------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS - August 09,
2002.
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HEADLINES
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IPS - U.N. Envoy's Visit to Burma Stirs
Hope, Distrust
Reuters - Myanmar
Releases Prisoners, but Suu Kyi Wants More
AFP - Myanmar
releases 14 political prisoners after Suu Kyi plea
AFP - Suu Kyi
demands release of all political prisoners prior to
talks
Kuensel online - Bhutan's foreign minister
continues Myanmar visit
The Star - PM to discuss issues with Myanmar
leader
Xinhuanet - Myanmar confirms arrest of 18
Thai nationals
BBC - Burma frees 14 political
prisoners
Bkk Post - Drives begin to free political
prisoners
Bkk Post - ANALYSIS / CHANGE OF COMMAND
The Nation - BANQUET WITH JUNTA: Thaksin's
meal idea under fire
The Nation - PM mulls removing 'thorn' in
Burma ties
The Star - Tragedy mars plan to return to
Myanmar
ST - Taleban-trained militants crushed, says Myanmar govt
Xinhuanet - ASEAN remains vibrant as
ever before: Myanmar leader
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.N.
Envoy's Visit to Burma Stirs Hope, Distrust
Thu Aug 8, 7:26 AM
ET
Marwaan
Macan-Markar,Inter Press Service
BANGKOK, Aug 7 (IPS) - Although a U.N. special envoy ended his
visit to Burma this week optimistic that its military rulers are keen to resume
talks on democratic change, Burma watchers and exiles are more circumspect,
saying the regime cannot be trusted.
To be convinced that the junta is serious about discussing
the country's political future, they will be looking for signs that suggest a
genuine shift away from Rangoon's oppressive policies.
Among these signs are Rangoon's permitting the ethnic
political parties in this South-east Asian country to open offices and function
freely, says Teddy Buri, president of a group representing Burma's
parliamentarians in exile.
''If the junta wants to be believed about its commitment
for change, it has to let the ethnic parties pursue their political activity,''
he said in an interview Wednesday, a day after U.N. envoy Razali Ismail left
Rangoon after a four-day visit.
There are over 20 ethnic political parties in Burma, all
of which have been suppressed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),
as the military government is known.
The only opposition political party that, of late, has
been given space to function is the Burman-dominated National League for
Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. But critics find little
comfort in the little space the NLD has.
It is important that the SPDC permit Burma's heavily
censored media to report that national reconciliation talks between Suu Kyi and
the SPDC have begun, asserts Debbie Stothard of the Alternative ASEAN Network on
Burma (ALTSEAN), a Bangkok-based human rights lobby.
''This will bring the issues into the open,'' she said.
''It will mean the SPDC wants to keep the public informed about its political
shift - talking to the NLD on reconciliation.''
Equally significant is for the SPDC to release all
political prisoners, says an exile from Burma's Chinese minority, who spoke on
condition of anonymity. ''The only prisoners the military is releasing belong to
the NLD. It is not so for students, monks, members of ethnic communities, and
other political groups,'' he said.
Since December 2000, over 300 political prisoners have
been released from Burmese jails, but ''an estimated 1,400 remain behind bars''
notes the London-based Amnesty International in a report released in July.
Among the hundreds still languishing in Burmese jails are
two leaders of the Democracy Party, U Thu Wai and U Twe Myint, states the
Network for Democracy and Development, a Thailand-based group representing
Burmese exiles.
Suu Kyi herself also drew attention to this injustice in a
video statement released here Wednesday. ''The release of political prisoners is
important because it means a return to political normalcy,'' she said in the
video footage that is part of the 'Free Political Prisoners in Burma Campaign'.
''Unless political organizations are free to go about
their work unhindered and unintimidated by the authorities, we can never say
that we have started the process towards changed democracy,'' she explained,
adding that ''discussions'' thus far with junta leaders do not constitute a
''dialogue''.
On Tuesday, Razali did not provide any clues as to when
prisoners of conscience would be released, but said the concerns of Burma
watchers and exiles will be part of the substantive political discussions due to
take place.
Former Malaysian diplomat Razali, who was on his eighth
visit to Burma, spoke in generalities, telling reporters at the end of his stay
that reconciliation talks between the SPDC and the NLD should begin ''very
soon''.
''Mr Razali believes that the national reconciliation
process will continue to evolve positively along a number of fronts, and in a
way that corresponds with the 'spirit' of the home-grown process that has
developed thus far,'' Fred Eckhard, a U.N. spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday.
Razali has been visiting Burma, renamed Myanmar years ago
by the junta, since October 2000 in a bid to guide the U.N.-brokered talks
between the SPDC and Suu Kyi's NLD.
Many credit Razali's quiet and non-confrontational
approach with the junta as being a key factor in securing freedom for Suu Kyi in
May after 19 months under house arrest.
But since her release, the SPDC has been far from keen to
talk to her, feeding the belief that it is not serious about political change.
Burma has been under military rule for 40 years, a period
during which its rulers have acquired notoriety for human rights violations,
ranging from killing hundreds of pro-democracy activists, imprisoning political
opponents, forcing members of ethnic communities into slave labor and
suppressing free _expression_.
However, as the diplomatic events in Rangoon this week
revealed, the junta is coming under pressure to demonstrate a willingness to
enter into real political dialogue.
Significant in this regard was Monday's meeting between
Suu Kyi and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, during which the
pro-democracy leader also revealed her willingness to compromise.
Suu Kyi told Japan's top diplomat that she will not oppose
economic aid to Burma, a clear shift from her previous objections to all foreign
assistance to the country.
This move paints the junta in poor light, says ALTSEAN's
Stothard, because Suu Kyi's ''willingness to make compromises in the interest of
reconciliation'' would put the ball in Rangoon's court.
Suu Kyi's stance is expected to see the resumption of
Japanese aid to Burma. Japan was Burma's biggest aid giver till the junta
cracked down on student protests in 1988.
Kawaguchi also called on Rangoon to come clean on the
political talks for democracy and reconciliation efforts between Burma's ethnic
communities.
''Japan has no alternative but put pressure on the SPDC to
demonstrate serious signs of progress,'' said Buri. ''The foreign minister's
meeting was also important, for it raised the profile of Suu Kyi as a leader the
junta cannot ignore.''
Suu Kyi has also asked for a meeting with Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad when he visits Burma in mid-August.
While Burma watchers welcome growing diplomatic and
economic pressure, they say there is a long way to go before the junta can be
adjudged to be sincere about political change. Stothard says that the regime is
''always reactive''.
''The positive developments in Burma have been due to
international pressure and sanctions,'' she said. ''The junta has not offered
anything genuine to the reconciliation process, not shown a willingness to be
flexible, or compromise.''
The military rulers, she added, ''can only be trusted to
behave consistently in one way - finding excuses to slow down talks and delay
efforts towards democracy''.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar Releases Prisoners, but Suu
Kyi Wants More
Fri Aug 9, 4:36 AM
ET
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters)
- Myanmar's junta freed 14 political prisoners on Friday, but the move was far
short of the release of all prisoners of conscience that opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi has demanded as a precondition for national reconciliation.
Over the past two years, the military government has
released hundreds of political prisoners, but more than 500 are still believed
to be behind bars, including some 250 members of Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD).
Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for
her efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar, issued a statement this week
demanding the release of all political prisoners.
She said Myanmar's political stalemate could not be broken
until all prisoners of conscience were freed unconditionally.
The government said on Friday that of the 14 prisoners who
had been released, six were members of the NLD.
"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 the unity of the nation," it said in a statement.
Hopes are high of a political breakthrough in Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma, after United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail said
on Tuesday after his latest visit that the junta would soon begin substantive
political talks with Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi began confidential talks with the junta in October
2000, but the discussions have yet to move beyond so-called "confidence
building" to touch on political issues.
After strong international pressure, Suu Kyi was released
from 19 months of house arrest in May, but since then she has had no meetings
with senior members of the junta. She has repeatedly called for meaningful talks
to begin as soon as possible.
Suu Kyi's NLD won Myanmar's last election, in 1990, by a
landslide but the military refused to hand over power. The junta says it is
committed to building democracy, but that moving too fast could cause the
multi-ethnic country to fall apart.
Analysts say the main factor pushing the junta toward
compromising with Suu Kyi is their desire to see international sanctions eased
to give the battered economy a chance to recover.
Suu Kyi has long been a supporter of international sanctions
on Myanmar, saying aid, investment and tourism should not be encouraged in the
absence of political change.
But she has softened her stance since her release from house
arrest, saying some humanitarian aid is acceptable as long as its use is
monitored and it reaches the needy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday August 9, 1:18 PM
Myanmar releases 14 political
prisoners after Suu Kyi plea
(AFP) -
Myanmar's military government has admitted to freeing 14 political prisoners,
shortly after opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi made a renewed appeal for the
release of all prisoners of conscience.
