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BURMA RELATED NEWS - October
03, 2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Singapore confirms Ne Win visit but
counters death rumours
Kyodo News - Former Myanmar leader Ne Win in
Singapore after heart attack
Reuters - U.N. sees some progress in Myanmar but
wants more
BBC - Royal Navy's 'wrong flag'
greeting
The Star(Penang) - One-stop syndicate
smashed
Bkk Post - Friendship group plans trip to Burma
next Tuesday
Bkk Post - Burma and Malaysia forge closer
relations
The Nation - Fewer immigrants than expected sign
up to work
Irrawaddy - Is Ne Win Dead?
Irrawaddy - Shan Festival Held in Chiang
Mai
Irrawaddy - Homeowners Arrested in
Moulmein
Mizzima - Need for preserving elephants, forests
and paddy fields in Indo-Burma border
NMG - Chin welcomes the Dialogue but doubts on
no result yet
BMA - International Network for Press Freedom
Launched
BMA - Rumor of Former Dictator Death Whirled
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday October 3, 4:35 PM
Singapore confirms Ne Win visit but counters death rumours SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore
confirmed on Wednesday former Myanmar military leader Ne Win was in the city
state on a private visit but said it knew of nothing to substantiate rumours in
Yangon that the 91-year-old had died.
Ne Win, who ruled the reclusive country for more than 25 years, has
suffered strokes in the past and at times travelled secretly to Singapore for
medical treatment since relinquishing formal power in 1988.
"We understand that General Ne Win is currently in Singapore for a private
visit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not aware of his programme here," a
ministry spokesman told Reuters.
"Concerning the rumours that he has passed away, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs is aware of such rumours. We do not think it is true."
Talk of Ne Win's death circulated in Myanmar's capital on Wednesday, the
latest rumours in recent times that he had died.
A source close to Ne Win's family told Reuters from Yangon on Monday that
he "left for Singapore for medical treatment on September 29".
Myanmar's embassy in Singapore declined to confirm whether Ne Win was in
the city state. Singapore General Hospital said his family had requested that
his whereabouts be kept secret.
Ne Win, then army commander, seized power in a coup in 1962 and ruled the
country until 1988, when he relinquished the leadership of the Burma Socialist
Programme Party.
Under his system of a "Burmese Way to Socialism", the country went from one
of Asia's richest nations to one of the poorest.
Although he no longer had a formal political role, Ne Win is believed to
command influence among the current military rulers.
His last public appearance was in March, when he held a party at a Yangon
hotel and provided brunch for 99 monks.
Ne Win believes the number nine has mystical significance and in 1987
replaced Myanmar's banknotes with denominations which are multiples of nine,
such as 45-kyat and 90-kyat notes.
Former Myanmar leader Ne Win in
Singapore after heart attack
SINGAPORE, Oct. 3, Kyodo -
Former Myanmar military leader Ne Win was rushed to Singapore for medical
treatment last week after suffering a heart attack, informed sources said
Wednesday.
The 91-year-old general was in a serious condition when he checked in at a
Singapore hospital but has now recovered and is expected to return to Myanmar
soon, the sources told Kyodo News.
A Singapore Foreign Ministry spokesman only said that Ne Win is in
Singapore on a private visit.
''We know that he's in Singapore but it's more of a private visit. As to
his passing away, there are rumors, but we don't know whether they are true or
not,'' the spokesman said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday October 2, 11:38 PM
U.N. sees some progress in Myanmar but wants more By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - The United
Nations on Tuesday welcomed efforts by Myanmar's ruling military to improve
human rights in the country, but repeated calls for the release of all political
prisoners.
A report written by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the special rapporteur of the
commission for human rights, also said more needed to be done for national
reconciliation.
"There have been some 'positive signals'...indicating the Government's
efforts to make progress," a U.N. press release said quoting Pinheiro.
"Those efforts include the dissemination of human rights standards for
public officials, progress by the governmental Committee on Human Rights and
releases of political detainees," it added.
But the statement went on to say Pinheiro had repeated calls for the
release of political detainees and for more to be done for ethnic minorities and
other vulnerable groups.
"With a sizeable number of political prisoners still in detention...the
special rapporteur stresses again that only the full release of such individuals
will pave the way to national reconciliation."
Pinheiro's report covered the situation in Myanmar from January up to
mid-August this year having paid his first official visit to the country in
April. He was appointed U.N. Special Rapporteur in February.
Rocky relations between the military and Aung San Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy (NLD) appear to have improved slightly over the last year as the
two sides continue landmark political talks, although many obstacles remain.
Suu Kyi's NLD won Myanmar's last election in 1990 by a landslide but it has
never been allowed to govern while her party members have been detained and
harassed by the military.
The military government says it has released around 170 members of the NLD,
but Amnesty International says there are 1,500 political detainees in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has been under de facto
house arrest for more than a year. Last week her party demanded their leader's
immediate and unconditional release.
The party also reaffirmed the mandate of Suu Kyi and NLD Chairman Aung Shwe
to carry on their duties in working for the emergence of democracy in
Myanmar.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Wednesday, 3 October, 2001,
09:49 GMT 10:49 UK
Royal Navy's 'wrong flag' greeting The Royal Navy accidentally greeted a Chinese admiral with the flag of
Taiwan, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.
Sailors on board HMS Ark Royal had intended to welcome Rear Admiral Wu Fuchun on board with the Chinese red ensign. The commander of China's East Coast Fleet was leading a goodwill visit to
Portsmouth but was greeted with the Taiwanese red flag, which is emblazoned with
a white sun on a blue background.
The error on board the Navy's flagship was soon noticed by British
personnel and the flag was immediately hoisted down, an MoD spokeswoman said.
Taiwan broke away from Chinese control more than 50 years ago.
The commanding officer of HMS Ark Royal has written a letter of apology to
Admiral Wu Fuchun, which has been accepted.
The MoD spokeswoman said: "We believe that the Chinese have accepted that
this was simply an administrative error.
"The incident has not affected the goodwill and good relationships
generated by the visit and nobody will face disciplinary action over the
matter."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Star (Penang)
Tuesday, October 2, 2001 One-stop syndicate smashed PENANG: A syndicate specialising in providing a ‘one-stop’ service for
forged documents, including tampered passports of four countries, has been
crippled by the state Immigration Department.
It was crippled following the arrest of 11 foreigners, including three
women, who were active in the northern region. The mastermind, however, has yet
to be identified.
State Immigration director Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz said yesterday among the
items seized were 20 Myanmar passports, 10 Thailand passports, three Indonesia
passports and a Bangladesh and Nepal passport each.
“Those detained claimed that they did not know the person. But, we believe
he could be among them or even a Malaysian,’’ he told a press conference.
Mohd Zamberi said the syndicate was charging between RM1,500 and RM3,000 to
supply the forged documents in a package deal.
“They supply forged passports for foreigners to enter the country and then
provide other forged documents, including working permits as well as entry and
exit chops.
“They are particularly active during Hari Raya Aidilfitri when many
Indonesians return to their country,’’ he said.
He said a team headed by enforcement chief Bardril Mohd Yusof detained four
Myanmar men and an Indonesian woman in a house at Jalan P Ramlee on Sept 24 and
seized the forged Immigration items in a room.
Among them were 109 chops – 43 Malaysia, 41 Myanmar, 13 Thailand, four
Bangladesh, two Indonesia and six Singapore – 16 forged Malaysian working
passes, three Thailand visas, 10 Malaysian foreign worker identity cards and a
Fomema card.
Bardril said the department obtained information on the syndicate when they
detained three Indonesian men at the Swettenham Pier on Sept 21 and arrested a
Myanmar man and two Indonesian women at a house in Taman Tun Hussain, Seberang
Jaya about 12 hours later.
Bardril said the group would be charged under Section 55 of the Immigration
Act 1959/1963 for making forged documents. If convicted, they could be fined up
to RM3,000 and jailedbetween five and 10 years and also receive up to six
strokes of the rotan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 03,
2001.
Friendship group plans trip to Burma next Tuesday Sa-nguan Khumrungroj A Thai-Burmese friendship group will visit Burma next Tuesday to promote
business and cultural ties.
