[burmanet2-l] Burma Related News - Jan 14, 2003.

["TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - January  14, 2003.
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HEADLINES
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AFP - Human rights abuses persist in Myanmar: Human Rights Watch
AFP - War on terror stifling human rights: Human Rights Watch
AFP - SE Asia officials in Manila to boost cooperation against terror
Asia Pulse - S Korea to Attend Six Environment Ministerial Meetings This
Year
PD - Sino-Myanmar Friendship to Develop Faster
NDTV - WB reopens hijacking case against Burmese refugee
Bkk Post - New trade avenue sought in Burma
Bkk Post - EDITORIAL - Burma has become land of promises
The Nation - Junta will be asked to fight crime
Asian Tribune - Burmese Military Threaten Villagers before the ICRC visit to
Shan State.
TI - 1990 hijack case revived
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Human rights abuses persist in Myanmar: Human Rights Watch

YANGON, Jan 14 (AFP) - Myanmar's population faced ongoing civil and
political rights abuses over 2002, with ethnic minorities in particular
suffering atrocities, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report released
Tuesday.

Hopes for an improvement in the human rights situation which were raised
following the release from house arrest of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
in May failed to be realised, the New York-based watchdog said.

"By late 2002, talks between Suu Kyi and the government had ground to a halt
and systemic restrictions on basic civil and political liberties continued
unabated," the group said in its report for 2003.

UN-brokered talks between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy party aimed at national reconciliation began in October 2000,
but are yet to progress to a political dialogue.

The report noted that although the junta released more than 300 political
prisoners following Aung San Suu Kyi's release, a call from the UN for a
general amnesty for all political prisoners was ignored and political
dissidents continued to be arrested.

Human rights problems facing the population included forced labour, forced
relocations, censorship, the use of child soldiers, violations of religious
freedom and atrocities committed against ethnic minorities, the report
found.

"Children as young as seven were used as forced labour in many parts of the
country to carry army supplies or work on construction sites," it said,
adding that thousands of boys as young as 11 had been forced into the army.

The most extreme violations were reported against the country's ethnic
minority groups, particularly in Karen and Shan states.

The junta also launched a broad crackdown on Rohingya Muslims following
international press reports alleging ties between them and al-Qaeda, the
report said.

Thailand's relationship with Myanmar also came under criticism.

"At times, Thailand, the main destination for minorities, political
dissidents, rural people, and women and children fleeing violence in Burma,
appeared to respond to Burma with efforts aimed at appeasing the military
junta," the report said.

In a particularly gruesome case illustrating the problem of illegal workers,
the bodies of 20 ethnic Karen villagers were found in the river dividing the
two countries.

"Investigators later concluded that the Karens were being smuggled in by a
Thai couple, who discovered en route that the labourers had suffocated and
simply dumped their bodies in the river," it said.
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War on terror stifling human rights: Human Rights Watch

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (AFP) - US willingness to overlook abuses by allies in
the war on terrorism, such as Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia and some Afghan
warlords, undermines efforts to improve conditions around the world, Human
Rights Watch said Tuesday in its annual survey.

In its 13th annual review, comprised of reports on 58 countries, the rights
group criticized the United States for turning a blind eye to repression in
countries that provide important support for the US-led campaign against
terrorism launched after September 11, 2001.

"The United States is far from the world's worst human rights abuser," said
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "But Washington has
so much power today that when it flouts human rights standards, it damages
the human rights cause worldwide."

In the report, Human Rights Watch said that by ignoring human rights in the
name of fighting terror Washington had bred a "copycat phenomenon," in which
other governments flout rights in the name of security.

"By waving the anti-terrorism banner, governments such as Uzbekistan seemed
to feel that they had license to persecute religious dissenters, while
governments such as Russia, Israel, and China seemed to feel freer to
intensify repression in Chechnya, the West Bank, and Xinjiang," the group
said.

The report criticized Tunisia for trying civilians on terrorism charges
before military courts, and Australia for imposing "some of the tightest
restrictions on asylum in the industrialized world" out of fear of letting
in terrorists.

Human Rights Watch said that stifling rights in the name of security had
taken "absurd proportions" in sub-Saharan Africa, with Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe justifying the November 2001 arrest of six journalists for
writing stories about political violence as fighting terrorists.

The group warned that repression in the name of security would backfire,
breeding resentment of governments and the United States by the repressed.
It noted resentment in Pakistan for Washington's uncritical backing of
General Pervez Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup.

The report also criticized the United States for downplaying repression of
Muslims in China and Saudi Arabia.

"To fight terrorism, you need the support of people in countries where the
terrorists live," said Roth. "Cozying up to oppressive governments is hardly
a way to build those alliances."

The report noted some improvements in human rights, including the end of
wars in Angola, Sudan and Sierra Leone and moves toward peace in Sri Lanka.

But the group lamented the continued killing of civilians in conflicts
around the globe, from Colombia to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It also noted new repressive policies implemented in 2002 in Myanmar, China,
Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Liberia and Vietnam.
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SE Asia officials in Manila to boost cooperation against terror

MANILA, Jan 14 (AFP) - Security officials from Southeast Asian countries
Tuesday attended a conference here to boost intelligence cooperation to
fight terrorism, the Philippines' National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said

Golez said the aim of the three-day meeting was to fine-tune multilateral
procedures in addressing potential threats by exchanging experiences in the
fight against terrorism.

"In this simulation exercise, we expect to benefit from the experience of
other ASEAN countries. No one is an expert in this new security
environment," Golez said.

"We have to share information, we have to share intelligence and we have to
share our experiences and our knowledge," he said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.

Golez said security chiefs in the region were mulling the creation of an
ASEAN center where intelligence information on threats could be assessed. No
other details were available, but he said the center could be "here or it
can be rotating."

The terrorist bombings in Bali, Indonesia last year and a spate of attacks
in the Philippines have highlighted the need for greater cooperation to
crack down on suspected terrorist groups.

Singapore last week linked the southern Philippines-based Muslim separatist
group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror
group, which has been blamed for the Bali attack.

It said the MILF, which has been waging a rebellion in the south since 1978,
had played a key role in training JI militants at its sprawling guerrilla
base on Mindanao island, which was later overrun by the military.

Regional authorities said the JI's ultimate aim was to establish a caliphate
comprising Malaysia, Indonesia, southern Philippines and Singapore.

A smaller Islamic radical group, the Abu Sayyaf, also operates in the
southern Philippines, and last year was the target of a joint United
States-Philippines counter-terrorism operation.

The Abu Sayyaf was formed by a Muslim firebrand in the early 1990s, but has
since deteriorated into a bandit group responsible for a spate of bombings
and attacks in the south.
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Monday January 13, 10:56 AM
S Korea to Attend Six Environment Ministerial Meetings This Year

SEOUL, Jan 13 Asia Pulse - With the Kyoto Protocol becoming a global issue,
South Korea will attend approximately six environment ministerial meetings
during 2003, the Ministry of Environment said Monday.

According to the ministry, Lee Maan-ee, deputy environment minister, will
leave for Nairobi early next month to attend the United Nations Environment
Program's 22th session of the governing council/global ministerial
environment forum.

Lee will discuss there follow-up measures from the World Summit on
Sustainable Development [WSSD] held in Johannesburg, South Africa last year.

The 11th plenary session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development [UNCSD] slated to open in New York late April would be the first
ministerial gathering which Korea's new environment minister from the
incoming administration will attend.

The new environment minister will also take part in the second ASEM
environment ministers' meeting slated for the latter part of the year. They
are also likely to fly to China to attend the fifth trilateral environment
ministerial meeting among South Korea, China and Japan scheduled for the
second half of the year in Beijing.

On the sidelines of those conferences, the third World Water Forum is
scheduled to open in Kyoto late March and the third roundtable meeting of
Korea, China and Japan on environmental industry will be held in the Chinese
capital in June.

The fifth WTO cabinet meeting to deal with Doha Development Agenda [DDA] and
other environment-related matters will open in the middle of September in
Mexico.

An environmental ministers' meeting of South Korea, China, Japan and member
countries of ASEAN, or the "ASEAN Plus Three Environment Ministers' Meeting"
will be held in November in Yangon, Myanmar.

The next government's environment minister would attend 2-6 international
gatherings with others likely to be substituted by working-level officials,
the ministry predicted.
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People's Daily Online
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Sino-Myanmar Friendship to Develop Faster

China and Myanmar are close neighbors, linked by mountains and rivers, with
a common border of over 2,000 kilometers enjoying a long-standing
friendship.

The earliest exchange between them dates back to the 4th century BC. Since
ancient times, the Myanmar people have called the Chinese "paukphaw" --
"full brothers."

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1950. For half a
century since then, their cooperation in politics, economy, culture,
education has been developing continuously, based on the five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence jointly advocated by both sides despite the great
changes that have taken place in the international situation.

Both China and Myanmar belong to the developing nations, sharing an
extensive common view on many major issues. In international affairs, they
support each other and coordinate closely, becoming trustful cooperative
partners.

China has always respected Myanmar's independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity while Myanmar has stuck to the "One China" policy,
supporting China's reunification cause.

There have been frequent exchange of visits between their leaders. The late
Premier of China Zhou Enlai made nine visits to Myanmar, while the late
former Myanmar leader U Ne Win went to China on 12 occasions.

During the past few years, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Vice-President Hu
Jintao, and other Chinese leaders visited Myanmar. On their part, leaders of
Myanmar including SPDC Chairman and Prime Minister Senior General Than Shwe,
SPDC Vice-Chairman Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and others toured China
several times.

Sino-Myanmar bilateral economic and technical cooperation has also made rich
achievements. They have successively signed a number of agreements on
economic cooperation, according to which, China has extended to Myanmar a
great deal of assistance in projects of agriculture, industry, transport,
electric power, education, health and human resources development.

Meanwhile, the two countries have also launched various forms of technical
cooperation, based on the principles of equity, mutual benefit and mutual
supplement of superiorities. Chinese companies have initiated a large number
of projects in Myanmar, setting up factories in the form of whole investment
or joint ventures, covering as many sectors as oil and gas exploitation
andprocessing of forest and marine products.

China-Myanmar bilateral trade stands an important position in their foreign
trade. During the past eight years, bilateral trade including border trade
reached over 600 million US dollars annually, accounting for 12 percent of
Myanmar's total foreign trade.

Further development of China-Myanmar friendly and cooperative ties not only
conforms to the fundamental benefit of the two countries but is also
beneficial to peace, stability and development of the region.

Vice-Premier of the State Council of China Li Lanqing will pay a four-day
goodwill visit to Myanmar from Tuesday at the invitation of First Secretary
of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) General Khin
Nyunt.

His visit will be another important tour to the country made bythe Chinese
leadership, bound to further the development of the bilateral ties.
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NDTV
WB reopens hijacking case against Burmese refugee
Monideepa Banerjie
Tuesday, January 14, 2003 (Kolkata):

On November 10, 1990, a Burmese student camouflaged soap cakes as bombs and
forced an aircraft on its way from Bangkok to Rangoon to divert to Kolkata.

His aim was to highlight the military excesses going on in Burma at that
time.

He was arrested, released on bail and has since then been living in India as
a refugee and working as a journalist on current affairs in Myanmar.

Back in the limelight

Now, 12 years later, the hijacking incident has suddenly come back to haunt
him. The case against him has been revived and a West Bengal court will
frame charges against him today.

"I think basically there is pressure from the Burmese government. The
Burmese government does not like what I'm doing. I'm exposing the human
rights situation inside the country and I run a news agency that specialises
in Burma and related issues," said Soe Myint, the Burmese refugee.

Freedom fighter?

Rallying behind the Burmese journalist are a number of leading human rights
activists who have petitioned the West Bengal government for the withdrawal
of the case.

The public prosecutor can take a call on the same, if he is so advised by
the government. However, no such advice has reached him yet.

"I have to propose that charges be framed against the accused before the
court. I can assure at least one thing - we never consider any law above the
patriotic cause and democratic cause of the people," said Probodh Roy, the
public prosecutor.

Clearly, one man's hijacker is another man's freedom fighter - and Soe Myint
is caught in that cleft stick.
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Bangkok Post -  Tuesday 14 January 2003
New trade avenue sought in Burma
Chinese-run La town also has plenty of casinos
Teerawat Kumtita

Thai authorities and trade representatives from Burma's La town are seeking
to promote cross-border trade and tourism between Chiang Rai and La.

La is Shan people's special administrative zone under Burma's control where
the Chinese play major roles.

The town's official language is Chinese and the Chinese yuan its main
currency. The town also has casinos.

Chusak Traisrisilp, president of Four Lenses company which arranges tours to
La town, said a Thai delegation led by Chiang Rai governor Narin Panichkij
went there about two weeks ago to have talks with La authorities.

La agreed to buy 50,000 tonnes of rice and sticky rice from Chiang Rai and
set the import tariff at only 1%. Payment would be made partly in cash and
the rest through barter-trade deals. La and China wanted to import fresh and
preserved Thai fruits, while Chiang Rai wanted electrical appliances from
China, Mr Chusak said.

Trade representatives from La and China met Mr Narin in Chiang Rai on Sunday
after surveying a route from La to Mae Sai via Burma's Kengtung and Tachilek
towns.

They proposed tourists be required to have only an entry permit to travel
from Mae Sai to Tachilek, Kengtung, La and China's Jing Hong.

Mr Narin promised to forward the proposal to Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh and give an answer to La and Chinese authorities in four
months.

If the proposal is approved, about 50,000 more Chinese tourists are expected
to visit Chiang Rai through La town each month.

A road linking La with Mae Sai district is expected to be completed by
April.

Currently, Lao people need only an entry permit to enter Chiang Rai, but
Chinese tourists must have entry visas to enter Chiang Rai via Burma.
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Bangkok Post - Tuesday 14 January 2003
EDITORIAL - Burma has become land of promises

Army commander Gen Somdhat Attanand will fly to Rangoon next week for talks
with the ruling junta. Simply put, Gen Somdhat will test the latest round of
promises by the Rangoon regime to help fight drug trafficking. He would be
well advised to take those promises with a large dose of salt. Burma's list
of promises on international cooperation stretch back more than 40 years.
Neighbours and other members of the world community are still waiting for
the promises to be honoured.

The state of Burma today is largely the result of broken promises. Ne Win
launched a military coup that took over the country in 1962. He led _ if
that is the word _ the country into the 1970s with vows to restore
democracy, respect human rights, and end the drug trafficking that was
helping to addict much of the world. Ne Win has died, the country remains
under military rule, and it is widely reviled for running one of the worst
torture chambers in the world.

A great example of why Burma could be called ``The Promise Land'' is the
state of democratic negotiations _ or, rather, non-negotiations. Last May,
the regime freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. In
succeeding months, it freed a small number of political prisoners. The
generals promised to begin talks with the democrats to end military
dictatorship. Total movement towards democracy since then: Exactly zero.

But nothing illustrates the vast chasm between promises and action in Burma
like drugs. Since the early Ne Win promises to end drug trafficking, Burma
has ``progressed'' from being a second-rate supplier of opium to its current
status as host to the most prolific producer and biggest trafficking gang in
the world. The so-called opium warlord of the 1970s, Lo Hsing-han, is an
honoured citizen and major investor in the Burmese economy.

Far from keeping the promise to fight drug trafficking, Burma has engaged in
continuous actions that have always ended up helping the dirty business.
When the United States gave Burma military aid to fight drug gangs, Ne Win
battled ethnic insurgents and left the Khun Sa drug cartel alone. Now, Khun
Sa lives in Rangoon as another ally in the Burmese economy. The same goes
for Sai Linn, another drug trafficker wanted internationally but protected
by Rangoon in defiance of its own promises.

Every Thai now knows the history of the United Wa State Army. The former
insurgent gang is referred to as ``blood brothers'' by Rangoon generals,
especially Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, secretary one of the junta and
chief go-between with the Thai government. The price of peace between the
former rebels and Rangoon has been especially heavy for Thailand. Burma has
blessed and condoned the major drug trafficking activities of the UWSA,
which took over the old Khun Sa heroin trade and added a lucrative
methamphetamine cartel which has bled and corrupted many in Thailand.

Based on the past 40 years, one can expect Gen Somdhat to be well received
in Rangoon. He is likely to return to Bangkok, like many before him, with
optimistic forecasts. The military dictators of Burma are likely to promise
new and extended cooperation with the Thai government in a proposed new,
invigorated push against drug traffickers. New lines of communications will
likely be promised.

``Promise'', of course, will be the operative word. Events have reached a
point where the Rangoon regime must begin to deliver. Indeed, there are
signs the generals may act against the most flagrant drug trafficking. Such
action must be seen to be believed. Taking Burma at its word is what has
landed Thailand deep in a drug problem. Neighbours must actually help each
other, and promises are empty until they are fulfilled.
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The Nation
Junta will be asked to fight crime
Published on Jan 14, 2003

Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh will seek support from Burma for
joint patrols along the border to counter drug trafficking and other crimes,
during his visit to the country next week, Army Commander-in-Chief Somtat
Uttanun said yesterday.

"Joint border patrols would be very effective in suppressing drug smuggling
and other crimes. A good example is the Thai-Malaysia joint border patrol,
which has decreased the number of drug-related crimes and separatist
incidents," Somtat said.

Chavalit, who is scheduled to visit Rangoon on Tuesday and Wednesday next
week, will ask Rangoon leaders for their opinions on the issue, Somtat said.
"Burma has more trust in Thailand and no longer accuses us of secretly
supporting Burmese rebels," Somtat said.
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Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-01-14
Burmese Military Threaten Villagers before the ICRC visit to Shan State.

Bangkok, Jan. 14: Military officials ordered local teachers, headmen and
ex-government officials at the Laikha police station to form a civilian
committee to shadow the International Committee for Red Cross team. The Shan
Women Action Committee Network revealed this in a press statement.

Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN) in a Press statement alleges that the
Burmese military authorities threaten villagers before International Red
Cross visit to Central Shan State

The full text of the Press Release issued by the SWAN is given below:

Before the visit of an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team
to Laikha town in Central Shan State on December 9th, 2002, village elders
were threatened by the military authorities, according to reports from Shan
refugees who have recently arrived at the border.

The ten-member ICRC team were conducting a ten-day assessment visit to
Central Shan State, from 2-12 December, traveling by road east from Taunggyi
to Loilem, Namzarng, Murng Nai and Laikha.

Two days prior to the visit to Laikha, police and military authorities
ordered some of the local teachers, headmen and ex-government officials to
come to the Laikha police station, and commanded them to form a civilian
"committee" which would liaise with the ICRC. They were ordered to accompany
the ICRC team and note down all questions asked, and threatened to be
"careful" when answering any questions.

The ICRC has only recently been allowed by the regime into this area of
Central Shan State, where over 300,000 villagers have been forcibly
relocated by the military regime since 1996, and where the majority of the
173 rape incidents documented in the June 2002 report "Licence to Rape" by
SWAN and the Shan Human Rights Foundation were committed.

The military regime has repeatedly rejected the findings of the report,
citing the presence of international agencies, including the ICRC, in Shan
State as evidence that the rapes could not have taken place. On December 26,
2002, it again denied it had been using rape as a weapon of war, in response
to a US State Department report repeating the allegations.

"It is very clear that the military regime wants to use the presence of ICRC
in Shan State to help deny the charges that they are licensing rape of
ethnic women," said Mo Lao of the Shan Women's Action Network. "But if they
really have nothing to hide, why are they asking villagers to be "careful"
when answering questions?"
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2003
THE TIMES OF INDIA
1990 hijack case revived

KOLKATA:-PTI-  Charges will be framed against a Myanmarese
student-turned-jou-rnalist at a court here on Tuesday for hijacking a Thai
plane to Kolkata more than a decade ago even as the West Bengal government
was being urged to withdraw the case on humanitarian grounds.

A Barasat court has fixed Tuesday for framing charges against Soe Myint, one
of the two Myanmarese students who diverted a Bangkok-Yangon passenger plane
in 1990.

Expressing surprise at the revival of the case after such a long time, his
lawyer Nandita Haskar said an appeal had been made to the state government
to withdraw the case as "no public interest will be served in sending Soe
Myint to jail after 12 years of the event".

Last week a petition was sent to the state government to withdraw the case
by prominent politicians, social activists and journalists under the banner
of Asian Social Forum. The signatories include Sitaram Yechuri, Medha
Patkar, N. Ram and Saeed Mirza. State law minister Nisith Adhikary said the
government could hardly do anything in this regard without the sanction of
the Centre. He added that under the Anti-Hijacking Act the prosecution of
the accused started with the sanction of the Centre.
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