|
--------------------------------------------------------------
Burma Related News - February 28,
2002.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Headlines
-------------------------------------------------------------- CNA - 3 Myanmar nationals arrested for forging
documents
Reuters - Myanmar opens way for labour
organisation office
Reuters - Jiang warms Vietnam ties but disputes
remain unresolved
Reuters - PTTEP profit jumps, to invest 87 bln
baht
BBC - Burma defends handling of ILO
mission
Daily Star - Myanmar-India gas pipeline via
Bangladesh awaits PM's nod
Bkk Post - All quiet
on western front
The Nation - Inflow of diseases slowed ? Sudarat
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Grants Amnesty to 68
Detainees
Kyodo News - Myanmar
releases 68 jailed women
FEER - A Possible Thaw Among
Burmese
Narinjara - Why
is the Myanmar Bangladesh border trade
ineffectual
SHAN - Threatened Shan stronghold becomes
off-limits
-------------------------------------------------------------- Channel NewsAsia - Thursday February
28, 2:29 PM
3 Myanmar nationals arrested for forging documents Three Myanmar nationals were arrested at a flat in Block 27 Toa Payoh East
on Wednesday. Forged documents and paraphenalia used for forgery were also
seized from a bedroom in the flat.
These include 13 Myanmar immigration stamps, three Myanmar passposts and a
Singapore immigration long term pass.
Police raided the flat following a tip off.
The 29-year-old male suspect was holding a valid special pass issued by
Singapore Immigration and Registration, while the two female suspects were
believed to be immigration offenders.
The 39-year-old owner of the flat was also arrested.
The three foreigners will be charged in court on Thursday.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday February 28, 12:07 PM
Myanmar opens way for labour organisation office YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government said on Wednesday it would allow the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to set up a "liaison office" in Yangon, apparently softening its attitude towards the body's investigations into forced labour. The comments follow criticism by an ILO team, which left Myanmar last week,
that the country had refused to allow it to set up a permanent office -- one of
its key demands.
According to the ILO, Myanmar had proposed a "liaison officer" based abroad
-- which fell short of ILO requirements for providing technical expertise to
help eradicate forced labour.
But Myanmar said on Wednesday, it would allow an ILO liaison office to open
in Yangon, which could be upgraded later if relations between the ILO and the
government improved.
"Having a permanent representative office instantly is very sensitive and
delicate but as a sign of showing our flexibility, we went so far as to agree to
open an ILO liaison office in Yangon," Myanmar's deputy foreign minister Khin
Maung Win told a news conference.
"When mutual understanding, confidence and respect are established, then we
can go further step by step," he said. "We hope the ILO will understand and
accept this proposal."
Myanmar's ruling generals, eager for international legitimacy which could
bring more aid, trade and investment, passed a decree in 2000 abolishing forced
labour.
But an ILO report last year said the Myanmar army was still forcing
villagers to farm and work on infrastructure projects or as porters, especially
in areas near the Thai border where the army is fighting ethnic minority armies.
Many Western countries, including the European Union and the United States,
have imposed limited trade and aid sanctions on Myanmar citing its human rights
record and repression of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD).
The ILO team said it was denied access to Suu Kyi, who is being held under
house arrest, during its week-long visit to Myanmar. Team leader, Francis
Maupain, said he and a colleague were turned away at a check point near Suu
Kyi's residence in central Yangon.
Khin Maung Win said the ILO team had not gone through the right channels.
"(They) went there alone without informing the departments concerned in
advance so the responsible security personnel did not allow them in," he said.
The NLD romped to a landslide election victory in 1990, but was never
allowed to rule. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for much of the last
decade.
According to Amnesty International, over 1,500 political prisoners languish
in Myanmar's jails.
The Red Cross has had access to Myanmar's prisons since setting up a
liaison office in Yangon two years ago. According to the United Nations human
rights envoy, the Red Cross visits have resulted in better conditions for the
prisoners.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday February 28, 6:05 PM
Jiang warms Vietnam ties but disputes remain unresolved By David Brunnstrom HANOI (Reuters) - China's
President Jiang Zemin wound up the serious part of a swansong visit to
neighbouring Vietnam on Thursday with vows to continue to work on improving
ties, but leaving key disputes between the Communist states unresolved.
