--------------------------------------------------------------
Friday July 4, 4:16 PM
Myanmar wants to solve Suu Kyi
issue
By Elaine Lies
TOKYO
(Reuters) - A top Myanmar official
has told Japan that his nation wants to resolve the situation over detained
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as soon as possible as Tokyo, a top aid
donor, keeps pressing for her release.
Japan has frozen fresh assistance
to impoverished Myanmar to protest against the military government's detention
of Suu Kyi and is considering further punitive measures unless she is freed.
Khin Maung Win, a top aide to junta leader Than Shwe, arrived in Japan
with a message from him and met with officials including Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yasuo Fukuda and Deputy Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano. He is set to meet
with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi later in the day.
"I hope you
brought us a good answer," Yano said, to which Khin Maung Win replied: "I did."
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that he told Yano her detention
was only temporary but did not give any details.
Fukuda later told a
news conference that Khin Muang Win had told him Myanmar is seeking to resolve
the situation "as soon as possible", but did not give further details.
He also said he did not know the contents of the letter from Than Shwe,
which is believed to be a reply to a letter from Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi, who had it conveyed through Yano during a visit to Myanmar
last month.
A Foreign Ministry official said Tokyo will look at what
Than Shwe has to say before deciding on its future relations with Yangon.
Fukuda said he had been shown photographs of Suu Kyi and it did not
appear she was being held in a prison.
"It didn't look so bad," he said.
"It seemed like a normal residence."
The trip is part of a diplomatic
drive by Yangon to counter international criticism of its detention of Suu Kyi,
58, who has been held in an undisclosed location since May 30.
Michel
Ducreaux, the International Committee of the Red Cross representative in
Myanmar, said on Thursday he had heard a rumour she had been moved to a "more
appropriate" location from Insein prison in Yangon, where Britain has said she
was being held, but could not confirm it.
He also said the Red Cross was
optimistic that Myanmar's rulers would allow it to meet Suu Kyi.
Japan
has repeatedly demanded that Suu Kyi and other members of her National League
for Democracy (NLD) be swiftly freed, along with allowing the opposition group
-- which won a landslide election victory in 1990 but has never been allowed to
govern -- to freely engage in political activities.
International
outrage and concern about Suu Kyi's condition have risen as her detention
continued, with the United States and the European Union threatening harsher
sanctions.
Tokyo has long taken a policy of engagement towards Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma. Analysts say this stems from feelings among older
Japanese that Japan helped the country win independence from Britain after World
War Two.
Japan stopped large-scale loans and economic assistance to
Myanmar after the military government took power in 1988, but is still one of
its biggest donors through small-scale humanitarian and other assistance. It has
also provided debt relief worth 11.3 billion yen in the past five years.
Khin Maung Win visited Thailand on Tuesday and is set to make trips to
other Asian capitals.
An Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were waiting for an answer from
Myanmar to "various options" but that things had not yet reached the point of
dispatching any ASEAN delegation to Yangon.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar dissidents give graphic account of attack on Suu
Kyi
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Attackers _ some of them dressed as monks _
ambushed Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy from the front and rear and indiscriminately
beat, stabbed and clubbed her supporters while screaming ``die, die,'' two
Myanmar dissidents testified Friday.
The testimony by Khin Zaw and Wunna
Maung before a Thai Senate panel provided graphic details of the May 30 violence
that supporters say was unleashed on the Nobel laureate's convoy ahead of her
arrest and the Myanmar government's crackdown on her pro-democracy party.
Both said they were in the convoy and witnessed the nighttime attack
outside Depayin village in northern Myanmar.
Suu Kyi, the country's
pro-democracy icon, was traveling in the area as part of her 15-year-old
nonviolent campaign to restore democracy in the military-ruled country.
The testimony of the two men is the most comprehensive and detailed
account yet of the attack, and lends credibility to other opposition claims that
up to 70 people were killed. Both men are members Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy party.
