BurmaNet News: October 10, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

October 10, 2003 Issue #2345

INSIDE BURMA
AP: Myanmar Blocks Suu Kyi Followers' March
DVB: USDA to become "legal political party"
AFP: Myanmar thanks ASEAN for praising, not criticising, at Bali summit
TV Myanmar: Reports of Premier’s Meetings in Bali, Indonesia
Kaladan: Five Rohingyas Sentenced for 7-Years Jail in Buthidaung

DRUGS
JEN: 8 mil. methamphetamine tablets seized at Thai-Myanmar border
SHAN: Business as usual in the north

MONEY
People’s Daily: China, Myanmar sign contract on power transmission

REGIONAL
Asia Pulse: India, Myanmar, Thailand to discuss joint road project in Dec

INTERNATIONAL
M2: O'Brien calls for ASEAN pressure on Burma to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

OPINION/OTHER
Economist: Regime unchanged
Korea Herald: ASEAN Must Solve Migrant Workers Issue


----INSIDE BURMA----

Associated Press Online   October 10, 2003
Myanmar Blocks Suu Kyi Followers' March

Myanmar authorities stopped followers of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi from paying their respects Friday at her Yangon home, where supporters
say the Nobel laureate is being detained, an official of her National
League for Democracy party said.

About 30 party members were turned away from a checkpoint at an
intersection near Suu Kyi's lakeside residence on the Full Moon Day of
Thadingyut marking the end of Buddhist lent.

Homage traditionally is paid to elders and teachers on the holiday. Most
of Myanmar's 42 million people are Buddhists.

Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

"We were told by security officers at the checkpoint near the roadblocks
that we will not be given permission (to proceed)," said Myint Aye,
chairman of a local NLD office in Yangon.

"We were even accused of trying to create trouble. We are not here to make
any trouble but to pay homage to our leader as it is our tradition."

On Sunday, Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung told delegates at a meeting
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bali, Indonesia, that Suu
Kyi was not in detention or house arrest but was recuperating from
surgery.

She has been home since Sept. 26, after spending a week in hospital for an
operation for a gynecological condition. Before her hospitalization, she
was held incommunicado at an undisclosed location by the military
government.

Suu Kyi, 58, was detained following a bloody May 30 clash between her
supporters and a pro-government mob while she was touring northern
Myanmar.

Her detention caused an international outcry, with world leaders such as
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for her release, and the United
States, Europe and Japan applying economic and political pressures.

The junta first said Suu Kyi was being held for her own safety, but later
said her detention was intended to safeguard public security. When the
military announced her return home from hospital, it did not mention what
restrictions she faced.

However, her personal physician, Tin Myo Win, said she would be held under
conditions of house arrest. Tin Myo Win visits Suu Kyi daily to check on
her health.

"We are here because Win Aung said she is not under detention," NLD party
official Myint Aye told The Associated Press.

The current junta seized power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy
uprising. It held elections in 1990, but refused to recognize the results
after Suu Kyi's party won.


Democratic Voice of Burma   October 9, 2003
USDA to become "legal political party"

Referring to a statement made by a secretary of the Mon State USDA (Union
Solidarity and Development Association), Free Mon News Agency has reported
that the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) is prepared to
transform the USDA into a legal political party.

At the annual meeting of the organization held on 17 September, the Mon
State USDA secretary officially addressed to members a USDA plan to take
stand as a national political party. It will compete in elections in
accordance with Gen Khin Nyunt's road map.

The news agency also stated that USDA township and district-level meetings
were continuously held in Mon State last month. Besides, there is a plan
to hold mass rallies on the 11th of next month (November) to support the
road map.

According to the news agency's reference on a statement made by a Mon
State USDA member, it has been learned that Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt
himself has ordered the organization of the mass rallies. He himself will
address a mass rally in Mon Sate.


Agence France Presse   October 10, 2003
Myanmar thanks ASEAN for praising, not criticising, at Bali summit

Myanmar on Friday thanked Southeast Asian nations for opting not to
criticise the regime at their summit this week, saying that "cooperation,
not confrontation" would help it shift to democracy.

Myanmar's military junta had been braced for a lashing over its detention
of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, at this week's Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Bali, Indonesia.

But despite its refusal to release Suu Kyi before the meeting, ASEAN
leaders hailed recent events in Myanmar as "positive developments" and
said international sanctions would not help promote democratic change.

"By working together as partners, the nations of ASEAN are showing that
cooperation, not confrontation, is the path to a just, democratic and
harmonious world," the junta said in a statement.

"The ASEAN partnership will also help Myanmar move toward its own goal of
a stable, peaceful democratic state," it said. "The Government of Myanmar
extends its thanks to the fellow members of the ASEAN."

The ASEAN resolution, which would have come as a great relief to newly
appointed Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt, also lent its support to his
new "roadmap" to democracy.

The initiative envisages "free and fair" elections and a new constitution
to be written in a national convention, but does not mention Aung San Suu
Kyi or any timeframe for reform.

"The ASEAN leaders agreed that the road map outlined by the Myanmar Prime
Minister is a pragmatic plan that deserves support, and agreed that the
developments so far have been positive," the statement said.

Analysts said ASEAN wanted to give the regime a chance to show it was
sincere about pursuing reforms, and extended the benefit of the doubt to
Khin Nyunt, who is reputedly a moderate figure among the generals.

However, Washington has pointedly disagreed with the Southeast Asian
leaders' assessment, noting that the junta continues to detain Aung San
Suu Kyi and other seniors members of her National League for Democracy.

The State Department said this week that it saw no "positive developments"
in Myanmar, where the opposition leader was put under house arrest last
month after four months of detention at a secret location.

"We don't see those and we don't see any need for a roadmap unless it has
the full participation of the opposition," said State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Friday gave the Yangon regime
another vote of support, dismissing the US criticisms and praising Myanmar
for explaining its domestic political situation at Bali.

"We have been told about progressive developments and we consider that
Myanmar has shown its responsibility as a member of the group by
explaining the situation to ASEAN," he told reporters.

Thaksin said he was optimistic about prospects for change in Myanmar and
that Thailand -- which has a prickly relationship with its neighbour --
would not pile on any more pressure as that would be counterproductive.

"Western countries do not understand the problem as they are too far from
the region," he told reporters.


TV Myanmar, Rangoon, in Burmese   October 9, 2003
(translated by BBC Monitoring International Reports)
Reports of Premier’s Meetings in Bali, Indonesia

Burmese Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt has met the leaders of China,
Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia during his trip to Bali to attend the
ninth Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this October. The
premier's plan to restore democracy in Burma was reportedly well received
by participants of the summit and by those taking part in sideline
bilateral meetings. China and Singapore both pledged to improve economic
ties with Burma, and the Malaysian premier stressed the importance of
issues being resolved without foreign interference. The following is the
text of the report by Burmese TV on 9 October

At the invitation of Madam Megawati Soekarnoputri, the president of the
Republic of Indonesian, Gen Khin Nyunt, the prime minister of the Union of
Myanmar (Burma) accompanied by SPDC (State Peace and Development Council)
Secretary-1 Lt Gen Soe Win and party on 6 October, left the Yangon
(Rangoon) International Airport on special aircraft to attend the ninth
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit, summits of the
ASEAN heads of state and government and heads of state and government of
the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and
ASEAN-India Summit which will be held in Bali, Republic of Indonesia.

Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt and party on their way to Bali, arrived on
transit to Singapore Changi Airport at 1215 (all times local). They were
welcomed at the airport by Mr Ho Cheng Heng representative of the Protocol
Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore; U Hla Than,
Myanmar (Burmese) ambassador to Singapore and Thura U Aung Htet, director
general of the Protocol Department of the Foreign Affairs of Myanmar.

The Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt and party stopped over at the airport's
special lounge for about an hour. Afterwards, they headed for Bali on a
special aircraft and arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport at 1550.
The Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt was welcomed on board by Mr Joko
Hardono, head of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Indonesia and U Kyaw Myint, the Myanmar ambassador to the
Republic of Indonesia.

