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The BurmaNet News: April 3, 1998



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------   
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"   
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
The BurmaNet News: April 3, 1998    
Issue # 974

Noted in passing:

"Rather than sidelining human rights from the summit, the EU should be
operating an ethical development policy at ASEM 2.  Economic rescue
packages, financial aid and business investment should be within the
framework of ethical principles, so that human rights in the region are
guaranteed both in the short and long term." - Amnesty International (see
"Human Rights Crucial to Long-term Stability).

HEADLINES:    
==========

BKK POST: REFUGEES TO BE MOVED TO SAFER ZONE
THE NATION: UNHCR'S NEW ROLE MAY IRK BURMA
KNU:  STATEMENT REGARDING RETALIATION
JAPAN TIMES: JAPAN TO AID KARENS IN THAI CAMPS
BKK POST:  DKBA RETURNS THAI WOMAN, AUSTRALIAN
THE NATION: VOLUNTEER WORKERS MAY FACE CHARGES
AI:  HUMAN RIGHTS CRUICIAL TO LONG-TERM STABILITIY
THE NATION: PEACE LAUREATES FOCUS ON RANGOON, BEIJING

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BANGKOK POST: REFUGEES TO BE MOVED TO SAFER ZONE
April 2, 1998

8,800 Karens to be relocated

About 8,800 Karens at Huay Kalok camp will be the first to be moved site
further inside Thailand before the onset of the rainy season, Deputy Foreign
Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday.

The new site will be chosen on the basis of "what is appropriate." This
includes the availability of water and making sure that Thai residents in
the area are not adversely affected by the move, he added.

Non-governmental organisations may help pay the cost of moving the Karens to
the new site, he added. 

Speaking to reporters after a field trip to the border which included visits
to Huay Kalok and Mae Hla, M.R. .Sukhumbhand said peace had been restored
with security measures stepped up by military authorities.

But the Thai-Burmese border is long and drought-stricken, and the mission of
the Third Army Region is to look after the welfare of Thai people "not to
protect war refugees from Burma."

Meanwhile, a senior army officer said Thailand and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees have to set a deadline on plans to resolve the
Burmese refugee problem, after allowing the UN agency to get involved. 

Sanan Kajomklum of the Supreme Command said the timeframe would be based on
the situation in Burma in which he expects to see Karen refugees return
within five years.

An election under the new constitution being drafted in Rangoon was expected
to take place from three to five years, said Lt-Gen Sanan, also an adviser
to Defence Minister Chuan Leekpai.

Having a clear timeframe would help the UNHCR to prepare the repatriation
plan and obtain financial support from donor countries, he added.

"We have the beginning and we need the end," he said in talks to find
measures to tackle the problem over 100,000 Karen refugees living in border
camps.

The government last week decided to let the UNHCR play a greater role in the
issue after the Rangoon-backed Democratic Karen Buddhism Army attacked
camps in Tak last month.

The scope of the UN agency's work will be cleared over the next two weeks
after talks with government agencies led by the National Security Council,
said a UNHCR official.

Officials and relief workers, in the panel arranged by Chulalongkorn
University's Asian Research Centre for Migration and Forum-Asia, welcomed
the increasing role of the UN agency and plans to move the camps further
inland for safety reasons.

However, they warned of the consequences of merging 19 camps, as planned by
the government.

Jack Dunford, director of the Burma Border Consortium, which takes care of
Karen border camps, said that moving the refugees away from the border could
create a feeling that their hope for returning home was ruined.

"These refugees are in camps all the way along the border close to where
they came from. Their hearts and minds are on going back across the border
to their homes," he said.

The problem could be resolved by the Burmese government stopping human
rights abuses and oppressing the ethnic minorities, he added.

Supang Chantavanich, director of the research centre, agreed with
maintaining ties of refugees with their homeland to encourage them to return.

****************************************************************

THE NATION: UNHCR'S NEW ROLE MAY IRK BURMA
April 2, 1998
Marisa Chimprabha

THE UN High Commissioner for Refugees' role in camps for Burmese refugees
may send a wrong signal to Rangoon that Thailand, the Karen, and the UN had
joined hands against it, a seminar was told yesterday.

