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BURMA RELATED NEWS - March 12,
2002.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Myanmar Says Coup Bid Won't Disrupt
Suu Kyi Talks
BBC - Burma reveals 'coup plot'
BBC - Burma: 'Plotters planned to abduct
leaders'
Irrawaddy online - Junta Holds Second Press Conference
Irrawaddy online - Who
is Kyaw Ne Win?
Bkk Post - Economic crisis raises real fears
Bkk Post - Talks in Phuket conducive to
repatriation of illegal Burmese
Xinhuanet - Four High-Ranking Officials
Under Investigation for Coup Attempt in Myanmar
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Says Coup Bid Won't Disrupt Suu Kyi
Talks
Tue Mar 12, 6:29 AM ET By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's
ruling junta said on Tuesday that landmark peace talks with pro-democracy
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would not be derailed by the discovery (news
- web sites) of a coup plot led by the cronies of an elderly former dictator.
The government says the conspiracy was masterminded by the son-in-law
and three grandsons of Ne Win, the military strongman who ruled the country for
more than a quarter of a century to 1988 and presided over its retreat into
isolation and poverty.
"They did not intend to rule the country themselves but to form a puppet
government under the influence of Ne Win," Kyaw Win, deputy chief of military
intelligence, told reporters.
Kyaw Win said the conspirators had received "astrological assistance in
their plot" from a well-known expert in black magic known as Setkya Aung Pwint
Khaung among other aliases.
"The astrologer and black magic expert was appointed as a consultant and
given a monthly salary of 300,000 kyat (around $500) as well as an Isuzu
trooper, a cellular phone and a drum of gasoline," Kyaw Win said.
Senior military officials are being questioned about the plot, and
diplomats say a purge of more officials is likely.
The news rekindled speculation of a rift among the secretive country's most
powerful generals over how to deal with Suu Kyi and her National League for
Democracy (NLD), which won elections in 1990 by a landslide but was never
allowed to take power.
The military has been holding confidential talks with Suu Kyi since October
2000, saying it wants to agree a framework for a transition to civilian rule.
But Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, and the talks have produced no concrete
results.
POWER STRUGGLE
Diplomats say the ruling junta is divided on the talks. A faction led by
military intelligence head Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt favors a flexible
approach, while supporters of army chief General Maung Aye oppose any
concessions to the NLD, they say.
Ne Win's family is seen as close to Khin Nyunt, and some analysts say the
current purge is a bid by hard-liners to get the upper hand and scupper any
concessions to Suu Kyi.
But the government -- which took the rare step at the weekend of saying
there was no rift among its top leaders -- told a news conference on Tuesday the
talks would go on.
"Because we uncovered this coup attempt in time, it won't have any impact
on the ongoing talks," Kyaw Win said.
The government said on Tuesday no foreign groups had been involved in the
plot, and made no suggestion that the NLD or other dissident groups were
implicated.
It said Ne Win's son-in-law, Aye Zaw Win, and grandsons Aye Ne Win, Kyaw Ne
Win and Zwe Ne Win had planned the coup to boost their family's waning influence
in business and politics.
The government said four senior officials were being questioned about the
coup plot -- air force commander-in-chief Major-General Myint Swe, police chief
Major-General Soe Win, Triangle Region military commander Brigadier-General Chit
Than, and Coastal region military commander Major-General Aye Kywe.
It said the conspirators planned to take advantage of the country's armed
forces day on March 27, when thousands of troops converge on Yangon, to launch
their coup.
FAR-FETCHED
Kyaw Win said the plan was to burst into the home of the country's top
leader, Senior General Than Shwe, and force him to hand over power to commanders
loyal to Ne Win. He said the conspirators had won support from some in the
military.
But some Western diplomats in Yangon said the claim that a few individuals
had been seriously planning to install a puppet government seemed far-fetched,
and suggested the real reason for the purge was an internal power struggle.
"Certainly we are seeing jostling for position," said one diplomat in the
Myanmar capital. "But we have yet to see evidence that a full-blown coup was on
the cards."
Ne Win seized power in a coup in 1962 and ruled the country until he
stepped down amid bloody demonstrations in 1988. His critics say he was a
mysticism-obsessed despot who turned Myanmar from one of the richest countries
in Asia to one of the poorest.
Various official versions of his life give several alternative birthdates,
but he is believed to be at least 90. He was widely believed to wield
considerable influence behind the scenes even after he formally renounced power.
Deeply superstitious, Ne Win scrapped all the country's banknotes in the
1980s and replaced them with denominations in multiples of nine, such as 45-kyat
and 90-kyat notes, which he considered more auspicious.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Tuesday, 12 March, 2002, 11:04
GMT
Burma reveals 'coup plot' Ne Win ruled Burma for quarter of a century Burma's ruling military has been giving details of what it says was a coup
attempt by four relatives of the former military dictator, Ne Win.
A military official, Kyaw Win, said the four were planning to abduct
Burma's top three leaders and take them to Ne Win's house, where they would be
pressured to agree to form a new government.
The incident could be part of a power struggle over Aung San Suu
Kyi
Those who refused were to be detained at the house, he said. Kyaw Win said the family had tried to enlist elements in the military, and
he confirmed the sacking of four top military figures.
He attributed the plot to resentment at economic and political changes, but
he said the developments would not derail talks with the Burmese pro-democracy
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some observers have speculated that the purge could be part of a power
struggle within the military over how to handle Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been
in closed-door reconciliation talks with Burma's military leaders since October
2000.
'Puppet government'
Aung San Suu Kyi - who is under house arrest in Rangoon - led her National
League for Democracy to sweeping election victory in 1990. However, the military
refused to hand over power.
The government said the alleged coup plot was masterminded by Ne Win's
son-in-law Aye Zaw Win and three of Aye Zaw Win's sons. They were arrested last
Thursday at a Chinese restaurant where they were said to have been meeting an
unnamed military commander.
"They did not intend to rule the country themselves but to form a puppet
government under the influence of Ne Win," Kyaw Win told reporters.
The government confirmed that four senior military officials had been
sacked and were being questioned about the coup plot.
They are air force chief Major General Myint Swe, police chief Major
General Soe Win, and regional commanders Brigadier General Chit Than and Major
General Aye Kywe.
Some Western diplomats in Rangoon have said the coup claims are far fetched
and that the real reason for the military purge was an internal power struggle.
Ne Win - now in his 90s - seized control of Burma in 1962 and continued to
wield influence after he stepped down in 1988.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC - Tuesday, 12 March, 2002, 09:58
GMT
Burma: 'Plotters planned to abduct leaders' The Burmese military government has been giving details of what it says was
a coup attempt by four relatives of the former military ruler, Ne Win.
A military official, Kyaw Win, said the four were planning to abduct
Burma's top three leaders and take them to Ne Win's house, where they would be
pressured to agree to form a new government; those who refused were to be
detained at the house.
Kyaw Win said the family had tried to enlist elements in the military, and
he confirmed the sacking of four top military figures.
He attributed the plot to resentment at economic and political changes, but
he said the developments would not derail talks with the Burmese pro-democracy
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some observers have speculated that the purge could be part of a power
struggle within the military over how to handle Aung San Suu Kyi.
She has been in closed-door reconciliation talks with Burma's military
leaders since October 2000.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy online
Junta Holds Second Press
Conference
By Aung Zaw
March 12, 2002? In his second press conference in one week, Burma?s deputy
intelligence chief, Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, told reporters that coup plotters arrested
late last week had planned to kidnap top leaders of the ruling junta.
According to Kyaw Win, the three targets were Sr-Gen Than Shwe, Gen Maung
Aye and Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt?the triumvirate of leading generals that has ruled the
country for more than a dozen years.
"Using military troops, they were going to raid the homes of the three
leaders by overpowering security at the gates and taking the three people
hostage," the deputy intelligence chief said during the press briefing.
According to the plan, the three generals were to be taken to the home of
former dictator Ne Win, where they would be forced to accede to conditions set
down by their predecessor and mentor, who first came to power after staging a
coup in 1962.
Those who agreed to go along with Ne Win?s plans "would be chosen leaders
of the new government," Kyaw Win told reporters.
Last Thursday, security officials arrested members of Ne Win?s family who
were accused of plotting to overthrow the current regime. Aye Zaw Win, Ne Win?s
son-in-law, and three of his sons are now in custody.
It was unclear from statements released by Kyaw Win who else was involved
in the alleged conspiracy, although a number of high-ranking officials have been
arrested in the wake of the crackdown on Ne Win?s family. These include the
national police chief, two regional commanders, and the air force chief. They
are also believed to be in custody.
Kyaw Win also confirmed that Khin Sandar Win, Ne Win?s daughter and a
dominant figure in the family, played a role in the failed kidnap plan.
According to well-placed sources, she had discussed the plan with several army
officers and as well as with close family members.
It was less clear, however, whether the 92-year-old Ne Win was directly
involved in the plot. Ne Win, who ruled the country from 1962 to 1988, has long
been believed to wield considerable influence over the current regime from
behind the scenes, although analysts have said that this influence has waned in
recent years.
According to a reliable source, a search of Ne Win?s residence could take
place in the next few days.
Also among the arrested was Aung Pwint Khaung, Ne Win?s family astrologer.
Ne Win, who is regarded as deeply superstitious, is known to rely heavily on
advice from fortunetellers. According to a source, authorities discovered
voodoo-like dolls of the top three generals during a raid on Khin Sandar Win?s
office.
At the press conference, Kyaw Win attributed the Ne Win clan?s actions to
dissatisfaction over the loss of economic privileges, as well as unhappiness
with recent political developments in the country. He added that the failed coup
would not derail the regime?s ongoing dialogue with opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.
Analysts in Rangoon said that the government press briefing gave a credible
account of the coup conspiracy. A veteran journalist who attended the press
briefing noted that while people normally dismiss information provided by the
government, "this time they could be considered highly reliable."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irrawaddy online
Who is Kyaw Ne Win?
By Aung Zaw and Ko Thet
March 12, 2002? As members of Burma?s most influential family, Aye Ne Win,
Kyaw Ne Win and Zwe Ne Win have long enjoyed undreamed-of advantages in this
country of deeply deprived citizens. Now in custody, the three brothers are
facing charges of planning to overthrow the government.
Of the three, Kyaw Ne Win, 24, is perhaps the most notorious. Never alone,
he is notorious for cruising Rangoon in the company of his entourage of
bodyguards, some of them army captains. Like official state vehicles, his
half-dozen or so Land Cruisers and Pajero SUVs are adorned with two flags: the
Union flag of Burma and another, "one- star" flag that he uses as his personal
emblem.
"He is a prince but he wanted to be the king," commented one source in
Rangoon. "He was untouchable."
Inspired by his grandfather, Gen Ne Win, Kyaw Ne Win always aspired to
absolute power, recalled some people who knew him well. "He never hid his desire
to become a king and he always acted like a king."
Like his grandfather, Kyaw Ne Win was also well known for his violent
temper. In a brawl at Bogyoke Market in downtown Rangoon, he pulled a gun on the
son of a well-known businessman, who was also armed. The volatile situation had
to be defused by Sec-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.
When he wasn?t threatening to gun down those who offended him, Kyaw Ne Win
was busy visiting Singapore, where a number of relatives and close friends live.
He was also involved in business, importing Mercedes, Hammers and high-priced
SUVs for an elite clientele of bankers, leading businessmen and close relatives
of ethnic leaders from ceasefire groups in Shan State.
But Kyaw Ne Win was best known for his involvement in gangs. He was once
the leader of the Scorpions, a group notorious for drug trafficking and
terrorizing ordinary citizenry. According to an anonymous source, however, Kyaw
Ne Win fell out with the gang after he killed some of its members. A recent
crackdown on the gang is now believed to have been orchestrated by Kyaw Ne Win.
According the source, Kyaw Ne Win is finally get his just desserts for
putting many of his friends in the grave or behind bars. "This is payback time
for Kyaw Ne Win," the source said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Economic crisis raises real
fears
The Burmese economy is in deep trouble. People across
the classes are suffering as the ...
Bangkok Post, Tue 12 Mar 2002 LARRY JAGAN
Burma's economic crisis continues to deepen. Unemployment is rising
dramatically every month while the prices of consumer goods are spiralling out
of control. The value of the local kyat on the black market continues to
tumble.
``People are growing more and more dissatisfied every day,'' said a Burmese
businessman in Rangoon who asked not to be identified. ``And if it continues
like it is, it could easily reach boiling point in the coming months.''
The value of the kyat has fluctuated wildly in the past few weeks. ``It's
depreciated by some 15% in the past two weeks,'' a local money changer said.
Economists and businessmen in Rangoon predict the kyat is going to decline even
further.
Economic analysts in Rangoon say the run on the kyat is the result of the
increased domestic demand for dollars. ``Many local people need more dollars at
the moment to pay for the new batch of mobile phones that has been released on
the market,'' said one financial analyst, ``while others need dollars to buy
gems in the government sponsored auction.''
The fall in the kyat has also caused the prices of many imported goods to
rise, especially dairy products and medicines. ``The cost of medicines are so
prohibitive now that many people are not seeking medical attention because they
know they can't afford the prescriptions,'' a Rangoon doctor said.
The prices of meat, eggs and palm oil are all rising steadily. Analysts in
Rangoon estimate that palm oil _ essential for cooking and imported from
Malaysia _ has risen by more than a 50% in the last six months.
Western diplomats in Rangoon estimate that onions have more than doubled in
price in the past year and fermented fish paste has also doubled in that
time.
Now even the price of rice is rising. Local residents complain that rice in
the market has risen by more than 20% in the past month. In some rural areas,
residents report a three-fold increase in the rice price over the past three
months. ``This is largely because of the government's obsession with meeting its
export target of a million tonnes by the end of next month,'' said a financial
consultant with a foreign investment firm in Rangoon.
In the past, the generals kept the price of rice relatively stable by
controlling the supply. But it is more than six months since they last released
stocks from the government reserves to keep the price down. And with their
export drive they are not likely to do that again soon.
Petrol prices are also skyrocketing. In the past few weeks, they have risen
by nearly 15%, according to Rangoon's taxi drivers. This appears to be partly
seasonal. With the Water Festival _ the Burmese New Year _ approaching, many
people are hoarding petrol so they can visit their families during the festive
period in mid-April. As a result, the minimum taxi fare in Rangoon has almost
doubled. Bus fares have also risen.
Most analysts estimate that inflation is running at more than 50% a year.
Even bribes, like that necessary to keep a phone line, have risen. But the real
problem is that wages and salaries are not rising as prices increase.
Local economists estimate that an average family of five needs more than
80,000 kyat a month to live, covering food, medicine and transport but not
luxury goods. The average monthly income of a professional worker _ teacher,
university professor or civil servant _ is less than 10,000 kyat. ``People are
really feeling the pinch,'' a Western diplomat based in Rangoon said.
``Comparisons are being drawn with the situation more than a decade ago that led
to the events of 1988. The difference though is then everyone suffered.''
Many families, especially those living on the outskirts of Rangoon or in
the poorer rural areas of the country, cannot afford to eat more than one meal a
day. In the poorest parts of Rangoon the most desperate are surviving on rice
water _ water in which rice is cooked _ which they buy for 15 kyat a bottle and
have for their evening meal.
The living standard of many Burmese is declining rapidly. UN officials fear
a massive humanitarian crisis is looming. They estimate that one child in three
under the age of five is already suffering from malnutrition. If the situation
remains unchecked, they fear this could double within the next 12 months.
``People are getting increasingly dissatisfied with the situation,'' said a
Burmese economic analyst close to the military. ``They are tolerating it at
present, but if the situation continues to deteriorate over the next 12 months
then there is a very real risk of massive social unrest.''
Many in the government seem to understand this, and that is one of the main
reasons the generals have started to talk secretly to opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi. Even the deputy foreign minister, Khin Maung Win, privately admits that
only political reform can save Burma from economic ruin.
Larry Jagan is the BBC's Southeast Asia analyst, based in Bangkok.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talks in Phuket conducive to
repatriation of illegal Burmese
First batch of 200 may go home soon
Bangkok Post, Tue 12 Mar 2002 Achara Achayagachat
The first batch of about 200 Burmese workers could be repatriated in a
couple of months under an arrangement emerging between Thai and Burmese
authorities, a Foreign Ministry source said yesterday.
During a weekend meeting in Phuket of a joint Thai-Burmese task force,
Thailand offered to submit to Burma the names of the workers to be repatriated,
together with their photographs, parents' identities, and domiciles.
The information would be submitted to the Burmese embassy in Bangkok, with
copies sent to the Thai embassy in Rangoon and Tak authorities.
Burma was expected to take 7-10 days to verify the information and approve
the repatriation, the source said.
The joint task force subsequently would hold a meeting in Burma's Myawaddy
border town so that they could see for themselves how the repatriation was
going, the source said.
Burma is holding about 800 migrant workers deported from Thailand at a
reception centre in Myawaddy, opposite Tak's Mae Sot district.
The Phuket meeting, co-chaired by the permanent secretary for foreign
affairs, Tej Bunnag, and Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win,
followed an earlier discussion in Rangoon in February.
The Phuket meeting took place in a ``cordial atmosphere'', and both sides
were positive about its outcome.
Thailand submitted a draft memorandum of understanding on the employment of
cross-border workers in a bid to regulate the movement.
Burma was expected to submit a counter-draft and its foreign ministry was
compiling information from other agencies concerned, the source added.
Burmese comprise the majority of about 500,000 unregistered migrant workers
in Thailand.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four High-Ranking Officials Under
Investigation for Coup Attempt in Myanmar
Xinhuanet 2002-03-12 17:00:40
YANGON, March 12 (Xinhuanet) --
Three high-ranking military officials and one police official are under
investigation by the Myanmar government in connection with the failed coup
attempt on March 7 made by former president U Ne Win's Son-in-law U Aye Zaw Win,
and three grandsons, a high-ranking military intelligence official told
reporters at a special press conference here Tuesday afternoon.
The four, suspected of being involved in the conspiracy, are
Commander-in-Chief (Air) Major-General Myint Swe, Triangle Region Commander
Brigadier-General Chit Than, Coastal Region Commander Major-General Aye Kyway
and Director-General of the Myanmar Police Force Major-General Soe Win,
Vice-Chief of the Military Intelligence Major-General Kyaw Win disclosed at the
press conference.
The investigation will determine whether they were actually involved in the
plot, Kyaw Win said.
However, he declined to identify another military commander who reported
immediately on the same day the conspiracy plan to the government, adding that
the commander's report led to the foiling of the coup attempt.
Kyaw Win confirmed that Ne Win's daughter Daw Khin Sandar Win has been
involved in the plot. But he said that it is too early to determine whether Ne
Win himself is also getting involved.
He said that Ne Win's Yangon residence is behind armed guards for security
reasons when the conspiracy case is under investigation.
The intelligence official went on to say that U Aye Zaw Win, under initial
investigation, confessed that his family attempted to seize the state power with
the support of the military officials they approached by arresting the ruling
three senior state leaders -- Chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) Senior General Than Shwe, SPDC Vice-Chairman General
Maung Aye and SPDC First Secretary Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt.
Kyaw Win also exposed that U Aye Zaw Win's three sons have frequently
committed social crimes under the name of doing businesses and a large amount of
non-business-related goods such as communication equipment, crime-making
apparatus were seized on March 8 when a search operation was carried out at Kyaw
Ne Win's office in the capital.
Kyaw Win warned that the authorities will also take action on account of
their social crimes and economic offences committed.
U Aye Zaw Win and his three sons were taken into custody by the Myanmar
government on March 7 when they were discussing a conspiracy with a military
commander at a restaurant in Yangon to change the country's leadership. The
government said it took steps to prevent the conspiracy which not only
threatened military unity but also the peace and stability of the
country.
U Aye Zaw Win also confessed under questions that his family were
dissatisfied with the loss of some of their private businesses engaged in the
country as well as with the government's priority given to ethnic organizations
as regard to business opportunities and with the political and economic changes
made by the ruling state leaders.
The present ruling government came to power on September 18, 1988, while
the former president U Ne Win ruled the country from 1962 to 1988.
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