BurmaNet News: February 1-3 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

February 1-3 2003 Issue #2169

INSIDE BURMA

AP: Myanmar reshuffles cabinet
New Light of Myanmar: (Judiciary Law Amendments)
DVB: AI delegates met Suu Kyi
DVB: Amnesty International delegates in Burma
DVB: Pamphlets critical of Aung San Suu Kyi distributed in Monywa
DVB: Karen Revolution Day Ceremony
Bangkok Post: Rangoon welcomes Amnesty
Narinjara: Burmese junta’s gangs of rice robbers

DRUGS

Irrawaddy: Thaksin’s ‘War on Drugs’ begins
UPI: 23 nations on Bush’s drug list

MONEY

Kaladan: Bangla-Myanmar shipping begins
Xinhua: Thai carrier to fly between Myanmar and Cambodian cities
Xinhua: Myanmar produces more oil, gas in first three quarters of 2002
Narinjara: Burmese gems in Dhaka, Bangladesh

ON THE BORDER

DVB: More arrests in Thailand

REGIONAL

DPA: Border tensions between India, Bangladesh continue

INTERNATIONAL

Xinhua: Myanmar question no longer affects ASEAN-EU relations: Official

STATEMENTS/MISCELLANEOUS

Office of the Press Secretary: Presidential determination No. 2003-14
Guardian UK: Letter to the Editor

INSIDE BURMA

Associated Press February 3 2003

Myanmar reshuffles cabinet

Myanmar's military junta has filled the fourth most powerful position in
its ruling council and "permitted to retire" two of its ministers,
state-run newspapers said Sunday.
Maj. Gen. Soe Win, a former field commander and air force chief, took the
post of secretary two which has been vacant since the death of Lt. Gen.
Tin Oo in a helicopter crash nearly two years ago.
The New Light of Myanmar also announced that Khin Maung, minister of
finance and revenue, and Health Minister Maj. Gen. Ket Sein were
"permitted to retire," a common euphemism for being ousted from their
posts in the 13-member State Peace and Development Council.
Deputy Health Minister Dr. Kyaw Myint was appointed as the new health
minister and Maj. Gen. Hla Tun took the finance portfolio.
No explanations for the moves, which went into effect Saturday, were
provided in the official press.
The Cabinet reshuffle also saw Railways Minister Pan Aung moved to the
ceremonial post of minister of the Prime Minister's Office, with his post
filled by Maj. Gen. Aung Min.
Soe Win, the former commander of Myanmar's northwest region, was appointed
air defense chief in November 2001 and has been a member of the council
since February 2001.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. The
current hierarchy came to power following the brutal suppression of a
pro-democracy uprising in 1988.
The junta has released a number of political prisoners in recent months
and is engaged in a dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. But
there has been little progress in the talks and the military maintains its
four-decade-long grip on power.
_______

New Light of Myanmar February 2 2003

The Union of Myanmar
The State Peace and Development Council
The Law Amending the Judiciary Law, 2000
(The State Peace and Development Council Law No. 2/2003)
The 1st Waxing Day of Tabodwe, 1364 ME (2nd February 2003)
The State Peace and Development Council hereby enacts the following law;-
1. This Law shall be called the Law Amending the Judiciary Law, 2000.
2. The expression "2Deputy Chief Justices" contained in section 3 of the
Judiciary Law, 2000 shall be substituted by the expression "3 Deputy Chief
Justices"
Sd./ Than Shwe
Senior General
Chairman
The State Peace and Development Council

The Union of Myanmar
The State Peace and Development Council
The Law Amending the Attorney General Law, 2001
(The State Peace and Development Council Law No. 3/2003)
The 1st Waxing Day of Tabodwe, 1364 ME (2nd February 2003)
The State Peace and Development Council hereby enacts the following law;-
1. This Law shall be called the Law Amending the Attorney General Law, 2001.
2. In the Attorney General Law;-
(a) the expression "a Deputy Attorney General" contained in section 2
shall be substituted by the expression "three Deputy Attorneys General".
(b) the expression "the Deputy Attorney General" contained in sub-section
(a) of section 4 shall be substituted by the expression "each Deputy
Attorney General".
Sd./ Than Shwe
Senior General
Chairman
The State Peace and Development Council

