AFP -
Amnesty disappointed over
Myanmar's lack
of prisoner releases
AP -
Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi to visit Chin State for party
AP -
Myanmar says U.S. report on human rights is politically motivated
Xinhuanet
- Myanmar to take precautionary measures against SARS
Bkk Post -
US threats should jolt government into action
UN Wire -
Grant to help rid Myanmar of poppy cultivation, UN anti-drug office
says
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Tuesday
April 1, 8:50 PM
Amnesty disappointed over
Myanmar's lack
of prisoner releases
BANGKOK, April 1
(AFP) - Amnesty International on
Tuesday criticised Myanmar's military government for its glacial pace of
prisoner releases and a lack of other steps taken since its first-ever visit
there in January.
In a statement received here,
the rights group said it welcomed some limited improvements in the human rights
situation, but was disappointed other urgent steps have not yet been taken by
the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to improve the rights
situation.
"The SPDC has told the
organisation that political prisoners now have access to reading materials and
social contact, which are positive developments," the statement said.
"However over 1,200 political
prisoners are still held in prisons throughout the country, and the pace of
releases has decreased considerably in the last four months...
"During our visit, we
submitted a number of lists of political prisoners, whose releases should be a
first priority for the SPDC. Yet to our knowledge none of these people have been
released," it added.
The group also noted that
arrests of people for their peaceful political activities began again in July
last year.
"Amnesty International has
recently submitted a list of 27 such people to the SPDC, and is seeking further
information about them."
The junta has freed a few
hundred prisoners in the last two years as goodwill gestures, but has failed to
release any recently -- with the exception of a group of 45 people released a
few days before a UN human rights envoy arrived there last month.
The envoy, Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro, cut his trip short after he discovered bugging equipment in a room
where he was interviewing political prisoners.
Amnesty visited
Myanmar over
January and February this year.
Demelza Stubbings, Amnesty's
interim program director for Asia-Pacific and head of the mission to
Myanmar, said in
Bangkok after the visit that
Myanmar had
shown some improvement in the human rights realm, particularly in the treatment
of prisoners.
"(But) much remains to be
done, and we will continue to point out what it is," she said.
The
United States
Tuesday also slammed the SPDC for its "extremely poor" rights performance in
2002.
"The regime's human rights
record remained extremely poor, and it continued to commit numerous serious
abuses," the report said.
Myanmar's
junta has long been criticised for its poor human rights record, which rights
groups and western governments have said includes forced labour, censorship and
violations of religious freedom.
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Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi to visit Chin State for
party
Wed Apr 2, 3:26 AM ET
YANGON, Myanmar
(AP) _ Opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi is leaving Thursday for Myanmar's northwestern Chin State to open party
offices after a similar trip last year was marred by harassment from local
officials.
Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for
Democracy party, will travel to Chin State by car and ``will open party offices
in several places,'' party spokesman U Lwin said, without elaborating. He said
party Vice Chairman Tin Oo will accompany her.
This will be her
sixth political tour of the Myanmar countryside since her release by the ruling
military junta from house arrest in May last year.
Her last party
organizational trip was in December to the northwestern Rakhine State, where she
faced unprecedented interference from local authorities.
The
interference cast doubts on the junta's sincerity to mend fences with the
opposition as part of reconciliation talks that began in October 2000 to break
the country's political deadlock.
The junta came to power in 1988
after crushing pro-democracy protests. It called elections in 1990 but refused
to give up power when the NLD won.
Although hundreds of political
prisoners have been freed since the start of the reconciliation talks, there
have been few signs of reform.
During Suu Kyi's Dec. 16-24 tour,
local authorities in Rakhine State placed trucks, boulders and barbed wire
across streets to stop her vehicle. At other places, people were warned not to
attend her rallies.
Suu Kyi blamed the junta for the harassment,
saying ``there had to be some kind of instructions from above'' to crack down on
her supporters and interfere in her organizational activities.
U
Lwin said Suu Kyi's upcoming trip could last more than 10 days.
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Myanmar says U.S. report on human rights is politically
motivated
Wed Apr 2, 6:11 AM ET
YANGON, Myanmar
(AP) _ Myanmar's military government
on Wednesday denounced a U.S report on human rights as biased and politically
motivated, saying it misrepresented the situation in the country.
A government statement said: ``Myanmar categorically rejects the
unfounded allegations'' contained in the report by the U.S. State Department
released on Monday.
In its annual human rights review, the State
Department said Myanmar's human rights record remained poor and that security
forces continued to commit serious abuses.
``The report is
patently biased and rehashes unsubstantiated charges made by insurgents and
opposition groups,'' the government statement said.
``Myanmar
considers the report to be politically motivated. It does not represent the
situation in Myanmar,'' the statement said.
Myanmar's military
government has also faced criticism from other Western nations and U.N. agencies
for its human rights record.
United Nations human rights expert
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who was here on his fifth mission to update a report on
human rights situation last month, cut short his visit after finding a bugging
device while conducting a confidential interview with political prisoners.
The State Department report noted that while conditions in Myanmar
prisons remained harsh and life-threatening, there has been some improvement
since the junta began allowing access to the International Committee of the Red
Cross.
However, security forces tortured, beat and otherwise
abused prisoners and detainees, the report said.
Myanmar, also
know as Burma, has been ruled by a military government since 1962. In 1988, the
armed forces suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations and has ruled by decree
since.
The State Department said that by the end of 2002, an
estimated 1,300 political prisoners remained behind bars despite releasing
hundreds since starting reconciliation talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi in October 2000.
Suu Kyi herself was released from almost 20
months of house detention on May 6 and has been allowed to travel within the
country since then.
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Myanmar to take precautionary measures against SARS
Xinhuanet 2003-04-02 13:28:38
YANGON, April 2
(Xinhuanet) -- The Myanmar health
authorities are preparing to take precautionary measures against a strange
pneumonia disease called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) spreading in
Asia and Southeast Asia.
According to the National Health
Committee Wednesday, it will take such measures at the country's international
airports, ports and checkpoints in border areas for the prevention.
The SARS control programs and public health education on the
disease will also be carried out, it said.
Although no signs of
the disease have emerged in Myanmar, the authorities warned that it is a highly
infectious and deadly disease, calling for efforts to collect data and facts
about the atypical pneumonia in time.
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Bangkok Post - Wednesday 02 April
2003
US threats should jolt government into action
Washington has decided Thailand is not doing enough to wipe out the
trade in human beings. But serious effort has been made.
BHANRAVEE TANSUBHAPOL
News that the
United States is considering downgrading Thailand's human rights standing for
failing to do enough to stamp out human trafficking should spur the government
into taking more concerted action.
The government is said not to be
too worried about the possible economic sanctions the US might impose if things
are not improved. But those involved say they are happy to see the threat has
got the government's attention so that it could push the cabinet for the
speedier passage of a new policy on the trafficking in children and
women.
The trafficking in people has reached uncomfortable levels.
Thailand serves as a source, an end destination and a transit point for the
trade, but says it can do little to combat the problem by acting alone. The
cooperation of neighbouring countries is essential.
A sub-committee
to coordinate the eradication of trafficking in women and children was set up in
1994, and is currently headed by Khunying Saisuree Chutikul. It submitted a new
national plan on trafficking for cabinet approval late last year, but its
passage was delayed by the reshaping of the bureaucracy. It was re-submitted to
the new Social Development and Human Security Ministry in
February.
If the initiative is passed, Khunying Saisuree said the
sub-committee planned to take at least six months to enact a new action plan
before asking for funding to tackle trafficking.
An earlier action
plan, in effect from 1996-2001, was aimed at helping children under 18 years old
tricked into prostitution here in Thailand and abroad.
The
sub-committee found that extending compulsory education to 12 years would help
to limit the reach of prostitution. Poor children aged between 12 and 18 years
should also receive occupational training. Its plan emphasises tackling
trafficking at its root by dealing with poverty.
The plan also
calls for the full enforcement of laws on the trafficking of women and children,
the amendment of such laws as that covering entertainment outlets, and the
introduction of new legislation. It supports foreign governments in issuing laws
to punish their citizens convicted of having sex with minors
overseas.
The first action plan includes assistance for and the
protection of the victims of trafficking, and their rehabilitation and
re-introduction into society.
Thailand has asked for financial
support from the United Nations Childrens Fund and the International
Organisation for Migration. Khunying Saisuree said Unicef had contributed five
million baht for 2003 and 2004 to help the targeted children group in nine
northern provinces _ Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phrae, Nan, Mae Hong Son, Phayao,
Lampang, Lampoon and Tak, each of which has a large population of young women,
including hilltribes girls, at risk of being drawn into
prostitution.
The new plan would cover a six year period and calls
for greater scope in building cooperation between local agencies and those in
neighbouring countries. It would stress the victims who tricked into
prostitution or other forms of labour. It excludes those who work voluntarily as
prostitutes and get into trouble.
Poor coordination between the
government and non-governmental organisations and the lack of a systematic
approach are major stumbling blocks to tackling trafficking.
The
signing of an agreement on March 24 by state agencies and NGOs on the
eradication of trafficking in women and children should help draw the attention
of the government.
The agreement calls for a training course to be
set up for state officials and members of NGOs to help them understand their
role in assisting women and children caught up by
trafficking.
Khunying Saisuree said some children rescued from
brothels who should be taken by police to welfare homes for rehabilitation were
instead taken to jail.
``Truth is truth,'' she said in connection
with the US threat to downgrade Thailand's human rights rating from Tier 2 to
Tier 3. ``I don't think economic measures will have much effect on Thailand, but
they might affect the relationship between our two countries and the image of
Thailand.''
Somchai Charoenumnuaysuk, director of the Office of
Child Promotion and Protection, said there had been an increase in cooperation
between agencies after five years of the first action plan being introduced.
There had been a reduction in the number of Thai women and children tricked into
prostitution, but an increase in the number of foreign victims, especially from
Cambodia and Burma, so cooperation between agencies in these countries should be
encouraged.
The anti-Thai riots on Jan 29 in the Cambodian capital
of Phnom Penh, which are suspected of mainly being stirred up by political
interests, leading to damage to the Thai embassy and Thai commercial property,
has delayed the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Thailand and
Cambodia on assistance for the victims of human trafficking. The memorandum was
to be signed last month. It was agreed to postpone the signing until relations
get back to normal.
``After signing the MoU with Cambodia, Laos
will be next due to the large number of Lao labourers deceived into working in
Thailand,'' Mr Somchai said.
Burma, Vietnam and southern China
will also be approached to sign the memorandum.
Mr Somchai's office
found that Burmese women and children were in most need of assistance for the
fiscal year October 2001- September 2002, with 171 recipients, followed by
Cambodia (131) , Laos (99) and China (seven).
Laos replaced Burma
with the most victims for the period October 2002-March 2003, when 77 Lao women
and children required assistance, compared to 56 from Burma, 27 from Cambodia,
and 11 from China.
One state officer involved with trafficking said
the trade was so difficult to resolve because of the corruption of Thai civil
servants, their lack of interest in the problem, and poor cooperation from
immigration staff.
Kasit Piromya, the Thai ambassador to Japan,
said immigration staff at Bangkok airport were neglectful in preventing foreign
men from taking Thai women out of the country to work as
prostitutes.
``There are a lot of tricksters, mostly women,'' the
state officer said. ``After helping women return to Thailand from aboard, they
are induced to leave again.
``We inform the authorities, but they
neglect to investigate the relevant companies. Instead they tell women not to
file the names of these companies for fear of losing their
deposit.''
Although the number of Thai women trafficked abroad is
decreasing, the methods are becoming more complex.
Despite
information campaigns on television and radio and in leaflets, Japan and Hong
Kong remain popular destinations, even with tougher visa
approvals.
``Women will not go directly to a destination such as
Japan, but through a second country like South Korea and then take a ferry to
Japan,'' the officer said. ``In Hong Kong, most know they will work as
prostitutes, but when they arrive there they find they have to sleep with too
many customers, so they ask for help from the Thai embassy.''
The
women asking for help from the embassy often only know the nickname of the
person who persuaded them to travel abroad, and they often do not cooperate with
the police. They refuse to give the police the same information they gave to
embassy staff, he said.
There is also a market for Thai prostitutes
in Germany, where 40,000-50,000 Thais have married German citizens and some have
become prostitutes, said Dusit Chantasen, deputy director-general for consul
affairs. Newer markets include England and Malaysia.
According to
Department of Social Development and Welfare figures, Thailand has assisted 27
women return from England since Oct 1, 2002, 25 from Malaysia, 13 from Japan,
four from Hong Kong, two from Singapore, and one each from Taiwan and China.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
UN
News Centre
2 April 2003
Grant to help rid Myanmar of
poppy cultivation, UN anti-drug office says
31
March ? To support United Nations drug control efforts in one of Myanmar's main
opium producing regions, the Government of Japan will provide $1.2 million
towards a project expected to contribute to increasing the food security of
opium farmers, improving their living standard, and eventually eradicating opium
poppy cultivation.
Japan's grant will help fund the Drug Control
and Development Project in the Wa Region of the Shan State in Myanmar, a key
component of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) overall "alternative
development" project, which has substantially reduced the number of poppy
cultivating areas throughout Myanmar. UN efforts in the Region will include
training in the construction of an irrigation system, building community
capacity to manage and monitor the system, developing flat paddy fields, and
introducing double cropping of rice.
"The Myanmar experience offers
the evidence that alternative development, along with eradication and
law-enforcement efforts, represents a vital part of the effective drug supply
reduction strategy," UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa, said
following the announcement of the grant in Vienna today.
According
to the UNODC 2002 Annual Opium Poppy Survey, with an estimated production of 828
tons in 2002 - although 25 per cent less than the previous year - Myanmar is the
second largest producer of opium in the world. The first is Afghanistan with an
estimated 3,400 tons in 2002.
The UNODC alternative development
project in Myanmar - launched in 1998 with an $11.6 million budget - aims at
establishing sustainable, community-based development, in order to provide
farmers an alternative to growing opium. In 2001, Japan contributed $200,000 for
the implementation of a health-related component of the project.
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