[burmanet2-l] Burma Related News - Dec 15-16, 2002.

["TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - December  15-16, 2002.
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HEADLINES
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AP - Myanmar leader to visit Bangladesh next week
AP - Suu Kyi travels to western state for party work
AP - Five drug suspects killed in clash with Thai soldiers
AP - Annan submits report listing names of warring parties that recruit
Reuters - Philippines steps up security over letter bombs
IB - Myanmar PM arrives Tuesday
Bkk Post - Sports ground to go under border bridge
Bkk Post - Editorial - Infamous triangle is still tainted
Bkk Post - Getting along with the neighbours
Bkk Post - Commentary - Wa money can only be from drugs
TehranTimes - India, Paradise for Gem Smugglers Along Myanmar
Asian Tribune - Four Fishermen Arrested In Akyab For Murder Of Two Women And
Throwing Two Men Into The River
SHAN - Drugs - Yawdserk: Burma's drug war an ethnic cleansing campaign in
disguise
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AP World Politics
Myanmar leader to visit Bangladesh next week
Sun Dec 15, 9:01 AM ET

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Myanmar's prime minister will visit Bangladesh for two
days next week to discuss trade, commerce and possible road links between
the two neighbors countries, officials said Sunday.

Senior Gen. Than Shwe, who is also the Chairman of the State Peace and
Development Council, Myanmar's ruling military junta, will arrive with his
delegation Tuesday in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.

Tan Shwe and Bangladesh's Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will hold officials
talks the same day, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The talks would cover the entire gamut of Bangladesh-Myanmar bilateral
relations and in particular, the areas of trade and economic cooperation,
and possible road linkage between the two countries," it said.

Bangladesh and Myanmar have long historical ties and conduct both informal
and official trade, mostly in raw materials, agriculture products and
consumer goods.
The general's delegation will include Myanmar's ministers for agriculture,
industry, commerce, foreign affairs and health.
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Suu Kyi travels to western state for party work
Mon Dec 16, 4:06 AM ET

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi left Monday for
the western Rakhine state to build support for her pro-democracy party in
the fifth such trip testing the freedom allowed her by the ruling military
government.

Suu Kyi left Yangon in a three-car motorcade accompanied by National League
for Democracy vice president Tin Oo and other youth members.

It was not clear how long the trip will last but party officials said she
could be away for a week. They said the trip is aimed at reinvigorating the
party.

This is her fifth trip to other states since being released from house
arrest on May 6 as part of a reconciliation process between the government
and her party.

However, apart from the release of Suu Kyi and some political detainees the
junta has made no other concessions or given any indication that is willing
to give up its grip on power.

The current junta came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy
movement and refused to step down when Suu Kyi's party won the 1990 general
elections.

Suu Kyi visited the eastern Shan state last month for 15 days in the longest
and most extensive party organizational trip.
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Five drug suspects killed in clash with Thai soldiers
Mon Dec 16, 2:44 AM ET

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Thai soldiers shot dead five suspected drug
traffickers Monday during a clash near the border with Myanmar, army
officials said.

About a dozen armed men believed to be from Myanmar's Wa ethnic group opened
fire on the troops after refusing to submit to a search, sparking a
20-minute gunfight, said Maj. Gen. Nakhorn Sripetphan. No Thai soldiers were
injured.

The fight took place in the jungle just two kilometers (1.24 miles) from the
Thai-Myanmar border in Chiang Mai province, 580 kilometers (360 miles) north
of Bangkok.

Five of the suspects were killed while the others fled across the border
into Myanmar, leaving behind three AK-47 assault rifles, Nakhorn said. It
was not immediately known if any drugs were confiscated.

Nakhorn said intelligence sources had tipped off the soldiers, saying that a
group of ethnic Chinese and Wa drug traffickers would travel through Chiang
Mai over the weekend to collect payment for an earlier delivery of
methamphetamine, the drug also known as speed.

On Friday, one Thai soldier was killed and three others were seriously
wounded in a similar gunfight along the border. One of the wounded soldiers
died Sunday. Three alleged smugglers were also killed.

More than 336,000 methamphetamine tablets were seized by Thai authorities in
that clash.

