BurmaNet News: April 20, 2001

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxx]

______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
         April 20, 2001   Issue # 1785
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________

NOTED IN PASSING: ?Sources in Rangoon believe that Aung San Suu Kyi is 
getting frustrated with the lack of progress.?

The BBC.  See BBC: International pressure is being maintained on Burma

INSIDE BURMA _______
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Heroin stockpiled at junta post, say 
locals
*Amnesty International: Myanmar--Prisoners of Political Repression
*Freedom News (Shan State Army): SSA troops storm Burmese camp
*Bangkok Post: Burma Blasts UN

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*BBC: International pressure is being maintained on Burma
*Bangkok Post: Traffickers Forced to Shift Routes
*Far Eastern Economic Review: To Reach the Helpless

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*The Asian Age (New Delhi): Burma junta forges pact in jade for 
ceasefire, profit 
*The New Light of Myanmar:  Business Information Group founded to 
distribute Myanmar?s economic  news internationally 

OPINION/EDITORIALS_______
*Freedom News (Shan State Army): SSA- S Rebuttal of AP Report



__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________




Shan Herald Agency for News: Heroin stockpiled at junta post, say locals

20 April 2001

A Burma Army post in the eastern Shan State has for several years been  
doubling itself as a storehouse for drugs, said locals coming to the 
weekly  market at the border.

IB 65 from Mongton in Monghsat District, eastern Shan State, opposite  
Chiangmai Province, has under the command of Lt-Col  Myint Sway, long 
been  an establishment for safe-keeping drugs, they said.

On 16 April, 10-civilian trucks in Mongton and the nearby Nawngpayen 
were  rounded up by Capt Than Aye, 4th Company, IB 65. The next day, 
under the  security of his command, the convoy drove to Hwe Khailong in 
the north and  Hopang in the east to pick up 150 blocks (1 block = 700 
grams) from each  place. The trucks were released only after the goods 
were unloaded at the  battalion post warehouse, according to the 
sources.

A Shan State Army source also reported all refineries have recently been 
 ordered to move away from the border following a bilateral agreement 
made  at the 2-4 April talks in Kengtung for joint suppression of drugs 
along the  border areas.

"It might also be due to Cobra Gold ", he commented.

Cobra Gold, a yearly joint Thai-American military exercises, begins this 
 month in the northern provinces. In the past, the exercises were 
usually  conducted in southern Thailand. The Burmese forces along the 
Thai border  have been placed on alert since 14 April according to 
Democratic Voice of  Burma.

Note: IB stands for Infantry Battalion.





___________________________________________________



Amnesty International: Myanmar--Prisoners of Political Repression

Thousands of political prisoners have been held in detention since large 
scale public unrest erupted in Myanmar in March 1988, when 
demonstrations, initially led by students and Buddhist monks, called for 
an end to 26 years of military one-party rule. Hundreds were arrested in 
connection with elections in May 1990, when the National League for 
Democracy (NLD, the main opposition party led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi) 
won 60 % of valid popular votes, and 81 % of seats. After the elections, 
ruling military authorities did not convene parliament or announce a 
timetable for the transfer of power to a civilian government, and any 
subsequent attempts by the NLD and other groups to influence this 
process have led to widespread arrests and lengthy prison terms. 

The following lists give details of 458 prisoners known to Amnesty 
International of the 1,850 political prisoners currently detained in 
Myanmar: the result of more than a decade of continuous official 
repression of peaceful dissent in the country. They include students, 
politicians, doctors, farmers, teachers, journalists, writers, lawyers, 
comedians and housewives, who have been penalized for peacefully 
demonstrating; distributing or possessing uncensored leaflets or videos; 
seeking redress for human rights violations; telling jokes; wearing 
yellow; or talking to foreign journalists. Amnesty International is 
concerned that the majority of these prisoners are being held solely on 
account of their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly, 
association and expression. All prisoners who have been sentenced have 
received trials which fall short of international standards of fairness. 
Many have been denied legal counsel, and the majority have been 
sentenced under vaguely worded and arbitrarily applied security 
legislation, which subjects rights and freedoms to greater restrictions 
than are necessary to meet requirements of morality, public order and 
general welfare. A number of those listed have been held without charge 
or trial for nearly three years. Many of those who have completed their 
sentences remain in detention, held there by executive decree under 
administrative detention laws, and without recourse to legal appeal of 
their detention.

Amnesty International is further concerned that many prisoners have been 
held incommunicado for months, illegally detained, tortured and held in 
conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during 
interrogation and imprisonment. In most cases, political prisoners are 
not allowed reading or writing material, and are sometimes held in 
special punishment cells. Political prisoners are not allowed to send or 
receive letters. Family visits are allowed only once every two weeks for 
15 minutes, and are conducted in the presence of guards, who often take 
notes. Overcrowding is also common, with three or four prisoners held in 
small cells for most of the day. The prison diet and medical treatment 
are both poor. Families are allowed to bring additional food and 
medicines for prisoners, but these are sometimes confiscated. Political 
prisoners are often moved to prisons far from their families, making it 
more difficult for relatives to visit them, and restricting access to 
extra food and medicine. Scores of political prisoners have died in 
custody, some of them reportedly from torture, and some from ill-health 
exacerbated by the nature of their treatment and lack of adequate 
medical care while in detention.

Amnesty International urges Myanmar's government, the State Peace and 
Development Council to: 

! Immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners held on account 
of their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of association and 
expression;
! To make public full information on all detainees;
! To investigate all allegations of incommunicado detention and torture, 
and take steps to bring those responsible to justice, and to take 
immediate steps to put an end to these practices; 
! To carry out a review of all security legislation which is being used 
to criminalize peaceful dissent and freedom of assembly, expression and 
association, and to revoke or amend such legislation to ensure 
conformity with international standards;
! To take steps to ensure fair trials for all political prisoners and to 
review all trials of political prisoners which have fallen short of 
appropriate international standards. 


For the full list of political prisoners, see:


http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/ASA160062001?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES



___________________________________________________






___________________________________________________



Freedom News (Shan State Army): SSA troops storm Burmese camp

Abridged

20 April 2001

In the evening of 27th March 2001, at about 18.00 hr., a platoon from 
453rd Battalion, 727th Brigade of Shan State Army led by Sergeant Moon 
Mai stormed the Burmese camp of BP1 (near Thai border opposite Nong Ook 
village, Chiang Dao district, Chiangmai province) where not less than 15 
Burmese soldiers were encamped. Six enemy soldiers were wounded, while 
the SSA suffered no loss. 

On 6 April 2001, at 11.15 to 11.23 hr., a battle broke out between an 
SSA platoon of 756th Brigade and 19 Burmese troopers from Murng Pan 
base, when the enemy reached  a temporary camp of SSA near Nong Yang 
village, Murng Pan township. The enemy suffered 1 dead and 10 wounded, 
while SSA lost none.




___________________________________________________






Bangkok Post: Burma Blasts UN

 Friday, April 20, 2001
Reuters

Rangoon - Burma's military government lashed out yesterday at the latest 
United Nations human rights resolution on the country, branding it 
"derogatory, unfair and partial" and denying accusations of rights 
abuses. It also said the resolution would damage "the momentum of 
co-operation" between the government and the UN. "The resolution is 
politically motivated and clearly aimed at exertion continued pressure o 
the government of Myanmar." In Geneva on Wednesday, the United Nations 
Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution which praised Burma' 
ruling generals for taking part in talks with opposition leader Aung San 
Suu Kyi, but alleged violations of human rights including executions, 
mass arrests and forced labour.



___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				


BBC: International pressure is being maintained on Burma

April 8, 2001

Larry Jagan


In Geneva today the United Nations Human Rights Commission is discussing 
the political progress that's being made in Burma. It's likely to 
adopted a hard-hitting resolution at the end of it, although it will 
also praise the talks that are taking place in Rangoon between the 
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the military junta. But reports 
from Rangoon say these talks are currently stalled and may need a visit 
from the UN special envoy for Burma, Dr Razali Ismail -- a Malaysian 
diplomat who reports back directly to the UN Secretary General Kofi 
Annan -- to restart them. Larry Jagan has more:)  

Talks between the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese 
military authorities have been stalled for more than a month. According 
to diplomatic sources in Rangoon these talks are expected to resume 
soon, now that the New Year festivities are over. Although the talks 
have been held in complete secrecy, there have been hints in recent 
weeks that they were not progressing as smoothly as the international 
community had assumed. 

Sources in Rangoon believe that Aung San Suu Kyi is getting frustrated 
with the lack of progress and would like the UN special envoy Dr Razali 
to return to Rangoon to help revive them. Dr Razali told the BBC he was 
hoping to go to Rangoon before the end of the month although the 
Generals have not approved his trip yet. Neither side has made any 
public comment on the talks. The opposition leader hasn't even discussed 
the details of the talks with members of her own party. The talks 
started last year and were held on a regular basis during December and 
January. According to opposition sources they have not been as regular 
since then and tailed off completely in March. This was partly because 
the Burmese Generals were pre-occupied by the border clashes with the 
Thais and later preparations for Army Day (27th March). 

But diplomatic sources believe the biggest problem remains the fact that 
not all the country's military leaders are fully in agreement about how 
far the talks should be allowed to go. The UN special rapporteur, Sergio 
Pinheiro who visited Rangoon earlier this month told the BBC, he was 
impressed by the military intelligence chief Lt General Khin Nyunt's 
understanding of the fundementals of democracy and his endorsement of 
the need for a parliamentary opposition. But diplomatic sources believe 
there are still many in the military who would find this hard to accept. 
These generals are also worried about the future role of the army in 
Burma, and recent events in Indonesia -- once their political model -- 
has made them even more cautious. There is a lot of uncertainty within 
the army. So far the Moulmein military commander (Sit Maung), who was 
killed in the recent helicopter crash along with General Tin Oo, hasn't 
been replaced. Souces in Rangoon see this delay as a reflection of the 
divsions within the military. The opposition leader is reported to be 
aware of these problems and is prepared to wait while the military 
leadership grapples with them. Dr Razali told the BBC that everyone had 
to be patient. Nothing was going to be decided quickly, but an important 
start had been made, he said. 



___________________________________________________



Bangkok Post: Traffickers Forced to Shift Routes

 Friday, April 20, 2001



Smuggling likely to intensify

Subin Khuenkaew

Tight security beef-ups by the Third Army along the northern border in 
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai has forced drug traffickers to change transit 
routes.

Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, the Third Army chief, said drug gangs 
had shifted their routes to the lower North since February when more 
troops were deployed along the border in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. 

Drug smuggling would intensify in Mae Hong Son, Tak and Kanchanaburi 
provinces, he predicted.

He also said the Red Wa had joined hands with the pro-Rangoon Democratic 
Karen Buddhist Army to trade in drugs.

On Monday, Third Army troops seized 7.6 million speed pills in Tak's 
Phop Phra district after a brief clash with a band of drug-smuggling 
DKBA guerrillas.

The seized drugs were believed to be part of some 30 million speed pills 
the Red Wa planned to
smuggle into the country during the Songkran festival.

A source at the northern narcotics control office said the seized pills 
were from a drugs factory run by a group of ethnic minority Kokang 
Chinese headed by Hpong Kya Shin.

The drugs were transported from the Chinese border to Wa-controlled 
areas along the Thai-Burmese border before being smuggled into Thailand. 
The shipment was meant to be delivered to Hmong and Chinese Haw dealers 
in Phop Phra, the source said.

The Third Army will call a meeting with anti-drugs agencies in Chiang 
Mai on April 24-26 to work out measures to block the flow of drugs 
across the border.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has asked the army to find out who was 
behind the attempt to smuggle the pills seized in Phop Phra



___________________________________________________



Far Eastern Economic Review: To Reach the Helpless

April 12, 2001

Interview excerpt

RUUD LUBBERS



The new head of the UN's refugee agency wants a world based on law, but  
instead aids victims of war, injustice and disasters

RUUD LUBBERS, the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has 
 inherited a string of problems that won't go away. The treatment of  
asylum-seekers in Europe and Australia, donor fatigue and to what extent 
 the UNHCR provides for internally displaced people-in addition to  
refugees-are some of the issues that must be tackled by the 61-year-old  
former Dutch prime minister, who took over as commissioner from Japans  
Sadako Ogata on January r. Lubbers spoke in Geneva to REVIEW contributor 
 Shada Islam about the challenges for his agency, which helps za million 
 people, and major problems in Asia.
Excerpts:

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?
I would like all United Nations members to accede to the yn Convention 
on  the protection of refugees so UNHCR becomes a truly multilateral  
organization. Second, while protecting people in humanitarian 
emergencies  is important, it is also essential to find durable 
solutions for refugees.  Refugees who cannot go back to their country of 
origin or find a place in a  country nearby start to travel the world. 
They become victims of criminal  gangs offering to bring them to mature 
economies in exchange for money. I  would like a world based on law, to 
avoid a jungle.

BUT THE UNHCR RELIES MOSTLY ON VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM COUNTRIES. 
DO  YOU HAVE THE FUNDS TO DO THIS?
It's fair to ask richer countries to make a contribution of $i per year 
per  person to UNHCR. Others should have a contribution limit of 0.005% 
of their  GDP. I would like a budget of $r,roo million-5o% more than the 
$700  million-$75o million we have today. It's not a spectacular amount. 




WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE 106,000 REFUGEES WHO FLED BURMA FOR THAILAND 
AND  LIVE IN CAMPS ALONG THE BORDER?

It's a balancing act because we have to talk to Thailand to allow entry 
of  these people and to Burma. We have to protect these people, make 
sure they  are not harassed, give them basic food and medical 
assistance. UNHCR has  access to the refugee camps but we are not 
allowed to establish outposts in  the camps or spend the night there. We 
would like Thailand to apply broader  criteria for admission so people 
escaping human-rights abuses are accepted  as well as those fleeing 
fighting.






_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 



The Asian Age (New Delhi): Burma junta forges pact in jade for 
ceasefire, profit 



April 20, 2001 

By Daniel Kestenholz 

Bangkok, April 19: It is more expensive than diamond, wonderful to cut 
yet harder than steel, and no two pieces are alike. Jade is mined in 
northern Burma, and is the most desirable stone in Asia.  

The jade trade is bizarre, a kind of roulette, bringing fortune or ruin. 
As a British commissioner to Burma in the colonial era put it: ôhe jade 
trade is an unprofitable antagonism, which requires elucidation, 
clarification and the light of day.ö  
But the Chinese are obsessed with jade, which they call ôheavenly stoneö 
and consider the bridge between man and the gods, a healing stone that 
protects against death.  
Now the military junta in Burma, desperate for foreign currency, wants 
to make use of this heavenly stone - epitome of a nation in which 
gamblers, rebels and smugglers remain the main political protagonists.  

ôKyaukseinmyo (Jade Country)ö in the Christian Kachin region of the 
country is one of the most inaccessible jungles, which makes the hopes 
and myths surrounding it all the more fabulous. Those who go in search 
of this stone need many years of experience - and luck. Rough jade, 
oxidised over millions of years and barely distinguishable from lumps of 
granite, is bought raw and recognised by ô light windowsö sound and 
feel.  
The tens of thousands of jade hunters in the jade mines of Hpakan, where 
rubble is sorted from riches, engage in a painful ôgame of patience.ö If 
he is not careful, a jade prospector can throw away a fortune with one 
block of stone. If you are too swift you will stumble, they say in 
Hpakan, Burma? wild west, also called ôLittle Hong Kong.ö  
It is known for its cognac, gambling, girls and AIDS. The roads into 
jade country are either dust hills or muddy tracks, depending on the 
season, and are sometimes only passable by foot, on horseback, or by 
elephant. The mines regularly flood during the monsoon period.  

Here, where dynamite fuses are lit with cigarette ends and where safety 
precautions are too expensive a luxury, an ant-like mass of people drive 
narrow shafts into the ground.  
Daring prospectors, equipped with metre-long air-hoses, dive into water 
after the most precious river jade. But most of it is mined by hand from 
tunnels, without pneumatic drills, water pumps or conveyor belts. A 
human life is worth little here.  

There are bandits by the drove. With a little luck, you might reach 
China or Thailand, where jade blocks are worth small fortunes.  

The miners and porters work for one US dollar a day, rough jade pieces 
change hands for a few dollars. In Mandalay, 300 km and a few days 
travel away, they cost a few hundred dollars. In Rangoon they can bring 
a few thousand, in the jade centre Hong Kong they can make a few 
thousand dollars. In 1998, a jade choker necklace was auctioned for 
$2million.  

The junta has now sanctioned jade trading between locals and foreigners, 
in order to profit finally from the country? wealth in jade.  

It has broken up the state monopoly of the ôBurma Gems Enterpriseö and 
given the Kachin exclusive licences in exchange for a ceasefire. It is 
meant to stop smuggling and fill the empty state coffers.  

But the ceasefire is shaky, trading remains dominated by the Chinese, 
and anyone who hits on a jade deposit, keeps the knowledge to himself. 
Traders will beware of telling the military leadership their true 
turnover in order to avoid a 10-per cent tax or even confiscation of 
revenues. There is talk that around 70 per cent of jade sales are in the 
hands of smugglers.  

Meanwhile, Rangoon has started holding gem auctions twice a year. No 
self-respecting Asian jeweller can afford to stay away from the event, 
which is also increasingly attracting Western players to the supposed 
pariah state. ôit is a nirvana for jewellers,ö said a Californian gem 
trader.  

Politics remain taboo at these trade fairs. Jade trading is a game 
between appearances and reality. Individual stones can decide fortunes. 
No wonder then that the uncut pieces, as big as bowls, are nervously 
examined by specialists with the help of special essences and pocket 
lamps. Individual jade pieces are cut open, but there are enough traders 
who will risk big sums for uncut pieces with a crack, a ôwindow,ö 
although the real value is recognisable only in broken and polished 
pieces.  

American visitor Richard Hughes, who in 1997 together with German film 
maker Georg-Peter Mueller was one of the first Westerners to travel into 
jade country since the 1960s, remembers one incident in Bangkok where a 
trader was offered a large sum for a particular raw stone. He chose 
instead to break it up himself only to find the stone was worthless, and 
shot himself. ôhe jade trade is a gamble,ö Mr Hughes said. ôThe leaders 
in this game, the Chinese, love a gamble.ö Jade, next to teak wood, has 
become a main revenue source for the junta in a trade which remains 
dominated by adventure seekers, dreamers and cheats. The heavenly stones 
become devilish stones in a business of risk, adventure and hardship, 
where it is all a question of luck.  
 




___________________________________________________




The New Light of Myanmar:  Business Information Group founded to 
distribute Myanmar?s economic  news internationally 

Thursday, 19 April, 2001


Arrangements under way for soonest emergence of ICT park 

Yangon, 18 April ù Chairman of Myanmar Computer Science Development 
Council  Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen 
Khin Nyunt  inspected Business Information Group (BIG) and Bagan 
Cybertech on University  Avenue in Kamayut Township, and construction of 
Myanma Information and  Communication Technology Development building in 
Hline Township this morning.  

During the inspection the Secretary-1 attended to the needs of the 
officials,  saying, BIG was founded with young men including MBA 
graduates with the aim  of studying and gathering information for 

entrepreneurs such as businessmen, bankers and tourism entrepreneurs and 
 distributing Myanmar?s economic news internationally. It is also 
publishing  Business Tank magazine, which includes investment 
opportunities and tourist  information. in Myanmar, in Myanmar and 
English. 

The departmental personnel and entrepreneurs here are requested to give  
necessary assistance to ensure greater success to BIG?s economic-related 
 operations. As Myanmar, an ASEAN member nation, is a signatory to the 
e-ASEAN  agreement, she will have to work with might and main for 
progress of computer  technology. 

Myanmar founded Myanmar Computer Science Development Council and is  
promoting the computer science stage by stage to the best of its 
capacity.  
At present, global changes are occurring in the field of information  
techno-logy with high momentum. Keen interest in computer science is 
rising  among today?s youths. It can be seen that ASEAN nations and 
neighbouring  countries are broadening their field of computer science 
and that they are  achieving rapid progress in the sector. Qualified 
young men are emerging in  Myanmar also as more and more youths are 
studying the computer science.  Arrangements are being made for soonest 
emergence of an ICT park in Myanmar  with the aim of paving the way for 
the youths to enter the field of computer  science and widening the 
future IT field and accelerating its functions.  Plans are under way to 
set up a telecommunication data centre in IT Park with  the application 
of V set network. 

The State is giving encouragement for the development of the services of 
 Bagan Cybertech in enabling all the sectors of Myanmar such as the 
economic,  banking, farming, education, health and social areas to get 
abreast of the  international nations in the field of IT, which is 
becoming popular and  developing with high momentum in the international 
sphere.  

The ICT Park, which is being set up from now on, will render much 
assistance  to the nation to partake in the globally developing software 
programmes with  the available human resources. 

Chief Editor of BIG Daw Nandi reported to the Secretary-1 and party on  
functions of the group, founding of the group, aims, reformation 
activities,  organizational set up, weekly issued economic news, 
services, information  connections with internal and external economic 
organizations, distribution  of news bulletins to its members and future 
programmes with the help of  charts. 

Staff Officer (Grade-I) of Office of Strategic Studies of the Ministry 
of  Defence Lt-Col Tin Oo briefed the Secretary-1 and party on data 
communication  operations of Bagan Cybertech, and functions of projected 
e-Commerce and  Intranet, saying, ten private companies have already 
made arrangements to  offer e-Shopping, e-Banking, e-Reservation, 
e-Media, e-Journal and e-Book  services. He added that other companies 
and departments are also making  arrangements to take part in e-Commerce 
programmes. 

Concerning the Intranet, he explained the system, the system programmes, 
 rates, aims and services of the V-set net-working system of the 
information  communication technology park. 

As regards the Bagan Cybertech, he said that the national portal or 
resource  centre will be set up to gather information and data from 
multiple sectors  for progress of information and communication 
technology and distribution of  the news. 

Officials then answered to queries raised by the participants concerning 
the  Bagan Cybertech. 

The Secretary-1 and party and entrepreneurs visited the Bagan 
Cybertech.At  the briefing hall of the Myanma Information and 
Communication Technology  Development Building Project, the Secretary-1 
and party heard a report on the  design of the building presented by 
Managing Director of Winner Company U  Aung Zaw Myint, the area, its 
architectural set up, installation of  communication equipment and 
erection of the tower and earth station by Lt-Col  Tin Oo of OSS. 

The Secretary-1 gave suggestions. Accompanied by officials of the State 
Peace  and Development Council Office, the Secretary-1 arrived at 
Business  Information Group and Bagan Cybertech at 9 am and was welcomed 
by member of  the State Peace and Development Council Chairman of Yangon 
Division Peace and  Development Council Commander of Yangon Command 
Maj-Gen Khin Maung Than,  ministers, deputy ministers, heads of 
department, the president and officials  of Union of Myanmar Federation 
Chambers of Commerce and Industry, members of  the Myanma Information 
and Communication Technology Development group,  national entrepreneurs, 
computer industrialists and bankers.  




_______________OPINION/EDITORIALS_________________



Freedom News (Shan State Army): SSA- S Rebuttal of AP Report 

18 April 2001



There will be no more golden eggs after you killed the goose 
By: Ai Tai (Shan State)

An article in the Nation on 10th April 2001, was an imaginary story 
without knowing the true situation. 

That article was "Shan rebels say they're waging war on drugs" a piece 
written by AP. It say "However, sources within his command have said 
that while the rebel army shuns drug dealing, it does tax others who 
traffic in drugs." Its funny that everybody knows, you cannot tax while 
you are eradicating them. No more golden eggs after you have killed the 
goose. 

The 5th policy and objective of the SSA is "Anti-narcotics" and this 
policy have been in practice and was well known after they were active 
along the Thai-Shan border. All drug refineries, dealers and traffickers 
were raid and hunt down in the SSA's active areas. SSA men who have 
involved in drugs,faced severe punishment, even death. While the junta 
troops are involving in this drug business, they are denying that they 
are not. And now when SSA are still proving that they are against drugs 
in practice. 
The AP also said, "Clad in Khakis marked with tiger head symbol of the 
rebel Shan State Army, they head for an opium field inside Burma, 20 
kilo-meters to the east of their headquarters. When they get there, a 
Thai television crew in tow, they chop the poppies down." Nobody in the 
SSA command knew about this, of where and when this poppies cutting had 
occurred. This news lack in time, date and the location of the 
incidence, which SSA troops have always kept. Furthermore, Major Kham 
Leng, who was mentioned in the AP news have been away from this camp for 
months and had no chance to meet within these few weeks. 

AP have written this story based on the US department blacklist. Since 
SSA waged war on drugs, they have always appeal and invite international 
communities including the US government to observe the true situation in 
the Shan State. Without close observation on the situation and still 
kept Colonel Yawd Serk in the blacklist only means that they does not 
like his anti-narcotic policy.Freedom of press, means to write the true 
story of what they have seen, not an imaginary story to misled the 
readers. 




_




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