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BURMA RELATED NEWS - January
05, 2002.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Thai army kills three fighters of Myanmar
drug baron
DS - Myanmar envoy
hosts reception
WP - Activists Press Burma Campaign
BKK Post - Wallop
calls for a war on porn
Bkk Post - Troops kill
Wa drug guards
The Nation - Bangkok’s
biggest ‘ya ba’ bust
The Nation - Anti-drugs grant on table next week
The Nation - Wa
insurgents killed
NSTP - Six-man gang staged 20 robberies led by
Myanmar
SCMP - Democracy, political freedom on
list of opposition demands
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday January 5, 12:48 PM
Thai army kills three fighters of Myanmar drug baron BANGKOK, Jan 5 (AFP) - Thailand
has ordered extra troops to patrol the border with Myanmar after a clash with
the forces of a drug baron that left three guerrillas dead, a military official
said Saturday.
Guerrillas of the Wa Daeng group, a major cross-border trafficker of
methamphetamines, fought with Thai army 'Naresuan' commandos on Thursday, army
spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Srichan Ngathong told AFP.
She said the battle erupted after the guerrillas were seen on the Thai side
of the border in Maehongson province, 900 kilometers (540 miles) north of
Bangkok.
"Seven or eight Wa guerrillas opened fire when they saw Naresuan troops.
Three of the Wa guerrillas were killed in the gunbattle and the rest got away,"
the spokeswoman said.
Thai troops found several AK47 assault rifles with ammunition at the scene
after the clash and the army had since sent extra troops to patrol the border
districts.
The Wa Daeng group is controlled by Maha Sang Wei, one of a band of drug
lords who traffic narcotics from jungle bases in Myanmar across the border to
Thailand and from there to western markets.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Star
Jan 05, 2002.
Myanmar envoy hosts
reception
UNB, Dhaka
Myanmar Ambassador U Ohn Thwin yesterday hosted a reception at his
residence on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of Independence Day of the
Union of Myanmar. Ministers, politicians, diplomats, journalists, academics and
high civil and military officials attended the reception.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Activists Press Burma
Campaign
More Companies Agree That Labor Conditions Are Oppressive By Kirstin Downey Grimsley Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, January 5, 2002; Page E01 A group called the Free Burma Coalition, using pressure tactics like those
anti-apartheid activists deployed against U.S. companies doing business in South
Africa in the 1980s, has persuaded more than two dozen American corporations
over the past 18 months to stop importing goods made in Burma.
Last month, Ames Department Stores Inc. joined the list after being
threatened with a holiday boycott. Ames, which has about 300 stores, said the
coalition's work "focused our attention on reports on working conditions
experienced by many manufacturing employees in Burma."
The U.S. State Department and international organizations have accused
Burma's military government, which annulled the results of elections in 1990, of
using forced labor.
Other companies promising to stop buying products made in Burma include
Jones Apparel Group; Sara Lee Corp.; Family Dollar Stores Inc.; TJX Cos., which
operates T.J. Maxx stores; and Nautica International Inc.
Most of the companies involved no longer make their own merchandise and
said they had inadvertently placed orders with subcontractors that operated in
the Southeast Asian nation of 48 million.
The Free Burma campaign is another illustration of growing activism against
alleged labor abuses around the world, which critics view as the dark side of
globalization. Students and human rights advocates have rallied to protest low
wages in Indonesia, sweatshop conditions in factories in Central America and the
U.S. territory of Saipan, and child labor in Pakistan.
Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won a majority in the
1990 parliamentary elections but who has been held under house arrest by the
military regime that renamed the country Myanmar, has urged international
companies to stay out of Burma until democracy is restored there. She won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
A growing number of Burmese exiles are taking up her cause.
"We believe the Burmese regime won't yield until substantial diplomatic and
economic pressure is placed on them," said Zar Ni, a Burmese dissident and
founder of the Free Burma Coalition, which was formed at the University of
Wisconsin in 1995. "We're choosing economic pressure because there is nothing
else left to us to do."
