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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA RELATED NEWS - OCT - 08, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - UN envoy arrives in Burma
Reuters - UN Envoy
Arrives in Myanmar in Bid to Ease Tension
AFP - UN envoy needs all his skills to break
Myanmar deadlock
AP - UN Envoy Razali Due in Myanmar; Unsure
about Suu Kyi Mtg
AP - Thai Min: Drugs Hurt Southeast Asia's Intl
Standing
Business Recorder - Asian politicians press for
greater democracy
IT - ASEAN uged to support UN envoy in
Myanmar
The Irish Times - Letters - HUMAN RIGHTS
IN BURMA
BBC - UN envoy flies to Burma
FT - Burma denies economy
'stagnant'
IT - Endangered
Indo-Burma species cloned
Xinhua - Myanmar Receives 4.34 Bln Dollars'
Foreign Investment in Five Years
Xinhua - Myanmar's Jade, Sapphire Production Up
in Six Months
Bkk Post - Santisuk: A little village awash with
drug money
Kyodo News - U.N. envoy holds talks with Myanmar
ministers
SCMP - UN envoy uncertain about seeing Suu
Kyi
BBC -Monday, 9 October, 2000, 07:30
GMT 08:30 UK
UN envoy arrives in Burma The United Nations' special envoy on Burma, Razali Ismail, has arrived in
Rangoon for talks with the military government on human rights.
His visit comes at a time as the Burmese authorities renewed their attacks
on western countries, accusing the United States and Britain of plotting to get
the UN and other international organisations to apply pressure on it.
As well as government leaders, Mr Razali expects to meet the National
League for Democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who's in conflict with the
military authorities over her right to free movement.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
Monday October 9 7:50 AM ET
UN Envoy Arrives in Myanmar in Bid to Ease Tension By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - The U.N.'s
special envoy to Myanmar arrived in Yangon on Monday on a visit aimed at easing
mounting tension between the military government and the pro-democracy
opposition led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The government has said Razali Ismail, a Malaysian, will be given access to
Suu Kyi, who has been kept confined to her residence since September 21 with her
telephone cut and diplomatic access barred.
Myanmar officials said Ismail met Myanmar Foreign Minister U Win Aung and
two other cabinet ministers on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday morning would
meet the powerful Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, Secretary One of the ruling
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and head of military
intelligence.
Razali's visit is due to last four days.
Myanmar has faced mounting international condemnation this year over its
treatment of Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD), which won
elections in 1990 by a landslide but has never been allowed to govern.
Senior NLD officials are confined to their homes, and NLD Vice Chairman U
Tin Oo has been in detention since the government blocked a bid by Suu Kyi to
travel from Yangon to Mandalay by rail last month.
International anger at Myanmar has threatened to derail a planned meeting
of Southeast Asian and European Union foreign ministers in Laos in
December.
Some Western diplomats in Yangon were skeptical that Razali's visit could
produce a breakthrough in improving relations between the government and Suu
Kyi.
``We can't even be sure whether Aung San Suu Kyi is willing to see him
under the present situation,'' one diplomat said.
But an Asian diplomat said it would be a mistake for Suu Kyi to refuse to
meet Razali in protest at the restrictions on her movement and on diplomatic
access to her.
``This is a golden opportunity for her, so she should make the most of it
if she is a clever politician,'' the Asian diplomat said.
Razali was appointed U.N. special envoy in April and visited Myanmar from
June 29 to July 3 this year.
Razali's predecessor, Alvaro De Soto, visited Myanmar several times to
mediate between the SPDC and the NLD but his visits produced no tangible
success.
Monday, October 9 5:25 PM SGT
UN envoy needs all his skills to break Myanmar deadlock BANGKOK, Oct 9 (AFP) - UN
special envoy Razali Ismail will need to call on all his political and
diplomatic skills if he is to break the deadlock between Myanmar's ruling
military junta and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).
Whisked away in a motorcade on his arrival in Yangon Monday, the veteran
Malaysian diplomat has kept his agenda and schedule for the four-day talks a
closely guarded secret.
All the UN has publicly said about the visit is that he will discuss
"continuing violations of human rights in Myanmar," and report back to UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Nor has the junta publicly stated whether Razali would meet NLD leader Aung
San Suu Kyi. But observers said it was highly unlikely he would make the trip
without being guaranteed a meeting with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Razali is no slouch in the diplomatic game and knows the workings of the UN
better than most.
Appointed Malaysian ambassador to the world body in 1988 he served as
president of the Security Council in 1989 and 1990, the year the junta annulled
the elections in which the NLD achieved a landslide victory.
His connections with Myanmar also stretch back a long way. His mother,
Aminah Said was from a Muslim family from Myanmar.
The 61-year old son of a government civil servant joined the Malaysia
diplomatic corps in 1963 and began a long career which included stints in New
Delhi, Paris, London, Poland and elsewhere until his retirement in 1994.
He became an advisor to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998
before responding to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's call in July this year to
serve as his special envoy to the much maligned Southeast Asian country.
"Coming from an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country I
hope I will be able to use the wisdom of ASEAN to promote the mandate of the
United Nations," Razali said at the time of his appointment.
His first trip to Myanmar under UN auspices in July apparently produced few
tangible results. Indeed, since then the junta has strenthened rather than
relaxed its crackdown on the NLD.
But many analysts believe that if anyone can achieve a softening of the
junta's hardline position, it is Razali, partly due to his charismatic
personality, but more crucially his nationality.
It was the Malaysian prime minister's vigorous campaigning that resulted in
Myanmar joining ASEAN as its ninth member state in 1997.
"Razali is the best option because he understands their sensitivity and way
of thinking," said Laxanachantorn Laohaphan, head of the international
organizations department at Thailand's foreign ministry.
Her comments were echoed Monday by Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan who
said that Razali's nationality was an advantage because he would be able to
"express (to the junta) the sincerity of all the countries in the region."
Despite Razali's reputation for not mincing his words, the junta might take
more kindly to the Malaysian's approach than to what they see as the bullying
attitude of the Western powers. The junta believes the West, in league with the
NLD, are set on destroying "peace and stability" in the country.
However, diplomats in Yangon stressed that even Razali would have to tread
softly.
"If the junta feel they are being pressured into making a deal, that could
blow his chances," said one diplomat, referring to the rejection of a previous
UN quid pro quo offer of a one billion dollar humanitarian aid package. The
junta dismissed this as "bananas for monkeys."
Monday, October 9 2:29 PM SGT
UN Envoy Razali Due in Myanmar; Unsure about Suu Kyi Mtg YANGON (AP)--A United Nations'
special envoy was to arrive Monday on a mission to break the political deadlock
in Myanmar, but it was unclear whether he would be able to see opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, currently housebound and denied diplomatic contact.
Razali Ismail, a Malaysian diplomat who was appointed in April by U.N.
Secretary-general Kofi Annan to help reconcile Myanmar's military regime and the
pro-democracy opposition, will be making a four-day visit, his second to the
country, officials said.
But there was no sign Monday morning of any easing of the restrictions
imposed on Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy party
on Sept. 22 - after she was blocked by authorities from traveling outside
Yangon.
A U.N. spokesman in New York said Friday that Razali would meet with
government officials and other politicians, and discuss issues related to a
General Assembly resolution adopted in December that urges Myanmar's government
to stop widespread human rights violations.
It also calls for Myanmar to "take all necessary steps" to restore
democracy, open a dialogue with Suu Kyi and other political leaders, and to
immediately release political prisoners.
Suu Kyi's NLD swept the 1990 general elections in Myanmar, but was barred
from taking power. Hundreds of NLD supporters have been jailed, and tens of
thousands have been pressured into resigning from the party, which can now
scarcely function.
Sour relations between the regime and Suu Kyi have worsened since Razali's
first trip to Myanmar in late June and early July, when he met Lt. Gen. Khin
Nyunt, the third-ranking leader of the country's military junta, Suu Kyi, and
representatives of ethnic minorities.
Suu Kyi, whose movements are heavily restricted, has been barred twice from
traveling upcountry on party work, most recently when, on Sept. 21, she tried to
travel by train to the city of Manually, and was refused a ticket.
Dozens of NLD supporters were bundled away from Yangon railway station and
are still thought to be under "investigation." Suu Kyi and seven members of the
NLD central executive committee are confined to their homes. NLD vice chairman
Tin Oo is detained at a state guest house.
The crackdown has drawn withering criticism from Western countries, which
the military accuses of conspiring with Suu Kyi and manipulating the United
Nations.
"(The United States and Britain) try to dominate the United Nations to pass
resolutions against countries they do not like. They are using the U.N. for
their own interests," said a commentary in the state Myan Alin newspaper on
Friday.
Razali's predecessor as U.N. envoy to Myanmar visited the country six times
and made no headway in ending the political stalemate.
Monday, October 9 6:37 PM SGT
Thai Min: Drugs Hurt Southeast Asia's Intl Standing BANGKOK (AP)--Thailand's
foreign minister warned Monday that Southeast Asia's international standing has
been hurt by illegal drugs produced and trafficked out of the region.
"Drugs are a serious threat in the region that has tainted our image and affected our negotiating power with outsiders," Minister Surin Pitsuwan told a news conference. "We will lose confidence from the international community." Surin said the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
need to work to achieve their goal of a drug-free Asean by 2015 - the theme of a
three-day conference that starts in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Asean includes major drug producers Myanmar and Laos, which with Thailand
comprise the Golden Triangle, a major source of heroin and methamphetamines.
The other Asean members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
About 34 countries, including China, Japan, the United States and European
countries are expected to participate in the conference organized by the United
Nations International Drug Control Program.
Surin said the meeting aimed to show Asean was serious about fighting
drugs. He hoped it would encourage donor countries to give more aid.
"It is necessary to lift this problem on the international agenda as it
affects all of us," Surin said.
Military-run Myanmar, the world's second largest producer of heroin after
Afghanistan, has faced years of international criticism for failing to control
drug production within its borders. The regime says it does all it can with
limited resources and little foreign assistance.
Asean countries are careful not to comment on the affairs of fellow member
states, but Thailand is increasingly outspoken on the drugs issue as it is the
main market for huge amounts of methamphetamines produced in secret jungle
refineries in eastern Myanmar.
In mid-November Myanmar will host a meeting in Yangon on narcotics law
enforcement in Asean and the Asia-Pacific, said Laxanachantorn Laohathan,
director of the international organization department of the Thai Foreign
Ministry.
Business Recorder
Asian politicians press for greater
democracy
BANGKOK (October 9) : A group of Asian opposition politicians and academics on Sunday set an alliance to press for political reforms and more democracy across the region. The newly-formed Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (ARDA), said in
a statement it pledged to advance democracy, human rights, good governance and
the rule of law across Asia.
"We will be very committed to the hot spots, flashpoints in Asia as far as
the abuse of human rights...and that's of course the situation in Burma of Aung
San Suu Kyi and the situation of Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia," ARDA member Chee
Soon Juan told Reuters.
Also among the 15 founding members of the alliance are Cambodian Member of
Parliament Sam Rainsy, Myanmar opposition leader Saw David Taw, and Mongolian
opposition leader Sanjaasurengin Oyun.
Chee, an opposition leader in Singapore, said that ARDA would like to have
a broad base of members include non-government organisations and individuals
committed to reforms.
The group said in a statement it would set up three task forces to respond
on human rights, expose corruption and cronyism, and monitor elections.
"The idea of people's power had results in the Philippines a few years ago,
and a few days ago in Yugoslavia, so we want to see more _expression_ of people's
power all over Asia," Rainsy told Reuters.
The first activity of ARDA was an open letter to foreign ministers of the
10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) urging the
organisation to review its policy of non-interference in Myanmar.
Myanmar's military government has faced mounting international condemnation
this year over its treatment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her
National League for Democracy (NLD), which won elections in 1990 by a landslide
but has never been allowed to govern.
The Nobel peace laureate has been locked in her house following her
forcible removal from Yangon's main railway station last month after the
authorities blocked her latest attempt to travel outside the city.
In Malaysia, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim is serving two jail
sentences for sodomy and corruption. Anwar says he is the victim of a conspiracy
orchestrated by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who denies the accusation and
says Anwar sought to topple his government.
ARDA planned to host its next meeting in Taiwan in February.-Reuters
The Times of India - Oct 9,
2000.
ASEAN uged to support UN envoy in Myanmar BANGKOK: A network of Asian pro-democracy politicians and advocates urged
ASEAN governments Sunday to publicly support UN envoy Razali Ismail's visit to
Myanmar to find an end to the country's political crisis.
The Alliance for Reform and Democracy (ARDA) in a statement called on ASEAN
to "re-examine its principle of non-interference" and "take all possible steps
to end the current political crisis in Myanmar."
ARDA was launched Sunday to promote human rights, good governance and the
rule of law in the region.
"(Myanmar opposition leader) Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration to all
Asian democrats and she will prevail," said founding member Mongolian
parliamentarian S. Oyun.
"It is only fitting that its (ARDA's) first efforts are targeted towards
one of the most severe violation of human rights in the region," he added.
The call comes on the eve of the October 9-12 visit to Myanmar by veteran
Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail for talks with the ruling military junta on
human rights and democracy issues. AFP
The Irish Times - Oct 9,
2000.
Letters - HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURMA Sir, - I am sure that many of your readers are aware of the terrible plight
of James Mawdsley, who is currently serving a 17-year sentence in a Burmese
prison. James, who was born in Lancashire, is a devout Catholic and his only
"crime" is that he dared to protest against the genocide of the Karen ethnic
minorities.
What your readers might not be aware of is that he is being held in
solitary confinement and his family have just learned that for three consecutive
days he has been savagely beaten by his captors with bamboo poles. He suffered a
broken nose and also has internal injuries but he has not been allowed to see a
doctor. His parents now fear for his life. James says that it is only his deep
faith in God and constant prayer that keep his spirits up - and, of course, his
conviction that his cause is right and just.
It is not necessary to spell out the nature of the vicious military
dictatorship which rules Burma with an iron fist but it is, surely, vital that
the civilised world continue to put constant pressure on this dictatorship to
respect basic human rights and democracy. It is important that this cruel
government is treated as a pariah and the strongest international pressure must
be applied to bring about radical change in this unfortunate country. The people
of Burma have suffered so much and they simply cannot be forgotten or abandoned
by the international community.
I appeal to the Irish Government, before it is too late, to seek the
immediate release from prison of the courageous James Mawdsley. Might I also ask
that we remember him and his family in our prayers? The world is a better place
because of people like James. - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY REDMOND, North Great George's Street, Dublin 1.
BBC - Monday, 9 October, 2000, 11:55
GMT 12:55 UK
UN envoy flies to Burma The United Nations' special envoy on Burma, Razali Ismail, has arrived in
Rangoon for talks with the military government aimed at improving human rights
and promoting a return to democracy.
Mr Razali is also expected to meet the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
who has been under virtual house arrest since she was barred from travelling to
the northern city of Mandalay over two weeks ago.
His visit comes as the military government renews its attacks on western
countries, accusing them of working with the opposition to destabilise Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide
victory in elections in 1990, but the military rulers refused to hand over
power.
She was placed under house arrest for six years until 1995 and hundreds of
her supporters have been jailed.
Human rights
Mr Razali, a Malaysian diplomat, has kept his schedule for the four-day
talks a closely-guarded secret.
The UN is only saying that he will discuss "continuing violations of human
rights" in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and report back to UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan.
Mr Razali was appointed as special envoy on Burma last April with a mandate
to promote human rights and restore democracy.
His first trip under UN auspices in July apparently produced few tangible
results.
Reports said Mr Razali would meet Foreign Minister Win Aung, Home Minister
Colonel Tin Hlaing and the head of intelligence, First Secretary Khin Nyunt.
Plotting
On Sunday a state-run newspaper accused the United States, Britain and
other western countries of plotting against Burma.
The Myanmar Alin paper also said anyone confronting the government was
"committing high treason" and that the military would annihilate any danger to
national sovereignty.
Burma has faced mounting international condemnation this year over its
treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party.
The opposition leader has not been seen since the authorities forcibly
removed her from Rangoon's main rail station last month as she tried to leave
the city.
The newspaper said her motive for travelling outside the capital was to
"incite and instigate unrest and riots".
The Financial Times
Burma denies economy 'stagnant' By Amy Kazmin Published: October 8 2000 15:50GMT Burma's military regime insisted that the country's economy had not suffered from its international isolation, despite a recent US government report that described Burma as plagued by rampant inflation, stagnant growth and chronic scarcity of foreign exchange. "There is no poverty, there's no starvation, there's no unemployment," Brigadier General David Abel, a top official in the military regime, said at the weekend after a meeting of economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). He claimed that Burma's gross domestic product had grown 10.9 per cent in
the last year, propelled largely by increased agricultural production, which
accounts for around 40 per cent of GDP.
He also said inflation was 7 per cent, and that the country had sufficient
foreign exchange to cover six months of imports.
"The foreign exchange problem is not so critical to Myanmar (Burma)," Mr
Abel said. "In a time of crisis, we can sustain ourselves. We might not have the
good things in life, but we can hold out for a long time."
But a report of the US Commercial Service released last month suggests that
Burma has paid a far higher economic price for the years of isolation and
military rule since 1988, when the army violently suppressed a hugely popular
pro-democracy uprising and installed itself in power.
According to the US report, inflation and the overvalued currency - which
has been pegged to the dollar at the same rate for 36 years - have created
"serious macroeconomic imbalances", in Burma's economy, while increased "crony
capitalism" has exacerbated the gap between the rich and the poor, the study
said.
Consumer price studies conducted by diplomats suggests that urban inflation
was around 40 to 45 per cent last year, while bank interest rates, of about 10
per cent, were negative in real terms, discouraging savings. In April, the
government was forced to give civil servants a five-fold pay increase to
compensate for rapid erosion of the market value of the currency.
Its value has depreciated by about 92 per cent over the past three years,
while foreign direct investment since 1988 has been just $7.2bn and tapered off
to just $278m in 1998-99, following the Asian economic crisis and the imposition
of sanctions on new investments in Burma by the US.
Two Japanese companies, Toyota and Ajinomoto, recently pulled out of Burma
because of difficulties operating there, while other investors are said to be
increasingly frustrated by corruption, according to the report.
With per capital income stagnating at around $300 per year according to the
World Bank, an estimated 23 per cent of the population lives below minimum
subsistence levels while around 40 per cent of Burmese children are
malnourished. The report also suggested that Burma's government had just $312m
in net foreign reserves last year - enough for less than two months of imports.
"The regime's economic mismanagement is the chief cause of the continuing
downward spiral of Burma's economy," the report said, adding that "there is
little likelihood of improvement in the business climate under the current
regime."
But a defiant Mr Abel said Burma's military rulers had no intention of
relinquishing power until a long-promised constitution is completed. Nor, he
suggested, did they have any intention of talking to Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's
democracy leader, who won an election in 1990 but was never allowed to take
power.
"Whether the opinion of certain countries might not be favourable to us
doesn't matter," he said. "We're not worried about what the US or the UK
thinks."
The Times of India - Oct 9,
2000.
Endangered Indo-Burma species cloned WASHINGTON: Scientists have successfully cloned an endangered wild species
found only in the bamboo jungles of India and Burma, the humpbacked, heavily
muscled Asian gaur, according to reports.
Scientists in Massachusetts have cloned the endangered species and planted
into the uterus of a cow which will become the surrogate mother they have named
Bessie, the "cloning" journal has reported.
The clone has been named Noah and the "Scientific American" will publish it
soon.
If the experiment succeeds, other endangered species may be cloned,
including perhaps the Washington National Zoo's two pandas, Ling-Ling, which
died in 1992, and Hsing-Hsing, which died in 1999. Their cells are preserved in
liquid nitrogen.
Later this year, the scientists intend to clone a species of Spanish
mountain goat. The last known of the species died nine months ago but some of
that goat's cells are preserved. If scientists manage to clone new goats from
those cells, they will have accomplished the world's first "resurrection."
The Washington Post notes: "Extinction, it seems, may not be forever
afterall."
"It is not science fiction. It is real," said Robert Lanza, vice-president
of medical and scientific development at Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), the
Worcester, Massachusetts company behind the cloning practice.
Lanza said, "One hundred species are lost every day, and these mass
extinctions are mostly our own doing. Now that we have the technology to reverse
that, I think we have the responsibility."
Bessie and Noah, the Post notes, offer the first living proof that cloning
could play an important role in species preservation.
Lanza and his colleagues started with 692 skin cells taken from a recently
deceased male gaur. The team fused the cells to cows' eggs whose own genes had
been removed -- a process that creates embryos genetically identical to the
donor gaur.
Nurtured in laboratory dishes, 81 of those gaur embryos grew large enough
to be transferred to the wombs of surrogate mothers. But because gaurs are too
precious to use as experimental subjects, the researchers turned to closely
related stand-ins -- in this case, 12 domestic cows.
Eight of those cows retained their embryos and became pregnant. The
scientists removed two of the fetuses from two cows early in pregnancy for
analysis. Five of the pregnancies resulted in miscarriages.
Noah, the sole survivor, is due in late November after a nine-month
gestation inside its surrogate mother-cow.
Scientists say it may be more difficult to clone pandas, because neither
racoons nor rabbits, which are the panda's closest "relatives," would make ideal
surrogate mothers.
So Lanza and his colleagues have made arrangements with bear hunters in
Maine to collect large number of eggs from fresh black bear carcasses.
They hope to use the bear eggs and panda cells to make panda embryo clones,
then transfer those embryos to captive bear surrogate mothers, the Post
said.(PTI)
Myanmar Receives 4.34 Bln Dollars'
Foreign Investment in Five Years
YANGON (Oct. 9) XINHUA -
Foreign investment in Myanmar totaled 4.34 billion U.S. dollars in the last five
fiscal years between 1995-96 and 1999-2000 which ended in March, registering the
largest annual amount of such investment in 1996-97 with 2.814 billion dollars,
according to the latest data published by the country's Central Statistical
Organization (CSO).
During the last five fiscal years, Singapore stood as the largest investor
with a total of 1.036 billion dollars, followed by Thailand with 777.9 million,
Britain with 712.2 million, Malaysia with 517.6 million, the United States with
355.8 million, Indonesia with 238.7 million and Japan with 128 million.
The investment covered ten sectors of agriculture, construction, fisheries,
mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, transport, hotels and tourism, real estate
development and industrial estate.
Of these, investment in the manufacturing sector stood the highest during
the five-year period with 1.296 billion dollars, followed by real estate with
997 million, oil and gas with 887.75 million, mining with 360 million, transport
with 273.4 million, hotels and tourism with 249.6 million and industrial estate
with 193 million.
There has been 25 countries and regions making investment in Myanmar since
the country opened to foreign investment in late 1988, adopting a
market-oriented economic system.
Since the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis in mid-1997, the country's
foreign investment fell for a two consecutive fiscal years from 2.814 billion
dollars in 1996-97 to 777.394 million in 1997-98 and then to 29.455 million in
1998-99 before picking up a little in 1999-2000 with 55.61 million.
During the period when hit by the crisis, direct investment from member
states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations dropped by 70
percent.
According to the CSO, foreign investment in the first three months alone of
the present fiscal year 2000-2001, which began in April, has overtaken that
absorbed in the 1999-2000 with 64.133 million dollars.
According to the statistics, total foreign investment drawn since late 1988
amounted to 7.174 billion dollars as of the end of June this year.
Myanmar's Jade, Sapphire Production Up
in Six Months
YANGON (Oct. 9) XINHUA - The
production of jade and sapphire, two of Myanmar's precious minerals, went up in
the first six months of this year compared with the same period of 1999.
According to the latest figures released by the country's Central
Statistical Organization, during the period, the government sector produced
5,452 tons of jade and 2.19 million carats of sapphire, respectively increasing
by 367.5 percent and 51 percent compared with the corresponding period of
1999.
Meanwhile, ruby production in the famous Mogok mine area alone went to over
1 million carats, 53.42 percent less than that in the same period of 1999.
The statistics disclose no figures on ruby production from other mine
areas.
Since its jade, ruby and sapphire are well known in the world, Myanmar put
them on sale along with pearl and jewelry at its annual and mid-year gems
emporiums through competitive bidding, earning huge foreign exchange every
year.
