BurmaNet News, July 21, 2004

[Editor]

July 21, 2004, Issue # 2521

“We are experienced in overcoming the challenge of sanctions and we have
made the necessary preparations in searching for new markets.”

U Zaw Min Oo, managing director of the Crocodile Trading Company, as
quoted in Myanmar Times, July 19, 2004


INSIDE BURMA
Xinhua: Number of internet users in Myanmar rising
Mizzima: Burma frees imprisoned journalist
Kaladan News: Nasaka issued ultimatum to the villagers whether to pay
kyats 500, 000 or to demolish the houses

BUSINESS / MONEY
Myanmar Times: Garment industry overcomes sanctions

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Bangkok wants regime for Burma forum
Irrawaddy: Restrictions eased for migrant workers in Thailand
AP: Report: China holding U.S.-based dissident

INTERNATIONAL
Daily Telegraph: Asia forum threatened by British boycott of Burma

OPINION / OTHER
New Light of Myanmar: Towards bilateral cooperation between China and Myanmar


INSIDE BURMA
______________________________________

July 21, Xinhua News Service
Number of internet users in Myanmar rising

Yangon: The number of internet users in Myanmar has grown to nearly 70,000
since 2000 when it was first introduced to the country, a local news
journal reported Wednesday.

The number of internet subscribers even rose 133 percent within a year
from 2003 when it stood at only 30,000, the 7Day quoted internet provider
sources as saying.

Among the users, private companies account for the majority, while
government departments stand the minority, it said, adding that users
range from people of 20 years old to 40.

Internet services were first provided by the state-run Myanma Posts and
Telecommunications when it came into being and the services were later
extended to include the Bagan Cybertech and some 20 cyber cafes.

Myanmar's information and communications technology (ICT) sector has been
making progress since the country introduced e( electronic)-education
system in early 2001 with two ICT parks in Yangon and Mandalay being
respectively set up in the last two years to provide modern communications
services in the country.

In addition, a teleport and internet data center was established near the
Yangon ICT park by the Bagan Cybertech, a semi-government organization
providing the park with high speed data communication broadband internet
access and telephony services.

Being a signatory to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated at the
Singapore Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in
2000, Myanmar has formed the e-National Task Force (NTF) to support the IT
development.

As part of a series of projects of the e-NTF, Myanmar has been launching
some  e-government systems including e-passport, e-visa, e-procurement,
e-certification authority and trade data interchange.

Meanwhile, the government enacted in last May the Electronic Transaction
Law to serve as a legal basis for the development of multi-sector with the
use of e-transaction technology.

______________________________________

July 21, Mizzima News
Burma frees imprisoned journalist - Sein Win

A Burmese journalist was released from prison on the12 of July four months
after his sentence had been completed.

U Thar Ban, 67yearsold, was released from Rangoon’s notorious Insein
prison. Hewas detained for more than seven years for helping a university
student write about Burma’s student movement.

Paris based media watchdog Reporter Without Border or RSF and exiled Burma
Media Association welcomed his release but regretted that he had not been
freed earlier in a joint statement released yesterday.

”His health sharply deteriorated in 1999 but he was not allowed to go to
hospital,” said the statement criticising what they call a "criminal and
deliberate policy" by the authorities of allowing prisoners' health to
worsen.

A journalist and a political activist, U Thar Ban was also a lawyer, a
staff member of the government paper Kyemon (The Mirror) from 1962 to
1978, and a worker for various independent magazines from 1986 and 1990.
He was arrested in March 1997 along with thirty-one other people.  This is
his second time in prison.

He was imprisoned from 1990 to 1995 for the first time for his political
involvement in the United Nationalities’ League for Democracy, which is
linked to the opposition party, the National League for Democracy.

At least 10 journalists remains in the prisons of Burma, the statement
said.  Meanwhile, a former political prisoner, Wa Nay Soe died due to
liver cancer just a month before his release, said the Thai-based
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners’ Burma (AAAP) yesterday.

______________________________________

July 20, Kaladan News
Nasaka issued ultimatum to the villagers whether to pay kyats 500, 000 or
to demolish the houses

Maungdaw: Nasaka issued an ultimatum to the Rohingya villagers whether to
pay Kyats 500,000 per house or to demolish their tin roofed houses in
Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State of Burma, according to our
correspondent, in side Arakan.

On July 4, 2004, Captain Aung Kyaw Moe, the Commander of the Nasaka Sector
No.4 called a meeting in their Nasaka camp inviting some villagers
including village Chairmen and Secretaries of Kyein Chaung and Pruma
villages of Maungdaw north. In the meeting, the Commander asked the
villagers to demolish the tin roofed houses, which were built in last five
years back. And to avoid this, whether the villagers have to pay Kyats
500,000 per house or to demolish all the houses, a villager participated
in the meeting said.

On hearing the order, the participants of the meeting requested to the
Commander to withdraw the order as in the rainy season, it will be very
difficult to stay in other places after destroying their houses. But, the
said Captain took no notice, said a villager from the village.

He further said, “ If any one meet not to comply the order, he would be
punished according to the laws. The villagers have to destroy all the
houses by August 15, 2004.”

About 120 houses in two villages would be affected by this order. Some of
the villagers have already paid Kyats 500,000 (US$ 556) to the Nasaka per
house, who can afford this money and the rest are trying their best to
pay. But, most of them are unable to pay the said money as their acute
poverty, said another villager who preferred not to mention his name.

Deliberately, Nasaka arrested and detained three of the villagers, on the
information of discussion each other about the Commander’s order. However,
they were released after bribing, he further added.

In 1999-2000, when General Khin Nyunt, the then Secretary 1, present Prime
Minister of State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) visited to this
area and instructed the villagers to redecorate the bordering town and
villages with good quality of roofs and etc. Therefore, some villagers had
built some tin roofed houses   after getting permission from concerned
authorities. But now, The Commander denied everything and charging the
villagers on illegal modification of houses in bordering areas.

When asked a village elite said, “We have no strength not to comply their
order because of the judge and the defendant are the same person. They
know that in rainy season, the villagers would be faced acute difficulties
after destroying our houses. They do it deliberately.”


BUSINESS / MONEY
______________________________________

July 19, Myanmar Times
Garment industry overcomes sanctions - Ye Lwin

As the United States renewed economic sanctions on July 7, Myanmar’s
garment industry is more stable than when the stricter sanctions were
first introduced at the end of August last year, industry sources told
Myanmar Times last week.

The managing director of the Crocodile Trading Company, U Zaw Min Oo said
that although his company had faced difficulties in August last year,
reducing employment and productivity by up to 20 per cent, they were
prepared for this month’s announcement.

“We are experienced in overcoming the challenge of sanctions and we have
made the necessary preparations in searching for new markets,” U Zaw Min
Oo said.

“Despite further sanctions, it will not much affect our industry,” he said.

U Khin Tun, managing director of Prime Industries and Business Limited
said his company was looking for new markets in European countries such as
Germany and Spain.

“The productivity of our garment factory declined 50 per cent after last
year’s sanctions as the majority of our buyers are from the United
States,” he said.

U Kyaw Zin, director of Opal International Company Ltd told Myanmar Times
that his company’s main customers are from Germany, Austria and France.

“Since the factory first opened we have not operated in the American
market, therefore the sanctions are having no effect on our business, but
we do face some difficulties in remittance between Myanmar and foreign
banks,” said U Kyaw Zin.

Opal garment factory in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone now employs 1700
workers and business is stable, U Kyaw Zin said. The company enjoyed its
peak productivity in 2000, he added.

This trend is similar throughout the garment industry – in 2000, the 400
garment factories in Myanmar employed 350,000 people, producing almost 35
million dozen garment batches with an export value of US$397 million.

Myanmar is increasingly targeting Europe as a market for garment CMP
(cutting, making and packaging) – the industry expects to increase exports
to the region by 6 million dozen garments this year.

There are now about 160 garment factories operating in Myanmar with a
workforce of more than 100,000 employees.

While sources in the garment industry were optimistic about the current
situation, most admitted that young women – who make up the majority of
shop-floor workers in the industry – are the main victims when production
decreases.


REGIONAL
______________________________________

July 21, Irrawaddy
Bangkok wants regime for Burma forum - Aung Lwin Oo

Thailand has expressed its willingness to resume the talks on Burma which
were suspended in April 2004. Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai
said on Tuesday that Bangkok is ready to host the second round of the
“Bangkok Process” and wants Burma to join the forum.

“Now some countries have approached us including the UN Secretary General
to consider the possibility of having the second Bangkok Process,” said
Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, who spoke to
The Irrawaddy by telephone.

The Bangkok-hosted forum started in December last year with delegates from
12 countries along with the UN special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail.
Although a second round was scheduled for April, Rangoon withdrew from the
process at short notice, causing some embarrassment to the Thai
government.

