BurmaNet News: January 18, 2000

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--------------- The BurmaNet News ---------------
January 18, 2000
Issue # 1441
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HEADLINES:
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Inside Burma-
 SHAN: BORDER JUNTA TROOPS FITTING OUT 

International-
 REUTERS: BANGLADESHIS SHOT BY MYANMAR FORCES - OFFICER
 XINHUA: MYANMAR-HKSAR TRADE UP

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SHAN: BORDER JUNTA TROOPS FITTING OUT
17 January 2000

No: 1 - 14


Shan Herald Agency for News

As the new millenium began, Burmese units along the Thai border appeared 
to be increasingly preparing for war, reported Saengjuen Sarawin from 
the border.

On 8 January, units in Mongton and Monghsat were ordered by the Triangle 
Command in Kengtung to send mem to train in handling heavy weapons and 
artillery, which would include "84 mm BA" recoilless rifles, "73 mm" 
Surface-to-air missile launchers and 103 mm "big guns".

Accordingly, 6 artillerymen were dispatched by the area command to 
Kengtung 4 days later (2 from Battery 074 in Mongton, 2 from Battery 075 
in Monghsat and 2 from Artillery Battalion 318 in Mongtaw, Saengjuen 
informed.

"The aim is said to be combat ready against the Shan's mobile camps and 
'potential' foreign aggression", he said.

He added the 318th, the newcomer on the scene, arrived very recently, 
after the Shan State Army's attack on the "drug convoy" near BP-1 
(border pass between Mongton and Chiangdao) on 23 December.

In addition, the militia units, most of whose members are Lahu and 
Kokang, are being replenished with AK-47 automatic rifes, G-3 and G-4 
automatic rifles, RPG - 2s and 60 mm mortars since New Year's Day. "From 
now on, they will be accompanying the regular troops on their operations 
against the resistance", said Saengjuen.

The Burmese Army's interest did not seem to be forcussed exclusively on 
the Shans and their movements, according to Saengjuen's source. "Captain 
Aung Lwin, a company commander IB 65, was found on the hill of Laktaeng, 
deep inside Thailand sketching the topography of Wianghaeng District, 
Chiangdao 
Province, from 8-10 January. The commander of the Thai paramilitary 
ranger company warned them off, but they kept coming", said Saengjuen.

The village of Laktaeng is in Piangluang Tract, Wianghaeng District. It 
is known for its Marajina Pagoda and Fah Wiang-inn Temple, built by the 
late resistance leader, General Kornzurng whose memorial is also there, 
straddling the border.

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REUTERS: BANGLADESHIS SHOT BY MYANMAR FORCES - OFFICER

  
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Myanmar frontier guards have 
shot and wounded two Bangladeshis and abducted 20 along Bangladesh's 
southeastern border, security officials said on Tuesday. 

``The incident occurred at Tumbru border point, 65 km (40 miles) 
southeast of Cox's Bazar resort town, on Monday afternoon,'' a 
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border force officer said. 

``The Nasaka (Myanmar frontier guards) conducted the raid when the 
victims were collecting woods in Bangladesh territory close to the 
border,'' Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammd Wasim told Reuters. 

Two people were admitted to hospital with bullet wounds and 20 of their 
companions were abducted, he said. 

``We have sent a note of protest to Nasaka and demanded immediate 
release of our nationals.'' Nasaka is Myanmar's official frontier force. 


Cross border shooting incidents are not uncommon between the two sides, 
often accompanied by Bangladeshi allegations of intrusions by Myanmar 
forces into 
its territory. 

In a separate incident, Bangladesh police arrested 11 Myanmar Moslems 
for crossing into Bangladesh illegally. The Moslems claimed they had 
been forced across the border by Nasaka on Monday night, police said. 


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XINHUA: MYANMAR-HKSAR TRADE UP 

DATELINE: YANGON, January 18 

BODY: 
   Trade between Myanmar and China' s Hong Kong Special Administrative 
Region (HKSAR) amounted to 86. 67 million U.S. dollars in the first 
eight months of 1999, up 8.43 percent from the same period of 1998, 
according to the latest issue of the official Economic Indicators. 

Of the total, Myanmar's imports from the HKSAR was valued at 53. 41 
million dollars, a 1.44 percent increase, while the country's exports to 
the HKSAR stood at 33.26 million dollars, a rise of 21. 92 percent. 

During the period between April 1994 and July 1999, Myanmar drew 
investments totaling 69.32 million dollars from the HKSAR, accounting 
for 1.2 percent of the total foreign investment of 5.64 billion dollars 
in 10 projects. 
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