From editor@burmanet.org Wed Dec 4 19:30:40 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2002 14:30:40 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: December 4 2002 Message-ID: <50265.207.10.94.131.1039030240.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> December 4 2002 Issue #2133 INSIDE BURMA Asian Tribune: Detained journalist Win Tin transferred to Rangoon general hospital Asian Tribune: Investigation on License to Rape—a ploy crumbles under the very feet of the Army Generals Network Media Group: Shan New Year festival barred due to visit of Gen. Khin Nyunt’s wife DVB: Mon rebels are reuniting DVB: CRPP new members DVB: Sweet charity—thriving on other people’s woes Kaladan: Burmese Nasaka troops summarily executed two Rohingya villagers in Arakan DRUGS Xinhua: Myanmar exposes 66,000 drug-related cases in 14 years REGIONAL AFP: Thailand raps Myanmar over repatriation of illegal workers Bangkok Post: Wa free 16 Thais INTERNATIONAL AFP: Media watchdog calls for release of ailing jailed Myanmar journalist Narinjara: Swedish Ambassador calls at villagers in western Burma EDITORIAL/OTHER Myanmar Information Committee: [Response to Dec 3 Washington Times editorial] Charles Wallace Burma Trust: Funding for Burmese students in Britain INSIDE BURMA Asian Tribune December 4 2002 Detained journalist Win Tin again transferred to Rangoon general hospital Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières) and the Burma Media Association (of Burmese journalists in exile) today voiced their concern about the health of detained journalist and pro-democracy activist Win Tin, who was transferred to Rangoon general hospital on 23 November. "Following the recent release of around 100 political prisoners, the Burmese military government should pursue this policy by freeing ailing political prisoners as a priority," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard and Burma Media Association chairman U Thaung said in a letter to the interior minister, Col. Tin Hlaing. Win Tin, who is 72 and has been imprisoned for the past 13 years, should be an immediate beneficiary of such a policy, the letter said. Win Tin was taken to the district hospital near Insein prison, on the outskirts of Rangoon, on 22 November for tests in connection with a heart ailment. Because of his electrocardiogram result and the existence of a localised infection, a doctor requested his transfer to Rangoon general hospital the next day. Since then, he has been kept in one of the rooms for political prisoners in the hospital's ground floor where Htwe Myint and Doctor Than Nyein, members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy are also being treated. Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association have been told that he is being held in a room of about 15 square metres, where he is examined by a doctor every day and receives medicine appropriate for his condition. Conditions at Insein prison have taken a heavy toll on Win Tin's health, and he has had to be hospitalised several times. While in prison, he has had two heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes and spondylitis (an inflammation of the vertebrae). He has also undergone an operation for a hernia ______ Asian Tribune December 3 2002 Investigation on License to Rape – A ploy crumbles under the very feet of the Army Generals by K.T. Rajasingham The Burmese (Myanmar) Governments propaganda ploy on the allegation of the investigation of rape charges in the Shan state has fizzled out. In the height of the criticism pouring in against those barbaric acts of the Burmese soldiers for mercilessly raping women in the Shan state, the military government was forced to make amends by ordering some form of investigation. But their move failed miserably. When this writer made a field survey of this most heart-wrenching issue of rape and destruction of women, the results clearly showed that the Burmese Generals’ ploy has crumbled into pieces under their very own feet. "As far as I know, the State and Peace Development Council (SPDC) is very eager to get the support from a credible international organisation proving the claims of rapes are not true. They have invited Professor Sergio Pinheiro to investigate this, but got denial of him based on many reasons. Then, they claimed that a International Committee fro Red Cross (ICRC) delegation came and already left for Shan State to make inquiry on this issue. But ICRC rejected this claim saying it do not have the mandate to do so,” wrote Sann Aung, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office (East) in the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB – a government in exile), to an e-mail inquiry of this writer. Earlier, this writer wrote to Sann Aung, “Asian Tribune understand that the Burmese Government in Rangoon has arranged and