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BURMA RELATED NEWS
- December 19, 2002.
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HEADLINES
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AP - Suu Kyi's party accuses Myanmar
junta of obstructing her tour
AFP - US charges Myanmar with new
rape accusations
AFP - Myanmar's Suu Kyi clashes with
authorities on political trip
Reuters - Myanmar military tries to
stop crowds seeing Suu Kyi
PD - China, Myanmar Sign Economic,
Technical Cooperation Agreement
Bkk Post - Senate panel wants dam
plans scrapped
Bkk Post - Workers found in pick-up
The Nation - 69 groups oppose Salween
dam plan
Asian Tribune - Ties with Myanmar -
Editorial - The Independent
Asian Tribune - $1b gas pipeline
project proposed: Plan to link Myanmar with India via Bangladesh
Independent - Jt trade body,
coastal shipping with Myanmar
Daily Star - Myanmar for deeper
ties, peaceful border ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suu Kyi's party accuses
Myanmar junta of obstructing her tour
Thu Dec 19, 4:37 AM ET By AYE AYE WIN, Associated Press Writer YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's ongoing tour of a northwestern state has been marred by harassment of her supporters by military authorities, her party spokesman said Thursday. Suu Kyi's trip to Rakhine state, which began Monday, is the latest test of the junta's willingness to allow her political freedom since releasing her from house arrest on May 6. The accusations of harassment and obstruction suggest that the junta may be unwilling to let Suu Kyi's popularity increase in the countryside. It is Suu Kyi's fifth out-of-town trip on party work since her release, but the first time that such clear harassment by authorities has been alleged. Government officials did not immediately comment. When Suu Kyi arrived on Tuesday in Maruk Oo town, about 535 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of Yangon, she found the streets deserted, said U Lwin, spokesman of her National League for Democracy party. "People wanted to see her but were apparently told by the authorities not to come out. Only a small group of people were present when Suu Kyi put up the party signboard in Maruk Oo," U Lwin told reporters. On Wednesday, when a crowd of some 20,000 people did come out in the street to greet Suu Kyi, authorities ordered them to disperse, he said. Police with batons and a fire engine also arrived at the scene, U Lwin said. However, Suu Kyi climbed up on the fire engine and told local officials that she was on a party organizational tour and the people were the first priority for her and her party. "She told the authorities and the police to serve the people and said she cannot stand by and watch the authorities bully the people," U Lwin said. He said Suu Kyi and her party were not allowed to pay homage at a famous temple in Ponna Gyun, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Rakhine state capital, Sittway. Suu Kyi put up two NLD signboards in Sittway on Thursday before proceeding to other parts of the state, U Lwin said. Suu Kyi's release from house arrest was the result of ongoing reconciliation talks with the junta. But the talks have achieved no real progress in ending the country's political deadlock. The current junta came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy movement. It called elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results when the NLD won a thumping victory. The junta says the country is not yet ready for democracy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ US charges Myanmar with new
rape accusations
WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (AFP) - The United States on Wednesday charged Myanmar's military with new counts of "horrific" gang rape and torture, resuscitating a controversy over allegations repeatedly denied by the junta in Yangon. The State Department said the US consulate in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai had found evidence to support accusations made by rights groups that Myanmar troops had used gang rape of ethnic Shan women as a weapon of war. During a short preliminary investigation, State Department officials found many victims whose stories were similar to those documented in reports by non-governmental organisations. "Of the 12 rape victims interviewed, all stated that they had been gang-raped by Burmese soldiers sometime over the past five years," the department said in a fact sheet. "Most also reported knowing several other women or girls who had been raped and/or killed. The most recent incident was reported by a 13-year-old girl who said that she was raped in June 2002," the fact sheet said. The report said that all the women were forcibly relocated by the Myanmar military between 1995 and 1997. "All of the victims under 15 appeared severely traumatized by their experiences, were disturbed mentally, and spoke in whispers, if at all. "The older women sobbed violently as they recalled horrific incidents of their own rapes as well as brutal rapes, torture, and execution of family members." Washington has already called on the Myanmar government to investigate such abuses and to punish those responsible. It said in the report that it was waiting for an analysis by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Paulo Pinheiro, who raised the possibility of a probe into the allegations in October 2002. "We continue to urge the Burmese regime to cooperate with an independent investigation and take concrete steps to investigate and punish those who may have acted in violation of domestic law, international humanitarian law, or the laws of land warfare," the department said. "Furthermore, we call on the Burmese regime to hold its military accountable for any lapses and to exercise command and control over their troops." A Thai study, released in May, documented 625 sex attacks on Shan women and girls by Myanmar soldiers. It drew international outrage and has been repeatedly rejected by the Yangon junta. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar's Suu Kyi clashes with
authorities on political trip
YANGON, Dec 19 (AFP) - Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has clashed with authorities who attempted to prevent supporters from meeting her during a political trip, in the first such incident since she was freed from house arrest in May, her party said Thursday. National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman U Lwin said the Nobel peace laureate climbed on top of a fire engine to prevent it from dispersing a crowd of 20,000 people with high-pressure hoses in Myanmar's west. "I cannot stand by and watch people being bullied in this manner," he cited her as telling local authorities in Myauk-Oo, an ancient town in Rakhine state which she is touring in a test of her newly won freedom to travel the country. "I'm here in the name of democracy which puts the people ahead of everything else. Our first priority is to serve and support the people -- the police as well as other officials have the same responsibility," she said. It was the most serious case of interference since Aung San Suu Kyi began travelling around Myanmar after being released from house arrest with a promise of complete freedom of movement by the ruling junta. U Lwin said that as Aung San Suu Kyi left Myauk-Oo for the state capital of Sitwe early Thursday she found a huge crowd of townspeople who had gathered to meet her but were being held back on the roadside by police carrying batons. Overwhelmed by the crowd, the local authorities summoned a fire-engine so they could disperse them with water hoses, he said. "Seeing this incident unfolding right in front of her eyes, Aung San Suu Kyi left her car, made her way right up atop the fire-engine and requested the local authorities to desist," he said. In the face of her outburst the local authorities backed off and she thanked them for their cooperation before asking the crowd to return home quietly which they did, U Lwin said. Along the route to Sitwe security was very tight with groups of more than 30 police manning strategic cross-roads in a bid to deter the public from gathering to meet the pro-democracy leader, he said. "We have informed the central authorities of what transpired and they promised to look into the matter," he said. "This is the first time that people have been prevented from seeing Aung San Suu Kyi." Myanmar's junta is always extremely careful to prevent large gatherings of people, for fear its could erupt into a spontaneous show of support for the democracy movement. Aung San Suu Kyi's gesture is likely to cause great concern, as it harks back to her legendary personal appeals to the army during the bloody repression of 1988 protests, and her campaign rallies before the 1990 elections. Security laid on by the military government has already been extremely tight during the trip to Rakhine which began Monday, due to the presence of Muslim extremists in the region which borders Bangladesh. U Lwin said Aung San Suu Kyi had reported that the pro-democracy party was also being maligned as "destructionist" by elements in Rakhine determined to deter people from showing up to see her. "This is the time when we, the SPDC and the military, are cooperating with each other for the benefit and interest of the people," she said, referring to her ongoing contacts with the ruling State Peace and Development Council. "I think that those who refer to us as destructionists and forbid the people from meeting us are themselves destructionists." Only a fortnight ago the NLD leader completed an extensive tour of Shan state in northeast Myanmar. After that trip, the NLD complained there had been excessive surveillance of their leader. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar military tries to stop
crowds seeing Suu Kyi
YANGON, Dec. 19 (Reuters) - Myanmar's opposition said on Thursday the ruling military tried in vain to stop a crowd of 20,000 people flocking to a rally by Aung San Suu Kyi, reflecting growing political tension in the impoverished nation. U Lwin, secretary of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), told reporters Suu Kyi had arranged to open an NLD party office and make a speech to locals on Wednesday in Mrauk Oo town, 400 miles (640 km) northwest of Yangon. ''They found the town almost deserted. It was later learned that the people had been ordered not to go out,'' he said. ''But just before (the NLD leaders) left the town, about 20,000 people turned up. Policemen tried to prevent them but they could not stop the people from coming near her.'' There were no reports of violence however and the police attempts appeared to have been restricted to pushing back the opposition supporters. But it was one of the most serious signs of tension between the military and the NLD since U.N. brokered talks between the two sides started two years ago. Those talks have so far made little progress. Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has been touring Rakhine State to drum up support for her pro-democracy cause. It was her fifth trip to provincial Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, since being released from 19 months of house arrest in May. Her first few trips met no opposition from the authorities but a visit last month to Shan state in northeast Myanmar led to several reports of minor harassment by army and police, who appeared to be angered by the huge crowds she attracted. Suu Kyi's party won elections in 1990 by a landslide but has never been allowed to govern. The military, who have ruled for most of the last 40 years, say they want some form of democracy eventually but that the country is not yet ready for change. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ People's Daily
