BurmaNet News, Nov 18, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

Nov 18, 2003 Issue # 2371
www.burmanet.org


INSIDE BURMA
BBC Monitor: Burmese leader Than Shwe stresses education in National Day
message
AP: Myanmar opposition holds biggest gathering since May 30 bloodshed
AFP: Myanmar's democrats call on junta to begin dialogue, release prisoners
BBC Monitor: Coal deposits discovered in Burma's Shan State
Irrawaddy: Kachin Leaders Will Attend National Convention

ON THE BORDER
Network Media: Chin National Front holds its Third Conference

DRUGS
Shan: More poppy fields reported
Xinhua: Myanmar drug trafficker shot dead in Thailand

MONEY
Xinhua: Myanmar's foreign trade down in first 3 quarters
Nation: PTTEP pins hopes on overseas expansion to fuel its growth.
Bangkok Post: Thailand Electricity Authority Says PTT Supply Monopoly
Should End

REGIONAL
Mizzima : Burmese Refugees Protest against the detention of 43 Burmese in
Delhi jail

OPNION / OTHER
Nation: THE Wonders Of 3 Cultures: Ethnic cooperation in Pagan
Asahi News Service: Activist's case draws ire over nation's asylum record
2004-05 CCHS Human Security Fellowship Competition



INSIDE BURMA
____________________________________________
Nov 18, BBC Monitor
Burmese leader Than Shwe stresses education in National Day message

SOURCE: The New Light of Myanmar web site, Rangoon, in English 18 Nov 03
Text of report in English by Burmese newspaper The New Light of Myanmar
web site on 18 November
The following is the translation of the message sent by Chairman of the
State Peace and Development Council SPDC Commander-in-Chief of Defence
Services Senior Gen Than Shwe on the occasion of the 83rd Anniversary of
National Day.
All the national people
Today is the 83rd Anniversary of National Day, the day on which the
national movement for Myanmar Burmese independence struggle was launched.
The day the national movement went into action will ever be chronicled in
Myanmar history of independence struggle.

Myanmar people with a high standard of culture and literature have never
yielded to any foreign aggression in the course of history, but have
always repulsed it courageously in order to uplift national prestige and
integrity. In Myanmar history, although the national sovereignty was lost,
Myanmar national races had been able to restore it after regaining
independence based on the love of the nation, patriotism and union spirit.
History bears witness to this fact.

The government has been implementing education promotion programmes
designed to contribute to the prevalence of peace and tranquillity and
development of the nation in the basic education sector and higher
education sector since 1998. A 30-year long-term national education
promotion plan has been laid down and is being implemented in the
education sector, the medical science sector and the science and
technology sector since the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
Under the national education promotion programme, opportunities for
learning have been opened up to all the children throughout the nation
thanks to the full participation of parents and well-wishers in the school
enrolment programme for all school-age children. Nowadays, over 7.64
million students are pursuing education at 40,121 basic education schools.
Extended programmes for adult literacy and promoting the reading skills of
neo-literates are being implemented in the states and divisions.

In the higher education sector also, more doctorate courses as well as
those designed to meet regional needs under the arrangement of human
resource development centres are being conducted for the emergence of
highly qualified human resources. In addition, more universities and
colleges complete with electronic equipment have been opened across the
nation after designating the 24-development zones. At present, some
900,000 trainees are pursuing education at 154 universities and colleges;
and 299 doctorate holders have been turned out.

With the advancement in science and technology, it is necessary to develop
human resources capable of overcoming the challenges posed by the
socio-economic life of the 21st century and to inculcate union spirit and
patriotism in the children from the basic education level so that there
will emerge the new generation youths who are capable of successfully
discharging the duties for perpetuation of independence and sovereignty of
the State.
Perpetuation of independence and sovereignty of the State is the lifeblood
of the State and the entire people. To build a modern and developed
democratic nation, the State, fully joining hands with the entire people,
has laid down the seven-point future policy programme of the State based
on the four political objectives in accord with the national policies
non-disintegration of the union, non-disintegration of national solidarity
and perpetuation of sovereignty.

For the emergence of a peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation,
stability and tranquillity of the State, strengthening the economy of the
State and the people and promotion of the national education standards are
of vital importance for the emergence of discipline-flourishing democratic
practices in conformity with the historical traditions of the union that
has always stood united, and cultural traditions and national character
preserved and enhanced generation after generation. Furthermore,
seven-point future policy programme of the State laid down for the
emergence of the new enduring state constitution and new, modern,
developed democratic nation must be unitedly implemented with patriotism,
nationalistic spirit and Union Spirit by the State and the entire national
people.

Therefore, I would like to urge all the national people in all seriousness
to exert efforts with full national strength in accord with the objectives
of the 83rd Anniversary of National Day:

(a) Keeping national spirit alive and dynamic and uplift of national
prestige and integrity
(b) Uplift of national education
(c) Perpetuation of independence and sovereignty of the State
(d) Success of seven-point future policy programme of the State
________________________________
Nov 18, AP
Myanmar opposition holds biggest gathering since May 30 bloodshed

Myanmar opposition members marked the 83rd anniversary of National Day on
Tuesday with their biggest gathering since party leader Aung San Suu Kyi's
arrest on May 30 after a bloody clash.

National Day commemorates the boycott by Rangoon University students 83
years ago in an act of defiance against British colonial rulers. The
rebellion inspired Myanmar's independence movement.

The anniversary is not celebrated fervently by Myanmar's military
government. A media message by the junta's leader Than Shwe urged people
to join hands to achieve "a modern democratic nation."

However, it is regularly commemorated by Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy party at its headquarters with speeches by its leaders.
Since the NLD party offices were closed by the junta, party members
decided to hold the ceremony this year at the Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar's
biggest Buddhist temple, which houses an off-white stone monument
inscribed with the names of 11 student leaders who led the 1920 university
boycott.

About 100 NLD members - wearing peach-colored party jackets with badges
showing a fighting peacock - paid tribute at the stone monument on a
terrace at the golden domed pagoda.

It was the biggest assembly of NLD members since the May 30 clash between
a pro-junta mob and Suu Kyi supporters in northern Myanmar. The fighting,
which led to her arrest, left dozens of pro-democracy activists dead,
according to the NLD. The junta claimed only three died.

Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in Yangon. Some supporters, including
top members of the NLD, also continue to be held.

The stone monument at the Shwedagon Pagoda was encircled by a security
barricade, and the NLD members bowed as they walked past it silently.
Security officials told them to move along after they finished.

Dozens of police watched intently as security officials videotaped NLD
members, who linked hands and walked around the pagoda before leaving.
One NLD member told The Associated Press the activists originally planned
to make a pledge in front of the monument to strive for democracy, but
were ordered by authorities not to do so.

"So we had to leave just after paying tribute at the monument," he said,
speaking on condition of anonymity.

The current military rulers came to power in 1988, and refused to hand
over power when Suu Kyi's party won general elections in 1990.

The government says it is pursuing democracy with a seven-point "road
map", but has set no deadline for its implementation.

The plan has met with international skepticism. Western countries and the
United Nations have demanded that the regime release Suu Kyi as a first
step to show sincerity in its move toward democracy.

On Tuesday, the government said in a statement it released nine elderly
men and 49 women, either pregnant or with small children, from prison on
Monday
The statement gave no background details about the 58 released.
United Nations human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro recently urged
Myanmar to free an estimated 1,300 political prisoners currently
imprisoned, particularly the elderly.
_________________________________

Nov 18, AFP
Myanmar's democrats call on junta to begin dialogue, release prisoners

Myanmar's pro-democracy parties called Tuesday on the military government
to begin a sincere dialogue on political reform, saying it was the only
path to peace and national reconciliation in the country.

They also appealed for the release of some 1,300 political prisoners in
jail as well as others under house arrest, including opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi and top members of her National League for Democracy
(NLD).

The calls came in a series of statements read out at a ceremony to mark
National Day, which commemorates the first student boycott against the
British colonialists 83 years ago.

"We firmly believe that a tripartite dialogue involving the nation's three
biggest forces (the military, NLD and ethnic minority groups) is the one
and only way to peace and national reconciliation," said a well-known
group of veteran politicians, mostly aged in their 90s, who organised the
meeting.
They said that despite the many years that had passed since the 1988 mass
uprising which sparked a military takeover, and disallowed 1990 elections
won by the NLD, the people's pro-democracy ambitions remained unfulfilled.
And despite ceasefires with some armed ethnic groups, other insurrections
which broke out after independence in 1948 continued.

"Given these basic realities, it behoves the nation's three main forces to
get together and seek a peaceful solution leaving aside self-interest,"
they said at the ceremony held at a private home.

"We would like to remind the present leadership that procrastination and
dragging time will only lead the country into further depths of poverty."
Elected NLD MP Thein Myint, one of several members of the party who
attended the meeting together with representatives of ethnic groups,
deplored the fact his party was unable to operate, with its entire
leadership in detention.
NLD branch offices across the country have also been shut since May 30
unrest when a pro-junta gang ambushed Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy on a
political tour of northern Myanmar, after which she was taken into
custody.

"We have traditionally held National Day commemorative ceremonies
throughout the years but are unable to do so this year due to obvious
reasons," he said, calling for the unconditional release of the party's
leaders.

The NLD instead held an informal gathering at a Buddhist monastery in a
Yangon suburb where a group of around 100 members offered food alms and
recited "freedom prayers" for their leaders.

Myanmar's military government and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi began
historic contacts at the urging of the United Nations in October 2000 but
the process made little headway and collapsed completely with her arrest
in May.

Before then, ethnic political parties had complained they were not
involved in the fledgling reconciliation process. Their agreement would be
vital to any plans for political change in Myanmar.
______________________________
Nov 18, AP
Myanmar frees 58 prisoners after U.N. appeal

Myanmar's military government released 58 prisoners, including elderly men
and pregnant women, and promised Tuesday to free more people in the
country's "evolution toward a democracy."

A government statement said nine men above the age of 65 and 49 women
either pregnant or with young children were freed on Monday on
humanitarian grounds after their sentences were commuted.

The statement gave no details about their alleged crimes and background or
say if they were political detainees. It also made no mention of
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi - who is under apparent house arrest
- or her supporters who have been in detention since May 30.

The latest releases came a week after United Nations human rights envoy
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro urged the junta to free all of the estimated 1,300
political prisoners, especially the elderly.

Pinheiro said releasing the prisoners would be an important gesture for
the military regime to signal to the world that it is moving toward a
political transition to democratic rule.

The government statement said the prisoners freed Monday are in "good
health and back home together with their respective families."

"The government will continue to release those that will cause no harm to
the community nor threaten the existing peace, stability and the unity of
the nation as the country goes through a steady evolution towards a
democracy," the statement said.

Myanmar's current junta, which has been in power since 1988, faces
international criticism for suppressing democracy and human rights. It
called elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results that gave Suu
Kyi's party an overwhelming victory.

Suu Kyi, who has spent long periods under house arrest, was detained again
on May 30 after a clash between her supporters and a pro-junta mob. After
being kept at an undisclosed location, she was moved to her house.
The government claims she is not being held under any security law, but
refuses to let outsiders, including party members, visit her. Her
telephone has been disconnected and security forces are posted around her
house.
Suu Kyi has vowed not to accept freedom until all those detained with her
following the May 30 violence are freed.
______________________________
Nov 18, BBC Monitor
Coal deposits discovered in Burma's Shan State
Text of Information Sheet N0. C-2836( I ) issued by the "Myanmar
Information Committee" in Rangoon on 15th November entitled: "New coal and
mineral mines discovered in Shan State" published in English by Myanmar
Information Committee web site on 15 November

According to the source, mineral exploitation department under Ministry of
Mines has discovered coal mines in Lasho, Theinni Hsenwi , Mineyae Mong
Yai , Tantyan Tangyan and Thibaw Hsipaw of Northern Shan State and Kyay
Thee Ke-Hsi and Mantsam Man Sam of Southern Shan State. Coal extraction
from 1st May to 31st August amounted to 136.59 MT Metric Tonne from small
scale industry, 236,266.96 MT from large scale industry and 16,018 MT from
the ministry. Moreover, new exploitation projects have been launched in
Northern Shan State for ruby, sapphire and other gems as well as steel in
Mineyae District, it reported.
______________________________
Nov 17, Irrawaddy
Kachin Leaders Will Attend National Convention

Leaders from the two ceasefire groups in Kachin State have decided to
attend the National Convention, and say it will be held early next year.

The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the New Democratic
Army-Kachin (NDA-K), which both signed ceasefire agreements with the
military government, chose their delegates for the National Convention
last week. Five delegates, including the top leaders from each group, are
ready to attend.

“We want the groups which are not ceasefire groups to participate in the
National Convention.” -- Mukyin Dau Hawng

The National Convention, which is given a mandate to draft Burma’s new
constitution, was convened in 1993. Its was adjourned in early 1996 after
delegates from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party walked out.

Reconvening the National Convention is the first step in the junta’s road
map for a democratic Burma, which Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt announced
at the end of August. Leaders from both Kachin groups stated that the
military government told them the convention would begin its work in early
2004 but did not offer an exact date.

Both Kachin groups demanded that Gen Khin Nyunt order the Burma Army to
cease operations against armed ethnic groups during the National
Convention period.

"We want the groups which are not ceasefire groups to participate in the
National Convention," said Mukyin Dau Hawng, an NDA-K liaison officer in
Myitkyina.

Zahkung Ting Ying, leader of the NDA-K, said he wants the military
government to implement the National Convention that so that all groups in
Burma can participated in it.

Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD party have an important role to play in the
National Convention, said Mukyin Dau Hawng.

The convention will happen with or without the NLD, said Zahkung Ting
Ying, "because the military has power."

The groups also demanded a general amnesty for all political prisoners.

Leaders from the NDA-K said they hope the ten delegates from both groups
will represent all Kachin people at the convention.

The NDA-K signed a ceasefire with the ruling junta in 1989. The KIO ceased
hostilities in 1994.


ON THE BORDER
____________________________________________

Nov 18, Network Media
Chin National Front holds its Third Conference

Rejects SPDC’s Road Map

Third Conference of the Chin National Front (CNF) was held near Indo-Burma
border from 5th to 12th November which was attended by nearly 70 peoples
representing various parts of Chin State, Burma. The Conference has
rejected Burma’s Prime Minister’s Road Map and decided to convene ‘Chin
Seminar’ soon, the CNF statement said.

“In the conference, we analyzed the road map proposed by the SPDC. We
found it there is no time frame and it’s one-sided idea. It will not lead
Burma to a democratic country. That’s why the Conference rejects it. Our
aim is to get tripartite dialogue in Burma. We have also decided to
convene ‘Chin Seminar’ very soon,” Pu Bial Ceu, in-charge of Border Office
who attended the conference said.

The conference has decided to convene “Seminar on Chin Consensus Building”
in order to get consensus among the Chin Nationals.

“The main objective of holding Third Conference is to do Consensus
Building among our Chin Nationals. In the seminar, we may form one
organization that represents all Chin Nationals,” Pu Bial Ceu added.

The Conference held at the Headquarters of CNF in Camp Victoria for a week
was attended by 69 representatives along with its allies organizations
such as National League for Democracy, Chin National League for
Democracy(Exile), Mara People’s Party, Chin Youth Organization, Chin Women
Organizations.

On the last of Conference, the CNF elected new leaders and central
executive committee. The list of newly elected persons are Pu Thomas Thang
No (Chairman), Pu Zin Cau (Vice-chairman), Pu Thang Zam (General
Secretary), Dr Sui Khal (joint-secretary) and along with 18 central
committee members.

In the statement, the CNF demanded the national reconciliation to build a
stable democratic country, nation-wide cease-fire and freedom of
organizing for political parties in Burma.


DRUGS
____________________________________________

Nov 18, Xinhua
Myanmar drug trafficker shot dead in Thailand

Police of Thailand on Sunday afternoon shot dead a Myanmar drug trafficker
and seized a great number of methamphitamine pills in northern Myanmar,
the Bangkok Post reported on Tuesday.

The Thai police were tipped off that drug traffickers of Myanmar's ethnic
Wa hilltribe would meet with Thai drug dealers at a pier of the border
town of Chiang Saen, some 1,000 kilometers north of Bangkok.

Two men with a fertilizer bag then rowed a boat into the ambush of the
police. Being declared under arrest, one of the drug traffickers hurled a
hand grenade to the police but it failed to work.

The police opened fire and shot dead one of the traffickers. The other
jumped into the water and swam away with blood in the water indicating he
was wounded, according to the Bangkok Post report.

Police later confirmed the dead one as a man of Wa and the sack containing
some 280,000 methamphitamine pills.

Informed with the news, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reiterated
that Thailand and its three close neighbors, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia,
would enhance their cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking in
the border areas.

Leaders of the four countries last week met in Myanmar to discuss regional
economic cooperation and communication links and human resources
development.

Thailand and Myanmar are considering to enlarge their existing cooperation
on the fight against drug, which include coordinated border control and
border area development so as to solve the drug problem.

Thaksin also mentioned that the Thai government would eradicate illicit
drugs in the kingdom on Dec. 5 as planned, though strict anti-drug actions
in Myanmar had driven more drug traffickers to Thailand.

The Thai authorities have arrested more than 500 drug producers, seized
about 36 million methamphetamine pills and confiscated 2.53 billion baht
(63.3 million US dollars) in drug money during the period from February to
October.
_______________________________

Nov 17, Shan
More poppy fields reported

Despite Rangoon's avowed war on drugs, the existence of extensive poppy
fields continued to be reported by the local populace both in the south
and eastern parts of Shan State.

The latest is in Kengtawng sub-township, Mongnai township, Loilem
district, southern Shan State, where the Wa, Kokang and ethnic Chinese
bosses have brought down hundreds of northern Shans (Tai Neua), who are
noted for their industriousness.

Kengtawng, once a thriving area of more than 50 villages, can only claim
less than ten at present after the massive forced relocation campaign by
Rangoon in 1996-97. As a result, it has become a restricted area to the
outsider, except for a few logging companies, including Asia World of Law
Hsinghan and Shan State South of Maha Ja. "Hsaikhao, for instance, has
been cut off, after a new road has been built," said a former headman
Kangta, 53, of Tonhoong, "even though it is only 25 miles south of
Kunhing, 25 miles north of Tonhoong, 30 miles southeast of Kholam and 22
miles west of the Salween. So, apart from the locals, nobody takes
notice."

In addition, the local populace were said to have been warned by Maj Myint
Lwin of Light Infantry Battalion 569, based in Kunmong. "Without
permission, nobody will be allowed to come, to see or to hear things. If
all are able to eat, that should be enough."

Aside from the newcomers, the local populace, both Shan and Palaung, are
also engaged in the ongoing poppy cultivation. The tax for the local
Burmese military varies: 15% for each viss (1.6 kg) of opium produced in
some places and 20% in other places.

The harvest is being purchased a Lao Yi Hsang, 50, an ethnic Chinese boss,
at 190,000-200,000 kyat ($ 190-$200) per viss.

According to UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODC),
opium output in northern Shan State had been cut by half during the
previous season. But critics say the decrease in the north had been more
than made up by the marked escalation in the south and east.
_______________________________

Nov 17, Shan
Farmers drive a hard bargain

Reporter: Zong Arng

Farmers in Mongpiang, a township 100 km north of the Chiangmai border, has
already struck a new deal with the local military authorities to reduce
their opium taxes, reported Lahu sources from the border.

Poppy farmers in Mong Pulong tract in Mongpiang township would now be
paying 15% to Infantry Battalion 43 for each viss (1.6 kg) of opium they
would be harvesting, instead of 0.25 viss per poppy acre as originally
instructed by the local commander last July, they said.

“We told Hpolu, the local militia leader, on 21 October that the 0.25 viss
per acre rate would pose a problem for us if the output turned out to be
low,” explained a local farmer. “You can never tell how the weather is
going to turn out. A heavy downpour or frost during harvest time can end
everything we’ve done.”

On 29 October, IB 43 officers made an inspection tour of the area and
issued their revised instructions. (Re: Farmers to sell only to official
purchaser, 14 November)

The army units are hard pressed for raising funds to support themselves
under Rangoon’s self-reliance policy, they said.

Nov 17, Shan
Officer: We are forced to provide for ourselves

At a meeting with village headmen and local well-to-do people in southern
Shan State two months earlier to exhort them to increase their opium
production, an army officer had admitted that army units were being forced
to encourage the trend by the self-reliance policy imposed by Rangoon,
according to sources from Kunhing, 130 miles east of Taunggyi.

“We are going through hard times,” Capt Hla Aung, Commander, Company 4,
Infantry Battalion 246, was quoted as saying to the gathering on 8
September, at the Meditation Temple in Kunhing, Loilem district. He was
said to be a native of Loikaw, Kayah State, born of a Shan father and Pa-O
mother. “Those who have money are at a loss as to what kind of business
they can engage. Rice farmers are also disoriented because their paddy are
being forcibly bought by the government. We soldiers are also desperate,
because we have been forced to support ourselves and our own families. But
if all of you grow poppies, we may be able to tax you for our own upkeep.
At the same time, your own life will be easier."

