BurmaNet News: February 11 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

February 11 2003 Issue #2172

INSIDE BURMA

SWAN: Military gang-rape occurs as International Red Cross visits Shan State
Irrawaddy: An interview with Donna Guest: “Much remains to be done”
Xinhua: Thai PM to play mediator in Myanmar’s national reconciliation
Xinhua: Myanmar anticipates dialogue with Amnesty International
AP: Myanmar detains 12 for anti-government activities
TV Myanmar: Thai premier visits Burma’s Kachin State
Nation: AI’s mixed report on Burma

DRUGS

Xinhua: Thailand considers to give rewards to Myanmar’s drug suppression
troops

MONEY

Xinhua: Single ASEAN member invests in Myanmar in first three quarters of
2002
New Light of Myanmar: Banker assures entrepreneurs of strength of banking
services

REGIONAL

UN Wire: UN-sponsored democracy conference to open Saturday
AP: Human rights advocates critical as bodies pile up in anti-drug war
Nation: Talks with junta fruitful, says PM
Asia Times: Prospects brighten for Kunming Initiative

STATEMENTS/MISCELLANEOUS

IHT: The trouble with a harder US line on Burma
American Anti-Slavery Group: Boycott calls for May Company to stop
purchasing slave-made products from Burma
Irrawaddy: Made in Korea makes an impact in Burma

INSIDE BURMA

Shan Women’s Action Network February 11 2003

Military gang-rape occurs as International Red Cross visits Shan State

On January 30, 2003, the same day a team of the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) was visiting Central Shan State, a woman was
gang-raped only a few miles away by troops of the Burmese military regime,
local villagers have reported.

The incident occurred in a village near the town of Laikha, when a patrol
of troops from a military base at Kho Lam detained the 35-year-old Shan
woman in her house. She was gang-raped by eight soldiers in the presence
of her four children.

The ICRC, which spent several days in the Laikha area, was conducting its
second visit in two months to Central Shan State to assess the conditions
of the local population. Their policy is not to publicly expose human
rights violations, but to raise issues confidentially with relevant
authorities.

"We are very disturbed that such abuses are continuing under the very
noses of international monitors," said Nang Mo Lao of the Shan Women's
Action Network. "It throws into serious doubt the regime's sincerity about
reform."

On January 30, representatives of Amnesty International were also allowed
into Burma for the first time by the regime, but did not travel to Shan
State.
__________

Irrawaddy February 10 2003

An Interview with Donna Guest: "Much remains to be done"

Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s researcher on Burma and Thailand,
spoke to Irrawaddy Editor Aung Zaw following the human rights group’s
first ever visit to Rangoon. The London-based rights groups said in a
statement today that the visit confirmed that policing, trial procedures
and conditions of detention fall short of international legal standards
and that many laws and directives criminalize the exercise of fundamental
human rights such as freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Question: What kind of positive developments did you see in Burma?

Answer: We have welcomed several positive developments in the last two
years. And these are the release of hundreds of political prisoners and
the fact that more international organizations are allowed to work in
Yangon (Rangoon) and throughout the country. But of course, much remains
to be done. We believe that 1,200 to 1,300 political prisoners are still
in jails throughout Myanmar (Burma). We look forward to more progress on
the issue of forced labor, as well.
What was positive about our trip was that we got very good cooperation
from the SPDC. And I’d just like to say at the outset that they did not
invite us. We had been requesting access to Myanmar since 1987 or 1988. We
finally received it last July. Then there was time to work out the details
and terms of reference and the SPDC agreed to all our terms and we asked
to meet several government ministers, at the ministerial level and below.
They were very cooperative in setting up those meetings. And of course all
the other meetings that we had with released political prisoners and NLD
members and members of the international community, we set all that up
ourselves. And we also—just to put the record straight—received a visa for
10 weeks but because this was an initial visit we only stayed for 10 days.
We confined ourselves to Yangon with the view towards a research trip
later in the year, which will be much longer than that.

Q: What do you think was the reason for the change in attitude? Why were
they so cooperative? Do you think this was another public relations
exercise staged by the junta?

A: I don’t think it’s a public relations exercise. I think that they
showed genuine cooperation. I think probably other international
organizations that have gone before Amnesty International paved the way,
to a certain extent, and so the SPDC had a better idea of the requirements
we might have. So, I think that we had every indication that we’d be able
to come back because we wouldn’t just go for one visit, on a one-off
courtesy visit—that would definitely appear to be a publicity stunt. I
think everyone was pretty serious about it. We mentioned to every
government official that we met that we’d be coming back later in the year
and that seems fine to them. So far so good.

Q: Are you aware of the ongoing crackdown on activists and students?

A: Well we had heard reports and taken up some of the cases of some
activists who were arrested in the last eight months. There were also
reports as late as January, so we were able to follow up on those and we
will be making our concerns known in great detail to the SPDC. This will
have a lot to do with legal reform and other types of reform and will go
in a long memorandum to the SPDC and then will be published later.

Q: Are you aware that when your delegation was in Burma, there was a
crackdown and approximately 12 people were arrested?

A: No, I was not aware of that. I haven’t seen any details about that, it
would certainly be of great concern to us if that were true. I did see a
report that two people, two NLD members were arrested when they were
standing in a rice queue and they were sentenced the day of our arrival.
They’ve been imprisoned and were arrested in September. But no, I’m afraid
I don’t know anything about it.

Q: Do you think Burmese people are happier?

