BurmaNet News: January 10, 2001

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
         January 10, 2001   Issue # 1707
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*The Nation: Burmese drug connection still unknown 
*Mizzima: Condition of Burma's imprisoned student leader deteriorates 
Condition of Burma's imprisoned student leader deteriorates  

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AFP: Treat Aung San Suu Kyi as leader not "little sister," Albright 
warns 
*Voice of America Burmese Service: Reaction to Razali revelation of 
talks
*The Washington Times: Burma Junta Clamps down on Freedom Party 
*Deutsche Presse-Agentur:  Haul of Myanmar heroin and speed was heading 
for Malaysia, Australia 

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*The Star (Malaysia): Green light for workers from Myanmar and Nepal
*Bernama (Malaysia: Myanmar invites Msian investment: Dr Mahathir 


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________


The Nation: Burmese drug connection still unknown 

- January 10, 2001.


HELP would be sought from Burma to locate drug traffickers behind the 
largest ever haul of methamphetamines and heroin seized in Thai waters, 
Narcotics Control Board chief, Kitti Limchaikit said yesterday. The 
Burmese counterparts who made the hand-over to Thai drug traffickers 
were believed to be at large and Thai authorities would like to see them 
stand trial in a Thai court, Kitti said.  

Thai anti-narcotics and security officials had found 7.8 million 
methamphetamine pills and 114 kilograms of heroin in two fishing boats 
in the Andaman Sea.  
Acting on a tip-off, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau sought assistance 
from the Royal Thai Navy, which on Sunday deployed two cruisers and an 
aircraft to arrest the alleged drug traffickers.  
According to an official, an initial investigation suggested the drugs 
may have originated from the Golden Triangle. Anti-narcotics officers 
said this area was largely controlled by a pro-Rangoon minority group, 
called the United Wa State Army.  

The six people who have been arrested so far include: Raksit Vinijkul, 
Sombhat Pinthong, Pratheep Thawee-apiradeeroj, Chairat Sae-tan, Supachai 
Krajaejan, and a Burmese national, Chun-chang Sae-yor.  

Kitti said authorities had seized Bt30 million worth of assets from 
Pratheep, Bt3 million of assets from Chairat and Bt300,000 of assets 
from Supachai. They were also looking into Chairat's 24 bank accounts.  

Suchart was being held responsible for the offence as he was the owner 
of two trawlers found carrying the drugs, which had an estimated street 
value of about Bt1 billion, officials said.  

According to the officials, the drug shipment was loaded in Burma. The 
heroin-loaded trawler was destined for lower Southeast Asia, while the 
other vessel carrying the amphetamines was bound for Thailand. 

____________________________________________________


Mizzima: Condition of Burma's imprisoned student leader deteriorates 
Condition of Burma's imprisoned student leader deteriorates  

New Delhi, January 9, 2001 
Mizzima News Group (www.mizzima.com) 

The health condition of Burma?s prominent student leader, Min Ko Naing 
is reportedly deteriorating day by day and if necessary medical 
treatment is not given urgently, he can be paralyzed soon, according to 
a political prisoner who was together with him in the Sittwe Prison in 
Arakan State of Burma. ôHe has to totally depend on iron bars of the 
prison to walk even a few feet and he suffers from severe pains of his 
lower body. If it goes on like that, he will soon be a handicapped 
personö, said an Arakanese prisoner who was released two weeks ago from 
the same prison
 .  
Min Ko Naing alias Paw U Tun, Chairman of the All Burma Federation of 
Student Unions (ABFSU), was arrested on 24 March 1989. He was sentenced 
to 20 years imprisonment (later commuted to 10 years under a general 
amnesty, but he has not been released) for his anti-government 
activities. He was initially detained in solitary confinement in Insein 
Prison in Rangoon but has been regularly moved from one prison to 
another and currently he is being held in Sittwe Prison.  

According to London-based Amnesty International, Min Ko Naing was 
reportedly severely tortured and ill treated during the early stages of 
his detention and his health has suffered as a consequence. In 1993, a 
United States Congressman visited him in Insein Prison and he was said 
to be in poor health and appeared disoriented.  
In November 1994 the Special Rapporteur on Burma was also allowed to 
visit him briefly in Insein Prison, and described him as being nervous 
and thin.  

ôBesides some political prisoners from other parts of Burma, there are 
about thirty Arakanese political prisoners in the Sittwe Prison along 
with Min Ko Naing. They do not get sufficient medical care, food and 
clothingö, said the former prisoner who has escaped to Bangladesh border 
recently.  

Min Ko Naing, a pseudonym, means A Conqueror of Kings. 
  
  



___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				

AFP: Treat Aung San Suu Kyi as leader not "little sister," Albright 
warns 


WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (AFP) - Myanmar's junta must treat opposition leader 
Aung San Suu Kyi as a political leader not as a "little sister" when it 
meets her for talks, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned 
Tuesday. 

 Albright told reporters that she welcomed the announcement that a 
secret dialogue had been taking place since October between the 
opposition leader and Nobel laureate and the core of generals that rule 
Myanmar, the former Burma. 

 "One of the things that we have wanted to have is the establishment of 
such a dialogue," she said. 

 "Obviously this is something that we will have to see where it leads 
and whether it is a genuine dialogue." 

 The Secretary of State, a consistent supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi, 
warned however that the military must not be allowed to submit the 
opposition leader to "patronizing and cruel conversations that were 
evident when I was there." 

 "She needs to be respected as a political leader and not as, what was 
explained to me, as a 'little sister' that they have to take care of by 
keeping her in her house." 

 Albright, who visited Myanmar while US Ambassador to the United Nations 
in September 1995, said she was called by United Nations Secretary 
General Kofi Annan on Monday to inform her of the dialogue. 

 She said she believed it was "extremely useful" that UN envoy Razali 
Ismail was taking an "active role" in brokering dialogue in Myanmar.
 
 UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said Tuesday that Secretary General Kofi 
Annan "reiterates his call for the two sides to seize the momentum and 
work for national reconciliation." 

 Razali left Yangon on Tuesday after a five-day visit during which he 
held talks with government officials and with Aung San Suu Kyi. 

 He reported that more substantial discussions between the opposition 
and Aung San Suu Kyi were expected to start shortly. 

 The United States has been one of the most consistent supporters of 
Aung San Suu Kyi, and vilifies the junta which refused to hand over 
power when her National League for Democracy won a landslide election 
victory in 1990. 

 Earlier Tuesday, Razali gave the first concrete sign of an easing of 
Myanmar's tortured political climate, as he arrived in Kuala Lumpur 
after flying in from Yangon. 

 "There have been talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar 
government which started towards the end of last year," Razali told AFP. 


 Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, the junta's first secretary and powerful 
chief of military intelligence, met with Aung San Suu Kyi at least once 
last month, diplomatic sources in Bangkok and Myanmar's capital Yangon 
said. 

 A second meeting scheduled with the Nobel peace laureate may have taken 
place over the last few days. 

 Diplomats said the preliminary talks, which "went well," were aimed at 
building the framework for a landmark dialogue, the first since 1994, 
that could end a decade of political deadlock. 

 The breakthrough is largely credited to Razali, who Tuesday left Yangon 
at the end of his third mission to the country since he was appointed in 
April. 

 The "Razali initiative" comes at a time when the junta, despite 
enjoying total control over the country, is under increasing pressure 
from a range of influences from abroad. 



____________________________________________________



Voice of America Burmese Service: Reaction to Razali revelation of talks


Translation of Burmese language report broadcast on VOA Burmese, Jan. 9, 
2001


There is reaction to U-N envoy Razali Ismail's revelation that the SPDC 
has  held talks with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  We talked with observers - 
including  human rights organizations, U.S. lawmakers, and an official 
of the Burmese  exile government.  First, to the State Department and 
Secretary of State  Madeleine Albright.

Asked about the latest development during a news briefing she said U-N  
Secretary General Kofi Annan had phoned her on Monday and said that a  
dialogue is going on between Aung San Suu Kyi and the government:

"One of the things we have wanted to have is the establishment of such a 
 dialogue.  Obviously we will have to see where it leads, and whether it 
is a  genuine dialogue rather the kinds of patronizing and cruel 
conversations  that were evident when I was there, where she needs to be 
respect as a  political leader, and not as it was framed to me as a 
"little sister" that  they had to care of by keeping her in her house."

