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BURMA RELATED NEWS - May 16,
2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Washington Objects to Tokyo Grant for
Myanmar
AFP - ASEAN delegates bunker down for wealth
disparity talks
AFP - US envoy due in
Hanoi with security set to dominate ASEAN meet
AFP - ASEAN stricken by
institutional paralysis: IISS
Reuters - Bush said to lack
coherent strategy for Asia
Reuters - India says backs ASEAN's nuclear-free
status
BBC - Powell gloomy on Burmese
talks
NSTP - Myanmar's Hobson's choice
The Times of India - Thaksin hopes to iron out
Thai-Myanmar spat
Houston Chronicle - AFL-CIO
and ICEM Challenge Halliburton on Burma Ties at Shareholders Meeting
UPI - Thai general warns of war with
Myanmar
The Nation - Protest over
attacks
The Nation - Annual army game take off
The Nation - Opinion - Third Army confronts new Golden
Triangle king
Bkk Post - Government shrugs off junta's claim
Bkk Post - Chavalit not bothered as critics blast his
methods
Bkk Post - Postbag - Junta understands just one
thing
Bernama - ASEAN Determined To Narrow Gap Among
Members
Kyodo - Rengo to request Japan hold off sending ODA to Myanmar
FT - Tensions rise on Thai-Burmese
border -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday May 15 1:00 PM ET
Washington Objects to Tokyo Grant for Myanmar WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The
United States has objected to a Japanese grant to finance a hydroelectricity
project in eastern Myanmar, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites)
said Tuesday.
Japan offered the 3.5 billion yen ($29 million) grant to the government of
Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, to reward it for opening a
dialogue in 2000 with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
But Powell said the dialogue was ``barely a ray of hope'' and the United
States was maintaining its own executive sanctions, which include the suspension
of assistance programs, a ban on sales of military items, suspension of
Myanmar's access to favorable tariff rates and opposition to multilateral
lending.
``The Japanese are making an investment in a hydroelectric plant that we
have suggested to them is not a proper investment to be making at this time,
with this regime,'' Powell told a Senate appropriations subcommittee.
``Aung San Suu Kyi has been in discussions and that in and of itself is
some improvement over the situation that existed a little while ago. Mr. Razali
(U.N. envoy Razali Ismail) is planning to get engaged, so there are a few rays
of hope but they are few and they are dim,'' he said.
Powell said the United States had to do a better job of mobilizing
southeast Asian countries to press for political change in Myanmar, where the
military has ruled the country since Suu Kyi's supporters won elections in
1990.
He said he would work on this during visits to Asia over the next few
months.
The charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Yangon said last month that
there were signs of the possibility of real political change in Myanmar.
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Wednesday May 16, 4:21 PM
ASEAN delegates bunker down for wealth
disparity talks
HANOI, May 16 (AFP) - ASEAN
delegates bunkered down to focus on regional issues here Wednesday seeking to
finalise an agreement on resolving the growing wealth gap between member
countries, officials said.
A Vietnamese ASEAN foreign affairs spokesman said forum delegates were
focusing on closing the development gap between member countries, which range
from First-World Singapore to dirt-poor Cambodia.
Delegates were tight-lipped about the contents of talks and media were
barred from approaching officials but the Vietnamese spokesman said discussions
were continuing.
"They are continuing to debate the disparity gap," he said.
Wealth disparity has become a byword among ASEAN countries seeking to
protect and improve their standards of living.
Sources said the priority remained passing a draft of the Hanoi Declaration
on ASEAN aimed at "narrowing the development gap for energetic and sustainable
growth."
"Wealth disparity is the most sensible topic to be discussed," one diplomat
said.
Its focus includes infrastructure, human resources and information
technology and members have opposed any linkage between trade and labour
standards.
Their position has been made worse by a global economic slowdown which was
expected to impact on Asian exports just as many regional economies were
climbing out of a recession brought on by the 1997/98 Asian financial
crisis.
In Kuala Lumpur last week, labour ministers at their annual meeting
advocated "multi-skilling" of workers to keep them employed amid recent
downsizing by multinational corporations.
They wound up their two-day meet urging the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) not to punish Myanmar over forced labour, saying it was doing
all it could to stamp out the practice.
Ministers noted that Southeast Asia's traditional cheap labour advantage
was being eroded in the era of new economies and said the region must work on
upgrading skills.
This should also become part of a strategy to cope with economic downturns,
they said.
If accepted, the Hanoi Declaration on ASEAN was expected to be put to an
ASEAN meeting of foreign ministers scheduled for July in Hanoi for final
ratification.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They were expected to also consult
with the Asian Regional Forum, encompassing 23 countries, over the next two
days.
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Wednesday May 16, 6:01 PM
US envoy due in Hanoi with security set
to dominate ASEAN meet
HANOI, May 16 (AFP) - A senior
US envoy arrived here Wednesday for meetings with regional delegates as
Washington maintains its push to allay fears and win support for its
controversial missile defence plan.
US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly arrived at 3:45 pmfrom Beijing
after a diplomatic sweep through Asia.
Asked whether missile defence would be on agenda during his meetings with
regional officials, Kelly merely told AFP: "I'm sorry, but we're really
pressed."
Kelly later arrived at his city hotel escorted by US ambassador to Vietnam
Pete Peterson.
His visit takes in a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum where he was
expected to hold talks with delegates from the 10 members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The forum will encompass 23 regional
countries.
Diplomats said the US team was expected to be confronted by further
resistance from China. North Korea, making its first appearance as a
fully-fledged member of the forum, was also expected to vehemently oppose
National Missile Defence (NMD).
Washington maintains the missile system would protect the US and its allies
from rogue states, like North Korea and Iraq, but opponents claim NMD violates
the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty signed by the former Soviet Union and the US
in 1972.
Earlier foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi reiterated China's opposition
to the plans of US President George W. Bush to build NMD saying "it will
endanger strategic balance and stability, and will also trigger a new arms race
in the world."