Online
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 19, 2002 China, Myanmar Sign Economic, Technical Cooperation Agreement China and Myanmar signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation Wednesday afternoon in order to further promote bilateral friendly ties and economic and technical cooperation and to help Myanmar develop national economy. China and Myanmar signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation Wednesday afternoon in order to further promote bilateral friendly ties and economic and technical cooperation and to help Myanmar develop national economy. Representing their respective countries, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Li Jinjun and Myanmar Minister of National Planning and Economic Development U Soe Tha signed the agreement. Under the agreement, the Chinese government will render Myanmaran assistance gratis which will be used in the construction of the projects of industrial technical training center in the country's Mandalay city. U Soe said at the signing ceremony that he believed that the agreement will greatly enhance Myanmar's human resources development. Ambassador Li Jinjun said the Chinese government will as always provide Myanmar with assistance as much as possible to realize joint development. Since China and Myanmar forged diplomatic ties more than 50 years ago, the Chinese government has successively signed with the Myanmar government a number of economic and technical cooperation agreements, providing Myanmar with a number of assistance gratis and loans on favorable terms. With the use of these funds, the Myanmar government has built several dozens of different projects which are playing an important role in Myanmar's economic construction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post -
Thursday 19 December 2002
Senate panel wants dam plans scrapped Human rights abuses `likely to increase' Kultida Samabuddhi The Senate foreign affairs panel has called on the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (Egat) and MDX Plc, a construction group, to scrap projects to build dams on the Salween river in Burma, citing concerns for national security and image. Panel chairman Kraisak Choonhavan yesterday said the projects would lead to more human rights violations in Burma, thus forcing more oppressed Burmese people to seek refuge in Thailand. Thailand already had to deal with more than four million illegal Burmese immigrants. If the government gave the projects the go-ahead, the problem of illegal labour and refugees would worsen, the senator said. MDX is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Rangoon on Friday on the construction of a 3,600-megawatt dam, called Ta Sang, on the Salween river in Burma's Shan state. Meanwhile, Egat is pushing the government to give the green light to another two dams to be built downstream, opposite the Thai district of Mae Sariang in Mae Hong Son. The Salween project was discussed at a recent Asean summit in Cambodia, where energy ministers agreed the project would go ahead. Rangoon is encouraging other Asean states to help develop basic infrastructure in Burma. Mr Kraisak said the government would be condemned by the international community if it decided to do business with the Burmese military junta. ``International forums had already blamed Thailand for implementing the Yadana gas pipeline project, which led to the use of forced labour and rape of ethnic people in the project area. The government should not repeat this mistake,'' Mr Kraisak said. The Senate would raise this issue with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the Foreign Ministry and Egat, he added. Nassir Archwarin, of the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, said the dams would destroy one of Southeast Asia's richest river ecosystems. The Salween was the lifeline of more than 10 million people in 13 ethnic groups, he added. Thailand had no real need for a hydro-power dam at the moment because the country already had a huge oversupply of electricity. Mr Nassir yesterday handed a petition to Mr Kraisak calling on the Senate to stop the government and agencies concerned from supporting the projects. The petition was backed by Burma's opposition National League for Democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as 69 Thai and Burmese NGOs working on environment and human rights issues. Mr Nassir said local villagers were being relocated by force, raped and killed by Burmese troops guarding the site of Ta Sang dam. ``The Thai government must explore other more suitable alternatives in order to ensure sustainable power management, not just to take advantage of the lack of democracy in Burma to push through these projects,'' he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post -
Thursday 19 December 2002
Workers found in pick-up Penchan Charoensuthiphan Ten illegal Burmese workers were arrested in Don Muang district yesterday in two pick-up trucks bearing the name of a local councillor. The windshields bore stickers in the name of Nakhon Nonthaburi municipality councillor Surasak Kessuwannathas. Immigration police commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Charnwit Watcharapuk said immigration police often encountered people claiming that local and national politicians were involved in smuggling. The drivers would be charged with smuggling aliens into the country. The owner of a construction site where the Burmese workers were heading would be charged with sheltering illegal labour, which carries a potential five-year jail term, while their employer would face a potential three-year jail term. Mr Surasak , the councillor, would also be called in for questioning. Today, 40 illegal Burmese workers would be deported to Myawaddy under a Thai-Burmese deportation agreement. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The
Nation
69 groups oppose Salween dam plan Published on Dec 19, 2002 A group of 69 non-governmental organisations and Burmese dissidents yesterday voiced opposition to the proposed US$5.5 billion (Bt237 trillion) hydro-electric dam on the Salween River, saying the project was socially and environmentally damaging. Energy Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana recently commissioned the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) to conduct a feasibility study into the Salween dam. The project's opponents submitted an open letter to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs urging it to scrutinise the project, saying the dam offered little benefit for Thailand but would harm the environment and ethnic minorities in the region. The location of the dam has not yet been decided. Egat governor Sitthiporn Rattanopas said Rangoon wanted to site the 3,000 megawatt dam near Burma's Tha Sang township while Egat proposed building the dam on the Thai side. The Salween River flows mostly through Burma but a small portion of the river forms the Thai-Burmese border. Some 10 million people from 13 ethnic minorities live along the river and rely on it for their survival, said the letter signed by groups that include the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) and the All Burmese Students' Democratic Front. "Even though the project has not been approved, many people have been forced to relocate. Some of them were raped and killed," the letter said. Civil war between rebellious ethnic groups and the junta is still going on in areas proposed for the project, it added. The project developers should hold off on the dam's construction until Burma has peace and full democracy, it said. A Thai construction company MDX is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with Rangoon tomorrow to construct another dam on the Salween River. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Asian Tribune
Date :
2002-12-19
Ties with Myanmar - Editorial - The Independent The two-day visit to this country of the Myanmar Premier General Than Shwe marks a turning point in bilateral relations. The visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, comes at a time when the need to expand trade and strengthen ties between the two neighbours is being felt ever more keenly, and Myanmar is slowly ending its self-imposed isolation and, as claimed by its leader, is also making a transition to democracy. Myanmar, apart from India, is our only neighbour which is geographically contiguous to our country. Truly it is much closer to us than many other countries which we fondly describe with epithets as "neighbouring", "regional partner", etc. It is said that one can choose friends but cannot choose neighbour. But though Myanmar is a common-border sharing neighbour, contacts between our two countries have not been as frequent and materially significant as might be expected. This state is hopefully being changed. The large entourage accompanying the visiting Premier shows that the Myanmar side is equally keen to expand ties. After formal talks between the two Prime Ministers an agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed. Also, an agreement on cultural cooperation was signed between foreign ministers of the two countries. Under the MoU consultative meetings will be held to strengthen the entire gamut of bilateral relations. We can now look forward to increased economic cooperation of the two countries. Appropriately, the question of road link between the two countries dominated the talks. It transpired that Myanmar is willing to work with Bangladesh to establish the road link and both sides have decided to set up task forces to study the technical and financial feasibility in this regard. After road link is established augmentation of trade will follow as a matter of course. No doubt there are outstanding problems with Myanmar, which is but natural among neighbours. Presence of the remaining 22,000 Rohingyas in the country may be cited. To resolve this and other outstanding issues the two countries should engage in constructive dialogue. On the question of Rohingyas Gen Than Shwe has assured Bangladesh government that his government is committed to solving the issue through dialogue. With this visit of the Myanmar Premier the process of strengthening bilateral relations may be said to have received a great fillip. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Asian Tribune
Date : 2002-12-19 $1b gas pipeline project proposed: Plan to link Myanmar with India via Bangladesh The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has accepted, in principle, a proposal for the construction of a Myanmar-Tripura- West Bengal gas pipeline through Bangladesh. The ministry forwarded the proposal, submitted by a hitherto unknown Bangladeshi company, to the Prime Minister?s Office (PMO) last month seeking its approval. It is now waiting for green signal from the PMO. "It is not a bad proposal; we accepted it in principle and we shall take it up with the Prime Minister," AKM Mosharraf Hossain State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources told The Independent yesterday. The minister in a tone of robust optimism said, "Bangladesh can earn Tk 1,000 crore per year through this project and I think there is no harm in constructing such a pipeline. It is not at all a political issue." "Mohona Holding Limited, a Bangladeshi company, recently submitted the one billion-dollar project to the Energy Ministry. The ministry formed a committee to examine the proposal and submit a report. Sources said that the ministry did not as yet have adequate background information about the company and its technical and financial competence to undertake such a huge project covering three countries of the region. The company has not furnished detailed information as to how it would organise funds for the project. If the project is finally approved by Bangladesh government, a consortium will have to be set up to implement it within Bangladesh territory. In any such consortium Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Ltd, a subsidiary of Petrobangla, will be a major player. Interestingly, Petrobangla sources did not share the Minister?s optimism and termed the proposal " immature." Myanmar, Tripura and West Bengal state governments of India have accepted the proposal in principle, to construct a pipeline through Bangladesh territory, the State Minister for Energy said. It could not however be ascertained if the proposal came up for discussion during the just-concluded visit of the Prime Minister of Mayanmar. The minister said if the Prime Minister?s office okayed the project then they would go ahead to form a consortium in this regard. Sources said that Bangladesh would put forward some terms and conditions to the company. One of the conditions is that Bangladesh will be the sole operator of the pipeline and will be entitled to use it as and when necessary in her own interest including export and import of gas whenever needed. Other terms and conditions include provisions requiring the company to construct the pipeline with 30 to 40 inch diameter and to include BPCL as one of the main parties in the consortium , the sources said. The proposed pipeline will enter Bangladesh border through Brahmanbaria from the Indian territory of Tripura and will cross into West Bengal through Rajshahi border. The pipeline may help export gas to India without interference by any IOC, the sources said. According to the sources, it will cost Tk 900 crore to construct the pipeline in Bangladesh. Energy Ministry source said USA, Australia and some Indian companies have indicated their willingness to offer fund for construction of the pipeline in Bangladesh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent-Bangladesh
Jt trade body, coastal shipping with Myanmar UNB, Dhaka 19-12-2002 Resolving all pending issues of bilateral trade, Bangladesh and Myanmar on Wednesday finalised agreements to establish a Joint Trade Commission and introduce Accounts Trade and Coastal Shipping link. The agreements are expected to be signed next March, opening new vistas in trade between the two neighbouring countries, officials said. Bangladesh Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and visiting Myanmar Commerce Minister Brig General Pyi Sone in a 45-minute exclusive meeting at a local hotel finalised the deals, yielded by Tuesday?s official talks between the two countries. "On implementation of the agreements, bilateral trade will increase substantially while the current informal trade will be turned into formal trade gradually," Khosru told reporters at his secretariat office after the meeting. He said an expected increase in trade between the two countries would help Bangladesh earn more revenue besides creating positive impact on country?s foreign exchange reserve. Terming "most successful" the Myanmar Commerce Minister?s current visit as a member of his Prime Minister?s entourage, Khosru said all issues, pending since March this year when a single-country fair of Bangladesh was held in Myanmar, were resolved through this trip. Another single-country fair of Bangladesh will be organised in Myanmar next March when the agreements will be formally signed. During the visit of the Bangladesh Commerce Minister to Myanmar last March, the two countries came to an understanding that there would be a coastal shipping agreement and an account-trade agreement signed for boosting bilateral trade. A draft Coastal Shipping Agreement has already been sent to Myanmar authorities while Bangladesh received from Myanmar draft documents on Account Trade arrangement that provides for two-way trade transactions without needing hard cash in terms of foreign currency for payments. Besides, the two countries entered into a border-trade agreement in 1994 and formal border trade began under the deal in 1995. The volume of trade under normal trading system was around $26 million in 2000-2001. Bangladesh?s imports from Myanmar were worth $24.69 million while exports to Myanmar fetched only $ 1.09 million. The trade gap was $ 23.77 million. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Daily Star - Thu.
December 19, 2002
Myanmar for deeper ties, peaceful border President hosts luncheon for Gen Than Shwe UNB, Dhaka Hoping to strengthen bilateral relations to reciprocate Bangla-desh's goodwill, Myanmar Prime Minister Senior General Than Shwe yesterday said the Myanmar-Bangladesh border should be turned into one of peace, stability and prosperity. He noted that there exist no big problems in bilateral relations between the two countries as of now. "It is our consistent policy to try to reduce bigger issues into smaller ones and to have the smaller matters to be resolved completely." Speaking at a luncheon hosted by President Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban yesterday, the visiting PM said the Myanmar delegation came to Bangladesh with the sole purpose of further consolidating this friendship and cooperation. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Mrs Than Shwe, Mrs Iajuddin Ahmed, Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Chief Justice Mainur Reza Chowdhury, former Chief Justice and Chief Advisor to the Caretaker Government Justice Latifur Rahman, ministers, judges, diplomats, editors, leaders of the business community, political leaders and high civil and military officials attended the luncheon. Despite dynamic economic and commercial relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar, a large potential still remains for the two countries to tap, said the visiting Myanmar PM. He mentioned that during the courses of discussions at the prime minister level, the two sides were able to explore further avenues to expand and deepen cooperation between Bangladesh and Myanmar in various spheres. General Shwe said Myanmar, having close and cordial ties with Bangladesh since its independence, is one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh and there has always been the common desire to further consolidate this friendship. The Myanmar premier thanked the government of Bangladesh for the "warm welcome and generous hospitality" extended to his delegation during his two-day visit. "The sincere expressions of friendship accorded to our delegation is a reflection of the goodwill and understanding that exist between our two countries and our two peoples," he told the function. President Iajuddin in his address hoped that Bangladesh and Myanmar would closely work to bring peace and stability in the South Asian region. "We want to develop our economies for the common good of our peoples as we believe that accelerated bilateral trade, investment and cooperation in other vital areas will help both our countries," he said. The president stressed an urgent need of establishing direct road and coastal shipping links between the two countries. "In achieving this objective, Myanmar will surely find Bangladesh a very willing partner." Referring to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman's efforts for regional cooperation in South Asia for its more than a billion people, he said Bangladesh and Myanmar had a great stake in promoting regional and sub-regional cooperation. "Bangladesh also attaches great importance to its membership of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and we like to make ACD a mechanism to promote peace, harmony and development of our entire region with Myanmar," President Iajuddin said. He noted that both Bangladesh and Myanmar are active members of BIMSTEC, which enables the two countries to expand the scope of cooperation with neighbours in the southeast. "We may jointly work also to make BIMSTEC a useful instrument at our disposal to promote cooperation." Dr Iajuddin said Bangladesh is committed to supporting all initiatives to encourage greater people-to-people contact between the leaders, academics, civil and military officials of the two countries. He hoped that Bangladesh and Myanmar would now enter into a new and significant phase in bilateral relations and that both the countries undertake efforts with a renewed commitment to make bilateral cooperation truly beneficial for the two countries. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |