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BURMA RELATED NEWS - May 01,
2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Thai army denies supporting
rebels along Myanmar border
AFP - Thai-Myanmar row flares as FM
begins fence-mending visit
AFP - Asia's military governments
meet as Pakistan leader arrives in Myanmar
AP - Myanmar Wants to End
Deadlock
AP - Myanmar Cuts Gasoline Quota For Private Cars
Tue-Official
AP -
Two Killed As Thai Army Clashes With Myanmar
Guerillas
Reuters - Three Thais killed in border clash with Karen
group
Reuters - Malaysian trade unions call for foreign worker
freeze
Reuters - Cuba beats other developing nations on social
measures
AP - Myanmar says it is serious
about dialogue with Suu Kyi
BBC - Thai-Burma talks amid border tension
Kyodo News - Pakistan military chief arrives in Myanmar
Bernama - Myanmar Struggles To Repair Damage From Bad Press New Straits Times - Myanmar says no heroin
ABC online - Burma's
military says it is serious in persuing reconciliation with op
Kyodo News - Myanmar's
dialogue with NLD is confidential, ASEAN
told
The Nation - ASEAN BURMA
RETREAT : Drugs on agenda
The Nation - Junta says
talks 'progressing'
The Nation - Drug watch
Xinhuanet - Pakistani Leader Visits
Myanmar
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Workers Urged to Maintain Patriotic
Tradition
Xinhuanet - Myanmar-Thai Tense Relations Got Eased to Some
Extent
Nando Times - World: Myanmar
government weary of deadlock
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 5:30 PM Thai army denies supporting
rebels along Myanmar border
BANGKOK, May 1 (AFP) - The Thai army Tuesday denied accusations
from Myanmar's military government that it had fired artillery warning shots
towards Myanmar to protect ethnic Shan rebels, an army statement said.
The statement said fighting on Sunday between Myanmar
troops and Shan State Army (SSA) soldiers along the Thai-Myanmar border had
directly affected Thailand as Myanmar shells had landed on Thai
soil.
The shelling had endangered Thai villagers and property,
leading Thailand's 3rd Army to unleash warning shots "towards only the area that
shells spilled over the border."
"The Royal Thai Army has to protect our sovereignty and
bring peace and security to Thai people," the army said.
The exchange comes as Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai begins his first official visit to Myanmar, where he and his
counterpart Win Aung will try to halt an alarming deterioration in relations
between the neighbours.
Surakiart's visit on the heels of an informal retreat by
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Yangon
Monday is overshadowed by the war of words that has raged between the two
countries in recent months.
The friction began in February, when fighting between
rival ethnic militias along the border sparked a rare clash between their
national armies.
Since then, Thailand has accused Myanmar of failing to
clamp down on the border narcotics trade, rated as the nation's number-one
national security threat.
Myanmar fired back last week by accusing Thailand of
jeopardising ASEAN unity, dashing hopes that the new administration of Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would herald an era of closer relations between the
neighbours.
In the latest border dispute, Myanmar's ruling junta on
Monday lashed out at Thailand, saying it had used its firepower to defend ethnic
SSA soldiers along the border.
"The Thai army is again coming up with an excuse to be
able to give (the an artillery fire support from across the border creating
military escalation and causing unnecessary aggravation and tension," the
Myanmar junta said in a statement.
Myanmar also accused Thai troops of participating in an
attack last week by SSA troops that left seven government soldiers
dead.
In helping the SSA, Thailand was effectively harbouring
drug criminals as the ethnic militia had been shown to be involved in the heroin
and amphetamine trade, the statement said.
Yangon has accused the Thai army of using the SSA to fight
a proxy war, while at the same time justifying its crackdown on the rebels to
curtail their role in the production and trafficking of drugs.
The SSA has yet to agree to a ceasefire with Yangon. It
has been fighting for an independent state for decades.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 8:35 PM
Thai-Myanmar row flares as FM
begins fence-mending visit
YANGON, May 1 (AFP) - A bitter row between Thailand and Myanmar
over the drugs trade along their border flared again Tuesday, marring the start
of Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's first official visit to
Yangon.
Surakiart's trip, on the heels of an Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting here, was aimed at clearing the air
between the two neighbours who have been squabbling furiously in recent
months.
The war of words began in February when fighting between
rival ethnic militias along the border sparked a rare clash between the two
national armies.
High-level talks went some way to easing the tension, but
renewed conflict in the border region in recent days has threatened to cause a
further deterioration in relations.
Despite the rising tension, Surakiart played tourist
Tuesday with a trip to the northern capital of Mandalay and a sunset tour of the
stunning gilded spires of the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon.
On Wednesday he will sit down with leaders including
Foreign Minister Win Aung and the junta's influential chief of military
intelligence Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt to try to sort out their
differences.
Hanging over their heads will be the angry accusations
traded between the neighbours, and Thailand's claims that Myanmar has turned a
blind eye to the narcotics trade which it rates as its number-one threat to
national security.
Thailand's new Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra fired the
opening salvo in the debate early this year by declaring a "war on drugs" and
ordering officials to find ways to close down the narcotics trade.
Some 700 million methamphetamines pills churned out in
jungle refineries inside Myanmar are estimated to make their way into Thailand
each year, feeding an addiction crisis estimated to affect six percent of the
population.
Just as the drugs row appeared to be simmering down, and
Surakiart and Win Aung prepared for their first meeting, tensions were reignited
late last week after the Shan State Army (SSA) rebels raided a Myanmar border
outpost.
The ruling junta accused Thailand of harbouring drug
criminals by giving support to the SSA, one of the few ethnic groups not to have
signed a ceasefire agreement with Yangon.
"Various drug bandits with no intention and programs for
narcotic drug elimination are being heralded as drug-busters cum freedom
fighters by the Thai authorities," it said.
Then on Monday it accused Thailand of using its firepower
to defend the SSA by firing 30 artillery warning shots "towards
Myanmar".
"The Thai army is again coming up with an excuse to be
able to give (the an artillery fire support from across the border creating
military escalation and causing unnecessary aggravation and tension," it
said.
The Thai army was defiant Tuesday, saying that it
unleashed warning shots when Myanmar shells aimed at the SSA strayed onto Thai
soil, endangering civilians and property.
"The Royal Thai Army has to protect our sovereignty and
bring peace and security to Thai people," it said.
The barbs have dashed hopes that the new, pro-business
administration of Thaksin Shinawatra would herald an era of closer relations
between the neighbours.
For Thaksin, the row with Myanmar is just one of host of
problems he must juggle in coming months, including a court appeal against
corruption charges that may cost him his job.
Observers in Yangon, however, say that the Myanmar
government is extremely concerned about the hostilities and will be looking for
reassurances this week that Thailand is keen to prevent it from turning into a
more serious dispute.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 8:23 PM
Asia's military governments
meet as Pakistan leader arrives in Myanmar
YANGON, May 1 (AFP) - Pakistani leader General Pervez Musharraf
arrived in the Myanmar capital Tuesday for a three-day visit aimed at building
bridges between Asia's two military governments.
The visit represents a bid by the Myanmar junta for
recognition outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which it
joined four years ago.
Musharraf is the first non-ASEAN leader to travel to
Myanmar since 1988, when it earned the ire of the international community for
disallowing the results of an election which Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition won
in a landslide.
Also in town this week is an 800-strong contingent from
the Pakistani navy who arrived aboard a destroyer, a tanker and a submarine --
in the first foreign naval visit to Myanmar in 14 years.
The high-profile Pakistani presence here this week has
given rise to speculation that Myanmar is looking to buy more weapons from its
South Asian counterpart, which was the first nation to supply it with arms after
1988.
Wild fluctuations in the value of the kyat currency
against the dollar last week sent rumours flying around Yangon that a
military-linked agency was buying up greenbacks to pay for the
deal.
The value of the kyat plummeted on the black market from
500 against the dollar to 720, prompting the government to round up more than 70
currency dealers to curb the speculation and settle the currency at around
600.
However, analysts said Musharraf's visit was more likely
to be a getting-to-know-you exercise than a venue for making major decisions or
inking arms contracts.
"I doubt there will be any important discussions on
anything except general cooperation," said Myanmar-watcher Chayachoke
Chulasiriwongs from Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.
"When you look at the geographic position of the two
countries, they are far apart. I think this is more or less trying to improve
relations ... It would be to the benefit of Myanmar to get more recognition with
other countries."
Chayachoke said the generals in Yangon would continue to
rely on China -- their main provider of weaponry and a key sponsor against the
punishing sanctions that have brought Myanmar's economy to its
knees.
"I doubt if there'll be any military cooperation. China
has been helping support the Myanmar government on weapons sales," he
said.
However, he said that during his three-day visit Musharraf
may work to ensure that Pakistan is not left out as India moves to tighten its
relationship with Myanmar.
"Although India is aiming at balancing power with China,
it means the two countries are leaving Pakistan out. Pakistan would like to come
into this triangular relationship," he said.
Musharraf's visit, the first by a Pakistani leader since
late military ruler Mohammad Zia ul Haq came here in 1985, will be followed by a
two-day trip to communist Vietnam.
Officials in Islamabad said the tour "reflects Pakistan's
desire to further strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation with the
countries of the region."
Musharraf is scheduled to hold talks with Myanmar's leader
Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC), and its influential first secretary Lieutenant General Khin
Nyunt.
He will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of the last
Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and visit defence service academies at
Mandalay in northern Myanmar.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 1:14 AM
Myanmar Wants to End
Deadlock
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Myanmar's military junta said Monday it was
pursuing reconciliation with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, insisting the
overtures to the Nobel Peace Prize winner were not a ``public relations stunt.''
Foreign Minister Win Aung's statement was the clearest
sign yet of the junta's desire to end the political deadlock that has gripped
Myanmar since the generals refused to hand over power to Suu Kyi's party after
it won general elections in 1990.
Win Aung told reporters that the secret talks began in
October, but declined to discuss details.
``The internal process is our business, our own process.
And we are not playing games ... it is not a public relations stunt. This is for
the sake of the people of Myanmar, 52 million people,'' Win Aung said. ``We
don't play games.''
The current military rulers of Myanmar, also known as
Burma, took power after crushing a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. The junta
held elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results when Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy won with a big majority.
Since then the junta has harassed her party's members,
restricted the party's activities, and repeatedly placed Suu Kyi under house
arrest. She has been confined to her house since Sept. 22.
Asked what prompted Suu Kyi to start the talks a month
after her detention began, Win Aung said ``people's perceptions and ideas change
from time to time.''
``You need to adjust to the situation,'' he said.
Win Aung said the seriousness of the talks can be judged
by the fact that Myanmar's state-controlled media has stopped its criticism of
Suu Kyi and her party also has refrained from criticizing the junta.
``Confrontations on both sides have stopped,'' Win Aung
told reporters after attending an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
Win Aung said he informed his counterparts about the
progress of the talks, but said details cannot be disclosed because of the
delicate nature of the process.
He denied, however, that the reconciliation had reached a
deadlock. ``The process is not stalled,'' he said.
Other ASEAN ministers welcomed the talks.
``The process of national reconciliation is real,'' said
Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, describing it as a ``very positive
sign.''
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said ASEAN
members understand the talks ``cannot be held in the limelight and publicity.''
The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 5:43 PM
Myanmar Cuts Gasoline Quota
For Private Cars Tue-Official
YANGON (AP)--The official quota of gasoline for private
cars has been reduced from three gallons a day to two gallons a day, an energy
ministry official said Tuesday.
The quota reduction, which became effective Tuesday,
wasn't officially announced in the media, and many car owners found out about
the change only when they went to top up their tanks at their local gas
stations.
The energy ministry official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said that government cars would also face a decreased quota effective
from Tuesday, but he didn't know the size of the cut.
The reason for the change wasn't made known, but Myanmar's
foreign exchange reserves have come under pressure from a fall in the value of
the national currency, the kyat. The kyat is trading at record low free market
rates of about 640 to one U.S dollar, more than a hundred times the official
exchange rate, dealers said.
The official exchange rate remains about 6 kyats to the
dollar, but most business and consumer transactions are based on the rate quoted
on the black market, which is tacitly tolerated by the government as necessary
to carry on business.
The reduction of the gasoline ration is likely to result
in higher taxi fares and higher prices for basic commodities.
Another official who also didn't want to be identified
said that the reduction was an apparent effort to prevent wastage.
With limited domestic oil production and tight foreign
exchange reserves. Myanmar suffers from a constant fuel shortage, so gasoline is
sold under a rationing system in Yangon. Each car has a ration book for making
daily purchases.
Owners of both private cars and government cars who don't
need their full quota sell their excess fuel to black market gasoline sellers,
from whom people with demands greater than their quota buy it at inflated
prices.
