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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA RELATED NEWS - NOV - 15, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
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AFP - India accords red carpet welcome to Myanmar
general
Asia Pulse - India, Myanmar to Discuss Enhancing Trade in Nov
17 Meet
AP - Myanmar Govt Quietly Publishes Anti-Forced Labor
Measure
AP - Myanmar Withdraws from World Cup
The Star - Dialog plans to tap Myanmar oil and gas
sector
The Times of India - India says Aye
to Myanmar generals
Czech Press - Rise and Fall of God's Army
India Abroad - Myanmarese leader's
visit exposes divisions in Indian policy (News Analysis)
Bkk Post - Army officer in the wars over bribes
Bkk Post - Clash zones secure, says army chief
Wednesday, November 15 3:18 PM SGT
India accords red carpet welcome to Myanmar general NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (AFP) - India is giving a red carpet welcome to the
number two in Myanmar's junta, General Maung Aye, whose visit has stirred up
controversy over New Delhi's policy towards the military regime on its
border.
General Aye is the highest-ranking member of the
Myanmar junta to visit India in the past 10 years.
The general flew into the eastern city of Patna late
Tuesday and was scheduled to visit the southern IT showcase city of Bangalore
before being accorded an official welcome in New Delhi on Friday.
The fact that the trip has been billed as a "state
visit" has raised a few eyebrows here.
Aye, who is also Myanmar's army chief, will be formally
welcomed by Indian Vice President Krishna Kant in the forecourt of the
presidential palace in Delhi.
India's dilemma over how to deal with the military
regime stems from the fact that New Delhi has been seeking Myanmarese support in
stamping out separatist insurgency in India's northeast.
The Indian and Myanmar armies have conducted joint
operations against militant groups belonging to the United Liberation Front of
Assam and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland, along the border and in
Myanmar.
India is also interested in building stronger ties with
Myanamar to counter China's growing ties with Yangon.
However New Delhi is also sympathetic to the
pro-democracy movement in Myanmar, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. In
1995, India had conferred a prestigious civilian honour on the opposition
leader.
India's Defence Minister George Fernandes is a strong
supporter of Aung San Suu kyi and a stern critic of the military junta.
"We as a country are committed to democracy. We are
also for non-interference in the internal matters of other countries," said one
Indian official.
Wednesday, November 15 6:47 PM SGT
India, Myanmar to Discuss Enhancing Trade in Nov 17 Meet NEW DELHI, Nov 15 Asia
Pulse - Leading chamber body Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) has said India and Myanmar (Burma) should try to enhance bilateral trade
focusing on information technology (IT) and biotechnology.
Apart from these two potential areas, there were
tremendous potential in other sectors like agro and food processing,
infrastructure, paper and pulp, power generation equipment, machine tools, and
textile machinery, the chamber said in a release.
Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council vice
chairman General Myaung Aye, accompanied by a high level delegation, will
discuss potential areas of co-operation at a CII organised meeting on November
17.
The potential of bilateral trade between the two
countries would be discussed in detail during the meeting with General Maung
Aye, who holds second highest command equivalent to Vice President, CII
said.
Gen Maung heads three important trade bodies of Myanmar
and they are National Trade Committee, National Industrial Development Committee
and National Agricultural and Economic Development Committee, it
said.
Wednesday, November 15 8:41 PM SGT
Myanmar Govt Quietly Publishes Anti-Forced Labor
Measure
YANGON, Myanmar (AP)--The military government has made forced labor
a criminal offense, amending a colonial-era law after the International Labor
Organization said it was considering sanctions against Myanmar.
The Home Ministry issued the order Oct. 27, a day after
a visiting ILO team left the country after receiving a draft law from the
government.
But the order was not published in the official media,
and only reported in the Nov. 10 issue of the weekly Myanmar Gazette, which
carries official announcements. The issue became available Wednesday.
The ILO, which has repeatedly expressed concern at the
military junta's failure to stop forced labor in Myanmar, was expected to vote
on taking sanctions against Myanmar this week.
