[burmanet2-l] Burma Related News - Jan 19, 2003.

["TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS - January  19, 2003.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AFP - Three Myanmar soldiers defect on Thai border: rebel army
Asian Tribune - United Nationalities Alliance of Burma insist on Talks and
coordination
The Daily Star - Myanmar FM visits India to talk economic ties
BBC - Burmese minister heads for India
Bkk Post - Rangoon trip rescheduled
SHAN - Burma strategy unveiled
SHAN - Security for dam builders ordered

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Myanmar soldiers defect on Thai border: rebel army

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Jan 19 (AFP) - Three Myanmar soldiers posted on the
country's eastern border with Thailand have defected to the rebel Shan State
Army (SSA), the rebels' spokeswoman said Sunday.

Zin Thu Tun, Sun Min and Zin Wine, all privates from army regiment 226, gave
themselves up on Friday to a base camp of the SSA near Pan Mai Sueng hill,
SSA spokeswoman Nam Khur Hsen told AFP by telephone.

She said the three had fled from their frontline positions located on Pan
Mai Sueng, which lies opposite northern Thailand's Wiang Haeng town in
Chiang Mai province, due to a lack of food and tough conditions.

"Two of them are very young, around only 17 and 19, and they brought with
them weapons: three assault rifles with 1,680 rounds, 12 magazine boxes,
seven hand grenades and six detonators," Nam Khur Hsen said.

"We are moving them to a safe area and will provide what they need ... We
will let them decide their future by themselves."

A report in November cited a Thai army task force commander as saying
Myanmar troops were massing along the Thai-Myanmar border to prepare for the
regular dry-season assault against the SSA in December or January.

The SSA -- one of the few rebel groups still fighting Yangon's rule --
attacked Myanmar frontline positions in May last year and captured three
strategic hills, including Pan Mai Sueng, which they held for a month.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-01-19
United Nationalities Alliance of Burma insist on Talks and coordination

The United Nationalities Alliance in a statement emphasized that dialogue
and coordination alone would disentangle the political mess in which Burma
is in today.

Being strongly convinced that conferring peacefully and discussions will
create and establish an authentic, prosperous and just united states, United
Nationalities Alliance, the native ethnic political parties recently
declared their political position

The full text of United Nationalities Alliance statement is as follows:

1. We accept and ardently believe that dialogue and coordination (bringing
together all the stake holders in a harmonious action and effort) is the
best and only way to disentangle the political mess which Burma is in to
day.

2. We are preparing the ground to participate in the tripartite talks
according to one of the resolutions of the United Nations Organization.

3. We believe that the correct and true perceptions of the ethnic groups
will be revealed only by coordination between the representatives of the
political parties of the nationalities

4. To achieve the abovementioned third point, the government should declare
a truce period and allow contact between all contending forces.

5. Tripartite dialogue embracing representatives of the nationalities must
be performed with honesty and sincerity to extricate Burma from the
political mire and bring about a peaceful settlement.

6. The settlement arrived at by the above process must be strictly adhered
to.

7. We undertake to seriously honor and cooperate in the political settlement
reached through the above process in matters such as -

 * Convening the Peoples' Parliament

* Formation of a National Reconciliation Coalition Government

*Convening of an genuine National Convention

*The Declaration of a General Amnesty and other political issues.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Daily Star -  Sun. January 19, 2003
Myanmar FM visits India to talk economic ties
Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi

As Myanmar Foreign Minister U Win Maung arrives in New Delhi today on a
six-day visit to deepen the economic content in relations with India,
Bangladesh could be left behind to reap the benefit from developmental
spin-offs in infrastructure and energy sectors.

Cooperation in building of roads, a port in Myanmar and a gas pipeline will
be high on the agenda of U Win during his talks with the Indian leadership
including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Vice-president Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, External Affairs Minister
Yashwant Sinha and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie.

India has proposed construction of two roads from Mizoram to Myanmar's Chin
area in order to provide easier and cheaper transportation from mainland
India to other Northeastern Indian states.

Myanmar, say officials, is keen on the road construction proposal in view of
the revenue to be generated from transit trade. This, they point out, will
also take care of Bangladesh's reluctance to give transit facility to India.

India has already built a road connecting Moreh (in Indian state of Manipur)
and Kalemyo (in Myanmar) for border trade which has picked up in recent
months.

During U Win's talks with Indian leaders, the two sides will discuss the
progress in a multi-modal transport project over the Kalandan river that
flows through Mizoram and Myanmar before falling into the Bay of Bengal.

The project seeks to tone up the port facility at the confluence of Kaladan
and Bay of Bengal at Sittwe and will benefit transportation of goods from
ports in Kolkata and other parts of India to northeastern Indian states.

India, Myanmar and Thailand are already in the task of building a road
connecting northeastern India and Thailand.

The development of road links between India and Myanmar assume importance in
view of the stalemate in proposal for transit through Bangladesh.

A plan is also on the drawing board to build a gas pipeline along the
Kaladan river to India and officials of India and Myanmar have already done
the preliminary surveys for this.

India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Gas Authority of
India Limited, along with South Korean company Daewoo International, are
likely to search for energy in Myanmar's Rakhine province. American energy
major UNOCAL proposes an energy grid connecting Myanmar, northeastern and
eastern parts of India.

The two Indian oil majors have decided to pick up stakes in energy
exploration in Rakhine.

Once gas pipeline between Myanmar and India materializes, it will reduce
India's dependence on possible gas export from Bangladesh.

With the existing and proposed infrastructure and energy cooperation
projects between India and Myanmar, Yangon is expected to play a more
influential economic role in the region and further smoothen India's access
to south east Asia, analysts here say.

In recent months, India and Myanmar have also strengthened their diplomatic
presence in each other's territories. New Delhi has opened a consulate in
Mandalay in Arakan of Myanmar and Yangon has set up one in Kolkata.

As part of his India visit, the Myanmar Foreign Minister will also visit
Hyderabad, one of India's information technology hubs, and Kolkata.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC - Saturday, 18 January, 2003, 17:58 GMT
Burmese minister heads for India
By Larry Jagan
BBC South East Asia analyst

Burma's foreign minister arrives in India on Sunday at the start of an
important five-day visit.

Win Aung will meet India's top leaders to discuss strategic and economic
issues.

Indian Government officials say both countries are keen to explore ways of
improving bilateral relations and to further boost their close trading ties.

Analysts believe the trip is also significant as it comes shortly after
Burma's top leader, General Than Shwe, visited China.

India has long been concerned about China's influence in Burma and is
worried about Beijing's strategic priorities there.

China ties

Win Aung is likely to have a busy schedule on this trip, for he is certainly
going to try to allay Delhi's concern about what they see as China's growing
influence in the country.

The economic ties between China and Burma have certainly been strengthened
during General Than Shwe's recent visit there - with Beijing promising
substantial financial aid for infrastructural projects.

But Win Aung, who accompanied the senior general to China, will be assuring
his hosts that this close relationship does not involve a Chinese military
presence in the country as many Indian analysts fear, and that Rangoon wants
close ties with both Delhi and Beijing.

The Burmese foreign minister will also be keen to be brought up to date on
the Indian Government's peace negotiations with the Naga rebels, who also
have many of their bases inside Burma.

The Burmese are anxious to see India's north-east develop faster and with an
increase in cross-border trade.

Already, India has been overseeing the construction of a major highway that
will link India to Mandalay and Rangoon, and through there to Thailand.

Last April, Burma's foreign minister hosted his Indian and Thai counterparts
in Rangoon in an inaugural summit which pledged to complete this road
linking the three countries as soon as possible.

Another summit is planned for this year in Mandalay, and Win Aung is likely
to be discussing the exact timing of this with the Indian foreign minister.

Trade, drugs and rebels

Apart from strategic concerns, Win Aung will also be keen to boost trade
between the two countries.

He will be visiting Calcutta, where Burma opened consular offices last year
as a mark of the developing ties between the two countries and the
importance India's eastern states are likely to play in that relationship.

Relations between the two countries have really only begun to strengthen in
the last few years, partly because former Indian governments have been
strong supporters of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

While Delhi still insists it would prefer to see a democratically-elected
government in Rangoon, Indian policy changed some 10 years ago and ever
since then India has sought better relations with the generals.

Initially, this was in areas of combating cross-border militancy and
stemming the illegal drugs trade.

This is the most important Burmese visitor to Delhi since the army chief,
General Maung Aye, visited last January.

Sources in Rangoon say Win Aung will also discuss with his Indian hosts a
visit by the head of state, General Than Shwe, in the near future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post - Sunday 19 January 2003
Rangoon trip rescheduled
Wassana Nanuam

Army chief Gen Somdhat Attanand's visit to Burma has been put off to Jan
31-Feb 1 so he can meet Burmese Prime Minister Gen Than Shwe.

Gen Somdhat originally planned to go this Wednesday, but his Burmese
counterpart Gen Maung Aye said he was busy and if he delayed the visit
another week he could meet the Burmese prime minister at the same time.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has delayed his
proposed Jan 27 visit to Burma until after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
himself visits the country on Feb 9-10.

In another sign of improved ties with that country, Her Royal Highness
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is in Burma until Jan 21.

Chaichoke Chulsiriwong, a lecturer of Chulalongkorn University's faculty of
political science, said the prime minister was likely to talk about drugs,
trade and investment on his visit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Shan Herald Agency for News
No: 01 - 04/2003
19 January 2003

Thai-Burma relations
Burma strategy unveiled

The Burma strategy is part of the Asia Connection strategy, christened
Benjawithee (Five Approaches), by its designer, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh,
that is being implemented by the defense ministry under Gen Thammarak
Issarangkura na Ayuddya's leadership, according Phujadkarn (The Manager)
Weekly 13-19 January edition.

The plan was aimed at "changing enemies into friends", said Gen Pat
Akkaniyabutr, one of the deputy prime minister's principal advisers.

The main features of the plan, that has already been carried out with
resulting achievements vis-a-vis China, according to the planners, are:
1. To support peace building in the region by what it terms as military
diplomacy at all levels both by direct and indirect action

2. To play a leading role in resolving the border problems that include
providing suitable livelihood for people living on both sides of the border
("when the people of our neighboring countries live well, problems are
washed away")

Thailand has identified 9 major worries: narcotics, illegal in migrants,
smuggling of goods, epidemics, war refugees, unlawful labor, cross border
prostitution, terrorism and cross border criminal activities. ("where there
is a problem, we'll do development together")

3. To improve the structure of the armed forces in conformation with the
times and the need to preserve the interests of the nation

4. To prepare the armed forces for effective battle readiness

5. To support non-military activities in the interests of the people and
peace such as rural development, drug suppression and natural disasters.

Accordingly, the Thai-Myanmar Cultural and Economic Association was
established on 4 May 2001. On the Thai side, there are Gen Chavalit,
Advisory Chairman; Gen Pat, President; Gen Narudol Dejpradityudh, Vice
President and Gen Sanan Khajornklam, Secretary, while on the Burmese side
are Gen Khin Nyunt as patron; Lt-Gen (Air Force) Kyaw Than, President; Vice
Admiral Nyunt Thein, Vice President and Col Ba Hein, former military attache
for Thailand as secretary.

Gen Chavalit has also assigned the following advisers to handle the affairs
related to Burma:
Veera Musikaphong Culture and Tourism
Dr Surasak Nananukul Trade and Investment
Gen Prasert Sararit Science, Education and Health

In addition to them there are Paisarn Pheuchmongkol "the brain" and Gen
Vichit Yathip to oversee the plan's performance at the ministry.

Three modes of contact have been agreed "that begins with personal
relationships" built over the years: person to person, state to state and
people to people.

"The association will not meddle in political issues in any circumstances",
said Gen Pat. "Also when we are talking about, say, fishery, Thailand will
not be asking for concessions. We shall only propose a joint venture where
the profits from the proceeds shall be shared fifty-fifty between us."

According to Dr Surasak, Thailand has already presented 15 projects for
Burma's consideration. "All of them will be on a win-win basis," he said.

Bangkok Post, meanwhile, reported Gen Thammarak saying, "We are friends with
Burma but that doesn't mean we and (Burma's rebel) groups are enemies."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Shan Herald Agency for News
No: 01 - 05/2003
19 January 2003
Environment
Security for dam builders ordered

A meeting had been held yesterday in Mongton, opposite Chiangmai's Chiangdao
District, where a directive from Rangoon to organize security for dam
officials from Bangkok due to arrive next week was conveyed to the military
units in the township, reported S.H.A.N. source from the border.

Tasang, the propose dam site, is 50 miles west of Mongton and 180 miles east
of Taunggyi.

The personnel from the "Thai company" together with their "equipment" are
expected to cross the border at BP1, the border pass between Mongton and
Chiangdao next Monday (27 January), said the source. The meeting was held at
the command post of Infantry Battalion #65.

The Shan State Army of Col Yawdserk is active in the area.

"We work for the people," said Nang Khurhsen Heng-awn, the spokesperson for
the group, when interviewed. "It's up to them to decide whether or not they
would want a dam on the Salween." She declined to elaborate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------