According to official statistics, the country has earned a total of 303
million U.S. dollars from the last 37 annual and 8 mid-year gems emporiums which
attracted annually hundreds of gems merchants from over a dozen countries and
regions, mostly from China's Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and Singapore.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is holding its Ninth Mid-Year Gems Emporium beginning
last Tuesday, putting on sale a total of 38.23 million dollars worth of
locally-produced gems, jade, pearl and jewelry.
Bangkok Post - Oct 9,
2000.
DRUG SMUGGLING - Santisuk: A little village awash with drug money 'The people are very shrewd, and no arrests have been made to date' Somsak Suksai Santisuk village in Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai is believed to be a
major gateway for drug smuggling, and a place to launder dirty money.
The village, which is very close to the Burmese border, made headlines last
month when three suspects arrested over the Sept 14 seizure of four million
speed pills in Mae Moh district, Lampang, confessed to getting the drugs from
Ban Santisuk.
The same day, more than 200 men from the Third Army, Border Patrol Police
212 and Mae Chan police station descended on the village and raided a house
believed to belong to drug kingpin Wei Hsueh-Kang, but found nothing
illegal.
Since then, an anti-drug task force has been operating in the village,
keeping a close watch on what goes on and campaigning to raise villagers'
opposition to the spread of methamphetamines.
Authorities are convinced the village is one of the upper North's largest
drug sources, and that many villagers have connections with methamphetamine
gangs, especially the Red Wa.
Mae Chan police chief Pol Lt-Col Suebpong Chanpen said: "I admit this
village is involved in the drug trade, but the villagers are very shrewd. The
drugs are hidden in the forest, so it is hard to find them and make
arrests.
"The village has often been raided, but no suspects have been arrested.
People here are well-to-do and have new cars. Many have millions of baht in
their bank accounts. Money transfers are done systematically but irregularly,"
he said.
Ban Santisuk, located between Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai and Mae Ai
and Fang districts of Chiang Mai, has more than 1,000 residents. They include
Chinese Haw, Wa, I-kor and Shan people.
The majority farm crops or raise animals. Others operate resorts on Doi Mae
Salong, restaurants, elephant houses, trekking tours or other businesses.
A number of villagers have been blacklisted by the Office of the Narcotics
Control Board for being involved in the methamphetamine trade and sheltering Red
Wa guerrillas from Mong Yawn of Burma, who are believed to smuggle the drugs
into Thailand.
In the past, when the village was small, it was under the supervision of Li
Yi Sing, a woman who played a leading role in helping Thai authorities clear
obstacles for construction of several roads along the border in Phetchabun, Pua
district of Nan, and Chiang Kham district of Phayao about 20 years ago.
After that, the community was officially declared a village and power
changed hands to Banyen Wachirabanpotkul, Mrs Li's adopted daughter, who is now
village headman.
In recent years, drug problems in the area have intensified, prompting drug
officials to keep a close watch on movements in the village-as well as on Mrs Li
and Mrs Banyen.
According to a report by a military intelligence unit, Mrs Li has jade
mining and jewellery businesses with partners from neighbouring countries,
including the Red Wa and the Burmese. Some Red Wa leaders are shareholders of
the businesses.
"Red Wa leaders are given shelter every time a large shipment of speed
pills is smuggled into the village, before being delivered to customers," a
source said.
Though authorities had information about Mrs Li's close ties with some Red
Wa leaders, no action has been taken because of the lack of clear evidence, the
source added.
Officials suspect Mrs Li's investments in tourism and farming, and her
transfers of money to many villagers' and foundation bank accounts, might be
methods of money laundering.
A senior official of Mae Chan district who requested anonymity admitted
that Ban Santisuk was used by the Red Wa to launder dirty money.
Mrs Banyen has denied her family and most villagers are engaged in the drug
trade. She says she is just a village headman, not an influential figure, and is
ready to face an investigation.
"If we were involved in drugs how could we have lasted until today? We run
pig farms and do jobs on hire. We have nothing to do with the smuggling of speed
pills, but I admit some villagers might have been involved," she said.
"We run a jade mining business so we are richer than other villagers and
our comfort is partly the result of assistance from Taiwan. We did not know that
any Red Wa leader had a house here until soldiers raided the house," she
said.