Union of Myanmar
State Peace and Development Council Order No 1/2003
1st Waxing of Tabodwe, 1364 ME (2nd February 2003)
Appointment of Deputy Chief Justice and Supreme Court Justices
The State Peace and Development Council has appointed and assigned duties
to the following persons as the Deputy Chief Justice and Supreme Court
Justices shown against each for smooth and speedy administration of
justice in the interest of the people with effect from today.
(I) U Thein Soe               Deputy Chief Justice
(2) U Khin Maung Aye    Supreme Court Justice
(3) U Tin Aye                 Supreme Court Justice
(4) U Thet Tun                Supreme Court Justice
(5) U Kyaw Win              Supreme Court Justice
By order.
SdI Khin Nyunt
General
Secretary-1
State Peace and Development Council

Union of Myanmar
State Peace and Development Council Order No 2/2003
1st Waxing of Tabodwe, 1364 ME (2nd February 2003)
Appointment of Deputy Attorneys General
The State Peace and Development Council has appointed and assigned duties
to the following persons as the Deputy Attorneys General to be able to
more effectively carry out the duties prescribed under the Attorney
General Law, 2001 with effect from today.
(1) Dr Tun Shin
(2) U Han Shein
(3) U Myint Naing
By order.
SdI Khin Nyunt
General
Secretary-1
State Peace and Development Council
________

Democratic Voice of Burma January 31 2003

AI delegates met Suu Kyi

It is reported that the two delegates of Amnesty International [AI] who
are currently in Rangoon have met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at her home. The
two visiting representatives are Demelza Stubbings, AI’s Director of Asia
Pacific Region, and Ms Donna Guest, an expert on Burma, according to
diplomats in Rangoon. They arrived in Rangoon yesterday and expected to
stay in Burma for ten days. It is not clear whether they would be able to
see other political prisoners.

The London based AI spokesperson told the DVB that although nothing could
be said at the moment, the delegates would hold a press conference in
Bangkok on their return on the 8th of February. The organisation has been
criticising the military junta’s human rights abuses and as a result, its
delegates were never granted visas until now. The junta’s sudden change of
heart had surprised many observers by surprise.

U Aye Tha Aung, formerly a political prisoner himself and at present, the
spokesman for the CRPP gave his reactions as follows:

A: At the moment, it is not certain whether they are meeting us or not. If
they do, on our part, we will tell them relevant matters to them.

Q: You yourself were a political prisoner. Would the visit like this from
an international organisation do anything good to the conditions and the
releases of political prisoners?

A: I do not expect any prisoners to be released and the conditions of
political prisoners would not improve from just this visit. But, if the
authorities make an effort and act upon the report, facts, and suggestions
of the international organisations, I believe there would be some
improvements to a certain extent.
_________

Democratic Voice of Burma January 31 2003

Amnesty International’s delegates in Burma

It is reported that two delegates of the London-based Amnesty
International (AI) have arrived in Rangoon today. They will be staying in
Burma for ten days and investigate human rights situations of the country.
There is no detailed explanation either from the AI or the SPDC. According
to news from diplomatic quarters, the delegates are likely to meet
representatives from the SPDC and the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi.
The spokesman of the NLD, U Lwin told the DVB as follows:
U Lwin : There is no report in the media here. We don't know about their
trip either. We also want to see them. Maybe they don’t have the schedule
to meet us. We know nothing about it. Today the representatives from the
Japanese and American embassies came here. I asked them about it and they
said that they know nothing about it either.
DVB : What do you have to say about the trip of the AI?
U Lwin : I think they [the SPDC leaders] are trying to show their
openness, maybe.
DVB : Would their trip improve human rights situation in Burma?
U Lwin : It won’t improve just like this. I see nothing with this. There
must be a reason. They accept them [AI delegates] to alleviate pressures
on them.
DVB : We hear no news of the political dialogue these days. How are you
going to explain? Is it going forward? Or static? What can you say?
U Lwin : There is no progress. It is stalled.
________

Democratic Voice of Burma February 3 2003

PAMPHLETS CRITICAL OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI DISTRIBUTED IN MONYWA

Local people in Monywa District, Sagaing Division, have informed DVB
Democratic Voice of Burma that pamphlets criticizing and denouncing Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi are being distributed in Sagaing Division. The pamphlets
contain four pictures of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi taken together with her late
husband Dr Michael Aris and two poems published previously in The New
Light of Myanmar.

According to a local person, they are being distributed in Ayadaw,
Salingyi, Budalin, and Chaung-u Townships of Monywa District, Sagaing
Division. The pamphlets are usually distributed one day after each NLD
National League for Democracy township meeting. On 10 January, the
pamphlets containing personal criticism of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi were
distributed in the same evening after the meeting of local Budalin NLD
members. A Monya resident told the DVB that the distributors seem to want
to let the NLD know of the pamphlets because they are mainly distributed
around the homes of Township NLD chairmen. There has been no report of
distribution of the pamphlets in Monywa itself and other states and
divisions. When asked who did it, the person just said you can easily
guess who is behind this.

There have been no major restrictions and obstructions on the activities
of the NLD in Sagaing Division so far. The Sagaing Divisional NLD office
was officially reopened on 19 January but only three township offices are
allowed out of 40 townships so far.

The remaining offices are ready to be opened by the NLD as soon as they
are allowed to do so.

In Irrawaddy Division, the NLD is only allowed to open a divisional office
and township offices in Pantanaw, Ma-ubin and Bassein. The rest are still
being closed. Because their offices are closed, the township organizers
could not resume their activists officially.
__________

Democratic Voice of Burma January 31 2003

Karen Revolution Day Ceremony

It is reported that the 54th anniversary of the Karen Revolution Day was
celebrated this morning at a location on the Thai-Burma border. The KNU
chairman, Phado Saw Ba Then said in his Revolution Day address that the
KNU is not a terrorist organisation. It has always opened the door to the
rulers in Burma to solve political problems politically. The DVB’s Maung
Too reports:
Maung Too : The ceremony was held at a secret location in the KNU Brigade
6 area started at 7 o’clock in the morning. The attendants saluted Karen
national flag and sang the national anthem. Then, they saluted the Karen
martyrs including Saw Ba U Gyi. Then, the KNU’s chairman, Pado Ba Thin
delivered his Revolution Day address. He said that the Karen people are
not terrorists. They have been trying to engage in political dialogues
with the SPDC but the SPDC has been using the routing method in its
efforts to destroy the Karen. As a result, the Karen people have lost the
hope for peace. The ceremony was summarised due to security reasons and
ended after eight. Similar ceremonies were held at Brigade 5, 7 and other
areas by Karen fighters.
Phado Mahn Sha explained to the DVB the essence of the Karen Revolution as
follows:
Phado Mahn Sha : To sum up, the Revolution has lasted 54 years now. It is
a revolution demanded by history. The revolution is not to divide Burma
and it is not a revolution to break other people’s rights. We are
demanding the rights that are due to the Karen nationals. We are demanding
no more than these. We are going to take part in the revolution to the
end. You know about the present political and economical situations in
Burma. Very dire, indeed. We have to deconstruct this evil system.
________

Bangkok Post February 1 2003

Rangoon welcomes Amnesty
By LARRY JAGAN

The UN will discuss Burma’s appalling human rights record at its annual
meetings in Geneva in mid-March, including allegations that Burmese
soldiers routinely rape ethnic women along the border with Thailand.
In the meantime, in an effort to deflect criticism, Burma has welcomed the
human rights group Amnesty International, which arrived in Rangoon to
investigate the human rights situation there. This is the first time the
UK-based human rights organization has been allowed into the country.
The Amnesty delegation will meet government ministers, leaders of the
pro-democracy opposition, UN officials and NGOs while there. “It’s an
initial visit and no major report is expected to emerge from the trip,”
according to sources in Amnesty.
“Amnesty International has been invited to Burma to see current
developments on the area of human rights in the country,” said a senior
Burmese government official. The two Amnesty investigators will spend 10
days in Burma meeting government officials and representatives of other
relevant organizations. But they are also expected to meet the leader of
the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, and representatives of many of the
countries [country’s?] ethnic groups.
Amnesty is wary of making any of the details of its trip public, for fear
it might jeopardise the success of the mission. “Amnesty International’s
delegates were granted visas to Burma and will hold a press conference in
Bangkok after their visit. Until then, AI has no comments to make on its
mission to Burma,” the organization’s press officer said.
According to sources in Amnesty, it is a preliminary visit and its main
priority is to inform Burma’s military rulers of the organization’s
purpose and work. Apart from that, the delegation will spend much of its
time looking at Burma’s laws and legal system.
Diplomats in Rangoon described it as a confidence-building trip. The UN
special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Professor Paulo Pinheiro said
he welcomed the Amnesty visit and saw it as concrete evidence that the
regime was serious about engaging the international community in a
dialogue on the issue of human rights.
“This dialogue will be able to help the promotion of human rights in
Burma, and bring hope to the victims of abuses in the near future – and
that is what really counts – as well as benefit the work of international
NGOs in Burma.”
For the Burmese military government, it is certainly a major publicity coup.
AI has been one of the most strident critics of the military regime’s
abuse of human rights, ever since the army seized power more than 14 years
ago. “The generals are hoping that by inviting AI and engaging them in a
dialogue on human rights, they can convince the international community
that they are serious about improving their human rights record and
introducing democratic reform,” said a senior Western diplomat.
Nevertheless, Rangoon’s invitation to Amnesty is a significant gesture on
the part of Burma’s military rulers.
“I would like to praise both Burma and Amnesty for this bold decision – it
is consistent with the coherent and principled policy of engagement that I
have been proposing,” said Mr Pinheiro, the UN rapporteur. Over the past
few years, international bodies like the International Red Cross, the
International Labor Organization and the UN Human Rights Commission have
all engaged the regime on issues related to human rights. As a result,
some progress has indeed been made.
This interaction between the Burmese military and the international
agencies has brought some positive results according to Mike Jendrzejczyk,
the spokesman for US-based Human Rights Watch Asia. “There have been some
limited but important improvements, including the release of political
prisoners, improved humanitarian treatment of some prisoners, and
commitments and decrees to end forced labor, though implementation remains
a major problem,” he said.
But it will take more than this single mission to do that. There is very
little the Amnesty team can expect to do in the short space of time they
will have in Burma, other than familiarize themselves with the situation
first-hand and introduce themselves to key members of the government.
Many democracy activists outside the country fear that Amnesty is being
used to help deflect criticism of the junta’s lack of progress on human
rights at the annual UN hearing which begin in Geneva in mid-March.
The UN rapporteur on human rights will visit Burma again on a follow-up
mission prior to the Geneva meting. Diplomats in Rangoon say that it would
be unfair to expect too much to come from Amnesty’s initial visit to
Rangoon. But they believe any serious exposure the country’s senior
military commanders get to human rights issues can only help. “I expect AI
will make a major push for the release of many more political prisoners,
an end to serious abuses in ethnic minority areas, and adoption of other
recommendations by Amnesty and the UN,” said Human Rights Watch Asia
spokesman. “Any progress along those lines would be very welcome.”

_______

Narinjara News February 3 2003

Burmese junta’s gangs of rice robbers

The Rice Procurement Team in Kyaukpru District in the western part of
Burma have started to rob the villagers of whatever rice is available in
the face of failure to realize even half of the targeted amount of rice
collection in the present harvest season, according to our correspondent
in the area.
On 3rd January, the Kyaukpru District Peace and Development Council junta
chairman Lieutenant Colonel Aye Gyaw summoned all the government employees
related to the rice collection drive including members of the police
force, army officers and local junta leaders in a meeting and declared
that the target for rice collection this year is 330,000 tinns (1 tinn =
30 kgs) for the district.   He called for total cooperation of all the
concerned officials and armed forces to make the rice collection drive
successful in the face of non-realization of the target though the harvest
season has long been over, sources said.
In compliance of the order the rice from all the villages in the district
including the village tracts of Rann-chaung, Ungdaw, Zin-chaung, and
Leik-khamaw has been confiscated from the villagers beginning January 5. 
The rice, according to a village councillor, is realized at twelve tinns
for each acre.
This year not only the rice-growers but also the owners of shrimp farms,
salt fields, and fruit orchards are also compulsorily made to pay ten
tinns of rice for each acre of their   own farmlands.  Those who cannot
pay the rice toll are forced to pay kyat 1,500 for each tinn of the
demanded amount of rice.  ‘This is clean state-sponsored extortion down to
an inhuman scale,’ commented a village councillor.
At Leik-khamaw some seven villagers were arrested and taken to the
Kyaukpru police station as they were too poor to pay the demanded toll of
rice, said a source in the village council.  The arrest is also made in
other parts of the district.  ‘Failure to realize the target amount of
rice means demotion or even dismissal from job of the concerned township
and village officials including the law enforcement agencies,’ said our
correspondent quoting the lieutenant colonel.
The best arable land in the state can hardly yield 25 tinns of paddy per
acre, while the price for 100 tinns of rice is kyat 150,000 in the open
market, the junta pays one-fifth the actual price to the rice growers,
which cannot even cover the cost for farming rice, said a local farmer. 
The four townships of Kyaukpru, Rambre, Mrebon and Ann make up Kyaukpru
District in Rakhine State.
Last year the target for rice collection was nine million tinns while the
fresh target for this year has been set for 9.3 million for Rakhine State,
the poorest and least developed state of Burma on the western front.

DRUGS

Irrawaddy February 3 2003-02-03

Thaksin's "War On Drugs" Begins
By Aung Su Shin/Mae Sot

Burmese migrant workers in Mae Sot participated in an anti-drug rally over
the weekend, joining local Thais in helping to kick off Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s drug eradication campaign. Thaksin has
ordered the country’s police force to make Thailand drug free in just
three months.
About 20,000 people, including 2,000 Burmese workers from dozens of local
factories, marched through Mae Sot carrying anti-drug banners written in
both Thai and Burmese.
One Burmese participant said that some migrant workers are addicted to
methamphetamines and Phensidyle, a strong cough syrup. "We will persuade
our friends to give up drugs," said Kyaw Minn Hteik, 22.
Maj-Gen Saweit Pincinchai addressed the crowd in Mae Sot, saying they must
join hands in wiping drugs from the region. "We heard many families have
fled from districts in Tak Province and many strangers have arrived," said
Saweit. "It means traffickers from our region have gone to somewhere and
from other places have come here to hide."
Sources say a number of families have fled from Wanjao and Phop Phra
Districts in Tak Province for fear of being arrested or even killed by
police. Saweit said it was up to individuals to report any thing out of
the ordinary to authorities.
Critics say that Thaksin's three-month ultimatum is both impractical and
unrealistic. Human rights groups fear that police will violate people’s
rights during the crackdown by unlawfully detaining and torturing people.
Some even fear that extra-judicial killings will be implemented.
Six drug suspects have already been killed since the campaign began on
Saturday, according to the Bangkok Post and The Nation newspapers. And on
January 31, a narcotic suppression unit seized 500,000 methamphetamine
pills near Wattana resort in Mae Sot after fighting with, and killing, two
ethnic Hmong traffickers.
A Bangkok drug syndicate has been blamed for two murders in Bangkok on
Saturday. Police say the syndicate killed the two men in order to
eliminate potential evidence.
Democrat Party leader Chuan Leekpai said a campaign of secret killings
would create a climate of fear and possibly lead to international trade
boycotts. The opposition leader has warned the government against
condoning extra-judicial killings in its war on drugs.
"Only a court can order the execution of people. Shooting someone merely
because they are suspected of selling drugs or associating with
traffickers will create problems. We could be accused of human rights
violations and the international community could boycott us," Chuan said.

_________

United Press International January 31 2003

23 nations on Bush's drug list
By Anwar Iqbal


Key U.S. allies are on President Bush's list Friday of 23 countries
designated as major producers or transit routes of illicit drugs.
Besides China and India, two key allies in the war against terror --
Afghanistan and Pakistan -- are also on the list.
Myanmar, Guatemala and Haiti are the only countries labeled as those that
have failed to control drug producing and trafficking. Others on the list
have been effective in curbing drug production and trafficking and
therefore are exempted from punitive action, the White House said.
Guatemala and Haiti will continue to receive U.S. economic assistance,
however, because the administration believes it is in Washington's
interest to do so.
The former Burma, however, faces U.S. sanctions as a major drug producer.
"The major drug-transit or illicit drug producing countries on the list
are: Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, China, Colombia,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos,
Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Venezuela and
Vietnam.
"The president ... reported to Congress his determinations that Burma,
Guatemala, and Haiti failed demonstrably, during the previous 12 months,
to adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics
agreements and to take the measures set forth in U.S. anti-drug law," the
White House said.
Bush's report also noted the alarming increase in the quantity of ecstasy,
or MDMA, entering the United States, of which a significant amount is
manufactured clandestinely in the Netherlands. Bush expressed concern that
Canada is a primary source of pseudoephedrine, which is exported to the
United States and used in clandestine drug laboratories to make
methamphetamines. Canada has also become a growing source of high-potency
marijuana.
Bush said the administration will continue to work closely with the
governments of the Netherlands and Canada to address these issues.
The White House sends this annual list to Congress, of the major illicit
drug producing and drug-transiting countries.
The president must consider each country's performance in areas such as
illicit drug cultivation, drug trafficker extradition, and law enforcement
efforts to prevent and punish corruption that facilitates drug trafficking
or impedes drug crime prosecution.
The president also has to consider efforts to stop the production and
export of illegal drugs.


MONEY

Kaladan Press January 31,2003

Bangla-Myanmar shipping begins

A shipping service began yesterday between Bangladesh and Myanmar, marking
the first legal sea vessel between the neighbours since a
1988 coup in Yangon, said in the  Daily Star..  The Singapore-flagged
container ship left Bangladesh's main port at Chittagong for a two-day
journey to Yangon, the paper further said.
"The launching of this service would reduce cost and save time," said
Nelum Attanayake of Orient Express Lines, the ship's owners.
Earlier, most sea trade between the neighbours was routed via Singapore, a
10-day journey, said Ahsanul Huq Chowdhury, Orient Express Lines' local
representative.
Singapore- based feeder vessel operator ‘OEL’ Nelum yesterday told
reporters that the freight charge will reduce by 15 per cent.
The step comes a month after Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe came to
Bangladesh, becoming the first leader of the Yangon junta to visit since
the 1988 coup. The two countries agreed to boost trade.
Myanmar, then known as Burma, was one of the first countries to recognise
Bangladesh after it won independence from Pakistan in 1971.
But relations were strained in the early 1990s when around 250,000
Rohingya Muslims flooded into Bangladesh from Myanmar, claiming atrocities
by the junta, said the Daily Star.
Ties have improved since then, with the repatriation of most of the
refugees under a United Nations agreement, but more than 20,000 still live
in camps in Bangladesh, the paper further said.  The neighbours have a
small amount of bilateral trade, with Myanmar exporting timber, maize,
rice and fish and Bangladesh selling fertiliser, cement and
medicine.  Trade of both countries will greatly benefit from this
direct service, said agent of the shipping line ‘Orient Express
Lines’,Ahasanul Hug Chowdhury yesterday.
---------

