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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Albright Says N.Korea Talks
Symbolically Historic
Bkk Post - PM told to ease Burma ties
Reuters - Ethnic groups plot to counter Myanmar offensive Asia Pulse - US Vows to Help Asean Countries in
Economic Reform Process
Asia Pulse - Albright Says US to Continue
Targeted Development Aid
AP - US Urges Asia To Tackle Cronyism,Corruption
For Stability
SCMP - 'Lost decade' of EU stance on
Rangoon
CBC News - Myanmar military gov't says don't worry, we're happy Bkk Post - Thailand's anti-drug initiative finds favour ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL
PROTEST AGAINST JAPANESE GOVERNMENT ON AUG 8.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday July 28 6:49 AM ET
Albright Says N.Korea Talks Symbolically Historic By Elaine Monaghan
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright said landmark talks with North Korean Foreign
Minister Paek Nam-sun on Friday left her more hopeful about the prospects for
peace in Korea.
``My meeting today with Foreign Minster Paek constitutes a substantively
modest but symbolically historic step away from the sterility and hostility of
the past,'' she told reporters after the highest level talks between the two
countries since the Korean War.
``I am also somewhat more hopeful than before about the prospects for
long-term stability on the Korean peninsula and throughout the region,''
Albright said.
The discussions, which Albright called ``a get acquainted meeting,'' lasted
about 75 minutes, well past the allotted time.
Albright said the meeting, on the sidelines of an Asian security forum, had
touched briefly on all issues of concern.
She said she had been ``direct in stating American concerns about all
aspects of the missile threat, nuclear weapons related activities and the
importance of achieving the goals of the agreed framework.'' She gave no details
of Paek's replies.
Albright said she was ``not able to gleen'' any additional information
about an offer that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly made earlier this
month to Russian President Vladimir Putin about scrapping his missile program in
return for space technology.
The meeting underlined Stalinist Pyongyang's emergence on the world stage
after five decades of isolation.
North Korean relations with the rest of the world have been on the mend
since an historic meeting between Kim and his southern counterpart Kim Dae-jung
in June.
``Realistic In Expectations''
``I remain realistic in expectations and firmly committed to coordination
with our allies,'' Albright said.
U.S. officials had expected the talks to include discussion of North
Korea's missiles program. The Stalinist state fired a rocket over Japan in 1998,
causing alarm throughout the region.
North Korea had been expected to raise Washington's multi-billion-dollar
missile shield defense program, which was partly a response to Pyongyang's
missiles.
Albright wore a bright, canary-yellow suit for the meeting, similar to one
she donned at talks in South Korea recently, a symbol of U.S. support for South
Korea's ``sunshine policy'' of engagement with Pyongyang.
The meeting between Albright and Paek has been hailed as showing Pyongyang
is finally coming in from the cold.
But U.S. officials stressed it did not mean they could stop worrying about
a missile program in view of intelligence estimates saying Pyongyang could be
able to strike U.S. territory by 2005.
Albright's key goal in Bangkok on Friday and Saturday was to flesh out
Washington's picture of the Stalinist state whose missile program helped
encourage President Clinton to consider a controversial multi-billion-dollar
National Missile Defense (NMD) system.
Although Clinton is only likely to make preliminary moves toward NMD
implementation before he leaves office in January, if any, the prospect of such
a system has strained relations even with his allies and is vociferously opposed
by Russia and China who say it could trigger a new arms race.
A U.S. official said Kim Jong-il had shown at the first summit between
North Korea and U.S.-allied South Korea that he could ``walk and talk and smile
and be quite engaging'' -- which ideally would mean the North would end its
missile program.
Step-By-Step
``But in a real world, you have got to take these things in a step-by-step
fashion. The step in this particular case is the fact of the meeting,'' the
official added.
Washington announced an easing of economic sanctions against North Korea
last September and contributes food aid to the famine-stricken nation but its
policy of engagement remains a cautious one.
Technically, like South Korea, where it has 37,000 troops, the United
States is still at war with Pyongyang as the peninsula's 1950-53 conflict ended
in a U.N. armistice and not a peace deal.
North Korea remains on the State Department's list of seven ''state
sponsors of terrorism'' alongside Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria
because of a past which includes an attack on South Korean ministers in Myanmar
in 1983 in which 18 officials, including four ministers, were killed.
To get off the list, which severely restricts U.S. aid, the United States
wants North Korea to expel members of the Japanese Red Army and make a public
denunciation of ``terrorism.''
Paek's presence is thanks to his country's admission to the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF), a consultative grouping, whose meetings Albright had to miss this
week because of Middle East peace talks at Camp David.