“Whether or not we will be able to organize [the forum] depends on the
readiness of the Myanmar [Burmese] government to attend and we can not
force the Myanmar [Burmese] government to attend,” Sihasak admitted. “But
we hope that the Myanmar [Burmese] government will see the benefits of
coming.”

Meanwhile, the EU has been critical of Burma’s lack of progress in
political reform, which led to a standoff regarding the planned
Asia-Europe Meeting or Asem scheduled for October 8-9 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Last week the EU appointed a special envoy to sort out the problem with
its Asian counterparts. The special envoy, former Netherlands foreign
minister Hans van den Broek is due to meet with the Foreign Minister of
Thailand on Thursday.

Sihasak said that Thailand would maintain its position that new members of
Asean be included in Asem, including Burma, as long as the EU insists on
bringing its new members to the meeting.

______________________________________

July 21, Irrawaddy
Restrictions eased for migrant workers in Thailand - Nandar Chann

Registration for Thailand’s alien workers just got easier. The Thai
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare announced on Wednesday that illegal
migrants no longer need their employers or landlords to accompany workers
to district offices to fill out the registration forms.

Foreign workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos have been allowed to
register for official work permits from July 1 to 31. But complicated
registration procedures and high fees have opened room for job brokers to
exploit alien workers. Thus, many workers have chosen to avoid
registration. The low turnout during the first half of the registration
period has caused the Thai Labor Ministry to ease restrictions.

“I have been looking for a broker to pretend he is my employer because I
want to register for a work permit in Thailand,” said Nan Win, an
unemployed Burmese migrant in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. She
added that it is easier to pay off a broker to facilitate her registration
than to find a job.

Of the roughly one million migrant workers in Thailand, 80 percent are
from Burma. The new registration policy will allow migrant workers to seek
health coverage under the Thai national healthcare system. They should
also be eligible for work permits at the end of the registration period,
entitling them to full labor protection.

They also have the right to seek a new job if they wish. As a result,
employers are reluctant to pay and register their workers, fearing that
migrants might quit their jobs after obtaining a registration card.
Previously, employers paid for registration and deducted the amount from
the workers’ salaries.

“I have to pay the broker 2,000 baht (US $48) to pretend that he is my
employer,” said Nan Win. “I also have to spend 3,800 baht to register. But
I can’t afford that.”

Pranom Somwong, of the Thai-based Migrant Assistance Program, said that as
of July 18, roughly 560,000 workers had registered for work permits.

______________________________________

July 21, Associated Press
Report: China holding U.S.-based dissident

Beijing: China is holding a U.S.-based dissident who disappeared while
traveling in Myanmar, a human rights group said Wednesday.

Peng Ming, a veteran Chinese democracy activist who lives in California,
was arrested in Myanmar around May 22 on charges of possessing fake
Chinese money and turned over to Chinese authorities, according to
Washington-based Worldrights.

Myanmar and China may have worked together "to snare" Peng, the group said
in a statement. It said he was detained with a Chinese companion, Zhong
Ping, who is under house arrest.

"Without certifiable proof of any wrongdoing on Peng's part, his detention
is manifestly arbitrary," said Worldrights executive director Timothy
Cooper in the statement. "We call for Peng's immediate release and his
safe return to the United States."

Peng is leader of the China Federation Foundation, which was founded in
California last year. He told The Associated Press at that time that its
goal is to replace communist rule with democracy.

The Worldrights statement said Peng was being held in the central Chinese
city of Wuhan. Police and prosecutors reached by phone in Wuhan said they
had no information about the case.

Peng went to Myanmar to set up a haven for fleeing Chinese dissidents, the
statement said. It said he entered Myanmar from Thailand, where his
parents live as refugees.

Peng spent 18 months in a Chinese labor camp after he was arrested in 1999
amid a crackdown on dissent that sent dozens of dissidents into prison or
exile.

Released in August 2000, he left China and moved to the United States in
2001 and has applied for permanent U.S. residency.

China will never interfere in Myanmar’s internal affairs General Khin
Nyunt calls on PRC President Hu Jintao


INTERNATIONAL
______________________________________

July 21, The Daily Telegraph (London)
Asia forum threatened by British boycott of Burma - Anton La Guardia

Britain is under attack from European and Asian countries demanding that
it abandon its policy of ostracising the Burmese military regime.

The Government wants Burma banned from the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in
November because of the junta's repression of political opponents,
especially the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's main
pro-democracy leader.

But virtually every other nation involved in the forum does not want
relations to become hostage to the Burmese question.

European Union countries - which have imposed an arms embargo as well as a
visa ban and asset freeze on senior regime officials - accept that Burma
has not made progress in meeting EU demands, such as the release of Miss
Suu Kyi.

But they say that Europe's relations with Asia, which buys 21 per cent of
the EU's exports, are hugely important.

"It is impossible to have normal relations with the regime," said one EU
diplomat, "but we cannot sacrifice relations with such an important region
because of Burma. We are not going to inflict damage on ourselves.

"Many members of the EU feel that Britain is manipulating the EU. If
Britain wants to exert pressure on Burma, why doesn't it cut off its own
diplomatic relations?"

A spokesman for the Thai foreign ministry, said: "We recognise that the
issue of Myanmar [Burma] is of concern but we do not think it should pose
as an obstacle to broader co-operation."

The Asia-Europe Meeting started in 1996, bringing together the 15 nations
of the EU and seven members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations
(Asean), plus China, Japan and South Korea.

But both organisations have since expanded, forcing the Burmese issue on
to the agenda. The EU wants to include its 10 new members at the summit,
prompting Asia to demand the inclusion of its new members - Laos, Cambodia
and Burma.

Diplomats are trying to broker a deal whereby Burma would take part in the
summit but would send a "lower-level delegation", allowing the Europeans
to take part.

Britain's position on Burma is unusually firm. It has often preferred
pragmatic "engagement" rather than confrontation with other pariah states
such as Iran, Syria, Libya and even North Korea.

But Tony Blair last year invited Miss Suu Kyi to address the Labour
conference, hailing her as "an example to democrats all over the world".

Critics accuse Britain of double standards because it is not demanding the
exclusion of one-party communist states such as Laos, Vietnam or China.

Britain insists that there is a united EU position on Burma. "The
membership of Asem is a matter for Asem," said one official, "but we and
the Europeans have a problem sitting down with the Burmese regime.

"Burma is unique because in every other country we are seeing progress in
economic and human rights. Burma is the only country where the regime is
getting worse."

The junta has reacted by blaming Britain for almost every problem the
country has suffered in the past half century.

Britain's policy was driven by its "colonial mentality", said a statement
from the junta. Burma, renamed Myanmar by the generals, declared: "The
people of Myanmar are very much disappointed to learn that even after the
British troops left Myanmar more than 50 years ago, Britain continues in
its attempt to deny Myanmar its sovereign right to shape its own nation's
destiny."


OPINION / OTHER
______________________________________

July 20, The New Light of Myanmar
Towards bilateral cooperation between China and Myanmar

The People's Republic of China and the Union of Myanmar Burma established
diplomatic ties on 8 June, 1950. The two countries share a 2,210-km-long
common border and the governments and the peoples of the two nations enjoy
a long history of friendship, adhering to the policy of mutual respect,
equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other.
Moreover, the two countries have been cooperating in political and
cultural fields, especially in economy and trade.

At the invitation of Premier Mr Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of
China, Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar Gen Khin Nyunt and wife Dr
Daw Khin Win Shwe paid an official visit to the People's Republic of China
from 11 to 18 July. During his visit, Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt paid a
courtesy call on Mr Hu Jintao at the Fujian Hall of the Great of Hall of
the People in Beijing on 13 July.

At the meeting, President Mr Hu Jintao expressed his thanks for Myanmar's
constant support to one-China policy and stressed that the People's
Republic of China would provide assistance for economic progress of
Myanmar as much as possible, to raise the momentum of bilateral
cooperation in every sector. The president also added that China would
never interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs and expressed his pleasure
at the Sino-Myanmar relations which, based on the Five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence, remained unchanged.

Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt also called on Mr Wu Bangguo, chairman of
the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, at the
Great Hall of the People in Beijing and they discussed the matters on
strengthening Paukphaw brotherly friendship between the two nations,
enhancing the bilateral cooperation and mutual respect.

Moreover, Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt met Mr Luo Gan, member of the
Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, at the Hong Kong Hall of the
Great Hall of the People and they cordially discussed matters on
strengthening mutual friendship and bilateral cooperation, eliminating
narcotic drugs and development of border region management system of both
nations.

We strongly believe that, as the People's Republic of China has been
providing necessary assistance for economic development of Myanmar, the
two nations will enhance mutual understanding and promote bilateral
cooperation in various fields.