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BURMA RELATED NEWS
- November 12, 2002.
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HEADLINES
------------------------------------------------------------------------ AFP - Myanmar court hears Ne Win
family's appeal against coup conviction
AFP - UN envoy begins Myanmar mission
after warning he could quit
AFP - Karenni rebels committed to
armed struggle despite defection reports
Reuters - U.N. envoy holds crucial
talks in Myanmar
Reuters - U.N. envoy says he may quit
if Myanmar talks languish
Reuters - Taiwan eyes free trade
agreement with ASEAN
Reuters - INTERVIEW-U.N. Myanmar
envoy says may quit if talks languish
Asia Tribune - Thailand ready to be a
link for national reconcilation in Myanmar - Thai Foreign Minister
FT - Clarke facing embarrassment over
Burma link
The Guardian - Clarke embarrassed as
attack on Burma goes up in smoke
BBC - UN envoy in fresh Burma
bid
The Nation - EDITORIAL: How to become
a good neighbour
XInhuanet - Myanmar accuses
some nations of interfering in internal affairs
Xinhuanet - Thai trade
exhibition to be held in Myanmar
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 2:33 PM
Myanmar court hears Ne Win family's appeal against coup conviction YANGON, Nov 12 (AFP) - Myanmar's Supreme Court has begun hearing an appeal lodged by the son-in-law and three grandsons of former dictator Ne Win who were sentenced to death for plotting to overthrow the junta. Chief defence counsel Tun Sein told the court Tuesday there was no basis for a lower court's decision in September to convict the four of treason. "We are submitting this appeal in the hope that the Supreme Court will reverse the decision by the divisional court," he told judges Tin Aung Ayea and Khin Myint. Tun Sein called for Ne Win's son-in-law Aye Zaw Win and three grandsons Aye Ne Win, Kyaw Ne Win and Zwe Ne Win to be acquitted of the charges. The men were sentenced to death by hanging after being arrested in March in a swoop against the once all-powerful family that stunned the nation and remodelled Myanmar's political landscape. The junta said the Ne Win clan had grown disgruntled at losing their economic and political privileges as their patriarch's power waned, and had used black magic and voodoo dolls as part of their plot to seize power. Most observers doubt they were seriously attempting to mount a takeover, but believe the current regime installed 14 years ago, now known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), wanted to demonstrate it is firmly in charge. Since the arrests, Ne Win and his daughter Sandar Win -- reputedly the brains behind the family which accumulated an extensive business empire -- have been held under virtual house arrest at their Yangon home. Ne Win stood down in 1988 after a quarter-century in power but until the crackdown on his family he had widely been seen as an extremely influential figure who exerted control over the ruling generals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 08:16 AM
UN envoy begins Myanmar
mission after warning he could quit
YANGON, Nov 12 (AFP) - UN envoy Razali Ismail on Tuesday began a mission to revive a critical dialogue between the Myanmar junta and opposition after warning he could quit if the regime continued to resist democratic reforms. After arriving in Yangon Razali met with the influential chief of military intelligence General Khin Nyunt and Foreign Affairs Minister Win Aung. He then met opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the evening at her residence. In October 2000 Razali brokered landmark contacts between the two sides which were aimed at paving the way for democratic reforms to end four decades of military rule in Myanmar. But since May, when Aung San Suu Kyi was released from 19 months under house arrest, Razali has had nothing to show for his efforts and he is believed to have becoming increasingly disheartened. On the eve of his ninth trip to the country, he said in an interview with the Malaysiakini Internet news service that he could resign from his post if the junta made no progress towards reform. "If I step down it would be because it takes too much time, and if I think I am not going anywhere with the discussions. If it just goes on and on, I may decide to step down," he said. "It has been going on in my mind: how long more, how long more?" Diplomats said the Malaysian diplomat's gloomy talk could be a tactical move to provoke action from the regime which has repeatedly expressed its support for his role and welcomed his intervention. "It would be damaging for Myanmar's reputation if he left and a shame for the country in that he is one of the few people accepted by all sides. But he can't keep on doing this forever," said one Yangon-based diplomat. "How long can he continue being special envoy if nothing's actually happening and he's worried about losing credibility." Razali is known to be deeply disappointed with the junta's refusal to release some 1,300 political prisoners in the nation's jails or embark on a long-promised political dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi. "I am hoping to get the momentum moving again and I want to understand why it has slowed down," Razali told Malaysiakini. He said he hoped to meet the junta's top leader, Senior General Than Shwe, and convey international concern over "why since the lifting on the restrictions on Suu Kyi in May, a dialogue did not take