mechanisms to end
drug trafficking and other cross-border problems, and to accelerate
exchanges. "From now on there will be quicker movement to resolve existing common
problems between our countries," he said after the 40-minute meeting. Thai-Burmese relations have been strained since Burmese dissidents stormed
the Burmese embassy in Bangkok in October, and raided a hospital in Ratchaburi
in January. Mr Win Aung stressed that Burma alone should not be blamed for the drug
problems and emphasised the need to tackle them "co-operatively". He noted that
chemicals, equipment and know-how came from an unnamed "other country" but
quickly added that this included all countries bordering Burma. He also claimed that his government seized 17 million methamphetamine pills
this year. Mr Surin referred to the pledge made in April last year by the two prime
ministers, Chuan Leekpai and Than Shwe, for closer co-operation against drugs
along their 2,400km border. Besides drugs, Mr Surin and his Burmese counterpart also discussed illegal
Burmese workers, refugees, and the suspension of Thai fishery concessions in
Burma, sources added. Mr Surin said drug problems would be discussed at the ministerial meeting
today and tomorrow as well as at the Asean Regional Forum on Thursday. The Asean ministers are due to review progress on the ground since their
agreement in Manila in 1998 to establish the region as a drug-free zone by the
year 2020, sources said. Mr Surin is also under urging from a regional human rights working group,
which he received yesterday, to raise at the ministerial meeting discussion of
their draft for the establishment of an Asean Human Rights Commission. Somchai Homla-or, a Thai member of the working group, said the minister
agreed to do so. But Mr Surin said the ministers would have to be briefed by
their senior officials first. Thailand, he stressed, had supported the idea of setting up a regional human
rights mechanism since the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Singapore in 1993 gave
the greenlight for it. The working group has asked Asean to set up a "study group" and to organise a
region-wide forum of discussion on the question. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations groups Brunei, Burma, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. High on the agenda of their ministerial meeting is Thailand's proposal for a
troika system of timely troubleshooting that was spurred by Asean's failure to
react effectively to the financial crisis and East Timor. The member states have so far agreed on the composition of past, present and
future Asean chairmen. But some, including Cambodia, have questioned the
troika's mandate out of concern that it might go against the grouping's
non-interference principle. The Burmese foreign minister said his country supported the idea but he
stressed the need for ministers to work out details. The troika would not be a
decision-making body, he added The Nation - July 24,
2000.
Fresh impetus for Thai-Burma
anti-drug effort
THAILAND and Burma have agreed to step up cooperation on the suppression of
illicit drug production along their common border, following months of strained
relations caused by a hostage incident at the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok last
October.
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, speaking to reporters after a meeting with
his Burmese counterpart U Win Aung, said existing mechanisms between the two
countries to deal with drug trafficking would be bolstered so that all forms of
co-operation could be accelerated.
"You will see from now on that there will be movements (that are) quicker,"
said Surin, adding that it was in the interest of both countries to make their
2,400-plus-kilometre common border area a peaceful and prosperous one.
The meeting between the two countries' top envoys was an attempt to revive
the promises their leaders had made at talks in Chiang Rai in March last year, a
Thai source said.
At that meeting, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and his Burmese counterpart,
General Than Shwe, agreed to work closely to eliminate drug trafficking and
production along their border.
Impressed with Thailand's crop-substitution programmes for the country's
hilltribe ethnic groups, Burma requested assistance from the Royal Project to
help it implement a similar initiative.
But the cooperation, as well as overall bilateral ties between the two
countries, nose dived when a group of armed dissidents stormed the Burmese
Embassy in Bangkok last October, holding diplomats and civilians at gunpoint and
demanding the junta release all political prisoners.
Rangoon was upset at the Thai authorities' handling of the incident, accusing
them of using "kid gloves" to deal with the dissidents, whom they called
"terrorists".
The Thai source said that as a result of yesterday's meeting, the Regional
Border Committees, one of the bilateral mechanisms chaired by the area's Army
commander, would meet more often.
In recent years, millions of metamphetamines produced along the Thai-Burmese
border by drug armies and warlords have flooded into Thailand.
Thai narcotics officials have said privately that Rangoon is not serious
about the problem, pointing to its lack of action against the 20,000-strong
United Wa State Army (UWSA) and its illegal operations along the border.
Win Aung said Burma should not be singled out over the problem, adding that
neighbouring countries, including Thailand, need to do more to curb the flow of
pre-cursor chemicals needed to make these illicit drugs. More than 70 million
metamphetamine pills were seized by the Rangoon government in this past year, he
said.
"We have already agreed that nobody should put this thing (drug production)
as the responsibility of one government," Win Aung said. "For example,
chemicals, how can you produce amphetamines without them?"
In a separate meeting with representatives from the regional working group on
human rights, Surin said he is positive about the "x-minus-y" formula as a good
alternative approach. Under the 'x-minus-y' formula, member countries will be
allowed to join the proposed Asean human rights commission at their own pace and
the ratification of the agreement to establish the commission by three countries
will put the body into effect.
He was also quoted by Prapan Hutasingh, who heads the working group, as
saying that he would try his best to include the setting up of the commission in
the foreign ministers' joint communique.
"We hope the word 'commission' appears in the joint communique not just
'mechanism'," said Chulalongkorn University law professor Vitit Muntarbhorn.
Such mention would be groundbreaking and represent a concrete step towards its
establishment.
According to Vitit, the body once set up must be independent and play a
supplementary role when national remedy did not function. The commission will
consist of seven members elected from signatory states who "shall" consult with
other non-state parties prior to decisions. Supamart Kasem
The provincial chamber of commerce proposes to
tackle five problems in cross-border trade and strengthen co-operation between
Thailand and Burma. Its proposal will be presented at a meeting of the joint public and private
sectors committee to solve economic problems on Tuesday in Mae Sot district. Panithi Tangphati, chairman of Tak's Chamber of Commerce, said obstacles to
cross-border trade include the lack of an agency to co-ordinate problem-solving
in case of trade disputes, a lack of close relations between local border
officials of both countries, and the poor condition of cross-border trade
routes. Other problems include strict immigration procedures deterring Burmese from
visiting Thai border provinces, as well as the historical distrust between the
two peoples, he said. Under the proposal, an organisation should be set up to co-ordinate work of
the Local Thai-Burmese Border Committee (TBC), Regional Thai Burmese Border
Committee and Joint Border Committee (JC). The government should set aside budgets for border provinces to organise
activities to improve relations between Thai and Burmese border officials. Thailand should fund the mending of a major cross-border trade route linking
Mae Sot to Myawaddy, Moulmein and Rangoon, in exchange for more co-operation
from Burma on trade and tourism. Burmese tourists should be allowed to enter Thailand for holidays using only
border passes in cases where they buy package tours from authorised tour
agents. Mr Panithi said the issue of labour shortage in the industrial sector in
border provinces due to a ban on employing alien labour will be raised by the
provincial industrial council at next week's meeting. Manop Mangsuwan, deputy chairman of Tak's Industrial Council, said 66
industrial factories in border areas of this province were facing labour
shortages as they could not find enough Thais to replace Burmese workers. Bangkok Post - July 24, 2000.
Thailand and China may take matters into their
own hands and hold talks with the United Wa State Army about drug smuggling from
Burma and the Golden Triangle. Beijing officials who accompanied Vice-President Hu Jintao to Rangoon last
week were pessimistic about the chances of dealing with the problem through
diplomatic channels. Chinese and Thai experts discussed a number of options including the
possibility that the Wa might discuss a deal which did not include Rangoon,
diplomats said. Foreign sources were unclear whether the Wa has actually approached China but
recent reports suggested Wa leaders might hold policy talks with foreign
diplomats in Thailand. Southern China has been hit almost as hard as Thailand by the massive drug
movements. Organised crime, drug addiction and Aids have risen from virtually
nothing in less than a decade. The huge rise in crime and social problems took China by surprise, prompting
Beijing to execute hundreds of drug dealers and other criminals. Diplomatic sources said Mr Hu was shocked last week by the lack of urgency
and co-operation from Rangoon in dealing with the drug problem. When he offered "significant" Chinese aid to fund crop substitution
programmes in northern Burma the military junta reportedly accepted the aid but
could not guarantee a reduction in opium or heroin output. "China would like to keep this quiet and deal with Rangoon, but the
[military] junta won't co-operate," said one foreign source. Teerawat Khumtita
Extreme care must be taken in granting
citizenship to hilltribe people, as many are foreigners and not entitled to Thai
nationality, the Third Army deputy chief warned. Maj-Gen Pathompong Kesornsuk said these people pose a threat to national
security. Effective screening measures need to be put in place to ensure transparency
in the process, he said. To be eligible for citizenship they should have to demonstrate a belief in
the constitutional monarchy. Those who could not should retain immigrant status and be subject to
controls. Maj-Gen Pathompong said there were fears problems like deforestation and
smuggling of drugs and war weapons would intensify in Chiang Rai province after
the Mae Fa Luang-Mae Chan districts security programme ends next year. There are an estimated 300,000 hilltribe people in border districts of the
northern province. An informed source said some local leaders in Chiang Rai demand 5,000-50,000
baht from foreigners wanting Thai nationality. Last year, Mae Fa Luang district chief Chainarong Boonwiwatanakarn said seven
assistant village headmen and healthcare volunteers were fired for their
involvement in helping foreigners apply unlawfully for citizenship. About 17,000 of the estimated 70,000 highlanders in Chiang Rai applying for
Thai nationality were granted citizenship. About 30,000 were found to be outsiders posing as hilltribe people, reports
said. The Nation - July 24,
2000.
Human rights to be on agenda
ASEAN has decided to put the issue of human rights and the creation of a
regional body to promote and protect universal rights on its official agenda for
future action, according to an informed source.
The issue was discussed at the informal dinner on Sunday and taken up again
during the retreat yesterday.
Although there was no consensus among members, there seemed to be agreement
that Asean needed to seriously pursue the proposal.
At the 1993 Asean ministerial meeting in Singapore, Asean agreed to find an
appropriate regional mechanism on human rights. Seven years have elapsed, but
Asean has yet to take up the issue officially.
In 199, an informal group called Working Group for An Asean Human Rights
Mechanism discussed ways to implement the Asean decision.
Four Asean states -the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia - have
now set up national human-rights monitoring bodies. Thailand is in the process
of selecting 11 members for its National Human Rights Commission, which is due
to be established soon.
Efforts are also under way to establish a national working group in Singapore
to determine focal points on human rights in other Asean countries.
The Working Group formally submitted its "Draft Agreement on the
Establishment of the Asean Human Rights Commission" to senior officials over the
weekend.
The draft calls for the setting up of a permanent human-rights commission
with the main function of promoting and protecting human rights in the Asean
region.
In his opening speech to the 33rd Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) yesterday,
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said the working group had presented the
mechanism for member states' consideration.
Thai and foreign non-governmental organisations called yesterday for Asean to
establish a regional body to monitor and protect human security in the Asean
member states.
Philippine Foreign Minister Domingo Siazon urged other Asean members "to
study the various proposals" advanced by the working group.
A letter from the group, led by Somchai Homla-or of the Bangkok-based Forum
Asia, was handed to Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra. Somchai
handed copies of the letter to Asean ministers attending the meeting here.
Somchai told Sukhumbhand the group supported Asean's proposal to set up a
"troika" system to help solve misunderstandings or conflicts among Asean states.
The group also expressed strong support for the Asean Vision 2020, which
would make the regional grouping a more unified and dynamic community of caring
societies. It also urged Asean to promote more human security in its member
states.
"Asean should have regional mechanisms to monitor and provide protection for
the people, particularly the young and the poor and disadvantaged," Somchai
said.
Asean should be a negotiating body with superpowers that pays attention to
the poor and the disadvantaged, instead of the elite and the private sector, he
said.
Sukhumbhand told the group Asean and the Thai government shared the group's
concerns and had tried hard to expand the agenda of cooperation to cover human
security.
"We, Asean states and the Thai government, have been working towards real
security which will cover human security for the sake of Asean," Sukhumbhand
said.
Somchai said the group's letter was based on the conclusion of the "Asean
2000 and Beyond: Putting People First" meeting in Bangkok on Friday. The
symposium was organised by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, the
Asian Cultural Forum for Development and the Alternative Asean Network on Burma.
Somchai also asked Sukhumbhand to give a CD-Rom of Burmese Opposition Party
leader Aung San Suu Kyi's speech for the 33rd AMM to all Asean member states,
including Burma.
The Nation- July 25, 2000. Call for top-level talks on drugs
with Burma
THE government should seek anti-drugs cooperation at the national level from
its Burmese counterparts, the Third Army Region commander said yesterday.
The northern border drugs prevention and suppression centre reported that
drugs-producing factories in Burma opposite to the Thai border were a major
obstacle to fighting narcotics problems in recent years, Lt General Wattanachai
Chaimuanwong said.
"We see before our eyes that those factories are there but can do nothing
because they are beyond our jurisdiction," he said.
Anti-drugs officials could only attempted to block traffic flow into the
country, Wattanachai said, and although the result was satisfactory, lots of
drugs particularly methamphetamines still flooded in and caused trouble in
Thailand.
The administrations of both countries should hold talks to boost bilateral
anti-drugs efforts, he said, explaining that the northern Thai centre was ready
to tackle the problem but local agencies in Burma usually dodged their
responsibilities.
"They kept saying that an order from their superior office was needed before
they could take any action," Wattanachai said.
He also suggested a special taskforce should be formed in both countries to
patrol areas the same way Thailand and Malaysia had done in a bid to curb the
spread of drugs.
Meanwhile, Wattanachai said the command centre planned to intensify its
checks on suspected drugs traffic on roads, railways and aerial routes. He said
railways received a major focus as reports showed more and more drugs had been
transported by rail and that Sila-art railway junction in Uttaradit was a drugs
"depot".
Wattanachai also said the centre required cooperation from minority groups
who lived in villages along border to tackle the narcotics problem.
Infrastructure and job opportunities should be made available for them to woo
their support, he said.
Thai nationality should be granted to certain people in exchange for their
cooperation in anti-drugs efforts, Wattanachai said.
The Nation - July 25, 2000. Call for ban on children in
warfare
ASEAN should declare itself a "child-soldier-free zone," the London-based
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers urged Asean foreign ministers and
their dialogue partners meeting here this week.
"Tens of thousands of children are recruited, sometimes forcibly, into
governmental armed forces, paramilitary and non-governmental armed groups across
the region," said Rory Mungoven, coordinator of the international NGO network.
"The worst affected countries in Southeast Asia are Burma and Cambodia, but
there are clear warning signs of escalating problems in Indonesia, the
Philippines and Laos."
The Coalition published a 50-page report on military recruitment and use of
children across Asean. Burma figures among those countries which have the
maximum number of has one of the world's largest child soldiers, estimated at
50,000.
A senior Thai official said that the issue had not been discussed among the
Asean ministers but there was a possibility because the dialogue partners could
raise the issue within the Asean Regional Forum as preventive diplomacy and in
the post-ministerial conference later this week.
"Asean and its dialogue partners have come to recognise that these armed
conflicts have an impact on the security of the entire region and require a
concerted response. Preventing the use of child soldiers, ensuring their
demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration into society must be an
integral part of regional peace-building efforts," the report said.
The NGO argued that Asean was well placed to take the international lead in
addressing this problem.
"Most Asean members already prohibit military recruitment and deployment of
children under 18," Mungoven said. "Only Burma and Singapore routinely recruit
under-18s."
Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand all have national
legislation which sets 18 as the minimum age for military recruitment. Malaysia
accepts officer cadets at 17 years and six months but otherwise fixes 18 as the
minimum age for recruitment. The situation in Brunei and Laos is unclear.
Singapore recruits from 16 and six months and Burma as young as twelve, often
forcibly.
"This is one child-labour issue on which many Asean states are ahead of their
dialogue and security partners. The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and
New Zealand all recruit under 18: the UK routinely sends 17-year-olds into
combat," Mungoven said.
The Coalition called on Asean to follow other regional and international
groupings such as the Organisation of African Unity, the Economic Cooperation
Organisation of West African States, the Organisation of African States, the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union and the
Group of Eightin endorsing the new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child that prohibits the use of children in conflict.
"Cambodia became the first Asian state to sign the new Optional Protocol in
June this year: other Asean members should follow suit and work together to
implement this ban," Mungoven said.
The NGO called on governments and armed groups throughout the Asean region to
immediately demobilise any children under 18 currently in training or serving in
their ranks and to work with community groups to prevent this kind of abuse.
"Asean has already declared itself a nuclear-free zone; the time has come to
ban the use of children as weapons of war as well."
Representatives from Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia attended a recent
regional conference in Kathmandu on banning child soldiers in the Asia-Pacific
area. Thailand is considering signing the new Optional Protocol in the near
future.
The Nation BBC -Monday, 24 July,
2000, 06:50 GMT 07:50 UK But Thailand, this year's host of the Association of South East
Asian Nations (Asean), is also urging change to the organisation itself.
It wants to introduce an idea borrowed from the European Union,
where a miniterial troika from three member states would formulate policy in
times of crisis.
It has stressed the need for Asean to speed up its
decision-making process, after past criticism of its failure to respond to
regional crises.
"The challenge before us now is how to deepen our cooperative
endeavours," Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai told the conference in his opening
address.
"Such an approach is all the more important if we are to keep up with other
regional organisations and remain relevant in an increasingly dynamic and
globalised world."
Past events which have provoked criticism over Asean's apparent inability to
respond have included the 1997 financial crash and the bloodshed in East Timor.
But correspondents say it is unlikely such a plan will gain the consensus it
needs.
Vietnam has already given an early hint of its opposition.
Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien said during his opening address that Asean
had been bound together by principles of consensus and non-interference in each
others affairs.
Forest fires
Ministers at the conference will also discuss the persistent degradation of
south east Asia's environment, including deforestation.
In recent months, continued clearing and burning of forested areas and fires
sparked by dry weather have caused a recurrence of south east Asia's notorious
smog problem.
A tentative step is also being made to propose a regional human rights
commission.
But it would have limited powers to tackle abuses, and no investigative remit
unless individual nations signed up to it.
Security review
After their two-day meeting, Asean ministers will be joined by their
counterparts from key regional players such as the United States, Japan, Russia,
China, South Korea, Australia and Canada for the Asean Regional Security Forum
(ARF).
North Korea will joined the talks for the first time and its Foreign
Minister, Paek Nam Sun, is to meet the US Secretary of State, Madeleine
Albright. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though it promptly cut off official development aid (ODA) to Burma
following the brutal military crackdown on democracy protesters on August 8,
1988 (known as 8888) and in the weeks following, Japan now plans to provide
so-called humanitarian aid worth US$10 million to Burma each year, according to
a June 10 Asahi Shinbun report. This
is clear evidence that Japan is supporting the
junta. The military government of Burma is among the world's worst drug
offenders. It gives safe haven to
drug kingpins like Khun Sa and is one of the main sources opium, the raw
material for deadly drugs such as heroin.
Yet while other countries are taking drastic action against the junta,
Japan is helping the narco-dictators through the back door by giving money
ostensibly to cultivate buckwheat. Japan cannot verify that this money will go
to crop substitution, Japan’s action may merely pour fuel on the fire.
For the upcoming G-8 summit in Okinawa July 21-23, Japan is
publicly advocating the preservation of rainforests, yet at the same time it is
helping the Electric Power Corporation of Japan to dam the Salween River in
Burma, a project that will submerge vast tracts of rainforest and displace
ethnic minority communities. Thus Japan shows one face for its fellow
industrialized nations and a very different one to developing nations like
Burma. The International Labor Organizaton recently condemned the junta
for using forced labor and warned it to stop its human rights abuses or face
worldwide punishment by year-end.
Japan’s reaction was to shamelessly criticise the ILO for its decision
and admonition. While we understand
Japan's fear of pointing a finger at a nation which uses forced labor in light
of its widespread use of the practice during the World War II (including in
Burma), Japan’s request that a
compromise should be found between the ILO and Burma amounts to aiding the unlawful activities of Burma’s
junta. Japan, which is trying very hard to become a member of the UN Security Council, is arresting
democracy activists seeking refugee in Japan and sending them back to Burma,
where they face persecution. Japan
refuses to accept as refugees even those so recognised by the UNHCR. How can a Japan, which cannot even give
refuge to a few "persons of concern" within its own borders, be trusted to
provide security to the rest of the world? During a junta-sponsored concert on May 24,
1999, in Tokyo, two Burmese democracy activists were beaten by agroup of the military junta’s
people. There is evidence enough of
photographs, videotapes, and eyewitness.
It has recently come to light, however, that the prosecutor conceded that
the case cannot be tried due to insufficient evidence. We think the real reason is pressure
from the Japanese government. The
outcome in this case, where a court is not allowed to punish the wrongdoers, is
an insult not only to the actual victims but also to human rights and last but
not least to all Burmese democracy activists. It shows that administration of justice
in Japan has a long way to go. Keeping its own economic gains in mind, Japan invited junta
Brigadier General Kyaw Win to Japan at January 1999. More recently, Japan invited hated junta
leader Khin Nyunt, who is responsible for the killings of democracy activists
during 8888, to attend Prime Minister Obuchi’s funeral last month. It has used such occasions to help
legalise the ruling junta which has not transferred governmental powers to the
elected parliamentarians of the 1990 elections. For all of the above
reasons, and because Japan historically has been more responsive to outside
pressure, we call on our friends around the world to take a stand against
Japan's policy toward Burma. (Send your protest letter to Japanese Government and Japanese
Bussiness Companies before August 8. Stage demonstration in front of Japanese
Embassies around the world.) Burmese Association in Japan Burma Youth Volunteer Association - Japan Burmese Women Union - Japan Branch Students' Organisation for Liberation of
Burma. |