Myanmar had tried to appease the ILO in May 1999 by
issuing an order asking authorities not to exercise powers under the 1908 Towns
Act and 1907 Village Act, which were enacted by the British colonial government.
The two acts empower authorities to impose compulsory labor on residents to
assist government officials in the execution of duties.
But the 1999 order did not spell out the consequences
of disobeying it.
The Oct. 27 order rectifies that shortcoming and makes
requisitioning of forced labor punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a
fine under section 374 of the Penal Code.
The Myanmar government had long maintained that forced
labor was part of community service that residents provided voluntarily.
Critics of the military regime say that it is purposely
limiting domestic circulation of the new measure to keep its existence unknown
to the public at large. The gazette is not sold at newsstands and not easily
available.
Tuesday November 14 4:21 PM ET
Myanmar Withdraws from World Cup ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) - Myanmar withdrew from the qualifying rounds
of the 2002 World Cup without giving a reason to soccer's governing
body.
FIFA said Tuesday it had received a fax from the
national association of Myanmar. The country, also known as Burma, was to have
competed in the Asian Football Confederation.
Myanmar's first game was to have been against
Tajikistan in Iran on Nov. 24. That group now has only three teams - Iran,
Tajikistan and Guam.
FIFA said the case would be submitted to the World Cup
organizing committee for ``appropriate action.''
A team that withdraws after March 1, 2000, loses its
entry fee of $1,700 and can be fined up to nearly $23,000.
The 2002 World Cup will be played in Japan and South
Korea.
The Star - Wednesday, November 15, 2000
Dialog plans to tap Myanmar oil and gas sector By Ahmad Zuber Ibrahim Dialog Group Bhd, which provides support services for
the petroleum and petrochemical industry, plans to tap into Myanmar's oil and
gas industry as part of its expansion into the Asean region.
According to Dialog chairman and group managing
director Ngau Boon Keat, Myanmar will turn out to be a good market in the long
term.
"We are still at the initial stage of exploring the
Myanmar market, looking for opportunities through our agent over there. Our
people actually went over to Myanmar only two weeks ago,'' Ngau told reporters
after Dialog AGM in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He said, however, that the company was not setting any
specific targets for Myanmar, stressing that the recent trip was more of a
fact-finding mission to identify the business opportunities and potential
customers, especially the foreign oil companies, in Myanmar.
"Myanmar, which produces some 50,000 barrels of
petroleum daily, offers many business opportunities. Petronas Carigali and oil
companies from the US and Britain are already there,'' he said.
Ngau said that the venture would only see returns over
a long period.
He said that as in China, it would probably take the
company five years to land its first contract in Myanmar.
Dialog's core business lies in marketing and technical
services. In addition to being an engineering, procurement, construction and
commissioning (EPCC) service provider, it also provides plant maintenance
services, centralised tankage facility services and petroleum retail services in
the oil, gas and petrochemical industry.
Currently, Dialog has offices in Indonesia, Singapore
and Thailand. It also has done business in Brunei and the Philippines.
Ngau said the overseas market could contribute between
20% and 25% to the group's overall growth in the current financial year.
In August, Dialog was awarded a RM170mil subcontract by
Kvaerner Petrominco Engineering Sdn Bhd for construction and procurement
services to the butanediol complex project in Gebeng, Kuantan, for BASF Petronas
Chemicals Sdn Bhd.
India says Aye to Myanmar generals
The Times of India News Service Wednesday, 15 November 2000 NEW DELHI: General Maung Aye, vice chairman of the
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of Myanmar, arrived in India on
Tuesday with an entourage of six senior ministers, includng a deputy prime
minister. Their first stop in India is Patna, from where the team will go on to
Bodh Gaya.
The arrrival of this high-powered delegation is an
indication of how far relations between India and the military regime have
progressed since a conscious decision was taken by the Narasimha Rao government
in 1991 to engage Yangon.