After talks with Vietnamese leaders on Wednesday and Thursday in Hanoi,
Jiang was bid an official farewell at the presidential palace and headed south
to see the sights in central Vietnam.
Diplomats said the visit, Jiang's first to Vietnam since 1994 and his last
before he is due to step down as Communist Party leader this year, should help
build confidence with the Vietnamese leadership, and bolster its position.
Festering territorial disputes over the Paracel and Spratly Islands in the
South China Sea were touched upon, but there was, as expected, no obvious
progress in resolving them.
Vietnam's state media said that in Jiang's talks with Communist Party chief
Nong Duc Manh and President Tran Duc Luong on Wednesday, both sides had pledged
to resolve territorial disputes peacefully and in a mutually acceptable way.
It said they expressed determination to complete land border demarcation
under an agreement reached in late 1999 -- which has been criticised by
Vietnamese dissidents for giving too much away -- and to work for quick
realisation of a fisheries agreement.
Two agreements signed on Wednesday were only modest in scope -- one on
economic and technical cooperation and the other a framework for a 100 million
yuan ($12.08 million) credit to Vietnam. The countries also agreed to boost
student exchanges.
Vietnam has been hoping for similar tariff breaks to those China offered to
Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia to soften the impact of its World Trade Organisation
accession, but Beijing has yet to reply on the issue.
China and Vietnam currently have the fastest growing economies in east Asia
and have vowed to further increase trade from $2.8 billion last year to $3.5
billion this year and $5 billion in 2005.
But despite repeated pledges of enhanced economic cooperation, China's
recent WTO accession has rekindled age-old fears in Vietnam about being swamped
by its giant northern neighbour.
KEYNOTE SPEECH
On Thursday, Jiang delivered a keynote speech at Hanoi National University
seen as an effort to redress an often negative perception about China among
Vietnamese and indifference among youth about shared ideological ties.
Jiang alluded to past difficulties in relations but said the future was
brighter and appealed for the help of young people to ensure this.
"The friendship tree needs to be nurtured regularly and watered," he said.
"Friendship and cooperation need to be enhanced non-stop and expanded.
"In the 21st century, a better future for Sino-Vietnamese relations is
opening, and the common effort of the two countries' youth can not be separated
from this."
Only 23 years ago, in February 1979, Beijing launched a brief but bloody
border war to punish Hanoi for ousting the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
Ties were not normalised until 1991, but they have grown steadily since and
now involve frequent exchanges at all levels.
"Relations between our countries had gone through a winding road, but
between the people there is still a warm friendship," Jiang said.
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai told Jiang in talks on Thursday morning that
he was pleased by the talks the previous day. Diplomats said Vietnam's leaders
had reason to be, despite little obvious progress.
"The fact Jiang has come here so quickly after Manh's visit to Beijing in
December shows a certain amount of respect on the part of the Chinese for both
Vietnam and Manh," an Asian diplomat said.
"It shows they value the relationship. The chemistry between the leaders
seemed to be pretty warm."
Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at
Beijing's Tsinghua University, said Jiang's visit should help Manh, who took
over as party chief in April last year after an acrimonious leadership struggle,
consolidate his position. It should also help the communist regime itself.
"I think for the security of the regime in Vietnam they need China's
political support more than anything else," he said, adding that Vietnam's Party
could point to China as an example of an economically successful socialist
country.
"Vietnam's government should tell the people 'Look at that. We have great
hope. Ten years ago, China was in the same position as us and look at China
now'."
"China can say 'We strongly support your socialist system, and we support
your economic and political reforms, meanwhile we have a lot of experience to
help you'."
"It's better than any other country's strong political support."
-------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday February 28, 12:10 PM
UPDATE 1-PTTEP profit jumps, to invest 87 bln baht BANGKOK, Feb 28 (Reuters) -
Thai upstream oil and gas firm PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) posted a
2001 profit on the upper end of market forecasts on Thursday, and said it would
invest 87 billion baht ($1.99 billion) on boosting capacity.
PTTEP said in a statement it made earnings of 10.89 billion baht for its
2001 financial year, more than double the previous year's 5.2 billion baht
profit.
With profits coming in on the high end of a 10-11 billion baht scale of
analysts' predictions, PTTEP shares opened up over two percent at 118 baht.
By 0343 GMT, the shares had slipped back to 116 baht on the Stock Exchange
of Thailand <.SETI>, up one baht on the day, while the overall market was
up 0.41 percent.
The firm said in a statement the jump in profits was due to increased flow
of gas from its Bongkot field in the Gulf of Thailand, which hit its highest
capacity since production began in 1993.
Well drilling in the Arthit field was also completed at 13 percent below
budget, the statement said.
PTTEP said it had set aside 87 billion baht for increasing capacity in
fields off Thailand's coast in the next five years.
The firm said it would concentrate on developing the Bongkot and Pailin
fields in the Gulf of Thailand and the Yadana and Yetagun fields in Myanmar
waters.
PTTEP said it also wanted to diversify its operations with oil activities
further afield, with Indonesia, Vietnam, Oman and Iran potential targets.
Last year, PTTEP took a 34 percent stake in Indonesia's largest oil and gas
firm, Medco Energi , and upped its investment in exploration off Vietnam.
-------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Thursday, 28 February, 2002,
08:04 GMT
Burma defends handling of ILO mission The Burmese military authorities say they tried to co-operate and be
flexible in meeting the demands of a visiting International Labour Organisation
delegation.
The Deputy Foreign Minister, Khin Maung Win, told reporters in Rangoon the
government had agreed to allow an ILO liaison office to be set up as a first
step to meeting ILO requirements for providing technical expertise to help
eradicate forced labour in Burma.
However, the ILO team leader Francis Maupain, who returned to Geneva on
Tuesday, expressed disappointment with what he called the lack of co-operation
from the Burmese authorities.
He said the mission would not have gone to Burma if it had known of the
restrictions imposed on it and and said there was no basis to pursue a dialogue.
The team was prevented from seeing the Burmese opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
-------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Star - Wed. February 27,
2002
Myanmar-India gas pipeline via Bangladesh awaits PM's nod UNB, Dhaka An international consortium has proposed setting up of a gas pipeline over
Bangladesh connecting Myanmar with Indian states of Tripura and West
Bengal.
Sources said the energy ministry has put forward the proposal of
"Trans-Myanmar-Bangladesh Gas Pipeline" to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for
approval on principle.
The consortium mentioned that they got letters of no objection for the
proposed gas pipeline from the governments of Myanmar and India as well as of
Tripura and West Bengal.
The proposal suggested that Bangladesh government would not make any
investment in pipeline construction. The entire investment will be met from
foreign private sources, including payment for land acquirement.
Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL), a subsidiary of the Petrobangla,
has been proposed as the authority for inspecting pipeline Gas Transmission
Company Limited (GTCL), a subsidiary of the Petrobangla, has been proposed as
the authority for inspecting pipeline construction and maintenance that will
bring foreign exchange.
It categorically mentioned that the proposed line would not be an
alternative or competitor to proposal of gas pipeline between Bangladesh-India
of UNOCAL or any other international oil company.
The proposed Trans-Myanmar-Bangladesh gas pipeline will also not be
connected with any local gas field but can be used in future if gas import is
deemed necessary for the country.
If the pipeline is constructed, Bangladesh will also get a gas line
connection up to Thailand, as an export pipeline between Myanmar and Thailand is
now under construction.
The pipeline is being constructed after the largest off shore gas field of
Myanmar was found in the Bay of Bengal about 30-km off the Myanmar west coast in
the surrounding area of the Cheduba Islands.
Gas field is developed there under a production-sharing contract (PSC) with
a multinational energy conglomerate and the export pipeline is under
construction to connect the consumers in Thailand.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post
Thursday 28 February 2002
All quiet on western
front
We were told to expect the occasional shell straying onto our territory as
Rangoon tried to blast the hell out of some upstart minority people, but nothing
has come of it. - Nothing also has come of the courtroom clash between some
prominent politicians. - And nothing has come of a plan plotted by a man barred
from political office to change the political office make-up of the Democrat
party.
The Burmese territory just across the border from Chiang Rai's Mae Fah
Luang was unusually quiet this past week despite statements by Burmese officers
that Rangoon forces were planning an assault on Shan State Army bases in the
region.
It is estimated that around 2,000 Burmese soldiers, including forces from
the United Wa State Army, have been massed around the five SSA bases along the
border.
