From editor@burmanet.org Thu Dec 19 21:52:46 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 16:52:46 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: December 19 2002 Message-ID: <57410.207.10.94.131.1040334766.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> December 19 2002 Issue #2143 INSIDE BURMA AFP: Myanmar’s Suu Kyi clashes with authorities on political trip AP: Suu Kyi’s party accuses Myanmar junta of obstructing her tour Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi stands up to harassment Narinjara: Forced eviction from private property DVB: Rangoon cracks down on ‘human trafficking’ in Shan State DVB: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi tours northwest state REGIONAL BBC: Accords end Burma Bangladesh talks Kaladan: Dhaka-Rangoon deal to set up joint trade commission finalized Myanmar Times: Thai diplomat tips rise in foreign investment STATEMENTS U.S. State Dept.: Rape by the Burmese military in ethnic regions INSIDE BURMA Agence France-Presse December 19 2002 Myanmar's Suu Kyi clashes with authorities on political trip Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has clashed with authorities who attempted to prevent supporters from meeting her during a political trip, in the first such incident since she was freed from house arrest in May, her party said Thursday. National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman U Lwin said the Nobel peace laureate climbed on top of a fire engine to prevent it from dispersing a crowd of 20,000 people with high-pressure hoses in Myanmar's west. "I cannot stand by and watch people being bullied in this manner," he cited her as telling local authorities in Myauk-Oo, an ancient town in Rakhine state which she is touring in a test of her newly won freedom to travel the country. "I'm here in the name of democracy which puts the people ahead of everything else. Our first priority is to serve and support the people -- the police as well as other officials have the same responsibility," she said. It was the most serious case of interference since Aung San Suu Kyi began travelling around Myanmar after being released from house arrest with a promise of complete freedom of movement by the ruling junta. U Lwin said that as Aung San Suu Kyi left Myauk-Oo for the state capital of Sitwe early Thursday she found a huge crowd of townspeople who had gathered to meet her but were being held back on the roadside by police carrying batons. Overwhelmed by the crowd, the local authorities summoned a fire-engine so they could disperse them with water hoses, he said. "Seeing this incident unfolding right in front of her eyes, Aung San Suu Kyi left her car, made her way right up atop the fire-engine and requested the local authorities to desist," he said. In the face of her outburst the local authorities backed off and she thanked them for their cooperation before asking the crowd to return home quietly which they did, U Lwin said. Along the route to Sitwe security was very tight with groups of more than 30 police manning strategic cross-roads in a bid to deter the public from gathering to meet the pro-democracy leader, he said. "We have informed the central authorities of what transpired and they promised to look into the matter," he said. "This is the first time that people have been prevented from seeing Aung San Suu Kyi." Myanmar's junta is always extremely careful to prevent large gatherings of people, for fear its could erupt into a spontaneous show of support for the democracy movement. Aung San Suu Kyi's gesture is likely to cause great concern, as it harks back to her legendary personal appeals to the army during the bloody repression of 1988 protests, and her campaign rallies before the 1990 elections. Security laid on by the military government has already been extremely tight during the trip to Rakhine which began Monday, due to the presence of Muslim extremists in the region which borders Bangladesh. U Lwin said Aung San Suu Kyi had reported that the pro-democracy party was also being maligned as "destructionist" by elements in Rakhine determined to deter people from showing up to see her. "This is the time when we, the SPDC and the military, are cooperating with each other for the benefit and interest of the people," she said, referring to her ongoing contacts with the ruling State Peace and Development Council. "I think that those who refer to us as destructionists and forbid the people from meeting us are themselves destructionists." Only a fortnight ago the NLD leader completed an extensive tour of Shan state in northeast Myanmar. After that trip, the NLD complained there had been excessive surveillance of their leader. __________ Associated Press December 19 2002 Suu Kyi's party accuses Myanmar junta of obstructing her tour By Aye Aye Win Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's ongoing tour of a northwestern state has been marred by harassment of her supporters by military authorities, her party spokesman said Thursday. Suu Kyi's trip to Rakhine state, which began Monday, is the latest test of the junta's willingness to allow her political freedom since releasing her from house arrest on May 6. The accusations of harassment and obstruction suggest that the junta may be unwilling to let Suu Kyi's popularity increase in the countryside. It is Suu Kyi's fifth out-of-town trip on party work since her release, but the first time that such clear harassment by authorities has been alleged. Government officials did not immediately comment. When Suu Kyi arrived on Tuesday in Maruk Oo town, about 535 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of Yangon, she found the streets deserted, said U Lwin, spokesman of her National League for Democracy party. "People wanted to see her but were apparently told by the authorities not to come out. Only a small group of people were present when Suu Kyi put up the party signboard in Maruk Oo," U Lwin told reporters. On Wednesday, when a crowd of some 20,000 people did come out in the street to greet Suu Kyi, authorities ordered them to disperse, he said. Police with batons and a fire engine also arrived at the scene, U Lwin said. However, Suu Kyi climbed up on the fire engine and told local officials that she was on a party organizational tour and the people were the first priority for her and her party. "She told the authorities and the police to serve the people and said she cannot stand by and watch the authorities bully the people," U Lwin said. He said Suu Kyi and her party were not allowed to pay homage at a famous temple in Ponna Gyun, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Rakhine state capital, Sittway. Suu Kyi put up two NLD signboards in Sittway on Thursday before proceeding to other parts of the state, U Lwin said. Suu Kyi's release from house arrest was the result of ongoing reconciliation talks with the junta. But the talks have achieved no real progress in ending the country's political deadlock. The current junta came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy movement. It called elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results when the NLD won a thumping victory. The junta says the country is not yet ready for democracy. ________ Irrawaddy December 19 2002 Suu Kyi Stands Up to Harassment By Min Zin In a defiant stand against government forces, Aung San Suu Kyi surprised thousands of onlookers yesterday by suddenly leaping out of her car and rushing aboard a fire truck that had been called to disperse a crowd of supporters in Arakan State. Once on the truck, Suu Kyi berated the security forces, telling them that their real job is not to bully the people of Burma but to serve them. The incident occurred yesterday in Mrauk-Oo Township, 535 kilometers west of Rangoon, as riot police were about to clear the crowd with fire hoses after they resisted government calls by coming out to welcome Suu Kyi. National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson U Lwin told The Irrawaddy today that an estimated 20,000 on-lookers gave Suu Kyi a roaring applause once she boarded the truck. "The people faced the fire trucks and the police, who were preparing to crack down," explained U Lwin. "Then Aung San Suu Kyi intervened to settle the tension." Details of yesterday’s dramatic episode were given today at a press conference at NLD headquarters in Rangoon. U Lwin noted that this is the most serious harassment Suu Kyi has received from the government since September 2000, when her entourage was barred from travelling to Mandalay. Suu Kyi was placed under 19 months of house arrest following that incident. The NLD also stressed the significance of government intimidation efforts aimed at keeping supporters from welcoming Suu Kyi to Arakan State. Mrauk-Oo looked like a ghost town when Suu Kyi first arrived on Wednesday, according to NLD sources. Local government authorities also reportedly warned Buddhist monasteries and temples not to permit visits by Suu Kyi. After leaving Mrauk-Oo, Suu Kyi’s entourage stopped by at Kyauktaw Township and headed to Ponnagyun where she planned to visit the famous Ponnagyun Temple. Authorities, however, did not permit her party from entering Ponnagyun. Yesterday evening, Suu Kyi faced even more harassment when she traveled to Sittwe. Security forces had already been deployed and were lining the city’s intersections. "There were around 25 soldiers guarding every junction of Sittwe," said U Lwin. According to the NLD, they feel the harassment is being organized at the local level and is not being dictated by Rangoon. They said local police, fire brigades and active members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association [USDA], the junta’s de facto political party, had been working together to interfere with Suu Kyi's trip and intimidate locals. "I am in regular contact with the authorities in Rangoon to resolve these problems," U Lwin said. "I don't think this is a sign of resuming confrontation between the government and the NLD. Since the government claimed that they already turned a new page in history, they should not return to the previous one. They must have courage to go on positively." Suu Kyi left Rangoon Monday for a two-week tour of Arakan State and Chin State along Burma’s western border with Bangladesh and India. Despite the harassment, Suu Kyi said she would be continuing her trip. The NLD also expressed dismay towards the government after completing a two-week political organizing trip to Shan State in November. The NLD complained that there had been excessive surveillance of their leader, with security officials constantly snapping photos of her, even when she was resting. ________ Narinjara News December 19 2002 Forced Eviction from private property Eighteen families who have been forcefully evicted from their own homes since October 25th in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, have been spending under temporary sheds in the nearby open field, according to our correspondent. The Sittwe Municipality expelled the said families on ground of their nearness to the Township Hospital on Singu Road. Though the eviction was done according to the order of the higher authority the families have not even been relocated. Living under the open sky the evicted persons have been compelled to lead an inhuman existence, in rain and sun. When one of the members of the group, U Mung Daing, made an enquiry he came to know that the site was not a public property but it was legally owned by a Rakhine national, U Shwe Tha. Later he on behalf of the above-mentioned families raised objection to the municipality in due course. The authority agreed to look into the matter and take necessary action. But till today no one has bothered to raise the issue and make proper inquiry about the matter. Meanwhile, the eighteen families have been leading subhuman existence in the rough weather of Sittwe. _______ Democratic Voice of Burma December 19 2002 Rangoon cracks down on "human trafficking" in Shan State Authorities from the State Peace and Development Council [SPDC] are travelling all over the country to set up human trafficking prevention committees in all states and divisions. These committees are set up even at ward and village levels in eastern and southern Shan State regions. Township General Administration Departments and the People's Police Force, which are responsible for establishing the committees, have been asking people to immediately report about brokers involved in human trafficking or about anyone suspected of being involved in the trade. Once the committees are formed they are ordered to collect data about young men and women between the ages of 16 and 25. These committees are thoroughly checking people travelling to the border areas, and if they suspect any young woman, her parents are summoned and told to escort their daughter back home. Some local people are saying that the committees to prevent human trafficking will not help if living conditions are difficult. Meanwhile, Burmese women sold as wives to the Chinese by human traffickers are reported to be leading a tough life. Over 100 Burmese women living as Chinese wives under harsh weather conditions of Anhwei Province are working hard on farms and as maid or servants. Only recently, three 20-year-old women fled back across the border into Burma from that province. The Chinese Communist government's one child per family rule to limit the population and the Chinese preference for a male offspring have reduced the female population in China. Single Chinese males in Canton, Hunan, and Anhwei are said to be buying Burmese wives through human traffickers. ______ Democratic Voice of Burma December 17 2002 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi tours northwest state This is the second day of the tour of Arakan State by Burma's democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party. She and her party left Minbu this morning and it is believed they are now in Minbu after a stopover in An. National League for Democracy Spokesperson U Lwin said the plan to visit Shwe Settaw Pagoda today had to be cancelled because of bad road conditions on the Minbu-An road and also because checkpoints on the road close at 1800 [local time]. He said he hoped that the party would reach Sittwe [Akyab] by tomorrow. On the way to Sittwe, the touring party would reopen the party branch office in Mrauk-u. There are also plans to reopen offices in Sittwe and Sandoway as well as the Arakan State NLD Office. Here is the interview with U Lwin. U Lwin : The plan this morning was to visit the Shwe Settaw Pagoda but road conditions near the place were terrible and it was impossible to use the road. The visit had to be cancelled and the party proceeded to An in Arakan State. But it is said that road conditions became bad near An and I don't know when they will reach the place. They will be travelling as far as they can go. As I said earlier, the true condition of the road becomes known only when one tries to travel on it. The road they are using is not the Taungup road. Minbu-An road is new but it appears that the road is not ready yet... If the party reaches Minbya today, it should arrive in Sittwe tomorrow. I don't know if the road conditions in between are good. If the party arrives in Myohaung - now called Mrauk-u - it will reopen a party branch office there. After that, it will travel through Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun before arriving in Sittwe, when it is expected to open a party branch office the following day. Even if they managed to reach Minbya today it is not certain that they will reach Sittwe tomorrow. DVB : You said offices will be open in townships, you mentioned two of them, is there a third township? U Lwin : The third office that will be opened is in Sandoway. Kyaukpyu District is not on the list of destinations during the Arakan State tour, only Sittwe and Sandoway Districts will be covered by the trip. This is because there is no road to Kyaukpyu, which is an island by itself. It is the same with Manaung and Ramree too. You need to get a motorboat to get there. But it will be difficult to find a motorboat that can take the whole group. DVB : Does that mean that the Arakan State trip is much more difficult than the visit to Shan State? U Lwin : Yes, it is more difficult... [Passage omitted] DVB : You said offices will be reopened in three townships. Has any other office been opened in Arakan State previously? U Lwin : No, no office has been opened before. It is difficult to organize in Arakan State. In Shan State there is at least a town or two which still have offices. But in Arakan State, all offices were closed down... DVB : How difficult is it to travel around? U Lwin : There are many difficulties. Road conditions are not as good as in Shan State. Another factor is regional security. Military and authorities in Arakan State find it more difficult to move about than in Shan State. Right or wrong, they need to act as needed. There are Muslim extremists there. Departmental officials, therefore, need to check very thoroughly. In Shan State, you can go about as you like even if you forget your national registration [identity] card. That does not work in Arakan State. Responsible officials concerned reminded us to take our national registration cards along. This is because they check everyone coming in or going out over there. They check the national registration card. The situation is different from Shan State. DVB : Does that mean that you travel on your own like before? U Lwin : Yes. We informed the authorities about the trip first. What they do is up to them. REGIONAL British Broadcasting Corporation December 19 2002 Accords end Burma Bangladesh talks The Burmese leader pledged to work with Dhaka Burma and Bangladesh have signed several important agreements at the end of General Than Shwe's two-day visit to Bangladesh on Wednesday. The two neighbouring countries agreed to establish a joint trade commission and improve their currently modest shipping links. More generally, they pledged to boost bilateral ties to overcome the economic challenges both countries face. At the end of his visit, General Than Shwe was given a red-carpet farewell including an honour guard, by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, at Dhaka airport. General Than Shwe is the first Burmese leader to visit Bangladesh in 16 years. Commercial focus Correspondents say the strains that have marred bilateral relations until now appear to have waned during the visit. General Than Shwe said globalisation posed "daunting challenges" for developing countries and they needed to co-operate to overcome these. "We look forward to working closely with Bangladesh in the bilateral context as well as in the framework of Bimstec in the years ahead," he said. Bimstec is an economic forum comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka and Thailand. The Bangladeshi Commerce Minister AKM Chowdhury said bilateral trade would increase substantially over the next few months, helping both countries to earn much-needed foreign revenue. He said Bangladesh was eager to export more jute goods to Burma and that Rangoon in turn wanted to supply wood and vegetable produce to Dhaka. Reluctant refugees Mr Chowdhury said he would now meet regularly with his Burmese counterpart to review cross-border trade. But the issue that has divided them for the past decade - the Rohingya refugee question - still remains unanswered. Aid agencies say that although Burma has unofficially offered to allow 5,000 to return to the province of Arakan, the refugees themselves are unwilling to go. They argue that they will be made to carry out forced labour if they go back to their homeland. _________ Kaladan News December 19 2002 DHAKA-RANGOON DEAL TO SET UP JOINT TRADE COMMISSION FINALISED Resolving all pending issues of bilateral trade, Bangladesh and Myanmar on yesterday finalised agreements to establish a Joint Trade Commission and introduce Accounts Trade and Coastal Shipping Link, report in Financial Express. The agreements are expected to be signed next March, opening new vistas in trade between the two neighbouring countries, officials said. Bangladesh Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and visiting Myanmar Commerce Minister Brig. General Pyi Sone in a 45 – minutes exclusive meeting at a local hotel finalised the deals, yielded by Tuesday’s officials talks between the two countries, according to the Business News. “On implementation of the agreements, bilateral trade will increase substantially while the current informal trade will be turn into formal trade gradually,” Khosru told reporters at his secretariat office after the meeting. He said an expected increase in trade between the two countries would help Bangladesh earn more revenue besides creating positive impact on country’s foreign exchange reserve. Terming “most successful” the Myanmar Commerce Minister’s current visit as a member of his Prime Ministre’s entourage, Khosru said all issues, pending since March this year when a single- country fair of Bangladesh was held in Myanmar, were resolved through this trip. Another single-country fair of Bangladesh will be organised in Myanmar next March when the agreements will be formally signed, according to the Business News. During the visit of the Bangladesh Commerce Minister to Myanmar lat March, the two countries came to an understanding that there would be a coastal shipping agreement and an account-trade agreement signed for boosting bilateral trade, it further added. A draft Coastal Shipping Agreement has already been sent to Myanmar authorities while Bangladesh received from Myanar draft documents on Account Trade arrangement that provides for two-way trade transactions without needing hard cash in terms of foreign currency for payments, added in Business News. Besides, the two countries entered into a border-trade agreement in 1994 and formal border trade began under the deal in 1995, said in the New Nation. The volume of trade under normal trading system was around $26 million in 2000-2001. Bangladesh’s imports from Myanmar were worth $24.69 million while exports to Myanmar fetched only $ 1.09 million. The trade gap was $23.77 million. Normal trade volume between the two countries declined to US 19 million dollars in 2001-02, according to the Business News. _________ Myanmar Times December 11-17 2002 Thai diplomat tips rise in foreign investment The outlook for foreign direct investment in Myanmar is bright, a Thai diplomat predicted last week. "I strongly believe that FDI into Myanmar will become active again in the near future," said Mr Matyawongse Amatyakul, the commercial counsellor at the Thai embassy. Mr Matyawongse said Myanmar’s geographical location ensured it would attract foreign investment. He said that at the end of September, Thailand was the third biggest investor in Myanmar, after Singapore and Britain. Most Thai investments were in agriculture, fisheries, mining, hotels and tourism and industry. Mr Matyawongse said Thai investment in Myanmar totalled US$1.290 billion, accounting for 13.3 per cent of total foreign direct investment. In the fiscal year ending last March 31, border and normal trade was valued at $1.198 billion and was heavily in Myanmar’s favour, he said. Thailand’s exports to Myanmar earned $366 million while imports were valued at $832 million. He was speaking at a media conference at the Nikko Hotel last Monday to promote an exhibition of products and services from Thailand which opens at the Yangon Trade Centre in Pazundaung township on December 12. The four-day event will feature exhibits from more than 110 Thai companies. It will be the sixth Thai products exhibition since 1998 and the second this year. A statement issued at the media conference invited Myanmar companies to hold trade exhibitions in Thailand to promote their products. The statement said trade shows provided opportunities for foreign exhibitors to strengthen trade ties with merchants and business people in the host country. STATEMENTS U.S. State Department December 17 2002 Rape by the Burmese Military in Ethnic Regions Fact Sheet Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Washington, DC December 17, 2002 The United States Government is appalled by reports that the Burmese military is using rape as a weapon against civilian populations in the ethnic regions of the country. We vehemently condemn rape and all other forms of sexual violence against civilians. Several reports by non-governmental organizations have been published this year alleging human rights abuses by the Burmese military against ethnic civilian populations. One of those reports presents dates, places, battalion numbers, and names of individual perpetrators involved in the alleged incidents. The report details 173 attacks on 625 girls and women; 83% of these incidents are said to have been committed by officers in the Burmese army often in front of their troops. In August 2002, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in coordination with the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai, conducted a Preliminary investigation into the reports of rape by the Burmese military against ethnic Shan women. During this short, preliminary investigation Department officers were able to locate many victims whose stories were similar to those documented in NGO reports that state that the rape of ethnic women by the Burmese military has been and continues to be a widespread and serious problem. Of the 12 rape victims interviewed, all stated that they had been gang-raped by Burmese soldiers sometime over the past 5 years. Most also reported knowing several other women or girls who had been raped and/or killed. The most recent incident was reported by a 13-year-old girl who said that she was raped in June 2002. All these victims said that they had been forcibly relocated by the Burmese military between 1995 and 1997. All of the victims under 15 appeared severely traumatized by their experiences, were disturbed mentally, and spoke in whispers, if at all. The older women sobbed violently as they recalled horrific incidents of their own rapes as well as brutal rapes, torture, and execution of family members. While these interviews are necessarily anecdotal, we note the consistency of the stories across three different locations, among differing groups of women. The United States has expressed its deep concern about these abuses to the Burmese regime on several occasions and has urged it to investigate fully any and all allegations of the systematic rape of girls and women in Burma regardless of ethnicity, and appropriately punish those guilty of such heinous crimes. We have also worked closely with other concerned nations to draft a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly that condemns the systematic violation of human rights in Burma and specifically calls for cooperation in an independent investigation of these charges and other abuses wherever they occur. The United States has, moreover, urged the United Nations to undertake a serious investigation of these reports. The Burmese regime responded by requesting that the International Committee for the Red Cross participate in an investigation. They were unable to do so due to the confidential nature of their operating procedures. More recently the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Burma, Paulo Pinheiro, raised this issue and the possibility of an investigation when he visited Burma in October 2002. We are awaiting the official report of the Special Rapporteur s visit while we continue to urge the Burmese regime to cooperate with an independent investigation and take concrete steps to investigate and punish those who may have acted in violation of domestic law, international humanitarian law, or the laws of land warfare. Furthermore, we call on the Burmese regime to hold its military accountable for any lapses and to exercise command and control over their troops.