BurmaNet News, Jan 24-26, 2004

[editor at burmanet.org]

Jan 24 – Jan 26, 2004 Issue # 2411


INSIDE BURMA
Reuters: Myanmar rebel leader says both sides want peace
AFX: Myanmar bans Thai, Chinese poultry imports over bird flu fears
BBC Monitor: Burmese government claims 151 democracy party detainees freed
BBC Monitor: Burmese farmers petition government over falling prices
BBC: Burma confirms KNU progress

ON THE BORDER
BBC Monitor: New narcotic drink gains popularity in Burma's Kawthaung, Ranong

BUSINESS / MONEY
FT: Mae Hong Son joins hands with Myanmar to boost border trade

REGIONAL
VOA: Thailand Welcomes Cease-Fire Agreement Between Burma, Rebel Group
Yearbook: Malaysia calls on Burma to free opposition leader 'as soon as
possible'
AFP: Japan cleans house of illegal residents while facing labor shortage

INTERNATIONAL
LA Times: One Legal Attack on Unocal Denied


OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima: The Junta’s Divide and Rule Policy
Mizzima: A Tale of Make-Believe by Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt
Economist: Grand plans, but not much hope in sight
Montreal Gazette: Remnants of Myanmar's fabled Bagan still a world wonder
Nationwide News: Home of the sea gypsies under threat



INSIDE BURMA
___________________________________

Jan 25, Reuters
Myanmar rebel leader says both sides want peace

The ageing guerrilla leader of Myanmar’s biggest rebel group said on
Saturday he had agreed to end a decades-old war with the country’s
military rulers because both sides wanted peace.

General Bo Mya, who led the Karen National Union (KNU) into landmark peace
talks in Yangon last week, said the meeting was a “good foundation” for
further talks.

“What we agreed was not to fight each other and to see peace in Burma,” Bo
Mya, 77, told Reuters in an interview in Bangkok before heading back to a
KNU camp along the Thai-Myanmar border.

The KNU, which has battled Yangon in pursuit of autonomy for the Karen
people since 1949, a year after what was then called Burma became
independent of Britain, agreed to stop fighting in December but never
signed a ceasefire deal.

KNU officials say both sides had reached a verbal agreement on a ceasefire
and would meet later to finalise a formal document.

“The meeting this time with the SPDC was a very good foundation because
they did not have any preconditions like in previous meetings,” Bo Mya
said in reference to the junta’s formal name, the State Peace and
Development Council.

The government has signed peace and cooperation deals with 17 rebel groups
since 1989. But six rounds of talks with the KNU ended in failure, the
last in 1996 when each side blamed the other for the collapse.

The portly Bo Mya, wearing a black beret and army boots with a cane at his
side, said he had a good rapport with Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, a former
chief of military intelligence.

Khin Nyunt hosted a birthday party for Bo Mya last week at which the junta
leader wore a Karen shirt.

“We had a very good relationship and he is like my nephew and he called me
uncle, just like from the same family. We got together, working for peace,
working for unity and tranquillity in the country,” Bo Mya said.
_____________________________

Jan 26, AFX
Myanmar bans Thai, Chinese poultry imports over bird flu fears

Myanmar has banned imports of poultry from neighbouring Thailand and China
in response to a bird flu outbreak sweeping the region, a government
official said.

"We have banned imports of Thai poultry. We have also stopped imports from
China as a precaution," Kyi So, director-general at the ministry of
health, told Agence France-Presse.

Thailand today confirmed its first fatality from the deadly H5N1 avian
virus with the death of a six-year-old boy, but no reports of the disease
have yet emerged from China, which has upped its alert against the
epidemic.

Myanmar, which borders one of the 10 Thai provinces where chickens
infected with the disease have been found, has not reported any outbreaks,
a spokesman from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation told AFP.

"There is no such outbreak so far, based on reports from the ministry of
livestock and fisheries, which has formed bird flu inspection teams all
over the country with the ministry of health," he said.

Six people in Vietnam have died from the disease but outbreaks in
Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have only affected
birds, forcing millions of chickens to be culled.
_____________________________

Jan 26, Associated Press
Myanmar rebels say "much effort" still needed for real peace with government

Myanmar's main rebel group said Monday that "much effort" was still needed
before a firm peace deal was hammered out with a government it has been
fighting for more than 50 years.

The statement from the Karen National Union was in marked contrast to one
by the military regime, which Friday said negotiations had ended the
decades-long conflict with the two sides agreeing to work together for
peace and national unity.

"Currently, much effort still has to be made ... we hope for the emanation
of better results through continued talks and discussions in the future,"
the Karen statement said. A cease-fire, the rebels said, had been agreed
upon and was an initial step, but still had to be "consolidated."

The Karen delegation left the Myanmar capital of Yangon last Thursday
after a week of negotiations. A cease-fire was agreed upon but no pact was
signed. More talks on a broad range of issues, including the role if any
of the KNU within the political system, are scheduled.

The KNU is the last major guerrilla group in Myanmar that has not signed a
formal agreement with the junta to lay down arms. They have been fighting
to establish an independent state for the Karens, an ethnic minority in
eastern Myanmar.

Government offensives in 1995 and 1997 wiped out the KNU's main
headquarters, and the rebels now wage a low-level war.

Myanmar's military government took power in 1988 after crushing a
pro-democracy uprising. It has reached cease-fire agreements with 17 armed
groups since 1989.
_____________________________

Jan 25, BBC Monitor
Burmese government claims 151 democracy party detainees freed

The SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) today issued a statement
that it has already released 151 persons arrested in connection with the
30 May Tabayin incident. Today's SPDC statement claimed that altogether
151 prisoners, including the 26 released last week, have been released.
But, the SPDC failed to mention how many prisoners remain incarcerated at
which jails. The statement also noted that NLD (National League for
Democracy) Vice-Chairman U Tin Oo, detained after the Tabayin incident, is
in good health at Kale jail and well looked after by health officials.
When DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) inquired about the matter, Thakhin
Soe Myint, one of the NLD leaders, said they do not have any detailed list
and that it is not possible to obtain a full list of the dead and missing.
Furthermore, the NLD has also requested for further independent
investigation into the matter.

