Daily News-November-17-Friday-2000

  • ILO adopts sanctions against Burma over forced labour
  • Burma Criticizes ILO For Sanctions Over Forced Labor
  • Labor Group Agrees On Sanctions Against Burma
  • Burma lashes out at ILO call for sanctions
  • Burma sanctions imminent
  • Anger at bid to delay Asean-EU meet
  • Delhi Police detained Burmese activists
  • George’s Little Rangoon in uproar over general’s visit
  • Burma too close to ignore Pramit Pal Chaudhuri
  • Sharing of intelligence to fight insurgency on cards Shishir Gupta
  • First Lady to meet general, George will stay away
  • India, Burma to forge strategic ties
  • Burma says it will stop cooperating with ILO on forced labor
  • New Delhi defends visit by Burma general
  • Europeans expected to show displeasure
  • Burma's Han gets dream draw against Tiger Woods

    • ILO adopts sanctions against Burma over forced labour
    GENEVA, Nov 16 (AFP) - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) called on its members here Thursday to review their ties with Myanmar over the country's use of forced labour, a spokesman for the ILO said.

    The ILO's governing body rejected a last-minute attempt by Malaysia to put off the sanctions and the measures against Myanmar will take effect from November 30, spokesman John Doohan said.

    The move, adopted without a vote, recommends ILO members -- workers and employers' groups, and countries -- review their relations with Myanmar and take steps to ensure their ties do not help continue or extend forced labour.
    Burma Criticizes ILO For Sanctions Over Forced Labor
    YANGON (AP)--Myanmar Friday has accused the International Labor Organization of turning "a blind eye" to its efforts to end forced labor after the U.N. body decided to impose unprecedented sanctions on the country.

    The ILO decision has "set an unhealthy and chronic precedence" for powerful nations to use "labor rights as a pretext to coerce, pressure and interfere in the domestic affairs" of developing nations, a senior government official said.

    The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an expected formal statement from the government later Friday, echoing his comments.

    In an informal vote Thursday, 52 of the ILO governing body's 56 members agreed to go ahead with sanctions against Myanmar over its use of forced labor. The sanctions, applied under an article of ILO constitution that has never been used before, will take effect Nov. 30.

    Unlike the U.N. Security Council sanctions, which spell out limits on trade and other punishments, the ILO would leave it to individual governments, employers organizations and labor unions to determine what they will do. The ILO has 174 member nations.

    The developments show that the "ILO and the governing body in particular (had) already made up their minds," the Myanmar official said.

    "They have turned a blind eye (to) the efforts, positive developments, sincere cooperation and the political will" shown by Myanmar to comply with the ILO conventions on forced labor, he said.

    Myanmar's military government had long denied the existence of forced labor, claiming that civilians worked voluntarily to promote the development of the nation. In recent months it has accepted that there have been cases of forced labor.

    An ILO delegation, which visited Myanmar last month, said the country had made progress in improving its laws, but it was unclear what is actually being done on the ground to stop the use of forced labor. The day after the delegation left the country, Myanmar amended its laws to make forced labor a criminal offense punishable by one year jail and fine.

    The ILO vote Thursday approved a decision last June by the International Labor Conference, ILO's annual assembly of member nations, which recommended that ILO members "review their links with Myanmar and take appropriate measures" to ensure that Myanmar doesn't perpetuate forced labor.

    After the vote, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions called for tour operators to cancel trips to Myanmar on the grounds that forced labor is used to develop the tourist infrastructure.

    It also said multinational energy companies should reconsider their involvement in the Burma-Thailand gas pipeline, where the ICFTU also has reported cases of forced labor.
    Labor Group Agrees On Sanctions Against Burma
    GENEVA (AP)--The governing body of the International Labor Organization on Thursday agreed to go ahead with sanctions against Myanmar over the country's use of forced labor.

    In an informal vote, only four of the body's 56 members opposed the move against Myanmar, also known as Burma, which will take effect Nov. 30. The sanctions will be applied under an article of the ILO constitution which has never been used before in the body's 80-year history.

    European nations, the U.S. and Canada, as well as all workers' and employers' representatives backed the decision.

    "This reflects the more than three decades of frustration with the Burmese regime on their failure to stop the use of forced labor - a practice that is abhorrent to this organization," U.S. Deputy Labor Secretary Andrew Samet told The Associated Press.

    Myanmar Ambassador Mya Than, speaking before the decision, said sanctions would be "the most tragic episode in the history of the ILO."

    The ILO body was acting on a decision last June by the International Labor Conference, the U.N. agency's annual assembly of member nations.

