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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA RELATED NEWS - SEP 13, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CNN - Albright lashes out at Myanmar government
for holding Suu Kyi
Reuters -Myanmar's Suu Kyi praised abroad,
locked up at home
The Japan Times - Kono
and Albright clash over whaling
The Daily Yomiuri - Myanmar pro-democracy forces facing long, uphill
struggle
Reuters - Women Ministers Appeal for Suu
Kyi
Reuters - Annan Asks for Action, Albright Says
Farewell
AFP - Epidemic kills thousands in Myanmar drug
country
AP - Illegal Myanmar Loggers Arrested By 100
Thai Police
AP -U.N. General Assembly Debate
Opens
AP - Differences Dominate U.N.
Assembly
The Times of India - Nepal Amnesty protests Myanmar rights
violations
The Times of India - UK envoy says he is
barred from visiting Suu Kyi
Kyodo News - EU urges Myanmar to restore
Aung San's civil rights
Bkk Post - Two top Wa leaders victims of
anthrax
Bkk Post - Drug dealers may have slipped in for
care
SCMP - BURMA - Suu Kyi praised abroad, locked up
at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Albright lashes out at Myanmar
government for holding Suu Kyi
September 13, 2000 Web posted at: 2:54 a.m. HKT (1854 GMT) From State Department Producer Elise Labott and U.N. Producer Ronni Berke
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright lashed out Tuesday at the military
government of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, saying "the world is not fooled"
when that government tries to blame democracy activists for their own
repression.
The government has come under fire for its treatment of opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won a landslide election
victory in 1990. The military government refused to accept the election results
and confined Suu Kyi to her home until 1995.
But even after her release from house arrest, the 1991 Noble Peace laureate
has not been allowed free travel. Late last month, police stopped two vehicles
carrying Suu Kyi and 15 of her supporters when they tried to leave Yangon, the
Myanmar capital, to travel to the provinces.
Police ended the standoff nine days later and returned Suu Kyi to her home,
where she was locked inside.
At last week's U.N. Millennium Summit, Myanmar Foreign Minister U Win Aung
argued that his government's approach was a constructive one and that those who
disagree were trying "to stir up the tranquil waters."
Some international leaders, however, vehemently disagree.
"When the Burmese government tries to blame the victims for the crime, and
say that (democracy activist) Aung San Suu Kyi and her party are responsible for
their own repression, I can only reply that much the same was once said about
Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Vaclav Havel," Albright said
in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. "The world is not fooled. And we must
not be silent."
Albright has used almost every public opportunity in the last several
months to publicize the case of the opposition leader. At a conference in Warsaw
she introduced Suu Kyi, who appeared by videotape because she was not permitted
to leave Myanmar.
On Monday, at a reception hosted by Marie Claire magazine, Albright and a
group of female foreign ministers issued a statement condemning the violation of
Suu Kyi's human rights and calling for the Burmese government to stop its
harassment of her and members of her opposition party.
"We are appalled at the actions of the Burmese government in holding Aung
San Suu Kyi," said the ministers' written statement, adding that the
government's actions against Aung San Suu Kyi and other National League for
Democracy leaders "are an affront to people throughout the world."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WIRE:09/13/2000 06:51:00 ET
Myanmar's Suu Kyi praised abroad, locked up at home YANGON, Sept 13 (Reuters) -
Myanmar"s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained padlocked in her home
on Wednesday, unable to respond to a chorus of support from world foreign
ministers meeting in New York. Stung by international criticism, the military
government sought to fend off allegations that it was keeping Suu Kyi and other
opposition leaders isolated. It released photographs which it said showed them
being visited by relatives and guests. But Yangon diplomats said they continued
to be barred from visiting senior National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders.
Nothing has been heard from Suu Kyi since the government forcibly returned her
to Yangon and confined her to her house on September 2. Diplomats say concern is
growing that the government may be preparing to try to crush the NLD once and
for all. The NLD won 1990 elections by a landslide but was never allowed to
govern. Fresh signs of strain have emerged in Myanmar"s tightly controlled
economy, with the kyat currency plunging to a new record low against the dollar
on the black market. Analysts say speculation, inflation and the weakness of
other regional currencies have all dragged down the kyat. SUPPORT FOR SUU KYI In
a speech on Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S. Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright rejected Myanmar"s assertion that Suu Kyi and the NLD
were "responsible for their own repression." "The world is not fooled, and we
must not be silent," she added. Albright added her name to a statement by 13
women foreign ministers appealing to Myanmar to lift restraints on Suu Kyi. "We
are appalled at the actions of the Burmese regime in holding Aung San Suu Kyi
and other leaders of the National League for Democracy under house arrest and
constant surveillance," the statement said. "We call on the Burmese government
to stop its harassment of the democratic opposition and begin immediately a
dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic leaders aimed at
reconciliation among the Burmese people." Myanmar says senior NLD members are
not under house arrest and have merely been asked to remain at home while the
government investigates allegations that some NLD members were involved in
"terrorist activity." Photographs released on Wednesday were said to show
visitors and one of Suu Kyi"s doctors visiting her residence. Other pictures
showed relatives and guests visiting other leading NLD members. One senior NLD
member was shown having a medical examination to check his cholesterol levels,
and another was shown visiting an ophthalmologist earlier this month. Myanmar
newspapers have carried several attacks on the NLD, including one saying the
party"s demise was "not far," but have not reported the restrictions placed on
Suu Kyi. Myanmar"s economic difficulties did not appear to be sparking obvious
dissent, residents said. The kyat fell to 402 to the dollar on the black market
on Wednesday, its lowest level ever, after repeatedly sinking to new depths in
August. The official rate is just around six kyat to the dollar. "The main
reason for the steep fall in the kyat is speculation," one Yangon analyst told
Reuters. Rampant inflation has also sapped the currency. Myanmar"s economy is
commodity-based and relies heavily on the export of rice, pulses and prawns.
(With additional reporting by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Japan Times: Sept. 13, 2000 Kono and Albright clash over whalingNEW YORK(Kyodo) Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright clashed Monday over Japan's expanded whaling program, with both warning of retaliatory measures. The dispute surfaced during a 55-minute meeting that also had Kono and Albright exchanging views over nuclear disarmament, reform of the United Nations and Myanmar. Both were here for the U.N. Millennium General Assembly session. Albright conveyed "strong disappointment" over Japan's decision to expand its whaling program to include other endangered species, such as sperm and Bryde's whales, and warned that Washington is looking at possible measures under U.S. law, a State Department official said. In response, Kono told Albright that Japan "will take action under international laws should the U.S. impose trade sanctions," a Foreign Ministry official said. The Japanese official said Japan's measures could include lodging a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Kono said the species covered by the whaling program are not endangered and that the program is for internationally permitted "scientific research" purposes. "We should deal with the issue calmly," Kono was quoted as saying. But Albright made it clear that "we care greatly about this subject" in urging Japan to reconsider the program, the U.S. official said. Washington announced last month a set of protest actions, including the cancellation of regular bilateral fisheries talks, a boycott of two environmental meetings in Japan and opposition to Japan playing host next year to an International Whaling Commission gathering. Washington also is considering trade sanctions. Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta will decide this month whether to ask President Bill Clinton to call for sanctions, which could include an import curb, by invoking a U.S. law aimed at countries judged to have threatened to endanger fishery resources. Sperm and Bryde's whales are protected under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, and sperm whales are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Japan has decided to include in this year's whaling program a plan to catch 10 sperm whales and 50 Bryde's whales, as well as 100 minke whales, in the Northwestern Pacific. Four Japanese whaling vessels, part of a six-vessel fleet, left Japan in late July under the "scientific whaling" program, despite a personal appeal sent to Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori from Clinton urging Japan to reconsider the plan. The meat from Japan's "scientific" hunts reportedly ends up in posh restaurants. On Myanmar, Albright asked for Japan's cooperation to stop the military government from harassing and restricting the activities of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Albright and Kono agreed that the restrictions are "totally unacceptable," the U.S. official said. The Japanese official said Kono deplored the junta's recent behavior and promised to consider such measures as using its envoy in Yangon to put pressure on the junta. Albright reiterated U.S. support for Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, while agreeing with Kono that the council needs to be reformed, the U.S. official said. Kono asked for U.S. backing on a nuclear disarmament resolution that Japan plans to submit to the millennium assembly, and Albright vowed to consider the request. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Yomiuri - Sep 13, 2000. Myanmar pro-democracy forces facing long,
uphill struggle Bangkok -- BANGKOK--A series of incidents surrounding the recent standoff involving Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi underlines the reality that the country's democratization process still has a long way to go. Suu Kyi and members of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), who were en route to a meeting of the party's youth league in Kungyangon, 50 kilometers south of Yangon, on Aug. 24, were reportedly blocked by military officials and began a standoff in their vehicles. At dawn on Sept. 2, the 10th day of the confrontation, security authorities forcibly returned Suu Kyi to her residence in Yangon, where authorities searched her home and NLD headquarters. She and other NLD members have since been placed under house arrest and have lost all contact with the outside world. Suu Kyi, the eldest daughter of Gen. Aung San, a martyred national hero who secured the country's independence from Britain, is the popular secretary general of the NLD, which is seeking the country's democratization. In July 1989, however, she was placed under house arrest, and her detention lasted until 1995. Although the NLD enjoyed a landslide victory in a general election in 1990, the military government refused to accept the results and has since continued to suppress efforts toward democracy. The latest incident clearly reveals that the military government has not changed its basic opposition to the pro-democracy movement at all. The government said its decision to stop the group traveling was based on poor security in the country's rural areas. It said it was not appropriate for an important figure like Suu Kyi to visit such places. Regarding a series of measures taken after she was brought back to Yangon, the government explained that investigations were being conducted based on allegations that the group was planning a bomb attack, and that the situation would return to normal after investigations were completed. However, it was obvious these statements were excuses made out of desperation, and, according to local diplomatic sources, many believe that the military government attempted to silence Suu Kyi until the end of the U.N. Millennium Summit in New York. The U.S., British and French governments, as well as the European Union, harshly criticized the military regime at the United Nations and on other occasions, saying that restrictions on the freedom to travel are a violation of basic human rights. Such beliefs are in line with the conventional policies of Europe and the United States, which have attempted to force the Myanmar government to democratize the country through economic sanctions. On the other hand, most members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are taking a wait-and-see approach to the standoff, with the exception of Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, who expressed concern on Aug. 28 that it could damage ASEAN's image. The incident has not been reported at all in Vietnam, which currently chairs the association. The Philippine government is also taking a cautious approach--Foreign Minister Domingo Siazon said during a press conference on Sept. 1 that the situation in Myanmar was a domestic affair. Likewise, a spokesman for Vietnam's foreign minister stated on Sept. 7 that "(Vietnam) respects the ASEAN principle of noninterference in internal affairs," and no ASEAN country has expressed a willingness to take action over the incident. ASEAN, along with Japan and Australia, has continued constructive efforts to urge Myanmar's democratization by extending economic assistance. According to an AFP report released at the end of August, a vice minister with Myanmar's State Planning and Economic Development Ministry was fired for delivering a speech criticizing the military government as lacking transparency and consistency in its policies. This episode indicates that even the military regime is not completely monolithic. Yet the view persists that neither constructive efforts nor rigid approaches by Europe and the United States have managed to change the essential character of the military regime. In the past, the Myanmar government has shown a certain degree of flexibility when faced with international pressure, as in its decision in 1995 to end Suu Kyi's house arrest. In spring, Yangon cooperated with an International Labor Organization inspection team and opened universities for the first time in about 3-1/2 years. However, these incidents have not necessarily led to fundamental changes in the military regime. There is no sign that the government is loosening its grip on the NLD, and draft proposals for a constitution, which is considered the most important barometer of democratization, have long been shelved. Meanwhile, the military's grip on the country tightens as it closes its channels to the outside world and rejects international intervention. Pro-democracy forces led by Suu Kyi and others have been divided by pressure from the military government, and civic movements have been failures. Under these circumstances, pro-democracy forces are isolated and unable to formulate an effective strategy. In addition, public support for the pro-democracy movement seems to be gradually dwindling. With the gap between the military government and pro-democratic forces widening, Myanmar's future looks uncertain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WIRE:09/12/2000 12:59:00 ET
Women Ministers Appeal for Suu Kyi UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -
Women foreign ministers led by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appealed to
the government of Myanmar to lift restraints on opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi and start talks with the opposition. In a joint statement distributed by the
State Department on Tuesday, the ministers said the restraints on Suu Kyi were
an "affront to people throughout the world." "We are appalled at the actions of
the Burmese (Myanmar) regime in holding Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of
the National League for Democracy under house arrest and constant surveillance,"
they said. "We call on the Burmese government to stop its harassment of the
democratic opposition and begin immediately a dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and
other democratic leaders aimed at reconciliation among the Burmese people," they
added. Suu Kyi has been confined to her home and barred from all contact with
the outside world since Sept. 2, while the Yangon headquarters of her National
League for Democracy (NLD) remains closed and guarded by police. The government
says she and other senior NLD members are being temporarily confined to their
homes while the authorities investigate the alleged involvement of some NLD
members in what it calls "terrorist activity." The joint statement was drafted
in conjunction with a dinner the women ministers attended in New York on Monday
on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The 13 women foreign ministers
include Benita Ferrero-Waldner of Austria, Soledad Alvear of Chile, Rosario
Green of Mexico, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa and Anna Lindh of
Sweden. They described Suu Kyi and her colleagues as "tireless champions" of
democracy in Myanmar. "They give voice to the disenfranchised of Burma whose
hopes for a just, democratic society have been suppressed for too long," they
added. In her speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Albright likened
Suu Kyi to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, leaders who fought oppression
through non-violence. The government of Myanmar could not "fool" the world into
thinking Suu Kyi was responsible for the suppression of the country"s democracy
movement, she added. The government of Myanmar, which the United States
continues to call Burma, has called members of the opposition "destructive
elements" and has vowed to crush them. Albright said: "When the Burmese
government tries to blame the victims for the crime, and say that Aung San Suu
Kyi and her party are responsible for their own repression, I can only say that
much the same was once said about Gandhi and Martin Luther King, (South African
leader) Nelson Mandela and (Czech President) Vaclav Havel." "The world is not