Han, second secretary at the Myanmar Embassy in Washington, said it was
"really regrettable" that American companies are leaving his country but that
workers in the factories would be hurt more than the government. He said reports
of forced labor were "totally not true."
The State Department and several international organizations scoff at such
denials. The State Department has called the Burmese government "a highly
repressive authoritarian military regime widely condemned by the international
community for its serious human rights abuses."
"The government restricts worker rights and uses forced labor on a
widespread basis," a State Department report said in February. "The use of
porters by the army, with attendant mistreatment, illness, and even death for
those compelled to serve, remains a common practice. The military authorities
continue to force ordinary citizens, including women and children, to
'contribute' their labor, often under harsh working conditions, on construction
projects in many parts of the country. Child labor continues to be a serious
problem, and the armed forces conscript children as young as 14 to serve as
porters in combat areas."
The International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency, imposed
sanctions on Burma last year. Twice the agency has sent investigators to study
the continued use of forced labor.
A report issued last month by the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions said that "military and civilian authorities at every level, including
the highest echelons of the state, have colluded to deny or disguise" the
reality of forced labor.
Despite the international criticism and the activists' efforts, the value
of goods imported from Burma to the United States increased to $470 billion in
2000 from $107 billion in 1996, according to the Commerce Department. The growth
has leveled off, but imports have not fallen.
Coalition officials attribute that to the sale of merchandise that carries
no brand name, which is why it is now concentrating its efforts on getting
discount retailers such as Ames and Family Dollar Stores to stop buying products
made in Burma.
Willard Workman, senior vice president for international affairs at the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said American companies also are turning away because
of widespread corruption, judicial abuses, arbitrary changes in tax laws and the
weak protection of intellectual property rights.
"It's a bad place to do business, in addition to having one of the worst
labor practices around," Workman said.
The Free Burma Coalition has grown rapidly, though it has a staff of only
two and a budget of about $100,000 a year. Money comes from private donations
and two foundations, the Merck Family Fund and George Soros's Open Society
Institute. It has chapters on more than 50 college campuses nationwide and
thousands of student members.
The coalition has also linked with 26 other human rights, religious and
labor organizations, including the American Anti-Slavery Group, the Women's
Division of the United Methodist Church, the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights
and the National Labor Committee.
The campaign on Ames began last May when the coalition and its partners
sent letters to the company asking for its cooperation. The coalition began
planning a holiday boycott of the chain because the discounter, which is in
Chapter 11 reorganization proceedings, did not respond. In December, Ames
announced its shift in purchasing policy.
"Ames is our biggest victory yet," said Jeremy Woodrum, a 1999 graduate of
American University who works in the coalition's Washington office.
Peggy Carter, vice president of corporate affairs at Sara Lee, said the
company -- whose apparel brands include Hanes, Playtex, Champion and Bali --
learned from the activist groups that two licensees that manufacture clothing
were making the products in Burma. That was a "violation of its contracts" with
the contractors, which prohibit buying goods in places that use forced labor,
she said.
"We moved quickly because we were appalled by this," Carter said. She
declined to name the manufacturers but said Sara Lee would terminate the
contracts if the companies have any more Sara Lee work done in Burma.
"It's not our intent to embarrass anybody," Carter said. "They've assured
us they made a mistake. . . . This somehow slipped through the cracks. They
understand there will be no second mistake."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Jan 05,
2002.
Wallop calls for a war on porn
Thai children facing many major problems
Senator Wallop Tangkhananurak has urged Interior Minister Purachai
Piumsombun to declare war on lewd printed and multimedia materials in a bid to
combat child abuse.
Mr Wallop, who chairs the senate committee for women, youths and the
elderly's affairs, called on Mr Purachai to lead a fight against pornographic
materials which he said was a major factor of violence against children.
He predicted problems facing Thai youngsters would be serious this year
based on information from academic research and many organisations.
According to him, the problems could be categorised into five areas:
_ Narcotics. About 300,000 youngsters were addicted to drugs and the figure
was likely to rise.