The captain also tried to comfort the farmers’ worry whether their poppy
fields would be in danger of being destroyed by annual slashing teams.
“The prohibition is only for the benefit of the international community,”
he translated. “The main requirement is that you don’t grow it near public
roads, towns and villages where unfriendly outsiders may notice and use it
to discredit the government.”

There should be no concern about where to sell their produce either, he
said, because “factory owners” would be there to buy all. “For the army,
you need to pay no more than 10% of every viss (1.6 kg) you make.”

According to border sources, Burma’s drug enforcement agency, the Central
Committee for Drug Abuse Control, had on 7 October called for significant
reduction and termination of opium output in the present poppy season
followed by effective punishment for officials should they fail in their
tasks.


MONEY
____________________________________________

Nov 18, Xinhua
Myanmar's foreign trade down in first 3 quarters

Myanmar's foreign trade in the first three quarters this yar was down 17.8
percent with both of its exports and imports reducing by 26.7 percent and
4.7 percent respectively from the same period of 2002, the November issue
of the Business reported.

Despite declination in its foreign trade, the country struck a favorable
balance of trade during the nine-month period with 184. 95 million
dollars. Over the period, export goods of mineral products stood first
with 521.22 million dollars, followed by textiles, vegetables and wood
products.

Meanwhile, import goods of machinery equipment led with 287.13 million
dollars, followed by textile products (237.18 million) and mineral
products (235.71 million).

According to official statistics, Myanmar's foreign trade volume stood at
5,276.63 million dollars in 2002 with its exports amounting to 2,982.13
million dollars and its imports 2,294.5 million dollars. That year's
foreign trade enjoyed a trade surplus of 687.63 million dollars.

Myanmar's annual bilateral trade with foreign countries is normally lined
up as with Thailand the first (over one billion dollars), followed by
China, Singapore, India and Malaysia.

The country's bilateral trade with member countries of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations accounts for about 2.5 billion dollars, or about
48 percent of Myanmar's total foreign trade, with Thailand standing the
highest volume.

Myanmar's private sector normally takes up about 75 percent of the total
import value and about 55 percent of the total export value.

Observers here believed that the sharp fall of Myanmar's foreign trade was
inseparable from the tightened sanctions imposed on the country by western
countries led by the United States.

On July 28, under the pretext of democracy and human rights, US President
George Bush signed a bill to impose tough sanctions on Myanmar which
include trade and investment ban on Myanmar, freezing the military
government's assets in the United States and codifying the existing policy
that oppose new international loans or technical aid to the country.
_______________________________

Nov 18, Nation
PTTEP pins hopes on overseas expansion to fuel its growth.

Company aims to increase foreign revenues by 25-30per cent

After clinching two new petroleum concessions in Burma last week, PTT
Exploration and Production (PTTEP) is looking to acquire more overseas
reserves as part of its strategy to expand foreign revenue to 25-30 per
cent within the next 10 years.

The company's new president, Maroot Mrigadat, said PTTEP would look for an
opportunity to acquire "producing reserves" to build nearterm revenue,
which would otherwise be flat over the next few years.

Potential projects include a 75-percent stake in Thai Shell in the onshore
S1 oil-producing concession, and a majority stake in three gas fields in
Indonesia, for which affiliate Medco Energi has acquired a concession to
explore and produce petroleum.

"We're also looking at Vietnam if someone considers farming out their
acreage," he said.

During the visit of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Burma last week,
PTTEP signed a production-sharing contract to invest in offshore petroleum
blocks M7 and M9.

Maroot said PTTEP's projected flat revenue growth over the next two years
was a delayed effect of the 1997 economic crisis. The company will
therefore focus on expanding its business overseas.

"We have been selling to only one market, and just one client," he said,
referring to Thailand and PTT Plc.

"The 1997 crisis has caused everything to slow down."

Maroot, 51, was last month appointed as president of PTTEP, the sole
stateowned petroleum exploration and production company in Thailand. He is
the first PTTEP president to have reached the position from within the
company.

During the period of his predecessor, Dr Chitrapongse Kwangsuksthit, PTTEP
expanded into countries like Algeria, Vietnam, Indonesia and Oman. With
the exception of Burma, which produces gas for the Thai market, most of
the company's overseas projects are in the exploration stage and have not
yet generated income.

Maroot said PTTEP would try to increase overseas revenue to 25-30 per cent
within 10 years. Overseas revenue currently accounts for less than 5 per
cent, through expansion into neighbouring countries, North Africa and the
Middle East.

Without new projects, PTTEP expects revenue to remain flat until its
Arthit project in the Gulf of Thailand starts producing gas in mid-2006.
Based on the current plan, the company's capital expenditure during the
next five years totals Bt69 billion, of which the Arthit project requires
Bt26 billion.

Maroot said PTTEP would capitalise on two niches - the status of Thailand
as a major gas market in the region, and the growing trend that many
countries are "looking East" to diversify their reliance on Western
petroleum companies.

The company expects petroleum sales to stay at 107,000-110,000 barrels per
day until 2005, before jumping to 142,000 when the Arthit project goes
online.
_______________________________

Nov 18, Bangkok Post
Thailand Electricity Authority Says PTT Supply Monopoly Should End

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) wants government
approval to secure other sources of fuel for electricity production
besides supplies from PTT Plc to help reduce costs.

Any change would require an existing cabinet ruling forcing Egat to buy
fuel from PTT to be rescinded. If it is not, the government should find
alternative measures to help lower the cost of power production, PTT
executives say.

Egat currently acquires supplies of natural gas, diesel oil and other
fuels from PTT at prices unilaterally imposed by the country's largest
energy company.

Narong Sitasuwan, Egat's senior deputy governor for the power generation
group, said the state utility wanted a decision on alternative fuel
procurement before it is corporatised in January in preparation for a
stock market listing.

Egat has sent its request to a committee overseeing its corporatisation,
chaired by Cherdpong Siriwit, the permanent secretary of the Energy
Ministry.

Egat's gas-fired power plants receive all of their natural gas from PTT
while those fired by fuel oil and diesel acquire 80 percent of their needs
from PTT. It has permission to buy the remaining 20 percent from other
suppliers but must hold bids.

Fuel costs for electricity production account for 60 percent of Egat's
total costs, in addition to 30 percent in investment expenditures and 10
percent for administration.

If fuel costs increased, they would have an effect on the overall cost of
Egat's operation and some expense would inevitably be passed on to
consumers, said Mr Narong.

Last year, the government ordered Egat to freeze electricity rates but did
not take action to control fuel costs, which forced Egat to absorb the
extra burden without any help from PTT.

As Egat is to be privatised and still relies on fuel from PTT, it would
erode Egat's competitiveness, said Mr Narong.

If Egat could buy alternative fuels such as orimulsion and liquefied
natural gas (LNG) from cheaper sources, it would help spur price
competition, he said, though it did not mean that Egat would no longer buy
fuels from PTT.

Egat runs 34 power plants with a total capacity of 15,035.79 megawatts.

About 500 million litres of fuel oil will be used for power production
this year, increasing to two billion litres next year and three billion in
2005.

Natural gas currently is priced at 150-155 baht per one million BTU
(British Thermal Units) from the offshore fields in Burma and the Gulf of
Thailand.


REGIONAL
____________________________________________

Nov 18, Mizzima
Burmese Refugees Protest against the detention of 43 Burmese in Delhi jail

About 250 Burmese nationals staged a demonstration today in New Delhi
against the continued detention of 43 Burmese refugees and asylum seekers
who are currently lodged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi.

Holding placards and shouting slogans of " Release innocent prisoners, We
need refugees status, We want resettlement, UNHCR silent killer", the
Burmese held a protest near Jantar Mantar in central New Delhi.

The demonstrators in their memorandum to the Indian Prime Minister Shri
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, stated that the "UNHCR had recently cut down
Subsistence Allowance of Rs. 1400 per month by 60% and since 1994, the
office had not increased the SA despite inflation in the country". They
also alleged that about 99% of asylum applications have been rejected
without any written
reason.

The demonstrators had requested the Indian Prime Minister to release all
the 43 Burmese refugees who were arrested on November 12 while
demonstrating in front of the UNHCR by the Delhi Police.

Several Burmese refugees and asylum seekers had staged sit-in protests
against UNHCR in front of the UNHCR office in New Delhi from 20 October. 
They demanded the recognition of refugees by the UNHCR and their
resettlement in third countries.

UNHCR had refused to accept the demonstrators' demands and urged the
Indian authorities to take whatever action is necessary to dispel the
protestors.

On 12 November, Delhi police took action against the demonstrators and
forcibly dispersed the refugees by the use of water cannons and lathi
charges. Some of the demonstrators were seriously injured and hospitalized
in the scuffle. The police claimed that the demonstrators turned violent
and tried to enter into the UNHCR compound and in the scuffle, 12 police
personnel were injured as well. The demonstrators denied the Delhi police
claims.

Twenty-three Burmese women and men were produced this afternoon before the
metropolitan magistrate Ashawani Kumar Sarpal at Patiala Court in New
Delhi. They were charged under Section 147, 148, 149, 186 and 323 for
rioting and obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions by
Delhi police.

Total 43 Burmese men and women are currently lodged in Tihar Jail in New
Delhi.


OPNION / OTHER
____________________________________________

Nov 18, Nation
THE WONDERS OF 3 CULTURES: Ethnic cooperation in Pagan

The chronicles of early Burmese history contain many interesting accounts,
even if they always need to be authenticated. Some say the first capital
of Burma was founded in 443BC and was prophesied by the Lord Buddha
shortly before he entered Nirvana, and that the first king married two
consorts ? his sister and a naga (serpent) princess. Other records date
the origin of Burma to AD330, when the Arakanese consolidated their
control of upper Burma.

In her book, ?Mandalay?, historian Dhida Saraya says that the history of
Burma, as well as the history of most countries in Southeast Asia, is
based on the relations, collisions and cooperation between people from
distinct ethnic tribes.

The meaning of ?Myanmar?, from which ?Burma? derived, is ?the first
inhabitants of the world?. Though even before the Burmese arrived on the
scene ? whether from immigration or some sort of ethnic evolution ? to
what is now Burma, the Irawaddy delta was controlled by the Mon, who speak
a Mon-Khmer language, and Pyu, who speak a Tibeto-Burman language. Some
scholars believe that the Pyu were ancestors of the Burmese.

Srikshetra (now called Old Prome), the Pyu capital situated near Prome, is
mentioned by the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims Hsuan Tsang and I Tsing as a
very rich city. It is said that the Pyu civilisation flourished until the
700s. One legend has it that the capital was moved to Halin, in what is
now Shwebo district, sometime in the 700s, only to be destroyed by
warriors from Nan Chao in 832.

The history of Burma, before it was colonised by Great Britain in 1885,
can be divided into three significant periods: Pagan (1044 to 1287),
Toungoo-Hongsawady (1365 to 1603), and Ava (1752 to 1885). Each period has
its own legends of heroic kings who succeeded in uniting peoples from
distinctly different tribes, as well as going to war with them.

Burmese legends say that before moving to Srikshetra, the Pyu first
settled in what is now Dagon in upper Burma in the early Buddhist era, in
a town situated on the route between India and China that belonged to an
Indian prince who escaped from India to avoid political persecution.

The prince and his subjects later developed Dagon into a big and
prosperous city.

Archaeological evidence such as pottery and coins unearthed in Dagon and
nearby Hanlingyi, Beikthano, Prome and Srikshetra caused scholars to
believe that the Pyu people, especially in Beikthano, practised Hinduism
and worshipped Shiva.

According to Chinese chronicles, the Pyu were charming and well-dressed.
Women wore dark blue sarongs, silk scarves, silver, gold and pearls, and
held a fan.

Men wore sarongs and hats decorated with bird feathers and jewellery.
These accounts also say that Buddhism was practised widely. And that in
front of the king?s palace were two silver and gold bells that would be
rung when the country was at war.

The Pyu worshiped a big white Buddha image and built many pagodas. Stones
from the Pyu era that have been unearthed are engraved with Buddhist text
in the Payu-Pali and Payu-Sanskrit languages.

The Chinese chronicles also say that Pyu artisans were skilled in
engraving stone and metal including jade, gold, silver and copper. They
created beautiful silver and gold decorations such as rings and trays in a
form of boats, butterflies, deer and turtles. Pyu coins are also
distinctive, engraved with pictures of conch shells, the sun, the moon,
stars and swastikas.

As they adopted Theravada Buddhism, it is believed that they had close
relations with people in the central area of what is now Thailand.

As the power of the Pyu waned, the Mon from Thaton and Tenasserim
succeeded the Pyu as the dominant power in the south.

In the eleventh century, agrarian Burmese from China and Tibet moved down
the Irawaddy River to northern Burma, where they grew rice as their staple
food. Then in 1044 a brave Burmese man named Anawrahta became the king of
19 villages in the Kyaukse Plain.

Many important towns were founded during the same period. Besides the Mon
in the Irawaddy delta at Thathon and Pegu, there were also the Shan (Tai
Yai) in the Salween basin, Yakai and Arakanese in the southwest, Kachin in
the north, Karen in the lower Salween basin and the Burmese in Toungoo and
Ava.

Burmese leaders, time after time, tried to unite separate lands that
belonged to different tribes, and forged unity where possible through
propagating Buddhism.

Anawrahta learned much from the Pyu. He encouraged his subjects to grow
rice and establish an irrigation system, showing foresight, which won him
the support of his subjects. Anawrahta also promoted Theravada Buddhism
that he adopted from the Mon, and successfully applied Buddhism in uniting
people from different races, tribes and cultures. But while the people of
Pagan were willing to practice Theravada Buddhism, they also continued to
worship nat (spirits).

During his reign from 1084 to 1113, King Chansitta, a son of King
Anawrahta, built the famous Ananda Pagoda and the many other temples in
Pagan. Chansitta?s grandson Alaungsithu (1163 to 1167), son of a Burmese
mother and Mon father, led Burma to greater development.

When he ruled, Pagan was known as ?The City of Four Million Pagodas? and
?The City of Rice?. People from different tribes lived together in peace.
Stone inscriptions created during his reign reflect the capital?s
cosmopolitanism, being engraved in Pali, Pyu, Mon and Burmese.

The golden age ended in 1287, when the Shan invaded Pagan, setting a
popular example to be followed by the Mongol warlord Kublai Khan and the
Tai Yai among others.

The fall of Pagan was a key turning point in Southeast Asian history, and
led to Burma fracturing into different regions dominated by different
races and political groups.

The Mon settled in Pegu, the Shan or Tai Yai ruled northern Burma and
established their capital at Ava, and the Arakanese moved to the far north
of Burma.

And with their western neighbours regrouping and rebuilding, Ayutthaya
developed into the centre of Tai-Siam culture in the Chao Phya basin.

A series of articles on “The Wonders of 3 Cultures” will be published in
The Nation every weekday until November 28. The series is a part of “The
Wonders of 3 Cultures” festival being held in Chiang Mai from November 28
to 30, and is sponsored by Thai Airways International and The Nation Group
among others. The highlights include seminars and a spectacular
celebration of art, crafts and culture. For more information, visit
www.thaiairways.com.

Nithinand Yorsaengrat

 _______________________________

Nov 18, Asahi News Service
Activist's case draws ire over nation's asylum record

The Asahi Shimbun Maria fights back the tears whenever her 6-year-old
daughter, Michelle, asks when her daddy's coming home. When Michelle's
9-year-old sister, Demi, returned from school clutching a letter pleading
to see her papa, a guilt-racked Maria splurged and made the kids'
favourite dish for dinner-breaded prawns-to take their minds off their
absent father.

Demi's letter, written four days after she last saw her Burmese father,
Khin Maung Latt, read: "I want to see my daddy. He promised me he'd come
back. Officers at the immigration office, please let my daddy come home."
The 46-year-old Maung Latt, who has lived in Japan for more than 15 years,
has been detained for more than two weeks by the Tokyo Immigration Bureau
for overstaying his visa.

With time running out for Maung Latt, whose application for political
asylum has already been turned down and his appeal for residency extension
rejected, the family is bracing for the worst. Maung Latt faces
deportation to Myanmar (Burma), while Maria, his Filipina wife and an
illegal immigrant, could be sent home with her two daughters, who speak
only Japanese since they were born and raised here. The case has drawn
international attention to Japan's woeful record on asylum seekers and has
prompted people who know the Maung Latts to speak out in their defense.

Maung Latt came to Japan in 1988 to escape the military junta in his
homeland. He attended a computer business school on a trainee visa and
later began working for a delivery company. He has held down a steady job
for over 10 years and filed accurate tax returns. Maria slipped into Japan
on a fake passport and met Maung Latt in 1991 while working at a Tokyo
bar. During his stay in Japan, Maung Latt became a political activist,
joining the Burmese Association in Japan in support of the pro-democracy
movement in his motherland. His activities prevented him from reapplying
for a visa extension when his last visa expired in July 1992. Fearing he
would face persecution if he returned to Myanmar, Maung Latt applied for
political asylum in 1994. His plea was rejected. In 1998, he was ordered
deported. The family appealed the order, but the Tokyo High Court rejected
the request in late October. The parents were given temporary reprieves to
stay here, but when Maung Latt went to immigration to seek an extension of
his reprieve on Oct. 31, he was detained. Maria's reprieve expires Nov.
28. Friends of the family are adamant the Maung Latts should be allowed to
remain in their adopted home. Katsuhiko Yoshida, 59, president of the
delivery company where Maung Latt has worked for the past 11 years, is
furious.

"He (Maung Latt) is the leader of our 40-member fleet of drivers. If the
authorities decide to kick this great guy out of the country, it will be a
big embarrassment for Japan and a great loss, too," he fumes.

Maung Latt's neighbors in Tokyo's Kamata district have also come forward
to support the family, starting a petition against the deportation order.
Parent-teacher association members at the children's kindergarten and
elementary schools, as well as teachers at Maung Latt's Japanese-language
school, have volunteered their time to fight for the family's cause. The
group collected a whopping 21,500 signatures against the deportation order
in just two weeks. Many who signed the petition also wrote heartfelt memos
backing the family.

"What damage has this family done to our country? It is our government's
irresponsibility that's left them stranded, making them illegal," says
one. "I also have a daughter in fourth grade. I believe children have a
right to be able to grow up in a healthy environment. That supersedes
overstaying a visa or processing illegal immigrants, et cetera. That is
what a truly constitutional state should be concerned about," says
another.

When news of Maung Latt's detention hit domestic headlines, words of
support began pouring in from all quarters. The overseas media also
cottoned on. In its Oct. 31 edition, the British Financial Times reported
on Japan's "inflexible interpretation of international asylum conventions
and its strict and sometimes bizarre immigration procedures," which have
caused the Maung Latts so much heartache. The paper noted that while
Britain welcomed 8,100 asylum seekers in 2002, Japan granted asylum to
just 14 people during the same period. A Brazilian television broadcaster
also came to these shores to report on "a case that is symbolic of how
backward Japan is on the refugee issue."

In an unrelated case that demonstrated a rare show of compassion, the
Tokyo District Court in September overturned a deportation order against
an Iranian family who had been living illegally in Japan for more than a
decade. "The family built up their livelihood base as law-abiding citizens
over a 10-year period," said Judge Masayuki Fujiyama in his ruling that
the family of Amine Khalil should be considered for a special residence
permit. Japan granted asylum to 26 people in 2001-a shocking gap between
the more than 20,000 each taken in by countries such as the United States
and Germany.
_______________________________

Nov 18
2004-05 CCHS Human Security Fellowship Competition

Three types of Human Security Fellowships will be awarded in 2004-05:
doctoral dissertation fellowships, post-doctoral fellowships, and
non-academic fellowships. Five to seven fellowships across the three
categories will be awarded. The CCHS is currently welcoming fellowship
proposals for each of these categories that show promise to contribute to
the advancement of the human security agenda in national foreign policy in
regional and global contexts. Deadline for receipt of applications for all
fellowship categories is 16 January 2004.

For more details, visit: http://www.humansecurity.info/fellowships_1.htm

Programme de bourses en sécurité humaine du CCSH pour 2004-05

Trois catégories de bourses de recherche en sécurité humaine seront
attribuées en 2004-05 : bourses de doctorat, bourses de post-doctorat, et
une catégorie de bourses destinée aux spécialistes issus de milieux
non-universitaires. Entre cinq et sept bourses de recherche seront
attribuées. Le CCSH sollicite actuellement des propositions de bourses de
recherche pour chacune de ces catégories. Les propositions doivent
contribuer à l'avancement du programme sur la sécurité humaine en matière
de politique étrangère national, ainsi qu'aux niveaux régional et mondial.
Les demandes de bourses doivent être datées au plus tard le 16 janvier
2004.

Pour plus de details, veuillez visiter
http://www.securitehumaine.info/bourses_1.htm