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BURMA RELATED NEWS - September
05, 2002.
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HEADLINES
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Asia Pulse - Pakistan Steel's
Production Ratio on the Rise
AP - Flash flood leaves 28 dead or
missing at Thai refugee camp
Xinhuanet - Jakarta to host meeting
of WHO regional committee
Bkk Post - Killer flash flood blamed
on logging by refugees
Bkk Post - Combat-readiness urged by
Democrats
Bkk Post - Win Aung delays
visit to end of month
Bkk Post - Focus - Flamboyant
four await verdict
The Nation - PM discounts
Burma setback
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thursday September 5, 6:59 AM
Pakistan Steel's Production Ratio on the Rise KARACHI, Sept 5 Asia Pulse - Pakistan Steel has made a substantial achievement by increasing the ratio of steel production from 37 tons per employee to 59 tons per employee and Rs0.63 million (US$10,641) to Rs1 million in terms of cost, during the last two years. "During this period the Pakistan Steel also made a significant contribution towards development of environment," said the chairman of Pakistan Steel, Mohammed Afzal, while speaking at the inaugural session of 8th training course on "Productivity improvement in foundry industry" here on Monday. The course was organized by Asian Productivity Organization (APO), Japan, in collaboration with Pakistan Steel and National Productivity Organization (NPO), Ministry of Industries and Production. Over 18 engineering, financial and administrative officials from around 11 Asian and Pacific countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar are participating in the five-day training course. Mr Afzal said the labour cost was brought down from 28 per cent of the annual budget to 18 per cent, and Pakistan Steel earned Rs552 million and Rs102 million during the last two years, respectively. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flash flood leaves 28 dead or
missing at Thai refugee camp
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ A flash flood that swept through a camp for Myanmar refugees in northern Thailand left 28 people either dead or missing, an official said Wednesday. Sixteen people, including three children, are confirmed dead and another 12 are missing and presumed dead from Monday's inundation, district chief Puchong Bhodisuksai said. About 15,000 refugees, mostly ethnic Karenni, live at the Ban Tha Sala camp in Mae Hong Son province. They have been living there since 1995, after fleeing fighting between Karenni rebels and government forces in military-run Myanmar. The camp is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Myanmar border and 650 kilometers (400 miles) north of Bangkok. About 120,000 Myanmar refugees live in such camps in northern Thailand. Puchong said more than 100 shanty houses were destroyed by floodwaters that reached a height of about 4 meters (13 feet). ``Some of the victims were found 13 kilometers (8 miles) away from the camp, they were swept that far by the strong current,'' he told The Associated Press. More than 100 local villagers and aid workers have joined police officers and soldiers in search for the missing, while others are trying to fix the camp's sole access road, destroyed in the flooding. Puchong said that tons of donated food, clothing and medicine could not be delivered to the camp until the road is repaired. Forty-five out of Thailand's 76 provinces have been wracked by floods in the past month, claiming 15 other lives, according to the Civil Disaster Prevention and Protection Center. Some 17 northern provinces are still suffering, with Loei, Petchaboon and Sukothai provinces the hardest hit. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected in those provinces, it said. In parts of Loei province, the floodwaters rose from about 50 centimeters (20 inches) to about 2 meters (7 feet) Tuesday night, provincial governor Pairat Pojchanachai told reporters. Thousands of Loei residents are trapped in their homes, and the governor said he had ordered about 1,000 inmates from a local prison to cook food for displaced flood victims. The food will be distributed by volunteers to victims stranded in houses, hotels and schools, Pairat said. There have been no reports of deaths or missing persons in Loei, he added. Monsoon floods hit parts of Thailand every year but were particularly severe in 2001, when at least 170 lives were lost in central and northern provinces, dlrs 25 million worth of crops were damaged, and nearly 1 million people faced hardship, officials said at the time. Much of Asia has been hit by floods in recent months, including South Korea, which was hit at the weekend by its worst typhoon in more than 40 years, leaving 184 killed or missing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jakarta to host meeting of WHO
regional committee
JAKARTA, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The Indonesian government will host the 55th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region on September 11-13, according to an official release here Thursday The meeting, which will discuss, among other things, the " global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria," will be opened by WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland and attended by health ministers and senior officials from 10 member countries in the South-East Asia, the release said. The ten countries comprising WHO's South-East Asia region are Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. For the first time, the East Timor health minister and several officials of the new nation will be present at the meeting as observers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post -
Thursday 05 September 2002