Thai officials predict that at least 1 billion of the pills will be
trafficked into Thailand next year, mainly from jungle laboratories in
neighboring Myanmar.

The United Wa State Army, a semiautonomous ethnic armed group along the
border in Myanmar, is believed to be the world's largest producer of the
drug.
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Annan submits report listing names of warring parties that recruit
Sun Dec 15, 19:44 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan submitted a report
to the Security Council that identifies parties in conflicts that recruit
children to fight, in an attempt to send a message that the international
community is watching.

The report, being released in full on Monday, lists 23 parties, including
governments and insurgents in Afghanistan, Burundi, Congo, Liberia and
Somalia, that recruit and use child soldiers in violation of internationally
accepted standards.

``For the first time in an official report to the Security Council, those
who violate standards for the protection of war-affected children have been
specifically named and listed,'' said Olara Otunnu, Annan's special
representative for children and armed conflict.

Annan's third report to the council on children and armed conflict said the
list was ``an important step forward in our efforts to induce compliance ...
with international child protection obligation,'' according to Otunnu's
statement.

It clearly demonstrates that those who violate standards aimed at protecting
children ``cannot do so with impunity,'' the statement said.

The report noted that ``impressive gains'' have been made in codifying
international norms and standards to protect children during conflict,
including three Security Council resolutions and two landmark international
treaties that entered into force this year setting age limits.

But more needs to be done to raise awareness about those standards and to
strengthen monitoring and reporting mechanisms ``to identify and take
measures against the violators,'' the report said.

The list was limited to situations currently on the Security Council's
agenda, but it highlighted other conflicts _ including Colombia, Myanmar,
Nepal, the Philippines, Sudan, northern Uganda and Sri Lanka _ where it said
children are recruited and used as combatants.

It also named conflicts that recently ended in Angola, Kosovo, the Republic
of Congo, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, where demobilization and
reintegration programs for child combatants are under way.

``This is the beginning of a systematic effort in a new era of monitoring
and reporting on the conduct of parties and how they treat children during
conflict,'' Otunnu said.

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers last year estimated that
more than 300,000 children were fighting as soldiers in 41 countries.

The London-based coalition said the children, including about 120,000 in
African armies, were used as front-line fighters, minesweepers, spies,
porters and sex slaves.

International law prohibits recruiting children under the age of 15, while
several United Nations conventions condemn the practice of having anyone
under 18 serve as a soldier.
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Philippines steps up security over letter bombs

MANILA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Monday it had tightened
security at Manila airport and other entry points after Japanese
intelligence reports showed militants were sending letter bombs to Myanmar's
embassies in the region.

Myanmar authorities have blamed dissident groups of exiles living outside
the military-ruled state for a series of parcel bombs sent to its missions
in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The Philippine Bureau of Customs said all officers had been told ``to be on
the lookout for any suspicious parcels.''

At Manila airport, all personnel were subject to a strict ``no
identification, no entry'' policy in customs areas and private security
guards had been vetted, the statement quoted Major Esmeralda Saplala, the
complex's security chief, as saying.

Philippine security forces are already on high alert against attacks by
local leftist and Muslim militant groups, as well as after the bomb blasts
that killed at least 185 people on the Indonesian island of Bali in October.

In mid-November, police said they defused a letter bomb made of a
button-sized battery, electrical wiring and a blasting cap at Myanmar's
embassy in Manila.

No one was injured and the embassy was not evacuated.

Radio reports said there was a card inside the envelope that read ``Saving
all my love for you, Happy Birthday.'' The return address was a street in
the Thai capital, Bangkok.
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Independent-Bangladesh 16-12-2002.
Myanmar PM arrives Tuesday
UNB, Dhaka

Prime Minister of Myanmar General Than Shwe arrives here Tuesday on a
two-day visit at the head of a large delegation for wide-ranging talks with
Bangladesh leaders.

The Senior General, also Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC), is coming on the state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister
Begum Khaleda Zia, an official announcement said yesterday.

General Than Shwe will be accompanied by his wife Madame Daw Kyiang Kyiang
during the visit aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation, particularly in
the fields of trade and commerce.

