BurmaNet News: September 19, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

September 19, 2003 Issue #2330

INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi undergoes successful major operation
FT: Surgery report renews fears on Suu Kyi's health
ADB: Myanmar Signs Agreement to Further Open Up Borders of Mekong Countries

DRUGS
Xinhua: Myanmar dismisses US charge for failure in anti-drug cooperation
TV Myanmar: Burmese Authorities Seize 22.56 kg of Heroin in Shan State North

MONEY
BP: Orders up for Burma's rice
Xinhua: China, Myanmar sign contract on building diesel engine plant
Guardian: Activist anger at Burma oil payout

REGIONAL
AFP: Myanmar military team begins Bangladesh visit amid growing ties
Age: Prohibition On Gambling Is Only A Borderline Issue

INTERNATIONAL
Nation: Burma tops first day of talks in Germany
DVB: Burmese activists stage anti-military junta demos to mark 15th
anniversary of bloody coup

EDITORIALS
UPI: Insider notes from UPI for Sept. 19: Burma/India relations


----INSIDE BURMA----

Agence France Presse   September 19, 2003
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi undergoes successful major operation

Myanmar's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was in stable
condition after a major operation Friday in Yangon, her personal physician
said.

"The operation took place today from 12:45 pm (0515 GMT) and lasted three
hours, but she was conscious all the time," Doctor Tin Myo Win told
reporters.

"She is in a stable condition and one hundred percent okay," he added.
"She is talking. She is going to be kept here for some time."

The doctor said he could not divulge the nature of the operation.

"It was not only a gynaecological condition" the 58-year-old Nobel
laureate was suffering from, he said during his five-minute briefing,
refusing to elaborate.

Tin Myo Win said he led the team of doctors that performed the operation
at the private Asia Royal Hospital, which diplomats described as one of
the best medical facilities in the country.

Suu Kyi, who has been held incommunicado at a secret location since being
detained during a May 30 clash between her supporters and a junta-backed
mob, was admitted to the hospital late Wednesday.

Several diplomats were seen bringing bouquets of flowers Friday and
gathering at the hospital, as reporters awaited news of the operation.

The doctor's announcement clarified earlier reports that Suu Kyi had
undergone an operation on Thursday.

Diplomats in the capital told AFP they had encountered difficulties
uncovering what was happening with the democracy icon.

"We have been trying to get a handle on what is going on," one said. "If
he (her doctor) has said she's okay, we'll have to accept that."

The hospitalization has renewed international concerns over the health of
the charismatic democracy campaigner, who has been seen by few people
since the junta took her into custody.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has visited her twice,
proclaiming her "well" after the most recent visit, on September 6.

Diplomats said they were pleasantly surprised that authorities had allowed
the physician to openly address reporters about the surgery, as a virtual
information blackout regarding Suu Kyi has been imposed by the military
junta since her detention nearly four months ago.

"It is excellent news, and I hope there will be further updates on her
condition in the next few days as the whole world is worried about her
health," a Western diplomat in Yangon said.

The US State Department on Thursday said Washington "remains very
concerned about Aung San Suu Kyi's situation."

Her detention has been widely condemned, with the United States and
European Union slapping economic sanctions on the impoverished state,
which has been under military rule for more than four decades.

Yangon has also come under unprecedented flak from members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the 10-member grouping
which accepted Myanmar as a member in 1997.

Analysts and diplomats in Yangon thought the surgery and convalescence
could offer the generals a way to move Suu Kyi from secret detention to
house arrest without appearing to bow to external pressure.

"They have a good humanitarian reason (to move her home) which would be an
opportunity not to be missed," the Western diplomat said, stressing that
ASEAN was expecting a gesture from the generals before its annual summit
in Indonesia next month.

Suu Kyi has already spent a total of seven and a half years in detention
during two previous stints of house arrest at her home on University
Avenue.

A second diplomat said the timing of the dissident leader's medical
operation could well be linked to a "face-saving measure" by the junta.

"That sounds perfectly sensible. This would now give them the opportunity
to have her leave hospital and put her back into her house."


Financial Times (England)   September 19, 2003
Surgery report renews fears on Suu Kyi's health
By Amy Kazmin

BANGKOK: Burma's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly
underwent surgery yesterday for an unspecified gynaecological condition,
an operation likely to prompt renewed calls for her release from military
custody.

A doctor at Rangoon's Asia Royal Cardiac and Medical Center told local
reporters for the Associated Press that the operation was a success, with
no complications, though details were not available.

The surgery will reinforce international fears for the health and welfare
of the 58-year-old Nobel peace prize-winner, who has been held virtually
incommunicado at an undisclosed location for the past 3 1/2 months.

Burma's ruling junta took Ms Suu Kyi into so-called "protective custody"
after her convoy was savagely attacked on May 30, as she neared the end of
a political tour. The arrest dashed remaining hopes that the junta would
enter into talks with Ms Suu Kyi and her party, National League for
Democracy, on a peaceful transition from four decades of military rule.

Ms Suu Kyi's detention has been widely condemned, with even Burma's
normally stalwart friends in the Association of South East Asian Nations
calling for her freedom.

Rangoon-based diplomats remain worried that Ms Suu Kyi's health could be
eroded by a prolonged confinement by a regime that considers her a threat.

Ms Suu Kyi was reportedly taken late on Wednesday to the hospital under
heavy police and military guard. Some hospital staff were warned not to
discuss her presence and the hospital administrator yesterday denied she
was there.

Meanwhile in Bangkok yesterday, Thai authorities arrested 15 Burmese
activists for holding a peaceful demonstration calling for democracy in
front of the Burmese embassy.

Thailand once provided a safe haven for Burmese dissidents, but Thaksin
Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, has ordered a crackdown on their
political activities and public criticism of Burma's regime. Companies
founded by Mr Thaksin and owned by his immediate family have close
business ties with the Burmese junta.


Asian Development Bank   September 19, 2003
Myanmar Signs Agreement to Further Open Up Borders of Mekong Countries

DALI, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - Myanmar became the last of the six
countries sharing the Mekong River to sign a cross-border transport
agreement today.

This is a major step towards further opening up the borders in the Greater
Mekong subregion (GMS).

Myanmar signed during the 12th GMS Ministerial meeting being held in Dali
City, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China (PRC).

Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam were the original signatories in 1999,
with Cambodia signing in 2001 and PRC last year.

The agreement aims to reduce nonphysical barriers to the free movement of
goods and people across international borders. Removal of constraints such
as complicated customs and immigration procedures, and the simplification
of vehicle and load specifications, and transit and user fees, will help
stimulate trade and private sector activity and improve the investment
climate.

Annexes and protocols that will provide the guidelines to implement the
agreement are being negotiated and are expected to be finalized by 2005
for full implementation by 2007. Smooth border crossings are an integral
component for transforming transport corridors into channels of economic
opportunity.

Mr. Khin Maung Win, Myanmar's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed
the agreement. This was preceded by the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) by ministers of the GMS countries, a requirement for
Myanmar's accession.

The MOU was signed by Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, Cambodia; Xijie
Hu, Vice Minister of Communication, PRC, Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Minister
in the Prime Minister's Office, Lao PDR; Khin Maung Win, Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar; Korn Dabbaransi, Deputy Prime Minister,
Thailand; and Tran Dinh Khien, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment,
Viet Nam.

To maximize the economic benefits of subregional transport projects,
non-physical constraints must be reduced to improve efficiency in
cross-border access and to cut waiting times at borders. ADB has provided
technical assistance grants to help the GMS facilitate the movement of
people and goods across borders.

To complement and accelerate such efforts, the GMS countries have agreed
to pilot test single-stop customs inspection procedures at selected border
crossings. This involves customs officials using harmonized inspection
procedures through shared facilities or mutual recognition.


----DRUGS----

Xinhua General News Service   September 19, 2003
Myanmar dismisses US charge for failure in anti-drug cooperation

YANGON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) --The Myanmar government has dismissed a charge
made by the United States that the country failed to discharge its
obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements.

A Foreign Ministry's statement, quoted by Friday's official newspaper The
New Light of Myanmar, said the US government's claim is patently untrue,
maintaining that the government has exerted concerted and sustained
efforts in the sector, having resulted in a dramatic reduction of poppy
cultivation and opium production.

Annual joint surveys of Myanmar and the United Nations Office on Drug and
Crime (UNODC) have shown a downward trend as a result of the government's
successful pre-emptive measures, it pointed out.

The statement went on to say that Myanmar is actively engaged in
sub-regional cooperation with China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam
with technical and financial assistance from the UNODC.

Besides, the country also has bilateral cooperation agreements with
Bangladesh, China, Laos, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam, it
added.

The statement, however, held that the drug menace is a  global problem
that can only be solved through international cooperation and that no
single country can surmount the challenge by itself.

The statement accused the United States of turning a blind eye to
Myanmar's anti-drug efforts and blamed the US's continued pursuit of a
path which it said is negative and in no way contributes to eliminating
drug.

US President George W. Bush certified on Monday that Myanmar was among a
list of 23 countries on the so-called "major's list" of narcotics
producing states which had failed to meet anti-drug commitments.

According to Myanmar, the US government has aided Myanmar with 68 million
US dollars during a period of 14 years from 1974 to 1988 mainly in
training Myanmar officials and for the spare parts and equipment used in
the drug eradication operations.

However, since 1988, the United States cut off not only its assistance to
Myanmar in drug eradication but also that in the economy on account of
political reasons.

According to a ground-survey report of the UNODC, Myanmar's opium poppy
cultivated area dropped 24 percent from 81,400 hectares in 2002 to 62,100
hectares in 2003, while its opium production declined from 828 tons in
2002 to 810 tons in 2003.


TV Myanmar, Rangoon, in Burmese   September 18, 2003
Burmese Authorities Seize 22.56 kg of Heroin in Shan State North

Acting on information, a combined team comprising members of the local
intelligence unit and special anti-drug squad waited at Ward No 7 in
Mongkoe, Shan State North, on 2 September. The team then searched
suspiciously-looking La Kwan, son of U Lauk Al, of Lwekan Village, Mongkoe
Township, and arrested him along with 10 blocks of heroin - a total of
3.56 kg - in his possession.

Similarly, acting on information, on 7 September, the combined team
stopped and searched a dark blue Toyota Hilux with the number plate 2Ka/
1948 en route from Lashio to Keng Tung at the Tapin collective check point
in Keng Tung Township. However, driver Law Ka (a) Shar Chan, of Yekan
Street in Ward No 5, Lashio, managed to escape. The authorities then
arrested Hsan Hmat (a) Pyi Saw, son of U Aik Saw, of Nantsam Road, Ward No
5, Lashio, who was in the car, and seized 57 blocks of heroin weighing 19
kg hidden in the fuel tank. It has been learned that the respective police
stations have opened the cases and taken action against the
above-mentioned defendants and seized the narcotics under the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law.


----MONEY----

Bangkok Post   September 16, 2003
Orders up for Burma's rice

Burma has received export orders for 450,000 tonnes of rice since it eased
restrictions on sales of the grain in April, a business journal reported.

The new policy allows the private sector to export surplus rice after
supplying enough for Burma's 52 million people. Previously, the government
held a monopoly on rice exports.

The Burma Rice Trading Committee, which oversees rice trade, said the
orders came from 17 sources abroad, the Myanmar Tank reported.

Burma exported 919,700 tonnes of rice in 2002. The report didn't say how
much rice was exported so far this year.

With its favourable geography and abundant water, Burma has the potential
to export as much as three to four million tonnes a year, says Vichai
Sriprasert, head of the Rice Exporters Association of Thailand.

Thailand is the world's biggest rice exporter. It exported more than seven
million tonnes last year.

Rice exporters must now pay a 10% tax, with the remainder divided equally
between the exporter and government.


Xinhua General News Service   September 19, 2003
China, Myanmar sign contract on building diesel engine plant

YANGON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) --A company from central China's Henan Province
and the Myanmar Industrial authorities signed a contract here Friday on
building a multi-purpose diesel engine plant for the latter.

The contract between the XJ Group Corporation of Henan and the Myanma
Automobile and Diesel Engine Industries (MADEI) of the Ministry of
Industry-2 involves a cost of 112 million US dollars.

Under the contract, the Chinese side will be in charge of the plant's
design, equipment supply, installation and test-run.

The plant, located at Bago division's Toungoo, 300 kilometers from Yangon,
is designed to produce 400 sets of 200-horse-power ( HP), 250 sets of
400-HP and 50 sets of 600 to 800-HP diesel engines annually.

On completion of the plant, it will be the first of its kind in Myanmar
and the products will be used mainly for ships and generators.


The Guardian (London)   September 19, 2003
Activist anger at Burma oil payout
By Terry Macalister

British shareholders could be in line for a "Burma payout", following
Premier Oil's move to exit the country run by a military dictatorship
through a Dollars 670m (pounds 407m) asset swap

The UK exploration and production group said a share buyback or special
dividend were two possible options for using some of the spare cash.

Premier announced 12 months ago that it was selling off its interests in
Burma's Yetagun gas field in return for Amerada Hess of the US and
Petronas of Malaysia selling their holdings in the UK firm.

The final deal has only just been completed, leaving Premier able to cut
its debt burden to pounds 15.9m, from a high of pounds 349m two years ago,
and still have a sizeable surplus.

"This all took a bit longer than we expected and we need to take a bit of
a breather. It (a shareholder payout) is something we have got very much
in mind but we have no immediate plans," said Premier chief executive
Charles Jamieson.

Human rights activists said last night that it would be wrong to hand back
cash generated in the south east Asian country to shareholders.

"This is blood money that Premier should hold in trust for the people of
Burma," said a spokesman for the Burma Campaign UK which waged a long
campaign to get Premier to leave the country.

Premier entered Burma 13 years ago and produced about 15,900 barrels of
oil equivalents a day during the first half of this year at Yetagun. That
increase in output helped Premier to almost double pre-tax profits to
pounds 71.2m in the six months to June 30 compared with the same period
last year.

Turnover rose 27% to pounds 146.1m reflecting higher output and stronger
global oil prices. Shares in the company fell 12 1/2 p to 362 1/2 p but
have recovered from a 52-week low of 232.5p on the back of progress in the
long-awaited restructuring. As well as its sale in Burma, Premier has
disposed of half its interests in Pakistan for Dollars 110m (pounds 69m).


----REGIONAL----

Agence France Presse   September 19, 2003
Myanmar military team begins Bangladesh visit amid growing ties

DHAKA: A 12-member military delegation from Myanmar arrived here Friday on
a six-day goodwill visit to Bangladesh, officials said.

The delegation, headed by Lieutenant General Aung Htwe of the defence
ministry, will hold talks with the chiefs of Bangladesh's army and navy,
among other defence officials, and pay a courtesy call to President
Iajuddin Ahmed, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The Myanmar team was greeted at the airport by senior Bangladeshi defence
official Major General A.M. Mahmuduzzaman and Myanmar's ambassador in
Bangladesh Ohn Thwin, a defence ministry statement said.

The visitors will also place wreaths at a memorial to Bangladeshi soldiers
killed in the country's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

The rare visit by a Myanmar military delegation here follows a series of
high-level visits between the two neighbours.

Dhaka's relations with Yangon soured in the early 1990s when around
250,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees flooded across the border into Bangladesh
claiming atrocities by Myanmar's military government.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has moved cautiously to build ties
with Yangon since her election in 2001, visiting Myanmar in March.

Myanmar's chief Senior General Than Shwe in December made the first visit
to Bangladesh by a leader of the junta, which took over in a 1988 coup.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Morshed Khan this week said construction of
the first road linking Bangladesh and Myanmar will begin this year.

The road, which would cross to Myanmar's Sittwe port town from Teknaf on
Bangladesh's southeastern tip, is seen by Dhaka as a way to move closer to
the economic giants of Southeast Asia.


The Age (Melbourne)   September 19, 2003
Prohibition On Gambling Is Only A Borderline Issue
By Michael Backman

Frustrated Chinese and Thai gamblers try their luck next door.

Chinese people like to gamble, perhaps more than any other group. China's
response is to ban gambling, particularly casinos. Thailand, with a large
local Chinese population, also bans casinos.

The consequence of this prohibition is that illegal casinos and gambling
dens have proliferated. The main beneficiaries are the police, who extract
huge bribes to look the other way. As a recent Political and Economic Risk
Consultancy report said of the police in Thailand, they may lack forensic
capability but they drive around in expensive European cars.

Another consequence of the ban is that no longer are China and Thailand
ringed by militarised zones and tanks but by casinos.

Casinos just inside the Russian, North and South Korean, Vietnamese and
Burmese borders ring China. South Korea even allows Chinese people
visa-free visits to the seven casinos on Cheju island.

Entry to the Seaview Casino in Rajin in North Korea is prohibited to North
Koreans - only mainland Chinese tourists are allowed to enter.

Its 52 slot machines and 16 gaming tables offer staples such as blackjack,
baccarat and roulette.

Casinos have proliferated along Burma's northern borders with China.
Several have been built in the town of Mongla, which on weekends is filled
with Chinese tourists who visit for the gambling and the prostitutes. The
Burmese Minister for Hotels and Tourism even toured them last year.

But the biggest draw for mainland Chinese gamblers who try to get around
their country's prohibition on gambling is Macau, where there are 11
casinos.

Thailand must contend with at least 21 casinos that ring the country from
just across its borders - 14 in Cambodia, five in Burma and two in Laos.
As many as 500,000 gamblers from Thailand are attracted to these casinos
each year. And the Thai Government has estimated that the gamblers lose
almost $US200 million ($A300 million) a year in them.

Poipet is the main gambling haven to which Thais head. It is in western
Cambodia, within easy reach of Bangkok. It has no fewer than eight
casinos. The first was established only in 1999 as part of Cambodian
Government policy to profit by helping Thai residents get around the ban
in their country.

"Legally speaking, we might be in Cambodia, but practically speaking, it
is in fact Thailand," one casino manager said.

More than a thousand Thais cross the border each day at Poipet. And how
far do they need to go to get to the casinos? Not far. The closest is 20
metres from the border.

The casinos have names such as Grand Diamond City, Golden Crown Casino and
Star Vegas, and are owned by investors from Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia,
Indonesia and China, with management teams drawn from as far afield as the
US, Britain, Australia and France. The latest to open is owned by Ho Wah
Genting, a listed Malaysian company controlled by Chen Lip Keong.

The larger Poipet casinos have huge gambling halls decorated with kitsch.
The Princess Hotel and Casino is the largest with 166 slot machines and 96
gaming tables. In total, the eight casinos have 939 machines and 482
tables.

The casinos are lavishly decorated in red and gold during Chinese New
Year, and thousands of Thais of Chinese descent flock to them.

The enormous wealth generated by the Poipet casinos was suggested in the
aftermath of the rioting that broke out in January 2003 in the Cambodian
capital Phnom Penh. Unsubstantiated reports of a Thai actress claiming
that the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia really belonged to Thailand
inflamed anti-Thai sentiment among many Cambodians. Thai interests in the
Cambodian capital were damaged badly, including the Royal Thai Embassy.

Thailand reacted angrily. It demanded that the Cambodian Government pay
financial compensation for the damage to its embassy. The Cambodian
Government agreed to pay the Government of Thailand almost $US6 million.
But it was strongly rumoured that the real source of the compensation were
Kok Ahn and Pad Supapa, two men who own casinos in Poipet.

Their interest in the matter? Thailand had closed its border to Cambodia
in response to the rioting, and this and other restrictions reduced the
ability of Thais to get to the Poipet casinos. The two men are said to be
extremely rich, and are close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Partners in the casinos that have been set up in Burma to lure Thai
gamblers include the families of several past and present Thai cabinet
ministers. One border casino in Laos is partly owned by the brother of the
Laotian Defence Minister.

What to do? Casinos along the borders of Thailand and China make a mockery
of those countries' gambling bans, and their governments lose much
revenue.

The Thai Government is now examining the feasibility of allowing casinos,
but not gambling rooms in existing hotels.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has declared that Thailand should have
big entertainment complexes such as Melbourne's Crown Casino.

The first is likely to open in the beach resort town of Pattaya near
Bangkok. This will kill off almost immediately the casino industry in
Poipet.

