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BURMA RELATED NEWS
- March 13, 2002.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - European Union team plans to meet Aung San
Suu Kyi
AFP - Myanmar coup plotters planned to derail
reform: junta
BBC - Burma releases women as EU visit
starts
AP - Myanmar Junta Alleges Coup
Plot
The Nation - PM
cancels Burma trip
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Releases 25 More Female
Detainees
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Fetches Over 20 Mln Dollars
>From Gems Sale
ST - Arrests show Myanmar fed up with
abuses by Ne Win family
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday March 13, 4:43 PM
European Union team plans to meet Aung San Suu Kyi (AFP) - A European Union
delegation due in Myanmar expects to meet with senior officials of the military
junta as well as democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The March 13-15 visit comes shortly after the military regime announced it
had foiled a coup plotted by the family of former dictator Ne Win.
The trip is the first of its kind in more than a year, and follows a
January 2001 Swedish-led mission to Yangon which tried to encourage the junta
and the democratic opposition to break their decade-long political
deadlock.
Since then, talks between the two sides have continued, but European and
other Western governments have urged faster progress towards political reform
and the release of the hundreds of political prisoners in Myanmar's jails.
The Europeans, due to arrive in the capital Yangon late Wednesday, were
effectively guaranteed the same access to figures in Myanmar as the previous
mission, said a source close to the delegation.
"The team was promised some time ago by (Myanmar's) deputy foreign minister
that they could see Aung San Suu Kyi and anyone else basically," he said, adding
that a visit to her lakeside home was listed on a preliminary schedule.
Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD), has been kept under house arrest since September 2000, a month before
starting historic talks with the junta.
The four-person EU team will include Rafel Conde, director general for Asia
at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Pierre Amilhat, head of the
policy planning unit at the directorate for Asia of the European
Commission.
Spain currently holds the presidency of the European Union.
Denmark, which will next hold the rotating presidency, will send a foreign
ministry representative, while the fourth member is not yet confirmed, the EU's
Bangkok office said.
The EU has imposed sanctions on Myanmar in a bid to press the junta to
initiate reform.
Lately however it has eased a ban on contacts with the military regime and
signalled a further easing of sanctions could follow if Myanmar makes concrete
steps towards political reform.
UN envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail, who is credited with helping broker the
dialogue, is also expected to visit Yangon later this month.
Top junta officials said this week that the failed coup attempt would not
derail the dialogue between the regime and the opposition which was brokered by
Razali.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday January 1, 7:30 AM
Myanmar coup plotters planned to derail
reform: junta
(AFP ) - Myanmar's military
rulers accused the family of former dictator Ne Win of planning to take leaders
of the junta hostage in a coup aimed at derailing democratic and economic
reforms.
After arresting Ne Win's son-in-law and three grandsons Thursday for
allegedly planning the takeover, the junta for the first time implicated Ne Win
and his daughter Sandar Win in the alleged conspiracy.
"They (the family) resented the economic and political changes this
government has been implementing to turn this nation into a democracy," deputy
chief of military intelligence Major General Kyaw Win told reporters.
But he said the conspiracy hatched by the influential family would not
disrupt historic 18-month-old talks between the junta and opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi which are aimed at paving the way for political reforms.
"This failed coup by members of the previous first family will not derail
the ongoing dialogue," he said.
Kyaw Win said the junta's top-three -- Senior General Than Shwe, army boss
General Maung Aye and military intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt
-- were the main targets of the coup plot.
"Using military troops, they were going to raid the homes of the three
leaders by overpowering security at the gates and take the three people
hostage," he said.
"Then they would take them to the house where Ne Win lives, and the old man
would say that anybody who would agree to the conditions set down by him would
be chosen leaders of the new government," he told reporters.
Anyone refusing to the demands would be held hostage at Ne Win's Yangon
residence, he added.
The family of Ne Win, who remained extremely influential long after he
stepped down from power in 1988 after a 26-year rule, have parlayed their
extensive contacts and influence in Myanmar into a sizeable business
empire.
But Kyaw Win said they had grown frustrated at the lack of economic
privileges extended to them in recent years as Ne Win's influence
declined.
"They had political aspirations but they will have no political future in
this country," he said, adding that one of the grandsons had been groomed for
public office.
Since the arrests, Ne Win and Sandar Win have been held behind a heavy
military guard at their sprawling lakeside residence, but so far no charges have
been laid against them.
"As the case is still ongoing, complications can set in if there are too
many comings and goings... which is why we have blocked anybody from coming out
or going in while investigations are still going on," Kyaw Win said.
Diplomats and observers remained deeply sceptical Tuesday of the junta's
explanation of the stunning developments, and doubtful that Ne Win's family
could ever have successfully mounted a coup.
But any bragging about their influence, and signs they were enlisting
support from elements in the military, could have sparked a hostile reaction
from the junta which is paranoid about split in the ranks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Wednesday, 13 March, 2002, 09:46
GMT
Burma releases women as EU visit starts The Burmese military government has released 25 more women prisoners, as a
high-level European Union delegation was due to begin a visit to encourage
democratic reforms. The visit comes just days after the government said it had
foiled a coup plotted by the family of the former military ruler, Ne Win.
But the delegation head, Andreas List, told the BBC he had received no
indications that the developments would affect the three-day visit.
He said the mission, expected in Rangoon on Wednesday, had been assured
that it would be allowed to meet the Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu
Kyi.
The military government is holding four relatives of Ne Win, who it says
plotted to kidnap the three-man military leadership and force them to submit to
his authority.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Junta Alleges Coup
Plot
The Associated Press, Tue 12 Mar 2002 YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ?
Myanmar's military government said Tuesday that relatives of a former dictator
and other suspected coup plotters planned to seize power by abducting the ruling
junta's top three leaders in a military operation.
The son-in-law and three grandsons of former dictator Ne Win were arrested
Thursday in the alleged plot. Twenty other people have been detained since, said
Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win, the deputy head of military intelligence.
The plotters sought to form a new government after coercing the abducted
junta leaders into swearing allegiance to Ne Win, now 90, Kyaw Win said.
``They didn't seem to have the intention to be the government but wanted to
form a new government with military leaders who would owe allegiance to Ne
Win,'' Kyaw Win said.
He refused to say if Ne Win personally was involved in the plot. Ne Win
ruled from 1962 until 1988, when he retired just before a failed mass uprising
for democracy in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
The deputy intelligence chief said the coup plotters had planned to win
over military commanders and use their units to overpower security men at the
residences of the government's top three officials ? junta leader Gen. Than
Shwe, army chief Gen. Maung Aye and Secretary One Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt.
The three leaders were then to be taken to Ne Win's house to be detained
unless they agreed in his presence to establish a new government, the deputy
intelligence chief said.
He said the coup was to have taken place on March 27, Armed Forces Day,
when all three leaders would have been in Yangon. He said Ne Win's son-in-law,
Aye Zaw Win, and his family planned the coup, apparently because they were upset
at losing economic and social privileges it previously enjoyed.
The plot was foiled when a divisional military commander approached by the
former dictator's informed the government, he said.
He said the plot by Aye Zaw Win and his three sons, Aye Ne Win, 25, Kyaw Ne
Win 23, and Zwe Ne Win, 21, amounted to a criminal offense and legal action
would be taken against them.
In a related development, the government fired the air force chief, the
national police chief and a top regional military commander. Kyaw Win, the
deputy intelligence chief, said they were not directly involved in the coup plot
but were ``organized by Aye Zaw Win and his sons.''
The general said the authorities confiscated a gun, 15 unregistered motor
vehicles, 59 communications sets, 27 rubber batons, two mine detectors, military
uniforms, badges and berets that were to be used in the coup.
Kyaw Win said all the equipment was seized from a Yangon hotel managed by
Aye Zaw Win's wife, Sandar Win, who is Ne Win's daughter.
Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the junta's third-ranking member, said Tuesday: ``We
are very much disturbed by an untoward incident aimed at undermining our
cherished goals and disintegration of the armed forces.''
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
PM cancels Burma trip
Piyanart Srivalo
Published on Mar 12, 2002
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has abruptly cancelled a trip to Burma
following reports of a failed coup attempt in the military-ruled state, deputy
secretary-general to the premier Wattana Muangsuk said yesterday.
Thaksin was scheduled to make his second visit to Rangoon from March 21 to
22 but will instead go to Mexico for a UN conference on development financing,
Wattana said.
The internal problem in Burma prompted the premier to change his mind about
visiting the neighbouring country, he said.
The military government in Rangoon announced late last week that they had
arrested the son-in-law and three grandsons of former dictator Ne Win on charges
of trying to mount a coup.
Rangoon says Ne Win, the 92-year-old former dictator who ruled Burma from
1962 to 1988, and his daughter Sandar Win are being held at their Rangoon home
under military guard "for their own safety".
The four alleged coup plotters are Sandar Win's husband and their three
sons.
Thaksin is now scheduled to be in Monterrey, Mexico, from March 18-22 for
the International Conference on Financing for Development, which will discuss
finance issues affecting global development.
Thaksin will be accompanied by Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
Other leaders at the meeting will be UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, World
Bank chief James Wolfensohn, International Monetary Fund chief Horst Koehler and
World Trade Organisation head Mike Moore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Releases 25 More Female
Detainees
Xinhuanet 2002-03-13 18:56:33 YANGON, March 13 (Xinhuanet)--
The Myanmar government Wednesday released 25 more female detainees on
humanitarian grounds, according to an official Information Sheet reaching
here.
All of the detainees, who are either pregnant or with young children and
were incarcerated for various criminal activities, were freed from "correctional
facilities," the information sheet said.
The release was another batch in a series since the government granted
amnesty to criminal offenders by releasing 68 of them
since February 22 and the number of such release on humanitarian grounds has been brought to 220. In February, United Nations Human Rights envoy to Myanmar Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro visited the country for 10 days and three days after the end of his
trip, the Myanmar government started releasing criminal offenders on
humanitarian grounds.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar government is also setting free members of the
opposition National League for Democracy and so far the total number of the
freed party members and its activists since January 2001 has been brought to
232.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Fetches Over 20 Mln
Dollars From Gems Sale
Xinhuanet 2002-03-13 13:35:05 YANGON, March 13 (Xinhuanet) --
Myanmar fetched a total of 20.089 million U.S. dollars through sale of locally
produced quality gems, jade, pearl and jewelry through competitive bidding and
at fixed prices at the country's 39th annual Myanmar Gems Emporium which ended
here Tuesday evening.
This year's foreign exchange earning was 98.5 percent more than that of
last year's annual event.
The eight-day state-sponsored gems emporium, which began on March 5, drew a
total of 485 merchants of 212 foreign companies from 11 countries and
regions, mostly from China, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,
Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
Myanmar holds its annual gems emporiums in March since 1964 and the
mid-year ones in October since 1992.
Myanmar, a well-known producer of jade, ruby and sapphire in the world,
earned a total of 339.834 million dollars of foreign exchange from its 38th
annual and 10th mid-year gems emporiums, according to official statistics.
Myanmar enacted the New Gemstone Law in September 1995, allowing national
entrepreneurs to mine, produce, transport and sell finished gemstone and
manufactured jewelry at home and abroad.
Since April 2000, the government has started mining of gems and jade in
joint venture with 10 private companies under profit sharing basis.
There are three famous gem lands in Myanmar where gems are produced --
Mogok in Mandalay division, Mongshu in Shan state and Phakant in Kachin
state.
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The Straits Times
Arrests show Myanmar fed up with
abuses by Ne Win family
Analysts see indications that Ne Win has lost his influence in the country, and also hints of a split within the government By Edward Tang THAILAND CORRESPONDENT BANGKOK - The recent arrest of former Myanmar president Ne Win's son-in-law
and three grandsons for plotting a coup was a sign of growing irritation in the
government at the abuses committed by family members of the former military
strongman.
Analysts also said the arrests last Thursday dispelled the myth that the
ailing 92-year-old Ne Win still exerts influence in the country, and indicated
that there was a split within the military government, which would have major
implications for the ongoing dialogue with Opposition Leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.
A Bangkok-based Myanmar rebel leader told The Straits Times: 'It shows that
Ne Win has lost his influence. He is no longer untouchable.
'The coup charges are just an excuse. There are people in the government
who are fed up with the way Ne Win's family members are abusing their
positions.'
This was a reference to son-in-law Aye Zaw Win, a businessman, and his
sons, Aye Ne Win, Kyaw Ne Win, and Zwe Ne Win, all in their 20s.
Aye Zaw Win is the husband of Ms Sandar Win, Gen Ne Win's daughter, who
owns a string of major companies in the country.
The family is said to have prospered under the protection of the former
leader, who ruled the country for 26 years after seizing power in 1962.
Retired in 1988 and reported to be in frail health in recent months, he
remained a cult figure, keeping a low profile but pulling the strings from
behind the scenes, according to Myanmar watchers.
But it appears that his influence has finally come to an end. The arrest of
his four family members is tantamount to a coup de grace in a country where most
people grew up fearing the name Ne Win.
Rows of wire barricades were set up over the weekend on the road leading to
the lakeside villa of the former ruler.
'The four have been arrested for attempting to seize power from the current
leadership,' said Major-General Kyaw Win, deputy intelligence chief, who broke
the news last Friday.
It was followed by the sacking of the national police chief, the air-force
chief of staff and a senior military commander, who were all removed because of
their close ties with Aye Zaw Win.
The arrests were not expected to affect Myanmar's stability, said a senior
Thai military officer. But neither was it likely to open up the country to
democracy, as many of the ruling generals were groomed by Gen Ne Win.
Meanwhile, analysts said power in the country, currently shared among three
senior generals in the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the military
government, could be undergoing a shift.
The three - Senior General Than Shwe, Army Chief General Maung Aye, and
military intelligence head Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, through whom Gen Ne
Win is said to wield his influence - are reported to have been locked in a
subtle power struggle for a long time.
Analysts said the failure by Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt, who is the SPDC's First
Secretary, to protect Gen Ne Win's kin, was an indication that his power had
been eroded by the alignment struck between the other two generals.
Some analysts suggested that the arrests was a prelude to the upcoming
military promotion exercise which is expected to witness a struggle by these
generals to put their own men in key positions.
Hated by Myanmar rebels for his role in the 1988 student crackdown in
Yangon, Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt is known to be close to the retired leader.
In recent years, he has earned a reputation as a hardworking leader, who
spends the nights sleeping in the office, and for masterminding a peace process
with ethnic minority groups.
He is also credited with initiating talks with opposition politician Aung
San Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero Aung San, who won the election in
1989 but was never recognised.
The SPDC has placed her under house arrest, restricting her contacts with
members of her National League for Democracy party and foreigners.
The progress of the SPDC's dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi, which began more than
a year ago - the last meeting was in January with General Than Shwe - has been
slow reportedly because of differences among the generals on how to deal with
her.
There are mixed reports on this issue. Generals Than Shwe and Maung Aye are
widely reported to be hardliners while Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt is seen as more
reform-minded.
Analysts fear any split within the senior military brass will further slow
down the process.
FOILED: The plot to stage a coup
THE coup plotters had planned to win over military commanders and use their
units to overpower and disarm security at the residences of the military
government's top three officials - Gen Than Shwe, Gen Maung Aye and Lt-Gen Khin
Nyunt.
The three leaders were to be taken to former president Ne Win's house, and
coerced and pressured in his presence to agree to establish a new government.
If they had refused, the plan was to detain them at the house. Those who
agreed would have been asked to form a puppet government under Ne Win's
authority.
The plot came to the authorities' attention when a divisional military
commander approached by former President Ne Win's son-in-law, Aye Zaw Win,
informed the government.
The air force chief, the national police chief and a top regional military
commander dismissed were not directly involved in the plot, but they were
'organised' by Aye Zaw Win and his sons. --AP
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