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BURMA RELATED NEWS - July 23,
2001.
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HEADLINES
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AP - Grp Protests Myanmar
Blacklisting 2 Foreign Journalists
Reuters - Megawati takes over
Indonesian presidency as Wahid is sacked
AP - Singapore Min Says Asean Should Be More Outward Looking AFP - Thai minister's Myanmar trip will help heal wounds: official AFP - Relief in Southeast Asia as Indonesia turmoil passes off peacefully AFP - No plans for ASEAN intervention in Indonesia Reuters - ASEAN struggles for
stability as Indonesia simmers
AFP - ASEAN must step up reforms or
risk losing out in globalised economy: Australia
AFP - Southeast Asian nations mull
outright elimination of tariffs in 2003
BBC - Megawati appeals for national
unity
The Economic Times -
Ties with Myanmar improve
The Courier Mail -
Hit-and-run scapegoats in Burma
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Monday July 23, 3:52 PM Grp Protests Myanmar Blacklisting 2 Foreign Journalists BANGKOK (AP)--International press watchdog Reporters Without Borders has protested to Myanmar's military regime for blacklisting an Australian and a U.S. journalist, a statement received here Monday said. The Paris-based group said Myanmar embassies were ordered July 9 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Win Aung to add reporters Evan Williams of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and Tony Emerson of the American magazine Newsweek to a list of people banned from entering Myanmar. The country is also known as Burma. The Myanmar government said in a statement that reporters judged as "too biased and non-constructive in their concepts and reporting are commonly denied visas to enter the country." Reporters Without Borders said that since the current crop of generals took power after a bloody suppression of mass protests for democracy in 1988, dozens of foreign journalists have been blacklisted. "To prevent the international public opinion from knowing the real situation in the country is a grave violation of the right to be informed," Robert Menard, the group's general secretary, was quoted as saying. Australian journalist Williams reported from the Thai-Myanmar border for a television program broadcast June 26 on the Myanmar regime's alleged involvement in drug smuggling. Myanmar is the world's largest source of opium, the raw material of heroin. Williams told Reporters Without Borders that he had been denied a visa to Myanmar for the past two years, after he reported in 1998 in the Myanmar capital Yangon about a government crackdown against the opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi. "The Burmese junta reproach me for my reports, but they don't let me cover their point of view," he was quoted as saying. Emerson wrote an article about the regime's education policy that was published July 9 in Newsweek. Universities in Myanmar are currently open, but have been shut for much of the past 13 years because of fears of antigovernment protests by students. Myanmar's regime issues journalist visas on a selective basis and usually allows foreign reporters it lets in freedom of movement, but they are often monitored by military intelligence. Many reporters enter the country on tourist visas to avoid restrictions and detection. The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962. Suu Kyi's party won general elections in 1990, but was prevented from taking power. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 23, 11:52
PM
Megawati takes over Indonesian presidency as Wahid is sacked By Terry Friel JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian lawmakers on Monday elected
Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of the country's founding leader, as the fourth
president in as many turbulent years, sacking her predecessor for incompetence.
World leaders, including President George W. Bush, quickly
endorsed Megawati because of her democratic credentials and expressed the hope
the country would enter a period of stability.
Wahid also has a reputation as one of Indonesia's leading
democrats, gained by his opposition to former autocrat Suharto, but his
increasingly muddled rule was seen a liability to the crisis-ridden country and
crippled political scene.
Indonesia's supreme People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
dumped Abdurrahman Wahid just hours after he declared a state of emergency and
tried to dissolve the legislature in a desperate pre-dawn bid to hold on to
power.
As the MPR decided his fate, Wahid was holed up behind
razor wire barricades in the colonial-era presidential palace, where aides said
he laughed and joked over a lunch of soybeans and fruit and refused to leave.
His adviser and confidant told Australian radio however,
Wahid accepted his fate, but was in a state of shock.
"There is, of course, a rather sombre mood (in the
palace)," biographer and academic Greg Barton told ABC television. "It's a sad
acceptance of what now appears to be inevitable. I think for the president most
of all, it's come as a shock and he's having trouble dealing with it."