She met the foreign ministers of China and South Korea and was slated to
meet those of Australia, Indonesia and India and the Thai prime minister before
leaving for Japan on Saturday.
Bangkok Post - July 28,
2000.
PM told to ease Burma
ties
Supamart Kasem Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has been encouraged to travel to Burma to discuss the border dispute and smooth relations with Rangoon. Officials said his visit would ease border tensions between the two countries and lead to mutual co-operation in cross-border trade, tourism and fishing. The trip was suggested during a meeting of joint public and private committees aimed at solving the economic problems of 10 border provinces, namely: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuab Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Ranong. The meeting was chaired by Tak governor Nirat Vatjanaphum Abhisit Chonsakhon, vice-chairman of the Tak Chamber of Commerce, said Mr Chuan's visit would help improve ties with Rangoon, which deteriorated after Burma's embassy in Bangkok was raided in October. Burma's military regime accused Thailand of being too easy on the terrorists and closed its border in retaliation, crippling trade and fishing. A representative from the Ranong Chamber of Commerce said the fishing industry in his province was badly affected after Rangoon revoked fishing concessions. Other fishing-related businesses were also affected and were forced to close. WIRE:07/28/2000 07:46:00 ET
Ethnic groups plot to counter Myanmar offensive BANGKOK, July 28 (Reuters) - Anti-government ethnic groups in Myanmar met
on Friday on the Thai border to discuss plans to counter a new military
offensive, ethnic leaders told reporters. Leaders of Karen National Union (KNU),
Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Shan State Army (SSA) and Arakan Army
met at a KNU base near Thailand"s northern provinces of Mae Hong Son and Tak,
800 km (480 miles) north of Bangkok. Their meeting comes after Myanmar"s
military government was reportedly helping a rival group to fight them. "This
meeting is significantly urgent as we meet to map out a strategy to counter the
Myanmar offensive plan," KNPP deputy commander Aung Mya told reporters. Early
this month, Yangon allowed the United Wa State Army (UWSA), an allied ethnic
army, to repair a strategic 150-km (95-mile) road along the Myanmar-Thai border.
Permission to fix the road and operate buses along the border was interpreted by
Thai security officials as an attempt to suppress the rival SSA and other groups
still fighting Myanmar"s government. KNU secretary-general Pado Mhan Sa said
Friday"s meeting would last three days and would focus on the better political
and military cooperation among anti-Myanmar ethnic groups to fight against the
UWSA. The UWSA, which says it has 20,000 armed fighters, fought Myanmar"s
military rulers for greater autonomy in the Wa region until it unexpectedly
agreed to a ceasefire in 1989. Unlike the UWSA, the 3,000-strong KNPP is one of
a handful of ethnic groups still fighting the Myanmar military for greater
autonomy. It reached a ceasefire agreement with Yangon in the mid-1990s that
later broke down. The Arakan Army is estimated by Thai security sources to have
about 3,000 soldiers.
Friday, July 28 3:47 PM SGT
US Vows to Help Asean Countries in Economic
Reform Process
BANGKOK, July 28 Asia Pulse -
The US government was prepared to assist Asean countries hit by the financial
crisis in their reform process to build strong economic foundations such as
improving financial supervision and corporate restructuring, secretary of state,
Madeleine Albright said here today.
"Together, we must strive diligently to ensure that the crisis just past is not repeated. The United States is prepared to assist as the process of reform goes forward in such areas as improved financial supervision and corporate restructuring," she said. She made the comments in her speech at the Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) held in conjunction with the 33rd Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM). Albright said the Asean region was now passing the crisis that began about three years ago but she noted that the stiffest test in the recent years had not been questioned. "Asean is now moving into its second year of economic recovery. The hard decisions that some Asean nations had the courage to make on banking reform and privatisation are paying off. And a firmer foundation for sustained economic growth is being built," she noted. Nevertheless, she cautioned that the dramatic change in the nature of the world economy would not spare the Asean economies comprising Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia. Albright said future stability and growth would depend on a combination of factors including market fundamentals (competition, regulation, investment); electronic initiatives (Internet readiness, paperless trading) and a web of connections to electronic commerce (air services, customs procedures, education and training and product safety standards). "A critical component of this effort will be strengthening the rules of law and curbing official corruption and cronyism," she said. A new world economy would be based on open markets, an open book and open lines of communication. Touching on the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Albright said that the US strongly believed that all countries stood to benefit from lowering trade barriers and strengthening the global trading system. "The US also seeks to address the trade and needs of least-developed countries (LDCs) and to facilitate their integration into the multilateral trading system. "To this end, we support measures to provide technical assistance and improve market access for the LDSs and to relax certain deadlines on meeting WTO commitments," Albright said. She also noted that the US had joined other leading industrial nations in proposing to implement tariff-free and quota-free treatment for virtually all products originating in LDCs. (Bernama) Friday, July 28 6:17 PM SGT
Albright Says US to Continue Targeted Development Aid BANGKOK, July 28 Asia Pulse -
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has said that while the United States
believes that "trade, not aid" is the best way to foster sustainable economic
development, it realises that assistance can play a useful role in jumpstarting
development and in responding to disasters.
