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BURMA RELATED NEWS - May 15,
2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABC online - Thailand
and Burma exchange protest notes
Reuters - Thailand summons Myanmar envoy amid
rising tension
AP - US Troops Join Thais In Annual Military
Exercise
AP - Fresh Border Dispute Puts Thai PM's Myanmar
Trip On Hold
AFP - Thaksin hopes to iron out Thai-Myanmar
spat with June visit
AFP - ASEAN Regional Forum awaits North Korean
debut
Reuters - PTTE&P Q1 net profit jumps on
sales
Dow Jones - Thailand, Indonesia To Revive E
Natuna Gas, Pipeline Deal
BBC - Burma demands Thai 'pullback'
VOA - War of Words Between Burma and
Thailand
The Nation - Rangoon
urged to discuss border disputes
The Nation - A boom,
not a bust
The Nation - Wa open 'drug
town' to press
The Nation - 'Withdraw
or face retaliation'
The Nation - Burma
under scrutiny again over forced labour
The Nation - Drugs
initiative relies on attitude of the Burmese
Bkk Post - Burma warns
Thai troops off Doi Lang
Bkk Post - Thaksin puts Rangoon trip on
hold
Bkk Post - Karen
rebels deny firing on passenger bus
Bkk Post - Thaksin
need not rush to Rangoon
Bkk Post - Let's talk
about Burma
Bkk Post - Postbag - 1/ The Rangoon junta has
the upper hand. 2/ Chavalit leaves much to be desired
Xinhuanet - ASEAN Meeting on SME Opens in
Myanmar
SCMP - Drug-tainted village takes pride in poppy
purge
Times of India - Court sets date on Suu Kyi
eviction suit
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Broadcasting
Corporation
May 15, 2001. Thailand and Burma exchange protest
notes
A new war of words is brewing between Thailand and Burma.
It follows a demand by Rangoon that the Thai army withdraw from 35 outposts
along the disputed border or face the use of force.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai says Burma's ambassador
will be summoned to the foreign ministry to receive a letter protesting the
intrusion of a Rangoon-allied ethnic army on Thai soil.
Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Minister rejected Burma's letter threatening
force as an old issue relating to unclear border demarcation which should be
solved by a joint border committee.
A spokesman for Burma's military junta has confirmed a note has been sent
demanding Thai troops withdraw.
The latest dispute comes just a day after Thai Defence Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh said relations between Thailand and Burma were back on track after
Bangkok and Rangoon accused each other of involvement in the international drugs
trade.
Tuesday May 15, 7:56 PM
Thailand summons Myanmar envoy amid
rising tension
By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's
foreign ministry summoned Myanmar's ambassador to Bangkok on Tuesday to protest
against what it said were attacks by a pro-Myanmar ethnic militia on Thai
territory this month.
Krit Garnjana-goonchorn, head of the Thai Foreign Ministry's Department of
East Asian Affairs, said he told the Myanmar envoy, Myo Myint, that the attacks
had resulted in the deaths of three civilians and caused extensive damage to
Thai property.
The summons follows a series of skirmishes in recent weeks between Thai
forces and armed fighters of Myanmar ethnic minorities in the Golden Triangle
area near the intersection of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Krit told reporters after the 40-minute meeting that he gave Myo Myint a
statement detailing two attacks by one group, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
(DKBA).
He also gave the envoy a statement clarifying Thailand's response to a
complaint by Myanmar that the Thai airforce had attacked a region just inside
its territory last week, an allegation that Bangkok denies.
One of the statements, obtained by Reuters, said an attack by the DKBA on a
northern Thai town on May 1 killed three Thai civilians and injured six
residents and soldiers.
Two days later, it said, two units of a militia controlled by the Yangon
government deployed about 60 troops to capture Thailand's Hill Noen Hua Lon in
northern Thailand and ignored several requests by Thai soldiers to leave the
post.
"Such stationing of militia units in Thai territory constituted a blatant
violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity," which warranted
protest in the strongest term by the Thai authorities, it said.
"The blatant violation of Thailand's sovereignty and the denial of
responsibility by the Myanmar side compelled the Thai Army to resort to the use
of military means to dislodge the occupying forces from Thai territory," it
added.
Thai newspapers on Tuesday quoted army sources as saying Myanmar's military
government had threatened to attack Thai positions in Chiang Rai province 920 km
(575 miles) north of the capital of Bangkok.
DISPUTED BORDER
Yangon claims some Thai military bases are inside its territory. Bangkok
disagrees. The exact position of the border, which stretches 2,400 km (1,490
miles) from Laos to the Andaman Sea, has never been clearly marked.
Krit said such issues should be solved by a joint ministerial meeting.
Relations between the neighbours, enemies for centuries, have deteriorated
since the election in January of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who
pledged to "wage a war against drugs", which Thailand says are mainly coming
from Myanmar.
Thailand has sent reinforcements to its northern border with Myanmar after
recent fighting between Thai troops and a pro-Myanmar ethnic militia group, the
United Wa State Army (UWSA), which is accused by Bangkok of being a major
producer and supplier of methamphetamine stimulants and heroin.
Myanmar says Thailand is supporting Myanmar ethnic minority rebels making
and trafficking drugs.
The Thai Army said last week that soldiers of its third army -- which
defends the northern border with Myanmar -- had recaptured the Hua Lone hill,
which had been occupied by Wa fighters on May 4, killing more than 20 Wa
soldiers.
Myanmar has sent Thailand two protest letters in a week over the border
issues.
Last week, Yangon protested at what it said was an airstrike by Thai jet
fighters against the Wa region. Thailand denied it had attacked the area.
On Sunday, Myanmar soldiers urged Thai troops to withdraw from another
disputed border hill near Chiang Rai province.
"If Burma (Myanmar) insists that Doi Lang (the disputed hill) belongs to
them and uses force to push our troops back, then this could mean war," Thai
Third Army Commander Wattanachai Chaimuangwong was quoted on Tuesday by the
Bangkok Post newspaper as saying.
Thaksin told reporters on Tuesday he believed all problems between Thailand
and Myanmar would be resolved after he visited Yangon in June.
"After my visit, they (misunderstandings) will all be gone," Thaksin told
reporters.
Tuesday May 15, 7:29 PM
US Troops Join Thais In Annual Military
Exercise
BANGKOK (AP)--Almost 5,000 U.S.
troops will join more than 5,000 of their Thai counterparts in taking part in
the 20th annual Cobra Gold military exercise, Southeast Asia's biggest joint
training operation, which began Tuesday.