General Aye will be given a red carpet welcome when he
reaches Delhi on Friday. He will meet President Narayanan and Prime Minister
Vajpayee. The Confederation of Indian Industry will host a lunch for the
visiting delegation. The team will also travel to Bangalore, Jaipur and
Agra.
Ironically, India, which since the military coup in
Pakistan has been an ardent campaigner for democracy, has had no qualms about
dealing with the military junta in Myanmar.
Indian diplomats see no double standards in engaging
with one set of military rulers while giving short shrift to the other. ``We
will do what is in the best interests of the country. Every country does
this,''an Indian official, who did not want to be identified, said.
At the same time, India privately told the military
government about New Delhi's concern about Aung San Suu Kyi. ``We found it
better to talk quietly about these issues rather than make loud protests,'' an
Indian official explained.
``We as a country are committed to democracy. We are
also for non-interference in the internal matters of other countries,'' another
official said.
Former Indian ambassador to Myanmar, G Parathasarathy,
was more forthright in his comments. Asked why New Delhi was willing to tango
with General Aye and not Musharraf, he said: ``Look at what the Burmese are
doing for us. Myanmar borders four of our most sensitive states - Manipur,
Mizoram, Arunachal and Nagaland - and three of these have separatist problems.
The Burmese armed forces are cooperating with us to deal with the insurgents.
Myanmar helps our border management, and is a member of ASEAN. When all of East
Asia deals with Myanmar, and India is a dialogue partner of ASEAN, it is only
right that we too engage with our closest neighbour. If General Musharraf is
willing to do all this for us, India will be as happy to engage
Pakistan.''
The Myanmarese army has been cooperating with India in
dealing with the United Liberation Front of Asom, the Khaplang faction the NSCN,
which also operates in Burmese territory, the Meiti insurgents and other armed
groups which use Myanmar territory when the going gets tough in India. In 1995,
Indian and Burmese troops launched one of the largest joint military operations
against north-east separatist rebels.
China's increasing engagement with the military junta
since the beginning of the decade has also made India uneasy. Officials realised
that the vacuum left by India after the military crackdown against the
pro-democracy activists had encouraged China. It was Rao who decided that New
Delhi could not afford to ignore Myanmar as it is vital to the country's
security. Reports of China upgrading its radar facilities in the Coco islands
also made the defence forces anxious.
Rise and Fall of God's Army
By Maxmilian Wechsler Ratchaburi, Czech Press November 15, 2000 After almost three years of armed resistance against
the SPDC the exhausted and desperate remnants of the God’s Army had no choice
but to surrender to the 4th brigade of the Karen National Liberation Army
(KNLA).
The group gave up in October 2000 and consisted of 22
mainly teenage soldiers, including the legendary twin teenage leaders, Johnny
Htoo and his elder brother Luther.
All God’s army soldiers will receive all necessary
assistance from the 4th brigade of KNLA and they will be gradually incorporated
into the KNLA structure and participate in the operation against the SPDC.
A small remaining group of 8 God’s Army soldiers who
refused to join the KNLA currently facing an uncertain future, abandoned in the
jungles of Tenasserim Division. The group is led by Dah Moo. The KNLA will
continue to persuade them to give up.
The God’s Army was formed on 3 March 1997 at Htaw Ma
Pyo after over 200 deeply religious Karen Christian families abandoned villages
they lived for centuries and fled to Thailand in February 1997.
The twin brothers, 8 years old at that time had a
vision from the God who command them to lead their people against the SPDC. Both
saw with their own eyes the looting and harassment committed by the advancing
SPDC soldiers against their people and couldn’t let it go on.
The formation of the God’s Army was discussed with a
high ranking official of the Karen National Union (KNU) who promised to assist
them on every possible way sympathize with their plight. Unfortunately, the KNLA
was unable to protect the Karen religious families from the SPDC troops.
The God’s Army proved to be a formidable force from the
beginning and their remarkable battlefield victories against the SPDC made them
famous and feared force.
