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BURMA RELATED NEWS - JULY 29,
2002.
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HEADLINES
------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Terrorism seen as threat to ASEAN
future
AFP - Myanmar releases 14 jailed NLD members ahead of ASEAN
meeting
AFP - ASEAN, US to sign anti-terror pact after appeasing Indonesia,
Vietnam
AFP - ASEAN
needs strong political will to lift economy: Brunei
leader
Reuters - ASEAN taps Singapore official as secretary
general
Reuters - Myanmar frees 32 political prisoners ahead of U.N.
visit
BKK Post - Hopes high talks will thaw freeze
BKK Post - Shan women testify troops raped them
BKK Post - Editorial - It's time for Asean to
make an impact
Kyodo News - 3 fugitives transferred to China
after Myanmar arrest
Hoover's Online - House Committee Sought
Explanation about Thai-Myanmar Border Conflict From Army Figures
------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 29, 1:59 PM
Terrorism seen as threat to ASEAN
future
(AFP) - Terrorism threatens to destroy the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) if it cannot ensure regional security, the Sultan of Brunei warned at the opening of an ASEAN foreign ministers' conference. In a frank assessment of the future for the 10-nation grouping, he said terrorism has put regional economic security at risk. "Without peace and stability, all ASEAN's work will ultimately founder," he said in the opening address to the meeting. The focus of the talks, which expand later in the week to take in ASEAN's key allies including the United States, China and Japan, is on drawing up a counter-terrorism plan, and a roadmap to ensure a regional economic recovery. The terrorism threat, which erupted with the September 11 atrocities, came as most ASEAN economies were still recovering from the 1997 Asian financial crisis which battered the region. "For hundreds of millions of people we represent, the most pressing item on our regional agenda is economic progress," the Sultan said, but underlining its inextricable link to the terrorism threat. "As an association we succeed or fail on the durability of peace and stability in Southeast Asia. "That has always been the pre-requisite for lasting cooperation. Unless it exists, we cannot bring economic and social benefits to our people. That is where I see terrorism's greatest threat." The foreign ministers will this week sign an anti-terrorism pact with the United States which provides for greater cooperation in counter-terrorism measures. Its list includes intelligence exchange on terrorist financing, the development of counter-terrorism policies and compliance with UN resolutions. The Sultan said the region required a comprehensive strategy that included more than just military action, but addressed the root causes of terrorism. "We must do all we can to remove frustration and resentment among our people. It has to be made absolutely clear, however, that these offer no justification whatsoever for acts of terror." ASEAN, with its political, cultural and economically diverse membership, was once the world's biggest growth chalker and a top investment magnet, but the region lost its lustre after a 1997 crisis. Although it was making progress in recovering from the turmoil, it "must win back the confidence and trust of investors," said the Sultan who is among the richest men in the world. ASEAN is pursuing numerous trade efforts, including the establishment of a giant free trade zone with China to be operating in 10 years, an even broader bloc taking in Japan and South Korea, as well as its own free trade area. Sceptics claim the plans will not succeed, with the member states more likely to end up competing against each other rather than working together, a point not lost on the Sultan. "Those voices should not be ignored," he said. The Sultan said an ASEAN study to gauge its competitiveness would be ready next year and that the grouping was prepared to use its recommendations to consider any changes to its strategies. "We are going to need strong political will, however. Nevertheless, I am sure that this will be given," he said. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, -------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday July 28, 11:51 AM
Myanmar releases 14 jailed NLD
members ahead of ASEAN meeting
(AFP) - Myanmar's military junta said it had released 32 people from its prisons, including 14 members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), a day before a gathering of regional foreign ministers in Brunei. "This morning, 32 individuals serving sentences for breach of law were released from various correctional facilities," the regime said in a statement. "Out of the total 32 individuals released today, the first 14 persons are members of the National League for Democracy," it said, adding that all of the newly freed were in good health and reunited with their families. "The government of Myanmar will continue to release more individuals who will cause no harm to the community nor threaten the existing peace, stability and unity of the nation," it said. The NLD members were listed as: Tun Kyaing, Myint Oo, Khin Maung Kyi, Myo Thura, Nyein Chan, Zaw Moe, Than Nwe, U Thitsar, Zaw Win Naing, Khin Maung Thaung, Maung Toe, Thaung Pu, Sein Maung and Maung Maung Thaung. The figure brings to at least 42 the number of NLD members freed by the junta since NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi herself was released on May 6 from 19 months under house arrest. Since her release, the Nobel peace laureate has said her party's number one priority is to procure the release of all political prisoners. Around 1,500 political prisoners are held in Myanmar jails. Of the NLD prisoners, 17 were elected as members of parliament in a 1990 election that was swept by the NLD but never recognised by the regime. Some 297 NLD members have been released in recent months, while another 261 now remain in detention, according to the junta. The gesture comes one day ahead of a gathering of foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in which Myanmar's heavily criticised human rights record was expected to come under scrutiny. Diplomats have said Yangon is trying to hush up any criticism at the annual meet in Brunei, and has objected to language in a joint communique to be released by the ASEAN ministers which mentions the state of political affairs in Myanmar. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday July 28, 3:29 PM
ASEAN, US to sign anti-terror pact
after appeasing Indonesia, Vietnam
(AFP) - US and Southeast Asian foreign ministers are expected to sign a joint declaration against international terrorism after taking in concerns by Indonesia and Vietnam on the role of the UN and interference in domestic affairs, officials said. The latest draft of the "ASEAN-US Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism" obtained by AFP incorporated new paragraphs to appease the concerns of the two Southeast Asian countries. The document, hammered out by senior officials, will be discussed by the ministers during their meetings Monday and Tuesday and then presented to the United States. If agreed, the document would be signed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers and US Secretary of State Colin Powell later in the week. "Terrorism, as you know, is the center of our agenda at this meeting," a US State Department spokesman who arrived in Brunei ahead of Powell, told AFP. "We want cooperation ... We want all these countries to cooperate on fighting terrorism." ASEAN officials said the pact would boost efforts to fight terrorism in the region, where Islamic militant groups have emerged as key security threats. One ASEAN source said the joint declaration would show that Washington has roped in Southeast Asia in the global fight against terrorism. "I think there are preparations for signature. I heard the protocol officers talking about the tables and the pens that will be used so I expect (it to be signed)," said Philippine ambassador to Japan Domingo Siazon, who is representing Manila in the ministerial meetings. According to the draft dated July 27, the ministers would affirm that in fighting terrorism at the global level, "the United Nations should play a major role in this regard." The paragraph is understood to have been proposed by Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest country and the world's largest Muslim nation which is battling threats of separatism and Islamic extremism. America's allies have also accused Washington of taking unilateral actions in the anti-terror fight with little regard to their concerns. In the document, terrorism will be viewed "in all its forms and manifestations, committed wherever, whenever and by whomsoever" in an apparent effort to remove the impression that only Islamic militants commit acts of terror. The ministers also recognised "the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other states," acknowledging the concerns of communist-ruled Vietnam. Other ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. The joint declaration should serve as a "framework for cooperation to prevent, disrupt and combat international terrorism through the exchange and flow of information and intelligence." "The participants emphasize that the purpose of this cooperation is to enhance the efficacy of those efforts to combat terrorism," the draft said. It listed several areas of cooperation, including intelligence exchange on terrorist financing, the development of counter-terrorism policies and compliance to UN resolutions. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday July 29, 3:48 PM
ASEAN needs strong political will to
lift economy: Brunei leader
(AFP) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was told it would need strong political will to regain its economic competiveness and retain valuable investments. Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, in a blunt opening address at an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting here, said ASEAN must recover its shine as an investment haven for the benefit of the region's 500 million inhabitants. "There are few who doubt our potential but there are many who doubt our ability to transform it into reality," he told delegates to the conference where lifting the regional economy is a key focus. "For the hundreds of millions of people we represent, the most pressing item of business on our regional agenda is economic progress. It is the biggest challenge for our ministers," he said. Southeast Asia once led world economic growth and was a magnet for foreign investment but lost its lustre after a financial crisis swept through the region in 1997. The crisis also exposed a web of corruption, weak financial regulations and business practices not up to world standards. With China's emergence as a regional economic power, ASEAN officials have voiced concerns the region could be crowded out in terms of trade and investments. Economists estimate China currently gets around 50 percent of all foreign direct investments into East Asia, compared to 20 percent for ASEAN, reversing a trend in the early 1990s. ASEAN's gross domestic product should grow an average 3.0 to 4.0 percent this year. "There needs to be unity and solidarity for economic cooperation in ASEAN and the Sultan's speech provided the momentum for this, to look further into ASEAN's integration and economic progress," Malaysian Foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said. The Sultan said although the region was making real progress in recovering from the turmoil, "we still face enormous difficulties". Citing US-led stock market volatility this month and the sheer speed of changing global events, he said: "This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of government nowadays." Sultan Hassanal, among the richest men in the world, said Southeast Asia "must win back the confidence and trust of investors." He said although ASEAN was pursuing efforts to set up a free trade zone by 2020 covering all 10 countries in the region, it may not guarantee Southeast Asia would be able to cope with intense global competition. The sultan noted ASEAN critics were saying that member states, rather than cooperating, were more likely to end up competing against each other and that the region was not in a position to establish itself as a base for doing business. "Those voices should not be ignored," he said. Sultan Hassanal said an ASEAN study to gauge its competitiveness would be ready next year and that the grouping was prepared to act on its recommendations. "We are going to need strong political will, however. Nevertheless, I am sure that this will be given," he said. A draft of the joint communique to be issued by the ministers at the end of their two-day meeting on Tuesday said "much needs to be done in ensuring sustainable economic recovery in the region." The ministers are also expected to endorse for further study the feasibility of setting up an ASEAN credit facility to fund small business ventures by poor families as part of an effort to reduce poverty. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday July 29, 4:22 PM
ASEAN taps Singapore official as
secretary general
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, July 29 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Monday named Singaporean official Ong Keng Yong as new secretary general for ASEAN, replacing the Philippines' Rodolfo Severino who is wrapping up a five-year term. Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers made the decision as they opened two days of talks expected to yield a declaration to battle international terrorism and initiatives to promote regional trade and economic integration. "At this meeting just now there as been unanimous endorsement of Mr. Om King Yong as secretary general," said Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar. "In January, he will be ASEAN's man at the helm of the secretariat and therefore charged with implementing the positions and policies," he said. Ong, 48, press secretary to Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and a deputy secretary in the Ministry of Information, will take charge as ASEAN pushes ahead with a planned free trade zone for the region. He also served as high commissioner to India in 1996-98 and ambassador to Nepal. ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, is also hammering out a framework with China for a free trade zone that will be the world's largest, with 1.7 billion people. Severino served during some of the more tumultuous economic times for ASEAN, which was beset by financial crisis in 1997-98 and is still recovering after restructuring. The group is battling perceptions that Southeast Asia is rife with terrorist network activity, and ministers are due this week to sign a statement on measures to block terrorist financing and a communique calling for concerted efforts to combat international militancy. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday July 28, 1:35 PM
Myanmar frees 32 political prisoners
ahead of U.N. visit
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government released 32 political prisoners on Sunday, among them 14 members of the opposition, ahead of the visit next month of top U.N. envoy Razali Ismail, the government said. "This morning 32 individuals serving sentences for breach of law were released from various correctional facilities. They all are in good health and reunited with their respective families," the government said in a statement faxed to Reuters. Sunday's release, the largest such move since the release of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi in May, took place a few days before the visit of U.N. special envoy Razali. Local analysts and politicians say there will be more releases of political prisoners before, during and after Razali's visit. The government statement named all 32 freed men, none of them members of parliament. Fourteen of the 32 were members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party and the rest did not belong to any political party, officials told Reuters. "The Government of Myanmar will continue to release more individuals who will cause no harm to the community nor threaten the existing peace and stability and unity of the nation," the statement added. Razali is scheduled to arrive in Myanmar on August 2 on his eighth official visit. He was seen as instrumental in winning Suu Kyi's freedom to travel around the country. Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate, was released from 19 months of house arrest on May 6. According to the data agreed between the military and the NLD, 297 NLD members have been released so far and 261, including 16 MPs, still remain in prison. NLD Spokesman U Lwin told Reuters earlier this month there were about 380 non-NLD political prisoners in the country. -------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post - Monday 29 July 2002
Hopes high talks will thaw freeze Ministers likely to meet on sidelines Saritdet Marukatat A long-awaited meeting between the Thai and Burmese foreign ministers in
Brunei will give the governments a chance to end border tensions, a Burmese
analyst said.
Thai and Burmese foreign ministry officials are arranging talks for their ministers, Surakiart Sathirathai and Win Aung, on the sidelines of the Asean ministerial meeting opening today. The meeting is likely to take place tomorrow, in what will be the first diplomatic effort by Bangkok and Rangoon to put their relationship back on track. Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, the Chulalongkorn University analyst on Burmese affairs, believes the meeting will help break the impasse. Other means of communication, particularly defence contacts, appeared to have shut down. ``The meeting will improve the situation,'' he said. Defence relations, once a channel to resolve conflicts, turned sour last month after the Thai military attacked Burma over the airwaves in retaliation for criticism of the monarchy by the state-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper in Rangoon. Thai authorities banned Ma Tin Win, a columnist of the Burmese daily newspaper. A few days later, Rangoon barred 15 Thai journalists from entering the country in apparent retaliation. The testy exchange took relations to their lowest point in years. ``Diplomacy is the only means left,'' Mr Chayachoke said. ``The Burmese government has lost trust in the Thai military.'' The regime accused Thai armed forces of aiding Shan rebels fighting government forces in northern Burma near the Thai border. Thai military chiefs denied it, and added they were unhappy about Rangoon's continued reluctance to crack down on the Wa ethnic group, which has smuggled millions of methamphetamine tablets into Thai territory. Mr Chayachoke said the meeting could clear the way for Thai and Burmese leaders to sit down together when other problems arose. At the very least it could prompt a revival of interest in both capitals in convening meetings at the local level to sort out conflicts. Local committees are the traditional mechanism for sorting out such disputes. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has insisted on diplomacy as his favourite tool to put an end to the wrangling with Burma. Two months ago Rangoon shut down the main trade outlets between the countries in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai, Tak's Mae Sot and Ranong's Kawthaung. Traders said billions of baht in exports had been lost. But Mr Chayachoke expected no immediate re-opening of the border after the meeting in Banda Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital, the venue for this year's Asean ministerial gathering. The ministers missed a chance to meet last month when Burma decided not to join Thailand and other Asian countries in Cha-am, Phetchaburi's seaside district, to launch the Asia Co-operation Dialogue forum. Thailand and Burma are members of Asean, which also groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Monday 29 July 2002
Shan women testify troops raped them Junta soldiers `hunt mothers, daughters' Vasana Chinvarakorn - Mae Hong Son Frail and pale, Naang Oun, 17, speaks in a voice no louder than a
whisper.
Recounting how she was brutally raped by a gang of Burmese soldiers last month, the teenager lifted the veil of silence that traditionally cloaks sexual attacks by the Burmese against minority groups. Eleven Shan girls and women, all of whom say they were raped, recently slipped into Thailand to tell their story. They came amid an escalation of fighting between the Shan State Army and the Burmese junta troops. They were granted asylum after getting help from an NGO. Speaking from a village in Thailand's northernmost province, they agreed to an interview on the basis that their real names and location are not revealed. The women still have relatives stranded in the Shan state. Talking to the Bangkok Post, Naang Oun evidently struggled with powerful feelings of shame. Rape is probably the worst offence to commit against Shan women, whose tradition puts stress on female chastity. ``It was during the twilight. I was on my way to fetch water when a patrol approached me,'' Naang Oun said through an interpreter. ``Then three of them grabbed me, cast aside my bucket, and pushed me into a bush. ``I was kicked and slapped. They took turns [assaulting me] and took off after they had finished,'' she said, her body turning rigid as she recalled the ordeal. The Shan women who accompanied Naang Oun said the teenager, once bright and talkative, had said little since last month's attack. Naang Oun is not alone. All 11 victims _ one of whom was 12 when the rape took place _ show signs of suffering from severe trauma. The youngest child, now 13, smiled from time to time, but it was the smile of someone who had lost her senses. Last year, the girl, Jung, was tending to her family's rice barn when a group of Burmese soldiers raided it. They hit her on the head with their rifles, and a scar is still evident on her forehead. Jung's mother, 37, came to her child's rescue. She was raped as well. This family is no stranger to tragedy. Two years ago, Jung's eldest brother was assaulted by Burmese patrollers. ``They tied him to a tree, stabbed him through his heart with a knife, and took all his clothes,'' said Jung's mother. A few months later, the head of the family died of heart failure, a broken man after the untimely death of his eldest child. The Burmese military has faced many such allegations in the past, particularly of sexual violence against ethnic minority women. Most victims live in the shadows of fear and shame. Two NGOs, the Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan Women's Action Network, surveyed the problem in May. Called ``Licence to Rape'', the report documents 173 incidents, involving 625 girls and women, that took place between 1996 and 2001. The US Department of State said it was ``appalled'' and urged Burma to investigate. The ruling junta, State Peace and Development Council, dismissed the report as ``unverified testimonies of so-called victims''. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Monday 29
July 2002
Editorial - It's time for
Asean to make an impact
Clouds have been gathering over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in recent years, but not so quickly as in the past 10 months. The group is now 35 years old and shows distressing signs of a mid-life crisis. Bilateral trade deals have almost subverted the concept that Asean would set the standards for regional trade. But Asean suffers most critically from a creaking failure to meet new political challenges. Three efforts will be made in Brunei this week to test the Asean political resolve and the response will be vital to the group's future. The association's reaction to the new political crisis spawned by the terrorist attack on the United States has been disappointing. Efforts to secure Southeast Asia against terrorist infiltration and influence have been paltry and frequently ineffective. As a group, Asean has yet to show either initiative or achievement. Only individual countries _ Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines _ have made determined and noticeable advance against the evil men who put everyone at risk. That is why the modest Malaysian effort to enact and operate a terrorist information network is so important. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar is to bring a declaration to share financial and immigration intelligence with the United States. The declaration will oblige all 10 Asean members to share information on the moving of terrorists and their money across regional borders. Malaysia also is spearheading a second effort, to push all 10 Asean members to move forward on regional security by signing a ``code of conduct'' over the powderkeg islands of the Spratlys. This archipelago represents the greatest threat to regional peace, because six nations claim all of the 100 tiny islands, reefs and submerged banks. Failure to sign the code this week at the Brunei meeting will mark Asean as timorous and lacking foresight. The code sets no ownership of the Spratlys, which is claimed by Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. It does not even attempt to dictate how to settle the dispute. It compels all six claimants and the other half dozen Asean members to do little more than act civilised over the disputed region, which many feel could hold vast reserves of oil and gas. All Asean members should sign this code, implement it immediately, and attempt to shame China and Taiwan publicly into signing. Credit host Brunei with a welcome, stubborn streak of political courage. Asean's smallest member has refused to strike the issue of Burma from this week's meeting. Rangoon does not even want a paragraph in the final communique that welcomes the release of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. Brunei officials, realising Asean has been the brunt of far too much criticism that should be aimed at Burma, has insisted the reference must stay. Asean may not want to seem to be a willing partner in the world effort to overthrow the Burmese dictatorship, even though it is led by the United Nations. That is a serious error. The generals have brought great criticism on the head of Asean. For example, there has been no effective Asean-European Union negotiations, political or trade, for three years because of this harsh, recalcitrant regime. There's a lot of life left in both Asean and the Asean Regional Forum if the group itself wants to survive. The association has stood at the crossroads for several years, seemingly unwilling to adapt to a faster-changing world. The members of Asean will continue to advance, with or without the group. Yet the advantages of having an active, alert and influential Asean are so great it would be a shame if the ministers drift into inaction yet again this week. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 fugitives transferred to China after Myanmar
arrest
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 18:30 JST YANGON (Kyodo News)? Three
Chinese fugitives wanted by authorities in China's Yunnan Province were
transferred to them July 21 after being arrested in Myanmar, state-run
newspapers reported Sunday.
Aik La, 32, Ail Lisang, 19 and Hoe Lu, 24 were wanted by the Chinese
authorities for alleged robbery and rape in the village of Man ek, Yunnan. They
were arrested near the border town of Chin-shwehaw, 750 kilometers northeast of
Yangon.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Hoover's
online
House Committee Sought
Explanation about Thai-Myanmar Border Conflict From Army
Figures
July 28, 2002 8:45am
07/28/2002
The House Extraordinary Committee scrutinizing the proposed next fiscal budget has sought explanation about the recent Thai-Myanmar border conflict from Army personnel. Committee member from Democrat Party Pichate Panitvichatekul said the controversial border conflict between Thailand and Myanmar should have been resolved faster than expected. He was confused by the Government's supply of the information related to issue, thus he would like to know more from the military side as the country's huge budget would have to be channeled into the Army. Supreme Commander Admiral Narong Yutawong in his response to Mr Pichate's question, said in the past the Thai military has carried out its duties with restraints and perseverance. In most cases, he said, the Myanmar government often misunderstood the real stance of the Thai administration. He said the Thai Army did not want to cause any rift between the two countries and would continue pursuing all peaceful means in dealing with the problem. ------------------------------------------------------------------- |