Daily News-February 23 - 2001- Friday

  • Burma prepares to bury helicopter crash victims
  • Burma "persists" in use of forced labour: Unions
  • Burmese deception
  • Burmese soldiers retake outpost
  • Chavalit blasts press coverage of Shan attack
  • Six More Bodies Recovered From Burma Helicopter Crash
  • Rebel leader vows to fight Burmese troops
  • Greedy businessmen blamed for Burma currency slide
  • Indian Companies Set to Form Joint-Venture Trade in Burma Market
  • Junta seeking upper hand in demarcation talks by mobilising troops
  • Burma finds mountain assault tough
  • Thailand tells Burma to back off from border

    • Burma prepares to bury helicopter crash victims

    source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

    Burma is planning a military burial for the junta's number four Lieutenant General Tin Oo, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Monday.

    In a statement published by the state press, the junta's number-three Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt said he mourned the loss of Tin Oo.

    He says Tin Oo's death represents the loss of not only a family and national figure, but of a comrade at arms.

    Lt Gen Tin Oo is scheduled to be buried with full military honors today along with Brigadier-General Lun Maung, who was attached to the office of junta leader Senior General Than Shwe.

    Six people are now confirmed dead in the crash, with 10 passengers still missing.
    Burma "persists" in use of forced labour: Unions

    source : The times of India

    BANGKOK: Myanmar "persists" in using forced labour, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) said in a report to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    "The junta has not taken any measures aimed at really putting an end to forced labour," the confederation said Tuesday in a statement received here.

    "Even worse, the army and the administration tries hard to hide the extent and nature of forced labour imposed on the population and attempts to use propaganda, disinformation and lies to counter measures planned by the ILO," said the Brussells-based confederation which claims 221 unions in 148 countries.

    The ILO's governing body last November called on its members -- which includes unions and employers besides countries -- to review their ties with Myanmar over the issue, a move which threatened to increase the sanctions load that has already helped cripple the economy.

    The issue of international sanctions against Myanmar is on the agenda for the next session of advisors to the UN agency on March 8 in Geneva.

    The unions warned against "any slackening of pressure on Myanmar".

    The Japanese head of the ILO regional office here, Yasuyuki Nodera, said recently that Myanmar is expected to make progress in eliminating forced labour this year.

    "Expect progress in Myanmar," he said, adding that one of his top priorities would be to send ILO experts to Myanmar to help stamp out forced labor by changing laws and bringing the perpetrators to justice. (AFP)
    Burmese deception

    source :The Montreal Gazette

    Thursday 22 February 2001

    Burma's repressive junta has stopped spewing invective about Aung San Suu Kyi, and is actually engaging in talks with the heroine of the pro-democracy movement, whom it has kept under house arrest (formal or de facto) for most of the past decade. By so doing, the junta obviously is trying to improve its deservedly abysmal international image.

    But it would be surprising indeed if the junta actually proves it is serious about opening the way to meaningful political reform.

    The government of Burma, also known as Myanmar, has one of the planet's worst human-rights records. The country has been under military rule for four decades. The current junta came to power after crushing pro-democracy demonstrations that swept the country in 1988, killing at least 3,000 unarmed activists in the process.

    An election in 1990 was won in a landslide by Ms. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, but the military refused to hand over power. Since then, the regime has used various abusive, violent tactics to maintain its grip, including torture, summary executions and the arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens. Its reprehensible practices also include forced labour.

    The junta has used its political and military choke-hold on the country for its own economic ends, as well. Burma's rulers control much of the important economic activity in their country, something that has further impoverished the majority of citizens.

    So it probably would be wishful thinking to view the recent overtures to Ms. Suu Kyi as any sign that the junta is about to see the light and reform itself right out of office. More plausible is the suggestion that it is merely trying to give wealthy countries that have imposed economic and diplomatic sanctions an excuse to drop them. By making it look as if reform is under way, the junta offers a reason to invest in the country.

