BurmaNet News: March 14 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

March 14 2003 Issue #2195

INSIDE BURMA

Japan Economic Newswire: Myanmar general discharged from Singapore hospital
DVB: Forced labour in Karen State
Myanmar Times: Mandalay Division plans big increase in rice production

DRUGS

AFP: Deputy PM says Wa drug lord put bounty on Thaksin’s head
AFP: Speed pill prices soar as Thai drugs blitz bites

MONEY

Irrawaddy: Crisis forces businesses to close, crime to rise
DVB: Bank crisis continues

REGIONAL

Mizzima: Hijack trial after 12 years
Nation: PM backs damming of Salween

INSIDE BURMA

Japan Economic Newswire March 14 2003

Myanmar general discharged from Singapore hospital

Maung Aye, vice senior general and the second highest-ranking officer in
Myanmar's junta, has been discharged from a hospital in Singapore where he
had been undergoing treatment since last Sunday, a hospital source said
Friday.

Maung Aye, 65, who is vice chairman of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council, was discharged from the state-run Singapore General
Hospital at about 1 p.m. on Friday.

He was in good health condition when discharged and has already flown back
to Myanmar, the source said.

Sources in Myanmar said he was suffering from prostate problems.

He had been warded to a hospital in Myanmar for an operation sometime at
the end of February for his ailment.

The junta has ruled the country for decades, refusing to recognize the
results of elections more than 10 years ago and to allow new elections,
despite considerable pressure both inside and outside the country for a
relaxation of control and for free and fair elections.

The opposition National League for Democracy led by Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1990 elections but was never allowed to
take up seats in parliament.
____________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 12 2003

Forced labour in Karen State

It is reported that the SPDC has been forcing local people to build roads
in Karen State without wages for months. Villagers from 19 villages of
Papun District are being used in the project. DVB’s Naw Nandar Chan
reports:

NNC: Villagers from 19 villages in Maekalaw and Mae Hatw circles of Papun
Township are being forced to build tarmac roads without pay since November
last year. The strategist commander of the Southeast Command, Colonel Tin
Kyu is leading and Colonel Myint Win Aung is taking the responsibility of
overseeing the project. Phado Manh Sha, the KNU’s General Secretary told
DVB about the project as follows: ‘The roads are from here to Kamaung, and
from Kamaung to Papun and Bilin. They are repairing the road between Papun
and Pahaik everyday. Now, they have made the 9-mile road between Papun and
Bilin a tarmac one. They are also building the Papun-Tagundaing road as
reserve. They have been forcing villagers from Mae Kalaw and Mae Htaw
circles to build the roads since November. There are more than 3000 women
and more than 2000 men; all together nearly 6000 people. They started the
project in November and they still haven’t finished it and it might go on
until the rainy season.’

Recently, the ILO has said that the forced labour practise in Burma is
still at the worrying stage.
_________

Myanmar Times March 10-16 2003

Mandalay Division plans big increase in rice production
By Myo Lwin and Zin Min

THE Myanma Agricultural Service says an extra 90,000 acres will be put
under paddy in Mandalay Division during the fiscal year beginning in April
to ensure better food sufficiency. MAS divisional head U Aung Kyin said
the increase in the crop area was expected to produce enough rice to meet
the food needs of 70 per cent of the regional population, up from the
current figure of 61 per cent. "Mandalay Division produces 54 million
baskets (1.1 million tonnes) from 800,000 acres and with the increased
cultivation, the yield is expected to reach nearly 61 million baskets (
1.25 million tonnes)," he told Myanmar Times last week. A basket of paddy
weighs 46 pounds, of which about 40 per cent is rice grains. Monsoon paddy
cultivation normally starts between May and October while summer paddy is
grown from November to April. U Aung Kyin said rice growers in Mandalay
Division irrigated their crops from more than 2000 reservoirs, of which
113 dams built by the Irrigation Department were the most reliable sources
of supply. He said that of the extra 90,000 acres to be grown this year,
65,000 acres would be irrigated from dams and the remaining 25,000 acres
would rely on water pumped from rivers, such as the Ayeyarwaddy and
Dok-hta-wady. U Aung Kyin said there were wide variations in rice output
throughout the division. Kyaukse township produced 137 per cent of its
needs, but Nyaung Oo could grow only one per cent. Other regions that are
yet to achieve self-sufficiency in paddy are Chin State, northern Shan
State and Magwe Division. Apart from paddy, nine other important crops are
grown in Mandalay Division. They are three varieties of beans and pulses
and of edible oil crops, as well as maize, cotton and sugarcane. The
division has 3.5 million acres of arable land for growing paddy, edible
oil crops and beans and pulses. However, cropping intensity is 150 per
cent because of the double and mixed cropping practiced by most farmers,
said U Aung Kyin.

DRUGS

Agence France Presse March 14 2003

Deputy PM says Wa drug lord put bounty on Thaksin's head

A powerful ethnic Wa drug lord in Myanmar has ponied up nearly two million
dollars to have Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra killed, one of
Thaksin's deputies said Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said there was "reliable"
intelligence that Bao Youxiang, commander of the United Wa State Army
(UWSA) aligned with Yangon, was responsible for putting a bounty on
Thaksin's head recently.

"I have obtained a report which is likely reliable and confirmed,"
Chavalit told reporters at Government House.

"Everybody knows these (drug) gangs have influence and money and are ready
to spend that money to get rid of anyone who hampers their ways," he said.

Chavalit was responding to queries about a report in Thai-language
newspaper Matichon, which cited a police report as saying the UWSA's Bao
Youxiang and Wei Hsueh-kang, a Chinese Wa with Thai citizenship who fled
to Myanmar, issued the death order because of billions of baht in losses
from the war on drugs.

The billionaire premier himself has said drug gang members put the price
on his head at 80 million baht (1.87 million dollars) after his
administration declared a brutal war on drugs that has seen trafficking
slow to a trickle since the campaign was launched February 1.

The government has dismissed opposition claims that the bounty was
fabricated or a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from the
alarming toll of nearly 1,500 drug-related deaths since the crackdown
began.

Chavalit, the deputy premier responsible for security, said drug kingpins
posted the brazen bounty out of frustration that the drugs war was leading
to severe losses in their trade.

The UWSA, reportedly described by Washington as the world's largest armed
narcotics producer, is believed to be the region's largest producer and
supplier of methamphetamines.

The UWSA was particularly suspect because of its wide network of operation
along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Thai narcotics officials blame the
outfit for producing hundreds of millions of methamphetamine tablets sold
in Thailand last year.

Thaksin's security detail has been beefed up considerably, with the leader
traveling in a bullet-proof van and sniffer dogs searching Government
House for explosives.
________________________

Agence France Presse March 14 2003

Speed pill prices soar as Thai drugs blitz bites

The price of methamphetamines in northern Thailand has soared as much as
six-fold in some areas to 500 baht (11.68 dollars) per pill as a result of
an intense drugs crackdown by authorities, police said Friday.

Thailand, the world's largest consumer of the pills according to the
International Narcotics Control Board, is in the midst of a brutal war on
drugs which police say has claimed nearly 1,500 lives, mainly drug
dealers.

"The drugs are getting scarce, they're hard to find," an official at the
Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in the northern province of
Chiang Mai told AFP.

The price of pills in the province, which borders Myanmar where most of
the drugs are believed to be produced, has risen steadily from about 80 to
400 baht (1.87 to 9.37 dollars), the officer said.

Supply lines from the border into northern Thailand have reportedly either
been severed or abandoned amid a suffocating dragnet covering the region.

In neighbouring Chiang Rai province, which borders the notorious Golden
Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, prices have also risen to
up to 300 baht.

In Thailand's northeast, rates have skyrocketed more dramatically, pushed
up by costly trafficking and transport.

"There was an offer to buy methamphetamines at 500 baht per tablet but
there were no drugs available," Lieutenant General Ajiravid Subarnbhesej,
commander of the northeastern region of 11 provinces, including his base
at Khon Kaen, told AFP.

Drug prices have soared since the government of Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra declared an all-out war on drugs Febuary 1.

Ajiravid also said the crackdown has put the fear into drug users.

"We carried out routine checks on high-risk groups and for the past seven
days we found not a single case of a failed urine test," he said.

ONCB officers say a small segment of drug users, particularly youths, have
turned to other highs such as sniffing glue or paint thinner.

Despite a torrent of criticism by human rights groups, opposition parties,
and foreign governments, Thai authorities say the crackdown has yielded
impressive results.

Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng said police have already arrested
861 out of 4,000 drug dealers on a government blacklist, the Bangkok Post
reported.

Some 158 million baht (3.7 million dollars) in assets and 7.8 million
pills have been seized, he added.

He also revealed that 323 state officials had been disciplined for
involvement in the drugs trade while a further 202 faced inquiries.

MONEY

Irrawaddy March 14 2003

Crisis Forces Businesses to Close, Crime to Rise
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burma is buckling under the weight of a worsening financial crisis. Ever
since private banks started telling customers they couldn’t withdraw all
their savings last month, prices have become unstable, businesses have
closed, workers have been laid off and crime has increased.
A few days after Burma’s Finance and Revenue Minister Khin Maung Thein
retired on Feb 1, 20 private banks faced currency shortages when anxious
customers rushed to banks to withdraw their money. The incident came after
the collapse of several private service companies.
After more than a month of financial woes across the country, some
businesses have now been forced to close.
"The month-long currency shortage has meant most businesses aren’t doing
well," a businessman in Rangoon said today. "Some businesses have had to
shut down recently, and some have laid some workers off since they
couldn’t pay wages."
In the second week of February, banks started to impose limits on
withdrawals. Some banks told customers they could only withdraw a maximum
of 50,000 kyat (US $52) per week. Later, some banks ordered customers with
outstanding loans to repay 20 percent of their debt within a few days.
According to business sources, this move pushed down the price of used cars.
"Some car owners have had to sell their vehicles for half price because
they need to pay off their debts to the banks before the due date," a car
salesman in Rangoon said. "Car prices have dropped to half the previous
price."
He said the price of a luxury car worth 100 million kyat before now sold
for around 50 million (US $52,700). "On the other hand, there are few
buyers," he added.
In addition, the currency shortage has caused the kyat to strengthen.
Early this year the kyat was relatively steady at around 1,100 to the US
dollar. But according to moneychangers, since bank problems started to
escalate last month, black market exchange rates have fallen below 1,000
kyat.
Today, the dollar was trading for as little as 900 kyat.
At the same time, financial problems have been attributed to an increase
in burglaries. Recently, a house in Rangoon’s Kyee Myin Daing Township was
robbed at daytime while the owner was stabbed to death, a neighbor
reported.
Moreover, a wealthy Chinese businessman at Phar-Kant in Kachin State was
killed on Feb 21, the day after he was seen arguing with bank staff at a
branch of the Asia Wealth Bank (AWB). Though no one has been able to
confirm why he was killed, sources say he was angry at being restricted to
withdrawals of 100,000 kyat per week. He was believed to have had millions
invested in the bank.
In reports on Feb 22, Burma’s ruling military publicly backed the private
banks—including the AWB, the Yoma Bank and the Kanbawza Bank—and offered a
bailout of 25 billion kyat. But analysts say stability in Burma’s finance
sector has not been restored.
Economists put the blame squarely with the government. "It’s not unusual
to hear that they [the military government] cannot manage economic issues
well. After all, it is Deputy Sr-Gen Maung Aye who oversees all the
economic sectors of the country," an economist in Rangoon said.
Maung Aye, vice-chairman of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development
Council, serves as chairman of the National Industrial Development
Committee, the National Agricultural and the Economic Development
Committee. He also looks after the National Trade Committee, responsible
for border trade with neighboring countries.
Observers say Maung Aye lacks the economic know-how to manage Burma’s
financial mess.
Maung Aye is reportedly still in the hospital in Singapore, where he has
been since Sunday, seeking treatment for prostrate cancer.
________________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 12 2003

Bank crisis continues
It is still difficult to withdraw money from banks in Burma and the amount
of money allowed to be withdrawn is becoming less. A merchant who keeps
4,000,000 kyats at Yoma Bank was allowed to withdraw 10,000 kyats a week
only and he is feeling miserable for his remaining money. In Rangoon, at
the Asia Wealth Bank [AWB], people who have less than 10,000,000 kyats are
allowed to withdraw 50,000 kyats a week and those who have more than that
amount are transferred to the government’s Central Bank. A merchant from
Pakokku told the DVB that he was allowed to withdraw only 50,000 kyats
last week and 100,000 kyats the week before. He kept all the money he got
from selling his flat and the majority of his money is still being
detained in the bank. A local resident in Rangoon managed to withdraw
100,000 last week and said that whoever obtained the token could withdraw
money only when they are at the bank in time. Now, they allow 50,000 kyats
a week only. What can you do with that, she said in frustration? Those who
have more than 10,000,000 kyats are transferred to Central Bank and forced
to pay tax after being checked and interrogated, she added.

According to the latest news, because of the banking crisis, the prices of
commodities have come down. But only the prices of cars, dollars and gold
and other luxurious items are coming down. The prices of basic consumer
goods are still not coming down. The banking crisis is not only affecting
merchants as claimed by the government, but also day labourers who are
depending on them are also suffering, according to the merchants from
Pakokku.

REGIONAL

Mizzima March 14 2003

Hijack trial after 12 years

New Delhi, March 13: This hijacking case has virtually been resurrected
from the grave.
Twelve years ago, Soe Myint and Htin Kyawoo, pro-democracy student
activists in Myanmar had hijacked a Thai Airways Bangkok-Yangon flight.
Desperate to catch the attention of the world to the gross violations of
democracy in their country, the duo diverted the flight to Calcutta
airport armed with nothing but a stuffed toy.
Myint and Kyawoo were arrested and later released on bail. Neither the
Centre nor the West Bengal government thought it fit to press for trial.
Thai Airways also let them off.
However, giving a fresh twist to the case, charges were framed against
Myint in January this year. The trial is scheduled to begin next month
and, if indicted, he will face life imprisonment.
“The governments at the Centre and in the state assured me the case will
be dropped,” Myint said in an informal interaction with the media today.
In another strange move, charges have not been framed against Kyawoo, who
left India and is now settled in Europe.
Since 1998, Myint has been living in Delhi and running Mizzima, an
Internet news service set up by Burmese pro-democracy students in exile.
“There were several opportunities for me to go abroad. But I decided to
stay on,” Myint said.
Defence minister George Fernandes — whose house has been a refuge for many
pro-democracy Burmese students — has, however, assured Myint that he would
speak to the home minister and try to withdraw the case.
“So far, we have not heard from him,” said Myint. Hoping to mobilise
political support in his favour, Myint has even started speaking to MPs
cutting across political lines.
Myint believes the military dispensation in Myanmar has exerted pressure
on the Indian government to revive the case. At the time of the hijack,
neither the flight crew nor the passengers on board felt themselves under
any kind of threat. “We told the passengers and the crew that our
objective was to draw attention to the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, who won
81 per cent of seats in the Burmese government. But the military regime
refused to hand over power,” he added.
The passengers, Myint said, were extremely sympathetic as was then Bengal
chief minister Jyoti Basu. He met the Burmese students at Writers’
Buildings. The special CID superintendent, who was the first to meet the
hijackers, said: “I was literally bowled over by their pleas for
restoration of human and democratic rights in Burma.”
“Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, who then ruled at the Centre, was
sympathetic to our cause,” Myint said. “So was Rajiv Gandhi, with whose
support Chandra Shekhar was running the government,” he added.
_________________

Nation March 14 2003

PM backs damming of Salween, NATION

Acknowledges environmentalists 'won't be happy' Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra yesterday gave the first public indication of government
support for the proposed hydroelectric dams on the Salween River, saying
they had to go ahead despite widespread opposition.

Although the dams raise concerns about adverse environmental and social
impact, they are essential elements of the plan by eight Asean members to
develop the Asian Power Grid, Thaksin said.

Non-governmental organisations and Burmese dissidents have criticised the
dam projects, saying they affect 10 million people representing 13 ethnic
groups living along the river, and some have already been forcibly
relocated.

The mighty Salween originates high in the Tibetan mountains, flows through
China's Yunnan province into Burma and forms the Thai border before
emptying into the Andaman Sea 2,800 kilometres later.

"Environmental activists might not be happy, but the projects will help
reduce electricity charges, as hydropower plants have no fuel costs," the
premier said during a visit to the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand (Egat) headquarters.

Egat sees the need for two 5,000-megawatt dams on the Salween where it
runs along the Thai-Burmese border in Mae Hong Son province, and three
more dams on the Burmese side, governor Sittiphorn Rattanophas said,
citing studies by Japanese power giant J Power.

Egat will invest Bt370 billion in the two border projects, while a
Thai-Burmese government joint venture will be established to oversee them,
the governor said.

Thailand will have first rights to purchase power from the dams when they
go online by 2012 with the capacity to supply a total of 20,000 megawatts,
he said.

Egat will propose the Salween project to a meeting of Asean power
utilities scheduled for April 20-25, before submitting it to the Cabinet
for approval, he said.

"Now that we've got the nod from our government, we're ready to negotiate
with Burmese power authorities to start work on it as soon as possible,"
he said.

The question of environmental and social impacts of the dams will require
further study as well as open discussion between Thailand and Burma, the
premier said.

Since negotiations could take time and Burmese domestic politics could be
a complicating factor, it is hard to project a completion date for the
project, he said.

The two dam projects on the Thai-Burmese border are expected to attract
the heaviest opposition from environmentalists and human rights activists,
as they will affect communities and conservation areas on both sides of
the border.

March 14 2003 Issue #2195

INSIDE BURMA

Japan Economic Newswire: Myanmar general discharged from Singapore hospital
DVB: Forced labour in Karen State
Myanmar Times: Mandalay Division plans big increase in rice production

DRUGS

AFP: Deputy PM says Wa drug lord put bounty on Thaksin’s head
AFP: Speed pill prices soar as Thai drugs blitz bites

MONEY

Irrawaddy: Crisis forces businesses to close, crime to rise
DVB: Bank crisis continues

REGIONAL

Mizzima: Hijack trial after 12 years
Nation: PM backs damming of Salween

INSIDE BURMA

Japan Economic Newswire March 14 2003

Myanmar general discharged from Singapore hospital

Maung Aye, vice senior general and the second highest-ranking officer in
Myanmar's junta, has been discharged from a hospital in Singapore where he
had been undergoing treatment since last Sunday, a hospital source said
Friday.

Maung Aye, 65, who is vice chairman of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council, was discharged from the state-run Singapore General
Hospital at about 1 p.m. on Friday.

He was in good health condition when discharged and has already flown back
to Myanmar, the source said.

Sources in Myanmar said he was suffering from prostate problems.

He had been warded to a hospital in Myanmar for an operation sometime at
the end of February for his ailment.

The junta has ruled the country for decades, refusing to recognize the
results of elections more than 10 years ago and to allow new elections,
despite considerable pressure both inside and outside the country for a
relaxation of control and for free and fair elections.

The opposition National League for Democracy led by Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1990 elections but was never allowed to
take up seats in parliament.
____________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 12 2003

Forced labour in Karen State

It is reported that the SPDC has been forcing local people to build roads
in Karen State without wages for months. Villagers from 19 villages of
Papun District are being used in the project. DVB’s Naw Nandar Chan
reports:

NNC: Villagers from 19 villages in Maekalaw and Mae Hatw circles of Papun
Township are being forced to build tarmac roads without pay since November
last year. The strategist commander of the Southeast Command, Colonel Tin
Kyu is leading and Colonel Myint Win Aung is taking the responsibility of
overseeing the project. Phado Manh Sha, the KNU’s General Secretary told
DVB about the project as follows: ‘The roads are from here to Kamaung, and
from Kamaung to Papun and Bilin. They are repairing the road between Papun
and Pahaik everyday. Now, they have made the 9-mile road between Papun and
Bilin a tarmac one. They are also building the Papun-Tagundaing road as
reserve. They have been forcing villagers from Mae Kalaw and Mae Htaw
circles to build the roads since November. There are more than 3000 women
and more than 2000 men; all together nearly 6000 people. They started the
project in November and they still haven’t finished it and it might go on
until the rainy season.’

Recently, the ILO has said that the forced labour practise in Burma is
still at the worrying stage.
_________

Myanmar Times March 10-16 2003

Mandalay Division plans big increase in rice production
By Myo Lwin and Zin Min

THE Myanma Agricultural Service says an extra 90,000 acres will be put
under paddy in Mandalay Division during the fiscal year beginning in April
to ensure better food sufficiency. MAS divisional head U Aung Kyin said
the increase in the crop area was expected to produce enough rice to meet
the food needs of 70 per cent of the regional population, up from the
current figure of 61 per cent. "Mandalay Division produces 54 million
baskets (1.1 million tonnes) from 800,000 acres and with the increased
cultivation, the yield is expected to reach nearly 61 million baskets (
1.25 million tonnes)," he told Myanmar Times last week. A basket of paddy
weighs 46 pounds, of which about 40 per cent is rice grains. Monsoon paddy
cultivation normally starts between May and October while summer paddy is
grown from November to April. U Aung Kyin said rice growers in Mandalay
Division irrigated their crops from more than 2000 reservoirs, of which
113 dams built by the Irrigation Department were the most reliable sources
of supply. He said that of the extra 90,000 acres to be grown this year,
65,000 acres would be irrigated from dams and the remaining 25,000 acres
would rely on water pumped from rivers, such as the Ayeyarwaddy and
Dok-hta-wady. U Aung Kyin said there were wide variations in rice output
throughout the division. Kyaukse township produced 137 per cent of its
needs, but Nyaung Oo could grow only one per cent. Other regions that are
yet to achieve self-sufficiency in paddy are Chin State, northern Shan
State and Magwe Division. Apart from paddy, nine other important crops are
grown in Mandalay Division. They are three varieties of beans and pulses
and of edible oil crops, as well as maize, cotton and sugarcane. The
division has 3.5 million acres of arable land for growing paddy, edible
oil crops and beans and pulses. However, cropping intensity is 150 per
cent because of the double and mixed cropping practiced by most farmers,
said U Aung Kyin.

DRUGS

Agence France Presse March 14 2003

Deputy PM says Wa drug lord put bounty on Thaksin's head

A powerful ethnic Wa drug lord in Myanmar has ponied up nearly two million
dollars to have Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra killed, one of
Thaksin's deputies said Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said there was "reliable"
intelligence that Bao Youxiang, commander of the United Wa State Army
(UWSA) aligned with Yangon, was responsible for putting a bounty on
Thaksin's head recently.

"I have obtained a report which is likely reliable and confirmed,"
Chavalit told reporters at Government House.

"Everybody knows these (drug) gangs have influence and money and are ready
to spend that money to get rid of anyone who hampers their ways," he said.

Chavalit was responding to queries about a report in Thai-language
newspaper Matichon, which cited a police report as saying the UWSA's Bao
Youxiang and Wei Hsueh-kang, a Chinese Wa with Thai citizenship who fled
to Myanmar, issued the death order because of billions of baht in losses
from the war on drugs.

The billionaire premier himself has said drug gang members put the price
on his head at 80 million baht (1.87 million dollars) after his
administration declared a brutal war on drugs that has seen trafficking
slow to a trickle since the campaign was launched February 1.

The government has dismissed opposition claims that the bounty was
fabricated or a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from the
alarming toll of nearly 1,500 drug-related deaths since the crackdown
began.

Chavalit, the deputy premier responsible for security, said drug kingpins
posted the brazen bounty out of frustration that the drugs war was leading
to severe losses in their trade.

The UWSA, reportedly described by Washington as the world's largest armed
narcotics producer, is believed to be the region's largest producer and
supplier of methamphetamines.

The UWSA was particularly suspect because of its wide network of operation
along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Thai narcotics officials blame the
outfit for producing hundreds of millions of methamphetamine tablets sold
in Thailand last year.

Thaksin's security detail has been beefed up considerably, with the leader
traveling in a bullet-proof van and sniffer dogs searching Government
House for explosives.
________________________

Agence France Presse March 14 2003

Speed pill prices soar as Thai drugs blitz bites

The price of methamphetamines in northern Thailand has soared as much as
six-fold in some areas to 500 baht (11.68 dollars) per pill as a result of
an intense drugs crackdown by authorities, police said Friday.

Thailand, the world's largest consumer of the pills according to the
International Narcotics Control Board, is in the midst of a brutal war on
drugs which police say has claimed nearly 1,500 lives, mainly drug
dealers.

"The drugs are getting scarce, they're hard to find," an official at the
Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in the northern province of
Chiang Mai told AFP.

The price of pills in the province, which borders Myanmar where most of
the drugs are believed to be produced, has risen steadily from about 80 to
400 baht (1.87 to 9.37 dollars), the officer said.

Supply lines from the border into northern Thailand have reportedly either
been severed or abandoned amid a suffocating dragnet covering the region.

In neighbouring Chiang Rai province, which borders the notorious Golden
Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, prices have also risen to
up to 300 baht.

In Thailand's northeast, rates have skyrocketed more dramatically, pushed
up by costly trafficking and transport.

"There was an offer to buy methamphetamines at 500 baht per tablet but
there were no drugs available," Lieutenant General Ajiravid Subarnbhesej,
commander of the northeastern region of 11 provinces, including his base
at Khon Kaen, told AFP.

Drug prices have soared since the government of Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra declared an all-out war on drugs Febuary 1.

Ajiravid also said the crackdown has put the fear into drug users.

"We carried out routine checks on high-risk groups and for the past seven
days we found not a single case of a failed urine test," he said.

ONCB officers say a small segment of drug users, particularly youths, have
turned to other highs such as sniffing glue or paint thinner.

Despite a torrent of criticism by human rights groups, opposition parties,
and foreign governments, Thai authorities say the crackdown has yielded
impressive results.

Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng said police have already arrested
861 out of 4,000 drug dealers on a government blacklist, the Bangkok Post
reported.

Some 158 million baht (3.7 million dollars) in assets and 7.8 million
pills have been seized, he added.

He also revealed that 323 state officials had been disciplined for
involvement in the drugs trade while a further 202 faced inquiries.

MONEY

Irrawaddy March 14 2003

Crisis Forces Businesses to Close, Crime to Rise
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burma is buckling under the weight of a worsening financial crisis. Ever
since private banks started telling customers they couldn’t withdraw all
their savings last month, prices have become unstable, businesses have
closed, workers have been laid off and crime has increased.
A few days after Burma’s Finance and Revenue Minister Khin Maung Thein
retired on Feb 1, 20 private banks faced currency shortages when anxious
customers rushed to banks to withdraw their money. The incident came after
the collapse of several private service companies.
After more than a month of financial woes across the country, some
businesses have now been forced to close.
"The month-long currency shortage has meant most businesses aren’t doing
well," a businessman in Rangoon said today. "Some businesses have had to
shut down recently, and some have laid some workers off since they
couldn’t pay wages."
In the second week of February, banks started to impose limits on
withdrawals. Some banks told customers they could only withdraw a maximum
of 50,000 kyat (US $52) per week. Later, some banks ordered customers with
outstanding loans to repay 20 percent of their debt within a few days.
According to business sources, this move pushed down the price of used cars.
"Some car owners have had to sell their vehicles for half price because
they need to pay off their debts to the banks before the due date," a car
salesman in Rangoon said. "Car prices have dropped to half the previous
price."
He said the price of a luxury car worth 100 million kyat before now sold
for around 50 million (US $52,700). "On the other hand, there are few
buyers," he added.
In addition, the currency shortage has caused the kyat to strengthen.
Early this year the kyat was relatively steady at around 1,100 to the US
dollar. But according to moneychangers, since bank problems started to
escalate last month, black market exchange rates have fallen below 1,000
kyat.
Today, the dollar was trading for as little as 900 kyat.
At the same time, financial problems have been attributed to an increase
in burglaries. Recently, a house in Rangoon’s Kyee Myin Daing Township was
robbed at daytime while the owner was stabbed to death, a neighbor
reported.
Moreover, a wealthy Chinese businessman at Phar-Kant in Kachin State was
killed on Feb 21, the day after he was seen arguing with bank staff at a
branch of the Asia Wealth Bank (AWB). Though no one has been able to
confirm why he was killed, sources say he was angry at being restricted to
withdrawals of 100,000 kyat per week. He was believed to have had millions
invested in the bank.
In reports on Feb 22, Burma’s ruling military publicly backed the private
banks—including the AWB, the Yoma Bank and the Kanbawza Bank—and offered a
bailout of 25 billion kyat. But analysts say stability in Burma’s finance
sector has not been restored.
Economists put the blame squarely with the government. "It’s not unusual
to hear that they [the military government] cannot manage economic issues
well. After all, it is Deputy Sr-Gen Maung Aye who oversees all the
economic sectors of the country," an economist in Rangoon said.
Maung Aye, vice-chairman of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development
Council, serves as chairman of the National Industrial Development
Committee, the National Agricultural and the Economic Development
Committee. He also looks after the National Trade Committee, responsible
for border trade with neighboring countries.
Observers say Maung Aye lacks the economic know-how to manage Burma’s
financial mess.
Maung Aye is reportedly still in the hospital in Singapore, where he has
been since Sunday, seeking treatment for prostrate cancer.
________________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 12 2003

Bank crisis continues
It is still difficult to withdraw money from banks in Burma and the amount
of money allowed to be withdrawn is becoming less. A merchant who keeps
4,000,000 kyats at Yoma Bank was allowed to withdraw 10,000 kyats a week
only and he is feeling miserable for his remaining money. In Rangoon, at
the Asia Wealth Bank [AWB], people who have less than 10,000,000 kyats are
allowed to withdraw 50,000 kyats a week and those who have more than that
amount are transferred to the government’s Central Bank. A merchant from
Pakokku told the DVB that he was allowed to withdraw only 50,000 kyats
last week and 100,000 kyats the week before. He kept all the money he got
from selling his flat and the majority of his money is still being
detained in the bank. A local resident in Rangoon managed to withdraw
100,000 last week and said that whoever obtained the token could withdraw
money only when they are at the bank in time. Now, they allow 50,000 kyats
a week only. What can you do with that, she said in frustration? Those who
have more than 10,000,000 kyats are transferred to Central Bank and forced
to pay tax after being checked and interrogated, she added.

According to the latest news, because of the banking crisis, the prices of
commodities have come down. But only the prices of cars, dollars and gold
and other luxurious items are coming down. The prices of basic consumer
goods are still not coming down. The banking crisis is not only affecting
merchants as claimed by the government, but also day labourers who are
depending on them are also suffering, according to the merchants from
Pakokku.

REGIONAL

Mizzima March 14 2003

Hijack trial after 12 years

New Delhi, March 13: This hijacking case has virtually been resurrected
from the grave.
Twelve years ago, Soe Myint and Htin Kyawoo, pro-democracy student
activists in Myanmar had hijacked a Thai Airways Bangkok-Yangon flight.
Desperate to catch the attention of the world to the gross violations of
democracy in their country, the duo diverted the flight to Calcutta
airport armed with nothing but a stuffed toy.
Myint and Kyawoo were arrested and later released on bail. Neither the
Centre nor the West Bengal government thought it fit to press for trial.
Thai Airways also let them off.
However, giving a fresh twist to the case, charges were framed against
Myint in January this year. The trial is scheduled to begin next month
and, if indicted, he will face life imprisonment.
“The governments at the Centre and in the state assured me the case will
be dropped,” Myint said in an informal interaction with the media today.
In another strange move, charges have not been framed against Kyawoo, who
left India and is now settled in Europe.
Since 1998, Myint has been living in Delhi and running Mizzima, an
Internet news service set up by Burmese pro-democracy students in exile.
“There were several opportunities for me to go abroad. But I decided to
stay on,” Myint said.
Defence minister George Fernandes — whose house has been a refuge for many
pro-democracy Burmese students — has, however, assured Myint that he would
speak to the home minister and try to withdraw the case.
“So far, we have not heard from him,” said Myint. Hoping to mobilise
political support in his favour, Myint has even started speaking to MPs
cutting across political lines.
Myint believes the military dispensation in Myanmar has exerted pressure
on the Indian government to revive the case. At the time of the hijack,
neither the flight crew nor the passengers on board felt themselves under
any kind of threat. “We told the passengers and the crew that our
objective was to draw attention to the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, who won
81 per cent of seats in the Burmese government. But the military regime
refused to hand over power,” he added.
The passengers, Myint said, were extremely sympathetic as was then Bengal
chief minister Jyoti Basu. He met the Burmese students at Writers’
Buildings. The special CID superintendent, who was the first to meet the
hijackers, said: “I was literally bowled over by their pleas for
restoration of human and democratic rights in Burma.”
“Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, who then ruled at the Centre, was
sympathetic to our cause,” Myint said. “So was Rajiv Gandhi, with whose
support Chandra Shekhar was running the government,” he added.
_________________

Nation March 14 2003

PM backs damming of Salween, NATION

Acknowledges environmentalists 'won't be happy' Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra yesterday gave the first public indication of government
support for the proposed hydroelectric dams on the Salween River, saying
they had to go ahead despite widespread opposition.

