|
--------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS
- October 29, 2002.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - U.N. envoy urges Myanmar to
free all political prisoners
Reuters - Mekong nations to hold
mini-summit at weekend
Reuters - Bali bombing fallout set to
dominate ASEAN summit
Reuters - China expects sea code of
conduct with ASEAN
AFP - Canberra applies for ASEAN plus
Australia summit
AFP - Shan groups say Myanmar junta
concedes rape claims in talks with UN envoy
AFP - Cambodian foreign minister
assures security for ASEAN meet
UN News Centre - UN human rights
expert urges Myanmar to allow credible probe of alleged abuses
Bkk Post - River survey to flush out
drug trade routes
Kyodo News - ASEAN, China ready to
announce initial free trade scheme
UN Wire - Pinheiro Calls On
Government To Look Into Allegations
UN - Press Release - UN RIGHTS EXPERT
COMPLETES FACT-FINDING MISSION TO MYANMAR
Kao Wao News - MON LEADER SHOT
DEAD BY SPLINTER GROUP
SHAN - 70 merit-makers blown to
death in southern Shan State
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday October 29, 3:56 AM
U.N. envoy urges Myanmar to free all political prisoners By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights envoy ended a 11-day visit to Myanmar on Monday calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners to spur progress towards dialogue in a country ruled by the military. Brazilian academic Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said around 400 political prisoners had been freed by the ruling generals over the last two years but another 800 still languished in jail. "The unconditional release of all political prisoners is essential for any substantive political dialogue," Pinheiro told a news conference before leaving the country for Thailand. Myanmar is keen to improve its image and attract foreign investment to shore up its moribund economy but faces sanctions by the United States and European countries for its human rights record and its treatment of the pro-democracy opposition. Diplomats say any easing of sanctions will depend on progress towards democracy and reconciliation between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The NLD won the country's last elections in 1990 by a landslide but has never been allowed to govern by the military which has been in power for four decades. The military has repeatedly said it is moving towards democracy, but to prevent unrest the process cannot be rushed. Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, raising hopes of political reform. But despite heavy pressure from several neighbouring countries, there have so far been no signs of real change. NO ROAD-MAP YET Pinheiro met both sides during his 10-day visit and was asked by reporters to assess of the chances of political reform. "I don't have my crystal ball," he replied, but added: "From all sides we see some moves in terms of contacts and in terms of exchange of information between the government and the NLD. I think this is something I have to take note of." He said Myanmar needed "a road-map" for substantive dialogue, setting out the objectives of both sides: "My perception is that we are not yet at that moment." But he said moves to democracy always took time. In his own country, Brazil, the transition to democracy was "a very long process". The process should go step by step, he said. The junta invited Pinheiro to visit to dispel allegations of human rights abuses, including systematic rape by the army of women and girls from ethnic minority groups. Washington criticised the junta this month after a report from two minority rights groups said Myanmar troops had raped at least 625 girls and women between 1996 and 2001 in Shan state in the east of the country. Pinheiro made no direct comment on the allegations but said the military should allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) into "all conflict areas". "The ICRC could then assess the humanitarian situation on an on-going basis, report confidentially to the authorities and work out with them appropriate measures to ensure the security and protection of the civilian population," he said. Pinheiro plans to visit Myanmar again in February. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday October 29, 3:43 PM
INTERVIEW-Mekong nations to hold mini-summit at weekend MANILA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Leaders of the six Asian nations that share the Mekong River will hold a summit meeting this weekend to finalise $11 billion worth of projects aimed at improving business in the former wartorn region. The heads of government of China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) will meet in Phnom Penh on November 3 to reaffirm political commitment to the Greater Mekong Subregion programme, said a senior official of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). They will be meeting ahead of the larger summit of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations plus China, Japan, South Korea and India. That summit gets underway in the Cambodian capital from Monday. The Manila-based ADB is spearheading the development initiative in the Mekong region, about the size of Western Europe and home to 250 million people. It includes Yunnan province of China and all the other five countries represented at the summit. Large parts of the Mekong region are remote, blanketed by forest and still recovering from the ravages of conflict including the Vietnam War and fighting involving the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Tensions between China and Vietnam and along the Thai-Myanmar border have also created worries. But the ADB believes the resource-rich region can be "the new frontier for economic growth in Asia". "We want to have the whole region connected by quality physical infrastructure and everything else that goes with it," Rajat Nag, director-general of the ADB's Mekong Department, told Reuters on Tuesday. "In the next 10 years we want to see the physical infrastructure network all in place. We will help all these countries to build an enabling environment (for growth)." The summit meeting is being held to mark the first 10 years of the development programme, which involved projects worth about $2 billion. BIG PLANS, WORRIES ABOUT FUNDING Over the next decade, the ADB and the countries concerned are looking at 11 flagship projects worth between $10 billion and $11 billion, Nag said. These included major road projects criss-crossing the region and improving railways and ports; developing telecommunications; easing border formalities; sharing power generation; environmental management including flood control and developing tourism. In the next three years, the requirements will be about $2 billion. Nag said a key part of the initiative would be to raise private sector funding, which has been slow to come to the region because of alternative attractions like other parts of China and Southeast Asia. Other worries include whether the countries in the region, some which are among the poorest in the world, can raise the counterpart funding required for foreign assistance in development projects. Nag said floating local currency bonds in some countries could be an option. Another worry would be whether opening up the region could lead to a flood of Chinese goods. "Yes, China can pose competition to these countries, particularly Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam," Nag said. "But also it's an opportunity. I think the feeling is on balance the opportunities are worth the challenges that obviously are there. "These countries are extremely pragmatic. They say, let's focus on the doable. And let's get on with it." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday October 29, 11:26 AM
Bali bombing fallout set to dominate ASEAN summit By Ed Cropley PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The Bali bombing has pushed regional security to the top of the agenda of next week's summit of southeast Asian leaders, relegating more traditional issues such as trade and investment to a distant second place. Analysts say the two-day meeting, which starts on Monday in the Cambodian capital, is the perfect chance for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to shed its reputation as an decreasingly relevant talking-shop. The October 12 nightclub bomb on the Indonesian island of Bali, as well as a spate of bombings in the Philippines, have injected new urgency into efforts already under way to improve regional security cooperation following the September 11 attacks. Rather than fall back on the usual, bland communiqués, the leaders of the 10-member bloc who are meeting counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea and India must now come up with concrete plans to beat extremism in their own back yard. "Security is certainly going to be high on the agenda. It is hard to imagine it not being after Bali," said Ross Babbage, professor of Strategic and Defence Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Among them, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri will be in the hot seat, with her every word scrutinised for evidence of her country's determination to clamp down on Islamic militants and overturn its image as the region's weak security link. She and her counterparts, many of whom signed up to a breakthrough package of security measures at a recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Mexico, can contemplate inaction at their peril. FOREIGN INVESTMENT SLOWING "The consequences of doing nothing are extremely serious for Indonesia and the region. Foreign investment to ASEAN has already slowed dramatically, but after Bali the chances of attracting investment again are slim, to put it mildly," Babbage said. Concrete measures could include improvements in intelligence sharing and tightening border controls, as well as firm commitments to bolster the emergency services of neighbouring countries in the event of disaster striking again, he said. Despite the overarching shadow of the post-September 11 war on terror, there should still be time for some of ASEAN's older chestnuts, such as improving multilateral trading ties. "Terrorism will be key but more traditional topics such as the regional free trade area and issues related to transnational crime will also be discussed," said Amitav Acharya from Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday it hoped to sign a naval code of contract with ASEAN to stave off potential disputes in the South China Sea, a regional flashpoint. Since the summit is in impoverished Cambodia, the first time one of ASEAN's four "junior" members has hosted such an event, economic development and the gulf between the region's "haves and have-nots" could also make it onto the agenda, Acharya said. With South Korea and nuclear powers India and China also putting in an appearance, North Korea's recent shock admission it was trying to build nuclear weapons is also unlikely to go without a mention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday October 28, 9:05 PM
China expects sea code of conduct with ASEAN By John Ruwitch BEIJING (Reuters) - China expects to sign a code of conduct with its Southeast Asian neighbours at a regional meeting next week to stave off disputes in the South China Sea, a foreign ministry official said on Monday. An Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders meeting would also get the ball formally rolling on a free trade zone between China and Southeast Asia and see agreements signed to enhance security cooperation between the two. Tensions over the Spratlys, claimed entirely or in part by China and several ASEAN members, have long been viewed as a possible flashpoint in the region. Rival navies patrol in the area and countries including China and Malaysia have been accused of building structures atop the rocky shoals. But Fu Ying, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Department, said despite "minor differences" mostly among members of ASEAN the long-awaited code of conduct for the South China Sea could be finalised before the meeting in one week. "We are quite close to a conclusion about the declaration" of the code, Fu said. "If we can wind up the discussions it should be able to be signed, too, during this meeting." A copy of a draft seen by Reuters in July said claimants would pledge to practise self-restraint in activity that could spark disputes, like inhabiting the islands, to exchange views between defence and military officials and to notify others of military exercises. Without acceptance by China, the most powerful claimant over the collection of reefs, banks and tiny islands known as the Spratlys, the code of conduct would have little clout. Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will leave for Cambodia on Friday, the first visit by a Chinese premier in 42 years, to attend a meeting of leaders from the 10 ASEAN member states plus China, Japan and South Korea -- the so-called ASEAN+3. Before the ASEAN meeting next Monday, Zhu would meet with Cambodian leaders and hold an informal discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean Prime Minister Lee Han-dong ahead of the ASEAN meeting, Fu said. ASEAN and China could sign a framework agreement on economic cooperation focused on the eventual establishment of the world's largest free-trade zone within 10 years, Fu said. "I understand that most of the contents are agreed upon and if the final drafting can be completed, it should be able to be signed by the leaders," Fu said. DIFFERENCE OVER SCOPE After years of wrangling, talks on a code of conduct picked up speed at ASEAN meetings in Brunei in July when members reaffirmed a positive stance toward such a code. The code would set guidelines for interaction and the peaceful settlement of disputes between China and ASEAN in the ocean region that is home to several disputed and potentially oil-rich archipelagos, reefs and shoals. Fu said China had already approved the wording of the code of conduct, which has tripped up ASEAN countries and was awaiting their final agreement. A disagreement between Vietnam and Malaysia on the wording of the geographical scope had finally been overcome, but Fu said the code was still snagged by "some minor differences" between ASEAN members. She declined to elaborate. "They (ASEAN countries) have been having some differences on the terms, on the scope. But these last minute difficulties we hope can be overcome and we can sign the declaration," she said. The code of conduct would focus on "the political will of China and ASEAN countries together to seek peaceful settlement" to disputes in the region, Fu said at a news briefing. The area covers nearly 410,000 sq km. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Zhu is expected to retire from the number three slot in China's Communist Party hierarchy at a congress starting on November 8 and step down from the premiership next March and Fu said the ASEAN meeting had been pushed back to November 4 from a day later so he could be back for key meetings in Beijing. At the ASEAN meeting in July, a draft of the code showed compromise, with the parties agreeing to broad references to the South China Sea and avoiding any mention of the hotly contested Spratly or Paracel islands. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Canberra applies for ASEAN
plus Australia summit
PHNOM PENH, Oct 29 (AFP) - The Australian government has lodged a formal application through Phnom Penh for ASEAN to hold an annual summit with Australia, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Tuesday. He said the application would amount to an ASEAN plus Australia summit to be held each year when leaders from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet. "We have been requested by Australia to have an Australia and ASEAN summit. Cambodia is in favour of this summit because like it or not Australia is not far from South East Asia," he said. Currently ASEAN holds an ASEAN plus three meeting which groups ASEAN with China, Japan and South Korea. There is also a separate ASEAN plus China and ASEAN plus Japan and South Korea summits. The first ASEAN plus India summit will be held when leaders for the annual forum meet here next Monday and Tuesday. Hor Namhong said the application was lodged with Cambodia recently because Phnom Penh will act as chair of ASEAN over 2002-2003. He said Australia's geographic postion had resulted in Canberra being highly active on trade and assistance to Asia. Australia has long pressed for greater access to the regional block which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shan groups say Myanmar junta
concedes rape claims in talks with UN envoy
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Oct 29 (AFP) - The authors of a report which claimed the Myanmar junta used rape as a weapon of war against ethnic Shan women said Tuesday that visiting UN envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro told them the regime admitted the attacks may have occurred. Pinheiro, fresh from an 11-day visit to Myanmar where he met with top members of the regime, travelled to this northern Thai city to investigate allegations of the systematic rape of hundreds of Shan women and girls by Myanmar soldiers. "Pinheiro told us that during talks with the Myanmar authorities, they replied that it may have occured, but they rejected that the rapes had been systematic," Hseng Naung, spokeswoman for the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN), told AFP. The report released in May by Thailand-based SWAN and the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), which documented 625 sex attacks, drew international outrage and has been repeatedly rejected by the military government in Yangon. The junta invited Pinheiro to travel to Shan state to investigate the claims but the envoy turned down the offer, saying he would not have had sufficient time to carry out a comprehensive inquiry. Pinheiro, who is due to hold a press conference in Bangkok Wednesday, also met Tuesday with other ethnic minority groups in order to assess their human rights situation, Hseng Naung said. "We had a chance to tell him what he wanted to know. It was a positive meeting," she said. Hseng Naung added that members of Pinheiro's UN team were scheduled to go to the Thai provinces of Tak and Kanchanaburi which border Myanamr on Wednesday to investigate human rights issues there. It was not clear if they would attempt to interview any rape victims, many of whom have slipped across the Myanmar border into Thailand. Myanmar's junta had been hoping that Pinheiro's visit could help clear the air after a series of damning reports, including the rape allegations, which portrayed the regime as a gross human rights abuser. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Cambodian foreign minister
assures security for ASEAN meet
PHNOM PENH, Oct 29 (AFP) - Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong sought Tuesday to reassure heads of state from 15 countries that a major clampdown would ensure security for next week's ASEAN summit. "I cannot tell you what our police have done and what they are doing or what they will do in the coming days before the summit," he told AFP. "But I can tell you that we are confident that at the summit there will be no problems, and there will be no security problems during the summit," he added. He said his government was aware that an al-Qaeda operative had informed the United States that Phnom Penh was included on a list of targets drawn-up by the terrorist network. The information prompted the US embassy here to shutter for two weeks around the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States. Security fears were further heightened after the October 12 blasts that killed more than 190 people on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. The Bali blasts have been described as bearing the hallmarks of an attack by Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamic militant group with ties to al-Qaeda that was placed last week on the UN list of terrorist organisations. The government has said it was well acquainted with Cambodia's Muslim community, which has been influenced by foreign Islamic fundamentalists, particularly from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. "We know very well the Islamic communities and after the September 11 attack, they have fully supported the government. They are very calm and support the fight against terrorism," Hor Namhong said. Last week, the Cambodian Islamic Development Council (CIDC) said some Cambodian Muslims had studied under the Taliban before November 2001, after stopping in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia on their way to Afghanistan. "We know that there were some scholarships for young Muslims to study in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. We know that," Hor Namhong said without mentioning Afghanistan. "You know that we support fully the US operation against terrorism. I can tell you that we are very satisfied with our Islamic communities here." Cambodia is to host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on November 4 and 5, welcoming leaders from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as China, India, Japan and South Africa, South Korea. -------------------------------------------------------------------- UN News
