From editor@burmanet.org Wed Oct 16 15:02:17 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 10:02:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: BurmaNet News: October 15 2002 Message-ID: <59172.207.10.94.131.1034776937.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> October 15 2002 Issue #2105 INSIDE BURMA Reuters: UN watchdog urges Myanmar to speed rights reforms TV Myanmar: Burma regrets being listed by US as country of particular concern on religion INTERNATIONAL Myanmar Times: Japan confident of continued support for buckwheat project in Shan State ON THE BORDER BBC: Thai-Burmese border reopens Irrawaddy: Border officially reopens REPORTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS Human Rights Watch: Burma: World’s highest number of child soldiers Announcement: “Burma: Something Went Wrong” ___INSIDE BURMA______ Reuters October 14 2002 UN watchdog urges Myanmar to speed rights reforms By Irwin Arieff UNITED NATIONS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Myanmar remains the target of many credible allegations of human rights violations despite recent moves toward democracy, a U.N. watchdog reported on Monday, urging a faster pace of reforms for the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma. Numerous political prisoners remain in custody, national laws often conflict with international human rights principles and courts judge individuals accused of political crimes with "a high degree of arbitrariness," said Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, a special investigator for the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. In a report to the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly, he said there was evidence that arrests of political prisoners were diminishing, and that the government was trying to root out and discipline officials who tortured such prisoners. He said he was shown documentary evidence that 3,646 police officers had been tried and imprisoned over the past seven years for abuse of power or misconduct including torture. Thousands of others have been been dismissed, demoted or otherwise punished, he said. But "restrictions on the freedom of information, expression and the press have yet to be fully lifted and the remaining political prisoners have yet to be released," Pinheiro said. "In that context, the issue of reform of the system of administration of justice is crucial," he added. After four decades of military rule, Myanmar is one of the poorest nations on earth, its economy in tatters and its human rights record one of the world's worst. Diplomats say the country suffers from chronic bad management, and sanctions imposed by countries including the United States and the European Union have also taken a heavy toll. FORCED RELOCATION With encouragement from the United Nations, secretive reconciliation talks began in late 2000 between Myanmar's military and the National League for Democracy, the political party of 56-year-old democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Under international pressure, the government freed Suu Kyi from 19 months of house arrest last May. But the talks have so far yielded few concrete results beyond the release of Suu Kyi and several hundred other party members from various jails. Pinheiro said reports of rights violations in Myanmar were particularly prevalent in Shan and Karan states, where the military is conducting counterinsurgency operations and armed opposition groups are suspected of operating from bases along the border with Thailand. There, rural populations are forcibly relocated from suspected rebel areas to zones under army control. Villagers are given only a few hours or days to pack up their things and have to start their lives from scratch once relocated, without outside help or compensation, he said. "They are prohibited from returning to their villages and if caught, are shot on sight," he said. His report said the United Nations and the international community needed to help ease Myanmar along the path to substantive political and constitutional reform. As for Myanmar itself, its society "is at the threshold of great changes and is becoming more sensitive to the moral and practical need to move at a faster pace than heretofore towards a democratic, tolerant and peaceful future," he said _____ TV Myanmar October 14 2002 BURMA REGRETS BEING LISTED BY US AS COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN ON RELIGION It is highly regretful that the United States State Department in its annual international religious freedom report 2002 issued on 7 October 2002 designated Myanmar Burma as a country of particular concern. This classification does not in any war represent the true situation in the country. It is obvious that some of the information came from insurgent groups or opposition groups with the aim of damaging the image of Myanmar. In Myanmar every citizen has the right to profess and practice her or his belief. A significant characteristic of Myanmar is that all national races have freedom of faith and the right to maintain their own culture and tradition. All religions in the country are allowed to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes as well as to acquire and hold their own property and administer it in accordance with existing laws. Furthermore, the government is rendering necessary assistance and protection to ensure religious freedom in the nation. The main religions in the country are Buddhism, Christianity , Islam, Hinduism, and Animism. Although Theravada Buddhism is the religion of majority in Myanmar, the government is providing and assisting the work of other religions as well. There is no forced conversion by the government in favour of one religion over another, nor is there discrimination or persecution for religious reasons. The leaders of the country have always attended the most significant religious celebrations of major religions in the country, reflecting religious harmony in the nation. Therefore, the allegations contained in the US State Department report are groundless and they must be considered as being politically motivated and represent an attempt to exert pressure and interfere in the internal affairs of the country. ____INTERNATIONAL_______ Myanmar Times October 14-20 2002 JAPAN CONFIDENT OF CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR BUCKWHEAT PROJECT IN SHAN STATE A senior Japanese official said last week he was confident of his government's continued support for the buckwheat project in Shan State where the cereal is being grown as an opium substitute crop. "I am confident that the Japanese government will give support as long as I continue this project," a senior adviser to Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Mr Tomomitsu Iwakura, told Myanmar Times. However, Mr Iwakura predicted that the amount of aid for the project would be affected by Tokyo's decision to reduce overseas development assistance because of the economic situation in Japan. He was speaking in a telephone interview ahead of a 20-day visit to the Kokang regions of Shan State to meet farmers and inspect the buckwheat crop, which will begin being harvested later this month. Mr Iwakura said he was optimistic about this year's harvest, which will continue until January. "I want to talk with the farmers to know their problems and make solutions if I can and report back to my government and the Myanmar Burma side about the situation," said Mr Iwakura, who has visited Myanmar more than 30 times since the project began in 1998. During his visit, Mr Iwakura is due to discuss the project with Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council, and with the ministers for Home Affairs and for the Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs. "The project has faced many difficulties and sometimes the problems are not easy to solve," said Mr Iwakura. He said consideration was being given to transporting the buckwheat to Japan through China, rather than by ship via Singapore, which took about four weeks and exposed the buckwheat to hot weather which affected its quality. "The cargo must arrive in Japan in good condition as restaurants in Japan will not accept buckwheat noodles if the quality is not good," Mr Iwakura said. Transporting the buckwheat by road to Kunming and then by train to the northern port of Tianjin where it would be transferred to ships bound for Japan would take about three weeks. On crop yields, Mr Iwakura said the project average was about 200 kilograms a hectare. Farmers in Japan could produce an average of one tonne a hectare. Mr Iwakura said it was important that farmers on the project received an adequate income so they would not revert to growing opium. More than 4000 acres were planted last year, up from 200 acres when the project began six years ago. Japan consumes 120,000 tonnes of buckwheat a year but can produce only 25,000 tonnes. Since the project began, Myanmar has exported a total of 126 tonnes of buckwheat to Japan, at prices ranging from 250 US dollars to 300 dollars a tonne. The project was initiated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in cooperation with the government and the United Nations Development Programme as part of an effort to eliminate opium poppy cultivation in northeastern Myanmar. __ON THE BORDER_____ British Broadcasting Corporation October 15 2002 Thai-Burmese border reopens Burma has reopened its border with Thailand after a diplomatic row sparked a five-month closure which crippled regional trade. The two countries announced the border would be unlocked last week after a thaw in relations that included a visit to Bangkok by Burma's foreign minister. Crowds of people gathered to cross the border on Tuesday morning as Burmese soldiers removed the wire barricades blocking the Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge - one of the countries' major checkpoints. Burma closed its border with Thailand on 22 May after the Thai army fired shells into Burma during a battle between the Burmese army and ethnic Shan rebels. Thailand said its forces opened fire only when the fighting spilled over the border, but Burma accused them of trying to aid the rebels. Tensions eased "The reopening of the border checkpoints illustrates that the close relationship between the two countries has returned," Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters. Boomthiem Chokewattana, head of the customs office at Mae Sot - one of the main border crossings - said the border closure had lost Thailand about 5 billion baht ($113.7 million) in trade. Another product of the porous 1,800-km (1,125-mile) border is drug running. Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said after his talks with his Burmese counterpart Win Aung two weeks ago that they two sides had discussed co-operating in the fight against illegal drugs. __________ Irrawaddy October 15 2002 Border Official Reopens By Aung Su Shi October 15, 2002—After nearly five months of locked gates and locked horns, the Thai-Burmese border reopened this morning to a warm gathering of officials from both countries. District chiefs, heads of immigration and customs departments and other officials from both sides met and shook hands at the middle of the Thai-Burma Friendship Bridge that links Myawaddy and Mae Sot. The barbed wire barricade was removed at 6:30am today. The Mae Sai-Tachilek and Ranong-Kawthaung border checkpoints also reopened this morning. Smiles broke out on both sides of the border as Myawaddy provincial chief and Thai-Burma Border Committee (TBC) Chairman, Lt-Col Kyaw Zay Ya, met with Col Jirasuk Chomprasom, the Thai TBC Chairman and commander of Task Force 23. "Our officials at the district chief office are ready to help both Thais and foreigners who want to go to Myawaddy. The office opened at 7am to issue border passes for Thai tourists going to Burma," said Mae Sot District Chief Sarmart Loifar. Mae Sot customs chief, Boontian Chokewiwat, explained that anybody wishing to export or import goods would now able to contact the checkpoint or the customs house directly for official clearance for their goods. The border closure spelled heavy financial losses for the Thai side. "In the five months the border remained closed, Mae Sot checkpoint has lost 2.1 billion baht on import and export taxes. The total losses for all checkpoints equals about five billion baht," Boontian said. Thai and Burmese living in border towns also expect better economic times ahead. "We have wanted to export and import legally," said a Burmese merchant. "And now we can." A Myawaddy man who crossed into Mae Sot this morning explained: "I am happy for everybody. Since the border closure local jobs have been difficult to come by. Many of our livelihoods depend on visitors from Thailand." Thai merchants are also happy that their goods can now pass freely across the border, but a shopkeeper in Mae Sot expressed reservations. "It will not have any effect on local shopkeepers. The reopening of the border serves the interests of exporters who are not from Mae Sot." Since the border closed on May 22, the Burmese currency, the kyat, has plummeted in value and showed signs of sliding even further today, despite the reopening. "Two days ago, 100 kyat was equal to 4.2 baht," said a currency exchanger in Mae Sot. "Today, 100 kyat is only 3.8 baht." __REPORTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS___ Human Rights Watch October 15 2002 Burma: World's Highest Number of Child Soldiers New Report Details Widespread Forced Recruitment (New York, October 16, 2002) Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world and the number is growing, Human Rights Watch said in an extensive new report released today. The overwhelming majority of Burma's child soldiers are found in the national army, which forcibly recruits children as young as 11, although armed opposition groups use child soldiers as well. "Burma has a poor human rights record, but its record on child soldiers is the worst in the world," said Jo Becker, advocacy director of the Children's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch. Burma's army has doubled in size since 1988, and with an estimated 350,000 soldiers is now one of the largest armies in Southeast Asia. According to the accounts of former soldiers interviewed by Human Rights Watch, 20 percent or more of its active duty soldiers may be children under the age of 18. The 220-page report, "My Gun was as Tall as Me: Child Soldiers in Burma," is the most comprehensive study of child soldiers in Burma to date. Drawing on interviews with more than three dozen current and former child soldiers, the report examines child recruitment by 19 different armed opposition groups in addition to Burma's national army. Recruiters for Burma's army frequently apprehend boys at train and bus stations, markets and other public places, threatening them with jail if they refuse to join the army. The boys are given no opportunity to contact their families, and are sent to camps where they undergo weapons training, are routinely beaten, and brutally punished if they try to escape. Human Rights Watch received several accounts of boys who were beaten to death after trying to run away. Once deployed, boys as young as 12 engage in combat against opposition groups, and are forced to commit human rights abuses against civilians, including rounding up villagers for forced labor, burning villages, and carrying out executions. Human Rights Watch interviewed two boys, ages 13 and 15 at the time, who belonged to units that massacred a group of 15 women and children in Shan State in early 2001. "Burma's army preys on children, using threats, intimidation and often violence to force young boys to become soldiers," said Becker. "To be a boy in Burma today means facing the constant risk of being picked up off the street, forced to commit atrocities against villagers, and never seeing your family again." Human Rights Watch noted that there is no way to precisely estimate the number of children in Burma's army, but it appears that the vast majority of new recruits are forcibly conscripted, and there may be as many as 70,000 soldiers under the age of 18. Children are also present in Burma's myriad armed opposition groups, although child recruitment is generally decreasing as many opposition groups have shrunk in size and resources in recent years. The United Wa State Army, the largest of the opposition forces, forcibly conscripts children and has the largest number of child soldiers of the opposition groups. The Kachin Independence Army also forcibly recruits children, and according to witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch, is the only armed group in Burma to recruit girls. Other opposition forces, including the Shan State Army (South), Karen National Liberation Army and the Karenni Army, have stated policies against recruiting children under the age of 18, but appear to accept children who actively seek to join their forces. Although many armed opposition groups have ceasefire agreements with the government, children in opposition forces may also participate in combat, sometimes with little training. "The international community has increasingly recognized the use of child soldiers as unacceptable," said Becker. "Burma's armed forces and groups must immediately stop recruiting children, and demobilize all children in their ranks." International law prohibits government forces or armed groups from recruiting children under the age of fifteen. Such recruitment has been recognized as a war crime under the statute for the International Criminal Court. In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child that raised the minimum age for participation in armed conflict to 18, and prohibits all forced recruitment of children below age 18. Burma is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but has not yet signed and ratified the optional protocol. The International Labour Organization convention on the worst forms of child labor, adopted in 1999, also recognizes the forced recruitment of children under age 18 for use in armed conflict as one of the worst forms of child labor. Human Rights Watch called on Burma's army and all armed opposition groups to immediately end all recruitment of children under the age of 18, and to demobilize all children currently serving as soldiers. It urged the government and armed groups to cooperate with international agencies such as UNICEF to reunify former child soldiers with their families and facilitate their rehabilitation and social reintegration. Human Rights Watch also appealed to other governments to strongly condemn the recruitment and use of child soldiers by the Burma government and other armed groups, and to use diplomatic and other appropriate means to end the use of child soldiers in Burma. Around the world, an estimated 300,000 children under the age of 18 are currently participating in armed conflicts in approximately 30 countries. [Ed. Note: to read this report, please visit the following link: http://hrw.org/reports/2002/burma/] ______ "Burma: Something Went Wrong" Oct. 18th- Nov. 30th Reception for the Artist: Friday Oct. 18th 6-8pm. Yancey Richardson Gallery 535 West 22ed Street 3rd Floor New York, NY 10011 2002 Whitney Biennial artist, Chan Chao will be showing his Burmese portraits at Yancey Richardson Gallery. The portraits were made at the border area of Burma form 1996 to 1998 and they include members of NLD (LA), KNU, CNF, students and refugees. The exhibition consists of twelve prints that are large scale and life size. It is the hope [of the artist] that when the viewer stand in the gallery, they are standing with the people in the photographs.