BurmaNet News: February 12, 2001

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
         February 11, 2001   Issue # 1733
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________

INSIDE BURMA _______
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Junta on a spree for porters
*Freedom News: Camp Pang Noon reoccupied by Shan State Army
*Bangkok Post : No News Is Good News as Burma Talks Continue
*Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma (MLOB): Anti-Muslim riots in 
Burma

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*Bangkok Post: Mae Sai Evacuated as Shells Hit Town
*The Nation: Burmese Intruders Repelled; 3 Dead
*The Nation: Terrified Villagers Flee from 'Cruel Burmese'
*The Nation: Govt to Lodge Protest with Envoy
*The Nation: India, Burma to Ink Drugs Treaty
*The Nation: Woman Dies in Immigrant Raid
*The Hindu Newspaper: Cross-border road link to Myanmar to be opened 

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Bangkok Post: Kanchanaburi pins hopes on Tavoy road

OPINION/EDITORIALS_______
*The Nation: an Opportunity for Progress in Burma

	


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________




Shan Herald Agency for News: Junta on a spree for porters

12 February 2001

No: 02-2


The hostilities that broke out between Thai and Burmese troops at dawn  
early today (11 February) had sent local junta troops on a frantic hunt 
for  forced porters, according to sources from across the border. 

The fighting that began a little after 05:00 (Bangkok time) this morning 
at  the disputed hill of Kuthinayong (Kusinara in Pali) between Shan 
State's  Tachilek and Thailand's Mae Sai was followed by junta troops 
picking up  unsuspecting civilians, both male and female, along Tachilek 
streets, they  said.

"The Burmese (authorities) had already demanded that each ward provide  
porters for the army," said one source.

Tachilek has seven administrative wards.

Thousands have already fled the city to the surrounding villages since  
morning. About 1,000 are reported to be in Hsaimong Temple of Rev. 
Sengla,  among whose patrons is none other than Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, the  
powerful  Secretary 1 of the ruling military council, another thousand 
at  Loimaw Meditation Center and several hundreds at the Dawn Rueng 
Temple of  Rev. Bonjoom in Monghpong.

Meanwhile, Shan State Army captain, whose name is withheld here by 
request,  reported the battle at Loi Kaw Wan, opposite Mae Faluang 
District,  southwest of Mae Sai, was still in progress. "We saw 3 
Dongfengs  (East  Wind, Chinese-made six-wheelers) carrying their 
wounded back," he said. "We  let them go."

According to an unconfirmed report, Rangoon is also dispatching its  
well-armed LID (Light Infantry Division) 55 to the area. The Shan 
captain  however said so far the newly arrived Burmese troops were from 
the  neighboring Mongpyak and Monghsat townships.

Latest Information (12 February) 08:00

The guns on both sides have been silent since 19:00 last evening and 
Thais  have reopened the Friendship Bridge on their side. The gate on 
the Burmese  side remains closed.

Fighting between SSA and junta troops opposite Mae Faluang, however, 
still  goes on.



___________________________________________________


Freedom News: Camp Pang Noon reoccupied by Shan State Army

12 February 2001


On 11th February 2001 at 24:00 hr, SSA troops raided and recaptured the 
Pang Noon camp, which was occupied by the SPDC troops on  Saturday the 
10th February 2001. The SPDC troops left 6 of their dead and made their 
escape with nearly 30 of them wounded. Pang Noon camp is now reoccupied 
by SSA troops of the Keng Tung front. 



___________________________________________________




Bangkok Post : No News Is Good News as Burma Talks Continue

Monday, February 12, 2001



Chrisjohnson

Rangoon, Reuters

Landmark talks between Burma's military government and prodemocracy 
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi offer the best hope for democracy and 
full engagement with the rest of the world for more than a decade. 

Ihe talks, which began in October, have alreadv produced an 
extraordinary result: the two sides have agreed not to discuss their 
private meetings or comment on their progrcss, and they are sticking to 
the deal. Open hostilities have virtually ceased.

For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, Burma's state-run 
newspapers no longer carry daily diatribes condemning Mrs Suu Kyi's 
National League for Democracy as "axe handles" and traitors out to 
destroy the country.

