BurmaNet News, November 11, 2004

[Editor]

November 11, 2004, Issue # 2599


INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar regime promises amnesty in move against car smuggling racket
Narinjara: Nine Arakanese monks arrested for agitating the Municipal
authority

ON THE BORDER
Bangkok Post: Plea to stop supporting Salween dam projects
Mizzima: Nagas oppose Indo-Burma military operation

REGIONAL
AP: Indonesia's Foreign Min makes surprise visit to Myanmar
AFP: Leaders of Singapore and Thailand talk trade, Myanmar in Bangkok
AP: Malaysia extends amnesty for illegal workers

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: Burma fails to improve human rights: UK report

OPINION / OTHER
Jakarta Post: Thailand should help with reforms in Myanmar

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

November 10, Agence France Presse
Myanmar regime promises amnesty in move against car smuggling racket

Yangon: Myanmar's military regime has launched a crackdown against owners
of an estimated 30,000 smuggled luxury cars as part of its power struggle
against the former allies of ex-premier General Khin Nyunt.

The junta has started to impound all "unlicenced" motor vehicles
signalling an end to a lucrative cross-border racket worth millions of
dollars believed to involve members of the regime's once powerful military
intelligence faction.

Analysts believe more than 30,000 luxury cars and 4x4s found their way
into the country from Thailand and China and past border security posts
manned by intelligence officials.

The group, which had wide-ranging powers, was headed by Khin Nyunt until
he was sacked for corruption by the head of the junta Senior General Than
Shwe on October 19.

The military, which has run the country since 1962, has since swiftly
moved against the widespread business interests of intelligence officers,
who represented a rival faction in the leadership.

It includes a crackdown on the smuggling and sale of unregistered cars
that can be bought and sold at prices less than a fifth of the going price
of legally registered ones.

Half of them ended up in the ancient city of Mandalay, 500 miles north of
the capital Yangon where 15,000 smuggled cars replaced registered ones,
according to a long-time Mandalay resident.

In the city a nearly new four-wheel drive Toyota can change hands for 8.5
million kyat (8,950 US dollars according to unofficial street rates), less
than the cheapest car in the capital.

"Over the last four years Mandalay came to be known as the 'City of
Without(s)' the resident told AFP, explaining that 'without' was car
dealer jargon for unlicenced vehicles.

"Nowhere else can you own a luxurious late model car at the price of a
cheap car in Yangon," he said.

But a surprise police crackdown on unregistered vehicles at midnight on
October 31 had changed all that, he said.

"We were given a week to surrender all un-licenced vehicles under the
threat of stiff jail-terms," a hotel manager, who also buys and sells
cars, from the area told AFP.

According to him, some owners caught with more than one unregistered
vehicle dismantled the cars piece by piece leaving just an empty shell to
be seized.

Others sold them off to opportunistic spare-part dealers who picked up the
cars at rock-bottom prices to be resold as spares.

One of the earliest victims of the crackdown was a business partner of Dr.
Ye Naing Win, the son of deposed premier Khin Nyunt, who ran a lubricant
shop in the ancient city, the man said.

"Not only were six of his late model 4x4s confiscated but he has been
arrested for his well-known connection to Ye Naing Win," he added.

"Other owners, unwilling to give up their vehicles, simply drove them
inside the nearest Buddhist monastry hoping to retrieve them later when
the dust had settled."

The government this week urged owners to surrender their cars as quickly
as possible, and said those that handed them over would not be prosecuted,
an official spokesman said.

"As the Government will not take action or interrogate any owners of
un-licenced cars, the best and the most appropriate way is to officially
hand over the illegal cars to the nearest police station," police
director-general Brigadier Khin Yi said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Yangon's car dealers and brokers said the trade in far more
expensive registered cars in the capital had picked up dramatically with
prices sky-rocketing at least for the moment.

"We're making a killing and hope this will keep on for some time to come,"
a young broker enthused.

______________________________________

November 11, Narinjara News
Nine Arakanese monks arrested for agitating the Municipal authority

Akyab: Nine Arakanese monks from Akyab, capital of the Arakan state have
been detained by the local authority.  They are in the danger being
imprisoned for many years.

The nine monks are from Ka Yu Khaung monastery, which is located in front
of the State High School No. 3, Akyab.  On October 18th, the monks got
into a brawl with the Akyab city municipal staff members.

A senior monk who is a member of the Arakan State sangha nayaka (the
governing body of the order of monks) confirmed the news of the arrest and
told Narinjara that senior monks from Akyab are trying to negotiate the
release of the monks.

A lay person who attended the Ka Yu Khaung monastery recounted the genesis
of the problem, “The Akyab Municipal authority impounded the trishaw which
was on its way to collect food for the monks of the monastery.  The monks
went to the Municipal office to complain about the impoundment.  When the
trishaw was not released, there was a small brawl between the monks and
the Municipal staff members there.”

In order to get more details on the present conditions of the monks as
well as personal details, Narinjara tried to contact the Abbot U Sein Daa,
but have not been successful so far.

The monk who was the leader of the agitating group was in the solitary
confinement in the Akyab prison, and there are some rumours that he has
received a long prison sentence.

The Akyab Municipal officers normally impound trishaws and demand bribes
from them, in order to be released.  In this case, the brawl started due
to the demand of a bribe from the monk for their “food trishaws”, said the
source.

_____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

November 11, Bangkok Post
Plea to stop supporting Salween dam projects - Piyaporn Wongruang

Representatives of ethnic groups in Burma have urged the Thai government
to stop supporting dams and other development projects on the Salween
river on the Thai-Burmese border.

They said the projects would lead to an intensification of Burma's
military action to dislocate them and take control of their land.

Two organisations, Karen River Watch and Salween Watch, claim to represent
ethnic groups who have been campaigning against the building of large
hydro power projects on the Salween.

They said the Burmese military had already moved minority people from
their land to stop them giving support to armed ethnic groups. They said
army activity was likely to intensify as more military troops would be
deployed to move villagers for security reasons.

One of the groups' representatives who went by the name Htoo Klei cited a
recent incident in which people in Papun district in a Karen area were
moved from their land and had since lived in hardship after troops wanted
to build a road to link the Wei Gyi and Dagwin dams near the district
close to the border with Thailand's Mae Hong Son province. He said the
dams got "support" from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
Feasibility studies of the dam projects are ongoing.

Another representative calling himself Sai Sai claimed the 3,300-megawatt
Tasang dam in Shan State has caused similar hardship among Shan people.

The Burmese minorities made their appeal during the launch of a book in
English called "The Salween Under Threat, Damming the Longest Free River
in Southeast Asia" published in collaboration with Southeast Asia Rivers
Network, and the Centre for Social Development Studies of Chulalongkorn
University. The book talks about the dams and their impact.

Mr Sai asked the Thai government to consider the human rights of ethnic
groups in Burma before giving support to the projects.

_____________________________________

November 11, Mizzima News
Nagas oppose Indo-Burma military operation - Nava Thakuria

Guwahati: Naga civic bodies, political leaders and armed groups expressed
apprehension about the Indo-Burma joint military operation to flush out
anti-Indian Government insurgents from Burmese soil.

The Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) has said they would not
tolerate any military intervention which directly threatens democracy,
human rights and sustainable peace.

"The Indo-Burma pact on flushing out NE insurgents and to combat,
terrorism in the border regions is a matter of grave alarm and Nagas need
to understand the broader political implications of the politics of
artificial boundaries that has been created to divide the Naga people so
as to limit our struggle against occupation and for our inalienable right
to self determination.", add the NPMHR in a press release.

India targeted the bases of United National Liberatin Front, the People's
Liberation Army and smaller outfits. Twenty-five rebels have been killed
and 40 more have been detained. The temporary headquarters of the People's
Liberation Army (PLA) bordering Burma in the remote Indian state of
Manipur has been seized.

Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, has also expressed reservations
about the Indo-Burma military joint operation in border areas. Though he
admitted that the central government had the power to instigate the
military operation, Mr Rio argued that such operation might harass more
civilians.

The reactions from both factions of the NSCN were also not favourable for
the Indian Government. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Khaplang), whose headquarters are based inside Burma, had strongly
expressed its resentment against such operation as it would "prevent" them
taking part in future peace dialogue.

The armed resistance group, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Isak-Muivah), also opposes a military operation in Burma in the line of
Bhutan 'flush-out' operation. A NSCN(IM) representative, K. Chawang,
alleged that such an operation would only harass ordinary Naga people
living in the border areas.

Reacting to the development, the Asian Centre for Human Rights director,
Suhas Chakma, argued that India must shift its mindset of a "Bhutan-type"
operation against United Liberation Front of Assam and other insurgents in
Burma or Bangladesh as such an operation cannot be replicated elsewhere.

"India has put pressure on Bhutan since the armed groups shifted camps to
the tiny Himalayan kingdom in the early 1990s. New Delhi provided weapons
to the Royal Bhutan Army and trained its personnel in counter insurgency
operations. New Delhi cannot provide such assistance to Burma or
Bangladesh," added Mr Chakma.