A: It’s very difficult to say, this was our first visit, we were only
there for 10 days. I think the Burmese people that we met were glad to
talk to us, of course we asked permission. We did meet with a number of
political prisoners, and we told them that they did not have to talk to us
and asked their permission. They were all very pleased to talk to us. We
had very long extensive interviews with them and we also talked to former
political prisoners, NLD members and families of political prisoners.
Everybody I think was very glad to have met with us. But it’s hard to make
a generalization.

Q: When you spoke to people in Burma did you get any sense of fear or
intimidation?

A: Well, I have to say that really everyone seemed to be quite willing to
talk to us. We didn’t approach people on the street and ask them what
their political views were—we didn’t want to be intrusive. But certainly,
the Burmese people that we met seemed very willing to talk with us quite
openly. We took precautions to ensure that there wouldn’t be any reprisals
and we will be following up on their safety through confidential means.

Q: Can you tell us about conditions inside prisons?

A: From our information, I think there has been some improvement in
conditions of imprisonment. This was certainly reflected in what people
told us. However, much remains to be done and the problem with medication
seems to continue. Families have to buy medication for the prisoner and
that’s often the only way they get access to it, though sometimes they get
it from another source. So that continues to be an issue for us and
certainly for political prisoners

Q: Even though this was your first trip, were you surprised to see the
conditions of prisoners?

A: No, I think that in general we were not surprised. Of course we’d
gathered independent information for many, many years on political
imprisonment. I would say that it was pretty much what we had learned when
we were outside the country. But we certainly hope to expand that
knowledge with real first-hand knowledge when we go back

Q: Can you tell us a bit about some of the laws and legislation that you
discussed with the Burmese authorities?

A: We had concerns about many of the laws that are still being used in
Myanmar, some of these date back from colonial times. The regulations, the
prison manual and the police manual date from the 19th century. The 1908
Illegal Associations Act, which in a slightly different form, is still
being used very frequently today to arrest prisoners of conscience. Moving
on to post independence and the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act where people
are arrested very frequently under the 5j provisions for spreading false
information or for damaging public order. And the 1975 State Protection
Act, which is problematic because it allows for detention by executive
order. This is the law under which Aung San Suu Kyi was held, and they
have no legal rights to appeal this detention. And then of course, the
orders, many orders which have been promulgated and have the force of law
since the SPDC came to power. We’re concerned about a number of those
directives, for example the restriction of political activities, which
will be a restriction on their freedom of association and assembly, which
are still in effect. So it’s problematic, these laws have very vague
provisions and the authorities can use them any way they want because the
definition of things like public order and moral order is not defined.

Q: Did you get the impression that the junta was willing to amend or
change these laws?

A: The SPDC often says that they don’t have a parliament so they don’t
have the power, but I would suggest that if they feel they don’t have the
power to make new laws they stop using the old ones that cause a lot of
human rights violations.

Q: You met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. What was her reaction
to your visit?

A: All I can say is that Aung San Suu Kyi and myself agreed to keep the
content of the meeting confidential. But I will say that we had a very
cordial, almost two-hour meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi at her residence in
private.

Q: So, when do you plan to return?

A: We will be going back sometime this year—later this year. Of course
we’ll be busy preparing our submission to the SPDC in the meantime. Yes we
will plan to go back definitely before the end of 2003.

Q: Some journalists and diplomats in Bangkok have said your statement is a
bit ‘too soft’. What is your reaction to that?

A: First of all, this was a preliminary visit and we are not miracle
workers. We don’t expect to come into a country and 10 days later
everything is fine in the human rights department. We’re human rights
workers, not miracle workers. If that were the case, we would have gone
out of business a long time ago. I think that’s very important to
recognize and as we say in our statement very clearly: much remains to be
done. So we’re acknowledging the improvements because we believe in any
individual. Amnesty works with individual prisoners of conscience and
individuals who have been persecuted. Any individual freed is a good
thing, a good thing to welcome. We also say at the same time, much remains
to be done. And we’ve been very specific about these things in a written
memorandum, which we gave to the SPDC at the end of our trip. We will be
expecting some follow-up on that very soon. I don’t think it was too soft.
We’re not going to make sweeping statements without further information.
It was a preliminary visit and also I think that we were very specific
about our concerns. The political imprisonment of over 1200 people—that’s
a big number—is still a concern; and forced labor is still a concern; and
prison conditions are still a concern; and the legal system still a
concern. So there’s a lot remaining that needs to be changed. Until those
changes are made, people will continue to suffer and as long as they do,
Amnesty will be working on these cases.
__________

Xinhua News Agency February 11 2003

Thai PM to play mediator in Myanmar's national reconciliation

Myanmar has decided to let Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra [sic]
help persuade its ethnic rebels to come to the negotiating table to bring
about national reconciliation in Myanmar, the Bangkok Post reported
Tuesday.

The report quoted a source close to Thai Defence Minister Thammarak
Isarangkura na Ayudhya as saying that Thai Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinwatra, who had raised the idea, hoped Myanmar 's national
reconciliation would help solve problems along the Thai border with
Myanmar.

Thaksin was convinced that if Myanmar's ethnic rebels agree to end their
armed struggle as part of a national reconciliation process, law and order
and prosperity will eventually come to the Thai-Myanmar border areas, the
report quoted a security officer as saying. In the long run, the
prosperity will help solve the problems of drug trafficking and illegal
workers.

A panel will be formed to work out details and help coordinate talks with
leading ethnic rebels in Myanmar, said the report.

During Thaksin's two-day visit to Myanmar beginning Feb. 9, the Thai
premier met with his Myanmar's counterpart Than Shwe and raised the issue
of ethnic rebels operating along the Thai-Myanmar border for discussion.