dispatched a Red Cross delegation to the North-Eastern Shan State, to investigate allegations that, Burmese soldiers raped local women to retaliate against Shan insurgents. I wish to have your comment.” In reply to the inquiry, Sann Aung wrote back: “Earlier, SPDC said they have some misunderstanding on the ICRC visit to Shan State saying what they said before is not true.” The e-mail communication continues: “In the month of August and September, the SPDC formed and sent three investigation teams to Shan state for these rape cases and all reported back that all the claims were only lies with the intention of defaming the Military” Sann Aung added: “But they found out they cannot get the international recognition of these reports. So, not they are trying restlessly to get recognition from credible international organisations such as UN or ICRC to support their claims. > He emphasized in his letter: “We believed that in the current situation of no rule of law, there can be no proper investigation done by any organisation on these claims of rapes (I mean inside Burma). No one will dare enough to testify against the military.”,br> San Aung recalled another tragic incident: “Here, I remembered in 2000, about ten Shan people were executed by military for their refusal to provide forced labor saying there was already an order by SPDC not to use forced labor. The ILO raised the issue with SPDC, which rejected that the accusation is groundless. This writer interviewed several ordinary Burmese in Thailand about the possibility of conducting any investigation regarding the charges of rape against the Burmese soldiers in the Shan state. Al most all in unanimity told that, this is something practically impossible. A Burmese as well as a Shan, who is recognised as a refugee with the UNHCR office in Bangkok said, “ How can the innocent rape victims, the Shan women and girls come forward to give witness where there is no protection for them? Already most of the Shan women are in the hiding. It may be possible only in a third country and not inside Burma, where the Army rule the roost.” A former political prisoner and a writer Zin Linn, in his communication wrote: “According to my point of view, none of the enquiry into '' Licence to Rape '' cannot find the truth under the military regime. All victims convinced that if they try to expose the truth, the army will not allow them to breathe freely any longer, nor their relatives. So the fundamental question is lack of democracy, freedom and justice. He added: “If there is freedom of press to some extent, then the truth might appear through a narrow corner. But the press had been completely cracked down for the past 40 years. Then, it is common thing in Burma that no one dares to whisper the abuse of power by the soldiers. That’s why Burmese people seriously hope for political reforms and the restoration of the democratic form of government. To unfold the rape cases of Shan women, there must be a genuine Constitution where basic human freedom enshrined, which should guarantee safe and security for every citizen. And the Constitution, the supreme law of the land must guarantee that no one is above the law. Earlier, Burmese Government in one of its propaganda ploy announced in the first week of November that, a delegation of the International Red Cross Committee has gone to Shan state to investigate allegations that Burmese soldiers raped local women to retaliate against Shan insurgents. The news item was reported under the headlines “Red Cross in Burma to probe rape claims” and was dated 6 November According to this Reuter agency news item: The red Cross delegation left Rangoon on Saturday at the invitation of the Government to report fully on the humanitarian situation and allegation of systematic rape, said government statement issued late on Monday. “ Violence against women is not now, nor has its ever been a policy or practice of our government,” the statement quoted government spokesman Hla Min as saying. The news item added: “This is written into laws of our country, and it applies equally to all members of the defence forces” Hla Min said. The statement said that the invitation to the International Committee Red Cross was extended in response to a suggestion by a UN human rights envoy who ended a 12-day visit to the country last month to assess the situation. The envoy Sergio Pinheiro had turned down a government invitation to visit Shan state to investigate the allegations saying he did not have enough time for a through probe. However he urged the junta to allow Red Cross teams access to all conflict areas to dispel suspicions about the Government conduct. "We will ensure the ICRC team has the resources and the cooperation they need for a through investigation to allegation we know to be false,” the Junta statement said. The rape