fooled, and we must not be silent," she added. Albright has discussed Suu Kyi"s
case in bilateral meetings with foreign ministers in New York, including Yohei
Kono of Japan on Monday. A U.S. spokesman said Albright and Kono agreed that the
Myanmar government"s treatment of Suu Kyi was unacceptable.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WIRE:09/12/2000 23:19:00 ET
Annan Asks for Action, Albright Says Farewell UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -
Secretary-General Kofi Annan demanded that the 55th U.N. General Assembly start
making realistic decisions as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright bid farewell
to the organization that played a decisive role in her childhood and
professional life. Fresh from pledges by world leaders at a Millennium Summit
last week, Annan told foreign ministers and other officials on Tuesday that it
was time to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping department and expand the 15-member
Security Council to give developing nations a stronger voice, among other
reforms. Aware that many plans have died in the 189-member General Assembly,
where a minority often can exert informal veto power, Annan said, "Consensus is
highly desirable, but it need not mean waiting for absolute unanimity on every
subclause among 189 member states." "The minority, often a very small minority,
should not withhold its consent unreasonably," he told the opening session of
the assembly. "Whatever we think of the veto in the Security Council, it surely
has no place in this assembly. We can no longer afford to operate always at the
level of the lowest and slowest common denominator," Annan said. Annan said the
General Assembly session -- which is usually the highlight of the U.N."s year --
might appear to be something of an anticlimax, coming as it did in the wake of
last week"s summit. "But I prefer to see it as the moment when we roll up our
sleeves and start putting into action the bold pledges that our heads of state
and government have made," he said. ASSEMBLY"S ROLE The General Assembly, while
less powerful than the 15-nation Security Council, approves the U.N."s budget,
basic programs and personnel policies. "Never again must the United Nations find
itself without the means to protect those who have been encouraged to put their
trust in it," Annan said, referring to a overhaul of the peacekeeping department
that some officials estimate will cost at least $70 million and need the
assembly"s approval. The United States supports plans to revamp peacekeeping but
wants its dues lowered before it will begin to pay part of the $1.7 billion it
owes the world body. Albright, in her speech, denounced Iraq for not cooperating
with U.N. arms inspectors but said Washington would not use force just to make
Baghdad let the weapons experts back into the country. She also castigated
Myanmar on human rights, saying the military leadership there could not "fool"
the world into thinking its chief critic, Aung San Suu Kyi, was responsible for
the suppression of the country"s democracy movement. "I have always considered
myself a child of the U.N.," she told the assembly session, her eighth since she
took the job of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1993. Albright, 63, who
is very likely to leave office when the next U.S. president is inaugurated in
January, said she expected her speech to be her last official one to the world
body. Her father, Joseph Korbel, served on a U.N. commission on Kashmir in 1948.
"The U.N. provides no guarantee of global peace or prosperity. But it can play a
vital role as catalyst and coordinator and as a bridge connecting the
contributions of one to another," she told assembled foreign ministers.
SOMALIA"S "RIGHTFUL PLACE" Somalia"s new leader, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, was
introduced to the assembly by Djibouti, whose president, Ismael Omar Guelleh,
said, "What a joy to see Somalia regain its rightful place in the community of
nations!" Djibouti organized the talk that led to his election last month.
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, speaking on behalf of the European
Union, said his 15-nation bloc planned to create a 60,000-strong rapid reaction
force for international peacekeeping and crisis-management missions. He pledged
that the EU force would cooperate with the United Nations and invited Annan to
travel to Brussels for inaugural talks on how the two bodies could work
together. Vedrine"s offer reflects how far the United Nations has lost its
pre-eminent role of global peacekeeper, and Annan himself conceded that the
world body needed help from the corporate world and nongovernmental
organizations to achieve its goals. Brazil"s Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe
Lampreia criticized industrial nations for writing world trade laws according to
their own interests "as if 5 billion human beings did not have equally
legitimate aspirations to progress, justice and well-being." And Nepal"s Foreign
Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola noted that targets to reduce poverty pledged at
the Millennium Summit had been agreed to at global U.N. conferences over the
past decade and "forgotten before the ink on them dries."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 13 4:25 PM SGT
Epidemic kills thousands in
Myanmar drug country
CHIANG RAI, Thailand, Sept 13 (AFP) - An epidemic of malaria, anthrax and typhoid
is ravaging Myanmar's notorious drug-producing region, killing thousands and
infecting even more, including a reputed international narcotics kingpin, Thai
military sources said.
Since mid-July, the three diseases have killed at least several thousand
residents of Maung Yawn, a northeastern Myanmar province of over 100,000 and a
headquarters for the ethnic minority militia United Wa State Army (UWSA), one of
the world's leading drug producers.