Although the dams raise concerns about adverse environmental and social
impact, they are essential elements of the plan by eight Asean members to
develop the Asian Power Grid, Thaksin said.

Non-governmental organisations and Burmese dissidents have criticised the
dam projects, saying they affect 10 million people representing 13 ethnic
groups living along the river, and some have already been forcibly
relocated.

The mighty Salween originates high in the Tibetan mountains, flows through
China's Yunnan province into Burma and forms the Thai border before
emptying into the Andaman Sea 2,800 kilometres later.

"Environmental activists might not be happy, but the projects will help
reduce electricity charges, as hydropower plants have no fuel costs," the
premier said during a visit to the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand (Egat) headquarters.

Egat sees the need for two 5,000-megawatt dams on the Salween where it
runs along the Thai-Burmese border in Mae Hong Son province, and three
more dams on the Burmese side, governor Sittiphorn Rattanophas said,
citing studies by Japanese power giant J Power.

Egat will invest Bt370 billion in the two border projects, while a
Thai-Burmese government joint venture will be established to oversee them,
the governor said.

Thailand will have first rights to purchase power from the dams when they
go online by 2012 with the capacity to supply a total of 20,000 megawatts,
he said.

Egat will propose the Salween project to a meeting of Asean power
utilities scheduled for April 20-25, before submitting it to the Cabinet
for approval, he said.

"Now that we've got the nod from our government, we're ready to negotiate
with Burmese power authorities to start work on it as soon as possible,"
he said.

The question of environmental and social impacts of the dams will require
further study as well as open discussion between Thailand and Burma, the
premier said.

Since negotiations could take time and Burmese domestic politics could be
a complicating factor, it is hard to project a completion date for the
project, he said.

The two dam projects on the Thai-Burmese border are expected to attract
the heaviest opposition from environmentalists and human rights activists,
as they will affect communities and conservation areas on both sides of
the border.

March 14 2003 Issue #2195

INSIDE BURMA

Japan Economic Newswire: Myanmar general discharged from Singapore hospital
DVB: Forced labour in Karen State
Myanmar Times: Mandalay Division plans big increase in rice production

DRUGS

AFP: Deputy PM says Wa drug lord put bounty on Thaksin’s head
AFP: Speed pill prices soar as Thai drugs blitz bites

MONEY

Irrawaddy: Crisis forces businesses to close, crime to rise
DVB: Bank crisis continues

REGIONAL

Mizzima: Hijack trial after 12 years
Nation: PM backs damming of Salween

INSIDE BURMA

Japan Economic Newswire March 14 2003

Myanmar general discharged from Singapore hospital

Maung Aye, vice senior general and the second highest-ranking officer in
Myanmar's junta, has been discharged from a hospital in Singapore where he
had been undergoing treatment since last Sunday, a hospital source said
Friday.

Maung Aye, 65, who is vice chairman of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council, was discharged from the state-run Singapore General
Hospital at about 1 p.m. on Friday.

He was in good health condition when discharged and has already flown back
to Myanmar, the source said.

Sources in Myanmar said he was suffering from prostate problems.

He had been warded to a hospital in Myanmar for an operation sometime at
the end of February for his ailment.

The junta has ruled the country for decades, refusing to recognize the
results of elections more than 10 years ago and to allow new elections,
despite considerable pressure both inside and outside the country for a
relaxation of control and for free and fair elections.

The opposition National League for Democracy led by Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1990 elections but was never allowed to
take up seats in parliament.
____________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 12 2003

Forced labour in Karen State

It is reported that the SPDC has been forcing local people to build roads
in Karen State without wages for months. Villagers from 19 villages of
Papun District are being used in the project. DVB’s Naw Nandar Chan
reports:

NNC: Villagers from 19 villages in Maekalaw and Mae Hatw circles of Papun
Township are being forced to build tarmac roads without pay since November
last year. The strategist commander of the Southeast Command, Colonel Tin
Kyu is leading and Colonel Myint Win Aung is taking the responsibility of
overseeing the project. Phado Manh Sha, the KNU’s General Secretary told
DVB about the project as follows: ‘The roads are from here to Kamaung, and
from Kamaung to Papun and Bilin. They are repairing the road between Papun
and Pahaik everyday. Now, they have made the 9-mile road between Papun and
Bilin a tarmac one. They are also building the Papun-Tagundaing road as
reserve. They have been forcing villagers from Mae Kalaw and Mae Htaw
circles to build the roads since November. There are more than 3000 women
and more than 2000 men; all together nearly 6000 people. They started the
project in November and they still haven’t finished it and it might go on
until the rainy season.’

Recently, the ILO has said that the forced labour practise in Burma is
still at the worrying stage.
_________

Myanmar Times March 10-16 2003

Mandalay Division plans big increase in rice production
By Myo Lwin and Zin Min

THE Myanma Agricultural Service says an extra 90,000 acres will be put
under paddy in Mandalay Division during the fiscal year beginning in April
to ensure better food sufficiency. MAS divisional head U Aung Kyin said
the increase in the crop area was expected to produce enough rice to meet
the food needs of 70 per cent of the regional population, up from the
current figure of 61 per cent. "Mandalay Division produces 54 million
baskets (1.1 million tonnes) from 800,000 acres and with the increased
cultivation, the yield is expected to reach nearly 61 million baskets (
1.25 million tonnes)," he told Myanmar Times last week. A basket of paddy
weighs 46 pounds, of which about 40 per cent is rice grains. Monsoon paddy
cultivation normally starts between May and October while summer paddy is
grown from November to April. U Aung Kyin said rice growers in Mandalay
Division irrigated their crops from more than 2000 reservoirs, of which
113 dams built by the Irrigation Department were the most reliable sources
of supply. He said that of the extra 90,000 acres to be grown this year,
65,000 acres would be irrigated from dams and the remaining 25,000 acres
would rely on water pumped from rivers, such as the Ayeyarwaddy and
Dok-hta-wady. U Aung Kyin said there were wide variations in rice output
throughout the division. Kyaukse township produced 137 per cent of its
needs, but Nyaung Oo could grow only one per cent. Other regions that are
yet to achieve self-sufficiency in paddy are Chin State, northern Shan
State and Magwe Division. Apart from paddy, nine other important crops are
grown in Mandalay Division. They are three varieties of beans and pulses
and of edible oil crops, as well as maize, cotton and sugarcane. The
division has 3.5 million acres of arable land for growing paddy, edible
oil crops and beans and pulses. However, cropping intensity is 150 per
cent because of the double and mixed cropping practiced by most farmers,
said U Aung Kyin.

DRUGS

Agence France Presse March 14 2003

Deputy PM says Wa drug lord put bounty on Thaksin's head

A powerful ethnic Wa drug lord in Myanmar has ponied up nearly two million
dollars to have Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra killed, one of
Thaksin's deputies said Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said there was "reliable"
intelligence that Bao Youxiang, commander of the United Wa State Army
(UWSA) aligned with Yangon, was responsible for putting a bounty on
Thaksin's head recently.

"I have obtained a report which is likely reliable and confirmed,"
Chavalit told reporters at Government House.

"Everybody knows these (drug) gangs have influence and money and are ready
to spend that money to get rid of anyone who hampers their ways," he said.

Chavalit was responding to queries about a report in Thai-language
newspaper Matichon, which cited a police report as saying the UWSA's Bao
Youxiang and Wei Hsueh-kang, a Chinese Wa with Thai citizenship who fled
to Myanmar, issued the death order because of billions of baht in losses
from the war on drugs.

The billionaire premier himself has said drug gang members put the price
on his head at 80 million baht (1.87 million dollars) after his
administration declared a brutal war on drugs that has seen trafficking
slow to a trickle since the campaign was launched February 1.

The government has dismissed opposition claims that the bounty was
fabricated or a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from the
alarming toll of nearly 1,500 drug-related deaths since the crackdown
began.

Chavalit, the deputy premier responsible for security, said drug kingpins
posted the brazen bounty out of frustration that the drugs war was leading
to severe losses in their trade.

The UWSA, reportedly described by Washington as the world's largest armed
narcotics producer, is believed to be the region's largest producer and
supplier of methamphetamines.

The UWSA was particularly suspect because of its wide network of operation
along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Thai narcotics officials blame the
outfit for producing hundreds of millions of methamphetamine tablets sold
in Thailand last year.

Thaksin's security detail has been beefed up considerably, with the leader
traveling in a bullet-proof van and sniffer dogs searching Government
House for explosives.
________________________

Agence France Presse March 14 2003

Speed pill prices soar as Thai drugs blitz bites

The price of methamphetamines in northern Thailand has soared as much as
six-fold in some areas to 500 baht (11.68 dollars) per pill as a result of
an intense drugs crackdown by authorities, police said Friday.

Thailand, the world's largest consumer of the pills according to the
International Narcotics Control Board, is in the midst of a brutal war on
drugs which police say has claimed nearly 1,500 lives, mainly drug
dealers.

"The drugs are getting scarce, they're hard to find," an official at the
Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in the northern province of
Chiang Mai told AFP.

The price of pills in the province, which borders Myanmar where most of
the drugs are believed to be produced, has risen steadily from about 80 to
400 baht (1.87 to 9.37 dollars), the officer said.

Supply lines from the border into northern Thailand have reportedly either
been severed or abandoned amid a suffocating dragnet covering the region.

In neighbouring Chiang Rai province, which borders the notorious Golden
Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, prices have also risen to
up to 300 baht.

In Thailand's northeast, rates have skyrocketed more dramatically, pushed
up by costly trafficking and transport.

"There was an offer to buy methamphetamines at 500 baht per tablet but
there were no drugs available," Lieutenant General Ajiravid Subarnbhesej,
commander of the northeastern region of 11 provinces, including his base
at Khon Kaen, told AFP.

Drug prices have soared since the government of Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra declared an all-out war on drugs Febuary 1.

Ajiravid also said the crackdown has put the fear into drug users.

"We carried out routine checks on high-risk groups and for the past seven
days we found not a single case of a failed urine test," he said.

ONCB officers say a small segment of drug users, particularly youths, have
turned to other highs such as sniffing glue or paint thinner.

Despite a torrent of criticism by human rights groups, opposition parties,
and foreign governments, Thai authorities say the crackdown has yielded
impressive results.

Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng said police have already arrested
861 out of 4,000 drug dealers on a government blacklist, the Bangkok Post
reported.

Some 158 million baht (3.7 million dollars) in assets and 7.8 million
pills have been seized, he added.

He also revealed that 323 state officials had been disciplined for
involvement in the drugs trade while a further 202 faced inquiries.

MONEY

Irrawaddy March 14 2003

Crisis Forces Businesses to Close, Crime to Rise
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burma is buckling under the weight of a worsening financial crisis. Ever
since private banks started telling customers they couldn’t withdraw all
their savings last month, prices have become unstable, businesses have
closed, workers have been laid off and crime has increased.
A few days after Burma’s Finance and Revenue Minister Khin Maung Thein
retired on Feb 1, 20 private banks faced currency shortages when anxious
customers rushed to banks to withdraw their money. The incident came after
the collapse of several private service companies.
After more than a month of financial woes across the country, some
businesses have now been forced to close.
"The month-long currency shortage has meant most businesses aren’t doing
well," a businessman in Rangoon said today. "Some businesses have had to
shut down recently, and some have laid some workers off since they
couldn’t pay wages."
In the second week of February, banks started to impose limits on
withdrawals. Some banks told customers they could only withdraw a maximum
of 50,000 kyat (US $52) per week. Later, some banks ordered customers with
outstanding loans to repay 20 percent of their debt within a few days.
According to business sources, this move pushed down the price of used cars.
"Some car owners have had to sell their vehicles for half price because
they need to pay off their debts to the banks before the due date," a car
salesman in Rangoon said. "Car prices have dropped to half the previous
price."
He said the price of a luxury car worth 100 million kyat before now sold
for around 50 million (US $52,700). "On the other hand, there are few
buyers," he added.
In addition, the currency shortage has caused the kyat to strengthen.
Early this year the kyat was relatively steady at around 1,100 to the US
dollar. But according to moneychangers, since bank problems started to
escalate last month, black market exchange rates have fallen below 1,000
kyat.
Today, the dollar was trading for as little as 900 kyat.
At the same time, financial problems have been attributed to an increase
in burglaries. Recently, a house in Rangoon’s Kyee Myin Daing Township was
robbed at daytime while the owner was stabbed to death, a neighbor
reported.
Moreover, a wealthy Chinese businessman at Phar-Kant in Kachin State was
killed on Feb 21, the day after he was seen arguing with bank staff at a
branch of the Asia Wealth Bank (AWB). Though no one has been able to
confirm why he was killed, sources say he was angry at being restricted to
withdrawals of 100,000 kyat per week. He was believed to have had millions
invested in the bank.
In reports on Feb 22, Burma’s ruling military publicly backed the private
banks—including the AWB, the Yoma Bank and the Kanbawza Bank—and offered a
bailout of 25 billion kyat. But analysts say stability in Burma’s finance
sector has not been restored.
Economists put the blame squarely with the government. "It’s not unusual
to hear that they [the military government] cannot manage economic issues
well. After all, it is Deputy Sr-Gen Maung Aye who oversees all the
economic sectors of the country," an economist in Rangoon said.
Maung Aye, vice-chairman of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development
Council, serves as chairman of the National Industrial Development
Committee, the National Agricultural and the Economic Development
Committee. He also looks after the National Trade Committee, responsible
for border trade with neighboring countries.
Observers say Maung Aye lacks the economic know-how to manage Burma’s
financial mess.
Maung Aye is reportedly still in the hospital in Singapore, where he has
been since Sunday, seeking treatment for prostrate cancer.
________________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 12 2003

Bank crisis continues
It is still difficult to withdraw money from banks in Burma and the amount
of money allowed to be withdrawn is becoming less. A merchant who keeps
4,000,000 kyats at Yoma Bank was allowed to withdraw 10,000 kyats a week
only and he is feeling miserable for his remaining money. In Rangoon, at
the Asia Wealth Bank [AWB], people who have less than 10,000,000 kyats are
allowed to withdraw 50,000 kyats a week and those who have more than that
amount are transferred to the government’s Central Bank. A merchant from
Pakokku told the DVB that he was allowed to withdraw only 50,000 kyats
last week and 100,000 kyats the week before. He kept all the money he got
from selling his flat and the majority of his money is still being
detained in the bank. A local resident in Rangoon managed to withdraw
100,000 last week and said that whoever obtained the token could withdraw
money only when they are at the bank in time. Now, they allow 50,000 kyats
a week only. What can you do with that, she said in frustration? Those who
have more than 10,000,000 kyats are transferred to Central Bank and forced
to pay tax after being checked and interrogated, she added.

According to the latest news, because of the banking crisis, the prices of
commodities have come down. But only the prices of cars, dollars and gold
and other luxurious items are coming down. The prices of basic consumer
goods are still not coming down. The banking crisis is not only affecting
merchants as claimed by the government, but also day labourers who are
depending on them are also suffering, according to the merchants from
Pakokku.

REGIONAL

Mizzima March 14 2003

Hijack trial after 12 years

New Delhi, March 13: This hijacking case has virtually been resurrected
from the grave.
Twelve years ago, Soe Myint and Htin Kyawoo, pro-democracy student
activists in Myanmar had hijacked a Thai Airways Bangkok-Yangon flight.
Desperate to catch the attention of the world to the gross violations of
democracy in their country, the duo diverted the flight to Calcutta
airport armed with nothing but a stuffed toy.
Myint and Kyawoo were arrested and later released on bail. Neither the
Centre nor the West Bengal government thought it fit to press for trial.
Thai Airways also let them off.
However, giving a fresh twist to the case, charges were framed against
Myint in January this year. The trial is scheduled to begin next month
and, if indicted, he will face life imprisonment.
“The governments at the Centre and in the state assured me the case will
be dropped,” Myint said in an informal interaction with the media today.
In another strange move, charges have not been framed against Kyawoo, who
left India and is now settled in Europe.
Since 1998, Myint has been living in Delhi and running Mizzima, an
Internet news service set up by Burmese pro-democracy students in exile.
“There were several opportunities for me to go abroad. But I decided to
stay on,” Myint said.
Defence minister George Fernandes — whose house has been a refuge for many
pro-democracy Burmese students — has, however, assured Myint that he would
speak to the home minister and try to withdraw the case.
“So far, we have not heard from him,” said Myint. Hoping to mobilise
political support in his favour, Myint has even started speaking to MPs
cutting across political lines.
Myint believes the military dispensation in Myanmar has exerted pressure
on the Indian government to revive the case. At the time of the hijack,
neither the flight crew nor the passengers on board felt themselves under
any kind of threat. “We told the passengers and the crew that our
objective was to draw attention to the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, who won
81 per cent of seats in the Burmese government. But the military regime
refused to hand over power,” he added.
The passengers, Myint said, were extremely sympathetic as was then Bengal
chief minister Jyoti Basu. He met the Burmese students at Writers’
Buildings. The special CID superintendent, who was the first to meet the
hijackers, said: “I was literally bowled over by their pleas for
restoration of human and democratic rights in Burma.”
“Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, who then ruled at the Centre, was
sympathetic to our cause,” Myint said. “So was Rajiv Gandhi, with whose
support Chandra Shekhar was running the government,” he added.
_________________

Nation March 14 2003

PM backs damming of Salween, NATION

Acknowledges environmentalists 'won't be happy' Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra yesterday gave the first public indication of government
support for the proposed hydroelectric dams on the Salween River, saying
they had to go ahead despite widespread opposition.

Although the dams raise concerns about adverse environmental and social
impact, they are essential elements of the plan by eight Asean members to
develop the Asian Power Grid, Thaksin said.

Non-governmental organisations and Burmese dissidents have criticised the
dam projects, saying they affect 10 million people representing 13 ethnic
groups living along the river, and some have already been forcibly
relocated.

The mighty Salween originates high in the Tibetan mountains, flows through
China's Yunnan province into Burma and forms the Thai border before
emptying into the Andaman Sea 2,800 kilometres later.

"Environmental activists might not be happy, but the projects will help
reduce electricity charges, as hydropower plants have no fuel costs," the
premier said during a visit to the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand (Egat) headquarters.

Egat sees the need for two 5,000-megawatt dams on the Salween where it
runs along the Thai-Burmese border in Mae Hong Son province, and three
more dams on the Burmese side, governor Sittiphorn Rattanophas said,
citing studies by Japanese power giant J Power.

Egat will invest Bt370 billion in the two border projects, while a
Thai-Burmese government joint venture will be established to oversee them,
the governor said.

Thailand will have first rights to purchase power from the dams when they
go online by 2012 with the capacity to supply a total of 20,000 megawatts,
he said.

Egat will propose the Salween project to a meeting of Asean power
utilities scheduled for April 20-25, before submitting it to the Cabinet
for approval, he said.

"Now that we've got the nod from our government, we're ready to negotiate
with Burmese power authorities to start work on it as soon as possible,"
he said.

The question of environmental and social impacts of the dams will require
further study as well as open discussion between Thailand and Burma, the
premier said.

Since negotiations could take time and Burmese domestic politics could be
a complicating factor, it is hard to project a completion date for the
project, he said.

The two dam projects on the Thai-Burmese border are expected to attract
the heaviest opposition from environmentalists and human rights activists,
as they will affect communities and conservation areas on both sides of
the border.