    The conference voted to recommend that ILO members - governments, workers and employers - "review their links with Myanmar and take appropriate measures to ensure (Myanmar) cannot take advantage of such relations to perpetuate or extend the system of forced or compulsory labor."

    The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions immediately called for tour operators to cancel trips to Myanmar on the grounds that forced labor is used to develop the tourist infrastructure.

    It also said multinational energy companies should reconsider their involvement in the Burma-Thailand gas pipeline, where the ICFTU also has reported cases of forced labor.

    ICFTU General-Secretary Bill Jordan said the decision was "a message of hope for Burmese democrats and for the hundreds of thousands of victims of inhuman exploitation."

    Samet said the U.S. government would now consult with workers and employers to see what could be done by the U.S. to press for an end to forced labor.
    Burma lashes out at ILO call for sanctions
    source : Reuters

    YANGON, Nov. 17 — Myanmar's military government lashed out at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Friday after it accused Yangon of employing widespread forced labour and called for fresh sanctions.

    Government spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Hla Min told Reuters that Myanmar was being ''threatened by big and powerful nations misusing labour rights as a pretext to coerce, pressure and interfere in...domestic affairs.''

    After a day-long debate, the ILO's governing body voted overwhelmingly on Thursday that Myanmar had not complied with a global treaty on eradicating forced labour.

    It urged the U.N. labour agency's 174 member states, private companies and other international bodies to ''review their relations'' with Myanmar from November 30 and ''take appropriate measures'' to ensure they were not abetting use of forced labour.

    Diplomats said the appeal by the ILO -- which has no powers of its own to impose sanctions -- could lead governments to press Western oil companies to withdraw from Myanmar.

    Britain's Premier Oil Plc, France's TotalFinaElf, and U.S. company Unocal have commercial oil interests in Myanmar, according to Western diplomatic sources.

    BURMA DENIES USE OF FORCED LABOUR

    Myanmar insists the use of forced labour has been stopped, and in late October issued a new government order stating that ''requisition of forced labour is illegal and is an offence under the existing laws of the Union of Myanmar.''

    An ILO commission of inquiry in 1998 found forced labour to be ''widespread and systematic,'' and follow-up ILO missions, including one just last month, reported little progress.

    Hla Min said the ILO was ignoring the country's efforts.

    ''The ILO decision to activate measures against Myanmar proves that the ILO, and the governing body in particular, have already made up their minds and don't want to be confused with any facts,'' he said.

    ''They have turned a blind eye on the efforts, positive developments, sincere cooperation and the political will the Myanmar government has (demonstrated) regarding the issue of forced labour.''

    The United States and European Union, which voted in favour of sanctions, welcomed the unprecedented decision by the 80-year-old ILO.

    It confirmed a resolution by the ILO's full conference last June which declared sanctions would automatically go into effect on November 30 unless Myanmar stepped into line.

    The ILO's governing body has 56 members with votes -- 28 governments, 14 employers groups and 14 workers groups.

    Most governments taking the floor at the meeting said they were not satisfied with Myanmar's progress. All of the employers' and workers' groups voted in favour of sanctions.

    In a show of hands, only four delegations -- China, India, Malaysia and Russia -- voted against.

    Myanmar remains shunned by most of the international community for its treatment of the pro-democracy opposition, which won elections in 1990 by a landslide but has never been allowed to govern.

    Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been held in de facto house arrest, with diplomatic access barred and her telephone cut, for nearly two months.

    A planned meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and European Union foreign ministers in Laos in December is under threat because of international anger at Myanmar's treatment of Suu Kyi.

    The EU has boycotted ministerial meetings with ASEAN since Myanmar was controversially admitted in 1997.

    Several European countries have indicated they will not be sending their foreign ministers to the Laos meeting, and will be represented instead by junior ministers or diplomats.

    (With additional reporting by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok)
    Burma sanctions imminent
    source : BBC

    By the BBC's Larry Jagan

    The International Labour Organisation has decided to go ahead with sanctions against Burma over the issue of forced labour. In an informal vote by the ILO's governing body, only four of its 56 member states opposed the move against Burma and the sanctions will come into force at the end of November.

    The ILO is urging all member countries to increase pressure on the generals who rule the country to stamp out the use of forced labour

    The measures were drawn up at the ILO's annual conference in June, when it warned Burma it would implement stern measures if it did not stamp out the use of forced labour - both in law and in practice. The decision to approve the sanctions comes after an ILO delegation visited Burma last month and concluded that while the country had improved its laws on forced labour, it was still not doing enough. The ILO has, for several years, called on Rangoon to put an end to forced labour.

    Pressure

    The organisation is now urging all workers, businesses and governments of member countries to review their relations with Burma and to increase pressure on the generals who rule the country to stamp out the use of forced labour.

    It is also calling on all United Nations bodies to review their contacts with Burma.

    Only Malaysia and some other South East Asian nations urged the ILO to postpone sanctions. The Burmese Government formally outlawed force labour last week, but has not publicised this fact in the country's state-owned media.

    A military spokesman told the BBC that the government had distributed the order through local government offices and police stations. Some critics believe this suggests that the government is still unwilling to tackle the issue of forced labour.

    Massive army

    Human rights activists say the Burmese economy cannot support the country's massive army of more than 400,000 soldiers without using forced labour to feed it. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions submitted a 1,000-page report to the ILO earlier this week which documents more than 2,000 incidents of forced labour since the ILO adopted its resolution against forced labour in June.

    According to that report, more than 1 million people were involved in forced labour on road, bridge and railroad construction, as well as in working on army bases and camps. Some will see the ILO's move as a call for an international trade boycott, but whether this happens or not will depend on the political will of individual countries.

    So far only the United States and Europe have adopted limited sanctions, and most countries seem reluctant to isolate Burma further. But for Rangoon it is certainly a political set-back.
    Anger at bid to delay Asean-EU meet
    Source : The Nation

    THAILAND and several Asean countries are at loggerheads over scheduling of the long-awaited Asean-European Union ministerial meeting, a senior Thai official said yesterday.

    Thailand is upset over an attempt by the hosts Laos, plus Malaysia, and this year's Asean Standing Committee chair, Vietnam, to postpone the upcoming meeting in Vientiane, because many EU foreign ministers look unlikely to come.

    Bangkok said it had worked for three years to set up the conference up. "We have worked really hard to have this bloc-to-bloc meeting," the official said. "This is very insulting."

    Thailand, during its term as chair of the Asean Standing Committee last year and coordinator for Asean-EU the year before, was given the task of helping the two regional groups reconciliate.

    Overall cooperation between Asean and EU has been shelved for three years over the latter's objection to Burma's participation in Asean-EU functions.

    The EU accuses Rangoon's military regime of gross violations of human and labour rights.

    According to Thai officials, over half the EU states have complained of time constraints and said they would only send deputy ministerial or ambassadorial-level representatives to Vientiane. Fearing the absence of EU ministers would dilute the image of the meeting, Lao and Vietnamese envoys met their European counterparts in Brussels to try to convince them to send their ministers. If this was not possible, they suggested both sides consider delaying the meeting, said the Thai official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

    The two countries were also planning to push for an Asean statement to support this position. But the source said Thailand was preparing to object to such a proposition. He said Thailand was perplexed at Malaysia's "unabashed position", saying Kuala Lumpur's push over the years for nothing less than a bloc-to-bloc meeting was uncompromising.

    "And now they are saying we should delay the meeting because of the absence of some ministerial-level people," he said. "Regardless of the level of participation, Thailand believes that the meeting is just too important to pass up," the source said. He pointed to the Asean-EU Joint Declaration, a major document outlining future cooperation, due to be signed at the meeting.

    The Asean-EU meeting, scheduled for December 11-12, would be held right after the Intergovernmental Conference, which all 15 European foreign ministers are attending.

    Most EU countries have officially said they would not be able to send a minister to Vientiane, and it is understood the Europeans want to "go soft" on the meeting because of Burma's participation, the source said.

    According to the source, Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and French External Affairs Minister Hubert Vedrine had confirmed they would not go to Vientiane.
    Delhi Police detained Burmese activists
    New Delhi, November 16, 2000
    Mizzima News Group (www.mizzima.com)

    Delhi Police detained the Burmese activists who were staging a demonstration against the visit of Burmese military general to India. The police arrested about 60 slogan-shouting Burmese pro-democracy activists who held the protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi today. As the protestors marched towards Parliament building from Jantar Mantar around 12 noon, Delhi police stopped them and took them inside the Parliament Police Station.

    When heard about the incident, a Member of Parliament Mr. N. Dasari from the Communist Party of India (CPI) came to the police station to show his party’s solidarity and support with the democracy activists. The MP asked the police to release the Burmese immediately as they were doing a peaceful demonstration.

    One of the demonstrators told Mizzima over telephone from the police station that the police took their names, addresses and their fingerprints. The police finally released the demonstrators around 2 p.m.

