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BURMA RELATED NEWS - October
15, 2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asia Pulse - Myanmar to Host Seventh Mekong
Tourism Forum: April 4-6
BBC - Burmese opposition criticises UN
envoy
TOI - Myanmar to keep fuel
subsidies
Yahoo Daily News - U.Va. endowment sells shares
tied to Burma
Bkk Post - Pongpol
wants Mae Sot-Rangoon air link
Bkk Post - Asean must adopt anti-terror steps
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Earns 9.5 Mln Dollars From
Gems Sale
Irrawaddy online - Junta Hunting Down Muslim Extremists
Mizzima - George Fernandes returns to the
Cabinet
NMG - International aids and assistance
should wait for Burma
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday October 15, 3:44 PM
Diary - Myanmar to Host Seventh Mekong Tourism Forum: April 4-6 RANGOON, Oct 15 Asia Pulse -
The Pacific Asia Travel Association will hold the Seventh Mekong Tourism Forum
in Yangon, Myanmar form April 4-6, 2002, just prior to the PATA Travel Mart in
Singapore, April 9-12, 2002.
National tourism offices, media and industry representatives from Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China will meet to discuss key issues of
branding, marketing and mutual cooperation within the Greater Mekong
sub-region.
Panellists will also discuss investment, human resources and how to
eradicate child sex in tourism.
Breakout sessions will focus on online marketing, positioning and selling
destinations to long-haul buyers, the role of airlines in tourism, and the
importance of airports in destination development.
For the first time, the forum will offer an opportunity to Mekong
sub-region sellers to showcase their products and services in the New Products
Launching Session which will coincide with the Buyers and Sellers Business
Session, where trade can be conducted.
Complimentary post-forum tours will be offered to all delegates by Myanmar
Tours and Travel and the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the Pacific Asia Travel
Association said in a press statement.
"We are excited to have Yangon as the forum venue for the first time. The
country's range of cultural attractions are truly breathtaking," said Ms Malinee
Kitapanich, PATA director for Southeast Asia.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Monday, 15 October, 2001, 11:08
GMT 12:08 UK
Burmese opposition criticises UN envoy In Burma, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has criticised
the visiting United Nations human rights envoy, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.
An NLD spokesman, U Lwin, told the BBC that Mr Pinheiro was not spending
enough time consulting local communities.
He said Mr Pinheiro's schedule compared unfavourably with those of previous
UN officials, who had spent more time talking to prisoners, opposition activists
and ethnic minorities.
U Lwin said that a meeting with the central leadership of the NLD planned
for Friday had been cancelled.
It is not known whether Mr Pinheiro's scheduled meeting with the opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi went ahead. Mr Pinheiro is now visiting the northern
Shan state.
The Burmese authorities released five NLD prisoners on the day he arrived
in the country.
After his first visit in April, Mr Pinheiro said there was room for
cautious optimism about events currently unfolding in Burma.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Times of India
October 15, 2001. Myanmar to keep fuel subsidies YANGON: Myanmar's military government has pledged to maintain its
subsidised gasoline and diesel allocations to the public, without raising
prices, despite a chronic fuel shortage, a report said Sunday.
The Myanmar junta distributes 7.5 million gallons of gasoline and up to 19
million gallons of diesel every month at subsidised prices, Energy Minister
Brigadier-General Lun Thi told the Myanmar Times.
The regime has to import more than five million tonnes of crude oil
annually to meet this quota, he said.
"We have no intention of further reducing the present quota or raising the
official price of 180 kyats (36 US cents) per gallon for gasoline and 160 kyats
(32 US cents) for diesel," Lun Thi said.
Last April the energy ministry cut daily fuel quotas from three gallons to
two for taxis and private cars. Rumors have abounded since then that another
reduction was in the offing.
On the open market, gasoline costs around 950 kyats (1.90 dollars) per
gallon and diesel, used mostly for public transport, more than 1,000 kyats (two
dollars).
Taxi drivers say the two-gallon allocation does not meet their
needs.
One told AFP that he had to supplement his allocation with another two gallons bought on the open market. "I don't know about the private cars, but taxis have to ply almost the
whole day and two gallons are hardly sufficient to keep my taxi running," he
said.
The huge gap between the official and open market prices of gasoline and
diesel has resulted in private car owners selling the fuel they don't use at
hefty profits.
Private cars line up daily at government outlets to buy their two gallons
of fuel, half of which many of them hawk on the open market.
Some have even invested in a cheap extra car for the sole purpose of
collecting the official daily quota, observers claim.
According to official estimates, there are more than 300,000 cars in the
Myanmar capital alone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo Daily News
Monday October 15 07:44 AM EDT
U.Va. endowment sells shares tied to Burma A money manager for the University of Virginia's endowment has sold the
school's shares in an energy company with ties to the Burmese
military.
Alice W. Handy, the president of U.Va.'s Investment Management Co., wrote a
letter to the student council president stating that the group had sold 50,000
shares of Unocal Corp. held by the university. The letter was released
Friday.
Students have been urging the sale for months because Burmese soldiers
hired to provide security for a construction project by a consortium that
includes Unocal have been linked to human rights violations.
"As is our normal mode of operation, this was an investment decision made
by our manager based on his assessment of Unocal's prospects," Handy wrote in
the letter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 15,
2001.
Pongpol wants Mae Sot-Rangoon air link
Supamart Kasem
Deputy Prime Minister Pongpol Adireksarn wants a direct air link between
Mae Sot and Rangoon, saying it would help boost trade.
He made the suggestion during a visit to Myawaddy.
Mr Pongpol said he would raise the issue with the Transport Ministry and
suggest they forward a proposal to cabinet for consideration.
If there was no objection, officials would be sent for talks with Burmese
authorities. Mr Pongpol yesterday led a delegation to meet Lt-Col Kyaw Soe,
chairman of the Myawaddy Township Peace and Development Council, and Burmese
senior officials in Myawaddy, opposite Tak's Mae Sot district, for talks on
transportation and trade co-operation.
Mr Pongpol has also proposed joint investment in making rubber-wood
furniture. Thailand exported 200 billion baht of rubber-wood furniture last
year. Lt-Col Kyaw Soe said he would forward the air-link proposal to Rangoon for
consideration.
He also expressed interest in the joint investment, saying there were many
rubber plantations in Burma's Karen state.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 15,
2001.
EDITORIAL - Asean must adopt
anti-terror steps
The weekend visit to Manila by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra could
prove pivotal, and inject both urgency and backbone into the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations. That would benefit Asean as a group, and all of its
members. The reaction of our region to the terrorist attacks of Sept 11 has been
disorganised, disputatious and discouraging. Asean and its members must adapt to
a changed world. If not, economies and national security are at risk.
Mr Thaksin and Philippines President Gloria Arroyo discussed and agreed to
take a common stand on terrorism. This has been a major concern of the
Philippines leader. She was the first, and strongest, Asean leader to speak of
the need for action after Sept 11. With a bigger Muslim population _ and far
bigger separatist problem _ than Thailand, she chose to back America to the
hilt, including offering airbases and troops. More to the point, she has called
repeatedly over the past month for Asean action against terrorists and future
terrorist threats.
These calls have been subverted repeatedly by Malaysia and Indonesia. These
co-founders of Asean have approached the terrorist threat and changed world in a
curious manner. When Asean interior ministers called last week for an urgent,
special ministerial meeting on terrorism, Malaysia quickly offered to host the
meeting _ next April. When Mrs Arroyo suggested that Asean leaders should meet
on the sidelines of this weekend's Apec summit in Shanghai to discuss terrorism,
neither Jakarta nor Kuala Lumpur was interested. When Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai called for a meeting of Asean foreign ministers, Malaysia and
Indonesia said, in effect, perhaps later.
Only Singapore has joined the Philippines to call for an urgent policy
meeting. The stand of Thailand became critical, and it was fortuitous Mr Thaksin
had a previously scheduled trip to Manila. Mrs Arroyo buttonholed the prime
minister and won strong statements on terrorism from him. They agreed Asean must
be more active against international terrorism. Co-operation in sharing
information, intelligence, training and border guards must be increased _ not in
theory, and not next year, but immediately.
Such steps are the minimum needed from Asean members. No one is calling for
cross-border military action. But it is harmful to the supposedly close and
co-operative nations of the region to consider that the Sept 11 attacks on
America, and the strikes in Afghanistan, are an aberration that will soon be
behind us. At first, Mr Thaksin tried to tell disbelieving Thais that the war
would not last very long. One hopes that his weekend talks with Mrs Arroyo have
disabused him of that.
Thailand must now adapt its security, the economy and relations with the
rest of the world _ first of all our Asean partners. Backing the war on terror
was an easy decision. Now it must decide how it will contribute. A crackdown on
money laundering will be stepped up, and our borders will be strengthened
against people trying to use Thailand as a base for any type of international
crime, terrorism included.
Asean has much to offer to defeat terrorism. Members can contribute to the
fight against terrorist groups as they are able. There are many in the region.
The Philippines has the Abu Sayyaf, Malaysia is plagued by Laskar Mujahideen.
The Laskar Jihad and Darul Islam of Indonesia have killed hundreds of people.
Thailand has several small groups with links to foreign violence _ Pulo, Barisan
and others _ who committed bombings as recently as last year. Thailand, the
Philippines and Singapore must start this weekend, in Shanghai, to try to
convince other Asean partners of the need for speed in the anti-terrorist
battles.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Earns 9.5 Mln Dollars From
Gems Sale
Xinhuanet 2001.10.15 10:32:25 YANGON, October 15 (Xinhuanet)
-- Myanmar fetched a total of 9.556 million U.S. dollars through sale of
locally-produced gems, jade, pearl and jewelry under tender and
competitive bidding systems at the country's 10th Mid-Year Gems Emporium
which ended here Sunday evening.
The eight-day state-sponsored gems emporium, which was introduced in
addition to the annual one and began on October 7, attracted 302 gem
merchants of 121 foreign companies from 13 countries and regions, mostly
from China, China's Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and Singapore, and 314 from
local companies.
However, the foreign exchange earning of this year's mid-year gems
emporium was 42.16 percent less than that gained in last year 's event, due to
the slowdown of the global economic growth rate and the September 11
terrorist attacks on the United States.
Myanmar, a well-known producer of jade, ruby and sapphire in the
world, has fetched over 330 million dollars from its 38 annual and nine mid-year
gems emporiums, according to official statistics.
Myanmar enacted the New Gemstone Law in September 1995, allowing
national entrepreneurs to mine, produce, transport and sell finished
gemstones and manufactured jewelry at home and abroad.
Since April 2000, the government has reportedly started mining of
gems and jade in joint venture with 10 private companies on profit sharing
basis.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy Online
Junta Hunting Down Muslim
Extremists By Maung Maung OoOctober 15, 2001—Burma’s Ministry of Home Affairs last week ordered all
police forces and intelligence units to discover the source of anti-American
pamphlets being circulated among the country’s Muslims, according to a reliable
source in Rangoon. The ministry also said that "serious action" should be taken
against those caught distributing the pamphlets, which attack the United States
for its recent airstrikes on Afghanistan.
The pamphlets have been distributed widely within Burma’s Muslim community,
which constitutes roughly 4% of the country’s population. They originally
appeared early last week in major urban centers of central Burma, including
Magwe, Taungoo, and Pyinmana, before spreading to the capital Rangoon a few days
later.