One seasoned border watcher believes Rangoon is determined this year to
wipe the SSA bases, including the main command at Gor Wan. The bases are said to
barrack between 800 and 1,000 armed fighters.
The surprising peace so far along the border was attributed by some, if
only partly, to a visit by Thai security officers believed sent by Defence
Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to brief the SSA commander, Jao Yawd Serk, on
talks between Bangkok and Rangoon aimed at producing a lasting peace in the
region.
That's one theory doing the rounds, but an aide to Gen Chavalit said the
minister had never ordered such a mission, although it was his policy to end the
mistrust that has characterised our relations with Burma for so many
years.
But one person we spoke to claimed a member of mission was heard to tell
Jao Yawd Serk that: "This is part of the new government's policy to strengthen
and bring prosperity to the border region and to develop it as a tourist spot."
A golf course is no doubt already being draughted.
Security officers with the 3rd Army's Pha Muang task force, which is in
charge of security along the border fronting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
provinces, also were not aware of this meeting.
"We were not told of the mission but this is not surprising as people up
above can push directly for such initiatives," said one.
Strikes on the SSA bases might have been put on hold to give the SSA the
opportunity to agree to a reconciliation with Rangoon.
Seventeen armed groups, including the disbanded Mong Tai Army once led by
drug kingpin Khun Sa, have agreed over the past decade to join Rangoon's "Armed
Groups' Return to the Legal Fold".
Jao Yawd Serk was told this week by the Thai security officers to also join
this scheme or face the consequences.
But a senior SSA officer said: "Our leader [Yawd Serk] has little faith in the initiative, although he is not opposed to truce talks with Burma." The officer said he was worried the planned strike on Gor Wan would break
the back of the SSA resistance if Thai border troops added their weight to the
assault.
-------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Inflow of diseases slowed ? Sudarat Published on Feb 27, 2002 Joint efforts over the past year by Thailand and Burma to control the
spread of Aids, malaria and tuberculosis in border areas had yielded
satisfactory results, Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said
yesterday.
The aim of the joint campaign in Chiang Rai, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ranong
provinces, plus four Burmese border towns, was, she said, to reduce cases of
malaria by 5 per cent a year, encourage 100-per-cent use of condoms among groups
at risk from Aids and to cut cases of tuberculosis by 85 per cent.
The number of cases of malaria in the Thai border provinces had been
reduced by 25 per cent, Sudarat said. But it was still early days in the
tuberculosis campaign, she said, and the number of infected patients had
declined only slightly.
Sudarat said some US$3 million (Bt131 million) would be sought from
international organisations to fund the programme, in addition to funds supplied
by the Thai and Burmese governments.
She was speaking after meeting her Burmese counterpart Maj-General Ket Sein
and senior officials from the two countries in Ranong and Burma's Victoria
Point.
The Burmese health minister said the junta had invested a lot of money in
public health, which he said was one of the country's top priorities.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Grants Amnesty to 68
Detainees
Xinhuanet 2002-02-28 21:27:48 YANGON, February 28 (Xinhuanet)
-- The Myanmar government has granted amnesty to 68 detainees by releasing them
since February 22 this year until Thursday on humanitarian grounds, according to
an official Information Sheet reaching here Thursday evening.
The detainees included 57 females with young children and 11 mothers-to-be
detained for various criminal activities, the information sheet said.
They were released from "various correctional facilities", it added.
Meanwhile, the government is also releasing political prisonersin the
country and the number of the detainees of the opposition National League for
Democracy and its related individuals freed since January 2001 has been brought
to 222.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar releases 68 jailed
women
YANGON, Feb. 28 Kyodo - Myanmar
has released from prison, ''on humanitarian grounds,'' 68 women serving various
jail terms for criminal offenses, an official press release said Thursday. (22
:49)
-------------------------------------------------------------- Far Eastern Economic
Review
INTELLIGENCE A Possible Thaw Among Burmese Issue cover-dated March 07, 2002 Burma's pro-democracy movement has for the first time indicated that it is
willing to work with the military government to solve the country's political
problems. "The NLD has decided that it would march forward along with the SPDC
[the ruling State Peace and Development Council] towards a meaningful dialogue,"
says a statement issued in January by members of the National League for
Democracy located in rebel-held areas near the border with Thailand. It says
that talks could lead to a situation where "the NLD and the SPDC would jointly
solve the problems faced by the state." The NLD won a landslide victory in a
general election in 1990, but was prevented from forming a new government by the
military. Dozens of the party's MPs were arrested while others fled to the Thai
border. However, it is not clear whether the NLD leadership in Rangoon has
endorsed the proposal. Whatever the case, the SPDC has not responded to the
offer and attempts by United Nations mediators to initiate a dialogue between
the generals and detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi have shown few signs of
fundamental progress.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Narinjara news
28 February, 2002 Why is the Myanmar
Bangladesh border trade ineffectual
Reported by Shwe Lin Yun
With a view to stop the illegal cross-border smuggling the then Bangladesh
Nationalist Party in 1995 opened the legal border trade between Myanmar and
Bangladesh, opening up a gate to vast legal trade opportunity.
So far the trade has been carried out through the Naaf river so that the
bulk of the trade between the two countries has been done as usual, through
smuggling. As a result the border trade has not done well as expected
during the last seven years.
On the contrary, if two land-ports, one at Naikkhongchhari of Bandarban district and another at Kach-chapia of Ramu under Cox'sbazaar district of Bangladesh are established, the trade between the two countries will flourish very much, it is expected by many members of the business community in the southern parts of Bangladesh. While discussing the matter with some of the businessmen, it was learnt
that, goods from Myanmar usually come to Bangladesh in two ways: a
large chunk of the imported goods are brought in cargo boats and trawlers
directly from Akyab (Sittwe) of Rakhine State to the transit ghat at Teknaf on
the western bank of the Naaf river in Bangladesh, and the bigger chunk of the
goods make way clandestinely through smugglers, evading taxes.
Trade is also done by bringing goods to Maungdaw on the eastern bank of the
Naaf river in Rakhine State and then bringing them in boats across the common
river. This way the price of the goods increase and the time is also
wasted. When the goods are carried by road transports to all over
Bangladesh, the price of the goods goes on increasing over the distance.
Besides installing land ports in the two towns of Maungdaw and Teknaf is
impossible due to the Naaf river serving as the common river.
On the contrary, the experienced traders and merchants are of the
opinion that, if one land port on each side of the border pillar 45 is
installed, the ancient Arakan road will once again come to life and the border
trade will gain momentum.
Talking to some of the educationists and local leaders of Naikkhongchari and Ramu, it was learnt that the distance between the border pillar 45 and Dulahazara, the point where Chittagong Cox'sbazaar road has met, is merely 38 kilometres. If the road is renovated, two bridges (a total of 250 m long) are constructed on the Eidgaon stream and the Baak-khali river and a few culverts are built, the old Arakan road will come to life once again. On the other hand, within Rakhine State, the road from border pillar
45 to Bawlibazar and Shahbazarwhich needs renovating extends only to
30 km. From there the road goes to Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Maungdaw
and Sittwe. The transportation will take less time and money.
On the Bangladesh side, the transportation cost for 120 km from Teknaf to
Dulahazara will be eliminated. The land ports will also ensure proper tax
collection and minimize smuggling.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Shan Herald Agency for News
27 February 2002 No: 02 - 25: - Threatened Shan stronghold becomes off-limits Loi Kawwan, the Shan State Army's eastern bastion near the Golden Triangle
has been closed off to outsiders especially the media since Monday (25
February), according to the border sources.
"The local TV Channel 7 reporters have been on top of the border security
forces' watch list," said a source who requested anonymity.
Channel 7 recently won the Mekhala award for its border news coverages that
included vivid scenes of fighting between Shan and Burmese forces.
The closure came at a time when imminent attack of the stronghold of Loi
Kawwan, opposite Mae Fa Laung district, Chiangrai province, is being predicted
by several Thai border-watchers.
This latest Thai move to seal the border has been played down by the SSA
leaders, who had earlier voiced concern through Bangkok Post (10 February,
Perspective) and their own bulletin, Freedom News (9 February).
S.H.A.N.'s report on Tuesday (26 February) on allegations of pressure by
Bangkok to withdraw Shan forces from the area was also dismissed as unwarranted,
according to a rebel source.
Loi Kawwan is located near the site of the proposed Thai development
project for the Wa people from the Chinese border who are being resettled in the
area.
-------------------------------------------------------------- |