BurmaNet News: February 22, 2001

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
         February 22, 2001   Issue # 1742
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________

INSIDE BURMA _______
*Asian Wall Street Journal: Guerrilla Warfare-- Requiem for a Resistance
*Jane's Defence Weekly: Myanmar installs new naval radar 
*AFP: Myanmar "persists" in use of forced labour: unions
*Radio Australia: Crashed Burmese helicopter being salvaged 
*Myanmar Times: Myanmar defends accusations over border skirmish  
*AFP: Myanmar accuses Thailand of aiding drug traffickers 

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*UPI: Thai general warns of war if Burmese forces intrude
*The Vancouver Sun: Edging toward war: Drugs and land disputes spur 
military battles between Thailand and Burma
*AFP: Cambodia doesn't need a Suu Kyi: Hun Sen 
*Xinhua: Thai Defense Minister Blames Border Tension on Meeting 
Suspension 
*AFP: Myanmar needs external help to curb drugs, says UN body 
*India Today: Myanmar-- General Partners

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Myanmar Times: 8pc growth this year: forecast

OPINION/EDITORIALS_______
*The Gazette (Montreal): Burmese deception

	


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________



Asian Wall Street Journal: Guerrilla Warfare-- Requiem for a Resistance

Feb. 13, 2001

By Sam Dealey

The Asian Wall Street Journal via Dow Jones

  KAWTHOOLEI, Burma -- Perhaps the most bizarre episode in the history 
of resistance against Burma's repressive military junta ended three 
weeks ago when legendary teen Karen twins and rebel leaders, Johnny and 
Luther Htoo, turned themselves in to Thai security forces in Ratchaburi 
in the rugged foothills that separate Thailand from Burma. But the rise 
and fall of their God's Army wasn't the handiwork of the notorious junta 
alone. Rather, it was Rangoon's unholy alliance with the Thai government 
and foreign oil companies that ultimately led to the demise of one of 
the most feared and enigmatic Karen groups to have fought for a 
federated Burmese republic since World War II. 

  The origin of God's Army lies in a controversial pipeline project -- a 
four-way partnership launched in 1993 by France's Total, 
California-based Unocal, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and the 
state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. The $1.2 billion project, 
expected to fill the cash-strapped junta's coffers with $400 million 
annually, called for a 36-inch-diameter pipeline stretching from the 
Yadana natural gas field off the coast of Burma to a refinery in 
Thailand. Trouble was, it had to pass through an active war-zone 
tentatively held by the Karen National Union, the main Karen resistance 
movement.

  It was a recipe for conflict. Wishing to protect their investments, 
Total and
Unocal employed Burmese troops for security. To the Karen, however, the 
pipeline
was merely a pretext for further incursions into their ethnic homeland 
by the
junta's troops.

  But this time the Burmese government had the sanction of Western 
businesses
and governments. United States and Thai diplomats pressured the Karen 
not to resist. According to General Saw Bo Mya, then KNU president, U.S. 
officials in Bangkok told Karen leaders that an attack on the pipeline 
would be considered an act of "terrorism" and result in an end to 
humanitarian aid and food shipments to Karen refugee camps.

  Thai authorities, too, threatened to cut off unofficial trade and 
supply routes to the Karen inside Burma. The Tenasserim mountain range 
is inhospitable land, unsuitable for growing food crops, forcing the 
Karen to rely on Thai border guards to turn a blind eye to the smuggling 
of food and other goods across the frontier. Hamstrung, the KNU agreed 
not to resist.    Meanwhile, Burmese troops charged with protecting the 
pipeline swept through the area, attacking villages, subduing Karen and 
forcing many of them into porterage. In just a few years, what was once 
a Karen stronghold fell firmly under Rangoon's control. 

  Unocal and Total maintain that no human rights abuses, such as slave 
labor or
forced relocations, occurred during construction of the pipeline. But 
eyewitness
reports say otherwise, and a declassified U.S. embassy report of a May 
1995 meeting with a Unocal executive shows U.S. officials weren't 
exactly buying the companies' line. "We have heard other claims that 
this kind of relocation sometimes takes place before foreigners arrive 
on the scene to witness such abuse," the report said.

  Neither did Unocal representatives acknowledge credible reports of 
Karen press-ganged to work on related projects -- the building of roads 
chief among them. "As {the Unocal official's} denial of company 
responsibility for the forced road-clearing attests, it is impossible to 
operate in a completely abuse-free environment when you have the Burmese 
government as a partner," the embassy report concluded.

  After four years of oppression, the local Karen were pushed to the 
breaking point. Legend has it that after their village was attacked in 
1997 to make way for the pipeline, the two 10-year-old twins, Johnny and 
Luther Htoo, were inspired by visions to take up arms, and they 
convinced seven Karen soldiers to join them. According to KNU leaders, 
it was after a successful surprise assault, routing a full battalion of 
the junta's shock troops, that the ranks of God's Army began to swell 
with disaffected KNU soldiers.

  Most accounts of God's Army have focused on the group's spiritual 
teachings ? a blend of Christian piety and local animism. Certainly the 
twins' band of followers developed some unusual beliefs. For instance, 
they thought that if the tide of battle turned against God's Army, 
angels would materialize to fight alongside them. The boy-prophets were 
said to turn invisible at will and bullets bounced off of them. 
Landmines purportedly were rendered harmless under their
feet.

  This made for some colorful stories in the Western media which painted 
the God's Army as either comicly fraudulent Christians or rabid fanatics 
whose beliefs encouraged them to take up arms. But the band's own 
religion was a symptom rather than a cause of its desperate fight for 
survival. Christian Karen are Baptist and Presbyterian -- a legacy from 
missionaries of the early 1800s ? but embattled villagers inside Burma 
have long been cut off from the structured worship of the Karen in 
Thailand's refugee camps. "Because they are so isolated and it's such a 
desperate situation, they've deviated from standard {Christian} 
practices," explained Jim Jacobson, a missionary who directs the 
U.S.-based humanitarian outfit Christian Freedom International. "But 
they truly believe that Jesus is their salvation."

  After several more God's Army victories against government troops the 
twins grew in mythic stature, so much so that the even the KNU 
leadership expressed admiration for their fighting ability. But there 
was a day of reckoning. It came when a dissident group of pro-democracy 
activists from Rangoon, the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors, took 
refuge with God's Army in the hills after staging several terrorist 
attacks against the junta. These included the Oct. 1999 seizure of the 
Burmese embassy in Bangkok, in which hostages were freed in exchange for 
safe passage back to Burma. That last act, which ended peacefully but 
humiliated Thai authorities, placed God's Army firmly in the crosshairs 
of both the Thai and Burmese governments.

  Several months later, God's Army was tracked to a village on the 
Burmese border, where they and innocent Karen villagers were pummeled by 
Thai and Burmese artillery. (Thai military has claimed it was firing 
only warning shots to keep the combatants at bay.) Ten members of God's 
Army slipped across the border and laid siege to a hospital in 
Ratchaburi, demanding that Thai doctors treat their wounded. Thai 
security forces stormed the hospital and, according to
eyewitness reports, summarily executed them.

  With threats renewed to cut off aid and food supplies, the KNU 
distanced itself even further from God's Army. Thai military presence 
along the border increased significantly, and shipments of rice 
allegedly bound for the twins from sympathizers were confiscated. As 
hunger set in, the ranks of God's Army dwindled. Rumors of infighting 
seemed to be borne out in late December when a faction of God's Army 
killed six Thai villagers, infuriating the Thai government. Starving and 
unable to evade capture much longer, the Htoo twins turned themselves in 
to Thai authorities with about a dozen child-soldier followers on Jan. 
23. The twins say they would like to live with their mother in a Karen 
refugee camp, but Thai officials are still weighing whether to press 
charges.

  With the twins' capture, the myths that grew up around them may 
subside. But
it's likely other groups will form in the area, born of the desperation 
of local Karen, attacked on all sides. The true origin of the God's Army 
rebellion is not to be found in their strange mixture of Christian and 
animist beliefs, but in the alliance of business and governments 
determined to protect the natural gas pipeline at any cost. As the U.S. 
embassy report suggests, there's little chance of creating an abuse-free 
environment around a business venture as long as the Burmese government 
is involved.


  Mr. Dealey is an editorial page writer for The Asian Wall Street 
Journal. 


___________________________________________________




Jane's Defence Weekly: Myanmar installs new naval radar 

Bruce Hawke JDW Special Correspondent 

Bangkok 

Feb. 21, 2001

Asian intelligence sources report that the Myanmar Navy has 
installed a new radar station on St Luke's Island (also called 
Zadetkale Island) at the southern tip of Taninthayi division 
(formerly known as Tenasserim) situated opposite Thailand's Ranong 
province. 
  
Work on the station, carried out by Chinese engineers, began in 
March 2000 and was completed early this year. The radar equipment 
was procured from a Singapore-registered trading company, but its 
origin is unknown. There are three islands near the new radar base 
whose sovereignty are under dispute. Contradicting territorial 
claims have produced regular clashes in the region between Myanmar 
and Thai naval vessels, including at least two incidents late last 
year during which shots were fired. 
  
The coastal region is also a haven for smugglers and has rich 
fishing grounds. Yangon has been complaining for several years that 
Thai fishing boats operating out of Ranong are illegally trawling in 
its territorial waters. 
  
In a related development, the same source told Jane's Defence Weekly 
that the Myanmar Navy has stepped up its operations since last 
October with the intention of seizing Thai fishing boats operating 
illegally. 
  
The confiscated trawlers, so far numbering about 20, have been given 
to a government-owned fishing company. 



___________________________________________________




AFP: Myanmar "persists" in use of forced labour: unions 

Bangkok, Feb 21 


Myanmar "persists" in using forced labour, the International 
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) said in a report to the 
International Labour Organisation (ILO). 

"The junta has not taken any measures aimed at really putting an end to 
forced labour," the confederation said Tuesday in a statement received 
here. 

"Even worse, the army and the administration tries hard to hide the 
extent and nature of forced labour imposed on the population and 
attempts to use propaganda, disinformation and lies to counter measures 
planned by the ILO," said the Brussells-based confederation which claims 
221 unions in 148 countries. 

The ILO's governing body last November called on its members -- which 
includes unions and employers besides countries -- to review their ties 
with Myanmar over the issue, a move which threatened to increase the 
sanctions load that has already helped cripple the economy. 

The issue of international sanctions against Myanmar is on the agenda 
for the next session of advisors to the UN agency on March 8 in Geneva. 

The unions warned against "any slackening of pressure on Myanmar". 

The Japanese head of the ILO regional office here, Yasuyuki Nodera, said 
recently that Myanmar is expected to make progress in eliminating forced 
labour this year. 

"Expect progress in Myanmar," he said, adding that one of his top 
priorities would be to send ILO experts to Myanmar to help stamp out 
forced labor by changing laws and bringing the perpetrators to justice. 


___________________________________________________





Radio Australia: Crashed Burmese helicopter being salvaged 

Feb. 22, 2001

Burmese rescue workers have salvaged the wreckage of a helicopter that 
crashed into a river killing the ruling junta's number four general Tin 
Oo. 

He was a key member of the ruling council, a 21-member group of army 
officers who took power in Burma in September 1988 after crushing a 
democracy uprising. 

The Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter was dredged in two pieces from the 
bottom of the Salween river where it crashed in bad weather on Monday 
with 29 people aboard, 160 kilometres southeast of Rangoon.

A body was retrieved from the wreckage bringing the confirmed death toll 
to five.

Troops are still searching for 11 people missing, including another top 
general and a Cabinet minister. 

A number of survivors are recovering in a military hospital in Rangoon. 






___________________________________________________


Myanmar Times: Myanmar defends accusations over border skirmish  

Feb. 12-19 issue
 
OPTIMISM about new, improved relations between Myanmar and Thailand 
faltered last week as the situation along the uncertain border between 
the two countries deteriorated through four days of armed clashes in 
which there were casualties on all sides.The Myanmar Government said the 
Thai Army had shelled legitimate tatmadaw positions on February 8, 9 and 
11, and fired 10 rounds of heavy weaponry into the Myanmar town of 
Tachilek, resulting in the loss of lives and property.Thai army leaders, 
meanwhile, charged Myanmar with border incursions, and of opening fire 
on the neighbouring Thai town of Mae Sai. 



But Myanmar officials believed the Shan army had manipulated the latter 
situation to disrupt the possibility of better Myanmar-Thai relations ? 
which could have weakened the rebels? position.At a press conference 
last week, army spokesman Col Kyaw Thein said: ?Our columns did not fire 
heavy weapons into Mae Sai?.?Attaching great importance to the 
friendship between the two Tatmadaws, our troops launched the attacks 
(against the Shan insurgents) with great care,? the spokesman said. A 
second Government spokesman said shells which exploded in Mae Sai during 
fighting against the Shan Army, ?could be (the Shan?s) deliberate 
attempt to create misunderstanding between the two neighbouring 
countries?.?It is very clear that the direction of the shells that fell 
into Mae Sai is not in the direction of where the actual fighting was 
taking place on the Myanmar side,? the spokesman said.

Contrary to the Thais? claims, the Government has argued that it is the 
Shan army, now led by Ywet Sit following the surrender of former drug 
lord Khun Sa, which is engaged in high-level narcotics production.?It is 
regrettable to learn that certain Thai media have portrayed Ywet Sit as 
a Shan leader fighting for freedom,? the spokesman said.?The Thai Army 
is treating Ywet Sit like a partner and giving the (Shan army) not only 
moral support but physical assistance as well.?The (Shan army) has been 
given not only bases and sanctuaries inside Thailand, but also artillery 
support against the Myanmar troop positions.?The spokesman said the 
?drug menace? which threatened both countries, and the continuation of 
armed conflict along the border, could be defeated only through 
Myanmar-Thai cooperation.?Then, our trade flourishes and our friendship 
thrives,? he said.The Myanmar military has also denied the Thai 
allegation that it crossed into Thai territory.

A spokesman said Myanmar troops had asked the Thais to vacate a hillock, 
located parallel to another hill on which a Shan army camp had been 
established on Myanmar territory.The Thais agreed, and withdrew, he 
said.The spokesman said Myanmar soldiers were preparing to leave the 
station when they were attacked by fire coming from Thai 
territory.Myanmar is believed to have retained control of the hillock. 
At the time of writing, fighting had ceased and the Thai-Myanmar 
Friendship Bridge at Tachilek ? blockaded at each end by the respective 
sides during the hostilities ? had been re-opened. Negotiations between 
Myanmar and Thailand were underway.NEGOTIATIONS between Myanmar and 
Thailand began on Thursday last week, held on both sides of the border 
crossing between Tachilek in Myanmar and Mae Sai in Thailand.Earlier in 
the week, both countries took diplomatic action in response to the 
border incident.

Myanmar?s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Khin Maung Win, 
summoned new Thai Ambassador Oun Maolanon on Tuesday evening to register 
the Government?s protest and to call for a peaceful resolution of the 
issues.In Bangkok, Myanmar?s Ambassador U Hla Maung was asked to explain 
his country?s involvement in events along the border. And Surapong 
Jayanama, director-general of the Thai foreign ministry?s East Asia 
Department, issued an official letter of protest on February 12. Both 
sides have lodged claims for reparation for the destruction caused by 
firing on towns in their respective territories; Tachilek in Myanmar and 
Mae Sai in Thailand.New Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ? whose 
election and subsequent public comment had prompted expectations of a 
new age in Thai-Myanmar cooperation ? cancelled travel to the conflict 
area at the last moment on Wednesday, on the advice of regional Thai 
army commanders

But he said he would visit Yangon as soon as possible after the 
swearing-in, yesterday, of his cabinet. Mr Thaksin told Thai media he 
could be accompanied by his coalition partner and likely new Defense 
Minister, former PM Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.The head of the New 
Aspiration Party, Gen Yongchaiyudh was the first foreign dignitary to 
visit Myanmar after the installation of the Tatmadaw Government in 1988, 
when he was Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army. A Thai diplomat 
in Yangon said on Friday that the visit had not yet been confirmed.


___________________________________________________



AFP: Myanmar accuses Thailand of aiding drug traffickers 

YANGON, Feb 22 

Myanmar criticised Thailand Thursday over recent border clashes with 
ethnic rebels by saying Thailand had not been a 'good neighbor' as it 
was aiding drug traffickers. 

"Instead of lending us a helping hand in this task (of defeating the 
rebels), they are assisting the drug traffickers...which threaten the 
human race," the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said. 

The editorial comes in the wake of a raid Wednesday by ethnic Shan State 
Army (SSA) insurgents who stormed a Myanmar military base near the Thai 
border, killing one Myanmar soldier and taking a second prisoner. 

Referring loosely to the "current situation," the paper hinted that the 
Thai army was using the SSA to fight a proxy war, and that in the past 
Myanmar had demonstrated "good neighborliness" by routing insurgents. 

However, Thailand has not extended the same courtesy as there is 
"undeniable historical evidence" that Thailand has assisted Myanmar 
insurgents in the past, the paper said. 

"If a country accepts insurgents rising against the government of 
another country, there will certainly be fightings and bloodshed at the 
border," it said. 

"It is acceptable and realistic for a country to drive out the 
insurgents of another country from its territory." 

"If the country provides food and shelter to the enemy of another 
country it is tantamount to receiving a thief," it said. 

Thursday's commentary was one of several recently that have taken a 
stand most clearly against Thailand's military rather than the 
newly-installed government of Thaksin Shinawatra. 

The renewed fighting between Myanmar and SSA troops has taken a toll on 
Myanmar commodities, which have seen supplies dry up and prices spiral 
upwards as the border tension increases, a Yangon source said. 

The cost of goods transported across the Thai border has skyrocketed 
nearly a hundred percent, the source said. 

Scores of Thai troops have been sent to the border region in recent 
weeks to guard against incursions by Myanmar troops, whose fighting 
against ethnic rebels strayed into Thailand earlier this month. 





___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				


UPI: Thai general warns of war if Burmese forces intrude 

Wednesday, 21 February 2001 2:52 (ET)


Thai general warns of war if Burmese forces intrude


 BANGKOK, Thailand, Feb. 21 (UPI) - Thailand's military supreme 
commander
has warned Rangoon that further incursions into Thai territory by 
Burmese
troops could lead to war, the Bangkok Post reported Wednesday.

 Supreme Commander General Sampao Chusri's warning reportedly was 
submitted
on Tuesday to Burma's ambassador and military attaché to Thailand.

"We will not allow Burma to use Thai soil as a base for any military
operations, even if they ask for permission," General Sampao was quoted 
as
saying.

 He said further incursions by Burmese forces in pursuit of ethnic Shan
rebels would lead to strong Thai military retaliation and this could 
lead to
war.

 The two countries are ancient rivals but are today officially allies in
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

 The warning came amid continuing tension along the two countries' 
border
and a build-up of forces on both sides.

 On Wednesday morning Thai military officers at the border said Burmese
troops clashed with rebels of the Shan State Army just inside Burma. 
Small
arms fire was heard in the northernmost Thai town of Mae Sai and at 
least
one Burmese soldier was killed, the officers said.

  On February 11 Thai and Burmese border forces exchanged artillery and
mortar fire, resulting in the deaths of at least six civilians and an
unknown number of Burmese troops. Mae Sai, a popular tourist center and
market town, was evacuated briefly.

 Burmese troops have on several occasions intruded into Thai territory 
in
"hot pursuit" raids against Shan and Karen rebels.

 General Sampao said talks between Thai and Burmese military
representatives along the border have bogged down. He said Burma 
rejected a
Thai deadline on Tuesday for a pull-back of Burmese forces from a 
disputed
area in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, 435 miles north of 
Bangkok.

  Forces of the Rangoon military junta are currently on the offensive
against Shan rebels, who they claim are involved in the illicit trade in
heroin and methamphetamines.

 But top Thai military commanders say the Burmese are cooperating with
ethnic Wa drug traders to corner the narcotics trade.



___________________________________________________


The Vancouver Sun: Edging toward war: Drugs and land disputes spur 
military battles between Thailand and Burma


February 22, 2001

Jonathan Manthorpe 

The two-decade-long era of peace and cooperation among the 10 countries 
of Southeast Asia is under severe strain after a serious battle between 
the armies of Thailand and Burma. 

Both countries have moved heavy reinforcements to their border in the 
"Golden Triangle" -- Burma's opium poppy-growing highlands -- after a 
bloody battle 10 days ago in which scores of the Rangoon junta's 
soldiers were killed. 

In both Rangoon and Bangkok there is much chest thumping and sabre 
rattling as years of mutual frustration bubble up into rumours of war. 

Whether these tensions now boil over into conflict -- something 
Southeast Asia has not seen between countries since Vietnam's 1979 
invasion of Cambodia and, peripherally, its border war with China in 
1986-87 -- seems to be in the hands of fate and happenstance. 

The timing of the clash between Thailand and Burma itself breeds 
uncertainty. It came as the new Thai government of Prime Minister 
Thaksin Shinawatra was easing itself into office after last month's 
election. 

This coincides with a tussle for power among the generals in the Burmese 
military regime. 

Thaksin's victory owed much to an appeal to strong nationalist 
sentiments among Thais. 

Those instincts have been goaded into widespread anger against the 
Burmese regime in recent months over the targeting of young Thais by 
drug producers and traffickers operating out of the Golden Triangle. 

Hundreds of thousands of Thai young people, mostly children of the 
influential middle class, have become addicted to a form of the drug 
"ecstasy" being smuggled in from factories in the Golden Triangle 
operated by drug lords of the United Wa State Army, an ethnic minority 
under the patronage of the Rangoon junta. 

The purposeful targeting of their children has outraged Thais, who in 
the last 40 years have been largely successful in eradicating their own 
historic opium poppy growing, heroin addiction and trafficking problem. 

Soon after the addiction epidemic became apparent Thailand moved some of 
its best military units up to its jungle-covered, mountainous northern 
border with Burma. 

Rumour quickly began to surface that Thailand was employing mercenaries 
and allies on cross-border raids to destroy drug tablet factories. 

Most persistent are reports that the Thai military has been arming and 
helping members of the Shan State Army against the Wa and their drug 
factories. 

The Shan have for 40 years been fighting for independence from Burma, 
but in recent months thousands of their people have crossed the border 
into Thailand to escape attacks from the Wa aimed at driving them off 
their traditional lands and expanding the drug-producing region. 

There is no doubt the Shan army has been retaliating with strikes into 
Burma from refugee camps in Thailand. 

Burmese troops were in a running battle with one such Shan rebel group 
on Feb. 9, when a barrage of mortar shells fell in the Thai town of Mae 
Sai, killing three people. 

Thai troops were quickly dispatched and discovered a contingent of 
several hundred Burmese government soldiers inside Thailand. 

In the engagement, 19 Thai soldiers were captured and held by the 
Burmese who set up a defensive point on a hilltop. 

The Thai captives managed to escape in the following hours and the 
Bangkok army launched a full-scale assault on the Burmese, sweeping them 
off the hilltop and back across the border. Scores of the Burmese 
soldiers were killed in the battle. 

In the days since the battle, both sides have heavily reinforced their 
troops in the region. Rangoon is believed to have deployed its 
well-armed Light Infantry Division. Bangkok has sent two armoured 
regiments with about 100 light tanks, as well as holding on alert two 
squadrons of fighter-bomber warplanes. 

This bristling situation is now alive with flying barbed words. Burma 
has accused the Thais of arming and supporting the Shan in an effort to 
frustrate what Rangoon claims are its own efforts to stem the drug 
trade. 

Bangkok says it was a clear cut case of Burmese abuse of Thai 
sovereignty. Thai newspapers have been full of more outraged invective 
against the junta, even suggesting Thailand should withdraw from the 
organization that has helped establish regional security over the last 
three decades, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 

Thaksin, the new Thai prime minister, has been forced to put off his 
planned fence-mending visit to Rangoon and to distance himself from his 
past close commercial relationship with the Burmese junta. 

In one of those paradoxes of the human condition, a calming effect on 
the situation may come from the new Thai defence minister, Chavalit 
Yongchaiyudh. 

Chavalit is a former army general who was prime minister in the 1990s 
under the banner of his personal political party, New Aspiration. 

Chavalit funded the party from the proceeds of hardwood timber smuggling 
from Cambodia and Burma when he was a regional military commander. He is 
a soldier who has always shown more interest in money-making than in 
fighting. 

This may prove a useful attribute in this situation, except -- and it's 
a big caveat -- Chavalit is already being criticized publicly by senior 
serving generals for appeasing the Burmese and demeaning Thailand's 
national honour. 

jmanthorpe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 



___________________________________________________



AFP: Cambodia doesn't need a Suu Kyi: Hun Sen 

PHNOM PENH, Feb 22 


Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen denied claims on Thursday from 
opposition leader Sam Rainsy that officials were plotting to remove his 
parliamentary immunity and have him jailed for slandering the king. 

The last thing Cambodia needed was the international community seeing 
Sam Rainsy as a Cambodian Aung San Suu Kyi, Hun Sen said in a speech 
referring to the Myanmar democracy leader currently under de facto house 
arrest in Yangon. 

"As far as I'm concerned, Sam Rainsy should remain an MP and I will not 
voice any support for the lifting of his immunity," said Hun Sen. 

"If he were imprisoned he would be considered like Aung San Suu Kyi in 
Myanmar. Therefore I need Rainsy to have freedom." 

The Sam Rainsy Party sent a statement to news agencies on Thursday 
claiming officials from Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) 
were fabricating evidence to eliminate him as leader of the opposition. 

"The latest trick the ruling CPP is planning ... is to frame him (Sam 
Rainsy) and get him sentenced for the crime of lese-majeste" against 
King Norodom Sihanouk. 

A tape had been fabricated, it said, so that Sam Rainsy can be heard 
saying "the king is a criminal." 

In Cambodia it is illegal to say anything regarded as defamatory against 
the monarchy. 

The Sam Rainsy Party statement said two Khmer-language statements by 
Rainsy had probably been spliced together; one in which Rainsy says "The 
king is needed to guarantee peace in this country," and the other in 
which he says "this country is a haven for criminals." 

Hun Sen acknowleged to existence of "a tape," but denied any plan was 
afoot to lift the opposition leader's immunity. 

"It is true that we have received lots of documents, not just a tape ... 
But Rainsy should be well looked after. He should remain the leader of 
the opposition. If we lose Sam Rainsy, Hun Sen will also lose value, 
therefore I want Sam rainsy to remain as a critic of the government. 



___________________________________________________



___________________________________________________



Xinhua: Thai Defense Minister Blames Border Tension on Meeting 
Suspension 

BANGKOK, February 22 

The border tension between Thailand and Myanmar was mainly attributed to 
the suspension of the meeting of joint border committees of the two 
neighboring countries for more than two years, Defense Minister Gen 
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported 
Thursday. 

The adjournment of the talks by the joint bodies for that long led to 
the lack of good understanding and trust between the two nations, 
Chavalit was quoted as saying on Wednesday. 

Gen Chavalit, who is also deputy premier, said the bilateral relations 
would strengthen and no conflict would occur should the joint committees 
at all levels hold discussion at lease once a year. 

Asked whether it is time for leaders of both countries to hold 
discussion now, he said the border problem should be addressed through 
talks by low-level officials first. 

The minister said he believed the situation would improve soon and the 
premier would visit Myanmar to discuss the problem once the government's 
policy statement was delivered at Parliament. 

He also blamed the border tension on ill-intent persons. They did not 
want to see peace exist along the Thai and Myanmar frontier. But the 
Thai government remains insistent on the need to strengthen friendship 
with neighboring countries, said Chavalit. 

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was quoted as saying that he had been 
informed of the clash between Myanmar soldiers and the Shan State Army 
troops at the former's outpost opposite Mae Sai District of the northern 
province of Chiang Rai. 

The Thai military had been kept on alert to prevent the battle from 
spilling over into the Thai territory. 

Thaksin did not want the media and the public to worry too much about 
the situation. The border problem would be solved sooner or later, he 
said. 



___________________________________________________




AFP: Myanmar needs external help to curb drugs, says UN body 

Yangon, Feb 22 


The United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) lauded 
the Myanmar junta's "real efforts" at addressing the problem of illicit 
drugs and said they would be futile without external assistance. 

The situational report was aimed at warning the world of "an impending 
major drug crisis" which would not only "further erode the civil society 
in Myanmar" but have adverse regional and international repercussions, 
said local UNDCP representative Jean-Luc Lemanhieu. 

"Urgent external assistance is thus a prerequisite to prevent an 
impending domestic crisis with serious regional and international 
implication," he said at a briefing session late Wednesday. 

The report described the drug situation in Myanmar, a leading producer 
in South-East Asia, as "intriguingly complex," attracting a lot of 
adverse international media attention but hardly any financial 
assistance. 

The UNDCP said Yangon's willingness to curb opium production was real 
but "limited domestic resources" and lack of "influence" over 
opiate-producing ethnic minorities in remote regions made the job 
difficult, despite cease-fire deals and promises of economic aid. 

According to the report, the Myanmar government faced the added threat 
of an amphetamine type stimulant (ATS) epidemic. 

"Since the first successful interceptions in 1996, seizures in Myanmar 
rocketed by a multiplier of five," it said. 

If the international community did not "seize the opportunity", the 
prospects for effective ATS control would be slim and Myanmar could 
become the next leader on ATS in South-East Asia after China and 
Thailand, the report said. 

"No way Myanmar can tackle this issue alone," Lemanhieu said. 



___________________________________________________



India Today: Myanmar-- General Partners 

Swapan Dasgupta 


After 40 years, India and its eastern neighbour are rediscovering each 
other 


A visit to the small and undistinguished mazar of the last Mughal ruler 
of India, Bahadur Shah Zafar, in downtown Yangon, is semi-obligatory for 
all visitors from the subcontinent. The leather-bound visitor's book in 
the basement, adjoining the real tomb discovered during renovation work 
in 1991, tells the story of the comings of South Asia's notables to the 
Myanmar capital. From 1978 to 1998, the bulk of distinguished visitors 
was from Bangladesh and Pakistan and included a disproportionate number 
of senior military officers. From 1999, the trickle of Indian visitors 
turned into a virtual flood of Delhi's officialdom and military brass, 
culminating with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's visit on 
February 15. 

Not since Jawaharlal Nehru gifted Aung Sun, the father of free Myanmar, 
an overcoat for his 1948 London visit and then dreamt Asian solidarity 
with his successor U Nu, have Indo-Myanmar relations witnessed such a 
high. After being out of each other's radar since General Ne Win drew 
his country within a bamboo curtain in 1963, the neighbours have 
rediscovered each other. 

The 160 km Tamu-Kalemyo-Kalewa road which Singh inaugurated last week 
with enthusiastic fanfare is symbolic. Built by India's Border Roads 
Organisation at a cost of Rs 121 crore, the highway across the Kbaw 
Valley links Imphal to the road to Mandalay. It follows the tracks of 
the Burma Road which fell into disrepair and disuse after 1945. Now, 
like the rest of Indo-Myanmar relations, it has been extricated from the 
realms of archaeology. "It's a memorable day," said Singh with studied 
understatement. "We conveyed a message-that land links us." 

In the coming days that message may be reinforced. Apart from Moreh in 
Manipur, border-crossing posts are planned in Champhal and Paletwa in 
Mizoram and the Pangsau pass in Arunachal Pradesh. There is also an 
ambitious plan to establish a riverine route through the Kaladan river 
linking Mizoram with the port of Sittwe (Akyab). India has requested 
permission for the reopening of its consulate in Mandalay, which could 
perhaps lead to a reciprocal arrangement for Myanmar in Kolkata. The 
unblocking of what Singh calls "the arteries of past commerce" could one 
day even lead to the rebuilding of the Ledo road that linked Assam with 
China some 50 years ago. Not to speak of a gas pipeline into India along 
the Kaladan river. 

The rediscovery of Myanmar is replete with expectations, a reason why 
the grim reality of the Moreh-Tamu link fast emerging as a centre of 
smuggling in Chinese electronic goods is glossed over. Despite teething 
problems, both countries need each other. The convergence of national 
interests override each other's imperfections. 

Apart from geoeconomics, Delhi could do with Yangon's cooperation to 
make life inhospitable for those insurgent groups who feel there are 
permanent sanctuaries across the border. This includes Assam's ULFA, a 
faction of the NSCN which operates in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh and 
the PLA and its offshoots in Manipur. Blessed with Chinese weapons, the 
Indian insurgents have established links with ethnic rebels in Myanmar. 
Though Yangon has entered into cease-fire agreements with 17 of its 18 
rebel groups, it has not prevented the rebels from extending hospitality 
to those fighting the Indian state. Singh raised this in his meeting 
with the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Chairman Senior 
General Than Shwe, Vice-Chairman and Army chief General Maung Aye and 
head of Military Intelligence General Khin Nyunt last week. Their 
response is understood to have been very supportive. 

That shouldn't come as a surprise. Apart from being wary of the ethos 
governing the insurgents on both sides-particularly the inspiration they 
draw from evangelists in the West-the military rulers of Myanmar 
appreciate a neighbour that neither questions the country's territorial 
integrity nor its abiding commitment to Buddhism. On both these counts, 
the BJP-led dispensation is regarded as more kosher than its 
predecessors which equated Indo-Myanmar relations with the fate of 
opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. In harping on 
civilisational links while complimenting the SPDC on its efforts at 
national consolidation, the Indian political leadership has enhanced the 
comfort level of the generals. 

Indeed, an offshoot of the patient rebuilding of Indo-Myanmar ties since 
1999 has even led to India being regarded as a counterweight to China. 
While China's political and military links with the ruling SPDC are 
formidable, there is a wariness on two counts. First, there is a fear of 
China's connections with the ethnic rebels through the Communist Party 
of Burma (CPB). Though the CPB withdrew from the fight in 1988 when the 
regime was most beleaguered, it is seen as a reserve army of 
subversives. Second, the near-organised influx of the Chinese into areas 
bordering China is seen in Myanmar as an exercise in demographic 
transformation. Read with the Islamic jehadi threat the regime perceives 
in the Arakan region and the indignation it feels at the pro-democracy 
hysteria generated by the West, the SPDC is in search of an affable 
counterweight. 

India wouldn't have fitted the bill earlier, obsessed as it was with 
sanctimonious diplomacy. However, as the largest purchaser of Myanmar's 
goods (25 per cent of exports) and a country with shared cultural 
assumptions, economics, civilisation and pragmatism have produced a 
happy blend. Handled with sensitivity, the convergence could now produce 
dramatic results. 


OLD ROUTES NEW LINKS 

ROAD: The 160 km Tamu-Kalemyo-Kalewa road now links Imphal to Mandalay. 
If the Ledo road is rebuilt, Assam will be linked with China. 

CROSSING: Apart from Moreh, new points are to be established in Pangsau, 
Champhal and Paletwa. 

RIVER: The proposed Kaladan river navigation project could link Mizoram 
to Sittwe (Akyab). 




_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

Myanmar Times: 8pc growth this year: forecast 

Feb. 12-19 issue

SECRETARY-1, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, has predicted a positive economic 
outlook and a minimum eight per cent annual growth rate over the April 
2000-March 2001 fiscal year.Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt made his comments during a 
pitch to trade and economic ministers from the BIMST-EC grouping, which 
met for the third time in Yangon last week, to maintain their trend 
towards greater economic cooperation with Myanmar.

?By the end of March this year, we will have completed the 1996-97 to 
2000-01 short term Five Year Plan,? Secretary-1 said.?Against a Plan 
target of six per cent GDP growth, we were able to achieve an average 
annual growth of 7.2 per cent in the first four years of the Plan. ?In 
this year, the growth is projected to be at least eight per cent,? he 
said.He said his Government had made its achievements in isolation, but 
looked forward to greater backing from other countries in the future.

?What?s more, the economic achievements prevailing currently are being 
attained by our own efforts and without any assistance from abroad,? he 
said.?At the same time, the country looks forwards to cooperating with 
friendly nations for mutual benefits, offering vast prospects for doing 
business in such sectors as agriculture, forestry, mining, livestock 
breeding, industry, energy and service sectors and tourism.?We hope 
Myanmar?s economic potential will contribute to regional 
prosperity.?Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt said Myanmar economy had grown despite the 
effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis because of well-planned and 
implemented Government policies.



_______________OPINION/EDITORIALS_________________




The Gazette (Montreal): Burmese deception 


February 22, 2001 


Burma's repressive junta has stopped spewing invective about Aung San 
Suu Kyi, and is actually engaging in talks with the heroine of the 
pro-democracy movement, whom it has kept under house arrest (formal or 
de facto) for most of the past decade. By so doing, the junta obviously 
is trying to improve its deservedly abysmal international image. 

But it would be surprising indeed if the junta actually proves it is 
serious about opening the way to meaningful political reform. 

The government of Burma, also known as Myanmar, has one of the planet's 
worst human-rights records. The country has been under military rule for 
four decades. The current junta came to power after crushing 
pro-democracy demonstrations that swept the country in 1988, killing at 
least 3,000 unarmed activists in the process. 

An election in 1990 was won in a landslide by Ms. Suu Kyi's National 
League for Democracy, but the military refused to hand over power. Since 
then, the regime has used various abusive, violent tactics to maintain 
its grip, including torture, summary executions and the arbitrary arrest 
and detention of citizens. Its reprehensible practices also include 
forced labour. 

The junta has used its political and military choke-hold on the country 
for its own economic ends, as well. Burma's rulers control much of the 
important economic activity in their country, something that has further 
impoverished the majority of citizens. 

So it probably would be wishful thinking to view the recent overtures to 
Ms. Suu Kyi as any sign that the junta is about to see the light and 
reform itself right out of office. More plausible is the suggestion that 
it is merely trying to give wealthy countries that have imposed economic 
and diplomatic sanctions an excuse to drop them. By making it look as if 
reform is under way, the junta offers a reason to invest in the country. 


The rest of the world, one hopes, knows better than to fall into such a 
trap. Talks and a ceasefire in its war of invective against Ms. Suu Kyi 
certainly are welcome. But pressure on the junta should continue, until 
it really does step aside in favour of a democratically elected 
government. After all they have suffered, Burmese deserve no less. 






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