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BurmaNet News: October 1, 2001
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
October 1, 2001 Issue # 1889
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________
INSIDE BURMA _______
*AP: ILO team travels to northeastern Myanmar for forced labor probe
*AP: ILO investigators return from Myanmar countryside
*DVB : Veteran politicians hope oppositions party can bring about
democracy Veteran politicians hope oppositions party can bring about
democracy
*AFP: Urbanisation putting pressure on Myanmar infrastructure: report
*Narinjara News: Arakanese Students Missing Since The Race Riot
*Irrawaddy online: New Printing Houses to Open
MONEY _______
*AFP: Good rainfall to boost Myanmar rice production this year: report
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Levying teakwood in teakless area
*Network Media Group: Burma enforced new regulation on import
restriction
*Irrawaddy online: Fishing Licensing Gets Technical
GUNS______
*Shan Herald Agency for News: New militia leader chosen
*Irrawaddy online: Karenni Troops Battle Junta
DRUGS______
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Wa and Burmese commanders strike new deal
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Wa refineries move from the border
*Shan Herald Agency for News: More on drugs--New speed refinery across
the border
*Xinhua: Feature: Anti-Drug War Makes Headway in "Land Above Clouds"
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*Kyodo: Former Myanmar strong man leaves for Singapore in poor health
*Burma Media Association (BMA): Myo Myint Nyein Selected for Canadian
Press Freedom Award
EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA________
*Statement by Sen. Mitch McConnell R -KY): "I oppose the lifting of any
sanctions against the military junta in Rangoon."
OTHER______
*Burmalibrary.org: Online Burma Library Hits the Streets
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
AP: ILO team travels to northeastern Myanmar for forced labor probe
2001-09-30 Sun 05:01
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ A high-level International Labor Organization
team traveled to northeastern Myanmar Sunday on the second leg of their
investigation into forced labor in the military state, diplomatic
sources said.
Accompanied by their own interpreters, the 4-member team departed
Yangon and split in two groups that headed to Lashio in Shan State and
Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State, the sources said.
Lashio is situated on the highway leading to the China border, 700
kilometers (440 miles) northeast of Yangon. Loikaw is 350 kilometers
(220 miles) northeast of the capital, near the border with Thailand.
Last week, the ILO mission also split in two groups which spent six
days in eastern Tanintharyi Division, Karen State and Mon State, and
northwestern Rakhine State respectively.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has long been assailed by the United
Nations and Western nations for its human rights record, which includes
forcing its citizens to do unpaid manual labor on public works and serve
as army porters.
Most violations are alleged to take place in countryside areas outside
the capital.
In an unprecedented move last November, the ILO urged its 175 member
governments to impose sanctions and review their dealings with Myanmar
to ensure they are not abetting forced labor.
Led by former governor general of Australia Sir Ninian Stephen, the ILO
team is assessing the impact of various laws and measures announced by
the government to comply with ILO rules.
The mission is the first time the ruling junta has allowed the U.N.
agency to travel around the country at its own discretion. Myanmar's
military regime has long been wary of outside scrutiny.
The team's report will be considered by the ILO governing body, which
will meet at the agency's headquarters in Geneva in November.
Since arriving on Sept. 17, the ILO team has met in Yangon with
government leaders and with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is
under virtual house arrest. The team is scheduled to brief diplomats in
Yangon after returning from the provinces.
A foreign ministry official said two senior military intelligence
officers who accompanied the ILO team members to the provinces last week
were there to organize logistics and did not accompany the ILO officials
on their investigations in the field.
(aaw-mp/ss)
2001-09-30 Sun 04:37
___________________________________________________
AP: ILO investigators return from Myanmar countryside
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Members of an International Labor Organization
delegation investigating efforts by Myanmar's military government to end
forced labor returned to the capital from field trips to remote parts of
the country Friday morning, diplomatic sources said.
The four-member team, led by former Australian governor general Sir
Ninian Stephen, had split into two groups to travel to Dawei in
southeastern Myanmar and Sittway, the capital of western Rakhine state.
The ILO team is scheduled to hold meetings with relevant government
officials during the weekend before traveling again on Monday and will
leave Myanmar sometime next week, said several diplomats, speaking on
condition of anonymity.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has long been assailed by the United
Nations and Western nations for its human rights record, including
forcing its citizens to do unpaid manual labor on public works and serve
as army porters.
Most violations are alleged to take place in countryside areas outside
the capital.
The mission by the ILO is the first time the U.N. agency has been
allowed by the ruling junta to travel around the country to make its
``own direct assessment of the forced labor situation,'' according to an
ILO statement which announced the visit.
In an unprecedented move last November, the ILO urged its 175 member
governments to impose sanctions and review their dealings with Myanmar
to ensure they are not abetting forced labor. The ILO team's mandate is
to assess the impact of various laws and measures announced by the
government to comply.