One military source said that as many as 10,000 residents of Maung Yawn
have died since July, a figure that would make the epidemic one of the worst of
its kind to hit Southeast Asia in recent years.
"Many people are dying every day, and hundreds are getting sick. It is an
uncontrollable situation," said one Thai military source posted along the
Myanmar border near Chiang Rai, a northern Thai city 800 kilometresmiles) from
Bangkok.
Some sick residents of Maung Yawn have been straggling across the border
into Thailand in an attempt to obtain care, the source said.
Among those infected with anthrax reportedly is Wei Hsueh-kang, one of the
top leaders of the UWSA and perhaps the most powerful drug warlord in Southeast
Asia.
Although the Bangkok Post Wednesday reported that some Wa leaders were
slipping into Thailand for medical care, army sources told AFP that Wei
Hseuh-kang was receiving treatment in the Myanmar town of Tachilek, near the
Thai border.
The UWSA signed a peace treaty with the Yangon junta in 1989 after years of
fighting the central government and then used the peace to consolidate its
control over the area and move into amphetamine, opium and heroin production and
smuggling.
Since the ceasefire the Yangon authorities have been effectively absent
from the region.
Foreign critics charge that Myanmar agreed to turn a blind eye to the Wa's
drug trafficking business. Myanmar is the world's second-largest producer of
opium as well as a major source of amphetamines.
Army sources say the epidemic has yet to have much impact on the Wa's drug
business as most of the people who have died are civilians, since whatever
medication exists in Maung Yawn is given to UWSA soldiers first.
But even the medication that the soldiers are receiving is outdated, as
clinics in Maung Yawn are basic and lack most essential drugs, Thais who used to
work in Maung Yawn have said.
Thai army sources said that Chinese doctors will be arriving soon to help
deal with Maung Yawn's medical crisis.
Although the epidemic, along with a brewing battle between the Wa and other
drug trafficking groups in Myanmar, threatens to send thousand of refugees into
Thailand, the Thai army said it would not let in migrants or provide much
assistance to those suffering in Maung Yawn.
Army sources privately told AFP that the border across from Maung Yawn has
now been tightly sealed.
A truck full of Maung Yawn residents infected with malaria and anthrax was
recently turned back at the Thai border, they said.
Thais who used to work in Maung Yawn building new structures for the Wa now
are prevented by the army from going into Myanmar, although the army said there
are still some Western missionaries living in Maung Yawn.
Thus far there are no reports of major anthrax, typhoid or malaria
epidemics in the Thai provinces bordering Maung
Yawn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, September 13 6:00 PM SGT
Illegal Myanmar Loggers Arrested By 100 Thai Police MAE SOT, Thailand (AP)--One
hundred Thai border patrol police raided an illegal timber yard near the border
with Myanmar Wednesday and arrested three ethnic Karens from Myanmar, police
said.
Police seized 185 logs, 300 timber planks and a truck, worth a total of 10 million baht (US$1=THB41.625), said Police Lieutenant General Kovit Wattana, the deputy national police chief. He said the timber seized at Mae Kasa village, in Tak province's Mae Sot
district, about 370 kilometers northwest of Bangkok, had been cut from a Thai
forest reserve and was to be used to make furniture.
Kovit said Thai villagers were behind the logging and had hired Karen
migrant laborers to work for them. He said Thai border police would search all
villages in the area for illegal timber.
The three Myanmar nationals would be charged with illegal entry and illegal
logging, Kovit said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday September 12 7:45 PM ET
U.N. General Assembly Debate Opens By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer UNITED NATIONS (AP) -
Differences over a global agenda for the 21st century dominated the opening of
the General Assembly's ministerial meeting Tuesday, despite last week's
agreement by world leaders on a blueprint to reduce poverty and promote
peace.
The United States denounced Iraq and Myanmar, the European Union shunned
Yugoslavia over human rights, Brazil complained about the industrialized world's
trade policies, and impoverished Nepal lamented that commitments to help
developing countries ``are forgotten before the ink on them dries.''
Coming on the heels of the historic Millennium Summit, which brought
together nearly 150 world leaders, the General Assembly debate is expected to
provide an initial indication of the commitment of governments to the goals and
targets set in the eight-page summit declaration.
Opening Tuesday's debate, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that while the
two-week ministerial session might seem ``something of an anti-climax,'' he
viewed it as ``the moment we roll up our sleeves and start putting into action
the bold pledges that our heads of state and government have made.''
While there is now broad consensus on what needs to be done - ``broader
than many people would have expected in so large and diverse an organization'' -
the 189 U.N. member states must agree on how to implement the agenda, and find
the money to do it, he said.
Speaker after speaker at Tuesday's session reiterated their country's
commitment to the broad goals of reducing poverty, ending wars, improving U.N.
peacekeeping and reforming the Security Council. A few mentioned the summit
targets - to cut in half the proportion of people living on less than one dollar
a day and ensure that every child goes to primary school by the year 2015.
