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BURMA RELATED NEWS - July 12,
2001.
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HEADLINES
---------------------------------------------------------------- AP - Myanmar has the world's highest
number of child soldiers - 50,000.
AFP - Security, child prostitution seen as major
risks to ASEAN tourism
AFP - EU wants to send
new mission to Myanmar
AFP - 700,000 people each year trapped in
"modern day slavery" : US
The Nation - Drugs to
top Hanoi agenda
Bkk Post - Four-nation drug meeting high on
agenda as Jia visits
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Leader Urges Developed
Countries to Assist Developing Countries
IHT - Crackdown Does Little to Help Burma's
Economy
NSTP - Illegal immigrants busted, 82
picked up by Police and Immigration
--------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday July 12, 4:57 AMStudy: 300,000 Children Worldwide Used
in Armed Conflicts
UNITED NATIONS (AP)--Cheap,
light weapons are helping turn children into the most vicious of warriors in
many countries, researchers said in a report released Wednesday at the U.N.
More than 300,000 youths under 18 are fighting as soldiers in 34 conflicts,
many of them wielding automatic weapons, according to the study commissioned by
the Canadian government.
And as weapons become easier to use, forces have become more inclined to
put children on the front lines, experts said.
"Children kill because they have the instruments to kill," said retired Lt.
Gen. Romeo Dallaire, a Canadian who commanded U.N. forces during the 1994
genocide in Rwanda. "They either kill under duress because they are afraid of
others who will kill them, or they have developed a desire to retain the power
of the small arms and the weapons they have."
In the hands of frightened youngsters who are sometimes sent into battle
drunk or drugged, automatic weapons are used "beyond any semblance of
discipline, any semblance of logic, any semblance of humanness," he said.
Africa's wars involve more than 120,000 children, the Coalition to Stop the
Use of Child Soldiers said in a separate study last month. Myanmar, also known
as Burma, has the world's highest number of child soldiers - 50,000.
In Mozambique, children made up 23% of the ruling FRELIMO party's forces
and 18% to 40% of the opposition RENAMO forces during the 16-year civil war that
ended in 1992, researchers said. In Angola, the use of child soldiers has kept
millions of youngsters out of school and illiterate.
Sometimes, the weapons given to children don't even contain ammunition. But
they give youth the power to rob and intimidate their elders - causing deep
psychological damage.
In Rwanda, Dallaire said, "The mere presence of a weapon, even a rusty one,
created havoc in the villages where they were deployed."
And not all armed children are in war zones, researchers noted.
In Colombia, which accounts for some 58% of the world's firearm killings,
armed youth have carried out assassinations, the report said.
In other countries, including the U.S., light weapons are used to arm young
drug dealers.
"Some neighborhoods in the United States are just as much war zones," said
Rachel Stohl, a senior analyst at the Washington-based Center for Defense
Information who wrote the report.
The report urged countries to create an international system for marking
and tracking guns - somthing being discussed by negotiators at the U.N. small
arms conference. It also called for a crackdown on the sale of guns to regions
in conflict.
U.N. peacekeepers should also offer child fighters psychological counseling
and programs to teach them how to relate to other children, the report said.
Stohl said that former child soldiers are often treated as common refugees
despite lagging behind their peers in education and social development.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday July 12, 8:37 PM
Security, child prostitution seen as
major risks to ASEAN tourism
PHNOM PENH, July 12 (AFP) - Personal security, child prostitution and human smuggling were touted as being among the biggest threats to growth within Asia's tourism industry at an ASEAN conference here on Thursday. And delegates to the conference of ASEAN national tourism organisations
were told that perceptions of some countries being havens for paedophilia could
tarnish other nations within the regional group.
"We want people to come here, not for the sex, but for the adventure, for
the underwater sea life which is the best in the world and the exotic islands,"
Sheikh Jamaluddin Mohamad, director general of Brunei Tourism, told
Within ASEAN -- which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- some
countries have become known as prime destinations for sex holidays.
Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand have been singled out by recent media
reports which Asad Shiraz, a senior director with the Singapore Tourism Board,
said had prompted "much to talk about" at the conference.
He described paedophiles as "scum" and said it was not a problem which
Singapore faced. However, with ASEAN promoting itself as a single destination
there was a risk that the paedophilia reputation of some countries could spread
to others.
"It must not be allowed to become the only issue of appeal for a
destination in ASEAN. We must be committed to enforcement and to communicating
our feelings about this," he said.
"This has the potential of hurting not just one country but the whole
region. The start is accepting that this is happening and then being committed
to resolving the problem," Shiraz said.
This includes the reporting of paedophilia accurately through the press
which Shiraz said was a double-edged sword because journalists undertaking such
assignments could "unwittingly become a promoter for these types of scum."
Among the documents tabled at the conference was a report containing
serious concerns made by Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei and Cambodia surrounding
child prostitution and human trafficking.
It recommended that information from law enforcement agencies among the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) be shared and Thailand
volunteered to compile a combined report.
Releasing news that ASEAN is serious about combating child prostitution, it
said, "should reduce the image of ASEAN as a destination with rampaging child
prostitution."
The report also listed the Abu Sayyaf group which has kidnapped and
ransomed scores of hostages in the southern Philippines, and civil unrest in
Indonesia, as being a further risk to perceptions of ASEAN as a single tourist
destination point.
Human smuggling was also mentioned. Cambodia is increasingly being seen as
a growing transit point for asylum seekers heading for third countries.
On Monday, Cambodian police detained 253 illegal immigrants en route to
Australia while boarding an Indonesian-owned boat.
Brunei's Sheikh Jamaluddin noted the problems in Indonesia and the
Philippines were localised to particular areas.
"There are 7,000 islands in the Philippines and another 20,000 in Indonesia
alone. It's just a part of life unfortunately that these problems come up but we
have to get on with it and there are many other places to go," he said.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday July 12, 5:02 PM
EU wants to send new mission to
Myanmar
BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) -
Belgium hopes to send a European mission to Myanmar during its tenure as
president of the European Union (EU), the Belgian ambassador to Thailand said
Thursday.
Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesen said the visit, which would follow a EU
mission to Yangon earlier this year, could take place before the EU reviews
sanctions against Myanmar this fall.
"We would like to have a second troika visit under our presidency," he
said. "I would expect this to happen in October, maybe even November."
He added that additional visits by United Nations (UN) envoy Razali Ismail
and UN human rights special rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro were expected
soon.
"There will be more visits and contacts in the coming weeks," Vaesen said.
"Razali should go back fairly soon to Yangon, and Pinheiro might also go
back."
"We really want the political dialogue to proceed," he said. "It seems
indispensible to us that some strong guarantees should be given by the
government to the opposition parties."
The release of further political prisoners and "freedom of movement and
action" for political parties in Myanmar are "prerequisites" for the EU's review
of the sanctions it renewed in April for six months, he said.
The EU's policy towards Myanmar would also hinge on information from other
forthcoming visits, including a three-week International Labour Organisation
(ILO) mission to investigate forced labour in September.
"If by the end of September we could get some very significant information
based on this ILO mission, based on the Razali visit, maybe another Pinheiro
visit -- we would have the elements to review the situation," he said.
In April, the EU renewed its sanctions against military-ruled Myanmar for
six more months, stating that the human rights situation in the Southeast Asian
nation remains "extremely serious."
In a statement, EU foreign ministers said the common position of the 15 EU
member states -- including an arms embargo, a visa ban on junta members and
associates, and a suspension of non-humanitarian aid -- would remain intact
through October.
Nevertheless, the ministers said they "sincerely hoped" that contacts
between the junta and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would lead to political
reconciliation.
Aung San Suu Kyi met with the first EU delegation in January, her first
confirmed contact with foreign diplomats since UN envoy Razali visited her twice
earlier this year.
Razali later revealed that the Nobel peace laureate had held secret talks
with the junta since October in an effort to try to resolve the decade-old
political standoff.
Belgium officially took over the EU's presidency from Sweden on July 1, and
will lead the 15-nation body for six months.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday July 12, 10:41 PM
700,000 people each year trapped in
"modern day slavery" : US
WASHINGTON, July 11 (AFP) - More than 700,000 people a year are snared by human trafficking, a "horrific" form of modern day slavery, a new State Department report found Thursday. Victims are smuggled across international borders and trapped in brothels,
sweatshops, construction sites and in agriculture, struggling against violence,
dangerous workplaces and horrific living conditions, the report said.
Many of the victims, from all over the world get drawn in by trafficking
rings because they are seeking a better life and opportunities, the Trafficking
in Persons report said.
"They are therefore vulnerable to false promises of good jobs and higher
wages," said the Department, adding that natural disasters, civil unrest and war
may increase the numbers of people sucked in by trafficking.
"Root causes of trafficking include greed, moral turpitude, economics,
political instability and transition," said the report.
The report is issued to comply with an act of Congress which defines
trafficking as an offence in which a person is forced, coerced or transported to
commit a sex act, or to indulge in forced labor or provision of services.
"The problem of trafficking in persons is not new -- it is in many ways a
modern form of slavery, which has persisted into the 21st century," said the
report.
The report groups countries in three tiers according to seven criteria laid
out in the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act 2000.
Items on which nations are judged include whether their governments
vigorously investigate acts of trafficking, whether they protect victims, and
whether they adopt measures to prevent trafficking and cooperate with other
countries to prevent the scourge.
States in tier-one include Austria, Belgium, Italy, Britain, Taiwan, Canada
and the Chinese territory of Hong Kong and are judged to fully comply with the
law's minimum standards.
More than 40 nations in tier two include Angola, China, Sweden, Thailand,
Brazil and France.
They are judged to be making significant efforts to bring themselves into
line with the law, but are not yet in full compliance.
A smaller group of nations in tier-three include Myanmar, South Korea,
Russia, Romania and Saudi Arabia.
These states are judged not to be making significant steps to fix the
problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation - July 12,
2001.
Drugs to top Hanoi agenda
Thailand will seek greater cooperation in the continuing battle against
narcotics among fellow Asean members - as well as China, Japan and South Korea -
when their foreign ministers gather in Vietnam for their annual meeting this
month, an official said yesterday.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations should also nominate a year in
which it will campaign intensively against narcotics, said Suchitra Hiranprueck,
who is director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Asean department.
The government intends to propose that next year or 2003 be chosen for the
anti-drugs scheme, she added.
This would be a substantial step towards Asean's ultimate goal of freeing
the region of narcotics by 2015, Suchitra said.
"Thailand also plans to propose that the Asean-China anti-drug cooperation
[agreement], which was signed this year, be included in each country's national
development plan," she said.
Possible legislative cooperation relating to anti-drug activities may also
be discussed, she stated.
Foreign ministers from the Asean grouping are scheduled to get together for
their 34th ministerial meeting in Hanoi from July 23 to 28.
The meeting will also be attended by representatives from countries who are
Asean dialogue partners, including officials from the United States, European
Union countries, China, Japan and South Korea.
Also in Hanoi, the 8th Asean Regional Forum will convene, at which both
regional and global security issues will be under discussion.
Suchitra revealed that the theme of this year's Asean ministerial meeting
would be: "Asean: United, Stable, Integrated and Outward-Looking".
At the meeting, the foreign ministers will also give their endorsements to
three documents: the Hanoi Joint Declaration on Narrowing the Development Gap
for Closer Asean Integration; the Rules of Procedures of the High Council of the
Treaty of Amity and Cooperation; and the Joint Communique of the 34th Asean
Ministerial Meeting.
Increased measures and assistance to provide help to the most recent
members of Asean - Burma, Cambodia and Laos - to bridge the development
disparities between them and the grouping's founding members would also be a
focus, said Suchitra.
Among matters to be discussed with dialogue partners would the rampant
spread of trans-national crime, she added.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - July 12,
2001.
Four-nation drug meeting high on
agenda as Jia visits
Beijing could also hold leaders' summit Achara Ashayagachat
Details of upcoming four-country drugs talks will be high on the agenda
when China's public security minister Jia Chunwang visits Thailand next week,
officials said yesterday.
Mr Jia, who is visiting from July 19-25, as a guest of Gen Thammarak
Issarangkura na Ayuthaya, minister attached to the prime minister's office, will
head a nine-strong delegation including representatives from the autonomous
Guang Xi and Yunnan provinces.
Mr Jia is due to call on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and discuss
security co-operation, especially anti-drug efforts, with ministers of the
interior and foreign affairs as well as the National Security Council.
The Chinese delegation will visit Royal-sponsored crop substitutions
projects in the North, sources in the Office of Narcotics Control Board
said.
China's Premier Zhu Rongji, during a visit to Thailand in May, said he was
keen on a Thai initiative to tackle drugs at a subregional level in efforts also
involving Burma and Laos.
Beijing said it could host a four-party ministerial meeting as early as
next month, as well as a summit at a later date.
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said he had yet to get details of
Beijing's offer. Rangoon was fixing the date for a senior officials' meeting to
pave the way for higher-level talks.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Leader Urges Developed
Countries to Assist Developing Countries
2001.07.12 11:15:14 YANGON, July 12 (Xinhuanet) --
Myanmar leader Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt has called on developed
countries to assist in the development process of developing
countries.
khin Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and
Development Council, made the call at a ceremony here on Wednesday marking the
2001 World Population Day, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar
reported Thursday.
He warned that should developed nations act in their own interests
only, the gap between the rich and the poor will widen and undesirable
socio-economic problems will emerge.
He said that in some cases, rich developed countries impose " meaningless"
sanctions on developing countries, thus marring potential investments and
obstructing developments.
He said that Myanmar is determined to continue to play an active role
in population-related programs, while strengthening its collaboration and
cooperation with all nations in the world and U.N. agencies as well as
local and international non- governmental organizations.
According to official estimation, Myanmar's population has reached 52
million with a population growth at 2.2 percent annually. Its population
density is 76 inhabitants per square- kilometer.
Another statistics also show that out of 18.225 million hectares of
cultivable land in Myanmar, 9.315 million hectares have been utilized with
8.91 million hectares remaining to be reclaimed.
---------------------------------------------------------------- International Herald Tribune
Wednesday, July 11, 2001
Crackdown Does Little to Help Burma's Economy Thomas Crampton
RANGOON Until the police came for her this spring, Ma Khine Aye was known
as the woman who ruled Burma's currency, the kyat.
. Operating openly from a shop marked by a signboard in downtown Rangoon, Ma Khine Aye changed dollars to kyat for foreign and local businesses. She even had a listing in the Yellow Pages and advertisements in English-language publications. . That was before the ruling military junta began a crackdown on unauthorized currency traders in April. It was the latest in a series of awkward attempts to stop the currency's slide from the official rate of 6 kyat to the dollar to the black-market rate of 800 kyat to the dollar. . Police swept across the capital, arresting Ma Khine Aye and more than 400 other exchange traders, effectively shutting down the private currency market. The crackdown has crept into other markets that affect the currency. Shops selling gold, a favored commodity of financial last resort, were recently warned to set prices at a government-decreed level. About 30 brokers selling cars, all of which must be bought with hard currency, were detained in the past two weeks pending tax inquiries. Taxi drivers complain that gasoline rations have been cut from 3 gallons to just 2 gallons (7.6 liters) a day. "There are undercover military intelligence officers watching from everywhere," one woman said. . "This is the tightest crackdown we have seen in more than five years." . The initiative has temporarily stabilized the exchange rate, but as Thailand's border to Burma reopens after many months of closing, the demand for hard currency may prove tempting to dealers. . With foreigners returning to Rangoon, the seedy basement bars in the city's five-star hotels are doing a thriving business. Elsewhere, however, the economic outlook remains bleak. . Since a burst of foreign investment at the height of Asia's economic boom in the early 1990s came to an end, Burma's economy has been locked in a downward spiral. . Exports are down, hampered by the country's record on human rights. The government denies Western organizations' allegations that it tolerates forced labor, but union groups and others have been pushing boycotts. . Investors shun the country, too. Two major foreign banks, frustrated at the lack of economic progress, closed local offices in the past year. "The economy may be bad, but there is little motivation for those in control to reform," said one Rangoon-based Burmese economist. "The government alternates randomly between odd, desperate and occasionally appropriate measures." Rules governing the key agricultural sector highlight the impact of seemingly arbitrary policies. Price deregulation of beans several years ago encouraged farmers to grow the crop, which became one of the country's largest agricultural exports. Rice, by contrast, was considered too strategically important for deregulation. As a result, Burma, the world's largest exporter of the crop in the 1940s, now exports little rice. . Economists now also fear that a confusing currency policy may encourage the development of a cumbersome three-currency economy of dollars, the official Burmese kyat and a proxy currency known as foreign-exchange certificates. . The use of dollars in Burma is technically illegal, but the law is frequently flouted by businesses and even the government itself, which often requires dollar payments for services. . Foreign executives and visitors have long been urged by the government to use the certificates. . To support the proxy currency, tourists entering Burma are required to exchange at least $300 for an equal amount of the certificates, which hold a 1-to-1 value to the dollar. This policy allows the government to collect tourist dollars up front by requiring hotels and citizens to accept the "Monopoly money" certificates as a dollar equivalent. In what observers call a rare act of restrained economic management, the government had maintained the certificates' equal value to the dollar. In the last several weeks, however, the government appears to have switched the peg to a fixed kyat value. Instead of is fixing their value at $1, the government said certificates could be cashed in at government counters for 490 kyat. . Unless Burma's government follows market trends, adjusting the kyat value of the certificates as the kyat itself varies against the dollar, the certificates could decouple from the dollar and create a third currency, economists warn. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The New Straits Times Press - July 12,
2001.
SUNGAI PETANI - Illegal immigrants
busted, 82 picked up by Police and
Immigration
By Elizabeth John Police and the Immigration Department have rounded up 82 illegal foreign
workers in the vicinity of the Asia Plywood Industries Sdn Bhd plant, which was
the scene of fights between two group of workers on Sunday.
Kuala Muda deputy district police chief Superintendent Hassan Jagar led a
team of about 100 policemen, General Operations Forces and Immigration officers
in an operations yesterday.
Hassan said those detained did not have valid travel documents.
Two Myanmar workers were hurt when they fell while trying to run from the
authorities.
Hassan said the duo had climbed on to the roof of a building to escape but
slipped and fell. The operation was launched to nab those who may have been
involved in Sunday's clash between a group of Myanmarese and Bangladeshi
workers.
A disagreement between a Bangladeshi and Myanmarese worker last Saturday
erupted into a free-for-all involving 40 workers on Sunday night and left three
Bangladeshi's seriously injured.
So far police have arrested two Bangladeshis and a Myanmarese in connection
with the case. It has not ruled out more arrests.
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