The government says four people were killed in the
clash, claiming it was triggered by Suu Kyi's convoy plowing through peaceful
pro-government demonstrators.
``I saw with my own eyes the attackers
striking down the victims with all the force and stabbing viciously with pointed
iron rods. Truly, it was a murderous attack. The beating was done until the
victims died,'' U Khin Zaw, 50, told the Thai Senate's Foreign Relations
Committee.
``It appeared that the attackers were systematically trained.
They mainly aimed and struck on the head. Even when I was at a 100 yards
(meters) I heard with anguishing pain, the popping sounds of heads being broken
by savage blows,'' said U Khin Zaw.
He said the attackers used iron rods
and spears, bamboo sticks and wooden bats. Some of them came in trucks from
behind to block the retreat while many more emerged from bushes along the road
where they were hiding.
The attackers numbered about 3,000 while Suu
Kyi's convoy of 10 cars and 20 motorcycles comprised about 300-400 people, he
said. About 500 other supporters were stopped earlier by security forces and not
allowed to proceed with the convoy, he said.
The testimonies did not say
how many people were killed. The two men said they had no way of knowing that,
because they fled for their lives. They were in constant fear of being arrested
until they reached Thailand.
Wunna Maung, 26, said he was one car behind
Suu Kyi's car at the head of the convoy when the attack began.
Suu Kyi
``escaped beating because she did not get out of the car ... the attackers were
totally drunk,'' he said.
As Suu Kyi's car sped away, the mob attacked
women in another car, ``pulling off their blouses and sarongs.''
``When
the victims, covered in blood, fell to the ground, I saw (that) the attackers
jumped on them and wrapped the hair around their heads and pounded the heads
against stone surface of the road.''
All the while, the killers shouted
``'die, die,''' he said.
After providing the testimony, the two men went
into hiding at the United Nations office in Bangkok, apparently seeking
political refuge. Unless they are provided with refugee status, they face arrest
in Thailand for entering the country illegally. U.N. officials refused to
comment.
The Thai Senate committee invited the two men to speak so that
both sides of the story could be heard, said Sunai Phasuk, an adviser to the
panel. So far only the junta has given its version.
The committee was
told that Suu Kyi escaped in her car from the clash site but was detained along
with dozens of supporters soon afterward.
She has been held
incommunicado since then despite an international outcry and sanctions by the
European Union and the United States.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Red Cross: Myanmar holds at least 30 from clash that led
to jailing
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ The military regime in Myanmar has at least
30 prisoners from a clash that triggered a crackdown on the opposition and to
the jailing of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the Red Cross said
Thursday.
A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross
visited prisons in the north of the country and registered 30 inmates, checked
their health and proposed they write letters to their families, said Michel
Ducraux, a representative of the organization in Myanmar.
Such letters,
which prison authorities would be allowed to read, would serve to assure their
relatives they were in good health, Ducraux said.
Myanmar's military
leaders have not disclosed the number of opposition prisoners held since the May
30 clash and has refused international appeals to release Suu Kyi.
The
details of the clash are in dispute. Myanmar's military junta claims opposition
followers and government supporters fought when Suu Kyi's motorcade drove
through a crowd.
But the opposition and other witnesses say it was a
government ambush.
Red Cross officials were not permitted to visit Suu
Kyi, who received the Nobel prize in 1991 for her nonviolent promotion of
democracy in the country also known as Burma.
The Red Cross was able to
see Tin Oo, vice chairman of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, who
was in good health, Ducraux said.
He said the Red Cross would keep
trying to see Suu Kyi, but stressed that the organization ``considers everybody
as important as anyone else.''
--------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar levels fresh criticism at foreign
diplomats
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Myanmar's military government leveled fresh
criticism Friday at foreign diplomats for their role in trying to win freedom
for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The attacks, disseminated
through a commentary in the state-run Myanma Ahlin newspaper, came as Myanmar's
Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win arrived in Tokyo with his government's
response to Japanese demands for Suu Kyi's immediate release.
Nobel
Peace laureate Suu Kyi has been detained and held incommunicado since May 30,
following a clash between members of her pro-democracy party and government
supporters in northern Myanmar. At least 30 of her supporters are also in jail.
The detentions have provoked international outrage, and sanctions by
Europe and the United States. Japan, Myanmar's largest aid donor, halted all new
aid to Myanmar on June 25. The government says Suu Kyi will be freed when the
situation normalizes.
In the commentary, the Myanma Ahlin said some
diplomats visited the site of the May 30 clash and looked for evidence with the
aim of ``discrediting the government.''
``Some diplomats in Myanmar are
blatantly supporting and provoking those who rely on foreign nations and holding
negative views,'' said the commentary, in an apparent reference to government
critics including the foreign media.
``One should ask if such behavior
is in conformity with the diplomatic code of conduct,'' it said.
The
commentary said every country has to impose restrictions for security reasons
and diplomats should not misuse their diplomatic immunity by forcing their way
into restricted areas.
It did not elaborate, but the newspaper had said
last week that some diplomats pushed security officials and forced their way
into the houses of opposition leaders.
Friday's commentary did not name
the diplomats, but it is known that U.S. Embassy officials have visited the
clash site and found signs of violence including bloody clothing and numerous
homemade weapons. The U.S. government says the clash was a ``planned ambush''
aimed at intimidating Suu Kyi.
Since being freed from house arrest in
May 2002, Suu Kyi has extensively toured the countryside, gaining popularity
among the rural folk, which apparently is worrying the junta.
The
current group of generals came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy
movement. They called elections in 1990 but refused to step down when Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy party won.
Although the two sides started
reconciliation talks in October 2000, no progress has been made and critics
believe that the talks were just a hollow gesture by the government to deflect
foreign criticism.
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Two more held over killings of six Myanmar migrant workers
MAE SOT, Thailand, July 4 (AFP) - Thai police made two more arrests Friday
over the gruesome killings of six Myanmar migrant workers, whose charred bodies
were found in northwestern Thailand in May.
Village leader Somnuk
Jasuna, 40, and local self-defence force member Boonchuay Sawasdee, 43, were
arrested at their homes in Mae Pa village in Tak province which lies near the
Myanmar border.
The two were charged with conspiring to murder the
workers, police said.
Mae Pa headman Wun Tamingkham, 62, was arrested at
the end of May and accused of plotting the murders in cooperation with four or
five other men. He is now free on bail.
Myanmar's military government
has urged Thai authorities to launch an investigation into the deaths of the
workers.
The victims were identified as Min Hein, 28, Thein Naing 33,
Aye Min, 22, Ah Nge Lay, 19, Maung Maung, 24, and Ah Nyar Thar, 22.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Japan tells Myanmar it will suspend ODA over Suu
Kyi
TOKYO, July 4, Kyodo - Japan told Myanmar on Friday that it will
suspend new official development assistance (ODA) unless the junta releases
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi at an early date, Japanese officials said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi conveyed the decision in a
meeting Friday with Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win, a special
envoy of junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe.
Japan ''cannot continue
economic cooperation (for Myanmar) as if nothing has happened,'' Kawaguchi was
quoted as telling Khin Maung Win.
Japan provided to Myanmar about 2
billion yen in grants in fiscal 2002, which ended March 31, but has not provided
any assistance so far this fiscal year.
The
special envoy, meanwhile, acknowledged that Suu Kyi had been detained in a
prison in Yangon, telling Kawaguchi that she has since been moved to another
location, the officials said.
It was the first time a senior Myanmar
official admitted Suu Kyi had been held in a prison.
U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail told Kawaguchi late
last month that Suu Kyi was in a prison when he was allowed to meet with her
June 10.
The meeting followed the Myanmar envoy's talks with Chief
Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano.
While showing pictures of Suu Kyi, Khin Maung Win separately told them that,
contrary to media reports, Suu Kyi is not being kept under poor conditions, and
that the junta is treating her with civility, the officials said.
However, Kawaguchi and Yano told Khing Maung Win that they are
dissatisfied with his explanation, the officials said.
Kawaguchi was
quoted as telling the Myanmar envoy that the situation ''has not been moving in
the direction'' demanded by Japan.
Japan has called on Myanmar to
release Suu Kyi as quickly as possible and restore political freedom for her
National League for Democracy (NLD).
Meanwhile, Fukuda told a regular
news conference that he received a personal letter from junta leader Than Shwe
to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Fukuda, however, did not disclose
the contents of the letter, saying he has not read it.
''I told (the
Myanmar envoy) that I hope Myanmar will take a step toward democratization,''
Fukuda said.
The letter is a response to one sent earlier from Koizumi
to Than Shwe, which called for an early release of Suu Kyi.
In a
separate meeting, Khing Maung Win told Yano that the detention of Suu Kyi is
temporary and the Myanmar government is committed to democratization and
reconciliation of its people, the officials said.
''The explanations are
not convincing, and it is quite important to release Ms. Suu Kyi...and the
Myanmar government should set the time frame for her release,'' Yano was quoted
as telling Khing Maung Win.
Khing Maung Win told reporters after meeting
with Fukuda, ''We discussed developments in our country in a very friendly
atmosphere.''
Suu Kyi and some members of the NLD have been detained
since what the junta says were violent clashes between NLD supporters and
pro-junta demonstrators May 30 in northern Myanmar.
Khing Maung Win
arrived in Tokyo on Friday for two days of talks with Japanese officials.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Japan dissatisfied with Myanmar envoy's explanation on Suu
Kyi
TOKYO, July 4, Kyodo - Japanese government officials on Friday
expressed dissatisfaction with a Myanmar envoy's explanation on the Myanmar
junta's treatment of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and renewed a call
for her early release.
While showing a picture of Suu Kyi, visiting
Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win separately told Japanese
officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, that Suu Kyi has not
been placed in a poor environment as reported by the media, and that the
government is treating her with civility, the officials said.
Fukuda
told a regular news conference that he received a personal letter from junta
leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Fukuda,
however, did not disclose any contents of the letter, saying he has not read it.
''I told (the Myanmar envoy) that I hope Myanmar will take a step for
democratization,'' Fukuda said.
In a separate meeting, Khing Maung Win
also told Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano that the detention of Suu
Kyi is temporary and the Myanmar government is committed to democratization and
reconciliation of its people, Foreign Ministry officials said.
''The
explanations are not convincing, and it is quite important to release Ms. Suu
Kyi...and the Myanmar government should set the time frame for her release,''
Yano was quoted as telling Khing Maung Win.
Khing Maung Win told
reporters after his meeting with Fukuda, ''We discussed developments in our
country in a very friendly atmosphere.''
Suu Kyi and some members of her
National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since what the junta says
were violent clashes between NLD supporters and pro-junta demonstrators on May
30 in northern Myanmar.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Japan tells Myanmar of ODA suspension over Suu
Kyi
TOKYO, July 4, Kyodo - Japan told Myanmar on Friday that it will
suspend new official development assistance (ODA) unless the junta releases
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi at an early date, Japanese officials said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi conveyed the decision in a
meeting Friday with Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win.
The
meeting followed the Myanmar envoy's talks with other Japanese government
officials who expressed dissatisfaction with his explanation on the junta's
treatment of Suu Kyi and renewed calls for her early release.
While
showing pictures of Suu Kyi, Khin Maung Win separately told Japanese officials,
including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, that Suu Kyi has not been placed
in a poor environment as reported by the media, and that the junta is treating
her with civility, the officials said.
Fukuda told a regular news
conference that he received a personal letter from junta leader Senior Gen. Than
Shwe to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Fukuda, however, did not
disclose any contents of the letter, saying he has not read it.
''I told
(the Myanmar envoy) that I hope Myanmar will take a step for democratization,''
Fukuda said.
In a separate meeting, Khing Maung Win also told Senior
Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano that the detention of Suu Kyi is temporary
and the Myanmar government is committed to democratization and reconciliation of
its people, Foreign Ministry officials said.
''The explanations are not
convincing, and it is quite important to release Ms. Suu Kyi...and the Myanmar
government should set the time frame for her release,''
Yano was quoted
as telling Khing Maung Win.
Khing Maung Win told reporters after meeting
with Fukuda, ''We discussed developments in our country in a very friendly
atmosphere.''
Suu Kyi and some members of her National League for
Democracy (NLD) have been detained since what the junta says were violent
clashes between NLD supporters and pro-junta demonstrators May 30 in northern
Myanmar.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Nation
Anti-Burma campaigns staged
by 11 exile groups
Published on Jul 4, 2003
Eleven
groups of Burmese dissidents have been running anti-Rangoon campaigns in Bangkok
and some border provinces, police revealed yesterday.
Members of the
groups are estimated to total at least 1,500, and some have received financial
assistance from other dissidents who have won asylum in Western countries.
The Interior Ministry assigned a special police branch to gather details
on the dissident groups after the government and UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) agreed to move the Burmese, under UN protection, to a border
camp, in a bid to end their political activities.
According to a police
survey, the Overseas Mon National Students Organisation has launched about 40
protests here against the Burmese government. In terms of size, the Migrant
Karen Labour Union is the largest group with 350 members, while the Music League
for Democracy in Burma is the smallest, with 15 members.
The Democratic
Federation of Burma, with about 100 members and an office in Thungkru district,
has received funds from Burmese businessmen in the US.
Police said the
National League for Democracy has about 250 members, most of whom reside in
border provinces such as Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi.
Burmese
holding UN "Person-of-Concern" status receive a monthly allowance from the UN of
Bt2,000 each. According to regulations, they must report to authorities and
receive the money at a bank.
This information will be forwarded to the
Interior Ministry, which is proceeding with processes to round up and relocate
the dissidents to a border camp.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post - Friday 04 July 2003
ANALYSIS /
DETENTION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI
Burma despatches envoy to defend
junta's actions
Asean has now joined the rest of the
world in condemning Rangoon, and this appears to have rattled the military
leadership.
LARRY JAGAN
Burma's generals have
launched a diplomatic offensive against the mounting international pressure on
them to release Aung San Suu Kyi immediately and resume the dialogue process
with the opposition.
Khin Maung Win, deputy foreign minister, is on a
whirlwind tour of the region urging the governments of Southeast Asia to be
patient and give the generals in Rangoon time to get the national reconciliation
process back on track.
Khin Maung Win, the newly appointed special envoy
to Burma's top general Than Shwe, has already been to Bangkok, where he met
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai,
and is in Tokyo today. Next week he's scheduled to visit Kuala Lumpur and plans
to travel on to Singapore, Jakarta and New Delhi in the near future.
In
all these Asian capitals he has asked to meet both the prime minister and the
foreign minister. In Jakarta he hopes to meet President Megawati
Sukarnoputri.
He has a personal message from General Than Shwe to all the
Asian leaders urging them to allow Rangoon to introduce political and economic
change in its own way and not put a deadline on it. Apart from handing Mr
Thaksin the letter from Gen Than Shwe, he left an album of photographs of the
opposition leader showing her in good health and in reasonable conditions of
detention, according to government officials. A similar series of photos was
reportedly also given to the UN envoy Razali Ismail.
Photo diplomacy
seems to be part of the Burmese deputy foreign minister's current mission in the
capitals of Asia. But it is unlikely to have much impact, as Asean, along with
the rest of the world, has made it clear that nothing short of the immediate
release of the opposition leader and the resumption of the national
reconciliation process would be acceptable. The UN envoy has renewed his call
for Ms Suu Kyi's immediate release in a letter to Khin Maung Win.
At the
Asean summit in Phnom Penh last month, the region's foreign ministers left
Rangoon in no doubt as to how strongly they felt and gave the generals an
informal deadline of a month after the summit to release Ms Suu Kyi or face
increased moral pressure from their neighbours.
At the Cambodian summit,
there was also general agreement that the organisation should send a ministerial
mission to Rangoon to impress upon Burma's top generals that they must release
Ms Suu Kyi and restart talks with the opposition leader.
This could be in
the form of the Asean Troika, an initiative adopted in July 2000 to allow the
association to constitute an ad hoc committee to address urgent regional
political and security issues. The association has yet to utilise the troika on
any regional issue.
Rangoon knew that the United States and Europe would
step up pressure after Ms Suu Kyi was placed under what it calls ``protective
custody'', but it was taken aback by the vehement reaction from its neighbours,
who it had come to believe were unbending allies. It is the prospect of an Asean
Troika visit which is most worrying the Burmese leaders. It is such a visit
which Khin Maung Win's shuttle diplomacy is trying to avert.
The
Indonesian foreign minister, Hassan Wirayuda, took the lead on a troika
initiative and, according to sources in Jakarta, he is still intent on leading a
troika visit to Rangoon before the Asean leaders summit in a few months' time.
If Asean follows the European Union model, upon which this diplomatic
ploy is based, the mission would include the presidency (Indonesia), and the
previous and next presidents (Cambodia and Laos). However there is substantial
debate going on within the organisation about the composition of the troika. It
is more likely that Malaysia and Singapore, or Thailand, will be represented
with Indonesia.
If the troika goes ahead then the Asean ministers will
certainly ask to meet the opposition leader. This is something which Burma's
military leaders would find difficult to accept. They have tried to ensure that
Asian leaders do not get access to Ms Suu Kyi, even on bilateral visits, apart
from Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi last year.
For the
generals, a meeting with an Asean leader would be a major snub for them _ and
would give Ms Suu Kyi the regional credibility they have tried desperately to
deny her.
But for Asean now, Burma has become a major international
embarrassment which has tarnished the organisation's reputation internationally
and could affect the region's tourist industry and economic recovery. ``Burma is
a dilemma for Asean which must be tackled now,'' Mr Hassan reportedly told his
colleagues in Phnom Penh last month.
This is something which Malaysia
and Singapore strongly endorsed. The Singaporean foreign minister, S. Jayakumar,
has been increasing critical of the Burmese regime's intransigence and Ms Suu
Kyi's continued detention.
The Philippines and Thailand, who have been
publicly over-supportive of Rangoon in the past two years, are now also stepping
up pressure for Burma to change. ``In the case of Manila and Bangkok, it is the
pressure from Washington more than their concern about Asean's image which has
motivated their change of heart,'' said a western diplomat in
Bangkok.
There is no doubt that Asia _ Asean and Japan _ is now committed
to increasing pressure on Rangoon's generals to introduce economic and political
change as soon as possible. ``It is no accident that Beijing is not part of Khin
Maung Win's current travel plans,'' said a senior western diplomat in Rangoon.
``Burma's top leaders are convinced that China remains their staunchest
ally.''
Though Asean may have decided to intervene in Burma's political
deadlock, its approach remains fundamentally different to the isolation policy
of the West. The EU has already increased sanctions against Rangoon and the US
is in the processing of adopting tougher economic measures, including a ban on
Burmese textiles. These measures are likely to have a limited effect, especially
as the World Trade Organisation will almost certainly rule any trade sanctions
against Burma as illegal.
So far the earlier Asean approach of
constructive engagement and the western approach of isolating Rangoon have
produced few concrete results. Now the international community seems to be
adopting a carrot and stick approach _ sometimes called critical or principled
engagement: a combination of pressure and incentives to get the Burmese generals
to the negotiating table with the opposition leader.
Asia has a major
role to play in this. It's new tentative policy of moral persuasion _ including
a form of diplomatic peer group pressure _ may succeed where previous attempts
to get Burma's generals to introduce democratic reform have failed. Rangoon has
little option but to remain engaged with the international community, especially
its Asian neighbours, or be engulfed by a major humanitarian crisis and economic
ruin.
To do that it must release Ms Suu Kyi as soon as possible and
restart the dialogue process.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Malaysiakini
Burmese deputy FM to meet Mahathir over
Suu Kyi
Yap Mun Ching
3:05pm Thu Jul
3rd, 2003
Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win will
meet with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad next week to explain the reasons
for the continued detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.
According to a source today, Khin will arrive in Kuala Lumpur on
Monday after completing a mission to Japan.
The deputy minister will then
proceed to Jakarta to meet with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda who
represents his country as the new chair of Asean.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Japan Times: July 4, 2003
Little
Myanmar in big Tokyo
By BRYAN
HARRELL
Special to The Japan Times
The ongoing
ethnic food boom in Tokyo has somehow bypassed some of the most interesting,
savory and satisfying food in all of Southeast Asia -- the cuisine of Myanmar
(formerly known as Burma before the accession of the current military government
in 1989).
The reasons why some nationals still refer to the country as
"Burma" while others happily use "Myanmar" are as complex as the ethnic makeup
of the country itself, which has some 135 ethnic groups. This immense diversity
-- compounded by influences from Myanmar's neighbors -- explains the fascinating
variety in the cooking. The impression one gets when sitting down to a Myanmar
meal is that it is like eating Indian, Chinese, Thai and Malaysian food -- all
at the same time.
Masala-spiced curries served with paratha bread are
set alongside spicy seafood noodle dishes, a kind of tofu made from yellow
lentils, miso-flavored stir fries, long-grain rice and salads created with a
myriad of exotic ingredients. Not all food is hot and spicy, so there is
something for everyone.
A glance at a map helps one make sense of all
this. Myanmar borders India, Bangladesh, Laos, China and Thailand -- and less
than 500 km of Thailand separates Myanmar from Malaysia. The country is at the
crossroads of Southeast Asia, and nothing reflects this more clearly than its
cuisine.
Surprisingly, finding authentic Myanmar food in Tokyo is a fair
sight easier than locating similarly authentic food from other Asian nations.
While it's not unusual for Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants in Tokyo to
adjust dishes and flavors to suit Japanese tastes, in Myanmar restaurants this
is the exception rather than the rule.
The main reason is that the
majority of customers at these restaurants are from Myanmar themselves. In fact,
there is a cohesive -- and growing -- community of people from Myanmar living in
Tokyo, with many of their businesses clustered around Takadanobaba Station. Ma
Hay Mar of the Japan Myanmar Culture Center estimates there are at least 30
Myanmar-owned businesses in the area; in addition to her center, these include
restaurants, karaoke bars, general stores, computer schools, a travel agency and
beauty salons. One reason many Myanmar pubs and eateries stay open late is to
cater for Myanmar customers dropping by after finishing often low-paid jobs in
the restaurant trade
Ma Hay Mar estimates that nearly half of the
estimated 20,000 Myanmar nationals in Japan live in the general area of
Takadanobaba and its adjoining stations.
Reflecting the eight major
ethnic categories into which the people of Myanmar are classified, this
expatriate community is itself diverse. Among the many Japan-based organizations
for Myanmar nationals, there are two major cultural groups, three political
organizations, two Buddhist associations and a dance troupe. Not surprisingly,
there are also three monthly and two weekly Myanmar-language publications
printed in Japan.
In the restaurants, too, Myanmar is the operative
language -- which makes ordering food as much of an adventure as eating it.
English is not widely spoken, and though Japanese can be used with varying
degrees of success, be warned that in a few places (usually drinking
establishments) almost no Japanese is spoken.
Where there is a
Japanese-language menu, it usually has only brief descriptions. (Comprehensive
menus in Japanese can only be found in a few restaurants, such as Nagani, which
also has a limited menu in English.) Not to worry, however, because ordering a
drink presents few problems and it's generally easy to order a little food, too.
One good tactic is simply to explain that you want some real Myanmar
home cooking, so "bring it on!" This approach has invariably produced an
excellent spread of food -- often at a startlingly low price.
So what is
likely to be set before you? Despite the country's culinary diversity, there are
a few dishes characteristic of Myanmar. The best known of these is lape-toh, a
salad made of fermented tea leaves, nuts, sesame seeds, garlic, dried fish,
lettuce and other ingredients. Another is mohinga, a highly savory stew with a
fermented fish gravy the consistency of pea soup, and containing chicken,
vegetables and fine wheat-flour noodles virtually identical to Japanese somen.
Tofu-joh is fried squares of yellow-lentil tofu, served with a hot and sweet
dipping sauce.
A hint when ordering is to pay attention to the last
syllable of the dishes. Those ending in -toh are some kind of salad (the word
means "mixture"). Dishes ending in -joh are fried, and those ending in -hin are
stews, usually spiced with masala.
Beer seems to be the most popular
beverage among Myanmar customers, and it is also the best match for the food. In
most places, draft beer by the mug is surprisingly cheap; Cafe Rendezvous
charges just 280 yen. For non-beer drinkers, almost all places offer various
types of cocktails, usually shochu-based and also invariably inexpensive. Nagani
Burmese Kitchen offers some unique drink experiences, including their delicious
Tamarind Fizz and several other cocktails made with Southeast Asian ingredients.
Nong Inlay, which specializes in the heavily Chinese-influenced cuisine
of the Shan region (which borders Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China), offers
the most exotic drink experience in the form of shan-iye, an interesting liquor
made with grain spirits which have been infused with a mixture of herbs. The
appearance is like whiskey but the flavor is akin to Chinese herbal medicine.
Unfortunately, I have yet to find a place that serves htan ye, a rural favorite
made from the fermented juice of the toddy palm.
Apart from the numerous
Myanmar eating and drinking possibilities within Takadanobaba's relatively small
area, there are also a number of stores where Myanmar locals shop. These are
mostly general stores stocking foodstuffs, magazines and newspapers, rental
videos, tobacco products and even sundries like toothpaste, cosmetics and patent
medicines all the way from Myanmar. The Irrawaddy store, underneath the Seibu
Shinjuku Line tracks, sometimes offers fresh durian fruit, which are notorious
for their pungent smell but prized by enthusiasts for their sublime taste.
Most of the ingredients to make typical Myanmar dishes are readily
available at these stores. A typical shopping basket of essentials would include
masala spice mixtures, turmeric, ngan-pya-ye (a thin sauce made from fermented
fish or shrimp), ngapi (a salty paste made from fermented fish or shrimp, and
used in practically everything), packages of fermented tea leaves and other
ingredients to make lape-toh salad, long-grain rice from Thailand, canned
coconut milk, sesame oil, peanut oil (for frying), and various gauges of rice
noodles. Though certain types of vegetables and fish are unavailable, there are
many acceptable Japanese substitutes. For example, mitsuba, a Japanese leafy
vegetable, can be used in place of min kwa yue, a leafy vegetable shaped like a
horse's hoof.
A visit to one of the general stores will reveal an array
of ingredients bewildering to the uninitiated, but for starters there are also
ingredients familiar to Westerners, including beans of nearly every description,
Chinese-style noodles and even bags of fried pork rinds (also called cracklings
or chicharrones). With these in your basket, why not branch out into the unknown
with a bottle of fermented-fish seasoning or a stinky durian?
And to
clean up after a Myanmar feast, whether eaten out to karaoke accompaniment, or
whipped up in your own kitchen, perhaps you'll want to take home a tin of
Myanmar tooth powder.
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