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BURMA RELATED NEWS - OCT - 28, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LA Times - Cheney Defends Myanmar Dealings,
Contract Help
Reuters - Cheney
Defends Halliburton Work in Myanmar
Dow Jones - Thai PTT Signs Gas Sales Agreements
With Ratchaburi Plant
Bkk Post - Senator backs legal speed
sale
Bkk Post - Sampao plans to call on
junta
Bkk Post - Traffickers divert their curse to
Laos
Los Angeles Times - Saturday, October
28, 2000
Cheney Defends Myanmar Dealings, Contract Help By MEGAN GARVEY, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON--Dick Cheney defended the company he headed until joining the
Republican ticket, saying Friday that the business dealings of Halliburton Co.
in Myanmar, a country with well-documented human rights violations, were "fully
in compliance with U.S. policy."
He also addressed questions raised about help State Department officials
gave the Dallas-based oil services company in gaining contracts overseas. Memos
released by the State Department this week showed government officials had
aggressively helped Halliburton gain lucrative contracts in Asia and Africa.
During the vice presidential debate, Cheney had said that "the government
had absolutely nothing to do" with his financial success in the private sector.
In remarks made on his campaign plane Friday and on CNN's "Larry King Live"
program Friday night, Cheney noted that such intervention by government
officials is common on behalf of American companies doing business overseas. He
said he did not consider it special help.
"That's their job," he said on CNN. "They get paid to do that. And we paid
anywhere from 38 to 40% of everything we earned in the form of taxes to support
the government."
Cheney was also asked about a Wall Street Journal story that detailed
Halliburton's continuing work in Myanmar, where such practices as forced labor
are not uncommon.
Most U.S. companies, including Texaco Inc. and Arco, ceased doing business
in the Southeast Asian nation, formerly known as Burma, years ago.
"You have to operate in some very difficult places and oftentimes in
countries that are governed in a manner that's not consistent with our
principles here in the United States," he told Larry King.
Earlier on his campaign plane, Cheney emphasized that he has opposed the
use of economic sanctions against wayward nations.
Friday October 27 10:54 PM ET
Cheney Defends Halliburton Work in Myanmar WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
Republican vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney (news - web sites) on Friday
defended his former employer's business in Myanmar at a time the United States
was trying to isolate that country's ruling military regime.
Cheney said a pipeline venture by oilfield services firm Halliburton, where
Cheney was chief executive officer, was ''fully in compliance with U.S.
policy.'' He noted Halliburton had operations in more than 120 countries, and
``we didn't support the regime'' in Myanmar.
``You have to operate in some very difficult places and oftentimes in
countries that are governed in a manner that's not consistent with our
principles here in the United States. But the world's not made up only of
democracies,'' Cheney said on CNN's ``Larry King Live.''
Halliburton's business in Myanmar was first reported by The Wall Street
Journal.
Myanmar's military junta has been widely condemned since 1988 when the army
killed thousands of pro-democracy protesters to stay in power.
In 1997, the United States banned new investment there, but the policy did
not apply to contractors such as Halliburton, which began business there
earlier, the Journal reported. Halliburton is one of the last U.S. companies to
have an office in Myanmar, the Journal said, but added the company did not
appear to have broken any laws by working there.
Cheney, who is running with Republican nominee George W. Bush (news - web
sites) in a tight battle against Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites), said he
was not surprised that the story surfaced in the final weeks before the Nov. 7
election.
``It wouldn't be a story except for the fact that I'm running for vice
president, and we've had a number of things like that. We're getting down close
to the end of the campaign now, and so all kinds of stuff is flying around out
there,'' Cheney said.
Friday, October 27 10:07 PM SGT
Thai PTT Signs Gas Sales Agreements With Ratchaburi Plant BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--The
Petroleum Authority of Thailand, or PTT, signed two agreements Friday with
Ratchaburi Holdings and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, to
supply the Ratchaburi power plant with natural gas.
Under the first agreement, EGAT will guarantee the minimum take liability
of natural gas for the Ratchaburi plant. If Ratchaburi can't take the specified
volume, EGAT can use it in one of its three other power plants. The second
contract specifies pricing and national gas quality details under a 25-year
sales agreement.
The Ratchaburi plant is currently receiving 200 million cubic feet a day of
natural gas from Myanmar, and once fully completed, it will be Thailand's
largest power plant, with total production capacity of 3,645 megawatts.
The project consists of two conventional thermal generation units, each
with an installed capacity of 735 MW, and three combined cycle gas turbine
units, each with an installed capacity of 725 MW. The plant went on stream in
June, with 2,200 MW, the equivalent of three units, operational.
Bangkok Post - Oct 28,
2000.
Senator backs legal speed sale Pills at a baht each to end black market The state should set up its own shops to sell controlled amounts of cheap
methamphetamine as the best way to tackle rampant addiction, a northeastern
senator suggested yesterday.
This would take the initiative away from black market drug traffickers like
the United Wa State Army in Burma.
"The state must revamp its philosophy of drug suppression," Senator Kawee
Supatheera (Khon Kaen) said.
"This is already being done in The Hague [in the Netherlands], where
addicts can buy limited amounts of drugs from state stores.
"They will die eventually of their addiction, and meanwhile the government
is preventing other people from getting addicted."He suggested the state should
price its speed at only one baht a pill. "Let's see if the Wa army could still
capture our market then," said the former Khon Kaen governor. Mr Kawee was
speaking after the 12-member Senate administration committee visited the
Interior Ministry for a briefing yesterday. The panel put the failure of efforts
to fight drug abuse squarely on the ministry.
"The longer the state fights against drugs, the more drugs keep spreading.
Drug traffickers are very influential," Mr Kawee said.
The state must also actively encourage the public to help in the fight
against drug addiction, he said.
Bangkok Post - Oct 28,
2000.
Sampao plans to call on junta Diplomacy is not our job, says Surayud Wassana Nanuam A mid reports the supreme commander is planning a visit to Rangoon, the
army chief said yesterday it is the Foreign Ministry's job to strengthen ties
with the Burmese junta.
Gen Surayud Chulanont said public confusion might result if the army tried
to take over that role.
He was responding to a question on whether the military should try to help
improve ties with Burma following the lastest border clash on Wednesday, which
left one Thai soldier dead and two injured.
There have been reports that Gen Sampao Chusri, is planning to visit
Rangoon soon to help mend relations, strained by a number of border incidents
over the past two years.
In addition to sporadic clashes, a Thai army helicopter was shot down near
the border in Tak province last year. The military believes Burmese government
soldiers were responsible.
The latest clash came on Wednesday when a Thai patrol unit ran into a group
of armed intruders in Umphang district, Tak.
After a brief gun battle, one Thai soldier was found dead. Two others were
seriously wounded. The Third Army, which is in charge of border security in the
area, said the clash took place on Thai soil, and that the intruders were most
likely Burmese government troops.
The army chief-of-staff said that Warrant Officer Sawong Imlaem, of the
43rd battalion, was deliberately killed by the intruders.
His body was found about 2km from the scene of the fighting with a bullet
wound in his head, said Gen Boonrod Somtat.
"This shows clearly that the intruding forces had planned to kill him
before taking away his gun and other belongings," he said.
Bangkok Post - Oct 28,
2000.
Traffickers divert their curse to Laos Vientiane alarmed by inflow surge Anucha Charoenpo in Khon Kaen Vientiane has expressed alarm at the diversion of methamphetamine
trafficking routes from Burma to Thailand through northern Laos.
Soubanh Srithirath, a Lao minister in charge of drug suppression, said
yesterday the switch had brought a massive inflow of speed.
Mr Soubanh, who heads the National Commission for Drug Control and
Supervision, said there had been a surge in the number of addicts.
Speed was on sale outside schools and in entertainment areas in Vientiane
and other towns, said Mr Soubanh, who was at the 3rd annual meeting of Lao and
Thai narcotics agents.
Mr Soubanh said one speed bill costs 10,000-13,000 kip (50-80 baht).
The problem had become so widespread the government had launched a
nationwide public awareness campaign in schools and communities.
Clandestine laboratories found in Laos in 1996 were believed to have been
eradicated. "There is no indication that methamphetamine production bases are in
Laos," said Mr Soubanh, a minister of the president's office.
Authorities had made suppression of speed their priority. While they hoped
to make Laos drug-free by 2015, Mr Soubanh said the target was ambitious for a
country short of money, manpower and modern equipment.
Laos has received US$80 million in international aid to fight drugs and has
set a target to make its northern region opium-free by 2006.
Opium addiction had been the long-running problem even though poppy areas
had been reduced
substantially. |