    The rest of the world, one hopes, knows better than to fall into such a trap. Talks and a ceasefire in its war of invective against Ms. Suu Kyi certainly are welcome. But pressure on the junta should continue, until it really does step aside in favour of a democratically elected government. After all they have suffered, Burmese deserve no less.
    Burmese soldiers retake outpost

    source : CNN
    February 22, 2001
    By John Raedler
    CNN Bangkok Bureau Chief

    BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Myanmar soldiers have re-taken a hilltop outpost without resistance one day after Shan rebels overran the base, Thai border patrol police have confirmed.

    The outpost is on the Myanmar side of its border with Thailand, about 20 kilometers from the Myanmar border town of Tachilek.Soldiers of the so-called Shan State Army (SSA) overran the base Wednesday, killing at least one Myanmar soldier and capturing another before setting fire to the camp.

    On Thursday, Thai Border Patrol Police, who has been monitoring the scene from their side of the border, say they saw a small band of Myanmar soldiers come back into the base, then leave.

    Later, according to the Thai monitors, a larger group of Myanmar troops came into the outpost and stayed there.

    The Thais said there was no fighting. They believe the SSA rebels left the camp soon after overrunning and torching it on Wednesday.

    The Shan are an ethnic minority in Myanmar who have been fighting to break away from the central government for decades.
    Chavalit blasts press coverage of Shan attack

    source : The Nation

    DEFENCE Minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday criticised the press for coverage of the clashes between the Shan State Army (SSA) and Burmese government troops, claiming the publicity has jeopardised negotiations between Bangkok and Rangoon.

    "The reality is that we were having a dialogue. But you guys [media] went and photographed the SSA attacking the Burmese camp. This is very ugly," said the defence minister, who has often claimed that his close ties with Burmese generals could help solve bilateral problems.

    Chavalit was the first top foreign official to visit Burma after the military took power in the crushing of a popular uprising for democracy in 1988. He has been instrumental in the regime's participation in the international community.

    "We have to be careful," Chavalit said yesterday. "We have to help each other, one hand, two hands, for the sake of the nation. Because, essentially, it's good to have friends."

    In an effort to patch ties with the Burmese army, has sent his personal aides, General Pat Akkhanibut and General Sanan Kajornglam, to attend funeral ceremonies for Burma's General Tin Oo and other senior army and cabinet offices, who died in a helicopter crash on Monday. Both Pat and Sanan, retired officers, were Chavalit's close aides overseeing Burma policy when Chavalit was army chief and supreme commander. The Thai government welcomed statements on Wednesday by Burma's Lt Gen Khin Nyunt that Burma wanted to peacefully resolve the border conflict.

    "I believe the problem can be settled with negotiations," Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said. He said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has no immediate plans to visit Burma and will wait before making a final decision on when to go.

    Thai and Burmese troops two weeks ago engaged in cross-border shelling after fighting between Rangoon's troops and SSA rebels spilled over into Thailand. Border checkpoints have been closed, while more troops from both sides have been mobilised to the area.

    Burma's state-run press has accused the Thai military of aiding the Shan rebels, while Thai officers said Rangoon has mobilised of soldiers from the United Wa State Army to the areas opposite Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces.

    Yesterday, the New Light of Myanmar said Thailand had not been a "good neighbour" in helping Burma fight rebels and that Thailand was aiding drug traffickers.

    "Instead of lending us a helping hand in this task [of defeating the rebels], they are assisting the drug traffickers . . . which threaten the human race," the newspaper said.

    The border situation remained tense yesterday as armed rebels of the Karen National Union and Burmese troops clashed inside Burma opposite Tak province's Mae Sot district and Tha Song Yang district.

    Burmese troops positioned opposite Chiang Rai's Doi Tung district returned to their Balang Luang camp, which was overrun and later abandoned by Shan soldiers on Wednesday.

