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BURMA RELATED NEWS - October
28, 2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Reports say Malaysia to deport 300,000
foreign workers
The Independent - Myanmar national dies of AIDS in Khulna
jail
ABC online - Malaysia to deport 300,000
foreigners to free up jobs: report
Bkk Post - Druglords
caught in joint effort
Bkk Post - 500,000
workers registered
NSTP - Foreign workers who have been here for
three years must leave
NMG - Nearly one
hundred people killed in religious riot in Southern Burma
NMG - New Jade mine found in Upper
Burma
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Sunday October 28, 12:21 PM
Reports say Malaysia to deport 300,000 foreign workers KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -
Malaysia, facing an economic slowdown, will deport about 300,000 foreign workers
to free up jobs for locals, newspapers reported on Sunday.
The government has decided to cut short the stay of foreign workers in the
country to three years, Home Ministry parliamentary secretary Abu Zahar Isnin
was quoted as saying.
Foreign workers in the manufacturing, construction and services industries
were previously allowed to work for six years while those in estates were given
work permits for seven years.
Abu Zahar said employers would be given three months to send workers home,
adding that employers who fail to send them back would not be allowed to hire
foreign workers in future.
"We are now reducing the time limit to three years. With the world economic
climate showing signs of a slowdown, many local workers are out of jobs," Abu
Zahar was quoted by the Sunday Star as saying.
"The government wants to change the policy so that job priority will be
given to locals," he said.
However, there is no limit to the period of employment of foreign
housemaids.
But Abu Zahar said if efforts to hire local workers failed, the government
might once again allow the hiring of foreigners.
Malaysia is home to more than a million foreign workers, mainly from
Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines.
Thousands of Malaysians working in the electronics industry have been laid
off due to the global electronics slump.
Malaysia's economy, hit by the U.S. slowdown, is officially forecast to
grow by one to two percent this year, slower than 2000's 8.5 percent
expansion.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Independent Bangladesh
Myanmar national dies of AIDS in Khulna
jail
KHULNA, Oct 27: A Myanmar national died of AIDS in Khulna jail today,
reports UNB.
The Jail Super said Moth (30) died of AIDS at 8 am was suffering also from
tuberculosis.
A fisherman, Moth was taken into custody along with fellow fishermen along
with a trawler for intrusion and fishing in Bangladesh waters. When undergoing
trial Moth was transferred to Khulna Jail from Bagerhat in September last year.
The date of his arrest could not ascertained immediately.
His body was sent to hospital for autopsy.
Officials said the body would be cremated here. They dismissed the prospect
of sending the body to his home in Myanmar.
Moth is the 12th man died of AIDS in Bangladesh. Six others are under
treatment while 157 people were detected carrying germs of the deadly disease,
informed sources said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Broadcasting Corporation
October 28, 2001.
Malaysia to deport 300,000
foreigners to free up jobs: report
Malaysia, facing an economic slowdown, will reportedly deport about 300,000
foreign workers to free up jobs for locals.
Home Ministry parliamentary secretary Abu Zahar Isnin was quoted by
newspapers as saying the government had decided to cut short the stay of foreign
workers in the country to three years, .
Foreign workers in the manufacturing, construction and services industries
were previously allowed to work for six years while those in estates were given
work permits for seven years.
Abu Zahar said employers would be given three months to send workers home,
adding that employers who failed to send them back would not be allowed to hire
foreign workers in future.
Malaysia is home to more than a million foreign workers, mainly from
Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Burma and the Philippines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 28,
2001.
Druglords caught in joint effort
Burma is committed, says Thammarak
Sermsuk Kasitipradit
The recent capture of two leading drug traffickers in Burma was the result
of improved co-operation between Bangkok and Rangoon, said PM's Office Minister
Thammarak Issarangkul na Ayudhya.
The suspects were thought to be directly involved in the trafficking of 116
kilogrammes of heroin and 7.8 million methamphetamine pills seized this year in
the Andaman Sea.
Gen Thammarak, who supervises the Narcotics Control Board, said he was
pleased Nyein Kyaw and Kyaw Hlaing, arrested in Rangoon and the Shan State on
Oct 8 and 13, had been caught.
``The arrests came about because we co-ordinated and exchanged intelligence
information. This is a good sign which shows our determination in fighting
illicit drugs,'' the Thai Rak Thai party-list MP said.
On Jan 7, the ONCB joined police, the army and the navy to arrest six Thais
aboard two Thai fishing trawlers in the Andaman Sea.
``The seizure would not have been possible without intelligence
co-operation,'' said Gen Thammarak.
The street value of the drugs was estimated at tens of millions of
dollars.
A drug official said the ONCB sought the co-operation of Burma's Central
Committee for Drug Abuse Control.
The office had told staff there about the possible involvement of Nyein
Kyaw.
The official said Rangoon kept a close eye on Nyein Kyaw and captured him
at the Eastern Hotel on Bo Myat Tun Street on Oct 8.
Nyein Kyaw admitted shipping the drugs aboard his trawler, Shwengagyi, and
handing them over in the Andaman Sea.
He said Yaw Phar Li funded the smuggling operation.
An ONCB official said Nyein Kyaw and Yaw Phar Li were regarded as leading
drug traffickers.
The official said Yaw Phar Li kept a record in his notebook of drug
trafficking in Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces in 1998 involving 841kg of heroin
and 5.5 million speed pills.
``We may have had problems with Burma in the past but the situation has
improved and will lead to a more efficient war against drugs,'' Gen Thammarak
said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 28,
2001.
500,000 workers registered
Penchan Charoensuthiphan
More than 500,000 alien workers have registered to work here for another
year.
A total of 559,541 foreign workers _ 447,093 Burmese, 57,989 Laotian, and
54,495 Cambodians _ registered in the Labour Ministry campaign on Sept 24-Oct
25, paying 1.8 billion baht in fees to the state.
Almost 109,000 workers are in Bangkok, 122,056 in the Central region,
61,396 in the East, 37,485 in the Western region, 101,768 in the North, 12,117
in the Northeast, and 115,740 in the South.
Many of the workers are employed on farms or as fishermen.
Of the provinces, Bangkok pulled in the most workers (108,979), followed by
Samut Sakhon (48,324), Tak (47,489), Chiang Mai (28,676), Ranong (25,280), Surat
Thani (21,368), Samut Prakan (21,340), Chon Buri (18,204), Phuket (18,175), and
Chumphon (14,216).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New Straits Times Press
October 28, 2001.
Shorter work permits
Foreign workers who have been here for three years must leave By R. Murali PORT DICKSON, Sat. — With immediate effect, the duration of temporary work permits for foreign workers in the agriculture, industrial and construction sectors has been reduced from six or seven years to only three years. Home Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Abu Zahar Isnin said the
Government felt the vacancies in these sectors could be filled by local
people.
However, he said, there is no limit to the period of employment of foreign
housemaids.
With this decision, all foreign labourers in Malaysia who had been here for
three years and more would not be allowed to extend their visit pass and must
return to their country of origin.
"Foreign maids can stay as long as their services are required," Abu Zahar
said after officiating at the completion of training for 140 Immigration
officers at the Army Engineering Institute here today.
The department's statistics showed a total of 635,251 work permits were
issued last year for foreign workers, including maids. Of the number, 212,763
were new applications.
Until Sept 30 this year, some 513,823 permits had been issued, of which
183,968 were fresh applications.
Abu Zahar said a three-month extension of expired permits would be allowed
to enable employers to make preparations to send back their foreign
workers.
The employers also could apply for a one-month special pass for the same
purpose.
However, if employers were unable to find local replacements, they could
apply to recruit foreigners on the ratio of one to one based on the number of
workers who had been repatriated after Jan 1, 2000.
The replacements should only be from Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and
Indonesia.
"The Government has directed the Human Resources Ministry to continue with
the training of locals so that they can increase their skills in various
fields," he said.
He added that the move was part of the measures taken in facing the
economic slowdown.
Abu Zahar also said the department was in the process of deporting 300,000
foreign workers who had overstayed despite the expiry of their permits.
The Government had to spend more than RM4.9 million on the exercise since
early this year.
Effective Nov 19, illegal immigrants will be deported via Pasir Gudang Port
in Johor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Network Media Group
Nearly one hundred people killed in
religious riot in Southern Burma
Mae Sot, October 28, 2001
Nearly one hundred people were killed in a riot between Muslims and members
of Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) at Pha-auk village in
Southern Burma on October 21, Thit Lwin Oo from Muslim Information Center said
to NMG.
About 150 members from USDA came to destroy the mosque in Pha-auk village,
about four miles from Moulmein, where one hundred Muslims were worshiping on the
evening of October 27. A clash broke out between the Muslims in the mosque and
the USDA members around 7 pm and about 60 Muslims and 35 USDA members were
killed during the clash, said Thit Lwin Oo.
Similar religious riots occurred in Pyi and Pegu in early this month and
about 40 shops, including Tawthargyi store, on the main road in Pyi were
destroyed during these riots, Thit Lwin Oo continued.
About 34 prisoners arrested during these riots in Taunggu during May and
Pyi and Pegu in early October are going to be sent to Khamti prison, very remote
town in Upper Burma near Indo-Burma border. The prisoners include 24 from
Mandalay prison and 10 from Pegu prison, a source reported to NMG.
"Although there are reports about the arrests, we have not yet known how
many Muslims and Buddhists were among these arrested people," said U Kyaw Hla,
chairman of Muslim Liberation Organization (MLO).
Although there were religious riots in Taunggu, Pyi, Pegu and Hinthada,
Burmese regime has not yet announced on the casualties in these riots.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Network Media Group
New Jade mine found in Upper
Burma
UMEH Ltd. got permission to produce jade Chiang Mai, October 28 New jade mine was recently found at the Khamti region in Upper Burma and
Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings (UMEH) Ltd. got the permission to produce
jade form the mine, a source from Indo-Burma border reported.
State Peace and Development Council Secrectary (3) Lt. Gen. Win Mint and
party including the commander of North-West Command and other 4 ministers
visited to Makyankha Mine near Makyankha village in Khamti township on
yesterday, October 27, the source said.
The permits for this new mine was issued to the Union of Myanmar Economic
Holdings Ltd., most shares of which is own by Burmese Army. UMEH Ltd. has
already taken 63 mine areas and is starting to produce jade on November 1, 2001.
The mine was found in last December while some villagers from Namsi Bum
came and dig a pit to make fire to produce charcoal in this area. After they
found some jade, many villagers came to the area to dig the jade. But, very soon
after the villagers came to the area, the mine area was ordered to close by
Khamti based Tectical Command Head Quaters number 2 under North-West
Command.
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