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BURMA RELATED NEWS - April 04,
2002.
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HEADLINES
----------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Myanmar's number two to visit
Thailand
Reuters - Myanmar opposition unhappy with pace
of junta talks
Asia Pulse - China Exports Locomotives to
Iraq
Reuters - INTERVIEW-Myanmar NLD says junta talks
taking too long
Reuters - Myanmar minority force says to end
opium growing
AP - Myanmar makes biggest-ever opium seizure
from suspected dealers
Bkk Post - Surayud denies incursion claim
Bkk Post - Junta official confirms visit at
month-end
Bkk Post - Inside Politics - Verbal
attack
The Nation - Army rejects Rangoon's claim
Xinhuanet - Tourist Arrivals Drop in Myanmar in
2001
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Generates Less Electricity
in 2001
----------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday April 4, 1:36 PM
Myanmar's number two to visit Thailand BANGKOK, April 4 (AFP) - The
number two leader in Myanmar's ruling military junta, General Maung Aye, is
scheduled to pay a four-day visit to Thailand from 23 April, Thai officials said
Thursday.
Maung Aye, army chief and vice chairman of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), will be the guest of Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, an official said.
The general would be the first top Myanmar official known to travel out of
the isolated country since the junta announced last month it had snuffed out a
coup attempt by relatives of former dictator Ne Win.
Ne Win's daughter, son-in-law and three grandsons are to be charged with
high treason -- an offence punishable by death -- Yangon has said.
Thaksin will host a dinner for Maung Aye on 23 April.
Maung Aye will then travel to the southern resort island of Phuket for two
days, but little else has been disclosed about his trip.
"We are still working out the details of his schedule," an official
said.
The last visit to Thailand by one of the junta's leaders was in September,
when the regime's number three, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, made a three-day
sojourn here.
A major focus of that visit was an audience with Thailand's King Bhumibol
Adulyadej at his seaside palace in Hua Hin.
Maung Aye's scheduled trip comes on the heels of a border incident which
elevated tensions between the two countries.
On March 25 a Thai army unit and the United Wa State Army, an ethnic
militia allied with Yangon, were engaged in a clash which left one Thai soldier
dead and another injured.
The army unit was sweeping the border area in Chiang Mai province prior to
a visit by Thailand's Queen Sirikit.
Myanmar and Thailand have disputed whether the attack occurred on Thai or
Myanmar territory.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday April 4, 4:23 PM
Myanmar opposition unhappy with pace of junta talks By Dominic Whiting YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's
pro-democracy opposition has said talks between Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung
San Suu Kyi and the junta are taking too long and yielding too little but has
promised patience to keep the dialogue going.
In an interview late on Wednesday, National League for Democracy (NLD)
Secretary U Lwin denied speculation his party would pull out of the U.N.
brokered talks if Suu Kyi was not freed soon from house arrest by the ruling
military.
"People say we're getting frustrated, but we have enough patience to wait.
For us there's no way out, we have to keep going," U Lwin told Reuters in his
party's ramshackle Yangon shop-house headquarters.
"In order to make progress in dialogue, it depends on both sides," he said.
"But when there is an empty chair on the other side, what can you do?" he said.
"Reconciliation is going on and communication has been established. We
always have contact, and sometimes there's progress...it's too little, taking
too long (a) time."
The talks, which began in late 2000, have yielded the release of more than
250 political prisoners and some freedom for the NLD to operate but have not
broached the issue of political change.
The NLD wants its leader Suu Kyi freed from house arrest immediately and
the release of an estimated 1,500 political prisoners, including 17 elected NLD
politicians who have languished in jails since the early 1990s.
The NLD, led by several ageing former ministers such as U Lwin, swept
Myanmar's last democratic elections in 1990 by a landslide but has never been
allowed to rule.
COUP OPPORTUNITY
The United States, European Union and other Western nations are likely to
consider toughening existing trade and aid sanctions on the impoverished
Southeast Asian country if the talks completely unravel.
U.N. envoy Razali Ismail is due to visit Myanmar on April 22 in a bid to
move the process forward, having had a trip last month put off by the
government. The junta said it was too busy dealing with an alleged coup attempt
by relatives of Ne Win, who ruled Myanmar with an iron fist from 1962 to 1988.
In early March, Ne Win and his daughter were put under house arrest, and
his son-in-law and three grandsons were arrested on the charge of high treason,
which carries the death penalty.
Three high-ranking military officers were also arrested and over 100 others
have been interrogated in connection with the alleged plot, which authorities
said also involved an astrologer dabbling in black magic.
