From editor@burmanet.org Mon Nov 4 22:40:23 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 17:40:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: November 1-2 2002 Message-ID: <50093.207.10.94.131.1036449623.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> November 1-2 2002 Issue #2114 INSIDE BURMA Reuters: Annan worried Myanmar reform drive is losing steam DVB: Dr. Sein Win’s views on Kofi Annan’s demands to the SPDC Narinjara: Mizoram-Burma border sealed prevent terrorists’ entrance DVB: Forced relocations in Rangoon DVB: Gas pipeline repairs: who will do it? DVB: An interview with Dr. Daw Yu Yu May GUNS DVB: Karen delegation to hold cease-fire talks with authorities in Loikaw MONEY Myanmar Times: Traders report sharp falls in prices of Thai consumer goods REGIONAL Nation: Thailand downplays reports on origins of suspect mail sent to Burmese embassies PRESS RELEASES IUF: Accor to withdraw from Burma Routledge/Curzon: Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma by Ashley South _____INSIDE BURMA_____ Reuters November 2 2002 Annan worried Myanmar reform drive is losing steam By Irwin Arieff UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Concerned that a political reform drive in Myanmar is losing steam, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday urged the Asian nation's military government and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to quickly launch talks laying the groundwork for democracy. "It is only through an all-inclusive dialogue that Myanmar will be able to ensure that national reconciliation is durable and the transition to democracy smooth," Annan said in a report to the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly. He also called on the authorities in the country formerly known as Burma to quickly release all remaining political prisoners and eliminate all remaining restrictions on the activities of legal political parties. The military has raised hopes for political change in the last two years by releasing around 400 political prisoners and freeing Suu Kyi from 19 months of house arrest in May. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won national elections in 1990, but has never been allowed to rule by the military, which has held power for the last four decades. Many Western countries, including the United States and the European Union, have imposed political and economic sanctions on Myanmar, a country diplomats say has been impoverished by decades of economic mismanagement. Annan noted it had been five months since Suu Kyi had been allowed to resume her activities as the leader of a lawful party, yet no talks had yet begun with the government on political reforms and national reconciliation. "I am concerned that the positive momentum generated since this spring could dissipate unless some tangible progress is made in the near future," he said. "It is my strong belief that the objectives of preserving stability and pressing ahead with much-needed reforms are mutually compatible." Despite the recent releases of political prisoners, his report said hundreds were believed still in custody including 220 members of the National League for Democracy, 400 nonmembers and "several hundred others, including students." In addition, the activities of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy has been limited in Shan state and the National League for Democracy has been prevented from publishing and distributing political material while the pro-government National Unity Party is allowed to do so, according to the report. Annan said Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung, during talks in New York in September, had assured him his government was committed to moving toward a multiparty democratic system "but at the same time stressed the need to build a strong nation that could withstand any challenge to its territorial integrity". ______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Dr Sein Win's Views on Kofi Annan's Demands to the SPDC The following is an interview with Dr. U Sein Win, Prime Minister of the exiled NCGUB on his reaction of the comments of the UN General Secretary Kofi Anan: Dr Sein Win : Yes. We believe that the UN General Secretary, Kofi Anan is right in saying about Burma at the UN Assembly. It is a crucial time for Burma. We need to resume the talks immediately they are very important for Burma at the moment. Whatever the excuse, a solution is needed. To sum up, we totally agree with the UN Secretary's report and it is a crucial time for Burma. DVB : Kofi Anan also says that in the coming months, if the SPDC is not able to develop some tangible political improvements, the goodwill and hope will disappear. What is your view on that? Dr Sein Win : At the moment, people from international communities are very much encouraged by the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. We are also waiting with the hope that we will be able to continue with important dialogues. Gradually, we realised that that didn't happen and people are starting to despair and hope for the future is being diminished. As Kofi Anan said if things are going on at this rate, it is obvious that the views of people will start to change. DVB: Yes. What is your assessment of the present political situation of Burma? Dr Sein Win : We have to find a solution to the political problems of Burma through political dialogues. The economical, educational, social, political situations are dire. You can't deny it. As the rulers and authorities of a nation they need to know about these things. The SPDC have to find a way to start a dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. ___________ Narinjara News November 2 2002 Mizoram-Burma border sealed prevent terrorists’ entrance Chittagong, 2nd November 02: The Bangladesh Army has been kept on red alert along the Mizoram border of north eastern India and the Myamar border along the country's south-eastern hilly areas to check terrorists crossing out of the country, according to the local press. To bolster the nationwide anti-terrorist drive that has stepped into the third week, the Bangladeshi government on reports of terrorists taking shelter in the remote areas of the south-eastern district of Bandarban Hill Tracts by various intelligence agencies has taken up the measures, reported a Chittagong vernacular daily. Strange faces frequenting the remote hills on the face of the joint police - army operation dubbed as 'Clean Heart' has prompted the law enforcing agencies to take up the extra cautionary measures. Besides the people of the hills mostly constituted of Buddhist tribal have been panic-stricken for the movement of crime gang godfathers, said the Independent. It is alleged in a number of dailies that, most of the tribal people are reluctant to open mouth about the existence of outside terrorists. A tribal leader in the area said, "Terrorists or no terrorists, tribal population here have always been looked with suspicious eyes." As for now there is a lull prevailing in the hills before the impending storm of what the government has dubbed as Police-Army Anti-terrorist Joint Drive. ______________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Forced Relocations in Rangoon According to DVB sources, local SPDC authorities in Rangoon have ordered people and families who live around the old government secretariat office building in downtown- to leave their homes on the 15th of this month at the latest. The houses were built during the colonial period to house the employees of the high-ranking government officers. During the periods of U Nu's government, Burmese Socialist Programme Party [SPDC] [1962-88], government officials were also accommodated there. But during the present SPDC period, due to the soaring price of land, contractors are bribing the city's Civil officials and planning to pull down historical buildings and built new homes. To find out more about the development we contacted a local resident in Rangoon: Resident : They used to call it Secretariat. There were some residential homes for employees of the Secretariat. In 45, 46, 47, the area was freehold area. They existed since the English colonial period. They left them behind. After the independence of Burma, during the period of the AFPFL government of U Nu the employees of the Secretariat were sheltered there. Then, during the period of BSPP, people who worked in the Ministerial Offices were given places there. And now, the SPDC time, since April 2002, they gave them (residents) notice. All the people who live there have to leave. The government officials and contractors are re-building the whole area and transform it into luxury residential area. The evicted family will be given 5,000,000 kyats to find a new plot in the outskirt of the city near north and south of Dagon Township in the east. Htet Aung Kyaw : Are there many people to be moved? Resident : Yes. Many. The whole area of Maha Bandoola Road and Anawrahta Road, and if you say from east to west, Bo Myat Htun Road , formerly Craig Road, to Theinbyu Road. Htet Aung Kyaw : How many estimated families do you think will be there? Resident : There must be a lot. The size of the house is not small. Two rooms downstairs and two rooms up. There are about ten houses on each side of the street and there must be more than about eighty families. Htet Aung Kyaw : Would 5,000,000 be sufficient for a family to survive on? Resident : Impossible. Just around the corner… a 12 ½ ft. x 40 ft costs 1,400,000 kyats. Try to imagine. Htet Aung Kyaw : Do you know some people there and what do they say about it? Resident : I have many acquaintances there. I usually go to drink tea and the like there. I grew up there as a child. I also have friends and relatives there now. There are new people there. You can't do anything with 5,000,000 kyats these days. __________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Gas Pipeline Repairs Who will do it? According to DVB sources, the SPDC Army is planning to use prisoners for reparation of gas pipelines at southern Burma, damaged by recent flood and erosion. The pipeline sections along the Kanbauk, in Tavoy District, Taninthari Division and Karen State - was destroyed heavy rains. A group of top military security officials led by Colonel Soe Thet, Chief Strategist of Tavoy went to inspect the damages and instructed the local people to repair the damages. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 1 2002 Family Matters: An Interview With Dr Daw Yu Yu May The following is an interview with Dr Yu Yu May concerning the latest health condition of her husband Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, the NLD's elected MP of Amarapura Township, Mandalay Division who is currently unjustly imprisoned in Myitkyina Prison: Ko Moe Aye : I want to know the health condition of Dr Zaw Myint Maung and your family's feeling. Dr Yu Yu May Last month, in September, U Zaw Myint Maung's father and my son went to see him. He said that he was feeling chilly and sick. Must be malaria, he said. But I didn't know which type of malaria he had. I asked my son, who is a medical student, if he asked his father to take Anti-sinate (medicine for malaria). Myson said, daddy said that that medicine is expensive and he didn't take it. At the moment, he is ill with a chill. So, during this month, I sent a pack of [Antisinate] to him with someone. I still don't know whether he took it or he is cured. Another thing, physically he is thin. From medical check-up, it is not known what is happening inside him. What kind of disease he has. But outwardly, he says that he is well. On his face, whether it's due to age or the skin's lack of exposure to sunshine - he has been inside for so long 13 years , there are many berry-like small black spots. They have been coming on for three months. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. You are also a doctor. What kinds of worries do you have concerning Dr. Zaw Myint Maung's health condition? Dr Yu Yu May We used to be worried about him 76-77, he had jaundice. Now, when he is inside, he has to eat foods that were sent to him from end to end of a month. They would be mouldy, wouldn't they? He has to eat the foods that past best before date and mouldy food as they are very scarce. Would his liver be still good? When he comes out what kind of things he would have contracted? I have such worries. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. As far as we know, they are going to extend his sentence. Normally, when would he be released? Dr Yu Yu May I don't know about that. I didn't care to ask. Originally, he was sentenced to 25 years. Once he was inside, he was sentenced to 7 years for one case and 5 years for another case that makes 12 extra years. So, that would be 37 years in all. So, I don't know when he would be released by normal estimation. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. Earlier on, we also interviewed your son. When Dr Zaw Myint Maung was arrested, the oldest son was only in fourth standard and the youngest was only a year old. At the time, what kinds of feeling did you have? Dr Yu Yu May Those were my years of woes and deep troubles. I have three children. The oldest was in fourth standard. The middle was in first standard. The youngest one, the girl was one year and 5 months old. She couldn't talked expect the words papa and mama. That time, being a doctor, I had to depend on my clinic for survival. And I didn't know where he (her husband) was. On top of that the military intelligence told us to find him. They were detaining him and told me to find him and I didn't know where he was. After five months, rumours had that we could see him at Insein Prison. Only then did we learnt that he was in prison. During that time we were anxious about him. After that, I learnt that he was sentenced? I heard about it from word of mouth. No letter of notice came to me. So, I had to survive on the incomes from my clinic and supported three children of mine to succeed. When they were young they ate what I fed and wore what I adorned them with. But as they grew older and older, I had to go and see him in the one hand, and I have to bear all the yokes for two people feeding them, caring them. I was feeling poor mentally and in trouble physically. I had to struggle for our daily survival and see him in the other. I was in considerable trouble. The expenses piled on top of me. Now, with the supports from ICRC, things are getting better for us. Thank God for that! _____GUNS_____ Democratic Voice of Burma November 1 2002 Karen delegation to hold cease-fire talks with authorities in Loikaw It has been learned that a delegation from the KNPP Karenni National Progressive Party has departed to hold talks with Loikaw-based SPDC State Peace and Development Council authorities. The delegation led by Major Htoo Ka Re departed for Loikaw last Wednesday 30 October . The KNPP signed a cease-fire agreement with the SLORC State Law and Order Restoration Council in March 1995 but it collapsed three months later. In order to learn more about the matter DVB Democratic Voice of Burma contacted KNPP General Secretary U Raimond Htoo. Aye Aye Mon We heard that the Karenni Army is planning to meet with the local SPDC authorities in Loikaw. Could you briefly explain to us about the purpose of this meeting? U Raimond Htoo If the SPDC have the genuine desire to reform the nation then it should be carried out. Based on these factors we are trying to talk to them to find out about their views. Aye Aye Mon Yes. We read in a recent report that the SPDC had not accepted a KNPP peace delegation. Could you tell us briefly about what happened? U Raimond Htoo In 1995, there was a ceasefire agreement between the KNPP and the SLORC. The deal was done between the two groups the KNPP and the SLORC delegations and no one knew the details. The people became frustrated and in the end they discovered that the agreement has collapsed. Therefore, to avoid such happenings in the future, it was suggested that if the people wish to join in the talks we would gladly welcome them. But in reality, the SLORC did not approve of it. Then, they told us that if we really wanted to hold talks it should be between the KNPP and the SLORC - at the regional level or directly with Rangoon. It seems they do not want us to meet with the people. Aye Aye Mon Yes. What topic will the present KNPP delegation be mainly discussing? U Raimond Htoo Well, they plan to discuss nine major points including the following: to stop forced relocation, to stop using civilians as military porters, to stop charging people porter-fees, not to plant any more landmines and to clear them away, to stop killing innocent civilians, to stop raping Karenni women and children, to declare a nationwide cease-fire preceding two words spoken in English , to solve political problems by political means after accepting and holding tripartite talks. _______MONEY______ Myanmar Times October 28-November 3 2002 Traders report sharp falls in prices of Thai consumer goods By Myo Lwin The cost of consumer goods imported from Thailand fell sharply last Tuesday after border checkpoints reopened following a five month closure, market sources said. The reopening had little effect on the price of commodities produced in Myanmar, partly because of restrictions on their export to Thailand introduced when the checkpoints were closed last May, the sources said. A merchant at Yangon’s Bayintnaung wholesale market, U Ann Kauk, said the prices of major commodities such as chillis, onions and garlic had remained stable or fallen slightly. U Ann Kauk’s comments were echoed by another border trade dealer at Bayintnaung who said prices of the popular moe-htaung variety chilli had remained stable at K650 a viss (3.6 pounds) last week. Onion prices had also remained stable at K200 a viss during the week, the trader said. Meanwhile, sources at Yuzana Plaza, one of the biggest wholesale and retail sales centres for consumer goods from Thailand, said prices had dropped sharply since the government announced the border reopening. A wholesaler at the centre said prices of soft drinks, sauces and confectionary from Thailand had fallen by up to 30 per cent since the checkpoints reopened. "The price of a 650-milligram bottle of chilli sauce dropped to K800 from K1200 and the same size bottle of fish sauce fell to K800 from K900 during the past week," she told Myanmar Times in a telephone interview. Demand for Thai consumer goods had fallen because of their higher cost compared to domestic products and imports from China, she added. There were similar comments from traders at other markets, with some saying importers of Thai products were likely to suffer losses. ___REGIONAL__ The Nation November 2 2002 Thailand downplays reports on origins of suspect mail sent to Burmese embassies Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai yesterday voiced doubts about the origin of parcel bombs the Burmese government claims were sent from Thailand, as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra downplayed what appeared to be the start of a new round of tensions with Burma. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Surakiart said he had instructed Thai embassy officials to inspect the packages' postmarks to determine whether they originated in Thailand. "We have questioned whether the letters were sent from Thailand," Surakiart said. The premier yesterday ordered an investigation into the matter. On Thursday Burma claimed its embassies in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore had received parcel bombs sent from Thailand. "We can deduce that this is the work of a dissident group residing in our neighbouring country as all the letters had Bangkok postmarks," junta spokesman Lt-Col Nyan Lin told reporters. The devices were defused without injuries, he said, adding that they were marked "8/8/88" - the date on which widespread anti-government unrest broke out in Burma, leading to a military takeover. Burma on Thursday summoned Thailand's Rangoon ambassador to express its concern about the incident. Thaksin meanwhile was quick to downplay the parcel bombs, saying Thai-Burmese relations were unaffected by the incident. Despite a recent calm, tensions with Burma have been high in recent months, following a series of border clashes earlier in the year. _____PRESS RELEASES_______ Press release from the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) Geneva, October 31, 2002 Accor to withdraw from Burma The French-based transnational hotel, tourism and leisure group Accor has informed the IUF that it will be withdrawing from Burma. Accor Chairman Jean Marc Espalioux made the announcement on October 30 at an international trade union meeting held under IUF auspices in Geneva. Accor currently manages two hotels in Burma, the Novotel Mandalay and the Sofitel Plaza Yangon. According to Espalioux, the decision will be implemented once negotiations with Accor's local partner are completed. The IUF, in meetings with corporate management, has continually raised the issue of the Accor group's presence in Burma. Since the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the IUF has supported the call by Burma's trade unions and the government in exile for a tourism boycott and the withdrawal of transnational investments. Most recently, on September 27, the IUF Union Day of Tourism, affiliates responded to an IUF appeal by sending messages to Accor and other hotel chains still active in Burma, urging them to withdraw. "Accor's decision follows similar moves by other hotel chains and transnational investors", said IUF general secretary Ron Oswald. "We are pleased that the IUF was instrumental in finally convincing the groups that they could only suffer in the long term from their refusal to leave Burma. The constructive relationship built over the years between the IUF and Accor corporate management was certainly a key element in their success". ______ RoutledgeCurzon October 2002 Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake By Ashley South, SOAS UK This book is a political history of the Mon people of lower Burma and Thailand-the people of the Golden Sheldrake. The Mon are renowned for their important civilizing role in pre-colonial Southeast Asia and achievements in the fields of art and religion. However contemporary Mon society has until now received less attention. Charting Mon history from the earliest times to the present, Ashley South describes the origins of Burma’s ethnic politics in the pre-colonial era and developments during the British (and Japanese) colonial periods. Following independence in 1948, Burma was plunged into a civil war which still drags on today. The book explores the background to and major episodes in the war, and compares the experiences of various parties to the conflict, including the Mon, Karen and Kachin ethnic communities and insurgent organizations. It provides unique insights into the dynamics of armed conflict in Burma, and examines the controversial series of ceasefire agreements negotiated since democracy movements led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the ethnic insurgents, international and local non-government organizations, and Burma’s one million-plus refugees, the author concludes by looking at the future of the ‘ethnic question’ in Burma. This is one of the most important contributions in recent years to the literature on Burma. Situating events in a regional perspective, Mon Naitonalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake will be of interst to students of Southeast Asian history and politics. Anthropologists will appreciate the sustained forcus on issues of identity and assimilation, whilst the author’s first-hand accounts of the humanitarian crisis along the Thailand Burma border are of particular relevance to the study of displacement and under-development. How to order: tel: +44 (0) 1264 34 3071 www.routledge.com book.orders@routledge.co.uk From editor@burmanet.org Mon Nov 4 22:40:23 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 17:40:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: November 1-2 2002 Message-ID: <50093.207.10.94.131.1036449623.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> November 1-2 2002 Issue #2114 INSIDE BURMA Reuters: Annan worried Myanmar reform drive is losing steam DVB: Dr. Sein Win’s views on Kofi Annan’s demands to the SPDC Narinjara: Mizoram-Burma border sealed prevent terrorists’ entrance DVB: Forced relocations in Rangoon DVB: Gas pipeline repairs: who will do it? DVB: An interview with Dr. Daw Yu Yu May GUNS DVB: Karen delegation to hold cease-fire talks with authorities in Loikaw MONEY Myanmar Times: Traders report sharp falls in prices of Thai consumer goods REGIONAL Nation: Thailand downplays reports on origins of suspect mail sent to Burmese embassies PRESS RELEASES IUF: Accor to withdraw from Burma Routledge/Curzon: Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma by Ashley South _____INSIDE BURMA_____ Reuters November 2 2002 Annan worried Myanmar reform drive is losing steam By Irwin Arieff UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Concerned that a political reform drive in Myanmar is losing steam, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday urged the Asian nation's military government and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to quickly launch talks laying the groundwork for democracy. "It is only through an all-inclusive dialogue that Myanmar will be able to ensure that national reconciliation is durable and the transition to democracy smooth," Annan said in a report to the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly. He also called on the authorities in the country formerly known as Burma to quickly release all remaining political prisoners and eliminate all remaining restrictions on the activities of legal political parties. The military has raised hopes for political change in the last two years by releasing around 400 political prisoners and freeing Suu Kyi from 19 months of house arrest in May. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won national elections in 1990, but has never been allowed to rule by the military, which has held power for the last four decades. Many Western countries, including the United States and the European Union, have imposed political and economic sanctions on Myanmar, a country diplomats say has been impoverished by decades of economic mismanagement. Annan noted it had been five months since Suu Kyi had been allowed to resume her activities as the leader of a lawful party, yet no talks had yet begun with the government on political reforms and national reconciliation. "I am concerned that the positive momentum generated since this spring could dissipate unless some tangible progress is made in the near future," he said. "It is my strong belief that the objectives of preserving stability and pressing ahead with much-needed reforms are mutually compatible." Despite the recent releases of political prisoners, his report said hundreds were believed still in custody including 220 members of the National League for Democracy, 400 nonmembers and "several hundred others, including students." In addition, the activities of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy has been limited in Shan state and the National League for Democracy has been prevented from publishing and distributing political material while the pro-government National Unity Party is allowed to do so, according to the report. Annan said Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung, during talks in New York in September, had assured him his government was committed to moving toward a multiparty democratic system "but at the same time stressed the need to build a strong nation that could withstand any challenge to its territorial integrity". ______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Dr Sein Win's Views on Kofi Annan's Demands to the SPDC The following is an interview with Dr. U Sein Win, Prime Minister of the exiled NCGUB on his reaction of the comments of the UN General Secretary Kofi Anan: Dr Sein Win : Yes. We believe that the UN General Secretary, Kofi Anan is right in saying about Burma at the UN Assembly. It is a crucial time for Burma. We need to resume the talks immediately they are very important for Burma at the moment. Whatever the excuse, a solution is needed. To sum up, we totally agree with the UN Secretary's report and it is a crucial time for Burma. DVB : Kofi Anan also says that in the coming months, if the SPDC is not able to develop some tangible political improvements, the goodwill and hope will disappear. What is your view on that? Dr Sein Win : At the moment, people from international communities are very much encouraged by the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. We are also waiting with the hope that we will be able to continue with important dialogues. Gradually, we realised that that didn't happen and people are starting to despair and hope for the future is being diminished. As Kofi Anan said if things are going on at this rate, it is obvious that the views of people will start to change. DVB: Yes. What is your assessment of the present political situation of Burma? Dr Sein Win : We have to find a solution to the political problems of Burma through political dialogues. The economical, educational, social, political situations are dire. You can't deny it. As the rulers and authorities of a nation they need to know about these things. The SPDC have to find a way to start a dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. ___________ Narinjara News November 2 2002 Mizoram-Burma border sealed prevent terrorists’ entrance Chittagong, 2nd November 02: The Bangladesh Army has been kept on red alert along the Mizoram border of north eastern India and the Myamar border along the country's south-eastern hilly areas to check terrorists crossing out of the country, according to the local press. To bolster the nationwide anti-terrorist drive that has stepped into the third week, the Bangladeshi government on reports of terrorists taking shelter in the remote areas of the south-eastern district of Bandarban Hill Tracts by various intelligence agencies has taken up the measures, reported a Chittagong vernacular daily. Strange faces frequenting the remote hills on the face of the joint police - army operation dubbed as 'Clean Heart' has prompted the law enforcing agencies to take up the extra cautionary measures. Besides the people of the hills mostly constituted of Buddhist tribal have been panic-stricken for the movement of crime gang godfathers, said the Independent. It is alleged in a number of dailies that, most of the tribal people are reluctant to open mouth about the existence of outside terrorists. A tribal leader in the area said, "Terrorists or no terrorists, tribal population here have always been looked with suspicious eyes." As for now there is a lull prevailing in the hills before the impending storm of what the government has dubbed as Police-Army Anti-terrorist Joint Drive. ______________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Forced Relocations in Rangoon According to DVB sources, local SPDC authorities in Rangoon have ordered people and families who live around the old government secretariat office building in downtown- to leave their homes on the 15th of this month at the latest. The houses were built during the colonial period to house the employees of the high-ranking government officers. During the periods of U Nu's government, Burmese Socialist Programme Party [SPDC] [1962-88], government officials were also accommodated there. But during the present SPDC period, due to the soaring price of land, contractors are bribing the city's Civil officials and planning to pull down historical buildings and built new homes. To find out more about the development we contacted a local resident in Rangoon: Resident : They used to call it Secretariat. There were some residential homes for employees of the Secretariat. In 45, 46, 47, the area was freehold area. They existed since the English colonial period. They left them behind. After the independence of Burma, during the period of the AFPFL government of U Nu the employees of the Secretariat were sheltered there. Then, during the period of BSPP, people who worked in the Ministerial Offices were given places there. And now, the SPDC time, since April 2002, they gave them (residents) notice. All the people who live there have to leave. The government officials and contractors are re-building the whole area and transform it into luxury residential area. The evicted family will be given 5,000,000 kyats to find a new plot in the outskirt of the city near north and south of Dagon Township in the east. Htet Aung Kyaw : Are there many people to be moved? Resident : Yes. Many. The whole area of Maha Bandoola Road and Anawrahta Road, and if you say from east to west, Bo Myat Htun Road , formerly Craig Road, to Theinbyu Road. Htet Aung Kyaw : How many estimated families do you think will be there? Resident : There must be a lot. The size of the house is not small. Two rooms downstairs and two rooms up. There are about ten houses on each side of the street and there must be more than about eighty families. Htet Aung Kyaw : Would 5,000,000 be sufficient for a family to survive on? Resident : Impossible. Just around the corner… a 12 ½ ft. x 40 ft costs 1,400,000 kyats. Try to imagine. Htet Aung Kyaw : Do you know some people there and what do they say about it? Resident : I have many acquaintances there. I usually go to drink tea and the like there. I grew up there as a child. I also have friends and relatives there now. There are new people there. You can't do anything with 5,000,000 kyats these days. __________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Gas Pipeline Repairs Who will do it? According to DVB sources, the SPDC Army is planning to use prisoners for reparation of gas pipelines at southern Burma, damaged by recent flood and erosion. The pipeline sections along the Kanbauk, in Tavoy District, Taninthari Division and Karen State - was destroyed heavy rains. A group of top military security officials led by Colonel Soe Thet, Chief Strategist of Tavoy went to inspect the damages and instructed the local people to repair the damages. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 1 2002 Family Matters: An Interview With Dr Daw Yu Yu May The following is an interview with Dr Yu Yu May concerning the latest health condition of her husband Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, the NLD's elected MP of Amarapura Township, Mandalay Division who is currently unjustly imprisoned in Myitkyina Prison: Ko Moe Aye : I want to know the health condition of Dr Zaw Myint Maung and your family's feeling. Dr Yu Yu May Last month, in September, U Zaw Myint Maung's father and my son went to see him. He said that he was feeling chilly and sick. Must be malaria, he said. But I didn't know which type of malaria he had. I asked my son, who is a medical student, if he asked his father to take Anti-sinate (medicine for malaria). Myson said, daddy said that that medicine is expensive and he didn't take it. At the moment, he is ill with a chill. So, during this month, I sent a pack of [Antisinate] to him with someone. I still don't know whether he took it or he is cured. Another thing, physically he is thin. From medical check-up, it is not known what is happening inside him. What kind of disease he has. But outwardly, he says that he is well. On his face, whether it's due to age or the skin's lack of exposure to sunshine - he has been inside for so long 13 years , there are many berry-like small black spots. They have been coming on for three months. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. You are also a doctor. What kinds of worries do you have concerning Dr. Zaw Myint Maung's health condition? Dr Yu Yu May We used to be worried about him 76-77, he had jaundice. Now, when he is inside, he has to eat foods that were sent to him from end to end of a month. They would be mouldy, wouldn't they? He has to eat the foods that past best before date and mouldy food as they are very scarce. Would his liver be still good? When he comes out what kind of things he would have contracted? I have such worries. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. As far as we know, they are going to extend his sentence. Normally, when would he be released? Dr Yu Yu May I don't know about that. I didn't care to ask. Originally, he was sentenced to 25 years. Once he was inside, he was sentenced to 7 years for one case and 5 years for another case that makes 12 extra years. So, that would be 37 years in all. So, I don't know when he would be released by normal estimation. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. Earlier on, we also interviewed your son. When Dr Zaw Myint Maung was arrested, the oldest son was only in fourth standard and the youngest was only a year old. At the time, what kinds of feeling did you have? Dr Yu Yu May Those were my years of woes and deep troubles. I have three children. The oldest was in fourth standard. The middle was in first standard. The youngest one, the girl was one year and 5 months old. She couldn't talked expect the words papa and mama. That time, being a doctor, I had to depend on my clinic for survival. And I didn't know where he (her husband) was. On top of that the military intelligence told us to find him. They were detaining him and told me to find him and I didn't know where he was. After five months, rumours had that we could see him at Insein Prison. Only then did we learnt that he was in prison. During that time we were anxious about him. After that, I learnt that he was sentenced? I heard about it from word of mouth. No letter of notice came to me. So, I had to survive on the incomes from my clinic and supported three children of mine to succeed. When they were young they ate what I fed and wore what I adorned them with. But as they grew older and older, I had to go and see him in the one hand, and I have to bear all the yokes for two people feeding them, caring them. I was feeling poor mentally and in trouble physically. I had to struggle for our daily survival and see him in the other. I was in considerable trouble. The expenses piled on top of me. Now, with the supports from ICRC, things are getting better for us. Thank God for that! _____GUNS_____ Democratic Voice of Burma November 1 2002 Karen delegation to hold cease-fire talks with authorities in Loikaw It has been learned that a delegation from the KNPP Karenni National Progressive Party has departed to hold talks with Loikaw-based SPDC State Peace and Development Council authorities. The delegation led by Major Htoo Ka Re departed for Loikaw last Wednesday 30 October . The KNPP signed a cease-fire agreement with the SLORC State Law and Order Restoration Council in March 1995 but it collapsed three months later. In order to learn more about the matter DVB Democratic Voice of Burma contacted KNPP General Secretary U Raimond Htoo. Aye Aye Mon We heard that the Karenni Army is planning to meet with the local SPDC authorities in Loikaw. Could you briefly explain to us about the purpose of this meeting? U Raimond Htoo If the SPDC have the genuine desire to reform the nation then it should be carried out. Based on these factors we are trying to talk to them to find out about their views. Aye Aye Mon Yes. We read in a recent report that the SPDC had not accepted a KNPP peace delegation. Could you tell us briefly about what happened? U Raimond Htoo In 1995, there was a ceasefire agreement between the KNPP and the SLORC. The deal was done between the two groups the KNPP and the SLORC delegations and no one knew the details. The people became frustrated and in the end they discovered that the agreement has collapsed. Therefore, to avoid such happenings in the future, it was suggested that if the people wish to join in the talks we would gladly welcome them. But in reality, the SLORC did not approve of it. Then, they told us that if we really wanted to hold talks it should be between the KNPP and the SLORC - at the regional level or directly with Rangoon. It seems they do not want us to meet with the people. Aye Aye Mon Yes. What topic will the present KNPP delegation be mainly discussing? U Raimond Htoo Well, they plan to discuss nine major points including the following: to stop forced relocation, to stop using civilians as military porters, to stop charging people porter-fees, not to plant any more landmines and to clear them away, to stop killing innocent civilians, to stop raping Karenni women and children, to declare a nationwide cease-fire preceding two words spoken in English , to solve political problems by political means after accepting and holding tripartite talks. _______MONEY______ Myanmar Times October 28-November 3 2002 Traders report sharp falls in prices of Thai consumer goods By Myo Lwin The cost of consumer goods imported from Thailand fell sharply last Tuesday after border checkpoints reopened following a five month closure, market sources said. The reopening had little effect on the price of commodities produced in Myanmar, partly because of restrictions on their export to Thailand introduced when the checkpoints were closed last May, the sources said. A merchant at Yangon’s Bayintnaung wholesale market, U Ann Kauk, said the prices of major commodities such as chillis, onions and garlic had remained stable or fallen slightly. U Ann Kauk’s comments were echoed by another border trade dealer at Bayintnaung who said prices of the popular moe-htaung variety chilli had remained stable at K650 a viss (3.6 pounds) last week. Onion prices had also remained stable at K200 a viss during the week, the trader said. Meanwhile, sources at Yuzana Plaza, one of the biggest wholesale and retail sales centres for consumer goods from Thailand, said prices had dropped sharply since the government announced the border reopening. A wholesaler at the centre said prices of soft drinks, sauces and confectionary from Thailand had fallen by up to 30 per cent since the checkpoints reopened. "The price of a 650-milligram bottle of chilli sauce dropped to K800 from K1200 and the same size bottle of fish sauce fell to K800 from K900 during the past week," she told Myanmar Times in a telephone interview. Demand for Thai consumer goods had fallen because of their higher cost compared to domestic products and imports from China, she added. There were similar comments from traders at other markets, with some saying importers of Thai products were likely to suffer losses. ___REGIONAL__ The Nation November 2 2002 Thailand downplays reports on origins of suspect mail sent to Burmese embassies Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai yesterday voiced doubts about the origin of parcel bombs the Burmese government claims were sent from Thailand, as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra downplayed what appeared to be the start of a new round of tensions with Burma. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Surakiart said he had instructed Thai embassy officials to inspect the packages' postmarks to determine whether they originated in Thailand. "We have questioned whether the letters were sent from Thailand," Surakiart said. The premier yesterday ordered an investigation into the matter. On Thursday Burma claimed its embassies in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore had received parcel bombs sent from Thailand. "We can deduce that this is the work of a dissident group residing in our neighbouring country as all the letters had Bangkok postmarks," junta spokesman Lt-Col Nyan Lin told reporters. The devices were defused without injuries, he said, adding that they were marked "8/8/88" - the date on which widespread anti-government unrest broke out in Burma, leading to a military takeover. Burma on Thursday summoned Thailand's Rangoon ambassador to express its concern about the incident. Thaksin meanwhile was quick to downplay the parcel bombs, saying Thai-Burmese relations were unaffected by the incident. Despite a recent calm, tensions with Burma have been high in recent months, following a series of border clashes earlier in the year. _____PRESS RELEASES_______ Press release from the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) Geneva, October 31, 2002 Accor to withdraw from Burma The French-based transnational hotel, tourism and leisure group Accor has informed the IUF that it will be withdrawing from Burma. Accor Chairman Jean Marc Espalioux made the announcement on October 30 at an international trade union meeting held under IUF auspices in Geneva. Accor currently manages two hotels in Burma, the Novotel Mandalay and the Sofitel Plaza Yangon. According to Espalioux, the decision will be implemented once negotiations with Accor's local partner are completed. The IUF, in meetings with corporate management, has continually raised the issue of the Accor group's presence in Burma. Since the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the IUF has supported the call by Burma's trade unions and the government in exile for a tourism boycott and the withdrawal of transnational investments. Most recently, on September 27, the IUF Union Day of Tourism, affiliates responded to an IUF appeal by sending messages to Accor and other hotel chains still active in Burma, urging them to withdraw. "Accor's decision follows similar moves by other hotel chains and transnational investors", said IUF general secretary Ron Oswald. "We are pleased that the IUF was instrumental in finally convincing the groups that they could only suffer in the long term from their refusal to leave Burma. The constructive relationship built over the years between the IUF and Accor corporate management was certainly a key element in their success". ______ RoutledgeCurzon October 2002 Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake By Ashley South, SOAS UK This book is a political history of the Mon people of lower Burma and Thailand-the people of the Golden Sheldrake. The Mon are renowned for their important civilizing role in pre-colonial Southeast Asia and achievements in the fields of art and religion. However contemporary Mon society has until now received less attention. Charting Mon history from the earliest times to the present, Ashley South describes the origins of Burma’s ethnic politics in the pre-colonial era and developments during the British (and Japanese) colonial periods. Following independence in 1948, Burma was plunged into a civil war which still drags on today. The book explores the background to and major episodes in the war, and compares the experiences of various parties to the conflict, including the Mon, Karen and Kachin ethnic communities and insurgent organizations. It provides unique insights into the dynamics of armed conflict in Burma, and examines the controversial series of ceasefire agreements negotiated since democracy movements led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the ethnic insurgents, international and local non-government organizations, and Burma’s one million-plus refugees, the author concludes by looking at the future of the ‘ethnic question’ in Burma. This is one of the most important contributions in recent years to the literature on Burma. Situating events in a regional perspective, Mon Naitonalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake will be of interst to students of Southeast Asian history and politics. Anthropologists will appreciate the sustained forcus on issues of identity and assimilation, whilst the author’s first-hand accounts of the humanitarian crisis along the Thailand Burma border are of particular relevance to the study of displacement and under-development. How to order: tel: +44 (0) 1264 34 3071 www.routledge.com book.orders@routledge.co.uk From editor@burmanet.org Mon Nov 4 22:40:23 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 17:40:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: November 1-2 2002 Message-ID: <50093.207.10.94.131.1036449623.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> November 1-2 2002 Issue #2114 INSIDE BURMA Reuters: Annan worried Myanmar reform drive is losing steam DVB: Dr. Sein Win’s views on Kofi Annan’s demands to the SPDC Narinjara: Mizoram-Burma border sealed prevent terrorists’ entrance DVB: Forced relocations in Rangoon DVB: Gas pipeline repairs: who will do it? DVB: An interview with Dr. Daw Yu Yu May GUNS DVB: Karen delegation to hold cease-fire talks with authorities in Loikaw MONEY Myanmar Times: Traders report sharp falls in prices of Thai consumer goods REGIONAL Nation: Thailand downplays reports on origins of suspect mail sent to Burmese embassies PRESS RELEASES IUF: Accor to withdraw from Burma Routledge/Curzon: Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma by Ashley South _____INSIDE BURMA_____ Reuters November 2 2002 Annan worried Myanmar reform drive is losing steam By Irwin Arieff UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Concerned that a political reform drive in Myanmar is losing steam, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday urged the Asian nation's military government and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to quickly launch talks laying the groundwork for democracy. "It is only through an all-inclusive dialogue that Myanmar will be able to ensure that national reconciliation is durable and the transition to democracy smooth," Annan said in a report to the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly. He also called on the authorities in the country formerly known as Burma to quickly release all remaining political prisoners and eliminate all remaining restrictions on the activities of legal political parties. The military has raised hopes for political change in the last two years by releasing around 400 political prisoners and freeing Suu Kyi from 19 months of house arrest in May. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won national elections in 1990, but has never been allowed to rule by the military, which has held power for the last four decades. Many Western countries, including the United States and the European Union, have imposed political and economic sanctions on Myanmar, a country diplomats say has been impoverished by decades of economic mismanagement. Annan noted it had been five months since Suu Kyi had been allowed to resume her activities as the leader of a lawful party, yet no talks had yet begun with the government on political reforms and national reconciliation. "I am concerned that the positive momentum generated since this spring could dissipate unless some tangible progress is made in the near future," he said. "It is my strong belief that the objectives of preserving stability and pressing ahead with much-needed reforms are mutually compatible." Despite the recent releases of political prisoners, his report said hundreds were believed still in custody including 220 members of the National League for Democracy, 400 nonmembers and "several hundred others, including students." In addition, the activities of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy has been limited in Shan state and the National League for Democracy has been prevented from publishing and distributing political material while the pro-government National Unity Party is allowed to do so, according to the report. Annan said Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung, during talks in New York in September, had assured him his government was committed to moving toward a multiparty democratic system "but at the same time stressed the need to build a strong nation that could withstand any challenge to its territorial integrity". ______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Dr Sein Win's Views on Kofi Annan's Demands to the SPDC The following is an interview with Dr. U Sein Win, Prime Minister of the exiled NCGUB on his reaction of the comments of the UN General Secretary Kofi Anan: Dr Sein Win : Yes. We believe that the UN General Secretary, Kofi Anan is right in saying about Burma at the UN Assembly. It is a crucial time for Burma. We need to resume the talks immediately they are very important for Burma at the moment. Whatever the excuse, a solution is needed. To sum up, we totally agree with the UN Secretary's report and it is a crucial time for Burma. DVB : Kofi Anan also says that in the coming months, if the SPDC is not able to develop some tangible political improvements, the goodwill and hope will disappear. What is your view on that? Dr Sein Win : At the moment, people from international communities are very much encouraged by the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. We are also waiting with the hope that we will be able to continue with important dialogues. Gradually, we realised that that didn't happen and people are starting to despair and hope for the future is being diminished. As Kofi Anan said if things are going on at this rate, it is obvious that the views of people will start to change. DVB: Yes. What is your assessment of the present political situation of Burma? Dr Sein Win : We have to find a solution to the political problems of Burma through political dialogues. The economical, educational, social, political situations are dire. You can't deny it. As the rulers and authorities of a nation they need to know about these things. The SPDC have to find a way to start a dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. ___________ Narinjara News November 2 2002 Mizoram-Burma border sealed prevent terrorists’ entrance Chittagong, 2nd November 02: The Bangladesh Army has been kept on red alert along the Mizoram border of north eastern India and the Myamar border along the country's south-eastern hilly areas to check terrorists crossing out of the country, according to the local press. To bolster the nationwide anti-terrorist drive that has stepped into the third week, the Bangladeshi government on reports of terrorists taking shelter in the remote areas of the south-eastern district of Bandarban Hill Tracts by various intelligence agencies has taken up the measures, reported a Chittagong vernacular daily. Strange faces frequenting the remote hills on the face of the joint police - army operation dubbed as 'Clean Heart' has prompted the law enforcing agencies to take up the extra cautionary measures. Besides the people of the hills mostly constituted of Buddhist tribal have been panic-stricken for the movement of crime gang godfathers, said the Independent. It is alleged in a number of dailies that, most of the tribal people are reluctant to open mouth about the existence of outside terrorists. A tribal leader in the area said, "Terrorists or no terrorists, tribal population here have always been looked with suspicious eyes." As for now there is a lull prevailing in the hills before the impending storm of what the government has dubbed as Police-Army Anti-terrorist Joint Drive. ______________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Forced Relocations in Rangoon According to DVB sources, local SPDC authorities in Rangoon have ordered people and families who live around the old government secretariat office building in downtown- to leave their homes on the 15th of this month at the latest. The houses were built during the colonial period to house the employees of the high-ranking government officers. During the periods of U Nu's government, Burmese Socialist Programme Party [SPDC] [1962-88], government officials were also accommodated there. But during the present SPDC period, due to the soaring price of land, contractors are bribing the city's Civil officials and planning to pull down historical buildings and built new homes. To find out more about the development we contacted a local resident in Rangoon: Resident : They used to call it Secretariat. There were some residential homes for employees of the Secretariat. In 45, 46, 47, the area was freehold area. They existed since the English colonial period. They left them behind. After the independence of Burma, during the period of the AFPFL government of U Nu the employees of the Secretariat were sheltered there. Then, during the period of BSPP, people who worked in the Ministerial Offices were given places there. And now, the SPDC time, since April 2002, they gave them (residents) notice. All the people who live there have to leave. The government officials and contractors are re-building the whole area and transform it into luxury residential area. The evicted family will be given 5,000,000 kyats to find a new plot in the outskirt of the city near north and south of Dagon Township in the east. Htet Aung Kyaw : Are there many people to be moved? Resident : Yes. Many. The whole area of Maha Bandoola Road and Anawrahta Road, and if you say from east to west, Bo Myat Htun Road , formerly Craig Road, to Theinbyu Road. Htet Aung Kyaw : How many estimated families do you think will be there? Resident : There must be a lot. The size of the house is not small. Two rooms downstairs and two rooms up. There are about ten houses on each side of the street and there must be more than about eighty families. Htet Aung Kyaw : Would 5,000,000 be sufficient for a family to survive on? Resident : Impossible. Just around the corner… a 12 ½ ft. x 40 ft costs 1,400,000 kyats. Try to imagine. Htet Aung Kyaw : Do you know some people there and what do they say about it? Resident : I have many acquaintances there. I usually go to drink tea and the like there. I grew up there as a child. I also have friends and relatives there now. There are new people there. You can't do anything with 5,000,000 kyats these days. __________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 2 2002 Gas Pipeline Repairs Who will do it? According to DVB sources, the SPDC Army is planning to use prisoners for reparation of gas pipelines at southern Burma, damaged by recent flood and erosion. The pipeline sections along the Kanbauk, in Tavoy District, Taninthari Division and Karen State - was destroyed heavy rains. A group of top military security officials led by Colonel Soe Thet, Chief Strategist of Tavoy went to inspect the damages and instructed the local people to repair the damages. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 1 2002 Family Matters: An Interview With Dr Daw Yu Yu May The following is an interview with Dr Yu Yu May concerning the latest health condition of her husband Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, the NLD's elected MP of Amarapura Township, Mandalay Division who is currently unjustly imprisoned in Myitkyina Prison: Ko Moe Aye : I want to know the health condition of Dr Zaw Myint Maung and your family's feeling. Dr Yu Yu May Last month, in September, U Zaw Myint Maung's father and my son went to see him. He said that he was feeling chilly and sick. Must be malaria, he said. But I didn't know which type of malaria he had. I asked my son, who is a medical student, if he asked his father to take Anti-sinate (medicine for malaria). Myson said, daddy said that that medicine is expensive and he didn't take it. At the moment, he is ill with a chill. So, during this month, I sent a pack of [Antisinate] to him with someone. I still don't know whether he took it or he is cured. Another thing, physically he is thin. From medical check-up, it is not known what is happening inside him. What kind of disease he has. But outwardly, he says that he is well. On his face, whether it's due to age or the skin's lack of exposure to sunshine - he has been inside for so long 13 years , there are many berry-like small black spots. They have been coming on for three months. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. You are also a doctor. What kinds of worries do you have concerning Dr. Zaw Myint Maung's health condition? Dr Yu Yu May We used to be worried about him 76-77, he had jaundice. Now, when he is inside, he has to eat foods that were sent to him from end to end of a month. They would be mouldy, wouldn't they? He has to eat the foods that past best before date and mouldy food as they are very scarce. Would his liver be still good? When he comes out what kind of things he would have contracted? I have such worries. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. As far as we know, they are going to extend his sentence. Normally, when would he be released? Dr Yu Yu May I don't know about that. I didn't care to ask. Originally, he was sentenced to 25 years. Once he was inside, he was sentenced to 7 years for one case and 5 years for another case that makes 12 extra years. So, that would be 37 years in all. So, I don't know when he would be released by normal estimation. Ko Moe Aye : Yes. Earlier on, we also interviewed your son. When Dr Zaw Myint Maung was arrested, the oldest son was only in fourth standard and the youngest was only a year old. At the time, what kinds of feeling did you have? Dr Yu Yu May Those were my years of woes and deep troubles. I have three children. The oldest was in fourth standard. The middle was in first standard. The youngest one, the girl was one year and 5 months old. She couldn't talked expect the words papa and mama. That time, being a doctor, I had to depend on my clinic for survival. And I didn't know where he (her husband) was. On top of that the military intelligence told us to find him. They were detaining him and told me to find him and I didn't know where he was. After five months, rumours had that we could see him at Insein Prison. Only then did we learnt that he was in prison. During that time we were anxious about him. After that, I learnt that he was sentenced? I heard about it from word of mouth. No letter of notice came to me. So, I had to survive on the incomes from my clinic and supported three children of mine to succeed. When they were young they ate what I fed and wore what I adorned them with. But as they grew older and older, I had to go and see him in the one hand, and I have to bear all the yokes for two people feeding them, caring them. I was feeling poor mentally and in trouble physically. I had to struggle for our daily survival and see him in the other. I was in considerable trouble. The expenses piled on top of me. Now, with the supports from ICRC, things are getting better for us. Thank God for that! _____GUNS_____ Democratic Voice of Burma November 1 2002 Karen delegation to hold cease-fire talks with authorities in Loikaw It has been learned that a delegation from the KNPP Karenni National Progressive Party has departed to hold talks with Loikaw-based SPDC State Peace and Development Council authorities. The delegation led by Major Htoo Ka Re departed for Loikaw last Wednesday 30 October . The KNPP signed a cease-fire agreement with the SLORC State Law and Order Restoration Council in March 1995 but it collapsed three months later. In order to learn more about the matter DVB Democratic Voice of Burma contacted KNPP General Secretary U Raimond Htoo. Aye Aye Mon We heard that the Karenni Army is planning to meet with the local SPDC authorities in Loikaw. Could you briefly explain to us about the purpose of this meeting? U Raimond Htoo If the SPDC have the genuine desire to reform the nation then it should be carried out. Based on these factors we are trying to talk to them to find out about their views. Aye Aye Mon Yes. We read in a recent report that the SPDC had not accepted a KNPP peace delegation. Could you tell us briefly about what happened? U Raimond Htoo In 1995, there was a ceasefire agreement between the KNPP and the SLORC. The deal was done between the two groups the KNPP and the SLORC delegations and no one knew the details. The people became frustrated and in the end they discovered that the agreement has collapsed. Therefore, to avoid such happenings in the future, it was suggested that if the people wish to join in the talks we would gladly welcome them. But in reality, the SLORC did not approve of it. Then, they told us that if we really wanted to hold talks it should be between the KNPP and the SLORC - at the regional level or directly with Rangoon. It seems they do not want us to meet with the people. Aye Aye Mon Yes. What topic will the present KNPP delegation be mainly discussing? U Raimond Htoo Well, they plan to discuss nine major points including the following: to stop forced relocation, to stop using civilians as military porters, to stop charging people porter-fees, not to plant any more landmines and to clear them away, to stop killing innocent civilians, to stop raping Karenni women and children, to declare a nationwide cease-fire preceding two words spoken in English , to solve political problems by political means after accepting and holding tripartite talks. _______MONEY______ Myanmar Times October 28-November 3 2002 Traders report sharp falls in prices of Thai consumer goods By Myo Lwin The cost of consumer goods imported from Thailand fell sharply last Tuesday after border checkpoints reopened following a five month closure, market sources said. The reopening had little effect on the price of commodities produced in Myanmar, partly because of restrictions on their export to Thailand introduced when the checkpoints were closed last May, the sources said. A merchant at Yangon’s Bayintnaung wholesale market, U Ann Kauk, said the prices of major commodities such as chillis, onions and garlic had remained stable or fallen slightly. U Ann Kauk’s comments were echoed by another border trade dealer at Bayintnaung who said prices of the popular moe-htaung variety chilli had remained stable at K650 a viss (3.6 pounds) last week. Onion prices had also remained stable at K200 a viss during the week, the trader said. Meanwhile, sources at Yuzana Plaza, one of the biggest wholesale and retail sales centres for consumer goods from Thailand, said prices had dropped sharply since the government announced the border reopening. A wholesaler at the centre said prices of soft drinks, sauces and confectionary from Thailand had fallen by up to 30 per cent since the checkpoints reopened. "The price of a 650-milligram bottle of chilli sauce dropped to K800 from K1200 and the same size bottle of fish sauce fell to K800 from K900 during the past week," she told Myanmar Times in a telephone interview. Demand for Thai consumer goods had fallen because of their higher cost compared to domestic products and imports from China, she added. There were similar comments from traders at other markets, with some saying importers of Thai products were likely to suffer losses. ___REGIONAL__ The Nation November 2 2002 Thailand downplays reports on origins of suspect mail sent to Burmese embassies Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai yesterday voiced doubts about the origin of parcel bombs the Burmese government claims were sent from Thailand, as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra downplayed what appeared to be the start of a new round of tensions with Burma. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Surakiart said he had instructed Thai embassy officials to inspect the packages' postmarks to determine whether they originated in Thailand. "We have questioned whether the letters were sent from Thailand," Surakiart said. The premier yesterday ordered an investigation into the matter. On Thursday Burma claimed its embassies in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore had received parcel bombs sent from Thailand. "We can deduce that this is the work of a dissident group residing in our neighbouring country as all the letters had Bangkok postmarks," junta spokesman Lt-Col Nyan Lin told reporters. The devices were defused without injuries, he said, adding that they were marked "8/8/88" - the date on which widespread anti-government unrest broke out in Burma, leading to a military takeover. Burma on Thursday summoned Thailand's Rangoon ambassador to express its concern about the incident. Thaksin meanwhile was quick to downplay the parcel bombs, saying Thai-Burmese relations were unaffected by the incident. Despite a recent calm, tensions with Burma have been high in recent months, following a series of border clashes earlier in the year. _____PRESS RELEASES_______ Press release from the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) Geneva, October 31, 2002 Accor to withdraw from Burma The French-based transnational hotel, tourism and leisure group Accor has informed the IUF that it will be withdrawing from Burma. Accor Chairman Jean Marc Espalioux made the announcement on October 30 at an international trade union meeting held under IUF auspices in Geneva. Accor currently manages two hotels in Burma, the Novotel Mandalay and the Sofitel Plaza Yangon. According to Espalioux, the decision will be implemented once negotiations with Accor's local partner are completed. The IUF, in meetings with corporate management, has continually raised the issue of the Accor group's presence in Burma. Since the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the IUF has supported the call by Burma's trade unions and the government in exile for a tourism boycott and the withdrawal of transnational investments. Most recently, on September 27, the IUF Union Day of Tourism, affiliates responded to an IUF appeal by sending messages to Accor and other hotel chains still active in Burma, urging them to withdraw. "Accor's decision follows similar moves by other hotel chains and transnational investors", said IUF general secretary Ron Oswald. "We are pleased that the IUF was instrumental in finally convincing the groups that they could only suffer in the long term from their refusal to leave Burma. The constructive relationship built over the years between the IUF and Accor corporate management was certainly a key element in their success". ______ RoutledgeCurzon October 2002 Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake By Ashley South, SOAS UK This book is a political history of the Mon people of lower Burma and Thailand-the people of the Golden Sheldrake. The Mon are renowned for their important civilizing role in pre-colonial Southeast Asia and achievements in the fields of art and religion. However contemporary Mon society has until now received less attention. Charting Mon history from the earliest times to the present, Ashley South describes the origins of Burma’s ethnic politics in the pre-colonial era and developments during the British (and Japanese) colonial periods. Following independence in 1948, Burma was plunged into a civil war which still drags on today. The book explores the background to and major episodes in the war, and compares the experiences of various parties to the conflict, including the Mon, Karen and Kachin ethnic communities and insurgent organizations. It provides unique insights into the dynamics of armed conflict in Burma, and examines the controversial series of ceasefire agreements negotiated since democracy movements led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the ethnic insurgents, international and local non-government organizations, and Burma’s one million-plus refugees, the author concludes by looking at the future of the ‘ethnic question’ in Burma. This is one of the most important contributions in recent years to the literature on Burma. Situating events in a regional perspective, Mon Naitonalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake will be of interst to students of Southeast Asian history and politics. Anthropologists will appreciate the sustained forcus on issues of identity and assimilation, whilst the author’s first-hand accounts of the humanitarian crisis along the Thailand Burma border are of particular relevance to the study of displacement and under-development. How to order: tel: +44 (0) 1264 34 3071 www.routledge.com book.orders@routledge.co.uk From editor@burmanet.org Mon Nov 4 22:41:45 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 17:41:45 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: November 3-4 2002 Message-ID: <50366.207.10.94.131.1036449705.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> November 3-4 2002 Issue #2015 INSIDE BURMA Narinjara: Rice prices go up in western Burma DVB: About 1,300 political prisoners in Burma Narinjara: Furore over the rape of two Rakhaing girls in Burma DRUGS Bangkok Post: Wa launder proceeds at gems auction GUNS Irrawaddy: Karenni rebels in talks with junta Onasa News Agency: Bosnian Serb premier says arms exports to Burma never proceeded Kaladan: 2 army killed and 2 others wounded in landmine blast REGIONAL Australian Broadcasting Corporation: ASEAN criticized for failure to criticize Burma M2 Press Wire: ADB GMS leaders pledge closer economic and regional cooperation at historic summit Irrawaddy: Burmese and Filipino sisters share ideas Narinjara: Burmese prisoners in Bangladesh jail on another hunger strike INTERNATIONAL Myanmar Times: Pinheiro urges United Nations to get ready to help Myanmar American Prospect: Globalism in the dock; Burmese villagers sue Unocal in an L.A. courtroom STATEMENTS ASEAN People’s Forum 2002: ASEAN activists criticize ASEAN leaders fro avoiding dialogue ____INSIDE BURMA_______ Narinjara News November 4 2002 Rice prices go up in Western Burma Maungdaw, 4 November 02: The price of rice, the staple food of Burma, has gone up once again in Rakhine State in the western part of Burma, according to our correspondent. The price of a 50 kilo bag of fine rice sells at kyat 25,000 while the coarse variety sells at 16,000 kyat at Maungdaw, the town bordering with Bangladesh. Many of the travellers who can cross the border to the nearby Bangladeshi town of Teknaf across the Naaf River take back up to 20 kilos of rice on their return home. Though rice was previously used to be smuggled or exported to Bangladesh from Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships, the scarcity of rice in the area has been caused due to the Burmese junta's ban on transportation of rice to Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships from inside the Rakhine State. The BDR, Bangladeshi border security forces, also allow the Burmese tourists to carry small amounts of rice on humanitarian ground, it is understood. The price of a bag of rice in Teknaf is about kyat 12,600 which is equal to taka 700. Previously the price of rice in Teknaf was about taka 550, which shot up to taka 700 as the Burmese rice no more gets smuggled into the country. The poorer section of the people in Maungdaw have now to eat the sticky rice gruel as the bag of sticky rice is selling at kyat 12,500 in the open market. As there is a scarcity of rice in the area, farmers are forced by the Burmese military junta officials to harvest even the hardly ripe rice from the fields to meet the acute rice shortage. Every day only 200 bags of rice are brought in by the junta officials for the consumption of the army personnel in the area. There is no quota of rice for the civilian population in the two townships bordering with Bangladesh, apparently due to rice shortage in the interior areas of the country, which has caused the recent famine in the area, our correspondent concluded. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma November 3 2002 About 1,300 political prisoners in Burma UN special human rights envoy Mr Pinheiro said there are about 1,300 political prisoners still incarcerated in Burmese jails. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged junta and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to quickly launch talks laying the groundwork for democracy. UN special envoy Mr Razali is to visit Burma on 12 Nov. _________ Narinjara News November 4 2002 Burmese prisoners in a Bangladesh jail on another hunger strike Two hundred and thirty seven Burmese prisoners in the Bandarban prison, in the southeastern hilly district of Bangladesh bordering with Burma, some of whom have overstayed their prison terms by as much as nine years threatened to resort to another ‘fast unto death’ hunger strike unless they are repatriated, according to our correspondent. As the prisoners started their hunger strike on Saturday the District Commissioner of Bandarban visited the prison and called on them to refrain from ‘such meaningless acts’ on condition that he would try his best to take measures for solving their prolonged detention. In reply the prisoners told the DC that, they would go for mass suicide unless immediate steps are taken to repatriate or free them. The prisoners who were arrested for illegal entry to Bangladesh had already undergone various prison terms under the existing laws of the land. Though their terms of detention have ended long since, they have not been freed for the bureaucratic confusion resulting from the Burmese junta’s refusal to recognize them as their own citizens. “Many of the ‘released’ prisoners come from homes forcefully relocated by the Burmese junta in the 90s,” said a released Burmese prisoner kept under the custody of the UNHCR, Bangladesh, “making it difficult for the junta to track down the exact ‘present’ locations of the addresses of many of the families the prisoners come from.” A source in the jail told our correspondent that the Burmese prisoners would take up mass suicide if they are not freed shortly. They expressed that the life in the jail has become unbearable for the inhuman conditions prevailing there. It is alleged that many of the ‘troublemaking’ Burmese ‘released’ prisoners are now kept in solitary confinement – for ‘fear of more trouble.’ The prison authority said that a number of state-level correspondences have been made for the release of these prisoners to no effect since all the while the Burmese authority have remained silent refusing to answer the queries. Last March there was another continuous hunger strike of three hundred Burmese prisoners in Bandarban jail who the authority moved to other prisons in Bangladesh to avoid a bloody confrontation. According to a source, the district administration is in a tight fix regarding the ways to deal with the prisoners because there is no other way besides repatriating them through international efforts. Meanwhile the environment inside the Bandarban jail is deteriorating with the uneasiness prevailing among the Burmese prisoners detained for too long inside the jail. _______ Narinjara News November 3 2002 Furore over the rape of two Rakhaing girls in Burma Maungdaw, 3rd November 02: Two Rakhaing Buddhist girls, aged 19 and 21, were raped by five Rohingya Muslim youths on 7th October at Kanthaya village of Bagghona village tract under Maungdaw Twnship in the western part of Burma, according to our correspondent. As a follow-up to the incident, sixteen Rohingya Muslim villagers were arrested from the village. The Rakhaing villagers told our correspondent that, after watching a video show at Bawdhi-gung village the two girls with a brother of one of them were returning to their homes at Kan-thaya at about nine in the evening. On the way, five Rohingya youths waylaid and violated them. Later when the brother of one of the victims reached the spot after buying cigarettes and betel leaf, the five fled away. Afterwards the victims went to Maungdaw police station and lodged a case, numbered Pa/131/2002. The Officer-in-charge, Hla Phaw Thu, has been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the investigation into the matter. Though the sixteen villagers have been apprehended the violators still remain at large. Besides, interrogation of more Rohingya villagers has been done regarding the incident. Meanwhile there have been a lot of hot discussions and strained relations among the two Buddhist and Muslim communities in the area that could develop into a bigger confrontation, our correspondent concluded. _____DRUGS______ Bangkok Post November 4 2002 Wa launder proceeds at gems auction UWSA buys back own lots worth about $3m The United Wa State Army reportedly used a gems auction held by the Burmese government in Rangoon last week to launder millions of baht in drug money. Wa traders bought gems from miners, which they then bid on at the auction, paying up to 10% more than the original cost to launder as much cash as possible, a source said. ____GUNS_______ Irrawaddy November 4 2002 Karenni Rebels in Talks with Junta By Aung Su Shin/Mae Sot November 04, 2002—Representatives from the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) left today for peace talks with the junta at Loi Kaw in Karenni State. Led by Lt-Col Htoo Khar Rei, 16 members from the KNPP will travel from their headquarters in Mae Hong Son, northern Thailand, to meet with officials from the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). "The KNPP delegation has nine points to take up with Burmese junta," said Saw Raymond Htoo, secretary general of the KNPP. KNPP delegates will ask junta officials to cease: The forced relocation of Karenni villages Using Karenni people as porters in the battlefield Collecting porter fees from the Karenni people Planting landmines in the Karenni State Killing innocent Karenni people The sexual abuse of Karenni women On a national level, the KNPP will also call on the ruling junta to solve Burma’s political conflict, hold tripartite talks and declare a nationwide ceasefire with all ethnic nationality groups. "The SPDC must accept all nine points for the long-term peace in ethnic Karenni land and the whole country. They have always said they are sincere about working with minority groups and are willing to try for national reconciliation," Raymond Htoo said. Since 1994 more than eight ceasefire agreements have been signed between the junta and Karenni representatives. The KNPP signed a ceasefire agreement with the junta in March 1995, but the Burmese army invaded a Karenni strong hold base on June 30 that year, terminating the ceasefire. "Burmese troops raided our land, apparently to suppress Khun Sa and to protect our sovereignty from the invasion of Thai army," explained Raymond Htoo. Sensing that the ceasefire was near breaking point, a KNPP delegation went to Rangoon to approach the SPDC and demand peace talks, just before the SPDC attack on the KNPP base in 1995. But the SPDC argued the Karenni people had already surrendered and that there was no need to talk. "The Burmese junta is always contacting our frontier commanders for talk, but they never want to speak to us. We have sent delegates to find out whether they want real peace or not," Raymond Htoo said. According to Remen Htoo, the KNPP has changed its state-focused policy to look at broader issues of national reconciliation as well. "In the past, our Karenni State stood separate from Burma. But in the interests of the people of Burma, Karenni land will be one of the states in the federal state of Burma. We have already declared that," said Raymond Htoo. "We have changed our direction because we are know the people of Burma suffer under dictatorial rulers. Now it is the time for SPDC to stop their nasty tricks and work towards genuine peace," he said. ________ Onasa News Agency November 4 2002 Bosnian Serb premier says arms exports to Burma never proceeded Banja Luka, 4 November: Republika Srpska Serb Republic - RS Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic admitted on Monday 4 November that the RS negotiated the sale of a surplus of weapons to Burma, but that the negotiations were stopped after finding out that Burma was under a UN embargo. "There is a problem of surplus of wars in BiH Bosnia-Hercegovina . Since Sfor Stabilization Force is destroying the surplus of weapons, we concluded that it would be better to sell off a part of these weapons. However, the negotiations with Burma were interrupted on time," Ivanic said. Five Bosnian Serb officials, including the defence minister and army chief, have stepped down in recent days over the export of parts for Iraqi MiG-21 aircraft by the state-owned Orao factory, in violation of a UN arms embargo. _________ Kaladan Press November 3, 2002 2 ARMY KILLED AND 2 OTHERS WOUNDED IN LANDMINE BLAST Maungdaw, November 3: Two Burmese army personnel were killed and two others wounded in an explosion of landmine inside their territory on the Burma- Bangladesh border on 21st October 2002, said a villager. The explosion was occurred at about 10.00 am (local time) between pillar Nos. 40 and 41 at the Nasaka area No. 2, Barua Para at under Line Thi village tract about 38 miles north of Maungdaw town, Arakan State. The landmines had been set in the no-man’s land along the 131 miles Burma-Bangladesh land border in their bid to prevent trespassers and insurgent groups by the Burma Border Security Force (Nasaka), said an ex-village Chairman. According to a eyewitness, a villager of Barua Para told our source that while he was going to the forest for cutting wood adjacent to the camp, suddenly he heard the explosion of the landmine and he had gone into hiding and watching the spot from a distance that he could see the sight well. Other fellows carried about half an hour later two dead body and another two wounded soldiers towards their camp. When asked the Rohingya National Army (RNA) told that the Nasaka together with the army planted the landmines for the insurgence (rebellion) groups but they themselves tragically fell into their own trap. They also said that 2 armies were killed on the spot and another three were wounded while they were going to check the border pillars by mistakenly stepping on the landmine. Bangladesh Government compelled the Burmese junta to remove the landmines trough vigorous diplomatic campaign since 1993. Though Burmese junta had removed some of the landmines set by Nasaka, but most of them remained un-removed despite heavy pressure from Bangladesh side. Last year, the Nasaka forces secretly again planted landmines along the Burma-Bangladesh border. But, Bangladesh Government had removed by its own arrangement, the landmines set by Nasaka in its territory, said BRCT (Bangladesh Rehabilitation Center for Tranma Victims). ______REGIONAL_______ Australian Broadcasting Corporation November 4 2002 ASEAN criticized for failure to criticize Burma Heads of State from around the South East Asian region are having their annual summit in Cambodia today and for all the talking about terrorism and tourism, there is one subject that they dare not speak of; Burma. The pariah state's reclusive military leader General Than Shwe has shown up, but the touchy subject of reform in his country is not on the agenda. That fact has galvanized campaigners, who have launched a stinging attack on ASEAN for once again failing to challenge the conduct of wayward member states. _________ M2 Press Wire November 4 2002 ADB GMS leaders pledge closer economic and regional cooperation at Historic Summit Leaders of six countries along the Mekong River concluded a historic Summit by signing a joint declaration to reaffirm their commitment to subregional economic cooperation and a shared vision of equal partnership in the pursuit of economic growth and greater prosperity. The first ever GMS Summit attended by leaders of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) concluded with pledges to work more closely to reduce poverty and promote greater subregional integration among the six GMS countries. The GMS comprises Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (Yunnan Province), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. The GMS Summit, held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the GMS Economic Cooperation Program (GMS Program), highlighted the significant progress made so far. "Our most important achievement has been the growing trust and confidence among our countries, which has provided a favorable environment for trade and investment, economic growth and social well-being," stated the joint declaration. The leaders recognized the challenges of managing the subregion's natural environment and said they would take responsibility and leadership for the sustainable management of national and shared resources. That view was shared by Asian Development Bank (ADB) President, Mr. Tadao Chino. "Sound management of the environment is a prerequisite for, and not a constraint to, sustainable economic development," Mr. Chino said. Mr. Chino pledged to broaden the Bank's support for the GMS Program which was started in 1992 with ADB's financial assistance and support. In a progress report delivered at the Summit, he said: "The Summit allows all of us to reaffirm our commitment to our shared vision of creating a prosperous and equitable subregion in the countries that share the Mekong River." "By the end of this decade, the GMS countries will be even more closely connected. At the same time, the subregion's role as a strategic bridge between East and Southeast Asia as well as between South and East Asia, will become increasingly important," Mr. Chino said. He outlined the challenges facing GMS countries in their move toward regional integration. Besides managing the subregion's natural environment, these included mobilizing financial resources, developing the subregion's human resource potential and adapting to changes in the global and regional economic environment. "To prepare for these challenges, we must continue to break down barriers by harmonizing legal and institutional arrangements in the subregion. Investment in human resource development needs to be increased. Policies and institutional structures that support macroeconomic stability, sound financial systems and competitive markets need to be strengthened. I am confident that the GMS Program will provide an appropriate framework for such action," Mr. Chino said. The GMS leaders signed the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Regional Power and Trade to promote and facilitate electricity trade in the subregion. They welcomed PRC's accession to the GMS Agreement to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and people and endorsed the GMS-Phnom Penh Plan for Development Management to develop human resources in the subregion. Looking ahead, the GMS Summit leaders underscored their strong commitment to: * Human resources development * Protect the environment and cooperate on the use of common natural resources * Complete road links in the subregion to strengthen productivity and competitiveness, and evolve transport corridors into economic corridors, * Enhance transport linkages through full implementation of an agreement to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and people * Accelerate development of energy and telecommunications infrastructure linking the subregion * Create a favorable trade and investment climate and promote tourism "All these investments and efforts will, within the foreseeable future, transform the subregional economy into a broad, rapidly growing market reaching 300 million people who enjoy the benefits of prosperity and peace," said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in his keynote address, as the Chair of the Summit. The other leaders at the Summit were H.E. Zhu Rongji, Premier of the State Council, People's Republic of China (PRC); H.E. Bounnhang Vorachith, Prime Minister, Lao PDR; Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Myanmar; H.E. Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand; and H.E. Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister, Viet Nam. Given the challenges and opportunities facing the subregion, Summit leaders said it was important to build effective partnerships with bilateral and multilateral development agencies, non-government organizations, the private sector and civil society. GMS leaders recognized and appreciated ADB's role as a catalyst and core supporter of the GMS Program. "We call on ADB to continue and broaden its coordinating and supporting role to GMS." GMS leaders also reaffirmed a strategic action plan that will include 11 flagship programs. So far, the GMS Program has financed projects totaling US$ 2 billion in areas such as transportation, energy, telecommunications, human resources development, tourism, environment and trade and investment. It has also addressed environment and social issues such as HIV/AIDS and drug trafficking through technical assistance grants. _________ Irrawaddy November 4 2002 Burmese and Filipino Sisters Share Ideas By Joanna C Castro November 04, 2002—Ten days are not enough to learn everything about the political struggle of women in the Philippines. But for representatives of the Women’s League of Burma (WLB) who traveled to the Philippines in October, the opportunity to listen to insights from dedicated and courageous women has inspired them in their continuing fight against military oppression in Burma. The four Burmese women who participated in the 11-day exchange from October 6-16 all agreed that the exposure to issues in the Philippines was useful, particularly now as more women in Burma are starting to speak out in their own communities. The women, originally from four separate ethnic states in Burma, now work in exile for the WLB, which is an umbrella organization comprised of 11 members groups from South Asia and Southeast Asia. In Burma there continues to be no independent women’s organizations, and the few women’s groups that are permitted to operate there—including the National Committee for Women’s Affairs and the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association—come under the direct control of government ministries. There is the Myanmar Women Entrepreneur’s Association run by local businesswomen who distribute small loans, which ostensibly operates outside of government controls. However, sources say the organization works closely with the regime. None of these organizations, however, have been able to raise the status of women in the country, as incidents of domestic violence, rape, prostitution and trafficking of women remain commonplace throughout Burma. While in the Philippines, the WLB delegation met with a multitude of women’s groups and discussed a wide range of issues—including the empowerment of women in political and social forums, human rights for ethnic groups and the establishment of income generation projects—while also reviewing different training programs. The delegates visited Gabriela, a Manila-based network of over 100 women’s organizations, which was started in 1984, and has since more than doubled its membership. The network’s constituency now includes grassroots women’s groups, peasants, members of the urban poor, women representing religious institutions, students as well as the most oppressed and marginalized women in the country. The WLB representatives said the network served as a model they could consider implementing amongst their own organizations upon returning to Burma. "We have learned a lot from the braveness of women in the Philippines," said a delegate from Burma’s Mon State. "They know what they are doing. I am sure, after getting back to Burma, I will apply the strategies that they are using in their struggles." The delegates also traveled north for a meeting with the Cordillera People’s Alliance, a federation of indigenous peoples’ organizations. They also visited with other groups such as the Igorota Foundation, the Maryknoll Sisters Center for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation as well as the Cordillera Women’s Education and Resource Center and Innabuyog. During another trip to a mining town north of Manila the group met representatives from the Acupan Upper Camps Community Livelihood Association (AUCCLA). At the time of their visit, AUCCLA members were barricading the entrance to a mine located close to their village. The delegates said they learned how local women in the area were actively defending their land and resources from the threat of corporate mining. The exposure and sharing of ideas with the Philippine women has also created a network of solidarity and support between the two countries. Filipino women leaders, politicians and rights activists were among the 2,000 international signatories that condemned Burma’s military regime after the release of the report, "License to Rape." The report documented 625 cases of sexual abuse by military personnel in Burma. "We are making the atrocities and suppression of the military against the women of Burma into an international issue," remarked one delegate. "We are also looking for other countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia to help us too." _______ Narinjara News November 4 2002 Burmese prisoners in a Bangladesh jail on another hunger strike Two hundred and thirty seven Burmese prisoners in the Bandarban prison, in the southeastern hilly district of Bangladesh bordering with Burma, some of whom have overstayed their prison terms by as much as nine years threatened to resort to another ‘fast unto death’ hunger strike unless they are repatriated, according to our correspondent. As the prisoners started their hunger strike on Saturday the District Commissioner of Bandarban visited the prison and called on them to refrain from ‘such meaningless acts’ on condition that he would try his best to take measures for solving their prolonged detention. In reply the prisoners told the DC that, they would go for mass suicide unless immediate steps are taken to repatriate or free them. The prisoners who were arrested for illegal entry to Bangladesh had already undergone various prison terms under the existing laws of the land. Though their terms of detention have ended long since, they have not been freed for the bureaucratic confusion resulting from the Burmese junta’s refusal to recognize them as their own citizens. “Many of the ‘released’ prisoners come from homes forcefully relocated by the Burmese junta in the 90s,” said a released Burmese prisoner kept under the custody of the UNHCR, Bangladesh, “making it difficult for the junta to track down the exact ‘present’ locations of the addresses of many of the families the prisoners come from.” A source in the jail told our correspondent that the Burmese prisoners would take up mass suicide if they are not freed shortly. They expressed that the life in the jail has become unbearable for the inhuman conditions prevailing there. It is alleged that many of the ‘troublemaking’ Burmese ‘released’ prisoners are now kept in solitary confinement – for ‘fear of more trouble.’ The prison authority said that a number of state-level correspondences have been made for the release of these prisoners to no effect since all the while the Burmese authority have remained silent refusing to answer the queries. Last March there was another continuous hunger strike of three hundred Burmese prisoners in Bandarban jail who the authority moved to other prisons in Bangladesh to avoid a bloody confrontation. According to a source, the district administration is in a tight fix regarding the ways to deal with the prisoners because there is no other way besides repatriating them through international efforts. Meanwhile the environment inside the Bandarban jail is deteriorating with the uneasiness prevailing among the Burmese prisoners detained for too long inside the jail. _____INTERNATIONAL_______ Myanmar Times October 28-November 3 2002 Pinheiro urges United Nations to get ready to help Myanmar By Ross Dunkley and Thet Khaing THE United Nations special human rights rapporteur on Myanmar, Mr Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, has urged the UN to get ready to help with changes in the country after years of international isolation and sanctions. The United Nations "should begin assessing the priorities for its engagement, including … the involvement of the executive boards of some of its agencies, funds and programs," Mr Pinheiro said in a written report submitted to the UN General Assembly last Tuesday. The international community should start thinking about how it could help in such ways as reviewing prison conditions, examining national laws and training police and judicial officials, the report said. It described the situation in Myanmar as "delicate" and said it needed "to be handled with great care and generosity on the part of those who wish the people of Myanmar well." The report also called for more understanding from the international community in judging the country’s political situation. "At this moment it is essential to discourage international public opinion from accepting simplistic paradigms and viewing the complex process as a struggle between good and evil," Mr Pinheiro wrote. The UN envoy’s report said an increase in the pace of the political transition process would help in bringing about a better standard of human rights in Myanmar. More fundamental reforms were needed, notably to give people access to justice, it said. The report acknowledged a need for patience over the pace of change in Myanmar. "A recent mellowing on the political front has not and could not possibly bring about significant improvements to the complex human rights and humanitarian situations," it said, referring to positive developments emerging from the national reconciliation talks between the government and the National League for Democracy’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. They include the release of nearly 400 political detainees and the lifting of restrictions on the movement of political party members since the talks began two years ago with the encouragement of the UN special envoy on Myanmar, Mr Razali Ismail. In one of the largest releases in the past two years, the government said on October 10 it had freed 31 political detainees, including seven members of the NLD. Mr Pinheiro said in the report that the release of all political prisoners was one of four fundamental conditions for a credible transition. The others were: including all components of society in a political dialogue; lifting restrictions on political parties and groups that had signed a ceasefire with the government; and the holding of free elections. The upbeat comments by Mr Pinheiro appear as an earnest attempt to counter a negative tone emerging in diplomatic circles about prospects for the future of the dialogue process. Some diplomats are openly suggesting that the dialogue process has stopped, a development which could have negative consequences for the country. The Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Senior General Than Shwe, and the highest decision-makers in the government continue to maintain that change is occurring. The government’s rationale, as outlined in a statement issued by the Myanmar embassy in London early this month, is steady progress rather than a rapid transformation is the best course for the country. As reported in the English edition of the Myanmar Times last week, the statement said: "It can be clearly seen that over the past five months since political parties were allowed to resume their activities, things have continued to move on steadily, and importantly only in the right direction". The statement acknowledged criticism of about the pace of movement towards reconciliation, but stressed that the government placed an emphasis on stability as the most important factor in determining change. The statement also linked the moves towards a political transition to a decline in outside interference in Myanmar’s domestic issues. ______ The American Prospect November 4 2002 Globalism in the Dock; Burmese villagers sue Unocal in an L.A. courtroom By Joshua Kurlantzick RANGOON, THE CAPITAL OF Burma (now officially called Myanmar), is normally one of the most depressing cities in Asia. It usually exudes the desperate air of a decaying totalitarian metropolis: Beggars wander the central market, queuing for handouts of the worthless local currency, while paramilitary police block access to universities, political party offices and any other potential centers of opposition to the state. But in recent months, some signs of change have emerged. In May, pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition to Burma's totalitarian junta, was released from house arrest. Suu Kyi vowed to continue her fight to liberate the Burmese from the ruling generals, who have impoverished the country. Southeast of the capital, in areas abutting Thailand and refugee camps inside that neighboring nation, a group of poor Burmese villagers also are attempting to foment momentous global change. The villagers are suing American oil giant Unocal in a California state court, charging that Unocal is responsible for human-rights abuses committed by the Burmese military along the company's $ 1.2 billion Yadana gas pipeline, which stretches across eastern Burma and into Thailand. And for the first time, an American judge has refused to dismiss such a suit, guaranteeing the plaintiffs a trial. The state suit will open before a Los Angeles jury next February. If the landmark case brings exploitative behavior to light or results in a ruling against Unocal, legal scholars say, similar suits against other multinationals are more likely to proceed and corporate behavior may be forever changed. THE UNOCAL CASE DATES BACK TO the early 1990s, when the company, one of a consortium of partners, was considering building the pipeline and employing the Burmese military to provide security for the project. According to U Maung Maung, one of the plaintiffs' advocates, representatives for the villagers, who were not opposed to the pipeline at the time, met with Unocal to discuss concerns that construction without external monitoring would allow the military to conscript labor, a common practice in Burma. Maung Maung says Unocal ignored the villagers' concerns; Unocal spokesman Barry Lane says the company "has had constructive talks with a variety of groups." In any case, the pipeline was completed in 1998. By the mid-1990s, though, Thailand-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) had reported that refugees were fleeing Burma with stories of abuses committed in the Yadana region. In one report, the NGO Earth Rights International claimed villagers had been forced to porter in the pipeline region, watched fellow porters shot dead by the military for moving too slowly and even served as human minesweepers. "NGOs who had been talking to these villagers couldn't just stand by and watch," says Maung Maung. "We had to help them meet someone who could help them." Maung Maung and others put a group of villagers in touch with Terry Collingsworth, director of the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) and a well-known human-rights lawyer. Collingsworth decided to sue Unocal under the Alien Tort Claims Act, an 18th-century law that had gone unused until, in 1980, a U.S. judge ruled that foreigners could sue one another in American courts over violations of international norms. Plaintiffs soon used the law to sue foreign individuals -- El Salvadoran generals, for example -- in U.S. courts for human-rights abuses committed abroad. Collingsworth and others now want to broaden the statute to include companies operating abroad. The ILRF and 12 Burmese plaintiffs charge that Unocal should be held vicariously liable for the military's atrocities committed along the pipeline, which they say included pushing people into fires, assaulting villagers and forcing peasants to work. The plaintiffs believe their suit has merit because the legal principle of vicarious liability says partners in a joint venture are responsible for one another's actions. They think Unocal knew the military was committing abuses and the villagers could not get a fair hearing in military-run Burma's court system. The ILRF has asked for compensation for unpaid labor and punitive damages. Like several other Alien Tort suits, the Unocal case originally was tossed out of a federal court without trial when a judge in California found insufficient evidence that Unocal was responsible. In September of this year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the federal suit, which may get it going again. But Collingsworth refiled in a state court, and this summer California Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney ruled that Unocal could face vicarious liability. Now the case could go to trial, which would be a first. The Unocal case could herald a deluge of litigation. "Since the early 1980s, a range of factors has made it easier for Alien Tort suits to get started," says Sarah Cleveland, an international human-rights law expert at the University of Texas. "American companies have invested more abroad, the Internet has made it easier for abused people to contact lawyers, big organizations like Amnesty have begun targeting companies and now we are beginning to see some judges willing to hear the cases, which could be the final step toward having a large number of suits against companies for their practices overseas." Indeed, the ILRF also has filed suit against ExxonMobil for abuses allegedly committed by the Indonesian military while employed by the oil giant, against Coca-Cola because its bottlers in Colombia allegedly are working with death squads to intimidate labor activists and against several other multinationals. Collingsworth's Colombian clients discovered the ILRF through a Web search. IF THE ILRF WINS THE UNOCAL CASE, Cleveland says, the precedent would make it easier for other judges to find for plaintiffs and could dramatically affect companies' profitability, prompting them to reshape their business models. "Every company does a cost-benefit analysis before they engage in foreign investment," says Collingsworth. "If we win, we'll make companies rethink the cost of investing in places where there are horrific violations of human rights, or thinking that they can take advantage of looser regulatory environments abroad." Sean Murphy, a law professor at George Washington University, says, "The jury is definitely still out on whether you can win damages against a company using Alien Tort. But one big judgment could start the ball rolling." The threat of litigation already appears to be having an impact. "Any executive who says he doesn't pay attention to these suits, and the shareholder campaigns that go with them, is either lying or ignorant about his business," says Elliot Schrage, a former executive at Gap Inc. "These suits may show that, as a company, you don't have to be responsible for human-rights abuses to lose the case, you just have to stand by and do nothing while abuses are being committed." Complicating companies' woes, shareholder activists have launched a wave of resolutions timed to coincide with Alien Tort suits, potentially depressing multinationals' stock prices; over the past five years, Unocal's shares have lagged behind its oil industry peers. Simon Billenness, an expert on socially responsible investing at Oxfam America, says fund managers have begun contacting him to discuss the impact of the suit on Unocal's stock. In response, Lane contends that it is the conduct of the Burmese military, not Unocal, at issue in the suit, and that Unocal respects shareholder activism as a basic tenet of corporate accountability. Some multinationals have taken action to preempt suits and negative publicity. Oil giant BP has aggressively sought human-rights monitors and tasked them with assessing BP's potential new investments. Many American companies have pulled out of Burma. (One Burma expert, noting that Unocal is considering building another pipeline in the country, says, "Unocal clearly has decided they've invested so much in Burma already that they will put up with the bad publicity and just keep going there.") Norwegian petroleum firm Statoil has worked with Amnesty International to train Venezuelan judges in human-rights law. YET THE ALIEN TORT LITIGATION could have a more pernicious impact. Lane says that holding companies vicariously liable for the actions of their government partners would hamstring businesses operating anywhere in the world. "If you follow the Alien Tort logic, Starbucks could be held liable for brutality by the Seattle police if the police tried to protect a Starbucks shop from being smashed [in the 1999 demonstrations]," he says. What's more, some European oil and gas companies have proven more willing to operate in countries that American corporations have begun to shy away from, and they might pick up more business if U.S. petroleum firms become more reticent. The Alien Tort suits also have attracted the attention of the U.S. Department of State, drawing the executive branch into the judiciary's natural realm. ExxonMobil asked the U.S. government to comment on the geopolitical implications of the ILRF suit. In July, the State Department sent a letter to the judge from the federal district court judge responsible for the Indonesia case, arguing that a suit against ExxonMobil could undermine America's war on terrorism (because Indonesia could become a haven for terrorists if foreign investment decreases and its economy stumbles). Unocal also has asked the State Department to comment on its case, and Collingsworth remains concerned about government interference. The ILRF worries that the United States will not give visas to all the Burmese villagers who need to testify in California, and some of the villagers fear they will be unable to remain as refugees in Thailand forever. Already, says Maung Maung, the military has threatened villagers' relatives in Burma. "If the Burmese wind up winning the case but can't go back home and have their families taken from them, that's not much of victory," he says. ____STATEMENTS_____ ASEAN People’s Forum 2002 November 2, 2002 Asean activists criticize Asean leaders for avoiding dialogue Phnom Penh, Sat- Regional activists today criticised Asean leaders at the Asean summit for avoiding dialogue with people’s organisations. Organisers of the 3rd Asean People’s Forum (APF) expressed deep disappointment that the Asean delegations attending the Asean + 3 Summit refused to meet with representatives of both the APF and of the Southeast Asia People’s Festival taking place in Phnom Penh. The APF themed “Uphold the People’s Voice” began last night and is attended by 90 activists representing human rights NGOs and civil society from Asean countries. Somchai Homlaor, Secretary-General of Forum-Asia said: “The reaction of the Asean delegations to isolate themselves from civil society is unjustified and unreasonable. It is a departure from previous practice.” “Governments, and Asean as a body, need to realize that the work of human rights activists is a help, not a hindrance.” “If human rights organizations are prevented from functioning effectively, it will stifle the people’s voices. Peaceful conflict resolution will be difficult to achieve, and this could lead to desperation that is a fertile ground for violence,” said Mr Homlaor. Ms Toni Kassim, speaking on behalf of the Southeast Asian Committee for Advocacy (one of the organizers of the People’s Festival held in Phnom Penh from Oct 29 to Nov 3) said that a peaceful march to present a declaration to the Asean Summit was stopped. “Why are these leaders so scared of us?,” she asked. “We were merely trying to voice our hopes and aspirations for the future of Asean communities.” Ms Kassim, a Malaysian, said that it was unfortunate that Asean governments refused to listen to the inspiring insights gained from Asean people sharing their culture and experiences. During the opening session of the APF, other commentators also deplored the lack of political will and leadership to make Asean a body that is more relevant to its people. Ms Irene Xavier of the Committee for Asian Women said that key issues affecting women remain unaddressed by Asean, icluding violence against women, unemployment, discrimination and the effects of an increasing informal sector. “And now that there is a war against terrorism, women’s options are decreasing. They are being oppressed by repressive government measures and religious conservativism.” Dr Sriprapha Petcharamesree from the Regional Working Group for an Asean Human Rights Mechanism expressed disappointement at the reluctance of Asean leaders to implement human rights mechanisms in the region. “The non-inteference principle and its selective application are the key obstables to upholding basic human rights standards.” Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) deplored Asean leaders’ unwillingness to form consensus on human rights issues in the Asean region, even though they are keen at establishing a common position on abuses taking place elsewhere in the world, such as in South Africa. He therefore urged the Asean leadership to expand its mandate and to include human rights and civil society in the core of its activities. The Asian People Forum will continue tomorrow. Human rights activists will pass resolutions addressing issues of anti-terrorism and of human rights violations committed in conflict situations in the Asean region. The organizers of the Asean People’s Forum are: ADHOC (Cambodia), LICADHO (Cambodia), Asian Human Rights Commission (Hong Kong SAR), Initiatives for International Dialogue (Philippines), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia), Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Altsean-Burma, Southeast Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), Committee for Asian Women, Nonviolence International Southeast Asia and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA).