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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA RELATED NEWS - SEP 17, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AP - Myanmar Junta Denounce Suu Kyi
AFP - Asian political leaders study proposal for
"Asian parliament"
AFP - German minister urges Asia to keep markets
open, finish reforms
The Daily Star - Suu Kyi's Determind
Struggle
AP - Officials: junta leader's home attacked in
Ivory Coast
AP - Myanmar junta calls democracy leaders
`satan'
Bkk Post - NARCOTICS - Company under probe for
drugs link
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday September 18 2:49 AM ET
Myanmar Junta Denounce Suu Kyi By AYE AYE WIN, Associated Press Writer
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A
government newspaper Monday urged people not to join with democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, calling her the ``satan of destruction,'' intent only on
confronting Myanmar's nationalist rulers.
'``Relying on the international community and in collusion with foreign
countries, she makes confrontation and tries to cause difficulty to the
government,'' read a commentary in Myanma Alin.
``As the strength of a nation lies within the country I want to urge the
people to prevent and to be aware of the dangers of destructionist ax-handles,''
the article said. Ax-handle is a way of describing a traitor in Myanmar, also
known as Burma.
Myanmar's state media have stepped up their near-daily dose of criticism
against Suu Kyi during the last three weeks as she and her National League for
Democracy party were locked in a test of wills with the government.
It started on Aug. 24, when security forces blocked her car as she tried to
travel outside Yangon for party work. She camped out in the open for nine days
before being forcibly hauled back to the capital on Sept 1.
Then she and eight top party leaders were kept under virtual house arrest
for two weeks until the security restrictions were lifted last Thursday.
Suu Kyi has said she will defy the government again and try to travel
outside soon.
``This is confrontational. I wonder if her conscience is clear,'' the
Myanma Alin article said.
Only the military, ``who are the national forces, ... can work for the
benefit of the country. Anyone that joins hands with destructive forces will
work for the destruction of the country,'' the article said.
``It is obvious that Mrs. Michael Aris, alias Daw Suu Kyi, is the satan of
destruction delivered by Western colonialists,'' it said, referring to her late
husband, Michael Aris.
The commentary came on the 12th anniversary of the rise to power of the
current military regime. Thousands of people were killed in the crackdown
against a nationwide protest for civilian rule.
The August-September 1988 upheaval catapulted Suu Kyi, the daughter of
Myanmar's independence hero, Aung San, to political prominence. She later formed
the National League for Democracy but was put under house arrest from 1989 until
1995. Her party won national elections in 1990 but the junta never recognized
the results.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, September 18 5:44 PM SGT
Asian political leaders study proposal
for "Asian parliament"
MANILA, Sept 18 (AFP) - Asian
political leaders across the spectrum reviewed a draft proposal on Monday for
the creation of an "Asian parliament," along with an Asian monetary fund and a
common currency.
The leaders, gathered at the First International Confererence of Asian
Political Parties here, also called for greater regional cooperation and
stressed the need to be more accountable to the public.
Delegates, on the second day of the conference, were working on a proposal
for the creation of an Asian parliament, a regional monetary fund and a common
currency aimed at achieving political integration on the European model,
organizers said.
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto said in a speech to the
conference, that "whilst the goal of an Asian parliament, an Asian trading
currency and an Asian monetary fund appear a distant dream, this... first step
indicates our will to adjust to globalization."
Bhutto admitted there were many obstacles to this goal, remarking that
"freedom is still under assault in parts of Asia, including Burma (Myanmar) and
my own country of Pakistan."
But she said Asia must respond to the demands of globalization by
"identifying common institutions, laws and procedures enabling our nations to
move forward in an Asian rhythm."
The wording of the proposal for an Asian parliament was still being worked
on, organizers said, adding they hoped to release it by Tuesday.
The conference is also preparing a proposal calling on Asian monetary
authorities to work more closely together with the aim of eventually creating an
"Asian monetary fund."
Such a fund had been firmly opposed by the United States when it was first
raised during the height of the 1997 Asian crisis for fear that it would compete
with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and allow countries to avoid economic
reforms.
However the organizers said the proposal would call for the envisaged Asian
monetary fund to "work cooperatively with the IMF."
In a speech to the conference, Cambodian parliamentary president Prince
Norodom Ranariddh admitted that "after so many years of war and conflict, the
level of suspicion and mistrust (in Asia) is very high."
"We should neither continue to be heavily burdened by our past nor do we
need to be blind to our history. Instead, we must concentrate on the future
where there are vast opportunities ... in all areas and at all levels of
cooperation," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, September 18 2:57 PM SGT
German minister urges Asia to keep markets open, finish reforms KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (AFP) -
German Economics and Technology Minister Werner Muller urged Asian nations
Monday to keep their markets open and complete structural reforms as the region
recovers from economic crisis.
"We must keep markets open, particularly when times are difficult. That
sounds simple but is not self-evident," he said when opening a two-day
conference for some 500 top German businessmen in the region.
Muller said Asian nations were implementing thorough economic and financial
reforms but the process "must not be allowed to stop when it is
half-finished."
"The crisis has taught us that any country wishing to remain
internationally competitive needs to open itself up to foreign investors and to
aim at alliances with international partners," he said.
Muller called for the intensification of efforts to launch a new round of
trade liberalisation talks under the World Trade Organisation, saying this was
vital to "stop any new protectionist tendencies from emerging."
An open world trade system could also become a "buffer" to alleviate the
impact of regional shocks on the world economy, he said.
While Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand were supportive of a new
round, Muller said there was "great scepticism" among developing countries in
Asia-Pacific with India playing a key role as "opinion leader."
The Asia-Europe summit in Seoul next month ought to provide a "strong
signal" for a new WTO round, he added.
In Asia, Muller said there was still "enormous needs" for infrastructure
development particularly in the areas of transportation, energy, water supply
and telecommunications.
German companies welcomed plans by the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) to accelerate economic integration through the creation of a
free trade area and an investment area after rebounding from its crisis, he
said.
But he said the "economic systems and economic policies of the various
ASEAN countries still diverge too greatly for a process of economic integration
to commence."
Muller said a critical point was that less developed countries in the
grouping -- Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia -- still have the "remains of
central planning" in their economic structures.
"These are preventing the market economy from taking root."
A uniform market framework was needed for intensified ASEAN
cooperation.
"Competition under globalised market conditions also makes this structural
adjustment necessary."
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Muller is accompanied by key members of the German parliament on his first
visit to Malaysia.
In his speech, he said, German's investment in Malaysia, its second largest
destination for investment in Southeast Asia, was picking up following the end
of the economic crisis.
The two-day business conference will be followed by a "matchmaking
sesssion" to help small and medium-sized industries from Malaysia and Germany to
find suitable partners, he said.
Malaysian Energy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Leo Moggie told
the conference that German companies invested 49.1 billion dollars in the
country's manufacturing sector last year.
The biennial conference is being held in parallel with a meeting of all
German ambassadors in Asia, and a German education fair.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Daily Star - Sep 17,
2000.
Suu Kyi's Determind
Struggle
By Zaglul Ahmed
MYANMAR is not in the South Asian region. It is, in a way, a go-between
between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Nonetheless, it is at the vicinity of our
region and developments surrounding it evoke interests for obvious
reasons.
Myanmar is a member-state of the ASEAN. In Southeast Asian countries,
democracy is showing greater commitment in recent times than before. When a
South Asian country like Pakistan reverts to military rule causing frustration
in democratic South Asia, a major nation in Southeast Asia has a government that
can be characterised largely democratic given the history of that country. It is
Indonesia where an army dictator finally bowed to the pro-democracy forces that
eventually led to a government headed by President Abdur Rahman Wahid. While
Malaysia remains firmly entrenched in democratic rule and its leader Mahathir
Mohammad has established himself as one of the longest serving democratically
elected head of the government in the region, Indonesia's quest for democracy is
yet not over.