    The Burmese activists were demonstrating against the visit of General Maung Aye who is second most powerful man in the military junta. Maung Aye is paying an official visit to India at the invitation of Indian Vice President Mr. Krishan Kant.

    Maung Aye, who is Vice-Chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is accompanied by senior cabinet ministers of the regime, including its deputy prime minister Lt. Gen. Tin Hla and foreign minister U Win Aung.

    The Burmese democracy activists based in India are outraged that India which awarded their leader Aung San Suu Kyi with its highest civilian honour, the Jawaharlal Nehru Prize for Peace and Understanding in 1995 is now embracing with the generals from Burma. “It (military junta) continues to suppress the democratic aspirations of the people. More than a thousand political activists were imprisoned last year alone”, said their press statement issued today.

    The activists also protested over India’s assistance to constructing the Tamu-Kalaymyo motor road in Sagaing Division in Burma. “If new roads are to be constructed with India’s assistance, the poor people of Burma will be again subjected to forced labour. It is well founded by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that forced labour is widespread in Burma under this regime”, the statement continued. The road, which has been constructed by Border Road Organizations of India is scheduled to complete in few weeks.

    In an open letter to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today, the Burmese pro-democracy groups in India urged him to raise the issue of “systematic violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights by the SPDC” in his meetings with the visiting Burmese delegates. They also requested the Indian Prime Minister to urge the Burmese generals to take steps towards restoration of democracy in Burma.
    George’s Little Rangoon in uproar over general’s visit
    By SEEMA MUSTAFA
    From The Asian Age newspaper, dated November 16, 2000

    New Delhi, Nov. 15: “You want to speak to the Burmese students,” asked the obliging member of defence minister George Fernandes’ staff at his official residence, and promptly connected the line to the president of the All Burma Students’ League, Mr Kyaw Than, who attacked the Vajpayee government for playing host to the second-most powerful man in the Burmese military junta.

    Mr. Kyaw Than, who lives with Mr. Fernandes along with several other students, did not mince words in questioning the Indian government’s decision to “join hands with the oppressors” in laying out the red carpet for the vice-chairman of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council and chief of the armed forces, General Maung Aye.

    “We are worried, we are very concerned,” said the student leader, adding, “We are very disturbed to see democratic India joining hands with the military junta as this will not be fruitful in the long-term interests of both countries.”

    Mr. Kyaw Than did try to defend his long-tern host, Mr. Fernandes, saying, “He is personally supporting our cause but what can he do about the government’s policy? He has to accept it even though he has said he is extending us his fullest support.” He said, however, that the students and the “democratic forces” were very worried about the possibility of arms sales by India to Burma.

    The students’ league leader, however, laughed in embarrassment when it was pointed out that he should take up the matter with the defence minister at home as the defence deals would go through his office. The same argument was offered by Samata Party spokesperson Shambu Srivastava, who insisted that Mr Fernandes had to officially welcome Gen. Aye but, politically, “we are all opposed to the military regime.” The defence minister obviously has carved out a dual role for himself: officially he does what is required for him as a minister of the government, unofficially he continues to support causes, even those which his government is working against.

    Significantly, it was left to Mr. Kyaw Than to speak of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy wherein India had decided to support the cause of the oppressed and victimized in the world. It is perhaps a coincidence that the visit by the military chief of Burma has coincided with Nehru’s birth anniversary. The foreign office maintained its usual stoic silence on the brewing controversy. When contacted by The Asian Age, MEA spokesperson Raminder Jassal remained unavailable for comment. The Burmese students’ leader pointed out that there had been a distinct shift in policy with the government diluting its full support of the Palestine issue to a neutral stand in the present Palestine-Israel crisis. He said, after persistent questioning, that they might take up the matter with Mr Fernandes “at the appropriate time.”

    The Burmese students will hold a demonstration in New Delhi on Thursday to protest against India’s decision to welcome Burma’s military chief. General Aye has arrived with a high-profile delegation and will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will also address Indian industrialists at the CII in a bid to further economic ties between New Delhi and Rangoon, apart from meeting government leaders and attending banquets in his honour. Officially, however, India continues to oppose the military regime. The decision has drawn flak from political parties, with CPI leader D. Raja pointing out that the government was obviously trying to cultivate relations with the military junta in a complete reversal of foreign policy. There is concern in foreign policy circles about the undeclared shift, with experts wondering at the government’s refusal to articulate its policy on Burma.
    Burma too close to ignore Pramit Pal Chaudhuri
    The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
    November 17, 2000

    THE ARRIVAL of the 16-member Myanmarese delegation in the capital on Friday is tangible evidence that New Delhi recognizes it must deal with Yangon, irrespective of its domestic circumstances. The delegation leader, General Maung Aye, is number two in Myanmar's ruling junta.

    Prominent Indian sympathizers of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement have held their tongues. A vocal defence minister, George Fernandes, will not join the army chief and home minister in calling on Gen Maung. But the foreign ministry points out the defence minister does not meet every foreign visitor.

    Rashtrapati Bhavan said the first lady, Mrs Usha Narayanan, would be present when Gen Maung meets the president on Friday. As per protocol, the vice-president will host a banquet for the visitors. Mrs Narayanan, an ethnic Burmese, is close to imprisoned dissident, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi.

    India's Myanmar policy took a leisurely dozen years to evolve from moralizing to engagement. This is only partly because of sympathy for Ms Suu Kyi. The snail's pace of India's engagement is more about failing to prioritize interests regarding Myanmar and being overly influenced by the West.

    India's Myanmar interests are threefold. One, getting Yangon's help against the insurgency which infest the 16,00-kilometre border. The past five years have seen a number of successful joint military operations against separatists. New Delhi has helped Yangon against Kachins and others. Myanmar has reciprocated against Nagas.

    Two, making up for lost time on the economic front. Myanmar can be a major supplier of timber, pulses and gems. It is a potential market for Indian products. Myanmar manufactures so little it imports Cambodian goods. India opened its border for trade with Myanmar in 1995 - four years after China. From the trans-Asian highway to the Mekong Valley project, ``Myanmar is our land-bridge to Southeast Asia,'' says the foreign office spokesperson. India is helping construct the Tamu-Kalemayo road in Myanmar.

    Three, concern that isolating Myanmar has created a diplomatic vacuum being filled by China. Well before India, other Asian countries engaged Myanmar to counter this. Fortunately, Yangon's xenophobia makes it wary even of Beijing.

    New Delhi has been slow to accept that slamming doors on a non-hostile neighbour has few plus points. When India isolated Myanmar post-1988, it was moved by moral zeal. ``A hangover of the 1960s and 1970s,'' a former Indian diplomat termed it.

    But the junta showed no signs of buckling. Around 1990, New Delhi found Chinese radar facilities on Myanmar's Cocos Islands. The Indian army also pressed for cooperation with Yangon. India bent enough to initiate a dialogue in 1994. But New Delhi sent confusing signals: in 1995 it awarded Ms Suu Kyi the Nehru prize. Isolation was further discredited when Myanmar joined the ranks of the ASEAN in 1997. The MEA says relations will now be driven by “national interest'': belated recognition that Myanmar is too close for neglect.
    Sharing of intelligence to fight insurgency on cards Shishir Gupta
    The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
    November 17, 2000

    MYANMAR IS set to become the centrepiece of India's "Look East" policy with New Delhi bent upon intensifying its physical and economic links with neighbours in South East Asia.

    During the state visit of Vice Chairmanof the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar General Maung Aye to New Delhi, the two sides are expected to pave way for a multi-faceted relationship that envisages bilateral cooperation in areas as diverse as biotechnology and infrastructural development.

    Recently, a top External Affairs Ministry official said that close relationship with Yangon was critical to New Delhi with India no longer looking at South East Asia as its extended neighbourhood. The signing of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation this month and the subsequent concretisation of the Asian highway project linking South East Asia with India via Myanmar has helped bridge the gap between the subcontinent and the Indo-China region.

    The MEA official said that faced with an "obdurate" neighbour in the west, India wanted to forge a strategic partnership with Myanmar as it was New Delhi's overland link with South East Asia. With the 160-km Tamu-Kale-Kalewa Road scheduled to be inaugurated in January, India will have a road connection to Mandalay. Myanmar, on its part, recognises its geographical location and is prepared to pave its way as a "strategic gateway" for South East Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Major General Saw Lwin, Myanmar Tourism Minister, publicly announced this at the Mekong Ganga Cooperation Ministerial group meeting at Vientiane on November 10.

    With the red carpet being rolled for Gen Maung Aye and his delegation tomorrow, New Delhi is giving signals that it wants to adopt a pragmatic approach to its relationship with Yangon. For instance, India has offered development assistance to Myanmar in the form of upgrading road communication and railway system in Kachin State and Chin State. It is also willing to assist in development of inland water transport facilities in Chindwin and Kaladan rivers, besides helping in building better seaport facilities.

    Indian policy towards Myanmar is shaped keeping the evolving Asian security balance in mind. While China is building the Hanigyi naval base in Myanmar, there is Pakistani footprint in the development of the Haka air base in the Chin State.

    The two sides are expected to continue and intensify efforts to contain insurgency by denying the use of each other's territories by militants. The prospects of the two countries sharing actionable intelligence in order to counter insurgency and smuggling of narcotics will also be deliberated upon.

    Military hardware relationship could figure in the bilateral talks with both countries determined to tackle insurgents. The Arakanese and Karen insurgents, who are active in Myanmar, are using the Andaman Sea for transferring arms and ammunition from Ranong or Chiang Mai in Thailand to Cox's bazaar in Bangladesh. These weapons are then taken to Myanmar over land route.

    Another aspect of this growing relationship with Yangon is that India is willing to set-up a centre for biotechnology to map the bio-resources in that country. It is understood that New Delhi has plans to offer some 2.5 million US dollars as assistance in the biotechnology sector.In the information technology sector, New Delhi will put its expertise on display with Myanmar expected to be asked to identify specific areas where it needs assistance.
    First Lady to meet general, George will stay away
    The Asian Age (New Delhi)
    November 17, 2000

    New Delhi, Nov. 16: First Lady Usha Narayanan will receive the visiting Burmese General Maung Aye when he meets President K.R. Narayanan, a Rashtrapati Bhavan official said here on Thursday.

    The official told The Asian Age Ms Narayanan will receive Gen. Aye and his wife, Daw Mya Mya San, as per protocol.

    The official said it is an accepted norm around the world that when a visiting dignitary is accompanied by his wife, the First Lady is also present at the receiving ceremony. There were reports that Ms Narayanan was reluctant to meet the prominent member of the Burmese military junta.

    Gen. Aye, who is the second-most powerful leader of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council and chief of Burma’s armed forces, reached India on November 14. He and chief of Burma’s armed forces, reached India on November 14. HE went straight to Bodh Gaya. The official visit will begin from Friday when will be given a ceremonial reception on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. He is accompanied by a delegation comprising Burma’s deputy prime minister Lt. Gen Tin Hla and the ministers for foreign affairs, finance, commerce, power, science and technology and industry. In New Delhi, Gen. Aye will meet President Narayanan, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Union home minister L.K. Advani and external affairs minister Jaswant Singh. Missing in the list of ministers scheduled to meet the general is defence minister George Fernandes. While Gen. Aye will meet the former Chief of the Indian Army, Gen. V.P. Malik (Retd), no meeting with Mr Fernandes has been scheduled as per the programme.

    Mr. Fernandes is an avid supporter of the pro-democracy moment in Burma and has given refuge to student activists form Burma in his house in New Delhi. The Burmese general’s visit has put a question mark over India’s position on the pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Gen. Aye will also visit Agra and the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi. The police is keeping a close watch on the Burmese student sin New Delhi to avoid any embarrassment during the visit. Some Burmese students demonstrating against the general’s visit were rounded up by the police as a precautionary measure.
    India, Burma to forge strategic ties
    The Hindu (New Delhi)
    By Atul Aneja
    November 17, 2000

    NEW DELHI, NOV. 16. driven by a policy decision to reach out to its eastern neighbourhood, India has decided to forge a strategic partnership with Myanmar.

    New Delhi and Yangon are expected to flag off the new turn in their relationship during the India-visit of General Maung Aye, the Myanmar Vice Chairman of State Peace and Development Organisation.

    The importance which India attaches to this visit is evident form the red carpet welcome which Gen. Aye is being accorded. Though invited by the Vice President of India, Gen. Aye will be given a ceremonial reception of befitting a head of State. He will be received tomorrow at the for court of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

    Highly place sources here point out that the high profile welcome is mainly on account of India’s recognition that Myanmar’s strategic location is central for promoting its look- east policy. A special relationship with Myanmar is the centerpiece of its policy to establish close physical and economic links with its eastern neighbours. “We no longer look at south-east Asia as an ‘extended neighbourhood’. It is indeed our neighbourhood as endowed to us by geography which we have failed to recognize”, the sources said.

    Sandwiched between South and Sough East Asia, Myanmar is a natural ‘land bridge’ linking the tow regions and India is keen to exploit this location by building cross-border roads into Myanmar. By carving new communication links, India, in turn can also be connected to locations in the South East Asian heartland and beyond. India is already building a road which will link the state of Manipur with Myanmar. This road which will be apart of trans-Asian highway network which will terminate at the Myanmarese communication hub of Kalemyo.

    Myanmar also acquires a prominent position on India’s energy security map. Discussions at a technical level are continuing on the possible transfer of natural gas from Myanmar into India. There is also a proposal aimed at creating a network of pipelines passing though Myanmar and then along the territory of Bangladesh into India. India, keen to diversity its oil and gas procurements, is likely to back such a proposal.

    India also recognizes Myanmar’s importance in strengthening its national security. New Delhi is looking for joint operations with Myanmar to curb north-east insurgents who have found safe havens in its jungles.

    The reported Chinese military activity in Myanmar is a matter of concern to India. National security interests demand that the Bay of Bengal area, which also straddles Myanmar, does not become a hotbed of interference by foreign navies. India is keeping a close watch on the Coco islands in Myanmar where Chinese activity has been reported in the past.
    Burma says it will stop cooperating with ILO on forced labor
    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    YANGON, Myanmar, Nov. 17 — Myanmar said Friday it will stop cooperating with the International Labor Organization on forced labor issues — a response to the U.N. body's decision to impose unprecedented sanctions on the country.

    A Myanmar government statement warned that the decision by the ILO's governing body would have a ''negative impact on the very people it purports to protect and serve.'' Myanmar ''totally and categorically rejects the governing body resolution,'' the government statement said.

    ''As such, Myanmar will cease to cooperate with the International Labor Organization in relation to the ILO Convention 29 and any activity connected with it,'' the statement said. Convention 29 deals with forced and compulsory labor. The statements raised fears that the Myanmar government would roll back the few reforms it has attempted to end the widespread practice of forced labor in the country.

    In an informal vote Thursday, 52 of the ILO governing body's 56 members agreed to go ahead with sanctions against Myanmar over its use of forced labor. The sanctions will take effect Nov. 30.

    Unlike U.N. Security Council sanctions, which spell out limits on trade and other punishments, the ILO would leave it to individual governments, employers and labor unions to determine what they will do. The ILO has 174 member nations.

    The ILO ''decision sets a most dangerous precedence in which big powers can use the pretext of labor rights and unfounded allegations to exert pressure and interfere in the internal affairs of developing nations,'' the Myanmar government statement said.

    In Geneva, ILO spokesman John Doohan said Myanmar's decision does not change the situation much.

    ''The dealings with Myanmar have already been restricted to this particular question of forced labor,'' he said. ''The desire of the ILO is not to punish the people of Myanmar but to compel the government to eliminate forced labor, consistent with commitments it has made to the ILO.''

    Myanmar's military government had long denied the existence of forced labor here, claiming that civilians work voluntarily to promote the development of the nation. In recent months it has accepted that there have been cases of forced labor, and last month it amended its laws to make forced labor a criminal offense punishable by one year in jail and a fine.

    ''The ILO and the governing body in particular have turned a blind eye to the comprehensive framework of legislative, executive and administrative measures put in place in Myanmar,'' the government statement said. Despite the ILO decision, Myanmar will continue to ''implement these positive measures in the interest of the entire people,'' the statement said.
    New Delhi defends visit by Burma general
    NEW DELHI, Nov 17 (AFP) - India defended Friday its decision to roll out the red carpet for General Maung Aye, number two in neighbouring Myanmar's military regime.

    "In international relations, we have to take into account our national interests," Home Minister L.K. Advani told reporters after a welcome ceremony for Maung Aye at the presidential palace. "We have weighed all the pros and cons," Advani said, in answer to question regarding New Delhi's policy vis-a-vis military dictatorships.

    India has been vigorously campaigning for international sanctions on Pakistan since the military coup in October 1999. New Delhi's engagement of the Myanmar junta has resulted in controversy as India is also sympathetic to the pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

    "The Myanmarese soldiers have shed blood for India -- that is the key point for consideration," said Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, a senior analyst with the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses. Indian and Myanmar troops have cooperated in fighting insurgency in the northeastern states of India.

    Earlier this year, they carried out a combined operation in which five militant camps in Myanmar belonging to the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland were destroyed.Other Myanmar-based rebel camps will be targetted soon, Advani said. India is also keen to engage Myanmar to counter the growing Chinese influence in the country.

    Addressing a group of Indian industrialists Friday, Maung Aye invited entreprenuers to invest in Myanmar, in areas including agriculture, fisheries, pearl cultivation, infrastructure, oil and gas, mining and tourism.

    "Fifty percent of the foreign direct investment into Myanmar comes from ASEAN countries ... and only 1.1 percent from India," the general said, adding that there was "immense potential" for increasing bilateral trade.

    The president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Arun Bharat Ram, said the two countries should increase foreign trade from the current 215 million dollars to two billion dollars by 2003. Ram also suggested an initiative to increase cooperation between India's northeastern states, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
    Europeans expected to show displeasure
    Burma remains a thorn in the side

    source : Bangkokpost
    Achara Ashayagachat

    Thailand is concerned about the expected absence of key European ministers for the first ministerial meeting of Asean and the European Union since Burma's entry into Asean in 1997.

    Sources said Britain, Denmark and France would not send foreign ministers to the talks set to take place in Vientiane from Dec 11-12. Britain and Denmark are among the EU member states' staunchest opponents of the Burmese junta.

    France holds the rotating presidency of the EU, but sources said the expected absences could be linked to an EU conference in Nice from Dec 8-9. As well, a year-end EU summit and a Nato meeting may keep people away.

    As Asean co-ordinator until July this year, Thailand had steered moves to restore talks at the ministerial level between the two groupings, whose last meeting was three years ago in Singapore. While Britain remains unclear who will represent Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Denmark is expected to be represented by an ambassador. French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine is expected to be represented by Charles Josselin, who is in charge of development co-operation with Asia.

    Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan will attend. A senior ministry official expressed concern about the possible non-shows. "Thailand is quite concerned how other Asean partners will regard the absence of equal-capacity representation," he said. The Asean-EU ministerial meeting in Berlin in March last year was aborted.

    The Asean side decided not to join after the Europeans, citing Rangoon's poor human rights records, banned Burmese participation. But the blocs resumed senior official-level talks in May last year.
    Burma's Han gets dream draw against Tiger Woods
    source : CNNSI


    Kyi Hla Han, Asia's No. 1 player last season,
    will play America's No. 1 player Tiger Woods.


    BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Myanmar's Kyi Hla Han, leading a strong Asian lineup, got a dream draw to play against world No. 1 Tiger Woods and defending champion Michael Campbell in the first two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic starting Thursday.

    Kyi Hla Han, 39, will be eager to shine in the matchup following last week's disappointing outing at the American Express World Golf Championship in Valderrama, Spain, where he shot rounds of 75-74-77-77.

    A total of 32 Asian professionals will battle in the 10th edition of the four-day tournament. Eight Asian players in the list are currently in the top-20 of the Davidoff Tour Order of Merit and 23 have won 45 titles between them.

    Kyi Hla Han, Asia's No. 1 player last season, believes the Asians will relish the rare opportunity to challenge Woods, winner of nine titles this year, including three Majors.

    "It is going to be an exciting week playing against Tiger Woods and the world's best," said Han.

    Other top Asian players also received good draws released late Tuesday. The in-form Arjun Atwal of India, who has won the last two events on the Asian PGA Tour, will play with last year's British Open winner Paul Lawrie of Scotland and top Australian player Jarrod Moseley respectively in the first two rounds.

    Spanish sensation Sergio Garcia will have local hope Thaworn Wiratchant and Australian left-hander Nick O'Hearn in the first two rounds while Sweden's Jesper Parnevik will play with Taiwanese veteran Wang Ter-chang and Australian Peter Senior. Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, who has finished as the top Asian in the last two editions of the Johnnie Walker Classic, will have former world No. 1 Nick Faldo of England for company along with Peter Lonard of Australia.

    Prayad, who upstaged Woods 67-70 in the first round of the 1997 Asian Honda Classic in Bangkok, has been Asia's best performer in the Johnnie Walker Classic for the past two years, with a tied eighth finish in Phuket in 1998 and a joint 12th finish in Taiwan last year. Compatriot Thongchai Jaidee, recent winner of the Korean Open, is another player capable of upsetting the big names. The former soldier knows the Alpine Golf club layout well after spending one year practicing on the course during his amateur days in preparation for the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.

    Taiwan's Yeh Wei-tze is another bright prospect for honors. He proved his pedigree at the European Tour-sanctioned Malaysian Open in February with a stunning victory and is currently ranked second on the Davidoff Tour. Other Asian stars expected to provide the sparkle include Korea's Kang Wook-soon, the first player to win six times on tour, China's globetrotting star Zhang Liang-wei, and Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian player to play on the European Tour.

    Other Asians participating are Japanese Daisuke Maruyama, Shinichi Akiba and Satoshi Oide; Philippines' Felix Casas, Rodrigo Cuello; Singaporean Mardan Mamat and Malaysia's Danny Chia. The tournament is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian PGA Davidoff Tour for the second straight year.