However, the Northern Narcotics Control Centre said Mrs Li's house, which
is also her office, has some suspicious items-such as a satellite dish that she
claims to use as a source of information.
The drugs agency's investigation is focussing on mining and jade mining
businesses in Burma and a jewellery business in Chiang Mai which belongs to Mrs
Li's family.
The ONCB is also checking assets of Mrs Li's family, cash flows through
their bank accounts and their new cars.
A source said several businesses and money transfers by some villagers
could be linked to the forging of official documents to grant Thai citizenship
to Wa people.
"There have been attempts to use huge sums of money to allow the Red Wa to
have dual nationalities, so they can run businesses and have bank accounts [in
Thailand] for money laundering."
Some Red Wa leaders are major shareholders of several casinos and passenger
bus businesses in the North, according to the source.
Mrs Banyen said only 170 out of more than 1,000 villagers had been granted
Thai nationality and the rest were applying for citizenship in line with proper
procedures.
Rangsan Khwanmuangderm, an assistant Mae Chan district chief for
registration, said Ban Santisuk is one of the province's villages in trouble
over the granting of citizenship to hilltribe people, but the province was
trying to tackle the problem.
Ninnart Nithithananan, headmaster of Ban Santisuk school, agreed the
village was plagued by drugs.
He said all he could do was try to make sure all 400 students were aware of
the problem, and the evils of drugs, and seek collaboration from local people to
combat the situation.
YANGON, Oct. 9 Kyodo
LEAD: U.N. envoy holds talks with Myanmar ministers U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy
for Myanmar, Razali Ismail, held talks with three Myanmar ministers Monday to
ease the deadlock between the ruling junta and the National League for Democracy
(NLD).
Foreign Minister Win Aung told Kyodo News that his
talks with the special envoy were ''a very frank exchange of views, in a very
good atmosphere.''
South China Morning Post
Monday, October 9, 2000 UN envoy uncertain about seeing Suu Kyi ASSOCIATED PRESS in Rangoon Updated at 2.13pm: A United Nations' special envoy was to arrive on Monday on a mission to
break the political deadlock in Burma, but it was unclear whether he would be
able to see opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, currently house-bound and denied
diplomatic contact.
Razali Ismail, a Malaysian diplomat who was appointed in April by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to help reconcile Burma's military regime and the pro-democracy opposition, will be making a four-day visit, his second to the country, officials said. But there was no sign on Monday morning of any easing of the restrictions
imposed on Ms Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy
party on September 22 after she was blocked by authorities from travelling
outside Rangoon, witnesses said.
A UN spokesman in New York said Friday that Mr Razali would meet with
government officials and other politicians, and discuss issues related to a
General Assembly resolution adopted in December that urges Burma's government to
stop widespread human rights violations.
It also calls for Burma to ''take all necessary steps'' to restore
democracy, open a dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi and other political leaders, and to
immediately release political prisoners.
Ms Suu Kyi's NLD swept 1990 general elections in Burma, but was barred from
taking power. Hundreds of NLD supporters have been jailed, and tens of thousands
have been pressured into resigning from the party, which can now scarcely
function.
Sour relations between the regime and Ms Suu Kyi have worsened since Mr
Razali's first trip to Burma in late June and early July, when he met
Lieutant-General Khin Nyunt, the third-ranking leader of the country's military
junta, Ms Suu Kyi and representatives of ethnic minorities.
Ms Suu Kyi, whose movements are heavily restricted, has been barred twice
from travelling upcountry on party work, most recently when she tried to go to
the city of Mandalay on September 21 by train and was refused a ticket.
Dozens of NLD supporters were bundled away from Rangoon railway station and
are still thought to be under ''investigation''. Ms Suu Kyi and seven members of
the NLD central executive committee are confined to their homes. NLD vice
chairman Tin Oo is detained at a state guest house.
The crackdown has drawn withering criticism from Western countries, which
the military accuses of being in cahoots with Ms Suu Kyi and manipulating the
United Nations.
''[The United States and Britain] try to dominate the United Nations to
pass resolutions against countries they do not like. They are using the UN for
their own interests,'' said a commentary in the state Myan Alin newspaper on
Friday. Mr Razali's predecessor as UN envoy to Burma visited the country six
times and made no headway in ending the political stalemate. |