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BURMA RELATED NEWS - July 30,
2001.
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HEADLINES
---------------------------------------------------------------- AP - Indonesia's Megawati To Visit
Asean Nations From Aug 22
Reuters - Indonesia's Megawati plans
Southeast Asian tour
Channel NewsAsia - ASEAN officials to
meet on social welfare issues
Reuters - Reuters Today in History
for July 30
BBC - Burma to launch overseas TV
service
ABC online - Ministers from six Asian countries meet on Mekong River deal
The Nation - Drive to register
foreign workers
Bkk Post - Editorial - Burma must join a regional
effort
NSTP - Myanmar national
gets jail time for drugs possession
---------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 30, 3:42 PM
Indonesia's Megawati To Visit
Asean Nations From Aug 22
JAKARTA (AP)--On her first overseas trip as head of state,
Indonesia's new President Megawati Sukarnoputri will visit fellow members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a spokesman said Monday.
"She will visit Asean countries from Aug. 22 as a
reflection of our consistency in looking at Asean as the focus of our foreign
policy," said Bambang Kesowo, a presidential spokesman.
Indonesia is one of Asean's 10 members.
Kesowo said the whirlwind, four-day tour would take
Megawati to Brunei Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand,
Singapore and Vietnam.
Megawati became president a week ago when the national
assembly dismissed her predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid.
Asean foreign ministers, who were meeting in Hanoi at the
time of Megawati's elevation, welcomed the peaceful transition saying they hoped
it would contribute to greater stability in Indonesia, the association's largest
nation.
Monday July 30, 2:48
PM
Indonesia's Megawati plans Southeast Asian tour JAKARTA, July 30 (Reuters) - New Indonesian President Megawati
Sukarnoputri will visit all nine neighbouring Southeast Asian countries in a
whirlwind visit next month.
Aide Bambang Kesowo told reporters the August 22-26 trip,
her first official foreign tour, would start in the Philippines, before taking
in the rest of the Association of South East Asian Nations -- Laos, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
"This visit reflects the priority of ASEAN," he said.
Megawati replaced disgraced former President Abdurrahman
Wahid, who was sacked last week and is now undergoing medical tests in the
United States.
Wahid was widely criticised for his extensive foreign
travels while his country remained mired in political, economic and social
crisis.
Channel
NewsAsia
Monday July 30, 2:24 PM
ASEAN officials to meet on
social welfare issues
ASEAN senior officials responsible for social welfare are
in Singapore this week to discuss how to realise the vision of a socially
cohesive and caring ASEAN.
The senior official meeting precedes the ministerial
meeting which kicks off on Wednesday.
The meeting aims to set direction for regional cooperation
in social welfare.
It will also explore development programmes within ASEAN
to maximise the potential of all ASEAN communities.
Wednesday's meeting will be the fourth time ASEAN
ministers responsible for social welfare will come together to address social
challenges faced by the regional grouping.
What is significant about this meeting is that it is the
first time all ten countries' social welfare ministers will gather.
This includes new ASEAN members like Vietnam, Laos,
Myanmar and Cambodia.
The meeting is expected to focus on enhancing social
development, particularly with regard to children, family and population issues.
Monday July 30, 3:00 PM
Reuters Today in History for
July 30
LONDON (Reuters) - Here are some notable events from this
date in history:
1619 - The first legislative assembly in America, known as
the House of Burgesses, was convened in Jamestown, Virginia.
1718 - William Penn, English Quaker leader who founded the
American state of Pennsylvania, died.
1898 - Otto von Bismarck, founder and first chancellor of
the German Empire, died.
1912 - Japanese Emperor Meiji died and was succeeded by
Yoshihito. During Meiji's reign Japan was transformed into one of the modern
world's great powers.
1934 - Kurt von Schuschnigg was named Austrian chancellor
following the assassination of Engelbert Dollfuss.
1936 - Bluesman Buddy Guy, famed for such tunes as ``Stone
Crazy'' and ``Damn Right I've Got the Blues,'' born in Louisiana.
1945 - The U.S. cruiser Indianapolis was sunk by a
Japanese submarine killing over 800.
1947 - Musclebound film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, noted
for his roles in such action pictures as the ``Conan'' and ''Terminator''
series, born in Austria.
1948 - The advance of Communist domination in Hungary
forced the resignation of President Zoltan Tildy.
1958 - Idiosyncratic English pop singer Kate Bush, famed
for such tunes as ``Wuthering Heights'' and ``The Hounds of Love,'' born.
1961 - Actor Laurence Fishburne, whose film credits
include ''Searching for Bobby Fischer,'' ``Othello,'' ``Hoodlum'' and ``The
Matrix,'' born.
1963 - Actress Lisa Kudrow, a co-star of the hit
television series ``Friends,'' born.
1971 - MTV comic Tom Green, who starred in the summer 2000
comedy ``Road Trip,'' born in Canada.
1974 - Actress Hilary Swank, who won the Academy Award for
best actress for her transgender role in the 1999 drama ``Boys Don't Cry,''
born.
1996 - Claudette Colbert, queen of 1930s Hollywood
comedies, died at 92.
1998 - Myanmar's military forcibly ended a six-day
car sit-in by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a protest begun when she was
prevented from traveling to see her supporters.
1999 - The U.S. military officially closed its Panama
operations, leaving its headquarters on the banks of the Panama Canal after a
presence of nearly a century.
BBC - Monday, 30
July, 2001, 14:57 GMT 15:57 UK
Burma to launch overseas TV service An official newspaper in Burma says the country's military
authorities are launching a satellite television channel next month aimed at
improving the country's reputation abroad.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper says the service will
carry news bulletins and general features to give what the authorities describe
as a truer picture of life there.
The paper said it is hoped the channel will be picked up
in more than 100 countries.
The opposition party, the National League for Democracy,
overwhelmingly won elections in Burma in 1990, but the military has never
allowed it to take power.
Its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is being held under virtual
house arrest.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
Australian
Broadcasting Corporation - July
30, 2001.
Ministers from six Asian
countries meet on Mekong River deal
Ministers from India and five countries along the Mekong
River has endorsed an initial six-year joint action program to foster
cooperation in tourism, culture, education, transportation and communication.
Under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation program signed
Saturday, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and India agreed to examine
the implementation progress every two years, while the ministers will meet
annually.
On tourism, they pledged to cooperate in policy planning,
human resource development, marketing, tourism information exchange, and the
development of tourist destinations which combine or link MGC member country's.
However, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said that
cooperation in developing overland and air links would also greatly help in
attracting tourists to the region.
The Nation - July 30,
2001.
Drive to register foreign workers Narissa Suksanan The Labour Ministry plans to hire a private company to launch a public relations campaign aimed at encouraging employers to register their foreign workers and to handle the upcoming registrations nationwide. If the scheme achieves a target of 700,000 workers, it will generate about Bt3.15 billion in annual revenue for the government, Labour Minister Dej Boonlong said yesterday. Dej said the ministry had set aside a budget of Bt20 million for the chosen private company to do the job with the condition that about Bt10 million must go to the public relations campaign. He added that his agency had already told many companies to submit their bids. "The employers should be made to see good points in registering the foreign labourers because the registration is in fact cheaper than the bribes they would normally have to pay to corrupt officials,"said Dej. He said the registration for a foreign worker costs Bt4,500 while a typical bribe amounts to about Bt6,000 a year. Dej explained that the company would be responsible for the entire registration procedure, from providing application forms to collecting information, money, fingerprints and photos, and issuing plastic identity cards for workers. "They must operate as a mobile unit in order to rotate to all provinces nationwide according to a planned schedule," he said. Dej said the foreign workers would have to undergo medical check-ups at hospitals on their own time as the registration process will only take a day to complete and it was unlikely that there would be enough time for a health check at the same time. He also announced that the registration process might not begin on September 1, as earlier projected, because the Labour Ministry had yet to seek Cabinet approval for the scheme. He said implementation of the programme could begin within 30 days of the Cabinet's endorsement. "We will submit the action plan to Prime Minis-ter Thaksin Shinawatra early next month before tabling it at a Cabinet mee-ting," he said. Dej also said that his ministry was planning to recruit about 500 new officials for a new unit that will be charged with handling foreign workers. Meanwhile, Labour Ministry permanent secretary Irawat Chandaraprasert refused to divulge any information about his recent trip to Burma, saying it was confidential and that he needed to speak to Dej before making any comments. Bangkok Post - July
30, 2001.
Editorial - Burma must join a
regional effort
There is no possibility of stopping the drug traffickers
without determined and continuing international co-operation, first of all
within the region. Each country in this area faces serious problems of drug
abuse and trafficking. The drug merchants have been winning in recent years by
exploiting inexperience, inaction and incompetence along the borders. The visit
of China's top policeman and security official could help to change
that.
There are strong signs that the countries involved and
endangered by the drug lords may have had enough. Thailand has convinced the
United States to help train our often out-gunned and out-manoeuvred border
forces. The government of Laos has slowly extended its concern and enforcement,
and continues to cut back opium production. Even Cambodia has asked for help in
combatting the drug traffickers.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has made combatting
drugs a personal priority. Laws against money laundering, unexplained wealth and
immoral banking procedures are beginning to take hold.
There are other positive signs. And the May visit to
Thailand by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji could have been a turning point. It led
directly to last week's week-long visit by Public Security Minister Jia
Chunwang. His presence in Bangkok and in the Golden Triangle area was a strong
sign that Beijing intends to join the regional fight against the drug
traffickers.
China has been engaged for a decade in fighting drug
traffickers, and has co-operated with other countries. But Beijing has shied
away from multilateral action. Mr Zhu changed that policy when he set up the
four-nation battle against drugs. That is shaping up as a series of major policy
meetings, beginning late next month and climaxing with a full summit in Yunnan.
Mr Jia clearly was briefing himself on the situation, with a personal tour of
the drug-producing region, including interviews with senior Thai
officials.
The major question in everybody's mind must be Burma.
China holds more influence with the Rangoon dictatorship than any government.
Beijing obviously will be putting pressure on Burma in coming weeks and months
to change its ways and co-operate. As long as Rangoon continues to provide a
safe haven for drug traffickers and money launderers, the region will continue
to bear the consequences.
No matter how much it goes against China's policy of
non-interference with other regimes, Beijing must be willing to press Rangoon
hard. China is in the midst of a drug-abuse epidemic in the border province of
Yunnan. That has led directly to a second and arguably more fearful epidemic of
HIV and Aids. As in Thailand, the flood of drugs into China has created a major
security threat.
The drug cartel of the United Wa State Army is prospering
and expanding. Its new alliance with the Hong Kong-based 14K triad has begun
shipping heroin out of the Mong Yawn area in massive amounts. The seizure on
July 17 of 74kg of Wa-14K heroin was, as usual, the tip of the iceberg. The
Chinese syndicates are fighting turf wars in Bangkok, endangering our
citizens.
Time will tell, but Beijing appears determined to step up
the fight against the drug traffickers through regional co-operation. China has
been slow to join such regional efforts. That now appears to be changing, at
least in fighting drugs and cross-border crime. Such an effort is overdue. As Mr
Thaksin told Mr Jia during his visit, each country now realises drug trafficking
undermines development.
Time is extremely short, but Burma must join this regional
effort. Officials have begun discussing the drug summit, and security ministers
will meet in Beijing to hammer out policy within the month. It will be obvious
if Burma drags its feet.
The New Straits Times Press
July 30, 2001.
Myanmar national gets
jail time for drugs possession
By Satwant Singh A Myanmar national was sentenced to seven years' jail by
the Sessions Court today and ordered to be given 10 strokes of the rotan for
possessing 11.53gm of drugs.
Judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, who found Khin Zaw @ Md
Eussof, 27, guilty after a trial, said the accused had failed to raise a
reasonable doubt.
He also ordered the sentence to begin from his date of
arrest on Aug 30 last year.
Khin Zaw had pleaded not guilty to possessing a mixture of
heroin (1.83gm) and monoacetylmorphine (9.70gm) at Flat Taman Miharja, Jalan
Cheras, about 2.15pm on Aug 30 last year.
In mitigation, counsel Bhagwan Singh said that Khin Zaw
previously worked as a labourer with a company in Selayang. He said Khin Zaw was
married and his family was in Myanmar.
Bhagwan said Khin Zaw entered Malaysia legally and urged
the court to impose the most lenient sentence possible.
Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Devanandan said the offence
committed by Khin Zaw was serious.
He said although Khin Zaw had entered the country legally,
it did not mean that he could do as he wished, like possessing
drugs.
Devanandan urged the court to impose a severe sentence as
a lesson to Khin Zaw and also members of the public who had intentions to get
themselves involved with dangerous drugs.
The offence carries a minimum jail sentence of five years
and maximum life, with a minimum 10
strokes. |