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BURMA RELATED NEWS - March 20,
2001.
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Headlines
-------------------------------------------------------------- AP - Karenni People Escape Fighting, Take
Refuge In Thailand
AFP - Myanmar ethnic groups bid for
inclusion in opposition-junta talks
Reuters - EU targets China on rights at
U.N. forum
AFP - Chinese village dying of AIDS
neglected and left to rot
Radio Nederland - Broadway in
Burma
The Times of India - Thailand, Myanmar officials to meet over border conflict
Bkk Post - Asean police chiefs to meet on
transnational crime
Bkk Post - Issuance of ID cards under
investigation
Bkk Post - Surakiart won't react to
criticisms
Bkk Post - Bilateral withdrawal from
disputed areas proposed
Bkk Post - Rival
troops killed in clash near border
Xinhuanet - ASEAN Passports, Visas to Be
Replaced by "Smart Cards" in Future: Report
Tuesday March 20, 7:55 PM Karenni People Escape Fighting, Take
Refuge In Thailand
MAE SOT, Thailand (AP)--More
than 100 members of Myanmar's Karenni ethnic minority fled into Thailand Tuesday
after Myanmar army troops attacked a stronghold of the Karenni National
Progressive Party, Thai provincial officials said.
Myanmar government troops attacked the KNPP rebel camp at Doi Ta Khe,
opposite Thailand's Mae Hong Son province, at about 8 a.m. local time, said Thai
district chief Kasem Chemchoi. He said both sides were using small and heavy
arms. Mae Hong Son is 650 kilometers northwest of the Thai capital Bangkok.
"We can hear the noise of heavy guns but it is about 3-5 kilometers from
the border. Now the concerned authorities are on duty to protect residents of
Thailand," he said.
Kasem said that more than 100 villagers had fled the fighting to Thailand's
border area.
The military government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, in the past decade
reached cease-fires with most of the ethnic minority groups which have long been
seeking autonomy from the central government
The KNPP reached a cease-fire with the government in 1995 but took up arms
again a few months later in a dispute over the army's occupation of rebel areas
rich in teak and key for smuggling.
An official of the KNPP, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 500
Myanmar government troops were involved in Tuesday's assault. He said one
Karenni guerrilla had died while four were wounded, and the government side
suffered six wounded.
Tuesday March 20, 1:39 PM
Myanmar ethnic groups bid for inclusion
in opposition-junta talks
BANGKOK, March 20 (AFP) - A
Myanmar dissident alliance called Tuesday for the nation's ethnic minority
leaders to be included in landmark talks between the junta and opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi.
Pro-democracy activists and ethnic leaders from 53 organizations and 28
countries met in Thailand for three days ending Monday to evaluate the talks and
demand firmer action by the regime as a show of good faith.
"They are happy with the talks, but concerned that problems are still
ongoing (and that) there is not a genuine tripartite dialogue," said a
spokeswoman for the Alternative Asean Network on Burma (ALTSEAN).
The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has won a reprieve
from economic and diplomatic pressure by the international community as a reward
for the talks, but little progress has been made, she said, speaking on behalf
of the "International Strategy Meeting" delegates.
"All the participants were concerned that the SPDC was granted a honeymoon.
The talks were overdue, they welcomed the talks, but want them transformed into
a genuine dialogue, with the SPDC, the NLD and ethnic nationalities."
A statement released after the meeting demanded the junta show its
sincerity by releasing political prisoners, allowing political parties to
function freely, and ceasing all military hostilities and forced labor.
The group also asked the international community to stand firm against the
military regime until the talks yield change for the people of Myanmar.
"There's been a lot of hype over the talks but they haven't really produced
much. But they've given the SPDC a six-month holiday. They should deliver
results," the spokeswoman said.
The calls follow a statement released earlier this month in which seven
armed ethnic minority groups which have signed ceasefire agreements with the
junta asked to participate in the talks.
"The talks are not productive unless there are positive results, and at the
moment we don't see positive results for the people of Burma," ALTSEAN said.
In October last year, National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and military intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt began
historic talks aimed at setting up the first official dialogue since 1994.
The substance of their discussions has been kept tightly under wraps by
both sides, irritating the exiled dissident community and minority leaders who
have called on the junta to reveal what progress has been made.
Tuesday March 20, 9:58 AM
EU targets China on rights at U.N.
forum
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The
European Union said it would criticise China during the U.N.'s annual human
rights forum in Geneva which began on Monday, but would stop short of
co-sponsoring a U.S. resolution censuring Beijing's record.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said in a statement their
15-nation bloc would "express its concern at the serious violations of human
rights in China and urge China to take further steps to improve the situation on
the ground".
Among steps it would urge were curbs on use of the death penalty "with a
view to its abolition", reform of the detention system, abolition of torture and
respect for religious freedom in China, including for Tibetan Buddhists and
Moslems in Xinjiang.
The EU said it would not co-sponsor a resolution on China's human rights
record that the United States will table at the forum, the six-week U.N.
Commission on Human Rights.
But the statement said the EU would back the resolution if it were put to a
vote and would encourage other countries to do so.
Asked about the EU position, European Commissioner for External Affairs
Chris Patten told Reuters it was a reasonable compromise among the 15 member
states. Some states favour a more conciliatory approach towards China, a major
trade partner.
"Everybody was very keen to find a position where all could be on the same
side," said Patten, who as the British colonial governor of Hong Kong once
regularly traded blows with Beijing.
China, which has wide support among developing countries at the forum, has
used procedural manoeuvres to avoid any examination of its record every year
since the June 1989 killing of student protesters in and around Beijing's
Tiananmen Square.
But the Bush administration has signalled it will put forward a new
resolution criticising China over its alleged repression of freedom of religion
and _expression_.
The EU foreign ministers also confirmed the bloc's plans to raise a series
of other human rights concerns in Geneva, including Russia's actions in
Chechnya, Israel's settlement policy on the West Bank and abuses in Iran, Iraq
and Myanmar.
Tuesday March 20, 9:56 PM
Chinese village dying of AIDS neglected
and left to rot
BEIJING, March 20 (AFP) -
Farmers at a village in central China riddled by AIDS say the local authorities
are deliberately leaving them to die and have made a heart-rending plea to the
government for help.
Five months after the terrible plight of the village of Wenlou became
public, both Chinese and international non-government groups have been prevented
from visiting, NGO sources told AFP.
Research by a local doctor has estimated that at least 65 percent of the
800-strong village in Henan province are HIV positive or have contracted AIDS,
yet locals complain they are being denied even basic health care.
Up to 60 people in the village have died from AIDS since 1997 and at least
300 have tested positive for HIV.
And sources have also told AFP that doctors at a top military hospital in
Beijing where many senior leaders are treated knew three years ago about the
crisis in Wenlou, linked to filthy blood banks in the early 1990s.
Villagers this month sent three pleas for help to China's ministry of
health, cabinet and parliament.
"We are also human, also a part of society. Please put out a little bit of
love and give us some sunshine," said one of the letters, signed by an AIDS
sufferer near death.
The villagers contracted the disease after selling blood to blood stations
that re-used needles and pooled blood in huge tubs. The plasma was then taken
out and the contaminated blood was pumped back into the donors.
The cash at first brought prosperity -- mud-brick homes, school fees and
taxes revenue -- but later a more deadly harvest.
Since an AFP reporter visited the village in mid-November, 10 more people
have died from AIDS, according to residents.
"There are several families where both parents have died and the children
are left to fend for themselves," said a village woman who brought the letters
to Beijing.
"In some families, both father and son have died. In others, both brothers
died or kids were found to have AIDS after the mom died," one of the letters
said. "People are very scared and nervous."
The letters, written by the village chief and two AIDS patients, were sent
after three village leaders were detained for trying to meet with county
government officials.
Rather than facing up to the problem, local authorities are trying to keep
a lid on the issue because they fear they will be held responsible, say Wenlou
residents.
The central government also has been slow to act, NGO sources said, asking
to remain anonymous to protect their work in the country. The sources said China
is worried that allowing volunteers into the village will damage the country's
image abroad.
Months after the story became public, nobody has been sent by the
government to test people to gauge the magnitude of the problem in Wenlou or
neighboring villages in Henan where residents also sold blood.
Families are struggling to pay for medicine, pay off debts on the medicine
and buy basic supplies such as baby powder for a three-year-old boy suffering
from AIDS, the letters say.
The county set up a clinic in the village after the story hit major Chinese
papers and provided free medicine for a handful of patients near death, but
since then the clinic has rarely been open and villagers are charged for medical
care.
The village chief was stonewalled each time he went to the county office to
ask for help. Not only do they refuse to see him, they once threw him out for
fear they would get the disease, the letters say.
Local officials refused to comment. Beijing's health ministry acknowledged
receiving questions from AFP but did not respond.
In one of the letters to the government, village chief Kong Wenxuan said
villagers were encouraged to sell blood because of a shortage of donations
nationwide.
"Our county's health department and People's Hospital each set up a blood
station. On the walls were written, 'Donating blood is glorious.' Propaganda
material was filled with information on how donating blood would not harm the
body," the letter said.
Many families sold blood because they were poor and it was the only way to
supplement their meager income from farming.
In a short time, nearly 10,000 people in the county sold blood, Kong wrote.
The central government has also yet to do a study on how many people were paid
for blood before the practice was banned in 1998, but estimates run into tens of
millions.
There are some indications the government is starting to address the
situation.
Vice Premier Li Lanqing, who was contacted by volunteer doctor Gui Xien,
called a meeting of AIDS experts.
The government has also decided to increase the budget for AIDS prevention
and treatment -- from the current 15 million yuan (1.8 million dollars) per year
to 500 million yuan -- a source at a Chinese NGO said.
"They'll definitely increase the budget, but they haven't decided how to
spend the money," said Zeng Yi, head of one of the two biggest Chinese
non-governmental organisations devoted to AIDS prevention.
An additional one-time allotment of 700 million yuan will be used to build
proper blood donation stations throughout the country, the source said.
China conservatively estimates it has around 500,000 HIV carriers but UN
experts have warned of more than 10 million cases by 2010 if the disease remains
unchecked.
Many of the villagers, resigned to death, are baffled as to why they have
been denied basic help from the government.
Reflecting the frustration of other villagers, the woman who came up to
Beijing said with tears in her eyes: "If they still don't do anything, I'm going
to take some medicine and kill myself in front of their government
office."
Radio Nederland
Broadway in Burma
by Walter van Opzeeland, 19 March 2001 You can hardly miss them when you walk down the street: enormous colourful
sheets of paper. Posters are used as advertisements, for film and theatre and as
a means of protest. But behind many of these seemingly harmless pictures there
is an untold story. Walter van Opzeeland tells the story behind one of the many
posters that he has collected over the years. This week: Burma.
The chaos in the aftermath of the American presidential elections was a godsend for stand-up comedians. Everything and everybody was made fun of. But in Burma it doesn't quite work that way. For the past few decades Myanmar, as the country is now officially called, has been ruled by a military junta that is reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984. Politicians never need to explain themselves, but comedians certainly do, especially when their jokes go too far. The Moustache Brothers perform their show every evening on the Broadway of
Mandalay, Burma's second largest city. ‘ Political satire' the leaflet says.
A-Nyeint, as stand-up comedy is called in Burma, is a mix of traditional dance,
music, opera and comedy sketches.