Thaksin told reporters when he flied back to Bangkok that Myanmar was
pleased to let us "play a supportive role in bringing about national
reconciliation."

Thammarak will soon go to Myanmar to discuss ways to implement his
proposal, Thakisn said.

While, Sunai Pasuk, a political analyst with the Asian Forum for Human
Rights and Development, said Thaksin's idea of playing a mediator had yet
to be made concrete.

Trust was required from both Rangoon and the ethnic groups. However, the
Thai government's tough stance towards those ethnic groups made it
doubtful they will be willing to deal with Thai mediators, Sunai said.

There are now five minority groups fighting against the Myanmar
government. Among them the Shan State Army, under Col Yawd Serk, and the
Karen National Union, led by Gen Byo Mya, are regarded as the strongest.

The three other groups are the Karenni National Progressive Party, the
Arakan Liberation Party and the Kachin National Front.
___________

Xinhua News Agency February 11 2003

Myanmar anticipates dialogue with Amnesty International

Myanmar looks forward to continuing free and open dialogue with the
Amnesty International (AI) with regard to human rights issues, said
government spokesman Hla Min on Tuesday.

In an official statement here, Hla Min said the first official visit to
Myanmar of the AI last week was the positive step in developing
constructive dialogue on the issues, adding that his country hopes their
visit would bring about deeper understanding of the issue facing Myanmar.
A two-member group of the London-based AI, led by its Program Director for
the Asia Pacific Region Demelza Stubbings, visited Myanmar from Jan. 30 to
Feb. 8.

After their trip, the group commented that human rights in Myanmar
continued to "fall short of international law" but were improving, citing
their free interview granted with several prisoners and former detainees,
all of which, they said, indicated things were getting better.

The Myanmar military government has long been criticized to have detained
thousands of political prisoners in harsh conditions.
___________

Associated Press February 11 2003

Myanmar detains 12 for anti-government activities

Myanmar authorities have detained 12 people, including seven members of
the opposition National League for Democracy, for alleged anti-government
activities.

They are accused of trying to stir unrest, distribute anti-government
leaflets and carry out attacks, Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Than Tun
said Monday. They also are believed to have links to dissident groups
based in neighboring Thailand, he said.

Seven National League for Democracy members, a joint secretary of the
ethnic Shan National League for Democracy and four other suspects have
been rounded up since Feb. 5, Than Tun said.

He said the suspects would be questioned.

"Those who are found guilty under the law will (face) action, but those
who are not implicated will be released," he said.

The ruling junta came to power in Myanmar, also known as Burma, after
crushing a pro-democracy movement in 1988. It called elections two years
later but refused to honor the results, which gave the National League for
Democracy, led by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a landslide
victory.

The two sides have been holding reconciliation talks since late 2000, but
no real progress appears to have been made.

Earlier Monday, Amnesty International said after its first-ever official
trip to Myanmar that the country's human rights conditions "fall short of
international law," but are improving. The London-based group said it
interviewed several prisoners and former detainees, who all indicated
things were getting better.
_______________

TV Myanmar February 11 2003

THAI PREMIER VISITS BURMA'S KACHIN STATE

Thai Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and delegation who are paying a
working visit to Myanmar Burma at the invitation of Sr Gen Than Shwe,
chairman of the State Peace and Development Council SPDC and prime
minister of the Union of Myanmar, arrived in Putao, Kachin State, on a
special aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force at 1130 on 9 February.

Visiting Thai Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and delegation were
welcomed at Putao Airport by Maj-Gen Maung Maung Swe, chairman of the
Kachin State Peace and Development Council and commander of the Northern
Command; U Win Aung, minister of foreign affairs; Brig-Gen Aye Myint Kyu,
deputy minister of hotels and tourism; U Myo Myint, Myanmar ambassador to
Thailand; senior military officers of the Northern Command; state-level
departmental officials, and local people.

Bamar Burmese , Rawan, Lisu, Tai-Khanti, and Jingphaw youths presented
them with bouquets of flowers and traditional dance troupes welcomed them
with traditional music and dances. The Thai prime minister and delegation
cordially greeted the local people and traditional dance troupes. The
prime minister and party, accompanied by Commander Maj-Gen Maung Maung
Swe, Foreign Minister U Win Aung, and Myanmar Ambassador U Myo Myint,
viewed the snow-capped areas along the Phongamrazi mountain ranges and
enjoyed the Myanmar scenic views from a Defence Services helicopter.

After that, they paid homage at Kaunghmulon Pagoda on the eastern bank of
the Malikha River in Machanbaw Township. The Thai prime minister and
delegation donated cash at the pagoda. The Thai prime minister and
delegation then proceeded to the Mulashide Kachin national village in
Putao Township where they were welcomed by the local people and
traditional dance troupes.

Next, the Thai prime minister and delegation cordially greeted the local
people and viewed traditional utensil shops of Rawan, Lisu, Tai-Khanti,
and Jingphaw there. They arrived at the Khakaborazi Guest House in Putao
at 1345. Maj-Gen Maung Maung Swe, chairman of the Kachin State Peace and
Development Council and commander of the Northern Command, hosted a
luncheon in honour of the visiting Thai prime minister and delegation at
the guest house.

After the luncheon, the commander presented traditional utensils of the
national races and a fruit basket to the Thai prime minister as a
memorable gift.