The Myanmar case is well known across the world. But certain developments
relating to the nature of its governance and its pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi has come to the fore in recent days highlighting the treatment being
meted out to the Nobel laureate. Restrictions were imposed on Suu Kyi's movement
some time ago when she was barred from travelling outside Yangon. She was going
to meet her supporters on August 24 at Dala but the police stopped her and the
group travelling with her at the outskirts of the capital. This was Suu Kyi's
first trip outside Yangon in last two years and she had to spend in car, locked
in a tense stand-off with government officials. When she and the group were
forcibly taken back to the capital, the episode once again drew international
attention revolving a leader who was denied her electoral victory and is often
coming under harsh treatment from the military regime. She was not convinced by
arguments of the government that she was stopped because of "lack of security"
measures required for the visit.
She was detained again and this triggered off criticisms from the
democratic world, particularly from the United States and the European Union,
against the Myanmar government, asking the authorities to release the
pro-democracy leader from house arrest and withdraw all kinds of restrictions
imposed on her freedom of movement.
Then the government lifted some restrictions and allowed her visitors for
the first time since the stand-off. Western diplomats visited her and said both
Suu Kyi and the chief of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Tin Oo looked
thinner than they used to be. The government said Suu Kyi and other opposition
leaders who were placed under house arrest since September 2 no longer needed to
stay at home. The NDL leaders, however, deplored because their headquarters
still remain closed and relaxation in the restrictions since the opposition
leaders were under house arrest were not anything encouraging. The ban for them
on travelling outside the capital still stands.
But for Suu Kyi, the lifting of the ban is not enough. She said she would
make a trip outside Yangon in next few days. "It is high time that the
government stops restrictions on our right to operate as a political party," she
was quoted to have said. She turned the table on the authorities saying, it was
up to the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council), which is the ruling junta,
to choose any line of action it likes. The latest situation brings into sharp
focus another ordeal that seems to be in the offing involving the pro-democracy
leader and the authorities. Because, any attempt by her to travel outside Yangon
is likely to be met with adequate measures from the government, since the
restrictions on trips outside the capital still stands. This is expected to come
close on the heels of the recent stand-off on her way to Dala. Two years ago,
Suu Kyi spent 13 days in car after being prevented from leaving Yangon. She had
to give up her protest suffering from dehydration. For the leader who is
struggling to establish democracy in the country, nothing is unexpected since
she took up the task as a principled position.
Suu Kyi, daughter of slain Burmese nationalist leader General Aung San,
lived in London where she studded and married a British but returned to Myanmar
in 1988. She felt the nation should have popular system of governance. She
quickly emerged as a pro-democracy leader and her movement won 82 per cent of
the votes in the national elections of 1990 reflecting the wish of the people
towards democracy. But the military refused to relinquish power and Suu Kyi
alleged massive repression against her supporters while she herself was detained
in various phases. She believes in non-violence and is greatly inspired by
leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King JR. She urges the regime to
settle political differences through dialogue and negotiations. She won hearts
of the people of Myanmar and her tireless campaign for democratic principles won
her the Nobel Peace award. The struggle to restore democracy in the country
began in 1962 when the military seized power and Suu Kyi provided the kind of
push and encouragement needed to the objective after her return from London.
However, it has to be admitted that the pro-democracy forces in Myanmar
faces a daunting task in their mission since the regime has built up a system
over the years which is strong and unlikely to crack easily. It says that
military has successfully given security and development to a country which was
mired with manifold problems. It also says that the transformation of the nation
is taking place as far as the economic development and progress are concerned.
The government ridicules Suu Kyi's claim that only a representative government
can meet the aspirations of Myanmar people. True, the long running campaign by
the democratic leader has aroused deep emotions among the people but this will
be naive to think that she and her supporters will be able to make much dent in
the ruling base of the regime.
The junta's frequent harsh measures help Suu Kyi earn sympathy but
unfortunately there is little likelihood that the situation would explode in
anything uprising in the near future. But the strength of the Myanmar popular
leader lies in the massive support and sympathy she enjoys across the world. The
world leaders at the recent Millennium Summit in New York deplored Myanmar
government to for treating Suu Kye undemocratically. Suu Kyi has thanked UN
secretary general Kofi Anan for the support during her car ordeal and also
expressed gratefulness to the world leaders who morally stood by her.
Undoubtedly, Suu Kye faces an uphill task in her campaign to restore
democracy in the country. It is possible that she can see the light at the end
of the tunnel. However, this may be a long way. Democracy in this Southeast
Asian nation would certainly encourage flourishment of representative government
in this part of the world and nearby regions. Suu Kyi deserves appreciation for
her uninterrupted struggle to ensure reflection of popular will in the
governance.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: junta leader's home attacked
in Ivory Coast
By TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press Writer
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Sep 18, 2000 (AP) -- Machine-gun fire echoed through the streets
near the home of Ivory Coast's junta leader Monday, amid growing tensions in the
military over pay disputes and deep political and ethnic divisions.
Shortly after dawn, however, the shooting stopped and civilians began
venturing into the streets.
In a state radio broadcast, Information Minister Henri Cesar Sama said the
private home of Gen. Robert Guei, in an upscale residential neighborhood on the
edge of downtown Abidjan, came under fire by "isolated elements" of armed men,
who were driven back by loyalist forces. Other officials said the attackers wore
civilian clothing.
Sporadic shooting was also heard in the pre-dawn hours in other
neighborhoods around Abidjan, the main city in this West African nation.
"The counterattack was fatal, swift and hard," Sama said, accusing
"opportunists" of trying to destabilize Ivory Coast.
Reinforcements were sent to the home to help defend it, the officials said.
Heavily armed soldiers in armored personnel carriers set up barricades outside
the residence. Sama insisted Guei was safe and in control.
One person - apparently a soldier - was killed and four others badly
injured in the fighting, one official said. The casualties could not be
independently confirmed.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior military official said the
attackers had fled, after expressing anger at Guei for declaring his candidacy
in upcoming presidential elections.
Conflict has been growing among Ivorian soldiers, who were promised large
bonuses in exchange for supporting the Dec. 24 coup that toppled the government
of former President Henri Konan Bedie and brought Guei to power. The bonuses
have only been partially paid and different amounts were given to different
units, increasing ill-feeling among the security forces.
Tensions have also been flaring in recent days over the question of whether
Alassane Dramane Ouattara, a popular opposition leader, will be allowed to run
in the elections set for Oct. 22.
The issue came into question after a new constitution was adopted following
a referendum in early August. A last-minute amendment stipulates that both
parents of presidential candidates be "of Ivorian origin" - a change widely
believed to be aimed at excluding Ouattara.
Ouattara says both his parents were Ivorian. His opponents insist they were
from Burkina Faso. Ouattara is a former prime minister and International
Monetary Fund official who has been a popular advocate for Ivory Coast's
marginalized northern Muslims and large immigrant community.
An official with Ouattara's party, the Rally of the Republicans, accused
the military regime of issuing veiled threats against his party, and said he was
worried the government was using growing instability in Ivory Coast as a
"pretext" to arrest Ouattara.
"We are indignant at the usual threats by the government," against the
party, Ali Coulibaly said.
There have been two military mutinies since the Christmas Eve coup, as the
junta's initial burst of popularity waned. During the last mutiny, in early
July, mutinous soldiers demanded housing bonuses worth dlrs 9,000 but eventually
agreed to a sum of dlrs 1,600. Only a fraction of that amount has been
paid.
Southern Ivorians, mainly Christian, also grown increasingly resentful of
the growing flood of northern ethnic groups, mostly Muslim, seeking farm
homesteads and jobs in the agriculturally-rich south. Last week, one village in
southwestern Ivory Coast was burned down and another abandoned in fighting
between various native and migrant ethnic groups.
Eds: UPDATES to upgrade attribution of attack, rebuttal, ADDS threat by
communications minister, CLARIFIES that casualties unconfirmed. Opposition party
accuses military of planning to arrest leader. No pickup.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIRE:09/18/2000 02:42:00 ET
Myanmar junta calls democracy leaders `satan' YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ A
government newspaper Monday urged people not to join with democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, calling her the "satan of destruction," intent only on confronting
Myanmar"s nationalist rulers. ""Relying on the international community and in
collusion with foreign countries, she makes confrontation and tries to cause
difficulty to the government," read a commentary in Myanma Alin. "As the
strength of a nation lies within the country I want to urge the people to
prevent and to be aware of the dangers of destructionist ax-handles," the
article said. Ax-handle is a way of describing a traitor in Myanmar, also known
as Burma. Myanmar"s state media have stepped up their near-daily dose of
criticism against Suu Kyi during the last three weeks as she and her National
League for Democracy party were locked in a test of wills with the government.
It started on Aug. 24, when security forces blocked her car as she tried to
travel outside Yangon for party work. She camped out in the open for nine days
before being forcibly hauled back to the capital on Sept 1. Then she and eight
top party leaders were kept under virtual house arrest for two weeks until the
security restrictions were lifted last Thursday. Suu Kyi has said she will defy
the government again and try to travel outside soon. "This is confrontational. I
wonder if her conscience is clear," the Myanma Alin article said. Only the
military, "who are the national forces, ... can work for the benefit of the
country. Anyone that joins hands with destructive forces will work for the
destruction of the country," the article said. "It is obvious that Mrs. Michael
Aris, alias Daw Suu Kyi, is the satan of destruction delivered by Western
colonialists," it said, referring to her late husband, Michael Aris. The
commentary came on the 12th anniversary of the rise to power of the current
military regime. Thousands of people were killed in the crackdown against a
nationwide protest for civilian rule. The August-September 1988 upheaval
catapulted Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar"s independence hero, Aung San, to
political prominence. She later formed the National League for Democracy but was
put under house arrest from 1989 until 1995. Her party won national elections in
1990 but the junta never recognized the results.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Sep 18,
2000.
NARCOTICS - Company under probe for drugs link Involvement with Wa army suspected Somsak Suksai Anti-drug agencies are investigating a construction materials and furniture
firm suspected of involvement in the recent disappearance of four million
methamphetamine pills in Lampang, a source at the northern anti-drugs bureau
said.
The Samut Prakan company is also thought to be linked to the United Wa
State Army, which has expanded its drug production network in many northern
border provinces, the source said.
"Authorities are running checks on the company's shareholders. There are
grounds to believe the so-called Red Wa is the firm's financial supporter," he
said.
The police became suspicious after an expanded investigation into a drug
haul worth about 300 million baht in Mae Moh on Sept 14.
Three suspects identified as Siri Chotechuang, 31, of Tak Fa district,
Phakawat Chumpolpan and Chane Ruengchai were arrested.
They told police about a new form of drug racket recently created to serve
dealers countrywide.
The racket was said to operate like a trading company with separate
purchase, transport and clearing teams.
The source said police had not yet investigated Ban Santisuk in Chiang
Rai's Mae Chan district, where several Red Wa members were thought to be
hiding.
A number of six-wheel and ten-wheel trucks were spotted entering and
leaving the village over the last month.
The Narcotics Control Board and Police Region 5 Bureau believe Mong Yawn,
the Golden Triangle and Chiang Rai's Doi Wawee continue to serve as major Red Wa
drug distribution centres run by Thai businessmen and politicians. The Red Wa is
a major threat since it established a number of businesses dealing in gems,
jewellery, casinos and transport along the Thai-Burmese border in Tak and Chiang
Rai.
Because the businesses vary, it is difficult for the authorities to track
down the drug ring, the source
said. |