Public criticism of the military by the NLD-which won Burma's last 
election in 1990 by a wide margin but has never been allowed to 
govern-has also dried up.

"So far the signs are promising and we assume the talks are making 
progress, " said one senior Rangoon-based diplomat. "No news appears to 
be good news."

The government and NLD may not be speaking about the talks but they have 
sent some.very clear messages. At the end of January the government 
released 85 political prisoners, including NLD vice-chairman Tin Oo, 
from detention.

Sources close to the NLD said on Friday the party would curtail its 
traditional public events to mark the Union Day national holiday today, 
a day that usually sees ritual denunciations by the party of the 
military. 

The sources said the government might choose to mark March 27, 
celebrated by the military as Armed Forces Day ancl by the pro-democracy 
opposition as Resistance Day, with another significant goodwill gesture. 


On March 27, 1945, Aung San, Mr Suu Kyi's father and Burma's 
independence hero, called on his national resistance fighters to throw 
the occupying Japanese forces out of the country.

"We think March 27 could see an important gesture," one source said. 
"That day is symbolic for everyone."

Diplomats say Burma has between 1,600 and 1,700 political prisgners, 35 
of whom were politicians elected in the 1990 polls.

Both sides will need to show evidence that the encounters are making 
progress if they are to keep their supporters on side.

That will not be easy because there is little common ground. 
For years the military has insisted that Burma is not ready for 
democracy and needs a special constitution that guarantees the 
pre-eminence of the armed forces.

Any new parliament should have 25% of seats reserved for the military 
and Burma's more than one dozen ethnic minorities each need guaranteed 
representation as well, it says.


The remaining seats would be freely contested, but the military expects 
its own organisations, including its Union Solidarity and Development 
Association, to stand for election.

The NLD rejects this formula, which it says would not give it enough 
seats to win power even if it produced a landslide.

These positions appeared inflexible until a few months ago. 

Then, in October, the government initiated direct talks with Mrs Suu 
Kyi, something they had refused ta do for six years.

Diplomats and opposition sources give much credit for breaking the 
deadlock to governments of the Association of South East Asian Nations, 
particularly Singapore and Malaysia.

Asean admitted Burma in 1997 and has pursued a controversial policy of 
flexible engagement with the Rangoon generals, arguing investment and 
dialogue would encourage change.

Embarrassed by lack of progress in Burma, Asean stepped up pressure on 
Rangoon last year and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad appears 
to have persuaded the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) 
that dialogue was the best option.

Diplomats say the Asean message may have been made more palatable by 
offers of aid to help Rurma's battered economy, whic h is suffering 
doubledigit inflation, very low growth and a downward spiral in the 
value of the currency, the kyat.

The UN secretary-general's special envoy to Burrna, Razali Ismail, also 
Malaysian, applied a little extra gentle pressure.

Mrs Suu Kyi appears to have held at least two meetings a month with SPDC 
leaclers. She has probable met the head of military intelligence, 
secretary one of the SPDC, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, twice and 
maybe also SPDC chairman Senior General Than Shwe.

Under virtual house arrest since September, Mrs Suu Kyi has probably 
been escorted from her home for the secret talks, diplomats say. 

Other NLD leaders under house arrest such as NLD chairman Aung Shwe and 
Tin Oo may also have taken part in the dialogue.

Diplomats suggest the talks probably involve four stages.

"The first step was contact and that has been accomplished," said one 
senior source close to the NI.D. "Then there is a process of confidence 
building, with a series of gestures."

After this, the parties need to discuss an agenda and only then can real 
negotiations towards specific targets begin.

"The process", as all sides describe it, may be very long.




___________________________________________________



Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma (MLOB): Anti-Muslim riots in 
Burma

[Abridged]

February, 9, 2001 

The ruling junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)... 
instigated the prevailing anti-Muslims riots in the heartof Sittwe, the 
capital of Arakan State. This was done purposely in order to divert the 
attention of the entire Burmese people from the so-called national 
reconciliation talk between SPDC and National League for Democracy (NLD) 
and a rumour last week about a struggle for seizure of power in among 
the ruling generals.

The brutal SPDC junta similarly created the anti-Muslim riots in 
Mandalay in 1997 in order to distract attention from the clashes between 
Buddhist monks and the junta. These later spread to entire central Burma 
even as far as Rangoon, resulting in the destruction of 43 mosques, many 
Islamic institutions and Muslim properties. During that incident, the 
SPDC authorities also alleged that a Muslim youth harassed a Buddhist 
girl.  

Prior to this in 1991-92, the junta created anti-Muslim riots in Arakan 
State forcing 300,000 Rohingyas to flee into Bangladesh. This was 
intentionally done in order to divert the peoples? attention from the 
dissatisfaction over the refusal by the junta to hand over power to NLD 
following the general election in 1990. 

Similarly the junta alleged that some Muslim youths mocked at some 
Buddhist girls on the 4th of February, 2001, and at about 8.00 P.M. 
(BST), a group of SPDC agents in disguise as Buddhist monks organized 
members of their mass organization, Union Solidarity and Development 
Association (USDA) and set ablaze dozens of houses, one teashop and a 
ôGonö Guest House in Maw Leik quarter and destroyed another 40 houses 
only about 150 meters away from the main police station of Sittwe. In 
the night, 8 Muslims were killed and bullets of SPDC security soldiers 
caused one of the deaths. The authorities cut off all
tele-communication lines. 

On 5th of February,2001,according to reliable sources, the SPDC agents 
started to set fire to Ambler Ywa (village), Nazi Ywa and Bu Me Ywa, 
where sword and stick-fightings took place between Buddhists and Muslims 
as the result of which 15 Muslims and 2 Buddhists were killed and many 
hundreds of houses were burnt down. 

On 6th of February, 2001, the SPDC agents destroyed the mosque in Mee 
Zan quarter about falf a kilo meter away from the main police station of 
Sittwe.






___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				

Bangkok Post: Mae Sai Evacuated as Shells Hit Town

Monday, February 12, 2001



Army retaliates after mortar fire kills two

Thai artillery retaliated against Burmese army gun emplacements across 
the border after mortar shells and stray bullets rained on Mae Sai town 
yesterday, killing two people and wounding 15 others.

The Burmese shells hit a military unit, a shophouse, a satellite dish on 
a residence, a tourist's car and a temple in the market area as fighting 
between Burmese troops and Shan State Army rebels again spilled over 
into Thailand.

Seven Thai soldiers and eight civilians were confirmed wounded. 
Thai troops were ordered to retaliate.

"We will use force even if it means there will be a loss of lives," said 
Third Army commander Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuanwong.

There was panic in the town and the evacuation of civilians was promptly 
ordered.

Burmese forces attacked positions held by the Shan at Tachilek town, 
just across from Mae Sai in Chiang Rai.

Rangoon's troops were supported by soldiers of the United Wa State Army, 
the Red Wa druglords held responsible for most of the methamphetamines 
produced in border refineries.

Fighting in Tachilek began before dawn and continued throughout 
yesterday. Gunfire was clearly audible in Mae Sai.

The two people were killed by a mortar shell which landed on their house 
as they were having breakfast at Ban Huay Kaew, just behind Mae Sai 
police station.

"Most of the people had just woken up and were opening their shops for 
business when the fighting began. Monks were still on the street 
receiving alms. We were all frightened," said Sriporn Chrasawetwimol, 
30, a pharmacy owner.

Local officials said about 20 Thais and foreign tourists who had crossed 
to Tachilek were believed to be stranded.


As evacuations began, all border checkpoints in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai 
and Mae Hong Son were ordered closed.

Streams of people were seen leaving the town as Thai troops retaliated 
with heavy artillery, aiming at Burmese positions thought to be the 
source of the stray shells.

More than 1,000 soldiers backed by armoured personnel carriers and 
helicopter gunships moved in to secure the border.

By noon, the Mae Sai market was deserted, all shops closed and all 
business activity stopped. Four temporary shelters were opened at 
schools about 5km from Mae Sai for the evacuees.

Decha Satthapol, Mae Sai district chief, said about 300 police and 30 
volunteers were brought in to help and prevent shops from being looted 
during the chaos.

By late afternoon, more than 1,000 people had checked in at the four 
holding centres and a steady stream was still arriving.

Lt-Gen Wattanachai said about 200 Burmese soldiers who earlier took over 
a Thai paramilitary base at Ban Pang Noon in Mae Fah Luang district were 
still there. They were trying to launch an attack on the SSA from Thai 
soil. 
About 20 Thai rangers based at Ban Pang Noon who had been detained when 
Burmese surrounded and captured their camp had managed to make their 
escape yesterday, he said.

A supply helicopter was also hit in Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai, by 
Burmese soldiers positioned at Doi Lang.

"The Burmese soldiers' actions are a clear violation of the border 
agreement," said Lt-Gen Wattanachai.

"We will use force even if it means there will be a loss of lives." 
The Third Army commander accused the Burmese forces of backing the 
United Wa State Army in producing methamphetamine along the border and 
flooding Thailand with the drug.

"From our own assessment, the Burmese soldiers are supporting the Wa in 
producing the drug in a rather open manner," said Lt-Gen Wattanachai. 
Rangoon ordered the military offensive against the SSA because the Shan 
had fought against the Wa and disrupted the drug trade.

Military sources said yesterday four battalions of Burmese troops have 
been reinforced at Tachilek late yesterday afternoon.

A 155mm artillery piece had also been sited at a golf course 2km from 
the town.

Local residents received at least two telephone calls from Thais who 
were stranded in Tachilek, warning them to stay out of Mae Sai because 
it could be the gun's target.

Two Burmese soldiers were killed in a clash with a combined patrol of 
border police and soldiers near the border in Kanchanaburi yesterday. 
The patrol came across the Burmese soldiers about one kilometre inside 
the border.A Karen who accompanied the Thai force was slightly hurt in 
the clash, a military source said.



___________________________________________________





The Nation: Burmese Intruders Repelled; 3 Dead

Monday, February 12, 2001



BY JEERAPORN CHAISRI, DON PATHAN
The Nation

MAE SAI, Chiang Rai - The situation remained tense here yesterday with 
Thai soldiers sealing off long stretches of Thailand's northern border 
with Burma following heavy clashes with Burmese troops throughout the 
day that resulted in the death of at least three Thai villagers.

At least 16 Thai nationals, seven of them soldiers, were injured in the 
fighting. Unconfirmed reports said 20 Burmese soldiers had been killed, 
officials said.

The fighting has turned this normally vibrant commercial district into a 
ghost town, with local residents and shopkeepers packing whatever 
belongings they can and fleeing into Chiang Rai province.

About 800 Thai soldiers have been deployed to border areas in Chiang Mai 
and Chiang Rai provinces. The Army has asked the Air Force to help it 
secure the border area, said Lt-General Wathanachai Chaimuanwong, 
commander of the Third Army Region.

Yesterday's clashes erupted after a unit of Burmese soldiers who had 
occupied a Thai base camp near Ban Pang Noon since Friday refused to 
retreat over the border.

At least 19 Thai Rangers were positioned there when Burmese troops 
overran the base on Friday, deputy commander of the Third Army Region 
Lt-General Chamlong Phothong, told The Nation yesterday.

Visiting Queen Margrethe and members of the Danish royal family 
accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 
northern Thailand were yesterday contemplating cancelling a visit to the 
nearby Golden Triangle area for security reasons, according to official 
sources. 

Shortly after the three-hour clash at Ban Pang Noon yesterday morning, 
Burmese soldiers began firing random volleys of gunfire every five to 10 
minutes or so into the heart of Mae Sai while shelling the outskirts of 
the town, damaging about 10 homes.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, an emotional Wathanachai 
accused Burma of violating Thailand's sovereignty and provoking the 
incident. 
"They want the hill [near Ban Pang Noon] so they can position their 
artillery there to shoot at the [Shan] minority army. But this is our 
territory. I can't allow them to walk over us like this," the visibly 
tense commander said.


Ban Pang Noon is about seven kilometres south of Chiang Rai province's 
Mae Sai, a major commercial town bordering Burma's Tachilek town. Thai 
goods cross the border at the town, destined for as far away as China 
and India. 

Other areas along the northern Thai-Burmese border remained on the 
alert, with troops from both sides closely monitoring each other's 
movements. 

According to Chamlong, the 19 Thai Rangers who were in the base camp 
near Ban Pang Noon tried to persuade the Burmese to return over the 
border. "It was when the Burmese decided to release them and sent them 
back down to us that we decided to shell the hill," Chamlong said.

"It is our duty to defend our sovereign territory," he said. 
For the past week Burmese government troops have been engaged in heavy 
fighting with soldiers from the Shan State Army (SSA), a rebel outfit 
fighting for autonomy from Rangoon.

About 50 ethnic Shan families displaced by fighting between SSA soldiers 
and Burmese government troops live near Ban Pang Noon in Mae Pha Luang 
district, Chamlong said.

During the press conference yesterday, Wathanachai accused the Burmese 
troops of "deliberately trying to shoot down one of our helicopters, 
which was transporting food to troops in the area."

The incident took place at about 2pm on Saturday in Doi Lang, just 70 
kilometres south of Mae Sai district, Chamlong said.

"It was intentional, and the incident is not an isolated one. The troops 
who shot at the helicopter are from the same unit that invaded our 
territory," Wathanachai said. The helicopter was forced

to make an emergency landing at a nearby army base near Tha Thon. 

Disputed Doi Lang, once occupied by soldiers belonging to opium warlord 
Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army, has for the past six years been occupied by 
both Thai and Burmese troops. The area became debatable after Khun Sa 
surrendered to Rangoon in January 1996 in return for an amnesty. 
Throughout the weekend, firefights and exchanges of artillery shells 
between SSA troops and Burmese soldiers on the outskirts of Tachilek 
could be heard clearly in nearby Mae Sai.

Wathanachai said Burmese soldiers had launched "a heavy operation" 
against the SSA in an effort to give the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a 
pro-Rangoon ethnic outfit, greater control of the border region.

Headquartered in Panghsang on the Chinese border, the 20,000-strong UWSA 
is one of the world's largest armed drug-trafficking groups. It controls 
a large area along the northern Thai-Burmese border, where it engages in 
illicit drug production and trafficking.

Mae Sai, one of the liveliest towns along the border, was pretty much 
deserted yesterday afternoon amid fear that fighting could spill over 
into the town.

Chamlong said the border would remain closed until the situation 
returned to normal. Opening it now would risk the town falling into the 
hands of the Burmese and endangering national security, he said.

___________________________________________________




The Nation: Govt to Lodge Protest with Envoy

Monday, February 12, 2001



BY DON PATHAN
The Nation


THE Foreign Ministry will today summon Burmese Ambassador Hla Maung to 
receive an official letter of protest condemning recent clashes between 
Thai and Burmese troops, said Surapong Jayanama, director-general of the 
ministry's East Asia Department yesterday.

The government will also demand financial compensation for loss of life 
and property caused by Burmese troops, Surapong said.

"Burmese troops have violated the country's sovereignty and territorial 
integrity," Surapong said.
"The Thai Army responded directly to the violation, which Thailand deems 
provocative," Surapong said.

Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Pradarp Phibulsonggram said the 
government would call on Rangoon to reconvene the Thai-Burmese Regional 
Border Committee (RBC) as soon as possible to help clear the air 
following clashes that left at least three Thai villagers dead and more 
than a dozen injured. 
The RBC is a bilateral committee set up to solve border disputes. It is 
chaired by the army commanders overseeing the countries' regions 
involved. The committee last met about two years ago, Pradarp said.

Thai and Burmese troops exchanged fire over the weekend, resulting in 
the death of at least three Thai villagers.

Seven Thai soldiers were reported to be in a serious condition, said 
Thai army officials, while news reports claimed 20 Burmese soldiers had 
been killed.

A Thai helicopter was also shot at on Saturday by Burmese troops 
positioned at Doi Lang, about 70 kilometres south of Mae Sai district. 
The helicopter was forced to carry out an emergency landing at an army 
camp at Tha Ton. 
Army officials described the border area along Thailand's Mae Sai and 
Mae Ai districts as tense, with both sides monitoring each other's 
movements closely.

The weekend clashes marked the first direct confrontation between Thai 
and Burmese soldiers in three years.

Five years ago Burmese troops crossed deep into Thailand to burn down 
the Huay Kalok refugee camps near Mae Sot district, where thousands of 
ethnic Karens were living.

The incident was repeated the following year, forcing the Thai 
government to condemn the acts.
Yesterday's incident forced security planners to ponder the timing of 
the clashes.

One security official said Thai authorities believed the act was a 
deliberate test of new Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was 
installed as premier on February 9, the same day Burmese troops 
illegally seized a hill near Ban Pang Noon and held at least 19 Thai 
Rangers hostage for some time.

Both Thaksin and General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is expected to 
receive the Defence Ministry post, have publicly criticised the state of 
Thai-Burmese relations under Chuan Leekpai, saying they would use their 
relations with the Burmese junta to patch things up.

Many Thai defence planners expect more violent incidents along the 
border in the near future, with the Burmese generals looking forward to 
a less confrontational Bangkok government, the source said.

___________________________________________________



The Nation: India, Burma to Ink Drugs Treaty

Monday, February 12, 2001



GUVVAHATI, India - India and Burma are to sign a treaty to combat 
cross-border drug trafficking and a separatist insurgency during a visit 
by India's foreign minister this week, officials said yesterday. 
Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh is due in Rangoon tomorrow for a 
three-day trip during which he will also discuss ways to boost trade and 
transport links.

It is the first high-level trip by an Indian leader to Burma since then 
prime minister Rajiv Gandhi visited in 1987.

Foreign ministry officials said Singh's trip will "signal New Delhi's 
interest in revinng close contacts with Rangoon"

The officials said high on the agenda were effective plans" to stem the 
flow of drugs from Burma into India through Moreh, the last border point 
in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.

They said a treaty would be signed following Singh's talks with Burma's 
military leaders. - Agence France-Presse.

___________________________________________________


The Nation: Terrified Villagers Flee from 'Cruel Burmese'

Monday, February 12, 2001




By Jeeraporn Chaisri
The Nation

BAN PONG - Po, 67, woke up to gunfire yesterday morning and, grabbing 
whatever she could, fled the area with her three-year-old niece. 
All she has left in her possession is an extra set of clothes for her 
niece. She said she had no idea how long the girl would have to wear 
them before she could get hold of something new.

Po trekked for two kilometres from Doi Ngam before arriving at the main 
road where she and others felt safe from stray Burmese bullets. She and 
her niece were met by local authorities who were picking up evacuees. 

"There was a guesthouse nearby that was blown to pieces," Po said. 
"Smoke and dirt were all over the place."

Po said she had been worried that there would not be enough blankets to 
go around, adding that the biting cold in the evenings in the North 
didn't cross her mind when she was fleeing for her life. There were 
plenty of blankets, however.

Po said she hopes peace comes soon so she and her family can return. 

"There is no place as warm and peaceful as one's home. It's cold at 
night and I'm concerned about my niece," she said.

Sukhavich Srithong, coordinator at Ban Pong's evacuation centre, said 
there are about 1,000 people at the centre and that another 1,000 are 
expected to arrive in the night.

The centre will not provide food because of a shortage of funds. 
As the incident took place yesterday when most officers were away, it 
has been difficult to coordinate with other government agencies, 
Sukhavich said. 
"For the time being, we can provide water and medicine but no food 
because we don't have the money. We will welcome a helping hand from any 
organisation that can help.

"It's not certain how long the situation will drag on," he said. 
The evacuation centre at Ban Pong's school consists of a four-storey 
building and another two-storey building, as well as more than 10 big 
tents packed with villagers.

In addition to arriving with family members, many came with dogs and 
cats and a quite a few with roosters. Some arrived with carts of rice, 
water and blankets hauled by motorbikes.

Police set up a checkpoint to inspect unauthorised vehicles, but some 
motorcycle taxis managed to sneak through, heading for Mae Sai to pick 
up those still stranded.

Boonthong Chareonsamran, a motorcycle taxi driver, said he saw a number 
of mortar shells launched by Burmese troops that landed on a 
kindergarten, three temples, two houses, and guesthouses.

"Many people were in fear for their lives, and some were injured as they 
tried to flee the shelling.

"The Burmese soldiers are cruel. I saw some walking near the checkpoint 
while many of them 
were hiding in people's houses after chasing them out," he said.


___________________________________________________


The Hindu Newspaper: Cross-border road link to Myanmar to be opened 

 By Our Special Correspondent 



February 11, 2001

NEW DELHI, FEB. 10. India is set to inaugurate next Tuesday a key 
cross-border link to Myanmar as part of its policy to draw physical 
linkages with South-East Asia.  
The 160-km Tamu-Kalemyo road, to be inaugurated by the External Affairs 

Minister,Mr. Jaswant Singh, could be reached from Moreh in Manipur.  
Consequently, 
India would be linked to Kalemyo which straddles the Chindwin river, a 
key tributary of the legendary Irrawady.  

The Tamu-Kalemyo road has been built by India so that it could reach 
South-East Asia along a land corridor. Kalemyo is a major junction from 
where several link roads stretch to the interiors.  

The Tamu-Kalemyo road is likely to fit into the larger regional road 
network envisaged by the Asian Highway project, which aims at connecting 
the Persian Gulf with South and South- East Asia.  

India's out-reach to Myanmar has also been driven by larger concerns 
about the Asian security balance. China has made investments of nearly 
$2 billion in Myanmar in recent years. Security planers are concerned 
the Chinese attempts to access the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman sea 
from Myanmar.  

According to a senior External Affairs Ministry official, Mr. Singh's 
entourage includes representatives from the Ministries of External 
Affairs, Home, Power, and Border Roads. The inaugural ceremony would be 
attended by the General Officer- Commanding, three corps.  

Mr. Singh would later visit Yangon, where he would inaugurate a remote 
sensing data processing centre, built by the Indian Space Research 
Organisation.    


___________________________________________________




The Nation: Woman Dies in Immigrant Raid

Monday, February 12, 2001



KUALA LUMPUR  - A Burmese woman drowned in an abandoned mining pool 
while fleeing Malaysian police in a pre-dawn sweep of illegal 
immigrants, a news report said yesterday.

The victim, whose identity was not revealed, fled her makeshift home 
near a Kuala Lumpur market after authorities surrounded the area early 
on Saturday, police spokesman Tan Yan Thian told the Sunday Star 
newspaper . 

She stumbled into the disused pond. and of ficials fished her body out 
nearly seven hours later. it reported.

The raid was part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants who 
have flocked to Malaysia from the country's poorer neighbours since the 
1997 Asian economic crisis. - Associated Press.




______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

Bangkok Post: Kanchanaburi pins hopes on Tavoy road

February 11, 2001

Chettha likely to oversee project

Local business has taken heart from Thaksin Shinawatra's election as 
prime minister, in the expectation his government will help boost 
cross-border trade. 

They said the Thai Rak Thai leader had already shown interest in the 
planned road from Kanchanaburi to Tavoy in lower Burma. There were 
reports Gen Chettha Thanacharo, a Thai Rak Thai list MP, would become a 
deputy prime minister and help push the road's development. 

Mr Thaksin outlined his thoughts on border trade on Jan 28, when he 
visited Kanchanaburi while campaigning for the Jan 29 re-election. 

"I think from now on economic affairs will be a big issue. This must be 
taken into account for talks. But our neighbour is in a political 
transition period and might not regard the economy as the only important 
thing," Mr Thaksin said. 

"They must have regard to security as well, while we give more 
importance to the economy than security. For them, security is most 
important, so it will take time for them to develop economically." He 
asked local businesmen about the Kanchanaburi-Tavoy road project, which 
is part of the border trade development plan. 
Sing Tangcharoenchaichana, chairman of the provincial industrial 
council, told Mr Thaksin there had been little progress since the 
council launched the project five years ago. There was still no formal 
agreement with the Burmese government, although talks had begun. 

Gen Chettha is expected to meet members of the Kanchanaburi industrial 
council soon for talks. 

Mr Sing said the industrial council wanted a signed agreement on the 
road project at government level, which would lead to the opening of 
border checkpoints. There would be no problem of funds for the road 
because construction would be gradual, he said. 

Boonchu Wiwattanathorn, chairman of the Kanchanaburi chamber of 
commerce, said the opening of any of the three border checkpoints 
selected by the province would benefit border trade and investment 
generally. 

The three checkpoints are the Three-Pagoda Pass in Sangkhla Buri 
district, I-Tong in Thong Pha Phum district and Pu Nam Ron in Muang 
district. 

Sompong Tanchavalpipat, chamber of commerce chairman, outlined the main 
obstacles to Thai-Burmese trade across the western border:- Half of the 
trade, including logging and mining, is illegal and protection fees must 
be paid to Burmese soldiers and minority militias. 

- Rangoon's emphasis on national security rather than economic 
development, as well as outdated trade laws, makes investment a high 
risk. 

- All large projects in Burma need approval from the State Peace and 
Development Council first, and under-the-table money must be paid for 
the signing of any contracts. 

- Political problems in Burma means foreign businesses lack trust in 
Rangoon and are reluctant to invest. 

- Security problems caused by Burmese ethnic minorities, who cause 
trouble for both countries. 

- Lack of money has forced Thai investors to scale down the original 
Tavoy project to merely a road linking Kanchanaburi to Tavoy. 


________________OPINION/EDITORIALS_______________



The Nation: an Opportunity for Progress in Burma


Monday, February 12, 2001



Last week European Union governments came out with a statement assessing 
the EU trip to Burma by welcoming recent talks between Burma's ruling 
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and opposition leader Aung 
San Suu Kyi as the "most interesting developments" in more than a 
decade. That much was clear. The process should be encouraged. It 
represents a building block towards national reconciliation.

The EU also welcomed the release from detention of a number of 
opposition activists and strongly supported the ongoing efforts by the 
United Nations' special envoy, Razali Ismail, to prompt a dialogue going 
between the government and the opposition. But the EU also issued a 
caveat, saying the political situation in Burma was still worrisome 
because of a lack of concrete measures that might lead to national 
reconciliation, democracy and the respect of human rights. The EU 
expressed hope that confidential contacts between the junta and the 
opposition would lead to "real progress in all these areas".

Hopefully, the fact that both sides are not attacking each other is a 
sign that progress has been made and that more is in the offing. As 
those in power, the junta leaders must demonstrate additional goodwill 
by tackling the serious issues above.

In other words, before the current sanctions imposed by the EU end, the 
grouping would like to see the junta leaders do more. In fact, the EU 
appears cautious, knowing full well about the junta's past efforts to 
manipulate the West by doing only enough to overcome growing criticism 
and lessen the impact of sanctions imposed by International Labour 
Organisation. The international community is now looking at the EU's 
attitude towards Burma as a barometer for how to base its own policies. 
Other countries - especially Japan, China and the Asean nations - are 
closely following the developments in Burma, which they hope can be 
intensified and institutionalised. To a certain degree, they all have 
been held hostage by the Burmese syndrome. Japan, which has maintained 
close economic ties with Burma, has to be patient. Japan hopes to assist 
Burma in economic restructuring and other related reforms. But without 
tangible results, its eagerness to provide assistance could do more harm 
than good. 
Asean should renew its proposed plan to dispatch a troika team to 
provide the needed impetus for a follow-up to the EU team. It is ironic 
that Burma continues to reject Vietnam's good offices as chairman of 
Asean. Burma might be prone to respond to Malaysian Prime Minister 
Mahathir Mohammad. But he does not speak or act on behalf of Asean. If 
Burma is genuine and wishes to see Asean play a positive role in 
national reconciliation - which Asean has done in Cambodia and in East 
Timor in consultation with Indonesia - then the Rangoon leaders must 
welcome the Asean troika.


Apart from EU and UN efforts, Thailand has also contributed to the 
current optimism in Burma. Bangkok's firmness and persistence has 
encouraged the junta leaders to deal with Thailand in a broader context, 
rather than just through the usual personal, manipulative channels. The 
new Thai government can strengthen the current political process by 
coordinating its efforts with Asean and the EU as well as with other 
countries which have a stake in Burma.






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