Thai Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and delegation, accompanied by
Foreign Minister U Win Aung and Myanmar Ambassador U Myo Myint, then left
Putao on the Royal Thai Air Force special aircraft at 1445 for Mandalay
International Airport.

The Thai prime minister and delegation were seen off at Putao Airport by
Commander Maung Maung Swe, departmental officials, local people, and
traditional dance troupes.

On arrival at Mandalay International Airport at 1615, the Thai prime
minister and delegation were welcomed by Maj-Gen Ye Myint, chairman of the
Mandalay Division Peace and Development Council and commander of the
Central Command; Brig-Gen Yan Thein, chairman of the Mandalay City
Development Committee and mayor of Mandalay; Brig-Gen Ne Win, deputy
commander of the Central Command; senior military officers, and divisional
level departmental officials. Two Myanmar girls presented a bouquet of
flowers to the Thai Prime Minister at the airport.

Next, Thai Prime Minister Dr Thaksin Shinawatra and delegation,
accompanied by Foreign Minister U Win Aung and Myanmar Ambassador U Myo
Myint, left Mandalay International Airport on the Royal Thai Air Force
special aircraft and arrived in Thandwe, Rakhine State, in the evening.
__________

The Nation February 11 2003

AI's mixed report on Burma
By Subhatra Bhumiprabhas

The human-rights situation in military-run Burma continues to "fall short
of international law" but is steadily improving, Amnesty International
(AI) said yesterday.

In a press conference in Bangkok following their 10-day trip to Burma, a
delegation of the London-based group said "policing, trial procedures and
conditions of detention fall short of international law and standards".
But prison conditions, on the other hand, had improved steadily.

"Every single released prisoner we talked to said that conditions of
detention had improved significantly since 1999," said Demelza Stubbings,
AI's programme director for the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the delegation found that over 1,000 political prisoners were
still in detention after completing their prison terms.

AI was permitted to enter the country for the first time since 1988, when
it had initially made a request.

The team discussed many issues with the government officials, including
one minister, as well as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

DRUGS

Xinhua News Agency February 11 2003

Thailand considers to give rewards to Myanmar's drug suppression troops

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra floated a new idea to pay cash
rewards to Myanmar troops who help seize drugs from smugglers, the Bangkok
Post reported Tuesday.

Thai Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha said that Thai police and
informers in Thailand are already being offered 3 baht (0.07 US dollars)
for each methamphetamine pill seized, up to 1 million baht (23,800
dollars), so the measure could be extended to troops of neighboring
countries for suppression efforts which lead to the seizure of illicit
drugs. In addition, a 30 percent share of the value of subsequently seized
assets could also be offered, Wan Nor said.  He said that he believed the
cash incentive would help in the war against drug trafficking.

He said he would leave it to Thaksin to explain the proposal. Thai Prime
Minister  Thaksin is expected to brief the cabinet on his weekend trip to
Myanmar.

MONEY

Xinhua News Agency February 11 2003

Single ASEAN member invests in Myanmar in first three quarters of 2002

Myanmar received contracted foreign investment from only a single member
country of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)--Malaysia in
the first three quarters of 2002, the latest data of the official Economic
Indicators show.

Malaysia's 44 million US dollars of investment were put into the country's
oil and gas project. During the same period of 2001, there were four ASEAN
members investing in the country --Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and
Indonesia.

ASEAN members used to be Myanmar's largest foreign investors.

Besides the sharp drop of the regional investment during the first three
quarters of 2002, the same happened with that from other countries and
regions with 1.52 million coming from China's Hong Kong only, making up a
total of only 45.52 million of foreign investment brought about during the
period, a drop of 10.7 percent from the corresponding period of the
previous year.

According to official statistics, since opening up to the outside world in
late 1988, Myanmar had drawn 7,443.7 million dollars of contracted foreign
investment in 374 projects as of September 2002, of which ASEAN took up
3,844 million or 51.64 percent.

Out of 25 countries and regions investing in Myanmar, major investors were
lined up as Singapore (1,507 million), the United Kingdom (1,401 million),
Thailand (1,289 million) and Malaysia ( 639.5 million), taking up 20.24
percent, 18.82 percent, 17.31 percent and 8.59 percent of the total
foreign investment respectively.

Meanwhile, since March 2002, the Myanmar government introduced a new
measure which restricted foreign investment by stopping issue of import
and export permits to Myanmar-based wholly-owned foreign trading
companies.
__________________

New Light of Myanmar February 9 2003

BANKER ASSURES ENTREPRENEURS OF STRENGTH OF BANKING SERVICES

A New Year reception was hosted to entrepreneurs who are doing business
with Asia Wealth Bank at Sedona Hotel on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road at 6 p.m.
local time today. At the reception, Vice-Chairman U Aik Tun said private
banks, including AWB, unlike economic services, are organized
systematically according to rules and regulations of the Central Bank of
Myanmar and the Financial Institutions of Myanmar Law. The private banks
are firmly performing financial services under close supervision and with
the backing of the CBM Central Bank of Myanmar according to the law.

Then, AWB Managing Director U Aung Zaw Naing explained that the private
banks, including AWB, are carrying out banking services in accordance with
stipulated financial strength in line with the rules, regulations and
disciplines laid down by the Central Bank of Myanmar. Later, the guests
were served with dinner.

In implementing the economic objectives of the state, all the private
banks under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and Revenue
continue to undertake banking services with momentum for economic
development of the state.

REGIONAL

UN Wire Feb 11 2003

U.N.-Sponsored Democracy Conference To Open Saturday

Restoration of democratic rule in military-governed Myanmar will be the
topic of an international conference set to begin Saturday in Tokyo
under the auspices of the United Nations.

