[burmanet2-l] Burma Related News - Jan 11, 2003.

["TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - January  11, 2003.
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HEADLINES
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AFP - Myanmar chief pledges to work with China against drugs
AFP - Singapore, Thai premiers suggest ARF deal with NKorea NPT withdrawal
ABC online - Burmese military pledges to fight illicit drug production
PD - Myanmar Head of State Visits China's Yunnan Province
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Myanmar chief pledges to work with China against drugs

BEIJING, Jan 11 (AFP) - The head of Myanmar's junta has pledged cooperation
with authorities in southwestern China to root out the cultivation of
illegal drugs, state media reported Saturday.

Senior General Than Shwe made the pledge Friday during a visit to China's
Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Than Shwe met leaders in the provincial capital Kunming and said he hoped
Myanmar and Yunnan could expand cooperation in efforts to replace the
cultivation of illegal drugs with that of agricultural crops.

He also offered cooperation in the hydro-power sector and the use of natural
resources.

Many of the ethnic minorities living in the mountainous region along the
border between China and Myanmar grow poppies, used to make opium and
heroin. The plant brings them more money than legal crops.

Than Shwe, who started his visit to China on Monday, also said that Myanmar
wanted to improve its roads to Yunnan.

China is one of the few countries which maintains political relations with
Myanmar and has boosted its economic influence in the country.
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Singapore, Thai premiers suggest ARF deal with NKorea NPT withdrawal

PHUKET, Thailand, Jan 11 (AFP) - Asia's top security group, the ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF), should tackle North Korea's withdrawal from a key
nuclear treaty, the leaders of Singapore and Thailand said Saturday.

During an informal summit at this resort island, Singapore's Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong and his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra expressed deep
concern over North Korea's announcement Friday that it had dumped the
agreement.

"We both shared concern over North Korea's withdrawal from the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and hope that the process of dialogue shall
be further continued," Thaksin said.

"In this regard we were of the view that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
could contribute to the dialogue process."

Goh said Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers
will contact the group's current chairman Cambodia to discuss preparing a
statement on the move, which has raised fears for peace on the Korean
peninsula.

"North Korea leaving the NPT is a serious matter for all of us because it
causes great consequences to ASEAN," he told reporters.

"The ARF will deal with this matter (at its next meeting) in July. Of
course, we hope that before July comes along there will be another movement
to defuse the situation in North Korea."

Goh arrived in Phuket late Friday for the weekend summit along with his
Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jayakumar, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong and
Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo.

They were joined by Thaksin and his Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai,
Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, Transport Minister Suriya
Jungrungruangkit and Commerce Minister Adisai Bhotharamik.

They kicked off the two-day meeting Saturday, focused on regional security
issues and economic cooperation, meeting aboard a ship touring islands off
Phuket's coral coastline.

The leaders said they discussed the threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia,
which has loomed large since October's deadly bombings on Indonesia's resort
island of Bali.

"We work with our friends in ASEAN in the framework with the UN, including
on the exchange of intelligence. We cooperate in many aspects, but I cannot
talk publicly about what we have done," Thaksin said.

Goh said rather than ostracising their Muslim populations, Southeast Asian
nations should develop links through education and dialogue to boost
confidence in the communities.

The leaders also discussed a Singaporean proposal to develop the northern
Thai city of Chiang Mai as a regional aviation hub and launch a "no-frills"
budget airline there.

The Phuket event is the second in a series of joint cabinet meetings between
Thailand and its neighbours, which began last month with Malaysia.

The Malaysian summit in the southern city of Songkhla was marred by violent
protests over a planned joint pipeline project on the eve of the talks.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ARF includes the 10 ASEAN states, along with Australia, Canada, China, the
European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Korea, North
Korea, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States.
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ABC Radio Australia News
Burmese military pledges to fight illicit drug production
11/01/2003 16:25:59 |

The head of Burma's military regime has pledged to cooperate with
authorities in south-western China to eradicate the cultivation of illegal
drugs.

General Than Shwe made the pledge during a visit to China's Yunnan province,
which borders Burma.

He said he hoped Burma and Yunnan state could further cooperate to replace
the cultivation of illegal drugs with that of agricultural crops.

General Than Shwe also offered Burmese cooperation in the hydro-power sector
and the use of natural resources.

Many ethnic minorities in the mountainous border region between Burma and
China grow poppies for opium and heroin production.
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People's Daily Online
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, January 11, 2003
Myanmar Head of State Visits China's Yunnan Province

Than Shwe, Chairman of Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council,
arrived in Yunnan Friday, beginning his visit to this southwestern Yunnan
Province, which shares a 1,997-kilometer border with Myanmar.

Right after his arrival, Than Shwe, who just concluded his visit to
neighboring Sichuan Province, met with Bai Enpei, secretary of the Yunnan
Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Yunnan Governor Xu
Rongkai.

Bai said during the meeting that the high-level visits between the two sides
would help Yunnan and Myanmar to find more cooperation opportunities in the
fields of economy, technology, culture and personnel exchanges.

Than Shwe said his visit to China was successful and he hoped Myanmar and
Yunnan could expand cooperation in replacing illegal drugs plants with
agricultural crops, in the hydro-power sector and the use of natural
resources.

He said Myanmar would improve its roadways to Yunnan Province and he hoped
the two sides could accelerate cooperation in that aspect.

In his six-day visit which started on January 6, he has held talks and
meetings in Beijing with China's top leaders, including President Jiang
Zemin, Vice-President Hu Jintao, and chief legislator Li Peng.
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