The BurmaNet News: February 19, 199

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Subject: The BurmaNet News: February 19, 1998

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The BurmaNet News: February 19, 1998
Issue #1210

Noted in Passing: "Our mentality is not to succumb to any pressure. If
there is pressure put upon us, we become more resistant to this pressure."
- Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung (see REUTERS: EU RENEGED ON ASEAN TALKS
DEAL)

HEADLINES:
==========
REUTERS: MYANMAR ACCUSES EU OF "NEO-COLONIALISM" 
REUTERS: EU RENEGED ON ASEAN TALKS DEAL 
AFP: ASEAN MAY CANCEL TALKS WITH EU 
REUTERS: FRANCE TO BOYCOTT INTERPOL CONFERENCE 
SMH: CANBERRA REFUSES TO BOYCOTT DRUG CONFERENCE 
MIZZIMA: "WE ARE COMMITTED TO YOUR FREEDOM IN INDIA" 
THE STRAITS TIMES: MINISTERS HEAD FOR YANGON 
REUTERS: THAILAND SEEKS TO MEND MYANMAR TIES 
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REUTERS: MYANMAR PRESS ACCUSES EU OF "NEO-COLONIALISM"
18 February, 1999 

YANGON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A commentary in Myanmar's state press on
Thursday accused the European Union of behaving like neo-colonialists in
opposing Yangon's participation in a ministerial meeting scheduled for next
month.

The European Union has barred senior officials from Myanmar because of the
country's human rights record, making it likely a foreign ministers'
meeting with the Association of South East Asian Nations in Berlin will
have to be postponed.

"Aren't EU members making obstructions saying they do not want to meet or
have face-to-face dialogue with this or that country in ASEAN...?" said a
commentary in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

"...These are the ordinary acts, features and dominations of
neo-colonialists," it said. "Is it for human rights or for the domination
system practised by the big countries?"

The article said Myanmar, as a member of ASEAN, had the right to take part
in all its activities.

ASEAN has stood by Myanmar in insisting all its members should be allowed
to attend the Berlin meeting or none at all.

A postponement would indefinitely delay disbursement to ASEAN of hundreds
of millions of dollars of much needed EU development assistance.

The commentary also hit out at the United States and European countries for
boycotting an international conference on heroin set for later this month
being organised by Interpol.

It said this was part of "a conspiracy to put pressure on and interfere in
Myanmar by (the) international imperialist bloc."

Countries that have decided not to attend the conference have said Myanmar
is an inappropriate venue given its record as one of the world's biggest
producers of heroin.

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

REUTERS: INTERVIEW-EU RENEGED ON ASEAN TALKS DEAL -MYANMAR
19 February, 1999 by Nick Edwards 

SINGAPORE, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung said on
Friday the European Union had reneged on a deal that would allow Myanmar to
attend a meeting between Europe and the Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN).


Win Aung said he had agreed to an EU proposal to talk about human rights
and other prickly issues on the sidelines of the Berlin meeting next month
in return for the Europeans allowing his participation.

He was speaking a day after ASEAN-member Indonesia threatened to call off
the ministerial meeting with the grouping's oldest dialogue partner because
the EU had said Myanmar would not be allowed to participate.

"There was one suggestion -- they asked me whether I was willing to talk
with the... EU on the sidelines of the meeting. I said why not, I agree to
that, I would like to talk to you," Win Aung told Reuters in an interview.

"But nearer the day we have found many many conditions coming out of the EU.

"First they said if you are willing to meet, there will not be a problem,
then they change their mind."

The EU has barred Myanmar senior officials from attending the meeting
because of the military-ruled state's human rights record. ASEAN says all
its foreign ministers must be allowed to attend the talks, which could
bring much-needed financial aid.

The issue, a sticking point since Myanmar was admitted to ASEAN 18 months
ago, has already led to cancellation of a junior level meeting of the
EU-ASEAN Joint Cooperation Committee that was supposed to take place in
Bangkok last month.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Win Aung said: "If the EU side is agreeable for the participation of every
country from ASEAN, then there will not be any problem.

"Let us not say that the ball is in which court. They (the EU) are saying
the ball is in my court now. These remarks make it difficult for each
other. I don't want to say the ball is in their court, but we need to reach
some understanding."

He said increasing external pressure for change in Myanmar would work
against the Southeast Asian nation's critics.

"Our mentality is not to succumb to any pressure. If there is pressure put
upon us, we become more resistant to this pressure," Win Aung said.

"We have our own agenda to build our own nation. If there is pressure this
will just hamper us. If there is no pressure, we will move forward very
quickly."

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

AFP: ASEAN MAY CANCEL TALKS WITH EU, WARNS INDONESIA
19 February, 1999  

JAKARTA -- Indonesia yesterday warned that Asean would cancel talks with
the European Union if the row over Myanmar was not resolved.

The EU, citing Myanmar's human-rights record, has refused to allow its
officials to attend a meeting of the two groups next month in Berlin.

"If the problem is not resolved then there will be no meeting," Indonesian
Foreign Minister Ali Alatas told reporters after meeting his Myanmar
counterpart Win Aung.

Added Mr Win Aung: "There is no formula of Asean minus one or two. Asean is
Asean as a whole. We are all united."

Meanwhile, in Bangkok, officials said yesterday that Thai Foreign Minister
Surin Pitsuwan would head for Europe next week as efforts intensified to
save the Asean-EU summit.


He will visit Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, which holds the EU
presidency and is leading efforts to salvage the summit which is threatened
by discord over Myanmar, one of Asean's newest members.

It will be his second visit to Europe this month.

Dr Surin is also scheduled to meet Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung on
this evening in Bangkok. A planned Asean-EU Joint Cooperation Committee
meeting in Bangkok last month was cancelled because of the Myanmar row.

European sources said in Bangkok yesterday that efforts were intensifying
to save the EU-Asean talks, but that the EU still required a "humanitarian"
gesture from Myanmar to break the deadlock.

German sources yesterday said Bonn had joined a growing list of countries
refusing to attend an international forum on drug trafficking sponsored by
Interpol in Myanmar next week.

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

REUTERS: FRANCE TO BOYCOTT MYANMAR INTERPOL CONFERENCE
16 February, 1999

PARIS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - France will join other Western countries in
boycotting an Interpol conference on heroin production and trafficking in
Myanmar later this month, Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said on Tuesday.

"Because of the peculiar conditions in this country...we have decided
against sending a French delegation to this conference," Vedrine told the
National Assembly in answer to a question.

The plan to hold the conference in Myanmar, one of the world's leading
heroin producers, raised eyebrows among many diplomats and provoked
condemnation by critics of the Yangon military government.

The United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway have said
they will not attend.

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

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: CANBERRA REFUSES TO BOYCOTT DRUG CONFERENCE
18 February, 1999 by Craig Skehan

Australia rejected yesterday mounting criticism of its decision to send
police and customs officers to a highly controversial narcotics conference
to be held in Burma next week.

The United States and a swag of European nations are boycotting the
gathering in protest over alleged complicity by members of Burma's military
junta in the heroin trade.

A spokesman for the Foreign Minister, Mr Downer, said Australia believed
the conference would " more pressure" on the regime to combat drug
production and smuggling.

"We see it as an international policing conference. And it is incumbent on
us to do what we can to improve scope for law enforcement as Burma is a
major source of heroin coming to Australia."

The conference, jointly organised by the Burmese military and Interpol, has
been supported by neighbouring Thailand and China, both of which are
smuggling routes for heroin coming out of Burma.

One of the National League for Democracy candidates elected to Burma's
aborted 1990 parliament, U Tin Tut, sent an emotive letter yesterday urging
Mr Downer to cancel Australian participation.

He said Australian attendance would be self-defeating as the junta would
provide "false evidence" to support its claims of a crackdown on traffickers.


The US, Britain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium and Italy
are boycotting the conference.

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

MIZZIMA: "WE ARE COMMITTED TO YOUR FREEDOM AND SECURITY IN INDIA", INDIAN
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER TOLD BURMESE DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS IN INDIA
18 February, 1999

India is committed to the freedom and security of those Burmese democratic
activists, who are taking shelter in India, said Jaswant Singh, External
Affairs Minister of India on Wednesday. The Indian External Affairs
minister made the remarks in response to a question after his closing
address to a global conference on democracy. The four-day Conference,
"Building a Worldwide Movement for Democracy" was ended on February 17, in
New Delhi and participated by more than 400 delegates from 85 countries,
including a number of Burmese exiled-democracy activists based in India and
Thailand. The Conference participants, among other significant decisions,
decided to launch a "World Movement for Democracy" by working closely among
the democrats of the world.

"Don't feel insecure at all in this country", the foreign minister told the
Burmese. However, the minister also tried to reflect the current foreign
policy of India towards Burma in his remarks saying that as far as movement
for restoration of democracy in Burma is concerned, it is for the Burmese
people to decide and to search for. "So far as your freedom and security
India is concerned that is our responsibility and we are committed to it",
responded the minister when he was asked by the Burmese delegate for his
remarks on recent denial of a particular venue for holding meetings of
Burmese activists in India and constant watch of some Indian intelligence
personnel on the Burmese activists.

When Burmese pro-democracy activists tried to organize a conference on
constitution of Burma in January, the venue "Constitution Club" in New
Delhi was cancelled at last minute by the concerned Indian officer without
giving any official reason. The same venue was again not given when they
tried to organize a meeting on Burma's Union Day and Constitutional
problems in Burma on February 12. India is currently having a closer
relationship with the military regime in Burma than it was before 1994,
particularly in the areas of border trade and counter insurgency.

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

THE STRAITS TIMES: MINISTERS HEAD FOR YANGON
19 February, 1999 

BILATERAL ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION

THREE Singapore ministers will visit Yangon next week to discuss bilateral
economic co-operation in trade, investment, tourism and training with the
Myanmar government, said the Trade and Industry Ministry (MTI) yesterday.

Trade and Industry Minister Lee Yock Suan, National Development and Second
Finance Minister Lim Hng Kiang, and Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan
will be in Yangon to attend the third meeting of the Singapore-Myanmar
Joint Ministerial Working Committee.

During the three-day visit, the two countries will sign an Avoidance of
Double Taxation Agreement, while the Singapore Tourism Board Consultancy
will present a report on how to boost Yangon's tourist arrivals to the
Myanmar Hotels and Tourism Ministry.


The ministers will call on Senior General Than Shwe, Myanmar's Prime
Minister and the chairman of the country's State Peace and Development
Council. They will also have discussions with their counterparts, and visit
an industrial estate and a rice mill.

Singapore is Myanmar's largest trading partner with almost $1 billion last
year. Cumulatively, it is also Myanmar's biggest foreign investor with
US$1.5 billion.

Investment in Myanmar peaked back in 1996, when Singapore firms pumped in
some US$612 million. But investments have since dwindled to US$98 million
in 1997, and US$188 million last year.

Almost half of these investments are in real estate and hotels. The rest
are in the food and beverage industry and manufacturing.

The visit from Tuesday to Thursday is the third such ministerial meeting.
It will be co-chaired by Mr Lee and LG Khin Nyunt, First Secretary of
Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council.

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

REUTERS: THAILAND SEEKS TO MEND STRAINED MYANMAR TIES
17 February, 1999 

BANGKOK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Thailand indicated on Wednesday it wanted to
improve its diplomatic ties with Myanmar's military government after a
series of border incidents have strained relations.

Thai army chief Surayuth Chulanont told reporters at Bangkok airport before
a three-day official visit to Yangon that his mission was to sooth
relations between the two neighbours.

"My duty is to try to promote closer relations and understanding between
the military of the two nations as well as the people of the two
countries," Surayuth said.

Relations between Thailand and Myanmar have been tested in recent months
since a series of gun battles in the sea along disputed border areas
between the southern Thai province of Ranong and Myanmar's Victoria point.

At least seven people have been killed in the incidents, involving armed
Myanmar vessels and the Thai navy, which have occurred sporadically since
the middle of 1998.

Both countries claim the dispute area which covers a 100 km (62.5 mile)
offshore border in the Andaman Sea.

A Thai military spokesman said the Thai army was actively seeking an end to
the tension and was scheduled to host a meeting between the two sides in
March to discuss and try to resolve the border dispute.

The spokesman said Surayuth would meet the leaders of Myanmar's ruling
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) during his trip to Yangon.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung is expected to arrive in Thailand on
Friday and is likely to visit Ranong to discuss the border dispute, Thai
official sources said.
****************************************************************