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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA RELATED NEWS - OCT - 31, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
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AFP - Cheney: a conservative Bush loyalist with
broad foreign policy experience
AP - Briton Freed on Goodwill, Not Pressure -
Myanmar Press
Wired Digital - Myanmar's Tangled Web
The Times of India - Myanmar refugee claim opens can of worms
The Irish Times - Letters - HUMAN RIGHTS IN
BURMA
The Korea Herald - Korea, Myanmar discuss economic cooperation
Xinhua - Motor Vehicles in Operation Increase in
Myanmar
Bkk Post - Editorial - Drug traffickers exploit
the weak
SCMP - Press: Briton freed for humanitarian
reasons Tuesday, October 31 8:59 PM SGT
Cheney: a conservative Bush loyalist with broad foreign policy experience WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (AFP) -
Richard Cheney, George W. Bush's vice presidential running mate, is a staunchly
conservative Republican with broad foreign policy experience, best known for his
stint as defense secretary during the Gulf war.
Then president George Bush, the Texas governor's father, had picked the
stout Wyoming congressman to serve as defense secretary in 1989.
A few months later, Cheney directed a major US military campaign in Panama
to oust strongman Manuel Noriega.
But Cheney's biggest challenge came in 1990 with the Iraqi invasion of
oil-rich Kuwait.
Working closely with then US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Colin Powell,
Cheney directed the massive "Desert Storm" campaign that booted Iraqi troops out
of Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf war.
Cheney later became a trusted advisor to the Texas governor, who picked him
as his running mate last July.
Despite his lack of charisma, Cheney, a 59-year-old Nebraska native, has
had a successful career as businessman, congressman and public servant under
three US presidents.
Detractors, however, fault his deeply-held conservative opinions, including
staunch anti-abortion views.
Cheney voted against a congressional resolution calling for the release of
then jailed Nelson Mandela in South Africa. He supported Ronald Reagan's
anti-missile Strategic Defense Initiative.
As defense secretary, he also supported policies banning homosexuals from
serving in the military and excluding women from combat positions.
His critics also point to Cheney's cozy links with big oil concerns.
Cheney, who has lived most of his life in Wyoming, moved to Dallas in 1995
to become chairman and chief executive of Halliburton Company, a leading oil
field services conglomerate.
Last week he defended his former company's business dealings in Myanmar
despite widespread human rights abuses in the Southeast Asian country.
"It was fully in compliance with US policy and our conduct around the
world," he said in his defense on CNN last week.
Richard Bruce Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. His father was an
Agriculture Department employee who moved the family to Casper, Wyoming.
After earning B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Wyoming, he
moved to Washington as a congressional fellow in 1968. A year later, he joined
the federal service and served in a variety of posts in the Richard Nixon
administration until 1973.
Following a year in private business, he became deputy assistant to then
president Gerald Ford (1974-1975) and White House chief of staff
(1975-1977).
In 1978, Wyoming voters elected him to the first of six terms in the US
House of Representatives.
He has been dogged by health problems. He underwent quadruple bypass
surgery in 1988 after suffering three mild heart attacks.
In 1964, Cheney married his high school sweetheart Lynne, a writer and
educator, with whom he has two daughters, including one who is gay.
Tuesday, October 31 3:14 PM SGT
Briton Freed on Goodwill, Not Pressure - Myanmar Press YANGON (AP)--Myanmar released a
British human rights activist from prison last week on humanitarian grounds and
not because of international pressure, commentaries in the state-controlled
press said Tuesday.
The articles also charged that James Mawdsley, who flew out of Myanmar Oct.
20 after 14 months of solitary confinement, was mentally deficient.
"Tolerance, forbearance and compassion are typical Myanmar
characteristics," said a column in the Myanmar-language Kyemon daily.
Mawdsley, "an eccentric mental patient, was freed on humanitarian grounds
and in response to the promises and requests by some prominent British citizens,
and not because Myanmar was afraid of international pressure," it said.
During his time in prison, Mawdsley received consular access 27 times, met
family members 17 times and was allowed to see a Christian priest twice for
prayers in accordance with prison rules, Kyemon said.
Mawdsley was arrested last year when he sneaked into the country to protest
against the military government of Myanmar.
He was sentenced to 17 years in jail for illegally entering Myanmar and
distributing pro-democracy leaflets. Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has
said that Mawdsley's release was the result of lobbying by his family and
friends and diplomatic pressure from Britain.
"The mercenary who was convicted due to his violation of existing laws was
branded as a democracy and human rights activist. He was nothing but an addled
brain," said another commentary in the Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin newspaper.
The newspaper accused the foreign media and two British voluntary
organizations - Jubilee Campaign and Burma Campaign - of exaggerating the news
over Mawdsley's release and complicating Myanmar's affairs under the pretext of
promoting democracy and human rights.
Mawdsley, from Lancashire in northwest England, had been arrested in
Myanmar twice before. In 1998, he served 99 days of a 7-year sentence. He was
pardoned on condition he not return to the country.
Wired Digital
Myanmar's Tangled Web by Swaroopa Iyengar 2:00 a.m. Oct. 30, 2000 PST Not even 1 percent of the 46 million people in the Union of Myanmar can read this article online. Unlike neighboring countries India and Thailand, where technology is making
inroads, Myanmar's military dictatorship has actively kept Internet access out
of bounds from its citizens.
The military junta -- the State Peace and Development Council -- has been
so effective in closing down Myanmar (formerly Burma) that it has been included
in the "top 20 enemies of the Internet" list released by Reporteurs Sans
Frontieres last year.
According to the 2000 Amnesty International report on human rights
violations, there are "at least 19,000 prisoners in Burma, 700 of whom were
being held for 'national security' reasons. Prison conditions amounting to
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment continue to be reported."
To maintain the status quo, the junta keeps a tight reign on all
communication systems in the country.
Telephone lines are tapped, and fax machines, modems, computers and
satellite dishes have to be registered with the government. Any sort of
unauthorized use or possession of "illegal" devices result in severe penalties
and imprisonment.
"There is only one main government-run news agency in Burma, and even there
we don't use computers -- only typewriters," said a Burmese student currently in
San Francisco requesting anonymity. "The three newspapers, and the two radio and
television stations feed off the news agency, and together, act as mouthpieces
for the junta."
"There have been instances of people who get 15 years in jail, just for
using a fax machine or installing a satellite dish without permission,"
continued the student.
"The junta tries to subdue the citizens by keeping them in fear. But we
still want news from outside so we try and tune into BBC, VOA and Democratic
Voice of Burma (a Norway-based radio station) -- the broadcast is monitored by
the military intelligence and some portions of the news are scrambled."
Given the fact that the junta's stronghold depends upon their control over
the flow of information, the advent of the Internet posed a serious and
immediate cause for concern.
In 1996, the SPDC passed a "Communication Computer Law" that enforces
seven- to 15-year imprisonment on anyone who tries to use the Internet without
prior sanction from the Ministry of Communication, Posts and Telegraph.
"E-mails have to go through a government-monitored server," said another
Burmese student living in San Francisco. "And it is impossible for ordinary
individuals to get a line.
"First priority is given to government officials and organizations, then to
foreign embassies and foreign businesses and finally to certain local
businesses. When I want to send an e-mail, I need to take the information on a
floppy disk to an office that has an e-mail server and then pay $1 per page. And
all the data has to be text only."
The nervous regime has squelched the possibility of connecting to an
outside ISP by making international calls too expensive to afford on a regular
basis.
The average income of a government employee in Myanmar is $25 a month;
applying for an international calling facility costs $1,000 and calls to the
United States are as steep as $50 for five minutes.
While people in the country have a vague idea about the possibilities of
the Internet, activists and pro-democracy groups working from outside say that
the connectivity a Web address and e-mail provides has been vital in bringing
the diffused Burmese community together.
"The Internet has been irreplaceable in helping us come together and
communicate as a group," said Larry Dohrs, an activist working with the Free
Burma Coalition. "The fact that information moves faster online enables us to
always have someone on the ground, whether in Ireland or San Jose or Japan."
The regime is not oblivious to the importance of having a Net presence.
Myanmar.com, "the only official website for Burma," invites tourists to the
golden land in four languages and with a few clicks one may even stumble upon a
five-page rant on "American interference in the internal affairs of Myanmar."
The New Light of Myanmar, the junta's online English newspaper, carries an
endless barrage of military propaganda.
The Myanmar Times' online edition recently celebrated the opening of a new "i-cafe" in Yangon (Rangoon), calling it "a place where cake and coffee is served with an info-technology twist" -- the writer carefully avoided the forbidden "I" word -- but extolled at some length on the "wide assortment of games" the cafe will offer its members. "The military uses the Net aggressively to push their point of view," Dohrs
said. "They understand the usefulness of e-mail lists. The print editions of the
newspapers might have several anti-NLD stories but they never really make their
way to the websites. We have not heard of anyone who has actually found an
Internet cafe that offers access in Burma."
The junta is making claims of allowing lenient access soon, but activists
see it as a mere facade.