But many diplomats are sceptical a coup was being planned and say the
clampdown was really an attempt by the junta's leader, Than Shwe, to root out
potential opponents. A strengthened Than Shwe is unlikely to loosen his grip on
power, they say.
U Lwin said the move against the unpopular Ne Win clan could give the
regime a chance to ditch the past and move ahead with political change.
"NO PERMANENT ENEMIES"
"If I was on the other side, the time is appropriate since the departure
from the old man's influence," U Lwin, who was a finance minister under Ne Win
in the 1970s before falling out of favour, said referring to his former boss.
"There's no permanent enemy or permanent friend in politics and we can
forget easily. It's about time to cooperate towards the betterment of society,"
he said.
Diplomats say the party now wants to work with the government, especially
on social and humanitarian issues, but would shy away from power sharing with a
regime that has led the country into economic ruin.
Some analysts say the NLD will walk away from the talks if the junta does
not make serious concessions soon. But U Lwin said the NLD risked political
limbo if it did not stay engaged.
"Although we're the opposition we're responsible for bringing happiness and
prosperity to the people," he said. "If we're impatient or can't control
emotions and anger, who will suffer? The people."
----------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday April 4, 5:14 PM
China Exports Locomotives to Iraq DALIAN, April 4 Asia Pulse -
China has exported 50 locomotives to Iraq, making it the large foreign buyer of
Chinese locomotives in a single deal so far.
These DF10FI locomotives, which were manufactured by the Dalian Locomotive
Plant, recently left the Dalian Port in northeast China's Liaoning Province for
the Middle Eastern country.
The DF10FI locomotive has a capacity of 1,840 kw, and has a top speed of
140 kph, according to sources.
The plant is the largest designer, manufacturer and exporter of internal
combustion engines in China.
Since its first export to Myanmar in 1993, the factory has sold 205
locomotives, or 80 per cent of the country's total exports, to nine foreign
countries in contractual terms.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday April 4, 1:08 PM
INTERVIEW-Myanmar NLD says junta talks taking too long By Dominic Whiting YANGON, April 4 (Reuters) -
Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition says talks between Nobel Peace Prize winner
Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta are taking too long and yielding too little but
has promised patience to keep them going.
In an interview late on Wednesday, National League for Democracy (NLD)
Secretary U Lwin denied speculation his party would pull out of the
U.N.-brokered talks if Suu Kyi was not freed soon from house arrest by the
ruling military.
"People say we're getting frustrated, but we have enough patience to wait.
For us there's no way out, we have to keep going," U Lwin told Reuters in his
party's ramshackle Yangon shop-house headquarters.
"In order to make progress in dialogue, it depends on both sides. But when
there is an empty chair on the other side, what can you do?"
"Reconciliation is going on and communication has been established. We
always have contact, and sometimes there's progress...it's too little, taking
too long (a) time."
The talks, which began in late 2000, have yielded the release of more than
250 political prisoners and some freedom for the NLD to operate, but have not
broached political change.
Another senior NLD official, who asked not to be identified, said on
Thursday the two sides had yet to start a real dialogue and were still
"confidence building".
"There must be an advance to a new stage. Dialogue means that anything can
be put on the table," he said, adding that ethnic minority groups also needed to
be involved in the process.
The NLD wants its leader Suu Kyi freed from house arrest and the release of
1,500-1,600 political prisoners, including up to 650 party members. The NLD
members include 17 elected NLD politicians who have languished in jails since
the early 1990s.
NO PRECONDITIONS
The NLD source said the party and Suu Kyi were ready for dialogue at any
time and had not set preconditions, but the military should show sincerity by
freeing all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, and let the NLD operate
freely.
He said Suu Kyi, as head of the NLD, should lead the dialogue from its
side. He said she remained optimistic, "but she wishes to be free as soon as
possible so she can resume the legitimate activities of a free political party".
The NLD, whose leaders include several ageing former ministers such as U
Lwin, swept Myanmar's last democratic elections in 1990 by a landslide but has
never been allowed to rule.
The United States, European Union and other Western nations are likely to
consider toughening trade and aid sanctions on the impoverished Southeast Asian
nation if talks completely unravel.
U.N. envoy Razali Ismail is due to visit Myanmar on April 22 in a bid to
move the process forward, having had a trip last month put off by the
government. The junta said it was too busy dealing with an alleged coup attempt
by relatives of Ne Win, who ruled Myanmar with an iron fist from 1962 to 1988.
In early March, Ne Win and his daughter were put under house arrest, and
his son-in-law and three grandsons were arrested on the charge of high treason,
which carries the death penalty.
Three high-ranking military officers were also arrested and over 100 others
have been interrogated in connection with the alleged plot, which authorities
said also involved an astrologer dabbling in black magic.
But many diplomats are sceptical a coup was being planned and say the
clampdown was really an attempt by junta leader Than Shwe to root out potential
opponents. A strengthened Than Shwe is unlikely to loosen his grip on power,
they say.
U Lwin said the move against the unpopular Ne Win clan could give the
regime to move ahead with political change.
"NO PERMANENT ENEMY"
"If I was on the other side, the time is appropriate since the departure
from the old man's influence," U Lwin, who was a finance minister under Ne Win
in the 1970s before falling out of favour, said referring to his former boss.
"There's no permanent enemy or permanent friend in politics and we can
forget easily. It's about time to cooperate towards the betterment of society."
Diplomats say the party now wants to work with the government, especially
on social and humanitarian issues, but would shy away from power-sharing with a
regime that has led the country into economic ruin.
Some analysts say the NLD will walk away from the talks if the junta does
not make serious concessions soon. But U Lwin said the NLD risked political
limbo if it did not stay engaged.
"Although we're the opposition, we're responsible for bringing happiness
and prosperity to the people. If we're impatient or can't control emotions and
anger, who will suffer? The people."
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar minority force says to end opium
growing
YANGON, April 4 Reuters? A
Myanmar ethnic minority militia group blamed for producing much of the heroin
trafficked to the West has pledged to end drug production by 2005, state
newspapers reported on Thursday.
Pauk Yu Yi, a leader of the Yangon-allied United Wa State Army (UWSA), said
the group aimed at turning territories under its control into an ''opium-free
zone.''
''With the assistance provided by the government, we, the Wa people, are
carrying out total drug eradication in our region by the year 2005,'' Pauk Yu Yi
was reported telling foreign diplomats visiting Wa territory near the Thai
border.
''Up to 60 percent of the task to eradicate narcotic drugs in the Wa region
has been accomplished so far,'' he said, citing opium crop substitution schemes.
He did not say who was currently producing the illicit narcotics in Wa
territories, but said allegations the Wa were responsible were false.
''Regrettably, some nations are making false allegations about the Wa
people, saying that they are producing narcotic drugs,'' Pauk Yu Yi said.
Officials in the Wa group, which operates out of territory on Myanmar's
borders with China and Thailand, have made similar vows to halt opium production
in areas under their control in the past.
The United States accuses the UWSA of producing much of the opium that is
refined into heroin for trafficking to Western countries.
Thailand says the UWSA also produces hundreds of millions of
methamphetamine tablets each year which flood the Thai market.
Myanmar forms one corner of the infamous ''Golden Triangle'' opium-growing
region -- along with parts of Thailand and Laos -- which officials say has
overtaken Afghanistan as the world's primary source of heroin.
The UWSA is one of a number of ethnic minority rebel groups given a degree
of autonomy in return for peace deals with Myanmar's ruling military.
Western countries, including the United States and its European allies, say
Yangon has not done enough to stamp out drugs production by the Wa.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar makes biggest-ever opium
seizure from suspected dealers
Thu Apr 4, 2:49 AM ET YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Security
forces seized nearly 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of opium in two raids on a house
and a shop last week, an official newspaper reported Thursday.
It was the nation's biggest-ever seizure from suspected dealers, though
larger amounts have been seized from opium refineries.
The Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin said police, military intelligence units
and local militia raided a house in Kut Kai town, about 780 kilometers (480
miles) northeast of Yangon, last Saturday.
They also seized 153.94 kilograms (338.68 pounds) of opium hidden in the
bedroom of a couple who were arrested. Further investigations led to the seizure
of 136.92 kilograms (301.22 pounds) of raw opium from a shop at a market, the
report said.
The maximum penalty for drug trafficking in Myanmar is death, but it is
rarely carried out.
According to the U.S. State Department and the United Nations, Myanmar is
the world's largest producer of opium, from which heroin is derived.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 April 2002
Surayud denies incursion
claim
Army chief refutes Rangoon's allegation
Post reporters
Army chief Surayud Chulanont has rejected Burma's claim his troops crossed
the border and insisted the March 25 clash with Wa soldiers took place inside
Thailand.
A patrol of the Pha Muang Task Force was attacked by the United Wa State
Army at Ban Pak Saem in Chiang Mai's Wiang Haeng district while securing the
area for a planned visit by Her Majesty the Queen, he said yesterday.
``Thai and Burmese territories there are easily distinguishable, because
our terrain has been cleared,'' Gen Surayud said. ``We did not cross the border
into Burma.''
Armed forces had alerted Burmese soldiers about the royal visit, which was
immediately cancelled after the fighting, and had already warned Wa forces about
the intrusion, he said.
