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BURMA RELATED NEWS - MAY 30-
31, 2002.
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HEADLINES
----------------------------------------------------------------- AP - Supporters Greet Myanmar's Suu Kyi
AFP - Myanmar junta bans Thai-related articles,
advertising
Reuters - Myanmar Political Gulf May Be Too Wide
to Bridge
AP - Myanmar bans all mention of Thailand from
private publications
Reuters - Thai troops fire into Myanmar as
tensions smoulder
Channel NewsAsia - Police expect early arrest in
Bukit Merah Central murder case
Reuters - Asian police chiefs want new
anti-terror laws
AP - Myanmar accuses Thailand of aiding ethnic
rebels, bans mention of Thailand in private press
AP - U.S. official visits Myanmar democracy
leader Suu Kyi
FEER - More Than a Game in Burma
The Nation - Illegal
Burmese immigrant busted in drug sting
Bkk Post - Thai
leaders are liars, says junta
----------------------------------------------------------------- Supporters Greet Myanmar's Suu
Kyi
Wed May 29,10:34 AM ET YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Hundreds
of supporters chanting "Long Live Aung San Suu Kyi" greeted Myanmar's recently
released democracy leader Wednesday as she visited a Yangon hospital partly
funded by a Japanese humanitarian aid project.
Suu Kyi greeted staff and patients, including a former political prisoner
from her National League for Democracy, or NLD, at the 160-bed Muslim Free
Hospital before meeting with the Japanese Ambassador to Myanmar, Shigeru
Tsumori. The hospital provides free care to people regardless of their religious
background.
Suu Kyi was released on May 6 after 19 months of house arrest amid
expectations she might reverse her support for international sanctions imposed
because of the ruling military's suppression of democracy and poor human rights
record. The sanctions allow only a trickle of foreign humanitarian assistance to
Myanmar.
Suu Kyi has not signalled any change in her stand, although she has said
that her party wants "what is best for the people of Burma as quickly as
possible." Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.
Heads of U.N. relief and development agencies in Myanmar last year appealed
for a dramatic increase in foreign aid, warning that the country is "on the
brink of a humanitarian crisis."
One quarter of babies in Myanmar are born underweight, only half of its
children complete primary school and an AIDS epidemic is stretching the
government's resources thin.
Suu Kyi told The Associated Press last week that "aid of any kind to be
effective must be based on accountability and transparency and that independent
monitoring is a basic and necessary demand." Her comments reflected concerns the
military could siphon off funds and aid might not benefit the most needy.
Japanese aid accounts for 60 percent of all foreign aid received by
Myanmar. The hospital in Yangon has received $240,000 from the Japanese
government through a grassroots aid program.
Soon after Suu Kyi was released from house arrest earlier this month, Japan
said it would give Myanmar $4.9 million for the renovation of an aging
hydroelectric plant in eastern Kayah State.
A Western-led embargo on most foreign aid was imposed after the military
crushed nationwide democracy demonstrations in 1988, killing thousands of
civilians. The regime later refused to honor the 1990 general election victory
by the National League for Democracy.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday May 30, 3:45 PM
Myanmar junta bans Thai-related articles, advertising YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar
authorities have issued a directive to the private press banning the publishing
of Thailand-related articles and Thai advertisements, sources said as relations
between the neighbours remained tense.
"I sent one of my staff when the authorities summoned us and he had to sign
a pledge saying that our magazine would not carry any Thai-related
advertisements or any articles (on Thailand)," one source running a business
magazine told AFP Thursday.
"We have been forbidden to carry any Thai advertisements or Thai-related
articles," the source added.
The directive was issued on May 22, a day after Myanmar abruptly closed its
border with Thailand.
On May 20 both sides swapped protest notes following Thai troops and the
United Wa State Army, a Yangon-aligned ethnic militia, trading fire across the
border in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Mai.
Relations have remained tense since then.
Another industry source confirmed the directive had been issued, and said
their June publication would now need to be redone.
"Our magazine due for publication next month will be delayed by at least
two weeks because of the heavy censorship it went through," the source
said.
"At least two-thirds of the magazine is unusable now because they (the
authorities) blacked-out all the words pertaining to Thailand, such as Thailand,
Bangkok and Yodaya (Thailand's former name in Burmese)," he added.
The Paris-based organisation Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) released a
statement Wednesday describing the directive as "grotesque".
"The military junta has just issued yet another grotesque directive which,
in addition to depriving the population of news about Thailand, threatens the
very existence of private publications that dependent on advertising," general
secretary of RSF Robert Menard wrote in a letter to Myanmar's Home Affairs
Minister Tin Hlaing, according to the statement.
All media in Myanmar are tightly controlled by the junta.
Publishing rights are doled out exclusively by the home ministry under a
ruling which came into force in 1962 soon after autocrat Ne Win assumed power in
a military coup.
Groups licensed to publish must present their materials in advance to state
censors.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Political Gulf May Be Too
Wide to Bridge
Thu May 30, 1:29 AM ET By Chris Johnson BANGKOK (Reuters) - It takes
two to tango.
The problem is, Myanmar's ruling generals and Aung San Suu Kyi can't even make it to the dance floor. If and when the military junta and Suu Kyi sit down to talks on the
country's future they will start with positions that are fundamentally different
-- so different they may be irreconcilable.
Unless these positions are modified -- and there are no signs yet of
compromise on either side -- analysts and diplomats say trust between the two
sides will break down and Myanmar will soon be back to the stalemate that has
gripped it for a decade.
The military, which has run Myanmar for 40 years, and the opposition leader
both say they want to move toward "democracy" and both agree the way to attain
that goal is through "dialogue."
That's where the agreement ends.
Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) want full,
one-person-one-vote pluralism, while the government aims to retain real power
through a limited form of democracy which entrenches the military as the
permanent guardians of the state.
"Neither side shows any sign of compromise," said Aung Zaw, editor of The
Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based magazine on Myanmar staffed by exiled political
analysts. "We are at square one. Neither of the positions has changed in years."
Hopes for change in the former British colony rose this month after Suu
Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was released from 19 months of house
arrest and the government issued a conciliatory statement saying it wanted all
its citizens "to participate freely in the life of our political process."
Her release followed lengthy U.N. brokered talks between Suu Kyi and the
top generals and more than a year of verbal cease-fire in which the two sides
stopped criticizing each other in public.
Suu Kyi told Reuters in an interview after her release that she hoped for
substantive political talks with the military "within weeks" and declared she
was "a cautious optimist" on the prospects for change.
WELL-WORN POSITIONS
But the momentum generated by her release appears to be ebbing away and
both sides are now restating well-worn positions.
The NLD announced this week a 21-point set of political demands that
included recognition of the results of the country's 1990 general election,
which the opposition party won by a landslide, taking 392 of the 485 seats.
The NLD said it would not accept new elections which ignored the results of
the 1990 polls, and insisted members of parliament elected at those polls should
take part in any negotiations.
The military government is also sticking to a formula for political reform
that it adopted more than 10 years ago.
It wants 25 percent of any lower house of parliament to be given to the
military and expects other groups to gain automatic representation, probably
also through its own nominees.
Even if that doesn't guarantee a majority in parliament, the military is
insisting on a bicameral system with an upper house that it would control with a
veto over policy.
Movement toward this form of democracy is to be steered by a National
Convention set up by the government after the 1990 polls to draw up a special
constitution.
After initial participation, the NLD walked out of the National Convention
in 1995, saying it was merely an attempt to stall moves toward democracy.
FRONT-PAGE SLOGANS
A senior military official said this week the main planks of the
government's position remained unchanged.
"The slogans for a National Convention are on the front page of every one
of our newspapers -- that is our policy," the official, who declined to be
identified, told Reuters.
Such statements are fueling a suspicion in Yangon and among some Myanmar
exiles in Thailand that Suu Kyi's release may not be accompanied by other
concessions necessary for political change or even lay the basis for the
substantive talks Suu Kyi craves.