Gen Sanan Kajornklam, secretary-general of the Thai-Burmese Cultural and
Economic Co-operation Association, said the three-day trip was to promote
cultural exchange and enhance trade, fishery and tourism ties in talks with
their Burmese counterparts, led by Kyaw Than, Burma's former air force
commander-in-chief.
The group expects to meet Burmese ministers in charge of trade, industry,
culture, and hotel and tourism, as well as Brig-Gen David Abel, minister
attached to the Office of the Chairman of the State Peace and Development
Council.
The two countries would hold a trade fair at the Burmese border town of
Tachilek, opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, next January, Gen Sanan
said.
The visit by the 19-strong group will be the first organised by the
association, which was set up to promote bilateral ties between Thailand and
Burma.
The association's president is Pat Akkanibutr, a retired general.
Most of its 120 members are close to the New Aspiration party of Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh, the defence minister. Gen Sanan is secretary to the defence
minister's advisory group. Gen Sanan yesterday quoted Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, first
secretary of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, as telling the
Burmese media that such friendship associations provided a channel for the
private sectors of the two countries to boost understanding and cultural
ties.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 03,
2001.
Burma and Malaysia forge closer relations Mahathir Mohamad has been a strong defender of the Burmese junta, and now Rangoon is looking at KL as a political model. LARRY JAGAN Burmese military leader General Than Shwe and his country's intelligence
chief, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, have just returned from a three-day
official visit to Malaysia where politics and economics were top of the
agenda.
Although ostensibly in reciprocation of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad's visit to Rangoon in January, the trip was much more important than
that, particularly as it came at a crucial time in the Burmese junta's talks
with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi _ when a breakthrough is becoming more
and more possible.
Burma's generals are increasingly turning to Malaysia for advice: both on
politics and economics. Dr Mahathir has proved to be a trusted ally. Whenever
Burma is criticised internationally, Dr Mahathir leaps to the defence of the
generals.
And politics was certainly high on the agenda in Kuala Lumpur. After
briefing Dr Mahathir, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Alber told
journalists that Burma should be allowed to introduce democratic change at its
own pace, free from international pressure.
This has been Dr Mahathir's position all along. The Malaysian prime
minister, according to senior foreign ministry officials, has always backed the
Burmese leaders publicly while urging them in private to accommodate opposition
leader Suu Kyi and introduce democratic reform.
Diplomats in Rangoon believe it was Dr Mahathir's intervention behind the
scenes last year that led to Rangoon starting the dialogue process in the first
place. The United Nations envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail of Malaysia, who has
acted as a facilitator for the talks, is known to be close to Dr Mahathir and
has his full backing.
Observers believe Mr Razali's periodic trips to Rangoon have helped the
talks move forward. Government officials in Kuala Lumpur said Dr Mahathir urged
Gen Than Shwe in Kuala Lumpur to allow the UN envoy to make more frequent visits
to help build up the momentum for democratic change.
Dr Mahathir has made no secret that he feels Burma must be allowed to adopt
political change in its own way and that constant international criticism is
harmful to that process. He also has said that the junta should introduce
political reforms appropriate to Burmese conditions and not slavishly adopt a
western model of democracy.
Burma's generals are looking for political models to adopt as they begin to
grapple with what sort of political change is acceptable. Indonesia's
constitution was once regarded as the model, but when former president Suharto
was thrown from power three years ago, Burma's generals began to look
elsewhere.
Dr Mahathir has promised Burma's military rulers all the help he can give
them, and has suggested that his United Malaysian National Organisation
political machine may provide a useful model. There is no doubt that Burma's
senior leaders took the opportunity of learning how Umno works in practice and
how the organisation has ensured political stability in the country.
But economics more than politics was the chief concern of the Burmese
leaders while they were in Malaysia. Government officials said improving
economic ties with Burma was a key priority of the Dr Mahathir's government.
That's something the Burmese were also anxious to emphasise.
Gen Than Shwe spent much of his trip exploring ways of boosting bilateral
trade and investment, especially in the fishing, manufacturing, petroleum and
tourism sectors.
He visited the Multi-media Super Corridor _ Malaysia's equivalent to
California's Silicon Valley _ in Putrajaya just outside Kuala Lumpur as well as
the country's premier island resort Langkawi.
The two countries signed memorandums of understanding on tourism and
information exchange. But more crucially, they discussed ways of increasing
bilateral trade. A senior Malaysian official said that during their talks the
two countries agreed it was necessary to boost trade across the Southeast Asian
region to counter the likely downturn in the US economy following the Sept 11
attacks on New York and Washington.
The Malaysian foreign minister said after the talks that Burma and Malaysia
were exploring ways in which a form of barter trade could be conducted, rather
than constantly using foreign exchange for bilateral trade.
After all, Burma has very limited foreign reserves and is keen to conduct
trade on a more informal basis. That is how much of the trade with China is
conducted. Thailand and Burma also are currently looking at how trade might be
conducted on that basis _ at least border trade. The two trade ministers
discussed this several months ago and, according to Thai government officials,
are close to reaching agreement after the recent visit by Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt to
Bangkok.
Trade between Burma and Malaysia is worth around $200 million (893 million
baht) _ in Malaysia's favour. At present Malaysia is Burma's third largest
investor, with nearly $600 million (26.8 billion baht) invested in
manufacturing, oil and gas, tourism and real estate. The Malaysian government
expects investment in Burma to increase significantly in the near future.
Gen Than Shwe appealed to Malaysian businessmen to relocate their labour
intensive industries to Burma to make use of the cheap labour. This is
reminiscent of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's plans to relocate some of
Thailand's industries across the border.
Construction and tourism are the areas most likely to be targetted by new
Malaysia investment, according to analysts. Sources in Kuala Lumpur say the two
countries are discussing ways to co-operate further in the field of tourism.
That is probably why Gen Than Shwe and his delegation visited Dr Mahathir's pet
project, the tourist resort of Langkawi _ which lies just south of Burma in the
Andaman sea. The Malaysian government is interested in linking the two areas
into a major tourist development project.
But Malaysian involvement in Burma's timber industry is already beginning
to raise concerns amongst environmental groups. There has been heavy investment
by Chinese Malaysians in the logging industry in Kachin state; the timber is
then exported to China. Recent visitors to the area say trees are being felled
at an alarming rate, fuelling fears that there will lasting ecological damage to
the region.
Larry Jagan is the BBC's regional editor for the Asia-Pacific
Region. He is currently based in Bangkok.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Fewer immigrants than expected sign up to work Published on Oct 3, 2001 A total of 136,319 illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries have
registered as unskilled labourers under a recently introduced leniency programme
that allows them to work in the Kingdom, the Labour Ministry announced
yesterday.
Phusak Thamsal, deputy director-general of the Employment Department, said
the workers had been registered between September 24 and October 1.
The ministry collected a total of Bt443 million in registration fees.
He said the number of newly registered foreign workers comprised 111,693
Burmese, 12,208 Laotians and 12,418 Cambodians.
Phusak said the Labour Ministry had originally expected up to 500,000
illegal immigrants to register under the scheme, but that he now expected the
figure to be much lower.
The registration programme will continue through October 13.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy online - October 03,
2001.
Is Ne Win Dead? By Irrawaddy Staff Writers October 3, 2001--Is Ne Win really dead? No, not yet. Maybe. But as often
happens, the aging strongman’s demise is frequently rumored to be imminent.
According to a source inside Ne Win’s family the former dictator has been
admitted to Singapore General Hospital but is still alive. Since yesterday,
however, news of Ne Win’s "death" has been spreading throughout the Burmese
dissident community living in exile.
Burmese Embassy officials in Singapore also dismissed the news of Ne Win’s
death, and told The Irrawaddy, "it is only rumor." Embassies in Rangoon were not
even aware that a rumor was circulating regarding the former dictator’s
death.
Some Burmese political analysts and former close aides of Ne Win strongly
believe that Ne Win is still influential in Burmese politics and hope that his
eventual death will have strong political implications.