Representatives from Japan, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia will participate in
the closed-door conference.  Neither Myanmar's ruling State Peace and
Development Council nor its pro-reform National League for Democracy
will be included.  However, U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail, who has
been brokering reconciliation talks between the two groups since April
2000, will attend the session.  An unnamed diplomatic source told Kyodo
News Service that the Tokyo meeting is meant to help reenergize the
"Razali process," which has lately lost steam.

Though the military junta has released hundreds of political prisoners,
substantive peace talks appear to be a long way off, and dialogue
between the military and the NLD is still said to be in the
confidence-building stage.  Razali's 10th visit to Myanmar is scheduled
for later this month (Kyodo News Service/BBC Monitoring, Feb. 10).

In the wake of an announcement by the ruling generals that they had
arrested 12 pro-democracy activists, Amnesty International yesterday
encouraged the junta to revamp outdated and repressive laws from
Myanmar's British colonial past.  According to Amnesty's Asia-Pacific
program director Demelza Stubbings, "If people were to assemble because
they had heard that Aung San Suu Kyi might be visiting the area, they
could actually be committing a criminal offense."

Suu Kyi, leader of the NLD and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was freed
from house arrest by the generals last May.  The NLD overwhelmingly won
elections in 1990 but was never allowed to govern Myanmar
________________

Associated Press February 11 2003

Human rights advocates critical as bodies pile up in anti-drug war
By SUTIN WANNABOVORN

The death toll in Thailand's war on drugs is growing, and so too is
criticism among human rights groups and the relatives of the dead that
police are pursuing the task too zealously.

Worried about the massive flow of the stimulant methamphetamine from
neighboring Myanmar, the government launched a three-month war on drugs
Feb. 1. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promised to cleanse the country
of drugs, highly unlikely given the vast sums of money and deeply rooted
networks in the drug trade. The campaign - in which at least 12 people
have been killed by police so far - has attracted criticism from the
political opposition and human rights activists who say the police are
using a "shoot-to-kill" strategy.

"Police should not take the law into their own hands. They should arrest
and try suspects. This way, court testimony or police investigations will
lead to the arrest of the big fish," opposition leader and former Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai told reporters. "Shoot-to-kill is a measure used by
authoritarian governments not an elected democracy."

Police say they have also arrested 7,000 suspected dealers, seized 4.2
million methamphetamine pills and confiscated 15 million $350,000 in cash
and assets in drug-related cases.

With drugs seeping into schools and even Buddhist monasteries, mostly
flowing in from neighboring Myanmar, the campaign has strong public
support. But some families say police are far too quick to pull the
trigger.

"Come and see our house and how we live. How could a poor family like ours
be drug sellers?" asked the daughter of a suspected narcotics dealer shot
dead by police in the central Thailand town of Suphanburi. She gave a
false name, Da.

The man was one of 91 people police say have been killed during the 12
days of the drug war so far, mostly in gang hits.

Police department spokesman Maj. Gen. Phongsaphat Phongcharoen says police
only fire back in self-defense.

"I think human rights activists shouldn't worry too much about these
traffickers' lives," said Interior Minister Wan Mohamad Noor Matha.

Human rights activist Somchai Homlahor told a recent seminar that with
more than 25,000 people on a police blacklist of suspected dealers, the
safety of some innocent people will be jeopardized.

Thaksin has visited Myanmar, also known as Burma, in recent days to seek
cooperation from its military rulers to stem the deluge.

Drug agencies estimate that more than 1 billion pills of the stimulant
methamphetamine are smuggled into Thailand each year along with large
amounts of heroin, and that more than 3 million Thais are addicted to the
speed pills.

Thailand accuses the United Wa State Army, a former ethnic rebel group
which signed a cease-fire with the Myanmar government, of trafficking in
the so-called Golden Triangle, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and
Thailand meet.

It and other trafficking organizations are known to have connections with
senior Thai military and police officers as well as politicians and
businessmen, but critics say it's unlikely any of them will be netted in
the latest anti-drug campaign.

"We are too scared to say anything, but I don't believe that he was
involved with drugs," said the daughter of Kosol Nakraratho, who was on
the police's wanted list and later killed by gangsters in the eastern town
of Chonburi. She declined to give her name.

"We can only say that this is a big loss in our lives and he should not
have been killed in such a way," she said.

__________

The Nation February 11 2003

Talks with junta fruitful, says PM

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday hailed his one-day trip to
Burma as a success, saying the two sides have agreed to work closely
together to resolve outstanding bilateral problems and to improve their
image internationally.

"We had in-depth discussions about method and procedure but I cannot go
into details," Thaksin said.

The prime minister said government officials would periodically evaluate
the outcome of bilateral cooperation in various areas, including trade and
investment, tourism, illegal workers and narcotics, but did not give
specific benchmarks or a timeframe. Thaksin said he had discussed Burmese
migrant workers with his counterpart, General Than Shwe, and Rangoon had
reassured him that it would take back its nationals who had entered
Thailand illegally.

Thai officials said at least half of the approximately one million Burmese
nationals working in Thailand are illegal.

Thaksin said Thailand would help the returnees with job creation through
agriculture and animal husbandry projects whose products it would be
willing to purchase.

The premier said the talks also covered infrastructure development between
the two countries, pointing to possible road and rail links from Thailand
to India and Bangladesh through Burma.

Thaksin said he had requested the extradition of suspected drug
traffickers but did not name names.

