Burma Related News - Mar 27, 2003.

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - March 27, 2003.

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HEADLINES

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AFP - Two people killed by explosion in Myanmar capital

AFP - Philippines asks ASEAN to moderate pace of market-opening plans

AP - Myanmar accuses ethnic rebel groups of being under foreign influence

Bkk Post - Envoy slams `slow progress'

Bkk Post - Another job for a chum...

BBC - UN rights envoy criticises Burma

BBC - Masks highlight Burma's plight

BBC - Suspected bomb blast in Burma

VOA News - Human Rights Groups Appeal For More International Pressure on Burma

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Thursday March 27, 6:41 PM
Two people killed by explosion in Myanmar capital

YANGON, March 27 (AFP) - Two people were killed and a third injured in an explosion in the downtown area of Myanmar's capital Yangon, a city municipal source said.

"Two women workers of the city development committee were killed and one male injured," a source from the Yangon City Development Committee told AFP.

The explosion occurred on Maung Taw Lay Street, near a government telephone exchange, and appeared to have been detonated after street urchins were rummaging in a rubbish can at the side of the street, eyewitnesses said.

The force shattered several windows and the street has since been blocked by security.

The blast coincided with Myanmar's marking of Armed Forces Day -- originally known as Resistance Day, the day in 1945 when General Aung San, Myanmar's independence hero, called on national resistance fighters to throw out Japanese occupying forces.

Official comment was not immediately available, although a diplomatic security source also said that two people were killed.

"All we know is that there was one explosion near Sule pagoda and that there were two local Burmese who were killed and one injured," a diplomatic security officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. "This is what we're being told."

A ceremony led by the country's military ruler Senior General Than Shwe occurred earlier in the day at Yangon Resistance Park and passed without incident.

It is not unusual for rebels fighting Yangon's rule to attempt minor actions against the government on this day, when security is generally boosted in light of Armed Forces Day.

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Thursday March 27, 2:05 PM
Philippines asks ASEAN to moderate pace of market-opening plans

MANILA, March 27(AFP) - Philippines Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas has said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should not rush into further market-opening initiatives.

As the 10-nation ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) scheme draws closer to full fruition, Roxas said plans for a second wave of liberalization could prove too intense for some member countries.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, comprising a market of half a billion people.

"Liberalization is generally good but some members might more than others readily benefit from being part of the bigger market," Roxas said in a statement.

"Others might not be able to open up as quickly since the downside of liberalization more readily impacts them than the liberalization success story does," he added.

"So while the Philippines would like to contribute to the common good of ASEAN, we should not be forced to throw in more commitments than we can afford at the moment."

Under the AFTA common effective preferential tariff scheme, the original six members of ASEAN, including the Philippines, will totally abolish tariffs for intra-regional trade by 2010.

The newer members -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam -- should dismantle all such tariffs 10 years later.

Roxas said "the more vocal advocates of liberalization and integration are calling for more uniform market openness.

"They seek to apply some enforcement measures, patterned after those in the European Union model, to a broader range of sectors and issues, and to non-tariff measures that affect ASEAN trade."

He said ASEAN senior officials considered these proposals at a recent meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

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Thursday March 27, 2:57 PM

Myanmar accuses ethnic rebel groups of being under foreign influence

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Myanmar's leader on Thursday accused ethnic rebels fighting military rule of being influenced by foreign countries and vowed to ``annihilate'' threats to the nation.

Senior Gen. Than Shwe made the comments in a speech to commemorate Armed Forces Day, which was also marked with a parade in Yangon by 7,000 members of the armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw.

Since the current military government took power in 1988 various insurgent groups have signed cease-fires with the military, but ethnic Shan, Karen and Karenni rebels have continued their decades-long fight for autonomy in Myanmar's rugged eastern provinces bordering Thailand.

``Only some groups, not free of foreign influences, are still turning a blind eye to the goodwill of the Tatmadaw and are holding negative views,'' said Than Shwe, who is chief of the Tatmadaw and chairman of the military council that rules Myanmar.

Myanmar accuses the Thai army of providing sanctuary and help to the rebels, a charge denied by Thailand.

``The Tatmadaw, which was born out of nationalism, will work hand in hand with the people to combat and annihilate all kinds of threats and dangers that could harm our national policy,'' Than Shwe said.

His speech was delivered under tight security with guests prohibited from carrying watches, ball pens, cellular phones and umbrellas. It was attended by members of the ruling military council, war veterans and journalists.

The Armed Forces Day is held every year on March 27 to commemorate the day when the fledgling Myanmar army rose up against Japanese occupation forces in 1945.

The 10-minute speech did not refer to political stalemate with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won a general election in 1990 but was not allowed to take power. Reconciliation talks between Suu Kyi and the government began in October 2000 but appear to have stalled.

The junta's No. 2 leader, Deputy Senior Gen. Maung Aye, did not attend the Armed Forces Day celebrations, although he attended a dress rehearsal two days ago. He recently returned from Singapore after treatment of enlarged prostate gland.

In a speech at a separate opposition party function, Suu Kyi said democracy can be achieved with perseverance and hard work.

``We are revolutionaries who are striving to bring necessary change in the country within a certain period of time. While striving for the democracy movement, we have to have, loyalty, understanding and unity among ourselves,'' she told a gathering of about 500 people including party members, diplomats and veteran politicians.

``Do not ask others when democracy will be achieved. Ask yourself how much you have contributed,'' Suu Kyi said.

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Bangkok Post - Thursday 27 March 2003
Envoy slams `slow progress'
Achara Ashayagachat - Bangkok Post

Burma's "slow progress" in nurturing political dialogue has provoked an angry outburst from United Nations special human rights rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.

Mr Pinheiro yesterday joined the UN special envoy to Burma Ismail Razali in calling for substantial progress in national reconciliation talks.

He said the ruling generals still appeared reluctant to enter into political dialogue with the opposition National League for Democracy.

"I think it's going nowhere," Mr Pinheiro said of the proposal to initiate political dialogue. "The impression I got from all sides is there's no progress."

He said political dialogue was essential and the need for progress in human rights in Burma also could not wait.

The Brazilian academic cut short a visit to Burma this week after discovering a bugging device taped to the underside of a table when he was interviewing a political prisoner being held in Rangoon's Insein prison.

He called on Rangoon to free all of the 1,200 to 1,300 political prisoners being detained in prisons nationwide.

Mr Pinheiro said the Burmese government should provide a "friendly environment" and establish a focal point for Non-Government Organisations for the benefit of the country's people.

He lauded certain positive developments on human rights including an agreement in principle by the junta's first secretary Khin Nyunt to look into allegations concerning sexual violations against minority women allegedly committed by Burmese soldiers in Shan state.

"I'm happy the International Committee of the Red Cross has now been able to go to those areas and open a new office there following my suggestion. This is a good development," he said.

Another positive gesture had been Rangoon's agreement to allow Amnesty International to evaluate human rights.

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Bangkok Post - Thursday 27 March 2003
Another job for a chum...

If Thaksin Shinawatra doesn't have a total say over all things military along the border with Burma, it certainly is not for lack of trying. And he's still stacking the odds. - He's also said to be more active than any past prime minister in concentrating power at the Defence Ministry. - It's still more than three weeks till the Democrats elect a new party leader, and the politicking could well exhaust them by then.

The prime minister's insistence on the appointment of an old friend, Col Manas Paorik, as the new commander of the 1st Cavalry Division based in Phetchabun is further evidence of his insistence on having things his way in areas bordering Burma.

Col Manas' appointment did not really surprise officers with the 3rd Army, unlike some others in which Thaksin Shinawatra is said to have had a hand, as there have been moves to promote him to the division command since late last year. The 1st Cavalry Division is part of the 3rd Army.

And most military watchers are convinced the colonel owes his new posting to his old chum.

"Without these special ties, I can't see how this officer would have been promoted to command the division," said one seasoned observer. "He does not have the impressive record usually required to command the cavalry's combat forces."

Most past 1st Cavalry Division commanders had previously commanded a cavalry regiment, but not Col Manas. He is a past commander of the army-trained 32nd Ranger Regiment _ a paramilitary rather than a combat unit _ and headed the 3rd Army's operations division.

"It means very little [if you were in charge of a key combat force] if you have special connections with someone on high who can push for your promotion," a battalion commander said. He also said the prime minister probably felt more comfortable in having a trusted colleague in command of the border area.

Mr Thaksin and Col Manas graduated from the Armed Forces Academy Preparatory School's Class 10. Their former classmates include Maj-Gen Songkitti Jakkabatr, the new 4th Army commander after his surprise promotion attributed to his ties to the prime minister.

Mr Thaksin reportedly wants Col Manas to help watch the border, which falls under the direct responsibility of the elite cavalry division, and to help implement government policy rather than provide military support for ethnic rebels fighting against Rangoon.

"This is part of the government plan to put pressure on ethnic rebels and bring them to the negotiating table," said one man who walks the corridors of the Defence Ministry.

Mr Thaksin suggested during a recent visit to Rangoon that he was ready to help mediate an end to the decade-long conflict between the rebels and Rangoon in the hope this would bring peace to the border.

Col Yawd Serk, military leader of the Shan State Army, one of five armed rebel groups still resisting Rangoon rule, has given the idea the thumbs up by saying he welcomed Mr Thaksin as mediator.

Col Yawd Serk made it clear though that the precondition set by Rangoon that his forces surrender unconditionally was unacceptable and had effectively voided the initiative.

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BBC News - Wednesday, 26 March, 2003, 13:38 GMT
UN rights envoy criticises Burma

A United Nations human rights envoy who cut short a mission to Burma after a bugging incident earlier this week has said he is "very frustrated" by the country's handling of political prisoners.

Brazilian envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro halted his visit three days before schedule after finding a microphone in a room where he was interviewing prisoners about their conditions.

On Wednesday Mr Pinheiro, now in Bangkok, reiterated a UN demand that Burma's ruling military junta release all its estimated 1,200 political prisoners.

"It is of essential importance that all the prisoners are released, so that they can participate in political transition," he told the BBC.

Burma has released about 600 prisoners in small batches since October 2000, after starting a reconciliation process with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

"It is unacceptable releasing prisoners drop by drop, because this is a cruelty for the prisoners, some of whom are very old," Mr Pinheiro told BBC correspondent Larry Jagan.

Mr Pinheiro also expressed his disappointment at the slow pace of the reconciliation process.

"I didn't see any progress," he said. "We are in a very delicate position."

He added that the international community must do all it can so the situation is overcome as soon as possible.

Mr Pinheiro found the hidden microphone last Saturday, while talking to prisoners inside Insien jail on the outskirts of Rangoon.

As soon as he discovered the device - said to date back to World War II - Mr Pinheiro immediately walked out of the prison and lodged an official protest with the Burmese authorities.

But he told the BBC that most of the other conversations he had with prisoners during his visit were conducted in unexpected places which could not have been prepared in advance.

"I think most of the work we have done in the past was not affected by the same tactic," he said.

Critics have often labelled Mr Pinheiro as being "soft" in his dealings with Burma's military rulers.

But he insisted that his approach was similar to that of another UN envoy, Razali Ismail - to press for international dialogue, the release of political prisoners and the formation of a roadmap for political transition, democratisation and free elections.

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BBC News
Wednesday, 26 March, 2003, 16:20 GMT
Masks highlight Burma's plight

Human rights campaigners wore Kenneth Clarke masks and chanted slogans as part of a protest against a tobacco firm's investment in Burma.

The demonstration focused on the MP for Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, who is also deputy chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT).

Campaigners demanded the company close a factory in Burma which it jointly owns with the country's military dictatorship.

A BAT spokesman said the firm respected the concerns of protesters but it was not willing to take on a "role of international diplomacy".

Campaigners carried placards quoting a letter from Mr Clarke to one of his Nottinghamshire constituents in which he said he felt uncomfortable about investment in the country.

John Jackson, director of Burma Campaign UK, which organised the protest outside the firm's London headquarters, said: "We are not going to let Ken Clarke off the hook.

"BAT are collaborating with a military dictatorship."

Protesters from the Burma Campaign were joined by Unison representatives and members of the Burmese community.

Tun Tun, 26, from Burma, who has lived in London for four years, said: "When these companies invest in Burma it's over for the Burmese people.

"It's so bad and painful for them, they suffer for profit.

"I know of people being paid just pennies for a day's work - it's worth fighting for."

The protest on Wednesday was the first staged by the Burma Campaign UK against BAT although it has been running a postcard campaign since last November.

A BAT spokeswoman said: "We understand and greatly respect concerns about human rights.

"However, we do not believe that the best way forward is for businesses to withdraw from countries whose governments' human rights record have been criticised.

"Campaigners may suggest that business can influence how countries are governed.

"While we are willing to discuss these issues open-mindedly with stakeholders, we do not believe businesses should take on the role of international diplomacy and that companies do not and should not have a mandate to step into areas of political authority."

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VOA News
Human Rights Groups Appeal For More International Pressure on Burma
Ron Corben, Bangkok
26 Mar 2003, 18:04 UTC

The discovery that a United Nations envoy's private interviews with Burmese political prisoners were being bugged could undermine efforts to promote political reform. Human rights groups are calling on the international community to pressure the military government to begin substantive dialogue with the opposition.

United Nations envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro abruptly left Burma after discovering that someone was spying on his private interviews with Burmese political prisoners a few days ago.

Debbie Stothard, with human rights group, ASEAN Network in Burma, says the bugging incident has damaged ties between the Burma's military government and the United Nations. "The only friend the regime had in the U.N. system is actually Mr. Pinherio," she said. "So it's not only embarrassing, it's incredibly damaging to the military regime's relationship with the U.N., that their one friend has stormed off upset and shocked that he was being bugged."

The U.N. human rights envoy arrived in Burma last week for his fifth visit to assess the situation of political prisoners. He left Monday, after finding the listening device a few days earlier. He is to report on Burma to the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission on March 31.

Ms. Stothard says the bugging incident undermined the Burmese government's efforts to improve its international image. In the past 18 months, Burma's leaders have released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and up to 600 other political prisoners.

Ms. Stothard says the international community must push the Burmese government harder to bring about political reform. "This is a wake up call for the international community to understand that the military requires a mix of firmness and persistence to be applied before any genuine change can happen in Burma," she said.

Diplomatic sources in Rangoon say the incident has embarrassed the government. The government later denied it was involved in the placement of the device.

Diplomats are now waiting on the military government's response.

A United States Embassy spokesman expressed regret over the incident and called for a full investigation.

Aung Zaw is the editor of Irrawaddy magazine, which is published in Thailand and covers Burmese political developments. He says the incident endangered political prisoners who had spoken to Mr. Pinheiro, thinking their comments would be kept confidential.
Aung Zaw expects Mr. Pinheiro to request a new location for the interviews so they will be carried out freely. He says there are signs the envoy is growing frustrated over the failure to make progress on political dialogue. "We are reaching to the point where people express deep, deep frustration and mistrust toward the national - so-called - national reconciliation process," he said.

Since late 2001, the U.N. has been promoting talks between the opposition and the government that would open the way for reconciliation.

U.N. envoy Razali Ismail played a key role in orchestrating the talks between the government and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). But Mr. Razali's visit last November year appeared to make little progress toward reconciliation.

In a recent interview with VOA's Burmese Service, the NLD's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, called for speedy progress in political change rather than incremental steps. She said had been no progress toward reform in Burma.

The Irrawaddy's Aung Zaw says the international community, including the U.S. government, may now consider increasing sanctions against Burma's government because of the lack of progress. The U.S. and the European Union maintain tough sanctions against Burma in a bid to press for political reform.

But other analysts warn that tightening the sanctions may simply lead Burma's government to refuse to talk with the National League for Democracy.

The NLD won a landslide victory in elections in May 1990, but the government has refused to hand over power and has since stalled on political reform.