[burmanet2-l] Burma Related News - Oct 03-05, 2002.

["TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - October  03 - 05, 2002.
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HEADLINES
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Reuters - Myanmar's Suu Kyi Not Confident of Reform
Reuters - Downer says Suu Kyi has doubts over Myanmar reform
Reuters - Thais say Myanmar agrees changes in gas contract
Reuters - Asia energy stockpile way for the future -Malaysia
Reuters - Australia's Downer gets few promises from Myanmar
Reuters - US dismayed at arrests in Myanmar
Reuters - Myanmar ex-dictator's kin appeal death sentences
AFP - Myanmar democracy activist Suu Kyi wins UNESCO prize
AFP - Myanmar's Suu Kyi urges supporters to mount "constant struggle"
AFP - Thai FM official to make fence-mending visit to Myanmar
Dow Jones - Latin America Bans Rice Imports From Several Asia Nations
AP - Australian foreign minister says Myanmar political reform uncertain
AP - Myanmar to discount additional gas sold to Thailand
VOA news - Australian Foreign Minister Disappointed with Burma Trip
The Nation - Rangoon visit to mend fences
Xinhuanet - WHO warns about HIV threat from rising drug use in Asia
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Myanmar's Suu Kyi Not Confident of Reform
Thu Oct 3, 4:43 AM ET
By Dominic Whiting

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said
Thursday Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was "not very confident"
that the military junta was prepared to bring democracy to the impoverished
country.

Speaking in Bangkok after a two-day trip to Yangon, Downer said Myanmar's
ruling generals should begin negotiations with Suu Kyi and her National
League for Democracy (NLD) to give the country's economy a chance of
recovery.

But Downer, the highest level Western politician to visit Myanmar for almost
two decades, said the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner was "skeptical about any
concessions" made by the military government.

"She is not very confident that a great deal of progress is going to be
made," he told reporters at Bangkok airport.

"But she is very determined and obviously she very much hopes that
representations that we've made and the Japanese (have made) in support of
the United Nations will encourage the generals to engage in dialogue," he
added.

Downer met Myanmar's top three generals Wednesday and also held talks with
Suu Kyi. But although the junta told Downer it was committed to democracy,
it gave no hint of when it would start real dialogue on political change.

Asked whether the military had said when it might begin talks with Suu Kyi,
Downer replied: "No, no indication."

Downer's trip shows greater willingness by Australia to engage Myanmar's
isolated junta, following signs of tentative political reform.

Other Western nations have hailed signs of progress but say Myanmar must do
more before they ease sanctions on Yangon.

"FRIENDLY"

Government officials in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, began sporadic
"confidence building" meetings with Suu Kyi in October 2000, a move welcomed
by the international community.

Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, fueling
expectations that political change was on the way.

But since then, the junta has not held any meetings with Suu Kyi, leading
many analysts to say the generals were using her release to soften world
opinion without committing to reform.

"They were friendly and they seemed to be committed to the process of
political reform," Downer said of his meetings with Myanmar's top generals.

Suu Kyi's NLD was the overwhelming winner of Myanmar's last elections, held
in 1990. But the junta did not hand over power.

The ruling generals say moving too fast on democracy risks unleashing
anarchy. They say the country's many ethnic groups would turn on each other
and that Myanmar would disintegrate without strong government.

Pro-democracy demonstrations were bloodily suppressed in 1988, and since
then the military has tightened its grip.

Four relatives of elderly former dictator Ne Win were sentenced to death
last week for allegedly plotting a coup. Myanmar's tottering economy has
been pushed toward collapse by international sanctions, and the national
currency, the kyat, has plunged to record lows of around 1,200 to the
dollar.

"Until there is some political reform in Burma, international investors
aren't going to show a lot of interest in going there," Downer said.
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Thursday October 3, 8:46 PM
Downer says Suu Kyi has doubts over Myanmar reform
By Dominic Whiting

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Australia's foreign minister ended a visit to Myanmar on
Thursday saying the ruling generals had given him no timeframe for political
reform and that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi doubted the junta would
allow change.

Alexander Downer, the highest-level Western official to visit Myanmar in
almost two decades, met the country's top three generals on Wednesday and
also held talks with Suu Kyi.

Downer said he had told the junta that the international community wanted
swift progress towards democracy, and that Myanmar's economy would not
recover unless the country embraced reform.

But he said the message from Myanmar's generals was mixed -- they repeated
their insistence that they were committed to democracy but gave no hint of
when they might begin substantive talks with Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi's assessment was also gloomy, he said.

"She is not very confident that a great deal of progress is going to be
made," Downer told reporters on arrival in Bangkok.

Downer's trip signalled greater willingness by Australia to engage Myanmar's
isolated junta, following signs of tentative political reform. Other Western
nations have hailed signs of progress but say Myanmar must do more before
sanctions are eased.

Government officials in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, began sporadic
"confidence building" meetings with Suu Kyi in October 2000, a move welcomed
by the international community.

TALKS STALLED

Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, fuelling
expectations that political change was on the way.

But since then, the junta has not held any meetings with Suu Kyi, leading
many analysts to say the generals were using her release to soften world
opinion without committing to reform.

Downer said junta leader Than Shwe had promised greater democracy. But asked
whether the military had said when it might begin talks with Suu Kyi, Downer
replied: "No, no indication".

He said he had urged dialogue as soon as possible "It's important that gets
under way in the next week or two, and not this time next year -- that was
the exact phrase I used to them," Downer said.

"As I explained to the generals there, Myanmar's ... economy is an economy
that is in very poor shape," he said.

"Investment isn't going to flow into Myanmar until there is real progress
made on political reform."

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was the overwhelming winner of
Myanmar's last elections, held in 1990.

But the junta did not hand over power. The ruling generals say moving too
fast on democracy risks unleashing anarchy. They say the country's many
ethnic groups would turn on each other and that Myanmar would disintegrate
without strong government.

Pro-democracy demonstrations were bloodily suppressed in 1988, and since
then the military has tightened its grip.

Four relatives of elderly former dictator Ne Win were sentenced to death
last week for allegedly plotting a coup. Diplomats said the move was a sign
the junta was bolstering its position and eliminating potential enemies.

Myanmar's tottering economy has been pushed towards collapse by
international sanctions, and the national currency, the kyat, has plunged to
record lows of around 1,200 to the dollar.

Diplomats say the country's economic problems are the main incentive for the
ruling generals to initiate political change and improve relations with the
international community.

But they say the junta hopes that by making gestures like freeing Suu Kyi,
and promising cooperation in fighting drugs production in the notorious
Golden Triangle, it can win greater international acceptance without
implementing political reform.
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Thursday October 3, 7:50 PM
Thais say Myanmar agrees changes in gas contract

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Thailand said on Thursday that neighbouring
Myanmar had agreed to cut the price of natural gas it supplies to state-run
PTT Plc from Yetagun field, a move which could help save costs for the Thai
firm.

Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit told reporters PTT would also pay
$100 million in overdue bills for gas from the Yadana gas field in Myanmar
after the Myanmar government signs the revised contract for supply from
Yetagun.

"The Myanmar cabinet approved plans to revise the gas contract for Yetagun
field. The next step is to sign the official contract, which is expected to
happen very soon," Suriya said.

Suriya said PTT would get a discount for buying natural gas from the Yetagun
field, and had agreed to buy more gas, but he declined to give details of
the new contract.

Under the original contract, PTT was required to buy 200 million cubic feet
per day from Yetagun field in 2000, and up to 260 million cubic feet per day
in 2004.

Suriya said operators at Yetagun would jointly invest $20 million to develop
the quality of gas at the field to be used for generating electricity.

The Yetagun field is 26.67 percent owned by Britain's Premier Oil Plc , 30
percent by Malaysia's Petronas, 15 percent by Myanmar Oil and Gas
Enterprise. PTTEP International and Nippon Oil Corp owns 14.16 percent each
in the field.
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Saturday October 5, 12:45 PM
Asia energy stockpile way for the future -Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Asia probably needs an energy stockpile as
the Middle East's instability continues to threaten oil supplies, Malaysia's
oil industry chief was quoted as saying ahead of a regional economic summit
starting this weekend.

"Perhaps Asia needs to explore the possibility for energy stockpiling
systems," Hassan Marican, president and chief executive of Kuala Lumpur's
state-owned Petronas [PETR.UL], said in an interview ahead of World Economic
Forum's East Asia summit.

"Except for Japan and South Korea, most Asian countries have little or no
stockpiling systems in place," he said in the interview conducted by the WEF
and posted on its website, www.weforum.org, ahead of the three-day summit.

Japan, a member of the International Energy Agency, had 160 days' stock of
oil, including state-owned and private-sector reserves, said Hassan, one of
the summit's co-chairs.

Leading OPEC members meeting in Osaka, Japan, last month declined to commit
to pumping more oil before their next conference in December, even if crude
stayed above the $28 top end of their targeted price range.

Hassan said by 2020, Asia might be consuming 32 percent of world energy
output but would still be relying on Middle East oil imports unless it found
alternatives, particularly for emergency.

He said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Petroleum Security
Agreement may no longer be valid by then as some exporters in the group like
Indonesia and Malaysia may become importers unless additional reserves were
found.

ASEAN's top oil producer is Brunei. The 10-nation association also groups
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and
Thailand.

"Given Asia's high dependence on oil and to a certain extent, coal, it is
also important for Asia to explore the possibilities of diversifying its
energy utilisation to include other energy resources such as gas and
perhaps, renewable energy, which are in abundance," he said.

The Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline and ASEAN Power Grid were among notable efforts
towards self-sufficiency in energy, he said.
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Thursday October 3, 11:15 AM
Australia's Downer gets few promises from Myanmar
By Andrew Marshall

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
leaves Myanmar on Thursday after a visit that gleaned little information on
when -- or if -- the ruling junta would start talks with pro-democracy
activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

Downer met Myanmar's top three generals on Wednesday and also held talks
with Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi. But although the junta repeated its
insistence it was committed to democracy, it gave no hint of when it would
start real dialogue with Suu Kyi.

"They told me they were committed to greater democracy and the lesser rule
of the military. They didn't give me any timetable," Downer told a news
conference in Yangon on Wednesday.

Asked when talks between the military and Suu Kyi might begin, he said: "I
have absolutely no idea."

Downer was the most senior Western official to visit Myanmar, formerly known
as Burma, in two decades.

His trip shows greater willingness by Australia to engage Myanmar's isolated
junta, following signs of tentative political reform. Other Western nations
have hailed signs of progress but say Myanmar must do more before they ease
sanctions on Yangon.

Myanmar government officials began sporadic meetings with Suu Kyi in October
2000, a move hailed by the international community. But the meetings have
not even begun to touch on political reform, focusing instead on
"confidence-building".

Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, fuelling
expectations that political change was on the way.

But since then, the junta has not even bothered to talk to her. Diplomats
say junta leader Than Shwe opposes any move towards democracy and believes
Myanmar can engage the outside world without committing itself to reform.

STALEMATE

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was the overwhelming winner of
Myanmar's last elections, held in 1990.

But the junta refused to hand over power. The ruling generals say they are
committed to democracy but that moving too fast risks unleashing anarchy.
They say the country's many ethnic groups would turn on each other and that
Myanmar would disintegrate unless a strong government stays in place.

Pro-democracy demonstrations were bloodily suppressed in 1988, and since
then the military has tightened its grip.

Four relatives of elderly former dictator Ne Win were sentenced to death
last week for allegedly plotting a coup. Diplomats said the move was a sign
that the junta was bolstering its position and eliminating potential
enemies.

Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail, the U.N. special envoy to Myanmar, played
a key role in brokering the start of meetings between Suu Kyi and the
military, and said in August that substantive talks on Myanmar's future
would start very soon.

But since then, there have been no signs of progress.

Australia billed Downer's visit as a fact-finding mission, and said it would
help open a dialogue between the two governments. Downer was due to hold a
news conference in Bangkok later on Thursday after leaving Myanmar.

Myanmar's tottering economy has been pushed towards collapse by
international sanctions, and the national currency, the kyat, has plunged to
record lows of around 1,200 to the dollar.

Diplomats say the country's economic problems are the main incentive for the
ruling generals to initiate political change and improve relations with the
international community.

But they say the junta hopes that by making gestures like freeing Suu Kyi,
and promising cooperation in fighting drugs production in the notorious
Golden Triangle, it can win greater international acceptance without
implementing political reform.
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Thursday October 3, 18:15 PM
US dismayed at arrests in Myanmar

WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The United States is dismayed at the arrest of
some 30 activists in Myanmar, formerly Burma, a State Department spokeswoman
said on Thursday.

The Washington-based Free Burma Coalition said it had received reports that
the military government had arrested 30 or more activists in what could be a
crackdown to prevent any organized civil unrest in the country.

It named three of them as U Zaw Pe Win and Khin Tun, former leaders of
banned parties, and lawyer Ko Htay, a member of a political party led by U
Aung Gyi.

``The whereabouts and circumstances surrounding their arrests remain
shrouded in mystery, and their families and friends are deeply concerned,''
the coalition said.

The State Department said it could not give details of the arrests but
spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg said, ``We are dismayed at the recent arrests
of activists in Rangoon (Yangon).''

``These arrests are inconsistent with the regime's stated commitment to
political reform and represent a significant step backward. We continue to
urge the regime to release unconditionally all those detained for the
peaceful expression of their political views,'' she added.

The government of Myanmar has promised political reform but its critics say
they doubt it is serious.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who ended a visit to Myanmar
on Thursday, said the ruling generals had given him no time frame for reform
and that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi doubted the junta would allow
change.

The founder of the Free Burma Coalition, Zarni (one name), concurred. ``The
world should not be fooled by the ... generals' rhetoric of commitment to
democracy. These arrests indicate the generals have absolutely no plans to
democratize the country,'' he said in a statement.
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Thursday October 3, 09:06 AM
Myanmar ex-dictator's kin appeal death sentences

YANGON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Lawyers for four relatives of Myanmar ex-dictator
Ne Win convicted of plotting to topple the country's military government
have filed appeals against their death sentences, a legal source said on
Thursday.

Ne Win's son-in-law and three grandsons were sentenced to death by hanging
on September 26 for high treason and had been given seven days to appeal.

``Lawyers Tun Sein and Thein Zaw on Monday lodged appeals to the Supreme
Court,'' a source close to the lawyers told Reuters on condition of
anonymity.

Supreme Court officials declined to comment.

The court has a range of options, including confirming the sentences,
acquitting the four men or lessening their sentences.

``Even if their sentences are confirmed they may not be executed. Death
sentences have not been carried out in Myanmar for more than two decades,''
said a Myanmar legal expert.

Diplomats in Yangon say they are sceptical that the four ever seriously
planned a coup. Some have seen the trial as a way of isolating Ne Win and of
giving more power to other members of the military government.

Ne Win's grandsons Aye Ne Win, 25, Kyaw Ne Win, 22, Zwe Ne Win, 21, and
son-in-law Aye Zaw Win, 54, were arrested in March in a Yangon restaurant
where they were allegedly plotting the coup with a senior army officer.

All four had pleaded not guilty during the trial.

The death sentences last week, coming 44 years to the day after Ne Win first
took power as head of a brief caretaker government, represent a sudden fall
from grace for him.

Ne Win ruled Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, with an iron fist after
toppling a later elected civilian government in a 1962 coup. Despite
relinquishing formal power in 1988, he was widely believed to have retained
considerable influence.

Some analysts say the trial had the twin aims of crushing the influence of
Ne Win's daughter, Sandar Win, who had built up a significant business
empire, and strengthening the head of the junta, Senior General Than Shwe,
at a time when the economy is crumbling.

Ne Win and his daughter are under virtual house arrest at their lakeside
home in Yangon.
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Friday October 4, 14:58PM
Myanmar democracy activist Suu Kyi wins UNESCO prize

PARIS, Oct 4 (AFP) - Democracy campaigner leader Aung San Suu Kyi Friday won
an international prize awarded by the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of her 12-year-long campaign
for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, received the 100,000-dollar
(102,000-euro) UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance
and Non-Violence, awarded every two years.

UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura announced the prize, and Nasser
el-Ansary, head of the Institute of the Arab World in Paris and the jury
president, said in a statement that Suu Kyi was "an international symbol of
peaceful resistance to oppression."

The jury also gave five honorable mentions, including a posthumous one to
United States journalist Daniel Pearl, killed in Pakistan earlier this year
while reporting on radical Islamic networks.

UNESCO said the prize had been created thanks to the generosity of the
Indian writer and former UNESCO Goodwill ambassador Madanjeet Singh.

The last winner, in 2000, was Chenouda III, head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox
Church, who has worked to promote interfaith dialogue.

Meanwhile on Friday Aung San Suu Kyi herself urged supporters to mount a
constant struggle for security and freedom in the military-run southeast
Asian country of Myanmar, formerly Burma.

She told a crowd of about 1,000 in Thin-gan-kyun township 10 kilometres (six
miles) east of the Myanmar capital Yangon that under the current regime the
nation's development was being hindered.

It was the latest in a series of political trips she has been allowed to
make since the military government released her from 19 months under house
arrest in May.

Myanmar has been branded a pariah nation by the international community and
punished with heavy economic sanctions because of its refusal to consider
political reforms.
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Friday October 4, 05:57AM
Myanmar's Suu Kyi urges supporters to mount "constant struggle"

YANGON, Oct 4 (AFP) - Democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi Friday urged
supporters outside the Myanmar capital to mount a "constant struggle" for
security and freedom in the military-run country.

The Nobel peace laureate told a crowd of about 1,000 in Thin-gan-kyun
township 10 kilometres (six miles) east of Yangon that under the current
regime the nation's development was being hindered.

"Security and freedom are the basic requirements in stepping up our
struggle. Without fulfilling these basic needs we cannot work for social,
economic and educational progress of the nation," she said.

"We have to make a constant struggle until we achieve success in these
areas."

The Nobel peace laureate arrived in the township early Friday to elect a new
local Youth Committee of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

It was the latest in a series of political trips she has been allowed to
make since the military government released her from 19 months under house
arrest in May.

After the party business was completed, Aung San Suu Kyi greeted the large
crowd of supporters waiting outside the NLD office which filled both sides
of the tree-lined street.

As usual her appearance was well received with the gathered crowd cheering,
clapping and shouting "Long live Aung San Suu Kyi".

In a rousing impromptu speech the diminutive opposition leader called on her
supporters to strive with "unyielding spirit" to achieve their common goal
which she said "depended on the power of the people".

"Our struggle now is 14 years old. We have to pay a high price for things we
value and cherish," she said.

The crowd quickly dispersed soon after without any untoward incidents,
observers said.

During a visit to Myanmar this week, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister
Alexander Downer said he had told the ruling generals that aid and
investment would not return to the impoverished country until there was
"real progress made on political reform".

"They certainly understood my messages loud and clear," he said.

Myanmar has been branded a pariah nation by the international community and
punished with heavy economic sanctions because of its refusal to consider
political reforms.
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Friday October 4, 05:52AM
Thai FM official to make fence-mending visit to Myanmar

BANGKOK, Oct 4 (AFP) - Thailand's top foreign ministry official Tej Bunnag
is to visit Myanmar next week in a bid to mend relations with its
military-ruled government, a ministry official said Friday.

Tej, permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs, is scheduled to
meet with Myanmar officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win
during Monday's one-day visit, the official said.

"He will attend a senior officials meeting being held to restore ties
between Thailand and Myanmar," he said.

Relations between the neighbouring countries have been strained since May
when deadly border clashes led to Myanmar accusing Thailand of assisting
rebels fighting its troops.

Myanmar unilaterally closed its border with Thailand in the wake of the
dispute.

A fence-mending visit to Yangon by Thai foreign minister Surakiart
Sathirathai in August, followed by a reciprocal visit by his counterpart Win
Aung to Bangkok last month, have both failed to resolve the crisis.

Despite the two sides saying that relations have improved, there has still
been no date set for a reopening of the checkpoints whose closure has choked
bilateral trade.

Surakiart said Friday that Tej's visit was in line with plans for a 10-point
agreement to resolve the issue and clear misunderstandings which was
discussed with Win Aung in Bangkok.

"As of now 90 percent of the matter is resolved. Only 10 percent, which is
mostly concerned with details, will be discussed and I expect some sort of
agreement will be reached during the upcoming trip," he told reporters.

Surakiart said he was optimistic that the agreement would prevent future
border closures, although he could not say when he expected the current
situation to be reversed.

"There will be some kind of technical agreement coming out of this trip to
prevent future problems when the checkpoints are reopened," he said.
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Friday October 4, 7:02 PM
Latin America Bans Rice Imports From Several Asia Nations

Bangkok, Oct. 4 (Dow Jones) - Latin American countries recently banned rice
imports from several Asian nations, including Thailand, saying the rice
contains unacceptable levels of pests and other contaminants, Pinit
Korsieporn, director of the Foreign Agricultural Relations Division at the
Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said Friday.

Countries under the OIRSA group comprising Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala,
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and Belize have banned rice from
Thailand, Vietnam, India, China, Myanmar, the Philippines, and some European
countries, Pinit told Dow Jones Newswires.

However, Thailand says the accusation on rice quality is unfair and that it
plans to asking these countries to produce scientific evidence.

"The accusation is groundless...We're trying to convince them to lift the
ban on Thai rice although it will take time," Pinit said.

Pinit said Mexico had banned Thai rice imports since 1997 for the same
reason, but then recently agreed to allow the imports to continue resume,
Pinit said. The Thai government spent five years working to regain access to
the Mexican market, he said.

However, the latest ban won't have a significant impact on Thai rice exports
as these countries buy only small quantities of Thai rice, Pinit said,
adding they buy a lot of rice from the U.S.

Thailand is the world's largest rice exporter. It exported a record nearly
7.55 million metric tons of rice in 2001 and expects to ship around 7
million tons this year.
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Australian foreign minister says Myanmar political reform uncertain
Thu Oct 3, 9:05 AM ET
By DANIEL LOVERING, Associated Press Writer

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said
Thursday that the international community should continue exerting
diplomatic pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta to urge political reforms.

Downer, the first Australian foreign minister to visit Myanmar in nearly 20
years, ended a two-day visit Thursday aimed at promoting dialogue between
the country's ruling junta and pro-democracy forces.

"All we in the international community can do ... is continue to argue the
case for reform and hope that diplomacy has some effect," he told reporters
during a stopover in Bangkok.

On Wednesday, Downer met with three of the people most crucial to Myanmar's
future, junta leader Gen. Than Shwe, military intelligence chief Gen. Khin
Nyunt and Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the opposition National League for
Democracy.

He said he urged Myanmar's ruling generals to quickly move forward with the
process of national reconciliation, but that they gave no indication of when
major political strides might be made.

The release of more political prisoners was another issue he raised with the
military rulers, Downer said.

"They seemed to be accepting of the points I put to them," Downer said. "But
does that mean that there will be progress? We'll just have to wait and
see."

The Australian minister said that Suu Kyi, who was released from 19 months
house arrest in May, was "skeptical" about commitments made by the
government to Downer.

"Than Shwe said he wanted to make Myanmar more democratic, and obviously we
hope to see progress, but we hope to see progress very soon," he said.

Myanmar's economy is "in very poor shape," the minister said, adding that
investment would not flow into the potentially resource-rich country until
there is evidence of political progress.

"(Third-ranking leader) Khin Nyunt said to me that he understood only too
clearly the links between politics and economics and economics and
politics," he said.
Downer said Australia was looking "forward to faster and more effective
progress in the weeks ahead."

The junta came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy uprising. It
called elections in 1990 but refused to hand over power when Suu Kyi's party
won.

The two sides have been engaged in closed-door talks since October 2000,
though negotiations have lapsed despite Suu Kyi's pleas for them to resume.

Downer said Australia could play a role in Myanmar's transition due to its
close geographic proximity and "regional perspective."

"We have much heavier engagement with (Southeast Asian) countries than any
so-called Western country," he said.

But Downer added that the United Nations must remain at the forefront of
negotiations to promote democracy in Myanmar due to its neutrality, and that
his visit was to support efforts by U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail, who is
credited with bringing together Suu Kyi and the junta for talks.
Australia has taken a more conciliatory line toward Myanmar than other
Western countries by not imposing political or economic sanctions.

Last year, Canberra conducted a series of human rights workshops for Myanmar
officials as part of an assistance package designed to reduce abuses. It
also recently donated money to fight HIV/AIDS among intravenous drug users
in Myanmar.

The last Australian foreign minister to travel to Myanmar before Downer was
Bill Hayden in 1983.

Downer will travel to Indonesia early Friday before a visit to Malaysia.
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Myanmar to discount additional gas sold to Thailand
Fri Oct 4, 00:12 AM ET

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Myanmar has agreed to reduce the price of natural
gas purchased by neighboring Thailand beyond the daily contracted amount, a
newspaper reported Friday.

The move is expected to cut Thailand's natural gas expenses by billions of
baht (millions of dollars), The Nation reported, quoting outgoing Industry
Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit.

Suriya was quoted as saying that the concession would make natural gas a
cheaper source of energy than fuel oil.

Under a contract with Myanmar, Thailand was required to buy a minimum of 200
million standard cubic feet of gas a day in 2000, increasing to 260 million
cubic feet daily in 2004, the report said.

The state-owned Petroleum Authority of Thailand signed natural gas purchase
agreements with Yadana gas field in 1994 and the Yetagun field in 1999.

Suriya said Thailand would settle an outstanding bill of US$100 million with
the Yadana field after signing the contract amendment, according to The
Nation.

Suriya was moved to the post of communications minister in a Cabinet
reshuffle Thursday. Thailand's new industry minister is Somsak Thepsutin.
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VOA News
Australian Foreign Minister Disappointed with Burma Trip
Ron Corben, Bangkok
3 Oct 2002 13:23 UTC

Australia's foreign minister says Burma's military government continues to
make only vague promises about democratic reform. Alexander Downer spent two
days in Burma, but had little positive to say.

He told reporters he pressed the military government hard on quickly opening
substantive talks on political reform with the democratic opposition.

"I made it clear, that in terms of re-instituting dialogue with the National
League for Democracy and Aung San Suu Kyi, it is important that that gets
under way in the next week or two, not this time next year, was the exact
phrase I used with them," he said.

But Mr. Downer said he came away disappointed, because the ruling generals
were short on specifics.

"They said they are committed to the reform process, but they gave me no
timetable at all," he said. "So, I have nothing to offer on that front. I
just don't know what sort of a timetable they are adhering to."

Mr. Downer met with the head of the opposition National League for
Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, who told him she was "not very confident" that
the military was preparing to bring democracy to Burma.

It has been 12 years since the National League for Democracy won elections,
but was prevented from taking power by the military.

The NLD has been repressed and many of its members imprisoned. That began to
change two years ago, when U.N. envoy Razali Ismail brokered a series of
meetings.

Burma's government has lifted some restrictions on the NLD, but the party
and the international community have expressed frustration that the talks
have not produced any concrete plan for political reconciliation.
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The Nation
Published on Oct 5, 2002
THAI-BURMA RELATIONS: Rangoon visit to mend fences

Permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs Tej Bunnag is to travel to Burma on
Monday to discuss rebuilding relations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Rattakit
Manathat said yesterday.

Tej will meet Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win and senior
Burmese officials. His trip is aimed at healing strained relations between
the neighbouring countries after a series of border clashes and a rancorous
exchange of words. Rattakit said the agenda would include the re-opening of
checkpoints closed by Burma as a result of the skirmishes.
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WHO warns about HIV threat from rising drug use in Asia
Xinhuanet 2002-10-04 15:40:37

MANILA, Oct. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Asia is under threat of an explosion in HIV
infection due to a rise in drug injection and a lack of effective
interventions to address the problem, the World Health Organization (WHO)
warned.

The use of drugs mainly including methamphetamines and heroin, has risen
across the region as drugs have become cheaper and more widely available,
the Manila-based WHO Office for the Western Pacific said in a press
statement on Friday.

Changing social environments and the loss of traditional socialsupport
systems have also fuelled the problem, and that as HIV canbe easily
transmitted through the sharing of injecting equipment, the virus has spread
rapidly among drug users, the Office said.

Drug injection has historically been closely linked to Asia's AIDS problem
and is still the driving factor behind the epidemic in many countries. It
accounts for 60 percent to 70 percent of allHIV infections in Malaysia,
Myanmar, Vietnam and China, it said.

"There is a real public health crisis here which has not been well
recognized," said Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for Western Pacific.
Despite the growth of the problem and its impact on public health, not
enough has been done to address the crisis.

Effective HIV prevention and drug treatment programs are few, while punitive
treatment and incarceration are common, Omi said, adding "People must have
access to drug treatment and information and resources to protect themselves
from HIV."

In response to this issue, WHO set to hold a three-day meeting in Hanoi,
Vietnam on harm reduction among injecting drug users. Participants include
national policy-makers and nongovernmental workers from four affected Asian
countries of China, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as experts from
agencies and partnersof WHO.

The Hanoi meeting aims to develop culturally appropriate national harm
reduction programs within a regional partnership framework. Participants
will also be updated on harm reduction tools and guidelines, it said.
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