Individuals will still have to obtain a license from the MPT -- currently
the only Internet server in the country -- and the government will monitor
content for any "anti-nationalistic" sentiment. Facts are murky, but initial
connections might cost anything from $300 to $1,000, followed by a $3 to $5
per-hour user charge, according to different sources.
"Governments are supposed to deliver services to people," said Douglas
Steele, editor of BurmaNet News, based in Japan. "This is more of an armed gang.
Besides, the junta is being dragged into getting Net access because of their
membership with the Association of South East Asian Nations. Merely because of
this involvement, there are at least 300 people in the government who have to
have e-mail."
Steele started the electronic newspaper in 1994 -- he assimilates news from
Burma using various sources and sends it out in an e-mail newsletter to 2,000
mailboxes each day.
"There are a number of groups that have access to information inside the
country -- I use them quite actively," Steele said. "There are people who travel
into Burma frequently. We do not hire people from within, but most of the groups
I work with have networks in Burma and they become visible on the borders."
"The junta has to now make a trade-off like China did," Dohrs said. "They
want in on the benefits of e-commerce but that would mean free flow of
information into the country. They are not willing to risk anything for
commercial gain."
The information that is coming out of Myanmar and making its way around the
world in a single day is undoubtedly making the regime edgy. A new set of
Internet regulations was announced on Burmese television by the MPT on Jan. 20,
explicitly prohibiting citizens from using the Web for political speech.
"They are looking at BurmaNet very carefully," said Maureen Aung-Thwin,
director of the Burma Project in New York. "In August this year, one of their
ministers criticized their practices at a business seminar outside the country.
BurmaNet reported this and a couple of days later Zaw Tun was sacked."
"They will let the Net in as they want foreign investment in the country --
e-commerce is too tempting," Steele said. "Right now, the situation for them is
like a rope with a noose on either end -- and to us activists, it does not
matter which end they hang themselves on."
BurmaNet is now being translated into Burmese, a step Steele hopes will be
the key to reaching several more people inside Burma.
"Now, there are other ways of getting information through," Steele said.
"Burma is asserting control by being primitive; so they might confiscate a
laptop at the airport, or look for video and audio tapes or disks," he added.
"But these days, we routinely carry around more megabytes of memory, like maybe
on a palm pilot. Or the new Walkmans that include MP3 players -- they are as
small as a pen. The authorities are not sophisticated enough to figure all this
out."
The Times of India News
Service
Tuesday 31 October 2000 Myanmar refugee claim opens can of worms By Akshaya Mukul NEW DELHI: Jafar Alam, a Rohingya refugee and political activist from the
Arakan region of Myanmar, who was languishing in Deoband jail since 1998, was
released on Monday and later rearrested. Chances are that he might be deported
to Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC),
which has been fighting for granting refugee status to Jafar, wrote to the
National Human Rights Commission on Monday to intervene immediately in this
matter. On its part, the NHRC has sent SAHRDC's request to the ministry of
external affairs and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for speedy
action.
Alam, who entered India illegally at the end of 1997, was earlier a member
of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights. Once in India Jafar went to
meet his brother, Budiul Alam, a UNHCR refugee, in Deoband. Since Jafar was
travelling without papers, Budiul came to Delhi to talk to UNHCR officials to
grant him refugee status. In a sworn affidavit, Budiul says that by the time he
returned to Deoband, Jafar was arrested by UP police under section 14 of the
Foreigners Act for illegal entry on January 29, 1998.
After his arrest, UNHCR officials interviewed Jafar twice in Deoband jail.
But Budiul alleges in his affidavit that when the first interview was conducted
by NL Rao on May 7, 1998, Jafar was not informed who he was. Neither was he told
that it was a determination interview. Moreover, no interpreter was present
during the interview, since Jafar speaks only Arkanese and Burmese.
But on June 11, 1998, the UNHCR wrote to Jafar saying that he could not be
granted refugee status because he has not been able to show that he or any
member of his family suffered or could suffer treatment of such gravity as to
amount to refugee related persecution. However, Budiul claims that Jafar was
arrested by the military government in 1989 and was released only in 1994.
Again, in 1996, the military authorities had taken him to the Indo- Myanmar
border to do forced labour.
Not happy with the outcome of the first interview, Budiul appealed on
behalf of his brother. The second interview took place on September 25, 1998 and
was conducted by Shambul Rizvi Khan of the UNHCR. Budiul, who acted as the
interpreter, says that Khan was satisfied with the interview. But in October,
when Budiul went to UNHCR, NL Rao allegedly told him that there is little chance
of Jafar getting refugee status as there was pressure from the government to
deny Muslims from Myanmar refugee status.
However JM Castro-Magluff, deputy chief of the UNHCR in Delhi, denies these
allegations. Jafar, he says, was not suffering on the ground of race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Also,
Castro-Magluff says there is no reason why Jafar should get refugee status just
because his brother is one. ``We do prima-facie determination on an individual
basis,'' he says.
On the allegation that the UNHCR is under pressure not to give refugee
status to Muslims, Castro-Magluff says that the fear is unfounded since the
maximum number of refugees in India are Muslims. He also denies there is any
pressure from the government on this issue. However, he adds that Jafar's case
can be reconsidered if some new element is added by him in his request.
With time running out, however, it seems improbable that Jafar will be
accorded refugee status.
The Irish Times - Oct 31,
2000.
Letters to the Editor HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURMA Sir, - On October 9th you printed a letter of mine calling attention to the
plight of the human rights activist James Mawdsley, who had been sentenced to 17
years in prison in Burma for daring to protest against genocide of the Karen
ethnic minorities in that unfortunate country. The most wonderful news is that
James has been released from prison as a result of international pressure on the
Burmese military dictatorship. The utter barbarity of these people, who beat
James Mawdsley with bamboo poles for three consecutive days while he was held in
solitary confinement, shocked the civilised world.
It is important to remember the 1,400 political prisoners who continue to
suffer in prisons in Burma and the unspeakable cruelty of this vicious regime.
It is a corrupt dictatorship which must be treated as the pariah it is. The
international community must continue to apply unceasing pressure for a full
restoration of democracy and basic human right in Burma. It would appear that
the Burmese authorities are not deaf to international criticism after all.
James Mawdsley has said that it was his faith in God and steadfast belief
in the rightness of his cause which kept him sane in those dark moments. Yes, we
must not lose sight of the extraordinary, healing power of prayer and our deep
need of a God of infinite love. - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY REDMOND, North Great George' Street, Dublin 1.
The Korea Herald
Oct 31, 2000. Korea, Myanmar discuss economic cooperation Shin Kook-hwan, minister of commerce, industry and energy, met with Pyi Sone, Myanmar's minister of commerce, to discuss economic cooperation, ministry officials said yesterday. Minister Shin asked the Myanmar minister to help Pohang Iron & Steel
Co. (POSCO)'s company in the country secure import licenses smoothly.
POSCO's company in Myanmar imports raw steel directly from its headquarters
in Korea every month, but recently saw delays in obtaining import licenses,
officials said.
Shin also asked Pyi Sone for support for an oil exploration project
underway in Myanmar, a $55 million investment fully financed by Daewoo Corp.
In return, Minister Pyi Sone called on Korea to increase investments and
technological support for his country through seminars and job training.
Pyi Sone is in Korea at the invitation of the Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ministry. He leaves Seoul Thursday after taking part in a Myanmar investment
session.
Motor Vehicles in Operation Increase in
Myanmar
YANGON (Oct. 30) XINHUA - The
number of motor vehicles in operation in Myanmar totaled 434,315 at the end of
June this year, an increase of 25,614 or 6.26 percent compared with a year
ago.
Of the total registered motor vehicles, there were 173,081 passenger cars,
54,576 trucks, 16,660 buses and 174,490 motor cycles, according to the latest
Economic Indicators published by the country's Central Statistical
Organization.
The number of motor vehicles in Myanmar increased by 31,828 annually in the
last four years.
These motor vehicles used in Myanmar are mainly those manufactured in Japan
and most of them are second-hand or outdated ones.
To ensure smooth transport and traffic safety, the Myanmar transport
authorities have introduced harsher measures to punish drivers who break the
traffic rules.
Meanwhile, there are also unlicensed motor vehicles smuggled from the
country's border regions to inland areas reaching the capital of Yangon.
Measures are being taken against such vehicles.
Besides, the Myanmar authorities have banned use of cars imported under the
transit trade system to a third country since September 1997.
The authorities have also prohibited enterprises doing business in the
country from re-selling their motor vehicles imported with tax relief and tax
exemption beginning November 1998.
Bangkok Post - Oct 31.
2000.
Editorial - Drug traffickers exploit the weak Congratulations are due to the anti-drug officers involved in last week's
huge haul of heroin in Fiji. They seized more than 300 kilogrammes of the drug,
most of it bound for Australia where it had a street value of around US$150
million. The shipment had been tracked by authorities of four nations. It
originated in Burma, and two ethnic Chinese couriers were arrested when the drug
payload was seized in Suva on Saturday.
The seizure itself is a success for the men and women who put their lives
on the line against international drug traffickers. Laboratory testing appears
to bear out the claim that the seizure is one of the largest of the year. The
arrests of the two men may yield other agents and smuggling facts back up the
drug line. Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone said the Australian agents who have
been stationed in Burma for the past 10 months were vital to tracking and
seizing the drugs.
But while the drug bust is a commendable accomplishment, it shows once
again the major, uphill struggle faced by civilised nations. The fame of the
Burmese heroin operation has been eclipsed by the methamphetamine traffickers in
recent months.
Reliable sources in the anti-narcotics police have said for more than a
year that Chinese triads have moved into the Burma-based operations. Gang chiefs
have moved some of their operations to Thailand to be close to the action.
The triads now have become part of the heroin operation once controlled
more exclusively by Khun Sa. The heroin warlord is a welcome guest of the
Burmese government. They have made no move to investigate him, arrest him,
extradite him, or close down his opium and heroin operations.
Much of the day to day heroin business inside Burma has been assumed by the
United Wa State Army, which also fully controls the methamphetamine trade. For
the past year, the Wa leaders have been moving their own people into former Shan
areas. They have begun cultivating the vast opium fields of northern Burma,
which yield more drugs per year than in any other country but Afghanistan.
The Fiji seizure also demonstrates that the drugs trade, too, has become
globalised. Fiji has been a diplomatic basket case since a racist coup overthrew
the democratic government in May. The government is weak, the nation is unstable
and justice is arbitrary.
Drug traffickers saw an opportunity to exploit the weakness and moved
against Fiji. It was their bad luck that they had, in fact, alerted authorities
earlier.
Burma continues to acquiesce in a drug trade which threatens its neighbours
and troubles the world. The military junta's recent claims to have a secret,
15-year plan to eliminate drugs in Burma are not credible.
Also troubling are other weak links in the hoped-for chain of international
responsibility. Officials involved in Saturday's seizure said it was clear that
Fiji was used as a transit point because of the weakness of its government and
police.
Several world leaders have been outspoken in their opinions about Fiji.
Helen Clark, prime minister of New Zealand-Fiji's closest neighbour-has refused
to sit at the same dining table with the new head of the racist
government.
New Zealand was one of the countries involved in the successful effort of
the 300kg heroin shipment, along with the US, Canada and Australia. Other
countries, including Thailand, are both willing and able to help. It is clear
that a major international effort is needed in order to fight the traffickers.
It is sobering to realise that on average, only 10% of smuggled drugs are
intercepted.
Against the likes of Fiji and Burma, only better co-operation across
borders can make that record better.
South China Morning Post
Tuesday, October 31, 2000 Press: Briton freed for humanitarian reasons ASSOCIATED PRESS in Rangoon Burma released a British human rights activist from prison last week on
humanitarian grounds and not because of international pressure, commentaries in
the state-controlled press said on Tuesday.
The articles also charged that James Mawdsley, who flew out of Burma on October 20 after 14 months of solitary confinement, was mentally deficient. ''Tolerance, forbearance and compassion are typical [Burmese]
characteristics,'' said a column in the Burmese-language 'Kyemon' daily. Mr
Mawdsley, ''an eccentric mental patient, was freed on humanitarian grounds and
in response to the promises and requests by some prominent British citizens and
not because [Burma] was afraid of international pressure,'' it said.
During his time in prison, Mr Mawdsley received consular access 27 times,
met family members 17 times and was allowed to see a Christian priest twice for
prayers in accordance with prison rules, Kyemon said.
Mr Mawdsley was arrested last year when he sneaked into the country to
protest against the military government of Burma. The junta has faced increasing
Western criticism for not allowing pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to form
a government despite winning elections in 1991. The military government is also
accused of suppressing minority rights.
Mr Mawdsley was sentenced to 17 years in jail for illegally entering Burma
and distributing pro-democracy leaflets. Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
has said that Mr Mawdsley's release was the result of lobbying by his family and
friends and diplomatic pressure from Britain.
''The mercenary who was convicted due to his violation of existing laws was
branded as a democracy and human rights activist. He was nothing but an addled
brain,'' said another commentary in the Burmese-language 'Myanma Ahlin'
newspaper.
The newspaper accused the foreign media and two British voluntary
organisations - Jubilee Campaign and Burma Campaign - of exaggerating the news
over Mr Mawdsley's release and complicating Burma's affairs under the pretext of
promoting democracy and human rights.
Several weeks before his release, British consular officials reported that
Mr Mawdsley, 27, had been beaten by guards and had suffered a broken nose and
two black eyes. Burma's government said he had injured himself accidentally in a
scuffle with prison guards.
Mr Mawdsley, from Lancashire in northwest England, had been arrested in
Burma twice before. In 1998, he served 99 days of a 7-year sentence. He was
pardoned on condition he not return to the country. |