Meanwhile, Indian Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, reaffirmed that the
truce with the Naga armed groups, the NSCN(IM) and the NSCN(K) would
continue even if an Indo-Burma military operation took place in future.
However, he denied that any concrete decision was taken in this regard.

The head of Burma military regime, Senior General Than Shwe promised to
cooperate the battle against rebels when he visited New Delhi last month.

_____________________________________
REGIONAL

November 11, Associated Press
Indonesia's Foreign Min makes surprise visit to Myanmar

Bangkok: Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda arrived Thursday in
Yangon on an unannounced visit to the Myanmar capital.

His visit was confirmed by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman in
Jakarta, Marty Natalegawa.

The reason for the visit wasn't announced, but an official in Yangon,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wirayuda was seeking a meeting
with the head of Myanmar's ruling junta, Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

The visits comes three weeks after Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt
was removed from office and replaced with by another senior army officer,
Lt. Gen. Soe Win.

The event caused concern abroad, for fear it would hurt efforts at
reconciliation in Myanmar. The country has been in a political deadlock
since 1990, when the National League for Democracy party of Aung San Suu
Kyi won a general election, but wasn't allowed by the military to take
power.

Khin Nyunt's removal was seen as a victory of hardline members of the
junta over a moderate faction led by Khin Nyunt which was more inclined
toward negotiating with Suu Kyi's pro-democracy movement.

Indonesia and Myanmar both belong to the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, which has backed a policy of constructive
engagement with Myanmar's military regime to encourage reforms and
democracy.

In recent years, Indonesia and Malaysia have been the main parties within
ASEAN trying to nudge the junta toward change

ASEAN's position puts it at odds with many Western nations, who shun the
junta and employ political and economic sanctions to show disapproval of
its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a
democratically elected government.

Even ASEAN members, however, expressed concern about Myanmar's latest
political changes, and have asked for assurances that the government will
keep to its plan for a gradual return for democracy.

The new prime minister and senior junta members have publicly stated their
commitment to a seven-step "road map to democracy, " announced by Khin
Nyunt last year, that is supposed to culminate in free elections at an
unspecified time in the future.

_____________________________________

November 11, Agence France Presse
Leaders of Singapore and Thailand talk trade, Myanmar in Bangkok

Bangkok: Singapore's prime minister arrived in Bangkok on Thursday for
talks with his Thai counterpart focused on improving trade but touching on
the upheaval in Myanmar, a Thai official said Thursday.

Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra also promised to improve intelligence
sharing between the two countries and to work together closely to
"overcome the challenges of our time", according to his speech to welcome
Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee and Thaksin discussed bringing forward a previously agreed target of
2020 for trade liberalisation without specifying a new date, Thai
government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair said.

"The two countries also agreed to reduce trade barriers between each
other" for livestock and fruit, he added.

The two men also talked about the upheaval in Myanmar where prime minister
Khin Nyunt was sacked last month during a power struggle within the top
ranks of the military junta.

Lee will meet Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej late Thursday before
flying home early Friday, leaving behind his defence minister to sign an
agreement on closer military cooperation between the two countries.

Lee made the trip as part of a series of visits to Southeast Asian
countries to introduce himself as Singapore's leader after assuming the
premiership in August.

_____________________________________

November 10, Associated Press
Malaysia extends amnesty for illegal workers - Bernama

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has extended an amnesty allowing illegal immigrants
to leave the country without punishment following a request from
Indonesia, a news report said.

The 17-day amnesty - which had been due to expire Sunday - was extended
after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a personal appeal
to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, national news agency Bernama
reported.

"Although in principle Malaysia agrees to the Dec. 31 date requested by
the Indonesian president, a more accurate date will be discussed with the
Indonesian government," Home Minister Azmi Khalid told Bernama on
Wednesday.

Malaysia had earlier said it hoped to evict some 400,000 of its estimated
1.2 million illegal foreign workers during the 17-day amnesty that began
Oct. 29. So far, only about 60,000 illegal immigrants have left the
country.

Most of the illegal workers are from Indonesia and form the backbone of
Malaysia's construction industry, but are also accused of petty crimes
such as thefts.

Azmi told reporters last week that the government would launch a new
crackdown on illegal immigrants after the amnesty, and those caught faced
jail terms, fines and caning.

The amnesty covers illegal workers from all countries, including Myanmar,
Bangladesh, the Philippines and India.

The government has said the workers are free to enter Malaysia legally in
the future.

Malaysia offered a similar amnesty in 2002, when more than 300,000 illegal
foreign workers - mostly Indonesians and Filipinos - left voluntarily or
were expelled.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

November 11, Irrawaddy
Burma fails to improve human rights: UK report - Aung Lwin Oo

Rangoon has done little to improve the human rights record in Burma says
the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual human rights
report for 2004, released on Wednesday.

