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----------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS - June 26,
2001.
----------------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINES
---------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - ANALYSIS-Myanmar's generals seek power
with legitimacy
AFP - Myanmar says Thailand ties recovering from
bid to "destroy" friendship
AP - AIDS Is Rampant in Myanmar
AP - Myanmar Doesn't Want To Be Isolated - A Top
Govt Leader
AP - Myanmar Says Differences With Thailand
Resolved
AP - Thailand Burns
4.2 Tons Of Opium, Heroin, Methamphetamine
AP - Myanmar's AIDS Response
Grossly Inadequate - Researcher
AFP - Myanmar junta opens
drug museum in Yangon
Asia Pulse - Indonesia's GMF
to Cooperate With Myanmar Airways
Xinhua - Myanmar Takes
Measures to Tackle Power Shortage Problem
The Times - Fading faces of
Burma
The Nation - Opinion - Wooing the junta is a tricky game Xinhuanet - Pressure Tactics Have Not Much
Impact on Myanmar: Leader
Xinhuanet - Myanmar's Second Drugs Elimination
Museum Opens in Yangon
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Calls for Struggle
Against Drugs
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 11:57 AM
ANALYSIS-Myanmar's generals seek power
with legitimacy
By Dominic Whiting BANGKOK, June 26 (Reuters) -
Myanmar's military rulers are offering concessions to the pro-democracy
opposition in a bid to improve their global image but analysts say they have no
real intention of relaxing their iron grip on power.
They say the government's aim is to create a regime which allows the
military to maintain a central role but gives the ruling generals more
legitimacy in the eyes of the outside world.
The international community welcomed secret talks between the government
and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which began in October,
and became concerned earlier this year over reports the dialogue had stalled.
But analysts said a recent visit to the country by U.N. special envoy
Razali Ismail, who played a key role in brokering the talks, was a positive
sign.
The recent release of 13 political prisoners and the reopening of 20
opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) offices in Yangon also suggested
a thaw, analysts said.
"Razali clearly communicated that the international community was losing
patience and that more evidence was needed to show that this is going to be a
sustained process," a Western diplomat in Bangkok told Reuters.
"The talks had been going on for several months and they were greeted with
great optimism, but then people started wondering if anything was happening and
whether it was all just hot air."
Razali left Myanmar hopeful of civilian rule in four years.
But the NLD is frustrated that dozens of its members are still in
government "guest houses" -- a euphemism for a loose form of detention. Aung San
Suu Kyi is also under house arrest.
The human rights group Amnesty International says about 1,850 political
prisoners remain behind bars.
Myanmar-watchers say any deal would involve reconvening a constitution
drafting body, guaranteeing a military role in politics, giving the generals
amnesty for any past rights abuses, and not allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to take
political office.
But political analysts say without substantial concessions on power-sharing
or other steps to solve the country's chronic political problems, the opposition
is unlikely to strike a deal.
"PUPPET POLITICAL MOVEMENT" The NLD won Myanmar's last elections, in 1990, with a landslide victory the
military did not expect or accept.
Analysts say the ruling State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) will not make the same mistake again, and will make sure the NLD is
in no position to win another election.
"The recent developments are positive, but I don't see much real progress
on domestic politics," said Chaiyachoke Chulasiriwongs, a lecturer at Bangkok's
Chulalongkorn University.
"The SPDC is weakening the NLD, threatening those who are not already in
jail, while preparing its own political foundations."
A recent speech by SPDC Chairman Than Shwe calling on war veterans to be
more politically active indicated the military could be preparing a vehicle to
fight elections.
"The SPDC's more pragmatic faction is trying to create a kind of puppet
political movement," said Sunai Pasuk, a researcher at Forum Asia, a
Bangkok-based human rights organisation.
"It's clever to integrate war veterans, which would underline the presence
of the military in politics, and involve the youth movement -- led by children
of regime members," he said.
"Political dialogue gives the regime a face-lift but the SPDC will manage
every aspect of the dialogue to give an outcome in its favour. They won't want
to repeat their 1990 mistake."
ASIAN ROLE MODELS Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, highly respected by Myanmar's
generals, has also hinted at some kind of accommodation to keep the military in
power.
Earlier this year Mahathir said any future elections in Myanmar would not
"undermine authority" and suggested the country could adopt other southeast
Asian political models, rather than Western-style parliamentary democracy.
But the pace and direction of change will depend largely on the internal
power struggles within the ruling regime.
Rivalry between military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt and the SPDC's
second ranked general, Maung Aye, to replace Than Shwe at the top has been
simmering for years, analysts say.
Khin Nyunt seems to have the upper hand since a helicopter crash killed one
of Maung Aye's powerful allies in February, and observers say he has recently
succeeded in placing supporters in key regional military posts.
Khin Nyunt is seen as more favourable to some kind of political change, and
analysts say he backs the talks with Suu Kyi while Maung Aye wants a hardline
approach to continue.
"Khin Nyunt is more inclined to take the international community more
seriously," the diplomatic source said.
Forum Asia's Sunai said Khin Nyunt would try to emulate Cambodian Prime
Minister Hun Sen, who won national polls in 1998 that were endorsed by the
international community despite some intimidation of the opposition and voters
in the run-up to the vote by ruling party officials and supporters.
"Khin Nyunt will have a two-pronged strategy -- keep the SPDC in power and
achieve world legitimacy -- what I call...dictatorship with a new face," he
said.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 5:29 PM
Myanmar says Thailand ties recovering
from bid to "destroy" friendship
YANGON, June 26 (AFP) -
Relations between Myanmar and Thailand are returning to normal after a rocky
period where opposition groups attempted to "destroy" the friendship, a senior
member of Myanmar's junta said Tuesday.
The regime's number three, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, said Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit earlier this month helped heal the
rift.
"In recent months opposition groups and people holding negative views have
tried to destroy the existing friendship between Myanmar and Thailand," he told
officials attending a diplomacy course at the foreign ministry.
"(But) the attempts to drive a wedge between the two countries have failed
and I am happy to inform you that the situation is now returning to normal," the
state-owned "New Light of Myanmar" quoted Khin Nyunt as saying.
"The understanding reached and the resolution of the issues involved is
also due to the sincere efforts undertaken during the recent goodwill visit of
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra."
On his return from Myanmar, Thaksin said the troubled bilateral
relationship would be back to normal "within two months".
During his visit the two countries signed an agreement to cooperate more
closely in fighting rampant drug trafficking along their border, the issue that
sparked off months of turmoil between the neighbours.
A comprehensive joint statement also detailed common stands on the touchy
issues of border security, dispute resolution, the refugee crisis and trading
checkpoints which were closed off when the row erupted earlier this year.
Relations with Myanmar have deteriorated alarmingly this year despite
Thaksin's election at the helm of an administration which was seen as having
closer links with Myanmar than the outgoing government.
The wrangling was touched off in February, when fighting among ethnic
militias on the drug-infested border sparked a six-hour battle between the
national armies.
After that the row degenerated into a slanging match that saw Myanmar's
official press hurl insults at Thailand's revered monarchy, while Thailand was
accused of trying to smear the military-run nation's reputation.
In what has been seen here as an attempt to make amends for the "royal
slur", Than Shwe has now invited Thailand's king and queen to make an official
visit to Myanmar.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Monday June 25 6:48 PM ET
AIDS Is Rampant in Myanmar By STEVE GUTTERMAN, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Shunned by a
repressive military junta and shut out by their own fearful communities, AIDS
(news - web sites)-stricken people in Myanmar are dying in numbers that
researchers say may be more than 50 times higher than official figures.
In a country where information is so tightly controlled that an unlicensed
fax machine can land you in jail, the extent of Myanmar's HIV (news - web sites)
crisis has until recently been withheld, both from the outside world and from
many of the people it is killing.
``The problem with this epidemic has been the tremendous difficulty in
getting a handle on what is really going on,'' said Chris Beyrer, an American
researcher who directs an AIDS program at the Johns Hopkins University School of
Hygiene and Public Health.
Beyrer presented a study suggesting 687,000 adults in Myanmar were living
with AIDS in 1999 - or nearly 3.5 percent of the population, a rate worse than
any other nation in Asia except Cambodia, where about 4 percent are
infected.
Beyrer - one of three panelists who discussed the epidemic as part of the
U.N. session on AIDS - said the survey did not include an estimated 1.4 million
drug users who may have been infected through needle-sharing and would make
Myanmar's case the worst in Asia.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, reported 802 AIDS deaths in 1999. But the
United Nations (news - web sites) estimated the death toll was 48,000 - a number
Beyrer said was probably closer to the actual figure.
Worse, the panelists said, many who contract HIV don't know what it is. And
most go untreated in a health care system destroyed by military leaders who
spend more of their budget on defense than any other country in the area.
``The response has been grossly inadequate,'' Beyrer said.
Than Htung, a former doctor in Myanmar who went into exile when the junta
took power in 1988 and now speaks for the exiled government at the United
Nations, said the country's military leaders have been reluctant to acknowledge
the AIDS crisis.
Ignoring the extent of the epidemic ``is a justification to hold onto
power,'' he said. ``They are really reluctant to say that situation is
worsening.''
Panelists said the regime must tackle the disease by resurrecting the
health care system, educating citizens and opening up the country to aid
workers.
``These are the people who seized power. This has happened on their watch,
and it is their responsibility to address it,'' Beyrer said of the junta. He
said the ability of foreign aid groups to work inside Myanmar ``is still very
limited.''