The premier vowed last year that he would track down "dead or alive" Wei
Hsue-kang, a Burmese drug lord who was convicted in Thailand but jumped
bail pending an appeal.

Thaksin said the government would assist Rangoon's anti-narcotics efforts
by sending satellite images of opium cultivation to the Burmese government
on a regular basis.

Burma remains one of the world's top producers of illicit drugs. The
regime has been accused of turning a blind eye to the activity, as well as
gross violation of human rights.

Meanwhile, Rangoon announced yesterday that the government had arrested 12
opposition activists for plotting to create unrest in a further sign of
deteriorating relations between the ruling generals and the pro-democracy
movement.

Military intelligence spokesman Than Tun said seven of those arrested were
low-level members of opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), as
well as Sai Nyunt Lwin, secretary-general of the Shan National League for
Democracy (SNLD), which also performed strongly in the 1990 elections,
winning more than a dozen seats.



The arrests came one day after a report in a Rangoon newspaper that
Japan's overseas aid agency plans to spend about US$20 million (Bt860
million) in the trouble-plagued country in the next fiscal year.Tokyo's
representative in Rangoon, Takahiro Sasaki, said the Japan International
Cooperation Agency had kept its allocation for Burma steady despite a
reduction in its overall budget, the Myanmar Times reported.

Japan is the biggest aid donor to Burma. It suspended all but a small
amount of humanitarian aid in the aftermath of a 1988 military coup and
crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, but the flow of funds resumed in
1994.
___________

Asia Times February 11 2003

Prospects brighten for Kunming Initiative
By Ramtanu Maitra

Some new developments in Sino-Indian and Sino-Bangladesh relations
indicate that the Kunming Initiative to rebuild the old Stilwell Road,
linking northeastern India with southern China to enhance Sino-Indian
trade, has been revived.

Optimism was raised by the statements of Indian Defense Minister George
Fernandes, who is widely identified as the staunchest critic of China in
India, that hinted at changes in Indo-Chinese relations. At a conference
on "Asian Security and China 2003-2010" in New Delhi last month, Fernandes
said that the September 11 tragedy had altered the nature of the discourse
about security and how it is to be prioritized in consonance with the
Indian experience of dealing with a similar situation for the past two
decades. "The Sino-Indian relationship is to be rearranged in this altered
context," he said.

Of equal importance was a seminar organized in the Indian state of Assam
last December. Jointly staged by the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of
Asian Studies, based in Kolkata, and Dibrugarh University, the seminar
suggested the reopening of the road to improve relations with neighboring
countries. It also proposed that the road should measure up to
international standards and be capable of carrying 40-foot containers.
Senior professors attending the seminar observed that once the road was
opened, the entire Southeast Asian region would become a major trade hub.
For Yunnan province, which is landlocked, the road will pave the way for
access to the Bay of Bengal.

Indian roadblock
The seminar's conclusion was, however, not endorsed by India's Home
Ministry, a bastion of China antagonists. The ministry continued to show
its disinclination to reopen the Stilwell Road, ostensibly in view of the
continuing militancy problem in the region. The more likely reason is
inertia: Indian bureaucracy, and the present Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
seems to have no sense of seizing an opportunity. Fear of disturbing the
status quo reigns supreme among the bureaucrats generally.

Those who oppose the enhancement of Sino-Indian trade relations point out
fearfully that the road will allow Chinese goods to flood the Indian
market. A huge amount of Chinese goods come in as it is, and will continue
to do so through the unmanned Indo-Nepal borders. Also, a large amount of
Indian goods travel in the opposite direction. Yunnan province, where
Kunming is situated, imports annually over half a million tonnes of iron
ore from India and exports to it about a million tonnes of phosphatic ore.
The "fears" would seem to have a definite political bias.

The Kunming Initiative got its name on August 17, 1999, at a conference on
regional cooperation and development among China, India, Myanmar and
Bangladesh held in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province in the
southwestern region of China when delegates acclaimed a proposal to revive
the Stilwell Road, or the Old Burma Road. The Stilwell Road, which
stretches from Ledo in Assam to Myanmar across the Phangsu pass and joins
Bhamo in Myanmar and then extends to Yunnan province of China. The road
covers a distance of 1,043 miles from Ledo to Kunming. The distance from
Ledo to Kolkata is about 1,065 miles.

The Home Ministry's opposition to the proposal flies in the face of
unanimous endorsement by India's seven northeastern states. They have
demanded re-opening of the road to increase the volume of trade with
Southeast Asian countries. Their enthusiasm is well founded. If the
Stilwell Road is reconstructed from Ledo in Assam to Mytkina in Myanmar -
an admittedly difficult, mountainous 250-mile stretch, this road can then
be extended to the Moreh-Tamu (India)-Kalewa (Myanmar) crossing on the
Chindwin River. Indian engineers have already built this road recently -it
was completed in 2001 - and a bridge over the Chindwin can extend the road
as far as Mandalay, which is on the Myanmar railway system. Another Indian
northeastern state, Mizoram, which shares as much as 450 miles of border
with Bangladesh and Myanmar, could be linked to Akyab (now called Sittwe)
in Myanmar, and if Bangladesh agrees, Agartala in Tripura could be
connected to Chittagong. That will open up the entire northeastern region
of India, making it the commercial outlet for eastern trade.

Sino-Bangladesh initiative
In addition to support among the northeastern Indian states, and among
some groups and institutions in Delhi, the Kunming Initiative received a
big boost last December when Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia
met with the governor of Yunnan province, Xu Rongkai, during her official
five-day visit to China.