Besides, his large entourage comprises Secretary-1 of the SPDC and his wife,
member of the SPDC Lt Gen Khin Maung Than, Minister for Agriculture and
Irrigation, Minister for Industry (1), Minister for Foreign Affairs and his
wife, Minister for Commerce, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy
Minister for Health, Deputy Minister for Irrigation and Population and a
number of high civil and military officials from different ministries.

"The landmark visit of the Chairman and other senior leaders of the SPDC and
the government of Myanmar to Bangladesh will provide impetus to further
strengthening relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar," says the
announcement.

Prime Minister Begum Zia will receive the Senior General and his entourage
at the airport. His arrival will be heralded with a 21-gun salute.

General Than Shwe would lay wreath at the National Mausoleum at Savar in
homage to Bangladesh's independence martyrs.

He would make a courtesy call on President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed at
Bangabhaban on 17 December. He would attend a luncheon to be hosted in his
honour by the President.

Bangladesh-Myanmar official talks would be held on December 17 afternoon at
the Prime Minister's Office, which would be preceded by a tete-a-tete
between the two prime ministers.

"The talks would cover the entire gamut of Bangladesh-Myanmar bilateral
relations and in particular, the areas of trade, economic cooperation and
possible road linkage between the two countries," said the official
announcement.

The Senior General would be the guest of honour in a banquet to be hosted by
Prime Minister Begum Zia in the evening.

General Than Shwe would leave Dhaka for Yangon in the afternoon of December
18.
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Bangkok Post - Monday 16 December 2002
Sports ground to go under border bridge
Rangoon renews KNU-help claims
Supamart Kasem - Tak

Thai and Burmese authorities have agreed to develop an islet in the Moei
river under the Friendship Bridge as a sport and recreation ground for
people of both countries.

Agreement was reached last Friday in Mae Sot district during the 21st
Township Border Committee meeting_ which had been delayed for nearly two
years because of sour relations between Thailand and Burma.

Delegates agreed to the Thai proposal for the island, which they want to
keep free of drugs, contraband and crime. Further details are to be
discussed.

Thailand also proposed that Burma open a border road from Myawaddy to
Moulmein in Mon state for tourism. Burma agreed to look at the idea.

Burmese delegates submitted a note accusing Thailand of allowing the Karen
National Union to cross the border and plant bombs in Myawaddy.

They also alleged the KNU fired 107mm mortar rounds from the Thai side of
the border into Burma on three occasions from May 15-19, wounding many
people and causing damage to property.

Thailand denied the accusation, saying the KNU were never allowed to use
Thai soil to commit offences against Burma.

Burma asked Thailand to release a Burmese soldier, Aung Ko Oo, 21, arrested
in Mae Sot district last month for selling illegal cigarettes. Thailand said
he would first be charged and punished according to Thai law. The meeting
was co-chaired by Col Jirasak Chomprasop of Thailand and Lt-Col Tin Aye of
Burma.
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Bangkok Post - Monday 16 December 2002
Editorial - Infamous triangle is still tainted

Promises to clean up the Golden Triangle litter the pages of recent history.
The region where the borders of Thailand join Burma and Laos is one of the
world's most notorious drug trafficking regions. In recent years, especially
since Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra assumed office, serious commitments
to clean up the region have increased. So far they have come to nothing.

In the past year, the opium crop has increased and methamphetamine smuggling
has flourished. Glowing United Nations estimates of diminishing poppy fields
and a heroin drought were wildly wrong. The Thai army, closest agency to the
scene, estimates the flow of speed tablets in 2003 to increase by some 20%,
to a billion tablets _ 2.7 million pills per day. In the past week, the
governments of Burma, Laos and Thailand have all promised to attack drug
trafficking with more vigour and up-to-date tactics. Promises are no longer
acceptable. Concerned citizens will judge the performance.

The Burmese performance must remain the top concern. The junta has recently
talked a good game. It is committed to cutting opium production in half
within a year. It has conducted diplomats and reporters on dog-and-pony
tours of northern Burma to show off drug seizures and burnings. Government
mouthpieces have produced alleged Wa leaders to deny publicly they would
ever produce or smuggle drugs.

The generals control information inside Burma but not elsewhere, and the
facts are indisputable. A drought in northern Burma ended this year and the
opium crop is up. UN figures after the current harvest will be telling. At
the same time, Burma refuses to take any action against the known, wanted
drug smugglers in its country, including the United Wa State Army leader Wei
Hsueh-kang. Wei and his group appear to have full rein to produce and
traffic methamphetamines and heroin. This has raised inevitable rumours that
the generals acquiesce in drug trafficking _ and perhaps directly profit by
it.

More and more Burmese are victims of the drug trade. But Thailand is the
chief consumer of Burmese drugs, which more often are shipped through Laos.
The government came to office promising an effective drug policy and failed.
Now, on advice from His Majesty the King, Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh will try again. He promises another top-down drug agency.

At first appearance, the promise is once again large; the likely performance
gloomy. There is no commitment to identify and neutralise the ``Mr Bigs''
who control drug trafficking in Thailand. On the demand side, Gen Chavalit
and high-ranking officials pay lip service to reviving drug efforts down to
the district level. Instead of delegating power and resources, the new
command centre will work longer hours to tell local people what to do. To
avoid angering Burma, the army's drug force has been moved to office jobs.
This will help to ensure fewer drugs are seized at our border.

The continual increase in methamphetamine trafficking is worrying. The
renewal of the heroin trade is at least as serious. The failure of the UN
Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention to predict either trend is
disappointing. One must wonder if last year's mistaken UN claim of a 2002
heroin drought actually hurt the drug effort with its optimistic tone. In
the past year, poppy growers, Wa heroin producers and Chinese smuggling
gangs have gained influence.

The region now is predicting a future of tourism, trade and general economic
prosperity in the Golden Triangle and the wider Mekong basin region. This
cannot happen as long as drugs flourish. The latest government promises to
fight drugs will be judged quickly by the country by results.
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Bangkok Post - Monday 16 December 2002
ANALYSIS / INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Getting along with the neighbours

Thailand has its critics but it is a haven of open speech and other basic
freedoms compared with its neighbours. Hence the flow of dissidents from
these countries to Thai soil, and the problems this causes.
SARITDET MARUKATAT

Thailand is proof that a strategic location is a double-edged sword for a
country if its neighbours are unsettled.

Few people can forget the burden placed on the country when, back in the
'70s and into the '80s, Thailand suffered the spillover of the Indochina war
and its aftermath.

The conflict may have ended and the flow of refugees fleeing the regimes
that followed might have abated but Thailand remains a victim of political
unrest in its neighbours.

Along its western frontiers, armed conflicts and political battles being
raged by ethnic groups and others seeking autonomy or to unseat the ruling
military government of Burma are causing instability.

Groups of local and overseas Laotians are unhappy with the one-party system
designed by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

And Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's party might have won two
consecutive elections to claim legitimacy to run the country, but the
opposition still cries foul over harassment.

Finally, to the south, many politicians are unhappy with Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad's tactics of limiting the powers of opposition members.

Each in their own way, all of these positions cause problems for Thailand as
it gets drawn, as often as not unwillingly, into the the quarrels of its
neighbours.

The latest cases are that of Sok Yoeun, a Cambodian opposition member, and
certain Lao dissidents, all of whom are in detention in Thai jails. Their
position has caused discomfort for the Thai government in its dealings with
Phnom Penh and Vientiane.

Sok Yoeun, a member of the Sam Rainsy party, was arrested in December 1999
on charges of entering the country illegally. He claimed he was fleeing his
country for his life after being charged by Phnom Penh with the attempted
assassination of Hun Sen.

The Criminal Court last month ordered his return to Cambodia but his lawyers
lodged an appeal that he be sent to a third country, Finland, which is home
to his family.

The Lao government, meanwhile, is waiting for the Thai courts to rule on the
return of 17 dissidents accused of launching an armed attack two years ago
on the Vang Tao checkpoint in Champassak, opposite Ubon Ratchathani, so they
can stand trial in Vientiane.

Laos has used every available opportunity to make its position known to
Thailand. In a message sent by Lao ambassador to Thailand, Hiem Phommachanh,
marking the 27th anniversary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party's
takeover of power in Vientiane, he praised the growing cooperation between
the two countries on trade, border demarcation, drug operations, health,
education, human resources and labour, but took the occasion to remind the
Thai government of the outstanding matter of the dissidents.

``I have the conviction that, with the special similarity shared by both
peoples and the goodwill of the two governments, the relations between the
two countries will be strengthened,'' he said.

``However, some hindering issues need to be given more attention. The Lao
side is very much looking for an expedition for the extradition of the
bandits who raided the Vang Tao-Chong Mek checkpoint over two years ago.''

A Foreign Ministry officer said there was a growing frustration among Thai
officialdom with Phnom Penh and Vientiane, as he said `` they did not try or
tried to forget that Thailand has to act on the rules of law''.

Somchai Homlaor, secretary-general of the Asia Forum for Human Rights and
Development (Forum-Asia), had warm words for the improvements on political
and human rights in Cambodia _ ``The situation in Cambodia is getting better
after the last general election'' _ but said Thailand's other neighbours,
particularly Burma, were making few gains in these areas.

As an open society, Thailand has become the country of choice for dissidents
and pro-democracy activists wanting to set up an operations base, as well as
a place of refuge.

This has upset its neighbours and their governments have asked Bangkok to
close down these groups' activities or, failing that, to keep these people
in check.

Forum-Asia, a regional human rights advocate, and other non-governmental
organisations believe that was the condition set by Rangoon before it
considered reopening its border with Thailand after a five-month closure
that began in May.

Such differences are posing problems for the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations as well. The grouping is made up of 10 states _ Brunei, Burma,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam _ with widely varying levels of development, political systems
and degrees of openness. Unlike the European Union, Asean sees no need to
impose the protection of human rights and democratic principles as a
precondition to membership. Its goal is integration first and possible
change later on.

``Human security in Southeast Asia is victimised,'' Non-Violence
International Southeast Asia Office, a non-governmental organisation,
complained to the United Nations-appointed Commission on Human Security at
its conference in Bangkok on Dec 11.

Asean cannot speak with one voice because its members have different
standards on human rights and democracy, Mr Somchai said. ``Because of that,
Asean cannot expect to see unity in the region.''
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Bangkok Post - Monday 16 December 2002
Commentary - Wa money can only be from drugs
Veera Prateepchaikul

The gold Rolex watch studded with over two dozen half-carat diamonds worn by
Bao Youxiang, commander of the United Wa State Army, featured in the latest
issue of Time magazine is a telltale sign to the wealth of the warrior born
in the impoverished hinterland of Burma. The diamonds alone would easily
fetch two million baht on the Thai jewellery market.

Bao Youxiang, according to Time, is said to hold a substantial interest in
hotel and casino operations in cities in the southern Chinese province of
Yunnan. His family also reportedly owns Yangon Airways, one of Burma's two
domestic airlines.

So how did Bao Youxiang manage to amass the fortune to buy such an expensive
wristwatch, own a business empire in southern China, and build a formidable
army of about 20,000 men in just a few years?

The Wa commander has persistently denied any involvement in the drug trade.
Thai narcotics agencies and the US Drug Enforcement Administration say
differently. The UWSA's main source of revenue has always been the drug
trade, in particular methamphetamines and heroin.

It is beyond any doubt that the UWSA is responsible for the methamphetamine
problem in Thailand. Hundreds of millions of speed pills, manufactured by
mobile and fixed small laboratories in Wa-controlled territories inside
Burma, are smuggled across the border into Thailand every year by drug
caravans or couriers. Then they are distributed across the nation by
thousands of big- and small-time dealers. A senior officer with the Third
Army recently estimated that the Wa's drug factories would churn out a
billion speed pills next year and the bulk of them were destined for the
Thai market.

The main security threat to Thailand currently posed by the UWSA appears to
be the methamphetamine scourge. But a possibly greater threat, and to Burma
as well, is the 20,000-strong Wa army. The likelihood of more clashes
between Thai troops and the Wa fighters protecting their drug caravans
cannot be ruled out.

With the profits from the drug trade estimated at several billion baht a
year, the UWSA can afford the basic and even sophisticated weaponry sold on
the international black market _ something the Thai army must envy as a
result of the budget cuts which have hit its purchasing power.

The Time cover showing a young Wa warrior holding a rather new AK47 assault
rifle, possibly Chinese-made, tells a worrying story _ that is, the UWSA now
can afford to buy new equipment and doesn't have to rely on used weapons
from Cambodia. What other, more deadly weapons the UWSA has in its arsenal
and, not shown to the public, is anybody's guess? But with the money god _
and the UWSA seems to have plenty _ the chance is that the Wa army already
has modern weaponry in its stockpile.

The Thaksin government's response to the security and drug problems posed by
the Wa has been disappointing and unimaginative. In its meetings with the
ruling junta in Rangoon, the government has avoided addressing the
methamphetamine problem, apparently for fear of offending the Burmese
generals. Instead, they just talk about joint cooperation on substituting
opium with other cash crops. Although the opium output from the Golden
Triangle is on the rise, the immediate threat to Thailand remains
methamphetamines.

Just how long the government can continue to appease Rangoon by not
addressing the speed pill problem is a huge question. But the twin problem
of drugs and the Wa army is a threat of such proportions that this
government cannot just sit by twiddling its thumbs. Nor can Rangoon afford
to continue to deny that this problem exists without putting its own
security at risk.

In any case, a solution will need to bring in China, the third player in
this circle, to advise and to cooperate.

- Veera Prateepchaikul is Editor,Bangkok Post.
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Tehrantimes - December 16, 2002
India, Paradise for Gem Smugglers Along Myanmar

GUWAHATI -- India's unfenced border with Myanmar has become a paradise for
gem smugglers.

A 1,623-kilometer long porous frontier, thick with forests and almost
unguarded, has turned the area into one of the busiest bazaars for trading
in precious and rare stones from rubies to jades and sapphires.

"There has been surreptitious movement of stones, most of them uncut,
through India's northeastern region to other parts of the country with the
source originating in Myanmar," Donald Ingty, commissioner of customs, told
IRNA by telephone from Shillong, Capital of Meghalaya state.

Customs and revenue intelligence officials have been regularly seizing
contraband gems in the region. A fortnight ago, sleuths of India's Revenue
Intelligence Department arrested two persons in Guwahati, Assam's principal
city, and seized a wide variety of precious stones worth an estimated rs 10
million, IRNA reported.

"There is a traditional practice where ethnic residents on either side of
the border could enter up to 40 kilometers into each other's countries
without any legal hassles," the commissioner said.

The general route taken by smugglers is through Moreh, the last border town
in the northeastern state of Manipur. "Indian border villagers get precious
stones in exchange for medicines, shoes, clothes and automobile parts from
their Myanmarese counterparts," a police official in Manipur said.

Myanmar is rich in gems, with huge deposits of the world's rarest stones
found in the Mogok region in the north of the country.

The world's largest ruby weighing 21,450 carats was found in Kin village
near Mogok, while the world's biggest star sapphire was also found the same
area. The biggest pearl of the world is the Myanmar pearl, weighing 845
carats.

Most parts of northern Myanmar is under the control of Kachin rebels opposed
to the military junta, with Indian separatists also said to have training
camps in the area.

"It could well be possible that some underground groups have major stakes in
the gems trade that is going on in the area, working hand in glove with
smugglers," the police official said.
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Asian Tribune
Date : 2002-12-16
Four Fishermen Arrested In Akyab For Murder Of Two Women And Throwing Two
Men Into The River

Sittwe, December 16: Four Rohingya fishermen were arrested in Akyab (Sittwe)
for murdering and robbing two Rakhine women and for throwing two other
Rakhine men into the river while they were crossing the mouth of the Kaladan
river on 11th November 2002, according to our source in the Police
Department.