The 310-page report assesses the human rights situation in 21 countries,
including Burma and the US, which is condemned for its human rights abuses
in Iraq.

The report blames Burma’s military regime for suppressing political
opposition groups. It also highlights the attack on the entourage of Nobel
Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, which was ambushed by government-backed
thugs while traveling in upper Burma in May last year. The report claims
that about 1,400 political prisoners are denied basic rights and
healthcare.

“The gravest failures to respect human rights can provide fertile ground
for terror and conflict, bringing mass killings, refugees, and the
destruction of precarious livelihoods in their wake,” said Jack Straw,
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, at a luncheon on
Wednesday.

The report stresses that the government’s seven-point roadmap lacks
democratic principles and that Rangoon has rebuffed international efforts
to improve human rights conditions in the country.

The report cited other rights violations in Burma as well, including
forced labor, the forced recruitment of child soldiers, religious
persecution and abuses in ethnic minority areas.

“The UK will continue to do everything in its power to encourage national
reconciliation and help restore democracy and the respect for human rights
to Burma,” the report claims.
The report: www.fco.gov.uk/humanrightsreport2004.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

November 11, The Jakarta Post
Thailand should help with reforms in Myanmar - Michael Vatikiotis

Bangkok: It's time that Thailand stopped standing in the way of
progressive political change in Myanmar. This may sound like an odd plea
given Thailand's professed desire to see progress towards democracy in
Myanmar. Bangkok even boasts a roadmap to help Southeast Asia's most
isolated nation reach this destination.

But there's less here than meets the eye and the path to freedom that
Thailand would like Myanmar to take is long and winding, in contrast to
the impatience felt, not only in the West but also many regional capitals
where Myanmar's lack of political progress is becoming a severe
embarrassment.

It is now more urgent that ever to cajole and push the military rulers of
Myanmar towards change because in 2006 the country will assume the
chairmanship of ASEAN. Without progress towards constructive political
change, there's a real danger that ASEAN's dialogue partners will boycott
important meetings-and there are already calls for Myanmar to be expelled
from the regional grouping.

Thailand and China are the two countries best positioned to accelerate the
process of change in Myanmar. They are both close to the Myanmar regime
and collaborate closely on regional diplomacy to manage the problem. When
Myanmar's military leaders visits Beijing, Chinese officials brief their
Thai counterparts, for example.

Arguably though, it is in neither Bangkok's nor Beijing's interest to
change the status quo very much. So long as the junta claims to be
pursuing reform, that's okay. Beijing officials call this "constructive
political development". The Thais say they are happy with the country
moving at a pace the Myanmar junta can accommodate without feeling that it
is caving into external pressure.

In reality for Beijing, a sudden change of political climate in Myanmar
would mean the flowering of a young democracy on its doorstep, setting an
example and lending renewed hope to domestic reformers and the people of
Tibet. China also needs to ensure that Myanmar remains a docile client
state so that it can develop physical links to the sea and secure energy
security and fend off strategic encirclement. Beijing is building roads
and bridges up and down the country at friendship prices to establish this
vital land bridge. Why remove a regime that is pliant because it can't get
help from anywhere else?

For Thailand the fear is economic competition. An elected civilian
government in Yangon would attract significant interest from regional and
overseas investors eager to tap into a new cheap labor pool and
significant natural resources. Thailand has a long memory and can recall
the days, some forty years ago, when Myanmar's vibrant rice-exporting
economy put Thailand in the shade. Japan has a long and happy relationship
with Myanmar going back its occupation of the country during the Pacific
War. They idealize the gentle Burman and his Buddhist faith. Many Japanese
would move there from costly and congested Thailand in a blink of an eye.

This explains why both Thailand and China can live comfortably with the
current glacial pace of political reform in Myanmar. It keeps the country
nicely on the economic margin, and makes doing business through military
and official circles imperative. Why bother lifting sanctions and opening
up the market when you can make more by doing cosy deals with the junta?

But if Thailand was to think more of it's standing in ASEAN and the world,
rather than its own narrow interests and that of its chief patron Beijing,
it could help accelerate political change in Myanmar. More energetic
lobbying for change would also help Thailand's bid for its foreign
minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, to become United Nations Secretary
general in two years.

Bangkok could start by sounding more serious about the need for reform,
rather than sounding like a business partner of the junta. Sadly, with the
recent removal of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt who was close to officials in
Bangkok, the Thai government seemed to be scrambling to renew ties with
the junta rather than sever them.

The writer is a former editor and chief correspondent of the Far Eastern
Economic Review.