But the priorities of the different countries varied greatly.
To meet the summit goals, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said
every government ``has an obligation to observe international norms on human
rights, uphold the rule of law, fight corruption and raise awareness about
HIV/AIDS,'' singling out Iraq and Myanmar for refusing to respect international
norms.
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, speaking on behalf of the European
Union, said Yugoslavia was being barred from a conference on the Balkans this
fall because ``the nature of the present regime doesn't allow it.''
``But the Serbs know that they have their place in the European family and
that the EU is looking forward to the day when Yugoslavia is in a position to
... recover its rightful place in Europe. The elections on Sept. 24 could be
decisive in this respect,'' he said.
In a bid to better respond to crises, he said, the EU plans to create a
standing force of 60,000 troops - with their own air and naval support units -
that could be deployed within two months. The EU also plans to have 5,000 police
officers ready by 2003 to deploy within 30 days to crisis spots, he said.
But other nations, especially developing countries, had different
priorities.
Brazil's Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia, whose country has Latin
America's largest economy, criticized developed nations for writing the rules of
global trade ``solely according to their interests and points of view, as if the
other five billion human beings did not have equally legitimate aspirations to
progress, justice and well-being.''
Nepal's Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola supported the targets to
reduce poverty and promote development adopted by the summit, but he noted that
they have been promoted by U.N. conferences for the past decade, ``yet sadly
nothing much has changed.''
While global trade has increased several times in recent years, the least
developed countries are losing ground, and in land-locked countries like Nepal
poverty has also increased, he said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday September 13 4:00 AM ET
Differences Dominate U.N. Assembly By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Four days
after global leaders vowed to work together for worldwide peace and prosperity,
a follow-up meeting of the U.N. General Assembly was dominated instead by
differences: The United States vs. Iraq. The European Union vs. Yugoslavia.
Brazil vs. the industrial world.
The two-week ministerial session that began Tuesday is expected to provide
some indication of how committed governments are to the goals and targets they
agreed to at last week's historic Millennium Summit. Speaker after speaker
Tuesday reiterated their country's commitment to the broad goals laid out at the
summit - reducing poverty and promoting peace.
But the priorities and interests of individual states consumed the debate
from the start.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright attacked Iraq for refusing to allow
weapons inspections from the United Nations. She also warned Myanmar that ``the
world is not fooled'' by its campaign to blame pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi, who has been confined to her home since Sept. 1, and her party for their
own repression.
France, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said Yugoslavia was being
barred from a conference on the Balkans this fall because of President Slobodan
Milosevic (news - web sites)'s repressive regime. Brazil, Latin America's
largest economy, criticized developed nations for tailoring the rules of global
trade to fit their own interests.
Chile urged all countries to support the establishment of an international
criminal court to avoid jurisdictional conflicts like the one that engulfed the
case of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Bulgaria complained about damage to its economy
from sanctions on neighboring Yugoslavia.
Impoverished Nepal lamented that commitments to help developing nations
``are forgotten before the ink on them dries.'' And Liechtenstein, a tiny Alpine
principality, complained about proceedings against it over allegations that it
was a money laundering haven for Central American drug barons, the Russian
underworld and the Mafia.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan put the onus on the 189 U.N. member states,
saying in an opening speech that they must agree on how to implement the agenda
laid out at the Millennium Summit, which brought together nearly 150 world
leaders.
``The key decisions lie in your hands,'' he said.
A few of the speakers Tuesday mentioned specific targets from last week's
summit - to cut in half the proportion of people living on less than one dollar
a day and ensure primary education for children worldwide by 2015. But
individual complaints and requests dominated.
Nepalese Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola said there was a
credibility problem with the United Nations, which in the last decade set
targets to reduce poverty and promote development that could not be
achieved.
``We must narrow the gap between what we say and what we do,'' Bastola
said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Times of India - Sep 13,
2000.
Nepal Amnesty protests Myanmar rights violations KATHMANDU: Over 50 Amnesty International-Nepal officials and supporters
organized a silent protest march in Kathmandu on Monday against human rights
violation in Myanmar, witnesses said.
The organizers held placards and banners which read "Ensure human rights in
Myanmar".
They also distributed leaflets to onlookers on the street.
"We want to know the whereabouts of Aung San Suu Kyi and her 18 colleagues
detained since September 2 and want the Myanmar government to restore basic
human rights in their country," the organizers said.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other National League for Democracy
(NLD) leaders were placed under virtual house arrest on September 2 following a
nine-day roadside standoff with the military, which had barred them from
attending a party meeting outside the capital.
The Amnesty International-Nepal (AIN) also handed over a memorandum to
Myanmar embassy official in Kathmandu, which expressed concern over Burma's
deteriorating human rights condition.