_ Premature and unsafe sex. Many Thai youths practised unsafe sex and some
became amateur prostitutes. This led to premature pregnancies and illegal
abortions.
_ Violence. Many more children were physically or sexually abused by close
relatives and many had to escape from home.
_ Homeless children. The number of homeless youngsters has increased due to
family problems and child abuse. Consequences included drug problems,
prostitution and crime.
_ Alien youngsters. Many foreign children, especially from Burma, Cambodia,
Vietnam and Nepal, were smuggled into Thailand and forced to beg, sell drugs,
and provide sex.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Sirikorn Maneerin said the fact that
167 children telephoned the Children and Families's Rights Protection Centre
last month reflected the need for care from parents and teachers.
Out of the callers, 32 had mental problems and 22 were abused.
``At a school, there must be at least a teacher who understands children
and treat them tenderly. In some cases, girls were pregnant and no one helped
them so they had to drop out. Moreover, a police officer should be stationed at
each school to prevent sex abuse against youngsters,'' she said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Jan 05,
2002.
Troops kill Wa drug guards
Seven Wa guerrillas were killed in a clash between a drug caravan's guards
and Thai soldiers in Muang district on Thursday.
Maj-Gen Tomorn Kittisophon, commander of the Naresuan task force, said
yesterday that the remaining Wa guerrillas were forced to retreat after a
gunfight with the 712th Infantry Battalion's task force on Hill 1355 on Thursday
afternoon.
The Wa guerrillas, who were believed to be guarding a drug caravan, had
resisted a demand to be searched and opened fire on the Thai troops, Maj-Gen
Tomorn said.
The troops returned fire, sparking a fierce 30-minute firefight.
After the Wa guerrillas retreated, seven bodies were found together with an
AK47 assault rifle, ammunition and uniforms.
The Thai troops searched the area and found 10 temporary shelters believed
to have been built by the Wa. The shelters were torched.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Bangkok’s biggest ‘ya ba’ bust
Published on Jan 5, 2002
Police seized more than 2 million methamphetamine tablets yesterday from a
pickup truck near Makro’s Lad Phrao branch in what was believed to be the
biggest haul ever found in Bangkok.
A preliminary count found at least 2,040,000 pills in 18 boxes labelled as
oranges in the back of the vehicle, in the parking lot of the superstore near
the car wash of Max Auto Service, said Interior Minister Purachai
Piumsombun.
Testimonies from witnesses suggested that another batch of the illegal
stimulant, possibly as many as another 2 million tablets, had already been
offloaded from the truck.
Police were called in by a security guard at the mall that became
suspicious of the vehicle. He told them that the truck had been there the day
before with more boxes loaded all the way up to the roof.
Purachai said that some boxes were found to be open, suggesting that the
actual amount of methamphetamine being trafficked was higher than that found by
police.
“This is the biggest case to occur in the heart of Bangkok,” he said. No
suspects were caught, but police were making sketches of two men based on a
description provided by the guard.
The pickup displayed a sticker identifying it as belonging to a member of
the military along with military number plates, said to be fake, and a uniform
that could be viewed from outside – apparently all in an effort to have police
believe it belonged to an officer.
The vehicle carried military licence plates with a fivedigit number, but
according to a police official these must have been fake as military plates
usually only had four numbers.
There was some confusion among the authorities about the truck’s true
identity. As a result of inspections of numbers on the engine, Chiang Mai
Internal Security office said its licence number was 06276 and it belonged to
Worasin Yawilat from Chiang Mai’ s San Kampaeng.
However, a police inspection concluded that truck’s licence number was Por
9636 and it belonged to Surin Sangthep from Lamphun’s Ban Ong district.
With regard to the apparently genuine military sticker that was displayed
on the truck’s windscreen, Colonel Pairat Thongchatu, director of Civil Affairs
Division of the Third Army Region, said it had been requested by Pol SgtMajor
Pairat Thongchattu, of Tambon Changpuak district police, for a pickup with a
licence plate 4360 in Chiang Mai.
A military uniform with a name badge saying “sergeant major first class
Narin Piumporn” was found in the truck, which was locked.
Army spokesman Colonel Somkuan Saengpatnet said the name of the officer on
the uniform found in the truck did not exist on the Army’s personnel list.
Police would normally wave a military officer’s car through checkpoints
without inspection.
Most methamphetamine comes from northern Thailand after first being
smuggling from Burma.The drugs were suspected to be bought from production site
belonging to Wei Xieugang at Bt10 per tablet, and would be sold forBt50 to Bt70
per tablet.
Meanwhile, officials from the AntiMoney Laundering Commission yesterday
opened seven security boxes belonging to a wife of drug kingpin Wei Xieukang,
seized from their mansion in Chatuchak district, and found one of them used hold
narcotics. Sniffer dogs were led to the site for the search operation.
No valuables were found in the boxes except paper and Burmese coins. More
security boxes would be opened on Tuesday.
Banks and financial institutions have suspended all the business
transactions of 40 friends and relatives of Wei Xieukang after police seized
more than Bt100 million in assets. They must prove to the AntiMoneyLaundering
Office within 90 days that the assets were legally obtained.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Anti-drugs grant on table next week
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
Published on Jan 5, 2002
Five months after government approval of a Bt20million grant, Thailand’s
“Wa project” to combat narcotics in Burma seems about to materialise when
foreign ministers from both sides meet next week to discuss how to use the
grant.
Thailand offered Bt20 million to Rangoon for the project when the Burmese
junta’s intelligence chief Khin Nyunt visited Bangkok in September last
year.
But it is still unclear how the money is to be spent.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and his Burmese counterpart Win Aung
will discuss the grant’s conditions at next week’s ThailandBurma Joint
Commission meeting in Phuket.
The grant is intended for infrastructure construction, personneltraining
programmes and cropsubstitution projects, ministry spokesman Ratthakit Manathat
said.
A military source said Rangoon wanted cash for a cropsubstitution project
in Burma’s MongtoomMongkarn area around Monghsat township, which is opposite Mae
Fa Luang district in Chiang Rai province. The area is controlled by the United
Wa State Army (UWSA).
But Thai authorities would prefer to spend the money on training programmes
through Thai Royal Projects rather than extending cash directly to the Wa, the
source said.
Ratthakit would not say whether the assistance would go to the Wacontrolled
areas, saying only that it would benefit both sides.
“Stopping drug producing in a neighbouring country would also be good for
Thailand,’’ he said.
The Thai military in the past has accused Burma of supporting the UWSA in
its production of illicit drugs, notably amphetamines, for the Thai
market.
But instead of just criticising, the current Thai government has engaged
constructively to root out the problems, the spokesman said.
The Phuket meeting is also scheduled to discuss Thailand’s request to
resume fishing in Burmese waters, disrupted in 1999 when the Burmese Embassy in
Bangkok was seized by dissident students, Ratthakit said. The meeting will
consider a proposed catchsharing fishery venture in which Rangoon wants to take
at least 25 per cent of the fish caught by Thai boats.
Thailand, however, wants 85 percent of the catch because of heavy
operational costs, Ratthakit said, adding that the difference was likely to be
settled at the meeting.
Fishing has been at the core of troubled relations between Thailand and
Burma for decades, as Thai fishing vessels have often invaded Burmese water to
fish. Conflicts at sea have sometimes been followed by military clashes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Wa insurgents killed
Published on Jan 5, 2002
Thai soldiers shot dead seven ethnic Wa insurgents during a routine patrol
along the border yesterday, a senior officer at the Naresuan Task Force
said.
The seven dead are believed to be members of an armed United Wa State Army
(UWSA) unit that operates on the Burmese side of the border, said MajGeneral
Tomorn Kittisopon, who inspected the area yesterday.
It appeared that the unit was looking to establish a lengthy presence in
the area, said Tomorn, pointing to the 10 bamboo huts burned down by Thai
soldiers once the group had retreated back over the border into Burma.