The God’s Army had between 1997-1998 about 200 young
soldiers, 100 armed.. They were supervised by battle hardened and experienced
KNLA officers who were sometimes frustrated because the God’s Army followed
orders of the twin brothers instead.
The God’s Army inflicted heavy casualty upon the SPDC
troops and rarely suffered death or injury. This phenomenon led the Karen people
to believe the twin brothers really possessing a supernatural powers. The rumors
about their powers also reach the SPDC soldiers who attempted to avoid encounter
with the God’s Army fearing of their mysterious powers.
In reality, the early successes of the God ‘s Army
against the SPDC can be attributed to their determination, bravery and knowledge
of the terrain.
The God’s Army engaged in average 10 battles a week
with the SPDC troops between 1997-1998 inflicting a heavy casualties on them. In
one battle the God’s Army killed 23 enemy soldiers without losing a single man.
As the news of the God ‘s Army brave deeds spread
around the world a financial aid started to coming in from abroad, especially
from the South Korean and Japanese NGOs. The Koreans gave money to build a
church for the God’s Army at Takolan, Suan Phung district of Ratchaburi province
In the height of the God’s Army successes in early 1999
some opportunists within the God’s Army and the Karen Solidarity Organization
(KSO) attempted to wrestle the control over the group and from this moment the
fortune of the God’s Army started to decline. The internal squabbling led to the
sharp reduction in the combat readiness and effectiveness.
A founding member of the God’s Army and KSO executive
Saw Toe Toe guided 12 Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW) to the God’s Army
camp in early September 1999. The VBSW took the full advantage of the God’s Army
innocence and naivety convincing that they will be better off by joining in the
future operations.
Unfortunately, the God’s Army swallowed the bait
because of some greedy people who among them controlled Johnny Htoo and Luther.
Instead of focusing their military efforts against the
SPDC, the VBSW attacked two targets inside Thailand: The Burmese embassy in
Bangkok and the Ratchaburi hospital. The God’s Army blindly participated. Both
events had a catastrophic consequence for both groups because they made Thailand
the second enemy.
Because of disagreements within the God’s Army
leadership the acting commander Shwe Bya left in March 2000 and formed the
Democratic God’s Army (DGA). He was joined by his close associate Kyaw Ni a.k.a.
Johnny who played a major part in the seizure of the Burmese embassy in Bangkok.
Instead of fighting the SPDC, the DGA concentrated to make money by kidnappings
and extortion.
Soe Toe Toe was more lucky than his colleagues. He and
his family were granted a refugee status in the United States.
Unfortunately, most of Saw Toe Toe’s Karen countrymen
weren’t so lucky. Around 418 God’s Army soldiers and relatives crossed to
Thailand from Burma between 2-3 February, 2000, after the SPDC mounted an
offensive against them. They ended at refugee camp in Thailand.
The Thai authorities also retaliated against the God’s
Army evicting some of their relatives from Takolan and detaining them at refugee
camp in Sangkhlaburi.
Rumors spread Sangkhlaburi during March 2000 connecting
the Thai forces to the alleged disappearance of 44 God’s Army men. A high level
inquiry was ordered by the Thai government after a complaint was lodged by the
Thai NGO. An exhaustive investigation conducted by the top Thai government
officials, which went on for several months, completely cleared the Thai
security authorities from any complicity as no evidence of any wrong doings was
discovered.
After the Ratchaburi hospital fiasco, the faith of the
God’s Army was sealed as all sponsors abandoned them, including the 4th brigade
of KNLA who tried desperately and unsuccessfully to convince their leaders and
the twins not to believe the VBSW promises and instead to listen to their Karen
brothers in the KNLA.
In the middle of 2000, the 4th brigade of KNLA decided
to give a humanitarian food aid to the suffering God’s Army soldiers and their
families pleading them again to give up and join the KNLA.
Finally, the God’s Army agreed to give up for the good
of themselves and the entire opposition movement.