"We are concerned that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo (NLD vice
chairman) have been held incommunicado since 2 September 2000," the letter
said.
The letter also urged the Myanmar rulers to immediately release U Soe Myint
and Myo Aung and 16 National League for Democracy (NLD) youth members arrested
on September 2.
"We consider them as Prisoners of Conscience, arrested solely for
exercising their right to freedom of association and for their membership of a
non-violent political party," it said. (AFP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Times of India - Sep 13,
2000.
UK envoy says he is barred from
visiting Suu Kyi
YANGON: Myanmar authorities barred a British diplomat from visiting
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her residence, where she has been kept
under virtual house arrest for 12 days, the diplomat has said on Tuesday.
"I tried to visit Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday but I was not permitted," the
diplomat, who did not want to be named, said. He said he was politely turned
away by a security officer at a roadblock on Yangon's university avenue, where
Suu Kyi's lakeside home is located.
"I don't see why we should not be given access to her. I shall continue to
go on a regular basis," the diplomat added.
The government did not immediately comment on the incident.
Suu Kyi has been confined to her home since September 1, following a
nine-day standoff at a Yangon suburb with authorities of Myanmar's military
regime.
She was stopped on August 24 on a journey to the countryside with 14 party
colleagues for a meeting of her National League for Democracy. They camped
outside and refused to return to the city, but were finally forced back on
September 1. (AP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EU urges Myanmar to restore Aung San's
civil rights
NEW YORK, Sept. 12 (Kyodo) --
The European Union on Tuesday urged the military government in Myanmar to
restore the civil rights of the Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi while
hailing the process of national reconciliation between North and South
Korea.
''The European Union is deeply concerned at the situation in Myanmar,'' French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine told the U.N. General Assembly, speaking on behalf of the 15-member union. ''It asks the Myanmar authorities to immediately restore Ms. Aung San Suu
Kyi's freedom of speech, movement and communication with the outside,'' Vedrine
said.
Vedrine, speaking on the opening day of an 11-day general debate at the
U.N. General Assembly on global issues, also took up the peace process on the
Korea peninsula and other regional issues in Asia, including security in East
Timor and conflicts between India and Pakistan.
Vedrine hailed the historic inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last June,
saying the event opened ''bright prospects'' for political stability on the
Korean peninsula after decades of hostility.
''We invite the two countries...to continue this process in order to help
the Korean people heal the wounds of the past,'' he said.
On East Timor, Vedrine said the EU is ''extremely concerned'' by new
outbreaks of violence by pro-Indonesia militiamen and urged Indonesian
authorities to take effective measures to control the militias.
On India and Pakistan, Vedrine urged the two countries to end terrorist
activity in the disputed Kashmir region and implement confidence- and
security-building measures.
He also urged India and Pakistan to abide by the international nuclear
non-proliferation regime and sign the comprehensive nuclear test ban
treaty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Sep 13,
2000.
GOLDEN TRIANGLE - Two top Wa leaders victims of anthrax Thousands die of disease since July Subin Khuenkaew, Chiang Rai and Nusara Thaitawat, Bangkok The two top leaders of the United Wa State Army's Southern Military
Command, including Wei Hsueh-kang, the most powerful drug warlord in the Golden
Triangle, have been taken ill with anthrax, border sources said yesterday.
The other commander and a rival of Wei Hsueh-kang is Wei Xai-tang
(unrelated), who is based at Command 361 in Mong Yawn, opposite Ban San Ton Du
in Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai.
Wei Hsueh-kang is based at Command 46 in Mong Mai, opposite Ban San Maked,
Mae Fah Luang, Chiang Rai.
An undisclosed number of high-ranking UWSA officers at both commands were
also seriously ill, it was confirmed.
It was reported earlier that more than 2,000 Wa soldiers and their
dependents living in newly developed towns along the Thai-Burmese border between
Mae Ai and Mae Sai have died from contagious diseases since July.
One border source believes the situation to be much worse with nearly
10,000 dying of malaria, acute diarrhoea, high fever, and what is believed to be
typhoid and anthrax, due to poor sanitation and the lack of medical knowledge
and supplies.
Rangoon has sent a medical team and China has sent a doctor to help contain
the diseases.
Anti-drug sources said they have yet to see any impact on the UWSA's drug
trafficking operations as most of those who have fallen ill are civilians.
The UWSA has also linked up with other major ethnic groups, such as the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the Shan State Army. Their supply routes into
Thailand are well developed from Mae Hong Son down to Tak.
Thai health officials are still unable to determine what diseases are
affecting the ethnic group for lack of blood samples.
Health officials along the border have been put on alert. Thai villagers
have been instructed to report immediately any signs of illness. So far Thai
authorities have declined to help the UWSA.
The UWSA, which signed a peace accord with Rangoon in 1989, has been
relocated to the Thai border from central and northern Shan state under a deal
with the Burmese military government since early this year.
Rangoon has claimed that the massive relocation is part of its narcotics
eradication programme focussing on removing people from drug-producing areas to
a more fertile land for agriculture.
It is estimated that some 180,000 people have been relocated so far.
Wei Hsueh-Kang, known to have close ties with Burma's intelligence chief
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, was reported to have contracted anthrax in July.
His personal Thai doctor has since placed him under close watch in a safe
house in Tachilek opposite Mae Sai.
One of his wives who lives in Chiang Mai was seen crossing the border on
August 12. She is believed to still be with him in Tachilek.
One son from his marriage to a Chinese woman, who is living in Taiwan, also
went from Bangkok to Tachilek through Mae Sai at the end of August. He is
believed to be with his father. Sources said Wei Hsueh-kang's younger brother,
Wei Hsueh-ying, has taken over all operations at the headquarters in Mong Mai
since
July.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Sep 13,
2000.
Drug dealers may have slipped in for care Teerawat Khumtita in Chiang Rai Security forces are checking reports on the influx into Chiang Rai of many
Red Wa people infected by an epidemic in Burma, amid fears drug dealers might be
slipping in.
The move followed news that the spread of an unidentified disease in Yawn
town of Burma, which has killed hundreds of people over the past two months, has
forced many patients to seek medical treatment in Thailand.
Chiang Rai police chief Pol Maj-Gen Seri Sukphet said he has asked border
officers to gather information on how many Red Wa patients had been admitted to
public and private hopitals in Muang, Mae Sai, Mae Chan and Mae Fa Luang
districts.
Concerned officials fear some Red Wa drug dealers might have sneaked into
the country along with these patients and this could be a threat to national
security.
However, no Red Wa patient has yet been found at any local hospital.
Meanwhile, Dr Renu Srismith, director of Chiang Rai Prachanukhroh hospital,
said five to 10 Burmese sought medical help from the hospital each day.
However, most suffered minor ailments, not serious communicable
diseases.
The number of local people with leptospirosis and respiratory diseases has
almost doubled in the rainy
season.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South China Morning Post
Wednesday, September 13, 2000 BURMA - Suu Kyi praised abroad, locked up at home REUTERS in Rangoon Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained padlocked in her
home on Wednesday, unable to respond to a chorus of support from world foreign
ministers meeting in New York.
Stung by international criticism, the military government sought to fend off allegations that it was keeping Ms Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders isolated. It released photographs which it said showed them being visited by
relatives and guests.
But Rangoon diplomats said they continued to be barred from visiting senior
National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders.
Nothing has been heard from Ms Suu Kyi since the government forcibly
returned her to Rangoon and confined her to her house on September 2.
Diplomats say concern is growing that the government may be preparing to
try to crush the NLD once and for all. The NLD won 1990 elections by a landslide
but was never allowed to govern.
Fresh signs of strain have emerged in Burma's tightly controlled economy,
with the kyat currency plunging to a new record low against the dollar on the
black market.
Analysts say speculation, inflation and the weakness of other regional
currencies have all dragged down the kyat.
In a speech on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly in New York, US Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright rejected Burma's assertion that Ms Suu Kyi and the
NLD were ''responsible for their own repression''.
''The world is not fooled, and we must not be silent,'' she added.
Ms Albright added her name to a statement by 13 women foreign ministers
appealing to Burma to lift restraints on Ms Suu Kyi.
''We are appalled at the actions of the Burmese regime in holding Aung San
Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League for Democracy under house
arrest and constant surveillance,'' the statement said.
''We call on the Burmese government to stop its harassment of the
democratic opposition and begin immediately a dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and
other democratic leaders aimed at reconciliation among the Burmese
people.''
Burma says senior NLD members are not under house arrest and have merely
beenasked to remain at home while the government investigates allegations that
some NLD members were involved in ''terrorist activity''.
Photographs released on Wednesday were said to show visitors and one of Ms
Suu Kyi's doctors visiting her residence.
Other pictures showed relatives and guests visiting other leading NLD
members. One senior NLD member was shown having a medical examination to check
his cholesterol levels, and another was shown visiting an ophthalmologist
earlier this month.
Burmese newspapers have carried several attacks on the NLD, including one
saying the party's demise was ''not far'', but have not reported the
restrictions placed on Ms Suu Kyi.
Burma's economic difficulties did not appear to be sparking obvious
dissent, residents said. The kyat fell to 402 to the US dollar on the black
market on Wednesday, its lowest level ever, after repeatedly sinking to new
depths in August.
The official rate is just around six kyat to the US dollar.
''The main reason for the steep fall in the kyat is speculation,'' one
Rangoon analyst said.
Rampant inflation has also sapped the currency.
Burma's economy is commodity-based and relies heavily on the export of
rice, pulses and
prawns. |