Even though the UNHCR's work is considered humanitarian and non-political,
Burma may become unhappy because the agency's elements are those of the
western community which it has repeatedly criticised.

Therefore, Bangkok and the UNHCR should make the process transparent so
that Rangoon does not misunderstand the move, speakers at the seminar,
"Burmese Refugees: Status and Solution," said. The seminar was organised by
Chulalongkom University's Asian Research Centre for Migration and Forum Asia.

Burma's political problems, in which the government has attempted to abolish
ethnic minorities by means of military confrontation, should be solved as
soon as possible so that Burmese refugees could return home at the earliest,
the seminar was told.

The seminar also referred to the change in Thailand's stance on the UNHCR's
involvement with border camps which are in the process of reaching an
agreement on to what extent the agency would be allowed to help refugees.

Most of the Burmese in 19 camps located along the northern border of
Thailand are Karen of the Karen National Union (KNU) who escaped Burmese
government suppression.

The KNU, which has long fought for independence from Rangoon, is the last
minority group capable of resisting the Burmese government.

A speaker at the seminar, Lt Gen Sanan of the Office of the Supreme Command
Special Adviser said more people may be attracted to leave Burma expecting
assistance from UNHCR.

The general said that having the UNHCR take care of camps and moving them
away from the border would not prevent pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops from attacking Karen refugees.

"However once the UNHCR steps in, there would be a time-frame for when the
assistance starts and ends. With this we will be able to know roughly how
long the Burmese would be in Thailand" Sanan said.

The root of the problem of thousands of Burmese refugees, as was determined
during the seminar was Burma's attempt to abolish minorities. Speakers also
urged Asean to take a more leading role in negotiations with Burma about the
problems so that peace could be restored both along the border and the
region as a whole.

Although, the presence of the UNHCR in the shelters would mean that refugees
are eligible to go to a third country or return to their homeland, the
seminar agreed that the Burmese should be repatriated when the situation is
guaranteed safe. The 19 Burmese camps should not be merged into one,
speakers at the seminar suggested, as it would require a lot of money and
comprehensive administration.

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KNU:  STATEMENT REGARDING RETALIATION AGAINST SPDC TROOPS AND THEIR FOLLOWERS
April 1, 1998

March 28, 1998
The SPDC (formerly SLORC) has been attempting to capture the KNLA 7th
Brigade Headquarters by using its battalions consisting of LIBs 119, 111,
12, and IBs 4, 42 and 120, since 7-3-98.  While launching attacks against
the 7th Brigade Headquarters, some of the SPDC troops from the above
mentioned battalions violated the territorial integrity of Thailand by
launching cross-border attacks against Karen refugee camps on 11-3-98,
15-3-98, and 23-3-98.  Troops from the KNLA 7th Brigade and the Special 101
Battalion attacked and destroyed the DKBA Headquarters on 24-3-98, the DKBA
camps of Kokko and Thehbon on 26-3-98, and Kanuta camp on 27-3-98.  While
the attacks were in progress, the SPDC troops in the vicinity used their
heavy weapons supposedly to counter the attacks. In the process, the SPDC's
15 mortar shells landed in Thehbon village, 9 in Kanuta village and a
number in Kokko village, killing and wounding a large number of Karen
civilians.  Regarding this incident, the KNU would like to say as follows:

1.  In all the 4 retaliatory attacks, the KNLA troops took as much
precaution as possible not to harm the civilian population, and
specifically attacked the enemy positions. The death and wounded of the
civilians were caused by the heavy weapon shells of the SPDC troops. It was
the deliberate and evil acts of killing the innocent civilians, and the
SPDC must be held entirely responsible for these outrageous massacres.

2.  The KNLA's retaliatory attacks were limited to some of the DKBA troops
that had committed outrageous acts, in accordance with the wishes of the
SPDC, against the Karen people.

3.  Persons spreading the false propaganda that refugees from some of the
camps that had been attacked, participated in the retaliatory attacks are
simply finding fault with the innocent Karen civilians.  Not a single
refugee participated in the retaliatory attacks.

4.  The principal enemy of the KNU is the SPDC which has regarded the KNU
as an enemy and which has been making war barbarously against the KNU and
the Karen people. The DKBA is not the mortal enemy of the KNU. The attacks
against some of the DKBA camps were intended to serve only as a warning.

5.  We, the KNU, demand the SPDC to take note of the consequences of its
evil acts and cease its heinous activities for turning to the resolution of
conflicts justly through negotiation.

Words & Abbreviations:
KNU = Karen National Union (Political wing of Karen resistance)
SPDC = State Peace and Development Council ( Military dictatorship of
Burma) SLORC = State Law and Order Restoration Council  (Previous  name of
the SPDC)
LIB = Light Infantry Battalion
IB = Infantry Battalion
DKBA = Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army (Puppet army of SPDC)

(Translated and distributed by the Karen Information Center)

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JAPAN TIMES:  JAPAN TO AID KARENS IN THAI CAMPS
April 1, 1998
Hisane Masaki

In a move that threatens to displease Myanmar's military regime, Japan will
provide between 5 million and 10 million yen in grant-in-aid to help
relieve the suffering of Karen refugees in Thailand, Foreign Ministry
sources said Tuesday.

The sources said the aid will be provided later this month or early next
month through the Burmese Border Consortium, a Western non-governmental
organization helping more than 100,000 Karen refugees living in camps in
northwestern Thailand along the Myanmarese border.

The Burmese Border Consortium will use the money to purchase rice and
edible oil for the refugees, who crossed into Thailand to escape attacks
from the Myanmarese military, the sources said.  Myanmar was formerly
called Burma.

It is the first time for Japan to provide the refugees with such aid and
the offer comes amid heightened tensions along the Thai-Myanmarese border
in the wake of repeated attacks on the camps by armed ethnic rebels allied
to Myanmar's military junta.

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a splinter group of the ethnic Karen
insurgents, attacked camps in northwestern Thailand three times in March
alone, reportedly killing four and injuring more than 50.  The refugees are
mostly Christians.

Since taking power in a 1988 coup, the Myanmarese military has reached
peace settlements with all the country's ethnic rebel groups except the
Karen National Union, the largest rebel group that has fought for greater
autonomy for the ethnic Karen minority for 50 years.

The Myanmarese junta-backed assaults on the Thai camps have raised deep
international concern.  On March 13 -- two days after the first of the
attacks that month -- Britain, which currently holds the rotating
presidency of the 15-nation European Union, issued a statement calling for
an immediate end to the raids.

Bangkok has also complained to Yangon over the attacks.  In an apparent
policy reversal, Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said last week that
Bangkok will allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to
participate in efforts to ensure the security of the refugees.  The Thai
government had previously been reluctant to let the UNHCR get involved in
such efforts and had tried to resolve the issue through bilateral talks
with Yangon over fears that the UNHCR's presence would lead to the refugees
being settled in Thailand.

The Japanese aid package will be provided as part of the "grant assistance
scheme for grassroots projects," which was introduced in fiscal 1989 to
support relatively small projects not considered suitable for ordinary
grant-in-aid schemes, the sources said.

The provision of the aid follows a decision by Tokyo last month to disburse
about 2.5 billion yen in low-interest official yen loans to Myanmar for the
repair of Yangon's international airport.

Although Tokyo insists the provision of the airport loans is for the
humanitarian purpose of ensuring safety at the aging airport, the move has
attracted criticism both at home and abroad because it was agreed despite
the regime's continued crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, led by
opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

While acknowledging the Myanmarese regime will be offended by Japan's aid
for the refugees, one Foreign Ministry source stressed that the money will
be used for purely humanitarian reasons to support the refugees, not the
Karen National Union.

"Critics often say Japan is just paying lip service to human rights and
democracy," the source said.  "But with the grant-in-aid for the Karen
refugees, we want to show the Myanmarese military government that Japan is
firmly pursuing a policy of pressing for improvement in the protection of
human rights and democratic principles."

****************************************************************

BANGKOK POST: DKBA RETURNS THAI WOMAN, AUSTRALIAN
April 4, 1998

Guerrillas say they were not abducted

An Australia aid workers and his Thai woman colleague were freed yesterday
and returned to Thailand by pro-Rangoon guerrillas who lured them into
Burma last week.

Army officers and aid agencies reported that Nick Cheesman, 28, and Ngamsuk
Rattanasathien, 30, were freed by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army near
Gophado, not far from Mae Sot district in Tak province.

Both were reported to be in good shape and were being debriefed by
officials about their captivity since being abducted last Friday.

The pair were reportedly taken at gunpoint across the shallow Moei river
into Burma by the guerrillas, who have staged a series of raids into
Thailand against Karen refugee camps strung along the border.

Mr Cheesman, a former resident of Sydney, has been working as a teacher for
several years in the camps and works for a Bangkok-based organisation
called Burma Issues, which investigates human rights violations.

In Canberra, a spokesman for Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
said their release came at 4:30pm local time.

"Mr Cheesman was handed over to Thai military authorities and is now in the
company of Australian embassy officials from Bangkok and representatives
from the group he works for," he said.

Details of the crossing into Burma remain unclear, but it was reported the
pair were photographing a site destroyed in fighting between the DKBA and
the Karen National Union, which has been battling for more autonomy for
Burma's Karen minority for 50 years.

Most of the 100,000 refugees who have fled the Burmese military regime to
Thailand are ethnic Karen.  The majority back the KNU.

 An army spokesman said yesterday that Mr Cheesman and his colleague had
gone across the border voluntarily.

This was reiterated by Foreign Ministry spokesman Kobsak Chutikul who said
on Tuesday that the DKBA insisted the two were not kidnapped but were
invited to film and document damage done to the DKBA in a counter-raid last
week by the KNU.

Several other Thai civilians and security personnel have been kidnapped in
the recent  DKBA raids. None is known to have been released so far, despite
repeated protests by the Thai government to Burma's military.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra said that Mr Cheesman and his
Thai friend were not abducted but crossed the border into Burma on an
impulse, following an invitation from gun-waving Burmese.

Mr Cheesman, who had cycled to the border without a change of clothes, did
not think his trip would become a big issue, added Mr. Sukhumbhand, who was
at the Third Army camp in Wang Kaew to meet the two on their return.

The two crossed the border after seeing waving hands on the Burmese side
even though they were armed, the deputy minister noted. They also visited a
temple there, he added.

"These people don't have any aims in life. They go wherever people bid
them," he noted.

A human rights organisation yesterday called on the government to formally
protest to Burma against the supposed abduction of Mr Cheesman and Ms Ngamsuk.

In a letter to Prime Minister and Defence Minister Chuan Leekpai, the Union
for Civil Liberty denounced the kidnapping of the two civilians, saying
such an act was a violation of human rights and infringement on Thai
sovereignty.

It urged the government to ask Bur ma to make a public apology to the two
and Thailand and send the alleged kidnappers to stand trial in Bangkok.

It also asked the government to review diplomatic ties with the Burmese
government to avoid a recurrence. 

****************************************************************

THE NATION:  VOLUNTEER WORKERS MAY FACE CHARGES
April 2, 1998

TAK -- The Australian and Thai volunteer workers released after being held
captive by the Rangoon-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) may
face charges of illegally leaving Thailand if it is proved they crossed
into Burma voluntarily and were not forced at gunpoint by the DKBA as
previously reported. 

Their release was yesterday welcomed with relief by the Australian
government but contradicting accounts over how the pair entered Burma irked
the Thai Army. 

Soldiers from the DKBA delivered Nick Cheesman and his Thai colleague
Ngamsuk Rattanasathien to local authorities at Baan Wang Kaew in Tambon
Pa-am, Mae Sot district on Wednesday after spending five nights at the DKBA's
guerrilla base. 

Army chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro yesterday accused the Australian of almost
causing an ''international accident'' after he was reportedly abducted by a
Burma-based ethnic guerrilla force last week. 

''This sort of situation could easily get out of hand and cause an
international conflict,'' Chettha said. 

''The Australian involved has unreservedly apologised to Thailand but I
think Australian officials feel guilty that one of their citizens caused
such a problem.'' 

He said Cheesman, 28, and Ngamsuk, 30, from the initial investigation, were
suspected of breaching Thai law by leaving the country without permission
and could face charges. 

Pol Maj Col Banja Pluang, chief of Tak immigration bureau said their
investigations were still incomplete. He said if the two were found guilty
as charged by the military, they will face both jail terms and fines. 

Police and customs investigations were under way into the exact
circumstances of Cheesman's disappearance and a report would be delivered
soon, Chettha  said. 

Thai military officers earlier said Cheesman and his colleague had not been
abducted but had willingly accepted an invitation to wade across the
shallow river. But Cheesman maintained yesterday that he and his colleague
had been taken against their will but had not been mistreated. 

In a statement made to the Australian Associated Press, Cheesman said:  "At
no time did we have the opportunity to return of our own accord. In no way
were we mistreated during our detention by the DKBA. 

****************************************************************

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:  ASEM 2:  HUMAN RIGHTS CRUCIAL TO LONG-TERM STABILITY
April 2, 1998

* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *
AI INDEX: IOR 30/01/98
30 MARCH 1998

ASEM 2:   Human rights crucial to long-term stability

LONDON -- Heads of state from the European Union and Asia gathering in
London for the second ASEM summit will not achieve long term stability and
genuine partnership without respect for human rights, Amnesty International
said today.

An "ethical" engagement policy with human rights at its centre should be
key to the "three pillars" of development to be discussed at ASEM 2 --
economic development, security and people-to-people links. 

"One of the major contributing factors to the Asian economic crisis has
been the failure of political, legal and institutional development to keep
pace with rapid economic and social change," Amnesty International said.
"This has not only led to many countries in the region coming unstuck -- it
has also left them singularly ill-equipped to deal with the political and
social fallout." 

"The crisis has been fuelled by weak legal institutions, unchecked
corruption and a lack of transparency and accountability. Critics who have
spoken out on these issues have been jailed or silenced by authoritarian
governments, and international investors have been prepared to turn a blind
eye to the human rights violations which have caused political instability." 

"It's no good papering over the cracks with financial assistance and
economic restructuring packages.  Unless these deep-rooted problems are
tackled by governments at the ASEM 2 summit, long-term political and
economic stability will remain unachievable." 

According to Amnesty International, the current prospects for the region
are deeply troubling, particularly when viewed from a human rights
perspective. The economic crash will compromise many people's enjoyment if
basic economic rights -- the right to employment, to a livelihood for their
families and to a roof over their head. Instead of addressing the
underlying causes, some governments have sought to blame outsiders and
react to discontent with a hard-line response. 

Regional security is threatened by ongoing conflicts in Indonesia,
Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines, where human rights abuses have led
to political and economic instability as well as having a knock-on effect
through massive refugee flows and demands on resources to house and feed
those people who have fled their countries. 

"Human rights problems also fuel regional insecurity, causing conflicts and
refugee movements," Amnesty International said. "Thailand is already
dealing with the consequences of human rights abuses in Cambodia and
Myanmar. Will other countries wait for similar problems to spill over from
Indonesia?" 

"Rather than sidelining human rights from the summit, the EU should be
operating an ethical development policy at ASEM 2," Amnesty International
said. "Economic rescue packages, financial aid and business investment
should be within the framework of ethical principles, so that human rights
in the region are guaranteed both in the short and long term." 

For all the talk about the importance of "people-to-people" links, many
governments continue to harass non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
working for human rights and development, some governments continue to
challenge the universality of human rights, and NGOs themselves have been
largely excluded from the ASEM governmental agenda. 

"The free exchange of ideas, experience and information should be at the
heart of ASEM's people-to-people agenda," Amnesty International said.  "But
how can genuine links be built when many governments curb freedom of
expression and association?" 

"ASEM governments should realize that development across both the Europe
and Asia regions is about the development of people - their standard of
living and their ability to interact with each other free of restrictions
and barriers," Amnesty International said. "The leaders gathered in London
should mark the 50th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) by making 1998 the year that human rights become central to
ASEM's business." 

Amnesty International has human rights concerns about all ASEM countries --
including Europe, where the organization has documented cases of
ill-treatment in almost every country of the EU. Amnesty International is
calling on ASEM in general to reaffirm the universality and indivisibility
of the UDHR and participating governments to ratify and implement other
relevant human rights instruments; to provide for proper NGO participation
and access to ASEM working groups and other initiatives; to develop an
operational dialogue on human rights; and address human rights in
discussions on regional issues and as part of any dialogue with business. 

BACKGROUND

The economic crisis brings with it the prospect of increased political
dissent and social unrest which may be met with a heavy handed response by
states.  New political currents have emerged in many countries, which, if
not given a proper outlet, threaten to spill over into violence and
instability. 

Some governments' response to the crisis may involve human rights
violations.  The struggle for competitiveness and foreign direct
investment, will see further downward pressure on wages and working
conditions and a continuing crackdown on independent trade union activity.
Civil disturbance, crime and other problems may be met with an iron fist.

The Indonesian authorities have reacted to anti-government demonstrations
by rounding up members of the opposition, including respected economists
and using the draconian anti-subversion law to detain its critics. At least
330 people have been detained since the beginning of the year, and
President Suharto has been granted greater powers to deal with "social
unrest" and "subversive acts." 

The lack of real human rights protection in Cambodia continues to provide a
threat to the security and stability of South-East Asia, with refugee flows
to neighbouring countries, to add to existing refugee movements from
Myanmar. The international response to the crisis following last year's
coup fails to tackle the underlying problems of impunity for human rights
violations and to address the need for free and fair elections -- putting
Cambodia at risk of a continuing cycle of violence.

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THE NATION:  PEACE LAUREATES FOCUS ON RANGOON, BEIJING
April 2, 1998
Yindee Lertcharoenchok

Peace laureates focus on Rangoon, Beijing

LONDON -- Burmese and Tibetan Nobel Peace prize laureates yesterday urged
the international community to support democracy in Burma and China, saying
the establishment of democratic rights in the two countries would be
beneficial to the world at large. 

In a video address last night to the reception for the Unrepresented
Peoples of
Asia, the Tibetan spiritual leader - the Dalai Lama -- said China is a big
country and in future will also be an important country. ''So a free and
democratic China is not only advantageous to China, but is important to the
rest of the world as well,'' he said. 

Addressing the same forum, Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
sent a similar message, saying the cause of the people of Burma is a cause
of all those who believe in democracy. ''We are not working simply for one
nation, we are working for ideas, for principles which apply to peoples all
over the world,'' she said in a pre-recorded video message recently
smuggled out of Burma. 

The 1991 Nobel prize winner said the Burmese people are encouraged that as
human beings, they have certain principles and a certain sense of the need
for human dignity and ''that these principles and this sense of the need of
human dignity will help us achieve democracy in Burma before too long.'' 

The Dalai Lama said the world community should engage China and bring it
into the international circle. But China at the same time ''must be
sincere, with a spirit of true friendship and have pure and clear
intentions.'' 

''The lies and mistakes of the past should be settled clearly and in a
friendly spirit.  Concealing the truth about China and insincere flattery
have no place. They will not help the image of China,'' he said. 

Citing Tibetan expression that ''one never hears praise and appreciation
from a true friend,'' the exiled Tibetan leader urged those who are a true
friend of China to sincerely point out mistakes to the country.  ''It is
important that the world knows the truth,'' he added. 

The reception last night was organised by England-based campaign groups on
Burma, East Timor and Tibet. Representing East Timor was Jose Ramos Horta,
the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who attended the function in person. 

In her brief statement, Suu Kyi urged the 25 Asian and European leaders to
incorporate non-trade and investment issues into their agenda of talks. 

She said trade is for the benefit of the people and ''when you talk about
people,
then inevitably you must talk about human rights.'' 

''I'm inclined to believe that a free and secure people have much more to
contribute towards healthy trade relations than a repressed and insecure
people,'' she added. 

The reception took place on the eve of the Asia-Europe Summit (Asem) here
today and was one of the activities organised by Asian and European
non-governmental organisations. 

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