The prime minister and party were welcomed by Mr Agum Gumelar, minister of
transportation of the Republic of Indonesia; Mr Wyoso Prodijowarsito,
Indonesian ambassador to the Union of Myanmar and members of the reception
committee; U Win Aung, minister for foreign affairs and U Kyaw Thu, deputy
foreign minister who arrived there in advance to attend the meetings of
ASEAN foreign ministers and ASEAN economic ministers, and staff of Myanmar
embassy in Indonesia. Later, Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt took the salute
of the guard of honour. Next, the prime minister and party arrived at Bali
Hilton International Hotel where they resided.

On 6 October, at 1700 Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt called on Mr Wen
Jiabao, Chinese premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of
China (PRC) at the Ball Room of Nikko Bali Resort in Bali, Republic of
Indonesia. Present together at the meeting with the Prime Minister Gen
Khin Nyunt were, Lt-Gen Soe Win, SPDC Secretary-1; U Win Aung, foreign
affairs minister; U Khin Maung Win and U Kyaw Thu, deputy foreign affairs
ministers; U Kyaw Myint, Myanmar ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia
and U Thaung Tun, director general of the Political Affairs Department.

Present together with the Chinese premier were Mr Hua Jianmin, state
councillor and secretary general of the State Council of PRC; Mr Li
Zhaoxing, foreign affairs minister; Mr Tian Qiyu, vice-minister of Public
Security; Mr Wang Yi, vice-minister of foreign affairs; Mr Yu Guangzhou ,
vice-minster of commerce and high-ranking officials. At the meeting, the
two leaders cordially discussed matters related to bilateral cooperation
between the two countries.

During the meeting Mr Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier of State Council of the
People's Republic of China said he is delighted to hear that Myanmar is in
peace and tranquillity and prosperous under the leadership of the SPDC
Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe. Regarding international relations China always
practice the five principles of peaceful coexistence. China considers that
every country has the right to sort out its own internal issues. China
desires unity, progress and development for Myanmar and also to promote
the bilateral relations. China will also promote more on the economic
cooperation with Myanmar. Especially, to cooperate in sectors - natural
resources production which is in abundance in Myanmar; basic
infrastructures; agriculture and forestry; nurturing human resources and
electricity.

Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt said status of relationship between Myanmar
and China is on most satisfactory level. The bilateral economic
cooperation is very effective. Myanmar is grateful to China for supporting
Myanmar in all aspects. The assistance of China for the development of
natural resources, infrastructures, agriculture and human resources are
very effective and beneficial. As China understands and sympathize with
Myanmar, so also Myanmar will always support and practice the one-country
policy of China. Later, he explained the laying down of future policy
programmes and the implementation of tasks in Myanmar.

On 6 October at 1730, Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt who is in Indonesia,
called on Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia
at the Bali Hall of Bali Hilton International Hotel. Present at the
occasion together with the Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt were, Lt-Gen Soe
Win, SPDC Secretary-1; U Win Aung, foreign affairs minister; U Khin Maung
Win and U Kyaw Thu, deputy foreign affairs ministers; U Kyaw Myint,
Myanmar ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and U Thaung Tun,
director-general of the Political Affairs Department.

Present together with the Malaysian prime minister were Dato' Seri Syed
Hamid Albar, foreign affairs minister; Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz, minister of
international trade and industry and the high-ranking officials. At the
meeting Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia
said that Malaysia is the country that firmly supports and stands for
Myanmar. He accepted that Myanmar affairs should be handled and solved by
Myanmar people only. He said Malaysia is a true and good friend of Myanmar
and would help Myanmar to its utmost and also believed Myanmar would
become a member nation on which ASEAN could rely.

Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt in return said he is very delightful and
expressed thanks to the Malaysia prime minister for his words based on
goodwill on Myanmar and the cooperation of Malaysia in all-round
development in Myanmar. He believed that the relationship and cooperation
between the two would further strengthened and developed in the future. He
thanked for the assistance rendered to Myanmar and the stand Malaysia took
on Myanmar as a true friend. He assured for the ongoing progress of
friendship between Myanmar and Singapore. The prime minister then
explained on Myanmar's future seven-point policy programme.

On 6 October at 1830 Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt who is in Indonesia,
called on Mr Goh Chok Tong, prime minister of Singapore at Room No 440 of
the Sheraton Laguna Hotel in Bali, the Republic of Indonesia. Present
together at the meeting with the Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt were,
Lt-Gen Soe Win, SPDC Secretary-1; U Win Aung, foreign affairs minister; U
Khin Maung Win and U Kyaw Thu, deputy foreign affairs ministers; U Kyaw
Myint, Myanmar ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and U Thaung Tun,
director general of the Political Affairs Department. Present together
with the prime minister of Singapore were Prof S Jaya Kuma, minister of
foreign affairs; Brig-Gen George Yeo, minister for trade and industry; Mr
Tan Chin Tiong, permanent secretary of Foreign Affairs Ministry and
high-ranking officials.

At the meeting, Mr Goh Chok Tong, prime minister of Singapore expressed
his thanks for being informed of the seven-point political programme of
Myanmar. He said Singapore wishes for the emergence of democracy in
Myanmar; that he wished success to the Myanmar government in implementing
the tasks; he understands the challenges which Myanmar had to confront;
and that he assumed Myanmar is the country with much potential for
economic growth.

Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt in return said that Singapore is not only
the major trade partner of Myanmar but also it is the country which
invests much in Myanmar. The prime minister expressed his thanks for the
assistance provided by Singapore on human resources development and also
for the support and encouragement in implementing of the future
seven-point policy programme for transmission of a democratic system in
Myanmar. He believed that friendly relations and economic cooperation
between the two countries would further developed and that Myanmar will
strive to reach the goal by implementing the future policy programme.


Kaladan News   October 10, 2003.
Five Rohingyas Sentenced for 7-Years Jail in Buthidaung

Buthidaung, Oct. 10: Five Rohingyas of Buthidaung Towship were sentenced 7
years jail each for a little bit extension of Madrasa by the Court No.2 of
Buthidaung Town in Arakan State on September 10, 2003, according to a
Madrasa teacher, named Mv. Anwar.

All victims hail from Ywet Nyo Taung village of Buthidaung Township and
were arrested by Nasaka (Border Security Force) of camp No.21 of Nasaka
area No.9 on February 2, 2003 by accusation of for extension of Madrasa
(Religious School) without permission of concerned authorities. The
arrested persons are Mv Araf Ullah, Mv. Fayas Ahmed, Salamat Ullah, Hafez
Ullah (Chairman of Madrasa Committee) and ex-Chairman Mostafa and three
other Madrasa teachers named Mv.Nurul Islam, Mv. Shoffi Ullah and he
himself, Mv. Anwar fled to Bangladesh to avoid the Nasaka’s arrest, he
further added.

One week later, the arrest of Madrasa Committee members, the said Madrasa
was completely demolished by the Nasaka of camp No. 21 of Nasaka area
No.9, said another Madrasa teacher named Mv.Shoffi Ullah.

The arrested persons were detained at the Nasaka camp No. 21 till June 16,
2003. During this time, foods have been provided from the victims’ homes,
but Kyat 500/- has been paid for each time to the gate sentry while the
relatives of the victims went to provide foods to the detainees at the
Nasaka camp, he further said.

They were detained in the Nasaka camp for two and half months without any
query. But, after bribing Kyat 600,000/- to the commander of the Nasaka
camp No.21, they have been transferred to the Buthidaung jail to frame
their cases, said Mv. N. Islam.

On September 10, 2003, the victims were sent to the Court of Buthidaung
Town, where the Magistrate sentenced them 7-years jail each without any
proper investigations as a little bit extension of Madrasa for lacking of
permission from SPDC authorities and not to comply the order of State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC), source further added.


----DRUGS----

Japan Economic Newswire   October 10, 2003
8 mil. methamphetamine tablets seized at Thai-Myanmar border

The Thai army on Friday seized 8 million methamphetamine tablets from
Myanmar at the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot, some 500 kilometers
northwest of Bangkok, military officials said.

Officials said village guards at Mae Gon Gan, located near the border with
Myanmar, found the methamphetamines inside 100 fertilizer sacks guarded by
a few Myanmar people who jumped into the river to escape to Myanmar soil
as soon as they saw the guards.

The Thai military then deployed troops to secure the border and seized the
drugs, officials said.

It is still unclear which Myanmar group was guarding the sacks containing
the methamphetamines.

However, some 250-300 Myanmar soldiers and 80 members of a pro-Yangon
ethnic Karen military group are positioned on Myanmar soil across from the
village, according to the officials.

Thailand has in recent years been faced with a flood of methamphetamine
tablets from neighboring Myanmar.


Shan Herald Agency for News   October 10, 2003
Business as usual in the north

Despite United Nations annual report that opium output in the northern
Shan State had dropped 50%, the drug trade in the border city of Muse
(pronounced Moo-zay), 129 miles north of Lashio, has changed very little,
according to informed sources.

"Prices went up as a result of increased suppression," said a local
businessman, "but, on the whole, it had no significant effect on the
trafficking."

He quoted current prices of drugs as follows:
Opium, old      1 viss (1.6 kg)                 400,000 - 500,000 kyat
Opium, new      1 viss (1.6 kg)                 300,000 plus kyat
Heroin  1 kg                    2.5 - 3 million kyat
Heroin  1 penicillin bottle     6,000 kyat (up from 4,000 - 4,500 kyat)
Khakhu  1 bag (50 balls)                5,000 kyat
(mixture of betel leaf, banana leaf and opium)
Methamphetamine 1 pill          300-1,000 kyat
(speed prices vary according to brands WY and 888 being most popular)

Another business man noted however that crackdown in the north had
diverted drugs more into China than to Lashio and Mandalay, 180 miles from
Lashio. "The buyers, most of whom are Panghsays (Chinese Muslims), take
care of the border crossings," said the same businessman.

"I'm sure big buyers have their own way to deal with the Burmese
officials, but I notice that small buyers carry them either in their
bowels or cattle bowels," said the first one.

China has placed its regular army instead of the paramilitary police since
June in an attempt to stem the cross border drug trafficking.


----MONEY----

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/   October 10,
2003
China, Myanmar sign contract on power transmission

A Chinese Sichuan company and the Myanmar electric power authorities
signed a contract Thursday in Yangon on provision of equipment to the
Myanmar side for a double transmission line project.

The contract is between the Sichuan Machinery and Equipment Import and
Export Co Ltd of China and the Myanma Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE) of
the Ministry of Electric Power.

Having a total length of 356 kilometers (km), the 230-kilovolt (kv) double
transmission line extends from Myanmar-China border's Ruili power plant in
the north to Myanmar's second largest city of Mandalay in the south.

Besides equipment for the transmission line, the Chinese side will also
provide equipment to three other sub-stations covered by the transmission
line.

Under the contract, the Chinese side is also responsible for the project's
site supervision, technical services and personnel training.

The 34.72 million-US-dollar project will be completed in 22 months.

The Ruili hydropower plant, which will start construction in November this
year and complete its construction in a 42 months period, is located in
northern Shan state of Myanmar, 90 km from China's border town of Ruili.

The installed generating capacity of the plant is 400 megawatts (mw) with
an annual generating capacity of nearly 3,022 million kilowatt-hours
(kwh), accounting for 35 percent of Myanmar's total installed generating
capacity.

Myanmar, which is in serious shortage of electric power, has a total
installed generating capacity of 1,165 mw. In addition to the power
shortage, the country's power transmission lines are also outdated and
unable to meet the people's living and economic development. On completion
of the project, it will greatly raise Myanmar's power transmission
capacity.

On behalf of respective sides, Yao Yuning, chairman and president of the
Chinese Sichuan company, and Sann Oo, managing-director of the MEPE signed
the contract and the event was witnessed by Myanmar Minister of Electric
Power Major-General Tin Htut.


----REGIONAL----

Asia Pulse   October 10, 2003
India, Myanmar, Thailand to discuss joint road project in Dec

An ambitious trilateral road project to connect India with Mayanmar and
Thailand may gather steam when the foreign ministers of each country meet
in New Delhi in December, India's External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha
said on Thursday.

"Technical level studies have been completed for the project and the three
foreign ministers have agreed to meet in December," Sinha said after
India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held wide-ranging talks with
his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra here.

Sinha was to meet his Thai and Myanmarese counterparts in Bali on the
sidelines of the India-ASEAN Summit on Wednesday but it did not
materialize due to heavy engagements.

Asked if India would provide funding for the much-delayed project, the
Indian External Affairs Minister said New Delhi was keen to push the
trilateral venture.

Another project under discussion is the modernization of the Dawai Port in
Myanmar. A road will link it with Kanchanapuri and Bangkok in Thailand,
connecting the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, thus reducing the
journey time for ships, Sinha added.

A Summit meeting of BIMST-EC (Bangaldesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and
Thailand-Economic Cooperation) will also be held in Phuket in Thailand in
February next to bolster economic ties among the five countries.


----INTERNATIONAL----

M2 Presswire   October 10, 2003
O'Brien calls for ASEAN pressure on Burma to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

In response to the statement by the Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) on the situation in Burma, FCO Minister Mike O'Brien said:
"Burma is in the grip of a military dictatorship. Aung San Suu Kyi is once
again under house arrest, as she has been for eight of the last 15 years.
Instead of positive developments, this year has seen the reactionary
regime in Rangoon move even further backwards.

"Burma's recent roadmap was a small but inadequate step; it has no
timeline, no serious political reform and leads nowhere. Where is the
substance? We need to see it if the regime wants to be taken seriously.

"I would like to see the ASEAN now engage in pressing the Burmese Junta to
release Aung San Suu Kyi, engage in negotiations with the National League
for Democracy and bring about national reconciliation.

"The brutality of the Burmese regime reflects badly on the whole South
East region".


----OPINION/OTHER----

The Economist   October 11, 2003
Regime unchanged

EVEN by the standards of ASEAN, it was a dismal performance. The leaders
of the other nine members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations
used their summit in Bali this week to ladle praise on to Myanmar for its
"positive" and "pragmatic" recent policies. These, it appeared, meant the
transfer of Myanmar's most famous citizen, the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi, from prison to house arrest, and the publication of a "road map" for
democracy. Since a return to democracy has been promised by Myanmar's
current junta ever since it took power in 1988, and since Miss Suu Kyi won
an election in 1990 that has never been recognised, the Myanmar map looks
as forlorn as the Middle Eastern one.

The disgraceful treatment meted out to Miss Suu Kyi is only the most
obvious outrage committed by South-East Asia's most repressive and
incompetent government. The generals do not just imprison thousands of
political prisoners: they have turned their country into a place where
life expectancy has collapsed to around 55, and growth has vanished. The
World Health Organisation ranks the efficacy of Myanmar's health system at
190 out of 191 nations.

When Myanmar was admitted into ASEAN's ranks in 1997, the best defence
against the charge that this was just a cynical attempt to exploit its
trees and oil was that engagement with its odious regime might lead to
reform. Anyone except the most terminally starry-eyed or self-serving
ought by now to have concluded that this policy has failed. Yet it is
hardly surprising that ASEAN membership has not led to more pressure:
ASEAN's other members have their own shortcomings.

Indonesia had already let it be known that it was not interested in
criticising fellow-members' domestic arrangements: Indonesia's president
presides over a bloated army whose violations of human rights are
widespread. The family of Thailand's leader has made a fortune from
business dealings with Myanmar's generals. Two of ASEAN's members (Vietnam
and Laos) are unreformed communist states, another (Brunei) an absolute
monarchy. Ironically, the most sustained effort to secure Miss Suu Kyi's
release has come from Malaysia, where a former deputy prime minister who
dared to challenge his boss, Mahathir Mohamad, has been in prison since
1998.

A more robust attitude towards Myanmar has come from the United States,
which has imposed tough sanctions on the regime, and the European Union,
which maintains lesser ones. Yet so isolated is Myanmar that only its
ASEAN neighbours, and China, have any prospect of bringing real economic
pressure to bear. This they have refused to do. Sanctions were ruled out
in Bali as "not helpful". The simple step of suspending Myanmar from ASEAN
until its record improves, which would express outrage without running the
risk of harming the innocent, was not considered.

ASEAN has a few good deeds to its name ()see page 70. It has lowered
tariffs between its members, and aims for a full free-trade area by 2020
though progress has been slow. It has started to talk about regional
security, though so far this is mostly just waffle. But even these
achievements run the risk of being undermined by ASEAN's complicity in the
gross abuses committed by one of its members.


The Korea Herald   October 11, 2003
ASEAN Must Solve Migrant Workers Issue

By Wahyu Susilo The Jakarta Post / Asia News Network Ahead of the ninth
summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week, a
number of issues had increasingly dogged the regional body's "harmony".
Among them was the political crisis in Myanmar with the detention of Aung
San Su Kyi.

The issue has further tested the principle of noninterference as more
member country representatives have been ready to be involved in disputes
in recent years. This seems to have been brought about by the transitional
process in a number of countries, such as the regime change in Indonesia
and the reduction in the influence it once enjoyed in the region through
the role of strong man president Suharto. It is therefore high time that
Southeast Asian leaders recognize their common problems and seek solutions
rather than hesitating at every step for fear of being accused of
"interference". The Indonesian government itself was criticized for
failing to act effectively compared to the Philippines when some 750,000
undocumented workers were repatriated from Malaysia in August 2002 and
some critics related this failure to Indonesia's reluctance to offend
fellow ASEAN member Malaysia, particularly Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohammad. For decades one common unresolved issue has been the protection
of migrant workers, even as the countries of ASEAN both send and receive
migrant labor. Two migration patterns are identifiable in this region: The
Mekong sub-regional migration and the migration within the ASEAN
archipelago. The first pattern covers areas where the River Mekong passes,
namely Thailand, as the destination for migrant workers In and Cambodia,
Burma, Laos and Vietnam, as the countries of origin of migrant workers. In
the case of the second pattern of migration, the destination countries for
migrant workers are Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei while Indonesia and the
Philippines are the countries of origin of migrant workers. Labor
migration in these two sub-regions of ASEAN are fraught with problems.
There is an influx of migrants, beggars and political refugees from Burma,
Laos and Cambodia in Thailand. Transnational mobility in this region has
also been made use of by syndicates involved in drug trafficking and also
in the trafficking of women and children. The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS
and drug dependency in this region is one result of this trend. In the
areas of the ASEAN archipelago, labor migration is marked by the presence
of undocumented migrant workers, violence against migrant workers and the
trafficking of women and children. This problem peaked with the
repatriation of hundreds of thousands of workers, as an effect of
Malaysia's repressive Immigration Act 1154A. A common platform on migrant
labor policies among ASEAN member countries has yet to be realized. ASEAN
has been left behind when compared with the South Asian Association of
Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which has produced a South Asian Regional
Convention to regulate migration and to prevent the trafficking of women
and children. Nearly all countries in South Asia are countries of origin
of migrant workers. For Southeast Asia, a regional convention is urgently
needed to create an equilibrium in the relationship between those
countries sending and those receiving migrant workers. ASEAN leaders
should follow up the initiative taken up by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary
Organization (AIPO) in its meeting in Jakarta last month which established
a legal instrument to provide protection for migrant workers by
accommodating this initiative in their national and regional policies.
Indonesia should form an alliance with countries where migrant workers
usually come from (particularly the Philippines) in order to improve their
bargaining position against destination countries for migrant workers. The
Philippines is so far the only ASEAN member country with a comprehensive
migrant labor protection policy. The political commitment of the
Philippine government is reflected in successfully concluded bilateral
agreements with Middle Eastern countries, states that Indonesia has always
found difficult to bring to the negotiating table for similar agreements.
ASEAN countries urgently need a commitment to formulate and implement the
minimum standard for safe migrant worker placement policies, they need to
exercise pressure to conclude a bilateral agreement among their members on
migrant workers with agreed minimum standards, and to prepare for an ASEAN
regional convention regarding migrant workers' protection and prevention
of the trafficking of women and children. If ASEAN addresses these issues
it would hopefully lead to less cases of abuse and even of unexplained
deaths among migrant workers in the region. This would remove potential
stumbling blocks in political interaction among ASEAN member countries
when it comes to issues related to the rights and the efforts of their
people seeking a better life across their national borders. Wahyu Susilo
is executive secretary of the Consortium for Indonesian Migrant Workers
Advocacy (Kopbumi). - Ed.