|
---------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS
- JULY 04, 2002.
---------------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINES
--------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - ASEAN trade ministers to brainstorm
over China
Reuters - Shin Sat in broadband deal with
Samart
SFC - Rape campaign alleged in Burma
WP - Burma Rape Charges Spur U.S. Complaint
Bkk Post - Maung Aye in hot water over false
reports
Bkk Post - Chuan raps government over Burma
Bkk Post - It's not easy making friends
Bkk Post - Putting a halt to
criticism
Xinhuanet - Thailand
to Use ASEAN forum to Hold Talks with Myanmar
Xinhuanet - Myanmar Exempts Tariffs on Products
Exported to Malaysia
The Nation - Sending refugees back 'a
violation'
--------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday July 4, 4:05 PM
ASEAN trade ministers to brainstorm over China KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Reuters)
- Southeast Asian economic and trade ministers meet in Malaysia on Saturday to
brainstorm over ways to regain the region's investment charm as it faces rising
competition from powerhouses including China, officials said.
"We plan to review the entire ASEAN process," Malaysia's International
Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz said earlier this week.
The annual "retreat" of trade ministers from the 10-member Association of
South East Asian Countries (ASEAN) will consider a preliminary study, due for
completion by the year end, by international consulting firm McKinsey on ASEAN
competitiveness.
"This retreat will discuss in a free wheeling manner issues that we
normally find it difficult to discuss at a more formal forum," Rafidah told the
official Bernama news agency.
The ministers will gather at a golf resort in Genting Highlands, a popular
vacation spot near the capital city.
Last year much of the foreign direct investment (FDI) in Asia went to
China, whose low-cost base is fast displacing Southeast Asia as the continent's
preferred manufacturing hub, economists say. A World Bank report in March said
that China attracted $44 billion of FDI last year, up 16 percent on 2000, while
Thailand's share fell 32 percent.
However, China's rise is not just a threat to investment but an opportunity
for ASEAN exporters. Goldman Sachs noted in a recent report that China's imports
from the rest of Asia grew 25 percent in March and April versus the same period
last year.
Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo said in a recent speech:
"We must take a hard look at our strengths and weaknesses as a group relative to
China, India, Latin America and Eastern Europe."
"China presents a huge challenge to Southeast Asia. If we do not move
quickly to integrate ASEAN, we may be completely overshadowed by Northeast
Asia," he said.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday July 4, 7:24 PM
Shin Sat in broadband deal with Samart BANGKOK, July 4 (Reuters) -
Thailand's Shin Satellite Plc, Asia's number two satellite operator, said on
Thursday it signed a contract with a unit of Samart Corp to help expand the
customer base for its new high-speed broadband satellite.
Executive Chairman Dumrong Kasemset told reporters that Samart Telcoms Plc
, one of Thailand's major VSAT (very small aperture terminal) satellite
providers, would provide broadband networks by using the technology of Shin's
planned
$350 million iPSTAR satellite.
Shin Sat, 51 percent owned by Thailand's largest telecoms conglomerate Shin
Corp belonging to the family of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has been
aggressively selling capacity on its broadband iPSTAR satellite in advance of
its launch.
The iPSTAR, seen as major revenue contributor for the firm after it is
launch in 2003, will provide data transmission for Internet and multimedia
applications.
The firm so far has $75 million worth of bookings for the soon-to-be
launched communications satellite and has signed contracts to sell 25 percent of
its capacity in China, Malaysia and India.
Its major competitor is Hong Kong's Asia Satellite Telecommunications , the
region's number one satellite service provider, .
Yongsit Rojsrivichaikul, Shin Sat vice president of marketing and sales,
told reporters the firm had plans to launch broadband services by linking with
existing satellites in India, China and Myanmar (Burma) by the end of this year.
Shin Sat has already launched its broadband technology in Thailand and
Malaysia using ground stations linked with existing satellites.
India is Shin Sat's largest market outside Thailand, while China is seen as
the biggest potential market for the firm's iPSTAR satellite, Yongsit said.
On Thursday, Shin Sat shares closed up 0.98 percent at 25.75 baht, in line
with the overall Thai stock market.
Samart and Samart Telcoms shares were unchanged at 13.90 baht and 7.95 baht
respectively.
--------------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco Chronicle
Rape campaign alleged in Burma
Seen as setback to U.S. relations Glenn Kessler, Washington
Post
Thursday, July 4, 2002
Washington -- The State Department has contacted Burma's military
government to express its outrage and urge an investigation into a new report
that officers have systematically raped hundreds of ethnic minority women and
girls.
The ruling military junta recently released from house arrest the Nobel
Peace Prize-winning activist Aung San Suu Kyi and has taken other steps to
rebuild contacts with Washington and win the removal of economic and other
sanctions. But the report on the alleged campaign of rape has stirred concern on
Capitol Hill and within the Bush administration, possibly setting back those
efforts.
The report, by the Thailand-based Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan
Women's Action Network, extensively detailed rapes involving at least 625 girls
and women by army troops in Shan state, the largest of the seven ethnic minority
states in Burma.
The report concluded that the country's military, as part of its campaign
to bring ethnic areas under its control, officially condones rape as a "weapon
of war" against civilian populations.
The report was based on interviews with refugees on Burma's border with
Thailand. It found that the rapes were committed between 1996 and 2001 by
soldiers from 52 different battalions, most by officers in front of their
troops.
The rapes were often extremely brutal, with one-quarter resulting in death.
In some instances, the bodies were then displayed to local communities. Many of
the girls -- as young as 5 -- and women were gang-raped, or raped repeatedly for
periods of up to four months, the report said.
"We are appalled by reports that the Burmese military is using rape as a
weapon of war against civilian populations in the Shan states," a State
Department official said Wednesday. "We have raised our concerns with the
Burmese regime and urged them to fully investigate any and all allegations of
the systematic rape of ethnic minority girls and women in Burma."
He said the United States expects the regime to "punish those guilty of
such heinous crimes" and to "take immediate steps to end any such violence
within its borders."
The U.S. charge d'affaires, Priscilla Clapp, discussed the report with
officials in Rangoon, the capital. The State Department official would not say
whether U.S. officials plan to conduct their own investigation or whether
Secretary of State Colin Powell will raise the issue when he travels this month
to a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Burma Rape Charges Spur U.S.
Complaint
Report Cites Army Attacks on Women, Girls By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 4, 2002; Page A19 The State Department has contacted the Burmese military government to
express its outrage and urge an investigation into a new report that officers
have systematically raped hundreds of ethnic minority women and girls.
The ruling military junta recently released from house arrest the Nobel
Peace Prize-winning activist Aung San Suu Kyi and has taken other steps to
rebuild contacts with Washington and win the removal of economic and other
sanctions. But the report on the alleged campaign of rape has stirred concern on
Capitol Hill and within the Bush administration, possibly setting back those
efforts.
The report, by the Thailand-based Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan
Women's Action Network, extensively detailed rapes involving at least 625 girls
and women by Burmese army troops in Shan state, the largest of the seven ethnic
minority states in Burma, also known as Myanmar. The report concluded that the
Burmese military, as part of its campaign to bring ethnic areas under its
control, officially condones rape as a "weapon of war" against civilian
populations.
The report was based on interviews with refugees on the Thai-Burmese
border. It found that the rapes were committed between 1996 and 2001 by soldiers
from 52 different battalions, most by officers in front of their troops. The
rapes were often extremely brutal, with one-quarter resulting in death. In some
instances, the bodies were then displayed to local communities. Many of the
girls -- as young as 5 -- and women were gang-raped, or raped repeatedly for
periods of up to four months, the report said.
"We are appalled by reports that the Burmese military is using rape as a
weapon of war against civilian populations in the Shan states," a State
Department official said yesterday. "We have raised our concerns with the
Burmese regime and urged them to fully investigate any and all allegations of
the systematic rape of ethnic minority girls and women in Burma."
He said the United States expects the regime to "punish those guilty of
such heinous crimes" and to "take immediate steps to end any such violence
within its borders."
The U.S. charge d'affairs, Priscilla A. Clapp, discussed the report with
officials in Rangoon, the capital. The State Department official would not say
whether U.S. officials planned to conduct their own investigation or whether
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell would raise the issue when he travels this
month to a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers.
In the wake of the report, the chairman and the ranking member of the House
International Relations subcommittee on international operations and human
rights have condemned the Burmese regime on the House floor.
"In the last few weeks the regime in Burma has been trying to create a
facade of civility and diplomacy," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.),
chairman of the subcommittee. "However, the recent reports demonstrate the
continual terror and repression the people of Burma find themselves under -- day
in and day out."
The report could not come at worse time for the regime, which earlier this
year agreed to pay more than $450,000 a year to a lobbying firm with ties to
President Bush to help push for the normalization of relations between the
United States and Burma. Charles Francis, an official at the lobbying firm, DCI
Associates, did not return a call for comment.
U Linn Myaing, the Burmese ambassador to the United States, also did not
return a call.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 July 2002
Maung Aye in hot water over false reports Chavalit comes to his defence Wassana Nanuam Burmese military leader Gen Maung Aye has been under fire following `false'
news reports he had approved the Thai military joining in Rangoon's crackdown on
the Wa, says Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
Gen Chavalit said Gen Maung Aye's April 23-26 visit to Thailand led to
political problems for the Burmese army chief after an English-language daily in
Thailand reported that Gen Maung Aye had allowed the Thai military to join
Burmese troops' in a clampdown on Wa soldiers.
The truth was that Gen Maung Aye only promised to help close the United Wa
State Army's Hong Pang Company in Tachilek and push for the withdrawal of all Wa
soldiers from the Thai-Burmese border, he said.
``The most painful thing was that when he returned to Burma, our
English-language newspaper I do not want to name reported that Gen Maung Aye
agreed with our sending of soldiers to join Burmese troops' moving against the
Wa.
``Let's imagine what would happen to Gen Maung Aye after his visit to
Thailand amid the on-going internal political problems in Burma,'' Gen Chavalit
said.
``From his own observations and checks with the Supreme Command, concerned
military units and army commander-in-chief Gen Surayud Chulanont, he found no
deployment of Thai soldiers in Burma,'' he said.
He would continue to help push for the forming of Burma's national
reconciliation government in a bid to create peace in that country.
It was his guess that economic hardships would force Burma to reopen its
border checkpoints with Thailand within three weeks, which would help improve
Thai-Burmese ties. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 July
2002
Chuan raps government over
Burma
Links mild reaction to vested interests
Supawadee
Susanpoolthong
Opposition leader Chuan Leekpai says the government has lost its grip on
the Burma problem.
It obviously did not quite understand the facts behind the issues.
The military must be allowed to decide how best to defend the country while
the government should stick to diplomacy, the Democrat leader said.
As a democratic country, Thailand must be be firm in refusing to condone
dictatorship in all shapes and forms.
The government should not take pride in its ability to establish personal
ties with the Burmese leadership. It must put the national interest before its
own.
``It is unreasonable to expect people to keep on being tolerant,'' he said,
referring to waning patience over Rangoon's border hostility and its verbal
attacks on the monarchy.
``We have been neighbourly, but they have no right to offend our head of
state,'' he said.
The Burma problem would not resolve itself. Certain principles such as
military retaliation must apply.
The armed forces must be allowed to proceed with territorial defence at
their own discretion, instead of waiting for the defence minister's order all
the time.
Questions were being asked why the government appeared to ``mumble'' when
it came to settling the dispute with Rangoon, he said.
Some people wondered whether vested interests may have stalled the
government's reaction to the situation. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Shin
Corporation was reported to have clinched a telecom deal with Burma recently.
There had also been no direct response from the Burmese leaders
themselves.
``All we hear is [Burmese leaders] being quoted by our own people,'' the
opposition leader said.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 July 2002
ANALYSIS / THAI-BURMA RELATIONS It's not easy making friends Thaksin Shinawatra has tried harder than any recent prime minister to foster relations with Rangoon, and has failed abysmally. Relations are at a very low point _ for all sorts of different reasons. AUNG ZAW The recent border skirmishes between Thailand and Burma are not the first
to erupt between the two neighbours, and they certainly won't be the last.
When Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra took office early last year, Thai
officials had hoped there would be an end to the cycle of mutually damaging
confrontations between these two historical enemies. Applying a personal,
business-centred approach to relations with his country's western neighbour,
tycoon-turned-PM Thaksin believed he could ease long-standing tensions. So far,
however, he has failed to end the violence and the seemingly endless
recriminations coming from both sides.
In a bid to put relations on a more amicable footing, the Thaksin
administration has invited two Burmese leaders to Bangkok. Last August, Mr
Thaksin rolled out the red carpet for powerful intelligence chief Lt-Gen Khin
Nyunt, and this April he feted Gen Maung Aye, the junta's second in
command.
Academics at Chulalongkorn University hailed the Khin Nyunt visit as the
beginning of a new era in Thai-Burma relations. Mr Thaksin was clearly
determined to break with the past in his efforts to mend fences with
Rangoon.
Instead of leveling the oft-repeated accusation that the Burmese generals
were turning a blind eye to drug production on their side of the border, Mr
Thaksin offered Rangoon 20 million baht in assistance for its drug-suppression
programme.
The Burmese junta repaid the favour with the release of 60 Thai prisoners _
a goodwill gesture which critics say has since become something of a
ritual.
Ironically, despite Thaksin's eschewal of the openly critical attitude of
his predecessor, Chuan Leekpai, Thailand's relations with Burma have worsened
noticeably during the current administration's tenure.
Since Mr Thaksin came to power in February 2001, Burma has twice shut the
border over alleged Thai army support for anti-Rangoon insurgents. Clearly, Mr
Thaksin's attempts to win over the generals in Rangoon by appealing to their
economic self-interest have not worked to resolve the complex differences that
divide the two sides.
MUTUAL MISTRUST
At the heart of the conflict between Thailand and Burma is mutual mistrust
over the issue of insurgency groups operating along their border. Bangkok
believes pro-Rangoon groups have been given a free hand to engage in illegal
activities that are harming Thai society. The Burmese junta, meanwhile, has
accused Bangkok of harbouring anti-Rangoon ``terrorists'' in an attempt to
undermine Burma's stability.
Much of this distrust has been fostered by mixed signals from both sides.
At times, Thailand seems to be at cross-purposes with itself. While the
Thaksin administration has sought to maintain a conciliatory stance, the
country's military and media appear to favour a firmer response to Burma's
perceived affronts to Thai sovereignty.
To further complicate matters, the Thais seem to be at a loss to ascertain
the true balance of power within the Burmese junta. For despite its monolithic
appearance, the regime is broadly divided between hardliners who back Gen Maung
Aye and and moderates who back Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.
Bangkok's decision to extend an invitation to Gen Maung Aye this April was
in part an acknowledgement of the need for even-handedness in dealing with the
rival generals. It may also have been based on the calculation that Gen Maung
Aye's star is on rise.
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt's close association with the family of former dictator Ne
Win, whose son-in-law and grandsons are now on trial for allegedly plotting to
overthrow the regime, has made him vulnerable to a power play by his enemies
within the junta.
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt is also close to the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the
group Bangkok accuses of flooding Thailand with methamphetamines. Bangkok may
have hoped that Gen Maung Aye would make a better ally in its fight to curtail
the UWSA's trafficking activities.
During his four-day visit, Gen Maung Aye and his Thai counterparts
discussed a number of key bilateral issues, such as drug trafficking, border
demarcation and Burmese refugees, as well as trade and agriculture. He also
vowed to shut down the Hong Pang Company, identified by Thailand as a
money-laundering front for the UWSA.
No sooner had Gen Maung Aye returned to Rangoon, however, than the sound of
gunfire was heard once again along the northern stretch of the border. A
spokesman for the junta, Lt-Col San Pwint, saw little irony in this coincidence.
He told reporters in Rangoon: ``The fact that such an untoward incident was
timed to break out on the very day that a friendly visit by a Myanmar [Burmese]
leader was concluded points unerringly to the fact that there is a scheme or
plot to derail the smooth and friendly relations between the two countries. It
is also evident that the members of the lower echelons of the Thai army are
involved in dishonest intrigues.''
And so the finger pointing began. On the Thai side, there were reports in
both the Thai- and English-language media that Gen Maung Aye had given Bangkok
the green light to go after the Wa. But most analysts said that it was unlikely
Gen Maung Aye would give such permission, as it would compromise Burma's
national sovereignty.
Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, the junta's deputy military intelligence chief who
accompanied Gen Maung Aye on the trip, also vigorously denied the Thai claims.
True or not, however, observers in Rangoon said the Thai reports and the
subsequent outbreak of border clashes had seriously hurt Gen Maung Aye's
credibility among top brass at home.
One possible scenario for what actually happened during Gen Maung Aye's
visit to Bangkok is that the Burmese general gave a vaguely encouraging response
when the Thais tried to sound him out on the idea of allowing a cross-border
assault on the Wa. But even that is unlikely, as Gen Maung Aye is not known for
speaking elliptically.
At most, he would have offered bland assurances that Burma would crack down
on the Wa if Thailand prevented the anti-Rangoon Shan State Army (SSA) from
launching attacks from Thai soil. When it became clear that the Burmese were not
serious about shutting down the Hong Pang Company _ it simply closed a few of
its offices in border towns, the Thai army may have lost patience and decided it
was time to take matters into its own hands.
COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
The possible misunderstanding between Gen Maung Aye and his Thai hosts is
not the only instance of poor communications plaguing bilateral relations.
In both countries, there appear to be problems in maintaining the chains of
command between the capital and the border. On the Burmese side, the death of
Lieutenant-General Tin Oo, the chief of staff, in a helicopter crash last year
is rumoured to have created a vacuum between the War Office in Rangoon and
regional commanders.
And on the Thai side, army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont appears to be
chafing under the restraints imposed on him by Gen Chavalit, who is widely
regarded as a friend of the Burmese junta.
Gen Surayud's staunch defence of Thai sovereignty against Burmese
incursions has won him strong popular support, making him an unwelcome foil for
the softer approach advocated by Mr Thaksin and Gen Chavalit. Some analysts have
suggested that Gen Surayud's integrity and the nationalistic sentiment stoked by
border clashes could even be used to rehabilitate the military as a political
player.
Adding to the static, the media in both Thailand and Burma have played up
the recent conflict to the maximum. On the Thai side, the press has generally
come out strongly against Mr Thaksin's talk-softly Burma policy. Stung by his
perceived attempts to roll back press freedoms, the Thai media have portrayed
the PM's handing of the clashes as weak and possibly economically motivated,
noting that his Shin Satellite Co recently signed a contract with Rangoon worth
about $13 million (540 million baht).
On the Burmese side, the state-run press has been predictably shrill in its
denunciation of the Thais. The junta's mouthpiece press has invoked ``lessons
from history'' to portray Burma's closest neighbour as a nation of inveterate
liars _ a charge also made by Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, who accused the Thai leadership
of telling ``bare-faced lies'' about its policy of harbouring anti-Rangoon
insurgents on Thai soil.
Privately owned publications, meanwhile, have been instructed not to run
articles on ``Yodaya'' _ a derogatory reference to the ancient Thai kingdom of
Ayutthaya, which was overrun by the Burmese in 1767. One magazine, Living Color,
was forced to avoid all mention of Thailand in a cover story on Asean.
Advertisements for Thai companies have also been strictly forbidden.
In stark contrast to Mr Thaksin's repeated urging to the Thai people not to
overreact to Burmese provocations, Rangoon has taken great pains to fan the
flames of anti-Thai sentiment, with little effect. While the junta has staged
rallies around the country to denounce Thailand's alleged treachery, very few
Burmese have expressed any antipathy towards their eastern neighbour.
In major cities, where residents have been ordered to fly the Burmese flag
in front of their homes and business premises, the Thai-bashing campaign has
inspired only the most apathetic of responses. Observers say that most urban
Burmese are more interested in gambling and watching the World Cup football
tournament than in joining the junta's anti-Thai tirade.