The junta has come under huge pressure to accommodate Suu Kyi and move
toward reform. Economic and aid sanctions by the United States and Europe have
helped isolate the economy, tipping its kyat currency into a tailspin and
keeping investors away.
The U.S. Congress is soon to consider much tougher measures against Myanmar
in the form of a total ban on trade with the country, a step the EU could be
forced to copy.
But the generals in the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
show no signs of wanting to relinquish real power.
"I am afraid the military has no reason to give up power but instead just
intends to make the right noises to ease international pressure," said one
Bangkok-based Myanmar exile.
Diplomats said they were surprised by the tone of the NLD statement,
particularly its demand for acceptance of the 1990 poll results, something they
said the junta would never accept.
"Both sides have to compromise if there is to be dialogue -- that means Suu
Kyi has to shift her position too," said one Yangon-based Asian diplomat.
Analysts say that if the two sides fail to bridge the gulf, and Suu Kyi
remains a thorn in the junta's side, the risk is that the military government
may decide it has nothing to gain from offering olive branches to the
opposition.
That could push the junta to tighten its harsh rule and turn its back on
the international community -- and put Suu Kyi back in detention.
Aung Zaw said the NLD should grasp the chance for talks to prevent the
momentum for change evaporating.
"It is up to both sides to come up with more practical positions," he said.
"It takes two to tango."
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar bans all mention of
Thailand from private publications
Thu May 30, 9:49 AM ET YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -
Myanmar's military government has ordered private journals and magazines not to
publish articles about Thailand or advertisements for Thai products, a
journalist familiar with the order said Thursday.
The order comes at a time of rising tensions between the two nations, with
Myanmar accusing Thailand's military of supporting ethnic rebels opposed to
Myanmar's government.
Daily newspapers and electronic media, which are state-controlled and
strongly reflect the opinions of the ruling junta, continue to carry critical
stories and commentary on Thailand.
The journalist, editor of a private magazine, said the official Press
Scrutiny Board ? a government censorship body ? on May 22 summoned managing
editors of private journals and magazines.
The journalist, who did not want to be named, said editors had to sign an
agreement to comply with the directive and not use the terms "Thailand" and
"Yodaya" ? the Burmese name for Thailand ? in their publications. Even articles
about Thai food and advertisements for products merely having letters of the
Thai alphabet on them were banned, he said.
Editors were not given a reason for the ban or any indication when it might
be lifted, he said. It was not clear what would happen if editors did not comply
with the ban.
The journalist described the ban as extremely inconvenient and said it
would hurt his magazine financially. He said he had had to remove advertisements
for Thai vitamins, nasal inhalers, toothpaste and mosquito repellant coils from
the magazine.
There are about 100 weekly journals and 80 monthly magazines in the Myanmar
capital Yangon. All must submit to censorship before publication.
At a news conference Thursday, a government spokesman, deputy intelligence
chief Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win, said he wasn't aware of the ban.
The journalist's account confirmed a report issued Wednesday by the
Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders about the directive.
The group's general secretary, Robert Menard, condemned the ruling junta
for issuing a "grotesque directive which, in addition to depriving the
population of news about Thailand, threatens the very existence of private
publications that are dependent on advertising."
----------------------------------------------------------------- Friday May 31, 1:57 AM
Thai troops fire into Myanmar as tensions smoulder By Andrew Marshall BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai troops
exchanged mortar fire with unidentified soldiers across its border with Myanmar
on Thursday as Yangon maintained a stony silence on efforts by the Thai
government to arrange talks to defuse simmering tensions.
Thai Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who has often boasted that his
close personal ties with Myanmar's ruling generals can aid diplomacy between the
two countries, said the Yangon junta had yet to respond to an offer of talks.
"Our efforts to contact the Myanmar authorities should soon get some
response," Chavalit told reporters.
"We will meet halfway, anywhere. In the meantime, we are looking at the
causes of the border problems, and solutions. So far we have done what we can in
resolving the problems and we believe Myanmar has also tried to resolve them
constructively."
But at a news conference in Yangon, the junta's deputy chief of military
intelligence said there had been no formal approach from Thailand about
Chavalit's proposed talks.
"We haven't received anything about his visit through the proper channels,"
Major Kyaw Win said. He renewed Yangon's accusation that Thailand was aiding
ethnic minority rebel groups.
"We have very clear evidence that Thailand is not only giving these groups
sanctuary but also military assistance," he said.
Tempers flared between the two countries this month when Thailand sent
thousands of troops to the northern border with Myanmar. They were ostensibly
there for exercises but military sources said the move was a prelude to an
attack on the forces of the Golden Triangle's most notorious drug baron, Wei
Hsueh-Kang.
Wei commands a faction of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), an ethnic army
which has signed a peace deal with the Myanmar junta and is widely believed to
be the world's biggest narco-army.
Myanmar angrily denied it had ever given permission for Thailand to target
the Wa army and hinted it could even take military action if diplomacy failed to
resolve the row. Last week Thailand's government ordered its troops to withdraw.
BORDER CLASHES
But sporadic clashes are still erupting along the border.
Thai military sources on the western frontier say more than 20 shells
landed on Thai soil in the early hours of Thursday, believed to be fired by
Myanmar soldiers or their allies in the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army during
clashes with the Karen National Union, an ethnic minority rebel group fighting
the Yangon government.
Thai soldiers responded by firing back into Myanmar.
The row has exposed divisions between Thailand's government, which is
pursuing a conciliatory approach to the Yangon junta, and Thai army commanders
who want to take a tougher line.
Thai newspapers say many top generals were furious their government ended
the exercise at the border early. The Nation daily said the move "clearly shows
the government's unprofessionalism and lack of co-operation with the army".
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, on a visit to Australia, said the
border tensions would soon be resolved.
"The situation in the borders, because of the conflict between the
minorities...the problem created a little bit of misunderstanding," he told a
news conference. "But now at government-to-government level there is no problem
of conflict."
Thaksin has been trying to work with the junta to win agreement on cracking
down on the production of heroin and methamphetamines. The flood of
methamphetamine pills into Thailand is considered one of the country's biggest
problems.
But many newspapers and analysts say the Myanmar government has no
intention of stemming the flood of drugs and that the Thai government's
"personal diplomacy" is not working.
"As Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is learning once again, the verbal
assurances from Yangon are no better than the paper they are written on," the
Bangkok Post said in an editorial.
One of Thailand's recent diplomatic gambits to soothe tensions -- sending
copies of some Thai soap operas to Myanmar's ruling generals -- met with
particular scorn in the Thai media.
"Thaksin's order to withdraw troops from the northern border together with
the gift of videotapes has turned the Thai army and the kingdom's foreign policy
into subjects for a real life soap opera," the Nation said.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Channel NewsAsia
Friday May 31, 10:30 AM
Police expect early arrest in Bukit Merah Central murder case Police say they are confident of making an early arrest in the Bukit Merah
Central double murder following several useful leads.
The man at the heart of the double tragedy, businessman Drake Poh, arrived
back in Singapore from Myanmar on Wednesday night.
He has seen his one-year-old son Leon in the hospital, spoken to the
police, and collected the bodies of his wife and daughter.
But at the wake for his 34-year-old wife Angie and three-year-old daughter
Crystal, he was too distraught to speak to reporters.
Several of Angie's colleagues, who were at the wake, described her as a
hardworking person, who often stayed late in the office.
Angie was stabbed in the neck and slashed on the arms at her office, while
her daughter Crystal was stabbed in the chest.
The maid and the boy suffered 3 to 4 percent burns, which are considered
minor burns.
But they are still in intensive care at the Singapore General Hospital's
Burns Centre.
The maid, who is believed to have witnessed the murder, is now under police
protection.
It has been reported that Angie received some threatening calls from a
woman in Myanmar whose husband is in jail.
Angie's husband Drake Poh is the man behind a US$90 million five-star
luxury hotel and casino in Myanmar.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Friday May 31, 2:33 PM
Asian police chiefs want new anti-terror laws PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Southeast Asian police chiefs have called on their governments to adopt laws to help smooth the extradition and prosecution of suspected militants, officials said on Friday. The call came at the close of a three-day meeting of police chiefs from
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries on Thursday in Phnom
Penh.
Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, ASEAN members have
agreed to cooperate more closely in fighting terrorism.
The police chiefs said they would encourage joint operations to crack down
on drug trafficking in the region and proposed their governments adopt laws to
help in the extradition, prosecution and intelligence sharing on militant
suspects.
"The 10 ASEAN police chiefs agreed, but not just on paper. We will put this
agreement into practice," Cambodian National Police Director Hok Lundy told
Reuters by telephone.
Singaporean officials in December arrested several suspected militants for
plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy and other U.S. targets.
Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines -- ASEAN members with the largest
Muslim populations -- inked a counter-terrorism pact last month and vowed to
crush militants bent on creating a single Islamic state in the region.
Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar accuses Thailand of aiding
ethnic rebels, bans mention of Thailand in private press
Thu May 30,10:52 AM ET YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -
Myanmar's ruling junta on Thursday accused Thailand of giving weapons to
anti-Yangon ethnic rebels on their common border, and in a sign of growing
tensions, has banned all mention of Thailand in privately owned journals and
magazines.
Deputy intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win told a news conference in Yangon there is "evidence that Thai troops and Thai police are not only harboring the armed ethnic rebel groups inside Thai territory but have been aiding them with food and weapons." Thailand denied the allegations.
"It's the Myanmar government's right to say whatever they want," Thai
Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Suraphan Pumkaew said. "Let them talk. But
we've already said that we didn't support the groups in any way."
Tension between the two countries has been rising since Myanmar accused the
Thai army of firing artillery into its territory on May 20 to support attacks on
Myanmar army outposts by ethnic Shan rebels.
The rebels have fighting for decades against the Myanmar government from
bases along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Thailand insists it only fired "warning shots" after stray shells from
fighting inside Myanmar landed on Thai soil.
In response, Myanmar has closed its four main border checkpoints with
Thailand, which control major trade routes and has said it would not issue visas
for any official Thai delegations.
Meanwhile, in a further sign of deteriorating relations, a journalist in
Yangon said Thursday that the Myanmar government had issued a directive to ban
private journals and magazines from mentioning Thailand or advertising Thai
products.
The journalist, editor of a private magazine, said managing editors of such
publications were summoned to the official Press Scrutiny Board ? a government
censorship body ? on May 22 and had to sign an agreement to comply with the
directive. The journalist did not want to be named.
The Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders has condemned the directive
as "grotesque."
Kyaw Win said Thursday he wasn't aware of the ban.
Daily newspapers and electronic media, which are state-controlled and
strongly reflect the opinions of the ruling junta, continue to carry critical
stories and commentary on Thailand.
Kyaw Win said that despite its disavowals, Thailand supports
long-established rebel groups, the Karen National Union and Shan United
Revolutionary Army.
He said one Shan camp, Loitaing Lian, is located in Thailand and is
surrounded by 37 smaller camps which host a military training school, a hospital
and house 1,300 people.
Shan and Karen rebels have been fighting for autonomy since the country
gained independence from Britain in 1948. The fighting often spills over into
Thailand, where more than 100,000 refugees from the conflicts are living.
In the latest outbreak of border violence, the Thai army said Thursday that
one of its outposts about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Bangkok was
attacked by unidentified forces with small arms fire and mortars Wednesday
night, injuring one Thai soldier.
Thai locals said the Thai army retaliated with artillery fire for about an
hour, firing about 30 shells into Myanmar.
The clash came hours after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra urged his army
to act with restraint to ease tension with Myanmar, also known as Burma.
----------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. official visits Myanmar
democracy leader Suu Kyi
Wed May 29, 6:24 AM ET By AYE AYE WIN, Associated Press Writer YANGON, Myanmar - A researcher for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a two-day
fact-finding visit to the military-ruled country, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said
Wednesday.
Frank Januzzi, a Washington-based East Asian specialist, met Tuesday night
with Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest on May 6 after spending 19
months confined to her lakeside villa for defying a government travel ban.
Januzzi has also met with officials from Myanmar's Foreign Ministry,
diplomats and representatives from non-governmental organizations, the spokesman
said on condition of anonymity. He gave no further details of the meetings.
Januzzi is scheduled to depart Yangon late Wednesday.
The United States and the European Union (news - web sites) discourage
trade and investment with Myanmar to protest the military's suppression of
democracy. Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party have long
supported the sanctions.
There has been speculation that Suu Kyi would reconsider her stand
following her release, which follows closed door talks between her and Myanmar's
ruling generals to build confidence between the two sides.
But in a recent interview with The Associated Press she said that her party
would not change its policies regarding international sanctions until "we have
started discussing these with the authorities over the negotiating table."
She said there was no start date set for talks with the regime on such
policy issues.
The military has been in power in Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962.
Suu Kyi's party won general elections in 1990, but the military refused to honor
the result.
----------------------------------------------------------------- VOA News
Tensions Rise Between Thailand,
Burma
Ron Corben Bangkok 30 May 2002 10:32 UTC
Tensions between Thailand and Burma are rising amid new reports of gunfire
across their border. The presence of Burmese drug lords and ethnic rebels in the
area makes it difficult to calm the situation.
Tensions between Thailand and Burma appear far from settled, despite
efforts by Thai Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to arrange cross-border
talks.
Thursday, there were reports of Thai army troops exchanging fire with
unidentified gunmen across the border.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is saying troops must not overreact
and further escalate tensions along the border.
The defense minister hopes to meet with top Burmese officials soon.
However, Bangkok Thursday said no schedule has been set for a meeting.
Tensions began rising this month after several incidents of cross-border
shelling during battles between Burma's army and members of Burma's Shan
minority group. Burma's military government accuses Thailand of supporting Shan
rebels, as well as another rebel group, the Karen National Union, or KNU.
Thailand denies supporting the rebels.
"They [Burma] believe that the Thai forces have been intruding into their
territory and helping the Shan and KNU," says Chaiyachoke Chulasiriwong, a
political scientist at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University. The problem along
the border between Burma and Thailand is very serious. I think it is very
dangerous." The Thai military wants to halt a flood of illegal methamphetamine
and heroin, coming into Thailand from Burma. Thai officials and international
observers say Burma's Wa ethnic group is behind the trade. Burma, however, says
the drugs come from the Shan.
Thailand's prime minister and defense minister say they place a high
priority on having smooth relations with Rangoon. Last week, to cool tensions,
Bangkok ordered an early halt to military exercises on the northern border. The
exercises had angered Rangoon.
Burma, however, has not softened its stance. Western diplomats in Rangoon
say Burma has restricted Thai imports, closed border check points and banned
some Thai advertising in Burmese magazines.
Some analysts say Thailand worries about Burma's rising military strength.
According to Jane's Defence Weekly, Burma had about 180,000 troops in the late
1980's, but the number now is above 400,000.
Diplomats and analysts say Burma has purchased about $1 billion worth of
weaponry, including fighter jets and tanks in the past few years.
Analysts fear that unless tensions ease soon, a cross-border battle could
be triggered by shelling by one of the ethnic minority groups. The Wa guerrilla
army alone has 20,000 troops and is closely allied with Burma's military.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Far Eastern Economic
Review
More Than a Game in Burma
By Bertil Lintner Issue cover-dated June 06, 2002 The Trouser People, by Andrew Marshall. Viking. $26
ANDREW MARSHALL'S The Trouser People towers above all other contemporary
books on Burma--whether they be travelogues, biographies or scholarly texts
trying to explain the complexities of the country's tangled politics. Marshall's
book is personal without being egocentric, beautifully written, and tells us
more about Burma's past and present troubles than most academic writings.
During the British era, the colonial rulers were called the "trouser
people" by the country's sarong-wearing citizens. Most Burmese still wear
sarongs, or longyis, and the only ones who stick to trousers these days are the
new overlords: the ruling military.
Little has changed in other respects as well, despite independence from
Britain more than half a century ago. To illustrate similarities and differences
between colonial and military-ruled Burma, Marshall retraces the footsteps of
George Scott, an unsung Victorian adventurer who hacked his way through the
Burmese wilderness to help establish colonial rule in the country. Scott met the
head-hunting Wa ethnic minority--today the rulers of the biggest drug-producing
area in Asia and perhaps the world--dined with Shan princes in the hills, and
documented local customs and beliefs.
He also introduced soccer to Burma. This is still the country's national
sport, almost an obsession. Also, a soccer match is one of the few occasions
when ordinary Burmese can give vent to their anger and frustrations. Marshall
attends a soccer match in Rangoon where the audience, in unison, shouts "ayu,
ayu, ayu, ayu," or "fool, fool, fool, fool," at a portly colonel who is there to
present a trophy to the winning team. When Marshall asks a fellow spectator how
they dare to do this, the reply is simple: There are too many people taking part
in this open ridicule. Gatherings of more than five people are technically
illegal in Burma, but at a soccer match disgruntled civilians can sit together
and scream abuse until they are hoarse. And unless the authorities want to
arrest 5,000 rowdy fans, there is little they can do to stop the ridicule.
Despite its popularity, Burmese league soccer is of a very low standard.
The Burmese would never make the World Cup tournament and their national team is
possibly the worst in Southeast Asia. It is, like everything else in Burma, also
subject to government censorship and interference by the ruling military. A
couple of years ago, when Burma was trounced in a match in Brunei, all reporting
about the national squad was banned after a disgusted general declared that he
"didn't want to hear another word about it." Later, when Burma conceded a
crucial goal during a nationally televised game against Indonesia, the state-run
TV Myanmar went off the air for a few minutes--in shame, apparently.
It is, however, Marshall's forays into the Wa Hills that make this book
unique. He manages to find the sacred lake in the mountains where the Was
believe they came from, turning from tadpoles into human beings. He also travels
to Mong La on the Chinese border, where drug lords run their own fiefdom
complete with casinos, striptease joints, transvestite shows, and even an "opium
eradication museum."
The contradictions and absurdities of colonial and contemporary Burma form
the setting for one of Southeast Asia's great human tragedies. Given its mineral
and natural wealth, Burma could have been one of the most prosperous countries
in the region. Instead, it still struggles to keep itself together. Drugs seem
to be its only major export, and Scott's legacy--soccer--is the main means of
escape from the bitter realities of everyday life.
Despite the tragedy of Burma, this is not a pessimistic book. It is full of
humour, and even the most deprived of its citizens manage to laugh at themselves
and the situation they are in. Some are even optimistic, because of a
fundamental Buddhist belief in anicca, or impermanence: Nothing lasts forever.
Not Scott's colonial empire. Nor today's military rule.
----------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Illegal Burmese immigrant busted in drug
sting
Published on May 31, 2002
A Burmese man who had been living illegally in Thailand for 18 years was
arrested yesterday on suspicion of running a major methamphetamine ring in
Nonthaburi.
Hao Ketkaew, 36, was apprehended on Ratchada Soi 56 in Bang Sue district at
9.30am yesterday after he allegedly delivered 6,000 methamphetamine to
undercover police, said Metropolitan Police commander Lt-General Anan Priomkaew.
The unit had been targeting Hao for some time before sending undercover
officers to buy pills, said Maj-General Wichat Kongsuwan, commander of the
Metropolitan Police's Patrol and Special Operations unit.
Hao told police that he had entered the country when he was 18 and worked
at a furniture factory for 12 years before saving enough money to open his own
furniture shop in Nonthaburi. He used Burmese nationals working illegally at his
shop to pick up speed pills from the Burmese border and distribute them in
Nonthaburi.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Friday 31 May 2002
Thai leaders are liars, says junta
Burma ups rhetoric, border raided again
Bangkok Post together with AFP.
Burma's ruling junta accused the Thai leadership of telling ``bare-faced
lies'' yesterday and reiterated its charge that Thailand is harbouring
anti-Rangoon terrorists.
The harsh words added to the worsening military and diplomatic row over
continuing border skirmishing which has led Burma to close its frontier with
Thailand and deny visas for official visits.
The junta's deputy military intelligence chief, Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, told a
press conference in Rangoon: ``We have solid proof that they have allowed the
SURA [the Shan United Revolutionary Army] to establish military bases inside
Thailand and are giving them support, including recruitment and providing them
with food supplies.''
The SURA is Rangoon's name for the Shan State Army, which for years has
fought junta forces in the border areas.
``For years they [Thailand] have provided both moral and material support
to groups taking up arms against our government,'' Maj-Gen Kyaw Win said.
``Now responsible leaders are denying such bases exist. This is tantamount
to telling bare-faced lies.''
He produced area maps that he said showed exact locations where Shan and
Karen ethnic militias had set up camps within Thailand.
He also said the Karen National Union (KNU) had set up camp in Thailand
under the guise of being refugees.
``These so-called refugee camps are in fact bases from which the KNU plan
their attacks inside Myanmar [Burma],'' he said.
On May 20 Rangoon and Bangkok swapped protest notes after Thai troops and
the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a Rangoon-aligned ethnic militia, traded fire
across the border in Chiang Mai province.
The next day Burma closed its border gates with Thailand, and later
announced it blocked official diplomatic missions from entering the
country.
Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said this week he had proposed a
meeting with top Burmese officials in an effort to defuse tensions. Maj-Gen Kyaw
Win directly contradicted the minister's comments, saying ``we have not yet been
officially informed of this''.
In Tak province, two Thai soldiers were wounded in a clash with pro-Rangoon
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army soldiers who crossed the border and attacked a
Thai border outpost in Mae Ramat district on Wednesday night.
An army source said the intrusion was probably a result of DKBA soldiers'
discontent with the border's closure which prevented them from sending timber to
Thailand.
At least 10 DKBA soldiers of the 907th battalion of the 999th division
crossed the Moei river about 11.30pm and fired M79 grenades, RPG rockets and
small arms at an outpost of the 213th Cavalry Battalion at Hill 246, or Doi Noi,
near Wang Pha village. The ensuing exchange of fire lasted about 15 minutes
before the outnumbered Thai troops withdrew. Hill 246 was captured by the
DKBA.
Sgt Sangwan Chanhom, 26, was shot in the hip during the clash.
After the Thai soldiers withdrew, a mortar unit based at Wang Pha bombarded
Hill 246 to prevent DKBA reinforcements crossing the border.
Col Saksilp Klansanoh, head of the 13th Infantry Regiment Task Force,
yesterday morning deployed a demolition team to Hill 246. As the team combed the
area, Chief Warrant Officer Viroj Chanpeng, 33, triggered a mine and was
seriously wounded. A jeep was also damaged when it ran over a landmine.
Across the Moei river from Hill 246 is a DKBA outpost and next to it Ye
Gyaw camp of Burma's 97th light infantry battalion.
About 500 Wang Pha villagers, led by headman Thongmuan Sithikaew, rallied
at the village temple yesterday and called for Thai soldiers to move heavy
weapons from the village, fearing it could become a target for Burmese
shelling.
After the clash, Burmese authorities at Myawaddy, opposite Mae Sot, cut off
all communication with Thai authorities.
They refused to accept seven letters sent by Col Saksilp, chairman of the
Thai township border committee, to his Burmese counterpart in Myawaddy.
Lt-Gen Udomchai Ongkasing, the Third Army commander, sent reinforcements to
the area to prevent further Burmese intrusions.
He said they would strictly comply with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's
instruction not to over-react to the situation.
Thailand yesterday emphasised its readiness to co-operate with the United
Nations special envoy on Burma because it believes positive developments in that
country would benefit the region as a whole.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ratthakit Manathit said Tej Bunnag, the
permanent secretary for foreign affairs, made the point to Razali Ismail during
talks at the ministry yesterday.
Mr Razali had said he had come to exchange views with Thailand on the
situation in Burma.
Mr Razali stressed that Thailand still enjoyed close relations with
Rangoon.
The spokesman said he would look into reports that Burmese authorities had
banned commercial advertisements or articles about Thailand in Burmese
magazines.
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