He was reacting to Burma's claim on Monday that the clash took place on its
territory and that Thai forces had crossed the border.
Maj-Gen Nakhon Sriphetphan, commander of the task force, said UWSA troops
had moved 200 metres into Thailand on the day. ``Our duty is to take care of our
land,'' he said.
Gen Surayud said the army was keeping troops in the area and would take
strong action against intruders. ``We are ready to retaliate against any
aggression.''
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said he would raise the issue
tomorrow in Rangoon with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the State Peace
and Development Council. He is to visit Burma for talks on a road link with his
Burmese and Indian counterparts in Pagan on Saturday.
The House committee on foreign affairs said Burma's aide-memoire claiming
Thai soldiers had intruded onto Burmese soil was a tacit recognition of the
UWSA. Kobsak Chutikul, deputy chairman, said Burma in the past repeatedly denied
any involvement with the UWSA and said Wa soldiers were out of its
control.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 April 2002
Junta official confirms visit at
month-end
Wassana Nanuam
Burma's army chief Maung Aye has confirmed he will visit Thailand at the
end of this month.
A Defence Ministry source yesterday said no date had been fixed but the
deputy chairman of Burma's ruling State Peace and Development Council was
expected to arrive around April 27-29.
Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh would host Gen Maung Aye's
three-day visit.
He would be a guest of the government and be accorded the same treatment
given Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, the SPDC's first secretary, when he visited Thailand
from Sept 3-5 visit last year, the source said.
Gen Maung Aye would be granted an audience with His Majesty the King during
his stay.
He was also scheduled to play golf with Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra.
Co-operation in the battle against drug trafficking along the Thai-Burmese
border was expected to top the agenda of Gen Maung Aye's talks with Thai
leaders, the source said.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 April 2002
Inside Politics - Verbal
attack
Attempts by the Burmese junta to discredit the Thai military, at a time of
improving ties, surprised analysts --- The majority of the PM's former military
academy colleagues were disgruntled with the mid-year reshuffle --- Despite a
warrant for his arrest, police failed to notice Wanchalerm Yubamrung at his
daddy's soiree
Attempts by the Burmese military junta to discredit the Thai military over
the latter's alleged military support given to Shan rebels during the SSA's
attack on a Burmese military outpost at Pachee last April surprised several
senior military officers, amid a report of improved relations between Bangkok
and Rangoon.
``This is quite unusual'', said a military officer, who questioned why
three separate press conferences were held over the past fortnight in Rangoon to
criticise the Thai military over border conflicts 12 months earlier.
The Burmese military junta said the attack was planned and collaborated by
the SSA and the Thai military.''
They were referring to the SSA's assault on a Burmese Pachee military
outpost in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district. Six Burmese soldiers were reportedly
killed and 170,000 tablets of amphetamines seized by SSA troops on April 22,
2001. Uncovering drugs inside Burmese military camps at the border was not
uncommon since there was a well-established drug trade involving local Burmese
military commanders and the United Wa State Army, the biggest drug traffickers
in the Golden Triangle.
At the junta's press briefing on March 20, they not only accused the Thai
military of giving military support to SSA fighters, but also made the
unsubstantiated charge that eight bags of amphetamines were given to SSA
soldiers by the Thai military, prior to the assault. The amphetamines were later
displayed to a group of Thai reporters after the SSA seized Pachee border
outpost.
Did the press conference have anything to do with political turmoil inside
Rangoon, where a group of senior military officers known for their close
military ties with Burmese intelligence chief Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt were removed
following a report of their alleged involvement in an aborted coup attempt? A
seasoned security officer who has closely monitored developments inside Burma
was confident the latest incident was directly related to a power struggle
inside Rangoon.
Hawkish Burmese army chief Gen Maung Aye, vice-chairman of the State Peace
and Development Council, is now viewed in a much stronger light following the
removal of Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt's loyalists, including the air force chief, the
police chief and a regional army commander. It was no secret that Gen Maung Aye,
65, who had planned to travel to Thailand at the end of the month, was widely
known to be much at odds with the intelligence chief.
The verbal attack on the Thai military was deemed quite irrational by
several security watchers. One suggested the power struggle inside Burma might
not turn militarily explosive as long as SPDC chairman Gen Than Shwe is still in
command since the premier had acted as a balancing force between the two
military men.
----------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Army rejects Rangoon's
claim
Published on Apr 4, 2002
Commander in chief says fighting prior to Queen's visit took place on Thai
soil
Burma's version of where Thai troops clashed with the Rangoon-allied United
Wa State Army last month - which it said was on its side of the border - was
repudiated by the Army Commander in Chief yesterday.
"Our soldier was killed when he was in our territory. No Thai troops
invaded Burma," General Surayud Chulanont said.
A squad from the Third Army Region that was sent to sweep an area in Chiang
Mai province where Her Majesty the Queen was to due to travel to a few hours
later engaged an armed UWSA group.
The ensuing skirmish, in which a Thai soldier was killed and several others
injured, forced the cancellation of the Queen's visit. The Foreign Affairs
Ministry protested against the border incident on Monday to the Burmese
Ambassador.
The following day the Burmese government summoned Ambassador Oum Maolanond
and handed over a note, disputing Thailand's claim that the incident took place
on Thai soil.
But the Army chief said there was no reason for Thai forces to stray over
the border.
"We do our best to protect our sovereignty. We would stay at our base
unless we were invaded by foreign troops," he said.
The Burmese junta has claimed that it has no control over the UWSA, which
has been accused of being a major producer of illicit drugs exported into
Thailand from bases in Burma.
Thailand was not yet satisfied with how Burma saw the facts, Foreign
Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday.
"The ministry has forwarded the matter to a joint Thai-Burmese border
committee so that it can check for more information from the site," he
said.
Thailand could not make light of the military action.
"We understand that it was not Burma's soldiers, but the Wa militia that
fought with us. But we want Burma to handle the case of the Wa properly,
particularly when it involves our Royal family," he said.
However, the government did not interpret Burma's note as trying to
escalate the affair.
Ambassador Oum told The Nation that it was understandable for Burma to
invite him to receive a counter note. "The Foreign Ministry summoned the Burmese
envoy [first] to receive an aide memoire, it is a common diplomatic protocol for
Burma to invite me to receive its note," Oum said.
"The note I received was not a protest note, but a letter that rejected
what was reported in the Thai media," he said.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Tourist Arrivals Drop in Myanmar
in 2001
Xinhuanet 2002-04-04 10:31:16 YANGON, April 4 (Xinhuanet) --
Tourist arrivals in Myanmar dropped 49.32 percent in the year of 2001,
registering 119,027 against 2000's 234,900, the country's Economic Indicators
said in its latest issue.
The declination of tourist arrivals was attributed to the sharp fall in the
number of cross-border tourists from neighboring countries during the year,
showing only 5,102, a reduction of 95.57 percent from 2000's 115,328.
Myanmar depends largely on cross-border tourism in getting foreign
tourists, especially from Thailand and China.
Besides being affected by border clashes between Myanmar and Thailand
during the first half of 2001, Myanmar's tourism business was also negatively
impacted by the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar authorities admitted that the country's tourism
industry is under-developed in spite of abundance in favorable conditions in the
nation. Although most sites all over Myanmar can attract tourists,
implementation of tasks for tourism development is still weak, the authorities
warned.
To win increased tourist arrivals, Myanmar has taken part in a number
of tourism fairs held in recent years in some Asian countries and regions
including Thailand, China's Hong Kong and the Republic of Korea.
In addition, Myanmar is also cooperating with tourism authorities of other
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in regional
activities including cooperation programs for tourist destinations in the ASEAN
region and market promotion activities of nations in the Great Mekong Subregion
as well as Ganges-Mekong cooperation program.
To develop its tourism, Myanmar has signed bilateral agreements with China,
Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand.
Official statistics show that since Myanmar opened to foreign investment in
late 1988, contracted investment in the sector of hotels and tourism has
amounted to 1.054 billion U.S. dollars in 42 projects.
The country set a target to draw 500,000 foreign tourists annually.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Generates Less Electricity
in 2001
Xinhuanet 2002-04-04 10:32:59 YANGON, April 4 (Xinhuanet) --
Electric power generated by the Myanma Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE), a
state-run main electricity supplier of the country, totaled 4,799.36 million
kilowatt-hours (kwh) in the year of 2001, a 4.5-percent reduction from 2000,
said the latest issue of the government Economic Indicators.
Meanwhile, there was no increase in the installed generating capacity (IGC)
of the MEPE, remaining at 1,172 mega watts (mw) over the period from April 2000
to the end of 2001.
According to the MEPE, since 1988, Myanmar's IGC has increased by 509 mw,
of which IGC of natural gas power plants rose by 255 mw, while that of steam
power ones by 143 mw and that of hydropower ones by 111 mw.
To ease serious electricity shortage in the country, Myanmar is building
five more hydropower plants -- Paunglaung, Zaungtu, Mone, Thaphanseik and
Maipan, three of which are being built by China.
Upon their completion, the five power plants will add 407 mw more to
Myanmar's IGC.
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