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BURMA RELATED NEWS - JUNE
26-27, 2002.
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HEADLINES
--------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi enjoys first
political trip unhampered
Reuters - Thailand demands Myanmar apology for
royal insult
AFP - Myanmar's billion-dollar drug burn aims to
counter critics
Reuters - Thailand launches war of words against
Myanmar
AP - Thailand demands apology from Myanmar
over media row
Bkk Post - Reinforcements join Burma's war on
SSA
Bkk Post - Army radio fires first salvo at junta
Bkk Post - Support is lacking for crop
survey
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday June 27, 2:12 PM Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi enjoys first political trip unhampered (AFP) - Myanmar's democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi has enjoyed complete freedom of movement on her trip to
Mandalay, her first political voyage outside the capital since she was released
from house arrest last month.
"She is free to go anywhere. There have been no problems or interference,"
Mandalay's National League for Democracy (NLD) chairman Bo Zan told AFP Thursday
as the party leader was nearing the end of a week-long excursion in the
country's north.
"In Mandalay when we were doing the organisation for her welcome we had a
freehand," he added.
The immensely popular leader left Yangon on Saturday for her first
political trip outside the capital since she was freed from 19 months' house
arrest on May 6.
The trip has particular significance as Mandalay, lying some 695 kilometres
(430 miles) north of Yangon, was the city the ruling military regime barred her
from travelling to in September 2000.
Soon afterwards the generals confined her to her famed lakeside villa in
the capital.
Observers have noted that a trip such as this would be a true test of the
regime's undertaking to grant Aung San Suu Kyi freedom of movement.
An estimated 5,000 jubilant people turned out to greet Aung San Suu Kyi on
her arrival in Mandalay Tuesday, prompting concerns among NLD members of what
the regime's reaction would be.
"We had been rather apprehensive of how the authorities would react to
there being so many people before she arrived," an NLD township chairman Ba Kyaw
told AFP.
"We were very relieved when we found there were no restrictions."
Crowds also waited hours to catch a glimpse of her at Mandalay's Martyrs'
Mausoleum, where the leader paid respects to her father on Wednesday, witnesses
said.
Aung San is known as the father of Myanmar's 1948 independence, although he
was assassinated in 1947.
Residents in downtown Mandalay were in a celebratory mood Wednesday
night.
"Last night from around 8:30 pm (1300 GMT) over 200 people on motorbikes
and many in cars roamed around Mandalay city, hooting horns and shouting, 'Long
life and good health to Aung San Suu Kyi'," one resident and NLD follower said
Thursday.
"Her visit here has really rejuvenated the people spirtually and mentally.
The fact that she's been given freedom of movement is a good sign that things
are going well between her and the authorities," he added.
Aung San Suu Kyi was scheduled Thursday to visit projects overseen by the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
"She has left to visit UNDP projects at Monywa and Sagaing," Mandalay's NLD
chairman Bo Zan said.
Monywa lies 154 kilometres (96 miles) west of the capital of Mandalay
division, while Sagaing is 26 kilometres away.
"Today has been kept for this observation trip. She will not meet with
party members today," he said, adding that she was not expected to return until
early evening.
On Friday NLD members from 16 district townships are expected to converge
on the Mandalay divisional headquarters to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, he said.
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Thursday June 27, 1:43 PM
Thailand demands Myanmar apology for royal insult By Trirat Puttajanyawong BANGKOK, June 27 (Reuters) -
Thailand, angered by weeks of criticism from Myanmar media and officials, on
Thursday demanded an apology from the military junta over articles which
criticised past Thai monarchs.
"It is outrageous that they have insulted our most revered institution,"
Deputy Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha told reporters. "Myanmar must show
responsibility and apologise."
On Wednesday, the Thai military announced it would use its radio and
television network to wage a media war against Yangon, saying it was responding
to weeks of attacks in the Myanmar media.
Tempers flared between the two countries last month after Myanmar accused
Thailand of aiding the Shan State Army, an ethnic minority rebel group fighting
the junta.
Myanmar officials and newspapers have been calling Thailand
"Yodaya" -- a reference to a former Thai kingdom centred on the city of
Ayutthaya which was sacked by an invading army from Myanmar in 1767. Articles in
Myanmar newspapers have attacked the Thais and their monarchy -- a very grave
insult in Thailand.
The Thai military owns almost half of around 500 radio stations across the
country and two out of six national television networks.
Thailand has repeatedly denied helping Shan and Karen guerrillas fighting
the Myanmar junta. But diplomats say many in the Thai military view the Shan as
an essential counterbalance to the United Wa State Army, another ethnic minority
army.
The Wa, a former rebel group that made peace with the Yangon junta in 1989,
is accused by Thailand of being behind most drug production in the Golden
Triangle region.
The Thai Defence Ministry was to summon the Myanmar military attache in
Bangkok on Thursday to protest the offending newspaper articles, Yuthasak said.
Despite the war of words, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on
Thursday that leaders of the two countries had an "excellent relationship". But
he urged Yangon to take action over the newspaper articles.
"It is inappropriate that the government-run newspapers have run defamatory
articles. They must urgently take action to correct this," he told reporters.
Thaksin is keen to improve relations with Myanmar, but he has also pledged
to crack down on drug production by the United Wa State Army.
Thai newspapers say the border tension has sparked a split between the
government and military, with Thaksin trying to soothe relations with the junta
while the military favours a firmer line.
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Wednesday June 26, 11:24 PM
Myanmar's billion-dollar drug burn aims to counter critics (AFP) - Military-ruled Myanmar,
the world's largest opium producer, put the torch to drugs it said were worth
more than a billion dollars in its latest bid to convince critics it is
committed to eradicating the menace.
In a steady downpour and accompanied by a military tattoo, the junta
flicked a switch to ignite an incinerator into which workers shovelled bags of
heroin bricks and amphetamines.
Senior General Than Shwe, the country's top ruler, and international
diplomats attended the burning ceremony, the 16th of its type held by the junta
since 1990.
It destroyed 3,027 kilograms (6,650 pounds) of opium, 240 kilograms of
heroin, 434 kilograms of marijuana, 34.9 million amphetamine tables, four
million ephedrine tablets and 2,865 kilograms of powdered ephedrine.
"The value of drugs to be destroyed today is estimated at 1,078 million US
dollars, calculated at retail prices on the streets of America," the Central
Committee for Drug Abuse Control's Brigadier-General Zaw Win said in a speech
before the display.
"The Myanmar government is totally aware of the scarring threat and is
seriously undertaking and trying its utmost best to combat these deplorable
drugs as a national duty."
Some 200 people attended the ceremony, which marked the United Nations
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and was held on the
grounds of the vast Myanmar Drugs Elimination Museum in suburban Yangon.
International journalists were allowed to enter Myanmar to cover the the
event after not being granted visas to the country for the past seven
weeks.
"You can see how much effort we have undertaken," said Colonel Kyaw Thein,
Yangon's top anti-drugs official, nodding towards the incinerator as black
clouds belched from its smokestack.
Foreign Minister Win Aung, several top dignitaries, military officials and
senior diplomats watched as US Drug Enforcement Agency officials helped conduct
spot checks on packets of heroin to verify there were actual drugs being
destroyed.
"It's a major task, there is a lot of work to be done," Colonel Jack
Dibrell, the US defense attache in Yangon, said of Myanmar's drug problem.
According to the latest State Department anti-narcotics report published
this year, Myanmar is the world's largest producer of illicit opium.
It is also the primary source of amphetamine-type stimulants in Asia.
Critics claim the narcotics trade bankrolls the military government, and
say that peace deals signed between the junta and ethnic insurgent groups were
reached only after the junta promised to turn a blind eye to drugs cultivation
in areas controlled by provincial druglords.
The pro-Yangon ethnic United Wa State Army is considered to be the biggest
drug militia in the world.
But Myanmar says it is doing its best to curb the drugs trade, and wants
more international help in doing so.
Last month the country announced through its public relations firm in
Washington the launch of a new anti-heroin drive, code-named "Project Hell
Flower".
The program is an exchange project designed to convince farmers to swap
opium seeds for rice, wheat, maize and corn, the military government said in a
statement.
As part of that project, just over 114 tons of poppy seeds were burnt
during two other ceremonies in northern Myanmar this month, which Kyaw Thein
said could have been used to produce some three billion dollars worth of
heroin.
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Wednesday June 26, 6:22 PM
Thailand launches war of words against Myanmar By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's
military, angered by weeks of criticism from Myanmar media and officials, said
on Wednesday it would retaliate through its radio and television network, a move
likely to further stoke bilateral tension.
The Thai Ministry of Defence said it would also summon the Myanmar military
attache in Bangkok to protest against articles in the official English-language
New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
"We can stand their stray shells on our soil, but we can't stand the
insults to our monarchy," said ministry spokesman Surapan Poomkaew. "Our duty is
to protect the throne."
Myanmar officials and newspapers have been calling Thailand "Yodaya" -- a
reference to a former Thai kingdom centred on the city of Ayutthaya which was
sacked by an invading army from Myanmar in 1767.
Daily articles in Myanmar newspapers have attacked the Thais and their
monarchy -- a very grave insult in Thailand.
Tempers flared between the two countries last month after Myanmar accused
Thailand of aiding the Shan State Army, an ethnic minority rebel group fighting
the junta and its allies in the United Wa State Army.
Stray shells from fighting in Myanmar's border regions often fall on Thai
soil.
The ethnic minority Wa army, a former rebel group that made peace with the
junta in 1989, is accused by Thailand of being behind most drug production in
the Golden Triangle region.
Thailand has repeatedly denied helping Shan and Karen guerrillas fighting
the Myanmar junta. But diplomats say many in the Thai military view the Shan as
an essential counterbalance to the Wa in the fight against drugs.
AGE-OLD FOES
Surapan told a news conference programmes on the history of Thai-Myanmar
relations would start running on Thai television and radio. The countries have
been foes for centuries.
The Thai military owns almost half of around 500 radio stations across the
country and two out of six national television networks.
"Thai people wish to uphold a good and friendly relationship (with
Myanmar), but there is a limit to our patience when our revered monarchy is
insulted," the military said in a statement.
Despite the war of words between two sides, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra said on Wednesday there were no problems in relations between leaders
of the two countries.
"Our principles are we will never interfere in others' domestic affairs and
we will not let anyone infringe our sovereignty," Thaksin told reporters.
The row has presented Thaksin Shinawatra with a thorny foreign policy
problem.
Thaksin is keen to improve relations with Myanmar, and has so far not
responded to the series of verbal attacks from the junta. But he has also
pledged to crack down on drugs, and vowed to capture notorious Wa druglord Wei
Hseuh-Kang "dead or alive".
Thai newspapers say the border tension has sparked a split between the
government and military, with Thaksin trying to placate the junta while the
military favoured a firmer line.
Thailand has been pushing for talks with Myanmar for weeks, but has so far
been rebuffed.
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Thailand demands apology from
Myanmar over media row
Thu Jun 27, 5:14 AM ET BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -
Thailand demanded Thursday that Myanmar apologize for articles by state media
attacking the Thai monarchy, firing the latest shot in an escalating war of
words between the traditional Southeast Asian rivals.
Simmering tensions were brought to a boil last month by an exchange of
artillery fire across their northern border. Myanmar's military junta accuses
Thailand of supporting ethnic minority rebels that operate in the area, a charge
denied by Bangkok.
Myanmar responded with a verbal barrage by its state media that has
recently included attacks on Thailand's monarchy, angering a nation where the
king is revered and criticizing him is a crime punishable by imprisonment.
Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Yuthasak Sasiprapa said Thursday that the Thai
government would lodge a formal protest with a Myanmar military attache in
Bangkok.
"Myanmar must take responsibility for the articles that insult the Thai
monarchy and apologize," Yuthasak told reporters. "They cannot ignore this
matter."
State media in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, have described a Thai king
who liberated the country from Burmese occupiers centuries ago as brutal. Media
reports have also referred to Thailand using the name of a Thai kingdom that was
later sacked by a Burmese army.
Thailand's military took to the airwaves Wednesday to retaliate against the
media campaign by Myanmar.
On orders from the country's defense minister, army-run radio stations
carried a commentary that chided Myanmar for its inability to achieve peace and
stability since achieving independence from Britain a half century ago.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has consistently struck a
conciliatory tone since the border incident on May 20. He said Thursday that
Myanmar "must do something" about its media campaign "for the sake of bilateral
relations."
Besides unleashing its media against Thailand, Myanmar has closed key
border crossings, expelled Thai workers and banned visits by official Thai
delegations.