Xinhua News Agency February 3 2003

Thai carrier to fly between Myanmar and Cambodian cities

The Myanmar authorities are negotiating with the Bangkok Airways of
Thailand for the carrier to launch a direct flight between Bagan of
Myanmar and Angkor Wat of Cambodia as part of its regional tourism
program, the local weekly Myanmar Times reported Monday.

Quoting an official of the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar,
the report said negotiation for the launching of the service has been
underway in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh after the 6th Tourism
Ministers' Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
late last month. The Thai airline will fly to Bagan from either Siem Reap
airport of Angkor Wat or from China, the official said.

The report also quoted Myanmar Minister of Hotels and Tourism
Brigadier-General Thein Zaw as saying that recent regional tourism meeting
also covered discussions on an introduction of visa exemptions for
visitors to ASEAN countries by 2005 and more stringent security measures
in the wake of increased concerns about terrorism arising from the Bali
bombing last October.

Meanwhile, as part of its tourism promotion program, Myanmar is reported
to soon grant visas-on-arrival for individual travelers on some other
designated foreign carriers.

According to the latest official statistics, Myanmar received nearly
500,000 foreign tourists in 2002 with an income of 100 million US dollars
and it plans to absorb up to one million tourists this year.
________

Xinhua News Agency February 3 2003

Myanmar produces more oil, gas in first three quarters of 2002

Myanmar produced 4.16 million barrels of crude oil in the first three
quarters of 2002, an increase of 18.85 percent from the same period of
2001, said the latest figures released by the Ministry of Energy.

During the period, Myanmar yielded 6,761.89 million cubic-meters of
natural gas, a rise of 2.64 percent from the corresponding period of 
2001. According to official statistics, Myanmar has 3,154 million barrels
(419.5 million tons) of recoverable reserve of crude oil in the country's
onshore and offshore areas, while possessing a total of 50.95 trillion
cubic-feet (1,442.05 billion cubic-meters) of such reserve of natural gas
in the two areas.

Meanwhile, there is reportedly a total of 19 inland oil fields in Myanmar
where at present foreign companies from Indonesia, Bahamas, Britain,
Cyprus and China are operating.

Myanmar's offshore oil and gas fields concentrate in Rakhine, Tanintharyi
and Mottama areas with gas reserve in the Rakhine area estimated at 13.4
trillion cubic-feet (379.22 billion cubic-meters) to 47.3 trillion
cubic-feet (1,338.6 billion cubic-meters).

However, Myanmar's domestic crude oil production is far from meeting its
demand and has to annually import crude oil.

In 2001, Myanmar bought 100 million gallons (420,000 tons) of gasoline and
more than 300 million gallons (1.26 million tons ) of diesel.

Meanwhile, contracted foreign investment in Myanmar's oil and gas sector
has reached 2.607 billion dollars since late 1988, according to other
official statistics.
_________

Narinjara News February 3 2003

Burmese Gems in Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Burmese stall at the ongoing Dhaka International Trade Fair has become
well-known for selling ‘the most costly items’, according to a stall-owner
in the fair.
The items to be found in the Burmese gems stall include gold jewellery
with precious Burmese stones like emerald, ruby, jade, sapphire and
diamonds as well as cultured pearls.  The ornaments are priced at 2500 to
half a million taka, which is equal to US$50 to $9,000.  For the
fair-goers the Burmese jewellery has a different kind of appeal since the
general people here are not much aware about the value of precious stones.
The stall-owner also said that, the items in the Burmese stall catch the
eyes of the affluent and high-ranking officials with dubious earnings. 
About two dozen of Burmese sales persons including beautiful girls have
been running the stall, said our correspondent.
On being questioned the salespersons declined to tell the exact sales
proceedings of the day but confirmed that the sale is satisfactory.  The
Burmese flag is seen flying on top of the stall.  Security guards have
been posted outside and only one door for entrance and exit marks the
Burmese uniqueness.
Other stalls in the fair include those from China, Thailand, Iran, India
and Pakistan.  The month-long trade fair will come to an end on the 8th
this month.

ON THE BORDER

Democratic Voice of Burma January 31 2003

More arrests in Thailand

It is reported that starting from the 1st of February; the Thai
authorities are planning to arrest more illegal immigrants including
Burmese people with the excuse of cracking down on drug trafficking on the
Thai Burma border in an operation. DVB’s Naw Nandar Chan reports:
Naw Nandar Chan : The three months long operation is to start on the 1st
of February and the authorities are going to crack down on
drug-trafficking and illegal immigrants. The KNPP’s joint secretary, Saw U
Reh told the DVB about the situation of Maehongson, Northern Thailand as
follows: “There are increasing movements and numbers of Thai soldiers
here. They are increasing the troops for border security reason, I was
told but I don’t know the number. They have been restricting the movements
of refugees in the camps for awhile.”
Ko Htay Aung of NDD told the DVB about the situation of Maesaring,
Northwest Thailand as follows: “We have also heard that it is not only in
the Maesariang area but also they are planning to tighten the securities
in refugee camps and the areas connecting to inner Thailand. With this
kind of restrictions, we will not have any chance to move. There will be
more difficulties for refugees.”
Dr Sann Aung of the NCGUB commented about the situation thus: “It is good
that they are cracking down on drug-trafficking, but however hard they do,
if drugs are still made on the Burmese side and they are not able to stop
that, then the problems will not go away.”

REGIONAL

Deutsche Presse-Agentur February 3 2003

Border tensions between India, Bangladesh continue

India and Bangladesh failed to resolve alleged border infiltration and
forced expulsion issues after a third round of bilateral talks fizzled
out, news reports said Monday.

Tension has increased along the porous 4,000-kilometre border dividing the
two countries as talks between the Indian paramilitary Border Security
Force (BSF) and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) faltered, the Star News
channel reported. Villagers living near the border in the Cooch Behar
district of India's West Bengal state have been alerted about possible
encounters between border forces of both countries, the United News of
India (UNI) reported.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) N.C. Ghosh said the
villagers have been told to be prepared for evacuation, according to UNI.

Last week, Bangladesh alleged India's BSF expelled about 200 people,
including many women and children, into Bangladeshi territory. Bangladeshi
officials said those pushed across the border were Indian nationals.

India has maintained the group of 37 families were caught trying to
illegally enter from Bangladesh and were deported. However, the BDR
refused to take them back, according to Star News.

The group - which includes 80 children - has been stranded on a small
patch of land along the border in Cooch Behar. They have been living out
in the open without food, water or medicine, the Times of India newspaper
reported.

Except for one side that opens to the Bay of Bengal and a small shared
slice of land with Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh is completely surrounded by
India. It shares a border with the Indian states of Tripura, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Assam and West Bengal.

Most illegal migrants usually cross over into West Bengal, which is easier
to access.

INTERNATIONAL

Xinhua News Agency February 3 2003

Myanmar question no longer affects ASEAN-EU relations: Official

The Myanmar question is no longer a dominating issue in ASEAN-EU
relations," Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win was quoted by
the local weekly Myanmar Times as saying on Monday.

Myanmar is still under sanctions of the EU.

U Khin Maung Win made the remarks after he returned from the 14th meeting
of foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) and the 15-member European Union ( EU) in Brussels,
Belgium which lasted from Jan. 27 to 28. The deputy minister noted that
Myanmar would no longer a hostage in relations between the two groupings,
pointing out that the meeting had paved the way for stronger ties between
Yangon and the EU.

When asked about Myanmar's national reconciliation process by delegates
from Britain, Italy and Sweden on the occasion, U Khin Maung Win
emphasized that the process is still in a very fragile state, warning that
his country would never bow to foreign pressure in any form.

He also warned that such pressure would only hinder the progress of
national reconciliation and democratization.

Amid sanctions by the EU which include an arms embargo and a travel ban on
high officials of the military government, Myanmar was allowed for the
first time to attend such ASEAN-EU gathering which took place biannually
on a rotary basis in ASEAN and EU countries.

The Myanmar representation in the meeting was previously rejected on
account of its domestic human rights situation, but ASEAN insisted on its
participation which was later agreed in 2001.

Although the EU has expressed welcome over some positive developments in
Myanmar, including the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on
May 6 last year, it said the development is not enough yet for lifting its
sanctions on the country.

The EU stood as ASEAN's second largest export market and the third largest
trading partner after the United States and Japan, with two-way trade
reportedly amounting to 108.9 billion (about 112 billion US dollars) in
2001.

It was agreed that ASEAN will host the next foreign ministers' meeting
between the two groupings in 2005.

MISCELLANEOUS

Office of the Press Secretary January 31 2003

Presidential Determination No. 2003-14
SUBJECT: Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit
Drug Producing Countries for 2003
Pursuant to section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act,
Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107228) (FRAA), which was enacted on
September 30, 2002, I hereby identify the following countries as major
drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries: Afghanistan, The
Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
The Majors List applies by its terms to countries. The United States
Government interprets the term broadly to include entities that exercise
autonomy over actions or omissions that could lead to a decision to place
them on the list and, subsequently, to determine their eligibility for
certification. A country's presence on the Majors List is not necessarily
an adverse reflection of its government's counternarcotics efforts or
level of cooperation with the United States. Consistent with the statutory
definition of a major drug transit or drug producing country set forth in
section 481(e)(5) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA),
one of the reasons that major drug transit or drug producing countries are
placed on the list is the combination of geographical, commercial, and
economic factors that allow drugs to transit or be produced despite the
concerned government's most assiduous enforcement measures.
Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the FRAA, I hereby designate Burma,
Guatemala, and Haiti as countries that have failed demonstrably during the
previous 12 months to adhere to their obligations under international
counternarcotics agreements and take the measures set forth in section
489(a)(1) of the FAA. Attached to this memorandum are justifications for
each of the countries so designated, as required by section 706(2)(B).
I have also determined, in accordance with provisions of section 706(3)(A)
of the FRAA, that provision of United States assistance to Guatemala and
Haiti in FY 2003 is vital to the national interests of the United States.
Additionally, the alarming increase in the quantity of illegal synthetic
drugs entering the United States, especially ecstasy from Europe, is of
particular concern. A significant amount of the ecstasy consumed in the
United States is manufactured clandestinely in The Netherlands (in 2001, a
total of 9.5 million ecstasy tablets were seized in the United States, and
the Drug Enforcement Administration believes that the majority of tablets
originated in The Netherlands). We are working closely with Dutch
authorities to stop the production and export of ecstasy, which we both
regard as a serious threat to our citizens. We expect Dutch authorities to
move effectively and measurably in the coming year against the production
and export of this drug, including dismantling labs and proceeding against
trafficking organizations. Early in the year, we plan to discuss specific
steps we can take together to reduce drug trafficking.
Although the United States enjoys an excellent level of bilateral
cooperation with Canada, the United States Government is concerned that
Canada is a primary source of pseudoephedrine and an increasing source of
high potency marijuana, which are exported to the United States. Over the
past few years there has been an alarming increase in the amount of
pseudoephedrine diverted from Canadian sources to clandestine drug
laboratories in the United States, where it is used to make
methamphetamine. The Government of Canada, for the most part, has not
regulated the sale and distribution of precursor chemicals. The
regulations to restrict the availability of pseudoephedrine, which the
Government of Canada has just promulgated, should be stronger.
Notwithstanding Canada's inadequate control of illicit diversion of
precursor chemicals, I commend Canadian law enforcement agencies, which
continue to work energetically to support our joint law enforcement
efforts.
Under section 706 of the FRAA, you are hereby authorized and directed to
submit this memorandum to the Congress, and to publish it in the Federal
Register.
                                                                                                              GEORGE
W.
BUSH

_________

Guardian UK February 3 2003

Letter to the Editor: Still seeking democracy


I can confirm what John Jackson of the Burma Campaign has said about the
military junta in Burma's decision to give a visa to an Amnesty team
(Amnesty allowed to visit Burma, January 30).
I certainly hope Amnesty's "dialogue" with the junta will be more
productive for them than for Aung San Suu Kyi, whose best efforts to make
progress meet the resistance of one of the world's most despotic regimes.
Commissioner [Chris] Patten, speaking at the EU-Asean ministerial meeting
in Brussels last week, said, in response to the Burmese minister who was
present, "the Burmese minister described Burma's march towards democracy
which, I have to say, is a march most of us have not yet detected".
Indeed, my own application for a visa two weeks ago, to meet Suu Kyi, was
not granted.
It would be complete nonsense to assume anything has changed in Burma.
Child labour and forced labour continue, and the levels of repression are
as high as ever. The Burmese people are becoming poorer and HIV/Aids is
spreading at an alarming rate. The harassment of Suu Kyi when she travels
around the country is clear proof, if we need it, of the regime's
unwillingness to make progress towards democracy or to respond to the
human rights concerns raised by the international community.
Glenys Kinnock MEP
Lab, Wales