Therese Caouette, a panelist who has worked with refugees and migrants
fleeing violence and political repression in Myanmar, said ethnic minorities in
the diverse nation are cut off from what little information and care there is to
be found for infected people.
In many cases, people suffering symptoms of AIDS will be shunned by fearful
neighbors who do not understand the disease. Sometimes communities will isolate
victims by building huts on their fringes, she said.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 7:34 PM
Myanmar Doesn't Want To Be Isolated - A Top Govt Leader YANGON (AP)--Myanmar recognizes
the need to stay in the international mainstream but will do so according to its
priorities, a top government leader said, adding that international economic
sanctions on the country have failed.
"Under the present circumstances when globalization is taking place at a
fast speed, no nation can stay aloof or isolated," Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the No.
3 leader in the military junta, said in a speech Monday. It was reported by
state-run newspapers Tuesday.
But, Khin Nyunt said, Myanmar is trying to be in the mainstream of
international community "in accordance with our policies and priorities."
Myanmar faces regular criticism, largely from the West, for suppressing the
opposition National League for Democracy party of Nobel peace laureate Aung San
Suu Kyi. The party won the 1990 general elections, but the generals never
allowed it to take power. Both sides are now holding reconciliation talks.
The junta is also accused by the West of abusing its citizens' human
rights, including using forced labor. To force Myanmar to change its ways, the
U.S. has banned new investments in the country, and virtually every donor
country has imposed development aid embargo.
Khin Nyunt, who is also the chief of military intelligence, said the
sanctions have failed.
"It is more than 10 years since the imposition of economic sanctions by
some Western nations, but such pressure tactics had not much impact since the
country's economic and social infrastructure continues to grow steadily," he
said.
The country's average annual growth rate was 8.4% during the period 1996-97
to 2000-2001, he said at the opening ceremony of a course in diplomacy at the
Foreign Ministry.
He said Myanmar's differences with Thailand have been resolved through
"friendship, understanding and cooperation," and credited Thai Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra for the breakthrough.
"Due to sincere efforts undertaken during the goodwill visit of Prime
Minister Thaksin, the problems were resolved," Khin Nyunt said.
He blamed the tensions on opposition groups and biased media organizations,
which he didn't name.
Since Thaksin's visit to Myanmar last week, the two countries have stopped
trading accusations. Myanmar also reopened over the weekend a border checkpoint
that had remained closed for four months after border clashes between the Thai
and Myanmar armies.
The tensions between the two uneasy neighbors were over drug trafficking
from Myanmar and support for anti-Yangon rebels. Thailand and the U.S. accuse
the junta of not doing enough to crack down on drug lords in its border areas.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 7:20 PM
Myanmar Says Differences With Thailand
Resolved
YANGON (AP)--Myanmar's
differences with Thailand have been amicably resolved due to the "sincere
efforts" of the Thai prime minister, a top member of Myanmar's ruling junta has
said.
"The matters between Myanmar and Thailand were resolved through friendship,
understanding and cooperation," Gen. Khin Nyunt, the No. 3 leader in the
military junta, said in a speech Monday. It was reported by state-run newspapers
Tuesday.
Khin Nyunt said the recent tensions between Myanmar and Thailand were
caused by opposition groups and biased media that tried to put a wedge between
the two countries.
Since Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited Myanmar last week, the
two countries have stopped trading accusations. Myanmar also reopened over the
weekend a border checkpoint that had remained closed for four months after
border clashes between the Thai and Myanmar armies.
"Due to sincere efforts undertaken during the goodwill visit of Prime
Minister Thaksin, the problems were resolved," Khin Nyunt said at the opening
ceremony of a course in diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry.
The tensions between the two uneasy neighbors were over drug trafficking
from Myanmar and support for anti-Yangon rebels. Thailand and the U.S. accuse
the junta of not doing enough to crack down on drug lords in its border areas.
The West also criticizes the junta for suppressing democracy and accuses it
of violating human rights of its citizens. The U.S. has banned new investments
in Myanmar and virtually every donor country has imposed an aid embargo.
Khin Nyunt, who is also the chief of military intelligence, acknowledged
that Myanmar must stay with the international mainstream.
"Under the present circumstances when globalization is taking place at a
fast speed, no nation can stay aloof or isolated," he said.
But Myanmar is trying to be in the mainstream of the international
community "in accordance with our policies and priorities," he said, adding that
sanctions imposed by the West have failed.
"It is more than 10 years since the imposition of economic sanctions by
some western nations, but such pressure tactics had not much impact since the
country's economic and social infrastructure continues to grow steadily," he
said.
The country's average annual growth rate reached 8.4% during the period of
1996-1997 to 2000-2001, he said.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 6:20 PM
Thailand Burns 4.2 Tons Of Opium,
Heroin, Methamphetamine
AYUTHAYA, Thailand (AP)--Thailand torched 4.2 tons of confiscated
opium, heroin and methamphetamine Tuesday, the biggest destruction of illegal
drugs in the country in 20 years, officials said.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra presided as the drugs were dumped into an
industrial waste incinerator in Ayuthaya, 70 kilometers north of Bangkok, to
mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse.
Going up in flames were nearly 20 million methamphetamine pills weighing
1.7 tons, 1.5 tons of opium and 1.0 tons of heroin, as well as quantities of
cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.
Thailand has been holding annual drug burnings for 24 years. The largest
amount destroyed was 8.1 tons, most of it morphine, in 1979.
Since taking power in February, Thaksin's government has vowed to crackdown
on illegal drugs because of growing concern about the adverse social impact on
Thai youth.
Most of the drugs are believed smuggled from neighboring Myanmar, the
world's leading source of opium and its derivative heroin, and increasingly, the
stimulant methamphetamine.
The Myanmar military regime opened a $1.3 million museum in Yangon Tuesday
showcasing its efforts in fighting drugs amid persistent international criticism
that it isn't doing enough.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 7:20 AM
Myanmar's AIDS Response Grossly Inadequate -
Researcher
NEW YORK (AP)--Shunned by a
repressive military junta and shut out by their own fearful communities,
AIDS-stricken people in Myanmar are dying in numbers that researchers say may be
more than 50 times higher than official figures.
In a country where information is so tightly controlled that an unlicensed
fax machine can land you in jail, the extent of Myanmar's HIV crisis has until
recently been withheld, both from the outside world and from many of the people
it is killing.
"The problem with this epidemic has been the tremendous difficulty in
getting a handle on what is really going on," said Chris Beyrer, a U.S.
researcher who directs an AIDS program at the Johns Hopkins University School of
Hygiene and Public Health.
Beyrer presented a study suggesting 687,000 adults in Myanmar were living
with AIDS in 1999 - or nearly 3.5% of the population, a rate worse than any
other nation in Asia except Cambodia, where about 4% are infected.
Beyrer - one of three panelists who discussed the epidemic as part of the
U.N. session on AIDS - said the survey didn't include an estimated 1.4 million
drug users who may have been infected through needle-sharing and would make
Myanmar's case the worst in Asia.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, reported 802 AIDS deaths in 1999. But the
U.N. estimated the death toll was 48,000 - a number Beyrer said was probably
closer to the actual figure.
Worse, the panelists said, many who contract HIV don't know what it is. And
most go untreated in a health care system destroyed by military leaders who
spend more of their budget on defense than any other country in the area.
"The response has been grossly inadequate," Beyrer said.
Than Htung, a former doctor in Myanmar who went into exile when the junta
took power in 1988 and now speaks for the exiled government at the U.N., said
the country's military leaders have been reluctant to acknowledge the AIDS
crisis.
Ignoring the extent of the epidemic "is a justification to hold onto
power," he said. "They are really reluctant to say that situation is worsening."
Panelists said the regime must tackle the disease by resurrecting the
health care system, educating citizens and opening up the country to aid
workers.
"These are the people who seized power. This has happened on their watch,
and it is their responsibility to address it," Beyrer said of the junta. He said
the ability of foreign aid groups to work inside Myanmar "is still very
limited."
Therese Caouette, a panelist who has worked with refugees and migrants
fleeing violence and political repression in Myanmar, said ethnic minorities in
the diverse nation are cut off from what little information and care there is to
be found for infected people.
In many cases, people suffering symptoms of AIDS will be shunned by fearful
neighbors who don't understand the disease. Sometimes communities will isolate
victims by building huts on their fringes, she said.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 7:06 PM
Myanmar junta opens drug museum in
Yangon
YANGON, June 26 (AFP) -
Myanmar's military government Tuesday unveiled a 1.4 million dollar museum to
celebrate its anti-narcotics efforts, even as the country was recently named the
world's top drug producer.
The junta's number-three, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt said at the opening
ceremony that the museum represented a "concrete landmark" that "truly reflected
Myanmar's concerted efforts to combat narcotic drugs."
He said the museum's exhibits -- from documentary photos to maps of drug
trade routes -- showed opium in East Asia had caused havoc throughout the world
and been used as a "powerful weapon" by colonial forces.
"The introduction of opium to East Asia, including Myanmar, is indeed a
dark page in the history of mankind and ... the people of the world have
suffered bitterly from this problem," he told an audience that included foreign
diplomats and military attaches.
Reformed drug kingpin Lo Hsin Han also attended the ceremony and told AFP
he had contributed 5.0 million kyats (8,780 dollars) towards the 800 million
kyat (1.4 million dollar) cost of constructing the museum.
The international community has roundly condemned Myanmar for allegedly
turning a blind eye to the massive production of drugs in areas controlled by
ethnic armies which have signed fragile ceasefires with the junta.
Until last year Myanmar ranked behind Afghanistan as the world's top drug
producer.
The government in April said that drug eradication efforts, bad weather and
pests had combined to produce the poorest opium crop in more than a
decade.
And a report earlier this year from the International Narcotics Control
Board (INCB) showed opium production in Myanmar had fallen some 40 percent in
the past decade.
However, last year Afghanistan's ruling Taliban banned the opium crop and
UN surveys confirmed a dramatic reduction in its cultivation -- elevating
Myanmar to the top spot by default.
Khin Nyunt said Myanmar's drug problem was "a very complex and delicate
issue" linked to national political, social and economic issues.
He said Myanmar aimed to eliminate drugs within 15 years "with or without
the international community's assistance," but that assistance from "friendly
countries and the United Nations" would speed the process.
The opening of the Drugs Elimination Museum vividly illustrated Myanmar's
"firm national resolve to totally eliminate narcotics drugs," he said.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday June 26, 12:47 PM
Indonesia's GMF to Cooperate With
Myanmar Airways
JAKARTA, June 26 Asia Pulse -
Garuda Maintenance Facility [GMF] of the state-owned airline company Garuda
Indonesia has announced plans to form a long term cooperation in aircraft
maintenance with Myanmar Airways International.
Myanmar Airways is interested in the performance of GMF, Maung Maung OPh,
chairman of Myanmar Airways, said after the completion of maintenance of a
Boeing 737-300 aircraft of the Myanmar Airways by GMF in Cengkareng,
Monday.
Repair of the aircraft's cabin and painting of its body at the GMF took one
month.
Maung Maung said Myanmar Airways will send another Boeing 737-300 aircraft
for repair to GMF later this month.
GMF is also handling repair of two Boeing 737-200 aircraft of Phuket
Airlines, three Boeing 737-200 planes of Phoenix FZE (Dubai) and a Boeing
737-200 of NAT Aviation of the United States.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar Takes Measures to Tackle Power
Shortage Problem
by Duan Tingchang
YANGON, Jun 26, 2001 (Xinhua via
COMTEX) -- The shortage of electric power is a major difficult
problem which the Myanmar government has long been facing. It has not only
restrained the country's economic development but also brought about extreme
inconvenience with people's daily life.
After taking over the state power on September 18, 1988, the Myanmar
military government took various measures in tackling the electric power
shortage problem and made certain achievements.
The main measures taken by the Myanmar government to solve this problem are
as follows:
Firstly, breaking the monopoly of the state on electric power industry,
permitting and encouraging cooperatives and private enterprises to engage in the
exploitation of electric power resources to appropriate scale.
For a long duration, Myanmar's electric power industry was entirely
monopolized by the state, thus hindering the development of the industry to some
extent.
The Myanmar government introduced in 1994 a policy permitting cooperatives
and private entrepreneurs to build small-sized hydropower stations in places
where conditions suit.
The policy grants the cooperatives to set up such small hydropower stations
of a capacity up to 750 kilowatts (kw) and the private entrepreneurs to
establish such stations of a capacity up to 3,000 kw.
Although the policy limits the sizes and scales of hydropower stations
built by the two sectors, it has still made a major step forward compared with
the past.
Secondly, strengthening cooperation with foreign countries in the
exploitation of electric power.
In October 1998, the Yunnan Machinery Equipment Import and Export
Corporation of China and the state-run Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE)
signed a contract on building in Myanmar's northern Mandalay division the
Paunglaung hydropower plant which has an installed generating capacity of up to
280
megawatts (mw). This major project, now under implementation, is expected to solve 25
percent of the country's domestic power consumption on completion.
In November 1998, China International Trust and Investment Corporation and
the MEPE endorsed another contract on the implementation of the Thanphanseik
hydropower station in Myanmar's northwestern Sagaing division and the Mone power
station in southwestern Magway division.
The installed generating capacity of the two small hydropower plants are
respectively 30 mw and 75 mw.
In addition, the Japanese government announced in early May this year that
due to failure of maintenance of the Lawpyita hydropower station, built for
Myanmar by Japan in the 1960s, and outdated equipment, the Japanese government
plans to extend 3.5 billion yens( 28.6 million U.S. dollars) of aid to Myanmar
to be used nas maintenance cost for the station.
Thirdly, Raising highly the electricity charges. Since February 1999,
Myanmar has raised highly the electricity charges, introducing a system of
collecting the charges in sections, that is 2.5 Kyats per unit if monthly
consumption is within 50 units, while 10 kyats per unit if between 51 and 200
units and 25 kyats per unit if over 200 units.
Meanwhile, electricity charges for industrial use rose the sharpest with 30
Kyats per unit.
According to the figures published by Myanmar's Central Statistical
Organization, as of 2000, the installed generating capacity of the MEPE came to
1,172 mw, an increase of 509 mw or 43.4 percent from 1988. Of them, that of
natural gas power plants rose 255 mw, while that of steam power ones 143 mw and
that of hydropower ones 111 mw.
Meanwhile, the MEPE's electric power generated in 2000 was 5.028 billion
kilowatt-hours (kwh), up 55 percent compared with 2.226 kwh 13 years ago.
Although Myanmar made some achievements in easing the tension of
electricity shortage, but as the country's economy develops, the demand also
increases
accordingly. It can be said that Myanmar's present generated power is far from meeting
the domestic demand, thus restricting to a large extent Myanmar's economic
development.
---------------------------------------------------------------- The Times
TUESDAY JUNE 26 2001
Fading faces of Burma BY JOANNA PITMAN With family in tow, Joey Bieber went to record a vanishing way of life
Joey Bieber looks and sounds so resolutely, domestically English on her Sussex farm, surrounded by children and animals, that you would never guess at her taste for exotic adventure. Two years ago, towards the end of a three-week journey through rural Burma with her husband and four children aged nine to 14, she found herself stranded one night on the edge of the Irrawaddy River with her brood and a large pile of suitcases. They had driven in a rattling bus through the previous night and day over unmade roads and mountains and had missed the last ferry. “We were stranded. So we commandeered a boat which delivered us to the far shore with our piles of luggage. We had one suitcase each, plus a huge medical bag, plus several more bags for cameras and other equipment and presents for the locals. So there we were sitting on the other shore, wondering what to do next when people from the village noticed us and began wandering down to look. Soon the entire village had gathered to stare at us as if we were some kind of exhibit. They’d never seen westerners before, let alone fair-skinned children. We didn’t know what to do, so John Bieber’s husband and I started singing Oh I do love to be beside the seaside. The children were so embarrassed, but the villagers thought it was marvellous.” Sterling stuff. You can just picture the little tribe of rather grubby and weary Brits making the best of a rotten situation. Bieber would probably have been perfect material for keeping outposts of empire together. She is resolute, resourceful and has a pungent sense of humour. Bieber also happens to be a powerful photographer. An exhibition of 56 of
her images taken on that trip opens at the Brunei Gallery at SOAS in London on
July 12. In essence it is a documentary study of the people of remote, rural
Burma, the mothers and children, the labourers, monks, nuns and others she and
her family came across. Travelling with four children, a mixture of blondes and
redheads, clearly did Bieber no harm at all. Several of the images capture
groups of Burmese, eyes popping in amazement at the sight of a gang of western
children.
As a photographer, Bieber seems to work apart from the photographic
consensus of the moment; she tends to be reflective rather than militant,
romantic rather than sceptical. Everywhere she goes she searches for humanity,
focusing in on it largely to show her children (“They saw humanity, believe
me!”) and in the process she finds a remarkable spirituality in the Burmese. For
a country which has been bullied, beaten and subdued by a brutally totalitarian
military regime in recent years, it is fascinating to see the spiritual
resilience of these people shining through.
The routine acts of daily village life are revealed to be full of grace,
pathos, humour and surprise. A nun in a wrapped headdress and frayed jacket sits
at the entrance to a temple, sucking at a fat cheroot; not very holy, but a nun
nevertheless, her begging bowl sits in front of her, never quite empty but never
quite full.
A monk is pictured descending the steps of the holy mountain, Mount Popa.
Above him hangs a banner emblazoned with the loops and swirls of the Burmese
script. The architectural lines of the wall beside him, the door frame behind
and the pockmarked ledge to his side all stretch the image very tight towards
two dimensions, taut as a drum. On this surface appears the figure of the monk,
his robes and blanket spreading in waves away from an extraordinarily intense
moon-shaped shaven head, with a face that looks waxen in its gently gleaming
perfection.
Bieber’s strong graphic eye is seen at its best in the image of two water
buffalo hauling teak logs from the river on to the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy.
The two half moons of their horns are linked by a heavy log yoke, their smooth
bodies mirrored by the hunks of dense wood hanging silently in the water. A maze
of straw huts floats behind them, their roofs furred with soft thatch, and
chopstick-thin people give the image vertical co-ordinates as fine as
calligraphic brush strokes. In the background a long low boat floats by, a boy
paddling serenely at its bow. The picture was the result of instant recognition
of subject and form.
Many of these images will acquire nostalgic value as Burma changes and
develops under the ongoing influence of tourism, foreign investment and, one
day, democracy. “I wanted to capture Burma and its people before changes
happened,” says Bieber.
---------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation - June 26,
2001.
Opinion - Wooing the junta is a tricky
game
Vorapun Srivoranart
Thaksin's visit to Burma could prove fruitful to relations, though there
are many |long-term obstacles
In reality, there is no black and white foreign policy, nor is there a
single mould for every problem. It all depends on where and when a particular
event occurs.
With 2,401 kilometres of common border, Thailand has been shouldering the
burden of proximity of internal political disruption in Burma without the
comfort of distance. Hence the question of whether to engage the Burmese
military junta is irrelevant. A more pertinent issue is how, bearing in mind our
national interest and political values.
Of late, two main approaches towards Burma have been dominant among Thai
policy-makers. The first is that of the liberal-democratic school of thought
which favours values like human rights, democracy, institutions and formality.
This group believes the root of the problem lies with the undemocratic junta
using military solutions for ethno-political issues. The cure, it says, is to
restore democracy and civilian control, which not unexpectedly is rejected by
the junta as intrusive and unfriendly.
The other school of thought addresses the Burmese question from a
completely opposite perspective, stressing ends over means. This group proposes
non-interference, informality, a non-confrontational stance and a preference for
summit meetings, reflecting the highly elitist nature of decision-making in this
part of the world. All these make up the controversial trait called the "Asian
Way".
With this in mind, a landmark visit to Rangoon last week by Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra effectively pushed the pendulum to the extreme "Asian Way".
The merit of this argument has to be gauged deeper than the facade of cordiality
the Burmese leaders rolled out for him. Rather it is the concrete implementation
of transforming the "tyranny of geography" into an opportunity.
Thaksin's trip may well serve the immediate national interest of peace and
stability, but the long-term value has to be taken with a grain of salt. No one
wants war: war means the failure of diplomacy as the first line of defence. But
the Thai-Burmese relationship is too complex and contains many uncontrollable
variables that cannot be dispelled completely at a meeting between leaders.
There are several fundamental issues warranting immediate scrutiny.
First, have we yielded too much? It is clear that at present Thailand
recognises the Burmese brand of politics and is determined to deal with it
accordingly. This was reflected by Thaksin's conviction that only summit
meetings will rescue worsening bilateral ties because in a highly centralised
state like Burma "the tail won't move if the head does not move first" and there
is a decree-based legal system. But for how much longer can we continue to play
this game? Friendship and fraternity are a two-way street requiring a great
degree of give and take. Therefore we should also make the Burmese junta accept
our brand of politics. If Rangoon is true to the spirit of brotherhood, it
should do so.
Second, Thaksin's economic diplomacy calls into question an orthodox
assumption that economic development will eventually lead to political reform.
It is doubtful whether economic transactions reduce the chances of conflict by
raising the cost of aggression. It is even more uncertain how a middle class of
independent entrepreneurs can emerge given the stranglehold of the military on
all aspects of the economy. How to guarantee that the economic pie will not be
gobbled up by vested interests of both sides needs a serious answer.
Third, does Rangoon have the capability to tackle narcotics and border
problems? The short answer is no. Most drug-production areas are ruled by armed
ethnic minorities which have peace accords with the junta in exchange for
quasi-autonomy. It is an open secret that the Burmese military has little
control over these groups and a lot of them cohabit with the drug-traders.
Rangoon could ill-afford to open a war on two fronts by getting tough with the
heavily armed United Wa State Army (UWSA) given the fact that it still cannot
exert control over the entire border, which is rife with insurgents. In this
vein, national security and consolidation come before drug suppression.
Fourth, it is doubtful whether the renewed friendship is based on personal
rapport or a genuine willingness on the part of Rangoon to coexist with its
eastern neighbour. If the past is any guide, friendship is left often to the
whim of the Burmese generals. Pandering too much to the generals also risks
alienating pro-democracy forces and future generations of Burmese, who we have
to live with.
Last but not least, there is folly in thinking about Thailand-Burma border
problems in terms of a post-modern state system where the political border has
become obsolete and the states are bound by a web of transactions to the point
of sharing a common destiny. The two nations are nowhere near that point in view
of the level of political development and the unstable environment. Burma is a
state extremely conscious of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Failure to address these problems will have far-reaching ramifications and
set a wrong policy course. Therefore, the onus is on the Thai government to
steer the country's foreign policy in the right direction, since it is a policy
that affects national security and well-being. For the first time in history it
has the chance to open a new chapter in relations.
But in view of the chronic internal political problems in Burma, more
spillover can be expected. The only way is to utilise the friendship to activate
mechanisms and construct a "safety net" as insurance for when the incumbents are
no longer in power, so that the spirit of brotherhood is upheld.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Pressure Tactics Have Not Much
Impact on Myanmar: Leader
2001.06.26 13:09:57 YANGON, June 26 (Xinhuanet) --
Pressure tactics applied by some Western countries against Myanmar have
not much impact as they had hoped since the nation's economic and social
infrastructure continues to progress steadily, Tuesday's official
newspaper The New Light of Myanmar quoted the country's leader Lieutenant-
General Khin Nyunt as saying.
Meeting with officials attending a diplomacy course conducted on
Monday by the Myanmar Foreign Ministry, First Secretary of the Myanmar
State Peace and Development Council Khin Nyunt pointed out that it has been more
than ten years since the imposition of the economic sanction by these
countries, however, he added that the actual situation on the ground has
proved that these actions have not been as successful as they would like
them to be.
He denied the charges by some opposition groups that there are
widespread human right abuse and forced labor in Myanmar.
He accused the opposition groups, holding negative views on Myanmar,
of sowing seeds of discord between Myanmar and friendly countries,
particularly the neighboring ones.
He spoke out Myanmar's desire to maintain friendly relations with all
the countries in the world particularly the neighboring states to create
zones of peace, harmony and prosperity in border areas with
them.
He reiterated Myanmar's stand that it will never allow any opposition
group to use the country's territory as base to operate against its
neighbors.
"However, it is only natural that sometimes matter can arise between
neighbors since they share a common border," he said, implying the
country's recent border clashes with Thailand.
He gave an account of Myanmar's approach to such issues in the spirit
of friendship, goodwill, understanding and mutual respect.
He disclosed that the situation in Myanmar-Thai border is now
returning to normal, thanks to the understanding reached and the
resolution of the issues involved during the recent visit of Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Myanmar.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar's Second Drugs Elimination
Museum Opens in Yangon
2001.06.26 13:09:21 YANGON, June 26 (Xinhuanet) --
A drugs elimination museum, which is the second one in Myanmar, was
inaugurated here Tuesday to enable the country people to be aware of the
dreadful menace of narcotics to the whole mankind and thus to abstain from
drug as well as to inform the international community of efforts
undertaken by successive governments of Myanmar in drug
eradication.
The opening of the museum was so arranged as to mark the
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The four-story museum was built since July 25, 1998 on a plot of 6.12
hectares at a cost of over 820 million Kyats (about 2.3 million U.S.
dollars).
The first drugs elimination museum of Myanmar was opened in December
27, 2000 in Laukkai, Kokang region of the country's northern Shan state to
mark the regional endeavors in getting rid of poppy cultivation and
production.
According to official statistics, Myanmar has since 1988 seized a total of
53.19 tons of narcotic drugs including 4 tons of heroin, 31 tons of opium and
17.6 tons of ephedrine as well as 82.5 million tablets of stimulant
drug.
Meanwhile, the country has also since 1990 burnt up a total of 81.7
tons of confiscated drugs including 23.69 tons of opium, 3. 74 tons of
heroin, 5.14 tons of marijuana and 11.58 tons of ephedrine as well as over
80.85 million stimulant tablets.
Poppy cultivation destroyed so far went to 50,617 hectares, bringing
about a reduction of 549.92 tons of opium production.
As its efforts towards total eradication of drugs, Myanmar has been
implementing a 15-year plan beginning 1999 in three five-year phases at a cost
of 33.588 billion Kyats (about 50 million U.S. dollars) and 150 million
dollars. The first phase of the plan targets 25 townships, the second 20
townships and the third 9 townships.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Calls for Struggle Against
Drugs
2001.06.26 11:23:12 YANGON, June 26 (Xinhuanet) --
Myanmar Home Minister Colonel Tin Hlaing Tuesday called on the Myanmar
people of different walks of life to get fully involved in the struggle
against narcotic drugs in accordance with the motto "Sports Against Drugs"
designated by the U.N. Drug Control Program.
In his message on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse
and Illicit Trafficking, Tin Hlaing, who is also chairman of Myanmar's
Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, said that by participating in
sports activities, it can increase actions in the elimination of drug
abuse.
Quoting the government-released figures, he noted there are 68, 683 addicts
in Myanmar, of whom most are from the 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 age
groups.
For this, he stressed the need to concentrate on the students and
youths to eradicate the habit of narcotics abuse among them.
Since 1988, the Myanmar government has taken on the task of
eliminating narcotic drugs as a national duty and has been escalating
these activities year by year, placing emphasis on the development and
income substitution of the opium cultivating areas.
Myanmar started in 1999 implementing a 15-year plan of total drug
eradication in the country, covering 54 drug cultivating and producing
townships -- 25 townships targeted in the first five years, 20 townships
in the second five years and 9 townships in the third five
years.
The plan, which costs 33.588 billion Kyats (about 50 million U. S. dollars)
and 150 million dollars, covers five prioritized activities -- eradicating
poppy cultivation, eliminating drug abuse, enforcement, organizing the
local populace to participate in the activities and international
relations.
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