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BURMA RELATED NEWS
- JULY 03, 2002.
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HEADLINES
--------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Malaysia's Mahathir plans complete break from
power
The Nation - Ya ba production shifts to
Bangkok
Bkk Post - Chavalit raps Chuan's aide
Xinhuanet - Myanmar to Hold Mid-Year Gems
Emporium
--------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday July 3, 1:49 PM
Malaysia's Mahathir plans complete break from power By Jalil Hamid and Barani Krishnan KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -
Veteran Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, greeting rapturous supporters
on his return from an Italian holiday, said on Wednesday that when he steps down
next year he will make a complete break with power.
The 76-year-old premier, speaking for the first time since his tearful
resignation on live television on June 22, confirmed statements from the ruling
UMNO party that he would hand over to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi after October 2003.
Malaysia's neighbours fear the departure of Mahathir, a strong moderate
Muslim leader, will cause Southeast Asia to lose a bulwark against the spread of
hardline Islam.
But analysts say Abdullah, with unimpeachable religious credentials, may do
a better job in containing political Islam.
Mahathir appeared to concur with that view, saying he had full confidence
in his chosen successor.
"I have already made it clear that when I leave, I leave completely,"
Mahathir told a news conference. That would contrast with the path taken by his
contemporary, former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who still serves in
an advisory capacity.
Mahathir, like Lee, took his nation into the ranks of the world's most
powerful trading names during his term of office.
While Lee achieved more with Singapore, Mahathir has earned plaudits on the
global stage, most recently for his role in the war against terror and for
helping to mediate the release of Myanmar pro-democracy fighter Aung San Suu
Kyi.
MOTHER'S ADVICE
But on Wednesday, he came across more as an ordinary man when he said he
was quitting because of his late mother's advice.
"I was also following something my mother taught me. When you are enjoying
a real good meal, stop when the food is still good. So, I guess it's good for me
to stop now," said Mahathir, prime minister since 1981, amidst laughter.
"I initially asked for a month (transition) but that was not accepted. I
then decided on 16 months so that I could also see through the OIC (Organisation
of Islamic Conference) meeting. At the same time, I got their (ruling party)
word there would not be any power struggle and undesirable events in the party."
He told the news conference at the air force base where he landed he would
also stay on as finance minister of the multi-ethnic Southeast Asian country
until October next year.
He declined to say whether he would lead the country into the next general
election, scheduled in 2004 but expected as early as next year.
Wearing a double-breasted suit and a blue polo shirt, Mahathir looked
relaxed as he fielded questions from a throng of media, in contrast to the
tearful leader the nation saw when he made his shock resignation 11 days ago.
"Parting is always sad and about three-quarters of my life has been spent
with the party, so of course I was sad," he said, when asked about that sudden
burst of emotion.
NO CHANGE OF DIRECTION
He assured the country, still coping with the departure of the only leader
many of its 23 million people have ever known, that there would be no policy
changes in the interim. Abdullah, a 62-year-old Islamic scholar, is viewed as a
consensus seeker and the "nice guy" of politics.
Mahathir steered Malaysia out of the 1997/98 Asian currency crisis by
controversially fixing its currency against the U.S. dollar and slapping on
capital controls.
Despite his brash outspokenness, it was clear Mahathir will be missed.
At the welcome home rally, an older Chinese man said he had travelled from
southern Johor state to greet his leader: "I love him. I can't see him going."
The crowd waved Malaysian flags and the red and white colours of Mahathir's
United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). An aeroplane flew with the banner:
"Dr M -- We await your return."
The crowd carried banners proclaiming "Always Our Leader" and punctuated
his five-minute speech with chants of "Long live Mahathir". He thanked them
repeatedly in his native Malay.
--------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
DRUG TRADE: Ya ba production
shifts to Bangkok
Published on Jul 3, 2002
The production of methamphetamine, locally known as ya ba, has started to move from neighbouring countries to residential areas of Bangkok such as Prawet and Saimai, anti-drug officials said yesterday. The officials briefed a government committee on drug suppression chaired by
General Boworn Ngamgasem, an adviser to the public health minister. The
officials said Thailand's drug problem is increasing despite suppression
efforts.
Ya ba accounts for 80 per cent of drug-related problems and is increasing
on all fronts - consumption, production, and the number of new middlemen and
pushers entering the illicit trade, the officials said.
The amount of methamphetamine stockpiled in neighbouring countries waiting
to enter Thailand has increased at an alarming rate because Thailand's
suppression efforts have disrupted supply routes through Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai,
Mae Hong Son, Tak, Nan, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, and Kanchanaburi.
Possibly because of this disruption to the supply routes, drug dealers have
turned to domestic supplies of ya ba.
Ya ba kingpins in Bangkok and its surrounding areas have connections to the
Wa and other minority groups in Burma as well as local traffickers, the
officials said.
Locally produced ya ba pills are known for their compactness and a special
quality whereby they leave no residue when heated and inhaled.
Recent drug raids have indicat-|ed methamphetamine production plants are
concentrated in residential areas in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut
Prakan and Samut Sakhon.
Bangkok is the country's largest market for illicit drug transactions,
accounting for half of methamphetamines produced and sold in the country last
year, the officials said.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Wednesday 03 July
2002
Chavalit raps Chuan's
aide
Wassana Nanuam
Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has blamed a former military aide to Chuan
Leekpai for Burma being upset and suspicious of Thailand's motives.
Rangoon was ``uncomfortable'' with the fact that a lot of Shan people were
brought in to live in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son and that a Shan
Association was set up and chaired by Lt-Gen Pon Wanakamol, an aide to Mr Chuan
when he was prime minister and defence minister, the defence minister
said.
``Burma knows this and they are hurt,'' Gen Chavalit told a National
Defence College function.
There had also been an attempt to set up a Shan radio station in Thailand
and he had ordered military intelligence to keep an eye on this.
Gen Chavalit said he supported the formation of a government of national
unity in Burma and wanted the Shan to be a part of it. He meant the Shan no harm
and did not want to send them back to Burma to be killed.
He also said Burma planned to reopen its border with Thailand in two weeks,
but gave no source for the information.
Meanwhile, military-run radio is to end its war of words with Burma, which
followed insults to the Thai monarchy.
The stations spent two days airing rebuttals and criticising the New Light
of Myanmar newspaper and its columnist Ma Tin Win.
Sampan Bunyanant, defence permanent secretary, said this was long enough to
get the government's message across.
He insisted the armed forces were not pressing for a public apology from
Rangoon, just an assurance that such remarks would not recur.
Gen Sampan said he was optimistic relations would be patched up, following
the pledge Gen Maung Aye, vice chairman of Burma's ruling State Peace and
Development Council, made to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
However, it seems Ma Tin Win has continued to write articles.
The latest, which appeared on July 1, attacked the foreign policy of King
Narai, of the Ayutthaya period.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar to Hold Mid-Year Gems
Emporium
Xinhuanet 2002-07-03 11:36:40 YANGON, July 3 (Xinhuanet) --
Myanmar will hold its 11th mid-year gems exhibition in October this year to put
on sale domestically-produced quality gems, jade, pearl and jewelry through
competitivebidding and at fixed price, according to an announcement of the
Myanmar Ministry of Mines Wednesday.
The display was aimed at boosting the country's hard currency earnings.
Myanmar, a well-known producer of jade, ruby and sapphire in the world, has
earned a total of nearly 360 million U.S. dollars from gems emporiums since
1964, according to official statistics.
To develop its gems mining industry, Myanmar enacted the New Gemstone Law
in September 1995, allowing national entrepreneurs tomine, produce, transport
and sell finished gemstone and manufactured jewelry at home and abroad.
Since April 2000, the government has started mining of gems andjade in
joint ventures with 10 private companies on a profit sharing basis.
--------------------------------------------------------------- South Korea to Aid Myanmar's
Telecommunication Sector
Xinhuanet 2002-07-03 11:34:26
YANGON, July 3 (Xinhuanet) --
South Korea will provide financial and technical aid to Myanmar to develop the
country's telecommunication sector under a cooperation agreement signed recently
between the two countries, according to a report of the Myanmar
telecommunication authorities.
The project would be expanding the country's CDMA (Code Divisional Multiple
Access) mobile phone network and equipping its major trade towns, tourist sites
and border towns with network access as mobile phones are in strong demand in
the nation.
The cost for the first phase of developing the telecommunication sector,
including the CDMA mobile system, would be at about 30 million U.S. dollars,
estimated the Myanmar Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs.
The latest official figures revealed that out of a total of 351,000
telephones in Myanmar now, 11,000 are CDMA mobile ones.
According to the authorities, the South Korean government wouldalso provide
loans for implementing Myanmar's electronic(e)-government projects with fiber
optics links. The first phase of the projects would cost about 10 million
dollars.
Meanwhile, Myanmar has also launched a GSM (Global System for Mobile)
network since March this year. The first phase of the system released 100,000
GSM handsets in Yangon and Mandalay, signifying a big increase over existing
mobile phone services of cellular and CDMA phones.
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