Polite
Bicycle-rickshaws shuttle spectators along a bumpy track to the small theatre on 39th Street. Lu Maw, one of the Moustache Brothers, personally greets his audience with tea and a green Burmese cigar. It's characteristic of the country's hospitality. After the tea the audience watches a typical Burmese show. Lu Maw's wife performs her traditional dances, for which she has to twist her body into a series of seemingly impossible knots. These dances are hard to understand for a foreign audience. The _expression_ on their faces is a strange mix of bewilderment and pleasure. After all, they are here to see other cultures, the more exotic the better. The dance-show is the warm-up for the real thing: comedy. Risk
Artists put themselves at risk by doing stand-up comedy. Lu's brother, the other half of the Moustache Brothers, has been sentenced to seven years hard labour after speaking at a meeting of Aung San Suu Kyi's democratic movement. "In the old days we called thieves thieves, now we call them party members", he jokingly told the meeting. The junta didn't see the joke. The prison is several days away to the north of Mandalay. The brother is not allowed any visits there but he does receive the occasional food parcel from his wife. But even she is not allowed to go beyond the prison entrance, where she has to leave the parcel. Painful
Lu now performs on his own, wearing the traditional Burmese comedian's headscarf tied with a knot on the side of his head. He tells jokes that would make even the unfunniest American stand-up comedian cringe. At the same time he also plays the role of his partner. The absence of his brother is painfully obvious: the show lacks edge. Lu Maw does his very best to make his audience laugh. But it's no good. His western audience is used to comedians who are free to say virtually anything. It makes me feel uneasy. Censorship undermines all forms of entertainment. It is no different in the
rest of Burma. Cinemas show harmless, Bollywood-type films.
Courage
Only after much insistence on my part does Lu give me an old poster picturing both brothers. I am taken up to the bedroom on the first floor. After locking the door Lu carefully folds the poster until it fits in an airmail envelope. " If they find this poster, please tell them you got it in Thailand" he says his voice full of fear. "Otherwise this could have very unpleasant consequences for my brother. But do show it to as many people as possible outside of Burma, so they know what is going on here." I was suddenly struck by how difficult the circumstances are in which these
artists have to work. Burmese comedy may not compare favourably to its American
and European counterparts, but it does take a lot more courage in Burma for
comedians ‘to stand up'.
The Times of India - March 20,
2001
Thailand, Myanmar officials to meet over
border conflict
BANGKOK: Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to convene a top-level border
committee for the first time in two years to try to resolve a brewing row over
conflicts along their shared border, officials said on Monday.
"Myanmar has agreed to the regional border meeting, which is a good sign
because we can clear up all the misunderstandings and thus our relations will be
cordial," said Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
The Regional Border Committee will gather from April 2-4 in the Myanmar
town of Kengtung, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the Thai border.
Two sessions of the lower-level Township Border Commission have failed to
ease strains sparked by clashes between the two neighbours' armies at the
important Mae Sai-Tachilek crossing.
The checkpoint has been closed since Myanmar troops pursuing ethnic rebels
strayed into Thailand on February 11, prompting retaliation by the Thai army and
a tense month-long standoff between the two sides.
Thailand tried to re-open its side of the Mae Sai-Tachilek crossing earlier
this month but Myanmar officials said they had had not been consulted over the
move and refused to follow suit.
The clashes also set off a war of wards between the two countries over the
production of methamphetamines on Myanmar soil by Yangon-allied ethnic armies
responsible for sparking off the skirmish.
Myanmar Sunday condemned Thailand as a bad neighbour and accused it of
covering up its failure to address its own drugs crisis by shifting the blame
onto Myanmar.
Thai army commander Lieutenant General Wattanachai Chaimeunwong will head
Bangkok's delegation in the April talks.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Monday rejected press speculation that
Wattanachai, head of the Third Army which patrols the region, was to be
transferred as punishment for his tough stance after the clashes.
"No foreign country can tell us what to do. It's our internal affairs to
transfer or not transfer any positions," he said. (AFP)
Bangkok Post - March 20,
2001
Asean police chiefs to meet on
transnational crime
Achara Ashayagachat Southeast Asian police chiefs will meet here next week to discuss ways to
fight transnational crime and seek collaboration with the European Union,
sources in the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
The meeting, from March 28 to 30, would be joined by police chiefs from all
Asean countries, the sources said.
Representatives of agencies concerned including the National Intelligence
Agency, the National Security Council, and the Attorney-General's Office would
also attend.
Thailand would push for collaboration among Asean members in such areas as
measures to counter pirate threats in Southeast Asian waters through
co-operation with the Federation of Asean Shipowners Association, the sources
said.
Other issues would include the Philippines' proposal to set up an Asean
centre to combat transnational crime. However, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia
remained reluctant to back the idea, the sources said
The EU would also hold its first dialogue on the matter with senior Asean
officials with emphasis on human and drugs trafficking, as well as money
laundering.
The EU would have another separate session with its Asean counterparts on
narcotics when drugs suppression authorities meet in Vientiane early next month,
the sources said.
Bangkok Post - March 20,
2001.
Issuance of ID cards under
investigation
Supamart Kasem Tak The governor has ordered a probe into the alleged issuance of ID cards to
illegal Burmese nationals, deputy governor Weeradej Surasit said
yesterday.
To be investigated are officials in Phop Phra district, including assistant
district chief Charaspong Traiphopphum.
Phop Phra district chief Sattawat Saenmuk is heading the
investigation.
The probe was launched when Mae Sot police found that one of three drug
suspects, Soe Kaing, carried an ID card substitute issued by Phop Phra district
on Feb 27 and signed by the assistant district chief.
The suspect claimed he paid 3,000 baht for the card.
The provincial court found Soe Kaing guilty of illegal entry and ordered
his repatriation. However, Phop Phra police want to detain him for further
questioning about the ID card.
Mr Sattawat said Soe Kaing was a hilltribe resident of Phop Phra district
who carried a special blue identification card.
The Third Army Region later sought Thai citizenship for members in a land
reform programme in 1985 and Soe Kaing was granted citizenship. However, a
police statement showed the suspect admitted being a Burmese national and
running a transport business in Myawaddy. Pol Capt Piriya Muenjit of Phop Phra
police station said the house registration number on the ID card was that of
Somchai Pithaktrakulthong, and none of the neighbours knew or had heard of Soe
Kaing.
Meanwhile immigration officers yesterday said foreign nationals were using
false documents to apply for ID cards in border districts.
Bangkok Post - March 20,
2001
Surakiart won't react to
criticisms
Bilateral relations may be affected Bhanravee Tansubhapol
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai will not react to the latest verbal
attacks from Burma to avoid damaging already fragile ties.
Mr Surakiart insisted reports of Rangoon's criticisms could not be verified
and said the two neighbours could only improve relations through co-operation,
not finger pointing.
After a two-hour meeting with Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Mr
Surakiart said it was agreed to hold talks every month for better
co-ordination.
The minister said bilateral relations might be affected if an official
statement was issued before the news report was verified.
In an official information sheet, the Burmese junta apparently condemned
Thailand as a bad neighbour for shifting the blame onto Burma to hide its
failure to solve the drug crisis. The government would try find ways to reach
agreements with Burma on drug suppression, fisheries, trade and tourism, the
foreign minister said.
With a 2,400km common border, the two nations were bound to run into
problems, Mr Surakiart said.
They must tackle those disputes through the Township Border Committee and
Regional Border Committee.
Gen Chavalit was confident the Regional Border Committee meeting on April
2-4 in Keng Tung would resolve fundamental problems.
Mr Surakiart said there were good opportunities for himself and Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to meet Burmese leaders and bring relations back to
normal.
Mr Surakiart also said Thailand's position on international issues was
weakening due to a lack of co-ordination among government agencies.
Gen Chavalit and Mr Surakiart promised to send officials to meetings with
foreign ambassadors and guests, especially on security issues.
Bangkok Post - March - 20,
2001.
Bilateral withdrawal from disputed
areas proposed
Wassana Nanuam and Theerawat Khamthita Thai and Burmese military will hold their Regional Border Committee (RBC)
meeting in Burma's Keng Tung during April 2-4, with a planned proposal from the
Thai side to designate as no-man's-land disputed areas in the North.
Lt-Gen Watanachai Chaimuenwong, the Third Army commander who will head a
30-man delegation to the meeting, yesterday said he would propose a bilateral
military withdrawal from Phuteng Nayong area in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai
and Doi Lang mountain in Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai, pending negotiations on
demarcation.
He will not discuss the withdrawal of troops from Tachilek-Mae Sai
border.
Lt-Gen Watanachai's counterpart at the meeting will be Maj-Gen Than Sein,
commander of the Burmese regional force adjacent to Thailand's North.
Lt-Gen Watanachai is expected to retain his post at the Third Army Region
in an upcoming reshuffle, commander-in-chief Surayud Chulanont confirmed
yesterday.
Gen Surayud said the RBC meeting would focus on disputed areas claimed by
both sides, though he was not sure whether the matter could be settled at these
talks, as part of the issue would need to be discussed at a higher level.
Asked to comment on Rangoon's remark that Thailand was "a bad neighbour"
for shifting the narcotics blame onto Rangoon to cover up its own failure in
fighting drugs, Gen Surayud said Thai authorities should heed the remark to
improve certain weaknesses which would prove beneficial.
However, army spokesman Col Somkuan Saengpataranet gave a different
reaction in an army radio programme yesterday. He said Thailand was a good
neighbour to all nations and it was Burma that had failed to co-operate with
Thailand in drug suppression.
Burma also closed its border passes at will without consulting Thailand, he
said.
Bangkok Post - March 20,
2001.
Rival troops killed in clash near
border
Chiang Mai-Two Shan rebels and one pro-Rangoon guerrilla were killed in a
clash close to Doi Kor Wan opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang district, a Shan
State Army officer said yesterday.
Lt-Col Korn Zuan of the SSA said the United Wa State Army fired hundreds of
anti-aircraft rounds at the SSA stronghold, killing two Shan fighters.
The fighting between the pro-Rangoon Wa troops and Shan rebels resumed on
Sunday afternoon, he said.
Some 1,500 Burmese soldiers were deployed at Doi Kor Wan and some 300 Wa
troops at Tachilek-Mong Yawn road.
A source said the SSA has cancelled its planned Army Day celebrations on
March 25.
ASEAN Passports, Visas to Be Replaced by "Smart Cards" in Future:
Report
2001.03.20 12:45:51 BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Passports and visas will be replaced
by "smart cards" for nationals of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) countries travelling to other member states in the future
under a scheme to be discussed here this week, the Nation reported
Tuesday.
Immigration department representatives and consuls from all ten ASEAN
members will attend a regional meeting here between Tuesday and Wednesday
on this issue, the local newspaper quoted Thai immigration authority
source as saying.
The "smart-card" scheme, aimed to use a regional electronic system to
identify a traveler instead of utilizing traditional documents such as
passports and visas, is part of ASEAN's efforts to link the region
electronically under the ambitious "E-ASEAN" project.
Some member countries, like Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia have already
applied for implementing the system, declaring that they are ready to get
rid of traditional travel documents.
However, it will take many years for all members to be ready for the
scheme due to the huge gap in economic and technology development among
ASEAN countries, analysts said.
The next round of the discussion on the issue will be held in
Singapore later this year.
ASEAN now groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
ASEAN Passports, Visas to Be
Replaced by "Smart Cards" in Future: Report
2001.03.20 12:45:51 BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhuanet)
-- Passports and visas will be replaced by "smart cards" for nationals of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries travelling to
other member states in the future under a scheme to be discussed
here this week, the Nation reported Tuesday.
Immigration department representatives and consuls from all ten ASEAN
members will attend a regional meeting here between Tuesday and Wednesday
on this issue, the local newspaper quoted Thai immigration authority
source as saying.
The "smart-card" scheme, aimed to use a regional electronic system to
identify a traveler instead of utilizing traditional documents such as
passports and visas, is part of ASEAN's efforts to link the region
electronically under the ambitious "E-ASEAN" project.
Some member countries, like Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia have already
applied for implementing the system, declaring that they are ready to get
rid of traditional travel documents.
However, it will take many years for all members to be ready for the
scheme due to the huge gap in economic and technology development among
ASEAN countries, analysts said.
The next round of the discussion on the issue will be held in
Singapore later this year.
ASEAN now groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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