Tomorn has ordered that reinforcements be sent to secure the area around
Mae Hong Son’s Huay Pha subdistrict.
The northern Thai border with Burma has witnessed a number of violent
incidents between Thai troops and the UWSA who, authorities say, have been
flooding Thailand with millions of methamphetamine pills produced cheaply in
clandestine labs.
In a separate development, two Thai soldiers were beaten up by a group of
hilltribe teenagers in Chiang Rai’s Ban Terd Thai village. Authorities suspect
the incident is linked to the Army’s recent decision to cut down the villagers’
opium fields. One of the two soldiers received 12 stitches, while to the other
received five stitches to his wounds.
Tension between soldiers and local villagers has been high for the past few
months following the Army’s steppingup of searchanddestroy operations for opium
fields.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New Straits Times Press
Police smash fake pistol robbery gang
Six-man gang staged 20 robberies led by Myanmar by Danny Ooi in PENANG Jan 3, 4:58pm Balik Pulau Police have busted a six-man robbery gang led by a Myanmar
national.
South-west District police chief Superintendent Mazlan Ayob said
preliminary checks showed the gang had used imitation pistols in about 20
robberies in Balik Pulau, Georgetown and some parts of mainland Penang.
He said the gang was busted after police picked up six men, including a
Myanmar national, at a house in Georgetown on Dec 27.
The suspects, all in their 20s, are being remanded for a week to facilitate
further investigations, Mazlan told reporters after giving away cheques
totalling RM11,510 to four widows of policemen here who were killed in the line
of duty.
Mazlan also said the police are looking for one, Idris Johar, to help in
their investigations into the murder of a farmer, Hashim Harun, 74, in Balik
Pulau two months ago.
Also known as Mat Nush, his last known address was 434, Mukim Tiga, Sungai
Pinang.
In the incident, a group of robbers covered Hashim's face with a rice sack
after they broke into his house about 2am on Nov 19. He later died from
suffocation.
Police are also looking for two men - S. Jegathesan or Janu, 20, whose last
known address was 34, Jalan 7, Cangkat Minden, Gelugor and N. Jivaneswaran or
Jiva, 20, of 1-1-11, Jalan Pekaka in Sungai Dua.
The duo are being sought for a spate of wayside armed robberies in Telok
Bahang and Balik Pulau over the past few months.
Those with information on the whereabouts of any of the men, should contact
the Balik Pulau Police criminal investigations department at 04-8669222 or the
nearest police station.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- South China Morning Post
Saturday, January 5, 2002
MYANMAR - Democracy, political
freedom on list of opposition demands
REUTERS in Yangon In its most strongly worded statement since talks with the military regime
began in 2000, the opposition yesterday demanded a rapid transition to democracy
and the release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
At a ceremony marking Myanmar's independence day, the National League for
Democracy (NLD) issued a list of seven demands, among them the creation of a
democratic state and the unconditional release of all political prisoners,
including Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since September
2000.
"We would like to urge the Government to sincerely and speedily foster . .
. the emergence of a democratic nation through politically meaningful talks,"
NLD vice-chairman Tin Oo said.
The ceremony at the NLD's headquarters in Yangon, attended by some 500
people including several foreign diplomats, marked a change in tone by the NLD.
The military Government and NLD have been observing an informal truce since
confidential talks on breaking the political deadlock began in October 2000.
The state-run media ceased vitriolic attacks on Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, while
the NLD refrained from criticising the military.
The NLD won Myanmar's last democratic elections, in 1990, by a landslide,
but has never been allowed to govern. The Government says that if the country
tries to move towards democracy too fast it could descend into anarchy.
Diplomats have warned that unless the talks between Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and
the military produce concrete results soon, pro-democracy activists and
Myanmar's many ethnic groups will lose patience. They say the release of Ms Aung
San Suu Kyi is also a key prerequisite for further political progress.
But officials yesterday warned not to expect anything unusual, and
diplomats said while more NLD prisoners could be freed this weekend, it seemed
unlikely restrictions on Ms Aung San Suu Kyi would be lifted.
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