Australia's many casinos will probably feel the effect too, as Chinese
people in South-East Asia are attracted to Thailand's new casinos.


----INTERNATIONAL----

The Nation (Thailand)   September 19, 2003
Burma tops first day of talks in Germany

FOREIGN MINISTER Surakiart Sathirathai yesterday spent the first day of
his official visit to Germany discussing the political situation in
Rangoon with his German counterparts.

Surakiart is in Germany through tomorrow to boost bilateral economic ties
with Berlin, but the issue of the political situation in Burma proved
unavoidable.

Surakiart said that German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer had sought a
discussion of the 'road map' towards national reconciliation and democracy
in Burma.

'Fischer is interested in the road map and wants to explore the
possibility, if any exists, for the international community to help move
the plan ahead,' he said prior to a meeting with the German minister.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Germany,
which slapped sanctions on the junta following the arrest of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, had a 'moderate' attitude towards Burma. Berlin
may be interested in playing a significant role in moving the country
towards democracy and national conciliation, Sihasak said.

'Fischer expressed interest in the so-called road map when he met with
Surakiart in July on the sidelines of the Asia and Europe meeting in
Bali,' he added.

All efforts from outside to advance the road map halted after Burmese
Prime Minister Khin Nyunt released his own seven-step road map, which
included free and fair elections, though under an unclear time frame.

UN special envoy Razali Isamail delayed a visit to Rangoon in order to
give Khin Nyunt a chance to implement the plan.

The Thai and German foreign ministers were expected to explore ways for
the two countries to work together on the issue of Burma, Sihasak said.


Democratic Voice of Burma   September 19, 2003
Burmese activists staged anti-military junta demos to mark the 15th
anniversary of the bloody coup in Burma

Exiled Burmese democracy activists throughout the world have staged
anti-military junta demonstrations to mark the 15th anniversary of the
bloody coup in Burma which occurred on the 18th of September 1988.

Thousands of peaceful demonstrators who were demanding democracy and human
rights were pitilessly gunned down by soldiers in the streets of major
cities in Burma.

Burmese activists in New Delhi, India demonstrated on the Parliament
Avenue holding banners, posters and photographs of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and shouting demands for democracy and human rights in Burma. Dr Zaw Win
Aung, a democracy leader gave a speech urging people to work hard for an
end of military rule in Burma and replace it with parliament democracy
system. He also reminded them the sacrifices of people who gave up their
lives for the cause. The activists also sent an open letter to the Burmese
embassy demanding the SPDC to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all
political prisoners and start a political dialogue.

Democracy activists in Australia demonstrated in front of the Federal
Parliament building this morning. They also urged the Australian
government to reconsider its policy on the military junta in Burma and
take action on the regime in line with the international community.

Meanwhile, activists in Seoul, the capital of South Korea staged an
extraordinary demonstration by dragging a black coffin decorated with the
pictures of top Burmese generals along the streets all the way to the
Burmese embassy while shouting anti-military junta and pro-democracy
slogans. The coffin was intended to be burnt but because of heavy rains
the plan was cancelled and it was left behind at the embassy.

Similar demonstrations have been staged in other Thailand, European and
USA cities.


----EDITORIALS----

United Press International   September 19, 2003
Insider notes from United Press International for Sept. 19

Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, who has
just undergone a hysterectomy operation while still in official custody,
should not expect too much from the European and American sanctions
against the military regime. International solidarity is ebbing fast.
India's chief of naval staff, Adm. Madhvendra Singh, has just made a 4-day
official visit, accompanied by two Indian Khukri-class corvettes that will
engage in joint military exercise with the Myanmar navy. Delighted to see
their isolation ending, Myanmar's top brass, senior Gen. Than Shwe, newly
appointed Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and Foreign Affairs Minister Win Aung
all made a point of welcoming Singh in Yangon. Myanmar's Air Force chief,
Maj.-Gen. Myat Hein, has also just made a return to visit to India to
negotiate training and servicing facilities for Mynamar's new
Russian-built MiG-29 warplanes. India's interests are simple enough -- to
combat Chinese influence in Myanmar. Chinese electronic listening posts
and basing facilities in the Bay of Bengal are seen as a serious challenge
to New Delhi's command of the Indian Ocean.