|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS - January
17, 2002.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Malaysia's human rights record
criticised
Reuters - Indonesia and Thailand discuss
terrorism and trade
The Daily Star - Myanmar agrees to join Asian rice
cartel
Bkk Post - Junta wants
to purchase nuke reactor
The Nation - Hastert
vows aid in drug war
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Makes Progress in
Health Sector
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday January 17, 6:19 PM
Malaysia's human rights record criticised NEW YORK, Jan 17 (AFP) - The
Malaysian government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been sharply
criticised by Human Rights Watch in its latest annual report.
Mahathir "continued to crack down hard on potential political challengers,
arresting key opposition leaders, banning political rallies and breaking up
public gatherings with force", the watchdog group said.
After the September 11 attacks in the United States, the government used
global concern over terrorism to justify its use of detention without trial,
said the report, which was released on Wednesday.
The US administration also "shifted its position on Malaysia" in the wake
of the terror attacks, apparently dropping human rights conditions for a meeting
between Mahathir and President George W. Bush.
The two men met on the sidelines of a regional summit in Shanghai in late
October, and Malaysia has won praise from the US for its support in the fight
against terrorism.
The dropped conditions reportedly concerned progress on the case of jailed
former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and in the treatment of political
dissidents, Human Rights Watch said.
Anwar was sacked and detained in September 1998 and is now appealing
against prison sentences of a total of 15 years for corruption and sodomy.
Critics say the charges were trumped up to prevent a political challenge to
Mahathir, who has been in power for 20 years. The government denies this.
Anwar supporters were among those targeted for detention without trial last
year, while others were minority Shi'a Muslims and youth leaders in the
opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), Human Rights Watch said.
Some of the dozens of detainees are said by the authorities to be members
of the Malaysian Mujahedin Group (KMM), Afghanistan-trained militants allegedly
planning the violent overthrow of the government.
In July, the report said, the government banned all political rallies,
stating that they would undermine the country's security.
It also "maintained important restrictions on press freedom", requiring
newspapers to obtain annual licences to publish.
The PAS publication Harakah, formerly a biweekly, continued to be
restricted to two issues per month for allegedly breaching the terms of its
license by selling to non-PAS members.
"In March, editions of both the Far Eastern Economic Review and Asiaweek,
which had been chronicling the growing opposition to Mahathir and signs of
political unrest, were held back by government censors," the report said.
"Mahathir had complained that the photo of him on the cover of an earlier
edition of Asiaweek had made him look like 'an idiot'."
Human Rights Watch said serious questions remained about the independence
of the judiciary, but that a number of developments suggested the appointment of
respected jurist Dzaiddin Abdullah as chief justice was beginning to have a
positive impact.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday January 17, 4:34 PM
Indonesia and Thailand discuss terrorism
and trade
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian
President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
discussed regional efforts to tackle terrorism on Thursday during Thaksin's
first official visit to Indonesia.
"Cooperation in the intelligence field was discussed along with the issue
of dealing with terrorism," Megawati told a news conference at the start of the
two-day visit.
"We are trying to solidify the anti-terrorism movement among ASEAN
countries including Thailand and Indonesia," she added. She did not elaborate.
Members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
penned an agreement in November to work together to stamp out cross-border
terrorism.
ASEAN members Malaysia and Singapore have arrested people for alleged
involvement in terrorism-related activities, saying several trained in al Qaeda
terrorist camps in Afghanistan.
Singapore and Malaysia also say those arrested have links to militant
elements in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Indonesia has not acknowledged any links. Officials say the government has
so far found no evidence the al Qaeda network, blamed by the United States for
the September 11 attacks there, has a presence in Indonesia.
RUBBER AND FISHING
Thaksin said he and Megawati also discussed trade issues such as rubber and
fishing.
The latter discussions concentrated on the lack of a clear sea border
between the two countries, officials said.
Indonesian Trade Minister Rini Sowandi told reporters both countries should
strive for higher rubber prices.
"The talks have to be intensified because we still have many things to fix.
Thailand and Indonesia are two major rubber producers which have to cooperate in
order to make better rubber prices," she said.
Along with Malaysia, the two countries control almost 80 percent of the
world's natural rubber production.
The three signed a pact in December for each country to cut output by four
percent and exports by 10 percent starting January 2002 in a bid to shore up
ailing prices.
Southeast Asian rubber prices are currently hovering around 30-year lows.
Indonesian Mines and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the two
countries also discussed oil and energy deals.
"Thailand wanted to participate in electric power deals in Indonesia. They
also asked Indonesia to use some excess capacity in their refineries. We are
still studying this," he said.
Other ASEAN members are the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
and Brunei Darussalam.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Star - January 17,
2002.
Myanmar agrees to join Asian rice
cartel
AFP, Yangon
Myanmar has agreed in principle to be part of a rice "cartel" formed by
Asia's leading rice exporters aimed at regulating prices as well as stabilizing
the world market market sources here said.
Thailand, Vietnam, China, the United States, Pakistan, India and Myanmar in that order -- are the world's leading rice exporters with annual exports totalling 18 million tons according to 2000 figures. The envisaged six-nation organization would comprise Thailand, Vietnam,
China, Pakistan, India and Myanmar which together make up 70 per cent of the
world's rice exports, the industry sources said.
Thailand floated the proposal last month, saying the association would be
modelled on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) but would
not act as a price-fixing cartel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - January 17,
2002.
Junta wants to purchase nuke reactor
Larry Jagan
Burma is committed to developing a nuclear research reactor for medical
purposes and may consider generating nuclear power, says Foreign Minister Win
Aung.
``But it will be some time before a nuclear reactor is built in Burma,'' he
said.
The minister's remarks comes amid reports that Russia had signed a deal
with Burma to supply a reactor.
Burma has admitted that more than two hundred technicians have received
nuclear training in Moscow in the last twelve months.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna is so concerned
about the reports that it has asked Moscow to provide details.
Many Asian countries fear the potential danger that Burma's nuclear
ambitions may pose for the region.
British nuclear expert John Large said there was little evidence Burma
``would be able to implement the necessary safety regime to be able to prevent
the dangerous accumulation of radioactive material.''
Mr Win Aung said Burma was keen to explore the use of nuclear energy.
``After all, many other countries in the world are using nuclear power,''
he said. ``No deal has yet been signed, although some initial research and
surveys have been done.''
Burma, which is chronically short of energy, told the IAEA last September
that it wanted to acquire a nuclear research reactor.
Burma also asked the IAEA to help it finance and secure one.
Two months later, the IAEA sent an inspection team to Burma to assess the
country's preparedness to use and maintain a nuclear reactor safely. The team
found the safety standards in place were ``well below the minimum the body would
regard as acceptable'', said an IAEA official who did not want to be
named.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Hastert vows aid in drug war
Published on Jan 17, 2002
Visiting US House Speaker Dennis Hastert said yesterday the US would apply
diplomatic pressure in cooperation with Thailand to help combat narcotics
trafficking in Southeast Asia's notorious Golden Triangle drug zone.
In separate meetings with his Thai counterpart, Parliament President Uthai
Pimchaichon, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai, Hastert praised Thai efforts to bring major narcotics-producing
countries, including Burma, China and Laos into anti-drug dialogues.
The narcotics problem was not limited to particular countries such as Burma
but was a regional issue that would require cooperation from all countries if it
was to be solved, he said.
Some of Thailand's neighbours, notably Burma, are major sources of the
illicit drugs that wind up on the Thai and world markets. The Thai Army has
accused the pro-Rangoon United Wa State Army of producing methamphetamines and
other illicit drugs for sale in Thailand.
The current government has donated Bt20 million to efforts to help suppress
narcotics production in Wa-controlled areas.
Hastert visited Chiang Mai province on Monday, where he was briefed about
joint efforts to combat drug trafficking by the Third Army Region and the US
Drug Enforcement Agency.
The Third Army Region plays a significant role in suppressing drug
trafficking originating in Wa-controlled areas.
Hastert today leaves for South Korea, the last leg of his three-nation tour
of Asia, which also included Japan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Makes Progress in Health
Sector
Xinhuanet 2002-01-17 13:13:45 YANGON, January 17 (Xinhuanet)
-- Myanmar has made some progress in its health sector since 1988, building up a
larger number of hospitals, dispensaries, health centers and medical
institutes.
According to the latest figures of the Myanmar Ministry of Health, the
country has built 119 hospitals during the past 13 years, bringing the total
number of them to 750 now, of which 13 township hospitals and 37 station
hospitals are in the border areas.
The number of dispensaries has increased to 346 at present from 247 in 1988
and that of rural health centers went to 1,402, up from 1,337 then.
In addition, there are now 13 institutes of medicine and other
health-related universities in Myanmar, up from only three such institutes and
one institute of dental medicine then.
Moreover, the country has 14,893 doctors now, up from 12,268 in 1988.
Besides conducting different-degree medical courses at home, the ministry has
also sent doctors abroad to continue their studies and since then 219 doctors
have completed their respective degree courses there.
Myanmar implemented a five-year national health plan from 1996 to 2001,
covering the areas of public health care, hospital care, disease control,
environmental health and health development system.
The government's financial support to the health sector accounts for about
7 percent of its total state budget and 40 percent of the national health
expenditure are spent in improving health care in the rural areas.
According to the ministry, Myanmar spent 7,977.42 million Kyats (about
22.79 million U.S. dollars) on health in the fiscal year 2000-01.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- |