Several new aspects have been added to this year's 15-day exercise in northern Thailand, including specialized training to help interdict drug traffickers. In a spinoff activity, U.S. troops, mostly from the Special Forces, will
provide a Thai army task force targeting the drug trade with training on border
security, conducting complex operations and cooperating with police forces.
Thailand says it is being inundated with the stimulant drug methamphetamine
from Myanmar. It accuses Myanmar's military government of turning a blind eye.
The presence of U.S. troops to train the Thai task force isn't expected to
be provocative to Myanmar, U.S. officials have said.
Myanmar officials, however, have expressed public suspicion about the U.S.
training mission.
Relations between Thailand and Myanmar became tense after their troops
clashed in February when Myanmar forces crossed into Thailand during an attack
on ethnic minority rebels.
At the Cobra Gold opening ceremony in Phitsanulok, 335 kilometers north of
Bangkok, Thai Supreme Commander Gen. Sampao Choosri maintained that Thailand had
no intention of provoking concern among its neighbors.
He said the main purpose of the exercise is to get Thai troops ready for
peacekeeping missions in the region.
Fifty-five soldiers from Singapore will also take part in the exercise.
There will be observers from the Philippines, France, Japan, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Australia, Korea, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.
Tuesday May 15, 12:51 PM
Fresh Border Dispute Puts Thai PM's
Myanmar Trip On Hold
BANGKOK (AP)--A fresh conflict
along the disputed Thailand-Myanmar border has put on hold a planned
fence-mending visit by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Myanmar, officials
said Tuesday.
Relations between the two countries, already strained by eruptions of
border fighting, have reached a new low point with Myanmar demanding Thai troops
withdraw from 35 outposts which it claims are positioned on its soil.
"The army has reaffirmed that those 35 points are clearly on Thai soil,"
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters.
He suggested that the two countries should single out the problems and have
various border committees resolve them.
A special border committee, set up more than 10 years ago, has yet to make
progress on conflicting claims along the 2,400-kilometer frontier.
Thaksin earlier planned to visit Yangon, the Myanmar capital, in late May
or early June to improve strained relations but decided to postpone the trip
after the latest flare-up.
"The prime minister has a very tight program at home and will not be able
to travel to Myanmar this month," Surakiart said, declining to say when he would
visit Yangon.
Tuesday May 15, 6:52 PM
Thaksin hopes to iron out Thai-Myanmar spat with June visit BANGKOK, May 15 (AFP) - Thai
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Tuesday he hoped to iron out a spat with
Myanmar over alleged border incursions and ease tensions during a visit to
Yangon next month.
A war of words has been brewing between Thailand and Myanmar for several
months with both sides accusing each other of involvement in the international
drugs trade.
"I hope all disputes will be resolved when I pay a visit and hold talks
with them," Thaksin told reporters Tuesday.
He said the trip was planned for June, although an exact date had yet to be
agreed on.
Myanmar's ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry to receive a
protest note over incursions into Thai territory by a Yangon-allied ethnic armed
group which earlier this year prompted the first clash in years between the two
national armies.
The protest note followed a letter from Yangon which demanded the Thai army
withdraw from 35 outposts along the disputed border or face the use of
force.
"Although the intrusion was by an ethnic minority force, Thailand has to
assert its standpoint. We will protest and ask Myanmar to handle the matter,"
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said said of the summons to Myanmar's
ambassador.
He rejected Myanmar's letter threatening force as an "old issue" relating
to unclear border demarcation which should be solved by a joint border
committee.
"But we are confident all of these disputed areas are in our territory,"
the foreign minister said.
A spokesman for the Myanmar junta confirmed the note had been sent
demanding Thai troops withdraw.
"This is the fortieth time the Myanmar side has sent similar letters," he
said.
The latest exchange of notes comes just a day after Defence Minister
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said relations between Thailand and Myanmar were back on
track after Bangkok and Yangon accused each other of involvement in the
international drugs trade.
Accusations over illicit drugs and skirmishing among ethnic militias along
the rugged border earlier this year touched off a bitter row between the
countries, which are historical enemies.
In February, fighting between an ethnic Wa force with close ties to Yangon
and the rival Shan State Army, which reputedly has the backing of the Thai
military, prompted the first clash in years between the two national
armies.
Since then, the uneasy neighbors have traded barbs over who is responsible
for heroin and methamphetamine factories that flourish along the ill-defined
mountainous border.
Tuesday May 15, 3:19 PM
ASEAN Regional Forum awaits North Korean
debut
HANOI, May 15 (AFP) - North
Korean officials were due to touch down amid tight security here Tuesday and
make a rare appearance on an international stage at its first official meet of
the ASEAN Regional Forum, diplomats said.
"The potential meeting of North Korea as a fully fledged member will be a
highlight. Security issues and NMD (National Missile Defence) should also be
main issues," one diplomat told AFP.
Vietnamese diplomatic sources said the North Korean delegation was expected
to land at Hanoi airport at 3:30 p.m. (0830 GMT).
The hardline communist state was admitted from the sidelines to the ASEAN
Regional Forum last year. The forum encompasses 23 countries with members of The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its core.
Since then, with the encouragement of South Korea, North Korea has scored a
string of coups aimed at breaking its hermit status beginning with a North/South
landmark summit last June.
Diplomatic relations have been set up with countries around the world and
in Brussels on Monday the European Commission was added to the list when it
announced it would establish diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.
The North Korean delegation to Hanoi was expected to be led by Ri Yong-ho.
Ri has been charged with confidence-building measures within his country's
foreign ministry leading to speculation of contact being made with the US at the
meeting.
However, diplomats have rejected the speculation.
One East Asian diplomat said while a "brief chat or a hand shake was
possible" with James Kelly: "I can assure you it is crystal clear that formal
talks are not going to happen. There is no such plan."
Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, is
leading a United States team touring Asia aimed allaying fears and reassuring
allies over his country's planned missile defence system.
Both China and North Korea were expected to use the forum to oppose NDM.
China is an ardent critic. It says NMD violates the Anti-Ballistic Missile
treaty signed by the former Soviet Union and the US in 1972.
But Washington claims NMD is aimed at protecting the US and its allies from
rogue states.
The US team was expected to arrive here late Wednesday and were booked at a
city hotel.
"The North Koreans will probably do what they always do and stay at their
embassy, so a chance meeting in the corridors of a hotel is also unlikely,"
another diplomat said.
Any meeting between Stalinist North Korea and the US would be the first
since the election of US President George W. Bush four months ago.
Rapprochement talks between North and South Korea have stalled since the
Bush administration took power and announced a review of its policy towards
Pyongyang.
But the US policy review was seen as signalling a shift in stance towards
the communist state, with the new administration making no secret of its
distaste for the regime led by Kim Jong-Il.
The previous administration of Bill Clinton had sought to back Seoul's
efforts to prise Pyongyang out of its shell and achieve a reconciliation on the
Korean peninsula.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Members were earlier meeting in
closed-door discussions.
Tuesday May 15, 1:27 PM
PTTE&P Q1 net profit jumps on
sales
BANGKOK, May 15 (Reuters) -
Thai upstream oil and gas firm PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP) said
on Tuesday increased sales volumes and higher prices were responsible for
sending its net profit soaring in the first quarter of 2001.
PTTEP reported on Monday it made a net profit of 2.67 billion baht ($58.76
million) in the first quarter of this year, up 231 percent from an 804 million
baht profit a year earlier.
PTTEP said the profit growth was mainly due to a 58 percent year-on-year
rise in sales to 7.40 billion baht in the quarter.
The firm said in a statement on Tuesday its sales volume was up about 15
percent year-on-year to 91,899 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day in the
first quarter of 2001, mostly from two Myanmar fields, the Yadana and Yetagun.
PTTEP said prices of oil and gas increased to $19.12 per BOE in the first
quarter of 2001, from $16.44 per BOE in the same period last year.
But PTTEP said its expenses also rose 16 percent year-on-year to 3.40
billion baht.
PTTEP shares were up two baht at 104 baht by 0418 GMT on Tuesday. So far
this year, the shares have gained two percent, compared to a 10 percent rise in
the energy sector <.SETEN> and a 14 percent increase in the benchmark
.
Tuesday May 15, 5:45 PM
Thailand, Indonesia To Revive E
Natuna Gas, Pipeline Deal
SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--The Thai
and Indonesian governments have agreed to revive a deal to pipe natural gas from
the East Natuna Sea to Thailand, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry.
In the joint Protocol Relating to Economic Trade and Tourism Cooperation,
released Monday, the two sides said a memorandum of understanding for the East
Natuna gas will be finalized "after 2003," and first gas is expected in 2013.
The two sides will establish a joint working group to study gas marketing,
gas sources, and transportation of the gas via pipeline, the protocol said.
Officials from PTT Gas, a unit of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, and
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) couldn't immediately provide more details. The East
Natuna project was shelved after the Asian financial crisis began in 1997.
Exxon Mobil, through subsidiaries Exxon Natuna Inc. and Mobil Natuna Inc.,
holds a 76% interest in the Natuna D-Alpha Block. Indonesian state oil and gas
company Pertamina (P.PTM), which holds the rest, markets the gas.
Total gas reserves for Natuna D-Alpha are estimated at 222 trillion cubic
feet, while estimated recoverable hydrocarbon gas reserves are around 46
trillion cubic feet. But the field contains as much as 72% carbon dioxide, which
complicates development of the project and increases the cost.
Pertamina president-director Baihaki Hakim told Dow Jones Newswires Friday
that his company might link a deal to process crude at Thai refineries to an
East Natuna gas sales agreement.
Monday, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and Thai Premier Thaksin
Shinawatra said at a joint news conference that an agreement in principle has
been reached for Thailand to refine crude for Indonesia.
According to the original MOU, signed in 1997, Thailand planned to pipe an
initial 500 million cubic feet a day of Natuna gas from 2005, doubling to 1.0
billion cubic feet a day in 2008. PTT planned to bring the gas via a
1,538-kilometer submarine pipeline to the Ratchaburi gas-fired plant.
After the Asian financial crisis dramatically reduced Thailand's energy
needs, PTT and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand delayed several
projects, including the East Natuna deal. The Ratchaburi plant is now fed by gas
from Myanmar.
In 1995, Exxon committed to invest US$40 billion in the East Natuna field.
Exxon and Mobil - which had not yet merged - considered producing liquefied
natural gas from the field, using Mobil's offshore LNG technology.
BBC - Tuesday, 15 May, 2001, 09:33 GMT
10:33 UK
Burma demands Thai 'pullback' By Simon Ingram in Bangkok
The authorities in Burma have demanded the withdrawal of Thai troops from
35 outposts along the common border as tension between the two countries
escalates.
Rangoon's move follows weeks of intermittent skirmishes involving both
regular troops and ethnic militias backed by each side.
In a letter, Burma declared that the area in question, Doi Lang, was
Burmese territory, and threatened to use force unless Thai troops are pulled
back.
For their part, Thai officials insist the military positions in question
are clearly on Thai territory.
Tense situation
Intrinsic to the problem is that this section of the border has never been
clearly defined or marked.
Each country uses a different map to support its claim to sovereignty.
But the dispute threatens to further sour an already tense situation: with
Burmese and Thai troops in some places only 100 metres or more apart, the
potential for renewed clashes is very real.
In recent weeks, the conflict has been less military than propaganda.
Thailand has accused Burma and its allies from the ethnic Wa minority of
trafficking millions of cheap amphetamine pills across the border.
The Burmese emphatically deny the claim and last week, took foreign
journalists on a closely-escorted visit to Wa territory in an effort to support
their claim that the true architects of the lucrative drugs trade operate in
Thailand.
VOA News
Asia Pacific War of Words Between
Burma and Thailand
15 May 2001 09:50 UTC A new war of words is brewing between Thailand and Burma, with Rangoon
demanding that the Thai army withdraw from 35 outposts which it claims are
positioned on Burmese soil.
But Thailand's foreign minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, insists those 35
sites are clearly on Thai soil.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister said Burma's ambassador to Bangkok was
being summoned to the Thai foreign ministry to protest against the alleged
intrusion of a Rangoon-allied ethnic militia on Thai soil earlier this month.
Relations between Burma and Thailand have been tense since February, when
fighting between Rangoon-aligned rebels and militants reportedly linked with
Bangkok sparked a clash between the armies of both countries.
Rangoon urged to discuss border disputes
BANGKOK, May 15 (The Nation) --
The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on Rangoon to bring border disputes back
to the negotiating table after Burma accused the Thai army of setting up
outposts on its territory and threatened the use of force.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai insisted that all of the 35 military
outposts erected by the Third Army were located on Thai soil in Chiang Mai's
Fang district and Mae Ai district.
"There is still misunderstanding between the two countries over the
disputed border areas," Surakiart said. "Both sides have already agreed at the
Regional Border Committee that the matters will be discussed at the
national-level Joint Border Committee."
The foreign minister said a Joint Border Committee would be held
soon.
Asked to comment on the ultimatum issued by Rangoon that it may resort to
the use of military force to "repel" Thai troops from the disputed areas,
Surakiart said the Thai army had the responsibility to defend the Thai
territory, but the Foreign Ministry would continue to persuade Rangoon to try to
resolve the disputes at the negotiating table.
The border tension between Thailand and Burma is threatening to escalate
into a shooting war when Burma demanded on Monday that the Thai army pull back
from 35 border outposts or face retaliation. Both sides have since sent in
reinforcements along the disputed border areas.
The Nation - May 15,
2001.
A boom, not a bust
The sonic boom made by Thai F-16 jet fighters in sorties last week along
the Burmese border was a "last resort" only meant to scare the Wa soldiers,
Prime Minister's Office Minister General Thamarak Issarangura said he had told
the Rangoon regime.
Thamarak told The Nation he met Maj-General Khin Nyunt, on the sidelines of
the international drug conference last week in Rangoon, and Burma's No 3 leader
pressed for reasons why the Thai warplanes were flown over the border.
"I told him we had exhausted all means to repel [the Wa troops] from the
Thai territory," Thamarak said. "The F-16 flights were the last resort and the
sonic boom it made was intended to scare the Wa to think we dropped a bomb [on
them]."
He said he maintained the flights were conducted over Thai territory and no
airstrike was conducted, because that would violate international law.
Khin Nyunt was quoted as saying the Wa rebels grew hostile to Thailand
because they were mad at being cut off from a regular development assistance
from United Nations Drug Control Programme following stories in the Thai media
that portrayed Mong Yawn as major drug centre.
The Nation - May 15,
2001.
Wa open 'drug town' to
press
Burmese group denies existence of speed factories in Mong Yawn
The Burmese town of Mong Yawn is not a drug production centre as claimed by
Thailand, an ethnic Wa official said during a press tour of the area, which was
part of a propaganda blitz supported by the Wa's allies in Rangoon.
The group's liaison officer, Khin Maung Myint, made the claim to reporters
invited on a rare trip to the Wa region opposite Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district on
Saturday. No Thai reporters were allowed on the trip, which was organised by
Burma's military government.
The denial is the first to emerge from Burma since Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra launched a high-profile anti-drug campaign two months ago. The
campaign has targeted the United Wa State Army as a major source of illegally
produced methampetamine pills, millions of which flood into Thailand each
week.
Thai-Burmese relations took a further nose-dive after Rangoon accused the
Thai Third Army of engaging in the drug business with ethnic Shan rebels.
Thaksin is tentatively scheduled to make his first official visit to
Rangoon in June to patch up ties and witness the signing of a major anti-drug
agreement between the two countries.
Khin Maung Myint admitted his group used to produce and sell narcotics, but
said they had stopped all illicit activities in 1996 after requests to do so by
the Burmese government and the international community.
The United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) has introduced a poppy
substitution project in the notorious Golden Triangle area about 1,120
kilometres northeast of Rangoon near the Chinese border.
"Seeing is believing," said Khin Maung Myint, challenging "unbiased and
unprejudiced" foreign media and responsible officials to come and see for
themselves whether the Thai accusations were justified.
"You can come here anytime after seeking permission from the Burmese
government, and you are free to go anywhere and to check any building in our
region," he said.
At the anti-drug conference held in Chiang Mai in mid-March, Thai officials
claimed one particular building just inside Mong Yawn was a major
methamphetamine factory.
The Wa spokesman denied the charges, saying what Third Army commander Lt
Gen Wattanachai Chaimuanwong had pointed out was in fact a large rice
storehouse.
Wattanachai yesterday maintained there were drug labs inside the Wa areas.
"Who would be fool enough to organise a trip to show the drug factories? They
could simply have been relocated to hide them from visitors," the outspoken
general said.
The two-day trip to Mong Yawn was arranged by the Burmese government for 30
journalists, as well as UNDCP representatives and officials from neighbouring
countries. The group was taken to the area adjacent to Mae Ai.
The Wa spokesman said Thai journalists and officials were not invited to
the Wa region because they were "very biased and prejudiced and will never
report what they really see here".
"We love peace. But if the Thai Third Army keeps attacking us like this, we
will not tolerate it any longer. We will be forced to respond," he said.
PM's Office Minister Gen Thamarak Isarangura, however, said Burma's
military leader, Maj Gen Khin Nyunt, had invited Thai authorities to visit Mong
Yawn to see for themselves whether there were any drug factories in the town
when the two met in Rangoon last week.
The Nation - May 15,
2001.
'Withdraw or face retaliation'
Tension mounts as troops muster on Kingdom's disputed northern
frontier
Thai-Burma relations took another nosedive yesterday, when Rangoon demanded
the Thai Army withdraw from 35 military outposts it maintains along the
Kingdom's northern frontier.
It threatened retaliation if its demands were not met.
Thai security and army officials were quick to suggest Burma's demand was
an invitation to continue fighting along the border.
In a letter to the Third Army, Burma claimed the 35 outposts in Chiang
Mai's Fang district, and another nine in the contested Doi Lang area in Mae Ai
district, were on Burmese soil, said Army Chief General Surayudh
Chulanont.
Surayudh dismissed the allegations, saying the Thai military had never
intruded onto Burmese soil, and Burma had erred in making such
allegations.
He said the protest was nothing new, the issue had been discussed several
times at the Township Border Committee and the Regional Border Committee, but
not much progress had been made, adding it was waiting to be resolved at a
bilateral level.
"Both sides claim ownership of Doi Lang and in some areas Thai and Burmese
forces are stationed less than 100m from each other," he said. The 32-sq km Doi
Lang, once occupied by Burmese opium warlord Khun Sa and his Mong Tai Army, is
one of the most hotly contested spots along the 2,401km common border.
Supreme Commander General Sampao Choosri said he had proposed to his
Burmese counterpart that both countries conduct a joint patrol of the area. But
Rangoon had responded coolly.
Third Army chief Lt-General Wattanachai Chaimuanwong said the latest
protest highlighted a root cause of conflicts between Thailand and Burma, and
both sides needed to make some concessions.
"However, if there is a lack of sincerity, nothing will be achieved and we
will have to fight with each other throughout the year," he said.
The atmosphere along the northern border was tense yesterday, with both
sides reinforcing troop numbers.
In response, the Burmese military commander operating across the border
from Mae Hong Son province yesterday ordered a ban on the import of 13 Thai
products.
The situation contrasted gravely with a statement from Defence Minister
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
Chavalit claimed that relations were "normal" following Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai's visit to Burma two weeks ago, and PM's Office Minister
Thammarak Isarangura's trip last week.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he would propose that a drug summit
be convened, possibly in China, to garner political will at the highest level.
Invitations will be extended to Laos, Cambodia and Burma, which all concerned
have drug problems.
The Nation - May 15,
2001.
Burma under scrutiny again over forced
labour
Vorapun Srivoranart
When international labour groups meet next month, Asean's position will be
crucial to the question of further sanctions
Last week, Asean labour ministers made known to the world their thoughts on
the sanctions imposed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Burma
over the issue of forced labour. After two-days of meetings, they called on the
ILO to be more understanding and appreciative of the action taken and how
seriously Burmese authorities are taking the situation. They stated explicitly
that Burma was being punished enough and should be spared further punitive
measures. Ministers from China, Japan and South Korea noted the group's
support.
The Asean ministers' cohesiveness is no surprise. The 89th International
Labour Conference is next month and the Burmese question will be hotly debated
at a special sitting of the Committee on the Application of Standards.
Malaysia, which hosted last week's meeting, did not hide its intention to
see a common Asean stance reached before the conference commences. Human
Resource Minister Fong Chan Onn said: "In our subsequent meetings in ILO
conferences, we will try our very best to express the fact that Myanmar [Burma]
has taken the necessary actions, and therefore, the ILO should reciprocate."
During last year's International Labour Conference, Malaysia lobbied hard to
have an Asean common position in defence of Burma. It was unsuccessful because
Thailand had refused to join in.
The ILO Governing Body in November endorsed a resolution adopted by the
88th International Labour Conference urging its constituents to review their
ties with Rangoon to avoid abetting practices of forced labour. The majority of
the constituents claimed Rangoon's last minute effort to comply with the
recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry was too little too late.
But things are changing fast, with most now in favour of the ruling
military government. The threat of sanctions by the ILO, which has been lauded
for tightening the screws on the junta and compelled it to enter into a dialogue
with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is losing steam. In this light, Asean's
statement on the ILO is yet another indication of a worrying trend slowly
emerging. The shroud of secrecy and lack of measurable timeframe of the dialogue
has caused confusion in the minds of policy-makers and induced each player to
jostle for a piece of cake in case the dialogue eventually bears fruit. A
further split will become evident when the International Labour Conference
begins reviewing the Burma situation and in the July session of the UN Economic
and Social Council (Ecosoc).
Given the present flux of international opinion, it is unlikely that the
punitive action will be dropped or that it will be stepped up in a comprehensive
manner. The most probable scenario is that the status quo will be maintained
with softer language and greater assistance, largely because other countries are
carefully watching the dialogue and do not want to jeopardise it by further
tightening the knot. This reluctance is dangerous and the international
community is treading a fine line between sustaining the pressure and nurturing
inconclusive talks. The worst option would be a sudden relaxation in pressure
and a rush to be a part of a dubious "Burmese success".
Meanwhile, Burma must match its words with deeds. It has repeatedly pledged
to do all it can to end forced labour. The junta says it has twice invited an
ILO team to visit to get a better understanding of the situation and help it
meet the requirements of ILO Convention 29 on Forced Labour. They have also set
up a National Level Implementation Committee to eliminate the practice. But for
these efforts to be recognised, the ILO must be allowed to verify a credible and
definitive end to forced labour in Burma.
Speculation is rife that an ILO mission will be invited in just as the
International Labour Conference is about to begin - a usual last-minute tactic.
Rangoon had already stated in a December letter from its mission in Geneva that
it was willing to accept and provide full cooperation to ILO representatives,
who can make frequent visits as the needs arise.
Despite all this, there are still concerns that forced labour is still very
much alive in Burma especially in the minority states, albeit in different
forms. Last March, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU),
a staunch critic of the Burmese regime, presented 21 documents providing 300
pages of detailed information on recent forced labour to the ILO. At least
80,000 people, including women, children and the elderly, from four districts of
Karen State were forced into work between November and January. It alleged the
practice had become more subtle through the issuing of undated, unsigned and
unstamped orders; demanding written orders be returned to the issuing army
personnel; and using civilian authorities to requisition labour on behalf of the
military.
Punitive measures, therefore, should also cover the armed forces who order
local authorities to supply labour, as well as a concrete provision for
budgeting for free wage labour for public works which now involve forced and
unpaid labour. In addition, there is a need for a distinct line between
compulsory and voluntary labour.
For Thailand, joining the Asean common position to defend Burma is a great
leap backward. It confirms popular sentiment that the country is departing from
its strong international stand on human rights. Many officials praised last
year's maverick decision to abstain from supporting Burma as "a very rare case
that Thailand can clearly define what is its national interest". Indeed, the
issue of forced labour has recently become more a moral crusade than a genuine
effort to relieve Burmese people of their grievances.
But with forced labour playing a significant part in driving millions of
Burmese into Thailand, the country is in a unique position to speak out and be
firm. Close and friendly relations with Burma are desirable, but it should not
come at any cost.
The Nation - May 15,
2001.
WHAT OTHERS SAY:
Drugs initiative relies on attitude of
the Burmese
HONG KONG - The decision by six Mekong-region countries to make a
determined effort to clamp down on drug trafficking is to be welcomed. But their
success will depend on how seriously the Burmese authorities crack down on the
drug business in the north-east of the country.
There have been encouraging signs that Burma is getting serious about
ending drug production and trade. The Burmese authorities recently burned drugs
with a street value of US$7.8 billion [Bt355 billion] in Rangoon, to coincide
with the meeting of "Mekong Six" ministers. But this is only a tiny fraction of
the heroin, amphetamines and other synthetic drugs that are produced in Burma
and the Golden Triangle region.
. . . many observers doubt that Burma's leaders are hitting the kingpins of
the drug trade as hard as they should. There are reports of collusion between
drug producers and elements of the military. If the war on drugs is to succeed,
a two-pronged approach is required. One element has to be an unrelenting battle
against the bosses who control the trade. The second has to be programmes to
provide alternative livelihoods for the many poor farmers who grow crops like
opium because they have no other way to earn a living.
International co-operation will be required for the crackdown to succeed.
The Burmese authorities need to be given resources and help to stamp out drug
production and trafficking. This help will have to come not only from within,
but outside the region as well, including from the European Union and the United
States.
The Burmese junta is opening up to the outside world and has begun making
tentative efforts to come to an agreement with opposition leaders like Aung San
Su Kyi. The campaign against drugs should be an area in which the international
community makes greater efforts to engage the Burmese leadership, demonstrating
to it the benefits of co-operation.
South China Morning Post
Bangkok Post - May 15,
2001.
Burma warns Thai troops off Doi
Lang
Third Army chief: This could mean war
Subin Khuenkaew, Wassana Nanuam and Cheewin Sattha
The Rangoon military junta has demanded in a protest note that Thai troops
be withdrawn from the rugged terrain of Doi Lang in Chiang Rai's Mae Ai
district, or they would be forced out by Burmese forces.
The protest, sent to the army, insisted Doi Lang was "deep inside
Burma".
Army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont immediately dismissed the Burmese
assertion.
He insisted the area was Thai territory and said the army would defend it
if provoked.
Burma made the threat in a letter sent on Sunday by Burmese Township Border
Committee chairman Lt-Col Aye Soe, to his border counterpart Col Akaradet
Songworawit, the Third Cavalry Regiment commander in charge of security at
several border towns in Chiang Rai.
The Burmese protest note surprised leading army officers, including Third
Army commander Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong.
He warned yesterday that the border situation could become explosive if
Burma was adamant about using force to dislodge Thai troops deployed in the
disputed terrain.
"If Burma insists that Doi Lang belongs to them and uses force to push our
troops back, then this could mean war," he said.
"How can they make such a claim?"
He insisted the disputed terrain was Thai territory.
Lt-Gen Wattanachai said the Third Army would not withdraw its forces from
the area unless a clear borderline was settled by the Joint Border Committee,
which will soon meet to discuss the the boundary problems between the two
countries.
The Third Army chief said it was quite unusual for Burma to make such a
claim to the 32sqkm terrain straddling the border. It was as if Burma wanted to
pick a quarrel with Thailand.
"There should not be any doubt that we will strongly fight back if
provoked. We will have to defend Doi Lang unless the two countries reach a
settlement over the disputed area," he stressed.
During the last Regional Border Committee meeting in Keng Tung, Lt-Gen
Wattanachai, who headed the Thai delegation, suggested the disputed territory be
demilitarised to lessen tension.
However, Burmese Triangle Regional Border commander Maj-Gen Thein Sein did
not agree, and said the issue should be left to a higher level border committee
for further discussion.
Doi Lang was once a military base of former drug warlord Khun Sa, whose
Mong Tai Army was defeated by Red Wa soldiers from the United Wa State Army.
They seized Doi Lang from Khun Sa in 1981. Khun Sa, who surrendered to the
Burmese miltiary junta in 1996, later shifted his military headquarters to Ho
Mong, opposite Mae Hong Son's Muang district.
Burma consequently reinforced its troops stationed at Doi Lang, drawing a
strong protest from the Thai army, which had also deployed its troops there.
Several Thai military outposts there are located just a few metres from Burmese
military positions.
In Sunday's protest letter, Burma claimed that 26 Thai positions on Doi
Lang were encroaching on Burmese territory.
Bangkok Post - May 15,
2001.
Thaksin puts Rangoon trip on
hold
Foreign minister to visit here first Yuwadee Tunyasiri and Achara Ashayagachat
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is postponing his trip to Rangoon until
after the Burmese foreign minister visits Thailand.
Mr Thaksin also cited his heavy schedule this month and said June would be
a better time for the trip.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathiarathai said Win Aung, his Burmese
counterpart, was due to visit Thailand some time in June.
It would be useful if the Burmese minister's visit occasioned meetings of
the ministerial-level Joint Commission, as well as the Joint Boundary Committee
and of the regional and township border committees, Mr Surakiart said.
Convenience for both sides would be vital to the timing of the prime
minister's trip to Burma.
Other "situations" would not obstruct it, Mr Surakiart said, in apparent
reference to the tension along the border.
He affirmed that Myo Myint, Burma's new ambassador to Thailand, would be
summoned to the Foreign Ministry today to hear an _expression_ of concern over the
Red Wa's violation of Thai sovereignty.
Krit Garnjana-goonchorn, the new East Asian Department director-general,
would not, however, hand a protest note to the envoy on the matter, the minister
said.
"We all realise that they are not representing the Burmese government," he
said of the Red Wa.
"They are an ethnic minority. But it is our duty to inform the Burmese
government of the violation."
The United Wa State Army last week took Hua Lone hill, located 400m inside
Thailand, but was later pushed out by Thai artillery.
Mr Surakiart said clashes on the border had erupted before the current
government came into power.
"The conflicts had been left unresolved, but we are doing our best at all
levels to deal with drugs and border issues.
"It takes time to bring about results," he said.
Mr Surakiart commended Rangoon for taking regional and international
officials to Mong Yawn to rebut Thai allegations that the place was a base for
drug production.
But the trip in itself was not enough to accomplish this, he said.
International organisations and third countries should be "allowed to
verify" if Mong Yawn was producing drugs.
"Without examination and true revelation, co-operation cannot be easy, as
differences in understanding will persist," he said.
Thailand would like stronger US support in drug prevention and suppression,
as well as in the rehabilitation of addicts and related communities, Mr
Surakiart said.
The minister rejected Rangoon's allegation that Thailand allowed US forces
to use Thai soil for intervening in Burma.
Bangkok Post - May 15,
2001.
Karen rebels deny firing on passenger
bus
The Karen National Union denied Burma's accusations it attacked a passenger
bus on Thursday in which two Burmese were killed.
KNU spokesman David Takabaw said the attack was not the work of his
troops.
The KNU's opponents are Burmese troops, not civilians, he said.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper accused the KNU of attacking the bus
near Oun Bo Dae village. The bus was carrying 40 vendors to Myawaddy, opposite
Tak's Mae Sot district.
Bangkok Post - May 15,
2001.
Thaksin need not rush to Rangoon
Commentary
by Veera Prateepchaikul Burma's No 2, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, appears to have made a good impression on
delegates from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, China and Thailand who were in Rangoon
last week to attend a regional conference sponsored by the United Nations Drug
Control Programme. Three joint protocols on fighting drugs were signed at the
end of the meeting.
During the meeting, the Burmese intelligence chief made some interesting
remarks which, if they are translated into action, will make the lives of many
drug suppression officials in Thailand much easier and less dangerous.
"Making allegations and accusations against each other serves no purpose.
We must get our act together to achieve success in combatting this new enemy,"
said Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt in what was read as a reference to Bangkok's accusations
that Rangoon implicitly abets the Red Wa in producing methamphetamines on
Burmese soil to flood the Thai market.
"We are aware of the menace posed by the drug [methamphetamines] and we are
determined to stop the spread of stimulants with vigorous action," he said, "but
our efforts alone are not enough since this is a trans-border issue."
What he said was right and sensible. That probably explains why ministers
and high-ranking officials from Thailand who had a chance to meet and talk with
the No 2 Burmese leader were impressed.
PM's Office Minister Thammarak Issarangkura na Ayuthaya was also all smiles
on his return last week from Rangoon where he met separately with Lt-Gen Khin
Nyunt for discussions on drug problems and the general border situation. The
minister is optimistic that Thai-Burmese relations can improve. Tensions along
the border have eased considerably, at least for the time being, now that Red Wa
intruders have pulled back from Hua Lone hill on Thai territory.
But whether the situation is wholly conducive for Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra to visit Burma must be weighed very carefully, bearing in mind what
could be achieved by the visit, especially the drug menace.
Despite the signing of the three protocols pledging co-operation in
fighting drugs, the Burmese junta has yet to show the world that it is serious
about eliminating the drug menace-in short, by reining in the Red Wa's
production of methamphetamines. The public incineration of drugs in Rangoon last
week was meant just for international audiences and should not be interpreted as
a display of Burma's genuine resolve to tackle the drug problem.
It is no secret that Mong Yawn, the Red Wa's main township in Burma, was
almost wholly built with money generated by the drug trade. The Burmese junta's
assertion that the township was developed with earnings from the sale of lamyai
and other fruits is laughable. If this claim held any water at all, then lamyai
planters in Chiang Mai would be beaming from ear to ear and not have suffered
from low prices for their crop in recent years.
The claim is also a pointer to Rangoon's persistent refusal to accept the
fact that the Red Wa are the major drug producers in Burma.
Prime Minister Thaksin is due to sign a memorandum of understanding on drug
suppression when he visits Burma some time soon. His visit will certainly be
welcomed by the Burmese junta, who no doubt will seize upon the opportunity to
project a positive image of themselves to the international community.
But without a firm commitment from Rangoon-at the least an acknowledgement
that the Red Wa's drug production poses a real threat to Thailand-Mr Thaksin's
visit will just play into the hands of the junta. Its members will be the sole
beneficiaries. With this in mind, the visit should be put off for the moment.
After all, there are other issues far more important than Burma which deserve Mr
Thaksin's urgent attention.
- Veera Prateepchaikul is DeputyEditor (News), Bangkok
Post.
Bangkok Post - May 15,
2001.
Let's talk about
Burma
It is high time Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra organised a workshop on
Thai-Burmese relations. The two have been locked in a risky situation these past
three months following clashes between Thai soldiers and armed members of the
United Wa State Army, who are allied with Rangoon.
Thai officials have been trying to reach an understanding with Rangoon, but
different signals have been sent. While one arm of the government wants to take
a softer stand on Burma, another takes a hard-line position.
Many government units deal with Thai-Burmese relations, most under the
foreign and defence ministries.
The Thaksin government has shown a keen interest in improving relations.
Upon taking office, Mr Thaksin said his first foreign trip would be to Rangoon.
However, border flare-ups since have forced him to postpone the trip.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai has visited Rangoon and claimed to
have made good progress in mending fences with the military government. However,
the official media issued strong statements against Thailand while he was still
in Rangoon.
Thailand is determined to repair the damage, but Rangoon seems in no hurry.
In fact, Rangoon may relish the fact that Thai policy-makers are divided over
how to deal with problems.
Mr Thaksin must formulate a unified policy on this matter. No confusing
signals. No bickering among officials. He has held successful workshops on
economic problems. Why not hold another on relations with Burma?
Editorial from Thai Rath
Bangkok Post - May 15,
2001.
Postbag
1/ The Rangoon junta has the upper
hand
2/ Chavalit leaves much to be desired The editorial under the heading "Don't sacrifice the nation's dignity" (May
10) was an objective evaluation. However, your conclusion that Gen Chavalit is
definitely unfit to be defence minister is disturbing.
Thailand is headed by a prime minister who is under investigation on
grounds of financial scandal. The country's economy is in the doldrums. Such a
state of affairs speaks of instability.
In contrast, the military junta in Rangoon is in a position of strength. It
is said that the military in Burma is the second largest in Southeast Asia.
Domestically, the junta in Rangoon, against all odds, has been ruling for over
four decades. It has brought armed conflict to a halt, resulting in combat
experience, while the Thai army is a peace-time establishment.
Politically, the junta in Rangoon is on the upbeat. The election results of
1990 were flouted after the people in Burma voted to end military rule. Today,
after more than 10 years, the junta has made Daw Aung San Suu Kyi talk under
duress. The junta has successfully defied the international community. In the
context of these realities, the junta's approach to relations with Thailand is
understandable because the same mindset operates in domestic and foreign
affairs.
It may well be that Gen Chavalit's approach is not an appeasement approach.
He is entitled to the benefit of the doubt as he may intend to play a tactical,
pragmatic role because at the core of this issue is not the 200m or 300m of Thai
territory.
The mindset of the junta in Rangoon (which your editorial rightly describes
as a regime which does not even have the trust and respect of its own people) is
the real problem. The junta in Rangoon has been pumping nationalism and Buddhism
to confront both domestic democracy and that of Thailand.
Thailand should, in the exercise of her international democratic rights,
call for UN inspections and let the intruders vacate the occupied territory. The
war of words between the media of Burma and Thailand will not solve the problem.
Buddha's peace is common to both.
B.K. Sen
2 / Chavalit leaves much to be
desired
It came as no surprise when Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh ordered the troops
not to retaliate against or recapture our soil from the Burmese invaders. He
should be investigated for his suspicious orders. Any other defence minister
would have been outraged if land he was meant to defend was captured, but
apparently Gen Chavalit is not your average defence minister. He seems to be the
foreign minister as well.
He should leave the problem of foreign affairs to the foreign minister. His
first priority should be recapturing our land.
As a Thai, I'm very disappointed with his decision-making skills. Maybe
it's his forgetfulness coming back again. This time he forgot what side he is
on.
Big
ASEAN Meeting on SME Opens in
Myanmar
2001.05.15 12:57:38 YANGON, May 15£¨Xinhuanet£©--
The eighth meeting of the SME £¨small and medium enterprises£© agencies working
group of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations£¨ASEAN£© opened here
Tuesday.
The two-day meeting is expected to discuss the role of
SMEs of the private sector in the framework of ASEAN Free Trade Area
£¨AFTA£©, liberalization of services, ASEAN Industrial Cooperation
£¨AICO£©scheme and the ASEAN Investment Area£¨AIA£©.
According to the bold measure adopted at the sixth
ASEAN Summit in 1998 in the acceleration of the AFTA, the six
original member countries would bring forward the completion of the
AFTA by one year to 2002 instead of 2003. The new members including
Myanmar are to maximize the tariff line between zero to five percent by
the year 2005.
The SMEs account for more than 90 percent of the
manufacturing sector and up to the end of the 1999, there were 74 AICO
projects reportedly participated by the original five ASEAN member
countries not including Brunei.
The AICO, initiated in the past by ASEAN, was nearly
phased in 1995 with the agreement of the ASEAN member countries to
make it more effective to bring ASEAN industrial development and
cooperation to a higher plane.
Meanwhile, it was agreed that in order to accelerate
the implementation of the framework agreement on the AIA, temporary
exclusion list for the manufacturing sector to be progressively phased
out.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
South China Morning Post
Tuesday, May 15, 2001
BURMA - Drug-tainted village takes
pride in poppy purge
DANIEL LOVERING of Agence France-Presse in Mong
Yawn
Riding in a pick-up truck crowded with fellow soldiers from the United Wa State Army (UWSA), Ni Sa, 25, looks out over a green expanse of rice fields and shakes his head in bewilderment. "They are only rice fields, no poppies. After 1995 we gave up the poppy," the battalion chief born in Mong Yawn, a village just 3km from the Thai border that has long been considered a hub for regional drug production. Burma's military Government and the UWSA, a Rangoon-allied ethnic Wa
militia, insist that Mong Yawn is free of illicit narcotics, particularly the
amphetamines that have flooded the region and outpaced opiates as the drug of
choice in recent years. Thailand has accused Mong Yawn of hosting numerous
amphetamine factories that supply a booming trade in Thailand, to which an
estimated 700 million tablets will be shuttled by traffickers this year.
Accusations over illicit drugs and skirmishing among ethnic militias along
the rugged border region recently touched off a bitter row between the
countries. In February, fighting between the Wa and the rival Shan State Army,
said to be backed by the Thai military, prompted the first clash in years
between the two traditional enemies.
Since then the neighbours have traded barbs over who is responsible for the
heroin and methamphetamine factories that flourish along the ill-defined
mountainous border. In the latest dispute, Burmese and UWSA officials say a Thai
F-16 fighter jet fired two rockets near Mong Yawn late last week, wounding
several of their troops. Thailand claims the jet was flying surveillance and
merely triggered a sonic boom.
Mong Yawn in Burma's Shan state was once a stronghold of drug lord Khun Sa
- who surrendered to the Burmese junta in 1996 - and an acknowledged centre for
poppy cultivation. But Burma and the UWSA, who invited journalists and delegates
from six Asian countries to visit the dusty border town following a UN-sponsored
narcotics control meeting in Rangoon last week, say times have changed. UWSA
special commander Khimmaung Myint said Mong Yawn was simply a fast-developing
village with new hydro-electric plants and brick buildings springing up by the
day, evidence of the Wa's new prosperity from legal businesses,
crop-substitution programmes and government concessions.
"We are determined to develop this area from a small village to a city . .
. we have brick buildings where there had been small huts before," said
commander Khimmaung. "Thailand is claiming these constructions are for the
purpose of creating amphetamines. That's like hate propaganda."
The Wa commander, Burmese army officers and heavily armed Wa soldiers on
Saturday guided delegates from Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma itself, Thailand and
Vietnam and journalists through the town to "see for yourselves" the reputed
dark heart of Mong Yawn. In a carefully orchestrated tour, visitors were taken
to a freshly installed hydroelectric plant that officials said Thailand had
incorrectly identified from satellite pictures as one of 38 amphetamine
factories in the area.
Fruit plantations, rice storehouses and a pig farm were other enterprises
that officials said demonstrated that the Wa - the first insurgent minority to
sign a peace pact with the Burmese junta, in 1989 - were no longer dependent on
narcotics for their income.
"We don't want to fight any more, but if the Thais try to say all the Wa
race are involved in this drug business and this place is still seen as the drug
production area . . . we will defend ourselves to the last man," the Wa
commander said. Before 1996, drug trafficking was a reality in Mong Yawn. "It is
undeniable that some actions related to drug trafficking had taken place in this
area. Some of our people are suffering from this drug menace," he said.
"But the Wa people in the area will take a pledge before you and the
international community that they will not be involved in drug activities," said
Khimmaung. He claimed that a contingent of Wa loyal to Khun Sa, and known as the
Wa National Army, had broken away and were responsible for any trafficking and
production today.
Mong Yawn's streets are lined with crisp concrete and brick buildings as
well as scaffolded construction sites, all standing under the unflinching watch
of youthful UWSA troops brandishing automatic rifles and rocket launchers.
Many of the Wa in Mong Yawn are ethnic Chinese, and Burmese officials claim
the income that has subsidised the large-scale development in the village has
come from natural resource concessions near China. "Their primary source of
income is from government concessions on timber, minerals, precious stones -
particularly rubies - and jade," Lieutenant-Colonel Kyaw Thein said.
The very fact that access was granted to the mysterious town alleged to be
a wellspring of illicit narcotics is a change. "We had closed our doors in order
to develop this area . . . But now our policy has changed because we understand
that if we don't explain things to people they will think this and that," said
commander Khimmaung.
The Times of India - May 15,
2001.
Court sets date on Suu Kyi eviction suit
YANGON: A Myanmar court said on Monday it would announce its ruling at the
end of May on a suit filed by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's brother to
evict her from her home in Yangon.
Suu Kyi is making his second bid to evict his Nobel Peace Prize laureate
sister from her lakeside residence, where she has been confined by the ruling
generals since September, after a first attempt was dismissed on a technicality
in January.
Judge soe thein set a date of May 30 for his verdict at a hearing on Monday
in which, lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi's brother presented their case.
Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers last month argued Aung San Oo had no right to
apply for his sister to be evicted because, as a foreigner living in the US, he
has no right to own property in Myanmar.
They also said his application for partition was filed after the statute of
limitations expired in the case, coming more than 12 years after the death of
their mother who formerly owned the house.
If he wins the case, Aung San Oo is expected to turn his share of the house
over to the government, a result which would put Aung San Suu Kyi in an
extremely precarious position.
Ironically, the legal action has been lodged at a time when relations
between Myanmar's junta and the opposition leader are believed to be at their
highest point in years.
Aung San Oo has never played a political role in Myanmar but makes regular
low-key personal and business trips here. While not overtly political, he is far
less critical of the junta than his sister and the two are not close.
(AFP) |