place." "A promise was made to me that there would be a dialogue." The international community is also becoming increasingly irritated with the junta's stalling tactics. In a statement timed to coincide with Razali's visit, the United States hit out at the ruling generals and said there was no sign that "discussions critical to the future" of the country were under way. "Given such a positive step earlier this year, we expected that dialogue between the regime in Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi would be well under way by now," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. UN chief Kofi Annan also conveyed his impatience with the slow progress of Myanmar's reform process when he announced Razali's visit, which will run until November 16. Annan was "concerned that the positive momentum generated for the ongoing national reconciliation process in Myanmar... could dissipate unless some tangible progress is made in the near future," said his spokesman Fred Eckhard. Diplomats said that if Razali walked away from Yangon empty-handed, it would become clear that the regime had no intention of introducing reforms -- a realisation that could prompt a change in international policy on Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) which won 1990 elections in a landslide but has never been allowed to take up power, remains sceptical that Razali's visit will produce any dramatic results. "For our part we've already extended our hand and are ready to sit down at the table to discuss any topic at any time. We are waiting patiently. But there has been no response," NLD spokesman U Lwin told AFP last week. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 05:53 AM
Karenni rebels committed to
armed struggle despite defection reports
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Nov 12 (AFP) - Karenni rebels vowed Tuesday to continue their armed resistance against the Myanmar junta despite a report that 153 of their comrades had surrendered to the regime. Myanmar's official press said this week that a contingent from the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), including two senior commanders, turned themselves in at a ceremony Saturday in Loikaw, the state capital of Kayah. But KNPP officials on the Thai border disputed Yangon's claims that their comrades had defected from the ethnic militia which has resisted central rule for decades. "We still believe our people were forced to surrender by the SPDC (the ruling State Peace and Development Council) when they were in Loikaw for peace talks," KNPP information officer Khu-U Rae told AFP by telephone. He said the group was on high alert following the announcement of the surrender and that rebel leaders were weighing their options. "The KNPP will continue to carry out its armed resistance movement with around 2,000 members," Khu-U Rae said. The group confirmed it sent a delegation led by senior commander Kari Htoo earlier this month to peace talks in Loikaw, but dismissed the number of reported defections as an exaggeration. It claimed instead that just 40 KNPP rebels were present at the ceremony, while the rest were civil administration officers from Karenni villages or villagers engaged in business with the junta. Khu-U Rae conceded there were rumours that a split had emerged within the group, with a minority supporting a peace deal with the junta. Other senior KNPP leaders, including the group's secretary general Raymond Htoo, were at a meeting on the remote Thai-Myanmar border Tuesday and unavailable for comment. Ethnic insurgencies have plagued border areas since Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948. By the end of the 1990s, the junta had signed ceasefire accords with 17 groups, leaving a handful still fighting Yangon's rule. Tens of thousands of villagers have been displaced as a result of the conflicts, with many of them living in refugee camps on the Thai side of the border. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 8:50 PM
U.N. envoy holds crucial talks in Myanmar By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - A United Nations envoy met a top Myanmar general and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday after saying he might resign if the ruling military junta failed to soon take steps towards democracy. Razali Ismail arrived at the start of a five-day visit amid mounting pressure from the outside world on the military, which has ruled Myanmar for four decades, to open talks with Nobel peace laureate and opposition leader Suu Kyi. Razali held separate meetings with the junta's powerful intelligence chief General Khin Nyunt and Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won 1990 elections by a landslide but has been denied power by the armed forces. The veteran Malaysian diplomat, on his ninth visit to the impoverished southeast Asian country, has made no public comments, but told Reuters in Kuala Lumpur before boarding the flight to Myanmar that he wanted to see some progress to be able to carry on mediating. "In my mind, I do not want to be the special envoy that wanders around for 15 years doing things with no light at the end of the tunnel," Razali said. But he said his comments should not be seen as an ultimatum. "It's not being dramatic or playing to the gallery, I am going in a very realistic mood," Razali said. Asked if he had a deadline after which he would quit, he replied: "No, no, we'll have to talk to the principals." The junta has repeatedly said it is moving toward democracy but that too speedy a transition would destabilise the country. Razali brokered talks between Suu Kyi and the military junta in October 2000 after the generals placed Suu Kyi under house arrest for attempts to visit supporters outside Yangon. Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after 19 months in May, sparking hopes a breakthrough was imminent. But the junta has never moved beyond tentative gestures, such as the release of Suu Kyi and some 600 political prisoners. The European Union issued a statement in Yangon on Tuesday urging the junta to take advantage of Razali's latest visit by opening substantive political dialogue with the opposition. Washington also called on Myanmar's generals last week to take steps toward democracy, including the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners still languishing in Myanmar jails. WANING CONFIDENCE Diplomats say Razali needs a breakthrough to salvage what little confidence the international community has left in his efforts to prod the junta toward democracy. "I honestly feel he has begun to lose his optimism and some people even think it might be his final visit unless tangible progress comes out of it," one Yangon-based Asian diplomat close to Razali told Reuters. Suu Kyi has called repeatedly for substantive face-to-face talks with the junta on the political future of Myanmar, crippled by Western economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation. After his last visit to Myanmar in August, Razali expressed high hopes talks would start "very soon". On Tuesday he clarified those comments, saying he had been led to believe the junta would initiate talks in a few weeks. "That was my understanding of the assurance given by (Myanmar military intelligence chief) Khin Nyunt, a couple or so weeks, no more than that," he said. Razali, who answers to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said there was clamour for progress. The United Nations, in a statement released in Yangon late on Monday, said Annan feared early hopes of a breakthrough after Suu Kyi's release from house arrest were fading. It said Razali had requested meetings with the junta's top three leaders -- Senior General Than Shwe, junta vice-chairman General Maung Aye and Khin Nyunt. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 1:00 PM
U.N. envoy says he may quit if Myanmar talks languish By Patrick Chalmers KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail said on Tuesday he may quit if talks between the country's military rulers and pro-democracy opposition for political change do not start soon. Razali told Reuters, before boarding a flight to Myanmar for a five-day visit to meet key generals and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, that he wanted to see progress to carry on. However, he said that his statement should not be construed as an ultimatum ahead of his ninth visit to the impoverished Southeast Asian country. Razali brokered talks between Suu Kyi and the military junta in October 2000, but the two sides have never moved beyond "confidence-building" to address substantive issues. "In my mind, I do not want to be the special envoy that wanders around for 15 years doing things with no light at the end of the tunnel," he said in an interview. "It's not being dramatic or playing to the gallery, I am going in a very realistic mood." Asked if he had a deadline after which he would quit, he replied: "No, no, we'll have to talk to the principals." Diplomats in Yangon have said that Razali needs a breakthrough to salvage what little confidence is left in his efforts to prod the junta toward democracy. Razali clarified that when he said in August that he expected substantive talks "very soon" between the government and Suu Kyi, he had been thinking in terms of weeks not months. "That was my understanding of the assurance given by (Myanmar military intelligence chief) Khin Nyunt, a couple or so weeks, no more than that," he said. Following strong international pressure, Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, but since then she has had no meetings with senior members of the junta. She has repeatedly called for meaningful talks to begin as soon as possible. Razali, who answers to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said there was clamour for progress. The United Nations, in a statement released in Yangon late on Monday, said Annan feared early hopes of a breakthrough after Suu Kyi's release from 19 months of house arrest in May were fading. "The secretary-general is very concerned, people in the U.N. are asking me what's happening, we would like to see some answers," Razali said. "I am going there to make a big effort to get it going," he added. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 9:02 PM
Taiwan eyes free trade agreement with ASEAN By Patrick Chalmers KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Taiwan floated the idea of a free trade zone with the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday, joining arch-rival China in a lengthening line seeking closer economic ties with the bloc. Economics Minister Lin Yi-fu suggested the idea after meeting Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz. "We expressed our interest to enter this kind of agreement with ASEAN as a whole," he told reporters ahead of a seminar with Taiwanese investors in Malaysia. "Malaysia supported this but Minister Rafidah's response was she suggested we contact the ASEAN secretariat directly," he said. Rafidah's office declined to comment on the meeting, which Lin said included talks on trade and investment facilitation and closer economic collaboration. Most nations are publicly cautious about their dealings with Taiwan because of China's sensitivities. Beijing views the self-governing island as a breakaway province that does not deserve international recognition, regularly castigating countries who meet its ministers and officials. This month, ASEAN leaders signed a deal with China to hold talks over the next decade to create the largest free trade area in the world, with 1.7 billion people. Japan, India and South Korea have also begun efforts along the same lines to strike free trade deals with the bloc. Lin said about 50 percent of Taiwan's foreign investment went to China, though he did not give a figure. He said Taiwan wanted to wanted to diversify its investment destinations, adding that cumulative investment in Malaysia was $10 billion. Taiwan and China have been diplomatic and military rivals since the end of a civil war in 1949, but their economies have become increasingly intertwined as Taiwan investors have poured up to $100 billion into China since the late 1980s. Taiwan said in August it wanted free trade agreements with the United States, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and Panama as part of a plan to cut the island's economic dependence on China. Similar thinking drives the wealthy but diplomatically isolated island's push into Southeast Asia. Lin is due in Thailand on Wednesday after two days in Malaysia. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday November 12, 11:31 AM
INTERVIEW-U.N. Myanmar envoy says may quit if talks languish By Patrick Chalmers KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail said on Tuesday he may quit if talks between the country's military rulers and pro-democracy opposition for political change do not start soon. Razali told Reuters, before boarding a flight to Myanmar for a five-day visit to meet key generals and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, that he wanted to see progress to carry on. However, he said that his statement should not be construed as an ultimatum ahead of his ninth visit to the impoverished Southeast Asian country. Razali brokered talks between Suu Kyi and the military junta in October 2000, but the two sides have never moved beyond "confidence-building" to address substantive issues. "In my mind, I do not want to be the special envoy that wanders around for 15 years doing things with no light at the end of the tunnel," he said in an interview. "It's not being dramatic or playing to the gallery, I am going in a very realistic mood." Asked if he had a deadline after which he would quit, he replied: "No, no, we'll have to talk to the principals." Diplomats in Yangon have said that Razali needs a breakthrough to salvage what little confidence is left in his efforts to prod the junta toward democracy. Razali clarified that when he said in August that he expected substantive talks "very soon" between the government and Suu Kyi, he had been thinking in terms of weeks not months. "That was my understanding of the assurance given by (Myanmar military intelligence chief) Khin Nyunt, a couple or so weeks, no more than that," he said. Following strong international pressure, Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, but since then she has had no meetings with senior members of the junta. She has repeatedly called for meaningful talks to begin as soon as possible. Razali, who answers to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said there was clamour for progress. The United Nations, in a statement released in Yangon late on Monday, said Annan feared early hopes of a breakthrough after Suu Kyi's release from 19 months of house arrest in May were fading. "The secretary-general is very concerned, people in the U.N. are asking me what's happening, we would like to see some answers," Razali said. "I am going there to make a big effort to get it going," he added. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Asia Tribune
Date : 2002-11-12 Thailand ready to be a link for national reconcilation in Myanmar - Thai Foreign Minister Seoul, Nov 12 (TNA): - Thailand is ready to be a coordinator for all parties concerned for the sake of the success of the national reconcilation in Myanmar, according to Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. Surakiart told TNA reporter yesterday that the Thai government has a clear stance on supporting the development of democracy and national reconcilation in Myanmar. The kingdom, therefore, had been and would be ready to be a coordinator of all parties concerned, including the Myanmar military junta, the opposition led by Ms. Aung San Su Kyi, armed ethnic groups and representatives of the United Nations, in efforts to achieve the planned national reconcilation in Myanmar, he stated. "We would like to see political negotiations between the Myanmar military junta and Ms. Su Kyi take place as soonest as possible. Thailand is ready to be a coordinator of all parties concerned for the matter", he was quoted by the reporter as saying. The reporter is accompanying Surakiart in his ongoing trip to Seoul to attend the Second Ministerial Conference on the Community of Democracies, which was inaugurated yesterday. At the inaugural session, Ms. Su Kyi urged the international community through a video confernece to support negotiation processes in Myanmar to achieve democracy and national reconcilation in her motherland, according to Surakiart. A UN special envoy would visit Rangoon soon to mediate for the political negotiations between the Myanmar military junta and the opposition, he disclosed. (TNA)-- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Financial