However, before leaving Beijing, Kelly struck a positive note, describing
his meetings as "excellent" after talks with China's top arms control official
Sha Zukang, as well as vice foreign ministers Wang Yi and Li Zhaoxing.
Both sides agreed to continue their talks.
A Western diplomat in Hanoi told AFP, "There will be an informal dinner
tonight and then they will get down to two days of talks covering a whole range
of security arrangements."
Diplomats have rejected speculation that the US would hold separate
official talks with representatives of Stalinist North Korea, which would have
been the first talks since the election of Bush four months ago.
However, a "brief chat or a handshake was possible," one East Asian
diplomat said.
North Korea's relations with the US and rapprochement talks between North
and South Korea have stalled since Washington announced a review of its policy
toward Pyongyang.
The US move was seen as signalling a shift away from the administration of
Bill Clinton which had sought to back Seoul's efforts to prise Pyongyang out of
its shell.
Pyonyang has also warned Seoul against supporting NMD, and the Western
diplomat said the North Korean delegation, led by foreign ministry official Ri
Yong-ho, has ruled-out formal talks with the US side.
The US will also hold talks with ASEAN as one of the five nuclear powers,
the others being China, Britain, Russia and France, slated for later in the
week.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Wednesday May 16, 5:38 PM
ASEAN stricken by institutional
paralysis: IISS
LONDON, May 16 (AFP) -
Southeast Asia's international relevance as a strategic entity has been
seriously diminished by failed regional initiatives and political instability, a
London-based thinktank said Wednesday.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), in a bleak
portrayal of the region, described Southeast Asia as crippled by "institutional
paralysis."
In its annual report, IISS cited political instability, corruption, a lack
of leadership and ethnic strife, and singled out Indonesia, the Philippines,
Malaysia and Thailand as troubled areas.
An attempt by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to develop
a coherent role by including all nations in the region had instead resulted in
"institutional paralysis," the report said.
This was particularly noticeable when ASEAN failed to provide leadership or
aid to East Timor during its struggle for independence from Indonesia.
"The greater diversity of identities and interests now included in ASEAN,
and its unwillingness to bend its cardinal rule of non-interference in domestic
affairs has left the association unable to address its structural weaknesses,"
IISS said.
"It is now, to an even greater extent than ever before, tied to the lowest
common demoninator in managing consensus."
IISS saw no short-term solution to the problems facing Indonesia.
The distinguishing feature of President Abdurrahman Wahid "has been his
failure to fill the authority vacuum" left by former president Suharto, and deal
with endemic corruption and restore the rule of law.
Violence stemming from an anti-Christian movement in the Moluccas,
separatism in Aceh and Irian Jaya, and tribal killings in Borneo will continue
until large-scale political and economic reforms are carried out "and this is
beyond the capacity of the present government."
If Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri assumed control, it was difficult
to see quick improvements to Indonesia's stability because her economic policies
were similar to Wahid's, the report said.
Southeast Asia's longest serving leader, Malaysian President Mahathir
Mohamad, faced a rising Islamic challenge to the dominance of his United Malays
National Organisation (UMNO).
A decisive factor in Malay political alienation was the "seemingly cruel
treatment" by Mahathir of his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim who has been jailed
for 15 years for sodomy and corruption.
Mahathir is still in control but "subject to a growing view in UMNO that he
has become a political liability."
In the Philippines, President Gloria Arroyo needed to address a rumbling
rebel isurgency, a budget deficit of more than 2.8 billion dollars, a slowing
economy and a bad year for agriculture.
"The most difficult task will be to tackle corruption and to pass on any
improved economic prospects to the poor who still support the disgraced
Estrada," IISS said.
"Without some amerlioration of their misery, the flow of this latest
Philippine 'people's revolution' will soon fade."
IISS said Thailand was in disarray with new Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra on corruption charges which would remove him from office if found
guilty.
An element of potential instability was added to the "pall of uncertainty
over Thai politics" when the prime minister's plane was blown up in March in a
possible assassination attempt.
IISS said it was fortunate for ASEAN that its lack of drive had not been
tested by an intra-regional crisis.
But issues requiring regional cooperation, such as protecting the busy
Strait of Malacca, the fastest growing piracy hotspot in the world, were held
back by chronic political barriers which limited the scope for concerted
action.
IISS said a warning from Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar last July
that ASEAN was perceived as an ineffective sunset organisation had little
impact.
ASEAN has become "a unity that lacks political substance, and the grouping
is decreasinglfy able to speak credibly with one voice," the report said.
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Wednesday May 16, 6:02 PM
Bush said to lack coherent strategy for
Asia
By Paul Taylor, Diplomatic Editor LONDON (Reuters) - U.S.
President George W. Bush lacks a coherent policy towards Asia and needs to find
ways of coaxing China towards cooperation rather than bolstering hawks in
Beijing, a leading think-tank said on Wednesday.
In its annual Strategic Survey, the International Institute for Strategic
Studies said the Republican administration, which has made Asia a top priority,
would need to make substantial practical adjustments to a somewhat inflexible
foreign policy.
"This need is especially acute with respect to Asia, on which the Bush
administration intends to focus but has not yet articulated a decisive policy,"
the London-based institute said.
"While the new administration has decried the ambiguity of Chinese foreign
policy, its own China policy remains unformed. The onus is on Washington to
develop a clear and comprehensive Asia policy that embraces the full array of
regional ramifications," it said.
It was crucial that alliances with South Korea and Japan and a U.S. special
relationship with Taiwan should not suffer as a result of its more
confrontational view of China, the IISS said.
U.S. friends in Asia feared that Bush's tough geopolitical approach and
suspicion of China could relegate bodies such as the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, the ASEAN regional forum and the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation grouping to irrelevance.
Economic dislocation in the main member states -- Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand and the Philippines -- had already robbed ASEAN of its driving force,
while expansion to embrace all Southeast Asian nations, including undemocratic
Myanmar, had weakened its cohesion and suitability as a partner.
NEED TO HELP CHINESE PRAGMATISTS
"Bush's team may discover that maintaining the American role as the bulwark
of Asian regional stability, and moving in ways that might change the regional
military balance, will not be an easy trick," the study said.
"Washington might be wise, in particular, to consider the importance of
pursuing policies that help preserve the prevalence of pragmatists over hawks in
Beijing," it said.
The recent U.S.-Chinese standoff over a U.S. spy plane which landed in
China after colliding with a Chinese fighter plane at sea had highlighted this
problem.
The IISS criticised Bush for drawing back from the Clinton administration's
negotiations with North Korea on limiting the secretive Communist state's
missile and nuclear programmes.
"Not only had a potential path to better U.S.-North Korean relations been
blocked, but (South Korean President) Kim Dae-jung's 'sunshine policy' had
clouded over," it said.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that Washington was not yet
ready to reopen talks with North Korea, but recognised the importance of
engagement and would proceed when the time was right.
The IISS suggested that Japan was unlikely to want to play the role of
strategic junior partner to the United States in East Asian security which the
Bush team appears to seek.
"Just how extroverted does Japan want to be? It remains important for the
country to advance regional diplomacy vis-a-vis China and North Korea. To do so,
Japan will have to impose limits on the degree to which it supports U.S.
policies."
The respected institute suggested China's political and economic fragility
posed greater risks than a limited military build-up.
"Its leaders will try to avoid foreign problems while they sort out the
country's domestic difficulties, making carefully modulated adjustments in
China's relations with the U.S. and other powers to avoid unnecessary
confrontations," it said.
"Those powers, while refusing to accept Beijing's occasional aggressive
behaviour, must continue to show understanding of China's difficulties as part
of their efforts to nudge it into a deeper and more comfortable relationship
with the outside world."
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Wednesday May 16, 3:06 PM
India says backs ASEAN's nuclear-free
status
By Sabyasachi Mitra KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -
Nuclear power India said on Wednesday it respected Southeast Asia's
nuclear-weapons-free status and pledged to support any move to formalise the
bloc's security position along those lines.
"The security of India and that of ASEAN are closely interlinked," Indian
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said in Kuala Lumpur in a speech entitled
"India and ASEAN - Shared Perspectives".
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Malaysia,
Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar,
Cambodia and Laos.
The group has declared itself a nuclear weapons free zone.
"We believe that a multi-polar world order would provide the best guarantee
of equal security for all states," Vajpayee said.
"We respect the status of Southeast Asia as a nuclear Weapons Free Zone
and, as a nuclear weapons state, we are willing to convert this recognition into
a de jure commitment."
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, speaking to reporters after
Vajpayee's speech, said he welcomed India's support for ASEAN's stand.
India, which was generally seen as on the side of the Soviet Union during
the Cold War, conducted nuclear tests in 1998 triggering U.S. sanctions. Its
rival Pakistan carried out tests shortly afterwards, also provoking U.S.
sanctions.
Vajpayee said India's tests were based on its evaluation of its security
environment and did not violate any treaty.
Winding up his four-day visit to Malaysia, Vajpayee said the world now had
a better understanding of India's security imperatives and reiterated his
country's decision to maintain a nuclear arsenal.
India justified its tests in 1998 by pointing to potential threats from
nuclear-armed neighbours, China and Pakistan.
"We have proved that India is neither a proliferation threat nor an
exporter of sensitive nuclear or missile technology. This cannot be said to be
true of all parties to the NPT," Vajpayee said.
India, which has ducked global pressure to sign the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says it is still seeking a broad domestic
consensus on the signing of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a key element in NPT.
India recently welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's new vision of
nuclear disarmament, but stopped short of openly endorsing his controversial
plan to build an anti-missile shield.
Vajpayee, leading a 75-member business delegation to Malaysia, urged for a
comprehensive India-ASEAN dialogue to boost economic and security ties.
India is a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a broader 37-member security
grouping.
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BBC -Wednesday, 16 May, 2001, 09:01
GMT 10:01 UK
Powell gloomy on Burmese talks The United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has said that a
dialogue between the Burmese military government and the opposition leader, Aung
San Suu Kyi, offered some rays of hope, but they were few and dim.
But Mr Powell told a Senate committee that the fact that they were talking
at all represented a limited improvement in the political situation in Burma.
He also criticised a grant by Japan of nearly $30m to Burma to finance a
hydroelectric plant.
Mr Powell said the Americans had suggested to Japan that this was not a
proper investment to be making at this time, with this regime.
Last month, the Burmese military authorities said their talks with Aung San
Suu Kyi were progressing well.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
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The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia)
Myanmar's Hobson's choice
By Ramlan Said 16 May 2001 AS a country left without foreign assistance in recent years to finance its
infrastructural projects, and with limited resources of its own, Myanmar has had
to defy the odds to develop its economy.
"We have not been receiving any outside aid since 1988. We had no choice
but to develop the country ourselves, using our own resources," said Lt Gen Khin
Nyunt, Secretary (1) of the ruling State Peace and Development Council.
With the private sector helping, farmers in the country's dry zone, for
example, are now able to cultivate their land more productively and engage in
double cropping, something not possible when they were totally dependent on rain
water to irrigate their fields.
Speaking to a group of Malaysian journalists who called on him in Yangon,
he said Myanmar has not been painted correctly by the international media,
especially in the West.
"I don't think they are fully aware of the real situation in this country,
especially about what has taken place in the past decade."
Khin Nyunt feels the last 10 years have been significant. During this
period peace agreements with 17 rebel groups were signed, providing the
stability the Government needed to pay attention to development and improving
the people's standard of living.
On democracy, the general said the military Government has no intention of
governing for long and would hand over power to a democratically-elected
Government when the country is ready. However, he did not provide a time-frame
for this to happen.
Foreigners are wary of helping Myanmar as they fear the funds will only
help strengthen the military Government and thus enhance its grip on
power.
They believe economic sanctions will eventually force the Government to toe
the line, especially in ending alleged human rights violations and recognising
the National League of Democracy and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Agriculture is the main sector of the economy.
This explains the importance the Government has placed on building dams
(there are already some 120 dams in country) and undertaking irrigation
projects.
Two of these projects are the Paunglaung and Thapanzeik multi-purpose dams.
Work to complete them by next year is under way.
The Paunglaung dam is the largest infrastructure project the Government has
undertaken. It is located near Kawma Village, 16km east of Pyinmana on the
Paunglaung river which forms the major headwaters of Sittaung river.
With a catchment area of 4,381 sq km, it is capable of irrigating 200,000ha
of agriculture land. The dam will also provide 280MW of electricity supply,
adding to the country's present power capacity of 600MW.
The Thapanzeik dam in Sagaing Division will be able to provide water for
some 200,000 hectares of land _ the biggest area to be under irrigation in
Myanmar _ benefiting some 600,000 households.
"The whole project is financed locally," declared Victor, deputy director
of the Irrigation Department.
Costing 8,570 million kyats (RM56.56 million), the 6.8km dam is the longest
in Myanmar. The journalists' convoy of several vehicles took several minutes to
cover the distance.
Another dam capable of generating 600MW of electricity will be built in
Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city. Construction is expected to begin
soon.
Win Maung, director of construction (5) in charge of the Paunglaung dam
said there are no plans to export power as local demand is expected to surge in
future.
Ohn Myint, Agriculture and Irrigation Deputy Minister, said irrigation
projects implemented by the Government have enabled a large area of agriculture
land to be reclaimed.
Some 10 million hectares of land in the country are under cultivation, half
of them planted with padi and three million hectares with pulses and beans. The
remaining two million hectares are under irrigation.
The Ministry's irrigation projects serve three main objectives: to drain
out excess water during monsoon season, to provide irrigation water throughout
summer and to increase cropping intensity and crop production.
Ohn Myint said 100,00ha of the reclaimed areas have been alloted to local
entrepreneurs for 30 years to cultivate various crops. Those with projects
covering 3,000ha or more are allowed to export 50 per cent of their
produce.
"Farmers have been producing more rice now, especially after the
introduction of the summer padi in 1992. We are also the biggest producer of
beans and pulses in Southeast Asia."
"Now, the majority of them are no longer living below the poverty line.
Some are doing well because of the double cropping, which means double income,"
said the Deputy Minister.
Like Malaysia, Ohn Myint said the Government provides subsidies in the form
of seeds and technology.
Myanmar is also proud of its bridges as they help enhance economic and
cultural ties among the country's 135 ethnic groups. They are often the vital
link between divisions and states; between development and backwardness.
There are more than 100 major bridges spanning rivers in the country. Five
of them (another two are under construction) are across the Irrawaddy River,
providing the vital link between the country's more developed eastern and
less-populated western zones.
The Magway bridge, which will link the towns of Magway and Minbu when
completed mid-2002, is a good example.
A highway has just been completed in Rakhine State. The Magway bridge is
the missing transportation link between the State and neighbouring Magway
division.
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The Times of India - May 16,
2001.
Thaksin hopes to iron out Thai-Myanmar
spat
BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Tuesday he hoped to
iron out a spat with Myanmar over alleged border incursions and ease tensions
during a visit to Yangon next month.
A war of words has been brewing between Thailand and Myanmar for several
months with both sides accusing each other of involvement in the international
drugs trade.
"I hope all disputes will be resolved when I pay a visit and hold talks
with them," Thaksin told reporters Tuesday.
He said the trip was planned for June, although an exact date had yet to be
agreed on.
Myanmar's ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry to receive a
protest note over incursions into Thai territory by a Yangon-allied ethnic armed
group which earlier this year prompted the first clash in years between the two
national armies.
The protest note followed a letter from Yangon which demanded the Thai army
withdraw from 35 outposts along the disputed border or face the use of
force.
"Although the intrusion was by an ethnic minority force, Thailand has to
assert its standpoint. We will protest and ask Myanmar to handle the matter,"
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said said of the summons to Myanmar's
ambassador.
He rejected Myanmar's letter threatening force as an "old issue" relating
to unclear border demarcation which should be solved by a joint border
committee.
"But we are confident all of these disputed areas are in our territory,"
the foreign minister said.
A spokesman for the Myanmar junta confirmed the note had been sent
demanding Thai troops withdraw.
"This is the fortieth time the Myanmar side has sent similar letters," he
said.
The latest exchange of notes comes just a day after Defence Minister
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said relations between Thailand and Myanmar were back on
track after Bangkok and Yangon accused each other of involvement in the
international drugs trade.
Accusations over illicit drugs and skirmishing among ethnic militias along
the rugged border earlier this year touched off a bitter row between the
countries, which are historical enemies.
In February, fighting between an ethnic Wa force with close ties to Yangon
and the rival Shan State Army, which reputedly has the backing of the Thai
military, prompted the first clash in years between the two national
armies.
Since then, the uneasy neighbors have traded barbs over who is responsible
for heroin and methamphetamine factories that flourish along the ill-defined
mountainous border.(AFP)
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Houston Chronicle
May 15, 2001, 10:23AM
(PRN) AFL-CIO and ICEM Challenge
Halliburton on Burma Ties at Shareholders Meeting
DALLAS, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Worker shareholders are stepping up their
global campaign to end corporate support for Burma's military dictatorship at
Halliburton's (NYSE: HAL) annual meeting today. Representatives of the AFLCIO
and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers'
Unions (ICEM) are speaking in favor of a shareholder resolution addressing the
Halliburton's involvement in human rights abuses in Burma. Halliburton, the
energy giant formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, is one of the few
U.S. based companies with investments in Burma -- a country whose government is
noted for massive human rights violations and involvement in narcotics
trafficking.
The shareholder resolution, sponsored by the LongView Collective Investment
Fund of the Amalgamated Bank of New York, urges the Halliburton board of
directors to report on the company's operations in Burma. The resolution asks
what steps Halliburton has taken to assure "that neither Halliburton nor any of
its subsidiaries is involved in or appears to benefit from the use of forced
labor or other human rights abused in Burma."
"Working people who invest in Halliburton want to know if its operations in
Burma prop up a military regime which condones forced labor and other human
rights abuses," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "The LongView resolution at
Halliburton is a positive measure in the best interests of its shareholders that
will lead toward compliance with internationally-recognized workers' rights."
In November 2000, the International Labor Organization (ILO) approved a
resolution urging members to "review their relations with Burma" and "ensure
that such relations do not perpetuate the system of forced or compulsory labour
in that country."
"The ILO has clearly ruled that forced labor is continuing and systematic
in Burma, and our energy unions in that region have made their views very
plain," said Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary. "We call upon Halliburton to
disinvest from Burma. We cannot condone any economic activity which directly or
indirectly supports the regime in Burma until full democracy and human rights,
including workers' rights, are restored there."
A recent proclamation issued by the ICEM's energy union affiliates from the
Asia/Pacific region, meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, called on oil and gas
companies to "cease investment in Burma while the use of forced labor
continues." The unions represented were from Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji, India,
Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan,
Thailand and Vietnam. The ICEM is a global trade union federation uniting 20
million workers in over 400 affiliated unions in 110 countries.
Halliburton's recent activities in Burma include its participation in the
Yadana pipeline, a project that used forced labor. The Yadana pipeline is one of
the largest foreign investments in Burma, projected to provide the
military-controlled regime with $150-$400 million annually for decades. Unocal,
another U.S. company doing business in Burma, is being sued by victims of forced
labor on the Yadana project. Halliburton's involvement in the Yadana project
occurred during Vice President Cheney's tenure as CEO of the company.
In addition, Halliburton has been instrumental in efforts to oppose
sanctions on Burma through its strong involvement with USA-Engage and the
National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), two powerful industry groups. Vice
President Cheney last fall defended his former company's operations on "Larry
King Live" stating that, "you have to operate in some very difficult places and
oftentimes in countries that are governed in a manner that's not consistent with
our principles here in the United States."
"The struggle for human and workplace rights in Burma has been critical for
our union for many years," notes Joe Drexler, Director of Special Projects of
the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union
(PACE) who represents workers in the oil and gas industry. "Our members don't
want their retirement savings invested by Halliburton in brutal dictatorships
that use forced labor. It's just wrong."
The situation in Burma violates the ILO Declaration on Fundamental
Principal and Rights at Work, including the right to no forced labor. Unions
around the world have recently launched a campaign to make sure workers know
these rights, distributing an ILO-produced poster in workplaces and communities
worldwide.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Press
International.
Tuesday, 15 May 2001 0:40 (ET)
Thai general warns of war with
Myanmar
BANGKOK, Thailand, May 15 (UPI) -- A senior Thai army leader has warned of a
large-scale military confrontation with Myanmar following a protest note
demanding that Thai troops withdraw from disputed positions along the two
countries' border.
Myanmar's protest, sent to the Thai army by Burmese Township Border
Committee Chairman Lt. Col. Aye Soe on Sunday, claimed the Thai army positions
were "deep inside Burma (Myanmar)."
Thai Third Army commander Lt. Gen. Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, who is in
charge of defending the northern border, insisted the disputed bases are within
Thailand and warned of stern action if Myanmar encroaches on them.
He said one of the key disputed Thai bases, on a mountain called Doi
Lang, opposite Mai Ai distrinct of the northern province of Chiang Rai, was well
within Thai territory.
"If Burma insists that Doi Lang belongs to them and uses force to
push our troops back, then this could mean war," he said. "There should not be
any doubt that we will strongly fight back if provoked. We will have to defend
Doi Lang unless the two countries reach a settlement over the disputed
area."
Gen. Wattanachai has been at odds with some members of the Thai
government, particularly Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh, over Myanmar border policy.
Chavalit, a former army commander, has been accused of advocating a
weak policy toward Myanmar's military junta because of his alleged business
interests in Myanmar.
Last week Myanmar protested to Thailand after two Royal Thai Air
Force F16 fighters swooped over position held by ethnic Wa guerrilllas allied to
Myanmar's junta. Myanmar alleged that the jets dropped bombs but Thailand said
they only created sonic booms, prompting the Wa intruders to withdraw.
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The Nation - May 16,
2001.
Protest over attacks
Burmese envoy summoned as Foreign Ministry responds over recent threats and
violence on Thai soil by Rangoon, ethnic forces
The Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned a Burmese envoy to protest against
attacks by two Rangoon-controlled ethnic forces on Thai territory earlier this
month in what is believed to be a tit-for-tat diplomatic move.
Krit Garnjana-goonchorn, director general of the Department of East Asian
Affairs, said he gave Burmese Ambassador Myo Myint a statement detailing two
attacks.
The first was on Ban Muean Rue Chai, in Tak province, by the Democratic
Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) on May 1.
The second was on Hua Lone Hill, in Chiang Mai, by the United Wa State Army
(UWSA) on May 3.
Krit said he also gave the envoy another statement clarifying Thailand's
response to a Burmese complaint that Thai F-16 jet fighters attacked a region
just inside the Burmese border last Thursday.
The first note said the May 1 incident resulted in the death of three Thai
civilians and injuries to six people including two soldiers. It also caused
extensive damage to the homes and property of local residents, the note
said.
Two days later, it said, two units of a militia controlled by the Rangoon
government deployed about 60 troops to capture Hua Lone Hill in northern
Thailand, and ignored several requests by Thai soldiers to leave the post.
"The stationing of Tatmadaw-controlled militia units in Thai territory
constituted a blatant violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial
integrity," which warranted a protest in the strongest possible terms by the
Thai authorities, it said.
The note also deplored the Burmese government for disowning responsibility
for the militia.
The army was compelled to use military means to dislodge the occupying
forces from Thai territory, it added.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said: "Although the intrusion was by
an ethnic minority force, Thailand has to assert its standpoint. We will protest
and ask Myanmar [Burma] to handle the matter."
Bangkok's diplomatic protest followed three protests from Burma in a week
relating to border skirmishes between the army and the Rangoon-backed ethnic
rebels.
On Sunday, the Burmese regional army in Tachilek demanded the Thai army
either withdraw from 35 outposts along the disputed border straddling Chiang Mai
and Chiang Rai or face the use of force.
In a provocative move yesterday, five mortar shells believed to have been
fired from a Burmese position landed on Thai territory near Hua Lone Hill but
caused no damage.
Third Army Commander Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong said Thai troops did not
return fire, as they knew the move was designed to provoke a fight.
Wattanachai said he believed Burma would not enter into a war with Thailand
over the disputed territory issue.
"This is not a new issue. If they wanted to pick a fight, they would have
done that a long time ago," the commander said.
He reaffirmed that the army would not withdraw from its outposts until the
disputed territories were settled through the Joint Boundary Committee. The
committee, however, has not met for two years.
Surakiart said he was confident all the disputed areas were Thai
territory.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday he believed
that all problems between Thailand and Burma would be resolved after his visit
to Rangoon in June.
"After my visit, they (misunderstandings) will all be gone," Thaksin told
reporters.
He said his trip was planned for June, although an exact date had yet to be
scheduled.
A spokesman for the Burmese junta confirmed that a note had been sent
demanding Thai troops to withdraw.
"This is the fortieth time the Myanmar [Burmese] side has sent similar
letters," he said.
Accusations over illicit drugs and skirmishes among ethnic militias along
the rugged border earlier this year touched off a bitter row between the
countries, which are historical enemies.
In February, fighting between an ethnic Wa force with close ties to Rangoon
and the rival Shan State Army, reputedly backed by the Thai military, prompted
the first clash in years between the two national armies.
Since then, the uneasy neighbours have traded barbs over who is responsible
for the heroin and methamphetamine factories that flourish along the ill-defined
mountainous border.
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The Nation - May 16,
2001.
Annual army game take off
Vorapun Srivoranart
Twenty years after its inception when Southeast Asia was still reeling from
a communist threat, the annual Thai-US military exercise yesterday took off with
a fresh new look in a bid to become the prototype of a future comprehensive
multilateral security architecture for Asia-Pacific.
Besides more than 10,000 combined Thai-US military personnel, this year's
exercise, code-named Cobra Gold 01, will have a contingent of Singaporean armed
forces participating for the first time and observers from nine countries,
namely the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Sri Lanka,
Mongolia, South Korea and France.
The opening ceremony took place at a military airfield in the northern
province of Phitsanulok with a review of multilateral forces by Supreme
Commander General Sampao Chusri and US Ambassador Richard Hecklinger. After 50
soldiers from the Thai and US armed forces performed a free-fall, high-altitude
parachute jump, four Thai Air Force F-16 jet fighters flew two sorties
overhead.
The significance of this year's exercise is that it will be conducted in an
open manner and would concentrate on "military operations other than war",
particularly peace-keeping and disaster relief, Sampao said in his opening
remarks. He said the exercise would not pose a threat or a show of strength to a
neighbouring country, allaying fears that event could be construed by Burma as
directed against it.
"This is in no way a bluff," he said.
The fact that most of the exercise will be conducted in the Third Army
region in the north has nothing to do with ongoing border tensions between
Thailand and Burma, Sampao said, adding that the selection of the area had been
made on a rotational basis.
Sampao said he believed the participation of Singapore was "a first but
crucial step to develop [Cobra Gold] into a truly multilateral exercise".
Hecklinger said this year was special since it was the first time that
Cobra Gold had been a part of the US-led multilateral Team Challenge concept.
Team Challenge links existing exercises that the US has with Australia, Thailand
and the Philippines under the code names Tandem Thrust, Cobra Gold and
Balkataan, respectively.
The idea is to improve readiness and interoperability among forces and to
increase security within Asia-Pacific. It will also help relieve the budget
burden that the US has to bear to maintain its role as a guarantor of regional
stability.
US Pacific commander-in-chief Admiral Dennis Blair said invitations had
also been forwarded to China and Vietnam to observe the event. However, China
replied in March that it was not ready but would consider sending
representatives next year.
"All of us are hopeful China will observe and eventually participate in
Cobra Gold," Blair said, adding that he wished Vietnam could also take
part.
He said there was no conflict between maintaining existing bilateral
military ties with allies while pursuing multinational objectives aiming at
building capacity to take part in future humanitarian campaigns under the
umbrella of the United Nations.
Blair said Cobra Gold had made "tremendous progress" and hoped next year
there would be more observers and that present observers would become
participants.
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The Nation - May 16,
2001.
Opinion - Third Army confronts new
Golden Triangle king
Don Pathan
In rugged border terrain, Thai troops square off against the United Wa Army
which protects a huge drug empire in Burma.
Doi Kiw Hoong, Chiang Mai - Standing at the peak of this hill overlooking
the 32-square kilometres of disputed territory where about 1,200 Thai and
Burmese troops are scattered on just about every ridge, regiment commander
Colonel Supoj Buranayanee tries hard not to offend his counterparts just one
hilltop away.
Not accustomed to nagging foreign press, the soft-spoken Supoj chose his
words carefully as he explains the background of the disputed territory, Doi
Lang, and how it is linked to a valley down the road, the site of Mong Yawn, a
major stronghold for one of the world's largest armed drug trafficking group,
the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
"We have an agreement between the local Thai and Burmese forces that we
would not use force in the Doi Lang area. And if one side wishes to carry out
any type of operation, the other side must be notified," Colonel Supoj
said.
Curious foreign and local journalists, meanwhile, took turns with
binoculars to see the much talked-about Wa town that has become the centre of a
dispute between the Thai and Burmese governments.
For years, before Burmese opium warlord Khun Sa and his powerful Mong Tai
Army (MTA) surrendered to the Rangoon government in January 1996 in return for
amnesty, this region, like other rebel-controlled areas, had functioned as a
buffer zone between the Thai and Burmese armies.
Besides being a buffer between the two armies, drug experts said the Doi
Lang area also served as the gateway for some of the world's finest opium and
heroin heading for major cities throughout the world.
Today, the MTA is no more. And for the past six years, both Thai and
Burmese soldiers have sat and watched each other's moves, wondering what the
unwanted neighbours are up to. They wave and smile at each other every now and
then. But in recent months, since the cross-border shelling between the two
sides about 50 kilometres away in the Mae Sai-Tachilek area, as well as the
latest demand by Rangoon that the Thai troops pull out of the area, nervousness
has crept in.
Like the previous decade when Thai soldiers were sent here to secure the
border and curb the flow of opium and heroin coming out of MTA camps, today's
troops are mandated to do pretty much the same thing. Besides having a Burmese
army watching their back, the Thai troops have to contend with the growing
presence of the new king of the Golden Triangle, the UWSA, dubbed the world's
largest armed drug trafficking group.
"Any of these points along the rugged border is accessible by foot," said
Supoj, pointing to the vast rugged terrain that appeared to stretch endlessly.
Army officials say dealers from places like Bangkok and Hat Yai slip in and
out of nearby Fang and Mae Ai districts to meet local agents who in turn hire
local hilltribes to cross the border and transport the illicit drugs.
A mule is paid one baht for each of the methamphetamine pills they get
across to the Thai side of the border from the clandestine laboratories, most of
which are under the Wa's control. It's a very attractive deal considering the
fact that the average annual per capita income of the local residents is about
Bt30,000.
"In one trip they can make as much as they can |in one year from farming,"
Supoj said. The growing demand for drugs among Thai addicts has, indeed, taking
its toll on the army who appeared to be over-stretched from taking up two jobs -
securing the border and fighting drugs.
Just last week as the Third Army mobilised its troops to retake nearby Hua
Lone hill from the Wa and Burmese troops, army officers admitted a "balloon
affect" has been created - while one area is being squeezed, drug trafficking
pops up in other spots along the border.
So where is the Burmese government troops in all of this? "The local
Burmese officers are well aware of the illicit activities being carried out by
the Wa and some of them benefit directly from the drug trade," said Colonel
Chanchai Sundarakes, Third Army deputy chief-of-staff.
"We bring this up with them but they always say they don't have control
over the Wa's activities," he added.
The UWSA came into being in 1989 following the fall of the Communist Party
of Burma, in which the Wa faction had served as foot soldiers. Burmese security
chief Lt-General Khin Nyunt rushed to sign a cease-fire with the group in order
to neutralise a 20,000-strong army. In return, the Wa were given the green light
to expand their heroin empire down to an area adjacent to the northern Thai
border.
Along the way, they clashed with archenemy Khun Sa and the MTA, hastening
his surrender in January 1996.
But today, instead of opium and heroin for the world's market,
methamphetamine pills have been added to the shopping list of the traffickers.
And the market is the streets of Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other major cities in
Southeast Asia.
The demand for methamphetamines, locally known as yaa baa, has risen in
recent years and the amount being produced does not seem to satisfy the growing
market.
Chanchai says the amount of trafficked methamphetamines has jumped from 20
million tablets in 1998 to somewhere between 400 and 600 million this year.
Chanchai claimed that more than 30 clandestine heroin and methamphetamine
labs are situated along the northern Thai Burmese.
Lt-Colonel Peeranate Temkhem, head of the Third Army's Pha Muang Task Force
intelligence unit, said major shipments of methamphetamines and heroin are
expected to be coming through in the next few weeks. He pointed to the increase
in the price of grade 4 heroin, which jumped from Bt230,000 to Bt280,000 for a
unit of 700 grammes, which suggests a shortage of supply, as well as to what
appears to be a growing demand for methamphetamines.
Many Thai army officers along the border admit their fight has been an
uphill one.
The Wa's drug money has not only built roads and irrigation systems for
Shan State, but is being channelled to legitimate businesses directly under
|them.
"They (Wa) are not just looking to get the drugs across the border. They
are looking to expand their empire to other areas that are beyond most people's
reach," Peeranate said.
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Bangkok Post - May 16,
2001.
Government shrugs off junta's
claim
Protest conveyed to Burmese envoy The government yesterday dismissed Burma's claim to disputed Doi Lang, as
it called in Rangoon's envoy to hear protests over border incursions.
Krit Garnjana-goonchorn, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's
Department of East Asian Affairs, summoned Burma's new envoy Myo Myint to
protest against incursions by Rangoon-backed rebels in Tak and Chiang Rai
provinces.
The two agreed to speed up a planned visit by Burma's Foreign Minister Win
Aung.
Mr Krit said they only "touched" on Rangoon's weekend demand that Thai
troops withdraw from Doi Lang in Chiang Rai's Mae Ai district.
Rangoon said Thai troops had set up 26 outposts on its soil and nine others
on a mountain ridge marking the border.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said the Doi Lang dispute was not
new and Bangkok had every reason to believe the area was on Thai soil.
The matter was raised at the recent regional border committee meeting in
Keng Tung and would be brought up at the higher-level Joint Border Committee
meeting.
Problems with Burma would not be solved in a day or two, but gradually and
diplomatically.
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the defence minister and deputy prime minister, said
relations would improve after Win Aung's visit and the visit to Burma next month
of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Recent border skirmishes were just a small problem, he said, and should not
be allowed to damage relations.
The media could also help by not reporting on divisive and provocative
comments which could lead to confrontations.
Mr Thaksin, meanwhile, denied a report he had postponed his planned trip.
"There is no postponement since I haven't yet made a schedule for the trip."The
Thai township border committee in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, sent an official
reply to its Burmese counterpart denying Rangoon's outpost claims.
Col Akaradet Songworawit, commander of the Third Cavalry Regiment and the
committee chairman, said Burma was aware the area was in dispute and should not
have made such allegations.
"The 32sqkm area has been in dispute because the border is ill-defined."Col
Chucheep Srisomboon, Third Army spokesman, said Thai troops would stand their
ground on Doi Lang.
In Fang district, Tak, five Burmese 81mm mortar shells landed on Hua Lone
hill yesterday morning but inflicted no casualties. Thai soldiers fired three
mortar rounds in return.
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Bangkok Post - May 16,
2001.
Chavalit not bothered as critics
blast his methods
Defends on-going policy on Burma Wassana Nanuam
Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is not worried about criticism he is too soft in dealing with Burma-because he has been always misunderstood. Col Jongsak Panichkul, the defence spokesman, said Gen Chavalit has told
his close staff he was well aware he was perceived as a villain siding with
Burma, while Third Army commander Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong was viewed as
a hero.
"But he will let them continue [criticising], without worrying about his
image.
"He has been criticised all along for his work, when he was a soldier and
now when he is a politician," the colonel said.
Gen Chavalit said he was once strongly criticised for his policy to welcome
insurgents back from southern forests, for the purchase of Chinese tanks for a
million baht each to counter the Vietnamese threat, and his command of the Ban
Romklao battlefront, where hundreds of Thai troops were killed or wounded.
"Don't worry, if we have good intentions people will see it one day," Gen
Chavalit reportedly told his staff. "But we'd better let them curse us on."Col
Jongsak said that without the Chinese tanks, Vietnamese people might be living
all over the Northeast. And people had seen the good result of the warm welcome
for insurgents.
Gen Chavalit said the problems with Burma were not new, but some topics
should not be mentioned publicly to protect the national interest.
The defence minister has instructed Col Jongsak to meet the press once a
week to correct any misunderstandings about Gen Chavalit.
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Bangkok Post - May 16,
2001.
Postbag - Junta understands just one
thing
Ian Bannerman, Anacortes, Washington I believe the actions taken by Lt-Gen Wattanachai to protect the northern
border were correct in every way. The general is a true patriot.
He understands only too well that trying to appease the Burmese leaders
(who are without a doubt making billions from their support of the drug trade)
is an exercise in futility. The attitude adopted by Gen Chavalit is just selling
the country down the drain. The only thing the corrupt military in Burma will
understand is a show of strength from Thailand.
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Malaysian National News
Agency
May 16 , 2001 19:39PM
ASEAN Determined To Narrow Gap Among
Members
HANOI, May 16 (Oana-Kyodo-Bernama) -- Members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stressed the importance of narrowing the
development gap among its older and newer members during an ASEAN special senior
officials' meeting in Hanoi, reaffirming ASEAN's commitment to regional
solidarity and economic integration, ASEAN sources said on Wednesday.
The two-day meeting, which started Tuesday, concluded that it is
"essential" to narrow the development gap between ASEAN older and newer members
so as to foster the regional group's solidarity and economic integration, the
sources said.
ASEAN's older members include Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand, and its newer members are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and
Vietnam.
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Rengo to request Japan hold off sending
ODA to Myanmar
TOKYO, May 16 Kyodo - The
Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) will ask the government to postpone
the full resumption of official development assistance (ODA) to Myanmar that is
currently being considered by Japan, Rengo officials said Wednesday.
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The Financial Times
Tensions rise on Thai-Burmese border By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok Published: May 15 2001 16:15GMT | Last Updated: May 15 2001 16:41GMT Tensions along the ill-defined border between Thailand and Burma escalated
on Tuesday as Bangkok and Rangoon accused each other of encroaching on their
territory, following military skirmishes in the frontier area.
Thai foreign ministry officials complained to Myo Myint, Burma's ambassador
to Thailand, about the occupation last week of a Thai border post by fighters
from the ethnic Wa militia, which is allied with the Burmese military.
Meanwhile, Rangoon has demanded that Thai forces withdraw from 35 border
posts, which it said were "deep inside" Burmese territory.
In a letter to the Thai military, Rangoon threatened to force the Thai
soldiers out.
The heated diplomatic exchange comes after Thailand's armed forces
recaptured the Hua Lone hill last week, killing an estimated 20 Wa fighters.
During the fighting, Thailand also flew a jet fighter over the strategic
hill, prompting strong criticism from Rangoon.
The rugged jungle border between Thailand and Burma has never been
adequately defined while talks on demarcation, set to resume soon after several
years, have made little progress.
General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Thailand's defence minister, denied that the
situation was dangerously volatile.
Mr Chavalit on Tuesday blamed "evil forces", including arms dealers, for
trying to stir up trouble between the two neighbours, which have centuries of
enmity between them.
Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, an expert on Thai-Burma relations at Bangkok's
Chulalongkorn University, also said the verbal war could prompt fresh border
skirmishes but was unlikely to escalate into a broader conflict.
"Neither side would like to have an open fight," he said.
Mr Chayachoke also said the Thai military had provoked tension with its
aggressive stance towards Burma in recent months.
Since Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai prime minister, and his government took
power in February, Thailand has been struggling to hammer out a coherent policy
towards its troubled neighbour.
Top officials alternate between desire for better relations and indignation
at Rangoon's alleged support for ethnic Wa drug producers, who are flooding
Thailand with methamphetamines.
Local military commanders have been particularly firm - and outspoken - in
their resolve to crack down on the inflow of drugs from across the border.
Rangoon, meanwhile, has been angry about plans by the US military and Drug
Enforcement Administration officials to train a newly established Thai
anti-narcotics task force, calling the co-operation an ill-disguised attempt to
interfere in Burma's internal affairs.
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