When DVB asked about the possibility of the release of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, U Aung Shwe, and U Lwin including U Tin Oo, Thakhin Soe Myint
explained the following:

(Thakhin Soe Myint - recording) It is time for us to be prepared to hold a
full Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting if and when Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, U Aung Shwe, U Lwin, and U Tin Oo, are released. We asked the
ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) about the conditions and I
think ICRC must have relayed the message to the relevant authorities. It
was informed that U Tin Oo is eating well, his health is good, and that he
is treated according to doctor's orders. As for us we prefer U Tin Oo to
be released from jail. Since we heard that U Tin Oo is not accepting any
food from the jail, we wrote a letter to the prime minister (Gen Khin
Nyunt) explaining that U Tin Oo was a war veteran, an NLD leader working
for the people, and should be released. (End of recording)

That was NLD CEC Member Thakhin Soe Myint. The NLD leaders have been
administering party activities daily and they had a meeting with Rangoon
Division NLD members to make arrangements to hold a Union Day (12
February) ceremony. Thakhin Soe Myint said the following about
preparations for Union Day.

(Thakhin Soe Myint - recording) We had a meeting today and discussed about
the Union Day celebrations. To hold a proper ceremony, we had to invite
diplomats, journalists, national races delegates, and the NLD members but
we do not have sufficient space to hold the ceremony. That is one thing.
Another thing is if we hold it at a monastery there is also another
difficulty. When we commemorated a ceremony by performing some meritorious
deeds, we were criticized as doing monastic politics. As situations do not
permit we were unable to do it as we would like to. Usually the Committee
Representing People's Parliament (CRPP) sponsored the Union Day ceremony.
Since many CRPP members are not present (jailed and under house arrest)
and we do not have a suitable place, it is not easy to hold a proper
ceremony. Then again, to hold the Union Day ceremony at a Buddhist
monastery is also not appropriate because there are many national races
professing different faiths. We would definitely be criticized. On the
other hand, we believe at least we would be able to issue a Union Day
statement. (End of recording)

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 23 Jan 04
_____________________________

Jan 25, BBC Monitor
Burmese farmers petition government over falling prices

It has been learned that farmers in Rangoon Division, suffering from
dwindling paddy prices, have written to SPDC (State Peace and Development
Council) Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Soe Win on 16 and 17 January to increase paddy
purchasing prices. DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) correspondent Maung Too
filed this report.

(Minywa Seikkyi farmer - recording) Eighty-six farmers from Toe Chaung
Village, Minywa Seikkyi Village, Htaung Auk Village, and Thaman Chaung
Village in Twante Township sent a petition letter to Lt-Gen Soe Win. The
farmers are facing great difficulties as there are no buyers for their
paddy. Furthermore, the price of paddy is a mere 60,000 kyat for 100
baskets (one basket approximately equals one bushel) which would not even
cover production costs and the farmers tend to become the losers. Last
year, the price was about 150,000 kyat. When SPDC Secretary-1 Lt Gen Soe
Win said last year that the control of rice has been lifted and that rice
could be freely exported, we were expecting the price to be around 150,000
kyat. Suddenly, when (SPDC Chairman) Sr Gen Than Shwe suspended rice
exports for six months, the buyers just disappeared. No one was also
willing to sell paddy at 60,000 kyat price because it would not cover the
cultivation costs, labour, and others. The farmers are really facing a lot
of difficulties and some even went as far as placing their paddy as
collateral to obtain some cash.

(Maung Too) That was a farmer from Minywa Seikkyi Village in Twante
Township explaining about the 17 January letter. Similarly, farmers from
Pagan Taung Village and Thabye Gan Village of Syriam Township in Rangoon
Division sent a petition letter to SPDC Secretary-1 Lt Gen Soe Win on 16
January. That was explained by a farmer from Thabye Gan Village.

(Thabye Gan farmer) We have never come across this kind of a crisis in our
farming life. We have never faced any difficulty like this year's. We are
really in dire straits. Since the paddy price is only 60,000 kyat we could
not sell our produce. If we consider the transplanting costs, labour for
hired hands, fertilizers, pesticides, and other miscellaneous expenses, we
could not break even with the 60,000 kyat price. That is why we wrote a
petition letter to Lt-Gen Soe Win on 16 January. When Lt-Gen Soe Win first
said the control of rice has been lifted, we were expecting the rice
traders to buy our produce at competitive prices. We expected the paddy
price to rise above 150,000 kyat and we were very happy. But now, they
have rescinded the order and stopped rice exports for six months so we are
in dire straits. There is no problem for survival because we can mill it
for personal consumption and use it as collateral for other purposes.

(Maung Too) It has been learned that farmers from other townships in
Rangoon Division such as Kyauktan, Kawhmu, Kungyangon, Kayan, and Thongwa
Townships are also making preparations to send petitions. A villager from
Thabye Gan Village in Syriam Township said that the farmers are angry
because they could not sell their produce.

(Thabye Gan villager) Of course, the farmers are blaming the hierarchy for
saying different things. They said the farmers are the eventual sufferers.

(Maung Too) A farmer from Twante Township said since the SPDC government
is suppressing the farmers, the worst scenario could be an uprising by the
disgruntled farmers.

(Twante Township farmer) Personally, I feel what the government is doing
is very political. It seems like they have trampled on the farmers, who
are always the oppressed party. If the paddy price increases there would
be a problem, but on the other hand, since the price nosedived most
farmers could not handle the situation. Currently, the farmers are very
active and they are all following the news very carefully and monitoring
the situation closely. Some have learnt about the petition letters from
the news. But the majority of the farmers are all ears to the prevailing
situation. In other words, the farmers are anticipating a peasant revolt
similar to the Saya San-led peasant revolution (of 1938). (End of
recording)

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 23 Jan 04
_____________________________

Jan 23, BBC
Burma confirms KNU progress

The Burmese military government has confirmed that it has reached
agreement with ethnic rebels from the Karen National Union (KNU) on ending
hostilities.

In its first statement on peace talks in Rangoon with the KNU, the
government said it had reached a "mutual understanding" with the rebels.

It said the two sides would now work together "for national unity,
solidarity of the nation and peace and prosperity".

A delegation led by Bo Mya, head of the KNU's military wing, left Rangoon
on Thursday after six days of talks with the military government.

In a sign of cordial relations between the two sides, the government
statement also confirmed that a banquet on Tuesday, attended by Burmese
Prime Minister, Khin Nyunt, had marked both the successful outcome of the
talks and Bo Mya's 77th birthday.

But both sides have stopped short of saying a formal ceasefire has been 
signed.

On Thursday, a spokesman for the KNU told the BBC that the two sides had
agreed an informal ceasefire, but that further talks were needed. The
spokesman said both sides had agreed to report infringements and any
remedial actions.

"The first round of talks was very fruitful," David Taw, foreign secretary
of the KNU, said on arriving from the talks in Thailand.

Mr Taw said the next round of talks was scheduled within a month.

Road map

The Karen are one of a handful of rebel groups still fighting the
government. Ceasefire agreements have already been reached with 17 other
armed groups since 1989.

The latest talks were aimed at formalising a ceasefire which was loosely
agreed by the two sides in December, but which continuing reports of
fighting suggest is not yet being observed.

Major offensives against the KNU in the mid-1990s greatly reduced their
power and they have waged a low-level war from jungle hideouts strung out
along the border.

Bo Mya has described a ceasefire as a possible first step towards settling
broader political problems for his people.

But the KNU has so far refused to attend a national constitutional
convention proposed by the government as a first step in a "road map" to
democracy.

The inclusion of the ethnic groups is key to the credibility of the
convention, which the junta hopes will help dampen international criticism
over its failure to carry out reforms.

But many see it as a stalling tactic and as an attempt to isolate the main
opposition party, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which
has not been invited to attend.


ON THE BORDER
____________________________

Jan 25, BBC Monitor
New narcotic drink gains popularity in Burma's Kawthaung, Ranong

It has been learned that a clash broke out between the local police and
the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) soldiers when the police
tried to inspect an illicit poppy plantation, sponsored by the SPDC
soldiers, near Kawthaung at the Thailand-Burma border. DVB (Democratic
Voice of Burma) correspondent Maung Maung Hein filed this report.

(Maung Maung Hein - recording) According to a tip-off by a villager that
he saw more than an acre of illicit poppy plantations on the slopes of
Maliwun Hill, about 6 km north of Apachun Village in Kawthaung Township,
Tenasserim Division, a 12-man-strong police column led by Captain Pyay
Thein inspected the hill on 20 January afternoon. As soon as they reached
the hill they were warned not to proceed any further by Capt Tin Aye and
five soldiers from LIB (light infantry battalion) No 431. When the police
explained the need to inspect the hill, Capt Tin Aye and group from LIB No
431, who are in charge of security of the hill, not only prevented the
police from coming but insisted that they hand over the villager who
allegedly saw the poppy fields. The police had no choice but to retreat in
order to protect the villager providing the information.

According to locals, the poppy plantation on Maliwun Hill is for the
supply of poppy leaves only. Dried poppy leaf powder is the main
ingredient in producing a new type of narcotic drink called asean (as
received), which has been gaining in popularity since it was introduced in
2002. The drink is becoming popular among the young, middle aged, and
women in Kawthaung and Ranong (in Thailand). The drink is available at big
restaurants in Kawthaung for 500 kyat per glass while it costs 30 baht in
Ranong. Since the Thai authorities are cracking down on Yaba amphetamine
tablets, this low-cost narcotic drink is slowly replacing the stimulant
market. Sales are increasing rapidly due to scarcity of narcotic drugs.
Although the Kawthaung police know about the trade in dried opium leaves
from Kawthaung-Maliwun estuary to Ranong, they were unable to make any
arrest. Furthermore, according to locals, they were also unable to inspect
the illicit poppy fields on the hill. (End of recording)

That was a report by DVB correspondent Maung Hein. Although many are aware
about poppy plantations in Shan State, northern Burma, this is the first
time that anyone has heard of the existence of poppy plantations in the
vicinity of Kawthaung in southern Burma. According to local people, it has
been learned that many similar poppy fields could also be found in the
remote islands of Mergui archipelago. How are the poppy leaves from these
poppy fields mixed to make Asean narcotic drink? How are they used? A
youth who personally consumes the drink explained as follows.

(Unidentified youth - recording) About three or four ingredients are mixed
in asean including poppy powder, Horlicks, and milk. They are all mixed
and stirred together like Ceylon tea. Horlicks and poppy powder are mixed
together first and then milk is added. The taste is, how should I explain,
cool in nature. The person who drinks it would not find fault with anybody
and would stay by himself. If you do not have any experience and drink
asean without any food in your stomach you would throw up. The taste is
more on the sweet side, it is not bitter and very much drinkable. (End of
recording)

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 23 Jan 04


BUSINESS / MONEY
____________________________

Jan 26, Financial Times
Mae Hong Son joins hands with Myanmar to boost border trade

Public and private sector representatives from this northern border
province of Mae Hong Son yesterday engaged in talks with the district
chief of Hua Muang in Myanmar's Loikaw region, with the aim of ironing out
obstacles to border trade.

Mr. Somchai Sithisantikul, President of the Mae Hong Son Chamber of
Commerce, said that last night's discussions were problems surrounding the
border checkpoint linking Huay Phueng in Thailand with Hua Muang in
Myanmar, which currently posed a serious obstacle to cross-border trade
between the two nations.

Full support for the chamber of commerce's plans was pledged by the Muang
Mae Hong Son district chief, Mr. Decha Sathaphol, who noted that a boost
in border trade would also serve to also serve to promote tourism.

At the same time, he promised state assistance for villagers living along
the border in order to improve their security and quality of life.

Yesterday's talks were given a warm welcome from the province's private
sector. Describing the talks as a 'good signal', Mr. Suphot Klinpraneet,
President of the kProvincial Tourism Association, called on the government
to amend immigration regulations as a matter of urgency in order to allow
tourists to cross the border to view the former camp of drugs kingpin Khun
Sa.

The Hua Muang district chief, meanwhile, said that his town was fully
prepared to open up border trade with Mae Hong Son, from which it required
import goods. However, he called for officials from both sides to carry
out strict inspections for illegal goods crossing the border.

He also noted that the border region was still criss-crossed with barbed
wire and landmines, promising that these would be removed to allow lorries
across.



REGIONAL
____________________________

Jan 25, Voice Of America
Thailand Welcomes Cease-Fire Agreement Between Burma, Rebel Group

Thailand is welcoming a ceasefire accord between Burma's military
government and its main rebel group, the Karen National Union.

Thai press reports, quote Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, as
saying he hoped the agreement would lead to talks on other sensitive
issues.

The reports say Mr. Surakiart met with head of the ethnic Karen delegation
Bo Mya for the first time Friday in Bangkok.

Bo Mya said he would try to maintain the positive momentum and hoped for
further talks. He also thanked Thailand for supporting ethnic groups in
the reconciliation process.

Burma's military rulers announced the truce Friday following six days of
talks in Rangoon.

Rangoon announced last month plans to hold a national convention and draft
a new constitution this year.

The United States has been pressing Rangoon to allow all ethnic groups in
Burma to be represented.

The Karen National Union has been fighting for more than 50 years to
establish an independent state in eastern Burma for ethnic Karens.
____________________________

Jan 26, The Yearbook of Experts, Authorities and Spokespersons
Malaysia calls on Burma to free opposition leader 'as soon as possible'

Malaysia is urging the military government in Burma to free detained
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi "as soon as possible," Radio Free Asia
(RFA) reports. Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar also told RFA's
Burmese service that ASEAN could still expel Burma "as a last resort" if
it fails to move forward.

"We would like to encourage Myanmar to not derail the reconciliation
process and to release Aung San Suu Kyi as soon as possible," he said,
using the junta's own name for Burma. "We think it would be good for
Myanmar to listen to the voice of the ASEAN countries, to show visible
signs to undertake the political process as well as the release of Aung
San Suu Kyi so that they can avoid pressure from other members of the
international community and other actions that may be attempted...by
countries outside ASEAN," Syed Hamid, whose government opposes sanctions
against Burma, said in an interview.

"We would like to send a delegation of ASEAN member countries...but so far
Myanmar has not responded to that. But they have sent and continue to send
special envoys to various ASEAN countries and East Asian countries in
order to explain their situation. So the only thing is we would like to
see some visible signs and some very clear deeds so we will be able to
assist them in their desire to make the political changes that are
suitable to their country."

Asked about Malaysia's suggestion that ASEAN could expel Burma from the
regional association if it fails to make political progress, he replied:
"The Prime Minister [of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad] mentioned this as a
last resort. If they ignore everybody, that will be the pressure that
people will put... Dr. Mahathir was just giving them a reminder of the
consequences that may take place if they ignore the requests and the
desire of the international community. We hope they will be able to do
something positive that will be of benefit to them."

Earlier Wednesday in Bali, ASEAN nations said they would send a delegation
to Burma to press for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi--one day after the
European Union warned that her detention could hurt Europe's relations
with all of Asia. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the
Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, which brings together foreign ministers and
senior officials from 25 Asian and European countries.

Burmese authorities detained the Nobel Peace Prize winner and hundreds of
her followers May 30 following a clash with pro-government supporters that
left an unknown number of dissidents dead.
____________________________

Jan 25, AFP
Japan cleans house of illegal residents while facing labor shortage

Khin Maung Latt knows he did something wrong. The Myanmar native came to
Japan as a student in 1988, but after the military crushed a pro-democracy
movement, he felt going home was not an option.

Four years later, he landed a job as a driver with a small transport
company and met the woman he was to marry. So he overstayed his visa in
1992.

"I know I did something wrong, but I had no choice," said Khin Maung Latt,
46, in an interview with AFP.

Now like an estimated 250,000 other illegal residents, Khin Maung Latt is
subject to a crackdown by the Justice Ministry and Tokyo government, which
aim to halve the number of illegal aliens in the next five years by
deporting them.

Khin Maung Latt is luckier than most because his cause has been taken up
in parliament and he has the backing of the country's largest labor
organization.

Though Japan does not give work visas to non-skilled laborers, he has been
able to build an 11-year career at the transport firm, where he is now
chief driver, after belatedly applying for refugee status in 1994, a case
that is still before the courts.

His 10-year-old and six-year-old daughters, both born in Japan, and his
Filipina wife Maria, who is also an illegal alien, are desperately hoping
they are not deported to what, for them, is a foreign country.

"Before, when it was just me, if I was sent back to Burma (Myanmar), I
would be the only one who would be hurt," said Khin Maung Latt, who also
claims to be an activist against the Myanmar junta.

"But now we have two children. I want the Japanese government to do
something for their future."

Those fighting for Khin Maung Latt have a compelling argument in their
favor: Japan is about to face a major and growing labor shortage as its
population is expected to peak in 2005 and then spiral downward.

Katsuhiko Yoshida, Khin Maung Latts employer, said while he knew that his
chief driver at some point broke the law, he had come to question Japans
draconian new policy on illegal aliens, which was announced last October.

"If you send half of these people home, Japans economy is going to take a
major hit," he told AFP. "If there are hard-working people among them,
yes, I think they should get special permission to stay."

Masatoshi Yorimitsu, social sciences professor at Hitotsubashi University,
said Japan should stick to the old selective policy of only deporting
illegal immigrants who committed crimes.

"In Japan we have the saying, 'One punishment provides 100 warnings'. I
think we have to deport those who have done something really terribly bad.
Thats the policy we have pursued up to now and we should continue it in
the future."

"I dont think there can be plain sailing for a policy that tells all
people who are illegal residents: 'Get out'."

Experts agree Japan is heading toward a crisis. According to a labor
ministry report published in July 2002, Japans roughly 68-million-strong
workforce will shrink by 1.2 million by 2010 if nothing is done, and drop
further in the future, putting a major strain on the labor market.

The report suggested that after introducing a policy of granting
employment visas to highly skilled workers in 1967, Japan should now allow
lower-skilled laborers to get work visas as well.

And it asked a central question in the debate for a country where only 1.1
percent of the 127-million-strong population is non-Japanese.

"When looking at our system of importing foreign workers, including for
long-term stays, the most important thing is to gain a clear consensus on
the questions: What is Japan? Who are the Japanese? -- issues that are
fundamental to our nations identity," it said.

Despite Asian nations such as Thailand and the Philippines pounding on
Japans door to admit workers like caregivers through free trade deals,
some argue that not all of the nations labor and population woes will be
solved by foreigners.

Junichi Goto, an international economics professor at Kobe University who
is taking part this month in a labor ministry panel on the foreign worker
issue, said most of the worker shortfall could be met by productivity
increases and greater participation by women in the workforce.

"Even after Japan takes some measures to increase productivity and the
participation of female workers, Japan might, and I emphasize, might, face
some labor shortage," he said. "But in my view, illegal migrants are out."

Hiroaki Miyoshi, a research fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto, argued
the higher birth rates of foreigners would drop as soon as they landed in
Japan, and the age profile of the immigrant population would increase at
the same rate as the Japanese, thus taxing the already burdened pension
system.

"Bringing in more foreigners is like a narcotic," he said. "In the short
term it feels great, but in the long run it doesn’t make life easier."


INTERNATIONAL
_____________________________________

Jan 24, Los Angeles Times
One Legal Attack on Unocal Denied

A U.S. judge has ruled that oil giant Unocal can not be held responsible
for alleged human rights abuses committed during the building of a gas
pipeline in Burma.

Lawyers for a group of Burmese villagers claim that Unocal ignored reports
that Burmese military guards subjected them to forced labor, rape and
torture.

The billion-dollar 'Yadana' pipeline was built in the 1990's by a group of
companies that included Unocal subsidiaries.

California judge Victoria Chaney ruled Friday that the villagers do not
have the right to sue for compensation because Unocal can not be held
responsible for the conduct of the subsidiaries.

But, in her ruling, Ms. Chaney said the U.S. company knew or should have
known about human rights abuses that could happen on the project. She said
the ruling does not affect the plaintiff's ability to pursue the claim on
different grounds.

The civil suit was brought by a human rights group, Earthrights
International, on behalf of 15 villagers.

The plaintiffs lawyer Dan Stormer told VOA that he would not give up the
legal battle to get compensation for the victims.

He argued that Unocal set up a series of 'paper companies' to avoid
liability. Lawyers for the defense claim the civil suit was brought
against Unocal and not the subsidiaries as part of a 'massive campaign' to
force the oil giant to leave Burma.

Several large international corporations have pulled out of Burma to
protest alleged human rights abuses. Human rights groups say the situation
in the military-led country has worsened in recent months
_____________________________

Jan 24,  LA Times
L.A. judge to issue oral ruling on Unocal's liability in human rights case
- By Lisa Girion

Judge says subsidiaries, not the parent firm, are responsible for project
tied to Myanmar abuse.

Unocal Corp. won a round in a long-running human rights case Friday when a
Los Angeles judge ruled that 15 Myanmar refugees sued the wrong corporate
entity -- at least under one theory -- for abuses they allegedly suffered
at the hands of government soldiers guarding a company pipeline.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria Gerrard Chaney held that
five subsidiaries -- not the parent company targeted in the case -- were
responsible for Unocal's share of the $1.2-billion natural-gas pipeline in
the country formerly known as Burma.

By deciding that Unocal is not the "alter ego" of its subsidiaries, Chaney
blocked one avenue by which the plaintiffs had hoped to take the parent
company to trial. Still, the judge said she was not ruling out the
possibility that El Segundo-based Unocal could face trial on other
theories of liability.

"Unocal knew or should have known there were human rights abuses" in
Myanmar, Chaney told a courtroom packed with Unocal lawyers and Myanmar
activists opposed to the company's investment in the Southeast Asian
country.

Chaney said she found no evidence that Unocal had sought to shield itself
from liability by concocting sham subsidiaries. Although the units shared
employees, offices and bank accounts with the parent, she said, Unocal
showed good faith in treating them as separate entities.

The subsidiaries kept their own business records and had enough cash and
insurance to pay any judgment against them, she said. Unocal's
relationship to its subsidiaries mirrors that of many large, multinational
companies, Chaney noted, "and this court is unwilling to initiate a sea
change in the way the majority of corporations do business."

Unocal lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said the ruling was the "beginning of the
end of this case."

He said the plaintiffs made a strategic error in suing the parent company,
and the statute of limitations prevents them from refiling against the
subsidiaries.

Petrocelli said he would argue that Chaney now must dismiss the suit
against the parent.

This "represents a complete vindication for the men and women of a
corporation that every trial court has found has done nothing wrong,"
Petrocelli said.

Plaintiffs' lawyer Dan Stormer said he was confident that the case,
despite Friday's setback, would go to a jury trial. He said Chaney had
ruled earlier that the plaintiffs' other theories of liability must be
decided by a jury.

Stormer said jurors could hold Unocal liable if they determined its
subsidiaries acted as agents of or were engaged in a joint venture with
the parent. "We're going to go forward under agency," he said. "We're
going to go forward under joint venture."

Stormer characterized the ruling as nothing more than a "bump in the road."

"This is what happens in civil rights cases," he said. "When you are
trying to apply the law to people who historically have not had the
benefit of the law, the cases become more difficult."

The case stems from a pair of unprecedented lawsuits the plaintiffs filed
in federal court in 1996, alleging that Unocal was liable for murder, rape
and enslavement carried out by soldiers guarding the pipeline in which
Myanmar's ruling junta was a partner. The suits were refiled in state
court three years ago after a federal court dismissed them.

In 2002, Chaney ruled in the state case that Unocal could be held
indirectly liable under a variety of legal theories, one of which she
eliminated Friday.

Friday's ruling came after several days of testimony from Unocal employees
and business experts in the first phase of the trial. Chaney set a hearing
for Feb. 20 on a written version of her ruling and to decide how the case
should proceed.

Three judges on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the
federal suits two years ago. That decision is under review by a larger 9th
Circuit panel. The circuit court could wait for guidance from the U.S.
Supreme Court, which will hear arguments in another case this session
about whether federal courts have jurisdiction over misconduct abroad.


OPINION / OTHER
_____________________________________

Jan 24, Mizzima
The Junta’s Divide and Rule Policy - by Kanbawza Win

The Junta’s “Divide and Rule” policy is paying off well these days as it
has successfully crack the backbone of armed resistance, the KNU, the
symbol of autonomy (ethnic nationalities) and democracy (armed pro
democracy movement). Seeing the writings on the wall many of the tough
resistance fighters not in the KNU group have applied for a refugee’s
status is third countries. If credit is to be given to where credit is
due, surely the Junta deserves it, as it was able to marginalize Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi and the whole Burmese pro democracy movement, a stalling
tactic in order to isolate the NLD. This has been the main goal of the
Junta as its media often portray Daw Suu as just one of the political
party’s leader and not the leader of the mass democratic movement.

The KNU estimated to be about 7,000 men is the largest ethnic group still
fighting against Rangoon. A ceasefire arrangement with the KNU is the
biggest major achievement for the Junta because it paints the picture that
they wanted peace and helps dampen international criticism over its
failure to carry out reforms. It indirectly cajoled or forced all ethnic
groups to attend the national convention. It is a key to the credibility
of the convention, the first step in a "road map". But the paradox is that
the Junta still continues to embark upon its scotch earth policy and since
the talk started more than 3,000 ethnic refuges had run away from their
homes. The simple logic is that the Junta has chosen to talk and
accommodate the leaders of ethnic nationalities who have chosen a violent
way of armed resistance while refusing to compromise with the genuine
people’s representative the NLD waging a non-violent way.

Many lessons could be learnt of how the KNU comes to an informal verbal
ceasefire agreement. The OSS based in the Signal Pagoda road in Rangoon
carefully and meticulously studies the Karen situation after the downfall
of Manaerplaw. Seeing that Bo Mya still retains power even after a
disaster it logically draws the conclusion that he is the key man in KNU,
if not the “ The Monarch of all I Survey.” The Junta also realized that
KNU is something like a big warlord with only lip service to democracy.
The more genuine and dedicated group are more educated and sophisticated
and the Junta has a hard time matching them. So they devise a very careful
“Divide and Rule Policy” of separating the fighting force from that of the
political one by a sweet word of “Military to Military Agreement” and
graciously deleted the precondition that first the KNU must relinquish
their arms and come to the legal fold. This caught the old senile man Bo
Mya off guard and jumps at the offer. In Burmese we say “Pyar Ye Hnin Wun
Cha” meaning using honey as a purgative. Even though the game is not over
yet, currently the KNU delegation has come back empty handed falling
neatly into Khin Nyunt’s stalling tactic of the divide and rule. For the
moment it seems that Junta is silently congratulating these cease-fire
ethnic nationalities in helping to marginalize the people’s representative
led by NLD and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. KNU has unwittingly added a feather
in the Junta’s cap.

On the other hand Bo Mya, who has just celebrated his 77th birthday with
pomp and ceremony in Rangoon for the first time, is eager to show
something substantial to his people before he entered dotage. Like Moses
he had led his people in the wilderness, in fact, he is more than Moses
because the latter has taken only 40 years while Bo Mya is more than half
a century. But the difference is that he has no Aaron to discuss with or
Joshua to carry on his works and most importantly his promised land is in
the hands of the Junta. So obviously he was compelled to choose those
subordinates who are cockeyed to the economic sphere. He also seems to
realize that most of his faithful flocks are facing with what we call
struggle fatigue; obviously he has little or no choice and nobody can
blame him for this decision, as any drowning man will catch a last straw.

The Junta’s academics have not only studied the British “Divide and Rule
Policy,” since 1857 when the first Indian battle of independence triggered
by the introduction of cartridges containing beef and pork oil among the
Indian soldiers working for the British. The Junta has bred several
Kleptocrats i.e persons who can formulate a policy of divide and rule The
divide-and-rule strategy is made possible by the weakness of the
opposition institutions and highlights the different nature of politics
between strongly- and weakly-institutionalized polities. We knew that the
Junta helps kleptocratic by providing them with greater resources to buy
off opponents. Kleptocratic policies are also more likely to arise when
opposition (ethnics nationalities) groups are shortsighted and when the
average productivity in the economy is low.

When the primeval human mind first conceived of concepts and emotions like
"authority," "control," "superiority" in a collective setting, probably
the policy of the "Divide and Rule" evolved as an instrument to conquer
and control the other fellow humans and satisfy the designs of the
controlling fractions. This is exactly what happens in the minds of the
Burmese Generals. There were numerous instances where the policy of divide
and rule have been applied effectively in the ancient Egyptian, Sumerian,
Greco-Roman, and classical Indian civilizations to bring different ethnic
groups and followers of varied ideologies under imperialistic controls.
However, with the progress of human civilization, complicated parameters
of religions, competing social philosophies came into existence,
introducing new dynamics into the political life; the application of the
divide and rule increasingly caused violent upheavals and bitter
animosities among the rival fractions and groups. The classis example is
the KIA, where there are attempted coup and counter coup, and very lately
has arrested a prominent Christian pastor confiscating his cell phone
because he has spoken the truth (taking a leaf out of the Junta’s book in
lying the very concept of truth) while an ordinary Kachin continue to
suffer silently. We just hope and pray that Karen will not be in the same
position in the coming years and wish that old comrades who are on the
wrong side of 65 should gracefully retire and give place to the younger
more educated, energetic and sophisticated, dedicated Karen.

Up to this day there is no such thing as ethnic problem in Burma for
unlike Yugoslavia each ethnic nationality will not fight the other ethnic
nationality. The KIA does not fight the KNU and the Shan does not fight
the KNPP nor the CNF fight the ALP and so on. The military dominated rogue
Myanmar that is practicing the Maha Burma policy exacerbates the problem.
Now that the Junta’s” Divide and Rule Policy” was able to implement
cease-fire with most of the armed resistance groups including the KNU,
there is every possibility that it will soon decipher another follow up
policy of  “let the national ethnic minority fights another national
ethnic minority”. There were several precedents e.g. the Burmese
government mechanized the Chin and the Kachin soldiers to sacrifice their
lives in the defense of Rangoon and the Burmese government in 1949, how
the Wa were rewarded with narcotic industry to fight the Shan and it was
often the DKBA that lead the Junta’s soldiers to attack the KNU soldiers,
etc.

The Junta has hoped that its cleverly craft domino theory will succeed
since the betrayal of the KIA, followed by17 armed resistance groups but
the bulk ward of the fighting force the KNU have remain true to their
conviction. Now, that the KNU has reached a cease-fire indicating that
Achilles heel has been hit, it will be just a matter of time that other
smaller and weaker groups follow suit. This is the tactics of the Junta. 
Only when the ethnic nationalities are in their pocket they will be in a
position to tackle the NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The other area where the Junta’s “Divide and Rule Policy” makes its
presence felt is in the Burmese in Diaspora. It could easily organize
those who come for greener Pasteur by allowing, if not encouraging them to
visit Burma. Surprisingly via the multilateral corporation and business
minded people could also win over several of the 8-8-88 generations
especially and neutralize them. However, the crowning success of the Junta
policy was that it could easily instill Burmese chauvinism to the overseas
Burman intelligentsia. The FBC (First Betrayal’s Catcall) leader can be
heard in his attack on the ethnic thinkers probably because he has become
a Kyar Nar (a Burmese version of wounded tiger) with no nationalist
Burmese accepting his position of supporting the Junta’s road map. Of
course one could not expect too much from a son of a Burmese military
officer but the troubling aspect is that this cancer has spread to the
other people who have contact with him. The point is, in as mush as the
Junta is sore afraid of the student’s demonstration inside the country so
also we must be afraid of this “Divide and Rule Policy” of the military
clique and must be on the look out of his crafty and cunning and reckless
ideas.

Hence, in this scenario how can we free ourselves from the burden of the
past practice by the successive governments of Burma? How we should set
ourselves free from the legacy of "divide and rule?" A strong leadership
is needed, as it requires a more cohesive and well-integrated society
where the policy of "divide and rule" is virtually powerless. It is
important to mention that democracy itself has not been the cause of this
state weakness, but a relative strength in the coming decades. All the
ethnic nationalities must show their loyalty to the country they dearly
love. Mass education has been the fundamental tool deployed by modern
states for national integration.

In a way it can be considered as a blessing in disguise for it weans away
those who are not mentally and morally strong. The stronger the fire, the
purer the gold will be. Those who have come out of this mess still
dedicated to democracy and real autonomy of a federal state and genuine
national reconciliation has nothing to fear as one can read in between the
lines of the President Bush State of the Union speech and an unwavering
support given by the European Union. In other words even though our heads
are very bloody yet we remain unbowed.
____________________________

Jan 24, Mizzima
A Tale of Make-Believe by Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt – by Zin Linn

Among ‘birds of a feather’ neighbouring countries Burma will continue to
be the region’s ugly duckling

Much to the surprise of the nation, the Prime Minister of the State Peace
and Development Council (SPDC) has called on officials to take measures
for the betterment of Burma’s judicial sector.  General Khin Nyunt has
stated that he wants the people to understand and appreciate
the value and protection of law and thus voluntarily abide by the existing
laws.  He also pronounced that the SPDC has established all necessary
laws, rules and regulations and is consistently and fairly putting them
into practice.  The Prime Minister has emphatically claimed
that the rule of law in Burma will pass judgement by any legal expert and
that the interests of the people are always safeguarded in accord with the
existing laws.

Contrary to General Khin Nyunt’s words, the UN Commission on Human Rights
in Geneva condemn the Burmese military regime each year for committing
systematic human rights abuses on a massive scale.  The most recent UN
yearly resolution has accused the military regime in Rangoon of
perpetuating a myriad of human rights violations.  The list includes
crimes against humanity; summary, arbitrary or extrajudicial killings;
rape, torture, inhumane treatment, and forced labour, including the use of
child labour and child soldiers; forced relocation and the denial of
freedom of assembly, association, expression, religion, and movement; and
delaying the process of national reconciliation and democratisation.

The most damning indictment of the regime is that the country has been
lacking an independent judiciary system for more than forty years. 
Burmese judges and judicial officials are not compelled to respect basic
processes of law in ordinary criminal cases nor in political cases.  But
they must respect and obey the men in military uniforms, especially the
military intelligence chief and his agents.  Most court-decisions are
orders that have been passed on to judicial officials from senior
intelligence officers.  Judges then only have to read out a ready-made
sentence.

Bribery, corruption, the misuse of power above laws, and the manipulation
of the courts for political ends continue to deprive citizens of their
legal rights.  Prisons and hard-labour camps are
overcrowded, and inmates lack adequate food, water and health care. 
According to a reliable source, at least 84 political prisoners have died
in custody since 1988.  The death toll in one particularly notorious
hard-labour camp is known to be at least 30 each month.  There are over
300 hard-labour camps under the prison department throughout the country.

The Burmese generals continue to pronounce loudly that the military ruled
country is progressing on every sector and has reached a state of peace
and prosperity.  However, Burmese people are not fooled by the junta's
hollow words while the regime continues with their evil deeds.  In a
country where thousands of prisoners are languishing in various jails and
forced-labour camps, no one will believe statements without real action.

General Khin Nyunt made his legal propaganda speech while meeting with
judges of the Supreme Court and legal representatives from the Attorney
General's Office and from state, division and district courts.  This
meeting took place on 17 January 2003 at the Institute of Nursing Hall on
Bogyoke Aung San Road in Rangoon.

The military junta’s Prime Minister said to the gathering that he
acknowledged the important role played by officials of the law enforcement
sector.  He then reiterated the primary instruction that is
given to judicial officials and judges and that is to judge all cases in
accord with the following seven principles of the judicial system:

1) That the judicial pillar is free from bribery.
2) To strive to expose the truth in order to win the trust of the people
and ensure that those who break the law cannot disrespect the court.
3) Judges, law officers and staff in the judicial sectors are to perform
their duties with uprightness to realise the goals of the State.
4) Uphold truth, fairness and sympathy in enforcing the law.
5) Although the lawyers are not service personnel, they are to cooperate
with the courts to expose the truth as they are to assist the court.
6) All are to strictly abide by the law, rules and regulations and
directives in their judgements in order not to go against the law.
7) Officials are to be aware of the fact that acts of some immoral service
personnel who take bribes and their misbehaviour are detrimental to the
nation-building endeavours of the military regime.

General Khin Nyunt went on to state that there are still weaknesses in the
legal process and he called for the cooperation of local authorities.  He
warned local authorities not to interfere in the
administration of justice.  Personal interference in cases by some local
authorities goes against the seven principles of fair administration of
justice.

In conclusion, he urged judicial officials and law officers to take part
in the effort to maintaining law and order, the emergence of a
discipline-flourishing democratic nation and the success of the
seven-point future policy program.

The unelected Prime Minister totally failed to recognise a major point:
that the SPDC is merely a de-facto regime and not a de-jure government or
a parliamentary government supported by voters.  Without the true support
of the people, no one can establish a nation of justice.

Subsequently, people in Rangoon have already made a mockery of the Prime
Minister's speech as a tale of make-believe.

A move from bribery and corruption to a just and fair judicial system will
never materialise without the twin democratic forces of a people's
parliament and a free press.  Although General Khin Nyunt urged others to
strive to expose the truth and ensure that the ones who break the law
are brought to justice in a court of law, he himself and the ruling
military elite are always above the law.  The most remarkable example in
recent times is the Dapeyin premeditated massacre of National Party for
Democracy officials and supporters that took place on May 30 2003.  This
audacious crime that shocked the world was clearly committed by pro-junta
thugs.  However, no official investigation has even been hinted at up to
this point in time, and no arrests have been made.  Along with the entire
military elite, the junta's Prime Minister has turned a blind eye to the
violence that took place at Dapeyin.  It is because of travesties of
justice such as this and the lack of any action to bring those responsible
to justice that the people conclude that the Prime Minister's speech is
utterly ridiculous.

Following a 17-day mission to Burma in December 2003, an Amnesty
International delegation called on the military junta to release all
prisoners of conscience and to stop arresting people for peacefully
expressing a dissenting opinion.  Amnesty's deputy director for Asia,
Catherine Baber, called on the international community to keep up the
pressure for concrete action to match the rhetoric coming from the
military regime in Rangoon.

One of Amnesty International’s most serious concerns is the use of
repressive legislation to criminalise freedom of expression and peaceful
association.  These out-of-date laws hark all the way back to the
nineteenth century.  Examples of their use in recent months includes the
sentencing of people for staging solitary protests and for discussing
social and economic issues in personal letters.  Authorities have
continued arbitrary detention and intimidation and have created an
atmosphere of fear and repression that will take more than rhetoric to
dispel.

Some of the worst state-sanctioned crimes and human rights abuses take
place in Burma's ethnic dominated states.  According to reports by the
United Nations and other Human Rights Watch Groups, the Burmese armed
forces in these states are responsible for killings, beatings, rape, and
arbitrarily detaining civilians with impunity.  A report issued by the
Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan Women's Action Network accuses
the Burmese army of systematic rape and documents 625 sex attacks on Shan
women and girls by Burmese soldiers between 1996 and 2001.  Soldiers
routinely seize livestock, cash, property, food, and other goods from
villagers, as well as destroying property.  Burmese soldiers know that
they are above the law as it stands, and so breaking the law is as common
as a habit of daily routine.

According to the junta's Prime Minister, all citizens must strictly abide
by the laws, rules and regulations and directives of the regime.  In this
way, law enforcement can be truthful, fair and sympathetic.  It is clear
that in reality he means all citizens must abide by the law except for the
military elite and their relations.

While neighbouring countries are supporting the Burmese military regime in
order to exploit economic benefits, Burmese people are living a life of
total misery in the ASEAN region.  Eventually the people of Burma will
reach breaking point.  This can only mean that if the ruling elite is left
to their own devices, Burma will be trouble for the region in the years to
come.
____________________________

Jan 24-30, The Economist
Grand plans, but not much hope in sight

THE State Peace and Development Council, as Myanmar's military regime
styles itself, is at least living up to one part of its name. Over the
past decade, the council has concluded ceasefires with almost all of the
country's myriad rebel groups. The last big one still fighting, the Karen
National Union, currently has emissaries in Yangon, the capital,
negotiating a truce. Despite the advent of peace, however, the regime is
still struggling to provide the development it advertises. And
democracy does not feature in its name at all--nor, it seems, in its plans.

Theoretically, a ceasefire with the Karen will pave the way for a
constitutional convention, at which Myanmar's many ethnic groups and
political parties will have their say. The resulting document will be put
to a referendum, in time to usher in some form of democracy before
2006, when Myanmar takes over the rotating chairmanship of the Association
of South-East Asian Nations.

So, at least, suggests the junta's cheery "road map" to democracy. But
observers in Yangon are less sanguine. The government has released 26
political prisoners this month, but it still holds over 1,000 more. It has
also had Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's leading dissident, again under
lock and key since a crackdown last May. That was just the latest of many
blows to her National League for Democracy since the generals annulled the
1990 election that the NLD had won by a landslide.

There are signs that the road map, too, will lead nowhere. The junta is
insisting that the armed forces appoint a quarter of all the seats in any
future parliament and a third of the seats in the regional assemblies. Its
courtship of ethnically-based groups like the Karen National Union looks
designed to isolate the National League for Democracy. It also wants to
ban people with foreign spouses or children, such as Miss Suu Kyi, from
the presidency. Since its crackdown on her party last year seemed to be a
response to the efforts to re-establish the party's long-suppressed
regional offices, there seems little chance that it will allow a proper
debate on a new constitution, let alone free elections.

Most people in Myanmar, however, have more mundane concerns, such as the
price of rice. The authorities liberalised the rice trade last year, but
on January 1st they changed course, banning exports for six
months--presumably to ensure adequate local supply and low prices. The
result is a huge glut. The price has fallen below the cost of production,
badly hitting the 70% of the population who live off the land.

Other recent initiatives include punitive car taxes, despite a grave
shortage of vehicles. The government also helped to bring about a bank run
last spring, leaving the urban economy in chaos. Since then American
sanctions, imposed after the latest crackdown on Miss Suu Kyi's party,
have put some 40,000 clothing employees out of work and made some foreign
transactions such as credit-card payments very difficult. But even before
the sanctions came into effect, businessmen were leaving the country, fed
up with the government's arbitrary economic management.

Nonetheless, the economy has always staggered on in spite of the
government, and the junta has revenue from natural-gas exports to tide it
over: a Korean-led consortium has just discovered a big new offshore
field. Ministries are being encouraged to become financially
self-sufficient by selling services or going into business. And if all
else fails, the government can always resort to its tried and tested
tactic of printing money. Yet in the back of their minds the generals must
remember that it was protests over economic policy, not politics, that
brought down the military regime in 1988. Could it happen again?
____________________________

Jan 26, Nationwide News Pty Ltd.
Home of the sea gypsies under threat

It is one of the most beautiful countries on earth.

It is also one of the most brutal. Burma is a nation in the grip of a
harsh military dictatorship.

What would compel a team of filmmakers who had already spent a year in
Burma and survived, to return again? It is the chance to visit paradise
before it is wiped out.

This version of paradise lies off the southern coast of Burma, a majestic
chain of eight hundred islands called the Mergui Archipelago -- home to
the Moken people who feature in Burma's Gypsies of the Sea on ABC TV on
Wednesday.

Cradled by pristine reefs, most of the islands are untouched and
uninhabited except for an outstanding array of rare birds, fish and
animals.

Few people have ever seen these islands. They are home to a remarkable
group of people known as the Moken sea gypsies; seafaring nomads who live
on their boats and move among the many islands. The Moken way of life is
based on the tides and the cycle of the moon.

They live within nature, not outside it. Their language is unique and does
not exist in any written form.

For centuries the Moken have adapted their existence to the rhythms of the
natural world around them.

Now this little-known Eden and its inhabitants, both human and animal, are
under siege.

Long forbidden to outsiders by the Burmese government, this archipelago of
untapped riches faces a growing invasion of settlers, loggers, fishermen
and entrepreneurs all eager to make their fortune. These invaders bring
havoc in their wake.

*  Burma's Gypsies Of The Sea can be seen on ABC TV at 10pm on Thursday.