BurmaNet News: April 18-20 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

April 18-20 2003 Issue #2219

INSIDE BURMA

AP: Myanmar government says ethnic Karen rebels damaged gas pipeline
Xinhua: Myanmar Health Ministry warns countrymen against SARS

MONEY

AFP: Myanmar's fledgling tourist industry pummeled by SARS fears: report
NYT: Southeast Asia is reeling

ON THE BORDER

AFP: Karen rebels admit sabotaging Myanmar gas pipelines

REGIONAL
Xinhua: Thailand to host 4-nation summit to solve immigration problem
Bangkok Post: Villagers lose patience with Burmese refugees

INSIDE BURMA

Associated Press April 18 2003

Myanmar government says ethnic Karen rebels damaged gas pipeline

Myanmar's military government on Friday accused ethnic Karen rebels of
sabotaging a natural gas pipeline, claiming it was the second such
incident in about two weeks.

The rebels planted explosives that damaged a section of the pipeline near
Hnitkayin village, about 105 kilometers (65 miles) south of the Mon State
capital of Mawlamyine, said a government news release.

The pipeline carries natural gas from offshore fields for use in Myanmar,
and is considered much less important than another line going to Thailand,
Myanmar's main gas buyer.

The pipeline to Thailand, partly owned by Western and Thai oil companies,
has long been controversial. Human rights activists say it was built by
forced labor, with workers drafted by the government.

"Investigations revealed that the sabotage operation was being carried out
by the KNU (Karen National Union) 6th Brigade," said the government
statement. The KNU has been fighting for autonomy for more than 50 years.

The KNU, based on the Myanmar-Thai border, could not be reached for
comment. Independent confirmation of any such claims is virtually
impossible because the government restricts journalists' travel into and
around the country.

The government has long attributed sabotage incidents to Karen groups. The
Karen usually deny the claims.

The statement also said the KNU's No. 1 brigade on March 29 used
explosives to damage a section of the pipeline near Warbotaw village, 21
kilometers (13 miles) northwest of Karen state capital, Pa-an.

The government said authorities arrested a KNU rebel allegedly involved in
the destruction of the pipeline, but gave no further details.

There are several ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar. The KNU is one of the
few which did not sign a cease-fire with the junta that took power in
1988.
___________

Xinhua News Agency April 19 2003

Myanmar Health Ministry warns countrymen against SARS

The Myanmar Ministry of Health has issued a notice, which was carried by
official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar Saturday, warning the people
against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and calling for
precautionary efforts.

The notice introduced the situation of the present spread of SARS in the
world, the main symptoms of the disease, high-risk groups easily infected
by SARS virus and seven main methods of taking precaution.

Among precautionary measures taken by Myanmar are strengthening of
screening of passengers with symptoms of the disease at airports,
seaports, border and custom checkpoints as well as banning visa
temporarily for entry by Myanmar's embassy in Singapore and
consulate-general in Hong Kong.

The ministry said that so far no SARS cases have occurred in the country.

Meanwhile, hotels and tourism sources said that since the outbreak of the
SARS and the war in Iraq, tourism bookings at travel agencies and hotels
in Myanmar have dropped by 10 to 25 percent.

MONEY

Agence France Presse April 20 2003

Myanmar's fledgling tourist industry pummeled by SARS fears: report

Myanmar's nascent tourism industry has been crippled by an Asia-wide
drop-off in travel due to concern over the deadly SARS virus, a report
here said.

While health officials in the military government say Myanmar has avoided
any cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and screening
systems have been introduced at points of arrival, the fallout from the
disease has wrought havoc on the country's travel industry. Hotels and
travel agencies last week reported cancellation rates as high as 60
percent in what they said would be a severe dent in an otherwise solid
tourism year, according to a report in the forthcoming Monday edition of
the Myanmar Times.

Sai Travel, a firm catering to the Japanese market, said 60 percent of its
bookings were scrapped during late March.

"About 25 percent of those who cancelled planned to visit Myanmar at a
later date," the company's general manager Ko Myo Thwin told the
semi-official weekly.

Yangon's Hotel Nikko Royal Lake has suffered a bookings cancellation rate
of 35 percent due to SARS, a reservations supervisor said.

"Most were from Asia with some Europeans," Ko Lay Ko Aung was quoted as
saying.

The Pansea Hotel reported a 23 percent year-on-year decline in
reservations during April, and cancellations were continuing, according to
room manager Ko Aung Ko Ko.

Last month Myanmar authorities began taking precautions against SARS,
including screening arriving passengers, and issued several public alerts
about the respiratory illness in its tightly controlled media.

The global SARS outbreak has now been blamed for the deaths of at least
200 people and the sickening of more than 4,000 others, mainly in Asia.
_________

New York Times April 20 2003

Southeast Asia Is Reeling

To hear officials tell it, the safest option for anyone yearning to visit
exotic, tropical Southeast Asia this summer may be a country run by a
military regime with a penchant for imprisoning anyone with outspoken
political beliefs.
That's right. Myanmar, the hermetic nation best known for its
contributions to the international trade in drugs and illegal timber, is
perhaps the only nation in Southeast Asia untouched so far by SARS. The
threat of terrorism and the risk of contracting the disease have kept much
of the region off the list of carefree travel destinations.
Of course, reality is much different, and a visitor still stands about as
much chance of being hit by a city bus as falling into harm's way in
Southeast Asia. Travelers with a sober understanding of probability are
still visiting, and few expatriates who live there are fleeing.
For those with the stomach to defy the diplomatic caveats, Southeast Asia
presents a better bargain than it has in years. SARS, the bombing in Bali
and the war in Iraq have brought the tourism industry to its knees. At
some hotels in Singapore, four of every five rooms are empty. Singapore
Airlines, known for charging premium prices, is offering five-day vacation
packages to southern Thailand for $1,180. You can fly Singapore Airlines
to Bali and stay five nights for just $959.

ON THE BORDER

Agence France Presse April 20 2003

Karen rebels admit sabotaging Myanmar gas pipelines

A rebel ethnic group opposed to Myanmar's military government has claimed
responsibility for sabotaging sections of natural gas pipelines in the
military-ruled state in recent weeks.

In a statement seen Sunday, the Karen National Union (KNU) said its
militant arm blew up some sections of natural gas pipelines owned by the
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) on three separate occasions
from February to April, in response to continued oppression of the Karen
ethnic minority.

"The actions were planned and implemented as we would like to inform the
Total Company and justice-loving countries of the world that the SPDC has
been regularly buying fighter planes, tanks and other military hardware,
with revenue from the gas pipelines, to continue killing and oppressing
the Karen people and the people in general," read the faxed statement from
KNU headquarters.

French energy giant TotalFinaElf is involved in gas exploration and
production in Myanmar and faces accusations that it has perpetuated forced
labour in the country.

"The action was undertaken to show that the KNU and the Karen people will
never take such injustices and oppression lying down and that they will
make appropriate response, as necessary."

It also said it took action to spotlight Yangon's continued foot-dragging
over the holding of a political dialogue with ethnic groups and leaders of
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

"Responsibility for non-emergence of meaningful dialogue in Burma lies
squarely with the SPDC," the KNU said.

Last week Yangon's ruling junta said the KNU's sixth brigade had damaged
two gas pipelines in recent weeks, including one damaged by explosives in
southeastern Mon state. One section of pipeline was also attacked February
1.

The KNU is one of a few remaining rebel groups fighting an independence
campaign against the Yangon government.

The junta said last year it was willing to "exchange arms for peace" with
the KNU, a phrase used by the military to describe a ceasefire.

The junta however requires that rebel groups lay down their arms prior to
negotiating for peace, which several have refused to do.

REGIONAL

Xinhua News Agency April 20 2003

Thailand to host 4-nation summit to solve immigration problem

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to invite leaders of Myanmar, Laos
and Cambodia to a summit aimed at boosting their economies, in a bid to
pave the way for the return of Thailand's huge immigrant workforce to
their home countries.

Speaking on his weekly radio address to the nation, Thaksin said that
economic differences between Thailand and its Indochinese neighbors were
becoming increasingly more visible, and that as a result Thailand had to
bear the "burden" of large numbers of immigrant workers.

In order to ensure "regional peace," he said, the Thai government planned
to help upgrade the economies of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia so that their
migrant workers could return home.

"I will call a summit meeting of the four countries to bring about
economic cooperation, so that this region can work together to produce and
sell goods together, and thus grow in strength," Thaksin said.
__________

Bangkok Post April 20 2003

VILLAGERS LOSE PATIENCE WITH BURMESE REFUGEES
By Supamart Kasem

Community leaders here say they have had enough of Burmese refugees whom
they accuse of polluting their stream, exploiting wildlife and sometimes
stealing from their farms.

The call for expatriation of the refugees whose number in recent months
has soared to over 100,000 in the province was made when local leaders met
senator Udon Tantisunthorn.

Present at the recent meeting in Tha Song district were provincial
councillors, executives of tambon administration organisations, tambon
chiefs and village heads.

According to the local leaders, the refugees are behind a variety of
problems concerning environmental damage and health care. Sompong
Khamkwang, chairman of tambon Mae La administration organisation, said the
government had only promised to give the refugees temporary shelter.

In the early days, the refugees were taken in on humanitarian grounds to
protect them from the fighting between Rangoon troops and the ethnic
rebels. There were less than 1,000 at the time.

But 20 years later their number has swelled to 100,000. They are scattered
in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son and Ratchaburi,'' said Mr Sompong.

The Mae La refugee camp houses 42,224 refugees, of which 36,055 have been
registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The
rest are classified as non-refugees and marked for a push back'' scheme.

Another 933 people crossed the border from Burma early this year. They
refused to be moved to a refugee camp and settled on the border instead.

Last month, some 119 Burmese were rounded up after slipping out of Tha
Song Yang refugee camp to collect banana leaves for sale.

A local leader said what this group of villagers did was just a tip of the
iceberg.

They are hired to cut trees, encroach on forest reserves and collect wild
products. Sometimes they even steal from villagers' farms,'' said a local
leader.

Mae La stream has been polluted for quite some time now, they complained.
Used water from the refugee camp is never treated and released directly
into the stream.

Health officials say besides malaria, several other diseases which were
supposed to have been wiped out have resurfaced in the area with the
arrival of more refugees.

Last month seven Burmese refugees in Umphang district died of meningitis.

Chatchai Soisangwal, the Umphang district chief, accused local business
operators of encouraging refugees to cut down trees and collect banana
leaves in the Umphang wildlife sanctuary for them.

These business operators sell the products to NGOs supervising the refugee
camps, he said.

He said he was once offered 100,000 baht to turn a blind eye to log
poaching. He declined the offer.

However, last month an operator sought permission to import 11,000 bamboo
poles for use at the Nu Pho refugee camp, said the district chief.

The bamboo poles were claimed to have come from Burma via Phrop Phra
district but no import documents were supplied. The camp officials were
prompted to refuse the products for use in camp maintenance.

Mr Chatchai said the refugees who cut the bamboo trees were paid 5-10 baht
for each pole which was reportedly resold at 35 baht apiece.

I wonder if they have been taxed,'' he said.

Senator Udon said the refugees should be pushed back as soon as possible
as there was rarely any fighting in the area now. There are only
skirmishes along the border. And many of those who flee into Thailand do
so for economic reasons,'' he said.

Mr Udon said the government should use its good relations with Rangoon to
get rid of these problems. The senator has set up an ad-hoc committee to
study the problems. Panel members will make a field trip to the area to
collect information next month.