BurmaNet News: March 22, 2004

[Editor]

A listserv covering Burma
March 22, 2004 Issue # 2440
www.burmanet.org

INSIDE BURMA
NMG: Fighting between KNU and DKBA

ON THE BORDER
NMG: Forced relocation for Asia highway in Tamu

BUSINESS / MONEY
Xinhua: Myanmar to become major natural gas exporter

REGIONAL
Xinhua: Sino-Myanmar bilateral economic, trade ties get new momentum

OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima: UN should support international forum on Burma, says ACHR
Newsday: 'Made in Burma’ Reaction: Bush-Cheney to sell only U.S. goods
The Washington Daybook: Event
The Daily Telegraph (London): Rangoon is wrong

INSIDE BURMA
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March 22, Network Media Group
Fighting between KNU and DKBA

Fighting between the Karen rebel group and government-backed splintered
Karen group has broken out since 14th March in the area of Karen National
Union's No 7 brigade area, resulting several deaths from the
government-backed Karen side, reports from Mae Sod today said.

Mann Shar, a secretary of the KNU said on March 16, "Some members of DKBA
died due to recent fights and ammunition was seized from them. Yesterday
there was a battle near No 7 Brigade area, in this, some DKBA were killed
and we got six arms from them while there were no casualties from our
side. This morning again, two exchange of fire between the KNU and DKBA
and I've yet to get reports from these fights."

There have been frequent contacts between the KNU and DKBA after
anniversary of the KNU's revolution day in January. The communication
between lower level of these groups was established in No 7 Brigade area.


ON THE BORDER
_____________________________________

March 22, Network Media Group
Forced relocation for Asia highway in Tamu

Burmese authorities issued an order to relocate thousands of houses that
are blocking the construction of the Asia Highway in Tamu township,
Indo-Burma border, one local resident said.

Local residents said they were ordered to relocate their houses due to the
fact that the upgrading of the Indo-Burma road (BRTF) to the Asia Highway
(that will connect Thailand, Burma and India) will occupy their land.

"They (the authorities) are measuring the width of the existing BRTF road
to upgrade up to a 200 ft wide highway. We were told to destroy everything
whether homes or local livestock farms, within a range of 100 ft from the
middle of the road.

The road will be widened up to 100 ft on both sides and most of the houses
will be destroyed, he said. "Almost all houses have to be destroyed. We
are told that we will have to move within a month."

People are yet to find out where they will have to relocate, though the
order of relocation was already issued by the authorities.

As the number of homes that are going to be relocated is large, people are
disappointing by the authorities. Some people are also planning to submit
a petition signed by several victims. It is hard to get sympathy from
authorities, however.

"The Appeal is just for the sake of disappointment. In the appeal letter,
people signed along with their national identification number. Even when
we submit this appeal, they (authorities) will eventually destroy our
homes. The authority will not give up their plan though people are not
satisfied," one local resident said.

The existing eighty-two miles long and 36 ft wide Tamu-Kalay road has been
using since 1997 and named as Indo-Burma Friendship road and it was
constructed with the help of Border Roads Task Force (BRTF).

Eight hundred and fifty miles long Asia Highway that is going to be built
will connect three countries starting from Manipur State of India, Pagan,
Pegu and Myawaddy in Burma and will reach up to Mae Sod in Thailand.

The decision to construct this highway within 18 months was taken after a
meeting of foreign ministers from Thai, Burma and India in April 2002.

While the total estimated cost for the highway is USD 700 million, the
Indian government will provide USD 100 million, Thailand will provide USD
90 million and Burma will have to spend USD 62 million.

Several houses in these villages on the Highway namely -- Net-Myin-Han,
Man-Maw, Htan-Ta-Pin, Pan-Thar, Nan-Mon-Tar, Yan-Lin-Phai, Wi-Tote,
Teddim-Yan, Bote-Kan, Htan-Zin, Kanma-Gyi, Kanan, Kan-Pat, Nan-Katate,
Nan-Khauk-Khaukm Ye-Tote, Kyuntaw-Ye-Shin, Phayar-Ye-Shin,
=awbwar-Ye-Shin, 55-Miles, Khone-Thar, Kan-Oo, Nan-Han-Nwe, Sakan-Gyi,
Indine-Lay,  and yee-Kon will also have to relocated.

BUSINESS / MONEY
_____________________________________

March 22, Xinhua
Myanmar to become major natural gas exporter

Myanmar possesses the potential to become a major exporter of natural gas
in the region within the next half decade out of estimation of its gas
reserves, a local press quoted an official with the Energy Ministry as
saying on Monday.

The country's proved, probable and possible reserves of offshore natural
gas is estimated at 89.7 trillion cubic feet (2. 53 trillion cubic
meters), including proven recoverable reserves of 509.4 billion
cubic-meters, the official said recently.

It is forecast that the commercial production in 2006 of Block A-1 in the
Shwe Gas Field off western Rakhine coast, being developed by South Korea's
Daewoo Company, would have a gas export volume of up to 14.5 billion cubic
meters a year with India standing as a prospective buyer of gas from the
block.

With further development of another Block A-3 off the same coast by the
same company, other foreign companies such as GAIL of India and the China
National Offshore Oil Corporation would probably step in.

The block A-1 stands as one of the three world class offshore gas fields
in Myanmar since 1990. The other two fields, the Yadana in the Gulf of
Mottama and the Yetagun off Tanintharyi coast, have been exporting gas to
Thailand through pipeline.

The Yadana, which went into production in 1988, has been supplying about
16.9 million cubic meters of gas a day, while the Yetagun, which started
operation in 2000, has been pumping gas of 8.4 million cubic meters a day
to the neighbor.

Myanmar consumes 7.9 million cubic meters of natural gas a day, of which
5.3 million cubic meters are for electrification.

Meanwhile, a trans-ASEAN gas pipeline project is underway to connect the
regional members with surplus supply to those with gas shortage by 2015
and a feasibility study has also been carried out on a trans-BIMST-EC
(Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand-Economic Cooperation)
gas pipeline which extends from Thailand through Myanmar to Bangladesh and
India.

REGIONAL
_____________________________________

March 22, XINHUA
Roundup: Sino-Myanmar bilateral economic, trade ties get new momentum

 The bilateral economic and trade relations between Myanmar and China
continued to develop in recent years, attributing to being deepened by
China's policy of good neighborly and friendly cooperation with its
neighbors including Myanmar as well as Myanmar's of maintaining
friendship with neighbors.

According to official statistics, Myanmar-China bilateral trade, including
border trade, exceeded 1 billion US dollars in 2003 with Myanmar's exports
to China amounting to about 170 million and its imports from China 900
million.

Under the economic and technical cooperation between the two countries,
Chinese companies have initiated a large number of projects in Myanmar,
covering hydropower plants, commercial network projects, cement and paper
plants, agricultural machinery factories, bridge projects and processing
of forest and marine products.

Myanmar official figures indicate that China has so far injected over 64
million dollars into the country in over 10 projects, ranking the 15th in
the line-up of Myanmar's foreign investment.

Of China's investment in Myanmar, Yunnan Province's in major projects,
already completed, has reached 227 million dollars. These projects include
some container wharves, exported dredges, cement plants and exported
hydropower plant equipment.

On the basis of mutual benefit, China encourages its major domestic
companies to engage in overseas investment to enhance its economic and
trade links with developing countries, thus prompting a large number of
Chinese companies to have access to Myanmar for exploring more prospects
in the country.

Meanwhile, several exchange of visits between leaders of the two countries
in recent years has also strongly pushed the development of their economic
and trade ties. According to numeral agreements signed during their visits
to each other's country, China has extended to Myanmar a great deal of
assistance in projects of agriculture, industry, transport, electric
power, education, health and human resources development.

Especially during Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe's visit to
China in early January 2003, an agreement on economic and technical
cooperation, which is one of the three, is for China to provide a 50
million yuans of aid to Myanmar and a largest ever preferential loan of
200 million dollars at low interest rate for carrying out Myanmar's
790-megawatt Yeywa hydropower project.

Also during Chinese former vice-premier Li Lanqing's visit to Myanmar in
late January 2003, the two sides reached an agreement on partial debt
relief for Myanmar, a memorandum of understanding on extending a grant for
the supply of cultural, educational and sporting goods by China to Myanmar
and another MoU on the program of aerospace and maritime courses by China
to Myanmar.

Moreover, during Assistant Minister of Commerce of China Chen Jian's visit
to Myanmar in December 2002, the two sides signed a framework agreement on
China's provision of concessional loan and another agreement on economic
and technical cooperation. These loans extended by China are believed to
contribute to the improvement of Myanmar's infrastructural and economic
development.

This week, Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi will pay an official visit to
Myanmar as the third leg of her four-Asian-nation tour which also covers
Laos, Cambodia and Maldives.

Wu's visit is believed to further push the development of China-Myanmar
bilateral economic and trade ties.

OPINION / OTHER
_____________________________________
March 22, Mizzima
UN should support international forum on Burma, says ACHR

Instead of passing a generic resolution on the human rights situation of
Burma at the 60th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
(UNCHR), the United Nations should support a forum on international
support for national reconciliation in Burma, said Suhash Chakma, director
of the New Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), in his human
rights feature published on 17 March.

“For the last ten years the Commission on Human rights has been passing
resolutions condemning Burma against human rights violations
 At the
moment the international forum for assisting Burma to return to democracy
is being facilitated by the Government of Thailand. And when something of
this nature is facilitated by the Government of India or the Government of
Thailand, whichever government it might be, they always have their
geo-political interests in mind. That’s why the United Nations should give
its imprimatur and all the meetings for this forum should be held under UN
auspices,” said Mr. Suhash. The feature also emphasizes out the crucial
role played by neighboring countries and ASEAN in the mediation
facilitated by the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy.

Speaking to Mizzima in regard to the role of neighboring countries and
ASEAN, Mr. Suhash said, “neighboring countries so far have given
diplomatic support to the Burmese Government. I think it’s a very
substantive change when we talk about the restoration of democracy to
national reconciliation. At the beginning in the 1990s, people are talking
about a return to democracy and restoration of the government of National
League for Democracy. Now people are no longer talking about the
restoration of National League for Democracy, people are talking about
national reconciliation, which makes the military a legitimate part of the
future government. So the neighboring governments, especially Thailand,
India and China, have supported recognizing the role of the military
government in the future government of Burma.
That’s accepted. So now these governments (India, Thailand and China) have
to put pressure on Burma the fact that the other legitimate constituents
of the future government is the National League for Democracy and the
ethnic nationalities groups. So they have a huge role
to play in terms of convincing the military to accept this.”

The UNCHR, which has its annual session held in Geneva, Switzerland, has
constantly condemning human rights violations in Burma.

The ACHR monitors human rights situations in the Asian region. It aims to
convince governments in the region and throughout the world to improve
their human rights situations.
__________________________

March, 22 Newsday
'Made in Burma’ Reaction: Bush-Cheney to sell only U.S. goods


The Bush-Cheney re-election campaign has vowed to sell only American-made
goods following a report its official merchandise Web site sold some
clothing made in Mexico and Burma.

Newsday reported Friday that a shipment of campaign goods it received
included a Burmese-made fleece pullover and a T-shirt made in Mexico.

President George W. Bush signed an executive order in July banning imports
from Burma, now Myanmar, because of its dismal human rights record. What's
more, outsourcing to all foreign countries has been a sensitive campaign
topic in a year when job growth has been scarce.

"The merchandiser has apologized, accepted responsibility and assured the
campaign that this will never happen again," said campaign spokesman Steve
Schmidt. "The campaign is committed to ensuring that only made-in-America
products are offered through the Web site."

The Spalding Group, a Louisville, Ky.-based firm that works exclusively
with Republican political campaigns, handles Bush-Cheney '04 merchandise.
In a letter to the campaign Friday, president Ted Jackson noted his
purchase order to a vendor had specified U.S.-made goods. "Unfortunately,
in one of our recent shipments, a vendor inadvertently supplied us with
foreign goods," he said, "and our own company did not discover this
mistake before distribution to the
public." Citing the vendor, Spalding said fewer than 10 Burmese items
reached the public.

The vendor, Colorado Trading & Clothing, conceded in a letter to Spalding
it made a mistake in shipping the Burmese items. Those items were brought
into the U.S. legally last year before the import ban went into effect on
Sept. 1, Colorado Trading's president, Jeff Schmitt, told Newsday on
Thursday. By Lauren Weber
--------------------------------------------------

March 22, The Washington Daybook

ORGANIZATION: The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of
Advanced International Studies (SAIS) holds a discussion on "Reconciling
Burma/Myanmar: Re-Examining U.S. Relations with Burma."

DATE: 25 March 04

TIME: 8:30 a.m.

LOCATION: SAIS, Nitze Building, Kenney Auditorium, 1740 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626; e-mail, fklubes at jhu.edu;
or http://www.sais-jhu.edu

----------------------------------------------
March 22, The Daily Telegraph (London)

Rangoon is wrong

SIR - Alex Spillius writes that Rangoon has "a new name - Yangon - chosen
by the government in an attempt to disown the British past" (report, Mar
20). The name Yangon, meaning "the end of enmity", was given after the
conquest of Lower Myanmar by King Alaungpaya in 1755. It was the British
colonialists, who illegally annexed Myanmar in 1886, who changed the name
to Rangoon. It is Rangoon, not Yangon, that is the new name.

Kyaw Kyaw Win

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Ed, BurmaNet News