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BURMA RELATED NEWS - JUNE 17,
2002.
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HEADLINES
----------------------------------------------------------------- Boston Globe - BAD BUSINESS IN
BURMA
AFP - Myanmar Muslims
invade UN agency in Malaysia to seek asylum
Reuters - Myanmar refugees
protest at UN office in Malaysia
Reuters - Thai guide charged
over murders of foreign tourists
Reuters - Myanmar says
Thailand dishonest on border fighting
The Nation - Junta has faith
in PM, says Surakiart
Bkk Post - Burma vents
fury on energy drink
----------------------------------------------------------------- A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL
BAD BUSINESS IN BURMA 6/16/2002 N A BOON for human rights and corporate responsibility, a Superior Court
judge in California last week refused to dismiss a suit charging that the energy
company Unocal is liable for human rights abuses perpetrated by the military
junta in Burma while the regime was under contract to provide security for
Unocal and its partners in a natural gas pipeline project.
If the suit goes to trial next September as scheduled, it may cast light on
a corporation's obligation not to abet human rights abusers as well as on the
horrors of life under the military dictators who rule Burma.
Attorneys for Burmese villagers who are the plaintiffs in the suit plan to
present testimony, in person and on videotape, describing how Burmese Army
battalions working for Unocal compelled the villagers to perform forced or slave
labor. Plaintiffs say they will recount how they were beaten, chained, and
raped. One Burmese woman is prepared to tell the jury that soldiers killed her
infant by throwing it into a fire.
The suit does not seek to prevent companies such as Unocal from
participating in business ventures such as the Yadana pipeline, which carries
natural gas from Burma to Thailand. Indeed, advocates of democracy in Burma
initially asked Unocal to let monitors from Amnesty International or Human
Rights Watch keep an eye on the Burmese military during preparations for laying
the pipeline from 1992 until 1995. If Unocal had accepted the presence of
monitors, chances are that the villagers would not have been brutalized as they
were and Unocal would not have exposed itself to the humiliating publicity
likely to follow the villagers' testimony.
The plaintiffs say they can document that Unocal knew that the Burmese
military would resort to forced labor and other abuses when it hired the junta
to provide security and build infrastructure for the pipeline. The plaintiffs
say the company did nothing to stop human rights violations it knew about and
tried to disclaim responsibility for stopping them.
Under the law, the plaintiffs need not show that Unocal caused the
villagers' suffering. They need only show that the company is liable for the
plaintiffs' harms because, through its joint-venture partnership or hiring of
the Burmese junta, Unocal was responsible for aiding and abetting the military's
crimes.
Such abuses are continuing in Burma. Although the junta recently hired an
expensive US lobbying firm with ties to top Republicans, the regime is not
keeping its promises to conduct a political dialogue with Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi or released all its 1,500 political prisoners.
The California case has the potential to show the junta's abuses in
startling detail and to expose the role of corporations that partner with such
regimes.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Muslims invade UN agency in
Malaysia to seek asylum
June 17 2:44 pm (AFP) - A group
of Muslim illegal migrants from military-ruled Myanmar have invaded the grounds
of the UN refugee agency in Malaysia and demanded asylum.
Nine immigrants from Myanmar's minority Rohingya Muslim community, carrying
banners reading, "Please help us on humanitarian considerations", entered the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) centre here on Monday and camped in the
compound.
"We will not leave this place (without an answer), even if we die first,"
Abdul Aziz, 30, told AFP through the centre's fence.
"We are already tired of life."
Police, who were called and kept guard outside the building, said they
would wait for the response of UNHCR officials before taking any action.
"At this moment, we are not doing anything. We will wait, if they want to
hand the refugees over or not," an officer said.
Another immigrant, Haron Din, 32, said he hoped the UNHCR would grant him
and his fellow Rohingya's refugee status either in Malaysia or in a third
country.
Haron, who said he had been living illegally in Malaysia for 12 years,
added that life was very "difficult and meaningless" because he constantly
feared for the safety of his life and family.
"They always reject our application, but we will keep coming back because
there is no where else to go," he said.
"We cannot go home, because we face great persecution."
He added that the Rohingya community in Malaysia was alarmed over the
government's recent crackdown on illegals.
Malaysia last month extended indefinitely an amnesty for an estimated
600,000 illegals in the country, but has warned that strict penalties including
whipping would be imposed on the migrants once the amnesty is revoked.
"We are very scared now, and we don't want to live in fear anymore," said
Haron.
UNHCR officers could not be contacted to comment on whether or not the
imigrants would be granted asylum or would be handed over to authorities.
More than two dozen of the Muslim migrants stormed the centre in January to
seek asylum, but were handed over to immigration officials who said they would
be deported.
Around 2,500 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar for Malaysia in 1991-92 alleging
perscution by the army, but most were later repatriated with the help of the
United Nations.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Monday June 17, 12:23 PM
Myanmar refugees protest at UN office in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Reuters) - Nine Muslims from Myanmar scaled a perimeter fence at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in the Malaysian capital on Monday to press their demand for refugee status. Six men, two boys and a woman, all ethnic minority Rohingya people from
Myanmar, got inside the compound during the early hours of the day and put up
posters appealing for U.N. help in being classified as refugees.
A fellow Rohingya, speaking outside the compound, said he and the nine
inside faced persecution back home and should be regarded as refugees.
"We have tried everything. I have been outside this gate for the last 10
years but I still don't know what my future is," said Sanaullah Ahmad Zahir, 34,
who said he was born Arakan state in western Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"We are Rohingya Muslims. We are persecuted back in Burma. We just want a
better life," he told Reuters outside the entrance to the UNHCR offices.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fled from Arakan state into
neighbouring Bangladesh in the early 1990s citing persecution by the military in
mostly Buddhist Myanmar.
Nearly 230,000 of them went home under UNHCR supervision in the mid 1990s
but some 21,000 remain in Bangladesh.
Sanaullah, who held a copy of a UNHCR letter dated 1998 and registering him
as a Rohingya Muslim, said he was awaiting the outcome of an application for
refugee status.
He disappeared before police arrived.
Both the police and the UNHCR, which human rights group Amnesty
International accused in January of being cavalier in handing several Rohingya
families on its grounds to the authorities, declined to comment.
It is estimated that there are up to 3,000 Rohingya in Malaysia.
Their plight has worsened as authorities have cracked down on illegal
immigrants in a country whose population of 23 million is swelled by more than a
million illegal immigrants.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said at the weekend an amnesty
period in place for illegal immigrants to return home voluntarily would expire
soon, and he warned them to leave the country immediately or "face the
consequences".
----------------------------------------------------------------- Monday June 17, 7:35 PM
Thai guide charged over murders of foreign tourists BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai tour
guide and a Myanmar citizen have been charged with the murder of two Japanese
men and a Canadian man they met at homosexual bars in Bangkok's red light areas,
Thai police said on Monday.
Police said Picherd Saenkaew, 30, and Aung Zaw Saw, 19, befriended their
victims in Bangkok gay bars and lured them to their apartments where they killed
them for their belongings and credit cards.
"I had to kill them so they would not have a chance to cancel their credit
cards," Picherd told a news conference at the Thai national police headquarters.
The suspects were accused of killing two Japanese tourists and hiding their
bodies at Bangkok dump sites in April and July last year, police said.
Picherd also confessed to killing a Canadian man and dumping his body in
Sukhothai, 440 km (275 miles) north of Bangkok, police said.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Monday June 17, 10:43 AM
Myanmar says Thailand dishonest on border fighting By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's
state-owned newspapers on Sunday renewed attacks on Thailand, accusing its
neighbour of abusing a goodwill visit to Thailand by a Myanmar military leader
in April.
Myanmar language newspapers accused the Thai military of spreading
"fabricated news" that General Maung Aye, Myanmar's second most powerful leader,
did not object to its plan to fight against an ethnic Wa minority group in
Myanmar.
They also criticised Thai Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchayudh, saying he
had distorted recent incidents that sparked Thai-Myanmar border tensions.
Myanmar troops, backed by their allies in the United Wa State Army (UWSA),
launched an offensive last week to recapture bases near the border seized by the
Shan State Army (SSA), an ethnic army which the junta says is tacitly supported
by Thai troops.
The Thai army has denied supporting the SSA, and says the Wa is the main
producer of heroin and methamphetamines in the notorious Golden Triangle region.
The border skirmishes have strained Thai-Myanmar relations. Myanmar has
closed key border crossings and state-run media have bitterly criticised
Thailand. The Thai government, anxious to mend relations, has been pushing for
bilateral talks.
"It was reported...that General Maung Aye did not protest when he was
informed of the Yodaya's plan to fight against the Wa...that news is utterly
wrong," the papers said.
Yodaya is the Myanmar version of Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam,
the former name for Thailand.
Maung Aye is vice chairman of Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development
Council.
Tensions at the frontier have been heightened by the exploits of the Wa
army, which Thailand says produces most of the methamphetamine pills that have
been flooding across the border.
Thousands of Thai troops massed at the border last month. They were
ostensibly there for a training exercise but military sources said they were
preparing for a strike against the Wa.
After protests from Myanmar, the troops were withdrawn. But the SSA, one of
two main ethnic armies still fighting the junta in Myanmar, took advantage of
the confusion to seize some bases from Myanmar troops.
The Thai army rejects claims it helped the Shan, but says it returned fire
when stray shells landed on Thai soil.
The Myanmar newspapers described Defence Minister Chavalit's denial of Thai
shelling of Myanmar territory as a lie and dishonest statement.
"The Yodaya military investigation commission made a wrong report. And the
Defence Minister, despite knowing the truth, dishonestly made the wrong
statement.
"This incident amounted to infringing sovereignty. It is not an ordinary
problem that can easily be forgotten after just saying sorry," the papers
said.
----------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
MIXED SIGNALS: Junta has faith in
PM, says Surakiart
Published on Jun 17, 2002
Minister says ties with Burma not sour; state media renew attacks on
Thailand
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday that Burma's trio of
top leaders had confidence in Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and had
demonstrated its sincerity in attempting to amend its country's soured relations
with Thailand.
Burmese Prime Minister Than Shwe, Maung Aye, the vice chairman of the
country's ruling State Peace and Development Council, and intelligence chief
Khin Nyunt understand the situation in the border areas, Surakiart said.
Last month's border skirmishes have not seriously damaged relations between
the two countries, he claimed.
Relations between Thailand and Burma soured last month after exchanges of
artillery shelling between Thai and Burmese troops in border areas near Chiang
Mai.
Rangoon was angered by the incident, reacting with official protests,
border closures and a series of written and verbal attacks carried in the
state-run media.
According to Surakiart, Thailand has made several attempts to open
diplomatic channels to facilitate negotiations aimed at reopening the borders
and smoothing relations.
However, a government source said Burmese leaders remained in no mood to
hold such talks.
Surakiart hopes to hold bilateral talks with his Burmese counterpart Win
Aung, who has been invited to attend the Asia Cooperation Dialogue meeting
starting tomorrow in Cha-am.
However, the latter has not yet confirmed he will attend.
In Rangoon, however, Reuters reported yesterday that state-owned newspapers
had renewed their attacks on Thailand, accusing it of abusing a goodwill visit
to Thailand by a Burmese military leader in April.
Burmese-language newspapers accused the Thai military of spreading
"fabricated news" that Maung Aye did not object to its plan to fight against an
ethnic-minority group inside Burma.
They also criticised Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, saying he had
distorted the incidents that sparked the recent border tensions.
Burmese troops, backed by their allies in the United Wa State Army (UWSA),
launched an offensive last week to recapture bases near the border seized by the
Shan State Army (SSA), an ethnic army the junta says is tacitly supported by
Thai troops.
The Thai Army has denied supporting the SSA and says the Wa is the main
producer of heroin and methamphetamines in the notorious Golden Triangle
region.
"It was reported . . . that General Maung Aye did not protest when he was
informed of the Yodaya's plan to fight against the Wa . . . that news is utterly
wrong," the papers said.
Yodaya is the Burmese version of Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam,
the former name for Thailand.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Monday 17 June 2002
Burma vents fury on energy drink The Burmese government seized and destroyed 67,200 cans of the Thai energy
drink Krathing Daeng late last month, the state-run New Light of Myanmar
reported.
Burma has banned imports of the high-caffeine energy drinks, saying they
are a danger to health.
The destroyed shipment had been illegally imported by a firm which falsely
declared it as fluorescent lamps, the newspaper said. The seized Krathing Daeng
had a street value of 20 million kyat (about one million baht).
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