Ruled by autocrats for most of its history, Indonesia has
never had a peaceful transition of power. But there were no immediate signs of
unrest on Monday.
After taking the oath of office, Megawati read a
seven-minute speech urging all sides to accept her election.
"I call on all parties to accept this democratic
process... this is the voice of the people which we must uphold," she said,
dressed in a traditional white blouse and a batik sarong.
"Let us build our country together... let us erase all the
fights among us which have only deepened the sorrow of the people." She later
said she would name her cabinet within days.
WAHID'S RESPONSE UNCLEAR
But it was unclear how Wahid would leave the palace. His
aides had said he would refuse to stand aside.
Early in the evening, Wahid, smiling and wearing shorts, a
T-shirt and sandals, appeared briefly on the steps of the palace to wave to
about 300 supporters gathered peacefully outside. He said nothing.
A big question mark also hangs over Megawati's own
abilities and those of her new team.
Megawati's party won the most votes in the 1999
parliamentary election but is still well short of a majority.
Like Wahid, she will be forced to rely on an inherently
unstable series of alliances to serve out her term to 2004.
Her rise to the job she had long felt should be hers was
welcomed by foreign leaders anxious for stability in the world's fourth most
populous nation.
The United States, Japan and other Asian nations quickly
threw their weight behind Megawati.
U.S. President George W. Bush, speaking to reporters on a
visit to Italy, said he looked forward to working with Megawati and urged a
peaceful resolution to the country's crisis.
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged support
for the new president, and in Hanoi, the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) recognised Megawati as the new leader.
The European Union said earlier it was ready to help
Indonesia to achieve economic and political stability.
The leadership crisis which has virtually paralysed the
nation for months has stoked fears of a return of the bloodshed that surrounded
Suharto's downfall in 1998.
But the streets were quiet on Monday.
Before the vote, Wahid likened his struggle to a jihad, or
Islamic holy war, saying his emergency declaration was intended to save the
state.
He refused to attend the MPR hearing and remained defiant.
"The president considers the decree he issued as a jihad
to save the state," presidential spokesman Yahya Staquf told reporters before
the vote.
He said the president would take "necessary action" to
keep the country together. Asked what that action would be, he replied: "It will
be announced later."
The change in leadership also cheered the country's
financial markets. The country's beleaguered rupiah rose more than 10 percent
and stocks hit a 10-month high on Friday.
NO SIGN OF TROUBLE
There was no sign of unrest, either in Jakarta or in
Wahid's political heartland of East Java where Muslim leaders ordered his
fanatical supporters not to protest.
It is those supporters -- some of whom have formed suicide
squads -- who many fear could turn violent and throw the country back into the
widespread bloodshed which has usually marked a change of ruler in the world's
fourth most populous country.
The only real sign of support for Wahid came from the 300
people protesting outside the palace. There were no incidents.
Troops were mostly absent from the streets of the capital,
though two columns of tanks and armoured personnel carriers rumbled through
Jakarta in the morning. Monday July 23, 5:55
PM
Singapore Min Says Asean Should Be More Outward Looking HANOI (AP)--The world community will lose interest in Southeast Asian nations if they remain preoccupied with internal problems, Singapore's foreign minister warned Monday. Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has to improve its image by persuading the world that it is regrouping and strengthening. Jayakumar, who is in Hanoi to attend an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, said that image has improved little in the year since he issued a similar warning. "The key message I intend to bring to my colleagues is that although we have to tackle our internal political and economic challenges, it's important for Asean to be outward-looking," he told reporters. "If Asean is inward-looking, I'm afraid the world will pass us by." Jayakumar said he would discuss with his colleagues what the group could do to keep other countries interested in, and engaged with, Asean. More outward-looking policies would include seeking free trade pacts with other regions and expanding the multilateral security talks that Asean holds every year with the major powers, a Singaporean spokeswoman said. Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Asean's international stature has fallen in recent years because of the regional economic crisis that began in 1997, slow progress in economic reforms, four new members that are authoritarian and impoverished, and Asean's inability to jointly resolve economic, social and political problems that have spilled across borders and affected several member countries. Foreign direct investment that once flooded Southeast Asia is being diverted to other countries, including China. Analysts say Asean must also try to regain the attention of the U.S., its main trading partner over the past half-century and its main pillar of national security. In recent months the U.S. has been preoccupied with North Asia, including tense disputes with China. ----------------------------------------------------------------