Centre
UN human rights expert urges Myanmar to allow credible probe of alleged abuses 28 October ? Wrapping up a 10-day fact-finding mission to Myanmar, a United Nations expert today urged the country?s authorities to allow a credible investigation of allegations that the military and armed groups committed widespread human rights violations in ethnic minority areas. Calling in particular for a probe of charges relating to sexual violence in Shan State, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, proposed that the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) consider allowing an adequate presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ?in all conflict areas? of the country. ?The ICRC could then assess the humanitarian situation on an on-going basis, report confidentially to the authorities and work out with them appropriate measures to ensure the security and protection of the civilian population wherever needed,? Mr. Pinheiro said. He also called for a probe of the alleged forced conscription of child soldiers in Myanmar. During his stay in the country, which began on 17 October, the Special Rapporteur met with a number of senior officials as well as members of the governmental Human Rights Committee. Mr. Pinheiro also visited the Insein Central Prison, where he confidentially interviewed over a dozen inmates, including several recent political prisoners and those whom he had met during his previous visit to Myanmar in February. In addition, the Special Rapporteur met with leaders of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), as well as representatives of other political parties, the UN country team, the diplomatic community, international civil society organizations, the international and local business community, as well as religious leaders and recently released political prisoners. The Special Rapporteur travelled to a several different parts of the country, meeting with civilian and military authorities, visiting police offices and lock-ups, and interviewing prisoners. He said he received ?full cooperation? from the Myanmar Government, and plans to report his findings to the UN General Assembly on 6 November. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post -
Tuesday 29 October 2002
River survey to flush out drug trade routes Thailand, China, Laos and Burma are expected to start surveying the Mekong river next month as part of a joint anti-drug patrol operation. Northern Narcotics Control Centre director Pitthaya Jinawat said the four countries would be ready to start the survey next month under the Mekong River Drug Control Campaign as the Thai-Burmese border was reopened and China had agreed to support Thailand's fight against drugs. During the survey, to begin in China, officials will search for drug smuggling routes and loading areas along the river. China's anti-drug agency deputy chief, Wang Gang, led a Chinese delegation to inspect border areas of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai along the Mekong river last week and confirmed the closure of almost all drug smuggling passages into China. Mr Pitthaya said the joint patrol plan had to start urgently as China's success in closing down routes might divert more drug traffickers via Thailand and Laos. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ASEAN, China ready to announce
initial free trade scheme
By Varunee Torsricharoen BANGKOK, Oct. 29, Kyodo - The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has successfully concluded negotiations with China on a legal framework that will lead to an eventual free trade agreement (FTA) between them, a chief trade negotiator for the ASEAN side said in an interview Tuesday. Kanissorn Navanugraha, a deputy permanent secretary of Thailand's Commerce Ministry, said ASEAN leaders and their Chinese counterparts will decide next week on two options for an end-date for achieving a proposed FTA on goods. The end-date options are 2010 or 2012 for the original six ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- and 2015 for the newer and less developed members Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, according to Kanissorn who heads the ASEAN negotiating team. The leaders are scheduled to meet during an annual summit Monday in Phnom Penh. Kanissorn added the leaders would sign a ''framework agreement on ASEAN-China comprehensive economic cooperation'' that has as its centerpiece a framework for establishing the FTA within 10 years. A key element of the framework to be signed next week is an initial package of tariff cuts under the proposed FTA to be launched before the end of next year. The aim of the so-called ''early harvest'' package is to remove tariffs in three years for China and the six most economically advanced ASEAN members. The newer ASEAN members will be allowed longer time frames. Eight categories of farm products, with a total of some 500-600 tariff lines, will be included for early harvest, according to the Thai negotiator. The categories are live animals, meat, fish, dairy produce, other animal products, trees, vegetables and fruits and nuts. Additionally, senior officials from China and some ASEAN countries have engaged in bilateral negotiations on ''specific'' products to be part of the early harvest package. Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have concluded bilateral talks with China on the additional specific products between them, according to Kanissorn, who added that the lists will be made public Monday. Kanissorn said Malaysia and the Philippines, still negotiating with China on their specific lists, should be able to conclude their bilateral talks by Monday as well. ''Anyway, it doesn't matter whether or not they can conclude before the signing. They can sign the framework agreement and continue to negotiate the early harvest up to maybe July next year,'' he said. The Thai negotiator said negotiators from ASEAN and China would also continue to discuss ''in detail'' rules of origin for products whose tariffs will be lowered under the early harvest package. Kanissorn said although ASEAN and China will have up to Jan. 1, 2004 before the initial trade liberalization under the early harvest package will begin, they have agreed to finalize the rules of origin by July next year. Kanissorn said Thailand has neither excluded any products nor requested additional specific products from the early harvest scheme because Bangkok will substantially benefit from the eight categories of farm products already in the package. Meanwhile, Singapore and Brunei have no particular specific lists on their own in the early harvest package, but China has agreed that the two countries will join all the specific lists negotiated by the other ASEAN countries and China, he added. Singapore and Brunei have generally low tariff regimes already. Kanissorn said the trade negotiating committee of ASEAN and China will continue to pursue a full-fledged FTA for implementation by 2005. According to a latest draft of the framework, ASEAN and China have agreed to begin negotiations on trade in goods early next year to be concluded by June 30, 2004. The negotiating leader added they would also consider
setting up additional bodies for parallel negotiations on liberalization in
services and investments.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- UN Wire - Oct. 28,
2002
MYANMAR: Pinheiro Calls On Government To Look Into Allegations Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, has suggested that Myanmar explore options to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by that country's military, beginning with allowing an adequate International Committee of the Red Cross presence in conflict areas, he said in a statement issued today. Pinheiro's proposal comes after an 11-day fact-finding mission to the country, during which he met with judicial officials, political prisoners, military authorities, diplomats and ethnic parties. Pinheiro declined an invitation to visit Shan State, saying it would have been too short for a full investigation of the situation. He will present a report and observations on his mission Nov. 6 to the General Assembly (OHCHR release, Oct. 28). Pinheiro also met with National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest in May (BBC Online, Oct. 28). -------------------------------------------------------------------- UNITED
NATIONS
Press Release - UN RIGHTS EXPERT COMPLETES FACT-FINDING MISSION TO MYANMAR 28 October 2002 Urges Ruling Council to Allow "Adequate Presence" of International Committee of Red Cross in All Conflict Areas The following statement was issued today by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar: "Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation in Myanmar, today completed his third fact-finding mission to that country. During the visit, which started on 17 October, the Special Rapporteur met in Yangon with the Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); the Foreign Minister and his Deputy; the Home Minister; the Head of Department of the Office of the Military Intelligence; the Chief of the Bureau of Special Investigation; the Directors-General of the Prisons and the Police Departments; the Chiefs of the Special Branch and the Criminal Investigation Departments; and members of the governmental Human Rights Committee. Mr. Pinheiro visited the Insein Central Prison, where he interviewed confidentially 17 prisoners, among them recent political prisoners and those whom he had met during his previous visit in February 2002. He also had meetings with the General Secretary and members of the Central Executive Committee of the National League for Democracy (NLD), representatives of ethnic and other political parties, the United Nations country team, the diplomatic community, international civil society organizations, international and local business community, as well as religious leaders and recently released political prisoners. The Special Rapporteur travelled to Hpa-an (capital) and Kya-in-seikkyi township in Kayin (Karen) State from 23 to 25 October, where he met with local civilian and military authorities and visited the State court and district and township level police offices, including lock-ups. He also met with representatives of two cease-fire groups and with Buddhist and Christian religious leaders. On his way to Yangon, the Special Rapporteur stopped in Mawlawmyane, capital of Mon State, where he met with the Commander of the South-Eastern Command responsible for Mon and Kayin States and visited the local NLD office. Finally, on 27 October, the Special Rapporteur travelled to Bagodivision to visit Thayarwaddy prison, where he interviewed a dozen prisoners. During this mission, the Special Rapporteur looked at, among other issues, the possibility of investigating allegations of widespread human rights violations attributed to the military and armed groups operating in ethnic minority areas, including those relating to sexual violence in Shan State. In this context, he also began to look into the allegations of forced conscription of child soldiers. The Special Rapporteur declined an invitation to travel to Shan State as a short visit would have been inappropriate to conduct a comprehensive assessment. Rather, he proposed to the SPDC to explore several options for credible investigation of these allegations. As an immediate step, the Special Rapporteur has urged the SPDC to consider allowing an adequate presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross in all conflict areas of the country. The ICRC could then assess the humanitarian situation on an on-going basis, report confidentially to the authorities and work out with them appropriate measures to ensure the security and protection of the civilian population wherever needed. On his way to Myanmar, Mr. Pinheiro stopped in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to have consultations with the Special Envoy of the Secretary General to Myanmar, Razali Ismail. The Special Rapporteur said before leaving Yangon on 28 October that, as in the past, he had received full cooperation from the Myanmar Government. He will introduce an interim report and present his observations from this mission to the United Nations General Assembly on 6 November 2002". -------------------------------------------------------------------- MON LEADER SHOT DEAD BY
SPLINTER GROUP
(By Kun Yekha October 28, 2002) Kao Wao News A senior leader of the New Mon State Party and five Mons were shot dead by the splinter group while sleeping near the headquarters. Last night at about 12:00, the New Mon State Party leader Nai Min Htut was ambushed by the Hongsarwatoi Restoration Party (HRP) and died at spot with other three members and two civilian near the Headquarters. The three NMSP members were Nai Tun Tun, 70, Nai Myan Aung, 42, and Nai Yuan Aung, 21. The group had just returned from a conference held in Tavoy District in preparation for the party?s conference. Nai Min Htut was ambushed by the HRP armed group led by Nai Khin Maung at Pnang Bane village check-point near Nyisar refugee camp in the NMSP control area. A person in charge of the checkpoint, two NMSP soldiers and two civilians were killed while sleeping for a night rest. The Honsawatoi Restoration Party (HRP) is led by Col Pan Nyunt, a former member of the NMSP who formed the group last year after accusing the NMSP leadership of colluding with the regime after signing a cease-fire agreement in June 1995. On June 24, 2002, HRP group lead by Nai Khin Maung kidnapped the General Secretary of the NMSP Nai Rot Sa. Nai Min Htut, 61 years old, is a Central Executive Committee member and Head of the Administration Department. The well respected intellectual Mon leader joined the armed movement from Mudone Village, Chaung Zone Island of Mon State in early 1970?s and holds several positions including the Battalion Commander and Head of District. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shan Herald Agency for
News
No: 10 - 11 27 October 2002 70 merit-makers blown to death in southern Shan State Sources coming from across Chiangmai said two Burmese shells killed 70 people observing Buddhist Lent in the southern town of Mongnai, 92 miles southeast of Taunggyi. The shells, believed by the sources to be fired from the Light Infantry Battalion #518 command post, at 23:00, on the night of 14 October, coinciding with the 8th Waxing Moon of the 11th Lunar Month, a traditional day of religious observance, also destroyed part of the Sala Kao-hawng (9 room-pavilion) at Pawmong Quarter, Mongnai's northernmost suburb and wounded 21 others. The dead included 6 men and 64 women in addition to 2 men and 19 women who were injured. So far, S.H.A.N. could only obtain three names: Zarng Mawng, 62, headman; Heng Yong, 56 and Awng Pay, 36. Sources who were in Thailand to inform their relatives working there said they had no idea why the killings occurred. "Our elders have already notified the local authorities but no one has come out to explain or take any action yet," complained a woman. There are two Burmese battalions in Mongnai: IB 248, located north of the town and LIB 518 down south. Regardless of the proximity to IB 248, the townspeople confirmed that the shells came from the direction of LIB 518. "They left a hole 2 cubits (1 meter) deep and 3 cubits (1 1/2 meters) wide," said one. Mongnai is a historic town, founded according to palace records in BC. 519 and the former seat of one of the biggest princely states of Federal Shan States, the former name of Shan State. -------------------------------------------------------------------- |