A gallon of gasoline which is bought under the quota
system at 180 kyats can fetch 400 kyats per gallon on the black market.
The sales of excess quotas are used by some government
officials as well as private citizens to augment their incomes.
Myanmar, once one of the region's important oil producers,
produced 32,000 barrels of crude per day in 1979, but production has declined to
about 18,000 barrels per day while domestic fuel consumption has increased.
According to the most recent official figures available, there were 107,284 cars
in Yangon in December 1998, three times the total 10 years earlier.
To meet the shortfall, the government regularly buys crude
from abroad, usually from Malaysia and South Korea.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 11:57 AM
Two Killed As Thai Army
Clashes With Myanmar Guerillas
MAE SOT, Thailand (AP)--Two Thai hilltribe villagers were killed and
another injured when pro-Myanmar ethnic Karen guerrillas clashed with Thai
security forces at the Thai-Myanmar border early Tuesday, a Thai army officer
said.
Troops of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army invaded the
Thai village of Molithai, about 45 kilometers south of the northwestern border
town of Mae Sot, and skirmished with Thai forces for two hours using mortars and
assault rifles.
Two ethnic Karen women from the village were killed and
one man was injured, before the DKBA forces retreated to Myanmar, said an
officer with the Thai Third Army's Naresuan Task Force, which monitors that
section of the border.
It wasn't immediately clear if the Thai army or the DKBA
suffered any casualties, nor how much damage was caused in the village.
The situation is now calm but Thailand has bolstered its
forces at the border, the officer said. He spoke on customary condition of
anonymity.
There are frequent clashes between ethnic rebels and
troops of Myanmar's military regime in this region, which lies about 350
kilometers northwest of Bangkok.
Tuesday's attack appeared to be in retaliation for an
April 22 assault by the anti-Yangon Karen National Union on a DKBA border base
opposite Mae Sot that killed four people in Myanmar. Myanmar protested to the
Thai army, saying it had supported the raid.
There was no immediate comment from the Myanmar government
about Tuesday's incident.
The DKBA is a pro-Myanmar army that was set up by
disgruntled KNU fighters. The KNU has been fighting for autonomy in Myanmar,
also known as Burma, for five decades.
Relations between Thailand and Myanmar are tense, because
of Thai allegations that Myanmar isn't doing enough to stop illegal drugs being
traded across their shared border.
At the weekend, Thailand fired dozens of artillery and
mortar shells over the Thai-Myanmar border farther to the north, after Myanmar
fire against Shan ethnic rebels it is battling inside Myanmar landed on Thai
soil. Myanmar subsequently protested to Thailand and accused it of giving
artillery support to the rebels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 3:07 PM
Three Thais killed in border
clash with Karen group
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Three Thai soldiers were killed and
five wounded in a brief clash with intruding ethnic Karen guerrillas near the
border with Myanmar on Tuesday, military officials said.
They said about 50 armed fighters of the Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA), a Myanmar-based guerrilla group operating along the
border, had entered western Tak province and launched a predawn attack on Thai
troops and villagers in the area.
About 20 houses were also damaged in the clash. The DKBA
is allied to the ruling military government in Yangon and carries out attacks on
anti-government rebels of the Karen National Union operating in the border area.
Officials said the DKBA incursion was an apparent
retaliation for a recent Thai crackdown on illegal trafficking in stimulant
pills by the DKBA along the border.
They said the Thai authorities had in April seized nearly
10 million methamphetamine pills during two raids in border areas near Tak.
Thai forces fired mortars at a DKBA base inside Myanmar in
retaliation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 4:31 PM
Malaysian trade unions call
for foreign worker freeze
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's largest trade union group
warned on Tuesday of massive job losses because of the U.S. economic slowdown,
and asked authorities to temporarily stop bringing in foreign workers.
The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) said in a May
Day message that at least 90,000 of 160,000 electronic industry workers
nationwide could soon lose their jobs, and called on local industry to hire
unemployed locals ahead of foreigners.
Malaysia is particularly vulnerable to any slowdown in
electronics demand from the United States, which last year took 27 percent of
its electronics exports. Electronics account for 59 percent of Malaysia's total
exports.
"It has been estimated that at least 90,000 workers will
soon be losing their jobs in the electronics industry alone as a result of the
U.S. economic slowdown," MTUC president Zainal Rampak said. MTUC groups 230
affiliates and 500,000 workers.
Zainal did not say how he arrived at the figure.
Official figures showed some 15,000 workers had been
retrenched in the first three months of this year. Of the total, 13,000 were
electronics workers.
The northern Penang state, dubbed Malaysia's "Silicon
Valley", employs more than 100,000 workers in the electronics industry.
Major job cuts to date in Penang have been limited to disk
drive giant Seagate Technology Inc, which is shedding 4,000 staff in an
efficiency push that closed its drives-assembly plant.
Zainal also urged labour-short local companies to absorb
locals rather than tap cheaper foreign labour.
"Employers should utilise readily available local human
resources first and not look for cheaper options like migrant labour," he said.
Malaysia is already home to more than one million foreign
workers, mainly from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and the
Philippines.
Malaysia's economy, hit by the U.S. slowdown, is
officially forecast to grow by five to six percent, slower than 2000's 8.5
percent expansion.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 1, 9:58 AM
Cuba beats other developing
nations on social measures
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank on Monday voiced
recognition that Communist-run Cuba, barred from the multilateral loans enjoyed
by most other developing nations, scores better on social measures than most of
them.
Statistics in the bank's World Development Indicators
report, issued during its spring meetings over the weekend, show Cubans live
longer than other Latin Americans, including residents of the U.S. Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico.
In Latin America, the island's literacy levels are only
equaled by the middle-income nations of Argentina and Uruguay.
"Cuba has done a great job on education and health and if
you judge the country by education and health they've done a terrific job,"
World Bank President James Wolfensohn said.
"So I have no hesitation in acknowledging that they've
done a good job, and it does not embarrass me to do it," he told a news
conference.
"It was not with our advice but it was not without or
advice either. We just have nothing to do with them. They should be
congratulated for what they've done," he said.
The bank's data shows life expectancy in Cuba is 76 years.
Among Latin American countries, that is second only to Costa Rica at 77. It
equals show-case market economy Chile, while it is ahead of Puerto Rico at 73
years; Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico, where the average person lives for 72
years; and Brazil, which lags at 67 years.
