-----------------------------------------------------------------
UN envoy's hasty departure confirms Myanmar's pariah
status
BANGKOK, March 25 (AFP) - A microphone found under the table
where a UN envoy was "confidentially" interviewing political prisoners: Myanmar
could hardly find a better way of reinforcing its image as a black sheep of the
international community.
A "very angry" Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
announced in Yangon on Monday he was curtailing by two days a visit during which
he was updating a report on the human rights situation in the military-ruled
country, which he is due to present to the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
"I informed the authorities that while interviewing prisoners at
Insein Prison on Saturday 22nd March I found a functioning listening device in
the form of a wireless microphone placed under the table in the room which I was
using to conduct my interviews," a bitter Pinheiro said before his departure.
"I am very angry about this incident and I straight away decided
to leave the country," he said.
Despite being focused on its
military campaign in Iraq, Washington reacted immediately.
"We
regret that the government of Burma failed to live up to commitments it agreed
to" before Pinheiro's visit, a State Department official said using the
country's former name.
The incident, which Myanmar's ministry of
foreign affairs said Tuesday was being investigated and was "sincerely
regretted", will only further tarnish the image of Myanmar's military
leadership.
The country, already besieged by international
sanctions because of its poor human rights record, had found in Pinheiro an
interlocutor who advocated a soft rather than confrontational approach in
dealing with the regime.
Earlier this month he had told the
international community that "the policy option now should be engagement, not
isolation."
Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD)
chairman Khun Tun Oo told AFP Pinheiro's sudden departure represented a setback
for the national reconciliation process.
"We can say it's a
backward step... not only with regard to the human rights issue, but also the
national reconciliation process, which are all interrelated."
A
Yangon-based diplomat said the incident was "very regrettable".
"It's sad for everybody, for the regime, also for the political
prisoners and for Mr. Pinheiro. It cannot push things forward," he said.
In exchange for Pinheiro's patient and conciliatory approach, he
has been granted during his last five missions -- including this week's
ill-fated one -- total freedom in his interviews across the country.
The junta had committed not to penalise or prosecute the
potentially sensitive people he spoke to during his interviews, including
prisoners or ethnic minorities.
This was a great change compared
to the treatment given to his predecessor, Mauritian Rajsoomer Lallah, who was
never even permitted by the regime to set foot in Myanmar.
After
such a breach in the moral contract between the junta and Pinheiro, the question
of whether the envoy may resign has now been raised.
"He will
certainly ask himself the question after such an incident," the diplomat said.
Pinheiro already had reason to be frustrated with Myanmar's
leaders.
Before he left Yangon he told the junta that the very
slow release of political prisoners was "unacceptable". There are still 1,200 to
1,300 in Myanmar's jails, and Pinheiro has made their release his priority.
The junta has freed a few hundred prisoners in the last two years
as goodwill gestures, but has failed to release any recently with the exception
of a group of 45 people released a few days before Pinheiro's arrival last week.
At the same time, dialogue on democratic transition expected to
take place between the top generals and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has
stalled.
Pinheiro's discouragement seems to have already been felt
by the other UN envoy to Myanmar, Razali Ismail.
The special envoy
of UN secretary-general Kofi Annan had played an essential part in brokering
landmark talks between the junta and the Nobel Peace Prize winner which began at
the end of 2000. But since Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest last
May, nothing has moved.
"The general opinion is that the number
one (Senior General Than Shwe) has put on the brakes," the diplomat said.
On the eve of his ninth mission to Yangon last November, Razali
threatened to resign if "if I think I am not going anywhere with the
discussions".
And as Pinheiro stormily left Myanmar, it seems
Razali is having difficulties getting a new invitation to Yangon, which he had
promised to return to early this year.
"The horizon is totally
dark," the diplomat said.
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Myanmar junta says microphone incident not government
sanctioned
YANGON, March 25 (AFP) - Myanmar's military junta insisted Tuesday
it had not sanctioned the placing of a microphone in the room where a UN rights
envoy was interviewing prisoners and said it sincerely regretted the incident.
Human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro on Monday angrily cut
short by two days his fifth mission to Myanmar, where he was updating a report
on the rights situation to present to the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
Pinheiro said he had found bugging equipment in a room he was
using to interview political prisoners in the notorious Insein prison outside
Yangon on Saturday.
"The untoward incident at Insein jail on 22
March was not sanctioned by the government and a thorough investigation is being
undertaken," Myanmar's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
"Moreover, Myanmar authorities had explained the circumstances
surrounding the matter and also conveyed their sincere regret to the special
rapporteur.
"Although the special rapporteur left the country
earlier than his scheduled date of departure, it is learnt that both sides would
not like to see the existing cooperation to be greatly affected by this
incident," it said.
Pinheiro, who had arrived last Thursday, had
said he was leaving despite receiving promises of an investigation.
A Yangon-based diplomat told AFP Tuesday that it would be
impossible to determine who, if anyone, had ordered that the microphone be used.
"The chain of command is so long in Myanmar that it will be
impossible to know who has ordered this, if it has been done intentionally," the
diplomat said.
"When there are inquiries they always last a long
time and finally you end up knowing nothing."
The United States, a
staunch critic of Myanmar which it accuses of human rights abuses and
suppression of democracy, has already rebuked the country's leadership in the
wake of Pinheiro's departure.
"We regret that the government of
Burma failed to live up to commitments it agreed to," before Pinheiro's visit,
said a State Department official Monday, using Myanmar's former name.
As one of few respected voices supporting engagement with Myanmar
rather than isolation, Pinheiro's departure is likely to be viewed by the
country's leaders as a setback in their push for international support.
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Premier Oil restructuring delayed; says
imminent
Tuesday March 25, 3:04 am ET
LONDON,
March 25 (Reuters) - British oil
firm Premier Oil Plc (London:PMO.L - News) on Tuesday announced a delay to the
restructuring plan aimed at removing a weight on its share price, though in a
statement accompanying its 2002 results it said a deal was now
imminent.
Amerada Hess (NYSE:AHC - News) of the U.S. and Malaysia's
Petronas (Kuala Lumpur:PETR.KL - News) each own 25 percent of the exploration
and production company, holdings which have overshadowed its stock
price.
Completion of a deal struck last year, under which they exit
their roles as shareholder in exchange for assets, has been delayed as the
partners finalise details over their Yetagun gas project in Myanmar, which is
part of the deal.
In January, Premier said the deal would be done
"some time in the first quarter", which ends this week. On Tuesday Premier said
it now planned to complete the exit of its two biggest shareholders from its
share register "early in the second quarter" of 2003.
UK
CHARGE
The news was announced along with 2002 results that
showed Premier's net profit rose to 25.0 million pounds ($39.3 million) from
20.3 million a year ago, despite a 13.1 million pound exceptional charge against
UK assets, on higher production with oil prices averaging similar levels to a
year ago.
The profit was below a range of analysts' expectations of
26-35 million pounds, but analysts said the charge was unexpected. Excluding the
charge, net profit was slightly above forecast, up 90 percent at 38.1 million
pounds.
"The result is pretty irrelevant really, because after the
restructuring the company will look completely different," said Peter Hitchens,
an analyst at French broker Cheuvreux.
"The key things are that
they still haven't done the restructuring. There's no news on it, which is
slightly worrying," he said.
Under the restructuring plan Amerada
Hess and Petronas (Kuala Lumpur:PETR.KL - News) will give up their 25 percent
stakes in the UK firm and the shares will be cancelled. They will also pay cash
to Premier and and assume some debt.
In exchange, the partners will
take some of Premier's key assets in Myanmar, formerly Burma, and
Indonesia.
Premier is to hand its 26.67 percent interest in the
Yetagun gas project in Myanmar over to Petronas, while the Malaysian firm will
assume debt of $152 million and pay Premier $107 million.
Premier
will also transfer to Petronas a 15 percent holding in the Natuna gas field off
the coast of Indonesia and receive $100 million in exchange.
The UK
group will also transfer a 23 percent stake in Natuna to Amerada Hess, which
will pay Premier $17 million. Premier will continue to operate Natuna and retain
a 28.7 percent interest.
The deal values Premier's Yetagun interest
at $400 million, and the 15 percent and 23 percent stakes in Natuna at $107 and
$163 million respectively.
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The Nation
WAR ON NARCOTICS: 'Drug funds' being traced
overseas
Published on Mar 25, 2003
Drugs gangs
are suspected of moving ill-gotten money to financial centres such as Singapore,
Hong Kong, Luxembourg and Switzerland, a senior official said
yesterday.
The Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is checking a
number of suspicious transactions between gang members and foreign banks, its
secretary-general Peeraphan Prempooti said.
"The AMLO is prepared
to seize drug money regardless of where it is being stashed away," he
said.
Under money-laundering law, the AMLO is empowered to freeze
drug money both locally and abroad. It has already frozen a foreign bank account
belonging to a northern drug gang and is preparing to impound a number of bank
accounts in Hong Kong, Peeraphan said.
It is also tracing assets
recently moved from Hong Kong to Taiwan by a powerful drug dealer, he
added.
The authorities aim to cripple drugs gangs by uncovering
their related assets, he said.
Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Noor
Matha yesterday said Thailand was cooperating with three neighbouring countries
- Burma, Laos and China - on drug suppression.
The four-country
cooperation is aimed at eradicating illegal drug production and monitoring
precursor chemicals, he said.
"I understand that China is preparing
to host the first summit meeting on drug suppression," he said.
In
other drug-related developments, Loei police yesterday seized 286 gallons (1,300
litres) of sulphuric acid, a precursor chemical, destined for a Lao border
town.
In Bangkok, the Metropolitan Police are currently
investigating allegations that 44 of its officers are involved in the illegal
drugs trade.
And in Samut Prakan, Klong Dan police yesterday
arrested four heroin traffickers and seized Bt4.8 million worth of assets
belonging to them. The four are Chamras Thuamchumphon, 49, his wife Ratanawan,
44, Chintana Nuipong, 57, and her son Suchat, 25.
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BBC News - Monday, 24 March, 2003, 12:20
GMT
UN envoy in Burma bugging
row
Burma has been widely condemned for its use of
forced labour
A United Nations human rights envoy has decided to leave Burma
early after finding a hidden microphone in a room where he was meeting political
prisoners.
The Brazilian envoy, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, said he
would leave Rangoon on Monday, two days ahead of schedule.
Mr
Pinheiro found the microphone on Saturday, while talking to prisoners inside
Insien jail on the outskirts of Rangoon, a UN statement said.
Correspondents say this incident will be very embarrassing for the
Burmese military authorities, who had promised the envoy he could go anywhere he
wanted and interview anyone he chose in absolute privacy.
Burma
already faces international criticism for its poor human rights record.
Human rights groups say about 1,000 political detainees remain in
prisons around Burma.
Repeated visits
Mr Pinheiro was visiting Rangoon for his fifth visit to
monitor the condition of the country's political prisoners.
He is
due to deliver a report on the situation to the UN Human Rights Commission in
Geneva at the end of the month.
When he found the microphone -
said to date back to World War II and placed under a table - Mr Pinheiro walked
out of the prison and immediately lodged an official protest with the Burmese
authorities, a UN official said.
"Under these circumstances he
felt obliged to interrupt his mission," the UN statement said.
UN
sources told the BBC that Mr Pinheiro was upset and furious at the discovery,
but still hoped to return to Rangoon in May to complete his investigation.
It is no surprise that the prison authorities have been listening
in to Mr Pinheiro's private interviews, says BBC correspondent Larry Jagan.
The Burmese authorities routinely bug conversations between
prisoners and their families, and even their legal representatives, according to
lawyers in Rangoon.
Lack of progress
Despite repeated visits to Burma, Mr Pinheiro has been
unable to persuade the ruling military junta to make any meaningful gestures of
reform.
Expectations were raised briefly last year, when the
authorities released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
In fact, after his last visit to Burma, Mr Pinheiro praised the
prison authorities for their co-operation, and said he had been able to
interview all the political prisoners he wanted to without prior notification.
But any glimmer of hope from this latest visit have now been
dashed, correspondents say.
Our correspondent says that one result
of Mr Pinheiro's premature departure may be to bring forward a visit by UN
special envoy Razali Ismail, who has been trying to return to Rangoon for
several weeks.
Mr Razali had found the regime less than anxious to
accept him, our correspondent says.
He says Burma's ruling
generals are now going to have to show their willingness to co-operate with the
UN.
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Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-03-25
Crimes endured by universities relocated in the distant regions in
Burma.
The State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) has scattered university students by planting university institutions
such as the Eastern University (Tawa), the Western University (Htantabin) and
Dagon University in distant, desolate and barren regions.
These
locations are riddled with unlicensed liquor outlets which generate daily fights
and conflicts and teachers and educational instructors are kept busy settling
such disputes.
Because of its distance from law enforcement
authorities, prevention of crime, effective investigation cannot be maintained.
Here is one instance that has been endured.
On Friday, the 14th
March , 2003, a female teacher from the Dagon University, Geology Department was
raped by two men in the women?s toilet. Subsequent to the brutal attack, she was
given medical treatment at the North Okkalapa Hospital.
The lady
was too ashamed to file a formal complaint but the professor and head of the
department reported the matter to the authorities and the criminal investigation
department. Because of instructions from the higher authorities to cover up the
crime, the criminals details are not been revealed.
This incident
has given rise to fears that similar incident could happen to others and the
victims will suffer great hardship while the criminals will go unpunished.
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Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-03-25
Withdraw the Case against Soe Myint ? the former Burmese student
political activist.
Oslo, March 25: Burma Support
Groups in the Scandinavian countries have appealed to the Indian Prime Minister
for the withdrawal of the case against Soe Myint, the former Burmese student
political activist turned journalist.
In an letter address to the
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Burma support group consisting of The
Norwegian Union of Journalists, the Norwegian Burma Committee, the Burma Support
Group of Norway, the Swedish Burma Committee, the Finnish Burma Committee and
the Danish Burma Committee has appealed: ?We earnestly request you to withdraw
the case against Mr Soe Myint as an act of political solidarity with the
movement for the restoration of democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi.?
In the letter addressed to the Indian Prime Minister, it is
said that, Soe Myint, a Burmese journalist based in India, will go on trial in
April 2003 in a court in West Bengal for an action he committed more than twelve
years ago.
In November 1990, Soe Myint and a fellow student
diverted a Thai Airways plane on its way from Bangkok via Rangoon to Calcutta.
The hijacking occurred at a time when the attention of the international
community and the media was directed towards the Gulf War. It was a desperate
attempt by the two students to draw media attention to the plight of Burmese
students in exile.
The full text of the letter is given
below:
Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee
Prime Minister of
India
Office of the Prime Minister
South Block,
New Delhi 110011
India
March 20, 2003
Dear Mr Prime Minister,
The Norwegian Union of Journalists, the Norwegian Burma Committee,
the Burma Support Group/Norway, the Swedish Burma Committee, the Finnish Burma
Committee and the Danish Burma Committee have learnt that Mr. Soe Myint, a
Burmese journalist based in India, will go on trial in April 2003 in a court in
West Bengal for an action he committed more than twelve years ago. This trial
will take place despite the fact that until now, the Government of West Bengal
had repeatedly assured Mr Soe Myint and those who have been taking up his case
that the case would be withdrawn. If he is found guilty, Mr. Soe Myint faces the
prospect of life imprisonment or deportation to Burma.
Mr Soe Myint
was a student at the Rangoon University when a nationwide pro-democracy uprising
took place in Burma in 1988. The military?s crackdown on the students and
protestors forced hundreds of thousands of Burmese people to flee their country,
including Mr Soe Myint.
In 1990 the Burmese military authorities
held a general election, which was won with an overwhelming majority by the
National League for Democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Following the
election, Mr. Soe Myint and other students living in exile expected a return to
democracy in Burma, but the military junta refused to hand over power to the
democratically elected government.
In November 1990, Mr. Soe Myint
and a fellow student diverted a Thai Airways plane on its way from Bangkok via
Rangoon to Calcutta. The hijacking occurred at a time when the attention of the
international community and the media was directed towards the Gulf War. It was
a desperate attempt by the two students to draw media attention to the plight of
Burmese students in exile.
The people of India, particularly in
West Bengal, welcomed the two students as heroes and the Government of West
Bengal conceded to their demand to have a press conference at the Calcutta
airport. In 1993, Mr. Soe Myint was granted refugee status by the
UNHCR.
Since then, Mr Soe Myint has established himself as an
internationally reputed journalist. He is the founder editor of Mizzima News
Agency, an Internet news and feature service on Burma and related issues. Mr Soe
Myint has upheld the best traditions of journalism under very difficult
conditions. The recent pressure of the Burmese junta on the Government of India
to stop Mizzima is a testimony to the courage and dedication of this young
journalist in exile. We feel that Mr Soe Myint should not become a victim of the
growing friendship between the Indian government and the military junta of
Burma.
We appreciate that hijacking is a serious political crime.
However, given the fact that Mr Soe Myint did not use arms and that his only
motivation was to focus world attention on the terrible conditions of a people
living under brutal military repression, we believe that his case should be
withdrawn on humanitarian ground.
We know that your Government is
committed to upholding democratic political norms and human rights, in India as
well as in other countries, such as Burma, where democratic struggles for peace
and justice continue to take place. We earnestly request you to withdraw the
case against Mr Soe Myint as an act of political solidarity with the movement
for the restoration of democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Yours sincerely,
Ann-Magrit Austenå , Vice president
,Norwegian Union of Journalists
Harald Bøckman, Chairman, Norwegian
Burma Committee
Tapani Ojasti, Chairman, Finnish Burma Committee
Camilla Buzzi , on behalf 0f Burma Support Group,
Norway
Penny Davies, on behalf of Swedish Burma
Committee
Anton Johannsen, Chairman, Danish Burma
Committee
Copis of this letter sent to:
(1) Mr. Shri
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister of West Bengal, India.
(2)
Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway
(3) Mr. Jan
Petersen, Foreign Minister of Norway
(4) Embassy of India in
Norway
(5) Royal Norwegian Embassy in India
(6) UNHCR,
Chief of Mission, India
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Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-03-25
Burma - only five political prisoners released: plight of 1300
dangling - Pinheiro failure exposed
By - Zin Linn - a
former political prisoner
According to a news source
closed to NLD headquarters, it was confirmed that U.N. special human rights
rapporteur Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has been criticized by Nobel laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi, who said Brazilian academic should concentrate on human rights
rather than urging the world to stop isolating the junta.
The
pro-democracy opposition leader said political issues should be left to veteran
Malaysian diplomat Mr. Razali Ismail, a special envoy assigned by U.N. Secretary
General Kofi Annan.
Mr. Pinheiro is in Myanmar from 19 to 26 March,
(but left suddenly on March 24), to reexamine issues which he has inspected
during his previous missions, including the situation of political prisoners,
and the exercise of basic political freedom. He is expected to submit his
preliminary observations of his visit to the 59th session of the Commission on
Human Rights, currently in session in Geneva.
On March 16, prior to
Mr. Pinheiro's current visit, Myanmar's military government said it had released
45 prisoners from various prisons around the country, but did not identify those
who were thus freed.
According to the military junta's statement,
among those released are elderly inmates, females either pregnant or with young
children and those incarcerated for disturbing peace and
tranquility.
Meanwhile, National League for Democracy's (NLD)
spokesperson U Lwin told, in an interview with a radio station outside Burma,
that he has not any message of political prisoners' released. He denied of the
release of prisoners
But a reliable news source in Rangoon
disclosed through a message that they had learnt about 5 prisoners of conscience
being released before Mr. Pinheiro's fifth visit to Rangoon.
Among
5 prisoners of conscience released is U Myint Thein alias Myint Myat Thein, a
writer and a journalist. He was released silently a couple of months ago.
Earlier he was arrested on 3rd December 1996 on charges of spreading information
damaging to the state and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
In
1997, he was transferred from Insein to Thayet prison located in the middle
Burma, in order to prevent his family visiting him. He was released with a lot
of health problems.
U Myint Thein was one of the Burmese
journalists whose release was sponsored by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Furthermore the Burma Media Association (BMA) continuously urged the junta for
his immediate release.
Other 4 prisoners who were released were:-
(1) Mya Sa-bai Moe, a female, 2nd year university student and NLD
(Youth) member. She was arrested in September 1998 and sentenced to 7 years
imprisonment and released from Shwe-bo prison in the 2nd week of March 2003. She
is at present suffering from a severe attack of arthritis.
(2)
Thura Aung, a 3rd year Botany student, was arrested in July 1999 and sentenced
to 7 years imprisonment. He was released from Myaung-mya prison in the 2nd week
of March 2003.
(3) Khin Zaw (alias) Pho La Pyae was released from
Bassein prison in the 2nd week of March 2003.
(4) Myat Thu was
also released in the 2nd week of this March 2003 from Myaung-mya
prison.
According to the reliable news sources from inside the
country, there are nearly 1300 political prisoners in various prisons throughout
Burma. Moreover, there may be more than 300 prisoners of conscience who are
suffering from serious life threatening diseases including mental disorder.
Among those prisoners who are in a very serious conditions are 18
members of parliament and 35 journalists & writers.
Furthermore, the military junta has sentenced nearly 100 female
political prisoners for long-term imprisonment.
Out of those female
prisoners is a 3rd year Physic student; Hninn May Aung (alias) Nobel Aye who is
sentenced to 42 years of imprisonment for defying courageously the military
intelligence officers.
Unfortunately, the UN envoy has not
succeeded yet to persuade the junta to free political prisoners. Burmese
political opposition groups have stepped up their criticism on the special
rapporteur, who has appealed to the international community to credit the junta
for some of its progress and to avoid tougher sanctions.
It is
learnt that the United States and some European nations considering to impose
tougher sanctions against the junta, with the view to exert pressure on the
?generals? to keep their promises on political reform.
The Nobel
laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has already reminded that it is not yet time for
the United States and the European Union to lift economic and other sanctions on
the military regime, that failed to respond to the National League for
Democracy?s call for political dialogue.
'' Mr. Pinheiro should
also reflect on the backdrop of why his mandate was created and also of the
nature of the military regime in Myanmar. It is high time that he should find
ways to rescue the political prisoners languishing in numerous prison facilities
in the country, from the hands of the brutal regime,'' remarked one political
analyst in Rangoon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-03-25
Thailand prepares for four-nation drugs
summit
Bangkok, Mar 24 (TNA): Thailand is preparing
for a regional summit in which four countries will thrash out solutions to
Asia?s drugs crisis, Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Noor Matha announced
today.
The minister said that the meeting, to be attended by
national leaders from Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar, would take place over
the next three-five months, and would be hosted by China.
Saying
that no country alone could cope with drug-related issues, he pointed to
Thailand?s assistance to Myanmar in helping solve its drugs problems by focusing
on eradicating poverty and supporting the cultivation of alternative crops.
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The Straits Times - MARCH 25, 2003
TUE
MURDER: ILLEGAL WORKER CHARGED
A
MYANMAR national was charged yesterday with murdering a Bangladeshi construction
worker near a Tampines worksite.
Win Aung, 38, an illegal
immigrant, was accused of killing 24-year-old Mohammad Luftor Rahman Nur
Mohammad, together with five or six other men.
No plea was taken
from him, and he was remanded for further investigations.
The
victim was attacked on March 18 by about six men near a foreign workers'
dormitory at Tampines Industrial Street 62 - a dead-end road off Tampines Avenue
10, not far from housing blocks on Avenue 9.
He is believed to have
been bashed to death with a wooden pole.
Win Aung was arrested on
Saturday at a Simei block of flats, where he was working illegally as a
painter.
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