BurmaNet News: December 19 2002

[editor at burmanet.org]

December 19 2002 Issue #2143

INSIDE BURMA

AFP: Myanmar’s Suu Kyi clashes with authorities on political trip
AP: Suu Kyi’s party accuses Myanmar junta of obstructing her tour
Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi stands up to harassment
Narinjara: Forced eviction from private property
DVB: Rangoon cracks down on ‘human trafficking’ in Shan State
DVB: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi tours northwest state

REGIONAL

BBC: Accords end Burma Bangladesh talks
Kaladan: Dhaka-Rangoon deal to set up joint trade commission finalized
Myanmar Times: Thai diplomat tips rise in foreign investment

STATEMENTS

U.S. State Dept.: Rape by the Burmese military in ethnic regions

INSIDE BURMA

Agence France-Presse December 19 2002

Myanmar's Suu Kyi clashes with authorities on political trip

Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has clashed with authorities who
attempted to prevent supporters from meeting her during a political trip,
in the first such incident since she was freed from house arrest in May,
her party said Thursday.

National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman U Lwin said the Nobel peace
laureate climbed on top of a fire engine to prevent it from dispersing a
crowd of 20,000 people with high-pressure hoses in Myanmar's west.

"I cannot stand by and watch people being bullied in this manner," he
cited her as telling local authorities in Myauk-Oo, an ancient town in
Rakhine state which she is touring in a test of her newly won freedom to
travel the country.

"I'm here in the name of democracy which puts the people ahead of
everything else. Our first priority is to serve and support the people --
the police as well as other officials have the same responsibility," she
said. It was the most serious case of interference since Aung San Suu Kyi
began travelling around Myanmar after being released from house arrest
with a promise of complete freedom of movement by the ruling junta.

U Lwin said that as Aung San Suu Kyi left Myauk-Oo for the state capital
of Sitwe early Thursday she found a huge crowd of townspeople who had
gathered to meet her but were being held back on the roadside by police
carrying batons.

Overwhelmed by the crowd, the local authorities summoned a fire-engine so
they could disperse them with water hoses, he said.

"Seeing this incident unfolding right in front of her eyes, Aung San Suu
Kyi left her car, made her way right up atop the fire-engine and requested
the local authorities to desist," he said.

In the face of her outburst the local authorities backed off and she
thanked them for their cooperation before asking the crowd to return home
quietly which they did, U Lwin said.

Along the route to Sitwe security was very tight with groups of more than
30 police manning strategic cross-roads in a bid to deter the public from
gathering to meet the pro-democracy leader, he said.

"We have informed the central authorities of what transpired and they
promised to look into the matter," he said. "This is the first time that
people have been prevented from seeing Aung San Suu Kyi."

Myanmar's junta is always extremely careful to prevent large gatherings of
people, for fear its could erupt into a spontaneous show of support for
the democracy movement.

Aung San Suu Kyi's gesture is likely to cause great concern, as it harks
back to her legendary personal appeals to the army during the bloody
repression of 1988 protests, and her campaign rallies before the 1990
elections.

Security laid on by the military government has already been extremely
tight during the trip to Rakhine which began Monday, due to the presence
of Muslim extremists in the region which borders Bangladesh.

U Lwin said Aung San Suu Kyi had reported that the pro-democracy party was
also being maligned as "destructionist" by elements in Rakhine determined
to deter people from showing up to see her.

"This is the time when we, the SPDC and the military, are cooperating with
each other for the benefit and interest of the people," she said,
referring to her ongoing contacts with the ruling State Peace and
Development Council.

"I think that those who refer to us as destructionists and forbid the
people from meeting us are themselves destructionists."

Only a fortnight ago the NLD leader completed an extensive tour of Shan
state in northeast Myanmar. After that trip, the NLD complained there had
been excessive surveillance of their leader.
__________

Associated Press December 19 2002

Suu Kyi's party accuses Myanmar junta of obstructing her tour
By Aye Aye Win

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's ongoing tour of a northwestern state
has been marred by harassment of her supporters by military authorities,
her party spokesman said Thursday.

Suu Kyi's trip to Rakhine state, which began Monday, is the latest test of
the junta's willingness to allow her political freedom since releasing her
from house arrest on May 6.

The accusations of harassment and obstruction suggest that the junta may
be unwilling to let Suu Kyi's popularity increase in the countryside. It
is Suu Kyi's fifth out-of-town trip on party work since her release, but
the first time that such clear harassment by authorities has been alleged.
Government officials did not immediately comment.

When Suu Kyi arrived on Tuesday in Maruk Oo town, about 535 kilometers
(330 miles) northwest of Yangon, she found the streets deserted, said U
Lwin, spokesman of her National League for Democracy party.

"People wanted to see her but were apparently told by the authorities not
to come out. Only a small group of people were present when Suu Kyi put up
the party signboard in Maruk Oo," U Lwin told reporters.

On Wednesday, when a crowd of some 20,000 people did come out in the
street to greet Suu Kyi, authorities ordered them to disperse, he said.
Police with batons and a fire engine also arrived at the scene, U Lwin
said.

However, Suu Kyi climbed up on the fire engine and told local officials
that she was on a party organizational tour and the people were the first
priority for her and her party.

"She told the authorities and the police to serve the people and said she
cannot stand by and watch the authorities bully the people," U Lwin said.

He said Suu Kyi and her party were not allowed to pay homage at a famous
temple in Ponna Gyun, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Rakhine
state capital, Sittway.

Suu Kyi put up two NLD signboards in Sittway on Thursday before proceeding
to other parts of the state, U Lwin said.

Suu Kyi's release from house arrest was the result of ongoing
reconciliation talks with the junta. But the talks have achieved no real
progress in ending the country's political deadlock.

The current junta came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy
movement. It called elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results
when the NLD won a thumping victory. The junta says the country is not yet
ready for democracy.
________

Irrawaddy December 19 2002

Suu Kyi Stands Up to Harassment
By Min Zin
In a defiant stand against government forces, Aung San Suu Kyi surprised
thousands of onlookers yesterday by suddenly leaping out of her car and
rushing aboard a fire truck that had been called to disperse a crowd of
supporters in Arakan State. Once on the truck, Suu Kyi berated the
security forces, telling them that their real job is not to bully the
people of Burma but to serve them.
The incident occurred yesterday in Mrauk-Oo Township, 535 kilometers west
of Rangoon, as riot police were about to clear the crowd with fire hoses
after they resisted government calls by coming out to welcome Suu Kyi.
National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson U Lwin told The Irrawaddy
today that an estimated 20,000 on-lookers gave Suu Kyi a roaring applause
once she boarded the truck. "The people faced the fire trucks and the
police, who were preparing to crack down," explained U Lwin. "Then Aung
San Suu Kyi intervened to settle the tension."
Details of yesterday’s dramatic episode were given today at a press
conference at NLD headquarters in Rangoon. U Lwin noted that this is the
most serious harassment Suu Kyi has received from the government since
September 2000, when her entourage was barred from travelling to Mandalay.
Suu Kyi was placed under 19 months of house arrest following that
incident.
The NLD also stressed the significance of government intimidation efforts
aimed at keeping supporters from welcoming Suu Kyi to Arakan State.
Mrauk-Oo looked like a ghost town when Suu Kyi first arrived on Wednesday,
according to NLD sources. Local government authorities also reportedly
warned Buddhist monasteries and temples not to permit visits by Suu Kyi.
After leaving Mrauk-Oo, Suu Kyi’s entourage stopped by at Kyauktaw
Township and headed to Ponnagyun where she planned to visit the famous
Ponnagyun Temple. Authorities, however, did not permit her party from
entering Ponnagyun. Yesterday evening, Suu Kyi faced even more harassment
when she traveled to Sittwe. Security forces had already been deployed and
were lining the city’s intersections. "There were around 25 soldiers
guarding every junction of Sittwe," said U Lwin.
According to the NLD, they feel the harassment is being organized at the
local level and is not being dictated by Rangoon. They said local police,
fire brigades and active members of the Union Solidarity and Development
Association [USDA], the junta’s de facto political party, had been working
together to interfere with Suu Kyi's trip and intimidate locals.
"I am in regular contact with the authorities in Rangoon to resolve these
problems," U Lwin said. "I don't think this is a sign of resuming
confrontation between the government and the NLD. Since the government
claimed that they already turned a new page in history, they should not
return to the previous one. They must have courage to go on positively."
Suu Kyi left Rangoon Monday for a two-week tour of Arakan State and Chin
State along Burma’s western border with Bangladesh and India. Despite the
harassment, Suu Kyi said she would be continuing her trip.
The NLD also expressed dismay towards the government after completing a
two-week political organizing trip to Shan State in November. The NLD
complained that there had been excessive surveillance of their leader,
with security officials constantly snapping photos of her, even when she
was resting.
________

Narinjara News December 19 2002

Forced Eviction from private property

Eighteen families who have been forcefully evicted from their own homes
since October 25th in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, have been
spending under temporary sheds in the nearby open field, according to our
correspondent.
The Sittwe Municipality expelled the said families on ground of their
nearness to the Township Hospital on Singu Road.  Though the eviction was
done according to the order of the higher authority the families have not
even been relocated.  Living under the open sky the evicted persons have
been compelled to lead an inhuman existence, in rain and sun.
When one of the members of the group, U Mung Daing, made an enquiry he
came to know that the site was not a public property but it was legally
owned by a Rakhine national, U Shwe Tha.
Later he on behalf of the above-mentioned families raised objection to the
municipality in due course. The authority agreed to look into the matter
and take necessary action.  But till today no one has bothered to raise
the issue and make proper inquiry about the matter.  Meanwhile, the
eighteen families have been leading subhuman existence in the rough
weather of Sittwe.
_______

Democratic Voice of Burma December 19 2002

Rangoon cracks down on "human trafficking" in Shan State

Authorities from the State Peace and Development Council [SPDC] are
travelling all over the country to set up human trafficking prevention
committees in all states and divisions. These committees are set up even
at ward and village levels in eastern and southern Shan State regions.
Township General Administration Departments and the People's Police Force,
which are responsible for establishing the committees, have been asking
people to immediately report about brokers involved in human trafficking
or about anyone suspected of being involved in the trade. Once the
committees are formed they are ordered to collect data about young men and
women between the ages of 16 and 25.
These committees are thoroughly checking people travelling to the border
areas, and if they suspect any young woman, her parents are summoned and
told to escort their daughter back home.
Some local people are saying that the committees to prevent human
trafficking will not help if living conditions are difficult.
Meanwhile, Burmese women sold as wives to the Chinese by human traffickers
are reported to be leading a tough life. Over 100 Burmese women living as
Chinese wives under harsh weather conditions of Anhwei Province are
working hard on farms and as maid or servants. Only recently, three
20-year-old women fled back across the border into Burma from that
province.
The Chinese Communist government's one child per family rule to limit the
population and the Chinese preference for a male offspring have reduced
the female population in China. Single Chinese males in Canton, Hunan, and
Anhwei are said to be buying Burmese wives through human traffickers.
______

Democratic Voice of Burma December 17 2002

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi tours northwest state

This is the second day of the tour of Arakan State by Burma's democracy
leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party. She and her party left Minbu
this morning and it is believed they are now in Minbu after a stopover in
An.
National League for Democracy Spokesperson U Lwin said the plan to visit
Shwe Settaw Pagoda today had to be cancelled because of bad road
conditions on the Minbu-An road and also because checkpoints on the road
close at 1800 [local time]. He said he hoped that the party would reach
Sittwe [Akyab] by tomorrow.
On the way to Sittwe, the touring party would reopen the party branch
office in Mrauk-u. There are also plans to reopen offices in Sittwe and
Sandoway as well as the Arakan State NLD Office. Here is the interview
with U Lwin.
U Lwin : The plan this morning was to visit the Shwe Settaw Pagoda but
road conditions near the place were terrible and it was impossible to use
the road. The visit had to be cancelled and the party proceeded to An in
Arakan State. But it is said that road conditions became bad near An and I
don't know when they will reach the place. They will be travelling as far
as they can go. As I said earlier, the true condition of the road becomes
known only when one tries to travel on it. The road they are using is not
the Taungup road. Minbu-An road is new but it appears that the road is not
ready yet...
If the party reaches Minbya today, it should arrive in Sittwe tomorrow. I
don't know if the road conditions in between are good. If the party
arrives in Myohaung - now called Mrauk-u - it will reopen a party branch
office there. After that, it will travel through Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun
before arriving in Sittwe, when it is expected to open a party branch
office the following day. Even if they managed to reach Minbya today it is
not certain that they will reach Sittwe tomorrow.
DVB : You said offices will be open in townships, you mentioned two of
them, is there a third township?
U Lwin : The third office that will be opened is in Sandoway. Kyaukpyu
District is not on the list of destinations during the Arakan State tour,
only Sittwe and Sandoway Districts will be covered by the trip. This is
because there is no road to Kyaukpyu, which is an island by itself. It is
the same with Manaung and Ramree too. You need to get a motorboat to get
there. But it will be difficult to find a motorboat that can take the
whole group.
DVB : Does that mean that the Arakan State trip is much more difficult
than the visit to Shan State?
U Lwin : Yes, it is more difficult... [Passage omitted]
DVB : You said offices will be reopened in three townships. Has any other
office been opened in Arakan State previously?
U Lwin : No, no office has been opened before. It is difficult to organize
in Arakan State. In Shan State there is at least a town or two which still
have offices. But in Arakan State, all offices were closed down...
DVB : How difficult is it to travel around?
U Lwin : There are many difficulties. Road conditions are not as good as
in Shan State. Another factor is regional security. Military and
authorities in Arakan State find it more difficult to move about than in
Shan State. Right or wrong, they need to act as needed. There are Muslim
extremists there. Departmental officials, therefore, need to check very
thoroughly. In Shan State, you can go about as you like even if you forget
your national registration [identity] card. That does not work in Arakan
State. Responsible officials concerned reminded us to take our national
registration cards along. This is because they check everyone coming in or
going out over there. They check the national registration card. The
situation is different from Shan State.
DVB : Does that mean that you travel on your own like before?
U Lwin : Yes. We informed the authorities about the trip first. What they
do is up to them.

REGIONAL

British Broadcasting Corporation December 19 2002

Accords end Burma Bangladesh talks

The Burmese leader pledged to work with Dhaka
Burma and Bangladesh have signed several important agreements at the end
of General Than Shwe's two-day visit to Bangladesh on Wednesday.
The two neighbouring countries agreed to establish a joint trade
commission and improve their currently modest shipping links.
More generally, they pledged to boost bilateral ties to overcome the
economic challenges both countries face.
At the end of his visit, General Than Shwe was given a red-carpet farewell
including an honour guard, by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia,
at Dhaka airport.
General Than Shwe is the first Burmese leader to visit Bangladesh in 16
years.
Commercial focus
Correspondents say the strains that have marred bilateral relations until
now appear to have waned during the visit.
General Than Shwe said globalisation posed "daunting challenges" for
developing countries and they needed to co-operate to overcome these.
"We look forward to working closely with Bangladesh in the bilateral
context as well as in the framework of Bimstec in the years ahead," he
said.
Bimstec is an economic forum comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar
(Burma), Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The Bangladeshi Commerce Minister AKM Chowdhury said bilateral trade would
increase substantially over the next few months, helping both countries to
earn much-needed foreign revenue.
He said Bangladesh was eager to export more jute goods to Burma and that
Rangoon in turn wanted to supply wood and vegetable produce to Dhaka.
Reluctant refugees
Mr Chowdhury said he would now meet regularly with his Burmese counterpart
to review cross-border trade.
But the issue that has divided them for the past decade - the Rohingya
refugee question - still remains unanswered.
Aid agencies say that although Burma has unofficially offered to allow
5,000 to return to the province of Arakan, the refugees themselves are
unwilling to go.
They argue that they will be made to carry out forced labour if they go
back to their homeland.
_________

Kaladan News December 19 2002

DHAKA-RANGOON DEAL TO SET UP JOINT TRADE COMMISSION
FINALISED
Resolving all pending issues of bilateral trade, Bangladesh and Myanmar on
yesterday finalised agreements to establish a Joint Trade
Commission and introduce Accounts Trade and Coastal Shipping Link, report
in Financial Express.
The agreements are expected to be signed next March, opening new vistas in
trade between the two neighbouring countries, officials said.

Bangladesh Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and visiting
Myanmar Commerce Minister Brig. General Pyi Sone in a 45 – minutes
exclusive meeting at a local hotel finalised the deals, yielded by
Tuesday’s officials talks between the two countries, according to the
Business News.

“On implementation of the agreements, bilateral trade will increase
substantially while the current informal trade will be turn into formal
trade gradually,” Khosru told reporters at his secretariat office after
the meeting.
He said an expected increase in trade between the two countries would help
Bangladesh earn more revenue besides creating positive impact on country’s
foreign exchange reserve.

Terming “most successful” the Myanmar Commerce Minister’s current visit as
a member of his Prime Ministre’s entourage, Khosru said all issues,
pending since March this year when a single- country fair of
Bangladesh was held in Myanmar, were resolved through this trip.

Another single-country fair of Bangladesh will be organised in Myanmar
next March when the agreements will be formally signed, according to the
Business News.

During the visit of the Bangladesh Commerce Minister to Myanmar lat March,
the two countries came to an understanding that there would be a coastal
shipping agreement and an account-trade agreement signed for boosting
bilateral trade, it further added.

A draft Coastal Shipping Agreement has already been sent to Myanmar
authorities while Bangladesh received from Myanar draft documents on
Account Trade arrangement that provides for two-way trade transactions
without needing hard cash in terms of foreign currency for payments, added
in Business News.

Besides, the two countries entered into a border-trade agreement in 1994
and formal border trade began under the deal in 1995, said in the New
Nation.

The volume of trade under normal trading system was around $26 million in
2000-2001. Bangladesh’s imports from Myanmar were worth $24.69 million
while exports to Myanmar fetched only $ 1.09 million. The trade gap was
$23.77 million. Normal trade volume between the two countries declined to
US 19 million dollars in 2001-02, according to the Business News.
_________

Myanmar Times December 11-17 2002

Thai diplomat tips rise in foreign investment

The outlook for foreign direct investment in Myanmar is bright, a Thai
diplomat predicted last week. "I strongly believe that FDI into Myanmar
will become active again in the near future," said Mr Matyawongse
Amatyakul, the commercial counsellor at the Thai embassy. Mr Matyawongse
said Myanmar’s geographical location ensured it would attract foreign
investment. He said that at the end of September, Thailand was the third
biggest investor in Myanmar, after Singapore and Britain. Most Thai
investments were in agriculture, fisheries, mining, hotels and tourism and
industry. Mr Matyawongse said Thai investment in Myanmar totalled US$1.290
billion, accounting for 13.3 per cent of total foreign direct investment.
In the fiscal year ending last March 31, border and normal trade was
valued at $1.198 billion and was heavily in Myanmar’s favour, he said.
Thailand’s exports to Myanmar earned $366 million while imports were
valued at $832 million. He was speaking at a media conference at the Nikko
Hotel last Monday to promote an exhibition of products and services from
Thailand which opens at the Yangon Trade Centre in Pazundaung township on
December 12. The four-day event will feature exhibits from more than 110
Thai companies. It will be the sixth Thai products exhibition since 1998
and the second this year. A statement issued at the media conference
invited Myanmar companies to hold trade exhibitions in Thailand to promote
their products. The statement said trade shows provided opportunities for
foreign exhibitors to strengthen trade ties with merchants and business
people in the host country.

STATEMENTS

U.S. State Department December 17 2002

Rape by the Burmese Military in Ethnic Regions

Fact Sheet
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Washington, DC
December 17, 2002

  The United States Government is appalled by reports that the Burmese
military is using rape as a weapon against civilian populations in the
ethnic regions of the country. We vehemently condemn rape and all other
forms of sexual violence against civilians.

  Several reports by non-governmental organizations have been published
this year alleging human rights abuses by the Burmese military against
ethnic civilian populations. One of those reports presents dates,
places, battalion numbers, and names of individual perpetrators involved
in the alleged incidents.
The report details 173 attacks on 625 girls and women; 83% of these
incidents are said to have been committed by officers in the Burmese army
often in front of their troops.

  In August 2002, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in  
coordination with the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai, conducted a
Preliminary investigation into the reports of rape by the Burmese military
against ethnic Shan women. During this short, preliminary investigation
Department officers were able to locate many victims whose stories were
similar to those documented in NGO reports that state that the rape of
ethnic women by the Burmese military has been and continues to be a
widespread and serious problem. Of the 12 rape victims interviewed, all
stated that they had been gang-raped by Burmese soldiers sometime over the
past 5 years. Most also reported knowing several other women or girls who
had been raped and/or killed. The most recent incident was reported by a
13-year-old girl who said that she was raped in June 2002. All these
victims said that they had been forcibly relocated by the Burmese 
military between 1995 and 1997. All of the victims under 15 appeared
severely traumatized by their experiences, were disturbed mentally, and
spoke in whispers, if at all. The older women sobbed violently as they
recalled horrific incidents of their own rapes as well as brutal rapes,
torture, and execution of  family members. While these interviews are
necessarily anecdotal, we note
the consistency of the stories across three different locations, among
differing groups of women.

  The United States has expressed its deep concern about these abuses to
the Burmese regime on several occasions and has urged it to investigate
fully any and all allegations of the systematic rape of girls and women
in Burma regardless of ethnicity, and appropriately punish those guilty
of such
heinous crimes. We have also worked closely with other concerned nations
to draft a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly that condemns
the
systematic violation of human rights in Burma and specifically calls for
cooperation in an independent investigation of these charges and other
abuses wherever they occur. The United States has, moreover, urged the
United Nations to undertake a serious investigation of these reports.

  The Burmese regime responded by requesting that the International
Committee for the Red Cross participate in an investigation. They were
unable to do so due to the confidential nature of their operating
procedures. More recently the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the
Human Rights Situation in Burma, Paulo Pinheiro, raised this issue and the
possibility of an investigation when he visited Burma in October 2002. We
are awaiting the official report of the Special Rapporteur s visit while
we continue to urge the Burmese regime to cooperate with an independent
investigation and take concrete steps to investigate and punish those who
may have acted in violation of domestic law, international humanitarian
law, or the laws of land warfare. Furthermore, we call on the Burmese
regime to hold its military accountable for any lapses and to exercise
command and control over their troops.