The Burmese government in exile (NCGUB) told reporters it has confirmed 
the  high-level talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the SPDC.  NCGUB 
spokesman Bo  Hla Tint:

"We welcome the new developments, and we sincierely hope that the talks 
are  genuine and lead to further substantive talks.  Leaders from both 
sides will  recognize the fact that given this situation they will work 
sincerely for  the good of the country."

Mike Jendrzejczyk of Human Rights Watch says although the news appears 
to be good, there is still reason for caution:

"We certainly hope however that this is only the first step and that the 
Burmese government will also implement the various recommendations in 
the resolution just adopted in the U-N General Assembly late last year 
for basic 
improvements in human rights. This includes lifting of any and all 
restrictions, not only on ASSK but all members of the democratic 
opposition for them to be able to travel, speak and openly and freely 
associate with others inside Burma without paying any political price.

Josef Silverstein is a recognized expert on Burma.  He says Burma's 
military leaders, pressured by economic difficulties, were looking for a 
way to break the political deadlock:

"It could be the beginning of a change in politics in the country.  
There are good indications I have seen that there is discontent within 
the military as well as in the country at large, that the economy 
continues to plummet the people continue to suffer and no one can 
understand why there isn't some effort to bring about change."

Text:  Professor Silverstein says Mr. Razali's appointment as U-N 
special envoy presented the SPDC with an opportunity to begin shifting 
policy toward dialogue.  Mr. Silverstein does not discount reports that 
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir may also played a significant role.

U-S lawmakers are just receiving news of the developments in Burma.  One 
member of Congress - Democrat Dennis Kucinich of Ohio - welcomed the 
news but was also cautious:

"This new developments are obviously are obviously in the direction of 
improving dialogue and promoting reconciliation and certainly Kofi Annan 
and Secretary Albright are moving in the direction of both dialogue and 
reconciliation.  I am not in any position to comment directly on the 
substance of the discussions between the U-N envoy and Daw Suu and the 
junta generals, I don't think anybody is. But let us not forget that Daw 
Suu is still under house arrest - her top advisors from the N-L-D are in 
prison or under house arrest, so nobody can confirm or know her opinion. 
 These developments in Burma do raise more questions than answers but 
anything that moves in the direction of dialogue and reconciliation is 
something that has to be carefully considered."

At the United Nations in New York, U-N spokesman Fred Eckhard read this 
statement to reporters:

"The Secretary General was encouraged to learn that during his mission 
Mr. Razali was able to confirm that the two sides have started a direct 
dialogue since last October and that they were satisfied with the 
results achieved so far in the area of confidence-building. The sides 
are expected to start more substantive discussions shortly.  The 
Secretary General reiterates his call for the two sides to seize the 
momentum and work to achieve national reconciliation in Burma at an 
early date."

There has been no comment yet from the SPDC, either through 
military-controlled press or via the SPDC's Internet website or media 
information sheets.








___________________________________________________


The Washington Times: Burma Junta Clamps down on Freedom Party 

January 9, 2001

By Joshua Kurlantzick

RANGOON, Burma ù While pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi 
languishes under house arrest, Burma's ruling junta is trying to 
demolish her National League for Democracy (NLD) party once and for all. 
 
"The military is desperately trying to stamp the NLD out. A full-force 
crackdown is in effect," said Debbie Stothard, coordinator of 
Altsean-Burma, a Bangkok-based group that monitors Burma issues. 

On Dec. 21, the junta handed down sentences of up to 21 years for six 
leading members of the NLD, which won a majority of seats in Burma's 
1990 free elections, a poll that was then annulled by the military. The 
six were tried in closed sessions inside Rangoon's notorious Insein 
Prison and found guilty of distributing pro-democracy leaflets. 

Hundreds of lower-level NLD workers reportedly have been detained 
throughout the country in the past six months, while Burma's leaders 
have stepped up their attacks on the opposition NLD. 

Mrs. Suu Kyi will be "crushed without mercy," Tin Oo, a leading member 
of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the official name for 
the junta, told Burma's state-controlled media.
 
And in a potentially debilitating move, Mrs. Suu Kyi's brother, Aung San 
Oo, a U.S. citizen, has sued his sister in an attempt to reclaim half of 
her residence, which he says should be a jointly owned family property.
 
Some analysts suspect the junta pushed Aung San Oo, who is not a 
pro-democracy activist, to file the suit. Since foreigners cannot hold 
property in Burma, if Aung San Oo wins, his half of the house would be 
turned over to the government, which then could potentially evict Mrs. 
Suu Kyi. 

Mrs. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since late September, when the 
junta prevented her from traveling to the central city of Mandalay to 
visit NLD members. 
Some Bangkok-based analysts say that if she loses the lawsuit, the 
military might keep her under arrest but transfer her to a prison, 
further isolating the opposition leader. 
Although dealings within the junta are often opaque, several theories 
have emerged as to why the SPDC is attempting to annihilate its 
opposition. 

Some analysts believe a group of hard-liners centered on army chief 
Maung Aye has gained the upper hand within the military. 

The Maung Aye faction believes it can wipe out the NLD and still 
maintain ties with its key allies, said Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, a 
Burma specialist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. 

"Relations with the U.S. couldn't get much worse, the hard-liners 
figure, so there's not much to lose on that front," he said. 

China, Pakistan, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and India 
are Burma's key trading partners and suppliers of military assistance. 
None of those countries has commented publicly on the junta's treatment 
of Mrs. Suu Kyi. 

Burma has very limited ties with the West because many Western states 
imposed tough sanctions on Rangoon in the 1990s after the junta refused 
to recognize an overwhelming election victory by the NLD. 

The hard-liners also may be using the anti-NLD effort to isolate 
pragmatists within the regime who are in favor of engaging the 
opposition, Mr. Stothard said. 

In July, Zaw Tun, the junta's deputy minister for development, was fired 
for denigrating the regime's management strategies and suggesting a more 
pragmatic economic and political approach. 

Other Burma experts argue that the junta believes it has generated 
enough good will by crushing several ethnic insurgencies that people 
have begun to accept it as the country's legitimate ruler. 

But the attempted crackdown could backfire.

"The military has weeded out the NLD members who were fearful, leaving a 
hardened, more sophisticated, tougher group of activists willing to take 
more serious and extreme measures," Mr. Stothard said. 

And if free elections were held again, the NLD would probably triumph. 
Many Rangoon residents quietly but adamantly express admiration for Mrs. 
Suu Kyi, although they have become increasingly wary of talking about 
politics


___________________________________________________


 
Deutsche Presse-Agentur:  Haul of Myanmar heroin and speed was heading 
for Malaysia, Australia 



January 9, 2001, Tuesday, BC Cycle  


A record-breaking haul of nearly 7.8 million speed pills and 116 
kilograms of heroin confiscated aboard two Thai fishing vessels was 
destined for Thailand, Malaysia and Australia, Thai anti-narcotics 
officials said on Tuesday. 

On Sunday, the Thai navy intercepted the fishing vessels, 
Chokethaweechai 5 and Por Chokpiya, in the Andaman Sea and confiscated 
7,798,000 methamphetamine tablets and 116kgs of heroin on board the 
vessels, which were registered in Thailand. 

On the same day, three Thai nationals, including the owner of the 
vessels and two men who have been on Thailand's narcotics "blacklist" 
for decades, were arrested in Bangkok in connection with the case, said 
Kitti Limchaiyakij, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics 
Control Board (ONCB). 

On Tuesday, Thai authorities arrested Myanmar (Burmese) national Chun 
Sang in Chiang Mai, 550 kilometres north of Bangkok, who allegedly 
placed the huge heroin/methamphetamine order from production bases along 
the Thai-Myanmar border for the Bangkok-based drug-trafficking gang. 

Kitti told a news conference in Bangkok that the haul in the Andaman 
Sea, near Thailand's Surin Island, was the result of a joint operation 
between the ONCB, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the United 
States, and anti-narcotics officials in Malaysia. 

Thai police have seized personal assets worth 30 million baht (690,000 
dollars) of the three drug-trafficking suspects, identified as Chaiyarat 
Sae Tan, Pratheep Thawkiratiroj and Supachai Krajaejan, under the 
country's recently-passed money laundering law. 

Kitti described the threesome as a suspected international 
drug-trafficking gang who have been under investigation for exporting 
drugs to Europe, the U.S., Australia, Malaysia and Singapore for years. 

The two ships seized on Sunday were allegedly bound for Malaysia and 
Australia, although some of the speed was expected to be unloaded in 
Thailand as well, ONCB sources said. 

The huge seizure has confirmed speculation that heroin and 
methamphetamine producers in northern Myanmar are increasingly turning 
to sea routes to export their goods abroad, to circumvent stepped up 
efforts by Thai authorities to block the drugs from crossing into 
Thailand via the border. dpa pj wp 




_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 


The Star (Malaysia): Green light for workers from Myanmar and Nepal

By Joseph Raj 
PETALING JAYA: Employers in the manufacturing, construction and 
plantation sectors can now recruit workers from Myanmar and Nepal. 

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung yesterday confirmed the move. 


"The Government has decided to allow employers to recruit workers from 
both these countries,'' he said when contacted. 

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Aseh Che Mat said he was 
informed of the move about two weeks ago. 

"The hiring of workers from Myanmar and Nepal will be implemented very 
soon, perhaps even within the next week or so. 

"Workers from these two countries will, however, only be allowed to be 
recruited for the manufacturing, construction and plantation sectors. 

"We have been told for example that workers from Myanmar are good for 
the manufacturing sector,'' he said. 

Aseh said employers intending to recruit workers from the two countries 
would have to adhere to current regulations on the hiring of foreign 
workers. 

"Employers will have to apply to the Home Ministry if they want to hire 
workers from Myanmar and Nepal just like they do now with workers from 
Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and other countries. No workers' agencies 
will be allowed to do so on their behalf. 

"Once an application has been approved, employers will then have to come 
to the Immigration Department for the payment of levy and others,'' said 
Aseh, adding that the number of workers which would be allowed to be 
recruited from the two countries had not been decided yet. 

Among the other conditions employers have to satisfy now are that they 
would only be allowed to recruit foreign workers if their numbers do not 
exceed the number of local employees. 

For the manufacturing sector, only those producing goods for export 
would be considered. 

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) welcomed the move. Its 
executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said the government's decision 
would help alleviate the shortage of workers in the country. 

But he cautioned that employers would not be jumping into hiring workers 
from Myanmar and Nepal straight away. 

"Basically we do not know about the quality of workers from these two 
countries. Employers will probably take a cautious approach of first 
testing how workers from these two countries perform in the jobs they 
are hired for. 

"There is also the question of the skills level of workers from these 
countries as we do not know much about them compared to those from 
Bangladesh for example. 

"Employers will take some time to get used to them,'' said Shamsuddin



___________________________________________________




Bernama (Malaysia: Myanmar invites Msian investment: Dr Mahathir 

January 09 , 2001 20:52PM  
 


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- The Myanmar government has invited 
Malaysian companies to invest in the processing of raw materials in that 
country, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Tuesday. 

"They would like Malaysia to study the possibility of investing in 
Myanmar for the processing of raw materials, including fisheries," he 
told a press conference on his return from a week's visit to Myanmar. 

Dr Mahathir, who was accompanied by Datin Seri Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali 
to Myanmar, said Myanmar offered plenty of investment potential as well 
as opportunities for importing from that country. 

"Myanmar is a country blessed with abundant natural resources as well as 
large agricultural areas," he said. 

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia could buy a lot of agricultural products like 
chillies, onions, sugar, maize and fish from Myanmar. 

"They also have rich sources of fish," he said. 

The prime minister explained that the purpose of his visit to Myanmar 
was to obtain first hand information on the situation in that country. 

"There were reports which we had obtained from other sources which 
showed that things were seemingly bad (in Myanmar)," he said. 

In actual fact, he said the Myanmar government was giving attention to 
efforts in developing the country as well as its citizens, especially 
those staying in the rural areas. 

Dr Mahathir also said that he believed that the Myanmar government was 
keen to have closer bilateral ties with Malaysia. -- BERNAMA 
  
 
 

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