Killer flash flood blamed on logging by refugees Relocation delayed by lack of budget Post reporters Illegal logging triggered the flash flood which drowned 16 Karen refugees in Mae Hong Son on Tuesday. Somchai Piansathaporn, deputy chief of the Forestry Department, said the flood and landslide which hit the refugee camps in Salween national park were partially the result of the refugees' involvement in illegal logging. The refugees had cut logs illegally and slashed and burnt forest to clear land for farming. Rainwater washed down the barren area, eroding soil and causing the landslide. The flooded camps, located on the border at Ban Tha Sala-Ban Mae Kong Kha, Mae Sariang district, were among 16 camps housing a total of 15,574 Karen refugees. Camps 6-13 were the worst affected. The flood claimed 16 lives with 26 people still missing and 202 refugee shacks destroyed. Downstream, the flood wrecked 121 houses, four schools, and two hospitals. Mr Somchai said the incident was a repeat of the devastation in Kathun district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, more than 10 years ago where a flash flood caused by run-off from the forest took with it illegally-felled logs, crushing houses and killing people in its path. Reafforestation, he said, would be painstaking and costly. His department had talked to the National Security Council previously about moving some 3,000 Karen refugees from the centre of Salween national park. The NSC, however, put it off, saying it had no money. The department had stepped up forest patrols but it was impossible for 10 rangers to keep track of more than 10,000 refugees. The department would appoint a special taskforce to guard the forest starting next fiscal year. Mr Somchai admitted that as long as refugees remained in the park, illegal logging would persist. The best forestry staff could do was to stop them straying from their camps. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun said missing flood victims were presumed dead. The refugees had denied involvement in illegal logging. Efforts to locate those who may still be alive and retrieve bodies were hampered by continued heavy rains. Some of the corpses retrieved were found dangling from trees. Mr Purachai said border patrol police had been asked to rebuild the shacks and the refugees would be moved to higher ground. The government had given the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and NGOs access to the camps. Puchong Pothikulsai, Mae Sariang district chief, said the authorities were still out in force looking for survivors. The unstable bamboo shacks in which refugees lived were not strong enough to withstand the floods. The district called for public donations and humanitarian assistance. Mr Puchong said repairs would begin on the main road to the camp, which was cut off by rising water. A repaired road would speed up rescue and retrieval operations. A helicopter had been used to reach flood-ravaged spots. Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyurapan has sent 200 medical staff in Mae Hong Son to the camp and asked Mae Sariang Hospital to put on standby 90 beds, blood supply, and medicine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post - Thursday 05 September 2002
Combat-readiness urged by Democrats Surasak Tumcharoen Democrat MPs Pirapan Saleeratvipak and Juti Krairirk have called on the military to upgrade weapons systems and remain in a state of full combat-readiness in the face of developments along the Burmese border. Mr Pirapan said during yesterday's budget debate Burma had deployed about 54,000 troops along border areas. ``What's become of the Defence Ministry since the government instructed the military not to overreact to the border situation?'' Mr Juti asked. ``I'd hate to see a military chief transferred merely because of a border dispute, but under no circumstances should we bow to a neighbouring country.'' Mr Pirapan urged the armed forces to ensure the readiness of all military equipment, including the country's F-5 and Alpha fighter jets, which required replacement ejector seats. He also suggested the installation of a new defence system aboard the aircraft-carrier Jakkri Naruebet . The armed forces should allocate more of their respective budgets to weaponry and combat readiness, which was underfunded when compared to the amount spent on health-care programmes for troops, he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post -
Thursday 05 September 2002
Win Aung delays visit to end of month Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung has rescheduled his visit to Bangkok to the end of this month, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday. Speaking from Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr Surakiart said U Win Aung had apologised for having put off his Bangkok visit originally scheduled for tomorrow. Mr Surakiart and his Burmese counterpart were attending the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. U Win Aung is due to travel to the Middle East after the summit. Mr Surakiart said his rescheduled talks with Win Aung would focus on the reopening of the Burmese border with Thailand. ``We'll talk about the opening of the border in detail. Burma has given assurances. The border will definitely be opened,'' he said. Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said their talks would have nothing to do with the border reopening issue. Mr Surakiart also quoted U Win Aung as saying Burma was preparing for a planned visit by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn between Oct 28 and Nov 3. ``He (Win Aung) said the Thai coordinating delegation is welcome in Burma any time. Burma is ready to show it has held the Thai monarchy in high regard,'' Mr Surakiart said. The foreign minister added he had been informed that Burma had already lifted restrictions on its people travelling to Thailand. Earlier yesterday Mr Thaksin shrugged off the postponement of U Win Aung's visit, saying the delay in border reopening would have very little, if any, impact on Thai people. ``Any trouble to be experienced by Thais is minimal compared to that to be experienced by the Burmese people,'' Mr Thaksin said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post -
Thursday 05 September 2002
FOCUS / TRYING NE WIN'S FAMILY Flamboyant four await verdict Observers are divided. The sentence passed on members of the former Burmese dictator's family could range from death to a suspended jail term. Whatever the case, it is clear the reign of Ne Win is at an end. AUNG ZAW General Ne Win created one of the most pervasive and ruthless military intelligence services in the world during his 26 years of rule, a system later adopted by the current military junta when it assumed power in 1988. Today, evading Burma's intelligence service seems out of the question, as Ne Win's own grandsons and their father, Aye Zaw Win, found out in March of this year, when they were arrested on charges of plotting a coup against the regime. Sources say Military Intelligence Services (MIS) officers began detecting ``unusual activities'' among the three grandsons _ Aye Ne Win, Kyaw Ne Win and Zwe Ne Win _ roughly two years ago. The three were notoriously rowdy and powerful young men, who roamed the streets of Rangoon with total impunity. Their flashy motorcades and armed guards were seen by all, and their business empire continued to grow. Other military leaders began to resent the group's status of being above the law. As their ageing grandfather's influence began to wane, the regime finally felt they had become too influential, and they needed to be reined in. Their impunity was not to be tolerated any longer. Last Wednesday, nearly six months after their arrest, the final court proceeding in their three-month trial was adjourned, with a death sentence hanging over their heads. Family members, relatives and former girlfriends came to the Insein prison court in a show of solidarity for Aye Zaw Win and his three sons. However, observers at the trial noted that their infamous flamboyant, playboy-like attitudes had been transformed into a more ``nervous and serious'' look as the severity of their situation began to resonate. ``I sensed that they were much more serious than before, by just looking at their demeanor,'' one observer said. ``In the past, they were much more nonchalant, but as the trial progressed I think they began to realise the seriousness of the situation.'' According to eyewitness accounts, the group's attorney, Tun Sein, argued up until the last minute that the charges were unsubstantiated. But observers said he failed ``to ask striking questions'' and simply dismissed the numerous pieces of evidence. ``We did nothing illegal,'' Aye Ne Win, who studied international law and human rights in London, reportedly told the judge during the trial. ``We never discuss politics at home and we have no interest in politics or have any political ambition.'' Sources said Ne Win's eldest grandson repeatedly told the judge that they had no plan to stage a coup. Prosecutors, however, argued that the flamboyant foursome had broken law after law by importing telecommunications equipment, automobiles and other goods illegally. Charging this first-class family with such petty crimes in the past would have been incomprehensible, observers say. One Rangoon-based political observer who attended the trial said: ``They were special people and members of Burma's top family. You couldn't go and accuse them of illegally bringing goods into the country. Who would dare ask them that question?'' When prosecutors accused them of bringing ``illegal items'' such as radios and uniforms into Burma, Aye Ne Win reportedly shot back at the judge: ``We were permitted to do so. We were privileged people.'' Ne Win's prote{AAC}ge{AAC}, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, who is also head of the MIS and a powerful leader in the current military government, turned a blind eye to their activities for years. But observers say that with his own political power at stake, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt ceased putting his own neck at risk in order to guard the family from the law. General Kyaw Win, deputy chief of the MIS, said Ne Win's family had admitted that the government's policies were affecting their businesses negatively, and that ``they were unhappy as they were no longer enjoying the special privileges they had before''. Courtroom observers said the prosecution appeared to have sufficient evidence to back up its treason charges, although no one could be certain if the evidence was legitimate. Journalists and observers at the trial said that though some evidence provided by prosecutors was weak, the testimony by two army officers sealed their fate. Army officers Major Thet Myo Aung and Colonel Than Htay told the court the accused had met with them to discuss a coup plot that involved kidnapping selected military leaders. With the case officially closed, the buzz in Rangoon has turned to the four's imminent sentencing. If found guilty, they face the death penalty, with the verdict to be handed down on Sept 26. ``Many do not believe that they will face the death penalty. They felt the trial was a sham,'' said one veteran Rangoon-based journalist. ``But I think they will receive life [sentences].'' Although the death penalty still exists in Burma, it has not been used officially for 10 years. Last month, Aung Pwint Khaung, a well-known astrologer who was arrested along with the Ne Win family members, was sentenced to 21 years for his role in the alleged coup. Political observers who are close to the military government say the sentence is no longer important because it can be commuted. Some feel suspended sentences may even be levied. Judge U Aung Ngwe has said his court would handle the case fairly and impartially. Although Ne Win stepped down in 1988, many believed until recently that he still called the shots from behind the scenes. But now ``the message is clear that [the military leaders] are no longer Ne Win's puppets'', one observer said. ``The point is that the current leaders are determined to distance themselves from this family, and they want to show that there is no connection whatsoever.'' Others feel the arrests, and the subsequent court proceedings, were politically motivated and designed to send a strong message to the regime's international critics _ namely that the Ne Win era is over. But critics say that despite efforts by the regime to distance itself from Ne Win and his inner circle, there are still plenty of power-hungry junior Ne Wins in the ranks. ``When Ne Win was in power, he was the only one, but now we have many Ne Wins in power,'' said one political analyst. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Nation
PM discounts Burma setback
Published on Sep 5, 2002 Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday took Burma's last-minute cancellation of a fence-mending visit by its foreign minister in stride, saying it was "not a big deal". "This is not an urgent issue," Thaksin said.
Win Aung was expected to arrive tomorrow, but Rangoon
informed Bangkok on Monday that he would be heading overseas to attend some
conferences instead.
"Don't be too concerned," the premier told reporters. "We aren't facing that many troubles from the closing of the border." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |