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BURMA RELATED NEWS - October
17, 2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Myanmar aims to cast off pariah image with
closer international ties
Reuters - UN envoy
cuts short Myanmar trip for health reasons
Asia Pulse - India's Ovl in Exploration Talks
With Korean, Indonesian Firms
Kyodo News - Myanmar youth devour religious
books amid hazy future
Kyodo News - Asian
cities forum opens in Tokyo
Bkk Post - Red Wa
strengthen town against attacks
Bkk Post - Registered
alien workers face travel curbs
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Striving to Overcome
Negative Impact on Economy: Leader
SHAN - Townspeople near projected bridge living
in fear
DVB - Authorities said restricting Muslims'
celebration of Prophet's birthday
Mizzima - Birthday celebration for imprisoned
Burma student leader planned
NMG - Two hundred prisoners replaced for 120
prisoners in hard labor camp
Irrawaddy online - Malaysia Issues Work
Permits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday October 17, 4:58 PM
Myanmar aims to cast off pariah image with closer international ties BANGKOK, Oct 17 (AFP) - Myanmar
will step up efforts to engage neighboring countries and the international
community in an attempt to dispel "jaundiced views" that have cast it as a
pariah state, the state media said Wednesday.
Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, the ruling junta's number-three leader, was
quoted as saying the regime would "cooperate more closely with our neighbors in
the political, economic and social fields".
"Just as emphasis is being given to bilateral relations, Myanmar will focus
on achieving solidarity with regional organisations ... (and) seek to be more
active in the international arena," he was quoted as saying.
The military intelligence chief was speaking to government officials at the
close of a course on diplomacy at Myanmar's foreign ministry.
Khin Nyunt said Myanmar had shown "genuine sincerity" in cooperating with
an International Labour Organisation (ILO) delegation that toured the country
last month to inspect government attempts at eradicating forced labour.
For the mission, the ILO insisted its four-member team of eminent jurists
be given total freedom to carry out its survey, and the junta promised to give
them unlimited access, even in the unstable border regions.
The ILO mission came after the Geneva-based organisation last year made an
unprecedented censure of Myanmar, and threatened to heap more sanctions on the
country if it failed to curb forced labour.
"We wish to demonstrate our genuine sincerity in cooperating with the ILO
and prove that accusations made by opposition groups, insurgents and expatriates
are unfounded," Khin Nyunt said.
The military intelligence chief said the world economy was set to
deteriorate further in light of the US-led war against terrorism, hitting small,
weak countries such as Myanmar particularly hard.
He added that military authorities would continue efforts to improve the
international community's "appreciation of Myanmar's objectives and policies,"
while diplomats should be "well acquainted" with policies of the state.
"At the same time as Myanmar enters the mainstream of international
activities and plays an increasingly active role, those who are responsible for
international relations must be highly qualified," he said.
One year ago this month, the junta embarked on historic talks with
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in their first official contacts since
Amid hopes that the dialogue is paving the way for democratic reforms, the
international community has muted its criticisms of Myanmar which for decades
has been roundly condemned for its poor human rights record.
Over the past year the capital Yangon has witnessed an unprecedented flurry
of diplomatic activity, with visits from the ILO, European Union, UN envoy
Razali Ismail and UN human rights rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- UN envoy cuts short Myanmar trip for
health reasons
YANGON, REUTERS, Oct. 17
- The U.N.'s human rights envoy to Myanmar is cutting short a visit to the
military-ruled country for health reasons, officials said on Wednesday.
They said Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the U.N.'s special rapporteur for human
rights in Myanmar, would return to his native Brazil. He arrived on October 9
and had been due to stay until Saturday.
''Mr Pinheiro is leaving Myanmar this evening,'' a United Nations official
told Reuters.
Pinheiro declined to comment on his visit when contacted by Reuters by
telephone.
''It's a bit premature to comment. I'm preparing a press communique,'' he
said. ''Our headquarters in Geneva will issue it today.''
Pinheiro, making his second visit to the country, met senior government
members before leaving for the Shan, Kachin and Mandalay areas of the country on
October 13.
The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), which won elections in
1990 by a landslide but has never been allowed to govern, criticised Pinheiro
for not doing enough on his current trip to investigate the human rights
situation.
''During this visit, he shouldn't have spent so much time with government
and other officials without investigating the basic human rights situation,''
NLD Secretary U Lwin told the BBC's Myanmar-language service.