In May of this year, Ne Win surprised everyone by appearing at the Sedona
Hotel in Rangoon to celebrate his 90th birthday. His favorite daughter, Sandar
Win, and some old military friends accompanied Ne Win to the ceremony. Those in
attendance included Sein Lwin, known as the "Butcher of Rangoon" for his role in
the 1988 massacres, Aye Ko and Myo Nyunt. No current military leaders attended
the ceremony.
Ironically, his re-appearance in May coincided with yet another rumor that
the dictator had finally died.
"Ne Win has died so many times but only in the news," quipped a journalist
in Rangoon. The journalist also said that news about the death of Ne Win if
invented or spread by the opposition in exile would be counterproductive and
could lose its credibility.
"I first wrote Ne Win’s obituary in 1984," said Bertil Linter an authority
on Burmese politics.
Ne Win, originally named Shu Maung, was born in 1911 and was one of the
famous "30 Comrades" who liberated Burma from British control during WWII with
the aid of the Japanese.
Ne Win officially came to power in a 1962 coup and formally stepped down in
July of 1988 amid nation-wide protests calling for an end to his 26-years of
military rule. A period that drove Burma into extreme conditions of
poverty.
While visiting Singapore in the past, Ne Win often met senior minister Lee
Kwan Yew who later wrote in his book: "He (Ne Win) talked about his peace and
serenity of mind through his practice of meditation. For two years after he
withdrew from the government in 1988, he had been in torment, fretting and
worrying about what was going on in the country. Then in 1990 he began to get
interested in and practice meditation. He was spending many hours each day in
silent meditation. He certainly looked much better than the sickly person I had
met in Rangoon in 1986."
Perhaps all that meditation is what is keeping the "old man" alive.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy online - October 03,
2001.
Shan Festival Held in Chiang Mai By Ko Thet October 3, 2001—The annual Shan Pai-Awk-War (lightning) festival was held
in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai and ended yesterday after five days of
celebration. The festival was held at the Pa Pao monastery and was attended by
thousands of Shan people who live in and around Chiang Mai.
The festival was divided into two parts. The first three days were used as
a way to raise money to repair the Buddhist ordination hall at the monastery.
The traditional lightning festival was held following the fund-raising drive.
Throughout the fund raising drive, Saing Sai Mok, a popular Shan singer,
entertained the crowd. Traditional Shan foods and books were also available.
"We would rather have this festival in Burma but we are happy to
participate in the festival regardless of where it is held," said a festival
goer.
Pa Pao monastery is the only Shan monastery in Chiang Mai and was built by
a Shan prince over two hundred years ago. Most traditional Shan ceremonies and
festivals in Chiang Mai are held at the Pa Pao monastery.
"The purpose of having the festival in this monastery is to pass on our
traditional culture to the next generation," said a monk from the Pa Pao
monastery. "This is not only a festival but also a place for Shan people to
visit with their relatives and friends," the monk added.
Due to the ongoing civil war being fought in Burma hundreds of thousands of
Shan have sought refuge in northern Thailand.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy online - October 03,
2001.
Homeowners Arrested in Moulmein By Maung Maung Oo October 3, 2001—Seventy-one homeowners were arrested last week in the Mon
State capital of Moulmein for refusing to donate 5,000 kyat to the township’s
electricity-distribution program, according to a source in Moulmein.
The chairman of the district-level Peace and Development Council issued the
arrest warrant for the seventy-one people on September 25th and charged them
under 5(j) of the Emergency Provision Act, a charged usually enacted against
democracy supporters. According to the source, those arrested have been given
two options, either pay a 10,000 kyat fine or face a three-year prison sentence.
In June of this year township-level authorities asked homeowners living in
the Zay Cho and Thiri Myaing neighborhoods of Moulmein to contribute 5,000 kyat
each to help set up an electricity-distribution program. At that time every
homeowner cooperated and made the necessary contribution. The money was to be
used to purchase ten generators to help produce electricity during blackouts.
But when township authorities returned on September 20th and again asked
the residents to donate 5,000 kyat in order to install lampposts, the residents
declined. According to the source the residents told the authorities that they
were not interested in participating in the township’s electricity-distribution
program.
In Burma due to serious electricity shortages many cities and towns are
trying to set up township run electricity-distribution programs and these
programs depend on community contributions. Township authorities often require
citizens to contribute to community and district level infrastructure
projects.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need for preserving elephants, forests
and paddy fields in Indo-Burma border
By our correspondent Mizzima News Guwahati, Oct. 3: Destruction caused by elephants is a major problem in the
North East region of India. As the forest coverage in the region is shrinking,
several species are now on the brink of extinction. The region was once famous
for its pachyderms roaming undulating hills but now, due to the destruction of
forest areas, elephants have started loosing their natural habitat. This
loss causes the elephants to move into and wreak havoc in local paddy fields in
their search for food. During the last couple of years over 200 people
were killed by the pachyderms in various places of the region.
As villagers had seen enough of the perennial problems caused by elephants
and of the lack of concerted efforts on the part of the authorities concerned,
ten elephants of the famous Nameri national park and the Pakhoi game sanctuary
adjacent to the Indo Myanmar border were killed in mid-September.
In view of the increasing death toll on pachyderms, the Assam forest
department handed over the matter to the Assam Veterinary College to ascertain
the facts prior to taking action. Initially, the absence of fresh carcasses of
elephants in the region prevented college authorities from arriving at
substantive conclusions. Collecting samples of highly decomposed carcasses and
submitting them to laboratory tests, however, it was possible to detect
quantities of organophosphorous, a pesticide traded under the name Dimecron.
Dr. Apurva Chakravorty, member of the investigating team of the veterinary
college, stated that the substance's residual effect proves highly toxic for the
animals. Asked how the pachyderms came into contact with the pesticide, Dr.
Chakravorty conjectured: "Elephants have a strong affinity for liquor.
Taking advantage of this affinity, they were given the poisonous pesticide
diluted with home-made liquor, Chulai".
Despite a ban on the pesticide due to its toxicity, farmers often use it in
their paddy fields. The pesticide poisoning cases have spurred the forest
department into action. Though several foreign agencies have come forward to
stop the depredation caused by elephants, no permanent solution has yet been
proposed. The Chief Conservator of Forest, Mr. S. Doley admitted that the
problem was grounded in the depletion of forest land. "We have lost valuable
elephant corridors along the Indo-Myanmar border during the past couple of years
which accounts for the fact that elephants are facing severe hardship in
attempting to find sufficient food", Mr Doley said. He also stated that the
department had decided to erect electric fencing along the border to stop
depredation. Despite Mr Doley's optimistic claim, it has become clear that the
project of erecting fencing is progressing at a snail's pace, leading to major
problems for the people residing nearby the national park.
It merits mentioning in this context that the total of four elephants
reserves in the region are in a dilapidated state due to the destruction of
their forest areas. Regarding this worrisome phenomenon, the Chief Conservator
of Forest expressed the worry that the depredation problem was bound to
aggravate further if urgent steps were not initiated in the very near
future.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Network Media Group
Chin welcomes the Dialogue but doubts on
no result yet
Chiang Mai, October 3, 2001
Chin National Front (CNF) hold fourth Central Committee Meeting from
September 3 to 25 and made an announcement on September 26 stating that CNF
welcomes the dialogue process but has doubts on sincerity of the Burmese
military regime as there has been no official result worked out yet.
CNF also welcomes the acceptance of military regime to high-level
delegation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) but also stated there
are still forced labor in the remote border regions, the statement mentioned.
The fourth Central Committee Meeting of CNF was held at the general
headquarters of CNF on Burma's western border from September 3 to 25. During
three weeks long meeting, two replacements in Central Committee was made.
The statement of the central committee of CNF asked military regime to
release all the political prisoners in Burma including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from
virtual house arrest.
Chin National Front is the ethnic Chin armed group fighting for ethnic
equality and democracy in Chin Land of Burma on Burma's western frontier since
1988.
CNF vowed to continue its struggle together with other resistance groups,
mentioned in the statement.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- International Network for Press
Freedom Launched
By Tin Maung Htoo Burma Media Association (BMA) October 2, 2001 Toronto-- Paris-based Reporter without Borders launches an International
Network for press freedom with nine media organizations, in which Burma Media
Association (BMA) becomes as a founding member of the Network, a step forward
for Burmese journalists to widen the scope of their efforts to bolster press
freedom in Burma.