Sources have reported signs of Muslim unrest throughout central Burma since
the attacks on Afghanistan began last Monday. In Prome, located about 300 km
northwest of Rangoon, five people were believed to have been killed last week in
communal clashes between Muslims and non-Muslims, while many others were
reported injured, according to sources. Although the country’s military regime
has not reported the recent violence, sources in Prome said that a 6 p.m. to 6
a.m. curfew has been imposed, and all phone links to the city have been cut. The
unrest appears to have been brought under control, the sources added.
Earlier this year, a wave of anti-Muslim violence swept much of central
Burma, as well as areas of the northwestern part of the country bordering
Bangladesh. Information about these incidents was also suppressed in Burma’s
strictly controlled press.
According to sources, the recently circulated pamphlets accuse the United
States of unfairly blaming Muslims for a series of terrorist attacks on New York
and Washington on Sept 11. Echoing sentiments expressed throughout the Muslim
world, the pamphlets say that the US has offered no evidence to prove that Osama
bin Laden and the Taleban regime in Afghanistan were behind the attacks, which
claimed at least 6,000 lives. The pamphlets, believed to have been published by
an extremist Islamic group, also call on Burmese Muslims to join the global
jihad, or holy war, against America.
News of the events of Sept 11 has been subject to stringent censorship in
Burma, with the regime reportedly concerned about the risk of renewed communal
violence. Although the junta has denied reports published in Jane’s Defense
Weekly and the New York Times that there are terrorist cells linked to bin Laden
operating in Burma, mosques around the country have come under intense scrutiny
since Sept 11.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- George Fernandes returns to the
Cabinet
Mizzima News New Delhi, Oct. 15: Mr. George Fernandes, who is known for his support for
the Burmese pro-democracy movement, got his old job back today as he was
inducted into Cabinet as the defence minister in a Cabinet reshuffle this
afternoon.
The Samata Party leader Mr. Fernandes had resigned from the government "on
moral grounds" after a Tehelka exposé on corruption in defence deals seven
months ago. The defence portfolio was then given to External Affairs Minister
Jaswant Singh.
It is likely that strong protests will be heard from the opposition in the
coming days and weeks. The main opposition Congress Party and left parties
already made clear on Saturday that they oppose the reinduction of George
Fernandes into Cabinet as "the Venakatswami Commission probing Tehelka's
revelations has not cleared him".
In a startling revelation in March this year, the Internet news portal
alleged corruption in defence deals in high places. In video recordings,
presidents of two ruling political parties (Bharatiya Janata Party and Samata
Party) were shown receiving bribes from the Tehelka reporters who pretended to
be arms dealers. The Venkataswami Commission was set up by the government to
probe the allegations.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Network Media Group
International aids and assistance
should wait for Burma
Burmese Youth Party Convene 13th Anniversary
October 15, 2001
International aids and assistance should wait for Burma till the clear
picture of the dialogue process has seen, said Aung Moe Zaw, Chairman of the
Democratic Party for New Society on the interview for the party's 13th
anniversary on October 14 with Network Media Group.
Democratic Party for New Society, a youth party formed after 1988 uprising
convened its 13th anniversary yesterday and issued a statement.
DPNS urged all parties concerning on dialogue process to try to work harder
to get positive results on the dialogue. "Although Mr. Razali from United
Nations made several visits to Burma, UN even couldn't make any official report
on the dialogue," said Aung Moe Zaw.
In the statement of DPNS issued on the 13th anniversary of the formation of
the party, DPNS urged the Burmese military regime to release all the political
prisoners immediately and unconditionally and work harder for having a genuine
national dialogue with all concerned parties and individuals.
"Basically, people should let know the context of the dialogue or one party
could take advantage on the situation," also said Aung Moe Zaw.
The trust building talks between senior officials of the Burmese military
regime and Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi engaged since October,
2000 but there is no official announcement on the development has been released
from both sides and other concern
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