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BURMA RELATED NEWS - November
01, 2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters -Myanmar students say peace talks a
farce
FEER - No Easy Cures For Burma's
Ills
Asia Pulse - Vietnam's Phu Bai Airport Prepares
to Enter International Arena
Asia Pulse - Assets Management Cos May Depress
Taiwan's Real Estate Market
Bkk Post - Troika to
top Brunei forum
The Nation - Asean and China aim for FTA in 10
years
Xinhuanet - Foreign Investment in Myanmar Down
in 1st 8 Months of 2001
SHAN - Thailand to
create a refugee monitoring team
NMG - Intention of Burmese regime on
Dialogue, doubtful
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday November 1, 5:07 PM
Myanmar students say peace talks a farce BANGKOK (Reuters) - A group of exiled anti-government Myanmar students on Thursday accused military rulers of using talks with the pro-democracy opposition as a way of securing foreign aid and avoiding trade sanctions. The All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) said in a statement marking
the 13th anniversary of its founding that the ruling State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) was negotiating in bad faith.
"It is easy to decode that holding long-lasting, secret talks between
democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the SPDC is just a political deception
which the SPDC aims to (use to) lift the international sanctions and re-obtain
the international aid," said the statement sent to news organisations.
"Under present circumstances, many phases still need to be reached before
there is true, politically balanced dialogue," it said.
The ABSDF is made up of pro-democracy exiles mainly living in Thailand,
many of whom fled Myanmar after the military crushed a student-led democracy
uprising in 1988.
The group usually reflects the views of Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy, which won Myanmar's last democratic election in 1990 but has never
been allowed to govern.
Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has been held under de facto
house arrest for more than a year, cut off from most contact with the outside
world.
But since last October, the military government has been holding regular
meetings with her to discuss ending the political deadlock.
But so far there have been no concrete signs of progress and concern has
been growing that the talks are deadlocked.
The ABSDF called on the international community to maintain pressure on
Myanmar's generals.
The military has ruled the country, which is also known as Burma, since
taking power in a 1962 coup.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Far Eastern Economic Review
INREVIEW: BOOKS - No Easy Cures For Burma's Ills By Bertil Lintner Issue cover-dated November 08, 2001 Burma: The State of Myanmar, by David Steinberg. Georgetown University
Press. $67.50
Burma: The Curse of Independence, by Shelby Tucker. Pluto Press. £12.99 ($18.50) BURMESE WHO cherish their independence will not like the subtitle of Shelby
Tucker's book--The Curse of Independence--but it is one of the most
comprehensive accounts of modern Burmese history written in recent years. He
outlines Burma's descent into chaos after independence from Britain in 1948, and
gives his view on why the country has been engulfed since then in a civil
war.
Tucker, a British-based American lawyer and writer, walked through
rebel-held areas in northern Burma from January to April 1989. This is his
second book. His first, Among Insurgents, is a lively description of that trek,
from China to India, across areas controlled by Burmese communists as well as
ethnic rebels.
David Steinberg's Burma covers a broader range of issues. It is an account
of recent developments in the country, especially since the crisis of 1988, when
massive street demonstrations almost toppled the military-dominated regime. It
is also a serious attempt at a more objective look at the situation of "the sick
man of Southeast Asia" by a scholar who has written numerous books and articles
about that country.
While Tucker's book is likely to make the Burmese government furious,
Steinberg's suggestions that the outside world should create an atmosphere
conducive to dialogue--by dampening criticism of Burma's human-rights record and
restoring aid--is bound to be perceived by the opposition as pushing a policy of
appeasement with the ruling junta.
That contradiction in itself reflects the Burmese conundrum: Why is it that
some sort of compromise has never been part of the Burmese equation? Why is the
country still at war with itself?
Tucker and Steinberg seem to agree on a few points. One is that both
consider Burma's ethnic issue to be at the root of the country's many problems.
Burma, with its present borders, is a colonial creation, linking people who have
little or nothing in common other than that legacy.
The authors, both eager to see peace, normality and democracy restored in
this troubled nation, have entirely different outlooks.
Steinberg identifies areas where he believes Burma's many opposing groups
and parties could find common ground. Among his suggestions are that the outside
world should guarantee Burma's territorial integrity to "assuage fears of
national dismemberment." But that assumes that a main reason why the military
holds on to power is its fear of the country breaking apart.
Tucker, on the other hand, writes that he has "little faith in fundamental
change happening through peace as an inherent dynamic of healing and
reconciliation, or trust-building by economic and social progress." The
generals' vested interests in continuing the existing system is too entrenched
and their fear of reprisals for what they have done to the population too
strong, he argues.
Perhaps there is no solution, and Burma may survive by hobbling on from
crisis to crisis. That is at least the impression gleaned from reading these two
different accounts of the background to the situation in Burma today.
What the books have in common is that neither offers convincing arguments
that change is possible. But that is not the fault of the authors.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday November 1, 12:34 PM
Vietnam's Phu Bai Airport Prepares to Enter International Arena HANOI, Nov 1 Asia Pulse -
Efforts have been made to turn Thua Thien-Hue Province's Phu Bai terminal into
an international airport.
A 2,700m long, 40m wide runway able to accommodate large aircraft like
A320s is now in operation.
A VND27-billion (US$1.8-million) signal system has been installed at the
airport and will be operational in early 2002.
And flight and landing equipment worth more than US$2 million is being
installed.
Its holding area can accommodate three Airbus A320s, and the terminal can
serve 400 passengers at the same time.
The renovated airport will accommodate large aircraft and create favourable
conditions, allowing aircraft to land and take off in bad weather, especially
during Thua Thien-Hue's long rainy season, said Le Van Nguyen, Phu Bai Airport
director.
Bad weather caused problems for about 30 flights to and from Phu Bai
yearly. Most of the flights were sent to Da Nang Airport, some 100km to the
south of Phu Bai.
In late September, the government approved the Civil Aviation Authority's
plan to turn Phu Bai Airport into a standard airport to accommodate
international flights.
The plan followed a sub-regional aviation meeting in Phnom Penh in March of
this year and a subsequent request by civil aviation authorities from four ASEAN
countries Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam - to open Phu Bai Airport to
international flights.
Phu Bai will be a stop-over for trans-Asia tours linking Myanmar's Rangoon,
the ancient city of Hue, Cambodia's Siem Reap and Bangkok in the near
future.
Tourists visiting the World Heritage city of Hue now account for 60 per
cent of passengers to and from Phu Bai.
And the completed Phu Bai Airport will serve a large number of visitors
during Hue's Festival 2002, scheduled for next May.
The expansion of Phu Bai Airport will pave the way for growth in Thua
Thien-Hue and the Phu Bai Industrial Park.
"A better Phu Bai Airport will make Phu Bai IP more attractive," said Luong
Quang Chau, deputy director of the Phu Bai Airport Authority.
Phu Bai Airport provided services to 170,000 passengers in the first nine
months of the year, year-end figures should reach 210,000, a 10 per cent
increase over last year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday November 1, 8:36 AM
Assets Management Cos May Depress Taiwan's Real Estate Market TAIPEI, Nov 1 Asia Pulse -
Taiwan's sluggish real estate market could slip further if assets management
companies (AMCs) suppress the purchasing prices too much, said Central Bank of
China Deputy Governor Chen Shih-meng.
Chen made the comments while addressing the opening ceremony of the seminar
in Taipei Oct. 30-Nov. 1 on non-performing loans (NPLs) resolution mechanisms
and their impact on the financial systems, sponsored by the Southeast Asian
Central Banks Research and Training Center (SEACEN).
AMCs have functioned effectively in many countries in resuming lending and
in recovering fair value of distressed assets, especially when the financial
systems were in trouble.
Chen said that the establishment of AMCs is one of the mechanisms that has
been applied by Taiwan's financial authorities to help solve the problem of the
existence of a large number of ailing financial institutions.
The Bankers Association of the ROC set up the first AMC in Taiwan, namely
the Taiwan Asset Management Co., early this year after the government gave the
green light at the end of last year. Several domestic banks and international
financial institutions also plan to apply for licenses.
At the SEACEN seminar, representatives from SEACEN member states are
examining the causes of NPLs and their effects on banking systems. Since the
Asian financial crisis, many Southeast Asian countries have adopted mechanisms
to resolve the problem of NPLs and to reduce their devastating impacts on the
real economy.
Since the mechanisms may have brought certain side effects, the bank
executives are using the opportunity of the three-day seminar in Taiwan to
review the effectiveness of the mechanisms and to share their experiences.
SEACEN was set up in 1982 with eight member central banks (Bank Indonesia,
Bank Negara Malaysia, the Central Bank of Myanmar, Nepal Rastra Bank, Bangko
Sentral ng Philipinas, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Central Bank of
Sri Lanka, and the Bank of Thailand. With the addition of the Bank of Korea in
1990, the Central Bank of China, Taipei, in 1992, and the Bank of Mongolia in
1999, the regional organization has now 11 members.
The organization has conducted research studies on financial, banking and
economic developments in member countries and in the region as a whole, in
addition to sponsoring training programs and seminars.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - November 01,
2001.