In border areas, meanwhile, many have expressed regret at Thailand's
reluctance to rise to Rangoon's persistent baiting. In predominantly ethnic
areas, public opinion echoes that of most Thais: ``Why does Bangkok put up with
it?'' Rebel leaders are more strident. ``If the Thais want to invade Burma, we
will lead the way,'' the head of one ethnic group told The Irrawaddy on
condition of anonymity.
LETTING OFF STEAM
While the border situation has turned into a major imbroglio for Mr
Thaksin, its implications for Burma's domestic politics could prove even worse.
Ominously, in the wake of this latest conflict, the state-run press has renewed
its attacks on the democratic opposition, albeit in a relatively muted
fashion.
An article in the Burmese-language Kyemon newspaper claimed that: ``The
entire [Burmese] people, especially the youth, became embittered and rankled by
Thailand's encroachment on their sovereignty.'' It goes on to note an exception
to this supposedly universal outrage: ``However, a clear blank can be seen in
the political arena of Burma. That is the group of the people who are shouting
for democracy and human rights [who] have not said anything or issued any
statement about this matter. That is food for thought.''
Mr Thaksin's efforts to establish friendlier ties with Rangoon will
inevitably fail if he does not begin to take Burma's political dynamics into
account. For his purposes, this means recognising that the Burmese junta needs
external enemies as much as it needs friends as a pretext for suppressing the
far more serious threat of internal dissent.
With the regime still under pressure to make further concessions to the
opposition, it should come as no surprise that it would choose this time to let
off some steam along the border. Only a greater appreciation of the depths of
Burma's domestic discontent, and the junta's desperation to hold on to power at
any cost, will prevent Mr Thaksin getting burned again.
- Aung Zaw is the editor of the Irrawaddy magazine.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 04 July 2002
Putting a halt to criticism You have to feel a wee bit sorry for our foreign minister. He's been excluded from the big foreign affairs issues, and then is accused of sticking his foot squarely in his mouth when he has tried to get involved. - You have to love the politicians. They make changes to tapes that went to air, and then they try to claim these changes show interference in the media. - Jiew and his army chief are hitting it off well. Fore!!! Our poor foreign minister finally took an interest in foreign affairs and was immediately pulled up for being economical with the truth with his claim that the New Light of Myanmar had stopped defaming our Ayutthaya-era kings after his ministry sent Rangoon a protest note. Surakiart Sathirathai said the Foreign Ministry sent the protest note to Rangoon on June 6 when it heard Ma Tin Win had written articles which appeared in the newspaper in late May criticising King Naresuan the Great, who won independence for Ayutthaya from Burma in the early 17th century. "We sent them a protest note over the insult made to our monarch. Since then, the paper has stopped its negative criticism," boasted the foreign minister. Mr Surakiart's statement surprised many as Ma Tin Win had also been criticising King Narai the Great, whose reign from 1656-1687 was recognised as Ayutthaya's golden era. The author attacked King Narai for his handling of European powers when the Dutch, British and French all were demanding special trade privileges from him. Ma Tin Win's articles criticising King Narai began on June 17, 11 days after the Foreign Ministry had lodged its protest with Rangoon. There were two follow-ups, on June 18 and June 24. Ma Tin Win, who holds a doctorate in historical pedagogy from Russia, is a regular contributor to the New Light of Myanmar, a mouthpiece of Burma's State Peace and Development Council. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been accused of appeasement towards Rangoon and has been heavily criticised. He has called the newspaper articles irrelevant. But Mr Thaksin must surely be aware that the New Light of Myanmar comes under the firm control of General Maung Aye, the SPDC deputy chairman, who told the prime minister last week that Rangoon had no intention of insulting the Thai monarchy. Mr Thaksin's former partner in appeasement, Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, and some top military types last week finally lost their cool with Rangoon and the newspaper articles. They also were equally displeased with the Foreign Ministry for not dealing firmly with Burma over the articles. Ma Tin Win wrote an article late last year criticising King Mongkut, King Rama IV, over his handling of the European powers during the 19th century. This also resulted in a strongly worded protest to Rangoon. "This kind of insult of our past great kings cannot be tolerated," Lt-Gen Suraphand Phumkaeo, defence spokesman, said this week. "We have never once criticised their kings in any way, so why does she [Ma Tin Win] keep criticising ours. This is unusual and is surely ill-intended." --------------------------------------------------------------- Thailand to Use ASEAN forum to Hold
Talks with Myanmar
Xinhuanet 2002-07-04 17:23:05
BANGKOK, July 4 (Xinhuanet) --
Thailand will use the upcoming meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to hold talks
with Myanmar on border problems, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said
Thursday.
Surakiart said that he would hold talks with his Myanmar counterpart on the
sideline of the upcoming foreign ministers' meeting of ASEAN member countries in
Brunei to try to address pending border problems, according to a report of the
Thai News Agency.
Asked about news reports that Myanmar would re-open its border checkpoints
on July 20, Surakiart said he could not confirm the reports, as the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs had yet been contactedby Yangon over the issue.
There had been no diplomatic negotiations by the Thai and Myanmar
governments over the issue as well, he noted.
Myanmar has closed its checkpoints along the Thai-Myanmar border, from the
northern province of Chiang Rai to the southern province of Ranong since May.
The move followed cross-border shelling and allegations that Thailand
supported armed ethnic forces fighting against Myanmar government troops along
the border.
Surakiart said, however, that the re-opening of border checkpoints by
Myanmar was not actually considered the key point to be able to clear all
pending border problems.
The pending problems were, instead, caused by other reasons, the foreign
minister indicated, without further elaboration.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar Exempts Tariffs on
Products Exported to Malaysia
Xinhuanet 2002-07-04 10:06:52 YANGON, July 4 (Xinhuanet) --
Myanmar has exempted tariffs on 282 products exported to Malaysia, the latest
Myanmar Times said.
The move, made under the ASEAN Integration System of Preferences, is aimed
at pushing the economic development of the group's new members which include
Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
The exemption applies only to goods manufactured from domestically
available raw materials, the Myanmar Ministry of Commerce was quoted as saying.
The list of the exempted products would be reviewed once a yearand the
exemption would be stopped for exports which have a detrimental effect on
Malaysian producers, it said.
Under the framework of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), tariffs of most
products for the organization's six earliest members -- Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singaporeand Thailand -- will be reduced between 0
and 5 percent by 2002, while that for the four new members by 2005.
The total abolishment of tariffs or the target of AFTA is set by 2010 for
the six old members and 2015 for the four new members.
Meanwhile, Thailand has decided to grant tax privileges to Laos,Myanmar and
Vietnam under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. Import duties
on 73 products from the three member countries will be reduced to 0-5 percent.
The tax privileges were made under the regional trade scheme to narrow
differences betweenthe six old members and the four new ones.
Myanmar joined the ASEAN in July 1997 along with Laos.
--------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
Sending refugees back 'a violation' Published on Jul 4, 2002 The government might be violating international humanitarian practice by
sending some 600 Shan refugees back to the Burmese side of the border during a
time of uncertainty, the vice chairman of the House's Foreign Affairs Committee
said yesterday.
Kobsak Chutikul expressed strong concern over a report that the government
planned to repatriate the ethnic Shan refugees who fled Burma following heavy
fighting between government troops and rebel soldiers.
"We should not be too hasty," Kobsak said. "This is a humanitarian matter
and [there are] internationally accepted norms for civilians fleeing armed
conflict."
The vice chairman pointed to Thailand's international standing on
humanitarian issues and added that the world community would be watching.
The move to return the refugees could also be seen as Thailand giving in to
pressure from Burma's military government following accusations from Rangoon
that the Thai troops were providing assistance to the Shan rebels.
The 600 refugees are currently residing at a temple in Chiang Mai's Wiang
Haeng district. The fighting also displaced over 2,000 Thai residents along the
border area as Burmese artillery and mortar shells rained down on
villages.
The latest round of clashes between the Burmese and the Shan rebels erupted
late last month.
--------------------------------------------------------------- |