BurmaNet News: June 26 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

June 26 2003 Issue #2270

INSIDE BURMA

AFP: Myanmar junta blasts EU boycott of annual drug-burning ceremony
Kaladan Press: TPDC Chairman ordered to vacate 26 dwelling houses at
Maungdaw Town

DRUGS

Renmin Ribao: Myanmar destroys over 3 tons of narcotic drugs
Asia Times Online: Myanmar: Pumping out pills on demand

MONEY

AFX: BAT says will only leave Myanmar if UK govt, EU declare ban

REGIONAL

Philippine Star: Roco urges Myanmar to release Suu Kyi
Kyodo: ASEAN loses credibility because of Myanmar: Malaysia
DPA: Thai PM calls for release of Suu Kyi, but warns Myanmar dissidents
Irrawaddy: Plans to raid embassy denied
AFP: Malaysia steps up pressure on Myanmar junta over Aung San Suu Kyi
AFP: China says it will not pressure ally Myanmar over Aung San Suu Kyi
AFP: Japan seeks meeting with Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi

INTERNATIONAL

Xinhua: US tightens economic attack against Myanmar’s drug dealers
Times (London): Blair threatens sanctions if Suu Kyi is not released
AFP: US to freeze assets of Myanmar leaders, ban remittances

OPINIONS

FEER: Asia must support Suu Kyi

INSIDE BURMA

Agence France Presse June 26 2003

Myanmar junta blasts EU boycott of annual drug-burning ceremony

Myanmar's military government Thursday hit out at European diplomats for
boycotting an annual drug-burning ceremony in protest over the continuing
detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The diplomatic community in Yangon usually turns out in force for the
ceremony, but this year the European delegations were absent. However, a
junior diplomat from the United States embassy attended.

"We are fighting the war (on drugs) for them and they boycott us,"
government spokesman Colonel Hla Min said of the EU delegations.

"This drug thing is not a big problem for us in this country and these
efforts are for the benefit of the international community," he told AFP.

A diplomat from one of the EU missions in Yangon said that with Aung San
Suu Kyi in custody since violent protests on May 30, it was inappropriate
to attend the event which is effectively a public relations exercise for
the junta.

"This was not any planned boycott from the side of the European embassies.
It was an individual decision and I felt in the context at the moment that
it was not necessary or even the right thing to go there," he told AFP.

The diplomat said that as part of a crackdown on the pro-democracy
opposition launched since May 30, the government had cancelled an annual
anti-drugs youth rally for fear the large gathering could foment unrest.

"This does not really fit well with official events where you celebrate
the successes (of the anti-narcotics campaign)."

Aung San Suu Kyi's detention has sparked outrage among the international
community, led by the United States and the European Union which have
beefed up their sanctions against the Yangon regime.

Japan, Myanmar's largest donor, on Wednesday announced it had suspended
new economic aid to the impoverished country.

At the drug-burning ceremony, the government said it destroyed drugs with
a street value of more than 862 million dollars including some 219 kilos
of heroin, 1,125 kilos of opium, and 7.6 million methamphetamine tablets.

UN Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) chief in Yangon Jean-Luc Lemahieu said
the Myanmar government had achieved a "spectacular" reduction in the opium
crop this year, but that impoverished opium growers were suffering.

"There has been a 24 percent reduction this year which is more than the
total production of Laos," he said.

"It's going down drastically, it's going down a bit too fast. And now we
have issues which we have to tackle to make the reduction sustainable as
well as address the issues of human rights."

Myanmar's anti-narcotics chief Brigadier-General Kyaw Thein claimed major
successes in fighting the production of methamphetamine stimulants, which
has been increasing in recent years even as the fight against opium is
being won.

"This is a sustained effort and we are not losing momentum at all," he
said. "We have been able to do a lot since early this year including
arrests of offenders."

"We have also had exchange of information with our neighbouring countries
concerning offenders."

Methamphetamines have been flooding into neighbouring Thailand, causing a
serious addiction crisis and sparking rows between the two countries.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said earlier this month that
opium cultivation in Asia's notorious Golden Triangle drug-producing
region has plummeted this year, falling 24 percent in Myanmar and 15
percent in Laos.
__________

Kaladan Press June 26 2003

TPDC CHAIRMAN ORDERED TO VACATE 26 DWELLING HOUSES AT
MAUNGDAW TOWN

Maungdaw, June 26: On 14th June 2003, The Maungdaw Township Peace and
Development Council (TPDC) Chairman ordered to evacuate 26 dwelling houses
at Shikdar Para (Moma Kayandan) of Maungdaw Town, Arakan State by the end
of this month, according to our correspondent.

 To evacuate families are: 1). Haji Yunus, 2) Abdul Matalab,3) Mohamed
Dullah, 4) Yasin, 5) Mohamed Jalil, 6) Nazo Mullah, 7)Abul Foras, 8) Abul
Kalam, 9) Zibu Rahman, 10) Shukur, 11) Hala Boda, 12) Ayub Ali, 13) Mono
Meah, 14) Mohamed Alam, 15) Hakim Ali, 16) Basar17), Abu Tahir, 18)
Mohamed Ayub, 19) Mohamed Kha Sim, 20) Lalu, 21) Ali Akbar, 22) Kha Lu,
23) Say Tu, 24) Ms. Nasima Khatun, 25) Ms. Mazuma, 26) and Ms. Shuna Bi
Bi, he further added.

The affected villagers have appealed to the Chairman of TPDC to allow them
to continue their stay until the end of the monsoon. And they also
requested for alternative site for their resettlement. But, till now,
there is no response from the government side, the sources said.

In the same way, in last year August, the concerned authority had ordered
to vacate these houses but the authorities had verbally allowed them to
continue their stay after bribing some money, said one of the victims.

There was no instruction from government side about the compensation or
alternative site for their resettlement, the victim further added.

If the villagers to be vacated under the monsoon, they are going to face
many difficulties when they are moved to new location, building new huts,
said a villager.

Confiscation of Rohingya lands and uprooting of their centuries old
settlements have now been restarted. This is nothing but and attempt to
destroying the economic bases of the Rohingya people, said a schoolteacher
to our correspondent.

DRUGS

Renmin Ribao June 26 2003

Myanmar Destroys over 3 Tons of Narcotic Drugs

The Myanmar authorities put 3,066.43 kilograms of narcotic drugs on fire
in Yangon Thursday, seized by the army, police and the customs department.

The narcotic drugs, burnt ceremonially for the 17th annual occasion in
Yangon to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking, include, 125.28 kg opium, 219.28 kgheroin, 277.35 kg
marijuana, 1,155.17 kg ephedrine, 51.8 kg morphine and 66 kg caffeine as
well as 7.6 million tablets of stimulants.

The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) of Myanmar,which
sponsored the destruction, said the narcotic drugs destroyedwere worth a
street value of around 862 million US dollars.

The CCDAC disclosed that Myanmar's opium poppy cultivated area dropped to
689.95 hectares in 2002-03 which ended in March, from 25,461.33 hectares
in 2001-02, while the poppy plantations destroyed was 626.98 hectares in
2002-03, a drop from 10,474.24 hectares in 2001-02.

Myanmar has previously burnt up seized narcotic drugs in Yangonfor 16
times since 1990 and of the 50,989 kg of drugs destroyed inYangon up to
the last occasion, were 26,721 kg opium, 3,969 kg heroin, 5,851 kg
marijuana and 14,448 kg ephedrine as well as 115.8 million stimulant
tablets.

Meanwhile, a report of the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC),issued on
June 18, said Myanmar's poppy cultivated area is 62,100 hectares in 2003
and its opium output is estimated to reach 810 tons during the year, based
on the satellite and field surveys.
_______

Asia Times Online June 26 2003

Myanmar: Pumping out pills on demand

Although a number of refineries along the Myanmese border have suspended
their operations since Thailand launched its all-out war against drugs in
February, there are still several that continue to keep shops open under
the patronage of the local military commanders so as to carry out orders
placed by customers in Thailand, according to a reliable source in
Myanmar's eastern Shan state.

Tachilek, opposite the Thai city of Chiang Rai, illustrates what is
happening in other Shan townships such as Monghsat, Mongton and Homong
along the border, said the source, who is a close relative of a Lahu
militia chieftain. "To my knowledge, there are three of them still
[operating] here," he said. "Only they don't do it unless there is an
order first."

One is the refinery at Nampoong, west of Tachilek. Owned by Nampoong
militia leader Yishay, its security is provided by Light Infantry
Battalion (LIB) 359. It is said to have three compressors: the big one
turns out eight pills each time, the medium compressor three and the small
compressor one. It has been in existence for four years.
Another at Jaka Village is located along the Mekong, north of Tachilek and
between Kenglarb and Mongphong. It is owned by Ai Tu, a Wa from Panghsang,
and has been in operation for a year and a half. Security is provided by
Htun Hla, 40, son of Javi, a militia leader of Nayao, and LIB 316
stationed at Talerh. Its products are said to have spread as far as
Cambodia and Vietnam through Laos. "The evacuation of Wa troops from the
area in March did not affect their operation," he said.

The third, owned by Maku, 35, a Lahu, and Tafah, 47, a Kokang, both
leaders of Paniang Militia force, is located at Loi Tawmaw in Monghai
tract, north of Tachilek. It has been there since February.

Asked whether they thought Myanmar would be rid of drugs by 2004 as
declared, sources in Tachilek were skeptical. "It depends on whether the
Burmese military officers can stop their extortions from us and the local
people," said a trader. "Anything they want, they demand that we give it.
If we refuse, it is forcibly taken from us. And what they've gotten out of
us has merely served to whet their appetite for more."

Myanmar has pledged to wipe out drugs by 2004 and Laos by 2005, the
Bangkok Post reported on June 21.

Wa, reputed to be the biggest drug organization in the world, has promised
to be drug-free by 2005.

MONEY

AFX June 26 2003

BAT says will only leave Myanmar if UK govt, EU declare ban

  British American Tobacco PLC said it will only leave Myanmar if the UK
government has officially declared a ban on British companies to do
business there.
    "At the moment, we have no intention of pulling out. That's our
position," a BAT spokesman said.
    However, if the UK government or the European Union decide to impose
sanctions on the country, "then we won't do business there."
    "We'll do business in countries if it is legal to do so," he stressed.
    BAT operates in Myanmar in partnership with the Burmese government. It
currently employs about 500 people there.
    BAT's reaction came following newspaper reports claiming that the UK's
biggest tobacco manufacturer is facing direct pressure from the
government to review its commercial involvement in Burma, as ministers
step up efforts to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the
country's pro-democracy opposition leader.
    The spokesman said that the Myanmar economy is in bad shape and
withdrawing its operations there will only make the situation worse,
particularly for its 500 employees.
    "What we've always said is that we're a business.  We're not the
government, or an international statesman.  We'll do business in
countries if it is legal to do so," he said.
    He confirmed that Martin Broughton, BAT chairman, is meeting with
foreign minister Mike O'Brien to discuss the issue.
    The meeting, he said, was set up upon the request of BAT.
    "We're not being summoned to the foreign office. We wrote to the
foreign office six weeks ago suggesting that a formal meeting be held
to discuss the matter," he said.

REGIONAL

Philippine Star June 26 2003

Roco urges Myanmar to release Suu Kyi

Former Sen. Raul Roco appealed yesterday to the ruling military junta of
Myanmar to release detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and either reconvene
the old congress that was elected in 1990 but was abolished by the junta,
or hold new democratic elections in the country, with the participation of
Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy.

The military took Suu Kyi into custody, purportedly to protect her from
harm, after suspected henchmen of the junta attacked her group late last
month. Government reports from the capital of Yangoon said four people
were killed in the clash, but unconfirmed reports say as many as 70 of her
followers may have been killed.

The Burmese opposition leader and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace
is held incommunicado in a secret location. She has spend much of the last
14 years under house arrest, the longest being for seven years, from 1989
to 1995.

Said Roco: "All over the world, from Eastern Europe to South America to
Asia and Africa, dictatorships have fallen to the inexorable march of
freedom and the determined fight of the people for their right to elect
the government of their choice."

Recalling the appeals he had made over the years for the release to
freedom of the widely respected woman leader of the former Burma, Roco
said that "the military generals cannot forever ignore the outrage of the
international community over the continuing suppression of democracy and
human rights in that country." He asked the junta to strongly consider
instituting democratic reforms and to effect the full restoration of the
political rights of the people of Myanmar.

An acknowledged fighter for the rights and welfare of women and the youth,
Roco expressed admiration for the courage of the Burmese opposition leader
and the defiant stand of her followers, many of whom are young students.

While still a senator, Roco had filed a series of resolutions expressing
and reiterating support for Suu Kyi and her fight for democracy in
Myanmar. These were Senate Resolution 448 filed in May 1996, followed by
Resolution 686 filed in Dec. 1996 and Resolution 859 of Sept. 2000. Roco
had also studied Suu Kyi’s case for the Inter-Parliamentary Union as
Philippine delegate and Asian representative to a meeting in Romania of
the IPU Committee on the Humans Rights of Parliamentarians.

Roco also expressed support for the position of the United States
government. He said he hopes that the Asean leaders would consider US
Secretary of State Collin Powell’s appeal for the regional group to exert
pressure on the Burmese military regime.

Powell had stated that Suu Kyi’s case "is not a matter of Asean
interfering in Burma’s internal affairs. It is a question of Asean
insisting that one of its members heed the deep concerns of its neighbors
and of the international community." Asean is composed of Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
and the Philippines.
_______

Kyodo News June 26 2003

ASEAN loses credibility because of Myanmar: Malaysia

Myanmar's military rulers have undermined the credibility of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Malaysia with their
recent rearrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Malaysian
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Thursday.

'We have managed to convince people outside of our region that ASEAN's
policy of 'constructive engagement' (with Myanmar) is working...but (the)
recent event that has taken place in Myanmar has become a setback,' Syed
Hamid told reporters.

'Not only Myanmar is questioned, ASEAN is questioned,' he said.

'Myanmar has to help ASEAN to gain back its credibility. People are
looking at whether ASEAN is doing enough,' he added.

Syed Hamid said he would like to meet with Suu Kyi, who has been held in
'protective custody' by the junta since May 30 following a clash between
her supporters and junta supporters.

'If I have the opportunity to see Aung San Suu Kyi, I would want to see
her,' he said.

Despite coming under criticism from some quarters internationally, the
foreign minister said, Malaysia has held onto its belief that
'constructive engagement' with Myanmar is the best way to bring about
political change there.

But Malaysia has ditched its long-held policy of non-interference by
calling on the generals to release Suu Kyi and for them and her National
League for Democracy to return to the negotiating table.

Still, Syed Hamid dismissed calls for sanctions to be imposed against
Myanmar, saying they would not achieve their desired effect and would only
hurt the citizens, not the junta.

He said Malaysia and Myanmar would remain 'good friends.' 'Good friends do
not depart company because we fail at something,' he said.

Malaysia, he said, 'has been instrumental in bringing Myanmar into the
ASEAN family,' referring to its 1997 admission as a full member.

ASEAN also includes Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

It was partly due to Malaysia's encouragement, Syed Hamid said, that U.N.
special envoy Razali Ismail, a Malaysian diplomat and an adviser to Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad, was able to achieve some notable successes in
the earlier stages of his efforts.

He cited the release of Suu Kyi from 19 months of house arrest in May last
year together with scores of other political detainees, which had led to
high hopes that talks on national reconciliation could begin.
___________-

Deutsche Presse Agentur June 26 2003

Thai PM calls for release of Suu Kyi, but warns Myanmar dissidents

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called on the military rulers of
Myanmar (Burma) Thursday to release jailed democracy campaigner Aung San
Suu Kyi, but he warned Thai-based dissidents to keep their protests
peaceful.

"The government will not allow anyone to create violence in the country,"
Thaksin told reporters at parliament. "If they do, strong suppression
measures will be taken against them."

Thai police arrested 11 members of the Thailand-based Myanmar dissident
group Democratic Federation of Burma on Thursday afternoon.

Contacted by mobile phone from Bangkok's Bang Kaen police station, one of
those arrested, Htay Lwin, said he had been interrogated by police but not
yet charged with a crime.

"We don't know why they arrested us," he said. "We don't like kidnaps or
violence. We only protest peacefully. We believe in the non-violent
strategy of our leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Security has been stepped up at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok following a
tip provided by Myanmar Military Intelligence that anti-government Myanmar
students in Thailand were planning to kidnap their country's ambassador.

Thaksin said the Thai government and other countries within the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were "not satisfied" with
Myanmar's response to worldwide demands for Suu Kyi's release.

"We also want to see the Burmese government release Aung San Suu Kyi as
soon as possible," Thaksin said.

Thaksin has been a strong advocate of ASEAN's engagement policy with
Myanmar, refraining from criticizing the country's ruling junta, but the
May 30 arrest of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has hardened attitudes
toward the junta, even by its apologists.

Last week ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in the Cambodian capital, Phnom
Penh, broke with their long-standing policy of non-interference in member
countries' internal affairs and called for Suu Kyi's release.

Japan followed up on Wednesday by suspending all economic assistance to
Myanmar, putting further pressure on the junta.

Thai Defence Minister Thamarak Isarankura said Thai officials have a list
of all Myanmar students living in Thailand and it was doubtful any of them
would try to mount a violent attack.

"But we can't be careless," he said. "We must make preparations before
anything happens."

Thai-based Myanmar dissidents were warned on Wednesday against staging a
planned anti-junta demonstration at the embassy on Thursday.

Only about half a dozen protesters showed up Thursday morning to protest
at the embassy, where they were vastly outnumbered by uniformed and
plainclothes Thai police.

Meanwhile, in the northern province of Mae Hong Son, the provincial
governor, Supot Laowansiri, said about 20 Myanmar former students living
at a refugee camp had escaped and were believed to have joined Myanmar
dissidents based in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

As a result, he said, security had been stepped up at the camp, in Mae
Salieng district, which houses about 40,000 Myanmar refugees, most of them
ethnic minority members facing persecution by the junta.

"We'll make sure they stay in the camp," Supot said. "We won't let them
use Thai territory for political purposes."

Panom Somwong, coordinator of the Chiang Mai-based Friends of Burma
Coalition, said the Thai government appeared to be swallowing the Myanmar
junta's propaganda.

"The Burmese students in Thailand have never planned to do anything like
the junta claimed," Panom told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "That's
against the law. The junta are the ones who broke the law when they
arrested Aung San Suu Kyi."

"The kidnap story might have been created by the junta as part of a
political game," she added. "We're afraid that if the Thai government has
been tricked into believing the junta, they might make it harder for us to
carry out our political activities."
_________

Irrawaddy June 26 2003

Plans to Raid Embassy Denied
By Naw Seng

Burmese students in Thailand today denied news reports warning of their
involvement in a possible raid on the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. Exiled
student leaders said the accusation was a ploy by the Burmese junta to
destabilize relations between pro-democracy groups and neighboring
countries.
Thai police beefed up security at the Burmese Embassy and the ambassador’s
residence yesterday after being tipped off by Rangoon. The regime informed
Thai authorities that Thai-based opposition groups might storm the embassy
compound and kidnap diplomats in an effort to win the freedom of Aung San
Suu Kyi. The Burmese opposition leader has been detained since the May 30
clash in Upper Burma.
Than Khe, Chairman of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, denied
that students in Thailand were planning any action against Burmese Embassy
staff. "Our targets are inside Burma and we never violate the laws of
neighboring countries," he said.
Than Khe also criticized Rangoon for providing false tips to Thai
intelligence officials. "This is a unilateral act aimed at splitting
pro-democracy groups and the governments of neighboring nations," he said.
Thailand’s Special Branch police commissioner Lt-Gen Chumpol Munmai said
Burmese students in Thailand told authorities they had no plans to kidnap
Burmese diplomats in the capital. The commissioner still cautioned
activists. "We have warned Burmese exiles to respect Thai laws and keep
their demonstrations peaceful," Chumpol said.
In October 1999, pro-democracy activists from the Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors raided the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, taking more than 200
hostages. The embassy siege ended without violence when the Burmese
students were returned to their jungle base.
___________

Agence France Presse June 26 2003

Malaysia steps up pressure on Myanmar junta over Aung San Suu Kyi

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, June 26 (AFP) - Malaysia, which was pivotal in
bringing Myanmar into the 10-member ASEAN group, Thursday stepped up
pressure on the junta to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told a news conference that the
credibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had been damaged
by Aung San Suu Kyi's detention, which he described as a set-back for the
region.

"Myanmar has to help ASEAN to gain back its credibility," he said, urging
the military rulers to release her as soon as possible. "Not only Myanmar
is questioned. ASEAN is also questioned."

Implicitly recognising Malaysia's special responsibility on the issue,
Syed Hamid noted that Kuala Lumpur had been instrumental in getting
Myanmar into ASEAN in 1997, when the junta was already an international
outcast.

"There were a lot of adverse comments in Malaysia's drive to allow the
admission of Myanmar. We managed to get Myanmar's entry endorsed by all
ASEAN countries," he said.

Syed Hamid said that as Malaysia was a "good friend" of Myanmar, he should
be given an opportunity to meet Aung San Suu Kyi.

He had asked Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung to facilitate this when
they met on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Cambodia last week. A
similar request last year was refused.

Syed Hamid said once Suu Kyi was freed both parties should return to the
peace process so that Myanmar was not excluded from the international
community.
__________

Agence France Presse June 26 2003

China says it will not pressure ally Myanmar over Aung San Suu Kyi

BEIJING, June 26 (AFP) - China said Thursday it will not exert pressure on
ally Myanmar to free detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, despite
growing international condemnation of her detention.

"The question of Aung San Suu Kyi is very clear: it belongs to the
internal affairs of Myanmar and it's between the government of Myanmar and
the opposition party," foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan said.

"We believe that the people and government are capable of handling that
properly.

"Basically, China is not in favour of exerting pressure to others. It will
not be helpful to solve the question, rather it will complicate it."
_________

Agence France Presse June 26 2003

Japan seeks meeting with Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi

Japan has asked Myanmar for a meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi as it stepped up pressure along with the international community
against her detention, a senior official said Thursday.

Japanese Ambassador to Myanmar Yuji Miyamoto is seeking to meet Aung San
Suu Kyi "as soon as possible," Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano
told a news conference.

The request has been made to Myanmar's Home Affairs Minister Tin Hlaing,
Yano said. "The home affairs minister has replied that he would make
utmost efforts on the matter."

On Wednesday, UN special envoy Razali Ismail told Japanese Foreign
Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi here that Suu Kyi was being detained in a prison
when he was allowed by the ruling junta to meet her on June 10.

Razali, a former Malaysian diplomat, told Kawaguchi that Aung San Suu Kyi
was staying in a "small, concrete hutch" located in a Yangon prison,
according to a Japanese briefing. The envoy added she was kept in "poor
surroundings."

A foreign ministry official said Wednesday that Japan would freeze new
financial aid as "pressure" on the junta to release the Nobel peace
laureate. "As one of the largest donor countries, we will use financial
pressure."

Yano said was told by leaders of the junta on Monday that Aung San Suu Kyi
was not in a prison.

The democracy leader and several supporters have been in custody since May
31, when they were arrested during a political tour of northern Myanmar.

The arrests, which sparked international outrage, followed an attack on
her entourage by a junta-backed mob that left four dead.

INTERNATIONAL

Xinhua News Agency June 26 2003

US tightens economic attack against Myanmar's drug dealers

US government had tighten economic attack against the Myanmar's United Wa
State Army (UWSA), which is regarded as the biggest narcotic producer and
trafficker in the region, and hoped the measure could move the war on drug
forward.

An US anti-drug official was quoted by the Bangkok Post Thursday as saying
that it had been completely illegal for any American company or any
foreign company trading with the US to do any business with the UWSA or
it's leader Wei Hsueh-kang.

Wei and the UWSA had been blacklisted with a number of Latin American drug
cartels and their leaders together under a sweeping law known as the drug
kingpins act in early June, the report said.

Until now, only former Shan group heroin warlord Khun Sa has ever been on
the kingpin list of US from Southeast Asia.

The drug kingpin legislation, passed late in the administration of
President Bill Clinton, provides for major fines and heavy prison
sentences against companies and executives who break the law.

The US official said that the effect of the listing of Wei and the Wa gang
is very widespread as no bank, no company, no individual can do any
business at all with Wei, his UWSA in or through the United States.

This is a big step forward in helping to combat the Wa drug dealers, he
noted, adding that the measure had achieved major success in Mexico and
Colombia.

The UWSA has been accused of being the main force behind the millions of
methamphetamine pills flooding Thailand on a weekly basis.

The US State Department says the 20,000-strong UWSA is the world's largest
drug-trafficking army while a US federal court has convicted the deputy
chairman of the UWSA Wei Hsueh-kang.
__________

Times (London) June 26 2003

Blair threatens sanctions if Suu Kyi is not released
By Richard Beeston

Britain stepped up pressure against the military Government in Burma
yesterday, demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy
leader, and warning Rangoon that it faced further sanctions if it did not
comply.

As part of concerted international action against the junta, Tony Blair
said that Britain had made "the strongest possible representations" to
Rangoon, and called on British companies to stop trading with Burma.

As he spoke, Kyaw Win, the Burmese Ambassador to London, was summoned to
the Foreign Office to be rebuked by Mike O'Brien, the minister responsible
for the region.

The envoy was told that Britain wanted the release of the Nobel Peace
Prize-winning opposition leader immediately and required direct contact
with her to establish her well-being.

Daw Suu Kyi and her supporters were attacked on May 30 by government
vigilantes as they travelled in a convoy near the city of Mandalay.
Several pro-democracy supporters were killed and their leader was taken
into "protective custody". She has been allowed one meeting with Razali
Ismail, the United Nations special envoy to Burma, on June 10 at a
government guest house.

Although Burmese authorities insist that the action was taken to protect
Daw Suu Kyi, British officials fear that she is being held under security
legislation that allows the detention of a suspect for up to five years.
They believe that she is being held in the notorious Insein prison, a
claim that has been denied by the Burmese authorities.

Speaking in the Commons, the Prime Minister said: "We have made the
strongest possible representations, not merely in respect of the release
of the leader of the opposition, but also the restoration of proper human
and democratic rights, and the European Union also issued a strong
statement at the European Council.

"We are making it clear to British companies that we do not believe this
(trade) is appropriate in circumstances where this regime continues to
suppress the basic human rights of its people," he added.

Mr O'Brien will discuss the matter next week with Martin Broughton, the
chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT), which employs about 500 people
in Burma.

A spokeswoman for the company said that BAT would continue to do business
in Burma in a "responsible manner". She said that it was not the company's
responsibility to conduct "international diplomacy", but that it would
comply with any government legislation.

Premier Oil, which was once Britain's largest investor in Burma, said that
it had decided to pull out of the country last year and that the deal
completing its withdrawal would be finalised next week.

British officials conceded that it was unlikely that an international
trade embargo would be imposed against Burma, which has close ties to
China and strong trading links with France.

Britain wants to avoid further isolating the country and international
trade sanctions would probably only harm the already impoverished civilian
population.

Nevertheless, the international community is clearly ready to increase the
pressure on Rangoon.

Since Daw Suu Kyi's arrest, the European Union has reimposed sanctions,
including a restriction on foreign travel for senior junta figures and a
freeze on non-humanitarian economic aid to the country. Burma is also
subject to an arms embargo and a ban on military links. Jack Straw, the
Foreign Secretary, said that the travel ban could be expanded to include
senior managers of state-run enterprises and other government officials.

In Paris, the Burmese envoy was summoned for a rebuke by the Foreign
Ministry.

Japan is to freeze aid unless the authorities release Daw Suu Kyi, the
leader of the National League for Democracy, which won a landslide victory
in 1990 but was prevented from taking power by the military.__________

Agence France Presse June 26 2003

US to freeze assets of Myanmar leaders, ban remittances
by MAXIM KNIAZKOV

Washington is preparing new sanctions against Myanmar that would freeze
personal assets of members of its ruling military junta and ban
remittances from its nationals working in the United States, a senior
administration official said.

The proposed measures, announced Wednesday by US Assistant Secretary of
State James Kelly, are part of efforts by the administration of President
George W. Bush to step up pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta and bring
about the release of jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"We are preparing an executive order for the president to freeze the
assets of (junta) members, and ban remittances to Burma from the United
States," Kelly told members of the House Subcommittee on East Asia and the
Pacific. "We are supportive of legislation that would place restrictions
on travel-related transactions."

He did not elaborate, and White House and State Department officials were
unable to say when the order will be signed.

Members of Myanmar's military regime insist Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1991, was put under temporary "protective custody" at an
undisclosed location after May 30 clashes, which broke out when she and
her supporters toured northern regions.

According to British officials, she is being held at the Insein prison
complex on the outskirts of Yangon, the capital.

But Kelly said the junta's claim that the pro-democracy caravan had
provoked the incident was "nonsense."

He insisted Suu Kyi had fallen victim of "a premeditated attack" that was
launched on her by "government-affiliated thugs" and left many injured and
some dead.

Kelly said the US government was appalled by reports that Suu Kyi was
being detained without access to visitors.

"We again call for her immediate release and that of the leadership of her
party, the National League for Democracy," he stated. "We call for the
formulation of a concrete plan to restore democracy in Burma."

The upcoming measures seek to build on sanctions already in effect, or are
expected to be enacted against Myanmar soon, according to administration
officials.

The State Department has already slapped new restrictions on visas issued
to officials from the Southeast Asian nation, and Congress is about to
follow suit.

Earlier this month, the US Senate passed a bill that bans import of goods
manufactured both in Myanmar and by offshore companies owned by the junta.

It also calls from freezing Myanmar government assets in the United
States, requires Washington to oppose loans for Myanmar in international
financial institutions, coordinate its visa ban with the European Union,
and offer greater support for local democracy activists.

In a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell last week, Republican
Senator Mitch McConnell, a sponsor of the bill, urged Powell to further
downgrade diplomatic relations with Myanmar by sending its ambassador back
to Yangon and not allowing him back until Suu Kyi and all other political
prisoners were free.

McConnell also said the administration must persuade Asian countries to
join the United States in this campaign.

"Bidding for despots is never a safe bet, and I would encourage those
countries -- including Japan, India, Malaysia, China, and Thailand -- to
rethink the dangers inherent to cooperating with an illegitimate regime,"
he said.

The message was echoed by Assistant US Trade Representative Ralph Ives,
who called on members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations "to
act decisively to address the problems in (Myanmar) that affect the
region."

A companion bill targeting Myanmar has been introduced in the House of
Representatives.

Kelly said the administration would support efforts to restrict imports
from Myanmar as long as the president was given the authority to waive the
ban at the time of his choosing.

OPINIONS

Far East Economic Review July 3 2003

THE 5TH COLUMN
Asia Must Support Suu Kyi
By Jody Williams
Issue cover-dated July 03, 2003

The writer is the 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate, and ambassador for the
International Campaign to Ban Landmines

Breaking with its policy of noninterference, Asean recently urged the
government of Burma to free Aung San Suu Kyi, detained since May 30 along
with several other members of the National League for Democracy following
an attack on her motorcade while on tour in the north of the country.
While Asean's statement was a very welcome step, more needs to be done to
secure liberty for Suu Kyi and her fellow Burmese.

On February 18, I met Suu Kyi at her home in Rangoon. It was the first
successful meeting of another Nobel Peace Laureate with Suu Kyi since she
was awarded the peace prize in 1991. We talked about the situation in
Burma since she was freed from house arrest last year.

Our discussions are borne out by recent events. Last year, it was hoped
that her release would signal steps towards a democratic government in
Burma. But in our meeting, Suu Kyi talked about the fact that there had
been no dialogue between her party and the State Peace and Development
Council, the military junta. Suu Kyi was clear that "there is no way for
the SPDC to escape dialogue" if there is to be a peaceful transition to
democracy. Unfortunately, not only did the stalemate continue, but now
violence also has been visited on Suu Kyi and her party.

Even before the May 30 attack, the junta had been increasing its
harassment of Suu Kyi and the NLD. In the first 10 months after her last
release, there were detentions of about 60 new political prisoners, some
of whom subsequently received long sentences. An estimated 1,400 political
prisoners remain behind bars. And even when we spoke in February, Suu Kyi
had noted that the regime had stepped up its propaganda attacks against
the NLD and had launched a "pamphlet campaign" slandering her. Then on May
30, during her ill-fated trip north to mark the anniversary of her last
release, the SPDC decided to remove her from the public eye. The
anti-democracy crackdown that followed included the arrest of several more
NLD leaders.

Calls have been made all over the world for the immediate release of Suu
Kyi and the others detained along with her. The addition of the very
important voice of Asean is most welcome. But this is a bare minimum.
International pressure must be increased on the SPDC to release Suu Kyi
and her fellow detainees, and then engage her and the NLD in a full and
open dialogue for the purpose of a transition to democracy in the shortest
possible term. It has been 13 years since the NLD won overwhelmingly in
national elections and it still has not been allowed to form the
government the people of Burma called upon it to do.

In our meeting, Suu Kyi was clear that her party was unflinching in its
call for the strengthening of economic sanctions against the military
junta, that all outside investment should cease and tourists should not
give their money to the dictatorship by visiting Burma. For indeed, the
international community must do more to support democracy in Burma. It is
not enough that the United States and the European Union are increasing
sanctions against the regime. Too many of Burma's neighbours have argued
that the best route to change is through constructive engagement. But the
people living and struggling daily to bring democracy to Burma--Suu Kyi
and the democracy movement--express no doubt about the need for continued
and stepped-up internal and international pressure. Burma's neighbours,
instead of increasingly engaging the SPDC, should firmly support the
domestic democracy movement by both word and action.

Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday was on June 19. When we met, we discussed the
hope that if the stalemate with the SPDC were soon broken and there was
meaningful movement towards political change, it would be possible for me
to freely bring a group of women to Burma to help her celebrate her
birthday. But that day has come and gone, and the situation in Burma has
turned from bad to worse. Words in support of political change in Burma
are important, but concrete action to bring the words to fruition is even
more important.

It was the international isolation and economic sanctions against
apartheid South Africa that helped the internal forces of that country
push for change and bring democracy to that nation. The international
community--and particularly Burma's neighbours--must unite in applying
effective political and economic pressure on the Burmese dictatorship
until it cedes power to those who earned it legitimately at the ballot
box.