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Bangkok Post - Thursday 27 June
20
Reinforcements join Burma's war on
SSA
Drug kingpin's unit called up by Rangoon
Subin Khuenkaew
Rangoon has mobilised armed units of some ethnic minority groups to join
its ongoing drive against Shan State Army rebels, a source said yesterday.
The units mobilised were the 171st Special Division of the United Wa State
Army under drug kingpin Wei Hsueh-kang, and the 7th Division under Lt-Col Dao
Kwan and the 815th Special Division under Lt-Col Jai Luen, both of the Shan
State Army (North).
These two Shan divisions have defected to the Burmese side, leaving only
fighters of the Shan State Army (South) under Col Yawd Serk fighting against
Rangoon at the moment.
Both Lt-Col Dao Kwan and Lt-Col Jai Luen were known to have been involved
in the drugs trade, the source said. The 815th Division, in particular, has set
up its headquarters at Mak Yang village near Tachilek.
The source also said the Burmese government has already returned the
control of Mong Yawn town to Wei Hsueh-kang.
Earlier, the junta had ordered him to withdraw his Wa fighers from Mong
Yawn, located opposite Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district, following strong criticism
from outside Burma that Wei had turned the town into a major production base of
illicit drugs.
The source said Wei also had financed the transport of troops from northern
Burma to take part in Rangoon's drive against Shan rebels based near the Thai
border.
Wei's division had provided weapons to the two Shan divisions that defected
to Rangoon, the source added.
Lt-Col Dao Kwan's 7th Division, with between 500-700 fighters, is based at
Mong Nong and Kun Hing west of Keng Tung. It has been offered a special
administration area located in Burma opposite Chiang Mai's Chiang Dao and Wiang
Haeng districts.
The 815th Division has been offered a special administration area opposite
Chiang Rai's Mae Fa Luang and Chiang Saen districts.
The source said the Burmese junta, by giving some minority groups some
autonomy in these special administration zones, has effectively created more
buffer zones along its border with Thailand.
An officer of the Pha Muang Task Force guarding the frontier in the Upper
North said the presence of drug-producing minority groups along the border would
certainly cause more drug problems for Thailand.
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Bangkok Post - Thursday 27 June
20
Army radio fires first salvo at junta Premier continues conciliatory stance Wassana Nanuam The Defence Ministry struck back at Rangoon yesterday through a radio
commentary on Burma's shattered peace since it gained independence from
Britain.
The Burmese military attache was also summoned to receive a formal note
from the Supreme Command protesting at recent Burmese intrusions into Thailand
and newspaper articles criticising a Thai king.
The protest demanded both the Burmese government and the writer of the
article show responsibility for the offence. The attache did not indicate when
he would answer the summons.
In contrast to the military, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was
conciliatory. He told the Associated Press he would ensure the army did not
support anti-Rangoon ethnic rebels along the border.
The defence commentary was broadcast on 126 army-run radio stations at
6.30pm. It was seen as retalitation against Burma's insulting remarks directed
at a Thai king of the Ayutthaya period.
The military has refrained from retaliating to criticism in the past, but a
full-scale war of words is now in the making.
``Where is Peace?'' was presented by Maj-Gen Palangkoon Klaharn, deputy
defence spokesman.
The commentary began with the ministry's protest note to Rangoon over
articles in New Light of Myanmar , the junta's official mouthpiece, attacking
King Naresuan the Great of Ayutthaya.
Quoting experts on Burmese history, the commentary moved to the Burmese
political situation and the Panglong conference after World War II, when Burma
demanded independence from Britain.
The conference, called by Gen Aung San, father of Burmese opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, resulted in the Panglong agreement. It stated that freedom
would be more speedily achieved through the immediate cooperation of the Shan,
the Kachin and the Chin with the interim Burmese government.
``The Panglong agreement would lead to the promulgation of a constitution
and a general election in Burma. On January 4, 1948, Burma gained
independence,'' he said.
``But the Panglong agreement was never put into practice, resulting in
disorder and fighting in the country.''
The programme ended with a song written by King Rama VI which said a state
ruled by the unrighteous was a condemned state.
The ministry was expected to continue the attack in the Siam Manusati radio
programme, starting at 6.45am today.
This commentary was to focus on consequences of Burma's failure to
implement the Panglong agreement and the effects on Thailand.
It was also to touch on Burma's support for drug production by the Wa and
encroachment on Thai sovereignty during fighting between junta troops and ethnic
rebels.
Burma was to be advised to be sincere and fair in resolving conflicts with
ethnic groups and bringing peace to the region.
At army headquarters yesterday, a press statement reprimanding the Burmese
junta and Ma Tin Win, who wrote the article criticising the former Thai king,
was read out by Lt-Gen Suraphan Phumkaew, the defence spokesman.
An air of seriousness filled the press conference room. National flags were
displayed in the background while Lt-Gen Suraphan read out the statement.
``The writer harbours bad attitudes towards Thailand. She deliberately
distorts history and insults the monarch. This person and the Burmese government
must show responsibility to the Thai people,'' he said.
They must start by stopping reporting news and publishing articles related
to the monarchy, correcting any distortions and apologising to the Thai
people.
Asked why the armed forces were slow to respond, he said the military kept
quiet because it wanted to help maintain Thai-Burmese relations.
``King Naresuan the Great is the beloved king of the military, so we won't
tolerate any insults directed at the king. Our patience for insults to the
monarchy is limited,'' he said.
Lt-Gen Suraphan said the protest was being made by the armed forces and had
nothing to do with the government.
The Defence Ministry would mobilise its resources to strike back if Rangoon
failed to end its propaganda war against Thailand, he said.
In the meantime the ministry would broadcast information over its radio and
television network to promote understanding by the Thai people.
Mr Thaksin told Associated Press the May 20 cross-border shelling of
Burmese and Wa positions was an accident, ``which I am not very happy
about''.
While the army needs to protect the country's sovereignty, it ``should not
interfere in the internal affairs [of Burma] by helping the minorities fight
against the government.''
He acknowledged that some minority groups were close to the Thai army,
which led to ``misunderstandings''.
However, Burma should not use its state media to hit out at Thailand.
``If the Myanmar [Burmese] government would like to enjoy a good
relationship with the Thai government they should trust my leadership,'' he
said.
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Bangkok Post - Thursday 27 June
20
Support is lacking for crop
survey
Opium growing again since Taleban's fall
Post reporters
Lack of international support for Burma is hampering United Nations efforts
to conduct a ground survey of illicit drug cultivation in the country, a senior
official of the UN Drug Control Programme said yesterday.
Narumi Yamada, officer-in-charge of the UNDCP's Regional Centre for East
Asia and the Pacific, said UNDCP had started ``assisting'' Burma measure the
extent of cultivation by providing training in data collection and sending
trained teams to the Shan states.
The results of the ground survey were expected later this year, and
satellite data would be used for areas inaccessible to the teams.
``Of course, the impediments to these efforts is lack of
support...especially in the case of Burma, we haven't been able to do as
comprehensive a survey,'' she said.
Burma, Afghanistan and Laos are the main opium producing countries where
the UNDCP has launched crop monitoring programmes.
Ms Yamada was speaking after presenting a UNDCP report on global trends in
illicit drugs.
The report highlights the impacts of the Taleban's ban on opium production
in Afghanistan which succeeded in cutting production by 94% last year.
But the report said cultivation had resumed since the regime's collapse. A
survey in February showed that renewed cultivation could cover 45,000 to 65,000
hectares and produce 1,900-2,700 tonnes.
``The Afghan interim administration banned opium cultivation on Jan 17,
2002. At that time however, most opium poppy fields had already been sown,'' the
report said.
``Although most farmers interviewed said they were uncertain about being
able to harvest opium this spring because of the ban, the high prices offered by
local traders created a powerful incentive,'' it said.
The report also highlights a remarkable increase in East and Southeast Asia
in trafficking, production, and consumption of amphetamine-type stimulants,
including methamphetamines.
Ms Yamada said the two regions accounted for 81% of global trafficking in
these drugs, with China alone accounting for 54% and Thailand 19%.
But cannabis was in most widespread use, the report said. Of the 185
million people thought to be taking illicit drugs, 147 million were on cannabis,
33 million on amphetamines, seven million on ecstasy, 13 million on cocaine, and
13 million on opiates, of which 9 million are on heroin.
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