"Nine national and regional organizations for the defense of press freedom
have decided to affiliate with Reporters Sans Frontières in an international
network of co-operation and mutual aid," said in the statement obtained by BMA
in recent days. Those nine media advocate organizations, according to the
statement, are from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Argentina, Bangladesh,
Burma, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine, and Tunisia.
In a message to BMA members around the world, the president of BMA Maung
Maung Myint said that, "the BMA has now become a member of RSF-Network, and
BMA's representative has been included as a member of the jury for
"RSF-Foundation de France Prize". "In future", he said, "BMA and RSF are
bound to closely cooperate each other in the matter of press freedom
movement."
In recent report, Reporters without Borders described Burma as a country
where the most journalists are detained in Asia and is campaigning for their
release. The latest effort was carried out yesterday, in which RSF collected
thousands of signatures asking the immediate release of detained Burmese
journalists and sent to the Burmese Embassy in Paris, RSF informed.
Mr. Vincent Brossel who oversees Asia - Pacific Desk of RFS said that "613
people signed for release of Sein Hla Oo, 168 for Myo Myint Nyein, 80 for Sein
Hlaing, 162 for Ohn Kyaing and 566 for Win Tin." San San Nweh, a prominent
female journalist released from prison last month, was the focal point of its
recent campaign after awarding RSF-Foundation de
French Prize in 1999. Further, RFS extended its support for the nomination of another detained
journalist Myo Myint Nyein by Burma Media Association for International Press
Freedom Award of Canadian Journalists for Free _expression_ (CJFE), and his
selection for the award was reported in recent days.
In addition to the recent created Network that armed with nine regional and
national press freedom advocate groups, Reporters Sans Frontières has nine
national sections in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy,
Sweden and Switzerland, and four bureaus in Abidjan, Bangkok, Tokyo and
Washington.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rumor of Former Dictator Death
Whirled
By Tin Maung Htoo Burma Media Association (BMA) October 2, 2001 Toronto-- The growing news of the death of the former Burmese dictator Ne
Win in Singapore is now widely catching most of the Burma activists's attention
in exile despite such pressing news is not able to justify so far. The news is
spreading out a day after he was admitted in hospital in Singapore.
A source says, "Ne Win has died today in a Singapore hospital", asserting
that news could be "80% true". A recent report from Singapore indicated that he
had arrived in Singapore for a medical treatment, citing his family but not
mentioning his health condition. The 91-year-old strongman is reported to have
suffered strokes many times in his lifetime and occasionally visited to
Singapore for medical treatment in past decades.
However, another source citing medical sources says that U Ne Win had a
heart operation and had pacemaker put in. "This is supposed to have come from a
member of the team that carried out the operation. The doctor could be lying
since he would be afraid to tell the truth," a well-informed prominent Burmese
opposition figure added.
Another American Burma activist and long-time Burma observer cautiously
responded to the news, saying, "he's died at least once a year for the past 30
years," but said "one time it will be true." But most Burmese activists are
saying that, regardless of this time is true or not, this is the right time for
him to go as his fate, prevailing astrology and prestige has been waned
down.
Ne Win had ruled the country for 26 years with an iron hand and ended up with an historic student-led uprising in 1988. However, most observers believe that he has been sitting behind the curtain for the existence military power in Burma as paving the way for his pocket army to take state power by cracking down nation-wide Democracy movement in September 1988. He was born in 1911 in Paungde and finished high school education before
becoming a postal office clerk. He later joined into Independent Movement
from British and then became a prominent member of "Thirty Comrades."
After gaining independent and subsequent events of civil war with Communists and
some ethnic rebels, he was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Burmese army.
On one hand, he is widely known as an author in taking over power from U
Nu's government in 1958 under the name of Caretaker government and then handed
over power to the elected party in the elections after two years. In 1962, he
took over power again and finally abolished 16 years-old parliamentary democracy
system and since then ruled the country with
one-party-rule system under the context of Socialism until 1988. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |