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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA RELATED NEWS - January - 29, 2001. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
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The New York TImes - Sanctions are a weapon we
need
Reuters - Australia welcomes release of Myanmar
prisoners
AFP - European Union delegation to meet with Suu Kyi:
sources
AP - Malaysia Mahathir Sees Myanmar Elections In "A Few
Years"
AP - EU Delegation In Myanmar, To Meet Suu
Kyi
AP - EU Delegation To Meet Myanmar's Aung San Suu
Kyi
Xinhua - EU Delegation Visits
Myanmar
Xinhua - Myanmar Media Claims to Have Rights to
Choose Best System
The Times - EU kindles new
hope in Burma
The Nation - Carlsberg sets
its sights on Burma
The Nation - EDITORIAL: EU mission takes on a
critical importance
Bkk Post - 27 Burmese prisoners evade police
arrest
The New York Times January 28, 2001
Opinion -
Editorals/OP-ED/Letters
Sanctions Are a Weapon We
Need
By ARYEH NEIER
Testifying at his confirmation hearing this month, Secretary of State
Colin Powell made clear he has trouble with one nettlesome foreign policy issue:
sanctions against foreign nations. He thinks there are too many and seems
inclined to want to get rid of a lot of them. "Stop, look and listen before you
impose a sanction," he said. "Count to 10, call me." The only exception conceded
by Mr. Powell is Iraq. There, he wants to tighten the screws to force compliance
with United Nations demands to eliminate weapons of mass
destruction. With some 75 countries currently subject to a host of international
sanctions — from bans on air travel to withdrawal of trade preferences, for
offenses ranging from narcotics trafficking to mislabeling consumer products —
it is easy to sympathize with the secretary's concerns. But it would be a
mistake to abandon sanctions in situations where there are no ready substitutes,
as in the promotion of international human
rights. There is evidence that sanctions are finally having an effect on one of
the most abusive governments in the world: the ruling forces in Burma, now
called Myanmar by the military junta. At long last, the junta has entered into
negotiations with Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader. Sanctions, including
a prohibition on new investments and a visa ban for members of the Burmese
military, were the way the international community, led by the United States,
brought pressure on the regime. By their nature, sanctions take a long time to have an effect, though not
always as long as in the case of Myanmar, where various sanctions have been in
place for a dozen years. The best known example of using sanctions to promote
human rights, of course, was their application in South Africa. Sanctions, in
combination with a boycott of South Africa in international sports events,
caused the country to confront its international isolation, ultimately leading
President F. W. de Klerk's government to release Nelson Mandela from prison and
negotiate the adoption of a new
constitution. Though the Reagan administration attempted to avoid sanctions against
South Africa, it led the way in imposing penalties on Poland after the Communist
government there declared martial law in 1981, banned the Solidarity movement
and arrested about 30,000 Solidarity members. The liberalization in Poland that
brought about an end to the Communist regime was prompted in significant part by
eagerness to get rid of the sanctions. A widely criticized consequence of sanctions is that they harm ordinary
citizens living under the governments that are the targets. This is certainly
the case in Iraq. Saddam Hussein is trying to force the international community
to lift sanctions by doing nothing to ameliorate the impact of the sanctions on
the Iraqi population. It is possible to design sanctions to minimize such impact. The United
Nations did take steps to ease the plight of Iraqi citizens by introducing the
oil-for-food program, which allowed Iraq to sell oil and use the proceeds,
monitored by the United Nations, to buy food and medicine. But the situation
remains dire in Iraq, to a great extent because Saddam Hussein has not spent the
money on the humanitarian needs of his
people. Food, medicine and other materials needed to meet basic human needs
should always be exempted from sanctions, as is provided in federal law in cases
where the sanctions are related to human rights violations. Similarly, there
should be no restrictions on the exchange of information and ideas. Instead,
smart sanctions, like those imposed on Serbia that froze the foreign bank
accounts of government officials and their cronies and banned them from
traveling to European Union countries and the United States, should be favored.
When Secretary Powell served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he
made it plain that he opposed the use of American military power in
circumstances even as grave as the war of in Bosnia. Indeed, military force
should be used sparingly. But if he chooses to reduce reliance on sanctions,
Americans should be told what other tools might be used by the United States to
promote and enforce human rights
internationally. Aryeh Neier is president of the Open Society Institute.¨ WIRE
Australia welcomes release of Myanmar prisoners CANBERRA, Jan 29 (Reuters) -
Australia welcomed on Monday the release of 85 political prisoners in Myanmar,
saying it was an encouraging sign for dialogue between the nation"s military
government and opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).
"I particularly welcome the release of the NLD youth wing members,
including 13 arrested in April last year, 20 arrested in August during the Dala
incident, and 51 arrested in September at Rangoon station," Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer, referring to a series of opposition crackdowns in 2000. "I
look forward to further signs of momentum developing in this dialogue," he said
in a statement.
The National League for Democracy said on Friday 84 of its members had been
released from prison, one day after the party"s Vice Chairman Tin Oo had also
been released. Tin Oo, the most prominent opposition figure after Nobel laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi, was imprisoned in September last year after he and Suu Kyi
tried to travel by rail to Mandalay, Myanmar"s second city several hundred
kilometres (miles) north of the capital Yangon.
The attempt prompted a crackdown by authorities, and up to 80 opposition
party members were taken into detention along with Tin Oo, while Suu Kyi was
placed under de facto house arrest. The NLD won elections by a landslide in 1990
but has never been allowed to govern.
Monday, January 29 3:24 PM SGT
European Union delegation to meet with Suu Kyi: sources YANGON, Jan 29 (AFP) - A
European delegation visiting Myanmar this week has been given permission to see
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held under house arrest for the
past four months, sources said Monday.
Diplomats in Yangon said the European Union (EU) team had been guaranteed
access to the Nobel peace laureate during their three-day mission to investigate
an apparent political thaw in the military-run country.
Official sources told AFP that the meeting had been tentatively scheduled
for Tuesday at her lakeside residence. An EU mission in July was also taken to
see the opposition leader.
The United Nations announced earlier this month that Aung San Suu Kyi and
junta No.3 Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt had held a series of meetings that
could kickstart efforts to achieve national reconciliation in Myanmar.
The EU team is keen to determine the opposition leader's view on signs that
the two sides could be moving towards their first official dialogue since
1994.
"It will give the Union an opportunity to get first-hand knowledge of what
the opposition thinks about the dialogue so far," Sweden's ambassador to Bangkok
Jan Axel Nordlanderhe said before the team's arrival.
"After that we will know better the prospects for the future."
On their arrival in Yangon late Sunday the visitors were briefed by EU
ambassadors, and on Monday they met with representatives of the ethnic minority
groups who have signed ceasefire agreements with the junta.
They were expected to meet with Foreign Minister Win Aung in the early
afternoon and then move into a session with Khin Nyunt, the powerful head of
military intelligence.
Since the United Nations announced Khin Nyunt's "secret talks" with Aung
San Suu Kyi the regime has extended a series of concessions that have gone some
way to improving the poisonous atmosphere between the two sides.
The septuagenarian vice-chairman of the opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD), Tin Oo, was released from four months in detention last
Thursday in a gesture aimed squarely at the European officials' visit.
In the latest in a series of interviews with veteran politicians in
Myanmar, the opposition Democratic Voice of Burma voiced optimism over the EU's
visit and said it may bear more fruit.
"We think the release shows gradual progress in the talks. We feel the
situation will improve further when the EU delegation arrives," it said in a
recent broadcast, quoting politician Thein Pe.
But Thein Pe said he feared the talks would disregard the NLD's disallowed
victory at the May 1990 elections.
"The UN said Burma's election was free and fair. We need to ask why the
parliament elected by the people was not recognised. Why do they want to hold a
new election?" he asked.
Thein Pe urged the military to cooperate with Aung San Suu Kyi, the
daughter of national independence hero Aung San.
"Our chairman Bohmu Aung said Daw Suu is General Aung San's daughter and
the army are General Aung San's sons so there is no need for brothers and
sisters to fight."
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has become a key ally of the
military government and its leader Senior General Than Shwe, was quoted Sunday
as saying that the junta was willing to hold elections "eventually".
"He (Than Shwe) is willing to do the elections eventually. Well, the
election will not be held this year or next. It should be held in a few years,"
he said in an interview with Japan's Mainichi Shimbun.
Mahathir reportedly said he himself believed elections should eventually be
held, but added that "before they hold elections, they must understand the
conduct of elections.
"When an election is held, people must learn the limits of elections. Not
use elections to undermine authority."
Monday January 29, 2:34 PM
Malaysia Mahathir Sees Myanmar Elections In "A Few Years" KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--Malaysian
leader Mahathir Mohamad has said that Myanmar's military regime is willing to
hold elections, possibly in a few years, and to solve the country's problems
through discussions with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Mahathir, giving the most detailed account of a recent trip to Myanmar,
gave his assessment in an interview with the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun
during a subsequent trip to Japan. Extracts were published Monday in Kuala
Lumpur's New Straits Times.
Mahathir's trip to Myanmar overlapped with a mission by Malaysian diplomat
Razali Ismail, special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Razali
announced that the generals have begun a dialogue with Suu Kyi, a reversal of a
decade-long refusal to meet her.
Mahathir told Mainichi Shimbun that he met Senior Gen. Than Shwe, chairman
of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, and talked about elections
and other matters in a general way.
"He is willing to hold elections eventually," Mahathir was quoted as
saying. "The elections will not be held this year or next. It should be held in
a few years."
Setting up elections must be done step-by-step, so that registration and
conduct are worked out, and so Myanmar's government and people know what to
expect, Mahathir said.
"When elections are held, people must understand elections have limits,"
Mahathir said. "And not use elections to undermine authority."
Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, overwhelmingly won
parliamentary elections in 1990. The military, which had ruled since 1962,
refused to step aside and never allowed the NLD to take power.
Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, long insisted that the
results of the elections be respected. She has spent the past decade under house
arrest or under other restrictions and her party has been dismantled.
Suu Kyi has great support in the West and the military views her as a
traitor for supporting economic sanctions against the country, already one of
Asia's poorest, as a tool to force democratic change.
Mahathir repeated his long-standing view that public confrontation will not
solve Myanmar's problems.
"What is needed is to put the interests of Myanmar above party interests,"
Mahathir said. "And I think the government is willing to discuss with Suu Kyi to
find solutions for Myanmar."
Mahathir was a driving force to bring Myanmar, also known as Burma, into
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, which has led to diplomatic
difficulties for ASEAN in relations with countries that have sanctions against
Myanmar.
ASEAN's bedrock policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of
member states has been tested, and Mahathir said that the pressure brought upon
ASEAN was making Myanmar "a special case."
"We feel that the benefits of the kind of liberal democracy that we have in
ASEAN countries should be exposed and made known to the people and government of
Myanmar, so they will not reject the system," Mahathir was quoted as saying.
ASEAN also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand nad Vietnam.
Monday January 29, 9:54 AM
EU Delegation In Myanmar, To Meet Suu Kyi YANGON (AP)--A European Union
mission began an effort Monday to break a decade-long deadlock between the
ruling military and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The E.U. troika, which includes representatives from Sweden, France and
Belgium, was scheduled to meet with Suu Kyi, who has been under house detention
since Sept. 22.
The delegation, led by Sweden, arrived in the Myanmar capital of Yangon for
the four-day visit Sunday evening.
"The visit will be the continuation of the E.U. visit in July 1999 and
partly a fact-finding visit in relation to the current developments in Myanmar,"
Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win told reporters before the delegation's
arrival.
The delegation was scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Win Aung Monday.
It wasn't known when the group would see Nobel Prize laureate Suu Kyi.
The visit comes amid signs of improving relations between the rival forces
and secret talks between the military and Suu Kyi's side which started about
four months ago.
Monday January 29, 4:44 PM
EU Delegation To Meet Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi YANGON, Myanmar (AP)--A
European Union mission on Monday began trying to break a decade-long deadlock
between the ruling military and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi following
the first direct talks between the two sides in six years.
The four-day visit will allow the EU to hear from Suu Kyi - who has been
under virtual house arrest for four months - about secret discussions that began
four months ago, signaling an apparent thaw in relations.
Asian and Western governments have welcomed the talks, but many observers
remain skeptical that a major breakthrough is in the offing. The military has
ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962.
The EU troika, which includes representatives from Sweden, France and
Belgium, arrived in Yangon late Sunday and met Monday with Deputy Foreign
Minister Khin Maung Win, a ministry official said on customary condition of
anonymity.
The EU team was due to meet later Monday with Foreign Minister Win Aung and
Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the third-ranking figure in the military regime, before
seeing Suu Kyi on Tuesday.
Continuation Of 1999 Visit
The delegation, headed by Borje Ljunggren, director of the Asia and Oceania Division of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, will also meet with representatives of foreign nongovernment aid groups working in Myanmar. An EU troika last visited 18 months ago. "The visit will be the continuation of the EU visit in July 1999 and partly
a fact-finding visit in relation to the current developments in Myanmar," Khin
Maung Win told reporters before the delegation's arrival.
The regime has recently eased up on its browbeaten opposition. Last week
the military released 84 members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy from
detention and also sent home NLD Vice Chairman Tin Oo, who was held at a
military camp since Sept. 22, when he, Suu Kyi and other NLD members were
prevented from leaving Yangon.
The military brutally crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and two
years later refused to recognize the outcome of a general election which the NLD
won by a landslide.
Since then, the junta has imprisoned hundreds of Suu Kyi's followers,
forced others into quitting the party and refused to heed calls from Western
nations to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the NLD, which maintains that
the 1990 election result should be honored.
Separately, Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad has reportedly said that
Myanmar's military regime is willing to solve the country's problems through
discussions with Suu Kyi and hold elections in a few years.
Nation Above Party
"What is needed is to put the interests of Myanmar above party interests," Mahathir was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times, a Malaysian newspaper, in its Monday editions. "And I think the government is willing to discuss with Suu Kyi to find solutions for Myanmar." Mahathir, who visited Myanmar earlier this month, said the leader of the
junta, Gen. Than Shwe, was willing to hold fresh elections in a few years time,
but not "this year or next."
Mahathir was a driving force in bringing Myanmar into the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, which has led to diplomatic difficulties for
ASEAN in relations with countries that have sanctions against Myanmar.
Some analysts believe the easing of tensions between the regime and the NLD
may be due to the military's hope that the United States, EU and others would
lift sanctions on aid and investment and thus help revive the country's moribund
economy.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Monday welcomed the release
of the NLD activists, saying it was an "encouraging sign" for the dialogue
between Suu Kyi and the regime.
EU Delegation Visits
Myanmar
2001.01.29 13:08:45 YANGON, January 29 (Xinhuanet)
-- A delegation of the European Union (EU) arrived here Sunday night to
begin a three-day visit to Myanmar to work for the country's national
reconciliation.
This is a continuation of the EU dialogue that began in 1999. It is
also the first time for an EU mission to come to Myanmar since foreign
ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU
met for the 13th time in Vientiane last December, participated for the first
time by three new ASEAN members including Myanmar after Myanmar joined the
grouping in July 1997.
The EU troika, which consists of representatives from Belgium,
Sweden, the commission of the EU and the council of the EU, will hold
talks with the Myanmar government and the opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.
The visit of the EU representatives was agreed upon in principle by
Myanmar Foreign Minister U Win Aung during the last December ASEAN-EU
meeting, when he said his country would give permission for an EU troika
for the visit and the restriction on Aung San Suu Kyi would be lifted "at
an appropriate time".
According to U.N. sources, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has
confirmed through Razali's latest report after ending a five- day mission to
Myanmar early this month that a direct dialogue between Lieutenant-General
Khin Nyunt, First Secretary of the ruling Myanmar State Peace and
Development Council, and Aung San Suu Kyi in the area of confidence
building had secretly started in last October. This is the first official
dialogue between the warring sides since 1994. More substantive
discussions are expected to follow shortly.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the general secretary of the NLD and the 1991 Nobel Peace
laureate, was placed under house arrest in 1989 and only granted limited
freedom in 1995. She has again been under house arrest by the government
since last September.
As a goodwill gesture to the EU delegation's visit, the Myanmar government
released NLD Vice-Chairman U Tin Oo and 85 other party youth members last
Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Myanmar remains the only ASEAN country that has yet to sign the ASEAN-EU
cooperation agreement, a framework that allows the signatories to
participate in various cooperative schemes, while the other two new
members -- Laos and Cambodia -- became signatories to the agreement at the
ASEAN ministerial meeting in Bangkok last July.
Myanmar Media Claims to Have
Rights to Choose Best System
2001.01.29 13:07:40 YANGON， January 29 （Xinhuanet） Myanmar has the rights to
choosethe best political， economic and social system for its interestsince
it is a member of the global community ， the United Nations （U.N.）
and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations， said Monday's official
newspaper The New Light of Myanmar.
In its article， the newspaper maintained that no foreigncountry or
foreigner has the rights even to suggest who should orshould not rule
Myanmar or which policy is to be followed and thatno country or
person has the right to disturb and deter the
endeavors of Myanmar. All nations have the rights to freely determine its own future，it
stressed ， pointing out that the nations ， whose condition issuited to
capitalism ， have adopted it ， while others whosecondition is suited
to socialism ， have practised the system.
It also pointed out that there are also nations， which neveraccept
both systems， but have laid down and exercised theirnationalist economic
systems which
serve their best interest. The newspaper said the act of attacking and invading othernations，
interfering in the internal affairs of others ， practisingvarious types of
colonization and hegemonism are evil practicesunacceptable to the
world ， citing the unacceptance by the U.N. ofcolonialism which it said
has bullied and occupied other nationswith the use of superior
firepower.
The newspaper warned that instability is occurring in variousparts of
the world with many countries facing the evilconsequences of war and civil
strife due to the political andeconomic conspiracies of greedy
politicians and entrepreneurs.
It blamed that because of the oppressive and dominationpractices
applied by the neo-colonialists on others ， there areregions in this world
which are sinking deeper into poverty andthe world is still far away from
achieving peace and stability.
The Times
MONDAY JANUARY 29 2001 EU kindles new hope in Burma BY JAMES PRINGLE EUROPEAN diplomats are “cautiously optimistic” as an EU delegation begins talks in Rangoon today in an effort to encourage Burma’s ruling military junta and the opposition National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, to embark on a ground-breaking dialogue. The four-member team will hold its meetings three weeks after the United Nations announced that Daw Suu Kyi had held talks with Khin Nyunt, a leading figure in the ruling State Peace and Development Council, the military leadership. Razali Ismail, the UN envoy who has acted as broker in the secret contacts,
said that they were paving the way for “more substantive discussions” that could
end a decade of political deadlock.
Earlier this month the council ended its personal attacks on Daw Suu Kyi
and the National League for Democracy and last week it released 19 members of
the league’s youth wing and Tin Oo, its vice-chairman, after four months in
detention. Last week Daw Suu Kyi unexpectedly won a court case over ownership of
her Rangoon residence, which had been contested by her brother, who is based in
the United States.
The present views of the Nobel peace laureate, who has been under house
arrest for four months and largely out of touch with the outside world, remain
unknown, but the EU delegation has been assured of a meeting with her, diplomats
say.
The delegation consists of representatives from Sweden and Belgium, the
present and next holders of the EU’s rotating presidency, and members of the
European Commission.
Daw Suu Kyi and Tin Oo tried to travel by train to Mandalay in September,
prompting a military crackdown. Tin Oo’s release was seen as an olive branch
from the junta ahead of the visit by the European Union’s delegation, which is
due to hold a press conference on its return to Bangkok in Thailand on Wednesday
evening.
Carlsberg sets its sights on Burma
BY JEERAPORN CHAISRI Source : The Nation Date : 29 January 2001 COPENHAGEN - Carlsberg Asia looks likely to make its beer available in
Burma using Thailand as a springboard, said group managing director Michael C
Luul.
He said Burma could be a big market for Carlsberg owing to high beer
consumption and the small number of breweries at present.
"There are only three breweries in the country," he said.
However, the interest within Burma is not high enough to encourage
Carlsberg to set up any operations in Burma itself until the country's politics
becomes more open.
According to Luul, Carlsberg could use Thailand as a centre to export its
products to Burma.
At present, the Danish beer-maker jointly operates the Carlsberg Brewery
(Thailand) with liquor tycoon Charoen Siriwadhanabhakdi of Change Beverage,
which hold a 49-per-cent stake.
According to Luul, the Asian market is now becoming more important because
beer consumption is increasing.
"Historically there have been only a few Asian markets with significant
beer consumption. Today the situation is changing. Asia is the fastest-growing
market for beer in the world," Luul said.
He said the company, whose headquarters are in Singapore, intended to
strengthen its presence in the region and planned to go public in three to four
years in their main established markets of Singapore and Hong Kong.
"If by that time the Thai stock market became strong and stable, we would
be in there. We are still open to choices and to see where is good for us" Luul
said.
Carlsberg claims that it controls a market share of around 70 per cent in
Thailand, 60 per cent in Hong Kong and Singapore and 55 per cent in South Korea.
The Danish beer is also brewed by local companies in China, Indonesia,
Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and the Philippines.
Carlsberg Asia was formed this month and will incorporate all the brewer's
Asian subsidiaries.
The Nation - January 30,
2001.
EDITORIAL: EU mission takes on a critical importance The EU mission to Burma this week could make or break the military regime.
For the past 12 years, the European Union has been at the forefront of the
anti-Burmese drive around the world. The last visit by a team from the EU was
pretty much unsuccessful in that it did not produce any positive results.
Now, with much enthusiasm and optimism preceding this latest mission,
especially after the success of the recent trip by UN Special Envoy for Burma,
Dato Ismail Razali, the EU group is in sight of making concrete progress in
Rangoon. Last week's release of Tin Oo, the vice-chairman of the opposition
National League for Democracy, and the junta's talks with Aung San Suu Kyi
certainly augur well for a positive visit. Any meeting between the EU delegation
and opposition leader Suu Kyi will offer a first-hand glimpse into her condition
and the political situation there.
Given the track record of the junta and the fact that the media and
security apparatus are tightly controlled, there is the danger of being fooled
by what is happening in the country. After all, the State Peace and Development
Council, as the regime is officially known, has learned all the tricks in
handling the hostile international community. Yet, hopes are high that the
generals now realise that they have to give a little before the international
community is prepared to loosen up. Now would seem to be the best time to do so.
Lest one forgets, the junta leaders have suppressed the democratic movement
and violated human rights in every shape and manner since they ruthlessly
overturned the results of the election of May 1990. So whatever progress has
been made must be weighted against this background.
For a long time now there have been many people anxious to see things
moving ahead in Burma and are therefore willing to sacrifice principles and turn
a blind eye to the worst excesses of the junta. Such is the case with North
Korea. When a rogue state changes its attitude, it can only be a welcome move.
So if the junta leaders are genuine, they should move quickly to establish trust
with the opposition and keep the momentum rolling. Previously, there had been
similar steps and optimism had risen, but in typical junta fashion they were
quickly crushed. It is to be hoped that before the EU mission renders any credit
to the junta, the team is 100 per cent sure that the junta is serious about
national reconciliation. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who met the
generals recently, said the junta might have an election sometime in the future
but that the people should understand that it is not to be an occasion to hurt
their regime. If that is the case, then democracy in Burma is in for the long
haul.
But Burma's economy is in a complete shambles and the generals know it. The
country needs assistance from all sides. Countries that are friendly to Burma
such as Japan and China, not to mention the Asean states, are all looking for a
reason to increase their assistance and bolster their relationships, and the EU
mission could provide that.
Thailand, which has had to shoulder all of the problems emanating from the
repressive regime, has welcomed what little headway has been made so far. No
doubt everyone in this country wishes to see a regime that will allow the
Burmese to live freely and participate in rebuilding the nation, regardless of
ethnicity.
If the EU mission gets a good impression of the regime, that should
encourage Thailand to think a bit more positively about its neighbour. The
Burmese then could expect the government, like the international community, to
respond in kind.
Bangkok Post - January 29,
2001.
27 Burmese prisoners evade police arrest Tak-Twenty seven Burmese prisoners were still at large yesterday after they
escaped from Mae Sot district police station.
Of the 150 illegal aliens in custody, 56 escaped and 29 were immediately
recaptured.
They were all crammed in the same small cell when police opened the door to
bring them food. The prisoners forced their way out and fled through the front
gate.
Extra police were subsequently deployed and they captured 29 escapees. They
were still looking for the rest. Nine of the recaptured prisoners were being
questioned about the escape.
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