Speaking at the Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) held after the 33rd Asean Ministerial Meeting here today that to this end, the US government was continuing a programme of carefully targeting development aid to the Asean region. Asean consists of Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. The assistance increased to US$226 million this year from US$201 million
last year, Albright said.
"The US-Asia Environmental Partnership (USAEP) works with several Asean
countries to meet the environmental challenges of rapid industrial and urban
growth, managing natural resources and creating sustainable development," she
said.
Touching on transnational issues, she said the US and Asean nations had
co-operated closely several issues from fighting international crime to
protecting the environment.
In framing the US approach, she said Asean's own Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA)
was being used as a guide.
For example, she said the HPA highlighted the importance of curbing the
production and trafficking of illegal narcotics were both a regional imperative
and a global priority of American foreign policy.
Accordingly, she also said the US government applauded Asean's decision to
advance the date for a drug-free Asean from 2020 to 2015, saying, that "we are
willing to do all we can to help achieve this goal."
As the HPA put into focus the growing and highly invidious type of crime in
Southeast Asia as well as worldwide the trafficking of human beings, especially
women and children, Albright said the US strongly supported the action
programme.
The action plan was forged at the Asian Regional Initiative Against the
Trafficking of Women and Children's (ARIAT) workshop in Manila earlier this
year.
Albright also announced that the US Department of Labour would provide US$1
million to the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) International Programme
on the Elimination of Child Labour to combat the trafficking of children in
Southeast Asia.
In announcing the US initiative to support sustainable development
including forest management, forest fire and haze control, she also said the US
East Asian and Pacific Environmental Initiatites would fund another US$3.5
million for new projects.
These projects include protection of biodiversity in Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam; preservation of coral reefs in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia; and the
continuation of forest management and forest fire/haze control in
Indonesia.
Health was also a top priority for US assistance in South East Asia,
Albright said, adding that the US government would continue to work closely with
Asean nations to address the HIV/Aids threat.
Friday, July 28 2:35 PM SGT
US Urges Asia To Tackle Cronyism,Corruption For Stability BANGKOK (AP)--The U.S. urged
action Friday against cronyism and corruption in Southeast Asia, while China
criticized inequalities in the world economy at an Asian security conference
Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright praised Southeast Asian countries for recovering from financial turmoil that hit the region in 1997, but said future stability would depend on strengthening the rule of law. China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan railed against the "unequal
international economic order" that he said is manifested by rich countries'
preoccupation with human rights.
The officials made the remarks at an annual gathering of the 10 members of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean, and other countries with
interests in Asia.
The conference gives countries an opportunity to exchange views on
everything from politics and the economy to regional security.
Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Albright noted that Asean was moving into its second year of economic
recovery following the devastation of a regional financial crisis in 1997 and
1998.
"The hard decisions that some Asean nations had the courage to make on
banking reform and privatization are paying off," Albright said.
To grow further, countries needed to adapt to globalization by keeping an
eye on market fundamentals, e-commerce and education, she said.
"A critical component of this effort will be strengthening the rule of law
and curbing official corruption and cronyism," Albright said.
The economic crisis has variously been blamed on lax financial regulations
and governance, but also on the swiftness with which Western banks retreated
when financial turmoil struck.
China's Tang said that "economic globalization is a double-edged sword,"
leaving Asian economies vulnerable to the "disorderly flow of short-term
capital."
A more reasonable economic order, allowing shared prosperity, required
developed countries to fulfill world trading agreements to open up markets to
the products of poor countries, he said.
Tang linked the economic gap to "erroneous theories such as human rights
overriding sovereignty," which had eroded the norms governing international
relations, Tang said.
Albright said that the United States supported improving market access to
the world's poorest countries, relaxing certain deadlines on some World Trade
Organization requirements.
The recent U.S.-Vietnam bilateral trade agreement - a landmark in relations
between the former enemies reached - would yield "significant dividends" to both
countries, Albright said.