allegations were made in a June 2002, report by two Thai based Shan human rights groups, which claimed to document 173 cases of rape and sexual violence against Shan girls and women by Burmese troops - Licence to Rape: An Earth Shattering Revelation - Exclusive Interview The report received widespread publicity in July when the US Department of State said it took the allegation seriously. The Shan are one of the several ethnic minorities seeking autonomy from Burma’s central government. Armed Shan guerilla frequently battle government troops. In the meanwhile International Committee of the Red Cross Myanmar : Expansion of ICRC activities The ICRIC news report dated 8-Nov-2002, is as follows: With the government's consent, the head of the ICRC delegation in Myanmar is currently touring the border areas of Shan state in order to meet with the local authorities and the civilian population and to discuss with them the possibility of expanding ICRC protection and assistance activities in those areas. "The ICRC delegation in Myanmar has been carrying out regular visits to detainees since 1999. Over the years, it has engaged in constructive dialogue designed to build up a relationship of trust with the authorities, and it is now seeking to expand its activities to include other target groups. With this in mind, it has asked for permission to increase its presence in the country so that it can assess the overall humanitarian situation. If its request is granted, it will regularly report its findings to the authorities on a confidential basis with a view to working out appropriate measures to ensure the protection and security of the civilian population. It should be noted that, by virtue of its mandate, the ICRC cannot investigate the allegations recently made in the report License to Rape. Two Thai based Shan human rights groups documented 173 cases of rape and sexual violence against Shan girls and women in the "Licence to Rape," - a report ________ Network Media Group December 4 2002 Shan New Year festival barred due to visit of Gen. Khin Nyunt's wife Celebration for Shan New Year festival at Muse, a town bordering China and Burma, is facing problems because Dr. Khin Win Shwe, wife of Burmese military Secretary-1 General Khin Nyunt, is visiting northern Shan State from December 4 to 8, said a Shan national from Sino-Burma border. Regional authorities barred the celebration of Shan New Year festival which will be due on December 5 for the security of Daw Khin Win Shwe, Chairperson of a military backed Burmese women organization, as every year Shan people celebrate their New Year on the first day of Nat Daw (Ninth month of Burmese Calendar), said the source. Shan Herald Agency for News confirmed about the news when NMG contacted to SHAN. U Sai Aye, the owner of Muse-based So So Pyae Pyae Hotel and Company, went for Lashio to meet with the commander of North-Eastern Command on November 27 as township and district level authorities passed each other for responsibility. But, he could only meet with Deputy Commander at Lashio and was replied not to hold the New Year Festival because VIP is coming to Muse. Nineteen members of the organizing committee of Shan New Year Festival met on November 29 and decided to move the celebration site from down town to Loi Tin Kham, a hill on which a pagoda situated east of Muse. They asked permission again to the local authorities, but no answer was given yet, said a committee member who does not want to mention his name. But, he said with or without permission, the celebration will be held at Loi Tin Kham. Shan New Year festival has been held every year for long time and Muse is the most famous and populous in Shan State and more than 50,000 people including Shan (Tai) from China participate every year at Muse. Local people claimed that Shan has to ask permission to celebrate New Year whereas Chinese New Year celebration never needs to get permission though Shan is one of the biggest nationalities of Burma. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma December 3 2002 Mon Rebels are reuniting It is reported that 22 members of the Hanthawadi Restoration Party [HRP] also known as Mon splinter group have rejoined their former comrades the New Mon State Party (NMSP) who signed a ceasefire deal with the SPDC. The group, led by Colonel Naing Va Laing Sung was accepted by General Naing Aung Naing of the NMSP yesterday morning at a village near Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai-Burma border. With them they brought weapons and 12 families. The unification came about after the intense offensives on the group by the Burmese army. But the leader of HRP, Naing Pann Nyunt’s feeling about the event is still not known. Meanwhile, it is reported that the SPDC and the splinter group are having intense clashes at Ye township. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma December 3 2002 CRPP new members New members will be soon accepted by the oppositions-led CRPP (Committee for Representing People’s Parliament) in Burma. Political parties which have already applied for the membership and independent MPs are to be accepted by the CRPP after meeting and discussing with the Chairman and Secretary of the CRPP. The General Secretary of CRPP, U Aye Tha Aung told the DVB about the expansion as follows: U Aye Tha Aung : The parties who have been applying for membership are to meet and discuss with us and we will accept them as members. Initially, the chairmen of the parties will be discussing with us the policies and the results of the discussion will be submitted to the next CRPP meeting. There are two meetings a week. As for emergency meetings, we hold them whenever they are necessary. When we have more members, we will be expanding and re-organising the existing sub committees. At the moment, we have no new plans for education and health. But we will be deciding what to do in the next annual meeting on the 16th of September. What I mainly want to say to the SPDC is " please do not drag your feet. We want to persuade them to immediately start a meaningful political dialogue with either the NLD or the CRPP. I am persuading them this because of the dire situations of the country and for the good of the people". _______ Democratic Voice Burma December 3 2002 Sweet Charity - Thriving on other people’s woes It is reported that the local SPDC authorities in Yenangyaung are reselling rice and stealing money donated for the victims of fire. Early this year, a big fire broke out in Yenangyaung, Magwe Division in central Burma and 934 households were left homeless. The members of Yenangyaung Association of Rangoon donated one million kyats and one thousand bags of rice for the victims through Yenangyaung authorities. The authorities gave a bag of rice to each family and the remaining 66 bags were sold to a local rice vendor at the black market price. Most of the money from the sale of rice was taken by the local authority Chairman U Chit Thein and the rest, divided among his followers who sold the rice for him. Moreover, the 8 million kyats which were donated by people from all over the country were not used for victims and all the receipts and lists have all disappeared. ________ Kaladan Press December 4 2002 Burmese Nasaka troops summarily executed two Rohingya villagers in Arakan Burmese Border Security Force ( Nasaka ) summarily executed two Rohingya villagers on 23rd November 2002 in the Headquarters of Nasaka Sector No.2, at Maungdaw Township in Arakan State, Western part of Burma, said a source in Nasaka Headquarters. The two youths are: Ansar Ullah son of Maulvi Syed Alam, 18 years, Ngaran Chaung Village; Shafiur Rahman son of Mohamed Ismail, 38 years, Linchi village, both of them belong to Maungdaw township, Arakan State, the source further added. These villages are only about 2 miles from Burma-Bangladesh border. It may be mentioned here that on 21st October 2002, there was a landmine blast near the Headquaters of Nasaka Sector 2 at Burapara under Linchi ( Linthi ) Village Track about 38 miles north of Maungdaw town, Arakan State. In this blast two army personnel including a sergeant were killed and two other wounded which were earlier laid by the Nasaka troops themselves. The above two youths were implicated in the blast case but were not tried in the court. After detaining and torturing inhumanly for one moth the two were summarily executed in the Nasaksa Headquarters. ___________ DRUGS Xinhua News Agency December 4 2002 Myanmar exposes 66,000 drug-related cases in 14 years A total of 66,000 narcotic-drug-related cases have been exposed by the Myanmar authorities in the past 14 years since 1988, said the latest figures released by the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control. These cases involved 89,113 offenders, of whom 42 were sentenced to death and 48 life imprisonment, it said. Meanwhile, according to official statistics, Myanmar has burnt up narcotic drugs in the capital of Yangon 16 times more than that in 1990 and 27 times more than that in its border areas in 1991. Since April this year, the Myanmar authorities have received 165.65 tons of poppy seeds turned in by growers in five divisions and states under a seed exchange project, of which 143.22 tons have been set ablaze and 4,850 hectares have been substituted with alternative agricultural crops. Myanmar targets to bring down its opium production from 828 tons in 2002 to 400 tons in 2003. Myanmar started implementing a 15-year drug elimination plan in 1999, covering 54 drug cultivating and producing townships. ______ REGIONAL Agence France-Presse December 4 2002 Thailand raps Myanmar over repatriation of illegal workers Thailand's government Wednesday accused the Myanmar junta of failing to cooperate in a plan to repatriate hundreds of thousands of illegal Myanmar workers in the kingdom. "Thailand has repeatedly expressed its wish for Myanmar officials to fully implement the agreed masterplan for repatriation of illegals," Deputy Prime Minister Korn Dabbaransi told reporters. Korn said Myanmar had so far agreed to establish only one holding center for illegal workers -- in Myawaddy, opposite the western Thai border town of Mae Sot. Thailand is pushing for two more centers in Kawthung and Pyathonzu, opposite Thai's Three Pagodas pass in the western province of Kanchanaburi. "We have proposed two more holding centers but Myanmar has not yet approved them," Korn said. The problem of illegal Myanmar workers has been a perennial irritant to relations between Thailand and its poorer neighbour. Under a crackdown launched last year, Thailand is hoping to send back hundreds of thousands of workers who typically took dirty and poorly-paid jobs in factories and the agricultural sector. In April Thailand and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding which enabled Thai business owners to legally import Myanmar workers for certain regions and industries. But while a drive to register Myanmar labourers last year drew more than 500,000 names, this year the Labor and Social Welfare Ministry has reported only 200,000 registrations, sparking concern among various authorities. Korn said the government has set up a special task force to crack down on illegal workers and that both employers and those who shelter them would be subject to fines and jail terms. The minister did not give figures for those repatriated so far, but said the slow pace of return was due to Myanmar's internal problems -- a reference to the fact that many are afraid to return to life under a repressive regime. Thailand's National Security Council estimates that some one million illegal workers from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are in Thailand whom around 80 percent are Myanmar nationals. ____________ Bangkok Post December 4 2002 Wa free 16 Thais Chiang Rai _ The pro-Rangoon United Wa State Army yesterday released 16 Thais detained in Burma since 1999. Of the 16 _ 11 men and five women _ 14 were of Muser origin. When Thailand closed the checkpoint at Ban San Ton Du in 1999, about 300 Thai people were arrested and kept at Mong Yawn and Ban Hong prisons. The 16 Thais were brought to the border by Col Min Chen, personal secretary of Wei Hsueh-ying, commander of the 171st UWSA Brigade, and received by a representative of the Third Army at Ban San Makhed in Mae Fa Luang district of Chiang Rai. __________ INTERNATIONAL Agence France-Presse December 4 2002 Media watchdog calls for release of ailing jailed Myanmar journalist International press watchdog Reporters Without Borders Wednesday called on the Myanmar junta to release jailed 72-year-old journalist Win Tin who has been admitted to hospital with a heart condition. Win Tin was moved from his cell at the notorious Insein jail to a hospital in the capital Yangon in late November after tests found an infection, the Paris-based organisation said in a statement received here. Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres - RSF) called on the ruling junta to free all ailing political prisoners, in line with a series of dissident releases held over the past two years. "Following the recent release of around 100 political prisoners, the Burmese military government should pursue this policy by freeing ailing political prisoners as a priority," said RSF secretary-general Robert Menard. "Win Tin, who is 72 and has been imprisoned for the past 13 years, should be an immediate beneficiary of such a policy," he said in a letter to Interior Minister Colonel Tin Hlaing signed jointly by the Burma Media Association. RSF said the years of imprisonment have taken a heavy toll on Win Tins health, and he has had to be admitted to hospital several times. He has had two heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes and a painful back inflammation. While in hospital, he is being kept in a section reserved for political prisoners where members of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party were also being held, it added. Since United Nations envoy Razali Ismail kicked off a dialogue between the government and Aung San Suu Kyi in October 2000, more than 400 political prisoners have been released in a series of small batches. However, an estimated 1,200-1,300 remain behind bars in the country, many of them elderly and infirm. Tin Win, the former editor of the journal Hantharwaddy, is one of Myanmar's best-known political prisoners. He is serving a total of 21 years in prison on a variety of subversion charges, including informing the UN about ill-treatment in jails. _______- Narinjara News December 4 2002 Swedish Ambassador calls at villages in western Burma Mr Jan Nordlander, Swedish Ambassador in Bangkok called at some villages in the western part of Burma, northern part of Maungdaw Township in Arakan (Rakhine) State, according to our correspondent quoting a high-ranking official. An entourage of nine dignitaries including Mr Rao, the Chief of UNHCR branch at Maungdaw, accompanied the Ambassador on his tour on 27 November. The dignitaries accompanied the Ambassador to Kring-chaung High School, where he watched the UNHCR distributing rice to the disadvantaged students in the area. From there he went to Aung-cheilk-prung (Aung-seik-pyin) Embroidery School where local jobless female students were attending training classes. Later he headed towards another nearby village Uda-rwa where the villagers complained him about the difficulty in eking out a living and scarcity of rice there, concluded our correspondent. In the morning he called Lieutenant Colonel Aung Ngwe at the Nasaka Security headquarters at Kyigan Byin in the western Burmese town of Maungdaw, close to Bangladesh. He was accompanied by high officials from UNHCR, Rangoon, and others from Maungdaw. The Ambassador was there to have a look over the ongoing activities of the UNHCR including the repatriation process. He also expressed his surprise at the difference of the developmental activities of the region as a whole compared to Rangoon and he said he felt deeply for all the underdevelopment he saw in his short visit, the official said. He then put some questions to the Nasaka officials. He wanted to know whether there were restrictions on the movement of the local residents, how the junta officials took measures to provide the landless repatriated refugees in the area, the means the authority adopted to differentiate between distribution of land to the model villages and that of the repatriated refugees, and finally he enquired about the existence of any form of forced labour in the area. When the questions about the repatriation of refugees and distribution of land to them and the existence of forced labour were raised, Lt Col Aung Ngwe replied that there were no discrepancies in this regard, and therefore there were no dissatisfaction among the returnees or the local population. On November 28, the Ambassador and his entourage visited the repatriation camps in the area and left for Mrauk-u, the ancient city of Rakhine State in western Burma. _______ EDITORIAL/OTHER Myanmar Information Committee December 3 2002 [Response to Dec 2 Washington Times editorial] This office is representing a response, dated 3 December, 2002, to the Editor of the The Washington Times, Washington D.C. by the Myanmar Embassy, Washington, United States of America for your information. December 3, 2002 To: The Editor Washington Times 3600 New York Avenue NE Washington D.C. 20002 Sir, Narcotic-drugs is a scourge for all mankind and to eliminate illicit drug production and trafficking is a shared responsibility for all of us. It is, therefore, beyond comprehension why the editorial which appeared in the December 2, 2002 issue of Washington Times, " A Blunder on Burma", attempts to belittle Myanmar’s efforts and the successes it has gained in the fight against narcotic drugs in the country. No one can deny that, relying only on their own resources, much has been achieved by the Government and the people of Myanmar in this area. Neither intimidation nor accusations will deter us from further taking on this national cause. Since the drug issue is totally humanitarian in nature, it surely should not be politicized in any way. It is our hope that the attached Press Release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar issued on November 28, 2002 on this issue will help bring a proper perspective to the author of the editorial. We find that the author has not bothered to do much research and that his writing seems more like an exercise in politicized acidic wit rather than serious journalism. Yours sincerely, Information Officer Embassy of the Union of Myanmar Washington, DC _______ Charles Wallace Burma Trust December 4 2002 Funding for Burmese students in Britain ----------------------- The Charles Wallace Burma Trust invites applications for help with funding, from students from Burma/Myanmar who are studying at either undergraduate or postgraduate level at a recognised British educational institution. Applicants must be citizens of Burma/Myanmar and normally resident there. The Trust has modest funds at its disposal and cannot act as a source of primary funding; however it is able to provide successful applicants with help towards either fees or maintenance costs in the UK. For details of how to apply, please go to http://63.74.14.100/WallaceBurma/ Contact: William Crawley (secretary)