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BURMA RELATED NEWS - September
10, 2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Myanmar junta says releases opposition
politicians
AFP - WHO lauds Cambodia's "remarkable
turnaround" against AIDS
AFP - Asia makes headway against AIDS after
eradicating polio
Kyodo News - Myanmar junta releases 6 more
political prisoners
Bkk Post - House used to produce speed pills in
Tak
Bkk Post - Appeal to
Japan
Bkk Post - EDITORIAL - Continuing denial helps
Aids spread
NSTP - Immigration goes for illegals body
count
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday September 10, 6:08 PM
Myanmar junta says releases opposition politicians YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's
military government said on Monday it released six members of Aung San Suu Kyi's
pro-democracy party "as a goodwill gesture".
The release of the six, who include five elected representatives of the
National League for Democracy (NLD), takes place amid continuing talks between
the ruling junta and the opposition. The talks have been going on for almost a
year.
"Since January this year, a total of 167 NLD members...serving sentences at
the various correctional facilities for criminal offences have been released,"
the government said in a statement.
The statement gave no details of the offences but said five of the released
were elected in Myanmar's last general election in 1990.
Suu Kyi's NLD won those elections by a landslide but has never been allowed
to govern and party members have been detained and harassed instead.
Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has been under de facto
house arrest for a year but there are signs the landmark talks between the
government and the opposition have been making some progress.
U.N. envoy Razali Ismail visited Myanmar last month for a series of
meetings with Suu Kyi and the ruling generals which went well, according to a
senior Asian diplomat based in Yangon.
"All three parties -- the government, the opposition and Mister Razali
himself -- were very pleased with the results," he told Reuters.
Diplomats in Yangon briefed by Razali have said the political dialogue in
Myanmar has reached a sensitive stage.
Tensions between the two sides have eased in recent months with the release
of the political prisoners but an NLD representative told Reuters there were
still 23 elected members in jail.
Amnesty International says there are 1,500 political detainees in Myanmar.
The ruling generals insist they are committed to moving towards democracy,
but that too fast a transition would risk anarchy and national
disintegration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday September 10, 6:47 PM
WHO lauds Cambodia's "remarkable turnaround" against AIDS BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept 10 (AFP) - The World Health Organization (WHO)
on Monday hailed Cambodia's "remarkable turnaround" against the AIDS scourge and
cited Phnom Penh's pro-condom policy as a potent weapon.
WHO Western Pacific director Shigeru Omi, addressing delegates at an annual
regional meeting of the UN body, listed progress against AIDS and the victory
over polio as major Asian health achievements over the past year.
The WHO's Western Pacific region includes East Asia, Southeast Asia,
Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Some 100 delegates, including
health ministers of member countries, are attending the Brunei meeting.
"A few years ago, many people thought that the chances of Cambodia
achieving significant reductions in HIV transmission in the near future were
slim," Omi said.
"In fact, based on the experience of countries in other parts of the world,
most experts thought that HIV infection in Cambodia would increase rather than
decrease," he added.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), in which the body loses its
natural defenses against disease, is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV).
Omi said estimates published this year by the Cambodian government indicate
that since 1997, HIV transmission has been decreasing in all the population
groups studied.
The average rate of HIV infection among pregnant women dropped from 2.7
percent to 1.9 percent between 1997 and 2000. Among young sex workers, it
dropped from 41 percent in 1998 to 23 percent in 2001.
"There are several reasons for this remarkable turnaround. Most
importantly, HIV/AIDS control in Cambodia has been supported at the highest
levels of the government, including the prime minister," he said.
Omi said the international community has also played an important part,
noting WHO's support for the "100 percent condom use" program which earlier
proved successful in Thailand.
The official applauded the declaration of the region as a polio-free area
last October but said "these important success stories should not blind us to
the health challenges that face us."
Omi identified mental health and food safety as issues that affect every
country in the region.
"These problems are not decreasing. On the contrary, in most countries,
mental illness and disability and foodborne illnesses are imposing increasing
burdens on health services," he added.
WHO chief Gro Harlem Brundtland also addressed the conference and
congratulated the region, particularly host country Brunei, for its achievements
in the field of health.
She said improvement in health was "a critical element of the fight against
poverty" and "the global imperative for this decade."
The signs of progress in Asia's struggle against AIDS followed the WHO's
release of data last month showing that the death rate of adults in Asia will
rise by up to 40 percent in some countries the coming decade.
The WHO has called on Asian countries to aggressively implement HIV
prevention programs for drug users, including the controversial practice of
providing clean needles to ensure safe injection practices.
The WHO report released by its Manila-based Western Pacific regional office
said that for most moderately-affected countries, annual deaths among adults
will increase by five percent in the coming decade due to AIDS.
In areas most affected -- Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and a few states in
India -- the death rates of adults could rise 40 percent, the WHO warned.
India alone could see a third of a million deaths due to AIDS in 2005, the
WHO forecast.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday September 10, 3:29 PM
Asia makes headway against AIDS after eradicating polio BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept 10 (AFP) - The World Health Organizationopened
an annual regional meeting here Monday amid signs of progress in Asia's tough
battle against AIDS, but officials said more challenges lay ahead.
WHO regional director Shigeru Omi, in a keynote speech to the meeting in
the capital of the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei, lauded the certification of the
Western Pacific region as a polio-free area last October.
The Western Pacific region includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia,
New Zealand and South Pacific islands. Some 100 delegates, including health
ministers of member countries, are attending the Brunei meeting.
"It is also a year in which we can cautiously note some successes in the
battle against AIDS in the region," Omi said.
"Cambodia has the highest HIV prevalence in Asia and a few years ago many
experts doubted whether any reduction could be expected in the near future.
However, recently published data have shown a marked and sustained decrease in
HIV prevalence in Cambodia," he said.
"This is a very significant achievement and one that we shall be looking at
more closely in the week ahead," the regional director added.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), in which the body loses its
natural defenses against disease, is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV).
"These important success stories should not blind us to the health
challenges that face us," Omi warned, citing mental health and food safety as
issues that affect every country in the region.
"These problems are not decreasing. On the contrary, in most countries,
mental illness and disability and foodborne illnesses are imposing increasing
burdens on health services," he added.
WHO chief Gro Harlem Brundtland also addressed the conference and lauded
the region, particularly host country Brunei, for its achievements in the field
of health.
She said improvement in health was "a critical element of the fight against
poverty" and "the global imperative for this decade."
The signs of progress in Asia's struggle against AIDS followed the WHO's
release of data last month showing that the death rate of adults in Asia will
rise by up to 40 percent in some countries the coming decade.
The WHO has called on Asian countries to aggressively implement HIV
prevention programs for drug users, including the controversial practice of
providing clean needles to ensure safe injection practices.
The WHO report released by its Manila-based Western Pacific regional office
said that for most moderately-affected countries, annual deaths among adults
will increase by five percent in the coming decade due to AIDS.
In areas most affected -- Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and a few states in
India -- the death rates of adults could rise 40 percent, the WHO warned.
India alone could see a third of a million deaths due to AIDS in 2005, the
WHO forecast.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar junta releases 6 more political
prisoners
YANGON, Sept. 10, Kyodo -
Myanmar's junta released six more political prisoners, including five National
League for Democracy (NLD) members who were elected to parliament in 1990, from
various prisons on Monday, an official press release said.
The releases bring to 167 the number of NLD-affiliated political prisoners
freed since January after the U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail broke the news of
secret political dialogue between the junta and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Those released so far include 33 NLD elected members who had been detained
at confinement centers called ''government guest houses,'' and 15 other NLD
elected members held in prisons.
The NLD won the 1990 election by a wide majority, but Myanmar's generals
refused to cede power or allow the new parliament to meet.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Sep 10,
2001.
House used to produce speed pills in Tak Tak _ A Burmese woman was yesterday arrested and charged with possession of
materials for production of methamphetamine.
Win Yi, 45, from Meikhtila in Mandalay, was apprehended when a combined
police and military patrol searched a house on Inthornkhiri road in Mae Sot
district town.
They found drug-producing equipment, 2,000 speed pills, and 3.6kg of an
amphetamine-based substance which could produce 42,500 speed pills.
Col Intawach Lijinda, deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment Task
Force, said they also found bank accounts at the Mae Sot branches of Thai
Farmers Bank and Bangkok Bank, and a document for transferring money from the
Asia Wealth Bank in Rangoon to a branch in Mandalay.
Mrs Win Yi said she only visited Mae Sot to buy goods and that the house
was rented by her younger brother and two other men who were not there at the
time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Sep 10,
2001.
Appeal to Japan
Japan will be asked to play a greater role in solving problems related to
Burma, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said.
During his visit to Bangkok this week, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi would be asked to help repatriate refugees and create new jobs for them
once they return home.
``It will be a creative role in political affairs,'' he said.
Rangoon had no problem with the participation by Japan and other
international organisations, he said.
Asked if Thailand would make a special request, the foreign minister said
the visit was aimed at boosting co-operation between the two nations in every
aspect.
Government spokesman Yongyuth Tiyapairat said the discussion agenda would
focus on the development of human resources and information technology, as well
as trade and economic co-operation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Sep 10,
2001.
EDITORIAL - Continuing denial
helps Aids spread
The most dangerous attitude towards serious threats is denial. History is
studded with examples ranging back to the Trojan horse and beyond. The epidemic
of Aids has been made worse by initial denial. We in Thailand have learnt our
lesson the hard way. Aids invaded and began to ravage the country as officials
and citizens insisted it could not, and would not, affect Thailand. By admitting
and confronting the problem, this country has begun to beat back Aids. Some of
our neighbours are still in denial, and that will result in thousands of
unnecessary deaths.
When Aids invaded Thailand more than a decade ago, the authorities were far
too slow off the mark. Since then, Thailand has earned international praise for
confronting HIV/Aids forthrightly. Education reaches deep inside society,
through schools, clinics and the media. Thailand is one of the few nations where
the rate of Aids infection is declining. Another is Cambodia, which went through
the same, shameful cycle of denial before honest confrontation and
education.
Last week, Cambodia invited regional nations to a conference in Phnom Penh.
The aim was to face the Aids problem squarely. That problem, today more than
ever, involves the spread of Aids across borders. Three lamentably sceptical
countries showed up at the Phnom Penh meeting. One, to its shame, stayed away
entirely.
First, those with somewhat open minds: Vietnam and Laos. Aids has started
taking hold in those countries, crossing their borders from China and Cambodia.
Officials in Hanoi and Vientiane pleaded they have little money to institute the
sort of Aids education that is needed. That must be unacceptable to their
people. If Cambodia can afford to mount a largely successful Aids programme, so
can they.
Until a few months ago, Beijing claimed that Aids resulted from capitalist
decadence and, therefore, could not touch Chinese. The arrogance of that
uninformed denial will cost tens of thousands of Chinese citizens their lives.
While the Chinese government has fiddled, HIV/Aids has burnt its way into the
heartland of the nation. Government blood collections have poisoned up to 65% of
people in Henan villages. Safe sex is almost unknown in China, resulting in the
infection of an estimated 50% of prostitutes and drug users in Yunnan.
This is the tip of the iceberg. The UN Aids agency believes a million
Chinese are infected. But Beijing has begun to show some shame for pride and
conceit. China has asked the US Centres for Disease Control for help. Like
Vietnam and Laos, China promised the Phnom Penh conference to help to fight the
cross-border spread of the disease.
Not Burma. While all this was taking place, Health Minister Maj-Gen Ket
Sein told a horrified World Health Organisation meeting that Aids is no problem
in Burma. He blamed anti-Rangoon media for claiming Burma has an Aids problem.
That was a curious sort of deception. The UN's WHO officially estimates there
are a minimum of 530,000 infected Burmese, out of a population of 48 million.
That puts Burma's HIV/Aids problem at the same level as Thailand, except that
the infection rate is increasing, not declining.
Maj-Gen Ket Sein told the WHO that Burma has a comprehensive programme to
prevent and control HIV/Aids. If so, it is still a state secret. Burma claims
there is no Aids problem because Burmese do not misbehave sexually to spread
Aids. The sale of condoms is illegal.
That makes Burma a health threat to the region. Its state-supported drugs
trade has already been recognised as a major vector for the spread of Aids among
addicts, their sex partners, and their partners. Of course, Burma also denies
there is a major drugs threat in the region emanating from its northern area.
That is also false.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New Straits Times Press
Immigration goes for illegals body
count
4,000 illegals or more must be rounded up before Dec 31 by Mimi Syed Yusof Immigration Departments nationwide have been given a target of 4,000 illegals or more to be rounded up before the end of the year. Perak Immigration director Ishak Mohamad said the directive from the
department headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, effective since the beginning of this
month, required the departments to detain foreigners who did not own legal
documents to stay and work in the country.
He said despite efforts by the authorities to reduce the number of illegals
in the country the figures had been increasing of late as foreigners have found
new ways to enter the country and stay undetected.
"Since the directive, the department has fully mobilised the enforcement
unit and our officers have intensified their search for foreigners without the
necessary documents.
"We are also liaising with several uniformed units such as the police and
local authorities to track down the illegals," he told reporters at his office
today.
Ishak was confident the department would be able to detain more than its
share of illegals considering its track record of being able to detect the them
from their den.
He also said with the help of several informers and tip-offs from the
public the department had been able to detain a large number of foreigners who
were without the legal documents.
Since January until August this year, he said the Perak department had
arrested 10,800 illegals who have been detained at the Langkap detention
centre.
Of the figure, 9,617 have been deported while the rest are in the process
of being sent back to their homeland.
Ishak said a majority of the illegals were Indonesians (8,278), while the
rest were from Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, China, Nepal and
Pakistan.
He said the Federal Government had spent some RM4 million up to June this
year to deport the illegals.
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