On the day of occurrence, two Rakhine women one married and the other
unmarried accompanied by two other Rakhine men were going to Pauktaw town,
in a motorboat from Sittwe, the capital of the Arakan State, after selling
their goods at Sittwe. While they were crossing the mouth of the Kaladan
River, the engine of their motorboat was suddenly stopped due to mechanical
trouble, he further added.

Then the motorboat was blown bare by strong wind and struck by rough waves.
At that time, the boatmen asked a group of five Rohingya fishermen, who were
passing through them in a fishing boat, for help. Instead of helping them,
the fishermen killed the two women, robbed their gold ornaments and money
while the two other Rakhine men were thrown into the river. One of the
elderly fishermen strongly opposed this heinous action of the fellow
fishermen. But he was overpowered and was tied to a pole with a rope and had
thus become completely helpless, an elderly villager from Nazirpara told our
source.

Later, the two Rakhine men were rescued by another boat and were sent to
Akyab hospital, he further added.

The news spread 'like wild fire' and caused large-scale dissatisfaction
among the people of all communities. The people, particularly the Rohingyas,
worried that the incident might lead to intolerance between two sisters
communities of Rakhines and Rohingyas, a Rohingya community leader from
Akyab said.

The aforesaid elderly Rohingya fisherman, on arrival at Akyab, revealed the
real happening to the concerned authorities lamenting that the action was
inhuman and demanded stern action against the culprits, he further said.

In early February 2001, a riot broke out in Akyab following a problem with a
Rohingya woman vendor created by an intelligence person in disguise of a
Buddhist monk. Some Rohingyas were killed, their houses were burnt dawn into
ashes and a number of them arrested by the police and military intelligence
personnel, said an ex- teacher to our correspondent.

Sources said, the city has been put on high alert and security forces have
been asked to be on watch round the clock to avoid communal riot of any
kind. All strata of Rohingya people strongly condemned this heinous action.
Now the situation in Akyab is normal.

- Editor - Kaladan Press -
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Shan Herald Agency for News
No: 12 - 07 - 15 December 2002

Drugs - Yawdserk: Burma's drug war an ethnic cleansing campaign in disguise

Drug enforcement assistance for Rangoon merely serves as an accessory in its
'ethinc cleansing' plans, said Shan armed resistance leader Yawdserk in his
statement issued today in response to the drug free Burma by the year 2015
project restated by the Burmese delegation at the bilateral meeting on drugs
in Chiangmai, 13-14 December.

"(It) means they are going to suppress the indigenous people on the pretext
of drug eradication, as they have done several times before," said Col
Yawdserk, who is also Chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State, the
Shan State Army "South"'s political wing.

He cited the attack on Sankarng (Sanklang in Thai), opposite Maehongson
Province, in 1983 as an example, where drugs and their refining
paraphernalia were sent in by the Burma Army ahead of a team of foreign drug
officials, who took photos and videotapes of the supposed seizure by the
army afterwards.

International assistance to Rangoon would not reach the grass root level or
alleviate the miseries of the people, he warned, but only turn into arms and
ammunitions against the people of Shan State and drugs would continue to
flourish.

"If Thais believe their counterparts are sincere and dance to the Burmese
tune to suppress the opposition armed groups along the border, it can only
create more problems and unrest," he said.

Instead, he offered a three-point alternative:
*Cessation of hostilities;
*Investigation of the true situation and hardships borne by indigenous
people; and
*Cooperation with the people of Shan State.
He also called for Shans, both at home and abroad, to present "the true
situation" to the international community.

With the opening of the dry season, the SSA, along with two other major
armed groups; Karen National Union and Karenni National Progress Party,
along the Thai-Burma border are being targeted for annihilation, according
to border sources.

Reliable reports also locate 4 reinforced Burma Army units: Infantry
Battalions 66, 99 and 296 and Light Infantry Battalion 422 together with
240-strong Frontier Defense Force of Mahaja under Military Operations
Command (MOC) #3 of Col Aung Kyaw Oo around the SSA's stronghold, Loi Tai
Leng, opposite Maehongson Province. The number of the United Wa State Army,
however, is still unknown, although an unconfirmed report says 2 fresh
battalions from its 171st Brigade, commanded by Wei Hsuehying, had arrived
recently from Mongton.
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