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BurmaNet News: May 14, 2001
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
May 14, 2001 Issue # 1807
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________
INSIDE BURMA _______
*Myanmar Times: City ban on motorbikes
MONEY _______
*Irrawaddy: Electricity Woes Continue
*Asia Times: Myanmar barred from EU initiative
GUNS______
*AP: Myanmar asks Thailand to vacate border outposts, threatens action
DRUGS______
*AFP: Drug factories or farms -- Myanmar's infamous "drug city"
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AFP: Thai-Myanmar relations normalise ahead of Thaksin visit to Yangon
*The Nation: Statue goes ahead
EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA________
*The New light of Myanmar: Undeniable Thai aggression
*Myanmar Times: S-1 indicates reconciliation talks are ?moving ahead?
OTHER______
*Monnet: Mon-English Dictionary to be Published
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
Myanmar Times: City ban on motorbikes
May 7-13 2001
UNDER new road regulations, privately-owned motorbikes will not be
allowed on the streets of Yangon from next year. An official from the
Vehicles Registration department said they have been refusing to
re-register motorcycle licences since the beginning of 2000, except for
those owned by the Government. "The new regulation to banish motorbikes
from the capital?s streets is due to the number of casualties as a
result of car and motorbikes collisions. Many involve young people,
especially youths," he said. An official from the Yangon traffic police
said, "Since enforcing the ban, the number of casualties resulting from
car and motorbike accidents has considerably been reduced." This
statement was backed up by figures issued by the Yangon Traffic Police
Department, which showed a reduction in collisions, from 809 in 1999 to
267 in 2000. Tough penalties have been imposed for those who ignore the
new regulation. Owners can face a minimum fine of K10,000 and have their
motorbikes confiscated for six months.
The majority of Yangon?s bike owners reacted with surprise at the
expulsion order, and as a result will be forced to sell their beloved
machines. Owners of the more powerful bikes, ranging from 250cc up to
1000cc will suffer the worst under the new scheme, as there is less
demand for them outside the capital. "I will suffer a double loss in
terms of money and sentimentality. For small motor bikes like a Super
Cub or Dream, there is no problem re-selling them as there is a big
market for them in Mandalay," said an owner of a large bike. However, he
remained hopeful the Government would make a change regarding the
regulation. Despite the regulation, bike prices of exceptional models
continue to climb, especially Japanese-made Kawasakis. A dealer in
Yankin received K1.2m recently for a Kawasaki, which cost at K700,000 in
?99.
______________________MONEY________________________
Irrawaddy: Electricity Woes Continue
May 11 2001
By Ko Thet
May 11 -- After undergoing an unprecedented electricity shortage last
April, the Office of the Ministry of Electricity Power is planning to
double the price of electricity from 25 kyat to 50 kyat per unity of
electricity, according to a source in the Ministry.
Burma is facing an energy supply problem. Already several townships in
Rangoon have had their ration of electricity cut from a half day to 2 or
3 hours. But consumers, particularly businessmen are pessimistic that
the raise in rates will solve the problem. "I am not optimistic with the
possible recommended electricity plan even though we have to pay double
cost for having electricity on a regular basis. In mid-1999, the charge
rose to 25 kyat from 5 kyat per unit of electricity. We received regular
electricity for only three or four months and went back to the same old
shortage", said a local businessman in Dagon Satellite township of
Rangoon. Some medium-sized factories have suspended production because
they could not cover the cost.
But many factory owners in the Industrialized Zones are more concerned
about receiving energy on a regular basis than with increased rates. "We
can not rely on diesel generator to meet the electricity in the long
run. The price of diesel fuel also has jumped to 750 kyat from 550 kyat
per gallon. It makes the production cost higher and in fact it does not
work", said one businessman from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zones.
However, relief appears to be on the way. In the late April, the
Japanese government approved an aid package worth $ 28 million for the
reconstruction of turbines for the Lawpita hydropower dam in the Kayah
[Karenni] State. The dam, which was built in 1952 by Japanese engineers
and paid by funds from Japan?s war indemnity, spans the Bi Loo River. It
is one of the most important sources for electricity in Burma. Its
efficiency has deteriorated over time, as it was not properly
maintained. Repairs should imporve its capacity.
__________________________________________________
Asia Times: Myanmar barred from EU initiative
May 12, 2001.
BRUSSELS - Diplomats from developing countries have expressed surprise
over the decision of the 15-member European Union (EU) to exclude
Myanmar from its promise of duty-free market access to the world's 49
least developed countries (LDCs) because of human rights violations.
Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury of Bangladesh said from Brussels on
Thursday that the caucus of developing countries had not been informed
of the EU's decision to exclude Myanmar from its "Everything But Arms"
(EBA) initiative to help the world's poorest nations. He said the matter
would be taken up at a meeting of diplomats from developing countries in
Brussels on Friday. Chowdhury is United Nations coordinator of the 49
LDCs that are the focus of the third UN Conference on Least Developed
Countries to be held in Brussels May 14-20.
Richard Wyatt, acting chief of the European Commission delegation to the
UN, insisted on Wednesday that the EU's decision to bar Myanmar was not
really an attempt to restrict imports from countries because of the
nature of their political regime. "But in extreme circumstances, there
can be situations in which certain countries could be excluded from the
benefits of our preference scheme," he noted.
The EU decided to adopt the new initiative last March, agreeing to give
full duty-free and quota-free market access for all products, other than
weapons, originating from LDCs. The 49 LDCs, described as the poorest of
the world's poor, range from Afghanistan and Ethiopia to Myanmar and
Zambia. Although the general EBA principle is one of non-discrimination,
Myanmar has been blacklisted by the EU and will, therefore, not benefit
from the initiative. Asked if this is due to human rights abuses, Wyatt
said, "We are very concerned about human rights violations. It is a very
important issue for us. We hope the situation in Myanmar will improve so
that they too can benefit subsequently from our initiative." Wyatt
insisted that Myanmar was an "exception". "The general principle is one
of non-discrimination," he said.
Asked if the EU will have dealings with Afghanistan, another LDC accused
of violating human rights, Wyatt said he said was not sure whether the
Taliban regime would be formally excluded from the EU scheme. "There is
a legal government there which is not practically in charge of most of
the country and with whom we have no particular quarrel," he said, "And
so that accounts for that situation. It is a very complex problem." One
of the world's poorest countries outside Africa, Afghanistan is still
struggling to recover from the devastation caused by the 14-year Soviet
occupation which ended in February 1989.
Although the EU has not laid down any conditions - abhorrent to most
aid-dependent developing nations - it has identified six key themes as a
guide for its discussions with the LDCs at the Brussels meeting. The
first theme advocates good governance, social stability, democracy,
respect for human rights and gender equality; the second, investing in
people and basic social infrastructure; third, environmental protection,
sustainable natural resources management, food and food security;
fourth, enhancing productive capacity, including the development of
transport and communications infrastructure; fifth, international trade,
commodities and services; and sixth, financing growth and development.
Meanwhile, delegates attending the Brussels conference will discuss,
among other things, the EBA trade preference system. UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has already praised the EU for its EBA
initiative. To reach this decision, he said, Europe's leaders had to
overcome resistance from powerful producer lobbies within the EU. "They
also had to reassure African, Caribbean and Pacific countries - which at
present enjoy preferential access to the EU market - that they would not
suffer unduly from concessions made to other LDCs," he said. Even though
the EBA will not resolve most of the poverty-related problems facing
LDCs, "market access is a crucial first step". Annan said that as a
logical follow-up, other industrial nations, including the United
States, Japan, and Canada, should follow Europe's lead. The
secretary-general also criticized industrial countries for practicing
protectionist policies while preaching the virtues of free and fair
trade.
The criteria for inclusion in the list of LDCs are: a population of less
than 75 million; per capita gross domestic product of less than US$900;
an Augmented Physical Quality of Life Index (combining health, nutrition
and education) of less than 59; and an Economic Vulnerability Index of
less than 36. Since 1971, when the General Assembly designated 24
nations as LDCs, the numbers have continued to increase, reaching 49 in
early April. Of the 49 LDCs, 34 are from Africa, nine from Asia, five
from the Pacific and one from the Caribbean.
_______________________GUNS________________________
AP: Myanmar asks Thailand to vacate border outposts, threatens action
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Myanmar has asked Thai troops to withdraw from
35 border outposts that it said were erected on its soil, and threatened
to use force to reclaim the land, officials said Monday.
But Thailand told Myanmar that its troops were on Thai soil and would
not withdraw, Maj. Gen. Somboonkiat Sitthidecha, the deputy commander of
the Third Army in northern Thailand, told reporters.
The saber rattling is expected to further raise tensions between the
two neighbors whose relations have sunk to their lowest point in years
after a series of border skirmishes. Their disputes are over border
demarcation, activities of ethnic guerrillas and drug smuggling.
Somboonkiat said the Myanmar border committee sent a protest letter to
its Thai counterpart, claiming that at least 35 Thai border outposts had
encroached into Myanmar territory.
``But it is not true and we will not pull out as they demand,''
Somboonkiat said
.
He said the Myanmar letter warned that if Thailand did not withdraw, it
would use force to reclaim the territory.
The outposts are along more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) of the
border between Chiangmai and Chiangrai provinces.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh told reporters Monday
that Thailand will try to resolve its border problems diplomatically
``in order to preserve good relations.''
But ``whenever there is violation of sovereignty, the army will use
extensive force to settle the problem,'' Chavalit said after chairing a
special meeting of the National Security Council.
The comments were apparently aimed at dispelling recent speculation in
the local media that Chavalit does not see eye to eye with the army,
which advocates a hard-line stand.
Chavalit, who is known to be friends with the generals in Myanmar's
military junta, has preferred more restraint on the border issue.
The Thai army accuses Myanmar forces and allied ethnic armies of
regularly intruding into its territory to secure strategic hills in
their fight against guerrillas seeking autonomy.
The Thai army said last week it drove out a group of pro-Yangon ethnic
fighters from one such hill, drawing widespread media praise. However,
Chavalit's efforts to prevent Thai army actions have been widely
criticized.
Myanmar says the strategic hills are disputed and not under Thai
sovereignty. Myanmar also accuses Thailand of aiding the guerrillas by
providing them fire cover, which Thailand denies.
Adding to the bad blood is the Thai accusation that Myanmar does little
to stop the production and smuggling of methamphetamine drugs from its
territory by the United Wa State Army.
The Wa army signed a cease-fire with Myanmar in 1989 and now enjoys
virtual autonomy in the Shan state's areas along the border. Thailand
and the United States say it has been given a free hand in its area.
^sw/vj<
2001-05-14 Mon 02:51
________________________DRUGS______________________
AFP: Drug factories or farms -- Myanmar's infamous "drug city"
MONG YAWN, Myanmar, May 14 (AFP) - Riding in a pickup truck crowded with
fellow soldiers from the United Wa State Army (UWSA), Ni Sa looks out
over a green expanse of rice fields and shakes his head in bewilderment.
"They are only rice fields, no poppies. After 1995 we gave up the
poppy," says 25-year-old Ni Sa, a UWSA battalion chief born in this
village two miles (about three kilometres) from the Thai border that has
long been considered a hub for regional drug production.
But Myanmar's military government and the UWSA, a Myanmar-allied ethnic
Wa militia, insist that Mong Yawn is free of illicit narcotics,
particularly the amphetamines which have flooded the region and outpaced
opiates as the drug of choice in recent years.
Neighboring Thailand has accused Mong Yawn of playing host to numerous
amphetamine factories that supply a booming trade in Thailand, to which
an estimated 700 million tablets will be shuttled by cross-border
traffickers this year.
Accusations over illicit drugs and skirmishing among ethnic militias
along the rugged border region have recently touched off a bitter row
between the countries, which are historical enemies.
In February, fighting between the Wa and the rival Shan State Army,
which reputedly has the backing of the Thai military, prompted the first
clash in years between the two national armies.
Since then the uneasy neighbors have traded barbs over who is
responsible for the heroin and methamphetamine factories that flourish
along the ill-defined mountainous border.
In the latest dispute, Myanmar and UWSA officials say a Thai F-16
fighter jet fired two rockets near Mong Yawn late last week, wounding
several of their troops. Thailand says the jet was flying surveillance
and merely triggered a sonic boom.
Mong Yawn, located two miles from the Thai border in Myanmar's Shan
State, was once a stronghold of drug lord Khun Sa, who surrendered
peacefully to the Myanmar junta in 1996, and an acknowledged center for
poppy cultivation.
But Myanmar and the UWSA, who invited journalists and delegates from
six Asian countries to visit the dusty border town following a
UN-sponsored narcotics control meeting in Yangon last week, say times
have changed.
UWSA special commander Khimmaung Myint said Mong Yawn is simply a
fast-developing village with new hydroelectric plants and brick
buildings springing up by the day, evidence of the Wa's new prosperity
from legal businesses, crop substitution programs and government
concessions.
"We are determined to develop this area from a small village to a
city...we have brick buildings where there had been small huts before,"
Khimmaung said. "(Thailand) is claiming these constructions are for the
purpose of creating amphetamines."
"If it's going to be like that, it's like hate propaganda," he said.
Khimmaung, Myanmar officers and heavily armed Wa soldiers on Saturday
guided delegates from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam and journalists through the town to "see for yourselves" the
reputed dark heart of Mong Yawn.
In a carefully orchestrated tour, visitors were taken to a freshly
installed hydroelectric plant that Myanmar officials said Thailand had
incorrectly identified from satellite pictures as one of 38 amphetamine
factories in the area.
Fruit plantations, rice storehouses and a pig farm were other
enterprises that officials said demonstrated that the Wa -- the first
insurgent minority to sign a peace agreement with the Myanmar junta in
1989 -- were no longer dependent on illicit narcotics but had found
wholesome alternative sources of income.
"We don't want to fight anymore, but if (the Thais) try to say all the
Wa race are involved in this drug business and this place is still seen
as the drug production area...we will defend ourselves to the last man,"
he said.
But prior to 1996, drug trafficking was a reality in Mong Yawn,
Khimmaung conceded.
"It is undeniable that some actions related to drug trafficking had
taken place in this area. Some of our people are suffering from this
drug menace," he said.
"But the Wa people in the area will take a pledge before you and the
international community that they will not be involved in drug
activities," Khimmaung said.
He added that a contingent of Wa loyal to Khun Sa known as the Wa
National Army had broken away and were responsible for any trafficking
and production today.
Mong Yawn's streets are lined with crisp concrete and brick buildings
as well as scaffolded construction sites, all standing under the
unflinching watch of youthful UWSA troops brandishing automatic rifles
and rocket launchers.
Many of the Wa in Mong Yawn are ethnic Chinese, and Myanmar officials
say the income that has subsidised the large-scale development in the
village has come from natural resource concessions near China.
"Their primary source of income is from government concessions --
timber, minerals, precious stones -- particularly rubies -- and jade,"
Myanmar's Lieutenant-Colonel Kyaw Thein told AFP.
The Wa also profit from one of the biggest zinc and tungsten mines near
the Chinese border in Myanmar, the Longthan mine, he said.
While questions about Mong Yawn's economic foundation swirled during
the tour, just access to the mysterious town alleged to be a wellspring
of illicit narcotics was marked as a change.
"We had closed our doors in order to develop this area...But now our
policy has changed because we understand that if we don't explain things
to people they will think this and that," Khimmaung said.
The visit to Mong Yawn came on the heels of an anti-drug meeting in
Yangon sponsored by the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP)
where government ministers from six Asian nations approved UN plans to
restrict drug "precursor" chemicals used to manufacture amphetamines.
China, which recently signed a tripartite agreement with Thailand and
Myanmar to fight drug trafficking along their borders, was cited with
India as a major source of the precursor chemicals.
They also agreed to launch programs in vulnerable neighboring
countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The six Asian nations are all signatories to a 1993 pact which bound
them to work together in the war on drugs by reducing demand, boosting
law enforcement and encouraging crop substitution.
Collectively they were responsible for more than 75 percent of the
world's amphetamine seizures last year, up from 22 percent a decade ago,
with China and Myanmar the major culprits.
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
AFP: Thai-Myanmar relations normalise ahead of Thaksin visit to Yangon
BANGKOK, May 14 (AFP) - Relations between Thailand and Myanmar are back
on track after a bitter row in which Bangkok and Yangon accused each
other of involvement in the international drugs trade, Thai Defence
Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said Monday.
Chavalit said a high level visit to Yangon by Thai officials had paved
the way for a long-delayed visit to Yangon by Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra at a date yet to be agreed on by both sides.
"The talks between Thailand and Myanmar went well. The situation is
back to normal to a level that the prime minister can visit there," he
told reporters.
"The foreign ministry has yet to finalise the date (for the visit).
There may be further disagreements but we will solve them by
negotiation."
Officials said Thaksin would likely visit Yangon later this month or
early in June to sign a bilateral cooperation agreement on curbing the
international trade in illicit narcotics, namely heroin, opium and
amphetamines.
That visit will take place after a scheduled visit to Bangkok by
Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung later this month.
Accusations over illicit drugs and skirmishing among ethnic militias
along the rugged border touched off a bitter row between the countries,
which are historical enemies.
In February, fighting between an ethnic Wa force with close ties to
Yangon and the rival Shan State Army, which reputedly has the backing of
the Thai military, prompted the first clash in years between the two
national armies.
Since then, the uneasy neighbors have traded barbs over who is
responsible for heroin and methamphetamine factories that flourish along
the ill-defined mountainous border.
In the latest dispute, Myanmar's junta and United Wa State Army (USWA)
officials say a Thai F-16 fighter jet fired two rockets near the Myanmar
town of Mong Yawn last week, wounding several of their troops.
Thailand says the jet was flying surveillance and triggered a sonic
boom.
Ministers from six Asian nations signed an agreement to boost
cooperation in stamping out the regional narcotics trade in Yangon last
week.
Following two days of meetings between senior officials from Cambodia,
China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the ministers approved UN
plans to restrict the flow of drug ingredients and launch programs in
vulnerable neighboring countries.
The ministers meet every two years to evaluate the progress of
cross-border anti-narcotics projects and approve new initiatives devised
by the United Nations Drugs Control Programme.
Collectively they were responsible for more than 75 percent of the
world's amphetamine seizures last year, up from 22 percent a decade ago,
with China and Myanmar the major culprits.
Myanmar and Afghanistan produce the bulk of the world's heroin which is
made from opium.
___________________________________________________
The Nation: Statue goes ahead
May 12, 2001.
Plans to build a monument of King Naresuan in the Mae Sai border
district of Chiang Rai are going ahead despite warnings by locals that
it will only spark more hostility between Thailand and Burma.
The base of the monument, measuring 19 by 26 metres, has already been
built at Mae Sai, just three kilometres from the border.
The project has been initiated by Third Army Region Commander, Lt
General Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, who has been openly hostile towards
Burma.
The budget allocated for the monument is only Bt100,000, but donations
from contributors add up to between Bt25 million and Bt30 million.
The statue will depict King Naresuan, the warrior who freed Thailand
from Burma, on a horse brandishing a sword, ready to launch himself at
the enemy.
___________EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA__________
The New light of Myanmar (SPDC): Undeniable Thai aggression
[BurmaNet adds?According to press accounts and comments by junta members
close to Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, The New Light is controlled by and
reflects the views of the so called hardline faction led by Gen. Maung
Aye]
Monday, 14 May, 2001
Since the beginning of 2001, the Thai army has made incursions into the
territory of Myanmar. In February, using a Thailand-based small group of
SURA Shan insurgents led by Ywet Sit, Thailand has invaded. During the
last week of April, about 200 Thai soldiers, in cooperation with Ywet
Sit's group, attacked Pachee Outpost of Myanma Tatmadaw near
PungpaHkyem in Mongton Township. The facts have been stated clearly in
the news report of the Press Conference and articles.
At the same time, Ywet Sit's SURA opium insurgents and Bangkok-based KNU
attacked BP Camp to the east of Shan State at the border and Myawady in
Kayin State, enlisting the help of the Thai army. Myanmar officials
protested the their invasion into the territory of Myanmar with the
help of the Thai army and with the use of the territory of Thailand.
At 8.15 pm on 23-4-2001, BBC from London broadcast a news report.
According to that news report, Thailand said that Myanmar sent a letter
of protest to Thailand for the attack launched by KNU on a Buddhist
Kayin group called DKBA which is working for the prevalence of peace
and tranquillity, regional development and interests of the race,
religion and the Sasana; in response to the protest of Myanmar side,
Thai side said that in the policy of Thailand it is explicitly stated
that any armed organizations are not allowed to attack the neighbouring
nations, using the territory of Thailand; the incidents are only the
internal affairs of Myanmar, and they happened only inside the
territory of Myanmar; Thai officials said that Thai side had no
responsibility for these incidents. That BBC news report also said that
Myanmar sent a letter of protest to Chairman of Border Committee on the
side of Thailand Col Chaina Run Htannarun.
The words of Thailand are " very nice." Any armed organizations are not
allowed to attack the neighbouring nations, using the territory of
Thailand. These words are " very very nice." In practice, their act
does not comply with that so-called policy. It has transgressed the
limits. An article writer has written about the definite addresses and
telephone numbers of KNU Bo Mya and persons ranging from the central
level to the grassroots level and how they are living there in luxury
and style.
Similarly, Ywet Sit's SURA opium group, Wa opium group of Maha San and
opium and timber trafficking group called KNPP have been living grandly
in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. The number of persons of Ywet Sit's group
was a few. One hour after three truck loads of members of Ywet Sit's
group and Thai soldiers arrived at a Thai camp (about 50 miles away
from Pachee), they attacked Pachee Outpost. There was firing from the
camp of the Thai army. The way was shown with the beam of searchlights
coming from it. Ywet Sit's group has been allowed in the territory of
Thailand. They entered the Thai army camp and cooperated in firing at
the side of Myanmar. However hard persons of the Thai army or Thai
border committee have denied it, it is evident that insurgents have
been allowed in the territory of Thailand and the Thai army not only
took part in the attack but also get insurgents to attack Myanmar. I
would like to say, " Don't try to hide a carcass of a buffalo with a
skin of a rat."
As the Thai side said that the attack of KNU on DKBA in Myawady and
the attack of Ywet Sit's SURA group on Pachee Outpost (together with
the Thais) took place on the land of Myanmar, it is tantamount to the
fact that Thailand admits that KNUs and SURAs in Thailand entered and
attacked Myanmar. When Pachee outpost was attacked, the attack was
launched not from the rear (Myanmar side) of Myanma Tatmadaw Outpost
but from the front or the opposite of Thailand. It is evident that they
came from the territory of Thailand and invaded.
On the day when the attack on Pachee Outpost was launched, opium
insurgent Ywet Sit himself was seen speaking with bravado on Thai TV.
Even this fact shows that Ywet Sit is on the Thai side. Ywet Sit's
group attacked E-7 hillock, taking support firing of the Thai army. It
is obvious that at that time, they fired from Aungzeya Hillock on the
side of Maesai, Thailand. With regard to those who planted bombs at
Kaba Aye Maha Pasana Cave where the Buddha's Tooth Relic was kept for
public obeisance, those who planted bombs at Yangon City Hall and
Thanlyin Oil Refinery and those who planted mines, exploded bombs and
killed innocent civilian people in Myawady, Mawlamyine, Hpa-an,
Kyaukkyi and Tachilek, there is a lot of evidence which shows that they
came through Thailand. It is common knowledge that they have come to
attack Myanmar and run back into Thailand if they have been defeated.
However, they are saying that the Thai policy does not allow any armed
organizations to use the territory of Thailand and to attack
neighbouring nations.
It is like a song " How wonderful it is! Believe it or not". I would
like to burst out singing "At the railway station, ships are moored. The
aeroplane is hit with a stone. What a wonderful world. Believe it or
not." They should have spoken with reserve. If they do not abide by
their policy which they have laid down, who is going to do so? The
proverb which says " While one is mouthing prayers, one's hands are
doing immoral acts" has emerged for hypocrites. The history of Laos,
that of Cambodia, that of Vietnam and that of Myanmar evince how
wickedly the unscrupulous group on the side of Thailand invaded and
attacked neighbouring nations. At present, as for Myanmar, Thailand
has not behaved as a good neighbouring nation. Myanmar was under
colonial rule for over one hundred years and insurgency arose for over
forty years. In this decade, Myanmar has attempted to restore peace
first and then it has been working for national development day and
night. Considerable success has been achieved.
Due to efforts made by a great national force the Tatmadaw, the people
and the government with national political conviction in the interests
of the nation, tasks benefiting the nation have emerged. Those who
could not bear to see these achievements (who could not rejoice at the
development of Myanmar) are attempting to disturb Myanmar through
various ways and means. It is very deplorable to see that among those
who are disturbing Myanmar out of ill will are some groups from
Thailand. They have accepted, bred and used destructive forces from
Myanmar. In connivance with foreign interfering forces, they have
attempted to pick up a fight with Myanmar. Accepting narcotic drug
producers and traffickers and turning a blind eye on the fact that
millions of citizens of their nation are using over 800 million
stimulant tablets (Yaba) every year, they have flung preposterous
accusations about narcotic drugs against Myanmar, which is working for
eradication of narcotic drugs day and night.
(to be continued)
Author :U Paya Kyaw
__________________________________________________
Myanmar Times: S-1 indicates reconciliation talks are ?moving ahead?
[BurmaNet adds?The Myanmar Times reflects the view of and is possibly
controlled/owned by Lt. Gen Khin Nyunt and the Office of Strategic
Studies]
May 7-13, 2001
IN a move to dispel international speculation, SPDC Secretary-1, Lt-Gen
Khin Nyunt told visiting Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai
that talks between the Government and NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
were moving ahead. The Thai FM gave his comment in a press briefing in
Yangon on May 2 shortly after his meeting with Secretary-1 on the final
day of his four-day talks with Myanmar government officials. Mr
Sathirathai was in Yangon from April 29 to May 2 attending an ASEAN
Foreign Ministers? informal get-together in the capital. Earlier,
Foreign Minister U Win Aung denied reports of a slowdown in the pace of
ongoing national reconciliation talks. At a press conference, he
addressed diplomatic community denying the suggestions that the talks
had "stalled". "I?m afraid that this process, an internal process, is
very much confidential. When it is said this process is stalled, it is
not correct," he said. "We hope this process, which is very complex and
delicate, should be left ?un-discussed? right now."But Minister U Win
Aung informed the press that Myanmar?s current political process was an
area of interest during the three hours of ASEAN talks. "When we touched
upon the various issues facing the region, the situation in Myanmar was
discussed. I informed my colleagues what is happening in the country and
what kind of process is going on," he said.
Foreign Minister U Win Aung fields questions from the press last week
He said other ASEAN Minister were informed of the process and up to now
it still remained a confidential matter, "and we are keeping it that
way." Meanwhile, ASEAN Ministers expressed optimism on the process of
political dialogue in Myanmar. Thailand?s Dr Surakiart Sathirathai said
"Thai government supports the national reconciliation process and we
agreed that the contents of the discussions should be kept confidential.
We agree that foreign countries should not intervene in the process".
The Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar stressed that fledgling
talks, which may pave the way for an historic official dialogue between
the two sides, must not be exposed to the glare of public scrutiny. "We
would like to see Myanmar do what it considers appropriate. They have
done it in their own way and at their own pace, outside the domain of
publicity and interference by anyone else," he said. The Foreign
Minister dismissed a suggestion as to whether the Japanese aid of US$29
million was a "carrot" for the start dialogue with the NLD "An internal
process is our business, our own process. We are not playing games for
the sake of a public relations stunt, this is for the sake of 52 million
people of Myanmar.
"And we don?t play games. If we had wanted to play games we might have
done that a long time ago. We are a simple, honest people," he said. He
said since the process of dialogue started, confrontation has stopped
between the two sides. "So you can detect from what you see, the
indicators are there, and they are good," he said. He said the SPDC "has
been very firm and consistent. They offered an olive branch a long, long
time ago". The change of heart from the NLD side has prompted both sides
to start talking after years of political deadlock between the two
sides. "Perceptions and ideas can be changed. You cannot grasp one thing
for a long time. You need to adjust with the situation," he said. In the
joint press briefing with the current ASEAN Standing Committee Chairman,
Vietnam?s Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, U Win Aung also stressed that
one of the most important issues discussed at the Yangon meeting was
ASEAN integration and narcotic drug eradication from the region by 2014.
The Minister U Win Aung said that the Sen-Gen Than Shwe had urged the
ten ASEAN foreign Ministers to strive for ASEAN integration and
cooperation when they met with Myanmar?s Head of State before holding
their talks at the exclusive Pun Hlaing Golf Resort. Both FMs hailed the
Yangon meeting, the first such Foreign Ministerial Retreat, as "fruitful
and useful". But U Wing Aung said, "This meeting is not to make any
specific decision as in our formal meetings no declaration, no
resolution was made. It was about exchange of views," he said.
______________________OTHER______________________
Monnet: Mon-English Dictionary to be Published
[Compiled from posting to Monnet mailing list]
The first Mon-English dictionary will be published in May 2001. It is
authored by Nai Tun Way, (BA in History), the author of the several Mon
dictionaries including Mon-Burmese dictionary. The dictionary is 1367
pages and is published by TECH Promotion & Advertising Co." Bangkok.
It?s cost in Thailand is 500 baht. Nai Tun Way has been writing Mon
dictionaries for decades. His first dictionary Mon-Burmese was published
in 1977 in Rangoon.
________________
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