"Fourteen individuals serving sentences for breach of law
were released from various correctional facilities. They are all in good health
and reunited with their respective families," said government spokesman Colonel
Hla Min on Friday.
Six members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD) were among those freed, he said, adding that the government
planned more releases in the future.
Another 53 political prisoners were freed from jail last
month, ahead of a visit by by United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail and in
the run-up to a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in
Brunei.
Since Aung San Suu Kyi was freed in May after 19 months of
house arrest, the Nobel peace laureate has said her party's top priority is to
secure the release of some 1,500 political prisoners in the country.
In a video statement smuggled out of Yangon this week, she
warned the ruling junta that the freeing of prisoners was vital as they headed
into a political dialogue aimed at introducing democratic reforms.
"We insist that the release of political prisoners is
necessary if the process of reconciliation is to go forward to a point where it
becomes truly irreversible," she said.
"Unless political organisations are free to go about their
work unhindered and unintimidated by the authorities, we can never say that we
have started the process towards changed democracy."
Hundreds of prisoners have been released since October 2000
when Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta embarked on unprecedented contacts aimed at
establishing a national reconciliation process to end a 10-year political
deadlock.
The opposition leader indicated this week that she expects
the contacts to move into a fully fledged political dialogue within the next few
weeks.
"The political talks will begin very soon. We do not have an
exact day but it will be within weeks," NLD spokesman U Lwin said Wednesday,
adding that both sides were "really keen" on starting the dialogue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday August 8, 12:33 PM
Suu Kyi demands release of all
political prisoners prior to talks
(AFP) - Myanmar
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has insisted on the release of all political
prisoners in her country before she sits down for what could be landmark
political talks with the ruling military junta.
In a video message released late Wednesday in Bangkok,
Myanmar's most prominent democracy advocate warned the current political
stalemate that has gripped her nation would continue "until all our political
prisoners are free."
"We insist that the release of political prisoners is
necessary if the process of reconciliation is to go forward to a point where it
becomes truly irreversible," Aung San Suu Kyi said in the video released by
regional campaign group Altsean-Burma.
"Until all our political prisoners are free, none of us can
say that Burma (Myanmar) is now truly on the road towards democratic change,"
said the 1991 Nobel peace laureate who was released May 6 from 19 months of
house arrest.
"Unless political organisations are free to go about their
work unhindered and unintimidated by the authorities, we can never say that we
have started the process towards changed democracy."
About 1,500 political prisoners are believed to be in the
country's jails.
The message by Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the National
League for Democracy (NLD), came on the eve of Thursday's 14th anniversary of
pro-democracy uprisings in Yangon in which student demonstrators were brutally
suppressed by Myanmar's military.
Subsequent elections in 1990, which were won by the NLD in a
landslide, were never recognised by the military, and the country has been mired
in political deadlock ever since.
Yangon has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity in the past
week, including a visit by United Nations envoy Razali Ismail and Japanese
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, who both met the country's top leaders as
well as Suu Kyi.
The latest round of discussions has raised hopes among
Myanmar observers as well as the NLD itself that a political breakthrough could
soon be in the offing.
"The political talks will begin very soon. We do not have an
exact day but it will be within weeks," NLD spokesman U Lwin said Wednesday,
adding that both sides were "really keen" on starting the dialogue.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has made repeated calls for the talks
to begin, this week played a major bargaining chip by indicating to Japan's
Kawaguchi that she would no longer oppose foreign aid provided it fell within
strict guidelines.
And in Kuala Lumpur, UN envoy Razali told AFP upon return
from his Myanmar visit that Suu Kyi was "willing to cooperate with the
government in any way that directly benefits all the people of
Myanmar."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Kuensel
Online, Aug 08, 2002
Bhutan's foreign
minister continues Myanmar visit
Posted on Thursday,
August 08 @ 15:29:58 EDT BST
| |
The foreign minister, Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley on his five-day
visit to Myanmar has held bi-lateral discussions with the foreign
minister, Mr. U Win Aung, the ministers of health, tourism and commerce on
August 6.
On August 7, Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley called on the Prime
Minister of Myanmar, Lt. General Khin Nyunt followed by meetings with the
ministers of agriculture, culture and transport.
The director of civil aviation, Phala Dorji and the
director general of the Myanmar civil aviation, Mr. U Win Maung on behalf
of the two governments, signed an air services agreement on the evening of
August 7.
A foreign ministry spokesman said that the two
countries share a common Buddhist heritage and culture, and the ministers
of the government of Myanmar have expressed their keen desire to support
and strengthen friendship, understanding and cooperation with Bhutan in
all areas of health, agriculture, tourism, trade culture and air services.
During the foreign minister?s visit, Lyonpo Jigmi Y.
Thinley, will be visiting places of historical, religious and cultural
significance.
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Star -Thursday,
August 08, 2002
PM to discuss issues with
Myanmar leader
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Myanmar
leader Gen Than Shwe are expected to exchange views on latest developments in
Myanmar during the Prime Minister?s official visit to Yangon on Aug 18.
Besides exchanging views on current developments, they are
expected to discuss problems and opportunities for Asean, said Tan Sri Razali
Ismail, the United Nations? special envoy to Myanmar and special adviser to Dr
Mahathir.
Speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address
at a business seminar here yesterday, he said Dr Mahathir was also expected to
exchange views on what Malaysia could do in Myanmar?s industralisation and
modernisation plans.
?Dr Mahathir will take a showcase of the best Malaysian
technology to Myanmar and exchange ideas and views on what is happening there
and in the Asean region,?? he said.
Asked whether Dr Mahathir would meet opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi during his two-day visit, Razali, who had just returned from
his eighth trip to Myanmar, said: ?No idea ... Suu Kyi may want to see the
PM.??
On Monday, a local daily reported that Dr Mahathir was
expected to meet Suu Kyi at the invitation of the opposition leader.
However, Dr Mahathir said yesterday that his visit was at
the invitation of the Myanmar government. He declined to say whether he would
meet the opposition leader. ? Bernama
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar confirms arrest of 18
Thai nationals
Xinhuanet 2002-08-09 15:16:42
YANGON,
Aug. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- A high-ranking
Myanmar official confirmed on Friday that the Myanmar authorities have arrested
a total of 18 Thai nationals following the unilateral closure of border points
with Thailand due to May 20 border clashes between the two countries.
Colonel San Pwint, Deputy Head of Department of the
Myanmar Defense Ministry, told a press meeting that of the 18 Thai detainees,
three, who were found in possession of stimulant drug tablets, are under trial
in the border town of Tachilek.
Of the remaining 15, who were charged with illegal entry,
five have each been sentenced to five years of prison terms and the other ten
are still under trial.
Meanwhile, the Thai side said that these Thai nationals
were forced to remain in the Myanmar side of the border for their regular job,
without being able to return to the Thai side in timeout of Myanmar's closure of
its border following the incident.
So far, the Myanmar side has not yet reopened its border
pointswith Thailand.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC
- Friday, 9 August, 2002, 10:39 GMT 11:39 UK
Burma frees 14
political prisoners
Burma's military junta has freed 14
political prisoners just days after opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi called
for the release of all dissidents as a precondition for national reconciliation.
Around 1,000 prisoners of conscience are estimated to remain
behind bars in Burma. But hopes are rising that the two sides are moving closer
to holding substantive talks.
The UN envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, said earlier this week
that he believed Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling generals could progress to
discussing political issues from their previous, confidence-building talks.
Aung San Suu Kyi said she was willing to talk to the
military rulers of Burma - also known as Myanmar. But she has also demanded
freedom for all dissidents in the country.
She was released from her latest period of house arrest in
May and the government said six of the 14 released prisoners were members of her
National League for Democracy.
It is estimated that 250 members of the NLD remain behind
bars but the military junta said many of them could soon be free.
"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 the unity of the nation," it said in a statement.
Signs of progress
The BBC's Burma analyst, Larry Jagan, says prisoner releases
are the only evidence that the generals and opposition are making any progress
in their secret dialogue.
He says more than 400 dissidents had been freed since the
talks began nearly two years ago, adding that the latest releases were a clear
response to demands that the military leadership show it is sincere in it
commitment to democratic reform.
The remaining NLD activists should be freed in the next few
months as part of the 500 or so political prisoners that the junta has told the
UN envoy it would release, our correspondent says.
Analysts said the main factor pushing the Burmese government
to talk to the opposition is its desire to see international sanctions eased and
the return of aid and investment.
But there may be some delay while overseas nations wait to
see if the reforms are genuine.
The party of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won a
landslide election victory in 1990 but the military has not let them take
power.------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post - Friday
09 August 2002
Drives begin to free
political prisoners
Watchdog says rights violations widespread
Onnucha Hutasing
Campaigns to free political prisoners in Burma have
started, in the run-up to the 14th anniversary of the Aug 8, 1988 political
uprising there.
NGOs and Burmese students held a forum in Bangkok
yesterday to mark the event, laying wreaths and airing a videotape in which
National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi calls on the ruling junta
to release all political prisoners.
Sriruk Pliphat, director of Amnesty
International in Thailand, said Thai NGOs should join NGOs worldwide to pressure
the Burmese junta to unconditionally free the 1,350 political prisoners held in
Burmese jails.
More than 300 political prisoners were freed in December
2000 and Mrs Suu Kyi herself was released from house arrest on May
6.
Human rights violations were widespread in Burma, even though Rangoon
had allowed two United Nations special envoys and International Red Cross staff
to inspect its jails and labour camps.
Rangoon did not allow Amnesty
International staff into Burma. but its report last month claimed that forced
labour was common among more than 90% of the Burmese and minority people on the
border.
Physical abuse, extra-judicial killings, seizures of land and
assets and evictions had intensified in the past four years, the report
said.
The Red Wa had forced residents of 1,400 villages in Shan state to
move to the north of Burma and forced children to serve in its army, the report
said
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post - Friday
09 August 2002
ANALYSIS / CHANGE OF COMMAND
Thaksin finds an army chief much more to his liking
These
things are never black and white, but it would appear that a difference in
priorities was the main reason for one of our most respected army chiefs in
recent years being removed from his post.
SERMSUK KASITIPRADIT and WASSANA NANUAM
Last week's promotion of Gen Somdhat Attanand from army
chief-of-staff to commander-in-chief came as no surprise to his fellow soldiers.
They saw his rise to the top as just a matter of time following a fierce clash
along the Burmese border on May 20 which sent relations between our two
countries into a precipitous nosedive.
``This was not unexpected since we
were all fully aware of the uneasy feelings between the two sides [the
government and Gen Surayud Chulanont, who Gen Somdhat replaces as army
commander-in-chief] following the border incident,'' said one general close to
Gen Surayud.
The officer felt Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra saw Gen
Surayud as a hindrance to his attempts to improve ties with
Rangoon.
``The premier wants someone that he can trust and is ready to
implement his policy, otherwise there could be difficulties for the government
in fostering ties with Burma.''
The officer said Gen Somdhat was known
for his pragmatic working style. Also, as well as being the brother-in-law of
Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapa, the deputy defence minister, Gen Somdhat, a leading
member of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy's Class 14, has close ties
with Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
Gen Yuthasak, with the
backing of the prime minister, moved Gen Somdhat late last year from the command
of the 1st Army to his present post, putting him in line for the army's top
job.
The move was orchestrated behind the back of Gen Surayud, who is not
on the best of terms with his replacement.
Mr Thaksin made it clear when
he became prime minister in February 2001 that improving ties with Burma was one
of his top priorities. He has repeatedly stated his administration would not
interfere in Rangoon's affairs and would not allow Thai territory to be used to
launch attacks against Burma.
He has invited two of the junta's leading
generals to Bangkok in an effort to improve things. Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, the
junta's intelligence chief, received a red carpet welcome last August and Gen
Maung Aye, vice-chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, was here
from April 23-26.
A nasty clash in Chiang Rai's Mae Fa Luang between Thai
border forces and the United Wa State Army (UWSA) the day after Gen Maung Aye
returned home deeply annoyed Mr Thaksin.
Rangoon called a press
conference to condemn the Thai army over the incident and accused elements of
wanting to stir up trouble along the border.
``The fact that such an
incident was timed for the very day a friendly visit by a Myanmar [Burmese]
leader ended points unerringly to the fact that there was a scheme or plot to
derail the smooth and friendly relations between our two countries,'' Lt-Col San
Pwint, Burma's defence spokesman, told the press conference on April
28.
The northern 3rd Army responded to these charges by claiming it was
the Wa who had initiated the clash on April 26.
And then Mr Thaksin made
his oft-quoted comment that the army should not ``overreact'' to ``unintentional
border crossings''. The prime minister said tough action should be taken only
when intruders were directly involved in trafficking drugs.
The comment
enraged many troops posted along the border to fight the drug trade. The UWSA
just across the border inside Burma are recognised major drug producers and are
held responsible for the movement of millions of methamphetamine pills into
Thailand each year _ some say with at least the tacit connivance of the junta in
Rangoon.
Mr Thaksin's softly-softly approach to Burma has frustrated some
army officers and they have suggested that it may be motivated wholly on
economic grounds.
Maj-Gen Anu Sumitra, who was a close aide to Gen
Surayud before his retirement, said he had no doubt that the government's
appeasement policy was a result of some members of government's business
interests in Rangoon.
Mr Thaksin is said to have been further upset by
another clash along the border on May 20 at Wiang Haeng in Chiang Mai. Rangoon
used the clash to close all border checkpoints on May 22.
This was the
second closure of the checkpoints in the space of 16 months. Rangoon first
closed them after a firefight in Mae Fa Luang in February 2001, when Burmese
troops suffered heavy casualties during fighting with 3rd Army
troops.
Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, an assistant army commander, was
commander of the 3rd Army at the time.
Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai has been a harsh critic of the army's role in worsening relations
with Burma. The minister said the clash on May 20 caused a U-turn in Thai-Burma
relations.
Rangoon's New Light of Myanmar newspaper also launched an
attack on the Thai army over the incident, and it went on to accuse the army of
giving military support to the insurgent Shan State Army, which is headquartered
in rugged terrain along the border opposite Wiang Haeng.
The army has
rejected these claims and a charge that it fired artillery shells across the
border in support of the Shan fighters. The Shan earlier this year overran some
Burmese government border outposts opposite Wiang Haeng.
A security
source said the prime minister was unhappy with events along the border, and a
military officer close to him blamed the tensions on an unnamed ``superpower'',
which could only mean the United States, of not wanting to see an improvement in
Thai-Burma relations and of actively working to keep the two countries
apart.
There have been rumours that US forces had an indirect hand in
cross-border operations along the border.
Gen Wattanachai said the
rumours were a ``calculated move to discredit the army chief's credibility''.
The assistant army chief believes Gen Surayud has been forced upstairs to take
command of the Supreme Command as a direct result of his firm stand on Rangoon's
military incursions and possible connections to the drug trade.
Sources
along the border, meanwhile, said members of the army's elite forces have
operated covertly in border areas as part of the army campaign against drug
traffickers.
``Some of them had to collaborate with SSA [Shan State Army]
fighters operating along the border in a common fight against drug
traffickers,'' said one.
``Ties between our two countries are unlikely to
improve unless some drastic measures are taken to remedy the situation over
hidden support [by Thai troops for insurgency groups resisting Rangoon rule],''
said one three-star army general. The general said Burma also had to get tough
with the drug traffickers with the UWSA, whose leader Wei Hsueh-kang has close
ties to leading members of the Rangoon junta.
During a top security
meeting early last month, Mr Thaksin demanded an explanation from Gen Surayud on
what took place on May 20.
``The premier is convinced something unusual
took place along the border and he wanted a clear explanation of what really
happened from the army chief,'' said one of Gen Surayud's aides.
The aide
said Gen Surayud was able to clarify all the security concerns raised by the
prime minister.
Gen Surayud's transfer came as a complete shock to many
of those around him since there was no indication either from the prime minister
or the defence minister that a change was in the wind.
Mr Thaksin has
denied that Gen Surayud's removal has anything to do with his uncompromising
stand on Burma. He said this week that Gen Surayud was simply the most senior
military officer and was needed to replace Adm Narong Yuthawonge as supreme
commander.
With Gen Somdhat in charge of the army for his final two years
of service, commentators said Mr Thaksin could be confident that the clash with
Burma at Wiang Haeng would be the last.
Gen Somdhat has made it clear he
would strictly follow the government's line and would not do anything that could
jeopardise the country's ties with Burma.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nation
BANQUET WITH
JUNTA: Thaksin's meal idea under fire
Published on Aug 9, 2002
Chavalit questions whether entire Cabinet needs to attend planned
informal meeting
The Thaksin government's plan to arrange an informal
dinner meeting between the Cabinet and Burmese junta officials drew criticism
yesterday from a number of sources and ministers, including Defence Minister
General Chavalit Yong-chaiyudh.
Chavalit, known for his close ties with Burma's military
junta, expressed doubt over the plan, wondering whether it was necessary to send
the entire Cabinet to the proposed meeting.
"Why does the entire Cabinet have to go? Only people who
can do the job should go. Or even just [Foreign Minister] Surakiart
[Sathirathai] would be enough," he said.
Surakiart on Tuesday proposed the meeting idea to Burmese
Prime Minister General Than Shwe during a visit to Rangoon in a bid to bring an
end a recent series of border clashes that have raised tensions between the
countries. Surakiart said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had asked him to
raise the dinner idea.
Following the 90-minute meeting, Surakiart announced that
relations between the neighbours would soon return to normal and that the
Burmese government had agreed with Thaksin's proposal for the cabinets to dine
together as a sign of reconciliation.
Surakiart's mission to Burma was conducted without the
help of Chavalit, who has for a long time been responsible for easing tensions
between the countries when things have gone wrong.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign
affairs Kraisak Chonhavan said he was puzzled by Thaksin's plan because in
normal diplomatic practice, only ministers of foreign affairs or defence are
involved in resolving troubles between |neighbouring countries.
"I cannot see the point of bringing the two countries'
cabinets together. However, the move would make Thailand the first country to
seek friendly ties with a government that is known for its cruelty and has one
the world's worst human rights records," he said.
Thaksin should abandon the plan because no one can
guarantee that Burma will honour its promises to help bring an end to our border
problems, Kraisak said.
Chulalongkorn University political science lecturer
Panithan Wattanayagorn said the government's plan would create many doubts over
its intentions.
"What would the world think of this? This is a daring new
move, but the government should consider whether it is necessary. We should not
try to please Burma. Burma should instead try to please us, because it doesn't
have many friends," he said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE NATION
PM mulls removing 'thorn' in Burma ties
Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Don Pathan
Published on Aug 9, 2002
In an
attempt to build up Burma's confidence, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is
considering dissolving the US-supported Task Force 399 for the suppression of
narcotics trafficking along the northern border, a senior Army officer said
yesterday.
TF 399, created about a year ago with technical support
from the US Army, is meant to strengthen coordination between the Army,
provincial police and Border Patrol Police for tighter security along the
Thai-Burmese border.
A number of people in the current administration see the
TF399 as having become a thorn in Thai-Burmese relations.
"Rangoon has paid special attention to the TF399, sending
questions through various channels about its role and mandate," said a Third
Army intelligence officer.
It is not yet clear when the premier will take a decision
on the future of the task force, said another officer.
However, Thaksin is uncomfortable with the task force's
existence and operations since it could easily create "misunderstanding" between
Thailand and Burma, the officer said.
TF 399 is based in Chiang Mai's Mae Chan district, just
kilometres from the border across which one of the world's largest armed
drug-trafficking groups, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), operates independently
under a cease-fire arrangement reached with Rangoon.
Both Thai and American officials insist that TF 399 is not
an operational unit but a training mechanism that brings various police and Army
units together to enhance security along the border.
Some Army officials said there was growing concern among
the top brass about the idea of dissolving TF 399, saying it would send a signal
to the international community, as well as Rangoon, that Thailand was seeking to
appease the Burmese junta.
Authorities in Rangoon often accused the TF 399 of quietly
supporting Burma's ethnic insurgent groups , as well as attacking Burmese troops
directly.
A number of people in the security community support the
idea of doing away with TF 399 because it is too close to the Americans.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Star
Friday, August 09,
2002
Tragedy mars plan to return to
Myanmar
By NELSON
BENJAMIN
KUALA LUMPUR: A much-awaited trip home to Myanmar for two
brothers ended in tragedy,with one of them feared dead after he jumped into a
disused mining pool to escape a police operation against illegal immigrants here
on Wednesday.
Yusof Yakob, 26, said his brother Yunos Yakob, 20, was
very excited about the bus trip home, via Thailand, in the evening after having
worked at the Selayang wholesale market as vegetable sellers for the past few
years.
Yunos is among five other illegal immigrants, mostly
Myanmars and Indonesians, who are believed to have drowned after they jumped
into the pool beside the Selayang wholesale market to escape police in the noon
operation.
So far, the Fire and Rescue Department?s underwater rescue
unit has recovered two unidentified bodies.
?I was out shopping for some clothes for both of us as we
were going to take the night bus to Thailand and then a bus back home from
there,?? said Yusof.
?However, I was shocked when told that police had raided
the market and my brother was among 50 people who had tried to escape by leaping
into the mining pool.??
Yusof was among 30 foreigners anxiously waiting along the
banks of the pool while firemen, some with scuba gears, searched the murky
waters covered with water lilies.
Another Myanmar national, Shafie Hamid, 22, said he was
carrying some vegetables when he heard people shouting that police were raiding
the wholesale market.
?I dropped everything and grabbed my elder brother, Rezab,
before running out with a crowd of about 80 people towards the pool about 100m
away.
?Most of my friends were arrested along the way but about
50 of us managed to escape and all of us leapt into the pool.?
Shafie said that was the last time he saw his brother
Rezab, who is also feared drowned.
?Every year, several foreigners drown in the pool in their
attempt to escape the authorities.??
City Fire and Rescue Department assistant director
(operations) Abu Obaidat said department personnel had fished out two bodies
which had been sent to the KL Hospital for a post-mortem.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taleban-trained militants crushed,
says Myanmar govt
The Rohingya Muslim minorities, which it has
fought for decades, have links with terrorists in Afghanistan, it claims
By Edward
Tang
THE STRAITS TIMES THAILAND BUREAU
FRESH from signing an anti-terror agreement with Asean and
the United States, Myanmar said it had broken up an armed Muslim rebel group
which had received training from terrorists in Afghanistan and the Middle
East.
Myanmar government spokesman Hla Min said in Yangon on
Wednesday that troops had crushed a militant separatist group made up of
Rohingya minorities in Arakan state, near the western border with
Bangladesh.
'The government vigorously confronted the activities of this
group threatening national as well as regional security,' he said in a
statement.
'We then subsequently learned that some of these individuals
were actually trained by the Taleban in Afghanistan, as well as in terrorist
training camps in the Middle East.'
But he did not give details about the crackdown or evidence
to back his claims that the group had ties with the former Afghan
regime.
The Rohingyas are indigenous Muslims who have been fighting
for decades with the Myanmar government for a separate state.
They are not regarded by Yangon as a legitimate
race.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fled across the border to
Muslim-dominated Bangladesh during a crackdown in 1989.
They have been living in refugee camps under the protection
of the United Nations.
Some have returned to Myanmar to join rebel groups to
continue their fight.
The Arakan Rohingya National Organisation, which is believed
to have about 200 armed fighters, is the most active dissident group known to be
still operating.
Analysts were not surprised by claims of links to terrorists
and the possibility of active Al-Qaeda terrorist cells in Myanmar.
Political Science Professor Chaiyachoke Chulasiriwongs said
the Myanmar-Bangladesh border was porous and people could move across
freely.
'I wouldn't be surprised. Once they are in Bangladesh they
are free to travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan or the Middle East to network with
terrorists,' he said.
He said the dissident groups may be small but had the
potential to mount terrorist activities like the Abu Sayyaf in the
Philippines.
An Asian diplomat said the Rohingyas, like many other rebel
groups, were a ripe target for terrorist organisations hoping to establish a
presence in a foreign country.
But Thai human-rights leader Somchai Homla-or, who heads
Forum Asia, has dismissed the report.
'The Rohingyas are a suppressed lot. I have never heard of
them linked with terrorists,' he said.
He believed that it was a ploy by Yangon to justify its
crackdown on these people.
'Myanmar could also be doing it to win US' friendship by
showing it supported the global war on terrorism,' he said.
Myanmar is party to an anti-terrorism pact concluded between
Asean and the US last week.
The government spokesman added that Myanmar was committed to
fight against all forms of terrorism and would work with Asean partners and the
US.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASEAN remains vibrant as ever
before: Myanmar leader
Xinhuanet 2002-08-09
15:05:43
YANGON, Aug. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar leader Lieutenant-General
Khin Nyunt said on Thursday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) remains vibrant as ever before, appraising it as one of the most
successful regional organization in the world.
Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and
Development Council, made the remarks at a ceremony here, marking the 35th
anniversary of ASEAN Day, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported
Friday.
He said the economy of the ASEAN region is one of the
largest in the world and is regarded as a potential high-growth area.
However, he said that it is natural that ASEAN has faced
its own problems and challenges during the past 35 years, especially the 1997
financial crisis.
But, he commented that ASEAN members were able to recover
from the crisis by enhancing economic integration, strengthening financial
cooperation and adopting special mechanisms to assist each other.
The Myanmar leader said the ASEAN Regional Forum founded
in 1994, with 23 members including all five permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council, has shown the vitality and dynamism of the
association, he said, adding that the ASEAN+3 process has also made significant
progress.
Concerning Myanmar, Khin Nyunt said during the past five
years since the country joined the ASEAN in 1997, the relationship has been
mutually beneficial, adding that Myanmar has faithfully adhered to and
implemented its obligations to the association and continues to make important
contributions to the peace, stability and prosperity of the region.
On the trade sector, he disclosed that nearly 30 percent
of Myanmar's exports goes to ASEAN countries, while ASEAN constitutesnearly 47
percent of its total imports.
On investment, he said three out of the top five investors
in Myanmar are from ASEAN member countries with a total of 3.8 billion US dollar
investment in Myanmar, accounting for 51 percentof the total investments.
However, the full potential of cooperation between Myanmar
and other member states still remains untapped, he added.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
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