Daily News-January 04-2001 - Thursday

  • Burmese killers 'will pay'
  • Mahathir urged to meet Suu Kyi during Burma visit
  • Killing of Muslims in Arakan: Burmese envoy denies press report
  • Two Mitsubishi Strada vehicles presented to Office of Strategic Studies
  • UN envoy to Burma carries hopes for junta-opposition dialogue
  • Burma Trumpets Achievements On Independence Anniversary
  • Karen leader offers an end to civil war
  • UN urged to spend more battling Aids for Burma

    • Burmese killers 'will pay'

    source : The Nation

    PRIME Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday vowed to hunt down and punish the armed Burmese militiamen who shot and killed six Thai people during a weekend raid in the border province of Ratchaburi.

    "We will not allow them to just walk free and go unpunished. They will certainly face severe counter measures," Chuan said.

    The prime minister said he had ordered security forces to pursue the killers. The murders took place at midnight on Saturday when the gunmen burst into a grocery store in Ratchaburi's Suan Pueng district .

    They held at gunpoint local villagers who were celebrating the New Year and robbed the store of staple foods including noodles and salt. Before leaving the scene they sprayed bullets at the villagers, killing six, including two young boys, and injuring some others.

    The group was initially believed to comprise members of God's Army, which seized a hospital in the same province and took hostage hundreds of medical personnel, patients and relatives in January last year. The God's Army group is led by twin boys Luther and Johnny Htoo, who are believed to be in their early teens.

    The premier said the Thai military had already taken control of the area and that Army Commander Surayudh Chulanont would discuss the issue with his commanders. Meanwhile, National Security Council secretary general Khajadpai Burutpatana expressed doubt over whether the guerrillas involved in the raid were God's Army members, suggesting they might be part of a new breakaway ethnic guerrilla faction.

    "There have been no intelligence reports of movements among God's Army leaders since the hospital seizure," he said.

    The Burmese army earlier overran the group's jungle headquarters, forcing its members to live off the land and forage for food. Suan Pueng villagers will stage a rally tomorrow to demand that the Tham Hin camp for displaced Burmese be relocated elsewhere.

    Khajadpai said the villagers' fears over the presence of Burmese, and their demands, were understandable because of the large number of Burmese residing in the area.

    "I understand their concerns, but the camp can not be relocated because there is a shortage of areas for this purpose. However, our policy is that we will not keep them [the Burmese] on our soil for long periods. Within three years, all of them will be repatriated," he said.
    Mahathir urged to meet Suu Kyi during Burma visit

    source : Malaysiakini
    3 rd,January

    Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been urged to meet with detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his two-day working visit to Burma beginning today.

    In an open letter to Mahathir today, Barisan Alternatif Foreign Affairs Bureau chief Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad expressed hope that the premier will pay the 1991 Nobel Peace prize winner a visit as a gesture of concern for her situation and untiring struggle for democracy in Burma.

    Suu Kyi, who is secretary-general of the opposition National League for Democracy and widely considered a symbolic leader of the Burmese democracy movement, was put under house arrest last September.

    Her party won a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections but the results was not recognised by military junta that has ruled the country for decades.

    Constructive engagement

    Syed Azman stated that it was high time Malaysia and other Asean countries engaged in dialogue with both the military junta-led State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) government and NLD.

    It is important for Asean countries to voice our protests and complaints against human rights violations in Burma to the SPDC government, in the spirit of constructive engagement in Asean, because the instability in Burma will not only bring instability to the Asean region, but it also affects the investments of the Asean business community in Burma,” he said.

    Syed Azman also expressed deep concern with the deterioration of the human rights situation, particularly the increasing level of torture, in Burma.

    While we in BA support your concern for the suffering peoples of Iraq and Bosnia, we also hope that you can show the same kind of concern for the millions of oppressed people in Burma,” he told Mahathir.

    Human rights violations

    SPDC and its predecessor, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), have been accused of wrongs ranging from arbitrary arrest, torture and murder to forced relocation of civilians, forced labour, drug trafficking and sexual slavery.

    Human rights activists have also documented the forced relocation of more than 300,000 Shan – of a population of eight million – in the past three years.

    Mahathir left for Burma this morning and is scheduled to hold talks on bilateral matters and regional issues with junta leader General Than Shwe, who is the head of SPDC.

    It is expected that Malaysia will play a significant role in resolving the current political impasse in Burma given that former Malaysian ambassador Razali Ismail was appointed United Nations Rapporteur on Burma last year.
    Killing of Muslims in Arakan: Burmese envoy denies press report

    The Independent (Bangladesh)
    January 2, 2001, Tuesday

    Myanmar Embassy here has categorically denied a news item published in a section of the press that 25 Rohingya Muslims were killed and 100 other injured in a firing by the Myanmar army in Arakan on the day of Eid- ul Fitr.

    " I have no knowledge of such an incident," Ambassador of Myanmar Ohn Thwin told The Independent yesterday.

    He also denied the press report that Muslims were not allowed to say their Eid prayer in any area of the state, adding that people of all religions in his country enjoy equal freedom and rights.

    Replying to a question, the envoy admitted the existence of much talked about organization Rakhine Solidarity Organization (RSO), active along the borders between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
    Two Mitsubishi Strada vehicles presented to Office of Strategic Studies

    source : NLM

    Yangon, 2 Jan-With the patronage of mother Daw Yin Yin May, wellwishers Dr Tha Yin Myat and wife Daw Nwe Nwe Aye and daughter Chaw Su Myat of Thuwunna Ingyin Myaing Street in Thingangyun Township, donated two Mitsubishi Strada vehicles to the Office of the Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Defence this evening in memory of late father Maj Tha Din Gyi.

    Wellwisher Dr Tha Yin Myat and wife Daw Nwe Nwe Aye and family presented two Mitsubishi Strada vehicles to Chief of the Office of the Strategic Studies Director of Defence Services Intelligence Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt inspected the vehicles. Present were Deputy Chief of the Office of the Strategic Studies and Deputy Director of Defence Services Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win and officials.
    UN envoy to Burma carries hopes for junta-opposition dialogue

    BANGKOK, Jan 4 (AFP)

    UN envoy Razali Ismail is to arrive in Rangoon Friday on a mission many observers hope may finally bring Burma's ruling generals and their formidable opponent Aung San Suu Kyi together in an historic dialogue.

    The Malaysian diplomat is to spend five days in the country on his third trip since United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed him in April with the aim of breaking the decade-long impasse.

    UN sources say this visit will squarely tackle the task of building a bridge between the opposition National League for Democracy and the generals who have done their best to squeeze the life out of the party.

    "Razali will urge both government officials and opposition leaders to engage in a substantive political dialogue that would lead to national reconciliation in Myanmar," said UN spokesman Almeida e Silva last week.

    Sources in Rangoon and Bangkok have hinted contacts between the Nobel laureate and the junta have already begun. Diplomatic circles have been abuzz with such rumors for months.

    But with the junta characteristically tight-lipped and the opposition leader and several senior NLD members under house arrest since September, the speculation cannot be confirmed.

    Diplomatic sources say even if Razali doesn't manage a breakthrough, he may at least kick-start a reconciliation process with enough momentum to develop under its own steam.

    They are cautiously optimistic the skilful and experienced diplomat, who seemingly has the confidence of both sides, may find success where envoys before him failed.

    "The Razali process is extremely important right now," said one Asian diplomat in Rangoon. "We hope he will bring about tangible effects and results."

    In a recent interview with AFP, Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win said a dialogue was "not something you can set up immediately" and Razali was working to build confidence.

    "Because Mr. Razali is from Asia I believe he has a better understanding of the issues involved ... he appreciates the complexities and sensitivities," he said.

    Amid speculation the junta has used Aung San Suu Kyi's seclusion to begin talks out of earshot of diplomats, he admitted the government preferred to keep them at bay at this sensitive time.

    "In the past our experience regarding this dialogue process is that some representatives of foreign countries are getting too involved in Myanmar's internal affairs," he said.

    The "Razali initiative" comes at a time when the junta, despite enjoying total control over the country, is under increasing pressure from a range of influences.

    As the generals' rule stretches into a second decade, it is becoming harder to justify their continuing grip on power and assertions their "temporary" regime will one day hand over to a democratic government.

    Still stunned by the NLD's landslide election victory in 1990, which they refused to recognise, they know they hold nothing like the popular support Aung San Suu Kyi commands.

    Pressure is also being brought to bear by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which Burma joined in 1997 with the sponsorship of Malaysia.

    As the weight of sanctions and poor economic management threaten to bring the country to its knees, many observers believe at least some junta elements are willing to countenance change.

    "They know they can't go on ... there will be change in the short term, even if it is incremental," said one Western diplomat.

    Observers note the official media has lately halted its vicious stream of personal attacks on Aung San Suu Kyi.

    For its part, after a decade of intimidation, repression and arrests, the NLD is extremely weak, with little but the fame of its charismatic leader to sustain it as its membership shrinks.

    "Both sides seem to be a bit more accommodating towards each other in terms of making progress towards political reconciliation," another Western diplomat said of the new mood.

    Razali is undoubtly helped by the fact he is from Malaysia, one of the few countries the junta is prepared to listen to.

    Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrived in Rangoon Wednesday for a two-day trip that included talks with junta leader Senior General Than Shwe.

    The visits, while not officially linked, have raised suggestions Malaysia could play a key role in breaking the deadlock.

    "Mahathir can prove that he can make a difference in Burma," The Nation daily in Bangkok said in an editorial this week.

    But even if the military and the opposition sat down together, there would be few subjects they could agree on. The economic malaise and a massive HIV-AIDS problem might be topics that could be broached.

    The big unknown, however, is the views of Aung San Suu Kyi herself, whom Razali hopes to be allowed to visit at her lakeside home in Rangoon where she has been confined since September 22.
    Burma Trumpets Achievements On Independence Anniversary

    Source : Dow Jones (AP)

    Rangoon--Burma's pro-democracy opposition held a small religious ceremony Thursday to mark the 53rd anniversary of the nation's independence from Britain, as the military government trumpeted its achievements in development.

    About 150 members of the National League for Democracy gathered at the party's Rangoon headquarters to give alms to Buddhist monks.

    With party leader Aung San Suu Kyi under virtual house and unable to attend, the ceremony was low-key and there were none of the usual political speeches and songs commemorating the independence struggle, an NLD official said.

    The NLD swept general elections in 1990 but was barred by the dominant military from taking power.

    Suu Kyi's father Aung San was the leading hero of the struggle against the British, but he was assassinated by a political rival six months before independence was secured, ending 120 years of colonial rule Jan. 4, 1948.

    After one decade of turbulent democracy following independence, the military took control of Burma in 1962 and has kept control ever since.

    The government also marked the anniversary in low-key fashion Thursday with a flag-raised ceremony by officials at a park in Rangoon and a statement by the leader of the ruling junta, Senior Gen. Than Shwe. He said Myanmar had "immeasurable strength" that had helped overcome all obstacles to its nationhood.

    Than Shwe stressed that progress had been made in developing agriculture, construction and education with the participation of all ethnic peoples "in preparation for a discipline-flourishing democratic system."
    Karen leader offers an end to civil war

    Source : Bangkok Post

    The Karen National Union president has expressed hope for peace talks with Rangoon in order to put an end to the loss of lives and natural resources resulting from more than 50 years of fighting.

    In a New Year message, Saw Ba Thin said the KNU sought an end to civil war and the start of a collective effort by all groups in Burma to establish political, economic and social unity.

    "The KNU continues to leave the door open for Rangoon to come and negotiate with sincerity," he said. The KNU, which broke from Rangoon in 1948, wants the military junta to step down in order to make way for multi-party general elections, and a union system of administration where states are represented in parliament and government.

    But differences of opinions between the junta in Rangoon and pro-democracy forces have kept them in armed conflict for more than half a century.

    With about 500 men in arms, the KNU is the last significant ethnic minority group yet to enter into a ceasefire pact with Rangoon.

    Saw Ba Thin, 74, declared his "politics before military" policy towards Rangoon, an emphasis on negotiations shortly after being named KNU president in January last year.

    He also called for an end to the division among the Karen that has spawned splinter groups such as the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, and the independent Karen Solidarity Organisation and the so-called God's Army.

    He urged all other groups in Burma to replace factional posturing with co-operation towards the goal of peace and solidarity so that the country can enjoy the benefits of development like other countries around the world.

    In Bangkok, the Foreign Ministry continued to reserve comment on the cross-border raid in Ratchaburi on New Year's Eve that left six Thais dead, including women and children.
    UN urged to spend more battling Aids for Burma

    Source : South China Morning Post

    UN funding to battle Aids in Burma should be increased at least tenfold to counter the disease in one of the hardest-hit southeastern Asian nations, a panel of outside experts recommended overnight (HK time).

    The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has earmarked US$3 million (HK$23.3 million) over the 30-month period from mid-1999 through the end of 2001 for Aids prevention, care and support in Burma, home to about 46 million people.

    Six experts dispatched by the UNDP to evaluate its programmes in Burma concluded that the money, while a good start in attacking the problem, was less than ten per cent of what international donors are giving Burma's neighbours with comparable infection rates.

    ''The problem is growing and requires at least ten times more resources than the current annual expenditures,'' said the report summarising the findings of the experts.

    The report is to be submitted to the UNDP executive board at a meeting beginning on January 29.

    A resolution approved by the UN General Assembly last month accused Burma's military government of failing to address the growing spread of Aids.

    ''The government does not recognise the problem,'' said a UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    UNDP officials say their funds represent about 65 per cent of the total being spent by the international community to combat Aids in Burma.

    According to UNAIDS, the co-ordinating UN body on the disease, some 1.99 per cent of Burma's population aged 15-49 is infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids. That is the third highest infection rate in southern and southeastern Asia after Cambodia, with a rate of 4.04 per cent, and Thailand, with a 2.15 per cent rate.