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BURMA RELATED NEWS - May 05,
2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AP - Pakistani Leader Says Ban On Rallies To
Continue
The Nation - RANGOON
TIES: Thaksin says he'll visit Burma by next month
Bkk Post - Thaksin pins hope on
talks
Bkk Post - Monument
plan 'must not lead to tension'
NSTP - Petronas' Thai gas
pipeline project put on hold
NSTP - RM1.2 billion to expand North Butterworth
container terminal
Kyodo News - Asian
ministers call for Nov. launch of WTO round
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Saturday May 5, 2:54 PM Pakistani Leader Says Ban On Rallies To
Continue
HANOI (AP)--Pakistan's military
ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, said Saturday his government has released hundreds
of arrested pro-democracy protesters but a ban on political rallies will remain
until elections are held next year.
Musharraf said he didn't know exactly how many members of the main
anti-government alliance had been arrested in last week's crackdown.
"By now I am sure that all the people must have been released," he said.
Musharraf, who finished a three-day visit to Vietnam on Saturday, said his
government would not allow "any violation of the rule set by this government
-that is, no political activity."
The government imposed a ban on rallies soon after it seized power in a
bloodless coup in October 1999 by toppling the elected government of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif. Last week it arrested hundreds of supporters of the
Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy to prevent a planned rally May 1
demanding early elections.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League and the Pakistan Peoples' Party of another
ousted prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, are the key members of the 15-party
alliance.
"There will be no lifting of the ban on political activity until we have
elections next year," Musharraf said.
Musharraf has promised to return Pakistan to democracy by October 2002 in
line with a Supreme Court verdict ordering him to introduce reforms, clean up
Pakistan's deeply corrupt political system and revive the country's ailing
economy by then.
The ban, which covers outdoor rallies and demonstrations, "is on a few
political elements who want to misuse their platform to cause disruptions and
unrest," Musharraf said.
Musharraf said his visit to Vietnam, the first by a Pakistani leader since
the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972, had been successful.
"The future looks very bright between Vietnam and Pakistan," he said.
Musharraf's trip is viewed as part of efforts by his government to improve
its ties with Southeast Asia.
Before arriving in Vietnam, Musharraf visited Myanmar, which like Pakistan
faces diplomatic isolation as both are governed by unelected military
regimes.
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The Nation - May 05,
2001.
RANGOON TIES: Thaksin says he'll visit
Burma by next month
Diplomatic overtures reach highest level as tensions
simmer
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday said he plans to visit Burma by
early next month at the latest to patch up diplomatic bonds frayed by stepped-up
border clashes and vicious tit-for-tat allegations of interference in internal
affairs and drug trafficking.
Thaksin downplayed the worsening discord, assuring the public that friction
between the two neighbours will be smoothed over when he makes the visit. The
premier, who had already extended an olive branch to the military government in
Rangoon even before he took office, will be the first to visit Burma in more
than three years.
Bilateral relations are at their lowest ebb in years following cross-border
shelling over two months ago. Since then, frequent flare-ups have increased
tension along the border. Month-long fighting between Shan rebels and Burmese
troops has often spilled over into Thailand, drawing Thai forces into the
crossfire.
But after the lack of progress by Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai on
his visit this week, few believe Thaksin will have much success in thawing the
frosty relations.
On the first day of Surakiart's two-day visit, Burma publicly accused
Thailand of extending military support to the Shan rebels and planting illegal
drugs at a Burmese military outpost after it was overrun by the Shan State Army
(SSA) in order to discredit the junta.
The Thai government lacks a cohesive approach to the border crisis. The
Third Army commander has demanded a strong stance against any form of foreign
intrusion. But Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, a self-proclaimed
long-time friend of the junta, has called for a toning down of rhetoric and
military reactions, saying that any drastic move would prolong reconciliation.
Third Army commander Lt General Wattanachai Chaimuanwong has vowed to
avenge the recent attack by the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
(DKBA) on a Thai village that resulted in the death of three Thais.
He suggested that Rangoon had given the DKBA the green light to attack the
Thai village just as Surakiart was making his official visit. Others see the
episode as testimony that the junta has no intention of containing the illicit
activities of its allies, be they drug-trafficking by the Wa army or
cross-border forays by the DKBA.
"Rangoon is aware that we are split at the top and they're taking advantage
of the situation," one senior Thai Foreign Ministry officer said. "They're
sitting back and watching Thai politicians shoot themselves in the foot as they
rush to cut deals in order to appease the general public," he said.
The Chuan administration infuriated Rangoon by breaking ranks with Asean
members in refusing to support Burma when the International Labour Organisation
condemned the country for practising forced labour.
Officials said Chuan had also riled the junta by not paying a reciprocal
visit following a high-profile trip by its members to Thailand.
Meanwhile at the border, the Phop Phra district chief yesterday ordered the
closure of four temporary crossings in Tak province out of fear that the DKBA
would repeat their attack on local residents two days before. Thai troops have
been despatched to the area to secure the border and prevent a reoccurrence.
Also yesterday a Burmese battalion attacked a Karen National Union position
across from Tak's Mae Lamat district, forcing scores of Burmese villagers to
seek refuge across the border into Thailand.
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Bangkok Post - May 05,
2001.
Thaksin pins hope on
talks
Troops reinforced as MPs urge caution Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra pins hopes of settling conflicts with
Burma on a planned visit to Rangoon.
Mr Thaksin said he was confident disputes would be solved amicably.
"There shouldn't be any problem. Wait until I pay a visit to Burma which
could be later this month or early next month," he said.
As Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai visited Rangoon this week, Burma
accused Thailand of supporting anti-Rangoon rebels.
Mr Thaksin said the talks between Mr Surakiart and Burmese leaders went
well and both sides were frank about their concerns. He said Thailand and Burma
would have to "talk things out" and take action over trafficking problems.
Meanwhile, the army has told troops to reinforce the Thai-Burmese border
and given them the green light to retaliate to cross-border attacks.
Lt-Gen Phitsanu Urailert, the Supreme Command's civilian affairs chief,
said the Naresuan and Pha Muang task forces had been told to step up
security.
Relations remain tense following an assault by pro-Rangoon troops this week
in which three Thai civilians were killed.
Lt-Gen Phitsanu said the situation was under control and officials were
trying their best to maintain good relations.
Spokesman Col Somkuan Saengphattaranet said the army commander has told the
Third Army to continue its drive against drugs.
"The commander has given a clear message about trafficking. The government
will take care of diplomatic problems," he said.
Col Somkuan denied any conflict between the defence minister and the Third
Army commander, saying the army always followed government policy.
In the wake of the cross-border attack, commander Lt-Gen Wattanachai
Chaimuenwong called for a tough response while minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
pleaded for patience.
Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon yesterday issued a general warning
to proceed carefully with Burma.
"We are neighbours. It will cause trouble for both sides if we are always
fighting. It's useless to fight each other," he said.
Gen Chavalit denied any conflict and said disputes should be solved with
patience and understanding.
"Nobody wants to make foes of their neighbours. When something happens, we
talk straightforwardly," he said.
Kraisak Choonhavan, head of the Senate foreign affairs committee, also
downplayed conflict between the defence minister and the commander.
"It happens all the time in a situation like this. While the army has to
protect sovereignty, the government has to maintain good relations."
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Bangkok Post - May 05,
2001.
Monument plan 'must not lead to
tension'
A monument to a great king should be raised to honour his contribution to
the nation, and not for the purpose of confronting any country, Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday.
Local people had the right to erect such monuments, but the army and other
authorities should take care not to take any action that could cause tension
between Thailand and any of its neighbours, he said.
His comments follow a recent disclosure by the Third Army chief that the
army and Chiang Rai people were planning to build a monument of King Naresuan
the Great at a border spot opposite Burma's Tachilek town.
The monument of the king who in 1590 regained independence for Ayutthaya,
the ancient Thai capital, would face that of Burma's King Bayinnaung, the
conqueror of Ayutthaya in 1569, in Tachilek.
The monument would be built at Wat Doi Wow, Mae Sai district, at an
estimated cost of 40 million baht, said Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, the
Third Army chief.
Mr Surakiart said it was up to the locals to decide how and where to raise
such a monument, but the objective should be to pay homage to the great king
rather than to confront any other nation. He also said verbal exchanges between
the Thai and Burmese military, if allowed to continue, would not help efforts to
boost bilateral ties.
Thailand would not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty. However, the
ultimate goal was to preserve peace and every agency should strive for that, he
said.
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The New Straits Times Press- May 05,
2001.
Petronas' Thai gas pipeline
project put on hold
SAT:PETRONAS' multi-million ringgit gas pipeline project with the Petroleum
Authority of Thailand has been put on hold for at least one year because of
uncertainties over the global economy, according to the Thai oil company.
Bangkok Post yesterday said PTT had postponed the estimated RM3 billion gas
pipeline project together with another multi-billion baht development for its
fifth gas separation plant.
The daily quoted a senior PTT executive as saying the expected slowdown in
natural gas demand as a result of uncertainty in the domestic economy as well as
abroad had forced the company to delay the investment plan.
Response from Petronas and Trans Thai-Malaysia (Thailand) Co Ltd, a 50:50
joint venture between Petronas and PTT, was not immediately available.
"We have to gauge future demand and supply of natural gas as a key factor
in our investment decisions," said Pichai Chunhavajira, PTT's deputy governor in
charge of finance.
Pichai said PTT wanted to keep a close watch on the the US economy first
because the country was a major importer of petrochemicals. Most petrochemical
businesses need gas separation plants.
The company would postpone its plan to invest in both gas pipeline projects
for around one year before reassessing it, he added.
"We are rather careful about investment now. What we see as unnecessary
will be delayed so our operating results remain stable. We won't invest a lot
and be too optimistic as we were before."
PTT has projected that Thailand's oil demand this year would remain at the
same level as last year or 600,000 barrels per day. Local refining capacity
would exceed 830,000 barrels per day. Oil demand was not expected to match
supply until 2005, Pichai said.
The 350km pipeline project was delayed as a result of yet-to-be-approved
EIAs (enviromental impact assessments) by Thai authorities. It was to have
started on March 1.
The project, which includes two gas separation plants in southern Songkhla
province, will move gas from the offshore Malaysian-Thai Joint Development
Area.
A fortnight ago, Thailand accepted Malaysia's request to expedite the
project, with a commitment to resolve problems related to it by July.
The delay had raised the possibility of Petronas being penalised if it
could not meet its gas delivery requirements under the project.
A purchase deal was signed in November 1999 for the sale of gas to Petronas
and PTT for use in Thailand and Myanmar. But Petronas faces the possibility of
being slapped with a penalty if it could not deliver the gas by July 2002.
Petronas president and CEO Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican had said it could
use an alternative route from its existing infrastucture in the Gulf of Thailand
to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia to enable it to deliver on schedule.
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The New Straits Times Press - May 05,
2001.
PENANG -RM1.2 billion to expand North
Butterworth container terminal
About RM1.2 billion will be spent to expand the North Butterworth Container
Terminal (NBCT).
Transport Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Donald Lim Siang Chai said the
project, involves the reclamation of about 243 hectares of land, for extending
the present container terminal from 600 meters to 900 meters.
He said this project under the Eighth Malaysia Plan, will take about five
years to complete.
"The RM1.2 billion will cover the cost of land reclamation works,
installation of cranes, construction of buildings and the installation of modern
facilities for the terminal," he added.
Lim said the NBCT will see an expected growth of around 10 percent annually
in terms of containers handling.
"Most of the containers come from Thailand and Myanmar," he said. "Some
shipping companies do not know that Penang has the facilities to handle the
loading and unloading containers."
"Because of this, they direct their containers via Port Klang in Selangor
and Singapore," he said.
He was speaking to reporters after officiating at a get-together dinner for
about 150 ex-students of Sekolah Menengah Teknik Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, in
Jalan Ibbetson here.
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Asian ministers call for Nov. launch of
WTO round
SIEM REAP, Cambodia May 4 Kyodo
- Economic ministers from 13 East Asian nations issued Friday a statement
calling for the launch of a new round of trade liberalization talks under the
World Trade Organization (WTO) in November in Qatar.
The ministers also endorsed the implementation of six multilateral projects
in line with priorities and formulas established during their previous meeting
in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last October.
The one-day meeting of economic ministers from the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan and South Korea, the third of its
kind, was held in a hotel in Siem Reap, renowned for the ancient temples of
Angkor.
In the joint statement, the ASEAN-plus-three ministers backed the launch of
the new WTO round at a WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, in line with a
Japanese proposal, designating a target year for the first time. Last November,
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum also urged a launch during
2001.
They also called for review of antidumping rules to be included in a
''balanced and sufficiently broad-based agenda'' for the new trade round.
Japan's vice trade minister for international affairs, Hidehiro Konno, who
attended the meeting on behalf of trade minister Takeo Hiranuma, was quoted as
telling the gathering that Tokyo expects the new round to be launched in Qatar.
Although some countries had a cautious view about progress on agenda
setting, the ministers agreed to voice a common message from Asia and to try to
reach similar accord in the upcoming meeting in June of the 21-member APEC,
Japanese officials said.
WTO ministers failed to launch the new round in December 1999 due partly to
differences on the scope and extent of the agenda.
The ASEAN-plus-three meeting also agreed on ''the need for enhanced
cooperation in information technology (IT),'' and to include China, Japan and
South Korea in a working group under the e-ASEAN initiative launched by ASEAN
leaders last November.
In the meeting, Japan also proposed a number of new IT-related projects
under a $15 billion, five-year IT assistance package Tokyo announced last July,
including a multilateral project called the Asia e-Learning Initiative, the
officials said.
Konno also solicited participation from the countries in a world exposition
to be hosted by Japan in 2005 in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, they said.
Among the six projects adopted at Siam Reap, meanwhile, is the Asian Common
Skill Standard Initiative for IT Engineers, proposed by Japan at the Chiang Mai
meeting. Japan aims to launch the project in countries such as Malaysia and the
Philippines as early as September.
Five projects proposed by other ASEAN-plus-three member countries were also
endorsed in line with three priority areas -- encouraging technical cooperation
in IT and e-commerce, trade and investment promotion and facilitation, and
strengthening of small and midsize enterprises and supporting industries.
The ASEAN-plus-three framework of consultations has evolved rapidly since
the Asian economic crisis in 1997, with the leaders of the region meeting
annually and economic, finance and foreign ministers starting regular gatherings
last year.
The economic ministers first met in May last year in Yangon, followed by
the October meeting in Chiang Mai, where they set the priorities and a
cost-sharing and multilateral formula for joint projects.
The meeting was held back-to-back with an informal meeting of ASEAN
economic ministers Thursday which agreed to provide trade preferences to
less-developed ASEAN members under an Initiative for ASEAN Integration.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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