Monday July 23, 5:03 PM Thai minister's Myanmar trip will help heal wounds: official YANGON, July 23 (AFP) - Thai Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's inaugural official visit to Myanmar which began Monday will help heal wounds caused by a half-year row that was defused last month, an official said. Chavalit, a former army chief with close ties to the ruling junta, arrived in Yangon with a 54-member delegation on a mission "to further cement improving Thai-Myanmar relations," the official said. His trip is expected to "further consolidate matters already agreed upon" during a June visit by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra which largely repaired the serious rift in relations, the source added. The Thai defense minister was greeted at the airport by Minister of Military Affairs Lieutenant-General Tin Hla, who will serve as official host during the two-day trip. He later met with Myanmar's military ruler Senior General Than Shwe. Chavalit said before his departure from the Thai capital that he would meet with senior officials including Than Shwe to discuss the thorny issue of promoting trade along their common border. Trade between the neighbours has been stifled in recent months due to sporadic fighting between ethnic militias and a diplomatic row over responsibility for the burgeoning narcotics trade along the border. A half-day clash between the national armies in February prompted Thailand to shut down the important Mae Sai-Tachilek border crossing and halt supplies destined for use by the Myanmar military, including medicine, rice and fuel. In a retaliatory move, Myanmar authorities in March banned imports of Thai-made energy drinks and goods containing the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate, saying they were "injurious to health". In April, Thailand blocked a shipment of Chinese generators to Myanmar that were destined for a power plant partly owned by a junta-allied ethnic armed force accused of narcotics trafficking. After Thaksin's inaugural visit to Myanmar in June which helped normalise bilateral relations, the Mae Sai-Tachilek border crossing was reopened. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 23, 8:17 PM Relief in Southeast Asia as Indonesia turmoil passes off peacefully HANOI, July 23 (AFP) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers heaved a sigh of relief on Monday as the political turmoil in Indonesia which had overshadowed their annual discussions passed off peacefully. Singaporean Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar welcomed the installation of Megawati Sukarnoputri as Indonesia's new president and said he hoped it heralded "a period of calm" for Southeast Asia's biggest nation. But other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nationswere more circumspect about Megawati's elevation from the vice presidency following the dismissal of president Abdurrahman Wahid by the Indonesian national assembly (MPR). "President Megawati's appointment as president by the MPR is a very significant development," Jayakumar told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN talks in Hanoi. "We welcome the appointment by the MPR. It is my hope that this will enable Indonesia under her leadership to have a period of calm during which they will begin to address the very serious problems they have had in recent times," he said. "Singapore as a close neighbour has of course been concerned, but it is not a matter for Indonesia's future alone. What happens in Indonesia, particularly the restoration of stability and economic recovery, is also a concern to Southeast Asia and to ASEAN." But other ministers carefully avoided taking sides, insisting Wahid's replacement by Megawati was entirely a matter for the Indonesian people. "Our position is that whatever happens, it's up to the people of Indonesia to decide. So we stand by the people of Indonesia," said Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. Similar sentiments were voiced by the Philippine foreign minister and vice president, Teofisto Guingona. "We'll leave that to the Indonesian people," he said when asked about Megawati's appointment. ASEAN Secretary General Rodolfo Severino said Indonesian foreign ministry official Hassan Wirayuda had kept ministers abreast of developments in Jakarta throughout the day. "We are relieved that there was no violence and everything was relatively in an orderly manner," Severino said. "But of course there are still economic problems and I think as far as stability is concerned there is improvement in the situation." The gathering of foreign ministers from the 10-member ASEAN bloc had been overshadowed by the turmoil in Indonesia from its opening earlier in the day. Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab had remained in Jakarta in a doomed attempt to rally support for his close ally Wahid, leaving Wirayuda to take his place. Indonesia is by far the biggest member of ASEAN, which also comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the country's fate was crucial to the entire region of 500 million people. "We are concerned and we wish Indonesia all the best and hope they will be able to resolve their current state, because it is important to the stability of ASEAN for Indonesia to be able to resolve its problems," he said. The foreign envoy of East Timor's interim administration, Jose Ramos Horta, said he was unconcerned about the accession to power in Indonesia of Megawati, an avowed nationalist who opposed East Timor's vote in 1999 to split from Indonesia. "We are very confident of her leadership if that is what is going to happen in the next few hours and days," the Nobel Peace Prize winner said. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 23, 5:00 PM No plans for ASEAN intervention in Indonesia HANOI, July 23 (AFP) - Southeast Asian nations are unlikely to send a high-level team of officials to troubled Indonesia despite having a mechanism in place to ward off regional instability, a senior Thai official said Monday. Nitya Pibulsonggram, the top civil servant in the Thai foreign ministry, said he was unsure whether the "ASEAN Troika" set up last year as a "rapid reaction mechanism" to help settle regional controversies could be used to mediate in the Indonesian crisis. "It's untested clearly, we don't really know," he said on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Hanoi, as Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid fought for his political life. "We'll have to see in future whether there will be enough political will to convene the parties in the conflict," Pibulsonggram said. Analysts and officials say Indonesia's political problems have been weighing down ASEAN since the overthrow of president Suharto in 1998. Indonesian leaders have been skipping or cutting short their presence at regional meetings, making decision-making difficult. Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab cancelled his attendance at the Hanoi gathering to rally behind his close ally Wahid, who looked set to be sacked by the Indonesian national assembly Monday. Under the ASEAN troika problem-solving mechanism, the country concerned must agree to the troubleshooters' dispatch. But there are doubts over whether the ASEAN nations, whose policy is to stay out of members' internal affairs, could reach consensus among themselves to send a team. Members such as military-ruled Myanmar and communist Vietnam are likely to look askance at sending a team to Indonesia for fear of being the target of an ASEAN troika themselves in the future. Asked how the troika could operate within the rule of non-interference, Pibulsonggram said: "Well, you have to cope with (it)." But he added: "Who knows in future, there might be a mechanism in which there might be a situation where something like this would be applicable." The ASEAN trioka comprises the past, present and future chairmen of the grouping's standing committee, its policy-making mechanism. Vietnam, the hosts of the current ASEAN meeting, followed Thailand as the chairman and are to be succeeded by Brunei. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the non-interference policy should not be an excuse for inaction. "ASEAN has a culture of working around problems rather than confronting them," Downer said in Singapore en route to a regional security forum in Hanoi on Wednesday. "But there is no compelling reason why discussing regional issues in a more open way should be seen as interference," he said. "A strict interpretation of the principle ignores the reality that some problems can only be addressed effectively through regional cooperation." ----------------------------------------------------------------
Monday July 23, 11:28
PM
ASEAN struggles for stability as Indonesia simmers By Andrew Marshall HANOI (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers vowed
on Monday to rebuild stability in their troubled region but their annual
gathering was overshadowed by upheaval in Jakarta, underlining the volatility
that has dogged recovery efforts.
All eyes were on Indonesia, the largest and least stable
member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), where legislators
voted to sack embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid and replace him with his
deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri.
ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo Severino told reporters
the group regarded the change in leadership as a "reality" and the bloc's big
guns Singapore and Thailand were quick to congratulate Megawati.
But ministers were anxiously watching to see whether
Indonesia could achieve a peaceful transfer of power and avoid fresh chaos that
could destabilise the entire region.
"It is a concern for all of us because Indonesia is an
important member of ASEAN. Anything that happens in Indonesia can affect the
stability of other countries in the region," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed
Hamid Albar told reporters in Hanoi.
Ministers who gathered in the Vietnamese capital for a
week of meetings that started on Monday hailed the fact that the transition in
Jakarta had so far been free of bloodshed and said they hoped Megawati's
appointment would herald reduced regional political risk.
"It is my hope this will enable Indonesia under her
leadership to have a period of calm during which they will begin to address the
very serious problems they have had in recent times," said Singapore's Foreign
Minister S. Jayakumar.
SITUATION STILL FLUID
But Philippines Foreign Minister Teofisto Guingona said it
was premature to make a final comment on the situation, given Wahid's insistence
that efforts to oust him were illegal.
"It's too early, it's still fluid," he said.
Ministers said they had informally discussed events in
Indonesia, but given the 10-member ASEAN's code of non-interference in other
members' affairs the issue had not been formally addressed.
"I think it is a very positive development for ASEAN that
we discussed internal problems� because the situation has an impact on other
countries," said Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. "We give all our
support to the people of Indonesia and we hope that whatever transition should
be peaceful."
Wahid's foreign minister, Alwi Shihab, cancelled his
attendance at the Hanoi meetings, another blow to host Vietnam after North Korea
said last week its foreign minister would not attend, dashing hopes of a
resumption of high-level talks with the United States and South Korea.
BIG HITTERS JOIN ON TUESDAY
The discussions will be joined on Tuesday by regional big
hitters China, Japan and South Korea, and then on Wednesday by dialogue partners
in the 23-member ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's key security grouping.
The latter meeting will be attended by U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell, who arrives on Tuesday for his first trip to the country
since he served in the Vietnam War.
In an opening address to the ministers' meeting, Vietnam's
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai made no mention of Indonesia, but said the
1997-1998 Asian economic collapse showed the costs of political and
macroeconomic instability.
"We should proactively settle remaining disputes and
differences and prevent heightened tensions in the region, and at the same time
help to restore and maintain socio-political and macroeconomic stability in each
country," he said.
But the upheaval in Indonesia illustrated precisely why so
many foreign investors still shun the region, and overshadowed ASEAN's efforts
to build unity and credibility in the face of declining economic clout and the
ascendancy of China.
Pushed into the background at Monday's meeting was ASEAN's
main piece of formal business -- a declaration pledging to narrow the gap
between richer members and poorer nations like communist Vietnam and Laos,
Cambodia and military-ruled Myanmar.
With even ASEAN's richer nations facing renewed economic
malaise, analysts question whether the bloc is in any position to help poorer
members catch up.
Surakiart said the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting on
Wednesday would discuss "preventive diplomacy" to defuse regional conflicts. But
the list of divisions and disagreements is a long one.
China is in dispute with several ASEAN states over islands
in the South China Sea, and with Tokyo over trade, while a Japanese history
textbook has incensed China and South Korea who say it distorts wartime
atrocities.
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Monday July 23, 2:21
PM
ASEAN must step up reforms or risk losing out in globalised economy: Australia SINGAPORE, July 23 (AFP) - Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) risk losing their competitiveness and investor confidence if they don't carry through painful structural reforms, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in Singapore Monday. These reforms have taken on a greater sense of urgency
especially after the 1997-98 Asian crisis and China's pending entry into the
World Trade Organisation, Downer said while on a stopover en route to Hanoi
where he will be attending the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Otherwise, it would be difficult for the 10-member
regional grouping to become an effective bloc capable of building economic
prosperity for the region's 500 million people in the era of globalisation,
Downer said.
"Commitment to structural reforms must be translated into
action, no matter how painful that may be," he said.
"Those who implement reforms are restoring not only their
competitiveness, but international confidence."
"In so doing, they boost the ability of ASEAN as a whole
to compete successfully for capital inflows."
ASEAN's image as an economically vibrant group was thrown
into doubt in the aftermath of the 1997-98 crisis while that of China has risen
substantially, Downer said.
Already, China was drawing a lot of foreign investments
that used to head ASEAN's way, he said.
"The trouble with ASEAN is that it doesn't have a
sufficient reputation for being economically progressive at the moment, yet it
had the history of being economically progressive," Downer said.
If ASEAN was to face up to the challenge from China, then
it must not detract from pursuing much needed structural reforms and economic
policies that encourages trade and investments.
"The need for further reform is still substantial. For
some, it is daunting," said Downer.
"But an outward looking ASEAN, committed to structural
reform, would be a compelling destination for long-term foreign investors," he
said.
In his speech, Downer also urged the grouping to take on a
more active role in regional affairs instead of adhering strictly to its policy
of non-interference.
"A dual approach -- structural reforms by individual
members and a more active ASEAN to shape the overall picture -- would help
project a greater sense of regional recovery and restore investor confidence,"
he said.
ASEAN nations, which have a policy of not interfering in
each other's affairs, have been criticised in the past for failing to take a
stronger stand on a member's problems that could affect the entire
region.
Recent events such as the regional crisis and the smog
that blanketed the region four years ago showed that sticking strictly to the
principle of non-interfence was making the grouping ineffective in dealing with
regional issues.
"ASEAN has a culture of working around problems rather
than confronting them. But there is no compelling reason why discussing regional
issues in a more open way should be seen as interference," Downer
said.
"A strict interpretation of the principle ignores the
reality that some problem can only be addressed effectively through regional
co-operation," he said.
Investors viewed ASEAN -- comprising of Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam -- as a single
bloc rather than as individual economies, said Downer.
"I know there are sensitivities but non-interference
should not mean non-action," he said.
"It's not such a good idea if that principle of
non-interference is translated into non-action when there are
problems."
Downer said Australia was still as committed as ever to a
free trade agreement with ASEAN even though the grouping last year rejected the
set up of a taskforce to look into the feasibility of such a pact.
"I repeat today that we still are this day ... we are
still prepared to enter into negotiations with all of the ASEAN countries for a
free trade agreement," Downer said.
"And that will be a very good outcome for ASEAN and a very
good outcome for Australia."
---------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 23, 9:40 AM
Southeast Asian nations mull outright elimination of tariffs in 2003 HANOI, July 23 (AFP) - Southeast Asian nations are
discussing plans to do away with import tariffs by 2003 for early implementation
of a free-trade area despite a sharp economic downturn in the region, according
to a top ASEAN official.
Under the current free-trade plan, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to bring down tariffs to a maximum five
percent by January 2003 for its six original members -- Malaysia, Thailand,
Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Singapore.
Newer entries Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam have
been given longer.
ASEAN Secretary General Rodolfo Severino said several
member economies were discussing eliminating tariffs outright by 2003 although
they had an option of keeping duties of up to five percent under the ASEAN Free
Tradetimetable.
"Now we are working, not formally, to speed up some more,
for the outright elimination of tariffs in ASEAN trade," he told AFP as ASEAN
foreign ministers prepared to open annual talks in Hanoi on Monday.
"Different countries have different ways of achieving it
but the important thing is some kind of decision" for legislation calling for an
abolition of tariffs, he said.
Severino said if export-led ASEAN members were willing to
drop tariffs to five percent, "why not do away with it altogether?"
"This is because what you gain in terms of protection is
not worth the administrative cost of customs -- might as well do away with
it.
"My own view of that is that it makes sense to do away
with these tariffs instead of keeping this five percent," he said.
Severino said the proposal had been discussed within ASEAN
but some countries were wary for political reasons.
Asked whether the current economic difficulties in the
region, stemming from a drop in exports due to the US slowdown, could allow
ASEAN members to go ahead with such tariff elimination, he said: "What can
protection of five percent buy you?
"The idea here is to integrate the markets -- you bring in
investments. The answer to an economic downturn is not protection (of markets),"
he said.
Latest statistics show ASEAN trade surged 23 percent in
the first half of 2000 to 348 billion dollars from 283 billion dollars in the
same period of
Exports in the region grew by 22 percent to 189 billion
dollars in the January-June period in 2000 from the previous year.
ASEAN trade with all major trading partners has increased
except with the United States, which may fall into recession.
Intra-ASEAN exports grew by 41 percent to 44.32 billion
dollars in the first half of 2000.
Officials say that AFTA may lose its competitiveness with
the impending entry of China into the World Trade Organisation and with more
attractive free-trade plans in other regions.
About 60 percent of foreign investment in Asia now goes to
China compared to 16 percent into ASEAN -- a reverse of the picture eight years
ago.