Times
Clarke facing embarrassment over Burma link By Alison Maitland and Jean Eaglesham Published: November 12 2002 4:00 Kenneth Clarke, former chancellor and deputy chairman of British American Tobacco, faces severe embarrassment today over revelations that he criticised companies investing in Burma - where BAT has a joint venture with the military junta. Mr Clarke, who chairs the BAT board's corporate social responsibility committee, said in a letter to a constituent: "I must admit that I do sometimes feel uncomfortable about investment in that country . . . Theproblem in Burma arises when companies start collaborating with an extremely unpleasant regime which is totally contrary to our notions of civil liberties and democracy." Last night, however, Mr Clarke issued a statement rejecting calls for BAT to withdraw from the venture. The letter was obtained by the Burma Campaign UK, a leading human rights pressure group, which today launches a worldwide campaign to force BAT to withdraw. John Jackson, director of the pressure group, said: "Ken Clarke is absolutely right. He should get them to pull out immediately." Mr Clarke's letter appears to be in contradiction with BAT's policy, made clear in its first "social report" in July, to press on with the 60-40 per cent joint venture between its Rothmans subsidiary and Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, an organisation owned by the Burmese military regime. BAT said Mr Clarke had not forgotten about the Burma investment when writing the letter. It issued a statement from Mr Clarke recalling that the Burma business was inherited in the merger with Rothmans International in 1999. Mr Clarke said: "An international company cannot reform the politics of the government of any country in which it does business. We employ more than 400 people in Burma and I see no benefit to them in us simply pulling out." The Burma Campaign, supported by the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma, Unison, Glenys Kinnock and Lord (formerly Sir David) Steel, said it would take just six minutes' worth of BAT's annual profits to give its workers in Burma a year's salary as severance pay. It points out the opposition of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's democracy leader, to any investment until there is political change. It says the industrial zone where the cigarette factory is located was upgraded by the military authorities in 1996 using child labour. The campaign will ask leading investment funds, including Hermes, Insight Investment, Morley and Jupiter, to use their influence to persuade BAT to pull out. Vincent Cable, Liberal Democrat trade and industry spokesman, claimed Mr Clarke was "risking his reputation for being forthright and honest" by advocating withdrawal of investment from Burma while representing a company doing the opposite. However, Mr Clarke said on BBC's Newsnight last night : "I don't think companies can have a rule about not doing business with dictatorships." He added that "probably about a third of the world" was governed by dictatorships. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Guardian
Clarke embarrassed as attack on Burma goes up in smoke Terry Macalister Tuesday November 12, 2002 Kenneth Clarke, former chancellor of the exchequer, was facing acute embarrassment last night after saying he was "uncomfortable" with investment in military-run Burma - overlooking the fact he is deputy chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT), which has significant involvement there. "The problem with Burma arises when companies start collaborating with an extremely unpleasant regime which is totally contrary to our notions of civil liberties and democracy," he breezily told one of his local Nottingham constituents in a letter. The gaffe was seized on by human rights activists who pointed out that BAT pays workers 23p a day at a factory which it owns jointly with the "unpleasant" government. The Burma Campaign, which has already managed to force one British firm, Premier Oil, out of the Asian country this year, said Mr Clarke must now ensure the exit of BAT. "Ken Clarke is absolutely right," said John Jackson, director of the Burma Campaign in Britain. "BAT's collaboration with the regime is helping to keep this brutal dictatorship in power. He should get them to pull out immediately." BAT has a Burmese subsidiary called Rothmans of Pall Mall Myanmar, which is a 60/40 joint venture with the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, a company owned by the military government. Myanmar is the name given to the country by the soldiers who have run it for four decades and which refused to allow the National League for Democracy to take its rightful place in government despite it winning 82% of the seats in free elections in 1990. The Burma Campaign claims the BAT factory near Rangoon earns the regime $400,000 a year - enough for 20,000 AK47 assault rifles - and is located in an industrial zone which was upgraded by child labour. Activists add that it would take 85 years for one of BAT's workers in Burma to earn what the company chairman, Martin Broughton, earns in a day. BAT's activities sit awkwardly with recent statements from Mr Broughton about the company's aims. "Our goals are to continue creating long-term sustainable shareholder value, and to lead the tobacco industry in demonstrating corporate social responsibility and wider accountability," he has said. Mr Clarke has talked in the past about the need for BAT to "ensure an impeccable reputation in every sphere". Yesterday Mr Clarke said despite his comments to a constituent there was no question of BAT, whose brands include Dunhill, Rothmans and Lucky Strike, quitting Burma. "We employ more than 400 people in Burma and I see no benefit to them in us simply pulling out. The best way forward is to continue to contribute to local welfare through pursuing employment, environmental and social development goals," he argued. BAT, which acquired Rothmans International in 1999, boasts it is spending $50,000 digging new wells to provide clean water to villages and insists its employees are among the highest paid in Burma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BBC - Tuesday, 12
November, 2002, 10:30 GMT
UN envoy in fresh Burma bid The United Nations envoy to Burma has begun a fresh visit to Rangoon reportedly frustrated by the country's lack of democratic reform. Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail helped broker landmark talks in October 2000 between the military junta and the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. But the talks have made little progress since May when Aung San Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest. Mr Razali will be meeting both sides during his five-day visit, including the junta's top leader General Than Shwe. Western pressure Mr Razali is thought to be deeply disappointed that the junta has released just a handful of the more than 1,000 political prisoners believed to be in Burma's jails. He hinted at his frustration with the lack of progress in an interview with Reuters news agency before his departure. "I do not want to be the special envoy that wanders around for 15 years doing things with no light at the end of the tunnel," he said. The United States and European Union have issued separate statements urging the Burmese junta to move towards reform. "Given such a positive step earlier this year, we expected that dialogue between the regime in Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi would be underway by now," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan also expressed his concern that the momentum generated by the opposition leader's release "could dissipate, unless some tangible progress is made in the near future". Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy overwhelmingly won 1990 elections but the military government refused to hand over power. The Burmese Government is under pressure to reform as the economy is in crisis and it badly needs foreign aid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Nation
EDITORIAL: How to become a good neighbour Published on Nov 13, 2002 Our ancestors erected the Great Wall, now we are constructing the great dams," said a senior Chinese engineer from Yunnan, proudly revealing the ambition behind his government's plan to tame the mighty Mekong River. China completed the gigantic Manwan, the first of eight hydropower dams, in 1996 while the second, Dachaochan, will be operational by next year. Last December, it laid the foundations for the third, Xiaowan. These dams have been planned and built in the face of disapproval from academics and rural communities in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand, which also share the Mekong. The development of the upper section of the river by China without consulting or notifying countries downstream is an unacceptable act of sheer selfishness. It is time that Beijing entered into a dialogue with the other stakeholders of the river. Within the existing framework, there is the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an offshoot of now-defunct Mekong Committee, established with support from the United Nations Development Programme. The MRC's mission is to become a co-ordinating body in utilisation, management and conservation of the Mekong. Currently, only four of the six riparian states, namely Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, are members of the MRC. Throughout the past decade, China has repeatedly refused to join the MRC for fear that it would be bound by the agreement that riparian countries must consult one another before utilising the river on a large scale. Without China, however, the MRC cannot operate effectively because the country is located upstream and nearly half of the 4,880-kilometre-long river is in its territory. Any large-scale development projects in China's Yunnan province will definitely affect the flow of water and therefore the livelihood of people downstream. Cambodia and Vietnam, located at the lower end of the river, have already felt the pinch. Cambodia's Tonle Sap - the main source of fisheries that feed 12 million people - has suffered from a disrupted water flow and changing ecological system. Rice and shrimp farmers in the Mekong delta in Vietnam have also complained about a decreasing supply of water for their farms. Increasingly, people who have been affected by the dams on the Mekong and its tributaries have got together to share experiences and express their concerns. The latest regional dialogue and workshop in Ubon Ratchathani organised by academics and social activists ended yesterday with questions raised about conventional river management based solely on an economic development model. In recent years, China has attempted to dampen criticism by offering technical assistance to the MRC. China's Ministry of Water Resources has recently provided the commission with hydrological data on the upper reaches of the Mekong River during the flood season. Although such information may be useful for flood control in the lower sections of the river, the move is far from adequate as it hardly addresses the problems caused by dam construction. While ignoring the MRC, China instead opted to join the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), a relatively recent grouping of the six Mekong riparian states endorsed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). By emphasising mainly economic exploitation, the GMS appears to be an ideal vehicle for China. Despite ADB's insistence that it will not fund dam projects on the mainstream Mekong, the development bank has provided funding for electricity transmission lines for the Dachaochan dam. China sees itself as the future leader of Asia, but leadership must also come with responsibility. It should no longer act like the big kid on the block who bullies and takes advantage of those weaker. Joining the MRC is one way that the rising giant can show the spirit of true leadership - one who also cares about the mutual benefits of people in the region. Considering the limited power of the MRC, international development agencies and financial institutions upon which China depends for funding have a role to play in pressuring China to become more accountable when it comes to the exploitation of natural resources shared by several countries in the region. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar accuses some nations
of interfering in internal affairs
Xinhuanet 2002-11-12 14:52:16 YANGON, Nov. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar leader Khin Nyunt has accused some western nations of interfering in the internal affairs of his country. Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the State Peace and Development Council, made the accusation when meeting with basic education teachers in Hlegu, about 30 kilometers north of Yangon, on Monday evening, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday. "The destructive groups, with the assistance of neo-imperialistnations, are leveling one groundless accusation after another against Myanmar," he said, adding that they made such accusations in connection with human rights, forced labor and narcotic drugs. He said Myanmar has witnessed outside instigation to cause disintegration of the union before, and such danger will continue to exist not only now but also in the future. "Unless we can build a consolidated national force, there will exist the danger to the disintegration of the union. Outside instigation is waiting to interfere in the affairs of the country. All Myanmar people should be aware of the fact," he warned. However, he was convinced that the strength of unity will bringabout national development and noted the historical lesson that the country lagged behind in development when there was an armed opposition. He also noted that with the aim of strengthening the national economy, developing modern science and technology and being able to stand tall among world nations, the state is endeavoring to promote international relations and cooperation. However, he further warned that due to such increased international relations and advancing information technology, there will be much alien penetration into culture. He called for greater efforts to perpetuate and safeguard the national culture and characters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thai trade exhibition to be
held in Myanmar
Xinhuanet 2002-11-12
13:40:00
YANGON, Nov. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- A four-day Thai trade exhibition is scheduled to be held here commencing Dec. 12 in order to provide more trade opportunities for businessmen of the two countries. Organized by the Department of Export Promotion of the Thai Commerce Ministry, the exhibition also aims at boosting trade volume between Thailand and Myanmar and strengthening goodwill cooperation between the two nations, the local weekly Myanmar Times quoted the Thai Embassy here as reporting in its latest issue. At the exhibition, over 20 category of products will be displayed, including auto parts and accessories, chemical products, construction material, electrical appliances, food products, furniture, garments, textile, household products and kitchenware, leather products and footwear, and pharmaceutical and sanitary products. This will be second exhibition to be held this year in Myanmar. An earlier Thai trade exhibition was held here in May. According to official statistics, Myanmar's bilateral trade with Thailand amounted to 579.66 million US dollars in the first half of 2002, accounting for 23.45 percent of the country's total foreign trade and standing as the highest volume among that with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during the period. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |