BurmaNet News: July 25 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

July 25 2003 Issue #2291

INSIDE BURMA

WP: Burma launches effort to defend Suu Kyi’s arrest
Economist: A showdown over Aung San Suu Kyi
Straits Times: Burmese minister warns against pushing country into isolation

INTERNATIONAL

AFP: Defiant Myanmar a thorn in Asia-Europe ties

REGIONAL

AFP: ASEAN must tackle Myanmar issue to strengthen bloc: Thaksin
Nation: Rangoon keen on road map

ON THE BORDER

Kaladan: Seven Rohingya Muslim seek refugee status
Kaladan: Nasaka’s reckless shooting in a bordering village of Bangladesh
Irrawaddy: Opposition leaders cautious on road map
Nation: Wei arrest report denied

EVENTS

Protest the Burmese regime’s bloody crackdown on democracy

INSIDE BURMA

Washington Post July 25 2003

Burma Launches Effort to Defend Suu Kyi's Arrest
By Ellen Nakashima

In the face of growing international criticism over Burma's detention of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the military government has launched a
campaign to give its version of the events that led to her arrest, sending
envoys to Asian capitals and publishing a serialized newspaper account of
the incident that portrays the democracy activist as a power-crazed
saboteur.

Suu Kyi was detained on May 30 for the third time in 14 years after
assailants attacked her convoy on a campaign trip in northern Burma. The
Nobel laureate has been held in isolation since then, except for a brief
visit with a U.N. envoy. At the end of June, she was moved from the
notorious Insein Prison to an undisclosed location, diplomatic sources
said.

The clash, believed by analysts to have been prompted by the government's
fear of Suu Kyi's increasing popularity, likely killed or injured scores
of people, U.S. officials say.

At a meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali today, foreign ministers
from key European and Asian countries, including China and Japan, called
on Burma to immediately release Suu Kyi. Previously, China alone among
Asian countries had characterized her detention as an internal affair of
Burma's. The move was also a break from the long-standing policy of
noninterference among members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations.

Burma was not represented at the meeting.

The appeal followed a suggestion last weekend by Malaysia's prime
minister, Mahathir Mohamad, that Burma, which calls itself Myanmar, might
have to be expelled from the ASEAN "as a last resort" if it did not
release Suu Kyi and begin national reconciliation.

Indonesian officials said Wednesday that Mahathir was speaking for
himself, but Indonesia's foreign minister, Noer Hassan Wirajuda, said at
the Bali conference that ASEAN was becoming "impatient" with Burma. He
said Burma's foreign minister would arrive in Jakarta, the Indonesian
capital, on Monday to discuss Suu Kyi's detention, which has prompted
increasing calls for stiff sanctions from many countries. In Washington,
Congress passed legislation last week barring all Burmese exports to the
United States.

In recent weeks, the Burmese regime, which calls itself the State Peace
and Development Council, has sent envoys to China, Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Thailand, India, Malaysia and Japan, Burma's biggest aid donor. The envoys
have carried letters that accuse democracy activists of trying to
overthrow the government. In a rambling, seven-page letter seen by a
Western diplomat in Bangkok, the junta leader, Gen. Than Shwe, accuses Suu
Kyi's followers of "conspiring to create an anarchic situation . . . with
a view to attaining power." It also says Suu Kyi attempted "to lure armed
groups . . . to join in the planned uprising." A coup was to have taken
place by June 19, Suu Kyi's 58th birthday, according to the letter.

"They basically say that she rejected the signs of moderation on their
part and took a very uncompromising attitude," the diplomat said. "The
letter and the claims are totally bogus."

On Tuesday, the Burmese government faxed to foreign diplomats in Rangoon,
the capital, a communique announcing that 91 people had been released from
prison, said a Western diplomat there, but it was not clear how many had
been arrested in connection with the clash on May 30. At least 29 were
identified as members of Suu Kyi's party, the National League for
Democracy.

The move did little to assuage critics. "If you really look at it, it's
just more of the same. It's smoke," the diplomat said. "They're not taking
concrete steps of releasing all the people they're holding without reason
and without charge."

In recent weeks, the diplomat added, the government has released some of
the opposition party's members but arrested others. With such "rolling
arrests," the diplomat said, the release of 91 people is not significant.

Zin Linn, director of the Bangkok office of the National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma, the coalition government in exile, said
that according to contacts inside Burma, most of those released likely
were not members of Suu Kyi's party. They were made to sign notes
promising not to discuss the clash, Zin Linn said.

Since the crackdown, the junta has attempted to quell concerns by allowing
the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detainees. The head
of the mission in Burma, Michel Ducraux, said tonight that the Red Cross
had visited the vice chairman of Suu Kyi's party, U Tin Oo, 75, in Kalay
prison in Burma's remote northwest. "He was in good health and uninjured,"
Ducraux said.

Meanwhile, the government's New Light of Myanmar newspaper is publishing a
serialized account of Suu Kyi's seizure, purportedly written by a member
of her party who has misgivings. In today's installment, the writer, Maung
Yin Hmaing, discussed the "root causes" of the clash. "If I have to give
my frank and honest opinion concerning all that happened on the way," he
wrote, "it cannot be denied that our group of NLD members led by Auntie
Suu, from the very outset, had embarked on this campaign with the sole
purpose of inciting unrest in every place we visited, to destabilize the
situation and destroy peace with the ultimate plan of laying blame on the
government."

He wrote that the protesters opposing the party did not wield weapons. "It
was our people who showed their true colors by physically attacking the
demonstrators."
__________

The Economist July 25 2003

A showdown over Aung San Suu Kyi

To the outside world Aung San Suu Kyi is a heroine, but to Myanmar’s
military leaders she is the country’s most dangerous person. Is the rest
of Asia turning against the junta’s treatment of her?

AS PROBABLY the world’s best-known political prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi
has a way of dominating almost every top-level government meeting in Asia.
It happened again this week. Asian and European foreign ministers, meeting
on the Indonesian island of Bali on Thursday July 24th, were for a while
distracted from their plans to talk about terrorism and North Korea’s
nuclear ambitions by a fiercely worded statement on Miss Suu Kyi from
Myanmar, the name the ruling military junta prefers for Burma. A state-run
newspaper said that Miss Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy
(NLD) she leads were “trying to push Myanmar towards total destruction”.

Total destruction? That sounds a touch hysterical. But Myanmar is angry
about the criticism heaped upon it since Miss Suu Kyi was detained on May
30th. This month, the American Senate proposed a ban on all imports from
Myanmar. Japan has turned off all new aid. The European Union is
threatening tough sanctions. Its external-affairs commissioner, Chris
Patten, a keen Asia-watcher since his tenure as the last British governor
of Hong Kong, said that Myanmar’s “behaviour has been appalling”. But the
worst blow for the junta has been the attitude of the Association of
South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member. At its
meeting in Phnom Penh in June, ASEAN called on Myanmar to free Miss Suu
Kyi.

It was the first time that the association had rebuked a member state.
Concern about Miss Suu Kyi, for all her status as a winner of a Nobel
peace prize, is only a part of a much wider concern about Myanmar
generally. It is one of the few countries in Asia that do not make at
least a nod towards electoral choice. Even China, though firmly in the
grip of the Communist Party at national level, allows fair elections
locally. Myanmar’s regime is a classic military dictatorship, and has been
so in various forms since a coup in 1962. In 1990, the generals allowed a
free election, foolishly believing that they were popular and that a
government sympathetic to them would be elected. Instead, there was an
overwhelming win for the NLD. Even much of the army voted for it. The
election result, of course, has never been honoured.

Malaysia’s prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, who strongly supported
Myanmar’s admission to ASEAN, has suggested that it might have to be
expelled. That is unlikely to happen, although Myanmar is unlikely to be
invited to join the more important Asia-Europe Meeting (the body which
staged this week's ministerial summit in Bali). Vietnam, for one, would
oppose Myanmar's ejection from ASEAN and other members worry that such a
move would cause the association to lose face.

Moreover, Myanmar is potentially a valuable asset to ASEAN, which
constantly talks of a common market among its members. Within the largely
rural, densely forested country there are riches. It is the world’s
largest exporter of teak, and, illegally, a major source of heroin. Its
soil is very fertile. It has important offshore oil and gas deposits. It
knows that, whatever the rest of the world may do, China will continue to
provide a market for its products.

ASEAN will continue to press for Miss Suu Kyi’s release, hoping that she
will then be forgotten. Myanmar would like to forget her too. But the last
time she was allowed her freedom, earlier this year, she drew such crowds
at her meetings that the junta began to fear for its future. To the
outside world she is seen as a diminutive figure, however brave. To the
junta she is the most dangerous person in the country. Perhaps “total
destruction” does have some meaning. The generals are stuck with a
heroine, and not only because of her calls for democracy: her father
fought for the country’s independence from Britain. This is one of the
reasons why the junta has mostly treated her with respect, confining her
to house arrest over much of the past 15 years, rather than putting her in
prison, where she is now. A United Nations envoy, Razali Ismail, the only
outsider known to have seen her in prison, said he believed she would soon
be freed. As things stand that is an optimistic forecast.
______________

Straits Times July 25 2003

BURMESE MINISTER WARNS AGAINST PUSHING COUNTRY INTO ISOLATION

Text of statement issued by Win Aung, minister for foreign affairs of the
Union of Myanmar (Burma): "Don't push Myanmar back into the shell", date
and place not given, carried by Singapore newspaper The Straits Times web
site on 25 July

Myanmar (Burma) is a peace-loving nation. The people of Myanmar love
peace. They would like to see their country peaceful and developed,
standing tall among the nations of the world. The majority of people of
Myanmar are Buddhists. Buddhism inculcates loving kindness, compassion and
sympathetic joy for all beings - celestial beings, humans, and animals
large and small. They lead simple lives and are content with whatever they
have. They seek happiness. From childhood, they are taught to behave
properly and to respect elders. They are also imbued with a sense of
compassion for those who are less fortunate, the poor and the helpless.
They lived in a peaceful and bountiful land until the West discovered them
and annexed their land to the British empire. They became a victim of
their own success and their country's strategic location.

In 2001, then President Jiang Zemin of China came to Myanmar on a state
visit. The president, on seeing pictures of the Myanmar king and queen
being taken away as prisoners by British troops during his tour of the
newly restored Mandalay Palace, turned to me and asked: "Foreign minister,
why did the British annex your country?"

I gave him a straightforward answer: "Mr president, the British did so
because they wanted to open a trade route from India to China through
Myanmar." We lived under British rule for more than a century. During
World War II, Japanese forces invaded Myanmar. Why? The answer: To cut off
the supply route from India to China through Myanmar. We lived under
Japanese rule for about four years.

When World War II ended, the Cold War began. Myanmar became the bone of
contention for the big powers because it was strategically located between
the two most populous nations of the world, India and China. Insurgencies
in the country were instigated from abroad. They were armed, trained and
directed from overseas. National unity was threatened and the union faced
total disintegration.

During the present government's time, it has been able to solve problems
amicably and peacefully. Seventeen armed groups signed peace agreements
with the government. They are not tiny bands. One group is 40,000 strong.
The international media conveniently ignores this important fact and
chooses to highlight the activities of remaining insurgent groups. The
questionable behaviour of these terrorists is accorded more attention.

Myanmar today faces many challenges - restoring law and order, building
national unity, alleviating poverty, restructuring the economy, working on
the national reconciliation process and writing a new constitution. Talk
is cheap. Action is not. It is one thing to criticize and adopt sanctions.
It is quite another to ensure that 52 million people are well-fed,
well-clothed and well-sheltered.

The enrolment in the universities today exceeds 770,000. It contrasts with
the 130,000 students enrolled a decade ago. This speaks volumes for the
work that has been done to promote education in the country. Myanmar has
tried to come out of the self-imposed isolation of the previous socialist
government. It is trying to solve outstanding political problems. The
problem involving Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is but one of many. If there exists
sincere goodwill on all sides, the problems of the country can be
satisfactorily resolved. It needs two to tango.

Putting all the blame on the government alone is not fair. Threats and
imposition of sanctions are counter-productive. Sanctions are blunt
weapons. They do more harm than good. For many years now, all forms of
development assistance have been denied Myanmar by international finance
institutions.

Myanmar receives the least amount of official development assistance among
the developing countries. This is clearly reflected in the statistical
reports published by the United Nations. Myanmar has developed relying
solely on its own resources.

It does not pose any threat to regional or international peace and
stability. It does not possess any weapons of mass destruction. It has
never supported international terrorism. It never will. In fact, it has
been a target of terrorism. All those who have visited Myanmar can attest
that the people of Myanmar are the most peaceful. Why push Myanmar back
into the shell from which it has emerged?

INTERNATIONAL

Agence France Presse July 25 2003

Defiant Myanmar a thorn in Asia-Europe ties
By P. PARAMESWARAN

Myanmar remains a thorn in Asia-Europe relations despite an unprecedented
agreement demanding that the country's military rulers free democracy icon
Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers that ended on Thursday
in Bali urged the junta to "immediately release" the Nobel peace laureate
and resume efforts towards national reconciliation and democracy.

For the first time ASEM has emerged with a "common document" effectively
criticising Myanmar, noted Franco Frattini, the foreign minister of Italy
which is the current EU president. "It was not easy before this meeting."

Myanmar's reluctance to allow political freedoms has dogged relations
between the two regions since the impoverished state joined the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997.

The West had cautioned ASEAN at that time not to include Myanmar until it
embraces democracy but the grouping felt it could encourage change from
within the grouping.

ASEAN is a key component of ASEM, a forum for consultations on key issues.
But Myanmar and two other newer ASEAN states Cambodia and Laos are not
ASEM members.

Much to the chagrin of the Asians, the European side -- citing Aung San
Suu Kyi's detention -- allegedly reneged on a deal to agree at the Bali
meeting to admit Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to ASEM.

"This broke a gentleman's agreement to bring the whole ASEAN family into
ASEM. Now it is going to be difficult for the Asians to allow the 10
prospective EU (European Union) members into ASEM," said an Asian
minister, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The 10 nations are scheduled to join the EU in the middle of 2004.

The debate over Myanmar will also divert the attention of the two regions
from the larger objective of improving political and economic relations.

One European minister explained that his side had to block the entry into
ASEM of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to ease concerns at home over the
imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi.

"He said they had to demonstrate to their people they are doing
something," according to the Asian minister. "But what about us? How is
the exclusion of the three going to be viewed by our own people?"

A European proposal to convene a special session on Myanmar at the ASEM
talks was blocked by the Asians, who also rejected a suggestion to invite
UN special envoy to Myanmar, Razali Ismail, to the meeting to brief them
on the progress of his negotiations with the junta.

Razali is the only independent person to have met Aung San Suu Kyi since
she was taken into "protective custody" on May 30 after her supporters
were ambushed by a pro-junta gang during a tour of the country's north.

The international community has responded angrily, with the United States
and EU beefing up sanctions.

ASEAN issued an unprecedented call for her release, breaking a principle
in its charter that member states should not interfere in each other's
domestic affairs.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad went one step further by warning
last week that Myanmar could face expulsion from ASEAN as a last resort.

But while ASEAN appears to be cracking the whip on Myanmar, the Europeans
feel the grouping is not focused and forceful enough in its actions.

Indonesia, the ASEAN chairman, is now considering leading a ministerial
mission to Myanmar to press the grouping's case. Thailand has proposed an
international forum among the EU, Japan, China and ASEAN to devise a "road
map" for Aung San Suu Kyi's release and Myanmar's eventual
democratisation.

"I think Myanmar does not deserve to be given many options. This is going
to be a convenient way out for them to delay everything," one European
diplomat said.

Even one top Asian official suggested Myanmar had been emboldened by
ASEAN's inaction. The junta has sent a special envoy across Asia to
justify its detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, an indication she may not be
freed anytime soon.

REGIONAL

Agence France Presse July 25 2003

ASEAN must tackle Myanmar issue to strengthen bloc: Thaksin

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders must address the
political deadlock in Myanmar in order to strengthen the grouping, Thai
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Friday.

"This is the issue that we have to tackle among ASEAN leaders in order to
strengthen ASEAN. When ASEAN is strong it will benefit everybody," he told
reporters.

Thaksin will this weekend hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad
Mahathir which will focus on the political tensions in Myanmar, where the
military government has democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in detention.

During the the two-day talks at Langkawi, a Malaysian resort island which
lies near the Thai border, Thaksin will also meet with United Nations
envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail.

Razali, a former Malaysian diplomat, is the only outsider to have seen
Aung San Suu Kyi since she was taken into detention in the wake of May 30
political violence between her supporters and a pro-junta gang.

Thaksin on Thursday offered to act as a mediator in the crisis, which has
outraged the international community led by the United States and the
European Union which have heaped more sanctions on impoverished Myanmar.

European and Asian foreign ministers meeting in Bali this week also urged
the junta to "immediately release" the Nobel peace laureate and resume
efforts towards national reconciliation and democracy.

Mahathir warned Sunday that Myanmar may as a last resort face expulsion
from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping if it
continues defying world pressure to free the 1991 Nobel peace laureate.

The grouping usually avoids interference in other members' affairs, but
the latest crisis in Myanmar has raised fears that the credibility of the
entire Southeast Asian region could be at stake.

Thaksin said that apart from bilateral issues and efforts to push for a
resolution in Myanmar, he and Mahathir would discuss efforts to establish
closer economic cooperation within ASEAN.

Among bilateral issues, the two leaders are expected to discuss overland
transport links for passengers and perishable goods, and plans to open new
border checkpoints and extend the operating time of checkpoints.

They will also witness the signing of two memorandums of understanding on
customs and the stock exchange.
_________

Nation July 25 2003

Rangoon keen on road map
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung has responded positively to a Thai
proposal to hold a "Burma forum" to draw up a road map towards national
conciliation and political reform.

In a telephone conversation yesterday with Win Aung, Thai Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai told his counterpart that his idea had received wide
support from participants at the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem).

"What I feel from the immediate reaction of minister Win Aung is
encouraging," he told reporters.

Win Aung promised to discuss the proposal with the junta leaders, he said,
noting that the forum could be held in Thailand before the end of this
year pending Rangoon's agreement.

China, the United Kingdom, Austria and some members of Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have expressed interest in participating
in the forum.

Surakiart said that all political groups, not just opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, but also armed minority groups, would be invited to the
forum.

"We need [to invite] them since they know the situation best. So, they can
make constructive comments about the road map and about the opinions of
other participants as well," he said.

Surakiart said the release of Suu Kyi would be a sine qua non for the
forum to be organised, as the Noble laureate was the key figure in the
process of national conciliation and could not be ignored.

The Thai government also welcomed the release of 91 prisoners linked to
the incident in which Suu Kyi was arrested. "It is a good signal and I
would like to see Rangoon do more," he said.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, who is chairman of both Asean
and Asem, said Thailand's proposal would complement other efforts to break
the political deadlock in Burma.

"But Thailand's proposal needs further discussion and elaboration," he
told a press conference.

Asean agreed in June to send a mission to Rangoon, but it remains unclear
if the junta would welcome such a mission. Wirajuda said he would discuss
the possibility of the mission when Win Aung visited Jakarta on Monday.

In the Asem chairman statement issued yesterday, the grouping called for
the immediate release of Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders and the
resumption of political dialogue towards national reconciliation.

ON THE BORDER

Kaladan Press July 25 2003

Seven Rohingya Muslim Seek Refugees Status

Chittagong, July 25: Seven Rohingya Muslims from Burma climbed the
perimeter fence into the compound of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) at Jalan Bukti Petaling there on 8th July 2003 to
demand refugee status, according to the New Straits Times of Malaysia.

It was the fifth such incident at the UNHCR. The seven men entered the
compound at 6:30 pm and appealed to the UN to recognize them as refugees
and provide them security.

It is learnt that some of them had applied to the UNHCR several times to
grant them refugee status, but all their applications were rejected.

On June 29, about 150 Rohingyas from Burma and Acehnese from Indonesia
congregated in front of the UNHCR premises to secure refugee status before
the expiry of the amnesty period. Later, police arrested 19 Rohingyas
after the UNHCR refused to grant them refugee status.

They had entered the UNHCR office and asked for refugee status because of
fear of persecution if they were repatriated

The seven Rohingyas were still inside the UNHCR compound and is not known
their fate till writing of this report.
________

Kaladan Press July 25 2003

Nasaka’s Reckless Shooting in a Bordering Village of Bangladesh

Cox’s Bazar, July 24: The Burmese Border Security Force (Nasaka) personnel
crossed the international border over the Naf River and started firing at
Ulobonia village in Waikhong Union under Teknaf Township of Cox’s Bazar
district in southern Chittagong, Bangladesh, eyewitnesses told Kaladan
Press.


In the afternoon of July 22, 2003, a section of Nasaka forces patrolling
in the Naf River (a river demarcating Burma and Bangladesh) were chasing a
group of smugglers crossing the border with smuggled goods via bordering
Ulobonia village of Teknaf Township, they further added.


The Nasaka patrol group intruded into Bangladesh territory and some of
them reached Ulobonia and started firing recklessly at their chase of the
smugglers. People of Ulobonia and its surrounding villages were
panic-stricken, the villagers of Ulobonia told our correspondent.

According to a local Bengali newspaper “Danik Cox’s Bazar” report, the
villagers sought the involvement of Bangladesh Border guards, BDR, in this
matter. But, They were upset at BDR’s inactivity.

It is mentionable that, two years ago, a warlike situation was turned out
between Burma and Bangladesh over the issue of unilateral building by
Burmese forces of a dam in the Naf River close to Ulobonia village.
Thousands of soldiers of both countries were moved to the border at that
time.
______

Irrawaddy July 25 2003

Opposition Leaders Cautious on Road Map
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burmese opposition groups have called for greater inclusion of elected
representatives in any "road map" toward national reconciliation and
democracy in Burma.

NCUB General Secretary Aung Moe Zaw
Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai has told reporters at the
Asia-Europe Meeting in Bali that his government had prepared a "road map"
for Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi and restore democracy, and that it
had already discussed the matter with military rulers in Rangoon.
Surakiart did not reveal details but said he wanted Thailand to chair a
forum with "like-minded" countries, organizations and groups within Burma.

The exiled National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) yesterday
released a statement in response to Surakiart’s proposal, warning that any
action needs to be careful to respect the desire of the Burmese people,
including ethnic groups. Moreover, the statement says democratically
elected representatives must be allowed to participate in political
intervention.

"What is most important is a thorough discussion with political
organizations and ethnic leaders inside the country," NCUB General
Secretary Aung Moe Zaw told The Irrawaddy. "The solution to Burma’s
problems must be based on the will of political and ethnic leaders.
Otherwise, I do not believe that the plan will lead to a genuine national
reconciliation."

 The solution to Burma’s problems must be based on the will of political
and ethnic leaders. Otherwise, I do not believe that the plan will lead
to a genuine national reconciliation — Aung Moe Zaw

Aung Moe Zaw added that Thailand’s road map, if implemented, would
effectively mute their call to the UN Security Council to take action to
solve the problems in Burma.

Surakiart said that all political organizations, including opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and armed minority groups would be invited to hold
a forum to draw up a road map for political reform in Burma. "We need [to
invite] them since they know the situation best," Surakiart told
reporters. "They can make constructive comments about the road map and
about the opinions of other participants as well."

Ethnic leaders were reluctant to immediately support the Thai government’s
proposal. Chairperson of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, Khun
Tun Oo, said news of the road map left several uncertainties. "Everyone is
asking: What does Thailand mean by a road map? Will it put aside the
political dialogue between the SPDC and NLD and concerns about the recent
attack in Depayin?"

Speaking from Rangoon, Khun Tun Oo said that he was unclear whether
Thailand’s road map would be any different than the UN’s current approach.

Khun Tun Oo said ethnic groups need to take part in the process, and that
ceasefire groups, armed opposition groups and exiled movements also need
to be consulted.

According to Surakiart, a forum to address the road map could be held in
Thailand before the end of the year if military leaders in Rangoon were
willing. The Foreign Minister hopes that government leaders from China,
Japan and the European Union can also be involved.
___________

Nation July 25 2003

Wei arrest report denied

Burma's drug czar Brigadier General Kyaw Thein yesterday dismissed reports
that fugitive heroin kingpin Wei Hsueh-kang had been arrested in his
country, saying that the Rangoon government did not know his exact
whereabouts.

"No. I don't think that's true at all," said Kyaw Thein in response to the
reports.

"Are you even sure that Wei Hsueh-kang is really in our country?"

Kyaw Thein is also a department head at the Office of the Chief of
Military Intelligence in the Burmese Ministry of Defence.

Wei, a fugitive drug lord who is wanted by Thailand and the US and who has
a US$2-million (Bt83.7-million) bounty on his head, is the commander of
the United Wa State Army (UWSA)'s 171st Division, located just kilometres
from the border with Chiang Rai.

Also known by his Thai name Prasit Cheewinnitipanya, Wei was sentenced to
life imprisonment by a Thai court in 1987, but jumped bail shortly
afterwards while the sentence was under appeal.

Thailand's Interior Ministry revoked his Thai nationality in 2001.
Division 171 is one of the three UWSA units located near the Thai border.

Intelligence officials said that Wei had a wide range of investments in
China, Burma and Thailand, which he keeps under close wraps.

The international community has accused the military junta in Rangoon of
turning a blind eye to the illicit activities of armed drug-trafficking
groups along its borders and has also condemned their refusal to go after
convicted drug lords like Wei and Khun Sa.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the five-nation drug meeting
here yesterday, Kyaw Thein called on the international community to stop
"finger-pointing" at Burma, the world's No-1 producer of illicit opium.

He also called on the international community to treat politics and
narcotics as two separate issues, saying the sanctions imposed against his
country could have an adverse effect on government efforts to eradicate
illicit drugs.

"If they really want to impoverish our country, then it will hurt. We are
doing this [drug trade eradication] on our own limited resources," Kyaw
Thein said.

The military government of Burma has come under tremendous political and
economic pressure following the detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and her supporters.

The US Congress recently passed a resolution banning Burmese imports,
while the European Union has issued a visa ban for top Burmese officials.

"I think if we become poorer it will be more difficult for us to achieve
our goals," Kyaw Thein said.

He said Burma realised that it alone could not solve the problem. "We need
to cooperate with other countries", he said.

Kyaw Thein expressed hope that yesterday's meeting would be the beginning
of the end for finger-pointing.

Burma has been bogged down by decades of fighting between the central
government and armed ethnic groups seeking autonomy.

Thailand and the rest of the international community said a number of
these groups, some of whom have signed cease-fire agreements with Rangoon,
are heavily involved in the production and trafficking of methamphetamines
and heroin.

Rangoon has ruled out suggestions that military options should be used to
take down these groups, saying "the international community should look at
Myanmar [Burma] from the inside".

More than 500 drug enforcement officials yesterday searched 16 premises in
Chiang Mai linked to the Wei Hsueh-kang drug syndicate, confiscating
assets worth about Bt100 million, the Pa Muang joint military-police force
said.

The search was launched to ascertain the whereabouts of Thaweesak
Charassitthisin, alias Ah Chiang, a close aide to drug kingpin Wei
Hsueh-kang, and to trace his assets, said Narcotic Suppression Police
commissioner Lt-General Chalermdet Chompoonuch.

Authorities were unable to locate Thaweesak, but police confiscated land,
orange orchards, houses, gold accessories and cash worth more than a
combined Bt100 million from the syndicate, Chalermdet said.

Two of the 16 premises were in Chiang Mai's Muang district, the rest in
Fang district. The 16 locations were allegedly related to the drug network
operated by Thaweesak and his brother Ekkapol, alias Ah Lhoo. Both of them
are close aides to Wei.

Chalermdet said Thaweesak disappeared three years ago and that Ekkapol was
totally paralysed after being shot.


EVENTS

Protest the Burmese regime’s bloody crackdown on democracy:

August 7, 2003

10:00AM – Protest at the Embassy of Burma’s Regime, 2300 S Street, NW

8:00PM – Candlelight vigil at Ambassador’s residence, 2223 R Street, NW

On May 30th, Burma’s ruling military dictatorship launched a bloody new
crackdown on the democracy movement. Scores of people – possibly as many
as 70 – were killed in attack on Aung San Suu Kyi’s motorcade by thugs in
the regime’s employ. Members of the democracy party, the National League
for Democracy (NLD), including Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, have
been imprisoned, attacked, intimidated, and harassed while traveling the
country, seeking to rebuild the party. The regime has shut down NLD party
offices to try to prevent a popular reaction against the repression.

The new crackdown echoes events fifteen years ago in 1988, when the regime
violently crushed a mass pro-democracy uprising in a bloodbath that
dwarfed the violence of China’s Tiananmen Square a year later. Millions of
people from all walks of life took the streets to call for an end to
dictatorship and one-party rule. The regime responded by opening fire on
them, killing between 3,000 – 10,000 people in cold blood.

Please join members of the Free Burma Coalition, the Committee for
Restoration of Democracy in Burma, the Democratic Burmese Students
Organization, and others for a protest against the new crackdown at the
embassy of Burma’s regime, 2300 S Street, NW at 10:00 AM; and a
candlelight vigil of remembrance for the victims of “8888” in the evening
at the residence of the regime’s ambassador, 2223 R Street, NW, at 8:00
PM.

For more information, contact:
Dan Beeton, Free Burma Coalition - 202-547-5985
Aung Din, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) –
301-602-0077
Tin Maung Thaw, Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma –
703-834-5670
Yin Aye, Democratic Burmese Students Organization – 240-432-5097.