Following an hour-long meeting, the Bangladeshi spokesman told the media
that the Yunnan governor had asked Zia to encompass Bangladesh in the
Kunming Initiative for an enhanced cooperation to the mutual benefit. The
governor said that his province would cooperate with Bangladesh in
strengthening interaction in economic, trade and cultural fields under the
Kunming Initiative, joined by Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and northeastern
India.

Xu, responding to a proposal from the prime minister, agreed to set up the
Chittagong-Myanmar-Kunming air route, which, then, would help to build a
sub-regional communications network.The proposal for the air link has been
taken up seriously and it is expected to get the green light this month
when Yunnan officials meet Bangladeshi officials in Dhaka.

Some analysts point out that the Kunming Initiative got bogged down
because of India's concern about the growing economic power of China and
also due to the less-than-friendly relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
There is no question that much more is at stake for India in improving its
relations with Bangladesh and also in developing a more transparent
one-to-one relationship with China.

What is at stake for India?
Delhi has already made significant efforts to open up northeast India to
Southeast Asia. Almost two years ago, then-Indian external affairs
minister Jaswant Singh, on a visit to Myanmar, made the point that the
natural outlet for India's northeast is through neighboring Southeast
Asian countries and not Kolkata.

"The northeastern states have to have an access eastward," he told newsmen
accompanying him on his tour to Myanmar, the first by an Indian minister
in 14 years. Subsequently, India has built the Moreh-Tamu-Kalewa road.
Besides the Moreh-Tamu linkage, three new trade points are being opened at
Champai-Rih, Pangsau Pass and Paletwa on the Kaladan River to enhance
economic cooperation between the two countries. The two sides have also
identified the Lungwa-Yangyong and Pangsha-Pongnyo crossings as potential
trading points. Weekly haats (village markets) are held at these places on
the Indo-Myanmar border in the Nagaland sector.

It seems that New Delhi has finally begun to recognize the importance of
extending its trade by land to Southeast Asia. Myanmar's readiness to
cooperate with India in helping to develop a transport corridor has
assumed great importance for New Delhi. The transport corridor through
Myanmar can offer a cheaper and faster alternative to the narrow Siliguri
corridor in the northern part of the state of West Bengal. This is
currently utilized as the trade corridor within India for sending goods to
the northeast India. India and Myanmar are presently working on a project
along the Kaladan River that runs through the Indian state of Mizoram and
Myanmar before joining the Bay of Bengal. This project envisages
upgradation of port facilities at Sittwe, about 155 miles from the border
between Mizoram and Myanmar, where Kaladan flows into the Bay of Bengal.

Once the right waterway and road links are established, commodities and
goods will have economically viable passage from India's east coast ports
to Sittwe and thereafter through Mizoram and other states of India's
northeast. Last month, India started short-haul turbo-prop services to
link all the capitals of the northeastern states and also some
destinations in the eastern region of India. At the moment the air service
will meet only passenger requirements, but New Delhi hopes that the
connectivity itself will enhance trade and commerce with and among the
northeastern states. If things begin to move, more commercial proposals
will surface.

According to the Independence of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Ministry of
Energy and Mineral Resources has accepted, in principle, a proposal for
the construction of a Myanmar-Tripura-West Bengal gas pipeline through
Bangladesh. It is also said in that the Myanmar, Tripura and West Bengal
state governments of India have accepted the proposal in principle.

STATEMENTS/OPNION

International Herald Tribune February 11 2003

The trouble with a harder U.S. line on Burma
By David I. Steinberg

American policy toward Burma, relaxed a year ago in an effort to encourage
progress toward reform, has been hardened again. But the tough new U.S.
stance is undercutting moderates in the Burmese regime who were trying to
soften military rule and improve relations with Washington. The Bush
administration should reconsider.

Before American policy eased, the U.S. position was to insist that Burma's
military rulers respect the outcome of the general elections in 1990,
which were convincingly won by the opposition National League for
Democracy.

The softening of America's position was followed by the release from house
arrest of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the
league.

The United States also sought to work with Burma to suppress narcotics
trafficking. The Bush administration allowed a senior Burmese military
officer to visit Washington to discuss conditions under which Burma could
be certified for showing significant progress in cutting narcotics
production, thus complying with the U.S. anti-narcotics law.

The Burmese military, according to United Nations sources, has reduced the
growing of opium which was being smuggled in refined form as heroin to the
United States and other foreign markets. There clearly was a concerted
effort by Burma to accommodate American concerns and satisfy the Bush
administration. The Burmese military also supported the U.S. campaign in
the region to fight terrorism.

The release of Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2002 raised expectations that
reconciliation talks between the military and the opposition would begin.
But there is no evidence the talks have been held - and if they were, they
have certainly produced no results. This has caused widespread frustration
in the international community.

The Bush administration has responded by refusing to certify that Burma
made progress in suppressing the narcotics trade. The United States has
also threatened to increase sanctions, especially on Burma's textile and
garment exports to America, which amounted to some $420 million in 2001.
The U.S. hardening has reinforced the trench mentality among senior
Burmese military leaders who want to end accommodation with the West. The
most senior Burmese general traveled to China a few weeks ago to sign a
$200 million soft loan package and get a grant of $5 million. Chinese
penetration of Burma, already extensive and of concern to nearby Asian
nations and Japan, will grow.

But Burma is also cultivating improved diplomatic and economic ties with
its neighbors India, Bangladesh and Thailand. Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra of Thailand will visit Rangoon soon.

