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BurmaNet News: August 27, 2001



______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
           August 27, 2001   Issue # 1873
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*AFP: Myanmar lifts restrictions on two senior NLD leaders 
*AP: Suu Kyi pledges to strive for democracy 
*Reuters: Suu Kyi party hopeful over Myanmar talks
*AFP: Aung San Suu Kyi property suit delayed again 
*Arakan News Agency: Fake public demonstrations held in support of  
Burmese junta 

MONEY _______
*Myanmar Times: Earth Industrial (Myanmar)-- Ray of Hope for the Future 
of Electronic Industry 

GUNS______
*Stratfor: Moscow Courting Myanmar With MiG-29s

DRUGS______
*New York Times: On Trial: Fighting Drugs vs. Fighting Dictators

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AFP: Japan welcomes lifting of restrictions on Myanmar opposition 
leaders 

EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA________
*Myanmar Times: ILO's Stand on Myanmar Garment Industries 



					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________





AFP: Myanmar lifts restrictions on two senior NLD leaders 

YANGON, Aug 27 (AFP) - Myanmar's ruling junta has lifted restrictions on 
the president and vice president of the opposition National League for 
Democracy (NLD), U Aung Shwe and U Tin Oo, who were under virtual house 
arrest, an official source said Monday. 

 Like Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the two men had been 
restricted to their residence since September. 

 The restrictions were eased late Sunday, official and NLD sources said. 


 The move appears to be a goodwill gesture by the authorities, coming a 
day ahead of a visit to the Myanmar capital by the United Nations envoy 
Razali Ismail. 

 Razali on Monday will be making his fifth visit to the country in an 
effort to speed up reconciliation talks between the military junta and 
the opposition which started last October. 

 The envoy will meet in Yangon with the military regime's number one, 
General Than Shwe, and his number two, Khin Nyunt. 

 He will also see Aung San Suu Kyi, at her residence, where she has been 
under virtual house arrest. 
 The junta said the stream of releases this year, including dozens of 
opposition MPs, was a sign that the talks are making headway. 

 The contacts, the first since 1994, are aimed at paving the way for an 
official national reconciliation dialogue that some observers say could 
lead to democratic reforms after four decades of absolute military rule. 


 International rights group Amnesty International estimates that some 
1,800 political prisoners remain behind bars in Myanmar. 
 





___________________________________________________




AP: Suu Kyi pledges to strive for democracy 


August 27, 2001

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has 
pledged to strive for democracy in Myanmar as she works hard for the 
success of her reconciliation talks with the military junta, her party 
said Monday. 

 The National League for Democracy said in a statement that Suu Kyi has 
urged party members ``to work unitedly (with senior members) in the 
interest of the people of Myanmar.'' 

 The Nobel Peace laureate's reported comments, the first in almost a 
year, were made as United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail arrived 
Monday on his fifth visit to help broker reconciliation in Myanmar, also 
known as Burma. 

 Razali, a Malaysian, was instrumental in getting the talks started 
secretly in October, the most significant breakthrough in 11 years of 
political deadlock between the military and the democratic forces led by 
Suu Kyi. 

 The NLD statement said Suu Kyi expressed ``extreme satisfaction'' with 
the release Sunday from de facto house arrest of party chairman Aung 
Shwe and vice chairman Tin Oo. 

 Aung Shwe and Suu Kyi ``will unitedly strive for realization of 
democracy in the country,'' the one-page statement said. 

 Soon after their release, Aung Shwe and Tin Oo met with Suu Kyi on 
Sunday at her lakeside residence where she has been kept confined since 
September even as she has been holding talks with the junta. 

 Tin Oo said Suu Kyi is ``working hard for the success of the talks.'' 

 The negotiations are apparently to the satisfaction of the NLD as the 
junta has accepted one of its key conditions to release political 
prisoners. 

 Since January, the government has freed nearly 160 political prisoners 
from jails and released 32 elected representatives detained at 
government guest houses. Besides Aung Shwe and Tin Oo, six other central 
committee members were released on Dec. 1. 

 Now, Suu Kyi is the only top NLD leader still in detention. Suu Kyi and 
the others were put under de facto house arrest after she defied an 
informal travel ban by trying to go to the northern city of Mandalay on 
Sept. 22. 

 ``Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is overwhelmed with satisfaction to see the 
resumption of leadership of the party activities,'' the statement said. 
Daw is an honorific. 

 A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Razali's 
success so far in bringing the two sides together was due to his 
``flexibility and understanding.'' He will give advice to both sides and 
lend them his ears, the official told The Associated Press. 

 Razali was due to meet with Foreign Minister Win Aung later Monday. On 
previous visits he also met with third-ranking junta leader, Lt. Gen. 
Khin Nyunt, and Suu Kyi. He is scheduled to depart Thursday. 

 The current group of generals came to power in 1988 after a bloody 
crackdown against a democracy uprising. They called general elections in 
1990 but ignored the results, which had given a resounding victory to 
the NLD. 

 The subsequent suppression of the NLD and its political activities have 
attracted widespread Western criticism of the military junta, also 
widely condemned for its human rights record. 


___________________________________________________





Reuters: Suu Kyi party hopeful over Myanmar talks

(Updates with foreign minister meeting, NLD statement; paragraphs 
8,17-18) 

 By Aung Hla Tun 

 YANGON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's opposition National League for 
Democracy (NLD) expressed optimism on Monday over talks with the ruling 
military as U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail began a four-day visit to 
mediate the dialogue. 

 The U.N. envoy's arrival came on the heels of the release from de facto 
house arrest of two top NLD leaders -- Chairman Aung Shwe, 83, and 
Vice-Chairman Tin Oo, 75 -- who late on Sunday met party leader Aung San 
Suu Kyi for the first time since a renewed crackdown by the military in 
September last year. 

 ``I am more optimistic about the talks (with the military). I feel we 
are gaining more understanding,'' Tin Oo told Reuters. 

 ``The release of political prisoners is rather slow. Aung San Suu Kyi 
also feels like this and we are all looking forward to seeing Mr 
Razali.'' 

 Other party members also said they were optimistic about a fresh round 
of shuttle negotiations with the ruling military. 

 ``We are very happy about the release (of Tin Oo and Aung Shwe). It 
sure will improve our optimism about the success of the talks,'' said an 
NLD official recently freed from detention by the ruling State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC). 
 ``There are some more political prisoners, including our leader Aung 
San Suu Kyi, who should be released,'' he said. 

 Razali, who last visited in June, arrived on a flight from Singapore. 
He met Foreign Minister Win Aung soon after, but made no public comment. 


 A U.N. official said Razali would stay four days. 

 ``Mr Razali will visit Yangon from today until August 30 to help 
facilitate the talks between the government and Aung San Suu Kyi for 
democratisation and reconciliation in Myanmar,'' he said. 

 ``During his visit Mr Razali is expected to meet with Senior General 
Than Shwe, prime minister and chairman of the SPDC, and other government 
figures,'' he said. 

 ``He is also expected to meet with senior members of the NLD.'' 

 NO DETAILS 

 NLD Secretary U Lwin, a member of the party's Central Executive 
Committee, told Reuters the U.N. diplomat was expected to meet Suu Kyi, 
as well as Aung Shwe, Tin Oo and himself. 

 ``We are looking forward to meeting him (Razali), but we have no 
details of the meeting yet,'' he said. 

 U Lwin said he had accompanied Tin Oo and Aung Shwe to the meeting with 
Aung San Suu Kyi at her lakeside residence in central Yangon late on 
Sunday. 
 ``They talked about the running of the party,'' he said. 

 The NLD's executive committee issued a statement later on Monday 
confirming the four-hour party meeting and reaffirming its unity and 
commitment to the struggle for democracy. 

 ``U Aung Shwe and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will continue to make efforts 
unitedly for the emergence of democracy,'' it said. 

 Suu Kyi and Aung Shwe have been confined to their Yangon homes since 
September, when the government cracked down on the NLD following 
attempts by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate to travel outside the 
capital. 

 Tin Oo was detained by the government after the crackdown and put under 
de facto house arrest. 

 Western diplomats in Yangon said the lifting of restrictions on Tin Oo 
and Aung Shwe appeared intended as a goodwill gesture from the 
government ahead of Razali's visit. 
 The military has been holding secretive talks since October with Suu 
Kyi. The start of dialogue was welcomed by foreign countries, many of 
which regard Myanmar as a pariah state. 

 But no clear signs of progress have emerged from the talks, and there 
has been speculation that they have hit an impasse. 

 Despite some concessions by the military, a government official told 
Reuters on Sunday that restrictions on Suu Kyi's freedom of movement 
would remain. 
 ``The situation of Aung San Suu Kyi will remain the same for the time 
being,'' the official said. 

 The SPDC has so far released more than 150 NLD members and allowed the 
party to re-open some of its offices. But human rights group Amnesty 
International says there are still more than 1,500 political prisoners 
in Myanmar. 

 The NLD won the country's last general election in 1990 by a landslide 
but has never been allowed to govern. Razali has played a key role in 
brokering talks between the government and Suu Kyi. 

 His visit beginning on Monday will be his fifth since he took on the 
role of mediator last year. 

 At the conclusion of his last visit he expressed ``cautious optimism'' 
over the talks between the military, which has run the country since 
grabbing power in a 1962 coup, and the pro-democracy opposition. 

 (With additional reporting by Dan Eaton in Bangkok) 




___________________________________________________




AFP: Aung San Suu Kyi property suit delayed again 

YANGON, Aug 27 (AFP) - A Yangon court Monday again postponed a property 
suit brought against democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi by her brother 
Aung San Oo, who is fighting for partial control of her lakeside 
residence. 

 Proceedings in the case brought by US businessman Aung San Oo, who is 
seeking to administer half of the house that belonged to their late 
mother, have been pushed back to September 3. 

 Judge Soe Thein read out amendments early Monday in the drawn-out case, 
which has already been delayed several times, but did not set a date for 
a formal hearing. 
 Aung San Oo has made two bids to evict his sister from her lakeside 
villa, where she has been confined by the country's ruling generals 
since September. 

 His first attempt for half ownership was dismissed on a technicality in 
January. 
 Lawyers on both sides revised their original arguments, which will now 
be presented to the court on September 3. 

 Defence lawyers earlier asked the court to reject amendments issued by 
the plaintiff's side, saying they would change the whole substance of 
the case. 

 "Whereas the plaintiff side has put up a case for administration of 
property, it in fact continues to demand partition and half-ownership of 
the property," they said in June. 
 Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers originally argued that Aung San Oo had no 
right to apply for his sister to be evicted because, as a foreigner 
living in the United States, he had no right to own property in Myanmar. 


 If he wins the case, Aung San Oo is expected to turn his share of the 
house over to the government, a result which would put his sister in an 
extremely precarious position. 
 The legal action is believed to be driven by Aung San Oo's wife and to 
be motivated more by a family rift than political concerns. 

 Meanwhile, attention was centered on the arrival of United Nations 
envoy Razali Ismail Monday to mediate landmark talks he helped launch 
between the junta and the democratic opposition late last year. 

 In an apparent goodwill gesture, the military regime lifted 
restrictions late Sunday on senior members of the opposition National 
League for Democracy (NLD), Aung Shwe and Tin Oo, who had been under 
virtual house arrest since September. 
 


___________________________________________________




Arakan News Agency: Fake public demonstrations held in support of  
Burmese junta 

Maungdaw, August 17:

Several fake public demonstrations are being held, ordered by 
authorities, in the month of July and August, in  Buthidaung and 
Maungdaw townships of western Arakan State of Burma supporting the 
junta. On August 15, 2001 a group of Maundaw Township Peace and 
Development Council members headed by its Chairman U Thein Maung 
attended four public meetings held at Ywa Thit village primary school, 
with about 75 participants, Myint Hlut Arabic school with about 100 
participants, Shikdarpara village mosque compound with about 50 
participants, and Thayet Taw village Peace and Development Council 
office with about 25 participants respectively, all located in Myin Hlut 
village tract south of Maungdaw township. Earlier in the month of July 
several such meeting were held in Buthidaung township. 

The junta officials made speeches telling that although voluntary labour 
contribution (a term used for forced labour) was allowed under 1907 Town 
Act and 1908 Village Act the government is no more exacting such labour 
from the people in the changing situation as per instruction of the 
Ministry of Home affairs, order No. 1/99 released on May 14, 1999 and 
October 27, 2000. They added that such labour can only be taken if it is 
useful for the people and the State and provided that permission is 
given by the Ma Wa Ta (Township PDC) and Kha Wa Ta (District PDC). At 
the end of the speeches the participants  raise slogans in loud voice 
stating that the SPDC does not oppress people, the SPDC does not engage 
people in portering and unpaid forced labour and the SPDC is ruling the 
country very peacefully. Muslims wearing caps were lined up in the front 
rows of the meetings and the whole proceeding was video-taped. 

These fake demonstrations are being carried out just before the visit of 
a high level ILO delegation to Burma to assess the latest forced labour 
situation. Contrary to the claim of junta, however, forced labour is 
still rampant in north Arakan. 
 

Abdur Rashid
Chief Reporter
ANA


______________________MONEY________________________


Myanmar Times: Earth Industrial (Myanmar)-- Ray of Hope for the Future 
of Electronic Industry 

August 27, 2001

In the manufacturing sector of Myanmar, Earth Industrial (Myanmar)  Ltd. 
is the only (100) percent locally-owned electronics producer.  Other 
industrial concerns are mainly concentrated on manufacturing  consumer 
products, garments and production of foodstuffs. There are  very few 
involved in the electronics sector and fewer still which is  wholly 
capitalized and managed by local Myanmar entrepreneurs.  
Photo: Women workers at the facility 

"Earth Industrial (Myanmar) has established three facilities in this  
South Dagon Industrial Zone(1), namely the transformer factory, power  
supply factory and thermal cutoff factory. The transformer factory was  
opened in December 1997. Our latest addition, the power supply factory  
was completed as recently as September 2000," explained the company  
director U Nyein Chan Soe Win while conducting a tour around the  
(96076) square meter facility at Plot No.23. 

Two shifts of over 1000 workers are churning out miniature  transformers 
at the transformer factory. Meanwhile, over 100 workers  are toiling in 
single shifts, producing Printed Circuit Boards(PCB)  and adaptors at 
power supply facility. 

Photo: Electronic components being manufactured at the factory  using  
modern equipment 

Practising subcontracting system by accepting production orders from  
the Malaysian electronics goods manufacturer, Tamura Electronics  
Co.,Ltd. "Our plants need to operate according to the international  
standards and norms. We tried very hard to obtain ISO 2002," noted U  
Myint Swe. He continued on by saying, "As the result of cooperative  
efforts between the management and workers, we received ISO 2002 on  
December, 2002." He proudly pointed at the wall where the certificate  
hung in its glass frame. 

Other certificates and papers are observed too, besides the ISO, such  
as JQA(Japan Quality Assurance), UL (Underwriter's Laboratory), CSA  
(Canadian Safety Association) and TUV.  "ISO is given for Quality  
Assurance while others are for safety purposes. For safety reasons,  
audit groups from respective countries and associations came here to  
check on production factors and materials' usage. The production  
methods and the materials utilized must be in conformity with the  
criteria and safety standards by these associations," explained  Quality 
Control Manager U Kyaw Min. 


Quality Assurance Tests at the facility 

Their suppliers had accepted up to 3 percent rejection rate when the  
factory was first run. Then the management tried to reduce the waste  
and rejection rates further down the line. The 3 percent rate is  
reduced to 2 percentage points now and they are aiming for 0.7  percent, 
noted to U Kyaw Min. 


"We all follow the ISO and other reference standards," he confidently  
explains. He went on to say that Tamura (Malaysia) has brought in  other 
manufacturers in Malaysia to Myanmar. "They thoroughly reviewed  our 
production processes and as they are satisfied with our  capabilities, 
we received production orders too. 

Photo: Sample of components manufactured by Earth Industrial Co.  
The auditors are satisfied as we test our products for quality  
assurance by using latest computer systems," noted U Nyein Chan Soe  
Win, while showing the author around the workers engaged in quality  
control. While the "Earth Induatries" is presently engaged in  
sub-contracting for others, their ultimate aim is for ODM or Own  Design 
and Manufacturing. 

U Nyein Chan continued, "We received some technology from them while  
doing the sub-contracting work. But gradually, we are moving towards  
the country's largest OEM of Original Equipment Manufacturer where we  
can find our own material and markets. Eventually, we will carry out  
our own design works(ODM). 

Photo: Coil production for electrical components 

The electronics industries are gradually being relocated from NIEs to  
developing states. The most notable aspect is the emergence of  
electronic manufacturing facilities in China and Vietnam within the  
past few years. 

There are vast opportunities for small manufacturers to set up shop in  
Myanmar. The Earth Industrial(Myanmar) has become the pioneer for the  
establishment of full-fledged electronics industry in the future and  we 
have ample reason to believe that Myanmar will become an ideal  country 
for investments by the electronics manufacturers.  



_______________________GUNS________________________




Stratfor: Moscow Courting Myanmar With MiG-29s

Stratfor Global Intelligence Update
August 22, 2001



Summary

Russia is helping Myanmar upgrade its decaying air force, recently 
selling  Yangon a dozen MiG-29s and signing a defense cooperation 
agreement. But  Moscow's interest in Myanmar goes beyond finding another 
market for its arms  industry. Myanmar, which has long kept Russia at 
arms length, occupies a  strategic position between South and East Asia 
and is the focus of regional  competition between China and India.

Analysis

The Russian government recently sold a dozen MiG-29 fighters to help 
update  Myanmar's declining air force, made up primarily of Chinese 
variants of the  MiG-21 and MiG-19. 

Moscow has been working since 1997 to tighten ties with Myanmar. 
Although the  Russian government has aggressively marketed its military 
weaponry in South  and Southeast Asia over the past few years, its deals 
with Myanmar serve a  deeper goal: gaining greater access to a 
strategically located nation that  India and China are already courting. 


Myanmar's location has placed it squarely in the middle of the testy  
relationship between Beijing and New Delhi. China maintains military 
ties  with Yangon because of the value of Myanmar's 1,930-kilometer 
coastline  bordering the Andaman Sea. Access to this shoreline would 
give China's sea  lines of communication more protection while 
diminishing the security of  India's shipping routes. India also has 
attempted to increase ties with  Myanmar to counter China's influence.

Russia hopes to take advantage of China and India's rivalry to finally  
establish a presence in Myanmar. Russia has close but uneasy ties with 
New  Delhi and Beijing -- it supplies arms to both -- and an 
intelligence base in  Myanmar would allow Moscow to more accurately 
monitor actions and relations  between the two regional powers.

Russia also wants to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, which it 
views as  a new potentially lucrative arms market. Even during the 
height of the Cold  War, Russia was unable to place military advisers in 
Myanmar, with the only  long-term foreign military presence in the 
country belonging to China.  
As Chinese involvement grew during the 1990s, Moscow placed greater  
importance on broadening ties with Yangon, in large part to monitor 
Beijing's  activities in Southeast Asia. 

Russia's interest in Myanmar has been tied to its intelligence service. 
In  1997 Moscow began breaking new ground in Yangon with the visit of 
Col. Gen.  Valentin Sobolev, then deputy director of the Russian secret 
services (FSB),  according to the Russian daily Vremya Novostei. Early 
talks between the two  sides focused on joint anti-drug efforts but by 
2000 evolved to cover  military cooperation and nuclear energy.

Economically isolated since the 1988 military takeover, Yangon has 
relied on  China and India for assistance and support. With Beijing and 
New Delhi both  harboring ulterior motives and competing in Myanmar, 
Yangon fears being in  the same position as Pakistan, caught in the 
middle of these Asian giants.  Russia offers a potential alternative for 
Yangon in balancing the Indians and  Chinese. 

In addition to signing a defense cooperation agreement, Russia is now 
selling  Myanmar the 12 MiG-29 fighters at the bargain price of just 
$130 million to  $150 million for the entire batch, according to 
regional reports. Russia's  cheap prices, though, will likely come with 
some strings attached.  
The MiG-29 marks a significant technological leap over Myanmar's current 
 Chinese-built F-7s and A-5s, reverse-engineered variants of the MiG-21 
and  MiG-19 respectively. To effectively integrate the new aircraft into 
its air  force, Myanmar will need substantial flight and maintenance 
training.  
Yangon, which sought the new jets in response to Thailand's earlier 
purchase  of a squadron of used F-16s from the United States, has 
already dispatched a  group of 300 military personnel to Moscow for 
training both on the MiG-29 and  in rocket technology, according to 
Asiaweek. 

Training on the aircraft will not end in Moscow. When Yangon bought 
foreign  weapon systems in the past, it also briefly hosted foreign 
trainers inside  Myanmar. Russia will undoubtedly be asked to provide 
its own in-country  training and maintenance professionals for visits 
that will be anything but  brief. 

According to military analysts cited by the Far Eastern Economic Review, 
it  will take years before the Myanmar pilots are ready to handle the 
MiG-29s,  and this creates the prospect of a long-term Russian presence 
in the country. 
The arms sales, training and offers of assistance in nuclear energy for  
power-starved Myanmar will give Moscow a foothold in the country. But 
Russia  may find itself drawn into the competition for influence in 
Myanmar as it  expands its involvement in the country, risking relations 
with China and  India.





________________________DRUGS______________________



New York Times: On Trial: Fighting Drugs vs. Fighting Dictators

August 27, 2001

By JAMES RISEN
 
ASHINGTON, Aug. 26 ? When the competing foreign policy objectives of 
federal agencies collide overseas, internal struggles often roil the 
cramped confines of an American embassy. But rarely do those testy 
little fights take on the bitterness, suspicion and prolonged legal 
wrangling that have marked the case of Richard Horn, a former agent of 
the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Mr. Horn, the drug agency's attaché in Myanmar during the early 1990's, 
says his home was illegally wiretapped in 1993, probably by the Central 
Intelligence Agency. A 54- year-old career D.E.A. agent who retired in 
December, Mr. Horn has sued both the C.I.A. station chief for Myanmar 
and the State Department's chief of mission at the embassy when he was 
there, seeking monetary damages for violations of his civil rights. 

The government is defending both officials and has sought to dismiss his 
lawsuit, which the federal court, in the District of Columbia, has 
placed under seal. The suit has been stuck in court for seven years. 

The facts are hotly disputed, and Mr. Horn's opponents say the 
wiretapping never happened. "There is absolutely nothing to it," said 
Franklin Huddle, Jr., who was the embassy chief of mission at the time. 

Even so, the government has invoked a provision of the national security 
law known as the state-secrets privilege to prevent the disclosure of 
classified information in a civil lawsuit. A federal judge has approved 
the use of such privilege, and asked Mr. Horn's attorneys to explain how 
they can proceed without access to classified material. 

Because the case is under seal, officials at the agencies involved say 
they are limited in what they can say about it. A drug agency spokesman 
declined comment. A State Department spokesman said, "It has always been 
our steadfast position that there is no merit" to the case. A 
spokeswoman for Central Intelligence said, "It's not the mission or part 
of its operations for the C.I.A. to surveil other U.S. officials or U.S. 
citizens at home or abroad." 

The government's tactics have frustrated Mr. Horn and his lawyers.

"The extraordinary efforts they have taken to conceal the records and 
prevent discovery make their claims that no unlawful actions were taken 
against Mr. Horn very, very suspicious," said Janine Brookner, a former 
C.I.A. officer who represents Mr. Horn.

By the time Mr. Horn arrived in Myanmar in 1992, the United States had 
already become harshly critical of the government's record on democracy 
and human rights. Under pressure from Congress, American officials kept 
their distance. 

But Myanmar, formerly Burma, was a leading producer of heroin, and the 
D.E.A. wanted to stem the flow of drugs. Mr. Horn says he felt that the 
only way he could do his job was to try to gain the cooperation of the 
government and tribal leaders involved in the drug trade. 

But State Department officials felt that Mr. Horn, in his eagerness to 
do his job, was flouting policy guidelines. "You had foreign policy 
obligations running up against law enforcement obligations," said a 
former Clinton administration official who was involved in antidrug 
policy then. "You had human rights running up against counternarcotics."

In an August 1993 cable to the State Department, Mr. Huddle recommended 
a "nonpunitive" recall of Mr. Horn, though he sympathized with the 
difficulties Mr. Horn faced. "Rick is a hard-charging cop who just wants 
to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible," Mr. Huddle 
wrote. 

Mr. Horn's complaint centers on an incident in August 1993, just as he 
was forced to leave Myanmar. 

Late one night, Mr. Horn was talking to another drug agent, David B. 
Sikorra, about how Mr. Horn was being pushed out of the country. The 
next day, part of their conversation was quoted in a cable Mr. Huddle 
sent to Washington, which read: "Horn shows increasing signs of evident 
strain. Late last night, for example, he telephoned his junior agent to 
say that `I am bringing the whole D.E.A. operation down here. You will 
be leaving with me. . . . We'll all leave together.' " 

Mr. Horn says the quotation is evidence that his phone was bugged. 

Mr. Huddle denies that Mr. Horn was ever wiretapped. "The reality is 
that I heard about it from his own people, not by wiretapping him," Mr. 
Huddle said. 

The former Clinton antidrug official said that as the United States has 
expanded its law enforcement presence overseas, there have been a number 
of problem cases pitting American law enforcement officials against 
diplomats. 

Even as Mr. Horn's lawsuit sits idling in federal court here, the United 
States has finally concluded that it can deal in a limited way with 
Myanmar in fighting drugs. 

"In the last two or three years, there has been a shift in thinking," 
said Derek Mitchell, an Asia specialist at the Pentagon during the 
Clinton administration. "They have been willing to work with us to some 
degree, and there is a feeling that we can do some antinarcotics work 
with them."
 

 


__________________________________________________





___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				


AFP: Japan welcomes lifting of restrictions on Myanmar opposition 
leaders 

TOKYO, Aug 27 (AFP) - Japan on Monday welcomed the easing of 
restrictions on two opposition leaders in Myanmar, hoping for greater 
trust between the military regime and the opposition National League for 
Democracy (NLD). 

 "We welcome the move as helpful for further progress in confidence 
building between the Myanmar government and (NLD leader) Aung San Suu 
Kyi," Vice Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshiji Nogami said. 

 The military regime lifted restrictions late Sunday on Aung Shwe and 
Tin Oo, who had been under virtual house arrest since September, leaving 
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as the sole NLD leader confined to her 
house by the ruling junta. 

 Japan is the biggest creditor nation and aid donor to Myanmar. It 
suspended all but a small amount of humanitarian aid in the aftermath of 
the 1988 military takeover, but the flow of funds resumed in 1994. 

 Nogami also told a news conference that Japan hoped for further 
progress in dialogue between the Myanmar government and Aung San Suu 
Kyi, and democratisation of the country." 



___________________________________________________







___________________________________________________





___________________________________________________





___________EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA__________




Myanmar Times: ILO's Stand on Myanmar Garment Industries 

August 27, 2001

Garment manufacturing has become one of the principal industries since  
Myanmar practised the market economy more than a decade ago. There are  
about 400 garment factories employing over 300,000 people at present.  
Many foreign enterprises are involved in CMP business and the output  of 
manufactured goods amounted to over US$ 400 million at which the  
industries earn only US$ 40 million. It is known that only two percent  
of the revenues went into government coffers while US$39.3 comprise  
workers' wages. Therefore, the development of garment industry has  
benefitted the lives of local citizens. 

On 14th July, 2001 a press conference was held at the meeting room of  
the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry  
head office located at Merchant Street. Chairman of the UMFCCI, U Win  
Myint, explained about the present status of private garment industry  
in Myanmar. 

American Senators and Congressmen have submitted a resolution banning  
the import of finished garment and textile products from Myanmar  
alleging that the government is forcibly using slave labour employing  
underaged workers at manufacturing facilities. Therefore, the alleged  
proposal no. (S-926) was an unfair one and over 15,500 workers have  
signed a petition condemning the proposal. The signed letters were  sent 
to the United Nations' offices, the United States Embassy, the  
International Labour Organization and the US Senate. 

The petition states that the American Senators and Congressmen have  
submitted Proposal No. S- 926 without first examining the true picture  
of the private garment industries in Myanmar. They have tried to use  
the proposal as a political weapon against the Myanmar government. The  
Senators have pressured the government by banning finished products  
manufactured by private garment industries in the pretext of promoting  
democracy and human rights in Myanmar. But the pressure tacties will  
only result in the regression of democratization process and human  
rights situation, the statement added. The resolution will only result  
in hardship for over 300,000 workers and one million dependents, the  
statement warned. 


Photo: Workers seen  here at a garment mill are neither underaged nor  
forced to work 

http://www.myanmar.com/Business_Tank/p2as.jpg 

In the same time as Senators and Congressmen are submitting proposals  
against the Myanmar peoples, a program funded by AusAid, an agency of  
the Australian government, has conducted human rights law training  
programs and workshops in Yangon and Mandalay during July. The courses  
were conducted by lecturers from Monash University of Melbourne. The  
workshops included analysis of ILO's convention on forced labour.  
Australia's former human rights commissioner and a key player in the  
program has noted that the Myanmar government has fully supported the  
courses. 


Male Workers on the assembly line 

The training courses on human rights law was conducted since early  2000 
and has entered into second-year term. Workshops and Courses were  
attended by government officials and non- government participants. The  
level of discussions were very high. Ms. Joseph, who conducted the  
courses on human rights, has stated that ILO has thoroughly  
investigated the reports on alleged labour rights violations before  
handing down any decision. 

Therefore, the people of Myanmar are awaiting the ILO's verdict on the  
rights of over 300,000 workers' engaged in private garment industries  
as it (the ILO) stands for global human and workers' rights, said the  
statement, while at the same time condemning the one-sided negative  
views of the US Senate. 


U Soe Than (Age-40) 

The BIG Editorial Group has recently interviewed U Soe Than, owner of  
the Shwe Yi Zabe Garment Manufacturing , located at Plot No. 25, Shwe  
Pyi Thar Industrial Zone (3). Here are some of the excerpts from the  
interview: 


BIG: What are the effects of U.S Senate's proposals to impose  sanctions 
on Myanmar? 

U Soe Than: Well, the orders are down. Taiwanese companies are  
especially worried about the sanctions proposals as they are the main  
exporters to the U.S. We are dependent upon the orders too and we are  
anxious about the effects. 


Drawing and marking designs on fabrics 
before cutting machines are used 


Q: If the resolution is passed by US authorities, how are you going to  
run the business? 


A: Working on FOB basis will be difficult because most of the  materials 
have to be imported. If the CMP business is not doing well,  then I'll 
have to change my profession. 


Q: What do you mean by changing your profession? 


A: A lot of investments are made to set up this factory. Therefore, I  
will have to convert it to manufacture goods using locally available  
raw materials. I am sad to say that some workers will have to be  
retrenched. 



Q: How many workers are employed in your factory? 



A: There are about 300 employees plus 150 machines. They work from 8  
am. to 4 p.m in the evening and overtime pay is provided.  

Q: As the garment industry employers have submitted a petition to the  
UN, do you expect any response from them ? 


A: For us, we want the situation to return to normal. We expect the  
Americans to continue to accept our products. But a US Embassy  official 
was quoted as saying that they are in the interests of 50  million 
people rather than 300,000 workers. I regret hearing the  remarks from 
such a person. 


Q: Do you plan to explore other markets if the US government has  
imposed sanctions on garment and apparel products.? 


A: The United State has the biggest market for such products. If we  
compare the European markets with the US, they are quite small and we  
will have to 

compete very hard with other countries. The Japanese market prefers  
high quality apparel. Therefore, the Japanese have formed joint  
ventures in other countries for their own imports. Chances for us are  
slim. 


Packing high-quality shirts 


Q: What are your views on the future of international garment  industry? 



A: According to news in the marketplace, the quota system will be  
abolished by 2004. I think we will have to compete hard with China and  
Vietnam. 


Q: Would you like to comment further on the present situation?  

A: I would like to propose, as a representative of the garment  
industry, for the government to take necessary measures so that our  
mills and factories can continue to run normally. 








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