Troika to top Brunei forum
Post reporters
Thailand would like Asean leaders to activate a troika to determine the
role and position of the grouping on international terrorism, a senior Foreign
Ministry official said yesterday.
Suchitra Hirunprueck, director-general of the Asean department, said Thai
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's initiative would be mooted at
preparatory meetings in Brunei over the weekend.
Thailand feels that the Asean troika should serve as an early warning
system. The minister's call for a meeting of Asean foreign ministers on
terrorism by the end of November would also be discussed, she said.
Asean leaders meeting in Brunei on Monday plan to issue a declaration on
international terrorism, she said. The declaration is expected to focus on
preventive measures like capacity building, and call for United Nations
assistance towards this, she added.
A separate statement by the Asean leaders and counterparts from China,
Japan, and South Korea who will also be in Brunei was expected to make a similar
point.
Prime Minisiter Thaksin Shinawatra would leave for Brunei on Sunday for the
meetings, said government spokesman Yongyuth Tiyapairat.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Asean and China aim for FTA in 10 years Achara Pongvutitham and Marisa Chimprabha Published on Nov 1, 2001 China had agreed to work with Asean to form a free-trade area (FTA) within
10 years, but Japan and South Korea were not yet ready to commit themselves, a
senior Thai official said yesterday.
The 10 Asean states and China were expected to endorse the FTA concept next
week when their leaders meet at the Asean Summit in Brunei, said Suchitra
Hiranprueck, director-general of the Asean department at the Foreign Affairs
Ministry.
The details of the Asean-China FTA would be hammered out next year, she
said.
Leaders of Asean, China, South Korea and Japan (Asean plus three) would
also urgently discuss ways and means to cooperate on combating terrorist
activities that had hit economic and political development, she said.
The FTA with China - set to join the World Trade Organisation and already
the winner of most foreign investment coming into East Asia - would usher in a
new era of economic cooperation that would help boost trade among the region,
Suchitra said.
Asean also aimed to further economic cooperation with Japan. Under Closer
Eco-nomic Partner-ship (CEP), the parties would increase investment, customs
cooperation and trade facilitation as well as promote human resource
development, Suchitra said.
A proposal for Japan to form an FTA with Asean was discussed, but Japan
said it was not ready, she said.
South Korea was also not yet prepared for CEP or an FTA, Suchitra said,
adding that Asean expected Japan and South Korea to monitor the Asean-China FTA
agreement, so they would join when they were ready.
Meanwhile, Isinthorn Sornvai, a director in the Asean department, said
leaders would also follow up on the Asean Integration programme, which calls for
the six founding members to help bridge development gaps with the new members -
Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Asean's six founding states have agreed to reduce import duties to between
0-5 per cent on agriculture, agro-industrial and industrial products for the
four new members on an individual basis, from next year until 2010. Thailand had
already finished considering 161 products from the four nations to enjoy tariff
cuts, Isinthorn said.
Suchitra said the prime minister was expected to propose that Asean use
account trade among themselves and other countries and that members develop
their grassroots economies.
The 10 Asean leaders and Asean plus three would issue separate declarations
on anti-terrorism cooperation at the summit, Suchitra said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign Investment in Myanmar Down
in 1st 8 Months of 2001
Xinhuanet 2001-11-01 11:07:00 YANGON, November 1 (Xinhuanet)
-- Foreign investment in Myanmar totaled 49.49 million U.S. dollars in 10
projects in the first eight months of this year, reducing by 34.98 percent from
the same period of 2000, according to the latest figures issued by the country's
Central Statistical Organization.
Of the investment, which came from seven countries and regions during the
period, Thailand took the lead with 25.75 million dollars, followed by south
Korea (9.21 million), Hong Kong (7.5 million ), Singapore (3.53 million),
Malaysia and Indonesia (1.5 million each) and Canada (0.5 million).
Of the sectors injected by these foreign investment, manufacturing stood
the highest with 23.24 million dollars, followed by construction (20.5 million),
hotels and tourism (5.25 million) and mining (0.5 million).
Meanwhile, investment drawn specifically from member states of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) amounted to 32.28 million dollars
in five projects during the first eight-month period, taking up 65.22 percent of
Myanmar's total foreign investment.
According to official statistics, since opening to foreign investment in
late 1988, Myanmar had drawn a total of such contracted investment of
7,390.253 million dollars in 366 projects as of the end of August 2001. Of the
leading foreign investors, Singapore ranked the first with 1,507.53 million
dollars, followed by Britain with 1,401 million and Thailand with 1,289.75
million dollars.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shan Herald Agency for News
1 November 2001 No: 11 - 01: Thailand to create a refugee monitoring
team
A member of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand disclosed
yesterday (31 October) that the appointment of a sub-commission to monitor
treatment of refugees is in the offing.
Jaran Ditapitchai told the refugee protection workshop held in Chiangmai
that the 11-member commission (6 men and 5 women) nominated by the Senate and
appointed by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej four months ago, would set up a
working group in order "to promote the rights of refugees" and "to receive
complaints of refugees whose human rights have been violated."
"Anyone residing in Thailand whose rights are violated has the right to
lodge a petition to the Commission," he stressed.
The Commission conducts its duties also on the principle of Suomoto ("on
its own"). "It's the commissioners' duty to take notice of violations and act on
them," he said.
The Power and Duties of the Commission specifies that in conducting
examination of violations, "the Commission shall, if it deems mediation is
possible, mediate between persons or agencies involved." Its powers, however,
does not include becoming a law court. "Remedial measures will be suggested and
if they are not implemented, the Commission shall report to
the Prime Minister," he said. "And if the Prime Minister fails to take action, the report shall be forwarded to the National Assembly. And in the event that the National Assembly refuses to act on it, the report shall be disseminated to the general public." He, however, conceded that the task was not easy because 90% of Thai people
knew very little about refugees. "Yesterday, I was talking to 40 teachers and
150 students in Tak. I sketched them a picture of a man, a woman, a child, an
old man and an alien refugee on a boat in a shark-infested sea and asked them if
the boat were to unburden its load of passengers to make
the boat faster, who they thought would be the first to go. The answer from them, without exception, was the alien refugee." The reason, he pointed out, was that most people did not see other persons
as human beings first, but as Chinese, Burmese, Laotians, etc.
Another obstacle was that Thailand did not have a clearcut policy on
refugees. "To make matters worse, many government ministers don't even know the
NHRC exists," he quipped.
The National Human Rights Commission's president is Saneh Jamarik, a
longtime activist and its secretary-general is Dr. Choochai Supawong, "a very
smart man," commented Jaran. Its office is at 422, Phayathai Road, opposite
Sriprathum Royal Palace, Pathumwan District, Bangkok 10330. Telephone & Fax:
02-2192980 - 1.
The three-day workshop, 30 October - 1 November, was organized by Reach
Out, an NGO driven training project, designed and implemented in cooperation
with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It was participated by
personnel from UNHCR, UNICEF and Thai Red Cross; students and social workers
from Burma Border Consortium, Migrant Assistance Program, Law Society of
Thailand, International Rescue Committee and Friends without Borders among
others.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Network Media Group
Intention of Burmese regime on Dialogue, doubtful ABSDF releases a statement Chiang Mai, November 1, 2001 All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) accused Burmese regime that
conducting one year long talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is only
the tactical step to reduce international sanctions and to get back
international assistance, mentioned in the ABSDF's 13th anniversary statement
released on November 1, 2001.
According to Secretary 1 of ABSDF, Wai Lin Zin, NMG learnt that ABSDF
celebrated its 13th birthday on three main sites on Thai-Burma border as well as
in different camps today.
Early this year, ABSDF released a welcoming statement on the dialogue
process mentioning the event as "historical break through".
ABSDF urged democracy and peace loving international family to oppose
against Burmese regime, mentioned in today anniversary statement. "The regime
took the State power by force and ignored the result of 1990 general
election. The regime is continuing the act of putting more than (1800) political
prisoners in the prisons, engaging offenses in ethnic nationalities areas,
blocking the organizing activities of political parties and continuing the human
rights abuses," the 13th anniversary statement mentioned.
"When we heard about the dialogue from UN special envoy Mr. Razali Ismail,
we welcome the process as ABSDF always asked for the tripartite dialogue to
solve the problems in Burma. But, after a period of one year, no positive
progress has been found and SPDC doesn't change its oppression on the people and
political parties. So, we come to realize that Military Junta is using dialogue
as part of their strategy to reduce the international pressure and regain the
international assistance," said Thein San, Secretary 2 of the ABSDF.
The secret talks between Burmese regime and opposition leader Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi started since last year October, many media reported.
Although both parties have not yet made any official statement on the
progress of one year long talk, the spoke persons of both the regime and the
National League for Democracy, the main opposition party in Burma, told the
media that "trust building talk" is going on.
All Burma Students' Democratic Front was formed after the crack down of
1988 pro-democracy uprising in different ethnic areas with the students and
different people from Burma on different borders of Burma to conduct a struggle
against Burmese military regime.
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