Its report will be considered by the ILO governing body, which will
meet at the agency's headquarters in Geneva in November.
Since arriving on Sept. 17, the ILO team has also met in Yangon with
government leaders and with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is
under virtual house arrest. It met as well with representatives of
ethnic-based political parties and foreign ambassadors.
2001-09-28 Fri 05:34
___________________________________________________
DVB : Veteran politicians hope oppositions party can bring about
democracy Veteran politicians hope oppositions party can bring about
democracy
28 September
News reports have already been given about the ceremony marking the 13th
anniversary of the founding of the NLD held at NLD Headquarters in
Shwegondaing, Rangoon yesterday. The ceremoy was attended by
Rangoon-based diplomats, U Saw Mra Aung, chairman of Committee
Representing People's Parliament, leaders of national races, Thakhin
Thein Pe and veteran politicians, NLD members, and invited guests
totalling about 600. It was also reported that NLD Chairman U Aung Shwe,
NLD Vice Chairman U Tin Oo, and NLD spokesperson U Lwin presented
reports. Furthermore, Bohmu Aung-led veteran politicians also sent a
special message of felicitation to the NLD. This message was read to DVB
by Thakhin Thein Pe, a confidant of Bohmu Aung and a member of the
veteran politicians group, who attended the ceremony yesterday and
personally delivered the message.
[Thakhin Thein Pe] Message sent to the 13th anniversary of the founding
of the NLD.
1. We commend the NLD leaders for their unwavering leadership to achieve
the party's objectives and all the NLD members through severe political
turmoil have remained with the party with firm conviction for the past
13 years since its formation on 27 September 1988.
2. We also hope that the NLD, with untiring efforts and enjoying the
people's mandate, would be able to bring about the emergence of a
democratic nation where all the people including the nationalities of
the Union of Burma enjoy full human rights.
The veteran politicians group.
Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 28 Sep 01
___________________________________________________
AFP: Urbanisation putting pressure on Myanmar infrastructure: report
YANGON, Sept 30 (AFP) - Myanmar's growing urbanisation is putting
pressure on health services and utilities, and threatening to widen the
economic divide with rural communities, government officials told the
Myanmar Times newspaper.
In its edition to be published Monday, the weekly quoted Population
Department director Daw Khin May Aung as saying that the expanding urban
population could pose significant health and social welfare challenges.
"The demand for water, electricity and other government-provided
services would also rise," she said.
Khin May Aung said the military government was aware of the problem and
was trying to develop industries throughout the nation to ensure that
more workers had access to jobs close to home.
Migration to big cities by residents of rural areas who wanted to
increase their incomes could also lead to labour shortages in the
agricultural sector, she said.
Department of Health Planning deputy director Khin Maung Lwin told the
weekly that inadequate water and sanitation services in city areas where
workers settled posed a risk of disease.
Overcrowded accommodation and low incomes could also lead to health
problems linked to personal hygiene and food safety, he said.
"Although incomes in urban areas may be higher than in rural areas,
there are no vegetables to pick and no fishery products to catch near
their new homes," he said.
"An urban environment can also be detrimental to children's health, as
they do not have the spacious play areas available in rural areas," he
said, adding that the authorities must ensure immunisation programs were
in place.
Khin Maung Lwin said better health care co-ordination was needed
between government departments and companies employing workers.
"The responsible authorities should collaborate with the health
personnel to minimise any health risks," he said.
___________________________________________________
Narinjara News: Arakanese Students Missing Since The Race Riot
28/9/2001
Cox's Bazaar, 28 Sep. 01: According to an Arakanese student who
recently fled into Bangladesh, about three thousand Rakhine students,
teachers and monks have so far been taken into custody in Sittwe, the
capital of Rakhine State, in the western part of Myanmar since the
Buddhist and Muslim race riots that broke in February 2001. The
Military Intelligence and the Police together with other paramilitary
forces arrested them and held without trial. Students as young as ten or
eleven year olds were also nabbed for interrogation. According to the
Arakanese student, about two thirds of the arrested were released after
paying as much as fifteen thousand kyat as bribe to the officials
concerned with the law enforcement.
Among the rest, most of who could not pay the bribe were either sent to
the Thai border for portering and forced labour or have been missing
ever since. Many of the lucky ones who could trace their children who
had been sent to the Thai border, followed to the far-off places and
bribed the law enforcement authorities there for the release of their
children. A Ko Ko Naing (fictitious name), aged 16, of Moouleik quarter
of Sittwe, was taken to Tacheleik of Shan State, along with 47 other
fellow students. There the Burmese Military engaged him in hard labour
and used them as porters in the operational areas. His father took
permission from the Military Intelligence 10 stationed at Sittwe by
paying a large sum of money to the authority and went to Shan State to
bring back his only son. A large number of students and monks from
Sittwe have since been missing without any whereabouts. According to the
student, most of the parents of the missing children are even afraid of
asking the law enforcement agencies about the whereabouts of their
children or what faith they had in the aftermath of the race riot. The
military junta has clamped news blackout as usual regarding the
incidence.
*Narinjara News is an independent news organization focusing especially
on the western side of Burma. The news published here can freely be
used by mentioning the source. Please write to narinjara@xxxxxxxxxxx
for more information.
__________________________________________________
Irrawaddy online: New Printing Houses to Open
By Maung Maung Oo
September 28, 2001?In an attempt to deliver the government?s state-run
newspapers in a more timely fashion the Burmese government will be
opening up two new printing houses on Monday in Magway, in middle Burma,
and Taung Gyi, in the Shan State.
"The life of a newspaper is only one morning but in our country, some
rural towns get the newspapers two or three days after they were
printed," said a journalist in Rangoon. Who added that, "The junta is
now starting to understand the influence that media can have. Even Lt
Gen Khin Nyunt called for the Ministry of Information to improve the
quality of state-run newspapers."
In March of this year a second printing house was set-up in Mandalay,
the capital of upper Burma, in order to get the news out faster. The
government hopes to accomplish a same-day delivery service for the areas
surrounding both Magway and Taung Gyi.
There are three state-run newspapers in Burma The Myanmar Alin, the
Kyemon and The New Light of Myanmar. The Myanmar Times is the only non
state-run paper in Burma, however the paper is thought to have close
ties to the junta.
Burma?s military government also recently launched a new TV channel,
MRTV 3, that is to be broadcast via satellite to hundreds of countries
around the world. The aim of the channel is polish Burma?s tarnished
international reputation by broadcasting the ?truth? about Burma.
______________________MONEY________________________
AFP: Good rainfall to boost Myanmar rice production this year: report
YANGON, Sept 30 (AFP) - Abundant rainfall is expected to push Myanmar's
rice production to 13 million tonnes this year, up from 12.5 million
tonnes in 2000, according to a Myanmar Times report.
Agricultural Planning Department deputy director general Toe Aung said
that summer and rainy season rice varieties were targeted to be planted
over a total 16.3 million acres, up from 15.7 million last year.
"We expect to harvest 13 million tonnes of rice this year, from which
about 10 million tonnes will have to be reserved for local consumption
and for next year's seeds," he told the weekly newspaper in its edition
to be published Monday.
Toe Aung said conditions for wet rice had been especially favourable
this year because, unlike previous seasons, there had been no shortage
of rain during the pre-peak and late monsoon periods.
The expected surplus of three million tonnes may be exported, he said,
but the final yield would depend on the use of fertilisers by farmers.
2001-09-30
___________________________________________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: Levying teakwood in teakless area
30 September 2001
On 17 August Maj Tin Maung Htoo, Deputy Commander, LIB 516 (Namzang),
led a 37-men strong patrol to Wanzing, a Kunhing Township, and demanded
3 tons of teakwood from the villagers, reported sources from the area.
When the village elders informed him there were no teak trees in the
area, he insisted that they paid him K. 210,000 instead or face
punishments. "he prevailed, as usual," said the report.
The patrol also took 50 viss (1 viss=1.6 kg) of chicken, 5 pairs of
canvas shoes and 13 sacks of peanuts from the surrounding villages. A
village woman, Nang La, 26 (Parents: Htoon and Nang) with two children,
was also reported raped.
Another patrol from LIB 505 (Namlan) was also there, forcibly purchasing
520 viss of peanuts at K. 250 per viss.
The market price is K. 450
___________________________________________________
Network Media Group: Burma enforced new regulation on import
restriction
Chiang Mai, September 29, 2001
A new regulation enforcing restriction of Burmese border trade importers
was introduced and all the border trade centers will no longer be
allowed to issue any import permit started from September 26, a source
from Thai-Burma border said.
According to the new regulation, all parties who want to import goods to
Burma must apply import permits from the Directorate of Trading under
the Ministry of Economics and Trading in Rangoon. The border trade
stations on all the borders will not be allowed to issue new permits.
But, the permits already issued at the border trade stations before
September 26, which can import maximum value of US dolor 30,000, can
still be used, merchant sources from Mae Sod said.
"It will be more expensive to go to Rangoon to get import permit every
time", said a Burmese importer in Mae Sod.
Burma made restrictions on imports since last two years allowing only
27 "essential commodities" for Burma to be imported. A new regulation
was imposed again on June 19, 2001 that barred the importers who earn
foreign money from other businesses rather than exporting goods from
Burma. And, the regulation only allowed the import value of US dolor
30,000 for an import permit.