South China Morning Post
Friday, July 28, 2000 ASEAN 'Lost decade' of EU stance on
Rangoon
WILLIAM BARNES The Thai Foreign Minister says the European Union "wasted 10 years"
shunning Burma until the recent softening of its policy of non-engagement with
the military regime.
"We told them that shunning the Burmese would get them nowhere. We welcome this new policy," said Surin Pitsuwan, after meeting the European Commissioner for External Affairs, Chris Patten, and EU foreign policy and security chief Javier Solana. "We have also maintained that only by talking to these people, dealing with
these people, will you ever hope to change them. You can't shut a country in a
box and think it will magically change by itself."
The EU said on Wednesday it was willing to sit down with Asean, treating
Burma as an equal member of the group. The new policy will allow Burma to
participate in the joint EU-Asean ministerial meeting in Laos in December.
Mr Patten, Hong Kong's last governor, said although the EU had decided not
to risk damaging its relations with Asean for the sake of its Burma stance, it
would maintain tough sanctions against the Burmese Government.
"Burma should be at the beating heart of Asia; it should be a very
important country. And it will be - when it has a democratic government. The EU
generally supports full engagement and trade but Burma is a special case - not
many countries have turned over a freely-elected government," the former Hong
Kong governor said.
Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung, responding to pressure at the forum,
said yesterday the military Government was not evil but a group of loving,
caring and kind-hearted human beings.
"If it were so the country would be in flames. In fact, it is we who have
extinguished the fires. Peace prevails throughout the length and breadth of the
country like never before," the Foreign Minister said.
"What we have is a happy people."
Myanmar military gov't says don't
worry, we're happy
CBC News - Thu Jul 27 16:01:38 2000 BANGKOK, THAILAND - Myanmar's military government wants people to know that
they are not evil as some think, but are in fact loving, caring and kindhearted.
'What we have is a happy people' — Myanmar foreign minister
The country's foreign minister told his counterparts at a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) that Myanmar has been unfairly vilified by the world. "Peace prevails throughout the length and breadth of the country," said Win
Aung. "What we have is a happy people."
The military dictatorship has come under fire at ASEAN's regional forum
being held in Thailand.
The European Union and the United States have condemned Myanmar for the
treatment of its pro-democracy opposition, labour and human rights abuses and
its drug industry.
Earlier this week, the EU external affairs minister told the press he felt
Myanmar poses a risk to Asian regional security.
But Aung insists that the nation poses no threat to neighbours. He also
says his government has been waging a war on the drug industry.
Myanmar did get a sympathetic ear from China and Laos, which supported the
country's problem-solving efforts.
Bangkok Post - July 28, 2000.
ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM Thailand's anti-drug initiative finds favour Menace of narcotics dominates session Thailand won support yesterday for its proposal that the United Nations
head an international congress on illegal drugs.
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan extended Thailand's offer to host a
congress after proposing the UN Drug Control Programme take the lead role.
Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and China should assist, he proposed.
Thailand was fully supported by the Asean Regional Forum, he said, and he
would get back to participants when the proposal took shape.
Sources said drugs dominated talks, followed by the United States missile
defence system, and Korea, with Pyongyang's debut at the forum.
Burma's Foreign Minister Win Aung was the main speaker in the drug
discussion, outlining the nature of the problem, Rangoon's efforts to beat it
and appealing for international aid.
Most Western members agreed drugs are a global issue, while some Asian
participants stressed the need to tackle the problem of the precursor chemicals
at root of the trade.
As host, Thailand earlier had signalled it would not raise the missile
defence system, placing emphasis instead on the trafficking in humans, drugs and
arms, and piracy.
"Transnational crime got a lot of exposure, particularly drugs," Mr Surin
said, stressing the need to address the demand side in the East and West.
Asean was striving to bring forward to 2015 from 2020 the creation of a
drug-free Southeast Asia, he said.
Academics gave a mixed reaction to the ARF's outcome. Surachai Sirikrai, an
Asia specialist at Thammasat University, hailed the inclusion of human security
issues that directly affect Asean. He welcomed the ARF ministers' recognition of
the new Asean-Plus-Three process since Western countries had previously opposed
it.
Prapat Thepchatree, director of Thammasat University's Centre for
International Policy Studies, said the ARF had failed to progress from
confidence-building to preventive diplomacy. The West, he said, had advocated an
energetic transition. Though the ARF could not solve conflicts, its existence
fostered understanding. (Send your protest letter to Japanese Government and Japanese Bussiness Companies before August 8. Stage demonstration in front of Japanese Embassies around the world on Aug 8.) |