U Lwin said Pinheiro had not met NLD leaders during his current
visit.
PARIAH STATE
Myanmar is regarded as a pariah state by much of the international
community because of its human rights record and its treatment of the NLD.
NLD Secretary-General Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace
Prize, has been held in de facto house arrest for more than a year.
The government began regular confidential meetings with Suu Kyi a year ago,
aimed at breaking the political deadlock.
The talks have not yielded any concrete political deal, but since they
began the government has been steadily releasing political detainees.
On the day Pinheiro arrived, five NLD prisoners were freed, bringing the
total number of releases since the talks began to 174.
Pinheiro first visited Myanmar in April after being appointed as special
envoy in February by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
A report written by Pinheiro and released by the U.N. earlier this month
welcomed efforts by Myanmar's ruling military to improve human rights in the
country, but repeated calls for the release of all political prisoners.
Amnesty International says there are more than 1,500 political detainees in
Myanmar.
Pinheiro's predecessor, Rajsoomer Lallah, was never allowed to visit
Myanmar, and in his final report last year he accused the military of torturing,
raping and executing civilians. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday October 17, 8:06 AM
India's Ovl in Exploration Talks With Korean, Indonesian Firms NEW DELHI, Oct 17 Asia Pulse -
ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas subsidiary of state-owned Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation (ONGC) (BSE:ONGC), is in talks with Korea's Daewoo International
Corp and Indonesia's Pertamina for investments in exploration blocks in
Myanmar.
Sources said OVL was in talks with Daewoo International to pick up a 30 per
cent stake in the Arakan offshore exploration block, near Myanmar's border with
Bangladesh.
The offshore A.1 Block in the Bengal basin is estimated to have eight
trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.
OVL is also in talks with Indonesia's state-run oil company Pertamina for
investing in two blocks (M1 & M2) in Moattama offshore, sources said, adding
"we have been seeking opportunities abroad as the domestic output of ONGC has
been falling because its main oil fields are declining."
The company is also negotiating for exploration blocks in Nepal, Russia,
Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Algeria, Libya and Venezuela.
In Iraq, OVL already has bagged Block No. 8, for which development would
begin shortly while it is finalising a draft agreement along with partners
Reliance and Algerian national oil company Sonatrach for another Iraqi oil and
gas field - Tuba.
For the Algerian oil Block 242, OVL has already signed Heads of Agreement
and a high-level team from the company would be visiting Sonatrach to make a
presentation this month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar youth devour religious books
amid hazy future
By Nattha Keenapan YANGON, Oct. 17, Kyodo - As the
sun rises behind the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar, hundreds of devoutly Buddhist
locals gather to pray and meditate.
Elsewhere in Yangon, the sound of prayer echoes in monasteries situated
along the capital's lush and clean roads.
Such daily scenes and the proliferation of Buddhist temples across Myanmar
make it clear why the country has been dubbed the ''Land of Pagodas.''
Over the centuries, Buddhism and monks have played important roles in
Myanmar and the country's rich Buddhist culture has been deeply absorbed into
the minds of the majority of its people.
It should thus come as no surprise that bestsellers in most of Yangon's
bookstores are religious books, though it may surprise some that most of the
buyers are youngsters.
Under the surface of Buddhist tranquillity, however, worries lurk in many
people's minds and their future is vague.
Myanmar has been ruled since 1962 by the military, which has refused to
hand over power to the victor of the 1990 general elections -- Aung San Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy -- which won 80% of parliamentary seats.
Universities and colleges have been closed down intermittently since 1962
due to periodic uprisings against the military regime, and for almost seven
years following a 1988 bloody uprising they were completely shut down.
Since reopening, they have been relocated to remote areas, and students
have been made to sign papers vowing they will not engage in dissident
activities.
While schools are back in session, hundreds of thousands of students have
slipped through the educational gap, failing to return to their studies.
The economy suffered severely under the 26 years of socialist mismanagement
and has yet to fully recover.
Prices of major consumer goods have soared 25 times since 1988. Foreign
investors have hesitated to come due to the government's inconsistent economic
and trade policies and Western sanctions imposed over the junta's alleged
violations of human rights.
''Everybody is going ahead, and we stand still. We still do not have
Internet access and other facilities. We are not being provided with enough
information,'' said a 25-year-old graduate student who asked not to be named for
fear of the authorities.
''Whenever we meet people from abroad, like young people in the same age
group, we can get depressed comparing our opportunities, our knowledge and
ourselves. We're so far behind and we cannot do anything about it,'' the student
said.
While youngsters in other troubled parts of the world may find respite from
their worries through entertainment in nightclubs and other fun, there are few
such diversions in Myanmar for those without means, a situation that has led
many youth to seek solace in religious books.
A 54-year-old Burmese Buddhist monk, Sayadaw U Jotika, has in recent years
become one of the most popular monks among Myanmar youth, with his books
becoming bestsellers in most local bookstores.
A 27-year-old civil servant, Zin Zin, not her real name, who grew up in a
devoutly good Buddhist family, said she started reading Jotika's books three
years ago and found them to be a source of healing for her stress and
frustration.
''It's true that the general situation in Myanmar makes me read this kind
of book, let alone our own personal problems,'' she said.
She said the books taught her to prepare and cope with stress and
depression in daily life, while they also taught her to pick up the habit of
being mindful and trying to understand her own mind and the imperfection of
herself and others.
''Stay calm. Wait. Be patient. Do whatever is possible at the moment.
Nothing lasts forever. Things will change, possibly for the better, if you stay
clear and calm,'' Jotika said in one of his books, following Buddha's teaching
that everything is impermanent, including life, and that one should be with the
present.
Zin Zin said Jotika's books are commonly given as presents.
''We buy them as presents for others and they spread around, like a
multiplier effect. Young people here find a better way to solve their problems
compared to youths in other countries who may go out to nightclubs. We can't
afford that. It's a different way of solving problems,'' she said.
Jotika, however, views himself as an ordinary person rather than a monk
although he has been ordained since the age of 27.
''I don't want people to just blindly follow my idea or my discussion
because I don't think of myself as a preacher. I'm just a human being,'' he
said.
''I understand that what most people feel and look for is what I've felt
and been looking for all my life. What people really want is courage, confidence
and spiritual strength, not money or fame,'' he said.
Jotika agreed that youth these days are facing difficulties with their own
stress and social problems linked together. He urges his readers to try to
understand the problems and find good solutions to heal society.
''I don't encourage anyone to be violent. It will give a negative answer
and cause more problems. We need a strong, peaceful and loving mind with deep
understanding and real courage to take responsibility and to find solutions for
social problems,'' he said.
''Don't act with anger, calm down,'' Jotika told a group of lay disciples
who sought his advice.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asian cities forum opens in
Tokyo
TOKYO, Oct. 17, Kyodo - A
two-day forum to discuss common problems facing 12 big cities in Asia started
Wednesday at the Tokyo metropolitan government building in Tokyo's Shinjuku
Ward.
The Asian Network of Major Cities 21 forum was proposed by Tokyo Gov.
Shintaro Ishihara in August last year and backed by the chiefs of Kuala Lumpur,
Seoul and Delhi, the administrative district including New Delhi.
It covers 12 cities that have expressed interest in taking part -- Bangkok,
Beijing, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei,
Tokyo and Yangon. Bangkok, however, is not represented at the forum this time.
Beijing and Taipei have sent their deputy mayors.
The forum decided to take up on antiterrorism measures as one of the issues
to be discussed in the wake of Sept. 11 attack on the United States.
Other issues to be discussed include joint development of new technologies
and new products, including small and medium-sized jetliners, and environmental
protection measures for cities.
Education using the Internet and an Asian theatrical arts festival will
also be taken up at the forum, organizers said.
The delegates are expected to adopt a joint declaration Thursday after
discussing the issues.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 17,
2001.
Red Wa strengthen town against attacks
Wassana Nanuam
The Red Wa-controlled Mong Yawn town in Burma has been fortified against
anticipated air attacks on drug factories, an army intelligence source
said.
The United Wa State Army has installed Chinese-made anti-aircraft guns and
started building a fence and forts around the border town last month, the source
said.
The town's defence system was specially designed to cope with air attacks
amid fears the Thai military would step up drug suppression efforts against the
Red Wa.
The source said the Red Wa was expected to produce up to one billion speed
pills next year despite the Rangoon government's policy to rid Burma of drugs in
five years.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - October 18,
2001.
Registered alien workers face travel
curbs
Penchan Charoensuthiphan
Travel restrictions will be imposed on unskilled alien workers who have
been registered with labour authorities.
Paisarn Pritiporn, secretary of the alien labour committee of the Labour
and Social Welfare Ministry, said officials agreed yesterday alien workers must
stay in the provinces where they were registered to ensure effective
control.
Employers would be required to report their alien staff to authorities
regularly to prove they stay within their provinces.
Travel out of the province would need the approval of the governor.
They would, however, be allowed to move to other provinces in emergencies,
such as being taken to hospital.
The ministry would also share its alien labour registration database with
police and the military through an online system, Mr Paisarn said.
The ministry would move to repatriate alien workers who have not been
registered. Officials were co-ordinating the repatriation with the countries of
origin of illegal alien workers.
Irawat Chantaraprasert, labour permanent secretary, said most alien workers
should have been registered by now.
Employers could still apply directly to him, and he would consider their
requests and reasons on a case-by-case basis, he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Striving to Overcome
Negative Impact on Economy: Leader
Xinhuanet 2001.10.17 12:45:20 YANGON, October 17, Xinhuanet,-- Myanmar is striving to overcome
the negative impact on its economy arising out of the adverse effects on
world economy due to vast transformation taking place in the world, said
Myanmar's top leader on Tuesday.
"There is no doubt that this situation will have a negative impact on
small countries like ours that are not economically strong, " noted Khin
Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council,
at a graduation ceremony of officers in diplomacy course conducted by the
foreign ministry, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported
Wednesday.
He predicted that the world economic situation will deteriorate even
further, saying that the condition is likely to last for some time.
He warned that the adverse trends are bound to have negative impacts
to certain extent on the regional economic situation, especially the
Southeast Asia region which is just beginning to see hopeful signs of
recovery from the 1997 financial crisis.
In such a situation, he said, Myanmar is making its utmost efforts to
overcome the adverse effects from the outside and to develop political,
economic and foreign relations.
With regard to Myanmar's foreign relations, he said that the country
is actively engaged in international and regional affairs in keeping with
its independent and active foreign policy, placing special emphasis on
relations with neighboring countries and others in the region and pledging
to cooperate more closely with them in the political, diplomatic, economic
and social fields.
The Myanmar leader said that his country will work hard in United
Nations organizations and regional ones such as ASEAN, Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, BIMST-EC, Bangladesh, India , Myanmar, Sri Lanka
and Thailand-Economic Cooperation, and the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation.
He stated that internal strife, which once hindered the development
of Myanmar, is coming to an end, adding that "we have left the door open
for those who have not yet returned to the legal fold."
On the country's economic sector, Khin Nyunt noted that the Myanmar
government has been endeavoring to improve its economy, to reduce the gap
between the urban and the rural areas and for all the national races to
enjoy the fruits of development equally.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shan Herald Agency for
News-October 17, 2001.
Townspeople near projected bridge living
in fear
Some 40 households living near the projected second friendship bridge
across the river of Maesai between the Thai town that bears its name and Shan
State's Tachilek are undergoing a nightmare of their homes and land being
confiscated by their military authorities, reported two Shan social workers in
Chiangrai yesterday.
Foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai announced in August of the agreement
that was made between Rangoon and Bangkok of the plan. He held talks again with
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt in Tachilek on 7 October on the construction plans of the
bridge, reported The New Light of Myanmar, Rangoon's official bulletin, on 11
October.
The social workers said the area, once a large paddy field, was confiscated
several years ago and sold to the people who are now living there. "Many of them
now regret they had ever bought it from the authorities," one said. "They also
hope Bangkok might be able to persuade Rangoon to pay compensations to the
affected households."
Sources said there was one 4-storey building and the rest were either 2 or
3-storeyed.
The bridge is due to finish within the next year, they said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Authorities said restricting
Muslims' celebration of Prophet's birthday
Text of report by Democratic Voice of Burma(DVB) on 16 October DVB has learned that the SPDC authorities have been restricting and
restraining Burmese Muslims from celebrating Prophet Mohamed's birthday. The
Burmese Muslims held prayer services to commemorate Prophet Mohamed's birthday
at the Persian mosque in Keng Tung, Shan State on 12-14 October. But the SPDC
authorities, picking the current crisis between the United States and the
Islamic fundamentalists as a reason, tried to restrict and prevent the
ceremonies. The Shan State Peace and Development Council summoned the Persian
mosque elders on 8 October prior to the occasion and warned them to hold the
ceremonies in a limited manner. The authorities also prevented them from
inviting the usual guests - the Chinese Muslims from Mong La region and other
Islamic brethren from around the nation.
Similarly, in Amarapura, Col Hla Win, commander of Mandalay No. 7 Region,
informed the responsible personnel from the respective regions to take care of
security measures in order to prevent religious riots and disturbances and to
remind the respective Muslim elders from the mosques.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Birthday celebration for
imprisoned Burma student leader planned
Mizzima News Washington, Oct. 17: The birthday of Burma's imprisoned student leader Min
Ko Naing is being celebrated tomorrow in the Capitol offices of US congressmen
Lane Evans and Tom Lantos. October 18th marks the student leader's 12th
consecutive birthday behind bars.
Min Ko Naing, a prominent student leader who led the 1988 nationwide
uprising in Burma was arrested in March 1989 by the military regime and
sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his anti-government activities. Although
his sentence was later reduced to 10 years under general amnesty, he remains in
jail. He has been held in solitary confinement for most of his imprisonment,
which resulted in poor physical and mental health.
In a rare meeting with the then Congressman Bill Richardson in Sittwe Jail
in Rakhine State in 1994, he reportedly refused amnesty in return for exile in
the US.
The date of celebration is honored by the Capitol celebration (convened by
the Washington-based Free Burma Coalition) and a candle light vigil tonight in
front of the residence of Burmese ambassador in Washington.
United Nations Human Rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro who is currently on
a fact-finding mission in Burma has specifically called on the Burmese
authorities to effect Min Ko Naing’s release.
Amnesty International recognizes Min Ko Naing as a prisoner of conscience
and had appealed the Burmese government for his immediate and unconditional
release.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Network Media Group
Two hundred prisoners replaced for 120 prisoners in hard labor camp ICRC suggested some prisoners are not suitable for hard labor Moreh, October 17, 2001 A total of 200 prisoners from Monywa are to be replaced for more than 120
prisoners who were sent back to original prisons on October 15 with the
suggestion of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from three hard
labor camps in Tamu district near Indo-Burma border.
The prisoners sent back to original prisons with the suggestion of ICRC
consist of 39 from Oakpho hard-labor camp, 60 from Saya San camp and 24 from
Yesagyo 1 camp. They were suggested by ICRC, not to do hard labor due to their
health conditions, old aged and some are too young.
The conditions of the prisoners under so called "new life project" number 1
were deteriorated due to continuous hard work for the whole day, insufficient
food and malaria. The mortality rate of the prisoners in these camp ranges from
24 to 30 percent every year, according to the reports of the directorate of
prisons.
An investigation team from ICRC visited these camps during last month and
suggested some prisoners are not suitable for hard labor. How many prisoners
unsuitable for hard labor among new 200 prisoners to be replaced, is not yet
known.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy Online
Malaysia Issues Work
Permits
By Ko Thet
October 17, 2001— There appears to be good news on the horizon for Burmese
nationals hoping to come and work in Malaysia. The Malaysian government has
agreed to issue 30,000 work permits to Burmese citizens currently living in
Burma after government officials from the two countries struck a deal last
month, according to a Rangoon-based magazine.
The magazine stated that the Malaysian government would also provide
assistance to the workers by helping them to remit as much as 50% of their wages
back to their families in Burma. The Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) will also
reportedly help facilitate the money transfers.
"The program starts at the end of this month but is only open to people who
can either weld or sew," said a Burmese man hoping to go to Malaysia. The man
added that according to rumors circulating in Burma only those people related to
army personnel could apply for the permits.
A Burmese man who has been working in Malaysia for six years said that
workers can expect to make 600 to 700 Malaysian Ringgits per month (1 USD=3.8
MYR) with the salaries gradually increasing over time. The salaries in Malaysia
are substantially higher than in Burma, where an ongoing economic crisis
continues to plague the country.
Despite the issuance of these permits, Burmese nationals who have obtained
permits in the past have complained of corruption in the workplace.
"After I got my work permit, my boss confiscated my passport so I could not
try and find a better job," said a Burmese man working in a restaurant in Kuala
Lumpur. "Our salaries are also much lower than what Malaysians receive," the man
added.
Malaysia has been a popular spot for Burmese wishing to work abroad since
the early 1990’s. The majority of the workers are Burman but other ethnic
minorities from Burma are also working in Malaysia.
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