The new order to the border trade stations from Directorate of Trading
was issued on September 21 and effective since September 26, 2001.
_______________________GUNS________________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: New militia leader chosen
Burmese authorities had recently appointed a rival Lahu chieftain to
replace the former militia leader who was in jail since 25 August,
reported sources from the border.
Lt-Col Hla Myint, new commander of IB 65, told a gathering of the
117-strong militia force from Nakawngmu, 27 miles north of the Thai
border, on 25 September that Tin Win had been designated the leader in
place of Hpo Thein and his two brothers who were arrested last month. (#
9-4, Militia chief taken into custody, S.H.A.N.)
During the assembly, 63 of the militiamen believed to be the disgraced
Hpo Thein's followers were disarmed. Tin Win, a former officer the now
defunct Mong Tai Army of Khun Sa, was then authorized to raise his force
up to 100 men.
"The militias are forbidden from communicating with the enemy," he was
reported as saying. "Anyone who is found associating with the enemy
shall be executed." Hpo Thein and his brothers' whereabouts are unknown
since they were taken into custody. One of the charges against them was
association with Yawdserk's Shan State Army.
"All over the township of Mongton, only a handful of Shan militias
remain," said another source from the area. "One in Maeken, commanded by
Tarnleng; another in Nakawngmu, commanded by Wiya and the last one in
Poongpakhem, commanded by Kyaw Tint. Altogether, they number less than
100."
In contrast, the total Lahu militia strength in the township would
exceed 200, he estimated.
Several Shan militia leaders and headmen were arrested and had
disappeared in the wake of the Pakhee Battle in April-May, when the
Shans claimed to have captured hundreds of thousands of speed pills from
the Burmese outpost.
N.B. In Report # 9-4, it was mistakenly reported that Hpo Thein was from
Poongpakhem. It should be corrected to Nakawngmu.
___________________________________________________
Irrawaddy online: Karenni Troops Battle Junta
By Chan Mya Aye
September 28, 2001?Karenni Army (KA) troops attacked a Burmese army
battalion in the Kayah (Karenni) State on September 23 reportedly
killing eleven soldiers and injuring twenty-seven during a thirty-minute
attack, according to a spokesman for the Karenni National Progressive
Party (KNPP).
KNPP?s Foreign Affairs Director Doh Say told The Irrawaddy that thirty
soldiers belonging to KA Regiment 2, led by Lieutenant-Commander L. Mwe,
ambushed Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 250 near the Maesalong mountain
range. The government troops were reportedly escorting LIB 250 Commander
Htun Htun Oo from Bawlakhe to the Kayah State capital of Loikaw when the
ambush took place. The KA is the armed wing of the KNPP.
"There were military trucks and other vehicles carrying troops and
equipment. Our troops fired on the two military trucks at the front of
the convoy," said Doh Say.
The KNPP signed a cease-fire agreement with the junta on May 21, 1995.
Although, within three months of signing that agreement fighting again
broke out between the military regime and KA troops. However, the junta
maintains that the cease-fire agreement is still being observed. There
have been 18 cease-fire agreements signed between the junta and
different ethnic groups inside Burma.
___________________________________________________
Irrawaddy online: Fishing Licensing Gets Technical
By Maung Maung Oo
September 28, 2001?Burma?s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has asked
foreign fishing companies applying for a 2001-2002 offshore fishing
license to attach a copy of any contracts that they have signed with the
Myanmar Economic Holding Co Ltd, (MEHCL), according to a business source
in Rangoon. The source said that the government would only issue
licenses to companies who are involved in contractual agreements with
MEHCL.
MEHCL is the largest company in Burma and is under the direct control of
the Defense Ministry. MEHCL is responsible for six types of businesses
in Burma that are related to the fishing industry such as ice production
and cold storage for fish and prawns.
"If you want to do any kind of business in Burma, you have to be
involved with MEHCL," says an influential businessman in Burma. "It is
the only way to officially bribe the generals," he adds.
MEHCL was responsible for the issuing of offshore fishing licenses but
this year the company transferred the duty to the Fisheries Department.
Foreign companies are required to use US dollars when dealing with MEHCL
in order to generate foreign currency reserves for the government.
________________________DRUGS______________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: Wa and Burmese commanders strike new deal
Wa and Burmese officials had recently held in a meeting across the
border for renewed cooperation after the arrival of a new battalion
commander, reported a border watcher yesterday.
The meeting took place at the IB 65 command post in Mongton township,
Monghsat District, opposite Chiangdao district of Chiangmai on 19
September. It was presided over by its new commander, Lt-Col Hla Myint,
who succeeded Lt-Col Myint Sway earlier this month, and attended by
other battalion commanders in the area: Lt-Col Maung Maung Than of IB
225, Lt-Col Moe Aung of IB 277 and Lt-Col Win Sein of LIB 519; Wa
officials: Wei Hsiaoying, Jalabo, Ta Marn, Ta Htawn and Ta Hperng and
Hsaw Hsing a.k.a. "Chawching". The meeting lasted two and a half hours
from 09:00-11:30.
A 6-point agreement was concluded there, said the source. According to
it, Hsaw Hsing was to remain the cartel's sales agent, as agreed earlier
on 4 June (#7-15, Wa going 50:50, S.H.A.N.). Proceeds from sale would be
divided equally between Wa and Burmese. One baht from the sale of each
pill (current price: B 11 per pill) would be reserved for the army's
expenses. Security during transit would be provided by both forces: the
Burmese along the motor-road and the Wa off the motor-road.
The last point was that no credit would be given to buyers anymore. "In
the past, there had been several instances when consignments were seized
in Thailand and their customers, as a result, were unable to pay back,"
the source explained.
The new commander concluded the meeting with an exhortation, "We shall
stand only if we are loyal to each other."
Burmese units were more and more heavily involved in the drug business
since a self-reliance policy was imposed on them a few years ago, said
Thai intelligence sources.
___________________________________________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: Wa refineries move from the border
September 29, 2001
For the second time during the year, the powerful intelligence chief had
instructed another Wa faction to pull out their refineries from the Thai
border, reported an informed source yesterday.
"It was on 29 August that the order came from Rangoon", he said. "He
(Khin Nyunt) cited the increasing ill repute of Mongyawn (the southern
Wa capital opposite Mae Ai and Mae Fa Luang districts, the former in
Chiangmai province and the latter in Chiangrai province) and the recent
designation of the area as a tourist attraction in the near future."
The order came ahead of Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt's 3-day visit to Bangkok, 3-5
September, when Rangoon promised to pressure the Wa to quit drugs if
Bangkok would help develop Mongyawn, according to Gen Thammarak
Isranggura na Ayutthya, PM Thaksin's drug czar.
"Since then Wa have been busy dismantling their labs, about ten of them,
and moving them to Nayao, Karnlong and Karnnoi in Mongtoom tract east of
Mongyawn, opposite Shan State Army's eastern strongholds just across
Chiangmai," he reported.
Wei Hsiaokang, the Wa's southern chieftain, had already moved his
"factories" to the Laotian border since 26 June at the "request" of the
general on 29 May, he reminded S.H.A.N.. He also believed that the
recent order was directed to Wei Hsaitang, the northern Wa commander in
the south.
"Mongyawn is now a town with hotels, and electricity plant and fancy
flower parks," he said. "Fruit orchards are also springing up over the
place."
Both Mongyawn and Mongtoom are in Monghsat township, Monghsat district,
eastern Shan State.
___________________________________________________
Shan Herald Agency for News: More on drugs--New speed refinery across
the border
One more methamphetamine refinery had been newly added to the two
already in existence under the control of the local Burmese commanders,
reported an informed source yesterday (28 September).
The new refinery is located 14 miles east of Mongton (51 miles from the
Thai border) near the Maeken River. "You drive 11 miles along the
Mongton-Monghsat road then branch off 3 miles to the right and you'll
get there, just 4 miles north of the village of Mong Aek," he
elaborated.
Lt-Col Hla Myint, new commander of IB 65 (Mongton) went to inspect the
location on 14 September led by Hsaw Hsing a.k.a. "Chawching", a drug
fugitive from Chiangmai who is living in Mongton and Jalaw, a Lahu
trader from Nawngpayen, a village north of Mongton.
Four days later, the colonel issued an order for villagers in Mong Aek
and the nearby Naniu to "contribute" 4,000 slats of woven thatch, each
4½ cubits in length, by 15 October.
Lao Ma, 47, from the defunct Mong Tai Army of Khun Sa, and Sgt. Myint
Lwin with 60 troops were dispatched to the location to oversee the
construction. Additional security was to be provided by Lahu militias
from Mongkarng led by Jakaw and from Loi Kham led by Jana.
Apart from refineries operated separately by Wa and Lahu militias, there
are two refineries, one in Hwe Khailong and the other in Hoyawd, both of
them in Mongton township, under the local Burmese commanders' direct
management, said the source.
___________________________________________________
Xinhua: Feature: Anti-Drug War Makes Headway in "Land Above Clouds"
(Part 1) by Yang
MAE HONG SON, Thailand, September 28 (Xinhua) -- Literally meaning "the
land above clouds," Thailand's most mountainous province of Mae Hong
Son, located 924 kilometers northwest of Bangkok and bordering Myanmar
on north and west, has long been regarded as a paradise full of natural
beauty and least affected by modern civilization.
However, the assumed Utopia in the eyes of outsiders was not totally
immune to present-day evils, Narong Danalung, commander of the
provincial anti-drug taskforce told Xinhua in his headquarters amid a
densely-forested area several kilometers away from the provincial
capital. Situated near Golden Triangle, one of world's most notorious
drug production bases, the province has witnessed increasing drug
inflows during recent years along its 430-kilometer-long border with
Myanmar, he said. According to Narong, at present one-sixth of
Thailand's drug influx passes through the sparsely-populated province,
which serves as a main transit point for drug traffickers who make use
of various secret routes deep in mountains and forests. An official
report released early this year found that there are drug problems in
all age groups and almost everywhere in the province.
"It is a tough and complicated struggle between good and evil in this
reputed tourist resort province. But with tougher suppression measures
and increasing public awareness, the situation is improving," said the
officer. So far this year, his troop has successfully intercepted and
arrested 432 drug traffickers and 427 suspects, confiscating 151, 292
methamphetamine tablets, 28 grams of heroin, 801 grams of opium and 428
grams of marijuana. Consisting of intelligence, interception,
psychological, public- relations and military personnel, the taskforce
adopted a modern and comprehensive strategy to firmly restrict
drug-trafficking. Focusing on villages and routes which were proved to
be important drug transit points, the troop has been launching an all-
front war which involved detecting drug trade movements, educating
villagers, incepting drug traffickers and carrying out raids on
suspected areas. Concerted effort needed Lying in a valley surrounded by
blue mountains, clean lakes and tea plantations, the picturesque border
village of Rak Thai ("Love Thai" ) is a typical local tourist
attraction.
But being one of the three main border passes in Mae Hon Song and
opposite to two reportedly major drug-production centers in Myanmar, it
is also an area under close surveillance of the government. The
villagers here are mainly poor minority ethnic people who used to be
easily persuaded by drug dealers to involve in the illicit trade and had
become part of a vast network which operates drug business across the
border, said Bragi Srisuwan, leader of a 30-member paramilitary troop
stationed here. He told Xinhua that it was impossible to stop the drug
traffic without villagers' cooperation. "In the past, some of them had
provided shelter for drug traffickers in their houses or hid drugs in
the truck-load of vegetables, which we felt hard to detect."
However, with public campaigns which educated locals about the harm of
drugs and economic projects which helped to divert villagers from drug
trade to tea-planting and tourism business over the years, the situation
has been profoundly changed, Bragi said. "Nowadays, the drug-traffickers
usually choose to avert this route because the villagers will inform us
about their whereabouts if they are around," he said. Cross-border
cooperation was also being sought to ease the drug rampancy. Thai Army
Assistant Chief of Staff Sorapong Sangvorajasap, who was Xinhua
reporters' guide in the trip, said that after the exchange of visits of
Thai and Myanmar leaders recently, the two countries determined to join
hands in drug- control task. More
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
Kyodo: Former Myanmar strong man leaves for Singapore in poor health
YANGON, Sept. 30 Kyodo - Former President of Myanmar Gen. Ne Win, dubbed
by foreign media as ''the strong man of Burma,'' left for Singapore on
Saturday for a medical checkup, sources close to his family said Sunday.
(22 :43)
___________________________________________________
Burma Media Association (BMA): Myo Myint Nyein Selected for Canadian
Press Freedom Award
September 28, 2001
Toronto--A well known Burmese journalist who has been in prison since
1990 is to be honored with the 2001 Canadian's International Press
Freedom Award, Toronto-based Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
(CJFE) informs today to Burma Media Association (BMA) that nominated for
the award.
Myo Myint Nyein, now in his 50, was arrested and sentenced to 7 years
imprisonment in 1990 on charge of contributing to the preparation,
planning, and publication of a satirical poem, What's Happening, written
by Min Lue, against the military government. He was a prominent editor
of the Payphuhlwar magazine and a member of National League Democracy's
information Department, and now is reportedly being detained in
Thayawaddy prison since 1996.
In 1995, his sentence was extended to another 7 years after taking part
in a remarkable press freedom movement in Insine prison. He was a
leading member of a 24 Media Members Group and reportedly undertook to
smuggle out reports of various human rights abuses in prison to the then
UN special rapporteur Yozo Yokota. He was also known as taking part in
the leading role of publishing the Diamond Jubilee National Day Magazine
in Inside prison and collecting a group of political prisoners'
signatures on a white shirt that sent out to the Annual Meeting of
United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1995.
The Program Manager of CJFE David Cozac said the jury committee was very
impressed by his case and so that selected for this year award-winner.
The BMA President Maung Maung Myint added, "this precious award has now
highlighted the plight of these courageous people and the oppressed
Burmese media society."
This is the second Burmese journalist who would receive the award, and
the 1998 International Press Award went to a Burmese female journalist
Daw San San Nwe while she was in prison.
CFFE said they would hold the awarding-ceremony in Toronto on November 8
and invite a representative of Burma Media Association to receive the
award and speak out on his half.
Note: Further contact for the award: Mr. David Cozac of CJFE at (416)
515-9622 and Ko Maung Maung Myint of BMA at (home) 47-22301625 or
(mobile phone) 47-92061348
___________EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA__________
Statement by Sen. Mitch McConnell R -KY): "I oppose the lifting of any
sanctions against the military junta in Rangoon."
SEPTEMBER 26, 2001
As a long time champion of democracy in Burma, I want to make absolutely
clear that I oppose the lifting of any sanctions against the military
junta in Rangoon. The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has
completely disregarded the will of the people of Burma, and is guilty
of inflicting terror and suffering on countless innocent lives.
Those of us who have worked tirelessly to bring about a restoration of
democracy to Burma, have no intentions of waiving our principles or our
policies at this time. I intend to stand by Aung San Suu Kyi for the
duration of the struggle for democracy and justice in Burma.
_________________________________
BurmaNet adds: Senator McConnell's statement is in reference to the
Washington Post article excerpted below. According to indications
BurmaNet has, the Bush administration is no longer seeking a blanket
waiver of restrictions on providing military aid but is likely to
approach the waivers on a case by case basis. Senator McConnell
supports the lifting of some restrictions on providing aid to India and
Pakistan and possibly Sudan, but remains adamant on Burma. As the
ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee,
McConnell has a great deal of leverage over US foreign policy because
that subcommittee supervises most of the money the United States spends
on foreign policy. Senator McConnell, who was chairman of the
Subcommittee until the Republicans lost control of the Senate earlier
this year has aggressively used his leverage to isolate Burma's military
regime. Although the Republicans no longer control the Senate,
hostility to the regime is one of the few issues on which the Democrat
and Republican leadership are in near complete agreement and the
prospect of a major shift in US policy appears remote. Analyses
published at about the time of the last American presidential election
by The Myanmar Times and pro-SPDC journalist Roger Mitton, (who once
described Burma as "my favorite dictatorship") anticipated a significant
weakening of sanctions on Burma under a Bush administration.
Washington Post: Bush Seeks Power to Lift Arms Curbs
Waiver Would Allow Military Assistance to Once-Shunned Nations
By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 24, 2001; Page A01
[Abridged]
President Bush has asked Congress for authority to waive all existing
restrictions on U.S. military assistance and weapons exports for the
next five years to any country if he determines the aid will help the
fight against international terrorism.
The waiver would cover those nations currently ineligible for U.S.
military aid because of their sponsorship of terrorism, such as Syria
and Iran, or because of their nuclear and offensive-weapons programs or
lack of commitment to democracy, which would include Pakistan and
China.
Separately, on Saturday, Bush lifted all military and economic
restrictions on India, and he also removed restrictions that barred
Pakistan from economic assistance and that prevented it from making
commercial military purchases from U.S. companies.
The new proposal would also allow the president to lift restrictions
based on human rights concerns that had been imposed by Congress on
U.S. military cooperation with other countries.
The blanket approach has raised concern on Capitol Hill and among human
rights groups that it risks undermining the hard-fought legal
architecture that ensures that U.S. moral and political values remain
an integral part of U.S. foreign and defense policy.
"Many of the restrictions on military cooperation currently in place
give the president the power to lift them for an individual country, if
he cites a national security need. In the case of Pakistan, several
different restrictions have been applied. Under the Arms Export Control
Act, President Bill Clinton was required to impose military and
economic sanctions on both Pakistan and India after they tested nuclear
devices in May 1998. Those sanctions were waived Saturday for both
countries.
Another law, the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, required
additional restrictions on Pakistan after its democratically elected
government was overthrown by the current military regime in October
1999. This law barred all development aid, and also blocked any
government-to-government weapons deals or military training for
Pakistan from the United States. The law contains no waiver authority,
but could be overridden, with the proposed blanket waiver.
The proposed new legislation requires consultation with the
appropriations committees that would fund such activity, although
Congress has rarely objected to a presidential determination of
national security need.
A State Department legal spokesman said the blanket waiver would apply
to all current prohibitions, including those related to human rights,
terrorism and non-payment of debt. "It gives the president authority to
be able to provide assistance even though it might ordinarily be
restricted [by] one or more types" of prohibitions, the spokesman said.
McConnell has been at the forefront of efforts to impose sanctions on
some countries in the name of human rights; in 1995 he sponsored
legislation that cut off virtually all U.S. cooperation with Burma in
order to protect "the rights of 43 million Burmese citizens." That law
could also be waived if the administration found it useful to cooperate
with Burma's oppressive military regime in the battle against
international terrorism.
______________________OTHER______________________
Burmalibrary.org: Online Burma Library Hits the Streets
The Online Burma Library (OBL), an online database with classified and
annotated links to thousands of full-text documents on Burma is now, at
last, up and running. It is on www.burmalibrary.org (soon to be
accessible on www.myanmarlibrary.org for those who prefer).
PLEASE PUT A LINK TO OBL ON YOUR SITE, AND ASK OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.
WHAT IT IS
OBL "is an evolving project designed to make full texts of Burma
documents accessible online to Burmese and non-Burmese researchers,
academics, educators, students, journalists, officials, diplomats,
activists, colonels et al. It functions as a linked, annotated catalogue
to much of the Burma material already on the Internet and will
eventually house a number of archives (in addition to the Burma Press
Summary which is already on the site) and directories such as the Burma
Action Database (formerly Burma Action Directory). As they become
available, more links to documents in Burmese and other languages will
be included (there is already a fair number of documents in French in
the Multilingual section and some links to Burmese-language sites). OBL
is Text-based and frame-free for speed (particularly important for users
in the South with dodgy connections, antiquated equipment and limited
budgets)".
HELP WELCOMED
OBL is still at an early stage of development and, in terms of concept,
contents, structure, use, ease of navigation etc. is open to
improvement. Some people have specialised knowledge of one or more of
the 40 or so main areas the Library is divided into -- please make
contact. The Librarian invites on-going consultation and assistance in
helping the collection grow in quality and quantity.
ADDING TO THE LIBRARY
If people know of useful Burma documents in electronic form which are
not in the Library, please let us know. As well as unaccessed material
on the Internet, these could be conference papers, university
dissertations, reports and articles of all kinds and in every area. Some
may be sitting idly on your computer or on a floppy disk somewhere.
Many hard-copy books, reports and papers have been produced over the
past years by individuals, organisations and publishers who still have
the electronic versions of these texts and could enhance their public
exposure and reputation and contribute to increasing our understanding
of Burma if they were to put them online. One way would be to put them
on a local website and send us the URL (website address) or else email
them to OBL. If any librarians digitising their collections for public
online access place Burma documents online, please let us know. If there
are important Burma texts which do not exist in electronic form, they
will be scanned in. Eventually.
TECHNICALLY
The database is MySQL, used in combination with PHP. Use the Advanced
Search in combination with browsing and the alphabetical list. In the
coming months the documents will be further indexed and more keywords
placed in the summaries -- at the moment, many documents are only a
title and URL (any help with this welcome).
BURMA PRESS SUMMARY
The most important single document on OBL is The Burma Press Summary --
the searchable 17MB archive of Hugh MacDougall's excellent summary of
"The Working People's Daily" and "The New Light of Myanmar" from 1987 to
1996 -- containing many full texts of major SLORC/SPDC speeches,
decrees, laws etc. It is on Greenstone, a free, open source software
designed for digital libraries.You can do full-text searches of the
whole archive -- there were more than 1000 hits for Japan, for instance.
There's more blurb in the Introduction and Structural Overview at
www.burmalibrary.org.
Happy browsing and searching (and even reading)
One more thing: Pulling OBL together has been a rather large operation
and there are sure to be mistakes. Please let us know if you spot any.
The Librarian (David Arnott),
Online Burma Library
www.burmalibrary.org
Email darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
________________
The BurmaNet News is an Internet newspaper providing comprehensive
coverage of news and opinion on Burma (Myanmar) from around the world.
If you see something on Burma, you can bring it to our attention by
emailing it to strider@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To automatically subscribe to Burma's only free daily newspaper in
English, send an email to:
burmanet-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To subscribe to The BurmaNet News in Burmese, send an email to:
burmanetburmese-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You can also contact BurmaNet by fax:
(US) +1(413)604-9008
________________
Burma News Summaries available by email or the web
There are three Burma news digest services available via either email or
the web.
Burma News Update
Frequency: Biweekly
Availability: By fax or the web.
Viewable online at
http://www.burmaproject.org/burmanewsupdate/index.html
Cost: Free
Published by: Open Society Institute, Burma Project
The Burma Courier
Frequency: Weekly
Availability: E-mail, fax or post. To subscribe or unsubscribe by email
celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx
Viewable on line at: http://www.egroups.com/group/BurmaCourier
Cost: Free
Note: News sources are cited at the beginning of an article.
Interpretive comments and background
details are often added.
Burma Today
Frequency: Weekly
Availability: E-mail
Viewable online at http://www.worldviewrights.org/pdburma/today.html
To subscribe, write to pdburma@xxxxxxxxx
Cost: Free
Published by: PD Burma (The International Network of Political Leaders
Promoting Democracy in Burma)
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