S. Pushpanathan, assistant director of external relations
in the ASEAN secretariat, said Southeast Asian nations could not ignore the
growth of free-trade areas around the world, especially in the Americas, and the
impending expansion of the European Union.
"ASEAN should be cognisant of these developments," he
said.
The ASEAN foreign ministers, minus Indonesia's Alwi Shihab
who has cancelled his attendance to confront political turmoil at home, are
expected to adopt a resolution calling for another round of talks among member
states to free trade in the key services sector.
ASEAN has endorsed a set of broad guidelines to drive
long-term liberalisation in services.
---------------------------------------------------------------- BBC -Monday, 23 July,
2001, 17:05 GMT 18:05 UK
Megawati appeals for national unity Indonesia's new President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, has
appealed for national unity in her inaugural speech.
The man parliament voted to dismiss, Abdurrahman Wahid,
continues to defy the country's highest legislative body, the People's
Consultative Assembly, by refusing to leave the presidential palace.
On a day of high drama, Megawati was sworn in within
minutes of a parliamentary vote to dismiss Mr Wahid from office for alleged
corruption.
Mr Wahid's sacking - in a unanimous, nationally televised
open vote - came just hours after he had declared a state of emergency, in an
attempt to suspend parliament and thwart the impeachment hearings against him.
Mr Wahid ordered the security forces to ensure the
assembly was dissolved - an order ignored by both the police and military.
Instead, they helped protect the parliament from any
possible demonstrations by the former president's supporters.
The Indonesian Supreme Court rejected the state of
emergency as illegal and the assembly impeached Mr Wahid after hearings into
allegations of corruption and incompetence.
Late on Monday, Mr Wahid waved to about 300 supporters
gathered outside the palace, but he has made no comment on the assembly's vote
to oust him.
Expected mass demonstrations by Wahid supporters have not
materialised.
'Democratic process'
Megawati appealed for calm in her inaugural speech before
parliament.
"I call on all parties to accept this democratic process
with sincerity... this is the voice of the people which we must uphold," she
said.
"Let us build our country together... let us erase all the
fights among us which have only deepened the sorrow of the people."
Mr Wahid had earlier likened his struggle against
impeachment to a jihad or holy war - language that could be very inflammatory in
the current crisis, the BBC's Richard Galpin reports from Jakarta.
US President George W Bush has praised the change of
leadership in Indonesia. He said he was looking forward to working with
President Megawati to address the economic and political challenges facing the
country.
The European Commission appealed for restraint by all
parties.
Indonesia's neighbours have given a cautious welcome to
the new president. Singapore's foreign minister, Shanmugam Jayakumar, said it he
hoped it would bring a period of calm during which Indonesia could begin to
address its very serious problems.
Financial markets have reacted positively to the news,
with both share prices and the currency, the rupiah, rising significantly.
Sporadic violence
Mr Wahid - a nearly blind Muslim cleric - has repeatedly
warned that the giant country could break apart if the assembly removed him from
office.
He has strong support in East Java, which has seen
sporadic violence in recent months. There are reports of some small
demonstrations there.
There were two bomb attacks at churches in Jakarta on
Sunday, which left 60 injured, but so far there have been no reports of violence
or protests since the assembly's impeachment sessions began.
Moves to oust him began last year when he was linked to
two corruption scandals, although police and prosecutors cleared him of any
wrongdoing.
Megawati leads Indonesia's largest political party, and is
the daughter of the country's founding leader and former President, Sukarno, who
was himself impeached by parliament amid political turmoil in 1966.
---------------------------------------------------------------- The Economic Times-
July 23, 2001
Ties with Myanmar
improve
Ritwik Mukherjee
KOLKATA CALL it successful â??Track ii diplomacyâ?? or something else,
the recent Bengal Initiative delegation to Myanmar has managed to convince the
Myanmarese government to reopen its consulate in Kolkata after three decades.
The Myanmarese government has also pledged to work out
modalities for re-introducing the steamer service between Kolkata and Yangon via
Chittagong, Amiya Gooptu, chairman of Bengal Initiative (BI) and leader of the
recent Good Will Mission to Myanmar, told ET here on Sunday.
The Junta government of Myanmar also assured that they
would take up with the Indian government the case of reopening of the road and
rail links between the two countries.
â??The visit was an eye-opener to all of us. The main
purpose of the delegation, which comprised industrialists, lawyers, medical
practitioners, painters, academics, social activists, was to involve itself in
Track ii diplomacy to bring about improvements in the understanding between the
two countries and their people. And the visit has been a great success.â??
The 22-member BI delegation, first such in last 20 years,
met Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development Council, U
Win Aung, foreign affairs minister, U Myo Nyunt, deputy minister of education, U
Soe Nyunt, deputy minister of health, Brigadier Gen D O Abel, deputy minister of
culture, president and members of Myanmar Chamber of Commerce, chairman of
Myanmar Film Association and members of the Myanmar National Working Committee
for Womenâ??s Affairs.
The BI chairman said that the two sides had agreed that
the scope for improving bilateral trade in areas like petroleum, petrochemicals
and tourism was just enormous.
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The Courier Mail
Hit-and-run scapegoats
in Burma
From ERIC ELLIS in Singapore 23jul01 WHY take the rap when you kill someone if you can pay
someone else to take it for you?
That's the advice doled out to Singapore's businessmen
operating in Asia's pariah nation, Burma, in a new business guide book recently
published by a respected Singapore diplomat and trade adviser.
The book, Myanmar In My Heart, by Matthew Sim, has been
published by Times Publishing, a division of the Singapore government-connected
Fraser and Neave group, a big Singapore beverage company with interests in
Burma, or Myanmar, as it is known in the region.
The book makes stunning reading, particularly as its
audience is a country that famously attributes much of its success to being the
Asian economy least tolerant of corruption.
Singapore has strict laws governing corruption. One
cabinet minister recently took his own life after being suspected of kickbacks,
including corrupt practices, while abroad.
The Sim book recommends effective methods of bribing
Burmese government officials, money-laundering, procuring prostitutes and
avoiding prosecution in fatal traffic accidents.
The author was commercial secretary of Singapore's embassy
in Rangoon from 1995 to 1997, where he helped make Singapore Burma's second
biggest trading partner and investor.
Before arriving in Rangoon, Australian-educated Mr Sim was
a career officer at the Singapore Government's Trade Development Board with the
task of overseeing the promotion of Singapore's exportable services and products
to the world.
He is now a lecturer in international business at a
Singapore polytechnic.
Under the chapter heading, Committing Manslaughter When
Driving, Mr Sim asks what an international businessman does when he has
accidentally killed a pedestrian, before describing two ways of avoiding
prosecution if Burmese throw themselves in front of a car.
Firstly, the international businessman could give the
family of the deceased some money as compensation and dissuade them from
pressing charges.
Secondly, he could pay a Myanmar citizen to take the blame
by declaring that he was the driver in the fatal accident.
An international businessman should not make the mistake
of trying to argue his case in a court of law when it comes to a fatal accident,
even if he is in the right.
"He highly probable (sic) that he will spend time in jail
regretting it. It is a sad and hard world. The facts of life can be ugly," it
says.
Described by one local reviewer as a critical step in this
knowledge-based economy, Mr Sim's guide seems to open a window into Singapore's
pragmatic corporate practices in Burma.
In his book, Mr Sim also has a message for those battling
Burma's notorious official corruption, which has helped make it Asia's most
desperate country.
His advice? Go along with it.
A little money goes a long way in greasing the wheels of
productivity, he writes.
And Mr Sim pulls no PC punches when it comes to
prostitution. "I have always said that women have their cosmetics while men have
their money," he writes. "With money, men who are old, fat and ugly can be
instantaneously transformed into desirable creatures sought by young pretty
women everywhere."
He then goes into considerable detail on discreet methods
of obtaining paid sex.
Mr Sim also advises on effective ways of bribing. One
important factor to keep in mind is that gifts (for VIPs) must be easily
re-saleable for cash, and the amount should reflect their rank.
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