Infant mortality in Cuba is seven deaths per thousand live
births, much lower than the rest of Latin America, including Puerto Rico.
Only 3 percent of Cuban males above the age of 15 years
cannot read, a literacy rate that is five times better than Brazil and 16 times
ahead of Haiti.
Cuba withdrew from the World Bank and its sister lending
agency, the International Monetary Fund, on November 14, 1959, less than a year
after the revolution led by Fidel Castro. And it still remains outside these
so-called Bretton Woods institutions, along with North Korea, Libya and Myanmar.
"We would love to have an enlargement of our constituency,
if that's the point," said IMF Deputy Managing Director Eduardo Aninat. "In the
present world there is a need for sustaining policy dialogues
constructively."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- WIRE: 04/30/2001 1:04 pm ET
Myanmar says it is serious
about dialogue with Suu Kyi
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) Myanmar's military junta said Monday it was
pursuing reconciliation with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, insisting the
overtures to the Nobel Peace Prize winner were not a "public relations stunt."
Foreign Minister Win Aung's statement was the clearest
sign yet of the junta's desire to end the political deadlock that has gripped
Myanmar since the generals refused to hand over power to Suu Kyi's party after
it won general elections in 1990.
Win Aung told reporters that the secret talks began in
October, but declined to discuss details.
"The internal process is our business, our own process.
And we are not playing games ... it is not a public relations stunt. This is for
the sake of the people of Myanmar, 52 million people," Win Aung said. "We don't
play games."
The current military rulers of Myanmar, also known as
Burma, took power after crushing a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. The junta
held elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results when Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy won with a big majority.
Since then the junta has harassed her party's members,
restricted the party's activities, and repeatedly placed Suu Kyi under house
arrest. She has been confined to her house since Sept. 22.
Asked what prompted Suu Kyi to start the talks a month
after her detention began, Win Aung said "people's perceptions and ideas change
from time to time."
"You need to adjust to the situation," he said.
Win Aung said the seriousness of the talks can be judged
by the fact that Myanmar's state-controlled media has stopped its criticism of
Suu Kyi and her party also has refrained from criticizing the junta.
"Confrontations on both sides have stopped," Win Aung told
reporters after attending an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
Win Aung said he informed his counterparts about the
progress of the talks, but said details cannot be disclosed because of the
delicate nature of the process.
He denied, however, that the reconciliation had reached a
deadlock. "The process is not stalled," he said.
Other ASEAN ministers welcomed the talks.
"The process of national reconciliation is real," said
Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, describing it as a "very positive
sign."
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said ASEAN
members understand the talks "cannot be held in the limelight and publicity."
The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Tuesday, 1 May,
2001, 07:57 GMT 08:57 UK
Thai-Burma talks amid border tension The Thai foreign minister, Surakiart Sathiratai, is in
Rangoon for talks with his Burmese counterpart, amid increasingly strained
relations between the two countries.
Thai and Burmese forces were involved in sporadic clashes
on their border in February and the two countries have continued to accuse each
other of stirring unrest in the area.
The Thais say Burma supports drug-producing militias,
while the Burmese accuse the authorities in Bangkok of backing Shan separatist
forces.
The talks come after ASEAN foreign ministers met in
Rangoon on Monday.
Correspondents say the increasing tension between Thailand
and Burma cast a shadow over the meeting.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan military chief
arrives in Myanmar
YANGON May 1 Kyodo - Pakistan Chief Executive Gen. Pervez
Musharraf arrived in Yangon on Tuesday by special aircraft for a three-day
goodwill visit.
The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Chairman
Sr. Gen. Than Shwe and government members welcomed the Pakistani military leader
and his delegation at the airport, Myanmar News Agency said.
Soon after arrival at the state guesthouse, the first
secretary of Myanmar's junta, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, paid a courtesy call on the
Pakistani leader.
Later, Musharraf is to call on junta chief Than Shwe at
the parliament building where bilateral agreements for economic and
technological cooperation will be signed.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan delegation will visit Mandalay
and Maymyo in central Myanmar where they will visit military establishments in
addition to cultural sites.
They are to return to Yangon on Thursday to proceed to
Vietnam.
Musharraf, who seized power in Pakistan in a bloodless
coup in October 1999, is the second senior leader from a non-ASEAN (Association
of Southeast Asian Nations) country to visit Myanmar since the military takeover
in 1988.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng visited Myanmar in December
1994.
Musharraf's visit was preceded by a goodwill visit of a
flotilla from the Pakistan Navy, including a destroyer, a submarine and two
support ships, from April 27 to 29.
A 16-member Pakistan National Defense College delegation
led by Gen. Raza Muhammad Khan also paid a weeklong visit from April
23.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Malaysian National
News Agency
May 01 , 2001 13:38PM
Myanmar Struggles
To Repair Damage From Bad Press
By Roslan Ariffin YANGON, May 1 (Bernama) -- If foreign media reporting of Myanmar
is to be taken seriously, the country has gone to the dogs.
An iron-fisted military government, backward economy, drug
trafficking, riots, forced labour, religious intolerance and massive political
instability are some of their portrayals of Myanmar.
A group of Malaysian journalists on an eight-day "rare"
tour of Myanmar recently however found Myanmar to be a country on the go and
things are far from hopeless as foreign media reports seem to suggest.
The visit to the "Suvanna Bhumi" (Golden Earth) was
organised to enable the Malaysians to obtain the latest information and
first-hand look at the country which has been under military rule since 1988.
Disembarking at the Yangon International Airport after a
150-minute Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur and then off to Yangon
City in a 20-minute bus ride, one could see many new structures -- condominiums,
apartments, four-star and five-star hotels -- along the way.
Visitors anticipating to see troops in every corner of
Yangon's streets could see none, instead they were met with robust traffic
movement -- cars honking and over-packed public transport.
"My mother actually cried when told that I was to be
transferred to Myanmar. She begged me not to come here because of all the bad
things written about the country. That was five years ago and now she is a
regular tourist here," said Steven Twang, an executive chef at the Yangon Micasa
Hotel Apartment.
Twang, from Muar in Johor and married to a Myanmar woman,
said foreign reports on Myanmar were "unreal and grossly biased".
"There is peace and stability in this country for the last
decade. You can ask around. The people don't really care about politics, their
priority is to improve their income and their lot," he said.
"Yangon is now something like Kuala Lumpur in the late
seventies, but it is doing the catching up very, very fast."
Myanmar, with a 50 million population and a land area of
676,577 sq km, shares borders with Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand.
The Myanmar goverment agreed that the closed-door policy
of the previous government is the main reason why Yangon, once better off than
any other city in South East Asia, has remained backward.
"It's true that previously we could not show the country
to the world because of the insurgency problem that the government has to
contend with. That is why outsiders are not fully aware of the real situation in
this country," said Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, Secretary of the State Peace and
Development Council of Myanmar.
Since independence in 1948, Myanmar with its 135 ethnic
groups has not enjoyed stability because of one insurrection after another.
The military had to intervene a few times in the 60's and
in 1988, it had to come in and take over the running of the country then on the
edge of disorder.
Gen Khin Nyunt, the country's de facto Prime Minister,
said peace and stability in the last decade had permitted Myanmar to improve its
economy and relax its travel restrictions imposed on foreign tourists.
"Seeing is believing. One should come and personally see
Myanmar," he told the Malaysian journalists.
Even with biased foreign reporting, Myanmar -- famous for
its archaeological sites among others -- has managed to capture the hearts of
many a visitor as can be seen by the rising number of tourists.
Last year, some 207,665 tourists entered the country
through Yangon, up from 196,158 the previous year.
The trend indicates that more foreign tourists are coming
to Myanmar every year even after the United States issued warnings to its
citizens against travelling to Myanmar.
Last year alone, the hotel industry in Myanmar made
US$572.94 million.
As peace beckons in Myanmar, the government is opening up
more areas to tourists, especially the border zones previously kept off-limits
due to the dangers posed by rebels and drug trafficking groups.
Asians account for 63.2 percent (131,165 people) of
tourists to the country, mainly from Taiwan and Japan, and Western Europe
accounting for 25.9 percent (53,739 people) mostly from France, Germany and the
United Kingdom.
"Come and see for yourself, the country is one of the
safest places for tourists," said Lieutenant Col Hla Min, a Defence Ministry
official.
"We are in transition, moving from 26 years of
centrally-planned socialist system to a market-oriented open economy," he told
the Malaysian journalists.
To outsiders, Myanmar is very much a misunderstood country
and the Malaysian Ambassador here Datuk Mohammad Noh agreed that western
mediareporting of the country had been biased.
"Some western reporters have never even been to Myanmar,
they just pick up news from somewhere," he said.
To Malaysian companies and entrepreneurs, he said: "You
have to come here and see Myanmar for yourself".
Mohammad said the excellent ties between Myanmar and
Malaysia should pave the way for Malaysian businesses to be set up here and
expand.
Sein Wein, the Kyodo news agency correspondent here, said
the western media were still confused over the country's and the capital's
names.
Myanmar and Yangon were the original names respectively
but renamed Burma and Rangoon by the British Colonial Administration. Reverting
to the original names have been accepted by the United Nations but not by the
western media.
Criticisms of the country's human rights record have
resulted in economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European
Union.
The National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi
won the 1990 election by a landslide but the military refused to let it govern.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was later put on
house arrest until 1995 before being granted limited movement.
Things are looking up with the military government
recently starting to have regular meetings and dialogue with Suu Kyi.
Gen Khin Nyunt said the military government is only a
transitional government and "it is our wish to relinquish power to a strong
government".
"There must be peace, order and economic growth in the
country and only then will the military relinquish power to the government
elected by the people through the democratic process," he said.
"I don't think there is a need for us to drag our feet."
He also urged Western nations to have some understanding
as the people of Myanmar were only beginning to taste democracy and formulate
its own constitution.
Japan last week announced a US$60 million (US$1=RM3.80)
aid to revamp a hydropower dam in eastern Myanmar, the biggest Japanese grant to
the country since 1988.
Japanese Embassy officials here have said the aid package
is being made in light of positive steps taken by the government in allowing the
dialogue to take place. -- BERNAMA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Straits
Times
Myanmar says no heroin
By Ramlan Said 01 May 2001 SPECIAL Region (1) commander Brig Gen Zaw Win and Phou
Kyar Shin smiled as pictures of them together were taken. They happily obliged
when asked by photographers to shake hands, their faces lightening up,
reflecting the cordial ties between the two.
However, this scene, which took place recently in Lauk
Kai, a Myanmar town bordering China, would not have been possible a decade ago
as Kyar Shin was then the enemy of the state.
Being North Eastern Command deputy leader of the Burma
Communist Party, Kyar Shin and his soldiers were busy fighting the Yangon
Government.
Lauk Kai, located within the notorious Golden Triangle
area, was both a haven and sanctuary for drug lords, insurgents and thousands of
hectares of poppy fields.
Here, the poppy flowers were processed into heroin before
they were smuggled out and sold in the world market, earning Myanmar the tag as
among the world's biggest cultivators and producers of narcotic
drugs.
But today, Lauk Kai has been transformed into a modern
township, with a majority of its poppy fields replaced with maize, buck wheat,
sugarcane and other crops.
The township and its seven satellite villages now boast of
hundreds of kilometres of roads, one 25-bed hospital, a number of clinics and
some 100 primary and middle schools.
The success story of Lauk Kai is being repeated in other
border towns that have been designated as special regions due to the drug
menace.
These achievements, seldom reported by the world media,
have been made possible following the government's renewed strategies in
combating narcotic drugs.
It believes that total elimination of opium cultivation
will only be achieved through the development and enhancement of the living
standards of the various ethnic groups in the border areas.
In short, Yangon is pitting development against the opium
scourge, and results in Lauk Kai and other special regions show that Yangon is
on the right track.
But before this programme can be implemented fully, peace
and stability have to be returned to areas where drug trafficking is
inextricably linked to armed groups operating along the border.
Yangon has so far succeeded in bringing into its fold 17
of the 18 insurgent groups.
With peace restored, greater attention on elimination of
narcotic drugs has been made possible. Much needed resources used to fight the
insurgents can now be channelled into the anti-drug programmes.
The military government's biggest coup is probably the
surrender of drug lord and Mong Tai Army leader Khun Sa in 1998. He had brought
with him 15,197 followers and 9,993 weapons.
Kyar Shin, 59, is now the greatest proponent of the
government's drugs elimination programme.
"Development is the remedy ... four years ago, this place
was only a small village but today, it has become a township," he told a
delegation of Malaysian journalists who visited the area recently.
"Before, you need a walking stick when venturing into the
open but now there are tarred roads and vehicles to transport you," he said,
gesturing to a fleet of cars and 4XWDs.
He believes that the most effective way to eradicate poppy
cultivation is by encouraging and implementing crop substitution. To date, some
10,000 households have benefited from the programme.
Did he regret the years spent fighting the
government?
"Yes. I have battled the government for 21 years. If what
we are doing now is carried out 21 years ago, this area will be the most
developed in Myanmar."
The former Communist Party leader laments that many
foreigners came and went without offering much help.
"Representatives from 40 countries have been here but only
two provided help so far," Kyar Shin said, stressing that eliminating drugs is
the responsibility of every citizen of the world.
Zaw Win agreed, saying three quarters of the areas in Lauk
Kai grown with poppy had been replaced with other crops.
He admitted there were still areas grown with poppy but
destroying them would "deprive" the farmers of any income.
He, however, politely declined requests from the
journalists for a tour of the poppy fields or an interview with Khun
Sa.
Kyar Shin only laughed when the request was relayed to him
through an interpreter.
(Khun Sa has not granted any interview since returning to
the government fold. A senior military officer in Yangon says Khun Sa is alive
but has been placed under government protection due to threats made to his
life).
"The world must understand ... getting the farmers to
switch crops has to be done gradually. They have been dependent on poppy for
decades. We can't just destroy the fields without providing them with an
alternative crop," Zaw Win said.
The general, who has commanded the region for almost two
years, said the local populace resorted to cultivating opium as the principal
cash crop because of the harsh climatic conditions in the border
areas.
"In these regions, the terrain is so difficult that they
are almost inaccesible. This explains why the rehabilitation exercise has to be
done slowly.
"We need to provide roads before the farmers can be
convinced to abandon opium. If others have no access to the area, it will be
pointless to introduce other crops as they cannot be marketed."
Agriculture products from the Lauk Kai region are now
transported to Lashio and Mandalay before they are shipped to Yangon. They are
also marketed across the border to China.
The Myanmar military government and the Lauk Kai local
council have built a museum to showcase efforts and programmes carried out in
ridding the country of poppy fields and heroin.
The Myanmars have blamed the British for introducing opium
into the country.
In the Kokant Region Drugs Elimination Museum, there is
one section which detailed the first entry of opium into Myanmar. It looks like
an attempt to set the record straight.
One display reads: "Bein", the opium itself, is not a
Myanmar word. The authentic record of this Bein production and abused habit was
found only after the annexation of Myanmar by the British in 1885. It can
therefore be said that opium is inherited from the British.
Another drug-free zone visited is Monglar, also a border
town in the Shan State.
It is difficult to visualise that this area was once a
centre for opium growing and heroin production, with everthing under the control
of drug lords and their armies.
Far from being a shanty town, new buildings and shoplots
now dot the valley. At the highest point in the area, a huge pagoda complex has
been attracting hundreds of tourists daily from neighbouring China.
Tourists are also drawn to the town because of its
entertainment park which now boasts of an auditorium, a mini zoo and animal
shows. A new hotel completes with a golf range is nearing completion to cater to
the tourist influx.
San Lin, chairman of the Special Region (4) local
government, said economic activities had replaced war in the 12 years since
peace returned to the area following an agreement with the
government.
The area was declared free of the drug menace in
1997.
"The approach taken by us has been proven right. Peace
attracts investment and tourists."
Since 1996, two million visitors, mostly Chinese, have
been in Monglar.
San Lin said income generated from entry fees imposed on
tourists have funded development projects.
"Of the 300 million yuan (RM137.7 million) collected, 200
million have been spent on infrastructure development."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABC online - May 01,
2001.
Burma's military says it is
serious in persuing reconciliation with op
Burma's military junta says it is seriously pursuing
reconciliation with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and asserted its
overtures were not a "public relations stunt" to ward off critics.
However, Foreign Minister Win Aung says no time frame has
been set for completing the process because "it is a timeless
business".
He said the progress and details of the talks, which have
been shrouded in secrecy since beginning in October, will remain confidential
and must not be disclosed.
Win Aung's statement was the most clearly stated sign yet
of the junta's desire to end the political deadlock in Burma, which has
attracted widespread Western criticism and subdued complaints from some Asian
neighbors.
The current military rulers of Burma took power after
crushing a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. It held elections in 1990 but refused
to honor the results when Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won with a
big majority.
Since then the junta has harassed NLD members, restricted
the party's activities and put Ms Suu Kyi under house arrest on different
occasions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar's dialogue with NLD
is confidential, ASEAN told
YANGON April 30 Kyodo
- Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung told his counterparts from
nine Southeast Asian countries during an informal meeting on
Monday that the political dialogue between Myanmar's
military government and the opposition is not ''stalled,'' but it has been held
in a ''confidential'' manner.
Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held their one-day ''retreat'' talks at a golf
clubhouse on the outskirts of Yangon.
At the press conference after the meeting, Win Aung said
he told his ASEAN colleagues about the process of the dialogue between Myanmar's
ruling State Peace and Development Council and the opposition National League
for Democracy.
He described the process as ''complicated'' and
''delicate,'' and declined to elaborate.
Separately, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiat Sathirathai
told reporters he was encouraged by Win Aung's briefing on the dialogue process.
''I think the national reconciliation process is real,''
Surakiat said, adding added that ASEAN foreign ministers reiterated a
non-intervention policy.
ASEAN foreign ministers also agreed that the content of
the discussion between the two parties should be kept confidential in order to
build mutual trust. ''As far as the process is evolving I think it is
positive,'' Surakiat said.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid told reporters, ''we
are happy with the process of reconciliation. It is good that the process has
begun.''
''We have to leave it to them it cannot be done in the
limelight of publicity,'' he said.
At the same press conference with Win Aung, Vietnamese
Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, the current chairman of ASEAN, said the meeting
focused on an exploration of ways to strengthen the grouping's internal and
external relations.
Win Aung highlighted the need to narrow the economic gap
within the regional group. Surakiat said private sectors in better-developed
countries should be encouraged to play an active role in bridging the gap.
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NATION - May 01,
2001.
ASEAN BURMA RETREAT : Drugs
on agenda
Don Pathan
RANGOON - Asean foreign ministers have agreed to put
narcotics high on their agenda for the group's upcoming annual meeting and look
for ways in which all member countries can work together to eradicate drugs,
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters at the end of a retreat here, at
which the 10 Asean ministers met informally, Surakiart said the region as a
whole lacked a concerted effort to fight the growing drug trade.
Asean has vowed to make the region a drug-free zone by the
year 2015, while Burma, one of the world's leading producers of opium, has set
2014 as its target.
"We have the political will and the methods to do it,"
Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung told reporters yesterday, adding that
counter-narcotic efforts should not overlook traditional opium-growers, who
would have to find alternative means of making a living.
The issue of illicit drugs has been a sour point between
the two countries, which have accused one another of supporting major drug
traffickers.
In the latest verbal assault, Rangoon issued a statement
yesterday accusing the Thai army of joining Shan rebels, whom it called major
"drug bandits", in an attack on Burma's military outpost at Ban Pachee, over the
border from Thailand's Fang district.
Thailand reportedly fired 30 artillery and mortar "warning
shots" across its Northern border in Chiang Mai province into Burma on Sunday
after receiving a few stray shells from the Burmese army last Thursday.
"Genuine warnings need not come in hundreds of artillery
rounds daily including air-burst shells over the [Burmese] troop positions," the
junta's statement said.
It added: "Most observers tend to believe that the Thai
Army is again coming up with an excuse to be able to give the Shan
artillery-fire support from across the border."
Thailand's Third Army commander Lt-General Wattanachai
Chaimuanwong defended the artillery fire, saying it had been in response to
Burmese shells that had overshot the Pachee outpost, taken by the Shan State
Army (SSA) nine days ago. Burmese troops are intensifying their effort to
recapture the base, about 300 metres from the Thai border.
The statement also blasted the Thai government's
"insincere" efforts to stem the flow of hundreds of millions of methamphetamine
tablets reportedly flooding into the country each year from Burma's
Wa-controlled areas.
Rangoon-based diplomats and military attaches were briefed
last week by Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win and Colonel Thein Swe, head
of a Defence Ministry think-tank called the Office of Strategic Studies, about
the attack. Rangoon accused the Thai army of taking part in the offensive along
with the Shan rebels.
Burma also dismissed reports that nearly 200,000
methamphetamine tablets had been found there, claiming the Thai army had twisted
the truth to cover up its troops' involvement in the drug trade.
Among other issues, high on the agenda at the upcoming
Asean ministerial meeting in Hanoi will be how to incorporate the private sector
in the grouping's efforts to bridge the gap between its more developed and less
developed members.
Past efforts have mainly concentrated on the role of the
government sector, Surakiart said.
The foreign minister also briefed his Asean colleagues on
his recent visit to Washington, in regard to the mid-air collision between a US
spy plane and a Chinese jet.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NATION,
RANGOON
May 01, 2001.
Junta says talks
'progressing'
Don Pathan
Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung dismissed yesterday
speculation that the talks between the military government and opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi had stalled.
He said progress had been made and the dialogue was still
on the right track. Win Aung said there was no timeframe for the two sides to
find middle ground, suggesting that such an important matter must be allowed to
follow its due course.
"Confrontation on both sides has stopped," he said. "This
is the first thing. And is it good for the country?"
The Burmese minister suggested the absence of verbal
assaults coming from both sides was a sign of progress.
Suu Kyi, who leads the National League for Democracy
(NLD), began a dialogue with the junta last October. But for the past three
months there have been no reports of further discussion between the two sides,
prompting critics and members of the international community to suggest that the
past dialogue was just a ploy on the part of the government to win international
support.
So far, Japan has taken the lead in reacting to the talks.
It has said it is considering providing US$26 million (Bt1.2 billion) in funding
to renovate a hydroelectric power plant in Karenni state. While a decision about
the aid is not expected until later in the year, the proposal has received
widespread condemnation.
But Win Aung dismissed the suggestion that the continuity
of the Japanese aid was a "carrot", rewarding the junta for having established a
dialogue with the NLD. "The internal process is our own business. We are not
playing a game for public relations' sake." He said more NLD members could be
released from jail soon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation - May 01,
2001
Drug
watch
POLICE are keeping a close watch on nine places in Burma
and one in Laos close to the Thai border suspected of being
amphetamine-production areas:
l West of Ban Nam Yoo, over the Burmese border from Ban
Hua Mae Kam in Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang district. Police think heroin is also
produced there. A Taiwanese national named Sawin allegedly manages the site
under the protection of 380 armed Wa, led by Yao Kweh Kuy and Allishi.
l Ban Mako, north of Toom village, 11 kilometres from the
border in Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang district. The site allegedly has 60 armed
men from the Wa group guarding its drug production.
l Over from Doi Samsao in Chiang Mai. Drug production is
allegedly underground in four large chemical labs and houses belonging to the
site's Wa leader.
l Ban Leesawnamhusun, bordering Chiang Mai, where police
believe there are two factories controlled by Dan Mee Le.
l Ban Muserko is suspected of having two factories, a new
set-up by Wa 171, allegedly controlled by Woei Saew Kang.
l Doi Samsum, west of Tuan village in Chiang Mai. Chinese
Haw and Thais are thought to produce both amphetamines and heroin there, and a
Taiwanese businessman is allegedly the major investor.
l Over from Ban Jod in Chiang Mai's Chiang Dow district.
l Huay Nam Rin near Mae Hong Son.
l Over from Mae Hong Son's Pai district.
l Doi Puka, over the Thai-Lao border. .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistani Leader Visits
Myanmar
2001.05.01 16:10:14 YANGON, May 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Pakistani leader General
Pervez Musharraf arrived here Tuesday on a three-day official visit
to Myanmar.
Musharraf is Chief Executive of Pakistan and Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Army Chief.
This is the first visit to Myanmar by a Pakistani leader
in 16 years.
Musharraf is expected to meet Myanmar leaders including
Senior- General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) and Prime Minister, General Maung Aye, SPDC Vice- Chairman and
Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, SPDC First Secretary.
During their meetings, the two sides are also expected
to discuss international, regional and bilateral issues.
Prior to Musharraf's arrival, a fleet of Pakistani
naval vessels, including a submarine, a tanker and a destroyer,
called at Yangon Port for the first time last Friday for a three-day
visit which also signified the first occasion for foreign military warships to
enter Myanmar territorial waters since the present Myanmar military
government took over power in 1988.
In July last year, Khin Nyunt visited Pakistan at
the invitation of Musharraf.
There are few economic and trade links between Myanmar
and Pakistan. So far, there is no Pakistani investment in Myanmar with a
minor bilateral trade volume. The two countries' bilateral trade amounted to
only over 10 million U.S. dollars annually.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Workers Urged
to Maintain Patriotic Tradition
2001.05.01 10:43:23 YANGON, May 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar top leader
Senior-General Than Shwe Tuesday called on the country's workers to
maintain their tradition of patriotism and anti-colonialism in face of
the danger of breaking up of solidarity among them brought about by
foreign elements.
In his message on the occasion of the International
Workers' Day, Than Shwe, chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and
Development Council, charged "a group of unscrupulous persons" with
meddling and exerting control in international organizations to break up
solidarity of Myanmar workers with disparaging and slanderous accusations
against the country under the pretext of safeguarding workers'
rights.
He said "Workers (in Myanmar) are enjoying their rights
and privileges more fully than ever before", stressing that his
government has laid emphasis on and provided protection for workers'
rights and privileges such as pleasant working conditions, a living standard
suitable to the time and circumstances, welfare, work site safety and settlement
of trade disputes.
He urged the workers, together with the entire people,
to unitedly, actively and diligently strive for the emergence of a
peaceful, modern and developed nation, consolidation and development of
national economy, and improvement of living standard of the
citizens.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar-Thai Tense
Relations Got Eased to Some Extent
2001.05.01 09:54:41 YANGON, May 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Border clashes were broke out
in February this year between Myanmar and Thailand. Bangkok charged
Yangon troops with assaulting Thai border town of Maesai in the latter's
fire exchange with its domestic anti-government armed group of the Shan
United Revolutionary Army (SURA), crossing the border into the Thai
territory and occupying a border post.
While denying the charges, Myanmar accused Thailand
of supporting the SURA morally and militarily. These clashes gave
rise to sudden tense relations between Myanmar and Thailand. However,
through joint efforts of both sides, such tense relations of the two countries
have got eased to some extent.
One of the important facts that marked the ease of
the bilateral relations is that Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai will pay a two-day official visit to Yangon beginning Tuesday
at the invitation of his Myanmar counterpart U Win Aung.
This will be the first time for the new Thai government to
send a cabinet minister to visit Myanmar since taking office.
It is learnt that the Thai foreign minister will
hold discussions with U Win Aung on bilateral issues covering drug
trade, border problems, border trade and economic cooperation.
This visit is believed to surely enhance the two
countries' mutual understanding, trust and
friendship.
Another important fact that signified the easing of
Myanmar-Thai tense relations is that the two countries were able to hold
a three-day regional border committee (RBC) meeting in
Myanmar's border town of Kengtung at the beginning of April. This was
the first time that the RBC met in two years.
At the meeting, the two sides reached understanding over
the need for them to cooperate in the sectors of drug control,
border demarcation and border trade.
The two sides also agreed to have their RBC meet
bi-annually instead of once two years.
The two sides further agreed to open their respective
border trade points as soon as possible which were closed not long
ago due to border clashes.
In addition, Myanmar agreed to repatriate part of its
refugees out of over 100,000 taking refuge in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra recently
said he will visit Yangon at convenient time.
The above moves will undoubtedly brought about remedy of
the spoiled Myanmar-Thai bilateral ties.
Although the Myanmar-Thai tense relations have got eased
to some extent, there still remains some issues to be tackled.
Thailand had reopened on March 12 its Maesai border trade point which was
closed due to border clashes, but up to now, Myanmar side has not yet done
the same with its Tachilek trade point.
Up to now, Thailand is still banning export to Myanmar of
its strategic products including rice, medicine, fuel and construction
materials. As a revenge, Myanmar banned import of Thai-made monosodium
glutamate and soft drinks.
Both Myanmar and Thailand are members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two countries hold
identical or similar views over many important international and
regional issues.
The friendly getting along of Myanmar and Thailand is seen
as not only beneficial to the regional peace and stability but
also to the intra solidarity of ASEAN.
Thailand has become Myanmar's third largest trade partner
after Singapore and China. According to Myanmar official statistics, in
2000, their bilateral trade amounted to 534 million U.S. dollars, taking
up 13 percent of Myanmar's total foreign trade.
In the sector of investment, since Myanmar opened to
foreign investment in 1988, Thai investment in the country came to
1.252 billion dollars in 46 projects, ranking the third after
Singapore and Britain in the line-up of Myanmar's foreign investors
which came from 25 countries and regions.
The economic and trade link between Myanmar and Thailand
is also bound to push the continuous improvement of the bilateral
ties.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nando Times
World: Myanmar government weary of
deadlock
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press
YANGON, Myanmar (April 30, 2001 1:17 p.m. )- Myanmar's military junta said
Monday it was pursuing reconciliation with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
insisting the overtures to the Nobel Peace Prize winner were not a "public
relations stunt."
Foreign Minister Win Aung's statement was the clearest sign yet of the
junta's desire to end the political deadlock that has gripped Myanmar since the
generals refused to hand over power to Suu Kyi's party after it won general
elections in 1990.
Win Aung told reporters that the secret talks began in October, but
declined to discuss details.
"The internal process is our business, our own process. And we are not
playing games ... it is not a public relations stunt. This is for the sake of
the people of Myanmar, 52 million people," Win Aung said. "We don't play games."
The current military rulers of Myanmar, also known as Burma, took power
after crushing a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. The junta held elections in
1990 but refused to honor the results when Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy won with a big majority.
Since then the junta has harassed her party's members, restricted the
party's activities, and repeatedly placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. She has
been confined to her house since Sept. 22.
Asked what prompted Suu Kyi to start the talks a month after her detention
began, Win Aung said "people's perceptions and ideas change from time to time."
"You need to adjust to the situation," he said.
Win Aung said the seriousness of the talks can be judged by the fact that
Myanmar's state-controlled media have stopped their criticism of Suu Kyi and her
party also has refrained from criticizing the junta.
"Confrontations on both sides have stopped," Win Aung told reporters after
attending an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
Win Aung said he informed his counterparts about the progress of the talks,
but said details cannot be disclosed because of the delicate nature of the
process.
He denied, however, that the reconciliation had reached a deadlock. "The
process is not stalled," he said.
Other ASEAN ministers welcomed the talks.
"The process of national reconciliation is real," said Thai Foreign
Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, describing it as a "very positive sign."
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said ASEAN members understand
the talks "cannot be held in the limelight and publicity."
The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Philippines and Singapore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- |