The aim of Burma's military is to reduce reliance on the West. But this
will likely damage the economy and increase poverty.

The Bush administration now agrees that it must talk, even negotiate, with
North Korea. It already does this with China and Vietnam, governments
that, like Burma, are repressive. To have influence in Burma and promote
political reform, the United States must engage with Rangoon as well as
Pyongyang.
_________________

American Anti-Slavery Group February 11 2003

Boycott calls for May Company to stop purchasing slave-made products from
Burma
By Tommy Calvert, Jr.

http://www.iAbolish.com
Contact: Joyce Koo, 617-426-8161

Imagine that you are the owner of a business; perhaps some of you are.

Then imagine that scores of human rights organizations, the U.S.
government, the United Nations, the AFL-CIO, the International Labor
Organization (ILO), and others told you that profits from your business
fueled modern-day slavery, rape, prohibition of basic freedoms, torture,
and forced labor.  Wouldn?t you do whatever you could to make sure that
profits from your business were not supporting such terrible crimes
against humanity?

For most of us, the choice is clear.  However, the May Company and its
chain stores are aiding and abetting slavery and other human rights abuses
by retailing products made in Burma.  Therefore, we must use our freedom
of choice and protest the company?s policy of retailing products made in
Burma (also known as Myanmar).

I last traveled to the Burma / Thailand border region in September and
confirmed reports of human rights violations from Burmese refugees fleeing
forced labor, political persecution, rape, and slavery at the hands of the
brutal military dictatorship.

Now living in exile as a result of the current regime?s junta in the late
1980s, former government officials representing the democratically-elected
National League for Democracy (NLD) told me how Americans and others
contribute to the hellish human rights conditions by purchasing products
made in Burma.

Foreign companies are not allowed to operate independently in Burma.
Apparel firms in Burma are partially owned and controlled by the Burmese
military government.  A portion of the money earned from garment exports
to the U.S. goes directly to the regime and is used to commit human rights
abuses.

Victims who have been tortured and forced to leave their families
emphasize the need for the global community to come together in much the
same way they supported the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa in the
1980s.
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu also recognizes Burma?s dire
situation, calling Burma ?the next South Africa.?

In many cases, villagers are taken at gunpoint by the military and
enslaved to construct the public infrastructure of the country.  Other
Burmese citizens are enslaved as porters for the military.  Strapped like
a donkey, with equipment so heavy it takes two men to help the
porter-slave stand straight, these porter-slaves lead the military through
landmine fields and are used as human minesweepers.  If porter-slaves get
sick, they are beaten and told to get up. If landmines maim the
porter-slaves, they are left on the side of the road to die.

A former member of the British Parliament wrote this about eight-year-old
Saw Naing Gae.

? He saw the Burmese military shoot dead his mother and his father. He was
then trafficked across the border and sold to a Thai family. Desperately
unhappy, he managed to escape and made his way to the camp, where he is
staying with a group of 30 other orphans. Even as these children sang and
welcomed their visitors, Saw Naing Gae seemed unable to join in or even to
smile. Every trace of joy and innocence had been stamped out of him; and
all of this by the age of eight.?

As long as we turn a blind eye, western greed will continue to cause
children like Saw Naing Gae to suffer in bondage.  The American
Anti-Slavery Group asks you to make a choice in how you use your freedom.
We implore you to break the chains of oppression by sending this letter to
the May Company.  You can also call your local store and tell them you
will boycott all their stores until they issue a company-wide statement
indicating that they will not retail goods made in Burma.

The May Company stores? jingle incorporates their theme -- ?the right
choices make all the difference.?  We urge the May Company to follow its
motto.  By pledging to not aid and abet slavery, the corporation would
make all the difference to children like Saw Naing Gae.  As world
citizens, we also have a responsibility to make the right choices and
affirm America?s pledge of allegiance to ensure that there is ?liberty and
justice for all.?
___________

Irrawaddy February 11 2003

Made in Korea Makes an Impact in Burma
By Taw Taw

With romantic story lines and inspiring characters, Korean dramas have now
captured the attention of television viewers in Burma.
"Men, women and even children are very keen on Korean movies," a movie
lover in Rangoon said. "Some students even carry the photos of Korean
movie stars with their books."
Korean actors are particularly popular among Burmese women. "They hang
photos of Korean stars on their walls at home and at work," she added.
One mini-series, "Autumn in My Heart" has gained huge popularity after
being dubbed into Burmese and then featured in prime time on Burma’s
state-run Myawaddy TV.
A romantic drama, the series revolves around one woman, Ensuh who was
switched at birth and given to the wrong family. Conflict arises when she
finds out she doesn’t belong and falls in love with her "brother"—the boy
she grew up with. Unrequited love adds further spice, all before a very
sad ending.
"The mini-series is very good," said another fan in Rangoon. "It is more
popular than Chinese movies now."
All television and radio in Burma is junta run and junta controlled. Aside
from news and educational programs, television stations like Myawaddy
usually feature locally made movies, series and game shows; as well as
movies from China.
"Autumn in My Heart" is also available on the Thai-Burma border at
Myawaddy and Mae Sot. "It has two parts and they sell for 700 baht each
(US$ 16)," a Burmese fan in Mae Sot reported.
The 16-part series first aired in Korea in 2000 and has since found an
audience in countries throughout Asia, including Thailand and Japan.
Viewers, both old and young enjoy the beautiful scenery, heart-warming
love story and gushy music.
Ensuh is played by Song Hye-Kyo, with male heartthrobs Won Bin and Song
Seung-Heun also in the cast.