    General Thein Sein, the Burmese commander for the region, reportedly directed about 200 troops from Tachilek into position 1 kilometre from Palang Luang camp in preparation for a possible offensive by Shan soldiers.
    Six More Bodies Recovered From Burma Helicopter Crash

    YANGON (AP)--Rescue workers have recovered six more bodies from a helicopter crash that killed Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, the ruling junta's No. 4 general, who was due to be buried with full military honors in Yangon Friday.

    Twelve people are now confirmed dead and four are still unaccounted for from the accident Monday, near Pa-an, 160 kilometers southeast of Yangon, the capital, said a government official on condition of anonymity.

    The Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed in bad weather into the Salween river in Karen State with 29 people on board. Thirteen people survived. The search for bodies by navy divers continues.

    The four missing include Maj. Gen. Sit Maung, commander of southeast military command. Like Tin Oo, he was one of the 21-member ruling State Peace and Development Council, which seized control of Myanmar 12 years ago after crushing a popular uprising for democracy.

    The others missing are air staff Col. Tin Win, navy staff Col. Kyaw Tin Hla and general staff officer Lt. Col. Maung Maung Thet, the official said.

    The six bodies recovered Thursday were Lt. Col. Hla Paing, 44, helicopter pilot Maj. Soe Naing, 41, co-pilot Capt. Nay Min Aung, 29 and three other helicopter crew, the official said.

    The crash was the worst tragedy to hit the Myanmar regime since it took power in Sept. 1988.

    Tin Oo, 67, was the fourth-ranking general in the ruling council. He was set to be buried Friday afternoon at Mingaladon military cemetery on the outskirts of the capital, amid tight security.

    Scores of baskets of flowers sent for Tin Oo's funeral by well-wishers were subject to security checks before being stored on racks at the cemetery, witnesses said.

    Details of the crash and the identities of survivors have not been made public by the government, which controls the media and keeps a tight grip on information.Authorities are expected to investigate the crash. There is no indication it was caused by sabotage.
    Rebel leader vows to fight Burmese troops

    DOI KO WON, Myanmar, Feb 23 (AFP) - A Shan State Army (SSA) leader vowed to fight advancing Myanmar soldiers Friday and said his troops were preparing to mount their own offensives.

    "From now on we will not just wait for Myanmar troops to fire on us. We will move to fight them, too," SSA leader Yawd Serk told reporters at a jungle encampment about one kilometer (under a mile) from the Thai border in Shan State.

    "I believe we can fight against Myanmar troops because we want our country back," he said.

    Yawd Serk said SSA troops had been attacked because they were positioned along a border route used by Myanmar to transport drugs, and that the SSA was simply following its policy to suppress the drugs trade.

    He said the SSA had its own legal means of supporting its military operations, which cost the ethnic rebel group approximately 100 million kyats (198,800 dollars) per year.

    "We have our own legal businesses. We are not involved in drugs," he said, declining to reveal the nature of the group's businesses for fear Myanmar authorities might intervene.Ethnic Shan rebels were not the only target of Myanmar troops, Yawd Serk said.

    "I believe they don't want to attack only the Shan, they want to attack Thailand also," he said.

    Yawd Serk said SSA troops had abandoned a Myanmar military base they had taken earlier this week, and that Myanmar troops had returned to it.During a half-hour skirmish late Wednesday, Shan State Army rebels stormed the base located some 300 meters (990 feet) from the Thai border, Thai sources said.Some 20 Myanmar troops had been stationed at the base inside Myanmar, opposite the Mae Fah Luang district in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai.The attacking SSA troops, who numbered about 50, torched the base. One Myanmar soldier was killed and a second was taken prisoner during the fighting, according to a Thai border source.

    Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed Wednesday that the fighting took place on Myanmar soil, and said Thailand would ensure the security of its people along the border.Thaksin said he considered the fighting a domestic issue for Myanmar and that he thought it would end soon.Scores of Thai troops have been sent to the border region in recent weeks to guard against incursions by Myanmar troops, whose battle with ethnic rebels strayed into Thailand earlier this month.

    The SSA is one of the only major armed factions left in Myanmar yet to agree to a ceasefire with the Yangon government.Yawd Serk has pledged to cooperate with international efforts to suppress drug trafficking.
    Greedy businessmen blamed for Burma currency slide

    Rangoon, Feb 23 (AFP)

    Burma's junta blamed "greedy businessmen and rumour mongers" Friday for spiralling food prices and a huge slide in the value of the local currency the kyat.

    The kyat has slipped to 510 to the US dollar in the wake of fighting on the border with Thailand and the death of Burma's fourth most powerful military leader Lieutenant-General Tin Oo earlier this week.

    The state-run Mirror daily carried the accusation Friday, coinciding with the general's burial with full honors in Rangoon's military cemetary.

    "Many people overreacted by even resorting to panic purchasing of essential commodities fearing the worst," the commentary said.

    It said panic was sparked by rumours spread deliberately by unscrupulous businessmen over the past three or four days.

    "Gold prices as well as black market dollar rates suddenly shot up together with those of Thai goods coming accross the border," the Mirror said.

    "Even if the trade routes with Thailand closed down indefinitely, ordinary people would hardly be affected by it because everything they need is now being produced in the country."

    The commentary urged people to do away with "foreign made" goods and to cultivate a proper sense of "national outlook."

    The kyat was at 503 to the dollar on Monday. Its most recent slide started several weeks ago, when it was worth about 450 to the dollar, against about 320 at the beginning of 2000.

    The kyat's value on the black market, through which most business is carried out, compares to an official exchange rate of six to the greenback.

    The value of Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs), a special currency denominated in dollars, has also fallen.

    FECs are valued at slightly more than 400 kyat. The kyat rate of FECs was once equal to or even higher than that of the dollar when its local usage was widespread.

    The growing price disparity has been attributed to over-printing of the special currency, which has meant that the amount in circulation exceeds the number of dollars collected by the government.

    Some restaurants in Rangoon are now charging 15 percent more for meals paid for in FECs instead of dollars.

    The city is now awash in FECs, and as demand shrinks, people are eager to hedge their bets by offloading the currency by buying dollars or gold. The price of gold in Burma has shot up as a result.

    Burma's creaking economy has long been seen as on the verge of collapse due to crippling international sanctions and mismanagement by the junta.

    Foreign investment has all but dried up due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the stigma attached to investing in a country blamed by the West for serious human rights abuses.

    The poor state of the economy is one factor believed to be behind a nascent political thaw, resulting in senior military leaders meeting with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

    Some commentators say that the regime is planning to make some concessions to the National League for Democracy in the hopes of shedding its pariah status and easing sanctions.
    Indian Companies Set to Form Joint-Venture Trade in Burma Market

    Source : Asia Pulse

    KOLKATA, Feb 23 -- Several Indian companies, including Britannia Industries, IFB Agro and Tractor India Ltd, have expressed willingness to enter into joint ventures or join hands with trade partners to cater to the Burma market, yet to be tapped by domestic firms.

    Britannia Industries Ltd General Manager G Chakraborty said his company was willing to enter into a joint venture with local firms to cater its biscuits and other products to the market.

    The company would conduct a study to determine the consumption level, taste and preferences of Burmese buyers before making investment decisions, he said.

    IFB Agro Industries Ltd, a city-based firm engaged in agro-processing and marine products, said it was willing to join hands with trade partners from the country for import of raw materials and exporting its products.

    Tractor India Ltd also looked for catering its products, including heavy load vehicles, to the Burma market.

    There were also queries from sectors like construction, agro-processing and financial services about the new market.

    Burma, a country rich in agro products as also natural gas and minerals, may hold rich potential for Indian firms, UMFCCI president U Win Myint said.

    The market was now dominated by Malyasian and Taiwanese companies but held potential for competitive Indian firms as well, he said.
    Junta seeking upper hand in demarcation talks by mobilising troops

    Source : Bangkok Post

    Burma's move to mobilise troops close to the Thai border is designed to give it the upper hand in demarcation talks, an academic warned yesterday.

    Relocation of 200,000-300,000 Red Wa close to the border would cause demarcation problems, said Pornpimol Trichote, of Chulalongkorn University's Institute for Asian Studies. "Burma's aim is not to crack down on ethnic minorities but to triumph in border demarcation, said Ms Pornpimol.

    "Hence the mobilisation of Burmese government troops and its ethnic minority allies close to the Thai border along wide stretches of territory," she told a seminar on Burmese ethnic minorities and border problems.

    "We must understand that Burma is a very dynamic military state, that it takes after China in very long-term planning," she said.

    Settlement of so many Wa people, complete with their plantations, close to the border could pose an obstacle to border markers, she said.

    Thailand shares a 2,400km border with Burma, of which only about 59km are demarcated.

    Pisanh Paladsingha, a Thai writer of Mon extraction, said the government should consider what Rangoon might want before asking favours of the junta.

    A past Thai government had been too quick to congratulate itself, he said, citing the euphoria over Gen Chettha Thanajaro's success some years ago in securing the release of Thai fishermen held in Burma for poaching.

    He said the Thaksin Shinawatra government should think beyond just "selling mobile phones and doing business with Burma".

    Wut Boonleart, a Thai of Karen extraction from Ratchaburi, said the Thai and Burmese governments should stop using minorities as tools for their own ends.

    For 50 years, Karen had suffered when they obstructed bids to exploit natural resources in the border area, he said. Priyanoot Panpradab, an actress who wrote the book Battle for the Lost Land that is being serialised on TV channel 7, called for peaceful negotiations so that ethnic minorities could happily co-exist.

    She wrote her book in order to encourage the younger generation to sympathise with the plight of ethnic minorities, she said.

    Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said the new government should respond to demands for an end to abuses of human rights and democracy, wherever they may occur.

    The United Nations, he said, should address the issue of human rights violations of ethnic minorities in Burma now that it had helped broker a dialogue between the military junta and the pro-democracy opposition.
    Burma finds mountain assault tough

    Source : Bangkok Post

    Twelve battalions of Burmese and United Wa State Army soldiers have laid siege to a mountainous stronghold of the anti-Rangoon Shan State Army in an ongoing suppression drive.

    Col Korn Juan, who commands about 2,000 SSA soldiers protecting the stronghold, said nine Burmese and three UWSA battalions had surrounded Doi Kaw Wan and tried to advance on the SSA headquarters but had run into tough resistance.

    He said the Shan positions were heavily shelled throughout Wednesday night.

    Col Korn Juan does not believe government troops would be provided with air support as the weather would not permit such action.

    Yesterday morning, Burmese troops retook their base opposite Ban Pha-hi of Mae Sai district which had fallen into Shan hands.

    The base was overrun by SSA soldiers on Wednesday morning in a lightning raid in which one Burmese soldier was killed and one captured. The Shan fighters withdrew after putting the base to the torch.

    The government is examining the preparedness of Thailand and Burma on holding a Regional Border Committee meeting, but local- and regional-level talks will not be held unless Rangoon initiates an offer to arrange them.

    Early this month, Thai and Burmese troops exchanged fire at the border in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai after Burmese soldiers allegedly trespassed on Thai soil. Army spokesman Col Somkuan Saengpattharanate said the army will not offer to arrange talks with Burma on border disputes since it is now Burma's turn to host such meetings which had been delayed for two years with no reason at Burma's request.

    Rathakit Manathat, Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman, said consultations were held to look at the likely agenda and timeframe for the border committee.

    Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who planned a trip to Burma, was taking part in the consultations, Mr Rathakit said According to Col Somkuan, Third Army commander Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong had been authorised by army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont to decide on the organising of talks with Burma by taking the Thai military's dignity into consideration, he said.

    Col Somkuan said security beef-up along the border in the North will continue to prevent incursions by Burmese troops until results of expected peace talks can bear fruit.

    Soldiers in border areas of Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son are now on full alert against a possible influx of Shan refugees into Thailand.

    Earlier, Supreme Commander Gen Sampao Chusri said the Supreme Command had been ordered by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Gen Chavalit to arrange talks with Rangoon.

    According to him, meetings between regional border committees and joint committees will be held if local-level talks between township border committees fail.

    As for the timing of Mr Thaksin's visit to Burma, Mr Rathakit said there should be more clarity on this after the government policy statement in Parliament.

    Mr Rathakit hoped the call on Tuesday by Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, secretary one of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, for a peaceful settlement to border disputes would lead to fruitful talks at all levels before things got much worse.

    In a related development, a source from the Pha Muang task force said the border situation had also forced Burmese and Thai troops stationed on Doi Lang in Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai, who had enjoyed good ties, to suspend contacts.
    Thailand tells Burma to back off from border

    Source : MSNBC (Reuters)

    BANGKOK, Feb. 23--Thailand said on Friday it would only reopen a busy border crossing to Burma at the town of Mae Sai if it was assured its neighbour's soldiers would not cross the frontier in their battles against ethnic Shan guerrillas.

    Tension flared between the two countries earlier this month, with dozens reported killed in border clashes between soldiers from the two sides, prompting Thailand to shut down the Mae Sai border checkpoint, 900 km (560 miles) north of Bangkok and opposite the Burma town of Tachilek.

    Thailand says Burmese soldiers seized one of its border outposts on February 10 and then hit Mae Sai with stray shells during a battle against ethnic guerrillas. The border has been closed since.

    But Burma has denied it shelled Mae Sai, and accused the Thai military of backing ethnic Shan rebels.

    Thai army spokesman Colonel Somkuan Saengpattaranetr said on Friday Burma should show goodwill by not deploying ''excessive troops'' near the Thai border.

    ''We have experienced in the past that when Myanmar soldiers went after ethnic rebels on Thai soil, they set Thai markets on fire during their pursuit,'' Somkuan said.

    Somkuan also said the army was concerned that there could be disagreements with Burma over border demarcation.

    Thailand shares a 2,400 km (1,490 miles)) border with Burma, of which only 59 km (36 miles) are demarcated.

    OLIVE BRANCH

    Thailand said on Thursday it welcomed an olive branch from Burma's military government, which said it hoped the dispute over the clashes could be solved peacefully.

    But Burma's official New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Thursday accused Thailand of failing to help crack down on drugs trafficking.

    ''Instead of lending us a helping hand in this task, they are assisting the drug traffickers,'' the newspaper said.

    Burma says the Shan rebels are the main drugs traffickers at the border, while Thailand says the United Wa State Army, an ethnic army allied to Yangon, are the worst culprits.

    The Thai Army on Friday denied it supported the drugs trade.

    Foreign ministry spokesman Pradap Pibulsonggram also brushed aside the accusation.

    ''We already denied that last week and the situation has somewhat improved, as Myanmar has shown a positive gesture,'' Pradap told Reuters.

    He said Thailand has taken leading role in drug suppression and urged Rangoon not to ''divert attention from the real cause of the problem,'' which was that Burma troops had encroached on Thai soil.

    The Shan State Army (SSA), which has fought Burmese government forces for several decades to try to secure an autonomous state, on Friday denied it was involved in drugs trafficking.

    ''The verbal attack is a ploy (by Myanmar) to avoid holding official talks with Thailand,'' SSA leader Yod Suk told Reuters.

    ''They know it was their fault, as they attacked the Thai border, and they know bilateral talks would lead to eradication of drug plants at the border.''