Czech Press
Wednesday November 15, 1:25 PM
Myanmarese leader's visit exposes divisions in Indian policy (News Analysis) By P. Jayaram, India Abroad News Service New Delhi, Nov 15 - The visit of a top leader of the
Myanmarese military regime has brought out to the surface differences within and
outside the Indian government over New Delhi's policy towards its eastern
neighbor.
Opinion is divided on whether New Delhi should do
business with the totalitarian regime there or support the pro-democracy forces
led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who continues to be kept in house
detention by the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SDPC).
SDPC Vice-Chairman, Gen. Maung Aye, who is on a
weeklong visit to India, is the senior-most Myanmarese leader to visit this
country in a decade, a reflection of the warming ties between the two countries.
But certain government leaders and opinion-makers feel that New Delhi's bonhomie
with the Yangon regime has been at the cost of its democratic ideals.
An indication of this schism may be available as
President K.R. Narayanan rolls out the red carpet to receive the visiting
dignitary in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace,
on November 17, when Aye arrives here after a visit to the Buddhist pilgrim town
of Bodhgaya. Narayanan's Burma-born wife, Usha, is reported to have refused to
receive Aye and his high-powered delegation that includes his wife Daw Mya Mya
and daughter Daw Nander Aye.
Rashtrapati Bhavan officials, when contacted, however
declined to confirm or deny these reports. Defence Minister George Fernandes,
who as an opposition leader was a strong supporter of the pro-democracy forces
in Myanmar, would also not be attending any function hosted in connection with
the Myanmarese leader's visit, sources close to him said.
But others, like former foreign secretary J.N. Dixit,
who was instrumental in normalization of ties with the SPDC regime under then
prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's government, strongly support the
government's policy towards Myanmar and feel that it was not for India to decide
what sort of government another country should have.
"India cannot be the contractor for democracy in other
countries. If the people of Burma (Myanmar's earlier name) cannot generate
sufficient pressure for the restoration of democracy in their country, how are
we supposed to do it?" he asked. "Our major concern should be that our relations
with Burma are maintained so that our national interests are served," he told
IANS, adding that these included cooperation in controlling narcotic smuggling
and preventing insurgent activities in the northeastern states.
New Delhi is also keen that Yangon does not become too
closely involved with China strategically and militarily, he said but added:
"That does not mean that we are in favor of military dictatorship."
G. Parthasarathy, who was India's envoy to Myanmar
during 1992-95, said while there was sympathy and support for the pro-democracy
forces in Myanmar, "as a government we have to develop good neighborly relations
with Myanmar like any other country."
He noted that the northeastern states of Nagaland,
Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh all shared borders with Myanmar and it
was important for India to ensure the stability of the border areas. "We were
also concerned about the growing Chinese influence and did not want it to spread
to our borders," he told IANS.
Since the normalization of bilateral relations, the two
countries have signed a series of agreements to enhance cooperation in a wide
range of fields, including border trade and cooperation in combating terrorism.
India also sees Myanmar as its land-bridge to the rest
of Southeast Asia and had funded the construction of the 160-km Tamu-Kalemyo
road across the border in that country that is expected to ultimately become
part of the proposed Trans-Asian Highway. The two countries are also exploring
cooperation in building hydroelectric projects, utilizing Myanmar's tremendous
potential, particularly in the border areas.
Senior officials noted that the Mekong-Ganga
Cooperation project, inaugurated in the Laotian capital of Vientiane last week
by India and five Southeast Asian nations, would have been a non-starter without
Myanmar's participation.
Asked about criticism about India's Myanmar policy,
Parthasarathy said: "I wish these same democrats will be as strong in their
criticism when they visit China."
Ravi Nair, of the South Asia Human Rights Documentation
Centre here, criticizing New Delhi's policy of engagement with Yangon, said: "We
seem to have given a good-bye to issues of human rights and democracy. If India
feels that its interests are best served by consorting with undemocratic
neighbors, then it is myopic."
He said India's entire "Look East" policy seems to be
based on Myanmar, which had come to assume a pivotal role, whether it is the
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation initiative, the East-West corridor or the proposed
transportation network. "It will be interesting to see if the Indian government
discusses (with Aye) compensation for the property seized when thousands of
Indians were thrown out of the country in the 1960s and 1970s or a whole range
of other issues of rights of Indian minorities in Burma, who are treated as
second class citizens," he said.
Bangkok Post - Nov 15, 2000.
Army officer in the wars over bribes Chief praises Mana's anti-logging efforts Wassana Nanuam The army has defended the commander of the Ninth
Infantry Division against accusations of bribery and extortion.
Army spokesman Col Somkuan Saengpattaranet said army
chief Gen Surayud Chulanont backed Maj-Gen Mana Prachakjit and supported the
Suranaree Task Force's handling of anti-logging operations.
The division and the task force were accused by
villagers in Sangkhla Buri of driving out Karen villagers and pocketing
ill-gotten gains from smuggling.
Some 1,000 villagers on Monday rallied at Kanchanaburi
provincial hall to demand Maj-Gen Mana's transfer and the return of Sangkhla
district chief Wichan Jariyawetwattana.
Maj-Gen Mana said the task force collaborated with the
Forestry Department in the suppression of logging and the illegal import of
Burmese logs in accordance with a 1998 resolution.
The commander said his unit only assumed the role of
"facilitator" to protect park rangers and was powerless to evict
anyone.
He said he rejected a large bribe offered to him in
return for border clearance. In May, his division granted temporary border
access to business groups importing parquet and wooden window panels from
Burma.
Access was later denied after it was discovered the
route became a smuggling channel for illegal timber supplies.
Maj-Gen Mana said local government officials and
businessmen, whose interests were hurt by the border closure, mobilised the
protest against him.
A source said protest leaders told him a local official
facing a transfer order asked villagers to organise the rally.
Maj-Gen Mana said he worked in Kanchanaburi a long time
and was familiar with all groups with vested interests. "I don't want to get in
the way of people making a living. Anyone caught in illegal acts would be warned
and asked to stop," he said.
Meanwhile, forestry chief Plodprasop Suraswadi praised
the army's efforts in policing the forest and urged it to crack down on the
culprits.
He lashed out at "some political groups and NGOs who
were so crazy about human rights that they had lost sight of national
interests."He said accusations that the army mistreated Karen villagers in Thung
Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary were disheartening for the soldiers and affected
their work.
"More attempts will be made to disrupt forestry
protection efforts," said Mr Plodprasop, who said the constitution encouraged
"an inflation of democracy".
"You can't be friendly to these people. I for one won't
be," he said, referring to social activists.
Surapong Kongchantuk, of the Karen Studies and
Development Centre, said Mr Plodprasop does not have a monopoly on love for the
country.
"The Thai people are far too advanced to be misled," he
said.
He said the current campaign against the Karen in Thung
Yai was based on very limited information about the ethnic minority's culture
and history.
Bangkok Post - Nov 15, 2000.
BORDER -Clash zones secure, says army chief Supamart Kasem Border security forces have been put on alert following
clashes between Burmese government troops and Karen National Union
rebels.
Many Thai border villages have been affected by
intensified fighting in Burmese border areas opposite Tak.
Gen Surayud Chulanont, the army chief, yesterday said
security forces in Tak were ordered to ensure safety for border villages and to
respond to any incursions by foreign troops.
Gen Surayud said there was still no need to send
reinforcements to Tak's border areas since local security forces were capable of
handling trouble.
The army chief, accompanied by Third Army commander
Lt-Gen Watthanachai Chaimuenwong, yesterday visited border security troops in
Phop Phra and Umphang districts, and also went to Mae Hong Son.
Responding to questions about a clash between Thai
soldiers and a group of foreign troops at Ban Letongkhu in Umphang district on
Oct 25, Gen Surayud said Rangoon claimed the fighting in which a Thai solider
was killed took place in Burmese territory.
After inspecting the scene, he was certain the incident
occurred on Thai soil. |